M SPACE Companion
M SPACE Companion
C O M PA N I O N
origins, robots and cybernetics
FrostByte Books
Matthew sutton (Order #41688683)
M-SPA CE
C OMPA NION
scott crowder and clarence redd
FrostByte Books
special thanks to
pete nash and lawrence whitaker
ISBN: 978-91-982393-7-9
© FrostByte Books 2020. All rights reserved
Introduction006
Cybernetics008
Robots016
Modules027
Q Tech 034
Origins048
Combat085
Scenario086
A s I’m sure you know, M-SPACE is a complete science fiction game. So, you might
wonder, why make a companion?
M-SPACE grew from my love of classic science fiction. I read heaps of Isaac Asimov
and Arthur C Clarke, immersed myself in the worlds of Dune, Star Wars and Traveller.
Starships, mental powers, strange planets and weird aliens formed the backbone of
the era.
Since then, science fiction has moved into new territory. Robots have evolved from
shiny tin men to lifelike synthetic humans. Cybernetic implants are not just for cy-
berpunk any more, but have become an essential part of the entire genre. I wanted
M-SPACE to reflect this.
Just as in the core book, the Companion’s rules are modular. You only use what you
Cybernetics and androids explore a new need and skip the rest. If you think cybernetics are too powerful, ignore them. If you
frontier – not lightyears away but inside want robots and magic – or magic robots – that is fine as well. Or just pick up the
our bodies. The underlying question is what new rules for player character backgrounds if you want. In short, make M-SPACE your
happens when we blur the line between own game.
man and machine. With this book, you can
join in the search for an answer. The future I always enjoyed the companion books published for various d100 games in the past
might arrive sooner than we think. but never thought M-SPACE would have one. Now, I’m happy to make it a reality.
6 INTRODUCTION
Just like the various parts of starships and vehicles, cybernetic implants come in Mod-
ules. Here, Modules are much smaller and fit into biological bodies. All cybernetic
Quick Character Creation
Modules are collected in a table on page 11 and descriptions are found in the Modules
If you want to speed up character creation,
chapter. These are the basics of cybernetic Modules:
check out the skill pyramids in Mythras
Companion. The basic idea is to add one
»» A character can fit a number of Modules equal to their POW.
skill at 50%, two skills at 40%, three skills
at 30%, four skills at 20% and finally five »» All Modules are allocated to a Hit Location. A single Hit Location can
skills at 10%. Skills can be picked freely fit 4 Modules.
or chosen from the Culture and Career you
want. »» Several Modules pertaining to the same function are called a mod.
8 CYBERNETICS
bers of Modules. These are the starting and maximum Modules: synthetic skin, but it rarely looks convinc-
ing.
»» Low. 3 Modules. Max: POW/2. Common for TechLevel 11-12.
Wetware. Wetware uses the advancements
»» Medium. 6 Modules. Max: POW. This is the regular, heroic power level in synthetic biology to create technology.
Circuits are made from organic tissues,
for TechLevel 13.
and are soft and flexible. Standard wetware
»» High. 12 Modules. Max: POW x1.5. TechLevel 13-14. implants are clearly visible, but can also be
hidden beneath perfect synthetic skin. A
In settings where only some PCs start with cybernetics, a single Module equals rough- wetware prosthetic arm can be made indis-
ly five skill points. To balance six Modules, for example, a non-cybernetic character tinguishable from the original.
can be given 30 extra skill points. In game terms, the two material types
achieve the same function and end result.
The difference lies in how they look. Players
Installation and Extraction are free to choose any of the two types and
combine them as they see fit.
Installation and extraction of Modules are surgical processes that take about an hour
per Module. The safest route is to use a Cybernetic Clinic. A cheaper, but less safe
alternative is to visit a biohacker hawking on the street. For classified or experimental
mods, the black market is often the only option.
Failed installations destabilise the entire system, not only the bad Module. This hap-
pens every time a character enters a stressful situation. First, roll 1d20 to determine
what location is affected and pick a mod freely. Then, roll on the System Instability
Table to see the effect.
To stabilise a system again, the failed mod must be extracted and replaced. Faulty
mods are sometimes refunded - or not, depending on the installer.
CYBERNETICS 9
Rare. Rare mods are complex, expensive A random biohacker will only have access to Common mods, plus one Rare type (the
or just not very popular. Biohackers might
Game Master chooses one at random). To find a trustworthy dealer, use Streetwise
have them, but a cyber clinic is often a bet-
or Science (Cybernetics). Prices vary between +30% to -30% compared to the listed
ter choice.
costs.
Classified. Governments above Law Level 3
regulate these mods. Soldiers, agents and
law enforcement officers might have ac-
cess to them. For everyone else, the black
market is often the only option. The conse-
quences of being discovered with an unli-
censed classified mod will differ depending
on the planet and the circumstances. Ev-
erything from a small fine to being arrested
and extraction by force is possible.
Cybernetic Clinic
Installations by cybernetic clinics are always successful. They do not install bad mods
or more mods than a client’s body accepts. Rare mods are often available. With
the right permission or connections, a character will also be able to get classified
mods. Prices as listed.
Unlicensed
The black market specialises in classified, experimental and dubious mods. Unli-
censed installations only fail on a roll of 95-00. For many, this is the only way to get a
classified mod installed. All listed prices are doubled.
10 CYBERNETICS
Enhancement 1 Chest, Abd Multiple Common 400 Cr Location. The Hit Location(s) the Modules
must be installed in.
Filter 1 Head, Chest Single Common 200 Cr
Installs. The number of times the mod can
Gadget 2 Any Multiple Common 200 Cr
be installed in a character.
Headjack 1 Head Single Rare 200 Cr
Availability. Common, Rare or Classified.
Healing 2 Any Single Common 400 Cr
Cost. The cost of the Module in Credits, in-
Hibernation 1 Any Single Rare 200 Cr
cluding installation in a Cybernetic Clinic.
Holo Projector 1 Any Multiple Common 100 Cr
CYBERNETICS 11
1-2
Single mod malfunction. cannot be shut down: Armour, Enhancement and Structural Integrity.
Duration: 1d6 Rounds
Psionic Modules If you prefer the simplified combat rules, use the following rules. If the location of the
In some settings, mental powers are avail- damage is obvious when Hit Points are reduced to half, use the above rules. Other-
able as cybernetic implants. The technol- wise, attack mods go out first.
ogy is often classified and secret. The two
most common mods are listed below.
Resonance. The Resonance mod strength- Module Repairs
ens a psionic’s powers. For every Module,
the wearer can add +5% to all powers, To repair a damaged mod, a successful roll on Computers or Science (Cybernetics) is
double the range or duration or increase needed. At a Difficulty Grade of Hard, Electronics, Mechanics, Medicine and Science
the effect by +1. Unfortunately, fumbles de- (Robotics) can also be used.
stroy the Resonance mod, which must be
replaced. In cases of fumble, the wearer For every successful skill roll, a single mod is restored to full capacity. One roll re-
temporarily loses the Power Points spent quires 1 hour and a standard repair kit. Characters with the right skills can heal them-
plus an additional 1d6. Mod: 1. Loc: Head. selves as long as they can reach and see the mod.
Inst: Four. Avail: Classified.
Psionic Pack. This mod gives anyone psion-
ic abilities. One Module has three First Arc Modules and Experience Rolls
powers, starting at POW x2. The powers are
then raised separately as normal. Mod: 2. Between scenarios, players can spend Experience Rolls on Modules in addition to
Loc: Head. Inst: Single. Avail: Classified. skills. 1 Module equals 2 Experience Rolls. The PC must also pay the mod installation
cost.
12 CYBERNETICS
fessional Skills: Commerce, Computers, Comms, Electronics, Forgery, Research, Sen- have an increased Security Level, they will
be very hard to shut down.
sors, Streetwise.
Biohacker. Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, First Aid, Influence, Insight, Locale, Per-
ception. Professional Skills: Bureaucracy, Commerce, Computers, Disguise, Medicine,
Science (Cybernetics), Forgery, Streetwise.
Maker. Standard Skills: First Aid, Influence, Locale, Native Tongue, Perception, Will-
power. Professional Skills: Commerce, Computers, Craft (any), Electronics, Mechanics,
Research, Science (Robotics), Sensors.
Science (Robotics). A character with Science (Robotics) can diagnose and repair all
types of robots. With a good lab, they will also be able to build and modify simple
robots. Furthermore, they will know about various robot models and their makers.
CYBERNETICS 13
14 CYBERNETICS
The player Max wants to create a detective with cybernetic implants. He starts
with the regular rules and comes up with the following characteristics:
STR 10, CON 11, SIZ 11, DEX 12, INT 13, POW 12, CHA 11
The Game Master tells Max that he can have up to six Modules installed from
the start. Max looks through the list of Modules and picks some that fits with
his career choice:
Sense 2 (Sight: Zoom, Night Vision), Stealth 1, Skill Boost 1 (+20% to Re-
search, Insight and Perception), Targeting 2 (Personal Blaster +20%).
Max continues with Passions to round out his character: Hate (Crime Lord) 63%,
Protect (The Innocent) 55%, Flee (His Past) 45%.
He looks through the character sheet to see if he is happy with the person he
has created. It seems to be a man with a secret in his past, at home on the
streets and highly perceptive. His mods improve his sight and perception, along
with typical investigator traits like research, combat and insight. Content with
the overall picture, Max names his detective Danniell Dareau. He is ready for his
first adventure.
CYBERNETICS 15
R obots come in many shapes and sizes, but these rules focus mainly on humanoid
robots. Either the hardware versions common in classic science fiction or syn-
thetic humans – often called androids – built or grown from wetware.
Simple NPC robots are described in a separate section at the end of the chapter. With
them, you can put together your own trashcan models, repair drones and security
bots.
Robot Creation
Just like cybernetic characters, robots are created from Modules. Create a character
as normal, with characteristics, careers and skills, then add Modules for any special
functions. A table of robot Modules can be found on page 19, while full descriptions
reside in the Modules chapter. Robot characters can be summarised in seven points:
»» Robots do not need food, water, air or sleep. They must connect to a
power source once a week, however.
16 ROBOTS
Enhancements allow robots to raise characteristics (except SIZ or POW) by 50% be-
yond the base species’ maximum value. Example: A human android’s STR can be in-
creased to 18+9=27.
tell it apart from the regular Passions, it is marked with “Objective” on the character or invent new ones to reflect the specific
needs of other cultures.
sheet ( Objective: Protect (Gothol Family) 100% ).
Also, the rules on simple robots allow
Regular Passions are often acquired naturally throughout a robot’s life. On rare occa-
greater alterations. They can supply a spe-
sions they are pre-programmed. Keep in mind that the mod Robotics Law will always cies with endless variations of small, quirky,
trump Passions. If present, these laws come hardcoded in the robot to create a syn- highly specialised bots.
ROBOTS 17
Age
Age in a robot indicates how long it has been activated. A player can choose age freely
or roll 1d20-1. A well-maintained robot will not be affected by old age. Apparent age
for androids is normally between 25-30 and will not change as time passes.
Maker
A well-equipped Maker workshop contains everything needed to handle robot up-
grades and repairs. Unfortunately, all Makers might not be the geniuses they claim
to be. Their Science (Robotics) skill can be set by the GM as 1d100 divided by two
(rounding down) and then add 20, producing a number between 20 and 70. Finding a
more reliable Maker requires a successful Streetwise or Science (Robotics) roll. Mod-
ule costs vary between -30% and +30% compared to listed prices.
Robot Manufacturer
A robot manufacturer is the safest choice when doing complex upgrades. They never
fail with installations and extractions. However, they will not remove Modules like
Linkage, Objective or Robotic Laws - only shady Makers or Unlicensed technicians will
do that. To install Classified Modules, manufacturers demand that all paperwork is in
order. With most manufacturers, Module costs are as listed.
Unlicensed
For unlicensed Classified and experimental installs, the black market is often the only
choice. Unlicensed installations only fail on a roll of 95-00. All listed prices are dou-
bled.
18 ROBOTS
Float 1 Chest, Abd Multiple Rare 400 Cr Installs. The number of times the mod can
be installed in a character.
Gadget 2 Any Multiple Common 200 Cr
Availability. Common, Rare or Classified.
Headjack 1 Head Single Rare 200 Cr
Cost. The cost of the Module in Credits, in-
Holo Projector 1 Any Multiple Common 100 Cr
cluding installation.
ID Scanner 1 Head Single Classified 400 Cr
Natural Weapon 1 Arms Twice Rare 200 Cr This is a catch-all mod for any superficial
changes to a body. Examples include skin
Objective 1 Any Single Common 100 Cr
colour, skin texture, hair colour, fur, eye
Robotics Law 1 Any Single Common 100 Cr colour, eye shape, extra finger, tail, ear
Sense 1 Head 1 per sense Comm, Rare 400 Cr shapes and tongue extension. Modules: 0.
Skill Boost 1 Head, Chest Single Common 600 Cr Location: Any. Installs: Multiple. Availabil-
ity: Common. Cost: 100 Cr.
Skill Switch 1 Head Multiple Common *
Weapon 2 Any Multiple Rare, Class. 600 Cr * Multiply the skill percentage with itself.
ROBOTS 19
Whenever a Hit Location takes a Serious Wound, a single mod in that location is dam-
aged as well. Attack mods are affected first. Otherwise, roll 1d6 on the Malfunction
Table and pick one mod at random.
Super-Human Robots
If a Hit Location is reduced to full negative Hit Points (a Major Wound), the body part
The majority of these rules produce power- along with any mods in that location are destroyed and must be replaced.
ful but not superhuman droids. But robots
that easily outperform humans are com- If you prefer the simplified combat rules, the following rules apply. If the location of
mon in science fiction. the damage is obvious when Hit Points are reduced to half, use the above rules. Oth-
The easiest way to achieve this is to in- erwise, attack mods go out first.
crease the number of Modules a robot can
Note that three mods cannot be shut down: Armour, Enhancement and Structural In-
fit. Doubling the amount of Modules – think
tegrity.
extreme miniaturisation – will allow for
truly supreme beings.
20 ROBOTS
a standard repair kit. Electronics, Science (Cybernetics) and Mechanics can be used at less on objectives set by an owner.
Hard. Any Hit Locations below zero Hit Points will also need spare parts costing 1d6 Most PC robots will be their own masters.
x100 Cr. This gives players full agency and allow
them to shape the destiny of their charac-
A technician doing repairs can keep rolling until they fail a roll. At that point, they must ters. Linkage, Robotics Laws and Objective
wait until the next day to continue or let someone else try. mods are avoided.
Hit Locations reduced to full negative Hit Points must be replaced. For this, use the But the Game Master can also use owner-
Prosthetics rules. All Hit Locations except the head can be replaced. ship and objective to set up a campaign.
If all PCs are robots, owned by the same
A dedicated maker, robot technician or manufacturer are of course preferable for any corporation or organisation, they can have
repairs, but some biohackers serve robots as well. The rules for cybernetic repairs a clear objective that drives the entire sto-
are applied here as well (see page 12) with Science (Robotics) replacing the Science ryline. They might be tasked with finding
In some settings or high-tech societies, every part of a robot might contain the full
personality and a blueprint of the machine. Any undamaged piece can be used to
recreate the robot. To get rid of a machine like this, the body must be completely
destroyed.
ROBOTS 21
“First Law: A robot may not injure a human From these, she calculates secondary characteristics. She also notes down Armour
being or, through inaction, allow a human Points 2 and a Healing Rate of zero on her character sheet. In the description field,
being to come to harm.
she writes Hardware Robot and Age 5 (Apparent Age 25).
Second Law: A robot must obey the orders
To speed up character creation, she uses a skill pyramid to get the values (see page 8
given it by human beings except where such
orders would conflict with the First Law. and Mythras Companion) and adds the basic scores from her stats:
Third Law: A robot must protect its own ex- Pilot (Starship) 74%, Athletics 64%, Astrogation 62%, Combat Style (Unarmed,
istence as long as such protection does not Blaster, Gunnery) 54%, Sensors 53%, Perception 53%, Endurance 44%, Science
conflict with the First or Second Laws.” (Robotics) 42%, Science (Planetology) 42%, Comms 42%, Willpower 34%, Navi-
gation 33%, Track 33%, Evade 36%, Drive 35%. Native Tongue and Customs also
get the standard +40%.
At the same time, she keeps an eye on the Modules available for robots, to ensure her
creation is solid. She has six Modules to fill:
With that done, she turns to Passions. She has no Objective Module and can choose
Passions freely: Seek (Her Original Creator) 63%, Exploration 53%, Loyalty (Humanity)
44%.
Anna is happy with the result. Her skills and mods make the character a competent
exoplanet scout, while her Passions add an inner drive. She names her creation Alissa
Parris, built on Bryant Industries’ combat robot platform.
22 ROBOTS
HP 5 repairs.
Max Modules 5 »» The default Movement Rate is 3 metres. Wheels or treads are most
common.
Default Modules: Linkage 1, Ob-
jective 1, Robotics Law 1. These »» Robots without the Language skill only communicate in code.
do not count against the maxi-
mum Modules.
Built-In Abilities
Depending on the simple robot’s INT, any built-in abilities will vary.
INT 5: Limited. A very basic robot with limited AI. Sight and hearing is always in-
cluded. They respond to spoken commands but have no social abilities unless they
have Knowledge (Psychology). Only speak in code, unless they have Skill Switch (Lan-
guage). Used as cleaners, repair bots, workers and guards.
24 ROBOTS
Higher INT is unusual for Simple Robots. Use the table for computers’ INT Rating if you Single mod shuts down.
1-3
want smarter droids. Duration: 1d6 Rounds
A robot’s INT also represents the maximum number of Skill Switch Modules it can hold All Modules shut down.
4
Duration: 1d6 Rounds.
(see page 32).
Robot shuts down.
5
Improving Simple Robots Duration: 1d6 Rounds.
The default simple robot is quite limited, best suited for menial tasks. To improve their Special. Roll 1d4: 1. Objective lost.
abilities, SIZ can be raised and more body parts added. With these additions, they can 6+ 2. Objective distorted. 3. Robotics
house more Modules as well. Law failure. 4. Berserk.
For every body part added, SIZ is raised by 1. Every additional body part fits 4 Mod-
Comms and Perception
ules, as normal. When SIZ is increased by 1 (with an Enhance Module), the robot has
Security droids need a Comms Module to
room for two more Modules.
relay their findings. But to interpret what
Hit Locations for Simple Robots they see – and not merely send a video
feed – they need Perception as well. With a
Most default simple robots (SIZ 5) have a single Hit Location: Body 1-20 . Skill Switch (Perception) Module installed,
they will be able to alert guards and raise
If SIZ is increased to 10 or more, without any extra body parts added, use two Hit Lo-
alarms based on their discoveries.
cations: Lower Body 1-10, Upper Body 11-20. Divide Hit Points equally between them.
If extra body parts are added, things get a bit more complicated. As designs will vary, Lowering Characteristics
the exact Hit Location tables might vary. As a general formula, however, for every arm Normally, lowering a characteristic will not
or leg added, make room for three Hit Location points. For example, adding two legs make room for more Modules in a Simple
Robot. At the Game Master’s discretion
would result in a Hit Location table like this: L Leg 1-3, R Leg 4-6, Lower Body 7-13,
however, every 2 points removed from a
Upper Body 14-20.
characteristic (except SIZ, naturally) will
With more than seven locations, reduce hard-to-strike locations to one or two Hit add one extra Module.
Location points. Put at least half of the Hit Points in the central parts. Divide the rest Example: By removing 2 points from STR,
among arms, legs and heads. The robot above has SIZ 7 and CON 5, resulting in 6 HP. the Game Master allows a SIZ 3 drone to
The GM puts 2 HP each in the lower and upper body, and adds 1 HP to each leg. Not fit four Modules instead of three. The extra
much, but good enough for a cleaning bot snooping on the PCs. slot is used to boost the drone’s speed.
ROBOTS 25
For used droids, the price drops with Condi- Modules: Detect (Drugs, Explosives) 2, Skill Switch (Perception 75%) 1, Comms 1,
tion. For example, a common simple robot Sense (Smell) 1. Objective: Find and report drugs and explosives.
with 5 Modules and Condition 75% would
Repair Droid. SIZ 5, DEX 5, INT 5. Hit Points: 5. Armour Points: 2. Security Level: 5/30%.
cost (5000x0.75) 3750 Cr. It just might break
Modules: Skill Switch (Mechanics 75%) 1, Gadget (Weld) 1, Manipulator 1, Comms 1,
down in critical moments, however. Having
a skilled mechanic on the team is recom- Headjack 1. Objective: Repair starship.
mended.
Guard Bot. SIZ 9, DEX 9, INT 5. Hit Points: 7. Armour Points: 4. Initiative Bonus: 8.
Security Level: 15/75%. Modules: Weapon 2 x2 (Blaster 2d6), Skill Switch 1 (Combat
Style 75%), Speed 1, Armour 1 (+2 AP, body only), Enhance 4 (DEX). Extra body parts:
Four legs (SIZ +4). Objective: Stop intruders. No Robotics Law installed.
Scout Drone. SIZ 4, DEX 5, INT 5. Hit Points: 5. Armour Points: 2. Se-
curity Level: 10/50%. Movement Rate: 6 (Flight). Modules:
Comms 1, Float 2, Skill Switch 1 (Perception 70%).
26 ROBOTS
Armour. A protective layer added to the skin or just below it, working as internalised Modules: 0.5 per AP 1. Location: Any.
armour. Bought per Hit Location. Cost: 100 Cr per 0.5 Modules. Installs: Multiple. Availability: Rare.
Comms. The Comms mod enables wireless audio and video communication. Video Modules: 1. Location: Head. Installs:
is projected in the wearer’s eye, sound in the auditory canal. The setup includes on- Single. Availability: Common.
Compartment. A small compartment where a small object can be housed. If multiple Modules: 1. Location: Any except Head.
compartments are installed, they cannot contain larger objects, only several small ob- Installs: Multiple. Availability: Common.
jects. Note that compartments are not armoured when open. If shut down by System
Instability, it is stuck in open or closed mode. Cost: 100 Cr.
Data Capsule. This mod allows for internal storage of digital information. The infor Modules: 1. Location: Any. Installs:
mation can either be fully accessible by the wearer, or kept in an isolated enclave. Multiple. Availability: Common.
Detector. While Sense Modules heighten regular human senses, the Detector mod Modules: 1. Location: Any. Installs:
adds new sensory capabilities. Much like a handheld sensor, a Detector mod scans Multiple. Availability: Rare.
MODULES 27
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Energy Pack. Robots Only. This mod will extend the time between recharges for a ro-
Installs: Multiple. Availability: Rare. bot. A single Module adds energy for one week. The recharging time – 4 hours – stays
the same, however. Cost: 400 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Chest, Abdomen. Enhancement. With a combination of rewiring and chemicals, this mod enhances the
Installs: Multiple. Availability: Common. basic properties of the body. For every Module installed, one characteristic is raised
by 1. On the character sheet, the enhanced value is put behind the unaltered value
and separated with a slash (12/15, for example). Secondary characteristics and skills
are also affected by the raised stat. For most beings, SIZ and POW cannot be increased
this way. Simple robots can, however, raise SIZ this way. As Enhancements are so
tightly integrated with the body, they are not affected by System Instability and cannot
be shut down (unless they are extracted).
CON. With a range of adjustments, endurance and immune responsiveness are im-
proved.
DEX. By upgrading neural function, a character’s agility and reaction times are im-
proved.
INT. By combining chemicals and synapse efficiency, raw reasoning power is raised.
CHA. With synthetic pheromones and hormones, combined with voice control, en-
hanced Charisma improves a character’s social capabilities.
Modules: 1. Location: Head, Chest. Filter. Cybernetics only. This mod filters air as it is inhaled. It removes common tox-
Installs: Single. Availability: Common. ins, poisons and particles. Cost: 200 Cr.
28 MODULES
Float. Robots only. This mod allows a robot to float through air or water. For every 5 Modules: 1 per SIZ 5. Location: Chest, Abd.
SIZ, it can float at half its Movement Rate for 4 hours. Installs: Multiple. Availability: Rare.
To calculate how many Float Modules a robot needs, multiply SIZ with 0.2 and round
up to the nearest full Module ( ie. 20% of the Modules will be taken up by the Float
mod). Adding more Modules will extend float time or speed. Air and water require
separate mods. For more complex setups with flight, see the vehicle design rules in
the core rulebook. Cost: 400 Cr.
Example: A SIZ 5 robot needs 5 x 0.2 = 1 Module, for a flight time of 4 hours at half its
Movement Rate. A SIZ 10 robot needs 10 x 0.2 = 2 Modules and by adding two more,
flight time can be extended to 8 hours or Movement Rate increased to its regular
value.
Gadget. Installs a retractable utility tool in one location. Common tools include drills, Modules: 2. Location: Any.
saws, lockpicking tools and flashlights. Cost: 200 Cr. Installs: Multiple. Availability: Common.
Headjack. Allows the wearer to connect physically - and sometimes wirelessly - with Modules: 1. Location: Head.
any computerised technology, even for systems that lack an obvious user interface. Installs: Single. Availability: Rare.
MODULES 29
Modules: 2. Location: Any. Healing. Cybernetics only. The Healing mod speeds up a body’s capacity for self-
Installs: Single. Availability: Common. repair. It reduces healing time by one step for each category of injury. Minor Wounds
heal in hours instead of days, Serious Wounds in days instead of weeks and Major
Wounds in weeks instead of months. Cost: 400 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Hibernation. Cybernetics only. With this mod, a character can enter a deep coma at
Installs: Single. Availability: Rare. will. It can last for up to CON hours. Vital signs will only be discovered with a success-
ful Medicine roll or a medical scanner. A hibernating character can choose to wake up
if disturbed or after a certain amount of time has passed. Cost: 200 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Holo Projector. This mod is a projector used to show moving holograms or images.
Installs: Multiple. Availability: Common. The standard size of the projection is about 50x50x50 centimetres, but it can be in-
creased by using more Modules. Content is stored either internally (included) or ex-
ternally (requires a Comms Module). Cost: 100 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Head. ID Scanner. This scan mod combines an advanced facial scanner, motion analysis
Installs: Single. Availability: Classified. and DNA check. By running the information through a massive database, the wearer
gets almost real-time IDs on both humans, aliens and robots. The mod is used almost
exclusively by law enforcement and is classified in most societies. Cost: 400 Cr.
Modules: 2. Location: Any. Immunity. Cybernetics only. Neutralises common diseases. It will not stop new dis-
Installs: Single. Availability: Rare. eases or re-engineered pathogens. Cost: 200 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Linkage. Robots only. This Module bonds a robot to its owner. A regular scan displays
Installs: Single. Availability: Common. the name of its legal master. To get rid of Linkage, the owner must accept the removal.
Extracting the Linkage Module without the owner’s consent will lock down the robot.
For illegal removal, see the rules on Hacking. Cost: 100 Cr.
Modules: 2. Location: Chest, Abd. Manipulator. A Manipulator is a lightweight retractable arm used mainly for robots.
Installs: Multiple. Availability: Common. It has little strength (STR 5) but is quite nimble. It has a reach of 1 metre. Cost: 400 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Arms. Natural Weapon. Retractable claws, natural or mechanical, doing 1d4 damage plus
Installs: Twice. Availability: Rare. any damage modifier. Bought once for each hand, one Module per arm. Cost: 200 Cr.
30 MODULES
Robotics Law. Robots only. This Module forces the robot to follow a pre-programmed Modules: 1. Location: Any.
robotics law (see sidebar). Like Linkage, the robot shuts down if the Module is re- Installs: Single. Availability: Common.
moved. For illegal removal, use the rules on Hacking. Cost: 100 Cr.
Second Atmosphere. Cybernetics only. By installing this mod, a person can breathe Modules: 1. Location: Chest, Abd.
one gas or liquid other than air, as long as it contains oxygen. Gills are most common, Installs: Single. Availability: Rare.
Self-Contained. Cybernetics only. Allows a person to live without air, water and food Modules: 2. Location: Chest, Abd.
for a short time. For every 2 Modules installed, the following applies: No air need- Installs: Multiple. Availability: Rare.
ed for 5 minutes, no water for 5 days, no food for 10 days. Cost: 400 Cr.
Sense. With a mod integrated with the eyes, ears, nose or mouth, a character’s sens- Modules: 1. Location: Head.
es are radically improved. Installs: One per sense. Availability: Rare.
For improved sight, choose between infrared, night vision and zoom (each requiring a
separate Module). The latter makes Perception rolls Easy.
For hearing, frequency range and sensitivity is increased. Makes Perception rolls Easy
when hearing is involved.
Smell allows a character to follow a trail (Track rolls at Easy), discern some airborne
chemicals and sometimes even sense the presence of a hidden person. Improved
taste lets a character detect and identify common substances and poisons. Percep-
tion rolls involving taste are Easy. Cost: 400 Cr.
Skill Boost. By installing this mod, the wearer boosts knowledge in any three skills. Modules: 1. Location: Head, Chest.
The skills increase by +20% and remain at that level for as long as the mod is in- Installs: Single. Availability: Common.
stalled. The mod can be loaded with another set of skills if the character returns to
base, establishes a safe connection and spends 1 hour hooked to the system. When
making any Experience Rolls, only the non-boosted skill is involved in calculations
and rolls. Any skill increases are applied to the PC’s skill level – the boost always
remains at +20%. Cost: 600 Cr.
MODULES 31
Example: The Game Master designs a first aid robot for a scenario. To give it a good
knowledge of various treatments, she adds three Skill Switch mods. It has First Aid at
75%, Language at 50% and Knowledge (Psychology) at 30%.
The Skill Switch mod is developed for simple robots only. In some settings, experi-
mental (and Classified) Skill Switch Modules for humans and androids might exist.
When used like that, they replace a character’s regular skill value until removed.
Cost: Multiply the skill percentage with itself.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Speed. Simple Robots Only. As the default Simple Robot has Movement Rate 3, this
Installs: Single. Availability: Common. mod increases their speed. A single mod adds +3 to Movement Rate. Cost: 400 Cr
Modules: 1 per leg. Location: Legs. Sprint. Sprint allows the wearer to move at an increased pace. Speed is doubled over
Installs: Twice. Availability: Common. short distances and increased by 50% over long distances. Shooting at a sprinting in-
dividual is Herculean. Otherwise, it does not affect movement in combat. Cost: 400 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Stand-By. Robots only. Robots can enter a low-energy mode to preserve power. This
Installs: Single. Availability: Common. way, they can avoid recharging up to CON weeks. The robot appears to be turned off
during this time, but basic sensors are active. Specific input, like movement, time or
proximity, can be set to trigger an alarm or awaken the robot. Cost: 200 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Stealth. By combining several techniques, this mod helps a wearer avoid detection
Installs: Three. Availability: Classified. by sensors and surveillance equipment. Any Perception rolls by simple robots and
computers are at -20% per Module. Regular Perception rolls by humans, androids or
aliens are not affected. Cost: 600 Cr.
Modules: 1. Location: Any. Structural Integrity. By strengthening tissues and skeletal elements, this mod adds
Installs: Multiple. Availability: Classified. 2 extra Hit Points to a single Hit Location. Cost: 600 Cr.
32 MODULES
during combat. However, when the Surge wears off, the character must still rest for
the regular Recovery Period. This mod is not available with the simplified combat
rules. Cost: 400 Cr.
SysRepair. This module adds self-repair capabilities to the character’s other mods. Modules: 1. Location: Any.
One SysRepair Module can handle 10 Modules. Any rolls on the System Instability Installs: Multiple. Availability: Rare.
Targeting. When paired with a personal or built-in weapon, this mod projects visual Modules: 1. Location: Head.
targeting information into the wearer’s eye. It increases Combat Style for a single, Installs: Twice. Availability: Classified.
True Omnivore. This mod allows the wearer to extract energy by ingesting almost Modules: 2. Location: Chest, Abd.
anything. Any Robot Malfunction rolls are at +2 when this Mod kicks in. Cost: 400 Cr. Installs: Single. Availability: Rare.
Weapon. A small, retractable weapon is embedded in the wearer’s arm. Energy weap- Modules: 2. Location: Arms.
ons dominate, but slug throwers are also possible. Base damage for energy weapons Installs: Four. Availab: Rare or Classified.
is 1d6, for firearms 1d4. If a second Module is added to the same arm, damage in-
creases to 2d6 (1d6 for firearms). Cost: 600 Cr.
TopCoating
This is a catch-all mod for any superficial changes to a body. Examples include skin
colour, skin texture, hair colour, fur, eye colour, eye shape, extra finger, tail, ear shapes
and tongue extension. Modules: 0. Any. Multiple. Common. Cost: 100 Cr.
Partial Modules
When dealing with small robots, partial Modules will sometimes be the best solution.
A small surveillance drone at SIZ 1 could, for example, be created from half a Module
of Float and the other half a Comms Module.
MODULES 33
Q uantum Technology, or Q Tech for short, is the manipulation of the physical uni-
verse on the quantum level using advanced technology. Q Tech appears, for all
intents and purposes, indistinguishable from magic. In your campaign, Q Tech could
be as rare or as common as you’d like it. Everyone could use Q Tech or it could be a
priceless artefact of a forgotten race. Guilds could jealously guard their Q Tech or cor-
porations could be in a race to uncover it. Its users could be considered technocrats,
high priests or worshipped as gods. How you implement Q Tech is up to you, but these
rules will assume the PCs have never encountered Q Tech before and are just learning
about its use.
34 Q TECH
Limitations of Q Tech
Each implant is designed for the performance of specific tasks useful to a specific ca-
Q Tech, Robots and Cybernetics
reer. There are Engineer implants, Merchant implants, Medic implants, etc. If a person
Q Tech and cybernetics are separate tech-
attempts to wear an implant who lacks the necessary skills to use it, the implant will
nologies and work well together most of the
be rejected. This is potentially fatal at the GMs discretion. If a user possesses enough
time. Q Tech could even be seen as an ad-
of the necessary skills to use an implant, they may still find they cannot unlock all the vanced or alien take on cybernetics.
implant’s powers until they’ve improved their skills. These rules will walk you through
In general, Q Tech will not interfere with cy-
the process of implanting Q Tech and how to use it.
bernetic implants. The Game Master might
rule that some abilities cancel out each
other or create instabilities, but most of
So, You Found Some Q Tech them should work as stated.
and Don’t Know What It Is For robots, it’s more complicated. The
baseline rule is that wetware robot bodies
In your campaign, Q Tech may be commonplace; everyone uses it and can identify will accept Q Tech and hardware robots will
what an implant does. These rules, however, assume Q Tech is a rare treasure every PC not. But the Game Master will have the fi-
wants to get their hands on but have no idea how to identify one piece from another. nal word depending on the setting. For ex-
ample, hardware robots might have such
All the person needs to do to try to use Q Tech is hold it and think about using it. If
human-like neural systems that Q Tech
they already have an implant, then nothing happens. If, however, they do not, then implants will adapt to their bodies. Another
the device, made from nanobytes which look like a hardened blob of goo, suddenly option is to only allow purely biological bod-
liquefies and absorbs into the character’s skin. If they are in a vacc suit, wearing ar- ies to merge with the implants, leaving out
mor, whatever, it doesn’t matter, the material seeps through and sinks into their skin both wetware and hardware robots (and this
might be the only thing keeping biological
no matter what they do. It is over quickly. Within seconds it has wrapped itself around
beings from being replaced by otherwise
the neural cortex and begins “testing” the character to see if they are appropriate for
superior robots).
this tech.
Q TECH 35
Landau the Bounty Hunter finds an implant. He’s heard of the fabled lost
technology of the Precursors and wishes he knew how to unlock its secrets.
Suddenly, the implant sinks through his body armor.
Landau panics, but moments later the implant streams out of his nose
and turns back into a formless blob of goo, leaving Landau gasping.
If the character does have the required skills, then the Q Tech is im-
planted. More sadistic GMs may contrive more difficult and danger-
ous tests if desired.
Using Q Tech
Once you have a successful implant you can now activate the ef-
fects listed provided you have the prerequisite skill levels. Maria has
Q Tech. Looking at Maria’s character sheet, Maria sees she has Me-
chanics 50%, Engineering 85%, Electronics 67%, Willpower 54%, and
no Zero-G skill. Referring to the Engineering Q Tech list the only effect
she can create is Transference because of her 85% Engineering skill. It
won’t be long, however, before she can create Energy Discharge and Shape
Metal effects.
36 Q TECH
Suddenly, the Captain’s voice booms through the ship’s comms. “We’ve got trouble!
Battle stations. Three enemy ships incoming fast!” Maria realizes she can reach out
her mind and feel the energy thrumming through the enemy starships. She concen-
trates upon it, sapping a little energy from each enemy ship and transferring it to her
own. She smiles wearily as she hears the engines whine and the Captain’s voice come
over the comms “I can’t believe it! We’re pulling away from them! How are we going
this fast? It’s not possible!”
Because Maria used Transference to drain three enemy ships, per the effect’s descrip-
tion, the effect cost 3 (and took 3 Action Points). Maria’s fatigue level drops to Wearied
and she will need a few hours rest.
Q Tech Implants
Below are some examples of generic implants to use in your campaign. Feel free to
alter them to suit your tastes and use them as templates to build your own. The Q
Tech implants described below are designed with two 1 point abilities, two 2 point
abilities and one 3 point ability. The GM may, of course, design devices with more or
fewer abilities if so desired. A good rule of thumb is to have one ability with a 50%
skill requirement, two with a 70% skill requirement, one with 90% skill and the final
with one 110% skill and one 90% skill. These are only general guidelines to assist the
GM in designing his own Q Tech.
Medical Q Tech
Heal Wound. 1 Point. Instant. Touch. First Aid 50%. Cure Malady. 1 Point. Instant.
Touch. Medicine 70%. Calm. 2 Point. Instant. Ranged. Knowledge (Psychology) 70%.
Rejuvenate. 2 Point. Special. Touch. Duration: special. Science (Biology) 90%. Heal
Body. 3 Point. Instant. Touch. Medicine 90%, Science (Biology) 70%. Resurrection. 3
Point. Instant. Touch. Medicine 110%, Science (Biology) 90%.
Q TECH 37
Illegal Q Tech
Quiet. 1 Point. 15 minutes. Ranged. Stealth 50%. Cheaters Always Prosper. 1 Point.
Instant. Touch. Sleight 70%. Guile. 2 Points. Instant. Ranged. Deceit 70%. Faceless. 2
Points. 15 minutes. Self. Disguise 90%. Bypass Security. 3 Points. 30 minutes. Spe-
cial. Stealth 90%, Electronics 70%.
Academic Q Tech
Knowledge. 1 Point. Instant. Self. Knowledge (any) 50%. Find a Lead. 1 Point. 2 hours.
Self. Research 70%. Analyse Tech. 2 Points. 1 hour. Self. Research 70%. Fluency. 2
Points. 2 hours. Self. Language (any) 90%. Eureka! Variable. 3 days. Self. Research
110%, Knowledge (Primary) 90%.
38 Q TECH
level easier.
Charmed, I’m sure. If you win an opposed Influence roll, the target is friendly towards 1 Point. Duration special. Ranged.
you for the duration of the current social event. All influence rolls are one level easier Prereq: Courtesy 50%
Cheaters Always Prosper. Your next roll in a game of chance becomes a Herculean 1 Point. Instant. Touch.
success. Lose an additional level of fatigue for each level of success the skill check Prereq: Sleight 70%
Clean. You leave no trace of your crimes. Investigators can turn up nothing. Surveil- 1 Point. 15 min. Range special.
lance fails to register your face, etcetera. Prereq: Streetwise 70%
Cure Malady. Cures the target of all poisons and diseases, including radiation sick- 1 Point. Instant. Touch.
ness. Prereq: Medicine 70%
Detect Deposits. You can detect any valuable metals inside an asteroid within 20 1 Point. 15 min. Ranged.
kilometres. Prereq: Perception 70%
Detect Untruths. You can detect all untruths, half-truths and outright lies when 1 Point. 15 min. Ranged.
speaking to someone. Prereq: Insight 70%
Energy Discharge. You can release a bolt of energy doing 1d6 damage, ignoring 1 Point. Instant. Ranged.
armor, to a random hit location. The target must roll Endurance or be stunned. Alter- Prereq: Electronics 70%
natively, you can discharge a 1d6 charge into any device that can hold a charge or
uses energy.
Q TECH 39
1 Point. 15 min. Self. Grease the Wheels. You know exactly what bribe to make and to whom in order to
Prereq: Bureaucracy 70% cut through all the bureaucratic red tape.
1 Point. Instant. Touch. Heal Wound. Heal the target one Hit Point per Power Point spent. Power Points spent
Prereq: First Aid 50% return as normal.
1 Point. Instant. Self. Knowledge. You may increase the level of success by one level of any knowledge roll
Prereq: Knowledge (any) 50% you just attempted prior to activating this effect. You must possess at least 50% skill
in the type of Knowledge in question.
1 Point. Instant. Self. Lady Luck. Gain a free Luck point to be used in the current game of chance you are
Prereq: Gambling 50% participating in. For each time you use this effect on the same day, increase its cost
by 1 point.
1 Point. Instant. Self. Let’s Make a Deal. The next Commerce roll you make is two levels easier. For each
Prereq: Commerce 50% time you use this effect on the same day, increase its cost by 2 points.
1 Point. 15 min. Touch. Power Blade. The chosen blade weapon does double damage for the duration of the
Prereq: Combat Style (any) 50% effect.
1 Point. 15 min. Ranged. Quiet. All opposed Perception checks made against your Stealth rolls are at a level
Prereq: Stealth 50% of perception more difficult. So a Hard Perception only counts as a Standard success,
etc. when comparing levels of success in the opposed roll.
1 Point. Instant. Touch. Shape Metal. You can spend Power Points to repair a space ship, robot or any me-
Prereq: Mechanics 50% chanical device for a number of Hit Points equal to the Power Points spent.
1 Point. 15 min. Ranged. Sprout. Causes any one plant life to grow at an accelerated rate. It experiences one
Prereq: Knowledge (Agriculture) 70% year of growth during the duration of the effect. You can do nothing else but concen-
trate upon this one plant’s growth during that time.
1 Point. 15 min. Self. Traceless. You leave no trace of yourself. Surveillance cameras will still see you and
Prereq: Track 70% witnesses will see you. But you’ll leave no tracks or DNA, or other evidence of your
passing.
40 Q TECH
Transponder Codes. You always know the correct transponder codes to get past star- 1 Point. Instant. Ranged.
port security ships. Prereq: Bureaucracy 70%
Zeroed In. All Gunnery rolls you make are one level easier. 1 Point. 5 hours. Self.
Prereq: Gunnery 70%
alien artefacts.
Q TECH 41
2 Points. 15 min. Self. Faceless. Nobody who sees you can afterward remember what you looked like. De-
Prereq: Disguise 90% scriptions can vary wildly between witnesses.
2 Points. 5 hours. Self. Feather Fly. You roll your Pilot skill twice each round during Space Combat and take
Prereq: Pilot 90% the better of the two rolls.
2 Points. 15 min. Self. Flight. You can ignore the effect of gravity and use your full movement rate to fly. You
Prereq: Zero G 70% can do this even in a Zero-G environment.
42 Q TECH
Follow a Hunch. You know exactly where to go to find what you’re looking for or at 2 Points. Instant. Ranged.
least a clue as to its whereabouts. Call it a hunch. Prereq: Streetwise 70%
Guile. Make an opposed Willpower check vs. everyone within hearing range (this 2 Points. Instant. Ranged.
could include comms or even satellite broadcast). Those who fail the roll will believe Prereq: Deceit 70%
Hunter. All your ranged combat attacks are one difficulty level easier. Duration is 15 2 Points. 15 min. Self.
minutes. Prereq: Combat Style (any) 70%
Rejuvenate. Severed or maimed limbs and Major wounds can be healed at the rate 2 Points. Duration special. Touch.
of 1 Hit Point per hour. You cannot do anything but concentrate. If your concentration Prereq: Science (Biology) 90%
is broken, the process cannot be restarted and the hit location will be withered and
weak.
The Price is Right. You can sell your goods for the best price possible if you win an 2 Points. 15 min. Self.
opposed Commerce check. If you fail, you still get a better price than you otherwise Prereq: Commerce 90%
would have. The Game Master is the final arbiter over what constitutes “best price.”
Tough Guy. For the duration of a combat, you roll twice and keep the best result on 2 Points. Duration special. Self.
all Combat Style and Endurance rolls. Prereq: Combat Style (any) 90%
Way of the Warrior. All your combat attacks are one difficulty level easier. 2 Points. 15 min. Self.
Prereq: Combat Style (any) 70%
Darklight. Your starship becomes undetectable to Sensors. The effect lasts for five 3 Points. 5 hours. Self/Starship.
hours. Prereq: Conceal 110%, Sensors 90%
Deadstick. You can fly your starship without engines as if it had full engines. Duration 3 Points. 5 hours. Self.
is five hours. Prereq: Pilot 110%, Mechanics 90%
Deep Cover. All non-combat skills used against an organization to maintain your 3 Points. Duration special. Self.
cover or throw suspicion on someone else are Easy. This effect lasts as long as you’re Prereq: Streetwise 90%, Disguise 70%
Q TECH 43
3 Points. Instant. 1 Parsec. Prereq: Find the Motherlode. You are aware of the exact location of the richest veins of metal
Perception 110%, Science (Geology) 90% in the star system.
3 Points. Instant. Self. Elementary. You immediately know who, when, where, why or how a crime was com-
Prereq: Streetwise 110%, Insight 90% mitted. If both rolls used to activate this power were at least a Hard success, you learn
two of the above. If both rolls were Formidable, you learn three. If both rolls were
Herculean, you learn everything. You still have to prove it, however.
3 Points. 15 min. Ranged. Farsight. You can discern with your sensors at long-range what could normally only
Prereq: Sensors 90%, Perception 70% be made out at short-range.
3 Points. Duration special. All within sight. Follow me! For the duration of the current battle, all fighting units on your side within
Prereq: Combat Style 110%, the area of effect have increased morale and will follow you anywhere. All combat
Knowledge (Strategy and Tactics) 90%
style rolls are Easy. The reverse happens to all fighting units on the enemy’s side
within the area of effect. Their morale decreases and they will break and run at the first
opportunity. All enemy combat rolls are Hard.
3 Points. 15 min. Ranged. Prereq: Knowledge Genesis. You can terraform all the terrain within 1 mile into a rich, semi-open biome
(Agriculture) 110%, Craft (Habitat) 90% encased within a biosphere.
3 Points. Instant. Ranged. Greater Energy Discharge. This effect is the same as Energy Discharge except it
Prereq: Electronics 90%, Engineering 70% produces a bolt of energy doing 3d6 and the Endurance Check is Formidable to avoid
being Stunned.
3 Points. 2 hours. Ranged. Harmony. Y our words cause conflicting sides to calm down and listen to one another
Prereq: Politics 90%, Oratory 70% for the duration of the effect. This can even stop combat if all participants can hear
the initial oration.
3 Points. Instant. Touch. Prereq: Heal Body. This heals all Major and Serious Wounds. The prerequisities are Medicine
Medicine 90%, Science (Biology) 70% and Science (Biology).
3 Points. Instant. Touch. Inception. Win an opposed Influence roll and you can convince someone that what
Prereq: Politics 110%, Insight 90% you want them to agree to is actually their own idea.
44 Q TECH
Many Talents. You temporarily possess any Professional skill you don’t already pos- 3 Points. Duration special. Self.
sess. Your skill level is equal to 15% for each level of success rolled to activate the ef- Prereq: Streetwise 110%, Deceit 90%
fect. Example: To activate the power, you roll 55 Streetwise (Formidable so two levels
of success) and 89 Deceit (Standard so one level of success). You activate the power,
and gain 45% in the desired Professional Skill. Duration is as long as it takes to finish
using the skill.
Mover and Shaker. You can gain immediate access to the person in charge of a cor- 3 Points. Instant. Ranged.
poration, city, planet, empire and so on. Win an optional Influence roll and you can Prereq: Commerce 110%, Bureaucracy 90%
convince that person to build a factory, open a trade route, change a trade agreement,
etcetera. Works on anything to do with Commerce.
Nothing’s Safe. You can get past any security system. If it needs a specific DNA, this 3 Points. 15 min. Ranged.
power causes you to match that DNA. If it requires fingerprints, retinal scans, even Prereq: Lockpicking 110%, Electronics 90%
matches your brainwaves or looks for a chip, this power fools the system. If you need
a password or combination, you think of it. Nothing foils you in bypassing this system.
The Duration is however long it takes to bypass the security system. However, if be-
yond that lies yet another security system, you will either have to activate this power
again or get past it another way.
Protect Crops. Keeps the crops safe from infestation, bad weather and blight. Dura- 3 Points. 6 months. Ranged. Prereq:
tion is six months. Knowledge (Agriculture) 90%, Locale 70%
Resurrection. Bring back from the dead anyone who has been dead less than two 3 Points. Instant. Touch. Prereq:
days. They must be healed of their wounds and purged of all poisons prior to resurrec- Medicine 110%, Science (Biology) 90%
tion. Those that died of natural causes will simply die again immediately if the cause
cannot be treated.
Q TECH 45
3 Points. 5 hours. Ranged. Star Sight. You can use your ship’s sensors on any location within 6 parsecs of your
Prereq: Sensors 110%, Astrogation 90% current position. You get real-time feedback.
3 Points. Duration special. Self. Suspended Animation. You can enter into a state of suspended animation, similar to
Prereq: Athletics 90%, Survival 70% cryo sleep, at will. You will not need oxygen, food or water during this time. You may be
awoken involuntarily. Otherwise, you will awaken when you desire. For each full week
in Suspended Animation, you lose one fatigue level in addition to the regular cost.
3 Points. Duration special. Self. The Long Con. All non-combat skills used against a target are at Easy. This effect lasts
Prereq: Acting 110%, Deceit 90% as long as you are trying to fool someone.
Var. Points. 15 min. Touch. Body Shield. The target gains 2 Armor Points per point spent on the effect. Duration
Prereq: Survival 70% is 15 minutes.
Var. Points. 3 days. Self. Prereq: Eureka! For the duration of the effect, you are the preeminent master of your chosen
Research 110%, Knowledge (Primary) 90% field of study. You realize insights that no one had ever thought of before. If your Re-
search and Knowledge rolls are both Herculean, you have a scientific breakthrough
in your field of study equivalent to Einsteins. If not, lose 2 levels of fatigue for each
difficulty you missed rolling Research at Herculean and one level fatigue for each
difficulty you missed rolling Herculean Knowledge. In other words, simply rolling a
standard success on each skill will kill you. If you don’t roll Herculean on both rolls,
but you survive, you still make a major breakthrough that will ensure your reputation.
Var. Points. Instant. Ranged special. Starshift. You can cause up to a Size 9 starship you are in to jump one parsec of
Prereq: Engineering 110%, Willpower 90% space without fuel for each point of effect. For every level of difficulty you make your
effect checks beyond standard success, you can manage an additional point of Size.
(Herculean rolls to both Willpower and Engineering would jump a size 15 starship, for
example). You then lose fatigue equal to the distance in parsecs jumped and each
46 Q TECH
Transference. This effect allows you to draw upon one target starship for each point Var. Points. 15 min. Ranged.
spent. Each starship so targeted loses 3 points of Speed. The caster’s starship gains Prereq: Engineering 90%
Speed equal to the total Speed drained. A starship can lose no more than 3 Speed this
way. Range is 40,000 km.
Q TECH 47
48 ORIGINS
Each Origin template has a Life Event Table from 01-50. Each Career template has vival (Space), Vacc Suit and Zero-G. She
chooses her Professional skills and as-
a Life Event Table from 51-00. Together, they form a unique Life Event Table for that
signs her 100 points. She is now ready to
character. With 24 Origins and 20 careers to choose from, that makes 480 unique
assign her Bonus Skill Points.
character Life Event Table combinations. No two characters will ever be alike.
The player has 150 bonus skill points to assign. At this point, it is up to the GM as to
how Origins is used. There are two methods presented here. The 15% method and the
10% method.
The player uses 90% from his bonus skill points. If using the 15% method, the player
now gets 6 rolls on the life event table. If using the 10% method, he rolls 9 times.
Skills. Once the player starts rolling, the character may increase their skills. If the
result says they increase a skill, it goes up either 15% or 10% depending upon which
method they chose. If the result says they increase a skill they do not possess, they
gain that skill at its starting value instead. This will allow characters to have more
than the basic 3 Professional skills for Culture or Career. If an event says to increase
an unspecified Professional skill, they must choose from those they already possess.
Passions. If an event causes a player to gain a Passion they already possess, then
increase said Passion per the method chosen (15% or 10%).
Skill Checks. Some Life Events require the player to make a skill check. Quickly cal-
culate what the character’s current skill level is and then roll. The result of success or
failure is outlined in the event description.
ORIGINS 49
50 ORIGINS
If the character was sent here due to a life event on another template, they are an must choose from the standard skills listed
on the Ghoster’s Rock template. Had she
Inmate. If they chose this location as their place of Origin, they can be a Keeper. The
increased her choice of a Cultural Profes-
list of Career templates available if one is a Keeper is limited to Bounty Hunter, Detec-
sional skill, it would have had to come from
tive, Official, Mercenary, Merchant, and Priest. Alternatively, one could choose to have the Ghoster’s Rock template as well. Final-
been born an Inmate on the Penal Colony, meaning they were born a slave. Anyone ly, she has 60% to assign per the regular
who rolls their final Life Event and is still an Inmate on the Penal Colony is considered rules for Bonus skills. She assigns 15% to
to have either escaped or been released to start their adventuring career. Alternately, her new Combat Style (Gunnery) skill, En-
durance, Evade, and Willpower.
if the GM and player wish, they could have been sold as a slave to another character.
ORIGINS 51
52 ORIGINS
1d6x1000 Cr starting money. Gain a contact. choice of Boating, Swim or Seamanship. Gain the Passion
Love (Seafaring).
11-15. You had an exceptional tutor. Increase in your choice of
Musicianship, Knowledge (any), or Art (any). 16-25. Hydroponics failure. Food shortages cause a crisis.
16-25. Economic bust. Hard times make for hard choices. Your Your choice: Increase Combat Style and gain an Enemy or In-
choice: Increase Deceit and gain an Enemy or Increase Will- crease Willpower and lose 1000 Cr starting money.
power and lose a Contact. Either way, lose 1000 Cr starting 26-35. Economic Boom. Jobs are plentiful. Increase in one
money. of your Cultural Professional skills and gain 1000 Cr starting
26-35. Economic boom. Jobs are plentiful. Increase in one money.
of your Cultural Professional skills and gain 1000 Cr starting 36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
money.
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
ORIGINS: URBAN 53
Standard Skills: Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale, Willpower Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Locale, Evade, Influence,
and pick one Combat Style. GM’s option: Pilot (Flyer). Insight, Stealth and pick one Combat Style.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Computers, Courtesy, Pilot Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Disguise, Computers, For-
(Flyer), Commerce, Art (any), Musicianship, Language (any), gery, Gambling, Lockpicking, Seduction, Sleight, Streetwise.
Knowledge (any), Streetwise.
Life Events
Life Events 01. A crime lord pays to unlock your psionic potential. Gain
01. An off-worlder unlocks your psionic potential. Gain psion- psionics and 1d6x1000 Cr starting money as you put your new
ics. Roll Deceit. Success: You keep your new talents hidden. talents to work. Gain a contact.
Failure: You must flee. Change this template for another Origin 02-03. Roll your Lockpick, Deceit or Seduction. Success: Gain
template.Gain Passion Distrust (Non-Psions). the GM’s choice of cybernetics, Q Tech, robotics or an ancient
02-03. You come into some money and decide to buy the GMs artefact and gain an Enemy. Failure: Just gain an enemy.
choice of 4 cybernetic modules, a piece of Q Tech, a Robot or 04-06. Gang war! Roll Combat Style. Success: Increase Street-
some other artefact of the GMs devising. wise. Failure: Increase Evade. Gain Hate (Rival Gang)
04-06. Criminals cross your path. Roll Influence. Success: In- 07-10. You pull off a big heist. Gain 1d6x1000 Cr starting mon-
crease Streetwise. Failure: Increase Combat Style, an Enemy ey. Increase your choice of Lockpicking, Disguise, Computers
and Hate (Rival Gang). or Forgery. Gain Passion: Thrillseeker.
07-10. You hit on an idea to make money. Increase in your 11-15. You spend time in jail, otherwise known as advanced
choice of Computers, Art (any), Commerce, Musicianship or training. Increase in Conceal, Gambling, Insight or a Combat
Influence and 1d6x1000 Cr starting money. Gain a contact. Style. Gain a contact.
11-15. You enjoy flying. Increase Pilot (Flyer) or, at the GM’s 16-25. On the nut. Lose 1000 Cr starting money. You have to
option, Ride (Flyer). make a business decision: Increase Deceit and gain an enemy
16-25. Economic bust. Hard times make for hard choices. Your or increase Streetwise and lose a contact. Gain Passion Hate
choice: Increase Deceit and gain an Enemy or Increase Will- Authority.
power and lose a contact. Either way, lose 1000 Cr starting 26-35. Crime pays. Increase in one Cultural Professional skill
money. and gain1000 Cr.
26-35. Economic boom. Jobs are plentiful. Increase in one of 36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
your Cultural Professional skills and 1000 Cr starting money.
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
54 ORIGINS: URBAN
ORIGINS: URBAN 55
Standard Skills: Athletics, Brawn, Endurance, Influence, In- Standard Skills: Drive (any), Insight, Locale, Influence, Will-
sight, Locale, Conceal and pick one Combat Style. power, Deceit, Perception and pick one Combat Style.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Bureaucracy, Commerce, Professional Skills: (Choose 2 and gain Streetwise) Art (any),
Craft (any), Demolitions, Engineering, Streetwise, Knowledge Commerce, Craft (any), Language (any), Knowledge (any), Sci-
(any), Mechanics. ence (any), Musicianship, Bureaucracy, Computers, Medicine,
Electronics, Engineering.
Life Events
Life Events
01-03. Deep in the earth, you uncover an ancient artefact of
01. A stranger unlocks your psionic potential. Gain psionics.
unknown power. This could be anything of the GMs choosing.
Roll Deceit. Success: Keep your new talents hidden. Failure:
Rare cybernetics, Q Tech, robotics or something completely
You must flee your home. Replace this Origin template with a
alien.
new one. Gain Passion: Distrust (Non-Psions).
04-06. Earthquake! Roll Brawn. Success: Increase Engineer-
02-03. Your section of the city is engulfed in a violent upris-
ing and gain an ally. Failure: Increase Endurance and gain the
ing. Roll Perception. Success: Find an ancient artefact during
Passion Cleithrophobia.
the chaos and plundering. Failure: Increase Combat Style dur-
07-10. You hit on an idea to make money. Increase your choice
ing the chaos and plundering. Gain Passion: Hate Authority.
of Bureaucracy, Craft, Commerce or Influence and 1d6x1000
04-06. Natural disaster strikes your section of the city. Roll
Cr starting money. Gain a contact.
your Locale. Success: You escape the area. Increase Drive.
11-15. You journey deep beneath the earth. Increase your
Failure. You survive by your wits. Increase Willpower.
choice of Athletics, Brawn, Endurance or Knowledge (Geol-
07-10. You hit on an idea to make money. Increase in your
ogy).
choice of Craft (any), Commerce, Computers, Art (any) or Influ-
16-25. Trade embargo threatens the city. Food supplies run
ence and 1d6x1000 Cr starting money. Gain a contact.
low. Lose 1000Cr starting money. Your choice: Increase com-
11-15. A corporate official takes a liking to you. Gain a contact
bat style and gain an enemy or increase Streetwise and gain
and increase your choice of Commerce, Bureaucracy, Knowl-
a contact.
edge (any) or Science (any).
26-35. New trade routes established. Increase in any one Cul-
16-25. Economic bust. Hard times make for hard choices. Your
tural Professional skill. Gain 1000Cr starting money.
choice: Increase Deceit and gain an enemy or increase Will-
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
power and lose a Contact. Either way, lose 1000 Cr starting
money.
26-35. Economic boom. Jobs are plentiful. Increase in one of
your Cultural Professional skills and 1000 Cr starting money.
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
56 ORIGINS: URBAN
Life Events
01. Born with psionics, you fought for your place among the
pirates. Gain psionics and increase a Combat Style.
02-03. A pirate ship returns laden with treasure. Roll Stealth.
Success: Gain the GMs choice of cybernetics or Q Tech and
increase Conceal. Failure: Increase Deceit.
04-06. Rival pirates feud. Gain Hate (Rival Pirates). Roll Com-
bat Style. Success: Increase Influence. Failure: Increase Evade.
07-10. The pirate’s life for you! Increase in your choice of
Gambling, Forgery, Lockpicking or Sleight. Gain 1d6x1000Cr
starting money.
11-15. Go exploring for hidden pirate loot. Increase in your
choice of Vacc Suit, Survival (Space), Locale or Zero-G.
16-25. No honour among thieves. Lose 1000Cr. Increase
Streetwise and gain an enemy or increase Deceit and lose a
contact.
26-35. Money is flowing in. Gain 1000Cr. Increase in any one
Cultural Professional skill.
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
ORIGINS: ORBITAL 57
Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale, Standard Skills: Athletics, Brawn, Conceal, Endurance, First
Willpower, First Aid and the Combat Style (Unarmed). Aid, Locale, Willpower and pick one Combat Style.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Pilot (any), Commerce, Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Commerce, Demolitions,
Comms, Knowledge (Geology), Knowledge (Mining), Mechan- Electronics, Engineering, Mechanics, Survival (Space), Vacc
ics, Electronics, Vacc Suit, Zero-G, Survival (Space). Suit, Zero-G
58 ORIGINS: ORBITAL
Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale, Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale,
Willpower, First Aid and pick one Combat Style. Willpower, Drive (Anti-grav) and pick one Combat Style.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Electronics, Knowledge (any), Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Art (any), Commerce, Com-
Language (any), Pilot (any), Mechanics, Sensors, Comms, Vacc puters, Electronics, Knowledge (any), Science (any), Pilot
Suit, Survival (Space), Zero-G. (any), Vacc Suit, Survival (Space).
ORIGINS: ORBITAL 59
Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale, Standard Skills: Brawn, Dance, Sing, Influence, Insight, Will-
Willpower, First Aid and Perception. power, First Aid.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Comms, Computers, Elec- Professional Skills: (Choose 4) Astrogation, Comms, Com-
tronics, Mechanics, Pilot (Shuttle), Medicine, Science (any), puters, Electronics, Engineering, Pilot (Starship), Pilot (Shut-
Sensors, Vacc Suit, Survival (Space). tle), Mechanics, Sensors, Vacc Suit, Survival (Space), Zero-G.
Life Events Life Events
01. You are made an involuntary test subject, but you escape. 01-03. Your colony ship is raided by slavers! Gain Passion
Gain psionics, increase unarmed and Pilot (Shuttle). Discard Hate (Slavers). Discard this Origin template and replace it
this Origin for a new Origin template. Gain Passion Hate (Per- with either Ghoster’s Rock (increase Combat Style, you are
sons or organisation responsible). forced into service for a pirate gang) or Penal Colony (increase
02-03. You volunteer for an experiment. An ancient artefact or Brawn, you are sold into slavery, lose all starting money and
new technology is implanted into your body. You and the GM replace your career template with Inmate).
must hash out the details. 04-06. The ship suffers a near catastrophe! Maybe a reac-
04-06. An experiment gets loose and must be found and tor blew or life support failed in the cryo chambers. Roll Will-
blown out the airlock! Roll Locale. Success: increase Vacc Suit power. Success: Increase Vacc Suit and Mechanics. Failure:
or Survival (Space). Failure: Increase Medicine. Increase Survival (Space). Fortunately, the crisis was averted.
07-10. You help make a scientific breakthrough. Increase in 07-10. You are assigned to look for a better site to colonise.
one of Science (Genetics), Science (Biology), Science (Physiol- Increase Sensors and then roll Sensors. Success: Increase As-
ogy) or Medicine. Gain 3d6x1000Cr starting money. trogation and replace this Origin with the Home Origin tem-
plate. Failure: Continue toward your original destination.
11-15. A coworker takes you under his wing. Increase in one of
Comms, Computers, Electronics or Mechanics. 11-15. You are assigned ship repair duty. Increase in your
choice of Vacc Suit, Survival (Space), Mechanics, Electronics.
16-25. Budget cuts. Whose projects get canceled? Your
16-25. Hydroponics failure. The captain must choose who to
choice: Increase Influence and gain an enemy or increase De-
space so the others can live. Increase Influence and gain an
ceit and lose a contact. Either way, lose 1000Cr.
Enemy or increase Insight, gain the Passion Hate (Captain)
26-35. The Facility gains an MBO contract (Military Black Op).
and lose a contact.
Increase in any one Cultural Professional skill and 1000Cr.
26-35. The boredom of space is filled with study. Colonists
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
are chosen from the best mankind has to offer, increase 2 Cul-
tural Professional skills.
36-50. Plenty of time, nothing but work to do. Increase 2
60 ORIGINS: ORBITAL Standard Skills. Gain a contact.
A naval or scout base, possibly diplomatic station or of some 01. A stranger unlocks your psionic potential. Gain psionics.
military value. Roll Deceit. Success: Keep your new talents hidden. Failure:
You must flee your home. Military Intelligence agencies will
Standard Skills: Conceal, Deceit, Influence, Insight, Locale,
be seeking you. Gain an Enemy. Gain the Passion Distrust Mili-
Willpower, First Aid and pick one Combat Style.
tary. Replace this Origin template with a new one.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Pilot (any), Commerce,
02-03. A space hand dies in a mysterious shootout. You find a
Comms, Politics, Electronics, Mechanics, Bureaucracy, Lan-
strange artefact or advanced technology on him. Do you hand
guage (any), Sensors, Survival (Space), Vacc Suit, Zero-G.
it over to authorities or try to keep it? If you hand it over you
are implicated in a murder investigation. Roll Influence. Suc-
cess: Get a pat on the head and sent on your way. Failure:
Lose 1d6x1000Cr starting money on legal services to clear
your name. If you try to keep the artefact roll Conceal. Suc-
cess: You have an ancient artefact of unknown purpose or ad-
vanced technology of the GMs choosing. Failure: Go to prison.
Lose all starting money and replace this Origin template with
the Penal Colony template. Replace your career template with
the Inmate template. Gain Hate (Authority).
04-06. The base is under attack! Gain Passion Hate (Attack-
ers). Roll Combat Style. Success: Increase Zero-G. Failure: In-
crease First Aid.
07-10. You take advantage of an opportunity. Gain
1d6x1,000Cr. Increase to either Commerce, Influence, Deceit
or Bureaucracy.
11-15. Get in good with an Administrator. Gain a Contact and
increase in one of Mechanics, Electronics, Sensors or Pilot
(any).Gain Passion Loyalty (Administrator).
16-25. Intrigue and skullduggery abound. Increase Insight
and gain an enemy or increase Politics and gain a contact.
26-35. Peace and quiet. Increase in any one Cultural Profes-
sional skill and gain 1000Cr.
36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
ORIGINS: ORBITAL 61
62 ORIGINS: RURAL
Standard Skills: Brawn, Boating, Endurance, Locale, Pilot Standard Skills: Athletics, Brawn, Conceal, Endurance, First
(Submersibles), Swim, Willpower and pick one Combat Style. Aid, Locale, Perception and pick one Combat Style.
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Knowledge (Agriculture), Sci- Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Knowledge (Mining or Geol-
ence (Botany), Commerce, Mechanics, Seamanship, Survival ogy), Engineering, Demolitions, Mechanics, Electronics, Com-
(Sea), Electronics, Navigation. merce, Craft (any), Survive (Underground).
ORIGINS: RURAL 63
Standard Skills: Athletics, Brawn, Boating, Dance, Evade, Lo- Standard Skills: Athletics, Brawn, Drive, First Aid, Locale,
cale, Perception, Swim, First Aid and pick one Combat Style. Perception, Willpower and pick one Combat Style
Professional Skills: (Choose 3) Acrobatics, Craft (any), Professional Skills: (Choose 4) Commerce, Knowledge (Ag-
Knowledge (any), Language (any), Survival (Rainforest), Mu- riculture), Comms, Craft (any), Mechanics, Electronics, Medi-
sicianship, Navigation. cine, Engineering, Navigation, Survival (any).
64 ORIGINS: RURAL
Failure: Get hard labor. Increase Brawn. Keepers roll Insight. Hate (Authority). Keepers increase in any one Cultural Profes-
Success: Capture escapees. Increase Track. Gain 3000Cr. Fail- sional skill and gain 1000Cr.
ure: Find out they escaped after it’s too late. 36-50. Gain a contact. Increase a Standard Skill.
04-06. Raiders attempt to break out prisoners. Inmates roll
Unarmed. Success: Replace this Origin template with a new
Origin and replace the Inmate career with a new
ORIGINS: RURAL 65
66 ORIGINS: RURAL
ORIGINS: CAREERS 67
98-00. The colony declares independence. 98-99. Pull off a legendary heist! Increase
Increase in each of Combat Style (any), Pilot in one Career skill. Gain your choice of
(any), Commerce and Mechanics. 1d6x10,000Cr, an artefact or advanced
technology. Gain Passion Thrillseeker.
00. You either win a starship in a game of
chance or you con someone out of it. Ei-
ther increase Gambling or increase Deceit
and Acting. Gain a starship size 9 or less.
68 ORIGINS: CAREERS
98-99. A criminal tries to bribe you. Do you take the bribe 95-97. You are taken hostage. Increase Insight. If you have
and gain an advanced technology or refuse the bribe, gain already discarded your starting Origin, place it back. You are
the Passion Upholds the Law and increase Influence and Bu- freed and returned home. Gain the Passion Hate (Kidnappers)
reaucracy? or the Passion Loyalty (Kidnappers).
00. Impound Rights. Your investigation sends a crime lord to 98-00. Your ruler gives you advanced technology to assist
prison for life. By law, his personal starship is now yours. Gain you in your duties. This could be Q Tech, cybernetics, a robot
an enemy and a starship size 9 or less. or something of your GM’s devising.Gain the Passion Loyalty
(Homeworld or Ruler).
ORIGINS: CAREERS 69
70 ORIGINS: CAREERS
ORIGINS: CAREERS 71
72 ORIGINS: CAREERS
ORIGINS: CAREERS 73
74 ORIGINS: CAREERS
ORIGINS: CAREERS 75
76 ORIGINS
C omputers are everywhere in science fiction. But their roles vary widely. In some
settings, computers take centre stage, in others they work silently in the back-
ground. The M-SPACE core rules took the latter approach, mostly hiding those ma-
chines from sight. Here, computers are brought into a bit more focus.
Computers
In most sci-fi, computers control all technical devices. Most of the time they just work.
But at times, PCs want to manipulate a computer beyond what is considered regular
usage.
For everyday tasks, the players do not make any skill rolls. But when by-passing secu-
rity, searching for hidden information or trying to manipulate a system, the Computers
skill is used. In some cases, Electronics, Mechanics, Sensors or Science (Robotics)
might be used as well.
»» INT Rating. 1-25+. The complexity of the computer. The value is roughly
equivalent to the INT characteristic.
78 COMPUTERS
For computers that take on wider roles in a scenario – similar to an NPC – the GM can
create a full character. Use the rules on robots, ignore the bodywork and combine
Modules to increase the systems’ abilities.
INT 10 Regular AI. A regular computer with AI. Handles regular language and social
interaction. Might be sentient. Used in starships, corporations, complex manufactur-
ing and small space stations. Cost: 5000 Cr
INT 15 Sentient Expert. A computer at this level is a perceptive and well-trained ma-
chine used for complex tasks. Used by governments, universities, large corporations,
armed forces, security companies and space stations. Cost: 20 000 Cr
INT 25 Rogue AI. At this level, a computer has evolved beyond human understanding.
A machine like this cannot be built, but sometimes evolves from a super-computer
left unmanaged. Cost: - The INT Rating also represents the maximum number of Skill
Switch Modules a computer can hold (see page 32).
COMPUTERS 79
Condition (Optional) To run a security system, the computer’s INT Rating must be equal to or higher than
the Security Level.
Just like any other technology, comput-
ers degrade over time. This is measured
by Condition and range from zero to -100.
Sub-Systems
A pristine computer has Condition zero,
while a research system in a bombed facil- Sometimes, the GM might want to divide computer systems into various sub-systems.
ity might have Condition -40. Any skill rolls Each of the parts run specific tasks and can have a separate Security Level and even
to access the computer are lowered by the
a dedicated computer running it.
same amount.
This way, some sub-systems can be easy to hack into, while others can be more se-
cure. Various clues or degrees of control can be accessed through the different sub-
systems, allowing the GM to reveal information in several steps depending on the PC’s
actions and skill rolls.
Sub-systems can be compromised in many ways. A hacker might shut them down,
feed them incorrect data, overload them or adjust settings slightly to make them less
Legacy Systems
efficient. The GM should reward creative players and help them reach their goals – as
In some high-tech settings, the PCs might
deal with outdated computer systems or long as they are reasonably realistic.
have to go beyond modern additions into an In general, a sub-system compromised by a PC will be detected within 1d6 minutes
ancient core.
in high security systems, 1d6 hours for normal security and 1d6 days in low security
For every system generation back in time, settings.
Computer skill rolls are one Difficulty
Grade harder. The negative modifier can Life Support. Facilities in inhospitable environments - everything from arctic habitats
be mitigated with Knowledge or Language to space stations - need a dedicated sub-system for air circulation, purification and
skills related to the old systems. storage.
80 COMPUTERS
Weapon Systems. Controls any weapons, targeting apps and associated bay doors.
Core. The core contains the processors and components needed for the AI’s actual
intelligence. If the core is damaged or shut down, the computer will stop working.
Personality Subroutine. In most AIs, the personality is embedded in the core. But
some models house them in a separate sub-system. This way, a malign personality
can be shut down without compromising the computer. Sample Computers
Standard Security. INT Rating 5. Security
SysInfo. The SysInfo subsystem includes a complete list of all the various parts of the
Level 5/30%. Modules: Sensor (Sight, Hear-
entire system. It may also include blueprints and can be used to get the unique ID on
ing) 4, Skill Switch (Perception 50%).
a piece of tech.
High Security. INT Rating 15. Security Level
Customer Data. For businesses, information on customers is stored here. The amount 15/75%. Modules: Sensor (Sight, Hearing) 4,
of detail will vary, from an anonymous payment code to full-blown identities and pref- Weapon (Damage 2d6) 2, Targeting (+20%)
erences. 2, ID Scanner 1, Skill Switches (Perception
75%, Insight 50%, Blaster 50%) 1.
Financial Data. Stores any economic information about a company or person.
Life Support. INT Rating 10. Security Rating
Research Data. Universities, R&D departments and research facilities often put their
10/50%. Modules: Filter 1 per person, Sen-
research data on separate systems. sor (Smell) 1, SysRepair 1.
Positional Data. Contains not only the movements of ships or vehicles, but some- Military Cybernetic Research. INT Rat-
times even individuals and robots. ing 15. Security Level 15/70%. Modules: ID
Scanner 1, Compartment (Vault) 10, Skill
Personal Logs. This can be anything from a captain’s log to a personal diary.
Switches (Language 75%, Knowledge (Psy-
Vault. A digital vault holding extra secure file storage. chology) 50%, Research 30%).
COMPUTERS 81
Opposed Rolls
For less important system hacks, use Opposed Rolls. Pitch the character’s Computers
skill against the difficulty percentage of the Security Level. Highest successful roll
wins.
If the character wins, they have breached security. In many cases, the PC will get
access to the systems or files they were looking for. For complex setups, important
sub-systems or if the PCs don’t know exactly what they are looking for, a regular Com-
puters or Research roll might be needed.
If the system wins, security holds. The character can either accept the defeat or ask
the GM to enter an Extended Conflict.
If a hacker do not want the intrusion to be noticed, their Computer skill roll is at -20%,
-40% or -60%, depending on how stealthy they want to be (or use a Cloak for the
same effect without the penalty, see page 84).
Reduce Security Level by 1d6 for every successful roll. Failure reduces the attacker’s
Pool by 1d6. A fumble reveals the hacker’s identity and location. Or, if the opponent
wants, it doubles damage instead. A critical always delivers double damage.
If the system being hacked is reduced to zero, the hacker has breached security. De-
pending on the situation, they might need further skill rolls (Computers or Research)
to find what they are looking for. If the hacker’s Conflict Pool is reduced to zero first,
82 COMPUTERS
The default Security Level is 15/70%. This includes all PC mods, unless the player and
GM agree on something else. Classified mods might have a higher default Security
Level, for example. To increase the Security Level of a new mod, the cost will increase
by 50%. Mods installed by sloppy biohackers will sometimes be more vulnerable. Se-
curity Levels of 5/30% or 10/50% are not unheard of, especially for low-level thugs. A
skilled hacker will naturally take advantage of this.
Hacking Robots
For regular robots and androids, Hacking affects Modules just as for cybernetic im-
plants.
To remove an unwanted mod, like Linkage or Objective, the hacker must first bypass
security. With an additional Computers roll, the Module can be safely extracted. A
robot cannot perform this operation on itself.
For simple robots, the level of control goes deeper. If security can be bypassed, a
hacker will be able to shut down or hijack the machine. How difficult these actions
COMPUTERS 83
Hacker Gear
Scrambler. Scrambles the attacker’s identity and location. With this box activated,
fumbles only deal double damage. 5000 Cr. Classified.
Entanglement. With Entanglement enabled, any damage received in an Extended
Conflict is soaked up by contingency systems. -1 damage per 5000 Cr. Rare.
SwarmBots. SwarmBots increase the strength of a hacker by recruiting more sys-
tems. They can be used in offensive or defensive mode, but only one mode at a time.
Skill roll at +/-1% per 1000 Cr. Classified.
Impersonator. An Impersonator lures the attacker deeper into a system to reveal
their identity. In the round when an Impersonator is activated, make an opposed roll
as normal. If the defender wins, the attacker’s true identity and location is revealed. If
the attacker wins, they break free from the trap and the conflict continues as before.
An Impersonator can only be employed once in an Extended Conflict. Cost: 5000 Cr.
Rare.
Cloak. With a Cloak activated during an intrusion, the attacker works in stealth mode.
Any tracks left by the intruder are harder to find. When looking for signs of infiltration,
apply -20% to any Computers roll. Cost: 5000 Cr per -20%. Classified.
84 COMPUTERS
Special Effects
Slash Mod. With this new Special Effect, on a critical, the attacker can specifically
target a single mod, regardless of its location, as long as they know where it is placed.
If the damage roll is equal to or higher than the location’s Hit Points, the mod is non-
functional until repaired. The Hit Location only takes 1 Hit Point damage. Can be used
both by melee and ranged weapons. Updated Special Effects:
Bash. Hardware robots can use Bash unarmed. The opponent is knocked back 1 metre
for every 2 points of damage done.
Drop Foe. A character with the Surge mod activated will only be incapacitated for 1
Round.
Damage Weapon. Anyone with arms (or, rarely, legs) reinforced with Armour and
Structural Integrity can use Damage Weapon when unarmed.
Unarmed Parry. With arms upgraded with Armour and Structural Integrity, a character
can parry without a weapon or shield. Reach: S.
The mods Structural Integrity, Enhance and Armour cannot be damaged with Special
Effects. The Modules Linkage and Robotic Laws (and sometimes Objective) will often
be placed deep within a robot’s body and will not easily be damaged. If you want, use
the rules for Core Mods to simulate this.
Combat Actions
Activating a mod, like retracting a weapon or opening a compartment, is a free action.
COMBAT 85
H
Key Points eld captive by the slaver/pirate syndicate Emergant Corp (EC), the PCs are forced
»» Investigating the Facility. The laborers for mining operations on Mosek Uhn. When the mine shaft they’re work-
PCs encounter the strange life ing in exposes an underground complex with alien lifeforms, the PCs are considered
forms inhabiting the Facility.
expendable and sent in to determine the threat level.
»» The PCs discover the truth and
Things aren’t really what they seem, however. Will this be their opportunity to Escape
realize Emergant Corp cannot
on Mosek Uhn?
let them live.
»» The PCs escape the Facility This is a short adventure meant to provide an origin story for how the PCs were first
and make their way to the vil- brought together. Some PCs may have been enslaved by the EC for years, whereas oth-
lage of Tanra. ers may have only just been captured in a recent raid. If your group has been playing
»» The PCs must convince the vil- together for some time, then explain to the players that their PCs were captured in a
lagers of Tanra to help them raid by pirates. This may seem forced, but it is important that the PCs are captives of
escape. the EC when the adventure begins. After all, the point of this adventure is that the PCs
»» The PCs are chased to the escape their enslavement while discovering a secret that could bring down the EC or
Mosek Uhn starport. at least provide a recurrent enemy for the PCs to deal with in the future.
Plik
A slave his entire life, Plik knows to do as he’s told. He’s seen first hand the casual
cruelty and indifference to life the pirates have for their slaves.
Darlak Bin
Headmaster of the village of Tanra. He has always suspected EC pirates were involved
with the nearby Facility and quickly realizes his little village is in way over its head.
Damien Rose
Also known as Test Subject 539. He is the reason for the disaster that befell the Fa-
cility. He controls the Xenogens and their Hybrids with his cybernetic implants. He’s
been trapped here for over a month and isn’t entirely sane. He do everything in his
power to unleash the horrors in the Facility upon the members of Emergant Corp.
Background
Emergant Corp is a pirate syndicate run out of Ghoster’s Rock. They specialize in raid-
ing for slaves. They use their ill gotten gains to buy off politicians and government Captain Brown
»» The jungles of Mosek Uhn knows no bounds and if the authorities they’ve bought off knew what the pirates true
aspirations were, no amount of money could stave off retribution.
»» The village of Tanra
Creating the weaponized life form proved less of a hurdle than expected. Their ge-
netics department quickly created a life form they dubbed the Xenogens. However,
developing the technology to control the Xenogens proved far more difficult. They
experimented with cybernetic implants that would give them a means of mind con-
trol. Their human test subjects failed to achieve even the smallest success, however,
because the Xenogens were too aggressive and violent for a human mind to control.
Then they had a breakthrough: they spliced DNA from their creation onto a human test
subject, altering his mental and emotional make up. For the experiment they chose
one of their mercenary soldiers, Damien Rose, a man who had displayed a natural
penchant for violence. The result was an unqualified success. In fact, they were too
successful. Damien, enraged at what they had done to him, turned the creatures on
their makers. Emergency protocols kicked in, shutting The Facility down, sealing their
scientists inside and burying the entrance in order to keep the creatures from escap-
ing into the wild.
When communications with the Facility went dark, the EC sent one of their most trust-
ed officers, Captain Ezekial Brown of the EC starship Raven, to conduct mining op-
erations. His orders: Capture as many the Xenogens as possible. Kill what he cannot
capture. Allow no one to find out that the EC is behind the appearance of this new life
form. To that end, Captain Brown informs the crew that they are merely engaged in
Plik a mining operation and when the facility is uncovered he pretends that it is an alien
Captain Brown has abducted a doctor from the nearby village of Tanra whom he knows
worked on some minor cybernetic projects for the Facility. He sends the doctor in with
the PCs, who are deemed expendable, to report on what he finds inside. He sends
two guards to make sure no one tries to escape. He intends to kill anyone who comes
back alive. Meanwhile, he begins making plans to wipe out the village in case anyone
suspects the true nature of the Facility.
Each slave, including the doctor, finds themselves standing next to a cryochamber
that is floating about a foot off the ground, its anti-grav device humming softly. The
chambers are empty.
Captain Brown stands before them with a half dozen pirate bodyguards. He looks the
model military officer. He stands ramrod straight, his face stern as he addresses the
two guards, ignoring the PCs.
Inform the PCs that they’ve been captives long enough to know that asking questions
or speaking directly to the Captain get them tortured, or worse, vaporized.
“As you may know, we have made an unexpected discovery during our mining
operation. We’ve uncovered an alien structure of unknown purpose beneath this
mountain. We sent in our probes and they detected alien life forms. However,
we do not know the nature of these life forms so we are sending you in with the
good doctor to investigate and find out: are these intelligent life forms? Do they
pose a danger to our operations? What is the purpose of this facility?” Dr. Sindal Djawadi
“Subdue the life forms if possible. But you have permission to kill them if neces-
sary. Either way, place them in these chambers and send them out to us one at
a time. Once we have collected them, we send the chamber back in. Collect as
many as you can.”
“I want you men on your toes. Therefore, I am sending these slaves with you to
tend to the cryochambers so you don’t have to. Try to keep our property in one
piece won’t you? And make sure no harm comes to the good doctor. He is to en-
sure that there are no biological dangers we should be aware of so do not send
out anything that doesn’t have the docs stamp of approval, understood? We
have line the shaft with charges. Should these things prove dangerous and you
lose containment, well, you’ll be sealed inside. Emergant Corp not be responsi-
ble for unleashing an alien life form on an unsuspecting planet.”
“Oh, and if any of these slaves try to escape,” he stares intently at the PCs for
the first time, “Kill them.”
An Insight roll reveals that the doctor looks troubled. He knows more than the Captain
is letting on.
With that the party begins its descent into the mineshaft. Now is a good time to ex-
plain to the players that their characters have been implanted with a subdermal track-
ing device. Even if they wanted to escape, the slavers would simply follow the signal
and pick them back up again. However, anyone with Communications skill or Electron-
ics can rightly deduce that the trackers signal is too weak to reach the Raven from
deep inside the mountain. Explain that the device cannot be simply cut out. It requires
a Medicine roll to remove it.
The mineshaft is nearly level, descending almost imperceptibly for a mile to the facil-
ity’s closed blast doors. Doctor Djawadi knows the access code. Thus, it immediately
The facility is divided into two sections, Low Level Security Clearance and High Level
Security Clearance. The doctor only had a low level clearance and has no idea what
went on in the high level section. An Influence roll gets him to admit he’s being co-
erced into helping and that he thinks the alleged “life forms” are probably some sort
of experiment gone wrong. “For all I know, they’re using us for guinea pigs to see if a
virus strikes us down the moment we walk in.”
B M
G H
N
Mineshaft A L
Blast Security
doors door
D D
I J
C
D D
D D
F THE FACILITY
1 Square = 10 feet or 3 metres
his rifle to their head. If Mogave is an NPC, he keeps Jeeter from harming the Captains L. Observation Room.
property should things get too confrontational. M. Testing Room.
B. Guard Room and Armory. The door to this room is locked. If the lock cannot be N. Habitat Room.
picked, attempt a contest of Brawn. Any PC with a strength of at least 14 may make
an opposed Brawn roll vs the Doors Brawn of 80%. If a second PC attempts to help,
their successful Brawn roll increases the main PCs attempt by one level of success.
The door was designed to be difficult to knock down so no more than two PCs may
attempt at any one time. Beyond the door is a gruesome sight: A dead security guard
who blew his brains out with a Heavy Blaster. Other than the heavy blaster at his side,
the rest of the armory has already been emptied.
C. Common Area. The common area for the scientists stationed here. A few tables.
The knocked over chairs tell of a hasty departure by the inhabitants.
D. Scientists Quarters. Each section holds beds for up to four scientists and assort-
ed personal belongings. No logs or journals were allowed and there is nothing here to
indicate what happened to the researchers stationed here. No sign of the inhabitants,
which were obviously human.
”Plik, scope it out and don’t get any ideas about that knife rack.” Plik nods and
opens the door to the kitchen on the far end of the dining room. As Plik goes in,
Jeeter holds the door open, covering him. “Check that freezer room.” Jeeter or-
ders and Plik obediently enters the freezer room. Suddenly, two pincers jut down
from the ceiling, impaling Jeeter in the chest. His blaster fires spasmodically as
he is lifted off the ground, blood spouting from his mouth. And then, as he goes
limp, a tentacle thrusts down into Jeeters throat, depositing something into his
body. Plik starts screaming in terror.
The Xenogen attacks anyone who attacks it next. Otherwise, it attacks Plik, who im-
mediately slams the freezer door shut. This only slows it one round as it uses one of
its tentacles to open the freezer door and enter.
F. The Kitchen. The kitchen has seen recent use and clean dishes are stacked near
the sink. The ovens are clean and so are the floors. There is a large freezer room at the
opposite end of the kitchen. There are many knives stored in knife holders.
G. Offices. These rooms contain all the computer files associated with Project Lever-
age, though actual technical plans have been erased by Damien himself so that no
one else can use them to replicate what the scientists did to him. There are detailed
biological information about the Xenogens and the Hybrids. There is enough here to
prove the purpose of this research station was the creation of a weaponized life form
that could be controlled by Emergant Corp for the purpose of planetary blackmail. If
these files can reach the public, even Emergant Corps extensive network of bribed of-
ficials could not save them.
A Xenogen-Human hybrid is a viscious crea- H. Cybernetics Lab. Damien has destroyed all the laser printers and other hardware
ture. The human host is quickly morphed used to create his cybernetic implants. All the software has been deleted. There is
into a monster driven by hate. enough medical equipment remaining for a doctor to remove the PCs tracking devices.
I. Conference Room. Much of this room has been destroyed. However, there are still
video files on one computer that show an observation room where experiments on the
other side of a glass wall were recorded. Hundreds of experiments with human test
subjects attempting to exert mental control over the Xenogens and failing. The last
file, Test Subject 539, has been deleted.
J. Genetics Lab. A security door restricts access to this room. Damien hasn’t found
the code to this room and the one given to the doctor is still valid. Inside is the labora-
Damien Rose
tory where the Xenogens were designed and created.
When the creatures escaped containment, the scientists here evacuated immediately,
leaving their work where it lay. A dissected hybrid lies rotting on one table. The smell
of rotting flesh causes everyone to make Endurance checks or they gag and can’t
enter the room. Those that do enter the room and gaze upon the rotting corpse must
make another Endurance check or vomit. Jars filled with Xenogens in various stages of
development line the shelves.
At the far end of the room is another door that is securely sealed. Even the doctor has
no means to open it. A window looks into the room beyond, however, and the PCs can
clearly see prison bars and a gate. If the PCs have not encountered Damien yet, then
beyond the bars they see a half dozen of the Xenogens and over a dozen hybrids –
what became of the scientists of this research facility.
A Perception check notices that there is an open door on the far side of that room. No
sooner do the PCs look into the room, however, than one of the Xenogens slams into
the barred door trying to get at them, then all of them rush out of the room through
the door on the far side. Moments later, the PCs hear a human bellow in rage. Damien
is now aware that there are intruders.
K. Holding Cells. Here is where the scientists kept their test subjects and it is where
Damien Rose has made his quarters. If the PCs find him there, he mentally commands
his creatures to come to his aid. See Speaking with Damien below.
L. Observation Room. This room is separated from the Testing Room by a blast proof
window. Here the scientists would observe their test subjects attempts at controlling
the Xenogens. It was in this room that the videos were shot that the PCs find in the
Conference Room.
M. Testing Room. In this room the human test subjects were brought together with
the Xenogens to attempt mental control over them. Until Test Subject 539, this gener-
ally ended badly for the test subject.
N. Habitat Room. This room is where the Xenogens were kept. Now 6 of them live
here with over a half dozen hybrids. Waiting to obey Damiens command.
Speaking to Damien
Damien has been with EC long enough to know how they operate and he is expecting
them to send in a small exploratory force initially. However, he did not know that the
tunnel beyond the blast doors had been collapsed and as the weeks went by he came
to believe EC wasn’t coming. So the appearance of the PC’s group a month later takes
him by surprise.
Damien was always a violent, aggressive person. That’s why EC chose him for this ex-
periment. Now that he has spliced DNA from the hyper aggressive Xenogens, however,
his mind has become more cunning, his rage has become more focused.
Paradoxically, his rage is so intense that he has become clear minded in his mur-
derous intent. He can, however, lose control in an instant and viciously attack. How
Damien reacts to the PCs depends upon the circumstances of their initial encounter. If
he’s alone he acts ecstatic that a rescue team has finally arrived. He has an elaborate
Special Features: Mosek Uhn is a jungle them to arm themselves from the weapons he took out of the armory and stashed in
planet. The many exotic species of plants one of the test subject cells. He has two Blaster Carbines and a Light Blaster. He keeps
found here that have various medicinal a Heavy Blaster for himself.
uses are the planet’s primary export. It’s
Whatever plan the PCs decide upon, at this point they are either allied with Damien or
strange beasts are also prized throughout
the galaxy. they’ve all probably died.
Back at the Raven, a half dozen armed and armored mercenary soldiers await them.
Captain Brown is observing everything from the safety of his bridge. He is pleased
that Damien has been captured and eagerly orders them onto the ship. With the hated
pirates so near, Damiens rage overcomes his patience and he releases his creatures.
The soldiers open fire, but are quickly overwhelmed and turned to Hybrids them-
selves. Describe the horror of the scene as the PCs race to the landing bay doors:
“You rush to the landing bay doors, Damien and his nightmarish companions
ahead of you. Suddenly, the ships turret pivots and one of you yells “Take cov-
er!” You barely dive out of the way as a blast of white light blinds you and the
shock wave of the blast knocks you off your feet. You don’t know how long you
lie there dazed, your ears ringing in eerie silence, but as you slowly rise to your
feet you see Damien and three of the Xenogens slip into the Raven as the door
closes behind them. The ship lifts off. Your hearing starts to return as you realize
you and your friends aren’t the only survivors.”
After they deal with the hybrids, they hear an explosion and looking up they see the
Raven, falling out of the sky, smoke trailing behind it. It crashes several miles away.
Doctor Djawadi informs the PCs that he knows the way to his village of Tanra and is
willing to lead everyone there.
3. Djawadi’s Home. The Reptore, ironically, goes after the doctor. If the doctor dies, the PCs likely become
lost in the jungle. Unarmed PCs can grab up improvised clubs and large stones off the
4. Storage.
jungle floor.
If the doctor dies, then finding their way to Tanra becomes an extended contest. Find-
ing a village with only a general idea of its direction in a dense jungle is a daunting
proposition. Give it a Conflict Pool of 20. Allow each PC to roll either his INT + POW or
his Navigation skill every 3 hours. Success reduces the CP by 1d6.
After three hours, Captain Brown and his remaining crew set out after them. Damien
and the Xenogens have been defeated, but at great cost. The soldiers became hybrids
and stormed the ship. The slaves rebelled but they too were destroyed by the Xeno-
gens. The crew lost control of everything except the bridge. In the end, the engine
room exploded when an engineer purposefully caused a runaway reaction rather than
be turned into a hybrid. This killed everyone but Brown and his last dozen men holed
up in the bridge. Amazingly, Captain Brown was able to crash land the Raven, but it is
beyond repair. Brown wants revenge and he also has to make sure nobody lives to tell
the tale of what was really going on at the Facility. He and his men arrive in Tanra in 6
hours. See Tanra below for what happens should they reach the village before the PCs.
This area is Reptore territory and there is a 10% chance per 3 hours in the jungle that
the PCs encounter another one. If the Doctor survives the attack, then he can take
them directly to Tanra in 3 hours. There are no further jungle encounters.
Tanra
If the PCs reach Tanra before Brown does, they can try to get passage to the Mosek
Uhn starport. However, that is two days journey and the PCs don’t know that the Raven
is damaged beyond repair. If the doctor is with them, their wild tale is believed.
Fearing EC raiders, the village is torn between handing them over to the EC and help-
ing them to escape. Treat this as an extended contest. The Conflict Pool is the villagers
fear of EC at 12 vs the PC with the highest POW + CHA. Each side rolls opposed Influ-
The headmaster of Tanra. ence. The villagers in favor of handing them over to EC have an Influence of 40%. Each
3.
Bridge
1.
4.
Stre
am
TANRA
1 Square = 10 feet or 3 metres
If the PCs enlist the villagers aid, the headmaster takes them to their community
house where they have communications equipment. He offers to send word ahead to
the starport, which is also the capital of Mosek Uhn, to let them know what has hap-
pened and to request assistance.
If the PCs agree to message ahead, Captain Browns men jam village communications.
Brown, now aware that the PCs have reached Tanra and the secret is in danger of go-
ing viral, moves to wipe out the village and take the fastest vehicles he can find to
chase down the PCs. See The Chase , below.
If the PCs do not agree to message ahead, Captain Brown arrives in Tanra few hours
Brown’s ATV later, is slowed even further interrogating the villagers before wiping them out and
SPEED 10 (160 km/h) then takes the fastest vehicle he can find to chase down the PCs as above.
HANDLING 10
SIZE 10
In any event, the headmaster gives them a truck large enough to hold all of them.
Hit Points 10 If Brown and his men reach Tanra before the PCs do, they massacre the village. Find-
ing no sign of the PCs, Brown leaves half his men behind in case the PCs arrive and
Excellent ATV engine TR100.
Passenger and driver capacity: 6 half take fast vehicles down the only road out of Tanra. Use Jeeter Ens’ stats for the
soldiers.
When half its hit points are lost, roll for
Damage and malfunction on page 183 of the When the PCs arrive make Perception rolls to notice that the village seems aban-
M-SPACE rulebook. doned. Hard success spots EC soldiers in defensive position. If the PCs manage to
The hairpin turn. With the jungle limiting their view of the road ahead, this hairpin
turn suddenly looms up unexpectedly. The driver must make their Drive skill or veer off
the road, sideswiping a tree. A random PC takes 2d4 damage to a random hit location.
The truck takes 1d4 hit points damage.
Potholes. This road is never repaired. The ride is bumpy and the PCs are in a hurry.
But some potholes are worse than others. The Driver must roll Drive or hit a bad one.
The truck takes 1d4 damage. If this reduces the trucks hit points to half or less, roll on
the Malfunction table, but replace uncontrolled spin with suspension damage, speed
halved.
Large animal crossing. This creature is the size of a rhino. The driver must roll his
Drive to swerve and avoid it. Otherwise, the truck takes 2d6 damage and automatical-
ly rolls on the Malfunction table. Each PC takes 2d4 damage to a random hit location.
The truck carries tools and some spare parts. If it breaks down, a Mechanics roll can
repair 1d6 damage. This requires one hour per point of damage repaired. Only one
Mechanics roll can be attempted the entire journey.
If the truck makes it through all three obstacles without breaking down long enough
for Brown to catch them and it does not lose any speed, then the PCs reach the star-
port ahead of him. If the truck loses any speed or breaks down, then Brown catches
up to them.
If Brown finds them or they don’t see him coming until it is too late, they can still avoid
a conflict. They can point out to the pirate captain that Emergant Corp would pay good
money to keep Project Leverage a secret. If they can convince Brown to side with them
and blackmail Emergant Corp they can avoid a shootout. Brown’s anger at losing his
beloved starship doesn’t blind him to the reality he needs a new ship or his days as a
captain are over. His love of power outweighs his loyalty to Emergant Corp and so he
hears out their offer.
Consider this an extended conflict. Brown must roll his loyalty to Emergant Corp vs the
PC with the highest Influence or Deceit. The contest pool is POW + INT for each. Carry
out the contest as an ongoing conversation.
Brown starts off with “Alright. I’m listening.” The PC makes his pitch. Roll. If Brown
wins, he makes an observation such as “I’d be a fool to cross Emergant Corp. I value
my skin over any riches.” Should the PC win that roll, he might remark, “It’s daring, I’ll
give you that, but Emergant Corp put a price on our heads if we get away with it.” Then
keep going from there.
If the PCs win the contest and his greed outweighs his loyalty, he simply asks them
“I like your idea, but what’s to stop me from just killing you and taking the data for
myself?” If the PCs can prove to him that they are able to destroy the data before he
can forcibly take it from them, he proposes the following terms: The PCs freedom in
Brown attempts to betray them if possible. He blames them for the destruction of the
Raven. If the PCs don’t agree to those terms, they may come up with terms of their
own. Perhaps a partnership. Brown won’t trust them, but if they’re lying just to escape,
he may believe their offer with successful Deceit rolls. He expects them to betray him
just as he intends to betray them. Depending on the roleplay, additional extended
contests may ensue.
If the PCs can’t talk their way out of a conflict, both sides open fire from the cover of
their respective vehicles. Only those shooting each round can be hit, all others take
cover. Hits to anywhere besides the head and arms are considered to have struck the
vehicle instead.
The sudden eruption of blaster fire startles a nearby Reptore out of its slumber. The
beast strikes from its hiding place with complete surprise, ripping first one of Browns
men apart, then another. The pirates turn their attention upon the beast, giving the
PCs clear shots at them. The Reptore kills a pirate a round. If, at the end of any
round there are three or less pirates, one of them kills the Reptore. They
then surrender to the PCs if they are outnumbered and outgunned.
However, EC currently only has one agent at the Mosek Uhn starport, Bosnik Solari. If
Brown is with the party, Bosnik immediately surmises that his old enemy is up to no
good and has possibly betrayed Emergant Corp. He does not report his find. Instead,
he plots to find out what they are up to and if possible, kill Brown. To this end, he
Bosnik never makes a direct confrontation. Thus, no stats are provided for him. In-
stead, he pays corrupt government officials to do his dirty work. They are sent to
intercept the group and do a spot search. If they find the incriminating evidence, they
arrest everyone and seize the data. Later, they hand the data over to Bosnik who in
turn blackmails EC. Brown dies in his cell. The PCs are sent free. Bosnik needs the EC
to realize that the information has gotten out and attempts to frame the PCs as the
blackmailers. But that is a tale for another adventure.
If the PCs are on their own, then Bosnik is less interested. He reports to Emergant
Corp that he observed escaped slaves seeking transport off world. He has his facial
recognition drones follow the PCs wherever they go and reports which starship they
left on. Again, this is an opportunity for further adventures.
As for the PCs, they find themselves in a large starport with no money, no food but
what they managed to bring with them and no means to pay to get off world. They do,
however, have data that incriminates Emergant Corp of crimes most foul. They might
upload the data to social media, reach out to a news organization, or simply keep the
info to themselves as insurance should they ever run into the pirate syndicate again.
Or perhaps they actually do intend to blackmail cold blooded killers. In any event, they
need money and a ship out of there. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce them
to whatever adventure the GM has planned next.
CHA 1d4 (2-3) Dmg Mod +1d6 19–20 Tentacle Five 4/7
Abilities: Implant seed, rapid birth Combat Style: Tentacle 50%, 3 tentacle at-
tacks per round
Anyone slain by the Xenogens are imme-
diately implanted with a seed. This takes 1 Weapons: Tentacle, 1d4+1+1d6. Reach: L
rd. The dead host rises again as a Hybrid 5
rds after being implanted.
CHA 1d4 (2-3) Dmg Mod +1d2 19–20 Head Tentacle 0/5
A Xenogen implants a dead carcass with its Combat Style: Tentacle 25%, 3 tentacle at-
seed, which consumes the internal organs tacks per round
and sprouts tentacles. Five rounds after
Weapons: Tentacle, 1d4+1+1d2. Reach: L
being implanted, the Hybrid rises and at-
tacks.
Description: Tall, imposing and stern, the durance 66%, Evade 65%, First Aid 31%,
Captain of the Raven projects the aura of Forgery 56%, Influence 74%, Insight 73%,
a disciplined military officer, not a thieving Mechanics 31%, Perception 43%, Pilot
pirate. He’s been a space pirate his entire (Starship) 56%, Sensors 43%Stealth 36%,
life. Along the way he’s acquired a couple Streetwise 44%, Survival (Space) 60%,
enemies, including one who took his eye, Willpower 59%.
Bosnik Solari. His cybernetic replacement
Combat Style: Pirate 69% Unarmed 29%,
more than compensates for his loss, how-
Gunnery 59%.
ever.
Weapons: Force Sword, 2d8. Reach: L.
Emergant Corp sent Captain Brown be-
Heavy Blaster, 1d10. 7/25/50. Load 3.
cause he is trusted, loyal and one of their
best. He knows that despite all that, if he Passions: Loves (the Raven) 74%, Loyalty
fails this mission his life is forfeit. (Emergent Corp) 64%, Hates (Bosnik So-
lari) 54%.
He has one true love – his starship.
Luck Points: 3
Skills: Athletics 29%, Astrogation 42%,
Brawn 30%, Conceal 42% Deceit 43%, En-
Description: Dr. Djawadi has lived his en- share his knowledge with the others unless
tire life on Mosek Uhn in the nearby vil- forced to.
lage of Tanra. He carries the grisly scar he Skills: Athletics 32%, Brawn 31%, Conceal
gained from an attack by a dreaded Rep- 30%, Deceit 30%, Endurance 45%, Evade
tore. He likes to show it to off worlders to 57%, First Aid 92%, Influence 33%, Insight
scare them. He also enjoys playing the 40%, Medicine 75%, Musicianship 40%,
piano. He, alone of the player characters, Navigation 40%, Perception 45%, Research
knows the true nature of the underground 30%, Science (Physiology 47%), Science
facility because he worked at what was (Astrobiology) 72%, Science (Biology) 32%,
known simply as The Facility for a short Science (Cybernetics) 47%, Stealth 32%,
time, implanting experimental cybernet- Survival Jungle 39%, Unarmed 27%, Will-
ics into the creatures created there. He power 58%.
thought he’d put that part of his life be-
Combat Style: Jungle Fighting 52%.
hind him but now Emergant Corp is forc-
ing him to return and report back on the Weapons: None, but possesses a tranquil-
situation. izer in his medkit that can incapacitate a
human. It has 10 doses. It works on hy-
Had he known for whom he was working
brids.
for all those years ago, he’d have never
Passions: Loves (His wife Maya) 68, Loyalty
taken the job. His guilt drives him to find
(To his village, Tanra) 50, Hates (Emergant
a way to destroy the creatures even if it
Corp) 60.
means his own death. He’d prefer that no
one else die for his mistakes. He does not Luck Points: 3
Description: Plik has been a slave his en- ing) 53%, Locale (Standard EC Slave Ship)
tire life. Several years ago, a group tried 38%, Perception 28%, Sleight 29%, Stealth
to break out their friends. Plik tried to es- 34%, Unarmed 56%, Willpower 73%.
cape with them, but was caught and sen-
Combat Style: Unarmed 56%.
tenced to three years of hard labor.
Weapons: –
He hates his captors.
Passions: Hates (The Slavers) 68%, Hates
Skills: Athletics 26%, Brawn 98%, Deceit
(Hard Labor) 58%, Hates (Captivity) 48%.
73% Endurance 77%, Evade 35%, Gam-
bling 38%, Insight 48%, Knowledge (Min- Luck Points: 3
Description: This guy is quite proud of his Combat Style: Mercenary 65%.
new red biomesh armor.
Weapons: Force Sword, 2d8. Reach: L.
Skills: Endurance 22%, Evade 22%, Will- Heavy Blaster, 1d10. 7/25/50. Load 3.
power 22%.
Description: Damien was a mercenary He can be reasoned with so long as any Cybernetic Implant: Allows Damien to
who was sent to the Facility as a test sub- plan includes him killing as many EC control the Xenogens and Hybrids. He
ject. All they told him is he would be in members as possible. must concentrate to the exclusion of
command of a powerful weapon. He was all else to do so. After each round he
Skills: Athletics 34%, Brawn 34%, Comput-
the first successful test subject. must make an Endurance check or lose
ers 55%, Conceal 56% Deceit 66%, Elec-
He was able to use his cybernetic implants a level of fatigue.
tronics 38%, Endurance 47%, Evade 51%,
to control the Xenogens with his mental First Aid 38%, Gambling 40%, Influence
commands. However, this turned out to be 27%, Insight 43%, Mechanics 38%, Percep-
the research teams greatest triumph and tion 43%, Stealth 28%, Knowledge (Strat-
worst nightmare because the close men- egy and Tactics) 43%, Survival Space 39%,
tal contact with the Xenogens drove him Unarmed 49%, Willpower 61%.
partially mad.
Combat Style: Mercenary 49%.
During a test, he was able to turn the
Xenogens upon their creators. Before he Weapons: Heavy Blaster, 1d10. Range:
could escape, however, the computers 7/25/50. Load 3.
fail-safe blew up the only exit, sealing ev- Force Sword, 2d8. Reach: L
eryone inside. Damien took his revenge Passions: Hates (Emergant Corp) 93%.
upon the research team and has survived
off of the facility supplies ever since. He Luck Points: 3
I’m also in great debt to those who have contributed resources for some of the art-
work: Josh Crockett, Mike Pavlovich, Fletcher Kinnear, Slava Z, Keian Hzo, Berk Geedit,
Ipetty, petresco, Timothy Grippin, Oscar Velasco, Lumoize, Eryk Stanko and alexan-
dr007.
I would also like to thank Olle and Katarina for putting up with my long hours of writ-
ing. I couldn’t have done this book without their support.
Scott would also like to thank everyone involved in making this book a reality. I’d es-
pecially like to thank Clarence for letting me be a part of this experience and my two
wonderful children, KayAnna and Conner, who supported me the whole way.
114
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|
willpower pow x2 streetwise pow+cha
gunnery dex+pow
unarmed str+dex serious wound
total modules
|
ver 4.0 december 2019
description
frostbyte books
ride dex+pow forgery dex+int seamanship int+con
sing pow+cha gambling int+pow seduction int+cha
stealth dex+int knowledge int x2 sensors int+pow
swim str+con sleight dex+cha
|
willpower pow x2 streetwise pow+cha
total modules
|
ver 4.0 december 2019
description