Once you've chased down the bad guys, it's time to shoot and beat them. The Basic Set combat rules will do for most purposes, but some shortcuts can make for smoother battles … and a few new options especially suit action gaming.
Gunplay works best when everybody can roll and shout. Flatly ignoring modifiers to simplify shootouts is unfair, though – skill should count, and offsetting penalties is the whole point of high skill. The key is to avoid unnecessary modifiers while keeping fun ones. In general, keep modifiers for cover (-2 in most cases where you can see the target), darkness (-1 to -9), gear (like targeting lasers and scopes), hit location, maneuvers (particularly Aim, All-Out Attack, and Move and Attack), and size (SM). Remember to add Acc or ignore Bulk for heroes with Gunslinger. And use the simplified rules below.
The Size and Speed/Range Table is dandy for surveillance and observation, but clunky in a raging battle, especially when not using a map. Instead, use the range bands defined for chases; see Range Band Table and Attacks in Cinematic Chases. To quickly set an encounter's range, use Close (no range penalty, but Bulk applies if either side is punching or grappling) in a melee, Short (-3) for a pistol shootout, Medium (-7) for a shotgun or SMG fight, Long (-11) for a rifle engagement, and Extreme (-15) for sniping.
A gunman whose firearm has RoF 2+ can fire multiple shots. If he has several targets, he can opt to divide his shots among them. Decide on the number of bullets allocated to each target, assess standard ranged combat modifiers for each target, and then apply the following in each case: Number of Shots at Target: 0 for 2-4 shots, +1 for 5-8 shots, +2 for 9-12 shots, +3 for 13-16 shots, +4 for 17-24 shots, +5 for 25-49 shots, or +6 for 50-99 shots.
Total Number of Targets: If the weapon has RoF 2-4, there's -6 on all attacks when shooting two targets, -12 when shooting three, or -18 when shooting four; halve these penalties for heroes with Gunslinger. If the weapon has RoF 5+ (it's full-automatic), there's no special penalty – and simply ignore realistic concerns like arcs of fire and shots lost between targets!
Shotguns: A RoF 2¥9 shotgun can blast 18 pellets at one target (+4 for number of pellets), or 9 at each of two (each attack has +2 for number of pellets but -6 for two targets). A RoF 3¥9 shotgun can fire 27 pellets at one target (+5 for number of pellets), 9 at one and 18 at another (+2 and +4 for number of pellets, but -6 for two targets), or 9 at each of three (+2 for number of pellets but -12 for three targets).
Resolving Hits: Next, roll to hit each target. Success means that target is hit by one bullet (or pellet), plus one extra bullet per full multiple of weapon Rcl by which the roll was made, to a maximum of the number of bullets fired at that target. Double Rcl for a RoF 5+ weapon sprayed across multiple targets.
Example: Success by 4 with a Rcl 2 pistol means three hits: one for success and two for making the roll by twice Rcl. If spraying a RoF 5+ SMG at several targets, Rcl 2 would be treated as Rcl 4, and success by 4 would only be enough for one extra hit (two in all).
Damage: For 1-3 hits, roll damage normally. For 4+ hits, it's quicker not to roll. Use average damage for the weapon (3.5 per die, plus any modifier), subtract DR, multiply by number of hits, and drop fractions. To save time, note average damage for RoF 4+ guns on character sheets!
Example: Shotgun pellets do 1d+1 and average 3.5 + 1 = 4.5 points, so DR 2 would leave 4.5 - 2 = 2.5 points, and 9 pellets would inflict 9 ¥ 2.5 = 22.5 points, which would round to 22.
Shooting two one-handed guns uses the same rules as shooting one gun. Treat each hand as attacking separately. While shooting two guns, all attacks have an extra -4 unless the shooter improves the Dual-Weapon Attack technique. To buy off the whole -4 costs 5 points, so the GM may treat this technique as an all-or-nothing 5-point advantage for each Guns skill.
Off-hand attacks have a further -4. A shooter can eliminate this by buying either the Off-Hand Weapon Training perk for his Guns skill or full Ambidexterity.
Dodges against gunfire represent the effect of target movement on the shooter's aim. This keeps action heroes alive but is annoying when shooting mooks. High-skill heroes can mitigate this by predicting their mark's movement and placing shots just so. Apply all other ranged combat modifiers to skill first. If effective skill is 12+, the shooter can give his target -1 to Dodge per -2 he accepts on the shot. He cannot reduce effective skill below 10 this way.
Melee lacks multiple shots, range penalties, and so on, which makes it simple enough to use the Basic Set as written. But a few classic unarmed moves aren't covered there:
Guns as Melee Weapons: Roll against Brawling or DX to slug someone with a pistol or an SMG – or against Guns, with the Pistol-Fist perk. Damage is thrust-1 crushing, plus the absolute value of Bulk; e.g., a pistol with Bulk -2 does thr+1 crushing. Striking end-on with the butt of a longer weapon uses Spear or Staff(default DX-5) and inflicts thr+2 crushing.
Holding such a long arm by the barrel and swinging it like a baseball bat requires Two-Handed Axe/Mace(default DX-5) and does sw+3 crushing. Pistols and SMGs have Reach C; longer weapons, Reach 1.
Shoving People into Stuff: To hold somebody's face to a table saw, force his head into a rolling mill, etc., grapple him as usual. If he fails to break free, then on later turns, roll a Quick Contest. Each of you uses the highest of ST, DX, Judo, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling. If you win, he goes where you want him to go (for simplicity's sake, assume that big machines do 3d damage). If he wins, he gets his margin of victory as a bonus to break free on his next turn. A tie means nothing happens.
Shoving Stuff into People: To shove or kick an object into somebody on its far side, roll a standard Boxing, Brawling, or Karate punch or kick at an extra -4. Your foe may defend normally. Such a punch or kick does its usual damage, at +1 if the object is big and hard, like a car door or a frozen steer.
Smashing People into Walls: If you've grappled somebody, you can hold onto him and ram him into a wall, car door, or other hard object within a yard. This isn't a fancy Judo throw! To do this, roll against DX, Brawling, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling. You can even target specific body parts; apply standard hit location penalties. Your opponent may either dodge or parry with a free hand. If you succeed, you inflict thrust+1 crushing, plus any skill bonus (treat ST bonuses for Sumo Wrestling or Wrestling as damage bonuses).
In a real fight, it's wise to take cover, move cautiously, and not over-commit. Not in the movies! Your first dodge after any of the following stunts counts as your Acrobatic Dodge for the turn, regardless of whether you actually used Acrobatics, giving +2 to Dodge if the trick succeeded but -2 if it failed.
Acrobatic Evade: You may substitute Acrobatics for DX when evading on a Move maneuver, tumbling between your foe's legs, rolling over his shoulder, etc.
Acrobatic Guard: You can declare that you're acrobatically avoiding one opponent and doing nothing else. Roll a Quick Contest of Acrobatics vs. his best melee skill. If you win, he'll have a penalty equal to your margin of victory on his roll to hit you with melee attacks on his next turn. Otherwise, you waste your turn. Regardless, you still get your usual active defenses.
Acrobatic Stand: If you're lying down, you can jump to your feet using one Change Posture maneuver instead of two by making an Acrobatics roll at -6 plus encumbrance penalties. Failure means you end up sitting; critical failure means you fall face-down!
Athletics in Combat: The feats under Parkour and even Climbing can be part of any Move or Move and Attack maneuver, if scenery permits (you can use Serendipity or spend a character point to ensure this, just as in a chase). During a Move and Attack, they count as the “Move” portion, and both your attack roll and the roll for the stunt take an extra -2. Heroes with Gunslinger ignore this -2 on firearms attacks!
Tumbling: During a Move maneuver, you may try to cartwheel or roll at full Move. Make an unmodified Acrobatics roll. Success means that anyone who tries to shoot you has an extra -2. Failure means you travel half your Move but enjoy no special benefits. Critical failure means you fall down and go nowhere!
Assassins, especially, often prefer to be less flashy in combat. Below are several rules that emulate the way stealth works on film – which has little to do with reality.
Death from the Shadows: When combat starts, anyone may try a Stealth roll to duck behind cover or into shadows. Modifiers: A basic -5; encumbrance penalties; +5 if team is ambushing, no modifier in a stand-up fight, or -5 if squad is ambushed; and -5 if there's no cover or shadow. Success lets him attack his nearest foe (GM chooses) from behind; critical success lets him get at any enemy. Treat range as Close. The victim gets no defense. Attacking reveals the attacker's presence for the rest of the battle (but see Disappearing, below). A use of Serendipity or a character point can find cover anywhere (no -5) or let the sneak choose his victim.
Disappearing: A really stealthy hero can vanish during combat! He must take a Move maneuver to reach concealment – if only briefly. Then he attempts the Stealth roll above, but at a basic -10 and without ambush modifiers. Failure means he's spotted and still in the fight. Success lets him escape and “vanish” for as many turns as he likes. If he reappears, he can be up to Move yards away per turn of absence, in any location he could reach by running – or via Parkour or Climbing, if he makes all the rolls.
Hidden Weapons: To conceal a weapon for surprise use, roll Holdout. Add the Bulk penalty of a gun or the Holdout penalty of a melee weapon, along with any modifier for your holster. Success means the first strike with that weapon will be hard to see coming: -2 to target's defense. Ensuing attacks won't surprise anyone.
Playing Dead: This is a free action at any time: Fall down, drop your weapon, and stop moving. Whenever the GM thinks an enemy may decide to make sure you're dead, he'll roll a secret Quick Contest: Acting vs. the higher of the enemy's IQ or Perception. You're at +1 at half HP, +2 at 0 HP, +3 at -HP, +4 at -3xHP, and +5 at -4xHP. If you win, you're overlooked.
Sniping: A sniper can help allies in combat by taking shots at his regular spot in the combat sequence. If he succeeded at Stealth, his first victim gets no defense. Then roll a new Quick Contest of Stealth vs. the enemy side's best Perception. Victory means the gunman isn't seen and his next shot allows no defense. And so on. If he loses a Contest, he's spotted – but if he has an elevated position, Dodge is at -2 against his shots. Another advantage of elevation is that people don't get in his way unless they're in close combat with his mark, and even that gives only -2.
Extra Effort in Combat truly fits action battles. Each of the following uses costs 1 FP. A hero may try as many as he wishes on a given turn, if he has enough FP.
Feverish Defense: Get +2 to a single active defense roll.
Heroic Charge: Move any distance up to full Move in order to attack, ignoring the usual Bulk penalty and other bad effects of a Move and Attack maneuver. Heroes with Gunslinger can already ignore Bulk when they run and gun, so this option lets them add Acc (half Acc, for long arms) just as if they were making an Attack maneuver!
Multi-Task: Take a turn in combat while simultaneously doing a simple noncombat task (dousing lights, starting car, etc.) – or even a complex task, if it's performed as an “instant” action at -10 to skill, as described in Time Spent.
Near Thing: Undo the effects of a failed DX roll to stay standing, avert a fall when climbing in combat, or catch a weapon dropped due to a critical miss (not enemy action).
Rapid Reload: Reload instantly and without error – even between shots!
Second Wind: Each FP spent heals 1 HP! This isn't as effective as Flesh Wounds cinematic rules, but it doesn't cost character points.
Shake It Off: Undo the effects of a single failed HT roll to avoid knockdown or unconsciousness. The hero feels woozy (the lost FP), but stays standing.
Action movies are all about fighting, so some players will insist on piles of optional rules – including those from Tactical Combat, GURPS High-Tech,and GURPS Martial Arts. That's fine! But the GM may also wish to implement a few modified cinematic rules to simplify combat:
Bulletproof Nudity: In addition to its usual benefits, this rule gives heroes +1 to break free when naked or in skin-tight clothing, increasing to +2 if sweaty (at least 1 FP lost to exertion) or +3 if oiled (don't ask).
Cannon Fodder: A more shaded version of this rule suits the action-movie bad-guy hierarchy. Bad guys do defend. However, mooks are defeated if injured at all – even a 1-HP gut punch will do. Henchmen are overcome at 0 HP or below. Bosses always fight to negative HP and try repeated HT rolls. Exchange the henchman and boss rules when the boss' scary bodyguard is intended as the big combat challenge while the boss is a wimp. Defeated baddies who aren't killed or knocked out cower, play dead, flee, or surrender.
Cinematic Explosions: Use this rule for all explosions – not just those in combat, but also disasters when setting or defusing explosives. If the GM prefers grittier action, and wants something between “minor knockback damage” and “everybody dies,” he can give victims a Dodge roll at +3, to dive for cover; Enhanced Dodge (Dive for Cover) helps. Only critical success results in knockback alone. Success adds 1d cutting damage from fragments. Failure means the explosion does its usual damage, but can at worst reduce the victim to 0 HP – or to -HP, on a critical failure. Failures while working on explosives directly count as critical failures.
Cinematic Knockback: Heroes can use this rule to shove around objects, too. Any hit with a gun can push a lever or similar. Beefier objects, like oil drums, call for at least 8 points of damage.
Flesh Wounds: Heroes who spend a character point to reduce an injury to 1 HP can also invoke Second Wind (above), spend 1 FP, and walk away complete unscathed.
Infinite Ammunition: See Bullets, Beans, and Batteries for a toned-down version of this rule.
Melee Etiquette: A group of heroes should face an equal number of mooks in melee. When the heroes drop one, another immediately steps in, until there are no more mooks left.
TV Action Violence: Treat this as an extra-effort option whenever the distinction matters.
You can never have too many cinematic options!
Dumb Mooks: Heroes can try all manner of complex moves to show off, but having mooks do this doubles the time needed to play out a battle. Therefore, mooks simply stand out in the open and shoot at full RoF in gunfights, and avoid fancy options such as Deceptive Attack, Dual-Weapon Attack, Feint, Rapid Strike, and combat techniques in melee. Bosses and henchmen, however, can try anything the heroes could try.
Fast Reloads: Reloading takes the usual amount of time if the enemy can see you. If you're already behind concealment, reloading any gun takes one Ready maneuver. If you take a Move maneuver to reach concealment, you can either Ready next turn or make a Fast-Draw (Ammo) roll at the end of your movement and start next turn with a loaded weapon.
Flawless Firearms: Guns don't require maintenance, have Malfunction numbers, jam or overheat, suffer when thrown or used to pummel people, or endanger the heroes with hot brass or deadly backblast. They just work! However, a hero can spend 2 character points to inflict such an outcome on a mook who fails an attack roll to hit him or his vehicle: the mook's gun jams, his LAW's backblast takes out a carload of other mooks, etc.
Gun Control Law: If the heroes don't have firearms, mooks won't use guns except to threaten them. When the thugs attack, they'll use bare hands or melee weapons. “Name” adversaries – a crack sniper hired to kill the team, the boss' bodyguard, etc. – may use firearms, but won't defend against attacks intended to disarm them. The GM can apply this on a PC-by-PC basis, so that heroes who choose melee meet only bad guys with melee weapons, while the crew's gunmen are valid targets for mooks with guns. If the heroes shoot a mook who isn't using a gun, this rule no longer applies.
Mook Marksmanship: If the Gun Control Law is broken, the bad guys won't hit with their first shot (or shots, if using rapid fire). Nearby props get trashed instead. The GM may extend this protection for multiple turns if all the PCs are using Flashy Fighting to escape rather than to fight back.
Super-Silencers: Real silencers turn a deafening bang into a merely loud one that still gives a substantial bonus to Hearing rolls. In the movies, even the heaviest rifle makes a muffled cough when silenced. There's no noise at all unless you have a line of sight. In that case, make a basic Hearing roll with the penalty listed for a silencer.
Unarmed Etiquette: Melee weapons can't parry unarmed attacks. This applies to PCs and NPCs alike. Against unarmed foes, it may be necessary to drop weapons to survive – a weapon in either hand leaves only dodges against kicks and punches!
Action heroes never shut up in combat – an actor has to earn his pay, after all. But it sometimes serves a purpose. Below, Psychology works like an Influence skill, because in the movies, skilled police psychologists and negotiators are good at this stuff!
Drawing Aggression: You can use Fast-Talk or Psychology to unleash taunts and jibes calculated to draw an opponent's aggression. Take a Concentrate maneuver and roll a Quick Contest of skill against the higher of the enemy's IQ or Will. If you win, that foe comes after you, changing targets if necessary. A tie does nothing. If you lose, he targets a hurt or otherwise vulnerable team member just to spite you! Win, lose, or tie, if you roll a critical success, your mark also makes an All-Out Attack on his next turn.
Uttering Threats: You can try Intimidation or Psychology to discourage an enemy, provided that he's neither Indomitable nor Unfazeable. This works at -5 once combat has begun – but a gun gives you a bonus equal to the absolute value of its Bulk (e.g., +4 for a .50AE hand-cannon), and you get +1 if you light up your rival with a targeting laser. Then roll as for drawing aggression. Victory by 5 or more means he flees the fight. If you win by 1-4, your opponent hesitates, taking that many All-Out Defense maneuvers, but doesn't leave. If you tie or lose, he comes after you! This trick only works while the team allows enemies to run away unscathed. Shooting one in the back dooms this option to failure for the rest of the encounter.
The wounded partner in the finale of a buddy movie, or the leader of a squad in a war movie, is always ready with advice for his allies. There are several options here, all of which require at least one Do Nothing maneuver. All overlook the fact that this person is actually doing something. This lets bullet-riddled heroes contribute even when trying not to pass out!
Analysis: You can take a turn and ask the GM to roll Tactics for you. Success means he'll reveal the enemy's broad plan – if there is one – beyond “They're trying to kill us!” For instance, “They're guarding that chopper,” “They're maneuvering us away from that control panel,” or “They're stalling until the bomb goes off.” Failure means he lies.
Encouragement: A successful Leadership roll removes -1 in disadvantage penalties claimed under the Ham Clause by anyone on your side. Critical success negates up to -2. These effects last until your next turn, but you can roll and shout for as many turns as you like. Failure, or several people trying this at once, gives no benefit (but no penalty).
Spotting: You can observe a target for a friend. Choose one companion to aid. On his turn, he can listen to your shouts – or ignore you! If he listens, roll against Observation and treat it as a complementary skill roll for his attack rolls this turn. Reroll each turn. If multiple people try to advise him, he chooses whose advice to take, and only that person may roll.
Action-movie fights often start with a standoff. In a standoff between two gunmen in combat, resolve the situation using the standard turn sequence. The faster gunman takes his turn first, shooting if his weapon is ready or he can Fast-Draw it, or taking a Ready maneuver otherwise. Then the slower gunfighter acts. And so on. If combat hasn't started, use these rules:
1. Neither fighter has a ready weapon.
2. One fighter has a ready weapon.
Action movies make a big deal out of the hero winning the draw under grossly unequal terms. This is one place where lots of modifiers are justified!
Optional Modifiers: -4 if grappled; -4 for the off hand; -4 if crawling or lying down, -2 if crouching, kneeling, or sitting, or hanging upside down; -1 from a shoulder or concealment holster, or -2 if the weapon is in a pocket.
Death on Wheels (Skis, Fins, etc.): When fighting while parachuting, skiing, diving, etc., use the lower of your actual combat skill and your DX-based level with the relevant mobility skill: Parachuting, Scuba, Skiing, etc. In addition, if you're skiing faster than you could run, or parachuting, your only option when attacking is Move and Attack. This gives gunmen a penalty: the worse of -2 or their weapon's Bulk. Those with Gunslinger always roll against Guns and never take penalties for Move and Attack.
Flipping a Weapon to Your Hand: Normally, readying a weapon from the ground takes two Ready maneuvers. You can try a showy Ready maneuver that lets you flip the weapon to your hand while standing. Roll against DX or Fast-Draw at -5. Failure means you don't grasp the weapon and waste your turn clutching at air. Critical failure means you knock the weapon 1d yards away in a random direction.
Underwater Shooting: Realistically, it's unwise to shoot a firearm underwater, and mostly ineffective. In the movies, it seems to work reasonably well if both parties are in the water. The bullets move slowly, leaving cool trails that give the target +1 to Dodge, but do full damage. However, when shooting into water, bullets rarely do much – treat hits as misses and critical hits as regular hits.
Most disasters involve getting beaten, stabbed, shot, and blown up. This is where the medic earns his pay. To simulate the way cinematic medics can patch up allies even as the bullets fly, rolls for treatment can invoke Time Spent to allow “instant” use at -10. Don't forget that all medical tasks in action scenes get +1 for Higher Purpose (“Medic!”).
In all cases, the medic must have the necessary medical gear – and nothing else – in hand, and be able to touch the patient. When attempting instant use, he still has to take a Concentrate maneuver. (Thus, it takes a second, which is still “instant” next to minutes or hours!) Repeated attempts aren't allowed, except as noted.
First Aid: In a TL8 action setting, first aid takes 10 minutes and requires a successful First Aid or Physician roll. There's no modifier with a first aid kit, but a crash kit gives +2. Success heals 1d HP; critical success restores 6 HP. Failure has no benefit; critical failure costs 2 HP.
Mortal Wounds: Lethal injuries that would kill anyone else seem to cause at worst a mortal wound to an action hero. When a PC rolls against HT to avoid death, he may add Hard to Kill if he has it, and only failure against modified HT means collapse (normally, if Hard to Kill makes the difference, the victim collapses). Moreover, any failure by any amount – even critical failure – merely indicates a mortal wound (p. B423). This obeys the usual rules.
To stabilize the victim, a medic can take an hour and roll vs. Surgery. Modifiers: -5 if all he has is a crash kit, but no modifier for a proper surgical kit; -2 at -3xHP or worse or -4 at -4xHP or worse; -2, cumulative, per repeated attempt; -5 if the victim failed his original HT roll by more than 2 (that is, his mortal wound would have killed a random NPC).
Success saves the patient's life and lets him start healing naturally – he never loses HT or acquires disadvantages. Failures allow repeated attempts, at the penalty above. If the patient dies, try resuscitation.
Resuscitation: Cinematic medics can revive almost anybody the plot requires to live. When someone important – PC or major NPC – dies forany reason, a medic can pound on his chest, inject adrenaline, and otherwise go nuts. This takes a minute and requires a First Aid or Physician roll. A defibrillator gives +3. (In reality, someone who has bled dry won't benefit from a zap – but this isn't reality!) Success lets stabilization attempts resume.
Bleeding: Ignore Bleeding in an action game. People bleed – lots – and talk about how bad it is, but that's the director showing you how bad they're hurt, not its own problem. If the GM feels that bleeding is vital to a scene, one minute and a First Aid or Physician roll will solve the problem.
An important medic role in some action stories is identifying and treating dire plagues engineered by terrorists and mad scientists. As depicted on the silver screen, this requires four rolls:
These rolls take 1d hours each and must be made in order. Penalties frequently apply. Success is needed to advance to the next step, but repeated attempts are allowed. Each failure means dead NPCs. Once all four rolls have succeeded, the survivors will remain stable until the real cure comes. This is researched “on screen” in disaster movies, but rarely in action films. The heroes might have to make an Assistance Roll to request a cure, though! Heroes must roll against Hazardous Materials (Biological) to transport samples to scientists working on the cure, and NBC Suit when around victims. Any failure means exposure. Exposed PCs and stable-but-uncured NPCs are alive but in bad shape. See WMDs for suggested effects.
Cinematic poison should inflict 1d to 6d fatigue or toxic damage and then get out of the picture. However, some plots call for someone – like a vital witness – to be slowly dying of poison. Things then work much as for disease, but with fewer steps:
These rolls take a minute apiece and must be attempted in order. Success is required to start the next step, but repeated attempts are allowed. Each failure means more damage – another 1d to 6d, depending on deadliness. Penalties often apply. Several skills are complementary here, though: Chemistry for industrial chemicals, Expert Skill (Military Science) for weapons, Naturalist for animal venom or toxic plants, Pharmacy for medical drugs, and Streetwise for street drugs. The team can try all of these. Modifiers are cumulative for all skills that apply.
Sometimes, it's a machine – not a teammate – that needs fixing. This requires a tool kit matched to the relevant repair skill. A shop gives +2; a portable kit, no modifier; a mini kit, -2; and a pocket multi-tool, -5. Ignore item HP except when vehicles are being banged up in chases. Just assume that cinematic hardware has three states (and convert vehicle HP to the appropriate one after a chase):
Functional – The item is above 0 HP and operating. No need for repairs!
Broken – The item has 0 or fewer HP, but is above -HP; has missing parts; or is simply “ancient,” “short-circuited,” “wet,” etc. To jury-rig it, the repairman must roll against a suitable specialty of Armoury for weapons, Electronics Repair for electronics, or Mechanicfor vehicles – or use Electrician for power tools or ordinary appliances, or Machinist for hand tools. This takes the lower of 30 minutes or the time left until the next action scene, but Quick Gadgeteer allows instant repairs by rolling at -10. Any damage will re-break a jury-rigged item. Repairs carried out between adventures are real, permanent repairs.
Destroyed – The item is at -HP or worse. It's dead, Jim. You can't fix it!
Two special repairs often feature in action stories:
Get the Lights On! Restoring power to a building or a large vehicle requires suitable tools and an Electrician roll. Critical failure means a shock: 3d burning. Much as when cutting the power, Area Knowledge or Climbing may be needed to find hookups or shinny up power poles, respectively.
MacGyver the MacGuffin: Some plots call for a broken device to be irreparable sans some replacement part. Getting the needed materials requires either a Scrounging roll at -5 in a place with lots of junk, or an Assistance Roll for facilities. Then roll against Machinist for a weapon or a vehicle, or the correct Electronics Repair specialty for electronics; time is as for repairs. The GM rolls secretly. Success assembles the part, failure wastes materials (roll again for those before a repeated attempt is possible), and critical failure creates a faulty part that will destroy the target machine if installed. With the part in hand, repairs proceed as usual; the GM will make a secret Per-based repair skill roll for the repairman to see if he notices a faulty part in time.
Action heroes are destined to win. This fate is often termed “script immunity”: Victory is ultimately assured because the script says so. Scripting isn't fun in an RPG, but “lucky breaks” can provide the benefits of script immunity without the script. There are many ways to engineer such situations.
Every Action Heroes template includes Luck, and offers Daredevil and Serendipity. Each can pull the heroes' fat out of the fire, but in different ways.
Daredevil: This only works during physical risk-taking. Given how skilled most action heroes are at such deeds, +1 to skill rarely saves the day; the true benefit is the ability to reroll critical failures. However, not all unfortunate outcomes are critical failures! Optionally, when a single roll by anyone – damage, critical hit result, etc. – would kill the hero, the GM can backtrack to the fatal roll and reroll it, even if it isn't the daredevil's success roll.
Luck: This general-purpose lifesaver is easy to “use up” in an action scene. The GM may opt to let a PC who's between uses “push his luck.” This gives an immediate extra use without resetting the clock. The catch is that the hero now has one episode of Unluckiness (as per the disadvantage) coming, and can't invoke Luck again – regularly or by pushing it – until this hoses him!
Serendipity: In addition to lucking into clues, convenient scenery, items, etc., a hero with this trait can invoke it as a safety net when things go pear-shaped. He doesn't reroll. Instead, he receives a fortuitous opportunity to make a different roll to avoid disaster. For instance, if critical failure at Forced Entry brings guards, Serendipity might let the burglar duck behind a hitherto unnoticed curtain, allowing a “saving throw” against Stealth.
The GM should always allow Influencing Success Rolls. He controls how often it's possible through the number of points he awards! Some advice:
Buying Success: The Basic Set recommends forbidding purchase of critical successes in combat, but it suits the genre to permit them against mooks (not henchmen or bosses). Flawless Firearms even lets a hero spend 2 points to “curse” a bumbling mook!
Player Guidance: It's unfair to take 2 points from a PC to “set the scene” if – to capitalize on the situation – he must attempt a success roll that could fail and waste his points. Therefore, when the player specifies an adjustment to the world that merely lets him try something, it costs only 1 point.
A final common setback in action stories is capture. This is usually the result of being knocked out in a chase or a fight, so it won't come up very often – PCs can invoke Flesh Wounds, Second Wind, and Shake It Off to avoid it. Still, heroes might come along at gunpoint when these options aren't enough, a hostage will die if they don't, they're tricked, or they need a cunning way to enter the Secret Base!
The first thing heroes need to do to escape is break free of cuffs, ropes, etc.
Behind the Back: Hands are usually tied or cuffed behind the back. This means you can't use your arms and are at -1 to DX otherwise. You can use your fingertips back there, but you're working blind: -10! Success at Acrobatics or Escape lets you slip your arms around to the front, unless you're tied to a chair or similar; note that this is obvious. Once your hands are in front, you're at only -1 with fine manual tasks and no penalty at all in general, but must always use both hands together.
Bonds: Actually escaping from ropes is a Quick Contest of Escape vs. your captor's Knot-Tying skill (often default: DX-4).
Cuffs: Escaping from handcuffs requires an Escape roll at -5.
Flex Cuffs: These require an Escape roll at only -1.
Straitjacket: This prevents you from using arms or hands! You can only lumber around at -1 to DX. Escape is at -10.
Exotic Restraints: Secret labs, asylums, and the like may have separate leather belts or metal clamps for each limb, even the head. These sorts of things are only limited by the bad guys' imagination. Apply BAD to Escape.
Now You Made Me Angry!: You can try sheer strength to escape. Simply substitute ST for Escape. Success causes the restraint to fail. Succeed or fail, though, you take thrust-3 cutting damage – minimum 1 point – to both arms if your wrists were bound or cuffed, or thrust-1 fatigue damage if you were bodily tied or straitjacketed.
Repeated Attempts: Failures allow repeated attempts, but at a cumulative -1. Critical failures mean you're so tangled up that you can't escape. Hope you have friends!
Escaping from a locked room – be it a meat locker or a prison cell – is a matter of defeating locks, doors, etc. Use the rules under Getting In, plus the following:
Got a Light?: Heroes love to trick guards into opening doors, looking the wrong way, etc. Many skills might work: Acting to fake a heart attack, Sex-Appeal to talk a guard into opening the door to “chat,” Stealth to hide so the guards think you've escaped, etc. Allies can make complementary rolls; e.g., Acting could complement a Fast-Talk roll about that “heart attack.” Roll a Quick Contest: skill vs. the guards' effective Will of 10 + absolute value of BAD (this reflects their training). Victory creates an opportunity to ambush the guards in hand-to-hand combat.
No Tools: Defeating locks and hinges requires tools. Gizmos can reveal hidden tools. Scrounging, modified by BAD – or using Serendipity – can turn up an improvised tool that allows use of the relevant burglary skill at -5.
Where's the Keyhole?: Lockpicking might work – but if you're in a padlocked meat locker or a modern prison, there's no lock accessible! If you find or improvise a tool, be sure it's one that can attack bars or hinges.
A few rules slow game play, render PCs less-than-heroic, or simply clash with “action realism.” The GM should use these only when they're truly needed. This will make them suitably dramatic when they do come up!
10. Tactical Combat(pp. B384-392): Keep distances and positions abstract in combat. This makes it possible to fudge action scenes: heroes can reach cover when necessary, bad guys can escape when the plot requires it, etc. Save maps for situations like martial-arts duels between heroes and scary henchmen.
9. Regular Contests (p. B349): Rolling over and over until somebody fails gets boring. Save this technique for climactic struggles where each Contest the hero rolls buys his associates time to rescue another hostage, plant another explosive charge, etc.
8. Fatigue (pp. B426-427): Extra effort costs FP, and poison or failure at some tasks can inflict fatigue damage, but docking FP for hiking, staying up late, and so on is needless bookkeeping. Ignore it except when the heroes' endurance is what makes the scene dramatic.
7. Fright Checks(p. B360): These should occur rarely, and only for nasty stuff like flayed corpses – never for the supernatural. Then make the penalties severe enough that only the cleaner with Unfazeableis likely to be functional, giving him the spotlight at a dramatic juncture.
6. Tech Level (pp. B22-23, B168, B511-514): Action assumes the mix of TL6-8 hardware seen in movies, and that the heroes' skills are tailored to match. Only assess TL penalties when the MacGuffin is a cutting-edge gadget. Then give the heroes from -1 to -5 to operate it.
5.Improvement Through Study(pp. B292-294) and Time Use Sheets (p. B499): Filling out forms between adventures is boring.If the heroes must learn new tricks between adventures, just give the players some extra points to spend on pre-approved skills.
4.Control Rating(p. B506) and Legality(pp. B267, B507): Action heroes don't worry about licenses and permits for gear. Save CR and LC for times when the players show so little regard for life and the law that the campaign is drifting from heroic to horrific. Then use these rules to justify a crackdown by the PCs' bosses or the authorities.
3. Cost of Living (pp. B265-266) and Economics (pp. B514-519): The budget system replaces these rules. Such details add nothing to an action game.
2. Crippling Injury(pp. B420-423): The heroes can maim foes, but don't return the favor. Few things wreck an action campaign more surely than a blind shooter or a one-legged infiltrator.
1. Magic (pp. B234-253), Psionics (pp. B254-257), and Other Planes of Existence(pp. B519-522): Action gaming is set in the real world. There's no place for the paranormal. If you must involve such things, warn your players ahead of time.
The GM should let the PCs try an Assistance Roll (AR) whenever they wish, if they can call home base. Since the AR isn't especially high for a group of Rank 0-4 heroes, and as there are penalties for repeated attempts and inappropriate requests, overuse or abuse is difficult. Some notes: Aerial Surveillance: Success here counts as a successful complementary skill roll for Targets and Locations (p. 7), and as success at any kind of Visual Surveillance (p. 12) that would make sense from an aircraft. Bailout: The PCs can try this anytime their deeds get them into legal trouble – notably when caught smuggling
(Travel,pp. 7-8) – and as a valid alternative to escape (Captured!,p. 42) when being held by legitimate authorities. Cash: This can be requested as part of Assembling Kit (pp. 6-7). For the purposes of Bribery (p. 15) of an NPC who doesn't demand actual cash, success can arrange stringpulling that counts as 10 times the usual amount the heroes could request (exactly as if acquiring cash for show). Cover-Up (p. 26): This is a singleAR, even when it logically involves a combination of bailouts, disappearances, false ID, and technical means. Facilities: This AR can request supercomputers that give major benefits for Hacking (p. 13) and Code-Cracking (p. 13); machine shops good for +4 to Repurposing (p. 13) and Repairs (pp. 41-42); and even the resources needed to cure plagues (Outbreak!,p. 40). False ID: Success here bypasses the need for the tasks under Fake ID (p. 26). Files and Records Search:These forms of assistance can substitute for success at the tasks under Files and Records (p. 14) in situations where the PCs' employer would have access to the files or records.
Fire Support: The heroes can use this as an alternative to Destruction (pp. 24-25) against inanimate targets, after sneaking close enough to call in fire. Alternatively, they can blast one group of NPCs; assume that artillery is 100% lethal against mooks, simplifying the problem to any henchmen or boss present. Either use requires a Forward Observer roll to be effective.
Forensics: This can call in the professionals and grant benefits identical to success at the Forensics skill rolls under Physical Searches (pp. 11-12).
Insertion/Extraction: Success here can bypass a roll for Insertion (p. 18) or Getting Away (p. 27) by arranging for an NPC pilot to show up in a helicopter, VTOL aircraft, mini-sub, or similar costly vehicle.
Medevac: Success here can acquire a cure for a PC who's incapacitated by WMD (p. 29) or call in a medic who can perform the tasks under Medic! (pp. 40-41) – if the victim can hang on for long enough!
Replacement Gear: Heroes can request gear as part of Assembling Kit (pp. 6-7) at the start of an adventure. If the mission requires it, “standard issue” might include explosives (Blowing Stuff Up,pp. 24-25), gee-whiz gadgetry like retinaprint contact lenses (Locks,p. 20), polygraphs (Making Them Talk ,pp. 16-17), etc.
Technical Means: Success at this AR counts as success at just about anything under Gathering Intelligence (pp. 11-14), or can secure a patch between communications networks (Communications,pp. 8-9).
Transportation: This sets up commercial travel for the PCs orfor fragile or illicit gear. Roll twice for both. See Travel (pp. 7-8) for further details.
A hero with a Duty should be affected by it, but because most adventures happen “on duty,” this tends to get lost in the action. To keep things interesting, secretly roll for each PC at the adventure's start. If the dice indicate the Duty comes up, take the player of that PC aside and give him an extra responsibility. This need not be negative! Plenty of good things still require an added degree of accountability. Here are some examples:
future adventure.
Failure at this task means being dealt out of the replacement budget at the start of the next adventure, -2 to Assistance Rolls on that adventure, or even losing a level of Rank!
The GM should bear in mind the basic rule of action-movie bad guys: They'retargets. The boss might be a clever recurring villain, but it's unwise to lavish too much attention on mooks and henchmen. Below are suggestions for quickly assessing NPC stats.
When it comes to equipping NPCs, the GM should remember that guns kill people. A mook horde with skill 10 is liable to slaughter the PCs if given full-automatic weapons and concussion grenades, while an assassin henchman with skill 20 can only accomplish so much with a knife. Unless the heroes have heavy body armor, then, casual encounters should either involve primarily melee weapons and handguns, or use Bulletproof Nudity, Cinematic Explosions, Flesh Wounds, Gun Control Law, Mook Marksmanship, and TV Action Violence; see Cinematic Combat Rules (p. 38).
Mooks don't need complete character sheets. Most look like this: ST10; DX10; IQ10; HT10. Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10; Will 10; Per 10; FP 10. Basic Speed 5.00; Basic Move 5; Dodge 8; Parry 8. SM 0; 5'3“-6'1”; 115-175 lbs.
Advantages/Disadvantages:No advantages unless the adventure calls for something like tough mooks with High Pain Threshold. Disadvantages typically consist of Duty plus some mental problems, like Bully. Skills:One to three scenario-relevant skills at level 10-15 (roll 1d+9, if variety matters); e.g., Brawling-12, Driving (Automobile)-10, and Guns (Pistol)-14. Unusual mooks can have out-of-the-ordinary scores – perhaps menacing thugs might roll 1d+10 for ST, while pencilnecked technicians have ST 9 but IQ 11-12. Details other than combat skill levels rarely matter; notably, HP and HT aren't relevant when using the Cannon Fodder rule (p. 38).
There are two types of henchmen:
Mook Leaders:Build patrol leaders and other senior mooks like their underlings, but with +1 or +2 to attributes and skills. For noncombat skills, follow the advice under BAD Guys(p. 5) and make minimum effective skill 10 + absolute value of BAD. If this raises skill, the difference comes from situational bonuses for knowing the territory, possessing good gear, and so on, and won't apply if the henchman is taken prisoner, encountered at home, etc.
Named Henchmen: Build crack hit men, sub-bosses, and other major threats just like PCs, using templates from Action 1: Heroes. In a hurry, simply print out the template and take a Hi-Liter to the desired choices!
Heroes may also face “special” opponents that are more than mooks but not henchmen in the above sense. Trained dogs are classic, but unhinged bosses might favorother guard beasts (e.g., sharks), and high-tech thrillers occasionally verge on sci-fi, featuring security robots, mooks in prototype battlesuits, sharks with lasers,etc. See Other Enemies (box). BOSSES Bosses are worth designing as individuals. They can range from 50-point wimps – no doubt with scary henchmen as bodyguards – to challenging opponents built on templates from Action 1: Heroes with an extra 50-100 points!
Bad guys with Animal Handling (Dogs) can set the hounds on heroes. These stats describe a monstrous guard dog. Dogs sometimes improve effective NPC skill, too; see Surveillance and Patrols. ST:9 HP:9 Speed:6.00 DX:12 Will:10 Move:10 IQ:4 Per:12 Weight:90 lbs. HT:12 FP:12 SM:0 Dodge:9 Parry:N/A DR:0 Bite (14): 1d-2 cutting. Traits: Chummy; Discriminatory Smell; Domestic Animal; Quadruped; Sharp Teeth. Skills: Brawling-14; Tracking-13. Notes: Tracking dogs have Tracking-15. Police dogs have Wrestling-14 (+2 to effective ST for grabbing gun hands).
Real armed robots are remotely controlled. Movie denizens are autonomous! This one resembles a tiny tank. It's dumb, a lousy shot, and coldly persistent. ST:26 HP:26 Speed:5.00 DX:8 Will:6 Move:10 IQ:6 Per:12 Weight:300 lbs. HT:12 FP:N/A SM:0 Dodge:8 Parry:N/A DR:8-25 Gun (8): Per firearm. Traits: Accessories (Computer, plus Bullhorn, Siren, and/or Spotlight); AI; Automaton; Doesn't Breathe; Electrical; Indomitable; Infravision; Machine; No Legs (Tracked); No Manipulators; No Sense of Smell/Taste; Parabolic Hearing 2; Telecommunication (Radio); Telescopic Vision 2; Weapon Mount; Unfazeable. Skills: Guns-8. Notes: Capabilities vary from DR 8 and a shotgun to DR 25 and a machine gun.
An Action campaign should focus on, well,action. But action heroes often tidy up loose ends before the credits roll – especially if there's e a sequel! Since campaigns tend to be episodic, with many sequels, the GM might want to lend some thought to this. In general, after-action activity should be brief and to-thepoint – in game terms, a few lines of banter and a skill roll. Some example rolls: •Cartographyto create a map of the area where the action took place. •Law (Police)to ensure that evidence or an arrest is admissible – with a penalty of at least-1 per gross violation of rights, unnecessary death, or similar deed perpetrated by the PCs. • SuitableSavoir-Faireskill (see Fitting In,p. 16) to convince the boss all went well.
•Streetwiseto sell stolen goods after a heist. •Writingfor a report (intelligence, military, or police). The GM can have one teammate roll for everybody, or have each PC make his own roll – possibly against different skills. Effects are entirely up to the GM, but here are a few suggestions: Critical Success – Next adventure, the crew gets double its usual replacement budget. Alternatively, if they belong to an organization with Rank and that allows Assistance Rolls, roll 1d: 1-5 means +2 to all AR next adventure; 6 means promotion (+1 Rank for free). Success – No special effect. Failure – Next adventure, the team gets half its usual replacement budget. Alternatively, if they belong to an organization with Rank and that allows AR, they get -2 to all AR next adventure. Critical Failure – Next adventure, the squad gets no replacement budget. Alternatively, if they belong to an organization with Rank and that allows AR, roll 1d: 1-5 means no AR are allowed next adventure; 6 means demotion (-1 Rank), and Rank 0 personnel aredismissed, starting a freelance maverick campaign!
Movie heroes are generalists by necessity: Most are loners. The templates in Action 1: Heroes assume a campaign with four or more PCs, however, and so portray specialists in order to guarantee everybody spotlight time. To make this work, each adventure must offer everyhero chances to shine. If the squad includes a specialist, the GM should include events that demand his unique skills. If the team lacks such a member, the GM can gloss over those moments rather than annoy the players with situations that the PCs can't handle. No action movie would have an all-shooter squad foiled by a lock for want of an infiltrator – they'd shoot the lock or find a key nearby, or their overconfident foes simply wouldn't lock the door!
Some suggestions:
Assassin: The assassin needs targets – preferably Bad People who deserve killing. To show off his knack for stalking, this prey should be too well-protected for demo men or shooters to hit. It's fine to dim his spotlight in pitched battles, as long as this lets him strike from surprise. Because he's stealthy and nimble, he's the ideal backup infiltrator when he has no enemies to waste.
Cleaner: A cleaner has several specialty skills that let him alter evidence, so be sure to enforce the ramifications of failing to clean up. If leaving clues might be the crew's undoing, the cleaner's art will be in regular demand! His other gift is uncanny calm; at least once per adventure, give him the opportunity to defeat a polygraph, disregard horrors that stun teammates, etc.
Demolition Man: Cinematic demo men try to solve every problem via judicious use of explosives! Subtler allies may object, so other challenges are welcome – notably using technical skills to defeat bombs, locks, and traps, and to repair weapons and vehicles. Every adventure needs some fireworks, though, from a distracting squib to a blown bridge.
Face Man: When there's significant PC-NPC interaction, the face man needs no help – he'll dominate the spotlight. Action campaigns often have the opposite problem, though, so have a few NPCs talk rather than attack! Don't relegate the face man to information gathering, either; he should get to talk his way past or distract bad guys in the field. Hacker: Integrate the hacker into physical exploits by taking Hollywood's lead: Put the world online and let the hacker be the group's eyes and ears, deactivate security for the infiltrator, validate the cleaner's false credentials on the fly, switch traffic lights for the wheel man, etc. Since he's sitting alone in his sanctum, it's traditional for him to need rescuing on occasion!
Infiltrator: Many obstacles demand the infiltrator's skills; he'll have lots to do. When stealth is lost, his agility lets him more than account for himself in a chase or a fight. The challenge is to balance his loner tendencies against being a team player. Make it clear that he needs his teammates: the wire rat to kill high-tech security, the shooter to cover his back, etc.
Investigator: The investigator can monopolize a game with a lot of intelligence gathering. A more common issue, though, is the GM dispensing free clues and making him redundant. Don't! Also ensure that he can act in later phases of the adventure: spotting for the assassin, using his prodigious perception and intuition to pick courses of action, and so on.
Medic: A medic can feel like a fifth wheel until an ally has no FP or character points left for damage-mitigating cinematic rules, and croaks “Medic!” Then he's God. So have the mission tap his other skills. He's the only hero likely to be able to conduct an autopsy, deal with many varieties of WMD, sedate a prisoner, or administer truth serum.
Shooter: All action plots ultimately come down to gunplay. The challenge is to come up with ways to make the shooter matter the rest of the time. Fortunately, his skills and agility let him back up the assassin, infiltrator, and wheel man with aplomb, and crack marksmanship can deal with that camera the wire rat can't get at.
Wheel Man: A wheel man is only as far from the spotlight as the next chase. Extended action sequences often unfold indoors, though, far from the nearest ride. Remember the wheel man's knack for maps and directions in situations like this – and note that a trained mechanic, freight handler, or smuggler is valuable when the goal is sabotage or theft.
Wire Rat: The high-tech gizmos found in modern action stories shouldn't “just work.” Give the wire rat opportunities to use and abuse electronics skillfully, and plenty of chances to repair or repurpose gear. The wire rat need not be a geek back at HQ, either – he might walk in front, sweeping the team's path for digital dangers.