By Josep Joseph h Goodma Goodman n
Welcome to the world of Broncosaurus Rex! Be sure to look for these supplements at a t your local game store: Cretasus Worldbook , spring 2002 , summer 2002 Raptor Sourcebook Sourcebook
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This printing of Dinosaur Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex Core Rulebook is done under version 1.0 of the Open Gaming License and the draft versions of the D20 System Trademark License, D20 System Trademark Logo Guide and System Reference Document by permission from Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Subsequent printings wil l incorporate final ver sions of the license, guide and document. Designation of Product Identity: The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0: Any and all Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex logos and identifying identifying marks and trade dress, including but not limited to the terms Dinosaur Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex, Cretasus, Bronco Bronco Rider, Rider, Wild One; any elements of the Broncosaurus Broncosaurus Rex setting, including but not limited to names of characters, areas, factions, and creatures, including nicknames for dinosaurs; and all artwork, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, symbols, depictions, and illustrations, except such elements that already appear in the System Reference Document. Designation of Open Content: Subject to the Product Identity designation above, the following portions of Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex Core Rulebook are designated as Open Gaming Content: all creature statistic templates from Size/Type Size/Type (e.g., “Medium Animal”) to Advancement, all t ext under the “Combat” header of each creature’s creature’s section
(except the creature’s name or proper names specific to the Broncosaurus Rex setting), and the sections “Skills,” “Feats,” and and “Tech “Tech Level” (including tables) on pages 32-45, except for such place names and terminology which relates to the Broncosaurus Rex setting. Some of the portions of this book which are delineated OGC originate from the System Reference Document and are copyright © 1999, 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The remainder of these OGC portions of these book are hereby added to Open Game Content and, if so used, should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “ Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex Core Rulebook Copyright Rulebook Copyright 2001 Joseph Goodman DBA Goodman Games (contact
[email protected], or see www.broncosaurusrex.com)” www.broncosaurusrex.com)” Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex Core Rulebook is copyright © 2001 Joseph Goodman DBA Goodman Games. Illustrations are copyright © their respective creators, creators, as indicated. Dungeons & Dragons ® and Wizards of the Coast ® are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, and are used with Permission. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 1.0. A copy of this license can be found at www.wizards.com. Open game content may only be used under and in the terms of the Open Game License.
Table of Contents Chapter I: The World of Broncosaurus Rex Cretasus: Dinosaur Planet............................4 The Human Universe...................................8 A Short History of 2202 ............................12 Chapter II: Character Creation Place of Origin...........................................15 New Character Classes ..............................18 Bronco Rider.........................................18 Machinist...............................................21 Soldier ...................................................23 Spy ...................................................... ..25 Two-Fister .............................................27 Wild One ...............................................29 Skills ........................................................ ..32 Feats ...........................................................40 Equipment..................................................43 Tech Level.............................................44 Weapons ................................................46 Armor ....................................................54 Equipment .............................................56 Devices..................................................58 Chapter III: Dinosaur Statistics General Overview ......................................62 Allosaurus .............................................64 Ankylosaurus ........................................65
Brachiosaurus........................................66 Ceratosaurus..........................................68 Compsognathus.....................................69 Crocodilians ..........................................70 Dragonfly, Giant....................................71 Iguanodontids........................................71 Ornitholestes .........................................72 Oviraptor ...............................................73 Pachycephalosaurus ..............................74 Parasaurolophus ....................................75 Pelycosaurs............................................76 Protoceratops.........................................77 Pterosaurs ..............................................79 Stegosaurus ...........................................79 Triceratops.............................................80 Tyrannosaurus Rex................................81 Velociraptor...........................................84 Chapter IV: Adventures on Cretasus Factions......................................................88 Motivations ................................................88 Treasure......................................................91 One Hundred Adventure Ideas ..................92 Appendix I: Creatures by CR .................94 Appendix II: Open Gaming License ......95 Index ..........................................................96
Credits Creator & Writer: Joseph Goodman Contributing Writer: Fred Bush Copy Editor: Mark Bruno Logo Designer: Derek Schubert Cover Artist: Walter Stuart
Interior Artists: Tim Burgard, Derek Schubert, V. Shane, Walter Stuart, David Wong, Thomas Yeates Concept Artist: Andrew Farago Graphic Designer: Joseph Goodman
Dedicated to April.
Chapter I: The World of Broncosaurus Rex In Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex, dinosaurs have been discovered on the planet Cretasus. It i s the year 2202, and you are an adventurer there. The two major factions in human politics – the Federal Union of Planets and the Confederate States of America – are rushing to colonize the planet, and your character joins in. You could be a bronco rider, riding the dinosaurs for adventure and profit. Perhaps you’re be a soldier: a Union ironclad pilot, a Federal sheriff or a rebel blockade runner. You could be a street fighter in search of fortune or a homeworld dissident fighting for freedom. You could be one of the legendary wild ones, fearsome humans who leave human company to live with the dinosaurs. You could be a Union machinist, always equipped with the latest technology. You could be an idealistic infantryman, a freelance dino hunter, a warp pirate, a Union turncoat, an outer ranges explorer, a dino rustler or an alien hunter. The world of Broncosaurus Rex is in your hands!
The Confederate States of America, still titled as such though it now occupies hundreds of planets throughout the universe, views Cretasus as a saving grace. Since being forced off Earth by the Union, the Confederacy has been scattered across the galaxy. Cretasus’ fertile soil, plentiful beasts of burden and rich, unspoiled wilderness could provide a new home base. The Federal Union of Planets, the most technologically advanced human nation, is intent on exploiting Cretasus’ natural resources. The planet’s natural wealth – measured in oil, ore and timber – is incalculable. It could supply Union industrial operations for years to come. Cretasus is a gold mine waiting to be claimed. But the question remains: Who will claim it?
The Planet
Cretasus is a Jupiter-sized planet with Earth-like terrain. Its air is breathable by humans, and many of its native plants can be eaten safely. The densely forested equatorial belt is a single, unbroken land mass, which fractures into thousands of islands as The planet Cretasus lies at the far edges of known space, in a it approaches the poles. Overlaid across the land are enormous desolate region called the outer reaches. A large world in a lonely, mountain ranges that divide the surface into twenty great valleys. sparsely-settled system, Cretasus is strangely earthlike. Its atmosEvery terrain on Earth is found on Cretasus, as well as some phere, climate and seasons all resemble those on Earth. Strangest that are unique, such as the thousand-foot-tall spider web forests of all, its flora and fauna are like Earth’s – but not like the Earth of the equatorial regions or the glacial “mushrooms” formed by of today. Cretasus is home to plants and animals that have not rivers of molten lava that flow under the polar wastelands. roamed our planet for millions of years. Cretasus is home to Cretasus has two moons, as well as thousands of asteroids in dinosaurs. a low-lying orbit. Most of the asteroids are less than a football Since the discovery of this fact, humans have flocked to field in length and do nothing but obstruct the view. A few are Cretasus. Adventurers come for wealth and glory, ranchers come larger, however, and have provided anchors for satellites, landing for the dinosaurs, farmers come for the fertile soil, frontiersmen platforms and orbital weapons. come for a new life, and dino hunters come for the challenge. The sheer size of Cretasus has prevented any comprehensive Industrialists come for the mineral wealth, the military comes for survey of its life forms. Though the Confederacy knows much exploration, the Free Fleet traders come to meet growing demand, more of its taxonomy than the Union, they still have catalogued and the wild ones come to join the dinosaurs. It seems that every- less than 1 percent of the planet’s species. one has come – but no one yet governs. In the regions where they have settled, the Confederate setCretasus is far outside established political borders. tlers have identified hundreds of varieties of dinosaurs virtually Humanity’s two largest factions – the Federal Union of Planets identical to those once found on Earth. They also have found and the Confederate States of America – struggle for possession. unique endemic species, including giant insects, highly evolved Cretasus’ Earth-like environment and abundance of dinosaurs land-dwelling jellyfish and bipedal pre-sentient reptilians. have brought it to the forefront of galactic politics. Although the Prehistoric mammals have been sighted in neighboring Union and Confederacy ceased open warfare long ago, they have regions, engendering theories that the planet’s massive surface never ended hostilities. Now the battle for Cretasus threatens to area has created numerous micro-climates separated by mountains re-open a centuries-old conflict. or other impassable terrain. Some micro-climates have remained
Cretasus: Dinosaur Planet
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d r a g r u B m i T
“frozen” in evolutionary time or have evolved along unusual lines, while others have evolved more normally. The result is widely different ecological results in close proximity to each other.
of – New Savannah. The Main Valley is occupied by three million inhabitants. This isn’t much, considering the valley is roughly the size of North and South America combined. The main valley also is home to dinosaurs primarily from Earth’s Cretaceous era. A mix of creatures who lived roughly 64 to 110 million years ago on Earth intermingle freely and inexpliThe Twenty Valleys cably there. They are accompanied by a wide variety of natural By all biological considerations, Cretasus is an anomaly. Its flora, giving the main valley every terrain from desert to plain to lifeforms have followed both parallel and divergent evolutionary swamp to steamy jungle. To the east lies “East Valley.” East Valley can be accessed paths. Although many have evolved identically to dinosaurs on Earth, creatures from different periods of Earth’s history roam through the air or by overland travel through several treacherous mountain passes. It is barely explored and no one has taken a full Cretasus at the same time . The surface of Cretasus is marked by twenty giant valleys, each survey. It appears to be home to dinosaurs from an earlier era of the size of a continent. For millions of years, stratospheric mountain Earth’s Cretaceous period. ranges divided these valleys. The mountains completely isolated the To the west lies “Mammoth Valley.” Mammoth Valley is life within. It is only in the most recent geological strata that the known for its large herds of woolly mammoths, which cross the mountains have begun to erode. It is now possible to travel freely mountain range occasionally to graze in Main Valley. A host of (but with difficulty) between valleys. The stunning conclusion: In other ancient mammals also live in Mammoth Valley. each of Cretasus’ great valleys, independent evolution has brought While no other valley is explored, they all have been aerially forth life from a different period of Earth’s history. scouted, except for two – Cloud Valley, cloaked in low-lying No one yet understands how or why this happened. In all the clouds, and Storm Valley, perpetually obscured by terrible storms. varied planets that humanity has found, not one has exhibited such Both remain completely inaccessible. Many intrepid adventurers a startling similarity to Earth. Scientists now view the planet as a have set out to map the lesser-known valleys, but only a few have great biological secret waiting to be unlocked. returned. They bring stories of alien cities, strange creatures and The most explored valley is known simply as “the Main dinosaurs that could have evolved on Earth, but didn’t. There is Valley.” The Main Valley is where the first Confederate settlers the consistent rumor of intelligent reptilian humanoids living in arrived. They set up a colony, the Union followed, and now the the far valleys and intelligent primates of some sort in Mammoth Main Valley has dozens of colonies, hundreds of small settle- Valley. But no one knows if these are true discoveries or the swagments, a handful of military bases and Cretasus’ only city to speak gering boasts of adventurers whose tales cannot be confirmed.
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The Dinosaurs The dinosaurs on Cretasus are a virtual index to those from early Earth. Creatures from different eras walk side by side, including tyrannosaurus rex, stegosaurus, oviraptor, ankylosaurus, diplodocus, brachiosaurus, pachycephalosaurus, allosaurus, styracosaurus, velociraptor and triceratops. Some of the dinosaurs are the classic dumb brutes we all know so well. But most are not. Velociraptors have near-human intelligence and live in organized tribes that loosely connect into larger nations. Tyrannosaurus rex live in widely dispersed family groups whose members remember genealogies for hundreds of years. Triceratops travel in large herds with rigorous social organization. Almost every species has its own language and the more intelligent ones have dialects specific to each region. Dinosaur life is not just sleep-eat-mate-die. It has just as much politics as human life, if not more. Tribes of the same species routinely quarrel over territory, hunting and grazing rights, and mating. Ambitious tribes have been known to go to war against neighboring tribes solely to expand their domains. Within the tribe, aspiring leaders scheme to overthrow their superiors, competitive rivals kill the children of their enemies, and overt political factions emerge. There are alliances between tribes of similar personality or situation, and on rare occasions inter-species alliances form to counter a common threat. As humans have become more familiar with dinosaur languages (and vice versa), there have even been human-dinosaur alliances. The Confederacy is allied with several velociraptor tribes, with whom it trades food in exchange for their disruption of Union facilities. Some species – in particular, some tribes within certain species – remember events for lifetimes, and will often fight (or fight for their allies) for reasons long since buried. Certain herbivore tribes are known for their revenge instinct – they hunt down and murder the young of carnivores that feed off of them. For instance, when a strong leader emerged among one triceratops herd, he organized several herds into one massive war force that drove out two nearby tyrannosaurus rex families, killing one of the T-rexes in the process. The most frightening aspect of dinosaur intelligence – at l east from a human perspective – is their strategic talent. Velociraptors have been known to stage false retreats in order to lure attackers into an ambush. T-rex make a point of traveling far apart so their numbers can’t be easily ascertained. Ceratosaurus, patient and observant, like to set ambushes. Many an unwary dino hunter has made the fatal discovery that his prey is as smart as he.
The Settlements New Savannah is the largest city on Cretasus. It abuts a massive inland ocean, just like its terrestrial namesake. New Savannah was founded by the Confederacy in 2185 and still maintains strong ties. With the mountains on one side, the ocean on the other
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and thick jungle all around, it is easy to defend and, if you don’t know it’s there, hard to locate. While New Savannah is a civilian city, there are several Confederate military bases along the shores of the same inland ocean. Fort Tecumseh and Fort Apache are two of them. Fort Tecumseh holds the main pass between New Savannah and “the back country” (as the rebels call the raw wilderness of Cretasus), while Fort Apache guards a cluster of hatcheries. The Confederate hatcheries are tended by specially trained civilians with a strong affinity for animals. They are guarded by Dino Warriors, the elite trained cavalry who ride dinosaurs. Dinosaurs from the hatcheries are born into domesticity, making them much easier to train than their wild-born counterparts. In the hatcheries lies the hope that every army can be trained and equipped with dinosaur allies. If such a force ever took to space, it might be able to reclaim the Confederacy’s lost glory. The forts, hatcheries and larger Confederate settlements are supplied by convoys of brachiosauruses, diplodocuses and other animals. Smaller settlements rely on independent merchants and their mounts. Land routes can be extremely dangerous – travelers must often pass through the hunting grounds of tyrannosauruses, allosauruses and other large predators. The Confederacy has minimized its losses by using large dinosaurs supported by heavy weapons, but many independent merchants are never heard from again. The largest Union presence is Fort Lincoln, which sits atop a mountain not far from Fort Tecumseh. The Confederacy has made every effort (short of war) to sabotage the fort, but has not yet succeeded. From Fort Lincoln, the Union has established smaller out posts across the main valley. In addition to its highly guarded research labs that experiment with the technology for ironclads (the advanced fighting suits it hopes to deploy against the rebels), the Union also owns mines, refineries, and oil wells scattered throughout the wilderness, which it resupplies with vehicle convoys. Dotted around New Savannah and the forts are countless ranches, farms, small towns, prospectors and their mines, hunting lodges, mills and other settlements. These vary in loyalty. Generally, the smaller the settlement, the less they care about politics. The many settlements with no strong loyalty to either Confederate or Union are called freetowns. There are as many freetowns as there are loyal towns. Freetowns usually lack a military, although they have sheriffs and plenty of settlers ready to take up arms to defend themselves. The larger freetowns actually have a “town square” complete with saloons, a post office, a bank, a hotel, a jail, a mill and a store or two, all surrounded by farms and ranches spreading over several miles. Smaller freetowns might be nothing more than a single building serving as combined saloon, hotel and store. New settlers see Cretasus as an untamed land full of possibilities. Anyone can have land of their own on Cretasus, provided they’re hardy enough to carve it out and defend it from the wilderness.
But life on Cretasus is rough, especially in the back country. Small farmers with their paltry acres, small ranchers with their tiny herds or independent prospectors with their gold pans, live and die based on the success of their labors. A bad crop means you can’t eat in the winter. If broncos get to your seed, you can’t plant next year. If raptors eat your stegosauruses, you have no meat to sell. If your diplodocus falls ill, you’ll be plowing the soil by hand. If outlaw dino rustlers steal your herd, you’re out of business. If a T-rex takes up residence nearby, you can’t get to your mine. It’s a rough life.
The Human Universe The Federal Union of Planets The unifying theme of human expansion since the early nineteenth century has been industry, and the Union continues that theme. With their discovery of the warp gates in the late twentyfirst century, Union colonial settlers first spread across t he known galaxies to establish mining and manufacturing operations. Today they continue this quest, expanding the Union to any planet on which they can find raw materials – including Cretasus. The Federal Union of Planets has, since its earliest days as t he United States of America, retained a clear vision of its role in maintaining peace between cultures. The Union has always considered itself a great melting pot, where people (and later aliens) of all backgrounds can join forces in the name of the greater good. The Union advocates strict representative democracy, human rights, free speech, free trade, prosperity through technology and uninterrupted human expansion. All of this is made possible through the great melting pot, which can theoretically merge dis parate cultures into a representative democracy that preserves their heritage while granting them unparalleled rights and opportunities. This grand vision has, unfortunately, not been implemented successfully. With the beginning of the space race, the Union’s adherence to its beliefs ran into a series of logistical snags. First, the Union’s centralized federal government has grown exponentially since the early twenty-first century. The beginning of the space race and the existence of far-flung planetary governments created the need for additional layers of government. As the Union expanded in space, the bureaucracy grew by leaps and bounds, but its honesty and effectiveness diminished. Many citizens lost their faith in the government’s ability to enforce its ideals. Second, colonists living on distant worlds developed priorities that were completely different from the comfortable citizens still living on Earth. The radical differences in lifestyle polarized political opinions, and huge demographic fractures emerged. The further the Union spread, the more difficult it became to keep to the essence of democracy. The former majority (regular citizens) became less and less powerful as the new minority (space travel-
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ers and colonists) grew, and this only fueled further resentment. Third, many of these and other disenchanted voter blocs chose to join the Confederacy. When the Union cracked down with martial law, this only exacerbated tensions elsewhere in the colonies. Finally, the Union’s treatment of newly discovered intelligent aliens was somewhat less than idealistic. Two alien species were completely exterminated by Union industrialists determined to strip-mine their home planets. Others were wiped out by diseases inadvertently transmitted by Union settlers. Most of the rest were “liberated” and forced into the Union democracy, no matter what their culture or traditions dictated. For these subjugated peoples, the great melting pot became a great jail cell. Through a combination of these factors and the ongoing civil war, the great Union ideals of the twenty-first century collapsed under the weight of insurmountable logistics. Corruption erupted in epidemic form, the spirit of idealism died and the self-serving ethics of capitalism reigned supreme. This, unfortunately, is the Federal Union of Planets today. All of Earth is now devoted to the federal bureaucracy. Congress meets there, and every major government agency has its headquarters there. The military is based on Earth, buttressed by a series of powerful outposts throughout the solar system. Thousands of planets are under Union control. The Union patrols hundreds of warp gates within its territory, fights regularly against aliens and warp pirates for control of hundreds more and meddles in the business of dozens of alien governments. It constantly sends forth more colonists to settle new planets. On a daily basis, its scientists invent new weapons, its military conquers new planets and its Congressmen grow ever richer. It battles the Confederacy on one front, the Free Fleet on another, and aliens and warp pirates on a third. The Federal Union of Planets is by far the largest force in the known universe. The Union’s technology, though superior to that of the Confederacy, is still primitive based on what one would expect in 2202. For instance, digital technology was never perfected in the universe of Broncosaurus Rex. The Union still uses cogs, wheels, levers, gears and other mechanical instruments to do its calculations, which limits the technology it can develop. Most of its weapons still use gunpowder, and it has yet to discover fasterthan-light travel. Intergalactic travel was only made possible by discovery of the warp gates – travel in normal space still occurs in slow, bulky, dangerous space shuttles. Nonetheless, the Union’s military is marked by highly accurate ballistic weapons, long-range sensors, mechanized vehicles, well-equipped regimented soldiers and its newly-developed ironclads, which promise to be the hallmark of the Union’s military might. The ironclads are bipedal exoskeletons that are piloted by a single human, whose strength is amplified a hundred fold. They are as mobile as infantry but carry the firepower and armor of a tank. The Union hopes they will help squash the Confederacy once and for all.
t r a u t S r e t l a W
The Confederacy The Confederate States of America fights for America as an ideal of liberty, not a geographic place. Led by dashing heroes (not politicians or bureaucrats), the Confederate member states shun the crass, “everything is for sale” attitude of the commercial and industrial Union. Instead, they prefer an aristocratic, paternalistic, agrarian lifestyle. Individualism and self-rule, liberty and independence, free will and hands-off governments are the marks of rebel lands. The Confederate way of life is clear in its galactic expansion strategy. Unlike the Union, which sought to settle and colonize barren hunks of galactic metal, the Confederacy focused on finding habitable planets that could support agrarian colonies. This widened the “manufacturing gap” in the Union’s favor, but it created two significant advantages for the Confederacy. First, each and every Confederate colony was totally self-sufficient and in a generally friendly environment. They could expand and reproduce quickly and were able to create their own regional armies within only a few generations. The Confederacy soon had mini-armies scattered all over the known universe, each independently commanded.
Second, it turned out that life everywhere preferred pretty much the same conditions. Many of the worlds targeted by the Confederacy for settlement already had at least one native, intelligent life form. Thanks to its great regard for national sovereignty and local government, the Confederacy treated these alien governments respectfully and usually earned their alliance, especially after the domineering, centralized Union made an appearance. The rebel military reflects the loose organization of the Confederacy. The central military organization is the largest single force, but it is still less than 15 percent of the total Confederate military might. The remainder is comprised of regional armies. Each planetary system has its own army, often allied with local life forms. These regional armies are armed and armored differently, and when they fight together it is usually as separate armies rather than as a centrally commanded force. The Confederate force on Cretasus is divided into four main armies. The Army of the New Dominion is directly descended from the forces of nineteenth century Virginia. It now comprises thousands of soldiers from dozens of worlds. It is the best equipped of all the armies, consisting primarily of first-rate military personnel from its constituent planets. The Army of Cretasus is a newly-formed division centered
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around its Dino Warriors and supported by infantry and cavalry. It has no real leader and exists more in name than in practice, as the Dino Warriors have not yet been formally organized. A number of charismatic heroes lead different groups of Di no Warriors, and the highly political process of integrating them under one leader has not yet been resolved. The Army of Solaris is a rag-tag force of many independent battalions from hundreds of independent planets. It was put together from volunteers from the many regions that have sent settlers to Cretasus. Five generals command its five divisions. The majority of the forces have formal military training, although there is a sprinkle of untrained home guard as well. Finally, the Grand Army of the Rebellion, commonly known as the Army of Dixie, is the least organized, but most enthusiastic of all. Made up mostly of volunteers, home guard and civilian guerrillas, it makes up for its lack of training and equipment with high morale, fighting spirit and no shortage of manpower. Confederate forces are led by legendary heroes. Their armies typically emphasize large numbers of infantry supported by cavalry riding horses, jet bikes or whatever steeds are native to the system — and since coming to Cretasus, those steeds happen to be dinosaurs. Cannons and artillery support are limited, and the Confederacy possesses only a small fraction of the tanks and armored vehicles owned by the Union.
they set out for the farthest place they can find. Once they get there, they look for a place to set up camp. Most offworlder settlements are founded on semi-habitable planets. If the settlers are lucky, they’ll find somewhere with an Earth-like atmosphere. More often than not, they don’t. (If the outer reaches were great vacation spots, they wouldn’t be unex plored!) But there are “oases” (so to speak) hidden amongst them. Offworlders live a primitive, survival-based existence. There are no amenities in the outer reaches, and technology inevitably decays, as there are no manufacturing plants to replace it. Within a few generations, most offworlder settlements are living as if they were in the middle ages. But many prospective settlers die long before they can add even one generation. A colony has only the resources its members bring with them. For instance, offworlders do not have fuel supplies, so there is little transportation between colonies. There is no trade, no visitors, and no help. An offworlder is on his own. Offworlders as a group are shy, taciturn, reclusive, suspicious of strangers, and usually very strange in general. In many cases, they have lived four or five generations with no contact with outsiders, and they have no connection to the politics of mainstream human civilization. They have lived on worlds that are completely different from where most humans live. They may have encountered aliens in their galactic-fringe homes that no other human has encountered. Adventurers from the outer reaches are rare because they The Outer Reaches have no means of transportation, no concept of the rest of the universe, and, unless they have exceptional astronomy skills, no way There is no region of space labeled “outer reaches.” Instead, to find home once they leave. The few adventurers from the outer it is a common term for the lonely fringes of explored space. reaches are usually from the inner fringes, where trade ships or the These are the planets, moons and asteroids that explorers found – Free Fleet occasionally passes by. These are the settlements where and decided they weren’t worth visiting again. The outer reaches contact is rare, but people are close enough that you can get to a exist at the border of all civilized lands. They are distant, isolated, crossroads with only a bit of trouble. primitive, ungoverned and unexplored. They also are uncivilized, but that doesn’t mean they’re not inhabited. Natives of the outer reaches are called offworlders. You must The Free Fleet have an unusual perspective on life to choose to live in the most out-of-the-way corners of the galaxy. As a result, offworlders are a combination of explorers, adventurers, cultists, convicts, freaks, The Free Fleet is a loose federation of wandering, independoutcasts, idealists, loners and wilderness men. ent city-ships. There are hundreds of city-ships organized into six Life on the outer reaches is a case study in social isolation. fleets. While there is a distinct character to each fleet (and even to Most offworlder settlements consist of a few families, if that. each ship within the fleet), a strong common identity unites them Contact with other humans, even other offworlders, is practically all. non-existent. After all, most offworlder colonies exist because the Each fleet is partially self-sufficient through its hydroponics residents want to be left alone. A few of the more habitable areas and livestock ships, but the majority of their income comes from of the outer reaches have attracted multiple colonies, and there are trading. By traveling constantly, the fleets are always assured a even a few closely grouped colonies that are collectively large source of interesting products; they pick up goods in one system, enough to call cities. These are few and far between, however. then sell them in the next. With their aimless and unpredictable Offworlder settlements develop when a family or group of itineraries, their inventories change based on which systems prefamilies grows tired of civilized life in the Union, Confederacy or ceded their arrival on any planet. Free Fleet. For whatever their reason, the settlers embark on a Because of their peripatetic nature, the fleets come into con journey to the outer reaches. There are no reliable maps of the tact with aliens on a more regular basis than any other human outer reaches, and most of those who settle there never return. As nation. At any given time, you are sure to find at least one of the a result, there is little information to guide prospective settlers. So free fleets traversing uncharted space.
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The Warp Gates
The war continued full force into the space race. In the late twentieth century, it was a rebel astronaut who made the first footsteps on the moon. Although the Union was industrially superior to the Confederacy, it lacked the adventurous spirit of the rebels. Richmond managed to build and launch Dixie 1 entirely on the basis of stolen technology and kidnapped scientists. The Dixie survived the trip, landed on the moon and ejected Lance Whittacre, who claimed the moon for the Confederacy. This success was the start of a streak, and the Confederacy was going strong for some time. It pushed back Union lines and expanded its Mexican alliance further into central America. As Confederate “Dixie-naughts” undertook several more trips to the moon, the Union began to fear military attacks from space. The Union quickly scrambled to launch its own space program. Because its military, industrial, and academic bases were far superior to the Confederacy’s, the Union caught up in no time. In fact, it was the Union that would discover the warp gates, the secret that revolutionized space travel. In the mean time, it raced the Confederacy to Mars. It was here that the War Between the States became the War Between The Planets. As both factions struggled to colonize the solar system, open warfare broke out on other planets, and casualties among space settlers became frighteningly high. The earliest colonies on Mars changed hands on a nearly weekly basis for several months, with open warfare blazing all around. But all this changed when the Union uncovered the warp gates.
There are thousands of known warp gates. If you have a good map, you can get to just about any inhabited point in the universe in less than a month – without ever going faster than light. Except for a few areas of the outer reaches, and some alien systems, the entire universe is connected by the warp gates. The most interesting warp gates are the twelve gates known as the Inchoate Gates. They are named for their connection to completely unidentifiable areas of physical space. Warp gates are mapped onto physical space by the stars visible when one appears there. This system is used because there is no direct correlation between warp space and natural space; you can’t measure distance in warp space to figure out how far you went in physical space. When explorers emerge from a newly discovered warp gate, they must examine the constellations to figure out where they are in physical space. The Inchoate Gates emerge into areas of physical space that can’t be mapped. Some of them are so far away from anything that no stars are visible — there is just black, empty space as far as can be seen. Others present visible constellations that don’t match any known star patterns. The two most important warp gates are Omega Gate and Alacion Portal. Omega Gate is the gate closest to Earth. As the most convenient centralized link to the core of the Federal government, it is an incredibly valuable natural resource. Moreover, with Earth as the single largest economic confluence in the uni- Galactic Expansion verse, Omega Gate attracts warp pirates like flies. The Union maintains a heavy guard on both sides of Omega Gate, not so The warp gates are naturally occurring passages between much to guard against an Earth invasion, but to guard against points of “normal” space. Warp gates have no distance, yet they attempts at taking over the portal itself. connect far-flung points instantly – you step through, and suddenAlacion Portal is the warp gate closest to Cretasus, and trav- ly you’re somewhere else. They are mysterious things because el from Alacion Portal to Cretasus takes only a few days. (The you cannot see them, you don’t know where they go and they’re next closest gate is a full two weeks away.) Alacion Portal is large not always there. The gates are only accessible with the approprienough to accommodate a great deal of traffic, which so far has ate technology, and even then they open and close on an unpre been sufficient to avoid conflict. When traffic reaches the point dictable basis. where the Union and Confederacy must compete for priority, While the Union first discovered the warp gates, it didn’t get however, you can be sure there will be a showdown. very far with them. The few explorers brave enough to step through them never seemed to return. As before, it took Confederate guts to exploit Union brains. Once again, the Confederacy used spies and kidnapped scientists to steal Union technology before undertaking an audacious The history of 2202 is not the history we know. Sherman’s plan. Buil ding and equip ping 100 small space ships , the march was repulsed long before he met Atlanta. Abraham Lincoln Confederacy randomly sent them through every warp gate it could was assassinated two years after the third battle at Gettysburg, and find. Each of the small ships had several families and enough prothe Emancipation Proclamation was never written. The slaves visions for one year. They were to establish colonies wherever were freed by Robert E. Lee, President of the Confederacy in they could find them, and, if possible, report on where the warp 1881, as a humanitarian move by a war-hardened general. The gate took them. The combined result would be a nominal map of Confederacy managed to repulse a Union invasion, but could the warp gates and a head start on the colony race. never launch a successful counter-attack. By the mid-twentieth The Union followed suit. Soon the pressure on local planets century, the situation was a stagnating cold war, albeit with open thinned as both sides fanned across the universe, although they combat on a regular basis. pursued two completely different strategies. The Union, focusing
A Short History of 2202
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on its industrial strengths, looked for mineral-rich asteroids and the same light source. Ships streamed forth from all across North planets; its mining colonies focused on producing raw materials America, stringing together in ever-tighter lines as they for export, and they depended on supplies from home for survival. approached the warp gates. Military vessels appeared in larger The Confederacy, on the other hand, set up self-sustaining clusters, sent forth to join the last stand. The remnants of the colonies with an agricultural focus. Its colonists reproduced rap- Confederate government abandoned their positions around idly, expanded their domains, and soon had miniature, self-suffi- Atlanta and, accompanied by a ragtag force of civilian freighters, cient agricultural cities all over the universe. desperately fought through the rapidly forming Union blockade. As the maps of the warp gates became more detailed, the The retreat was spearheaded by the Army of the New Confederacy devoted immense resources to winning the colony Dominion, the largest of the Confederate armies. Known by the race. Its fleet of spacecraft, although technically inferior, was soon nickname First Stand, for its inevitable position at the front of twice as large as the Union’s. every charge, the Army of the New Dominion led a massive stri ke This spaceward focus left both nations distracted from against Union forces all across the globe. This synchronized Earthly concerns. The Union realized this and exploited the attack at dozens of targets hit strategic points throughout Union Confederacy’s preoccupation. In 2134, Union forces launched a territory. Given the Union’s superior technology and their full offensive at Richmond. momentum in the recent war, the attack was a complete surprise. This was the first major assault in decades, and Richmond Tactically, it made little sense, because courageous as it was, First was completely unprepared. The Union managed to overrun the Stand was outnumbered, outgunned, and thinly supported. city, and terrestrial victory seemed close at hand. Both sides But one aspect of the attack did make sense – it was a diverreturned their focus to Earth, where bitter, bloody battles once sion. Led by General Beauchamp, First Stand’s feisty half-pint again raged across North America. leader, the army sustained heavy losses without disengaging. The Confederacy could not slow the Union’s momentum as Beauchamp’s troops succeeded in tying up most of the Union its lines were pushed farther southward. Because so much of the forces while Confederate freighters streamed forth unharmed. Confederacy’s investment had been directed toward spacecraft Yet the retreating forces were still in great danger, because and orbital defenses, it had little left to counter the Union’s there were far more Union troops than First Stand could occupy, ground-based weaponry. As the situation became more dire, the and Union patrols were soon thick in the sky. Many rebel space Confederate generals realized the end might be near. ports were blockaded, and hundreds of Confederate ships were shot down in the retreat’s first wave. But the Confederates were invigorated. After several years of The Great Exodus defensive war, they had the initiati ve. The ships converging on the warp gates were a virtual index to the Confederate populace; sleek The Confederate generals quickly devised a devilishly simply craft carried the aristocrats and landed gentry, rusted junkers plan. The Confederacy had now established nearly 300 self-suffihauled thousands of small farmers, powerful warships carried the cient colonies on habitable worlds, moons and planets, all within main forces and small, homely gunships carried the Home Guard, easy reach of known warp gates. Since the colonies were suffiwhich traveled close to civilian ships carrying their families. cient to support almost the entire Confederate civilian population Hulking freighters lugged supplies and equipment. Livestock of (for a while, at least), couldn’t the rebels retreat to the stars? every known variety whinnied from the great arks trailing behind. The entire Confederate population would form hundreds of An entire way of life was packed into one enormous convoy headsmall fleets, with each fleet traveling to a colony. Some citizens ed for the stars. would stay on, while the rest refueled and journeyed even further. When they left the colony, their numbers would be thinned – but still the rebel ships would have enough passengers to found more Divergent Goals colonies. Each new colony would be like a bread crumb dropped along the trail of galactic colonization. The Confederacy was soon a true confederacy: a coalition The Confederacy’s investment in space paid off. As the comprised of hundreds of decentralized nations scattered across Union crashed through city after city back on Earth, the rebels the universe. Some systems supported hundreds of thousands of readied their spaceships. On a cold day in 2136, the world shook settlers scattered across many worlds, while other systems could as thousands of Confederate spaceships lifted off simultaneously. barely support a thousand people. Cities popped up in the more The entire Confederate fleet retreated from Earth. Every vessel habitable areas, and the panic of the retreat was soon replaced by that was even remotely spaceworthy had been commandeered and the tedium of rebuilding. retrofitted for an extended voyage. The Confederacy’s fleet The Confederacy adapted to its alien planets. On most, the included every kind of vehicle imaginable – from the newest cor- ground was planted with exported Earth seeds, but on many, alien sairs to aging barges welded haphazardly onto warp drives. beasts were harnessed to help sow crops of extraterrestrial origin. Thus was born the Great Exodus. The retreating Confederate In 2145, Confederate colonists in the Scray system became the convoy was like millions of moths converging from the dark onto first humans to make contact with intelligent alien life, and other
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contact soon followed. the Confederacy wanted agriculture, so the war was basically Regional governments formed, and a loose centralized organ- stalemated. As the Union had Earth, and the Confederacy had the ization slowly prevailed. The way of life remained markedly sim- stars, open hostilities for the most part died down. However, a forilar to what it had been on Earth: small settlements focused on mal peace treaty was never signed. agriculture. Unlike nineteenth century Earth, however, there was In the past, the Union’s competition with the Confederacy no hint of the slavery that had stained the earliest days of the had limited its role as world leader, but now it was left unopposed. Confederacy – all people were citizens, and all citizens were The Union slowly expanded its democratic and economic hegeequal. The staggering strangeness of the extra-terrestrial lifestyle mony. only reinforced the common link of human-ness. After instigating the North American trade zone, the Union The warp gates and forced exodus had an unusual effect on forced a merger of the North American and European trade zones. technological evolution as well. Humanity leapfrogged over some The new union, to be called the Federal Union of Nations, “invittechnologies that we know of. Neither the Union nor the ed” other countries to join in this one new super-economy. Several Confederacy discovered the atomic bomb. With the warp gates to invitees refused, including China, England, and France, and a facilitate interplanetary voyages, neither side developed faster- series of devastating wars ensued. than-light travel. Many spacecraft looked more like the lumbering As with the Confederacy, the dissident nations were forced ships of the 1800’s than the sleek craft one would expect. off the planet, and in the course of the retreat their national govThe Confederacy’s agricultural bent further impeded its tech- ernments were splintered forever. The resulting fleet of refugee nological progress, however. The Union’s strong industrial and ships became a quasi-nation of its own, and eventually formally academic establishment rapidly outpaced t he Confederacy. By the declared itself the Free Fleet. mid-2100’s, this left rebel soldiers using traditional ballistic techBut the Union’s manifest destiny knew no limits. The nology, while the Union tentatively deployed the first laser rifles. Confederacy’s successful diaspora still rankled its sense of might. When the great exodus fragmented Confederate society, the tech- Now that it had Earth, it hoped to conquer the stars. nology gap was further aggravated as everyday Union technology Using technology acquired from the alien Scray, as well as its advanced decades ahead of the Confederacy’s. own research, the Union developed bipedal walking tanks it called With the Confederacy gone, the Union was left in sole pos- ironclads. With the mobility of an infantryman and the firepower session of most of North America. With half the continent now of a tank, each ironclad is a match for two conventional tanks, or abandoned, the Union experienced the heady days of frontier four of the Confederacy’s aging vehicles. Using the i ronclads, the expansion all over again. It transformed the Confederacy’s gilded Union believes it can crush the Confederacy once and for all. It plains of wheat into endless mining and manufacturing opera- hopes to deploy them soon. Cretasus, the Confederacy’s greatest tions, churning out new industries faster than ever before. hope, serves as its final testing ground. Although the Union continued its space exploration, the difThat is the state of the universe in 2202. The Free Fleet wanfering Confederate and Union philosophies on settlement left ders the galaxy, the Confederacy nurtures its scattered colonies, them pursuing different planets – the Union wanted industry, and and the Union prepares for war.
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Chapter II: Character Creation places of origin should there be a conflict, but even then, there are ways to bring the characters together. Family: The Civil War split many families. When the Union Player characters in Broncosaurus Rex are always human. forced the Confederacy from Earth, still more were split . Blood is Even though the universe of 2202 contains several known alien stronger than politics (usually), and characters of opposite origins races and the intelligent dinosaurs of Cretasus, these non-human could be cousins, siblings, or even parent and child. They will still species are not eligible to be player characters. quarrel about their beliefs, of course, but they love each other Yet the place where a human adventurer is raised can have a nonetheless. strong influence on her physical and mental abilities, what techAgree to Disagree: Two lawful characters of opposing orinology she finds available, what class she tends toward and why gins may disagree on politics, but a personal bond may override she chooses to adventure. that. The characters may get along personably, or simply have a While there are four common places of origin, the universe is hard time finding others to adventure with. Adventurers are vast, and there are actually many more places to come from. There unusual people, after all – they pursue danger and risk. There are endless uncharted areas; specialized environments on alien aren’t many regular people who understand that mentality. worlds produce heretofore unseen adaptations; and unexplored planets hold the promise of new discoveries. But many of the Common Traits known planets are colonized by societies homogeneous to their sister worlds, and only a few alien worlds are so unusual as to proAll human adventurers share these common traits: duce a significantly different kind of human. Thus, the majority of the known human galaxy is categorized into four common places • Medium-size of origin. They are: • Base speed of 30 feet
Place of Origin
• The Confederacy • The Federal Union of Planets • The Free Fleet • Offworlders
Conflicting Places of Origin Players building their adventuring party may discover that they have chosen character backgrounds that don’t lend themselves to cooperation. For example, one player may have a Union character, while another may have a Confederate character. This may cause friction between the characters, but it does not have to. Place of origin isn’t necessarily the same as beliefs. There are three ways to work contrary backgrounds into a cooperative adventuring party. Alignment: Even though a character is from the Confederacy, he may not be staunchly loyal to the Confederacy. Characters of neutral alignment are willing to work with those with different allegiances, even though they may disagree with their beliefs. Chaotic characters are not particularly loyal in the first place, and have no objections to adventuring with “the enemy.” Only when you have two lawful characters from opposed
The extra feat and skill points given to humans do not apply to human player characters in Broncosaurus Rex.
The Confederacy Confederates are headstrong, daring, self-sufficient people accustomed to rural life. They are comfortable with animals and the wilderness. They are usually from small, self-sufficient colonies on far-flung worlds, so they learn early on to be entirely self-reliant. Personality: Confederates are very sociable, but generally suspicious of outsiders. It takes them a long time to befriend newcomers, and they are forever ill at ease in cities and other places with large groups of unfamiliar people. They tend to be civil yet taciturn at first, but polite, tactful, genteel and gracious once you get to know them. Relations: Confederates generally want to be left alone. Most Confederate adventurers don’t mind working with Union sympathizers as long as the bluecoats mind their own business. Some Confederates, however, still bear a solemn hatred of Sherman and Grant, and they refuse to set foot in the same room as a bluecoat. It depends on the individual. Most Confederates are impartial
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towards the Free Fleet and offworlders. most tactful Union citizen will probably rub a Confederate the Alignment: Confederates tend toward neutral alignments, wrong way at some point. with some chaotics. Their revolutionary past makes lawfuls rare. Alignment: Union citizens tend toward lawful alignments, The Confederacy has no home base. with some neutrals. Confederate Lands: Rather, it has dozens of civilized planets, and nearly a thousand Union Lands: The Union is based on Earth. Much of the more settlements on distant worlds. Confederate societies are planet has been turned over to government, military and adminisalmost always agriculturally based, with many small businesses trative uses, with the population concentrated in massive, superand very few large organizations. urban areas that span hundreds of miles. On other planets, the Technology: The Confederacy is not a place of great tech- population is equally dense. The cities are vast, teeming with life nology. There are few universities and even fewer researchers. and heavily stratified. Large tracts of destitute squalor surround Most agricultural labor involves beasts of burden, not machines. small areas of prosperity, while manufacturing and industrial disInterplanetary travel takes place on aging or antique vessels, and tricts ring the cities. Union off-planet settlements tend to be minwarfare often emphasizes the more “noble” weapons of the past – ing colonies, zero-G manufacturing bases and research facilities. such as swords and bows – which are fine for hunting wild game, Technology: The Union is the heart of technological progress but usually out of place in interplanetary warfare. The little for the human galaxy. Its scientists, researchers, analysts and techadvanced technology that the Confederacy does possess was nicians are the envy of the universe. Because they are more acquired from the Union via black market channels. advanced even than some alien races, technology is readily availLanguage: Confederates speak Common, as well as the able to Union characters. many local dialects that have evolved in the distant settlements. Language: Union citizens speak Common. Adventurers: The confederacy still retains a strong sense of Adventurers: Union adventurers are often overachievers or romance and chivalry. Many confederate adventurers are motivat- underachievers. The overachievers feel boxed in by the cit ies, and ed by wealth and fame, a sense of accomplishment and untamed can’t find the freedom to make a name for themselves in corpofrontiers. Others want nothing more than glory and the chance to rate or scientific life. The underachievers don’t have the intelleccome home a worldly hero. tual ability or interest to succeed in such a technically-focused society, or simply can’t stand the confines of society and the cities. CONFEDERATE TRAITS • 1 extra feat at first level, because the Confederacy is a place of daring individualism and reckless heroes. UNION TRAITS • Proficient with manual weapons. • Proficient with ballistic weapons. • Difficult access to high-tech weapons. • Easy access to high-tech weapons. • Start with a free heirloom weapon. • 4 extra skill points at first level, due to a rigorous educational • +1 racial bonus in Animal Empathy, Handle Animal and Ride system. checks, thanks to their rural background. • +1 racial bonus to Intelligence, due to the advanced universities • Automatic Languages: Common; local dialect. of the Union. • Favored Class: Soldier. Every Confederate is trained in the ways • +1 racial bonus to Use Technical Equipment checks. of war from childhood. A military life is considered an honorable • Union Soldiers and Machinists may take the class skill Operate way to make a name for oneself. Ironclad. They are the only characters for whom this is a class skill. • Automatic Languages: Common. The Federal Union of Planets • Favored Class: Machinist. Citizens of the Federal Union of Planets are cosmopolitan, educated residents of some of the universe’s greatest cities. They are schooled from birth in manufacturing, commerce, and science. They value democracy and equality, and are known for the amazing technology they produce. Personality: Union citizens are used to life in the big city. Their gregarious and friendly interaction with strangers in no way mutes their natural suspicion. They speak their mind, don’t beat around the bush and value honesty over diplomacy. Relations: Union citizens tend to be haughty and self-confident when interacting with other people. They view Confederates as uneducated hillbillies who don’t know any better, and they have a similar view of the Free Fleet and offworlders. Even the
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The Free Fleet Natives of the Free Fleet – or Freemen, as they call themselves – are nomads, ready to leave a place almost as soon as they have arrived. Since their expulsion from Earth in the twenty-first century, they have claimed no home system. Instead, they wander endlessly, and most Freemen make their living now as itinerant traders. Personality: Freemen are reckless, adventurous souls. They are neither reliable nor predictable. They do not depend on clocks, take life one day at a time and expect nothing more of a day than whatever may come their way.
Freemen make their living as traders. Their constant travel brings them into contact with an endless variety of goods. They buy in one system, then sell in the next. They have a reputation for being the kind of traders whose gift horse you should look in the mouth – “buyer beware” is especially true when dealing with Freemen. In combat, Freemen focus on hit-and-run attacks. They use their maneuverability to outflank opponents, deliver one or two well-aimed blows and retreat before retaliation can occur. Relations: In the late twenty-first century, the European and North American trade zones combined into the Federal Union of Nations. This Union then tried to annex the areas around its borders. Several nations refused to join – including China, England, and France – and a series of devastating wars followed. During the wars and after the Union won, wave after wave of refugees left Earth. Some joined the Confederacy, some became independent and others formed the Free Fleet. Thus, the Free Fleet was formed in direct response to Union aggression, and the Freemen have never forgotten this. They are openly hostile toward Union sympathizers, even more so than most Confederates. The Confederates wanted independence, after all, while the Free Fleet was forced into it. However, Freemen will hide their hatred if there is something to gain from it. They are born traders, and will gladly trade with the Union if it’s good for them. Freemen feel no particular kindness for the Confederacy, other than the fraternity of a shared enemy. Alignment: Freemen tend toward neutrality. The Free Fleet City-Ships: The Free Fleet has six separate fleets, each composed of anywhere from fifty to one hundred cityships. Each city-ship is a vast spaceship, from five to twenty miles across, in which hundreds of thousands of freemen dwell. Many of the larger city-ships are built on foundations of asteroids or small moons. The city-ships run the gamut of urban landscapes, but unlike the sprawling metropolises of the Union, there is little poverty. Each city-ship is run by a central government entrusted with providing the bare necessities to all inhabitants. The individual governments range in attitude from laissez-faire to absolute autocrats. The fleets themselves drift through space, traveling from system to system, in search of trade, food, raw materials and occasionally the spoils of war. Since their travel brings them into frequent contact with aliens, the average Freeman will have more exposure to alien life than even the most traveled Union citizen. The Free Fleet’s basic mode of existence – aimless wandering – is designed to avoid the sort of war that it faced on Earth in the previous century. In most cases, a fleet will flee rather than engage in direct combat. Nonetheless, the fleets will never miss the chance to attack a Union force if the odds are in their favor. Occasionally two or three of the fleets will join forces when they are nearby or in need of aid. In times of great distress the six fleets will converge into one massive fleet, but this is rare. Technology: The Free Fleet is somewhere between the Union and Confederacy in terms of technology. Its own technological
advancement was forced upon it by the need to maintain its cityships. It has not reached the level of the Union, but has easy access to Union and alien technology due to its vast trade network. Language: Freemen speak Common, as well as Anglit, the language of the Free Fleet. Thanks to their travels, they are often well-versed in the local dialects of the Confederate settlements. Adventurers: Adventuring is a part of life in the Free Fleet. New planets are routinely encountered, and at any given time, at least one of the six fleets is exploring uncharted areas of the galaxy. Since Freemen take naturally to adventuring, they need not have any specific goal – adventuring for a Freeman is like getting a regular job for a Union citizen. FREEMEN TRAITS • +2 racial bonus in Appraise and Knowledge (any area) checks, thanks to their background as itinerant traders. • Moderate access to high-tech weapons. • +1 racial bonus to Dexterity. Each Freeman must serve in his city-ship’s local army for at least two years, and be in the reserves thereafter. The focus of this military training is mobility and maneuverability. • Automatic Languages: Common; Anglit; one local dialect. • Favored Class: Two-fisters. The Free Fleet has no “safe port” and is always at risk. Most of the fleets lack the dedicated training to produce soldiers, but the entire population has army training and the reserves are prepared for war at any time. The typical Freeman is always ready to get in a fight.
Offworlders Offworlder is a general term for the denizens of the far-flung reaches of the universe. They typically hail from the area known as the outer reaches – the distant corners, uncivilized planets and unexplored moons of the very edges of known space. In many cases, offworlders are independent pioneers with no particular loyalty to any greater politics. Some are recent expatriates from the Confederacy, Union or Free Fleet, while others left long ago. They are rugged, independent people who live hard, lonely lives – and like it that way. Personality: Offworlders are usually from family groups or, at best, tribes of several families. They have little contact with other people, and are always working to keep the wilderness at bay. They are gruff, stern, shy and violent. Relations: Offworlders have no particular likes or dislikes. They are often so far removed from the rest of human society that they have no sense of politics. To an offworlder whose family has lived on an asteroid belt for four generations, the Confederacy means nothing. The only time an offworlder will have preconceptions about other factions is if his parents are recent expatriates, or if he has somehow encountered that faction in his distant home. Alignment: Offworlders can have any alignment. There are lawful offworlders who view their family groups as the only way
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to survive in the wilds of space. There are chaotic offworlders who left society because they preferred the solitude of the outer reaches. There are good offworlders who left to establish a better society, and evil offworlders who were banned from their homeworlds. Offworlder Lands: Offworlders populate every variety of planet known to humanity. The only unifying theme to their settlements is self-sustainability: the outer reaches are so distant that all offworlders must be able to support themselves solely on what they themselves can produce. Technology: Offworlder technology is the remnants of whatever they took with them. Their devices are usually in disrepair and precariously maintained, if they still work at all. Language: Recently arrived offworlders still speak Common. Offworlders who have been in place for generations usually speak a local dialect based on Common. Adventurers: Offworlders adventure for two primary reasons. Some want to find a life that is easier than the hard, toilsome, lonely existence they know in the outer reaches. Others, naturally adventurous by inclination, choose to leave for the same reason they originally became offworlders – they are bored or listless, and crave a chance of scenery. OFFWORLDER TRAITS • +1 racial bonus to Constitution and Strength due to the rough life and extreme environments in the outer reaches. • -1 racial penalty to Charisma to reflect their shy, reclusive personality. • -1 racial penalty to Intelligence to reflect the dearth of educational opportunities in the outer reaches. • Very difficult access to high-tech weapons. • +2 racial bonus in Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore checks. • Automatic Languages: Common or local dialect. • Favored Class: None. Offworlders have such small societies and so little contact with other humans that they rarely develop vocations other than those needed to maintain the bare necessities of life.
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New Character Classes Cretasus has opened new doors for anyone brave enough to make a new life there. There is agricultural bounty, mineral wealth, natural beauty, taxidermic fortune, exotic livestock, new societies and alien civilizations. An adventurer in search of such temptations invariably chooses a vocation best suited to his goals. This vocation is the adventurer’s class. The adventuring life on Cretasus is very different from that of a magical fantasy world. As such, the “standard” classes are unavailable to Broncosaurus Rex characters. Instead, we present six new classes. Bronco Rider: A bronco rider is a new kind of warrior, raised only on Cretasus, trained to fight with his dinosaur mounts and herds. Machinist: A machinist is a scientist, technician and mechanic who finds his success through technology and invention. Soldier: The soldier is a professional warrior schooled in weapons, tactics and equipment. Spy: The spy is a secret agent working for a larger cause. Two-fister: A two-fister is an untrained warrior, such as a mercenary, home guard, self-taught adventurer, member of the local militia or warp pirate. Wild One: A wild one has left human society to live amongst the dinosaurs.
Bronco Rider Bronco riders train, herd and ride dinosaurs. Some bronco riders are daredevil roughnecks who have tamed their own T-rex. Others hire on with ranchers, herding vast throngs of three- and five-horned broncos across the plains. The most famous bronco riders are the Dino Warriors, the fearless new additions to the Confederate military. Bronco riders are a class unique to Cretasus. All bronco riders feel the call of prehistory in their blood. For their own individual reasons, they have converged on Cretasus, where they now form the elite vanguard in a rapidly evolving society. Adventures: Bronco riders have no trouble finding adventures. An aspiring bronco rider must make it to Cretasus, then learn how to ride a dinosaur. That in itself is quite a task. Some seek out mentors or hire on as ranch hands, while others take to the wilderness with a rifle in one hand and a lasso in the other. An experienced bronco rider can become involved in the business of dinosaurs. Some set up their own ranches, farms or hatcheries. Others hire on with safari hunters or convoy guards. A few decide to start families or found settlements, sometimes in close proximity to a dinosaur tribe they have allied with. Especially skilled bronco riders may be recruited by their military or, in some rare cases, by the dinosaur tribes themselves. The apex of a bronco rider’s career is to be recruited as a Dino Warrior.
Characteristics: Bronco riders are tough men and women mounts. Dexterity is also important for riding skills. Wisdom who like to work with their hands. They are comfortable around comes in handy when the bronco rider is in the wilderness. animals, sometimes more so than around other people. They like Alignment: Any. to be outside, don’t mind sleeping in the saddle every now and Hit die: d8. then, and rarely get lonely. You can often tell a bronco rider’s mount by the rider’s looks Class Skills and disposition. It takes a lot of muscle to control the biggest mounts – such as triceratops and T-rex – and their riders are often The bronco rider’s class skills (and the key ability for each hulking, powerful men. The smaller and lankier bronco riders usu- skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), ally work as herders, or deal with the more intelligent species. Handle Animal (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (nature, Alignment: Bronco riders can be of any alignment. You’ll Int), Ride (Dex), Wilderness Lore (Wis). find both mean and kind riders working with herbivores, but you Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4. will not find many nice guys working with the carnivores. It takes Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier. a startling degree of brutality to train a T-rex. Even if you work with a T-rex that someone else trained, you have to be a rigid dis- Class Features ciplinarian to keep it in check. All of the following are class features of the bronco rider. Background: Bronco riders share a common occupation, not a common past. They come from all over the universe, from all Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A bronco rider is profinations, from all planets and from all backgrounds. cient with manual weapons, ballistic weapons and light armor. Mounted Feats: Bronco riders are experts at mounted comBronco riders have always felt the call of the frontier. They often experience an unexplained yearning for Cretasus the bat. A first level bronco rider automatically begins with the moment they first hear of it. It’s as if something appeals to them mounted combat feat; this is a natural talent he was born with. – something about the natural, untamed wilderness, and the savAs the bronco rider advances, he gains bonus feats, as indiage life of the dinosaurs. Somehow, Cretasus is in their blood. cated on Table 2-1: The Bronco Rider. At each level where he is Places of Origin: Confederates take naturally to becoming eligible, the character may choose from one of these feats: bronco riders, given their agricultural homeworlds and experience Mounted Archery; Ride-by Attack; Trample; and Spirited Charge. with animals. Most bronco riders hail from Confederate backThese feats are in addition to the extra feats that a character grounds. Offworlders make up the second largest group of bronco of any class gets every three levels. riders, while Union and Free Fleet bronco riders are both equally rare. Once a bronco rider has made the Table 2-1: The Bronco Rider journey to Cretasus, however, place of Base Fort Ref Will Mounted origin is unimportant – bronco riders Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Feats are part of a new culture where old 1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Mounted Combat allegiances aren’t as important as they 2 +1 +0 +3 +0 Bonus Mounted Feat once were. 3 +1 +1 +3 +1 Other Classes: Bronco riders are 4 +2 +1 +4 +1 Bonus Mounted Feat independent, self-reliant types. They 5 +2 +1 +4 +1 respect the street smarts of two-fisters 6 +3 +2 +5 +2 Bonus Mounted Feat more than the ranged combat of the 7 +3 +2 +5 +2 soldier. They have no need for the 8 +4 +2 +6 +2 Bonus Mounted Feat book learnin’ of the machinists, and 9 +4 +3 +6 +3 they have mixed attitudes toward wild 10 +5 +3 +7 +3 ones: some understand the appeal, 11 +5 +3 +7 +3 while others consider them insane. 12 +6/+1 +4 +8 +4 GAME RULE INFORMATION
Bronco riders have the following game statistics. Abilities: Bronco riders must be able to work with their mounts. Charisma is important for this, as is Strength when it comes to larger
20
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
+6/+1 +7/+2 +7/+2 +8/+3 +8/+3 +9/+4 +9/+4 +10/+5
+4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
+8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12
+4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
Prehistoric Companion: First level bronco riders start with pragmatic. Others quest for alien artifacts to advance their own a prehistoric animal companion. Just as maverick cowboys in the studies, while some pursue great fortunes that they can invest in wild west frequently kept wolves as pets, many bronco riders keep extensive research of a favored subject. protosuchus. A bronco rider can select an edaphosaurus, ornitCharacteristics: Although years of tinkering makes some holestes or protosuchus as his companion (other companions are machinists strong and dexterous, most are out of shape, inexperi permissible with GM approval). The companion interacts with the enced with weapons (except those they invented) and near-sight bronco rider in the same way a modern dog relates to its master. ed. They carry tools instead of guns, and they don’t wear armor, Dinosaur Mount: Bronco riders receive a bonus equal to unless it is energy field armor which doesn’t interfere with their their level to all Handle Animal checks involving prehistoric ani- tinkering. The machinist is often the last person you would expect mals. This bonus is in addition to any other bonuses, including to find adventuring… until he pulls out a quirky device that disinranks in Handle Animal. tegrates a T-rex with the press of a button. Then the importance of Experienced bronco riders keep stables filled with their the machinist becomes clear. Alignment: Machinists consider ideas, theories and the truth mounts. These stables serve as living trophy halls, evidence of the bronco rider’s prowess at taming nature’s wildest beasts. to be more important than human organizations. Lawful machinFirst level characters, however, are too inexperienced to have ists are very rare, while chaotics are common. a mount of their own. If they’re hired on as ranch hands, they ride Background: A machinist is driven by a thirst for knowledge the mounts of their employers. Only if they’re adventurers – as and its applications. Becoming a machinist requires many years of most characters are – will they have to acquire a mount. There are schooling. Aside from learning the basics of several fields of scithree ways to do this: buy a domesticated mount; raise a dinosaur ence, the machinist also must learn how to operate most basic from birth; or set out into the wilderness, capture a wild dinosaur equipment. In civilian or military life, a professional machinist and train it. Any one of these options is an adventure in itself. spends his time repairing and maintaining equipment. Senior or accomplished machinists are expected to adapt new discoveries
Machinist Also known as gearsmiths or coglayers, the machinists are practical scientists. They spend half their time pursuing knowledge, and the other half putting that knowledge into practice. They are tinkerers and inventors, with a knowledge base that includes chemistry, physics, mechanics and biology. The general scientific ignorance of 2202 makes machinists coveted adventuring partners. Even in the Union, the most technologically advanced human nation, the majority of the population does not understand common technologies. Moreover, imported alien inventions dwarf even the most advanced human creations. Machinists are the technological elite, those who can understand, maintain, repair and create the everyday technologies of 2202. The Union, Confederacy and Free Fleet are at very different levels of technological advancement, and the machinists from each group reflect this. The Union machinists are the most advanced, but their knowledge plateaus long before that of certain alien races. The Confederacy has never placed much emphasis on science, and as a result has very few accomplished machinists. The Free Fleet lies somewhere in the middle: Technology is not its strength, but so much time in close proximity to advanced alien races gives it access to advanced technology that it can use, if not understand. Adventures: Machinists must be carefully distinguished from scientists. While scientists are the academic researchers who discover knowledge, machinists are the practical souls who turn this knowledge into useful things. Many machinists are driven to adventure by the desire to prove the usefulness of their inventions. They want to take abstract knowledge and turn it into something
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into practical uses, or create entirely new technology on their own. As adventurers, machinists are expected to do all of this and provide weaponry and equipment as well. Places of Origin: Machinists find a great deal of support in the Union, with its established educational system and respect for science. In the Confederacy, however, technology is not so respected, and Confederate machinists are usually involved with military research. Machinists from the Free Fleet and outer reaches acquire their knowledge through a mentor or self-study. Other Classes: Machinists don’t pay much attention to other classes. They just want to be left alone so they can work. GAME RULE INFORMATION
Machinists have the following game statistics. Abilities: Machinists must be able to understand complex theories, repair practical devices and create technologically advanced machines. Intelligence and Dexterity are their two most important abilities. Alignment: Any non-lawful. Hit Die: d4 Class Skills
express scientific sophistication, so they compete to build the most effective weaponry. They are constantly tinkering, adding new capabilities and refining existing functions. A customized weapon can add to the machinist’s attack bonus or cause additional damage. As a starting point, each custom feature gives a +1 enhancement bonus to attack or damage. The num ber of custom features that a machinist can implement is determined by his level. A first level machinist begins with one custom feature, plus one additional feature for each point of Int modifier. At each level thereafter, the machinist can add one new custom feature. It can be added to an already customized weapon, or be used to customize an unmodified weapon. Table 2-2, The Machinist, tells the maximum customization bonus at each level. For example: Babcock is a first level machinist. His Intelligence is 15, giving him a +2 modifier. At first level, he can have three customizations. He customizes his laser pistol to give him a +3 attack bonus. When he reaches second level, he further modifies the laser pistol to give him an additional +1. His total bonus is now +4. When he reaches third level, he customizes a laser rifle to give +1 damage. His total bonus is now +5 (+3 for his level and +2 for his Int modifier). At first level, the machinist starts with any customizations to his weapons. At future levels, it takes two weeks of work to add each additional customization. After a decision is made as to the nature of a customization, it is possible to go back and convert one sort of bonus to another, but it requires extensive work. To convert an attack bonus to a damage bonus, for example, would require modifying the sight and targeting system, and researching upgrad-
The machinist’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Chemistry (Int), Concentration (Int), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Drive (Dex), Knowledge (science or technology, Int), Pilot (Int), Profession (any relating to technology or engineering, Int), Repair Device (Dex), Use Technical Equipment (Int). Table 2-2: The Machinist Additionally, Union machinists Base (and only Union machinists) may Level Attack Bonus take Operate Ironclad (Dex). 1 +0 Skill Points at 1st level: (6 + 2 +1 Int modifier) x 4. 3 +1 Skill Points at Each 4 +2 Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier. Class Features
All of the following are class features of the machinist. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A machinist is only proficient with high-tech and alien weapons. Machinists are only proficient with energy field armor. Understanding of Technology: A machinist has the ability to decipher unusual technology. He adds his level to the maximum tech level that he can understand. Custom Weapons: Most machinists believe their creations
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5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6/+1 +6/+1 +7/+2 +7/+2 +8/+3 +8/+3 +9/+4 +9/+4 +10/+5
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
+1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12
Max. Custom. Bonus
+1 + Int modifier +2 + Int modifier +3 + Int modifier +4 + Int modifier +5 + Int modifier +6 + Int modifier +7 + Int modifier +8 + Int modifier +9 + Int modifier +10 + Int modifier +11 + Int modifier +12 + Int modifier +13 + Int modifier +14 + Int modifier +15 + Int modifier +16 + Int modifier +17 + Int modifier +18 + Int modifier +19 + Int modifier +20 + Int modifier
Function
Change
Bonus Equivalent
Weight Range Critical Critical Area Effect Rate of Fire
Reduce weight by 50 percent Increase range increment by 50 percent Increase threat by one (e.g., 20 to 19-20) Increase crit multiplier by one (e.g., x2 to x3) Increase area effect radius by 50 percent Add one extra attack per round
+1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +2
ed ammunition. Conversion takes one month for each point of transferred modification. Changing a +2 attack bonus to a +2 damage bonus, for example, would take two months. Instead of applying an attack or damage bonus, the machinist may attempt some other sort of modification. This could include the range, the area effect, the rate of fire, or, in theory, anything else. On the table above are some rough guidelines for custom weapons. The “Bonus Equivalent” is what level of customization bonus is necessary to create the custom weapon. Some kinds of weapons may not be amenable to certain kinds of modification. Your game master has the final word. The customization bonus applies only when using the customized weapon. Only the machinist receives the bonus when using that weapon, as only he understands how to work the customized weapon. The bonus represents the machinist’s level of engineering ability, as well as the powers of his customized weapon. The custom weapons require constant maintenance. For this reason, a machinist cannot construct custom weapons that he then passes on to his friends for their use. If the machinist attempts to customize more weapons than his abilities allow, he will not be able to provide upkeep on the weapons. Those bonuses in excess of his level will cease to apply. Furthermore, all of his customized weapons will malfunction, and repairs will take one week per weapon. If a custom weapon is destroyed or lost, the machinist can customize another weapon or a replacement. Devices. The machinist also can custom build devices. Devices range in complexity from simple (such as a radio) to moderate (such as a whiner, which emits subsonic frequencies that dinosaurs hate) to extremely difficult (such as a spibot, a spiderlike robot that maps terrain as it traverses it). Each device has a tech level associated with it. A machinist can only build a device equal to or less than his level. Building a device takes one week per tech level. The components cost $10 for tech level 1, $20 for tech level 2, $40 for tech level 3, $80 for tech level 4, and so on. Building devices is different from maintaining devices. There is no limit to the number of devices a machinist can build (although the complexity depends on the machinist ’s level). There is a limit, however, to the number that he can maintain at once. The machinist can only maintain a number of devices whose total tech levels are equal to or less than his level. If he tries to maintain more, each device has a 50 percent chance per day of malfunctioning. It is permissible to build many devices, but only
activate some of them at any given time. In this way, the machinist can own many devices, but not have to maintain them all at once. There are no restrictions on deactivating or disassembling existing devices to make room for new ones. Many high-level machinists have rooms full of devices, but only activate those they need for an adventure. The machinist can select his devices from those listed in the chapter on equipment. He can build any sort of equipment, as well as any of the devices listed there. With the game master ’s permission, he also may custom build devices to accomplish specific functions.
Soldier A soldier is a proud, disciplined warrior. He is trained in the use of all common armor and weaponry, familiar with most basic equip ment, and schooled in tactics and strategy. The soldier’s basic fighting ability, as well as his talent at leading and coordinating attacks, is invaluable in most adventuring parties. This degree of military expertise is commonly available only in the Confederate or Union military, and thus most soldiers have served in one or the other. There are few other places to acquire the rigorous training to become a soldier, though some societies in the Free Fleet have been known to do so, as well as cer g n o tain private armies W in the Union. d i v An adventurer of a D the soldier class is typically a recent veteran, having
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chosen to discharge his formal duties for a life of recklessness. Even when he has left his formal military life, though, he carries with him the discipline and focus to become an even better soldier. Adventures: The kind of person who becomes a soldier is usually perfectly suited to adventuring. Soldiers appreciate challenge, conflict, risk, excitement and success. Many soldiers continue adventuring after their career ends, simply for the excitement and rewards. Others, who spent their careers in out-of-theway systems and obscure posts, become adventurers because it provides the excitement they didn’t get in the military. Other soldiers become adventurers as a result of their service. Some soldiers grow tired of fighti ng for generals they don’t know or ideals they don’t identify with. They adventure to fight for something they care about – often themselves, but sometimes the cause or ideal that provoked them to service in the first place. Others are so shaken by their war-time experiences that they can never return to mainstream society. Characteristics: The soldier is a trained warrior. Soldiers do not necessarily fight out of a personal lust for violence or power (although that is sometimes the case). Rather, they treat combat as a vocation, a way to make a living, that has its own set of rules and standards. They usually fight for a greater goal: the safety of their families, the right to self-govern or the virtue of democracy. They understand that warfare is a necessary part of civilized life, not an end or lifestyle in itself. Alignment: Soldiers are never chaotic. They must be comfortable with teamwork and being part of an organization. Lawful soldiers tend to be more successful in their military careers than neutral soldiers, although adventuring is a different Table 2-3: The Soldier arena than military life. Base Troops with a chaotic disposiLevel Attack Bonus tion are identified and dis1 +1 charged early on – in the 2 +2 Confederacy, this usually 3 +3 means being sent back to the 4 +4 local home guard. 5 +5 Background: Soldiers 6 +6/+1 usually attend military schools 7 +7/+2 beginning at the age of 14. 8 +8/+3 From this early age, their edu9 +9/+4 cation focuses on military his10 +10/+5 tory and strategy, with basic 11 +11/+6/+1 weapons training. At the age 12 +12/+7/+2 of 18, they graduate to formal 13 +13/+8/+3 military service, though prom14 +14/+9/+4 ising candidates may begin 15 +15/+10/+5 earlier. Military service begins 16 +16/+11/+6/+1 with at least two years of col17 +17/+12/+7/+2 lege-level education before 18 +18/+13/+8/+3 the student enters active duty. 19 +19/+14/+9/+4 Depending upon the place and 20 +20/+15/+10/+5 time, active duty may entail
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immediate deployment and actual combat. Soldiers develop strong fraternal bonds. Most remain close to their old schoolmates, basic training buddies, and the men and women from their units. When their active duty ends, old soldier friends often re-unite to adventure together. Places of Origin: Confederate soldiers typically come from families that identify strongly with the rebel cause. That’s why they join the military in the first place. By the time the soldier finishes his service, however, his loyalties may not be so strong. Confederate soldiers are usually from rural areas. The poorer Confederates start as infantry, while the gentry and aristocrats enter service as officers. In many cases, the poorer troops who survive battlefield service to promotion into the officer ranks make better leaders than their sheltered aristocratic peers. Because the Confederate military is so decentralized, there are some adventuring parties on Cretasus that include soldiers still on active duty. This works fine as long as the adventures dovetail with the soldiers’ missions. Union soldiers hail from its sweltering cities and endless industrial bases. They often grew up in tough urban surroundings and are used to defending themselves. The Union practices forced conscription much more than Confederacy, so many of its soldiers aren’t particularly enthusiastic about their service. Those that do volunteer are often favored over the conscripts, with better opportunity for advancement and easier access to elite training. The Union military includes federal sheriffs and marshals, whose domains cover vast areas of unoccupied space, and it is not unknown for these soldiers to actively adventure on Cretasus in their down time.
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
Strategy & Tactics Feats
Sense of Vulnerability Combat Tactician
Combat Placement
Some of the wealthy Union industrial magnates have trained of combat situations. In military school, they memorize thousands their own private armies. These armies protect their factories from of historical battles, and can instantly match the current situation competitors, aliens, natural hazards, rebels and labor unions. to a historical case study. They then assess all aspects of a situaSome soldiers hail from these private armies. tion – weather, position of the sun, terrain, lighting, potential The Free Fleet has dozens of regional armies, each affiliated cover, and so on – to determine the best way to win an encounter. with a one or more ships in a fleet. Most of these are semi-proSoldiers gain certain feats due to their grasp of strategy and fessional organizations without the structure necessary to produce tactics. These feats are indicated on Table 2-3: The Soldier. They good soldiers, but there are some real armies, and some soldiers are described in the Feats section. The soldier gains these feats in do hail from there. addition to every character’s normal acquisition of a new feat Other Classes: Although soldiers look down upon the wild, every three levels. unskilled fighting of two-fisters and wild ones, they understand their importance in an army and adventuring party, and they Spy respect their courage. They have a similar attitude toward machinists: they appreciate the usefulness of their work, but they considYou’ll find them at secret research facilities in the heart of the er them weak and inscrutable. Soldiers admire bronco riders for jungle, posing as servants at the strategy meetings of the general their strength and discipline. staff, stealing alien technology prototypes and thwarting assassins and plots. Spies perform secret actions that regulars could never GAME RULE INFORMATION dream to accomplish, through stealth, disguise and sheer nerve. Adventures: Spies serve a larger group, whether it be a govSoldiers have the following game statistics. ernment or a corporation, and are frequently assigned missions by Abilities: Dexterity is important to soldiers for its role in this group. They often need allies to accomplish their goals. Some ranged combat. Intelligence is important for its influence on tactiare simply asked to “gather information” on a cal thinking. Although Strength is important for close combat, given topic – a perfect opportunity to such fighting is rare for a professional soldier. Constitution is explore and adventure! important because a soldier is usually in the front lines of combat. Characteristics: Spies Alignment: Any non-chaotic. are masters of subterfuge, Hit Die: d10. stealth and disguise. They are Class Skills equally at The soldier’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) home chatting are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Drive (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump up a Union (Str), Knowledge (strategy and tactics, Int), Listen (Wis), Pilot g e n e r a l ’ s (Int), Use Technical Equipment (Int). Additionally, Union soldiers daughter at a ball and rig(and only Union soldiers) may take Operate Ironclad (Dex). ging a dynamite Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4. charge to blow up a railSkill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier. way bridge. Spies also are good at sifting information and Class Features gathering intelligence. Spies do All of the following are class features of the soldier. not relish fighting; that’s a job Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A soldier is proficient with for the soldiers and two-fisters. daggers, all ballistic weapons, light armor, medium armor and Alignment: Spies can be of heavy armor. Soldiers prefer tactical, strategic war fought with any alignment. Lawful spies advanced weapons – not the clumsy, close-range combat associat- will keep the laws and codes of ed with two-fisters. their own nation, but may not Weapon Specialization: Upon achieving 4th level or higher, recognize those of other the soldier may take Weapon Specialization as a feat. A prerequi- nations as binding. site is Weapon Focus with that weapon. Weapon Specialization Federal Background: lends a +2 damage bonus with a chosen weapon. The damage spies serve bureaucratic mas g bonus applies within the targeting range of a ranged weapon. ters, are trained in law n o Base Attack Bonus: The soldier’s base attack bonus applies enforcement techniques W d i to ranged combat, not close combat. and special armed v a Strategy and Tactics: Soldiers are trained to take advantage combat systems, and D
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have strict codes of conduct and operational procedure. Confederate and Free Fleet spies are often patriotic volunteers with the gift of gab and a deft hand with locks. Places of Origin: The Union, the Confederates and the Free Fleet all employ numerous spies. Few offworlders become spies, because they are hilariously incompetent at passing themselves off as non-offworlders. Other Classes: Spies move in all sorts of company, and get along well with other people. However, they often prefer to work alone, without noisy bronco riders in the vicinity.
and light and energy field armor. Slip of the Tongue: To use this ability, the spy must be in a friendly conversation. She may “slip” a question into the conversation without seeming to ask it—“Oh yes, I was speaking to the commander of the base, Mr....” “Sherman?” “Yes, Sherman, of course, and I was saying...” The intended target must make a Will save against a DC of 10 + spy’s level + Charisma modifier or inadvertently answer the question. If the intended t arget makes the roll by 5 or more, they realize what the spy is up to! The spy may use this ability once per day per level. If the spy attempts slip of the tongue on the same target more than once in a day, the target may become wise to the spy. For each attempt after GAME RULE INFORMATION the first, the target has a +2 bonus to its save. Spies have the following game statistics. Slip of the tongue works against any enemy whose language Abilities: Charisma allows a spy to persuade the people she the spy speaks. meets to tell her more than they should, Dexterity lets her slip into Dodge Bullets: Spies get a dodge bonus to AC against all and out of tight spots, and Intelligence lets her figure out the ranged weapon attacks (including energy weapons). This dodge enemy’s master plan. Charisma, Dexterity and Intelligence are bonus does not apply if the spy takes a full attack action. important for the spy’s special abilities. Improved Evasion: This ability works like evasion, except Alignment: Any. that the rogue still takes no damage on a successful Reflex save, he now takes only half damage on a failed save. Hit Die: d6. Nick of Time: Once a day (or more, depending on level), a spy can use one of these skills in 1/10 the time it normally takes: Class Skills Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Open Locks, The spy’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Use Technical Equipment Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Ciphers (Int, excluIntriguing: An experienced spy is so intriguing and engaging sive skill), Climb (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), that villains just don’t know what to make of him. The spy can use Disguise (Cha), Drive (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), this ability either in battle, to avoid being killed, or before a batGather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, Table 2-4: The Spy taken individually), Listen Base Fort Ref Will (Wis), Move Silently Level Attack Bonus Save Save Save Special (Dex), Open Locks (Dex), 1 +0 +0 +2 +1 Slip/tongue, Nick of Time Pick Pocket (Dex), Search 2 +1 +0 +2 +1 Uncanny Dodge (Dex) (Int), Read Lips (Int), 3 +2 +1 +3 +2 +1 dodge/bullets Sense Motive (Wis), Speak 4 +3 +1 +3 +2 Language (Int), Spot (Int), 5 +3 +1 +4 +2 Intriguing 1/day Tumble (Dex) and Use 6 +4 +2 +4 +3 +2 dodge/bullets Technical Equipment (Int). 7 +5 +2 +5 +3 Uncanny dodge (flank) Skill Points at 1st 8 +6/+1 +2 +5 +4 Nick/time 2/day level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4. 9 +6/+1 +3 +6 +4 +3 dodge/bullets Skill Points at Each 10 +7/+2 +3 +6 +4 Additional Level: 8 + Int 11 +8/+3 +3 +7 +5 modifier. 12 +9/+4 +4 +7 +5 +4 dodge/bullets Class Features
The following are all class features of the spy. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A spy is proficient with manual, ballistic, and high-tech weapons
26
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
+9/+4 +10/+5 +11/+6/+1 +12/+7/+2 +12/+7/+2 +13/+8/+3 +14/+9/+4 +15/+10/+5
+4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
+8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +12
+6 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9
Intriguing 2/day
+5 dodge/bullets Nick/time 3/day +6 dodge/bullets Intriguing 3/day
tle, to avoid conflict. If a battle has not yet started, the spy can Places of Origin: Confederate twoattempt to leave the battle, and opposing troops need to make a fisters are usually from the home Will check against a DC of 10 + spy’s level + spy’s Charisma guard, the Confederacy’s reserve modifier to attack the spy. Otherwise, they permit the spy to leave forces that patrol the soldiers’ the scene. If the spy is already in combat, she can offer to surren- home regions. The home der, and the opposing forces must accept her offer unless they guard is made up of the make their Will save. This ability works against any enemy whose poorest, least enthusiaslanguage the spy speaks. tic or most rural rebs – those who don’t attend a military academy Two-Fister because they can’t afford it, don’t want to A two-fister is a warrior by necessity rather than training. The or aren’t near one. Confederate guerrillas fighting to liberate Union planets are two- A l t e r n a t i v e l y , fisters. The warp pirates who terrorize the trade lanes are two-fis- some Confederate ters. The Confederate home guard are two-fisters, as are the resi- two-fisters are overdents of the Free Fleet who spend two years in the local army. And enthusiastic teenagers the self-taught adventurers of Cretasus, come to seek their fame who would have become soland fortune, are two-fisters. diers if they only had patience. Where the soldier has tactics and discipline, the two-fister has Instead, they ran away at a street smarts and gut instinct. Two-fisters become warriors young age, eager to adventhrough trial and error. They learn to fight in the bars and gutters. ture, and never received forThey have scars, broken noses and missing teeth. In an aerial dog- mal military schooling. fight or a shoot-out, you want a soldier by your side – but when Union conscription you’re threading through the dank alleys of New Washington, you practices produce a regular want to be with a two-fister. supply of two-fisters in Adventures: Two-fister adventurers typically see their war- several different fare skills as a way to escape their home worlds. They are regular, ways. First, there are everyday people who want something more. Some join a local the conscripts. The militia solely for its role in preparing them for an expedition, majority of Union while others cobble together whatever skills they can teach them- conscripts are unwilling. selves before setting off. The Union recognizes this by giving them sub-par training and Characteristics: Two-fisters are warriors without formal treating them like grunts. When they are discharged, these ostensischooling. Although they lack the weapons expertise and tactical ble “soldiers” really don’t have the training necessary to be a true knowledge of a soldier, they make up for it with street-fighting, soldier. Many use what they’ve learned to become adventurers. close combat techniques, “dirty tricks” and local connections. The second source of Union two-fisters is the grueling dayTheir folksy, layman’s manner lets them mingle easily with locals. to-day life in the Union. The Union super-cities are terrible places When they are in areas of personal connection – for example, a to live. For most citizens, they are hot, sweaty, polluted, grimy and Confederate in rebel lands – they are skilled at gathering informa- dehumanizing. The lower classes have their rights, but often nothtion on local affairs. ing else, so they grow up defending themselves in the streets. The Alignment: Two-fisters can be of any alignment. There are middle classes are safe, but face a life of weary office ennui. lawful two-fisters who adventure with their childhood friends. Everybody wants to leave, and that urge produces two-fisters. There are chaotic two-fisters who yearn to escape the confines of The Free Fleet produces a steady supply of two-fisters by normal society. Good and evil two-fisters are just as common as virtue of its standing army of citizen reserves. Unlike the good and evil people in everyday society. Confederates and Union, the Free Fleet militiamen are proud to be Background: Two-fisters grew up as everyday people. They in the militia. When the Freemen take to adventure, their militia learned combat skills in a private or local army, on their own, or background proves a natural occupation. from a mentor. Everything they know was learned in the evenings Offworlders usually become two-fisters, as they typically after a hard day’s work, or in the tough alleys of an overpopulat- lack the time and resources to learn any other class. ed city. Other Classes: Two-fisters respect soldiers the way any hobTwo-fisters are “of the people” – they are the adventurers byist respects a professional. They have a similar respect for bronwho send money home to their family, maintain strong ties even co riders. They have no strong feelings for or against machinists, from long distances, and don’t forget where they came from. They but are disapproving of wild ones, whom they see as freaks and hope to make it big, then come home to a hero’s welcome. social outcasts.
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with all manual weapons, light armor and medium armor. Unarmed Combat: Where soldiers focus their attention on Two-fisters have the following game statistics. modern weaponry, two-fisters learn to fight with whatever is Two-fisters practice combat in its most basic form available. In many cases, this is only their fists. They are experiAbilities: – fists and knives – so Strength is important to them. Dexterity enced in street fighting and “dirty tricks” combat, and some have and Constitution also are important for their roles in close combat. limited exposure to martial arts training as well. All two-fisters automatically receive the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Alignment: Any. Furthermore, they receive an attack bonus and cause extra damHit Die: d8. age, as shown in Table 2-5: The Two-Fister. Class Skills Local Connections: Two-fisters blend in easily, especially in places similar to their hometowns. They can use this ability to The two-fister’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) gather information about local happenings, so a two-fister are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Drive (Dex), Gather Information receives a bonus to Gather Information skill checks, as follows: (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Profession (Wis). • A bonus applies equal to the two-fister’s level. Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 2. • When in his native lands, or in any place populated by his Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier. people, this bonus is increased by 50 percent. For example, a fourth level Freeman two-fister visiting a ci ty-ship of another fleet would receive a +6 bonus (+4 for level and +2 for native lands). Class Features • When in the lands of his enemies, his bonus is decreased by All of the following are class features of the two-fister. 50 percent. For example, the same Freeman in a Union city would Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A two-fister is proficient receive only a +2 bonus. GAME RULE INFORMATION
Table 2-5: The Two-Fister
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Level
Base Attack Bonus
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
+0 +1 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6/+1 +6/+1 +7/+2 +8/+3 +9/+4 +9/+4 +10/+5 +11/+6/+1 +12/+7/+2 +12/+7/+2 +13/+8/+3 +14/+9/+4 +15/+10/+5
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
+2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
Unarmed Attack Bonus
Unarmed Damage
+0 +1 +2 +3 +3 +4/+1 +5/+2 +6/+3 +6/+3 +7/+4/+1 +8/+5/+2 +9/+6/+3 +9/+6/+3 +10/+7/+4/+1 +11/+8/+5/+2 +12/+9/+6/+3 +12/+9/+6/+3 +13/+10/+7/+4/+1 +14/+11/+8/+5/+2 +15/+12/+9/+6/+3
1d6 1d6 1d6 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d10 1d10 1d10 1d10 1d12 1d12 1d12 1d12 1d20 1d20 1d20 1d20 1d20 1d20
Wild One There have always been people who feel more comfortable around animals than their fellow humans. They feel an innate connection to the laws of nature, which seem to make more sense than the laws of man. They see the negative side effects of scientific progress, which make them question whether humanity is really that advanced after all. The untamed wilderness of Cretasus has attracted these people. Many have become farmers or biologists or refugees in strange cults, but a select few of the Cretasus migrants have felt a profound, primal tug. At a level deeper than their own humanity, they connect to a psyche once thought extinct – they think like dinosaurs. These are the wild ones, feral humans who have taken refuge in the wilderness of Cretasus. Uncivilized, brutal, atavistic and animalistic, they have abandoned the company of man to live with the dinosaurs. Adventures: Everyday life is an adventure for the wild ones. They must hunt and kill their own food. They must defend themselves against enemies. They must find others like them, and they must fend off predators. In the most extreme cases, they must maintain the alliances and interests of their adopted dinosaur tribes, including going to war against the enemies of their dinosaur brothers. At times, those enemies include man. Player character wild ones find additional adventure. Although some truly are nothing more than brutal, animalistic people, others are pulled toward their feral state by a philosophical yearning. They consider the environment sacred, feel connected to nature, and understand the balance of natural laws. Wild ones find adventure in putting these philosophies into practice. They oppose the industrial development of Cretasus. They serve as intermediaries and diplomats when dinosaurs come int o contact with humans. They act as spies and scouts for both humans and dinosaurs, and they try desperately to balance their love of nature with the responsibilities of humanity. Characteristics: Wild ones can be divided into three stages of wildness. The first stage, the “wilderness man,” is gruff, taciturn and rough-mannered, but still able to interact with people. He has close relations with local dinosaur tribes, but is not a member of any tribe. These wild ones act as go-betweens and diplomats when dinosaur tribes deal with humans. Most player characters are this stage.
The second stage, the “dinosaur man,” has intimate relations with the dinosaurs. He lives near or with dinosaurs and may be a member of a family group of tribe. He foregoes cooking and clothing, feels awkward around humans and prefers the company of dinosaurs, but he is still able to communicate with humans. Some player characters can be this extreme. The third stage is the true wild one. He has left humanity behind. He lives in a dinosaur tribe, only remembering broken bits of human languages. To a normal human, he has strange mannerisms, odd body language and a bad odor. He regards humans just as the dinosaurs do – mostly as food, though occasionally as a source of technology or supplies. He is human only in anatomy –
in all other respects, he is a dinosaur. Because wild ones at this stage rarely interact with humans, there is little opportunity for them to be player characters. Alignment: Most wild ones feel an affinity for the laws of nature. They pay little heed to the laws of man, considering them ambiguous, artificial and temporary. At the same time, they reflect the fluid tribal and family structures of wild animals. Thus, wild ones may not be Lawful or Chaotic. They can still be good or evil, depending on their own inclinations, and many form alliances with dinosaurs closest to their own nature. Background: The slide toward wildness is the central story behind each wild one. Some came to Cretasus intent on retreating to the wilderness. Others arrived as soldiers, farmers, bronco riders or industrialists, unaware of the call of the wild within their breast. Somehow, the urge to leave humanity overtook them. In most cases, they left on individual expeditions into the wilderness. A lucky few found comrades with similar inclinations, then set out together. Each wild one wants to abandon some portion of civilized life. Many seek only to escape the cities to live in the wilderness. Some carry this further by abandoning clothing and cooking. Most stop there, though a few go so far as to “forget” domestic animals and agriculture in favor of hunting and gathering. Most wild ones have regular contact with both dinosaurs and humans, treated as a fringe member of both societies but a true citizen of neither. The final step – extremely rare – is to leave the society of humans. These wild ones give up their humanity once and for all to live with a dinosaur tribe. There is no common thread connecting the backgrounds of the wild ones. While some were raised in poverty, others come from wealthy, aristocratic backgrounds. No one understands what causes the urge to retreat from civilization. For the mildest of the wild ones – those who simply become wilderness men – human society is still within reach, and they frequently maintain contact with their friends and family. The most extreme, however, are deemed insane by the rest of humanity. Most wild ones fall somewhere along this spectrum of the rough-mannered wilderness man to the insane, dinosaur-brained outcast. Places of Origin: There is no common thread to the wild ones’ places of origin. Many of those who seek out a wilderness life in the first place are the rural denizens of the Confederacy, but they are no more likely to become wild ones than the rare Union settlers who come to Cretasus. The Free Fleet and offworlders send fewer settlers to Cretasus than other factions, but wild ones are just as likely among their citizens. The tendency toward wildness seems genetic, rather than environmental, and there is no discernible pattern of origin thus far. Other Classes: Wild ones lump other classes together with the rest of humanity, guilty of betraying nature and the environment. Machinists, bronco riders, soldiers and t wo-fisters all represent the varied evils of civilization. Wild ones respect the classes to the same degree that they respect the rest of humanity – the wilderness man considers them misguided, the dinosaur man sees them as dangers to the environment and the true wild one considers them potential meals at best and enemies at worst.
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GAME RULE INFORMATION
Wild ones have the following game statistics. Abilities: Wild ones must be able to survive in the wilderness and earn the respect of dinosaurs. Those who aren’t strong enough die trying. Constitution and Wisdom are very important for wild ones. Alignment: Neutral good, true neutral, or neutral evil. Hit Die: d8. Class Skills
The wild one’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature, Int), Ride (Dex), Speak Language (Int), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex), Wilderness Lore (Wis). Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier. Class Features
All of the following are class features of the wild one: Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A wild one is proficient with manual weapons and light armor. Dinosaur Empathy: A wild one receives an inherent +2 bonus to any Animal Empathy check involving dinosaurs. Natural Knowledge: Wild ones learn to use the herbs,
spices, roots and animal extracts that grow naturally on Cretasus. Most of this is learned through interaction with di nosaur shamans, though some is self-taught. This knowledge gives wild ones access to the Heal and Knowledge (nature) skills. Motivating Cause: A wild one is driven by an underlying cause. This cause is usually a result of his background and upbringing. As a result of this cause, the wild one has certain enemies. Some example causes are: • The wild one opposes Union industrial development on Cretasus. His enemies are Union soldiers and industrialists. • The wild one opposes Confederate domestication of dinosaurs. His enemies are the Dino Warriors. • The wild one opposes ranchers who try to herd wild broncos. His enemies are bronco ranchers and their employees. The wild one receives a +1 attack bonus against all enemies of this cause. The player should determine what his cause is. It must be fairly specific – it cannot be so general as to include everybody. Animal Peer: A wild one respects nature as his equal. He views domestication as an improper imposition of civilization upon the wild animal. Thus, wild ones can have Animal Empathy and Ride skills, but they cannot acquire Handle Animal. However, wild ones have an uncanny ability to communicate and interact with animals, and they can often persuade wild animals to work with them. This is reflected in the Animal Peer ability. First level wild ones start with the Animal Peer ability. A wild one adds his Wisdom modifier and level to checks against this
Table 2-6: The Wild One
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Level
Base Attack Bonus
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
+0 +1 +1 +2 +2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6/+1 +6/+1 +7/+2 +7/+2 +8/+3 +8/+3 +9/+4 +9/+4 +10/+5
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12
+0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6
+2 +3 +3 +4 +4 +5 +5 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12
Special
Animal Peer Dinosaur Ally Companion
Dinosaur Ally
Dinosaur Ally
Dinosaur Ally
Dinosaur Ally
Human Charisma
-1 -2 -2 -2 -3 -3 -3 -4 -4 -4 -5 -5 -5 -6 -6 -6 -7 -7 -7 -8
ability. For example, a fourth level wild one with average Wisdom would add +4 to any rolls. A wild one may use his Animal Peer ability to interact with wild and domesticated animals. This ability works very much like the Handle Animal skill, except that it reflects the wild one’s intuitive nature, not his strength of will. Thus, the wild one cannot “train” a wild animal with this skill, though he can rear it and teach it tricks. Fundamentally, though, the animal remains wild. The game master assigns a difficulty class to any interaction, with the following guidelines:
Task
DC
Handle a domestic animal “Push” a domestic animal Communicate with a wild animal * Convince a wild animal to act as a mount Teach an animal tasks Teach an animal unusual tasks Rear a wild animal
5 10 15 20 ** 10 15 10 + HD
* Only works with intelligent animals. The communication must be simple and possible through body language and basic noises. ** At the GM’s discretion, this DC can be modified if the animal is hungry or hostile. Dinosaur Allies: A wild one gradually becomes a resident of the natural world. He makes friends with some dinosaurs, and their enemies become his enemies. At each level indicated on Table 2-6: The Wild One, the character attains a dinosaur ally. For intelligent dinosaurs, this is usually a local nation, tribe or family group; for others, it is a certain species within a local region. Allies can be different political factions of the same species, depending on how the game master has arranged the local political situation. The “typical” dinosaur of that allied group cannot have more hit dice than the wild one’s level. For example, a second level wild one can only gain allies of one or two hit dice. As the wild one’s level increases, he cannot “exchange” existing allies for more powerful ones. He can only acquire more powerful allies by making new friends. Allies have the following implications: 1. The wild one has learned the customs, habits and language of his allies. The wild one automatically speak the creatures’ language (although he is still limited by anatomy – he cannot reproduce the calls of a parasaurolophus, for example). 2. The wild one is accepted by the ally. He can come and go at their homes, share their meals and gain their audience. 3. The wild one is now identified with that ally by other dinosaurs of the same region. If his ally has enemies or allies, he does, too. The wild one may not select contradictory allies – for exam ple, if the local velociraptor tribe is at war with the tyrannosaurus family, he cannot ally with both. If he does so, they will both view
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him as an enemy. Wild ones can ally with both herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs, as long as that is their only point of difference. Companion: Beginning at third level, the wild one can ask his allies to provide him with a traveling companion. Companions are typically requested for specific reasons – for example, the wild one needs protection while traveling through enemy territory, needs a translator for dealing with another tribe or needs help pursuing revenge on enemies. The companion can be any member of the allied group, provided its total hit dice are less than or equal to the wild one’s. It will accompany the character and treat him with the utmost loyalty. The companion may be a friend of the wild one’s, or a random delegate from the allied group. The length of t he companion’s stay depends on the needs of the wild one and the allied group. The wild one can ask a companion to return home on certain adventures, or attend others. When a wild one has several allies, he can request a companion from different allies at different times. But unlike the Bronco Rider’s companion, the wild one’s companion is not a pet. It is a wild animal. It will be skittish around other humans, may be unwilling to follow the wild one into human settlements, and, if carnivorous, may not have any compunctions about eating the wild one’s fellow adventurers. Human Awkwardness: The more comfortable a wild one becomes with nature, the more awkward he becomes around humans. As a wild one advances in level, he becomes less charismatic in human company. His Charisma is reduced around humans, as indicated on Table 2-6: The Wild One. The modifiers by level are not cumulative; use the modifier for the wild one’s current level. Multiclass: Wild ones have fundamental beliefs about the importance of nature. Any typical human profession contradicts these beliefs, so they cannot multiclass.
Skills Many skills have new applications in the world of Broncosaurus Rex. There also are new skills made available by the technology of the year 2202. The following table shows class restrictions for all the skills. Skills that are completely inapplicable for adventuring on Cretasus are excluded. Following this table are revisions of existing skills, and descriptions of new ones.
Table 3-1: Skills Skill
Alchemy/Chemistry Animal Empathy Appraise Balance Bluff Cipher Climb Concentration Craft Diplomacy Disable Device Disguise Drive Escape Artist Forgery Gather Information Handle Animal Heal Hide Innuendo Intimidate Intuit Direction Jump Knowledge (nature) Knowledge (science) Knowledge (strategy & tactics) Knowledge (technology) Knowledge (all skills) Listen Move Silently Open Lock Operate Ironclad ** Perform Pick Pocket Pilot Profession Read Lips Repair Device Ride Search Sense Motive Speak Language Spot Swim Tumble Use Rope Use Technical Equipment Wilderness Lore O = Class skill. o = Cross-class skill. X = Unavailable.
Bro
Eng
Sol
Spy
Two
Wil
o O o O o X o o O o o o o o o o O o o o o O o O o o o o o o o X o o o o X o O o o o o o o o o O
O x o o o X o O O o O o O o o o o o o o o o o o O o O o o o o O o o O O X O o o o o o o o o O o
o x o o o X O o O o o o O o o o o o o o O o O o o O o o O o o O o o O o X o o o o o o o o o O o
o o O O O O O o o O O O O O O O o o O o o o O o o o o O O O O X o O o o O o o O O O O o O o O o
o x o o o X O o O o o o O o o O o o O o o o O o o o o o o o o X o o o O X o o o o o o o o o o o
o O o o o X O o O o o o o o o o X* O O o o O O O o o X o o o o X o o X o X X O o o O o O o O X O
* Wild ones have their own special ability, Animal Peer, that covers similar tasks as Handle Animal. ** Only Union Machinists and Soldiers may take Operate Ironclad.
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Here are two examples of using Animal Empathy. First, a startled triceratops on the verge of shrieking a warning call is unfriendly. You can make a check to make it remain silent. If you ALCHEMY/CHEMISTRY (Int; Trained Only) manage to change its attitude to indifferent, you have succeeded. In Broncosaurus Rex, Alchemy is known as Chemistry. It lets As a second example, a maternal ankylosaurus rears up when chemists combine ingredients to produce acids, poisons and the character gets too close to her nest. The ankylosaurus is hosexplosive mixtures. tile and must be calmed to prevent it from attacking. The GM may rule that the best you can do is change its attitude to unfriendly, ANIMAL EMPATHY (Cha; Trained Only; Bronco Rider, because no matter what you do, you are still dangerously close to Wild One only) its nest. Animal Empathy can be used on dinosaurs and ancient mammals. Retry: Retries do not work. Check: For purposes of this skill, dinosaurs are considered Special: Wild ones making Animal Empathy checks with anianimals. The success of Animal Empathy depends upon the menmals from allied groups receive a +5 circumstance bonus to their tal state of the target animal. An animal’s attitude can be classed roll. into five categories as follows:
Skill Descriptions
Attitude
Means
Possible Actions
Hostile
You threaten the animal Attack with intention or its young, or it is of killing; may eat hungry you
Unfriendly You are in its territory, or Attack with intention otherwise too close of scaring you off Indifferent It eats grass, and you’re Continue munching not grass (nor a threat) Friendly
Helpful
Animal is playful or intelligent Animal is intelligent and likes you for some reason
Horse around – which may look like an attack! Communicate, protect, assist
The DC for changing an animal’s attitude depends on the old attitude. Roll the check and consult the table below to determine success in changing an attitude. There are two limitations to influencing an animal’s attitude. First, only intelligent animals can be helpful. A helpful result on any other animal merely indicates indifference, unless the animal is young and/or playful, in which case friendly behavior is possi ble. Second, the success of the roll depends on the limits of the animal’s current condition. As long as you look edible, a desperately hungry allosaurus is not going to become indifferent. The GM should feel free to make certain attitudes unattainable given the animal’s condition.
DC to Change Attitude Initial Attitude Hostile
Hostile Unfriendly Indifferent Friendly
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Less than 20 Less than 5 -
CIPHERS (Int; Trained Only; Spies Only) Use this skill to determine that an innocuous piece of scribble is in reality a coded message, to decipher a message you know is coded or to create a usable code that will be difficult for an enemy to break. Check: First, you have to realize that you’re dealing with a coded document. A check against DC 10 lets you instantly distinguish a coded message from mere doodlings. Next, for all but the simplest codes there is an opposed check between you and the character who designed the code.
Task
DC
Time
Create a simple cipher Create a difficult cipher Create a simple code Create a difficult code Break a code or cipher
5 10 15 20 Opponent’s roll
1 hour 1 day 1 week 1 month *
*Same as time to create for that level of difficulty
A cipher is a method of transposing letters (such as A=Z, B=Y, etc.), while a code can involve answer keys, visual aids, or complex algorithms. The GM makes your roll secretly. When creating a message, the roll determines how difficult (or simple) your cipher or code actually is. For example, if you try to create a simple code, but only roll a 17, the complexity of your creation is in fact no more complex than a difficult cipher. Even though you spent a week to create it, an opponent can decode it in a day. When decoding a message, if you miss your roll by more than 15, or if you roll a 1, you misread the message! Retry: You can make another attempt New Attitude at any time; however, Unfriendly Indifferent Friendly Helpful after three failed 20 25 35 50 attempts you need to 5 15 25 40 take at least a week to Less than 1 1 15 30 rest before tackling Less than 1 1 20 the code again.
Special: If you have a partially-decoded message, you receive a +10 circumstance bonus on attempts to solve the same cipher or code. CRAFT (Int) Craft covers the many crafts possible in the year 2202, including gunsmithing, armor construction, electrical engineering and automotive mechanics. DISABLE DEVICE (Int; Trained Only) This includes disabling the devices constructed by machinists. It also applies to any general technological construction. Check: A set of engineering tools is required, or a –2 circumstance penalty applies. In general, the DC is equal to 5 plus the device’s tech level. Add +5 to the DC if the device is of alien design. A character may be able to disable a device even though he does not fully understand it. Disable Device allows a character to disable a device at a maximum tech level of the tech level he understands, plus his rank in the skill. For example, a character with two ranks in Disable Device who understands equipment of tech level 4 could disable devices of up to tech level 6. Special: Characters with any of the following skills receives a +2 synergy bonus for each skill with 5 or more ranks: Knowledge (technology), Use Technical Equipment and Repair Device. DRIVE (Dex) Drive lets characters operate vehicles. The skill applies to any conventional vehicle that uses ground-based locomotion, including wheels, tracks and legs. Each time you take this skill, you must take it in one of those areas. The tech level of the vehicles you drive is still limited by your normal tech level understanding. Note that Drive does not apply to Union ironclads; they require the Operate Ironclad skill. Check: Typical city driving doesn’t require a check. You can open the doors, start the ignition, traverse streets, parallel park and turn off the engine with ease. More advanced tasks require a check.
Task
DC
Drive with one hand Drive at high speeds Drive in combat Drive unfamiliar vehicle Avoid obstacles Drive in wilderness Make a tight turn Regain control Drive alien vehicle
5 7 9 10 11 11 13 15 20
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Drive with one hand: Use this if you want to use the other hand to drink coffee, operate an onboard computer or shoot. Failing this check means you lose control of your vehicle. Drive in combat: Driving while someone is shooting at you is difficult. This includes any situation where the character is driving while either attacking or under attack. Failing this check means you lose control of your vehicle. Drive at high speeds: This includes any kind of high-speed driving. Failing this check means you lose control of your vehicle. Drive unfamiliar vehicle: To illustrate by example, this applies to characters who specialize in tracked vehicles trying to figure out how to work a wheeled vehicle. In general, once you are driving an unfamiliar vehicle, you have a +2 circumstance penalty to the DC of any other task you attempt. Avoid obstacles: Any attempt at dodging is covered by this check. Failing the check means you collide with an obstacle. Make a tight turn: This means making a turn in unusual situations. It could mean a right turn at high speeds, or a skid turn, or a turn that requires hair’s-breadth judgment. Failure means you lose control of the vehicle. Drive in wilderness: This covers driving in off-road situations. The situation could be anything from rough gravel to jungle underbrush. The GM can change the DC to fit the terrain. Failure depends on the terrain. In some areas, failure may mean your vehicle simply can’t traverse the terrain. In other areas, you may end up driving off a cliff. Regain control: You can attempt to regain control of an outof-control vehicle. This is assuming the vehicle has not crashed yet. Drive alien vehicle: Just because you captured an alien vehicle doesn’t mean you know how to turn it on! Failure at this check means you can’t deduce how to operate even the most basic aspects of the vehicle. Retry: In general, once you lose control of a vehicle, you can’t repeat your task until you regain control. You can attempt to regain control repeatedly as long the vehicle hasn’t crashed. You may repeat attempts to drive unfamiliar or alien vehicles indefinitely. Special: Characters without the Drive skill may still attempt to operate a vehicle. First, however, they must make an Intelligence check to determine if they understand how the operating system works. If the Intelligence check is passed, they can attempt typical driving at DC 10. They cannot attempt any of the tasks described above. HANDLE ANIMAL (Cha; Trained Only) Handling animals takes on a whole new meaning when you are working with ten-ton dinosaurs. Check: The time required and the DC depend on what task you attempt. Dinosaurs are considered animals, not beasts.
Task
Time
DC
Size Difference
Handle a domestic animal “Push” a domestic animal Teach an animal tasks Teach an animal unusual tasks Rear a wild animal Train a wild animal
Varies Varies 2 months 2 months 1 year 2 months
10 15 15 20 15 + HD 20 + HD
Example for Human
Max Animals Herded
None One Two Three Four
Medium Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal
10 8 6 3 1
The animal’s size affects the DC of all tasks other than rearing and training (the HD component of rearing and training accounts for size). If the animal is only one size larger than the character (e.g., a human working with a large animal such as a horse), there is no penalty. For every additional size difference, a +2 penalty applies to the DC. Summarized below are the penalties for a human working with bigger creatures:
Size
DC penalty
Large Huge Gargantuan Colossal
0 +2 +4 +8
The flip side is that raw, physical strength can help a handler control larger animals. A character dealing with an animal two or more sizes larger than himself applies his Strength modifier (whether positive or negative) to his roll. The Strength modifier also applies to rearing and training animals. One important aspect of animal handling is training dinosaurs to handle battle. Most carnivores are used to combat, but that doesn’t mean they want to fight when they’re already well fed. Most herbivores just don’t want to fight, period. It takes two months to train a carnivore for combat, and four months for an herbivore. For herbivores, this counts as an unusual task; for carnivores, it is a normal task. Working with a herd is more difficult than working with individual animals. The table in the upper right corner summarizes how many animals each handler can control, based on their size relative to him. For each additional animal, the handler has a +2 circumstance penalty to the DC. If the animals are larger than the handler, apply the DC penalty for size once. If the animals are of mixed sizes, apply the penalty for the largest creature. There are technological devices that make animals easier to handle. These are described in the Equipment section. Retry: You can retry handling and pushing animals, but not training and rearing.
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HEAL (Wis) Healing in the year 2202 involves a combination of anesthetics, splints, sutures, drugs and other aspects of modern medicine. Healing requires a medical kit. Wild ones are able to heal without medical kits. They are familiar with the plants and animal properties of Cretasus, some of which are particularly useful in healing. Many of these properties are known to the intelligent dinosaur species, and wild ones learn from them. KNOWLEDGE (Int; Trained Only) The knowledge areas listed below are especially useful in game terms. They represent the more practical fields of knowledge for Broncosaurus Broncosaurus Rex. • Geography (this includes knowledge of Cretasus and the character’s home planet, as well as galactic geography, such as the relative positions of various planets) • Nature (this includes environmental knowledge of Cretasus, the character’s home planet, and “typical” planets) • Science (astronomy, physics, biology, neurology) • Strategy and Tactics (historical battles, army organization, special tactics) • Technology (electrical engineering, computer science, mechanics)
is landing on your feet. Failing this check means the ironclad falls over upon landing. Dodge in close combat: combat: Basic ironclad training allows a character to fight hand-to-hand while in the ironclad suit. However, a particularly good driver who is comfortable with wi th the pilot’s harness will be able to use his own Dexterity to maneuver his ironclad. As a result, his ironclad will dodge and duck just as well as he does. If you pass this check, you can apply your character’s Dexterity bonus to the ironclad’s AC. Dexterity penalties do not apply. Failure means you get no bonus. You can only make this test once at the beginning of each encounter. Failure means your character is too preoccupied with basic piloting and shooting to dodge effectively. effectively. Walk over bad or very bad terrain: Ironclad movement works slightly differently from normal normal movement. A normal character is slowed down by adverse terrain. An ironclad may lose its balance and fall over. Even if you pass the test, normal hampered movement modifiers apply. Sand and streams count as bad terrain for an ironclad; loose rocks or other shifting terrain, deep snow or sand dunes, deep water, and crevices and fissures count as very bad terrain. Right a fallen fallen ironclad: ironclad: This is the character’s ability to make a prone ironclad stand up. You You can retry until you make the check. Deploy from drop drop pod: This does not cover the pilot’s ability to steer the drop pod to the right spot or land right-side-up without jamming the exit hatch. That is covered by the Pilot skill. This task covers getting out of the banged-up pod without damaging or knocking over the ironclad. Failure means the ironclad falls over as it exits the pod. Retry: Retry attempts depend on the task, as above. or more ranks in Drive (walkers) Special: A character with 5 or receives a +2 synergy bonus.
OPERATE IRONCLAD (Dex; Trained Only; Union Soldiers, Union Machinists only) This skill allows the character to operate an ironclad. Ironclads are the Union’s top secret armored fighting suits. They use alien technology and operate with a suspension harness system, where the pilot’s motions are mimicked by the ironclad. Characters who are not from the Union have no opportunity to learn to pilot them. Even characters from the Union only have a chance to use them if they are soldiers or machinists. PILOT (Int; Trained Only) Check: This skill allows the character to make an ironclad Piloting skill lets you operate flying vehicles, including both air perform basic functions. He can make the ironclad walk, fight and planes and spaceships. Flying vehicles are divided into three crouch. More advanced operations require a check. All ironclads groups: atmospheric (operate only within a planet’s atmosphere), are top-heavy walkers, and the biggest danger when operating one interplanetary (operate between planets in normal space) and is that could fall over. warp-capable (able to travel through a warp gate). Each time you take the pilot skill, you must specialize in one of these groups. Task DC Depending on your character’s exposure, the GM master may Run 5 further ask your character to specialize in a particular kind of flyJump, with or without jump jets 10 ing vehicle. For example, a zero-G miner may only have familiarDodge in close combat 10 ity with zero-G atmospheric craft. craft. A warp pirate may be unfamilunfamilWalk alk ove overr bad bad terr terrai ain n or mode modera rate te obst obstru ruct ctio ion n 10 iar with the latest high-tech Union warp-capable ships. Walk Walk over over very very bad bad terra terrain in or or heavy heavy obstru obstructi ction on 15 The Pilot skill does not apply to Union ironclads. Right a fallen ironclad 15 A character with at least one rank in Pilot, regardless of speDeploy from drop pod 15 cialization, is able to safely maneuver a drop pod. Your ability to pilot a vehicle is still limited by your charac Run: Moving an ironclad quickly can be dangerous. The center of gravity shifts, and keeping your balance can be hard. Failing ter’s maximum tech level. Check: A trained pilot can load up, take off, fly and land a this check means the ironclad loses its balance and falls over. You You typical aircraft without a problem. The tasks shown below require cannot run over bad or very bad terrain. Jump: It’s not hard to get the ironclad in t he air. The hard part additional expertise.
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Task
DC
Pilot unfamiliar vehicle, same type Shoot and pilot pilot at the the same same time time (norma (normall conditi conditions) ons) Stay aloft in moderate storm Pilot unfamiliar vehicle, different type Stay aloft in major storm Land in adverse conditions Regain control Pilot alien vehicle Crash land safely
5 10 10 15 20 20 20 25 30
Pilot unfamiliar vehicle, same type: The “type” refers to atmospheric, interplanetary or warp-capable. A soldier trained as a helicopter pilot would have to make this test to fly a jet. Failure means you simply can’t figure out the controls. You You don’t crash – you just never make it off the ground. Stay aloft in moderate storm: Smart pilots land when they run into a typical rain storm. Daredevil pilots may try to make it through the storm. Failing this check by a margin of 5 or less means you are forced to land, but you may test to land in adverse conditions. Failing this check by 6 or more means you crash. Pilot unfamiliar vehicle, different different type: As above, but this would be similar to a warp pirate (trained in warp-capable ships) trying to fly an atmospheric hovercar. Shoot and pilot at the same time: Using a ship’s weaponry can get distracting. Most ships have a pilot and a gunner, but you must make this test to act as both. Failing means you lose control. Stay aloft in major storm: As above, but this covers hurricanes and tornadoes. Failure means you automatically crash. normal landing is any attempt attempt Land in adverse conditions: A normal to land on a wide, flat, smooth surface with enough room to slow down. Any other kind of landing counts as adverse conditions. This covers landing on a mountain ridge, a short runway abutting a cliff, a farmer’s field, a jungle runway or a landing zone that requires a sharp turn in the descent. The GM may apply DC modifiers for especially difficult landings. Failure means you crash. Pilot alien alien vehicle: Use this when your character tries to pilot a vehicle of alien design. Failure means you can’t even figure out how to turn it on, much less steer. Crash land safely: Expert pilots are able to turn a crash landing into a stunt show. Passing this check means your craft still crashes and is still damaged in the landing. However, you manage to arrive on the ground right-side-up, and you avoid any obstacles that could have killed you. For example, a pilot crash-landing into a jungle somehow plows through the trees without hitting any head on. Retry: You can retry attempts to figure out unfamiliar or alien vehicles. Any task involving a crash obviously doesn’t grant a retry. You You can make multiple attempts to regain control, provided you haven’t crashed yet! Special: Characters without this skill don’t have the faintest idea of how to operate an aerial craft. Pilots involved in an aerial dogfight can use opposed Pilot checks to see if they outmaneuver each other, are able to get a bead on their enemy, and so on.
RIDE (Dex) Ride is especially useful to characters with dinosaur mounts. When a player chooses this skill, he must choose a specific type of dinosaur as his mount. m ount. However, just as ponies, horses and donkeys are similar, so too are many dinosaurs. dinosaurs. A few of the similar dinosaur groupings are these:
• Theropods: tyrannosaurus rex, allosaurus, ceratosaurus, carnotaur, albertosaurus and other similar large two-legged carnivores • Ceratopsians: triceratops, styracosaurus, pentaceratops • Sauropods: diplodocus, brachiosaurus, apatosaurus • Pterosaurs: pteranadons and others • Herbivorous grazers: iguanodons, parasaurolophus Dinosaurs with unique behaviors or anatomical features require specific riding skills. The ability to ride these dinosaurs does not carry over to other species. These include ankylosaurus, pachycephalosaurus and stegosaurus. sucCheck: Dinosaurs are often led into battle. A dinosaur’s success as a combat mount depends on its training and its diet. Carnivorous dinosaurs are easier to fight with, especially if you don’t feed them before battle. As indicated on the task list below, fighting with a hungry carnivorous dinosaur for a mount reduces the DC. However, you have to keep your hungry mount from eating slain enemies! The GM may wish to apply additional situational modifiers for fighting with hungry carnivores. A hungry T-rex T-rex could just buck its rider off and eat him, after all. Poorly trained or extremely hungry mounts may be liable to do this, as well as those who are forced to keep fighting instead of stopping to munch on their slain enemies. This makes a nice opportunity for a “catastrophic failure” check result. On any check involving a hungry dinosaur, the GM can deem a roll of 1 as the dinosaur’s decision to try to eat its rider. This is at the discretion of the GM.
Task
DC
Fight with combat-trained carnivore Fight with combat-trained herbivore Figh Fightt wit with h non non-c -com omba batt-tr trai aine ned d din dinos osau aurr, car carni nivo vore re Figh Fightt wit with h nonnon-co comb mbat at-t -tra rain ined ed dino dinosa saur ur,, her herbi bivo vore re Fighting with hungry carnivore for mount Keep Keep hung hungry ry carn carniv ivor ore e fro from m eat eatin ing g sla slain in enem enemie ies s
6 8 10 12 -3 10
Keep hungry carnivore from eating slain enemies. You must make this check after the first enemy is slain. If it fails, your mount will spend the round gorging itself. The mount does not receive a Dexterity bonus to AC while gorging. You You may retry this check each round in order to gain control of the mount again. But even if you regain control, you will be forced to make the check every round as long as there are dead enemies and your mount remains hungry. hungry. A hungry mount will eat for d4+1 rounds before turning its attention back to battle.
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REPAIR DEVICE (Dex; Trained Only) This lets a character repair damaged technical equipment. It is the opposite of Disable Device. The two remain separate skills because repairing equipment typically requires a much deeper understanding of its workings than disabling it. Check: The task depends on the device’s complexity and just how damaged it is. If the repairs are minor (short circuit, fault on minor component, etc. – equivalent to a broken brake light on your car) and require few or no replacement parts, the DC is 5 plus the tech level of the equipment. You can retry until you make the fix. The time required is 2d6 rounds plus an additional 1d4 rounds per tech level. You may need a few replacement parts. Minor replacement parts typically cost 5 percent of the cost of the item. If the repairs are substantial (a major component is broken or damaged – equivalent to a busted radiator on a car) and/or require several replacement parts, the DC is 10 plus the tech level. You can retry until you make the fix. The time required is 3d6 rounds plus 2d4 rounds per tech level. Obviously, you will need the replacement parts. Several replacement parts typically cost 20 percent of the cost of the item. If the item is heavily damaged (for example, you ran your car head-on into a pole at 60 mph), the DC is 15 plus the tech level. The time required is 1d6 hours plus 3d4 rounds per tech level. Most importantly, you can only make one check. If the check fails, the item cannot be repaired. Any replacement parts you bought can be re-used, but they must be purchased first before making the check. These sorts of replacement parts cost 40 percent of the cost of the item. A character character cannot cannot repair repair equipment equipment whose whose tech level level exceeds that which he understands. Add 5 to the DC if the equipment is of alien design. Repairing a device requires engineering tools. Attempting repairs without tools incurs a –2 circumstance penalty. The GM makes the check. You don’t know whether you’ve fixed the equipment until you try to use it. Retry: Depends on the difficulty, as above. Special: Characters with any of the following skills receives a +2 synergy bonus for each skill with 5 or more ranks: Knowledge (technology), Use Technical Equipment and Disable Device.
that are prevented by his physiology. For example, humans cannot reproduce the mighty calls of the parasaurolophus’ crest. USE TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT (Int) This skill lets a character operate high-tech equipment. Check: A character character with this skill skill can operate operate any kind of common technical equipment (radio, computer, etc.) without a check. Rare, complex or special-purpose equipment requires a check. The DC is the equipment’s tech level. A character character cannot cannot use equipment equipment with a tech tech level that that exceeds his comprehension. Retry: You can retry until you figure out how to use the equipment. character without without this skill skill may still try to use use Special: A character equipment, but has a +5 penalty applied to the DC. A character with 5 or more more ranks in Knowledge (technology) (technology) gets a +2 synergy bonus. WILDERNESS LORE (Wis) A character with Wilderness Wilderness Lore has a very strong knowledge of the wilderness on his native world and on worlds with similar climates. Wilderness Lore also includes butchering, a useful skill for characters who want to make money from the dinosaurs they hunt. Check: While on worlds with climates very different from his homeworld, the character has a –2 penalty to his check. Once the character has spent at least 3 years on the world, this penalty no longer applies.
Feats
Although technology is a driving force in the year 2202, the powerful accomplishments of heroic individuals are still imporSPEAK LANGUAGE (None; Trained Only) The more intelligent dinosaurs have their own languages. Some tant. The Confederacy, in particular, is renowned for its daring, species have one common language, while others have multiple dashing young heroes, and many of them routinely perform dialects of the same language. Even the less intelligent species incredible feats. Broncosaurus Broncosaurus Rex characters acquire feats through the norhave simple sound systems that communicate elementary mesmal process. They can use the standard feats, as well as new ones sages – “predator,” “back off,” and so on. Speak Language includes the ability to speak dinosaur lan- listed here. Obviously, the Metamagic feats, as well as others conguages and dialects, as well as imitate the calls and sounds of cerned with magic, do not apply to characters adventuring on species that have simplistic languages. If a language has more Cretasus. Table 4-1 lists the new feats that are available. Broncosaurus Rex introArmor and Weapon Proficiencies: Broncosaurus than one dialect, the skill means the character picks up a specific duces a few new categories of armor and weapons. These are furdialect. Otherwise, it applies to the entire language. Even with this skill, the character is unable to make sounds ther explained in the Equipment section. For now, note that char-
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Table 4-1: New Feats Feat
Prerequisites
Combat Placement Combat Tactician Death Wish Dinopathy Dinosaur Presence Gearhead Gentry Great Lover Lucky Cuss Rebel Yell Sense of Vulnerability Sneaky Git Trick Shot Turncoat Weapon Proficiency – Alien Weapon Proficiency – Ballistic Weapon Proficiency – High-tech Weapon Proficiency – Manual
Knowledge (strategy and tactics) Knowledge (strategy and tactics) Con 13+ Int 13+ Confederates Only Cha 13+, Confederates Only Confederates Only Knowledge (strategy and tactics) Dex 13+ Dex 13+ Wis 13+, Chaotic Alignment Sufficient tech level Sufficient tech level Sufficient tech level Sufficient tech level
position. If the check fails, you can’t make your movements without your opponent realizing your intentions. Astute opponents may realize what’s going on. This feat is counterbalanced by successful Sense Motives skill check.
COMBAT TACTICIAN (General) You have a natural talent for coordinating others in battle. Prerequisite: Knowledge (strategy and tactics) Benefit: Your character can take a Full Attack action to direct the combat of his comrades. He shouts commands, coordinates attacks, analyzes enemy movements and warns of potential enemy strategies. Higher-level characters are typically already aware of most of the tactics he can add to a battle, so combat tactics have the greatest influence on lower-level characters. acters can be proficient in manual, ballistic, high-tech and alien While directing combat, the character may do nothing other weapons, as well as energy field armor, as well as the usual cate- than take his 5-foot step. In other words, he sacrifices his attack to gories. assist the tactics of his allies. Directing combat provokes attacks Confederate Feats: The following feats are available only to of opportunity. Confederate characters: Gentry, Great Lover and Rebel Yell. The character can command a number of people equal to his level, provided they are friendly and can communicate with him. COMBAT PLACEMENT (General) After the character has used his action to direct combat, make a You know how to best maneuver yourself in battle. difficulty check for each person he tries to affect. This check Prerequisite: Knowledge (strategy and tactics) determines how useful his advice is to the person, and how well Benefit: This feat requires a good deal of discretion by the the person follows his direction. The DC for each person is their GM. As a general rule of thumb, it represents the hero’s ability to level plus 5. The character receives a bonus to his roll equal to his always end up in the best spot once the shooting starts. You are Charisma modifier. Make one check at the beginning of the battle, skilled at moving around a combat scene to take advantage of ter- and apply the result for the duration of the battle. rain while forcing your enemies into positions of weakness. You Each person who is affected has these benefits: always end up behind cover, next to the exit or behind the big guy. • The person receives a +1 circumstance bonus to attacks. You are able to position your enemies so they have the sun i n their • The person receives a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative in eyes, rubble at their feet or face an uphill slope. You are able to all subsequent rounds. force this positioning through seemingly nonchalant motions on The benefit of combat tactics is even greater when everybody your part, or by moving your own body to threaten the enemy and does what they’re supposed to. If the character successfully force him to move. affects 75 percent or more of the friendly creatures involved in The feat does not allow you to run through a hail of gunfire combat, every friendly creature in the combat – even those not and duck behind cover, or somehow switch positions with ene- affected – receives the +2 initiative bonus. The +1 attack bonus mies across the room. But if both you and the enemy are within continues to apply only to those affected. leaping distance of the cover, it allows you to somehow always end up behind the cover. DEATH WISH (General) This feat requires time to maneuver so that the subtle posi- Your character wants to go down in a blaze of glory, leaving a tioning can take place. This can be done during combat or during story for future generations to retell. parleying if it precedes the battl e. The maneuvering takes howevPrerequisites: Con 13+. er long you need to get where you want to be, and is only possiBenefit: Normally, you become unconscious between –1 and ble if you can physically make that movement. You must make a –9 hit points. Death Wish represents a combination of endurance check against DC 10. If successful, you manage to move into and sheer willpower that lets you stay awake while in negative hit
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points. However, you risk killing yourself. Each turn while the character is below 0 hit points, he can continue fighting, moving, talking, and otherwise acting as if he were still alive. However, he suffers a penalty to everything he does equal to his current hit points. At –3 hit points, for example, the character would have a –3 penalty to all dice rolls. In addition, the character has no chance of stabilizing, and automatically loses 2 hit points each round, rather than 1. If the character wishes, he can relax and collapse into unconsciousness. At that point, he returns to “normal” near-death state: losing 1 hit point each round with a 10 percent chance to stabili ze. DINOPATHY (General) You have an uncanny ability to communicate with dinosaurs. Benefits: The character is able to communicate in simple ways even with dinosaurs whose language he doesn’t speak. He can make a Charisma check against DC 10 to communicate with any dinosaur, regardless of whether he speaks its language. The dinosaur must be intelligent, and the communication must be sim ple and possible through body language and basic noises. Wild ones who take this feat receive a +2 bonus to their Animal Peer check when trying to communicate with a dinosaur. This feat also conveys a +2 bonus to Animal Empathy checks involving dinosaurs. DINOSAUR PRESENCE (General) The hero commands the attention of dinosaurs. For some reason be it his strength, size, smell or personality - dinosaurs notice him and pay attention. Benefits: There is something about the character that attracts and calms dinosaurs. They are more relaxed around him than around other humans. The character has a +2 bonus to all Handle Animal checks involving dinosaurs. In addition, he can herd 50 percent more dinosaurs (round up) than normal. For example, a normal human can herd six Huge dinosaurs, but a character with Dinosaur Charisma can herd nine. GEARHEAD (General) Your character thinks like a machine. She intuitively grasps how most technologies work. Prerequisites: Int 13+. Benefits: Your character receives a +2 competence bonus to all checks regarding Knowledge (technology), Disable Device, Repair Device and Use Technical Equipment. Furthermore, you receive a +1 bonus to the tech level for weapons and equipment you are eligible to use. GENTRY (General; Confederates Only) Your character is a member of the Confederate gentry. His father owns a plantation somewhere, and his mother is a distant cousin of Robert E. Lee. Benefits: You have high social standing in the eyes of Confederates. You receive a +2 racial Charisma bonus in any situation in which you deal with Confederates.
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GREAT LOVER (General; Confederates Only) Your dashing, daring rebel hero is a legendary lover. Women (or men) everywhere yearn to meet him (or her). He was once captured by a Union army and escaped by seducing the general’s wife. This has few applications directly on the battlefield (hopefully, it has no applications directly on the battlefield), but it sure gets the hero motivated to survive each battle – he just can’t wait to get home and charm the ladies with his latest heroic exploits. Prerequisites: Cha 13+. Benefits: The character has an inherent +2 bonus to Charisma when dealing with people of the opposite gender. Furthermore, he is unbelievably motivated by the urge to tell his admirers of his exploits. He receives a +1 bonus to all Fortitude and Will saving throws. LUCKY CUSS (General) Some people carry four-leaf clovers or rabbit’s feet, but your character doesn’t need that. He is unbelievably lucky. Benefits: Once per day, you can re-roll one die roll. You must accept the second die roll, regardless of whether or not it is good. REBEL YELL (General; Confederates Only) You can make a powerful rebel yell. This motivates your allies and scares your enemies. Only Confederates may take this feat. Benefits: Once per day, you can make your Rebel Yell. All allies within 30’ receive a +1 morale bonus to attacks for the next 1d4 rounds. SENSE OF VULNERABILITY (General) You are aware of classic positions and situations for ambushes, sneak attacks and forced moves. Prerequisite: Knowledge (strategy and tactics). Benefit: Your knowledge of military history, classic battles, and strategy and tactics makes you aware of any situation where you could be ambushed. You receive a +4 circumstance bonus to Listen and Spot checks in situation where surprise is due to ambush or environmental conditions – for example, opponents hidden in bushes, charging around a corner and so on. You also are attentive to combat situations where it looks like an enemy is trying to herd you or otherwise direct your motion through their attacks. You receive a +4 circumstance bonus to Sense Motive in such situations. This bonus applies if an enemy tries to use the Combat Placement feat against you. SNEAKY GIT (General) You have a natural talent for making good use of cover and moving stealthily. You would make a good scout. Prerequisites: Dex 13+. Benefits: Enemies suffer a –2 circumstance penalty to Spot or Listen checks against you. TRICK SHOT (General) You have an amazing ability shoot hats, cigars and silver dollars at 20 paces. Once, you managed to splinter a bullet on a rock and
send both fragments ricocheting in different directions, just like Davy Crockett. Prerequisites: Dex 13+. Benefits: Once per day, the character can attempt a trick shot. This is a shot that otherwise would be nearly impossible. For example, you could try to hit a silver dollar tossed in the air from horseback. Or you could try to splinter a bullet and hit two targets. Or you could shoot at a wall and try to ricochet your shot to hit a target around the corner. The GM has the final say on what you can do, but in general the point of this feat is that you manage to pull off stuff that’s supposed to be impossible. When attempting your trick, make a normal attack with all penalties applied (including the negative modifiers that are sup posed to make it impossible). But first make a check against DC 10. If that succeeds, you get a +8 competence bonus for the trick shot and only for the trick shot. If the check fails, all normal penalties apply. Making a trick shot requires full concentration and counts as a full round action. You can only make one trick shot per day. TURNCOAT (General) You have the chameleon-like ability to make yourself believed on either side of a polarized issue. For example, you can sound convincingly Union when buying decommissioned weapons from the Union military, then sound like an earnest reb when you sell them to the Confederates. Prerequisites: Chaotic alignment, Wis 13+. Benefits: This skill must be carefully adjudicated by the GM. You are basically a slimy, unctuous person who can pass yourself off as having practically any opinions. You readily pick up on someone’s sentiments and are able to persuade them you agree. This lets you make friends quickly, even in reclusive, closedminded and provincial places where it would otherwise be very difficult. In general, you receive a +2 competence bonus to all checks involving Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Perform and Sense Motive. You also suffer no negative penalties to Charisma checks when dealing with people who should be your enemies.
Normal: A character who uses a weapon without being proficient with it suffers a –4 penalty on attack rolls. WEAPON PROFICIENCY – HIGH-TECH (General) You understand how to use one type of high-tech weapon (full descriptions of weapon categories are in the Equipment section). Unlike other weapon proficiencies, this feat grants you expertise in one kind of high-tech weapon. The different kind of high-tech weapons are of very different construction, after all. You can select sonic, laser, plasma, freeze or gravity weapons. Prerequisite: Tech level sufficient to use the weapon. Benefit: You make attack rolls with the selected weapons normally. Normal: A character who uses a weapon without being proficient with it suffers a –4 penalty on attack rolls. WEAPON PROFICIENCY – ALIEN (General) You understand how to use one specific alien weapon (full descriptions of weapon categories are in the Equipment section). Unlike other weapon proficiencies, this feat grants you expertise in one weapon. You can select a single weapon to be proficient in. Prerequisite: Tech level sufficient to use the weapon. Benefit: You make attack rolls with the selected weapon normally. Normal: A character who uses a weapon without being proficient with it suffers a –4 penalty on attack rolls.
Equipment
WEAPON PROFICIENCY – MANUAL (General) You understand how to use all manual weapons (full descriptions There is a lot of interesting technology in the year 2202. of weapon categories are in the Equipment section). Humans have developed space travel, both between planets and through naturally occurring warp portals. The Union has built Prerequisite: Tech level sufficient to use the weapon. Benefit: You make attack rolls with manual weapons nor- bipedal armored fighting robots, while the Confederacy has promally. duced devices for controlling beasts of burden. Alien races have Normal: A character who uses a weapon without being pro- manufactured exotic weapons, ranging from lasers to plasma ficient with it suffers a –4 penalty on attack rolls. blasters to disintegrator rays, which find their way into human hands through the constant trading of the Free Fleet. Yet the technology of 2202 is contradictory. Space travel is WEAPON PROFICIENCY – BALLISTIC (General) You understand how to use all ballistic weapons (full descriptions common – but faster-than-light engines are unbelievably rare. of weapon categories are in the Equipment section). Lasers are available – but most soldiers fight with gunpowder based weapons. Mechanized vehicles are well understood – but Prerequisite: Tech level sufficient to use the weapon. Benefit: You make attack rolls with ballistic weapons nor- the Confederacy still toils with beasts of burden. mally. These ostensible contradictions are the result of one over-
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whelming factor: the unequal distribution and understanding of technology. Knowledge is highly stratified in 2202. The Union, with its intellectual culture, manufacturing industry and sprawling universities, long ago outpaced the Confederacy. Yet within the Union, only those with an academic background can comprehend the delicate minutia of high technology. And even they are limited by what humanity as a species has accomplished. No human understands anti-matter or faster-than-light engines, even though certain alien races do. We trade in finished goods, but cannot yet manufacture them ourselves. The availability of technology has an affect on your character’s success in the world. Characters from less developed societies usually possess little understanding of anything but the most basic technology. They are ill-equipped for space travel, are often out-classed in combat, and must rely on resources other than weaponry to win their battles.
tech levels. The most primitive, simplistic tools are tech level 1. Current technology in the year 2001 is of tech level 5, approaching 6. The most advanced human equipment in the year 2202 is tech level 10. Almost all technology above level 10 is of alien design. The rare human inventions above tech level 10 are the prototypes of a few brilliant researchers whose discoveries are far beyond the capabilities of mass production. The time span covered by each tech level compresses as the tech level increases. For example, tech level 1 covers the standard weapons for the first 20,000+ years of human existence, while tech level 3 covers roughly 350 years. Tech level 4 and 5 each cover less than a century. As technology advances, the speed of research quickens. Because of this, tech level groupings seem broad when looking “up” but thin when looking “down.” For example, the technology of a club (basically a tree limb) is primitive compared to that of a finely crafted sword. Humanity took thousands of years to make that Tech Level jump. Looking “up,” from this tech level to those above it, you The technological sophistication of weapons and technology could say that clubs and swords deserve different tech levels. But is represented by the term tech level. This is a new term for the looking “down,” from the perspective of the Apollo moon missions, d20 system, and should be considered a contribution to the open swords and clubs are easily grouped together as primitive weapons. gaming community. Determining A Character’s Tech Level: The maximum Tech level determines how well a character understands a tech level that a character can comprehend is called, simply, the piece of equipment. If the tech level is too high, the equipment is character’s tech level. A character’s tech level is based on place of greater than the character’s ability to comprehend it, and thus the origin, Intelligence and additional modifiers. character cannot use it. If the tech level is within the character’s Place of origin determines the base tech level, as shown on grasp, he can use it without problem. If the tech level is suffi- Table 5-2. Base tech level is the level of technology available in a ciently low, the character understands the item’s internal opera- typical colony of the place indicated. A character with a minimum tions and is able to repair and maintain the equipment. level of education from a rural area can count on understanding Range of Tech Levels: Table 5-1 illustrates the full range of the base level of technology.
Table 5-1: Tech Levels Tech Level
Example Weapons
Weapon Category
Example Equipment
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Club, sword, dagger Bow, arquebus Musket, Colt .45 M-16, AK-47 “Smart” rifles Sonic weapons Laser weapons Plasma weapons Freeze weapons Gravity weapons Monofilament weapons Genetic weapons Antimatter weapons Disintegrator weapons Beam technologies Psychic weapons ? ? ? ?
Manual Manual Ballistic Ballistic Ballistic High-tech High-tech High-tech High-tech High-tech Alien Alien Alien Alien Alien Alien Alien Alien Alien Alien
Food, rope Wheel, Gutenberg press Cotton gin, Ford Model T F-16 jet, moon landing Space station, computer Interplanetary travel
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Warp travel Cryonics
Cloaking devices Terraforming Faster-than-light travel Teleportation
will be using this technology somewhere. Colonies are compara ble to small towns in modern terminology. Place of Origin Base Tech Level City: It takes a city to support this technology. The factories Union 6 that sell it, repair it and manufacture it are located in cities and Free Fleet 5 can’t be found elsewhere. If you’re extremely lucky, you might Confederacy 4 find it exported in small quantities to very important colonies, but Outer Reaches 3 otherwise it is unavailable anywhere smaller than a city. CityThe base tech level is in turn modified by the character’s level technology is the limiting factor on what first-level characIntelligence modifier. Finally, any additional modifiers are ters can start with. They may understand even more rare techapplied (such as those due to the Gearhead feat). The final result nologies, but they won’t find them until they start adventuring. Planet: Even your average city doesn’t support this technolis the character’s tech level. Tech level is not the same as weapon proficiency. A character ogy. It is so specialized that only a few institutions per planet will who understands how a laser works may not be familiar with fir- be involved in its production. The technology can be found on the ing laser rifles. Weapon proficiency is still required to avoid the most populated planets, but you’ll have to look hard for it. System: Two or three people in the entire solar system will be –4 penalty for using a weapon you are not proficient with. Note that a character’s tech level represents his understand- working with these items. They may be researching and manufacing of technology, not the availability of technology. Just because turing them (at exorbitant cost, since their production runs are so a character can understand a piece of technology does not mean low), or they may operate small import-export businesses with aliens or the Free Fleet. “System” is the last population density he can locate it for sale! Tech Availability: A place’s base tech level determines the where what you are searching is for is actually manufactured. availability of technology within that region. Even if technology Rare: No one is producing these items. They are available is available, it may only be found in places where there are edu- only from private collectors, brilliant inventors, worldly Freemen cational institutions, military research labs, private industrialists and retired adventurers. If you want a rare item, you’d better start or independent researchers. Population density is often the deter- looking now. It may take more than a year to track down a supmining factor in tech availability. Table 5-3 describes tech level plier. You might be better off hiring a machinist to make it. Very Rare: Almost no one (even the average machinist) has availability by population density. It can be read as follows. Family: Any family in the area is probably using items of this any idea what these items are. You might find them if you spend tech level. It is common and ubiquitous. years searching. Your best chance of acquiring it is to go to alien Settlement: A settlement is a few families living in proximity space yourself, or hire a high-level machinist to manufacture it. to each other. Although every family may not have this technolo Impossible: You cannot acquire this tech level in this place. There are a couple things worth noting about Table 5-3. First, gy, it can be found somewhere in even the smallest settlements. Colony: This technology is available somewhere in every the Union is ahead of the curve in human technology (anything colony. The typical mining, farming, research or military colony with a tech level of 10 or less). But alien technology (tech level 11 and higher) is easiest to find in the Free Fleet. Table 5-3: Tech Level by Population Density The Confederacy possesses no alien technoloLowest Population Density Needed To Support Tech gy. The outer reaches, with their many scatTech Level Union Free Fleet Confederacy Outer Reaches tered settlements, do not reach the population 1 Family Family Family Family density of planets – cities are their largest con2 Family Family Family Settlement centrations of people – so they lack the Planet 3 Family Family Settlement Colony and System designations, and thus max out on 4 Family Settlement Colony City technology very quickly. 5 Settlement Colony City Rare Cretasus is in the outer reaches. 6 Colony City Planet Very Rare However, it has become a nexus of intergalac7 City Planet System Very Rare tic activity. The Union has several settlements 8 Planet System Rare Impossible there, and the Free Fleet has sent traders there. 9 System Rare Very Rare Impossible Treat it as a Confederate place, while noting 10 Rare Rare Very Rare Impossible that most advanced technology (“planet” level 11 Rare Rare Impossible Impossible or higher) must be acquired in Union-con12 Very Rare Rare Impossible Impossible trolled areas, or during the occasional surface 13 Very Rare Rare Impossible Impossible visits by the Free Fleet. Characters adventur14 Very Rare Very Rare Impossible Impossible ing on Cretasus will have to leave the planet to 15 Impossible Very Rare Impossible Impossible buy more exotic equipment (of course, they 16 Impossible Very Rare Impossible Impossible also could acquire it as treasure in an adven17 Impossible Impossible Impossible Impossible ture, or hire a machinist to make it for them).
Table 5-2: Base Tech Level by Place of Origin
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Equipping a Character
Weapons
A character can be equipped within the constraints of his cash allowance, his understanding of technology and what technology is available. The most common currency of 2202 is the dollar. There are other currencies, as explained later, but all a first level character needs to worry about is the dollar. Random starting cash for an adventurer depends upon his class, as follows:
WEAPON CATEGORIES
Table 5-4: Random Starting Cash Class
Amount
Min
Max
Average
Bronco Rider Machinist Soldier Spy Two-Fister Wild One
3d4x10 6d4x10 5d4x10 5d4x10 4d4x10 2d4x10
30 60 50 50 40 20
120 240 200 200 160 80
75 150 125 125 100 50
There are so many weapons in the year 2202 that the standard weapon categories must be expanded. Manual Weapons: Manual weapons are weapons that have few or no moving parts. They are very simple, basic weapons, and generally have a tech level of 1 or 2. Manual weapons can be either melee or ranged. Every weapon in Core Rulebook I is a manual weapon. A character proficient with manual weapons can use any manual weapon, though not all are commonly available. Ballistic Weapons: Ballistic weapons involve gunpowder, projectiles and/or moving mechanical parts. Most ballistic weapons are guns, although there are a few other types (such as flamers). Almost all ballistic weapons are ranged. Most weapons of tech level 3, 4 and 5 are ballistic weapons. None of the weapons in Core Rulebook I are ballistic weapons. High-Tech: High-tech weapons are of tech levels 6 through 10. These are the most advanced human weapons. Some work similar to ballistic weapons (i.e., “point and shoot”), but not all. High-tech weapons can be either ranged or melee. Alien: Weapons of tech level 11 or higher are of al ien design. Even if a brilliant human scientist or 20th level machinist created the weapon, it is still such abstruse technology that it is considered alien for purposes of determining whether other people can use it. Alien weapons can be either melee or ranged.
Availability: First level characters may select from the equipment listed on the following pages. Only a few items of tech level 11 and higher are listed here. There are many more, but novice adventurers aren’t familiar with them. Characters are limited to using technology of the tech level they can understand. In addition, as noted above, first level characters are limited to buying equipment of a tech level available in cities or smaller populations. By place of origin, that limit translates to: Union: At first level, maximum tech level of 7 Free Fleet: At first level, maximum tech level of 6 WEAPON QUALITIES Confederacy: At first level, maximum tech level of 5 In addition to the standard weapon qualities, one additional Offworlders: At first level, maximum tech level of 4 For example: Alderon is a first level bronco rider from the weapon quality has been added: targeting range. Many combat Confederacy. His Intelligence score is a 16, giving him a +3 rules specify a distance at which ranged weapons may be used for Intelligence modifier. His tech level is thus a 7 (base tech level of certain feats and skills. For example, the Fighter’s Weapon 4 for a Confederate background, +3 for Intelligence modifier). Specialization feat gives a damage bonus to ranged attacks only if Over the course of his adventuring career, he will be able to use they are within 30 feet. That makes sense with bows and arrows, weapons and equipment of a tech level up to 7. At first level, how- but not laser rifles and scopes. ever, he must buy his equipment in the Confederate lands where Targeting Range: Targeting range is the effective range at he begins his career. Thus, even though he can understand which a character can carefully aim a weapon. It is not the disadvanced technologies, the only equipment he can find to pur- tance at which the weapon is most accurate (that would be range chase has a tech level of 5 or less. increment). Targeting range is the range at which aiming ability Machinists are an exception to this rule. A machinist can add translates into precise shots capable of causing extra damage. For 2 to his first level maximum tech level availability. For example, most weapons it is contingent on the size of the weapon’s projeca first level Union machinist could purchase equipment up to tech tile and the use of a scope. level 9. Cost: In general, all costs should be converted into dollars at Once characters arrive on Cretasus, and otherwise start the rate of $1 = 1 gp. However, all manual weapons are considadventuring, they may be able to find more advanced equipment. ered antique and cost half the list price – a greatsword, for examWhen they start out, however, they can only acquire the equip- ple, costs $25 even though it lists at 50 gp. Antique armor costs ment that is readily available in their place of embarkation. the regular price. Ammunition: Most weapons of the future require ammunition. Ammunition is listed in the weapons tables, and the individual descriptions tell how much is needed.
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WEAPON USAGE
Not many people use tridents in the year 2202. Historical weapons are theoretically available, especially if you have a very liberal GM, but in reality most shouldn’t make their way into a game of Broncosaurus Rex. Table 5-5: Archaic Weapon Usage lists which old-timey weapons are stil l used in 2202, and who uses them:
Table 5-5: Archaic Weapon Usage Weapon
Used by whom
Battleaxe Club Crossbow Dagger/Knife Gauntlet Greataxe Greatsword Handaxe Lance Longbow Longspear Longsword Mace Net Quarterstaff Shortbow Sickle
Warp pirates, offworlders, Confederates Offworlders Confederate sportsmen, offworlders Common everywhere Warp pirates Warp pirates, offworlders, Confederates Confederate gentry, warp pirates Warp pirates, offworlders, Confederates Confederate cavalry Confederate sportsmen, offworlders Confederate cavalry/sportsmen, offworlders Confederate infantry, warp pirates Offworlders Confederate sportsmen, offworlders Offworlders Confederate sportsmen, offworlders Confederate farmers
HEIRLOOM WEAPONS
loom away in order to keep it in the family. If they can’t find anyone to give it to, they have to die with it. Preferably, they have to die using it . Selling an heirloom has serious consequences – other Confederates may ostracize a character with such little respect for tradition. A first level Confederate character may start with one heirloom weapon. This weapon comes at no cost – it has been passed down from one family member to the next. An heirloom weapon must be of tech level 4 or lower (after all, this thing has been passed down for generations!). And just because the heirloom is free doesn’t mean the character is proficient with it. The heirloom weapon may be a masterwork version of a longsword, greatsword, dagger, longbow, Winchester rifle or Colt .45. As an heirloom weapon, it is engraved, gold and brass plated, and notched with the kill marks of your ancestors. A masterwork weapon is an exceptionally well made weapon which gives a +1 enhancement bonus to attack rolls. You should make up a story and history for your heirloom weapon. Here are a few examples: Bowie knife: A sturdy blade purchased by the hero’s greatgreat-great-great-great-great-great-uncle from Bowie himself back in the gold rush of ‘49. Stats as per a dagger. Lee’s sword: The hero’s distant relative fought under Lee and was given this engraved sword as a reward for his valor. It is of exceptional construction. Stats as per a longsword. Longshot pistol: A long-barreled handgun used by a grandfather to dispatch a rival suitor of his wife-to-be. Without this pistol’s deadly aim, the hero’s grandmother would have married a different man! Stats as per a Colt .45. Mr. Wesson’s revolver: This revolver was one of the original prototypes built by Mr. Wesson (of Smith & Wesson), given to the hero’s long-lost cousin after he saved Mr. Wesson’s life. The prototype is exceptionally well built, and its prowess was never duplicated under mass manufacture. Over the years, it has been upgraded to take modern ammunition. Stats as per a Colt .45. Silver musket: A special musket hand-crafted from solid silver. According to legend, it was manufactured by Paul Revere. It was on its way to a museum but the hero’s distant cousin captured it when he was a swashbuckler fighting against the Union blockades of ‘62. It has been retrofitted over the years as a high-velocity rifle. Stats as per a Confederate rifle.
Confederate heroes carry heirlooms. These are long-kept special weapons or artifacts that have been passed down through the generations. For example, an heirloom weapon could be the family pistol that the hero’s grandfather used at a famous battle, or that a great-aunt was given as a gift from a grateful general. Heirlooms are sturdy, high-quality implements of unusually fine construction. Although the Union possesses better technology than the Confederacy, the Confederacy possesses better made technology. A pistol from Union lands was probably mass manufactured, while a similar Confederate pistol was individually cast. The Confederacy is known for craftsmanship in general, and attention to detail in particular when it comes to making weapons. WEAPON DESCRIPTIONS Heirlooms are the one-of-a-kind, hand-made pinnacles of craftsThese are descriptions of the weapons listed in Table 5-6: manship. A character with an heirloom must abide by its historical Weapons (on the next page). Absentee Voter: This is the standard rifle of the Union miliimportance. Characters who have heirlooms must obey the following restrictions: tary. It earned the nickname “Absentee Voter” when Union sol• They may never lend out the heirloom; only the owner can diers wielding the rifle kept rebel sympathizers away from the use it. polls on the planet Vulcanus. Union troops refer to the rifle as the • They must always keep it in tip-top condition, oiled and pol- Marionette – for the effect it has on targets. An Absentee Voter can be used to make more than one attack per round, if the user has ished and always of display quality. • They may never sell the heirloom. If they no longer want it, that ability. Amp Bomb: Also called a thumper, an amp bomb is a sonic they are obliged to contact their next of kin and give the heir-
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Table 5-6: Weapons Size
Weapon
Cost Dam
Crit
Range Increment
Targeting Range
Weight
Tech Level
Type
MANUAL WEAPONS Gauntlet, Raptor Claw Tiny Bayonet Knife Lasso
50 3 1 3
1d6+1 1d4 1d4 **
x2 19-20/x2 19-20/x2 **
10 ft. 10 ft.
30 ft. -
3 lb. 1 lb. 1 lb. 5 lb.
1 2 1 2
Slashing Piercing Piercing **
BALLISTIC WEAPONS – MELEE Stun Gun Small
10
2d4***
x2
-.
-
2 lb.
4
Special
BALLISTIC WEAPONS – RANGED Colt .45 Revolver* Medium Mutiny Gun Pistol, automatic* Absentee Voter Large Bronto Gun Flamer Grenade Launcher Howzer Hvy. Machine Gun Hvy. Trank Gun Musket Piledriver ROGUE Rifle Shotgun Trank Gun Whisper Gun Winchester Rifle
25 75 35 60 65 150 90 600 120 100 15 450 250 25 20 100 40
1d10 1d10 1d10 1d12 4d6 3d6** ** 5d10 2d10 3d6*** 1d8 4d12 3d6 ** 1d6*** 1d12 1d12
x3 18-20/x3 x3 x3 x2 ** 17-20/x3 19-20/x3 x2 x2 18-20/x3 19-20/x3 x2 x2 18-20/x3 x3
100 ft. 200 ft. 150 ft. 250 ft. 50 ft. 20 ft. 200 ft. 600 ft. 300 ft. 100 ft. 100 ft. 300 ft. 300 ft. 10 ft. 50 ft. 250 ft. 200 ft.
40 ft. 60 ft. 40 ft. 60 ft. 40 ft. 10 ft. 40 ft. 60 ft. 40 ft. 40 ft. 40 ft. 60 ft. 60 ft. 10 ft. 40 ft. 60 ft. 60 ft.
3 lb. 9 lb. 5 lb. 12 lb. 18 lb. 8 lb. 12 lb. 80 lb. 25 lb. 16 lb. 8 lb. 20 lb. 15 lb. 10 lb. 8 lb. 15 lb. 10 lb.
3 5 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 5 3 4 5 4
Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Special Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing Piercing
BALLISTIC WEAPONS - GRENADES Gas Bomb 5 Tiny Grenade, Frag 20 Smoke Bomb 5
** 6d6 Smoke
-
10 ft./20 ft. 10 ft./5 ft. 10 ft./20 ft.
-
1 lb. 1 lb. 1 lb.
4 4 4
Special Piercing/Flame -
BALLISTIC WEAPONS - AMMUNITION Belt, HMG (60) 8 Tiny Bronto shell (1) 2 Cartridge, Pistol (20) 2 Cartridge, Rifle (20) 3 Clip, Rifle (30) 4 Flamer fuel (10) 2 Rocket shell (1) 3 Shotgun shells (20) 2 Trank darts (5) 1
-
-
-
-
2 lb. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. 1 lb. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb.
4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
-
HIGH-TECH WEAPONS – MELEE Gauntlet, Energy Small Screamer Knife Laser Lance Medium Laser Prod ** Laser Sword
2d4+1 2d6 2d8 1d6 2d8
x2 x3 x3 x2 19-20/x2
-
-
3 lb. 4 lb. 3 lb. 1 lb. 2 lb.
7 6 7 7 7
Bludgeoning Slashing Piercing Special Slashing
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20 30 40 10 50
Table 5-6: Weapons (continued) Size
Weapon
Cost Dam
Crit
Range Increment
Targeting Range
Weight
Tech Level
Type
170 1,000 350 500 300 150 200
2d10 ** 3d10 3d12 3d8 ** 2d10
x2 ** x2 x2 x2 x2 x3
250 ft. 40 ft. 400 ft. 150/40** 150 ft. 20 ft. 100 ft.
10 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. 30 ft. 10 ft. 20 ft. 30 ft.
2 lb. 40 lb. 7 lb. 12 lb. 7 lb. 35 lb. 8 lb.
7 9 7 8 7 6 7
Special Special Special Fire Special Special Special
HIGH-TECH WEAPONS - GRENADES Amp Bomb 35 Small Grav Field 30 Plasma Bomb 30
** *** 3d12
x2 x2 x2
10 ft./30 ft. 10 ft./10 ft. 10 ft./30 ft.
-
1 lb. 2 lb. 1 lb.
6 10 8
Special Special Fire
HIGH-TECH WEAPONS - AMMUNITION Energy pack (50) 10 Tiny Plasma charge (20) 5
-
-
-
-
-
6 8
-
ALIEN WEAPONS – MELEE Monofilament blade Tiny
250
3d12
x3
-
-
1 lb.
11
Slashing
ALIEN WEAPONS – RANGED Chimera Fiend Small Annihilator Medium Dust Gun Large
5,000 ** 800 6d10 3,000 **
** x2 **
250 ft. 10 ft. 40 ft.
30 ft. 10 ft. 30 ft.
1 lb. 10 lb. 30 lb.
12 13 14
Special Special Special
HIGH-TECH WEAPONS – RANGED Laser Pistol Medium Cryon Ray Large Laser Rifle Plasma Sling Pulse Rifle Screamer Rifle Wide Beam Laser
* Can be used as melee weapon. ** See description. *** This weapon deals subdual damage rather than normal damage.
grenade. It emits an unbelievably loud bang that can be heard for miles. All creatures within the blast radius take 3d20 points of subdual damage and d10 points of normal damage. Furthermore, they must take a Fortitude saving throw (DC 12) or be deafened for 3d6 rounds. Deafened characters have a 20 percent chance of being permanently deafened. Annihilator: An annihilator is an antimatter rifle. It is an energy weapon that can be fired no more than once per round. Each shot drains 25 charges from the energy pack. Bayonet: A typical bayonet for mounting underneath the barrel of any rifle. A rifle equipped with a bayonet can be used in melee, at the stats of the bayonet. A bayonet does double damage on a charge. Bronto Gun: Similar to the elephant gun of the old safari hunters, the bronto gun is the weapon of choice for the big-game dinosaur hunter. Bronto guns have long, heavy barrels that flare at the end. They fire a massive charge that has incredible penetrating power, but only at very short ranges. The bronto gun’s shot decreases in power rapidly. For every full 50 feet between the shooter and target, subtract 1d6 from the damage roll. The maximum range at which a bronto gun can cause damage, then, is 200 feet. A bronto gun must be reloaded with a bronto shell for each
shot. Loading is a standard action. A bronto gun can only be fired once per round. Chimera Fiend: This is perhaps the most grotesque application of genetic technology. Also called a gene scrambler, the chimera fiend uses blasts of radiation to di srupt a creature’s DNA. The effects are unpredictable, but almost always deadly. Usually, the fiend causes some sort of internal organ failure, which instantly kills the target. Sometimes, the target begins sprouting fastgrowing tumors, which develop rapidly into additional limbs for about 30 seconds until the target keels over dead. On rare occasions, the results are fantastically disgusting: the target sprouts eyes all over its body or its face mutates into a foot or it glows or grows wings or sprouts horrible sores. Chimera fiends make modified touch attacks – armor bonuses are not considered except for energy fields, which can absorb the radiation. A target hit by a chimera fiend must make a Fortitude save against DC 15. Failure means death. The creature will take 1d6 rounds to die; during that time, it is nauseated. Even if the target survives the hit, its genetic material is disrupted. One week later, make another Fortitude saving throw against DC 5. If the throw succeeds, there are no ill effects. If the throw fails, the creature develops some sort of mutation. The
49
mutation has a 25 percent chance of being harmful (e.g., cancer), a 50 percent chance of being inconsequential (e.g., hair changes color), and a 25 percent chance of being helpful (e.g., rapid muscle growth). A chimera fiend can only be fired one per round. It requires an energy pack and uses 10 charges per shot. Chimera fiends are energy weapons. Colt .45: The standard weapon of the bronco rider, a Colt can fire multiple times per round if the user has that ability. A Colt holds six shots and requires a full round action to reload. Cryon Ray: The cryon ray is a basic, man-portable freeze rifle. Whatever a cryon ray hits is instantly frozen for 2d6 rounds. A frozen creature is frozen, obviously, and can do nothing. After the freeze wears off, the character returns to normal. Cryon rays make modified touch attacks. Targets of a cryon ray do not get an armor class bonus for normal armor. Any armor you’re wearing when hit by a cryon ray will just freeze along with the rest of you. Energy fields are the only armor that provides AC benefit against a cryon ray. A frozen creature takes 1d8 points of cold damage per round. That is not the real charm of a cryon ray, however. Once a target is frozen, it is extremely fragile. All subsequent damage to a frozen target is doubled. If an already-frozen target is hit by another cryon ray shot, roll 2d6 for the new duration. If it is greater than the number of turns remaining on the target’s freeze, then the roll is the new total duration for the freeze. Otherwise, the freeze duration remains the same. For example, a frozen target has 3 rounds to go before thawing. The target is hit again. The character rolls 5 for the num ber of rounds of freeze caused by the second shot. 5 is greater than 3, so there are now 5 remaining rounds of freeze instead of 3. If the character had rolled a 2, that would be less than the 3 rounds already remaining, so the target would remain frozen for 3 rounds. Finally, targets may suffocate while frozen. A frozen character can hold his breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution without suffocating. After that, a frozen character must begin making Constitution checks (DC 10) to prevent suffocation. A normal cryon ray can freeze an entire medium-sized creature. Larger creatures will be partially frozen, centered on the point of impact. Determine randomly which part of the body is hit. The frozen area will be roughly equal to the si ze of a medium-size creature. The frozen creature still suffers 1d8 points of damage for each round of freeze, plus any additional impairments due to having part of its body frozen. For example, a frozen leg will slow it down. Randomly determine whether subsequent shots hit the frozen area and thus cause extra damage: for a large creature, this happens on 1-10 on a d20; for huge, on 1-5; for gargantuan, on 13; for colossal, on a 1. Cryon rays cannot cause critical hits. A cryon ray requires no ammunition, but it must recharge for one full round after each shot. Dust Gun: A dust gun is a disintegrator. Each hit can turn one cubic foot of matter into a puff of grey dust. The effect on living creatures can be lethal. Luckily, dust guns are extremely rare.
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The amount of damage depends on which area of the body is hit:
Roll
Hit
1-2 3-5 6-7 8-10 11-13 14-19 20
Hand/lower arm Shoulder/upper arm Foot/lower leg Thigh/upper leg Abdomen Chest Head
For hand, arm, foot and leg results, determine randomly whether it is the left or the right. Hand/lower arm: The target takes 2d10 damage. Furthermore, its hand and lower arm are disintegrated forever. Shoulder/upper arm: The target takes 3d10 damage. Its shoulder and upper arm are disintegrated. The lower arm is thus severed and falls to the ground. Foot/lower leg: The target’s foot and lower leg are gone forever. It takes 2d10 damage and moves at half rate from now on. Thigh/upper leg: The target’s thigh and upper leg are disint egrated. It takes 3d10 damage. The rest of its leg is severed and useless. It moves at half rate from now on. Abdomen: The target takes 5d10 damage. If he’s lucky, the dust gun only grazes him, or takes out a few ribs at most. If he’s not lucky, the dust gun destroys vital internal organs. A target hit in the abdomen must make a Fortitude save at DC 15 or be killed. Chest: The target takes 6d10 damage and runs the risk of having his heart or lungs disintegrated. He must make a Fortitude save at DC 20 or be killed. Head: The target takes 8d10 damage. He must make a Fortitude save at DC 30 or be killed. Even if he survives, his head is grotesquely deformed. He suffers a –8 inherent penalty to Charisma and becomes permanently blind. A dust gun must be fired from a tripod. Otherwise, it suffers a –2 penalty to the attack roll. Dust guns use energy packs, and a single shot drains 50 charges. Dust guns are energy weapons. Energy Pack: An energy pack has 50 charges. All energy weapons drain a certain number of charges per use. Unless noted otherwise, reloading an energy pack is a standard action. Flamer: Flamers are energy weapons. They use 5 charges per shot and can be fired only once per round. A flamer deals damage to everything in a 5-foot-wide stream extending to the maximum range. Targets hit by a flamer must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or catch fire. Gas Bomb: A gas bomb releases a noxious gas that can be fatal if inhaled. The cloud looks and acts exactly like that from a smoke grenade and is indistinguishable until inhaled. Characters with gas masks or hermetically sealed suits are immune to gas bombs. A character within the cloud tales 1d8 points of damage immediately, and an additional 1d8 at the beginning of each round that he remains in the cloud. Furthermore, he must immediately make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10). The saving throw must be
repeated at the beginning of each round in which the character remains in the cloud. If the throw fails, the character loses consciousness and is considered helpless. Large creatures receive an inherent +2 bonus to the saving throw, Huge +4, Gargantuan +8 and Colossal +16. Gauntlet, Energy: An energy gauntlet is a spiked gauntlet fitted with a power generator. The generator produces an electrical field that magnifies the strength of any blow. An energy gauntlet uses an energy pack, which is drained one charge for every hour of continuous use. Strength modifiers do apply when using an energy gauntlet. Energy gauntlets are considered energy weapons for purposes of energy field armor. Gauntlets, Raptor Claw: A raptor has two killer claws, one on the inside of each foot. It takes ten killer claws to produce a set of raptor claw gauntlets. They are worn like gloves, with the ten large claws mounted above the fingers. They are highly prized tro phies, and are always worn in sets. Many adventurers consider them a status symbol, indicative of a seasoned warrior. It is extremely difficult to find raptor claw gauntlets for sale. Generally, a character who wants them has to hunt and kill the raptors himself, then hire a weaponsmith to attach the claws to the gauntlet. The cost and statistics are per gauntlet , even though they are always worn in pairs. Grav Field: A grav field looks nothing like a normal grenade. It is a complex wired box with several gyroscopes visible within. When activated, it creates a powerful gravitational pull toward itself. The pull can reach 5 G’s and is enough to pin most creatures to the ground. The effect lasts for 1d4+1 rounds, after which the grav field burns out and is useless. A creature caught within the grav field must make a Strength check against DC 14. If the check fails, the creature is knocked to the ground and considered held. A held creature can do absolutely nothing until the grav field wears off. No additional Strength check is allowed. If the creature passes the Strength check, it is able to move about at half speed within the area of effect. Larger, more powerful grav fields can be custom-built. Grenade Launcher: A grenade launcher can fire any grenade, but must be reloaded after each shot, which requires a standard action. Grenade, Frag: Frag grenades deal damage that is half piercing and half fire damage in a 20-foot radius. Targets within the area effect can attempt a Reflex save (DC 20) to take half damage. Heavy Machine Gun: This is a large, powerful machine gun. It is belt-fed and typically mounted on a tripod. Firing without the tripod causes a –1 attack penalty unless the firer’s Strength is 17 or greater. The HMG can eat through an entire belt (60 shots) before needing to be reloaded, which takes a full round. A character with multiple attacks can fire a heavy machine gun multiple times in one round. Heavy Trank Gun: This is a larger version of the trank gun, used to hunt big game. It fires larger darts filled with a more power tranquilizer. It works exactly like a trank gun, except that the Fortitude saving throw is against DC 20. This reflects the addi-
tional strength of the tranquilizer. A heavy trank gun can hold 5 darts, but can fire one per round maximum. Reloading requires a full round action. Howzer: This is the light cannon typically mounted on small tanks. The recoil is enormous. You never see howzers except when mounted on tanks, but an extremely strong character may attempt to carry one. This is impossible for characters with a Strength less than 17. A Strength of 17-18 lets you fire the howzer, but you cannot move in the same round you shoot (not even a 5 foot step), and you suffer a –4 attack penalty from the recoil. At Strength 19-20, you can fire with a –2 penalty. Above that, there is no attack penalty. A howzer may only be fired once per round. Howzers fire rocket shells, and must be reloaded after each shot. Reloading is a standard action. Laser Lance: This is the standard weapon of the Dino Warriors. It has reach and deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount. Dino Warriors typically charge with their lances, then turn them off and activate their laser swords. A laser lance uses an energy pack, which is drained one charge for every hour of continuous use. Strength modifiers do apply when using a laser lance. Laser lances are energy weapons. Laser Pistol: Lasers fire extremely thin beams. They have a very long range, but even the slightest swing of the barrel can cause you to miss your target. Laser pistols use energy packs, and drain one charge per shot. A laser pistol may only be fired once per round, no matter how many attacks the character has. Laser pistols are energy weapons. Laser Prod: Laser prods are used by bronco riders to herd dinosaurs. They are three-foot long staffs with a short laser blade on the end. A laser prod has two settings: subdual and normal. The bronco riders use the subdual setting to keep their herds in line. Either setting can be used in combat. A laser prod uses an energy pack, which is drained one charge for every hour of continuous use. Strength modifiers do apply when using a laser sword. Laser prods are energy weapons. Laser Rifle: Like the laser pistol, the laser rifle fires extremely thin beams. It has a very long range, but even the slightest swing of the barrel can cause you to miss your target. Laser rifles use energy packs, and drain one charge per shot. A laser rifle may only be fired once per round, no matter how many attacks the character has. Laser rifles are energy weapons. Laser Sword: A laser sword is a hilt that produces a laser beam for use in close combat. The beam can be turned on or off at the touch of a button. Laser swords are the preferred weapon of military officers. A laser sword uses an energy pack, which is drained one charge for every hour of continuous use. Strength modifiers do apply when using a laser sword. Laser swords are energy weapons. Lasso: Lassoes make ranged touch attacks. The maximum range for a lasso is 30 feet, though no range penalties apply. If you hit, the target is entangled. An entangled creature has –2 to attack rolls and –4 to effective Dexterity; moves at half speed; and cannot charge or run. If you win an opposed Strength check with an entangled target, you can limit their movement to the range
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t r a u t S r e t l a W
allowed by the rope. The entangled creature can escape with an is a small, short-barreled electric weapon that is mounted on a Escape Artist check (DC 17), or by breaking the lasso (DC 25, 5 character’s shoulder or backpack. Because it is electric, it makes hp), both of which are full round actions. A lasso can be thrown no noise when fired. It is equipped with its own discriminating repeatedly without penalty until you hit, but once a target is entan- targeting system. When the character “fires,” he actually desiggled the lasso cannot be thrown again until they are let free. nates targets with a hand-held laser sight. The mutiny gun zeroes Lassoes cannot be thrown in radiuses wide enough to affect crea- in and fires ten incredibly rapid bursts aimed at and a few inches tures of size greater than Huge. around the target. The sheer volume of bullets unleashed, and the Monofilament Blade: The monofilament blade is a grue- gun’s ability to blast the area around the target as well as the point some technology that humanity has not yet mastered. The hilt can of aim, give it a high probability of causing critical hits. A mutiny be of any design. Extending from it is a blade only a single mole- gun fires 20 bullets per turn. It is fed by a HMG belt. Reloading cule wide. It can slice through almost anything. Strength modi- is a full round action. A character with multiple attacks can fire a fiers do not apply to damage from monofilament blades – the mutiny gun multiple times in one round. blade slices at a constant, stable rate regardless of force, so damPiledriver: This is the most commonly available shoulderage is more a consequence of the directness of the hit than the fired rocket launcher, also called a thunder chucker. It shoots sinstrength behind it. Monofilament blades require no energy source. gle rockets. Each rocket must be loaded individually, which They are available in dagger length, longsword l ength, greatsword requires a standard action. The rockets explode in a highly length, etc. The blade described here is of longsword length. focused blast, which has a tendency to cause critical hits. Musket: A musket is an antique firearm. Muskets are still in Pistol, Automatic: Automatic pistols can be used to make use in some parts of the Confederacy and the outer reaches. multiple attacks per round if the character has that ability. Muskets must be individually loaded after each shot. Reloading is Plasma Bomb: A plasma bomb is a shell filled with superhot a full-round action. A musket can only be fired once per round. plasma. When it collides with a target it explodes in a ball of Mutiny Gun: This is an advanced AI weapon named after its flame. Those caught within the blast can make a Reflex save (DC use by Union naval captains to control their conscripted crews. It 15) to take half damage. The plasma cloud continues to combust
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for 1d3+6 rounds in still weather and 1d3+1 rounds in windy 3d20 points of subdual damage and 1d10 points of normal damweather. Characters within the cloud are blinded and continue to age. Creatures between 41’-60’ take 2d20 points of subdual damtake damage each round they are within it. Plasma bombs are age and no normal damage. Creatures between 61’-80’ take 1d20 energy weapons. points of subdual damage. The effect then tapers off and causes no Plasma Charge: This is the ammunition used by plasma damage to creatures further than 80’ away. rifles. It takes a full-round action to reload a plasma charge. A Any target that takes damage must also make a Fortitude sav plasma charge is hardness 10 with 3 hit points. If it is reduced to ing throw to avoid being deafened for 3d6 rounds. The DC is 20 0 hit points it explodes like a plasma bomb. within the first 20’, 15 from 21’-40’, 10 from 41’-60’, and 5 from Plasma Sling: Also called a sun gun or heat gun, a plasma 61’-80’. If the target fails the saving throw, there is a chance the sling launches a glob of superhot plasma. The plasma splatters deafness will be permanent. The chance is a percent equal to the when it lands. The plasma sling’s range increment is 150 feet. DC. (For example, from 21’ to 40’ there is a 15% chance of perWherever the shot lands, it explodes like a grenade, with a radius manent deafness.) of 40 feet. Those caught within the blast can make a Reflex save A screamer rifle uses an energy pack. Each shot takes 10 (DC 15) to take half damage. The infernal plasma cloud continues charges. A screamer rifle can only be fired once per round. to combust for 1d3+6 rounds in still weather and 1d3+1 rounds Screamer rifles are energy weapons. in windy weather. Characters within the cloud are blinded and Shotgun: A shotgun deals 3d6 points of damage to targets in continue to take damage each round they remain within. Plasma the first range increment, 2d6 damage in the next increment and slings use one plasma charge per shot. A plasma sling can be fired 1d6 damage to targets in a 5-foot wide path beyond that to maximultiple times per round. Plasma slings are energy weapons. mum range. In can fire once per round maximum, and can hold up Pulse Rifle: A pulse rifle is a fully automatic laser rifle. It to five shells. Reloading up to two shells is a standard action. fires multiple short bursts with great rapidity. Pulse rifles use Reloading more than that is a full-round action. energy packs, and drain one charge per shot. A character with mulSmoke Bomb: One round after a smoke bomb lands, it emits tiple attacks can fire multiple times in one round. Pulse rifles are a cloud of nontoxic smoke in a 20-foot radius that persists in still energy weapons. conditions for 1d3+6 rounds and windy conditions for 1d3+1 ROGUE Rifle: The ROGUE rifle is an advanced rifle pro- rounds. Visibility within the smoke is limited to 20 feet. duced by the Union. ROGUE stands for Rapid Oscillation Everything within the cloud has 90 percent concealment. Gun/Under Experimentation. It is carried only by elite military Stun Gun: A stun gun zaps the target with a forceful electriunits, and can only be acquired on the black market. It fires cal charge that deals subdual damage. Any touch to the target advanced ammunition designed to oscillate in flight, giving it (regardless of force) delivers the charge. No Strength bonuses accurate stopping power at great distances. The Confederacy, apply. The stun gun must be recharged after five uses. A single lacking the advanced research capabilities of the Union, has made charge from an energy pack will recharge the stun gun. A stun gun several attempts to hijack shipments of ROGUE guns, but has may be used multiple times per round. Stun guns are energy thus far not succeeded. A character with multiple attacks can fire weapons. a ROGUE rifle multiple times in one round. Trank Gun: A trank gun fires tranquilizer darts. When a dart Screamer Knife: Also called the vibroblade, a screamer hits, it releases tranquilizing chemicals into the target’s nervous knife is a vicious sonic weapon that makes an awful screeching system. This immediately causes 1d6 points of subdual damage. noise. It is a small, razor-sharp dagger blade that vibrates at At the beginning of each round thereafter, the target must make a incredibly high frequencies. It slices with ease – simply touching Fortitude saving throw against DC 15. If the throw succeeds, no it to flesh is enough to tear a deep gash. Furthermore, the rapid additional damage is taken. If the throw fails, the target takes an vibrations leave a jagged wound that is slow to heal. Strength additional 1d6 points of subdual damage, and must continue makmodifiers do apply when using a screamer knife. A screamer knife ing a saving throw at the start of each round thereafter until it uses an energy pack, which must be replaced roughly once every passes. A trank gun can hold 5 darts, but can fire one per round two months of continuous use. maximum. Reloading requires a full round action. A trank gun can Screamer Rifle: A screamer rifle is a shoulder-mounted only fire once per round. sonic rifle. It is extremely heavy and requires protective headgear Whisper Gun: Whisper guns are electric rifles. They have no to use. The headgear is included with the weapon, and cannot be moving parts and are completely silent when fired. A whisper gun combined with a gas mask, helmet, or other form of head protec- fires 20 bullets per shot, all aimed at a single target. The massive tion. If the firer does not wear the headgear, he is automatically hit attack volume gives it a high chance of causing critical hits. A by the blast and suffers a 20 percent chance of being permanently whisper gun is fed by a HMG belt. Reloading is a standard action. deafened. A character with multiple attacks can fire a whisper gun multiple The screamer rifle fires a sonic shock wave that is incredibly times in one round. powerful but dissipates rapidly. The shock wave is cone shaped. Wide Beam Laser: The wide beam laser was developed as Creatures within 20 feet take 4d20 points of subdual damage and an attempt to overcome the normal laser’s narrow field of fire. 2d10 points of normal damage. Creatures in the next 20 feet take Wide beam lasers are less focused and have a shorter range, but
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they sear a much wider portion of the target and are more damaging when it comes to critical hits. Wide beam lasers use energy packs, and drain one charge per shot. A wide beam laser may only be fired once per round, no matter how many attacks the character has. Wide beam lasers are energy weapons. Winchester Rifle: This is the standard rifle of the Confederate military. It can fire once per round maxim um. It uses rifle cartridges.
Armor ARMOR CATEGORIES
Table 5-7: Archaic Armor Usage lists which old-timey armors are still used in 2202, and who uses them. These armors are repeated on Table 5-10: Armor for ease of reference.
Table 5-7: Archaic Armor Usage Armor
Used by whom
Chainmail Chain Shirt Hide Leather Padded Steel Shields Stud. Leather
Warp Pirates, Confed. officers and gentry Warp Pirates, Offworlders, Confed. gentry Offworlders Craftsmen in many common occupations Craftsmen in hazardous occupations Offworlders, Warp Pirates Warp Pirates, Offworlders, Home Guard
The armors of 2202 include one additional category. ARMOR FOR MOUNTS Energy Field Armor: Certain kinds of energy fields can absorb the energy of incoming attacks. They make excellent Dinosaur mounts (as well as other creatures) may be armor. Energy field armor consists of a small metal projector box, equipped with armor. Any armor except powered armor and worn on the belt. The field can be turned on or off with a switch. shields may be adapted for use by a mount. The cost and weight Some fields are visible; others are not. are multiplied based on the size of the creature, as shown on Table The field traces the three-dimensional shape of the character, 5-8: Armor for Mounts. The costs represent custom-fitting the at a distance of about three inches from the skin. A field generalarmor, materials used, and the rarity of tools and craftsmen able to ly stops at the hands to allow the character to use weapons or perform the task. tools, although fields may be purchased as fully enclosed. Energy fields can be worn on top of normal physical armor. Table 5-8: Armor for Mounts An energy field’s armor bonus stacks with any physical armor Mount Size Cost Weight below it, as well as shields. x2 x1 Certain weapons are designated “energy weapons.” Energy Medium x4 x2 fields are most effective at stopping energy weapons, as detailed Large Huge x8 x5 in the weapon descriptions.
Gargantuan Colossal
ARMOR USAGE
As with weapons, not all antique armors are used in the year 2202. Some are still used regularly, however, especially by cash poor adventurers. They are cheaper in 2202 thanks to the miracles of mass production.
x12 x24
GETTING INTO AND OUT OF ARMOR
Table 5-9: Donning Armor explains how much time it takes to don, don hastily and remove armor.
Table 5-9: Donning Armor
IRONCLADS
Armor Type
Don
Don Hastily
Remove
All energy fields Hermetic, padded, hide, leather, studded leather, chain shirt, flak jacket Chainmail, reflective, reactive Riot gear, vacuum suit, bomb suit, powered armor
1 round
1 round
1 round
1 minute
5 rounds
1 minute*
4 minutes*
1 minute
1 minute*
4 minutes**
4 minutes
3 minutes*
* If you have help, cut this time in half. ** You must have help to don this armor. Without help, you can only don hastily.
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x16 x32
The Union’s most advanced armor is the ironclad system – a fully-enclosed, powered, bipedal walking tank. It is more of a vehicle than a suit of armor, but it deserves special mention here because the wearer maintains most of his mobility and agility. Ironclads will be described in more detail in future supplements.
Table 5-10: Armor Armor
Light Armor Hermetic Suit Padded Leather Studded Leather Chain Shirt Flak Jacket Medium Armor Hide Chainmail Reflective Armor Heavy Armor Riot Gear Vacuum Suit Reactive Armor Bomb Suit Powered Armor** Energy Field Armor Kinetic Field Absorption Field Vibrofield Shields Shield, small steel Shield, large steel Shield, riot Shield, energy
Cost
Armor Bonus
Max Dex Bonus
Armor Check Penalty
Speed (30 ft.)
Tech Level
Wt.
20 5 10 25 100 200
+0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
+8 +8 +6 +5 +4 +4
0 0 0 -1 -2 -2
30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft. 20 ft.
5 2 2 2 2 4
15 lb. 10 lb. 15 lb. 20 lb. 25 lb. 25 lb.
15 150 80
+3 +5 +6/+1**
+4 +2 +5
-3 -5 -1
20 ft. 20 ft. 20 ft.
1 2 7
25 lb. 40 lb. 10 lb.
350 300 600 1,000 2,500
+6 +6 +7 +8 +9
+2 +0 +2 +0 +2/+0
-4 -6 -5 -6 -4/-6
20 ft.* 20 ft.* 20 ft.* 20 ft.* 30 ft.**
4 5 6 5 8
35 lb. 45 lb. 35 lb. 50 lb. 70 lb.
60 240 1,000
+2/+0** +4/+2** +6
+8 +8 +8
0 0 0
30 ft. 30 ft. 30 ft.
9 9 9
3 lb. 3 lb. 3 lb.
9 20 25 100
+1 +2 +2 +3
-
-1 -2 -2 -2
-
1 1 3 7
6 lb. 15 lb. 5 lb. 3 lb.
* When running in heavy armor, you only move triple your speed, not quadruple. ** See description.
ARMOR DESCRIPTIONS Absorption Field: This field absorbs energy. Whenever an energy attack hits the field, it glows brightly. Absorption fields give a +4 armor bonus against energy weapons. The field is able to reduce the impact of conventional projectiles (bullets, arrows, etc.) by absorbing kinetic energy, but it is not as effective. It only gives a +2 armor bonus against non-energy weapons. Bomb Suit: Resembling a potbelly stove for human use, the bomb suit was originally designed for explosives experts doing risky disarmament work. Bomb suits have been modernized since then, but have not lost their essentially bulky, awkward aspect. A bomb suit is completely enclosed, though it does not include a gas mask. Flak Jacket: A bulletproof vest worn on the torso. Most are made of kevlar, along with various modern improvements. A flak jacket provides good protection against ballistic weapons. Hermetic Suit: A hermetic suit gives no bonus to AC but completely encloses the wearer. It includes a small air filter, pump and a simple gas mask. A person in a hermetic suit is immune to gas weapons, biological weapons (including those that must touch the skin) and any sort of atmospheric contamination.
Kinetic Field: This is the simplest form of energy field armor. The field uses electromagnetism to “thicken” the air, which causes massive friction and a huge drag on physical objects moving through the field. The wearer looks blurry and out of focus behind this “thick air.” A kinetic field gives a +2 armor bonus against any attack with a conventional weapon, but it is useless against energy attacks. Powered Armor: This is a fully-enclosed fighting suit. Equipped with its own power supply, motorized joints, strength amplifiers and exoskeleton, powered armor is the best man portable armor there is. Although the Union has developed experimental versions, most of the best specimens come from alien trade. In addition to providing protection, powered armor offers the following benefits: • Powered armor amplifies the wearer’s Strength. As long as the armor is powered, the wearer receives a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength. • The armor is heavy for purposes of proficiency, but when worn it amplifies the wearer’s motions and applies its own motorized joints to the task of moving him. As long as it is powered, the armor does not reduce the wearer’s speed. • Because the armor is self-supporting, it should be treated as
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weighing nothing for purposes of the character’s encum brance (as long as it is powered, of course). • The helmet includes infrared goggles and a communicator. • The two powered gloves are treated as energy gauntlets as long as the suit is powered. A person wearing powered armor is never unarmed. The gloves may hold other weapons as well. The armor is hermetically sealed. It includes a gas mask, an air pump and a filter. The one drawback to powered armor is that it must be powered. Powered armor uses the same energy packs used for weapons. It consumes five charges for every hour of use. Replacing an energy pack takes a full round action. As long as the armor is powered, the user has a +2 maximum Dexterity bonus and –4 armor check penalty. It takes one full round to power up a suit. If the wearer is ever stuck in un-powered armor, his Dexterity bonus is reduced to +0 and the armor check is –4. Furthermore, the first five benefits listed above (strength amplification, normal speed, no weight, helmet equipment and energy gauntlets) cease, the wearer’s move is reduced to 20 ft./triple run as per normal heavy armor, and the armor weighs its full 70 lbs. Many soldiers have machinists customize their powered armor to include targeting systems, smart weapons and built-in devices. Riot Gear: A fully-enclosed suit of flak armor surrounded by padding. Includes boots, gloves, and helmet. Reactive Armor: This highly advanced armor is typically utilized only in Union armies. It uses advanced plastics that respond instantaneously to pressure. The moment the armor is hit, the plastics begin to expand, rapidly stopping the bullet. After being hit many times, the armor looks like it is covered in small blisters. It’s strange looking, but it works. Reactive armor requires regular maintenance to maintain its stopping power. After every two months of combat use (roughly four months of adventuring use), it must be serviced. Servicing costs $25 and is tech level 6. The armor’s AC bonus will decline by 1 for every month that servicing is delayed. Reflective Armor: Reflective armor is a polished, seamless, high-density foil suit designed to reflect energy. It is very effective at countering laser and heat weapons, but basically useless against any other kind of weapon. Reflective armor gives a +6 bonus against lasers (including pistols, rifles, pulse rifles, melee weapons), flamers and other heat-based attacks, but only +1 against all other attacks. Shield, Riot: This is a tall, steel-reinforced plexiglas shield. Shield, Energy: This is a empty rectangular metal frame worn on the arm. A field generator on the strap generates an energy field around the frame. An energy shield’s armor bonus stacks with both physical and energy field armor. Vacuum Suit: This is the typical suit worn to protect the user from the vacuum of space. The suit is completely enclosed and includes its own air supply. The wearer can survive for five hours just on the air within the suit.
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These suits are designed for protection from space junk and celestial radiation, not bullets or lasers. If the character enters combat wearing a space suit, the suit has a 5 percent chance of springing a leak for every attack made on the character (whether it hits or not). If the suit springs a leak, it is no longer sealed and does not protect from the vacuum, but it still provides its armor bonus. Vibrofield: Based on sonic technology, the vibrofield stirs up the atoms in the air around the character. The area surrounding the character looks wavy, like heat rising from a hot road. A vibrofield disrupts and deflects both energy and projectile weapons.
Equipment Table 5-11: Equipment lists commonly available equipment of 2202. The standard adventuring gear remains available at the conversion rate of $1 = 1 gp. Riding gear costs and weights are listed for a large mount. For huge mounts, multiply by 2; for gargantuan, by 4; and for colossal, by 8.
Table 5-11: Equipment Item
Cost
Weight
Tech Level
Binoculars Bit and bridle, heavy-duty, large Breather gear Communicator, handheld Compass Engineering tools Flashlight Gas mask Helmet, kevlar Infrared goggles Injection harness Laser sight Laser tripwire Medical kit Saddle, large Scanner Scrambler Telescopic sight Tripod
20
2 lbs.
4
8 25 10 3 25 5 10 15 35 80 90 15 25 60 10 25 35 5
15 lb. 5 lb. 2 lb. 1 lb. 5 lb. 3 lb. 5 lb. 2 lb. 2 lb. 7 lb. 1 lb. 3 lb. 5 lb. 35 lb. 7 lb. 9 lb. 1 lb. 5 lb.
1 4 5 2 6 3 4 1 5 4 5 5 5 2 6 5 3 1
Binoculars: These high-powered lenses allow detailed observation from up to a mile away. Bit and bridle, heavy-duty, large: Conventional leather bit and bridles don’t work when your mount has six-inch long teeth. A heavy-duty bit and bridle uses chains and reinforced leather. It is a necessity when working with dinosaurs. Breather gear: This is a mask connected to a canister. The canister contains enough oxygen for a human to breathe normally for one hour.
Communicator, handheld: A basic two-way communication device. A communicator picks up every common radio frequency. On a planet without an established orbital network (such as Cretasus), a communicator covers a distance of roughly five miles. With an orbital network, it can reach almost anywhere on a planet. Larger, non-hand-held communicators are necessary for communicating with people off-planet. Requires an energy pack. Drains one charge for every week of use. Compass: A basic magnetic orienteering compass. More advanced compasses require an orbital network. Engineering Tools: Everything a machinist needs to perform basic repairs and construction. This does not include specialized components, spare parts or the bits and pieces necessary to build most devices. Flashlight: Your basic high-powered flashlight. Illuminates a cone 60 feet long and 20 feet wide at the end. Requires an energy pack. Uses a half charge for every six hours of use. Gas Mask: A filtered mask. Characters with gas masks are not affected by gas bombs or other gaseous attacks. Helmet, Kevlar: A simple armored helmet which provides an armor bonus of +5, just like a flak jacket, except this applies only to the head. For game purposes, this has no impact unless an attack specifically targets the head. Infrared Goggles: Heat-sensing goggles. Infrared goggles provide night vision, allowing characters to fight normally at night. Furthermore, they minimize the impact of smoke and other atmospheric conditions. A character with infrared halves penalties for firing into a smoky area (e.g., a smoke bomb area effect). Injection Harness: An injection harness is attached to dinosaurs and other mounts to help keep them under control. The harness has a remote-controlled injection device attached to a canister that can be filled with any chemical. The chemical of choice is somnix, a calming anesthetic. A dinosaur injected with somnix becomes easier to control. All Ride and Handle Animal checks are at a +2 circumstance bonus for 2d6 hours after the injection. The downside is that somnix (as well as most other chemicals) can be addictive and has long-term debilitating effects. A mount that receives more than twenty injections in a period of six months will become addicted. Thereafter, somnix will provide no benefit, and there will be a –2 penalty to all Ride and Handle Animal checks unless the somnix is injected. Activating the injector is a standard action. Replacing a vial is a full-round action. Each vial is good for 5 doses. A vial of somnix costs $5. One vial is included with the harness. Other kinds of chemicals are available as well. Laser Sight: A laser sight uses a small, non-damaging laser to pinpoint where a shot will go. Using a laser sight triples the targeting range of a weapon and adds a +2 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. A laser sight can be added to pistols, rifles, muskets, trank guns and lasers (except pulse rifles). A weapon fitted with a laser sight can be fired with or without using the sight, but if the
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sight is used the shot counts as a full-round action. Laser Tripwire: This is a basic perimeter defense system. A non-damaging laser and a series of mirrors are attached to an alarm. If the laser beam is broken, the alarm goes off. The laser and mirrors can cover a perimeter of up to 1,000 feet. Medical Kit: A medical kit includes all the tools, medicines and equipment you need for basic first aid. Saddle, Large: This is a large saddle suitable for any type of large animal. Scanner: A scanner detects heat, radiation, and metal within a radius of 50 feet, centered on the user. Scrambler: A scrambler disrupts communications. Communicators will not work within 1 mile of a scrambler. Telescopic Sight: Using a telescopic sight doubles the targeting range of a weapon and adds a +1 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. A telescopic sight can be added to pistols, rifles, muskets, trank guns and lasers (except pulse rifles). A weapon fitted with a telescopic sight can be fired with or without using the sight, but if the sight is used the shot counts as a full-round action. Tripod: Some heavy weapons require a tripod, or were built with one in mind. For other lighter weapons, a tripod steadies the shot and increases accuracy. There is no benefit to using a tripod on a bronto gun, heavy machine gun, heavy trank gun, tank gun, grenade launcher or piledriver. For rifles, muskets, trank guns, machine guns, cryon rays, plasma slings and lasers, using a tripod gives a +1 circumstance bonus to the attack roll. Obviously, the benefit does not apply if you move in the same turn that you fire. A weapon fitted with a tripod can be fired with or without the tri pod, but setting up or breaking down a tripod counts as a moveequivalent action.
Devices “Devices” is a specific term used to describe equipment that is custom built by machinists. However, devices are not a specific kind of technology. Even the most common piece of equipment can be considered a device if it is custom built by a machinist. We have separated certain pieces of equipment into this devices section because they are rare and difficult to build, and will only be found in a game if a machinist builds them. In general, a machinist can build a device to accomplish just about anything, provided he has the cash and the tech level understanding. If an item of technology is not listed here, but your machinist wants to build it, discuss it with your game master. Inventing a completely new device will take time and money, and may not succeed on the first try, but it can be done. Table 5-12: Devices lists some special-purpose devices. You won’t find any of these devices for sale in stores. They either have to be custom built or special ordered from a machinist willing to provide the service (or found on an adventure, of course!). The cost column indicates the cost of the components necessary to build the device. If you hire another machinist to build an item
rather than doing it yourself, labor costs can be as much as double the component costs, depending on how much experience the machinist has with building the item.
Table 5-12: Devices Item
Cost
Weight
Tech Level
Ankle jets Bionic arm Bionic ear Bionic eye Bionic leg Dyno-mites Ear implants Egg scanner Electron field Holosphere Iron gills Jet Pack Microfilament bomb Prop bomber Robot Sparkle bomb Spibot Tractor beam Warp render Whiner
700 3,000 1,000 2,000 3,000 100 500 100 200 600 1,500 2,200 100 1,600 Varies 50 175 1,400 7,000 150
3 lb. 1 lb. 5 lb. 3 lb. 1 lb. 18 lb. 1 lb. 8 lb. Varies 1 lb. 12 lb. 25 lb. 45 lb. 10 lb.
6 7 7 7 7 6 7 6 9 9 12 7 11 6 Varies 8 7 10 13 6
Ankle Jets: These wearable propulsion devices are perfect for jetting around the city. They provide a short burst, which can be tailored for merely reinforcing one’s own stride all the way up to flying short distances. A character with ankle jets has her base move increased to 40 feet. She receives a +10 ci rcumstance bonus to Jump checks. Additionally, she can fly at a speed of 60 feet (average). Ankle jets use energy packs. They drain one charge for every hour of regular use, or one charge for every 30 seconds of flying. Replacing the energy pack is a move-equivalent action and causes the ankle jets to cease functioning while the replacement is made. Bionic arm: A character whose arm is damaged or destroyed can find a machinist to build an arm, and a surgeon to attach it. The price is per arm and does not include the surgery, which is double the component cost. A standard bionic arm has a Strength of 19. If the character has one arm replaced, average this with his previous Strength to determine his overall Strength score. If a character has two bionic arms, his Strength i s 19. The drawback is the arms’ lack of Dexterity. For each arm, the character suffers an inherent –1 penalty to Dexterity. More advanced arms are available, including those with higher Strengths, more dexterous mechanisms, and built-in weapons and equipment. They are much more expensive and very difficult to build. A character with insufficient tech level to understand a bionic arm must be fitted with a much simpler, basic prosthetic that
gives –2 Strength and –3 Dexterity for each arm replaced. This basic prosthetic costs $500 (including surgery). Bionic ear: A bionic ear replaces the functions of a damaged ear. It also enhances them. A character with one or more bionic ears has all the benefits of ear implants. Bionic eye: A character who is blinded may have one or both eyes replaced. The cost is per eye and does not include surgery, which is double the component cost. A character with one or two bionic eyes has eagle-like vision. He receives a +1 competence bonus to all ranged attack rolls, a +2 competence bonus to all Spot and Search checks, and a +2 competence bonus to all saving throws against blindness. The bonus is the same whether one or both eyes are replaced. More advanced eyes are available, including prosthetics with built-in infrared vision, but they are expensive and rare. Bionic leg: A character with a wounded leg can have it replaced with a bionic leg. The cost is per leg and does not include surgery, which is double the component cost. A character with two bionic legs has a standard move of 50 feet. (If the character only has one bionic leg, find the average of 50 and his move when his legs were fine – for most humans, their previous move was 30, so the average of 30 and 50 makes 40 feet.) Some eccentric machinists replace damaged legs with wheels, treads or hover platforms. Dyno-mites: These are ghastly weapons invented by a particularly nasty machinist. Each dyno-mite is a very small robot, less than an ounce in weight and barely visible. They are light enough to be carried in the wind, though they also can crawl like ants. Each is equipped with the tiniest drop of nitroglycerin and a miniature igniter. Dyno-mites can be stored in canisters and dropped on any surface, including food, or released to the wind in gas bombs. When a dyno-mite encounters a living creature, the tiny nitroglycerin charge explodes. A single mite does little damage – unless it is swallowed. When inhaled or ingested with food, the dyno-mites can cause significant internal damage. A creature that inhales or ingests dyno-mites takes 4d10 points of damage. Dyno-mites can be deployed as grenades, in which case the cloud of mites has a 5 foot radius and disperses in 1d4+1 turns. Once the cloud is dispersed, the mites are l ost. Any creature entering the cloud automatically inhales the mites, but may make a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) to take half damage. The given price of $100 is for a single grenade. A disassembled grenade has enough mites to sprinkle over an area roughly 9’ by 9’ – more than enough for many poisoned meals. Ear implants: These implants amplify a character’s ability to hear. They don’t just make things louder; they also discriminate between background and foreground noise, and do a good job of making only the right noises louder. Ear implants give a +2 com petence bonus to Listen checks. They automatically muffle any noise that is too loud for a human ear. As a result, the character gains a +2 competence bonus to Fortitude saves against deafness, and only suffers half damage from amp bombs, vibrobeams, and other sonic weapons. Egg scanner: Egg scanners were created by the Confederacy to hunt for dinosaur eggs. An egg scanner detects any embryonic
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chemicals within a 50 foot radius, and precisely pinpoints their run. They suffer a –2 penalty to attack rolls and a –4 penalty to location. their effective Dexterity score. On each subsequent turn, they can Electron field: The electron field is a bizarre energy field attempt to escape by making a Strength check against the same armor that converts kinetic energy to electrical discharge. The DC. wearer is always surrounding by a crackling field of blue static Prop bomber: A prop bomber is a propeller-powered robot energy due to passing air molecules interacting with the field. As designed to deploy grenades. The user designates the target wi th a with a kinetic field, the electron field gives a +4 bonus against any laser pointer. The prop bomber then takes off and drops grenades. attack with a conventional physical projection (anything using When the bomber reaches its target, it drops its load of grenades. bullets, arrows, etc.), but no bonus to energy attacks. Each prop bomber can carry up to 30 pounds of any type of When an attack is defused, the field flares up in a massive, grenades, divided between four bomb bays. Each bomb bay can short-lived electrical storm. Every time the wearer successfully be activated independently. After one bay has been emptied, the saves with the field, he emits a huge electrical charge. When the user may designate another target for deployment of another wearer is in combat, everything within 10 feet (except the wearer, bomb bay. who is immune) must make a Reflex save (DC 10) each turn or be The prop bomber can be recalled at any time. It has enough hit by the electrical charge, which causes d6 damage. fuel to stay aloft for up to five minutes. Refueling costs $25. An electron field allows a +8 Dexterity bonus and gives no The bomber has a flying speed of 80 feet. It i s small and lightarmor check or movement penalty. ly armored, giving it an AC of 13 with 10 hit points. Holosphere: A holosphere projects a pre-recorded holoRobot: Machinists can build robots. This section will provide graphic image. It can be up to one hour in length. The user can a brief outline of the process, and your GM will give you addistart, stop, fast forward or rewind the image. tional information. The tech level of a robot depends on its ability to do tasks. Iron gills: Iron gills are mechanical devices that the body is genetically modified to accept. The gills are implanted on the The tasks it can perform depend on its Intelligence. Once you neck. The cost is for components only; surgery is double the com- decide on what a robot will do, decide the minimum Intelligence ponent cost. Once the gills are implanted, the wearer can breathe requirement for that task, then determine tech level according to normally under water. There have been experiments in genetic these guidelines: acceptance of other non-human traits, Task Capability Example Int Tech Level but they are rare. Specific, simple task “Follow me” 1 5 Jet pack: A jet Simple task with some judgment Prop bomber 2 6 pack is a backpack Tasks requiring advanced motion Spibot 3 7 propellant system. Moderate tasks with judgment Identify targets based on uniform 4 8 When using a jet Complex tasks Make multivariable decisions 5 9 pack, a charac ter Simple artificial intelligence Speech interaction with humans 6 10 can fly at a move of 100 feet (average). The jet pack can run for up to two hours before its fuel supply runs The basic cost of researching a new robot is the tech level out. A full tank of replacement fuel costs $300 and weighs six times 100. After spending the research money, make an Int check pounds. with a DC of 10 plus the robot’s tech level, adding the m achinist’s Microfilament bomb: This large grenade contains a highly tech level to the roll. If the check succeeds, the machinist finds a pressurized mass of microfilament nets. When it explodes, the way to build the robot. If the check fails, the machinist must spend nets are flung across a wide area, entangling whatever they an entire new research budget for the chance to make another encounter. The bomb is treated as a grenade. It explodes in a 10 check. foot radius area. All creatures in the area may be entangled, and After the machinist discovers how to build the robot, she or must make a Dexterity check against a DC that depends on their he may build it, using the normal costs for building devices. size: Sparkle bomb: These grenades detonate in a blinding dis play of photon shrapnel. The mass of short-range lasers they emit can blind any creature within 30 feet of the explosion. Affected Size DC creatures must make a Reflex save (DC 10) or be blinded for 2d6 Medium 15 turns. Characters with infrared goggles or bionic eyes receive a +2 Large 12 enhancement bonus to the save. Huge 9 Spibot: A spibot is an eight-legged robot that maps the terrain Gargantuan 6 it walks over. Surveyors will drop several dozen spibots over an Colossal 3 area, then integrate their reports to get a good idea of an area’s terEntangled creatures move at half speed and cannot charge or rain. A spibot can walk for roughly ten days before exhausting its
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battery. It maps the terrain directly under it, as well as visual, radar, and sonar depiction of the terrain within roughly a one mile radius. It can go underwater without problem. A spibot will transmit its findings once per day. Tractor beam: A tractor beam is an advanced use of gravitational and magnetic technology. A tractor beam can attract or repulse the objects within its area effect. The area effect is a cone 300 feet long and 50 feet wide at the end (range increment of 100 feet, targeting range of 30 feet, though more powerful tractor beams can be built). Once activated, the beam remains in place until deactivated. All objects within the area effect must make a Strength check against DC 17 or be affected. One Strength check is made when the beam is first activated – there is no second chance. Objects that fail the Strength check are affected. For all practical purposes, they are paralyzed – they can make no voluntary movement, and are under the control of the tractor beam. If the beam is on “attract,” affected objects are pulled 20+d10 feet toward the weapon. If the beam is on “repulse,” affected objects are pushed 20+d10 feet away from the weapon (possibly out of the effect area). Objects that make the Strength check can attempt to slog their way out of the effect area. While still in the area effect, they are considered entangled. They move at half speed, suffer a –2 penalty to all attack rolls, and have their effective Strength and Dexterity reduced by 4 until they are out of the area. The beam’s setting cannot be changed unless it is deactivated and activated again. While activated, the weapon can be aimed at different targets. If the beam is pivoted slowly enough, objects caught in the beam will be dragged with it. Otherwise, the beam will move faster than its ability to drag them, and they will be left outside the area effect. A tractor beam requires a tripod (included). The weapon uses
energy packs, and drained one charge per round of use. More powerful tractor beams are highly coveted weapons amongst dino hunters who prefer to bring their prey home alive. Warp render: This experimental weapon opens a direct but fleeting portal to the warp. Physical matter surrounding the portal is siphoned away, possibly forever. The warp render is unwieldy and requires a tripod. Firing a single shot is a full-round action. Furthermore, it requires enormous power reserves, and drains an entire energy pack with each shot. A warp render has a range increment of 30 feet and a targeting range of 30 feet. Warp renders make touch attacks. Armor bonuses to AC do not apply against a warp render – the weapon does not penetrate armor; it drags its targets into the warp, and dragging the armor will bring the human inside it as well. Any creature hit by the warp render is automatically affected. Creatures pulled into the warp simply disappear. They may reappear, blinking randomly back into physical space, or they may be lost in the warp forever. The first hour after the creature disap pears, there is a 50 percent chance it will reappear. The second hour, there is a 40 percent chance, and so on until the sixth hour. If the creature has not reappeared by the sixth hour, it is lost forever. Creatures hit by a warp render do not remember what hap pened to them. While they are affected, they are basically unconscious. Whiner: The whiner is a radio-like construction that emits sounds on a sub-sonic frequency that aggravates dinosaurs (as well as many other creatures able to hear on that frequency). Once turned on, a whiner requires no attention until it is turned off. Any dinosaurs within 100 feet of a whiner suffer a –1 to attack rolls and saving throws. Whiners use energy packs and drain one charge per day. Humans cannot hear the sounds produced by whiners.
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Chapter III: Dinosaur Statistics The dinosaurs of Broncosaurus Rex are intelligent, social ani- Dinosaur mals. They are capable of charity, treachery, honesty, deceit, strat- Protoceratops egy and loyalty. They have languages, politics and commerce. Velociraptor (Deinonychus) They are far from the dumb brutes we think we know so well. Allosaurus This chapter gives game statistics for the dinosaurs and other Tyrannosaurus Rex prehistoric creatures of Cretasus. Because characters on Cretasus Ceratosaurus will encounter dinosaurs as first level characters, we have decid- Megaraptor ed to focus these statistics on dinosaurs of the l ower challenge rat- Ankylosaurus ings. Thus, you will find some of the more popular large dinosaurs Ornitholestes represented by a single example (e.g., brachiosaurus is described, Triceratops but not diplodocus or apatosaurus), while smaller creatures are Brachiosaurus more abundant. Future supplements will expand upon powerful Iguanodon dinosaurs more suited to higher level characters. Oviraptor Paleontological confession: Several of the creatures Camptosaurus described here are, technically speaking, not actually dinosaurs. Elasmosaurus We will refer to them under the collective term “dinosaurs” for Pachycephalosaurus simplicity’s sake. There are a few other scientific inaccuracies as Parasaurolophus well, but in every case we deemed the game play was improved Stegoceras by the inaccuracy, so we allowed it. The true paleontologists out Pteradactylus there will hate us for this, but the rest of you will find it makes life Pteranadon easier! Compsognathus
General Overview Animals or Beasts? Creature type determines how magic affects creatures, as well as the Difficulty Class of performing tasks for certain skills (such as Handle Animal). We believe dinosaurs should be type animal, not beast. The definition of animal specifically states that it “lived on the planet Earth in historical times” (Core Rulebook III, page 5). Furthermore, the definition of beast notes that “a beast is a nonhistorical, vertebrate creature.” Given that dinosaurs are clearly historical creatures that did live on the planet Earth in historical times, the type animal seems most appropriate.
Deinosuchus Dimetrodon Edaphosaurus Protosuchus Stegosaurus
Intelligence
14 12 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1
Dinosaur Languages
The high intelligence of dinosaurs means that they are able to communicate using complex languages. Depending on the social organization of the dinosaur, a language may have dialects that vary by region, or it may be consistent across the entire species. One particular language, called “dinosaur common” for lack of anything better, is something of a common tongue with which most dinosaurs are familiar. Dinosaur common is like tail-wagging between humans and dogs – it allows simple communication of basic concepts (anger, peace, alliance, enemy, food, happiness, Intelligence threat, etc.) but nothing more advanced than that. Unless noted otherwise, all dinosaurs speak dinosaur common. Many dinosaurs in Broncosaurus Rex have near-human intelCharacters may speak dinosaur languages, provided they ligence. Some are smarter than the average human. Here is a com- have the physical ability. Certain languages utilize the anatomical parison of average dinosaur Intelligence scores. Note the revisions abilities of their members in ways that humans cannot duplicate. for velociraptor (deinonychus), elasmosaurus, megaraptor, tricer- The powerful calls made possible by the crest of the parasauroloatops and tyrannosaurus rex. phus are a good example of this.
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A character or dinosaur can understand other dialects of its Dinosaur Byproducts language, but not speak them. In general, creatures using different dialects can communicate on a basic level, but there is always a Dinosaur teeth, claws, hearts, skins, meat and other body 10 percent chance of miscommunication in each conversation. parts can be sold to settlers and exporters. Parts from rare or difWhen a miscommunication occurs, the creatures will be unaware ficult-to-kill dinosaurs can be especially valuable. The description of it 50 percent of the time. Then you get really interesting situa- of each dinosaur indicates which byproducts are valued, and how tions – for example, one side thinks they’re supposed to meet on much they are worth. the western mountain peak, while the other side thinks they’re Characters must be able to get to the parts in order to sell supposed to meet on the eastern peak! When a misunderstanding them. It helps to have the Wilderness Lore skill. Butchers can occurs, the game master will determine the exact outcome. recover dinosaur byproducts by making a skill check against these Here is a list of the dinosaur species, their languages and the DC’s: dialects of those languages.
Dinosaur
Language
Allosaurus Ankylosaurus Brachiosaurus Ceratosaurus Camptosaurus Compsognathus Deinosuchus Dimetrodon Edaphosaurus Elasmosaurus Iguanodon Megaraptor Ornitholestes Oviraptor Pachycephalosaurus Parasaurolophus Protoceratops Protosuchus Pteradactylus Pteranadon Stegoceras Stegosaurus Triceratops Tyrannosaurus Velociraptor
Allosaurus Ankylosaurus Sauropod Ceratosaurus Iguanodontid None None None None Elasmosaurus Iguanodontid Raptor Ornitholestes Raptor Pachycephalosaurus Parasaurolophus Ceratopsian None Pterosaur Pterosaur Pachycephalosaurus None Ceratopsian Tyrannosaurus Raptor
Dialects
Part
Trained
Untrained
Intact skin 9 18 None Internal organs 6 * None Teeth, claws, horns, etc. 3 9 By species None * Untrained characters cannot attempt this task (they don’t None know what they’re looking for). None None Failure means the part is damaged in the attempt and thus renNone dered useless. No skill check is necessary to butcher a dinosaur None into edible meat. None None Dinosaur Treasure By region Predatory dinosaurs almost always have treasure, mostly in None the form of leftovers from adventurers who were eaten as meals. By region Some species actually collect this treasure into a pile, in much the None same way ravens collect pretty baubles, while others hoard it None By species because they know its importance to humans. There is one velociraptor tribe that actually understands the value of cash, and has None purchased food using money acquired, presumably, from dead None adventurers. None As a general rule, carnivores will have standard treasure, but None only in their nesting or feeding areas, while herbivores will not None By species have treasure. By clan Training Dinosaurs By region
Dinosaur Ages Most dinosaur groups will include a range of ages, from new born to ancient. Dinosaurs that live to an old age do so because they are unusually tough, meaning they may have more hit dice than a typical specimen. The parameters for tougher creatures are noted in the Advancement section of the statistics. Young dinosaurs will be smaller than the adults (obviously). In general, juveniles will be two sizes smaller, while adolescents will be one size smaller. For each decrease in size, halve the hit dice. Thus, a juvenile has one fourth the HD of an adult, and an adolescent has one half. You can reverse the adjustments for the size increases to arrive at changes to ability scores, AC, etc. for the size decrease.
Training dinosaurs as mounts is generally very di fficult. Most dinosaurs have enough hit dice that they’re hard to manage. And the coolest mounts – such as allosaurus or T-rex – are so huge that the DC to train them is often 30 or more. There are a couple ways to overcome this. First, bronco riders add their character level to Handle Animal checks. A bronco rider can train dinosaur mounts for himself and his friends. A single character can train up to three animals at once, provided he dedicates at least five hours of training per animal per day. Second, young animals are easier to train than adults. The descriptions that follow list DC’s for both adult and young animals. Prospective riders can always capture a young animal to train.
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Statistics for Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures ALLOSAURUS (“SWEET-TOOTH”)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities: Skills: Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Allosaurus Huge Animal 15d10+60 (143 hp) +1 (Dex) 40 ft. 13 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural) Bite +17 melee, claws +2 melee Bite 3d8+11, claws 1d4 10 ft. by 10 ft./15 ft. Improved grab Scent Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +7 Str 25, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 9, Wis 18, Cha 12 Listen +12, Spot +12, Wilderness Lore +5
Warm forest, hill, plains and marsh Solitary or family (1-3 adults, 1-2 young) 7 Standard Chaotic good 16-30 HD (Gargantuan)
Allosaurs are smaller cousins to the tyrannosaurs. An adult allosaur can be as long as 40 feet and almost six tons in weight. Their jaws are huge, but not so massively built as the T-rex’s. They are immediately distinguished from T-rex by their brightly colored skin. Yellow, red and blue allosauruses are common. compete for the same prey. Allosauruses are the most generous of all the theropods. They When fighting with each other, allosauruses inflict painful are known for their reverence for nature. As carnivores, they can- but non-lethal blows as warning signs. They will only fight to the not help killing for their own survival, but they always inflict death if forced to do so. With few exceptions, they only attack swift, painless deaths, and at times seem almost apologetic for other dinosaurs if they are hungry. Allosauruses hate ceratosaurs their predatory nature. Much as the American Indians whispered and tyrannosaurs, whom they view as cruel, and will attack them prayers before killing their prey, the allosauruses are torn between on sight. their good nature and the necessity of killing. Allosaurus never lay more than two eggs at a time. When the young mature, they leave the family. They will often remain in the same area in which they were raised, although they do not mainSOCIETY Allosaurs do not have a very organized society. As chaotic tain strong relations with their parents. Eventually they take a creatures, they prefer the company of nothing larger than small mate, and then raise their own family. family groups. Multiple family groups will often inhabit the same area, as allosauruses are not particularly territorial. They will not COMBAT interact except in passing, or when times are tough and they must Allosauruses survive by hunting and scavenging. Many actu-
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ANKYLOSAURUS (“WRECKER,” “MEGADILLO”)
ally prefer scavenging, as it saves them from having to kill their own prey. Some of the more astute settlers have recognized this tendency, and earned the appreciation of local allosauruses by leaving them remains from their own hunts. The allosauruses then avoid those settlers’ herds. Allosauruses fight primarily with their jaws. Their arms are longer and more useful than a tyrannosaurus’s, but still not designed for combat – hence their weak claw attack.
Skills: Feats:
Ankylosaurus Huge Animal 16d10+112 (200 hp) -2 (Dex) 25 ft. 20 (-2 size, -2 Dex, +14 natural) Tail club +20 melee 4d6 10 ft. by 20 ft./15 ft. Target Ankles Scent, Defensive Crouch Fort +17, Ref +7, Will +7, Str 22, Dex 7, Con 25, Int 6, Wis 8, Cha 10 Listen +4, Spot +4 Great Cleave
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Desert, plains, marsh, riverbanks Small herds (5-8) 7 Standard Neutral 17-24 HD (Gargantuan)
BYPRODUCTS Allosauruses are valued by safari hunters because they are large theropods and hard to kill. Their skins can be used to make two suits of human-sized masterwork hide armor, and their claws and teeth can be used to make daggers. However, they do not have the legendary status of the T-rex, and thus their organs have little value. An intact hide can be sold for $800, but most buyers would rather have a T-rex hide. Allosaurus hides are more colorful, but lack the prestige of a T-rex’s ferocity. A full set of claws and teeth can be sold for $400. The most valued allosaurus byproducts are their eggs. Allosauruses are easy to train (for a creature their size!), and breeders, riders, ranchers and the Di no Warriors prefer allosaurus eggs to T-rex eggs. A single allosaur egg can fetch as much as $1,000.
Ankylosauruses are squat, powerful dinosaurs sheathed in a dense armored hide. They have short, stubby legs and sit low to the ground. Mature ankylosauruses can reach 30 feet in length. Their tails end in a massive bone club. Although their bodies are slow and ponderous, the tails are flexibl e at the base and frighteningly accurate.
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
SOCIETY Ankylosauruses are surly and gruff. Their approach to life is simple and straightforward. They interact only with the other members of their herds, and ignore anythi ng that isn’t a threat. As for threats, they aggressively pursue them. Unfortunately for their neighbors, other herbivores in the same grazing area are considered threats. Ankylosaurus herds are matriarchal. Although the males compete for mating rights, it is the eldest female that leads the herd; she determines where they graze and how they respond to TRAINING other animals. Allosaurus make good mounts. They are good-natured and, The herds wander constantly within a given region. given their size, quite amenable to training. Due to their high Ankylosauruses do not have fixed nesting grounds, preferring to Intelligence, they quickly figure out how to do what they’re sup- pick a new spot in their territory with each new season. posed to do. They don’t require “training” in the traditional sense; Ankylosauruses lay clutches of 5-10 eggs as often as once a rather, most of their training is learning to interact with humans year. Two or three young from each clutch will make it to maturiand work in teams, a concept not natural to their chaotic nature. ty. A herd often includes youth of many ages. A young allosaurus can be trained as a mount at DC 25, while Most other dinosaurs – both herbivores and carnivores – prean adult can be trained at DC 32. An adult allosaurus can carry fer to avoid ankylosauruses, which are known for their short tem4,000 pounds. per and generally ill disposition.
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COMBAT Ankylosauruses are among the more aggressive herbivores. Predators that come near an ankylosaurus are often met with a charge from the ankylosaurus itself. A fully grown ankylosaurus has no natural enemies, except in times of extreme famine when carnivores are forced to take chances. An ankylosaurus can swivel its hips to make a tail slap hit a target as far forward as its head. Their club tails are accurate weapons that deal powerful damage. They may use the Great Cleave feat to mow down multiple creatures with a single slap of the tail. The ankylosauruses’ armor class comes from the thick armored plates that cover its hide. The only vulnerable part of an ankylosaurus is its belly, but the creature is so low to the ground that it is practically impossible to flip over. Defensive Crouch (Ex): An ankylosaurus feeling defensive can crouch, tuck its head in and draw its legs up beneath its body. This minimizes the already few vulnerable areas and grants a +4 circumstance bonus to AC. When crouched as such, the ankylosaurus cannot move or attack. Ankylosauruses generally do this only when injured or facing overwhelming odds. Target Ankles (Ex): Ankylosaurus always aim for their enemy’s ankles. For a creature so low to the ground, this is its best defense against large theropods. All ankylosaurus attacks have a threat range of 18-20. On any critical hit, the ankylosaur scores double damage, and the target must make a Fortitude save against DC 18 or have its leg broken. A target with a broken leg cannot run, moves at half speed and is considered flat-footed at all times. BYPRODUCTS The only useful part of an ankylosaur is its armored hide. The individual armored chinks and knobs are too large and too heavy for use as human armor. However, the hide is ideally suited for armor plating for large dinosaurs. Many caravan leaders protect their brachiosauruses with armor made from ankylosaur hides.
BRACHIOSAURUS (“’BRACHY,” “SHAKER,” “BEHEMOTH”)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities: Skills: Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Brachiosaurus Colossal Animal 40d10+400 (620 hp) -4 (Dex) 80 ft. 2 (-8 size, -4 Dex, +4 natural) Kick +22 melee, tail slap +20 melee, bite +17 melee Kick 8d12+18, tail slap 4d10+10, bite 2d8+10 30 ft. by 70 ft./30 ft. Trample Scent Fort +25, Ref –4, Will +6 Str 45, Dex 3, Con 30, Int 5, Wis 18, Cha 12 Listen +4, Spot +17, Wilderness Lore +8
Forest, hills, plains Herds (20-50) 11 None Neutral good They don’t get any bigger!
Brachiosaurus is one of the largest sauropods. They are almost 75 feet long and weigh more than 75 tons, with heads as high as 40 feet from the ground. Brachiosaurus has an extremely long neck, raised even further because its front legs are longer than its rear legs. Many caravans prefer brachiosaurus mounts An ankylosaur hide can be sold for $900 to an armorer. because of their massive carrying capacity (as much as 50 tons) However, the hides are heavy – almost a ton! It takes one month to and their tall necks, from which a human lookout can scan the work a single hide into usable armor. A single untreated hide is horizon for trouble. enough to produce a suit of armor for a large creature. The com pleted armor weighs 600 pounds (a medium-sized suit for a human SOCIETY Brachiosaurus graze constantly in vast, slow-moving herds. would weigh 300 pounds!). Two hides can cover a huge creature, Once a brachiosaurus reaches maturity (which takes almost four hides a gargantuan creature and eight hid es a colossal creature. Treated, ready-to-wear ankylosaur armor costs $1,800 for a 40 years), it no longer has natural predators. A few of the very large creature. Ankylosaur armor is heavy armor, with a +7 armor largest tyrannosauruses (the tyrant kings) could consider taking on an adult brachiosaurus, but they generally choose to pick on bonus, max Dex bonus of +0 and armor check penalty of –7. smaller victims. Only in the worst famines would any creature in its right mind consider attacking a brachiosaurus. As such, the TRAINING There really aren’t any uses for ankylosauruses. Their spikes adults can live to ages of 250 years or more before dying of old and armored knobs make them difficult and uncomfortable to age. ride, their bad attitude makes them undesirable as beasts of burAncient brachiosauruses are wellsprings of lore. They recall den and they are too much trouble to hunt for meat. the other occupants of their region for centuries past, including Characters who, for whatever reason, really want to train an creatures ostensibly beneath their notice. They remember in great ankylosaur as a mount can do so at DC 36 for an adult and DC 29 detail the tyrannosaurus and other large predators. They love to for young. Ankylosauruses can carry 6,000 pounds. gossip, and fondly retell the mating habits of other brachiosaurus-
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en off any predator! Trample (Ex): Anything that comes near a brachiosaurus is at risk of being stomped. In combat, the brachiosaurus can actively attempt to trample any and all targets within range. The tram ple causes 6d12 points of damage. Opponents who do not make attacks of opportunity against the brachiosaurus can attempt a Reflex save (DC 15) to halve the damage. m o c . e n a h s v e n a h S . V
es and some of the smaller dinosaurs. Brachiosauruses are gentle and good-natured. They compete for mates in non-lethal shoving contests (that are wisely avoided by all other creatures). As they are generally mellow creatures, their herds feature no leadership positions and very few politics. They meander wherever the grass is green. Females lay eggs once every ten to twenty years. Usually the entire herd will nest at the same time. During this period, they graze the surrounding area into nothingness, often reducing the greatest forests to fields of mere stubs. A few months after their offspring are born, they set off again. Brachiosaurus scorn diplodocus, whom they consider stupid and simple-minded. COMBAT Brachiosaurus do not enjoy fighting because they are simply not designed for combat. However, their size gives them a powerful punch. A brachiosaurus can kick with any of its feet, slap with its tail and bite (its jaws are not designed for biting animals, but they are large enough to deal serious damage). Adult brachiosauruses generally ignore whatever comes near them, no matter how ferocious it looks. Except when protecting young, they will not initiate combat. (Adults are usually a little shocked that anything would have the nerve to attack them!) If an enemy does initiate combat, however, the entire herd will turn on the enemy. Facing fifty enraged brachiosaurus is enough to fright-
BYPRODUCTS Adult brachiosauruses are considered a prize kill by safari hunters. Young are considered easy kills by settlers looking for a winter’s provisions. The young generally are easy kills, as long as you can avoid their parents. The creature’s blubber also is valued as a source of fuel. An adult brachiosaurus’ organs are valuable because they are large enough to feed a family for months! For someone who likes liver (for example), there’s nothing like a king-size brachiosaurus liver to tide you over. They can be sold at the following prices:
Part
Value
Heart Liver Kidney Tongue
$300 $600 $400 $200
TRAINING Brachiosaurus make great beasts of burden. They are docile and easily trained (at least, for creatures their size), but they are also enormous. Training must begin as a youth or the creature will pay no heed to its trainer. A brachiosaurus raised from the egg can be trained as a mount at DC 25. Training must take place simultaneous to rearing. For every three months that pass before training begins, the DC raises by 1. Training takes twelve years (sometimes longer) because the lessons must be repeated continually as the ‘brachy approaches a useful size. Amazingly, a brachiosaurus weighs only five pounds at birth. In the first few years they grow at an incredibly rapid speed, sometimes quadrupling in size in periods of one year or less. Thereafter, they double in size every year for many years until growth slows near adulthood. An adult brachiosaurus can carry up to 50 tons. In general, a brachiosaurus at any age can carry two thirds of its weight.
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CERATOSAURUS (“DEVIL LIZARD,” “HORNED HORROR”)
Skills:
Ceratosaurus Huge Animal 12d10+36 (102 hp) +2 (Dex) 30 ft. 16 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural) Bite +9 melee, claws +1 melee Bite 2d8+12, claws 1d4 10 ft. by 10 ft./10 ft. None Scent Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +5 Str 23, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 8 Hide +5, Listen +11, Spot +11
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Forest, plains, hill, mountains, marsh Solitary 6 Standard Chaotic evil 13-24 HD (Gargantuan)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
Ceratosauruses are small theropods distinguished by the short horn protruding from their snout. They grow to a m aximum length of 20 feet. Unlike the social tyrannosauruses, ceratosauruses are always solitary. SOCIETY Ceratosauruses are mean, quarrelsome creatures who cannot bear even their own company. The only time characters will ever encounter more than one ceratosaurus is if they run into a mother with her young. But even that is rare, for ceratosaurus wean their young incredibly early (at only two years, when barely a juvenile). This is perhaps why the creatures never learn to bond with others. Ceratosaurus are extremely uncooperative. Simply put, they have bad attitudes. Even if a ceratosaurus is well fed, and a character who speaks its language offers it a bribe for assistance or information, the ceratosaurus will probably turn down the character. Furthermore, the species is known for its cruelty, so there’s a chance it will not only turn down the character, but attack it out of spite!
A ceratosaurus stakes out its own territory and defends it diligently. It will attack any trespassing predator that might compete with it for prey – as long as it can win, of course. If a trespasser is larger than it is (for example, a T-rex or allosaurus), the ceratosaurus will immediately leave and try to find better hunting grounds. Ceratosauruses have no respect or tolerance for other ceratosauruses, and treat them just as badly as they do everyone else.
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Unlike allosaurus and tyrannosaurus, ceratosaurus does not like to scavenge; it prefers to eat its own kills. COMBAT Like other theropods, ceratosaurus relies on its teeth. Relative to its skull, its jaws are massively built, much like a T-rex’s. Ceratosaurus has four-fingered claws that are relatively weak and rarely used in combat. The creature’s horn is primarily decorative and not useful in combat. Ceratosauruses are carnivores who prefer to set ambushes. They scout out popular trails, watering holes, grazing areas, hunting grounds and other locations where prey is abundant (including human farms, ranches and settlements). Then they find a good place to conceal themselves. Although their size makes it difficult for them to hide, they are quite clever about finding bends in the trail, rocky overhangs, barns, boulders and other obstructions large enough to hide them. Once a ceratosaurus finds a good hiding place, it will return there frequently until its prey learns to avoid the spot. Then it will seek out a new hiding place. When that one runs dry, it may return
to its previous spot, or find a new one. Ceratosauruses will often frequent the same three or four hiding places on a regular basis. Characters who encounter a ceratosaurus in an area, but fail to kill it, will be sure to find the ceratosaurus in the same area again. Since humans have come to Cretasus, ceratosaurus ambushes have become so common on some trails that work crews regularly clear out anything the creatures can hide behind! BYPRODUCTS The most valuable part of a ceratosaurus is its horn, which is considered a fertility symbol by many settlers, a trophy by dino hunters, and a medicinal ingredient by wild ones. In fact, the horn is a powerful stimulant. When ground into powder and ingested, a horn will provide a +1 enhancement bonus to Strength for 4d6 hours. A horn can be sold for as much as $600. Ceratosaurus are valued by safari hunters not so much because of their size, but because of their reputation as merciless killers. Their skins can be used to make one suit of human-sized masterwork hide armor, and their claws and teeth can be used to make daggers. Like allosaurus, they do not have the legendary status of the T-rex, and thus their organs have little value. An intact hide can be sold for $400. A full set of claws and teeth can be sold for $200. Ceratosaurus are so hard to train that there is virtually no market for their eggs. TRAINING Given their size, ceratosauruses are rebellious and extremely difficult to train – they simply cannot learn to work with another creature. They make terrible mounts. The only other creature more disagreeable is the T-rex. However, if you really want to train one, go ahead. A ceratosaurus adult can be trained as a mount at DC 35; a youth, at DC 28. An adult ceratosaurus can carry 1,000 pounds.
COMPSOGNATHUS (“ROADRUNNER,” “SWARMIES”)
Skills:
Compsognathus Small Animal 1d8+2 (6 hp) +4 (Dex) 60 ft. 17 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +2 natural) Bite +2 melee Bite 1d3 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None None Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +0 Str 12, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 5 Listen +2, Spot +10
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Forest, plains, hill, mountains, swamp Pack (3-30) 1/2 None Always neutral -
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
Compsognathus are among the smallest dinosaurs – they rarely grow more than three feet long, half of which is the tail. They exhibit the traditional theropod body structure – two legs, two smaller arms and strong jaws. Their legs are quite long (for their body size, of course), and they hold their neck, spine and tail almost perfectly horizontal, allowing them to run very quickly. SOCIETY Compsognathus live in rowdy packs, roaming in constant search of prey. They are quite noisy and can be detected by their constant clicking and chattering noises (characters receive a +2 circumstance bonus to Listen checks against them). COMBAT Compsognathus is extremely agile, very fast and equipped with excellent vision. All of these skills contribute to its ability as a predator. Although compsognathus generally hunt small vertebrates and large insects, large packs have been known to attack humans.
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full of sharp teeth. It snarls loudly in combat. A colony of protosuchus will often work together to take down Protosuchus (“Diggercroc”) Deinosuchus (“Megacroc”) larger prey. Small Animal Gargantuan Animal Deinosuchus have massive jaws 2d8+4 (13 hp) 14d8+56 (119 hp) Hit Dice: (almost as large as T-rex’s), long +1 (Dex) +0 Initiative: claws on every toe and a strong tail. 30 ft. 40 ft., swim 40 ft. Speed: They hunt large dinosaurs, both in the 16 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural) 15 (-4 size, +9 natural) AC: water and on land. Bite +2 melee Bite +15 melee, 2 claws +12 Attacks: Improved Grab (Ex): A melee; or tail slap +18 melee deinosuchus in water may make an Bite 1d6 Bite 4d8+12, claw 2d8+2, Damage: improved grab against Huge or smalltail slap 2d12+15 er-sized opponents. If it gets a hold, 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. 10 ft. by 40 ft./15 ft. Face/Reach: the deinosuchus drags the opponent None Improved grab Special Attacks: under water and tries to pin it to the None None Special Qualities: bottom. The deinosuchus automatiFort +3, Ref +5, Will +1 Fort +12, Ref +4, Will +3 Saves: cally deals bite damage each round it Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Str 32, Dex 10, Con 19, Abilities: maintains the pin, and the target may Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2 Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 5 drown. Hide +9, Listen +6, Spot +6 Hide +0*, Listen +5, Spot +5 Skills: Hide (Ex): A deinosuchus Any warm land Any warm land or aquatic receives a +12 racial bonus when hidClimate/Terrain: Colony (6-11) Solitary ing in the water. Organization: 1 6 Protosuchus hide by burrowing Challenge Rating: Standard Standard into loose soil. They lurk below the Treasure: Neutral Neutral surface with only their eyes showing, Alignment: 15-29 HD (Colossal) much the way modern crocodiles will Advancement: hide in water. Characters encountering one or two protosuchus may be Protosuchus and deinosuchus are primitive crocodilians. surprised when several more crawl out of the earth nearby. Protosuchus is a small terrestrial crocodile that cannot swim. Unlike most of its relatives, it lives on land and avoids water. Its BYPRODUCTS legs are proportionately much longer than a typical crocodilian’s, Crocodilian hides are valued for their use as armor. A crocoand it walks with a less sprawling posture. A fully grown protodilian hide may be used to make masterwork hide armor. suchus is barely three feet long, but they are ferocious predators. Deinosuchus provides up to four medium-sized suits or two large Deinosuchus (“terrible crocodile”) is the largest of the known suits. It takes four protosuchus hides to make a sincrocodilians. Its head alone is more than six feet long. Its gle medium-sized masterwork hide armor. total length is 40 feet, giving it somewhat shorter proTwo hides can be used to make a suit of nor portions than most crocodilians. This is because it is mal hide armor. An intact deinosuchus designed for a more active land-based life. Its tail is hide can be sold for $600; protosuchus shorter than most crocodilians, and its legs are hides go for $30. longer. Unlike protosuchus, it is completely comfortable in the water – but it is TRAINING equally comfortable on land, Protosuchus and deinosuchus even far from water. are both highly instinctive predators that cannot be trained. A charSOCIETY acter may attempt to train them, and Protosuchus nest in colonies, may achieve some modicum of sucmuch like modern crocodilians. cess. However, at some point the Deinosuchus are solitary predators character will move suddenly, or that roam alone. the crocodilian will be hungry, or something startling will happen, COMBAT and the crocodilian will attack Protosuchus has a broad, flat the character. They can never be head with a very short, narrow snout truly domesticated.
CROCODILIANS (“CROCS”)
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DRAGONFLY, GIANT (“BUZZER”) Dragonfly, Giant Medium Vermin 4d8+4 (22 hp) Hit Dice: +2 (Dex) Initiative: 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (good) Speed: AC: 14 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural) Bite +3 melee Attacks: Bite 1d6+1 Damage: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. Face/Reach: Special Attacks: None Special Qualities: Vermin Fort +4, Ref +3, Saves: Will +1 Str 16, Dex 14, Abilities: Con 12, Int –, Wis 12, Cha 10 Spot +6 Skills: Climate/Terrain: Marsh, rivers, lakes Solitary or swarm Organization: (5-8) Challenge Rating: 2 None Treasure: Always neutral Alignment: 5-8 HD (Large) Advancement:
Giant dragonflies are the bane of the Cretasus back country. They are to dinosaurs what horseflies are to cows. Characters traveling through marshes or along riverbanks are bound to encounter them. What makes them most frustrating is their capriciousness: they don’t stay to fight. Rather, they take one bite, have their fill and buzz off until they get hungry again.
m o c . e n a h s v e n a h S . V
IGUANODONTIDS (“BOXERS”)
Skills:
Camptosaurus Large Animal 5d10+10 (38 hp) +0 30 ft. 11 (-1 size, +2 natural) Thumb spike +4 melee Thumb spike 1d8 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None Scent, Bi/Quadruped Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +2 Str 17, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 10 Listen +12, Spot +12
Iguanodon Huge Animal 8d10+24 (68 hp) +0 40 ft. 11 (-2 size, +3 natural) Thumb spike +10 melee Thumb spike 2d8+4 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. None Scent, Bi/Quadruped Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +4 Str 20, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 12 Listen +15, Spot +15
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Warm forest and marsh Herd (11-20) 2 None Lawful neutral 7-9 HD (Huge)
Warm forest and marsh Herd (21-30) 5 None Lawful neutral 11-15 HD (Gargantuan)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
Iguanodontids are tough herbivores with good eyesight and powerful natural defenses. All iguanodontids have front legs equipped with a stout spike in place of the fifth toe or thumb. They fight upright, swinging their thumb spikes like a boxer’s COMBAT Giant dragonflies will generally hook punch. When not fighting, iguanodon retreat from combat after one or two suc- lopes around on all fours, while the smaller cessful bites. That is enough to fill their camptosaurus tends to remain upright. relatively small stomachs for about an hour. When they start to get hungry again, SOCIETY All iguanodontids are devoted herd they will attack something nearby – possimembers. They are actively social, spend bly even the same characters! ing much of their days chatting and gossiping as they feed. The healthy adults travel at the fringes of the herd, with the young and elderly in the center. Once every few years, entire herds of iguanodontids will simply disappear. Sometimes they are seen marching deep into a forest or marsh, or setting off toward one of the great mountain ranges. Other times they seem to vanish overnight. It is theorized that this enigmatic behavior is related to breeding. Iguanodontids are unusual in that their breeding cycle has never been witnessed. No one has ever found an iguanodon egg, and captive iguanodons never mate or produce young.
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BYPRODUCTS Iguanodontids taste great, and their meat is considered a delicacy. Camptosaurus is generally the preferred dinner target, since it is much easier to kill than iguanodon, but either can be sold at a profit. A fresh camptosaurus kill can be sold for $250, and a fresh iguanodon for $1,500. A camptosaurus weighs 500 pounds; an iguanodon weighs 3,000 pounds. Iguanodons have small beaks with very sharp edges. They are perfectly sized to be used as a sort of razor-edged brass knuckles. The upper and lower hinges of a single beak provide one pair of “beak knuckles.” Beak knuckles are often worn by hunters as a trophy weapon. A character fighting with beak knuckles counts as fighting with a gauntlet, but beak knuckles do 1d4 points of damage instead of 1d3.
COMBAT Iguanodontids are not aggressive by nature, but they don’t take any crap, either. They have vicious thumb spikes, and they’re not afraid to use them. Predators who come too close to an iguanodontid herd will be met with a rank of adult males ready to fight. Iguanodontids are the most organized dinosaur fighters. They are herd-minded and use cooperative fighting techniques. The healthy adults will always encircle the young and elderly. When predators approach, this “outer ring” will not break ranks – the adults defend “zones” in order to keep the center of the herd safe. If the herd is forced to retreat (for example, when facing Trexes or other predators out of their league, or if attacked by humans with ranged weapons), it does so in an orderly fashion, maintaining ranks as it goes. When facing ranged weapons, one or two pairs of adults will drop out of formation and conceal themselves along the path of retreat, then ambush pursuers at close range. Iguanodontids facing repeated attacks from a difficult predator that isn’t much stronger than them (for example, a territorial ceratosaurus) will organize a “posse” of the most powerful adults from several herds. The posse will then drive out and possibly kill the predator. Most carnivorous dinosaurs prefer to hunt easier prey than iguanodons. Bi/Quadrupeds (Ex): Iguanodontids can move on two or four legs. Moving on four legs increases a camptosaurus’ speed to 45 feet, and an iguanodon’s speed to 60 feet. Iguanodon is comfortable on four legs and can walk that way for long periods. Camptosaurus, however, has a more upright posture and can walk on all fours for no more than two hours a day. Iguanodontids can only fight while standing on two legs, and will always assume that posture when danger is near.
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TRAINING Iguanodontids sense the personality of their trainers. They respond well to lawful characters. Training an iguanodon as a mount is DC 28 for an adult, and 24 for a youth; a camptosaurus, DC 25 for an adult, and DC 21 for a youth. Lawful characters receive a +2 circumstance bonus to training rolls with iguanodontids, neutral characters receive a –2 penalty and chaotic characters receive a –4 penalty. (Note that youth must be captured as such from the wild, as they are never born into domestication.) Adult iguanodons can carry up to 3,000 pounds, while adult camptosauruses can carry 250 pounds.
ORNITHOLESTES (“HANDY-HANDER,” “GRABBER”)
Skills:
Ornitholestes Medium Animal 2d10+4 (15 hp) +3 (Dex) 60 ft. 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural) Bite +4 melee, 2 claws +1 melee Bite 1d4+2, claw 1d3 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None None Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1 Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 6 Listen +4, Spot +6
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Forest, plains, hill, mountains, swamp Solitary or tribe (4-11) 1 Standard Neutral evil 3-4 HD (Large)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
Ornitholestes (“bird robber”) is an early theropod known for its habit of hunting flying creatures, including birds and small pterosaurs. It is aided in this task by a rare adaptation: an opposable thumb. Its second and third fingers are long and slender, while its first is short and able to bend inwards against the other two. Combined with its long arms, this makes it one of the only dinosaurs well equipped for grasping. An adult ornitholestes is a little over six feet long. SOCIETY Ornitholestes is intelligent enough to put its thumb to good use. Tribes of ornitholestes live in shelters they have built themselves from overlapping palm fronds, rolled logs or other natural elements. They are known to use simple tools, ranging from sharpened sticks to the occasional bone club. Ornitholestes have a habit of picking up interesting looking objects. This includes most weapons and technology, and anything that is sparkly, shiny or otherwise pretty. Sometimes they carry these articles back to the tribe to share; other times they discard them along their path. Ranchers often bear the brunt of this annoying habit, as wandering ornitholestes carry off their tools, weapons and other goods. As a result, most ranchers, miners and other settlers shoot ornitholestes on sight. Ornitholestes is the only known dinosaur species to routinely practice cannibalism. The parents within each tribe guard their young ferociously from the other packs, which are just as much a danger as outside predators. This produces some interesting social dynamics, both within and between tribes. In general, when it is not nesting season, the larger males tend to dominate the tribe. During nesting season and when the young are still defenseless, however, the mothers become incredibly aggressive, even in regards to their childrens’fathers, and even the largest males do not risk crossing them. COMBAT Ornitholestes are rapid, nimble predators. They have strongly built jaws that are their primary weapons. Their long arms and opposable thumbs give them a strong grasping ability, which they will use when fighting creatures smaller than them. Each ornitholestes has a 25 percent chance of being armed with a bone club (damage d6). If carrying a club, it has practiced enough to be proficient with it. Ornitholestes armed with a club still prefer their bite as their primary weapon. TRAINING Ornitholestes’ opposable thumb gives them great potential as users of technology. They are sufficiently comfortable with their natural weapons to have never developed any weapons more advanced than a simple club – but the arrival of humans has changed that. Some ambitious dino trainers have taught ornitholestes to use swords and daggers. Training an ornitholestes to proficiency in a weapon counts as training an unusual task (DC 20). The maximum tech level of an ornitholestes is 2.
OVIRAPTOR (“RUNNERBEAK,” “EGGEATER”)
Skills:
Oviraptor Medium Animal 2d10+4 (15 hp) +2 (Dex) 60 ft. 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural) Bite +5 melee Bite 1d6+6 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None None Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +2 Str 16, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 5, Wis 13, Cha 8 Listen +8, Spot +8
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Desert, warm forest or plains Solitary or pair 1 Standard Chaotic neutral 3-4 HD (Medium), 5-6 HD (Large)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
Oviraptor (“egg thief”) is a small theropod with a strong, toothless beak. It prefers the taste of eggs to all other things, and is a constant hazard around the nesting grounds of other
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dinosaurs. Although a fully grown, seven-foot oviraptor weighs no more than seventy pounds, its powerful beak makes it quite dangerous. SOCIETY Oviraptors are not social. They mate for life, and a mate provides the only society an oviraptor ever needs. Oviraptors are very territorial, for good reason: there aren’t that many places where you can regularly find eggs. When they encounter other oviraptors they will quarrel with them, though these confrontations rarely result in full-fledged combat.
PACHYCEPHALOSAURUS (“CHROMEDOME,” “BONEHEAD”)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
COMBAT Oviraptors are usually not Skills: aggressive. It’s quite simple, really: Feats: they prefer the taste of eggs to living, Climate/Terrain: walking creatures that can fight back. Organization: However, oviraptors will initiate an Challenge Rating: attack if their hunting ground is tres- Treasure: passed upon. Since their hunting Alignment: grounds are invariably the nesting Advancement: grounds of other dinosaurs, characters hunting dinosaur eggs will often encounter angry oviraptors. TRAINING Oviraptors are too small to be ridden, but they can be trained as watchdogs. This counts as teaching an animal unusual tasks. Due to their chaotic nature, however, oviraptors are more difficult to train than usual. A +2 circumstance penalty applies to DC’s when training them.
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Stegoceras Large Animal 5d10+20 (48 hp) -1 (Dex) 30 ft. 12 (-1 size, +3 natural) Head butt +6 melee Head butt – see below 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None Scent Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +2 Str 18, Dex 9, Con 18, Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 8 Listen +2, Spot +2 Improved Bull Rush Warm plains, forest Herd (5-10) 3 None Neutral 7-9 HD (Huge)
Pachycephalosaurus Huge Animal 8d10+32 (76 hp) -1 (Dex) 40 ft. 11 (-2 size, +3 natural) Head butt +9 melee Head butt – see below 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. None Scent Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3 Str 22, Dex 9, Con 18 Int 4, Wis 11, Cha 9 Listen +4, Spot +4 Improved Bull Rush Warm plains, forest Herd (5-10) 5 None Neutral 11-15 HD (Gargantuan)
The pachycephalosaurs (“thick headed reptiles”) are stoutlegged, robust bipedal herbivores. A thick, knobby mass of bone on their skulls is specially adapted for head butting. On some adult pachycephalosauruses, the bone on the top of their skulls is more than a foot thick. Pachycephalosaurus is a huge creature, as much as 26 feet in length. Its smaller relative stegoceras (“horny roof,” named for the knobby spikes around the crown of its skull) reaches lengths of only six feet. SOCIETY Pachycephalosaurs congregate in herds. Unlike many other wandering herbivores, each pachycephalosaur herd stakes out a “home base.” The herd will leave the base to graze during the day, but will always return at night. During nesting season, the home base becomes the nest; the rest of the year, it is simply home. This home base can be any sort of protective terrain feature: a cave, rock, hill, tree or something else. The common feature of all pachycephalosaurus homes is the flat, open area that surrounds it. This gives the residents ample room to charge trespassers. Pachycephalosaurs always prefer wide open areas where they can best use their head butt. They are uncomfortable in confined quarters and on uneven ground. Because they are so attached to their home bases, pachycephalosaurs are very territorial. They do not object to other creatures grazing near them, but they will confront anything that gets too close to their homes.
Stegoceras skulls can be sold for $25 to import/export dealers (back country residents usually kill their own, so they won’t pay for them). Pachycephalosaur skulls can be sold to import/export dealers or collectors for $100. TRAINING Pachycephalosaurus can be trained as a mount at DC 27. It is extremely difficult to ride, however, due to the fact that the rider is constantly at risk of being propelled out of t he saddle every time his mount head butts a target. The rider must make a check to stay in his saddle each time the pachycephalosaurus head-butts. The check is against DC 7 when the head butt is preceded by a charge, and DC 5 otherwise. Stegoceras is too small to ride. An adult pachcephalosaurus can carry 6,000 pounds.
PARASAUROLOPHUS (“SOUNDER,” “BOOMER”)
COMBAT Pachycephalosaurs are built by nature for head-butting. Their specially adapted skulls are thick enough to withstand enormous impacts. A head butt does the most damage when preceded by the momentum of a charge. The damage caused is as follows:
Damage...
With charge
Stegoceras 2d6+6 Pachycephalosaurus 4d6+12
Skills:
Parasaurolophus Huge Animal 8d10+8 (52 hp) +0 40 ft., swim 40 ft. 11 (-2 size, +3 natural) Bite +1 melee Bite 1d6 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. Trample Scent, Snorkel Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +4 Str 16, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 4, Wis 13, Cha 11 Listen +18, Spot +18, Bluff +4
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Marsh, lakeshore, riverbank Herd (10-40) 3 None Always neutral 9-12 HD (Huge)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
W/out charge
1d6 2d6
Additionally, any head butt also counts as a bull rush. If the defender loses the Strength check, it is pushed back. At close quarters, the pachycephalosaurs’ thick skull is sim ply a short-ranged club. As a result, pachycephalosaurs prefer to pull back after each charge, so they can get enough momentum to charge again. Parasaurolophus are large, peaceful herbivores distinguished Herds are smart enough to use coordinated fighting tactics. Usually, half of the herd will charge in the first round of attack. In by the long crest on the top of their skull. Adults can reach thirty the second round, that half will retreat, while the others charge. feet long. They will repeat this cycle through the rest of combat. SOCIETY Parasaurolophus communicate by blasting air through their BYPRODUCTS Pachycephalosaur skulls are valued as oddities. Furthermore, crest. This produces an amazing variety of sounds, from low whismany back country settlers use stegoceras skulls as natural clubs. tles to powerful roars. Parasaurolophus calls carry for many miles, A favored weapon of some wild ones is a primitive morning star and can be very intimidating for those who don’t realize they or flexible club made of a stegoceras spine, held together with a come from a docile, defenseless plant eater. Herds of parasaurolophus meander along the banks of rivers flexible wire, connected to a stegoceras skull.
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and lakes, constantly grazing. If you encounter one herd, you will probably encounter two or three more in the immediate vicinity. They spend at least half their time in the water, much like the modern hippopotamus. The long-distance communication skills of the parasaurolophus make them difficult to surprise. If a predator is sighted anywhere along the river, every parasaurolophus for miles around knows of it immediately.
because they have few defenses. A fresh carcass can be sold for $400. Parasaurolophus horns are used by many settlers as musical instruments. They can be played much like a didjeridoo or trumpet, though with a much wider range of sounds. There’s not much of a market for selling the crests for this use (as most musicians find it easy to acquire one), but characters can harvest them and learn to play them themselves.
COMBAT Parasaurolophus are not adapted for combat. They have an herbivore’s bite that they use if they absolutely must fight. They prefer to flee, but if that isn’t possible and they’re facing humans or other small creatures, they will use their crests to produce a convincing imitation of a tyrannosaurus’ roar. The success of this imitation is determined by a Bluff check. Usually the roar startles attackers long enough for the parasaurolophus to get away. Individual Trample (Ex): parasaurolophus will never choose to move toward an enemy unless they are cornered or the herd is behind them. They generally use their tram ple attack only in a stampede – in which case, getting trampled by forty stampeding dinosaurs can be more than enough to wipe out an entire party! A parasaurol ophus trample does 1d12 points of damage. Opponents who don’t make attacks of opportunity can make a Reflex save (DC 13) to take half damage. Snorkel (Ex): Parasaurolophus can breathe through their skull crests. They like to relax just below the surface of the water with only the tip of their crest showing. Characters who encounter a few parasaurolophus along a riverbank may not realize two dozen more are sitting just offshore.
TRAINING Parasaurolophus can be trained as mounts. They also can be trained to emit certain calls on command, and this is how they are most useful. Hunters and caravans sometimes d r bring along a few trai ned a g r parasaurolophuses, which they use to u B communicate over long distances. m i An adult parasaurolophus can be T trained at DC 27; a youth, at DC 23. Training the parasaurolophus to issue calls on command counts as a regular task (DC 15). An adult parasaurolo phus can carry 3,000 pounds.
BYPRODUCTS Parasaurolophus are a good source of meat, and are herded by many ranchers. Hunters find them hard to surprise, but still pursue them
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PELYCOSAURS (“SAILBACKS”)
Skills:
Dimetrodon (“Sailwolf”) Large Animal 5d8+5 (28 hp) -2 (Dex) 20 ft. 10 (-1 size, -2 Dex, +3 natural) Bite +6 melee Bite 2d6 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. None None Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +3 Str 14, Dex 6, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 8 Spot +5
Edaphosaurus (“Sailsheep”) Large Animal 3d8+3 (17 hp) -2 (Dex) 20 ft. 9 (-1 size, -2 Dex, +2 natural) Bite +1 melee Bite 1d4 5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft. None None Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +0 Str 12, Dex 6, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7 Spot +2
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Warm forests, marsh, river Solitary or pack (3-5) 2 None Always neutral 6-10 HD (Huge)
Warm forests, marsh, river Pack (5-8) 1 None Always neutral 4-6 HD (Huge)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
The dimetrodon is not actually a dinosaur, but a pelycosaur, an early mammal-like reptile. Dimetrodons are marked by their sprawling posture, powerful fanged jaws and the large sail that runs down their spine. The edaphosaurus is an herbivorous pelycosaur similar to the dimetrodon in appearance, but with jaws designed for eating plants. The sail of dimetrodon is smooth between the skeletal ribs that support it, while the sail of edaphosaurus is knobby and irregular in surface. SOCIETY Both edaphosauruses and dimetrodons are fairly social and often travel in packs. They are not intelligent enough to have complex social relationships, however. Creatures within a pack will battle for mates, and dimetrodons will battle for the choice parts of any kills while edaphosauruses fight for the best grazing areas. Even though they travel in packs, neither species fights using specialized pack tactics. When they do fight together, it is as a mob charging the same victim. Dimetrodons loll about during the day, using their sails to regulate body heat. They are most active in the early afternoon, after their bodies have been warmed by the sun and their sails have dissipated some of the heat. Each pack of dimetrodons patrols its own territory. Because dimetrodons are slow moving and lazy hunters, their territories are fairly small. Edaphosauruses move indolently from place to place, grazing as they go. They prefer the moist plants that grow along the edges of rivers, in marshes, or in warm, wet jungles. COMBAT Dimetrodons are sluggish, opportunistic predators that prey upon small animals, large insects and fish. Characters who are solitary or wounded or otherwise look l ike easy prey are especially likely to be attacked by a dimetrodon. Edaphosauruses will not initiate an attack unless their nests are threatened. Their jaws are weak and their teeth are designed for grinding roots and shrubs, not rending flesh. BYPRODUCTS A dimetrodon’s sail is a necessary artifact in any self-respecting dino hunter’s trophy cabinet. Experienced dino hunters consider dimetrodons to be something of a test of man versus nature. They think the creature’s sail isn’t properly earned unless it was killed with only a knife! Thus, there is no market for them – “only cowards buy wolf sails,” as they say. Dimetrodon eggs are valued for breeding purposes. An egg
can be sold for $10. Dimetrodons mate once a year and lay as many as 30 eggs, of which 75 percent will hatch. Edaphosaurus eggs are valued for their taste, and can be sold for $1 apiece. Or they may be eaten outright! Each egg will provide one meal. They have quite thick shells and can, if padded, be transported safely through normal walking activities. Edaphosauruses mate once a year and lay up to 50 eggs. TRAINING Dimetrodons can be trained to act as watchdogs or hunting assistants (e.g., the pelycosaur equivalent of a bird dog). This counts as teaching an animal tasks and is DC 15. Edaphosauruses can be trained as well... but why would you want to?
PROTOCERATOPS
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities: Skills:
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Protoceratops Medium Animal 2d10+8 (19 hp) +0 20 ft. 18 front (+8 natural), 13 sides and back (+3 natural) Bite +4 melee Bite 1d8+2 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None Scent Fort +9, Ref +3, Will +8 Str 17, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 15 Bluff +8, Diplomacy +10, Gather Information +6, Intuit Direction +4, Knowledge (nature, dinosaurs, arcana, geography, history, local, human society) +8, Listen +8, Sense Motive +12, Speak Language (1d4 languages), Spot +6, Wilderness Lore +10
Any Solitary, pair or tribe (3-24) 2 Standard Lawful good 3-4 HD (Medium)
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Protoceratops are highly intelligent ceratopsians. They are the sages and diplomats of the dinosaur world, widely respected for their wise judgment, magnanimous decisions and insightful analysis. Roughly speaking, protoceratops resemble miniature triceratops, but without the horns. They are short, stout, strong and very heavy for their size – a typical five-foot long adult can weigh more than 200 pounds!
m o c . e n a h s v e n a h S . V
vocal system. This, combined with their high intelligence, allows them to master the languages of most other dinosaurs. Each protoceratops speaks 1d4 languages in addition to ceratopsian. There is a 10 percent chance that one will be a human language (otherwise they are all dinosaur languages). The lawful good nature of protoceratops is well known. This has let protoceratops carve out a niche for themselves as the diplomats of the dinosaur world. When dinosaur tribes – especially those of different regions, dialects, or species – need to resolve a dis pute, they seek out protoceratops. The protoceratops will act as translators, representatives or even negotiators in exchange for food supplies or protection treaties. Protoceratops villages are often carved out of solid rock. They use their beaks and neck frills to carve out the caves, which are gradually expanded generation by generation. Their beaks are particularly dexterous, and can be used to carve tiny marks or deep gashes. The deepest caves are the “caves of knowledge,” which exist solely to provide walls on which to record learning. Protoceratops have darkvision up to 60 feet.
COMBAT Protoceratops have an extremely strong razor-edged beak. Their neck frill provides an SOCIETY Protoceratops have the most advanced of all dinosaur soci- anchor point for a huge mass of muscle, which is devoted entireeties. They live in well organized villages with defined social ly to the beak – it can shear off a human-sized arm with little trouroles. Every village includes warriors, shamans, academics, diplo- ble. mats, researchers, food gatherers and scouts. Nonetheless, protoceratops prefer to avoid combat. They will Protoceratops are a naturally curious species and their socie- use their many skills to try to defuse combat situations before vioty supports the acquisition of knowledge. They have a written lan- lence occurs. Many adventurers have a tale or two of a protocerguage, which they use to record knowledge on stone tablets and atops who talked a hungry T-rex out of eating it. cave walls. They regularly send out observers in singles or pairs to report back on what is going on in the world. BYPRODUCTS Roving protoceratops are a storehouse of knowledge. They The neck frill and skull of a protoceratops is just the right size have often traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles. Some for a medium-sized human shield. Other than that, protoceratops cover established “scouting routes” that will eventually bring do not have any useful byproducts. In fact, t heir meat is tough and them back to the tribe, while others wander aimlessly until they considered distasteful. feel like returning. They are eager to converse, especially with learned characters, and love to trade stories and tall tales. TRAINING Protoceratops are fascinated with human culture, and seek out Protoceratops are intelligent enough that they do not need every opportunity to communicate. Many now offer themselves as “training” in the traditional sense. Any protoceratops can be readguides to human expeditions, in exchange for being taught human ily persuaded to accompany humans, provided it is treated well, languages. and the humans are not chaotic or evil in ali gnment. Protoceratops Thanks to a quirk of evolution, protoceratops have a versatile should be treated as NPC’s rather than trained animals.
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PTEROSAURS (“LIZARD BATS”) Pteranadon Huge Animal 8d8+8 (44 hp) +2 (Dex) 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (good) 12 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +2 natural)
Skills:
Pterodactylus Small Animal 1d8 (5 hp) +3 (Dex) 10 ft., fly 70 ft. (good) 15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural) Bite +2 melee Bite 1d3 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft. None Scent Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +1 Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 9, Cha 3 Listen +2, Spot +10
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Cliffs, mountains Flock (5-10) 1/2 Standard Always neutral 2-3 HD (Medium)
Cliffs, mountains Solitary or pair 4 Standard Always neutral 9-12 HD (Huge)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
Bite +8 melee, rake +5 melee Bite 2d8+4, rake 1d6+2 10 ft. by 30 ft./10 ft. Improved Grab Scent Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +4 Str 15, Dex 14, Con 13 Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 5 Listen +3, Spot +12
The pterosaurs are the flying reptiles. Pterodactylus is a shorttailed pterosaur with a wingspan of two to four feet. Its beak is filled with a row of forward-pointing teeth. Pteranadon was a huge flyer with a wingspan of up to 30 feet. Its beak was toothless. SOCIETY Pterosaurs live in aerial rooks high atop cliffs and mountains. They hunt during the day, bringing their kills back to the nest to feed. Their nests are littered with the remains of previous kills. COMBAT Pterodactylus usually feed on small fish and reptiles. They will attack larger targets only as an entire flock. Pteranadons like to pick up a target then kill it by dropping it from a great height. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the pteranadon must hit a Medium-sized creature with its bite or rake attack. It can then carry the target to a great height and drop it. The pteranadon can carry targets in both its beak and claws, but no more than one target can be carried at once. TRAINING Pteradactylus can be trained like a falcon to kill and retrieve prey (DC 15 for teaching an animal tasks). Pteranadons can be trained as a mount, at DC 28 for an adult and 24 for a youth. Despite their size, pteranadons weigh very little and cannot carry much weight. An adult can only carry loads up to 200 pounds.
STEGOSAURUS (“SPIKER,” “RIDGEBACK,” “SPIKETAIL”)
Skills:
Stegosaurus Huge Animal 14d10+56 (133 hp) +0 30 ft. 16 (-2 size, +8 natural) Tail spikes +12 melee Tail spikes 4d6 5 ft. by 20 ft./10 ft. None Scent Fort +15, Ref +9, Will +5 Str 19, Dex 11, Con 19, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 6 Listen +4, Spot +2
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Warm forest, hill, and plains Herd (5-8) 7 None Always neutral 15-28 HD (Gargantuan)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities:
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Stegosaurus has the dubious distinction of being one of the dumbest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth. For a beast over twenty feet long and weighing as much as three tons, its three-ounce brain gives it the smallest brain-to-body size ratio of any dinosaur. Nonetheless, it has enough brains to do what it needs to do, and its spiked tail ensures that other dinosaurs won’t tease it too much! SOCIETY Stegosaurus wanders in slow-moving herds, which graze as they travel. Their social organization is fairly basic: might makes right. COMBAT Stegosaurus has thick, knobby skin and armored plates along its spike. It can flex the plates to a limited degree, bringing them from a vertical to an angled position that helps protect its flanks. The four foot-long spikes on stegosaurus’ tail are its only weapon. It can swing its tail in a limited arc of about 10 foot radius from the point of attachment. It generally maneuvers its body to present its tail to oncoming enemies. BYPRODUCTS Stegosaurus plates can be used to make armor for huge or larger mounts. They are too heavy to be used for smaller sizes. A single suit of huge-sized stegosaurus plate armor requires the plates from six stegosauruses. It is heavy armor weighting 400 pounds, with a +5 armor bonus, max Dex bonus of +2, and armor check penalty of –4.
TRAINING Stegosaurus can be trained as beasts of burden, and can carry up to 4,000 pounds. They are practically impossible to ride, however, due to their rows of plates.
TRICERATOPS (“BRONCO,” “HORNHEAD”)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities: Skills: Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Triceratops Huge Animal 16d10+112 (200 hp) -1 (Dex) 30 ft. 18 front (-2 size, -1 Dex, +11 natural), 11 sides (-2 size, -1 Dex, +4 natural) Gore +15 melee Gore 2d8+7 10 ft. by 20 ft./10 ft. Charge for double damage, trample Scent Fort +17, Ref +9, Will +6 Str 20, Dex 9, Con 25, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7 Listen +8, Spot +8 Warm forest, hill and plains Solitary or herd (10-100, 50% young) 7 None Always neutral 17-32 HD (Gargantuan), 33-48 HD (Colossal)
SOCIETY Triceratops travel in herds that can reach vast proportions. The herds wander where the grass is green, but are extremely territorial about whatever area they currently occupy. Detachments of 2-4 adults will be deployed to charge most trespassers, including other herbivores. If a serious threat approaches (such as a Trex), the adults will form a ring, horns pointed outward, and herd their young inside. They then wait for the opponent to attack. Triceratops herds do not have a single leader. Males compete for mating rights in non-lethal contests, but are otherwise convivial and non-combative. The herds protect their elders and treat them with respect. Triceratops herds basically ignore each other unless there is territorial infringement. Most triceratops stay with the herd they were born into, although some do move to other herds. A triceratops wishing to join a new herd must “petition” the herd by staying on its fringes, just outside of territorial range, for weeks until the herd accepts it. There are certain migratory patterns that the triceratops follow. Most take them through the same areas year after year. Some of their predators anticipate these patterns or even follow the
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BYPRODUCTS Triceratops are valued for their skulls, which have no resale value, but are one of the prize specimens in any trophy hunter’s cabinet. They are valued by settlers for their meat, which is aromatic, flavorful, and in such enormous quantities that a single kill can feed a settlement for weeks. The eggs are valued by ranchers as well as settlers, who like to eat them. Ranchers will pay up to $200 per egg for breeding purposes. Settlers pay substantially less, but will happily eat any eggs they come across! TRAINING Both young and adult triceratops may be used as mounts. The young are awkward, poorly coordinated creatures that usually aren’t ready for battle. They’re cute by most standards, not ferocious. Although triceratops are short-tempered and aggressive, their herbivorous nature and herd mentality makes them easier to train than you might suspect. Training as a mount is DC 31 for an adult and 24 for a youth. Youth take six years to reach maturity. A triceratops can carry up to 12,000 pounds.
triceratops through their migration. Many an unfortunate pioneer has set up his homestead in a seemingly safe area, only to have it flattened when the triceratops come through months later. A single triceratops can weigh upwards of 20,000 pounds. The Confederate Dino Warriors have practiced controlling triceratops stampedes, in the belief that a stampeding herd is capable of breaking through almost any Union armored column. COMBAT Triceratops are herbivores. The adults are huge creatures that are extremely difficult to kill but, due to their herbivorous nature, are never particularly enthusiastic about entering battle in the first place. They are extremely aggressive, but it’s all bark and no bite. They rely mostly on bluffing and superior numbers, and will only initiate combat if the odds are in their favor. They usually fight only to defend their territory and their young. Once every several years, the herd will remain in one place for upwards of a year to lay and hatch eggs. Each herd has its own nesting ground that it always returns to. When in the nesting ground, the triceratops are extremely territorial. They will charge at the slightest provocation, at ranges far in excess of normal, and are much more likely to actually enter combat rather than just bluff. The AC of a triceratops depends on the angle of attack. Triceratops always try to face an enemy, since their massive skull plate is their most strongly armored position. Any attack coming from the forward 90-degree arc of the triceratops hits the skull plate at AC 18. All other attacks hit the fleshy sides at AC 11. Trample (Ex): A triceratops can trample creatures of Medium size or smaller. The trample causes 2d12+5 points of damage. Targets who do not make attacks of opportunity may make a Reflex save (DC 23) to take half damage.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX (“CHOMPER,” “BIGBITE”, “BIG’UN”)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities: Skills: Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Tyrannosaurus Rex Huge Animal 18d10+72 (171 hp) +1 (Dex) 40 ft. 14 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +5 natural) Bite +20 melee Bite 5d8+13 10 ft. by 10 ft./15 ft. Improved grab, swallow whole Scent, roar Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +8 Str 28, Dex 12, Con 19, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 10 Listen +11, Spot +11 Warm forest, hill, plains, and marsh Solitary or family (2 adults and 0-2 young) 8 Standard Lawful evil 19-36 HD (Gargantuan), 37-54 HD (Colossal)
SOCIETY T-rexes travel alone, or in family groups of one male, one female and possibly one or two children. Despite being solitary loners, tyrannosauruses are loyal and place a high premium on family. They mate for life. An adult who loses a mate will never
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take another. Often, it will dedicate the rest of its life to avenging its dead mate. As a result, there are areas of Cretasus where T-rex clans have been at war for generations. Tyrannosaurus rex society is centered around family relationships, and they are extremely interested in genealogy. The extent of this interest can be realized through their language. Tyrannosaurus language includes hundreds of words to denote very specific familial relationships. They have terms for “paternal aunt,” “son of a father’s cousin,” and “grandmother’s sister’s mate’s brother.” Tyrannosaurus loyalties depend on family ties. The tyrannosauruses in a given region form clans of interrelated families. Relations between individuals depend on the closeness of their ties. Close relatives are always extremely loyal, regardless of whether they get along personally. Each T-rex family has a nesting area, usually in a remote place accessi ble only to the T-rex. It is in this nesting area that young are raised. T-rexes frequently drag enemies back to the nest to provide food for their young. In this way, the nesting area for a family that has raised several young may be littered with skeletons. If the T-rex ever fed adventurers to its young, their remains (and their treasure) will be found in the nesting area. T-rex never have more than one child at a time, but a T-rex child may stay with its parents until well after it matures. This older child then helps its parents raise younger siblings. When a child finally leaves to establish its own family, it remembers its parents and treats them with respect for the rest of its life. A young T-rex establishing its own hunting grounds will inevitably conflict with other T-rexes in the area. In the same way that human sportsmen may compete on the field yet be friends off, two tyrannosauruses may compete savagely for hunting grounds, but, once that’s decided, be friendly for the rest of their lives.
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A typical encounter between two unfamiliar T-rexes will start gives a +5 armor bonus, max Dex bonus of +4, armor check with a lengthy discussion of family history. They will exchange penalty of -2, with a weight of 30 pounds. The hide of a typical Tgenealogies until they have established their exact relationship. rex (size Huge) can produce two suits of good medium-size These conversations sometimes go on for hours. Inevitably, armor. If the characters manage to kill the T-rex without puncturthough, there will be some link between the two creatures. Once ing its skin (a rare proposition), they can get four suits of armor the link is known, the two T-rexes will know something about out of it. their relationship: either they are from different clans, or distant T-rex teeth and claws are useful for decoration and adornrelatives within the same clan, or close relatives of some kind. ment. A character proficient in either can use it as a dagger. This then determines their attitude toward each other. Since T-rexes never have more than one child at a time, their Despite their loyal nature, tyrannosauruses have a mean eggs are exceedingly rare. However, very few breeders want to streak. They are nasty, vengeful and cruel. Combat between T- raise T-rex young, as they are vicious and difficult to train. An rexes can be gruesome. A T-rex in a bad mood may pick on small- intact egg can be sold for up to $500, if you can find a breeder er creatures, even when it’s not hungry. They are known for teas- who wants it. ing prey, torturing their enemies and showing respect to no creaVarious T-rex body parts have medicinal uses (or so many ture but another T-rex. There is a reason every other animal on people think), and can be sold for the following prices. Some buyCretasus avoids T-rexes! ers will be local Cretasus settlers (who pay full price), but most will be exporters (who pay half price, since they resell). COMBAT Tyrannosaurus hunting strategies are fairly straightforward: Part Used for… Value Use terrain to get as close as possible, then charge. T-rexes in bad Claws and teeth Weapons, aphrodisiacs $2,000 (full set) moods will attack even when they’re not hungry and their target Heart Strength $3,600 is not a threat. This is when they are most dangerous, for they may Intact hide Armor, decoration $4,000 toy with their prey in cruel ways. Liver General health $600 Tyrannosaurus rex travels in widely dispersed family groups, Lungs Endurance $400 communicating with a variety of roars, whistles, grunts and Spleen Ferocity $2,200 chirps. Their close family ties and ability to communicate over Tongue Tastes great $800 long distances make them very dangerous. Roar (Ex): A tyrannosaurus facing a real threat will summon TRAINING help with a deafening roar. Nearby T-rexes will hear the roar and Tyrannosauruses are mean, ill-tempered creatures. Training come to its aid. (Being summoned is one of the few times a T-rex one as a mount is incredibly difficult. It requires a successful will enter another T-rex’s hunting grounds.) Handle Animal check at DC 38. The only trained T-rexes on T-rexes summon aid with discretion, and rarely do so unless Cretasus have come from the handful of master bronco riders who their opponent is a threat to their neighbors, as well as themselves work with the Confederate Dino Warriors. (e.g., human or carnivore invaders, not just a big, angry bronco). Training a young T-rex is slightly easier at DC 31. Young TBut when the threat is real, and they are in danger, they do not hes- rex take seven years to mature. itate. A mature T-rex has the physical ability to carry a load of A T-rex can roar with a full-round action and attract 1d4 T-rex 4,000 pounds. However, you will be hard pressed to get one to families. The roar carries many miles, meaning aid may come carry that much. They are ornery creatures and will generally from far away. Each summoned family will arrive in 2d20 rounds. refuse to carry more than 1,000 pounds. Improved Grab (Ex): A T-rex that hits a Medium-size or smaller creature with its bit attack may grab them. It may then THE TYRANT KING attempt to swallow them whole. There are apocryphal stories, spread by both adventurers and Swallow Whole (Ex): A T-rex can swallow a Medium-size or the dinosaurs, of the Tyrant King. According to these legends, Tsmaller creature with a successful grapple check. Sw allowed crea- rexes continue to grow their entire lives. The Tyrant King is the tures take 2d8+8 points of crushing damage plus 8 points of acid oldest, and thus largest, T-rex in each clan. The Tyrant King is damage per round. A swallowed creature may cut itself out by treated as a sort of great-grandfather, with all of his descendants using Small or Tiny slashing weapons to deal 25 points of damage alternately bringing him their kills to feast from. The Tyrant King to the T-rex’s innards (AC 20). never leaves his nest – but if his nest is discovered, it is home to the treasures of hundreds of years of inhabitation. If you choose to BYPRODUCTS include the Tyrant King in your games, it should be treated as a T-rex hides are valued for their use as armor. T-rex hide armor Colossal T-rex with 54 hit dice.
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VELOCIRAPTOR (DEINONYCHUS) (“RAPTOR,” “SLICER,” “FASTCLAW”)
Hit Dice: Initiative: Speed: AC: Attacks: Damage: Face/Reach: Special Attacks: Special Qualities: Saves: Abilities: Skills:
Climate/Terrain: Organization: Challenge Rating: Treasure: Alignment: Advancement:
Velociraptor/Deinonychus Large Animal 4d10+12 (34 hp) +2 (Dex) 60 ft. 16 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural) Rake +6 melee, 2 claws +1 melee, bite +1 melee Rake 2d6+4, claw 1d3+2, bite 2d4+2 5 ft. by 5 ft./10 ft. None Scent Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2 Str 19, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10 Hide +7, Jump +13, Listen +11, Spot +11, Wilderness Lore +9, others (see below)
Warm forest, hill, plains and marsh Solitary or tribe (6-21 adults) 3 Standard Lawful neutral 5-8 HD (Large)
Velociraptors are the most intelligent of all the social predators. Their advanced combat tactics and natural cunning, com bined with their ferocity and physical features, make them extremely dangerous. They are the biggest threat to human settl ers on Cretasus. Paleontological confession: Velociraptor and deinonychus are actually two different dinosaurs, with velociraptors being the smaller of the two. However, since a certain hit dinosaur movie has popularized velociraptors that look like deinonychus, we will perpetuate the popular confusion of the two, and call the deinonychus by the name velociraptor. Thus, the stats above are those for a deinonychus, which in this work we call a velociraptor.
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Competition for the leader position continues constantly. As new raptors enter the tribe, whether through birth or migration, the leader has to defend his position. These challenges are usually decided with a quick exchange of test blows, and do not result in serious injury. However, aggressive or powerful challengers may force the combat to reach deadly levels. Tribal leaders have been known to murder or banish adolescents that show the prospect of a serious challenge. Although the tribal leader is usually male (as the males tend to be larger), the “core” of each tribe is the females. When either a tribal leader or a challenger loses a challenge, he leaves the tribe. SOCIETY Because the females are rarely engaged in challenges, they never Velociraptors live in well-organized tribes. Each tribe has leave the tribe. Each tribe is thus a core group of females around several designated roles and a loose caste system. The leader is which the males slowly change. The females are often related, as usually the strongest raptor in the tribe. The other raptors bicker are the younger males who have not left the tribe, but most adult endlessly for caste rank. Politics can be nasty both within and males within a tribe are unrelated. between tribes. The eldest females in each tribe function as tribal shamans. Raptors submit readily to an established leader. This is not Their knowledge of the environment is formidable. The shamans simply for their own protection, but because lawful behavior know the properties of all the local herbs, roots, spices and flowseems inherent in the raptor mentality. However, abusive leaders ers, as well as the characteristics of the body parts of their prey. can trigger the combined wrath of the tribe. Cruel or incompetent Although they lack the opposable thumb that would lead their leaders have been deposed when entire tribes united against them. intelligence to greatness, they do have limited dexterity with their
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A wilderness traveler will occasionally encounter solitary male raptors who do not belong to a tribe. These are the males who have lost leadership challenges. They eventually either find a new tribe or remain solitary forever. Some have been known to form alliances with ranchers or soldiers, even becoming pseudomembers of human society. One rancher on Cretasus is known for his employment of two lone male raptors, who help him protect his herds from predators in exchange for a steady supply of food.
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teeth and claws. The raptor shamans can mix simple healing salves, as well as specific potions for various illnesses. Some mix poisons, with which they coat their claws. Poisons are only used in wars against animals the raptors will not eat, as the poison remains in the blood of the dead victim. Because raptors are highly intelligent, strategy i s as important as raw strength in winning their wars. A physically powerful leader may be useful in times of peace, but unless his strength is by itself enough to turn the tide of battle, a strategically gifted leader is better for the tribe in times of war. Some rebellious tribes have united behind a physically weak but highly intelligent raptor as their new tribal leader. In such cases, the leader invariably is highly tactical with a strong grasp of wartime strategy. A coterie of loyal bodyguards keeps the leader safe from challenges – at least as long as his talents are needed by the tribe. Interaction between raptor tribes depends on a great deal of history. Most tribes have remained in the same region for generations. Longtime rivalries, alliances and neutralities exist. Relationships can be altered when situation ch anges (e.g., a drought forces one tribe to infringe on the hunting grounds of another) or when tribal composition changes (e.g., a new tribal leader decides to seek vengeance on the tribe where he lost a challenge).
COMBAT Velociraptors are a warlike species who settle disagreements with violence. They will fight not just for food, mates, territory and survival, but also for honor, pride and loyalty. Violent as it is, however, velociraptor warfare is not simple. Clever tricks, subterfuge and social manipulation all play a part. Velociraptors may be the only dinosaurs capable of dishonesty, deceit and double-crossing. In even the most basic, standard encounter, velociraptors may use an ambush; fake a retreat to lure the attackers into a trap; conceal their numbers to encourage an assault; fight from a superior position; use flanking maneuvers; or use any number of other strategies to gain the upper hand. Character encounters with velociraptors will usually involve an entire tribe or at least a large portion of the tribe. Raptors hunt, travel and fight in packs. Except for solitary males without tribes, the smallest encounters will be with hunting packs of 1d4+1 raptors. Larger encounters may involve an entire tribe. The tribal leader will be one of the following (roll d%):
Roll
Tribal Leader
1-80 81-100
Warrior Tactician
Warrior: The tribal leader has an extra 1d4 hit dice, and +1d4 to his Str and Dex scores. Warrior leaders will use simple strategies. Although they are tactical, they love battle, and want to get a chance to bloody their claws. They usually will not win through strategy alone. Tactician: A tactician leader has +1d4 to Int and Cha. He has the feats Combat Placement and Combat Tactician. Tactician leaders are patient and smart. They are content to win wars without ever spilling blood. They will employ sieges, t raps, ambushes, and other complex strategies, and have no qualms about waiting out an enemy. They are sneaky and stealthy, and are always scouting their enemies’ terrain. Characters battling tactician leaders will find themselves constantly out-maneuvered. Shaman: For every raptor in the tribe, there is a 5 percent chance of the tribe having a shaman. (For example, a pack of 12 raptors has a 60 percent chance of having a shaman.) Velociraptor shamans have the skill Heal +10. They also have d6 healing potions, salves or powders. These can be applied with a full-round action to cure 1d8 hit points immediately. A shaman has +1d4 to Wis and Int. In times of war, velociraptor tribes with shamans may coat
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their claws in poison. With any claw or rake injury, the poison drains 1d4 Str initi ally, and another 1d4 points in secondary damage. The poison may be avoided with a Fortitude save against DC 13. Raptors with poison-tipped claws will not use their bite attack.
feat. At fourth level, a warrior raptor can use the Anchorclaw Attack feat. He anchors himself on an enemy using his mouth and arms, then fights only with the scythe-like killer claws on his feet. If he is anchored properly, his killer claws can reach vulnerable areas of the victim, including the stomach or throat. To use RAPTOR NPC’S Raptors are smart Anchorclaw Attack, he must enough to make very intermake a successful rake or esting NPC’s. The three claw attack. Thereafter, he raptor types described is anchored to the enemy, above – warrior, tactician and can only make and shaman – can be anchored rake attacks, expanded into raptor-spewhich are +12 melee and cific classes. deal 3d6+6 damage. The Raptor Class At sixth level, a warTable below gives a sumrior raptor can use the mary of the three classes Jumpclaw Attack feat. He through tenth level. All save can jump past an enemy and bonuses and attack bonuses rake him as he goes by. In are in addition to the bonuses game terms, he can take a move described in the standard raptor action (including a jump) and profile. Raptors receive an extra hit another partial action at any point die for each level above first, but the during the move. The raptor cannot hit die varies by class – d12 for warrior, make a second move action during a d10 for tactician and d8 for shaman. round when he makes a jumpclaw attack. The five raptor racial skills (Hide, Jump, When using jumpclaw from hiding, the raptor Listen, Spot and Wilderness Lore) are considered receives a +2 attack bonus. cross-class skills for all raptors. Raptor NPC’s gain feats at A warrior raptor gains (2 + Int modifier) x 4 skill points at third and sixth and subsequent levels, as with normal characters. first level, and an additional 2 + Int modifier at each additional Warrior: Warrior raptors train in martial combat. Although level. A warrior’s class skills are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), all raptors focus on physical skills, the warriors are distinguished Intimidate (Cha) and Jump (Str). by their combination of above-average speed and strength, which Tactician: Tactician raptors train in stealth, strategy and tacgive them the ability to perform special combat feats. A warrior tics. They are average in physique, but significantly above-averraptor always has Str and Dex scores that are 1d4 points higher age in sly, crafty intelligence. They are masters at traps and than average. ambushes, and incredibly good at scouting and gathering inforAt second level, a warrior raptor can use the Spring Attack mation regarding their enemies. A tactician raptor always has +1d4 to Int and Cha. Raptor Class Table A tactician has the Raptor Base Saves feats Combat Placement Level Attack Bonus (Fort/Ref/Will) and Combat Tactician at Warrior Tactician Shaman Warrior Tactician Shaman first level. At second level, 1 +1 +0 +0 +2/+0/+0 +0/+2/+0 +0/+0/+2 a tactician gains the feat 2 +2 +1 +1 +3/+0/+0 +0/+3/+0 +0/+0/+3 Sense of Vulnerability. At 3 +3 +2 +1 +3/+1/+1 +1/+3/+1 +1/+1/+3 fourth level, he gains the 4 +4 +3 +2 +4/+1/+1 +1/+4/+1 +1/+1/+4 feat Sneaky Git. 5 +5 +3 +2 +4/+1/+1 +1/+4/+1 +1/+1/+4 A tactician raptor 6 +6/+1 +4 +3 +5/+2/+2 +2/+5/+2 +2/+2/+5 gains (4 + Int modifier) x 4 7 +7/+2 +5 +3 +5/+2/+2 +2/+5/+2 +2/+2/+5 skill points at first level, 8 +8/+3 +6/+1 +4 +6/+2/+2 +2/+6/+2 +2/+2/+6 and an additional 4 + Int 9 +9/+4 +6/+1 +4 +6/+3/+3 +3/+6/+3 +3/+3/+6 modifier at each additional 10 +10/+5 +7/+2 +5 +7/+3/+3 +3/+7/+3 +3/+3/+7 level. A tactician’s class
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skills are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (strategy and tactics, Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex) and Spot (Wis). Shaman: Shaman raptors are attuned to the natural properties of Cretasus. They study the herbs, plants, spices and animals of their world. They know how to mix potions and poisons, and they can heal the wounded. They are often the diplomats of their tribes. A shaman has +1d4 to Wis and Int. A first level shaman can mix poisons and healing potions. Higher level shamans can mix more potent versions. A healing potion restore hit points equal to 1d8 + the shaman’s level. A poison drains Str points equal to 1d4 + the shaman’s level (both initial and secondary). At second level, a shaman may mix acids from natural ingredients. (Even if the raptor has the Alchemy skill, this ability does not materialize until he learns where to find the appropriate ingredients – hence the second level requirement.) At fourth level, he can mix simple explosives. (Yes, it’s true – a tribe of velociraptors armed with grenades!) There are no known shamans of higher than fifth level – but who knows what one could do... A shaman raptor gains (6 + Int modifier) x 4 skill points at first level, and an additional 6 + Int modifier at each additional level. A shaman’s class skills are Alchemy (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge (nature, Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language and Wilderness Lore (Wis).
claw is large enough to function as a dagger. Many experienced dino hunters take pride in their raptor-claw daggers.
SILVERCLAW RAPTORS The silverclaws are a special kind of velociraptor that has appeared recently in Confederate alliances. They are physically normal raptors that have assented to prosthetic modification. In short, their natural claws are removed and replaced with artificial claws made of weapons-grade steel. The process was first developed as a regimen for raptors whose natural claws were broken or amputated in battle. This often happened in combats with protoceratops and other creatures with beaks: their powerful bites can easily slice off a velociraptor’s claws. Because the natural claws have no nerve endings — like human hair or fingernails — surgically replacing them is painless and simple. After observing the effectiveness of the steel hooks used to help amputees, certain raptors actually volunteered for the surgery. Soon there were several packs of raptors whose natural claws had been entirely replaced. Their gleaming claws soon earned them the nickname silverclaws. The silverclaw phenomenon had an unexpected side-effect. Confederate surgeons had a glut of amputated raptor claws. One enterprising surgeon sheathed their tips in steel, m ounted them on arm braces, and rebuilt them for human use. These rare, highly prized close combat weapons are now worn in sets by rebel heroes who have earned the distinction of defeating a velociraptor in close combat. Although not quite as deadly as when wielded by a BYPRODUCTS Velociraptors claws are highly valued trophies and weapons, raptor, they are still fearsome weapons. particularly the two hooked killer claws. A full set of claws can be Silverclaw raptors cause 2d6+8 damage with their rake and sold for $70; a single killer claw will fetch $20. A single killer 1d3+4 with their claws.
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Chapter IV: Adventures on Cretasus It is easy to find adventure on Cretasus. This chapter provides a basic overview of what goes on there and why. Once you know what’s going on, it’s easy to fit the characters in.
Motivations Motivations – Settlers
Factions There are many factions on Cretasus: Settlers (Union, Confederate and independent offworlders) Farmers Prospectors and miners Explorers Dino ranchers Dino hunters Traders Dino rustlers and outlaw gangs Cultists Adventurers The Confederate military Home guard Army Dino Warriors Guerrillas Blockade runners Hatcheries The Union Army Navy and drop troops The Ironclad Legions Federal sheriffs and marshals Ore discovery, extraction and exportation The cabal Dinosaurs Domesticated dinosaurs The various families, tribes and nations Wild ones The Dinozonians Aliens Warp Pirates The Free Fleet (occasionally)
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The independent settlers on Cretasus are not a single organized faction. They are millions of individuals with their own agendas who have come to Cretasus for shared reasons. They have certain common goals, which can be used to create adventures. A New Life: Many settlers want nothing more than to escape their past. This can take many forms. Usually the key tenet is freedom, expressed in open spaces, untamed wilderness, challenges, new places, new people and governments that don’t meddle. The surest way to offend a settler is to trespass on their land, propose a tax or restrictive law, or intrude in any other way. Security: Frontier life is difficult. Settlers want security, provided they don’t have to sacrifice freedom to get it. They want to punish outlaws, keep predators at bay and have a safe place to keep their belongings. Unsupportive governments and uncooperative militaries always raise the ire of settlers. Opportunities: Settlers want the chance to try their hand at something. They want to build a ranch or farm or mine from nothing, provided they work hard, think smart and have a little luck. Nothing infuriates a settler more than a robber baron who claims so much territory he closes opportunities for others. Claim jumpers, outlaw gangs and dino rustlers are close seconds. The Wilderness Challenge: Many settlers are motivated simply by the raw challenge of life in the wild. They don’t want to get too civilized. They enjoy hunting five-ton dinosaurs to feed their families. These are the settlers who start feeling crowded when a neighbor moves in within five miles of their homestead.
Motivations – Union and Confederacy The two largest organized factions on Cretasus are the Confederacy and Union. They are motivated by several basic factors. You can use these motivations to formulate adventures. Resources: The Union needs reliable sources of food. The Confederacy needs advanced technology, manufacturing ability and maintenance for its equipment. Each side is able to supply for itself what the other side needs, and each is constantly looking for new capacity to do what it knows how to do — the Confederacy wants flat terrain for larger fields, for example, and the Union is always looking for mines and mineral deposits.
Toward this goal, the Confederacy has set up several experimental farms throughout Cretasus. They want to determine which native plants are easiest to farm and most useful. The Union is extremely interested in these farms, for two reasons. First, they can use the results of the experiments to sustain their own forces. Second, every farm they destroy makes it that much more difficult for the Confederacy to feed its forces. At the same time, the Union is constantly scouting for raw materials for industrial purposes. They send out expeditions to find extractable ore on the planet’s surface. These expeditions are usually very small and intended to pass beneath the notice of Confederate forces – although once a mine is established, the operation usually gets noticed fast. The Union also tries to forestall Confederate progress in this area. The Union has been known to buy all the ore that independent prospectors can produce – even though it has excess supplies already – just to keep it out of Confederate hands. Dinosaurs are a resource. For both sides, they mean food, transportation, beasts of burden and exotic products for export. And when it comes to large, powerful dinosaur tribes, alliances mean power. The Confederacy is far, far ahead of the Union in developing their dinosaur interests. It has its own hatcheries and generations of agricultural experience. While the Union sees dinosaurs as a Cretasus-specific concern, the Confederacy sees the potential to export eggs and use dinosaurs on other planets. Territory: The Confederacy has already established a stronghold on Cretasus. But the planet’s huge size and isolated mountain valleys give the Union plenty of opportunity to try to get its foot in the door. Both sides fight to control territory on Cretasus, as well as the airspace above it and the space routes from Cretasus to the rest of the galaxy. The most important areas are frequently those with resource use to one side, including: • Ore-rich areas • Dinosaur grazing areas • Areas free of dinosaurs, especially carnivores • Areas with fertile soil • Natural trade routes • Strategic points for military bases • Areas near fresh water Lifestyle: The Union is commercial, industrialized and centralized. The Confederacy is aristocratic, agricultural and regional. Both sides have nothing but contempt for the meaningless lifestyles led by their enemies, and sometimes fight on principle alone to prove their way of life is superior. Galactic Expansion: Both factions want to continue exploring the galaxy, recruiting the alliances and technology of aliens.
The Cabal The Union is falling apart from the inside. Its politicians are corrupt, its military is oppressive and its diplomacy is dominated by corporate interests. The ideals that originally led the Union are gone. The Union is not evil; rather, it is a decaying civilization. But there is a true enemy: the furtive, loosely organized faction that pushes the Union toward galactic dominance. This secret cabal of generals, industrialists, corrupt Senators, and self-interested aliens exercises enormous power at the highest levels of Union government. Its mem bers drive the Union to serve their egocentric agendas, which are individually different but intertwine into a shared goal of personal power. The reason the Union professes to offer citizenship to anyone in the universe, but then invades alien planets and strip-mines them bare, is the cabal’s industrial interests. The reason ironclad research continues the war against the Confederacy, despite no real remaining territorial or commercial conflicts, is the cabal’s military interests. And so on. At the lowest levels of everyday affairs – where characters might encounter this – the cabal is the reason people are repressed, police states flourish and prisoners are shipped to forced labor in private mines. On Cretasus, the cabal is the reason Union researchers are trying to raise and export dinosaurs. The potential military and industrial uses of dinosaurs are enormous, and the cabal sees Cretasus as a minor step toward greater goals. The cabal’s attempts to control the dinosaur trade reach into all aspects of life on Cretasus, from spaceport management to back country patrols. At the highest levels, this cabal steers the Union toward a none-too-subtle scheme for galactic dominance. In short, it wants to conquer or absorb anything and everything it can. The cabal’s inner circle numbers fewer than two dozen mem bers, and only they know the true scope of its actions. Each of the members has thousands of employees, as well as private security forces and personal agents, which further their goals in a vacuum of partial knowledge. Yet only at the very top can all the pieces be put together. Rumors of the cabal are everywhere, usually as vague conspiracy theories and ambiguous tales. Most Union citizens believe in a “secret government.” There is a hidden agenda to what the Union does. The Union itself is not evil – but a core faction within it is.
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Motivations – Dinosaurs The less intelligent dinosaurs have very simple motivations: eat, drink, sleep, reproduce, dominate and stay alive. Their motivations are no different from those of common animals, but their hundred-ton physiques sometimes add a new dimension to things. The intelligent species are another situation entirely. Each intelligent species divides itself into political groups, much the way humans do. Velociraptors, for example, may have three or five distinct tribes within the same area. Tyrannosauruses, which congregate in smaller family groupings, may have twenty or thirty independent families over a large area. Each tribe or famil y has its own customs, attitudes, behaviors, dialect and motivations. Common species or geography does not always mean common interests. Here are some of the more common motivations shared by intelligent dinosaur groups. Food: The most important resource for dinosaurs is food. Carnivores, in particular, are in constant need of food. Hunting food can be dangerous, especially when you’re battling triceratops with their sharp horns, or ankylosauruses with their club-like tails. Dinosaurs are generally amenable to alliances that can supply them with a steady supply of food – be they alliances with humans or dinosaur. This makes their lives easier and safer. Groups of both herbivores and carnivores battle over hunting and grazing rights. When a carnivore’s prey migrates, it may battle neighboring groups for the right to follow the prey through “enemy” territory. Carnivores fight against human encroachment when it threatens to scare off their prey. Herbivores battle for the land with the greenest grass (so to speak). Power: Even the most basic animal understands power politics. Many dinosaurs are smart enough to keep their neighboring competitors in check. A carnivore that has a large litter one year may find its neighbors trying desperately to kill the babies. Nobody wants to have several more adult T-rexes grow up to join the community! Within tribes and families, the dinosaurs may battle for power. Adolescents of some species may challenge adults for leadership positions. Longtime rivals may scheme against each other. Schisms may appear in difficult times – for example, half the tribe may advocate an alliance to secure food in times of drought, while the other half may wish to go to war to establish expanded hunting grounds. Mates: Mating rights are a common reason for hostilities. This can happen within a tribe, or when a new outsider arrives in the area. In most cases, the competition does not prove fatal – but not always. In some rare cases, a tribe with severe population
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shortages has been known to raid an enemy tribe to kidnap fertile females. Territory: Territory is always important, usually for reasons of food, safety or power. Almost all carnivores try to maintain their own hunting grounds. Most herbivores are comfortable sharing grazing grounds, but some are not. All dinosaurs closely guard their nesting areas. And depending on the dinosaurs’ nature, they may guard territory simply because it’s theirs – even if it isn’t particularly useful for food or young. Competition and Vendettas: When tribes live next to each other for hundreds of years, they have history in their blood. Some tribes remember atrocities committed years ago. They may remember wars, forced exile, murdered family members and hunting grounds that once belonged to them. Some tribes can’t even remember why their enemies are their enemies, but they still attack them on sight.
Treasure Treasure is an adventurer’s best friend. It makes the journey worthwhile. Treasure in Broncosaurus Rex takes several forms: Alien artifacts Cash Dinosaurs – dead Dinosaurs – live Gems, metals and other valuables Technology Alien artifacts: Humans are not alone. There are several other intelligent alien races, and others that have long since passed away. Alien artifacts can be useful on their own, especially technology so advanced it appears magical. Alien art is easily sold if it is useful or patently beautiful. The more obscure treasures – and the ones that are properly identified – can be sold to collectors, Union universities or the military for large sums. Cash: There are two main currencies in the human galaxies: Confederate and Union. Both trade in dollars. Officially, neither government recognizes the currency of the other. When you’re dealing with a Union diplomat or a Confederate general, you can only spend the appropriate currency. However, in most offworlder situations (including Cretasus), and especially in the free-andeasy places where many adventurers spend their recreational time, both kinds of cash are traded freely. Cash comes as paper and coin. Union notes are consistent, always issued by the central bank. Some Confederate notes are centralized, but most come from regional governments or banks. Confederate characters who don’t make sure to exchange their local currency before leaving home may have trouble spending their money in distant places. Dinosaurs – dead: There is a market for dinosaur parts. Claws, jaws, teeth, horns, organs and skins can be sold to collectors, exporters and some weapons makers. They also have totemic value to wild ones and some cultists. You can sell some kinds of dinosaur meat to export traders, and if you can drag a fresh carcass to the taxidermist, you might sell the stuffed dinosaur to a collector. Dinosaurs – live: A live, trained dinosaur can be worth a lot of money to ranchers, farmers, some industrialists, wealthy collectors, the Confederate and Union military, and anyone else who might need beasts of burden. The catch is the training. A very angry T-rex in a net isn’t worth much. Trained young are most valuable, then trained adults, then eggs, then untrained young. As
a rule of thumb, herbivores are most valuable to civilians, while carnivores are much more valuable to military personnel. Gems, metals, art, and other valuables: If they won’t take your cash, you can always give them gems or gold. A one-pound gold bar is worth $5,000. One pound of silver is worth $500 and one pound of copper is $50. But value changes depending on where you are. Many of the isolated settlers on Cretasus and other outer reaches planets will pay more for a few bars of top-quality steel than for gold. Technology: If you can find a disintegrator in the warp pirates’ stash, you’ve done well. Powerful and difficult-to-find technology are great finds, as are unique alien pieces or rare devices.
The Dinozonians The dinozonians are warrior women who have established their own society in the wilds of Cretasus. They are archetypal wild ones, having chosen the beautiful brutality of wildness over the comforts of civilization. The first dinozonian was a settler’s wife. Her husband and children were killed by hungry raptors, but she survived by defending herself with a pitchfork, killing two raptors in the process. The raptors eventually overwhelmed her, but instead of eating her, they subdued her and carried her with them to their tribe. She found herself able to adapt easily, and lived with them for many years. Later, when the raptors were at war, she left the tribe to organize several other female wild ones in the area. Together they called themselves the dinozonians. Now there are several dinozonian tribes. Each tribe adopts one dinosaur species as its primary ally. This dinosaur becomes the tribes’ sacred totem, appearing as a common motif in all of their rituals, art, weapons, and armor. The dinozonians share meals, homes, and even babysitting duties with their allied tribes. The dinozonians avoid other humans. They are not i deological, and do not attack human ranchers and miners on a routine basis (unlike some other wild ones). They do live like dinosaurs, however, and will attack humans (and dinosaurs) who infringe upon their territory. Since the discovery of precious metals in their domain, the dinozonians have been forced to combat human explorers. They are quickly becoming known for their violent raids on prospectors who stray too close.
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One Hundred Adventure Ideas Here are one hundred ideas for adventures on the world of Cretasus. 1. A young T-rex has staked out a territory that includes a large settlement. He’s already eaten three settlers. 2. Two velociraptor tribes have gone to war. Unfortunately, a human settlement lies on the path between their camps. 3. Somebody (or something) has been poaching broncos on a rancher’s land. 4. Bank robbery! A team of thieves uses a triceratops to pull the wall off a bank, then they haul off the vault without even bothering to open it. A reward is offered for their capture. 5. An independent prospector’s brachiosaurus has fallen ill in the midst of an overland journey. He can’t move his ten tons of ore without a new ‘brachy – but he can’t leave the ore lest it be stolen. 6. Gold has been discovered in a natural cave system – but the caves are inhabited. 7. A drought causes herbivorous dinosaurs to make daring crop raids. 8. The Confederacy has kidnapped a key machinist involved with Union ironclad research. 9. A Union diplomat needs an escort and interpreter when he meets with a velociraptor chieftain. 10. The ruins of an alien spaceship have been discovered in a neighboring valley. 11. A Confederate weapons supplier was forced to dump his cache and run when T-rexes attacked his convoy. 12. A frantic dinosaur pup leads the characters to the trap that just captured its mother. 13. Plans for a powerful new weapon are mistakenly delivered to the characters. 14. Rumors claim a massive, ancient T-rex lives in the ruins of a mysterious city. 15. It’s parasaurolophus mating season. Their amorous calls rever berate in the night. One particularly loud male has been keeping the mayor awake at night. He offers a reward for its head. 16. A Union drop pod inexplicably crash lands in the middle of town. The hatch is jammed shut. Union troops arrive to retrieve it. 17. Something is keeping supply convoys from reaching a distant military post. 18. Confederate breeders need to capture a dozen raptors – alive. 19. A maverick machinist doing genetic experiments has unleashed his “mutasaurs” into the wild. 20. The Union wants to build a road between two i mportant bases. 21. A machinist thinks he can build a certain advanced device, but only with obscure minerals found deep in the Cretasus jungle. 22. Word reaches town that a renowned private inventor’s research lab has been deserted since he was eaten by an allosaurus. 23. An outlaw gang has stolen a shipment of recently mined Union gold.
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24. The supply route to and from a Union gold mine passes right beneath a perfect ambush spot. 25. A diamond mine is discovered in T-rex hunting grounds. 26. All the inhabitants of a settlement have disappeared. 27. An informant tells the characters about an upcoming shipment of ROGUE rifles and other Union technology. 28. A farmer needs someone to clear twenty acres of dinosaurs. 29. A new trade route from a rebel town cuts travel time in half – but it goes right through Union territory. The characters can help the blockade runners, or help the Union catch them. 30. The Union discovers a huge oil deposit – beneath the land of several Confederate ranchers. 31. The Union is experimenting with raising dinosaurs. It hires the characters to bring back ten T-rex eggs. 32. A triceratops herd has accepted two wild ones, who are using modern weapons to fend off a nearby ceratosaurus family. The ceratosauruses contact the characters and offer an alliance in exchange for help eliminating the wild ones. 33. An outlaw gang has been raiding small farms. 34. The characters come across a juvenile T-rex being attacked by velociraptors. The T-rex promises a favor from its parents if the characters will save it. 35. A wealthy off-planet safari hunter wants to bag an adult T-rex. He needs a wilderness guide. 36. Unscrupulous dino hunters have been thinning the carnivore population around a farming settlement. The resulting growth in herbivore population is wreaking havoc on the farmlands. 37. A 12-year-old child has disappeared deep in raptor territory. Is he lost? Was he eaten? Or did he become a wild one? 38. A gang of dino rustlers has been stealing broncos. Ranchers hire to characters to find their hideout and bring them to justice. 39. Dino rustlers have taken over a frontier town. The sheriff needs help. 40. Nobody has returned alive from the dinosaur burial grounds. 41. Frontiersmen discover an abandoned underground laboratory that has remained hidden for decades. 42. A herd of dinosaurs sets up nests in a gemstone mine. 43. Somebody is murdering prominent dino ranchers. 44. Several tribes of raptors besiege a town and demand sacrifices. 45. Warp pirates have begun raiding isolated settlements. 46. A high-level wild one is negotiating alliances between the carnivores in an area. 47. A border incident causes the Union and Confederacy to mass troops right in the path of the decennial iguanodon migration. 48. A Union turncoat offers to sell military secrets. 49. The Confederate general’s heirloom weapon is stolen. 50. Disillusioned Confederate pioneers petition the Union for citizenship. 51. A prominent Free Fleet trader is accused of swindling the mayor. 52. A major Free Fleet trading vessel lands, offering “anything and everything for sale for five days only.” 53. The leaders of neighboring Confederate and Union military bases discover they are brothers.
54. An extremely fertile plain is discovered. Three groups of pioneers compete to be the first to establish farms there. 55. A Union mining mining town rebels rebels against the Union. Confeder Confederate ate forces come to their aid. 56. A character slights the honor of a local Dino Warrior. Warrior. He demands a duel. 57. A disease is causing confused, maddened broncos broncos to charge wildly through town. 58. A local dino hunter’s “tame” “tame” T-rex T-rex eats a child. The dino hunter refuses to kill or surrender the beast. 59. Offworlder cultists establish a tent city near a town’s water source, and they shoot at anyone who comes near. 60. A vehicle carrying an important diplomat crashes crashes in the jungle. He must be saved. 61. A hardened wild one has been leading pachycephalosaurus pachycephalosaurus raids against military outposts encroaching on their land. 62. A fearful fearful mayor outlaws all dinosaurs dinosaurs (even domesticated domesticated ones) within city limits. 63. A fortified Union military base was built right in the path of the brachiosaurus migration trail. Each year the base has expanded, and each year the brachiosauruses have to veer further around. This year, they are forced to walk directly toward a small settlement near the base. If they aren’t stopped, they will destroy it. 64. Union soldiers are moonlighting as dino rustlers. 65. A famous safari hunter offers a reward for anyone anyone who can kill a T-rex bigger than the one he killed. 66. A town raided by an outlaw gang organizes a posse to take the law into their own hands. 67. A federal sheriff arrives to hunt down down a galactic criminal reputed to be in the area. 68. Settlers discover a warp pirate camp just around the bend. 69. Someone is spreading rumors as to the characters’ allegiances. 70. Someone is sabotaging Dino Warrior saddles so they come loose in battle. 71. The Confederate military has captured a dozen pregnant dinosaurs to supply their hatcheries. Their mates want them back. 72. The Union wants to steal eggs from a Confederate hatchery. They need someone who’s good with animals to sneak in and st eal the eggs – without getting caught. 73. A Confederate base is low on supplies. They need metal, tools and spare parts – all on hand at a nearby Union outpost. 74. A Confederate patrol wandered too far into Union territory and was captured. They are being held in the brig of a distant outpost. 75. The Union is clearing ground for a major construction project. Confederate agents suspect it is an ironclad factory. They hire the characters to herd stampeding broncos to the site on a regular basis – “block progress but make it look natural.” 76. Velociraptors near a Confederate base have recently started using specially-designed ballistic weapons to raid the food stores. A nearby Union research facility facility is suspected suspected of supplying the weapons. 77. Two rival suitors duel for a woman’s love. One of them owes the characters money. 78. The lone survivor of a town massacred by hungry cer-
atosauruses tries to organize a revenge raid. 79. An offworlder settlement is split by violent political infighting. One faction hires tthe he characters to assassinate the rival leader. 80. Union industrialists want to dig a huge mine beside existing farmland, which will be polluted by the runoff. The farmers need someone to disrupt the industrialists’ plans. 81. Two Confederate brothers plot to murder their third brother, who has defected to the Union. 82. Pioneers settling the western frontier keep disappearing. 83. The Union wants to kidnap and interrogate two Dino Warriors. 84. Carnivorous dinosaurs keep eating soldiers at a Union military base. Every time one dinosaur is killed, another appears. The Union suspects Confederate or wild one involvement. 85. The largest herd of broncos ever sighted – more than 300 animals – is stampeding toward town right now… 86. One of the Union’s experimental flying ironclads has crash landed in a swamp in neutral territory, and it can’t be reached by vehicles. The Union and the Confederates both race to retrieve the ironclad – but the Union only has vehicles… 87. The Union (or Confederacy) has captured an enemy military officer. The characters are hired to rescue him. 88. A damaged warp pirate ship, filled with stolen loot, has crash crash landed on Cretasus – right in the midst of T-rex hunting grounds. Confederate military, Union military, looters and the characters all rush to claim what they can. 89. An alien ship lands on Cretasus. The aliens use their horrific technology to clear the area of dinosaurs – but now the dinos are being driven into nearby settlements. 90. Under cover of darkness, ankylosauruses built nests and laid eggs around a small settlement. When the settlers left for the fields the next morning, the ankylosauruses charged them. Now the settlers can’t leave their homes and food supplies are running short. 91. A Union research station deep in the jungle has ceased communications. 92. The Union is trying to destroy a dinosaur hatching ground. The Confederacy, Confederacy, allied with the dinosaurs, must protect the eggs. 93. The Confederates have promised food to dinosaur allies, but these particular allies demand their favorite food: human flesh. 94. The Union has arranged to bribe a Confederate officer who knows top secret information, but their middleman was killed. 95. A secret message must be delivered delivered to a distant outpost – by tomorrow night. 96. A brave Confederate hero is getting too old old to fight. Rather than grow old and die in peace, he has elected to lead a suicide mission and die a hero’s death. 97. The Confederacy is raiding a Union munitions dump to steal desperately needed weapons and ammo – or the Union is raiding a Confederate farm for desperately needed food supplies. 98. Confederate laborers are clearing a forest to make room for new construction. A Union ambush catches them by surprise. surprise. 99. A Confederate force has has discovered a Union mining expedition in its territory. 100. Freighters need someone to carry supplies through an area covered in tar pits.
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Appendix I: Creatures by Challenge Rating The wilds of Cretasus are home to more than just dinosaurs. In addition to saber-toothed tigers, mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, and other giant mammalians, and the pterosaurs of the skies and various giant sea beasts (all of which will be covered in future Broncosaurus Broncosaurus Rex supplements), Cretasus is populated by many animals and vermin. The following table lists the challenge ratings of all creatures native to Cretasus, as described in this work and Core Rulebook III. Many more creatures will be described in future Broncosaurus Broncosaurus Rex sup plements. As noted earlier, the creatures presented in this work tend toward lower challenge ratings, in order to provide a good assortment of encounters for low level characters. Future supplements will expand the higher challenge ratings on this table. Creature
CR
Toad
1/10
Monstrous Centipede, Tiny
1/8
Lizard
1/6
Monstrous Centipede, Small Monstrous Scorpion, Tiny Monstrous Spider, Tiny
1/4 1/4 1/4
Giant Beetle, Fire Snake, Tiny Viper
1/3 1/3
Compsognathus Giant Bee Mon Mo nstr strous ous Cen Centipe tipede de,, Medi Medium um Monstrous Scorpion, Small Monstrous Spider, Small Pterodactylus Snake, Small Viper
1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2
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Creature
CR
Creature
CR
Edaphosaurus Giant Ant, Worker Monstrous Centipede, Large Monstrous Scorpion, Medium Monstrous Spider, Medium Octopus Ornitholestes Oviraptor Protosuchus Shark, Medium Snake, Medium Viper Squid
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Elasmosaurus Iguanodon Pachycephalosaurus Snake, Giant Constrictor
5 5 5 5
Ceratosaurus Deinosuchus Megaraptor Monstrous Monstrous Centipede, Centipede, Gargantua Gargantuan n Monstrous Scorpion, Huge
6 6 6 6 6
Camptosaurus Crocodile Dimetrodon Giant Ant, Soldier Giant Ant, Queen Giant Beetle, Bombardier Giant Dragonfly Giant Lizard Giant Praying Mantis Monstrous Centipede, Huge Monstrous Scorpion, Large Monstrous Spider, Large Protoceratops Shark, Large Snake, Constrictor Snake, Large Viper
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Allosaurus Ankylosaurus Monstro trous Sp Spider, Ga Gargantuan Stegosaurus Triceratops
7 7 7 7 7
Monstr Mons trou ouss Cen Centi tipe pede de,, Col Colos osssal Octopus, Giant Tyrannosaurus
8 8 8
Monstr Mons trou ouss Scorp Scorpio ion, n, Garg Gargan antua tuan n Squid, Giant
9 9
Monstrous Sp Spider, Co Colossal
10
Brachiosaurus Monstro trous Scorpion, Co Colossal
11 11
Giant Wasp Parasaurolophus Snake, Huge Viper Stegoceras Velociraptor (Deinonychus)
3 3 3 3 3
Giant Beetle, Stag Giant Crocodile Monstrous Spider, Huge Pteranadon Shark, Huge
4 4 4 4 4
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