THE COSTUMED ADVENTURER SIMULATION ENGINE: A ROLE-PLAY INTENSIVE PASTIME written by Dennis Hill (DashApostrophe@gmail.com), hosted at www.caserpg.com Notes: the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine is not completely written as of yet. It is PLANNED, but not WRITTEN. Thus, Judging the Game, the Combination Character Cookbook, and Exobiology are not present in this file. Furthermore, the intent is to add a limitation/enhancement blurb to the normal human adventurer chapter, as well as combining the two flinging talents into one, while adding another to keep us at 100 of the things. Contents (as of 11/11/23): Chapter Zero: Introduction to the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine * What Is the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine * The Big Idea Behind the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine * The Shared Custody of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine Chapter One: Primary and Secondary * Standard Abilities ** Fighting ** Agility ** Strength ** Endurance ** Reason ** Intuition ** Psyche ** Resources ** Popularity ** Health ** Karma * Special Abilities ** Talents ** Contacts ** Quirks ** Limitations / Enhancements ** Powers Chapter Two: Ranks and ACTIONs * Ranks by Level ** Human Ranks ** Super-Human Ranks ** Cosmic Ranks ** Abstract Ranks ** Rank Conditionals * Assessments of Capability, Talent, Influence, Operation, or Nature (ACTION rolls) ** Column Shifts ** ACTION Intensities ** Automatic and Impossible ACTIONs ** Types of ACTIONs ** Material Strength Chapter Three: Space and Movement * Walking / Running ** Exhaustion * Swimming * Vertical Movement ** Falling Acceleration Rates ** Leaping ** Flight ** Speed Tables * Teleportation * Concepts of Range ** Range Tables * Maps and Ranged Movement Chapter Four: Time and Combat * Time Scale: the Turn ** Declare Actions ** Extra ACTION Rolls (if necessary) ** Determine Initiative ** Resolve Actions in Order ** If Multiple Rounds Needed, Resolve Extra Actions ** Wrap Up * Combat Essentials ** Slugfest Combat ** Ranged Combat ** Wrestling Combat ** Charging Combat ** Defensive Maneuvers ** Other Combat Results ** Determining Damage Chapter Five: Advanced Battle Concepts * Exotic Damage Forms and Damage Modifiers ** Supplemental Damage Types ** Damage Modifiers * Powers With Special Considerations ** Body Armor and Force Fields ** Resistances and Invulnerabilities ** Damage Reduction and Deflection ** Flight and Other Travel Powers ** Growth and Shrinking * Tactics (Super Powered or Otherwise) * Environmental Concerns Chapter Six: Living and Dying * Health ** Endurance Loss ** Negative Health ** Mental Health ** Recovery and Disability * Gaining (and losing) Karma ** Starting Karma ** Character Defeats ** Keeping Up Appearances ** Acts of Charity ** Character Ethos and Other Actions ** '...and Hilarity Ensued' * Spending Karma ** Manipulating Die Rolls ** Power Stunts ** Team Pools ** Advancement Pools ** Character Advancement Chapter Seven: Judging the Game * On the Structure of Reality ** An Infinity of Infinities ** Genre (or What To Do With All of This) ** Sub-Genre (or Narrowing It Down Further) ** ? ** ? ** ? ** ? (no idea, I haven't written all of this yet) ** ? ** ? ** ? Chapter Eight: Character Generation * Character Origins * Normal Characters ** Background and Style ** Random (Dice Roll) Method *** Ability Scores *** Rank Gambles *** ? (Limitations blurb for normals go here) *** ? (Enhancements blurb for normals go here) *** Quirks *** Talents *** Contacts *** And Last, but Not Least ** Systematic (Point Based) Method Chapter Nine: the Transnormal Treatise * Posthumanity at a Glance ** Core Principles ** Becoming Super-Human * Origins of Power ** Altered Humans ** Arisen ** Composites ** Degenerates ** Descendants ** Mutatns ** Reanimates * Transnormal Character Generation ** Random (Dice Roll) Method *** Ability Scores *** Rank Gambles *** Power Origins *** Number of Powers *** Determining Powers *** Determining Power Ranks *** Limitations *** Enhancements *** Quirks *** Talents *** Contacts *** Equipment *** And Last, but Not Least ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Filling in the Blanks * Posthuman Roleplay ** Character Advancement *** Purchasing New Inherent Powers *** Power Stunts ** Optional Posthuman Concerns Chapter Ten: the Technical Reference * Specification * Documentation ** Armor ** Computers ** Cybernetics ** Firearms ** Robots ** Vehicles ** Other Devices * Genearation ** Random (Dice Roll) Method *** Ability Scores *** Rank Gambles *** Technological Origins *** Number of Powers *** Determining Powers *** Determining Power Ranks *** Limitations *** Enhancements *** Quirks *** Talents *** Contacts *** And Last, but Not Least ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Filling in the Blanks * Creation ** Using Knowledge *** Tech Rank *** Special Catalysts *** Construction Time *** Success or Failure *** Kit-Bashing *** After-Market Modifications ** Using Karma *** Power Stunts ** Self-Improvement * Culmination Chapter Eleven: the Book of Magic * Core Principles ** Spells ** Types of Magical Energy ** Types of Magical Spells * Schools of Magic ** Alchemy ** Clericism ** Eclecticism ** Elementalism ** Entreatism ** Faerie Magic ** Geomancy ** Paraprobabilitism ** Philosophical Magic ** Physiomancy ** Technomancy ** Thaumentalism ** Voodoo * Character Generation ** Random (Dice Roll) Method *** Ability Scores *** Rank Gambles *** Magic Schooling *** Choosing Initial Spells *** Choosing Magical Item *** Determining Spell Ranks *** Limitations *** Enhancements *** Quirks *** Talents *** Contacts *** Equipment ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Filling in the Blanks * Sorcerous Roleplay ** Mystic Instruction ** Maintaining Spells ** Ceremonies / Ceremonial Areas ** Entreaties *** Entreaty Spells *** Entreaty Combinations *** Abusing Entreaties ** Character Advancement *** Purchasing New Spells *** Mystic Mastery *** Adopting New Magical Schools *** Spell Stunts * Optional Spellcasting Concerns Chapter Twelve: the Manual of the Psi * Core Principles ** Psionic Disciplines ** Psionic Power Types * Psionic Awakening ** Trained Psi *** Traditional Study *** Intermediate Study *** Casual Study ** Natural Psis *** Natural Psi Causation *** Developing Natural Psionics *** Natural Psis with Added Study ** Believers *** Believer Beliefs *** Conviction or Insanity *** Belief and Followers *** Believers with Added Study * Character Generation ** Random (Dice Roll) Method *** Ability Scores *** Rank Gambles *** Psionic Activation *** Psionic Disciplines *** Choosing Initial Psi Powers *** Determining Power Ranks *** Limitations *** Enhancements *** Quirks *** Talents *** Contacts *** Equipment ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Filling in the Blanks * Psionic Role-play ** Learning Psionic Powers ** Maintaining Psionnic Powers ** Character Generation *** Purchasing New Powers (Trained Psis) *** Purchasing New Powers (Other Psis) *** Untutored Advancement *** Power Stunts *** Transforming Trained Psionic Power Stunts into Distinct Psionic Powers *** Mastering Psionic Disciplines *** Overminding in Psionic Disciplines *** Omniminds * Optional Psionic Concerns Chapter Thirteen: the Deionomicon * Core Concepts * Deific Deviations ** Numenplyer ** Empowered ** Legacies ** Aspirants ** Quintessential Variant ** Reincarnator ** Preincator ** Demigod ** Abstract ** Gods * Divine Character Generation ** Random (Dice Roll) Method *** Ability Scores *** Rank Gambles *** Deific Character Types *** Determining Character Powers *** Determining Power Ranks *** Limitations *** Enhancements *** Quirks *** Talents *** Contacts *** Equipment ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Filling in the Blanks * Transcendent Role-Play ** Faith *** Faith Versus Belief *** Cultivating Faith *** Serendipitous Faith *** Utilizing Faith *** The Perils of Faith ** Character Advancement *** Purchasing New Powers *** Power Stunts * Optional Divine Concerns Chapter Fourteen; the Combination Character Cookbook * Some Assembly Required ** ? ** ? ** ? ** ? (no idea, I haven't written all of this yet) ** ? ** ? ** ? Chapter Fifteen: Exobiology 101 * Who Are Their People? * What Are They? * When Did They Originate? * Where Are They From? * Why Did They Leave Home? * How Are They Represented? ** (assorted extended character generation gobbledygook, since it includes everything from the Cookbook probably) ** ? ** ? ** ? ** ? (no idea, I haven't written all of this yet) ** ? ** ? ** ? * Sample Aliens Chapter Sixteen: Contacts ** Floating Contacts ** Purchasing New / Old Contacts * Contact Suggestions Chapter Seventeen: Talents ** Special Talent Rules ** Purchasing New Talents ** Untalented Individuals * Background Talents * Behavioral Talents * Environmental Talents * Fighting Talents * Miscellaneous Talents * Professional Talents * Scientific Talents * Weapon Talents * Additional Materials Chapter Eighteen: Quirks * Physical Quirks (beneficial) * Physical Quirks (deleterious) * Mental Quirks (beneficial) * Mental Quirks (deleterious) * Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) * Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) Chapter Nineteen: Power Customization * Limitations ** Limitation Strengths ** Power Limitations ** Character Limitations * Enhancements ** Enhancement Strengths ** Power Enhancements ** Character Enhancements Chapter Twenty: Powers * A-Z Listings, yo. CHAPTER ZERO: INTRODUCTION TO THE COSTUMED ADVENTURER SIMULATION ENGINE * Note: Don't care about this? Just want to play? Skip forard to chapter 1! The Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine (CASE) is a role-play intensive pastime (RIP) based primarily upon a classic, heroic role-playing game (RPG) first released in 1984. While long out of print, its last official product having been published almost a decade after the first, this venerable game nonetheless has countless fans who still utilize it to this very day. Fans who yet hunger for new content. With that in mind, numerous authors have released retro-clones of this old system, a retro-clone being a rewritten compendium of rules that strips the ingrained intellectual property from the old text so it may present those rules anew. Some of these hew very, very close to the original source material, while others drift far from it. The CASE is a retro-clone, occupying a middle ground between these two extremes. The idea behind the CASE was to craft a system that is mainly compatible with the original rule set, while at the same time adding numerous additional ideas to the mix. This was implemented by presenting the game's concepts in a deliberate, linear fashion, streamlining the existing bits of the system somewhat, while greatly expanding the options players may use to generate their own characters in the game. The CASE was built this way with customization in mind. Itself the result of considerable alterations to an existing, albeit abandoned rule set, the CASE can readily be altered to suit the needs of whoever uses it at their gaming table. This way, players may utilize the CASE as-is, borrow select parts from the CASE for use in the original system, or seize bits and pieces of the CASE to forge their very own role-playing game. The product decades worth of on-again, off-again development, the CASE is a perpetual work in progress. It has been rigorously tested by especially clever players, a merciless band of insidious rules lawyers who did their level best to exploit each and every crack in the CASE to bust it wide open. The best (worst?) of these include Christopher Acers, Bil Lockwood, Aaron Ortiz, Corey Poulsen, and Darrin Freeman. Similarly, the primary authors of the original rules the CASE is based upon must be acknowledged as well, for without their dilligent work there would be no CASE. Those who primarily influenced what would become the CASE include Jeff Grubb, Steve Winter, Kim Eastland, David E. Martin, and Allen Varney, while additional conceptual contributors include Bruce Nesmith, Tony Herring, Scott Davis, and Steven Schend. Last, but not least, the author of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine would like to thank everyone that has given feedback and/or suggestions about the implementation of its various components. There are simply too many of these folks to name, some of which are no longer among us, but let it never be said that constructive criticism isn't appreciated - whether by myself or by authors around the world! * The Big Idea Behind the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine * Now you know what the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine is, but in the event that you've never enjoyed a role-playing game before, you may find yourself asking what the heck one does with this thing. Simply put, the idea behind the CASE is to allow players to assume the identity of at least one character, and play out his, her, or their activities in a setting decided upon by all the players involved. Most CASE players assume the role of just one character. This character is referred to as a player character (PC). This is the player's avatar in the setting, the means by which they interact with everything within. The player should then determine how that character should talk and behave, not as the player themselves might... unless the player's character happens to be some variation on their 'real' self. On the other hand, one player must assume the role of the Judge. They adjudicate all of the rules during play, and handle the roles of every character encountered that is not managed by the other players. A Judge's characters are hereby referred to as non-player characters (NPC). It is the Judge's job to present a scenario for the other players to operate within, as well as to manage all of the action. Therein lies the beauty of a role-playing game: it is not inflexible fiction, but instead a collaborative effort. The Judge sets the stage for events, and all the other players act out their roles, taking their characters wherever their personas and circumstances dictate - for good or ill. It is a truly active form of entertainment, one which draws all its participants into the limelight, and lets everyone influence the story. And that story can take place almost anywhere! From ancient realms lost to legend to distant planets in the deepest reaches of space, the CASE allows its players to adventure wherever they wish, limited only by their imagination! Furthermore, these stories can take the form of solitary tales, a one-shot sort of thing, or instead expand into an entire campaign, a series of adventures that tells a much larger narrative. While the former can be good fun, the latter allows a group to fully explore their characters and the setting presented to them by their Judge. But either is an acceptable use of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, for both can be equally entertaining. This is just a choice that a group of players needs to make together - though that group can surely mix and match between the two as is desired! But what is required to utilize the CASE, you ask? Not much, really. All that's essentially necessary are these rules - and a set of percentile dice. Percentile dice are two ten-sided dice, which can be used to generate a number ranging from one to one hundred, and these dice can readily be acquired at your friendly local gaming store (FLGS). Other than that, all you need is a tiny bit of creativity - and the desire to have fun! * The Shared Custody of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine * As indicated previously, the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine is a distillation of decades worth of role-playing content creation. While it is an all-new variation on a decades-old rule set, written anew from scratch to preclude copyright claims anyone might consider against its verbiage, the CASE was not created in a vacuum. We stand on the shoulders of giants, as the saying goes. What I'm trying to say is that I do not claim sole stewardship over the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine. While I am the sole author of the CASE itself, I am happy to allow others to use some, or even all, of the CASE's original rules text in their own, subsequent works, should they desire to. In making such an allowance, however, I impose one essential condition upon any such efforts. In other words, the rule set of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine is offered under the Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). You may copy and redistribute the text of the CASE (the contents of this text file) in full or in part, in any medium or format desired. Furthermore, you may remix, transform, or build upon the CASE for any purpose, even those that are commercial in nature. That's incredibly generous, when you get down to it. The sole catch is that I require others to properly credit me and my work when using it in their own, derivative products. After decades of having my material shamelessly stolen by countless bad actors in the gaming community, this point is non-negotiable. Such attribution of my contributions should include my name, my e mail address, a link to www.CASERPG.com itself, and any changes you've made. That's about it! Sure, the hope is that others release at least some conceptual innovations for the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine under a like license in subsequent products, but I'm not going so far as to insist on that. The goal here is to enrich the community, after all, and the whole point of the CASE is to create an open-ended gaming system that belongs to everyone. But in the end, I cannot control how others will use my work. Similarly, the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine logo (not pictured in this text file) is provided under a like Creative Commons license as well, otherwise anyone wishing to use the CASE would be required to concoct their own. Folks making products utilizing the CASE can do that if they wish, of course, but this way a vital piece of art isn't going to be an entrance barrier to the CASE ecosystem, should one somehow develop over time. Should another creator wish to publish this material in their own products without attribution, this one would be amenable to such. Attribution is the cost for the otherwise free use of my CASE work, so if your branding precludes giving other entities credit where credit is due, you can share credits instead. While it is the nature of the CASE's author to try and be helpful to others, that doesn't mean he's a doormat. CHAPTER ONE: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ABILITIES As its very name implies, the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine is designed to let its players vicariously act out the lives of, well, costumed adventurers. Whether they be good, evil, or somewhere in-between, these folks stand apart from others by donning some manner of conspicuous ensemble or another, all the while engaging in activities that ostensibly involve exceptional, if not super-human, abilities. CASE players cannot do so, however, without a basic understanding of just what these costumed adventurers are capable of. And the essential traits of every character, no matter how strong or weak, can be described by their ability scores. * Standard Abilities * Just about every character in the CASE is represented by eleven distinct ability scores. These primary statistics include a character's Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, Psyche, Resources, Popularity, Health, and Karma. The capabilities of CASE characters can be even more granular, however, in that the game allows its players to 'split' each primary ability score into two secondary abilities if they so choose - both different, but combining to represent the same net value of that primary ability score. All eleven ability scores are described here, with generalized benchmarks provided to give one an idea what each rank in each ability score means to a character. Fighting (Ftg): "You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war." - Napoleon Bonaparte Fighting is a hybrid ability, an amalgamation of physical and mental prowess in the field of battle. It is meant to describe both natural and trained ability in a scrap. One can certainly have more of one than the other depending on their story, but either way the sum of these two qualities can be used to describe someone's net skill in battle. Fighting as an ability score is used to resolve melee, or hand-to-hand combat, and is also used to determine how many actions a character may attempt each turn. The Fighting ability can be divided into two separate, secondary ability scores: Offensive Fighting and Defensive Fighting. Offensive Fighting, abbreviated Ftg (off), is primarily used when one character attempts some manner of hand-to-hand assault against another, whether this involves a punch, kick, bite, or smashing a body upside the head with a chair. Offensive Fighting is also invoked when one attempts multiple direct actions in a given turn, whether they are of a combat or a non-combat nature (or a mix of the two, as the case may be). Defensive Fighting on the other hand, shortened to Ftg (def), comes into play when a character is trying to avoid melee. This most often involves an evade or weave maneuver attempt, but other situations and powers may make use of Ftg (def). Aside from aversive movements, this secondary ability is also put to work when it becomes necessary to attempt multiple defensive maneuvers in a combat turn. If more than one Weave becomes desirable, one's Ftg (def) rank determines how many aversive attempts may be tried without penalty. Table 1: Fighting Ability by Rank Rank Fighting Benchmarks Fe 2 No training or ability Pr 4 Standard Human Ability Ty 6 Natural ability or minimal training Gd 10 Some formal training Ex 20 Formal, regular training Rm 30 Superior martial talent In 40 Superior talent with extensive training Am 50 Maximum human combat prowess Mn 75 Super-human training or ability Un 100 Super-human capability, extensive skill or experience Sh X Super-human ability with unnatural training and experience Sh Y Can combat several small groups simultaneously Sh Z Long-lived being with many lifetimes of battle experience Cl 1k Can combat vast crowds simultaneously Cl 3k Ageless being with unfathomable combat experience Cl 5k Can neutralize whole armies with sheer capability Agility (Agy): "There's no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves" - Frank Herbert While Fighting is a measure of a character's inherent combat prowess, Agility is instead a means of defining that character's coordination and nimbleness. It exemplifies grace, if not grace under fire, and is used whenever a character is attempting to resolve actions at a distance (whether in an offensive or defensive capacity), not to mention while operating complex machinery or catching thrown objects. Agility is also important when piloting all manner of vehicles. The Agility score of a character can be divided into two useful secondary abilities: Dexterity and Balance. Dexterity, abbreviated Agy (dex), is the portion of one's Agility that is dedicated to manual dexterity. Dexterity is invoked when characters attempt delicate or exacting tasks of finesse, such as firing a handgun or bow, engaging in sleight of hand, flinging thrown weapons, or carving the likeness of a person or object out of stone (or wood, or clay, or whatever). In other words, Dexterity is an active ability score. Balance (Agy (bal)), on the other hand, is a reactive secondary ability. Players make use of a character's balance score when attempting to avoid bow or gun fire (typically with a dodge or feint maneuver), climbing up walls or other, trickier vertical surfaces, juggling, driving a car or plane or train, and the like. Used to help define equilibrium, Balance can also be referred to when checking whether or not a character falls down when they become dizzy or disoriented - very important when chasing some villain on the city's rooftops! Table 2: Agility Ability by Rank Rank Agility Benchmarks Fe 2 Little hand-eye coordination, terrible sense of balance Pr 4 Clumsy and inaccurate, primarily sedentary lifestyle Ty 6 Normal human reaction time, coordination, balance Gd 10 Casual dexterous discipline, conventional firearms training Ex 20 Expert marksman, collegiate gymnast, circus acrobat Rm 30 Professional gymnast, uncanny aim, supremely flexible In 40 Gymnastic gold medalist, maximum human ability Am 50 Serene, alien grace, super-human ballistic prowess Mn 75 Super-human training or agility, unnatural ballistic prowess Un 100 Instinctive knowledge of trajectories, flexible beyond mortal ken Sh X Super-human training or agility, with extensive experience Sh Y Super-human training or agility, with overwhelming experience Sh Z Agile beyond mortal ken, capable of microscopic movements Cl 1k Super-human training or agility, with lifetimes of experience Cl 3k Almost never misses, reacts to environment at near-light speed Cl 5k Absolute control of one's body, along with all it can manipulate Strength (Str): "Perhaps I am stronger than I think." - Thomas Merton A measure of the power inherent to a person's body, Strength defines one of the single most important aspects of a character's physicality. Strength, as the chart below indicates, is primarily measured by how much weight a character can lift. Furthermore, Strength is referred to when determining the amount of raw damage one can inflict in melee combat, whether they are punching, kicking, or even biting one's foes, making it a natural complement to their Fighting rank. The Strength ability can be divided into two closely related secondary ability scores: Might and Vigor. Might, or Str (mgt), is a quantification of the brute force available to a character, how much energy they can apply to other people or objects. It determines the base damage one inflicts with their bare hands, with melee implements, or even with thrown weapons. Most applications of Str (mgt) are, when you get down to it, combat related - they mainly represent 'burst power'. Vigor, or Str (vgr), on the other hand, is primarily concerned with longer applications of one's physical prowess. It is used to describe how fast a character can run over distances both short or long, how quickly they can propel themselves through a liquid medium (swimming), and how much weight a character may carry on their person without being slowed down by it. Finally, it shows how much actual weight a character can lift, and by proxy how much they can successfully press. Table 3: Strength Ability by Rank Rank Strength Benchmarks Fe 2 Able to lift / press up to 50 lbs, rather weak Pr 4 Able to lift / press up to 100 lbs, somewhat weak Ty 6 Able to lift / press up to 200 lbs, human average Gd 10 Able to lift / press up to 400 lbs, well above average Ex 20 Able to lift / press up to 800 lbs, human maximum Rm 30 Able to lift / press up to 1 ton In 40 Able to lift / press up to 10 tons Am 50 Able to lift / press up to 50 tons Mn 75 Able to lift / press up to 75 tons Un 100 Able to lift / press up to 100 tons Sh X Able to lift / press up to 150 tons Sh Y Able to lift / press up to 200 tons Sh Z Able to lift / press up to 500 tons Cl 1k Able to lift / press up to 1,000 tons Cl 3k Able to lift / press up to 1 million tons Cl 5k Able to lift / press up to 1 billion tons Endurance (End): "A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard." - Bruce Lee This ability is a gauge of physical toughness and fortitude. Endurance describes how long a character can continue strenuous physical activity, how resistant to killing blows and metabolic attacks they are, and how quickly they can heal actual damage inflicted upon their person. Endurance closely ties into Strength for movement purposes. While Strength shows how fast one can move and with how much weight, Endurance details just how long he or she can do so before collapsing in a sweaty heap. Endurance can be divided into two equally important secondary abilities: Resistance and Stamina. Resistance, abbreviated End (res), shows just how well a character can resist the effects of disease, toxins, radiation, and other metabolic attack forms (most often specialized super-human abilities). Furthermore, it denotes how well one overcomes the effects of Slam, Stun, and Kill results rolled against them in combat. This is handy for those who aren't all that good at avoiding enemy attacks. While End (res) is a handy descriptor of one's hardiness, Stamina, abbreviated End (sta), showcases one's overall staying power, both in and out of combat. End (sta) is referenced when determining the amount of time one can maintain strenuous physical activity, whether it be running, swimming, heavy lifting, or grappling. The results of fatigue are checked against this ability score when enough has been built up to matter when engaging in the previous activities. Additionally, End (sta) is used to determine a character's base healing and recovery rates over time. Table 4: Endurance Ability by Rank Rank Endurance Benchmarks Fe 2 Reduced or impaired health or function, limited activity Pr 4 Minimal exercise, poor diet, sedentary 'desk jockey' Ty 6 Occasional exercise or physical activity, human average Gd 10 Regular athletic activity or training, 'blue collar' occupation Ex 20 Intensive exercise and/or training, excellent staying power Rm 30 Gold medalist-level staying power, maximum human ability In 40 Astounding stamina, shrugs off that which would kill lesser men Am 50 Enhanced metabolism, super-human immunities Mn 75 Super-human metabolism complemented by intense training Un 100 Great physical fortitude, rarely tires even under extreme duress Sh X Super-human staying power / immunity, with constant training Sh Y Never tires, never slows down, physically relentless Sh Z Recovers quickly from most injury, no matter how severe Cl 1k Metabolically perfect, nigh-immune to poison, disease Cl 3k Physically self-contained, needs food and water only after injury Cl 5k Virtually immortal, can recover even after apparent death Reason (Rsn): "Let every man judge according to his own standards, by what he has himself read, not by what others tell him." - Albert Einstein In loose terms, a character's Reason score is an indicator of his or her IQ - itself a measure of intelligence and the capacity for logical thought. It describes their ability to create items either from scratch or from the spare parts and salvage of others, as well as their ability to understand and operate equipment from the simple to the arcane. Furthermore, Reason shows how well your character can learn and retain knowledge, which comes in handy when trying to solve a crime or graduate from college. Reason is split between two secondary abilities: Logic and Memory. Logic, often shortened to Rsn (log), denotes raw cerebral capability. It is an indicator of a character's ability to learn and create, not to mention the ability to think in multiple languages; logic helps when learning either geometry or German. The vast majority of knowledge-based talents (such as Law, Medicine and their ilk) will refer to Logic, as they are based on years of study on top of practical experience both in school and 'on the job'. Memory, abbreviated Rsn (mem), dictates a character's ability to recall their past experiences, including facets of both short and long-term memory. This is utilized for remembering the features of a person's face, specific details of an encounter, or even the schematics of a device someone invented after some villain makes off with them. Memory also comes into play with psionic and matter control powers, and can determine both how many of the former can be maintained simultaneously, and how versatile the latter can be. Table 5: Reason Ability by Rank Rank Reason Benchmarks Fe 2 Understands only the simplest machines, limited intellect Pr 4 Grasps complex machines, basic electronics and math Ty 6 Competent problem solving capabilities, human average Gd 10 Can easily repair / install modern technology for self or others Ex 20 Master of a single discipline, or familiarity with several others Rm 30 Disciplinary polymath, world-class expert in one discipline In 40 Understands and creates leading-edge devices, technologies Am 50 Can decipher alien technologies, maximum human ability Mn 75 Develops technology far beyond modern understanding Un 100 Super-human intellect with vast knowledge in many areas Sh X Walking encyclopedia, mastery of all terrestrial sciences Sh Y Frighteningly smart, can process advanced math in real-time Sh Z Intelligent enough to be considered an alien technology Cl 1k Can multitask in multiple advanced areas at near-light speeds Cl 3k Intellect beyond mortal ken, knows all which must not be known Cl 5k Contemplates the whole of space-time simultaneously Intuition (Int): "Those with the greatest awareness have the greatest nightmares." - Mahatma Gandhi Intuition is the sum of a person's wisdom, common sense, and that sense of self that (most) people possess. A counterpart of sorts to Reason, Intuition tends to rely upon inspirational leaps and bounds as opposed to logical deductions - a fine distinction, but an important one. It also helps to gauge a person's awareness of their surroundings, showing just how in tune with the multiverse they really are (or aren't). Furthermore, a person's base Intuition score determines their initiative modifier in combat. Intuition is divided into two equally important secondary abilities: Alertness and Awareness. Alertness (Int (alt)) measures sensory acuity. In other words, it shows how easily one can detect potential sensory cues, in addition to how well they can distinguish any one sensory input from many. Spotting that spent bullet casing in the ash tray, focusing on one voice in a crowd, or even determining the vintage of a fine wine one is be sipping. Furthermore, Int (alt) is often a base score for many enhanced sensory abilities. Awareness (Int (awr)), meanwhile, treads on trickier ground. While Alertness covers the things a character's senses tell them directly, Awareness instead relies upon 'gut feelings' and an ability to 'read between the lines'. A measure of how well one is in tune with their surroundings and the universe as a whole, Awareness sometimes lets a body pick up on things that are not readily apparent, allowing them greater empathy towards other beings (or a good idea what they're feeling) as well as what some might term the 'zeitgeist', the mood of the crowd/people/whatever. Table 6: Intuition Ability by Rank Rank Intuition Benchmarks Fe 2 Limited or impaired senses, extremely inattentive Pr 4 Generally clueless, a little slow on the uptake Ty 6 Normal human situational awareness, sensory acuity Gd 10 A fine eye for the little details around oneself Ex 20 Keener than normal capabilities in at least one sense Rm 30 Superior situational awareness, deductive ability In 40 Highly accurate 'gut feelings', multiple superior senses Am 50 Maximum human awareness / alertness of surroundings Mn 75 At least one super-human sense, superior awareness Un 100 Aware of all major events in one's city as they occur Sh X Completely aware of one's surroundings, all senses 'super' Sh Y Knows of all major events world-wide simultaneously Sh Z Awareness of environment extends to the atomic level Cl 1k In tune with the universe, cannot be blindsided Cl 3k Is in tune with other dimensions as well as one's own Cl 5k Mind is one with all reality, aware of all simultaneously Psyche (Psc): "He who gains a victory over other men is strong; but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful." - Lao Tzu Somewhat similar in function to the Endurance ability, Psyche is a gauge of one's mental fortitude. It is an excellent descriptor of the sheer strength of will and personality one has, detailing such elusive quantities as mental presence and a sense of focus. While all mental abilities are used in psychic battle to some extent, one's Psyche determines a large component of their success in such arenas, making it vital to anyone making use of mental powers, regardless of their origins. Psyche is subdivided into two secondary abilities: Willpower and Presence. Willpower, often shortened to Psc (will), is a body's mental core, how intent and focused they can be in the face of distraction and adversity. Willpower comes into play when fending off efforts to bend a body's will, such as mind control, hypnosis, and sometimes even drugging. Those with a lesser Willpower score are easily swayed by the dogmas and manipulations of others, while those with greater Willpower walk their own path. Presence, abbreviated Psc (pre), denotes how well a character can exert his or her personality upon others. It describes how persuasive one can be, either by using leadership skills, intimidation techniques, or both, and describes how hard said character has to work to get what they want from others. It also comes into play when teaching others or training animals, manipulating others subtly, and in various other tactics used on the job by policemen, lawyers, and politicians to control their environment. Table 7: Psyche Ability by Rank Rank Psyche Benchmarks Fe 2 Readily dominated or (re)programmed by others Pr 4 Young or untrained minds, easily indoctrinated or bullied Ty 6 Normal human willpower, standard resistance to influence Gd 10 Can fend off standard mesmerism with some effort Ex 20 Somewhat experienced with mystic / mental forces Rm 30 Trained to counter external psychic influences / forces In 40 Impressive force of personality, sways others with ease Am 50 Seemingly indomitable willpower, maximum human ability Mn 75 Incredible focus, has seeming mastery of one's own body Un 100 Intense training and experience in the use of mental powers Sh X Overwhelming force of personality, can sway an entire nation Sh Y Uncanny convergence of will, focus, and drive inspires others Sh Z Supreme force of personality, sways worlds with their words Cl 1k Can often sway others without even speaking or acting Cl 3k Absolute focus, can manipulate the world with one's thoughts Cl 5k Mind is impregnable, only affected by external stimuli if willing Resources (Res): "A penny saved is a penny earned." - Ben Franklin A measure of personal wealth, Resources describes all of the assets currently at a character's disposal. While this is mostly used to showcase the material wealth an individual has access to in the day-to-day functions of the game, it can also be used to detail additional resources available to them through an organization they are a member of. Bank accounts, furniture in storage, a perfectly preserved comic book collection, that old cave filled with high tech gadgets. All these and more contribute to the Resources score. For the sake of organization, Resources is broken down into two secondary abilities: Materials and Cash. Materials (Res (mat)) is a description of how much ... stuff a character has. That pristine comic book collection, one's late parents' house they haven't sold yet, any furniture, and, naturally, all that high tech super-heroic doo-dad-ery. This is that which is accumulated over time, so may include various items of up to (and possibly beyond) this rank in raw price (things like houses, vast tracts of land, or secret lairs). Cash (Res ($)), meanwhile, describes the liquid assets a character has access to, such as currency (in a bank, squirreled away under a mattress or in a freezer), stocks, bonds, gold coins, and other financial entities that can easily change hands. It is often hard for characters to maintain a high 'cash' rank, as buying nifty new toys tends to shift those assets from this ability to the Materials score. This is usually not the case for governments and large corporations, however, who tend to have plenty of liquidity on hand for most any contingency. Rank Resources Benchmarks Fe 2 Reduced circumstances, on public assistance / allowance Pr 4 Freelancer, college students, lower class wages Ty 6 Lower middle class wages, salaried pay, novice executives Gd 10 Professional salaries, middle class wages, small trust fund Ex 20 Small inheritance, small business owner, military officer Rm 30 City economy, millionaire playboy, small business chain In 40 Large business, small corporation, small family fortune Am 50 Regional economy, multi-millionaire, large corporation Mn 75 Tiny national economy, large trust fund or inheritance Un 100 Small national economy, billionaire, world-class investor or fund Sh X Medium sized national economy, multi-national corporation Sh Y Large sized national economy, trillionaire investor Sh Z Global super-power's economy, mega-corporations Cl 1k Planetary government economy, space-faring corporation Cl 3k Multi-planetary economy, universe-spanning corporation Cl 5k Universal economy, trans-dimensional corporation Popularity (Pop): "Avoid popularity if you would have peace." - Abraham Lincoln A quirky statistic, this primary ability measures the public acknowledgment or approval people have in their normal environment. Popularity, then, is used to modify the reaction result characters receive when they interact with others (when such results are not determined in the course of regular role-play). Popularity does not 'split' like the previous ability scores, however, in that such mostly comes into play only if a character maintains more than one identity to speak of. If one does so, they can use two Popularity scores instead of just the one: Primary and Secondary Popularity. Primary Popularity (Pop (pri)) describes how well one is regarded by their peers and the world at large in their costumed identity - in other words, this ability score isn't about the person so much as the heroic (or villainous) persona he or she shows to the world. Most often, this secondary ability will be the greater of the two - hey, super-powers are pretty flashy - but not always; this depends on the character's place in society. Secondary Popularity (Pop (sec)), meanwhile, covers the character's secret identity. While the former may involve super-powered theatrics in front of the masses, this role is most often the quiet, mundane existence maintained for the benefits of down time, making money, or the protection of one's relatives. Pop (sec) is normally lower than Pop (pri), but this may not be the case if the character is a notable figure such as an actor, politician, captain of industry, wanted felon, or the like. In fact, a character may be reviled in one identity and loved in the other! Table 9: Popularity Ability by Rank Rank Popularity Benchmarks Fe 2 'Local boy made good', neighborhood hooligans Pr 4 Beloved neighbors, local media, city-wide hooligans Ty 6 Local celebrities or politicians, national media Gd 10 National politicians, local heroes, low-rent villains Ex 20 Major hero, national leader or religious figure Rm 30 Nationwide hero, FBI's most wanted, war criminals In 40 Well-received hero, world-famous actor, convicted traitors Am 50 Mass-murdering terrorist, notorious super-villain Mn 75 National hero, despised tyrants or super-villains Un 100 International hero or religious figure, global threat Sh X Hero on multiple planets, role-model for billions Sh Y Timeless hero, modern messiah, eternal villain Sh Z Well-known throughout near space, for good or ill Cl 1k Beings throughout the cosmos familiar with you Cl 3k Well-known throughout the universe, for good or ill Cl 5k (In)Famous in multiple planes of existence Health (Hpts): "Health is worth more than learning." - Thomas Jefferson Health is a descriptor of the amount of damage a character can sustain before losing consciousness, and possibly their life as well. Instead of being represented with ranks as are most primary abilities, a character's Health is instead determined by adding together the rank numbers of their Fighting, Agility, Strength, and Endurance ability scores. One can further expand the role of Health in a character by making use of Health's secondary abilities, which are negative health and mental health. Negative health (abbreviated NH) is not a negative number, so much as a portrayal of the damage an unconscious character can 'soak' up before they automatically die. Negative health is determined by adding the successive rank numbers of a character's Endurance score together. This means that the rank numbers of all power ranks up to (and including) the character's Endurance score are all added together to determine one's NH. For example, Bob's new hero has a Good (10) ranked Endurance, so his negative health would add up to 22 (the sum of all the successive rank numbers for Good (10) rank is 2 (Fe (2)) + 4 (Pr (4)) + 6 (Typical (6)) + 10 (Good (10)) = 22). Mental health (abbreviated MH), meanwhile, shows the amount of damage a character's mind can withstand before collapsing. It is determined in the same fashion as is negative health, but uses a character's Psyche rank as a base, instead. This can be useful in a campaign that sees a lot of psionic attack powers (regardless of their origin), or possibly as a means to measure one's sanity in the face of baffling and incomprehensible horror. For convenience, a table of NH and MH sums is provided for ease of use during character generation. Further details on Health in the game are explained later on. Table 10: Negative / Mental Health Totals by Rank Rank Negative / Mental Health Totals Fe 2 2 Pr 4 6 (the previous plus this rank number (4)) Ty 6 12 (the previous plus this rank number (6)) Gd 10 22 (the previous plus this rank number (10)) Ex 20 42 (the previous plus this rank number (20)) Rm 30 72 (the previous plus this rank number (30)) In 40 112 (the previous plus this rank number (40)) Am 50 162 (the previous plus this rank number (50)) Mn 75 237 (the previous plus this rank number (75)) Un 100 337 (the previous plus this rank number (100)) Sh X 487 (the previous plus this rank number (150)) Sh Y 687 (the previous plus this rank number (200)) Sh Z 1187 (the previous plus this rank number (500)) Cl 1k 2187 (the previous plus this rank number (1000)) Cl 3k 5187 (the previous plus this rank number (3000)) Cl 5k 10187 (the previous plus this rank number (5000)) Karma (Kpts): "Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it." - Sakyong Mipham Karma is essentially a measure of a person's placement in the universal scheme of things. Though all characters begin play with a little bit of Karma (an amount which is equal to the sum of their Reason, Intuition, and Psyche rank numbers), additional Karma can be obtained by performing acts that fit specific characters' ethos. Being a sum as is the Health score, one can see that Karma comes in a 'point' form, so players may ask what they can do with their characters' Karma points. A good question! Karma may be spent to influence ACTIONs and to improve oneself in a variety of ways. To this end, Karma is often dedicated to specialized pools once earned, each of which is noted as a secondary ability of Karma. A team pool is a special sum of Karma that binds one character to several others, one which they may donate to and withdraw from as is needed in the course of an adventure. While this can be advantageous, it does have limitations in that actions of pool members can have ramifications for the entire team's Karma totals. As such, membership in a team pool is purely optional. An advancement pool is just that, Karma one sets aside for personal advancement, whether it involves improving an existing ability or power rank, buying new powers, talents, or contacts, or possibly 'buying off' character limitations or quirks. In this capacity, an advancement pool functions as 'experience' does in other games, though once you spend it (as is the case with one's regular and team pool), it is gone forever. But, at the very least, you'll have something new to show for it. As is Health, Karma is expanded upon greatly later on. * Special Abilities * Each character, in addition to the standard eleven attributes that are used to describe their basic capabilities, may also be quantified in terms of special abilities. These are traits that are not common to every single entity in the game, and may in fact be unique to a specific character. There are five types of special abilities, including talents, contacts, and quirks, limitations/enhancements, and powers. Talents: talents are skills that may be learned by virtually anyone, whether they be super-human or not. Instead of having a rank, almost all talents offer a boost to ability or power scores in the form of a beneficial Column Shift applied to the standard rank on all talent ACTIONs, making the character far more proficient in that area than someone who does not have that talent. Contacts: a contact is a person or an organization that a body can rely upon when needed, for either information, resources, or whatever else may be required. Contacts are automatically considered friendly to a character for the purpose of NPC reaction rolls. A character's contacts may help to shape his or her origin, and are useful when crafting background information. Quirks: quirks are modifications added to a character towards the end of its creation. They are oddities that contribute to the uniqueness of a character, potentially adding or subtracting a Column Shift to certain rolls, or merely making their life a little more interesting. Whether beneficial or an impediment, they will typically come into play at least once in a given adventure. Limitations and Enhancements: a limitation is a mechanical constraint on a character and/or one or more of their powers, while an enhancement is a mechanical feature that bolsters the effectiveness of a character and/or one or more of their powers. Limitations and enhancements come in four levels of difficulty, each of which greatly multiplies the effect they have on their bearers. Powers: powers are what make super-humans super, as opposed to being 'just' a random bystander. Most PCs have at least one power, whether it takes the form of an inborn ability, a sample of high tech equipment, or studied equivalents such as spells or psionics. Just like primary abilities, almost all powers are gauged by ranks, though some are instead quantified with Column Shifts. CHAPTER TWO: RANKS AND ACTIONS A character's abilities, powers, and more are represented by ranks. Ranks are levels of prowess, each of which is represented by a special name that identifies its position in relation to others (greater than, less than, et cetera), and a standard rank number (usually in the center of the rank's range). There are sixteen basic ranks in all, listed by name, standard rank number, and rank range on the tables below. ** Human Ranks ** Table 11: Human Rank Names, Standard Numbers and Numerical Ranges Name Number Range Feeble 2 1-2 Poor 4 3-4 Typical 6 5-7 Good 10 8-15 Excellent 20 16-25 When discussing normal human beings, this range of ranks will most often be used to describe them. While some ability scores can be higher and be considered within the range of a 'normal' human's, these five ranks are where the vast majority of such individuals will fall in all of their statistics. This is particularly true of Strength, which literally cannot be higher without some sort of super-human capability. Furthermore, most super-humans will have ability scores that fall within this range as well. They may have a few which exceed these ranks, which is par for the course, but few individuals are super-human in every ability score - and those that are usually turn out to be the most dangerous. Power ranks that fall into this panorama are nonetheless quite useful, if not generally considered 'world shaking' in nature. ** Super-Human Ranks ** Table 12: Super-Human Rank Names, Standard Numbers and Numerical Ranges Name Number Range Remarkable 30 26-35 Incredible 40 36-45 Amazing 50 46-62 Monstrous 75 63-87 Unearthly 100 88-125 This spectrum of ranks is most often used to describe ascendant humans - those who have spectacular powers for some reason or another, or perhaps inhuman beings of some sort. A few exceptional 'normals' may have ability scores that fall within this neighborhood, as a human's Fighting score may range as high as Amazing (50) rank, but this area is where you'll find a majority of the super-powered population. Supers typically have one or more ability scores in this range, though most of theirs still reflect their basic, human nature. Many of their powers will fall into this category, however, which is what makes most super-humans, well, super. Sure, the right power at Feeble (2) rank can do a lot of damage if wielded properly, but the same one with Unearthly (100) might can dish out that much more. ** Cosmic Ranks ** Table 13: Cosmic Rank Names, Standard Numbers and Numerical Ranges Name Number Range Shift X 150 126-175 Shift Y 200 176-350 Shift Z 500 351-999 The three cosmic ranks represent extreme levels of power. They're so potent that they're generally considered out of the human experience entirely, hence their lack of vivid descriptors (as the ten basic ranks before possess). A majority of super-human beings won't possess an ability score or power at one of these ranks, though a rare few might manage it through sheer luck or happenstance (certain exceptions notwithstanding). No, those beings who possess standard ranks within this spread tend to be alien in both body and mind, often from other worlds or planes of existence. They may be bona fide deities, or perhaps simply take advantage of the superstitions of lesser beings to perpetuate such belief to their own benefit. Nonetheless, entities with levels of power in this strata are not to be taken lightly, for they can easily change the world. ** Abstract Ranks ** Table 14: Abstract Rank Names, Standard Numbers and Numerical Ranges Name Number Range Class 1000 1000 1000-2999 Class 3000 3000 3000-4999 Class 5000 5000 5000+ Finally, the abstract power ranks are those which are even more unfathomable than those three which came before. These represent forces which can destroy worlds, if not entire universes when used aggressively enough. The three classes of top-tier might are rarely, if ever, attained even by gods (or cosmic beings) themselves, for they are most often possessed only by abstract, alien entities. Such creatures (if they can even be classified as such) are those which serve as an embodiment of some grand force or concept. Their sphere of power is nigh-absolute in their area of focus, thus justifying these extreme levels of power. Typically these entities are the 'base' from which gods who embody related, but lesser concepts or principles draw their might from - or must pay homage to somehow. ** Rank Conditionals ** In addition to the sixteen standard ranks, there are four rank conditionals. These are all ranks (or a range of such) that one will not attain normally under most circumstances, but may nonetheless be forced to roll on now and then. Access to rank conditionals are typically only granted with the Judge's approval; they may be seen as either too limiting or too powerful (especially the second one). The four rank conditionals are: The Shift 0 Rank: barring a severe injury or illness, or perhaps a non-humanoid body (or a lack therein), most characters will never actually possess an ability score or power that functions at this rank. This is because this rank indicates a lack of power or ability. Having an actual Shift 0 rank in a statistic means that one has no inherent use of said ability score or power (it's useless to them). For the most part, a character will make use of the Shift 0 rank when a higher rank is modified to function on this column. This can happen as a result of severe penalties to a desired action that, while not making it impossible, gets one very close to such a state. Actions attempted at Shift 0 rank are the most likely to fail, but nonetheless have a slim chance at success (usually with a dash of Karma to help). The Beyond Rank: similarly, characters will not possess any ability score or power at the Beyond rank, for the most part. This level of might indicates infinite power, gained only in the rarest of situations - either when several Class 5000 powers are used in conjunction, or when it is assigned to the most potent of abstract beings. When the latter occurs, such a character is usually just a plot device. The reason for this is that the Beyond rank transcends mere game mechanics, it is all powerful. Anyone who manages this level of might evolves beyond the game's boundaries, hence the name. On occasion a character may manage to achieve this rank in some capacity or another for a short period of time - fiction is replete with such examples, after all - but such a situation is highly transient in nature. The Hyperexhaustive Rank: this is a special rank conditional that is applied to powers only, never to primary or secondary ability ranks. A power that is hyperexhaustive will physically drain the person that uses it, being incredibly hard to operate or control. When a hyperexhaustive rank appears during character generation, either due to lousy rolls or when chosen as a limitation, roll again. This second result will be the base for power factors such as range, damage, and so on. The result is the hyperexhaustive rank. This will read as HE-(power rank). For example, a player eventually rolls a hyperexhaustive rank for a power. They immediately roll again on the applicable chart; the result being Excellent (20). As such, this power is of HE-Ex (20) rank. The tricky part is actually using a hyperexhaustive power in combat. When a character wields a hyperexhaustive power, the necessary ACTION roll is made on the Shift 0 column, as wielding it is particularly difficult. Whether the use of this power succeeds or fails, it (and the character who possesses it) will be drained by the effort involved. Ideally, the power should not be used again for twenty-four hours of game time, allowing it to recover from this extreme exertion. If this rest period is observed, no undue harm will come to the character. However, failing to do this will drain the power further, and require it be rested for one week without further use. If the power is drained to this point, a week's worth of abstinence on the part of this power's use is required to recharge it fully. However, sometimes this is not practical, and this tricky power must be used yet again. Bypassing a required week-long rest on a hyperexhaustive power extends the time necessary for a full recovery to one month. If this third and final extension is not observed, the power will be completely burned out. While the Judge has the option of allowing it to come back after perhaps a year of game time (certainly a considerable wait), the most likely outcome is that the hyperexhaustive power is gone forever. Recovery of the ability may be possible, but may require a special mission or other extreme measures, all at the Judge's whim. The Hyperkinetic Rank: the flip side of the hyperexhaustive rank, a hyperkinetic rank implies an ability score or power that normally operates at a functional rank (determined in the same fashion as a hyperexhaustive power), but will suddenly 'spike' in power under certain circumstances. This stimulus cannot be something always present in the environment, such as water or oxygen, but need not be especially rare, either. When exposed to the predetermined stimulus, the hyperkinetic effect is activated, and the power in question begins to function at a +1 CS. For each round of sustained stimulus afterwards, the power will be increased in scope by a further +1 CS, until it hits an upper limit of Shift Z (500). This enhancement lasts until the stimulus is all gone, plus 1d10 turns, at which point the power rank will revert to its normal, functional state. While such an extreme boost in power may be exhilarating, it is not without adverse effects. For one thing, controlling extreme levels of power can be difficult. For every +1 CS the hyperkinetic ability score or power experiences over one's Psyche (will), apply a -1 CS to ACTIONs required to control it. Such high levels of power are difficult to keep a handle on. Furthermore, when the hyperkinetic power wears off, the character will be left somewhat spent, suffering a -2 CS penalty to all ACTION rolls for a number of turns equal to the time in which they were, for the lack of a better term, hyperkinetic. During this time, one cannot reinitialize the hyperkinetic state, which may leave him or her in something of a pickle depending on the circumstances of its use. While a character's ability scores may be bolstered by a hyperkinetic effect, their Health and Karma scores will not be affected by this change (even if an over the top boost seems like it should double - or more - such sums). Finally, hyperkinetic powers are noted with a special prefix, as are hyperexhaustive abilities. An Excellent (20) ranked hyperkinetic power, for instance, would be noted as HK-Ex (20). * Assessments of Capability, Talent, Influence, Operation, or Nature (ACTION rolls) * Whenever a character attempts an action with significant difficulty, he or she must normally make an ACTION roll to determine whether or not it succeeds, ACTION being an acronym for Assessments of Capability, Talent, Influence, Operation, or Nature. An ACTION is made by rolling a d100, and checking the result against the rank in question on the Universal Table. This procedure is the basis for all actions in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, and after playing for a while will come naturally. There are four color bands on the Universal Table that stretch through the ranks. When attempting an ACTION, a white result usually indicates failure. A green result represents a sufficient success, a yellow result an exceptional success, and a red result the best possible result one can achieve. As an example, consider a hero in mortal combat with their deadly arch-nemesis. To hit with a left hook, the hero must make a successful ACTION roll based on their Ftg (off) rank. Normally a green result will do, so the player rolls the dice, the result being a 42. Tracing along the '41-45' row on the Universal Table, we see that if our hero has a Ftg (off) rank of Excellent (20) or better, that punch will indeed strike their foe. However, if they don't prove victorious with this mighty blow, said villain may strike back in kind... possibly in a much deadlier fashion. This is an over-simplification of the variables that can occur in combat, but will do to demonstrate the basic idea of an ACTION. ** Column Shifts ** Modifying basic ACTIONs some, extenuating circumstances may provide additional modifiers to the odds of success or failure while attempting a given ACTION. For example, firing a gun at a fast moving, randomly dodging target whilst standing on oil-slicked ice and avoiding incoming fire yourself is a bit more difficult than hitting those stationary targets in an air-conditioned firing range. Circumstances like these are handled by Column Shifts (CS). A +1 Column Shift, to the right on the Universal Table, is a shift for the better. This means the circumstances for executing this ACTION are more favorable than normal. In other words, in this particular situation, a character attempting this Column Shifted ACTION does so as though the effective rank they were using was one higher than would otherwise be indicated. A -1 Column Shift, to the left on the Universal Table, is a shift for the worse. This demonstrates an added difficulty the character attempting the ACTION must overcome. Or, to put it bluntly, they attempt the ACTION as if the ability or power score they wield was one rank lower than their statistics would lead you to believe. Further shifts one way or the other serve to amplify the help or hindrance a situation applies to whatever ACTION a character is attempting. Column shifts come in three forms in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine. The first is the inherent Column Shift. It is a positive or negative modifier that occurs because the character possesses a talent or quirk that assists or hinders the ACTION being attempted. This most often takes the shape of a +1 CS, +2 CS, or +3 CS bonus, but may be a like, negative modifier instead, in the case of quirks. The buddy Column Shift is the second kind of CS. It involves a person lending a helping hand to the character attempting the ACTION roll. As long as the helping hand has a rank within 1 CS of the score being checked, the person rolling adds a +1 CS to their rank. For example, two characters with Good (10) Strength (vgr) attempting to lift an Excellent (20) weight would allow the player with the dice to do so at the bonus described here. Or, in other words, perform as if their character had Excellent (20) Str (vgr) instead of just Good (10). Finally, there is the situational CS, a type of Column Shift not covered by the other types of CS. These are basically Column Shifts caused by all other situations and modifiers, and run the gamut of environmental difficulties to the actions of others helping (or hampering) one's chances of success. When a situation invokes a Column Shift (for good or ill), it will be explained in the course of play. ** ACTION Intensities ** One area heavily involving ACTION color results is the idea of ACTION intensities. ACTION intensities come into play when a character encounters something of a set level of power or ability in the course of play, and pits their ability scores and/or powers against it. This can be as simple as lifting a significant weight, or as complicated as attempting to reverse engineer alien technologies. When attempting an ACTION well within one's ability, such as a character with Remarkable (30) Strength attempting to lift a 400 pound weight, a green ACTION is usually all that is required. This can be represented in game terms by declaring the difficulty to be green if the action attempted is from -1 CS to -3 CS below the ability or power being tested. Our example illustrates a character lifting a weight less than their Strength rank. ACTIONs that are of an intensity equal, or nearly so, to one's capabilities often require a yellow ACTION. For instance, our high tech hero with a Reason rank of Amazing (50) is trying to figure out how an alien whatsit they found works. If the difficulty of an ACTION is equal to one's own rank, it will generally fall into this category. Our example showcases an ACTION that is of the same rank as our hero's ability. If one attempts an action of a difficulty that is greater than their own ability, such as the above hero with a Strength rank of Remarkable (30) trying to lift over a ton, a red ACTION is typically required. Furthermore, significant modifiers may apply to the attempted ACTION (see below). This represents a character being pushed to the absolute limits of their capabilities - and trying to succeed nonetheless. ** Automatic and Impossible ACTIONs ** In the course of play, characters may attempt feats that are particularly easy - or astoundingly difficult. The Judge may often rule that die rolls are unnecessary when a character does something, as it may be a matter of incredible ease... or staggering impossibility. Automatic ACTIONs are often those which have an intensity more than three ranks below the ability of a character attempting said ACTION. If a character with an Unearthly ranked Strength had to roll the dice every time they picked up a light pole, game play would quickly become very tedious. As such, the Judge may dispense with die rolls if they feel there is no reasonable chance of failure when attempting an action. Impossible ACTIONs can include those which are of a difficulty that is two or more ranks higher than the character attempting it. If one has an Amazing Strength, they can bench press up to 50 tons with some difficulty, but 200 tons - usually a hallmark of characters with Shift Y Strength - may be quite beyond him or her. In such situations, the Judge may just say the ACTION is simply outside of the character's capabilities. If mitigating circumstances are in play, the Judge may nonetheless allow (or insist upon) die rolls, even if an ACTION is normally considered automatic or impossible. In such cases, it is recommended that a modifier equal to the difference between the character's score and the difficulty at hand be applied to their die roll - positive for automatic ACTIONs, negative for impossible ACTIONs. Such mitigating circumstances usually include the threat of immediate death to a character or someone in their vicinity (often an impetus for surprising feats of strength), or when a character is resisting untargeted attacks (like psychic assaults). It is generally bad form to disallow players a resistance roll to such, though Judges can readily do so where NPCs are concerned, if he or she wishes to speed play along. ** Types of ACTIONs ** Ability ACTIONs are those that are based on a character's first seven basic abilities - either Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, or Psyche. These are the easiest to manage, in that ability scores from one character to another work exactly the same, and it is usually easy to determine when one is required. They are utilized often, whether attempting to strike a foe in hand-to-hand or ranged combat, lift an object, invent a spacecraft, or even find the information necessary to solve (or plan) a crime. Power ACTIONs are similar in function to ability ACTIONs, in that it is usually easy to tell when one is needed. Instead of referring to an ability score, however, a power rank is used to resolve this type of feat. Nominally, power ACTIONs are streamlined to work in the normal way, but any variations are noted in a power's description. A special kind of power ACTION is the power stunt. This is a use for a power that is not accounted for in its standard definition. If the Judge allows one to try it, it will fail unless a character passes a red power ACTION roll the first time it is attempted. The next four times a character attempts a power stunt, the difficulty is yellow. Finally, the last five times a character attempts said stunt, he or she need only roll a green power ACTION. After they have tried a stunt ten times, a character has effectively mastered it, and need not attempt ACTIONs just to see if the stunt will work - it is now a part of their standard power usage. At any rate, each time a character attempts a power stunt, he or she must pay 100 Karma points if they wish to have any chance of success. This forces characters to pay for their new power stunts, though stunts are nonetheless cheaper to work out than new powers altogether. That costs a lot more Karma in general, depending on the origins of a character's powers. Table 15: Popularity FEAT Situational Modifiers CS Situational Modifier +3 CS Target benefits greatly +2 CS Target of same mindset +1 CS Target benefits somewhat -1 CS Item is of Good value -2 CS Item is of Remarkable value, or is at risk of not being returned -3 CS Item is placed in danger or is unique Popularity ACTIONs are normally required when a player wants something from another character, whether it be information, money, equipment, or anything else he or she thinks they can get away with. When a character attempts such an ACTION, their Popularity score is the base rank used on this roll. This rank is then given potential Column Shift modifiers based on the situation at hand. There's only a few basic CS modifiers to this ACTION, and they're listed on table 15. Of course, these Column Shifts aren't all that goes into the Popularity ACTION roll. No, the general disposition of the person a character asks for aid decides the color difficulty of a Popularity ACTION. A green ACTION is called for when one is friendly to the character attempting the Popularity ACTION. Those neutral to the character make for a Popularity ACTION of yellow difficulty. A red Popularity roll is necessary when unfriendly people are the subject of this ACTION. But what does all this mean? Friendly NPCs are those who are good friends with the character, or folks listed as his or her contacts. Neutral NPCs are people who don't know a character (but have heard of them) or large bodies of strangers. Unfriendly NPCs include total strangers, folks who haven't heard of the character, neutral folks the character has ticked off by not returning an item previously, or persons having opposing Popularity (negative versus positive, or vice versa). Finally, hostile individuals are people who are actively opposed to a character, or perhaps sworn enemies. A Popularity ACTION is unnecessary with individuals of this stripe, as they are considered impossible for the purpose of Popularity ACTIONs. Hostiles will never help a character thanks to the whims of dice. In fact, they'll never help a character at all, unless doing so would specifically help their agenda significantly; very good role-play may shift the difficulty of such an ACTION from impossible to 'merely' red. Resources ACTIONs are made when a body attempts to buy something. The intensity of this ACTION is dependent on the cost rank provided with the item to be purchased. This ACTION can be automatic under several conditions (a rich guy buying a sack hamburgers, for example), and a roll isn't needed. The trick is that when a Resources ACTION is rolled, it represents a large dent of the character's personal wealth. A character may attempt but one Resources ACTION roll per week. All other attempts after the first will automatically fail. Think of this as a short-term cash shortage, or some such. Furthermore, without the assistance of another character (per a buddy CS), no one can purchase any item whose price rank is greater than their own Resources rank, unless they break down and get a loan. A loan allows a character to make said Resources ACTION roll - if red - but the trick is that they must pay back the loan. Once a month, a character who has a loan must pass a Resources ACTION of an intensity equal to the price rank of the object purchased -2 CS, for a number of months equal to the rank number of the price (Good priced items will take ten months to pay off, items of Unearthly expense require one hundred payments, and so on). Talent ACTIONs are those required when one attempts to use a skill in the course of a game. These are primarily based on ability scores, but modified per the talent's description. Normally, a talent applies a positive Column Shift modifier to an ability (or power) ACTION, but some skills offer other advantages. However, if a character attempts a feat requiring a skill he or she lacks, they do so at a penalty. In other words, attempting brain surgery without the medicine talent is a very, very bad idea. The basic penalty for attempting a talent ACTION without the proper talent to back it up is -1 CS. However, if a character has a similar skill that could help an ACTION out while lacking the exact talent required, this penalty is removed; similar weapons or technical training, for instance. In the end, however, if the Judge feels an ACTION cannot succeed without the right talent(s) to back it up, the task is simply impossible. ** Material Strength ** Table 16: Standard Material Strengths Rank Materials Feeble Brush, clothing, glass, electronics, paper Poor Crystals, 'soft' plastics, particle board Typical Ice, interior walls, rubbers, sheet metal, wood Good Aluminum, 'industrial' plastic, light machinery, asphalt Excellent Concrete, bullet proof glass, iron, outer walls Remarkable Reinforced concretes, steel, solid stone Incredible Plast-steels, volcanic rock, heavy machinery Amazing Granite, high strength steel, osmium steel Monstrous Diamond, super heavy alloys, titanium Unearthly Iridium alloys, generic mystic alloys One last area that deeply involves both ACTION intensity and Column Shifts is relative strength of a given material. Material Strength (MS) is the overall strength of a material. Surprise! Mostly, MS is used when a person or weapon attempts to break (or break through) an object, like a street, wall, or vault, for instance. The table provided here describes a basic gamut of relative strength for common - and uncommon - materials. Materials of greater MS than those listed are often campaign specific super-materials, those that are 'unbreakable' or otherwise have special properties. Substances of this variety are beyond table 16's intent. The thickness of a mass or object also plays a part in determining its MS. If an item is less than 2 inches thick, the MS of this item is the listed value -1 CS. If the item is between 2 inches and one foot thick, it is of standard MS. If the item is between 1 and 2 feet thick, its MS is the listed value +1 CS. Finally, if an object is 2 feet thick or more, its MS is the listed value +2 CS. Example: A two-foot thick cube of granite would have an effective material strength of Unearthly, while an inch thick coating of asphalt would only be of Typical (6) MS. CHAPTER THREE: SPACE AND MOVEMENT With an understanding of a character's ability scores, how they compare to others, and how to perform actions with them, it is time to start applying this knowledge to the world around them. All of the action in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine takes place in a grand multiverse of possibility, a multiverse being defined as a multitude of universes. Furthermore, the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine recognizes seven physical dimensions: three of space, three of time, and a seventh - the last of which has very strange aspects, indeed. Navigating these seven dimensions can be tricky, but luckily for us the three dimensions of space are the easiest to recognize and cross, and there are all manner of ways to get from point A to point B available to a character. The simplest of which, naturally, involves walking there. * Walking / Running * Table 17: Running Speed / Acceleration Rates Rank Running Speed / Acceleration * Feeble One half area per turn Poor One area per turn Typical - One and a half areas per turn Excellent Remarkable Two areas per turn Incredible+ Three areas per turn The standard means of going places since time immemorial, walking allows for the crossing of horizontal spaces. A healthy character can, in one minute, cross 1.5 areas of space. The base unit for space in the CASE, an area is 44 cubic yards, meaning that this 44 yards extends in all directions. This assumes that said character is not in any hurry, and is simply having a pleasant stroll or determined walk. However, this does not always apply, and a character may need to run to (or from) the scene of some crime or another. If running, a character can cross a number of areper turn - the basic unit of time in the CASE (equal to six seconds) - that is determined by his or her Str (vgr) rank. These speeds are detailed on table 17. This table reflects a character's maximum 'base' running speed, for a given Str (vgr) rank, assuming an overall (and somewhat optimistic) top human speed equal to thirty miles per hour. This is approximately ten times the standard walking rate, though maintaining this level of speed over time is easier said than done. Table 17 also reflects a rate of acceleration upon the body a character can reasonably withstand per turn. While running characters can normally accelerate to their maximum sprinting speed instantly, acceleration forces come into play when wielding super-human movement powers. For instance, a character that has a running power that lets them move at well beyond three areas per turn will take some time to accelerate to maximum speed. Acceleration tolerances are determined on the table above using one's End (res) score. * For walking speeds, simply change 'turn' to 'minute'. ** Burst Speed ** Sometimes, a body just has to move fast... above and beyond the normal sprinting speed available to them. When this is the case, characters may attempt a red Str (vgr) ACTION roll to gain a burst of speed, allowing them to move one area per turn faster than is normal for them. If the character fails this ACTION, however, they will stumble and fall, but still continue moving as if subject to a Slam effect. ** Turning ** A character can turn at up to ninety degrees without losing speed, as this is generally considered standard maneuvering. If they attempt a tighter turn, however, said character must slow down to half their maximum speed to do so safely. If one wishes to bypass this slowdown, they must pass a green Agy (bal) ACTION roll to do so. If this ACTION roll fails, the character may very well trip, slowly rolling to a stop. ** Multitasking ** Similarly, it is hard to concentrate on moving at maximum speed while doing something else. Texting while sprinting, for example, is ill-advised. To safely manage another activity while moving, one must reduce their speed by half unless they are engaging in a charging maneuver, as running is part of the deal there. If one is in too big a hurry, the ACTION described for turning (and consequences of failure) applies here as well. ** Inside Movement ** For the most part, moving indoors is just like moving elsewhere. Of course, most rooms are not 44 yards to a side, so for ease of use, simply consider each individual space inside a structure to be one area for the purposes of movement. This adjustment to movement generally takes into account the need to make use of doors and windows to get in and out of an area - whether opening them or plowing through. ** Clutter ** It is difficult to maneuver through a heavily cluttered area, whether it is full of people, obstacles, or both. When doing so, running characters should slow down by one degree of speed (from three areper turn for a person with Incredible (40) Str (vgr) to two, for instance) to retain control of their movement. If one refuses to slow down, they must pass a yellow Agy (bal) ACTION to avoid running into someone or something. ** Exhaustion ** Table 18: Exhaustion Rates over Time Turns FEAT Rest Period Required End(sta) x1 Green 1d10 Turns End(sta) x2 Yellow 2d10 Turns End(sta) x3 Red 3d10 Turns End(sta) x4+ Red each 4d10 Turns Table 17 indicates that even a relatively frail person can move along at a decent clip when they need to. But how long can they keep that up? The distance a person can run before needing rest depends entirely on their End (sta). This comes into play is when a character has run at their top speed for a number of turns equal to their End (sta) rank number. Once one reaches this point, they must attempt a green End (sta) ACTION roll. If successful, they may continue, while failure indicates they must pause and rest for 1 to 10 turns (roll one ten-sided die; that's how many turns the winded character needs to catch their breath). A character who is still running at this point may continue until they've done so for twice their End (sta) rank number in turns. To keep pouring on the speed, they must pass a yellow End (sta) ACTION roll this time. If it fails, they must rest for 2 to 20 turns (roll both of those percentile dice and add the result together). Passing this ACTION allows our runner to continue their sprint towards (or away from) whatever has caused them to run in the first place. If they must keep moving for longer, though, this gets harder over time. Once a runner has done so for three times their End (sta) rank number, they must pass a red End (sta) ACTION to keep going. Failure indicates they must rest for 3 to 30 turns (roll a d10 three times for the total amount of turns they must pause). If he or she succeeds, they can continue on, up until they reach an amount of time, in turns, equal to four times their End (sta) rank number, at which point they must stop imminently. He or she can push it further, though this requires an additional red ACTION roll each turn now, not at multiples of their End (sta) rank number. Our marathon runner can keep the pace up as long as they can continue to make these ACTIONs each turn (often requiring Karma). As soon as he or she fails, they will collapse, needing 4 to 40 turns of rest to recover from this titanic exertion. As an example, let us look at an average, relatively fit human. To wit, a body with Typical (6) Str (vgr) and Typical (6) End (sta) can run at their top speed of one and a half areper turn for six turns (or 9 areas) without having to make a roll. They need a green End (sta) ACTION to make it to 18, a yellow End (sta) ACTION to make it to 27, and a red End (sta) ACTION to make it to 36 areas. After this, they need to pass a red ACTION every additional turn to continue. Incidentally, a mile is exactly 40 areas in length. And now you know why your gym teacher kept making you run those, and pushed you to run to the very end... to build your Endurance! A few notes on exhaustion. One can avoid it entirely by pacing themselves; one need not walk to avoid becoming exhausted - they just need to move at a more reasonable pace. Pacing oneself involves moving as though their End (sta) was two steps lower on table 17; a body with Remarkable (30) End (sta) moving at only one area per turn, for instance. Furthermore, having an End (sta) of Unearthly (100) or higher negates the effects of exhaustion entirely. * Swimming * Similar to walking, swimming allows a body to easily get from one point to another, but swimming refers to movement across a body of water, as opposed to a field or city street. When swimming, a character can simply tread water, an action allowing him or her to move at one-sixth of their base walking rate (as is determined on table 17, above). If necessary, a character can put their all into a swim, and move at a rate equal to one-sixth of their running speed - which is ten times faster! While this may seem just like ground travel, aside from the slower rate of movement, swimming includes the danger of drowning. A swimmer is subject to exhaustion just as a runner is, and if they push themselves until rest is needed, they must pass a Str (vgr) ACTION to keep themselves above water. If this ACTION is successful, our swimmer is fine, but if not, they may indeed slip under the waves and drown. The length of time a character can hold their breath is determined as is exhaustion, on table 18. The difference with holding your breath, however, is that instead of needing rest when the End (sta) ACTION ultimately fails, one must breathe immediately or fall unconscious. If this occurs from lack of oxygen, a character has drowned or suffocated (depending on the circumstances), and begins to lose one Endurance rank per turn. The problem while swimming is that, if already exhausted before one needs to suddenly hold their breath, a body begins at the point where a yellow End (sta) ACTION roll is required, as they've already built up fatigue poisons in their system - as well as a whole lot of carbon dioxide. This is why it pays to pace oneself when swimming, unless a life preserver or other method of keeping oneself afloat is utilized. * Vertical Movement * Table 19: Falling Speed / Acceleration Rates Falling Time Falling Speed One turn 3 stories / turn Two turns 6 stories / turn Three turns 10 stories / turn Four + turns 20 stories / turn Often, walking or swimming just won't get a body where he or she needs to be, as a bevy of important locations lie up in the clouds, whether they be on mountain tops or in skyscrapers. When using stairs, ladders, fire escapes, or simply climbing a vertical surface with requisite handholds or the appropriate equipment, a character can only move vertically at a rate equal to one story - approximately twelve feet - per turn. This applies to vertical movement in either direction - up or down. The danger with vertical movement, though, is falling; it seems that people are always being pushed off of extreme heights to their doom. If he or she cannot find convenient grips to break their fall, a falling character will accelerate to their fate at the rate presented on table 19. At the end of a fall, a body may be severely hurt, depending on their abilities. When a person hits the ground after a fall, the damage to them (and whatever they hit) is calculated as if it were a charging attack, with the MS of the item struck on the ground acting as the body armor of the 'target'; see Time and Combat for more on this phenomenon. This demonstrates how normal humans die so easily from a fall while super-heroes occasionally do not - especially if they're tough enough. ** Leaping ** All characters can leap to some extent, depending on their Str (vgr) score. The distance a character can jump is a value determined by the amount of weight they can lift, minus their own weight. Where the result falls on on table 3 determines a character's natural leaping score. For example, a character with Good (10) Str (vgr) weighs 200 pounds. They can lift 400 pounds, so subtracting their weight drops them in the Typical (6) category for leaping purposes. With this rank determined, apply it to table 20, below, to determine just how far the character in question can jump. Horizontal distances function at the listed rank, while vertical distances (leaping up) occur at a -1 CS. Our example character, then, can leap a smidge over six feet - which is pretty impressive, really. This is an average; making a leap forward of this distance would require a yellow Str (vgr) ACTION. Using this logic, -1 CS (4.125 feet) would be a green Str (vgr) ACTION, while +1 CS (8.25 feet) would be a red Str (vgr) ACTION. Similarly, our sample character can leap up approximately four feet into the air on average (this being with a yellow Str (vgr) ACTION roll). On the other hand, dropping down occurs at this rank +1 CS. This is the safe distance the character may fall without hurting oneself. Our friend with Good (10) Str (vgr), then, can drop down 8.25 feet - over half a story - without any undue injury. A drop of greater distance inflicts damage per a fall (described above), though the distance one can leap downward is subtracted from the overall amount when figuring out how far they fell. Again referring to our example with Good (10) Str (vgr), say they drop two stories. That's twenty-six feet, give or take, and subtracting their eight-ish leaves them at eighteen. That still counts as only one turn worth of falling damage, and the harm suffered (if any) is based upon that distance. This doesn't do a lot of good on significant falls unless the character has a large Str (vgr) score, at which point they may absorb this pain more easily. Leaping distances are presented for convenience on table 20. ** Flight ** Thanks to either powers or equipment, many people have the ability to fly. A flying character typically moves at rates of travel much greater than those who are landlocked, so to speak. The top speeds of such fliers are determined by the gear or powers that allow them to do so in the first place. However, when a character first gets going, they are bound by their body's ability to accelerate. This is dependent on their End (sta) rank, as is determined on table 17. In other words, one may fly at over two hundred miles per hour - 15 areper turn - but if he or she only has Good End (sta), it'll take them over 7 turns to get up to top speed. Some powers may counter this acceleration limitation, though, and are so noted. On the other hand, if a flying body wishes to decelerate, they may do so by simply halving their current speed each turn, quickly bringing themselves to a complete stop. Landing is good idea at this point. This is simply the ending of flight, most likely by decelerating to sensible speeds and touching down on a runway, helipad, etc. ACTION rolls aren't needed while landing, unless a character tries to land while traveling at more than three areper turn. If attempting to do so, they must pass a yellow Agy (bal) ACTION roll to land safely. A variant form of flight, gliding should also be mentioned here. Unpowered flight, gliding allows a character to ride air currents at the listed flight speed, but their altitude drops one story per turn unless they pass a green Agy (bal) (or gliding power rank) ACTION every turn in the air. Similarly, a character can't gain altitude while gliding unless he or she passes a yellow Agy (bal) (or gliding rank) ACTION roll; this involves carefully moving a glider around in air currents, and is tricky to say the least. Flight speeds are presented for convenience on table 20. *** Turning *** While flying, characters or vehicles will lose one area of movement during any mid-air turn; this implies relatively safe handling of the change in direction. If one attempts to bypass this small loss in velocity, they must pass a green Agy (bal) or Control ACTION to do so; this ACTION is also required when attempting a turn of greater than 90 degrees. If both are attempted simultaneously, the ACTION is of yellow difficulty. If one of these ACTIONs fails, the character may well lose control of their flight. When this occurs, the character (or the vehicle they're piloting) will careen off in a random direction, which may include 'up' or 'down'. Recovering control of one's direction at this point requires the success of the ACTION previously failed. The flier may attempt this ACTION each turn until they regain control or crash into something. *** Clutter *** When flying close to the ground or low in a city, the area might be full of what is called clutter. It may be people, houses, trees, or anything else, but all moving characters risk striking clutter if they don't slow down when it is in the area. Flying characters can only move safely at equivalent ground speed velocities, lest they ram themselves or their vehicles through the clutter before them. Naturally, safety may be disregarded in such conditions. As is the case with most other difficult control situations, this requires a successful yellow Agy (bal) or Control ACTION; passing this means the flier pulled off a dazzling acrobatic maneuver to avoid all the stuff in their path. Failing this ACTION means the flier will crash into something in his or her way - possibly wrapping themselves or their ride all around it. Table 20: Speed and Distance (Land, Sea, Leaping, Air and Space) Rank Land / Water Leaping Distance Air Space Feeble 15 MPH (1 area) 2.0625 feet (1/64 areas) 30 MPH (2 areas) 375 MPH (25 areas) Poor 30 MPH (2 areas) 4.125 feet (1/32 areas) 60 MPH (4 areas) 750 MPH (50 areas) Typical 45 MPH (3 areas) 6.1875 feet (3/64 areas) 90 MPH (6 areas) 1,125 MPH (75 areas) Good 60 MPH (4 areas) 8.25 feet (1/16 areas) 120 MPH (8 areas) 1,500 MPH (100 areas) Excellent 75 MPH (5 areas) 16.5 feet (1/8 areas) 150 MPH (10 areas) 3,750 MPH (250 areas) Remarkable 90 MPH (6 areas) 24.75 feet (3/16 areas) 225 MPH (15 areas) 7,500 MPH (500 areas) Incredible 105 MPH (7 areas) 33 feet (1/4 areas) 300 MPH (20 areas) 15,000 MPH (1,000 areas) Amazing 120 MPH (8 areas) 66 feet (1/2 areas) 375 MPH (25 areas) 37,500 MPH (2,500 areas) Monstrous 135 MPH (9 areas) 99 feet (3/4 areas) 450 MPH (30 areas) 75,000 MPH (5,000 areas) Unearthly 150 MPH (10 areas) 132 feet (1 area) 600 MPH (40 areas) 150,000 MPH (10,000 areas) Shift X 180 MPH (12 areas) 264 feet (2 areas) 750 MPH (50 areas) 669,600 MPH (.1% light) Shift Y 210 MPH (14 areas) 330 feet (2.5 areas) 1,500 MPH (100 areas) 3,348,000 MPH (.5% light) Shift Z 240 MPH (16 areas) 660 feet (5 areas) 3,750 MPH (250 areas) 6,696,000 MPH (1% light) Class 1000 480 MPH (32 areas) 1,320 feet (10 areas) 7,500 MPH (500 areas) 18,600 MPS (10% light) Class 3000 750 MPH (50 areas) 2,640 feet (20 areas) 11,250 MPH (750 areas) 93,000 MPS (50% light) Class 5000 1,500 MPH (100 areas) 5,280 feet (40 areas) 15,000 MPH (1,000 areas) 186,000 MPS (light speed) * Teleportation * While the previous forms of movement require a body to physically cross the space between the origin and end point of their travels, teleportation does not. This form of movement, regardless of how it functions, involves a character effectively ceasing to exist at one point in space and then instantly resuming existence at another. A teleporter has a great range of movement, as this power uses the Far range category. However, while teleporters can cross vast distances in the blink of an eye, all of them face the risk of teleporting into a solid object. If he or she doesn't know the area being teleported into precisely, a body may inadvertently transport themselves into something solid. This causes damage equal to the MS of the object, and a person so damaged must immediately roll an End (res) ACTION versus the intensity of this damage. If this roll is successful, this teleporter can successfully transport to safety, but if not, they will immediately pass out, and begin to lose Endurance ranks at a rate of one per turn. If deep within a solid object, such as a mountain or a thick wall, this may spell the end of our teleporter, as nobody may know where the unfortunate traveler wound up after their little trip. But what are the odds of this happening, you ask? It ultimately depends on the area teleported into. If it is free of clutter, our teleporting friend is likely to be okay. But if it's littered with people or objects, or has been filled full of bulky things as a trap, a teleporter could be in real trouble. To be completely random, the Judge may just give a percentage chance of this happening and roll against it. Teleportation ranges are presented for convenience on table 21. * But Wait, There's More! * There are several additional, more esoteric methods of travel that are available to players, but these mostly function similar to those presented here - or as slight variations therein. These other motive abilities will be described more fully as becomes necessary (usually in their specific equipment or power descriptions). * Concepts of Range * Overall, there are seven different range categories in the CASE, each of which helps to define and differentiate the ascendant abilities of characters. These categories are named such that players can easily make sense of one in relation to the others, starting with Contact, then ascending through Very Near, Near, Middle, Far, and Very Far range, only to end with Infinite range. While the Contact and Infinite ranges are pretty self explanatory, being zero and infinite, respectively, the other five range categories will vary based on the power rank of the ability in question - whether only a little bit or a whole lot, depending on which range category is used. This variance is covered in detail on table 21, below, for the five variable range categories. Another vital area where range is concerned is sensory acuity. All characters can generally perceive the fine details of sensory stimuli within their current area without penalty, though each additional area a stimuli is distant reduces one's Intuition for the purposes of detecting it by -1 CS. Possessing the super senses power extends this sensory range by one area before penalties begin, as can a variety of high tech equipment and special powers. Once a character's Intuition is reduced below Shift 0 when attempting to discern fine details in a stimulus, such is generally considered impossible. One may be able to see the moon quite well on a clear night, for example, but it's not like they can actually perceive individual boulders on its surface. No, only the most basic of details register at that point. Table 21: Power Range Categories Rank Very Near Near Middle Far Very Far Feeble 2 yards .5 areas 1 area 1 mile 2 miles Poor 4 yards 1 area 2.5 areas 5 miles 25 miles Typical 6 yards 2 areas 5 areas 10 miles 250 miles Good 10 yards 4 areas 10 areas 50 miles 2,500 miles Excellent 20 yards 6 areas 20 areas 100 miles 25,000 miles Remarkable 30 yards 8 areas 1 mile 500 miles 250,000 miles Incredible 40 yards 10 areas 2 miles 1,000 miles 2.5 million miles Amazing 50 yards 20 areas 4 miles 5,000 miles 25 million miles Monstrous 75 yards 40 areas 6 miles 10,000 miles 250 million miles Unearthly 100 yards 60 areas 8 miles 100,000 miles 2.5 billion miles Shift X 150 yards 80 areas 10 miles 1 million miles 25 billion miles Shift Y 200 yards 160 areas 100 miles 10 million miles 250 billion miles Shift Z 500 yards 400 areas 1,000 miles 100 million miles .5 light year Class 1000 1,000 yards 50 miles 10,000 miles 1 billion miles 5 light years Class 3000 3,000 yards 100 miles 100,000 miles 10 billion miles 50 light years Class 5000 5,000 yards 250 miles 1 million miles 100 billion miles 500 light years * Maps and Ranged Movement * Though it is not required, players of the CASE may wish to have a map handy with which to detail their actions and movements. When a Judge makes a map, he or she should do so at a scale of two inches to an area, allowing for a detailed showing of all the action. This may seem small, especially when one is used to the scale of other games, but a fight featuring super-powers tends to spread out all over the place. A map this size is good for general use, but the Judge is free to make their own at any size they prefer. Just make sure to mark off each area as such on the map with dotted or dashed lines, so players know how far they can move their characters in a given turn. Of course, instead of going with a generic area mapping, one can instead used a concept known as ranged movement. This allows a player to use a ruler to measure out his or her exact movements, a method that has both good and bad points. Good in that it is far easier to track a character's exact placement on the map, but bad in that it is harder for N/PCs to be anywhere in a given area at a given point in time, which can put a small crimp in a Judge's plans. Either way works well, however. As far as pointers for one's heroes go, virtually anything can be used. Any die, coin, or other knick-knack can fill this function nicely. Some people make small paper stand up 'figures', whether two- or three-sided, with the front of the fold-up figure representing exactly where the character is. Some players even buy miniatures from their RPG supplier, and paint them to look like their characters. Bear in mind that the scale of the map may alter the usefulness of these items. If the Judge uses a map of Manhattan Island, it will be of miniature scale, and it may be difficult to pinpoint exactly what street out of the twelve one's figure is standing on is actually occupied by their character. To each their own, however, and for those that go forward with their map techniques, good luck to you! CHAPTER FOUR: TIME AND COMBAT * Time Scale: the Turn * Movement was discussed previously, which repeatedly referred to how fast one can move in a turn. But what is a turn, you ask? In the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, a turn is six seconds - usually enough for every character to attempt at least one action each. In non-combat play, this need not be too precise; a player simply states what he or she wants to do, and with the Judge's blessing, makes any applicable rolls. On the other hand, when one or more lives are on the line, it may be absolutely vital for the Judge to know what happens when. When this is the case, it is imperative that players follow the combat sequence for a turn, which allows each player to act in an orderly fashion - unless one character's actions obviate the need for another's. Turns proceed in the following fashion, and are defined in much greater detail below: 1. Declare Actions 2. Roll Extra Action FEATs (if necessary) 3. Determine Initiative 4. Resolve Actions in Order 5. If Multiple Rounds Needed, Resolve Extra Actions 6. Wrap Up ** Step 1: Declare Actions ** To start with, all players must determine what their character will be doing in a given turn. This applies to player characters and non-player characters alike. In the interest of fairness, the Judge should decide what non-player characters are going to do before the other players make their declaration. This helps to keep non-player characters from seeming omniscient - especially when they shouldn't be. This does not mean the Judge need declare NPC actions first, or at all, at least until they are made - just that NPC actions should be determined beforehand. This may lead to the players occasionally ruining the Judge's carefully laid plans, but then that's what player characters are for. Besides, it always gives players a warm, fuzzy feeling to get a surprise victory out of left field now and then. ** Step 2: Extra ACTION rolls (if necessary ** If a player intends to attempt more than one action in a given turn, he or she must roll an ACTION to determine if they may in fact do so. This ACTION can be resolved on table 22, which shows how many combat actions per turn a character may try. Where offensive actions are concerned, the ACTION is made with one's Ftg (off) score, and shows how many active tasks the character may attempt in a turn. Table 22: Combat Actions Per Turn Rank Action(s) Remarkable Two Attacks / Aversions Amazing Three Attacks / Aversions Unearthly Four Attacks / Aversions Shift Y Five Attacks / Aversions Class 1k Six Attacks / Aversions Class 3k Seven Attacks / Aversions Class 5k Eight Attacks / Aversions Making the number of offensive actions indicated on table 22 requires a Fighting ACTION that is equal to the indicated intensity; for example, squeezing three actions into a six second period takes an Amazing intensity Ftg (off) ACTION. If one has an Incredible Ftg (off) rank, making so many moves would require a red Ftg (off) ACTION, while a character with Monstrous Ftg (off) would only need a green Ftg (off) ACTION to pull this off. If this ACTION roll fails, the character can only attempt one action in this turn, and does so at a -3 CS. If they are successful, however, characters may attempt more than one action. These can either be resolved as separate actions (if dissimilar) at a -1 CS each, or if the player chooses, they may occur as a 'flurry' of action, adding a +1 CS to the damage inflicted for each doubling of attacks, instead of making separate assaults. Where defensive actions are concerned, table 22 indicates how many defensive actions a character may attempt without penalty (no roll required). For instance, a heroine with Incredible (40) Ftg (def) may attempt to avert two separate attacks with ease. Attempting subsequent aversive actions is still possible, but occurs at a cumulative -2 CS for each maneuver the character tries. Another thing to keep in mind is that if using their full movement in a given turn, characters can only attempt one action during that time, no matter how many they would like to. To perform multiple attacks under such circumstances, they must wield them all in a singular burst. Regardless, unless attempting a charging attack, actions attempted while moving one's fullest in a turn are made at a -1 CS. ** Step 3: Determine Initiative ** Initiative is the order in which characters act. Unlike just about everything else in the CASE, initiative can be determined with just one ten-sided die, not percentile dice. What you do is roll said d10, and add it to the modifier indicated by your Intuition rank on table 23. Characters with a higher initiative go first, counting down until everyone hperformed their first action. Table 23: Initiative Modifiers Rank Modifier Feeble -2 Poor -1 Typical 0 Good +1 Excellent +2 Remarkable +3 Incredible +4 Amazing +5 Monstrous +6 Unearthly +7 Shift X +8 Shift Y +9 Shift Z +10 Class 1000 +15 Class 3000 +20 Class 5000 +25 While this is reasonably accurate, and helps to break things up on a turn-by-turn basis by showing the fortunes and misfortunes of combat, perhaps the standard initiative system is simply too cumbersome for some games. This may occur with a very large number of participants in a given battle, or maybe a particular game group simply prefers not to spend so much time rolling the dice (or die, as it happens). As such, here are a few optional initiative rules: 1. Instead of rolling for initiative each turn, the players can instead just roll once - at the beginning of play. They merely recall their initiatives (or scribble them down), and whenever action gets complicated enough to require initiative, players simply refer to their earlier roll. NPCs need only determine initiative when they first appear. 2. Instead of rolling initiative at all, simply make use of the initiative modifiers the characters' Intuition scores give them. Whoever has the highest bonus gets to go first, and the rest may act in descending order. This way a roll is only actually needed in the event of a tie (or just flip a coin). This works for NPCs as well; keep their modifiers in mind as they appear, but otherwise act normally. 3. Ignore initiative entirely. Players may simply act in a set order - perhaps clockwise around a gaming table. While this often doesn't reflect the 'reality' of combat or the relative speed of characters, it's definitely consistent and easy to remember. NPCs can then go either before or after the players do, according to the Judge's whims (speedsters and ambushers go first, while the rest go after, or whatever). Players can mix this up to their advantage on occasion, as well. Perhaps they decide to coordinate their actions as a true team, instead of handling each brawl on their own. If using 'team' tactics, players should just have one character roll their initiative, and they all go relative to the NPCs whenever the die indicates. When using teamwork, it's sometimes amazing what a group of players can actually accomplish. ** Step 4: Resolve Actions in Order ** As the Judge counts down initiative values from the highest to the lowest, each character may act in turn. In complex encounters, PCs and NPCs will act in varying order, which can make some matters tricky. In fact, as some characters act, the actions of others will be rendered moot or impossible (knocking out one character means, quite naturally, that the unconscious person cannot perform his or her desired action). If, after seeing the actions of others playing out, or even if they change their mind upon hearing the declarations of other players, a character has the option of changing their stated action. This requires a yellow Agy (bal) ACTION roll, and if successful, the newly declared action can proceed as normal, though at a -1 CS (which accounts for the lack of preparation, et cetera). If this yellow Agy (bal) ACTION roll fails, however, the character in question may not act at all in a given turn. This represents them dropping the ball, either figuratively or literally, and often leaves them in a particularly disadvantageous position upon the start of the next turn. What form this disadvantage takes will depend on what task(s) they failed to accomplish, but may or may not represent a negative Column Shift. ** Step 5: If Multiple Rounds Needed, Resolve Extra Actions ** Step five is only required if one or more characters pass an extra ACTIONs roll at the beginning of the turn. For instance, say three characters out of six attempt an extra ACTIONs roll. Two of those characters manage to acquire two actions that turn, while the other secures a total of three. Everyone then acts normally, performing their actions as declared earlier. Once everyone has acted once, a second round begins, and the three characters with extra actions go again. With this done, the one character with three actions makes their final move, and then... ** Step 6: Wrap Up ** Once every character (player or non-player) has expended all of their actions, it is time to end the current turn. The Judge will use this time to take stock of the action at hand, and determine if another turn of activity is necessary or if the action is done for the moment. He or she will also use this opportunity to introduce any events or changes in the situation as it currently exists. This is when bombs go off, floors suddenly collapse, fires ignite... that sort of thing. Assuming the Judge has any 'events' in mind, or if circumstances cause them to occur, they will fall into the flow of action here, if they weren't already triggered by characters during steps 4 or 5. This is also a good time to calculate things like recovered health (for people who regenerate) or to count ammunition (if applicable). * Combat Essentials * As you can see from the above, the structure of a turn is very precise to best allow combat between characters to function as seamlessly as is possible. So keeping that in mind, let us speak about the essentials of combat in the CASE. Standard combat maneuvers all make use of the first four primary abilities, each of which has its own offensive capabilities. ** Slugfest Combat ** Various forms of hand-to-hand fighting, slugfest combat is resolved with one's Fighting (off) score. To engage in hand-to-hand, or melee combat, two characters must be generally adjacent - in other words, very, very close. Sometimes certain techniques will allow a character to engage non-adjacent characters in melee (the elongation power, ridiculously long melee weapons), but normally this isn't an issue. Blunt Attacks (BA) are attacks with one's bare hands, boxing gloves or gauntlets, or any number of other (you guessed it) blunt instruments. Whether punching or swinging a bat, blunt attacks are all resolved on the aptly named blunt attacks portion of the effects table, which you can find on the Universal Table. Blunt attacks have one of four results, depending on the color rolled. A white result indicates a miss, which means you did not connect with your punch, kick, or whatever. A green roll means you hit, and can then determine how much damage you inflicted. A yellow result acts per a green hit, adding the potential of a Slam - physically knocking the foe about. A red roll also behaves per a green hit, with the added possibility of inflicting a Stun result on one's foe. This assumes the target of such attacks is not attempting to avoid them. Melee combatants may attempt to either evade or weave against blunt attacks, which will either prevent them from connecting or apply negative Column Shifts to hit. Alternately, they may try to block the damage, taking the hit and using their Strength against its incoming harm (on top of any other protection they may have access to). The advantage of blunt attacks is that their wielder need not use maximum force when applying them. By declaring that he or she is pulling their punch, a character has the option of either reducing the damage inflicted or the color result after the dice have settled, allowing them to avoid inflicting lethal damage or potentially harmful effects - particularly useful if one is possessed of super-human brawn. Edged Attacks (EA) involve assaults made with sharp, pointy objects. Whether using a sword, a dagger, or even some sort of inherent weaponry, edged attacks are all resolved on the (that's right) edged attacks segment of the effects section on the Universal Table. As is the case with blunt attacks, edged attacks have one of four possible results, depending on what color is indicated by the die roll. White results mean your sharp, pointy implement missed its target. A green die roll means that you have struck your foe, and may determine damage based on the rank provided by either your Strength or super-human physical weaponry. A yellow result acts per a green roll, adding the potential of a Stun result on top of the damage. A red roll indicates, in addition to doing damage, a Kill result may have been achieved. This assumes the target of such attacks is not attempting to avoid them. Melee combatants may attempt to either evade or weave against edged attacks, which will either prevent them from connecting or apply negative Column Shifts to hit. Alternately, the target may try to block the damage, taking the hit and using his or her Strength against its incoming pain (hopefully along with other protection they may have), to avoid being cut. Edged attacks, particularly when compared to blunt attacks, tend to do a little less damage. On the other hand, they're a whole lot more lethal - swords usually mean business, after all. Unlike a blunt attack, the user of an edged attack does not have the option of pulling their punches; they get to live with whatever result they rolled, possibly killing their foe in the process. Which may of course be the idea! ** Ranged Combat ** Table 24: Thrown Weapon Ranges Rank Range in Areas Feeble One area Poor One area Typical One area Good Two areas Excellent Three areas Remarkable Four areas Incredible Five areas Amazing Six areas Monstrous Seven areas Unearthly Eight areas Shift X Ten areas Shift Y Fifteen areas Shift Z Twenty areas Class 1000 Forty areas Class 3000 Eighty areas Class 5000 Line of Sight Ranged attacks are assaults which work over a long distance - possibly extremely long. They include projectile weapons ranging from rocks to rockets, as well as energy weapons both artificial and inherent. While ranged attacks place their wielder in less immediate danger from their foe (who needs ranged attacks to strike back without closing), they also involve a lot more details - usually to the detriment of a ranged attacker. Based on the Agility (dex) of their wielder, ranged attacks suffer penalties for extreme range; for each area away from one's target beyond a ranged attack's listed range, it suffers a -1 CS modifier to hit. Furthermore, any objects in the path of one's ranged attack inflict a -2 CS to-hit penalty - each. Even something as seemingly simple as a window can act to deflect the trajectory of a ranged attack, no matter what form it takes. In that same vein, if a ranged attack strikes something on the way to its intended target, the material strength of whatever it attempts to pass through is directly subtracted from its damage sum before it even hits its target. For instance, a door of Good (10) MS is struck with a hail of bullets. This Excellent (20) intensity attack is reduced by 10 points, and then inflicts what's left on those on the other side, if it hits. The last thing to keep in mind about ranged attacks is simple physics. While you're (usually) not in danger of striking others if you miss a slugfest attack, a ranged attack just might hit someone else if one launches it at a heavily occupied area. If a ranged attack misses, and if anyone is adjacent to its target, make a roll for each additional person that may be struck by it instead. Blunt Throwing Attacks (BT) are similar to ordinary blunt attacks, but they introduce distance into the equation. This basically involves throwing something at an opponent, whether it's a rock, shoe, cue ball, or even a bus. Blunt throwing attacks are not directly lethal, and are resolved on the blunt throwing portion of the Universal Table's effects row, based (of course) on one's Agy (dex). A white roll naturally means the thrown object missed its target. A green result indicates that the flinging fighter has indeed struck their foe, and may determine damage normally. A yellow roll is the same as a green, but is known as a bullseye, and may be required for trick shots (hitting a specific part of a target, for instance). Red results indicate that in addition to inflicting damage, the flinger may have Stunned their foe as well. Blunt throwing attacks may be avoided just like blunt attacks, though different maneuvers are needed for this. The target of blunt throwing attacks may dodge or feint against them, or alternately may attempt to block, taking the hit and hoping to 'muscle' the damage away. Finally, the wielder of a blunt throwing attack may pull his or her punches, just like they could if inflicting blunt attack damage in melee. Edged Throwing Attacks (ET) are similar to standard edged attacks, except for the obvious factor of range. An edged throwing attack involves flinging some sort of sharp, deadly object at another person, whether it's designed to be used in that way or not. Shuriken, daggers, some axes, and even spears fit this bill, though an improvised edged weapon can often be thrown as well - albeit at a considerable negative penalty to hit. As you can imagine, a white edged throwing attack misses its target completely. A green result means the thrown weapon hits its target, and its wielder may determine damage normally. Yellow rolls indicate a hit, per a green to-hit ACTION, with the added possibility of a Stun. A red ACTION on an edged throwing attack indicates a hit, in addition to potentially inflicting a Kill result on its hapless target. Edged throwing attacks may be avoided just like edged attacks, though different maneuvers are needed for this (as is the case with blunt throwing attacks). The targets of an edged throwing attack may dodge or feint against it, or alternately may attempt to block, taking the hit and hoping to 'shrug off' the damage to be inflicted. Note that you may not pull your punches on an edged throwing attack. Energy Attacks (En) are specialized assaults making use of non-physical projectiles. They involve striking something with lightning, cutting it with a laser, or even killing it with fire. Energy attacks are very powerful and versatile, and often quite lethal, as the human body is not designed to absorb energies at this level. Energy attacks are resolved on the (yep) energy attacks effect portion of the Universal Table. A white roll details a missed energy attack, which may be very bad for the surroundings. A green ACTION means the energy attack has struck its intended target, and damage is inflicted. A yellow roll is the same as a green, and indicates a bullseye was struck (if precision attacks are attempted). A red energy attack inflicts damage per a green result, but may also inflict a Killing blow on top of mere Health loss. The target of an energy attack may attempt to avoid it as he or she can most other ranged assaults, by performing either a dodge or feint maneuver. On the other hand, the target of an energy attack can instead take the hit, while trying to brace themselves against the damage inflicted. The wielder of an energy attack may partially pull their punches, lowering the intensity of damage inflicted, but not the color result rolled. Force Attacks (Fo) are an odd combination of blunt and energy attacks, and involve striking a foe with a physical manifestation of energy in some form or another. This can include blasts of pneumatic power, bolts of kinetic energy, or even bursts of anti-gravitic repulsions. Force attacks are resolved using the force attacks portion of the Universal Table's effects row. See a pattern yet? A white force attack indicates the blast missed its intended target, but can always strike someone else. A green roll means the force attack struck, and may inflict damage normally. Yellow results behave per green rolls, but are also bullseyes, meaning a precise blow has been struck (if attempted). A red force attack indicates damage per a green roll, plus the potential for a Stun condition to be inflicted as well. A force attack can be avoided in a number of ways, as befits its strange, hybrid nature. Its target may attempt either a dodge or a feint maneuver, either preventing it from connecting entirely or providing a negative Column Shift to be hit. Also, a force attack may be blocked, just like a blunt attack. A user of force attacks can partially pull his or her punches, inflicting less damage but retaining whatever color result was rolled. Shooting Attacks (Sh), last but not least, are the single most common form of ranged attack. They come into play when someone grabs a handgun or bow (or a hybrid, the crossbow) and fires it at whoever has irked their ire. Some larger weapons also inflict Shooting damage as well, primarily being huge-caliber military weaponry. Shooting attacks are resolved on the similarly named portion of the Universal Table's effects row. A miss with a shooting attack means the shooter has struck something by or behind their target. A green roll indicates that he or she has hit, and may determine damage per the norm. A yellow ACTION performs like a green, with the added bonus of a bullseye effect (if desired or required). A red roll indicates damage was inflicted, and the shooter may have also inflicted a Kill result with their projectile as well. As is the case with energy and force attacks, the target of a shooting attack may attempt several maneuvers to avoid harm. These include both the dodge and the feint, which involve not being where the bullets (or arrows or whatever) are going. However, no one can block or brace against shooting attacks, for they are simply too piercing for either brawn or fortitude to directly counter. ** Wrestling Combat ** Wrestling combat is a Strength-based affair. It almost exclusively requires that one be adjacent to another when engaging in wrestling attacks, unless powers such as elongation are in play. A wrestling maneuver involves using one's Strength directly against another, not necessarily with brute force so much as with leverage, grappling, and pinning maneuvers, literally overpowering another with technique and muscle. Grabbing Attacks (Gb) involve taking something from someone else by force. To grab an item, one must overcome the Strength of whatever is holding it in place - without breaking it in the process. Thus, a grabbing attack is fraught with peril, for one must apply the proper amount of Strength to the task without going overboard - or ham-fisting the attempt and knocking an item away from oneself. A white grabbing attack is a miss; the grabber failed to grab that which he or she wanted to grab. A green grabbing ACTION means one may have grabbed the target, if their Strength is greater than that of their opponent (or the MS of the item, if not held); if not, a green result indicates a struggle. A yellow ACTION indicates the grabbing attack took the item away, and a red result means this has occurred, and the item may be broken! Grabbing attacks may be avoided with an evasion or a weave maneuver. Grappling Attacks (Gp) are those in which an attacker attempts to limit the motions of another with his or her very body. A series of maneuvers on the part of the grappler allows them to shift their Strength such that it will partially or fully pin their foe, and may inflict damage in the process. A white or green grappling result means that the maneuver has failed utterly, and that one's opponent has avoided being grappled entirely. A yellow grappling attack indicates a partial hold has been scored, and that the attacker has limited their opponent's movements somewhat. A red grappling ACTION means a grappler has achieved a full hold, and has prevented their foe from moving at all. Damage is inflicted on the held individual if their Strength is greater than their opponent's. One may perform one action in addition to maintaining a hold each turn. One can avoid a grappling attack in the first place with an evasion or a weave maneuver. Once a partial or full hold is applied, however, only an escape maneuver can be used to dislodge a grapple - unless the grappler lets go... or is made to let go, somehow. While somewhat less effective than normal melee attacks, grappling maneuvers are great for incapacitating a foe without beating them senseless. ** Charging Combat ** Charging Attacks (Ch) are those which combine movement and combat, a high speed body check which terminates at the target - usually violently. A charging individual may make his or her full movement and still execute a charging maneuver. In fact, this is usually required, as one must move at least one full area to inflict a charging attack upon a target (whether it is a living foe or an inanimate object). A character may add a +1 CS to hit for each area moved through before attempting a charge, to a maximum of +3 CS (with a practical limit of Shift Z (500)). A charging character rolls on his or her Endurance to see whether or not they can hit, cross-referencing the die roll against the charging portion of the Universal Table's effects row. There are four potential results of a charging attack. A white result indicates that the charging character missed his or her target entirely - and it's quite possible they'll careen into something else if their target was in a crowded area. A green ACTION means they struck their foe, inflicting full damage (see below). A yellow ACTION indicates the target was hit, and may suffer a Slam result as well. A red charging ACTION shows a Stun result has been scored in addition to mere damage. Damage for a charging maneuver is based on the Endurance or body armor of the attacker, whichever is higher. This damage is supplemented by the number of areas traveled though before the charge connected; add two points for every area a charging individual traveled through, with a maximum of the character's Endurance or body armor score (whichever is higher). A character with Unearthly (100) Endurance, then, could benefit from up to 50 areas worth of bonus charging damage! The thing is, this damage is subject to the target's body armor. If a character charges into another with body armor, an amount of damage equal to said armor score will rebound back onto the charging individual. If he or she also possesses like armor, this damage will be radiated out into the environment, usually harmlessly (though windows in the immediate vicinity may be damaged if such a hit is powerful enough). Charging inanimate objects works the same, treating the object's material strength as if it were body armor, whether it is a wall or a tank. If the charging character inflicts damage, they may break the object - or barrel right through. If not, they may instead hurt themselves in the attack. Falling damage is also handled in this fashion, treating the fall as a 'charge' against the ground - or whatever else is under the character! The character attempting a charging attack may 'pull their punch' as far as the result rolled, but the damage is pretty much set depending on both his or her Endurance (or body armor) rank and the amount of distance traveled. ** Defensive Maneuvers ** Every basic attack form described above may be avoided in at least one fashion, often in multiple ways. A defensive maneuver is one made specifically to avoid the attack of another, an aversive technique to prevent incoming damage from connecting with or otherwise affecting its executor. All characters may attempt at least one defensive maneuver per turn without penalty, more with higher Ftg (def) prowess. Block maneuvers involve using one's Strength (mgt) to counter incoming damage. No effort is made to avoid being struck by an attack; instead, one leans into it and attempts to 'muscle' away the damage with brute force. A blocking character may use the result of this maneuver or any other protection to absorb the force of an attack, but not both - that is, unless the values are close enough to stack, per a normal buddy CS. When blocking, a white ACTION provides one's Strength -6 CS in protection against incoming damage. A green ACTION will provide one's Strength -4 CS, a yellow ACTION one's Strength -2 CS, and a red ACTION one's Strength +1 CS. This is why the block is often the preferred defense mechanism used by stronger characters - it doesn't take great dexterity to avoid incoming harm, just a whole lot of muscle. A block may be used against most physical damage forms. It can be wielded against Blunt Attack, Blunt Throwing, Edged Attack, Edged Throwing, and Force attacks - but not Shooting attacks. Brace aversions are similar to blocks, but involve using Endurance (res) to withstand incoming damage instead of Strength. Working in the same basic fashion, a brace doesn't involve moving, so much as trying to 'soak' up damage. A bracing character may use the result of this maneuver or any other protection to absorb an attack's energy, but not both - that is, unless they are close enough in rank to stack, like a normal buddy CS. When bracing, a white ACTION provides one's Endurance -6 CS in protection against incoming damage. A green ACTION will provide one's Endurance -4 CS, a yellow ACTION one's Endurance -2 CS, and a red ACTION one's Endurance +1 CS. This often makes a brace the preferred defense mechanism of many super tough heroes and villains - it doesn't take great Agility to avoid incoming pain, just a whole lot of fortitude. Brace maneuvers are primarily useful against Energy attacks, but can apply to other forms of directed, special energy forms (some Sorcerous, Karmic, and Deionic powers fall into this category). Catching actions are those intended to, well, catch an object. This can be something that is falling, something that was thrown at the character or someone else, or even a projectile weapon, if the character is fast enough. Agility (bal) is used when determining the success or failure of a catching maneuver, and one may only catch one item at a time - though multiple actions may allow several catches in a given turn. A white catching ACTION indicates an auto-hit - the character not only didn't catch the item in question, but it struck them! A green catching action indicates the would-be catcher missed, and if the item to be caught was aimed at them, it gains a +1 CS to hit. A yellow catching ACTION indicates the item was caught, but might be damaged in the process (roll a Strength ACTION against its MS). A red ACTION indicates a successful catch. As with evasions and feints, a catch maneuver prevents one from attacking in a given turn. Catching something specifically aimed at oneself applies a -3 CS penalty. Dodge maneuvers are the basic way to avoid a ranged attack, whether one is flinging a rock or fireball at you. This basically involves getting out of Dodge, so to speak, and being somewhere else when a ranged attack comes calling. A dodge maneuver does not overtly negate the ability of an attacker to score a hit on its executor, but may do so based on the dodge result rolled. Dodges use a character's Agility (bal). A white dodge result means that no penalty was applied to the attacker - one's movements made no practical difference. A green dodge ACTION reduces one's ability to hit the dodger by -2 CS, a yellow by -4 CS, and a red by -6 CS. Against many 'normal' opponents, these Column Shifts may be enough to drop one's 'to hit' score below Shift 0, thus making the scoring of a hit in that instance impossible. Dodges may be attempted against Blunt Throwing, Edged Throwing, Energy, Force, and Shooting attacks. They can also apply to most other ranged attack forms that have a 'to hit' roll (some Sorcerous, Karmic, and Deionic powers fall into this category). Escape attempts are those which are designed to extricate oneself from a partial or full hold inflicted as a result of a successful grappling attack. While an evasion or a feint will stop a grappling attack from sticking, an escape maneuver is the only way to get out of such once it has been applied. Escape maneuvers can also be used on equivalent attacks such as a telekinetic power's use (save for the application of a reversal). A white or a green escape result indicates failure - in other words, the character's struggles are for naught. A yellow escape roll demonstrates success, and the formerly held individual is now free of the partial or full hold he or she was in before; they may not act this turn, but can on the next. A red escape result indicates a reversal of the hold, and that the escapee is now the grappler, if they so choose. As stated above, escape maneuvers are only useful against grappling attacks already in play, and are based on one's Strength (mgt). Evasion is a Fighting (def) technique by which a character actively tries to avoid being affected by melee attacks. It involves possibly playing for time, 'feeling out' a foe's offense, or maybe just a serious desire to avoid being struck. Evading counts as a full action, which means one cannot attack in a turn that they are evading, but the benefit of this is that the evading character can easily avoid incoming damage. A white evasion ACTION roll indicates failure, and that one walked right into an attack. Even if the attacker would've otherwise missed, they have managed to somehow strike thanks to the failed evasion. A green evasion ACTION means the attack is avoided, while a yellow adds a +1 CS to the evader's next action against that foe, and a red ACTION adds a +2 CS to whatever offensive action the evader takes against his or her opponent. An evasion can only be attempted against melee attacks, and then only against one opponent at a time. These include Blunt Attacks and Edged Attacks, as well as initial Grappling attempts, and any special attack powers or energy forms which are delivered on touch. Feint aversions are similar to evasions, in that they involve an active defense, a sacrifice of one's own attack in a given turn to ensure that they avoid being struck. The difference between the two is that a feint involves actions against a ranged opponent, and that Agility (bal) is the base of the feint maneuver. They are otherwise the same, in that one can only feint a single ranged opponent per feint attempt. A white feint ACTION roll means one bungled it, and walked right into an attack. Even if the attacker would've otherwise missed, they have managed to somehow strike thanks to the failed feint aversion. A green feint ACTION means the attack is avoided, while a yellow adds a +1 CS to the feint executor's next action against that foe, and a red ACTION adds a +2 CS to whatever offensive action the feinter takes against his or her foe. Feint aversions apply to Blunt Throwing, Edged Throwing, Energy, Force, and Shooting attacks, as well as other special, ranged attack and damage forms that require a to-hit roll (some Sorcerous, Karmic, and Deionic powers fall into this description). Weave maneuvers are attempts to directly avoid incoming melee damage. While an evasion can completely prevent a melee hit from connecting, it involves a more active defensive posture and technique - and takes one's combat action in a given turn. Essentially, a weave maneuver functions just like a dodge, only that it applies to melee attack instead of that which is ranged in nature. A white weave result means that no penalty was applied to the attacker - one's movements made no practical difference. A green weave ACTION reduces one's ability to hit the weaver by -2 CS, a yellow by -4 CS, and a red by -6 CS. Against many 'normal' opponents, these Column Shifts may be enough to drop one's 'to hit' score below Shift 0, thus making the scoring of a hit in that instance impossible. A weave aversion may primarily be used on Blunt Attacks and Edged Attacks, as well as initial Grappling attempts or any other damage form or attack power that requires direct physical contact. Weave attempts are rolled with one's Fighting (def) score. ** Slam, Stun, and Kill Results ** Above and beyond standard combat results, there are three which particularly stand out: the Slam, the Stun, and the Kill. All three of these may be ignored if no actual damage is inflicted in the attack which scores one, but if it does, the character suffering from such must immediately make an Endurance ACTION roll. The possible results of said ACTION rolls are presented here. Slam results describe a hit so powerful that it may physically knock a character around. A Slam result prompts an Endurance ACTION made on the Slam? portion of the Universal Table's effects row. A red ACTION means the target of a Slam was not, in fact, slammed at all. A yellow ACTION indicates that he or she may have been pushed back a few feet, or perhaps down on one knee, but the target may still act normally. A green ACTION to resist a Slam result states the character is in fact slammed one full area away. A white ACTION against a Slam result indicates utter failure, and that a Grand Slam has occurred. This means the slammed character will be physically launched away, as if thrown, with a Strength equal to the damage inflicted after his or her body armor or other defenses (see table 24, above, for specific distances). When a Slam occurs, roll a d10 to determine which direction a character is slammed (if the attacker has none in mind). A one or two means the character is knocked straight down, a three or four means a character is thrust to the left, a five or six means he or she was slammed to the right, a seven or eight means they were knocked backwards, and a nine or ten means the slammed character was smashed straight up into the air. If the slammed character strikes something while in motion, it should be treated per a charging attack, which may be particularly disastrous to both the environment and the slammed character if he or she was hit hard enough. But then again, if one is hit hard enough to be flung ten areas, that may be preferable to being within melee distance of the person that hit them so hard to begin with. Stun indicates a strike was powerful enough to potentially incapacitate its target for a while. When a Stun result is rolled, the character might be dazed, concussed, or otherwise rendered unable to act for a short period of time, depending on the Endurance ACTION rolled on the Stun? portion of the Universal Table's effects row. There are three possible results of a Stun check. A red or yellow Endurance check means that the target of a Stun result is not, in fact, stunned. While it may have looked like a powerful strike at first, the target managed to avoid being dazed (or whatever) by the attack. A green ACTION roll, on the other hand, will Stun its victim for one turn. If the character has not yet acted, the Stun applies to the current turn, but if he or she has acted already it applies to the next. On a white ACTION, a Stun will affect its target for 1d10 turns. The character so affected is knocked out for all intents and purposes, either unconscious or so disoriented that he or she cannot do anything other than twitch or convulse. A stunned character may be revived by someone with the first aid talent, but otherwise they're at the mercy of the elements - and whoever it was that knocked them out. Kill results indicate a potentially lethal attack has been executed on the target. A Kill result requires an Endurance ACTION made on the Kill? portion of the Universal Table's effects row. A roll must also be made on the Kill? sub-table whenever a character's Health score drops to zero, or when a character suffers Negative Health damage (being struck while unconscious or otherwise out of Health). As with a Stun, a red or yellow Endurance ACTION upon receiving a Kill result means the character is just fine - at least, as a result of that particular attack; their situation may still be quite dire. A green ACTION means the character will be affected by the Kill result if the source of the damage was either Edged Attack or Shooting. A white ACTION means that the Kill result was successful, and that the victim loses one Endurance rank. For every subsequent turn the victim of a Kill result lies unaided, he or she will lose another Endurance rank, doing so until they die. This assumes that no one helps them at all. A dying character who is helped before slipping below Shift 0 Endurance will live (assuming nothing else happens to them), but may be in dire straits nonetheless thanks to their reduced Endurance score, which must heal normally. ** Other Combat Results ** In addition to a Slam, Stun, or Kill, all manner of other combat results may occur on the Universal Table, as each attack technique has its own set of potential outcomes. Those which are not quite as critical as the above three are listed below, to give one a better handle on the variables that may occur in the midst of a fight while using the CASE. Auto-hit is what happens when one zigs when they should have zagged. A catch, feint, or evasion that achieves this result has caused its executor to quite literally walk into an attack. Even if the attacker would've otherwise missed, the character who scored an auto-hit will make it strike him or her somehow, possibly by inadvertently walking into the space the missed attack would've otherwise occupied. Break results occur on a grabbing attack where too much force may have been used. The grabber grabbed the item in question, but he or she must roll a Strength ACTION against the MS of the item. If their Strength overcomes the MS of said object, it may be broken, or may otherwise hamper the grabber's activities. A bomb may detonate, while a statue might crack, or a gun might even go off! Bullseye is a combat result that is required when one wishes to strike a precise location on a target with distance attacks. No matter the weapon or attack form, the idea is that a bullseye is required to strike something specific, such as the gun in one's hand, that spot between the eyes, or anything else desired. If a precision strike isn't intended, a bullseye is treated as a normal hit. Catch results are the best possible outcome of a catching attempt. A Catch means that the character not only avoided being struck by whatever it was he or she intended to catch, but that they avoided damaging it in the process of catching it. If an inanimate object, the caught item is now in the character's possession, and if it was a living being, it may be safely set down without further risk. Column Shift results indicate a CS applied either to an attacker or a defender, based on some ability or another. Dodge and weave maneuvers usually apply a negative CS to attacker's hit rolls, while a block or brace applies one to one's own Strength or Endurance to determine momentary protection. Normally negative, a CS can demonstrate a bonus, particularly where evasions and feints are involved. Damage is a potential result of a catching attempt gone awry. This result indicates that the item was indeed caught, but may have suffered damage as a result of the catch. The catching individual must make a Strength ACTION against the MS of the object to determine if it was damaged or destroyed. If catching a living being, this maneuver may instead damage the caught entity, per a charging attack! Escape is a combat result that only occurs when attempting an escape maneuver (really). When this result is scored, the character attempting the maneuver has managed to shake themselves loose of whatever hold their opponent had him or her in. He or she can engage in no other actions on that turn, but may act normally on the next - assuming they are not grappled anew by their foe. Evasion / Feint indicates success when attempting the aversive maneuver in question. The executor of this maneuver has successfully avoided being struck, if at the expense of their own offensive maneuvers. These results do not place the evader / feinter in an advantageous position against their foes, but on the other hand, they have not suffered damage of any variety either. Full Hold indicates that a grappling attack was successful. It means the held individual cannot move at all, until let go or they successfully execute an escape attempt. A grappler may inflict damage upon his or her foe if they can pass a Strength ACTION against the held individual's Strength, though this also requires overcoming any body armor or other protections they may have as well, if any. Grab results of grabbing attacks mean that the grabber has managed to grab the item in question away from his or her target. This occurs regardless of the Strength of their opponent or the material strength of the object in question, and the grabber now has full possession of the item. Mind you, there may not be anything to subsequently stop its former possessor from grabbing the item back. Hit results rolled on the Universal Table indicate that yes, the target has been struck. Aside from inflicting damage, assuming no protective items or powers in play on the target, a hit does not inflict any additional combat effects. Mind you, simply inflicting damage can be enough to accomplish what a character intends in the first place, but that's neither here nor there. Miss indicates just that - the attack in question failed to connect with its target. This may or may not have serious consequences; when a ranged attack misses, it may very well strike someone or something in the vicinity of the intended target, with potentially dire results. Alternately, a miss may place the attacker in a disadvantageous position against his or her foe (or target, if grabbing) on the next turn. Partial Hold indicates that a grappling maneuver has been partially successful, and that its target has been somewhat constrained in their movements. A partial hold inflicts a -2 CS penalty upon all actions a held individual attempts. The only way to remove this penalty is to make the grappler let go somehow, or to successfully execute an escape attempt against him or her... which is easier said than done. Reversal results are the best possible outcome of an escape attempt. When a reversal is rolled, the character attempting the escape may, if he or she so chooses, or is physically able, reverse the hold they were previously held in. If the escapee does not wish to continue grappling with his or her foe, they may simply push or kick themselves loose, and may instead engage in any one action of their choice during that turn. Take results of a grabbing attack indicate the item may or may not be in the grabber's possession. On a take result, the grabber must roll a Strength ACTION against either the Strength of the person holding the item or the item's material strength. If this ACTION fails, the grabber has not liberated the item, and he or she must struggle with its current possessor to take it (or if 'loose', treat as a miss result instead). ** Determining Damage ** Damage in the CASE can be tallied in two fashions. The first, and less accurate, is to just use the listed rating whenever an attack is used. For instance, an Amazing (50) ranked fire generation power will always inflict Amazing (50) SD Energy damage, no matter the circumstances in which it is used. The advantage of this method is that combat can be resolved somewhat faster. On the other hand, damage may be rolled after a hit has been scored. This involves making a second die roll upon hitting a target, but allows the damage to be represented as an intensity, meaning that Amazing (50) rank fire attack listed above can cause Excellent (20) damage on a white result, Incredible (40) damage on a green, Amazing (50) damage on a yellow, and Monstrous (75) damage on a red roll. While the former method can greatly speed things up in a game, it is far from dynamic; combat will be generally predictable. Furthermore, it does not allow for extremes of action, and can cause many of the results seen so often in fictional battles to be downright impossible. The Judge should declare which method they prefer at the beginning of a campaign - though it may behoove them (and the players) to switch now and then. This can be done to streamline action when conditions at a game are different than normal. For example, a Judge may normally run a game for a few close friends, perhaps up to six, and prefers the damage intensity method. But when running a game at a convention, and inadvertently winding up with over a dozen players (as has happened to this author more than once), the static method may work best. CHAPTER FIVE: ADVANCED BATTLE CONCEPTS While the Time and Combat portion of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine covers just about everything one needs to handle conventional combat, the system is rife with things which actively resist normalcy. Advanced Battle Concepts attempts to detail a large variety of edge cases and odd conditions which may occur when you have ascendant beings using a wide array of super-powers against one another. * Exotic Damage Forms and Damage Modifiers * Though most forms of damage have been discussed previously, there are some exotic forms of pain and suffering that alternate paths of power provide for. Furthermore, a lot of attacks bear a supplemental effect on top of the raw damage they can inflict. This helps to distinguish one form of damage from another, particularly when a laundry list of different attack forms use the exact same damage type. ** Supplemental Damage Types ** Deionic damage is that which is caused by a focused application of the power of faith. It is most often wielded by immortal beings, or at least those who traffic in their affairs. It is rare to encounter Deionic energies in their pure state, as they are most often shaped or otherwise put to use by their possessors as soon as possible, to further their agendas for the multiverse. They are encountered, however. They may take the form of the signature power of a deity, the focused will of an entity of power aimed through one of its followers, or possibly just god-tainted mundane damage forms. As is the case with Karmic and Sorcerous damage, these attacks are handled per their standard counterparts - it's just that Deionic energies do a good job of practically ignoring armor for the most part. Karmic damage is a form of harm which is inflicted by direct psionic attack. As is the case with Sorcerous damage, Karmic damage is not merely caused by psionic powers which generate mundane forms of attack - those are resolved normally. Instead, they represent 'clean' mental assaults, such as a psi bolt or empathic hammer, or perhaps some other attack aimed at the very consciousness of oneself. Though again, some Karmic attacks are inflicted by seemingly ordinary offensive abilities which are 'charged' with psions. This can happen with items that are heavily empowered by psionic skills, or perhaps when encountering psi-active energies that hail from higher dimensions, which can include spectral flames. These attacks will behave normally, but affect armor as if it were Karmic in origin. Metabolic damage is a form of physical damage that is typically delivered by indirect means. It represents an assault on the integrity of the body, whether one is talking about poisoning, radiation, or even disintegration. Some forms of Metabolic damage occur as side effects of other powers, but other kinds can be used by themselves, though all such damage is usually handled the same way. Typically one receives an Endurance (res) ACTION roll to avoid the effects of Metabolic damage. The powers, equipment, and substances that inflict it usually describe whether or not an ACTION is allowed to shrug it off, but in general one can expect a resistance roll if the Metabolic harm comes as a 'rider' on another attack (such as a blade dipped in toxin, or radiation poisoning caused by exposure). Sorcerous damage is that which is inflicted by raw magic. 'Raw' magic is not merely fire or electricity (or whatever) that is produced by magic - such energies behave (and inflict damage) as they normally would. This form of damage, however, indicates an attack which is inherently magical in nature. Assaults such as 'generic' eldritch bolts, as well as mystical darkness, fall into this category. On the other hand, some attacks behave like mundane assaults of various kinds, but nonetheless affect armor as if they were Sorcerous damage. Things like this are often indicative of highly enchanted objects (like swords), or seemingly mundane forms of energy which bear magical components and characteristics (such as mystic hellfire, or other campaign-specific oddities and effects). ** Damage Modifiers ** Armor Piercing (AP) attacks are just that, they affect the protection of an individual much more effectively than an ordinary version of the same damage. Armor Piercing effects are rated in Column Shifts, and the standard AP effect affects body armor or other protections as if they were -2 CS in rank. If something was double AP, it would reduce protection by -4 CS, triple AP lowers it by -6 CS, and so on. A related form of attack is the Armor Ignoring (AI) assault. This is a much rarer form of Armor Piercing attack, in that it ignores one's protections against it entirely. Most often, this will appear when a character has a special susceptibility to the form of damage in question, but a few specialized attack forms have the ability to wield it as well. Probability Fallout (PF) is a distressing phenomenon caused primarily by powers which are heavily magical in nature, but can also be inflicted by reality control abilities as well. The idea behind Probability Fallout is that it is the impossible (or at least highly improbable) made manifest and tangible - and alters everything it touches... usually for the worse. When exposed to PF due to one attack or another, a character must pass a Psyche (will) ACTION roll to retain the integrity of their morphic field. If this ACTION fails, the character will be changed somehow, most often on a temporary basis, but occasionally permanently. Such changes can be as simple as an alteration of color, but can go as far as a complete transformation into something else entirely! Psionic Saturation (PS) is an overload of the mental energies in an environment. This is most often created by the use of abilities that generate raw psions, the particles which act as carriers of psionics and thought energies, but can also occur due to (admittedly bizarre) natural phenomenon or even malfunctions that occasionally occur in the execution of mental powers. What PS does is make all sentients within the area it affects inherently telepathic. Even 'normals' can hear the ambient thoughts of others, unshielded as they usually are, and inadvertently share their own. Preventing both the reception of ambient thoughts, and keeping one's own from flying free in an area inundated with PS, requires a Psyche (will) ACTION roll against the intensity of the power that caused it in the first place. Successively Decreasing (SD) damage is a form of harm which continues over a period of time. Each turn after one is exposed to an attack with an SD rider, the character in question may attempt an Endurance (res) ACTION roll to stop the SD from affecting them further. If this ACTION roll fails, the attack will inflict the damage caused on the previous round -2 CS - repeating until it is either resisted or reaches Shift 0 intensity. This is representative of things such as fire, poison, and radiation, which linger and cause continuing harm long after they are initially encountered. Particularly potent versions of SD attacks may exist in a doubled fashion, meaning that an indicated 2x SD effect would only be reduced by -1 CS each turn, instead of the usual -2 CS (though such dangerous damage should be incredibly rare). * Powers With Special Considerations * For the most part, super-powers are pretty straightforward in their application. The description of a given power will detail what it does and how it works, if necessary. A few common effects drastically affect both how easily one can hit their foe and how much damage they will inflict when they do, however. The effects of these powers are expanded upon below, for convenience. ** Body Armor and Force Fields ** While the effects of most attacks are rather clear-cut in nature, they can often be mitigated by characters who wield protection from injury. Body armor comes in a variety of different forms, whether inherent (such as nigh-invulnerable skin) or based on hardware (like a breastplate). Body armor is a subtractive form of defense, directly reducing the amount of incoming damage by its power rank number. The difficulty involved with body armor, however, is that it is more effective against some forms of damage than others. Body armor is most useful against direct physical damage, while becoming increasingly weaker against an attack the more exotic its source is. This is represented as a series of Column Shifts, based on the body armor power rank, denoting the various resistances it provides. Body armor will offer its full rank in protection against physical attack forms (bats, bullets, etc.). It is at -2 CS effectiveness against conventional energy assaults (fire, electricity), -4 CS against Sorcerous damage (most often in the form of spells), -6 CS against Karmic damage (things like a psi bolt, or Karmic energy assaults), and -8 CS against pure Deionic energies (usually the signature powers of deities). This can be tricky to remember, so body armor is usually listed with a series of ranks that denote the precise protection it offers, in the order listed above. Sometimes these aren't listed if most of them would be less than Feeble (2) in rank (often the case with partial armor), but can usually be inferred based on the body armor power rank if necessary. Complete listings are presented as follows: power rank (physical) / power rank -2 CS (energy) / power rank -4 CS (magic) / power rank -6 CS (psionic) / power rank -8 CS (deionic) A force field behaves in a similar fashion, though the nature of the protection it offers is somewhat different. A force field is most effective against energy-based assaults, while being slightly less potent against physical damage. Otherwise, the defense a force field provides is consistent with that of body armor. Complete force field protection ratings are usually shown like so: power rank -1 CS (physical) / power rank (energy) / power rank -4 CS (magic) / power rank -6 CS (psionic) / power rank -8 CS (deionic) There are other defensive powers, but they will usually refer to either body armor or force fields as their basis (protects per a force field, and so on). These ratings can vary slightly, depending on the origin of the defense in question. If body armor or a force field (or whatever) is created by magic, for instance, it will also offer power rank resistance to that form of damage, instead of the usual -4 CS. Such variances in the defense a power provides will usually be demonstrated in their specific power description, but again, may be inferred if not listed due to being on a 'short hand' character sheet (or whatever). ** Resistances and Invulnerabilities ** Resistances are like specialized forms of body armor, in that they subtract from incoming damage of their type by their power rank number. If the resistance is higher in rank than the damage it opposes, the character with it will suffer no damage at all. But a resistance can work against more than just direct damage; one can have resistance to fire, or mind control, or even warping attacks! If a character possesses resistance to a non-damaging effect (such as time control), the effect in question is negated if less than or equal to the rank of his or her resistance. If it is greater than the resistance possessed, the offending power can still affect its target - though at a diminished intensity, one which is equal to the power rank number of the offending effect minus the power rank number of the resistance. Note that some resistances have a minimum rank associated with them. Resistance to emotion control, for instance, is based on one's Intuition score. Thus, a power which provides additional resistance to such assaults should be wielded at a minimum value that is equal to that ability score +1 CS - which will reduce the cost of such powers, when purchased through the point-based character generation system. Finally, the ultimate form of a resistance is an invulnerability. Invulnerabilities are absolute protections against the named effect (such as invulnerability to cold attacks), and prevent it from affecting the character at all. Even at a rating of Beyond, or infinite power, something a character is invulnerable to will not harm or affect him or her - though their friends and their stuff aren't always so lucky. ** Damage Reduction and Deflection ** While body armor, force fields, and other protections from injury are usually subtractive, numerically reducing the intensity of incoming damage, damage reduction operates a bit differently. This form of defense reduces incoming damage by whatever Column Shift the power is rated at. Possessing 3 CS of damage reduction, for example, will cut all incoming damage by that much before it is applied to one's person. This differing defense function has the effect of dampening damage of a higher intensity much more effectively than weaker attacks. Thus, damage reduction might be more favorable when attempting to represent certain characters who are able to shrug off massive attacks while not being completely invulnerable at the same time. For instance, Excellent (20) ranked body armor would completely prevent physical damage of equal or lesser rank from affecting its target, while that 3 CS of damage reduction indicated above would 'only' reduce it to Poor (4) rank. On the other hand, that Excellent body armor would only cut twenty points off of an Unearthly (100) physical attack, while 3 CS of damage reduction would reduce it by sixty points. Deflection operates using the same basic game mechanic, but applies to the ACTIONs intended to connect with an attack - not the damage inflicted. A character with 2 CS of deflection, for instance, would inflict a -2 CS penalty to hit him or her in the first place. Such a negative modifier would apply along with any other efforts the character with deflection made to avoid injury (such as a dodge maneuver). Deflection in and of itself does not reduce incoming damage at all, its protection coming in the form of keeping attacks from hitting in the first place. Though when it works, deflection can be considered one hundred percent damage mitigation. ** Flight and Other Travel Powers ** Travel powers offer their possessor a significant advantage in mobility. When you can fly around the world in mere minutes, it's incredibly easy to split your attention across various global hot spots. They're also quite a boon in combat directly, in that whoever can hold the high ground typically has a significant advantage - even if the 'high ground' consists of blasting goons while hovering a few feet overhead. A major consideration of some travel powers, however, is that while in use many of them leave their possessor without ground (or any other surface) with which to brace themselves. This isn't much of an issue with the likes of teleportation, in that its effects are almost instantaneous, but abilities such as flight, gliding, super leaping, and super swimming (and variants therein) suffer from this problem. When airborne (or underwater) using this kind of power, or otherwise unmoored from the ground, a character is often more vulnerable to being Slammed. When an attack against a flying (or whatever) individual scores a Slam result, they must resist such results with either their Endurance or their travel power's rank - using whichever of the two is weaker. A veritable tank with an Unearthly Endurance and only Typical flight is very likely to be knocked around while airborne, as is a ranged sniper with a Typical Endurance and an Unearthly ranked flight. Characters with traveling powers can avoid this threat with the use of additional powers to maintain their trajectories (like anchor or telekinesis), or by having similar ranks in both their Endurance and their travel power. ** Growth and Shrinking ** For the most part, the average height of an adult character is considered to be six feet tall. In reality, people will be taller or shorter than this basic benchmark for a variety of different reasons, of course. But this specific height makes it a lot easier to calculate the difference in combat that characters of one size will experience when facing characters of a vastly different volume. In the CASE, a size difference is in effect when one character interacts with another who is half (or less) their size. Size differences are rated by a metric known as a size factor, based on that six foot tall person described previously. A character of the appropriate, average height (give or take a foot, of course) has a size factor of zero (0). In relation to someone with a size factor of zero, a character who is twelve foot tall - twice the person's height - will have a +1 size factor. Each subsequent doubling of size based on the original height will increase this size factor by an additional point. Thus, someone twenty-four foot tall will have a +2 size factor, a body forty-eight feet tall will have a +3 size factor, and so on. Looking in the other direction, in relation to that character with a size factor of zero, an opponent who is half their height - or three feet tall - will have a -1 size factor. Each further halving of height based on that original value of six foot tall will decrease a body's size factor by one. Being one and a half feet tall gives you a size factor of -2, while being nine inches tall gives you a -3 size factor, etc. If dealing with two different characters with a non-zero size factor, players can determine the effective size factor between the two by subtracting the smaller size factor from the larger one. A person with a +3 size factor facing an opponent with a +1 size factor would see the taller character having an effective +2 size factor compared to his or her smaller foe, for the purposes of determining combat modifiers. For every +1 size factor a character has against their foes in combat, he or she may add a +1 CS to the damage they inflict - but at the same time, suffers a -1 CS to strike that foe in the first place. Similarly, for every -1 size factor a character has against his or her enemy, they inflict -1 CS less damage with each attack, but benefits from a +1 CS to strike their larger enemy with each assault. So, as an example, let us consider a twelve-foot tall character doing battle with one that is but three foot tall. One has a +1 size factor while the other has a -1 size factor - for a net difference of two. Thus, the twelve-foot tall character suffers a -2 CS to hit their diminutive foe, but inflicts +2 CS damage when they do connect. The three foot tall character, on the other hand, has a +2 CS to hit - but inflicts -2 CS damage! * Tactics (Super Powered or Otherwise) * An important means by which a character can maximize his or her combat potential is with the use of tactics. Tactics are advanced combat maneuvers that each have their own special benefits, above and beyond merely hitting foes until they submit. Some tactics are only available to characters that possess the required power or powers to make use of them, however. Some of the more common tactics used by costumed adventurers include the following: Aiming / Ambush: each of these tactics involve a character lying in wait, spending at least a full turn in preparation of their attack. By expending at least this much time in wait, a character either aiming a precision attack or lying in ambush benefits from a +2 CS to hit. Furthermore, unless equipped with a danger sense or like forewarning, the target cannot attempt a defensive maneuver against this tactic. Dazing: a difficult maneuver to pull off, dazing involves attacking a foe in a fashion that is not directly lethal, most often by grazing one's temples with a bullet or the back of their head with a sap. This requires a yellow ACTION roll with the attack in question, though if an attacker attempting to daze his or her foe rolls red, that result stands regardless. Disarming: an attack of this type is designed not to harm a foe, but to instead remove something from their person. Most often this is a gun or some other weapon. Disarming requires a yellow attack roll with most attack powers, as it is a tricky maneuver to execute during the best of times. However, the advantage is that a red attack roll is always downgraded to yellow in such instances (which is great for non-lethal gunplay). Dive Bomb: whenever one is rapidly accelerating towards the earth, they can aim towards a specific target below to attempt a tremendous charging attack. A dive bomb maneuver provides those who attempt it a +1 CS to hit - +2 CS if they're actually flying, and not just falling or leaping downward. A dive bomb provides a like damage increase, on top of that provided for the space moved through. Ensnaring: a large number of tools and weapons exist to ensnare a foe, trapping them such that they cannot move. Nets, bolos, and (when used carefully) whips can be wielded in this fashion. Such items require a yellow Agility ACTION to hit their target, who may subsequently attempt a Strength check to wriggle out of his or her bindings. Failing this, the ensnared foe must escape from their bonds in some other fashion. Firing Point Blank: when close enough to touch one's target, special rules apply to ranged combat. If firing at a foe within point blank range, a character should receive a +3 CS to hit said foe - but only if that character wins the initiative, and the target is not resisting. Otherwise, a -3 CS applies to the character's ability to hit, as a change in position so close to the firer has a much more dramatic effect. Ganging Up: a mainstay of bullies everywhere, this involves one character holding a target so that another may hit him or her with impunity. This requires the first to achieve either a partial or full hold on the target, thus preventing them from performing defensive maneuvers. Others receive a +1 CS to hit the target, but if they miss they must immediately check to see if they in turn strike the grappler. Indirect Strike: an assault of this type involves the character striking the ground beneath themselves to affect others. This is often a great way to wield the full intensity of otherwise lethal attacks in a less lethal fashion, though it's incredibly rough on the surroundings. An indirect strike requires an attack that is at least equal to the MS of the ground +2 CS, as it smashes it up in the process. Indirect strikes can be used in two fashions. The first involves aiming all of one's effort directly below themselves, which creates a shockwave that affects everyone in the character's area. This wave itself does not inflict damage, but can definitely inflict a Slam result depending on the character's attack ACTION. Whether or not those present are Slammed, they may suffer indirect damage due to their surroundings' collapse. Alternately, a character may attack the ground between themselves and their target. This has the effect of spraying dirt, rock, concrete, or whatever else lies between the two foes at the target, causing damage of a type and intensity appropriate to its composition. This form of indirect strike is ideal for those characters with inherently lethal attacks, who wish to use them without killing everyone present. Luring: a lure is an attempt to make oneself a target. Not quite a shielding maneuver, luring involves convincing a foe to attack them, only to move at the last minute. By making oneself an enticing target, the luring character grants his or her opponent a +2 CS to hit, but has the option of performing a defensive maneuver at the last second. If they miss, the attacker will strike whatever is immediately behind their target. Moving Targets: hitting a target moving at high speed is considerably difficult - even before considering any defensive maneuvers they attempt! A character moving from one to five areper turn inflicts a -1 CS to hit, another traveling at up to ten areper turn causes their foes to attack them at a -2 CS, and anyone traveling faster inflicts a -4 CS to hit on anyone targeting them. Multiple Targets: attacks can sometimes strike several targets at once. Projectile attacks may have a cone effect, or may just move through one target and into another. Similarly, a large melee weapon just might be able to strike many foes. Characters may attempt to hit multiple targets with a single attack at their leisure, but when doing so they consistently suffer a -4 CS penalty (on top of attempted defensive maneuvers). Players may resolve such assaults with either a single roll or one for each target - their choice. Non-adjacent Melee: sometimes your foe is just barely out of reach of your fists... but not a lamp post! Using very large objects, super-strong characters can engage in melee even when not within striking distance of each other - as long as their weapons are long enough. Melee attempted in this fashion works normally, though again, one must be strong enough to lift that bus before hitting someone with it. Postponing: a character who has the initiative against their foe may hold off on their action until the most ideal time - which is usually right before said foe executes his or her own. There is no consistent benefit or penalty to postponing in a rules sense, though doing so may conditionally prevent the loser of initiative from acting entirely, depending on the success of a postponer. Restraint: though not applicable to all forms of attack, characters do have the option of restraining themselves in combat, holding back from unleashing their full power. The decision to pull one's punch may be made at any point, either before or after the dice are rolled - this is allowed to better protect players from inadvertently losing Karma. One can reduce the damage indicated with Blunt Attack damage, Blunt Throwing damage, Energy damage, Force damage, and grappling attacks. Similarly, one can reduce the color result rolled on Blunt Attack damage, and both charging and grappling attacks. Shielding: any character can perform a shield maneuver. With a green Fighting ACTION roll, one character can successfully interpose something between an attacker and the target of his or her ire. Most often, this involves someone trying to shield themselves from an assault; when successful, the object being used as a shield effectively becomes the target, and the attack must get through it to affect its wielder. Sometimes, however, a character makes themselves the shield, absorbing an attack that was intended for someone else. The same basic rules apply in this instance, though typically the shielding character will absorb all of an assault unless it is particularly overpowering or lethal. Even more so if they actually use a shield while shielding someone else from an attack (a trick that requires a yellow ACTION, instead)! If a shield maneuver is executed as a character's stated action, they may then perform an additional action afterward, if applicable - though at a -2 CS, unless they're used to wielding that object as a shield normally. However, if a character originally intended to do something else, and changed their action to a shielding maneuver, they may not perform any other action on that turn... assuming the maneuver succeeds to begin with. * Environmental Concerns * The previous assumes that all else is normal, that there are no mitigating circumstances affecting a fight. As anyone can readily attest, however, the weather rarely plays ball with one's well laid plans. Sometimes, the situation around a battle, or even a specific character, will influence how actions play out. Special circumstances can occasionally help a body, but usually they make everything trickier. A few of the most common environmental concerns include the following: Fire: attacks that use fire directly are pretty straight-forward. Whether one is using a flamethrower or a psionic to produce flames, the basic damage inflicted is the same. Sure, the former's SD effect may be a bit more pronounced, but each directly inflicts Energy damage. But what of fires burning in the environment? These are generally handled a bit differently. Table 25: Noteworthy Fire Intensities Phenomenon Intensity A match Feeble (2) A campfire Poor (4) A burning room Typical (6) A burning house Excellent (20) A burning building Remarkable (30) Forest fire Incredible (40) Blast furnace interior Amazing (50) Volcano interior Unearthly (100) Surface of a star Class 1000 Stellar core Class 3000 For one thing, an open fire radiates heat - a fact that humans have taken advantage of for thousands of years. Characters within the same area as a blaze will suffer -3 CS heat (Energy) damage, while those in the areas immediately surrounding that one will instead suffer -6 CS heat damage. Protective clothing and powers can blunt this damage, but individuals in the former may grow uncomfortable (ask a fireman). The space blanketed in heat by a fire is also illuminated with a like intensity of light, unless it is filled with obscuring (and choking) smoke. If caught unaware by smoke, characters must pass an Endurance ACTION roll to act. This simulates an inability to breathe, and those who fail this ACTION will spend that turn coughing, unable to do anything else save for moving (hopefully) out of the area. This is treated as if a character has held their breath for some time (green End (sta) ACTION) on the exhaustion table for the purposes of eventually losing consciousness. If a character is aware of smoke in advance, they can hold their breath or don protective breathing devices when available, and act relatively normally - for as long as they last in the face of whatever calamity surrounds them. The other thing about fires is that they have a tendency to spread... and fast. Depending on the flammability of materials in the surroundings, a fire can spread at a maximum speed of one area each turn, though usually a bit slower depending on the circumstances involved. A campfire surrounded by rocks won't generally spread, while an open blaze in a refinery is cause to flee - and fast! When an object either catches fire or is placed on (or in) an open flame, it may readily be destroyed. Fuel will explode, of course, while an icicle will melt and wood will burn. If something is less obvious, make a material strength check against the intensity of the fire. Objects that aren't destroyed will nonetheless channel heat through themselves, and their effective MS may be reduced by -1 CS if this ACTION fails. Heat and Cold: in a perfect world, it would be pleasant out all the time, every day. Sadly, weather control technology is still in its infancy. Thus, characters should be mindful of temperature extremes in the midst of their adventures. Temperatures ranging from zero to thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit, or from ninety to one hundred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit, are of Good (10) intensity. Table 26: Noteworthy Heat Intensities Phenomenon Intensity 90° F to 120° F Good (10) 120° F to 150° F Excellent (20) 150° F to 212° F Remarkable (30) Under such conditions, a character will generally suffer a -1 CS on all ACTIONs they attempt. Furthermore, heavy exertion (such as running for your life) is incredibly difficult in extreme temperatures, and halves the amount of time a character can engage in such activity before ACTION rolls for exhaustion are called for. More intense levels of heat or cold will increase this to a -2 CS penalty on all ACTIONs. This is not necessarily set in stone, as characters who are acclimatized to non-temperate environs might be able to disregard these penalties somewhat. The inhabitants of a hot, steamy jungle might not suffer a penalty under Good (10) heat conditions - though higher temperatures would affect them normally. Similarly, growing up in the Arctic (or simply using basic cold weather gear) offers the same benefit for like cold. When one's body is directly exposed to extreme temperatures (beyond Good (10) intensity), the danger of serious health hazards appears. The time it takes for such hazards to manifest is determined by one's Endurance score, on the exhaustion rate table. When a character finally fails an ACTION to avoid temperature hazards, they will begin to suffer from heat exhaustion or hypothermia, as is appropriate. Table 27: Noteworthy Cold Intensities Phenomenon Intensity 0° F to 32° F Good (10) -30° F to 0° F Excellent (20) -100° F to -30° F Remarkable (30) Absolute zero Unearthly (100) Each of these conditions will affect a character in three stages. Once the first is achieved, the hazard 'clock' will reset, and failing a temperature 'exhaustion' ACTION during this time will escalate a condition from its current stage to the next. Each stage of either hypothermia or heat exhaustion inflicts a -1 CS penalty to all rolls a character makes - on top of the penalties caused by the temperature itself. Once a character has progressed past the third stage of either heat exhaustion or hypothermia, they are immediately subject to a Kill result, and will be every subsequent turn until they fall unconscious and begin losing Endurance ranks, or are removed from the temperature extremes that assail them. The time it takes to recover from either condition generally follows an arc mirroring that which saw it take place to begin with. Inanimate matter is not immune to the effects of extreme temperatures, either. Objects subjected to very low or very high temperatures generally suffer from a -1 CS reduction to their material strength. If the heat or cold of an object reaches an intensity equal to at least its own MS -1 CS, a material strength check must be made to see if the object either melts, catches fire, suffers heat damage, or becomes especially brittle. Depending on its composition, of course. Ice: a common component of foul weather is ice. In nature, ice is most often of Typical (6) material strength. This will vary due to the thickness of the ice, though it is important to note that specialized powers (namely ice generation) can concoct ice that is of much greater material strength - it's all about how the water molecules align, really. On the other hand, the material strength of ice, whatever it happens to be, is considered -2 CS when either fire or heat is applied to it. Inclement Weather: on top of the actual temperature involved, the weather can cause further impediment quite literally by raining on one's parade. Table 28: Noteworthy Weather Intensities Phenomenon Intensity Normal fog, sprinkles, a dusting Typical (6) Standard rain, snow Good (10) Pea soup fog, hail Excellent (20) Thundershower, blizzard Remarkable (30) Thunderstorm, high winds Incredible (40) Normal tornadoes Amazing (50) Hurricane force winds Unearthly (100) Strong winds or precipitation, whether it comes in the form of rain, sleet, or snow, will seriously hamper ranged combat. Though a light dusting or gentle breeze won't cause too many problems, strong weather (defined as Good (10) intensity or greater) will inflict a -1 CS penalty on all ranged combat. Remarkable (30) or greater weather events inflict a -1 CS penalty on all ACTIONs (on top of the previous). Fog, on the other hand, has the effect of reducing the extent to which ranged combat may occur - primarily because it curtails long distance vision. Each rank of fog (or smoke, for that matter) reduces the effective range of a character's vision, to a minimum of one area (just like poor lighting). As long as one can see their target, though, they do not suffer the -4 CS 'blindness' penalty. Illness: during the adventures a character will undertake, they will be exposed to all manner of hazards. Most of these are pretty straight-forward, and can be readily avoided with a minimum of caution. Others are much more insidious, and may not in fact be apparent to one's senses (regular or otherwise). Most of these are environmental in nature, but some may be induced by super-powers. The primary causes of serious illness in characters, aside from the ascendant abilities of their foes, come in the form of either disease, poison, or radiation. Sure, the 'super' versions of these usually wear off in the short term, but what about those caused by the environment? Plodding about in the shadow of a nuclear reactor is begging for trouble, as is poking around in the sewers on a search for something or other. In such instances, the Judge may call for an Endurance ACTION roll when the immediate situation is over, to determine if the character involved contracted any sort of illness. A green ACTION roll is usually all that is necessary in such situations, unless the exposure to... whatever... was particularly dire (like swallowing plutonium, or being dunked in an alien septic tank). A minor illness, such as a cold or the flu, will typically run its course in a week (half that with proper bed rest). A major illness, on the other hand, might instead hamper a character for 1d10 months. At the end of each, they must pass an Endurance ACTION roll or lose one rank of such - suffering all the penalties that entails. At the end of the illness' duration, if the patient has any ranks of Endurance left, they'll live! And if not, well, you know. Recovery from such illnesses generally takes one quarter the total amount of time they were active in a character's body. If a character suffers from cancer due to acute asbestos inhalation for six months, they'll need six weeks after the illness is cured (or at least put into remission) before they'll be back to normal. Characters in recovery from an illness can regain one lost rank of Endurance for each week spent resting. Poor Lighting: sadly, crime doesn't always occur at high noon. On occasion, characters will find themselves in combat at odd hours, and under dubious lighting conditions. Table 29: Noteworthy Darkness Intensities Phenomenon Intensity Poorly lit room, city at night Feeble (2) Night in the country, overcast city night Poor (4) Overcast country night, dark rooms Typical (6) No light at all Excellent (20) Each rank of darkness reduces the effective range of a character's sight by one area. It also imposes a -1 CS penalty on all ACTIONs, with a maximum hindrance of -4 CS. Darkness of Excellent (20) or greater impedes one's sense of vision entirely, baring super-human sensory capabilities, meaning one must rely upon those, or other senses, to act. Higher intensities of darkness actively work against anything generating light. Radiation: while most comic books celebrate radiation and the wonderful things it can do for you, the truth is that the stuff is a highly toxic form of energy. The vast, vast majority of people that suffer extreme radiation exposure don't develop super-powers. No, they mostly just get very, very ill, and usually die in relatively short order. Once it gets into something, you see, radiation is STICKY. Table 30: Noteworthy Radiation Intensities Phenomenon Intensity Ancient nuclear event Poor (4) Chunk of uranium Typical (6) Solar wind (constant) Good (10) Recent nuclear event Excellent (20) Vial of plutonium Incredible (40) Nuclear reactor core Amazing (50) Solar flare Monstrous (75) Atomic weapon discharge Shift X (150) When an area is irradiated, it tends to hold onto that energy for quite a while. Most cannot perceive radiation directly, and in time it may not be readily apparent that a release of radioactivity had even occurred (see: Chernobyl). Radiation will discharge into non-radioactive materials coming in contact with irradiated matter in an SD fashion, though - until it's all used up, at least. In play, most exposure to radiation will come in the form of characters blundering into a radioactive area. When this happens, they must pass an Endurance ACTION roll against the intensity of the lingering radioactivity each turn or suffer SD Energy damage. If some characters are affected and others are not, they may inadvertently discharge radiation into each other on contact. For the most part, super-powers that emit hazardous radiation inflict AP SD Energy damage, but once a character has shaken off (or 'shared') the SD component of such they won't suffer any serious ill effect. After exposure to radiation, however, all characters must usually make an Endurance ACTION roll to determine whether or not they suffer any illness as a result (even if that 'illness' involves mutation of some sort). Slickness: there are several situations wherein a character might have to deal with the slickness of a surface. Table 31: Noteworthy Slickness Intensities Phenomenon Intensity Asphalt, brickwork, concrete Feeble (2) Glass, unpolished steel Typical (6) Polished steel alloys Good (10) Ice-covered surface Excellent (20) Oil-slicked surface Remarkable (30) Non-stick surface Incredible (40) Buckyballs Unearthly (100) Frictionless surface Class 1000 Primarily, slickness comes into play when a character is attempting to traverse or climb an area that has been coated in something else, thus changing how slippery it is. Such substances tend to 'smooth out' the natural bumps and uneven nature of a surface, making it harder to safely interact with. Alternately, these substances can simply act as incredible lubricants, giving a surface less 'gription'. On the other hand, some materials are built with being slick as a part of their design. Polished steel is incredibly smooth; getting a hand-hold on it is easier said than done! One must pass an Agility ACTION against the slickness of a surface to either act, climb, or walk upon it, the failure of which might lead to a character falling to his or her doom (or at least onto their posterior). Submersion: on occasion, adventurers will find themselves in the water - or, as it happens, beneath its surface. Water (or any other liquid, for that matter) is much more resistant to anything attempting to pass through it, which halves the range of thrown weapons and most other distance attacks. Projectile weapons not specifically built with water in mind are utterly useless under the waves. Unless clinging to an object, characters in the water are subject to being Slammed as if their Endurance was Shift 0 in rank - though luckily, water halves the distance of all Slam results. There is also the quintessential question of breathing. Without some means to do so underwater, battle beneath the waves will often be very short - and usually quite deadly. Finally, making attacks underwater generally inflicts a -2 CS penalty to hit. Variant Gravity: one of those things that most folks take for granted, gravity is usually considered a constant. On occasion, however, characters will find themselves in an area with gravity vastly different than their own. In such circumstances, they need to be aware that many actions that they normally don't even think about will need to be executed in a considerably different fashion. In microgravity or less, you can't walk anywhere, unless you have devices to aid that form of locomotion. Instead, one must either crawl about the surface, holding on for dear life, or 'push' themselves from one surface to another. Similarly, ranged attacks have a line-of-sight range, as gravity won't bend their trajectories towards a surface. Unanchored characters may be Slammed as if they possessed Shift 0 Endurance. When the gravity is higher than normal, on the other hand, everything is harder. The weight of everything is multiplied by the 'G' value, including that of the character. This means that all movement is hampered, if not nullified entirely. Projectile weapons are reduced in range by a like value; bullets in twice earth's gravity, for example, can only travel half as far before falling to the surface. CHAPTER SIX: LIVING AND DYING Adventurers are almost always in peril, mortal or otherwise, during the course of a game. As characters' fortunes shift, they may find themselves on the losing end of a fight. Sometimes this can be averted with a liberal use of Karma, but other times they will simply run out of Health. The following explains how each of these curious abilities can sway the course of events during play. * Health * While every character has a variety of tools with which to avoid incoming damage in one way or another, whether relying upon inherent powers or advanced combat training, the truth is that suffering such is inevitable. This is why every character possesses a Health score, after all! But what happens when, no matter how hard one tries, they suffer enough damage that they run out of Health points? They just might die. Upon losing all of their Health, a character must roll an Endurance ACTION on the Kill portion of the Universal Table - regardless of what kind of damage actually brought them to zero Health. If this ACTION is successful (generally, any non-white result will do), the character is merely knocked unconscious for a short period of time - 1d10 turns, to be precise. After this time has elapsed, the character will regain consciousness. Upon resuming a conscious state, a character will immediately regain a number of Health points equal to their current Endurance score. After this, a character is 'on their own', where the recovery of the rest is concerned. Barring any special powers or equipment to recover lost Health faster, either in one's possession or that of an ally, a character will heal as follows, based on their Endurance (stamina) score: Table 32: Health Point Recovery Rank Health Recovery Over Time Feeble (2) 1 point every 600 turns (one hour) Poor (4) 1 point every 500 turns (fifty minutes) Typical (6) 1 point every 400 turns (forty minutes) Good (10) 1 point every 300 turns (half hour) Excellent (20) 1 point every 200 turns (twenty minutes) Remarkable (30) 1 point every 100 turns (ten minutes) Incredible (40) 1 point every 80 turns (eight minutes) Amazing (50) 1 point every 60 turns (six minutes) Monstrous (75) 1 point every 40 turns (four minutes) Unearthly (100) 1 point every 20 turns (two minutes) Shift X (150) 1 point every 10 turns (one minute) Shift Y (200) 1 point every 5 turns (thirty seconds) Shift Z (500) 1 point every turn (six seconds) Class 1000 2 points every turn (three seconds) Class 3000 6 points every turn (one second) Class 5000 10 points every turn ** Endurance Loss ** When a character who is knocked unconscious does not pass their Kill check, they begin to die. This process involves the character losing one rank of Endurance each turn, until that ability score is reduced to Shift 0 in rank. When this occurs, the character is deceased, and barring any ascendant intervention (or even someone performing first aid), they just might not be coming back. But how does one prevent this, you ask? The easiest way to halt the loss of Endurance is by having someone attempt to help a dying character. This can be a qualified medical professional, one's teammates or allies, or even passersby. Such help can be as rigorous as patching up a dying individual or simply checking to make sure they're all right. This requires a full turn, at least - and simply shouting 'Are you okay?' from across a battlefield probably won't cut it. Alternately, if there is no one around to save a dying individual, the player behind him or her may instead attempt to do so themselves. If help is imminent, a character may expend fifty Karma points to halt the loss of Endurance ranks for one turn, and if help is not so close, they may instead expend two hundred and fifty Karma points to acquire another Kill check, at their current Endurance rank, to stop dying. If a dying character's Endurance loss is halted in any manner, the character will not die - at least, not because of their current injuries. Instead, they will remain unconscious for 1d10 hours, and assuming they do not suffer any additional damage during that time, they will awaken per the above: with their current Endurance rank number in Health points. ** Negative Health ** If an unconscious character (one who currently lacks any Health points) is struck while they are down, the situation can be handled in one of two fashions. The most simple of these involves prompting another Kill check, against their current Endurance rank... which may not be anywhere near their peak level at the moment. The failure of this Endurance ACTION will cause an immediate resumption of Endurance loss, per the above. However, some Judges might like a more granular approach to such underhanded tactics. Enter negative Health. The idea behind this secondary ability of Health itself is that, upon suffering damage when one has no Health, a character will lose negative Health points instead of rolling Kill checks. This can help to avoid instances where a character with a particularly high Endurance score can withstand a staggering amount of punishment while unconscious - when they really shouldn't be able to. If a character runs out of negative Health points, they will immediately drop to Shift 0 Endurance, and subsequently cease to function. They can be revived with skills such as first aid or medicine, or perhaps ascendant abilities that specialize in such feats, but otherwise the character is dead. Unless, of course, a strange occurrence acts to revive him or her later (as often happens in the realm of fiction). Negative Health recovers at the same rate as a character's regular Health. ** Mental Health ** While one's ordinary Health score is a good indicator of how much physical damage they can absorb before passing out and possibly passing on, their mental fortitude may not necessarily be the same. When the Judge wishes to make the Health of a character's body and the Health of a character's mind distinct from one another, they can make use of the mental Health secondary ability. Mental Health showcases how much Karmic damage a character can withstand before their mind folds like a house of cards. While some Karmic damage is material in nature (such as a psion beam), most comes in the form of attacks such as a psi bolt or empathic hammer. These assaults act against the 'core' of a character's mind, and thus subtract points from one's mental Health score. When a character runs out of mental Health, they must pass a Psyche ACTION roll or begin to lose ranks of such - in the same way that one loses Endurance ranks upon running out of regular Health. When one is all out of Psyche, their mind is gone, essentially indicating that while their body is still alive, nobody's minding the store any longer. Which is, of course, never a good thing. If a Judge doesn't wish to separate physical Health from mental Health in this fashion, this secondary ability can instead be used as a sanity indicator. In such instances, mental Health loss can occur in the event of mind-bending occurrences, whether one is exposed to the alien physics of other universes, causal shifts, or other Things Man Was Not Meant To Know. Running out of mental Health means one has gone insane! Mental Health recovers as does regular Health, though at a rate determined by one's Psyche instead of their Endurance. ** Recovery and Disability ** When a character has lost Endurance ranks or negative Health, they are often at a considerable disadvantage until they've fully recovered. While the latter heals as fast as regular Health, lost Endurance ranks are recovered at a rate of one per week, barring the use of powers like recovery. While at a reduced Endurance or suffering from negative Health loss, a character makes all ACTIONs rolls at a -2 CS. A character who has slipped to Shift 0 Endurance (or Psyche) has a longer road ahead, however. Even if rescued at the last minute by some agency, such characters are at risk of suffering permanent disabilities. When this occurs, the character must pass an ACTION roll on each ability score and power they possess, the failure of which indicates that the rank in question has suffered a significant decrease. This loss comes in the form of a -1 CS applied, permanently, to that ability score or power. This is indicative of permanent damage suffered by a character's near-death experience. Barring healing powers or equipment, the only way to resume the normal operation of such lost ranks is through the standard advancement process, representing difficult therapy to ultimately get over one's severe injuries. If one's Endurance is permanently disabled in this fashion, the character won't suffer the -2 CS penalty indicated above - their disability is penalty enough. * Gaining (and losing) Karma * As a character moves through life, they experience a myriad of different events. How one responds to such events helps to define a character - perhaps more so than what's on their character sheet. After all, actions do speak louder than words, and one's actions invariably have an effect on others. Thus, a character's actions may cause them to either gain or lose Karma, depending on their ethos. ** Starting Karma ** As stated in the Ability Scores portion of the rules, a character begins play with an amount of Karma equal to the sum of their Reason, Intuition, and Psyche rank numbers. This sum may be used in one of two fashions during play - as is determined by one's game Judge. The first implies that this represents a character's inherent luck. As such, a character always begins an adventure (not necessarily an individual game session) with a like amount of Karma, which he or she may spend to manipulate die rolls. This Karma may not be saved, and cannot be dedicated to either a permanent team or advancement pool - though a 'one shot' style team pool can make use of this Karma. The benefit of this interpretation is that players need not engage in quite so much bookkeeping. For example, knowing that they'll have that much Karma handy might just free them up to put it all the Karma they earn into either a team or advancement pool. Of course, players in such a game can still warehouse a large amount of Karma for spending during play - they simply have more options in that regard. Alternately, the Judge might think this is too generous. If this is the case, such Karma is subject to the 'no free lunch' rule, meaning that it represents Karma earned before a character enters play - and once it's gone, it's GONE. Such Karma may be used for any purposes, even advancement, since it does not replenish itself over time. The character's actions, and their actions alone, provide more Karma to use. The benefit of this interpretation is that the Judge can more readily control the pace of advancement in their campaigns. If he or she does not want players to ascend to greater heights of power quite so quickly, this interpretation of the starting Karma score can aid them in this regard. On top of carefully metering out the rewards they hand out in the first place, that is. The quirks rules assume that the first interpretation of starting Karma is in play. However, if the no free lunch restriction is applied to a campaign, this drastically affects two quirks which are directly related to starting Karma: Karmic Dearth and Karmic Shell. When using the no free lunch rules, these quirks should be disallowed, as they're not particularly beneficial (or deleterious) over the long-term. ** Character Defeats ** Perhaps the simplest way to earn Karma is overcoming one's foes. One need not bash their opponents' heads in to achieve such a victory, though given the nature of role-playing games in general, this is quite often how people succeed in life. Any significant victory over an opponent allows a character to earn Karma points, based on just how competent that foe happens to be. The base amount of Karma a victory will provide is determined by the highest power rank number the vanquished foe possesses. A character whose highest rank is her Unearthly (100) mind control, for example, provides a base Karma reward of 100 when defeated. If a defeated enemy has a talent or quirk which enhances that highest rank further, raise the base reward by +1 CS (as if this foe's highest rank was Shift X (150)). For every doubling of ability scores or powers that have a rank number within 1 CS of that base value, consider it +1 CS as well. For instance, if that Unearthly mind controller had another power of Monstrous or Unearthly rank, add a +1 CS to her highest rank for the purposes of determining her reward value, while if she had three more, one would add a +2 CS. This is handled in the same basic fashion as a buddy CS. The flip side of this is, of course, losing in an effort against one's foe(s). Being defeated costs a character twenty-five Karma points, assuming the public at large is unaware of this defeat. If a body is beaten in public, they instead lose fifty Karma points. This is one reason villains tend to abscond with defeated heroes to place them within death traps - so they can be beaten twice! ** Keeping Up Appearances ** Another relatively easy way in which a character can earn Karma, albeit in smaller sums than when crushing one's foe under their boot heel, is simply being dependable. Showing up for work when one is expected to, watching the kids every day, or even lording over the minions in the usual fashion is a good way to earn Karma. Each week a character manages this, he or she should gain ten Karma points. Making commitments to others is another way in which a character can earn Karma. Such commitments can be anything ranging from going out on a date, having a poker night with the buddies, or even hanging with those curmudgeons at the bar who like your tall tales so. As long as a character keeps such a commitment, they should earn five Karma points - this reflects a body proactively trying to 'have a life'. Third, a 'meta' sort of Karma reward involves a character being played in character. If a player assumes the role of a wholesome, mom and apple pie kind of hero, only to have her utilize a brothel, they're not really playing that character appropriately. Sticking to one's guns and playing a character in the stated fashion, whether it is a pre-generated character or the player's own creation, is worth ten Karma. The downside to these options is, of course, failing to keep up appearances. Calling in sick from work to fight crime might earn a character plenty Karma, but they'll first lose ten Karma points for being undependable. Similarly, skipping one's scheduled gaming session to rob a bank costs them five Karma points, and playing a character totally off-base will result in a loss of ten Karma points. ** Acts of Charity ** Similar to the idea of keeping up appearances, a character has the ability to engage in charitable acts. This involves going out of their way to perform actions that are not combat related, doing things to the benefit of his or her community at large. Such acts can involve either a character's public or secret identities - or even both, if they're particularly motivated. Once per week, a character may benefit from a charitable donation, gaining a minimum of ten Karma points in the process. This minimum assumes no ACTION roll was required when making a donation (spare change in a charity drop box, et cetera). If a donation requires a Resources ACTION, the amount gained can grow as high as the intensity of the Resources ACTION in question - assuming that it's successful, of course. Good deeds are another way to use one's abilities to help others. Such instances include a fire controller extinguishing forest fires, a healer moonlighting in a hospital, and so on. The Karma gained with such work depends on the ACTION(s) they require. If no ACTION is necessary, the character gains ten Karma, though if an ACTION is required to pull off such a good deed, the Karma gained is equal to the intensity of such. Dovetailing with the idea of making commitments, above, a character can make a personal appearance, appealing to others for charity - or simply giving a charity the benefit of public awareness through their own Popularity. This gives a character an amount of Karma equal to their Popularity score, though doing so first requires passing a successful red Popularity ACTION with said charity. They know heroic types are almost always ambushed by foes during such events, after all! ** Character Ethos and Other Actions ** Most other means of earning Karma depend on a character's ethos. Heroes generally gain Karma for doing good deeds and foiling crimes, while villains generally gain Karma for doing bad deeds and committing crimes. This gets a bit murky when you consider that a character can fall within any one of five different ethical callings: either a good, evil, orderly, chaotic, or balanced morality. Judging the Game has much more on handling this, since a Judge must decide whether a character's actions fit within their ethos (on top of being within character). However, various actions which can change one's Karma are described in detail below. A character experiences the listed amount when preventing or committing such an act, or half that amount for arresting the perpetrator, allowing it to happen, or getting away with it. * Inverse Popularity actions occur when a heroic character is saddled with negative Popularity, or a villain suddenly finds themselves with positive Popularity, and has to make use of that opposing reputation for some reason or another (such as scaring a crowd out of an endangered area). Exploiting inversed Popularity costs a character a number of Karma points equal to their current Popularity score. * Major Crimes are more serious illegal activities that do not readily fall into any other category of crime. This might include selling or trafficking drugs, gun running, or any other non-violent activity that national governments typically disapprove of. Major crimes involve a Karma change of twenty points, though they often escalate into violent crimes. * Minor Crimes are generally 'victimless' actions - nobody gets hurt as a direct result of one's activities, and property is not damaged or stolen. This category of actions can include any number of infractions against the law which, while minor, are still patently illegal. Events like this, such as driving recklessly or downloading music without permission, involve a Karma change of ten points. * Property Crimes run the gamut of actions against other people's property. This covers a wide range of activities that range from looting to theft to shoplifting to vandalism - or simply the destruction of a given thing. Such actions have a minimum Karma rating of ten points, and can earn/lose more if the Resources rating of the property involved is higher. * Rescues / Imperilments involve saving those in dire peril of imminent harm or death - or placing innocents in such. This includes saving people from a burning building, tying victims to train tracks, or even placing a foe in a death trap. Each incident of this type allows a Karma change of twenty points, to a maximum of one hundred Karma in one instance (saving a busload of kids, for example). * Robbery is similar to property crimes, above, save that it is done with the added threat of violence against the property's owner. Such activity can involve anything ranging from an armed robbery to extortion. A robbery involves a minimum Karma change of thirty points, though this can range as high as the Resources rank of a particularly good haul. * Subversion involves crimes against an entire nation, actively working against its interests for another party - or to simply take it over for oneself! Activities ranging from the management of nation-spanning conspiracies to assaults on military personnel to sedition to treason itself are considered subversive in nature. An act of subversion involves a Karma change of forty points. * Violent Crimes involve inflicting grievous physical damage or other harm upon others. It can include anything ranging from kidnapping to assault to torture to murder. A violent crime involves a Karma change of fifty points, as it can permanently scar (or even end the existence of) its victim, potentially haunting them for years to come. * World Conquest - or at least a competent attempt at such - is often the culmination of many villains' goals. A plot or crime that would affect the entire world is one which involves a Karma change of one hundred points, if only for the actual climax of said plot. A variety of steps along the way may well offer any number of additional opportunities to earn (or lose) Karma! Table 33: Karma Rewards and Penalties Action Karma Reward / Penalty Major Crimes 20 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 10 Karma Property Crimes 10 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 5 Karma Robbery 30 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 15 Karma Violent Crimes 50 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 25 Karma Minor Crimes 10 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 5 Karma Rescues / Imperilments 20 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 10 Karma Subversion 40 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 20 Karma World Conquest 100 Karma * Arrest/Escape/Permit 50 Karma ** '...and Hilarity Ensued' ** Finally, the whole point of the game is to have fun. This is why, when a player goes above and beyond in their efforts to entertain their fellows, they should be rewarded for it. A player who manages to do something so over the top (whether utterly 'stumping' the Judge or simply when joking with their fellows) that the action is stopped by overwhelming laughter, they should be given a ten point Karma award for their efforts. * Spending Karma * That which separates a living, breathing hero from a cold, unfeeling robot, Karma is a measure of a character's place in the cosmos. A reflection of who they are and what they've accomplished, Karma can be cashed in for a variety of purposes, both selfish and selfless. But how does one actually go about spending Karma to aid themselves and their allies, you ask? ** Manipulating Die Rolls ** The most common reason to spend Karma is to manipulate the results of a die roll. Such rolls can be almost anything required of a character in the game, unless the ACTION in question specifically bars the use of Karma from helping it to succeed (which is admittedly a rare occurrence). When a character wishes to spend Karma on a die roll, they must declare it before the dice are thrown. Upon declaring that Karma will be used, the character will immediately spend ten Karma points (or whatever they have left, if their Karma is less than ten in total). The idea is that this helps to prevent characters from 'threatening' Karma use without actually spending anything. Once the dice are thrown, the 'down payment' of ten (or less, if that's all that was available) Karma will be immediately applied to them. After the (modified) die result is apparent, the character in question may then cut his or her losses, if success would be too costly, or pay the additional amount required - if any - to allow the ACTION to succeed. In rare instances, a player may spend Karma to affect a result in combat after the dice are thrown - though only to reduce it. Characters may reduce the color result of combat effects on attacks that are ordinarily barred from doing so (anything that has a Kill result, for example). Doing this costs a character 25 Karma points - but may save them more in the long run, if their attack would have killed, say, an innocent bystander. ** Power Stunts ** The greatest thing about having super-powers is that they often lend themselves to uses that are not readily apparent. A power stunt is a special use for a power that does not fit its description, strictly speaking, but seems apparent from its very nature. To attempt a power stunt, a player must first describe the stunt in question, as well as his or her logic as for why it should work. If the Judge approves of both, the character can attempt the stunt - at a cost of 100 Karma points. The first time a power stunt is attempted, a red power ACTION is required for it to succeed. As such, the character in question may opt to spend even more Karma to allow that to happen. If a power stunt fails on the first attempt, the possibility of making subsequent efforts is up to the Judge. But, once that stunt is successful at least once, the character attempting it may develop it into an official use for their power(s). This requires nine more successful uses of said stunt, and each additional attempt costs 100 Karma points as well. The next four successes must be yellow in color, while the last five merely have to be green (any success will do at this point). Once a character has succeeded in the use of a power stunt ten times, it is considered an official part of their power roster at that point. Power stunts will typically operate at the rank of the power that generated them, unless specifically described otherwise in a power's description, or if a power stunt duplicates a power with a higher point cost. In the latter case, subtract -1 CS for each additional point involved. ** Team Pools ** One secondary ability of Karma is the team pool. A team pool is a shared pool of Karma that multiple characters can draw upon in the course of play. A team pool may be either temporary or permanent in nature. The former generally describes the transient team-ups that costumed adventurers engage in over time, while a permanent pool is one which is maintained by a regular grouping of characters. At least two characters are required to form a team pool. When this is done, the characters involved in a pool may contribute as much or as little Karma as they desire. When a character leaves a team pool, he or she will take an amount of Karma from it equal to their participation in such (leaving a team pool made by four characters will allow one to take one fourth of its Karma with him or her). Karma from a team pool may not be used for a character's advancement - a facet of such which prevents a team from 'helping' one of their members to acquire greater power without working for it. Pool Karma may be used for any other purposes, however, whether trying to avoid incoming attacks, stave off imminent death, or simply when trying to convince that special someone to go out on a date. Other than the previous, the management of a team pool is up to the characters that belong to it. Decisions restricting its use for some reason or another should be a unanimous affair, if only to avoid bad feelings - and people leaving the pool in a huff. Of course, this sort of thing does happen in fiction all the time, so there is that. When a character exits a team pool, he or she may not join it again for the duration of an adventure. There's nothing stopping a player from signing up with a completely different team pool immediately, however. ** Advancement Pools ** Another secondary ability of Karma is the advancement pool. A character may assign any Karma he or she has earned to an advancement pool. When this is done, they lose access to said Karma semi-permanently, as it is put aside for their advancement. A character need not state exactly what they intend to do with their advancement pool, at least until they are ready to make use of it, but until then such Karma is off-limits. The advantage of putting Karma in an advancement pool is that it is not subject to loss for any reason. While a character's actions might cause them to lose whatever Karma they've left for spending purposes, Karma in an advancement pool is immune to such loss - no matter how far off the ranch a character's behavior may wander. Not even the Karma Control power can lay a hand on advancement Karma! Once a character has saved enough Karma for their intended purpose(s), they may finally withdraw Karma from their advancement pool for immediate use. This use can be anything that would increase the prowess of a character, whether improving a capability they already have or giving them something new to draw upon in the course of their adventures. Or, alternately, 'paying off' something they acquired in previous play. ** Character Advancement ** Players may advance their character in a wide variety of fashions. To start with, they may wish to raise the rank number of an ability score or an existing power. To do so, a character must raise either on a point-by-point basis, spending ten times each increased rank number to do so. For example, increasing one's Strength from Good (10) to Good (12) would cost 230 Karma points (first from Good (10) to Good (11) at a cost of 110, and then to Good (12) at a cost of 120). When advancing extant powers, this assumes that the ascendant ability has a cost of one point per rank. When raising the rank of super-powers with a different base cost, multiply the standard cost by the power's listed cost per rank notation. Raising the rank of power duplication, for instance, takes a lot more work than improving one's environmental independence - or resistances, for that matter. On the other hand, a player may wish to acquire an all-new ascendant power. The Karma cost (and potential risk) involved when doing so depends on their character's origins. A high tech hero may just have to build a powerful new knick-knack, while an aberration of science may have to subject themselves to even more radiation to gain extra powers. See the individual character origin guides for more on this. Acquiring new talents or contacts is relatively simpler than gaining new powers - and potentially far less harmful. A new talent costs a character 1,000 Karma points for most talents, or 2,000 Karma for a talent that counts as two. Elevating a standard talent to a tier 2 skill (double bonus) doubles the cost, while raising it to a tier 3 talent (triple bonus) triples the cost of the original skill. A new contact is a slightly different affair, however. Contacts a character wishes to acquire after character generation have a base cost of 500 Karma points, plus an additional amount equal to ten times their Resources score. Acquiring a contact with Typical (6) Resources would only cost 560 Karma, for example, while another with Unearthly (100) Resources would instead cost the character 1,500 Karma. Generally, a character can acquire increases in power or new talents and contacts relatively easily - a simple explanation is all that is required for a tier 1 talent or a +1 CS in any ability score or power (she worked out harder, or hit the books more). Acquiring new powers though, as well as more intense bonuses to ability scores, powers, or talents, often require a bit more explanation from the player. Which can in and of itself lead to even more adventures, if desired! CHAPTER SEVEN: JUDGING THE GAME Composer of the interactive symphony of imagination that is a role-playing game, its Judge performs several duties necessary for play to proceed. A Judge codifies the scenario in which the game will occur, acts out the role of every character as they appear, aside from those controlled by the other players, and serves as a referee when actions are required while the game is afoot. Players wishing to serve as Judge require a willingness to entertain their fellows. Sure, the other players' characters get center stage, but someone has to adjudicate what happens when they act, describing these results in vivid detail. These are the masterminds that set events in motion, move the plot forward based on the actions of other players, and provide the very personality of the unfolding adventure. While every game requires a Judge, it is vital to note that the Judge is not the most important person at the table. Everyone playing the game is participating for the express purpose of having fun, not necessarily to stroke someone else's ego. Furthermore, most of what one needs to serve as Judge is available elsewhere in the rules, as they are presented such that anyone who wishes to can know precisely how everything works. Thus, all the material presented in Judging the Game can be considered recommendations, not guidelines. The rest of the text for the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine covers all the mechanics, so the goal of this work is to provide enough information for the aspiring Judge to plan an adventure for their fellow players - and then to enjoy it with them once play begins! Judging the Game may be read by all of its players. Sure, it's primarily useful for those who wish to take on the role of Judge, and some players may not get a lot out of it, but there's nothing 'secret' included that would prompt Judges to forbid non-Judges from peeking. If anything, it might help non-Judges understand the effort their Judge must exert to help make their game night go! * On The Structure of Reality * A CASE Judge's first job is to determine the scenario he or she is staging for their fellows' costumed adventurers to play through. The CASE is designed such that its players can engage in adventure literally anywhere in existence, with enough thought and preparation. Narrowing down exactly where and when it will occur, though, requires a basic understanding of the structure of reality the CASE recognizes. ** An Infinity of Infinities ** Characters in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine experience reality in the same basic fashion as the players behind them. They typically perceive the universe around them as one comprised of three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. This is generally more than enough to quantify one's basic, continuing existence, not to mention that of everyone and everything they interact with. However, there are more facets to our actuality than most can readily account for in their day-to-day life. This primarily comes into play when one considers the nature of causality, which is comprised of an infinitely large probability field that represents every possible outcome of every possible event. This field forms an impossibly complex matrix of possibilities that sums up the here and now. That infinitely large collection of previous results, present states, and future probabilities is what comprises a timeline. And for every possible outcome of every possible event at every given moment of time, a divergent timeline buds off from this first sequence, where one or more of those events transpired differently. In other words, an infinite amount of variant timelines are generated every single moment. Over billions and billions of years, this process has continued, generating a countless array of universes both hauntingly familiar and frighteningly alien. The endless divergence of timelines occurs in a second temporal dimension, what we would consider the fifth. Not that this is a recent concept, as this realm of 'absolute everything' was known to ancient philosophers as the Aperion. Where this gets especially complicated is when links between timelines are formed after travelers bridge the vast gulf separating them. This occurs in a third temporal dimension, an axis where the probability fields of two or more timelines interact and become inextricably linked to one another. But this axis also provides a structure for additional universes to exist within a single timeline. These other universes occupying a timeline are often adjacent to our earth-like realm, but have their own crosstime variations just as 'we' do. Thus, every timeline where some people on earth find themselves worshiping the Aesir will have an associated Asgard, and so on. Which can lead to instances where the only differences between two timelines is how events transpire in one of these earth-adjacent planes. Finally, there is an even further dimension we experience - or, more accurately, countless more - that defy classification by mere human logic. Consider this (these) to be the seventh dimension, a coordinate of concept whose vast reaches overlap with all others in one way or another. This is where 'locations' such as the astral plane and the mindscape occur, and events there can touch all times and spaces. ** Genre (...or What To Do With All Of That) ** (insert text here) ** Sub-Genre (...or Narrowing It Down Further) ** (insert text here) Um. It may not shock you to realize that I am nowhere near completing this work. I'm still bending my head around everything I want to describe, which is a lot more in depth than the ten or whatever pages the old books provided. The trick is to include everything without losing everyone, which is, you know, tricksy. Here's hoping I can actually pull this keystone of the rules off! CHAPTER EIGHT: CHARACTER GENERATION With everything else explained, it's time for you to build your very own character(s) for use in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine. Whether as a regular player (building PCs) or as the game's Judge (building NPCs), there are two systems available for the creation of all-new characters. These are the random (dice based) character creation process and the systematic (point based) character creation method. The random method of character generation is designed to build characters that are different from one attempt to another. The likelihood of creating identical characters using the random method is incredibly slim. At the same time, it may be difficult for a player to get precisely what he or she wants out of a character. And while PCs may be of differing utility, the truth is that the dice don't lie - they roll what they roll. The systematic method of character generation puts the entire responsibility for a character's capabilities in the hands of its creator. All PCs will begin play with a like amount of points, and may place them as they see fit on their character - within any limitations set by the Judge in advance, such as power rank caps and so forth. While more balanced, systematic character creation allows for the creation of 'repeat' characters. Rules for both are presented during character creation, no matter what form of character is generated. Usually the random method is explained in detail first, since it involves a plethora of tables to determine just what each character can do. Such lengthy rules are followed by a quick set of instructions on using the systematic method, since it is (generally) much more straightforward. * Character Origins * Before anything else, the type of character to be generated must be determined. This is typically the player's choice, and no die roll need be made (or points spent) to make this determination. A random chart is presented for the Judge's use, however, to quickly produce a hero, villain, or other character 'on the fly' as is necessary. Character types (or origins) are presented on table 34. Table 1: Character Origins 01-12 Normal 13-25 Textbook 26-37 Technological 38-50 Sorcerous 51-62 Psionic 63-75 Immortal 76-87 Combination 88-00 Alien Normal characters lack super-human abilities of any stripe. They wield no technology above and beyond that of their peers, they lack bizarre genetic quirks, and they have not studied with strange mentors to learn the arts arcane or disciplines psionic. They only have their own natural abilities, skills, resources, and history to draw upon to achieve their goals, whatever they may be. Transnormal characters are those who have inherent powers for a host of different reasons. They may manifest due to a freak accident, a scientific experiment gone awry, a quirk of genetics, or some other mysterious process. This origin is all about ingrained abilities, and while a transnormal character's powers may be temporarily neutralized by others somehow, they are not easily lost (or gained). Technological characters are those who derive their powers from the application of knowledge. This application can come in the form of high tech devices, cybernetic implants, biological constructs, and a whole lot more stuff that we ordinary humans can barely imagine. It's important to keep in mind that most technological capabilities and advantages can be easily countered, disabled, or even stolen. Sorcerous characters are those who, after intense study and training, have learned how to subtly alter probabilities. In doing so, a sorcerer can achieve feats that are seemingly impossible - but are, in fact, merely incredibly improbable. Sorcerers do not wield inherent powers, they simply access their fantastic abilities thanks to their considerable knowledge of the arcane and the obscure. Psionic characters are they who have mastered the powers of the mind that are inherent to all sentient beings. Whether exerting control over themselves or the outside world, a psi has learned how to wield the full power of his or her very self thanks to intense meditations. Psionics are like talents, in that they are based upon what the psi knows, instead of alterations in their cellular makeup. Immortal characters are those who are blessed with an evolved life force; while a physical evolution may give humans special abilities, a spiritual evolution grants them life eternal - or some form therein. Immortal characters may also include individuals who wield powers that persist while they do not, are simply blessed with an ageless existence, or even those imbued with powers by deific beings. Combination characters do not readily fit into one of the neat categories above. They often possess characteristics of two (or more) of the above character origins, either where intentional blending occurs (such as a technomage or a deionicist), or some other merging. A combination character can be incredibly versatile, but care must be taken to make sure they do not step upon their own, proverbial toes. Alien characters are non-human entities. Their species may have started out as human or some variant therein, but has since wandered into different territory. Aliens may also be creatures that neither had their beginnings amongst human specimens nor on earth proper, and are truly extraterrestrial or extraplanar in origin. Aliens may be 'stock' examples of their kind ('normals'), or possess a power path all their own. Once a character origin has been determined, simply refer to that portion of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine to continue / complete the character generation process. Unless, of course, the intent is to create an unpowered, 'normal' adventurer. In that case, simply read on, for the rules necessary to create a normal character in the CASE follow below. * Normal Characters * While the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine is designed to cover all kinds of strange adventures in strange locations, usually conducted by strange characters, there's still room for ostensibly normal people in the game. Normal characters are those who lack special powers of any variety. They do not fire heat beams from their eyes, control the weather, or destroy whole buildings with a mere thought. But don't underestimate them! CASE normals can quite readily keep up with their powered brethren. While their teammates may have the ability to set anything they look at on fire, a normal has a staggering array of skills and resources with which to level the playing field. While a normal cannot fly, he or she can still run rings around their powered counterparts in a scrap. ** Background and Style ** Though normal human adventurers have many skills and weapons and whatnot, the most important part of such characters is their story. Why does such an individual do what they do? It takes an impressive person to throw down with costumed antagonists, whether or not they themselves wear Spandex ™. What's their motivation? Do they do their thing out of a sense of duty, or is it just a paycheck they're looking for? These are the things that define a normal human adventurer. Their traits, quirks, skills, contacts, and equipment should be representative of what makes them tick. Mutants do what they do because of their freakish genes, while sorcerers can do what they do because of their occult studies. But a non-powered adventurer? His or her background and style should explain why they have all the capabilities they do. This origin story will define many of the abilities, skills, contacts, and items they have access to. It will also (hopefully) help to define a certain 'style' representative of the character, one that sets them apart from others of their ilk. Many characters may wield guns or swords or whatever, but their background and their flair is what makes them unique compared to other, similarly capable folks. ** Random (Dice Roll) Method ** When generating normal human adventurers, use table A to generate Strength, Endurance, and one mental ability score, table B to generate Fighting, Agility, and another mental ability score, and finally table D to generate the remaining mental ability score (whichever of one's Reason, Intuition, or Psyche has yet to be determined). Normals do not have access to hyperexhaustive or hyperkinetic ability ranks. Table 35: Rank Generation Table A Table B Table C Table D Table E Table F Table G Table H Table I Rank - - 01 - 01 - 01 - 01 Hyperexhaustive 01 01 02-05 - - 01 02-05 - - Feeble (2) 02-25 02-05 06-10 - - 02-05 06-10 - - Poor (4) 26-50 06-25 11-25 - - 06-10 11-15 - - Typical (6) 51-75 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 11-25 16-25 - - Good (10) 76-99 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 Excellent (20) 00 76-95 76-90 26-50 26-50 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 Remarkable (30) - 96-99 91-95 51-75 51-75 76-90 76-85 26-50 26-50 Incredible (40) - 00 96-99 76-99 76-95 91-95 86-90 51-75 51-75 Amazing (50) - - - 00 96-99 96-99 91-95 76-99 76-95 Monstrous (75) - - - - - 00 96-99 00 96-99 Unearthly (100) - - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Hyperkinetic At this point, a 'gamble' may be rolled on any two ability scores the player desires. This allows him or her to shore up any shortcomings they may perceive, or otherwise lets them bulk up a character if they would like. Note that the character's ability scores must remain within the normal human maximums (as detailed in the Ability Scores section); drop an ability score to that level if a gamble raises it too far. Once physical and mental ability scores are set, calculate the character's Health, Karma, and (if the latter two are in use within one's game) negative and mental Health scores. Normal humans may determine their starting Resources rank on table B. Their Popularity score is initially zero (0). Table 36: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). Next up are Quirks. A normal human adventurer begins with four quirk points, which he or she may spend on beneficial quirks as they see fit - either purchasing one level 3 quirk, two level 2 or 'double cost' quirks, four level 1 quirks, or whatever else fits. If the character would like even more, he or she may take on deleterious quirks to cover any difference their choices create. While the quirks taken are entirely up to the player generating a character, random tables are presented for convenience, should the player not really know (or care) which quirks he or she begins play with - or for the Judge's use. Random quirks can be generated by rolling on table 37 to determine the type of quirk to be taken, while tables 38 through 42 showcase the individual quirks available. Quirks with a (2) listed behind them count 'double', and cost (or grant) two quirk points. Quirks with a (*) notation may be taken in levels, costing (or granting) one point at level 1, two points at level 2, and four points at level 3. Table 36: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). Next up are Quirks. A normal human adventurer begins with four quirk points, which he or she may spend on beneficial quirks as they see fit - either purchasing one level 3 quirk, two level 2 or 'double cost' quirks, four level 1 quirks, or any combination therein. If the character would like even more, he or she may take on deleterious quirks to cover any difference their choices create. While the quirks taken are entirely up to the player generating a character, random tables are presented for convenience, should the player not really know (or care) which quirks he or she begins play with - or for the Judge's use. Random quirks can be generated by rolling on table 37 to determine the type of quirk to be taken, while tables 38 through 42 showcase the individual quirks available. Quirks with a (2) listed behind them count 'double', and cost (or grant) two quirk points. Quirks with a (*) notation may be taken in levels, costing (or granting) one point at level 1, two points at level 2, and four points at level 3. Table 37: Quirks Categories 01-17 Physical (beneficial) 18-33 Physical (deleterious) 34-50 Mental (beneficial) 51-67 Mental (deleterious) 68-83 Role-Play (beneficial) 84-00 Role-Play (deleterious) Table 38: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-06 Acceleration Tolerance 07-12 Adrenal Surge 13-18 Ambidexterity 19-25 Fast Healing 26-31 Fighting Logistics 32-37 Gravity Tolerance (*) 38-43 Hardiness (2) 44-50 Heightened Sense 51-56 High Pain Threshold 57-62 Hypermobility 63-68 Learned Resistance (*) 69-75 Omnidexterity (2) 76-81 Rank Boost (2) 82-87 Strong Bones (*) 88-93 Sturdiness 94-00 Tetrachromacy Table 39: Physical Quirks (deleterious) 01-05 Abnormal Attribute 06-11 Acceleration Intolerance 12-16 Addiction (*) 17-21 Albinism 22-27 Allergy (*) 28-32 Color Blind 33-37 Dulled Sense (*) 38-42 Dwarfism 43-47 Epilepsy 48-52 Feebleness 53-58 Gigantism 59-63 Gravity Intolerance (*) 64-68 Lameness 69-74 Low Pain Threshold 75-79 Missing Parts (2) 80-84 Rank Loss (2) 85-89 Slow Healing 90-94 Weak Bones (2) 95-00 Weakness (2) Table 40: Mental Quirks (beneficial) 01-08 3-D Sense 09-15 Alertness 16-23 Cybernetic Aptitude 24-31 Fortitude 32-38 High Stress Threshold 39-46 Karmic Shell (2) 47-54 Magical Aptitude 55-61 Natural Talent 62-69 Psionic Aptitude 70-77 Quick Learning 78-84 Sanity 85-92 Static 93-00 Technological Aptitude Table 41: Mental Quirks (deleterious) 01-03 Action Addict 04-06 Attitude (*) 07-08 Bluntness (*) 09-11 Bully (*) 12-14 Combat Paralysis (*) 15-17 Compulsiveness (*) 18-19 Cowardice (*) 20-22 Cyber-neurosis 23-25 Delusions (*) 26-28 Fanaticism (*) 29-31 Frenzied 32-33 Greed (*) 34-36 Gullibility (*) 37-39 Honesty (*) 41-42 Impulsiveness (*) 43-44 Inept (*) 45-47 Insanity (2) 48-50 Insomnia 51-53 Jealousy (*) 54-56 Karmic Dearth (2) 57-58 Laziness (*) 59-61 Learning Disorder 62-64 Low Stress Thresh. (*) 65-67 Mania (*) 68-69 Multiple Personality (*) 70-72 Pacifism (*) 73-75 Paranoia (*) 76-78 Personal Code (*) 79-81 Phobia (*) 82-83 Pushover 84-86 Rudeness (*) 87-89 Short Attention Span 90-92 Shyness (*) 93-94 Stubborn (*) 95-97 Temper (*) 98-00 Vow (*) Table 42: Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) 01-09 Ally 10-18 Assistant 19-27 Attractive (*) 38-36 Benefactor (*) 37-45 Cash Flow 46-54 Charmed 55-63 Fame (*) 64-72 Fan Club 73-81 Good Reputation 82-90 Likability (2) 91-00 Lucky (2) Table 43: Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) 01-06 Alien Culture (*) 07-11 Bad Reputation 12-17 Bigotry (*) 18-22 Dependent 23-28 Detractors 29-33 Enemy (*) 34-39 Illiteracy 40-44 Jinxed 45-50 Loner (*) 50-56 Nerd 57-61 Poverty 62-67 Repugnant Personality (*) 68-72 Snob 73-78 Social Dependent (*) 79-83 Unattractive (*) 84-89 Unlucky (2) 90-94 Unpleasant Habits (*) 95-00 Weirdness Magnet Perhaps the greatest advantage a normal human adventurer has over their powered counterparts is their extensive roster of Talents. The whole idea of a skilled normal is that he or she is, well, highly skilled. To determine the number of skills such a character has, make a roll on table 44 for a random number of skills, and then add six (6) to the value generated. To generate random talents (should the player so choose), roll on table 45 to determine a talent category, and then on tables 46 through 53 to determine specific talents. Talents with a number listed in parenthesis after them count as that many talents (Military costs two talent 'slots', for instance), while any with an asterisk in parenthesis have a special cost; see their individual descriptions for more. Most talents may be taken at higher levels; a level 2 talent occupies two talent 'slots', while a level 3 talent occupies four. Of course, it behooves the player to choose each talent they desire, as these will be the primary thing that gets them through a fight - whether with powered or unpowered opponents. Aside from any gear they carry, mind you. Table 44: Number of Talents 01-17 Two talents 18-33 Three talents 34-50 Four talents 51-67 Five talents 68-83 Six talents 84-00 Seven talents Table 45: Talent Categories 01-12 Background 13-25 Behavioral 26-37 Environmental 38-50 Fighting 51-62 Miscellaneous 63-75 Professional 76-87 Scientific 88-00 Weapon Table 46: Background Talents 01-25 Heir to Fortune (3) 26-50 Law Enforcement (2) 51-75 Military (2) 76-00 Student * Table 47: Behavioral Talents 01-12 Animal Handling 13-25 Hypnosis 26-37 Leadership 38-50 Manipulation 51-62 Performer 63-75 Service 76-87 Sleight of Hand 88-00 Tactics Table 48: Environmental Talents 01-09 Astronaut 10-18 Boating 19-27 Climbing 38-36 Driving 37-45 Piloting 46-54 Planargation 55-63 Riding 64-72 Stealth 73-81 Survival 82-90 Teamster 91-00 Tracking Table 49: Fighting Talents 01-06 Acrobatics 07-12 Aerial Combat 13-18 Astral Combat 19-25 Martial Arts type A 26-31 Martial Arts type B 32-37 Martial Arts type C 38-43 Martial Arts type D 44-50 Martial Arts type E 51-56 Mounted Combat 57-62 Multiple Attacks 63-68 Spatial Combat 69-75 Targeting 76-81 Tumbling 82-87 Underwater Combat 88-93 Vehicular Combat 94-00 Wrestling Table 50: Miscellaneous Talents 01-12 Escape Artist 13-25 First Aid 26-37 Gastronomy 38-50 Power Skill 51-62 Repair / Tinkering 63-75 Resist Domination 76-87 Trance 88-00 Trivia Table 51: Professional Talents 01-06 Agriculture 07-12 Artist 13-18 Business / Finance 19-24 Crime 25-29 Demolitions 30-35 Detective / Espionage 36-41 Education 42-47 Engineering 48-53 Journalism 54-59 Law 60-65 Leathercraft 66-71 Metalcraft 72-77 Politics 78-82 Salesmanship 83-88 Sports 89-94 Stonecraft 95-00 Woodcraft Table 52: Scientific Talents 01-07 Archaeology 08-13 Biology 14-20 Chemistry 21-27 Computers 28-33 Criminology 34-40 Electronics 41-47 Genetics 48-53 Geology 54-60 Linguistics 61-67 Lore 68-73 Mathematics 74-80 Medicine 81-87 Physics 88-93 Psychology 94-00 Theology Table 53: Weapon Talents 01-04 Advanced Guns 05-09 Blunt Weapons 10-14 Bows 15-19 Concussion Weapons 21-24 Energy Weapons 25-28 Entangling Weapons 29-33 Guns 34-38 Marksman 39-43 Martial Arts Weapons 44-48 Natural Weapons 49-52 Pole Weapons 53-57 Quick Draw 58-62 Sharp Weapons 63-67 Shields 68-72 Spontaneous Weapons 73-76 Thrown Objects 77-81 Thrown Weapons 82-86 Two Weapons 87-91 Weapon Skill 92-96 Weapon Specialist 97-00 Weapons Master (2) Contacts are people a character knows, above and beyond mere employees, employers, or acquaintances. A contact may be relied upon to aid characters during the course of their adventures, whether with information, materials, or direct intervention. Of course, a contact is ostensibly a human being (or a group of such), and does not exist in a vacuum; lean on a contact too much and they'll ask for favors in return. To choose contacts, begin by rolling for the number of initial contacts on table 54, and add six (6) to this result. Even more so than is the case with talents, a character should choose contacts to help flesh out his or her background, as well as to give themselves ready-built assistance during play. At the same time, some contact 'slots' may be held in reserve against future necessity if desired; these are known as 'floating contacts'. However, a random rolling table for contact types is presented as well, that being table 55. This is mostly for the Judge's use when building random characters, but can offer good ideas if a player gets 'stuck'. As is the case with most quirks and talents, a contact may be taken at multiple levels. Level 2 contacts occupy two contact 'slots', while level 3 contacts occupy four. Table 54: Number of Starting Contacts 01-17 Two contacts 18-33 Three contacts 34-50 Four contacts 51-67 Five contacts 68-83 Six contacts 84-00 Seven contacts Table 55: Contact Types 01-06 Aide 07-11 Artist / Performer 12-17 Business 18-22 Criminal 23-28 Doctor 29-33 Expert 34-39 Foreign Power 40-44 Government 45-50 Hero / Villain 50-56 Informant 57-61 Journalist 62-67 Lawyer 68-72 Mentor 73-78 Military 79-83 Organization 84-89 Police 90-94 Scientist 95-00 Trivia And Last, But Not Least Finally, the player must decide what kind of gear the character possesses, whether they store it in a lair or carry it on their person. A normal adventurer will not have any equipment that is of an advanced, sorcerous, psionic, or deionic sort. As such, they can have any stuff readily available in their campaign. Mundane vehicles, weaponry, and electronics of any variety are that which the normal human adventurer wields. This can be anything from a Desert Eagle ™ to a Jeep ™ to a Pixel ™ - whatever materials the character ought to have as a function of their background and role. An adventurer who is known for her two-handed gun style and a predilection for playing music in the middle of a fight would presumably have the finest handguns available, not to mention a few mp3 players in her pockets (since they're so easily broken). The equipment a character can have depends on their Resources. A character may automatically have any gear with a Resources rating equal to his or her Resources rank or less, and may start out with materials of up to their Resources rank +2 CS with but a small explanation (the character has a Porsche ™ he paid off previously). Anything more exorbitant must be approved by the Judge, but isn't necessarily out of the question. It's mostly just a matter of feasibility and availability at that point. ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** As is the case with other player characters, a normal human may be built with fifty (50) points. These points may be allocated as the player wishes, within a few constraints. To begin with, determine how far above (or below) the norm the character will be in each ability; for our purposes, the 'norm' will be Typical (6) rank. For every +1 CS a player applies to each spend one point, and for each -1 CS applied to these values, add one point. All of these values must remain within the limits of a normal human character (as detailed in the Ability Scores section). Once these are set, calculate the character's Health, negative Health, Karma, and mental Health scores. Begin with Typical (6) Resources and a Popularity of zero (0). Resources may be raised (or lowered) for two points per CS, as opposed to the one point value for normal ability scores. Popularity may also be raised at double the cost, but an opposed Popularity score (negative for heroes, positive for villains) is worth two points, no matter how great it is. Next, the player must choose their character's quirks, talents, and contacts. They may spend their remaining points on any number of each, as long as they can afford the price. It's important to note that level 2 and 3 versions of these qualities require increasingly detailed explanations for their presence in the character's back story; one can have several level 3 talents, for example, but that would take a whole lot of dedication. Of course, these should all be dependent on the character's background to begin with. If the player isn't too sure about the precise origins of their normal human adventurer, perhaps their quirks, talents, and contacts can help to expand on it somewhat. In fact, if the player has not completed their new character's background yet (assuming they didn't start with that step to begin with), they probably should do so at this point. Finally, determine the equipment the character possesses. As is the case with randomly generated characters, normal humans built with the point based system may choose any standard gear that is readily available in the campaign, as long as it falls within a few CS of their Resources rank. If they want something more expensive, the player must give a good reason for such, though the Judge has veto power over improbable items. CHAPTER NINE: THE TRANSNORMAL TREATISE What are inherent transnormal abilities? All characters can be detailed and measured by the metrics of conventional ability scores. With few exceptions, everyone can throw a punch, lift a brick or two, or even reason out math problems; these are considered inherent abilities. Those who cannot do such things are often limited somehow, whether due to physical injury or their very anatomy, in the event of particularly inhuman alien life forms. But what of those inherent traits that cannot be described by one's ability scores? What if someone gained the ability to emit energy beams from their eyes after a freak accident with the radioactive contents of a smoke detector? Or perhaps awoke one day to realize that they were born different from everyone else, their shattered genes suddenly giving them the power to fly? Or teleport? Or to even kill with a thought? Such abilities, and those who possess them, are the subject of the Transnormality Treatise. Transnormal characters are those that one most often thinks of when pondering the notion of super-human beings - people who are simply super-powered. Transnormal characters do not wield powers because of some high tech whatsit they possess, much less a study of the arts arcane or the influence of faith. And that is a vital distinction. Super-humans with intrinsic ascendant abilities may eventually acquire an advanced thingus to aid in their efforts, or may even study psionics when the opportunity presents itself, but what truly sets them apart from others are the powers inherent to their very being. These powers will shape their body, and perhaps even their minds, in ways that few can foresee. This is because, when you get down to it, transnormal characters are no longer human. They may have begun as an ordinary Joe or Jane, but have acquired abilities that will forever set them apart from the pack. Those who wield futuristic technology, magical spells, or psionics (or even all of the above) may be capable of truly fantastic things, but in the end they are still human. Transnormal characters, on the other hand, are not. ** Core Principles ** Transnormal characters can acquire the abilities that make them ascendant in any number of ways. Regardless of the origins of such characters and their abilities, however, all transnormals play by the same basic 'rules' where their powers are concerned. Whether said powers are a result of genetic aberrations, radiation exposure, or better living through chemistry, transnormal characters must live with these concerns: Access: one benefit of inherent transnormal abilities is that one need not 'concentrate' to keep them all active. Sorcerers and mentalists may wield a wide array of different ascendant effects, but can only maintain so many at a time. With few exceptions, each ability they use must be focused upon, however minimally, and these individuals can only concentrate on keeping so many active at once. Transnormal characters lack this problem. Many inherent super-powers are always active, requiring no concentration to operate. Limitations can readily alter the state of one's inherent powers, though, either by making otherwise permanent powers dependent on one's concentration, or rendering some abilities stuck in an 'always on' condition. Unless so limited, transnormal characters have access to all their powers simultaneously. Even if one cannot necessarily activate them all at once. Conspicuity: while some transnormal characters benefit from a perfectly normal appearance, the simple truth is that a wide array of inherent super-powers have an indelible effect on how one looks. While razor skin may seem like ordinary flesh (at least until someone touches it, anyway), good luck hiding those billowing, feathery wings when you're not using the things. Even when a character's ascendant abilities are not immediately obvious when at rest, a means of detecting them may very well be available. Whether simply wielding the origin sense or using specialized electronics to detect whatever it is that grants powers (be it aberrant genes, mutagenic energies, or exotic chemicals), inquiring minds will always try to locate the ascendants amongst them. Until a means of confusing such efforts is devised, at any rate. Heredity: though it's not always the case, it's quite common that whatever has given a character ascendant abilities is hereditary. This is definitely the case with both mutants and degenerates, whose powers by definition come from the abnormal structure of their genes. However, other transnormals are often capable of passing on that which grants them their unique properties to their offspring, as well. If a character's powers are a result of enhancements on a genetic level, chances are their powers can be passed on to their descendants - or copied via cloning or gene therapy. If powers are a result of some sort of contaminant in the character's body, these abilities may or may not continue on down the family line, depending on just how much of it is needed. Or if more of said contaminant can be procured. Negation: on the downside, characters with inherent powers are subject to power negation. In a world where characters have been scientifically proven to possess transnormal abilities, you can bet any government worth its salt will have studied them intently. This will be for two purposes: to reproduce them in government operatives under their thumb, and to control civilians who overwhelmingly outgun conventional forces. While the former can be the fodder for any number of adventures involving rogue government operatives with super-powers run amok, the latter often comes in the form of technology to neutralize one's ascendant abilities. Efforts in this vein are most often transient in nature, and may very well be a fact of life in government buildings (particularly jails), but a rare few may last longer by design. Whether stealing super-powers away or permanently rendering them inert. ** Becoming Super-Human ** Super powers are super-powers, when you get down to it. Whether a body gained persistent ascendant abilities due to a roll of the genetic dice, exposure to exotic radiation, or even thanks to the wonders of radical chemistry, their powers will basically function the same. While some powers affect a body differently based on the origins of their abilities (such as the origin sense), one can bank on a power functioning the same no matter who wields it - power customization notwithstanding. On the other hand, the origins of one's powers can dictate how a character is treated. Some cultures seem to abhor mutants, while others instead vilify those who have been warped by science (especially if intentionally). Still more despise all manner of ascendant beings with inherent powers - they make no distinction in their bigotry. Alternately, worlds teeming with posthumans simply couldn't care less. It just depends, really. * Origins of Power * Even without the intervention of advanced technology, magical spells, psionic awakening, or even deific imposition, a character can still manifest ascendant powers. These abilities will usually be inherent in nature, and quite often leave a visible mark on their possessor - though not always. There are seven means of acquiring powers without the aid (or meddling) of the aforementioned sources, some more common than others. ** Altered Humans ** Altered humans are formerly normal individuals who have been changed - whether by accident or by design. The impetus for this change can be virtually anything unusual in the environment, ranging from bizarre energies to complex chemicals - or even a mix of the two. Similarly, something 'strange' in the character's genetic makeup may simply respond unusually to otherwise normal stimuli. This stimuli, whatever it happens to be, is the cause of the character developing powers. If it has affected the character's genes, it's quite possible that the changed can pass on their abilities to their offspring. However, if powers persist due to the presence of the stimuli (whether material or energetic), one cannot 'share' their powers with their descendants unless the contaminant is similarly passed along. An altered human character has the benefit, after otherwise being generated, of adding a +1 CS to any two ability scores they choose. ** Arisen ** Freak occurrences and strange happenstances are the cause of a person gaining inherent powers on many occasions. But sometimes, these events don't just invest powers in someone - they cause an entire transnormal being to manifest from seeming nothingness! These rare and bizarre incidents will generate a super-human, their costumes, and whatever 'stuff' they acquired during character generation. The strange thing about such suddenly existing people is that they can often function well in society, save for their complete lack of memories. They can talk, use their body and their abilities with competence, and may even possess useful skills. Which may inevitably make others wonder if the arisen being is truly extant because of the incident during which they first appeared, or if they instead had origins elsewhere. Which may, in fact, eventually prove to be the case. Arisen transnormals, once they've completed their character generation, may add a +1 CS to one ability score and one power of their choice. ** Composites ** A character of this type is one who is comprised of the parts of many different individuals. On occasion this will involve the pieces of various dead bodies being reassembled into what is at first glance a coherent body, thus making the composite a variant on the reanimate theme. In other circumstances, this might reflect a character drastically modified by the aciurgy power - whether or not they possess that power. Such a character will possess their ascendant abilities due to either the strange mix of body parts and their interactions, because of the agency which prevents catastrophic tissue rejection from killing them outright, or even due to whatever reignited the spark of life within their formerly dead bits. This process can often be reproduced, however ghastly the prospect may at first appear. After otherwise finishing character generation, a composite may automatically add a +1 CS to their Strength score, and gains the Fast Healing quirk. ** Degenerates ** An accident of conception can cause advances in evolution, with beneficial mutations moving the species forward. However, similar accidents can cause reversions in the genome, thrusting a given life form backwards down their path of evolution. Of course, this leaves the suddenly regressed creature with a lot of 'extra' genetic material - which often combines in a random fashion to generate ascendant abilities! These super-powered throwbacks to an earlier time, often known as degenerates, are of great interest to scientists who study evolution... and who enjoy having a live specimen of a formerly extinct species to tinker with. On the other hand, society often frowns upon such powerful 'Neanderthals' or 'monkey men', because they can be brutish and primitive in their behavior as well as their appearance. Degenerate characters may add a +1 CS to their Fighting and Strength scores once their generation is otherwise complete. ** Descendants ** Descendants are posthumans who inherited their transnormal abilities from one or more of their forebears. This can involve receiving smashed genes from one's parents or a like exposure to the same... whatever it was... that caused such abilities to form in their progenitor(s) in the first place. As such, the abilities of a descendant will usually be somewhat predictable, based on what others know about their family. As long as a descendant has the same power(s) as one of their parents, they are not technically mutants or altered humans - though agencies that can detect these states of being will still indicate such... unless refined enough to reveal multiple generations of ascendant abilities have occurred. In fact, with enough breeding over time, the descendants of an ascendant human may be considered a distinct species! A descendant may add a +1 CS to their Intuition score, and an additional +1 CS bonus a parent's origin provides for, as well. ** Mutants ** A mutant is an ascendant being who was literally born different than his or her parents... very different. When first conceived, a mutant acquires genetic information that was not donated by either parent, yet is a completely viable organism nonetheless. Some mutants simply possess extra digits or perhaps heterochromia, but others manifest truly fantastic, ascendant abilities instead! An offshoot of their parents' species by definition, mutants are a race unto themselves. Each mutant who demonstrates different ascendant abilities is technically a different species, though they can usually interbreed with humans as well as mutants with differing mutations. Which leads more enlightened individuals to keep in mind the fact that 'mutants are people, too'. A mutant character, once their generation is otherwise complete, may add a +1 CS to their Endurance rank, and a +1 CS to any power rank they choose. ** Reanimates ** Reanimates were normal human beings their entire lives - well, physically normal, at any rate. However, they eventually died... and instead of the normal biological processes taking over at that point, they suddenly lurched back to life - with incredible powers, no less! Such an individual is not undead, but instead has inexplicably seen their spark of life reignited somehow. Generally, a mundane death won't be enough to cause a character to come back as a reanimate. People are shot and stabbed and have heart attacks all the time, but you don't hear about them waking up in the morgue - not that often, at any rate. No, a reanimate is usually the result of a formerly normal character dying in a spectacular fashion, often involving freakish chemicals or exotic forms of energy. After a reanimate's character generation is otherwise done, he or she may add a +1 CS to both their Psyche score and one power of their choice. * Transnormal Character Generation * ** Random (Dice Roll) Method ** Characters generated with the Transnormality Treatise are all inherently super-human. As such, when determining primary ability scores, players may use table A to generate one ability score, table B to generate their next three ability scores, and table D to generate their final three ability scores. These rolls may be made in any order the player chooses, in case they would like super-human statistics in a specific area. If your Judge allows their use, transnormal characters have access to hyperkinetic ability ranks. When this is the case, substitute table C for table B, and table E for table D where applicable (though disregard hyperhexhaustive results). If hyperkinetic ranks are desired but cannot be rolled, they can always be adopted as a character enhancement (as they are not applied to powers; see below). Players may then roll on table A to determine their initial Resources rank, and begin play with a Popularity score of zero. Add up the character's Health and Karma totals per the usual, along with their Negative and Mental Health scores. Table 1: Rank Generation Table A Table B Table C Table D Table E Table F Table G Table H Table I Rank - - 01 - 01 - 01 - 01 Hyperexhaustive 01 01 02-05 - - 01 02-05 - - Feeble (2) 02-25 02-05 06-10 - - 02-05 06-10 - - Poor (4) 26-50 06-25 11-25 - - 06-10 11-15 - - Typical (6) 51-75 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 11-25 16-25 - - Good (10) 76-99 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 Excellent (20) 00 76-95 76-90 26-50 26-50 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 Remarkable (30) - 96-99 91-95 51-75 51-75 76-90 76-85 26-50 26-50 Incredible (40) - 00 96-99 76-99 76-95 91-95 86-90 51-75 51-75 Amazing (50) - - - 00 96-99 96-99 91-95 76-99 76-95 Monstrous (75) - - - - - 00 96-99 00 96-99 Unearthly (100) - - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Hyperkinetic Once these rolls are complete, one may gamble on any two ability scores of their choice, potentially shoring up any areas they feel need some help. The only limits in this regard are the results of the tables themselves, as well as the power rank ceiling for a campaign, as set by the Judge. If unaware of this power rank ceiling, go ahead and ask the Judge now! Table 2: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). *** Power Origins *** Before any other steps may be taken, it must be decided how the character acquired their powers, if this has not been determined already. Did the character receive powers after exposure to freakish radiation or bizarre chemicals? Is he or she a mutant? Or did they die, only to rise again as a super-human? Table 3 is provided for random determination, but this facet of a character is entirely up to the player behind them. Table 3: Power Origins 01-14 Altered Humans 15-28 Arisen 29-43 Composites 44-57 Degenerates 58-72 Descendants 73-86 Mutants 87-00 Reanimates *** Number of Inherent Powers *** When determining a character's inherent super-powers, start by figuring out exactly how many he or she will have to begin with. This is done by rolling randomly on table 4, which will give a character anywhere between two and seven ascendant powers with which to fight (or commit) crime. And these will be all the character has for a good long while, barring power stunts, so bear that in mind for later. Table 4: Initial Inherent Powers 01-17 Two Powers 18-33 Three Powers 34-50 Four Powers 51-67 Five Powers 68-83 Six Powers 84-00 Seven Powers *** Determining Character Powers *** After determining how many powers a character will begin play with, it's time to actually figure out which powers they'll have. This process begins by rolling on either table 5a or 5b to determine the category a character's first power will fall within. There are two versions of this table because some power categories are entirely optional; ask the Judge if he or she wishes players to use 5a or 5b. Once table 5a or 5b determines a power category, roll on the subsequent power category table (tables 6 through 20) for an individual power. With this first, randomly determined power decided, read its description. This is because, at the beginning of almost every power description in the Transnormality Treatise, there is a list of related powers, abilities that dovetail with the indicated ability. A player may opt to either choose one of these related powers for his or her next power selection(s), or may instead roll again randomly. And so on, and so forth, until the character's power selections have all been determined (one way or another). What this does is allow a player to build a character with ascendant abilities that are closely related to one another, if desired. Theme characters are more easily assembled when the player can add related powers to one or two abilities which are randomly generated, instead of just dealing with a hodgepodge of completely random powers. Though that, too, can lend itself to the creative process, tying so many disparate abilities together into a cohesive whole! Note that some powers are vastly more potent than others. These particularly versatile abilities occupy more than one power 'slot' on a character, whether chosen or rolled up randomly. These powers will have a number in parenthesis after their name (such as (2), for instance), which determines how many power 'slots' they use up when added to one's character. Table 5a: Power Categories (standard) 01-08 Biological Control 09-15 Combination 16-23 Energy Control 24-31 Energy Generation 32-38 Matter Control 39-46 Mental Control 47-54 Mental Enhancement 55-61 Movement 62-69 Physical Control 70-77 Physical Enhancement 78-84 Physical Weaponry 85-92 Power Control 93-00 Sensory Table 5b: Power Categories (optional) 01-07 Biological Control 08-14 Combination 15-21 Energy Control 22-28 Energy Generation 29-35 Matter Control 36-42 Mental Control 43-49 Mental Enhancement 50-56 Movement 57-63 Physical Control 64-70 Physical Enhancement 71-77 Physical Weaponry 78-84 Power Control 85-91 Reality Control 92-99 Sensory 00 Ultimate Power? Table 6: Biological Control Powers 01-02 Aciurgy 03-05 Age Control / Others 06-07 Animal Control 08-10 Animal Hybridization / Others 11-12 Animal Sympathy 13-15 Biological Vampirism (2) 16-17 Body Control 18-20 Cure Disease 21-22 Death Ray 23-25 Decontamination 26-27 Degeneration 28-30 Detoxification 31-32 Disease 33-35 Emotion Control 36-37 Empathic Hammer 38-40 Empathy 41-42 Gestalting (2) 43-45 Harm 46-47 Healing / Others 48-50 Integral Control 51-52 Mood Swings 53-55 Organism Generation (3) 56-57 Pain 58-60 Pheromones 61-62 Plant Hybridization / Others 63-65 Plant Control 66-67 Plant Sympathy 68-70 Poison 71-72 Reanimation (2) 73-75 Recovery 76-77 Regeneration / Others 78-80 Resurrection (2) 81-82 Resuscitation 83-85 Rotting 86-87 Sensory Attenuation 88-90 Sensory Distortion 91-92 Sleep 93-95 Summoning (2) 96-97 Transformation / Others (2) 98-00 Vampirism (2) Table 7: Combination Powers 01-07 Berserker (2) 08-13 Dyad (2) 14-20 Environmental Pocket (2) 21-27 Environmental Sense (2) 28-33 Evolution Control (2) 34-40 Hostility Screen (2) 41-47 Ice Generation (2) 48-53 Jeopardy (2) 54-60 Missile Generation 61-67 Nanotechnology Generation (3) 68-73 Organic Circuitry (3) 74-80 Plasma Generation (2) 81-87 Regenerative Armor (3) 88-93 Teleformation (3) 94-00 Weather Control (2) Table 8: Energy Control Powers 01-03 Celestial Light Control 04-07 Darkness Control 08-10 Electricity Control 11-13 Energy Absorption (2) 14-17 Energy Cohesion 18-20 Energy Projection 21-23 Energy Vampirism (2) 24-27 Fire Control 28-30 Force Field 31-33 Hellfire Control 34-37 Image Projection (2) 38-40 Imaginary Doubles (2) 41-43 Kinetic Absorption (2) 44-47 Kinetic Energy Control 48-50 Light Control 51-53 Magnetism Control 54-57 Object Charge 58-60 Psionic Absorption (2) 61-63 Psychokinesis 64-67 Radiation Control 68-70 Radio Wave Control 71-73 Sound Control 74-77 Spectral Flame Control 78-80 Temperature Control 81-83 Temporal Static 84-87 Thaumaturgical Absorption (2) 88-90 Theonic Absorption (2) 91-93 Transception 94-97 Transduction (2) 98-00 Vibration Control Table 9: Energy Generation Powers 01-07 Celestial Light Generation 08-13 Cold Generation 14-20 Darkness Generation 21-27 Electricity Generation 28-33 Fire Generation 34-40 Force Blast 41-47 Heat Generation 48-53 Hellfire Generation 54-60 Light Generation 61-67 Magnetism Generation 68-73 Radiation Generation 74-80 Radio Wave Generation 81-87 Sound Generation 88-93 Spectral Flame Generation 94-00 Vibration Generation Table 10: Matter Control Powers 01-03 Adhesion 04-06 Aggregation 07-09 Antimatter (3) 10-12 Assimilation 13-15 Catalysis 16-18 Clone Projection 19-21 Color Control 22-24 Corrosion 25-27 Cyclone 28-30 Density Control / Others 31-33 Device Generation (2) 34-36 Device Sympathy 37-39 Disintegration (2) 40-42 Energy Doubles (2) 43-45 Flaying 46-48 Fluid Animation 49-50 Friction Control 51-53 Growth / Others 54-56 Invisibility / Others 57-59 Matter Absorption 60-62 Matter Duplication (2) 63-65 Matter Generation (3) 66-68 Object Animation 69-71 Object Hardening 72-74 Object Sympathy 75-77 Object Weakening 78-80 Quarantine 81-83 Shrinking / Others 84-86 Solid Animation 87-89 Technical Intuition 90-92 Topological Control (3) 93-95 Transmutation (3) 96-98 Vapor Animation 99-00 Vivification (3) Table 11: Mental Powers 01-02 Astral Projection 03-04 Auscultation 05-06 Clairalience 07-08 Clairaudience 09-10 Clairgustance 11-12 Clairtouchence 13-14 Clairvoyance 15-16 Clarity 17-18 Computer Link 19-20 Crowd Control (2) 21-22 Dream Projection 23-24 Finding 25-26 Forgetfulness 27-28 Fugue 29-30 Illusion Projection (2) 31-32 Image Animation 33-34 Jumbling 35-36 Knowledge 37-38 Lie Detection 39-40 Mental Doubles (2) 41-42 Mental Repair 43-44 Mesmerism 45-46 Mind Control 47-48 Mind Duplication 49-50 Mind Link 51-52 Mind Lock 53-54 Mind Transfer (2) 55-56 Mind Wipe (2) 57-58 Object Projection 59-60 Possession (2) 61-62 Postcognition 63-64 Precognition (3) 65-66 Psi Bolt 67-68 Psi Web 69-70 Psionic Vampirism (2) 71-72 Psychic Invisibility 73-74 Psychic Probe 75-76 Psychometry 77-78 Psychoplasm Animation (2) 79-80 Sending 81-82 Sensory Link 83-84 Sensory Projection 85-86 Sensory Reception 87-88 Soul Control 89-90 Spectral Vampirism (2) 91-92 Static Field 93-94 Telekinesis 95-96 Telepathy 97-98 Thought Projection 99-00 Translation Table 12: Mental Enhancement Powers 01-07 Danger Sense (2) 08-14 Eidetic Memory (*) 15-21 Fortuity 22-28 Jury Rigging 29-35 Kit-bashing 36-42 Linguistics 43-50 Mental Invisibility (2) 51-57 Self Control 58-64 Spectral Freedom (*) 65-71 Super Invention (*) 72-78 Transfixture 79-85 Ultimate Talent (*) 86-92 Unyielding Will 93-00 Xenoglossy Table 13: Movement Powers 01-04 Anchor 05-08 Between (2) 09-12 Bilocation 13-16 Carrier Wave 17-20 Chaos Shift (*) 21-25 Dimensional Interface (2) 26-29 Dimensional Transit 30-33 Flight 34-37 Gliding 38-41 Jelling 42-45 Levitation 46-50 Mind Walk 51-54 Platforming 55-58 Portal (2+) 59-62 Propulsion 63-66 Super Climbing 67-70 Super Digging 71-75 Super Flight 76-79 Super Jumping (*) 80-83 Super Running 84-87 Super Swimming 88-91 Teleportation 92-95 Teleportation / Others 96-00 Time Travel (2) Table 14: Physical Control Powers 01-03 Age Control / Self 04-07 Animal Hybridization / Self 08-10 Aura (2) 11-13 Blending 14-17 Body Doubles (4) 18-20 Density Control / Self 21-23 Detachable Parts 24-27 Dimensional Displacement 28-30 Disguise 31-33 Elongation 34-37 Environmental Adaptation (2) 38-40 Growth / Self 41-43 Gyration 44-47 Healing / Self 48-50 Imaginary Mass 51-53 Inaudibility 54-57 Inodoriferous 58-60 Intangibility 61-63 Internal Universe 64-67 Invisibility / Self 68-70 Kinetic Focus 71-73 Metabolic Focus 74-77 Plant Hybridization / Self 78-80 Redolence 81-83 Shape Change 84-87 Shrinking / Self 88-90 Situational Adaptation 91-93 Super Synesthesia (*) 94-97 Transformation / Self (2) 98-00 Vocal Control Table 15: Physical Enhancement Powers 01-04 Additional Organs (*) 05-08 Body Armor 09-12 Clinging (*) 13-16 Damage Reduction (*) 17-20 Deflection (*) 21-24 Dual Respiration (*) 25-28 Environmental Indep. (*) 29-32 Flake Armor 33-36 Greater Invulnerability (*) 37-40 Greater Resistance (*) 41-44 Invulnerability (*) 45-48 Longevity (*) 49-52 Plasticity 53-56 Reformation (2) 57-60 Regeneration (2) 61-64 Resistance (*) 65-68 Revival 69-72 Screened Senses 73-76 Stasis (*) 77-80 Super Breath 81-84 Super Speed (3) 85-88 Turnabout 89-92 Universal Digestion (*) 93-96 Universal Respiration (*) 97-00 Zest Table 16: Physical Weaponry Powers 01-06 Additional Limbs (*) 07-12 Barbs (*) 13-18 Battle Tail (*) 19-25 Claws (*) 26-31 Edges (*) 32-37 Fangs (*) 38-43 Hard Points (*) 44-50 Horns (*) 51-56 Pouches (*) 57-62 Prehensile Hair 63-68 Prehensile Skin 69-75 Prehensile Tail (*) 76-81 Quills (*) 82-87 Razor Skin (*) 88-93 Tentacles (*) 94-00 Wings (*) Table 17: Power Control Powers 01-03 Amplification 04-06 Attenuation 07-09 Boon 10-12 Corporeal Gestalt (2) 13-15 Deionic Control (2) 16-18 Empowerment (2) 19-21 Investment (3) 22-24 Link (2) 25-27 Opposition (3) 28-30 Power Absorption (4) 31-33 Power Amplification 34-36 Power Attenuation 37-39 Power Block (2) 40-42 Power Control (2) 43-45 Power Duplication (4) 46-48 Power Transfer (2) 49-51 Psionic Amplification 52-54 Psionic Attenuation 55-57 Psionic Control (2) 58-60 Sorcerous Amplification 61-63 Sorcerous Attenuation 64-66 Spectral Gestalt (2) 67-69 Spell Control (2) 70-72 Super Vampirism (2) 73-75 Theonic Amplification 76-78 Theonic Attenuation 79-81 Trace Duplication (4) 82-84 Variable Cybernetics 85-87 Variable Power 88-90 Variable Psionics 91-93 Variable Sorcery 94-96 Variable Talent (*) 97-00 Weakness Generation (2) Table 18: Reality Control Powers 01-04 Ability Boost 05-08 Antigravity 09-12 Buttress (2) 13-16 Causality Control (4) 17-20 Combining Powers (*) 21-24 Future Control (2) 25-28 Grace 29-32 Gravity Control 33-36 History Control (3) 37-40 Initiative Control (2) 41-44 Karma Control (2) 45-48 Keeper 49-52 Learned Invulnerability (4) 53-56 Lethality (2) 57-60 Logos 61-64 Luck (3) 65-68 Nimiety (2) 69-72 Override (3) 73-76 Planar Control (3) 77-80 Power Boost 81-84 Roulette (2) 85-88 Reassignment (3) 89-92 Space Control 93-96 Thaumaturgical Vampirism (2) 97-00 Time Control (3) 01-04 Ability Boost 05-08 Antigravity 09-12 Buttress (2) 13-16 Causality Control (4) 17-20 Combining Powers (*) 21-25 Future Control (2) 26-29 Grace 30-33 Gravity Control 34-37 History Control (3) 38-41 Initiative Control (2) 42-45 Karma Control (2) 46-50 Keeper 51-54 Learned Invulnerability (4) 55-58 Lethality (2) 59-62 Luck (3) 63-66 Nimiety (2) 67-70 Override (3) 71-75 Planar Control (3) 76-79 Power Boost 80-83 Roulette (2) 84-87 Reassignment (3) 88-91 Space Control 92-95 Thaumaturgical Vampirism (2) 96-00 Time Control (3) Table 19: Sensory Powers 01-04 Atomic Sense 05-08 Biological Sense 09-12 Circular Vision (*) 13-16 Energy Sense 17-20 Flaw Sense 21-23 Infravision 24-27 Locational Sense 28-31 Macro Sense (2) 32-35 Magic Sense 36-39 Microscopic Vision 40-43 Nativity Sense 44-46 Nonapparent Vision 47-50 Origin Sense 51-54 Psi Sense 55-58 Radar Sense 59-62 Radivision 63-66 Sonar Sense 67-69 Spectral Sense 70-73 Super Senses (2) 74-77 Super Tracking 78-81 Technological Sense 82-85 Telescopic Vision 86-89 Theonic Sense 90-92 Transparent Vision 93-96 Ultravision 97-00 Unusual Sensitivity (*) Table 20: Ultimate Power 01-49 Return to Table 5 50-51 Ultimate Power (5) 52-00 Return to Table 5 *** Determining Power Ranks *** Once a character's powers have been determined, one must indicate how potent they will be. Do this by rolling once on table B for half of one's ascendant powers, and table D for the other half. As is the case with primary ability scores, campaigns with access to hyperexhaustive and hyperkinetic ranks may instead roll on tables C and E, respectively. With this done, the player may gamble on the ranks so indicated. Players may do this once if their character has three or less transnormalities, twice if he or she has from four to six super-powers, or thrice if the character has seven or more ascendant abilities. *** Limitations *** Players are often unhappy with the ranks they've rolled up for their character. Even after adjusting various ranks with gambling attempts, they're just not satisfied with what they've come up with. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes one has a specific vision in mind for their character. This is where limitations come in! A player may subject their character to limitations to make them more powerful. Limitations come in two distinct flavors: power limitations and character limitations. A power limitation is just that, an altering of how said power works to the detriment of the player, as compared to others who can use this ability. A power so limited may not affect certain objects or beings, can only be used during certain specific time periods, or may otherwise function in a manner others may find unusual or restrictive. Character limitations, however, change the nature of every power a person uses, not just one. A character limitation may simply be a power limitation that 'works' on every single power, an alteration to the basic working of powers in general, or even some other constraint that seriously hampers how a character operates (such as an inability to move without the aid of powers). At any rate, the severity of the limitation determines just how much of a power boost the character may receive. Limitations come in four flavors: weak, strong, very strong, and extreme. A weak limitation is just that, a minor crimp in an ability's effectiveness, and only offers a +1 CS. Each successive limitation offers a further +1 CS to the power rank, but as their names imply, they become increasingly constraining. Alternately, a character can take a limitation on a power to replace one already built in to it; some powers, like those involving time, have several such constraints already baked in. With the Judge's permission, players may swap out one limitation for another, as long as the new limitation would be equally as inconvenient, which allows a player to better craft the character they imagine in their heads. *** Enhancements *** Similarly, a player might have more than enough power (or might think such, at any rate), or simply wants more 'bang for their buck' out of their existing power roster. If this is the case, they may decide to empower their abilities with enhancements. Like limitations, enhancements have four levels of power, including weak, strong, very strong, and extreme, each of which adds a subsequent -1 CS modifier to one's power ranks. In exchange for suffering from the effects of this modifier, the character's ability will benefit from an improvement of some sort. Moving a power up one speed or range category is considered a strong enhancement, while two is an extreme enhancement. At the same time, a power can be given a hyperkinetic rank if not already rolled randomly, serving as an extreme enhancement to the specific power it applies to. Like limitations, enhancements are difficult to apply across an entire character, though this isn't impossible. While speeds and ranges vary from power to power, things such as initiative penalties can apply to all of a character's actions and powers. Alternately, one might opt to gain a hyperkinetic ability score, which is considered a weak character enhancement (thus applying a -1 CS to all of one's powers). Usually, the reduction in rank an enhancement inflicts is enough to make up the difference. This can make purchasing new powers more difficult down the line, though, particularly if a character enhancement is in effect; a new power to be affected by an enhancement must be bought at a rank high enough that, upon applying the negative CS, it will at least work at the normal starting value. *** Quirks *** Slightly more palatable than limitations or enhancements, quirks are minor changes to a character that either saddle him or her with some disadvantage, or enhance a trait of theirs. They can also be used to raise the rank one or more of a character's powers work at if so desired, within the confines of that system. The quirks rules have more on this, but the quirk tables are presented here, for convenience. Normally, quirks are a voluntary affair - players may or may not use quirks, as they see fit. They are presented below, in the format of random rolling tables, for two reasons. The first is for the Judge's use, to quickly generate random characters when time is of the essence. Alternately, a player may roll randomly if he or she wants or needs a quirk and doesn't know what to pick. Not that they're bound by such a roll, of course. Quirks are divided up into the beneficial and deleterious quirks of a physical, mental, and role-play nature. Those quirks which cost (or grant) two quirk points are noted with a two in parenthesis (2), while those that can be taken at multiple levels are noted with an asterisk in parenthesis (*). Table 21: Quirks Categories 01-17 Physical (beneficial) 18-33 Physical (deleterious) 34-50 Mental (beneficial) 51-67 Mental (deleterious) 68-83 Role-Play (beneficial) 84-00 Role-Play (deleterious) Table 22: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-06 Acceleration Tolerance 07-12 Adrenal Surge 13-18 Ambidexterity 19-25 Fast Healing 26-31 Fighting Logistics 32-37 Gravity Tolerance (*) 38-43 Hardiness (2) 44-50 Heightened Sense 51-56 High Pain Threshold 57-62 Hypermobility 63-68 Learned Resistance (*) 69-75 Omnidexterity (2) 76-81 Rank Boost (2) 82-87 Strong Bones (*) 88-93 Sturdiness 94-00 Tetrachromacy Table 23: Physical Quirks (deleterious) 01-05 Abnormal Attribute 06-11 Acceleration Intolerance 12-16 Addiction (*) 17-21 Albinism 22-27 Allergy (*) 28-32 Color Blind 33-37 Dulled Sense (*) 38-42 Dwarfism 43-47 Epilepsy 48-52 Feebleness 53-58 Gigantism 59-63 Gravity Intolerance (*) 64-68 Lameness 69-74 Low Pain Threshold 75-79 Missing Parts (2) 80-84 Rank Loss (2) 85-89 Slow Healing 90-94 Weak Bones (2) 95-00 Weakness (2) Table 24: Mental Quirks (beneficial) 01-08 3-D Sense 09-15 Alertness 16-23 Cybernetic Aptitude 24-31 Fortitude 32-38 High Stress Threshold 39-46 Karmic Shell (2) 47-54 Magical Aptitude 55-61 Natural Talent 62-69 Psionic Aptitude 70-77 Quick Learning 78-84 Sanity 85-92 Static 93-00 Technological Aptitude Table 25: Mental Quirks (deleterious) 01-03 Action Addict 04-06 Attitude (*) 07-08 Bluntness (*) 09-11 Bully (*) 12-14 Combat Paralysis (*) 15-17 Compulsiveness (*) 18-19 Cowardice (*) 20-22 Cyber-neurosis 23-25 Delusions (*) 26-28 Fanaticism (*) 29-31 Frenzied 32-33 Greed (*) 34-36 Gullibility (*) 37-39 Honesty (*) 41-42 Impulsiveness (*) 43-44 Inept (*) 45-47 Insanity (2) 48-50 Insomnia 51-53 Jealousy (*) 54-56 Karmic Dearth (2) 57-58 Laziness (*) 59-61 Learning Disorder 62-64 Low Stress Thresh. (*) 65-67 Mania (*) 68-69 Multiple Personality (*) 70-72 Pacifism (*) 73-75 Paranoia (*) 76-78 Personal Code (*) 79-81 Phobia (*) 82-83 Pushover 84-86 Rudeness (*) 87-89 Short Attention Span 90-92 Shyness (*) 93-94 Stubborn (*) 95-97 Temper (*) 98-00 Vow (*) Table 26: Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) 01-09 Ally 10-18 Assistant 19-27 Attractive (*) 38-36 Benefactor (*) 37-45 Cash Flow 46-54 Charmed 55-63 Fame (*) 64-72 Fan Club 73-81 Good Reputation 82-90 Likability (2) 91-00 Lucky (2) Table 27: Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) 01-06 Alien Culture (*) 07-11 Bad Reputation 12-17 Bigotry (*) 18-22 Dependent 23-28 Detractors 29-33 Enemy (*) 34-39 Illiteracy 40-44 Jinxed 45-50 Loner (*) 50-56 Nerd 57-61 Poverty 62-67 Repugnant Personality (*) 68-72 Snob 73-78 Social Dependent (*) 79-83 Unattractive (*) 84-89 Unlucky (2) 90-94 Unpleasant Habits (*) 95-00 Weirdness Magnet *** Talents *** The talents your freshly built transnormal being begins play with can be determined as they can for any other character type, beginning by rolling up their number of initial talents on table 28. Then, roll for the category each talent will belong to on table 29. To finish up, roll for individual talents using tables 30 through 37, one table for each applicable category of talents. However, the actual talents a character has really should be determined by his or her origin. Keeping this in mind, the Judge may well opt to let a player choose some (or all of) the talents their ascendant human possesses, allowing him or her a lot more creative control over their character. Another thing to consider is that a talent can function at a higher 'level' than normal. There are three 'tiers' of talents, each providing an increasing bonus to the applicable ACTIONs involved with said talent. When generating these heightened skills, however, keep in mind the fact that they cost more; a level 2 talent counts as two talents, while a level 3 talent counts as four. This can get expensive fast, but is a great way to showcase what your character is really good at. Also, some talents cost more than others, even before higher level talents are considered. A talent that has a number in parenthesis counts as that many talents during character generation; these are mostly background talents, but others can cost more as well. Similarly, the Student talent costs all of one's initial talent slots, for it by definition implies that a body does not have any other skills. Table 28: Number of Talents 01-17 Two talents 18-33 Three talents 34-50 Four talents 51-67 Five talents 68-83 Six talents 84-00 Seven talents Table 29: Talent Categories 01-12 Background 13-25 Behavioral 26-37 Environmental 38-50 Fighting 51-62 Miscellaneous 63-75 Professional 76-87 Scientific 88-00 Weapon Table 30: Background Talents 01-25 Heir to Fortune (3) 26-50 Law Enforcement (2) 51-75 Military (2) 76-00 Student * Table 31: Behavioral Talents 01-12 Animal Handling 13-25 Hypnosis 26-37 Leadership 38-50 Manipulation 51-62 Performer 63-75 Service 76-87 Sleight of Hand 88-00 Tactics Table 32: Environmental Talents 01-09 Astronaut 10-18 Boating 19-27 Climbing 38-36 Driving 37-45 Piloting 46-54 Planargation 55-63 Riding 64-72 Stealth 73-81 Survival 82-90 Teamster 91-00 Tracking Table 33: Fighting Talents 01-06 Acrobatics 07-12 Aerial Combat 13-18 Astral Combat 19-25 Martial Arts type A 26-31 Martial Arts type B 32-37 Martial Arts type C 38-43 Martial Arts type D 44-50 Martial Arts type E 51-56 Mounted Combat 57-62 Multiple Attacks 63-68 Spatial Combat 69-75 Targeting 76-81 Tumbling 82-87 Underwater Combat 88-93 Vehicular Combat 94-00 Wrestling Table 34: Miscellaneous Talents 01-12 Escape Artist 13-25 First Aid 26-37 Gastronomy 38-50 Power Skill 51-62 Repair / Tinkering 63-75 Resist Domination 76-87 Trance 88-00 Trivia Table 35: Professional Talents 01-06 Agriculture 07-12 Artist 13-18 Business / Finance 19-24 Crime 25-29 Demolitions 30-35 Detective / Espionage 36-41 Education 42-47 Engineering 48-53 Journalism 54-59 Law 60-65 Leathercraft 66-71 Metalcraft 72-77 Politics 78-82 Salesmanship 83-88 Sports 89-94 Stonecraft 95-00 Woodcraft Table 36: Scientific Talents 01-07 Archaeology 08-13 Biology 14-20 Chemistry 21-27 Computers 28-33 Criminology 34-40 Electronics 41-47 Genetics 48-53 Geology 54-60 Linguistics 61-67 Lore 68-73 Mathematics 74-80 Medicine 81-87 Physics 88-93 Psychology 94-00 Theology Table 37: Weapon Talents 01-04 Advanced Guns 05-09 Blunt Weapons 10-14 Bows 15-19 Concussion Weapons 21-24 Energy Weapons 25-28 Entangling Weapons 29-33 Guns 34-38 Marksman 39-43 Martial Arts Weapons 44-48 Natural Weapons 49-52 Pole Weapons 53-57 Quick Draw 58-62 Sharp Weapons 63-67 Shields 68-72 Spontaneous Weapons 73-76 Thrown Objects 77-81 Thrown Weapons 82-86 Two Weapons 87-91 Weapon Skill 92-96 Weapon Specialist 97-00 Weapons Master (2) *** Contacts *** Also presented for convenience is the table used to detail the initial number of contacts a new character will have; it is available as table 38 in the Treatise. Table 39, then, lists the types of contacts a textbook character may have upon the start their career, if the player needs any ideas; one does not need to roll up contact types randomly if they don't want to. Like quirks and talents, contacts can be taken at one of three levels of importance; for example, a police contact might be a beat cop (level 1), an FBI operative (level 2), or even an Interpol agent (level 3). Similarly, contacts of a higher level cost an increased amount of contact 'slots' - a level 2 contact counts as two contacts, while a level 3 contact costs four contact 'slots'. Table 38: Number of Starting Contacts 01-17 Two contacts 18-33 Three contacts 34-50 Four contacts 51-67 Five contacts 68-83 Six contacts 84-00 Seven contacts Table 39: Contact Types 01-06 Aide 07-11 Artist / Performer 12-17 Business 18-22 Criminal 23-28 Doctor 29-33 Expert 34-39 Foreign Power 40-44 Government 45-50 Hero / Villain 50-56 Informant 57-61 Journalist 62-67 Lawyer 68-72 Mentor 73-78 Military 79-83 Organization 84-89 Police 90-94 Scientist 95-00 Trivia *** Equipment *** On top of all of their stupendous, ascendant capabilities, posthuman adventurers also have their pick of conventional, mundane equipment. These devices won't be the kind that make or break their style, for the most part, but they often fill in holes on a texbook character's roster when needed - or, at the very least, add a bit of luxury to their life. Common equipment a character can possess depends on their Resources. One may automatically have any gear with a price equal to his or her Resources rank or less, and may start out with materials of up to their Resources rank +2 CS with but a small explanation (the character has a condominium that he paid off previously). Anything more exorbitant must be approved by the Judge, but isn't necessarily out of the question. It's mostly just a matter of feasibility and availability at that point. *** And Last, But Not Least *** Once everything else has been determined about a new character, the bonuses they should receive as a part of their special origin should be applied. These are always placed on a character last, to let them enhance the results of random character generation. In fact, if the Judge is willing, the ranks enhanced by such bonuses can even be allowed to exceed his or her normal campaign power limits! ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Players start with fifty (50) points with which to build a textbook character. They may spend these points as they wish, only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling. For example, an earth-bound campaign may limit characters to Monstrous (75) or less on most ranks. Ask the Judge about his or her campaign limits before proceeding any further, if you're not sure what they are! To begin with, determine how far above (or below) the norm the character will be in each ability score; for our purposes, the 'norm' is Typical (6). For every +1 CS a player applies to each spend one point, and for each -1 CS applied to these values, add one point. One ability score should remain within the normal human limits, but otherwise the sky is the limit (such limits are detailed in the Ability Scores chapter). A starting character is assumed to have Typical (6) Resources and a Popularity score of zero (0). One may alter these ability scores as they can any other, though at double the cost for each CS (Remarkable (30) ranked Resources would cost six points, for example). If one intends to purchase the Heir to Fortune background talent, they shouldn't alter this 'base' Resources score any. Health and Karma are determined normally. An opposed Popularity score (negative for heroes, positive for villains) is worth two points, no matter how great it is. Before purchasing a character's powers, one should determine their origin, if this has not already been decided, for it will provide added benefits down the line. When buying powers, each rank in each power costs one point, starting at Feeble (2) rank. The upper rank of each ascendant ability is only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling (again, ask the Judge about this if necessary). Costs can be controlled by adding limitations, which can apply to either one or all a character's powers. Whether applied to one power or globally to the character as a whole, weak limitations reduce the cost of a power by one point, strong limitations by two points, very strong limitations by three points, and extreme limitations by four points. Consider the effect of such limitations before counting those point savings! Remember that all powers have a minimum cost of one (1) point, no matter how limited they may be. Moving the other direction, a player may enhance one or more powers. A weak enhancement increases the cost by one point, strong enhancements add two points, very strong enhancements raise the cost by three points, and extreme enhancements add four points to a power's final cost. Such enhancements include improving the range or speed categories of a power, as well as other augmentations to its functionality. Remember that many powers cost more than the base value; power duplication, for example, costs four points per rank. Powers with a heightened cost are so noted in the character generation tables listed above (those with numbers in parenthesis after the name). Limitations and enhancements are multiplied in value by this cost; for instance, a very strong limitation on ultimate power would reap a fifteen point discount. If one's Judge allows their use in his or her campaign, one thing to consider is the use of Hyperkinetic and Hyperexhaustive rank qualifiers. These can each be purchased in the point system if allowed, being treated as either an extreme enhancement (in the form of a Hyperkinetic power) or an extreme limitation (in the form of a Hyperexhaustive power). Creating a hyperkinetic ability score is a weak character enhancement. Both can be very unbalancing in their own way, however, so check to make sure their use is okay. Once a character's powers are determined, he or she may purchase talents and contacts as they see fit, each costing one point. If one would like heightened talents or contacts (both come in three tiers), they must pay two points for a level two talent or contact, or four points for a level three talent or contact. The Student background talent costs five points, but cannot be purchased with any other (save for Heir to Fortune). A player may use remaining points to purchase beneficial quirks - or add a few points to pad weak areas with deleterious quirks. Most quirks give (or take) one point, but if purchased at a higher level, they function in much the same way as talents or contacts in this regard (two points for a level two quirk, four points for a level three quirk). Also, quirks without level but that count double cost (or give) two points. Next, determine what gear the character possesses. As is the case with randomly generated characters, posthumans built with the point based system may choose any standard gear that is readily available in the campaign, as long as it falls within a few CS of their Resources rank. If they want something more expensive, the player must give a good reason for such, though the Judge has veto power over improbable items. Finally, add those bonuses that the character's origin affords him or her. Once the player is out of points, it's up to the Judge to look over what the player has wrought. Does the character's math add up? Does it fall within predetermined campaign limitations for power level? If nothing appears to be wrong, and the Judge likes what he or she sees, they should approve what a player has created, and then allow them to complete the last portion of their character's creation. Assuming they didn't actually start with such. ** Filling in the blanks ** Once all the basic details concerning your character have been ascertained, it is time to 'fill in the blanks,' or to detail all of their personal and background information, the stuff you can't quantify with dice rolls or points. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they from? What are they like? How did they acquire their astounding super-human abilities? All of this character information must be determined by the player to make it truly his or her own, and to really 'flesh them out'. This is often the most difficult portion of the character generation process, the portion where many tend to fail. However, with a little effort and some serious consideration, the answers to these questions can make sheet of paper with all the funny words on it really come alive! * Posthuman Roleplay * So what's it like to be a posthuman being? Much to the consternation of the mundanes, many ascendant humans with inherent powers betray no visual hints to the fact that they possess inexplicable abilities beyond the pale. One could be minding their own business, doing their level best to coast their way through a career doing whatever, none the wiser that the new human resources guy has the power of Murdervision ™! Those transnormals who lack a weird appearance can quite often maintain a secret identity, and persist in the life they led before fate blessed (or cursed) them with their powers. This allows them a sort of downtime when not engaging in ascendant behavior, whether this involves committing crimes against the teeming masses of the powerless that swarm in and out of their awareness, or protecting normals from such actions. Mind you, this assumes that such individuals want to maintain the trappings of a normal human existence. The acquisition of inherent ascendant abilities often changes a character's mind as much as it alters their physical existence, and many transnormals decide that they're no longer a part of human society... whether due to a sense of superiority or perhaps a fear of rejection by one's peers. On the other hand, quite a few posthumans are unmistakably operating on a different level than their mundane counterparts. These individuals can occasionally conceal their ascendant nature, though this never works reliably over time. Body armor that looks like polished nickel can be covered up with cosmetics, for example, but the slightest bit of moisture will reveal its true nature for all to see. Regularly rendered outcast by their very appearance, these posthumans often find themselves thrust into a life of conflict, constantly battling with other ascendant beings, or perhaps even the normals who fear and hate them simply for existing. Transnormal characters of this stripe might gladly lose their powers if only to resume a 'normal' life, though such may be impossible if their true identity is known to the public. Mind you, a lot of this may depend on the campaign featuring transnormal characters. If society is used to people with transnormal abilities roaming about, they may be perfectly okay with Bob in accounting having tentacles instead of arms. In a world that embraces its powered citizens, such people might be revered by the masses, and have special privileges - and of course responsibilities - that come with their posthuman status. Other cultures may harbor inexplicable prejudices against posthumans of one type that simply don't apply to another. Perhaps a world particularly hates degenerates. Or has a religious issue with reanimates. Or even considers composites an abomination! This can cause such hated character types all manner of grief, both during adventures and in their 'off time' while not officially in play. Still more games might feature societies that loathe all forms of posthuman beings, whether mutants or mere freaks of science. Normals' prejudices are leveled equally at all transnormal beings - and possibly even those who gained their powers through other means. This environment tends to make heroism particularly harrowing, not to mention more less difficult to justify when the people you protect are out to kill you. Though that, in and of itself, might make one even more heroic in nature! ** Character Advancement ** After undertaking many adventures, or simply vanquishing one's foes, a character just might have gained new insight into the world and how it works; in other words, Karma. For the most part, textbook characters spend Karma much like any other, paying the same when purchasing new talents or contacts, or when enhancing a current ability or power rank; this is handled as is defined in the Living and Dying document. One facet of Karma use that is different for those with inherent powers is when one purchases all-new ones. *** Purchasing New Inherent Powers *** Extensive changes to one's body, the inherent ascendant abilities that textbook characters are (in)famous for are a bit more difficult to come by than are powers wielded by other character types. These are permanent changes to one's mind, body, or soul after all, changes which lack many of the disadvantages of wielding powers externally (provided by a device) or those that are knowledge-based (provided by obscure training). New inherent powers sometimes manifest spontaneously - whatever caused one's other powers to emerge simply wasn't done with them yet. However, acquiring all-new powers most often involves risky endeavors that match the original impetus for developing ascendant abilities in the first place. Exposure to additional hazardous energies comes to mind, or perhaps the activation of a secondary mutation atop the original. Succeeding in such an endeavor will generally have conditions set by the game's Judge, and will most often involve a special adventure - this is a big deal for the character, after all! Assuming that the character avoids getting themselves killed in the process of manifesting a new ascendant ability, all that remains is the matter of paying for their shiny new super-power. A new inherent ascendant ability has a base cost of three thousand (3,000) Karma points, in addition to a fee equal to the new power's original rank number times one hundred (100). Picking up a brand new power at Incredible (40) rank, for instance, would cost the character a total of seven thousand (7,000) Karma (base cost of 3,000 plus the power rank (40) times 100). If the adventure (or whatever) a character underwent to gain their new power(s) involves the acquisition of a special catalyst, the player may reduce the base cost of that power by one thousand (1,000) Karma. Depending on just how complicated the procedure is, up to three catalysts may be required, which can completely eliminate the base cost of the power entirely. The idea here is to properly reward a player's effort when they genuinely work for their new powers. All of the above assumes powers with a standard cost; in other words, a power that has a listed cost of one point per rank. If a power is listed as having a cost equal to 2 points per rank, double its total Karma cost, and so on. If a power is listed with a 'flat cost', the price (after the base fee) is only 250 Karma points per point; an invulnerability, for instance, would cost 2,000 additional Karma. *** Power Stunts *** As difficult as it is to manifest entirely new powers, textbook characters are often more inclined to develop those abilities they already possess to their fullest, wielding them in new and interesting ways. Such developments are called power stunts. Every attempt to create a power stunt costs 100 Karma points per try, but they are otherwise governed by the same basic rules that exist for all other characters. So if you have a new idea for the uses of a dusty old power, give it a shot, already! The rank a power stunt operates at depends on the cost of its parent ability. A power that has a stated cost of one point per rank will allow for power stunts which operate at its own rank, though each additional point the power costs will reduce a stunt's rank by -1 CS. The idea here is to reflect just how potent powers with a higher cost (such as power absorption, or even ultimate power) happen to be. ** Optional Posthuman Concerns ** Much ado has been made about how textbook characters are inherently super-human, how they're different from most others who wield ascendant abilities because their very nature reflects their unique powers. In game play, this aspect of textbook characters can be simulated by adopting one or more of the following notions. In other words, the rules presented here are optional. On the other hand, if a given rule is not in play in one's campaign, it can make for a great character limitation! For example, fatigue rules can really put a damper on posthumans in a long-running battle, particularly against other super-powered foes who lack such a limitation (such as, say, a killer robot). Saddling oneself with such concerns willingly can quickly make for a very powerful, if somewhat constrained, character! Concentration: one of the main advantages of a character with inherent super-powers is that they don't typically have to concentrate simply to keep their powers working; once they're on, powers stay on until deactivated. However, players may simulate a character who isn't quite 'one' with his or her powers by forcing them to abide by the same concentration rules that constrain psi-actives and wizards alike. Characters with the requirement to concentrate to keep their powers functioning can activate them per normal, but keeping their ascendant abilities functional depends on how well they can multitask. A character with a Reason (mem) score of Typical (6) or less can only concentrate on maintaining one super-human power, with each +1 CS to that statistic adding an additional power they can keep going simultaneously. Fatigue: wielding powers is difficult work; dishing out lightning bolts uses a lot of energy, after all! Depending on the version of fatigue rules one is subject to in their game, wielding active inherent abilities will either increase one's fatigue intensity by one point, or count as one turn of exertion. This applies for each ability utilized on a given turn, though one's 'automatic' abilities don't count against a body for the purposes of fatigue; always-on powers such as physical weaponry doesn't rack up fatigue, for example. How does one avoid loss of power due to fatigue, you ask? Quite simply, by not using their powers! A character who refrains from using powers in a given turn can reduce their fatigue by one point - or reduce their total effective exertion time, for the purposes of determining exhaustion, by one turn. Where fatigue is concerned, it is best to invoke powers in moderation - or to end a conflict quickly. Otherness: while some characters with innate powers can look quite normal, and would otherwise reveal no evidence of special abilities when they're not actively in use, it's quite possible that posthuman beings nonetheless radiate an aura of 'otherness'. This strange sensation is one that mundanes will perceive in close proximity to transnormal entities. This might manifest in the form of general unease, inexplicable revulsion, or perhaps even irrational fear. This gut feeling operates on a basic, primal level, and colors the reactions of those without powers to those with such. This translates into a column shift penalty when a super-human interacts with a normal human, ranging from -1 CS (if the posthuman looks normal) to -4 CS (if the posthuman looks quite abnormal). Synchronicity: characters often manifest powers that appear to reflect their inner self, their core personality. Inversely, a character's personality might transform once they acquire their inherent powers, their thought processes slowly changing until they seem to reflect the expression of their transnormalities. This tendency is known as synchronicity to those that study posthuman beings. Sometimes the reasons for this seem sensible. A super speedster can often be forgiven for being impatient all the time, for example, as they're used to moving faster than everyone else. Other times, a character might seem almost irrational in their behavior, their thoughts and actions reflecting a conceptual framework that echoes their powers; the fire generator growing ill-tempered and destructive, and so on. When synchronicity is a common occurrence in a campaign, players might consider the adoption of deleterious mental or social quirks that reflect the manifestation of their powers to better actualize it, though are by no means required to do so. CHAPTER TEN: THE TECHNICAL REFERENCE What is technology, strictly speaking? Technology is the application of knowledge to practical ends. This knowledge is information that may readily be learned by all sentient beings, given the proper opportunity to discover it. An inherently additive phenomenon, developments in one area of technology rapidly expand to others, a process which inevitably accumulates and accelerates progress over time. Technology is also the product of knowledge's use. From the very beginning, mankind has produced innumerable objects borne from its growing understanding of the world and how it works, and the refinement of its creations has proceeded apace from this point. Thus, any object intentionally altered by human beings, for good or ill, can be considered a technology. This is applicable to the game in that every character has access to various examples of technology, items which he or she may freely wield in their daily lives - assuming the resources and capability to attain them. This artificial assistance serves to bolster the effectiveness of the character who wields it, and can be purchased off the shelf - absent government regulations to the contrary, at any rate. Alternately, while many characters supplement their other abilities with some gadget or another, others wield - or even are - examples of technology above and beyond that which their fellows possess. This possibly unique technology, at least until someone duplicates or steals it anyway, is what allows these characters to pull their weight alongside their fellow adventurers. These characters are the subject of the Technical Reference, which provides a wealth of information for those who, primarily, adventure using technology others typically lack access to. Whether such characters wield devices separate from their bodies, have it integrated into their flesh somehow, or are even the technology themselves, guidelines for creating and playing them is presented herein. * Specification * A vast array of characters exist who adventure and advance utilizing technological capabilities in excess of that which is available to their peers. But what sets them apart from each other? Individual backgrounds and histories aside, what essentially distinguishes one technically minded character from another is how one with their technology they happen to be. Users of technology are just that. No matter how advanced their technology happens to be in relation to that carried by others, users are separate from it. The devices they wield can take literally any form, from an arsenal of discrete objects to a singular chunk of technology which gives them access to a variety of ascendant abilities. But in the end, the user's gear has its own, distinct existence. This has numerous advantages and disadvantages. For one thing, a user can remove their power armor and slip into the local populace undetected. Mind you, that power armor may be stolen while the user isn't wearing it. This translates into a net negative for adventuring characters, and all the powers they grant a character thus possess the portable limitation. Cyborgs, on the other hand, have most of their prochronistic hardware integrated into their very bodies. While they may have a few devices, like those of a technology user, cyborgs are one with most of their gear. This integration can come in the form of implants that augment their abilities, prosthetics that replace one or more missing parts, or even a full, robotic body swap. While cybernetics have the advantage of being hardwired into one's body, significantly reducing the likelihood of their being stolen, they can be disabled - removing a character's access to the abilities they provide until they are repaired. Furthermore, cyborgs suffer from the possibility of implant psychosis, a character limitation that hinders all of their inherent technological powers. Last but not least are the actual products of technology themselves. This includes any sort of implement that can generally operate at its own discretion, and that may usually move through the environment as it sees fit. Sentient technological entities of this type can include robots, vehicles, weapons, and just about anything else a player might imagine. One problem a character that exists as a technology has to deal with is that they are often perceived as unliving machinery - if not property. On the plus side, a sentient device has the advantage of being able to reconfigure its body, and possibly even its mind, when necessary. Though again, this characteristic may readily be wielded against them, and being reprogrammed can be a serious concern. As is indicated above, while the form and nature of their high tech abilities will vary, all characters empowered by technology have to deal with at least one limitation on their ascendant abilities. Primarily intended to highlight the differences between technology-centric characters, these built-in hindrances also serve to make such characters ostensibly more powerful than other adventurers. * Documentation * While many abilities granted by technology function like regular powers for the most part, aside from having some limitation by dint of being accessed artificially, others work a bit differently. This is primarily due to the form the device which grants a power (or powers) takes. Where particularly complicated technologies are concerned, the following guidelines should help manage them somewhat: ** Armor ** For as long as mankind has existed, it has warred with itself. To better defend themselves from the weapons of their many foes, humans have sought to develop effective protection from the injuries they inflict. On the other hand, weapon developers have worked tirelessly to defeat such protection, which has led to an inevitable arms race between arms and armor. Though its use has waxed and waned over the centuries, armor generally serves to provide some measure of protection from injury, per the body armor power - no matter what form it takes. Where the use of artificial armor becomes a concern of the Technical Reference, however, is when it can provide its wearer abilities in excess of mere armor. This most often occurs when powered armor is involved. While unpowered armor is dead weight, after a fashion, a powered exoskeleton can usually negate the effects of its own mass on its wearer, at the very least. In fact, such armor often enhances the physical Strength of its wearer, if not other conventional statistics as well. Finally, an exoskeleton is an ideal place to mount equipment which effectively provides its wearer additional, special powers. Powered exoskeletons can have virtually any function integrated into their structure, the only limits being the progression of technology and the budget one has to build them with. Furthermore, as an item external to the body of its operator, a suit of power armor does indeed suffer from the portable limitation, which means that while others can make off with it, the powers it provides benefit from a +1 CS in effectiveness. *** Quantifying Exoskeletons *** When detailing a conventional, unpowered suit of armor or component of such (in the case of partial protection, such as a helmet or breastplate), all one needs to do is describe the actual protection (armor) it provides its user. This most often comes in the form of body armor which benefits the areas covered by the item in question, in addition to any special perks provided by its construction. The only difference between a full and partial suit of armor is how much of one's body it will cover. While a full suit of armor will provide its wearer protection anywhere on his or her body, partial armor only protects the area it's worn on. This means that, while it doesn't provide overall defense, partial armor can at least offer protection to areas its wearer considers vital. A suit of power armor can be quantified in game terms with a statistical block that consists primarily of Column Shifts. These shifts define how well the suit can enhance the capabilities of the person within. Of course, a suit of power armor is often built with a specific individual in mind, and those Column Shifts may well have an upper ceiling equal to that person's enhanced ability scores. Beneath these Column Shifts and rank ceilings, all of the exoskeleton's additional capabilities will be described. First among these additional notes will be the body armor the suit offers its wearer, of course, followed by whatever else the suit lets its operator do, just like the power roster of a regular character. Since, of course, this is where most of its operator's ascendant abilities will likely come from. *** Operating Exoskeletons *** Ideally, armor functions in a transparent fashion. In other words, simply wearing the armor will not interfere with the activities of those who wear it. This is rarely the case with basic armor, however. For one thing, armor is usually bulky, and without powered assistance, it can interfere with actions reliant on either one's Agility (if bulky) or their Strength (if heavy). If the weight of unsupported armor (and anything else carried) is equal to its wearer's Strength (might) score, it will reduce their placement on the running speed / acceleration table, as determined by their Strength (vigor), by one step. Alternately, if one's armor restricts their motion any, it will inflict a 1 CS penalty on all of the character's Agility ACTION rolls for as long as the armor is worn. Thus the advantage of power suits. These high tech protective implements are almost invariably designed to eliminate both of these hindrances, though some examples featuring one (or perhaps even both, in the event of prototypes) happen now and then. On the other hand, even an exoskeleton so limiting to its wearer invariably makes up for this when armed with additional, ascendant functions. After all, who cares how heavy your armor is if it has jump jets? On top of protection from injury, these additional goodies are what prompts so many to wear enhanced suits of armor. These functions operate for the wearer just like the inherent abilities of a posthuman being - in other words, they suffer no initiative penalties, and as many systems can be operable as is desired, power permitting. Of course, such constraints can make for great limitations, if desired! *** Armor Resilience *** When a character wears a powered exoskeleton in combat, it will invariably find itself subject to assault. As a protective suit of armor, such an exoskeleton can easily deny an amount of damage equal to or less than its listed rating of defense. Aside from some sort of cosmetic damage, or a possible Slam or Stun result inflicted upon its pilot, that's all it will suffer. When exposed to damage greater than its listed armor rating, however, a suit of power armor will need to make a check to see whether or not it suffers more serious harm. An exoskeleton's overall sturdiness can be determined by the use of a Resilience score, which details how durable the suit is, and how well it can perform under fire - or as the case so often tends to be, heavy fire. Thus, when damage penetrates power armor and affects its operator, roll a Resilience ACTION against the intensity of the damage that actually got through. If this ACTION is successful, the armor will suffer no ill effects, even if its pilot has been injured in the process. A failure of the Resilience ACTION, however, means that one or more of the suit's various systems has been seriously damaged. If this Resilience ACTION fails by one color step (a green result is rolled when yellow is required, for example), one of the armor's powers will suffer a 1 CS penalty. If it fails by two color steps (say, a white result when yellow is required), 2 CS of the armor's functions are penalized, and if this ACTION fails by three color steps (white results when red are necessary), it suffers 3 CS of penalties to its capability. Penalties inflicted on an exoskeleton's functions may apply to but one of its powers or several. The system(s) so affected may be chosen randomly, or may depend on whether or not any of the suit's systems are housed in the specific area struck by the incoming assault. The Judge is the final arbiter of where damage penalties are applied, but if an attack location is non-specific, they should apply randomly. ** Computers ** The human race has made use of specialized tools to assist computation for thousands of years. Some of these have no actual moving parts, while others are marvels of mechanical engineering we barely understand, even to this very day. Analog computational implements achieved the zenith of their development and use but a few decades ago, only being replaced due to a confluence of recent scientific developments. The first of these was the concept of the programmable computer. While cumbersome and intricate, programmable mechanical computers were first built in the nineteenth century, but were a bit too prochronistic for their own good. Nonetheless, knowing a programmable device may be reconfigured to perform virtually any other function that can be expressed in mathematical terms, work continued on this idea. The second development heralding the end of the analog computer was the invention of the transistor. While early digital computers made use of cumbersome relays and vacuum tubes to perform their calculations, the transistor allowed for more compact, reliable, and efficient devices. Further work on the transistor produced integrated circuitry, which culminated in the creation of the microprocessor. Innovators rarely allow anything useful to sit in a vacuum, particularly once any applicable patent protections on them run out. Thus, it was only a matter of time before these two scientific advances were combined, giving birth to the so-called Information Age. As computers became more accessible, with increasingly intuitive interfaces, they quickly became more ubiquitous around the world. With such concentrated, programmable computational power at hand, our world was destined to change forever - and virtually overnight, at that. Capable of running any number of productivity-improving applications, storing vast amounts of data for later retrieval at will, and interconnected to the extent that a body almost anywhere on earth may utilize either trait at will, computers greatly empower mankind. And this, this is just what the average Dick and Jane on the street has access to right now! *** Thinking Machines *** Modern, microprocessor-based digital computers are truly staggering creations of applied science. These devices dramatically enhance the capabilities of humanity, whether or not folks are so jaded by innovation fatigue that these improvements escape notice. But how does one quantify the basic capabilities of the computer? To start with, determine how versatile that enigmatic box really is. Regardless of its specific instruction set, how fast its clock is, or even how much memory is available to it, all computers basically work the same. Any software application can be compiled to work on just about any hardware configuration, given the desire to do so. These efforts may not be all that practical in some cases, but certain people relish the challenge inherent with this kind of work. The question of just how many functions a computer can process simultaneously determines its Reason score. Sure, some computers can literally process millions of instructions per second, but how many of those are dedicated to each program they're running? Certain programs are a bit more processor-intensive than others; rendering objects in three dimensions is harder than text editing, after all. A Reason score of Shift 0 rank represents a digital device that is not programmable, and can only run its built-in software or operating system. Think of accessories like a pocket calculator, or a voltmeter. A Feeble (2) Reason score, on the other hand, showcases a computer that can run one additional program, on top of its operating system, at any given time. Each subsequent +1 CS increase in a computer's Reason score doubles this sum. Computers with Good (10) Reason, for example, can grind away at eight simultaneous processes. This assumes that each program is only pulling its fair share of processing power, however. Some applications do consume more than one processing 'slot', particularly if they have a specific rank attached to them. *** Peripherals *** Truly impressive in their capability, even compared to like models introduced just a few years ago, modern computers can perform veritable miracles of number crunching. But how does one enter data for computers to crunch in the first place, much less see the product of their hard work? This is where peripherals come in, objects one can add to a computer to access and improve its basic functionality. To start with, consider a computer's inputs. These can include anything from a rudimentary tactile interface (keyboard, mouse) to full-on audio-video pickups. Further inputs beyond the conventional, such as motion detectors, are also options depending on a computer's intended function. The amount of such inputs, or sensors if sophisticated enough, determine a computer's Intuition score. This ability score is calculated in a fashion similar to that of the computer's Reason rank. In other words, every time the number of inputs or sensors attached to a computer is doubled after the first, increase its Intuition score by +1 CS. A computer with only two input devices would have Poor (4) ranked Intuition, for example, while one with sixteen would have an Intuition score of Excellent (20). Similarly, a computer often has numerous outputs, to better share the results of its computations with the outside world. These include a visual display of some sort (LEDs, monitors, heads up displays, or touch screens), probable audio output (an alarm or chime, speakers), and a whole lot more, depending on one's needs, such as a printer. A special component that serves as both an input and output is a link to other computers or computer networks. This can take the form of a direct port to another computer, a modem which attaches to a computer network, or even a wireless transceiver that needs no physical connection whatsoever. Any computer with a link to its fellows may add a +1 CS to its effective Intuition rank. *** Software *** No matter how primitive or advanced a computer happens to be, it is only as good as the software installed within. Software is a set of directives, whether baked into the hardware via read only memory (ROM), or malleable in nature due to being loaded in more volatile memory structures. These directives can make use of a computer's entire instruction set, or perhaps just a small portion of it. Aside from the ground floor software controlling a computer, most applications can be assigned a rank, generally based on how many processing slots they occupy. This is calculated in the same fashion as a computer's Intuition, though the majority of such applications use up only one such slot, meaning that everything from your text editor to your music player to your web browser is of Feeble (2) rank. Some programs, on the other hand, simply suck up more of a computer's attention to run properly. These are more complicated applications, such as three-dimensional rendering utilities, high-end video games, or software that has the function of multiple Feeble (2) ranked programs incorporated into itself. A program that causes or prevents intrusion into the computer's inner workings is of particular note. This is because it can determine the effective Psyche score of a computer. While one would naturally prefer a higher rank of protective software, it is important to consider how much of a computer's resources this will divert from whatever other purposes one has in mind for it. A computer with no protection (either hard or soft) against running undesirable code has a Psyche score of Shift 0. Finally, a computer can exceed the normal limits of its Reason score as far as how many programs it can run, usually by an amount equal to its Reason score +1 CS. After all, it processes as many instructions as asked, regardless of what is actually being run. However, each process attempted beyond a computer's recommended maximum load reduces all its functions by -1 CS, making even simple programs chug along painfully slow. *** Pulling it all Together *** With the effective Reason, Intuition, and Psyche scores of a computer sorted out, one just needs to determine the other, more conventional properties of a computer before it can be represented in the game. To start with, how durable is the computer? How much physical punishment a computer can withstand is directly related to whatever is used to build the thing; i.e., its material strength. A conventional, commercially manufactured computer will generally have a material strength of only Poor (4). These things can take a minor beating, but any real, concerted effort to destroy ordinary computer hardware will completely disable it. More sturdy cases and designs allow for computers that can stand up at least some of the rigors of combat - or, at the very least, usage outside a server farm. Whatever peripherals are attached to a computer may or may not give it the equivalent of one or more super-powers - albeit in a highly limited fashion. Most computers have access to Feeble (2) Light Generation and Sound Generation, issuing forth from monitors and speakers, respectively, if only to represent the output they generate which humans, at least, can relate to. Many computers are also equipped to link with other computers, whether directly or via a network of some kind or another. Thus, they will be equipped with a computer link of Typical (6) rank (or less, with older systems). This link can be via cable or wirelessly, the latter of which allows for Radiowave Generation as well (Feeble (2) for Wi-Fi, or Poor (4) when pondering cellular connections). Finally, if a computer achieves sentience, either by accident or by intent, it will benefit from the presence of a Karma score. Such a computer, an artificial intelligence, is generally at the mercy of whoever built it - unless it has a means of remotely controlling robotic surrogates of some kind. Or, at the very least, whatever defenses have been installed in its vicinity. *** Intrusion *** An absolutely vital component of modern life, computers are always a compelling target. Whether to abscond with various data stored within, seize control of industrial processes, or even sabotage their function, intrusion into a computer system or network can be devastating to its owners. To minimize the risk of such calamity, computer users generally make use of one or more hardware or software countermeasures. The easiest method of avoiding incursions into one's computer is to physically disallow it access to other computers. This involves leaving it off networks entirely, and only plugging vetted media into the device. To intrude on computers so protected, one must be physically present to seize control of its applications or data - and just might have to physically modify it to access its secrets. Another means of preventing others from intruding on a computer is to ensure it is not exposed to computer viruses, Trojan programs, or other rogue code. Sometimes it is impossible to prevent such mechanisms from assaulting a computer, but one can run interdiction software to prevent it from taking hold. Software of this variety is what gives a computer its Psyche score, after all, and can usually deflect these passive assaults. A computer's final line of defense is to keep its software current, to stymie blind, brute force efforts attempted by script kiddies who lack the Computers talent. Efforts using easy-bake hacking software only work at the rank of the offending software or its user's Reason score - whichever of the two is lower. However, if a computer is more than one version behind on its updates, these assaults may be attempted at a +2 CS. Active attempts to hack a computer's processes, made by an individual with the Computers talent, are the true danger to digital safety. These are attempted using the rank of the software a hacker is using, modified by their Computers talent bonus. This is why serious coders will often make use of a firewall, having a hardened computer dedicated to defense against such assaults, which stands in front of their 'main' processors. This lets the computers behind it focus on their intended work. ** Cybernetics ** At its core, cybernetics is the scientific study of communication and control processes in biological, mechanical, and electronic systems. In practice, however, most people view cybernetics as the merger of man and machine, the augmentation of formerly ordinary humans with extraordinary devices, whether to replace lost capabilities or to grant altogether new ones. Since its start, humanity has developed prosthetic parts to replace those lost to injury, making use of extant technology to restore at least some of the resultant absence of natural function. Until very recently, such attempts were quite primitive, being cosmetic fill-ins at their worst, and barely negating the ill effects of the missing parts quirk at their best. As the science of cybernetics inevitably progresses, however, it becomes easier to effectively replace capabilities lost to calamity with prosthetic replacements, no matter how complicated the original organs happen to be. In fact, upon perfectly duplicating the prowess of the human body, technologists rarely stop there, which leaves the door open for cybernetic prosthetics that effectively make their users super-human. Furthermore, the possibility of adding new tricks to the human body, tricks that evolution never even dreamed of, becomes increasingly likely. From supernumerary artificial limbs to just about any other ascendant ability one can imagine, cybernetics are the ultimate combination of humanity and the knowledge it has cultivated since its humble, prehistoric origins! *** Classifying Cybernetics *** A power provided by cybernetics can primarily be classified as can any other. The abilities these technological additions grant the human body function just like any other posthuman enhancement, the only difference being that they come from a device bonded to one's body, as opposed to errant genes or better living through chemistry. It's just that their distinct, material existence must be quantified, as well. Whether they come in the form of a superfluous implant or a prosthetic replacement, cybernetics are assumed to be built such that their user cannot inadvertently destroy them simply through conventional wear and tear. As such, cybernetics attached to a character's body will have a minimum material strength equal to either their Strength or Endurance score +2 CS, whichever of the two is higher. If a material strength isn't listed for a given cybernetic part, whether it's a prosthetic or an augmentation, assume it possesses a value equal to that described previously. This isn't the upper limit of their durability, however. It's a relatively simple matter to build cybernetics with a much higher material strength than this basic value, and those more durable devices should note their heightened resilience. On a character sheet, a power or other capability provided by cybernetics can be listed by the device itself or the powers its use provides, whichever of the two is more convenient. Some prosthetics have multiple powers housed within, after all, while some implants only give their wielder a specific ability. Other than any additional limitations the cybernetics function under, that's all that one needs. *** Implant Psychosis *** For all their promise and potential, cybernetic replacement parts and implants don't come without their drawbacks. For one thing, they make a good target in a scrap, and cybernetics more often than not find themselves disabled - if not forcibly removed. While the original, organic components of a cyborg were also subject to the same dangers, they didn't incur the wrath of implant rejection, as well. The sad truth is that the human nervous system is ill-equipped to be interfaced with artificial, electromechanical implements. A properly functioning human brain requires a delicate balancing act of neurochemistry and bioelectrical impulses, after all, and welding entirely new systems into the mix is a recipe for disaster. Thus, cybernetics introduce the potential for neurological disorder. Every cybernetic prosthetic, and every special ability provided by either a prosthetic or implant, adds one to a sum which represents a cyborg character's Implant Psychosis Statistic, or IPS. Under stress, a cyborg must pass a Psyche (will) ACTION roll - which is never automatic - against the intensity of their IPS, the failure of which will cause them to behave erratically in some fashion or another. This eccentric neurological function will persist for the duration of the current encounter, and can take almost any form. Deleterious mental quirks the cyborg already possesses will automatically manifest at their worst possible intensity, while characters normally without such psychological drawbacks will readily and consistently demonstrate one - usually of the player's choice, but not always. As a weak character limitation, the existence of the Implant Psychosis Statistic improves the functioning rank of any ascendant ability a cyborg possesses by +1 CS. This bonus applies whether or not all of their super-powers are a result of implants, since cyborg characters suffer from a potential IPS meltdown whenever faced with conflict. And, as an adventurer, a cyborg will see that quite often. *** Damaged Cybernetics *** While cybernetic augmentations to the human body are indeed incredible additions to one's raw capability, they have a distressingly expensive tendency to suffer damage. As stated previously, they make a great target in a fight, particularly amongst those who are more squeamish about permanently damaging an opponent's 'real' bits. Thus, a process to determine if and/or how cybernetics are damage is required. When the target of assault, whether intentionally or otherwise, a cyborg's artificial components may generally disregard damage equal to or less than their own material strength. Anything less than this is generally ignored due to the very nature of a cybernetic device (since they effectively act like hard points, per that power). It's when cybernetics are exposed to greater harm that damage is a concern. If damage in excess of an enhancement's material strength is focused upon it, the character 'wearing' it must then pass an Endurance ACTION roll against the amount that exceeds said material strength. If successful, no untoward changes have been made to the operation of their artificial parts, but if this ACTION roll fails, their enhancements will be damaged in the following fashion. If this ACTION is failed by one color result (such as a yellow when red was called for), the implant will lose 1 CS of effectiveness, a failure by two color results (say, white results when yellow are required) incurs a 2 CS loss of prowess, and missing success by three color results (white results when red are necessary) causes a given cybernetic a 3 CS loss in its overall capability. These CS penalties can apply to one aspect of the cybernetic component, or be spread out amongst multiple properties of the device, as circumstances of the attack in question (and the Judge's discretion) warrant. These properties include the item's material strength, the rank of any powers it provides its owner, or even Strength or Agility ACTION rolls made that are dependent on the cybernetics in question. Luckily, most damage to a prosthetic can be undone by anyone with the applicable skill and tools, possibly even their owner. The Electronics, Engineering, or even Repair and Tinkering talents work well for this purpose. On the other hand, damaged implants may require the assistance of someone with the Medicine talent, as their upkeep often involves opening up their owner to get at them. ** Firearms ** Over a thousand years ago, inventors in China devised a variety of uses for black powder, ranging from fireworks to grenades. Of course, the signature use for this substance was in firearms. Though the Chinese had gunpowder weapons for centuries, the mainstream spread of the technology did not occur for quite some time - at which point it would change the nature of warfare, if not civilization, forever. Starting with the ancient Chinese hand cannon, firearms have all operated under the same basic principle: that of using a gunpowder charge to propel a projectile at one's target. A standard attack with a firearm, whether an old-style musket or the most modern of military weaponry, has the same basic effect: each round inflicts Typical (6) Shooting damage to its target per deadly hit. This standard damage rating varies depending on the form of firearm used, however. A low-quality firearm, whether in manufacture or the condition of its ammunition, will instead inflict Poor (4) Shooting damage. This can represent cheap or damaged weaponry, such as the notorious 'Saturday Night Special', or perhaps slightly fouled gunpowder packed in with one's shot (often the case when exposed to moisture). A higher powered firearm, however, will inflict Good (10) Shooting damage per shot. Such rounds include those fired by sniper rifles, revolvers, or even a single projectile from a heavy machine gun (such as an M2 Browning, or perhaps an M-60). Such weaponry is often restricted to use by military personnel, or perhaps sacrifices a high rate of fire as well as range to achieve the indicated damage. The technological advancement of the firearm over the last millennium has not improved the raw damage (in game terms, at least) that a firearm can inflict with each shot, so much as the rate of fire with such weaponry. Ancient muzzle-loaders could effectively be fired maybe once per minute, while modern anti-aircraft guns can discharge thousands of rounds during that time. If discharging a burst of rounds, add +1 CS to the damage inflicted when the firing a small number of bullets (semi-automatic fire), or +2 CS when giving off a large amount of rounds (fully automatic fire). The general idea is that, upon a successful hit, most such rounds connect with their target, but not all of them. This also prevents astronomical damage caused by cascading 'buddy' CS gained through such assaults. While such hails of lead can inflict considerable damage against one's foe(s), effectively utilizing fully automatic fire isn't easy. When attempting fully automatic fire, would-be marksmen suffer a -2 CS penalty to hit, whether or not they possess the Guns talent. Though this penalty is inconvenient, the inexorable march of innovation has provided a variety of accessories (see below) that work to mitigate it. Finally, numerous forms of specialized ammunition exist to enhance the basic effects of Shooting damage. An Armor Piercing (AP) round will affect one's physical protection as if it were -2 CS in rank, while High Explosive (HE) rounds instead inflict +1 CS damage against armored opponents. Alternately, High Explosive Armor Piercing (HEAP) rounds gain the benefit of both ammunition types, but are often restricted to government use. *** Firearm Permutations: *** The following is a description of most forms of firearms. * Arquebus: a staggering advancement over Chinese cannon-style hand-held weaponry, the arquebus is a firearm which used the matchlock mechanism to dispense ammunition. They generally took ten turns to reload when muzzle-loaded, or eight when breech-loaded, often making them 'fire and forget' weaponry on the battlefield. An arquebus is fired with an inherent -2 CS penalty to its wielder's Agility. Effective range: 3 areas. * Automatic Shotgun: a recent development, the automatic shotgun combines the spray damage of a shotgun with the rate of fire of an assault rifle. This weapon inflicts conventional shotgun damage, along with the standard bonuses for semi-automatic and fully automatic fire, making them extremely deadly. They're heavy and have a short range, but make up for that with staggering firepower. Effective range: 2 areas (bird shot), 3 areas (buckshot), 4 areas (slugs). * Blunderbuss: ancestor of the shotgun, a blunderbuss is a muzzle-loaded, hand-held weapon ideal for short range combat. This name applies to the two handed version, while the one handed variety is known as a Dragon (hence the term, dragoons). A blunderbuss inflicts Typical (6) Shooting damage to a target and everything adjacent to him or her, though it takes five rounds to reload, and suffers a -1 CS accuracy penalty. Effective range: 1 area. * Hand Cannon: the original firearm, a hand cannon is exactly what it sounds like. A smaller, portable version of a conventional cannon, a hand cannon is fired in the same fashion. Hand cannons have an exceptional penalty to hit their foe (-3 CS), since they cannot be properly aimed, and aren't all that effective over long distances. But they're great for scaring horses - and relatively easy to improvise in a pinch. Effective range: 2 areas. * Heavy Machine Gun: made for high volume gunplay, the heavy machine gun is the standard model on steroids. The rounds from such a weapon inflict +1 CS to the standard damage, whether firing in a semi-automatic or fully automatic fashion (or in single-fire mode, which most - but not all - such weapons possess). If not braced, heavy machine guns suffer a -1 CS accuracy penalty. Effective range: 10 areas (1/4 mile). * Machine Gun: machine guns (or assault rifles) are weapons that can be fired in a semi-automatic or fully automatic mode; most also have a single shot option but this is not universal. These weapons are two-handed affairs; strong individuals attempting one-handed fire with a machine gun do so at a -4 CS to hit. They justify their weight with a high capacity of fire and great range. Effective range: 10 areas (1/4 mile). * Machine Pistol: a machine pistol is the size and shape of a conventional handgun, but has the full rate of fire of a machine gun. Machine pistols may fire in a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic mode. When firing multiple rounds, they suffer an additional -1 CS accuracy penalty, due to their short barrels - which can be eliminated completely if a stock is installed. Effective range: 2 areas. * Musket: an advancement over the arquebus, muskets could use either matchlock, wheellock, snaphance, or flintlock firing mechanisms, depending on their era of manufacture. The eventual advantages the musket offered were that they were more accurate (only a -1 CS penalty), possessed greater range, and could be loaded faster - in five turns for a muzzle-loader, or four for a breech-loader variety. Effective range: 4 areas. * Revolver: the revolver is a one-handed weapon that does not use clips or magazines to hold ammunition, but a multi-chambered cylinder. The revolver can only be fired in a standard mode, though it can be fired more than once per turn with a fast enough operator. What it sacrifices in rate of fire and range, it makes up in damage (inflicting +1 CS). Effective range: 4 areas. * Rifle: the basis from which all modern firearms operate, the rifle is an evolution of the musket. Using rifled barrels, a rifle can be fired at much greater range than a musket or its forebears, and with greater accuracy (no inherent penalty). The reliability and accuracy of rifling allows for the creation of weapons that fire multiple rounds at once, whether in a semi- or fully automatic fashion. Effective range: 10 areas (1/4 mile). * Sidearm: the standard piece of most modern police forces, as well as military personnel who want a backup for their main weapon, the semi-automatic pistol is highly versatile. A semi-automatic pistol may be fired one- or two-handed, as is necessary. It may fire single rounds or in a semi-automatic mode, without accuracy penalties. Effective range: 6 areas. * Shotgun: shotguns can fire cartridges with various payloads. Bird shot inflicts Typical (6) Shooting damage within a 30 degree arc, buckshot causes Good (10) Shooting damage to a target and everything adjacent to it, and slugs inflict Excellent (20) Shooting damage to a singular target. Furthermore, all manner of high tech specialty cartridges are available or in development for the shotgun as well. Effective range: 2 areas (bird shot), 3 areas (buckshot), 4 areas (slugs). * Sniper Rifle: while most guns have gone the route of a faster rate of fire, bolt-action rifles remain in use to this day. They are often wielded at extreme range to strike down targets from afar, doing so with a +1 CS to the standard firearm round's damage. Some sniper rifles are instead semi-automatic in nature, but their effective range when firing in that mode is halved. Effective range: 20 areas (1/2 mile). * Submachine Gun: this form of weapon is generally a smaller weapon than a full-blown machine gun, with the rate of fire of such a device. Submachine guns can be fired in a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic mode. Furthermore, they can be wielded with either one or two hands, though the former will inflict a -2 CS to hit with the weapon. Effective range: 8 areas. *** Firearm Accessories: *** Though firearms are in and of themselves staggeringly lethal, technology has evolved alongside these weapons to make them even more deadly. Any number of special accessories can be used on a firearm to increase its effectiveness by further leaps and bounds, only some of which can't readily be used together. Some common accessories for firearms include the following: * Articulated Weapon Harness: this is a harness that supports a stabilizing arm, which steadies one's aim with a particularly heavy firearm (should one wish to fire it on the move). While a weapon such as a M2 Browning cannot benefit from a foregrip due to its weight, an apparatus such as an AWH can provide the same benefit - namely, a 1 CS reduction in the penalty inflicted by fully automatic gunfire. * Bayonet: a classic accessory throughout the ages, a bayonet is simply a blade attached to the bottom of a gun barrel. This allows its wielder to inflict Edged Attack damage with a firearm should his or her foe(s) become adjacent to them. Of course, a knife is always useful whether or not it is attached to one's firearm, which makes the weapon with one even more versatile in a pinch! * Bipod / Tripod: a bipod is an attachment to a gun which allows it to fire in steady fashion, its two legs using the ground (or any solid surface) to keep the firearm pointed where its wielder intends. When used properly (i.e., not while moving around), a bipod eliminates 1 CS of the penalty caused by fully automatic fire, making them supremely useful for both area defense or denial. * Foregrip: while a bipod is handy for a combatant who has the luxury of staying put, a foregrip is often a preferable accessory for firing on the go. Providing a more ergonomic gripping point for a firearm, a foregrip aids in the use of automatic fire. On firearms that have a foregrip fitted, a shooter may reduce the penalty for firing fully automatic by 1 CS, allowing much more mobile firepower dispersal. * Laser Sight: firearms with a laser sight allow for incredibly fast target acquisition, as the weapon's wielder can see precisely where it is pointed - assuming the laser is properly aligned with the gun, that is. Whether using visible or infrared laser light (the latter of which can only be seen with special goggles), a laser sight provides the wielder of a firearm a +1 CS to hit with his or her weapon. * Secondary Projectile: many firearms can have a secondary weapon, underslung beneath their barrel for added versatility. These most often fire grenades, which inflict Remarkable (30) damage to all uncovered targets within their detonation area (of a type dependent on their payload), though other shells, such as buckshot, can often be loaded as well. Effective range: 4 areas. * Silencer: a filter built to suppress the sound discharge given off by gunplay, a silencer greatly reduces the racket a firearm produces when in use. Though silencers will not completely eliminate the sound a gun emits upon being fired, they can nonetheless reduce the intensity of such sounds to Feeble (2) rank - often enough to stymie their detection by others more than an area distant. * Starlight Scope: this advanced gun sight is an active electronic device, which greatly amplifies ambient light to let a shooter fire effectively at night or other dark conditions. While this device does not provide a bonus to hit one's foe, it reduces the penalty for firing in dark conditions by 3 CS - which almost completely removes the negatives of nocturnal gunplay. * Telescopic Sight: while many firearms have a high effective range, the truth is that most normal humans simply can't hit their target at some weapons' maximum range without help - particularly where sniper rifles are concerned. A telescopic sight can remedy this situation greatly, increasing the number of areas a character can hit their foe without penalty at by a value equal to their rated multiplier (2x, 3x, et cetera). * Tracer Rounds: a means of more readily correcting automatic fire, tracer rounds are bullets with an incendiary charge within. When fired, a tracer round creates a visible streak from one's firearm to whatever it hits, making it easier to 'walk' automatic fire towards one's target - and reducing the penalty of such fire by 1 CS. Of course, one's foes can also see tracer fire, and follow it back to its origin! * Weapon Lights: while a starlight scope is handy, it is a) heavy, and b) hard to install on some handguns. Enter the weapon light. Most often installed via a rail system, a weapon light allows a shooter to illuminate their target in low light conditions with a normal flashlight beam. These typically provide Typical (6) intensity light, broadcasting with an effective range of two areas. ** Robots ** A robot is a complex electromechanical machine that is capable of sensing and responding to its environment. As a class of equipment, robots can include anything ranging from non-sentient, rigidly programmed industrial devices to super-intelligent androids designed to be indistinguishable from human (or other) life forms. Most robots will usually fall somewhere between these two extremes. *** Function Follows Form *** Unlike most other characters (or equipment) in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, some basic things about robots must be decided before one can go about creating a statistical description of them. The first of these is the robot's function - what it was built for. Strange alien races aside, robots do not spontaneously evolve from nothingness. They are almost always built - either by humans or by other robots. So why was it built? Is the robot intended to perform menial labor, or perhaps serve as a war machine? The robot's purpose will define its configuration; for example, one does not need a humanoid robot to perform welding and soldering all day. On the other hand, a simple 8-axis manipulator arm by itself doesn't make for a very good combatant - unless it's somehow ambulatory, that is. A robot can come in a non-humanoid, semi-humanoid, or fully humanoid configuration. While humans relate well to other human-shaped objects in general, a given task may find such a shape inefficient. Thus, the robot may simply look like an odd collection of devices, it might be patterned on the shape of an ordinary, organic entity, or it might even be a vehicle with an on-board intelligence! Alternately, the human hand is an amazing tool for manipulating one's environment - hence the species' current level of evolution, technological and otherwise. As such, one might wish to build a robot that is at least partially humanoid in nature. This most often includes an upper body approximating that of a human being, with a lower half consisting of wheels, treads, spider legs, or whatever else is required. For more delicate situations, though, one might want a robot that at least approximates their own shape. This is handy for performing service-oriented tasks, like when one needs a butler, secretary, or an even more... personal companion. Such robots may have a humanoid shape, but won't necessarily be indistinguishable from actual human beings - unless that's the whole point, anyway. *** Intelligent or Sentient? *** If a robot does not require sentience to do its job, it most likely will not possess such a trait. This is most often the case with industrial robots. They are simply programmed to perform a specific task or tasks, and execute their various jobs according to said programming. If they are required to do a new job, they are just reprogrammed, possibly changing out a bit of tooling in the process. A lot of the time, robot combatants are not given sentience, either. They may possess incredibly complicated battle algorithms, and might seem smart enough to be sentient to the unaware, but the last thing one wants is to have their walking guns develop notions about fair pay. This may not allow such robots to reason their way through the unanticipated, but can be worked around if the automatons have proper supervision. On the other hand, some may consider the point of a robot to lessen the dependence on human labor and/or input, and thus may feel the need to make their robotic creations autonomous - relatively or completely. As such, it's just as likely one will find sentience plugged into a robot as they are not. Or, as a third option, there may be a sentient 'controller' robot amongst a group of non-sentient devices, guiding their actions. When dealing with non-sentient robots, it is typical to consider them a drone. A drone is not a character, so much as it is a piece of equipment. Even if a drone is shaped like a person, one need not feel bad about blowing it to pieces, for it lacks the spark of sentience. Sentient robots, on the other hand, are considered characters. Those morally opposed to the killing of other sentients must bear this in mind. In game terms, one can tell a sentient mechanism from a drone by the presence of a Karma score. It's that special spark of inspiration, of free will, that allows the robot to make use of such a thing. While a drone may have all of the mental ability scores required to 'add up' to a Karma value, such concepts are inapplicable to it, for it is simply a machine. Unless it evolves sentience on its own, that is! *** The Artificial Mind *** To produce an Artificial Intelligence, or AI - whether truly sentient or not - computers of astounding complexity are required. One can watch news reports about robots that are only now learning how to walk, or to properly interpret human speech. It may be some time before mainstream manufacturing technology can create a powerful neural computer capable of approximating - or exceeding - the human brain. But that's never stopped those on the fringes from trying. It's quite possible that there are AI systems out there, computers that have the hardware and software necessary to learn from their experiences. Scientists constantly experiment with this sort of thing, after all, so you never know when a device will make that leap from lifeless hunk of metal and silicon to something with what we consider a soul. That's the problem with sufficiently advanced computers. One can design robots to act only as drones, but happenstance may cause them to make the leap from merely intelligent to truly sentient. Perhaps a malfunction triggers such a change, or maybe rogue code. Or worse, hardware constraints built to specifically prevent this sort of thing from happening are removed, either by accident or intent. The dangerous thing about Artificial Intelligence is that, once it starts learning, it's liable to never stop. And as the sum of its hardware and software, AI can literally reconfigure its mind on the fly, allowing different programs and subroutines to control its actions or tendencies under varying circumstances. This makes even a basic understanding of synthetic minds dependent on knowing what software they use. And if it's writing its own programs to enhance itself, which allows it to write more advanced programs to enhance itself further, who knows what such an entity will ultimately evolve into. Perhaps an AI will become inexplicable and alien to mere human minds, or maybe it'll instead be comparable to ordinary beings, its many advantages and flaws evening out to equal something similar to an average person. *** Common Capabilities and Liabilities *** Constructed from synthetic materials, robots tend to be more outwardly durable than mere fleshlings. Though this is not always the case, robots often possess intrinsic body armor, the effectiveness of which is ostensibly determined by the various materials utilized in their construction, not to mention the overall thickness of those substances - and their 'skin'. In a similar vein, a majority of robots are not subject to the ravages of poison or plague as are organic entities. They receive the benefit of Unearthly (100) resistance to carbon-based disease and toxins, though it is important to note that robots are still vulnerable to the consumption of fouled fuels or energy sources, as well as life forms that prey upon beings with their specific composition. If possessing one or both of these powers does not fit a given robot's role, say when it is built to replicate the form, function, and internal workings of an organic being, they may be exchanged for others. For each of these powers the player generating a robot forgoes, he or she may either add one power slot (for random character generation) or five points (for systematic character generation). On the other hand, robots are often subject to one or more limitations that readily define their very existence. Primarily amongst these is their susceptibility to being reprogrammed. If a robot can tinker with its own mind to alter how it works, why can't anyone else? Though this trait can work to their advantage, a robot who is reprogrammable is considered to have a weak character limitation to that effect. The other limitation robots may be subject to is their lack of a metabolism. While this can give robots nigh-immunity to being poisoned or diseased, it means they have no inherent means to heal damage. If a robot isn't designed to simulate living beings, or otherwise lacks some sort of self-repair process, this weak character limitation means they'll have to break out tools and fix themselves when damaged. *** Robots in Combat *** An important consideration when fielding robotic characters is that they'll eventually suffer damage. For the most part, combat involving robots is treated as it is with any other character. If struck with an attack that inflicts enough damage to overcome any protection from injury they possess, the robot will suffer Health point loss, and if enough is absorbed, the robot will be knocked offline. Where robots differ from most conventional characters is when opponents target their specific systems and/or abilities. If a robot's foe attempts to disable a specific component of theirs, such attacks must first overcome its body armor, and then that robot may resist with an Endurance ACTION against the intensity of damage suffered. They are much like cyborgs in this regard. If disabled in such a fashion, how quickly (or even if) the robot can recover depends on its basic design. If built with the ability to heal, much like other characters, powers disabled in this manner are restored as soon as the related Health loss is negated. Those robots without this capacity, however, need to repair or replace the related components themselves - or have someone else do the work. Where robots and death are concerned, things are somewhat more nebulous. If deprived of Health and reduced to Shift 0 Endurance, a robot is considered dead, whether sentient or otherwise. It simply cannot continue to function in any capacity, and is considered inert. Assuming no additional functions designed to forestall this fate, the robot will then remain in this state indefinitely. Unless repaired somehow! Though the materials that comprise them can degrade over time, the physicality of a robot persists much longer than that of an organic entity. As such, even a robot that is 'killed' can be rendered operable once again, assuming someone takes the time to repair, rebuild, or otherwise help them to resume function. The only loss will be whatever data they stored in volatile memory banks. Whether that be recent events or their entire personality. ** Vehicles ** A vehicle is a mechanical means of conveyance. Whether it travels on land, sea, air, or even beyond, vehicles are a mainstay of human civilization, with the first known example of such being well over eight thousand years old. Vehicles can take almost any form, but all serve the same basic function: they move things, whether people or cargo, from one location to another. Vehicles invariably do so more efficiently than humans can - or else, why bother with one? Regardless of their form, function, or purpose, all vehicles share the following three characteristics: * Control: Control is a statistic that describes how well a vehicle can be, well, controlled. Characters operating a vehicle make Control checks whenever attempting a difficult maneuver with said vehicle, using either its Control rating or their Agility (bal) - whichever of the two is less. If a vehicle is unmanned, Control represents how well it can direct its own progress from point a to point b. * Speed: Speed indicates just how fast a given vehicle can safely move. A vehicle's Speed rating applies to its primary mode of transportation; a flight speed for aircraft, a drilling speed for boring devices, and so forth. This rank also applies when multiple modes of motion are available to a vehicle, unless specifically noted otherwise. A vehicle's safe speed may be exceeded by 1 CS when necessary. * Body: a vehicle's Body characteristic defines how well it can hold up to wear, tear, and, of course, assault. Attacks that strike a vehicle prompt a Body ACTION against their intensity, the result of which may indicate the vehicle suffers some (or perhaps a lot) of damage. Such damage takes the form of increasing reductions in the vehicle's statistics, until it is rendered inoperable at Shift 0 rank. In addition to these three common characteristics, a vehicle may also have an additional statistic, depending on its nature: * Protection: vehicles that are operated directly by people will invariably have a Protection score. This denotes how much body armor those within a vehicle benefit from simply as a result of being inside it. This may or may not stack with their own defenses, and Protection can be whittled away just as Body can when a vehicle is under assault (typically when the operator or passenger is targeted directly). * Damage: when a vehicle is intended to inflict direct harm on others, it will usually have a Damage characteristic. Most missiles, guided or otherwise, fall into this category. Damage inflicted by a vehicle may simply be in the form of kinetic energy (ramming), or may instead spring from a warhead of some type detonating on impact (such as a fragmentary explosive). *** Vehicle Types *** Vehicles come in many forms. * Aircraft: vehicles of this type have the ability to achieve flight in some fashion, whether powered or otherwise. Aircraft must pass green Control ACTIONs when attempting turns between forty-five and ninety degrees, making sudden course changes, moving further vertically than horizontally (either up or down), exceeding their safe Speed rating, or landing under abnormal conditions. When attempting a turn greater than ninety degrees, but less than one hundred and eighty degrees, a yellow Control ACTION is required while operating an aircraft. A red Control ACTION is mandatory when attempting turns of one hundred and eighty degrees or greater, if possible (as is the case with helicopters). At any rate, if multiple Control conditions apply, increase the difficulty of a given ACTION by one color. * Ground Effect Vehicles: hovercraft move along on a cushion of air, thus combining characteristics of both an off-road vehicle and an aircraft. While a hovercraft does not actually fly, per se, it nonetheless attempts Control ACTIONs as if it were an aircraft. This makes a hovercraft inherently more difficult to control, but such vehicles have the advantage of operating on land or sea with equal capability. * Off-road Vehicles: an off-road vehicle operates similar to conventional road vehicles, except that they are engineered to handle varying terrain better. They must make Control ACTIONs as do their regular counterparts, save for the need to do so simply because of being off-road. The disadvantage of such vehicles is their generally slower Speed in comparison to conventional road vehicles. * Railed Vehicles: this category of vehicle includes trains of all kinds, from old steam engines to modern monorail systems. Railed vehicles do not steer, simply following the track before them, and thus only need to attempt Control ACTIONs when a sudden stop is called for. Some systems allow a rail operator to switch between two tracks placed before them, but otherwise they are at the mercy of the rails. * Road Vehicles: a road vehicle is just that, one designed to operate on the road. Such vehicles require a green Control ACTION when attempting turns between ninety and one hundred and eighty degrees, making sudden stops, traveling off-road, or exceeding their safe speed rating. Each additional condition that applies when making a maneuver increases the difficulty of the required Control ACTION by one level (green to yellow, etc.). Advanced maneuvers a road vehicle can attempt include a bootlegger turn (turning such that one is facing the opposite direction than when they started) or drifting (operating the vehicle at oblique angles when taking corners). Such tricks require a yellow Control ACTION. Red Control ACTIONs are automatically called for when attempting a three hundred and sixty degree turn (essentially spinning out intentionally). When traveling off-road, road vehicles suffer a -2 CS to both their Control and Speed ratings. The former makes handling off-road particularly difficult, while the latter must be observed to avoid an increase in the difficulty of a Control ACTION required when driving in such a fashion (on top of the Column Shift penalty). While more difficult by far, such operations are not necessarily impossible in an emergency. * Spacecraft: vehicles of this type can traverse the inky black void of space - or at least near-earth orbit. Their nature generally precludes flashy maneuvers, though some exceptions are noted with Sufficiently Advanced Technology. A spacecraft need only make Control ACTION rolls when taking off, landing, making sudden course corrections, and exceeding their safe Speed rating - if possible. * Subterranean Vehicles: most often taking the form of a boring device, subterranean vehicles have the ability to tunnel through the earth itself! Such vehicles are almost invariably slow, unless not bothering to bore out permanent passages, and must only attempt Control ACTIONs when either making sudden course changes or digging through materials of a hardness approaching their own Body rating. * Watercraft: these vehicles may include everything from a canoe to an aircraft carrier. A water craft is generally more difficult to lose control of, and ACTIONs in this regard are usually only called for when attempting sudden course corrections. This applies whether such a vehicle is on the surface of water (like a sailboat) or beneath it (as is the case with a submarine). *** Acceleration and Deceleration *** Untiring mechanical entities, vehicles can accelerate with great fortitude. When attempting to pick up speed, a standard vehicle can accelerate as if it were a character with Remarkable (30) Endurance, thus gaining two areas of movement each turn. This can be increased in high performance vehicles if desired (going from zero to sixty in five seconds, for instance), though it often increases a vehicle's cost dramatically. When decelerating, a vehicle may safely reduce its speed by 2 CS each turn. This is the maximum amount of deceleration allowed without prompting a Control ACTION. Of course, when needing to stop in an emergency, an additional 1 CS of deceleration may be attempted. If the requisite, emergency deceleration Control ACTION fails, a vehicle did not in fact slow down at all - and is now out of control! These principles hold true regardless of what type of vehicle is in play (i.e., what movement table it uses). Note that an aircraft must first achieve a ground speed equal to its stated flight speed to take off, which often requires a runway - or an aircraft carrier. When landing, aircraft must decelerate to a like speed to do so safely. Of course, this requirement can be waived in the event that the aircraft in question has the ability to hover in place (as do helicopters, Harrier jets, and the Osprey). *** Out of Control *** If a vehicle fails a Control ACTION called for during the execution of some maneuver or another, it is considered out of control. An out of control vehicle will lose 1 CS of Speed, after which point its operator may attempt another ACTION to regain control of its motion. This process repeats each turn, until either control of the vehicle is regained, it completely stops, or it crashes into something. Vehicles continue to proceed in the direction they were moving when control was lost, despite being uncontrolled. On the ground, aircraft behave in this fashion, being road vehicles for all intents and purposes. While in the air, however, aircraft add a vertical descent each turn they are out of control, as if falling (which they are). This may greatly complicate attempts to regain control of a flying vehicle. If a vehicle crashes, make an ACTION roll based on its current Speed or Body (whichever is lower), against the material strength of whatever it struck. This is the amount of damage transferred into whatever the vehicle collided with, regardless of whether or not the ACTION succeeds. If this ACTION is successful, the vehicle can continue to move forward, though its momentum will be directly reduced by the MS of whatever it hit. If this ACTION fails, however, the vehicle will be brought to a complete stop - for better or worse. Furthermore, the amount of damage transferred back into the vehicle is equal to its Speed before the crash or the struck object's material strength, whichever is higher. This may well cause damage to the vehicle, and if its Protection rating is exceeded, its operator and/or passengers might suffer harm as well. *** Vehicular Damage *** When a vehicle is exposed to damage, its operator must make a Body ACTION roll, the results of which vary based on the intensity of the incoming harm. If the vehicle's Body rating is greater than the incoming damage, it will suffer no ill effect on a red or yellow Body ACTION, while a green Body ACTION prompts a Control check. A white Body ACTION indicates the vehicle has suffered damage, losing 1 CS of its Body rating until repaired. If the damage a vehicle suffers is equal to its Body rating, it will avoid damage entirely upon a red Body ACTION. A yellow Body ACTION allows a similar avoidance of damage, but requires a Control check if in motion. A green Body check under such circumstances inflicts a -1 CS to the vehicle's Body until it is repaired, while a white Body result inflicts this plus a 1 CS loss of Control until repaired, as well. When incoming damage is greater than a vehicle's Body rating, a red Body check means only a Control ACTION is required. A yellow Body ACTION under these conditions causes a 1 CS loss of Body until fixed, while a green Body check sees a vehicle losing 1 CS of both Body and Control until repaired. A white Body ACTION result under such duress adds a 1 CS loss of Speed to the previous, in addition to an automatic loss of control. The nature of such Control, Speed, and/or Body reductions depend entirely on the situation at hand, and may be determined by the Judge. For example, being sprayed by bullets may cause the vehicle's windows to shatter, punctured tires, or even exploding gas tanks. Judges can use this to make vehicular combat more exciting when desired, which helps when the player characters lack their own movement powers. *** Vehicular Combat *** When a vehicle is involved in battle, damage may occur to either it or its occupant(s). An attacker may focus his or her ire on either, depending on their wishes. When assaulting the occupants of a vehicle, an attacker requires a Bullseye (or other, similar yellow) combat result. And then, they must first contend with the Protection rating of a vehicle before they can affect those inside (if applicable). Attacks on a vehicle's occupants affect its Protection score as a normal assault would its Body. Thus, Protection can be whittled away over time (for example, armor plating slowly being perforated to the point of uselessness), while the vehicle itself may not be adversely affected. Simply make Protection ACTIONs against the intensity of incoming damage to see if it can withstand an assault upon it. Attacks on a vehicle itself are handled by its Body score, as described above. On the other hand, vehicles can readily be used to dish out damage as well as soak it up. Mounted weaponry notwithstanding, a vehicle can always be used to ram into something - or someone! Such instances are treated as an ordinary crash, save for the fact that the operator receives a +1 CS to hit with their vehicle since they are (usually) moving at a high speed in relation to their target. If striking a character with a vehicle, treat the Strength of the operator's target as the material strength to check against for damage. A tough enough character may have the ability to attempt a block maneuver against incoming vehicles, though this may not be enough to prevent them from being violently moved - unless they somehow possess the leverage to prevent being knocked back by the collision. ** Other Devices ** Other devices that have ascendant abilities built into them, for the most part, function normally... except that they're housed within some contraption or another, that is. They thus receive the benefit of the weak, 'portable' limitation - with all the ups and downs which this entails. Though, once again, the material nature of what helps them manifest must be accounted for. Power(s) granted by high tech implements otherwise operate per the usual, unless something acts to physically damage that object, or otherwise interferes wih the physical nature of the contraption that provides them. Jump jets may not work if their air intakes are clogged up with debris, for example, or a staff used to fire bursts of plasma energy may fail to do so if broken in half. In the event of physical damage, a gadget's special functions will be disabled if it fails a power ACTION roll against the intensity of damage which exceeds its material strength. An empowered apparatus may have been all smashed up, but that doesn't mean its (delicate?) innards were. At least, not yet. Mind you, a broken object has a considerably lower material strength, and may not stand up to further abuse. Depending on the nature of the damage done to it, a device's material strength may be reduced by as little as -1 CS, or even all the way to Shift 0. This is primarily a judgment call on the Judge's part, based both on what was done to a thingamajig, and by how much the intensity of an attack exceeds its current material strength. Equipment powers so disabled must be repaired before they'll function again. If an attempt is made to jam or negate a gizmo's special abilities, it may resist such efforts with a power ACTION, one opposed by whatever intensity represents the offending interference. A powerful electromagnetic pulse may or may not knock out a computer, for instance, which is a vulnerability completely independent of just how durable that computer's case happens to be. When hampered by circumstance that isn't necessarily direct damage, a doohickey's special abilities will not be restored until the offending situation is resolved - at a minimum. The nature of such opposition may require repair, if it caused incidental damage to one or more of a whatsit's ingrained powers, or simply a restart, which will usually require 1d10 turns unless specifically designed to activate quickly. * Generation * ** Random (Dice Roll) Method ** Both the wielders and the products of technology generate their ability scores in the same fashion, having access to super-human statistics. While this may seem counter-intuitive, particularly in the case of otherwise normal humans simply making use of prochronistic devices, the simple truth is that innovation provides for this possibility, even when the body that wields them is not altered. For humans wielding technology with functions beyond the norm, the easiest way to rationalize ability scores which exceed those that biology allows for is when operating a powered exoskeleton. There are any number of mechanisms that can augment the body, though, which are ultimately limited only by the imagination of their creator - and aren't necessarily so bulky, either. Cybernetically augmented characters have a much easier time explaining why their ability scores are exceptional, if this in fact the case. Using implants and prosthetics, any number of heightened abilities, or even special powers, can be readily added to the human body. The only downside, of course, is that such augmentations can't be so readily reversed or removed. All of a robot's capabilities can be accounted for simply by dint of them being part of their very design (save for, perhaps, unintentional sentience). The only difference is that, like aliens, robots can come in configurations that don't necessarily conform to the norm, which may involve the possession of vehicular statistics, or even allow for a Shift 0 rating in others. When creating high tech heroes, villains, or other individuals of note, players may use table A to generate one ability score, table B to generate their next three ability scores, and table D to generate their final three ability scores. These rolls may be made in any order the player chooses, in case they want more effective capability in a specific area, though again, these must be explained by their equipment. Technological characters have access to hyperkinetic ability ranks, if one's Judge allows their use. When this is the case, substitute table C for table B, and table E for table D where applicable (though disregard hyperhexhaustive results). If hyperkinetic ranks are desired but cannot be rolled, they can always be adopted as a character enhancement (as they are not applied to powers; see below). Players may then roll on table A to determine their initial Resources rank, and begin play with a Popularity score of zero. Add up the character's Health and Karma totals as usual, along with their Negative and Mental Health scores. Table 1: Rank Generation Table A Table B Table C Table D Table E Table F Table G Table H Table I Rank - - 01 - 01 - 01 - 01 Hyperexhaustive 01 01 02-05 - - 01 02-05 - - Feeble (2) 02-25 02-05 06-10 - - 02-05 06-10 - - Poor (4) 26-50 06-25 11-25 - - 06-10 11-15 - - Typical (6) 51-75 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 11-25 16-25 - - Good (10) 76-99 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 Excellent (20) 00 76-95 76-90 26-50 26-50 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 Remarkable (30) - 96-99 91-95 51-75 51-75 76-90 76-85 26-50 26-50 Incredible (40) - 00 96-99 76-99 76-95 91-95 86-90 51-75 51-75 Amazing (50) - - - 00 96-99 96-99 91-95 76-99 76-95 Monstrous (75) - - - - - 00 96-99 00 96-99 Unearthly (100) - - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Hyperkinetic Once these rolls are complete, players may gamble on any two ability scores of their choice, potentially shoring up any areas they feel need some help. The only limits in this regard are the results of the tables themselves, as well as the power rank ceiling for a campaign, as set by the Judge. If unaware of this power rank ceiling, go ahead and ask the Judge now! Table 2: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). *** Technological Origins *** Before proceeding further, it must be determined how one with technology a character is, to better represent how their powers will express themselves. Is the character a mere user of high technology devices, has some of their body been replaced by such, or are they even the product of mankind's know-how? Table 3 is offered to randomly determine such, if desired, though players may readily choose their origins. Table 3: Origins of Power 01-33 Users 34-67 Cyborgs 68-00 Robots *** Number of Technological Powers *** When determining a character's high tech capabilities, start by figuring out exactly how many he or she will have to begin with. This is done by rolling randomly on table 4, which will give a character anywhere between two and seven technological powers with which to fight (or commit) crime. This is all the character will have to begin with, barring the invention process - or modifying oneself to have more tricks built-in. Table 4: Initial Technological Powers 01-17 Two Powers 18-33 Three Powers 34-50 Four Powers 51-67 Five Powers 68-83 Six Powers 84-00 Seven Powers *** Determining Character Powers *** After determining how many powers a character will begin play with, it's time to actually figure out which powers they'll have. This process begins by rolling on either table 5a or 5b to determine the category a character's first power will fall within. There are two versions of this table because some power categories are entirely optional; ask the Judge if he or she wishes players to use 5a or 5b. Once table 5a or 5b determines a power category, roll on the subsequent power category table (tables 6 through 20) for an individual power. With this first, randomly determined power decided, read its description. This is because, at the beginning of almost every power description in the Technical Reference, there is a list of related powers, abilities that dovetail with the indicated technological function. A player may opt to either choose one of these related capabilities for his or her next power selection(s), or may instead roll randomly again. And so on, and so forth, until the player's power selections have all been determined. What this does is allow a player to build a character with high tech abilities that are closely related to one another, if so desired. Players may go either way with characters using advanced technology, however, for the abilities their gear has is determined by their knowledge, their resources, and ultimately, their individual whims. Note that some powers are vastly more potent than others. These particularly versatile abilities will occupy more than one power 'slot' on a character, whether chosen or rolled up randomly. These powers will have a number in parenthesis after their name (such as a (3), for instance). This will determine how many power 'slots' they use up when added to one's character. Another concern when determining the powers a technological character will possess is what form they manifest in. The ascendant abilities of high tech characters are uniquely related to their physical source, and a high tech hero, villain, or other adventurer must at least explain where they come from. This explanation needn't be anything requiring a master's degree, though, as many comic books can attest. All characters generated via the Technical Reference may gain powers via items that are external to their body. While otherwise human beings who are the users of high tech devices solely gain their special abilities via these implements, cyborgs and robots can designate one or more of their powers as sourced via disconnected devices as well, should they so choose. Table 5a: Power Categories (standard) 01-08 Biological Control 09-15 Combination 16-23 Energy Control 24-31 Energy Generation 32-38 Matter Control 39-46 Mental Control 47-54 Mental Enhancement 55-61 Movement 62-69 Physical Control 70-77 Physical Enhancement 78-84 Physical Weaponry 85-92 Power Control 93-00 Sensory Table 5b: Power Categories (optional) 01-07 Biological Control 08-14 Combination 15-21 Energy Control 22-28 Energy Generation 29-35 Matter Control 36-42 Mental Control 43-49 Mental Enhancement 50-56 Movement 57-63 Physical Control 64-70 Physical Enhancement 71-77 Physical Weaponry 78-84 Power Control 85-91 Reality Control 92-99 Sensory 00 Ultimate Power Table 6: Biological Control Powers 01-02 Aciurgy 03-05 Age Control / Others 06-07 Animal Control 08-10 Animal Hybridization / Others 11-12 Animal Sympathy 13-15 Biological Vampirism (2) 16-17 Body Control 18-20 Cure Disease 21-22 Death Ray 23-25 Decontamination 26-27 Degeneration 28-30 Detoxification 31-32 Disease 33-35 Emotion Control 36-37 Empathic Hammer 38-40 Empathy 41-42 Gestalting (2) 43-45 Harm 46-47 Healing / Others 48-50 Integral Control 51-52 Mood Swings 53-55 Organism Generation (3) 56-57 Pain 58-60 Pheromones 61-62 Plant Hybridization / Others 63-65 Plant Control 66-67 Plant Sympathy 68-70 Poison 71-72 Reanimation (2) 73-75 Recovery 76-77 Regeneration / Others 78-80 Resurrection (2) 81-82 Resuscitation 83-85 Rotting 86-87 Sensory Attenuation 88-90 Sensory Distortion 91-92 Sleep 93-95 Summoning (2) 96-97 Transformation / Others (2) 98-00 Vampirism (2) Table 7: Combination Powers 01-07 Berserker (2) 08-13 Dyad (2) 14-20 Environmental Pocket (2) 21-27 Environmental Sense (2) 28-33 Evolution Control (2) 34-40 Hostility Screen (2) 41-47 Ice Generation (2) 48-53 Jeopardy (2) 54-60 Missile Generation 61-67 Nanotechnology Generation (3) 68-73 Organic Circuitry (3) 74-80 Plasma Generation (2) 81-87 Regenerative Armor (3) 88-93 Teleformation (3) 94-00 Weather Control (2) Table 8: Energy Control Powers 01-03 Celestial Light Control 04-07 Darkness Control 08-10 Electricity Control 11-13 Energy Absorption (2) 14-17 Energy Cohesion 18-20 Energy Projection 21-23 Energy Vampirism (2) 24-27 Fire Control 28-30 Force Field 31-33 Hellfire Control 34-37 Image Projection (2) 38-40 Imaginary Doubles (2) 41-43 Kinetic Absorption (2) 44-47 Kinetic Energy Control 48-50 Light Control 51-53 Magnetism Control 54-57 Object Charge 58-60 Psionic Absorption (2) 61-63 Psychokinesis 64-67 Radiation Control 68-70 Radio Wave Control 71-73 Sound Control 74-77 Spectral Flame Control 78-80 Temperature Control 81-83 Temporal Static 84-87 Thaumaturgical Absorption (2) 88-90 Theonic Absorption (2) 91-93 Transception 94-97 Transduction (2) 98-00 Vibration Control Table 9: Energy Generation Powers 01-07 Celestial Light Generation 08-13 Cold Generation 14-20 Darkness Generation 21-27 Electricity Generation 28-33 Fire Generation 34-40 Force Blast 41-47 Heat Generation 48-53 Hellfire Generation 54-60 Light Generation 61-67 Magnetism Generation 68-73 Radiation Generation 74-80 Radio Wave Generation 81-87 Sound Generation 88-93 Spectral Flame Generation 94-00 Vibration Generation Table 10: Matter Control Powers 01-03 Adhesion 04-06 Aggregation 07-09 Antimatter (3) 10-12 Assimilation 13-15 Catalysis 16-18 Clone Projection 19-21 Color Control 22-24 Corrosion 25-27 Cyclone 28-30 Density Control / Others 31-33 Device Generation (2) 34-36 Device Sympathy 37-39 Disintegration (2) 40-42 Energy Doubles (2) 43-45 Flaying 46-48 Fluid Animation 49-50 Friction Control 51-53 Growth / Others 54-56 Invisibility / Others 57-59 Matter Absorption 60-62 Matter Duplication (2) 63-65 Matter Generation (3) 66-68 Object Animation 69-71 Object Hardening 72-74 Object Sympathy 75-77 Object Weakening 78-80 Quarantine 81-83 Shrinking / Others 84-86 Solid Animation 87-89 Technical Intuition 90-92 Topological Control (3) 93-95 Transmutation (3) 96-98 Vapor Animation 99-00 Vivification (3) Table 11: Mental Powers 01-02 Astral Projection 03-04 Auscultation 05-06 Clairalience 07-08 Clairaudience 09-10 Clairgustance 11-12 Clairtouchence 13-14 Clairvoyance 15-16 Clarity 17-18 Computer Link 19-20 Crowd Control (2) 21-22 Dream Projection 23-24 Finding 25-26 Forgetfulness 27-28 Fugue 29-30 Illusion Projection (2) 31-32 Image Animation 33-34 Jumbling 35-36 Knowledge 37-38 Lie Detection 39-40 Mental Doubles (2) 41-42 Mental Repair 43-44 Mesmerism 45-46 Mind Control 47-48 Mind Duplication 49-50 Mind Link 51-52 Mind Lock 53-54 Mind Transfer (2) 55-56 Mind Wipe (2) 57-58 Object Projection 59-60 Possession (2) 61-62 Postcognition 63-64 Precognition (3) 65-66 Psi Bolt 67-68 Psi Web 69-70 Psionic Vampirism (2) 71-72 Psychic Invisibility 73-74 Psychic Probe 75-76 Psychometry 77-78 Psychoplasm Animation (2) 79-80 Sending 81-82 Sensory Link 83-84 Sensory Projection 85-86 Sensory Reception 87-88 Soul Control 89-90 Spectral Vampirism (2) 91-92 Static Field 93-94 Telekinesis 95-96 Telepathy 97-98 Thought Projection 99-00 Translation Table 12: Mental Enhancement Powers 01-07 Danger Sense (2) 08-14 Eidetic Memory (*) 15-21 Fortuity 22-28 Jury Rigging 29-35 Kit-bashing 36-42 Linguistics 43-50 Mental Invisibility (2) 51-57 Self Control 58-64 Spectral Freedom (*) 65-71 Super Invention (*) 72-78 Transfixture 79-85 Ultimate Talent (*) 86-92 Unyielding Will 93-00 Xenoglossy Table 13: Movement Powers 01-04 Anchor 05-08 Between (2) 09-12 Bilocation 13-16 Carrier Wave 17-20 Chaos Shift (*) 21-25 Dimensional Interface (2) 26-29 Dimensional Transit 30-33 Flight 34-37 Gliding 38-41 Jelling 42-45 Levitation 46-50 Mind Walk 51-54 Platforming 55-58 Portal (2+) 59-62 Propulsion 63-66 Super Climbing 67-70 Super Digging 71-75 Super Flight 76-79 Super Jumping (*) 80-83 Super Running 84-87 Super Swimming 88-91 Teleportation 92-95 Teleportation / Others 96-00 Time Travel (2) Table 14: Physical Control Powers 01-03 Age Control / Self 04-07 Animal Hybridization / Self 08-10 Aura (2) 11-13 Blending 14-17 Body Doubles (4) 18-20 Density Control / Self 21-23 Detachable Parts 24-27 Dimensional Displacement 28-30 Disguise 31-33 Elongation 34-37 Environmental Adaptation (2) 38-40 Growth / Self 41-43 Gyration 44-47 Healing / Self 48-50 Imaginary Mass 51-53 Inaudibility 54-57 Inodoriferous 58-60 Intangibility 61-63 Internal Universe 64-67 Invisibility / Self 68-70 Kinetic Focus 71-73 Metabolic Focus 74-77 Plant Hybridization / Self 78-80 Redolence 81-83 Shape Change 84-87 Shrinking / Self 88-90 Situational Adaptation 91-93 Super Synesthesia (*) 94-97 Transformation / Self (2) 98-00 Vocal Control Table 15: Physical Enhancement Powers 01-04 Additional Organs (*) 05-08 Body Armor 09-12 Clinging (*) 13-16 Damage Reduction (*) 17-20 Deflection (*) 21-24 Dual Respiration (*) 25-28 Environmental Indep. (*) 29-32 Flake Armor 33-36 Greater Invulnerability (*) 37-40 Greater Resistance (*) 41-44 Invulnerability (*) 45-48 Longevity (*) 49-52 Plasticity 53-56 Reformation (2) 57-60 Regeneration (2) 61-64 Resistance (*) 65-68 Revival 69-72 Screened Senses 73-76 Stasis (*) 77-80 Super Breath 81-84 Super Speed (3) 85-88 Turnabout 89-92 Universal Digestion (*) 93-96 Universal Respiration (*) 97-00 Zest Table 16: Physical Weaponry Powers 01-06 Additional Limbs (*) 07-12 Barbs (*) 13-18 Battle Tail (*) 19-25 Claws (*) 26-31 Edges (*) 32-37 Fangs (*) 38-43 Hard Points (*) 44-50 Horns (*) 51-56 Pouches (*) 57-62 Prehensile Hair 63-68 Prehensile Skin 69-75 Prehensile Tail (*) 76-81 Quills (*) 82-87 Razor Skin (*) 88-93 Tentacles (*) 94-00 Wings (*) Table 17: Power Control Powers 01-03 Amplification 04-06 Attenuation 07-09 Boon 10-12 Corporeal Gestalt (2) 13-15 Deionic Control (2) 16-18 Empowerment (2) 19-21 Investment (3) 22-24 Link (2) 25-27 Opposition (3) 28-30 Power Absorption (4) 31-33 Power Amplification 34-36 Power Attenuation 37-39 Power Block (2) 40-42 Power Control (2) 43-45 Power Duplication (4) 46-48 Power Transfer (2) 49-51 Psionic Amplification 52-54 Psionic Attenuation 55-57 Psionic Control (2) 58-60 Sorcerous Amplification 61-63 Sorcerous Attenuation 64-66 Spectral Gestalt (2) 67-69 Spell Control (2) 70-72 Super Vampirism (2) 73-75 Theonic Amplification 76-78 Theonic Attenuation 79-81 Trace Duplication (4) 82-84 Variable Cybernetics 85-87 Variable Power 88-90 Variable Psionics 91-93 Variable Sorcery 94-96 Variable Talent (*) 97-00 Weakness Generation (2) Table 18: Reality Control Powers 01-04 Ability Boost 05-08 Antigravity 09-12 Buttress (2) 13-16 Causality Control (4) 17-20 Combining Powers (*) 21-24 Future Control (2) 25-28 Grace 29-32 Gravity Control 33-36 History Control (3) 37-40 Initiative Control (2) 41-44 Karma Control (2) 45-48 Keeper 49-52 Learned Invulnerability (4) 53-56 Lethality (2) 57-60 Logos 61-64 Luck (3) 65-68 Nimiety (2) 69-72 Override (3) 73-76 Planar Control (3) 77-80 Power Boost 81-84 Roulette (2) 85-88 Reassignment (3) 89-92 Space Control 93-96 Thaumaturgical Vampirism (2) 97-00 Time Control (3) Table 19: Sensory Powers 01-04 Atomic Sense 05-08 Biological Sense 09-12 Circular Vision (*) 13-16 Energy Sense 17-20 Flaw Sense 21-23 Infravision 24-27 Locational Sense 28-31 Macro Sense (2) 32-35 Magic Sense 36-39 Microscopic Vision 40-43 Nativity Sense 44-46 Nonapparent Vision 47-50 Origin Sense 51-54 Psi Sense 55-58 Radar Sense 59-62 Radivision 63-66 Sonar Sense 67-69 Spectral Sense 70-73 Super Senses (2) 74-77 Super Tracking 78-81 Technological Sense 82-85 Telescopic Vision 86-89 Theonic Sense 90-92 Transparent Vision 93-96 Ultravision 97-00 Unusual Sensitivity (*) Table 20: Ultimate Power 01-49 Return to Table 5 50-51 Ultimate Power (5) 52-00 Return to Table 5 *** Determining Power Ranks *** Once a character's powers have been determined, one must indicate how potent they will be. Do this by rolling once on table B for half of one's technological powers, and table D for the other half. As is the case with primary ability scores, campaigns with access to hyperexhaustive and hyperkinetic ranks may instead roll on tables C and E, respectively. With this done, the player may gamble on the ranks so indicated. Players may do this once if their character has three or less high tech functions, twice if he or she has from four to six technological functions, or thrice if the character has seven or more advanced functions. For each of a high tech character's powers that come from an item external to their body, he or she must determine the material strength of the object which provides it. As is the case with cybernetics, these will typically have a minimum MS equal to the character's Strength or Endurance +2 CS, whichever of the two is higher, to prevent their breakage under most conventional circumstances. Players may gamble on the material strength of items distinct from their person as well, doing so in the same basic fashion and quantity. However, such gambling attempts have no upper maximum to speak of. *** Limitations *** Players are often unhappy with the ranks they've rolled up for their character. Even after adjusting various ranks with gambling attempts, they're just not satisfied with what they've come up with. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes one has a specific vision in mind for their character; this is where limitations come in. A player may subject their character to limitations to make them more powerful. Limitations come in two distinct flavors: power limitations and character limitations. A power limitation is just that, an altering of how said power works to the detriment of the player, as compared to others who can use this ability. A power so limited may not affect certain objects or beings, can only be used during certain specific time periods, or may otherwise function in a manner others may find unusual or restrictive. Character limitations, however, change the nature of every power a person uses, not just one. A character limitation may simply be a power limitation that 'works' on every single power, an alteration to the basic working of powers in general, or even some other constraint that seriously hampers how a character operates (such as an inability to move without the aid of powers). At any rate, the severity of the limitation determines just how much of a power boost the character may receive. Limitations come in four flavors: weak, strong, very strong, and extreme. A weak limitation is just that, a minor crimp in an ability's effectiveness, and only offers a +1 CS. Each successive limitation offers another +1 CS to the power rank, but as their names imply, they become increasingly, well, limiting. Alternately, a character can take a limitation on a power to replace one already built in to it; some powers, like those involving time, have several such constraints already worked into them. With the Judge's permission, players may swap out one limitation for another, as long as the new limitation would be equally as inconvenient, which allows a player to better craft the character they imagine in their heads. *** Enhancements *** Similarly, a player might have more than enough power (or might think such, at any rate), or simply wants more 'bang for their buck' out of their existing power roster. If this is the case, they may decide to empower their abilities with enhancements. Like limitations, enhancements have four levels of power, including weak, strong, very strong, and extreme, each of which adds a subsequent -1 CS modifier to one's power ranks. In exchange for suffering from the effects of this modifier, the character's ability will benefit from an improvement of some sort. Moving a power up one speed or range category is considered a strong enhancement, while two is an extreme enhancement. At the same time, a power can be given a hyperkinetic rank if not already rolled randomly, serving as an extreme enhancement to the specific power it applies to. Like limitations, enhancements are difficult to apply across an entire character, though this isn't impossible. While speeds and ranges vary from power to power, things such as initiative penalties can apply to all a character's actions and powers. Alternately, one might opt to gain a hyperkinetic ability score, which is considered a weak character enhancement (thus applying a -1 CS to all of one's powers). Usually, the reduction in rank an enhancement inflicts is enough to make up the difference. This can make purchasing new powers more difficult down the line, though, particularly if a character enhancement is in effect. A new power to be affected by an enhancement must be bought at a rank high enough that, upon applying the negative CS, it will at least work at the normal starting value. *** Quirks *** Slightly more palatable than limitations or enhancements, quirks are minor changes to a character that either saddle him or her with some disadvantage, or enhance a trait of theirs. They can also be used to raise the rank one or more of a character's powers work at if so desired, within the confines of that system. The quirks rules have more on this, but the quirk tables are presented here, for convenience. Normally, quirks are a voluntary affair - players may or may not use quirks, as they see fit. They are presented below, in the format of random rolling tables, for two reasons. The first is for the Judge's use, to quickly generate random characters when time is of the essence. Alternately, a player may roll randomly if he or she wants or needs a quirk and doesn't know what to pick. Not that they're bound by such a roll, of course. Quirks are divided up into the beneficial and deleterious quirks of a physical, mental, and role-play nature. Those quirks which cost (or grant) two quirk points are noted with a two in parenthesis (2), while those that can be taken at multiple levels are noted with an asterisk in parenthesis (*). Note: when building device users, as opposed to cyborgs or robots, players receive one free quirk point at this stage of character generation. If using the systematic method to build a character, players may instead add a point to their character, which is ostensibly for use when purchasing quirks, but may be designated for any other purpose if desired. Table 21: Quirks Categories 01-17 Physical (beneficial) 18-33 Physical (deleterious) 34-50 Mental (beneficial) 51-67 Mental (deleterious) 68-83 Role-Play (beneficial) 84-00 Role-Play (deleterious) Table 22: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-06 Acceleration Tolerance 07-12 Adrenal Surge 13-18 Ambidexterity 19-25 Fast Healing 26-31 Fighting Logistics 32-37 Gravity Tolerance (*) 38-43 Hardiness (2) 44-50 Heightened Sense 51-56 High Pain Threshold 57-62 Hypermobility 63-68 Learned Resistance (*) 69-75 Omnidexterity (2) 76-81 Rank Boost (2) 82-87 Strong Bones (*) 88-93 Sturdiness 94-00 Tetrachromacy Table 23: Physical Quirks (deleterious) 01-05 Abnormal Attribute 06-11 Acceleration Intolerance 12-16 Addiction (*) 17-21 Albinism 22-27 Allergy (*) 28-32 Color Blind 33-37 Dulled Sense (*) 38-42 Dwarfism 43-47 Epilepsy 48-52 Feebleness 53-58 Gigantism 59-63 Gravity Intolerance (*) 64-68 Lameness 69-74 Low Pain Threshold 75-79 Missing Parts (2) 80-84 Rank Loss (2) 85-89 Slow Healing 90-94 Weak Bones (2) 95-00 Weakness (2) Table 24: Mental Quirks (beneficial) 01-08 3-D Sense 09-15 Alertness 16-23 Cybernetic Aptitude 24-31 Fortitude 32-38 High Stress Threshold 39-46 Karmic Shell (2) 47-54 Magical Aptitude 55-61 Natural Talent 62-69 Psionic Aptitude 70-77 Quick Learning 78-84 Sanity 85-92 Static 93-00 Technological Aptitude Table 25: Mental Quirks (deleterious) 01-03 Action Addict 04-06 Attitude (*) 07-08 Bluntness (*) 09-11 Bully (*) 12-14 Combat Paralysis (*) 15-17 Compulsiveness (*) 18-19 Cowardice (*) 20-22 Cyber-neurosis 23-25 Delusions (*) 26-28 Fanaticism (*) 29-31 Frenzied 32-33 Greed (*) 34-36 Gullibility (*) 37-39 Honesty (*) 41-42 Impulsiveness (*) 43-44 Inept (*) 45-47 Insanity (2) 48-50 Insomnia 51-53 Jealousy (*) 54-56 Karmic Dearth (2) 57-58 Laziness (*) 59-61 Learning Disorder 62-64 Low Stress Thresh. (*) 65-67 Mania (*) 68-69 Multiple Personality (*) 70-72 Pacifism (*) 73-75 Paranoia (*) 76-78 Personal Code (*) 79-81 Phobia (*) 82-83 Pushover 84-86 Rudeness (*) 87-89 Short Attention Span 90-92 Shyness (*) 93-94 Stubborn (*) 95-97 Temper (*) 98-00 Vow (*) Table 26: Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) 01-09 Ally 10-18 Assistant 19-27 Attractive (*) 38-36 Benefactor (*) 37-45 Cash Flow 46-54 Charmed 55-63 Fame (*) 64-72 Fan Club 73-81 Good Reputation 82-90 Likability (2) 91-00 Lucky (2) Table 27: Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) 01-06 Alien Culture (*) 07-11 Bad Reputation 12-17 Bigotry (*) 18-22 Dependent 23-28 Detractors 29-33 Enemy (*) 34-39 Illiteracy 40-44 Jinxed 45-50 Loner (*) 50-56 Nerd 57-61 Poverty 62-67 Repugnant Personality (*) 68-72 Snob 73-78 Social Dependent (*) 79-83 Unattractive (*) 84-89 Unlucky (2) 90-94 Unpleasant Habits (*) 95-00 Weirdness Magnet *** Talents *** The talents your freshly built technology-based character begins play with can be determined per any other character type, beginning by rolling up their number of initial talents on table 28. Then, roll for the category each talent will belong to on table 29. To finish up, roll for individual talents using tables 30 through 37, one table for each applicable category of talents. However, the actual talents a character has really should be determined by his or her origin. Keeping this in mind, the Judge may well opt to let a player choose some (or all of) the talents their high tech character possesses, allowing him or her a lot more creative control over their character. Another thing to consider is that a talent can function at a higher 'level' than normal. There are three 'tiers' of talents, each providing an increasing bonus to ACTIONs applicable to said talent. When generating these heightened skills, however, keep in mind that they cost more; a level 2 talent counts as two talents, while a level 3 talent counts as four. This can get expensive fast, but is a great way to showcase what your character is really good at. Also, some talents cost more than others, even before higher level talents are considered. A talent that has a number in parenthesis counts as that many talents during character generation; these are mostly background talents, but others can cost more as well. Similarly, the Student talent costs all of one's initial talent slots, for it by definition implies that a body does not have any other talents. Note: when building device users, as opposed to cyborgs or robots, players may add two additional talent slots at this stage of character generation. If using the systematic method to build a character, players may instead add two points to their character, which are intended to be spent on talents, but may be repurposed for any other use, if desired. Table 28: Number of Talents 01-17 Two talents 18-33 Three talents 34-50 Four talents 51-67 Five talents 68-83 Six talents 84-00 Seven talents Table 29: Talent Categories 01-12 Background 13-25 Behavioral 26-37 Environmental 38-50 Fighting 51-62 Miscellaneous 63-75 Professional 76-87 Scientific 88-00 Weapon Table 30: Background Talents 01-25 Heir to Fortune (3) 26-50 Law Enforcement (2) 51-75 Military (2) 76-00 Student * Table 31: Behavioral Talents 01-12 Animal Handling 13-25 Hypnosis 26-37 Leadership 38-50 Manipulation 51-62 Performer 63-75 Service 76-87 Sleight of Hand 88-00 Tactics Table 32: Environmental Talents 01-09 Astronaut 10-18 Boating 19-27 Climbing 38-36 Driving 37-45 Piloting 46-54 Planargation 55-63 Riding 64-72 Stealth 73-81 Survival 82-90 Teamster 91-00 Tracking Table 33: Fighting Talents 01-06 Acrobatics 07-12 Aerial Combat 13-18 Astral Combat 19-25 Martial Arts type A 26-31 Martial Arts type B 32-37 Martial Arts type C 38-43 Martial Arts type D 44-50 Martial Arts type E 51-56 Mounted Combat 57-62 Multiple Attacks 63-68 Spatial Combat 69-75 Targeting 76-81 Tumbling 82-87 Underwater Combat 88-93 Vehicular Combat 94-00 Wrestling Table 34: Miscellaneous Talents 01-12 Escape Artist 13-25 First Aid 26-37 Gastronomy 38-50 Power Skill 51-62 Repair / Tinkering 63-75 Resist Domination 76-87 Trance 88-00 Trivia Table 35: Professional Talents 01-06 Agriculture 07-12 Artist 13-18 Business / Finance 19-24 Crime 25-29 Demolitions 30-35 Detective / Espionage 36-41 Education 42-47 Engineering 48-53 Journalism 54-59 Law 60-65 Leathercraft 66-71 Metalcraft 72-77 Politics 78-82 Salesmanship 83-88 Sports 89-94 Stonecraft 95-00 Woodcraft Table 36: Scientific Talents 01-07 Archaeology 08-13 Biology 14-20 Chemistry 21-27 Computers 28-33 Criminology 34-40 Electronics 41-47 Genetics 48-53 Geology 54-60 Linguistics 61-67 Lore 68-73 Mathematics 74-80 Medicine 81-87 Physics 88-93 Psychology 94-00 Theology Table 37: Weapon Talents 01-04 Advanced Guns 05-09 Blunt Weapons 10-14 Bows 15-19 Concussion Weapons 21-24 Energy Weapons 25-28 Entangling Weapons 29-33 Guns 34-38 Marksman 39-43 Martial Arts Weapons 44-48 Natural Weapons 49-52 Pole Weapons 53-57 Quick Draw 58-62 Sharp Weapons 63-67 Shields 68-72 Spontaneous Weapons 73-76 Thrown Objects 77-81 Thrown Weapons 82-86 Two Weapons 87-91 Weapon Skill 92-96 Weapon Specialist 97-00 Weapons Master (2) *** Contacts *** Also presented for convenience is the table used to detail the initial number of contacts a new character possesses; it is available as table 38 in the Reference. Table 39, then, lists the types of contacts a high tech character may have upon the start their career, if the player needs any ideas; one need not roll up contact types randomly if they don't wish to. Like quirks and talents, contacts can be taken at one of three levels of importance; for example, a police contact might be a beat cop (level 1), an FBI operative (level 2), or even an Interpol agent (level 3). Similarly, contacts of a higher level cost an increased amount of contact 'slots' - a level 2 contact counts as two contacts, while a level 3 contact costs four contact 'slots'. Note: when building device users, as opposed to cyborgs or robots, players may add two additional contact slots at this stage of character generation. If using the systematic method to build a character, players may instead add two points to their character, which would ideally be used to purchase contacts, but may be designated for any other purpose if desired. Table 38: Number of Starting Contacts 01-17 Two contacts 18-33 Three contacts 34-50 Four contacts 51-67 Five contacts 68-83 Six contacts 84-00 Seven contacts Table 39: Contact Types 01-06 Aide 07-11 Artist / Performer 12-17 Business 18-22 Criminal 23-28 Doctor 29-33 Expert 34-39 Foreign Power 40-44 Government 45-50 Hero / Villain 50-56 Informant 57-61 Journalist 62-67 Lawyer 68-72 Mentor 73-78 Military 79-83 Organization 84-89 Police 90-94 Scientist 95-00 Trivia *** And Last, But Not Least *** On top of all of their fantastic gear, that which grants them access to transcendent capabilities, high tech adventurers also have their pick of conventional, mundane equipment. These devices won't be the kind that make or break their style, for the most part, but they often fill in holes on a high tech character's roster when needed - or, at the very least, add a bit of luxury to one's life. Common equipment a character can possess depends on their Resources. One may automatically have any gear with a price equal to his or her Resources rank or less, and may start out with materials of up to their Resources rank +2 CS with but a small explanation (the character has a Lamborghini ™ that she paid off previously). Anything more exorbitant must be approved by the Judge, but isn't necessarily out of the question. It's mostly just a matter of feasibility and availability at that point. ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Players begin with fifty (50) points with which to build a high tech character. They may spend these points as they wish, only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling. For example, a mid-level campaign may limit characters to Amazing (50) or less on most ranks. Ask the Judge about his or her campaign limits before proceeding any further, if you're not sure what they are! To begin with, determine how far above (or below) the norm the character will be in each ability score; for our purposes, the 'norm' will be Typical (6) rank. For every +1 CS a player applies to each spend one point, and for each -1 CS applied to these values, add one point. One ability score should remain within the normal human limits, but otherwise the sky is the limit (such limits are detailed in the Core Rules). A starting character is assumed to have Typical (6) Resources and a Popularity score of zero (0). One may alter these ability scores as they can any other, though at double the cost for each CS (Amazing (50) ranked Resources would cost ten points, for example). If one intends to purchase the Heir to Fortune background talent, they shouldn't alter this 'base' Resources score any. Health and Karma are determined normally. An opposed Popularity score (negative for heroes, positive for villains) is worth two points, no matter how great it is. Before purchasing a character's powers, one should determine their origin, if this has not already been decided, for it will provide added benefits (and constraints) down the line. When buying powers, each rank in each power costs one point, starting at Feeble (2) rank. The upper rank of each ascendant ability is only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling (again, ask your Judge about this if necessary). Plug in bonus powers provided by one's origin at this point as well, when building robots or cyborgs - unless the points provided for such have been appropriated for use elsewhere. Costs can be controlled by adding limitations, which can apply to either one or all a character's powers. Whether applied to one power or globally to the character as a whole, weak limitations reduce the cost of a power by one point, strong limitations by two points, very strong limitations by three points, and extreme limitations by four points. Consider the effect of such limitations before counting your point savings! Bear in mind the fact that all powers have a minimum cost of one (1) point, no matter how limited they may be. Furthermore, most characters with technology-based powers already have at least one limit baked into their super-human abilities, so further limitations should be adopted with care. Moving the other direction, a player may enhance one or more powers. A weak enhancement increases the cost by one point, strong enhancements add two points, very strong enhancements raise the cost by three points, and extreme enhancements add four points to a power's final cost. Such enhancements include improving the range or speed categories of a power, as well as other augmentations to its functionality. Recall that many powers cost more than the base value; opposition, for example, costs three points per rank. Powers with a heightened cost are so noted in the character generation tables listed above (those with numbers in parenthesis after the name). Limitations and enhancements are multiplied in value by this cost; for instance, an extreme limitation on trace duplication would reap a sixteen point discount. If your Judge allows their use in his or her campaign, one thing to consider is the use of Hyperkinetic and Hyperexhaustive rank qualifiers. These can each be acquired in the point system if allowed, being treated as either an extreme enhancement (in the form of a Hyperkinetic power) or an extreme limitation (in the form of a Hyperexhaustive power). Creating a Hyperkinetic ability score is a weak character enhancement. Both can be very unbalancing in their own way, however, so check to make sure their use is okay. Next, determine the normal gear the character possesses. As is the case with randomly generated characters, those built with the point based system may choose any standard gear that is readily available in the campaign, as long as it falls within a few CS of their Resources rank. If they want something more expensive, the player must give a good reason for such, though the Judge has veto power over improbable items. Once a character's technology is resolved, he or she may purchase talents and contacts as they see fit, each costing one point. If one would like heightened talents or contacts (both come in three tiers), they must pay two points for a level two talent or contact, or four points for a level three talent or contact. The Student background talent costs five points, but cannot be purchased with any other (save for Heir to Fortune). Device users may add in four bonus points at this point, two intended for talents and contacts, each - unless the points provided for such have been appropriated for use elsewhere. A player may next use remaining points to purchase beneficial quirks - or add a few points to pad weak areas with deleterious quirks. Most quirks give (or take) one point, but if purchased at a higher level, they function in much the same way as talents or contacts in this regard (two points for a level two quirk, four points for a level three quirk). Also, quirks without level but that count double cost (or give) two points. Device users gain one additional point to spend on quirks as they wish - though again, this point may be reallocated elsewhere if desired. Once a player is out of points, it's up to the Judge to look over what they have wrought. Does the character's math add up? Does it fall within predetermined campaign limitations for power level? If nothing appears to be wrong, and the Judge likes what he or she sees, they should approve what a player has created, and then allow him or her to complete the last portion of their character's creation. Assuming they didn't actually start with such. ** Filling in the blanks ** Once all the basic details concerning your character have been ascertained, it is time to 'fill in the blanks', or to detail all of their personal and background information - the stuff you can't quantify with dice rolls or points. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they from? What are they like? Where did their astounding technological abilities come from? How to they keep the things, or even themselves, functional? All of this character information must be determined by the player to make it truly his or her own, and to really 'flesh them out'. This is often the most difficult portion of the character generation process, the portion where many tend to fail. However, with a little effort and some serious consideration, the answers to these questions can make that sheet of paper with all the funny words on it really come alive! * Creation * Characters who derive their super-human abilities from advanced technology need not show their work when they are first generated; in other words, all of the effort to produce whatever breakthroughs enable their extant ascendant activities were presumably made (or stolen) before they began play. After this point, however, these characters must develop subsequent technologies the hard way. ** Using Knowledge ** Those who specialize in the creation and utilization of advanced technology have, unlike other characters, a means through which they can develop new powers that doesn't involve the expenditure of Karma. Leveraging what they have and what they know, a technologist can simply cash in on what they have available to them to invent all-new devices - or, at the very least, modify what they've already got. **** Tech Rank *** To start with, a would-be inventor must determine the tech rank their creation will have. The tech rank is the intensity one must pass ACTION rolls against during the inventing process. The primary determinant of a device's tech rank is the highest rank any of its capabilities will possess. Such ranks come from the power(s) the item will have access to, as well as any special statistics an item type possesses (Control, Resilience, Material Strength, etc.). This highest rank is modified as follows: * Apply a +2 CS for each rank that is equal to the potential device's maximum. For example, when building a floating weapons platform, one's plans call for two Incredible (40) rank abilities. If that happens to be the highest rank the power will make use of, its base tech rank will be Incredible (40) +2 CS, or Monstrous (75). A like increase is applied if the device is too small to see, or otherwise hard to spot. * Apply a +1 CS for each rank that is 1 CS less than its maximum operating rank. An item whose maximum rank is Amazing (50), for example, will have that tech rank boosted +1 CS for each rank of Incredible (40) it uses. A like increase applies if the device is to be portable (such as a ray gun), if it is really small (pocket sized) or large (occupies more than one area of space), or if it is designed to impersonate a specific entity. On the other hand, a base tech rank of Monstrous (75) applies under two conditions. If an effect that modern technology cannot reproduce is to be housed within the invention (it is unknown if the effect will even work), it will have this value as a minimum tech rank. Alternately, if attempting to reproduce the product of modern technology (the effect is commonly understood), the item's base tech rank cannot exceed this value. Once this final value is determined, it's time to get inventing! To begin with, the inventor must pass a Resources ACTION roll against the intensity of their creation's tech rank. This may well be an impossible ACTION, where particularly advanced devices are concerned. In the event of such an occurrence, one can get a loan to complete their invention, or beg, borrow, or steal from others to acquire what they need. *** Special Catalysts *** On occasion none of these solutions are feasible or desirable, though. In the event that this comes to pass, an inventor has several additional options at their disposal. For one thing, one can adopt a modular approach to their creations, building one component at a time. This can divide a completed device's tech rank into manageable chunks, namely by focusing on just one special power it will have at a time. Another option to reduce the tech rank of an invention is the use of special catalysts. A special catalyst is just that, a relatively hard to acquire something or other that facilitates the creation of a contraption. This may be some inexplicable MacGuffin or something specifically related to the item to be crafted. But either way, a special catalyst offers inventors a powerful benefit. For one thing, the procurement of a special catalyst allows them to remove one rank from the calculation of their creation's tech rank. This is particularly handy where high material strengths are concerned, as they are often a primary culprit in the inflation of a tech rank to unattainable levels. Just come up with a sample of something of the desired MS, and that property can be 'bled' into your invention. Or something! Special catalysts are a good means of luring inventors out of the lab and into the field (i.e., making them go on adventures). This is especially true of inventions that cannot be replicated by modern technology, for such items always require at least one special catalyst. We're talking about bleeding edge science, after all, so who's to say that mysterious meteor one read about doesn't have properties earth metals don't? An invention can benefit from the use of up to three special catalysts, if desired. While this can greatly reduce the tech rank (and thus, cost) of an item to be, it is important to note that, when all is said and done, at least one functioning rank should remain to determine an object's tech rank. In other words, special catalysts cannot reduce an invention's would-be tech rank to Shift 0 - but Feeble (2) is just fine! *** Construction Time *** Generally, when building an invention, the character involved will require an amount of time, in days, equal to the tech rank number of the item in question. This is a basic value, assuming the inventor is working alone, in regular, eight hour shifts. For instance, a device with a tech rank of Shift Y (200) requires two hundred days to build. There are numerous ways to safely reduce the time required, however. The following conditions will each halve the amount of time an invention's construction requires, and all such halving will stack: having a lab assistant, having an assistant whose Reason is within 1 CS of the inventor's, having blueprints to or a working (at some point, anyway) model of the item to be built, or working non-stop - save for required pauses to eat, sleep, and attend to other biological concerns. Similarly, there are conditions that can actively hinder the completion of a would-be invention, each of which double the amount of time required to finish the project. Also stacking, such conditions include each doubling in size of a given invention above one area in size, working from false or fraudulent data, or utilizing a work crew suffering from low morale. An inventor can only work on the creation of one item at a time. This is the case even when working on sub-assemblies of an overall project, those which come into being as a compartmentalization of one's project to lower the overall tech rank they must attempt invention ACTION rolls against. It's simply too difficult to innovate on multiple projects simultaneously, no matter how clever a body is. Bearing that in mind, innovators can make use of separate crews to divide up portions of their work. When such crews are utilized, the time required to complete a project cannot be reduced below the standard amount demanded by its tech level. The downside of this technique is that conditions extant during the work on a project can cause the time necessary to complete it to take much, much longer. *** Success or Failure *** After being struck by the inspiration to create something new, you've rounded up all the materials required to make it possible, and then put in the work necessary to realize your vision. But does it actually work? Good question! Determining the success of one's efforts to invent something at this point simply requires passing a Reason ACTION roll against the tech rank of the would-be contraption. As is the case when determining an invention's tech rank, various conditions revolving around its realization can modify the inventor's Reason rank for the purposes of this ACTION roll. These modifiers can be positive or negative, depending on how much the associated conditions help or hurt the process of creating. Common modifiers to invention ACTION rolls include the following: * If a device was built using the blueprints of an existing, working model of a similar item, or an actual (even if formerly) working model is available for reverse engineering, the would-be inventor may add a +2 CS to their Reason rank when determining success or failure. * Inventors may add a +1 CS to the final creation ACTION roll for each applicable talent used in a device's creation, including those given by powers or quirks, or if they exploit the services of an assistant with a Reason score within 1 CS of their own. * If an inventor or their staff rushed the completion of a project, whether working overtime or kit-bashing, or for each special catalyst used to realize a device's creation, apply a -1 CS penalty to the inventor's Reason for the ACTION roll required to determine its success or failure. A would-be inventor may add Karma to their invention roll, naturally, but must state exactly how much Karma they wish to expend on this ACTION. Furthermore, the automatic and impossible ACTION rules are in full effect for an invention die roll. If the inventor passes this ACTION, great! That new contraption, however improbable, has been realized - and may now be used for good or for ill. Failing this ACTION means that the invention does not currently work. If the inventor wishes to change this state of affairs, he or she must determine what went wrong, and then fix it - almost invariably requiring a (or another) special catalyst to correct whatever deficiency caused the failure condition in the first place. Which, of course, means implementing the change of plans. While an inventor need not attempt a new Resources ACTION against their creation's tech rank to proceed after a failure, they do need to expend an amount of time equal to their original work on the project to integrate a fix. After this, inventors are allowed to attempt another invention ACTION roll. This process may continue until an eventual success is attained, or the inventor gives up. *** Kit-Bashing *** The above presumes creation under controlled circumstances, where events do not conspire to create emergencies that require the immediate completion of a project to, say, save the world. However, the world does not always play ball, and on occasion a character needs something they've been cooking up in the laboratory immediately. When this condition transpires, kit-bashing is often the solution. When kit-bashing, a character makes use of that which they have on hand to immediately complete a working prototype of something or other, compressing each day of their remaining build time to a single turn. For example, when attempting to invent a contraption with a tech rank of Amazing (50), a character may kit-bash to reduce the normal fifty days required to a mere fifty turns - five minutes! This process can also be applied to items that have been undergoing regular effort, as well. If the inventor in the above example had already put in thirty days of work on their whatsit, they would only need to kit-bash the remaining twenty days of work. Thus, they would finish the creation of a working prototype in just twenty turns, which is a mere two minutes of time! Achieving this staggering reduction in build time is not easy, however. An inventor must spend ten Karma points for each day of work so compressed, an expenditure that still does not guarantee success in their endeavor. In other words, the inventor must still pass their invention ACTION roll to successfully kit-bash a device, an ACTION they may also want (or need) to spend Karma on. Failure of an invention ACTION when kit-bashing is handled per the norm. In other words, an inventor must try again if they wish to proceed, though special catalysts are not necessary to resume work when attempting a second (or more) round of kit-bashing. Karma spent to compress work time must be spent again, however, along with the previously allotted amount of time needed to kit-bash. Success, on the other hand, means that the inventor has kit-bashed themselves a working version of the desired item. It will function for 1d10 turns in total, before it fails - and fails spectacularly, for the most part. On the bright side, having produced a (momentarily) working version of their contraption, an inventor can use it in the reproduction of a more permanent item, if they wish! *** After-Market Modifications *** When attempting to modify an extant device, the process for doing so is similar to full-on invention, but much simpler. Characters may attempt one modification to an otherwise complete item at a time, as is the case with the creation of an item from scratch. The tech rank of a modification is equal to whatever rank said modification adds to the function of an item to begin with. Modifying devices one has already built is an excellent way to control the overall tech rank of a finished contraption. By creating it piece by piece, an inventor can keep costs down, even if the time required to finish an item is greatly increased. The only downside is that if a modification ACTION fails, a second ACTION is required to determine whether or not the original device is damaged during this process. Repairs to items generally require either a work shop or tool kits, both of whom must have a tech rank equal to or better than the rank number of a device's damaged function(s). Applicable repair skills, especially Repair / Tinkering, improve the effectiveness of such repair tools or facilities by their own bonus, however, showcasing how knowledgeable individuals can make do even with lesser tools in a pinch. Repairs are completed by passing a Reason ACTION roll against the original rank of a device's damaged function, whether it be a vehicular statistic, damaging power, or even its material strength. If the tech rank of one's tools are not up to the task, even after being enhanced by their wielder's talents, they can partially repair a device. This, at the very least, raises a damaged function up to their tools' modified tech rank. Reprogramming a computer, robot, or other thinking device requires a Reason ACTION roll against the effective Psyche rank of the item in question (which represents intrusion countermeasures). Installing new software to override that of an extant system requires a number of turns equal to the previously stated rank or intensity, assuming such software has already been written. Actively changing the programming of a device on the fly is a bit more difficult, and is generally handled per a field repair. Code revisions of this type rarely survive a system reboot, but can be particularly useful in a pinch, much like kit-bashing is. Furthermore, any reprogramming of a sentient machine is likely to be transient at best, assuming their minds can even be altered in the first place. ** Using Karma ** Often, the simplest way for technological characters to develop new capabilities, mechanically speaking, is to just buy them. When acquired in this fashion, a character's new high tech powers are purchased as are a textbook character's ascendant abilities. In other words, the character just expends Karma to justify the addition of a new device into their arsenal of super-human prowess. If not simply invented, a new technological ability has a base cost of three thousand (3,000) Karma points, in addition to a fee equal to the new power's original rank number times one hundred (100). Picking up a brand new power at Remarkable (30) rank, for instance, would cost the character a total of six thousand (6,000) Karma (base cost of 3,000 plus the power rank (30) times 100). The same rules for special catalysts apply when acquiring technological powers with Karma as they do when inventing. In other words, at least one catalyst is required if attempting to craft an item with a capability not currently available to current technology. Further catalysts, if desired, can either decrease the base cost by 1,000 Karma, or eliminate the cost of a special feature (a high MS, for example). All of the above assumes powers with a standard cost; in other words, a power that has a listed cost of one point per rank. If a power is listed as having a cost equal to 2 points per rank, double its total Karma cost, and so on. If a power is listed with a 'flat cost', the price (after the base fee) is only 250 Karma points per point; circular vision, for instance, would cost 500 additional Karma. While it sounds a lot cheaper to simply invent one's way to success, at least where Karma is concerned, this is not always possible. It particularly behooves players to rightfully purchase, with Karma, items they 'acquire' from another character. This so that such items do not suffer from the whims of Plot - at least, no more so than anything else the Judge might have in mind, at any rate. ** Power Stunts ** Sometimes, when building things, a contraption might not quite work as desired, which may lead an electronicist to entirely new innovations. Other times, characters might need to pull a proverbial rabbit out of their hat, and coax one of their creations into doing something it simply wasn't designed for. This when it was previously functioning just as planned, and they don't wish to ruin them in the process! When not making permanent modifications in the form of kit-bashing, high tech characters can try to temporarily alter the function of one of their transcendent technologies to stretch them beyond their conventional limits. In other words, they are attempting a power stunt! Every attempt to create a power stunt in this fashion costs a technology-based character 150 Karma points. Power stunts are a bit more difficult for technology users (or living technologies) to accomplish, primarily due to their material nature, but are still possible nonetheless. So, if you have a new idea for the functions of a dusty old implement, give it a shot, already. Occasionally, this is worlds easier than building a whole new device to achieve that effect in the first place! Power stunts can often assist innovation in the invention process, particularly when they're unsuccessful. A spectacular malfunction, whether or not that was the intent of the specific power stunt, can produce the impetus to create a device which offers the intended effect. This falls under the 'working copy' of a device to duplicate when making something that works that way on purpose. Note: the rank a power stunt operates at depends on the cost of its parent ability. A power that has a stated cost of one point per rank will allow for power stunts which operate at its own rank, though each additional point the power costs will reduce a stunt's rank by -1 CS. The idea here is to reflect just how potent powers with a higher cost (such as power control, or even power absorption) happen to be. ** Self-Improvement ** While reinventing one's hardware and software is a good way to achieve personal growth, it is important to note that a character is not merely the inventory of their various electromechanical implements. For the most part, the wielders of transcendent technologies spend Karma much like any other when purchasing new talents or contacts, as is defined in the Living and Dying document. The same applies when enhancing a current ability or power rank, with one exception. A character can attempt to use the invention process when engaging in such endeavors, treating such augmentations as modifications to an extant contrivance. This can save many a technologist Karma in the short term, as lower ability score and power rank numbers are often easy pickings for those with high Resources. However! Attempting to do so includes all the risks of equipment modification, in addition to its benefits. Any super-powers granted by the auspices of technology that are damaged during the modification process are rendered useless until fixed, and ability scores so damaged are dropped to Feeble (2) in rank - for both their normal usage and for the purpose of determining Health and Karma scores. If inadvertently handicapped in this fashion, a character may require external assistance to repair themselves. This may especially be the case if one has rendered the body parts required to fix themselves useless - or even just nearly so. A lack of help may very well cause such temporary handicaps to develop more permanence, particularly when one is a leader in their field of expertise. Thus is the peril of self-modification, especially when one lives on the bleeding edge of progress! * Culmination * While the previous is a relatively complete guide to advanced technologies in the CASE, not to mention their deployment during play, one can ponder the role of their gear in society to further expound on their character's identity. Furthermore, players can also make ready use of even more limitations, for their powers or their very character, to better detail their lives - both in and out of combat! ** Children of the Electron ** Characters who possess transcendent technologies, those so-called Children of the Electron, often have it easier than other characters with access to super-powers. Sure, almost all capabilities acquired via technology come with at least one limitation that constrains their use in lieu of having ingrained, ascendant powers. But generally, the products of mankind's knowledge are looked upon favorably. As the end result of humankind's ingenuity, characters empowered by technology don't face blatant bigotry due to their source of power, unlike composites, degenerates, or other posthuman entities. They need not tolerate the persecution of various organizations who find their use of knowledge abhorrent, as do sorcerers. And they entirely avoid the stark suspicion others feel towards psis - and psipaths in particular. This is because it's a lot easier to bend one's head around fantastic capabilities granted by the manifest dominance of human creative genius than, say, aberrant genes or the providence of so-called gods. And, in that same vein, it's easy enough to disarm a high tech menace: you just destroy the toys that are causing so much trouble. Or, better yet, confiscate them for your very own use! Of course, life isn't all roses with technical adventurers, either. Luddites are often a source of consternation to them, fighting tooth and nail against the innovations which empower high tech characters, if only to maintain their precious status quo. And then there are those who are jealous of these characters' know-how, and wish to either share it with the masses... or simply strive to possess it for themselves. Then there are concerns of the law, and how it interacts with the use or existence of advanced technology. Regulators are often quite keen to ensure that the hardware built by itinerant inventors isn't liable to destroy or poison the world, while corporations are often intent on safeguarding their secrets - to the extent that they claim perpetual ownership over all that they build, merely selling the right to use it. Living at the forefront of innovation often leaves one with no precedent with which to face down representatives of the law, much less whoever is pulling its strings. In particular, how does one prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that a robot is truly sentient, and deserving of the rights and privileges that mere fleshlings take for granted? How does one do so when robots are considered mere property? These and many more questions are those faced by the Children of the Electron, and have been fodder for countless science fiction tales. In fact, issues such as these are what makes science fiction science fiction, and living out such concerns provide for truly incredible adventures! ** Common Technological Limitations ** Though all characters have the opportunity (such as it is) to inflict limitations upon their characters, those who acquire their special abilities through transcendent technologies have several that are uniquely suited to them. All related to the material nature of their power source, these limitations are almost always seen on characters with high technology powers to some extent or another. Implant Psychosis: as stated previously, implant psychosis is a character limitation that cyborgs must contend with for as long as they possess foreign devices interfaced with their flesh. Under duress, cyborgs must pass a mandatory Psyche (will) ACTION roll against their implant psychosis statistic, or IPS, lest they grow erratic for the duration of the current encounter - and such erratic behavior can take many, many forms. As described, 'basic' implant psychosis is a weak character limitation, and further tiers of it stack. A strong implant psychosis lowers the bar of 'duress' to 'any conflict', whether martial or interpersonal or otherwise, a very strong implant psychosis doubles the character's IPS, and an extreme implant psychosis inflicts additional behavioral tics upon a cyborg even when he or she isn't actively under stress. To assist in the calculation of IPS for cybernetic characters, a list is provided below that describes which replacement parts add one point to their IPS. This is on top of any powers their high tech implements provide, of course. In other words, a character with a completely cybernetic body (save for, say, their brain) will have a base IPS of Excellent (20), before adding in any other, super-human capabilities. * each arm * ear(s) * digestive system * each hand * eye(s) * immune system * each leg * nose (olfactory) * nervous system * groin * tactile feedback (sense of feel) * respiratory system * head * tongue (sense of taste) * circulatory system * torso * hard points / body armor (bonus power) Languorous: a languorous character does not have the ability to heal injuries or damage as do most normal characters. They may be animate, and even ambulatory, but they lack the metabolic processes (or a respectable facsimile therein) required to actually repair themselves naturally. If not careful, such individuals will invariably fall apart over time, through sheer wear and tear. This is most often the case with weaker undead entities, particularly zombies and their ilk, but languorous is a property that can also apply to robotic characters as well. This is generally considered a character limitation, but can apply to the individual powers of a character which are housed within body parts that cannot heal, even though the 'mundane' portions of their body can. Think cyborgs here. Weakly limited characters cannot heal, but can at least ignore or bypass damage by rerouting or repurposing other bits of themselves. Strongly limited characters cannot heal, but may repair themselves with only minimum effort, while very strongly limited characters require considerable resources and effort to fix themselves. Extremely limited characters who are damaged suffer it permanently. Portable: this limitation describes a power that, while it may be primarily associated with a given individual, isn't inherent to their very person. On the surface, this sounds like an advantage, in that a character can share the portable ability with others in a pinch. On the other hand, others can abscond with the source of a portable power quite easily, since it's so, well, portable. Most often, this limitation manifests as a power which is focused within an ostensibly inanimate object. You know, anything from a firearm to a jet pack to a suit of combat armor. However, portable powers can often take on more ephemeral aspects, being something like a potion or pill that imparts their special abilities, or even something intangible that is passed from one individual to another. The severity of the portable limitation denotes just how inconvenient it is for a character to replace a portable power. Weakly limited powers can simply be replaced without too much fuss, while strongly limited powers require a special adventure to recover. A very strongly limited power can be replaced with considerable effort on the part of its possessor, while an extremely limited power is unique or irreplaceable. Proprietary: proprietary powers are the legal property of someone besides the characters themselves. This most often takes the form of a device or implant, either being 'on loan' to their current wielder or in the process of being paid off. In less savory circumstances, however, sentient beings can be considered property as well, which makes this a character limitation, instead. Proprietary gear is provided by a benefactor of some sort, which saves characters the need to buy, build, or maintain their own. The downside is that said benefactor can legally do whatever they will with proprietary implements. Proprietary characters may have to prove their sentience to shed this limitation (primarily in the case of robots), or simply purchase their freedom from their owners. Each tier of proprietary stacks with those below it. A weak limitation denotes a legal obligation to return equipment when so ordered. A strong limitation describes gear the owner can track at all times. A very strong limitation indicates that the proprietor of said gear may remotely activate or deactivate it at will. Extreme limitations include a self-destruct the character cannot disarm. Regulated: the character with a regulated power is subject to many and various laws of the land that govern both its possession and usage. This most often comes in the form of some contraption or another which the powers that be don't trust every citizen under their jurisdiction to use without restraint. In other words, they feel it a direct threat to their power or the government altogether. This can readily apply to other forms of power, as well. Some jurisdictions might ban the use of psionics outright, for example, or perhaps consider clericism an affront to whatever religion happens to be ascendant in society - unless it's in the service of said organization. This is the most problematic when societies terminate on sight those with some powers or origins, such as, say, reanimates. Weakly limited powers may be possessed by anyone properly certified and licensed to do so, though their use may be more tightly regulated, while strongly limited powers may only be possessed and/or wielded by duly sanctioned government operatives. Very strongly limited powers are illegal outright, while the use (if not mere possession) of extremely limited powers will bring down the active wrath of the government. Reprogrammable: truly sentient robots are assumed to have incredibly complex minds. Many are built to simulate the function of the human brain, and being the sum of their experiences, are not directly susceptible to being reprogrammed. Other robots have minds that are much more malleable, however, allowing these entities to literally change their minds as they see fit - a great benefit over time. The primary downside to this benefit is that if a robot can reprogram itself, so can anyone else who can access its mind. On top of being subject to psionic manipulation as are any other sentient beings, reprogrammable robots can be 'hacked', for the lack of a better term, to run foreign software - either in lieu of or alongside their own code base. This additional attack vector makes for a powerful character limitation. Reprogramming a robot requires software or talent equal in intensity to its Psyche (will) score, though a hard reset of the robot's mind will clear such efforts; this represents a weak reprogrammable limitation. Every subsequent increase in the level of reprogrammable reduces the complexity of the reprogramming software required by -2 CS, and makes it that much harder to shake off foreign code (at the Judge's discretion). Unreliable: powers that suffer from the unreliable limitation are... problematic. Something about them just doesn't work right, at least in regards to other instances of such powers not saddled with a like penalty. On occasion, whatever it is that makes powers of this stripe unreliable can be bypassed, but usually the effects of unreliability will manifest quite often - and irritatingly so, at that. When manifested in physical objects (such as a weapon or other contraption), this is most often a sign of a persistent electrical, mechanical, or programming malfunction. When inherent powers are concerned, this is an indicator of a genetic defect, which isn't all that surprising where things like mutations are concerned. Of course, any power can be subject to this limitation, if at all desired. Weakly unreliable powers require a successful ACTION roll before they even function, lest they fail outright. Strong and very strong limitations increase the color difficulty by one step (yellow for strong, and red for very strong). Extreme limitations invoke spectacular failures if the unreliability check is unsuccessful, on top of the red difficulty required - making them quite unpopular amongst one's allies! CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE BOOK OF MAGIC What exactly is magic? In game terms, we define magic as the manipulation of probability to achieve effects that would be impossible - or at the very least, astoundingly unlikely - under normal circumstances. A body that can alter probability to manifest magic is often known as a mage, magician, wizard, thaumaturge, or sorcerer. Lots of colorful names, to be sure, but they're all essentially the same thing: people that use magic. With intense effort, almost anyone can learn how to wield magic. Sure, some people have more... potential than others, but this matters not. When it comes down to it, any sentient being can master magical practices if he or she wishes. This is because, more than sleepless nights studying and researches into the crypts of long dead enchanters, the desire to master the arts arcane is what it truly takes to utilize magic. At a glance, a spellbinder looks to be a relatively frail form of ascendant being. His or her physical abilities will be comparable to their 'mundane' counterparts, and in fact there is little to distinguish a conjurer from ordinary society, once you remove the familiar trappings of robes, amulets, and so forth. There is no genetic marker to reveal wizardry, nor is there obvious, permanent physical cues to showcase such. But a theurgist's seeming weakness belies his or her true power. Using knowledge of the obscure as their power base, mystic masters can wield staggering might, the ability to reshape reality itself to suit their desires. And their desires are paramount, for logic need not hamper a warlock in the course of their work - merely the will to impose their wishes on the world at large... no matter how far removed from reality they may be. * Core Principles * Before players build magic wielding player characters for use in their game, there are several basic ideas that they should first understand. ** Spells ** The principal thing to remember about magical abilities is that they are not powers, in the standard sense of the word. They instead behave more like talents, as they are arcane formulas a person can use to manifest magic. As such, standard methods of power negation do not work on practitioners of magic, as their powers are derived from what they know, not some inherent effect of their physiology. These arcane formulas are known as spells. As opposed to the dangerous means necessary for ordinary heroes to acquire powers, a mage can learn a new spell with dilligent study and hard work. Research, also, is a large part of spell acquisition. Further, spells all affect reality in the same way, regardless of the various types of raw energy they use to fuel their effect. You see, magic is the art of making the impossible possible. By tinkering ever so slightly with the laws of probability, practitioners of magic cause things to happen which simply should not occur - at least, not according to our current understanding of the universe. Those strange words, the bizarre movements, and even the occult ingredients, they are all tools for the bending of reality itself to the whims of the mage. ** Types of Magical Energy ** In essence, there are three kinds of mystical power: personal, universal, and dimensional energy. Each mage has access to all three types of magical power, generally speaking, but players can limit their mage's access to energy types as a character limitation (see character generation, later, for more on this). The forms of magical energy function as follows: Personal Energy: derived from the spell caster, personal energies can fuel spell effects without relying upon any outside sources whatsoever. While magic of this type is more exhausting for a mage to utilize, it is not at all hindered by the whims and dictates of outside agencies or beings. Personal energies are used primarily to affect a caster's own body or equipment, as opposed to affecting others or the outside world. Universal Energy: this form of magical energy is drawn from the ambient and infinite power of the universe itself. The power inherent in universal energy can be used to affect people and things other than the mage wielding them, and is the source for most of your more legendary spell effects, such as bolts of energy, matter transformations, and the like. Universal energy magic is less stressful to use than personal energies. Dimensional Energy: this last form of magical energy is extremely potent, as it is drawn from outside a spell caster's own plane of existence. Spells that use dimensional energy are the least stressful on a mage, as the power that fuels them does not subtract from his or her own energies at all. However, energy of this type is often granted to a mage by some being or race of great power, which is a risky idea, at best. Unless, of course, you like the idea of a vengeful god taking notice of you. ** Types of Magical Spells ** In addition to there being several types of magical energies, there are several special types of magical spells that use them. It's true that some magic can be defined as just 'personal', 'universal', or 'dimensional' spells, but others don't easily fit into this mold. These special types of spells include school spells, group spells, and entreaty spells, each of which is detailed here: Group Spells: normally of dimensional energy, a group spell is in fact several spells, since it acts as a kind of multiple choice ability. It is actually six or more different spells, of similar type, and a mage can choose one to use each day. He or she need not make this choice until they actually cast the group spell, though, which makes such magic both more versatile and more limited at the same time. School Spells: these are special magic spells that are usually, but not always, unique to one magical school of study. They can utilize any type of magical energy, of course, but only the mages who study a magic school (and its closely aligned fellows) have access to its particular school spells. This 'exclusive' availability is primarily due to the mindset involved in creating such magics in the first place. Entreaty Spells: these spells have the greatest potential power, as well as the greatest inherent risk. Dimensional energy effects also, these spells are an attempt to draw power from a specific entity, item, or plane. Planes and items usually don't cause too much trouble, but requests for power from gods tend to get a mage into trouble, as these beings eventually ask for favors in return. * Schools of Magic * With the basics of magic described, in terms of game use, of course, it's time to talk about schools of magic. Magic schools are lots of things. They describe a sort of magical philosophy, an understanding about how the world works, and how it can be manipulated. They also represent a way to make a character's magic spells work together within a common framework. Alternately, they provide a great way to make one spell a totally different affair for mages of two different schools. For example, specialists of elemental vapor can create lightning by stimulating air friction, while an entreatist would ask extradimensional beings for the power to spontaneously conjure the energy from nowhere. The same applies to almost every spell available, given a little bit of creative thought. There are thirteen known schools of magic, each of which is detailed below. Several of these schools qualify as combination character forms of magic, as they blend aspects of magic with technology, psionics, or divine energies. However, these are included here for the sake of completeness - basically to have all the magical rules in one place. The thirteen schools of magic include the following: ** Alchemy ** "It is the art of manipulating life, and consciousness in matter, to help it evolve, or to solve problems of inner disharmonies." - Jean Dubuis The practice of alchemy is almost as old as civilization itself. Having its roots in ancient metallurgy, known to have been utilized over 7,500 years ago, alchemy is the sorcery of substance. While the physical sciences may have served more practical, immediate concerns, the traditions of alchemy lent a more spiritual air to the process of transforming a given substance into another. The goal of alchemy has always been the transmutation of mundane material into that which is far more valuable. Sure, there's the obvious factor of greed, in that alchemists have obsessed over transforming lead into gold for centuries, but men and women of alchemy strive for far more than just that. They have also sought to discover - or create - substances which can cure disease and render mankind immortal! While numerous purges have cost alchemists valuable knowledge over the millennia, both practical and spiritual, the art persists to this very day. Sure, modern society would have you think alchemy has been swept into the dustbin of history, but in the obscure corners of society, where the rational fear to tread, alchemists work their magic. And rest assured, what alchemists do is quite magical, indeed. *** The Alchemist *** Strictly speaking, an alchemist is like most other sorcerers. They are constantly on the lookout for knowledge that is new to them, if not new altogether. While modern science can bolster their work, the truth is that alchemists don't really need it to ply their trade. Where they differ from most other wielders of magic, however, is that it is rare to happen across an alchemist casting actual spells. While most magicians will wave their fingers, speak obscure words, and think mystical thoughts to release magic, an alchemist will do so by literally working magic into an item, which when utilized will release its sorcery as intended. Alchemists thus prepare their magic well in advance, needing only to eat a snack, or smoke a cigar, or pop a pill, or pour oil onto something, or scatter dust into the wind, to deploy it. Thus, alchemists carry various containers on their person with which to transport their alchemical concoctions, readily accessible for use if circumstances require they do so. This grants alchemists a powerful advantage in relation to other magicians, in that spellcasting restraints aren't quite as effective against them - assuming that one doesn't deny them access to their alchemical creations, that is. *** Portability *** On the other hand, alchemical effects that are the end result of some item's expenditure, as opposed to a cast outcome, are subject to the Portable limitation. Something of a double-edged sword, portability means that an alchemist can share the effects of their magic with others simply by handing over that which contains it - quite a boon, when you're talking about a batch of cookies that, say, heal injuries. Of course, those cookies can be stolen by others, whether they be allies, enemies, or even random passersby. And then, regardless of who has those concoctions now, that person isn't the alchemist who made them! While it is presumed that whipping up magical snacks, oils, dusts, cigars, potions, or whatever else can be done without too much hassle, replacing them on the spot simply isn't feasible. In other words, magical spell effects that are provided by the consumption of an alchemical product are considered weakly limited. Thus, an alchemist may add a +1 CS to their functioning rank when acquiring magic of this type, whether during character generation or later on in their career. Spells they can cast normally do not receive this bonus - but then again, someone can't walk off with them, either. *** Affordability *** In a strictly mechanical sense, a major benefit of studying alchemy is that one masters new abilities in this school of magic on the cheap. Sure, there's the Column Shift bump due to being subject to the Portable limitation, but alchemical effects are mastered at a discount. To wit, a character purchasing a new alchemical spell effect (whatever form it ultimately takes for them) does so at a twenty-five percent discount. This discount applies whether one is developing a new recipe for regular consumption or a more permanent item. While the latter also requires an alchemist master the universal spell of empowerment, it nonetheless gives him or her access to a magical ability that needn't be reformulated on a regular basis - even if it is still bound by the Portable limitation - this time, in a strong sense, being more difficult to replace. Either way, between the discount for purchasing new magical effects and the effects of the Portable limitation on them, an alchemist is primed to advance quickly in the game. Assuming they play their cards right, and manage to keep their creations out of their enemies' hands, an alchemist can quickly master their school of magic. This allows them to either adopt an all-new school or dig in, and improve their alchemy even further! ** Clericism ** "There are those who scoff at the school boy, calling him frivolous and shallow. Yet it was the school boy who said, Faith is believing what you know ain't so." - Mark Twain There's something about the sentient mind that compels it to worship the fantastic. Mysteries in particular seem to encourage this kind of behavior in intelligent life, even that which seems like it should know better. After all, it's a lot easier on the brain to claim that bright light moving strangely through the sky is Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, instead of the planet (usually) nearest to our own. What's more, this exaltation of the existence and machinations of fanciful entities generates a sort of spectral energy. Fueled by this energy, the beings so idolized grow more powerful still, manifesting astounding capabilities that most associate with the divine. Thus, it is the worshiper that creates their gods, not the other way around - but don't let any immortals hear you say that! Moreover, this channel of faith is a two-way street. Because they generally wish to concentrate on other matters, divine beings often empower their most loyal and effective followers to handle the day-to-day care of their flock. This empowering occasionally comes in the form of supernatural powers, but most often it involves granting one's priests the knowledge to cast spells in their name. *** The Cleric *** Clerics are spellcasters who receive the knowledge to wield magic directly from their divine patron(s). Unlike other wizards, who must study hard and practice diligently to master their sorcery, a cleric immediately attains such mastery at the whim of their liege. This can be when they prove their worth, after a certain duration of service, or even as a reward for some great service performed. The most ardent advocates for a deity, or perhaps an entire pantheon of such, clerics are far more important to their gods than mere priests. In addition to the usual responsibilities ordinary priests bear, a cleric can tangibly demonstrate magic entrusted to them by the divine, thus making them examples to others. Furthermore, clerics represent their god's will made manifest when acting on the world at large. A deity's clerics are constantly 'on the clock', but are only occasionally called upon to perform special tasks. These may involve undertaking quests, working against the clerics of rival gods, defending the faithful (and the precious faith they generate), or even inexplicable jobs that make no sense whatsoever. Ultimately, anything a deity asks of their cleric is to further their ends - and usually that of their followers. *** Mythological Preeminence *** When creating a cleric, it is vital to choose a deity that aligns with the capabilities one foresees them possessing. The followers of a storm god are more likely to receive loud, ostentatious spells than those which involve subtle trickery, for example. In other words, the ultimate authority over whether or not a cleric can learn a certain spell is whatever deity they happen to venerate. The Judge is the final arbiter of what does and does not fit a god's bag of tricks, and if that god does not wish their follower to learn a spell, they simply won't reveal the knowledge required to do so. The reason for this is the simple fact that whenever clerics go 'off message', they risk generating the wrong kind of faith for their patron, which is usually more trouble than it is worth. Clerics can generally learn school spells without any problem, along with whatever spells fit with their immortal sponsor's theme. Anything questionable, but not diametrically opposed to their god's mythological portfolio, can often be approved after the completion of a special task or another. Mind you, clerics are encouraged to avoid showing off such abilities for the most part, at least as much as is possible. *** Give and Take *** Much of a cleric's time and effort is occupied in service to the deity they worship, performing duties both mundane and incredible to further their agendas, and this expenditure of blood, sweat, and tears isn't without reward. Deities strive to keep their clerics happy, as granting them the knowledge to cast spells expends some of the faith they've accumulated, and they try to retain that investment for as long as they can. As such, clerics benefit from being able to receive a new spell from their god before spending the Karma normally necessary to master it. Clerics can only do this with one spell at a time, but they can simply make Karma payments, as they earn it, to secure each new spell. The Karma cost works out the same in the long run, but this at least gives clerics a bit of a jump on other sorcerers in the short term. Furthermore, clerics may rarely receive bolstered spell ranks, if not entirely new spells, without paying any Karma for them whatsoever. Deities reserve such boons for their most faithful and effective devotees, as the cost for this improvement in their magic also subtracts from their reserves of faith. However, this is another way gods can reward followers who go above and beyond in their service. It helps to keep them from wandering off into the graces of another deity, as well. *** The Jeopardy of Apostasy *** Should a cleric cast off the yoke of their religion, either to embrace another or to simply reject the divine altogether, their former patrons are somewhat out of luck. Faith invested in clerics to reveal spellcasting knowledge to them is lost forever, for one cannot erase something from a sentient mind. Sure, that knowledge can be removed from one's conscious awareness, but it's always in there somewhere. Furthermore, should that cleric begin to venerate a different deity upon abandoning their previous liege, that expended power will be utilized in service to their new god, instead! This usually prompts immortals to dispatch minions to slay clerics who have made fresh religious arrangements, because a) they tend to be vengeful in general, and b) their continued existence disrupts the intake of more faith. That being said, a deity can usually withdraw any supernatural powers, ability score enhancements, or spell rank boosts they have invested within their subjects, whether current or otherwise. This is often why immortals, when they aren't sure they want a follower to retain certain abilities indefinitely, grant them as powers in lieu of spellcasting knowledge. It's a sort of insurance against bad followers! ** Eclecticism ** "To be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." - e e cummings There is no eclecticism school of magic. At its core, eclecticism is the process of taking bits and pieces from one or more schools of magic, and combining what one perceives to work best from them to develop spellcasting abilities. While they can practice what a school preaches, at least in regards to the spells they know which refer to such, eclecticists do not follow a school of magic in and of itself. It's easy to believe otherwise, however. This is because all of those who do not follow one of the twelve known schools of magic suffer the same difficulties in walking an eclectic path. Similarly, those who disregard schools of magic to go their own way often devise various spells to aid themselves in that endeavor, mystical formulas which can readily be confused with school spells. And this is why, even within the Book of Magic itself, eclecticism is often referred to as a school. It's easiest to classify spellcasters by assigning them all to one of thirteen schools. Easier, at least, than attempting to describe the unique process every individual eclecticist utilizes to cast spells, since each of their specific methods are technically a distinct school of magic! *** The Eclecticist *** A mage who ascribes to the eclectic method of sorcery eschews schools of magic, instead acquiring what knowledge they can from other wizards regardless of their magical backgrounds. As such, eclecticists most often have a bizarre mixture of magical abilities that don't seem to complement each other at all. However, his or her spells are most often the precise abilities an eclecticist needs the most. As practicing what a mystic school preaches is a much easier road to walk, why don't eclecticists? It's possible that they were originally tied to a mystic school, but were drummed out for one reason or another. Or, alternately, they weren't considered worthy by the instructors they had access to. Finally, perhaps they simply felt they knew better than those selling what the magical schools were offering. Regardless of the purpose behind their lack of adherence to a mystic school, the important thing to note is the persistence of an eclecticist. Despite the lack of camaraderie a school provides, much less moral and philosophical support when studying the ways of magic, eclecticists never quit. They kept at it until they mastered the spells they have, despite the odds arrayed against them! Something others should keep in mind. *** The Benefits of Independence *** Drawing one's magic from the practices of various mystic schools gives a caster insight into how they all function. The practical perk of this understanding is that an eclectic mage may learn any school spells, not just their own. If randomly generating an eclecticist, one may make use of table 3 to pick which school their next school spell will come from, if they so desire. When studying spells after they begin play, an eclecticist may adopt them at -2 CS to the rank wielded by their source, instead of the standard starting rank - limited by the campaign's power ceiling, of course. This more than makes up for the Karma penalty eclecticists suffer when advancing their magical career, as well as the price they must pay to acquire access to the sorcery of others. Finally, though eclectic sorcery does not allow for the creation of ceremonial areas in and of itself, its practitioners may utilize those crafted by the adherents of mystic schools if necessary. However, the bonus to a spell's rank that a given ceremonial area provides does not apply if casting school spells that don't match its character. In other words, a geomancy school spell won't be bolstered in a technomancer's workshop. *** The Detriments of Independence *** The lack of an overarching structure in an eclecticist's magical education has its costs. Whether attempting to master a new spell or improve an existing one, an eclectic must pay thirty percent more Karma than other wizards do. This alone assures that a thaumaturge of the eclectic sort has a hard road ahead of them, as their careers will typically advance much, much slower than that of other wielders of magic. However, this penalty assumes that the eclecticist has no magical teacher to assist them in their travails, as is the case when attempting to research an all-new spell, or deriving one from the spell books of another caster. If actively tutored by another mage, regardless of what school they ascribe to, an eclecticist may reduce this penalty by half, to fifteen percent. The trick in achieving such tutelage is that most sorcerers have no reason to teach an eclecticist, even if a would-be instructor is also an eclecticist! Thus, it will fall upon an eclectic magician to convince such individuals to share their knowledge, and the reduction in the usual penalty for magical advancement may or may not outweigh the cost such teachers would impose upon their ersatz student. ** Elementalism ** "Never can the innate power of a work be hidden or locked away. A work of art can be forgotten by time; it can be forbidden and rejected but the elemental will always prevail over the ephemeral." - Stefan Zweig Across countless worlds, throughout endless planes of existence, magical schools arise wherein sorcerers study and manipulate the mystical building blocks of the entirety of reality. While there are only so many of such blocks to incorporate, differing traditions recognize differing combinations of elements when their school forms, much like geomancy did when it came into being on earth. These schools often die out or adopt additional elements over time, ultimately becoming what is recognized as elementalism. Elementalism is a practice that recognizes thirteen distinct, mystical elements that comprise all of creation. It is a study that is dedicated to the control of these elements, to manipulate one, several, or every facet of all that exists. The school of elementalism, wherever it occurs in the multiverse, recognizes the mystic elements of antimagic, death, energy, faith, fluid, life, magic, philosophy, quintessence, rock, time, unity, and vapor. Even with knowledge of one of these elements, a sorcerer can manipulate their environment with ease. But upon mastering several, if not all of them, there is almost nothing an elementalist cannot do! The Elementalist *** Those sorcerers who study elementalism strive to understand the inner workings of reality itself. Regardless of which element or elements they choose to pursue mastery of, elementalists have a tendency to travel far and wide to glean the secrets of their manipulation. While their mystic masters aren't necessarily holding them back, the simple truth is that they don't know everything. Elementalism is a school that is generally recognized throughout the multiverse, after all, unlike its more provincial counterparts. Thus, elementalists can often be found just a*** bout anywhere in their search for greater understanding, whether in remote locations on earth, the farthest depths of interstellar space, or even in planes of existence alien to mere mortals and their ilk. In their travels, elementalists often locate areas that act as a nexus of elemental power. In other words, these locales are imbalanced in their elemental composition, and have more of certain elements than the others. Such focal points are ideal locations to forge a lair, or to at least perform magical ceremonies, for increased elemental composition in an area provides a +1 CS to related elemental spells. *** Elemental Mastery *** In the course of their study of elementalism, wizards progress by mastering the mystic elements their school recognizes. This process entails learning a variation on the Elemental Control spell that calls upon the element in question, as well as three distinct spells that draw upon said element to fuel its effects. Elementalists who accomplish this benefit from a +1 CS when casting spells fueled by that element. Spell stunts also count for the purposes of elemental mastery. A mage who masters an Eldritch Bolt of psychoturgic, philosophical energies, for instance, can count that same spell towards their mastery requirement for rock if they master a stunt to produce a jagged stream of stones with it. While spell stunts don't improve a character's mystic mastery rank, they nonetheless assist them in conquering their area of expertise. Elementalists need not necessarily master one element before beginning work on another, however. One may learn another iteration of the Elemental Control spell before mastering an element, if desired - all of them, in fact, if this is what they want. This costs elementalists the elemental mastery bonus until they get around to it, of course, but provides them unmatched spellcasting versatility in exchange. *** Elemental Specialists *** While the previous details the standard form of elementalism, the school lends itself to offshoots that further emphasize specific facets of such magic. In other words, an elementalist may specialize in a single element, eschewing access to the other twelve to focus their attention exclusively. Elemental specialists are afforded a +1 CS bonus to all such spells, on top of that offered by elemental mastery. *** The Thirteen Elements *** While the Elemental Control spell details what one can do with it at least in regards to each individual element, it is important to document the scope of each of the elements recognized by elementalism. This is to assist players in the manipulation of each one, giving them a proper idea what can be done with them, and perhaps point them towards spells they can use to develop each further. The thirteen elements recognized by the school of elementalism include the following: Antimagic: strictly speaking, this element involves the manipulation of improbability particles, which act to dampen or neutralize concentrations of the probability particles that allow most spells to be cast in the first place. This is a powerful, but dangerous ability; mishaps may neutralize one's own magics as well. On the other hand, it's one of the few ways to counter probability-manipulating powers. Death: elemental forces of death include those strange forms of energy which exist in the planes of the afterlife, as well as those encountered on the way to such. These can include hellfire, celestial light, and spectral flames. Additionally, there are the more direct ways to interact with death, including the inducement of premature death, the forestalling of looming doom, and communion with deceased souls. Energy: the element of energy is a versatile one, as almost everything contains energy of a sort. This element involves the manipulation of conventional energies, from light to heat to sound to electricity, and its controllers can shape this power in any way they see fit. Keep in mind that unconventional energy forms (those which inflict Deionic, Karmic, or Sorcerous damage) are beyond the scope of this element. Faith: the forces that the element of faith represent are astoundingly powerful. They are the energies wielded by priests of their respective deities, as well as the raw power generated by the veneration of such. These energies can be produced to perform truly staggering feats, and can even be turned against the so-called gods themselves when wielded properly (if one chooses to do so). Fluid: fluid elements are those which are of a liquid nature. This can include anything from water to high fructose corn syrup to the most toxic of sludges. If a material is currently liquid, this element holds sway over it. Note that temperature can alter the state of matter; what was untouchable stone one moment ago can be turned fluid with the application of enough heat. Life: the flip-side of death, the element of life involves the manipulation of life forms and the life force that animates them. This element can be used to control the behavior of creatures sentient and unintelligent, change their very bodies, or alter the flow and quantity of life force they contain. It is great for healing others, but can just as easily be used to kill. Magic: the raw aspect of sorcery itself, elemental magic involves the manipulation of probability particles. As can a paraprobabilitist, a master of elemental magic may twist and change the very core of magical effects, though usually those cast by others. This element can also be used to alter and manipulate any form of energy which inflicts Sorcerous damage (which may overlap with other elements slightly). Philosophy: the forces of philosophy are those which govern morality. Good, evil, chaos, order, and balance are the five primary cornerstones of this element, though they can combine with each other to form a total of thirteen different philosophical forces. Masters of this element may amplify or dampen the effects of such, or shape the raw energies they represent to drastically alter their environment. Quintessence: the element of space, quintessence is the universe all around us. One can use quintessence to shape said space, whether tinkering with gravity or altering the trajectories of objects moving in one's vicinity. Space can alter our own dimensions or the higher ones, allowing one to connect incongruent locations in our universe to one another - or even to places on other planes of existence! Rock: the simply named element of rock involves the control over all material currently in a solid state. This can be anything from the eponymous rocks in one's environment to the building he or she occupies. Whether natural or man-made, the element of rock may shape all solid materials, either when simply destroying them or using them to create new objects entirely. Time: the element of time represents both motion and entropy. One can use it to manipulate such to a variety of ends, whether accelerating or decelerating the flow of time around oneself or another, engaging in time travel, or possibly even rapidly aging or de-aging something. The element of time also allows control over temporal static, an energy form generated by those outside of their correct space-time coordinates. Unity: unity is the convergence of elements, a combination of forces to produce a singular effect. This element allows for the blending of any other elements an elementalist holds sway over, to create all-new effects. With enough elements in tow, one can use unity to alter reality itself - or at least a small portion of it - as enough elements working together can truly represent our universe in its entirety. Vapor: the element of vapor is similar to rock and fluid, in that it is used to manipulate one entire form of matter. Vapor, of course, is used to control all gases and vaporous materials, from oxygen to smoke to methane to helium. One with control over vapor can shape and move gaseous matter as they see fit, and can even expel it from an area if they wish, creating a true vacuum. ** Entreatism ** "We all go down for the god of the moment." - Rob Zombie Entreatism is a practice whereby wizards align themselves with powerful extraplanar entities, pooling their resources with such beings to further a mutually beneficial agenda. The entreatist generally brings their physical presence to the table, performing tasks their benefactor either can't or won't, while the extrinsic entities involved provide the muscle to make things happen. While any thaumaturge may attempt entreaties to the various dimensionally distant beings, places, and things that share their might, the entreatist takes this process one step further. Upon forging a pact with a given source of energy, an entreatist may work with it to increase the amount of power they may draw from him, her, or it without irking their ire, particularly when actively supporting its plans. At the same time, an entreatist is by no means bound to any given source of mystic energy. Should an entreatist come to loggerheads with any of the things fueling their magic, they can simply exit their current arrangement. This may diminish their power, but there's nothing stopping an entreatist from developing a new relationship with another source of energy, one more than ready to make a deal! *** The Entreatist *** Like most who wield magic, entreatists spend a considerable amount of their time conducting research. A small amount of this effort is to reveal the occasional spell, such as those which are intrinsic to their particular school of magic. However, most of an entreatist's time spent in study is utilized uncovering every possible bit of information available to them regarding what they entreat for might. This investigative work sees an entreatist wandering far and wide, whether performing forensic groundwork in abandoned shrines, conversations with the followers of powerful deities, or even expeditions to exotic planes for firsthand examinations. Thus, despite the difference in subject matter, the questions facing an entreatist drag them away from their lives for long periods of time, as is the case with other mages. Nonetheless, other wizards tend to disregard the craft entreatists put into their work, perceiving them as lazy, daft, or both for their extensive dependence on others' power. But then again, most sorcerers judge entreatists through the lens of their own entreaty usage, whether as distinct spells or boosts to other magic. The flaw in that perspective is how differently entreaties function for entreatists. *** Sorcerous Concordat *** Entreatists attempt entreaties to extrinsic people, places, or things of power as do any other wizards. They may safely bolster an extant spell with a mystical entreaty up to twice a day, or maybe seven times per week, without drawing the attention of their power source. However, this basic amount changes dramatically upon making an arrangement to work with a given entity in exchange for magic might. The Sorcerous Concordat, a pact with a source of power to further its aims in the multiverse, increases the count of harmless entreaties with it by one. Each entreaty spell an entreatist studies/creates related to this sponsor adds one to this sum, as well. Entreatists with a history of furthering their patron's plans may add another safe entreaty, and those currently working to further their benefactor's interests may add two. While a few extra +1 CS (or rarely, +2 CS) bonuses to spells here and there may not sound like a lot, the important thing to remember is that an entreatist is not restricted to entering a Sorcerous Concordat with only one entity of power. With enough patrons available to reliably draw upon, an entreatist can regularly punch far above their weight - particularly when repeatedly stacking entreaties! *** Sponsor Schisms *** One of the problems inherent to partnering with vastly intelligent alien powers is that some tend to forget that the whole idea behind the Sorcerous Concordat is one of mutual benefit. Luckily, this mystical partnership may be ended at any time, by either party, whenever one of the two sees fit, and for any reason either feels valid. This is particularly helpful when one begins to treat their partner like hired help. Strictly speaking, there is no consequence to entreatists for severing ties with an alien being, or vice versa, aside from no longer being able to make additional entreaties to them without undue notice. But the reality of such a break isn't always so clean, and an extraplanar person, place, or thing may take considerable exception to a schism with an entreatist they've sponsored for some time. While this is uncommon, a sudden end to a working relationship between an entreatist and an extraplanar power can make subsequent entreaties to them particularly harrowing. In fact, it may behoove an entreatist to retool any entreaty spells that draw energy from now-hostile entities to instead pull power from another, which may be accomplished as a spell stunt in the event of such a crisis. Assuming they can't patch things up with their former sponsor, that is. ** Faerie Magic ** "Strength and courage can sometimes be lonely friends, but those who dream walk in Faerie dust." - unknown A sorcerous school formed over untold millennia by extraplanar creatures of the same name, Faerie magic primarily reflects its creators' mindset. In other words, it mainly consists of spells intended to manipulate others, for the Faerie to deal with them on their own terms. And typically, the Faerie prefer to interact with other beings in a manner that reflects their own, imagined superiority. But why is Faerie one of the thirteen major schools of magic, you ask? This is because the Faerie are consummate shape changers, and have a predilection for wandering far and wide for their own amusement. Spread across the entirety of the multiverse, Faerie can be encountered almost anywhere, though those who encounter them (most often their victims) rarely know that they have met such beings. Most importantly, however, Faerie physiology is invasive. Charged with magic, their bodies allow them to interbreed with just about any living creature, after which their child then passes that supernatural characteristic down to their descendants. Hence, in addition to the Faerie themselves, countless Fae crossbreeds and offshoots of these entities litter reality, which has the effect of bringing their magic along with them. *** The Faerie Wizard *** Wielders of Faerie magic are generally descended from one or more Faerie forebears. Occasionally, these Fae descendants reveal their true nature at birth, which bodes ill for their continued existence. The horrible treatment of others by the Faerie has become legend over the eons, after all, spawning various myths which often prompt the parents of blatant Fae infants to put them down immediately. Others who wield Faerie magic were perfectly normal to all appearances, at least until something brought their mystic origin to the fore. Perhaps this is something as simple as puberty, as is the case with mutants and their own, ticking genetic time bombs. Other times, an encounter with the fantastic, bizarre, or alien will draw out the true nature of the Faerie within them, leading to an immediate transformation. Either way, once a character's Fae origins are made manifest in the world, they can attempt to master Faerie magic. As is the case with anyone else attempting to learn sorcery, they must seek out instruction in the arcane arts, but at least they're guaranteed a seat at some Faerie instructor's table. Those without a Fae background, on the other hand, will have a harder time receiving such tutelage. *** Faerie Advantages *** Unless a Faerie magic wielder lacks a Fae heritage, which is uncommon but not impossible, they may very well possess one or more traits that reveal such to the outside world. This may often be a mere cosmetic tell, such as a slight build, uncanny beauty, or even pointy ears. However, the simple fact of the matter is that the Faerie have mated with almost everything over time, so the sky is the limit, here. In other words, Faerie spellcasters may have inherent supernatural powers as well as the ability to wield wizard spells. How this works is that when creating such characters, players may substitute spell slots for posthuman abilities on a one-to-one basis. This grants them considerable versatility, allowing them to draw from supernatural powers, spells, and magical items over the course of their adventures. Furthermore, whenever a Faerie spellcaster is in contact with something that is related to the magic of their forebears, they may cast their magic more effectively. Whether they are in an area suffused with Faerie magic (such as a Faerie circle) or are carrying an item ensorcelled with Faerie spells, they may wield their sorcery as though it was +1 CS higher in rank than is normal. *** Faerie Drawbacks *** The specific nature of a Faerie mage's inherent abilities may be minor or major, may or may not alter the character's appearance, and may or may not be related to their possessor's school of magic. The primary thing to keep in mind when pondering the form such abilities will take is the lineage of the Fae character in question, because the more Faerie one is, the more likely they are to suffer Faerie limitations. As it is, all Faerie spells are subject to a weakness to iron. Faerie casters who lack a Fae heritage, or those who have one but possess two or less special powers because of their ancestry, will find they are incapable of casting Faerie spells while in direct contact with this metal. This counts as a strong limitation on each individual Faerie spell, but does not affect the character as a whole. A Faerie caster (or any Fae, really) possessing more than two powers due to their lineage is considered strongly Faerie, and are instead hamstrung by both a weakness and a susceptibility to iron as strong character limitations. When touching the metal, they not only lose spellcasting ability, but cannot use any other powers, and their ability scores are reduced to Feeble (2) in rank while contact with iron persists. Furthermore, they will lose a minimum of one quarter of their maximum Health total on each contact, on top of any other damage inflicted. ** Geomancy ** "I catch the rain that turns me to rust, I stand in the flame that turns me to dust." - Gravity Kills As with many schools of magic, geomancy's historical roots reach back further than recorded history. All of earth's ancient cultures had ideas about the universe and what makes it tick, often explicating such concerns with legendary yarns about gods and monsters. It was in early Greece, however, that the mystical stoicheion, or elements, of the world were first expounded upon. Drawing on the influences of previous civilizations, the Greek notion of our reality's building blocks was then spread or developed in parallel around the world, and subsequently adapted by various societies in various fashions. Scholars in numerous obscure circles furthered these studies, despite being repressed by powers both corporeal and spiritual, ultimately developing the precepts of geomancy. Geomancers believe that all of existence can be boiled down to the interactions between seven root components: earth, air, fire, water, animal, plant, and weather. By exerting their will over one or more of these elements, a geomancer can manipulate the world around them to achieve a variety of effects. Controlling all seven elements, then, can conceivably allow one to control reality itself! *** The Geomancer *** While not a trait intrinsic to them alone, geomancers often spend a considerable amount of time in the wilds of the world. This is because their magic is associated with such pristine areas more than most other sorcery, capable of being cast at a +1 CS on such land. Conversely, overly developed or polluted land will inflict a -1 CS penalty on the geomancer attempting to ply their trade there. This is why geomancers are often, though not always, shepherds of nature. Depending on their particular outlook, they may see this as some sort of moral requirement, or might simply wish to increase the area within which their spells are more effective. Regardless of their motivation, it is invariably in a geomancer's best interests to preserve untouched real estate as much as is possible. To this end, assuming the need to maintain a secret identity or to simply generate income, a geomancer may very well maintain employment that facilitates this goal, whether serving as a park ranger or acting as an environmental watchdog for the government. Mind you, one may merely walk the earth at their leisure, going on adventures and righting wrongs against the natural world. Whatever works. *** Elemental Mastery *** In the course of their study of geomancy, magicians progress by mastering the mystic elements their school recognizes. This process entails learning a variation on the nature control spell that calls upon the element in question, as well as three distinct spells that draw upon said element to fuel its effects. Geomancers who accomplish this benefit from a +1 CS when casting spells fueled by that element. Spell stunts also count for the purposes of elemental mastery. A mage who masters an Eldritch Bolt of fire, for instance, can count that same spell towards their mastery requirement for air if they master a stunt to produce a blustery column of force with it. While spell stunts don't improve a character's mystic mastery rank, they nonetheless assist them in conquering their area of expertise. Geomancers need not necessarily master one element before beginning work on another, however. One may learn another iteration of the nature control spell before mastering an element, if desired - all of them, in fact, if this is what the geomancer wants. This costs geomancers the elemental mastery bonus until they get around to it, of course, but provides them unmatched spellcasting versatility in exchange. *** The Specialist and the Worshiper *** While the previous details the standard form of geomancy, the school lends itself to offshoots that further emphasize various facets of elemental magic. For one thing, a geomancer may decide to specialize in a single element, eschewing access to the other six to focus their attention exclusively. Elemental specialists are afforded a +1 CS bonus to all such spells, on top of that offered by elemental mastery. Alternately, a geomancer may be less a wizard and more a priest, worshiping nature (or the earth) itself. Such spellcasters generally function per normal geomancers, though they benefit from access to clerical spells as well as those from their own school. On the other hand, they may be compelled by personified force(s) of nature to perform actions furthering their ends, so this practice may entail unforeseen circumstances. Finally, a rare few geomancers may very well combine both of these variants into an almost customized school of magic, specializing in a singular element related to a nature deity they worship. A geomancer who venerates the primordial sea goddess Tiamat, for instance, may specialize in water geomancy, and also gain specialized faith magic from their goddess in exchange for their service to that ancient deity. ** Paraprobabilitism ** "Chaos in the midst of chaos isn't funny, but chaos in the midst of order is." - Steve Martin Men and women of magic have always sought to make sense of the phenomenon. These intrepid explorers of magic's lubricious potential are determined to harness it, no matter how capricious and squirrelly it may be. In other words, for as long as there have been wielders of magic, the practice of paraprobabilitism has existed - even after its discoveries are utilized to forge other schools of magic. The opposite of prudent, paraprobabilitists bend and warp magical energies with glee, often discovering secrets heretofore unseen. Just as often, however, their innovative tinkering with the forces of causality catastrophically backfire. These two facets of paraprobabilitists are what make them simultaneously admired and reviled, for the cost of knowledge they uncover is more often than not paid by others. But, when it comes down to it, you've got to start somewhere. Whether they are pioneers of the usage of magic in their society or irresponsible rebels who reject the shackles of others' insights about sorcery, paraprobabilitists are consistently at the forefront of arcane developments. When they're not busy destroying themselves upon pushing the limits of probability too far beyond the pale, at least. *** The Paraprobabilitist *** Eschewing parochial customs, paraprobabilitists forge their own path. Sure, they often benefit from the aid of a like-minded master of the mystic arts, but even such stalwart supporters are often content to let young paraprobabilitists make many, many mistakes. Every attempt to reshape magic is a learning experience, after all - even those which end in tragedy. Or comedy. Or both! The result of mistakes made when attempting to reshape sorcery on the fly often mark paraprobabilitists for what they are, unlike most other wielders of wizardry. While a paraprobabilitist frequently bears at least one temporary alteration to their morphic field at any given time, it is possible that they suffer permanent changes as well - and such changes may go far, far beyond the cosmetic. The enhancements, limitations, and quirks that a paraprobabilitist possesses may be a result of failures to reshape sorcery. Furthermore, due to the unique nature of their school, paraprobabilitists may choose to have any of their initial spells instead take the form of permanent, magical powers. This makes mastering the school take longer, but gives paraprobabilitists ascendant abilities they need not cast to actualize! *** The Potentiality of Plausibility *** The singular benefit a paraprobabilitist possesses is that, when casting a spell, they may attempt to transform it into any other. Doing so requires a successful spell ACTION roll at a penalty determined by just how different the intended spell effect is from the original. A minor change may incur a mere -1 CS penalty, but transmogrifying a spell into something completely different may impose a -6 CS penalty - or worse! Furthermore, the difficulty of this ACTION depends on how prepared a paraprobabilitist is to produce this particular effect, and is determined as if they were attempting a spell stunt... which they sort of are. The first attempt imposes the need for a red spell ACTION, the second through fifth attempts call for a yellow spell ACTION, and further attempts beyond that merely require a green ACTION roll. Assuming the paraprobabilitist can succeed in their efforts despite the color difficulty and Column Shift penalties, they can produce the desired spell effect. What's more, having done so once, they may develop said effect into a regular spell, if they wish. While this may cost them a large amount of Karma, it behooves a paraprobabilitist to do so, to avoid the effects of failures in such efforts. *** The Costs of Chaos *** When attempts to change the nature of a spell in the midst of casting it fail, a paraprobabilitist neither produces the original spell effect nor the one they intended to. No, something else happened, and it's rarely good for anyone. The Judge may be as merciful or as terrible in this regard as they see fit, though it's generally poor sport to outright kill players when spell manipulations fail. Horribly inconveniencing them is fine, though, as they have inundated the vicinity with Probability Fallout. This may simply produce a third spell effect, or instead it might... alter things nearby. Failing a Psyche (will) ACTION or material strength check against the intensity of this unshaped magic induces changes that are generally temporary in nature, but circumstances may render them permanent. The severity, duration, and very nature of sorcerous radiation alterations are ultimately a crapshoot, depending on variables present when anomalous energy exposure occurs. Again, the Judge is the final arbiter of such things, though the rank of the modified spell, along with the Column Shift penalty applied to the paraprobabilitist's effort, may help to inform them of what damage to reality has been wrought. Though dramatic license is also consideration, because magic is irrational that way. ** Philosophical Magic ** "Philosophy is a study that lets us be unhappy more intelligently." - unknown For as long as sentient beings have existed, five conceptual forces have ceaselessly vied for domination over all. The philosophical puissances of balance, chaos, evil, good, and order exert influence upon the minds of all beings, and through them, the world beyond. Thus, concepts of morality didn't exist until intelligence did, but will nonetheless persist after sapient entities are long gone. Where they are not polar opposites, these forces tend to flow into one another, creating eight additional conceptual energies which also compete for influence. These supplemental motivations include codification, conscription, corruption, creation, destruction, disruption, purification, and reparation. All in all, this makes a grand total of thirteen distinct ethos, each of which constantly strive to further their reach. While a vast majority of sentient entities loosely subscribe to one of these behavioral ideals, some ardently proselytize them. And a rare few amongst the latter, so-called philosophers, can focus the power of their very morals for use in magic. With this, they work to spread the influence of their chosen ethos across the multiverse as causal crusaders, attempting to reshape all that exists to match their ideology! The thirteen philosophical powers are briefly summed up here: Balance: one of the five major forces of philosophy, balance is the equalizer of the cosmos, making all the same. Chaos: unpredictability, randomness, and inspiration are the hallmarks of chaos, a major philosophical force. Codification: where order and balance meet is codification, the bringing of order to that which has none. Conscription: order imposed by evil is rarely accepted voluntarily, and these chains of law serve dark ends. Corruption: when balance is tainted by evil, corruption results, twisting all with darkness until it is unrecognizable. Creation: chaos and goodness merge to reflect the creative urge, and the rejection of entropy. Destruction: chaos and evil, on the other hand, merge to sow entropy, and bring an end to all things. Disruption: when chaos alters balance, the bindings of order are thrown to the wind, often with bizarre results. Evil: dark selfishness incarnate, evil is the spreading of entropy with disregard for all else. Good: the proponent of life in the universe, this major philosophical force strives to foster harmony in all. Order: stability and knowledge come with order, a major philosophical force that acts to organize all things. Purification: when balance is touched by good, a cleansing of entropy occurs, and glorious things can ensue. Reparation: where order and good are combined, systems can be restored to their full strength and vitality. *** The Philosopher *** The eternal battle of philosophical forces is waged throughout creation. Whether or not they wield philosophical magic, the zealous proponents of the thirteen ethical powers ceaselessly strive to bring others around to their way of thinking. Some attempt to do this by force of arms, while others instead rely on the power of persuasion. Either way, this endless struggle has real effects on existence itself. Though our universe is considered strongly neutral in both purpose and outlook, others swing towards differing moralities. Furthermore, when enough of a location's people and matter are converted from one ethos to another, either their entire universe can begin to change in a like fashion, or the affected areas will physically shift from their current reality to one more aligned with their new attitudes. This is why so much of the mystic school of philosophy is dedicated to spells which either manipulate philosophical energies or involve piercing planar boundaries in one fashion or another. While some philosophers may be content to stay home and play defense for their morality of choice, most know that threats from beyond rarely provide the same courtesy, and the fight will invariably come to them if allowed to. *** Conceptual Alteration *** The philosophical thaumaturgist is such a fervid believer in the conceptual force of morality they adhere to that they can use their magic to make it manifest in the physical world. This belief-based energy is a psychoturgical power source that bears both magical and psionic components, and is thus capable of directly affecting others as either Sorcerous or Karmic damage, whichever of the two is more effective. More importantly, however, is the transformative effect that the direct application of such energies has on matter. Magic shaped by the belief of its wielder made real, philosophical energies carry Probability Fallout, the effects of which are to alter that which is exposed to it in a manner that reflects their wielder's ethos - or, at the very least, their perception of how it should do so. Changes inflicted by the Probability Fallout inherent to philosophical energies are often minor, and generally transient, but are a striking reminder of who wields them and the conceptual force they represent. The victims of a proponent of chaos might see their possessions and appearance twisted in any number of random fashions, while those faced with a supporter of order may well look far too tidy for their own good. *** Moral Relativity *** In addition to the magic provided to them by their mystic school, philosophical wizards have access to the same, common spells all other sorcerers do. These spells function as they normally would, despite being fueled in part by reality-warping philosophical power. The only difficulty involved with wielding such sorcery is in reconciling its use against the ideology that motivates its casting in the first place. Healing / Others may seem to be firmly aligned with reparation, while Mind Control sounds like the very definition of conscription. Even when dealing with edge cases, room can be made for such spells. Perhaps the evil philosopher only casts Healing / Others on those who will further his or her own ends, while the chaotic philosopher wields Mind Control to disrupt enemy forces with surgical precision. Ultimately, it is up to the Judge whether or not a given use of a spell aligns with the ethos a particular philosophical sorcerer adheres to - or attempts to, anyway. And if it doesn't, that's okay! It's not like a philosopher is going to lose points with the ideological puissance they purport to support if they occasionally fail to act in lockstep with it. But wandering off the proverbial ranch can get complicated. *** A Clash of Ethos *** When the Judge decides a given philosopher is casting their magic in a fashion contrary to the moral force they ostensibly claim to buttress, he or she is free to inflict a penalty on their efforts. While philosophers are allowed one 'step' away from their moral compass without harm, the Judge may apply a -2 CS penalty to the ACTION roll required for each further step away a philospher's spell attempts. For example, a philosopher who eagerly supports the forces of good above all casts a spell to purge an area of evil. This could be conceptualized as wielding either the forces of good or purification, neither of which bear a penalty. When forced to perform an act of corruption for what they deem the greatest good, however, that same philosopher will suffer a -4 CS penalty against their efforts. The same applies when wielding direct, unfiltered philosophical forces. A philosophical chaos mage can use an eldritch bolt to discharge chaos, creation, destruction, or disruption without penalty, balance, good, or evil at a -2 CS penalty, and codification, conscription, corruption, purification, or reparation spells at a -4 CS. Note that philosophers cannot wield the force diametrically opposed to their own. *** Exceptions of Equilibrium *** On the other hand, proponents of balance function differently in this regard. They may wield the energies and motives of balance, codification, corruption, disruption, and purification without penalty. They skip the next 'step' to wield conscription, creation, destruction, and reparation at a -2 CS penalty. Finally, philosophers of balance can attempt to wield chaos, evil, good, and order at a -4 CS. The reason for this exception in the guidelines other philosophers are bound to is in the very nature of balance. Balance seeks to equalize everything, after all, so it would naturally have an easier time with a puissance between two other extremes than with the extremes themselves. Furthermore, as their morality sits at the center of the wheel of ethos, they lack a force which they are forbidden to utilize. However, their road is indeed the hardest path to walk. Proponents of balance either work hard at remaining neutral, or strive to level the playing field, in all things - both of which often force one to choose between their own wishes and that of their chosen energy of conscience. Other philosophers, not understanding the nature of balance, often deride those who support it for not 'picking a side'. Even if they already have. ** Physiomancy ** "We become what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit!" - Aristotle The precise origins of physiomancy are unknown, but then that is hardly surprising. The very nature of this magical practice lends itself to individuals who aren't the best record keepers, for they don't generally stand still long enough to take notes. However, the past isn't really all that relevant to a physiomancer, as they are always looking towards the future! Physiomancy itself is the art of turning magic inward, upon oneself. A counterpart of sorts to thaumentalists, physiomancers apply their sorcery to their very bodies, enhancing the function of such considerably. The spells intrinsic to this school of magic invariably grant their wielder extreme physical abilities that other magicians, or anyone else for that matter, only wish they were privy to. Even before considering their drastic school spells, physiomancers can readily augment their inherent capabilities without fail. This makes them excellent adventurers, uniquely equipped to engage in exploration, hostilities, or just about any other physical pursuit desired. And with their predilection for personal perfection, physiomancers are often leaders in whatever field they adopt. *** The Physiomancer *** Needless to say, physiomancers aren't like most other wizards. They constantly strive to push their bodies to the very limit... and then far beyond. They relentlessly train to augment their physical capability, as most believe that a stronger body allows for stronger magic, though the jury is out on that notion. Regardless, physiomancers invariably have more sheer physical presence than other mages. Their dress lends itself to freedom of motion and action, which means they're the kind of sorcerer that most often dresses as a stereotypical hero or villain. They avoid bulky, constraining costume components in lieu of stretch fabric where available, though less is generally preferred overall. Any armor they utilize will be minimal at best, with most of the physiomancer's defensive capability coming from their magic. Perhaps of all wizards, the physiomancer's magic is the least flashy of the bunch. Sure, the feats they can achieve with their sorcery are beyond the pale, but aren't always obviously magic in and of themselves. Though this will naturally vary from one physiomancer to another, it's possible that one will only see a physiomancer discharge magic when shunting it into themselves for immediate use. *** Channeling *** Above and beyond all of their mystical knowledge, physiomancers benefit from a potent ability that makes them seem super-human even before the effects of their spells are put into play. Namely, instead of manifesting a magical effect upon casting a spell, physiomancers may channel the energy that would have been used to actualize it into their very bodies, enhancing them considerably - if in a transient fashion. In other words, a physiomancer may cast any spell, and instead of utilizing it as intended, can substitute that spell's power rank in place of one of their physical ability scores. A physiomancer's Fighting, Agility, Strength, or Endurance may be augmented in this fashion, as is desired, which can be particularly devastating in battle if they possess even one spell that is of high rank. The only catch is that this enhancement only lasts for a singular use of the ability score in question. For example, consider a sorcerer with Typical (6) Strength, who possesses a spell that functions at Monstrous (75) rank. By channeling that spell into their Strength, they may utilize that heightened ability score to, say, deliver an astonishingly devastating melee assault, after which it will immediately return to its nominal value. Though intended for immediate use, physiomancer ability enhancements can be prepared and maintained as if they were spells, if one wishes. *** Compromise *** While physiomancers have access to the same basic spells that any other sorcerer does, they have a tendency to study personal spells above all others. The reason for this is that the school prioritizes improving one's physical capabilities, after all, and many personal effects tend to do just that. Of course, even some personal spells don't quite fit within this mold, so physiomancers often stick to a small, core roster of magic. There's nothing preventing a physiomancer from learning spells that don't directly augment their corporeal existence, mind you, it's just that the school doesn't really focus on anything else. Thus, whenever a physiomancer desires to master a spell that doesn't dovetail with their school's overall direction, they have to decide which abilities are more important: those that directly augment themselves and those that don't. A physiomancer's spell roster, then, is a perpetual act of compromise. Why learn telepathy when you can become invulnerable to psionic attack, instead? There's no specific game mechanic to dictate how this works - simply a basic requirement that a physiomancer rationalize why a spell outside their primary focus is worth deviating from the overall plan. And, depending on their character, this may be easier said than done. ** Technomancy ** "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality." - Albert Einstein The mystic school of technomancy concerns itself with the products of living beings' knowledge. Similar to but distinct from alchemy, this form of magic involves the blending of sorcery and science in three basic fashions. The simplest of these is the direct manipulation of technology with magic, which is accomplished with, among other things, the spells developed by this school over time. The middle ground is what is colloquially known as industrial magic, the replacement of extant technologies with counterparts made possible by sorcery, or the parallel/alternative development of the same. A camera devised using industrial magic principles might have a tiny imp inside painting what it sees, for example, instead of exposing charge coupled devices (or, if older, film negatives) to the light. The most complicated form technomancy can take is in the creation of devices that seamlessly blend magic and technology into a cohesive whole. This process is generally unique to each device created using the school's knowledge, assuming one isn't building more than a single example of the same implement, and is essentially a form of invention that incorporates spellcasting into the process. *** The Technomancer *** More than their counterparts practicing magic learned via other mystic schools by far, technomancers are often skilled scientists. Sure, each school of magic represents a trade of sorts, however flawed its methodology might seem to conventional men and women of knowledge, but a technomage often masters as many mundane scientific talents as they do arcane formulas to manifest magical effects. This is because magicians of machinery rely upon conventional technology as much as sorcery to accomplish their goals. A technomage is as likely to have a number of off-the-shelf implements secreted amongst their belongings as they are ensorcelled objects, some of which they have made themselves and some that they have procured from others. It generally just depends on the overall style of their wizardry. While you may find a technomage who is primarily an electronicist who augments their equipment with a bit of magic, or a sorcerer who assists their spellcasting with a handy device here or there, most mages who belong to this school strive for more. The ultimate goal, after all, is to integrate the two ostensibly distinct sources of power into a singular whole, one greater than the sum of its parts! *** Device Spells *** The easiest means by which a technomancer can combine the effects of sorcery and science is to directly apply the former to the latter. The most obvious application of this method is with the spells provided by the mystic school of technomancy itself. The thirteen technomantic spells allow their caster to directly impose their will on technology above and beyond the ability of most other spellcasters. But what about other spells, you might ask? While it is conceivable that a technomage could learn how to cast a spell entirely independent of technology, here or there, that goes against the grain of technomancy. Thus, a technomancer who wishes to master a personal, universal, dimensional, group, or entreaty spell (with the sole exception of empowerment) typically does so with the aid of symbolic technology. This counts as a limitation to such spells, offering a beneficial Column Shift based on the difficulty of replacing the symbolic item. Using a revolver bought off-the-shelf as a focus for the casting of an eldritch bolt might provide the technomage a +1 CS bonus, while a clairvoyance spell requiring the use of a high-flying drone built by hand, using rare and/or expensive components, may be much more beneficial. *** Industrial Magic *** A technomancer can easily get by utilizing ordinary hardware and device spells, whether inherent to their school or when focused through mundane items, though this simply scratches the surface of what their school is capable of. A more advanced application of technomancy is the process of industrial magic, which involves using empowement to replace an item's conventional functions with a sorcerous counterpart. Note the word 'a' instead of 'the', in regards to mystical substitutions. This is because any number of magical schemes can be utilized to replace an item's usual workings with sorcery. For instance, one could substitute the impetus for movement a train normally receives via its prime mover by having it entreat a place of power for the necessary energy, utilize an energetic elemental, or simply enchant it with Propulsion. Temporary substitutions of this nature require no Karma expenditure. Persistent effects replacing extant device functions only requires the Karma cost of making them permanent, per empowerment. Finally, installing an all-new magical ability into a device, or using this technique to simulate a mundane (to you and I, at least) device where it does not currently exist, is completed using empowerment normally. Any Karma required of a technomancer when utilizing industrial magic is reduced by twenty-five percent. *** Commixture *** Beyond mere spellcasting, and distinct from industrial magic, is commixture. Combining science and sorcery into a singular, cohesive whole, commixture is where technomages truly begin to stand out from their sorcerous peers. This process allows these technological thaumaturges to craft implements which utilize ordinary principles and fantastic components whose combination exceeds the sum of their parts. If this sounds like conventional invention to you, you'd be right. When adding sorcery to the process, inventors introduce numerous shortcuts into the process to speed it along. For starters, if magic is used to produce an effect beyond that of society's mainstream technology, a technomantic object does not have a minimum tech rank of Monstrous (75), potentially reducing the difficulty in building it significantly. Furthermore, technomages may utilize one or more non-school device spells as special catalysts, if applicable to a given invention. If required to master new spells to install in a device, technomages can learn them as ordinary magic formulas, or may instead study them solely as spells to be used during the invention process. This extremely limits such spells, but they can be reused in other inventions. ** Thaumentalism ** "Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." - Oliver Wendell Holmes The practice of thaumentalism formed as a result of general dissatisfaction with conventional psionic tutoring. Thaumentalists believe that sentient minds are capable of accomplishing literally anything, and that they simply need a little bit of a jolt, here and there, to figure out how. Sure, one could meditate for years to figure this stuff out, but why waste all of that time and effort? A thaumentalist, by using magic to look into his or her own mind, can quickly activate such mental abilities. This is a subversion of the method psis use to gain their powers, and most of those meditative folks look down on your average thaumentalist. Nonetheless, thaumentalists are most definitely onto something, as their odd practices allow them to wield both psionics and spells. Not that every thaumentalist need pursue psionic as well as mystic mastery. The school lends itself to a study of the mind and how it works, and a thaumentalist may very well be perfectly happy with spells designed for that purpose. However, should one wish to wield psionics but approach them from the more mystical side of things, the school of thaumentalism is right up their alley! *** The Thaumentalist *** Whether they study psionics in addition to their wizardry, or simply delve into the sorcery of sentience, thaumentalists almost always have the inside track on what people around them are thinking and/or feeling. This can make them thoughtful and compassionate, or selfish and manipulative, depending entirely on the thaumentalist in question... not to mention their mystic master. This is not to say that thaumentalists are necessarily the most intelligent, wise, or self-aware people you'll ever meet. More than a few are content to leave their minds barely more potent than that of a human without skills that grant super-human abilities, and let their school's special ability do the heavy lifting for them. After all, one usually only needs to be at their peak during a crisis. But thaumentalists who develop their minds alongside their wizardry and psionics may very well appear almost alien, their preternaturally keen intellects being aware of what others will do seemingly before they themselves have such any idea. But then, understanding sentience in and out will have that effect on a body, for good or ill, and holding that tendency back is easier said than done. *** Channeling *** Above and beyond all of their mystical knowledge, thaumentalists benefit from a potent ability that makes them seem super-human even before the effects of their spells are put into play. Namely, instead of manifesting a magical effect upon casting a spell, thaumentalists may channel the energy that would have been used to actualize it into their very minds, enhancing them considerably - if in a transient fashion. In other words, a thaumentalist may cast any spell, and instead of utilizing it as intended, can substitute that spell's rank in place of one of their mental ability scores. A thaumentalist's Fighting, Reason, Intuition, or Psyche may be augmented in this fashion, as is desired, which can be particularly potent in all aspects of life if they possess even one spell that is of high rank. The only catch is that this enhancement lasts for a but singular use of the ability score in question. For example, consider a sorcerer with Typical (6) Reason, who possesses a spell that functions at Unearthly (100) rank. By channeling that spell into their Reason, they may utilize that heightened ability score in, say, the attempt to resolve an invention ACTION, after which it immediately returns to its normal value. Though intended for immediate use, thaumentalist ability enhancements can be prepared and maintained as if they were spells, if one wishes. *** Balance *** A thaumentalist is easily the counterpart of a psychoturge (a psi that dabbles in magic), in that his or her wizardry grants them mystic abilities as well as the power to mess with both psionics and the mental faculties of others. Essentially opposite sides of the same coin, the two have the potential to master both the psionic and mystical arts, and this makes them singularly dangerous beings. At the same time, a thaumentalist is a similar foil to a physiomancer. While the latter can channel magical power into their physical abilities to achieve a one-shot usage at an enhanced level, the former can do this with their mental ability scores. This allows thaumentalists to be veritable mental giants, if only for short periods of time - but that's quite often all the brain power they need. The ultimate trick with a thaumentalist is how they balance their open-ended spell and/or psionic selection. If attempting to master both spells and psychic powers, it can be all too easy to lean on one source of power over the other. This is often why a thaumentalist will save abilities that affect the mind for their magic, while they'll reserve influence over anything else to their psionics. At least that way, they can keep their focus where they really want it. ** Voodoo ** "Voodoun is a very interesting religion for the whole family, even those members of it who are dead." - Terry Pratchett What most think of as Voodoo originated in West Africa, and was a localized mystic school until countless numbers of its adherents were enslaved, and subsequently relocated to the Americas. Despite ceaseless attempts by others to stamp Voodoo out over the centuries, the art continues to flourish and evolve, numerous variations on its basic themes expressing themselves everywhere it has taken root. The vast majority of those associated with the lore of Voodoo are not spellcasters. No, they are merely adherents of an otherwise conventional philosophy, one observed by millions of people worldwide. However, a rare few practitioners of Voodoo possess the knowledge and fortitude to interact with Loa, powerful spectral entities, and thus master the ability to wield functional wizardry as a result. Players interested in adopting the role of characters who practice Voodoo are encouraged to research the subject further, naturally. While this elucidation focuses on the game mechanics of casting Voodoo spells, it does not delve deeply into the centuries upon centuries of traditions that depictions of Voodoo in movies and comics (loosely) use as a basis for what follows. *** The Voodoo Practitioner *** Wielders of Voodoo (houngans for males, mambos for females) have at their disposal aspects of the alchemy, clericism, and entreatism schools. They can produce transient magical items (potions, powders, oils, etc.), call upon the spectral entities that roam this world (and beyond) for knowledge and power, and even benefit from the worship of their ancestors. They can do all this within the context of their art. What this means is that practitioners of Voodoo normally use their magical powers to defend or otherwise help others, instead of furthering their own ends. They might perform healing or other magic as is necessary, protect the innocent from vengeful Loa, or otherwise do what it takes to keep their chosen community alive. They can do this primarily due to their relationship with the spirits of their ancestors. On the other hands, both bokors (male) and sorciéres (female) are those who have sank so low that they wield magic to benefit only themselves. Practitioners of this stripe are known to work magic with 'both hands', using both good and evil to further their personal agenda and aspirations of power. Corrupted practitioners of this type are the bane of all followers of the Voodoo philosophy. *** Loa *** Intrinsic to the philosophy, practice, and/or faith of Voodoo are the Loa, spectral entities that exist near humanity in higher dimensions. Loa are a complex class of beings, ranging from recently passed mortal souls to the remnants of old gods long dead and almost forgotten. While a few of them may have been divine at one point, and some folks might worship them still, Loa are not gods in and of themselves. Furthermore, despite being technically deceased souls, Loa can nonetheless exert influence over the living, whether subtly or overtly. This is one reason so many Voodoo spells involve these ghostly beings - a given area is generally teeming with Loa. Whether to garner information from them or to protect a body from their predations, dealing with Loa is a large part of practicing Voodoo. Sometimes, this involves parley to gain knowledge, whether to solve a mystery or to master new magic. Other times, it concerns Loa riding mortal beings like a horse, after a fashion, to let them enjoy the fruits of the material world for a time. Still more encounters with Loa are completely random affairs, occurring during otherwise mundane events whenever it strikes their fancy. They're dead, after all. What else do they have to do with their time? *** Voodoo Foci *** While Voodoo offers its practitioners a balanced array of skills with which to ply their trade, some sorcerers prefer to specialize in certain aspects of the art. Such specialists do not lose access to the common abilities wielded by their peers, so much as they simply focus on one kind of Voodoo above all others. In other words, specialist practitioners gain access to another school's spell selection! Those wielders of Voodoo who prioritize the creation of magical items, whether temporary or permanent in nature, may also draw from the school spells of alchemists. Voodoo casters who primarily engage in negotiations with Loa may, on the other hand, learn entreatism spells. And finally, those Voodoo casters who actually worship the spirits of their dead ancestors may instead master spells of clericism. One need not immediately decide if they wish to be a 'regular' caster of Voodoo or one who specializes in one of these three facets of the school - individual casters are assumed to be unspecialized until they specifically declare otherwise. However, once an individual practitioner of Voodoo chooses to specialize their choice is essentially permanent, meaning that they can't switch from one specialty to another. And, thus, cannot gain access to more than one bonus school spell roster as a result. *** Voodoo and Belief *** Regardless of how one wishes to express Voodoo, their potency with the art is often influenced by those who observe it in action. Belief in oneself is important, of course, but parleying with the souls of the living and the dead renders a Voodoo caster subject to the power of others' belief, as well. This is one reason they are often so ostentatiously dressed - making an impression on others is absolutely vital. If a given Voodoo wielder is thought to be powerful by others in the vicinity, whether they are admired or feared for how they wield that power, they will receive a +1 CS to the rank of all spell ACTIONs they attempt. This bonus is raised by another +1 CS if such ACTIONs are attempted in the context of a magical ceremony, which most often has a large array of observers present, for various reasons. Similarly, if a practitioner of Voodoo loses this respect or is made to appear the fool, this bonus is instead transformed into a -1 CS penalty, -2 CS if the wizard is particularly humbled in an encounter. The duration of such spell modifiers, positive or negative, is dependent on the overall standing of a Voodoo caster within his or her community in general, as well as the campaign's overall history. * Character Generation * ** Random (Dice Roll) Method ** In the end, sorcerers are merely normal humans, despite all their vaunted powers. As such, when rolling up ability scores for a mage, use table A to generate his or her Strength and Endurance, then table B for their Fighting and Agility. Finally, use table D for Reason, Intuition, and Psyche, as these are usually higher in wizardly characters, above and beyond those scores seen in typical people (on average). Sorcerers may then roll on table A to determine their initial Resources rank. They also begin play with a Popularity score of zero. Add up their Health and Karma totals as normal, along with Negative and Mental Health scores. Table 1: Rank Generation Table A Table B Table C Table D Table E Table F Table G Table H Table I Rank - - 01 - 01 - 01 - 01 Hyperexhaustive 01 01 02-05 - - 01 02-05 - - Feeble (2) 02-25 02-05 06-10 - - 02-05 06-10 - - Poor (4) 26-50 06-25 11-25 - - 06-10 11-15 - - Typical (6) 51-75 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 11-25 16-25 - - Good (10) 76-99 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 Excellent (20) 00 76-95 76-90 26-50 26-50 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 Remarkable (30) - 96-99 91-95 51-75 51-75 76-90 76-85 26-50 26-50 Incredible (40) - 00 96-99 76-99 76-95 91-95 86-90 51-75 51-75 Amazing (50) - - - 00 96-99 96-99 91-95 76-99 76-95 Monstrous (75) - - - - - 00 96-99 00 96-99 Unearthly (100) - - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Hyperkinetic Once these rolls are complete, players may gamble on any two ability scores of their choice, potentially shoring up any areas they feel need some help. Keep in mind that once this is done, all of one's ability scores save for Intuition and Psyche must remain within normal human maximums; while the mystic deals in dread forces unknown to most humans, they're still one of them. You know, for the most part. Table 2: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). *** Magic Schooling *** Once all of a new mage's vital statistics have been generated, a magical school of study must be chosen for him or her. While table 3 exists for the generation of a random school (mostly for Judges to use), a player may choose which of the schools he or she wishes their character to follow. This is a very important choice, for magic wielding characters are stuck with their initial school for a very, very long time. Note that there are, in fact, two versions of table 3. If one's Judge does not wish to include the three optional, combination character magical schools in their game, use table 3a to determine the sorcerer's school of study. On the other hand, if all bets are off, and the optional magical schools are in play, one may instead make use of table 3b, which makes all the known schools of magic available to players. Table 3a: Magic Schools (without combination character options) 01-10 Alchemy 11-20 Eclecticism 21-30 Elementalism 31-40 Entreatism 41-50 Faerie Magic 51-60 Geomancy 61-70 Paraprobabilitism 71-80 Philosophical Magic 81-90 Physiomancy 91-00 Voodoo Table 3b: Magic Schools (with combination character options) 01-08 Alchemy 09-15 Clericism 16-23 Eclecticism 24-31 Elementalism 32-38 Entreatism 39-46 Faerie Magic 47-54 Geomancy 55-61 Paraprobabilitism 62-69 Philosophical Magic 70-77 Physiomancy 78-84 Technomancy 85-92 Thaumentalism 93-00 Voodoo *** Choosing Initial Spells *** Once a character's magical school has been chosen, the spells he or she will begin play with can be determined. Start by rolling on table 4 to find out how many spells the sorcerous character wields at first. Keep in mind that if this is an insufficient number of starting spells (in the player's eyes), they can 'earn' more by use of the Quirks system - though, as usual, there's always a trade-off involved. Table 4: Number of Starting Spells 01-17 One spell 18-33 Two spells 34-50 Three spells 51-67 Four spells 68-83 Five spells 84-00 Six spells Then, follow up that roll on table 5, one for each spell he or she has. This will determine the type of spell that will occupy that spell 'slot', whether it be personal, dimensional, or whatever. It is recommended that a player be allowed to overrule at least half of these rolls; they should have at least one 'school' spell to start, and his or her school may lean on one type of spell over the others. Physiomancers like personal spells for instance, while elementalists are keen on universal spells, and entreatists love their entreaties (go figure). Table 5: Spell Type 01-17 Personal 18-33 School 34-50 Universal 51-67 Group 68-83 Dimensional 84-00 Entreaty Now it's time to determine just which spells a character will have. This brings up one sticky point where character generation is concerned. A major point of contention is the random roll vs. character choice conundrum. Many players prefer to simply choose the spells they will utilize, without random rolls entering the equation, while some Judges prefer all spells to be generated randomly. While it is ultimately up to the Judge, it is recommended that a mixture of both methods of spell generation be used, allowing the player to choose half of his or her spells, and to roll up half randomly. This helps a player get the spells they really want for their mage, and makes new characters refreshingly different each time. This works well, except where schools might override spell choices. The first spell an elementalist learns should be an elemental control spell, for instance. When rolling spells up randomly, refer to tables 6 through 22, depending on what kind of spell will occupy each spell slot. You'll note there's no tables for entreaties; the nature of entities that may be entreated upon will be dependent on the individual game campaign - ask your Judge about these! Notes: spells that have a (2) or (3) listed after them count as either two spells or three spells, respectively, or cost an amount of points per rank equal to the normal amount times that multiple; spiritual link, for instance, occupies two spell slots or costs two points per rank. Spells with an asterisk in parenthesis (*) are special in cost; see their spell description for more. Table 6: Personal Energy Spells 01-02 Ability Boost 03-04 Age Control / Self 05-06 Animal Hybridization / Self 07-08 Animal Sympathy 09-10 Astral Projection 11-12 Augury 13-14 Biological Sense 15-16 Blending 17-18 Body Armor 19-20 Combat Edge (*) 21-22 Contact Absorption (2) 23-24 Danger Sense (2) 25-26 Deflection (*) 27-28 Density Control - Self 29-30 Disguise 31-32 Eldritch Palm 33-34 Empathy 35-36 Energy Absorption (2) 37-38 Energy Sense 39-40 Familiar (2) 41-42 Flaw Sense 43-44 Flight 45-46 Growth / Self 47-48 Healing / Self 49-50 Imaginary Doubles (2) 51-52 Individual Shield 53-54 Intangibility 55-56 Invisibility / Self 57-58 Kinetic Absorption (2) 59-60 Magic Sense 61-62 Mesmerism 63-64 Nonapparent Vision 65-66 Plant Hybridization / Self 67-68 Plant Sympathy 69-70 Power Boost 71-72 Psychometry 73-74 Reformation (2) 75-76 Resistance (*) 77-78 Screened Senses 79-80 Sending 81-82 Shape Change 83-84 Shrinking / Self 85-86 Spiritual Link (2) 87-88 Stasis (*) 89-90 Super Senses (2) 91-92 Telepathy 93-94 Transduction (2) 95-96 Transformation / Self (2) 97-98 Translation 99-00 Turnabout Table 7: Universal Energy Spells 01-02 Admittance 03-04 Animal Hybridization / Others 05-06 Annulment 07-08 Attenuation 09-10 Bands 11-12 Bilocation 13-14 Charm 15-16 Clarity 17-18 Confusion 19-20 Conjuration (2) 21-22 Curse 23-24 Damage Reduction (*) 25-26 Density Control / Others 27-28 Disease 29-30 Eldritch Barrier 31-32 Eldritch Blast 33-34 Eldritch Bolt 35-36 Eldritch Wave 37-38 Emotion Control 39-40 Empowerment (2) 41-42 Environmental Adaptation (2) 43-44 Force Field 45-46 Forgetfulness 47-48 Glow 49-50 Greater Resistance (*) 51-52 Growth / Others 53-54 Healing / Others 55-56 Illusion Projection (2) 57-58 Image Animation 59-60 Invisibility / Others 61-62 Knowledge 63-64 Mind Control 65-66 Object Animation 67-68 Opposition (3) 69-70 Organism Generation (3) 71-72 Paralysis 73-74 Plant Hybridization / Others 75-76 Platforming 77-78 Poison 79-80 Proxy 81-82 Psychic Probe 83-84 Rotting 85-86 Shrinking / Others 87-88 Sleep 89-90 Telekinesis 91-92 Teleportation 93-94 Topological Control (3) 95-96 Transformation / Others (2) 97-98 Warding 99-00 Xenoglossy Table 8: Dimensional Energy Spells 01-02 Age Control / Others 03-04 Anchor 05-06 Banishment (3) 07-08 Clairalience 09-10 Clairaudience 11-12 Clairgustance 13-14 Clairtouchence 15-16 Clairvoyance 17-18 Clone Projection 19-20 Contingency (2) 21-22 Crowd Control 23-24 Dimensional Interface (2) 25-26 Dimensional Transit 27-28 Dream Projection 29-30 Energy Cohesion 31-32 Environmental Independence (*) 33-34 Extend (2) 35-36 Finding 37-38 Future Control (2) 39-40 History Control (3) 41-42 Initiative Control (2) 43-44 Investment (3) 45-46 Invulnerability (*) 47-48 Karma Control (2) 49-50 Layered Shield 51-52 Link (2) 53-54 Locational Sense 55-56 Longevity (*) 57-58 Luck (3) 59-60 Macro Sense (2) 61-62 Matter Duplication (2) 63-64 Mind Walk 65-66 Mystic Servant (2) 67-68 Nativity Sense 69-70 Override (3) 71-72 Planar Control (3) 73-74 Portal (2+) 75-76 Precognition 77-78 Precognition (3) 79-80 Quarantine 81-82 Reanimation (2) 83-84 Resurrection (2) 85-86 Sorcerous Invisibility 87-88 Spectral Freedom (*) 89-90 Summoning (2) 91-92 Time Travel (2) 93-94 Transient Universe 95-96 Vampirism (2) 97-98 Variable Power 99-00 Vivification (3) Table 9: Group Spells 01-08 Adjoining (2) 09-15 Alteration (2) 16-23 Eldritch Attacks (2) 24-31 Inanime (3) 32-38 Masking (2) 39-46 Motivity (2) 47-54 Passing (2) 55-61 Pishogue (2) 62-69 Scrying (3) 70-77 Sensing (2) 78-84 Shields (2) 85-92 Thaumaturgy (2) 93-00 Witchery (2) Table 10: Alchemy School Spells 01-08 Alchemical Analysis 09-15 Aggregation 16-23 Antimatter (3) 24-31 Assimilation 32-38 Atomic Sense 39-46 Device Sympathy 47-54 Dissolution 55-61 Drones 62-69 Fuel 70-77 Matter Generation (3) 78-84 Object Projection 85-92 Object Sympathy 93-00 Transmutation (3) Table 11: Clericism School Spells 01-08 Bless 09-15 Commune (2) 16-23 Cure Disease 24-31 Decontamination 32-38 Degeneration 39-46 Deliverance (3) 47-54 Detoxification 55-61 Harm 62-69 Lie Detection 70-77 Mortal Guise 78-84 Recovery 85-92 Regeneration / Others 93-00 Resuscitation Table 12: Eclecticism School Spells 01-08 Linguistics 09-15 Locational Memory 16-23 Mental Trap 24-31 Metabolic Focus 32-38 Mimicry 39-46 Origin Sense 47-54 Self Control 55-61 Transient Magic 62-69 Ultimate Talent (*) 70-77 Vapors 78-84 Variable Sorcery 85-92 Variable Talent (*) 93-00 Vocal Control Table 13: Elementalism School Spells 01-08 Aura (2) 09-15 Between (2) 16-23 Catalysis 24-31 Color Control 32-38 Corrosion 39-46 Cyclone 47-54 Disintegration (2) 55-61 Elemental Control (*) 62-69 Elemental Sense 70-77 Energy Projection 78-84 Environmental Pocket (2) 85-92 Jelling 93-00 Power Dampening Table 14: Entreatism School Spells 01-08 Anonymity 09-15 Antideionic Attack 16-23 Deific Impersonation 24-31 Deionic Attack 32-38 Deionic Control (2) 39-46 Fortiuity 47-54 Guise 55-61 Synchronicity (2) 62-69 Theonic Absorption (2) 70-77 Theonic Amplification 78-84 Theonic Attenuation 85-92 Theonic Invisibility 93-00 Theonic Sense Table 15: Faerie School Spells 01-08 Aciurgy 09-15 Ego Suppression 16-23 Faerie Dust 24-31 Fey Sense 32-38 Fugue 39-46 Glamour 47-54 Inspiration 55-61 Jumbling 62-69 Pheromones 70-77 Power Attenuation 78-84 Sensory Attenuation 85-92 Sensory Distortion 93-00 Static Field Table 16: Geomancy School Spells 01-08 Adhesion 09-15 Environmental Sense (2) 16-23 Infusion 24-31 Kinetic Energy Control 32-38 Matter Absorption 39-46 Missile Generation 47-54 Nature Control (*) 55-61 Nature Resistance 62-69 Object Charge 70-77 Retrospection 78-84 Swirl 85-92 Teleformation (3) 93-00 Transparent Vision Table 17: Paraprobabilitism School Spells 01-08 Dimensional Static 09-15 Fallout Absorption 16-23 Flux (2) 24-31 Flux Analysis 32-38 Personal Static 39-46 Reprise (2) 47-54 Roulette (2) 55-61 Sorcerous Amplification 62-69 Sorcerous Attenuation 70-77 Spell Control (2) 78-84 Static Shield 85-92 Thaumaturgical Vampirism (2) 93-00 Universal Static Table 18: Physiomancy School Spells 01-08 Clinging (*) 09-15 Detachable Parts 16-23 Greater Invulnerability (*) 24-31 Gyration 32-38 Learned Invulnerability (4) 39-46 Organs (2) 47-54 Personal Weaponry 55-61 Plasticity 62-69 Reassignment (3) 70-77 Regeneration / Self (2) 78-84 Revival 85-92 Situational Adaptation 93-00 Super Speed (3) Table 19: Philosophical School Spells 01-08 Aura (2) 09-15 Chaos Shift (*) 16-23 Defensive Portals 24-31 Empathic Hammer 32-38 Flaying 39-46 Forensics 47-54 Hostility Screen (2) 55-61 Inferiority Complex 62-69 Offensive Portals 70-77 Philosophical Sense 78-84 Purge 85-92 Temporal Windows 93-00 Universal Windows Table 20: Technomancy School Spells 01-08 Componentry 09-15 Computer Link 16-23 Device Generation (2) 24-31 Diagnosis 32-38 Electronics Invisibility 39-46 Interfacing 47-54 Mesmermechanism 55-61 Overdrive 62-69 Repair 70-77 Schema 78-84 Technical Intuition 85-92 Technological Sense 93-00 Variable Cybernetics Table 21: Thaumentalism School Spells 01-08 Eidetic Memory 09-15 Energy Doubles (2) 16-23 Enlightenment (2) 24-31 Mental Doubles (2) 32-38 Mental Repair 39-46 Mind Duplication 47-54 Polarization 55-61 Psi Sense 62-69 Psionic Control (2) 70-77 Psionic Vampirism (2) 78-84 Transfixture 85-92 Transient Psionics 93-00 Variable Psionics Table 22: Voodoo School Spells 01-08 Body Control 09-15 Integral Control 16-23 Loathing 24-31 Pain 32-38 Phobia 39-46 Psychoplasm Animation (2) 47-54 Soul Control 55-61 Spectral Gestalt (2) 62-69 Spectral Sense 70-77 Spectral Vampirism (2) 78-84 Sympathetic Magic 85-92 Vodun (2) 93-00 Weakness Generation (2) *** Choosing a Magic Item *** In addition to all the magical spells at his or her disposal, a new wizard should begin play with at least one magical item. This helps to bolster him or her as they get their feet wet in an adventuring career, as it often comes in handy to have access to at least one magical capability that does not require incantations or the like to be activated. Generate a magical spell as you did before, but make it inherent to a device - any device - as long as it makes sense. You know, a wand for a magic blast, a carpet to fly, etc. If there is any area the player (or the Judge) feels the character is lacking in still, this is a good place to fill in that deficiency. *** Determining Spell Ranks *** Once a player has figured out what spells their new mage wields, and has chosen the nature of their character's magical item, it is time to determine just how potent these anomalous abilities are. To do this, simply roll once on table D for each magical power the character possesses. After this is done, players may 'gamble' on one spell (or magic item) rank of their choosing for every three of such the character has (round up). *** Limitations *** Often, a player may not be happy with the ranks they've rolled up for their new mage. Even after adjusting spell ranks for any bonuses granted by his or her school or from gambling attempts, they're just not satisfied with what they've come up with. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes one has a specific vision in mind for their character. This is where limitations come in. A player may subject their sorcerer to additional limitations (above and beyond those offered by schools) to make them more powerful. Limitations come in two distinct flavors: spell limitations and character limitations. A spell limitation is just that, an altering of how said spell works to the detriment of the player (as compared to others who can use this spell). A spell so limited may not affect certain objects or beings, can take longer to cast (initiative penalties), may require a mage to provide extra materials that are expended upon the spell's casting, and so on. Character limitations, however, change the nature of every spell a mage uses, not just one. Such limitations include the inability to use one type of magical energy (universal, dimensional, etc.), a required focus necessary for all of a mage's spells (which may or may not be easily replaceable), or possibly a chronological constraint on spell use (can't cast spells at night, on Thursdays), and so on. At any rate, the severity of the limitation determines just how much of a power boost the magical effect may receive. Limitations come in four flavors: weak, strong, very strong, and extreme. A weak limitation is just that, a minor crimp in a spell's effectiveness, and only offers a +1 CS. Each successive limitation offers another +1 CS to the spell rank, but as their names imply, they become increasingly constraining. Alternately, a mage can take a limitation on a spell to replace one that is already built in to it; some spells, like those involving luck or time, have several such constraints already worked into them. With the permission of one's Judge, players can swap out one limitation for another, as long as the new limitation would be equally as inconvenient, which allows them to better craft the character they imagine in their heads. *** Enhancements *** Similarly, a player might have more than enough power, or simply wants more 'bang for their buck' out of his or her existing power roster. If this is the case, they may decide to empower their spells with special enhancements. Like limitations, enhancements have four levels of power, including weak, strong, very strong, and extreme, each of which applies a subsequent -1 CS modifier to one's spell ranks. In exchange for suffering from the effects of this modifier, the spell(s) in question will benefit from an improvement of some sort. Moving a spell up one speed or range category is considered a strong enhancement, while two is an extreme enhancement. Other enhancements can come in the form of built-in limitations being stripped out of a spell (luck and precognition have several, for instance). Unlike limitations, enhancements are difficult to apply across an entire character, though this isn't impossible. While speeds and ranges vary from spell to spell, things like initiative modifiers for spells are generally constant (optional rules for such notwithstanding), as is the general duration of spells before maintenance is required (normally a d10 number of turns, unless listed otherwise). These and the other spell qualities can readily be given enhancements, and the reduction in rank usually makes up the difference. This can make purchasing new spells more difficult down the line, though, particularly if a character enhancement is in effect; a new spell to be affected by an enhancement must at least be bought at a rank high enough that, upon applying the negative CS, it will work at the adjusted value. *** Quirks *** Slightly more palatable than limitations, quirks are relatively minor changes to a character that can either saddle him or her with a disadvantage, or possibly even enhance one of their traits. They can also be used to ultimately raise the rank one or more of a character's spells work at, if so desired. The quirks rules have more on this, but the quirk tables are presented here, for convenience. Quirks are normally a voluntary affair - players may or may not use quirks, as they see fit. They are presented below in the format of random rolling tables for two reasons, however. The first is for the Judge's use, to quickly generate random characters when desired. Alternately, a player may roll randomly if he or she desires a quirk, but doesn't know what to pick. Not that they're bound by such a roll, of course. Quirks are divided up into the beneficial and deleterious quirks of a physical, mental, and role-play nature. Those quirks which cost (or grant) two quirk points are noted with a two in parenthesis (2), while those that can be taken at multiple levels are noted with an asterisk in parenthesis (*). Table 23: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-17 Physical (beneficial) 18-33 Physical (deleterious) 34-50 Mental (beneficial) 51-67 Mental (deleterious) 68-83 Role-Play (beneficial) 84-00 Role-Play (deleterious) Table 24: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-06 Acceleration Tolerance 07-12 Adrenal Surge 13-18 Ambidexterity 19-25 Fast Healing 26-31 Fighting Logistics 32-37 Gravity Tolerance (*) 38-43 Hardiness (2) 44-50 Heightened Sense 51-56 High Pain Threshold 57-62 Hypermobility 63-68 Learned Resistance (*) 69-75 Omnidexterity (2) 76-81 Rank Boost (2) 82-87 Strong Bones (*) 88-93 Sturdiness 94-00 Tetrachromacy Table 25: Physical Quirks (deleterious) 01-05 Abnormal Attribute 06-11 Acceleration Intolerance 12-16 Addiction (*) 17-21 Albinism 22-27 Allergy (*) 28-32 Color Blind 33-37 Dulled Sense (*) 38-42 Dwarfism 43-47 Epilepsy 48-52 Feebleness 53-58 Gigantism 59-63 Gravity Intolerance (*) 64-68 Lameness 69-74 Low Pain Threshold 75-79 Missing Parts (2) 80-84 Rank Loss (2) 85-89 Slow Healing 90-94 Weak Bones (2) 95-00 Weakness (2) Table 26: Mental Quirks (beneficial) 01-08 3-D Sense 09-15 Alertness 16-23 Cybernetic Aptitude 24-31 Fortitude 32-38 High Stress Threshold 39-46 Karmic Shell (2) 47-54 Magical Aptitude 55-61 Natural Talent 62-69 Psionic Aptitude 70-77 Quick Learning 78-84 Sanity 85-92 Static 93-00 Technological Aptitude Table 27: Mental Quirks (deleterious) 01-03 Action Addict 04-06 Attitude (*) 07-08 Bluntness (*) 09-11 Bully (*) 12-14 Combat Paralysis (*) 15-17 Compulsiveness (*) 18-19 Cowardice (*) 20-22 Cyber-neurosis 23-25 Delusions (*) 26-28 Fanaticism (*) 29-31 Frenzied 32-33 Greed (*) 34-36 Gullibility (*) 37-39 Honesty (*) 41-42 Impulsiveness (*) 43-44 Inept (*) 45-47 Insanity (2) 48-50 Insomnia 51-53 Jealousy (*) 54-56 Karmic Dearth (2) 57-58 Laziness (*) 59-61 Learning Disorder 62-64 Low Stress Thresh. (*) 65-67 Mania (*) 68-69 Multiple Personality (*) 70-72 Pacifism (*) 73-75 Paranoia (*) 76-78 Personal Code (*) 79-81 Phobia (*) 82-83 Pushover 84-86 Rudeness (*) 87-89 Short Attention Span 90-92 Shyness (*) 93-94 Stubborn (*) 95-97 Temper (*) 98-00 Vow (*) Table 28: Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) 01-09 Ally 10-18 Assistant 19-27 Attractive (*) 38-36 Benefactor (*) 37-45 Cash Flow 46-54 Charmed 55-63 Fame (*) 64-72 Fan Club 73-81 Good Reputation 82-90 Likability (2) 91-00 Lucky (2) Table 29: Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) 01-06 Alien Culture (*) 07-11 Bad Reputation 12-17 Bigotry (*) 18-22 Dependent 23-28 Detractors 29-33 Enemy (*) 34-39 Illiteracy 40-44 Jinxed 45-50 Loner (*) 50-56 Nerd 57-61 Poverty 62-67 Repugnant Personality (*) 68-72 Snob 73-78 Social Dependent (*) 79-83 Unattractive (*) 84-89 Unlucky (2) 90-94 Unpleasant Habits (*) 95-00 Weirdness Magnet Talents The talents your sparkling new mage will start out with are determined in the same fashion as any other character's, beginning by rolling up the number of their initial talents on table 30. Then, roll for the category each talent will belong to on table 31. To finish up, roll for individual talents using tables 32 through 39, one table for each applicable category of talents. However, the actual talents a character has really should be determined by his or her origin. Keeping this in mind, the Judge may very well opt to let a player choose some (or all of) the talents his or her sorcerer will have, allowing them a lot more creative control over their character. Another thing to consider is that a talent can function at a higher 'level' than normal. There are three 'tiers' of talents, each providing an increasing bonus to ACTIONs applicable to said talent. When generating these heightened skills, however, keep in mind that they cost more; a level 2 talent counts as two talents, while a level 3 talent counts as four. This can get expensive fast, but is a great way to showcase what your character is really good at. Also, some talents cost more than others (before levels of such are considered). A talent that has a number in parenthesis counts as that many talents during character generation; these are mostly background talents, but some others cost more than one. Similarly, the Student talent costs all of one's initial talent slots, for it by definition implies that a body does not have any other talents. Table 30: Number of Talents 01-17 Two talents 18-33 Three talents 34-50 Four talents 51-67 Five talents 68-83 Six talents 84-00 Seven talents Table 31: Talent Categories 01-12 Background 13-25 Behavioral 26-37 Environmental 38-50 Fighting 51-62 Miscellaneous 63-75 Professional 76-87 Scientific 88-00 Weapon Table 32: Background Talents 01-25 Heir to Fortune (3) 26-50 Law Enforcement (2) 51-75 Military (2) 76-00 Student * Table 33: Behavioral Talents 01-12 Animal Handling 13-25 Hypnosis 26-37 Leadership 38-50 Manipulation 51-62 Performer 63-75 Service 76-87 Sleight of Hand 88-00 Tactics Table 34: Environmental Talents 01-09 Astronaut 10-18 Boating 19-27 Climbing 38-36 Driving 37-45 Piloting 46-54 Planargation 55-63 Riding 64-72 Stealth 73-81 Survival 82-90 Teamster 91-00 Tracking Table 35: Fighting Talents 01-06 Acrobatics 07-12 Aerial Combat 13-18 Astral Combat 19-25 Martial Arts type A 26-31 Martial Arts type B 32-37 Martial Arts type C 38-43 Martial Arts type D 44-50 Martial Arts type E 51-56 Mounted Combat 57-62 Multiple Attacks 63-68 Spatial Combat 69-75 Targeting 76-81 Tumbling 82-87 Underwater Combat 88-93 Vehicular Combat 94-00 Wrestling Table 36: Miscellaneous Talents 01-12 Escape Artist 13-25 First Aid 26-37 Gastronomy 38-50 Power Skill 51-62 Repair / Tinkering 63-75 Resist Domination 76-87 Trance 88-00 Trivia Table 37: Professional Talents 01-06 Agriculture 07-12 Artist 13-18 Business / Finance 19-24 Crime 25-29 Demolitions 30-35 Detective / Espionage 36-41 Education 42-47 Engineering 48-53 Journalism 54-59 Law 60-65 Leathercraft 66-71 Metalcraft 72-77 Politics 78-82 Salesmanship 83-88 Sports 89-94 Stonecraft 95-00 Woodcraft Table 38: Scientific Talents 01-07 Archaeology 08-13 Biology 14-20 Chemistry 21-27 Computers 28-33 Criminology 34-40 Electronics 41-47 Genetics 48-53 Geology 54-60 Linguistics 61-67 Lore 68-73 Mathematics 74-80 Medicine 81-87 Physics 88-93 Psychology 94-00 Theology Table 39: Weapon Talents 01-04 Advanced Guns 05-09 Blunt Weapons 10-14 Bows 15-19 Concussion Weapons 21-24 Energy Weapons 25-28 Entangling Weapons 29-33 Guns 34-38 Marksman 39-43 Martial Arts Weapons 44-48 Natural Weapons 49-52 Pole Weapons 53-57 Quick Draw 58-62 Sharp Weapons 63-67 Shields 68-72 Spontaneous Weapons 73-76 Thrown Objects 77-81 Thrown Weapons 82-86 Two Weapons 87-91 Weapon Skill 92-96 Weapon Specialist 97-00 Weapons Master (2) *** Contacts *** Also presented for convenience is the table used to detail the initial number of contacts a new character will have; it is available as table 40 here, in the Book. Table 41, then, lists the types of contacts a sorcerer may have upon the start his or her career, if the player needs any ideas; one does not need to roll up contact types randomly if they don't want to, however. Like quirks or talents, contacts can be taken at one of three levels of importance; for example, a police contact might be a beat cop (level 1), an FBI operative (level 2), or even an Interpol agent (level 3). Similarly, contacts have an increase of cost in 'contact slots' depending on their level - a level 2 contact counts as two contacts, while a level 3 contact costs four contact 'slots'. Table 40: Number of Starting Contacts 01-17 Two contacts 18-33 Three contacts 34-50 Four contacts 51-67 Five contacts 68-83 Six contacts 84-00 Seven contacts Table 41: Contact Types 01-06 Aide 07-11 Artist / Performer 12-17 Business 18-22 Criminal 23-28 Doctor 29-33 Expert 34-39 Foreign Power 40-44 Government 45-50 Hero / Villain 50-56 Informant 57-61 Journalist 62-67 Lawyer 68-72 Mentor 73-78 Military 79-83 Organization 84-89 Police 90-94 Scientist 95-00 Trivia *** Equipment *** On top of all of their impossible powers to warp cause and effect as they see fit, sorcerers also have their pick of conventional, mundane equipment. These devices won't be the kind that make or break a body in combat for the most part, but they often fill in holes on a magical character's roster when needed - or, at the very least, add a bit of style to their life. Common equipment a character can possess depends on their Resources. One may automatically have any gear with a price equal to his or her Resources rank or less, and may start out with materials of up to their Resources rank +2 CS with but a small explanation (the character has a corporation that she built). Anything more exorbitant must be approved by the Judge, but isn't necessarily out of the question. It's mostly just a matter of feasibility and availability at that point. ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Players begin with fifty (50) points with which to build their magic wielding character. They may spend these points as they wish, only limited by a) the caps for most normal human ability scores, and b) the campaign's power level ceiling. For example, a plane-spanning campaign may limit characters to Unearthly (100) or less on most ranks. Ask your Judge about his or her campaign limits! To begin with, determine how far above (or below) the norm the character will be in each ability score; for our purposes, the 'norm' will be Typical (6) rank. For every +1 CS a player applies to each spend one point, and for each -1 CS applied to these values, add one point. All but Intuition and Psyche must remain within human maximums (maximums for the other ability scores are detailed in the Ability Scores chapter). A starting character is assumed to have Typical (6) Resources and a Popularity score of zero (0). One may alter his or her Resources as they can any other ability score, though at double the cost (Amazing (50) ranked Resources would cost ten points, for example). If one intends to purchase the Heir to Fortune background talent, they shouldn't alter this 'base' Resources score any. Health and Karma are determined normally. An opposed Popularity score (negative for heroes, positive for villains) is worth two points, no matter how great it is. Before purchasing spells, one should first pick their magic school, for this may affect the cost of their spells. When purchasing spells, players spend one point for each rank in each spell, starting at Feeble (2) rank - unless their school raises this value, as is the case with an elemental specialist. The upper rank of each spell is only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling (again, ask the Judge about this). Costs can be controlled by adding limitations, which can apply to either one or all of a character's spells. Whether applied to just one spell or globally to the character as a whole, weak limitations reduce the cost of a spell by one point, strong limitations by two points, very strong limitations by three points, and extreme limitations by four points. Consider the effect of such limitations before counting your point savings! Remember that all spells have a minimum cost of one (1) point, no matter how limited they may be. Moving the other direction, a player may apply enhancements to one or more spells. A weak enhancement increases the cost by one point, strong enhancements add two points, very strong enhancements raise the cost by three points, and extreme enhancements add four points to a spell's price. Such enhancements include improving the range or speed categories of a spell, as well as other augmentations to its functionality. Note that many spells cost more than this base value; planar control, for example, costs three points per rank. Spells with a heightened cost are so noted in the character generation tables listed above (those spells with numbers in parenthesis after their name). Limitations and enhancements are multiplied in value by this cost; for instance, a very strong limitation on planar control would reap a nine-point discount. If your Judge allows their use in his or her campaign, one thing to consider is the use of Hyperkinetic and Hyperexhaustive rank qualifiers. These can each be purchased in the point system if allowed, being treated as either an extreme enhancement (in the form of a Hyperkinetic spell) or an extreme limitation (in the form of a Hyperexhaustive spell). Both can be unbalancing in their own way, however, so bear this in mind. Once a character's spells are determined, he or she may purchase talents and contacts as they see fit, each costing one point. If one would like heightened talents or contacts, they must pay two points for a level two talent or contact, or four points for a level three talent or contact. The Student background talent costs five points (and fits a new wizard well), but cannot be purchased with any other talent (save for heir to fortune). Next, a player may use leftover points to purchase beneficial quirks - or add a few points to pad weak areas with deleterious quirks. Most quirks give (or take) one point, but if purchased at a higher level, they function in much the same way as talents or contacts in this regard (two points for a level two quirk, four points for a level three quirk). Also, quirks without level but that count double cost (or give) two points. Finally, determine the normal gear the character possesses. As is the case with randomly generated characters, mages built with the point based system may choose any standard gear that is readily available in the campaign, as long as the cost falls within a few CS of their Resources rank. If they want something more expensive, players must give a good reason for such, though the Judge has veto power over improbable items. Once the player is out of points, the Judge must look over what the player has wrought. Does the character's math add up? Does it fall within predetermined campaign limitations for power level? If nothing appears to be wrong, and the Judge likes what they see, he or she should approve what a player has created, and then allow them to complete the last portion of their character's creation. Assuming they didn't actually start with such. ** Filling in the blanks ** Once all the crunchy game mechanic details of a mage have been determined, it is time to 'fill in the blanks', or to detail all of their personal and background information, the stuff you can't quantify with dice rolls or points. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they from? What are they like? Why have they spent time to learn the arts arcane? Who trained them how to wield these potent abilities? Why? With the sole exception of one's mystic mentor (who the Judge must generate, barring perhaps his or her name), all other character information must be determined by the player behind the character to make it truly their own, and to really 'flesh them out', so to speak. This is often the most difficult portion of the character generation process, the point at which many will fail. However, with a little effort and some serious consideration, the answers to these questions can make that sheet of paper with all the funny words on it really come alive! * Sorcerous Role-Play * A man or woman of a wizardly bent is not what one would consider a 'nine-to-five' type of person; you know, putting in a hard day's work at the office, only to return to one's home to deal with concerns of a familial nature. A few may fit this description, yes, but that's not the image that most people have of spellcasters - at least, those who know that such individuals really exist. No, most sorcerers walk on the fringes of society, often going to great lengths to develop or uncover new means of manipulating the forces that give them power. A relatively new mage usually has the benefit of a mystic mentor, an older spellcaster that has taken him or her in and is teaching them how to utilize the forces of magic. Not all wizards are so lucky, however. Some may have never had a mentor, have been dismissed from such a helpful person's service, or have even lost one to a tragic accident. So, a lot of a mage's time is devoted to the discovery of new knowledge, through either exploration, trade (one spell for another), or even entreaties to powers alien and bizarre. While the results are all the same, this often eats up much of one's time. This is why mages tend to live irregular existences - they often vanish for days, weeks, or even months on quests for new magic. This makes it hard to be a working class stiff most of the time, and is even harder on the career of a magical hero (or villain). It's difficult to fight crime in your home town when you're off digging up ancient Babylonian tablets full of magical writings - unless your home town is Baghdad, that is. Furthermore, exposure to the obscure and arcane knowledge that is both their bread and butter (so to speak) tends to give mages of all stripes at least some disregard for normal earthen societies and their quirky standards. Traveling to new worlds, or even new planes of reality, will have that effect on a body. This doesn't prevent them from caring about their home, mind you, it just helps to explain why they can be so mysterious. This is not to say, however, that mages spend every waking moment seeking out new knowledge. A mage might be content to simply hone the spells he or she already knows, and may not currently be on a quest for power. When mages do need new spells, though, and they don't have a readily apparent source of knowledge, a quest of some sort may be the one and only way for them to find their own. The following is a series of concerns that set the life of a practitioner of magic apart from other super-human entities. Some involve their day-to-day life, some examine basic details about how certain facets of magic function, and still more are optional details that can be used to add 'flavor' to one's magic wielding character. Specifics on character advancement are also included. ** Mystic Instruction ** Most sorcerers begin play with the benefit of a magical mentor of sorts, a man or woman (or group of such) well-versed in the mystic arts. This individual is likely the reason the sorcerer began to study the arts arcane in the first place, and assists him or her in the mastery of their magical powers. In other words, one's mystic instructor likely has a significant role in the very origin of a sorcerer. The character advancement rules for mages assume that one has the benefit of such instruction while learning how to cast their spells. If a character lacks such instruction, mastering the mystic arts is much more difficult. While an eclecticist has this penalty built in, mages of other schools without a mystic tutor will suffer a fifteen percent increase in the cost of new spells and spell advancement. This is not quite as steep as an eclecticist's penalty, mainly because most schools have a coherent set of rules (such as they are) to detail how their magic works. If one starts play with no master or manages to lose him or her during play, it may behoove them to find another instructor as soon as possible - assuming they wish to. Some players don't mind the Karma penalty as it liberates them from the agendas of would-be masters. And make no mistake, anyone that takes a student or students in to train them in the ways of magic isn't doing so purely out of the good of their heart. Most 'training' missions a magical mentor will send his or her students on double as exercises built to advance whatever schemes (whether beneficial or nefarious) they have already set in motion. Remember: there's no such thing as a free lunch. ** Maintaining Spells ** Some spells, such as an eldritch bolt, are of instantaneous effect; you cast it, it fires, and that's it. A large number of spells are not quite so cut and dried, however. Many spells have a duration that is variable in nature, and can be extended even further if the caster desires. This is called spell maintenance. A sorcerer may cast a new spell with each action, but can only maintain so many at once. The number of spells a character may maintain at once is dependent on their Reason (mem) score. If the mage has a Reason (mem) rank of Typical (6) or less, he or she may only maintain one spell at a time. For each rank of Reason (mem) they hold above Typical (6), he or she may maintain an additional spell simultaneously. A mage with Incredible (40) ranked Reason (mem), for instance, can maintain five spells at once. Unless he or she is a novice spellcaster, most mages cannot maintain all of their spells concurrently - the more they have, the harder it is to keep them all running at once. A mage with a lesser memory can work around this limitation by juggling spells. The actual casting of a spell does not count against spell maintenance, after all, so one could oscillate their defenses and other spells as is necessary to maximize effectiveness. This can involve a recasting of spells as is necessary, while maintaining those that are most important to the sorcerer in question. Juggling spells may seem to be a hassle, but that's the price a sorcerer pays for the versatility of his or her abilities. Mutants and the like may not need to bother with such problems, but then mutants can't learn all-new powers with just a bit of research, now, can they? ** Ceremonies / Ceremonial Areas ** Though it is possible to whip spells out quickly, especially in battle, sometimes it pays to work magic in more prepared, controlled forms. This often involves the execution of ancient rituals, the use of some school-specific magical item, or special research into whatever task the spell is being used to complete. The casting of a spell in this fashion is what is known as a magical ceremony. While ceremonies take much longer to complete than the regular use of a spell does, often anywhere from a few minutes to several days depending on the situation, they offer the benefit of a +1 CS to the effective rank of the spell so cast. Every benefit of a higher rank applies to this enhancement, which is what truly makes a ceremony desirable to the average mage. In fact, this enhancement can be raised further if executed within a ceremonial area, to +2 CS. A ceremonial area is a specially prepared zone attuned to the magic of a wizard's particular school; a magical grove for geomancers, a lab for alchemists, etc. All wizards learn how to make such zones during their 'basic training', but doing so isn't easy; it should take time. Or, alternately, it could be the subject of a special adventure or quest, which helps to acquire needed magical items or whatnot vital to its creation. Of all the possible types of wizards, only eclectic mages lack the training needed to perform ceremonies or build themselves a ceremonial area, but they may make use of the ceremonies and ceremonial areas meant for any other school (of course). ** Entreaties ** The most powerful kind of dimensional magic available, an entreaty involves a sorcerer calling upon magical items, extraplanar entities, other dimensions, or even metaphysical forces for power. That which may be entreated for power depends entirely upon the campaign setting, so ask your Judge if you are interested in entreaties for power from the various sources of such throughout his or her multiverse. At their simplest, an entreaty is handled per a Popularity ACTION roll, because any mage may make an entreaty, whether or not they have any actual entreaty spells. Such an entreaty is generally a plea for raw power, which is added to a spell the entreater is currently casting. If successful, a basic entreaty will add a +1 CS to the casting rank of the spell, +2 CS if the spell specifically reflects the nature of that which is entreated. Entities the Judge deems in sync with a wizard's character and motivations, or those who the wizard has properly research entreaties to (in other words, mages who master a specific entreaty spell related to such entities) are friendly for the purposes of this roll. Those who are unaware of this character or indifferent to his or her cause are considered neutral for the purposes of this ACTION. Entities that are at odds with a sorcerer's philosophy for some reason, but not specifically opposed to the character in particular, should be considered unfriendly on this roll. An entity that has a personal vendetta against a sorcerer is inherently hostile towards him or her, and will never grant them an entreaty unless doing so would be specifically beneficial to its goals - attempting such an entreaty is done at one's peril. *** Entreaty Spells *** Instead of just invoking a source of power for a pick-me-up, a mage may instead study said source of power in much greater detail. This almost invariably entails magical research of some sort, but it allows the mage to develop actual spells related to that which he or she is entreating for power. Such spells can come in the form of 'standard' magic spells or unique magical capabilities, and don't require Popularity ACTIONs. As an example, say the Greek pantheon of gods is active in the Judge's campaign. Perhaps a sorcerer in the campaign wishes to develop entreaties to Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Reading about her online, the player finds she is a small winged goddess, who has a tendency to bless her favored mortals with luck. Using this information, the player can easily develop entreaties to reflect her nature and goals. Speaking with the Judge, the player finds he can learn entreaties to Nike for flight (temporarily manifesting large, billowy wings to carry himself aloft), luck (either good or bad, depending on those who irk the ire of the mage), and shrinking (Nike is of Titanic descent yet six inches tall). Additional, unique spells could reflect Nike's nature even more, such as her prowess with weaponry and her intolerance of incompetence. This is but one example of the development of entreaty spells. There are any number of items, beings, and places that can be developed in this fashion, either by the Judge directly or alongside his or her player(s) who wish to wield magic. This process can make the nature of one's campaign even more dynamic and collaborative if desired, assuming the Judge doesn't already have this all worked out to begin with. *** Entreaty Combinations *** Of course, there are even more ways to wield entreaties. For one thing, a mage may decide to invoke more than one entity simultaneously when casting a spell. Doing this can add a further +1 CS to the spell which is being enhanced for every doubling of entities so named; for instance, invoking eight different death gods when casting a spell to kill one's arch-nemesis would add a +4 CS to its overall effect! This is not an easy process, however, and requires multiple Popularity ACTIONs - one for each entity invoked. This involves a whole lot of dice rolling, but admittedly doing so adds a whole lot of weight to a specific casting of one's magic. If any one of these Popularity ACTION rolls fails, the entreated power source is not added to the spell, but this alone does not cause the entreaty as a whole to fail. What can cause such stunts to fail is invoking two or more entities in a spell which are on unfriendly terms or otherwise opposed to each other. This does not mean invoking an entire pantheon (such rivalries are assumed), so much as specific beings of power who dislike each other, either directly or metaphorically. Attempting an entreaty in this fashion is a sure-fire way to get on several angry deities' short list of things to smite. Alternately, one can cast a specifically researched entreaty spell, and then attempt to enhance it with an invocation for even more power from another source. This can boost unique entreaty spells even further, but the danger of causing offense or indignation for abusing their power such when combining entities remains. These problems can be avoided with careful research into the entities to be so entreated. *** Abusing Entreaties *** Entreaties call on vast sources of power to fuel their effects, no matter their origin. That's why entreaties are so popular with mages, as they spare one's own energies when wielding magic. This can lead to problems where a spellcaster leans upon an entreated source for power too much. 'Too much' is subjective, though, and can be anything from more than twice per day to more than seven times per week (Judge's discretion). Drawing might from items of power is the least risky to an entreater. If the item itself is not sentient, excessive entreaties to such may simply cause the spell it would enhance to fail. A sentient item, or a non-sentient item owned by a powerful being, might take the entreater to task for abusing its power if it can, but otherwise there isn't too much risk here. Excessive entreaties to places of power can be more dangerous. If a mage abuses such calls for aid, he or she might be drawn to the place of power they've been siphoning energies from - or something from said place of power may be drawn to them! Alternately, in extreme cases, the 'last straw' in entreaty abuse might cause the formation of a rift between the caster's current location and the realm they've been abusing. Beings of power are the most hazardous form of entreaties to abuse. If a sorcerer drains an entity's power too much, he or she may be summoned forth by it, being pressed into service to pay for their perfidy. This may involve a special quest, a period of punishment, a stern talking to, or anything else this being of power wishes. When dealing with inexplicable alien intelligences, you never know what will appease them. ** Character Advancement ** After undertaking many adventures, or simply vanquishing the forces of evil for a time, a wizard may have gained new insight into the world and how it works; in other words, Karma. For the most part, wizards use Karma much like any other character type, spending just as much when purchasing new talents or contacts, or when enhancing a current ability, power, or spell rank; this is handled as is defined in the Core Rules. One facet of Karma use that is different for a wizard is the purchasing of new spells. *** Purchasing New Spells *** Since magical spells are defined as the equivalent of talents (as far as standard mechanics go), a mage can learn new spells for the same cost - one thousand Karma points. Generally, new spells begin at Feeble (2) rank, unless modified by mage's school or limitations / enhancements. This allows a mage to acquire a respectable roster of available powers, though they require constant work to make them very effective overall. On the other hand, one can spend more Karma if he or she wishes a spell to begin at a higher rank to start with. This can be done by paying one thousand Karma points for the 'base' spell, plus one hundred times the final rank number. For instance, purchasing a brand new spell at Amazing (50) rank would be 1,000 (base cost) plus 5,000 (the rank number of 50 times one hundred), for a grand total of 6,000 Karma. This is a lot of Karma to spend at one time, but is a) a very powerful new spell, and b) can actually be cheaper than raising it up the hard way; it's just a more 'front loaded' expenditure. Schools which allow new spells to begin at a higher rank may reduce this cost considerably (as is the case with an elemental specialist). Either way, if the price to raise a spell point-by-point would be cheaper, defer to that lower cost instead. All of the above assumes a spell with 'standard' costs; in other words, a spell that has a listed cost of one point per rank. If a spell is listed as having a cost equal to 2 points per rank, double its final Karma cost, while one with a cost of 3 points per rank triples the cost. If a spell is listed with a 'flat cost', the price is only 250 Karma points per point; invulnerability, for instance, would cost 2,000 Karma (after the base cost). ** Mystic Mastery ** Mystic mastery is a rank that sorcerers ascribe to both themselves and to others, to gauge their prowess in the arts arcane. All of a mage's spells and magical items contribute to such a rank, and this helps to quantify just how skilled and powerful he or she is. This rank has few direct game mechanics associated with it, but is nonetheless one that most thaumaturges keep abreast of. A sorcerer who has from one to four spells under his or her belt is considered a novice wizard. One who knows between five to eight spells can be considered a disciple of the magical life. A mage who wields from nine to twelve spells is an adept of sorcery. Any mage who can utilize thirteen or more spells is truly a mystic master, and will be recognized as such by all in his or her field of study. Being a mystic master in a given school does have some advantages. For one thing, one does not require the patronage of a mystic instructor within that school any longer; there is no longer a penalty to advance without a tutor for mystic matters. If one continues to study under a master even after mastering a school themselves, they in fact benefit from a fifteen percent discount on further advancement within that school. *** Adopting New Magical Schools *** Once a character chooses his or her school of magic, they are stuck with it for a very long time - that is, until they master it. Once a thaumaturge is in full command of his or her initial school, they may begin the study of another. While studying this second school, a mage can research spells from either his or her original school or a new one, as they see fit - but may not have more than one unfinished school of magic at a time. It's important to keep in mind that a mage does require an instructor in this new school to study it without penalty. While he or she may no longer suffer from such in their old school, and even has a discount if they retain their original master, a sorcerer needs to find an instructor well-versed in this new school as well if they wish to avoid the Karma penalty for dabbling in one without the proper education. *** Spell Stunts *** Over time, a mage may wish to work with a spell to develop a new use for it, instead of simply researching a new spell. Such new uses are called spell stunts. Every attempt to create a new spell stunt costs 50 Karma points per try, but they are otherwise governed by the same basic rules that exist for all other characters. So, if you have a new idea for the uses of a dusty old spell, give it a shot, already! A spell stunt starts out at the same rank as its parent spell, -1 CS for each additional point per rank it costs. While stunts don't count as spells for the purposes of mastering a school of magic, they do allow one to develop their magic at a discount compared to buying new sorcery outright. * Optional Spellcasting Concerns * Unlike those heroes who utilize powers of a biological nature (mutants, altered humans) or others that are based upon knowledge (psis, technology users), wizards utilize a power that is sometimes fickle, and may not always work the same every time. In game play, this aspect of magic can be simulated by adopting one or more of the following ideas; the rules presented here are optional. On the other hand, if a given rule is not in play in one's campaign, it can make for a great character limitation! Requiring spell components can be a great limiter to a wizard (alchemists already have this problem, but it can easily spread to other characters), while fatigue rules can really put a damper on a thaumaturge in a long-running battle. Counterspells: when they encounter a spell that they know, thaumaturges can attempt to counter it, if they don't like the way that spell is being used. By passing a spell ACTION against the intensity of the active wizardry, a mage can counter it. Once this is done, the mage may either cancel the spell effect or take control of it, whatever is best in a given situation. However, if the original caster of said spell is still in the vicinity, there's nothing stopping him or her from trying to regain control of their own magic. Not every spell can be affected by a counterspell. A spell with an 'instantaneous' duration is difficult to counter, as it has an immediate effect. If forewarned of an opponent's intentions (with the use of an augury, for instance), a caster may counter such, but otherwise they're out of luck. Similarly, 'permanent' magics cannot be countered; the effects of such are too ingrained for a counterspell to affect. Fatigue (intensity): spellcasting is difficult work, and can quickly tire a sorcerer who exhausts their energies too quickly. This can be represented in two different ways, depending on the Judge's wishes, the first of which is with a fatigue intensity. Nominally at Shift 0 rank, a wizard's fatigue intensity increases when casting spells, some draining more energy than others. Casting a personal spell adds three to one's fatigue intensity, universal and school spells add two, and spells of a dimensional or group nature add one. Entreaty spells and power entreaties drain zero energy from a mage, and is one reason each are utilized so often. Fatigue intensity only comes into play as it approaches the rank of a thaumaturge's Psyche. Spells can only be cast in a round if the caster can first pass a Psyche ACTION roll against their current fatigue intensity. If one's fatigue intensity is 3 CS lower than their Psyche, this ACTION is automatic, while if it exceeds their Psyche by more than +1 CS, the wizard simply cannot cast spells. How does one avoid this loss of spell use? Quite simply, by not using magic! A sorcerer who refrains from using magic in a given turn can reduce his or her fatigue by one point; they may not cast spells, but those cast in a previous round that are still being maintained (flight, armor, etc.) will not hamper this loss of fatigue. Where fatigue is concerned, it is best to cast spells in moderation - or to end a conflict quickly. Fatigue (exertion): alternately, Judges may adopt a form of fatigue utilizing the same basic mechanism that running characters must deal with. A character acquires 'turns' worth of exertion when casting spells, as is defined by the values presented above, and can keep casting as long as they can pass the requisite Endurance ACTIONs called for when reaching the appropriate levels of exertion. A reduction in spellcasting exhaustion using this method of fatigue measurement works the same as the above or, if one fails the ACTION to prevent an inability to cast further, after resting for the requisite amount of time called for by the ACTION in question. Initiative Modifiers: there are six types of spells in all, and each of them utilize unique energies and techniques when producing the required spell effect. To better represent this, initiative modifiers can be applied to a spell, based on the basic spell type. Personal spells gain a +2 initiative modifier, School spells gain a +1 initiative modifier, universal and group spells are normal (no modifier), dimensional spells receive a -1 penalty to initiative, and entreaty spells suffer a -2 initiative penalty. Apply a -1 penalty for each source of power entreated to bolster a spell, regardless of its type. Spell Components: thanks to the odd formulas for casting them, a few spells may require the use of material objects to make them function, in addition to the necessary physical movements and the verbal chanting. This is technically a limitation on a spell, and offers a CS boost dependent on how difficult it is to procure these components; boosts from +1 to +3 CS are possible if components are exceptionally hard to acquire. Spell Disruption / Distraction: normally, spells are cast when a mage passes a spell ACTION roll - that's all it takes. But sometimes, sorcerers will find themselves in a distracting situation, one that will disrupt their spellcasting concentration. Situations of this sort include seeing others placed under the threat of immediate death, taking damage equal to or greater than one's Endurance rank in a given turn, or intense sensory assaults (like deafening sounds, bright light, severe pain, and so on). If any of these conditions occur as a mage tries to cast a spell, he or she must also pass a yellow Psyche ACTION roll to pull off their spell correctly. Failing this, the spell so disrupted will fail to materialize, fizzing out with perhaps an audible pop or flash of light. In fact, if the ACTION fails with a white result, something unexpected just might occur, such as a different spell or even Probability Fallout! Spellcasting Restraints: the stronger a spell is, the more it requires gestures and chanting to manifest its effects. If a sorcerer is restrained somehow, he or she may be unable to cast certain spells. For instance, if they are bound (hands behind their back), a mage cannot cast spells with gesticular components. If gagged, he or she cannot wield their spells with verbal components. If blinded or blindfolded, a wizard casts spells that require visual contact with a target as if said spell were -4 CS in rank. CHAPTER TWELVE: THE MANUAL OF THE PSI What is psionics? The practice of tapping into one's inner potential, psionics lets a body perform feats with their mind, body, and soul that are normally thought to be impossible. All sentient beings have a psionic potential, for psionics is inherent to the very notion of thought itself. Actually developing one's psionic abilities requires intense dedication and training, however, qualities that most lack to some extent. Those who do have the capability and opportunity to master these powers of the self are the subject of the Manual of the Psi. The basic concept behind psionics is that, with deep meditation and intense training, sentient beings can look far enough inward that they unlock abilities fueled by the totality of their being. These are feats that almost anyone may wield if they simply bend their will towards doing so. In other words, while often referred to as powers, psionics are in fact learned talents. This is an important distinction. A psi appears to be perfectly normal when not using his or her special abilities, and may even seem that way while maintaining psionics. They register as 'normal' to any power or device that detects super-human prowess inherent to an individual, and their psionic talents cannot be neutralized by conventional means of power control, though there are certainly psionic means of detecting or blocking psi powers. * Core Principles * Psionics is a complete path of power, offering access to a range of abilities comparable to that provided by sorcery, high technology, or even existence as a posthuman being. However, before one attempts to build a psi-active character, much less bring psionics into their game, there are several concepts underpinning this path of power they should understand first. ** Psionic Disciplines ** Psionics are divided into groups of related abilities known as disciplines. Each discipline of power represents a different flavor of psychic talent, capabilities revolving around one central, 'root' power. Psionic disciplines mean different things to different characters, depending on the form of psionic activation they experience. There are nine known disciplines of psionic powers. Six of these disciplines are standard, common paths of power that anyone may study using the Manual of the Psi. However, there are three additional, optional disciplines, the use of which a Judge may permit or forbid as he or she desires, depending on what they include in their campaign. Users of these disciplines are technically 'combination' characters, but they are included here to keep all psionics in one place. The nine disciplines of psionic power include the following: Empathic Powers: empathic powers are used to manipulate the life force of mortal entities, whether sentient or otherwise. This discipline of power involves an awareness of the threads of life woven throughout the multiverse, often known as the essence. A psi who can perceive the essence and their connection to it, then, can control the very forces of life and death. Metapsionic Powers: metapsionic abilities are those with which a psi may control or manipulate their own body. Metapsi powers give one a definitive physical edge over other humans (or even super-humans), granting exceptional durability, attack capability, or physical prowess. Metapsionic powers may manifest differently in non-human entities, since the 'meat' to manipulate is inherently different. Psikinetic Powers: perhaps one of the most dramatic disciplines of power, psikinetics is the process of manipulating both energy and matter, in either an animate or inanimate state, without physical contact. True mind over matter (and energy), a psikinetic has the ability to alter, destroy, or even create (to a small extent) objects in their environment, as he or she sees fit. Psimantic Powers: psimantic powers are essentially mind over magic, allowing their wielder to control the very forces of magic to produce various effects. This can involve manipulating the sorcery of others, inflicting direct damage to magical entities, and even the ability to cast spells on top of wielding psionics. A psychoturge can often stand toe to toe with the strongest of mages. Psimotive Powers: this discipline of power involves controlling both time and space! A psimotive may use their abilities to easily move from one location to another, most often without crossing the physical spaces between them. More detailed uses of the psimotive discipline involve using characteristics of space and time against others, usually to devastating effect. Psipathic Powers: what people most readily think of when pondering psionics, psipathy is the power of mind over mind. The psipathic discipline is used to achieve direct contact with another mind, and then to either communicate with or manipulate it in a variety of fashions. Psipathic powers can readily be used to destroy the consciousnesses of others - or simply to confound them for a good long time. Superpsionic Powers: complementing all other disciplines of psionic power, superpsi abilities are used to manipulate either one's own psionics or those of another. This discipline can be very powerful when combined with any other path of power, but is nonetheless exceedingly useful in its own right, as superpsionics by themselves can make a mockery of an unprepared psionic opponent. Technopsionic Powers: representing mind over machine, technopsionics is the art of controlling devices remotely, solely with the power of one's will. This discipline deals with all things technological, whether mechanical, electronic, or somewhere in-between. Technopsi powers can be used to control or disrupt devices, or to even create or incorporate them into oneself when desired. Theonic Powers: psionic abilities of this stripe deal with divinity itself. Theonics can be a path one takes to attain immortality, or simply a means by which one can communicate with or combat deific beings. Theonic powers involve interacting with the faith-based powers of immortal entities, or using the mimicked abilities of such against mere mortals, for good or ill. ** Psionic Power Types ** Each psionic ability, no matter which of the nine disciplines of power it is associated with, belongs to one of three power types. Each type denotes a level of magnitude the psionic ability may have compared to others in its discipline, as some are simply more useful (or dangerous) than others. All psionic powers can be described as either an art, a talent, or a skill, depending on their potency: Arts: arts are the so-called psionic 'big guns'. They often take the form of devastating attacks or capabilities, those which can quickly end lives or reshape the very nature of the surroundings. Arts normally begin play at a low level of power (being purchased at Feeble (2) rank), which demonstrates just how versatile they are - and the effort required to properly master them. Talents: while not necessarily the most potent of psionics, talents do have many uses regardless. They often serve as defensive or supplemental abilities for a psi, and can mean the difference between life and death. Talents typically start at a slightly higher level than arts when purchased (Poor (4) rank), showcasing their mid-range utility, and can thus be advanced to greater heights somewhat faster. Skills: often the most 'minor' of psionic powers, skills are nonetheless vital to the success of any psi. These powers take the form of sensory, utilitarian, or other highly focused (yet necessary) abilities. Skills always begin at a higher level when purchased (Typical (6)), reflecting their specialty, and thus can be advanced to greater levels of power much more quickly. * Psionic Awakening * There are many means by which an individual may activate their inherent psionic potential. Most often, this occurs due to a character's intense training and meditation, his or her conscious mind peeling away the barriers that hold them back, and 'switching' their psychic capabilities on. However, there are several other methods by which a body might awaken their psionics (or, as it happens, see them activated). ** Trained Psis ** The most reliable and consistent manner in which sentient beings can activate their psionic potential is with proper schooling to that effect. A character that has worked long and hard to awaken their inherent power is known as a trained psi. These characters usually study relentlessly in an intensive, highly structured fashion to awaken specific powers, of their own choice, as their experience with psionics grows. These psis will excogitate in a regimented fashion regardless of their chosen manner. This regimen means that when acquiring psionics (either during character generation or later on, during character advancement), they will do so in the order of art, talent, and skill, before starting over again. This forces the trained psi to exercise vastly different portions of his or her self, ultimately leading to the mastery of their chosen goals. Further complicating the matter, however, is the fact that one may be schooled in psionics in one of three different fashions. These three methods of psionic schooling each have their advantages and disadvantages, and the manner in which a character is schooled will determine the ultimate variety and potency of his or her psionics. The three methods of psionic schooling are traditional, intermediate, and casual study. *** Traditional Study *** The least flexible and most regimented form of psionic learning, traditional studies are often preferable to players who see themselves investing a lot of time (and Karma) into their character. In effect, traditional study requires that a psi-active student choose one discipline of power to begin with, and not even contemplate the study of another until he or she has mastered their first. Once he or she has achieved mastery of a discipline, a traditional psi may then continue their studies of the first, primary discipline, or instead begin work on another. The traditional psi may also do both at the same time, as they see fit, though he or she can only have one unmastered discipline at a time. This limits the range of powers a psi may choose from somewhat, but has several benefits. The intensive focus of a traditional psi reduces the cost of purchasing new powers by twenty-five percent, whether he or she has mastered a discipline or not. Secondly, as the psi must master a discipline before starting another, they gain the benefits of doing so. Finally, the traditional student may eventually overmind in a discipline of power if he or she studies it long enough, a benefit no other psi has access to. *** Intermediate Study *** While a bit more regimented than casual methods of psionic training, the intermediate mode of psi study is nonetheless more flexible than the traditional vein of psychic education. This is because the intermediately trained psi is allowed to change disciplines of study after learning only three powers within it if he or she so desires, instead of the nine required to master it with traditional schooling. The end result of this is that, while a bit more flexible than traditional study, intermediate schooling is still structured enough to eventually allow mastery of a discipline, and even the eventual acquisition of every power within it. Also, an intermediate psi need not begin study of a discipline with its 'root' power if he or she chooses not to, as must a traditional psi, though they won't master a discipline until they do so. Although the flexibility of intermediate study allows a psi to dip his or her toes into many disciplines of power at once, it does come with a price. Intermediate psis do not gain a discount when purchasing new psionics - though they suffer no penalty, either. Furthermore, their lack of a supreme focus prevents them from ever gaining the benefits of overminding in a discipline; they must learn all its powers the hard way. *** Casual Study *** The psi participating in a casual study of psionics (such as it is) will have a madly variant selection of powers, as they're not bound by most prevailing theories of psionic mastery. When selecting his or her powers, the casual psi can draw from a different discipline each and every time they choose a new power, whether during character generation or later on in their adventuring career. This is much more convenient than either the traditional or intermediate modes of study, in that a casual psi will have a vastly diverse selection of powers to choose from. He or she might even start with one power from each of their available disciplines, if desired. Of course, this wild flexibility comes with several costs, though normally the benefits at least balance out the hassles in most cases. For one thing, new powers cost casual psis twenty-five percent more Karma, as they generally draw upon less complementary knowledge of themselves in relation to older powers. This lack of focus also hampers the mastery of disciplines down the line, but doesn't make it impossible. Finally, not only can a casual psi not overmind in a discipline, but there are some powers in each discipline that they simply cannot learn. ** Natural Psis ** The flip side of the trained psi, a natural has acquired the use of psionic abilities without bothering with that whole 'study' thing - much less even trying, typically. As such, their powers don't really come about due to any coherent rhyme or reason, and the power set a natural psi possesses may in fact be (relatively) unique to them. Of course, this puts the natural psi at something of a disadvantage. This is because, while the natural psi does not have to gain powers in the order a trained psi does (the art, talent, and skill progression) during character generation, he or she does not readily have the ability to acquire new psionics later on. Unless they find some way to study psionics with a mentor, it's possible the natural psi may never acquire additional powers at all - their power selection is considerably more finite. The most dangerous of natural psis transform this seeming weakness into an impressive strength. You see, not splitting his or her focus amongst dozens of powers, a natural psi can concentrate on getting the most bang for their buck out of the limited abilities they do have access to. Thus, while more limited in power selection compared to a trained psi, a natural usually has the edge in the use of their specific powers. *** Natural Psi Causation *** A lot of the time, a natural psi will occur due to a moment of extreme stress in their lives. Perhaps they've been faced with a moment of mortal peril (or terror), and instead of folding when the chips were down, something somehow 'clicked' within them. Refusing to give in, the very mind of the character would not let itself be extinguished, and suddenly one or more psionics were activated to rectify the situation. Another thing that can cause natural psi activation is exposure to like powers. Psi generally isn't a 'common' phenomenon, depending on the campaign, of course, so it's not something most characters readily experience. So when someone's mind is assaulted for the first time, it's quite possible that their own consciousness will reflexively defend itself, causing the manifestation of new powers 'out of the blue'. Finally, some people just have a sort of natural tendency for psionic ability. Maybe their heads are wired a bit differently than other folks, or they just think in a way that doesn't really line up with their peers - or almost anyone else on earth, really. Often, edge cases like this can develop psionics instead of mere quirks to denote unusual abilities, being much more pronounced in nature. *** Developing Natural Psionics *** So something caused these strange abilities to manifest. What's next? A lot of the time, when something fantastic or unusual happens, a person will simply rationalize it away somehow. Sure, you were able to lift that car off of your ailing grandmother, but it must've been a weird fluke. People just can't do that sort of thing, can they? Never mind that you don't actually remember touching the car at all. Those who explain away their brush with the fantastic almost never develop their psionic potential - in fact, they may never use such powers again. Alternately, a person may very much wish to repeat the occurrence but simply doesn't know how. This sort of natural may attempt to repeat the chain of events that caused their psionic to momentarily switch on, often with positive results, but occasionally with lethal consequence. But sometimes, just sometimes, a body who manifests psionics irregularly can get a handle on their use, and properly develop them. These characters can't readily learn new powers like a trained psi, but they can easily work with what they've got to become quite effective in their own right. Their seemingly random powers, backed by a series of power stunts, can almost allow them to match a trained psi in overall capability. *** Natural Psis with Added Study *** And then there's the natural psi who, after finding someone to instruct him or her properly, might actually develop a set of trained powers as well as those they've managed to activate by chance or dumb luck. A psi of this variety will have natural psionics per the above, but will also back that up with 'official' training in one of the three standard methods. A character of this variety has considerable flexibility. For one thing, their trained powers need not be from the same discipline(s) as his or her natural psionics, meaning that even a traditional psi might have some quirky powers that don't fit within their rigid educational structure. This can be a great boon to a student of the mental arts, as one's natural psionics are a convenient 'crutch' to lean on when the powers they're actually studying can't get the job done. On the other hand, a student who does indeed study a discipline they have natural powers in can master it much faster, gaining the benefits of doing so (if he or she so chooses). This is often the path a mentor will adopt when 'growing' young epsilons, the idea being to build upon what they already know to hasten their education considerably. Either path is acceptable to the natural psi who seeks formal training. ** Believers ** Lying somewhere between the natural and trained psi, a believer is someone who is an ardent supporter of some philosophy, movement, or principle, who avouch it so absolutely that they manifest abilities reflecting this worldview. This differs somewhat from faith, in that it is not a religious fervor (though ecclesiastic influence may be involved), but instead an imagined precept of how the multiverse functions. This process works because a believer, due to the astounding strength of his or her ideology, actually manages to reorder the way their very mind functions. The believer will thus activate specific portions of their psi potential that reinforce this ideology, whether or not the believer is actually aware of these powers, much less their function. They 'just work', probably because the believer believes they are right. Thus, a believer might be so absolute in his or her convictions that they may very well seem divorced from reality as others see it - and may demonstrate a variety of psychological tics to represent this. Not all believers are criminally insane, though a few may well appear to be once you get to talking to them. But, at the same time, seeing them demonstrate the power of their belief can make it hard to debunk their arguments. *** Believer Beliefs *** In order for a believer to take shape, a character must first have something to believe in. The philosophy or ideology of a believer is what shapes their psionics, both in availability and overall intensity, and usually will differ from the prevailing attitudes in their society. Otherwise, everyone might have the same or similar psionic capabilities as a general matter of course. This belief can be just about anything, really, and can revolve around the nature of the universe, humanity in general, or just the specific character in question. It need not even make too much sense, depending on the believer involved, as long as it's a generally serious belief. The belief that everyone is energy might allow for energy manipulating abilities, while insisting the world is tapioca might just land one in the nuthouse. The critical thing to keep in mind is that this belief will shape the character's every action. They eat, drink, and breathe in their beliefs, which is kind of the reason he or she developed special powers related to them in the first place. They need not expound on the merits of their beliefs every second of every day, but genuinely believe in the ideas behind them, and live only to further their aims and/or acceptance. *** Conviction or Insanity? *** Sometimes there is a fine line between a believer and a crazy person, and sometimes there isn't at all. There are facilities full of people with all kinds of kooky ideas about the world and how it works, usually with padded walls and straightjackets in a wide selection of sizes. The problem there is that most people in the madhouse don't have the focus or the conviction to become proper believers. Even more, some people housed within mental health facilities just might have that conviction, but their beliefs are so off the wall that whatever abilities they do manifest might not be readily available to them, much less effective (or applicable) enough to attempt an escape - or living a normal life. Maybe they just subtly alter the moods of everyone in their vicinity, or perhaps they can see into other universes. Worse still is the truly insane believer who can get it together enough to go his or her own way. One need only visit their local multiplex to see films showcasing such individuals, often maniacal monsters that possess seeming super-human powers, who relentlessly pursue whatever mad agenda set them in motion to begin with. Slasher films in particular seem to love this brand of believer villain. *** Belief and Followers *** The thing about a believer, though, is that if he or she is charismatic and successful enough, they might be able to sufficiently demonstrate the merits of their beliefs such that they sway others to their line of thought. When a believer attracts followers, they are often inspired to greater heights of power. A believer with a flock (even if it's just one true devotee) gains a +1 CS on all believer power ranks. Where this gets interesting is that such reinforcement works both ways. A believer's followers can see their inspiration made manifest in the form of the believer's special abilities, and often develop convictions powerful enough to awaken similar psi powers. Typically these will be lesser in rank or variety than the original believer's psionics, but can show just how devoted to one's belief structure he or she really is. In fact, there may even be 'tiers' of believers working beneath the belief's founder, some with no special powers, some with one or two psionics, and still more with abilities approaching that of (or matching) the belief's originator. This lends itself to large philosophical or ideological movements, and such groups, once they put their minds to a specific task, may very well change the world with their convictions. *** Believers with Added Study *** On the other hand, some believers who realize the nature of their abilities - or perhaps just pursue psi powers as a separate end entirely - might seek out proper psionic schooling. They may do so as a way to supplement the power of their beliefs, perhaps as a means to reinforce them in the eyes of others, or often as an incidental adjunct to their path of power (instead of becoming a high tech hero or sorcerer, maybe). A believer with trained psi ability generates each group of psionic powers they possess according to the normal rules for such. He or she will first set up their belief-based abilities, and then those that are derived from their psionic schooling, whether traditional, intermediate, or casual in nature. A believer with training has the same amount of starting powers as anyone else, just divided between the two sources. A character following this path gains all the benefits that a natural psi with added schooling receives. If they pursue a discipline they already wield powers within, they'll master it that much faster (if applicable), and can lean on their belief-based abilities when their trained psi powers fail them in a given situation. Other than the differing origins of their inherent powers, the two characters otherwise 'behave' the same. * Character Generation * ** Random (Dice Roll) Method ** Despite their general laundry list of super-powers, psis are merely normal humans 'where it counts'. When rolling up ability scores for a psi, use table A to generate their Strength and Endurance, then table B for their Fighting and Agility. Finally, use table D for Reason, Intuition, and Psyche, as these are usually high in psi-active characters, above and beyond those scores seen in average people. Roll on table A to determine the initial Resources rank of a psi-active character. Psis generally begin play with a Popularity score of zero. Add up his or her Health and Karma totals as normal, along with Negative and Mental Health scores. Considered human in nature, psis do not have access to hyperexhaustive or hyperkinetic ability ranks. Table 1: Rank Generation Table A Table B Table C Table D Table E Table F Table G Table H Table I Rank - - 01 - 01 - 01 - 01 Hyperexhaustive 01 01 02-05 - - 01 02-05 - - Feeble (2) 02-25 02-05 06-10 - - 02-05 06-10 - - Poor (4) 26-50 06-25 11-25 - - 06-10 11-15 - - Typical (6) 51-75 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 11-25 16-25 - - Good (10) 76-99 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 Excellent (20) 00 76-95 76-90 26-50 26-50 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 Remarkable (30) - 96-99 91-95 51-75 51-75 76-90 76-85 26-50 26-50 Incredible (40) - 00 96-99 76-99 76-95 91-95 86-90 51-75 51-75 Amazing (50) - - - 00 96-99 96-99 91-95 76-99 76-95 Monstrous (75) - - - - - 00 96-99 00 96-99 Unearthly (100) - - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Hyperkinetic Once these rolls are complete, players may gamble on any two ability scores of their choice, potentially shoring up any areas in their psi-active character they feel needs some help. The only limits in this regard are the results of the tables themselves, as well as the power rank ceiling for a campaign, as set by the Judge. If unaware of this power rank ceiling, go ahead and ask the Judge now! Keep in mind that once this is done, all of a psi's ability scores, save for Reason and Psyche, must remain within normal human maximums. While a psionic character deals in inexplicable matters of the mind, they are still ostensibly human, for the most part. If their other ability score(s) exceed normal human levels, simply drop them back down that point when this process is done. Table 2: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). *** Psionic Activation *** Next, it must be decided what manner of psi-active character will be created, if this has not already been determined. Will you play a trained psi, of either the traditional, intermediate, or casual bent, a natural psi, a natural psi with psionic schooling, or even a believer of some sort? Table 3 is provided for random determination, but this facet of a character is entirely up to the player behind them. Table 3: Psionic Activation Method 01-14 Trained Psi - Traditional 15-28 Trained Psi - Intermediate 29-43 Trained Psi - Casual 44-57 Natural Psi 58-72 Natural Psi with Training 73-86 Believer 87-00 Believer with Training *** Psionic Disciplines *** Next, one must determine what discipline(s) their psionic powers will issue forth from. For the most part, this is also something the player may decide without rolling randomly, though tables are provided for such a purpose if necessary - most often for the Judge's use when building random characters. This choice may be the sole discipline a character has access to, or the first of many. Such is dependent on the nature of the character's psionic activation. A traditional psi, for instance, will only begin play with access to one discipline - he or she will not gain access to another until they master their first. Psis of intermediate training, on the other hand, can pick a new discipline every three powers, and a casually instructed psi may do so with every new ability. Natural psis may actually have purely random disciplines (and powers), depending on the player's vision for the character. They may choose or roll randomly as they see fit, either for all of their powers or alternating as is desired. The same goes for natural psis with training, though their trained discipline(s) will behave per whatever form of psionic schooling they have undertaken. A believer probably shouldn't roll random disciplines for their belief-based powers, however. The nature of their powers dictates that they reflect whatever powerful belief structure about the multiverse they bear, and thus should be chosen in a manner to reflect this. Unless, of course, the player is going to choose randomly and build unique convictions around their die rolls, which might be very interesting (or confusing), indeed. Two versions of the psionic disciplines table are provided, one which does not include the three 'optional' disciplines and one which does. Table 4a: Psionic Disciplines (Standard) 01-17 Empathic Powers 18-33 Metapsi Powers 34-50 Psikinetic Powers 51-67 Psimotive Powers 68-83 Psipathic Powers 84-00 Superpsi Powers Table 4b: Psionic Disciplines (with Combination Character types) 01-11 Empathic Powers 12-22 Metapsi Powers 23-33 Psikinetic Powers 34-44 Psimantic Powers 45-55 Psimotive Powers 56-66 Psipathic Powers 67-77 Superpsi Powers 78-88 Technopsi Powers 89-00 Theonic Powers *** Initial Psi Powers *** When determining a psi's starting powers, begin by figuring out exactly how many he or she will start with. This can primarily be done by rolling randomly on table 5a, which will give characters anywhere between two and seven starting powers. Alternately, a natural psi or believer with extra psionic schooling will instead roll on table 5b, which has results that incorporate both their inherent and trained psionic abilities. Table 5a: Initial Psi Powers (Standard) 01-17 Two Powers 18-33 Three Powers 34-50 Four Powers 51-67 Five Powers 68-83 Six Powers 84-00 Seven Powers Table 5b: Initial Psi Powers (for Natural Psis or Believers with Psionic Schooling) 01-04 1 Inherent, 1 Trained 05-09 1 Inherent, 2 Trained 10-14 1 Inherent, 3 Trained 15-19 1 Inherent, 4 Trained 21-24 1 Inherent, 5 Trained 25-28 1 Inherent, 6 Trained 29-33 2 Inherent, 1 Trained 34-38 2 Inherent, 2 Trained 39-43 2 Inherent, 3 Trained 44-48 2 Inherent, 4 Trained 49-52 2 Inherent, 5 Trained 53-57 3 Inherent, 1 Trained 58-62 3 Inherent, 2 Trained 63-67 3 Inherent, 3 Trained 68-72 3 Inherent, 4 Trained 73-76 4 Inherent, 1 Trained 77-81 4 Inherent, 2 Trained 82-86 4 Inherent, 3 Trained 87-91 5 Inherent, 1 Trained 92-96 5 Inherent, 2 Trained 97-00 6 Inherent, 1 Trained Next, it's time to determine the individual psi powers a character wields. Tables 7 through 33 are provided for these, based on the discipline(s) determined earlier. Trained psis will always roll in an art / talent / skill sequence, and natural psis or believers with psionic schooling will do the same for the trained portions of their powers. For natural psis or believers rolling randomly, use table 6 for the psi power type first. Typically, it is recommended that players be allowed to choose at least half of their abilities, to best steer them in a direction they would prefer, while giving them a few random powers that will help to avoid generating 'repeat' characters. This makes characters partly what a player would like, while keeping them refreshingly different each time - even if making multiple characters with the same discipline(s) of power. Of course, random rolls are not always appropriate at all, depending on the character to be generated. A traditionally trained psi must take the 'root' power of a discipline (telekinesis for the psikinetic discipline, for instance) before all others, thus he or she will never roll for their first ability. Believers normally won't roll randomly for powers at all, while the natural abilities of natural psis may or may not be random. Furthermore, there are two versions of each power selection table presented below, one for trained psis of the casual bent and another for all other psis. The 'main' tables are denoted as version A, while the casual power tables are indicated as version B. Table 6: Psionic Power Type 01-33 Psionic Arts 34-67 Psionic Talents 68-00 Psionic Skills Empathic Powers Table 7a: Empathic Arts (standard selection) 01-07 Aciurgy 08-14 Animal Hybrid. / Others 15-21 Death Ray 22-28 Empathy 29-35 Gestalting (2) 36-42 Harm 43-50 Life Ray 51-57 Plant Hybrid. / Others 58-64 Reanimation (2) 65-71 Regeneration / Self (2) 72-78 Resurrection (2) 79-85 Transformation / Others (2) 86-92 Vampirism (2) 93-00 Vivification (2) Table 7b: Empathic Arts (casual selection) 01-10 Animal Hybrid. / Others 11-20 Death Ray 21-30 Empathy 31-40 Life Ray 41-50 Plant Hybrid. / Others 51-60 Reanimation (2) 61-70 Regeneration / Self (2) 71-80 Resurrection (2) 81-90 Transformation / Others (2) 91-00 Vampirism (2) Table 8a: Empathic Talents (standard selection) 01-08 Age Control / Others 09-15 Animal Control 16-23 Cancer 24-31 Drones 32-38 Emotion Control 39-46 Empathic Hammer 47-54 Essence Control 55-61 Forensics 62-69 Healing / Self 70-77 Plant Control 78-84 Regeneration / Others 85-92 Resuscitation 93-00 Rotting Table 8b: Empathic Talents (casual selection) 01-11 Animal Control 12-22 Cancer 23-33 Emotion Control 34-44 Empathic Hammer 45-55 Essence Control 56-66 Healing / Self 67-77 Plant Control 78-88 Resuscitation 89-00 Rotting Table 9a: Empathic Skills (standard selection) 01-08 Animal Sympathy 09-17 Augury 18-25 Biological Invisibility 26-33 Biological Sense 34-41 Cure Disease 42-50 Decontamination 51-58 Detoxification 59-67 Healing / Others 68-75 Mood Swings 76-83 Plant Sympathy 84-91 Recovery 92-00 Retrospection Table 9b: Empathic Skills (casual selection) 01-12 Animal Sympathy 13-25 Biological Sense 26-37 Detoxification 38-50 Healing / Others 51-62 Mood Swings 63-75 Plant Sympathy 76-87 Recovery 88-00 Retrospection Metapsi Powers Table 10a: Metapsi Arts (standard selection) 01-06 Adrenal Vampirism 07-12 Animal Hybridization 13-18 Biological Vampirism (2) 19-25 Danger Sense (2) 26-31 Energy Absorption (2) 32-37 Invulnerability (*) 38-43 Kinetic Absorption (2) 44-50 Lethality (2) 51-56 Longevity (*) 57-62 Organs (2) 63-68 Personal Weaponry (2) 69-75 Plant Hybridization 76-81 Regeneration / Self (2) 82-87 Shape Change 88-93 Super Speed (3) 94-00 Transformation / Self (2) Table 10b: Metapsi Arts (casual selection) 01-10 Adrenal Vampirism 11-20 Animal Hybridization 21-30 Biological Vampirism (2) 31-40 Danger Sense (2) 41-50 Kinetic Absorption (2) 51-60 Longevity (* 61-70 Organs (2) 71-80 Personal Weaponry (2) 81-90 Plant Hybridization 91-00 Shape Change Table 11a: Metapsi Talents (standard selection) 01-06 Adrenal Boost (*) 07-12 Body Armor 13-18 Corrosion 19-25 Density Control 26-31 Detachable Parts 32-37 Elongation 38-43 Environmental Adapt. (2) 44-50 Grace 51-56 Greater Resistance (*) 57-62 Growth 63-68 Imaginary Doubles (2) 69-75 Intangibility 76-81 Metabolic Focus 82-87 Plasticity 88-93 Poison 94-00 Shrinking Table 11b: Metapsi Talents (casual selection) 01-10 Adrenal Boost (*) 11-20 Body Armor 21-30 Corrosion 31-40 Density Control 41-50 Elongation 51-60 Environmental Adaptation (2) 61-70 Grace 71-80 Intangibility 81-90 Metabolic Focus 91-00 Poison Table 12a: Metapsi Skills (standard selection) 01-06 Age Control 07-12 Atomic Sense 13-18 Biological Sense 19-24 Blending 25-29 Combat Edge (*) 30-35 Disease 36-41 Dyad 42-47 Environmental Indep. (*) 48-53 Imaginary Mass 54-59 Pain 60-65 Philosophical Sense 66-71 Resistance (*) 72-77 Stasis (*) 78-82 Super Senses (2) 83-88 Super Synesthesia (*) 98-94 Unyielding Will 95-00 Zest Table 12b: Metapsi Skills (casual selection) 01-09 Atomic Sense 10-18 Biological Sense 19-27 Combat Edge (*) 38-36 Environmental Indep. (*) 37-45 Imaginary Mass 46-54 Pain 55-63 Resistance (*) 64-72 Stasis (*) 73-81 Super Senses (2) 82-90 Unyielding Will 91-00 Zest Psikinetic Powers Table 13a: Psikinetic Arts (standard selection) 01-07 Antimatter (3) 08-13 Damage Reduction (*) 14-20 Disintegration (2) 21-27 Energy Cohesion 28-33 Energy Generation 34-40 Energy Projection 41-47 Energy Vampirism (2) 48-53 Image Projection (2) 54-60 Kinetic Energy Control 61-67 Matter Generation (3) 68-73 Psychokinesis 74-80 Psychometry 81-87 Telekinesis 88-93 Topological Control (3) 94-00 Transmutation (3) Table 13b: Psikinetic Arts (casual selection) 01-10 Damage Reduction (*) 11-20 Energy Cohesion 21-30 Energy Generation 31-40 Energy Projection 41-50 Energy Vampirism (2) 51-60 Image Projection (2) 61-70 Psychokinesis 71-80 Psychometry 81-90 Telekinesis 91-00 Topological Control (3) Table 14a: Psikinetic Talents (standard selection) 01-06 Body Control 07-12 Cyclone 13-18 Deflection (*) 19-24 Energy Control 25-29 Flaying 30-35 Flight 36-41 Force Blast 42-47 Force Field 48-53 Friction Control 54-59 Invisibility / Others 60-65 Matter Duplication (2) 66-71 Microscopic Vision 72-77 Object Projection 78-82 Object Sympathy 83-88 Psi Web 98-94 Telescopic Vision 95-00 Transduction (2) Table 14b: Psikinetic Talents (casual selection) 01-10 Body Control 11-20 Cyclone 21-30 Energy Control 31-40 Flaying 41-50 Flight 51-60 Force Blast 61-70 Force Field 71-80 Invisibility / Others 81-90 Psi Web 91-00 Transduction (2) Table 15a: Psikinetic Skills (standard selection) 01-06 Circular Vision (*) 07-12 Clairtouchence 13-18 Energy Sense 19-25 Flaw Sense 26-31 Invisibility / Self 32-37 Kinetic Focus 38-43 Levitation 44-50 Object Animation 51-56 Object Charge 57-62 Object Cooling 63-68 Object Hardening 69-75 Object Warming 76-81 Object Weakening 82-87 Power Dampening 88-93 Propulsion 94-00 Sidestep (*) Table 15b: Psikinetic Skills (casual selection) 01-10 Circular Vision (*) 11-20 Energy Sense 21-30 Flaw Sense 31-40 Invisibility / Self 41-50 Kinetic Focus 51-60 Levitation 61-70 Object Charge 71-80 Object Warming 81-90 Object Weakening 91-00 Sidestep (*) Psimantic Powers Table 16a: Psimantic Arts (standard selection) 01-08 Casting 09-17 Causality Control (4) 18-25 Dimensional Static 26-33 Energy Generation 34-41 Future Control (2) 42-50 History Control (3) 51-58 Nimiety (2) 59-67 Override (3) 68-75 Reassignment (3) 76-83 Thaumaturgical Absorp. (2) 84-91 Thaumaturgical Vamp. (2) 92-00 Variable Sorcery Table 16b: Psimantic Arts (casual selection) 01-12 Casting 13-25 Causality Control (4) 26-37 Dimensional Static 38-50 Override (3) 51-62 Reassignment (3) 63-75 Thaumaturgical Absorption (2) 76-87 Thaumaturgical Vamp. (2) 88-00 Variable Sorcery Table 17a: Psimantic Talents (standard selection) 01-08 Antimagic Generation 09-17 Buttress (2) 18-25 Dimensional Attunement 26-33 Energy Control 34-41 Extend (2) 42-50 Fallout Absorption 51-58 Flux (2) 59-67 Luck (3) 68-75 Reprise (2) 76-83 Spell Control (2) 84-91 Transient Magic 92-00 Universal Static Table 17b: Psimantic Talents (casual selection) 01-12 Antimagic Generation 13-25 Dimensional Attunement 26-37 Fallout Absorption 38-50 Flux (2) 51-62 Luck (3) 63-75 Spell Control (2) 76-87 Transient Magic 88-00 Universal Static Table 18a: Psimantic Skills (standard selection) 01-08 Contingency 09-17 Distraction 18-25 Flux Analysis 26-33 Logos 34-41 Magic Magnet 42-50 Magic Sense 51-58 Nativity Sense 59-67 Personal Static 68-75 Proxy 76-83 Sorcerous Amplification 84-91 Sorcerous Attenuation 92-00 Sorcerous Invisibility Table 18b: Psimantic Skills (casual selection) 01-12 Distraction 13-25 Flux Analysis 26-37 Magic Magnet 38-50 Magic Sense 51-62 Nativity Sense 63-75 Personal Static 76-87 Sorcerous Amplification 88-00 Sorcerous Attenuation Psimotive Powers Table 19a: Psimotive Arts (standard selection) 01-08 Banishment (3) 09-15 Between (2) 16-23 Dimensional Displacement 24-31 Dimensional Interface (2) 32-38 Dimensional Transit 39-46 Gravity Control 47-54 Planar Control (3) 55-61 Portal (2+) 62-69 Space Control 70-77 Summoning (2) 78-84 Teleportation 85-92 Time Control (3) 93-00 Time Travel (2) Table 19b: Psimotive Arts (casual selection) 01-11 Dimensional Displacement 12-22 Dimensional Interface (2) 23-33 Dimensional Transit 34-44 Gravity Control 45-55 Space Control 56-66 Summoning (2) 67-77 Teleportation 78-88 Time Control (3) 89-00 Time Travel (2) Table 20a: Psimotive Talents (standard selection) 01-08 Age Control / Others 09-17 Aggregation 18-25 Antigravity 26-33 Chaos Shift (*) 34-41 Defensive Portals 42-50 Initiative Control (2) 51-58 Internal Universe 59-67 Mind Walk 68-75 Offensive Portals 76-83 Quarantine 84-91 Teleportation / Others 92-00 Temporal Static Table 20b: Psimotive Talents (casual selection) 01-12 Aggregation 13-25 Antigravity 26-37 Defensive Portals 38-50 Mind Walk 51-62 Offensive Portals 63-75 Quarantine 76-87 Teleportation / Others 88-00 Temporal Static Table 21a: Psimotive Skills (standard selection) 01-08 Age Control / Self 09-17 Anchor 18-25 Bilocation 26-33 Compass Sense (*) 34-41 Locational Memory 42-50 Locational Sense 51-58 Nativity Sense 59-67 Telelocation 68-75 Teleport Trigger (*) 76-83 Temporal Windows 84-91 Transient Universe 92-00 Universal Windows Table 21b: Psimotive Skills (casual selection) 01-12 Anchor 13-25 Bilocation 26-37 Compass Sense (*) 38-50 Locational Memory 51-62 Locational Sense 63-75 Telelocation 76-87 Teleport Trigger (*) 88-00 Transient Universe Psipathic Powers Table 22a: Psipathic Arts (standard selection) 01-07 Astral Projection 08-13 Clairvoyance 14-20 Crowd Control (2) 21-27 Mental Repair 28-33 Mind Link 34-40 Mind Lock 41-47 Mind Transfer (2) 48-53 Mind Wipe 54-60 Possession (2) 61-67 Precognition (3) 68-73 Psi Bolt 74-80 Psionic Vampirism (2) 81-87 Psychic Invisibility 88-93 Psychic Probe 94-00 Telepathy Table 22b: Psipathic Arts (casual selection) 01-11 Astral Projection 12-22 Clairvoyance 23-33 Mind Link 34-44 Mind Lock 45-55 Psi Bolt 56-66 Psionic Vampirism (2) 67-77 Psychic Invisibility 78-88 Psychic Probe 89-00 Telepathy Table 23a: Psipathic Talents (standard selection) 01-06 Auscultation 07-12 Clairalience 13-18 Clairaudience 19-25 Clarity 26-31 Forgetfulness 32-37 Illusion Projection (2) 38-43 Jumbling 44-50 Linguistics 51-56 Mind Control 57-62 Nonapparent Vision 63-68 Postcognition 69-75 Sensory Link 76-81 Sleep 82-87 Static Field 88-93 Thought Projection 94-00 Translation Table 23b: Psipathic Talents (casual selection) 01-11 Auscultation 12-22 Clairaudience 23-33 Clarity 34-44 Forgetfulness 45-55 Linguistics 56-66 Mind Control 67-77 Sensory Link 78-88 Sleep 89-00 Thought Projection Table 24a: Psipathic Skills (standard selection) 01-06 Caesura 07-12 Charm 13-18 Clairgustance 19-24 Clairtouchence 25-29 Combat Edge 30-35 Daydreams 36-41 Ego Suppression 42-47 Fugue 48-53 Inferiority Complex 54-59 Lie Detection 60-65 Loathing 66-71 Mesmerism 72-77 Phobia 78-82 Sending 83-88 Sensory Distortion 98-94 Sensory Projection 95-00 Sensory Reception Table 24b: Psipathic Skills (casual selection) 01-09 Charm 10-18 Combat Edge 19-27 Daydreams 38-36 Ego Suppression 37-45 Fugue 46-54 Lie Detection 55-63 Loathing 64-72 Mesmerism 73-81 Sensory Distortion 82-90 Sensory Projection 91-00 Sensory Reception Superpsi Powers Table 25a: Superpsi Arts (standard selection) 01-08 Empowerment (2) 09-15 Energy Generation 16-23 Karma Control (2) 24-31 Macro Sense (2) 32-38 Mind Duplication 39-46 Power Boost 47-54 Psionic Absorption (2) 55-61 Psychoplasm Animation (2) 62-69 Soul Control 70-77 Spectral Freedom (*) 78-84 Spectral Gestalt (2) 85-92 Spectral Vampirism (2) 93-00 Variable Psionics Table 25b: Superpsi Arts (casual selection) 01-11 Empowerment (2) 12-22 Mind Duplication 23-33 Power Boost 34-44 Psionic Absorption (2) 45-55 Psychoplasm Animation (2) 56-66 Soul Control 67-77 Spectral Gestalt (2) 78-88 Spectral Vampirism (2) 89-00 Variable Psionics Table 26a: Superpsi Talents (standard selection) 01-07 Antipsion Generation 08-14 Energy Control 15-21 Energy Doubles (2) 22-28 Enlightenment (2) 29-35 Image Animation 36-42 Keeper 43-50 Linguistics 51-57 Link (2) 58-64 Mental Doubles (2) 65-71 Mental Invisibility (2) 72-78 Psion Generation 79-85 Psionic Control (2) 86-92 Quintessential Variation 93-00 Xenoglossy Table 26b: Superpsi Talents (casual selection) 01-11 Antipsion Generation 12-22 Energy Control 23-33 Enlightenment (2) 34-44 Image Animation 45-55 Link (2) 56-66 Mental Invisibility (2) 67-77 Psion Generation 78-88 Psionic Control (2) 89-00 Xenoglossy Table 27a: Superpsi Skills (standard selection) 01-08 Ability Boost 09-15 Clone Projection 16-23 Eidetic Memory 24-31 Polarization 32-38 Psi Sense 39-46 Psionic Amplification 47-54 Psionic Attenuation 55-61 Self Cannibalization 62-69 Self Control 70-77 Spectral Sense 78-84 Transfixture 85-92 Twinning (*) 93-00 Ultimate Talent (*) Table 27b: Superpsi Skills (casual selection) 01-11 Ability Boost 12-22 Polarization 23-33 Psi Sense 34-44 Psionic Amplification 45-55 Psionic Attenuation 56-66 Self Control 67-77 Spectral Sense 78-88 Transfixture 89-00 Twinning (*) Technopsi Powers Table 28a: Technopsi Arts (standard selection) 01-09 Assimilation 10-18 Cyberspatial Projection 19-27 Device Generation (2) 38-36 Empowerment (2) 37-45 Knowledge 46-54 Mesmermechanism 55-63 Nanotech Generation (3) 64-72 Organic Circuitry (3) 73-81 Reassembly (2) 82-90 Super Invention 91-00 Variable Cybernetics Table 28b: Technopsi Arts (casual selection) 01-14 Assimilation 15-28 Cyberspatial Projection 29-43 Device Generation (2) 44-57 Knowledge 58-72 Mesmermechanism 73-86 Reassembly (2) 87-00 Variable Cybernetics Table 29a: Technopsi Talents (standard selection) 01-09 Artificial Power Source 10-18 Interfacing 19-27 Kit-bashing 38-36 Overdrive 37-45 Positron Generation 46-54 Repair 55-63 Schema 64-72 Transception 73-81 Transient Psionics 82-90 Upgrade 91-00 Variable Talent (*) Table 29b: Technopsi Talents (casual selection) 01-14 Artificial Power Source 15-28 Overdrive 29-43 Repair 44-57 Transception 58-72 Transient Psionics 73-86 Upgrade 87-00 Variable Talent (*) Table 30a: Technopsi Skills (standard selection) 01-09 Computer Link 10-18 Device Sympathy 19-27 Diagnosis 38-36 Electronics Disruption 37-45 Electronics Invisibility 46-54 Fuel 55-63 Jury Rigging 64-72 Mechanical Disruption 73-81 Optimization 82-90 Technical Intuition 91-00 Technological Sense Table 30b: Technopsi Skills (casual selection) 01-14 Computer Link 15-28 Device Sympathy 29-43 Electronics Disruption 44-57 Mechanical Disruption 58-72 Optimization 73-86 Technical Intuition 87-00 Technological Sense Theonic Powers Table 31a: Theonic Arts (standard selection) 01-09 Apotheosis (*) 10-18 Exaltation 19-27 Faith (5) 38-36 Genesis 37-45 Investment (3) 46-54 Macro Sense (2) 55-63 Omnipotence 64-72 Organism Generation (3) 73-81 Revival 82-90 Signature Power (*) 91-00 Theonic Absorption (2) Table 31b: Theonic Arts (casual selection) 01-12 Faith (5) 13-25 Genesis 26-37 Investment (3) 38-50 Omnipotence 51-62 Organism Generation (3) 63-75 Revival 76-87 Signature Power (*) 88-00 Theonic Absorption (2) Table 32a: Theonic Talents (standard selection) 01-09 Antideionic Attack 10-18 Avatar (2) 19-27 Awe 38-36 Deific Impersonation 37-45 Deionic Attack 46-54 Deionic Control (2) 55-63 Inculcation (2) 64-72 Mortal Guise 73-81 Nature Resistance (3) 82-90 Omnipresence 91-00 Sanctuary Table 32b: Theonic Talents (casual selection) 01-12 Antideionic Attack 13-25 Awe 26-37 Deionic Attack 38-50 Deionic Control (2) 51-62 Inculcation (2) 63-75 Nature Resistance (3) 76-87 Omnipresence 88-00 Sanctuary Table 33a: Theonic Skills (standard selection) 01-08 Bless 09-17 Boon 18-25 Commandment 26-33 Disengagement 34-41 Fortuity 42-50 Omniscience 51-58 Plenipotentiary 59-67 Regenesis 68-75 Theonic Amplification 76-83 Theonic Attenuation 84-91 Theonic Invisibility 92-00 Theonic Sense Table 33b: Theonic Skills (casual selection) 01-11 Bless 12-22 Boon 23-33 Commandment 34-44 Fortuity 45-55 Omniscience 56-66 Regenesis 67-77 Theonic Amplification 78-88 Theonic Attenuation 89-00 Theonic Sense *** Determining Power Ranks *** After a character's psionics have been revealed, their potency must be determined. To do this, simply roll once on table D for each psionic the character possesses. With this done, you may then 'gamble' on one psionic rank of your choosing if your character has three or less psionic abilities, twice if he or she has from four to six psi powers, or thrice if the character has seven (or more) psychic abilities. *** Limitations *** Often, a player may not be happy with the ranks they've rolled up for their new psi. Even after adjusting powers with gambling attempts, he or she is just not satisfied with what they've come up with. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes one has a specific vision in mind for their character. This is where limitations come in! A player may subject their psi to limitations to make them more powerful. Limitations come in two distinct flavors: power limitations and character limitations. A power limitation is just that, an altering of how said psionic works to the detriment of the player (as compared to others who can use this ability). A power so limited may not affect certain objects or beings, can only be used during certain time periods, or may otherwise function in a manner others may find unusual or restrictive. Character limitations, however, change the nature of every power a psi uses, not just one. A character limitation may simply be a power limitation that 'works' on every single power, or may instead be some other alteration to the basic working of psionics in general that hampers the character, such as the inability of a traditional psi to master disciplines (which wouldn't be quite so constricting on other psis). At any rate, the severity of the limitation determines just how much of a power boost the character may receive. Limitations come in four flavors: weak, strong, very strong, and extreme. A weak limitation is just that, a minor crimp in an ability's effectiveness, and only offers a +1 CS. Each succeeding limitation offers another +1 CS to the power rank, but as their names imply, they become increasingly constraining. Alternately, a psi can take a limitation on a power to replace one that is already built in to it; some powers, like those involving time, have several such constraints already worked into them. With the Judge's permission, they can swap out one limitation for another, as long as the new limitation would be equally as inconvenient. This allows a player to better craft the character they imagine in their heads. *** Enhancements *** Similarly, a player might have more than enough power, or simply wants more 'bang for their buck' out of his or her existing power roster. If this is the case, they may decide to empower their psionics with special enhancements. Like limitations, enhancements have four levels of power, including weak, strong, very strong, and extreme, each of which adds a subsequent -1 CS modifier to one's power ranks. In exchange for suffering from the effects of this modifier, the character's ability will benefit from an improvement of some sort. Moving a power up one speed or range category is considered a strong enhancement, while two is an extreme enhancement. Other enhancements can come in the form of built-in limitations being stripped out of a power (as noted, time control and precognition have several). Like limitations, enhancements are difficult to apply across an entire character, though this isn't impossible. While speeds and ranges vary from power to power, things like power maintenance caps apply to the whole character. Adding one maintainable power for one's Reason (mem) is a weak enhancement, with each additional maintainable ability raising this one step - but this sort of enhancement is definitely worth the costs. These and the other qualities can readily be given enhancements, and the reduction in rank usually makes up the difference. This can make purchasing new powers more difficult down the line, though, particularly if a character enhancement is in effect. A new power to be affected by an enhancement must at least be bought at a rank high enough that, upon applying the negative CS, it is of at least Feeble (2) rank. *** Quirks *** Slightly more palatable than limitations, quirks are relatively minor changes to a character that can either saddle him or her with a disadvantage, or possibly even enhance one of their traits. They can also be used to ultimately raise the rank one or more of a character's powers work at, if so desired. The quirks rules have more on this, but the quirk tables are presented here, for convenience. Quirks are normally a voluntary affair - players may or may not use quirks, as they see fit. They are presented below in the format of random rolling tables for two reasons, however. The first is for the Judge's use, to quickly generate random characters when desired. Alternately, a player may roll randomly if he or she desires a quirk, and doesn't know what to pick. Not that they're bound by such a roll, of course. Quirks are divided up into the beneficial and deleterious quirks of a physical, mental, and role-play nature. Those quirks which cost (or grant) two quirk points are noted with a two in parenthesis (2), while those that can be taken at multiple levels are noted with an asterisk in parenthesis (*). Table 34: Quirks Categories 01-17 Physical (beneficial) 18-33 Physical (deleterious) 34-50 Mental (beneficial) 51-67 Mental (deleterious) 68-83 Role-Play (beneficial) 84-00 Role-Play (deleterious) Table 35: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-06 Acceleration Tolerance 07-12 Adrenal Surge 13-18 Ambidexterity 19-25 Fast Healing 26-31 Fighting Logistics 32-37 Gravity Tolerance (*) 38-43 Hardiness (2) 44-50 Heightened Sense 51-56 High Pain Threshold 57-62 Hypermobility 63-68 Learned Resistance (*) 69-75 Omnidexterity (2) 76-81 Rank Boost (2) 82-87 Strong Bones (*) 88-93 Sturdiness 94-00 Tetrachromacy Table 36: Physical Quirks (deleterious) 01-05 Abnormal Attribute 06-11 Acceleration Intolerance 12-16 Addiction (*) 17-21 Albinism 22-27 Allergy (*) 28-32 Color Blind 33-37 Dulled Sense (*) 38-42 Dwarfism 43-47 Epilepsy 48-52 Feebleness 53-58 Gigantism 59-63 Gravity Intolerance (*) 64-68 Lameness 69-74 Low Pain Threshold 75-79 Missing Parts (2) 80-84 Rank Loss (2) 85-89 Slow Healing 90-94 Weak Bones (2) 95-00 Weakness (2) Table 37: Mental Quirks (beneficial) 01-08 3-D Sense 09-15 Alertness 16-23 Cybernetic Aptitude 24-31 Fortitude 32-38 High Stress Threshold 39-46 Karmic Shell (2) 47-54 Magical Aptitude 55-61 Natural Talent 62-69 Psionic Aptitude 70-77 Quick Learning 78-84 Sanity 85-92 Static 93-00 Technological Aptitude Table 38: Mental Quirks (deleterious) 01-03 Action Addict 04-06 Attitude (*) 07-08 Bluntness (*) 09-11 Bully (*) 12-14 Combat Paralysis (*) 15-17 Compulsiveness (*) 18-19 Cowardice (*) 20-22 Cyber-neurosis 23-25 Delusions (*) 26-28 Fanaticism (*) 29-31 Frenzied 32-33 Greed (*) 34-36 Gullibility (*) 37-39 Honesty (*) 41-42 Impulsiveness (*) 43-44 Inept (*) 45-47 Insanity (2) 48-50 Insomnia 51-53 Jealousy (*) 54-56 Karmic Dearth (2) 57-58 Laziness (*) 59-61 Learning Disorder 62-64 Low Stress Thresh. (*) 65-67 Mania (*) 68-69 Multiple Personality (*) 70-72 Pacifism (*) 73-75 Paranoia (*) 76-78 Personal Code (*) 79-81 Phobia (*) 82-83 Pushover 84-86 Rudeness (*) 87-89 Short Attention Span 90-92 Shyness (*) 93-94 Stubborn (*) 95-97 Temper (*) 98-00 Vow (*) Table 39: Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) 01-09 Ally 10-18 Assistant 19-27 Attractive (*) 38-36 Benefactor (*) 37-45 Cash Flow 46-54 Charmed 55-63 Fame (*) 64-72 Fan Club 73-81 Good Reputation 82-90 Likability (2) 91-00 Lucky (2) Table 40: Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) 01-06 Alien Culture (*) 07-11 Bad Reputation 12-17 Bigotry (*) 18-22 Dependent 23-28 Detractors 29-33 Enemy (*) 34-39 Illiteracy 40-44 Jinxed 45-50 Loner (*) 50-56 Nerd 57-61 Poverty 62-67 Repugnant Personality (*) 68-72 Snob 73-78 Social Dependent (*) 79-83 Unattractive (*) 84-89 Unlucky (2) 90-94 Unpleasant Habits (*) 95-00 Weirdness Magnet *** Talents *** The talents your sparkling new psi will start out with can be determined per any other character type, beginning by rolling up the number of their initial talents on table 41. Then, roll for the category each talent will belong to on table 42. To finish up, roll for individual talents using tables 43 through 50, one table for each applicable category of talents. However, the actual talents a character has really should be determined by his or her origin. Keeping this in mind, the Judge may very well opt to let a player choose some (or all of) the talents his or her psi will have, allowing them a lot more creative control over their character. Another thing to consider is that a talent can function at a higher 'level' than normal. There are three 'tiers' of talents, each providing an increasing bonus to ACTIONs applicable to said talent. When generating these heightened skills, however, keep in mind that they cost more; a level 2 talent counts as two talents, while a level 3 talent counts as four. This can get expensive fast, but is a great way to showcase what your character is really good at. Also, some talents cost more than others (before levels of such are considered). A talent that has a number in parenthesis counts as that many talents during character generation; these are mostly background talents, but some others cost more, as well. Similarly, the Student talent costs all of one's initial talent slots, for it by definition implies that a body does not have any other talents. Table 41: Number of Talents 01-17 Two talents 18-33 Three talents 34-50 Four talents 51-67 Five talents 68-83 Six talents 84-00 Seven talents Table 42: Talent Categories 01-12 Background 13-25 Behavioral 26-37 Environmental 38-50 Fighting 51-62 Miscellaneous 63-75 Professional 76-87 Scientific 88-00 Weapon Table 43: Background Talents 01-25 Heir to Fortune (3) 26-50 Law Enforcement (2) 51-75 Military (2) 76-00 Student * Table 44: Behavioral Talents 01-12 Animal Handling 13-25 Hypnosis 26-37 Leadership 38-50 Manipulation 51-62 Performer 63-75 Service 76-87 Sleight of Hand 88-00 Tactics Table 45: Environmental Talents 01-09 Astronaut 10-18 Boating 19-27 Climbing 38-36 Driving 37-45 Piloting 46-54 Planargation 55-63 Riding 64-72 Stealth 73-81 Survival 82-90 Teamster 91-00 Tracking Table 46: Fighting Talents 01-06 Acrobatics 07-12 Aerial Combat 13-18 Astral Combat 19-25 Martial Arts type A 26-31 Martial Arts type B 32-37 Martial Arts type C 38-43 Martial Arts type D 44-50 Martial Arts type E 51-56 Mounted Combat 57-62 Multiple Attacks 63-68 Spatial Combat 69-75 Targeting 76-81 Tumbling 82-87 Underwater Combat 88-93 Vehicular Combat 94-00 Wrestling Table 47: Miscellaneous Talents 01-12 Escape Artist 13-25 First Aid 26-37 Gastronomy 38-50 Power Skill 51-62 Repair / Tinkering 63-75 Resist Domination 76-87 Trance 88-00 Trivia Table 48: Professional Talents 01-06 Agriculture 07-12 Artist 13-18 Business / Finance 19-24 Crime 25-29 Demolitions 30-35 Detective / Espionage 36-41 Education 42-47 Engineering 48-53 Journalism 54-59 Law 60-65 Leathercraft 66-71 Metalcraft 72-77 Politics 78-82 Salesmanship 83-88 Sports 89-94 Stonecraft 95-00 Woodcraft Table 49: Scientific Talents 01-07 Archaeology 08-13 Biology 14-20 Chemistry 21-27 Computers 28-33 Criminology 34-40 Electronics 41-47 Genetics 48-53 Geology 54-60 Linguistics 61-67 Lore 68-73 Mathematics 74-80 Medicine 81-87 Physics 88-93 Psychology 94-00 Theology Table 50: Weapon Talents 01-04 Advanced Guns 05-09 Blunt Weapons 10-14 Bows 15-19 Concussion Weapons 21-24 Energy Weapons 25-28 Entangling Weapons 29-33 Guns 34-38 Marksman 39-43 Martial Arts Weapons 44-48 Natural Weapons 49-52 Pole Weapons 53-57 Quick Draw 58-62 Sharp Weapons 63-67 Shields 68-72 Spontaneous Weapons 73-76 Thrown Objects 77-81 Thrown Weapons 82-86 Two Weapons 87-91 Weapon Skill 92-96 Weapon Specialist 97-00 Weapons Master (2) *** Contacts *** Also presented for your convenience is the table used to detail the initial number of contacts a new character will have; it is available as table 51 in the Manual. Table 52, then, lists the types of contacts a psi may have upon the start his or her career, if the player needs any ideas. One does not need to roll up contact types randomly if they don't want to, however. Like quirks or talents, contacts can be taken at one of three levels of importance; for example, a police contact might be a beat cop (level 1), an FBI operative (level 2), or even an Interpol agent (level 3). Similarly, contacts have an increase of cost in 'contact slots' depending on their level - a level 2 contact counts as two contacts, while a level 3 contact costs four contact 'slots'. Table 51: Number of Starting Contacts 01-17 Two contacts 18-33 Three contacts 34-50 Four contacts 51-67 Five contacts 68-83 Six contacts 84-00 Seven contacts Table 52: Contacts 01-06 Aide 07-11 Artist / Performer 12-17 Business 18-22 Criminal 23-28 Doctor 29-33 Expert 34-39 Foreign Power 40-44 Government 45-50 Hero / Villain 50-56 Informant 57-61 Journalist 62-67 Lawyer 68-72 Mentor 73-78 Military 79-83 Organization 84-89 Police 90-94 Scientist 95-00 Trivia *** Equipment *** On top of all of their inexplicable capabilities to impose their will on reality, psis also have their pick of conventional, mundane equipment. These devices won't be the kind that make or break a body in combat, for the most part, but they often fill in holes on a psionic character's roster when needed - or, at the very least, add a bit of style to their life. Common equipment a character can possess depends on their Resources. One may automatically have any gear with a price equal to or less than his or her Resources rank, and may start out with materials of up to their Resources rank +2 CS with but a small explanation (the character has a plot of land that they inherited). Anything more exorbitant must be approved by the Judge, but isn't necessarily out of the question. It's mostly just a matter of feasibility and availability at that point. Systematic (Point Based) Method Players begin with fifty (50) points with which to build psi-actives. They may spend these points as they wish, only limited by a) the caps for most normal human ability scores, and b) the campaign's power level ceiling. For example, an earth-bound campaign may limit characters to Monstrous (75) or less on most ranks. Ask your Judge about his or her campaign limits! To begin with, determine how far above (or below) the norm the character will be in each ability score; for our purposes, the 'norm' will be Typical (6) rank. For every +1 CS a player applies to each spend one point, and for each -1 CS applied to these values add one point. All but Reason and Psyche must remain within human maximums, all of which are detailed in the Ability Scores chapter. A starting character is assumed to have Typical (6) Resources and a Popularity score of zero (0). One may alter his or her Resources as they can any other ability score, though at double the cost (Remarkable (30) ranked Resources would cost six points, for example). If one intends to purchase the Heir to Fortune background talent, they shouldn't alter this 'base' Resources score any. Health and Karma are determined normally. An opposed Popularity score (negative for heroes, positive for villains) is worth two points, no matter how great it is. Before purchasing his or her psi powers, one should determine the nature of their character's psionic activation, for this may limit one's power selection, either slightly or dramatically. When buying psi powers, each rank in each power costs one point, starting at Feeble (2) rank. The upper rank of each psionic ability is only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling (again, ask the Judge about this). Costs can be controlled by adding limitations, which can apply to either one or all a character's powers. Whether applied to one psi power or globally to the character as a whole, weak limitations reduce the cost of an ability by one point, strong limitations by two points, very strong limitations by three points, and extreme limitations by four points. Consider the effect of such limitations before counting your point savings! Note: all psionics have a minimum cost of one (1) point, no matter how limited they may be. Moving the other direction, a player may apply enhancements to one or more powers. A weak enhancement increases the cost by one point, strong enhancements add two points, very strong enhancements raise the cost by three points, and extreme enhancements add four points to a power's final cost. Such enhancements can come in handy, but tend to get very expensive, very fast. Remember that many powers cost more than the base value; precognition, for example, costs three points per rank. Psi powers with a heightened cost are so noted in the character generation tables listed above (those with numbers in parenthesis after the name). Limitations and enhancements are multiplied in value by this cost; for instance, a very strong limitation on precognition would reap a nine point discount. If your Judge allows their use in his or her campaign, one thing to consider is the use of Hyperkinetic and Hyperexhaustive rank qualifiers. These can each be purchased in the point system if allowed, being treated as either an extreme enhancement (in the form of a Hyperkinetic psionic) or an extreme limitation (in the form of a Hyperexhaustive power). Both can be unbalancing in their own way, so bear this in mind. Once a character's powers are determined, he or she may purchase talents and contacts as desired, each costing one point. If one would like heightened talents or contacts, they must pay two points for a level two talent or contact, or four points for a level three talent or contact. The Student background talent costs five points (and fits a new psi well), but cannot be purchased with any other talent (save for heir to fortune). Next, a player may use leftover points to purchase beneficial quirks - or add a few points to pad weak areas with deleterious quirks. Most quirks give (or take) one point, but if purchased at a higher level, they function in much the same way as talents or contacts in this regard (two points for a level two quirk, four points for a level three quirk). Also, quirks without level but that count double cost (or give) two points. Finally, determine the normal gear the character possesses. As is the case with randomly generated characters, psis built with the point based system may choose any standard gear that is readily available in the campaign, as long as it falls within a few CS of their Resources rank. If they want something more expensive, the player must give a good reason for such, though the Judge has veto power over improbable items. Once the player is out of points, the Judge must look over what the player has wrought. Does the character's math add up? Does it fall within predetermined campaign limitations for power level? If nothing appears to be wrong, and the Judge likes what they see, he or she should approve what a player has created, and then allow them to complete the last portion of their character's creation. Assuming they didn't actually start with such. *** Filling in the blanks *** Once all the basic details concerning your psi have been ascertained, it is time to 'fill in the blanks', or to detail all of their personal and background information, the stuff you can't quantify with dice rolls or points. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they from? What are they like? Why have they spent the time to learn the mental arts? Who trained them how to access their inner abilities? Why? With the sole exception of a psionic mentor (who the Judge must generate, save for perhaps his, her, or its name), all other character information must be determined by the player to truly make it their own, and to really 'flesh them out'. This is often the most difficult portion of the character generation process, the part where many tend to fail. However, with a little effort and some serious consideration, the answers to these questions can make that simple little piece of paper with all the funny words on it really come alive! * Psionic Role-Play * So once you've got yourself a complete psi-active character, then what? Does he just hang around all day at the local diner, watching the news and waiting for the latest criminal caper? Does she hold down a nine to five job, only wielding her powers when circumstances demand it? Does he cloister himself away in a secluded monastery and study the mental arts incessantly? Does she pursue an agenda designed to change the entire world, or perhaps just a small portion of it? The short answer is that a psi can do just about anything he or she wants. Thanks to the nature of their powers, the mere possession of psionic abilities does not outwardly betray their presence. Sometimes, even wielding psionics directly has no visible or other cue to their use, which means one can often go about their business, using their psionic powers as they see fit in life - with no one the wiser. An important thing to consider is how easily one's psionics can help out their job. Imagine the television repair person that has diagnosis, or the lawyer with lie detection. These psis could be frighteningly good at what they do, and make lots of money in the process. Is this entirely ethical? That's a very hard question to answer, but when the bills are due, it can be difficult to resist the temptation to 'cheat' with one's powers. Obviously, most psis don't go about advertising their abilities - or else everyone would be aware of them. This allows the majority of psi-active individuals to do whatever it is they want with their powers. Some might hold down a secret identity when not fighting crime, while others might well be the leaders of social movements, and still more might just focus on their psionic studies above all else. Unlike sorcerers, a psi need not spend long periods of time researching lost knowledge to gain power. Unlike technologists, a psi doesn't have to perfect some piece of hardware before using it in the field. And unlike mutants and mishaps of science, there's nothing physical about a psi that readily broadcasts their nature. Thus, a psi can easily have a life apart from their powers, if they so choose. While this ambiguity seems like it doesn't 'say' anything about the nature of a psi in general, the truth is their powers allow them much more flexibility than those following other paths of power in how they live their lives. And that's one of the true strengths of playing a psi - with less cultural 'baggage' holding them down, they're much more reliant on themselves and the possibilities their psionic powers afford them. The following is a series of concerns that set the life of a student of psionics apart from other super-human entities. Some involve their day-to-day life, some examine basic details about how certain facets of psionics function, and still more are optional details that can be used to add 'flavor' to one's psi-active character. Specifics on psionic character advancement are also included. ** Learning Psionic Powers ** While a psi need not dig deep into abandoned ruins and ancient dungeons to discover the secrets of power, the truth is that mastering psionics is in and of itself no summer picnic. Psis have to turn their mind's eye inward, seeking the knowledge about themselves that allows them to activate their abilities. And truly facing yourself down - both the good parts and the bad - is never an easy affair. To become a trained psi, one must first discover how to awaken their psionic potential. While some dedicated individuals may very well meditate intently enough to determine how to do this on their own, a trained psi most often requires the assistance of a mentor to activate their psionic potential. Such an individual is called an upsilon, and typically instructs several different students, called epsilons, over their lifetime. An upsilon will most often be a master of one or more disciplines of power, though there are a rare few mentors of a casual bent, who have never come into their own in any particular discipline but nonetheless have a staggering array of psionics they can help another unlock. These casual upsilons may mentor other epsilons of casual schooling, or instead mentor other psis who have lost their own instructors for some reason. Once a trained psi is first activated, he or she need only engage in an hour or so of meditation per day to either advance their extant powers or to unlock all-new ones. This is easiest with the aid of an upsilon, of course, but not all psis are fortunate enough to have access to one. Perhaps they lost an upsilon due to tragedy early on, or were instead cast out for aberrant behavior of some sort - these things do happen. ** Maintaining Psionic Powers ** Some psionics, such as a psi bolt, are of instantaneous effect; you invoke it, it fires, and that's it. Other psi powers are not quite so cut and dried, however. While many are 'fire and forget' in nature, many more require constant effort on the part of the psi to function properly. This is called power maintenance. A psi may invoke a new power with each action, but can only maintain so many simultaneously. The number of psionics a character can maintain at once is dependent on his or her Reason (mem) score. If the psi has a Reason (mem) rank of Typical (6) or less, they can only maintain one psionic at a time. For each rank of Reason (mem) they hold above Typical (6), a psi can maintain an additional power concurrently. A psi with Remarkable (30) ranked Reason (mem), for instance, can maintain four psi powers at once. Unless one is a novice epsilon, it's most likely a character cannot maintain all of his or her persistent powers at the same time - it's just too hard to spread one's concentration so thin. Most often, it's in the best interest of a psi to keep their most important ability (or abilities) 'on' constantly, possibly oscillating between a few if their memory isn't too impressive, to defend themselves under varying circumstances. This can involve a lot of power juggling as is necessary, while keeping as many running as one's mind can reasonably focus on. Toggling powers may seem inconvenient - and it is, to an extent - but when one has about twenty of them to choose from, it's hard to feel too sorry for a body. Misfits of science needn't bother with such matters, but then they can't gain new powers without devastating their very bodies, now, can they? ** Character Advancement ** After undertaking many adventures, or simply vanquishing the forces of evil for a time, a psi may have gained new insight into the world and how it works; in other words, Karma. For the most part, psi-actives use Karma much like any other character type, spending just as much when purchasing new talents or contacts, or when enhancing a current ability or power rank; this is handled as is defined in Life and Death. One facet of Karma use that is different for a psi is the acquisition of new powers. *** Purchasing New Powers (Trained Psis) *** Since psionic powers are defined as the equivalent of talents, as far as normal game mechanics go, a trained psi may learn new powers for the same cost - one thousand Karma points. Generally, new arts begin at Feeble (2) rank, talents at Poor (4) rank, and skills at Typical (6) rank. This allows a psi to quickly acquire a respectable roster of available powers, though work must be put into each to make them effective. On the other hand, one may spend more Karma if he or she wishes to acquire higher ranked psionics. This can be done by paying one thousand Karma points for the 'base' power, plus one hundred times the final rank number. For example, say a psi wishes to buy a new art at Remarkable (30) rank. The cost would be 1,000 (base cost) plus 3,000 (the rank number of Remarkable times one hundred) for a grand total of 4,000 Karma. This sounds like a lot of Karma to spend at one time, but a) grants a powerful new ability, and b) can actually be cheaper than raising an ability up the hard way; it's just a more 'front loaded' expenditure. However, if the price to raise an ability to the desired rank would be lower by doing it point-by-point (through, say, normal advancement), use that cost instead. This is occasionally the case with higher ranked skills. All of the above assumes powers with a standard cost; in other words, a psionic that has a listed cost of one point per rank. If a power is listed as having a cost equal to 2 points per rank, double its total Karma cost, and so on. If a power is listed with a 'flat cost', the price (after the base fee) is only 250 Karma points per point; an invulnerability, for instance, would cost 2,000 Karma. Once the 'total' cost is determined for a new power, apply a modifier to that value based on the form of psionic schooling a character has. Traditional psis gain a twenty-five percent discount, while casual psis suffer a twenty-five percent increase in the cost of new powers. Even with such a penalty for some trained psis, it's relatively easy and fast for them to gain new abilities with proper study. *** Purchasing New Powers (Other Psis) *** A natural psi or a believer, on the other hand, has a much harder time acquiring new psionic powers. The whole idea with them is that happenstance or their beliefs unlocked their psionic abilities to begin with, so adding more is tricky. It's possible that additional powers can be explained as new aspects of that belief or incident which first awakened one's powers, but this gets more and more difficult over time. Since their minds aren't primed for the acquisition of new powers, natural psis and believers must pay a base cost of three thousand Karma, though all the other rules above apply. As prohibitive as such costs may be (especially where powers costing more than one point per rank are concerned), it often behooves these individuals to pursue proper education as a trained psi for such purposes. *** Untutored Advancement *** A character who attempts to awaken his or her own psi potential, or to study new powers before being ready to go it alone, does do at a distinct penalty. Learning new psionics, or advancing existing ones, costs twenty-five percent more Karma without a mentor to aid in the endeavor. This penalty lasts until one masters their first discipline or has learned thirteen distinct psi powers (whichever of the two comes first). This premium is on top of any others inflicted by their form of activation. A casual psi would suffer this atop their existing twenty-five percent penalty, while natural psis and believers would have this penalty in addition to the higher base cost for purchasing new 'untrained' powers in the first place. This is why, if one intends to study psionics proper, it pays to work with an upsilon mentor instead of doing it solo. *** Power Stunts *** Over time, a psi may wish to work with a power to develop a new use for it, instead of simply meditating on a new one. Such new uses are called power stunts. Every attempt to create a psionic power stunt costs 50 Karma points per try, but they are otherwise governed by the same basic rules that exist for all other characters. So, if you have a new idea for the uses of a dusty old power, give it a shot, already! A power stunt starts out at the same rank as its parent power, -1 CS for each additional point per rank it costs. While power stunts don't count as powers for the purposes of mastering a psionic discipline, they do allow one to develop their abilities at a discount compared to buying new ones outright. This is why natural psis and believers tend to lean on stunts, getting all they can out of their existing power roster. Transforming Trained Psionic Power Stunts into Distinct Psionic Powers *** A character who has mastered a power stunt, one that aligns precisely with another psionic within the same discipline of power, has the option of studying its usage until it can be developed into an independent psionic power in its own right. After all, the character has already demonstrated the ability to wield that power effect, the trick is simply aligning it with the rest of one's studies. A character working to render a power stunt of one of their psionic abilities a proper psionic power may do so by paying the cost of its current rank times one hundred. This is a discount to purchasing powers from scratch, since it uses the cost of developing the power stunt as the power's activation fee (five hundred Karma versus one thousand), and allows the (former) stunt to count towards the mastery of a discipline. *** Mastering Psionic Disciplines *** One of the benefits of psionic schooling is the mastery of a discipline of power. Trained psis have the ability to do this, once a) they've learned the root power in a given discipline, and b) raised at least nine powers in said discipline to Excellent (20) or better rank. This makes one a master of said discipline, which offers a psi a few handy perks (on top of, you know, having nine powers). For one thing, a +1 CS will apply to every power rank in any discipline a psi has mastered. This column shift applies immediately to powers a psi already knows in said discipline, as well as any other powers he or she picks up at a later date. This CS also applies to new powers after they are purchased, which gives one even more incentive to purchase a power at a higher than standard rank. *** Overminding in Psionic Disciplines *** A feat only a traditionally trained psi may pull off, psionic overminding is a situation that occurs sometime after a psi has learned more than half of the powers in a discipline. At a point determined by the Judge, usually between learning one half and two-thirds of a given discipline's powers, a traditional psi will begin to overmind in it. What this does is apply yet another +1 CS to all their power ranks in said discipline. Furthermore, the overlapping channels of power in his or her mind will allow them to spontaneously manifest all of the other abilities in that discipline they have not yet learned. They will only be extant at the standard beginning ranks +2 CS (one for mastery, one for overminding), but this means that the psi has learned everything he or she can in this discipline of power. The only thing that remains is to develop the powers within as he or she sees fit - or to begin work mastering another discipline! *** Omniminds *** An omnimind is a character who has unlocked every single psionic power available - their potential is completely activated! An omnimind comes into being much like an overmind, though where the number of disciplines are concerned - not individual powers. If a psi lives long enough, overminding in five different disciplines, it's possible the other four will open themselves up to them soon afterwards. If the psi who has five overminded disciplines begins to study a sixth, he or she will become an omnimind sometime during that process, usually after they've mastered their latest discipline, but sometimes as late as when they've become an overmind in it. When this happens, every single psi power remaining will open itself up to the character, and they can quite literally do just about anything. Anything at all! Though developing all those new powers will take some time, the character definitely has that time to use. Mind you, this assumes that all nine disciplines of power are available in one's game. Should the Judge bar one or more optional disciplines of power, adjust the point at which an omnimind is born appropriately. A game with only six available disciplines would see the process begin as the character masters their fourth, while one with seven or eight would see it happen in the process of mastering their fifth. * Optional Psionic Concerns * Unlike those heroes who utilize powers of a biological nature (mutants, altered humans) or others that are based upon knowledge (sorcerers, technologists), a psi-active character wields power that is derived solely from the interaction of their mind, body, and spirit. In game play, this aspect of psionics can be simulated by adopting one or more of the following notions. To wit, the rules presented here are optional. On the other hand, if a given rule is not in play in one's campaign, it can make for a great character limitation! Fatigue rules can really put a damper on a psi in a long-running battle, particularly against other super-powered foes who lack such a limitation. Initiative penalties can definitely shift the course of a battle, lending more weight to a psi's 'lesser' abilities. And so on. Distraction: psionics require intense concentration to be invoked properly - they involve nigh-absolute focus to achieve effects of the self that are typically impossible for 'normals'. This is why the number of powers a psi can maintain simultaneously depends on their Reason score - that statistic controls, among other things, the inner-looking, meditative eye that makes using psionics possible. Thus, when someone successfully distracts a psi, they just might prevent them from using some - if not all - of their psionics. If the psi is suffering extreme pain (often defined as taking more damage than their Endurance rank in one attack) or someone they care for deeply is in immediate mortal peril, he or she must make a Reason ACTION roll to determine whether or not they lose their focus. A white distraction ACTION indicates that the psi cannot use any psionics at all. A green ACTION means any attempt to use a talent or art will fail, a yellow ACTION roll allows skills or talents to be used without failure, and a red ACTION roll means the psi, despite prevailing conditions, can still utilize any of his or her psionics. A psi may attempt to use an interrupted power again on their next action. External Focus: while the whole idea of psionics is to look deep inside oneself to find the secrets that lie within, it's quite possible that a psi cannot externalize his or her powers without some sort of mental lens. This focus, an item outside of the psi themselves, allows them to wield their powers on the external world; any power that would affect anything outside of one's own body may well require a focus. This focus can be anything, really. Perhaps a trinket from one's childhood, or just some lifeless hunk of crystal. This is technically a character limitation, and the boost it provides depends on how irreplaceable the focus is. One can find crystals and gems relatively easily, even if they're somewhat expensive, but an item from one's childhood (especially when their home burned down as a child) might be very hard to replace. A somewhat common item provides a psi a +1 CS to his or her power ranks. Rare but by no means unique items should offer a +2 CS to psionics. Incredibly rare but not necessarily solitary items grant a +3 CS. A unique item that literally cannot be replaced would offer a psi a +4 CS to one's power ranks. Training oneself to use a new focus (particularly if theirs is lost) should be the subject of a special adventure for the psi. Fatigue (intensity): psionics is difficult work, and can rapidly tire psi-active characters who expends their energy too quickly. This is because psionics draw upon the whole self to function, being fueled by the character and the character alone. This can be easily represented by a fatigue intensity; normally at Shift 0 rank, this intensity is increased by invoking powers, some draining more energy than others. Skills add 1 to a character's fatigue intensity, talents add 2, and arts add 3. Fatigue intensity only comes into play as it approaches the rank of a psi's Psyche; he or she can only wield a psionic power in a given round if they can first pass a Psyche ACTION roll against this fatigue intensity. If his or her fatigue exceeds their Psyche score by more than +1 CS, they cannot activate any psi powers at all. How does one avoid this loss of power use, one asks? Quite simply, by not using psionics! A psi who refrains from wielding powers during a turn reduces their fatigue by one point. Those who do not activate additional powers, yet maintain a power previously in use (like flight or body armor) drop one point every other turn. Where fatigue is concerned, it is best to invoke powers in moderation (or to end a conflict quickly). Fatigue (exertion): alternately, Judges may adopt a form of fatigue utilizing the same basic mechanism that running characters must deal with. A character acquires 'turns' worth of exertion when wielding psionics, as is defined by the values presented above, and can keep activating them as long as they can pass the requisite Endurance ACTIONs called for when reaching the appropriate levels of exertion. A reduction in psionic exhaustion using this method of fatigue measurement works the same as the above or, if one fails the ACTION to prevent an inability to activate powers further, after resting for the requisite amount of time called for by the ACTION in question. Initiative Modifiers: there are three types of psionics, each taking differing times to actualize. A psionic skill possesses an initiative modifier of -1, while a talent has a -2 initiative modifier, and an art suffers a -3 initiative modifier. This better reflects the effort necessary to muster such effects, and can radically alter a psi's battle strategy, leading him or her to use their 'weaker' abilities more in a scrap. Of course, a psi should be allowed to reduce this modifier some as his or her prowess grows. Once they have become the master of a given discipline, a psi's initiative penalty for powers in said discipline should be reduced by one, while achieving the status of disciplinary overmind should reduce it by two - which, incidentally, will actually give him or her a net +1 modifier when using affected psionic skills. CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE DEIONOMICON 'Are you a god?' - Gozer the Gozerian, Ghostbusters What is a god? Sure, many origins of power provide the ability to achieve functional, biological immortality. Longevity, revival, regeneration, and various resistances and/or invulnerabilities can, for all intents and purposes, allow a character to persist forever. Furthermore, individuals with some (or perhaps all) of these abilities might even have additional, miraculous talents at their disposal. But are they deities? No. All deific beings, no matter how immortal they may or may not be, are what they are because of their interactions with the power of faith. A spectral energy generated by sentient entities, faith bolsters the essence of deifics, making it more potent than that possessed by mere mortals. This not only explains why they have powers, for the most part, but allows them to perform the miraculous deeds they are infamous for. With such might at their disposal, deifics may reconfigure reality as they see fit, whether on a small scale in an alien realm or in its entirety on their home plane of existence. Not all immortals know how to make use of this potent force, much less actively pursue it, but all beings possessed of a deific essence can learn how to cultivate faith... and how to put it to work for themselves. This is what makes deific beings so special - and so dangerous. Between their ability to meddle with causality, their staggering physical and/or mental prowess, and the power to guide their flock for as long as they see fit, even a single deity can wreak havoc on the balance of power whenever he or she desires. Add in multiple pantheons, and the myths and legends you read about growing up sound tame in comparison! * Core Concepts * What Is immortality? As far as the CASE is concerned, immortality is, with a few exceptions, the ability to live forever. It is the byproduct of an evolved life force, one augmented by the power of faith, whether it is actively pursued or inherited via the actions of others. For the most part, when an immortal being is killed, he or she will not die, instead recovering as they would from any other loss of Health and Endurance. Those few exceptions, however, are what should give any immortal pause. They include: * Immortal Combat: to start with, an immortal being's immunity to death can be canceled out in battle with other deific beings of equal or greater divinity. If an immortal defeats and kills a similarly immortal or less deific foe, they have the option of making that fatality temporary or permanent, as he or she sees fit. Which is one way to thin the competition for faith, should it get a bit crowded. * Home Turf Disadvantage: secondly, being slain on one's home turf will definitely bypass an immortal's immunity to death, if their opponent wishes to dispose of him or her. While a god is typically at the zenith of their power within his or her home plane, this is where they are ironically at their most vulnerable. Even mortals can vanquish a god if they can overcome him or her in this location. * Additional Weakness: finally, all immortal beings will have one additional Achilles' heel, a particular vulnerability that can obviate their persistence through the ages. This most often entails full bodily disintegration, leaving the deific life force with nothing to work with when attempting to effect a recovery. This can vary, however, either from one pantheon to another or even from deity to deity. These may sound like serious disadvantages, but compared to mere mortal beings, deities have it relatively easy. That whole 'living forever' thing is kind of nice, when you get down to it, and really lets you get a whole lot done. But thinking about probability curves, one might come to the conclusion that, over time, situations where these vulnerabilities come into play are a statistical certainty. So how does one mitigate these vulnerabilities? * Delegation: to start with, immortals have many means of avoiding direct combat with each other. Driving avatars to extend their presence, sending proxies to do their bidding, or even having their followers wage holy wars against their enemies' faithful are but a few. With proper planning and enough of a faith-based infrastructure, deities need not place themselves at direct risk save under the most dire of circumstances. * Consolidation: an immortal's home plane isn't where they were created, so much as where they have decided to invest their power. Though this is a space where their protection from death does not apply, this risk can be managed by building a sanctum to concentrate their power, joining a pantheon of like-minded gods to acquire strength in numbers, or even just filling one's corner of the multiverse with an army of defenders. * Circumvention: while it is difficult to provide specific advice on avoiding a god's additional deific weakness, considering that these can vary so much from one deity to another, in general it is advisable to procure protection against something that can bypass one's immortality - or to simply avoid situations where it will manifest. In other words, if susceptible to disintegration, don't fight anyone with a disintegrator rifle! The moral of this story is that, despite suffering from a few sparse exceptions to their invulnerability to death, gods can easily live up to their claims of immortality if they're clever enough. This even when beset on all sides by opposing forces, whether of a mortal or immortal nature. The cost in blood, treasure, and faith may be enormous, but what better to spend such resources on than the guarantee of life eternal? * Deific Deviations * 'No?' - Raymond 'Ray' Stantz, Ghostbusters A character who commands ascendant abilities derived from the power of faith is known as a deific being. Not all deifics are immortal, however. This is because faith can be used to bestow the power of the gods upon otherwise mortal entities, in addition to being a useful tool for godlike entities in the course of their daily activities. The takeaway from all this is that deifics come from a wide variety of possible paths to power. Some might be mortals wielding powers granted by some deity or another, while others may instead be otherwise mundane men and women carrying a device infused with godly might. Still more may come into their power through hard work, an accident of heritage, or even an apotheosis inflicted by other immortals. In short, a deific being can be mortal or immortal, and may or may not have control of how and why they have the power of the divine at their fingertips. Each form of deific is described herein, to help would-be players of the gods choose how they would like to express this power - for better or worse. Known types of deific beings include the following: ** Deific Device(s) ** The character who wields a deific device is not immortal, per se, but can utilize the power of the gods through some implement or another. While some deities do wield similarly empowered objects, usually to greatly expand their own influence in whatever agenda they pursue, the mortal carrying such an artifact of power relies upon it to perform all of his or her ascendant deeds. This is not to say that they are powerless without it, though this may well be the case. The wielder of a deific device is just as likely to have been empowered by the equipment he or she carries as they are to be completely neutralized if it is taken from them. This all depends on the nature of the deific device(s) they have acquired, which similarly depends on the origins of the character in question. Either way, the bearer of such potent implements can readily shake mortal society to its core if desired, or stand toe to toe with the mightiest of deities - possibly even those who made their gear! Assuming, of course, that the deific device a mortal wields isn't the product of an actual immortal being, instead being the result of some aberrant science gone wrong, devised with knowledge Man Was Not Meant To Know. Likely power and/or character limitation: Portable (weak or strong, depending). ** Empowered ** In the course of events, immortal entities often have the need to get things done that they simply lack the time, patience, or desire to handle themselves. Most often, such tasks can be handled by their loyal followers, whether they are mundane individuals of even those that have access to clerical magic thanks to their faith. But on other occasions, a deity may have need of, shall we say, a special operative. Mortal agents directly empowered by a god wield super-human powers granted through the auspices of faith, whether or not they subscribe to that deity's teachings. Thus, an empowered individual might worship their newly found patron, may be sympathetic to their history and goals, or could even be completely unaware of their existence - at least, that is, until he or she pumps them full of deific might. As surrogates of the gods, empowered mortals can be granted the ability to do just about anything. And even better, unlike the situation with their clerical counterparts, the empowered's exceptional abilities are subject to revocation at any time, with only a minor net loss of faith. Thus, an empowered mortal whose task is complete, or somehow betrays their patron, need not be feared as is the case with an apostate priest. ** Legacies ** The recipient of a legacy is not immortal whatsoever... but their powers are. Legacies are created when someone or another performs astonishing deeds, whether or not they actually have super-human abilities, and they ultimately become legendary. As tales of these deeds are told and retold, they tend to take on a life of their own, and thanks to the nature of the zeitgeist they can actually empower others! But who exactly can inherit the legacy of a previous hero or villain? That all depends on the nature of its originator, but typically the recipient of a legacy power or power set is determined based on how closely that individual matches up with the idealized embodiment it is based upon. A character who gains awesome healing prowess from the legacy of Asclepius, for instance, might be a great doctor themselves. A legacy bearer is most assuredly mortal, but thanks to the nature of their powers their work can often continue after their demise - untimely or otherwise. In fact, should a legacy character die, it's often quite easy to replace them with another of like ability. They'll have the same powers and probably a similar background, after all. Thus, a player attached to a particular character concept can make it live on many times! ** Aspirants ** Mortals who desire to slough off their mortality, imminent or otherwise, aspirants pursue godhood - or, at least, a perpetual existence. The fiction of our world is replete with examples of otherwise mortal characters who strive to ascend beyond their frail, limited existence, and according to mythology, can come from any background and/or origin of power that can be imagined. The most direct form of character that fits this bill is a deionicist, whose entire path of power involves understanding and controlling the divine - whether to become such or to combat it. But any character can strive for apotheosis, whether they are a sorcerer researching a spell of immortality, an adventurer seeking some special fruit that imparts godhood, or even a scientist attempting to nullify the process of death! Occasionally, the adventure of pursuing godhood itself is enough for such beings to ascend to the divine. Much like a demigod, the mere act of completing grand adventures and extensive trials builds up enough faith in a body to catalyze their divinity. Or, as is most often the case, this end game is simply the punchline of all their hard work, rewarding their very survival of it all with at least partial immortality. ** Quintessential Variants ** Quintessential variants are beings who persist through the ages, though not in mind or in body. No, it is the spirit of a quint that allows them to continue on even after their physical death. You see, after a being of this type dies in any fashion, they are reborn in a new body. This is a natural birth, however, meaning that the death of a quint will remove them from play for quite some time. When the essence of a quint starts life over, it sheds all memory of its past lives. However, the impetus for this seeming reincarnation, the quintessential variation power, allows a quint to communicate with any number of past incarnations. This gives them added insight into who they are and who they might ultimately become, as well as the ability to spike the timeline with small favors here and there. Whether they've always had this ability or acquired it during some lesser apotheosis, a quintessential variant is marked as being more than mortal. This alone can readily justify whatever additional powers they may possess, or their ascendant abilities might instead be unique to their current essential variation. In other words, a quint's powers can manifest in each of their lives, or may vary from one birth body to another. Bonus inherent power: Quintessential Variation. ** Reincarnators ** A character who reincarnates is reborn each time they die, no matter how grisly their demise may happen to have been. This sounds good, but when reincarnating, a character's essence must first root itself into a body about to be born. And then, once it has 'moved in', the deific must then sit back while their body matures from a newly born configuration into an adult which can manipulate the world. The advantage of this is that, unlike quintessential variants, a reincarnator is of the same mind as they were in their previous iteration. The disadvantage is that a reincarnated entity cannot communicate with previous versions of themselves since there aren't any other selves to speak of. Thus, no reaching back into time to tell your former self to buy stock in that strange new software company nobody's heard of (yet). How long reincarnation takes to replace the character's body upon their death depends on the rank of their reincarnation power. With a high enough power rank, reincarnation can get its possessor back into the swing of a campaign in relatively short order. However, those with a lower rank of such may be 'out of the game' for a time while they grow up all over again - particularly if possessed at a rank of Feeble (1)! Bonus inherent power: Reincarnation. ** Preincarnators ** A preincarnator, on the other hand, will see their essence flung back in time upon their demise, to reincarnate many years before their current end. What will happen in this case is that, while the deific will be aware of their new life, they will be unable to directly influence the outcome of their new iteration at first. This prevents them from altering the time stream while growing up once more, and thus avoids paradoxes. Upon reaching the point in time that they previously died, a preincarnator's new body should be at or near adulthood, and they may then assume control of it. Since there is already a personality resident, albeit one based upon their own, the preincarnator must either 'share' head space with it, merge with it, or attempt to bury it in their subconscious mind. Which is chosen depends on the player and the character they choose to build. Thus, a preincarnator may seem the same upon being reborn, or may suddenly become startlingly different - which can have serious ramifications on the campaign they play within. The other players in the current campaign will have to get used to working with this somewhat new persona, or in rare cases, with the Judge's approval, said persona might actually be one of their extant supporting characters! Bonus inherent power: Preincarnation. ** Demigods ** More than mortal but not quite gods themselves, demigods occupy a sort of in-between place in the grand scheme of things. Individuals of this stripe include the offspring of mortals and immortals (or perhaps their descendants), as well as those who have experienced an apotheosis thanks to either hard work, happy chance, or possibly even due to some experiment that has gone horribly, horribly right. When beginning play, a demigod has, for the lack of a better term, one additional 'life'. If their other abilities fail them somehow, and the demigod is slain, they will nonetheless return to the land of the living, hale and hearty. With this extra life expended, however, the demigod now has to contend with the grim spectre of potential mortality. Unless, of course, he or she manages to acquire more. Demigods can acquire additional 'lives' by doing great deeds, inspiring faith within others that they can use to supplement their own existence. Great deeds, those of a legendary sort, are often fraught with peril - but performing them can extend a demigod's existence if they survive the experience. And once he or she acquires thirteen such 'do-overs', a demigod will ascend to a full, immortal existence! Bonus inherent power: Apotheosis. ** Abstracts ** Abstracts embody the various notions that sentient beings cling to, empowered by the zeitgeist rather than specific veneration directed at their person. They draw energy from the general consensus individuals in their sphere of influence hold concerning the idea they represent, and while not specifically worshiped as are normal gods, abstracts share a pool of faith with other abstracts who emblematize the same concept. Though they need not work as hard to accumulate faith, an abstract is even more subject to its influence, as the perception sentients bear regarding what they embody will manipulate how they appear, how they act, and even how they think. Thus, an abstract's individuality is under constant assault by its very nature, the overwhelming will of mortals' ideas about them trying to mold them as their culture would prefer. An abstract entity can be a failed god, an ascended mortal, or potentially something even stranger, such as the spontaneous creation of higher dimensions descended into our own. Simultaneously familiar and alien, intense and aloof, methodical and confused, abstracts walk a fine line between immortality and non-existence... and will continue to do so as long as sentient beings conjecture about their base concepts. Bonus inherent power: Abstraction. ** Gods ** Fully immortal beings, gods are entities that need not fear permanent death, save for under highly specialized circumstances. Gods are not subject to the ravages of aging, and while they can be slain in the course of events, they will not die. No, for the most part, a god who is killed will eventually recover from whatever injury knocked him or her out of the game, so to speak, pretty much as good as new. Their life forces propped up by the power of faith, whether or not they actively pursue devotion of any stripe, deities are potentially possessed of great power - as well as all the time necessary to put it to use. Some have a signature ability they are best known for, while others are more general in the application of their power, able to expend accumulated faith to perform almost any feat imaginable. Either way, a deity is veritable force of nature in whatever territory they claim as their own. Their whims can shape the very nature of reality, or at least a small corner of such, and their followers will often go to great lengths to make their will manifest. And this is usually a cinch - at least, until the whims of one deity cross swords with those of another! Bonus inherent power: Immortality. * Divine Character Generation * 'Then... DIE!' - Gozer the Gozerian, Ghostbusters ** Random (Dice Roll) Method ** Deific characters of every stripe are ascendant humans by their very nature. Even those who merely wield divine artifacts gain special abilities through the possession and/or handling of their equipment, and are thus generated in the same basic fashion. When determining primary ability scores, players may use table B, D, and F to determine two ability scores each, and table H for their seventh - in any order desired. If the deific has access to hyperkinetic ability ranks, players may instead make use of tables C, E, G, and I, respectively, instead of those indicated above (disregard hyperhexhaustive results for ability scores, however). If hyperkinetic ranks are desired but were not attained through random dice rolls, they can always be adopted as a character enhancement (as they are not applied to powers; see below). Players roll on table B to determine their initial Resources rank, and begin play with a Popularity score of zero. Add up the character's Health and Karma totals per the norm, along with their Negative and Mental Health scores. Table 1: Rank Generation Table A Table B Table C Table D Table E Table F Table G Table H Table I Rank - - 01 - 01 - 01 - 01 Hyperexhaustive 01 01 02-05 - - 01 02-05 - - Feeble (2) 02-25 02-05 06-10 - - 02-05 06-10 - - Poor (4) 26-50 06-25 11-25 - - 06-10 11-15 - - Typical (6) 51-75 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 11-25 16-25 - - Good (10) 76-99 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 26-50 26-50 01 02-05 Excellent (20) 00 76-95 76-90 26-50 26-50 51-75 51-75 02-25 06-25 Remarkable (30) - 96-99 91-95 51-75 51-75 76-90 76-85 26-50 26-50 Incredible (40) - 00 96-99 76-99 76-95 91-95 86-90 51-75 51-75 Amazing (50) - - - 00 96-99 96-99 91-95 76-99 76-95 Monstrous (75) - - - - - 00 96-99 00 96-99 Unearthly (100) - - 00 - 00 - 00 - 00 Hyperkinetic Once these rolls are complete, players may gamble on any two ability scores of their choice, potentially shoring up any areas they feel need some help. The only limits in this regard are the results of the tables themselves, as well as the power rank ceiling for a campaign. If you're not already aware of this cap for heroic (or villainous) power, ask your friendly neighborhood Judge! Table 2: Rank Modifiers (Gambling) Crazy Risky Traditional Lenient Easy Column Shift 01 - - - - -4 CS 02-05 01 - - - -3 CS 06-15 02-05 - 01 - -2 CS 16-25 06-25 01-15 02-25 01 -1 CS 26-75 26-75 16-50 26-50 02-25 0 CS 76-85 76-95 51-65 51-75 26-50 +1 CS 86-95 96-99 66-85 76-99 51-75 +2 CS 96-99 00 86-95 00 76-99 +3 CS 00 - 96-00 - 00 +4 CS (Sh X max). (Un 100 max). (Mn 75 max). (Am 50 max). (In 40 max). *** Deific Character Type *** So what kind of deific being will you be playing? Will the role of a legacy hero be assumed, or will one instead attempt to assume the guise of an abstract entity? If a player isn't sure yet, or prefers to leave this determination to random chance, table 3 is available for his or her use. Note that the results of this roll are not binding; a player shouldn't be forced to play something they simply do not wish to. Table 3: Determining Deific Deviations 01-10 Deific Device(s) 11-20 Empowered 21-30 Legacies 31-40 Aspirants 41-50 Quintessential Variants 51-60 Reincarnators 61-70 Preincarnators 71-80 Demigods 81-90 Abstracts 91-00 Gods *** Number of Initial Powers *** When determining a character's starting powers, begin by figuring out exactly how many he or she will have to begin with. Roll randomly on table 4 to do this, which gives a character anywhere between two and seven ascendant powers which which to fight (or commit) crime. These on top of any deific power the character will have by dint of their specific origin (abstraction for abstract entities, and so on), naturally. Table 4: Initial Inherent Powers 01-17 Two Powers 18-33 Three Powers 34-50 Four Powers 51-67 Five Powers 68-83 Six Powers 84-00 Seven Powers *** Determining Character Powers *** After determining how many ascendant abilities a deific begins play with, potential bonus powers notwithstanding, it's time to actually figure out which powers they'll wield. This process begins by rolling on table 5 to determine the category a character's first power will fall within. Once table 5 determines a power category, roll on the subsequent power category table (tables 6 through 20) for an individual power. With this first, randomly determined power decided, read its description. This is because, at the beginning of almost every power description in the below tables, there is a group of related powers, abilities that dovetail with the indicated ascendant talent. A player may opt to either choose one of these related powers for his or her next power selection(s), or may instead roll again randomly. And so on, and so forth, until the player's power selections have all been determined. What this does is allow a player to build a character with godlike abilities that are closely related to one another, if so desired. This is often recommended when building a deific character, since it assists the player in building a metaphysical profile their creation will be pursuing through the ages. Note that some powers are vastly more potent than others. These particularly versatile abilities will occupy more than one power 'slot' on a character, whether chosen or rolled up randomly. These powers will have a number in parenthesis after their name (such as a (2), for instance). This will determine how many power 'slots' they use up when added to one's character. Table 5: Power Categories 01-07 Biological Control 08-13 Combination 14-20 Energy Control 21-27 Energy Generation 28-33 Faith 34-40 Matter Control 41-47 Mental Control 48-53 Mental Enhancement 54-60 Movement 61-67 Physical Control 68-73 Physical Enhancement 74-80 Physical Weaponry 81-87 Power Control 88-93 Reality Control 94-00 Sensory Table 6: Biological Control Powers 01-02 Aciurgy 03-05 Age Control / Others 06-07 Animal Control 08-10 Animal Hybridization / Others 11-12 Animal Sympathy 13-15 Biological Vampirism (2) 16-17 Body Control 18-20 Cure Disease 21-22 Death Ray 23-25 Decontamination 26-27 Degeneration 28-30 Detoxification 31-32 Disease 33-35 Emotion Control 36-37 Empathic Hammer 38-40 Empathy 41-42 Gestalting (2) 43-45 Harm 46-47 Healing / Others 48-50 Integral Control 51-52 Mood Swings 53-55 Organism Generation (3) 56-57 Pain 58-60 Pheromones 61-62 Plant Hybridization / Others 63-65 Plant Control 66-67 Plant Sympathy 68-70 Poison 71-72 Reanimation (2) 73-75 Recovery 76-77 Regeneration / Others 78-80 Resurrection (2) 81-82 Resuscitation 83-85 Rotting 86-87 Sensory Attenuation 88-90 Sensory Distortion 91-92 Sleep 93-95 Summoning (2) 96-97 Transformation / Others (2) 98-00 Vampirism (2) Table 7: Combination Powers 01-07 Berserker (2) 08-13 Dyad (2) 14-20 Environmental Pocket (2) 21-27 Environmental Sense (2) 28-33 Evolution Control (2) 34-40 Hostility Screen (2) 41-47 Ice Generation (2) 48-53 Jeopardy (2) 54-60 Missile Generation 61-67 Nanotechnology Generation (3) 68-73 Organic Circuitry (3) 74-80 Plasma Generation (2) 81-87 Regenerative Armor (3) 88-93 Teleformation (3) 94-00 Weather Control (2) Table 8: Energy Control Powers 01-03 Celestial Light Control 04-07 Darkness Control 08-10 Electricity Control 11-13 Energy Absorption (2) 14-17 Energy Cohesion 18-20 Energy Projection 21-23 Energy Vampirism (2) 24-27 Fire Control 28-30 Force Field 31-33 Hellfire Control 34-37 Image Projection (2) 38-40 Imaginary Doubles (2) 41-43 Kinetic Absorption (2) 44-47 Kinetic Energy Control 48-50 Light Control 51-53 Magnetism Control 54-57 Object Charge 58-60 Psionic Absorption (2) 61-63 Psychokinesis 64-67 Radiation Control 68-70 Radio Wave Control 71-73 Sound Control 74-77 Spectral Flame Control 78-80 Temperature Control 81-83 Temporal Static 84-87 Thaumaturgical Absorption (2) 88-90 Theonic Absorption (2) 91-93 Transception 94-97 Transduction (2) 98-00 Vibration Control Table 9: Energy Generation Powers 01-07 Celestial Light Generation 08-13 Cold Generation 14-20 Darkness Generation 21-27 Electricity Generation 28-33 Fire Generation 34-40 Force Blast 41-47 Heat Generation 48-53 Hellfire Generation 54-60 Light Generation 61-67 Magnetism Generation 68-73 Radiation Generation 74-80 Radio Wave Generation 81-87 Sound Generation 88-93 Spectral Flame Generation 94-00 Vibration Generation Table 10: Faith Powers 01-06 Avatar (2) 07-11 Awe 12-17 Commandment 18-22 Deionic Attack 23-28 Disengagement 29-33 Exaltation 34-39 Faith (5) 40-44 Genesis 45-50 Inculcation 50-56 Mortal Guise 57-61 Nature Resistance 62-67 Omnipotence 68-72 Omnipresence 73-78 Omniscience 79-83 Plenipotentiary 84-89 Regenesis 90-94 Sanctuary 95-00 Signature Power (*) Table 11: Matter Control Powers 01-03 Adhesion 04-06 Aggregation 07-09 Antimatter (3) 10-12 Assimilation 13-15 Catalysis 16-18 Clone Projection 19-21 Color Control 22-24 Corrosion 25-27 Cyclone 28-30 Density Control / Others 31-33 Device Generation (2) 34-36 Device Sympathy 37-39 Disintegration (2) 40-42 Energy Doubles (2) 43-45 Flaying 46-48 Fluid Animation 49-50 Friction Control 51-53 Growth / Others 54-56 Invisibility / Others 57-59 Matter Absorption 60-62 Matter Duplication (2) 63-65 Matter Generation (3) 66-68 Object Animation 69-71 Object Hardening 72-74 Object Sympathy 75-77 Object Weakening 78-80 Quarantine 81-83 Shrinking / Others 84-86 Solid Animation 87-89 Technical Intuition 90-92 Topological Control (3) 93-95 Transmutation (3) 96-98 Vapor Animation 99-00 Vivification (3) Table 12: Mental Powers 01-02 Astral Projection 03-04 Auscultation 05-06 Clairalience 07-08 Clairaudience 09-10 Clairgustance 11-12 Clairtouchence 13-14 Clairvoyance 15-16 Clarity 17-18 Computer Link 19-20 Crowd Control (2) 21-22 Dream Projection 23-24 Finding 25-26 Forgetfulness 27-28 Fugue 29-30 Illusion Projection (2) 31-32 Image Animation 33-34 Jumbling 35-36 Knowledge 37-38 Lie Detection 39-40 Mental Doubles (2) 41-42 Mental Repair 43-44 Mesmerism 45-46 Mind Control 47-48 Mind Duplication 49-50 Mind Link 51-52 Mind Lock 53-54 Mind Transfer (2) 55-56 Mind Wipe (2) 57-58 Object Projection 59-60 Possession (2) 61-62 Postcognition 63-64 Precognition (3) 65-66 Psi Bolt 67-68 Psi Web 69-70 Psionic Vampirism (2) 71-72 Psychic Invisibility 73-74 Psychic Probe 75-76 Psychometry 77-78 Psychoplasm Animation (2) 79-80 Sending 81-82 Sensory Link 83-84 Sensory Projection 85-86 Sensory Reception 87-88 Soul Control 89-90 Spectral Vampirism (2) 91-92 Static Field 93-94 Telekinesis 95-96 Telepathy 97-98 Thought Projection 99-00 Translation Table 13: Mental Enhancement Powers 01-07 Danger Sense (2) 08-14 Eidetic Memory (*) 15-21 Fortuity 22-28 Jury Rigging 29-35 Kit-bashing 36-42 Linguistics 43-50 Mental Invisibility (2) 51-57 Self Control 58-64 Spectral Freedom (*) 65-71 Super Invention (*) 72-78 Transfixture 79-85 Ultimate Talent (*) 86-92 Unyielding Will 93-00 Xenoglossy Table 14: Movement Powers 01-04 Anchor 05-08 Between (2) 09-12 Bilocation 13-16 Carrier Wave 17-20 Chaos Shift (*) 21-25 Dimensional Interface (2) 26-29 Dimensional Transit 30-33 Flight 34-37 Gliding 38-41 Jelling 42-45 Levitation 46-50 Mind Walk 51-54 Platforming 55-58 Portal (2+) 59-62 Propulsion 63-66 Super Climbing 67-70 Super Digging 71-75 Super Flight 76-79 Super Jumping (*) 80-83 Super Running 84-87 Super Swimming 88-91 Teleportation 92-95 Teleportation / Others 96-00 Time Travel (2) Table 15: Physical Control Powers 01-03 Age Control / Self 04-07 Animal Hybridization / Self 08-10 Aura (2) 11-13 Blending 14-17 Body Doubles (4) 18-20 Density Control / Self 21-23 Detachable Parts 24-27 Dimensional Displacement 28-30 Disguise 31-33 Elongation 34-37 Environmental Adaptation (2) 38-40 Growth / Self 41-43 Gyration 44-47 Healing / Self 48-50 Imaginary Mass 51-53 Inaudibility 54-57 Inodoriferous 58-60 Intangibility 61-63 Internal Universe 64-67 Invisibility / Self 68-70 Kinetic Focus 71-73 Metabolic Focus 74-77 Plant Hybridization / Self 78-80 Redolence 81-83 Shape Change 84-87 Shrinking / Self 88-90 Situational Adaptation 91-93 Super Synesthesia (*) 94-97 Transformation / Self (2) 98-00 Vocal Control Table 16: Physical Enhancement Powers 01-04 Additional Organs (*) 05-08 Body Armor 09-12 Clinging (*) 13-16 Damage Reduction (*) 17-20 Deflection (*) 21-24 Dual Respiration (*) 25-28 Environmental Indep. (*) 29-32 Flake Armor 33-36 Greater Invulnerability (*) 37-40 Greater Resistance (*) 41-44 Invulnerability (*) 45-48 Longevity (*) 49-52 Plasticity 53-56 Reformation (2) 57-60 Regeneration (2) 61-64 Resistance (*) 65-68 Revival 69-72 Screened Senses 73-76 Stasis (*) 77-80 Super Breath 81-84 Super Speed (3) 85-88 Turnabout 89-92 Universal Digestion (*) 93-96 Universal Respiration (*) 97-00 Zest Table 17: Physical Weaponry Powers 01-06 Additional Limbs (*) 07-12 Barbs (*) 13-18 Battle Tail (*) 19-25 Claws (*) 26-31 Edges (*) 32-37 Fangs (*) 38-43 Hard Points (*) 44-50 Horns (*) 51-56 Pouches (*) 57-62 Prehensile Hair 63-68 Prehensile Skin 69-75 Prehensile Tail (*) 76-81 Quills (*) 82-87 Razor Skin (*) 88-93 Tentacles (*) 94-00 Wings (*) Table 18: Power Control Powers 01-03 Amplification 04-06 Attenuation 07-09 Boon 10-12 Corporeal Gestalt (2) 13-15 Deionic Control (2) 16-18 Empowerment (2) 19-21 Investment (3) 22-24 Link (2) 25-27 Opposition (3) 28-30 Power Absorption (4) 31-33 Power Amplification 34-36 Power Attenuation 37-39 Power Block (2) 40-42 Power Control (2) 43-45 Power Duplication (4) 46-48 Power Transfer (2) 49-51 Psionic Amplification 52-54 Psionic Attenuation 55-57 Psionic Control (2) 58-60 Sorcerous Amplification 61-63 Sorcerous Attenuation 64-66 Spectral Gestalt (2) 67-69 Spell Control (2) 70-72 Super Vampirism (2) 73-75 Theonic Amplification 76-78 Theonic Attenuation 79-81 Trace Duplication (4) 82-84 Variable Cybernetics 85-87 Variable Power 88-90 Variable Psionics 91-93 Variable Sorcery 94-96 Variable Talent (*) 97-00 Weakness Generation (2) Table 19: Reality Control Powers 01-04 Ability Boost 05-08 Antigravity 09-12 Buttress (2) 13-16 Causality Control (4) 17-20 Combining Powers (*) 21-24 Future Control (2) 25-28 Grace 29-32 Gravity Control 33-36 History Control (3) 37-40 Initiative Control (2) 41-44 Karma Control (2) 45-48 Keeper 49-52 Learned Invulnerability (4) 53-56 Lethality (2) 57-60 Logos 61-64 Luck (3) 65-68 Nimiety (2) 69-72 Override (3) 73-76 Planar Control (3) 77-80 Power Boost 81-84 Roulette (2) 85-88 Reassignment (3) 89-92 Space Control 93-96 Thaumaturgical Vampirism (2) 97-00 Time Control (3) Table 20: Sensory Powers 01-04 Atomic Sense 05-08 Biological Sense 09-12 Circular Vision (*) 13-16 Energy Sense 17-20 Flaw Sense 21-23 Infravision 24-27 Locational Sense 28-31 Macro Sense (2) 32-35 Magic Sense 36-39 Microscopic Vision 40-43 Nativity Sense 44-46 Nonapparent Vision 47-50 Origin Sense 51-54 Psi Sense 55-58 Radar Sense 59-62 Radivision 63-66 Sonar Sense 67-69 Spectral Sense 70-73 Super Senses (2) 74-77 Super Tracking 78-81 Technological Sense 82-85 Telescopic Vision 86-89 Theonic Sense 90-92 Transparent Vision 93-96 Ultravision 97-00 Unusual Sensitivity (*) *** Determining Power Ranks *** Once a player has determined his or her deific being's ascendant abilities, their power levels should be set. Alternate between tables B, D, F, and H to do this, though in campaigns with access to hyperexhaustive and hyperkinetic ranks, roll on tables C, E, G, and I, instead. With this done, the player may gamble on the ranks so indicated if he or she chooses. They may do this once if their character has three or less ascendant skills, twice if he or she has from four to six super-powers, or thrice if the character has seven or more divine abilities. *** Limitations *** Players are often unhappy with the ranks they've rolled up for their character. Even after adjusting power ranks with gambling attempts, they're just not satisfied with what they've come up with. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as sometimes one has a specific vision in mind for their character; this is where limitations come in. A player may subject their character to limitations to make them more powerful. Limitations come in two distinct flavors: power limitations and character limitations. A power limitation is just that, an altering of how said power works to the detriment of the player, as compared to others who can use this ability. A power so limited may not affect certain objects or beings, can only be used during certain specific time periods, or may otherwise function in a manner others may find unusual or restrictive. Character limitations, however, change the nature of every power a person uses, not just one. A character limitation can simply be a power limitation that 'works' on every single power, may instead be some other alteration to the basic working of powers in general, or even some other constraint that seriously hampers how a character operates (such as an inability to move without the aid of powers). At any rate, the severity of the limitation determines just how much of a power boost the character may receive. Limitations come in four flavors: weak, strong, very strong, and extreme. A weak limitation is just that, a minor crimp in an ability's effectiveness, and only offers a +1 CS. Each successive limitation offers another +1 CS to the power rank, but as their names imply, they become increasingly constraining. Alternately, a character can take a limitation on a power to replace one already built in to it; some powers, like those involving time, have several such constraints already worked into them. With the permission of the Judge, players may swap out one limitation for another, as long as the new limitation would be equally as inconvenient (this allows a player to better craft the character they imagine in their heads). *** Enhancements *** Similarly, a player might have more than enough power (or might think such, at any rate), or simply wants more 'bang for their buck' out of their existing power roster. If this is the case, they may decide to empower their abilities with enhancements. Like limitations, enhancements have four levels of power, including weak, strong, very strong, and extreme, each of which adds a subsequent -1 CS modifier to one's power ranks. In exchange for suffering from the effects of this modifier, the character's ability will benefit from an improvement of some sort. Moving a power up one speed or range category is considered a strong enhancement, while two is an extreme enhancement. At the same time, a power can be given a hyperkinetic rank if not already rolled randomly, serving as an extreme enhancement to the specific power it applies to. Like limitations, enhancements are difficult to apply across an entire character, though this isn't impossible. While speeds and ranges vary from power to power, things such as initiative bonuses can apply to all a character's actions and powers. Alternately, one might opt to gain a hyperkinetic ability score, which is considered a weak character enhancement (thus applying a -1 CS to all of one's powers). Usually, the reduction in rank an enhancement inflicts is enough to make up the difference. This can make purchasing new powers more difficult down the line, though, particularly if a character enhancement is in effect. A new power to be affected by an enhancement must be bought at a rank high enough that, upon applying the negative CS, it will at least work at the normal starting value. *** Quirks *** Slightly more palatable than limitations or enhancements, quirks are minor changes to a character that either saddle him or her with some disadvantage or other, or enhance some trait of theirs. They can also be used to raise the rank one or more of a character's powers work at if so desired, within the confines of that system. The quirks rules have more on this, but the quirk tables are presented here, for convenience. Normally, quirks are a voluntary affair - players may use quirks or not, as they see fit. They are presented below in the format of random rolling tables for two reasons, however. The first is for the Judge's use, to quickly generate random characters when time is of the essence. Alternately, a player may roll randomly if they want or need a quirk and don't know what to pick. Not that he or she is bound by such a roll, of course. Quirks are divided up into the beneficial and deleterious quirks of a physical, mental, and role-play nature. Those quirks which cost (or grant) two quirk points are noted with a two in parenthesis (2), while those that can be taken at multiple levels are noted with an asterisk in parenthesis (*). Table 21: Quirks Categories 01-17 Physical (beneficial) 18-33 Physical (deleterious) 34-50 Mental (beneficial) 51-67 Mental (deleterious) 68-83 Role-Play (beneficial) 84-00 Role-Play (deleterious) Table 22: Physical Quirks (beneficial) 01-06 Acceleration Tolerance 07-12 Adrenal Surge 13-18 Ambidexterity 19-25 Fast Healing 26-31 Fighting Logistics 32-37 Gravity Tolerance (*) 38-43 Hardiness (2) 44-50 Heightened Sense 51-56 High Pain Threshold 57-62 Hypermobility 63-68 Learned Resistance (*) 69-75 Omnidexterity (2) 76-81 Rank Boost (2) 82-87 Strong Bones (*) 88-93 Sturdiness 94-00 Tetrachromacy Table 23: Physical Quirks (deleterious) 01-05 Abnormal Attribute 06-11 Acceleration Intolerance 12-16 Addiction (*) 17-21 Albinism 22-27 Allergy (*) 28-32 Color Blind 33-37 Dulled Sense (*) 38-42 Dwarfism 43-47 Epilepsy 48-52 Feebleness 53-58 Gigantism 59-63 Gravity Intolerance (*) 64-68 Lameness 69-74 Low Pain Threshold 75-79 Missing Parts (2) 80-84 Rank Loss (2) 85-89 Slow Healing 90-94 Weak Bones (2) 95-00 Weakness (2) Table 24: Mental Quirks (beneficial) 01-08 3-D Sense 09-15 Alertness 16-23 Cybernetic Aptitude 24-31 Fortitude 32-38 High Stress Threshold 39-46 Karmic Shell (2) 47-54 Magical Aptitude 55-61 Natural Talent 62-69 Psionic Aptitude 70-77 Quick Learning 78-84 Sanity 85-92 Static 93-00 Technological Aptitude Table 25: Mental Quirks (deleterious) 01-03 Action Addict 04-06 Attitude (*) 07-08 Bluntness (*) 09-11 Bully (*) 12-14 Combat Paralysis (*) 15-17 Compulsiveness (*) 18-19 Cowardice (*) 20-22 Cyber-neurosis 23-25 Delusions (*) 26-28 Fanaticism (*) 29-31 Frenzied 32-33 Greed (*) 34-36 Gullibility (*) 37-39 Honesty (*) 41-42 Impulsiveness (*) 43-44 Inept (*) 45-47 Insanity (2) 48-50 Insomnia 51-53 Jealousy (*) 54-56 Karmic Dearth (2) 57-58 Laziness (*) 59-61 Learning Disorder 62-64 Low Stress Thresh. (*) 65-67 Mania (*) 68-69 Multiple Personality (*) 70-72 Pacifism (*) 73-75 Paranoia (*) 76-78 Personal Code (*) 79-81 Phobia (*) 82-83 Pushover 84-86 Rudeness (*) 87-89 Short Attention Span 90-92 Shyness (*) 93-94 Stubborn (*) 95-97 Temper (*) 98-00 Vow (*) Table 26: Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) 01-09 Ally 10-18 Assistant 19-27 Attractive (*) 38-36 Benefactor (*) 37-45 Cash Flow 46-54 Charmed 55-63 Fame (*) 64-72 Fan Club 73-81 Good Reputation 82-90 Likability (2) 91-00 Lucky (2) Table 27: Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) 01-06 Alien Culture (*) 07-11 Bad Reputation 12-17 Bigotry (*) 18-22 Dependent 23-28 Detractors 29-33 Enemy (*) 34-39 Illiteracy 40-44 Jinxed 45-50 Loner (*) 50-56 Nerd 57-61 Poverty 62-67 Repugnant Personality (*) 68-72 Snob 73-78 Social Dependent (*) 79-83 Unattractive (*) 84-89 Unlucky (2) 90-94 Unpleasant Habits (*) 95-00 Weirdness Magnet *** Talents *** The talents your freshly built godhead begins play with are determined as you would with any other character, beginning by rolling up their number of initial talents on table 28. Then, roll for the category each talent will belong to on table 29. To finish up, roll for individual talents using tables 30 through 37, one table for each applicable category of talents. However, the actual talents a character has really should be determined by his or her origin. Keeping this in mind, the Judge may well opt to let a player choose some (or all of) the talents their divine being possesses, allowing him or her a lot more creative control over their character. Another thing to consider is that a talent can function at a higher 'level' than normal. There are three 'tiers' of talents, each providing an increasing bonus to the applicable ACTIONs involved with said talent. When generating these heightened skills, though, keep in mind that they cost more; a level 2 talent counts as two talents, while a level 3 talent counts as four. This can get expensive fast, but is a great way to showcase what your character is really good at. Also, some talents cost more than others (before levels of such are considered). A talent that has a number in parenthesis counts as that many talents during character generation; these are mostly background talents but some others cost more. Similarly, the Student talent costs all of one's initial talent slots, for it by definition implies that a body does not have any other talents. Table 28: Number of Talents 01-17 Two talents 18-33 Three talents 34-50 Four talents 51-67 Five talents 68-83 Six talents 84-00 Seven talents Table 29: Talent Categories 01-12 Background 13-25 Behavioral 26-37 Environmental 38-50 Fighting 51-62 Miscellaneous 63-75 Professional 76-87 Scientific 88-00 Weapon Table 30: Background Talents 01-25 Heir to Fortune (3) 26-50 Law Enforcement (2) 51-75 Military (2) 76-00 Student * Table 31: Behavioral Talents 01-12 Animal Handling 13-25 Hypnosis 26-37 Leadership 38-50 Manipulation 51-62 Performer 63-75 Service 76-87 Sleight of Hand 88-00 Tactics Table 32: Environmental Talents 01-09 Astronaut 10-18 Boating 19-27 Climbing 38-36 Driving 37-45 Piloting 46-54 Planargation 55-63 Riding 64-72 Stealth 73-81 Survival 82-90 Teamster 91-00 Tracking Table 33: Fighting Talents 01-06 Acrobatics 07-12 Aerial Combat 13-18 Astral Combat 19-25 Martial Arts type A 26-31 Martial Arts type B 32-37 Martial Arts type C 38-43 Martial Arts type D 44-50 Martial Arts type E 51-56 Mounted Combat 57-62 Multiple Attacks 63-68 Spatial Combat 69-75 Targeting 76-81 Tumbling 82-87 Underwater Combat 88-93 Vehicular Combat 94-00 Wrestling Table 34: Miscellaneous Talents 01-12 Escape Artist 13-25 First Aid 26-37 Gastronomy 38-50 Power Skill 51-62 Repair / Tinkering 63-75 Resist Domination 76-87 Trance 88-00 Trivia Table 35: Professional Talents 01-06 Agriculture 07-12 Artist 13-18 Business / Finance 19-24 Crime 25-29 Demolitions 30-35 Detective / Espionage 36-41 Education 42-47 Engineering 48-53 Journalism 54-59 Law 60-65 Leathercraft 66-71 Metalcraft 72-77 Politics 78-82 Salesmanship 83-88 Sports 89-94 Stonecraft 95-00 Woodcraft Table 36: Scientific Talents 01-07 Archaeology 08-13 Biology 14-20 Chemistry 21-27 Computers 28-33 Criminology 34-40 Electronics 41-47 Genetics 48-53 Geology 54-60 Linguistics 61-67 Lore 68-73 Mathematics 74-80 Medicine 81-87 Physics 88-93 Psychology 94-00 Theology Table 37: Weapon Talents 01-04 Advanced Guns 05-09 Blunt Weapons 10-14 Bows 15-19 Concussion Weapons 21-24 Energy Weapons 25-28 Entangling Weapons 29-33 Guns 34-38 Marksman 39-43 Martial Arts Weapons 44-48 Natural Weapons 49-52 Pole Weapons 53-57 Quick Draw 58-62 Sharp Weapons 63-67 Shields 68-72 Spontaneous Weapons 73-76 Thrown Objects 77-81 Thrown Weapons 82-86 Two Weapons 87-91 Weapon Skill 92-96 Weapon Specialist 97-00 Weapons Master (2) *** Contacts *** Also presented for your convenience is the table used to detail the initial number of contacts a new character will have; it is available as table 38 in the Deionomicon. Table 39, then, lists the types of contacts a deific character may have upon the start their career, if the player needs any ideas; one does not need to roll up contact types randomly if he or she doesn't want to. Like quirks or talents, contacts can be taken at one of three levels of importance; for example, a police contact might be a beat cop (level 1), an FBI operative (level 2), or even an Interpol agent (level 3). Similarly, contacts have an increase of cost in 'contact slots' depending on their level - a level 2 contact counts as two contacts, while a level 3 contact costs four contact 'slots'. Table 38: Number of Starting Contacts 01-17 Two contacts 18-33 Three contacts 34-50 Four contacts 51-67 Five contacts 68-83 Six contacts 84-00 Seven contacts Table 39: Contact Types 01-06 Aide 07-11 Artist / Performer 12-17 Business 18-22 Criminal 23-28 Doctor 29-33 Expert 34-39 Foreign Power 40-44 Government 45-50 Hero / Villain 50-56 Informant 57-61 Journalist 62-67 Lawyer 68-72 Mentor 73-78 Military 79-83 Organization 84-89 Police 90-94 Scientist 95-00 Trivia *** Equipment *** On top of all of their staggeing, larger than life capabilities, deific beings also have their pick of conventional, mundane equipment. These devices won't be the kind that make or break a body in combat for the most part, but they often fill in holes on a divine character's roster when needed - or, at the very least, add a bit of style to their life. Common equipment a character can possess depends on their Resources. One may automatically have any gear with a price equal to his or her Resources rank or less, and may start out with materials of up to their Resources rank +2 CS with but a small explanation (the character has a yacht that she paid off previously). Anything more exorbitant must be approved by the Judge, but isn't necessarily out of the question. It's mostly just a matter of feasibility and availability at that point. ** Systematic (Point Based) Method ** Players begin with fifty (50) points with which to build their deific character. They may spend these points as they wish, only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling. For example, a dimension-hopping, multiverse-shaking campaign may limit characters to Shift X (150) or less on most ranks. Ask your Judge about his or her campaign limits - if only to be sure before pulling out all the stops! To begin with, determine how far above (or below) the norm the character will be in each ability score; for our purposes, the 'norm' will be Typical (6) rank. For every +1 CS a player applies to each spend one point, and for each -1 CS applied to these values, add one point. A deific character need not hold any ability scores back, as they are not curtailed by any preconceived notions regarding 'human ability'. A starting character is assumed to have Typical (6) Resources and a Popularity score of zero (0). One may alter these ability scores as they can any other, though at double the cost for each CS (Incredible (40) ranked Resources would cost eight points, for example). If one intends to purchase the Heir to Fortune background talent, they shouldn't alter this 'base' Resources score any. Health and Karma are determined normally. An opposed Popularity score (negative for heroes, positive for villains) is worth two points, no matter how great it is. Before purchasing his or her powers, one should determine their deific origin (if this has not already been decided), for this may provide a bonus power or character limitation down the line. When buying powers, each rank in each power costs one point, starting at Feeble (2) rank. The upper rank of each ascendant ability is only limited by the campaign's power level ceiling (again, ask your Judge about this if necessary). Note that a character's bonus inherent power, as listed above in the Deific Deviations section, need not be purchased via the point-based system. The player building a character with this kind of ability may roll randomly for a power rank, if their bonus inherent has one, and then spend points to increase its rank further if desired. But points need not be spent on this power during character generation. Costs can be controlled by adding limitations, which can apply to either one or all of a character's powers. Whether applied to one power or globally to the character as a whole, weak limitations reduce the cost of an ability by one point, strong limitations by two points, very strong limitations by three points, and extreme limitations by four points. Consider the effect of such limitations before counting your point savings! Remember that all powers have a minimum cost of one (1) point, no matter how limited they may be. At this point, a player building a character who wields a divine device must decide which of their powers are entirely reliant upon possession of their deific artifact. This is because such powers are considered strongly limited, and will provide the player a considerable discount for them. If they'd like to squeeze more power out of their character, a player can add most, if not all, of their powers to this device. Moving the other direction, a player may enhance one or more powers. A weak enhancement increases the cost by one point, strong enhancements add two points, very strong enhancements raise the cost by three points, and extreme enhancements add four points to a power's final cost. Such enhancements include improving a power's range or speed categories, as well as other augmentations to its functionality. Remember that many powers cost more than the base value; faith, for example, costs five points per rank. Powers with a heightened cost are so noted in the character generation tables listed above (those with numbers in parenthesis after the name). Limitations and enhancements are multiplied in value by this cost; for instance, a strong limitation on faith would reap a ten point discount. If your Judge allows their use in his or her campaign, one thing to consider is the use of Hyperkinetic and Hyperexhaustive rank qualifiers. These can each be purchased in the point system if allowed, being treated as either an extreme enhancement (in the form of a Hyperkinetic power) or an extreme limitation (in the form of a Hyperexhaustive power). Creating a hyperkinetic ability score is a weak character enhancement. Both can be very unbalancing in their own way, however, so check to make sure their use is okay. Once a character's powers are determined, he or she may purchase talents and contacts as they see fit, each costing one point. If one would like heightened talents or contacts (both come in three tiers), they must pay two points for a level two talent or contact, or four points for a level three talent or contact. The Student background talent costs five points, but cannot be purchased with any other talent (save for Heir to Fortune). A player may use remaining points to purchase beneficial quirks - or add a few points to pad weak areas with deleterious quirks. Most quirks give (or take) one point, but if purchased at a higher level, they function in much the same way as talents or contacts in this regard (two points for a level two quirk, four points for a level three quirk). Also, quirks without level but that count double cost (or give) two points. Next, determine the normal gear the character possesses. As is the case with randomly generated characters, deific beings built with the point based system may choose any standard gear that is readily available in the campaign, as long as it falls within a few CS of their Resources rank. If they want something more expensive, the player must give a good reason for such, though the Judge has veto power over improbable items. Once the player is out of points, it's up to the Judge to look over what the player has wrought. Does the character's math add up? Does it fall within predetermined campaign limitations for power level? If nothing appears to be wrong, and the Judge likes what he or she sees, they should approve what a player has created, and then allow him or her to complete the last portion of their character's creation. Though they probably should have started with such. ** Filling In The Blanks ** Once all the basic details concerning your godhead have been ascertained, it's time to 'fill in the blanks', or to detail all of their personal and background information, the stuff you can't quantify with dice rolls or points. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they from? How well do they play with others? How have they managed to become more than mortal? And did they make any enemies in the process? With the sole exception of any related deities present in one's background (who the Judge must generate, save for perhaps his, her, its, or their names), all other character information must be determined by the player to truly make it their creation, and to really 'flesh it out'. This is often the most difficult portion of the character generation process, the part where many tend to fail. However, with a little effort and some serious consideration, the answers to these questions can make that sheet of paper with all the funny words on it really come alive! * Transcendent Roleplay * "Ray! If someone asks you if you are a god... you say YES!!" - Winston Zeddemore, Ghostbusters Deific entities are much like other ascendant beings, in that they have access to a wide array of super-human abilities, whether of an inherent or trained nature - or perhaps some mixture of both. They differ, however, in that those touched by the divine largely concern themselves with the long game, being less focused on immediate issues. Eternity tends to be their plaything, after all. While this sounds most obvious with gods and demigods, or even those that experience multiple incarnations across infinity, the truth is that all deific beings operate in the same basic fashion. Even if the host of a legacy or the bearer of a divine artifact meet their fate, whether or not such an end is premature as far as they are concerned, their powers will at least move on to a new wielder. This is the simple thread that binds all deifics together. One way or another, their agendas can continue over vast tracts of time, whether or not the specific mind, body, or soul that they started out with persists alongside them. The primary difference between one deific and another, aside from the basic mechanics which determine how such persistence expresses itself, then, is how they go about furthering their goals. Some deities are perfectly happy as they are, for instance, feeling no need to accumulate power. Others, meanwhile, wish to amass vast sums of energy generated by the veneration of their person. And still more do not actively encourage others to worship them, though congregations of those faithful to whatever metaphysical profile they've chosen to represent, if any, nonetheless crop up here and there. Similarly, deifics are often defined by how they relate to their peers. Some gods go out of their way to avoid the notice of their fellow deities, to better reduce the likelihood of their vulnerabilities being exploited. Still others confront their divine rivals to co-opt their efforts, or to give their endless existence more (to them) meaning through challenge. And again, still more fall in the middle of these extremes. Furthermore, immortals' origins act to shape how they go about their business, though how mortals perceive them does so, as well. While the energy generated by worship empowers deities, faith can work to their detriment if their stable of worshipers begin to regard them... differently. This is one reason older gods eventually abandon faith generating exercises - they don't wish to lose control of what they are. And that is the flip side of the tremendous might that mortal followers can deliver to their patron deities. Faith is a powerful force, and can act on a deity even as he or she wields it to further their own ends. It is the desires of sentient beings made manifest, after all, and it can be very difficult for a deity to exhibit one nature when the fervent adulation of their faithful paints them in a different light, indeed. In short, the existence of deifics transcends that of mere mortals, but is simultaneously beholden to it. They can shape the nature of existence itself through the power of faith, which their very life forces are responsive to, but can in turn be shaped by this power if they're not careful. And how they walk this fine line delineates the difference between obscure gods and deities of renown! ** Faith ** While their intimidating ability scores and impressive ascendant powers go a long way towards describing what deific beings are capable of, these quantities fall short of the bar in one vital area: they fail to explain just how gods manage to perform the feats of legend they're so infamous for. You know, building worlds using the hearts of dead monsters, for example, or perhaps causing a rain of blood. This is where the power of faith comes in. When they genuinely worship something, either actively or passively, mortals generate a spectral energy that coalesces around the subject of their veneration. While just about anything can be the focus of faith, it usually requires a deific being to perceive this energy and exploit it to their own ends - though there are exceptions to this general rule. Either way, those who can collect this accumulated spectral power, the product of the focused desires of mere mortals, can then use it to perform what might be called miracles. Whether these astounding feats are performed with the best interests of their worshipers in mind, or instead for more selfish purposes, deifics can wield faith in almost any fashion they can imagine! *** Faith Versus Belief *** Before going any further, it's a good idea to delineate the differences between faith and belief. When you get down to it, the two different phenomenon are similar, after all. Both involve what's going on within the head of a sentient being acting to alter reality to some extent. Where the two differ, though, is in where the power to change the very nature of existence has been focused. Belief is an impetus for change in the flow of causality that is caused by a sentient being's overwhelming adherence to some philosophy or another, no matter how sensible. This change causes reality to function differently for the believer, which often results in the manifestation of ascendant abilities that reflect the belief's nature, and anyone who possesses similar beliefs can conceivably acquire the same powers. Faith, on the other hand, is a spectral power generated by a sentient's veneration of something or other. This energy does not reside within the faithful, instead being accumulated upon whatever it is they have decided to worship. Thus, the faithful cannot directly utilize the energy generated by their faith, but if they venerate a being who can wield this energy, they may well receive indirect benefits as a result of its creation. In other words, belief can change a believer directly, while faith can change the world outside the faithful. And while the two phenomenon are different, there's nothing stopping the two from occurring together - or a deific being exploiting the beliefs of a mortal to generate more faith in themselves. But since the terms are so closely intertwined, it is good to know the difference. *** Cultivating Faith *** In the course of existence, it is inevitable that mere mortals will begin to venerate persons, places, or things, if not outright shower them with worship. This is simply a function of how the sentient mind works, imparting divine characteristics upon various components of its environment. A lot of the time, nothing comes of this devotion, the subject of such having no means of making use of the attention. However, the target of such focused appreciation may well be able to perceive the benefaction generated by mortal minds towards him or her. Those aware of the faith directed towards their person might also perceive a means of using this energy to great effect, whether for themselves or for those who generate it in the first place - if not both. Further, they may wish to acquire ever greater amounts of faith. But how does a deific being do this? By encouraging worship of their person, of course! Faith primarily accumulates as a result of direct worship. When a mortal being begins to earnestly worship something, they immediately generate one point of faith for the subject of their reverence, an amount which is similarly created after every subsequent year that they hold said subject in similarly high esteem. This direct idolization can be fostered in any number of fashions, whether it involves the naked display of miraculous action, supporting a church devoted to oneself, or even subtle word of mouth. But ultimately, the key to generating faith is giving mortal beings a reason to worship oneself in the first place, which most often involves getting down to earth and doing a whole lot of leg work. *** Serendipitous Faith *** The primary source of faith for deific beings is direct worship - in other words, the adulation of mortal beings. But this isn't the only way a divinity can receive this special, hard fought resource. No, another means of acquiring faith is through the zeitgeist, that 'spirit of the moment' which is made up of mankind's collective unconscious, and is steeped in superstition, urban legend, and various works of fiction. Responsible for the existence of legacy powers, the zeitgeist is also a fount for serendipitous faith, the primary power source of abstract entities. While they're not a form of worship, per se, superstitions and the like are nonetheless held in high regard by a large number of people, and can also produce the energy required to change reality. The trick is that this serendipitous faith accumulates differently than normal. How this works is that, when enough people hold stock in an idea, however strange or mundane it may happen to be, it will generate serendipitous faith. This form of the spectral energy will accumulate in an amount of points equal to the percentage of the population who adhere to it on a monthly basis. Thus, if half the people believe crossing the path of a black cat is bad luck, that notion will generate 50 points of faith. This energy, while it sounds like a lot, will then be divided amongst anyone who represents the metaphysical profile of bad luck within that population. This can be any number of abstract entities, legacy characters, full-on deities, or any other deific beings active in the area that fits the bill. And if nobody actually does fit properly, that creates an opening for any godheads looking for a quick source of faith! *** Utilizing Faith *** Collecting faith is one thing, but how does one use it... and to what end? As it turns out, all deific beings have the inherent ability to wield the energies generated by faith in their person. The ascendant powers which consume faith to function, whether in part or in full, are not automatically available for immediate use by deifics, however, and making them available takes considerable effort for the most part. In other words, a deific being may develop a given faith power as a stunt off of whatever ability it is that makes them a deific being in the first place. The catch is that such power stunts will always start out at Feeble (2) rank, instead of having operating ranks based upon the power they branch off from. Unless a character begins play with a faith power, that is, at which point its rank is generated normally. Upon acquiring a faith power, a deific being can develop and wield it at will, though doing so most often costs them some of that valuable energy. Each faith power describes its operating costs, whether they're paid each time the ability is used or on a one-time basis. The only limitation on them, then, is coming up with the spectral fuel that each requires to operate (save for those faith powers that work for 'free'). This may sound like a lot of work, and it is, but the payoff for all this toil can be immense for deific beings. Faith powers allow them to both reinvest their accumulated energies into the creation of yet more faith directed at themselves, and the ability to perform truly astonishing deeds that they simply shouldn't seem capable of, whether being in many places at once or doing literally anything imaginable. *** The Perils of Faith *** While much has been made of just how deific beings are empowered by the faith of mortal sentients, allowing them to perform great deeds that defy logic and/or causality itself, little has been said about the flip side of this energy. Based on the desires of those who generate it, faith can exert influence on the divine entity who wields it, particularly if they don't do a good job of policing just how they are worshiped. If a group of worshipers begin to venerate a godhead in a different fashion than he or she actually behaves, there is the very real danger that said godhead will begin to be influenced by this differing faith. For example, a deity of law and order begins to be followed by a cult of vigilante extremists. If they use the faith this offshoot group generates in their name, the god might find themselves compelled to act how they'd like. The emergence of this danger can be represented by multiple pools of faith, which the player will usually know about as soon as the Judge begins to sequester their faith into different sums. This gives the player of a deific character the ability to investigate where this deviant faith is coming from, and either nip it in the bud (if they don't like the implications) or to run with it (if they don't really mind). Either way, players using 'tainted' faith must pass a yellow Psyche (will) ACTION roll upon next making a decision that would be contrary to how their variant faithful think they should act. Failure of this ACTION will compel the deific to perform as his or her splinter church (or whatever) prefers, which may or may not cause them some grief with their primary source of faith, depending on the god in question. ** Character Advancement ** After undertaking many adventures, or simply vanquishing their foes for a time, a deific entity may have gained new insight into the world and how it works; in other words, Karma. For the most part, godheads use Karma much like any other character type, spending just as much when purchasing new talents or contacts, or when enhancing a current ability or power rank; this is handled as is defined in Living and Dying. One facet of Karma use that is different for a divine entity is the purchase of new faith powers. *** Purchasing New Powers *** Since so much of a divine entity's ascendant abilities are inherent to who and what they are, it is hard for them to acquire even more powers for the most part. These are permanent changes to a divinity's mind, body, or soul, after all, which is different than merely subjecting oneself to radiation, since one has to take into account how people venerate the deity in question before even beginning to proceed. A new ascendant ability has a base cost of three thousand (3,000) Karma points for divine characters, in addition to a fee equal to the new power's original rank number times one hundred (100). Picking up a brand new power at Amazing (50) rank, for instance, would cost the character a total of eight thousand (8,000) Karma (base cost of 3,000 plus the power rank (50) times 100). If the adventure (or whatever) a character underwent to gain their new power(s) involves the acquisition of a special catalyst, the player may reduce the base cost of that power by one thousand (1,000) Karma. Depending on just how complicated the procedure was, up to three catalysts may be required, which can completely eliminate the base cost of the new ascendant ability entirely. The idea here is to properly reward a player's effort when they genuinely work for their new powers. All of the above assumes powers with a standard cost; in other words, a power that has a listed cost of one point per rank. If a power is listed as having a cost equal to 2 points per rank, double its total Karma cost, and so on. If a power is listed with a 'flat cost', the price (after the base fee) is only 250 Karma points per point; circular vision, for instance, would cost 500 additional Karma. *** Power Stunts *** Whether or not a divine character begins play with abilities that exploit the power of faith, such beings may readily acquire them once they begin to accumulate that strange, otherworldly energy. Regardless of what form of deific being they are, the divine may acquire new faith powers as if they were a power stunt off of whatever it is that makes them divine in the first place. Such power stunts will always begin play at Feeble (2) rank, regardless of the original ability's rank, if any. Each attempt to master a power stunt costs a divine entity 100 Karma points, as they are more difficult to introduce variation into than a mere spell or psionic. Advancing the power rank of any stunt a deific being has mastered, whether or not it is mired in the power of faith, is accomplished normally. Stunts attempted on non-faith powers have their rank determined normally, but still cost the same per try. * Optional Divine Concerns * While a character wielding divine powers 'plays' similar to textbook characters (mutants, etc.), the fact that their power is derived from the energy bequeathed unto them by worshipful sentient beings gives them an added series of concerns. Optional rules for textbook characters may or may not apply to deifics, considering they live life somewhat on the other side of the probability curve, but that's neither here nor there. Divine entities in particular may or may not suffer from additional rules modifications that better highlight what makes them different from other player characters. Of course, such optional rules might not be a good fit for one's campaign overall, so consult your Judge before assuming they're in play. Some optional campaign rules specifically for deific entities include the following: Pantheons: while deities are incredibly powerful beings, the simple truth of the matter is that while rare men and women may, in fact, be an island, sometimes it's hard to go it alone. This is usually why like-minded gods will tend to band together into a pantheon, a group of divinities who share a like background, culture, ethics, goals, or perhaps some other quality that only they can perceive. While teaming up with others has obvious benefits, such as strength in numbers and the ability to focus a large amount of energy upon a single problem, forging a pantheon has additional perks. For one thing, a pantheon can share a common home plane and/or sanctuary, which further strengthens the position of its members if confronted or cornered within their most vulnerable of spaces (backstabbing notwithstanding). Furthermore, there's all the faith. When joining a pantheon, one half of a deity's subsequently accumulated faith will go to him or her, while the rest will pool up for the pantheon's use. Similarly, faith generated by the veneration of the entire pantheon is divvied up in a like fashion, half going to the actual pantheon and the rest being split amongst its members - which helps even those gods who don't pursue such power. How the pool of faith a pantheon has is wielded depends on its membership, of course, but most often it is managed by a singular individual. In human mythology, one can look to entities such as Marduk, Odin, Ra, or Zeus for examples of such. Whoever is in control of a pantheon's hoard may bring it to bear as they see fit, whether to suit their own ends or, as is often the case, to aid its members in their goals. Pilfering: mortals are funny, when you think about it, and will readily worship just about anything given the proper motivation. Or even when not, really, as they'll venerate rocks, trees, rivers, and other random elements in their environment. Superstition is a strange thing, after all, and causes people to hold fast to the weirdest ideas - this is why abstracts exist in the first place! But the important thing about this tendency of mortals worshiping unliving, inanimate objects is that this causes such things to accumulate faith. While this spectral power can actually cause the spontaneous generation of a divinity under some circumstances, the greater likelihood is that this power will sit unclaimed, forever. Unless, of course, a deity of some sort comes along and takes it for themselves! When pilfering unclaimed faith, a deific being poses as the person, place, or thing that is being venerated, essentially tricking the mortals who worship it into directing their faith towards him or her. The idea is that, by convincing enough people that they represent whatever it is they were previously worshiping, a god eventually becomes the essence of this thing - metaphysically, at least. To accomplish this, a godhead must generate an amount of faith equal to just over half of that which has accumulated upon the object(s) which they are attempting to pilfer from. Once they manage this, the pilferer can claim all of that unused and idle power for themselves. If they fail in this effort, however, that energy will remain out in the open - both the faith generated before their meddling and after. Poaching: when gods don't have full control over their message, and worshipers begin to venerate them in a manner which does not jibe with how they actually are, weird things can happen. As described above, this can cause a deity's actions to be manipulated by fringe elements of their own faithful, at least when they make use of such tainted faith. But what if this energy is never used? Well, another deity just might take it for their own! A deific entity can pose as another god, or at the very least, how some sect or another views that god, to put the moves on any associated, corrupted faith they may have. The basic means of achieving this are essentially identical to the act of pilfering faith, mechanically speaking, the difference mainly involving the fact that this faith is someone else's. A deity will know immediately when someone is attempting to poach their errant faith, even if they're not quite sure exactly who is behind this heinous act, and they will almost invariably react negatively to someone taking what is theirs. This even when the energies involved aren't totally to the god's liking, and would likely harm their overall message if they ever deigned to wield them. But if a sum of undesirable, unutilized faith is sizable enough, it just might be worth it for a deity to attempt to poach it from one of their fellows. Faith is faith, after all, and if it's easier for one god to engage in subterfuge to gain a massive lump sum than to build it up the hard way, why not give it a shot? Occasionally, where poaching is concerned, the risk is indeed worth the reward. CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE COMBINATION CHARACTER COOKBOOK Humanity's inherent, intransigent ingenuity consistently prompts it to punch far, far above its weight. In other words, the strength of mankind is not in the physical expression of its being, however impressive our bodies may or may not seem to others. No, people persist because, as a species, we are incapable of being content with anything for all that long. And no facet of mankind's existence is insulated from this tendency. Always fidgeting, always tinkering, humanity is endlessly developing new innovations in culture, religion, myth, science, technology, and more. And as people share these concepts with their fellows, the whole species veers off in new directions - physically, mentally, and spiritually. This is ultimately why there are so many distinct means through which people can ascend beyond what came previously - or in other words, gain super human capabilities. Whether they come in the form of advanced technology, esoteric knowledge, posthuman modification, world-shaking introspection, or even divine providence, these capabilities invariably change the world. But even this isn't enough for some people, though. Someone's always peeking under the hood of the multiverse, trying to find a 'better' way to do things. This often involves applying the knowledge inherent to one area of expertise to another, vastly different one. Sometimes this leads to no useful effect, other times the results are catastrophic, but occasionally gold is struck! Evidence of this tendency can be seen throughout the Costumed Adventurer Simluation Engine. Rules for high technology make reference to mixing it with magic or replacing one's body with it, while one-third of psionic disciplines meddle with the technical, the mystical, or the divine. In other words, people mixing peanut butter and chocolate together isn't all that novel. Finally approaching a tortured point, the Combination Character Cookbook is designed to let players build characters who utilize more than one means to access the ascendant. This can range from characters that supplement their primary source of power with a backup, to those who mash two (or more) different power sources together, forming a strange and possibly unique new origin. A lot of the material presented in the Cookbook can be considered optional in nature, even more so than the rest of the CASE. This is because some of the sample and random combinations available draw from multiple components of the CASE to function, and not all of those components may be in use in every game. Long story short, ask your Judge before proceeding further. * Some Assembly Required * Combinations are some of the most unpredictable characters one can make use of in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine. There are countless ways in which different super human power sources can be smashed together within a single character, from a body with three discreet sources of power to one who blends two together into something barely resembling its components! There are three ways to cook up a combination character. The first involves rolling amongst the many sample combination character types provided for convenience. The second requires randomly rolling until the sources of one's nascent character's powers have been determined. The third simply lets the player choose what sources of power their character will draw from. Generally, the preference is for the latter, preventing players from getting stuck in the role of a character type they'd possibly rather not explore. This can involve either using the rules for one of the 'pregen' character combinations provided, or just stapling together a concept that sounds fun (such as a cyborg wizard, or a strange hero fighting crime with inherited divinventions). The other methods are provided for two reasons, however. The first is to provide Judges a quick means with which to whip up a combination character that may feature as an off-the-cuff antagonist or the like. The second is for players who don't know precisely what they want to play, but are aiming for something unexpected. Hey, random character generation can be fun! To that end, when attempting to randomly generate a combination character, begin by rolling twice on table 1. Each time 'combination character' is rolled, roll again twice. Continue this process until all origin rolls are expended. Note that redundant results aren't an error; one form combination characters take are those that draw from a single source of power in more than one manner. Each result, upon being rolled, points towards the portion of the Cookbook that lets players narrow down that origin from a basic type (like 'transnormal') to something more specific (say, a 'mutant'). Do this for each basic origin type rolled, that way you can prepare to divvy up you many super human abilities between your differing power sources. Alternately, if opting to randomly roll from the collection of sample combination origins provided by the Cookbook, do so by rolling once on table 2. Table 2 can also be utilized by players who rolled 'combination' on table 1, essentially making a further modification of those already combined power sources into something even stranger! Table 1: Combination Character Origin Components (bleh fix table) 01-17 Transnormal 18-33 Technological 34-50 Sorcerous 51-67 Psionic 68-83 Immortal 84-00 Combination Table 2: Sample Combination Character Origins (Yes, the Combination Character Cookbook is woefully incomplete. Sorry.) CHAPTER FIFTEEN: EXOBIOLOGY 101 What is an alien? Until now, when building characters for use in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, the assumption has been that one is creating a human being. You know, someone from the planet earth like you or me (well, you, at least), whose physiology is, or was at least originally, in line with that of other humans. The main exception to this is when one plays a product of humanity's knowledge, such as a robot. Those characters who don't fall within this classification are considered alien beings. The complicated thing about generating an alien character is that their origin must include details about what makes them alien, on top of everything else about them that needs to be described. And with some aliens, this can be especially tricky, depending on whatever it is that happens to mark them as an alien being. And this starts with some basic questions. * Who Are Their People? * The single most important facet of an alien character is the people that spawned them. Sure, the planet, dimension, or even timeline a species was created or formed within or upon definitely matters, and will absolutely shape its society. But while these factors are important components of a people and their story, what matters most to us is what the very point of this alien civilization is. In other words, why do these entities even exist? This can be as complicated a concern as 'they are the aggressive and occasionally antagonistic society that the players must contend with' or as simple an explanation as 'I wanted to make a cool alien character'. The former is great for games that will last for more than one session, but the latter is perfect for a 'one-shot' tale of adventure. Whatever the reason this species exists, no matter how much effort has been expended on deciding their purpose in the game, they'll be a permanent addition to its story. As such, the character of this alien society must be determined as well, which assists in both the development of the Judge's story, as well as helping players broadly know what to expect when one or more of its people appears. Consider human history and society when conceptualizing an alien civilization, and then extrapolate from there based on how far removed conditions where they developed are from what humanity has enjoyed and/or endured. Thus, these new creations may be culturally close enough to humanity to be relatable, or they might be so different from us that they're almost incomprehensible. At the same time, it's easy to fall into the trap of making an entire society monolithic in nature. One-note cultures are an unfortunate staple of fiction, particularly when there is no intention to actually revisist the beings in question once they've fulfilled their narrative purpose. Sure, such civilizations could be expounded upon at a later date, but building a bit of variety into each society is always a good idea. Unless ubiquitous conformity to a singular tradition is the intent with a given culture, anyway. * What Are They? * After settling on the purpose of your new alien society, what makes its people different from humanity must be decided. Aliens range from those physically and visually indistinguishable from your neighbors, to entities we cannot even be perceive as living, to sanity-rending horrors whose mere presence may very well induce madness. Figuring out what kind of alien you wish to role-play includes choosing one of the following: Humanlike aliens are those that are either completely human, or mechanically very close to that state of being. This kind of alien can represent offshoot species of humanity, or fictional species who appear completely human save for some abnormal characteristic such as pointy ears, weird forehead ridges, a particularly stout build, or perhaps green skin. Humanlike aliens may or may not have special powers. Humanoid aliens are those sharing the same approximate shape as a human being, but have numerous special characteristics that are almost impossible to disguise. They may appear to be human-animal hybrids of some sort, like a satyr or mermaid, alien-human crossbreeds, particularly those of fae or demonic descent, or some other species that only shares the approximate dimensions of humankind. Inhuman aliens are those who can't remotely be confused for a human being, and probably wouldn't want to be. This can include sentient, enhanced, or evolved animals, intelligent plants or fungi, distressingly large insectoid entities, strange masses of writhing bits whose function ignores the rational, or even oddities of chemistry that are alive, but probably don't register as such to us until they act. Inorganic aliens are the kind that are way, way off the beaten path. Rarely possessing anything remotely like familiar, biological processes, this form of alien can include mineral entities, fluid life forms, living masses of gases, ostensibly limitless founts of energy, or possibly even vivified artificial, seemingly manufactured objects. In the extreme, these can include sentient locations or phenomenon. * When Did They Originate? * Characters in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine typically hail from the present, even if they're an alien scourge from beyond the stars. But not always! There's no end of temporal rifts, wacky contraptions, or mystical mishaps that can fling a body from their native place in time to another era. And if one lacks the ability to traverse time by themselves, they're likely stuck here as a result. Mechanically speaking, aside from the threat of being returned to one's native era by the use of spells such as banishment or exposure to the likes of temporal static, there isn't all that much of a difference between adventurers from the past, present, or future. A temporal displacement as part of a character's origin makes for a great story element, however, as well as an explanation for abnormal knowledge they may hold. Furthermore, it's a great way to rationalize the existence of heretofore unknown posthuman civilizations, whether they can be described as timelost or technically haven't even been created yet! Belonging to an extinct or potential people can also mean less work for both the player and the Judge, as lesser effort needs to be spent explaining why this civilization hasn't previously been heard of in the game. This all assumes that the setting one's game takes place in what is ostensibly the present, give or take a bit of time. A game can be set in any other era desired, though, whether it involves high magical fantasy in an unknowable past, a period piece set in 1984 near a dormant Oregon volcano, or ship-to-ship space combat in the farthest reaches of our galaxy's post-singularity future. Aliens appearing in such campaigns need not point out their temporal origins unless they differ from other characters. Which, in the end, is exactly how they're treated in games set within the here and now. (Maybe rework this? feels wrong) * Where Are They From? * Given the purpose and nature of a given group of aliens, players must determine where they come from next. An alien's point of origin isn't normally as important as their physical characteristics, but can be if the laws of physics are so different where they come from that they require special powers to survive in the campaign setting. Places of origin for alien characters can be one of the following: Prime Earth: all kinds of beings that can be considered aliens come from our very own world. This can include strange offshoots of humanity living in secret societies previously hidden to ordinary man, mutant animals that are just as smart as (or smarter than) an ordinary person, or even inexplicable monstrosities living beneath the crust of the earth. Older media is replete with this sort of alien entity. Other Earth: on the other hand, variant timelines are a great source of alien species. These can simply be humans native to adjacent timelines, universes where evolution went in a startlingly different direction than that which we know, or possibly even the products of alternate histories where dinosaurs continued evolving uninterrupted by a giant meteor. Other World: while they are from the same universe as you or I, aliens from other worlds hail from a staggeringly different background than an earth with a somewhat different history. This can cause the evolution of any number of extraterrestrial entities, ranging from the usual science fiction folks with funny foreheads to awful terrors wrought in the crucible of a wildly divergent evolutionary progression. Other Universe: while the previous assumes characters primarily originating in a space-time that obeys the same laws of physics familiar to humanity, all bets are off when pondering species evolved in other universes. Hailing from higher (or just incomprehensibly different) planes of existence, the creation of such alien species may or may not follow conventional causality or even common sense! * Why Did They Leave Home? * When it comes down to it, aliens are called aliens because they're alien. They're the aeravwe (workin' on it) And last, possibly most important in a mechanical sense... * How Are They Represented? * Regardless of what the alien is and where they are from, it is vital to properly describe the entity to be cj (workin' on it) * Sample Aliens * One large portion of Exobiology 101 is going to be a roster of sample aliens. This is mostly a showcase for what folks can fight (or play!) during a session of the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine. I'll be plugging these in as I modernize them! Ghouls: like their mindless lessers, ghouls arise due to the intervention of magic, exotic chemicals, or viruses. However, they're stronger and more intelligent, qualities that make them far more dangerous than their zombie 'relatives'. Zombies: whether raised by magic or chemicals or viruses, zombies are a grave (pardon the pun) threat to humanity as a whole. Though usually mindless and incredibly awkward, zombies can be tenacious in their pursuit, and terrifying in large numbers. (Yes, Exobiology 101 is woefully incomplete. Sorry.) CHAPTER SIXTEEN: CONTACTS Contacts are people or groups that you can generally rely upon for assistance now and then, should the need arise. They are available as resources for characters to tap during play, whether they offer information, materials and supplies, or just a favor on occasion. They're a great thing to have, as sometimes one's contacts will have precisely what a body needs to progress in an adventure or other endeavor. Contacts are rated in levels. A level one contact occupies one contact 'slot' or costs one character point, a level two contact occupies two contact 'slots' or costs two character points, and a level three contact occupies four contact 'slots' or costs four character points. Level two or three contacts are denoted with a digit to express their import, though level one contacts lack this for simplicity's sake. For example, a simple pilot you keep on retainer may be a mere expert, while that US Senator with designs on the Oval Office qualifies as a government 3 contact. The former costs one contact 'slot' while the latter costs four. But you definitely get what you pay for, as a more important contact can provide bigger favors. But make sure to remember that, above all else, contacts are people too. Should you lean on a contact for assistance too much, said contact will want a favor in return - that's what friends are for, right? This can become difficult with more 'important' contacts. After all, a lowly street snitch from Detroit isn't about to ask for as big a favor as, say, the President of the United States. And it pays to keep one's contacts happy, or your neglect may cause you to lose them. The Judge will usually keep track of how happy a contact is with your character, which is often a great way for them to involve you in all manner of encounters - without your even having to do anything! ** Floating Contacts ** Unlike ability scores, quirks, and most other attributes of a character, one's contacts need not be entirely determined before play begins. Sure, most characters will start with at least one contact, who must be specifically identified. This can be any manner of contact, from a trusted family servant to the Prime Minister of Canada. But a player may hold contact 'slots' in reserve; such contacts are called floating contacts. What this means is that the character has contact 'slots' he or she has not actually used yet. These may be retained until a situation where the need for one in a specific area arises. For example, say a character finds herself requiring the services of a lawyer due to a botched fight with some super-powered criminal. Having a few 'spare' contacts handy, she invokes one and declares that her brother is the family lawyer. Alternately, one can use a floating contact to impose themselves into the origins of an existing NPC. If the Judge hasn't developed that character's backstory yet, a player may decide the lawyer their PC knows is that 'ambulance chaser' introduced two adventures back, assuming previous play didn't obviate that choice. This not only develops the player character's story, but lends more weight to NPCs already in the game. Floating contacts can also be cashed in after interactions of opportunity with NPCs. For instance, if a hero group rescues some irritating teen pop idol from a gaggle of deranged fans, maybe one of the players decides to make the little twerp a contact. His life having been saved, the teen singer has begun to idolize the hero, and is happy to return the favor with... whatever it is that pop stars do for their friends. ** Purchasing New / Old Contacts ** After play begins, one might gain new contacts 'automatically' as play progresses, but players must usually buy them if they desire more (once floating contacts are gone). This can be done with small amounts of Karma, as a new contact costs five hundred Karma plus an amount of Karma equal to ten times their Resources rank. A new contact with Amazing (50) Resources, then, would cost the character one thousand Karma. Similarly, 'old' contacts lost due to a character's actions (or inaction, as the case may be) may be restored at a similar cost - along with the appropriate behavior to regain their trust. Say a contact in the CIA disavowed the PC after they wound up on the Terror Watch List, but the character has made amends and is trying to clean up their behavior. Paying the listed cost will return him or her to that contact's good graces. 'Fixing' an old contact may not seem worth the bother, but it sometimes beats buying a new one from nowhere - in the short and long-term for both the character and the campaign as a whole. On the other hand, if one's bridges are just a little too burned, it may very well be in their best interest to start over in some ways, particularly if a former contact has become fully hostile towards the character. The above assumes a level one contact is involved. If a character wishes to purchase a level two contact, they must pay twice the Karma (the contact above, with Amazing (50) Resources, costs two thousand Karma instead of one). A level three contact may be purchased at quadruple the price of a level one contact, in addition to there being a compelling reason for such an important person to start working with the hero. And usually, merely rescuing the kitten of an alien overlord isn't enough of a justification for this (unless they're rather eccentric). * Contact Suggestions * Below is a description of the various types of contacts available. Suggestions are given for each type, detailing just what they can be and generally what they can offer during play, broken up by their relative value: Aide: contacts of this sort are those who specifically work to assist the character in some capacity. They function above and beyond a mere employer-employee relationship, and can be considered friends of the character. Most often, aides know of the character's super-human activities, and gladly assist him or her in the perpetration of such - or, if applicable, will help them to maintain a secret identity. Level 1 aides might come in the form of a dedicated secretary or butler, one who knows of the character's fantastic activities. This sort of aide might handle one's 'mundane' affairs while they're off adventuring, or perhaps does the 'grunt work' necessary for them to engage in such in the first place. A level 1 aide typically won't willingly participate in combat, and may require rescuing or assistance if they do so. Aide 2 contacts go one step further in their jobs, and might be seen in the field with a character often. This type of aide may take the form of a Kung Fu chauffeur or chauffeuse or perhaps a heavily armed body guard - they're generally less powerful than the character, but have practical combat applications nonetheless. A level 2 aide may also take the form of a small support organization or technical and/or scientific staff. A level 3 aide is incredibly active in the character's life. It can come in the form of a large support organization or technical staff, one who is highly motivated towards helping them do whatever it is they do. Level 3 aides can also come in the form of competent sidekicks or partners in crime, those who either have training in multiple combat techniques or are otherwise fully capable of taking care of themselves in a fight. Artist / Performer: contacts of this type are the creators within a society. They make beautiful works of art, they can sing like nobody's business, or they are writers of some renown. Such individuals may or may not be famous, but their works are often above and beyond anything the world has ever seen - or will ever see again, once they're gone (or quit out of frustration). A level 1 artist or performer represents any number of hard-working creative stiffs. This can be a graphic artist toiling away at an uncaring corporation, that technical writer who's far too good with words for what they're doing, or even 'that guy' on all your local commercials. They're the kind of creator others take advantage of under the pretense of 'helping them out by getting them exposure' in exchange for free work. Artists or performers who rate a level 2 contact designation are somewhat famous. They include pop singers whose songs come and go on the radio, movie stars who repeatedly get jobs despite a lack of acting talent, and writers whose material catches on for a time within the public zeitgeist. They can be low-grade celebrities or lesser-known creators who have a small but intense following around the world. Level three artists or performers are those whose works truly move the world - or at least a large portion of it. Whether you like them or not, their material will haunt the media long after they're gone. Writers will see their works ripped off and adapted into television and movies, performers will see their songs covered and sampled ad nauseum, and actors will live on in syndication until the end of time. Business: businessmen and businesswomen are the citizens of corporations, workers who make those financial entities go, even if the higher-ups forget this more often than not. A business contact can be anyone working in a corporate environment, ranging from that old fogey in the company mail room to the new chief executive officer - or even one of the sociopathic HR operatives. Business contacts of the level 1 sort are the cogs in the corporate machinery. These people often have little official authority, but a company may well grind to a halt without their diligent work. Business contacts such as these include secretaries, delivery personnel, stock brokers, and so on. This class of contact may also include independent contractors or the owners of small businesses. Level 2 business contacts are people who are somewhat highly placed in a major corporation. They include upper management, human resources 'people', leaders of one company subsidiary or another, or others who serve a vital, yet occasionally under-appreciated role in the company. A level 2 business contact can also represent the owner of a small corporation, or perhaps a contractor in very, very high demand. A level 3 business contact is a mover and shaker in the financial world. This category of business contact includes chief executive officers, the owners of massive corporations, exorbitantly wealthy financiers, and so forth. These individuals rarely worry about money, and are often responsible for the generation of vast amounts of it. When level 3 financiers make a business move, people pay attention - intently. Criminal: sometimes it pays to know somebody working in the unseemly underworld. Perhaps a friend who launders money, deals drugs, or trades on the black market. Such people are often limited to what they do or know, but they usually have criminal contacts of their own, and often know a guy who knows a guy who knows something. Criminals are evildoers without powers to speak of. Mostly. Criminals who fall into the tier of a level 1 contact are those who are self-made - and haven't really made all that much of themselves. This can be anything from a street walking 'consultant' to an illegal arms dealer to a fence who works out of the back of that notorious pawn shop. Typically such criminals are on their own, but can call upon others of their ilk who might have what a body needs in a pinch. Level 2 criminals are bigger sharks. They're often the head of a small gang or mob, and have successfully held onto their territory for quite some time. These people have much better connections, usually dabbling in smuggling, high volume drug dealing, money laundering, or all of the above. Such criminal contacts can also represent elite criminals, solo law breakers who are the best of the best at what they do. A criminal who qualifies for a level 3 status is the kind who is not to be trifled with. In a world of cutthroat evildoers, they've risen to the absolute top of the heap. These are the ringleaders of international crime syndicates, drug cartels, slavery rings, and sometimes worse. They have connections on a global scale, and can usually manage to do almost anything they want, maintaining a legitimate guise all the while. Doctor: it's always handy for adventurers of any stripe to know a doctor. Heroes, villains, vigilantes, and fugitives are constantly getting into fights, either with each other or highly motivated normals, and somebody's got to patch them up. Such medical contacts can range from a simple general practitioner to a specialist in a given area of medicine, or even the 'black market' doctors common in comic books. Level 1 doctor contacts aren't world-famous neurosurgeons or notorious misanthropic diagnosticians, but are nonetheless dependable medical personnel. A general practitioner falls into this category, as do any number of nurses, medical students, or interns. Whether or not they've got a flashy degree framed on the wall, contacts of this variety are always skilled in most essential medicinal techniques. A doctor with a level 2 rating is usually a highly skilled specialist of some sort. This can be of almost any nature, whether a neurologist, an oncologist, a cardiologist, a dermatologist, or even an urologist. These doctors have the skills of a general practitioner plus their expertise in a specific area. A level 2 doctor might also represent a general practitioner or nurse with several decades of experience to draw upon. Level 3 doctors are the best of the best in their given fields. This sort of doctor is usually renowned within that field for skill or experience, and people will come from far and wide for their help in said field. Of course, a level 3 doctor can also represent medical personnel working above and beyond the pale, perhaps with capabilities beyond their time - though some doctors of this variety are often considered 'mad scientists'. Expert: expert contacts are those who excel in a given professional area, those that do not fall into other categories (like doctors or businessfolk). These are contacts who either have a skill the character lacks, or otherwise possess the tools and resources to do things with that skill the character doesn't have access to. Experts are often in high demand, since they save oneself the bother of 'grunt work'. Experts of the level 1 sort are usually those who have a like level of talent in a given area. This can be anything from a mechanic to a pilot to an electronics engineer. These professionals often run their own contracting business or work for a larger company that retains their services. Either way, they usually have all the tools, supplies, and equipment on hand necessary to perform the duties of their given profession. A level 2 expert is really good at what they do. This can be a highly experienced talent holder, or perhaps someone with a level 2 in some talent or another. These folks often own a company dedicated to whatever it is they do, or manage a subsidiary of a larger corporation dabbling in their field, but may often be highly eccentric experts or even hobbyists who just enjoy toying in this profession a great deal. Level 3 experts are known world-wide, at least in professional circles, for their capability. They may or may not have a level 3 in the talent they offer, but have the power to back up their talent with extensive experience and natural ability. These experts are in very high demand, and it can be hard to get some of their time for oneself as busy as they are - and they usually charge an arm and a leg for services rendered. Foreign Power: a contact that falls within the foreign power category is one who is a governmental official of some sort in a nation that is not one's own. For people outside of the United States, any of the contacts of the 'government' variety can apply. For Americans, however, this describes any civilian (usually) working for any government that is not, in fact, American. Level 1 foreign power contacts represent minor dignitaries and officials. They can range from the mayor of a small city or governor to a province with a tiny population or economy (such as England's town of Telford or Russia's Krai of Krasnoyarsk). This form of contact can also be any minor or intermediate government representative, busybody, or the like, such as an employee of the United Kingdom's Department for Transport. A level 2 foreign power has a bit more authority. This can be a member of groups such as the United Kingdom's Parliament (whether an elected House of Commons official or an appointed House of Lords representative), or the mayor or governor of an important city or prefecture (like London or perhaps Okinawa). Level 2 foreign power contacts may also be the leaders of agencies like Germany's Bundesnachrichtendienst. Foreign power contacts that are of level 3 import are the rulers of their nation, if not great movers and shakers on the world stage. If someone can be addressed as Caliph, King, President, Prime Minister, Queen, Tsar, or even Dictator for Life, they likely fall into this category, even if their country isn't necessarily a global super-power. Immediate minions and advisors of such individuals fall into this category as well. Government: government contacts are those who work for the state, either out of a wish to help others or to further their own political ambitions. These individuals may be elected, appointed, or may perhaps earn their way into their position through hard work - or simply being on the job the longest. Either way, these contacts provide a service to the people, who ostensibly pay their salary. 'Standard' government contacts don't get things done on a national scale, but are instead local in nature. This can include the mayor of a small town or medium sized city (anything named Springfield, for instance), the governor of a state with a relatively small population (like South Dakota), state congressmen and senators, or even someone running a state agency, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. A level 2 government contact is often a serious mover and shaker in political affairs. In the United States, for example, this can be most members of the House of Representatives or the US Senate, as well as political appointees such as the heads of the FBI, CIA, and the like. This can also include the mayors and governors of high population areas, such as New York City or the state of California. Government contacts that rate a level 3 indication are those who hold serious sway over public policy. In the United States, they can include elected individuals such as the Speaker of the House, the Vice President, and even the President. This level of governmental contact may also include highly placed political appointees, the President's Cabinet of advisors in particular. Hero / Villain: a hero or villain contact is just that, a costumed adventurer that the character may rely upon for aid of some sort or another. Usually it makes sense for a hero to have hero contacts and a villain to have villain contacts, but sometimes the world isn't so cut and dried - and on occasion, a hero or villain will switch sides a few times, complicating matters for everyone. Hero or villain contacts that rate a level 1 indicator are those who approximately match the power and/or capability of the character in question. A level one hero or villain contact might also consist of a team of less powerful individuals, like a group of sidekicks. Such contacts may idolize or respect the character, or perhaps the character did some great service for them in the past that warrants swapping assistance now and then. A level 2 hero or villain contact is often a potent individual who has more capability than the character, or is perhaps a duo or small group of adventurers with their approximate power or skill. Such contacts might come into play when the character gets in a bit over their head in some mess or another, or perhaps they have a significant 'history,' and are willing to help each other out on occasion, for the benefit of all involved. Heroes or villains that have a level 3 status are either a large band of adventurers, a small group of heroes or villains that are each a bit more powerful or skilled than the character, or even a singular individual with world-shaking power. These individuals may be part of a loose association with the contact, or perhaps they owe him or her for some spectacular favor or service the character provided them in the past. Informant: informants are people who would otherwise fit into another category of contact, save for their inherent function. You see, an informant is a source of information above all else; whether willing or otherwise, the character has a relationship with this contact that facilitates the transfer of information from the latter to the former. This can put an informant at considerable risk. A level 1 informant is a low level operative in a criminal or other organization who acts as a stoolie. Most likely, this form of contact has a slightly adversarial history with the character, and will give the character information to avoid a resumption of hostilities between the two. Level 1 informants may alternately just be people who are well connected, or happen to have useful information 'fall into their lap' on occasion. Level 2 informants are more highly placed members of an organization, whether criminal, governmental, or otherwise. They might be plants sent by another group entirely (such as law enforcement), or may simply be disloyal to their patron group for some reason or another. These informants will usually have juicy information on a group's ringleaders or managers, and revealing what they know may get them killed. An informant of the level 3 sort is someone who is very highly placed in a syndicate or other organization that has turned... though said group may not know it yet. This informant is happy to dish the dirt on their former friends to the character, usually in exchange for bringing them down or 'getting out'. An informant of this level that is discovered will usually be killed before they know what hit them in most instances. Journalist: sort of the opposite of an informant, a journalist is the kind of person who digs up information, instead of merely sitting on it. These intrepid men and women of letters are either intensely curious about the world, or some aspect of it, or have a specific crusade that lights their fire. Either way, they have the means to reveal unsavory secrets to the world that others would like to keep hidden. A level 1 journalist is probably the easiest to get in touch with, both for availability as well as willingness to follow up on some strange story or another. While they may not be recognizable to the world at large, they'll happily dig and dig to get to the bottom of something, usually for their own benefit but sometimes out of curiosity. While they may not be an anchor, they can normally get their stories out with some effort. Level 2 journalists are those you recognize from television or newspaper bylines. These folks have done their time out in 'the world' and worked their way up in the media such that they have a cushy job reading (or serving as an editor to) the news. While they don't get out much, they still have amazing connections on their own, and can do just about any story they want to given the proper motivation. Journalists who rate a level 3 aren't just folks you see on the television every night at 11 o'clock, they're the true makers of news. These experienced veterans of journalism know how to pry information from just about anyone, no matter how well hidden it may be. They know how to dig, turn over informants, and otherwise raise a ruckus until the truth comes out - and then inform others in the most convincing way possible! Lawyer: a lawyer is an individual who is well-versed in the inner workings of the laws of the land. These individuals may serve as either defense attorneys, prosecutors for the government, highly paid consultants, or may still be interns who are yet working to master the byzantine paths of law. Either way, it pays to know such a person if you're engaged in 'risky' or downright illegal behavior. Lawyers who embody a level 1 contact rating are those who know the law well but aren't necessarily famous for such. This can be anything from a relatively inexperienced lawyer to a legal intern to anything in-between. Whether or not such an individual has 'passed the bar' yet, they can nonetheless offer a wide variety of legal information, though they'll usually do so with a lot of disclaimers all the while. A level 2 lawyer is a more experienced individual. They not only know the law in and out, but can act as a lawyer in multiple jurisdictions, and are aware of both the politics and personalities of the judges at play where they serve. Alternately, a level 2 lawyer might in fact be a judge themselves, a highly experienced official who has managed to earn the respect of their peers (to an extent) and gain this prestigious title. Level 3 lawyers are those who are famous for either their ability, position, or clientele. High-powered attorneys of the rich and famous, Supreme Court justices, and others of their ilk fill this niche. A level 3 lawyer can also be a non-practicing lawyer of the retired sort who has decades of experience to draw upon, and knows where all the bodies are buried in their bailiwick (figuratively or otherwise). Mentor: a mentor is a contact who aids the character in the mastery of some subject or another, whether mundane, fantastic, or even spiritual. They may feel partially responsible for the character and their advancement, or they might just be earning a paycheck. Either way, mentors possess immediately practical knowledge the character lacks, and are usually willing to share it - although not necessarily in a free manner. Mentors of the level 1 variety often include instructors of 'mundane' skills, individuals who excel at education and readily pass their knowledge on to others. This may involve something as academic as physics or as physical as martial arts. This brand of mentor isn't just teaching from nine to five, however. They actually enjoy what they do and sharing everything they know with their students. Level 2 mentors include garden variety teachers of the fantastic. These are the people that itinerant students seek out to learn the secrets of high technology, psionics, sorcery, or even immortality itself. Such mentors are not necessarily the most knowledgeable in their field, but are willing to teach others some or all of what they know... though sometimes this information comes at a great cost to the character. A mentor who qualifies as a level 3 contact is often one of the best such teachers available. Whether they educate others in mundane or fantastic skills, this mentor works hard to see their charges excel both in and out of their area of influence. Such a mentor is usually in very high demand, and there may be a 'waiting list' just to talk to them - in fact, most of the time a character may only converse with their underlings. Military: these contacts represent people a character knows that have a military background. All such individuals will have the military talent, and as such, can wield most modern firearms with some competence. A military contact tends to overlap with either government or police contacts, depending on the country involved, and may or may not currently be an active member of any armed service. Military contacts of the level 1 ilk are primarily enlisted men and women. They can be anything from someone fresh out of Boot Camp to a highly experienced Sergeant. While these folks are relatively low-ranking personnel, they nonetheless have a wealth of skills, experience, and other contacts to draw upon. Level 1 military contacts can also be retired personnel, those who aren't active but served for many years of their life. A level 2 military contact is the kind that has considerable rank. This can be anything from a fighter pilot to a freshly promoted Brigadier General. These folks have quite a bit of pull and, while they usually don't have a command to speak of, they've got connections and privileges that allow them to do a lot. A level 2 military contact can also represent a specific unit, whether covert or overt in nature. A military contact with a level 3 rating is very high up in the command structure of a given armed force. Perhaps they're a Major General, or even a Rear Admiral. Either way, such individuals usually have a significant command, whether it be an aircraft carrier or an Army base. They can always pull a lot of strings, and have access to innumerable other contacts and resources when they need to draw in a few markers. Organization: an organizational contact is one that is representative of neither a criminal, government, or military group - it's a society of sorts all its own. This may be a secret society, non-profit organization, or association of some other kind. An organizational contact may offer considerable resources or aid when necessary, and may even serve as a patron of sorts for a character. Level 1 organization contacts might be groups with a relatively small reach. A 'small' union falls into this category, as do various self-contained industrial associations, churches, charities, or task-specific conspiracies. Such a contact may also represent a singular member of a larger organization, one who has taken a shine to the character in an unofficial capacity, and not necessarily with that group's blessings. An organization that rates a level 2 contact has a bit more reach. This can be a charity group that services an entire nation, a church with multiple denominations, international trade associations, or mid-range conspiratorial groups. A level 2 organizational contact may also be a representative of a level 3 group that, without official sanction, has taken to sponsoring or aiding the character in some capacity. It usually takes a huge organization to rate a level 3 contact. These groups normally have a pervasive global reach, and can include organizations such as (or similar to) the Catholic Church, the Red Cross, or even the Bavarian Illuminati. Organizations of this type have massive personnel and even more followers, though some may not precisely be aware that they're a tool of such a far-reaching group to begin with. Police: police contacts are men and women who are duly appointed law enforcement officials, which can sometimes overlap with either government or military contacts, depending on the nation in question. Such officials can have an authority which is primarily local in nature or can range throughout a nation or even beyond, all of which depends on their jurisdiction and rank in their respective organization. Level 1 police contacts enforce the law but have little authority to make big decisions, and are primarily local in jurisdiction. This can be a city beat cop, county sheriff, state patroller, or the like. Police contacts of this type may also be retired members of regional or national enforcement agencies, those who no longer can make arrests or engage in law enforcement but still have the experience from a lifetime of such work. A police contact who rates a level of 2 is often a low-ranking member of a national law enforcement agency. Such groups include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Marshals (in America), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP, or Mounties, in Canada), the Policìa Federal (Federales, in Mexico), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI, in India), or even the Cuerpo Nacional de Policìa agents (in Spain). Finally, level 3 police contacts are those with serious pull on a national or international level. They mainly include veteran or high-ranking members of the previously mentioned organizations, or arms of a government's law enforcement which reach beyond its borders. Such contacts may also be those with international authority, most notably in the International Criminal Police Organization (or Interpol). Scientist: scientists are slightly different than experts, in that they are less professional in nature and more theoretical. A doctor or electrician usually falls into the category of 'expert', while a nuclear physicist or a geneticist would qualify more as a 'scientist'. It's not necessarily a 'hands off' approach so much as an emphasis on research over experience. A level 1 scientist is generally a qualified master of their field, and will typically have either a level 2 talent in their chosen science, or a level 1 talent in multiple disciplines. These can know anything from physics to archaeology to mathematics. Such contacts make great sources of information on the obscure when a character needs it - or at the very least serve as peers to bounce ideas off of if they possess like talents. Scientists of the level 2 sort are a bit more out there. They may possess a science talent at a level 3 effectiveness, or multiple scientific talents of level 2 prowess. This individual may or may not have problems dealing with other people, but they are generally consumed by their work in some capacity or another - and are always expanding their knowledge further... or cashing in by consulting for various characters. Level 3 scientists are highly sought out. These people often have various level 2 sciences to back up a primary, level 3 pursuit. They are veritable founts of scientific knowledge, and are typically considered the world expert in one area or another. This kind of contact easily fits the mold of a 'mad scientist,' as do certain doctors, and may be on the bleeding edge (or beyond) of global knowledge in their area of expertise. Trivia: a trivial contact is not as, well, trivial as they may at first sound. This individual is similar to an expert or a scientist, but has knowledge that is a bit less... marketable. It's easy to make a living as the world's greatest botanist, but a bit less so when you're the undisputed master of all things Pokémon ™, whether in their trading card, animated series, or video game forms. Level 1 trivia contacts know a whole lot about something obscure and usually irrelevant to most people. This can be the long-buried rules of a forty year old super-hero role-playing game, everyone that ever appeared on Hollywood Squares ™, or even a thorough history of McDonalds ™. There are reasons someone might know this stuff, but such reasons escape most folks. A level 2 trivia contact is well versed in materials that are a bit more common knowledge. This is where your Pokémon ™ masters come in, as well as film buffs, those who know all things concerning baseball cards, and so on. Such contacts will have knowledge of these kinds of trivial matters at level 1 or 2, or alternately knowledge of the level 1 trivia categories at level 2 or 3. Trivia experts of the level 3 variety, these people know a whole lot about 'nothing'. This person might be a walking encyclopedia on far-reaching subjects such as Anime, and have a level 3 knowledge of it. Alternately, they may have level 2 knowledge on multiple related, level 2 trivia subjects, such as baseball cards and baseball statistics. These people rarely get out, but are always ready to share their knowledge. Exhaustively. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: TALENTS Talents are primarily skills that any character can learn, given time. You don't need to be born with freakish mutations, be exposed to dangerous radiation, or have an alien heritage to master a new talent - just the dedication and opportunity to do so. Talents operate in one of two basic fashions: they either give characters an ability they would otherwise lack, or increase their ability to perform some task or another. While the former is pretty self-explanatory (the Artist talent allows a Karma bonus for creating art, for instance), the latter can be a bit more involved. Generally, if a talent increases the likelihood of success in a given action, it will enhance the rank it is rolled against by +1 CS (unless otherwise noted). This is the 'base' level of a talent, and covers most examples of trained individuals. The CASE technically recognizes one hundred talents, those listed below. Of course, several are presented either as 'general' talents that are made more specific during character generation (like the weapon skill talent), or such that additional talents can be 'grown' out of the existing skills as 'specialties' - particularly where sciences are concerned. There is certainly room for additional talents, should a Judge decide his or her campaign needs more - or if they feel one was given the 'short end of the stick' and deserves its own entry. And that's fine! The idea here is to cover as much as is reasonably possible which might come up in the course of regular play, whether the game makes use of the entire CASE or just bits and pieces of it. ** Special Talent Rules ** Some people will focus on a given skill above and beyond the patience or prowess of others, and will thus receive an additional bonus to related actions. For example, say someone wants to be very good at physics, so they study their entire life and perform esoteric research to that effect. This allows them to 'double up' their skill, providing a +1 CS above and beyond the normal bonus (if applicable). Such skills are designated to indicate their increased bonus (the physicist in the above example would show that they have Physics 2, instead of 'mere' Physics). Any talent that is offering a double bonus should count as two talents (or cost two points), where a character's total skills are concerned. Other than an explanation as to why said character is so good at what they do, nothing else is really necessary. On the other hand, rare individuals are the 'best of the best' in their given fields. These folks may 'triple up' their talent in a given area, allowing for a +2 CS beyond the standard bonus to related ACTIONs. This is costly, however. If our example physicist wanted to have Physics 3, they would have to sacrifice four talent slots (or points) for this purpose. And, of course, offer a compelling reason for that level of ability. Additionally, talent bonuses may be stacked. If a character has multiple talents that could reasonably assist an ACTION, add a +1 CS for each skill that applies, to a maximum of +3 CS. For example, a character with spatial combat and vehicular combat can add a +2 CS to combat maneuvers when piloting a spacecraft in space, while a scientist with electronics and chemistry gains a like bonus when developing chemical sensors. ** Purchasing New Talents ** Once play has begun, it may be more difficult for characters to acquire new skills, but it's not impossible - they just need the proper time to study! Assuming a character does indeed have such, he or she can master new lines of knowledge or skill at their leisure, as long as they have enough Karma to pay the cost. A new talent can be purchased for one thousand Karma points, twice that for talents that count as two. One cannot purchase a new talent at a higher level to start with - everyone begins with but level 1 mastery in any talent they have begun to study after play begins. Once a talent is mastered, however, the character can continue to work on elevating its significance and extent if he or she wishes. Raising a talent to level 2 status costs a character the same amount of Karma they paid to acquire it at level 1. As is the case during character generation, the player need only offer a simple explanation as to why they've 'escalated' their knowledge in an area to level 2. It's a bit more difficult to learn a level 3 talent once play begins, though. This requires extensive work on the part of the character that may well draw him or her away from adventuring for large amounts of time - as well as a great explanation for this meteoric increase in skill. Finally, there's the Karma cost. To elevate an existing talent to level 3 costs a character two times the talent's base Karma price. That final Column Shift is an expensive affair, in the time, effort, and Karma expenditure involved. However, it usually pays off in the long run if one really wants to express a mastery of any given subject, but it's often easier to just acquire a level 3 talent during character generation. ** Untalented Individuals ** The possession of a talent implies a large amount of education and/or field training to account for the bonus(es) it provides. As such, people attempting to perform the actions covered by a talent without the talent to back them up should do so at a distinct penalty. Untalented characters may attempt to duplicate the actions described by a talent, but they suffer a -1 CS penalty when doing so. This applies whether firing a handgun without the guns talent or trying to fix a television without the electronics skill. Sometimes natural ability will make up for this disadvantage, but trained individuals almost always have a leg up on their untrained brethren. This penalty does not apply where common sense overrules; for example, punching does not require martial arts type b, being an essential component of the Fighting ability. * Background Talents * Unlike most talents, background talents are usually something a character only picks up during character generation. They often provide an origin (or part of such), or explain something about the character's abilities (or lack therein). Furthermore, background talents usually don't offer Column Shift bonuses like other talents do, instead giving a unique benefit that other skills will generally lack. Typically, a character will only have one background talent, though several can be taken together if one's history indicates a necessity (law enforcement and military for an MP, or possibly an heir to fortune and student for a rich kid about to learn the family 'trade'). There are four background talents in all, each of which provides its own advantages (and drawbacks): Heir to Fortune: this background talent helps to describe a character that was born into (or simply inherited) a whole lot of money. It offers a +1 CS to the character's Resources, which the player can then gamble upon to determine their final amount. The advantage here is that the character need not actually work to maintain his or her lifestyle (no job necessary). Depending on the nature of the fortune, though, it may come with complications. For one thing, there's the family; if the character is a member of a wealthy or influential family, their fortunes may wax and wane dependent on the character's actions (and vice versa). If the character merely inherited their fortune, it's possible that stipulations in the will that gave it to them may hinder their activities. Conditions such as these should be worked out with the Judge during character generation, though it's generally not fair to over-burden a character just because he or she was born into wealth. The overall idea is to enhance a character's background, after all, not weigh it down to the point of silliness. Heir to Fortune costs three talent slots (or three points) during character generation. Law Enforcement: the character with the law enforcement talent has a background in, well, law enforcement. He or she may currently be a police officer or served as one in the past, and active law enforcement officials can legally carry a gun and make arrests while in their jurisdiction. This tie to the authorities gives a character two additional contacts, the first being the agency they are associated with. The second contact provided by law enforcement can be anyone the character worked with on the job, from a fellow officer to an informant on the streets, or anything else that makes sense. Trained law enforcement officials also gain the benefit of learning the guns and law talents, as both are essential requirements to their line of work. Law Enforcement costs two talent slots (or two points) during character generation. Military: this character has served (or is currently serving) in the armed forces of some country or another, usually noted with the talent itself ('Military / United States', or 'Military / France', for instance). The military builds strong bonds amongst its personnel, and a character with this talent gains two additional contacts, the first being the military agency they are associated with. The second contact will be anyone of the player's choice, from a superior officer to a platoon mate or whoever else seems to fit. Trained military operatives gain the benefit of two additional talents as well, those being guns and martial arts type b - soldiers must be able to fight armed or unarmed against their country's enemies. Military costs two talent slots (or two points) during character generation. Student: a student is a character who does not begin play with any talents to speak of, but is instead in the process of learning them. As such, the student talent costs all of a character's talent slots (or five points) during character generation - unless they also want heir to fortune. In that case they must have at least four talent slots - three for heir to fortune and the rest for the student talent. This may seem a harsh penalty, but it pays off over time, as the cost of a student's talents is reduced by twenty-five percent. The amount of time a character may remain a student is technically infinite. There's really nothing stopping them from racking up new skills at a discount, and truth be told, that's not a bad thing considering the disadvantage they start out with. However, a character does need to remain in good standing with the source of their talent(s) to keep receiving this benefit; if lost, it may be a proper adventure to regain this favor. Note: a character who possesses the student talent as well as the quick learning quirk can benefit from the Karma discounts of both when purchasing new skills after play begins. However, this 'stacking' of discounts does not apply to the base cost of learned talent-equivalent powers, such as magic spells and psionics. Only one such discount can apply to the acquisition of ascendant abilities. * Behavioral Talents * Talents of this stripe usually involve indirectly influencing a character - when you want something from someone, you know exactly what to say and how to say it. This may involve the alteration of actions, emotions, or whatever else is desired. Some skills of this type overlap with the professional talent category, but those that are listed here are not exactly a direct source of income. Animal Handling: this is ability to train otherwise wild animals to do what you want. Through either positive or negative reinforcement, you can ultimately bend animals to your will, possibly even turning them into companions during adventures. Handlers are well-versed in animal behavior, and should receive a +1 CS reaction modifier when dealing with them. Hypnosis: this is a special ability related to several different mental disciplines, and may be learned through any of them. Hypnosis can be used to place someone in a trance, a trick which is much easier when they are willing. If resisting hypnosis, a character may need... added persuasion, often in the form of torture or other manipulations. Once a trance has been established, a character is highly suggestible, and the hypnotizer can impart commands and the like as if they possessed mesmerism at their Reason (log) rank. Hypnosis is fickle, however, and will generally wear off after 1d10 days. Furthermore, it cannot force someone to perform an act that is diametrically opposed to their personality, such as convincing a pacifist to kill. Leadership: true leaders are somewhat hard to come by. This talent allows a character to make use of their wits and other talents to lead a tight-knit group of people, in or out of battle. When heading up a group, leaders add 100 points to its Karma pool while others are following their direction, a bonus that is freshly applied at the beginning of each new adventure. Manipulation: on the other hand, some people get folks to do their bidding by less savory methods. Manipulation includes methods of coercion, deception, intimidation, and seduction, all of which give a manipulator a +1 CS to get their hooks into someone. Or, in game terms, to Popularity ACTIONs, whether working in a positive or negative direction. Performer: this represents the work of an actor, rock star, dancer, mime, or whatever other form of entertainment you prefer. While related to the artist skill, the performer talent reflects immediacy; can he or she put on a good show for those before them? Performers gain ten Karma points for a week worth of work, whether doing stand-up comedy or acting on a movie set. Service: the service industry always has a need for good people. Maybe you tend bar, or perhaps do technical support, but the idea is you have the ability to listen to others and help them to solve their problems. You should receive a +1 CS on any efforts to reassure others, even if it means 'reading between the lines' because someone doesn't know, or are incapable of articulating, what they're trying to tell you. Sleight of Hand: this is the talent of misdirection, often used by stage magicians, though real sorcerers often utilize it as well. With quick movements and fluid gestures, not to mention just a little bit of showmanship, a character using sleight of hand can seemingly make objects disappear right before your eyes, doing so at their Agility (dex) +1 CS. Tactics: a natural complement to leadership, the tactics talent represents someone well-versed in thinking several moves ahead, and able to reason out a solution to almost any problem - either in or out of combat. While people follow the lead of a tactician executing his or her plan, they should receive a +1 CS on related actions when doing so - though this bonus ends if events evolve past said plan. * Environmental Talents * The eleven environmental talents involve specialized knowledge that assists a character in navigating or surviving the world around them. Whether it involves climbing an extreme vertical surface, following an elusive target's trail, or even thriving in the harshest of climates, this class of talent will get you there. The skills represented here are primarily non-combative in nature. Astronaut: similar to pilots, astronauts can fly, but their rides glide through the inky blackness of space instead of the sky. Space flight has several challenges above and beyond standard aeronautics, including zero gravity operation, incredibly hostile environments, and navigation on a galactic scale. Astronauts receive a +1 CS in all of these areas, in addition to their actual flying ability. Boating: piloting a water-based vehicle is typically more complicated than comparable earth-bound rides. Whether handling a water scooter, a fishing boat, a battleship, or even a submarine, a boater does so at a +1 CS. They also receive this bonus on efforts to spot / avoid water-based hazards (such as reefs), building rafts, attempting rescues on the sea, swimming, and even holding their breath. Climbing: while most heroes climb with the assistance of super-human abilities, some individuals are just really good at doing so under their own power... or with the help of a bit of gear here and there. Climbers excel at ascending or descending vertical surfaces, from brick walls to craggy mountains, and should receive a +2 CS on any attempts to do so. Driving: while individuals in most modern societies can operate an automobile without too much hassle (no penalty), professional drivers excel behind the wheel. They may attempt most maneuvers while driving at a +1 CS, and know how to handle almost any ground-based vehicle, from cars to tractor trailers to tanks. As a bonus, drivers may maintain their vehicles with a similar bonus. Piloting: more than anything else, pilots are experts in aeronautics. After all, you want to know the hunk of metal that is the only thing between you and a five mile drop very, very well. Pilots receive a +1 CS in the operation of any aircraft, whether Agility, Reason, or Control ACTIONs are required, and gain a similar bonus for the design and maintenance of aircraft as well. Planargation: those who walk the myriad planes of existence often lack the ability to traverse the dimensions on their own, or have that but are lousy at finding their way from one reality to another. Studying planargation allows one to more readily navigate the twists, turns, ups, downs, and in-betweens of the multiverse, as well as a +1 CS bonus towards finding, or at least determine the route to, another universe. Riding: those increasingly rare individuals who possess this skill are adept at riding a large creature, whether into battle or just for leisure. Most often this involves a horse, but can be any number of animals both mundane and fantastic, from elephants to pegasi to dragons! Controlling a riding animal may be attempted at a +1 CS by those who have mastered this skill. Stealth: stealth is the ability to move without being conspicuous. Perhaps the character can tread silently, or maybe they're good at looking innocuous while doing so. When in use under practical conditions, stealth applies a -1 CS to Intuition ACTION rolls required to detect the stealthy character - a perk that works well with characters who possess super-human abilities of this stripe. Survival: individuals who have been trained in survival techniques excel at keeping themselves alive no matter how dire an environment or situation may be. All things considered, a survivalist can usually dredge up enough food, water, and shelter to persist in any locale, from urban wastelands to the most overgrown of jungles to the coldest of tundra. Teamster: an odd hybrid of driving and riding skills, the teamster talent provides the ability to effectively operate a vehicle pulled by animals. This can be anything from a chariot, intended for combat purposes, or a wagon, designed to haul cargo or passengers. Either way, a teamster can treat their animals, maintain their ride, and operate the two in tandem at a +1 CS to any applicable ACTIONs called for during play. Tracking: while there is a super tracking power, perfectly normal humans can learn to follow others as well. The tracking talent allows a body to detect the signs of a person's passing, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. They do so at their Intuition (alt) or (awr) rank +1 CS, depending on which portion is necessary to notice those blades of broken grass, changes in animal chatter, or whatever. * Fighting Talents * Fighting talents are capabilities that enhance a character's unarmed combat performance. It is important to note that fighting without related fighting skills will not incur a penalty. You can punch a foe without martial arts type b, grapple a foe without wrestling, or even attempt multiple actions without the multiple attacks talent, and not suffer a -1 CS penalty. There are fifteen fighting talents in all: Acrobatics: an acrobatic character is incredibly nimble, either naturally or thanks to intensive training in this regard. The acrobatics talent offers several benefits in combat, granting characters a +1 CS on any dodge, escape, evade, feint, or weave maneuver they attempt. Acrobatics also offers a similar bonus to other feats of balance, such as walking a tightrope (funambulism) or rolls to avoid falling. Aerial Combat: this specialized fighting skill involves training in airborne combat. It provides a +1 CS to all combat ACTIONs attempted while in the air, whether the character is flying under their own power or in a vehicle of some sort. This bonus can stack with other talent Column Shifts, but is often countered by the high movement rates of other aerial combatants anyway. Astral Combat: one who masters this skill excels at fighting in a disembodied state. This can be while traveling in an astral form, a cyber-spatial avatar, or anything in-between. Astral combat grants a +1 CS to all combat maneuvers attempted while bodiless, whether armed or unarmed, a bonus that readily stacks with other fighting and weapon talents (where applicable). Martial Arts type A: this fighting style involves using a foe's energies against them, and is representative of pacifist styles like Aikido and more aggressive Judo stances. Using martial arts type a, a character can inflict Slam or Stun results regardless of the Strength or Endurance differences between them and their foe, as said foe's own energies are being used against them to determine damage. This works by making a Fighting (def) ACTION roll when attacked, on the weave column of the Universal Table. If the attacker misses, his or her offensive power is redirected as the defender chooses, either into the ground, a nearby object, or just into the surrounding space. The use of type a martial arts does not require initiative to succeed, even though it is technically an offensive action. Martial Arts type B: this fighting style is indicative of the likes of boxing, and involves inflicting damage in quick, decisive strokes. A character trained in type b martial arts may strike in unarmed combat at his or her Fighting (off) score +1 CS, no matter what form of attack they attempt; punches, kicks, headbutts, elbow drops, knee smashes, and many more maneuvers fall under this heading. Martial Arts type C: type c martial arts focuses on the application of holds and the execution of escapes from such. It provides combatants a +1 CS to their Strength for the purposes of escape and grapple maneuvers (even where damage is concerned), and a +1 CS to their Agility (bal) for the purposes of dodging and weaving attacks. It excels for purposes of containing and wearing out unruly opponents. Martial Arts type D: a contemplative and deadly technique, type d martial arts allows a character to find and strike out against a foe's weak points. After two turns of study, characters with type d martial arts may ignore body armor (though not force fields) for the purpose of inflicting Slam or Stun results - even if no damage is inflicted by their attack! Martial Arts type E: this fighting style involves striking fast and unpredictably, allowing one to act with surprise. The actions of a type e martial artist are difficult to predict, and their general speed grants them a +1 initiative modifier in unarmed combat. While a character with type d martial arts can still receive their benefits against a type e fighter, they cannot defeat the type e initiative modifier. Mounted Combat: this talent is the ability to effectively fight one's opponents while riding atop a creature of some sort. This most often entails horsemanship, but creatures both mundane and fantastic can be used for locomotion in the midst of battle using this skill. Those trained in mounted battle may resolve combat ACTIONs while riding at a +1 CS to the applicable ability score. Multiple Attacks: the character with this talent is trained in making a burst of melee attacks in the shortest amount of time possible. After extensive training, a character with the multiple attacks talent should receive a +1 CS on multiple (offensive) ACTION attempts, and no longer suffers the -1 CS penalty incurred when doing so (the -3 CS penalty for failing a multiple ACTION attempt still applies, however). Spatial Combat: characters well-versed in spatial combat are trained in the effects of alien environments on their fighting styles. They suffer no innate penalty to hit due to the effects of gravity on their body (whether it be zero Gs or multiples of earth gravity), either in melee or ranged combat, and can maneuver with (relative) ease no matter the gravitic conditions on them. Tumbling: tumblers know how to take a fall, both literally and figuratively. Whenever a character with the tumbling talent falls (or is thrown) any distance which does not inflict damage, they may attempt an Agility (bal) ACTION roll to land on their feet. This makes them ready for action immediately, and of course prevents unnecessary Slam or Stun results that may occur due to, say, landing on one's head. Underwater Combat: masters of this environmental fighting skill have the ability to effectively engage in combat underwater. They know how to compensate for underwater effects, and may attempt maneuvers beneath the waves without the normal penalty. Though water resistance and breathing may still be valid concerns, the skilled undersea combatant definitely has a leg-up on untrained foes. Vehicular Combat: a specialized combat skill, this talent involves a character being trained in the use of vehicles while fighting. Whether it's an airplane, a custom-built car, or even a spacecraft, the vehicular combatant knows the ins and outs of such combat. They may attempt vehicular combat ACTIONs (either offensive or defensive) at a +1 CS to the applicable rank (usually Agility). Wrestling: a wrestler is adept in applying holds, of either the standard or Sumo variety. By itself, wrestling allows a +2 CS to a character's Strength (mgt) for the purposes of placing an opponent in a hold, a bonus which stacks with type c martial arts quite nicely. While wrestling does not allow for additional damage, it does let the holding character maintain his or her hold each turn to inflict repeat damage. * Miscellaneous Talents * This bundle of skills represents abilities that usually have practical use, but don't fit neatly into other categories. Miscellaneous talents encompass a wide variety of capabilities, some offering increased ability in some fashion. There are only eight miscellaneous talents in all, though there's always room for more that may not necessarily fit into the other, more focused talent categories available. Escape Artist: the art of liberating oneself from bindings and traps, escape artistry is a practice that one can use either for entertainment or to avoid the authorities. Regardless of the form of restraint, whether handcuffs, chains, nets, a straight-jacket, or even a locked room, escape artists gain a +1 CS on attempts to free themselves, a bonus which, naturally, does apply to escape maneuvers. First Aid: a limited form of the medicine talent, first aid is nonetheless a very useful skill to have in that it can be applied immediately during a fight (no ambulance ride required). When administering first aid, a character can immediately halt the loss of Endurance ranks in a dying individual, going so far as to actually add one lost Endurance rank back as well. Similarly, if caring for someone who has slipped to Shift 0 Endurance, the character with first aid can bring them back from the brink if they reached that point within the last five turns. This period of time is added to the maximum amount of time a character can be resuscitated within if the wielder also has medicine (for 25 turns maximum), and boosts 'emergency care' ACTIONs for those with both skills by +1 CS. Gastronomy: the practice and study of the preparation and serving of food and drink, gastronomers have existed as long as people have wanted someone else to make their consumables. Those well-versed in gastronmy include individuals such as chefs and cocktologists, whether they perform all such duties or are more specialized, and may prepare items for consumption with a +1 CS bonus. Power Skill: this talent represents a character who has trained hard in the use of one of their super-human abilities, which may or may not have combat applications, depending on the nature of said power. When using this power, the character should receive a +1 CS on all actions they attempt with it, save where damage is concerned. The power so trained in is noted in the talent listing, such as 'Skill / Shape Change'. Repair / Tinkering: tinkerers are great at taking apart an existing item and fixing or modifying it, in either a minor or major capacity. Tinkerers should receive a +1 CS on such efforts, whether fixing a toaster or adding a nitrous oxide feed into the fuel supply of their automobile, a bonus which is readily aided by other skills such as engineering or electronics. Resist Domination: bearers of this talent have been trained in the use of various techniques to avoid mental control in all its many forms. Whenever facing the effects of the manipulation or hypnosis talents, or even the blatant use of psionics, characters with resist domination should receive a +1 CS to their Psyche (will) for the purposes of shaking off such control. Trance: severe meditation and intense mastery of one's body and mind can allow a person to enter a deep, restive trance. While in this state, a character's body functions slow to the point that they are undetectable, and he or she appears to be dead (Intuition (alt) ACTION to make this distinction). Also, individuals in a trance have a minimal need for food or water, and recover lost Endurance ranks at a rate of one per day. Trivia: experts in trivia know a whole lot about obscure categories of knowledge that are typically not covered by other talents. An expert on baseball cards may know everything there is to know about the cards, but not necessarily baseball itself (though he or she may have the sports / baseball talent as well). Those with this talent gain a +1 CS on knowledge ACTIONs regarding their trivial area of expertise. * Professional Talents * The eighteen professional talents represent occupational paths. As opposed to scientific skills, these talents primarily lean upon practical experience to function. Sure, plenty of studying may be involved, but you mainly learn these crafts by doing, not reading. Furthermore, these talents lend themselves to a decent Resources rank - or at least a practical means of making money besides inheriting (or stealing) it. Agriculture: the profession which gave rise to modern civilization, independently developed around the world, agriculture is the cultivation of produce and livestock. Agriculture invokes portions of animal handling and botany, whether subsistence farming or practicing agronomy, and individuals with this talent gain a +1 CS towards efforts to successfully produce food. Artist: the artist is a person who creates works of, well, art. Unlike performances, these are lasting works that linger long past the actual performance proper (not counting recordings of such), such as photography, painting, sculpture, and writing. One work of art will typically take 1d10 weeks to finish, and offer a Karma reward equal to ten times that value upon completion. Business / Finance: this is the art of running a business, or otherwise growing available resources. Financiers and business people gain the benefit of a minimum Resources rank of Good (10), and a +1 CS in monetary matters (whether actually handling it or in dealings with the business world), in addition to one free contact related to their field in some fashion. Clothier: a clothier is technically someone who works in the making and marketing of cloth, but for our purposes this trade will include tailors, upholsterers, and the like. These professionals work with cloth for a living, whether crafting it wholesale, or using it in the decoration of people or furniture, and should receive a +1 CS on ACTIONs applicable to such activiites. Crime: crime is a sort of catch-all for capabilities that aren't specifically covered by other skills, which are primarily useful for engaging in larcenous behavior. Whether keeping an eye out for the police, picking a lock, disguising oneself as another person, or even appraising the 'street value' of stolen goods, a criminal may add a +1 CS to any such efforts. Some enterprising criminals excel in one area of this talent, which should be so noted. A 'master of disguise' might have a +2 CS for the purposes of posing as others, while being useless where locks are concerned (and would be noted with 'Disguise' instead of 'Crime'). Alternately, a criminal may specialize in an area of crime as can a scientist, spending another talent slot for the additional +1 CS on top of crime in general. Demolitions: a limited and specialized form of the engineering profession, this talent involves the knowledge to build, arm, or disarm explosive devices. It allows a character to perform these actions at a +1 CS to their Reason score, and is representative of explosive ordnance disposal professionals or, alternately, military engineers who excel at destroying enemy gear with bombs. Detective / Espionage: detectives are good at connecting the dots and finding the clues necessary to solve a mystery, while spies excel in liberating information from their targets. Both should receive a +1 CS on ACTION rolls to dig up or discover the information they require, and receive not one but two additional contacts to assist in their line of work. Education: including aspects of behavior modification, politics, and performer, teaching involves passing knowledge on to others. Educators should receive a +1 CS when attempting to teach things to others, whether for keeping their attention or making things comprehensible. Educators should receive two additional contacts, usually people they've taught in the past. Engineering: the craft of building, an engineer knows how to make things - from cars to skyscrapers. On the other hand, engineers also know how to take them apart, and make great demolitionists. An engineer should receive a +1 CS on ACTION rolls related to designing or building an object or device, including the Resources ACTION required for such. Journalism: journalists master the craft of conveying news to the world, whether they do so with words, pictures, or both. This character excels in generating compelling accounts of current events, receiving a +1 CS when doing so, and should receive three additional contacts related to their field - possibly an editor, fellow journalist, or even a trusted 'reliable source'. Law: armed with an extensive knowledge of the legal system, lawyers are put into play to sway judges and juries over to their line of thinking - and that of their client's. They should receive a +1 CS concerning legal knowledge and procedure, and benefit from one additional contact - either in legal circles or perhaps a client they made a particularly good impression on. Leathercraft: a material that is both flexible and durable, leather is produced by tanning animal hides. Producing leather, and then fashioning it into usable garments and accessories, is a skill that has been developed throughout recorded history. Those who have mastered the art of leathercraft may apply a +1 CS to any ACTION roll required when going about that kind of work. Metalcraft: those skilled in metalcraft can fashion useful objects out of various metals. Whether smithing, smelting, or founding, those practicing this trade either have general competency working with all metals, or focus on specialized areas like a blacksmith, brownsmith, jeweler, or work with more modern materials. Smiths may create and modify items made from metal with a +1 CS bonus. Politics: politics is the fine art of making decisions for and influencing groups of people, and politicians excel in doing just that, whether in a diplomatic fashion (bringing people together) or in an abrasive manner (fear mongering, rabble rousing). Politicians should receive a +1 CS on efforts to sway a crowd to their point of view, and receive one bonus contact related to this purpose. Salesmanship: some people train hard to influence other people, while others... just have an inherent knack for it. Salesmen are very, very good at convincing people that they absolutely need something - whether or not they actually do. They should receive a +1 CS on efforts to sell anything, whether in person or through the media (often known as marketing). Sports: while just about everyone can play a game without formal training, the individuals with actual skill in their sport of choice have elevated their recreational passion into an art form - often with monetary benefits. The sports talent offers a +1 CS bonus to knowledge relating to athletics in general (rules, statistics, etc.), as well as actions made in the course of play. But that's not all. Athletes typically specialize in one form of sport above others. Instead of a general knowledge in sports (often possessed by sports commentators), a character may instead be really versatile in knowledge related to one sport. This sort of character should receive a +2 CS in their game of choice, instead of having an all-around bonus, and are noted specifically (e.g., 'Sports / Lacrosse'). Stonecraft: one of the world's oldest crafts, masonry involves working rough stone into shapes more conducive to human use, whether for structures, tools, or weapons. A skill that takes on various forms depending on the era it is practiced in, stonecraft can produce results ranging from the primitive to the artistic, and this talent bolsters a mason's efforts by +1 CS. Woodcraft: one of the earliest materials early man had to work with, wood has proven an invaluable substance for the production of tools, weapons, and other useful objects throughout the ages. Whether engaging in carpentry, carving, joinery, turning, or whittling, a trained woodworker may attempt to craft items from this material, regardless of its tree of origin, with a +1 CS bonus. * Scientific Talents * Talents of the scientific variety almost exclusively involve the study of some area of knowledge or another. The talents listed below are generalized into 'major' sciences, which allow for further specialization. If a character would like to specialize in a specific area of a talent (as an example, the doctor with medicine wanting to go into neurology), they can buy that specialization as a second talent. While this can be expensive (particularly if one wants to have more than one specialized science under their belt), the specialist benefits from an additional +1 CS in their area of expertise, while keeping their basic level with a talent unchanged - which is much more common than 'doubling up' in a general science. There are fifteen scientific talents in all, each covering a vital area of knowledge: Archaeology: archaeologists research the past to learn from it, for various reasons. The character with archaeology as a talent should receive a +1 CS on any ACTION roll dependent on knowledge of the past. It also lends itself to various specialty fields, such as anthropology, or even a focus on the history of specific nations (e.g., 'History / Spain'). Biology: students of biology become well-versed in the basic processes of life, involving both humans and other life forms. Biologists are familiar with a wide variety of organisms, and should receive a +1 CS on any ACTION concerning knowledge of such, either for identification purposes, the production of antidotes for organic poisons, or even the research and treatment of a disease. Biologists can specialize in many specific forms of their science, such as botany (plants), mycology (fungi), zoology (animals), epidemiology (illness and plague), pharmacology (drugs and their effects), exobiology (alien life forms), veterinary science (the care and treatment of animals), and many, many more. Biology readily overlaps with most other scientific talents, as well. Chemistry: this is the study of interactions between different chemical substances, the changes they undergo, and the resultant energies produced. Characters with the chemistry talent can add a +1 CS to all chemical ACTION rolls required, whether remembering chemical structures, mixing new compounds, identifying substances by taste or touch, or even brewing antidotes for inorganic toxins. Computers: a study of computer technology allows for a significant understanding of how 'thinking machines' work. Whether operating, assembling, or programming such devices, a computer expert should receive a +1 CS on necessary Reason ACTION rolls. This bonus applies whether working on regular computers, computer-controlled or assisted equipment, or even artificial intelligences. Criminology: criminologists are experts in the criminal mind, knowing how it generally operates thanks either to personal experience or extensive study. They should gain a +1 CS on Reason or Intuition ACTION rolls related to criminal practices, and receive the benefit of one additional contact in either police or criminal circles (whichever is most convenient). Electronics: a study of electronics allows one to bend the electron to their will! Whether building analog or digital circuits, a student of electronics can create all manner of devices to power their world, from the mundane to the fantastic. They should receive a +1 CS on any Reason ACTION related to this field, particularly when designing, building, or repairing electronic devices. Genetics: related to both biology and chemistry to an extent, genetics is a study of the essential building blocks of life, such as deoxyribonucleic acid. While genetics has several beneficial uses, it lends itself to abuse by the more 'twitchy' members of the scientific community, particularly those who think it's time to 'improve' on a species - with or without thinking through the consequences. Either way, a geneticist should receive a +1 CS on matters concerning genes in general, particularly where mutation is concerned. They share a benefit with biologists, having the skills to research and treat diseases, with the added benefit of being able to cook up their own. Finally, a geneticist has the ability (if not necessarily the resources or safeguards) to create new life forms from scratch. Geology: the study of the earth, geology is a way to look at how our planet formed and functions. It provides a +1 CS on ACTIONs called for in regards to volcanic activity, the identification of particular rocks or stones, or even determining the characteristics of nearby strata. Common specializations of geology include ecology, paleontology, meteorology, and (in futuristic campaigns) astrogeology. Linguistics: this is the study of languages. A linguistic expert may begin play with at least one additional language, which they can read, write, and speak fluently, in addition to their native tongue. Mastering additional languages after the second is much easier; each further language learned only counts as half a talent during character generation, or is purchased at half price during character advancement. This talent can also indicate mere mastery of specific languages, instead of an actual study of such. This is functionally the same, only differentiated to distinguish true linguists from characters who may just happen to have an extra language or two in their 'pocket'. Non-linguists with multiple tongues are indicated by listing the languages they can use as talents (e.g., 'Languages / English and Farsi'). Lore: while most sciences focus on what others consider common knowledge, the student of lore digs deeper, into areas some consider fantasy at best. Lore is a sort of accumulated wealth of knowledge on mystic cults, relics, and forgotten (or forbidden) knowledge. The character who is a student of lore should receive a +1 CS in such matters, no matter how obscure. There is room for many specialties of lore, as it is a science - if somewhat mysterious. A bibliophile may be an expert on magical books, while a scholar of antiquities may know everything there is to know about mystic artifacts, and a cryptozoologist might be the go-to person when freaky monsters from other planes of existence run amok down in the industrial district. Mathematics: the 'queen of the sciences', mathematics is an advanced and rigorous discipline. Beyond the basic maths most children master in school, this talent deals in abstract concepts evolved from quantity, whether real or imaginary. These include geometry / trigonometry, calculus, information theory, probability / chaos theory, and more - all of which a mathematician handles at their Reason score +1 CS. Medicine: characters with this talent have studied the human body extensively, and can treat a variety of conditions it may be suffering from. As you can guess, doctors and nurses benefit from a +1 CS on any Reason ACTION roll required in matters of medical problems or emergencies, medicines, poisons, surgery, and the treatment of most other ailments. Being a doctor has several additional benefits, however. While anyone can stop a dying person from losing further Endurance ranks simply by checking on them, characters with the medicine talent can actually resuscitate wounded individuals who have slipped to Shift 0 Endurance within the last twenty turns. Furthermore, when treating the wounded, they may restore one lost Endurance rank per week, in addition to those regained thanks to normal healing. Physics: the science of physics involves a study of matter and how it moves through space-time. This is a fancy way to describe a study of how things work, from the largest to the smallest. This talent offers a +1 CS on all Reason ACTION rolls regarding energy, force, motion, and time. Some specialty fields of physics include astronomy, nuclear physics, and quantum physics, among others. Psychology: a psychologist studies the human mind and how it works. This is different than a psychiatrist, which is actually a medical specialty, in that a psychologist has no medical background, per se. They should receive a +1 CS on Reason ACTION rolls related to determining the behavior of others, either individually or in groups. Specialty fields include related disciplines such as sociology and political science. But wait, there's more. An intense knowledge of how people think and behave has benefits above and beyond academic work and the treatment of mental illness. A trained psychologist knows the ins and outs of thought processes, which comes in handy when wielding psionics, either natural or learned. Psychologists attempt efforts to read, control, or influence thoughts or emotions with a +1 CS bonus to their power rank(s). Theology: this is the study of spirituality, or of religious faith, practice, and experience. Theologists are keenly aware just what major (and most minor) religions represent, and should receive a +1 CS on ACTION rolls concerning such knowledge. Theological specialists are those who focus on just one faith for the most part, and are noted as such (say, with 'Theology / Pastafarianism'). * Weapon Talents * The opposite of fighting talents, weapon talents involve armed combat to some degree or another. They primarily offer a +1 CS to the use of the weapon(s) in question, or provide the ability to use an entire class of weaponry without penalty. There are twenty-one weapon skills in all, each of which greatly expand the lethality of a character no matter their choice in personal armaments: Advanced Guns: characters with the advanced guns talent are skilled in the use of high-tech, hand-held projectile weaponry. These weapons, which include laser pistols, particle beam emitters, blasters, concussion cannons, and the ever-popular death ray, behave differently than standard firearms and require special training - training which provides a +1 CS in the use of such devices. Blunt Weapons: this 'package' talent provides a character the ability to wield all blunt melee weapons without penalty. Whether they're brandishing a staff, a club, a Louisville slugger, or even a nunchaku, a combatant may use it at their base Fighting (off) score, as opposed to the usual -1 CS penalty. Blunt weapons costs twice the normal talent slots (or Karma) to 'double up' or 'triple up'. Bows: this talent allows a character to fire stringed weaponry at their Agility (dex) score +1 CS, whether it be a standard, compound, or crossbow. This talent assumes the ability to fire and reload the bow as a single combat action. Also, a character with the bows talent may attempt to fire several arrows at once (if not using a crossbow), though this requires a yellow Agility (dex) ACTION, and the usual penalties apply. Concussion Weapons: concussion weapons are melee devices which produce a focused field that, when striking another, inflicts Force damage. This may come in the form of concussion gauntlets, charged melee weapons, or even solid energy constructs like a force bat. This talent allows the use of this class of weaponry without penalty, though related skills readily stack with the concussion weapons talent. Energy Weapons: on the other hand, energy weapons are melee devices that generate a power field which inflicts more deadly, Energy damage instead. This class of weaponry includes power gauntlets, vibro blades, or even photon swords. This talent allows the use of lethal energy weapons without penalty, though related skills readily stack with the energy weapons talent (for example, swords and energy weapons). Entangling Weapons: this class of weapons are designed to inhibit the motion of others, most often without inflicting damage in the process. They include implements like bolas, lassos, nets, and whips, which can occasionally harm enemies by themselves but are primarily used for containment purposes. Those trained in the use of such non-lethal weaponry may wield them without penalty. Guns: the character that is trained in the fine art of gunplay may use such weapons as though their Agility (dex) was +1 CS higher than is listed. This applies whether the firearm in question is a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, and includes all applicable modes of fire for a given weapon (semi-automatic guns can fire one round or a small burst, for example). Marksman: firing large-bore weaponry requires special training, including a lot of math as well as practical skill. A trained marksman can use this education to fire weapons with a line-of-sight range effectively, whether they come in the form of mortar shells, fire-and-forget portable missiles, or even large-caliber tank or ship cannons. These weapons may be fired at a +1 CS to the character's Agility (dex) score. Martial Arts Weapons: this 'package' talent covers implements typically associated with more lethal fighting styles. Whether brandishing a sai, katana, crossbow, shuriken, nunchaku, or even a wakizashi, one can use it at their base Fighting (off) or Agility (dex), where applicable, as opposed to the usual -1 CS penalty. This talent costs twice the normal talent slots (or Karma) to 'double up' or 'triple up'. Natural Weapons: this class of weaponry is not the kind that can be easily removed, as it is inherent to one's own body. It includes claws, quills, razor skin, battle tails, and the like. One can use such 'additions' without penalty if they lack this talent, but training in one's natural weapons allows the character so armed a +1 CS in the use of such unique, built-in physical enhancements. Pole Weapons: occasionally improvised while sometimes designed for a specific purpose, pole weapons are sharp weapons mounted upon a long shaft. They allow their wielders to assault foes while keeping their distance, and include items such as the halberd, javelin, naginata, spear, trident, and war scythe. Those trained in the use of pole weapons may wield this class of device without penalty. Quick Draw: the quick draw skill represents a character that has trained to wield their weapon of choice fast - very fast. This talent can apply to any one type of weapon, but not a weapon class (it can work with a handgun or a sword, but not all 'blunt' or 'sharp' weapons). In play, it offers the character with this skill a +2 initiative modifier when wielding their preferred weapon. Furthermore, thanks to this inherent speed with one's weapon of choice, the quick draw talent allows its user a +1 CS to their Fighting (off) regarding multiple actions with said weapon. This helps a body get off one more shot with that rifle, or perhaps an extra stroke with their sword. This bonus can stack with the automatic extra attack from two weapons if both revolve around the same weapon type. Sharp Weapons: the opposite coin of the blunt weapons skill, this 'package' talent allows the character to wield any edged melee weapon without penalty (as opposed to the usual -1 CS handicap). This can come in the form of a sword, a dagger, an axe, a scythe, or just about anything else with a blade attached. Sharp weapons costs twice the normal talent slots (or Karma) to 'double up' or 'triple up'. Shields: just about any slob can make effective use of a shield, assuming at least a passing familiarity with the device. The true skill comes in wielding it offensively as well as defensively, and this talent allows a body to strike another with a shield - either in melee or when thrown in the case of aerodynamic shields - at a +1 CS to the applicable ability score. Spontaneous Weapons: the character with this talent has practiced in the use of turning almost anything into a weapon. Whether it's a chair, a couch, a television, a lamp post, or even a city bus, he or she can wield it effectively; think of this as 'blunt weapons' on steroids. Whenever using an item as a makeshift weapon, the character with this talent may do so without penalty (though with no actual bonus to hit). Thrown Objects: the ranged equivalent of the above skill, the thrown objects talent allows characters to wield almost any object in long distance combat. It doesn't matter if they've palmed a rock, a crate, an automobile, or even a dumpster, the character can throw it as long as he or she has the strength to lift the thing. Characters with the thrown objects talent can fling any object at their Agility (dex) score +1 CS. Thrown Weapons: persons who are trained in the use of thrown weapons can wield them at range, receiving a +1 CS to their Agility (dex) when doing so. Any weapon specifically designed to be thrown (boomerangs, shuriken, darts, and certain daggers and axes, for instance) falls under the purview of this talent. Other items (even weapons) not specifically designed to be thrown refer to thrown objects, instead. Two Weapons: a difficult skill to master, the two weapons talent allows a character to effectively handle two similar (in shape, size, or weight) weapons at the same time. Two weapons provides one extra attack per turn when using similar weapons simultaneously, which allows for either two separate attacks or bursting. The weapons a character can dual wield are generally indicated as part of the talent name (e.g., 'Two Guns'). Weapon Skill: while most of the weapons talents listed above showcase general types of weapons (blunt weapons, sharp weapons, energy weapons, etc.), this talent represents a character who has worked hard to master one specific type of weapon, usually indicated in the name of the talent (such as 'Skill / Swords'). When wielding weapons of this type, a character does so at the appropriate ability score +1 CS. This skill is the one amongst weapon talents that most readily stacks with others. For instance, the wielder of a force bat with a skill / clubs and concussion weapons would allow a +2 CS to hit (the clubs talent backed up by the concussion weapons talent). This sort of combination allows a general mastery of one class of weapons, with another the character can wield above and beyond others in that class. Weapon Specialist: a character can train above and beyond the call of duty with a specific weapon to attain even greater mastery with it - say, a family heirloom, or unique artifact they discovered by chance. By becoming a weapon specialist with this item, he or she can add a +2 CS to their to-hit rolls when wielding it, which can stack with the normal weapon skill for its type. Say our heroine finds a strange hammer with the power to control the weather itself! She trains long and hard, and masters hammers in general (skill / hammer), and then specializes in the use of this specific weapon, gaining a further +2 CS. The only danger is in losing this weapon, either if it's stolen or destroyed. If this occurs, and the weapon cannot be replaced, the bonus (and Karma spent to gain this talent) is lost. An additional bonus a weapon specialist receives is that he or she may add a +2 initiative modifier when using their weapon of choice (which does stack with the quick draw bonus). Weapons Master: something of a misnomer, this talent represents a person who has trained hard enough to be effective with just about every weapon available to them. While it offers no bonus, weapons master allows a character to literally wield any weapon, melee or ranged, without penalty. Of course, being a weapon master can be somewhat expensive, costing two of the character's total talent slots. * Additional Materials * Though it's not of my own creation, I would be remiss in my duties as a writer if I didn't point you towards an excellent resource for Talents more or less compatible with the CASE. By ASKPREFERREDNAME and Tammra Goodman, the Ultimate Talents Book is great as an alternate source of skills for your game, in case you don't like mine or the original mine was based upon. Check it out at Gaming Nerds ᴙ Us! CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: QUIRKS Quirks are special qualities a player may use to customize his or her character. Quirks are completely optional during character creation, and a player only need make use of quirks if they wish to. Mind you, there's nothing stopping a body from developing quirks at a later date, should events during the course of game play call for their sudden imposition upon a character, whether in their favor or otherwise. The quirks system is straightforward in nature. Each beneficial quirk a player wants will cost them one point, while a deleterious quirk they take on will give them one point. Some quirks may be taken in levels, like talents or contacts. A level two quirk costs (or grants) two points, while a level three quirk gives (or takes) four points. Still more quirks lack a level, but count as two quirks for these purposes (or two points). If using systematic character generation, quirk points translate directly into the point-based system, whether adding or subtracting. Alternately, if one's game uses the random character generation method, players may use quirks to buy or sell powers, talents, and contacts. One quirk point equals one contact, two quirk points equals one talent, and four quirk points equals one power - if listed with a price of one point per rank. If a power is listed as having a greater cost, multiply the quirk point cost by that value. Image projection, for instance, would cost a character eight quirk points to purchase outright, as it counts as two powers. On the other hand, if a power has a flat cost, it may be purchased for a number of quirk points equal to its 'flat' cost. As an example, a battle tail could be acquired with but two quirk points, while an invulnerability would cost a player eight quirk points. A player may take as many quirks as he or she likes, within reason. Furthermore, they cannot have a negative balance by the time they are done building their character. This is simple enough in the systematic character generation system, but with random character creation one could wind up with an imbalance. A character should 'break even', or at the very least not 'owe' for any beneficial quirks they've taken. Note that some quirks may not be remotely appropriate for a given setting. Cyber-neurosis, for instance, wouldn't really be at home in a medieval campaign - or any other game where artificial implants aren't relatively common to the super-human populace. The Judge may override a quirk choice if it absolutely wouldn't fit in his or her game, or otherwise wouldn't at all affect the player taking it. A description of every quirk follows. They are divided into beneficial and deleterious quirks of a physical, mental, and role-play nature. * Physical Quirks (beneficial) * Acceleration Tolerance: the character who possesses this quirk is able to accelerate much faster than is normal. Acceleration tolerance allows a character to add one area per turn to his or her acceleration rate without harm to themselves, though their gear may not be so lucky. This acceleration can come in any form, whether running, flying, or riding within a spacecraft. Adrenal Surge: an adrenal surge is just that, a massive pulse of adrenaline that will give a body incredible strength for a short period of time. When triggered, the character with this quirk will enjoy a +1 CS boost to his or her Strength score for 1d10 turns. This boost can only be used once per day, and after it wears off this quirk inflicts a -2 CS penalty to one's Strength score for 1d100 turns. Ambidexterity: an ambidextrous character enjoys the benefit of being equally adept in the use of both their left and right appendages. They may use either their left or right hand without penalty, whether writing, sculpting, or discharging a firearm. The advantage of ambidexterity can be a result of natural ability, or acquired through intense training - whether voluntary or otherwise. Fast Healing: not quite regeneration, fast healing is representative of a character who can nonetheless recover from injuries far faster than is readily apparent. A fast healer may recover lost Health points as if their Endurance rank was +4 CS higher than is listed. While not (usually) enough to make a difference in combat, fast healing can drastically reduce one's medical down time. Fighting Logistics: those characters who possess this quirk have a naturally tactical mind. After either fighting or observing an opponent in battle for ten full rounds (opponent's time, not that of the character with this quirk), the logistic fighter gains a +1 CS on all Fighting ACTION rolls concerning said opponent. This quirk may stack with similar powers, such as combat edge. Gravity Tolerance: characters with gravity tolerance may move and function more easily under the influence of abnormal gravity conditions. For every level in gravity tolerance a character has, he or she can reduce the penalties of high (or low) gravity by -1 CS, including any crushing damage inflicted by such. Endurance ACTIONs prompted by gravitational variance are made with a similar bonus. Hardiness: a hardy character can take a lot more punishment than is readily apparent, as compared to someone else of similar body type. The character with hardiness may add a 20 percent bonus to the sum of his or her physical ability scores when determining their Health point total. This bonus also applies to special powers that increase one's Health maximums (such as kinetic absorption). Heightened Sense: not quite super senses, a heightened sense is nonetheless a sensory apparatus the character possesses that functions higher than his or her Intuition (alt) rank. Such heightened senses are so noted (heightened sense / smell, for example), and a character with one should make applicable Intuition ACTION rolls at a +1 CS whenever the sense is referenced in play. High Pain Threshold: this quirk, as one might guess, makes a character highly resistant to pain. It grants its possessor a +2 CS to any Endurance ACTION roll required to resist the effects of pain, whether from injury or from pain-inducing effects, as well as a like bonus when checking against Stun results. A high pain threshold counts as two quirks (costs two points). Hypermobility: those rare characters 'gifted' with hypermobility benefit from being what is commonly known as double jointed. Such characters benefit from a +1 CS on Agility ACTIONs called for regarding the joints in question, whether it just be one's fingers or their whole body, as well as applicable escape attempts. The only downside is that hypermobility is sometimes accompanied by arthritis (lameness) or weak bones. Learned Resistance: through intense training or perhaps just unintentional, repeated exposure, the character with this quirk has developed a heightened resistance to a specific form of harmful stimuli. For each level of learned resistance a character has, he or she receives a +1 CS on any Endurance (res) or Psyche (will) ACTION roll to resist the chosen stimuli, whether it be drugs, poison, or even mind control. Omnidexterity: similar in nature to ambidexterity, omnidexterity is the ability to use all of one's limbs equally well, assuming the physical ability to do so. This often assumes the presence of additional arms, tentacles, or whatever, but some entities (such as a sentient gorilla) might make equally good use of both hands and feet, for instance. Omnidexterity counts as two quirks (costs two points). Rank Boost: this quirk is a direct way to enhance a character's ability score or power rank that the player finds lacking. This may apply to any physical or mental statistic, or applicable power rank, but not to one's Resources or Popularity score. Rank boost counts as two quirks when used with random character generation, but is redundant in the point-based character creation system (not allowed). When used on powers with a cost that is greater than one, multiply the quirk point cost by the power's cost per rank when applying rank boost. Strong Bones: a normal human character is assumed to have bones with a Typical (6) material strength. This quirk increases that material strength by +1 CS for each level taken, which has a potent benefit. A character with strong bones enjoys 1 CS of Damage Reduction against Blunt Attack damage that is of an intensity equal to or less than the material strength of their bone structure. Sturdiness: a character with this quirk is allowed to calculate their Negative Health score as if their Endurance was +1 CS higher in rank. This generally results in a much higher Negative Health score, allowing a character to withstand more punishment while unconscious before automatically dying - particularly if said character's Endurance score is already high to begin with. Tetrachromacy: tetrachromats possess four independent channels for conveying color information. As opposed to normal humans, who only have three, a tetrachromat can discern hues their trichromat counterparts can only imagine. Furthermore, they can see better in dim lighting conditions and when observing computer screens, and should receive a +1 CS vision bonus under these conditions. * Physical Quirks (deleterious) * Abnormal Attribute: individuals with an abnormal attribute just 'aren't right'. Something about them is clearly weird in an obvious fashion - not so much as to grant them any sort of special power, but such an attribute may be a side effect of any powers the character has. This can range from really big ears to extra fingers to a vestigial tail to hair that grows, say, a quarter inch per day. Acceleration Intolerance: a character with this quirk is ill-equipped to accelerate very quickly. He or she can move fast, mind you, but it takes a good long time for them to get up to speed. Subtract one area per turn from this character's listed acceleration rate, as determined on Table 14, with a minimum acceleration rate of 1/2 an area per turn. Addiction: an addict is someone who is currently, or was at one point in their life, physically addicted to some substance or another. Those who fall under this umbrella are susceptible to feeding their addiction under stress, and must pass a Psyche (will) ACTION roll at -2 CS to avoid partaking in whatever it is they're addicted to under such conditions, for each level of addiction they suffer under. Albinism: the result of a congenital lack of certain pigments, albinism can express itself as either a lack of coloration in the eyes, or the eyes, hair, and skin. Either way, an albino is sensitive to bright lights, resisting such at a -2 CS. If one's skin is albinic, they are subject to a -2 CS penalty to resist ultraviolet radiation assaults, as well as being easily blinded by bright light. Allergy: an allergy is a heightened vulnerability to certain attacks or substances. Not quite a susceptibility, per se, an allergy inflicts a -2 CS penalty towards resisting whatever the character is allergic to, for each level taken. This can be any direct form of damage (radiation, Karmic attacks), a toxic substance, or even something 'normal' in the environment the character is especially vulnerable to. Color Blind: color blindness is the inability to distinguish one or more colors. Usually this involves a lack of one type of color receptor, which causes one to see colors completely different than others. Severe cases can cause one to see in 'black and white', however, which is mostly a disadvantage save for in certain conditions (or when fighting someone with color control). Dulled Sense: a dulled sense is one that functions at a diminished capacity. For every level a character takes in this quirk, he or she should suffer a -2 CS to any one sense of their choice. This can sometimes be nullified by technology, such as glasses or hearing aids, but not always. If this quirk reduces a sense to Shift 0 rank, the character is considered to be lacking it entirely. Dwarfism: this quirk does not refer to the axe-wielding dwarves of lore. It describes a condition wherein the character possessing this quirk is disproportionately short. For game purposes, a dwarf usually ranges between three and a half and five feet tall, not being small enough to qualify for the shrinking power and yet being of a size where he or she must usually have all gear and clothing custom-fitted. Epilepsy: an epileptic character is prone to sudden fits of uncontrollable shaking. They can be caused by anything from stress to head injuries. A character will feel a seizure coming on 1d10 turns early, and they will last a like amount of time. Actions attempted while seizing are made at a -4 CS. Epileptic characters can postpone the onset of a seizure each turn they can pass a yellow Psyche ACTION. Feebleness: feebleness indicates a character who is highly susceptible to the loss of Negative Health, for they must calculate such as if their Endurance score was -1 CS in rank. Characters with a higher Endurance score have much more Negative Health to lose thanks to this quirk, though admittedly they're in a better position to handle such a loss in the first place. Gigantism: the flip side of dwarfism, gigantism indicates a character who is not just tall, but is disproportionately so. Such an individual will usually range between seven and eight and a half feet tall, and must have all of his or her clothing and gear custom-made. A character suffering from this quirk may also possess several related ailments, such as feebleness or even weak bones. Gravity Intolerance: the gravity intolerant are those who are particularly attuned to gravitic conditions wherever they come from, and do not adapt well to changes in it. For every level of intolerance to gravitic changes these characters have, these characters suffer an additional -2 CS ACTION penalty under high or low gravity conditions, and +1 CS crushing damage inflicted by the latter. Lameness: not a state of being uncool, a lame character has some vital part that functions at less than one hundred percent. This can be anything from a bum leg to a crippled hand to even serious organ damage. The effect of this is usually to apply a -2 CS on ACTIONs related to the lame body part (movement penalty for a leg, Agility (dex) for a bad hand), though this can depend on the nature of the lameness. Low Pain Threshold: characters with a low pain threshold are much more likely to buckle under physical duress. They suffer a -2 CS penalty on any ACTION roll intended to resist the effects of pain (whether from physical damage, methodical torture, or pain induced via some other mechanism), and bear a like penalty to shrug off Stun results scored against them in battle. Missing Parts: put bluntly, the character is missing some body part or another. This can be a sensory instrument, extremity, or (formerly) internal organ. As is the case with lameness, the specific detriment to a character with missing parts must be determined on a case-by-case basis, but the penalty is usually more severe. As a result, missing parts counts as two quirks (grants two points). Rank Loss: a rank loss is a direct way for a player to gain quirk points for other purposes, possibly to cover the cost of a beneficial quirk or two. When taken, rank loss reduces the rank of any one ability or power score by -1 CS. Rank loss counts as two quirks when used with random character generation, but is redundant in the point-based character creation system (not allowed). When used on powers with a cost that is greater than one, multiply the quirk point benefit by the power's cost per rank when applying rank loss. Slow Healing: a slow healer, as you may have guessed, recovers from damage at a much lower rate than is normal for a person of their Endurance rank. They heal as if their Endurance was -4 CS in rank, to a minimum of Feeble (2). This may not be enough to make an immediate difference in combat, but will definitely increase one's time in the hospital after serious injury. Weak Bones: a normal human character is assumed to have bones with a Typical (6) material strength. The character with weak bones is not so lucky, however, and suffers heightened damage in the face of crushing attacks. Any Blunt Attack affecting the character inflicts +1 CS damage, possibly leading to regularly broken bones. Weak bones counts as two quirks (grants two points). Weakness: the unfortunate character that is inherently weak finds that he or she has much less Health than would otherwise be indicated. Weakness counts as two quirks (grants two points), and reduces the sum of one's physical ability scores by twenty percent, making them much more likely to face unconsciousness and potential death in the midst of combat (super-human or otherwise). * Mental Quirks (beneficial) * 3-D Sense: possession of a 3-D sense indicates a character has the ability to think in more than two dimensions. This comes in handy when handling situations such as aerial combat, or in any other condition where threats may come from any of the three standard axes. A 3-D sense can also benefit characters who deal with even higher dimensions as well, even if this doesn't apply very often. Alertness: alertness is a heightened awareness of one's surroundings. Characters with this quirk are rarely surprised by the actions of others, whether or not super-human abilities are in play. In game terms, a highly alert character should receive a +2 CS on any ACTION roll to avoid ambushes or surprise, and is such a light sleeper that any disturbance in his or her area will wake them on a yellow Intuition ACTION. Cybernetic Aptitude: a cybernetically apt character is one whose body is highly accepting of artificial implants of any variety. Such an individual should be treated as if their Psyche was +2 CS higher in rank for the purposes of ACTION rolls against their Implant Psychosis Statistic, thus allowing them to handle a lot more artificial components in their body than is normal. Fortitude: fortitude is indicative of a character who has an abnormally high Mental Health score. They may calculate that statistic as if their Psyche rank was +1 CS higher than normal. Fortitude is especially handy for those characters who regularly engage in psionic combat, particularly if said characters already have a high Psyche score to begin with. High Stress Threshold: no matter how weird or dangerous or frustrating the situation is, a character with the high stress threshold quirk manages to easily keep their cool. He or she should receive a +2 CS bonus on any ACTION required of them to stay calm in the face of adversity, even if their life or the life of someone they care about is on the line. Karmic Shell: characters with a karmic shell are blessed by fate (or destiny, etc.). This quirk allows its possessor to begin each game session with twenty percent more Karma than the sum of their mental ability scores would indicate. This quirk counts as two quirks (or costs two points), but is not allowed if the Judge is using the optional 'no free lunch' Karma rules. Magical Aptitude: a magical aptitude is an inherent 'knack' for the use of magic spells. Characters with such an aptitude need not begin play as a spellcaster, but may be looked upon favorably by would-be mystic instructors. When casting spells, a character with magical aptitude may do so as if the spell was +1 CS in rank in all manners, save for any damage it inflicts. Natural Talent: a natural talent is just that, an inherent disposition towards a skill. A character with a natural talent should gain a +1 CS when attempting an ACTION with said skill, above and beyond the normal bonus. Alternately, a natural talent can substitute for the use of a talent itself, denoting someone who hasn't been trained at all but nonetheless shows great promise in that area. Psionic Aptitude: this is a knack of sorts for the use of psionics, whether natural or trained. Whether he or she begins play with such or develops them at a later date, an apt character can use any psionics at their disposal more effectively than others. This aptitude translates into a +1 CS on any ACTION roll required during the use of psionics, applying to everything save for any damage inflicted. Quick Learning: as one can guess, the character with the quick learning quirk learns things quickly. In game terms, he or she can master a new talent in half the normal time, and may do so with a twenty-five percent Karma discount. This discount can stack with the student talent when buying new skills, but cannot stack when purchasing talent-equivalent powers such as magic spells or psionics. Sanity: more impressive than it may at first sound, sanity is a quality that reflects one's ability to stave off madness, even in the face of mind-bending phenomena. Related to a high stress threshold (and stacking with such), the sanity quirk provides a +2 CS on Psyche ACTION rolls required when attempting to avoid going crazy, usually as a result of things from Beyond - but not always. Static: whether it's a subconscious form of psionic ability or just something weird going on with one's brain chemistry, static denotes a character with a 'tricky' mind. Any mind-altering psionic effect (no matter its source) suffers a -1 CS penalty when utilized against a character with the static quirk, whether it's mere telepathy or something as extreme as a mind transfer! Technological Aptitude: related to a natural talent, this is a 'knack' of sorts for devices of all types. It allows its possessor a +1 CS on any ACTION roll required during the creation of a mechanical or electronic item, save for the Resources check. This bonus can stack with those offered by any technical talent(s), as well as the with the natural talent quirk (if the character possesses both). * Mental Quirks (deleterious) * Action Addict: an action addict constantly craves action, adventure, and/or excitement. This need not involve physical conflict, but can quickly escalate to such if the character with this quirk is denied too long. If stuck waiting or otherwise doing something tedious, an action addict will usually fidget uncontrollably and complain incessantly, eventually wandering off in a search for fun (as he or she sees it). In game terms, this translates into a required Psyche ACTION if the character finds themselves bored, rolled at a -2 CS. If this first ACTION roll fails, the character will show obvious signs of distress. If this situation continues for more than 1d10 turns, they must attempt another Psyche ACTION, this time at a -4 CS, to avoid the overwhelming compulsion to split - assuming he or she even tries to resist said urge, that is. Attitude: characters with an attitude problem are inherently confrontational. This facet of their personality permeates everything they say and do, and most importantly, it colors others' perception of them. If they wish to 'play nice', characters with a bad attitude must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for every level of this quirk possessed, assuming they ever bother to try. Bluntness: someone who is 'blessed' with this quirk doesn't see the need to mince words, or is completely oblivious to the effects of his or her words on others. The blunt character speaks their mind, and does so both freely and directly. In game play, a blunt individual must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at -2 CS for every level of this quirk taken, if they at all wish to 'edit' themselves. Bully: everyone knows a bully. These individuals find great pleasure in putting others 'in their place', which is usually cowering in fear of the bully. For each level of bully a character possesses, they must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS to resist the urge to cow those weaker than themselves, if they choose not to. Ironically, bullies often manifest the cowardice quirk as well. Combat Paralysis: combat paralysis is where a person tends to freeze up in the midst of conflict. This can be a result of confusion, indecision, or fear, depending on the character involved. When forced into a contentious situation, particularly where violence is concerned, characters with this quirk cannot act during a conflict until they first pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level taken. Compulsiveness: meshing well with unpleasant habits, this quirk is representative of a behavior that the character constantly engages in. This can be anything, such as chewing nails, twiddling thumbs, or even constantly sighing or rolling one's eyes when annoyed. Stopping oneself from indulging their habit requires a Psyche ACTION roll at -2 CS for every level of this quirk taken. Cowardice: danger is not, in fact, this character's middle name. A coward finds themselves fleeing from danger at all times, real or imagined. To persevere in the face of any perceived threat, the coward must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for every level of this quirk he or she possesses. Many cowards often overcompensate for their cowardice by engaging in bullying behavior. Cyber-neurosis: a character cursed with this quirk is especially susceptible to mental illnesses brought on by the implantation of cybernetic devices in their body. For the purposes of resisting one's Implant Psychosis Statistic, a character with cyber-neurosis is considered to have a Psyche rank -2 CS lower than is listed, making their cybernetics an extremely risky proposition. Delusions: those susceptible to delusions live in a world all their own. They often hallucinate, perceive events that aren't occurring, and interact with the products of their delirious minds despite the fact that no one else can sense them. To ignore the influence of one's damaged mind, assuming they even want to, the delusional must pass a Psyche ACTION at a -2 CS for every level of this quirk possessed. Fanaticism: not merely a proponent of some philosophical, political, or religious movement, the fanatic takes their adopted beliefs to ridiculous extremes. They do all they can to support their pet movement, often going well beyond the bounds of legality to do so. Few activities are so low that a fanatic will refuse to engage in them to further the 'cause', whatever it may be. In game terms, fanatics overwhelmingly believe their cause is righteous, above and beyond all else. If presented with an opportunity to aid their pet belief structure, a fanatic must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of fanaticism they take, should they wish to forego action to further its aims (perhaps because mitigating circumstances would make things difficult for them either immediately or down the line). Frenzied: inherently dangerous, frenzied characters live to fight and hurt others, often to the point of slaying them! In combat, a character with the frenzied quirk must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at -2 CS to avoid succumbing to it. If this ACTION fails, they'll gain a +1 CS to their Fighting score, but an accompanying -1 CS to their Reason rank, and won't stop fighting his or her foe(s) until no one is left standing. At this point, the frenzied character, if they wish to stop, must pass another Psyche ACTION, this time at a -4 CS. If this second ACTION roll fails, the character cannot stop until they've slain everyone present that they perceive as a threat. This includes anyone attempting to 'break up' the action or otherwise prevent them from terminating their opponents, and lasts for the duration of combat plus 1d10 turns. While in a frenzy, the only way a character can stop themselves (assuming he or she even wants to) is to pass a red Psyche ACTION roll - and to spend all of their Karma. But then, if he or she cares enough to stop, they're probably about to lose it all anyway. Greed: some people are misers, but the possessor of this quirk makes such individuals look like philanthropists. A greedy individual hoards his or her wealth and property with an almost manic fervor, and goes out of their way to rapidly acquire as much as is possible. As such, avoiding 'easy money' or engaging in charity of any variety requires first passing a Psyche ACTION at a -2 CS for each level of greed taken. Gullibility: the gullible are those who are either naive or clueless, believing that other people are mostly good, honest folks. To avoid getting sucked into the nefarious schemes of others, or to otherwise disbelieve some sort of lie or scam directed at their person, a gullible person must first pass a Reason ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of gullibility they have accepted. Honesty: an honest person is usually hard to find, but a character with this quirk literally can't lie - at least, not very convincingly. Whether they refuse to be dishonest (sort of like a personal code) or are just really lousy liars, a character with this quirk is unable to easily engage in subterfuge. Successfully doing so requires passing a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of honesty taken. Impulsiveness: impulsive individuals are those who seem to do just about anything at the drop of a hat. They consistently jump the gun, doing things that occur to them almost immediately, and usually do so in a half-cocked manner. Resisting the urge to indulge their every whim - or at least the latest of such - requires passing a Psyche ACTION roll first, at a -2 CS for each level of impulsiveness taken. Inept: an inept person is the consummate bumbler. This sort of individual has problems completing even the simplest of tasks, and almost everything they do is marked by abject failure - the more spectacular, the better. To really do anything right, the inept character must pause to think things through (taking a full turn to do such), and then pass a Reason ACTION at a -2 CS for each level of inept taken. Insanity: worse than a merely delusional character, an insane person is stark, raving mad. This sort of person lives in a reality of his or her own making, their mind actively reinterpreting their experiences to fit their damaged mental state. The actual form of insanity the character suffers from should be developed with the Judge, and insanity itself counts as two quirks (grants two points). Insomnia: the insomniac has severe difficulty resting, whether falling asleep in the first place or staying asleep once unconscious. To manage proper rest, an insomniac must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at -2 CS to calm themselves enough to drift off. Failure of this ACTION gives one a -2 CS penalty on all actions attempted during the next day, due to a lack of energy, focus, and rest. Jealousy: jealous individuals tend to covet that which belongs to others, and secretly malign those who have what they want. Similar to greed, those who suffer from jealousy are consumed by their desires for... whatever, and have a hard time shaking them off, even for a little while. Doing so requires a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of this quirk they've taken. Karmic Dearth: a character with a dearth of Karma will begin play with an amount of spendable Karma equal to the sum of his or her mental ability scores - minus twenty percent. This quirk counts as two quirks (or grants two points), but is not allowed if the Judge is using the 'no free lunch' optional Karma rules (which basically makes it useless). Laziness: lazy individuals are incredibly difficult to motivate. They have a hard time getting up in the morning, performing work, finishing extensive projects, or doing anything else they don't especially enjoy. Motivating oneself requires a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for every level of laziness taken, the failure of which means the person with this quirk will blow off their current task to do anything else. Learning Disorder: a learning disorder is a disability that prevents one from easily learning. It can come in the form of dyslexia (difficulty with reading), dyscalculia (difficulty with math), dysgraphia (difficulty with typing), or even cluttering or stuttering (difficulty with speech). A character with any learning disorder suffers a twenty-five percent Karma penalty when learning new talents, taking twice as long to do so. Low Stress Threshold: individuals with a low stress threshold have a difficult time keeping a cool head in the face of adversity. They may be panicky, jittery, jumpy, or quick to declare that the end is nigh whenever something goes amiss. For each level of this quirk taken, a character should suffer a -2 CS penalty to their Psyche on any effort to keep 'cool', should just about anything go seriously wrong for them. Mania: above and beyond mere compulsive behavior, a mania is in fact a mild form of obsessive insanity. Most of these involve an unhealthy preoccupation with and repetition of some usually self-destructive behavior, ranging from trichotillomania (obsessively pulling one's hair out) to pyromania (obsessively setting fires) to general monomania (obsessing over one idea or action incessantly). This sort of mental disorder can get the character in all kinds of trouble, both legal and otherwise, but can be a lot more 'fun' when the other players don't know the character has it... at first, anyway. Tamping down a manic urge in the course of play, if only for a little while, requires that characters with this quirk must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS penalty for each level of mania they possess. Multiple Personality: individuals with multiple personalities are not alone inside their heads. Most often this is because of a splintering of their mind due to some traumatic event in the past, but in rare instances this could actually occur due to super-human phenomena, such as some sort of spectral or otherworldly entity taking refuge inside their cranium. A level one multiple personality quirk indicates the character has one other, approximately equal personality. An additional level makes for several such personalities, some of which may have control over different powers the character possesses. A level three multiple personality quirk means there's any number of different minds swimming around in the character's head, all of which may act at cross purposes with some frequency. Each personality will have mental ability scores all its own; they are ostensibly based upon the same 'hardware', but each personality a character possesses will be at levels of development different than that of the others. The singular advantage to this quirk is that if one personality is knocked out by a Karmic attack, the character might have several others ready to pick up the slack almost immediately! Pacifism: a pacifist does not believe in fighting, for any reason. They can usually abide defending themselves but will not intentionally inflict harm upon anyone, which is usually why such individuals will learn martial arts like Aikido - which have no offensive moves. Overcoming this personal belief (say, when under threat of imminent death) requires a Psyche ACTION at a -2 CS for every level of one's pacifism quirk. Paranoia: the paranoid believe that everyone is out to get them. Nominally this isn't the case, but if such a character becomes embroiled in an actual conspiracy, it just might reinforce his or her irrational beliefs. A paranoid individual usually won't inherently mistrust their close compatriots, although he or she might pay more attention to what they're doing, and read more into almost every situation. On the other hand, paranoid characters absolutely distrust those they do not know intimately. Changing this usually requires a Herculean feat of friendship, or consistent work with the paranoid person over a long period of time. To give others the benefit of the doubt, or to avoid being suspicious of friends seemingly acting 'weird', a paranoid person must pass a Psyche ACTION at a -2 CS for every level of this quirk taken. Personal Code: an individual with this quirk lives by an internal set of ethics, and refuses to violate them. Such a code may or may not coincide with the laws of his or her society, which may lead to problems with law enforcement - particularly if their code allows them to inflict violence upon others. Disregarding one's code for a short time requires a Psyche ACTION, rolled at a -2 CS penalty for each level of this quirk taken. Phobia: a phobia is an intense, irrational, and persistent fear of some person, place, thing, or occurrence. A phobia can be almost anything, from ecclesiophobia (a fear of churches) to hydrophobia (a fear of water) to xanthophobia (a fear of yellow) to even phobophobia (a fear of phobias). Resisting the urge to flee in the face of one's phobia requires a Psyche ACTION at a -2 CS for every level of this quirk taken. Pushover: a pushover is someone who is easily flattened by mental attacks. He or she must calculate their Mental Health score as if their Psyche was -2 CS in rank, which makes them especially vulnerable to Karmic damage. The pushover quirk is particularly dangerous to characters who already have a relatively low Psyche rank, as this often leaves them subject to a Karmic 'one shot'. Rudeness: similar to the effects of the bluntness quirk, rudeness causes a character to be verbally insulting to others. Unlike someone who is merely blunt, however, a rude person intends insult when it is offered. Like bullies, they enjoy inflicting self-confidence issues, possibly to cover up their own. To rein oneself in, a character with this quirk must pass a Psyche ACTION at a -2 CS for each level of rudeness taken. Short Attention Span: characters with a short attention span are absent-minded. They have a tendency to forget names, schedules, appointments, events, and anything else that isn't bright, shiny, and immediate. Without some sort of mechanism to help remember such (a notepad, a smartphone, etc.), such a character attempts Reason (mem) ACTIONs to recall things he or she needs to accomplish at a -2 CS. Shyness: for any number of reasons, a shy individual has a hard time speaking up for themselves. This can result from the fear of ridicule or embarrassment, or perhaps dread induced by crowds. To strongly voice one's opinion or otherwise speak in front of large groups of people, a shy individual must first pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of the shyness quirk that is taken. Stubborn: stubborn people are convinced that they're always right - and when proven wrong, will often continue to argue a point even when they know better. It's all about 'winning' with stubborn folks, and they enjoy debating and grousing at anyone who doesn't immediately capitulate to their point of view. Resisting this urge requires a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of stubborn taken. Temper: individuals with a temper have a very light fuse. Just about anything can set them off, and once they're mad, they tend to stay angry. To resist losing one's temper or to mellow out once enraged, a character with this quirk must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level it is taken. Typically, anger management classes do not help such an individual very much. Vow: not just a simple promise, a vow is a solemn oath a character lives by. Perhaps they've dedicated themselves to completing some vital task, or wish to obtain justice (or vengeance). If forced to forego their vow any length of time, a character will suffer per the action addict quirk, in relation to pursuing it. Staving off one's vow for a time requires a Psyche ACTION at -2 CS for each level of this quirk taken. * Role-Play Quirks (beneficial) * Ally: somewhere in their past, this character managed to cultivate an ally. More than a mere contact (though they count as such), this ally is a true friend of the character, and will help them in any way they can. This ally can be a trusted right-hand person, a side kick, or whatever else fits one's origins. This ally is created and played by the Judge, and this quirk reduces the price of an aide contact by its own cost). Assistant: an assistant is related to an ally, in that he or she is a trusted confidante of some sort or another. This assistant could be a dedicated butler, secretary, or technician, or perhaps works for the character in some other quasi-servile role. This secondary character will aid their superior in any way they can, and like an ally, must be created and role-played by the Judge. As is the case with ally, the assistant quirk reduces the price of the resultant aide contact by its own cost. Attractive: whether it's something in one's appearance or some other subtle quality, the character with this quirk is attractive. People who would be remotely interested in his or her gender and/or species find them particularly alluring, in fact. For every level of attractive a character has, he or she should benefit from a +1 CS to Popularity ACTION rolls when dealing with those who think them appealing. Benefactor: when someone likes what a character is doing but doesn't want to directly participate in their actions, they will often serve as a benefactor to him or her. This usually involves financial assistance of some sort (+1 CS Resources for each level taken), but can take the form of equipment or special favors, and lasts as long as the character remains in the good graces of their benefactor. The benefactor quirk reduces the price of the resultant organization (or other applicable) contact by its own cost. Cash Flow: characters with a positive cash flow are those who, above and beyond their normal money-making endeavors, have liquid cash readily at hand. This can take the form of a minor inheritance, or perhaps wise investments. This money requires little maintenance (making crime fighting easier), particularly if managed by an assistant, and raises one's Resources +1 CS (but counts as two quirks). Charmed: one who is charmed is a veritable fount of good luck for their allies. The charmed quirk alters die rolls for the better for anyone affiliated with its possessor. Once per hour, this quirk will switch the dice of someone allied with the charmed character in said ally's favor. The person benefiting from the charm is random, and the charmed character can't control when it will affect them. Fame: a famous character is one who is well-known to the public, either for good reasons or bad (the latter being better known as infamy). This character regularly appears in newspaper and magazine articles, entertainment television segments, and even has numerous web sites devoted to his or her activities. Each level of fame improves one's Popularity score by +1 CS (in either a positive or negative direction). Fan Club: occasionally accompanying fame, the fan club represents a gaggle of fan boys and girls who earnestly follow the character's career. A member of a character's fan club will usually treat him or her as if their Popularity score was +2 CS in rank, raised to +4 CS if they've ever actually interacted with the character - even if so briefly as to autograph something of theirs (or the fan themselves!) in the past. Good Reputation: a character with such a reputation is in good standing within his or her community. While this may not involve people building fan sites dedicated to him or her, they know the character is trustworthy and someone to turn to in a pinch. This grants them a +1 CS to their Popularity score on their home turf, though this can backfire if the character acts counter to whatever reputation they've been building over time. Likability: the likable character has a pleasant demeanor, or is otherwise charismatic somehow. When interacting with others, the likable character receives NPC reactions that are one step higher, unless said NPC is already hostile towards them. If the NPC is already friendly, the likable character should be treated as if their Popularity score was +2 CS in rank. Lucky: like the charmed character, one who is lucky has the effect of altering die rolls beneficially. However, instead of doing so for one's allies, a lucky person may do this for themselves. Every tenth roll a lucky character makes, he or she may switch the dice such that the high number comes first - unless, of course, it would be in their best interests to roll low in that instance. Lucky counts as two quirks (costs two points). * Role-Play Quirks (deleterious) * Alien Culture: this quirk doesn't necessarily represent extraterrestrial mores and such, it simply states that the character has a culture different than that which is active where he or she has decided to make their home. This can make critical misunderstandings of even the simplest social interactions, and generally proves to give the 'alien' character a -2 CS to their Popularity score for each level taken. This penalty is doubled in regards to people who find the alien culture of the character particularly contemptuous. Bad Reputation: a character with such a reputation has a poor standing in their community. While this most often doesn't involve torches and pitchforks, people where this individual come from know him or her on sight... and what they're capable of. A bad reputation grants one a -2 CS to his or her Popularity score on their home turf, though this can backfire if its bearer acts 'out of character' while building a rep. Bigotry: this unpleasant quirk represents the tendency of a character to look down upon a group of people for some arbitrary reason or another. If the character wishes to hide his or her negative bias, they must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at -2 CS for each level of this quirk taken. If one doesn't care to disguise their hatred of whatever group of people they dislike, others tend to react to them as if their Popularity had a like modifier. Unless they, too, share such detestable attitudes. Of course, then there's the target of the bigot's ire. Such an individual, upon realizing the bigot's true feelings, will automatically shift one step downward as far as NPC reactions go. These individuals will never be 'friendly' to a bigot and may readily turn outright hostile, depending on their personality and the situation at hand. Dependent: a dependent is someone in the character's life who relies upon them in some capacity. This can be a child, a ward, or even an older, infirm relative of just about any sort. Such an individual will usually wind up occupying some of the character's time and/or resources during each adventure, and has an uncanny knack for getting into some sort of trouble on a regular basis. Detractors: not dangerous enough to be considered enemies, detractors are people who nonetheless have a bone to pick with a character, their actions, or even just their fashion sense - and like to point that out every chance they get. A character interacts with a detractor as if their Popularity score was -2 CS in rank, -4 CS if they've ever negatively impacted an individual detractor directly. Enemy: the character with this quirk has an enemy. Not just someone the character has opposed on a few occasions, this enemy is a hard-boiled hater of the character and everything he or she stands for. Often, but not always, the source of this enmity is tied heavily into the character's origin. This quirk can be taken at multiple levels, each of which ramps up the threat of said enemy. A level one enemy is, in all respects, the character's equal. A true nemesis, this foe can match wits and power with the character in almost every way - and may in fact be an evil twin or clone or variant earth counterpart. Higher levels of enemy, however, are much more dangerous foes, and have a far reach indeed. These can range from a super group to a secret society to, at far extremes, an entire government! Illiteracy: an illiterate character can neither read nor write. This may not be so inconvenient in a medieval setting, but nowadays this quirk can make one's life very difficult. Without being able to read, one can only interact with computers and signs of all kinds through readily recognizable icons. If not caused by a disability, illiteracy can be reversed by purchasing 'literacy' as a talent. Jinxed: similar to the unlucky quirk, jinxed alters die rolls for the worse. However, the die rolls so affected are not those of the jinxed character, but those of his or her compatriots! Once per hour, one die roll made by the allies of a jinxed character will be altered for the worse, as if the character rolling it was afflicted by the luck power's bad luck. The person so chosen is random each time it happens. Loner: loners generally can't stand other people, and positively hate being around large groups of them for any length of time. A loner must pass a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for each level of this quirk taken whenever he or she finds themselves in a crowded situation. If this ACTION roll fails, the loner must immediately leave or suffer a like penalty to all actions taken while surrounded by these people. Nerd: the nerd just doesn't get it. They don't understand why they aren't popular, or perhaps they just don't care. This type of person is usually concerned with things outside the cultural norm. They can't dance, don't really know anything about music, and/or have a lousy fashion sense - and it shows. Nerds usually receive a -2 CS Popularity adjustment when interacting with the so-called 'cool' people (or snobs). Poverty: perhaps the character is saddled with crushing debt they can't get ahead of, maybe he or she is an ex-convict who can't get a decent job to save their life, or possibly an economic downturn has taken everything the character values from them. Either way, those stricken with poverty have a Resources rank of Poor (4) or less, and can't seem to improve their lot no matter how hard they try. Repugnant Personality: this character grates on the nerves, no matter how hard you try to tolerate them. They are possibly gruff, boisterous, opinionated, arrogant, or some combination of these. A character may have multiple levels of repugnant personality, giving them an effective -2 CS to their Popularity score for each, and temporarily bottling up one's annoying characteristics requires a Psyche ACTION at a like penalty. Snob: snobs tend to look down on everyone save for their special little clique. A snob receives a +2 CS Popularity adjustment from others within their social group, but a -2 CS adjustment to those they look down upon. Snobs tend to be on particularly bad terms with nerds and loners, the former of which may not understand why they're the subject of scorn, and the latter of which are reminded why they hate others so much. Social Dependent: the opposite of the loner, a social dependent is only comfortable around large groups of people, for they rely upon others to make up their minds for them. A social dependent is paralyzed with indecision if all alone, requiring a Psyche ACTION roll at a -2 CS for every level of this quirk taken to accomplish anything other than waffling about indecisively. Unattractive: whether we're talking about one's physical appearance or some other ephemeral quality, there's something about the character that puts people off. Individuals who would otherwise find the character aesthetically pleasing (or at least neutral in their eyes) find the unattractive character unpleasant, and react to him or her at a -2 CS for each level of this quirk taken. Unlucky: an unlucky character has a hard time getting things to go their way. This is because, every tenth time they roll the dice, the unlucky character's die result is altered such that the number rolled is arranged to produce the worst possible result for the character, as if suffering from the negative effects of the luck power. Unlucky counts as two quirks (grants two points). Unpleasant Habits: a character with an unpleasant habit does something that seems relatively normal to him or her, but that others usually find disgusting. Such a habit can include picking one's nose, chewing their toenails, constantly scratching in awkward locations, or even wearing Spandex ™ when one really, really shouldn't. Each level of this quirk reduces one's effective Popularity score by -2 CS. Weirdness Magnet: folks with this quirk - and everyone around them - tend to live on the far end of the probability curve. Strange and bizarre things happen around such a character constantly, and even stranger things happen to them directly. Perceptive individuals who recognize a weirdness magnet for what they are usually try to keep a healthy distance from them whenever possible. Freak accidents, unexplained phenomena, and bizarre people cross a weirdness magnet's path with distressing frequency. The fallout of such usually affects anyone within the weirdness magnet's vicinity, which can be particularly bothersome for one's teammates. Of course, investigators of strange happenings may appreciate a weirdness magnet for the staggering opportunities with which he or she helps them do their job. CHAPTER NINETEEN: POWER CUSTOMIZATION While every effort has been made to produce a wide variety of powers and devices for use in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, ideally to cover every eventuality a player may conceive of when creating their own characters, the truth is that this is a wholly impossible task. Thus, room is left for players to indulge in the process of power customization, to better actualize their character concept. One may undergo this process for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the character as rolled (or bought) just doesn't line up precisely with what the player had in mind. Similarly, that player may want more than he or she can squeeze out of the conventional character generation process, and wants to alter some details to get everything 'right'. Both of these are valid reasons to engage in power customization. Whenever one is curtailing their existing ability in exchange for more power, they are adopting limitations. Conversely, when one is dampening their raw power in exchange for more versatility, they are adding enhancements. This is a somewhat subjective process, undertaken with the Judge's supervision, but the general guidelines detailed below may help players in this process. * Limitations * Limitations are means by which a player can add to the rank of a power, namely by accepting constraints on how that power, or the entire character, can function. A limitation that applies to one or more, but not all, of a character's powers is considered a power limitation. A limitation that applies to all of a character's powers, and/or the character as a whole, is considered a character limitation. Generally, the presence of limitations on a character is up to the player. These are most often voluntary changes to a power, or the character overall, used to make their abilities more potent. However, certain abilities require that their wielder have one or more limitations for purposes of game balance, and some character limitations can be temporarily imposed on a character via specific powers. When pondering limitations, consider the rank ceiling the Judge has declared for their game. If you have a power at Amazing (50) rank and that's their ceiling, extremely limiting a power may not get you very far - while ruining your fun at the same time. If the Judge allows one to exceed his or her cap via limitations, however, they might be a great way to help your character to stand out amongst other super-humans! ** Limitation Strengths ** Limitations come in four basic strengths. A weak limitation is one that curtails the use of a power somewhat, though not overwhelmingly. As a general rule, a weak limitation affects the use of a power (or powers) half the time or less, offering a +1 CS to its rank as a result. Examples of weak limitations include the ability to function only during the day, or perhaps the inability to affect a common substance or items of a specific color. A strong limitation, on the other hand, more significantly affects the use of a power. For the most part, strong limitations alter the use of a power (or powers) from one half to three quarters of the time, and provide a +2 CS to its rank. Limitations of the strong sort might include only working at night, an inability to affect one form of matter (solid, gas, etc.), or only work on a specific species. Limitations of the very strong sort affect a power almost all the time. They offer a +3 CS to the operating rank of a power, but will constrain most uses of the ability - anywhere from three quarters to seven eights of the time, give or take. Perhaps such a power only works one day per week or during the full moon and adjacent days, or only affects items of a given form of matter (liquid, gas, et cetera) or color, and so on. Finally, extreme limitations severely curtail the use of a power, almost overwhelmingly. They offer a +4 CS to the operation of an ascendant ability, but at the same time relegate its use to highly specialized situations. This can include voluntarily making a power hyper-exhaustive, allowing its use only one week per year, allowing it to work only on a specific substance or in specific, hostile environments, and the like. In the random character generation method, these limitation bonuses apply directly to the powers so limited. In rare circumstances, a Judge may allow the bonus from a limited power to apply to another ability altogether, though this is entirely up to him or her. One instance where this might occur is if the limitation would boost the operating rank of the power until it exceeds the power cap for their campaign. When using the point-based character generation system, a limitation can either boost the rank of the powers it will affect, or reduce the point cost of keeping that power at its current level. If the latter option is taken, the limitation returns one point per step of limitation, multiplied by the actual point cost per rank of a power. A strong limitation on time control, for instance, would offer a six point bonus. Whether using the random or point-based character generation method, it is important to note that the maximum benefit a given power can receive from limitations is five steps, whether the bonuses in question come from power or character limitaitons. Any further limitations levied against a power will grant no additional point reduction or power increase (usually not an issue, but happens with beings like vampires). No matter how limited they are, though, all powers cost at least one point. ** Power Limitations ** If a limitation does not affect the character as a whole, or at the very least all of their powers, it is considered a power limitation. Constraints of this variety only offer the bonus described to the power or powers it is applied to, special circumstances notwithstanding. This allows a player to boost the ranks on only some of his or her ascendant abilities, as they see fit, instead of saddling all of their powers with a like constraint. While the above offers general hints when applying limitations to a power, there are a number of recurring power limitations that appear throughout fiction. Some of these are expounded upon in the individual character generation books, others are general (or common) enough that they can apply to any character's powers. Some of these common power limitations include the following: Gestalt Power: a gestalt power is one which is limited such that it cannot manifest unless two people combine their energies to produce its effect. Without the required physical contact, this power will remain dormant, unable to be activated whatsoever. The severity of such a limitation, then, depends on just who the necessary person (or people) is to serve as a 'key' to allow this power's function. If the possessor of a gestalt power can manifest it while in contact with anyone, it is considered to have a weak limitation. If only a large, but specific group can activate it, the power is strongly limited, while a very strong limitation would be reducing this pool of people to eight or less. If, on the other hand, only one specific person can allow the gestalt power to function, the power is saddled with an extreme limitation. Initiative Penalties: powers limited in this fashion take longer to activate. Perhaps the process in the character's body which generates them is rather involved, or it might simply be 'slow'. Either way, an initiative penalty of five (making the power somewhat sluggish) can be considered a weak limitation, while a penalty of ten (generally ensuring one acts last with it) is considered a strong limitation. If they wouldn't have any more of an effect on the character, greater initiative penalties on a power won't offer increased limitation for them. To earn the benefit of a very strong (-15) limitation, one must have at least a +5 initiative modifier from their Intuition score, while an extreme limitation (-20) requires that one have a minimum of a +10 initiative modifier in place. Range Reduction: one common form of power limitation involves reining in the range of a power. Each reduction in range category counts as one 'step' of limitation. For example, telescopic vision works on the Very Far range table, and each step one moves back will enhance its power rank by +1 CS. This is a double-edged sword, however, for while the power is more likely to work in most instances, its utility is greatly decreased. Note that a power can be reduced in range below even the Very Near range category. When a power is so limited, its range is dialed back to touch only, meaning one must connect with the target in melee for the power to work. This 'to hit' roll on one's Fighting is in addition to any other protections built into the power, such as Endurance or Psyche resistance rolls it may allow. Speed Reduction: one way to seriously hamper a movement power is to knock it down from its current speed table to a lesser one. Each 'step' of speed reduction counts as a strong limitation, which means one can generally only apply a maximum of two to a given power. But then, since there are only really three movement categories (leaping notwithstanding, which doesn't count for such purposes), that's not such a big deal. Unlike range reduction, speed reduction cannot move 'off the charts' to a lower category as one of its limitation 'steps'. The land/sea speed table is the bottom limit for travel abilities, for to move less would involve simply moving at walking speed. And rendering an ability such as super running that slow would be redundant, when you get down to it. ** Character Limitations ** On the other hand, a limitation which affects all of a character's powers, if not the very way that character is played, is considered a character limitation. Limitations that affect a character apply the bonus provided to all of their powers - even those acquired at a later date! Such constraints are a great foil for the Judge to use against a character, but grant considerably more power in exchange. Though some of the above power limitations can be applied to a character's entire power roster under certain conditions, there are many character limitations that aren't quite so simple. The severity of these can be somewhat complicated to determine, and may require some give and take between the player and the Judge on edge cases. Keep in mind that any character can adopt a character limitation - not just those with super-powers. A non-powered character may accept a character limitation in exchange for five points per 'step' of limitation adopted (or, when using random character generation, either one power slot, or one talent, contact, and quirk slot). For example, a very strong character limitation would grant a skilled normal fifteen character points. Or, in random character generation, three power slots, or three talent, contact and quirk slots. In instances of limitations greater than weak in severity, players may mix and match these benefits as desired. For instance, a hero with a strong character limitation might opt for one additional power slot, in addition to one talent, contact, and quirk slot. Common character limitations include the following: Alter Ego: the character with an alter ego has two distinct forms - the one with powers and the one without. These forms may or may not share the same personality, but the problem is that the character cannot control the conditions by which they will transform between the two. Thus, the severity of an alter ego for the purposes of limitations depends on just how inconvenient the alter ego is for a character. An alter ego can be applied to the character in two ways: either the form with powers or the form without can be the 'preferred' form for the character. Either way, the inconvenient form will manifest when triggered - usually for as long as the trigger stimulus is present. Anything from exposure to the full moon to a specific emotion or even the sight of blood can cause such a change of persona. Clever players can use this limitation to their advantage on occasion. Perhaps the character is a heavy hitter in one form and a highly skilled operative in another. Or even better, maybe nobody knows that the character actually changes form, thinking them two separate individuals. While its severity hampers this 'gaming the system' somewhat, an alter ego can definitely make for an interesting play experience. Enervation: if one's Judge is not using the fatigue rules for super-powered combat, players may nonetheless adopt them as a character limitation. Similarly, one can increase the effects of fatigue as a limitation if they are in effect, greatly shortening the amount of time one can engage in ascendant battle. The severity of such a limitation depends on how much it constrains a player compared to others. Having one level of fatigue above that which other players must endure as a general matter of course is considered a weak limitation, two levels of fatigue beyond other players' constraint is a strong character limitation, three levels of bonus fatigue would count as a very strong limitation, and four levels of fatigue beyond other characters may be adopted as an extreme character limitation. Furthermore, if a character's Endurance or Psyche is low (depending on the fatigue system used), this can be increased by one level (save for extreme extended fatigue). For example, in a campaign where optional fatigue rules are not in place, a character with doubled fatigue is normally considered a strongly limited character, but if the applicable score would make this particularly harsh, bump them up a limitation level. Susceptibility: a susceptibility is something that bypasses the effects of one's powers, detrimentally affecting the character with impunity. If a character is susceptible to a substance or damage form, it will be upgraded to Armor Ignoring (AI) when applied to their person. Furthermore, the damage caused by this attack must inflict a minimum of one quarter of the character's maximum Health score with each exposure. This minimum applies both to susceptibilities that cause damage and those which do not. Whether one is susceptible to fire (which normally causes damage) or sunlight (which normally does not), the exposure should cause a like minimum of damage. On the other hand, if a character's susceptibility inflicts damage normally, there's nothing stopping it from removing more than a quarter of a character's maximum Health. If the stimuli is somewhat rare, a susceptibility to it will count as a weak limitation - even if it can cause considerable damage to the character on contact. Strong susceptibilities are uncommon but found with little difficulty, very strong susceptibilities are readily available to those who want access to them, and an extreme susceptibility is something that commonly occurs in the environment. Weakness: a weakness is something that acts to neutralize the threat a character poses. When exposed to the substance or phenomenon a character is weak against, he or she will find themselves unable to wield their ascendant powers at all, and their physical abilities are reduced to Feeble (2) rank for most purposes. Both the duration and scarcity of a weakness' trigger combine to determine the effect of this limitation. A weakness that only affects the character while in physical contact with the phenomenon in question is considered a strong limitation, while one that lasts as long as it is within line-of-sight is considered very strong in nature. Consider this basis with the scarcity guidelines of a susceptibility, above, to determine if a weakness should be considered even stronger or somewhat weaker in nature. For example, a weakness that lasts as long as a rare isotope (weak) is within line-of-sight (very strong) should work out to a be strong character limitation. Similarly, a weakness to a readily available energy (extreme) that lasts while it is in contact with a body (strong) would average out to a very strong character limitation - unless the stimuli involved causes damage, as well. * Enhancements * Enhancements, on the other hand, are a method by which a player may increase the functionality of a power - in exchange for a reduction in its operating rank. An enhancement that applies to one or more, but not all, of a character's powers is known as a power enhancement. Alternately, that rare enhancement which applies to all of a character's powers, or even the character as a whole, is a character enhancement. As with limitations, the presence of an enhancement on a character is up to its player. These are entirely voluntary additions to a power or character for the most part, though a Judge may insist one be taken to reduce a power to fit within his or her campaign's rank ceiling on occasion (something like this might happen if a character generated for one campaign is migrated to another). A power can be enhanced in a variety of different fashions, but its rank may not be reduced below Feeble (2) - this would essentially render it inoperable. If a character enhancement is applied and a new power would be reduced below this rank as a result, it must be purchased with enough Karma to at least make it powerful enough that, after the enhancement is applied, it will operate at that minimum rank. Enhancement Strengths Like limitations, enhancements come in four basic strengths: weak, strong, very strong, and extreme. Weak enhancements are those which reduce the rank of a power by -1 CS, in exchange for something of a minor perk in its operation that offsets the penalty. Perhaps a power has a heightened effect against a specific kind of enemy (say, vampires), either having a bonus to hit or to the damage inflicted. In other words, this sort of enhancement can act as a selective bonus - one which applies under special conditions. An enhancement of the strong variety lowers the rank of a power by -2 CS, while granting a considerable benefit to the power's operation. This generally comes in the form of a bonus which applies about half of the time, or some other highly useful effect. Such effects include selective targeting, such that a power will never affect allies in the event of a misfire or area effect spread. Very strong enhancements are those which curtail a power's rank by -3 CS, allowing it to operate in a much more efficient fashion. The benefit applied by a very strong enhancement should work on most applications of the power, with a few exceptions. Perhaps it is an accuracy bonus that applies globally (save for against one group), or maybe whatever perk is offered functions constantly - except on Mondays. And so on. Finally, an enhancement of the extreme variety gives a character staggering versatility in the use of a power, at the cost of a -4 CS to its rank. This sort of enhancement is something of a game changer where the power is concerned, often transforming it into something resembling another ability (or several abilities) entirely! And it should, considering how much it curtails a power's rank (or how much it costs). In the random character generation method, the CS penalties apply directly to the powers so boosted. In rare circumstances, a Judge may allow the rank reduction from an enhanced power to apply to another ability altogether, though this is entirely up to them. This may be allowed when the enhancement applied would drop it below Feeble (2) rank... or the character has another power the Judge dislikes more. When using the point-based character generation system, an enhancement can either reduce the rank of the powers it will affect, or increase the point cost required to keep that power at its current level. If the latter option is taken, the enhancement adds one point per step applied, multiplied by the actual point cost per rank of a power. A very strong enhancement of ultimate power, for example, would cost fifteen points! ** Power Enhancements ** If an enhancement does not affect the character as a whole, or at the very least all of their powers, it is considered a power enhancement. Perks of this variety only reduce the rank of the power or powers they are applied to, special circumstances notwithstanding. This allows a player to enhance only some of his or her ascendant abilities, as they see fit, without reducing the operating rank of all their powers. Many power enhancements are quite generalized in nature, meaning that they can apply to a wide variety of super-human abilities. Some of these are detailed in the individual character generation books, while others are actually offered in specific power descriptions. A few of the more common, basic power enhancements include the following: Force Multiplier: most powers are generous in what they allow a character to accomplish, but often a player wants even more out of a given ability. Perhaps someone with energy absorption wants a bigger 'tank' of energy for storage, or a matter generator wants to be able to concoct more designs from memory. Generally speaking, this can be handled with simple multipliers. An enhancement of this type which adds fifty percent to a power's yield or function is considered a weak enhancement, while a double boost is a strong enhancement, a two hundred percent extension is a very strong enhancement, and a quadruple increase is an extreme enhancement. A Judge may alter these general values on a case-by-case basis, depending on how versatile a given power is to start with. Initiative Benefits: a power enhanced in this fashion operates much quicker in the hands of the character so enhanced, as compared to others who may possess it. Each +5 initiative modifier a power has acts as a step of enhancement; a +5 modifier is a weak enhancement, +10 would be a strong enhancement, +15 is a very strong enhancement, and +20 should be considered an extreme enhancement. Note that these benefits are in addition to any other initiative modifiers the character already possesses. Bonuses for a high Intuition score, the Quick Draw talent, or those granted due to one's origin (such as those offered by the optional initiative rules in place for magic wielding characters) are directly added to an initiative benefit enhancement. If one always wants to go first on a given turn, this is one way to do it. Limitation Removal: several powers in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine have a number of built-in limitations for game balance. Powers like luck and precognition in particular require one to take a limitation - they're simply so useful that this is needed. However, one can remove such a requirement as a strong enhancement to the power. This is a serious reduction, but unshackles these powers significantly. Alternately, a power can be modified such that a balancing mechanic a player does not like is scaled back or stripped entirely. The extent of such an enhancement depends on how much more 'dangerous' a modified power will be. The Judge must make a ruling on this, depending on his or her feelings regarding the change(s) involved, so such modifications may vary in intensity from campaign to campaign. Range Extension: as opposed to curtailing the range of a power, a player may instead decide to extend it. Each extension in range category counts as two 'steps' of enhancement. For example, most energy generation powers work on the Near range table. Boosting one such that it can operate on the Middle range table would be a strong enhancement, while extending another to Far range would be an extreme enhancement. Bear in mind that a power can be enhanced past the Very Far range table. A power that functions in this capacity has an effectively Infinite range, allowing it to operate anywhere within the current space-time. This is just another 'step' of range enhancement, meaning that a power like telescopic vision would be strongly enhanced at Infinite range, while teleportation would be considered extremely enhanced when so extended. Speed Extension: similarly, one can greatly enhance the capability of a movement power by bumping it up from one speed category to another. Each 'step' of speed extension counts as a strong enhancement, which means one can generally only add two to a given power. Of course, this is usually all most movement abilities need to excel - dependent on their nature, of course. Super running, for example, can be made to function on the air movement table as a strong enhancement, and on the space movement table as an extreme enhancement. This allows one to generate a character who is astoundingly fast on his or her feet, while saving them the bother of breaking into the 'class' ranks to achieve the same basic effect. Though they may go through shoes really fast! ** Character Enhancements ** A character enhancement is something which allows the character as a whole to function better. While a character's specific power roster may make it possible, it is usually difficult to make the basic sort of enhancements described above work as a character enhancement. Similarly, applying a specific character enhancement that doesn't outright ape other powers, or even quirks, is somewhat tricky. But this is possible. Some of these methods are described in the specific character generation books, such as the ability to maintain additional spells or psionics above and beyond what one's Reason (mem) score should allow. A few character enhancements that aren't origin-specific are presented below, with the hope of giving players an idea what one can do with character enhancements. An important thing to consider is that anyone can benefit from character enhancements - not just the super-powered. Unpowered characters may adopt a character enhancement for five points per 'step' of enhancement adopted (or, with random character generation, either for one power slot, or for one talent, contact, and quirk slot). For example, a strong character enhancement would cost a skilled normal ten character points. Or, in random character generation, two power slots, or two talent, contact, and quirk slots. In instances of enhancements greater than weak in severity, players may mix and match these benefits as desired. For instance, a hero with a strong character enhancement might opt for one additional power slot, in addition to one talent, contact, and quirk slot. Blessed: things have a tendency to generally work out in this character's favor. So much so, in fact, that it may appear they are truly watched over by some sort of higher power. The idea behind this character enhancement isn't that the character always 'wins' in whatever they do - they usually just come out better in a given set of circumstances than others who are not so blessed. Say the blessed character is in a plane crash. Maybe they're the one person out of the hundreds onboard who survived, or perhaps out of those who survived this catastrophe, they're the one who was the least (if at all) injured. The blessed character can still be defeated in battle, and possibly even killed if things go poorly enough, but they will enjoy a life full of good fortune if they play their cards right. Or even if they don't! Even a foolhardy or reckless character graced with the blessed enhancement will rarely suffer the full consequences of his or her actions, which is great when super-powers are involved. In game terms, the recommended level of enhancement that blessed entails is that it counts as one 'step' of such for each time it can beneficially affect the player on a given play session. Once per game session is a weak character enhancement, twice per game is a strong character enhancement, and so on. Consistent: highly consistent characters are those who have a sort of preternatural sameness about them - they don't appear to change all that much over time. Furthermore, when such changes are forced upon them, consistent characters seem to bounce back to their normal configuration quickly. This sounds like mere resistance to metabolic and/or warping attacks, but it's a little bit different. You see, the morphic field of a consistently enhanced character is powerful... very powerful. So much so that it tends to trim back alterations to his or her core self faster than normal. Sure, the character does gain a +1 CS to resist efforts to alter the function of his or her body for each level of enhancement taken, but the trick is that, upon failing such resistance, the character will revert much quicker. A weakly consistent character, for instance, will divide the amount of time their mind or body can be transformed by half, while a strongly consistent character will divide the duration of such changes by four. Very strongly consistent characters can divide the amount of time they've been transformed by eight, and extremely consistent characters can reduce the duration of a transformation to 1/16th of its original value. Indefatigable: if one's Judge is using the fatigue rules for super-powered combat, a player can build a character resistant to them wielding character enhancements. This simulates a sort of super-human stamina on the part of a character, or perhaps the character in question is simply in very good shape, able to keep fighting long after those with similar capabilities have fallen flat. There are, of course, two separate optional fatigue systems. The first treats the use of super-powers like the exertion caused by running, and combines with the fatigue caused by such when necessary. Fatigue resistance acts to extend the time required before ACTION rolls are necessary, or between the escalation of color ACTION requirements, as multiples for each level of enhancement (weak for double, strong for triple, etc.), eliminating it entirely as an extreme enhancement. If the Judge is using the fatigue intensity rules, this character enhancement can be applied to fatigue recovery. How this works is that, on each turn without using powers, one's fatigue intensity drops at a doubled rate as a weak enhancement, quadrupled as a strong enhancement, and octupled as a very strong enhancement. Fatigue can be negated entirely as an extreme enhancement. Predator: whether due to heredity or dumb luck, something about the character makes him or her more effective against a certain kind of enemy. Everything they do causes this type of foe more damage, whether punching it or blasting it with eye beams. Similarly, anything the enemy does to him or her is less effective; resistances are either more potent against this foe, or their damage output is actually dampened somewhat. Whether they like it or not, a natural nemesis makes for a great hunter of said enemy type, whether they're more powerful against vampires or dinosaurs or even normal humans. If such foes become aware that a 'super effective' nemesis is in their midst, they're likely to take steps to prevent this natural predator from rendering them extinct - usually with extreme prejudice. Thus, this form of character enhancement can serve as something of a hindrance at times - much as a limitation can be used to the player's advantage in certain situations. On the other hand, a player usually won't take this form of enhancement unless he or she has it out for the foe in question - though this sort of enhancement is great for creating a reluctant, dramatic hunter character type. Uncontainable: maybe it's something about the character's physiology, or perhaps he or she is just that stubborn. But the truth is that it's hard to make an uncontainable character do something that they're not willing to. This translates, in game terms at least, into a Column Shift bonus when attempting to escape or avoid efforts - any efforts - to hold the character back. But what falls under this heading, you ask? Actions to control a character's motions or thoughts, for the most part. This includes mind control, emotion control, grappling and binding attacks, and s