Weaver Dice Table of Contents

Introduction Character Creation Process Draft Mode Trigger Event Guidelines

Note from the Author Rolling

Disadvantages, Life Disadvantages, Powers Advantages

Character Creation: Cauldron Capes Determining Mutations Cauldron Deviations Case 53 Advantage/Disadvantages:

Gameplay Rules Stats Injury and Death Skills

Equipment Costumes

Costume Tiers Crafting Costumes by Tier Costume Advantages and Disadvantages

Assets Gear

Introduction The ‘Wormverse’, the fan name for the setting of Worm, has a particular mood and style. Powers fall into certain patterns and styles, and the source of one’s power, the trigger event, is typically a horrifying and life­changing event ­ activating the latent ‘shard’ or ‘passenger’ which rests within them. The powers that result and the impacts on the individual, coupled with the stresses of superpowers, tend to set the denizens of the Wormverse apart from your typical Marvel or DC superhero. These rules are essentially a way to help create powers and backgrounds that fit the setting. They’re fairly nonspecific, and there may be some stretching or improvising to make the resulting character fit a given system, but the general vibe should be right. At the core of it, the ideas are simple. Something bad happened to you, you don’t get to decide what that something bad was, you don’t get to decide what powers resulted, and (tying into the previous points) things aren’t necessarily fair. The important thing is how you use what circumstance gave you.

Character Creation Process

Each player comes up with a trigger event. If anyone wants to come up with extra, that’s fine. I even recommend coming up with 4 triggers + the number of players in the game. Adds some more randomness, and allows us to build up a list of good triggers for future use.

Roll to decide who gets what trigger event, add any unused trigger events to a list for future use (or fast game start for later). Players get the corresponding trigger event. There’s a list here.

Powers should be conceptualized by the group. The person who is having their character created should stay silent.

Player who is having character created for them can speak once the concept is hashed out. It is suggested the player (Loosely!) outline the particulars of one’s goal, role, concept, identity.

Roll for luck: 1­2 ­ Roll on both disadvantage charts. 3­4 ­ Disadvantage: Powers 5­6 ­ Disadvantage: Life 7­8 ­ Advantage, and one Disadvantage: Life 9­10 ­ Advantage, and one Disadvantage: Powers 11­12 ­ Two advantages.

Adjust concept as required by results. Refine, finish. Conceptualize character. Begin play.

Draft Mode A common complaint with standard Weaver Dice rules is that the player may not get a chance to play what they want to play. Compared to other systems where the player customizes their character, Weaver Dice rules can leave the player struggling with a character who doesn’t fit their style or preferences. On the other hand, it isn’t fitting to the style and themes of Worm to give a player complete control. Draft mode is a compromise. Simply put, the players as a group work to create perhaps twice as many capes as the group needs. Anyone can speak, and everyone contributes, but each character’s creation stops once rolls have been made and the resulting cape has been sketched out loosely. Background is not generated. Once this is done, the game master can pick one to three capes to remove from the list, depending on group size. These capes are adversaries of the players. This is intended to discourage creation of powerful capes or gaming the system. Players may then discuss and decide who wants what, draft in a predetermined order or do a short auction for the capes, bidding for the ones that they’re more interested in. Leftover capes are simply denizens of the same city as the players, possibly hostile, possibly not. The fact that their powers are known isn’t much of a problem ­ they’re simply known quantities, having appeared in the news or heard about by word of mouth. Feedback on whether this works or not would be appreciated ­ additional rules may be needed ­ the person that offers final say on a given cape’s powers might not be allowed to pick that cape, for example.

Trigger Event Guidelines Classifications and Causes

Mover (Effects that move you. Flight, speed, teleportation, etc.) ­ Drive to escape, flee, run.

Shaker (Wide area effects) ­ Environmental danger, ambient danger, often nonhuman or only abstractly human.

Brute (Enhanced Strength and/or Enhanced Durability) ­ Experiencing physical harm or pain.

Blaster (Pewpew ­ You have ranged attacks built in.) ­ Man vs. a living/animated threat, ambulatory threat is approaching, attacking from range, or posing immediate harm but still further than arm’s reach.

Breaker (Physics kind of tickle. You alter yourself in such a way that rules apply differently.) ­ Abstract physical danger or harm, difficult to define pain or stress (not mental or physical.) Frequently arises from the hardest triggers to label.

Master (Minions, pets, affecting the thoughts and moods of others.) ­ Isolation, alienation, exile.

Tinker (You build the shit. All the shit.) ­ Issue proves difficult to resolve, unsolvable problem, typically over an extended period of time (weeks or months).

Thinker (Perception, knowledge, skills, this includes precognition and remote vision.) emotional or mental strain, reaching a crisis point in a short period of time.

Striker (Touch effects. If you touch something, something happens to that thing.) ­ Trigger results from immediate, in­your face threat, usually a singular object or individual (ie. knife, being strangled, mofo up in your grill)

Changer/Shifter (Shapeshifting and alteration of the self’s PHYSICAL form.) ­ Issue in physical state. Body image, or a crisis of self image vs. society’s expectations.

Trump (Powers that affect other powers: add, remove, complicate, compound) ­ As other triggers, but altered further by involvement with other powers. Rare.

Stranger (Powers related to stealth, infiltration and subterfuge.) ­ Attention of a group/individual threatens emotional/mental security (vs. physical, which would be more blaster). Almost inverse of Master, but not opposite ­ very possible and common for there to be overlap (often creating a more influential sort of master/stranger cross).

Mental vs. Physical Triggers Mental triggers = thinker, tinker, stranger, shaker, rare trump or changer. Physical triggers = brute, breaker, changer, mover. This is general. Can vary. Degree of one vs. the other can shape the trigger in question. Imprisonment can involve a degree of physical confinement vs. the mental strain of solitude and might lead to mental shaker or physically applied master powers. Depends.

Multiple Triggers Relatively rare ­ one in twenty or less are multiple­triggers. To be used when the case calls for a multiple trigger, or it’s suitably large­scale and otherwise boring, you could justify a trigger event as a multi­trigger. In such cases, multiple people trigger at the same time. This tends to produce a spread of lesser powers ­ often three or four powers, possibly with one major one, and often deviations. The powers are related between individuals, but the idea/power that gets emphasized or takes the lead in one individual will often be a minor power for others. Minor powers might not be emphasized at all. Powers tend to form a complementary theme.

Individual #1 Individual #2 Individual #3

Minor Flight/Mover power (Launch from surface)

Minor Flight/Mover power (Small Ricochet)

Major Flight/Mover power (Ricochet + acceleration)

Minor Changer power (Flexible limbs)

Major Changer power (Streamlined bullet/blade body)

None

Major Striker power (Shocking touch)

None

Minor striker power (Mild paralyzing touch)

Low brute rating (Strong)

Low brute rating (Tough skin)

Low brute rating (Hyper­slippery skin)

Multiple­triggers are prone to animosity regarding the other triggerees in their ‘unit’, for lack of a better word. Though distinct and not simultaneous, siblings born to the same cape parents show the same trends, with biases in what powers manifest and more small powers. Worm Spoilers: Multiple triggers are actually the endgame of the cycle, prior to the reabsorption and collapse. When virtually all individuals in the setting are parahumans, connected to shards, the introduction of multiple­triggers serves to stress­test powers and compare and contrast the smaller powers.

Note from the Author Don’t make the damn trigger a direct response/answer/result of the circumstances of the trigger event. I keep seeing people do this. Look to the base effect/root at the heart of the trigger. You can let the circumstances inspire, and you should take some thematic inspiration, but if the trigger is something like ‘you were stabbed in the face’ and the power you come up with is ‘you have an armor plated face’ you’re a twit. Don’t be a twit. Pay attention, instead, to the effect on the individual. Pain, adrenaline, a possible loss of senses, that dim fear and realization that you’ll never look the same, and people will stare… these things feed into the themes and ideas. Also, think outside the box. Remove yourself one step from whatever you wind up with. Super strength? Throw in some variable or something to mix it up. Then possibly have it get mixed up further/inspired by the resulting disadvantages or advantages. A tip. Can’t decide what type of power might derive from a given event? Stuck between Mover and Blaster? Combine the two. You could have both (separate mover and blaster powers). Easy enough. Just don’t forget to make the two interesting. They could be the same power. Perhaps the mover power makes the blaster power work, like a flier who drops off homing shots in the wake of their flight trail, or a speedster who generates a personal electric/thermal charge while moving, which they have to discharge as a massive blast. Perhaps the blaster power has a mover side effect, such as a concussive blast with a massive recoil that flings the user backward. Perhaps it alternates, or using one takes away from the other. The person might have been chased down dark and unfamiliar streets by gang members, and they might have been caught between fight and flight at the moment of the trigger. Their mover ability might drain from the same battery as the ranged attack, or perhaps they’re a breaker that can switch between two core forms, one that’s fast and helpless and one that’s offensive but largely immobile. There are a lot of possibilities, even with the simple, ‘bland’ triggers. And for the love of pete, don’t pigeonhole yourselves into strict categories. “That’s a stranger power, it doesn’t sound like a master power.” No. Master and Stranger especially can have a lot of overlap. Be flexible. The best powers are those with irony to them, not the ones that fit the event’s conditions. You get powers, helping you get past a situation or trauma, but it doesn’t solve the problem ­ you carry the problem with you for the rest of your life.

Rolling

Disadvantages, Life Disadvantages that follow a cape home, through their everyday. The line between civilian and cape identities aren’t always clear, and when the lines blur, it can cause a great deal of grief and conflict.

1 Fool Bad decisions follow you on a day to day basis. Addiction, diabetes from poor diet, STDs, accidental children to look after, superpowered loan sharks and worse. Cost: Lack of money, time, or both, depending.

2 Magus Mental issues, stemming either from powers or something prior to the powers, make your life harder. Includes developmental delays, neuroses, psychological issues, or your powers just discombobulated your brain somehow. Cost: Impaired judgement or functioning.

3 Priestess Otherworldly issues ­ your passenger. Your passenger is impacting your ability to function. If you’re young, it’s likely affecting you in a core emotional way based on your powers, altering your mindset (a pyrokinetic might be very inclined toward destruction or recklessness). If you’re older, it’s more deep­rooted and subtle (a 30 year old pyrokinetic might have frequent cathartic dreams where they burn their enemies to death, getting more intense, pleasurable, and stronger until they follow through). Either way, it’s shaping your actions and pushing them towards one particular concept or objective. Cost: Failure to attend to the passenger’s overall goal/drive with some regularity may cause passenger to take over briefly, making decisions of its own whim. This could be a full­body takeover (as with the young) or cases where the power extends a little too far or crosses a line (for older parahumans).

4 Empress Family issues. Either your unpowered family is powerful enough to impact your cape life or they have powers and aren’t entirely on board with what you want. Either way, they muddle up your life, cape or uncostumed. Cost: Expect regular, low­level interference.

5 Emperor Power issues. Your status and/or life experience out of costume is such that it impacts your overall life. Examples might be being very young, being homeless, or being visibly disabled. If none of these fit, then your secret identity is known and your real­life occupation is

unglamorous enough to work against your reputation. Cost: Reputation issues cause trouble amassing power/status, seen as easy target.

6 Heirophant Bad attitude. You have crippling anxiety issues, abrasiveness, or other issues that make you very hard to get along with. Unlike the Emperor, your issue doesn’t cause trouble with reputation. It does cause trouble with peer interaction. Cost: Trouble amassing contacts or allies.

7 Lovers It’s about ill­advised trysts. A romantic partner on the other side of the hero­villain divide, an ex­relationship with someone who knows enough to fuck up your life, a person you just can’t say no to/break up with for good. Cost: Irregular, low­level, really inconvenient interference.

8 Chariot Location. It’s all about location, and yours is less than stellar. You’re stuck somewhere shitty/unappealing/inconvenient, perhaps, and something/someone is keeping you there. Alternately, you’re just doomed to be unable to set down roots (someone after you, chasing you away? Power ruins home?) Cost: Either your home/hq is lousy or you shouldn’t expect to be able to keep more possessions than you can carry with you.

9 Justice Past crimes, be they in costume or otherwise, follow you. A vigilante seeks revenge, your powers killed someone when they manifested and set you on a path you didn’t want, or you gained an inconvenient reputation. Cost: You’re set on a dangerous/reckless/inconvenient path and going against that grain is difficult. Conversely, continuing down that path will see a powerful nemesis coming after you.

10 Hermit Entropy. It’s about time: you don’t have enough. Some deadline is ticking down and you have to meet an objective before then, or you’re dying, or you’re trying to save someone or something. Cost: You might drop out of the game if you can’t achieve a certain agreed­upon task in a specified span of time. It may well take more time than you have, barring sacrifices, intervention, cooperation of others (other players) or extreme luck.

11 Wheel Misfortune. Two more rolls are made and kept private from you. The disadvantages are introduced at intervals later in the game.

12 Strength Fettered. You have a code you must keep to. Failure to do so is

liable to be disastrous. Cost: If you can’t keep to the code (one agreed­upon in collaboration between you and the group) then expect a string of ill­fortune following the break. Depends on system, but a morale penalty, loss of power control, or a string of failures should be expected for a brief but meaningful time or until some appreciable atonement to the code is made.

13 Hanged Man Distrust. Someone is going to screw you over. Probably the most inconvenient person. Cost: Forming contacts/associations is going to be harder, because you know this is coming. If the person is another player, they get a reward for fulfilling this effect.

14 Death Inevitable Danger. The first big threat is liable to land right in your neighborhood, it’s going to target you, and there’s no walking away.

15 Temperance Disharmony. Two rolls are made on the advantage chart and kept secret from you. These two things are linked, and success in one area will lead to failures in the other. This should/will probably take a brief while for you to figure out (ie. it’ll be abstract, or the inconvenience will show up some time later). No bonuses are actually given.

16 The Devil Nemesis. Someone’s out to get you, and they’re about as strong as you are. Cost: They’re liable to try to kill or ruin you.

17 The Tower Dark revelations. Your civilian identity is known. Cost: You’ve got people to protect and your enemies know it. Failure to look after them means an effective game over.

18 The Stars Exile. A group, place, organization, your family, or something drove you out, and you need back in (to get something, to reclaim something, whatever else). Cost: Until you reclaim your place, you’re bound to be one step behind.

19 The Moon Delusions of Grandeur. Your goals/aspirations are unrealistically or impossibly high. You suffer a setback following any scenario or interaction where you weren’t top dog or leader of the group (powers fail you, you lose reputation or money, etc.), depending on your particular personality and nature.

20 The Sun Crisis. You’re going through a life­changing hardship, to the point that the cape stuff is just a distraction, and it is an effective distraction. Someone close to you is ill/recently dead, or you just watched your successful life crumble and are scrambling (and failing) to pick up the pieces, or something in that vein. Cost: One big, inconvenient distraction that isn’t conquered until you’ve basically reached the lowest point and then climbed back up.

21 The Angel Dangerous Beliefs. You hold a... pretty controversial or problematic belief system or ritual. You’re a neo nazi, a serial killer, a convicted sex offender of the worst kind. It’s bad, and it’s a big enough part of you that you can’t keep it a total secret. Cost: For WD with standard rules, other players can’t ‘win’ unless you’ve lost decisively. For other games, it’s going to impact you on pretty much every front.

22 The World Destructiveness. Because of something that’s going on, something ugly, a quirk of your power, psychosis or whatever else, you walk a path of ruin. Cost: You can’t win unless every other player has decisively lost the game.

Disadvantages, Powers Powers aren’t necessarily stable, clear, or cut and dried. Sometimes they’re inconvenient, sometimes they’re disastrous.

1 Fool Your powers aren’t controlled. They’re always on, or they’re random, or they act with a mind of their own.

2 Magus Your powers are limited by a fetish or totem ­ something you have to keep on hand to be able to use them, due to a ritual or tic. Roll twice more to see just what the penalties are if this fetish is denied you or lost.

3 Priestess Your powers are reliant on the passenger ­ it manages the specifics of your power in the field. Expect collateral damage.

4 Empress Your powers are far­reaching. It covers too wide an area, or it infects things, or something in that vein.

5 Emperor Your power makes it hard to hold back. When you use it, people get hurt, and there’s no pulling your punches.

6 Heirophant Your power scares people, is distinctly gross or unpleasant, or otherwise has horrible implications.

7 Lovers Your power is dependent on the proximity of others, or you use others to channel it. Conversely, there’s a set condition that must be fulfilled (people can be one) before you can leverage it ­ you might need a fire nearby, or your opponent might need to be feeling something emotional already before you can leverage that emotion.

8 Chariot Range is short. Effective use of your power means being in or getting in the thick of things, or (if your power is already short range) it pushes you to stay in the fray longer than might be comfortable. A striker power might require you to hold on for a second or two, a blaster power might have a ten foot range and require you to stand still while firing.

9 Justice Your power is reactive ­ to emotional stress, physical danger or pain, depending on one of these things before it can start operating or operate beyond the most bare­bones execution.

10 Hermit Your ability is very powerful, but use of it involves a cooldown period before it can be used again ­ there are consequences for using it too much in a short span, if that’s even possible.

11 Wheel Your power is unreliable, waxing and waning based on some variable you can’t figure out.

12 Strength Your power is more potent, but drains you mentally or physically ­ expect periods of illness (feebleness, headaches, lack of stamina) after overuse of power.

13 Hanged Man Your power hurts you on some level to use, or you aren’t immune to the collateral damage (smoke power but an inability to breathe or see in heavy smoke).

14 Death There are long­lasting, problematic effects connected to your power. Radioactive fallout, induced physical changes to you, it ages you or something in that vein.

15 Temperance Use of your power has a drawback in that it causes mental or emotional changes in amounts corresponding with the degree of power used. Might include violent hallucinations, amnesia, paranoia, or induced periods of rage driving you to use your power more.

16 The Devil Your ability is powerful, or involves an element or side­power you’re keeping up your sleeve, but the nuances of this mean you’re deemed too dangerous/problematic to live once people see it in action and figure it out. You’re forced to use only a portion of your power or become public enemy number one.

17 The Tower There’s one ugly aspect of your power that should be agreed upon in secret by the group. Typically a side effect that you aren’t immediately aware of. You’ll find out somewhere down the road, and it may well destroy you.

18 The Stars Your power works on others but not on yourself, or there’s a ‘blind spot’ of a sort, limiting where your power can be applied. (ie. Not near people, or only people who are separated from others). Can include severe Manton effect (ie. can’t affect/target organic beings) or range limitations (ie. inability to affect anything within 5’ of you).

19 The Moon (Old) Your powers affect your perceptions. In a real or metaphorical level, you’re blind while using it. Perhaps your ability to sense people is warped or distorted. (New) Your powers affect others’ perceptions of you. There’s a side effect that influences emotions, or your appearance is altered (possible deformity relating to power, or your face isn’t your own

anymore). May vary or change over time. Relationships (especially first impressions) with others are liable to be altered, few and far between, or just hollow.

20 The Sun Roll three times on this chart, pick two of the results. At points roughly 33% and 66% of the way through the game, you can work off the disadvantages of one of these. You retain any advantages (ie. increased power).

21 The Angel Your power changes over time, often at unpredictable moments, forcing you to adapt and recalibrate. You’d think this would be a good thing, but really, it’s not working out that way.

22 The World (Revised version, old version with revisions here.) Roll again, 1­22. You’re powerful and your power is destructive. The number determines how much. At the low end of the scale, your shelter or possessions are lost because of your power, or you have an ongoing cost to your power that costs you funds. If resources aren’t in question, then reputation may suffer. At the high end of the scale (22), you’re a force of nature and a threat to anyone you run into. At DM’s discretion, for storyline purposes, you may be new to your powers, and you scale up steeply over time.

Advantages

1 Fool People idolize you. They’re not often useful people, but you’ve got a following. (groupies, fans, people online, whatever). This is more celebrity/notoriety than anything else.

2 Magus You were more lucid than most when you got your powers, and somehow, you managed to direct things to your advantage. You can make an edit in some respect to how your powers operate (beyond what the group decided on in consensus). Within reason.

3 Priestess You and your power are in sync. Treat this as luck or periodic power boosts. The duration before this is available again isn’t necessarily known to you.

4 Empress Either your family is a big asset in some respect (giving you money, time, resources, connections) or you’ve just got more social­fu than most and you start off with a wider network of contacts.

5 Emperor Your organization is a big asset in some respect, or you’ve just got more combat­fu than most. (You know kung fu?)

6 Heirophant You’ve got one really good political connection or three to five mediocre ones.

7 Lovers You’ve got a partner, and they’re roughly as powerful as you are.

8 Chariot Opposite of the general ‘chariot’ disadvantage in terms of location ­ you’ve got a nice headquarters, either found or inherited.

9 Justice Your power is just a little bit more versatile.

10 Hermit Your power is more secret. GM works it out alone, other players don’t know what it is, and NPCs aren’t liable to figure it out without clues.

11 Wheel You’re fortunate. You’ve got resources to spare.

12 Strength Your power is just a little bit stronger.

13 Hanged Man You’ve got an option to unleash your abilities in a burst of glory. In a situation where you’d otherwise lose, you can play this ability as a ‘get out of jail free’ card, escaping death or turning a fight around, but you gain 1­2 disadvantages and lose this advantage.

14 Death Your power inspires change, in a good way. There’s long­lasting,

advantageous benefits to using it. Maybe it’s a little stronger with successive uses. Maybe it affords another option in terms of increasing your number of followers or resources.

15 Temperance (Old) You have multiple small powers and one good one. (ie. you were present at a multi­trigger). (New) You bounce back faster. This might be in the short term, a mental or physical boost that helps push through the pain/other hindrances in a fight, or it might be long term, speeding recovery.

16 The Devil You retain the ability, at set intervals, to give yourself a big push forwards in terms of your overall goal or mission. Doing so will fuck over another player (roll a dice) and set them back. Use with caution.

17 The Tower You start the game weaker than most. You get stronger at set intervals, as you find out the nuances of your power. You wind up a lot stronger than most (second only to the big monsters and some second­triggers).

18 The Stars You’re confident in your position. At any time, you can designate one deal or contract as inviolable, one partner as secure (less likely to die, can’t betray you) or up to three partners as somewhat secure (lesser benefit to three). Edit: This can’t be done again until they die or are otherwise taken out of play. If they do, there is a meaningful delay (ie. a week) before you can do it again.

19 The Moon You’ve got a link to a secret society (quite possibly Cauldron, or the Thanda). You can call in a favor once ­ the later in the game, the greater the effect (grant powers to certain individuals, hit a big threat, etc).

20 The Sun Pick two: You start with more assets. You/groups you have a leadership position in gain 10% more

wealth when gaining large amounts of wealth. Your first attack/offensive maneuver in a day is just a little

more damaging. Your power’s reach is just a little further on the first serious

use of the day. The first time you’re taken out of action in a day, if it’s possible

(ie. not annihilated), you automatically get to keep fighting.

You’re easily satisfied. You generally wake up well rested and more focused than most. It’s harder to get you down morale­wise.

21 The Angel You have the capacity for a second trigger.

22 The World Usual rules don’t apply to you. Roll 1­22 again. You ‘buy’ abilities. Negotiate with others for your own ideas or use the list below to purchase. You can buy things several times. Higher cost features might suggest an inhuman nature (player as A.I., player as a product of another power, etc). Options can be permanent or single effects. Examples, general benefits: 1 point ­ You don’t need food or drink. 3 points ­ You don’t need sleep. 4 points ­ You can’t be poisoned/get sick. 5 points ­ Wealth isn’t a question. You can get whatever you want, it’s only a matter of waiting for the funds to get moved around and things to get shipped. 6 points ­ It takes you half the time to (research, create, make contacts). 8 points ­ You’re immune to a conventional form of attack (fire, slashing, piercing, bludgeoning) 14 points ­ You’re immune to a broad form of attack (energy, physical harm) 15 points ­ You are capable of making it through just about any non­combat situation. 16 points ­ You’re immune to death. Examples, one­shot deals: 7 points ­ Treat as the Moon advantage, but the favor is always to off another player. This has the GM introduce a threat to that player, or, if you are in combat with them, poses a maneuver with the stated chance of success. This has a 50% chance of killing them, increasing by ~15% per session you go through. (capping at 95% after 3 sessions). There are no repercussions for trying (beyond player vendetta), and it doesn’t use up a ‘turn’ in a combat situation. 7 points ­ Get out of jail free card. You escape a situation you lost, usable once. Allows escape from jail, avoiding death, etc.

Old versions, Reference:

The World (Power Disadvantage) Oh. Shit. You know what happened to Echidna? Or Nilbog? Sleeper? Or all those other unfortunates? Too much power. Way too much.

The World (Advantage) You’re not human. You’re better. Think outside the box, in the same vein as Dragon or the like. Work it out with the group. Then pick one:

You can’t lose as long as other players are alive. You can take on a disadvantage to cancel out a loss (including death) Or just roll again on the Advantage chart, and keep your unusual nature.

The Sun (Advantage) (Old) Roll three times on this chart, pick two. Roll for one disadvantage on a chart of your choosing (life or powers). (Old) Good fortune finds you, either because of fortuitous circumstance or a helpful passenger that understands what you’re after. You walk away with a little more treasure or better rep boosts when you finish a job/mission/quest. May improve further with a good run (several successes in a row).

Character Creation: Cauldron Capes You bought your powers. Procedure:

See the Vial list ­ Tabs at the bottom indicate three qualities of vial. Player picks a vial. Other players pick a power that matches the pattern and the notes, with the following in

mind: ‘O’ affects desirability of the power. With low values, there’s no need to make a

particular effort to make the power stand out, be original or be convenient. With high values, it’s the opposite: emphasis should be made on making it particularly unique or beneficial in terms of quality of life.

‘P’ affects the effectiveness of the power. At low levels, it’s liable to just lack impact. It could still be desirable, if it makes for a good quality of life or has nice side effects, and it can still be reliable, if it always gives this low­level power. At high levels, it tends to be something that turns heads or makes people run scared.

‘R’ affects the reliability of the results. This can impact the reliability of the power (wildly different classifications or power types vs. always producing the same general result), the effect on the patient (high chance of mutation or mental alteration) or simply Cauldron’s records (not enough data).

Player can opt to blend vials. Balance is always an option, and lowers power and

originality by a small margin (a minor tweak ­ 10% reduction, a minor step down in effectiveness/edge ­ consider a tiebreaker between a good idea and a mediocre one), but increases reliability.

Determine powers using the vials as a guideline. Roll a d20, add 1 if the reliability is mid, add 2 if the reliability is high, add 3 if balance

was added to the dose. If the low reliability specifically calls for a higher chance of mutation, subtract 7. On a 5 or less, the subject is a case 53. Keep track of the number rolled for the mutation generation.

Determine deviations Roll 1d6:

1: Disadvantage: Life 2: Disadvantage: Powers 3: No change 4: No change 5: Advantage 6: Advantage.

Determining Mutations Roll 2d6 times, noting the body parts on the list:

1: Head 2: Shoulder 3: Torso 4: Arm 5: Hand 6: Leg 7: Extra limb (tail, wing)* 8: Foot 9: Skin 10: Eye 11: Hair 12: Mouth 13: Nose 14: Brain (thinking) 15: Brain (emotion)

For each body part rolled, roll 1d4, add [5 ­ earlier reliability roll total after adjustments] and +2 per time it was rolled, if it was rolled multiple times. Changes can encompass adjacent body parts. 1­2: Negligible, easily hidden change. Can include spots on skin can be covered up with makeup, spines on head can be covered with hat or longer hair. 3­4: Moderate change, hideable, but not easily ­ may require time to cover up, expense, or cover­up may only be possible with very heavy clothing (and thus be circumstantial). Might include skin that’s purple from head to toe, fish­like fins at places where bone is close to skin, horns. 5­6: Severe change. Not hideable without a combination of time, expense, and some distance from people. Might include grotesque hunchback, crustacean­like plating on body, or perpetually glowing body. Very possible that functionality of body changes, typically horizontally (gain some lose some) or for the worse. 7+: Horrific change. Not hideable, changes are noticeable from 1 city block away without difficulty. Body parts may well be alien in nature (tentacles, forearms arms three times the usual length with claws in place of hands), assume a permanent breaker state, or more. Loss of normal human functioning is likely, depending on the parts in question (may be unable to speak, require different diet, etc). Other parties determine nature of changes given power & vial name.

Cauldron Deviations Cauldron is an organization, buying and selling powers, and certain failures are rather problematic for such organizations. Problems, naturally, are cleaned up. Should an individual roll a 5 or less on the reliability chart, as a result of their case 53 nature, they are branded, with the brand containing a bar code of sorts with the coordinates for their particular shard and dosage. Their memory is wiped, and they are released from their jail cell to the world. For the individual Case 53’s circumstances, roll a 1d22 and see the result:

Case 53 Advantage/Disadvantages:

1 Fool Skill amnesia/lack of knowledge: Due to memory erasure or the existence the Deviant had prior to taking the dose or being experimented on, the Deviant lacks basic skills.

2 Magus Altered Brain: When the passenger overwrote some physiology to adapt to the power, it also wrote over some mental elements as well. The Case 53 likely has an advanced sense, but often at the cost of the ability to function like an ordinary person. The mind might be skewed toward aggressiveness, warped liking/loathing for things, convoluted/simple thinking, an inability to be patient, limited memory capacity, or volatile emotions.

3 Priestess Uncontrolled. The passenger is partially or wholly in control of the body. Roll a 1d10 to determine the amount of control (10­100%) ­ at higher values, the Case 53 might only be able to assert control with willpower, for set periods of time or in specific circumstances (while the Deviant is in a resting state), or they might only be able to exercise control over their power (ie. no control of the body, but can manipulate the environment by telekinesis), depending. The body is naturally stronger, has enhanced reflexes, or control over power is improved, as a consequence.

4 Empress Communication issues. The passenger or the mutation have removed the ability to communicate effectively with others. Roll a 1d10 to determine the severity of the issue (10% hampered to 100% loss of ability to express oneself). At low levels, this may be a stutter, muttering/mumbling, strangled vocal chords or the like. At higher levels, even gesturing becomes difficult. At the 100% mark, those who spend a week in the individual’s company may learn the nuances and gain the ability to understand the equivalent of simple one word cues (go, come, stop, help). Gain one more stat point to allocate.

5 Emperor Strength issues. The passenger or the mutation have limited the host’s physiology in some way. In terms of raw brawn, agility, flexibility, stamina or dexterity, the host is effectively set to ‘one’ in terms of raw stats; they might be incapable of lifting more than ten pounds, their body doesn’t move readily or in certain directions, they’re limited to four or five second bursts of activity before they’re spent, or they might not be able to perform fine manipulation, hold weapons or operate devices more complex than a simple lever. They gain one stat point to allocate mentally, and a greater mental connection to their power (such as clairvoyance tied to the power’s manifestation, or naturally fast reflexes where their power is concerned).

6 Heirophant Cultural issues. The host was part of a wildly different culture before they were a Case 53 (not necessarily an Earth Bet culture), memories of alien habits and behaviors were copied over to them, or they were subjected to mild brainwashing and the memory­wipe was incomplete and the wrong ideas got stressed in the absence of anything else. Might include weird religious stresses, an adherence to a reprehensible idea like racism, mysogyny, misandry, the expectation that a wife should be under sixteen, the belief in having slaves, or strange taboos like the notion that eating is something that should be done behind closed doors, like use of the washroom. In other cases, might manifest as odd compulsive behaviors or impressions, the need to speak in poetry, a compulsion to collect shiny objects, or a paranoia about running water. It should be serious enough that dealing with them on a day to day basis is a chore. Struggling against the norm/failing to fulfill a need or expectation leads to a steady and cumulative drop in morale. Meeting the need normalizes morale at best. As a tradeoff, the parahuman has a psychological bulwark. They might be fearless, very good at being very intimidating, or harbor a baseline set of skills such as hunting and tracking talents or smithing.

7 Lovers Not Alone. Option one: The parahuman wasn’t released alone. Another Case 53 was released in their company or immediate area. They’re associated: partners, friends, or if they’re neither/incompatible, the actions of one may influence reactions to the other, usually negatively.

Option two: When you’re left with nothing, you hold on to what you do have. You made a friend or found a partner between the time your memory was wiped and you were cast out. Your partner wasn’t deposited where you were, but it’s very possible they were deposited in a neighboring city or region. Until they’re found, you may suffer from declining morale (alternately, their power and yours synergize in a way that makes it easier to get by). Once they’re found, you’re going to be in a much better place, with a ready ally by your side.

8 Chariot Your alterations make it hard to find suitable accommodations. You might have a particular need that is hard to meet (such as very high temperatures or deep water), you might naturally be ousted from whatever place you set up shop (perpetually shed skin might leave a trail pointing to your habitat, scorch marks) or you naturally destroy your environment (burn it down, freeze it, etc). You have no place to call home. You’re a little tougher and resilient to ambient effects (such as heat, cold, or abrasive effects like sandstorms). Even if not a case 53, this remains as a side effect.

9 Justice Compulsive Behavior. You’re driven to undertake a certain action. This might be a tic, obsessive­compulsive behavior, a special kind of hunger (ie. a thirst for human bone marrow), a prerequisite for action (must demolish surroundings to make a bed for comfortable sleep, like a dog turns in circles before resting) or a desire to find a mate. This isn’t related to the power so much as the body, and core needs such as a need for shelter, a desire for sustenance or raw instinct. (In short, tying into alien behavior from previous cycles). You

10 Hermit Evolution. The changes to your body are progressing with time as the passenger gets a greater hold. This means a loss of autonomy and a gain in power. If not a case 53, you’re gradually becoming one.

11 Wheel Physical changes come and go, one step less severe, varying by some variable. This might be time (at night), environmental (in warmth), emotional (when angered), or simply unpredictable. The tradeoff to this ability to pass more easily in society is a malaise tied to the physical changes.

12 Strength Greater size. If case 53, You’re particularly large, and have some clout, but you lose something in another department (speed, thinking capacity, flexibility are possible). If not a case 53, you gained appealing features (square jaw and

muscles for men, larger breast and small waist for women, etc).

13 Hanged Man Agony. The dissonance between the mind, body and the power causes endless mental or physical anguish. The power as decided by the group is what you can manage with reasonable comfort. You can surpass these limits for a small gain (20% increase in power, versatility, etc) and a great deal of anguish ­ doing so means you don’t recover from your wounds or ordeals for the next stretch (one day, etc), and your morale suffers. You get less sleep and are more irritable as a rule.

14 Death Power incontinence leads to damage or changes to the environment. Regular habitation is difficult to manage. As a tradeoff, the body’s physiology is better suited to weather harsh environments/ambient damage, with more stamina.

15 Temperance In direct communication with shard. Shard can and will impose tasks it thinks should be done, regardless of ongoing circumstances. Meeting needs leads to greater coordination of powers. Failure leads to gradual loss of power control and possible shard sabotage.

16 The Devil Nemesis Program. Someone bought a Cauldron formula, and they bought a little side benefit as part of the package. You were selected for your personality and powers, and part of the brainwashing included a compulsion. A command, a gesture, a phrase, that guarantees you’ll always lose against this individual, so they look good/better. If not a case 53, it remains possible you defaulted on the amount owed to Cauldron and they set this up rather than kill you and strip you of powers.

17 The Tower Dark Knowledge. You took a unique path, and in the process, you picked up on something, and people know it. This might be the identity of a Cauldron cape in a powerful position, knowledge about shard, or knowledge about Cauldron. Reprisal from powerful people is coming, it’s just a question of when ­ the later it is, the worse it will be. The knowledge could catapult you to a better position or give you the tools you need to be great, or sharing it could ruin you and everything you could care about.

18 The Stars Powers are weaker, but senses are heightened considerably, with a strong connection to the passenger and possible other modes of sensing the world.

19 The Moon Powers are weaker, but body is considerably faster, more flexible,

and/or has faster reflexes.

20 The Sun Powers are weaker, but body is considerably stronger and/or weaponized.

21 The Angel Great quest ­ given where you are in the grand scheme of things, things aren’t great, and you’re one of the rare few that haven’t given up. You’ve got a mission and you’re fanatical about it, and the shard might not be helping on that front, pushing you forward. You’re going to get home, or you’re going to fix yourself, or you’re going to kill the person in charge of Cauldron. Your morale is unfaltering, but making friends is difficult to impossible, because you can’t relate to the challenges others face.

22 The World Misfire. Your power broke a rule along the way. It wasn’t properly programmed or categorized or it wasn’t meant to go out to people. In some way, normal rules do not apply. This is not a good thing ­ you’re a ticking time bomb.

Gameplay Rules

Stats

Brawn Feats of raw strength. Raw strength of melee attacks and thrown weapons, ability to break holds or break free from bondage, ability to carry something, ability to move comfortably in heavy armor.

Athletic Stamina, fitness, whole­body movement. Running, jumping, enduring without oxygen, ability to keep going while doing heavy labor or managing heavy strain, parkour, agility, land safely, maintain balance.

Dexterity Finer physical movements, tasks. Accuracy and frequency of melee and ranged attacks, ability to land wounding attacks, ability to reload quickly, crafting skill, performing first aid, find stuff in belts/bag promptly.

Wits Mental quickness and perception. Spot and listen, sensory abilities in difficult conditions, faster execution at computer, faster execution of taunting or coming up with retort, reading, reaction time.

Social Interact with others, project image. Communicate effectively, win confidence, tease information out of subject, manage posture and tone that successfully conveys fearsome nature, trustworthiness, or other attitude.

Knowledge Breadth of knowledge and skill base. Effectiveness of actions such as computers, medical care, martial arts, parkour, ability to pick up new skills faster, remembering, piecing together information, knowledge of languages, judgement.

Guts Raw toughness and resilience. Durability, ability to withstand mental or emotional assaults, ability to keep emotional and mental state stable over time, ability to keep fighting when ostensibly taken out of action.

Allocating Stats Individuals (cape or not) typically have 3 points in each category. A player, at character creation, may remove one point from one category to move to another. This may be done multiple times. Example Stats Sheet:

Stats, Further Notes Humans range from 1­5, with 1 indicative of disability or borderline disability and 5 being exceptional. Justification may be needed to explain a 1 or 5 in a stat. Parahumans can extend past five if the power calls for it, and this should be adjudicated when the GM and group determine powers. With a 8 in brawn, an ordinary person most likely wouldn’t be able to break a parahuman’s grip without a great deal of outside assistance. A 0 indicates a severe disability. Use of Stats The system remains simple, and involves the use of a d6, with a +1 for every pip after the third and a ­1 for every pip below the third (or 3 minus the number of pips). On a 4+, assuming a 50% chance of success, the character succeeds. The GM may adjudicate and raise/lower the target number. Given time to consider the situation, a player might ask for a knowledge check to judge their chance of success.

Brawn, Guidelines Brawn is a measure of raw physical power. An individual with high Brawn and low Athletic might be naturally strong but not in particularly good shape, capable of bursts of strength while losing in a longer struggle. An individual with high Brawn and low Dexterity might be capable of throwing devastating punches, but the punches themselves lack coordination. Individuals with high Brawn function better with more armored costumes; if an individual is wearing armor that they don’t have the strength to use, it may impact their effective Athletic score ­ they get tired more easily, they can’t run as fast, dodge as readily, or jump as far. More on this in the costume and gear section (to come later). This principle works alongside other cases where one’s ability to carry something is in play ­ if an individual is carrying another human being, the weight of that person counts against the one doing the carrying. Brawn is used as a rough benchmark in a melee brawl. These rules are adaptable to the situation, but in general, the attacker rolls to hit, altering the roll according to benefits and penalties. The defender can choose whether to roll Athletic or Guts in response ­ the former being an attempt to dodge, the latter being an attempt to tank the hit. If the Athletic roll fails, the victim is put off balance, and suffers while undertaking their next action (initiative, accuracy, ability to move or dodge in the next exchange might be penalized). Conversely, if the Guts roll succeeds, the blow is still sustained ­ this might be minor damage, scuff marks, scrapes, and bruises. In either case, a failure means the victim is harmed, with the difference in numbers and the type of weapon marking the severity of the harm. See the Guts subheading below for more suggestions on how harm is handled. Use of martial arts, types of training, powers, or weapons may affect how melee unfolds, altering or augmenting the above rules. A Karate technique might raise the amount of minimum damage dealt to an opponent that makes a successful Guts roll, while Tae Kwon Do might deny the opponent the ability to effectively dodge melee blows, forcing them to tank them. Boxers might, on the other hand, be better at putting opponents off balance with successful blows (especially for opponents that try and fail to dodge. Naturally, a weapon augmented by a pyrokinetic striker power might burn foes in addition to the usual harm, and a chainsaw is not the sort of weapon one simply stands still and blocks, without the right equipment or defensive tools. Brawn is also used to maintain or contest a hold (whether a physical grab or a power effect that binds an individual down). To initiate a hold, one must make a roll, adding bonuses of their two highest scores among Brawn, Athletics and Dexterity, counting bonuses to stats from a power only once. The victim responds with the same, adding a +2 bonus if they’re alert and unhampered. Should the hold succeed or fail by three or more, the one to fail is put off balance. Once a hold is made, it is primarily a contest of Brawn. Turn by turn, the grappling individuals

may elect to make brawn checks to attempt to hamper the other individual, or they may take other actions at the cost of giving the other party an advantage on a following Brawn roll. Should an individual succeed their Brawn roll by a fair margin (2 or more) or otherwise catch their opponent off balance (ie. succeeding on the initial roll, an ally helps, or the grapple was initiated on a prone and helpless opponent), they may attempt to pin, pick up or throw the individual. Martial arts training and powers, naturally, may affect grappling. Krav Maga could allow the use of regular strikes in the midst of a grapple, while Judo might enable more effective throws and throwing the opponent the moment they are caught off balance. Brawn can be trained at a gym. An individual who spends time regularly at the gym (10 hours/week) can gain a temporary pip, while keeping their skills up to date.

Social, Guidelines Social has three primary purposes: The first use is to serve as a check to convince, bluff, recruit, intimidate, provoke, or otherwise interact on a conversational level with another cape. Common modifiers for the check would be:

Relationship ­ Pre­established relationship with the other individual. +2 to ­2. Reputation ­ Your reputation (frightening, heroic, good, evil, honest, depraved) in relation to theirs. +2 to ­2. Offer ­ What you’re offering vs. what they stand to lose. +2 to ­2.

Another use of the social trait would be to impact one’s own reputation. This can occur in the short term, such as a cape posing or trying to present a specific image while in the public eye (while fighting or during an event) or in the long term, to represent the smaller details ­ after n event, one might roll to see how well they portrayed themselves as a hero, or as a terror, or anything in that vein. Common sliding scales for reputation might be…

Heroic Villainous Trustworthy Dishonest Appealing Repulsive Noble Feared

Costume choices may give a bonus or penalty one way or the other, as would actions and context for the event in question. A cruel and merciless villain with a good sense of the dramatic and presentation could readily get a following among the public. Case 53s are liable to have a bias towards repulsive or feared without conscious effort to the contrary.

When one has a great deal of reputation, it affects the types of followers and offers they might get, as well as reactions in any meetings where a cape’s reputation might precede them. The third use of the social stat is to leverage reputation. There are advantages to any given extreme, but the obvious use is to roll and attempt to influence a crowd. Before or as a fight begins, reputation can be used to send bystanders running, compel them to act or even be used as an offensive technique ­ a popular cape could easily frame things to make their opponent look bad.

Knowledge, Guidelines Knowledge has three primary uses. Effectiveness of skilled actions; skills and techniques; as well as skill gain and maintenance. Skilled actions include normal actions that require some thought or expertise to undertake. Throwing a punch is not such an action, but using a computer, performing first aid and crafting a costume are cases where knowledge comes into play. In actions that take place over a shorter time (1 hour or less), Knowledge doesn’t have an effect until the action is concluded. As a cape photoshops an image, they would use Wits to determine how fast the action can be done. Once the action is complete, however, knowledge is checked. The photoshop can be finished quickly and be a poor job (high wits, low knowledge), finished after a laborious process but to good effect (low wits, high knowledge) or finished fast and done well (high stats in both categories). In a more laborious process, like crafting a costume from scratch, one might rely on Dexterity and Knowledge both. This can take days to complete, regardless of how facile one is with their hands, though a high Dexterity can readily speed up the process. However, our focus here is on the effect of knowledge ­ it combines with Dexterity to determine the costume’s overall quality.

Injury and Death Attacking When attacking, a character can either make a general attack at the most convenient, available point a target presents, taking a +1 to hit but rolling to decide target body part: 1 ­ leg 2 to 4 ­ torso 5 ­ arms 6 ­ head. Alternately, the character can make an ordinary roll, targeting a specific body part, and take a further ­1 to hit to choose the wound type, should the attack be successful. Being Attacked When a character is in danger of being harmed, they typically have two major options available to them: to attempt a dodge, relying on their Athletic stat, or attempt to brace against the blow, in which case they rely on their Guts stat. In either case, they roll a dice and add their bonus.

In the case of a dodge, a successful Athletic roll typically means that damage is avoided altogether. On a failure, however, the individual is left staggering, in addition to taking the damage from the attack or danger. Depending on the nature of the danger and the environment, this could mean being knocked down or made to collide with environmental features. In the event that a character successfully braces an attack, rolling a good Guts check, damage is either reduced to the lower category (matched or beat attack roll by 1), or made negligible (succeeded by 2+ points). On a failed brace, the individual suffers damage normally and typically retains their footing. Depending on the attack and the situation, one choice may be better than the other, there may only be one choice, or there may be other options. A tidal wave, for example, cannot be dodged, because it simply covers too much ground. Facing a nano­thorn weapon, there is little point in reducing the damage, as the weapon either misses or it vaporizes flesh. Wounds, Death and Dying Damage takes the form of wounds. On a successful hit, an injury is applied, based on the severity of the hit and the damage type of the attack. Each injury has an effect on the game. Each character can sustain a number of wounds equal to their Guts stat. Once a character has reached their limit they must make a Guts roll to keep going. Each subsequent wound forces another such roll at a ­1 penalty. If a character fails this Guts check, they collapse. This is unconsciousness for minor wounds, and, if their available wound slots are full of moderate or critical wounds, they very possibly die. Care and revival attempts may be able to bring them back, but typically not after three rounds of combat or two minutes of out­of­combat time have passed. Damage also has a severity. As a rule, wounds inflicted with weapons are moderate. Minor wounds are temporary. A character can take a round to recover and clear a minor wound away as part of catching their breath and wiping away the blood, etc. Temporary as they are, minor wounds do involve being bruised, scraped, scuffed, singed, or otherwise roughed up, but the damage can frequently be concealed or explained away. Fist weapons, improvised weapons and rolls against incidental damage (splinters from exploding crate, fall damage) involve minor damage. A good brace roll vs. a moderate level attack reduces the wound down to minor. If a character would be taken out of action while suffering from minor wounds, they don’t necessarily die, but have passed out from pain or run out of strength. They can continue to

make rolls when it would be their turn to pull themselves together and resume fighting. Moderate wounds are the typical cuts, stabs, burns, and whatever else that comes about with serious fighting, and might include fractured bones, cuts into deeper tissue, partially caving someone’s face in, or second degree burns. The stuff that leaves you hurting a few days to weeks later. Medical care is needed, and a guts roll can be made after a period of rest to see how serious or long­term the injury is. A character with the appropriate number of moderate to severe wounds who is taken out of action is making guts rolls to fight for their life. Blood loss, pain, and shock to one’s system reaches a point and they can’t keep going. On failing the guts roll they collapse and are given three turns to get attention or care. They can take limited actions, but this reduces the number of turns they have available to them. Critical wounds are wounds in an entirely different class. The damage is long term, if ‘damage’ is the right word. Bombs, hurtling trains, guillotine blades, Scion lasers, whatever else that falls in those general categories, they aren’t the sort of thing one bounces back from without divine intervention or prompt attention with healing powers. Damage is difficult to impossible to heal completely, though things can be reattached. Sometimes. A character with a number of critical wounds equal to their Guts score is annihilated. Barring exceptional abilities, they’re left in such a shape that they can’t come back from it. Rolling for wounds, Armor When a character sustains damage, roll a die for the wound type. This is typically a d4 and typically, as one might note on the chart below, falls into 2­3 generic wound types and 1­2 body­type specific wounds: 1­ ‘Any’ #1 2­ ‘Any’ #2 3­ ‘Any’ #3 4­ Type specific wound Each point of armor worn on the affected body part effectively extends one’s resistance, making the die roll a d5 (light armor) or d6 (heavy armor) or even higher. 5­ Armor deflected 6­ Armor deflected. Armor may be specific to type. One type of armor might protect more against burn damage, for example. Armor does not help against critical wounds. Status Effects

Bleed ­ If the subject does not take a full round to patch themselves up, they suffer a minor wound after [Guts score] turns. Scar ­ The injury looks bad, it’s hard to hide, and it takes twice as long to recover from, whether through rest/over time or by way of medical attention. Blinded ­ Similar to Disabled, below. Must roll Wits for even mundane attempts to see surroundings (those that wound not have to be rolled for). Make roll at ­2 penalty, typically a 4+ to succeed; attempts at evasion or other factors may make this more difficult. Otherwise limited to sensing things within 5’. Deafened is the same thing, but for hearing/communication. Disabled ­ Typically affects a limb. Must roll [appropriate stat] for even mundane attempts to use limb (those that wound not have to be rolled for). Make roll at ­2 penalty, typically a 4+ to succeed. Can use arms for very light (5 lbs or less) burdens, can move at walking pace. Disarmed ­ Held item is knocked into a space within 10’. 5’ for items weighing 5 lbs or more. Knocked Down ­ Ass hits the floor. Standing or attempting a close­quarters attack and failing provokes an attack from those nearby, movement allowance is reduced by half in the process of getting up. Staggered ­ Off balance, shoved away. Get moved back a distance, typically 5’. Adjust by one step depending on difference in Brawn, size; heavier people and armored individuals one step less. Staggered individuals are penalized on their next turn: attacks suffer ­1 and their movement is reduced by ½ if they try to move in a direction they weren’t pushed in, by ¾ if they try to move against that direction. Confused ­ Concussed, thoughts scattered. Wits roll (4+) to identify targets, directions, where things are respective to each other. On a failure, can still act, but targets are chosen randomly, movement runs risk of stumbling into wall. Pain. Suffer a temporary minor wound when exerting the affected part, or when the part is struck again, with the wound fading at the end of the next turn, if another wasn’t inflicted. ‘Exertion’ is respective to body part ­ arm is limited in tests of strength, rare Athletics checks (ie. climbing), leg is movements faster than a walk, jumping, climbing, body is making any Guts or Athletic checks for stamina, and head is any Wits or Know check (typically only a psychic attack). Death Sentence. Subject is dying. Each round, an empty wound slot fills up with a moderate wound. Once filled, moderate wounds start becoming critical ones. Typically helpless, intervention can stop or slow progression.

Minor Cuts… Scratching someone with long fingernails, improvised weapons like pens or rakes, blunt or low quality knives, broken weapons, cuts incurred while jumping through plate glass window.

CUT Wounds Effects

Any Bleed Slashed Gashed

Applies Bleed. Inflicts Scar. Counts as two minor wounds, one of these goes away on its own after a turn.

Head Blinded Blinded by blood in eyes.

Torso Raked As Gashed, above.

Arm Hindered Pain, one arm.

Legs Hobbled Pain, one leg.

Moderate Cuts… Knife, sword, axe, claws, heavy blow with edged improvised weapon...

CUT Wounds Effects

Any Hacked Butchered Slice

If the struck part is already wounded, roll brawn vs. guts again, if successful this is a critical wound instead. Counts as moderate plus minor wound, inflicts scarring. Subject provokes an attack of opportunity from those nearby/from assailant.

Head Dice As ‘slice’, above.

Torso Tear

Guts reduced by 1. Does not impact maximum wounds, does impact rolls.

Arm Lacerated Limb disabled. Disarmed.

Legs Hamstrung Disabled leg.

Critical Cuts… Annihilation beam (Scrub or Scion), nano­thorns, guillotine, falling section of building catches

body part…

CUT Wounds Effects

Head Decapitation Death

Torso Bisection Counts as one critical wound and 1 moderate wound for every difference in attack roll vs. the defense roll.

Arm Dismembered Loss of arm.

Legs Dismembered Loss of leg.

Minor Bashes… Strike with fist, improvised weapon such as table leg, weak blow with baseball bat, small pieces of flying rubble from distant explosion, fall damage from falling 1­2 stories.

BASH Wounds Effects

Any Smashed Bashed Crushed

Knocked to the ground. This minor wound goes away at start of next turn. Knocked away and back, staggered. Two minor wounds, can bypass one layer of armor with the first to deliver the second. Both fade after enemy takes a round to recuperate and breathe.

Head Dazed Confused for one round. Duration extends to three rounds if already been confused in last 24 hours.

Torso Winded All minor abilities with need for refreshers or a stamina cost are put on cooldown.

Arm Disarmed Disarmed.

Legs Tripped See ‘Smashed’, above.

Moderate Bashes… Large club, punches with super strength or power armor, collision from car moving at moderate speed, fall damage from 3­5 stories.

BASH Wounds Effects

Any Demolished Walloped

If struck body part is unarmored, target suffers both type­specific consequences noted below (Arm/Leg is Fracture Arm/Leg + Sent Flying). Thrown to one side and knocked down, staggered on the ensuing turn. If they are next to an obstacle and can’t be sent flying, this is critical bash instead.

Head Skull Crack K.O.

Mildly confused for long duration, need to roll only 2+ to get bearings. Roll vs. Guts at end of encounter to shrug off, on failure, wait 1 day before rolling again, then wait 2. Target must make additional Guts check or have all remaining wound slots filled with minor wounds. Minor wounds disappear at end of next turn if cape remains conscious

Torso Broken Rib Internally Injured

Pain, torso. ­1 to the two lowest of the following: Brawn, Athletics, or Guts. If equal, apply in that order (Brawn first…)

Arm Fracture Arm Sent Flying

Arm disabled. Roll Guts post­combat to see if it’s broken. Thrown to one side and knocked down, staggered on the ensuing turn.

Legs Fracture Leg Sent Flying

Arm disabled. Roll Guts post­combat to see if it’s broken. Thrown to one side and knocked down, staggered on the ensuing turn

Critical Bashes… Hit by a train or car on highway, hit by Leviathan, fell off skyscraper.

BASH Wounds Effects

Head Brained Target’s head cracked open. Wits, Social & Know set to 0, can’t act of own volition, Death Sentence status.

Torso Caved in Chest crushed or spine broken. Athletics, Brawn, Dex set to 0. Can think/act/communicate in limited way, but can’t move. Death Sentence status.

Arm Pulverized Limb is pulverized and pinned/mashed to ground. Can’t move without losing hope of recovering limb.

Legs Pulverized Limb is pulverized and pinned/mashed to ground. Can’t move without losing hope of recovering limb.

Minor Pierces… Screwdriver, dart, stabbed with improvised weapon, large splinters, fell/stepped on barbed wire/nails/glass, bitten.

PIERCE Wounds Effects

Any Pricked Pierced Stuck

No special effect. Minor wound fades after one round. No special effect. Attached to stabbing point. Can’t break free without being released/weapon being dropped or passing Brawn check. Loose objects must be pulled free with minor action.

Head Blinded Blinded. Lasts until attention is given.

Torso Gouge Counts as moderate wound, two moderate wounds if attack roll was 2 or more higher than the block/dodge.

Arm Pinned See stuck, above.

Legs Pinned See stuck, above.

Moderate Pierces… Gunshots, spear strikes, sword thrusts, knife stabs.

PIERCE Wounds Effects

Any Graze No special effect. Treat as minor wound.

Missed Vitals Through and through

No other effect besides that of moderate wound Roll Athletics to dodge, failure means death sentence, but status ends when all wounds are filled with moderate wounds (no progression to critical).

Head Hit Head 50% chance of Death, 50% to be moderate wound. Drops to 25% chance to be headshot if head is armored.

Torso Hit Vitals Active physical stats (Brawn, Athletics, Dex) drop by 2. Death sentence.

Arm Debilitated Limb disabled, pain.

Legs Debilitated Limb disabled, pain.

Critical Pierces… Particularly well aimed bullets/melee weapon thrusts, pencil­thin annihilation lasers (ie. the sort Legend manages).

PIERCE Wounds Effects

Head Headshot Death, cannot be saved.

Torso Heartshot Death sentence, all stats except Guts set to 0.

Arm Limb Pierced Limb disabled, pain, scars.

Legs Limb Pierced Limb disabled, pain, scars.

Minor Rends… Arm twisted, bitten by medium­sized animal or strong small animal, clawed, caught in everyday machinery, in car crash (wearing seatbelt). Rends tend to be more severe than other wounds of equivalent rank, but are harder to set up and deliver.

Rend Wounds Effects

Any Tear Twisted

One quality granted by armor removed as costume damaged, easily repairable. Subject is weakened, Brawn penalized by 2.

Ruined Wound scars.

Head Defaced Wound scars.

Torso Savaged Subject is weakened, Brawn penalized by 2.

Arm Sprained Arm Limb disabled.

Legs Sprained Leg Limb disabled.

Moderate Rends… Bitten or clawed by large creature, vehicular crash without seatbelt or with other exacerbating factors, set upon by multiple pack animals (wolves), caught in industrial machinery.

Rend Wounds Effects

Any Destroyed Mangled Mutilated

Moderate wound, and two benefits of costume on that part are stripped away. Pain, but affects all activity/parts. Wound scars. Long­term ­1 to Brawn, Athletics, or Guts. Guts check after 2 weeks to see if this heals, requires 6+, but +1 to roll per week of expert medical care. 2nd chance after 1 month, but requires 8+. Scars, takes twice as long to recover from.

Head Disfigured Long term ­1 to Dex, Wits or Social, obvious scars. See Mutilated above re: healing.

Torso Scourged As Mangled.

Arm Scourged As Mangled.

Legs Scourged As Mangled.

Critical Rends… Caught in inter­dimensional distortion, flesh turned into tumorous mass and then deflated, rolled­squashed between two levitated buildings.

Rend Wounds Effects

Any Annihilated Roll 3d7 for stats, reduce each result by 2. Roll Guts vs. death for each stat reduced to 0. See Mutilated re: healing each instance of lowered stats.

Minor Burns… Passing interaction with a heat source, hit with a torch, touched with something white hot. Also includes caustic chemicals and potentially road rash. Damage isn’t specific to body parts. Those without the full­body coverage or benefit of cover when wounded suffer additional consequences.

BURN Wounds Effects

Any Smouldering Singed Blistered Branded

Deals no damage if target is covered up. Minor wound. Deals no damage if target is covered up. Minor wound. Additional minor wound if not covered up. Wound scars. Additional minor wound if not covered up.

Moderate Burns… Sustained interaction with a heat source, standing in/making contact with fire, molotov, fireballs, explosions/grenades, hot lasers, as well as serious acids. Damage isn’t specific to body parts. Those without the full­body coverage or benefit of cover when wounded suffer additional consequences.

BURN Wounds Effects

Any Blackened Scalded Screaming Oh god it burns!

Removes one quality from worn gear as costume is damaged. Is minor wound if subject is covered up. Otherwise, apply effects of minor wound & moderate rend. Subject must make Guts (morale) roll to do more than scream and flail. Suffer pain, affecting all rolls, for 2 rounds. Fire/chemical sets in and continues burning. Subject rolls for another moderate wound at end of next turn unless quenched/washed away (and continue to do so each round until problem is fixed). Suffer pain,

affecting all rolls, while burning.

Critical Burns… Behemoth effect, miniature suns, vats of sulphuric acid, and other all­consuming fire/acid stuff.

BURN Wounds Effects

Any Disintegrated Critical wound, roll on moderate wound chart for effect, then flip coin. If heads, repeat this action.

Minor Shocks… Briefly touching live wire, flashbang, taser. Shocks are more effective against those who were afflicted by shocks in the last or same combat round.

SHOCK Wounds Effects

Any Disoriented Dazed Thrown Jolted

­2 to Wits checks. If recently shocked, wounded is effectively blinded and deafened for one round. Confused for one round. Duration extends to three rounds if recently shocked. Knocked away and back, staggered. Knocked down if recently shocked. Suffer pain, affecting all physical (Brawn, Athletics, Dex) rolls, for next round. Two rounds if recently shocked.

Moderate Shocks… Lightning bolt, shockwave from legit explosion or bomb blast.

SHOCK Wounds Effects

Any Blitzed Paralyzed

Can only take partial actions. Taking a full round action to recuperate removes this condition. If shocked by another source, taking a full round action to recuperate only allows a Guts check to remove this condition. Roll Guts. Subtract result from 10. Spread remaining

Scattered Devastated

number evenly among Brawn, Athletics and Dex in ­1 penalties. Recover two points a turn, as the character chooses. Subject is knocked down and disarmed. If recently shocked, roll 2d4 Dex checks, with each failure casting an item aside (items land within 10’, 5’ for heavier items), starting with held items, then belt, then backpack. Requires 4+. Nearby terrain and one piece of equipment are damaged (roll for location). Suffer a minor wound appropriate to the nature of the terrain, in addition to any other effects (falling objects, pinned, etc.). If recently shocked, get knocked down as well.

Critical Shocks… Behemoth lightning, tinker nukes...

SHOCK Wounds Effects

Any Disintegrated Critical wound, roll on moderate wound chart for effect, then flip coin. If heads, repeat this action.

Skills While experience and raw ability can be represented with points in stats, application of knowledge or intuition can make greater things possible. Knowledge impacts the breadth of skill points available. Individuals have 2 points to spend per one pip of knowledge. These points, slotted into a given skill, increase the efficacy of that skill. Points invested cannot exceed the related stat; one cannot invest five points into Brawling (Brawn) without having five or more points of Brawn. Players shouldn’t have more skills than they have pips in knowledge Over the course of a week, players can accumulate further training or knowledge. Maintaining a full time job (40 hours a week) may provide up to two additional points relating to that field. Time spent in classes, in a similar fashion, will unlock a skill or increase one’s relevant ability in that skill by one; this one point can exceed the cap. Classes typically cost about $100/week, if they are not taken at character creation ­ see the assets section in the Equipment chapter, below. Where classes would not necessarily be so expensive, assume that other constraints or additional costs are affecting the cost. *New* ­ Characters trained in a skill can be assumed to auto­succeed in apply the skill in non­stressful situations, based on their stat and skill level.

Skills are: Accuracy (Dexterity) Acrobatics (Athleticism) Administration (Knowledge) Awareness (Wits) Barrage (Dexterity) Brawl (Brawn) Command (Social) Computers (Knowledge) Craft (Dex/Knowledge) Dodge (Athletic) Driving (Dex/Wits) Empathy (Social) Endurance (Athletic/Guts) Finesse (Dexterity) Grappling (Brawn) Gunfighting (Dexterity/Wits) Investigation (Wits) Martial Arts (Brawn/Knowledge) Medical (Dexterity/Knowledge) Presentation (Social) Sneak (Dexterity) Street Smarts (Knowledge) Subterfuge (Social) Threaten (Social/Other) Willpower (Guts) Withstand (Guts)

Accuracy (Dexterity)

+1 to ranged attack rolls when stationary and free of harassment or immediate stressors. Further, can mark a target, taking no action for a turn and leaving oneself vulnerable to other targets/less aware of surroundings, rmoving penalty with called shots (see second pip) and staggering shots (one/turn, see three pip bonus). This feature has no benefit without said bonuses. The ­1 penalty to decide the result of the wound roll is removed with shots that get the +1 or +2 bonus from Accuracy. Can delay shots until certain conditions are met (that is, on an enemy’s turn); if an appropriate wound is inflicted, can end that enemy’s turn prematurely. If only making one ranged attack in a turn, the carefully timed shot staggers the first enemy shot with a ranged attack in a turn (guts check). Enemies shot in this way during their own turn have the actions/movement allotted to them over the turn halved in number, and must pass a Guts check or fall (if moving) or have their turn end prematurely (if an action was interrupted). This may be effective even if the shots themselves do not wound. +2 to ranged attack rolls when firing while stationary and free of harassment/immediate stressors. (Replaces one­point attack roll bonus). On every shot made, can adjust the result of the wound roll by +1 or ­1.

Acrobatics (Athletics)

+1 to rolls made relating to jumping, climbing, hurdling, and enables safe falling ­ can fall 150% as far without taking damage (+50% per additonal point in Acrobatics). Acrobatics rolls easy enough to offer a native bonus to the roll (before stat/skill modifiers) are automatic successes. On a successful Acrobatics roll, can immediately make another acrobatics roll, chaining climbing attempts with jumping to navigate the environment, to a maximum number of times equal to the number of points in Acrobatics. +2 to rolls made relating to jumping, climbing, hurdling (replacing one point bonus). Rising from a prone position is now part of a movement action. Can (provided there are surfaces available to scale or run up) hurdle, jump, climb

and safely drop to any surface within a set distance. This distance is measured at the number of feet one could walk with a movement action (typically in the neighborhood of 30’), in any direction, 150% of that distance if one only moves during the round. Only particularly difficult rolls and those made while threatened or otherwise interrupted/distracted during the action need to be made.

Administration (Know)

+1 for rolls relating to management of a group or business, accounting, book­keeping, law, and policy. These tasks take 10% less time per pip in Administration. Administration applies only to noncombat situations with time to spare and resources at hand, and no bonuses can be used in the field. Pick one of the options on the list below, matching the character’s background. When a subordinate or subordinate group is directly managed, observed, met with, or otherwise given attention, confer a bonus to that area of expertise, either a reroll in an active, stressful situation or a +1 otherwise: Combat, stress management, initiative, communication within the organization, cooperation within the organization knowledge in a particular field, awareness, investigation, problem solving, relations with outside parties, presentation, cost­saving, morale. Lasts for 30 minutes or 4x as long as attention was devoted. Alternately, applies to self only, but is a 2/day thing, and only for noncombat, work/research situations. +2 for rolls relating to management of a group or business, accounting, book­keeping, law, and policy (replaces 1 point bonus). 1/day, can double bonuses from 2­pip or 4­pip Administration options, boost morale by a step, or reduce costs on one organization­related purchase by 10%. Choose a second option on the 2­pip list. The effects last twice as long/is usable 4x/day. +3 for rolls relating to management of a group or business, accounting, book­keeping, law, and policy (replaces 1 & 3 pip bonus). Provided a phone or assistant is on hand, can administrate and manage without needing to be a physical presence. When acting as a physical presence, can grant bonuses up to three times a day remotely, simply by naming the groups to get the bonus, without needing to speak with them, check on them, or meet them.

Awareness (Wits)

When standing still and unmolested, +1 to Wits checks to identify

movement/threats via. sight, smell, sound, vibration. In round following any impairment to senses or an enemy disappearing by cover or stealth, can still make wits checks to identify movement and the like. +1 to Wits checks to identify via. senses, regardless of what you are doing (Replaces one point bonus). Afflictions or conditions that would impair senses are delayed by one round. While standing still, can intuit general location of threats within 60’.

Barrage (Dexterity)

+1 to ranged attack rolls with semiautomatic and automatic weapons, as well as powers that allow multiple shots/turn. On rolling a natural six on the attack roll with such a weapon, can make one additional attack roll, to a maximum of once, not exceeding weapon capacity. Can effectively lay down suppressive fire with a gun/power capable of a sustained barrage. Opponents ending a turn, or making any movement or action outside of cover are subject to being attacked at a ­2 penalty to hit, to a maximum of two such rolls each round. The suppressive fire can be laid down blind, allowing the attacker to remain behind cover, but the penalty to hit drops to ­3 and opponents acting in the effect are subject to one roll a round. Affects a cone starting at the user, 10° across per point of dex they have. Gain a cumulative +1 to hit for each turn after the first in which attacks are made against armored enemies or enemies behind a given piece of cover/shields enemies. Resets when changing to another target/foes under another piece of cover, or when a direct hit is scored. +2 to ranged attack rolls with weapons capable of multiple shots a turn/area effect damage. (replaces Barrage’s one­point attack roll increase) Can reload/prepare shots/partially recover as part of an attack action, allowing a sustained onslaught of shots without an appreciable pause. Sustained onslaught now allows the cumulative bonus from Barrage’s three­point bonus to ramp up regardless of changing targets/targets under different cover; foes must leave area/range/get behind a broader piece of terrain/get hit before cumulative bonuses reset.

Brawl (Brawn)

+1 to rolls made in melee utilizing fists, blunt weapons, or heavy weapons. Can elect to take a penalty to hit or to own defense in subsequent round in order to deliver extra damage via. next melee swing. When fighting multiple opponents, shrug off harm from each foe after the first who fails to beat the highest prior attack roll. +2 to rolls made in melee utilizing fists, blunt weapons, or heavy weapons. (Replaces one point bonus) When striking an individual that is staggered or otherwise on their back foot, can make a Brawn check vs. their Guts check to attempt to KO them.

Command (Social)

+1 to social rolls with subordinates. Can make Guts rolls on behalf of subordinates vs. morale effects, when present and proximate. Does not stack with other social rolls. Can grant a subordinate a reroll on a failed guts or wits check if that check was made in response to another event. Must rest to regain this reroll. +2 to social rolls with subordinates (replacing one point bonus). You can effectively train subordinates, granting them a temporary skill point in a skill you have, not exceeding your own skill level. Does not stack with other social rolls. Can order a subordinate, giving them an immediate turn to take action in combat. Doing so forgoes own action or movement. Subordinates are loyal until given cause otherwise, automatic success on social rolls with them, with a +3 bonus if loyalty is tested (replacing one and three point bonuses). Can use a turn’s action to rally or revitalize subordinates within earshot, removing morale issues and giving them another shot at resisting mental conditions.

Computers (Knowledge)

+1 to to knowledge rolls pertaining to computers, programming, and hardware, as well as rolls to operate or figure out a device. Can operate computers and electronic devices (phones) in stressful situations without penalty or fumbling. Can effectively ‘hack’, protect data and prevent access to devices. Owned and/or regularly used devices are protected; only those with an equal/greater number of points in this skill and a successful knowledge (Computers) roll can access protected devices. Conversely, you can do the same. Have intuitive knowledge of computer/security architecture ­ what leads to what. Can devise simple programs to handle tasks. Programs follow simple instructions and can attack, defend, infiltrate, gather information/research, or fill another role (ie. a game amuses). Creating a program is a craft check, requiring Dex for the speed of completion and Knowledge for the quality of the construction. +2 to to knowledge rolls pertaining to computers, programming, and hardware, as well as rolls to operate or figure out a device (replaces the one point bonus). In daily activity, have a number of flash drives or pre­made programs on hand equal to number of knowledge pips; each such device allows near­instant progress past a barrier or near­instant task completion, unless the target is more skilled (more knowledgeable if skill is equal); if they are, then this serves to cut the time to finish the job to 50%. Can devise more complex programs. These programs are responsive to threats or changes in the situation and can cooperate with their creator or a trained user, with only nominal cues or feedback. Such devices might, for example, turn traffic lights green, or respond to an infiltration attempt via. multiple angles (identifying attacker, raising security, notifying owner of the system).

Craft (Dex/Knowledge)

+1 to crafting checks (both the dex check and the know check). Can rush repairs and quick crafting jobs, at a cost of having to take some time after the fact to straighten everything out. When crafting, can elect to make an additional Knowledge roll to reduce the usage of crafting components, refunding a share of the components consumed. To determine that share, roll Dex and multiply the result by 5%. If the knowledge roll fails, it counts toward the two failures required for a crafting job to fail. When crafting, can elect to make an additional Knowledge roll to add a minor

upgrade to the item. This requires [50­(5*Dex)]% additional materials. If the knowledge roll fails, it counts toward the two failures required for a crafting job to fail. +2 to crafting checks (both the dex check and the know check). Replaces the one point bonus. Can craft under stress or while hurt/distracted. When crafting, can elect to make an additional set of rolls (one dex, one knowledge) to add a major upgrade to the item. This requires [100­(10*Dex)]% additional materials. If the knowledge roll fails, it counts toward the two failures required for a crafting job to fail.

Dodge (Athletic)

+1 to dodge rolls vs. ranged attacks. On a failed dodge attempt, reroll. If the new result would have allowed the dodge, damage is reduced a step and are not off balance. Must spend a round doing nothing but regaining equilibrium to use again. +1 to dodge rolls vs. melee and ranged attacks. (Replaces one point bonus) When prone, can rise and move/act defensively with no penalties. +2 to dodge rolls vs. melee or ranged attacks. (Replaces one and three point bonuses)

Driving (Dex/Wits)

+1 to rolls made in operation of a vehicle. Can operate a vehicle without risk of fumbling during intense situations. While operating a vehicle, can make reactionary choices on behalf of the vehicle ­ such as whether to brace against an incoming impact or attempt a dodge. Road awareness is high, and are considered to be stationary and observing at all times while driving, effectively allowing Wits checks for targets in all directions, even while a vehicle is moving. Can make a Wits/Dex dual roll to attempt to lose a tail by utilizing environment (ie. driving through a red). +2 to rolls made in operation of a vehicle. (Replaces one point bonus).

The vehicle is considered an extension of the self. While it retains its own stats, the driver can make rolls to attempt stunts or other actions, including jumps, handbrake turns, skiing (car driving on two wheels), wheelies, and effective crashing without taking lasting damage.

Empathy (Social)

+1 to social rolls involving emotions, if unmolested and not distracted. Does not stack with other social skills. Can effectively assess others based on bearing and body language. Choose reputation, threat, or personality, then roll (knowledge + social) vs. opponent’s (social x2). Takes a round of focus or can be undertaken over a longer conversation. +1 to social rolls involving emotions, regardless of circumstance or distraction. Does not stack with other social skills. (Replaces one point bonus) If aware of another’s emotional state (typically a social roll with above bonus), effectiveness of effects, techniques, provocation or intimidation leveraging this state increased +2 (replacing one point bonus). Roll fails if incorrect. +2 to social rolls involving emotions. Does not stack with other social skills. (replaces one and three point bonuses)

Endurance (Athletic/Guts)

+1 to rolls relating to extended periods of strenuous activity, catch balance, manage, resist or recover from the effects of exhaustion. Can shake off penalties from exhaustion, imbalance, and also suppress Athletic­impairing conditions for one round. Immediately recover other ‘must spend a round resting to refresh’ skills. Must recuperate fully before using again. +2 to rolls relating to extended periods of strenuous activity or attempts to manage/test stamina. (Running, hauling, extended fights, resist exhaustion, replaces one point bonus) With these points invested and regular time at the gym, can increase Brawn or Athletic by one point. Bonus kicks in after one week, fade in a week. Automatically pass rolls for extended activity, effectively not succumbing to

fatigue. +3 to rolls to manage/resist/recover from exhaustion and imbalance. (Replaces one and three point bonus in this respect)

Finesse (Dexterity)

+1 to rolls made in melee, either utilizing light weapons and blades, or for attack rolls aimed with intent to disable or apply conditions (ie. inflict bleeding, hamstring). When striking an individual that is staggered or otherwise on their back foot with a light weapon or blade in hand, can make an additional attack at a ­2 to hit. A successful strike with a finesse weapon inflicts a bleeding wound on an opponent. Unless the subject retreats and takes a moment to patch up the wound or get first aid, the bleed will deliver additional damage after a short duration (the duration is based on their Guts). +2 to rolls made in melee utilizing light weapons and blades, and for melee attack rolls aimed with intent to disable or apply conditions (Replaces one point bonus). Strikes against bleeding enemies also allow a free called shot with intent to deliver a wound/condition.

Grappling (Brawn)

+1 to rolls made to grab, hold, pin, throw, push, or escape a hold in combat. Also applies to hold/grip things outside of direct combat (resisting disarm or gripping a ledge). When pushing or throwing an enemy in close quarters combat, can choose the direction they would fall or go, if the choice would exist already, move them a step (~5’) further. In a turn where opposition breaks free of a grab or pin, they’re effectively staggered until turn’s end (movement halved, penalized if they attempt an attack). When attempting a takedown (either from pin or as a tackle) to knock an enemy to the ground, gets choice of using Brawn vs. Brawn, Brawn vs. Guts or Brawn vs. Athletics (foe normally chooses between Brawn vs. Brawn and Brawn vs. Athletics). May forego this choice; if so, succeed or fail, are not knocked down as well as part of the attempt.

+2 to rolls made to grab, hold, pin, throw, push, or escape a hold in combat. Also applies to hold/grip things outside of direct combat (resisting disarm or gripping a ledge). Replaces one point bonus. Knowing when to push and when to pull is an instinctive thing now, in a mental and physical context both. +1 Guts.

Gunfighting (Dexterity/Wits)

+2 to ranged attack rolls that would be penalized due to movement while shooting, distraction, or being threatened by a melee combatant. Gain the ability to either reload or take a potshot at a ­4 penalty to hit (­2 after one point bonus) while dodging, diving for cover, running, or using a non­melee, non­firearm item with one hand (such as a grenade or while driving). Potshots are a ranged attack made as an action with no opportunity cost. Can move and shoot without penalty. Enemies that are shot at, even if they are not hit, suffer a ­2 to hit per shot directed at them until the movement’s conclusion. No penalties to hit with ranged attacks while distracted, or be threatened by a melee combatant. Replaces one point bonus, two point bonus’ penalty is negated. Diving for cover is easier, and cover grants half the bonus while making the dive. Effective in the chaos of an ongoing fight. Being flanked by range­attack capable enemies grants a bonus to dodge rather than a penalty, and successfully taking an enemy out of combat provides a window of opportunity to dive for cover or reload.

Investigation (Wits)

+1 to rolls made to read body language, discern lies, uncover disguises, find evidence, or connect details that have already been gathered. After a confrontation, can make a Wits Investigation roll to see if any details or data were picked up in the course of the conflict. Can assess situations to read them for danger, via. other’s body language, subtle clues in environment, etc. Roll Wits vs. them; a success counters the surprise

round, a great success reverses it. Otherwise operates as an abstract “something’s wrong” danger sense or a “this is a trap” roll. +2 to rolls made to read body language, discern lies, uncover disguises, find evidence, or connect those details that have already been gathered (replaces 1 point bonus). Can make investigation rolls while under stress or distracted. In the first round of interaction each day, gain +2 to rolls (offensive, defensive, and social) made against an individual that has been investigated. Surprise rounds gain bonus but don’t count against duration of bonus.

Martial Arts (Brawn/Knowledge)

+1 in hand­to­hand combat against enemies who have less Martial Arts skill, and against opponents of equal skill with lower Knowledge, both in defensive rolls and offensive rolls. Only applies against normal­sized humanoid opponents when in fighting shape ­ being staggered, knocked down, or otherwise hampered precludes this bonus. When fighting enemies with the bonus active, reduce their skill levels in Brawl, Finesse and Grapple by one each. If they have no skills to lower, can apply one of the following to successful strikes against them: knock them back 5’, ignore one level of armor, strike segues seamlessly into grapple (roll grapple, but can use attack roll instead of grapple roll), or apply pain status for one round. Melee strikes do moderate bash damage at a minimum. Pick one of the items on the list for the two point bonus, appropriate to the style, and double its effects. (The grapple is separate, and is merely an automatic success on the grapple initiation). This decision can be made only once, and is retrainable with 40 hours of effort. One­point bonus applies regardless of personal condition or status, and applies to both non­humanoid and large humanoid enemies. Two point bonus now lowers enemy melee skill levels by one for every two points of difference in martial art ability, to a minimum of 1. When struck at in melee by a humanoid opponent, may strike at them first. Can interrupt the incoming attack.

Medical (Dexterity/Knowledge)

Capable of giving meaningful first aid. +1 to rolls made to care for the wounded,

sick, and those debilitated by conditions, and make diagnoses. Each round of care mends a third of the damage done (multiplicative, not additive), with a cumulative ­1 penalty per attempt. Alternately, suppress one light condition (temporary blindness, bleeding, foreign body) for three rounds. Requires that the caregiver be unmolested and free of major distractions. Can stabilize the dying. With a successful check, can maintain their condition where it stands, without using/suffering from cumulative penalties. Can move the dying and gravely wounded without suffering from penalties. Can conduct actions detailed under one point bonus in situations of stress or distraction. Replaces one point bonus. +2 to rolls made (see above). Each round of care mends half of the damage done (multiplicative, not additive), with a cumulative ­1 penalty per attempt. Alternately, remove one light condition or suppress a moderate condition (broken bone, hemorrhage, burns) for three rounds. Can manage care or surgery that would take place over hours rather than seconds or minutes. Includes amputation, simple transplants, removal of foreign large bodies or parasites, and revival from recent cardiac failure. Cumulative penalties are accumulated over hours rather than rounds; may also require assistants to keep patient stable. Replaces three point bonus. +3 to rolls made (see above). Each round of care will mend about two­thirds of the damage done (multiplicative, not additive). Alternately, can remove one light or moderate condition entirely, and can suppress a major condition (missing limb, disembowelment) with care required after the fact. Cumulative penalties for ongoing care no longer apply to field care or surgery.

Presentation (Social)

+1 to rolls relating to reputation or personal interaction with a larger group. Pick one: villainous, hero, trustworthy, scoundrel, appealing, repulsive/disturbing, noble, feared/dangerous. General presentation and attitude makes reputation gradually adjust to that quality. Any social penalties or consequences for being at the extreme are reduced by one step, while benefits are preserved. +2 to rolls relating to reputation or personal interaction with a larger group. (Replaces one point bonus)

In a larger scale situation, you can almost always make yourself heard, whether it’s having a turn in a broader discussion or communicating in the midst of chaos. Further, you can use words to stall a group that would otherwise ignore you, keeping a group of enemies from attacking while you speak to them or negotiate, for example, or forcing bystanders to evacuate. No roll is needed. +3 to rolls relating to reputation or personal interaction with a larger group, (Replaces one and three point bonuses). Further, as described in the two­pip bonus, you can alter your group or organization’s reputation, to a degree depending on your standing within it ­ generally encompassing yourself and everything subordinate (the entire organization if you lead it). Penalties or consequences are reduced a step.

Reflexes (Wits/Dex)

+1 when and if rolls are made to decide turn order in combat and for time­sensitive, noncombat rolls to react. When enemy has initiative to start (surprise round, has drop on you), can roll Wits & Dex to get a partial action (one success) or regular action (two successes), counting the lower as initiative roll; while doing so, cannot take actions that would require rolls, and movement allowances are halved. Add bonus to rolls made to catch, time things, and other noncombat reactions. +2 when and if rolls are made to decide turn order in combat and for time­sensitive, noncombat reactions. Can now add this bonus when rolling to decide if able to act when enemy has initiative. When acting during surprise rounds, can now take actions that would require rolls, but at a ­2 penalty. Replaces one­point bonus. On taking out an opponent in combat, can take a partial action, as described in the one­point bonus; no die rolls, reduced movement allowance. +3 when and if rolls are made to decide turn order in combat and for time­sensitive, noncombat reactions. Always get to act in the first round of combat, even when ‘surprised’. (By catching subtle/environmental cues, etc). Modifies one and two point bonuses.

Sneak (Dexterity)

+1 to rolls made to remain quiet and undetected while hiding or while moving under no particular strain or stress.

When making a roll against unaware foes, roll isn’t contested; must simply roll higher than opposition’s Wits stat. If this would be an automatic success, no roll is needed (fumbling isn’t possible). When exiting stealth or cover, can complete half a movement before enemies get a chance to react. +2 to rolls made against detection while under no particular strain or stress (unaware foes). Distinction from one point bonus allows effective hiding of things or masking of evidence, as well as rendering certain activities nearly silent. Replaces one point bonus. Up to 10 feet of terrain that would be difficult to cross without detection (dry leaves, broken glass, area under bright light) can be bypassed with careful movement and timing. Recovered with a round’s rest, while under no particular stress or strain. +3 to rolls made against detection, even under stress. Replaces one and two point bonuses.

Street Smarts (Knowledge)

+1 to knowledge rolls pertaining to urban life, urban navigation, crime, criminals, gangs, drugs, guns, street level officers, and rules/dynamics. Gain the ability to naturally attract underlings/allies from the streets and/or gangs. These underlings are generally loyal, easy to please, and sympathetic to (if not necessarily possessed of) one’s reputation slant, often taking the form of informants for positively aligned characters and useless mooks for criminals, approaching a few days after points are invested until a number equal to [social stat] have shown up. If the character works to amass followers, urban/gang followers are effectively ‘unlocked’, joining without fuss or challenge. In addition to the standard knowledge gained from a check about a given [see first point bonus for list], can assess quality and type after some limited interaction (ie. conversation with gang member revealing personality & skill level, taste/smell drug to estimate quality/cut). A normal check, conversely, would only identify the ‘class’ of the thug or general type and current street name of drug. +2 to knowledge rolls to [see first point bonus for list]. Replaces first point bonus. Respect from street/urban/gang individuals increased one step. Can effectively change the tone and rules of a controlled urban territory. Can

scale up ambient danger/violence and criminal profits, or decrease both, shift attitudes and reputation of locals and surroundings, define what types or ‘classes’ of individual are attracted to an area, and impose rules or expectations. Changes are gradual and extreme changes or changes crossing specific lines may be tested/challenged. While this is in effect, your expectations are accepted and go largely unchallenged by civilians.

Subterfuge (Social)

+1 to social rolls intended to deceive, mislead, or seduce. Does not stack with other social skills. Can effectively disguise oneself, forge (dex), or mask certain features or details (including mutations). Includes both cosmetic and behavioral elements. Costume or other changes are a crafting effort (Dex/Know) with a ­1 penalty for each major point of difference from target (age demographic, gender, attitude). The bluff is tested each time the disguised individual takes action while under stress/pressure. As two point bonus, but disguise is not tested while taking action/pressured, and disguises use the better stat of Dex or Knowledge. Gain a sense of when a lie has been noticed. +2 to social rolls meant to deceive, mislead, or seduce. (replaces one point bonuse). Does not stack with other social skills. After successfully misleading an enemy, gain a free reroll to use later in the encounter, and a bonus to initiative rolls. Can adjust perceived reputation with a Subterfuge roll, to portray oneself differently.

Threaten (Social/Other)

+1 to social rolls made to scare, coerce or threaten others. Does not stack with other social rolls. +1 to hostile rolls made against frightened opponents. Reputation trends toward ‘feared/dangerous’ Provided there is an established history (however brief) of using strength/powers, intimidation and coercion against a target or group, may use a relevant stat

(typically Brawn, sometimes Knowledge) in place of social when interacting with said target/group. When taking an enemy out of commission (not necessarily in combat/person), may make a single threaten roll (see 3 pip bonus) and compare it to individual guts rolls for all other enemies aware of the act ­ if they fail, they are frightened for the subsequent phase (if in combat, a round, if out of combat, however long a follow­up action would take, otherwise) +2 to rolls made to scare, coerce or threaten others. +2 to hostile rolls made against frightened opponents. Does not stack with other social skills. (Replaces one and two point bonus in this respect).

Willpower (Guts)

+1 on saves vs. deleterious effects that would alter the mind or emotions. Includes circumstance (morale loss), social maneuvers (such as being threatened), drug effects on behavior, addiction rolls, and being affected with parahuman abilities. Can choose to delay the effects of the above for one round, at the cost of having actions reduced to a mere partial action/round. If actions are already reduced, they are not reduced further. Requires a minute of recuperation before it can be used again. Other Willpower effects extend to include agony and pain. While using the two­point bonus, can ignore wound effects that would be treatable with minor first aid or effects that would end within a minute. Does not include actual physical limitations like missing limbs or physical bondage. +2 on Willpower­related rolls (replacing one point bonus). Effects described in the first point bonus take 10% longer (if applicable) or 1 round longer to take effect. The individual can use the two point bonus to postpone further.

Withstand (Guts)

+1 to block incoming attacks, maintain concentration and avoid being interrupted. Can elect to roll Guts or Brawn to attempt to negate a stagger, reduce the distance of knockback, or turn a knock­down into a stagger, opposed by opponent’s attack roll or attempting a 4+ when no such roll is made, appending

the aforementioned bonus to the roll. When block/brace attempt beats an incoming melee attack roll by 3 or more, the attacker is staggered until the start of their next turn ­ a heavy blow may stagger the attacker further (when beating their defensive roll by 2+) or knock them down (4+). The character has +1 armor so long as they are aware of the attack; this pseudo­armor is lost until resting, after blocking one attack. They may reroll attempts to preserve their gear if it would be incidentally damaged, and low­level, ambient environmental effects take a round to kick in (smoke, extreme heat, extreme cold). +2 to block incoming attacks, avoid interruption and withstand staggers/knockbacks/knockdowns. Replaces the +1 bonus from the one­point Withstand. Character has total of +2 armor so long as they are aware of the incoming attack, otherwise as described in the three point bonus. They may reroll incoming wounds, foregoing the bonus armor while retaining other armor, but must take the reroll.

Equipment This heading covers costumes, gear, and assets. Where costumes are typically worn and have set, broad rules, gear includes weapons and loadouts, things that a cape brings with them, that may change or be used up from encounter to encounter. Finally, assets are those things that a cape has that are generally with them in day to day life: spending money, homes, vehicles, and other broad things. Much of this is abstracted.

Costumes Costumes fall into Tiers, depending on quality and how they were put together. A set number of advantages/disadvantages are permitted, varying by Tier, broken down into points for simplicity’s sake. Tiers and advantages are as follows:

Costume Tiers Tier 1: Tier one equipment is so cheap as to be virtually free. The sort of stuff one could pick up in a thrift store or dollar store. Barely a costume. Costs $0­15 ­ One point of advantages.

Examples: Hard Plastic Mask, bandanna, balaclava, poncho, fanny pack, war paint.

Tier 2: Basic, effective gear. One has to shop around to find the right thing, but it does resemble a costume, though the piecemeal or lower quality nature may raise eyebrows if given a more thorough look. Costs $15­200, half this price for components if crafting ­ Two points of advantages.

Examples: Helmet, hockey mask, skintight clothing, pads, spiked belts, hood and scarf, wetsuit.

Tier 3: At Tier three, equipment is essentially at the point where it passes muster. Though only a partial step up from Tier 2, comes with the benefit that one’s reputation won’t suffer for being seen wearing this, and the drawback that, at this stage, acquiring the costume requires one go through more particular channels (at a risk of being found out) or put it together themselves. Costs $200­5000, half this price for components if crafting ­ Three points of advantages.

Examples: Plate mail, brigandine, form­fitting armor, spike studded pads, durable skintight suit, ninja clothes.

Tier 4: Tier four equipment is essentially custom made by experts. Members of the Protectorate and Wards will have this equipment by default, and others will likely pay out the nose for it, if they don’t make it themselves. Costs $5000+, half this price for components if crafting ­ four points of advantages. Tier 5: Tier five equipment is power­granted/created. Tinker equipment, or otherwise fabricated using unconventional means. May be reliant on a successful crafting check, degrading to Tier 4 at creation if rolls fail. Costs vary wildly but are typically equal to or above the cost of Tier 4, depending largely on the creator’s whim ­ Five points of advantages, may have less points but built in features (ie. jetpack offers flight).

Crafting Costumes by Tier Crafting is a skill check, and generally requires a dex roll to determine how fast the crafting is completed, and a knowledge roll to determine how well it is completed. Time to finish a costume is generally 10 days plus twice the costume’s Tier, minus the results of a dexterity roll (1d6 + dex mod). The dexterity roll can be foregone at the expense of taking more time to finish the task. With the crafting skill, one can add or attempt to better the quality of the end product, at a cost of making additional rolls. If any two rolls fail (including the two initial rolls and further rolls for attempting something harder), the crafting fails and a share of components are used up. With Tier 5 costumes, if any one roll fails, the costume is downgraded in quality.

Costume Advantages and Disadvantages Major Advantages ­ cost 2 points:

Armor ­ Dampen heaviest blows, and sustains wounding damage in place of the player. Adds to armor weight.

Lightweight ­ Affords benefits of having negligible weight without losing functionality or hampering movement.

Heavy ­ Affords benefits of added weight while not impacting movement or maneuverability (resistant to being shoved around, less likely to stagger when hit).

Combat ­ Added spikes or built­in weapons for brawling. Covert ­ Allows freer, quieter movement and action (less visual footprint, quieter

footsteps). Special ­ Armor specialized for certain environments, environmental effects (aquatic, fire)

or for augmenting certain powers (built in wings to assist flight). May only be available at Tier 2+, depending.

Style ­ Overall reputation gain increased. Minor Advantages ­ cost 1 points

Protection ­ Added protection against _____, one damage type, reducing the effect by one step. Examples include heat, cold, electric, slashing, piercing, impact.

Prevention ­ Built­in attention to preventing one deleterious effect, delaying onset by one turn, preventing it entirely if source can be avoided. Examples include being on fire, bleeding, suffocation, damp.

Privacy ­ Helps hide identity more than standard clothing might. Flowing ­ Flowing aspect (cape, scarf, sleeves) helps in distraction, masking

movements, and make actual body harder to target. Easier to grab. Storage ­ More pockets/belts for utility. Durable ­ Equipment stands up well to conventional wear and tear. Effectively more

hitpoints for the gear. Influence ­ Influence specific reputation (+fearsome, +noble, +trustworthy)

Disadvantages: gives 1 point, can only be given once per item.

Strappy ­ Can be easily held, breaking holds is hard, and may snag on terrain features. Bulky ­ Awkward and heavy, limits mobility, often imposing an Athletic penalty. Inconvenient ­ May take additional time to put on or take off, may need to be removed to

perform simpler tasks, like using a computer or performing first aid. Flashy ­ noise, colors, or other elements make stealth harder. Finnicky ­ Equipment functionality is easily lost. Stuff gets broken off, or it might be hard

to keep positioned. Benefits are lost readily, needing a partial round’s or full round’s actions to adjust or fix.

Fragile ­ Equipment is easily broken, torn, or otherwise ruined.

Assets Adults can be expected to start with the following assets:

A job ­ generally 40 hours a week, allowing one to maintain everything below when the next month rolls around. Leaves you unhappy or stressed, doesn’t earn much or takes a great deal of time.

(Fairly) well maintained vehicle and funds for gas. Decent Clothes A place to live for the next month/cash for rent Good health, money for food. A cell phone, perhaps not entirely up to date. Three of the following

Laptop/Desktop computer and an internet connection Stuff for one not­too expensive hobby (tools, a bike, art materials,

camera/darkroom, camping stuff, etc.) Insurance ­ covering your ass if another asset gets destroyed/stolen/ruined. Can

be literal insurance or just having a replacement on hand, somehow. Five hundred dollars in savings. Can be taken multiple times.

Can downgrade a key asset by one step to get another of the lesser assets or upgrade a lesser asset. Job might be worse, or car less maintained/reduced to public transpo pass. Applies to lesser assets as well (might have a computer with no internet access at your property, alongside unreliable insurance). Can upgrade assets by one step as well. Nice job (boosts mood, earns a lot, low time requirement), nice car that earns respect, etc. Certain disadvantages strip away benefits or turn things into drawbacks ­ one’s house can be a shithole in a bad neighborhood, for example. Having a kid means sacrificing one to two things from the list, due to ongoing costs, or downgrading two to five things. This sacrifice can be split between two individuals. Buying Cauldron vials means sacrificing one to four things from the list. Note: This is very much WIP; GMs should adjust as they deem fitting, until Assets are more refined.

Gear Gear includes weapons and loadouts ­ sets of equipment or tools that an individual brings with them to the field. Effective capes have to make effective choices in what they bring with them, to complement their skills, powers, and to answer the problems they expect to find. Gear is broken down into name, the bonuses or effects they offer, cost, weight/size, and difficulty in crafting. Notes:

Semiautomatic: Can make a number of attacks equal to ½ Dex score. If Dex is odd (ie. 3), then carries over between subsequent rounds ­ 1 shot in first round, 2 in second, 1 in third.

Automatic: Fires a set number of shots per turn. Concealable: Bulge is possible for wary individuals to notice, but otherwise not paid

attention to. Range = After stated range, ­1 to hit per range increment (70’ range = increment of 70’)

Weapons, Ranged Handguns

Weapon Cost Wt. Notes

Beret 92F Small H.gun Standard service pistol

$600 3 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto 40’ range, box of 15 shots Concealable 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own

Beret 93R Machine Pistol Black market automatic h.gun

$2.5k to $15k

3 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto OR Automatic for 4/turn 30’ range, box of 20 shots B/G can apply Felony to own, black market purchase only

Steed D.A. Small Handgun 10mm version of the M1911,

$750 3 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto 30’ range, box of 9 shots Concealable First Strike ­ +1 to initiative when firing at same time 2 of A/B/G can apply

below License required to own

Steed M1911 Small Handgun Most common gun in civilian use worldwide

$400* 3 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto 30’ range, box of 7 shots Concealable +1 Easy use, +1 to first roll that would be penalized 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own

Steed Cascavel Revolver Mastercraft weapon, highly accurate

$2k 4 lb Moderate Pierce (Plus Deadshot, see below) Semiauto 40’ range, cyl. of 6 shots Deadshot ­ +1 to hit, Grazes are mod wounds instead. 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own

Sosie/‘Susie’ Palm Pistol Pocket­sized, five inches long

$150 1 lb Moderate Pierce Single Shot 10’ range, 2 shots Hidden Weapon ­ requires patdown/search to discover Acc. can apply License required to own

Magnum Eagle Large Handgun King of large, high caliber autoloaders

$1k 4 lb Moderate Pierce (Plus wound bonus, see below) Semiauto 40’ range, box of 8 shots 1d5 wound roll, critical on 5. 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own

Wagram 17 Small Handgun High quality sidearm for officers

$500 3 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto 30’ range, box of 17 shots Mastercraft ­ +1 to hit Concealable 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own (Wagram 20 adds 10' to range, costs $150 more)

Wayfinder Palm Revolver

$150 1 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto 20’ range, cyl. of 6 shots

Standard police secondary gun

­1 to wound roll, treat rolled 1 as graze 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own

West M29 Magnum revolv. Most powerful gun on market

$1.5k 3 lb Moderate Pierce (Plus wound bonus) Semiauto 30’ range, cyl. of 6 shots +1 to wound roll, critical if rolling a 4. 2 of A/B/G can apply License required to own

Dyne­9 Small Handgun Favored by criminals, inexpensive and easily modded to fire Automatic

$300 to $1k

3 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto 40’ range, box of 32 shots Concealable if not modded. Modded version is Automatic fire only, 4/turn (Requires standard craft check) 2 of A/B/G can apply unmodded, B/G modded. Felony to own, black market purchase only

Longarms

Weapon Cost Wt. Notes

Kalash­47 Assault Rifle Popular AR used in conflicts worldwide.

$700 to $3k

10 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto or Automatic 5/turn 70’ range, box of 30 shots. +1 to hit in consecutive rounds of fire. Maintenance: 50% chance of avoiding jam/breakage. B/G can apply. Felony to own, black market purchase only.

Beret Recoiless Sniper Rifle Though a sniper rifle, sports powerful 50 caliber shots.

$11k 35 lb

Critical Pierce Semiautomatic 120’ range, box of 11 shots. Penetrates light/moderate cover or one layer of armor, with wound severity decreasing one step in the process. ­2 to hit if target located in same round. Spotter negates. Only Accuracy applies. License required to own, rare.

Entreaty 121 M1 12 gauge shotty Commonly used semiauto shotty

$850 8 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic 40’ range, 7 shots, internally loaded Additional ­1 to hit and wound per range increment 2x wounds if hitting point blank Deals light wound if missing by only 1 or 2. B/G can apply. License required to own.

Beret M3P Shotty Shotty designed for use by law enforcement, box loaded ammo.

$1k 9 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic 30’ range, box of 5 shots Additional ­1 to hit and wound per range increment 2x wounds if hitting point blank Deals light wound if missing by only 1 or 2. B/G can apply. License required to own.

Hart BPS 10 gauge shotty Shotgun sports largest gauge available on market.

$850 8 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic 40’ range, 7 shots, internally loaded Additional ­1 to hit and wound per range increment Reroll ones on wound rolls. 2x wounds if hitting point blank Deals light wound if missing by only 1 or 2. B/G can apply. License required to own.

K&H MP5 Submachine Gun Mastercraft smg, known worldwide

$4k 7 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic or Automatic 3/turn 50’ range, box of 30 shots +1 to hit A/B/G can apply. Felony to own, black market purchase only.

K&H PSG1 Sniper Rifle Mastercraft

$12­ 15k

16 lb

Critical Pierce Semiautomatic 90’ range, box of 5 shots. +1 to hit ­2 to hit if target located in same round. Spotter negates.

sniper rifle. Only Accuracy applies. License required to own, rare.

Armalite Plus Assault Rifle Primary AR in use by US military

$5­12k

8 lb Moderate Pierce Semiauto or Automatic 3/turn 80’ range, box of 30 shots. +1 to hit in consecutive rounds of fire. Half penalty, rounding favorably, for multiple shots/round. B/G can apply. Felony to own, black market purchase only.

ROC 700 Hunting Rifle Hunting rifle favored for its accuracy

$800 8 lb Moderate Pierce Single shot 80’ range, 5 shots, internally loaded. Grants +1 skill level of Accuracy when points invested +1 to hit Accuracy only. License required to own

Sawed Off 12 gauge shotty Modified shotty designed to be hidden

$900 8 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic 10’ range, 2 shots, internally loaded. Additional ­1 to hit and wound per range increment 2x wounds if hitting point blank. Deals light wound if missing by only 1­3. Concealable Felony to own, black market purchase or craft only.

Uziel Submachine Gun Most popular submachine gun

$9k 8 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic or Automatic 4/round 40’ range, box of 20 shots Collapsible (Concealable, but one partial round conceal/unconceal time). Felony to own, black market purchase only.

Bows & Throwing Weapons

Weapon Cost Wt. Notes

Compound Bow

$200 3 lb Moderate Pierce Single shot, shots drawn as attack action if Dex 3+

10’ range, +10’ per point of Brawn. Silent $600 version is collapsible (concealed with 1 round conceal/unconceal time). Accuracy applies No license/training required to own.

Crossbow $400 7 lb Moderate pierce Single shot, internally loaded. 40’ range Pick one: Concealable, +1 to wound, or penetrates 1 armor. Silent Accuracy applies No license/training required to own.

Throwing Knife $7 1 lb Moderate Pierce Single use 10’ range, +5’ per point of Brawn Silent Hidden; discoverable only with patdown Accuracy applies. With Barrage 2+, Barrage applies, can throw multiple (as semiautomatic fire). No license/training required to own.

Shuriken $15 1 lb Moderate slash Single use 10’ range, +5’ per point of Brawn Silent Hidden; discoverable only with patdown Accuracy applies. With Barrage 2+, Barrage applies, can throw multiple (as semiautomatic fire). No license/training required to own.

Heavy & Exotic Ranged Arms

Weapon Cost Wt. Notes

Cavalier 2HB Machine Gun

$24k 75 lb Moderate Pierce Semiautomatic or Automatic 5/round 110’ range, linked ammo No penalty for multiple shots/round.

Vehicle­mounted machine gun sometimes used with PRT vans

Optional attachment provides cover to operator. 2 Barrage pips required to operate, only Barrage applies Must be vehicle mounted, 6+ brawn to carry. Felony to own, military/PRT only (tight control).

LAW Rocket Launcher Single­shot rocket launcher.

$3k 5 lb Critical/Moderate burn One shot, disposed of thereafter, 1 round to arm, extend. Critical burn on direct hit. 15’ radius, misses like grenade, but a miss to one side = rocket carries onward. Delivers 3 moderate burns to targets within 5’, reduced by 1 burn per layer of armor/cover, minimum 1 burn. Delivers 2 moderate burns to targets within 10’, reduced by 1 burn if any layers of armor/cover, minimum 1 burn. Delivers 1 moderate burn to targets within 15’, reduced to minor if target has armor or cover. Treat a wound roll of 4 as critical burn instead. Destroys most cover/vehicles on hit. Felony to own, military/PRT only (tight control).

Wombat Grenade Launcher

$1k 5 lb Wounds/Effects as grenade. Single shot 70’ range, individual shots loaded. As thrown grenade, but extends range to 70’, grenade takes effect on impact. Felony to own, military/PRT only (tight control).

Grenades

Weapon Cost Wt. Notes

Molotov $12 3 lb Ignites Single use improvised explosive 5’ range, +5’ per two points in Brawn Targets within 10’ suffer ‘Oh god it burns’ moderate wound effect. Targets within 15’ have 50% chance to be affected. Easy Craft check to create, supplies from liquor store

Acid, Mild $15 3 lb Improvised Burn (Minor on odd attack roll, moderate on

even). Single use improvised grenade 5’ range, +5’ per two points in Brawn Affects targets within 10’ Easy Craft check to create, supplies from pharmacy/hardware store.

Frag Grenade $150 1 lb Moderate Burn Single use, comes in timed and launcher version 5’ range, +5’ per point in Brawn Delivers 2 moderate burns to targets within 10’, reduced by 1 burn if any layers of armor/cover, minimum 1 burn. Delivers 1 moderate burn to targets within 15’, reduced to minor if target has armor or cover. Treat rolled 4 as Critical Burn Felony to own, black market only.

Flashbang $175 1 lb Moderate Shock Single use, comes in timed and launcher version 5’ range, +5’ per point in Brawn Delivers 2 moderate shocks to targets within 15’, reduced by 1 burn if any layers of armor/cover, minimum 1 burn. Delivers 1 moderate shock to targets within 25’, reduced to minor if target has armor or cover. Shock wounds fade 1/round, unless target unconscious. Felony to own, black market only.

Incendiary $200 1 lb Ignites Single use, comes in timed and launcher versions 5’ range, +5’ per point in Brawn Targets within 15’ suffer ‘Oh god it burns’ moderate wound effect. Targets within 25’ have 50% chance to be affected. Felony to own, black market only.

Thermite $400 1 lb Ignites Single use, comes in timed and launcher versions 5’ range, +5’ per point in Brawn Targets within 15’ suffer ‘Oh god it burns’ moderate wound effect.

Targets within 25’ have 50% chance to be affected. Delivers 1 moderate burn/round while flames burn. Once moderate wounds full, start delivering critical wounds. Felony to own, black market only.

Foam Grenade $200 1 lb Applies Foam to everything in range, no damage Single use, comes in timed and launcher version 5’ range, +5’ per point in Brawn Targets within 10’ are unable to move or take actions, are rooted in place, and concealed. Targets within 15’ flip coin ­ heads = can’t move, tails = can’t take actions. Rooted in place, partially concealed. Foam status can only be removed with counteragent. Production/use tightly controlled by PRT, 1 week shelf life

Smoke Grenade $150 1 lb Creates 15’ cloud at point of impact, obscuring vision Single use, comes in timed and launcher versions 5’ range, +5’ per point in Brawn Felony to own, black market only.

Tear Gas $175 1 lb As smoke grenade, but smoke blinds and inflicts agony, 30 minute duration. Guts check at outset, each point above 3 halves duration (4= 15 min, 5 = 7, 6 = 3 min). Attempts to recover/wash away allow another guts check of same type, applied to remaining duration. Agony imposes need for 4+ Guts roll to take any action. Felony to own, black market only.

[Melee weapons to come.]