Nearly every game world features gadgetry of some kind, ranging from primitive to futuristic . . . and often including things which are magical or just weird. These rules describe how to create and use all kinds of devices, what happens when they are damaged, and how to fix them.

A vehicle might be little more than a means of getting somewhere. But it could be a source of extra firepower… or even part of a character concept! A fighter plane or mecha might be the high-tech equivalent of a knight’s trusty steed, and a party on the move might call a pirate ship or star cruiser “home” for adventure after adventure.

The tables in this section give statistics for common vehicle types, and note the skills required to operate them. Some vehicle systems, such as sensors or weapons, may require additional skills not listed here.

ST/HP: The vehicle’s ST and HP. These are equal for a powered vehicle: the vehicle’s mass determines both how powerful its engine must be (ST) and how hard it is to destroy (HP). For an unpowered vehicle, this score is marked with a †, and represents HP only; ST is 0. Unpowered vehicles have Injury Tolerance (Homogenous); others have the Machine meta-trait (p. 263), which includes Injury Tolerance (Unliving).

Hnd/SR: The first number is Handling; the second is Stability Rating. See Control Rolls (p. 466) for details.

HT: The vehicle’s HT, a measure of reliability and ruggedness. Fragile vehicles have an additional code: “c” for Combustible, “f” for Flammable, or “x” for Explosive.

Move: The first number is Acceleration and the second is Top Speed, in yards/second (double this to get mph). These statistics are equivalent to a character’s Move and his top speed with Enhanced Move. For ground vehicles, a * indicates a roadbound vehicle, while a ‡ indicates one that must follow rails. For spacecraft, divide Acceleration by 10 to find it in Earth gravities (G), and note that c means the speed of light (186,000 miles/second).

LWt.: Loaded Weight, in tons (1 ton = 2,000 lbs.), with maximum payload and a full load of fuel. Actual weight is often lower.

Load: The weight, in tons, of occupants and cargo the vehicle can carry, including the operator. To find cargo capacity, subtract the weight of occupants (for simplicity, assume 0.1 ton/person, including gear). To find “curb weight” (with fuel but no other payload), subtract Load from LWt.

SM: The vehicle’s Size Modifier.

Occ.: The number of occupants the vehicle can carry in reasonable comfort, given as “crew+passengers”; e.g., 2+6 means two crew and six passengers. “A” indicates a vehicle built for long-term accommodation, with room to sleep, cook, etc. If the vehicle affords the occupants special protection, there is an additional code: “S” for Sealed (p. 82), “P” for Pressure Support (p. 77), or “V” for Vacuum Support (p. 96).

DR: The vehicle’s DR. Some vehicles have different DR on various faces or locations. The table lists the two most important DR scores – for ground vehicles, this is usually the front DR and the average of side and rear DR.

Range: The travel distance, in miles, before the vehicle runs out of fuel. For unpowered or exotic vehicles, “–” means only provisions (food and water) limit range. “F” means the FP of the rowers or draft animals, and stored provisions, limit range. Spacecraft either omit this statistic or use the entry to give faster-than-light drive capabilities.

Cost: The vehicle’s cost, in $. “K” means thousands; “M” means millions.

Locations: The vehicle’s hit locations, besides its body. If a vehicle has multiple instances of a location, a quantity precedes the abbreviation; e.g., “3M” for a three-masted ship, or “14D” for 14 draft animals. A vehicle’s hit locations determine both how it moves (see Basic Vehicle Movement, below) and what parts can be hit in combat (see Vehicle Hit Location Table, p. 554).

Draft: For a watercraft, the minimum depth of water, in feet, it can safely operate in.

Stall: For an aircraft, the minimum speed, in yards/second, it must maintain to take off and stay airborne. “0” means it can hover.

Notes: Any special capabilities or problems the vehicle has. If the vehicle has complex systems, footnotes or a separate description will detail weapons and equipment.

When adventurers use a vehicle for transportation, it is usually enough to know how fast it can move (Top Speed, in yards/second) and how far it can travel (Range, in miles). The rules below are for those occasions when the details become important.

When covering significant distances, the following factors can be more important than Top Speed and Range.

Cruising Speed: Travel conditions, safety considerations, and the need to conserve fuel or energy mean that in practice, ground and air vehicles typically use only 60-70% of Top Speed when traveling long distances. An animal-drawn or rowed vehicle can only use its Top Speed for a few minutes – for the beasts or rowers, this is as fatiguing as running! The highest sustainable speed is about 75% of this, which is as fatiguing as hiking. If the beasts or rowers drop below 1/3 FP, halve Top Speed.

Endurance: Divide Range in miles by cruising speed in mph to determine endurance in hours for situations where “loiter” capability matters more than range. The vehicle must carry provisions in order to take advantage of endurance in excess of one day. Food and water are about 12 lbs. per person per day, but won’t keep for more than a month before TL5 (at TL5+, canned goods and similar rations are available).

Ground Vehicle Table

DRIVING/TL (AUTOMOBILE) 6 Roadster 42 -1/3 9f 2/22* 0.85 0.25 +2 1+1 4 200 $3.6K O4W 6 Sedan 46 0/4 10f 3/30* 1.3 0.5 +3 1+3 5 360 $8K G4W 6 Jeep 52 0/3 11f 2/32 1.6 0.4 +2 1+3 4 375 $10K O4W 7 Pickup Truck 55 0/4 11f 3/50 2.2 0.85 +3 2 5 450 $20K G4W 7 Sedan 53 0/4 11f 2/55* 1.8 0.6 +3 1+4 5 500 $15K G4W 7 Van 68 -1/4 11f 2/45* 3.5 1 +4 1+7 4 650 $25K g4W 7 Sports Car 57 +1/4 10f 5/75* 1.8 0.4 +3 1+3 4 500 $85K GW4 8 Luxury Car 57 0/4 11f 3/57* 2.1 0.6 +3 1+4 5 500 $30K G4W 8 SUV 68 -1/4 11f 3/50 4 1.5 +3 1+4 5 400 $45K G4W DRIVING/TL (HEAVY WHEELED) 6 2 1/2-Ton Truck 88 -1/4 11f 1/24* 8.5 3 +4 1+2 5 375 $17K G6W 7 Bus 100 -2/4 11f 1/30* 14.7 6.7 +6 1+66 4 400 $120K G4W 8 Semi-Truck 104 -1/5 12f 2/55* 10.3 0.3 +4 1+2 5 1,200 $60K G6W [2] DRIVING/TL (MOTORCYCLE) 6 Hvy. Bike 33 +1/2 10f 5/32* 0.4 0.1 0 1 4 200 $1.5K E2W 7 Scooter 29 +1/2 10f 3/27* 0.3 0.1 0 1 3 190 $1K E2W 7 Hvy. Bike 33 +1/2 11f 8/55* 0.5 0.2 0 1+1 4 200 $8K E2W 8 Sports Bike 30 +2/2 10f 9/78* 0.42 0.2 0 1+1 3 150 $11K E2W DRIVING/TL (TRACKED) 7 APC 111 -3/5 11f 1/20 12.5 1.6 +4 2+11S 50/35 300 $120K 2CX [3]

[1] Draft animals are dogs for the dogsled, and horses for the chariot, wagon, and coach.

[2] Hauls a 48’ semi-trailer. With the trailer, Hnd/SR is -3/4 and Move is 1/30*. Trailer is HP 100†, Load 24, SM +5, and DR 3.

[3] “APC” means “armored personnel carrier.” The higher DR applies only to attacks from the front. Mounts a machine gun (7.62mm or .50) on an external mount on the roof.

Watercraft Table TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Range Cost Loc. Draft Notes BOATING/TL (UNPOWERED) 0 Canoe 23† +1/1 12c 2/2 0.3 0.2 +1 2 2 F $200 O 3 BOATING/TL (MOTORBOAT) 7 Inflatable Boat 20 +2/2 11 2/12 0.6 0.5 +1 1+4 2 100 $2K O 2 7 Speedboat 50 +1/3 11f 3/20 2 1 +2 1+9 3 200 $18K O 3 SHIPHANDLING/TL (SHIP) 2 Penteconter 85† -4/3 11c 1/5 12.5 7.5 +8 55 3 F $14K MO 6 [1, 2] 3 Cog 147† -3/4 12c 0.1/4 85 60 +7 18 5 – $23K M 13 [1, 3] 6 Tramp Steamer 750 -3/6 11f 0.01/6 14,000 9,000 +10 41+29A 30 7,200 $15M g2S 25

[1] A “penteconter” is a Greek war galley with a sail and a single bank of oars, favored by raiders and pirates. A “cog” (or “roundship”) is a single-masted medieval sailing ship.

[2] Using oars, with 50 rowers. Under sail, Range is “–” and Move is 1/4 in a fair wind. Has a bronze ram, which adds +1 per die of collision damage.

[3] Wind-powered. Weight includes ballast.

Aircraft Table TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Range Cost Loc. Stall Notes PILOTING/TL (LIGHT AIRPLANE) 6 “Barnstormer” Biplane 43 +2/3 10f 2/37 0.9 0.2 +3 1+1 3 85 $55K O2WWi 23 7 Light Monoplane 45 +2/3 10f 3/70 1.15 0.3 +4 1+1 3 500 $150K G2WWi 25 PILOTING/TL (LIGHTER-THAN-AIR) 6 Blimp 120 -4/3 10 1/38 18 4 +10 10A 1 2,300 $3M S 0 PILOTING/TL (HEAVY AIRPLANE) 6 Twin-Prop Transport 100 -2/3 12f 2/114 12.8 3 +7 2+21 4 1,500 $340K g3WWi 34 7 Business Jet 84 0/3 11f 4/275 9.2 1.6 +6 2+6P 5 1,300 $10M G3WWi 55 PILOTING/TL (HELICOPTER) 7 Light Helicopter 47 +2/2 10f 2/90 1.5 0.5 +4 1+3 3 225 $400K GH3Wr 0 7 Utility Helicopter 70 0/2 10f 2/65 4.7 1.4 +5 2+12 3 300 $2M gH2R 0 8 Utility Helicopter 87 +1/2 11f 3/110 10 3.5 +5 3+14 5/20 370 $8M gH3W 0 [1] PILOTING/TL (VERTOL) 9 Air Car 45 +2/3 11f 4/190 1.2 0.4 +3 1+3P 4 900 $500K G4W 0 PILOTING/TL (CONTRAGRAVITY)

[1] Rotors have DR 20; all other locations have DR 5.

Spacecraft Table TL Vehicle ST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move (G) LWt. Load SM Occ. DR Cost Locations Notes PILOTING/TL (AEROSPACE) 9 Orbital Clipper 170 -2/3 10fx 30/9,000 (3G) 515 10 +9 2+4SV 4 $350M – [1] PILOTING/TL (HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPACECRAFT)

[1] The orbital clipper is a Space Shuttle replacement that can boost to Earth orbit and make reentry. Uses ordinary Newtonian space flight. Cost drops to M$70 at TL10+. [2] Uses reactionless or gravitic thrusters to accelerate to light speed © – or whatever fraction of c the GM sets as a limit. Star drives and force fields, if any, are up to the GM. [3] Has hyperspectral sensors (Hyperspectral Vision, with 360° Vision and Telescopic Vision 10) and radar (Radar, 500,000 yards, Targeting). Its two independent turrets can, at extra cost ($0.5M apiece), mount laser cannon: Damage 6d¥5(2) burn, Acc 10, Range 100,000/300,000, RoF 4, Rcl 1.

Convoys: Multiple vehicles traveling in convoy or formation move at 80% of the speed of the slowest vehicle, due to the need for station keeping. On a successful Leadership roll, use 100% of the speed of the slowest vehicle. For long journeys, roll daily.

A vehicle operator must make a “control roll” – against Boating, Driving, Piloting, etc., as appropriate – in any potentially hazardous situation. The GM may require a roll every few hours in an ongoing situation such as a fierce storm, or every few seconds in combat!

Modifiers: The vehicle’s Handling (Hnd) statistic modifies all control rolls. For sudden deceleration or tight turns, see Pushing the Envelope (p. 395). Visibility modifiers (-1 to -9 for darkness, fog, etc.; -10 for total darkness) apply if there is risk of collision; they aren’t important when trying to weather a storm at 30,000 feet or in the mid-Atlantic, but they’re crucial if you’re zigzagging through mountains, landing or taking off in an aircraft, sailing just off a rocky coast, etc. See the relevant vehicle skill for other modifiers. The GM may assess situational modifiers as he sees fit.

On a failure, the operator does not perform the maneuver properly, or fails to avoid the hazard. Failure by no more than the vehicle’s Stability Rating (SR) is a minor problem; e.g., a car skids off the road, or a ship loses a few hours of travel. More severe failure means a major problem; e.g., a crash. The GM may allow a second control roll, at a hefty penalty, to keep a major problem from becoming a total disaster; the modifiers should depend on the exact action(s) the operator takes. On a critical failure, disaster is inevitable!

Large vehicles may require a roll against both the master’s Shiphandling skill and the crew’s average Crewman skill. Use the average margin of success or failure.

A ground vehicle moves on wheels, runners, tracks, or legs, as indicated by the notation in its Locations entry. The average speed it can sustain on a journey depends on the terrain and the weather. See Hiking (p. 351) for definitions of terrain and weather conditions. Terrain: Figure cruising speed in mph from Top Speed in yards/second as follows: • Very Bad (deep snow, swamp): Top Speed ¥ 0.1 mph on wheels or runners, Top Speed ¥ 0.15 mph on tracks, Top Speed ¥ 0.2 mph on legs. • Bad (hills, woods): Top Speed ¥ 0.25 mph on wheels, Top Speed ¥ 0.5 mph otherwise. • Average (dirt road, plains): Top Speed ¥ 0.5 mph on wheels, Top Speed ¥ 1 mph otherwise. •Good (paved road, salt flats): Top Speed ¥ 1.25 mph. For a road-bound vehicle (e.g., a normal car), use Top Speed only when traveling on a road. Off road, use the lower of Top Speed and 4 ¥ Acceleration in these formulas. Example: A luxury car with Move 3/57 gets an average travel speed of 57 ¥ 1.25 = 71 mph on a paved road (Good). On a dirt road (Average), it could manage 57 ¥ 0.5 = 28 mph. But off road in Average terrain, it would drop to 3 ¥ 4 ¥ 0.5 = 6 mph! For a vehicle that follows rails (e.g., a locomotive), treat the rails as Good terrain. However, the vehicle cannot move at all off the rails! These rates assume sustained travel at a safe cruising speed. A vehicle going flat out can move up to 60% faster (e.g., Top Speed ¥ 2 mph over Good terrain, like a road), but the GM may require hourly control rolls to avoid a mishap, such as a collision. Weather: This affects ground vehicles just as it does hikers. Treat sleds and snowmobiles as skates on ice and as skis on snow. Water Travel A powered vessel moves at Top Speed ¥ 2 mph. A sailing craft moves at Top Speed ¥ 2 mph in ideal wind conditions; actual speed can drop to a fraction of this – or even zero – depending on wind direction and strength. A rowed vessel can only sustain a speed of Top Speed ¥ 1.5 mph (and even this will eventually fatigue the crew). Currents can increase or reduce speed directly – typically by a few mph, depending on the current. Heavy seas (caused by high winds) usually reduce speed. An unpowered vessel faced with a storm may require Shiphandling and Seamanship rolls by captain and crew to avoid being blown off course or worse. Draft: “Draft” is the distance between the vessel’s waterline and its keel. In water shallower than this, it will run aground. Re-floating it requires waiting for a change in tide, or jettisoning ballast or payload. In waters of unknown depth, it is best to proceed slowly and cautiously! (Roll against Area Knowledge to recall depth, or against Navigation (Sea) to read charts.) Air Travel An aircraft’s cruising speed is about Top Speed ¥ 1.6 mph. Powered aircraft can reach Top Speed ¥ 2 mph at the cost of burning 50% more fuel, reducing Range. Supersonic aircraft (Move 360+) can only use their full Top Speed at high altitudes where the air is thin (15,000’ and above). At low altitudes, Top Speed rarely exceeds 350-400 (700-800 mph). The GM should require control rolls for landings during bad weather or visibility, and when traveling at high speeds at very low altitudes or through mountains. Winds and storms affect balloons and airships much as they do sailing vessels. Ground Speed: A powered air vehicle can usually taxi at up to 2/3 its stall speed. Space Travel It takes about (0.10 ¥ velocity in yards/second)/(Acceleration in G) seconds to reach a given cruising velocity. A spacecraft moving at that velocity takes roughly (0.5 ¥ distance in miles)/velocity hours to travel a given distance. For comparison, the moon is around 0.25 million miles from Earth, and Mars is 34 million miles away at its closest approach. Example: To accelerate to a velocity of 90,000 yards/second in a spacecraft with an acceleration of 1.5G would take (0.1 ¥ 90,000)/1.5 = 6,000 seconds, or about 1.7 hours. At a velocity of 90,000 yards/second, you would reach Mars in (0.5 ¥ 34,000,000)/90,000 = 189 hours.

It is common to give interplanetary distances in “astronomical units” (AU). One AU is 93 million miles, the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. Interstellar distances are often given in light-years (5.865 trillion miles) or parsecs (3.26 light-years). Earth’s nearest stellar neighbor, Alpha Centauri, is 4.3 light-years away. For a spacecraft that uses a Newtonian reaction drive (e.g., any real-life rocket), Top Speed is really “delta-v”: the maximum change of velocity it can perform before running out of reaction mass (rocket fuel, etc.). Each acceleration or deceleration “costs” a fraction of this delta-v. To lift into low Earth orbit requires Move 8,700. To achieve planetary escape velocity and leave orbit requires an extra Move 3,600. For other planets, multiply these velocities by the square root of (M/R), where M is planetary mass in Earth masses and R is planetary radius in Earth radii. In addition to having sufficient delta-v, the spacecraft’s acceleration must exceed the planet’s gravity (1G, for Earth). Travel through interplanetary space requires using up the required delta-v to achieve the desired velocity, coasting as described above, then using delta-v to slow to the velocity needed to enter orbit at the destination. Example: A spacecraft in Earth orbit has a delta-v of 200,000. It uses 3,600 to break orbit and 90,000 to accelerate to a cruising velocity (Move 90,000). It drifts at that speed for 1.5 hours to reach the moon, and then use another 88,500 to decelerate to the moon’s orbital velocity. Its remaining delta-v is 200,000 - 3,600 - 90,000 - 88,500 = 17,900. Some superscience space drives don’t have to worry about delta-v – the spacecraft can accelerate constantly! The only requirement for such a spacecraft to leave a planet is that its acceleration exceeds the planet’s gravity. When it travels long distances, it requires time in hours equal to the square root of (50.8 ¥ distance in millions of miles/Acceleration in G) to complete the trip. If a spacecraft is capable of fasterthan- light travel, its performance depends on what kind of superscience exists. The GM should design a drive to suit his campaign. See the Hyperjump enhancement on the Warp advantage (p. 97) for one possibility.

Vehicle Weapon Mounts Any weapon built into a vehicle is considered “mounted.” The type of mount determines the weapon’s stability and arc of fire. For the effects of these mounts on ranged attacks from moving vehicles, see Ranged Attack Modifiers (p. 548). Arm Mount (TL8): If a vehicle has arms or strikers, these may contain weapons or have hands to carry them. They attack using the rules for handheld weapons. Carriage (TL3): Some ships have weapons on wheeled carriages or sleds, either on deck or firing through ports. Treat these as fixed mounts, but skill is not limited to control skill, as the gun crew can use ropes to aim the weapon. External Open Mount (TL1): Also called a pintle mount, deck gun, etc. Such a weapon can elevate to fire upward or swivel to fire in other directions. However, it isn’t actually in the vehicle; the weapon and its crew have no protection. External Stabilized Open Mount (TL7): As above, but with gyro-stabilization to reduce penalties for firing on the move. Fixed Mount (TL1): You aim the gun by aiming the vehicle; e.g., a cannon in the nose of a jet fighter. The weapon can only shoot in one direction. The mount specifies which: [F] to the front, [R] to the right, and so on. The operator rolls against the lower of his Gunner skill or his control skill to hit. Hardpoint (TL6): Aircraft often mount weapon pods, bombs, or missiles on pylons under their body or wings. Treat these as fixed mounts, but apply a -1 to Accuracy. External weapon loads like this count as encumbrance. Stabilized Turret (TL7): As below, but with gyro-stabilization to keep the weapon aimed at the target regardless of the vehicle’s motion. Turret (TL5): This is a turret (or head) with weapons built into it. It can swivel to change facing independently of the vehicle. Large turrets are usually powered.

BASIC VEHICLE COMBAT “Vehicle combat” is any combat that involves handheld weapons fired from within a vehicle (e.g., bank robbers shooting from a getaway car), weapons mounted on a vehicle (such as a fighter jet, tank, mecha, or spy car), or attacks that use the vehicle itself as a weapon (ramming, punching and kicking with the arms and legs of a mecha, etc.). In the rules below, a vehicle’s “operator” is the person at the controls. A “control skill” is the skill the operator uses to direct his vehicle; e.g., Driving or Piloting. An “occupant” is anyone in or on the vehicle – operator, crew, or passenger. Tactical Combat with Vehicles: When using the rules in Chapter 12 with vehicles, you can represent vehicles with models or multi-hex counters drawn at three feet to the inch. Maneuvers Treat a vehicle as an extension of its operator. It moves on the operator’s turn, at his place in the turn sequence (as determined by his Basic Speed). To control his vehicle, the operator must take a Move or Move and Attack maneuver on his turn – but it’s the vehicle that moves or attacks, while the operator remains at the controls. If the operator takes any other maneuver, or is stunned or otherwise incapacitated, his vehicle plows ahead with the same speed and course it had on the previous turn.

The vehicle’s other occupants take their turns at their place in the turn sequence. They may use vehicle systems, provided they are stationed next to the appropriate controls and take a suitable maneuver: Concentrate to use instruments or electronics, Attack or All-Out Attack to fire vehicular weapons, etc. Occupants leaning out windows, standing on a deck, etc. may find Attack or even All-Out Defense preferable to All-Out Attack, as they will have a defense if someone attacks them instead of the vehicle. This matters most for vehicles with an exposed rider (E), glass windows (G or g), or open cabin (O), and for crew manning exposed weapon mounts (X). Bailing Out of a Moving Vehicle: Anyone who jumps or falls from a moving vehicle and hits the ground suffers a collision with an immovable object, at the vehicle’s speed. If the vehicle was flying, add falling damage as well. For details, see Collisions and Falls (p. 430). To jump between two moving vehicles, make a DX or Jumping roll. Apply the penalty for relative speed given on the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550). Movement During Combat As explained under Vehicle Statistics (p. 462), a vehicle’s Move score is split into two numbers: Acceleration and Top Speed. Acceleration functions just like Basic Move for a character; at this speed or less, the vehicle has no special restrictions on movement. At higher speeds – anything up to Top Speed – use the High-Speed Movement rules (p. 394), but substitute control rolls (see Control Rolls, p. 466) for DX rolls. Acceleration: A vehicle can accelerate up to its Acceleration each turn. A diving flyer may add 10 ¥ local gravity in Gs (1G on Earth) to this. Deceleration: A powered, wheeled ground vehicle can decelerate by 5 yards/second per turn. An animaldrawn or tracked, walking, or slithering ground vehicle can decelerate by 10 yards/second per turn. Most air and water vehicles can decelerate by (5 + Handling) yards/second per turn (minimum 1 yard/second). These rates assume safe deceleration. It is possible

to decelerate further with a successful control roll, as explained under Pushing the Envelope (p. 395); failure means a loss of control. Control Rolls The operator must make a control roll whenever he attempts a risky maneuver or encounters an obstacle, and whenever his vehicle suffers knockback or major damage. On a failure, he loses control of the vehicle. If you are using a rulebook that supplies a “crash table” for that type of vehicle, roll on the table; otherwise, see the applicable paragraph below. In addition to these results, a failed control roll always erases any accumulated bonuses for Aim maneuvers, and gives a penalty equal to the margin of failure to any attack from the vehicle until the operator’s next turn. Air Vehicle: Failure by the vehicle’s Stability Rating (SR) or less means the vehicle loses 5 yards of altitude and decelerates by 10 yards/second. If it was flying dangerously low or slow, it could hit the ground or stall; otherwise, it just blunders ahead. Failure by more than SR, or critical failure, means an uncontrollable dive, tailspin, etc. If the vehicle was climbing, it stalls, then starts to fall; otherwise, it dives at Top Speed each turn. Either way, on subsequent turns, the operator must make a Piloting-5 roll to pull out! Ground Vehicle: Failure by SR or less means the vehicle skids and fails to go in the intended direction if you were trying to turn – or veers randomly left or right otherwise. The GM determines if it hits something. Failure by more than SR, or critical failure, means it rolls or spins out and crashes. It skids or rolls for a distance equal to 1/3 its current velocity before coming to a stop, and suffers falling damage based on the velocity it had when it lost control. Space or Underwater Vehicle: Failure by SR or less means the vehicle charges ahead or veers randomly instead of performing the intended maneuver; if it was trying to avoid an obstacle, it fails to do so. A submarine also loses 5 yards of depth, which might lead to a crash. Failure by more than SR, or critical failure, results in severe stress. Make a HT roll for the vehicle; on a failure, it suffers stress-related damage: a leak, engine failure, etc. Water Vehicle: Failure by SR or less means exactly what it does for a ground vehicle. In addition, anyone standing on an open deck must make a ST or ST-based Seamanship roll to hold on or be washed overboard. Failure by more than SR, or critical failure, means the vehicle capsizes! Those on deck are tossed overboard automatically. An “unsinkable” vehicle like a surfaced sub, rubber raft, or canoe can be righted. Other vehicles simply sink.

Weapon Fire from a Moving Vehicle When using a weapon from a moving platform – be it a Tommy gun from a getaway car, or a javelin from atop one of Hannibal’s elephants – it’s usually harder to hit your target than when you’re standing still or moving yourself. The penalty depends on how rough the ride is and whether you’re using a weapon mount or a handheld weapon – see Ranged Attack Modifiers (p. 548). It’s even harder to shoot straight if you don’t know when the vehicle will weave or dodge! If the vehicle dodged and you aren’t the operator, you have an extra -2 to hit, or -4 if flying. Aiming on the move is particularly difficult. The combined bonuses from aiming (Accuracy, extra turns of Aim, targeting systems, and bracing) cannot exceed the SR of a moving vehicle unless the sights or mount are stabilized. Also apply this limit when firing from a stationary vehicle that is bobbing in the water or floating in turbulent air. In space, only apply this limit when maneuvering, not when moving in a straight line. It is also important to consider apparent relative speed. If two cars are rushing toward each other on a collision course, the speed of one, relative to the other, may be over 120 mph . . . but the apparent relative speed is zero. Only apply speed penalties for crossing targets. Ignore the speed of targets moving more or less directly toward or away from you.

Attack Mounted Weapons: Vehicle occupants can attack with the vehicle’s built-in weapons, provided they are manning weapon stations. At TL6+, many armed vehicles have targeting systems (optical sights, radar, computers, etc.) that add a bonus to the gunner’s effective skill, just like a telescopic sight. Most of these systems only work if the gunner takes an Aim maneuver. A good TL6 optical sight might add +2 to skill. A typical TL7-8 system, with computerized laser- or radar-directed fire control, would give +3. Ramming: The vehicle operator can use the vehicle itself as a weapon; see Collisions and Falls (p. 430). Melee Attacks: If the vehicle has arms or legs, the operator can use it to punch, kick, grab, etc. as if it were an extension of his body. Handheld Weapons: The viability of handheld weapons depends on the vehicle and the situation. Shooters in or on open vehicles, like jeeps and motorcycles, can fire in almost any direction. Occupants of enclosed vehicles must shoot through or lean out of an open window, door, hatch, port, or firing slit. Shots fired through a glass windscreen “star” it, rendering it opaque; it takes a Ready maneuver to clear away the broken glass. Shooting through a window is unwise if the vehicle is sealed, pressurized, or has vacuum support – it may result in a leak or explosive decompression!

If the operator fires a handheld weapon, he must take a Move and Attack maneuver. This gives him -2 to hit or a penalty equal to his weapon’s Bulk, whichever is worse – his attention is divided between driving and shooting. Do not apply this penalty to mounted weapon attacks, ramming attempts, or vehicular melee attacks.

Scaling Damage Large vehicles such as tanks, warships, and starships can have huge DR and HP scores, and their weapons can inflict massive amounts of damage. To avoid excessive die rolling, it is best to adjust the damage scale. Decade Scale (D-Scale): Use this for battles involving tanks or ships – or even supers. Divide DR, HP, and damage dice by 10 before combat starts. Round fractions of 0.5 or more up. (Exception: If the converted damage is under 1d, treat fractions up to 0.25 as 1d-3, fractions up to 0.5 as 1d-2, and larger fractions as 1d-1.) Convert damage multipliers to dice first; e.g., 6d¥25 becomes 150d, which scales to 15d. Do not divide armor divisors. Century Scale (C-Scale): Use this for combats involving huge vehicles, such as giant space battleships. Follow the rules above, but divide by 100 instead of by 10. Example: A tank has DR 700 and 300 HP; its main gun does 6d¥30(2) and its machine gun does 7d. In D-scale, it would have dDR 70 and dHP 30; its main gun would do 6d¥3(2) and its machine gun would do 1d-1. After the battle, multiply remaining HP by 10 or 100, as appropriate, to convert back.

Defense A vehicle’s operator may maneuver evasively to avoid attacks on his vehicle. Treat this as a dodge; see Dodging (p. 374). A vehicle’s Dodge score is (operator’s control skill/2) + vehicle’s Handling, rounded down. For example, a biker with Driving (Motorcycle)- 14 on a motorcycle with Handling +1 has a Dodge of 14/2 + 1 = 8. The GM may require Dodge rolls to avoid other hazards, such as baby carriages and potholes, or to maneuver through tight spots. These could be instead of control rolls, or to avoid disaster after failed control rolls! Occupants who are free to move (not strapped in, etc.) may dodge attacks specifically targeted on them, but they get no defense against stray shots or attacks that penetrate the vehicle and go on to strike them. Combat Results and Hit Location A vehicle suffers damage like any other artifact. Certain hit locations have special damage effects – see the Vehicle Hit Location Table (p. 554) for details. Hit locations for a given vehicle appear in the Locations column on the relevant vehicle table, or in the vehicle’s text description. Assume that attacks are aimed at the vehicle’s body (equivalent to the torso on a living being) unless the attacker specifically stated that he was targeting another location. Alternatively, roll randomly for hit location. In all cases, only exposed locations can be hit; e.g., if a tank is behind a hill and only its turret is visible, the turret is the only valid target. An attacker can sometimes target a vehicle’s occupants directly. This is only possible if the vehicle has an exposed rider (E), glass windows (G or g), or an open cabin (O), or if the occupants are on a ship’s deck, cargo bed, etc. A rider has no cover; someone in an open or glass-windowed vehicle has partial cover (legs, groin, and half the torso). There is an extra -1 to shoot into or out of a window unless the occupant is actually leaning out. Collisions For the purpose of attack and defense rolls, any attempt to use a vehicle as a weapon is a slam (see Slam, p. 368), with the operator rolling against control skill to hit. If the intent is to ram, calculate collision damage normally. If the intent is to force another vehicle off the road, assess damage for a “side-on” collision, but damage is knockback only. For details, see Collisions and Falls (p. 430). Who’s at the Wheel? There are usually dire consequences when a vehicle’s operator is taken out of action (killed, fell off, abandoned the controls, etc.). A oneor two-wheeled vehicle, or a mecha walking on two or three legs, rolls over as if it had lost control. Other types of vehicle just charge ahead until they hit something – but roll 1d each turn. On a 6, or any roll greater than the vehicle’s SR, the vehicle goes out of control. Someone else can regain control, but may need a few seconds to reach the controls, depending on where he was. If the former operator is incapacitated, skill rolls will be at -2 or worse while his body remains in the way! Leaking A leak occurs when a floating vehicle suffers penetrating damage to the body below its waterline, a balloon or airship takes any penetrating damage to the body, or a submerged vehicle takes penetrating damage to any location but an external mount. Use the Bleeding rule (p. 420), but replace the First Aid roll to stop bleeding with a Crewman roll to patch the hole.

ELECTRONICS

There is a wide variety of electronic gadgets in most TL6+ game worlds. Among the most important of these – for adventurers, at least – are communicators, sensors, and computers. COMMUNICATORS Standard communicators are radios. They transmit signals by modulating the intensity, frequency, or phase of long-wavelength electromagnetic radiation. This limits them to the speed of light (186,000 miles per second); as a result, they are effectively instantaneous for planetary communications but have a noticeable delay over interplanetary distances. Note also that ordinary radio frequencies cannot penetrate more than a few yards of water. Depending on the TL and equipment, communicators can send code, voice, text, video, or data. Many TL8+ communicators incorporate satellite links or computer systems as well. See Communications and Information Gear (p. 288) for the range, cost, and weight of some sample communicators. Communicators use the rules under the Telecommunication advantage (p. 91), except that Electronics Operation (Communications) skill rolls replace IQ rolls. To extend range, make an Electronics Operation (Communications) roll at -1 per 10% added to range, to a maximum extension of 100%. The Telecommunication rules also give several alternatives to radio, including laser and infrared communications. More exotic options are available in some settings. SENSORS Sensors grant the operator one or more sensory advantages (Infravision, Telescopic Vision, etc.) while used. Statistics for a number of sensors appear in Chapter 8; see Law Enforcement, Thief, and Spy Gear; Optics and Sensors; and Weapon and Combat Accessories (all p. 289). Sensors fall into four broad categories: Hands-Free Sensors: Sensors worn as goggles, glasses, helmet visors, etc. They require a Ready maneuver to switch on or off, and function constantly once activated. Visual sensors replace unaided vision while active, but typically restrict peripheral vision. To get around this, take a Ready maneuver to switch off or remove the sensor. Manual Sensors: Binoculars, hand telescopes, metal detectors, radar guns, and similar handheld devices are generally more powerful and longer-ranged than hands-free units, but require one or two hands to operate. To use the sensor, the operator must take continuous Aim maneuvers, which prevents him from moving quickly or attacking. Sights: Sensors attached to a weapon, camera, etc. – usually to help aim it. To use the sights, the device to which they are attached must be ready (occupying one or two hands). If the sensor is attached to a weapon, the user benefits from it only while making an aimed attack. To observe through the sights without firing requires Aim maneuvers, just as for a manual sensor. Vehicular or Mounted Sensors: Long-range sensors mounted in a vehicle or on a tripod. Most display information on a screen or similar readout. The user must sit, kneel, or stand next to the sensor to operate it. Some such sensors are “manual” (e.g., TL6-7 “analog” radar and sonar sets); the user must operate the controls by hand. Others are “hands-free” (e.g., digital sensors that display data on a head-up display); the user can take other actions while using them. Using Sensors If a sensor provides the user with a completely new sense (e.g., radar, for a human), he must roll against Electronics Operation (Sensors). If it just augments a sense he already possesses, he need only make an ordinary Sense roll – although an unusually complex sensor might call for a roll against Electronics Operation or another skill. For example, a human would make a Vision roll to use an ordinary telescope, but a large astronomical telescope might require an Astronomy roll. Passive Visual Sensors These systems work like normal vision, but extend the limits of human sight. They are available in all four categories described above. Telescopic Optics: Telescopes, binoculars, electro-optical scopes, etc. give Telescopic Vision (p. 92): Magnification Level 2-3¥ 1 4-7¥ 2 8-15¥ 3 16-31¥ 4 Further levels follow the same progression. Image Intensifiers (TL7): Most often called “night vision” devices, these electronically amplify ambient light to generate a monochrome (usually green) picture. They do not work in total darkness, fog, etc. They grant Night Vision (p. 71); the level varies from 7 at early TL7 to 9 at TL8+. Better systems include electro-optical magnification, giving Telescopic Vision 1-4 on portable systems, more on vehicular systems. Thermal Imaging Sensors (TL8): These detect the infrared spectra emitted by objects at different temperatures, and use this information to build up a false-color television image of the environment. They do work in total darkness, smoke, etc. The user sees as if he had Infravision (p. 60), often with Telescopic Vision 1-3. Most are two to three times as heavy and four to six times as costly as image intensifiers. Hyperspectral Imaging Sensors (TL9): These sensors process infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light to create a single image. This makes them extremely effective at picking out camouflaged objects. They give Hyperspectral Vision (p. 60) and Telescopic Vision. These devices are rare and expensive at TL8, but become standard vehicular sensors at TL9+, replacing thermal imaging sensors.

Active Sensors “Active” sensors detect objects by bouncing energy off them and analyzing the returned signal. Radar (TL6), imaging radar (TL7), and ladar (TL8) emit electromagnetic radiation, while sonar (TL6) uses sound. Active sensors never suffer darkness penalties. They can sense objects out to their rated maximum range at no range penalty; each doubling of range beyond that gives -2 to skill. The major limitation of all such sensors is that specialized but inexpensive detectors can detect the scanning pulse at up to twice their range. Each technology also has a number of specific capabilities and drawbacks; for details, see the Scanning Sense advantage (p. 81). Before TL9, only vehicular or mounted units are likely to provide an actual picture of the surroundings. At TL6-8, a portable active sensor (e.g., a police radar gun) usually only gives the range and speed of objects it detects. COMPUTERS The programmable digital computer first appears at TL7 and rapidly becomes smaller, cheaper, and faster at higher TLs. In some settings, computers might even attain sufficient computing power to achieve sentience! Complexity Every computer has a “Complexity” rating. This is an abstract measure of processing power. Each Complexity level represents roughly a tenfold increase in overall capability over the previous level. A computer’s Complexity determines what programs it can run. Each piece of software has a Complexity rating, too, and can only run on a computer of that Complexity level or higher; e.g., a Complexity 2 program requires a Complexity 2 computer or better. Complexity also determines how many programs a computer can run simultaneously. It can run two programs of its own Complexity, 20 programs of one Complexity level less, 200 programs of two Complexity levels less, and so on. For instance, a Complexity 2 computer could run two Complexity 2 programs or 20 Complexity 1 programs – or one Complexity 2 program and 10 Complexity 1 programs. The best mid-TL8 (2004-era) desktop systems are Complexity 4; more typical systems are Complexity 2-3. Data Storage Every computer has a data-storage capacity, rated in megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes (TB). One GB is about 1,000 MB; one TB is roughly 1,000 GB or 1 million MB. Some computers have removable media (e.g., disks) as well; their capabilities depend on the setting. Data Storage Table Data Size Lengthy novel 10 MB Complete national road atlas 100 MB Navigation charts of entire ocean or country 1,000 MB (1 GB) Plans of 100 small or 10 complex vehicles 1 GB Detailed global navigation charts 100 GB Public or school library 100 GB City or college library 1,000 GB (1 TB) Big city or university library 10 TB Large university or copyright library 100 TB Human mind 100 TB Other Capabilities A computer requires at least one “terminal” if humans are to use it. The computer may be integrated into this terminal or located remotely. At TL7- 8, a terminal is, at minimum, a keyboard and monitor. At late TL8 and beyond, voice recognition, virtualreality glasses and gloves, neural interfaces, etc. might replace such clumsy hardware. It is possible to connect a single terminal to multiple computers, giving the user access to them all. Without special hardware, however, the user can only work with one computer at a time, and must take one second to switch between computers. If two computers are compatible (GM’s decision), it is possible to link them via cable or communicator. The person trying to establish contact must know the “address” of the other computer (telephone number, numbered location on a network, etc.) and any relevant passwords. Once in contact, two computers with suitable software can share data, and the less-powerful computer can act as a terminal for the more capable one. Finally, any TL8+ computer equipped with a microphone or camera can act as a digital recorder, to the limit of its data-storage capacity. Software The programs available depend on the setting. Some general notes: • Complexity: Every program has a Complexity rating, as defined above. • Capabilities: Some programs simply provide entertainment (e.g., a video game) or a practical function (e.g., e-mail). Others give the user a bonus to perform a specific task. For instance, financial software might give +1 to Accounting when preparing taxes. Treat such bonuses identically to those for good equipment (see Equipment Modifiers, p. 345). Still others are mandatory for some tasks – notably technical tasks at TL8+. Without them, the user’s skill will operate at a lower TL. For example, an engineer might require a Complexity 3 CAD/CAM program to design a jet; without it, his Engineer/TL8 (Aircraft) skill might function as Engineer/TL7. These programs are generally Complexity 2 at TL7, Complexity 4 at TL8, Complexity 6 at TL9, and so on. A program of higher than minimum Complexity provides a bonus or reduces the time required. Programs intended for robots may grant advantages, disadvantages, skills, or even pre-programmed personalities! These can be hardwired or modular (see Modular Abilities, p. 71). • Cost: Most programs have a cost in $. This is the price of a single, legal copy, with documentation. Each computer requires its own copy. It is possible to copy software for free, but this is often illegal. But a computer can run as many instances of a program as its Complexity allows; it does not require a separate copy per instance.

NEW INVENTIONS

The GM may wish to let PCs invent new technology in the course of the campaign. The rules below cover realistic innovation at the inventor’s tech level – or one TL in advance of that, at most. For rules governing larger-thanlife inventors who can build more fantastic gadgets, see Gadgeteering (p. 475). Before starting, the player must describe to the GM what he wants to invent and how he thinks it will work. This will help the GM determine the skills and equipment required, the cost and time involved, and the difficulty of the task. If the player’s description is especially clear or clever, the GM should give +1 or +2 to all invention-related skill rolls. REQUIRED SKILLS First, the GM decides on the “invention skill” needed for the task, based on the player’s description of the invention. The inventor must know this skill to have any chance of success. Armor, vehicles, weapons, etc. require the relevant Engineer specialty. Other inventions might call for different skills: Alchemy for magic potions, Bioengineering for biotechnology, Computer Programming for software, Thaumatology for magic spells, and so on. At the GM’s discretion, a particular invention might also require skill in one or more related subjects. For instance, inventing a new telescope might require Astronomy skill. If so, the inventor rolls against the lower of this skill or his invention skill in the rules below.

COMPLEXITY Next, determine the “complexity” of the invention. This is entirely up to the GM, who can assign complexity arbitrarily, base it on the minimum skill level required to come up with the invention, or relate it to the retail price of the item (especially for gadgets listed in worldbooks or real-world catalogs). Use the following table for inspiration: For computer programs, use the numerical Complexity rating instead. If a cost or time calculation requires one of the four ratings above, treat Complexity 1-3 as Simple, 4-5 as Average, 6-7 as Complex, and 8+ as Amazing.

Complexity Required Skill Level Retail Price Simple 14 or less Up to $100 Average 15-17 Up to $10,000 Complex 18-20 Up to $1,000,000 Amazing 21 or more Over $1,000,000

Reinventing the Wheel Adventurers may wish to “invent” devices of a lower TL than their own. Reduce complexity by one step per TL by which the inventor’s TL exceeds that of the invention, to a minimum of Simple. If suitable historical reference materials are available, use the higher of the inventor’s Research skill or his invention skill for the Concept roll.

CONCEPT After determining complexity and required skills, the GM makes a secret “Concept roll” against the inventor’s invention skill to see whether he comes up with a testable theory. This requires no special equipment – except perhaps a tablecloth to draw on and several gallons of coffee! Modifiers: -6 if the invention is Simple, -10 if Average, -14 if Complex, or -22 if Amazing (for a computer program, apply a penalty equal to twice the Complexity rating instead). +5 if you have a working model you’re trying to copy, or +2 if the device already exists but you don’t have a model; +1 to +5 if the item is a variant on a existing one; -5 if the basic technology is totally new to the campaign (regardless of TL); -5 if the device is one TL above the inventor’s TL. Each inventor may roll once per day. Complexity doesn’t affect the time required – the basic concept for an Amazing device is often a simple insight . . . it’s the implementation that can get tricky. On a success, proceed to the next step. On a failure, the inventor makes no breakthrough but may try again the next day at no additional penalty. On a critical failure, the inventor comes up with a “flawed theory” that looks good but that will never work in practice – go on to the next step, but note that it is doomed to failure. Of course, if the inventor has somehow obtained actual blueprints for the device, he can skip this stage altogether! PROTOTYPE A success – or critical failure – on the Concept roll gives the inventor a theory he can test in the laboratory. The next step is to construct a prototype (working model). This requires a second roll against invention skill. The GM makes this “Prototype roll” in secret.

Modifiers: All modifiers listed for Concept rolls; +1 per assistant with skill 20+ in one of the skills required for the invention, to a maximum of +4; -1 to -10 (GM’s discretion) if the inventor must make do with anything less than the most advanced tools and facilities for his TL. On a success, the inventor proves his theory and creates a prototype. On a failure, he may try again, provided he has the time and money (see below). On a critical failure, an explosion or accident occurs. This inflicts at least 2d damage to the inventor and each assistant – and destroys the facilities, which must be rebuilt at full cost before making another attempt. If the inventor was working with a flawed theory, he will never create a working prototype (this is why the GM rolls in secret!), but a critical success on the Prototype roll lets him realize that his theory was bad. Time Required Each Prototype roll requires 1d-2 days if the invention is Simple, 2d days if Average, 1d months if Complex, or 3d months if Amazing. Physically huge items (e.g., spaceships and military vehicles) may take longer, at the GM’s discretion. Divide time required by the number of skilled people working on the project. Minimum time is always one day. Cost The facilities required to build a prototype cost $50,000 if the invention is Simple, $100,000 if Average, $250,000 if Complex, or $500,000 if Amazing. Triple these costs if the invention is one TL above the inventor’s TL. Divide costs by 10 if the inventor has appropriate facilities left over from a related project of equal or higher complexity. Each inventor who wishes to attempt a Prototype roll must pay the facilities cost “up front” before making his first attempt. In addition, each attempt to produce a prototype has a cost equal to the retail price of the item being built, as given in the appropriate game supplement or real-world source, or as set by the GM. Triple this cost if the invention is one TL in advance of the inventor’s TL. TESTING AND BUGS The majority of prototypes have shortcomings, or “bugs.” Critical success on the Prototype roll means there are no bugs; success by three or more gives 1d/2 minor bugs; and any other success gives 1d/2 major bugs and 1d minor bugs. Minor bugs are annoying, but not critical. Major bugs are catastrophic to the function of the device – and sometimes to the user as well! To find bugs requires testing. Once per week of testing, roll vs. operation skill (e.g., Driving for a car, Electronics Operation for a radio) at -3. Each success finds one bug; a critical success finds all bugs. A failure triggers a major bug, if present, or finds nothing. A critical failure causes a problem similar to a major bug without encountering any real bugs; alternatively, the tester is convinced, erroneously, that no bugs remain. Bugs that remain after testing surface on any operation skill roll that fails by 5 or more. A major bug always surfaces on a critical failure. PRODUCTION Building a copy of the invention costs 20% of the retail price if you only need to buy parts, or full retail price if you must pay for parts and labor. Time required to produce each copy is half that required for a Prototype roll. For instance, each copy of a Complex item takes 1d/2 months. A production line is more efficient. To set up a production line costs 20 times the retail price of the item. The production line makes one copy of the item in 1/7 the time it took to build a prototype or in (retail price/100) hours, whichever is less. Each copy costs 20% retail price for parts, or 50% for parts and labor.

Funding As explained under Tech Level and Starting Wealth (p. 27), the higher the tech level, the greater the starting wealth. However, the cash outlay required for inventing and gadgeteering doesn’t scale with TL – it’s fixed. Thus, the lower the TL, the higher the relative cost of innovation. This might model reality well, but it takes a lot of the fun out of being a low-tech gadgeteer. The GM may use these optional (but realistic) rules to remedy this: Patrons: Historically, many inventors had wealthy patrons to pay their way. If you have a Patron with the +100% “Equipment” enhancement, you may attempt a single roll against your Patron’s frequency of appearance when you start a new invention. On a success, the Patron foots the bill. Most Patrons will demand access to the invention; if you deny this, you are likely to lose your Patron! Professional Inventors: You can pay the costs gradually by building the tools, facilities, etc. yourself. You must pay at least 10% “up front.” Divide the remainder by your monthly income and add that many months to the time required. You earn no money during this time, but you must still pay your monthly cost of living. Independent Income (p. 26) can be helpful here – it might represent royalties from your last invention. Investors: If your invention promises to be profitable, others might be willing to cover your costs. Make a Finance roll with the same modifiers as your Concept roll (this represents perceived risk). On a success, you receive funding. Note that your investors own shares of your invention and any profits!

GADGETEERING

Fiction is full of inventors who can design devices that are far ahead of their time. Below is advice on how to relax the requirements and restrictions of the New Inventions rules for such “gadgeteers.” These benefits apply only to inventors with the Gadgeteer advantage (p. 56). INVENTING GADGETS Before beginning, the player must describe the proposed gadget to the GM in a logical manner, and offer an explanation of how it is supposed to work. The item should not actually violate physical laws (which eliminates FTL travel, antigravity, teleportation, etc.) unless the GM rules that such “superscience” is possible in the game world. The GM is free to accept or reject the design, depending on its feasibility. If he accepts the item, he assigns it a tech level (see Tech Levels, p. 511). The stronger, smaller, or more effective the gadget is, relative to an item that performs a similar function at the campaign’s TL, the higher its TL should be. Required Skills This is unchanged from New Inventions. A gadgeteer must have a good understanding of the field in which he is working. The Gadgeteer advantage represents a broad, intuitive capacity for inventing – it does not grant specific scientific or technical knowledge. Most gadgeteers focus on one or two skills to start out with.

Complexity Use the usual complexity levels, but do not confuse complexity with tech level. A ray gun that sells for $1,000 at TL10 is most likely an Average item, however amazing it might be in a TL8 setting.

Complexity Base Cost TL Increment Simple $50,000 $100,000 Average $100,000 $250,000 Complex $250,000 $500,000 Amazing $500,000 $1,000,000

Concept Gadgeteers have far milder penalties on their Concept rolls. There is no penalty at all for a Simple invention, and only -2 for an Average one, -4 for a Complex one, or -8 for an Amazing one. For software, use Complexity (not twice Complexity). Ignore the -5 for a technology that is totally new to the campaign. A gadgeteer is not limited to inventions only one TL advanced. He may attempt to create a device of any TL, at a flat -5 per TL above his own. Prototype All the benefits listed for Concept rolls apply equally to Prototype rolls. Furthermore, the GM may choose to waive the penalty for questionable equipment. Many fictional gadgeteers work out of a basement or a garage! Time Required: This is unchanged. However, the times under New Inventions assume an eight-hour day, which might not be enough for a cinematic gadgeteer! If the inventor pulls long shifts, he must make daily HT rolls as described under Long Tasks (p. 346). On a failure, he has no skill penalty – he just loses FP. If he reaches 0 FP, he collapses and must rest for 1d days to recover. Add this to the time required. Cost: Calculate the cost of the necessary facilities using the table above. Use Base Cost for an item at the campaign TL, and add the amount under TL Increment for each TL beyond that. A gadgeteer may divide these costs by 10 if he has already paid for facilities for a similar project of equal or higher complexity and tech level. Example: A gadgeteer working on a Complex item must pay a Base Cost of $250,000 for the necessary facilities. If his invention is a device three TLs above the campaign TL, he must add three times the TL Increment for a Complex gadget, or $1,500,000, bringing the total to $1,750,000.

As with regular inventions, there is also a cost for each attempt to build a prototype. For an invention at the campaign TL, this is just the retail price of the item. For a device from above that TL, start with the item’s retail price at its native TL, double this for each TL of difference, and accumulate the cost!

Example: A gadgeteer working on an invention with a $4,000 retail cost would pay $4,000 per attempt to create a prototype if the device were at the campaign TL. If it were three TLs more advanced, he would double the cost three times and add: $4,000 + $8,000 + $16,000 + $32,000 = $60,000!

Testing and Bugs For a gadgeteer, success by 3 or more results in no bugs, while a lesser success gives 1d/2 minor bugs. There is no chance at all of a major bug. If the device is above the gadgeteer’s TL, roll once on the Gadget Bugs Table (box) for each “minor” bug.

Gadget Bugs Table When a gadgeteer invents a gadget of a higher TL than his own, the GM should roll 3d on the following table for each bug (or simply pick something appropriate). 3 – Roll 3d per use or hour of constant use. On a 6 or less, the gadget attracts the unwelcome attention of aliens, time travelers, Men in Black, Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, etc. (GM’s choice.) 4 – The gadget is huge! If it would normally be handheld, it is so large that it needs a vehicle to move it around; if it would normally be vehicle-borne, it must be mounted in a really big vehicle (like a battleship) or a building; and so on. 5 – Each use or hour of constant use consumes $250 worth of resources – exotic chemicals, radioactives, etc. 6 – The device has 1d+1 side effects; see the Random Side Effects Table (p. 479). 7 – Anyone carrying the gadget is so inconvenienced by its awkward shape and balance that he has -2 to DX. Vehicles or vehicular gadgets give -2 to vehicle control rolls. 8 – The gadget has 1d-2 (minimum one) side effects. 9 – A powered device requires a big power supply – for instance, a vehicle power plant. If it would normally require this much power, it needs to be tied into a continental power grid, and causes brownouts whenever used. If the device is unpowered, treat this result as 10. 10 – The gadget is twice as large, twice as heavy, and uses twice as much power as it should. If it’s a weapon, halve its damage, range, and Accuracy instead. 11 – The gadget gets too hot to handle after being used, and must cool down for 10 minutes before it can be used again. (If used before it cools off, it burns out in a shower of sparks and inflicts 1d burning damage on the user.) 12 – Each use or hour of constant use consumes $25 worth of resources. 13 – The gadget is unreliable, and fails on any operation skill roll of 14 or more. 14 – The gadget requires minor repairs after every use, and does not work until repaired. 15 – The device recoils like a heavy projectile weapon (even if it isn’t a gun). The user must make a DX roll for every use or be knocked down. 16 – The gadget is very unreliable, and fails on any operation skill roll of 10 or more. 17 – The device is overly complicated. If it is a weapon, it takes five seconds to ready (this represents pushing buttons, setting dials, etc.). Other gadgets require two hours of painstaking preparation before each use. 18 – On any critical failure using the device, it selfdestructs . . . spectacularly. The user must make a DX roll at -2 or suffer 2d injury as a result. The gadget is gone – it cannot be repaired or cannibalized for parts.

QUICK GADGETEERING Inventors with the Quick Gadgeteer advantage require very little time or money to do their work. They can throw together a useful gadget in minutes, using only the contents of a random glove compartment. This talent is completely unrealistic; most GMs will want to restrict it to highly cinematic campaigns! Quick gadgeteers use the Inventing Gadgets rules (p. 475) like regular gadgeteers, with the following modifications. Concept Apply the favorable modifiers given for regular gadgeteering, but each Concept roll requires only 1d minutes! Prototype Apply the modifiers given for regular gadgeteering to the Prototype roll. Time Required: A Simple gadget takes only 2d minutes to assemble, an Average one calls for 1d-2 hours (a roll of 1 or 2 indicates a 30-minute assembly time), a Complex one requires 1d hours, and an Amazing one takes 4d hours. Cost: The quick gadgeteer is a master at cannibalizing parts and scrounging for equipment. If there are many sources of parts, the GM should allow a Scrounging roll to locate usable components. If the available resources are more limited, the GM may require a roll against a specialized skill; e.g., if the only thing available is a wrecked ’65 Mustang, the GM might call for an Engineer (Automobiles) or Mechanic (Automobiles) roll to find the necessary hardware. These rolls are at no

modifier for a Simple gadget, -2 for an Average one, -6 for a Complex one, and -10 for an Amazing one. On a success, the total cost for the project is only (1d-1) ¥ $100, with a roll of 1 indicating no cost. If the gadgeteer must buy the needed items, calculate facilities and prototype costs as for a regular gadgeteer, and then divide by 100. A critical failure on the Prototype roll ruins the parts – the gadgeteer must find new ones before construction can resume. GADGETEERING DURING ADVENTURES Gadgeteers can also analyze and modify gadgets encountered during adventures. Analysis To figure out a mysterious piece of equipment, the gadgeteer rolls as if he were making a Concept roll to invent the item from scratch, using the same skills and modifiers. This takes 1d¥10 minutes for a regular gadgeteer, or 1d minutes for a quick gadgeteer. Modification After successfully analyzing a gadget, the gadgeteer may attempt to modify it. He rolls as if he were making a Prototype roll, using the same skills and modifiers. This takes 1d hours for a regular gadgeteer, or 1d¥10 minutes for a quick gadgeteer. All modifications in function are subject to GM approval!

Gadgets for Non-Gadgeteers Anyone can own and use gadgets. Only those who can alter their capabilities or invent new ones must buy the Gadgeteer advantage. But it would be unfair to let non-gadgeteers have gadgets for free – Gadgeteer costs points as much for the gadgets themselves as for the ability to build them. The GM should adopt one of the following rules to maintain game balance. Gadgets Cost Money The GM may permit the PCs to hire a gadgeteer to design and built gadgets for them. Finding such a hireling should be an adventure in itself! In addition to the hireling’s pay, the PCs must pay the standard facilities cost for development and 150% of the prototype cost per item. Work out these costs as described for regular (not quick) gadgeteering. This option has a “hidden” point cost: to cover these expenses, the heroes almost certainly need to take high Wealth (p. 25) or trade points for money (see Trading Points for Money, p. 26). Gadgets Require an Unusual Background The GM might require gadget users to have one of these Unusual Backgrounds: Unusual Background (Gadgeteer Friend): If an adventurer has a gadgeteer friend who equips him with useful inventions, he has an Unusual Background. This is an unabashed game-balance measure – it is unbalancing to let a single gadgeteer outfit an entire party at no point cost, however realistic that might be. 15 points. Unusual Background (Invention): The character possesses one specific gadget without being a gadgeteer. This must be a unique invention; if it weren’t, it would just be Signature Gear (p. 85). The player must explain how his character came to have the item: he invented it through a lucky accident, his inventor grandfather left it to him, aliens planted the blueprints in his head telepathically, etc. The points in this trait buy a single, bug-free item. The owner can copy it, but he must pay the usual production costs. 5 points if the gadget is Simple, 15 points if Average, 30 points if Complex, or 50 points if Amazing.

FUTURISTIC AND ALIEN ARTIFACTS

Adventurers sometimes encounter advanced or alien devices. These rarely come with instruction manuals, and often rely on scientific principles unknown at the heroes’ tech level. Gadgeteers may use the Gadgeteering During Adventures rules (p. 477) to deduce the function of mysterious artifacts. Everybody else must use the rules below. First, the experimenter chooses an operation skill. This choice is often a guess – although the GM might provide clues that make it an educated guess. Those with the Intuition advantage can use it to narrow down their choice of skills. Next, the GM decides whether the chosen skill is appropriate. An “appropriate” skill is one used to operate a device known to the experimenter that serves a purpose similar to that of the artifact. It need not be the artifact’s actual operation skill. For instance, Guns is appropriate for a ray gun fired using Beam Weapons skill, while First Aid is wholly inappropriate. Then the experimenter rolls against the chosen skill. If this is an appropriate skill, the GM rolls 3d, adds the investigator’s margin of success or subtracts his margin of failure, and consults the Enigmatic Device Table, below. If the skill is inappropriate, treat the roll as a failure by 10; in other words, roll 3d-10 on the table. Exception: If the experimenter rolls a critical success on an inappropriate skill, he realizes that the chosen skill doesn’t apply and may try another skill. Each attempt takes one minute. Repeated attempts are possible, but the roll on the table is at a cumulative -1 per attempt after the first. Someone else can start from scratch, though – other people often bring fresh insights to a problem. ENIGMATIC DEVICE TABLE Roll 3d, apply the modifiers below, and consult the table. For repeated attempts by the same experimenter, reroll duplicate results. Modifiers: A bonus equal to the margin of success, or a penalty equal to the margin of failure; +2 for Danger Sense; +4 for Intuition; +2 if the device has labels in a language the experimenter can read – or +4 for actual manuals (at the GM’s option, a Research roll at -5 might turn these up); +1 to +5 for a simple device, or -1 to -5 for a complex one; -1 for manipulating the device at a “safe” distance using psi or magic, -2 for probing it using tools or robotic manipulators, or -4 for poking it with a stick, hitting it with a hammer, etc.; -1 per attempt after the first. 0 or less – The experimenter takes 3d damage and the device is destroyed. (If the device is indestructible, it vaporizes everything within 10 yards . . .) 1 – The device’s primary effect is applied to the experimenter, if possible; if not, he takes 3d damage from the device. 2 – The device’s primary effect is applied to someone nearby, if possible; if not, someone nearby takes 3d damage. 3 – The experimenter takes 2d damage. 4 – Someone nearby takes 2d damage. 5 – The experimenter takes 1d damage. 6 – Someone nearby takes 1d damage. 7 – The experimenter suffers superficial damage (e.g., his eyebrows are burned off). 8 – Someone nearby suffers superficial damage. 9 – The experimenter suffers an embarrassing mishap: he gets a body part stuck to (or in) the device, or suffers an unpleasant minor side effect. 10 – The experimenter forms an erroneous theory concerning the device’s purpose, possibly being misled by a secondary function or side effect. 11 – Nothing happens. The experimenter gains no useful insight into the device’s nature or operation, but at least it didn’t do anything nasty . . . 12 – The experimenter locates one of the device’s less-obvious controls (but doesn’t learn what it does). 13 – The experimenter discovers the on/off switch (or safety, for a weapon). 14 – The experimenter gets a clue concerning the purpose of the device. 15 – The experimenter gets a clear demonstration of the device’s primary function (possibly by blowing a large hole in something inanimate – and expensive – nearby). He can now operate this function, at -4 to skill. 16 – The experimenter discovers how to activate a single secondary function reliably (that is, with no skill penalty).

17 – The experimenter deduces the location and general nature of all controls pertaining to the device’s secondary functions, and can use these functions at -4 to skill. 18 – The experimenter figures out how to activate the primary function of the device at no skill penalty. 19 – The experimenter discovers all of the device’s functions, and can use them at no skill penalty. 20 or more – As 19, plus the experimenter finds a totally serendipitous – and useful – application of the device that the creators never thought of!

Anachronistic Devices The tech levels given for equipment assume a “realistic” campaign. The GM is free to have any technology appear at an earlier TL – especially in a cinematic campaign. For each TL by which the listed TL of a device exceeds that of the campaign, double the cost and weight of the device. Example: Steam engines are normally TL5, but dwarves in a TL3 fantasy setting might use steam-powered mining machinery. Such equipment would cost and weigh four times as much as usual.

WEIRD TECHNOLOGY

“Alien” does not begin to describe some technology: gadgets that defy natural laws (including a few we haven’t discovered); devices from bizarre dimensions; artifacts that mix magic with science, or that contain (or are) demons . . . Such things are best described as “weird.” Weird technology need not be advanced – it might have been around since the Bronze Age! In fact, weirdness rarely has anything to do with tech level. Part of what makes a technology weird is that it defies the standard notions of scientific progress. It’s different, and even geniuses are at a loss to explain it. Weird Science An inventor may choose to roll against Weird Science skill (p. 228) to get a bonus to his Concept and Prototype rolls. This bonus is +5 if he is using the New Inventions rules (p. 473). It is only +1 if he is using Gadgeteering (p. 475), as those rules already give large bonuses for the borderline- weird concepts used by gadgeteers. The drawback is that the invention will have weird side effects. Roll 1d-3 for the number of side effects (minimum one), and then roll that many times on the Random Side Effects Table, below. Gadgets As mentioned above, even gadgeteers who do not use Weird Science are venturing into the realm of the weird. A buggy gadget can occasionally have weird side effects – see the Gadget Bugs Table (p. 476). Experimental Devices The GM can roll on the Random Side Effects Table whenever adventurers use an experimental device given to them by or stolen from a mad scientist. Magic Items There is no reason to limit strange side effects to technological devices! At the GM’s option, when a wizard fails his roll to create a magic item by only 1, the enchantment works but the magic item acquires 1d-3 side effects (minimum one), determined by rolls on the Random Side Effects Table. RANDOM SIDE EFFECTS TABLE Roll 3d, or choose something appropriate. 3 – Each use causes a small, cumulative change in the user’s body (mind). Roll against HT+4 (IQ+4) once per use. On a failure, the user acquires -1 point toward a physical (mental) disadvantage of the GM’s choice. 4 – Each use inflicts 1d injury on the user (ignore DR). 5 – Each use causes 1 point of injury to the operator (ignore DR). 6 – The gadget transforms someone within 10 yards into something else (alien, animal, plant, etc. – GM’s choice) for 10 seconds. 7 – The device makes an incredibly annoying, high-pitched noise when used. This gives everyone within 20 yards a headache for 10 minutes (-2 to DX, IQ, and self-control rolls), and the user gets a migraine (-4 to these rolls) for 20 minutes. Earplugs don’t help, although Deafness does. 8 – Use of the gadget disrupts electronics: TVs and radios within one mile get nothing but static, other electronics within 100 yards fail on a roll of 7 or less on 3d. Within 10 yards, even simple electrical devices are affected. This is a classic side effect for UFOs! Magic items produce local mana disruptions instead, giving -3 to all spell rolls within 10 yards for the next 10 seconds. 9 – The device produces noxious fumes in a four-yard radius. Anyone in the area must make a HT+3 roll every second. On a failure, they are nauseated (see Irritating Conditions, p. 428) for five minutes. 10 – The gadget produces a loud hum in operation (+3 to Hearing rolls to notice it). 11 – Impressive but harmless special effects – beams of light, showers of sparks, etc. – accompany the use of the device. The source of the effects is obvious to any observer. Anyone in the area gets a Vision roll at +5 to notice something is going on. 12 – The gadget emits dense clouds of steam or smoke over a four-yard radius while in operation. Treat as a Fog spell (p. 253). 13 – Each use of the gadget attracts a swarm of vermin of the GM’s choice. The swarm disperses 10 minutes after the device is shut off. 14 – Using the gadget renders the operator unconscious for 1d minutes. 15 – Each use of the device attracts the attention of demons or ghosts, or punches holes into random dimensions through which strange creatures appear. 16 – The device inflicts 1 point of injury (ignore DR) per use on everyone within 10 yards, including the user. 17 – Each use of the gadget opens a gate into a random dimension for one second. The user must make a DX roll to avoid falling into the hole before it closes. 18 – Roll for a different random side effect each time the device is used. (If this result comes up again, roll for two side effects, and so on!)

MAGIC ITEMS

Objects of magical power are a staple of fantasy. The following rules are intended for game worlds that use the magic system in Chapter 5, and make a few basic assumptions: • Anyone can use any magic item that doesn’t explicitly require Magery. • Wizards manufacture magic items using magic spells that produce fairly predictable results. However, magic is not technology, and magic items can have unpredictable side effects. • Magic items retain their power indefinitely – their magic does not “wear out.” But if the item breaks or wears out, it loses all of its magical properties and ordinary repairs cannot restore the magic. The GM is free to change some or all of these assumption to suit his campaign! ENCHANTMENT SPELLS These spells allow mages to create magic items. They appear here instead of in Chapter 5 because enchantment creates magical artifacts, and uses many special rules that do not apply to ordinary spellcasting. Enchant (VH) Enchantment This spell is a prerequisite for all other Enchantment spells. To enchant an item, the caster must also know this spell. The caster rolls against the lower of his skill with this spell and the specific spell he wishes to place on the item. If he has assistants, they must have skill 15+ with both spells, but the roll is based on the caster’s skill. Duration: Magic items are permanent until destroyed. Cost and Time: See Enchanting (p. 481). Prerequisites: Magery 2, and at least one spell from each of 10 other colleges. Accuracy Enchantment Makes a weapon more likely to hit by adding to the user’s effective skill. Cost: See table below. Divide cost by 10 if the subject is a missile (e.g., an arrow or a bullet). Bonus Cost +1 250 +2 1,000 +3 5,000 Prerequisites: Enchant, and at least five Air spells. Deflect Enchantment Adds a Defense Bonus to armor, clothing, a shield, or a weapon. This adds to all active defense rolls made by the user. Cost: See table below. DB Cost +1 100 +2 500 +3 2,000 +4 8,000 +5 20,000 Prerequisites: Enchant. Fortify Enchantment Increases the DR of clothing or a suit of armor. Cost: See table below. DR Bonus Cost +1 50 +2 200 +3 800 +4 3,000 +5 8,000 Prerequisites: Enchant. Power Enchantment Makes a magic item partially or completely “self-powered.” Each point of Power reduces the energy cost to cast or to maintain any spell on the item by 1. Halve this bonus in a lowmana area (round down); double it in a high- or very high-mana area. Power has no effect on the energy cost of the user’s spells! If Power reduces the cost to maintain a spell to 0, treat the item as “always on” after the cost to cast is paid – but the wearer must stay awake to maintain the spell. If Power reduces the cost to cast to 0, the item is “always on” for all purposes, although the owner may turn it off if he wishes. Cost: See table below. Power Cost 1 point 500 2 points 1,000 3 points 2,000 4 points 4,000 Double the cost for each additional point. Prerequisites: Enchant and Recover Energy.

Puissance Enchantment Adds to the basic damage a weapon does when it hits. Cost: See table below. Divide cost by 10 if the subject is a missile (e.g., an arrow or a bullet). Double cost if the subject is a missile weapon (e.g., a bow or a gun). Damage Bonus Cost +1 250 +2 1,000 +3 5,000 Prerequisites: Enchant, and at least five Earth spells. Staff Enchantment Enchants a magic staff – see Magic Staffs (p. 240) for details. Though many magic items must be in the form of a wand or staff, they do not have to have this spell on them. Cost: 30. Prerequisites: Enchant. ENCHANTING “Enchanting” is the process of creating a magic item. It is a special kind of spell casting; see Casting Spells (p. 235). The caster must use ceremonial magic (see Ceremonial Magic, p. 238), and he and any assistants must know both the Enchant spell (see p. 480) and the specific spell being put on the item at level 15+ – or at level 20+, in a low-mana area. Unskilled spectators cannot contribute energy. Enchanting always requires time and energy. A particular enchantment might also require a specific item or material (e.g., a gem), or the expenditure of cash for “generic” magic supplies. A given magic item may carry any number of spells. Each one requires a separate enchantment. The presence of an enchantment has no effect on later enchantments. Power of a Magic Item Each magic item has a “Power,” set when it is created. An item’s Power equals the caster’s skill with the Enchant spell or the spell contained in the item, whichever is lower. Since enchanting is ceremonial magic, the caster can spend extra energy to raise his effective skill, and hence the Power of the item. Record Power for each magic item created or found (to learn the Power of a found item, the PCs must use Analyze Magic). If an item has several spells on it, each spell has its own Power. Whenever it would be important to know the skill level of a spell cast by a magic item, use the item’s Power. An item’s Power must be 15 or more for the item to work. Apply a temporary -5 to Power in a low-mana area; thus, an item with less than Power 20 does not work at all in a lowmana zone. No magic item works in a no-mana region!

Interruptions If a mage is interrupted while enchanting using the “slow and sure” method, note the following: • He will be fatigued. Assume he is missing 1d FP. • He must keep concentrating on his enchantment; therefore, any other spell use is at -3. (If he stops concentrating, he loses the day’s work.) A wizard who is bothered while not actively working on his enchantment is at no disadvantage!

Success Rolls for Enchanting

The GM makes all rolls to enchant magic items. As with other ceremonial magic, a roll of 16 fails automatically and a roll of 17-18 is a critical failure. On a success, the item is enchanted. On a critical success, increase the Power of the item by 2d – and if the success roll was a natural 3, the item might have some further enhancement (GM’s discretion). The caster knows that his spell went well, but he must use Analyze Magic to know how well. On a failure, the results depend on the method used to enchant the item – see below. A critical failure always destroys the item and all materials used.

Quick and Dirty Enchantment Use this method to create a magic item quickly. It requires one hour per 100 points of energy required (round up). Make the success roll at the end of that time. Succeed or fail, all the energy is spent when the GM rolls the dice. A lone caster is limited to the energy provided by his FP and HP, but he may have assistants, who can contribute their own FP and HP as described for ceremonial magic. The caster is at -1 to skill for each assistant; therefore, the number of assistants allowed is the number that would reduce the caster’s effective skill to 15. With more assistants, the enchantment won’t work. If anyone but the caster and his assistants is within 10 yards, the spell is at a further -1. On a failure, the enchantment is perverted in some way. It might acquire unpleasant side effects (see Random Side Effects Table, p. 479), become an entirely different spell, or anything else the GM likes. The caster won’t know his spell went wrong unless he uses Analyze Magic or tries the item!

Slow and Sure Enchantment Use this method when the enchanter wants to be sure it’s done right. It takes one “mage-day” per point of energy required. A mage-day represents a full eight-hour workday for one mage. For instance, an item that requires 100 energy points would take one mage 100 days, two mages 50 days, and so on. A mage may work on only one enchantment at a time; he may not “work two shifts,” either on the same or different items.

All of the caster’s assistants must be present every day. If a day’s work is skipped or interrupted, it takes two days to make it up. Loss of a mage ends the project! Make the success roll at the end of the last day. There is no FP or HP cost to the enchanters – they invested the energy gradually as the spell progressed. On a failure, the enchantment didn’t work. The time was wasted, and any materials used in the spell are lost. (Exception: If the enchanters were adding a spell to an already-enchanted item, it is unharmed, though extra materials are lost.) Spells for Enchantment The Magic Items Table provides information on several common enchantments. Spell: The name of the spell. Energy: The energy cost required to enchant an item with the spell. Note that this is not the same as the cost to cast that spell normally! See also Enchantment Spells (p. 480). Item: The class of item required: Code Class of Item A armor or clothing J jewelry; e.g., an amulet or ring S staff – any rod-shaped piece of organic material up to 6 feet long Sh shield W weapon Notes: Special rules for creation or use. USING MAGIC ITEMS Magic items follow the rules given for the spell(s) they contain. Many give the user the power to cast the spell – perhaps only on himself, possibly on any subject. Some are “mage only”; that is, they only work for users who possess Magery. Unless specified otherwise: • There is no ritual. The user just wills the item to work. • Casting time is as described for the spell. High Power doesn’t affect this. • Energy cost is the same as for a normal casting of the spell. High Power does not affect this (but the Power spell does – see p. 480). • Determine success normally. Use the item’s Power as the caster’s base skill and apply all the usual modifiers for the kind of spell being cast. Power is at -5 in low-mana areas. A Resisted spell allows a normal resistance roll; use the item’s modified Power as the caster’s skill in the Quick Contest. • Only one person at a time can use the item. If two people attempt to use it, only the first to touch it can use it. If one can’t use it – for instance, the item is “mage only” and he lacks Magery – his touch doesn’t count. • All other effects are as usual for that spell. “Always On” Items Certain magic items are “always on.” For the item to work, the user must wear or carry it in the usual manner (a ring on a finger, a sword in a hand, and so on). These items don’t let the wearer cast the spell – they automatically cast the spell on the wearer at no energy cost. The powers of such items are not always obvious to a new owner. In the case of found items, the GM should try not to drop inadvertent clues to the item’s true nature! For all “always on” items, unless specified otherwise: • Ritual, casting time, and energy cost are all irrelevant. The item does not let the wearer cast the spell – it puts the spell on him, at no cost, as soon as he wears or wields the item. • The effects last as long as the item is worn or carried. • All other effects are as usual for that spell.

Magic Items Table Spell Energy Item Notes Accuracy See p. 480. W [1] Blur 100 per -1 J, S [2] Deflect See p. 480. A, Sh, W [1] Deflect Energy 200 J, Sh, W [2] Deflect Missile 200 J, Sh, W [2] Explosive Fireball 1,200 S [3, 4, 5 ($500)] Fireball 800 S [3, 4, 5 ($400)] Fortify See p. 480. A [1] Haste 250 per +1 A, J [2] Icy Weapon 750 W [1, 5 ($2,000)] Lightning 800 S [3, 4, 5 ($1,200)] Puissance See p. 481. W [1] Staff See p. 481. S [1, 4] [1] Always on. Works at all times without the addition of a Power spell. [2] Allows the user to cast the spell, but only on himself. [3] Allows the user to cast the spell exactly as if he knew it himself. [4] Mage only. If the item has any spells with this restriction, it extends to all spells on the item. [5] Cost of magical materials required.

BUYING MAGIC ITEMS The cash price of magic items is up to the GM. In fantasy settings where “enchanter” is just another profession

and magic items are for sale in shops, a suggested price is $25 per energy point. For instance, a sword with Accuracy +2 would cost an extra $25,000. In game worlds like this, enchanters might mass-produce lowenergy cost items using the “quick and dirty” method. The GM is the final arbiter of what is possible, but note that a talented enchanter with skill 20 and five partners could spend 50 FP without breaking a sweat, much less spending HP. Realistically, this should drastically reduce the price of minor magic items. At the GM’s option, any magic item that a “typical” collaboration of wizards in the setting could enchant with an hour’s work costs only $1 per energy point. In the example above, the cutoff might be 50 energy points – one arrow with Accuracy +1 or Puissance +1 would be $25, a magic staff would be $30, and a shirt with Fortify +1 would be $50 . . . but that sword with Accuracy +2 would still cost $25,000. In game worlds with few enchanters, magic items will be rare and prized, and even the most minor items will sell for $50 or more per energy point. This is likely to be the case in settings with secret magic – especially if the reason for the secret is an enchanters’ monopoly. In game worlds where magic is basically unknown, magic items will not have a fixed, fair price. If the buyer knows the item is authentic, the seller can often name his price! In all cases, add the cost of magical materials (if any) and the cost of the item being enchanted to the cost for the enchantment itself.

DAMAGE TO OBJECTS For the purpose of these rules, any nonliving, fabricated object – including a character with the Machine meta-trait (p. 263) – is an “artifact.” Handle attacks on artifacts just like attacks on living beings (see Damage and Injury, p. 377), with the following exceptions: Rolling to Hit: Roll to hit normally, applying the object’s Size Modifier. If an object’s SM is not given, find it from the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550). Inanimate objects are often motionless and don’t hit back; this makes them good targets for an All- Out Attack. No artifact gets a defense roll unless it is under sentient control (e.g., a robot, a weapon in hand, or a vehicle with a driver). Damage Resistance (DR): An artifact has a DR that represents its innate “toughness.” Wooden or plastic tools, gadgets, furniture, etc. usually have DR 2. Small metal, metal-wood, or composite objects, like guns and axes, typically have DR 4. Solid-metal melee weapons have DR 6. Some artifacts may be armored; for instance, a quarter- inch of mild steel is DR 14. Injury Tolerance: Most artifacts have some level of Injury Tolerance (p. 60). Complex machines are Unliving. Solid objects, like furniture or weapons, are Homogenous. Things like nets and mattresses are Diffuse. See Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets (p. 380) for the effects on damage. Health (HT): This rates the likelihood the object will break under stress or abuse. Most machines and similar artifacts in good repair are HT 10. Swords, tables, shields, and other solid, Homogenous objects are HT 12. Cheap, temperamental, or poorly maintained items get -1 to -3 to HT; well-made or rugged ones get +1 or +2. Characters with the Machine meta-trait use their HT score. Hit Points (HP): The amount of damage the object can take before it is likely to break or cease to function. For weapons and equipment without a listed HP score, consult the Object Hit Points Table (p. 557) to find HP based on weight and construction.

Detailed HP Calculation Those who have a calculator or spreadsheet program handy may wish to calculate HP instead of using the Object Hit Points Table. HP are equal to 4 ¥ (cube root of weight in lbs.) for complex, Unliving objects, and 8 ¥ (cube root of weight in lbs.) for solid, Homogenous ones (round up). The GM may alter these values for unusually frail or tough objects.

EFFECTS OF INJURY Injury to artifacts works much like injury to living beings (see Injuries, p. 418), with the addition of a few special rules. Less than 1/3 HP left – An artifact damaged this badly may suffer halved (or otherwise reduced) effectiveness, at the GM’s discretion. 0 HP or less – Roll vs. the artifact’s HT each second while it is under stress (but not if it isn’t being used): a chair rolls each second someone sits on it, a car rolls each second its engine is running, and so on. On a failure, the object suffers a severe malfunction and is disabled. Most disabled artifacts don’t function at all until repaired. Sentient machines fall “unconscious.” Homogenous objects, such as swords, bend or break, but might remain partially usable (see Broken Weapons, p. 485). Ropes, cables, etc., are cleanly severed – not chopped to bits.

-1¥HP – Artifacts don’t “die,” as they were never truly alive, but must still make HT rolls to avoid “death” as described under General Injury (p. 419). On a failure, the object is destroyed. For instance, a sword might shatter instead of merely bending or snapping. A destroyed computer loses all data stored in it – including memories, if it is sapient. -5¥HP – The artifact is automatically destroyed, as described above. Shock: Most artifacts don’t feel pain, but damage can temporarily disrupt their functionality unless they have appropriate backup systems (represented by High Pain Threshold). Apply the usual shock penalty to any use of that object. For example, if a vehicle suffers sufficient injury to impose a -3 shock penalty, the driver has -3 to his vehicle operation skill next turn. Major Wounds: An artifact can suffer a major wound, referred to as “major damage.” When a machine with many subsystems – like a vehicle – suffers a major wound, the GM may call for a HT roll. On a failure, one or more systems fail. For example, major damage to a tank might knock out its gun or cause a fuel leak. If using a rulebook that supplies a “major damage table” for a specific type of machine, roll randomly and apply the result.

Knockdown and Stunning: A nonsentient artifact ignores these effects. A sentient machine (IQ 1+) can suffer these results as a damage-induced malfunction. For instance, stun means the machine doesn’t function that turn, but can function again after it recovers.

Crippling and Hit Location: A human- or animal-shaped artifact uses the normal rules; see Crippling Injury (p. 420). Other objects with distinct parts (e.g., a vehicle with a body, turret, and wheels) can suffer crippling injuries to specific hit locations; for vehicles, see the Vehicle Hit Location Table (p. 554). In all cases, a crippled location is “disabled.”

Fragile Objects: Artifacts are often Fragile (p. 136). Those made of paper, dry wood, etc. are Combustible; those that contain highly flammable material, such gasoline or hydrogen, are Flammable. Artifacts containing unprotected explosives, sizeable stocks of ammunition, or volatile compressed gas are Explosive. Objects such as glassware, pottery, and televisions are Brittle.

Most medieval shields were wood, or wood with a thin layer of metal. After one good battle, a shield was worthless. Do not use this rule unless you are willing to tolerate some bookkeeping in the name of more realistic combat!

See Shields (p. 287) for the Defense Bonus (DB), DR, and HP of shields. If your shield’s DB makes the difference between success and failure on any active defense (not just a block), the blow struck the shield squarely, and may damage it. Apply the attack’s damage to the shield. Subtract the shield’s DR. If no damage penetrates the shield, there is no effect . . . but you experience full knockback!

If damage penetrates the shield’s DR, mark it off against the shield’s HP. Use the standard Damage to Objects rules; ordinary shields are Homogenous, with HT 12. If the shield is disabled or destroyed, it no longer provides its DB, but it still encumbers you until dropped. If it is completely destroyed (-10xHP), it falls off.

A powerful blow may punch through your shield! The shield acts as cover, with “cover DR” equal to its DR + (HP/4). Damage in excess of cover DR penetrates the shield and possibly injures you; see Overpenetration (p. 408). When using hit locations, roll 1d: on 1-2, apply damage to your shield arm; on 3-6, apply it to the location targeted by the attacker.

The Structural Damage Table (p. 558) gives typical DR and HP for buildings, doors, walls, and similar inanimate structures. Most such structures are Homogenous. Assume that a structurally sound building in good repair has HT 12. Shoddy construction might reduce this to between HT 9 and 11, while a quake-resistant building might have HT 13 or 14. Any building “disabled” by going to 0 HP or less and failing a HT roll has one or more large breaches and loses electrical power, if any. At -1xHP or less, it must make HT rolls to avoid collapse – just as a character would roll to avoid death. It collapses automatically at -5xHP.

Anyone in a collapsing building takes 3d crushing damage, plus 1d per story overhead. A victim can attempt to dive for cover behind a structural member – see Dodge and Drop (p. 377). On a success, he receives DR equal to the building’s exterior wall DR against this damage, but is still trapped in the rubble. On a critical success, he is totally unharmed!

Most artifacts cannot heal naturally (although there are exceptions; e.g., exotic “living metal” machines). If they become disabled, they cannot recover until repaired. If they are crippled, the relevant parts require repair or replacement – they can’t recover on their own.

To fix a damaged, disabled, or malfunctioning device requires a suitable skill: Armoury, Electrician, Electronics Repair, Machinist, Mechanic, etc. See individual skill descriptions for what each skill covers. The GM is the final judge of the necessary skill.

Minor Repairs: Each attempt to repair damaged equipment that still has positive HP requires half an hour and a successful skill roll. See Equipment Modifiers (p. 345) and Time Spent (p. 346) for common modifiers. As well, if the device costs $1,000 or less, roll at +1. Roll at -1 if it costs $10,001 to $100,000, at -2 if it costs $100,001 to $1,000,000, or at -3 if it costs over $1,000,000. Success restores 1 HP times the margin of success (minimum 1).

Major Repairs: An artifact reduced to zero or negative HP requires spare parts that cost 1d x 10% of its original price. After obtaining these parts, use the rules above, except that all rolls are at an extra -2.

Replacement: If a device is destroyed (failed a HT roll to avoid destruction, or went to -5xHP or less), it is beyond repair. Replace it at 100% of its original cost.

Hiring Help: Those incapable of doing their own repairs can hire technicians. A typical rate is $20/hour – or higher, if unusual skills are required. Typical skill level is 9 + 1d.

If a weapon is destroyed – that is, it failed a HT roll at -1xHP or below, or went to -5xHP – it is completely useless. But if it is just disabled, it might still be usable.

An extremely light weapon (anything weighing 1 lb. or less, such as a dagger) or a missile weapon (sling, bow, firearm, etc.) is useless even when merely disabled.

Other weapons sometimes remain partially usable when disabled. Roll 1d and consult the appropriate paragraph below. Where the weapon effectively becomes a different kind of weapon, figure skill and damage according to the new weapon type!

Axe/Mace Weapons: On 1-3, the head breaks off, leaving you holding a light club. On 4-6, the weapon is smashed beyond use.

Polearms: On 1-2, you’re left holding an 8-foot pole; treat as a long spear that does thrust+2 crushing damage. On 3-4, you’re left with a quarterstaff, and there’s a very clumsy (-4 to hit) axe with reach 1 lying in front of you. On 5-6, you’re left with a light club and there’s a clumsy (-2 to hit) “great axe” with reach 2 lying on the ground.

Rapiers and Smallswords: On 1-3, treat a broken smallsword as a dagger and a broken rapier as a smallsword; damage is still impaling! On 4-6, the blade snaps off at the hilt; the weapon is useless.

Spears: On 1-3, the head breaks off where it joins the shaft, leaving you with a quarterstaff. On 4-6, the spear breaks further down; you have a baton, and there’s a spear with reach 1, doing normal damage, lying in front of you.

Swords (broadswords, greatswords, katanas, shortswords, etc.) and Sabers: On 1-3, the blade breaks off at the halfway mark, losing its tip. It can still make a cutting attack at -2 to damage, but it is useless as an impaling weapon: a thrust does thrust crushing damage. If the sword was reach 2, it is now reach 1. On 4-6, the blade snaps off at the hilt; the sword is useless.

Two-Handed Axe/Mace Weapons: On 1-3, the head breaks off where it joins the shaft, leaving you with a quarterstaff. On 4-6, the weapon breaks further down; you have a light club, and there’s a very clumsy (-4 to hit) axe with reach 1 lying in front of you.

Other Weapons: Use the closest weapon listed above. The GM has the final say, and may choose to roll if there is more than one way for the weapon to break.

Most real-life equipment failure is due to mistreatment or routine wear – not combat damage. The GM may apply these rules to any complex artifact (anything Unliving).

Artifacts that have moving parts, that are unusually complex, or that are routinely under stress require regular maintenance to work properly. This definitely includes all weapons and vehicles, precision optics (cameras, night-vision gear, etc.), and any other equipment more elaborate than a screwdriver or a knife.

Machinery like this requires periodic “maintenance checks” against a suitable technical skill, as explained for the Maintenance disadvantage. The frequency of such maintenance varies. Most commercial ground vehicles require one or two man-hours of maintenance a week. Weapons, especially guns, need cleaning every day or so of use. Large, complex items, such as factories and fighter jets, require numerous manhours of maintenance per day – if not constant care.

Missed or failed maintenance checks result in HT loss. This HT loss is cumulative, and affects all HT rolls described under Effects of Injury (p. 483) and Slime, Sand, and Equipment Failure (below). To restore lost HT, use the Repairs rules, above. Treat each point of HT restored as a separate major repair.

This rule does not apply to items without moving parts, equipment in storage (not just sitting out in the open!), or any artifact just sitting there, unused, if it has a sealed case.

Harsh conditions may result in more frequent breakdowns, regardless of maintenance. Whenever an artifact that requires maintenance is carelessly exposed to the elements (e.g., dropped in a swamp, left out in a sandstorm, or buried in volcanic ash), make a HT+4 roll for it. Use its current HT – including any reductions for missed maintenance. If the item lacks a HT score, assume HT 10. In extreme environments (desert, swamp, jungle, etc.), make one extra roll per item per day, in addition to any rolls for specific mistreatment.

On a failure, the equipment breaks down, jams, or otherwise fails; it cannot function at all without minor repairs. On a critical failure, it requires major repairs. The GM may wish to keep the results secret and let the operator discover the malfunction during normal use!

Modifiers: +1 if the PCs take significant time out each day to clean and maintain their gear (GM’s judgment); -1 or -2 if the abuse or the environment is unusually brutal.

This is the end of the file.