Houses of the Landsraad

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disclaimer Welcome to DUNE. My name is Dorian Hawkins and I love DUNE. This piece of work is one fan’s homage to that wonderful piece of work. Let me stress right from the get-go that this tome utilises the ONE ROLL ENGINE, as devised by GREG STOLZE and popularised by SHANE IVEY and DENNIS DETWILER of ARC DREAM. I do not own any rights or even claim any ownership of their game mechanics. In fact, if you even want to use this book, you need a copy of the REIGN rules (available imminently in an inexpensive pocket book version and PDF, so you really have no excuse). This game is also based on the novel DUNE by Frank Herbert. The rights to DUNE and the CHRONICLES OF DUNE do not belong to me and if there is any challenge to this fan work, holders of the license or intellectual property of DUNE and its related products should contact me at [email protected] immediately. This book is intended for people’s use until there is an official DUNE RPG out there. Until such time, I hope this meager work can suffice. Hya Hya Chouhada! Dorian Thomas Hawkins

The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

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the known universe The year is 10,091, one hundred years before the events of DUNE. The Known Universe is one great Empire ruled over by the Padishah Emperor. No rock escapes its influence: where man exists, so too does the Padishah Imperium. The supreme military power of the Emperor through his elite army, the Sardaukar, paired with his essentially unlimited wealth, makes him the principal power in the Known Universe. While the Emperor is supreme sovereign ruler of the universe, power is shared, in a quasi-feudal arrangement with the noble houses of the Landsraad and with the Spacing Guild, which possesses a monopoly over interstellar travel.

This delicate balance of power serves to prevent any particularly ambitious or destructive faction or individual from upsetting the stability of society; at least, for a time. Elrood Corrino IX is the 80th and current Emperor of the Known Universe. During his reign of 138 years, Elrood married into many royal houses of the Imperium, among them House Mutelli, House Hagal and House Ecaz. He is an unpredictable and harsh Emperor but then, most of the Corrino Emperors were… The Landsraad, then, is a political body consisting of many Great Noble Houses who are vassals to the Emperor. House is idiomatic for ruling clan of a planet or planetary system.

The landsraad

A Great House, or House Major, directly swears its allegiance to the Padishah Emperor in return for his grant of fees or fiefs. Such things can be contracts for the production of some product or service but generally, it is the granting of land in the form of a planets and moons within a given planetary system. Largely, those contracts are tied to the lands granted.

The Landsraad, as a political body plays a very important role in the political and economic power balance of the Empire, which it shares with the Emperor and the Spacing Guild.

The greatest example of this is Arrakis, also known as Dune. This fief yields the prestigious Spice Mining Contract. Only the Emperor’s favourites are selected to rule Arrakis.

The Landsraad represents the unification of all the other noble Houses, creating a check against the power of the Emperor which is theoretically a comparable force. Both the combined Houses and the Emperor are in turn totally dependent on the Guild for interstellar travel. In return, the Spacing Guild has no purpose without the existence of the Empire.

The Landsraad is overseen by the High Council. This is the inner circle of the Landsraad during the time of the Faufreluches, "the rigid rule of class distinction enforced by the Imperium." The Council is "empowered to act as supreme tribunal in House to House disputes” and upholds the Imperial bill of rights called “The Great Convention”.

Members of House Corrino have sat on the Golden Lion throne as Padishah Emperors from the time of the ancient Battle of Corrin to modern times.


4

The great convention

weapons and practices, as outlined in the Assassins' Handbook.

The Great Convention is a huge legal document which establishes the laws of the Imperium and woe betide anyone who breaks them. The Great Convention’s fundamental law is that human life is precious and many of the articles exist to enforce this.

The second is Kanly, Kanly which is the enactment of a formal feud or vendetta in a manner that complies with the Great Convention. It often results in an official war of attrition between two opponents, usually Great Houses.

For instance, the Great Convention puts a proscription on computer technology stemming from the religious tenet of “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind”. It also states that any weapon which causes indiscriminate destruction is strictly banned, punishable by trial and execution. Thus, atomic weaponary and other weapons of mass destruction are strictly prohibited. The Great Convention establishes very specific laws about how warfare can be conducted. Specifically, one of its laws, the Dictum Familia, prohibits all forms of informal conflict against noble blood which in turn establishes that there are only two legal forms of conflict and these first be condoned by the High Council in a legal contract.

A Fell Blade The first is the War of Assassins, Assassins which stipulates that formal declarations of intent are required and it only permits certain kinds of

The act of kanly was originally created as a way of allowing bitter disputes to be resolved without any harm being brought upon innocent bystanders. It was similar in many ways to the ancient duels made on Earth, although it usually had much broader ramifications. Kanly has occurred most famously between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, and between House Moritani and House Ginaz. In both situations, Kanly resulted in the dramatic success of the former party over the latter. Kanly requires that certain forms of conflict are permitted, while others are not. The use of atomics is strictly forbidden, for example. Usage of atomics usually means a sentence of exile. Any grievance by one member of the Landsraad against another is brought before the High Council in a Bill of Particulars. For example, shortly after the assassination of his father Duke Leto Atreides I and the Harkonnen/Corrino invasion of the planet Arrakis in Dune, Paul Atreides expresses a desire to put forward a Bill of Particulars to the Landsraad High Council to express his grievance and point out the laws that had been broken by this invasion. Paul believes that his grievance would be supported because the Great Houses would never support the Sardaukar eliminating them one-by-one (which was, of course, one of the


5 principal reasons why the Landsraad existed to begin with). In all grievances, a Judge of the Change is appointed. A Judge of the Change is "an official appointed by the Landsraad High Council and the Emperor to monitor a change of fief, a kanly negotiation, or formal battle in a War of Assassins. The Judge's arbitral authority may be challenged only before the High Council with the Emperor present."

The Sysselraad can be viewed as the Empire in miniature: the ruling House Major could easily demolish any single House Minor but together, the Houses Minor could overthrow the House Major, should they wish to.

The Faufreluches Faufreluches is a term commonly used to describe the class system employed by the Imperium. The faufreluche system is meant to provide some sort of order for the way in which humanity related with one another, both to maintain order and civility and to keep certain groups under control within the Imperium.

A Judge of the Change The highest act of law is the “Process Verbal” in which the House is put on trial. The findings of which can end in a sentence of execution or exile or being stripped of all holdings.

The houses minor Given all that, it must be stated that the Houses Major could not exist without the Houses Minor. These are smaller noble families which are granted fees and fiefs within a specific planetary system and in return, they swear allegiance to the ruling House Major. As the Landsraad Council is the collective group of all the Great Houses, the Sysselraad Council is the collective group of all the Lesser Houses of a given system, overwhich the ruling House Major presides.

However, it attempted to minimise alienation of individuals or minorities by catering for everyone: The catchphrase of the faufreluche system was "A place for every man and every man in his place." An integral part of the Faufreluche system were the Great Houses, Minor Houses, siridar fiefs, and the Padishah Emperor. The theory behind the Faufreluche system's existence was that, because of the vastness of the universe, and the immense distances, across which humanity was scattered, a central figure the Emperor - was required to provide focus and direction in people's lives. This figure was represented locally for people by the head of the Great House that governed them. Flaws in the Faufreluche system could be seen in that House Harkonnen, once banished for cowardice after the Battle of Corrin, could return and become a viable political power through market manipulation.


6 The Faufreluches has enabled the existence of the Empire for thousands of years with little destabilisation. Of course, it has not come without its flaws.

it controls all economic affairs across the cosmos, although it relies upon the Spacing Guild for transport across space due to the Guild's monopoly on interstellar travel.

Its principle flaw is that the Faufreluches is a caste system and therefore the caste into which you are born dictates much about your life. The lower your caste, the less freedom of choice you have about your own destiny to the point where those at the bottom are effectively slaves to the system. The caste system is divided into levels. The highest caste is the Regis Familia and these make up the noble families of the Known Universe. Universally, they all belong to a house and rule over the Empire. The next highest caste is the NaNa-Familia being house family members, high ranking officers/advisors and merchant gentry. The middle caste is the Bondsmen. Bondsmen These are the free peoples, the artisans, craftsmen and skilled labourers. The penultimate caste is that of the Pyons. Pyons These are the peasants and serfs who toil the land, work in the mines or what have you. Lastly, there are the Maula. Maula These are the lowest and most derided. They are the criminals, the outcasts and the slaves. Most members of a household are at least Bondsmen but many are Na-Familia.

CHOAM The Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles (CHOAM) is a massive, universespanning development corporation. Essentially,

CHOAM Agents The following quote gives a good insight into the importance of CHOAM; "Few products escape the CHOAM touch ... Logs, donkeys, horses, cows, lumber, dung, sharks, whale fur - the most prosaic and the most exotic ... even our poor pundi rice from Caladan. Anything the Guild will transport, the art forms of Ecaz, the machines of Richese and Ix. But all fades before melange. A handful of spice will buy a home on Tupile. It cannot be manufactured, it must be mined on Arrakis. It is unique and it has true geriatric properties ... But the important thing is to consider all the Houses that depend on CHOAM profits. And think of the enormous proportion of those profits dependent upon a single product - the spice. Imagine what would happen if something should reduce spice production.” The corporation's management and board of directors are controlled by the Padishah Emperor and the Landsraad (with the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit as silent partners). Because of its control of inter-planetary commerce, CHOAM is the largest single source of wealth in the Empire; as such, influence in CHOAM (through partisans within it and control


7 of directorships) is the central goal of political maneuvering, both to receive dividends and also (it is implied) to skim off profits.

thousands of years, great academies came into existence to train individuals to a level far beyond that which we could expect in our time.

The following quote sums up CHOAM’s place in politics;

It is forbidden for any technology to think of its own accord and thus, while sophisticated tools and the like are allowed, anything which governs itself is not.

"You have no idea how much wealth is involved, Feyd," the Baron said. "Not in your wildest imaginings. To begin, we'll have an irrevocable directorship in the CHOAM Company." Feyd-Rautha nodded. Wealth was the thing. CHOAM was the key to wealth, each noble House dipping from the company's coffers whatever it could under the power of the directorships. Those CHOAM directorships - they were the real evidence of political power in the Imperium, passing with the shifts of voting strength within the Landsraad as it balanced itself against the Emperor and his supporters. It cannot be understated then how important economic power is. Renown and status stems from one’s CHOAM Directorships and the revenues generated from them, which in turn feeds from the effective management of the contracts and lands granted to each noble house by the Emperor and the CHOAM Board of Directors. Every noble house has shares in CHOAM and a downturn in profits from a lucrative contract can spell doom for the governing house.

A place for every man It has been said that there is a ban on computer technology. However, this proscription goes further and there is a ban on all machinery which would otherwise replace a human being.

The only industrial manufacturing technology allowed are clock-set automatons called Servoks. They allow a basic, unskilled action to be repeated ad infinitum and are used sparingly throughout the Known Universe. Thus technology is still rife but it is all relegated to simple and majestic solutions to problems. Flying machines and ground cars exist as do floating lights and sensors devices. These are things that a human being simply cannot do. However, you will not find any truly robotic devices or digital technology. In fact, artificial limbs and cybernetic enhancements skirt dangerously on the verge of breaking the Great Convention. Though such things exist and are employed, not without causing deep consternation and clucking of tongues and only the most outlandish of people willingly replace their limbs. So, with a very humanist attitude and thousands of years of development in training techniques, the people of the Known Universe are highly specialised, human machines, trained to do a specific job to an extremely high level. There are schools of learning devoted to the conditioning of these people to perform these tasks, covering all manner of different callings and conditionings, however, none are more impressive than the Mentat Academies.

All delicate devices and technology are therefore handcrafted by individuals and over the The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

8 Mentats are humans trained to mimic computers: human minds developed to staggering heights of cognitive and analytical ability. The Mentat discipline was developed as a replacement for computerized calculation, just as the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild took on functions previously provided by thinking machines. For thousands of years, society has considered Mentats the embodiment of logic and reason. Unlike computers, however, Mentats are not simply calculators. Instead, the exceptional cognitive abilities of memory and perception are the foundations for supra-logical hypothesizing. Mentats are able to sift large volumes of data and devise concise analyses in a process that goes far beyond logical deduction. They are not limited to formulating syllogisms; they are the supreme counselors of the Dune universe, filling roles as menial as archivists and clerks, or as grand as advisors to Emperors.

The bene gesserit The Bene Gesserit are perhaps far more powerful but also far more subtle in their approach. They are a key social, religious and political force in Known Universe described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain powers and abilities that can easily seem magical to outsiders. Due to their secretive nature and misunderstood abilities, outsiders often call them witches. Trained at the Mother School on Wallach IX, and later headquartered at a hidden world known as Chapterhouse, the Bene Gesserit are loyal only to themselves. However, to obtain their goals and avoid outside interference, they

often screen themselves with an illusion of being loyal to other groups or individuals. The Bene Gesserit existed for millennia, appearing as a semi-mystical school that trained women for service to the Empire as Truthsayers or mates. In reality, they were subtly controlling the Empire behind the scenes in order to help humanity become more mature and ultimately guide humanity into tapping its genetic potential. In addition to their superior combat skills, the Bene Gesserit possessed precise physiological control that allowed, among countless uses, precise control over conception and embryotic sex determination, ageing and even the ability to render poisons harmless within their bodies. They possess a distinct ability to sense when people lie and their power of Voice allowed them to control others by merely modulating their vocal tones. Sisters who survived a ritualized poisoning known as the spice agony achieved increased awareness and abilities through access to Other Memory (the ability to store the entire memories and personality of other people), and were subsequently known as Reverend Mothers.

The spacing guild Almost diametrically opposed to the Bene Gesserit is one of the most powerful bodies within the Known Universe, the Spacing Guild. The Spacing Guild has a monopoly on imperial banking and interstellar travel: with the use of melange, the geriatric spice, Guild Navigators are the only beings capable of piloting the massive Guild heighliners safely through space. The heightened awareness and prescience of the


9 spice allows the Navigator to plot a safe course between the stars.

categorically preventing any military action. To the contrary, there have been numerous cases of Guild support of war, and in each of them the Guild was paid high rates to transport troops and materiel. It is noted that Houses of the Imperium may contract with the Guild to be removed "to a place of safety outside the System;" in the past some Houses in danger of ruin or defeat have "become renegade Houses, taking family atomics and shields and fleeing beyond the Imperium."

A Guild Heighliner Heighliner Contrary to popular belief, the navigators do not themselves 'fold' space, allowing a nearly instantaneous trip. The space-folding is accomplished by Holtzman engines activated from the navigator's chamber aboard their enormous Heighliner guild vessels. The Guild is apolitical (with exceptions, noted below), since their monopoly allows them to dictate terms to all parties that preserve the economy that supports them.

The Guild controls a "sanctuary planet" (or planets) known as Tupile intended for such "defeated Houses of the Imperium ... Location(s) known only to the Guild and maintained inviolate under the Guild Peace." The Navigators are humans who have adapted to life in zero-gravity. They have mutated over the years of spice suffusion and have three "stages" of this mutation. The final, most advanced stage is a huge, slug-like creature.

As the only party able to transport goods in an interstellar economy, the Guild's highest concern is that commerce continue; for commerce to continue, the Guild must continue; for the Guild to continue, melange must be available. Ultimately, the Guild's only concern is that the melange continue to be mined on Arrakis. Because spice is a requirement for long distance space transport, their motto resonates throughout the empire: "the spice must flow." With their power over interstellar transport, the Guild holds the ability to peacefully end wars and to shape much of the political world. This is not to say that the Guild takes the position of

Third Stage Navigator They must spend their time in an artificial zerogravity chamber when visiting a planetary surface, as exposure to full earth gravity would be (at best) highly uncomfortable, and potentially lethal. Whether this adaptation is


10 the result of artificial engineering or many millennia of selective breeding is unknown.

very dangerous, capable of swallowing a mining crawler whole.

The Spice

Thus, the mining operation essentially consists of vacuuming it off the surface with a vehicle called a Harvester until a worm comes, at which time an aircraft known as a Carryall lifts the mining vehicle to safety.

In Dune, there is only one source of melange: the sands of the planet Arrakis, colloquially known as Dune and millennia later called simply "Rakis." It is noted that a pre-spice mass is "the stage of fungusoid wild growth achieved when water is flooded into the excretions of Little Makers," the "half-plant-half-animal deep-sand vector of the Arrakis sandworm." Gases are produced which result in "a characteristic 'blow,' exchanging the material from deep underground for the matter on the surface above it." Frank Herbert describes such a spice blow in the following passage from Dune: Then he heard the sand rumbling. Every Fremen knew the sound, could distinguish it immediately from the noises of worms or other desert life. Somewhere beneath him, the prespice mass had accumulated enough water and organic matter from the little makers, had reached the critical stage of wild growth. A gigantic bubble of carbon dioxide was forming deep in the sand, heaving upward in an enormous "blow" with a dust whirlpool at its center. It would exchange what had been formed deep in the sand for whatever lay on the surface. It is known that the pre-spice mass, "after exposure to sun and air, becomes melange." Collecting the melange is hazardous in the extreme, since rhythmic activity on the desert surface of Arrakis attracts the worms, which can be up to four hundred meters in length, and

The Fremen, who have learned to co-exist with the sandworms in the desert, harvest the spice manually for their own use and for smuggling off-planet. Melange is used all over the universe and is a sign of wealth; of every valuable commodity known to mankind, "all fades before melange. A handful of spice will buy a home on Tupile." Due to the rarity and value of melange and its necessity as a catalyst for interstellar travel, the Padishah Emperor's power is secured by his control of Arrakis, which puts him on equal footing with both the assembly of noble families called the Landsraad and the Spacing Guild, which monopolizes interstellar travel. Although it is referred to as "spice," melange can be mixed with food, and it is used to make beverages such as "spice coffee," "spice beer," and "spice liquor". Melange is in fact a drug in the clinical sense and daily use can extend human lifespans by hundreds of years. In larger quantities it possesses intense psychotropic effects and is used as a powerful entheogen by both the Bene Gesserit and Fremen to initiate clairvoyant and precognitive trances, access genetic memory and heighten other abilities. But melange is highly addictive, and withdrawal means certain death; the spice is "A poison - so subtle, so insidious . . . so irreversible. It won't even kill you unless you stop taking it."


11 Extensive use of the drug tints the sclera, cornea and iris of the user to a dark shade of blue, called "blue-in-blue" or "the Eyes of Ibad," which is something of a source of pride among the Fremen and a symbol of their tribal bond. On other planets, the addicted often use tinted contact lenses to hide this discoloration. When aerosolized and used as an inhalant in extremely high dosages - the standard practice for Guild Navigators - the drug acts as a mutagen. The Spice is also key to conferring the more ‘supernatural’ of the Bene Gesserit abilities and without which, they would lose much of their power.


12

System ETHOS OF THE ONE ROLL ENGINE “What’s in a name?” you might ask. Simply, when the situation calls for a dice roll, the ORE attempts to determine as much as possible from a single roll of the dice. Some game systems can really slow play down at certain stages and combat (see CHAPTER 4 for how we deal with that using the ORE) is one of the chief culprits. The first point to get across then is “Quick resolution is good”. Speed really is at the essence of the ORE and you can help speed your game up by reducing the number of dice rolls. There really is no point in forcing your players to make needless rolls for easy or mundane tasks. Unless you are a teenager, getting up in the morning is relatively easy and a doctor should never need to roll dice to take someone’s temperature. Conversely, rolling dice where there is absolutely no possibility of success is also a pointless exercise. So making a test to see if a character spontaneously develops the mutant power of Awesomeness is equally fruitless. So, dice rolls are called for when the outcome is uncertain and at least one party cares about the result. THE DICE The One Roll Engine exclusively uses ten sided dice (d10s to the “in crowd”). When you are required to make a test, you will roll one or more d10s. The number of dice you roll is called your Dice Pool. Pool

This is typically derived from adding a statistic (representing your characters personal capabilities in the game universe) to a skill (representing your characters knowledge and training in a given area). The resulting number becomes the dice pool and you roll that many d10s. There are other ways to determine a dice pool but they are defined by specific situations. Generally, you may never roll more than 10 dice unless special circumstances call for it. If your dice pool is greater than 10, apply any positive or negative modifiers before you roll. Modifiers may reduce your dice pool below 10, however, if your dice pool is still greater than 10, ignore the excess and roll 10 dice. CASE YOU MISSED IT, NEVER ROLL MORE THAN DICE UNLESS THE RULES TELL YOU TO!

IN

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It is advised that each player has 10d10s at their disposal and the Judge has 15. SUCCESS VS FAILURE You’ve rolled your dice pool and you now have lots of d10s on a surface but you don’t know what any of the numbers translate into. To determine whether you succeed or fail a test, you are looking for dice results which have matching numbers. Further, you also really want to know how many of those dice match and what the matching number is. Within the ORE, the number of dice which match is called the Width. Width So if you have 3 dice


13 which all show the same result, you have a Width of 3. The actual value showing on the matching dice is called the Height. Height So if you have 3 dice all showing 7, you have a Height of 7. E.g. You roll a dice pool of 7 dice. You score 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 6, 7. You have rolled two 3s and no other matching numbers. Therefore you have rolled a width of 2 (since you have two matching numbers) and a height of 3 (those matching numbers are 3). Width and Height can be expressed in terms of WxH. Or Width by Height E.g. A Width of 3 and a Height of 7 would become 3x7. You might say “I have a set of 3 by 7”. Width and Height can also be referred to as W and H, respectively. If you have no matching results, you fail the dice roll: you do not complete whatever you were attempting to do.

In every instance, a basic pass or fail is a Width of 2 (2 dice both showing the same result) also known as a TWO OF A KIND. This is called a Standard Success and represents doing an adequate job of whatever you were doing, “C” grade work or a Bronze Medal. A Width of 3 (3 dice showing the same result) is a THREE OF A KIND. This is called an Expert Success and represents achieving an above satisfactory standard of success, “B” grade work or a Silver Medal. A Width of 4 (4 dice showing the same result) is a FOUR OF A KIND. This is called a Master Master Success and represents an outstanding standard of success, “A” grade work or a Gold Medal. Needless to say, a Width of 4 is better than a Width of 3 which, in turn, is better than a Width of 2. It is possible to achieve greater than a Width of 4, however, it becomes increasingly unlikely. Should you be lucky enough to achieve a Width of 5, 6 or more, the level success increases with it (5 is better than 4, 6 is better than 5 ad infinitum).

BUT HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS WAS I? YOU SAY “JUMP” AND I SAY “HOW HIGH?” You can see whether you have succeeded or failed a test but in many situations you will want to see how well you succeeded. Success is measured in Width and Height. Width determines how well you succeeded, the wider, the better. Height determines how well you overcome your challenges but can also be a measure of other details, such as speed, and these can vary per test. Often, Width is more important than Height but there are some scenarios where Height is more relevant.

As stated earlier, Height can measure a number of things but chiefly, it represents success over adversity and how easy your character finds dealing with the challenge at hand. Height can obviously be from 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. A good analogy is there are two different people writing the same essay topic. They both get the same grade, however, how they got there could be very different. It may be that one person had to re-start their essay several times while the other sat down to write theirs and it flowed


14 straight out. In game terms, the first person had a lower Height than the other. Without any further complications, Height can give us the information as to how quickly you achieved something or how effective you were. E.g. You might be running a race. You roll your Race Running dice pool of 7 and score 3x7. So you got an expert success, which means you ran your race well (no trips, slips or fumbles, avoided the holes in the road), however, your height determines your effect, and in this instance, you got 7s, so your height is 7, while your opponent only got 5 putting you in the lead. Because of the interaction between Width and Height, you can yield a lot of information from that one roll. BREAKING UP IS HARD TO TO DO So you’ve rolled 4x10 and you are pretty impressed with yourself. However, you really needed two sets and not a single good one. Fortunately, they are your dice you’ve rolled and you can do whatever you like with the result. Rolled 4x10? Well that can be two sets of 2x10 or even a set of 3x10 and a 1x10 if you so desire. When you do roll a wide set, separating it in to further sets is called Breaking Up. Up E.g. You’ve rolled 1, 3, 3, 3, 3 and 3. Your options are as follows; 5x3 with the 1 as a wasted die. 4x3 with a 1 and 3 as wasted dice.

Or any other combination you can construct using that roll of the dice (even no sets if you really wanted). THE RUN When a character fails to achieve a set (2, 3 or 4 of a Kind and so on), if you roll three dice showing consecutive numbers, 1, 2 and 3 for example, this is a Run. Run A run counts as a Width of 1 (ONE OF A KIND, if you like) with a Height of the highest die in the run. This is called a Minimal Success and represents the character succeeding but just barely. Whatever you were doing was badly executed and certainly wouldn’t win any prizes. However, when a success means the difference between life and death, a minimal success is better than the alternative. A Minimal Success is a special circumstance representing a last chance or just barely achieved win. The act of reducing a set to 0 or 1 represents the spoiling of a set and does NOT become a Minimal Success (for more on this, see Opposed Tests later in this section). THE FULL HOUSE Sometimes you might score multiple sets. Multiple sets are an uncommon thing and achieving one should be something to celebrate. Accordingly, to give more “oomph” to their dice rolling, if a character scores multiple sets, you may discard a single set to add 1 to the Width of another set with a greater Height. E.g. you roll 2x2 and 2x5. You may discard the 2x2 to add 1 W to the 2x5, becoming 3x5

3x3 and a 2x3 with the 1 as a waste die.


15 COMPLICATIONS If only everything were that simple. As art mirrors life, so do role playing game mechanics. Any game engine would be nothing without Penalties and Difficulties. Difficulties How else would your Judge get his or her enjoyment? Every task has a Difficulty rated from 1 to 10. 1 is easy and 10 is improbable. The difficulty is directly related to how challenging the task is to accomplish. Microwaving soup would be an easy task, however, cooking a five course meal of cordon bleu food for a group of severe food critics would be much, much harder. Once a difficulty is assigned, you roll your dice and discard any dice which are lower than the difficulty.

scoring a success a challenge but also reduces the number of dice with which to do it! So don’t try driving a race car through rush hour traffic (Difficulty 5 with a -3d penalty, in case you were wondering). Penalties should also stay around the -1d or -2d level. A modifier of greater than 2d substantially affects the dice pool probability of success. However, in some situations, an increasingly higher penalty will be incurred (there’s no stopping a player character when they really want to do something) and so, -3d and higher exist for this reason. Again, players, if your Judge is giving you a penalty of greater than -2d, they are trying to tell you something… BONUSES

E.g. Your car breaks down on a deserted highway and you decide to fix it yourself. The task is determined to be difficulty 4. You roll your dice pool of 5 and the best result you get is 3x3. All your dice less than 4 are discarded meaning everything goes, including your 3x3. With no W or H, you fail the roll: the broken engine is too much for your limited knowledge. A Penalty represents a hindrance or challenge which affects your performance. This might be a strong wind or harsh weather than affects your landing attempt or you might be pressed for time when attempting to paint a masterpiece. Dice pool penalties are expressed in terms of Nd (minus Number of dice). So a -1d penalty temporarily reduces a dice pool by 1, a -2d penalty reduces a dice pool by 2 and so on. As you can see, attempting to perform a difficult task in adverse conditions not only makes

It isn’t all bad, however. Sometimes, you can do things to weigh things in your favour. When this happens, you receive a dice pool Bonus. Bonus This is expressed in terms of +Nd (add Number of dice). You temporarily add the number of dice to your dice pool, hopefully improving your chances of success. Remember, you may not roll more than 10 dice unless specifically directed to. As a loose rule, taking Extra Time (doubling the normal length of time to undertake something) adds +1d. You may then take Double Extra Time to raise that to +2d. This is different to “Auto Complete” (see below), which is only applicable to a project with a definite goal. E.g. A character has to reverse engineer some technology she “found”. Fortunately, she isn’t under pressure and so spends double the normal time working on it, receiving a +1d bonus.


16 Their Engineering dice pool is normally 6 but the +1d bonus increases it to 7.

In any such case, you must resolve actions in the most logical order. This way, you cannot decide to drive the car before you jump in it.

AUTO COMPLETE If a character undertakes a task that isn’t time sensitive, that character may Auto Complete. Complete The Judge determines how long it will take to complete the task in terms of Minutes, Hours or Days and multiplies that by the Difficulty of the task. Once the time factor is determined, if the character opts to spend that much time at the task, they may succeed automatically without rolling a die. Auto Complete gives you the equivalent of a Width of 2 with a Height equal to your skill rating. E.g. You offer to repair your friend’s car but he doesn’t care when he gets it back. The Judge determines it is Difficulty 3 to fix and will take Hours. Since your friend doesn’t care how long you take, you decide to Auto Complete. Multiplying Hours by Difficulty 3 results in you taking 3 hours to fix the car. MULTIPLE ACTIONS It is possible for a character to act more than once in a round and resolution of this still only requires a single roll. A character deciding to act more than once establishes which actions they are to undertake and the order in which they must resolve. This is relevant if an additional action is reliant on an earlier action. E.g. A character decides to jump in a car and drive it away. She couldn’t perform the drive action before she had completed the jump action.

For every additional action beyond the first, incur a -1d penalty. E.g. A character decides to do three actions. He incurs a -2d penalty. If using different skills, use the lowest dice pool. E.g. A character attempts to drive a car while firing out the window. This multiple action would require the use of the drive skill and an attack skill. The former is 7 dice and the latter is 5. Use the latter with a -1d penalty. Once you have determined what you are doing, in what order and how many dice you are rolling, throw those decahedrons! You are looking to score multiple sets with each set applied to a different action. As mentioned, if you generate fewer sets than actions, you cannot apply a set to an action reliant on an earlier action. E.g. You decide to disarm an opponent and stab them with their own weapon. This is a use of your unarmed skill and your weapon skill. The latter skill is lower than the former. You roll your weapon skill, less 1 die, and score 1, 2, 2, 5, 5. Your result of 2x2 and 2x5 means you successfully complete both actions. Had you rolled 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, you could only succeed on the disarm test. Any penalties affecting one or more of the actions involved affect the dice pool for all resulting actions.


17 COMPETITIVE TESTS Sometimes a task is in direct competition with another party. Arm wrestling, a race, a battle of wits, all these are good examples of Competitive Tests (also known as Dynamic Tests). The outcome of any such test is to determine who wins and who loses. Follow the rules above and whoever rolls higher, be it Width or Height, wins the test.

As usual, Width represents how well you performed the task and Height represents the quality or speed or some other trait. As Judge, you must clearly establish whether Width or Height is the winning aspect. As a general rule, use Width when two or more people are in direct competition. Use Height when two or more people are in comparative competition.

EXAMPLES OF COMPETITIVE TESTS WIDTH

HEIGHT

ARM WRESTLING

WINNING A DANCE OFF

WINNING A DEBATE FACING DOWN AN ENEMY

RUNNING A RACE COOKING A FINE MEAL

COOPERATIVE TESTS If multiple people work on a task, they all roll the appropriate dice pool with the same difficulty and applying any bonuses or penalties. Once all dice are rolled, the character with the narrowest set becomes the baseline. All other characters may then contribute a single die to baseline character’s result. This can be a Special Die (see below). E.g. A team of three investigators examine a crime scene. They all roll their dice pools and the lowest set is 2x4. This becomes the baseline. Fortunately, both his colleagues can contribute a 4 to this resulting in an increase to 4x4. In the unlikely situation that no one scores a set, then the test fails as normal. OPPOSED TESTS When one character decides to do something and another character wants to stop them, the only way to resolve this is with an Opposed Test. Test

The most basic and obvious opposed test is character X attempting to stab character Y in the face (also known as combat). All parties roll their dice pools as normal. If the active character fails the roll, well, there’s nothing for the opposing character to stop and consequently, you may ignore their result. Conversely, if the active character succeeds and the opposing character fails their roll, then the task resolves unopposed as normal. When both the active character and the opposing character succeed, the latter’s result becomes Counter Dice (also known as Gobble Dice). Each such die in the set “counters” (discards) a die of the active character’s set, thus reducing the Width. If a set is reduced to 0, that set is Spoiled and neutralised. E.g. You roll your dice pool and score 3x7. Your opponent rolls 2x8. Those two gobble reduce the 3x7 to 1x7, spoiling the set.


18 Nb. This is a change from other One Roll Engine games, where a set is spoiled on a 1 or 0. Here, as long as you have some Width, you have a success. There is one further factor to consider: the Height of a set. You cannot gobble a die of greater Height. E.g. You roll your dice pool again and score 2x4. Your opponent rolls an impressive 3x3. However, the Height is less than your Height and cannot be used to gobble your 4s. Each gobble die can be applied against any set generated providing some defense against multiple opponents. E.g. Your opponent attempts to trip you and then strike you while you are down. She rolls 2x4 and 2x6. You attempt to dodge and score 2x7. Because you scored a two of a kind, you have 2 counter dice. You can dodge one or apply a counter die against each. PROJECTS Sometimes a character will want to do an action that will take a long time but he or she has opportunity to work on it at their leisure, going off and doing other things and then coming back it when they can/want. Examples might include writing a thesis, rebuilding a car or making a sculpture. Such actions are called Projects. Projects The key fact about Projects is that they require multiple rolls to complete with each roll adding its Width to the last. Once the Width reaches a final Completion rating, the project is finally successful. When a character starts a project, the Judge determines the length of Time it takes to make

each roll and the final Width required for Completion. Completion Projects are measured in terms of Easy, Easy Involved, Complicated, Extensive and Involved Complicated Exhaustive. Exhaustive COMPLEXITY

TIME

EASY

HOURS

INVOLVED

DAYS

COMPLICATED INTENSE EXHAUSTIVE

WEEKS MONTHS YEARS

COMPLETION 3 6 12 18 24

The Complexity does not determine the Time and Completion, i.e. if the Project is Complicated, it does not always take a Week’s work for a roll and a cumulative Width of 12. A given Project might be Intense in terms of the time required to complete (a week per roll) but might only be Easy in terms of the level of work required to complete it (Width of 5). It is all determined by the Judge. E.g. A character attempts to build a stealth bomber in his back garden. He has a group of people to help him and they have the requisite knowledge and tools. The Judge determines that because they have an efficient team and actually know what they are doing, it’s only an Intense project in terms of Time. However, they are still trying to build a Stealth Bomber in a suburban garden. That’s Exhaustive in terms of Completion. So the Project requires a cumulative Width of 24 and each roll requires a month of work If Quality of a Project is a factor, perhaps a character wants to produce an amazing piece of


19 film, then take the average Height of each roll (round off). E.g. A character is designing her own car and she wants the interior to look fantastic. It takes her 6 rolls to finally complete it (6 weeks in total). Her rolls are 2x4, 2x8, 3x10, 2x5, 3x7 and 2x9. The average Height is 4 + 8 + 10 + 5 + 7 + 9 = 43 / 6 = 7. This creates an average Height of 7. The interior is pretty darn good. SQUASHING THEM DICE For added flexibility, there is a further option for manipulating the dice: Squashing and Squishing. Squishing Squashing is when a character takes a metaphorical hammer to the dice, reducing the Height of a set to inflate the Width. If a character has the option to Squash, they may reduce the Height by 2 to add 1 to the Width of a set. Squishing is the opposite: squeezing the dice thereby reducing the Width but increasing the Height. If a character has the option to Squish, they may reduce the Width by 1 to add 2 to the Height of a set. These options can be made available as standard during play if a Judge wishes or they could be attached to some other factor (e.g. having an Expert Die in a skill might allow you to Squish and having a Master Die might allow you to Squish and Squash). Some Feats and Advantages might allow you to Squish or Squash too. Here’s a general rule worth pointing out; WHERE

DICE ROLL SHOULD BE ALLOWED.

SO

COULD EITHER SQUISH, HOUSE, NOT ALL THREE.

OR USE A

SQUASH

A CHARACTER

FULL

DICE WITH ME Beyond standard dice pools, there are a variety of die types to consider. Area Dice are applied when damage is applied over an area. Examples are falling in to a bonfire, a gas main exploding underneath you and those pesky balls of fire wizards seem to like throwing at people. Area Dice are discussed in more depth in the Law section. Special Dice are a limited but powerful resource in the dice rolling mechanic. They represent supernatural, or otherwise amazing abilities, or a high level of training. How you obtain them and such matters are covered in the appropriate chapters, however, they can apply to skills and other dice rolls. Special Dice come in two varieties, Expert Dice and Master Dice. Dice The former represent an enhanced level of training or ability above the layperson while the latter represent a level of understanding or power that is way above the journeyman. The following principles govern how Special Dice work. The First Principle of Special Dice is that a character may only purchase such dice for their skills and may only Nominate a single special die per skill. Nominating is the act of choosing a die before the roll and making that a special die.

CHARACTERS ARE ALLOWED TO MANIPULATE

THEIR DICE RESULTS (SEE FULL HOUSES, SQUISHING AND SQUASHING), ONLY ONE SUCH MANIPULATION PER

E.g.1. A character has the Stealth skill. They may only nominate a single Special die for that


20 skill, either Expert Dice or Master Die but not both. The Second Principle of Special Dice is that a character invests points into a Special Dice Rating on a given skill which determines the number of Expert Dice or Master Dice they have. The progression is as follows; SPECIAL DIE RATING 1 2 3 4 5

SPECIAL DICE YIELDED 1 EXPERT DIE 2 EXPERT DICE 3 EXPERT DICE 4 EXPERT DICE 1 MASTER DIE

E.g.2. A character has the Duel skill. They have a Special Dice Rating of 3. They receive 3 Expert Dice. The Third Principle of Special Dice is that a character does not roll any Special Dice they may have. They take a single die from their pool and ‘nominate’ that as the Special Die. If this is one or more Expert Dice, the score of the die is immediately set at a value of 7 before the roll. If this is a Master Die, you may set it any value after the other dice are rolled. E.g.3. A character has a Prowess rating of 3 and a Sword skill rated at 4. That character also Special Dice 1. The character rolls to strike: they take 1 of the 7 dice and sets it to 7. They then roll the remaining 6 dice. Sets are now formed as normal. The Fourth Principle of Special Dice is that where a dice pool receives a dice pool penalty, Special Dice are the first to be lost. Such a penalty is applied directly to your Special Die Rating.

E.g.4. A character has a dice pool of 5 and a Special Die Rating of 5, yielding a Master Die. They receive a -1d penalty. This reduces the Special Die Rating to 4. The die nominated as a Master Die is now 4 Expert Dice. The Fourth Principle of Special Dice is a character may receive bonus to Special Dice from Advantages and Feats. This adds directly to your Special Die Rating. If a character does not have a Special Die already, they may utilise the bonus die type as if they possessed it. E.g.4. A character has an Advantage which gives them an +1 Special Die when socialising with people of the Spacing Guild. She does not have a Special Die for her Diplomacy skill. When she rolls her Diplomacy skill dice pool, she may use the +1 Special Die as if she had a Special Die Rating of 1, yielding an Expert Die. The Fifth Principle of Special Dice is you may only ever ‘nominate’ have 1 Special Die in a pool. No matter how much your Special Die is improved, you may not ever have more than a Master Die. The Sixth Principle of Special Dice is that where you have multiple Expert Dice, you may only nominate a single die to be an Expert Die. However, each additional Expert Die allows you to NUDGE your Expert Die after your roll, i.e. increase the value of your Expert Die by 1. E.g.6. A character has 3 Expert Dice. They have a dice pool of 6. They nominate a single die and set its value to 7, using one of their Expert Dice. They then roll their remaining 5 dice and score 1, 4, 5, 8 and 9. Using the nominated die, this results in a pool of 1, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9. Discarding an Expert Die, the character nudge’s the nominated die to an 8. The character then uses the remaining Expert Die to nudge the nominated die to 9. This


21 changes the pool to 1, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 9. Yielding a set of 2x9. The Seventh Principle of Special Dice is that where a character has their Special Die Rating improved beyond 5, each point beyond this may be used to PROTECT your Special Dice, i.e. cancel a die penalty (either -1 Height or -1 die). E.g.7. A character has a Special Die Rating of 4. They receive +3 Special Die. This makes the total 7. They receive a -2d penalty for an action. They Protect their Special Die and cancel the -2d with 2 points from their Special Die Rating. This reduces his total rating to 5. Waste Dice (also known as Loose Dice) are any dice that do not form part of a set after rolling. Generally, these dice are wasted and unusable but certain game effects can take advantage of them.


22

LAW This Chapter deals with all the miscellaneous rules and laws which govern the ORE. You’ll find everything you need from punching someone in the face to disarming a trap here. So let’s start with most gamers answer to a problem: combat. FINISH HIM! Every role-playing game spends an inordinate amount of time on the combat section. Any gamer worth their salt can give you a million reasons why this is the case but ultimately it boils down to too many people all having a vested interest in the outcome. Bullet Time At any point when it becomes important to measure a character’s activity as a blow by blow account, use Rounds to keep track of things. A Round is a 5 second measurement of activity. It might help if you think of Rounds in terms of special effects used when films slow the action down so you can exactly what is happening. Generally, you will only use Rounds in combat or other intense competition. Each Combat Round is broken down into the following steps: 1. INITIALISATION: Decide who is doing what and to whom. 2. DETERMINATION: Find out how everyone did and how quickly.

STEP ONE - INITIALISATION So your motley crew of players have got themselves in to a bit of a pickle and the only way to resolve it is with stabby hurty death. At this point, all characters involved in the combat have to determine what they are doing. Combat awareness is the deciding factor here: the more observant/situationally alert have the ability to make a much more informed decision than he or she who hasn’t got a clue what just happened. To reflect this, compare the Insight statistic of all combatants. This is the character’s Initiative Score. The character with the lowest Initiative declares their action first with the highest declaring their action last. Any ties are broken by the Intellect statistic and then Prowess. If anyone is still tied, randomly determine it (flip a coin, roll a die, the person with the best shirt). You must announce all your actions at once, especially important if you are announcing multiple actions. This includes any powers, feats or special attacks you might wish to perform. STEP TWO - DETERMINATION Every character, where necessary, rolls a dice pool dependent on the relevant action to determine their results: if you are firing a gun, you will probably use Insight plus Marksmanship or if making a calculation, use Intellect plus Mathematics.

3. RESOLUTION: Apply the results to combatants. The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

23 All characters roll their dice at same time. This next statement is actually more important than it sounds;

Once all actions are performed, start a new round of combat. STEP THREE - RESOLUTION

Speed is a measure of a character’s reaction time in combat: the higher the Speed, the quicker the reaction time. The character with the highest action speed resolves their action first, then the character with the next highest resolves theirs and so on. ACTION SPEED IS DETERMINED BY HEIGHT. E.g. Your character is involved in a big old fist fight. You roll 3x5 to hit the darn galoot who is bothering you and he goes and rolls 2x3. Your Speed is 5, faster than the varmint. You react before he does. That is worth repeating; YOU

CANNOT REACT TO AN ACTION WHICH IS FASTER

THAN YOUR OWN.

The most important fact about Speed is that you can’t react to an action that resolves before your own.

Now you know what you’ve done and how well, it is time to resolve these actions and put that cause into effect! People taking actions other than an attack or defend, resolve each action in order of Speed, from Highest to Lowest: people run away, close a door, release the hounds, whatever. A character who is defending applies his or her set as Counter Dice against an opponent’s attack, reducing the Width by their Counter Dice. E.g. A character shoots at someone else. The second character dives for cover. Our shooter rolls 2x8 and our diver rolls 2x9. The diver’s counter dice block the attacker’s Width. The diver is safe. Some important things to note about attacks that remain constant throughout your combat options;

This means that; -

you can’t defend yourself against something faster than you;

-

you can’t grab a ladder if it is pulled away before you reach it;

-

you can’t grapple someone if they’ve already jumped out of the window;

Ad infinitum. Ties are broken by who has the highest Prowess and then by Insight. If after that they are still tied, they act at the same time.

1.

Due to the sheer impact and stress from being hit, any character subject to a successful attack loses a die from their highest set, even if they take zero damage. This includes people hiding behind forcefields.

2.

Damage dealt is equal to your Width. Weapons add to your dice pool.

3.

Damage always comes in one of three forms, Physical Damage, Damage Mental Damage and Social Damage. Damage


24 Physical Damage represents attacks designed to penetrate the skin and reach those vital fleshy bits which keep you alive. Physical Damage generally causes lost limbs, bleeding wounds and punctured organs. Physical Damage affects Physique or Prowess. Mental Damage describes any form of attack which attacks the psyche. Torture and emotional abuse both cause mental damage. Mental Damage affects Insight or Intellect. Social Damage represents public humiliation or loss of face and a damaged reputation. An argument, mockery or intimidation causes social damage. Social damage affects Charm and Command. When a character takes damage, they reduce an appropriate statistic by 1 for each point of damage. Which statistic loses damage is determined by the victim. Damage can be split between each statistic however the character likes, all on one or evenly or any other possible combination. There are damage boxes next to each statistic on a given character sheet. If a character takes damage, tick a box. For each box marked off, reduce the appropriate statistic by 1. If a character takes multiple kinds of damage in a round, apply Physical damage first. then Mental damage and lastly, Social damage. E.g. A character is dealt 3 Physical damage. He decides to take 2 to Physique and 1 to Prowess. He marks off 2 boxes on Physique and 1 on Prowess. His Physique is therefore reduced by 2 and his Prowess by 1…

Having a statistic reduced by damage causes different effects; If a character has a Physical statistic reduced to zero, they are incapacitated. If they have both reduced to zero, they are dead. If a character has a Mental statistic reduced to zero, they are catatonic or otherwise reduced to minimal response. If both Mental statistics are reduced to zero, they are in a coma. Lastly, if a character has a Social statistic reduced to zero, they become pliant and subdued, unable to mount an argument. If they have both statistics reduced to zero, they will blindly follow commands, effectively stripped of will. Complications Instead of taking damage, a character can “buy it off” by taking a Complication. A Complication is an affliction or wound of some kind caused by the attack. When you take damage, you may decide to convert all said damage into a Complication. They must convert all or nothing. There’s no, “Ok, I’ll convert 1 point of those 3 points into a 1 point complication”. Different forms of attack cause different complications and the severity of the damage determines the severity of said complication. The major problem with taking a Complication is that it takes a lot longer to heal than statistic damage. However, if it means the difference between life and death, a Complication is a fair price to pay for survival. Nb. You can only be afflicted by each complication once at any given time! So if you


25 have a Bruise/Cut, you cannot take another Bruise/Cut! If you already have complications, further damage is just going to make things worse for you!

immense pain but profuse bleeding and spatter.

BRUISE/CUT (1 POINT COMPLICATION)

If the character is not treated for bleeding within rounds x Physique, they will Pass Out. If they are then not treated, they will Bleed Out in rounds x Physique.

The character has a vicious welt caused by the attack. This creates a -1 Height penalty to some activity based on the injury.

A character who survives the initial wound, then receives -2 Height to all actions due to pain. Oh and they’ve lost lost their limb.

Physical Complications

If to the face, this might be to a social roll. A blow to the head, a mental roll. To the torso, to any athletic activity.

The character has received a devastating blow and only has moments left to live. Perhaps they have been disemboweled or shot in a kidney or some such serious injury.

BLEEDING (2 POINT COMPLICATION) The character is bleeding badly and if not treated in a number of minutes x the character’s Physique, they will Pass Out.

If not treated immediately, the character will die in rounds x Physique score. They receive -2 Height to all actions due to pain until healed and are at -2d to perform any activity while injured and recuperating.

If they Pass Out, they will Bleed Out in minutes x Physique.

BROKEN BONES (3 POINT COMPLICATION) The character has a broken hand, limb, fractured skull or rib. This creates a -1 Height due to pain and -1d penalty due impairment applied to activities based on the injury. A broken limb, applies a penalty to any use of that limb. A broken rib, any athletic activity.

LOST LIMB (4 POINT COMPLICATION)

GORE (5 POINT COMPLICATION)

Mental Complications

MUDDLED THINKING (1 POINT COMPLICATION) The character is distracted and otherwise finds it difficult to concentrate. He or she may get words muddled or misremember things. They lose -1 Height on any activity until they are able to recover and rest.

The character’s primary limb or a leg is wholly removed, causing not only


26

ERRATIC BEHAVIOUR (2 POINT COMPLICATION)

bizarre and as do the decisions you make.

The character is suffering from strange thoughts and isn’t sure where they are coming from. Paranoia, self harming and other weird behaviour is not uncommon.

At this point, the Judge is well within his or her rights to decide things for you or to detail things that aren’t really there.

You receive -1 Height to all actions until you are able to recover and rest. You also receive -1d to any actions requiring concentration and thought or when dealing with people in social situations.

Reality for your character becomes much more…interesting. The only to remove this complication is through extended counseling.

TRAUMATIC STRESS (3 POINT COMPLICATION)

Social Complications

The character has night terrors, severe anxiety, paranoid delusions and other traumas. You receive -2 Height to all actions until you are able to take extended relaxation recovery.

The character feels hurt or stung by situation and won’t quickly forget what happened. The character suffers -1 Height due to lack of concentration until they have chance to cool down.

You receive -1d to all actions requiring concentration and during social situations.

Being presented with the source will plummet you into sheer terror frenzy. The only way to remove a phobia is through extended counseling.

For a day or two after the event, reminding them of it can give them a -1 Height for a few rounds.

PHOBIA (4 POINT COMPLICATION) You develop a severe phobia related to the source of the damage. The mere thought of the phobia can give you a -2 Height to all their rolls for up to an hour.

INSANITY (5 POINT COMPLICATION) The character has suffered such mental trauma that it has broken their mind. Your behaviour becomes increasingly

BRUISED EGO (1 POINT COMPLICATION)

SULLENNESS (2 POINT COMPLICATION) The character becomes moody and withdrawn. They are difficult to engage in conversation and certainly won’t instigate social activities. They receive -1 Height to their rolls until they have a chance to cool down. They received -1d to their social rolls until either they resolve the problem (roll Insight + Focus after every night’s sleep) or until someone helps them get over it (they roll Charm + Enthrall during a “heart to heart”).


27

PARIAH (3 POINT COMPLICATION) The character is considered to be someone who should not be seen in public. For whatever reason, people will not publically acknowledge your existence and ignore you. The character’s attempts to socialise with people, even in private, are somewhat compromised, incurring a -1 Height to their rolls.

reputation and dealings will be affected: you have become social leper, an outcast or exile. Whatever you have done, no one wants to associate with you. You just don’t exist. You can’t get anyone to even acknowledge your entrance to a room. People ignore you, you can scream in their faces and they’ll still not acknowledge you are there. You have suffered social death.

In public, they also receive -1d to all their rolls.

DISCONNECTED (4 POINT COMPLICATION) Association with you is really bad at this moment. No one wants to be seen with you or even acknowledge your existence. Worse, one of your friends or contacts has cut you lose. You are too much a liability, too unpredictable or just bad for business, and you’ve reached the end of your association. The Judge will decide how this affects you, perhaps a reduction in one of your appropriate Advantages or some character now effectively hates you. Your dealings with everyone else receive -2 to their Height and lose -2d to any social rolls while people are avoiding you.

OUTCAST (5 POINT COMPLICATION) This is the worst case scenario: your reputation has suffered greatly, so much that people truly think that by associating with you, their own

When dealing with those people who have to be civil with you (subordinates, family), you receive -2 Height and -2d to all your social rolls. HEALING Any injured character will be interested to note that they will eventually get better. The healing rates are determined by the type of injury and by the level of said injury. All damage takes 1 week of rest or inactivity to recover one box of statistical damage. Physical Damage requires you to be bed bound and possibly even on life support for the duration of healing. A physician can reduce this time by the results of a medicine roll. If a character becomes active at any point, this aggravates the injury and they must begin another 7 days of rest. Alternatively, a physician can make a medicine roll to allow the character to remain active for that day while still counting it as rest. A Physician cannot reduce the period of recuperation and allow a character to be active at the same time.


28 Mental Damage requires relaxation and that you don’t get involved in stressful situations. Psychotherapy and relaxation activities can reduce this time by the Width to a minimum of one day. Unlike Physical Damage, interrupted healing does not restart the healing period but it does pause it. Social Damage requires you spend your time away from people, giving them time to forget your transgressions. Other people can attempt to raise your profile and win people round with a social campaign, effectively reducing the time it takes to heal. Each day spent on the campaign allows people to roll Charm + Intrigue, with the resulting Width reducing the healing period. Complications do not start to heal until after all damage boxes are healed. In all cases, to heal a complication, the character must spend the entire recovery time inactive and no amount of therapy or medicine can make them active. If a character wants to heal a complication, they have to take the time out to do it properly. Complications heal at a rate of 1 week per level of complication. Again, this time can be reduced in the same way that boxes of statistical damage can be reduced. SOURCES OF DAMAGE So we’ve discussed what damage is and what it does to you but we’ve not really discussed what causes it. Physical Damage is pretty obvious: anything which causes physical pain causes Physical

Damage (or PD). Fires, falls, electrocutions…they all cause PD.

gunshots,

There is no real distinction between types of Physical Damage. Given the nature of the Known Universe, if someone is trying to punch you, they will be skilled enough to ensure that said punch could kill you. And if they aren’t, it is unlikely they are going to injure you at all. Light attacks (a punch, a knife wound) do Width in PD. Medium attacks (a sword or other medium weapon attack, a moderate fall) does Width +1 in PD. Heavy attacks (a two handed sword, a big drop or sniper rifle attack) do Width +2 in PD. Mental Damage (or MD) is a bit more complicated. This is any type of attack that might cause mental trauma. Certain types of torture are a clear source of MD. Obviously traumatic events cause Mental Damage: seeing a loved one eviscerated before your eyes, knowing that you caused the deaths of a thousand people by your ignorance…anything which is horrifying causes MD. MD is the middle ground between Physical Injury and Social Injury. It is the experience of a thing that the brain cannot immediately comprehend. To reflect this, for every 2 points of Physical or Social Damage you receive, you can transfer a point to Mental Damage. E.g. You are dealt 4 points of Physical Damage. You can transfer up to 2 points to Mental Damage. Light mental attacks (such as seeing a pet killed or forcibly sleep deprived for several days) does Width in MD. Medium mental attacks (being informed that your brother has been killed or that you’ve put someone you care about in danger) do Width +1 MD. Heavy mental attacks


29 (stabbing the love of your life, seeing a truly horrifying sight) do Width +2 MD. Social Damage (or SD) can be terrible, inflicting loneliness and frustration and powerlessness as no one wants to deal with you, talk to you or even be in the same room. Bullying and intimidation cause Social Damage. Anything which causes people to laugh at you or otherwise affect your reputation, this is social damage.

Armour gives a character a difficulty to perform physical actions like Dodging or Swimming. Light Armour yields Difficulty 3, Medium Armour yields Difficulty 5 and Heavy Armour yields Difficulty 7. This can affect any action that requires full body mobility. Things like jumping, running and the like. This does not affect things that require small motor actions, like firing a gun or striking with a sword. Holtzman Shields

Light social attacks (someone mocking you or a cutting retort at your expense) do Width in SD. Medium social attacks (a serious threat of injury, a humiliating event) causes Width +1 in SD. Heavy social attacks (being on the receiving end of a vitriolic diatribe, a serious threat of death) causes Width +2.

In Dune, technology has been adapted for reliable use in personal defensive shields. These shields, unlike many others in science fiction, are not round projections of force but formfitting energy fields which permit penetration only by objects that move below a pre-set velocity.

ARMOUR Getting injured hurts and is to be avoided. If you aren’t quick enough or skilled enough to defeat your opponents before they can land a blow on you, you’d better find a method of putting something in between you and those incoming attacks.

It is noted that "In shield fighting, one moves fast on defense, slow on attack ... Attack has the sole purpose of tricking the opponent into a misstep, setting him up for the attack sinister. The shield turns the fast blow, admits the slow kindjal!"

Armour stops attacks from penetrating your squishy organs which are vital for not being dead. However, armour comes in different varieties and generally, the more damage it stops, the more restrictive it is.

As one would be unable to breathe within a shield that did not permit atmospheric gases to penetrate it, man-portable shields have a relatively high penetration velocity, approximately six to nine centimeters per second.

To reflect this, armour has an Armour Rating from 1 to 3, with Armour Rating 1 being Light Armour, Armour Rating 2 being Medium Armour and Armour Rating 3 being Heavy Armour.

However, shields for ships and planetary installations can and often do have extremely low penetration velocities, as artificial life support technologies can be utilized while the shield is active.

This Armour Rating reduces Physical Damage on a one for one basis.

The Holtzman shield (sometimes colloquially known as a “Dueling Shield”) has therefore


30 been employed as a generic defense mechanism and it is common for people of importance to wear them. Upon activation, they create field of force around the wearer which is only visible at the peripheral edges of said field. Striking the forcefield with a blow of sufficient velocity causes the point of impact to glow and make blue sparks. The Holtzman shield forever changed the way people fight as it almost entirely negates the use of projectiles. There are only four forms of weapon which remain useful in a shield-wearing culture; 1.

Personal Combat, Combat that is, fighting with short blades. This is the most reliable way of dealing with a shielded individual. Nb. As any great work of fiction, the fine details of how such shields work is not detailed. Thus, it doesn’t explain whether people can fight unarmed. The liberty has been taken that fighting unarmed is possible but painful if you go too fast. So very few people actually do it. Exact details are provided later.

2.

Gas weapons, weapons though it is a simple matter to wear a small respirator or hold ones breath for some time.

3.

Laser weapons, weapons though the interaction of the holtzman field and lasgun wave is unpredictable and subject to causing nuclear explosions. So not a practical tactic, especially given that the nuclear reaction may be centered on either the lasgun wielder, the shield wearer or both!

4.

Slow Pellet Stunners, Stunners being springloaded darts carrying poison tips or an electrical charge. Stunners are not very effective.

Holtzman shields once activated, has enough charge for about 10 minutes. An active holtzman field automatically prevents all attacks classed as “High Velocity”. Typically, this includes all ballistic. thrown projectiles and any other fast moving attacks. A key thing to remember about High Velocity attacks is that is impossible to control how fast they go: their velocity is intrinsic to their very nature. “Low Velocity” attacks, such as Slow Pellet Stunners and melee attacks can penetrate the shield but doing so requires a Slow Attack manoeuvre which incurs a -2d penalty. Nb. it is never discussed whether a person can wear armour and a holtzman shield. For the purposes of this game, you either use one or the other. In case you missed that: you may never wear armour and utilise a dueling shield! Just returning back to the idea of unarmed attacks against a Holtzman Shield. If you imagine that trying to break through a Holtzman forcefield is like trying to push through electrified jelly (jell-o to you Americans) and the faster you are going, the more resistance you receive. And then imagine that you go too fast and you are punching an electrified wall… doing so then becomes a risk which can easily be counteracted by using a blade or some other form of weapon. So few people would choose to fight unarmed but sometimes you don’t get that option. So what happens when a person ends up wrestling against a shielded opponent?


31 If you get no sets against a holtzman shield, you miss and that’s ok. Nothing else happens.

that he didn’t expect to live himself and so was quite happy to risk a possible nuclear explosion.

If you get sets and are dodged, that’s ok too.

And so, with that said, let’s get to the nitty gritty: what happens when you get a lasgun and a holtzman shield and put them together.

If you get sets and penetrate, you’ve done very well. Do your damage and give yourself a pat on the back. For any other result, for example, your attack is parried, you impact on the shield etc, you take 1 point of physical damage from either bruising a hand or getting a nasty shock. Of Lasguns Knowing how the mind of a player works, at some point, someone is going to want to point a lasgun at a holtzman shield. We’ll get to the physical effects in a moment but let’s take a moment to discuss the political fallout (pun only slightly intended). There is an article in the Great Convention (the fundamental laws of the Empire) that prohibits nuclear explosions. The GC is pretty much all about the protection of human rights and their right not to be indiscriminately blown up. This makes nuclear warfare the most heinous crime that can be committed under the terms of the Great Convention. This needs spelling out to your players: if they are caught messing with atomic explosions, there is no legal defense! Every single person in the Known Universe will sell you out. There’s nowhere to hide. In the books, Duncan Idaho does cause a lasgun/shield interaction but his entire house, his family, friends, everything he held dear, was about to be destroyed! It is pretty much a given

Well, extrapolating on the ideas present in the book (but never clearly stated), it all depends on the size of the holtzman shield and the lasgun. The larger the holtzman effect, the less effect a lasgun waveform has on it. In this fashion. House Shields (huge holtzman generators which protect, say, a skyscraper, a castle or some such estate) are completely safe: it would take an extremely powerful lasgun waveform to destablise a House Shield. And by “extremely”, this means “virtually impossible without some completely convoluted plan that might take an entire campaign to resolve”, i.e. if a group of players think it is a neat idea enough to focus an entire game on it, then fine. Otherwise, nyet. However, if the lasgun is equal to or more powerful than the holtzman field, get ready to shout “Atomics!” very loudly… In this case, roll a single die. On a 1, nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. The laser and the holtzman field short one another out: the gun and the shield generator are now useless. On a 2, the holtzman shield implodes, killing the wearer and anyone else inside it in a messy explosion. On a 3, the lasgun explodes loudly, killing anyone near by.


32 On a roll of 4, 5 or 6, the holtzman shield detonates in a huge atomic blast. Everyone nearby is killed in fiery mushroom cloud. On a roll of 7, 8 or 9, the lasgun feedsback and its atomic death for anyone stupid enough to be within several miles of the explosion.

A character may purchase a specific weapon skill, kindjal or rapier or pistol for example, which allows them to use only that weapon. However, a weapon skill is paired with Prowess and not Physique or Insight. GUNS AND ARROWS

On a 10, the lasgun and the holtzman shield both explode in nuclear fury.

You might also be interested in the rules for shooting people.

And if you somehow survive all that, please be aware that you will get caught and be executed. With mentats who only need the barest scrap of detail to piece together an investigation, Bene Gesserit who can tell if someone is lying and there being enough people in the Known Universe with some measure of prescience to notice such a disaster, it really is only a matter of time before you are caught.

Making a standard shot at someone is covered the same way as any other attack is: you roll your dice pool and hit someone if you score a set. Things get complicated when you start using bigger and better weapons. So let’s start at the beginning. RANGE

STICKS AND STONES There are really only two fundamental kinds of attack: Close Combat and Ranged Combat. Combat The difference between the two should be pretty obvious. Within each kind of attack are a multitude of weapons designed to kill, injure, maim and generally mess someone up. There are two general skills that cover for each kind of attack: Duel and Marksmanship Marksmanship. hip

Ranged combat obviously occurs at range. This is defined as Short Range (the target is close), Medium Range (the target is within reasonable distance) and Long Range (the target is far away). A character making a ranged attack adds 1 die to their dice pool at Short Range. That character receives no bonus nor penalty at Medium Range and they lose 1 die from their dice pool at Long Range. AUTOMATIC FIRE

Duel governs all armed close combat but generally, only bladed weapons are employed as blunt weapons would do no damage at such a slow speed. Duel is paired with Physique Marksmanship is paired with Insight.

and

Some weapons can fire lots and lots of bullets. This is not a game where getting big guns and shooting lots of bullets is encouraged (or even worthwhile). So rather than having tight rules to govern it, we have some loose and fast mechanics.


33 A character can fire a Short Burst or a Long Burst or lay down Suppressing Fire. A Short Burst adds 1d to the dice pool but incurs a -1 Height penalty. This costs 3 rounds of ammunition. A Long Burst adds 2d to the dice pool but incurs a -2 Height penalty. This costs a third of the clip. Suppressive Fire costs two-thirds of a clip and involves the character laying down a wall of bullets, affecting an area equal to half the number of bullets fired in metres. Anyone caught in that area reduces the Height of any action by the Width of attack. If their Height is reduced to zero, they take 2 points of Physical Damage. OF WEAPONS Combat in the Known Universe is very different to that of our time. To begin with, theirs is a dueling culture favouring light blades. Heavier blades, like broadswords or even polearms are rendered ineffective by the Holtzman Shield. The same is true for nearly all firearms and thus, guns and large blades are rarely employed. Generally, you can expect people to carry ceremonial dueling knives (called a Kindjal) but rapiers are almost as common. The heaviest weapon commonly employed is an epee. Larger weapons do exist and are sometimes employed. The same goes for firearms. But the situations are very specific (such as large troop engagements) and isn’t a general concern. All weapons are therefore described in terms of Personal (being a small or lightweight weapon), Medium or Large.

Personal weapons (a pistol, slow pellet stunner, rapier, kindjal) yields no bonus to attack but all such weapons are considered Low Velocity (or LV). Medium weapons (SMGs, broadswords, battle axes and the like) add 1 to the Width of damaging sets. Medium weapons are High Velocity (HV). Large weapons (halberds, shotguns, assault rifles) add 2 to the Width of damaging sets. Large weapons are High Velocity (HV). Bonuses to damage are applied after a character has made any relevant defensive action. In this fashion, being hit by a sword doesn’t make it more difficult to counter. Lasguns are highly damaging laser weapons. However, they are rarely used due to the prevalence of the holtzman shield (see the appropriate earlier section). And yet, because they are so devastating, sometimes one will find its way on to a battlefield (normally in the hands of a player…). IF

A CHARACTER IS DIRECTLY HIT BY A LASGUN, THEY

ARE DEAD. NO ARGUMENTS.

No amount of armour can protect you and you really don’t want to be wearing an active shield if someone is pointing a lasgun at you. But it must be stressed that Lasguns are heavily frowned upon, to the point that people might consider you to be carry a small nuclear device in your hand… because, technically, you are! Some Siridars might even outlaw lasguns completely within their territory.


34 DODGED A BULLET Average Joe’s and Jane’s cannot dodge or parry ballistic weapons (although you might allow characters to dodge projectile weapons). You can, however, Dive For Cover. Cover Cover is any scenery that you can put between your attacker and yourself. Any attacks coming for you should be stopped by the cart, wall or whatever you’ve interposed between yourself and the gun. Like armour, Cover has a rating from 1 to 3 which measures the amount of your body protected. Light Cover is roughly 30% of your body (your legs behind a rock or hiding behind a lamp post) and is rating 1, Medium Cover is roughly 60% (shooting round the corner of a building) being rated 2 and Heavy Cover being 90% of your body (hiding behind a wall) being rating 3. The level of cover creates a difficulty to hit a character: to hit a character in Light Cover is Difficulty 4, a character in Medium character is Difficulty 7 and a character in Heavy Cover is Difficulty 10. Diving For Cover is where a character moves behind cover to avoid being hit. When taking a Dive For Cover action, roll Prowess + Athletics as counter dice. You lose 1 die for each metre you must move to get into cover. When actually in cover, only your visible body parts are vulnerable to fire: if an attack strikes a location that is in cover the attack is nullified. Obviously, this makes Called Shots a bit more important in a gun fight!

Remember, gun fights are not all that common in an age where forcefields render them completely ineffective. AREA EFFECT When an attack affects an area, such as a fireball or grenade, then it has an Area Rating. Rating The character making the area attack rolls their attack roll as normal. Every character caught in the Area of Effect rolls a dice pool of the attacker’s Width + Area Rating. If the character does not score a set, just use Area Rating. Every die which rolls less than the attacker’s Height deals 1 damage. E.g. A character throws a grenade at victim 1 (Area Rating 4). She scores 3x6 on her attack roll. Victim 1 rolls 4 dice plus the Width for a total of 7 dice and scores 1, 2, 5, 5, 8, 9 and 9. Victim 1 takes 1 damage for each die under 6, which is 4. OFF-HAND If you use an object in your off-hand, you receive a -2d penalty to your dice pool. If you use an object in your primary hand and your off-hand, you receive -3d! TWINNED SETS Some special abilities and feats Twin an attack or set. This means that when the character performs a certain action (as determined by the ability) they perform the action twice: first with the appropriate set and then a second action, using the same set as the previous action. E.g. A character has an ability which allows them to twin a build action. They roll and score 3x5 to make a neutron grenade. The twinning of


35 this action generates a second build action at 3x5, thereby creating two neutron grenades. TWO WEAPON COMBAT Some players will want to pick up two swords or two guns (or two somethings) and run around making like a John Woo hero. In the DUNE universe, this is actually reasonable: seasoned fighters have been trained since an early age. And “Bi-Manual Fighting”, as it is called, is a viable tactic in a scenario where fighting is all about misdirection.

When using two Ranged Combat weapons, you immediately “twin” any resulting attack set for two attacks, irrespective of your opponent’s skills. Again, this must be against the same target. The downside to using two weapons is a -1d penalty to your attack pool, regardless of whether it is ranged or close combat. You also incur the Off Hand Penalty for another -2d. That means you get -3d to your dice pool if you insist on trying to be clever without the appropriate training.

When using two Close Combat weapons, the experts say that only when your opponent is less skilled than you, can you really use two weapons to your advantage.

Of course, there are some feats which overcome this and, if your GM allows them, you can pretend to be in a John Woo movie to your heart’s content.

To reflect this, when a character is wielding two closed combat weapons, if their appropriate skill is higher than their opponent’s skill (or Threat Rating if facing an Unworthy Opponent, see below), they twin their resulting attack set against the same opponent.

COMBAT ACTIONS

E.g. A character is wielding two sai and has her skill at 3. She is facing off against a character who has a naginata and a skill of 2. The second character twins her attack set. Her sai dice pool is 7. Because she is using a weapoin in her Off Hand, she receives -2d. Because she is using a weapon in both hands, she receives an additional -1d, reducing the dice pool to 4d. She rolls and luckily scores 4x2. This is twinned to two attacks of 4x2 and 4x2.

There are several basic combat actions. AIM ATTACK CALLED SHOT CHARGE DISARM DODGE DISPLAY MOVE DRAW FEINT GRAPPLE

HOLD PARRY PUSH RUN STAND STRANGLE TACKLE THREATEN TRIP WAIT

Activate Activate Shield: it takes an action to reach for your Holtzman Shield and switch it on. Aim: you take time to prepare your ranged attack. Add 1d to your next Ranged Combat Attack. You may only take two consecutive Aim actions.


36 Attack: you hit someone with your fist, cut them with a blade or shoot them with a pistol. If it is a Close Combat Attack, use Physique + Duel or Prowess+ Weapon Skill. If it is Ranged Combat, use Insight + Marksmanship or Prowess + Weapon Skill.

MASTER SUCCESS - 4x: as above, save the if you have a free hand, the weapon’s yours if you want it. Display Move: a character performs an impressive manoeuvre before combat begins: perhaps the character rips his opponent’s weapon from their hands and puts it to their throat or perform a complex kata.

Called Shot: a character attempts to hit someone in a specific location. Roll your you attack at 1d at a Difficulty of 5. If you hit, your victim gets to decide whether they take damage to their statistic or a complication, however, you get to decide which statistic is affected or what the nature of the complication is.

This Display Move does no damage and you roll your appropriate attack skill (or Physique + Control if you’re just showing off your physique). Score a set and you gain a 1d bonus (or offset a -1d penalty) for your first attack against anyone who say your posing.

Charge: a character moves some distance and then whacks someone with an attack. Make a Physique + Athletics roll (when Running) or Physique + Ride (if Riding). The charging bit and the whacking someone bit are two separate actions.

Draw: a weapon is no good holstered (or lying several feet away from you). You take a Draw action to ready it from its holster or pick it up from the floor. This requires no roll but if you use it in the same round, this requires a multiple action.

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2x: add 2d.

Feint: you convince your opponent you are about to perform one kind of attack but do something completely different. Every time you Feint against an opponent, you gain a 1d bonus to your next attack.

EXPERT SUCCESS - 3x: add 3d. MASTER SUCCESS - 4x: add 4d. Dodge: counters an Attack. If this is Ranged Combat, you must “Dive For Cover” (as described above). Roll Prowess + Athletics. Disarm: you attempt to rip someone’s weapon out of their hand. Roll your attack dice pool at 1d at Difficulty 5. STANDARD SUCCESS - 2x: the attack does no damage but the weapon is knocked X metres, where X is the Width of the attack.

You can only gain a 2d bonus from Feinting. Grapple: a character grabs someone and holds them still. Roll Physique + Close Combat or Prowess + Wrestling. You can either take them down (pinning them to the floor) or pin them against a wall at no penalty, however, if you want to remain standing, you lose a die. This roll is countered by a Physique + Duel or Prowess + Wrestling, whichever the resisting party has.

EXPERT SUCCESS - 3x: as above, except X is twice the Width of the attack. The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

37 If the grappler wins the roll, both characters are immobile until either they release the grapplee or they escape.

Strangle: you decide to choke someone to death. You must have someone in a Grapple to use this action. Take a Called Shot to the Head and roll the appropriate attack.

You must be Close-In to grapple someone. Hold: a character grabs another character’s limb to stop them from doing something they might regret. Roll Physique + Duel or Prowess + Wrestling. You may use any resulting success as counter dice. Parry: counters a Duel. Roll Physique + Duel or Prowess + Weapon Skill. Push: one character pushes another character. You must be Close-In to push someone. Roll Physique + Duel or Prowess + Wrestling. You move them 1m per resulting Width. Obviously, this means neither of you are now Close-In. If someone performs a Trip or Slam action against you while you are making a Push action, they gain 1d. If anyone makes a Trip or Slam action against a character who has been Pushed, they receive a 1d bonus to their roll. Run: every character can move 5m per round without making a roll. A character can then roll Physique + Athletics adding 2m x Width. Slow Attack: To penetrate the Holtzman Shield, your attack must be made slow and deliberately. Such attacks incur a -2d penalty. Stand: a character who is Downed has to stand up. This requires an action. Or, you can perform a Prowess + Athletics test to perform a kip up and get to your feet as part of a multiple action.

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2x: you do 2 Choking Damage. Next round you automatically do 2 Choking Damage if your victim doesn’t break free. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3x: as above, except 3 Choking Damage. MASTER SUCCESS - 4x: as above, except 4 Choking Damage. Choking Damage builds up each round. If it exceeds the victim’s Physique, they begin to asphyxiate, receiving -2d to all their actions. If it exceeds twice the victim’s Physique, they die. Choking Damage fades at a rate of the victim’s Physique statistic if the strangle is released. Tackle: you slam into someone and attempt to take them down. Roll Physique + Close Combat or Prowess + Wrestling at a -1d penalty. You do W Physical damage in addition to both you of you being Downed. Threaten: a character makes a vicious threat before combat. Roll Command + Intrigue and use the Width as a Social Attack. Trip: a character attempts to flip someone to the downed position. Roll your appropriate attack at Difficulty 2. You add 1d if your opponent is performing (or subject to) a Push or Tackle action. STANDARD SUCCESS - 2x: the victim loses a die from a set and receives -1d next round.


38 EXPERT SUCCESS - 3x: as above, but the victim is also downed. MASTER SUCCESS - 4x: as above, but the victim also takes 1 Physical Damage. Wait: a character holds their action until someone else has acted. Declare your action as normal, however, when your Speed comes up, you choose to wait. You may then time your set to act at the Speed as any other lower set. If you wait and no one acts, you lose your action. UNWORTHY OPPONENTS Sometimes, as a Games Master, you’ll want to put in some throwaway characters for a bit of a scrap as a minor challenge or to add a bit of excitement. They might be the Mastermind’s henchmen, the Daimyo’s soldiers or the Don’s gangsters. This is when you’ll want to use the Unworthy Opponent Opponent rules. Unworthy Opponents are unnamed characters whose sole purpose is to provide a bit of action for the players without slowing the game down. They don’t have statistics like player characters or the Judge’s characters but instead have a Threat Rating Rating. ting This Threat Rating is an abstract measure of an unworthy opponent’s dangerousness and is generally rated from 1 to 5. Each such ‘Opponent that can make an attack adds its Threat Rating to an Unworthy Opponent Dice Pool. This dice pool could be any number and you may expressly roll up to 15 dice. If you have more than 15, ignore the excess for now.

E.g. A character faces off against a group of 7 armed street punks, each one Threat Rating 2. They have a Dice Pool of 14. Just to reiterate an important point; ONLY UNWORTHY OPPONENT’S

THAT CAN ACTUALLY MAKE AN ATTACK CONTRIBUTE THEIR THREAT RATING TO THE UNWORTHY OPPONENT DICE POOL!

This is relevant because if there are more ‘opponent’s than space to attack the player character(s), they cannot contribute to the dice pool. So if clever players can reduce the number of ‘opponent’s who have an attack opportunity, by use of some terrain for example, they can limit the amount of dice rolled against them. When making an attack, you roll your Dice Pool which represents the whole group making attacks at the player character(s). Any sets generated do their Width in damage. Judges should try to limit the Width of the sets generated by Unworthy Opponent’s to their Threat Rating, breaking up any sets which are too wide into smaller sets. So a group of 5 critters at Threat Rating 2 should only really be netting sets at a Width of 2. Unworthy Opponent’s are obviously going to get killed/taken down quickly. Ultimately, that’s what they are there for. When player’s hit such characters, they deal damage as normal with each point of damage reducing that unworthy’s Threat Rating. When the Threat Rating reaches 0, the unworthy is Out and no longer contributes to the dice pool. That’s where the damage stops, however: one attack can only take out one unworthy in this fashion. When an unworthy is taken out, this reduces the overall Unworthy Opponent Dice Pool. If this Dice Pool is higher than 15, then the


39 number of dice rolled doesn’t change. The Unworthy Opponent Dice Pool has to be reduced below 15 before it starts affecting how many dice are rolled.

Vehicles have statistics which measure their physical reality, rated from 1 to 5, just like regular people do. HANDLING

E.g. A group of 30 normal men and women have been incited to riot. They are Threat Rating 1 each which creates an Unworthy Opponent Dice Pool of 30. They roll 15d in combat. Every time an unworthy is taken out, this reduces the Dice Pool by the Threat Rating of 1. So 16 unworthies have to be taken out before they roll less than 15d. MORALE ATTACKS A Morale Attack is a special type of Social Attack. It represents a sudden shocking event that might give a person cause to think twice. Any Social Attack against Unworthy Opponents affects a number equal to the Width with a Threat Rating equal to or less than the Height of the attack. E.g. A character makes a Social Attack scores 2x7. This affects two Unworthies with a Threat Rating up to 7. VEHICLES At some point, a character is going to want to actually drive a vehicle or, more likely, drive a vehicle into another vehicle. The vehicles in DUNE range from ground vehicles, not dissimilar to the vehicles of today, all the way up to starfaring frigates. However, they all utilise the same basic guidelines: a vehicle has an Engine to move it and a Cockpit to hold the pilot. Everything else is just variation on a theme.

SIZE SPEED

Handling is the vehicle’s agility and manoeuvrability. This affects how easy it is pilot (and not crash). Size is the actual physical size of the vehicle. Speed is how fast the vehicle travels. Size is the most important aspect to define as it has the most physical impact upon the game. Conversely, Handling and Speed are more abstract values. The first chart shows the abstract scale. The second chart is a rough approximation. SIZE RATING 1 2 3 4 5

DESCRIPTION

SIZE RATING 1 2 3 4 5

DESCRIPTION 1 - 10 M LENGTH 10M - 50M LENGTH 50 - 500M LENGTH 500M - 1000M LENGTH 1KM - 5KM LENGTH

PERSONAL SMALL LARGE HUGE GIANT

Vehicles of Size Rating 1 and 2 are classed as Manoeuvrable. Manoeuvrable


40 EXAMPLE VEHICLES SIZE RATING DESCRIPTION GROUNDCAR, 1

PERSONAL ORNITHOPTER, LARGE ORNITHOPTERS,

2

PERSONAL VOIDSHIP

3

HOUSE FRIGATE, HOUSE TRANSPORTER,

4

CRUSHER

5

MONITOR

There are four Speed Modes and each is rated from to 1 to 5.

SPEED RATING 1 2 3 4 5

For determining Void Speeds in space where acceleration is important (especially important when talking about space combat), you can use the following chart. For your information, approximately 9.75 m/s2.

The Categories are; SEA LAND

AIR VOID

Each describes a different mode of travel (it is self explanatory which type is which).


SEA TRAVEL APPROXIMATE VALUE 15 KM/H 50 KM/H 100 KM/H 150 KM/H 200 KM/H

LAND TRAVEL SPEED RATING APPROXIMATE VALUE 1 25 KM/H 2 100 KM/H 3 200 KM/H 4 300 KM/H 5 400 KM/H

AIR TRAVEL APPROXIMATE VALUE 100 KM/H 250 KM/H 1,000 KM/H 1,500 KM/H 2,250 KM/H


1G

of

thrust

is

VOID SPACE TRAVEL APPROXIMATE ACCELERATION 01 - 05GS 05 - 10GS 11 - 14GS 15 - 19GS 20+ GS

Void is best described as a normal speed that can be measured in metres per second without breaking your calculator (or brain). All combat is undertaken at such speeds. For argument’s sake, all Void ships use the same rules for interplanetary travel: a ship can travel 1 AU in 6 days minus the Speed Rating. E.g. A Speed 3 ship could travel 1 AU in 6 less equals 3 days. The approximate values above don’t really mean that much when taken in comparison with one another and are only there as a rough guideline for interest more than anything.


41 The key point to take away from the Speed statistic is that it is a measure of comparable speeds within that class. You really can’t compare, say, having an acceleration of 20+Gs to travelling 200 km/h: the orders of magnitude are just so disparate that it would be a pointless exercise.

its Handling, the pilot increases their Difficulty by 2 for each point over. E.g. A sports car has a Land Speed Rating of 4 and a Handling Rating of 2. If the driver increases speed to 3, he is now at Difficulty 2. If he then increases it to 4, he is at Difficulty 4!! Vehicles also have some subsidiary statistics.

If you do any amount of research of the various science fiction vehicles, you’ll note that they are portrayed as having fantastical levels of acceleration and that the speeds they must travel during combat are just plain old impossible! So when you look at the Speed Rating, all you need to know is that Speed 1 is slower than Speed 3 which is slower than Speed 5 and so on. You can also use the Speed Mode if you need another qualifier. Each is given a Rating: the higher the rating, the master that mode is. SPEED MODE RATING 1 2 3 4

ARMOUR CARGO CREW

FIREPOWER PASSENGERS SENSORS

Armour describes how much plating or shielding the vehicle has. This works exactly like Armour Rating as described earlier in this section. Cargo describes how much space there is for goods and other materials. This is described in terms of physical space and also mass tolerance.

SPEED MODE SEA LAND

Crew is the number of people required to pilot the vehicle.

AIR

VOID

Using the above chart, if for some reason you need to compare one vehicle’s sea speed against another’s land speed, you can determine that the Land Speed Mode always trumps the Sea Mode. Although this comparison, again, might seem completely useless (and it mostly is, it is just included for completeness), the might be situation where you must compare a land vehicle’s speed with an air vehicle’s speed. Handling measures a vehicles response to the pilot, thereby determining its agility and manoeuvrability. If a vehicle’s Speed goes above

Firepower is the vehicle’s integral-mounted weapons. Passengers is the number of people the vehicle can seat in relative comfort. Some vehicles may have also have Cabins. Cabins These are places for passengers to live in while aboard. Sensors measures the vehicle’s sensory information rating. This could be Sonar or Radar but might be something much more impressive in higher technology games. A vehicle also has a number of Systems required to make it move and perform all the jobs it would normally do.


42 Consult the examples.

following

SYSTEM YSTEM ACCESS CARGO COCKPIT COMMUNICATIONS CONTROLS ENGINE ENVIRONMENTAL PASSENGER

System

Chart

for

EXAMPLE DOOR, HATCH TRUNK, HOLD DRIVER’S SEAT, BRIDGE CAR RADIO, CB SYSTEM JOYSTICK, NAVIGATION THRUSTERS, TURBINES A/C, OXYGEN

VEHICLE WEAPONS Nearly all weapons to be used by or against vehicles are incredibly destructive. So much so that use against normal people is considered overkill (instant death). Against vehicles, it’s really a measure of how accurately you strike your target: a direct hit from any vehicle weapon is pretty much going to take that vehicle out.

YOUR FRIEND

POWER SENSORS

BATTERY, GENERATOR RADAR

WEAPONS

MISSILES, ROCKETS

Each system represents something integrated into the vehicle itself. Whenever the vehicle takes damage, one of these systems might get knocked out. Vehicle weapons deliver Structural Damage which is then either applied to the vehicle’s Structure or applied to the various systems on the ship as Complications. When all Structure is removed, the vehicle is destroyed. Each Vehicle has a Structure Rating equal to twice its Size Rating.

To reflect this, we’re not even going to bother with individual weapon damages. All vehicle weapons do damage Structural Damage equal to the Width. What truly separates vehicle weapons from one another are stats: Penetration Rating and Effective Range Rating. Rating The bigger and nastier the weapon is, the higher the Penetration and the further away you can shoot them, the higher the Effective Range Rating. Rating Penetration reduces any Armour Rating by Penetration Rating. Effective Range is measured in terms of Visual Range or Beyond Visual Range (described below). VEHICLE WEAPON RANGES

E.g. A size 2 helicopter: has a Structure Rating of 4. Each system can be hit twice. The first hit knocks the system out and the second system completely destroys it. A knocked out system can be repair, given enough time. A destroyed system has to be completely replaced. Of course, this can be disastrous if it’s a critical system like Life Support or Cockpit or Engines…

As has been intimated already, guns on vehicles tend to be big and explodey. Furthermore, the higher the tech level, the more likely you’ll be shooting at targets several kilometres away. Therefore, vehicle combat is performed at only two ranges: Escape Range (ER) and Visual Range (VR). Escape Range is essentially the nonengagement range outside Visual Range. If you


43 are at Escape Range, either party can decide to break off an engagement and disappear into the clouds/traffic. Weapons therefore can only be used if you can see your target. There are no computer/self guided weapons in the DUNE universe. VEHICULAR COMBAT Vehicle Combat is not very different from person to person combat, only some of the terms have changed. You still follow the same standard steps: 1. INITIALISATION: Decide who is doing what and to whom. 2. DETERMINATION: Find out how everyone did and how quickly.

A MANOEUVRABLE VEHICLE WITH A HIGHER POSITION ROLL CAN ATTACK YOU AND YOU CANNOT ATTACK IT BACK.

Maybe the vehicle is just too fast or your opponent is right behind you or has found a blind spot in your combat resolution. Whatever the reason is, your opponent has every advantage and your only recourse is to run off or jockey for a superior position. Manoeuvrable vehicles can always attack a nonmanoeuvrable vehicle, irrespective of position. When rolling position, Manoeuvrable Vehicles roll Speed rating + Pilot skill. NonManoeuvrable Vehicles roll Sensor rating + Computer skill. Vehicle combatants declare their actions in order of Position width, from lowest to highest (Height breaks a tie).

3. RESOLUTION: Apply the results to combatants. Only the rolls are slightly different.

Actions then resolve from highest width to lowest.

STEP ONE - INITIALISATION NITIALISATION

STEP TWO - DETERMINATION

Here you are determining Position, Position not initiative. Your Position in a dogfight really determines everything: what you can see, what you can shoot at and what can shoot at you.

Everyone rolls their dice at the same time and resolves their actions in order of Speed, starting with the highest to the lowest.

Position is measured by a roll and the set generated by that roll. The wider the roll, the better the position. It is important to note in vehicle engagements that Manoeuvrable vehicles cannot be attacked if it has a superior position.

The rolls made are determined by the action and the nature of the vehicle: big Ships of the Line roll very different attacks to snub fighters. Following is a list of common actions pilots and drivers can take. This is far from nonexhaustive as players will inevitably create a situation a Games Master couldn’t possibly account for.

That needs spelling out.


44 ATTACK BAIL OUT BRAKE CHASE ERRATIC MANOEUVRES ESCAPE HOVER

JINK LAND MANOEUVRE RAM SIDESWIPE SWERVE TAKE-OFF

Attack: the pilot or co-pilot fires the vehicleintegrated direct weaponry (machineguns, miniguns, lasers etc). Pilots roll Handling rating + Gunnery.

Escape: if you are at Visual Range, make a Speed plus Skill roll. If you are successful, you increase your range to Escape Range. If at Escape Range, the engagement is broken off, ending combat. Countered by Chase. Hover: if the vehicle is capable of it, you may hover in place. Roll Handling plus Skill. Any actions performed from a hovering vehicle have their Width and Height limited to the Hover result (ignore any excess Width or Height). Jink: this counters an Air Attack or Space Attack.

Co-Pilots roll Insight + Gunnery. Gunners roll Firepower rating + Gunnery. Bail Out: someone aboard the vehicle decides to get the heck out of dodge. A character can either do this manually (i.e. open a door and jump out) or using an ejection system. Performing a Bail Out manually requires a Coordination plus Athletics roll. An ejection system is an automatic 2x10 Bail Out action. Brake: the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Roll Handling plus Skill. You lose 1d for each point over Speed over the vehicle’s Handling. Chase: the pilot or driver is trying to catch up with someone or avoid losing them. Roll vehicle Speed plus Skill. If successful, decrease range by 1 (Escape Range becomes Visual Range). Countered by Escape. Erratic Manoeuvres: the pilot is making it difficult for someone to make an Attack against you. This does not take an action per se. The pilot takes a Difficulty from 1 up to their Pilot Skill. This difficulty applies to all their actions this turn but also affects anyone trying to hit them!

Land: a pilot lands an aircraft. Roll Handling plus Skill. It goes without saying that a Landing roll would only be required in adverse conditions. Position: you attempt to get a better vector on your target. Roll Speed + Pilot or Sensors + Computer and the result is your new Position. Ram: the pilot drives her vehicle into something. Roll Handling plus Skill and add Size Rating and Speed Rating to damage. The ramming vehicle takes two-thirds the damage delivered to itself. Vehicles designed to ram take one-third of the damage. Sideswipe: swerves into another vehicle. Roll Handling plus Skill and add Size Rating to damage. The Sideswiping vehicle takes half damage to the opposing flank and knocks the victim 1m per Width in the sideswiping direction. Swerve: this counters Land or Sea Attack. TakeTake-Off: the pilot launches his vehicle. Roll Handling + Skill. It goes without saying that a Take-Off roll would only be required in adverse conditions.


45 G-FORCES When a Manoeuvrable vehicle performs a manoeuvre at Air Speed or Relativistic Speed, this subjects the passengers to G-Force. Force The G Force is equal to the vehicle’s current Speed. If this is higher than the character’s Physique Rating, they receive a -1d penalty for each point in excess. If this is more than 2 points higher than the character’s Physique score, the character suffers a RedRed-Out (or Black-Out, the former is when blood rushes to the head and the latter is when blood is pulled away, in the middle of dogfighter, either is Bad News) and cannot take an action next round.

It is important to note that every set generated by an attack from a Ship of the Line counts for damage! You do not have to take multiple actions! Ships of the Line can manoeuvre their hull to protect different parts of the ship from other Ships of the Line. In this fashion, a Ship of the Line can apply a -1 Height penalty to any attack from any other Ship of the Line attacks against it. However, this affects their own ability to attack back by reducing the number of guns which have a firing solution to their target. Accordingly, for every -1 Height imposed on an enemy vessel, any gunner on that Ship of the Line receives -1d to their attack roll.

SHIPS OF THE LINE These are the big battleships and frigates. They have a Firepower rating which measures their overall direct attack weapons (i.e. how many guns they have to shoot at people). They also have a number of Gunners to fire those weapons. All weapons contribute to the vessel’s Firepower rating and this rating can be assigned to different targets, one per Gunner.

FIREPOWER 03 06 09 12 15

EXAMPLE VOIDSHIP CARRIER HOUSE TRANSPORTER HOUSE FRIGATE CRUSHER MONITOR

STEP THREE - RESOLUTION All actions are performed and results applied (and ships blown up!). If there are still combatants, battle continues.

Attack rolls are assigned Firepower + Gunnery for firing a Ship of the Line’s weapons.

Note, you only roll for Position at the beginning of combat or if you take a Position action.

E.g. A battleship has a Firepower rating of 6 and 4 gunners who all have Gunnery 3. It can either assign all its guns at one target (Firepower + Gunnery = 9). Or it can fire at multiple targets, splitting up its Firepower.

DAMAGE TO CREW Some attacks will cause damage to the people who are driving the vehicle. It has already been mentioned that if someone receives a direct hit from a vehicle weapon that


46 they just die (not even a red smear is left in some cases!).

deployment of weapons to destruction would be prohibited.

However, a system hit to Crew or Pilot isn’t the same thing: this is when either a hit to the vehicle causes an internal explosion or shrapnel or something that injures the people inside.

A War of Assassins might yield a well-placed ornithopter attack or a bomb set to explode when in the air but in both cases, the person setting the explosion would have to ensure minimal loss of pedestrian life or fear a grievance.

Use the Width of the damaging attack as an Area Attack against the crew. VEHICLE COMBAT IN DUNE Now, the thing is, there isn’t a whole lot of vehicle combat in the DUNE books. But your players are going to want to do it. It’s only natural. Even in the most political, story heavy games, at some point, someone is going to want to shoot someone from a moving car or ram an ornithopter into another ornithopter. So here are some rules. But here’s the deal: these rules are inspired and extrapolated from the books but you won’t find anything here that is actually from the books. So this is the part which is the most ‘extrapolated’ (or, liberties definitely taken). With that in mind, let’s discuss put some ideas out there. Vehicle combat in DUNE will happen but it would probably be fairly rare. And when it does happen, unless one or more players is directly involved, you must consider why it is happening. If it is a pitched space battle as part of Kanly, then 9 times out of 10, it can be resolved as a House Venture. But that raises a valid point: unless the house is in full-blown Kanly, such destruction and

cause

such

When an actual vehicle combat does occur, rockets or otherwise guided missiles would be the biggest weapons employed against nonshielded vehicles. Since there can be no self-guided missiles in DUNE and standard ballistics would prove pretty useless in any situation other than against human beings (which in of itself would be heavily frowned upon anyway), large explosives are the likely weapon of choice. Such explosives can have tactical uses against structures and buildings, so if they are rendered useless by a well placed holtzman generator, you do have other options. Lasguns would prove deadly against any standard vehicle shield and useless against a shielded starship. Rockets are useless against a shielded aircraft. So the only resort would be a controlled collision of a specifically designed battle ornithopter whose goal was force a target aircraft to crash land. This requires a successful ram attack countered by the target’s jink manoeuvre. A successful ram either does damage or, if shielded, requires a Handling + Pilot roll with penalty of the ramming attack’s Width. If the handling roll is failed, the aircraft is Rocked. Rocked A second


47 successful attack forces the Rocked aircraft to Crash. Crash Space battles again would be limited to full scale Kanly where the utter destruction of your opponent is the goal. Otherwise, space ships would far too great a resource to jeopardize in a conflict and the resulting explosion would be pretty indiscriminate. Although atomic explosions would technically be acceptable in space, the use of such weapons is still prohibited by the Great Convention. And breaking the fundamental laws of the Imperium just isn’t done. So, the application of nuclear weapons, even in a relatively ‘safe’ environment would be heavily frowned upon. So ingrained is the anti-nuclear mentality.

Shooting down a warhead before it detonates is a Difficulty 7 Sensors + Gunnery roll at Escape Range. At Visual Range, it is Difficulty 4. TROOP COMBAT IN DUNE By now, it should be well ingrained that full scale warfare does not occur very often in the Imperium. To begin with, unless you are in a War of Assassins or Kanly, it is strictly illegal to do so. Troop mobilization in a War of Assassins is still prohibited to small scale raids and surgical strikes. Anything large or indiscriminate are strictly illegal. Kanly does allow full scale wars but indiscriminate destruction is still prohibited.

However, electromagnetic pulse warheads could be practically used in such a relatively safe environment. Thus space battles are about such warheads being guided by remote and launched at one another while the starships attempt to detonate the warhead before it strikes the hull.

In all cases, the job of the Judge of the Change is to monitor and assess the care and attention the combatants have taken to minimize wanton destruction.

Such a warhead detonating on a Size Class 3 or small vessel will completely cripple it, shield or no shield.

If the Judge of the Change determines that life was lost that could have been prevented, he or she will bring a Bill of Particulars against the offending House, leading to criminal charges and a possible Process Verbal.

It would cripple a Size Class 4, with a second warhead taking it out. A Size Class 5 can take three such warheads before being taken down. A ship which is taken out has all its electrical systems taken out. All the lights, environmental systems, reaction drives, everything. If the crew doesn’t die from hypothermia, lack of oxygen will get them not before long.

Viable targets are any person who is a part of the direct household. So that’s the noble family and any of their relatives, their teachers, any head of a department. Plus any fighter/combatant. This does not include hirelings, such as cleaners and workers and the like. Pyons and the like are considered below the machinations of the Houses. In fact, the Great Convention was written expressly to protect such people’s lives from said machinations.


48 So, warfare is a really tricky process and is usually limited to the storming of the House capitol and even then, it requires strict control over who gets killed or captured. What’s worse is when a location is protected by a house shield. Gaining access to the objective inside the house shield normally requires some kind of insurgent pre-battle action to sabotage the thing. On of the things that was so brilliant about the Harkonnen attack upon the Atreides was that they had an inside man who was completely above suspicion. He was able to sabotage the house shield and subdue the Duke before the battle even began! Damage to infrastructure, particularly to fief infrastructure, is allowed, as long as there are no attacks which endanger the lives of pyons and the like. The actual warfare itself can take many forms and really, it is usually specific to the situation. However, generally, troops are moved planetside by starship and then deployed by shielded transport ornithopters. Assault ornithopters might be used defensively and as escort vehicles. Ground vehicles may be deployed, depending on the House’s preference. Some like to use them, others don’t. Troops may utilise shields or not. Obtaining such large numbers of them may take time and training the fighters to use them can be difficult. Worse, obtaining them can be a huge telegraph to your rivals, basically signaling that you are arming entire brigades of soldiers with holtzman shields.

So unless you secretly build them over a significant period of time, you might as well send your opponents a note saying “I have a huge army all armed with shields coming to get you!” Much more practical and common are troops armed with close combat weapons and body armour, transported by shielded vehicles and deployed into a small area. Personal guards and highly trained surgical units will be trained in Shield Fighting and these are the ones that will be defending the ultimate targets… Troops may be armed with slow pellet stunners but as their targets are generally shielded, it is somewhat irrelevant. Ballistic weapons are virtually unheard of. Only in situations where shields cannot be deployed (such as the sands of Arrakis) or aren’t used for whatever reason (perhaps a house is too poor to equip all its key personnel with shields). Even against troops in body armour, firearms would rarely get the opportunity to be used, given the prevalence of shielded transports. Rapid and tactical deployment of troops effectively negates any advantage gained from using them. And ultimately, the fact that any of your targets are going to be completely immune to them, well, it would be logistical waste to even bother arming your troops with the extra weight. Lastly, cost is a huge factor for troop warfare. The Spacing Guild charges huge levies for troop transport and so, you cannot deploy a Might greater than your Treasury quality.


49 VEHICLE GROUNDCAR, PERSONAL GROUNDCAR, CARRIER GROUNDCAR, TRANSPORT GROUNDCAR, APC GROUNDCAR, AFV GROUNDCAR, BATTLE ORNITHOPTER, PERSONAL ORNITHOPTER, CARRIER ORNITHOPTER, TRANSPORT ORNITHOPTER, BATTLE VOIDSHIP, PERSONAL VOIDSHIP, CARRIER VOIDSHIP, TRANSPORTER VOIDSHIP, FRIGATE VOIDSHIP, CRUSHER VOIDSHIP, MONITOR

SIZE CLASS 1

SPEED MODE

HANDLING

ARMOUR

CREW

GUNNERS

FIREPOWER

PASSENGERS

LAND

SPEED RATING 4

3

1

1

0

0

1

1

LAND

3

2

1

1

0

0

5

2

LAND

2

2

1

2

0

0

1

2

LAND

3

2

3

1

1

4

11

2

LAND

2

3

2

2

2

6

5

2

LAND

1

2

4

3

1

8

3

1

AIR

4

4

0

1

0

0

1

1

AIR

3

3

0

1

0

0

5

2

AIR

2

2

0

2

0

0

1

1

AIR

5

4

0

1

0

6

0

2

VOID

4

3

1

2

0

3

5

2

VOID

3

2

1

2

0

6

10

3

VOID

2

1

1

4

2

6

50

3

VOID

3

2

2

6

4

9

25

4

VOID

2

1

3

12

6

12

50

5

VOID

1

1

4

20

10

15

100


50

Setting So DUNE is a rich and evocative blend of corporate politics and feudal ancestry which lends itself to all kinds of settings. So which do you choose? The most obvious would be that of the players taking on the role of one of the Great Houses of the Landsraad and politicking with the best of them. Perhaps the players would take on the role of House Moritani feuding with House Ginaz or even something like House Atreides fending off attacks from House Harkonnen. According to the vaguely canon DUNE Encyclopedia, there are something like thirty Great Houses and thus it might be a great idea for the players to come up with their House. But this has a number of problems associated with it.

There is a single ruling family (the Siridar Lord or Lady) who represent the House Major, owned of the planet. There can be any number of Minor Houses which run parts of the planet for the House Major to whom they owe fealty. If you were to only have three to five families, suddenly the game takes on a whole different focus. There is also the option of taking on a nonnoble group, such as an Out-freyn society (like the Fremen or the technologists of Ix or Richesse) or smugglers or a powerful merchant family. In many ways, this gives the players far more freedom to forge their own destiny. Beyond who the players are, you might need to consider when and where the game is set.

To begin with, this kind of campaign might be unsuitable for new players or those unfamiliar with DUNE. Plus the scope of the campaign suddenly becomes very large for the Judge as not only is the Emperor more likely to be involved in some fashion but also there are many other families to account for. Yes, they may only be footnotes or not even that but these things must be considered by the guy or gal running the game. Another option is to play one of a number of Minor Houses on a world belonging to a House Major. This is much less epic in scope but at the same time, much more easy to manage.

Alliances made, alliances broken To help with creating your DUNE game, a basic “preferred” setting has been included. This is just a collection of ideas meant to get those creative juices flowing. You are encouraged to ignore it and go with whatever suits your group best. However, sometimes the idea of a DUNE


51 RPG is compelling but when you sit down to plan it, you encounter many problems. At that point, revisit this section and check out the following section. It might help you immensely.

If someone thinks having a planet covered completely in water, then you should put that in. This is all about ownership of the game and everyone should feel like they’ve had a hand in its creation.

The preferred setting to this game is 100 years before the events of DUNE, set on a fictional non-canon world, belonging to a fictional noncanon Great House and the players filling the positions of Regis Familia, Na-Familia and Bondsmen of a House Minor bound to the said Great House.

The key point of this that any features that added in, i.e. not generated with a roll of the dice, has no game effect beyond adding flavour. Such worlds and moons are barren or otherwise uninhabitable or useless for resources and are therefore just a feature.

Like any good science fiction, the narrative is about the characters and their interaction, drives, ambitions, goals and failings. And not about robots killing one another with lasers.

Of course, if there is a disagreement at any stage, the Judge should step in to ensure that the creation process doesn’t get bogged down on irrelevant details.

But moreover, it is the detail of the world you inhabit. Therefore, the first thing you should do is set out the world itself.

This One Roll also establishes any features of the planet(s), such as large territories of grasslands or regions of mostly mountainous terrain.

In a later section, there is a One Roll system that used to design the star system where the players live. 11d10 and split the sets and waste dice on the various stellar bodies and habitable/notable locations on said stellar bodies. The very first session should entirely be about designing the “sandbox” for the players to play in. You roll up the Siridar Fief, determining how many planets and territories there are and the like. This is a communal effort between the players and the Judge. The players and Judge are encouraged to add as many features to the star system as they like. Put as many planets, moons, large and small, into the system, as many continents, islands, straits etc as they want.

Again, the players and Judge should feel free to add as much detail to the land masses as they like. Where a territory has no specific feature or features, then it has no one dominating trait. Once the playground has been established, next are the fine details. Such things like what are the major imports and exports? What is the name of the ruling Great House? Who are their family members? Does the planet have its own religion or does it follow the Orange Catholic Bible? What about travel? How do people get around? Does everyone use ornithopters or shuttles? Or does this planet use zeppelins? Or steam trains or sailing ships or space-faring frigates? You are entirely encouraged to think as much about the flora and fauna as you can. The world should come alive from the interaction of ideas between the players. This is the players’ world


52 and the game is to take place mostly in this planetary system, so the more evocative it is, the better and also, the more DUNE it is. After you’ve come up with as much about the world as you can, the seas, the continents, the peoples, it’s time to roll up the House history. Again, you roll 11d10 and again, you are looking for sets to establish historical events which modify your house’s traits. This also creates a back story for your house, explaining how it came to be and the major events afflicting it. You then repeat this process for every other Minor House and then weave together their historical events to form the political history.

A result of 9 on the Solar System chart yields a Greater Extreme Conditions planet. A 6 yields a large uninhabitable planet. A 2 is a small Uninhabitable Moon and a 1 is an Asteroid Field. This means the system has a Greater Planet which is habitable but conditions are extremely harsh (it is a frozen world roughly where Mars would be), in the same orbit is a Small Affluent Planet. Roughly where Earth would be is a Large Uninhabitable Planet which is orbited by a small Uninhabitable Moon, a Small Habitable Moon and a Medium Habitable Moon. The small affluent planet is called Zelona and although has many smaller islands, it only has one landmass of note, which is approximately size of the United Kingdom. This landmass is called Hastalan and is a very cold and inhospitable place (Harsh Conditions). However, the place is mineral rich and so people go there to make their fortune. It is decided that there is a common phrase amongst the people of this system, “Life is either hard living or hard working”.

War Stories An Example of System Creation 11d10 were rolled and the following results came up: 3x4, 2x8, 2x5, 9, 6, 2 and 1. 3x4 is a Medium Moon. This yields three Territories. 2x8 is a Small, Affluent Planet. This yields two Territories. 2x5 is a Small Moon. This yields another Territory.

One of the players decided it would be cool if the moons were all orbiting the same planet. So the large uninhabitable planet is a blue gas giant called Zasta. The gas giant is something of a cosmic vacuum cleaner and has gathered up an uninhabitable moon and no less than two habitable moons, Endor and Thyca. Endor is a small forest (Forest) moon, famous for its quality real wood products. Thyca is actually bigger than Zelona (the medium moon). The world is a very wet world made up mostly of plains which give way to water logged fields (Grasslands and Wetlands).


53 There are two large landmasses, the first called Uss and the second called Abrant, very close to one another. The water is shallow between them and one can walk between them, if one wishes.

Zelonans mounted a revolt and subsequent invasion against Thyca (Invasion/Revolt).

The rest of the world is mostly small islands and unimpressive landmasses.

Colonel Patrone Felderon was in charge of a wing of ‘thopter pilots and he mounted a daring rescue to save the Venhei, even in the face of stolen frigates bombarding the Venhei capital.

The system is ruled over by House Venhei, which makes its home on Zelona, their royal castle situated at Uss.

Felderon then was entrusted with the safety of the Venhei na-familia. He escorted them toward safety only to be pursued by the enemy frigates.

House Venhei has three minor houses who owe them fealty. These are House Felderon, House Banthet and House Vorst. We decided not to do anything with the houses until after we’d rolled their histories.

Over the course of the next few days, he did what he could to ensure their safety but each time he thought he had outfoxed the enemy, he was confronted by yet more ships.

The first is House Felderon. We roll another 11d10 to determine the history of their house. We score 2x9, 3x8, 2x6, 10, 7, 4 and 3. These translate into: 2x9 Glory 3x8 Victory 2x6 Infrastructure

He decided that the only way forward was to mount an attack. He split his forces, taking just a few ‘thopters and led a suicide run against the frigates. He flew his personal command ornithopter into the lead frigate, unknowingly taking out the leaders of the rebellion (Victory). Soon after, the Zelonan invasion petered out. Felderon’s bravery and sacrifice was honoured by the Siridar familia by granting them lands and investing Felderon’s wife with the hereditary title of Baroness (Glory).

10 Windfall 7 Invasion/Revolt 4 Descent

The newly installed thought of by their with the wife of a locals were far from forces.

House Felderon were highly pyons. They were enamored war hero, especially as the friendly toward the invasion

3 Catastrophe So. House Felderon. We get to decide what the first event is, i.e. the event which directly led to the formation of the house.

Almost 50 years passed of prosperity (Infrastructure). Not from any real talent on behalf of Baroness Felderon but more because the fief almost ran itself.

The players think about it and decide that there was a major revolt. Due to the harsh conditions on Zelona, the people there resent the “freeloaders” on Endor and Thyca. So the

Then disaster: there was a blight on the land and crops failed (Catastrophe). The pyons started to go hungry and with it, order began to break down. Unfortunately for the Baroness, she


54 didn’t have the talent or the power to effectively manage the problem. The war was many years ago and Felderon’s sacrifice was forgotten. Faith in the family was shaken for years to come (Descent). 25 years later, the Baroness passed on at an age of 114. Their only child, Helene Felderon came to power. Helene had had the chance to learn from her mother’s mistakes and to study with talented family Bondsmen. When she became Baroness, she was ready for it. Ten years passed and Helene proved to be a formidable leader and she quickly established House Felderon as a force to be reckoned with. With the house on the ascent, she garnered much attention for potential suitors. Eventually, she was pressured into finding a suitable partner, she chose her partner, the son of a powerful merchant family, Francois Nasteur. With House Felderon bolstered by the fortunes of a powerful family, never in the House’s 93 years has it ever been this strong (Windfall). Next, House Banthet. We roll 3x10, 2x2, 2x1, 9, 6, 5 and 4.

Well, obviously, House Banthet won some long ago conflict (Conquest) that impressed House Venhei. With a 3x10, they were really impressed (Favour). House Banthet were House Venhei’s close friends and allies for hundreds of years, the two of them cementing their longstanding friendship through intermarriage. However, perhaps 500 years ago, the youngest daughter of House Venhei was due to marry the middle son of the Banthet family. However, the youngest daughter had other ideas. She ran from the family leaving upset in her wake (Scandal). The then leader of House Banthet, Earl Olaf Banthet, took it personally and that bruised ego festered. For a very long time. Olaf came to be a very old man, reaching 140 years thanks to the Spice. And the older he got, the more senile he grew (Madness). Finally, he could tolerate it no longer and vowed to revenge himself upon House Venhei. He started sending emissaries to Zelona, spouting such propaganda about how the Venhei promised much but didn’t deliver. How they were just using the Zelonans, letting them live a challenging life and they reaped all the rewards.

We have; 3x10 Favour 2x2 Conquest 2x1 Treachery 9 Division 6 Madness 5 Scandal 4 Descent Hoo boy.

For a people whose lives were filled with hardship, it was not difficult for a respected person such as Olaf to cause trouble. And not before long, the Zelonans were in a full blown rebellion and invading Thyca (Treachery). The eldest son of Earl Banthet (himself, not a young man) learned what his father had done. Having waited years and years for his old man to die, he didn’t waste the opportunity to break away from his father, taking his most loyal retainers and siding with the Venhei in the forthcoming conflict (Division).


55

When the Zelonan Uprising faltered, House Banthet faltered with them. Now, they are very much a house in decline. Olaf was removed from power and saw his final days consigned to a wing in the Banthet family home while the middle son, Magnus, became the Earl. Some90 years later, the son of Magnus, Emret, wishes nothing but to repair the damage his senile grandfather committed (Descent). Lastly, House Vorst. We roll 2x7, 2x4, 2x3, 2x2, 9, 8 and 1. 2x7 Ascent 2x4 Change 2x3 Villain 2x2 Conquest 9 Division 8 Alliance 1 Doom Ok, this is a little less straight forward. House Vorst was once a Great House, however, the Siridar-Baron Mathaus Vorst was a despicable and terrible man. He ruled the Siridar Fief with his hands tightly around the throat of all his vassal houses (Villain). The Vorst family had always been stern and strict but Mathaus was easily the worst of the lot. The final straw came when the entire family of House Czyr were put to death for treason. The brother of Mauthaus, Tomas Vorst, left his brother’s household and vowed that things would change (Division).

He found sympathizers in the form of the other houses minor. Afraid that Mathaus had become a despot, they saw Tomas as a viable alternative. They banded together in a grand conspiracy against Mathaus under the banner of Tomas (Alliance). The battle was fierce and raged for years. Eventually, Tomas and his alliance of houses minor defeated the despot Mathaus (Conquest), however, Tomas lost his life in the process: House Vorst was no more (Doom). It looked like the worst was going to happen. A Siridar familia had been decimated by civil war and the Emperor was all-but ready to arrive. And yet, House Commander Heinrick Banthet, the right hand of Tomas Vorst, suggested that if Baron Nikolaz Venhei took over the lands of old House Vorst and demonstrated that no profits had been lost, the Emperor might well install House Venhei as the new rulers of the system. Whether Heinrick was being altruistic or politically savvy, that is lost to time. With Heinrick’s insight into House Vorst’s inner workings, the Venhei were able to takeover things without too much effort. CHOAM and Imperial Agents did indeed arrive to assess the situation. It was unusual but not unheard of for a Great House to be overrun by their vassal houses. Thanks to Heinrick, both CHOAM and the Imperial Agents left satisfied that House Venhei had taken over and profits would not suffer. All that remained was for House Venhei to swear their fealty to the Padishar Throne.


56 As the Venhei rose to power taking the old Vorst capital, Nikolaz, in honour and memory of Tomas, granted Tomas’ son, Wilhelm Vorst, the old Venhei lands and installed Wilhelm as the Earl of a new House Vorst (Change). He also rewarded Heinrick with an Earldom who became the head of House Banthet. Wilhelm Vorst took up residence on the forest moon of Endor and did everything he could to prove his loyalty to the Venhei. Wilhelm knew that his Uncle Mathaus had been a tyrant and fully deserved everything he got. “One hand around their throats” had always been the family way but he had gone too far. It had cost the Vorst familia their position and very nearly their blood. Wilhelm was under no illusions that the Vorst family would never reclaim their place and as the only surviving member of the family (who had never expected to rise to power anyway), he would rather bury the past. Wilhelm was quick to court the bondsmen of Endor. He threw their lot in with them, offering their best and brightest positions within his new household. He married the daughter of an artisan family which won him great popularity from the people (Alliance). Not before long, the people of Endor felt they had a real representative and defender in Earl Vorst. Over the last thousand years, House Vorst, and Endor, with it has become a highly profitable and extremely well managed fief. Their ornate wooden furniture has become known throughout the Known Universe (Ascent). Now, in modern times, House Vorst is friendly to all houses, even now, afraid of becoming tarred with the old brush. Gone are the old ways and now they have a new motto: “One hand proffered in friendship.”

House Banthet has suffered decline and is jealous of the rise of House Felderon. Lastly, House Felderon is the “new kid on the block” and has recently thrown in its lot with a wealthy family. What this means for their future, no one can say: the loyalty of Baroness Helene Felderon is yet to be tested. Now comes the final bit. Organising the Siridar Fief. House Vorst is on Endor. This is a small territory of forest land. House Banthet and House Felderon decide to both be Thyca on the mainland. Both are on the grasslands. So now we calculate their starting Quality Scores. All three houses are on a moon, yielding base scores of Might 10, Defense 10, Influence 10, Dominion 20, Territory 10 and Treasury 10. There is no wealth modifier. House Vorst (being in forest land) receive +5 Defense, -5 Influence, +5 Dominion and-5 Treasury. This modifies their scores to Might 10, Defense 15, Influence 5, Dominion 25, Territory 10 and Treasury 5. House Felderon and House Banthet (both on Grasslands) receive -5 Defense, -5 Influence, +5 Dominion, +10 Territory and -5 Treasury. Their scores are now Might 10, Defense 5, Influence 5, Dominion 25, Territory 30 and Treasury 5. Then their house history modify their scores further.


57 House Felderon had 2x9 Glory, 3x8 Victory, 2x6 Infrastructure, 10 Windfall, 7 Invasion/Revolt, 4 Descent and 3 Catastrophe.

+17 Treasury, +24 Territory, +7 Influence -13 Dominion, +4 Defense, +24 Might Resulting Quality Scores:

They choose: +10 Treasury, +5 Defense +10 Defense, +10 Treasury +10 Influence -5 Territory, +5 Might, +5 Dominion +5 Influence -5 Territory, +5 Dominion -5 Defense, +5 Dominion, +5 Might Total modifiers: +10 Might, +10 Defense, +15 Influence +15 Dominion, -10 Territory, +20 Treasury Resulting Quality Scores: Might 20, Defense 15, Influence 20 Dominion 40, Territory 20, Treasury 25 House Felderon Might 2, Defense 2, Influence 2 Dominion 4, Territory 2, Treasury 3 House Banthet rolled 3x10 Favour, 2x2 Conquest, 2x1 Treachery, 9 Division, 6 Madness, 5 Scandal, 4 Descent.

Might 34, Defense 9, Influence 12 Dominion 12, Territory 54, Treasury 22 House Banthet Might 3, Defense 1, Influence 1 Dominion 1, Territory 5, Treasury 2 House Vorst rolled 2x7 Ascent, 2x4 Change, 2x3 Villain, 2x2 Conquest, 9 Division, 8 Alliance, 1 Doom They choose: +10 Influence, +5 Treasury +10 Dominion, +10 Influence, -5 Treasury +10 Influence, +10 Treasury, -5 Dominion +10 Dominion, +10 Territory, -5 Might -5 Territory, +5 Might, +5 Defense +5 Treasury, -5 Dominion, +5 Might -5 Influence, -5 Dominion Total modifiers: +25 Influence, +5 Might, +5 Defense +5 Territory, +15 Treasury, +5 Dominion Resulting Quality Scores:

They choose: +10 Treasury, +10 Territory +10 Territory, +10 Treasury, -5 Influence +10 Might, +10 Influence, -5 Dominion -5 Territory, +5 Defense, +5 Might -5 Dominion, +5 Territory +5 Influence -5 Influence, +5 Might +4 Might, -1 Defense, -3 Influence -3 Dominion, +4 Territory, -3 Treasury

Might 15, Defense 20, Influence 30 Dominion 30, Territory 15, Treasury 20 Resulting Quality Ratings: Might 2, Defense 2, Influence 3 Dominion 3, Territory 2, Treasury 2

Total modifiers: The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

58

Character Creation Characters in the DUNE universe are extremely highly trained to an extent that they can perform tasks and abilities well beyond what we would consider possible.

These choices are called “Templates” and each character gets to choose four, each representing their development from childhood through to adulthood. These are;

The Spice Melange has also been adapted to confer almost supernatural powers to those who are trained and so, DUNE characters are not your typical protagonists.

Background History, History which pertains to a character’s early childhood and their upbringing. This has three stages: Early Life (your childhood and life experience prior to schooling or conditional programming), House Service (the professional role a character played between graduating and starting play) and Personal Calling (which is your character’s personal interests or weird way). Vocational Conditioning, Conditioning which pertains to a character’s intense late teens to late 20s training and conditioning.

Proper Instruction Training in a specific field begins at a very early age in order to develop someone to the very peak of their ability. Suffice to say that most characters in the DUNE universe are highly specialised. You get far less leeway in designing a character in HOUSE OF THE LANDSRAAD than in other ONE ROLL games. Whereas in other games, you are pretty much free to design your character how you would like, here, you get a number of choices based at key points in a character’s history which then determines the statistics and skills they receive.

But before we tackle the templates in more detail, we should really discuss things like what statistics are and how skills work.

THE BASICS A character consists of various Elements which describe different aspects of the character. These elements are; STATISTICS SKILLS ADVANTAGES FEATS Other character generation described later in this section.

systems

are


59

ELEMENT

working out the best route home are all examples of this statistic.

01 - STATISTICS

These are a measure of a character’s natural physical and mental capabilities. Every character, even big giant monsters of destruction, have statistics to describe how clever, quick thinking and strong they are.

Insight describes a character’s perception faculty, creativity and quickness of thought. Painting a picture, spotting something on the floor and hearing a car bearing down on you are all examples of insight.

These statistics are;

Command is a character’s bearing and force of personality. Public speaking, ordering a subordinate and inspiring a team of co-workers are all measured by command.

PHYSIQUE COMMAND

PROWESS CHARM

INTELLECT

INSIGHT

Physique is a character’s physical power and endurance. Lifting things, holding your breath underwater and climbing are all measured by this statistic. Prowess is a character’s agility and manual dexterity. Fixing a watch, lassoing a cow and hurdling a fence are governed by prowess. Intellect is a character’s intelligence, force of will and knowledge. Learning a new language, cracking a code, resisting temptation and

Charm measures a character’s likeability, charisma and influence. Persuading someone to buy from you, making a new friend and performing well in an interview are controlled by charm. Think of these statistics as pairs of Aggressive and Subtle statistics. An Aggressive statistic is where you achieve your goal through sheer force and brutality whereas a Subtle statistic describes a success achieved through finesse and grace.

PAIRING

AGGRESSIVE

SUBTLE

PHYSICAL MENTAL

PHYSIQUE INTELLECT

PROWESS INSIGHT

SOCIAL

COMMAND

CHARM

As stated, these are the default statistics and as a Judge, you might want to tailor them to your game. The names given to statistics do flavour your game and a serious game of soldiers might be better served by alternate names.

RATING 1 2 3 4 5

STATISTIC RATINGS MEASURE LAZY/OUT OF SHAPE UNDEVELOPED/CHILD SOME EFFORT/AVERAGE ADOLESCENT SPENDS TIME TRAINING ABOVE AVERAGE MUCH TIME TRAINING GIFTED INDIVIDUAL AT PEAK OF HUMAN ABILITY


60

ELEMENT 02 - ADVANTAGES These are special backgrounds and traits that your character possesses. They define your character above and beyond what he or she knows and her physical and mental prowess. Such things as physical attractiveness, social standing and wealth are all Advantages your character might possess. A list of Advantages and the points they cost appears later in this section. There are more Advantages available but once again, they are specific to the game they appear in. If you want to use those, buy the game!

ELEMENT 03 - SKILLS These are a characters training and learned knowledge. They can range from the abstract, such as Quantum Theory to punching someone in the gut. Like statistics, normal Joes and Janes have skills rated from 1 to 5. In the standard game, they come in two varieties, Broad Skills and Narrow. Broad Skills represent an area of knowledge and training which encompasses a number of skills. “Science” is a good example of a broad skill as it encompasses the study of chemistry, physics and biology. Broad Skills are expensive to buy but if you want your character to be generally good in that area, then you purchase the Broad Skill. Conversely, Narrow Skills are cheaper to buy than Broad Skills but represent a specific and focused area of training within a broader area. If “Science” is a broad skill then “Biology” would be a Narrow Skill within the aforementioned skill.

Broad Skills always have two Narrow Skills attached to them. This might need a bit more explanation. In game terms, the Narrow Skill is exactly what it says on the box: if you have a Narrow Skill called “Boxing”, you can box and that’s it. If you have the Broad Skill you can do everything within that field, which probably includes more than two Narrow Skills. This is done for specific game reasons in that it would be difficult to list every possible Narrow Skill that a Broad Skill could have and then create feats for them all. You should also consider that if you were to purchase two Narrow Skills, you have paid the same amount as a Broad Skill. Therefore, there should never be a situation where a character has three Narrow Skills. This, again, is intentional. If a character purchases one Narrow Skill, they are considered to have such a fundamental understanding of the field that by purchasing a second Narrow Skill, they would have the equivalent knowledge of someone with the Broad Skill. E.g. The Broad Skill of “Duel” has the following twp Narrow Skills attached: “Attack” and “Defend”. You may purchase Broad Skills and the associated Narrow Skills independently of one another. However, where you have both a Broad Skill and an associated Narrow Skill, you would only ever use the higher of the two when making dice rolls. Fortunately, points spent on Narrow Skills can be Cashed In and put towards buying the associated Broad Skill. This is covered in more detail later in this chapter.


61 More information on the specifics of Skills are covered in Chapter 03. SKILL RATINGS RATING 1 2 3 4 5

MEASURE APPRENTICE/TRAINEE JOURNEYMAN/COMPETENT VETERAN/SUPERVISOR EXPERT/PIONEER MASTER/MENTOR

ELEMENT 04 - FEATS Borrowing a term from another game, these are specific trainings that a character develops within a given skill. They represent special stunts and techniques that go beyond the mundane student or practitioner of a skill. In game terms, Feats give knacks and special options or effects during play. Examples are being able to draw a weapon and strike in the same round without penalty or gaining a bonus in a specific circumstance. There are several kinds of Feat: Skill Feats, Combat Feats and Secret Feats. They are rated from level 1 to 5, can only be purchased for the skill they are associated with and you cannot purchase a level higher than your skill rating. The first two kinds of feats are obvious what they are. Secret Feats are special abilities and trainings that certain secretive orders teach, such as the Bene Gesserit, the Mentats or the Spacing Guild. These Secret Feats represent their amazing abilities. You may only learn secret feats by being specifically trained and

even then they are called secret feats for a reason… You many only purchase Secret Feats in character generation when the appropriate Vocational Conditioning informs you. Outside of character generation you need to find an appropriate teacher… E.g. The Cooking Skill has a Skill Feat called “The Iron Chef”. You have Cooking on 3. You can only purchase level 1, 2 or 3 of the “Iron Chef” Skill Feat. Further, you must purchase them in level order, i.e. you must buy level 1 before buying level 2 and so on.

SPECIAL DICE In the System section, you were introduced to Expert Dice and Master Dice. This section explains how you get them. You may only purchase Special Dice for Skills. You buy Special Dice, ticking off the boxes on the relevant skill until you have all 5. That is your limit. The first box is a single Expert Die, each additional box yields a bonus Expert Die until you fill your last box and they all convert to become a single Master Die. The effects of Expert Dice and Master Dice have previously been discussed.


62

ELEMENT 02 - ADVANTAGES Every character is created as a blank slate and Advantages are where your character becomes more “fleshed out”. These are traits and abilities which set your character apart from everyone else and could be something as mundane as being left a family heirloom or as important as having a supernatural ancestor. Some Advantages have a Rating attached to it and this is the cost in Points to purchase it. Advantages are specifically non-exhaustive and while there is a comprehensive list enclosed in this tome, you are encouraged to make use of Advantages from other ORE games and definitely to invent your own.

An important point is that a Judge has final say on whether an Advantage is applicable to his or her game. Some advantages, such as Allies has Assistance and Loyalty, have two aspects, each rated 0 to 5. To determine the overall rating, add the two aspects together. Further, in all such cases, the first aspect must be at least 1. E.g. The Benefactor Advantage has the two aspects of Backing and Relationship. If your Backing is 2 and your Relationship is 1, your Benefactor Rating is 3. In this case, the Backing aspect must be at least 1.

ADVANTAGE

COST

ALLIES AMBIDEXTROUS BEAUTY BENEFACTOR CONTACTS EMINENCE ESTATE GINAZ TRAINING GUARDIAN HONORARIUM FAMILIA IMPERIAL CONDITIONING INFLUENCE LUCKY MENTOR PRETERNATURAL STATISTIC PRIZED BLOODLINE RANK SPICE AGONY SPICE DIET STAFF WEALTH WORLDLY

1-10 4 4 1-10 1-10 1-10 1-10 3 1-10 2 4 1-10 1 1-10 10 5 1-10 5 3/5 1-10 1-10 3


63 ALLIES

Cost:

1 - 10

Allies represent one or more people who wish to aid and abet you. They will normally use whatever resources they have to get your request done. They could be siblings, a business partner, close friends or lovers. The downside to Allies is that the relationship is a two-way problems. Buy Allies when you want to ensure help when you need it and don’t mind having to cope with other people’s trouble at a later date. You must pay for the amount of Assistance they can give you and how Loyal they are. Help is a measure of your associates’ temporal power and can represent any number of people you know. Loyalty describes how tied they to you and to what lengths they would go to help out. Assistance Rating 0

You are solitary, a loner by nature.

1

MANPOWER: Can carry and fetch things for you. FINANCIAL: Can lend you small sums of money. NETWORKING: Can get you into VIP events. POSITION OF POWER: Can get you that zoning permission. THE MAN: You got a problem? They have the solution.

2 3 4 5

Loyalty Rating 0

They expect a favour for a favour

1 2

RESPECT: They always take your call. FRIENDS: Would be upset if they let you down. TRUSTED: Your secrets are safe with them. CLOSE: Always there when you need them. INTIMATE: Would die for you.

3 4 5

street: these people are equally important to you as you are to them. They have their own agendas and might just want to involve you. Allies are there for you when you need them and will try to do what they can to help. They are reliable and definitely worth having. The problem is that their problems can become your When you get in touch with your allies, make a Charm plus Assistance Rating roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you want. The more challenging the request/requirement, the more difficult it is for you to find someone who can help. Difficulty Rating 1 2 3 4 5

EASY: Your request is simple. DEMANDING: Helping you takes time. . Illegal/time consuming CHALLENGING: request. HARD: Help you hide the body.. VERY HARD: Help you commit the murder.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Loyalty Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Allies rolls for 1 week. AMBIDEXTROUS

Cost:

4

You can use your Off-Hand as well as your Primary Hand: you do not receive the -2d penalty for using your Off-Hand (however, you still receive the -1d penalty for using both hands, if you are thinking about being a BiManual Fighter). BEAUTY

Cost:

4

You have a captivating quality which you’re you apart from other people. It might be through exquisite natural beauty, a fantastic flare for dressing or an impressive physique.


64 Whatever it is, your dice rolls to convince or enthrall others have a minimum Height of 8.

2 3

BENEFACTOR

4

Cost:

1 - 10

A Benefactor is someone who is behind you for a specific purpose and will do whatever they can to assist you, as long as it is benefits your shared goal. The Benefactor may call on you for assistance but invariably you can expect any such request to be connected with your mutual interests. The main issue with a Benefactor is that they will only really go out of their way to help you if it is ultimately helping themselves. They are only your ally in so far as their needs are concerned. Buy Benefactor when you want a powerful ally and don’t mind having to put that extra effort in to maintain the relationship.

5

PIONEER: Can pull a few strings for you. INFLUENTIAL: Knows who to speak with to get things done. MOGUL: Possesses rare or highly sought goods or artefacts. MAGNATE: Your benefactor says “Jump”, people say “How high?”

Relationship Rating 0

You have nothing bonding you together.

1 2 3 4

LINKED: Considers your needs. ASSOCIATED: Mostly at your disposal. UNITED: Will help if he can. INVESTED: You represent considerable gain or loss. BOUND: If you falter, so does she.

5

When you get in touch with your Benefactor, make a Charm plus Backing Rating roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you want. The more challenging the request/requirement, the more difficult it is for you to find someone who can help. Difficulty Rating 1 2

Powerful Magnate 3 You must purchase a Benefactor in terms of Backing ng and Relationship. Backi Relationship The former describes how much assistance they can provide if and when you need it and the latter is how strong your association is. Backing Rating 0

There is no one looking out for you.

1

RESPECTED: Can put in a good word for you.

4 5

EASY: Your request is reasonable. Of shared interest. Requires some effort. DEMANDING: Benefactor has misgivings. CHALLENGING: Illegal or questionable request. Benefactor is uncertain. HARD: Risky or dangerous request. Benefactor unhappy. VERY HARD: Very risky or dangerous. Benefactor against decision.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Relationship Rating, you receive a 1d penalty for future Benefactor rolls for 1 week.


65 CONTACTS

Cost:

Contacts can consist of former work colleagues, people you may have met in a bar or friends of friends. They know you and are more than willing to offer you information or the name of someone who might be able to help you more directly.

1 - 10 HOUSE TRAIT Espionage Every point invested in this advantage counts adds 1 to appropriate Trait Score.

The good thing about Contacts are that they are hard to alienate (and if you do, you can soon pick up new ones) and rarely impose on you. The chief drawback to Contacts is that they are unlikely to go out of their way to help you; if what you need takes longer than a quick conversation, you will need a third party, which can be costly.

2 3 4 5

INSIDE INFORMATION: Knows things outsiders wouldn’t know. BREAKING NEWS: Knows things a few hours before everyone else. DIRTY LAUNDRY: Knows what a given person would prefer others not to. DARK SECRETS: Knows what a given person tries to keep buried.

Rapport Rating 0

You scratch their back, they’ll scratch yours.

1 2 3

WARY: Somewhat guarded with you. CASUAL: Conversation limited to small talk. FRIENDLY: They send you letters and kind regards. CLOSE: You regularly contact one another for a catch up session. INTIMATE: You attend family occasions.

4 5

Contacts require the least amount of effort to maintain and rarely cause you trouble in return. However, they don’t really help that much in terms of what they can tangibly provide you. Buy this advantage if you only want information.

When you get in touch with your web of contacts, make a Charm plus Information roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you want to know. The more challenging the information, the more difficult it is for you to find someone who can help.

You must pay for the amount of Information they can give you and how much of a Rapport you have with them. Information is a measure of your contacts’ ability to gather knowledge or put you in touch with someone who can help. Rapport describes just how far you can push them and your arrangements with one another.

Difficulty Rating

Information Rating

4

0

You don’t know anyone you can turn to.

5

1

STREETWISE: Can give you the word on the street.

1 2 3

EASY: Common knowledge. How to get to London. DEMANDING: Uncommon information. A good, reliable plumber. CHALLENGING: Specialist knowledge. How to fix your PC. HARD: Prohibited knowledge. How to grow cannabis. VERY HARD: Official secrets. How to hire a professional assassin.


66 If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Rapport Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Contacts rolls for 1 week.

4

EMINENCE

Reach Rating

Cost:

Your Eminence is a measure of your standing in society and/or how famous you are. The higher your Eminence, the more well known you are and the more Joe and Jane Public may pander to your whims.

1 - 10 HOUSE TRAIT Dominion Every point invested in this advantage counts adds 1 to appropriate Trait Score.

Eminence is not a “Get out of jail” card in life. It is a character’s ability to get what they want from the people who have some vested interest in them. Buy Eminence if your character is a social climber, noble or superstar. Just be prepared for people who don’t care about you to just say “No”.

5

0

Only people in the place you live know who you are.

1

CITY-WIDE: You are known throughout the territory. REGION-WIDE: You are known in a large region (a state). COUNTRY-WIDE: You’re known all across a country (France). CONTINENT-WIDE: You’re known across a continent (North America). INTERNATIONAL: You’re known across two continents (Asia and Europe).

2 3 4 5

When you want to use your Eminence to get your own way, make a Command plus Status roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you want. The more outrageous the demand, the more difficult it is for people to comply. Difficulty Rating 1

You must pay for your Eminence in terms of your social Status and the Reach of your influence. Your Status rating details how important you are while your Reach describes how far your importance stretches.

2

Status Rating

4 5

0

No-one knows who you are.

1 2

BARON/VIP: VIP: You are a leader of industry. MINOR CELEBRITY: You are a VISCOUNT/M recognised persona. HOUSEHOLD NAME: Bondsmen talk EARL/H about you.

3

SUPERSTAR: The Pyons are MARQUIS/S interested in your welfare. DUKE/M MEGASTAR: People drop your name into conversation.

3

EASY: Get a meeting with someone of your status. DEMANDING: Getting on the VIP list to an elite club or restaurant. CHALLENGING: Obtain free designer gear for “advertising purposes”. HARD: Make a criminal charge disappear. VERY HARD: Win an international award.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Reach Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Eminence rolls for 1 week.


67 ESTATE

Cost:

You have the deeds of ownership to an area of land. The nature and quality of this land is entirely up to you and the amount of points you want to spend on it. Estate is measured in terms of Size and Property. Property

1 - 10 HOUSE TRAIT Territory

Property Rating 0 1 2

Every point invested in this advantage counts adds 1 to appropriate Trait Score.

3 4 5

You have no home in your land. SMALL HOUSE: Has a 2 bedroom detached home. LARGE HOUSE: Has a 5 bedroom detached home. MANSION: A large mansion with many rooms. STATELY HOME: A luxurious building with more rooms than you can fill. CASTLE: A large castle or palace.

Size former determines just how much land you possess and Property determines what sort of property you possess as a home. Your lands are considered bought and paid for in full. If you own a working estate, it is considered self-sustaining. If you wish your estate to grant you money, buy the Income Advantage as well. If you wish to sell your estate (assuming you can find a buyer), multiply the income of the estate by 10 to determine the approximate sale price. Size Rating 0

You are without land.

1

SMALL: You have modest grounds of approximately 1 km2. MODERATE: You own a territory of approximately 5 km2. LARGE: Your estate measures roughly 12 km2. PALATIAL: Land covers an area of 25 km2. MAJESTIC: Land covers an area of 50 km2.

2 3 4 5

Castle Estate GINAZ TRAINING

Cost:

3

There are many schools that train in the arts of fencing and melee but none so fine as the Swordmaster School of House Ginaz. You are one of the elite few who have had the honour of training with the Ginaz. You may purchase the Broad Skill: Swordmanship and may learn the Ginaz Secret Feats. GUARDIAN

Cost:

1 - 10

The Guardian is a custodian who has nothing but your safety and protection in mind, perhaps this is a parent or a loyal right hand man. The Guardian shares a much closer bond to you than say an ally or a benefactor, however, this bond works both ways and you care for your


68 Guardian as much as they care for you. Accordingly, they will have certain expectations of you as much as you might of them.

Difficulty based on what it is you want. The more challenging the request, the more difficult it is for you to persuade your Guardian to act.

Buy Guardian if you want someone who will always have your back but be prepared to have them watch over you like a hawk.

Difficulty Rating

You must purchase a Guardian in terms of Auspices and Bond. Bond The former describes their ability to defend you when you need it. The latter is how strong your association is.

2

1

3 4

Auspices Rating 5 0 1 2 3 4 5

There is no one looking out for you. UMBRELLA: Minor irritations can be made to disappear. SHELTER: You will always have a roof over your head. DEFENDER: Anyone bothering you will soon leave you alone. PROTECTOR: Financial and legal problems soon disappear. AEGIS: Will attempt to shield you from anything adverse.

Bond Rating 0

You have nothing bonding you together.

1 2

OBLIGATED: Your Guardian has to help you. RELUCTANT: Your Guardian will help but only in truly dire situations. PLEDGED: Your Guardian feels she owes you help. CONNECTED: Your Guardian has a special connection to you. AFFINITY: Your Guardian has an inherent bond with you.

3 4 5

EASY: Ensure you don’t go hungry. Keep you warm. DEMANDING: Get your landlord off your back. CHALLENGING: Stop that stalker from bothering you. HARD: Prevent the spies from finding anything. VERY HARD: Keep you out of prison.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Bond Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Guardian rolls for 1 week. HONORARIUM FAMILIA

Cost:

2

The character has been honoured as a named member of his Siridar household, gaining all of the benefits associated with the Na-Familia caste of the faufreluches. The character gains full protection under the Article of Kanly known as Dictum Familia, defending him or her against all informal acts of treachery (such as assassination and unrighteous prosecution). If the character’s current Caste is less than rank 4, it is now 4. As a member of the family household, the character’s new honour obligates him or her to uphold the Great Convention and House Law. Failure to act in accordance with the letter and spirit of such legislation will result in revocation of the Honorarium Familia and may warrant more serious punishment depending on the nature of the offense.

When you get in touch with your Guardian, make a Charm plus Auspices roll with a The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

69 IMPERIAL CONDITIONING

Cost:

2

The character has received the highest order of conditioning against the taking of human life, qualifying him or her as a graduate of the Suk medical school. The character now bears the marks of Imperial Conditioning-wearing a diamond tattoo on their forehead and drawing their long hair back into the silver Suk ringindicating his or her superior medical training and absolute trustworthiness. Considered safe enough to administer treatment even to the Emperor, the character enjoys high demand for his or her services, deriving many social and material benefits as a result. The character finds that most people entrust him or her with matters having little to do with his or her medical training or pacifistic conscience. They confide their personal problems, solicit the character’s honest advice or confess their darkest secrets as if the character were their psychologist, counselor and confessor, all combined. Aside from the benefits of his or her ‘obvious’ trustworthiness, the character gains +1d on Diplomacy and Intrigue rolls. The downside to this is that, as a result of the characters Imperial Conditioning, they find themselves bridled by the so-called “Conscience of Fire”. This is the restraining mechanism programmed at the inhibitory level of his or her subconscious mind. Though his conditioning does not force the character to adopt a pacifistic ideology, the character finds his or herself incapable of enacting any volition to directly endanger life.

The character cannot take up arms against his fellow human beings, insinuate poison into his rivals drink or withhold medical treatment from a dying enemy. The character not only finds such acts entirely unconscionable but also quite impossible, given the deeply ingrained Pyretic Conscience. INFLUENCE

Cost:

You have sway over a group of people or sector. This is a much more nebulous arrangement than that found with the Associates advantage. Your influence represents your ability to change the course or policy of a specific group or sector.

1 - 10 HOUSE TRAIT Influence Every point invested in this advantage counts adds 1 to appropriate Trait Score.

However, that group or sector is a powerful machine… good examples are The Orange Catholic Church, Local Government or the Corporate Sector. Although you have no direct control over this faction, this also affords you some protection as this group will not come calling on you for favours nor will it be able to give up much information about you. You must purchase influence in terms of Sway and Trust. Trust The former represents how much power you wield within the faction and the latter represents their trust and relationship with you. Sway Rating 0

No one listens to you.

1

RESPECTED: Members respect your opinion but don’t always listen.


70 2 3 4 5

PERSON OF STATURE: You’re involved in a lot of their dealings. POPULAR FIGURE: Members seek your advice. CANON: Members usually wait for your opinion on a decision. DE-FACTO LEADER: if you aren’t the head of this group, you might as well be.

Trust Rating 0

The faction wouldn’t miss you if you weren’t there.

1

WARY: Your counsel is taken under advisement. GUARDED: Your input is appreciated. ACCEPTED: Invited to all the meetings. MEMBER: Seen as one of their own. CUSTODIAN: You are considered to have their best interests at heart.

2 3 4 5

When you use your influence, make a Command plus Sway roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you want. The more challenging the decision, the more difficult it is for you to convince those you influence. Difficulty Rating 1 2 3 4 5

EASY: Within the interests of the group. DEMANDING: A few key people have some doubts. CHALLENGING: An unpopular or difficult task or course of action HARD: Little support of your desires: boos from the back bench. VERY HARD: Loud rallying against the sheer idea.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Trust Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Influence rolls for 1 week.

LUCKY

Cost:

1

Once per session, if you do not roll any sets, you may re-roll all the dice in your dice pool. MENTOR

Cost:

1 - 10

The Mentor is responsible for you in someway connected to your training, occupation or nature. The Mentor wants you to be successful but on your own merits. They will not blindly assist you and are more likely to offer an inspiring word than provide a solution. Conversely, your Mentor is unlikely to require your assistance or make much demand on your time. A Mentor offers guidance and education with some influence in the real world. Buy Mentor if you want someone useful behind you but won’t necessarily affect your day to day life. You must purchase Mentor in terms of Support Support and Fellowship. Fellowship The former describes how much assistance they can provide if and when you need it and the latter is how strong your association is. Support Rating 0

There is no one to guide you.

1

SKILLED: Can have a word with a few friends. VETERAN ETERAN: Can get audience with some key VIPs in the field. EXPERT: Influential in several fields. MASTER: Many look to her for pearls of wisdom. GRAND MASTER: If he said the sky was green, many would agree.

2 3 4 5


71 Fellowship Rating 0

Your relationship is strictly professional.

1 2 3 4

COLLEAGUE: You talk mostly about work. COMPATRIOT: You share one or two stories. FRIEND: You are good friends. RELATIVE: You are like a favoured niece or nephew. PROGENY: You are like a son or daughter.

5

BG Sisters When you get in touch with your patron, make a Charm plus Support roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you want. The more challenging the need, the more difficult it is for you to get your mentor to help. Difficulty Rating 1 2 3 4 5

EASY: Get advice on a course of action. DEMANDING: Get some advanced training. CHALLENGING: Give some hands on help. HARD: Help return a stolen heirloom. VERY HARD: Avenge a parent’s death.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Fellowship Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Patron rolls for 1 week. PRETERNATURAL Cost: STATISTIC

6

You are unnaturally gifted in one of your six statistics. Choose a statistic: add 1 to that statistic and you may increase it to 6. PRIZED BLOODLINE

Cost:

5

Your genes make you special. Literally. There is something unique about your genetic makeup that makes your family standout and to the Bene Gesserit, this makes you worth saving.

Make no mistake, the Bene Gesserit have no love for you per se. Consider their perspective to be one of wanting to protect a prized pet: they are interested in you for your breeding stock and would make efforts to help you, as long as this didn’t work against them. You receive +1d on your Etiquette and Convince rolls against Bene Gesserit characters. RANK

Cost:

1 - 10

Rank is similar to Eminence in that it measures your standing and status but whereas the latter is concerned with society as a whole, the former is specific to an organisation. This could be a corporation, a military power, a religious cult or even a secret society. Your position means that you can utilise the resources and subordinates within that organisation to your gain. However, the organisation understandably has a tight control over what happens with its resources and misuse of its tools and members could lead to a reprimand or even expulsion. Further, you are within a hierarchy which means that while you might not be at the bottom, someone is definitely above you.


72 Rank is good because you gain the support and assistance of an organisation, whatever that may be. The downside to this is that you work for that organisation and they will have demands upon you. Take this advantage if you want major resources and don’t mind being part of a hierarchy or receiving orders.

When you need something doing, make a Command plus Station roll with a Difficulty based on what you need. The more challenging the need, the more difficult it is to justify it to your superiors.

You buy Rank in terms of Station and Sphere. Sphere The former describes your position within the organisations hierarchy and the latter the power, influence and nature of the organisation.

1

0

You are not organisations.

1

LIEUTENANT: You are above the rank and file. CAPTAIN: You have proven yourself capable of leadership. MAJOR: You are a respected, key member of an organisation. LTLT-COLONEL: You are second-in-line to a ship, department or cell. COLONEL: You’d have your own ship, department or cell.

3 4 5

a

member

of

any

0

Your organisation resources.

1

SMALL BUSINESS: Couple of people. Access to stationary. CULT: Handful of people. Some resources. LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A department. You have official powers. CORPORATION: Scores of skilled professionals at the company’s disposal. MILITARY: A whole military force.

4 5

EASY: Obtain minor tools/equipment specific to your company. DEMANDING: Obtain intelligence on a target. CHALLENGING: Provide secure premises or communication. HARD: Obtain detailed secrets on a target. VERY HARD: Perform a hostile takeover.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Sphere Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Rank rolls for 1 week. SPICE AGONY

Cost:

5

The Spice Agony is an ordeal in which an acolyte of the Bene Gesserit takes a poisonous Awareness Spectrum Narcotic and, by internally changing the substance and neutralizing its toxicity, awakens her inner self and the selves of all her female ancestors. An acolyte unable to effect this change dies. Only females had ever survived the agony.

Sphere Rating

2 3

2 3 4 5

Station Rating

2

Difficulty Rating

has

little

to

no

Once an adept has reached a certain point of development, they may undergo the Spice Agony Ritual. In game terms, the character must possess all the Bene Gesserit Secret Feats. After purchasing this Advantage, they have successfully undergone the Spice Agony and become a Reverend Mother. In addition to now being able to purchase the Reverend Mother Secret Feats, you may now


73 attempt to change the chemical composition of any substance you ingest. Roll Physique + Habitus with a difficulty based on the Potency of the substance. If they score a set, they transform the foreign toxin into a harmless substance. This effectively makes them immune to all poisons.

Further, you cannot live without the Spice: if your source is cut off or you otherwise do not take the Spice within 12 hours, you start to suffer withdrawal symptoms. If you do not take the Spice within 12 hours x your Physique statistic, you will die. Fortunately, the Spice is readily available, for the right price. STAFF

Inner Eye SPICE DIET

Cost:

3/5

The character has a regular provider of the Spice and enjoys physical longevity and minor resistance to ailments as a result of an expensive spice diet. At 3 points, the character lightly laces his or her daily meals with the spice-drug mélange which confers geriatric benefits including +1d on Habitus rolls and +1d on Perception rolls as well as a 25% increase in lifespan. At 5 points, the character has a heavy dosage of the spice-drug. Not only does this confer the benefits of the 3 point advantage but it also increases your lifespan by 50% and allows you to utilise the Level 4 and Level 5 Prescient feats. The downside to this is that you are Spice Addicted: your eyes are blue-in-blue marking your addiction (unless you wear contact lenses to mask it).

Cost:

Staff are people who work directly for you. If you want something done, they are the ones to do so, no questions asked. They may be friendly with you and even highly respect you, however, bear no mistake, the relationship is a professional one and if you cease paying the bills (whatever that might actually entail), they will soon disappear.

1 - 10 HOUSE TRAIT Warfare Every point invested in this advantage counts adds 1 to appropriate Trait Score.

Staff is good because it gives you a team of people who can get things done. The downside is that they have a necessary level of autonomy and you just have to trust that they’ll get things done the right way. Take Staff if you want a group of people to help you and don’t mind that, occasionally, your requests might not give you the results you want. You must pay for the amount of Capability they can give you and how much Fealty to you they have. Capability is a measure of your staff’s skills and talents. Fealty describes how loyal they are to your wage.


74 Difficulty Rating 1 2 3 4 Into the breach! Capability Rating 0

You have no one to rely on.

1

PERSONAL SECRETARY: Happy to take notes and arrange meetings. WORKERS: A small team of five, competent at a specific job. PROFESSIONALS: A core team of highly professional people. AGENTS: A large team of experts in several fields. PARA-MILITARY: A small force of operational specialists.

2 3 4 5

Fealty Rating 0

Completely indifferent to you.

1

Employee: They respect that you pay the bills. RESPECTED: You’ve proven yourself to them. LIKED: They enjoy working for you. FRIENDLY: You are friends with your staff. FAMILY: Your team is one big extended family unit.

2 3 4 5

When you need your Staff to do something, make a Command plus Capability roll with a Difficulty based on what it is you need. The more challenging the task, the more difficult it is for them to comply.

5

EASY: Obtain everyday items. Pick up your laundry. DEMANDING: Handle an important case. Poach a rival’s clients. CHALLENGING: Steal business secrets. Broker a sensitive deal. HARD: Burn down a rival’s house. Kidnap someone’s son. VERY HARD: Murder a rival’s family.

If you fail the roll and the Difficulty is higher than your Fealty Rating, you receive a -1d penalty for future Staff rolls for 1 week. WEALTH

Cost:

This advantage determines your personal wealth beyond that of your House. 1pt: Small Finances 2pt: Minor Monies 3pt: Comfortable Lifestyle 4pt: Disposable Income 5pt: Well-Off 6pt: Prosperous 7pt: Affluent 8pt: Wealthy 9pt: Dirty Rich 10pt: Mega Rich

1 - 10 HOUSE TRAIT Treasury Treasury Every point invested in this advantage counts adds 1 to appropriate Trait Score.

WORLDLY Cost: 3 The character has spent time in different cultures. You must stipulate which culture you have experience of but you receive +1d on any rolls pertaining to their Knowledge, customs etc. You also receive +1d on your rolls for etiquette and empathy skills when dealing with those persons. This includes any rolls pertaining to


75 any such rolls on Advantages relating to such group…


76

ELEMENT 03 - SKILLS BROAD SKILL

NARROW SKILLS

ACADEMIA

EDUCATION RESEARCH

ATHLETICS

ACROBATICS POWER

DIPLOMACY

ETIQUETTE NEGOTIATION

DUEL

ATTACK DEFEND

ENGINEERING

BUILD DESIGN

ENTERTAIN

ARRANGEMENT PERFORM

FOCUS

PRESCIENCE WILLPOWER

HABITUS

CONTROL VIGOR

INFILTRATION

ACCESS

INTRIGUE

CONVINCE EMPATHY

LEADERSHIP

AUTHORITY

MARKSMANSHIP

BALLISTICS

DISGUISE

STRATEGY PROJECTILES OBSERVE

EVALUATE SEARCHING

PERCEPTION

HEARING

PERSONALITY

ENTHRALL

SIGHT INTIMIDATE PHYSICIAN

INFLICTION REMEDY

PILOT

ATMOSPHERE VOID

SINISTER

ASSASSIN PRESTIDIGITATION

STEALTH

HIDING SNEAKING

SURVIVAL

DIRECTION SUSTENANCE


77 Specialist Skills DRIVE

SHIELD FIGHTING

KNOWLEDGE

SWORDMANSHIP

LANGUAGE

TRACK

RIDE

UNDERWORLD

SAIL

WEAPON SKILL

SKILL BREAKDOWN

NARROW SKILLS

ACADEMIA

is the ability to perform jumps, backflips, climb ropes and general gymnastic feats. If you want to measure a character’s ability to dodge, hurdling or some other feat of agility, Acrobatics is probably your port of call. You can leap 5 feet across or 2 feet high per point of Width. A starting run adds 2 die.

You’ve picked up a lot of information over the years but just how much is measured by this skill. This covers General Knowledge about the world(s) around you and covers everything from fine arts and literature to which clothes are currently en vogue.

ACROBATICS

Nb. Acrobatics is your ability to Dodge! NARROW SKILLS demarcates your level of general knowledge and the understanding of the world around you. From science to mathematics, to general history and politics, the higher your skill rating, the more you know. EDUCATION

RESEARCH describes how you know all this information. You not only can go through a library and pick out the exact text you need but you can rifle through a stack of glossy magazines and come away with vital data in amongst which starlet has just cheated on which star.

POWER determines your skill in general muscle skills. Running, rowing, lifting, you name it, Power covers it. Cowards run away from fights, brave men run toward them. In a melee, you can run 5m every round automatically. If you want to increase that, roll Physique + Power. Every point of Width adds 3m. DIPLOMACY Your Diplomacy represents how good you are at dealing with people in social situations. Roll this when you want to hold your own in a conversation or avoid showing yourself up in front of the nobility.

ATHLETICS NARROW SKILLS The catch-all skill for most physical tasks. This involves sports, throwing, swimming, lifting weights, leaping around; essentially, any kind of physical action where training can assist. Roll this when you want to swing from a chandelier or make a long drop without breaking your leg.

measures your manners and ensures you behave well in company. It’s not just the obvious stuff like “never pinch the hostess’ husband in front of her” though that’s in there too. It also indicates knowledge of exotic cultural mores. Take this specialisation if you

ETIQUETTE


78 want to know to dine cordially, dance passably, flirt acceptably and accept (or decline) a royal gift graciously. represents your talents are coming to an agreement with another party. It is finding a mutually convenient, happy medium after long discussions. Here, your goal is to get the best deal for your ‘team’ without alienating the ‘opposition’.

purchase this skill, you must specify the field you have studied. Some examples are Cybernetics, Electronics, Genetics and Mechanics.

NEGOTIATION

DUEL This is your broad-based, untrained, naturally vicious brawling. Someone with a high Duel skill may lack the finesse and technique of someone with a sophisticated Weapon Skill but that’s rarely a comfort when the fighter is burying a blade in your ribcage.

NARROW SKILLS governs your facility to quite literally allows make a new machine or to repair an existing one. This is art of seeing a pile of components and knowing how they fit together to fix or even create a whole new device.

BUILD

DESIGN allows you to study and create Blue Prints for new, more advanced machines and components. If you want to re-design a piece of machinery to make it smaller or faster or even bullet-proof, design is the skill you need.

ENTERTAIN Roll this when you want to get out of harm’s way or pick up a stick and club someone with it. NARROW SKILLS ATTACK represents your ability to pick something up and hit someone with it. It can be used with any hand to hand weapon where it is obvious how you hurt someone with it.

describes your talents at sticking something between you and an attack. This might be your blade, a shield or even a mailed forearm. As long as you can interpose an object with an incoming attack, you’re fine. Just don’t try parrying with your bare hands. DEFEND

ENGINEERING If you want technical knowledge, then you’ll want this skill. Engineering is the ability to understand some form of technology and build machines from the ground up. When you

Your facility (and understanding of how) to entertain others through a variety of medium. Roll this when you want to do some sort of performance intending to impress or entertain. NARROW SKILLS ARRANGEMENT is your understanding and the act of creating entertainment. Its about directing a performance, about organizing a venue and manufacturing your own original work. If you want to write a sonnet, remix an old version or teach people how to dance, then you would use your Arrangement skill.

demonstrates your skill at entertaining through some form of medium, be it a musical instrument, acting, dancing, sleight of hand or singing. When purchasing this specialisation, you must designate your medium. You may purchase this skill multiple times, each time choosing a new medium.

PERFORM


79 FOCUS This talent measures your experience with the uncanny, unnatural and unwholesome. Through training, you learn to develop your inner strength and mind. Roll this when you are exploring your inner self. NARROW SKILLS governs how in tune you are with your natural instincts and, for those few how are able, how much you’ve trained and developed your latent prescient abilities. PRESCIENCE

WILLPOWER determines your ability to resist temptation and other undue influences. If you’re being tortured, tempted or ensorcelled, your Willpower will generally afford you some defense.

so this often a good bet for belligerent types. It’s also what you roll to resist sickness and poison. INFILTRATION The skill to get access to any area is well sought after in a day and age of legal assassinations. ACCESS describes your ability to do just that: gain entry into an area you’re not supposed to be. Be it vaults, chests or warehouse doors, you can break them all open with just the flick of a wrist. is your ability to obfuscate yourself and appear as something you are not. And it isn’t just about putting on a different hat, its changing your manner and the way you present yourself.

DISGUISE

INTRIGUE

This is the degree of control you have over your physical body. You have spent time developing your physique and have greater control and a hardier constitution that others. Roll this when you need a steady hand or to avoid throwing up.

The art of getting people to what you want through subterfuge, be it convincing people of the “truth” or simply getting them to move out of the way. Roll this when you want to convince someone that the fool’s gold you have is real or that the potatoes you have are worth much more than they are offering or persuade the Prince to give you an honour guard.

NARROW SKILLS

NARROW SKILLS

CONTROL denotes your flexibility and muscular control. Maybe you want to squeeze through a tight space or perhaps need to slip your wrists out of handcuffs or if you want to do the splits over two rocks, any of these describe perfect examples of Control.

is the ability to persuade people that your way of the world is the right way. This can be all the way from begging to confounding someone with feats of “logic” to outright lies and manipulation. Bottom line: whenever you want to deceive someone or get your own way without resorting to threats, use Convince.

HABITUS

VIGOR is not so much a talent that is learned or studied. Instead it represents your stamina and how well you overcome injury and illness. You make Body + Vigor rolls to recover from combat

CONVINCE

measures your ability to gauge those with whom you speak and interact. Use it to see through the lies, detect when people are

EMPATHY


80 attempting to influence your mood with guile and spot the envious ex-lover at the wedding.

describes your ability to use any missile weapon that requires physical action, be it a bow, a spear or a boomerang.

PROJECTILES

LEADERSHIP OBSERVE This is your ability to lead a group of people. This can be an army, a group of wizards or even a team of office workers. Roll this when you want to lead a unit in to battle, give a rallying speech or give a person a dressing down. NARROW SKILLS AUTHORITY describes your talent to get a group of people to do what you want. It is the ability to give commands and have people follow them, whether it be through inspirational leadership or with a gun to the head… It is also about organisation and knowing that if you don’t keep your army happy, you might not have one tomorrow. STRATEGY demonstrates your ability to see the bigger picture in a situation, looking beyond the individual and seeing how they interact to become an army. Rather than focusing on individual salesmen or soldiers, you look at supply lines, bypassing areas and economics.

MARKSMANSHIP If you want to shoot someone in the gut with a gun or put an arrow in someone’s eye, this is the skill you need. Shotguns, pistols, bows, slings: they’re all covered by this skill.

Where as Perception deals with your ability to spot and hear things, Observe is your talent at uncovering things in a logical and methodical manner. Roll this when you want to check the quality of something or figure out that a body was dragged through a room. If you want to hunt for something, use Observe. If you want to notice something, use a Perception skill. NARROW SKILLS EVALUATE is the detective’s art of looking at a scene, putting together all the divined facts and coming to a conclusion. It is also the merchant’s art of appraising the quality of something. By use of Search and Tracking, one can survey a scene and determine events which happened in the past. is your ability to do just that. You can rifle through a room and find what you are looking for. You can search anything from a book to a treasure map: if there’s something there to be found, you’ll find it. SEARCH

PERCEPTION

NARROW SKILLS

A measure of your general awareness of your surroundings. It determines your visual acuity, clarity of hearing and overall sensitivity. Roll this when you need to spot something.

BALLISTICS is

NARROW SKILLS

the use of any weapon that requires you to point and fire one or more shots. This is the general ability to pick up any gun-like weapon, point it at someone and pull the trigger.

determines your quality of hearing. You’re superb at eavesdropping, hearing muffled footsteps in dark alleys and recognizing

HEARING


81 which string on your friend’s violin is just a trifle sharp.

less sick and injured is often one that can make you very popular with your friends.

describes your clarity and keenness of vision. This ability improves your chances of spotting the trapdoor your about to step on, the sail on the horizon or the stealthy assassin…

describes how good you are at applying your beneficial knowledge to the detriment of your victims. Your understanding of a person’s physiology makes you as skilled at harming as it does as healing. This governs torture, chaumas (poison in the food) and chaumurky (poison in the drink).

SIGHT

PERSONALITY Personality is part description, part definition of your character’s demeanor. It is how likeable you are and how good at communicating you are. It is also about the force of your personality and how much people jump when you bark... allows you to talk and make someone want to keep listening to you. It represents your conversational finesse, your talent for listening (or for making people think you’re listening) and your general ability to “help” people like you. If you want to charm, speak in public, impress, recruit or simply amuse an individual, roll Enthrall.

INFLICTION

PILOT This is the broad ability to control a powered vehicle, be it in the air, space, water or on the land.

ENTHRALL

focuses solely on getting your way through fear. The nature of the threat you represent doesn’t matter, anything from political ruination to magical revenge to a brutal beating is covered by this specialisation. INTIMIDATE

PHYSICIAN This is knowledge of physiology, the application of which can be either be helpful or harmful. Roll this when you want to assess a person’s current state of health or when you want to do something about it.

NARROW SKILLS ATMOSPHERIC is the talent to pilot most vehicles within a planetary atmosphere. This is all powered aircraft including jets, microlights and helicopters. VOID is your ability to drive a space-borne vessel. Shuttles, fighters, monitors, crushers, frigates, they are all piloted using the Void skill.

SINISTER You’re a villain, plain and simple. You can steal things right out of people’s pockets, you can open the most secure of locks, you even know where to offload any ill-gotten gains. Roll this if you want to steal, break in to things or know information about those who would steal or break in to things. NARROW SKILLS

NARROW SKILLS REMEDY is the mundane ability to clean wounds, apply bandages, prescribe medicine and set bones. The specialisation of helping people get

ASSASSIN is your ability to apply poisons, rig traps or just plain old stab someone in the back. It is usually supported by other Sinister skills but Stealth is extremely complementary.


82 PRESTIDIGITATION measures your talent at tricks of sleight of hand and even lifting valuables straight out of people’s pockets. Any deft movement of the hands can be performed with this skill.

the art of not dying in adverse conditions. If there’s food and water to be had, you’ll find it and you know that you need salt in hot weather and if the temperature drops much more, you’ll die.

STEALTH

SPECIALIST SKILL BREAKDOWN

The art of stealth is employed whenever one wants to go undetected. Roll this when you want to hide the knife on your person or conceal the fact you’re a woman. NARROW SKILLS HIDE demarcates your ability to hide yourself and other things. Its about remaining unseen while the household searches for you or hiding under the bed when your lover’s wife comes home…

describes your talent at moving quietly. You are as at home skulking around the city streets as you are stalking game in the woods. SNEAK

SURVIVAL The knack of knowing where you are, where you’re going and how to survive in between. Roll this if you are lost in a network of caves, want to catch some fish or want to avoid heat exposure. NARROW SKILLS DIRECTION gives you a general feel for your location. Some part of you is constantly aware of your travel, height, weight and direction. You can intuitively find North, retrace your steps easily and guide your ship back to port even under cloudy skies.

not only allows you to locate, trap and prepare food out in the wild but it is also SUSTENANCE

KNOWLEDGE is a specific area of learning that the character has researched. You may purchase this skill multiple times and each time you must specify which field this is in. Some Knowledge examples are the Arts, Imperial History, History of a specific world, the Sciences or an Out-freyn (non-Imperial) Culture. DRIVE is your ability to drive land based vehicles like cars, motorbikes and the like. Such vehicles are not common in this day and age of ornithopters and starships. LANGUAGE this is the ability to read and write another language. You may purchase this skill multiple times and each time you must specify which language this is. RIDE is the ability to ride and care for a specific type of animal. You may purchase this skill multiple times and each time you must specify the type of animal you can ride. SAIL is the catch-all term to describe a character’s ability to negotiate the waters of the world via sail, motor or rowing. Roll this when navigating by compass and sextant and sailing a schooner. You may purchase this skill multiple times and each time you must specify the type of vessel you can sail. SHIELD FIGHTING is the skill used to specifically fight wearing a holtzman shield. With this


83 training, you may purchase the Shield Fighting martial feats. You may utilise any of the following Weapon Specialisations using Shield Fighting: Fencing, Close-Fighting, Unarmed. Your skill rating is limited by your Shield Fighting skill.

Medium Melee, Heavy Melee, Archery, Small Arms (pistols and the like), Long Arms (shotguns and rifles) and Heavy Weapons (rocket launchers and those all important Lasguns).

SWORDMANSHIP is special skill that may only be purchased by characters with the Ginaz Training Advantage. Unique of all the Swordmaster Schools, the Ginaz train their students in the use of "graceful application of power". The Swordmanship skill allows the character to use Medium Blade Weapons as Low Velocity, therefore enabling them to make the Slow Attack necessary to penetrate the Holtzman Shield. You may not raise your Swordmanship skill higher than your Duel skill. Swordmanship is a Weapon Skill and therefore utilises Prowess, not Physique. represents your skill at identifying the tracks of some thing, be it a person, animal or vehicle, and then following them to their destination’s end. TRACK

UNDERWORLD is the ability to not only know where to find other criminals but also how they operate and how to deal with them. It’s the art of knowing how to sell something on the black market and how to perform a good con. Underworld is the catch-all skill for fencing stolen goods, working confidence scams and knowing all there is to know about the criminal element. WEAPON SKILL is the training in a specific type of weapon. The weapon types are Personal,


84

ELEMENT 04 - FEATS ACADEMIA FEATS •

EDUCATION: EMPIRICAL ERUDITION Research (1 Point): Point) You add 1d when you are researching information. Observation (2 Points): Points) You may add 1d to Sight tests when watching something. Inquiry (3 Points): Points) You may raise the Height of any set to 6 on your Assess rolls. Theorize (4 Points): Points) Whenever you are presented with a situation or circumstance you can roll Academia at Difficulty 6. The resulting set allows you to ask the Judge of the Game the Width in “Yes” or “No” questions about your theories of the situation.

Your GM will determine what exactly is a Key Fact but usually details like period of history, area of the world investigating, etc. E.g. A character is hired to investigate another character’s family history. The investigating character is told that the immediate family names are Aaronson and Zemeckis and that one branch of the family moved from Ireland to Montana in the 19th Century. The GM deems the family names and the place of origin to be two separate Key Facts and gives a +2d bonus.

Methodology (5 Points): Points) Your mind is a logical and organised machine.

Where? (2 Points): Points) Knowing what to look for is one part of the battle, knowing where to look for it is another. Your extensive experience with research projects has given you a good personal index of what information is where.

Whenever you take extra time on a task where logic and organisation can assist, your Height is automatically 10 (raise a any lower set).

If you have access to all the relevant texts and information sources, you can halve the time it would normally take to uncover the data.

You may reduce this Difficulty by 1 per hard fact you have.

•

You gain a +1d bonus to your Academia tests when researching for each set of Key Facts you know about the subject you are researching.

RESEARCH: FACT FINDER What? (Level 1): 1) You have developed a good research regimen and consequently, when given enough information, you can identify what exactly it is you need to find out.

Trivia Pursuits (3 Points) Your Points): oints) researching talents have made you knowledgeable of many different subjects. You may add a bonus to any Academia roll unrelated to research. Bibliophile (4 Points): Points) You have a personal collection of texts and papers that would make a librarian jealous.


85 Acrobatic Strike (4 Points): Points) A skilled tumbler can use his or her talents to assist in a fight. If you make an attack whilst performing an Athletic action, perhaps jumping off a wall or swinging from a chandelier, you may “Charge” without needing to run 15ft.

Choose a Specialist Subject when you purchase this feat: any research pertaining to your chosen subject adds 1 to the Special Die. Example subjects might be Starships, Religion, Cars, Aircraft and so on. Expert Bibliophile (5 Points): As Points) Bibliophile only you increase your Special Die by 2.

Wuxia Pian (5 Points): Points) Any set scored on a Close Combat Attack is duplicated and may be used as either a Dodge or an “Acrobatic Strike”.

ATHLETIC FEATS • •

ACROBATICS: WIRED Through discipline and training, you have developed your acrobatic skills to a level that gives you great freedom of movement. Tumble (1 Point): Point) You reduce the difficulty of all Acrobatics (including Jumping) tests by 1. Roll Over (2 Points): Points) You can roll with a fall or tumble and instantly get back to your feet. You lose one die from a set any round you use this technique. This also negates any throw or trip attacks against you. Leaping Dodge (3 Points): Points) Your skills are now so honed that you have a constant weaving and ducking motion. This teaching has been likened to the movements of snakes (and to the drunk by some…). You may add a dodge to another action without declaring a multiple action and using the larger of the two pools.

POWER: WORK HORSE Sprint (1 Point); Point) If you perform no other action save running flat out, you gain a 1d bonus to your roll. Run Away! Points); You gain a 2d Away! (2 Points) bonus to your running rolls when escaping from a dangerous situation. You may not combine this with Sprint. Run For Cover (3 Points) Points); ints) If you begin a run action in cover and end it in cover, you may use your running roll as Counter Dice against ranged combat attacks against you that round. Run & Gun (4 Points); Points) You may twin a set for any action and use it for a Run action without penalty. Endurance (5 Points); Points) As long as you have dice in your pool, you automatically succeed your Habitus tests when exerting yourself whilst performing a power athletics test.


86 inappropriate of situations, you can maintain the most austere of appearances.

DIPLOMACY FEATS •

ETIQUETTE: SAVOIR FAIRE

Without making a roll, you can remain upright and polite, even if you have been given the worst of news.

Silver Service (1 Point) Point): You always know which fork to eat with and the correct way to tie a bowtie: you are the very model of class. You never need to roll to know the correct way of doing things in your own culture.

Furthermore, your example brings others into line and anyone attempting to make things uncivil in a conversation you are involved in receives -2d to their dice pool.

Formal Dance (2 Points): Points) You have studied the waltz and other such dances for formal occasions. You may roll your Diplomacy skill when dancing.

Lastly, you add 1 to the Width of all your Etiquette tests. •

You should be aware that this is purely the ability to get through a formal occasion without looking like a klutz. To really impress someone with your dancing skills, purchase the appropriate Perform skill. Lasting Impression (3 Points): Points) you are the soul of civility and culture. People don’t quickly forget you.

NEGOTIATION: CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT How Can I Help? (1 Point): Point) You have a helpful and friendly demeanor which puts people at ease. You may use your Charm plus Diplomacy in place of your Command plus Intrigue when attempting to persuade someone.

You may Squish any Social roll against a person whom you have previously made a successful roll against.

Gifts & Favours (2 Points): Points) You may add 1 to 3 dice to your Diplomacy dice pool when attempting to negotiate with someone by giving them gifts and favours.

Faux Pas (4 Points): Points) A social faux pas is nothing for you and can quickly be covered up by your sincere demeanor.

For each gift, bonus or benefit you promise/bestow on that person, you gain one bonus die for your immediate rolls.

Once per encounter, if you fail a Diplomacy roll for etiquette, you may reroll.

A gift/favour is defined as some tangible item or beneficial promise you give to that person. How much truth or actual benefit from your gift there is depends entirely on you (and possibly, your lies…).

Cordiality (5 Points): Points) Nothing can perturb your cool mien. Even in the face of overwhelming rudeness or the most


87 Examples of gifts are reasonable discount, additional goods thrown in, owing a favour and the like.

Power Attack (3 (3 Points): Points) You may make an attack and add 1 to the Width of a damaging set.

Is That Your Final Answer? (3 Points): By putting doubts in a person’s mind, you can undermine their confidence and second guess their decision.

Clinch (4 Points): Points) Make a Physique + Duel test. Success indicates you lock your weapon with your opponents: neither weapon may be used whilst clinched. You can unclinch your weapon as an action requiring no roll. Your opponent must make a skill test to do the same.

You can force a character you are attempting to negotiate with to reroll a single die in one set on any roll resisting your persuasions. This rerolled die can form a new set. I’m Gonna Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse (4 Points): Points) So you’ve tried charming someone to your way of thinking and that didn’t work. Now it’s time to just bully them into it. If you can force your victim into a situation which puts them at a disadvantage (maybe you have secrets with which to blackmail them or you have a group of heavies somewhere in the background), you increase your negotiation Width by 1. Selling Selling Snow To Eskimos (5 Points): Points) You always add 2 to your Special Die on Diplomacy rolls when negotiating. DUEL FEATS •

ATTACK: POWER ATTACK Quarry (1 Point): Point) If you take an action to ‘mark’ a target, you receive a +1d bonus on attacks against them for the rest of this combat. Hammer (2 (2 Points): Points) If your opponent fails to parry your attack, they disarmed.

Decimate (5 Points): Points) You may make an attack and add 2 to the Width of a damaging set. •

DEFEND: WEAVE Full Parry (1 Point): Point) If you take no other action than Parry this round, you receive +1d to your roll. Riposte (2 Points): Points) If you spoil an attack with your parry and have a spare set, you may make an attack this round at no penalty. Stop Thrust (3 Points): Points) You may combine an attack and parry without penalty and using the larger of the two pools. Prise de Fer (4 Points): Points) You take control of your opponent’s blade and let loose with an appropriate unarmed strike, such as a head-butt or punch. If you successfully spoil an attack with your parry, you twin your set for an unarmed combat. Web of Steel (5 Points): Points) When you make a parry action, as long as you score a set, you automatically spoil an


88 opponent’s set regardless of your Width or Height.

SITUATION FULL RESOURCES SOME MISSING PARTS MINIMAL EQUIPMENT

ENGINEERING FEATS

NO RESOURCES

•

DIFFICULTY 2 3 4 5

BUILD: CRAFTWORKER Success yields the following results; Builder’s Eye (1 Point): Point) You add 1 to the Width of any Observe test when appraising objects of your chosen field.

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: the device will work for a few hours before dying. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: as above but will work for a few days. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: as above but will work for a few weeks.

Craftsman (2 Points): Points) You can Squash your Engineering rolls when building. BenchBench-Thumping (3 Points): Points) Although getting something to work properly is best served with a full repair, by giving the device a good hit, you can make an Intellect + Engineering test at Difficulty 3. Success means the device works one more time than expected. Repeated use increases the Difficulty by 1 each time and a failure indicates that the device is wrecked: only a full repair will do. Master Craftsman (4 Points): Points) You can Squish and Squish your Engineering rolls when building. JuryJury-Rig (5 Points): Points) Whereas “BenchThumping” gives you a last ditch attempt to get a failing device to work, “Jury-Rig” allows you to make a temporary repair using minimal resources. Make an Intellect + Engineering test at the following Difficulty;

•

DESIGN: APPLIED PROFESSIONAL Memory (1 Point): Point) You add 1d to any Engineering test involving a task you have previously done. Bamboozle (2 Points): Points) You can utilise your advanced knowledge to confound and confuse people: you gain +1d on Intrigue tests when using Subterfuge relating to your field. R & D (3 Points): Points) You conduct the research and testing for your design. Roll Insight + Engineering and your success creates Research Notes. Anyone working from your Research Notes can either reduce a Design Difficulty by 1 or penalty by -1d. You must have Research Notes to create an Expert Blue Print. Expert Blue Print (4 Points): Points) By working from Research Notes and fully exploring your design and putting together a superb template, you can improve your


89 chances to successfully build or repair a device.

I Predict A Riot (3 Points): Points) You are well known for a particular style of composition. Choose a Style when you purchase this feat. You may Squish when composing a Piece in your Style.

Make an Insight + Engineering test at Difficulty 4 to create an Expert Blue Print.

Example styles might be Hip Hop, Satirical Comedy, Epic Drama and so on.

Any time a character has an Expert Blue Print to work from, they add 1 to their Special Dice.

Come Together (4 Points): Points) “As I Predict A Riot”, only you may now Squash when composing a Piece in your Style.

Master Blue Print (5 Points): Points) As Expert Blue Print only they add 2 to their Special Dice.

Not A Dry Eye In The House (5 Points): Points) You can create a Piece or Direct a performance that is a veritable opus magnum. The audience are enthralled by your work and will attend any performance of the same, irrespective of performer!

ENTERTAIN FEATS •

ARRANGEMENT: CONDUCTION ONDUCTION These feats are all about creating a Piece of entertainment within a respective field. You may only compose a piece of entertainment for which you have the appropriate Entertain skill.

When creating a Piece, before rolling, you may choose 1 to 3 Opus dice. Each Opus die you take is a Counter Die to your Entertain roll to compose.

We’re In This Together (1 Point): Point) You can create a Piece that makes any audience feels a connection with the performer, as if the performer truly understands them. Anyone performing this piece gains a bonus die to Intrigue and Personality rolls against audience members for an hour per Width of their performance set. You’re So Vain (2 Points): Points) Although you may not be important yourself, you’ve rubbed shoulders with enough people who are that you can name drop to get what you want. You may use your Entertain skill instead of Intrigue when trying to get your own way with people in your field.

If you still manage to make a set, every Opus die adds 1 Width to the set of anyone performing the piece. •

PERFORM: VOICE IN THE DARKNESS Don’t You Know Who I Am?! (1 Point): Point) You are a Diva or a Divo (or at least you think you are). Irrespective of whether people know who you are or not, you can sometimes get your own way just be shouting loud enough! And of course, everyone let’s an artiste get away with such terrible behaviour. You gain a bonus die on your Intrigue rolls to influence or bully people.


90 Tear Jerker (2 Points): Points) By tailoring a performance to garner a specific emotion, incurring a -1d penalty to your roll, you gain a +1d bonus to your next Intrigue test made against a member of your audience immediately after the performance. Money Money Money (3 Points): Points) You are well sought after to perform in public. You can command double the usual fee just by reputation alone! Personal Performance (4 Points): Points) By tailoring your entertainment for an individual, where you make it obvious to that person you are performing just for them, you can impress them and then charm them to your heart’s content. Roll Insight + Entertain at Difficulty 3; STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X; you impress them enough that they are friendly and willing to listen to you.

fan of your work (even if you do not have the Eminence Advantage). FOCUS FEATS •

PRESCIENCE: INNER NNER EYE Instinct (1 Point): Point) Your instincts are highly developed and you’ve learned the hard way to trust them. Once per game session, you may use your Focus rating in place of your Insight statistic for a dice roll. Cognizance (2 Points): Points) You are an alert person and see a lot more than most do: you are always the first to notice someone’s new haircut or a minor alteration to a room. You may roll your Focus skill instead of your Perception skill when noticing things.

You’ve won them over this far (+1 die on your immediate Social tests).

Preconsciousness (3 Points): Your Points) awareness is such that you pick up on other people’s nonverbal cues.

EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X; as above, only they really like you (+2d on your immediate Social tests).

You gain add 1 to your Initiative and to your Diplomacy rolls when reading their body language.

MASTER SUCCESS - 4X; as above, only the victim is putty in your hands (add 1 to Special Dice).

Premonition (4 Points) Points): To utilise this feat, you must have an Enriched Spice Diet.

My Reputation Proceeds Me (5 Points): Points) You are so well renowned and well known that everyone wants to know you.

Your senses and instincts are so finely tuned that you can sometimes gain a impression of what is about to happen.

You may add a bonus Master Die to your Eminence rolls against anyone who is a

Perhaps it is some latent psychic power or maybe you are merely acting on a highly refined preconsciousness.


91 Either way, when something bad is about to happen, your Games Master will roll a dice pool of your Insight + Intellect statistics in secret. If you score any set at all, your Games Master will tell you “You get a bad feeling about this.” Furthermore, you are prone to “Waking Dreams” in which you see random visions of the future. These are largely controlled by the Judge of the Game but they should give portents of future events. Third Eye Open (5 Points): Points) To utilise this feat, you must have an Enriched Spice Diet. Your perception faculties are far beyond that of Joe or Jane Average. In fact, you can sense things that normal people cannot. Once per session, you may completely undo a scene and replay it from the beginning, as you received a prescience vision of the future. •

WILLPOWER: IRON MIND Implacable Implacable (1 Point): Point) The strong-willed never give anything away: even their general demeanor reveals nothing. No matter what buttons a person presses, it is hard to get a reaction out of them. Anyone attempting to use Diplomacy to read your emotions receives a -1d penalty.

Social Attacks against you receive -1d. Just a Flesh Wound (3 Points): Points) Pain is just a feeling and through discipline, you can learn to ignore it. You may ignore up to 2 points of either Height and/or Dice Pool penalties stemming from pain and injury. Guilty Pleasure (4 Points): Points) Everyone has a weakness they choose to indulge every now and then. Those with enough mental fortitude have the ability to indulge just enough to feel satiated but not enough to over-indulge. Once per session, you can overrule a decision made for you by the Judge. You may also use this to ignore any Craving or Problem you have, but successfully resisting the lure does not garner any experience! Indomitable (5 Points): Points) You have the strongest of wills and people find it almost impossible to force you to do something that you have decided against. Some people call this being stubborn while others call this strength of character. You have developed your willpower to the point where you reduce any the Width of any sets to any attempt to coerce you by 1 and/or add 1 to your Width to resist.

Never Surrender (2 Points): Points) Your force of will is such that even faced with insurmountable odds, you refuse to kowtow. The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

92 Habitus rating do not lose 1 die from the impact (if they should lose 2, this is reduced to 1).

HABITUS FEATS •

CONTROL: KINESTHETICS

Example: a character has an Endurance rating of 4. He rolls 2x2. An opponent’s attack goes off at 3x7. The first character should lose 1 die from a set from the impact but is protected by Unflinching.

Motor Control Control (1 Point): Point) You have trained to use your offhand: reduce the Offhand Penalty by 1. Limber (2 Points): Points) You are extremely limber and have a high control over your body. Performing the splits, bending your limbs and the like is little challenge to you. You gain a +2d bonus on tests involving balance, gracefulness and being pinned/grappled. Dislocate (3 Points); Points) You can dislocate your bones and limbs, giving you a +2d bonus to escaping bonds and fitting in tight spaces. Bend Like A Reed In The Wind (4 Points) Points); nts) You increase the Width of a Dodge set by 1. Physical Perfection (5 Points); Points) Your physical motor control is absolute: any time you roll Physique + Athletics, you can change the Height of one set to 10. •

VIGOR: IRON CONSTITUTION CastCast-Iron Stomach (1 Point): Point) You add 1d to your dice pool when rolling to resist food-based poisons (including really bad or very spicy food). Toxic (2 Points): Points) You add 1d to your dice pool when rolling to resist liquid-based poisons (and yes, that includes alcohol and getting drunk). Unflinching (3 Points): Points) When you are hit in combat, sets that are lower than your

Quick Healer (4 Points): Points) Once per session, after a full night’s rest, you may remove 1 point of Physical, Mental or Social damage. Unbleeding Heart (5 Points): Points) Once per session, you may ignore the first point of damage taken to one of your statistics. INFILTRATION FEATS •

ACCESS: LOCKSMITH’S HAND Familiar With The Works Of … (1 Point): Point) You can examine a lock and see what kind of design it is. By making a Intellect + Observe test, Difficulty 3, you may be knowledgeable of the lock maker’s trademarks. If you are successful, you gain a bonus die to your attempt to open the lock. Hidden Picks (2 Points): Points) Through experience, you’ve found the perfect place to hide your ‘picks on your person. May be you have a secret pocket or a false heel. Regardless, anyone attempting to search your person receives a Difficulty equal to your Infiltration to locate your lock picks.


93 Signature Tools (3 Points): Points) You’ve had your lock picks for years and made a number of modifications.

lock, might be able to open any lock. Crafting a key is very hard, very intense work, taking approximately 8 full hours.

You may Squish and Squash on lock picking tests when using them plus you can never arbitrarily lose them nor forget where you’ve put them: they’re that important to you.

When it comes to using the key, roll Intellect + Infiltration at Difficulty 5. Success indicates you’ve successfully opened the lock. Failure breaks the key, rendering it unusable.

However, you are so used to them that using someone else’s (or even a new set) feels ‘wrong’ to you, incurring a -1d penalty and losing the ability of your Signature Tools feat until you’ve “worn them in” (3 consecutive successful lock pick tests). Forge Key (4 Points): Points) By examining a key for only moments, you can craft a duplicate. You need to be able to touch the key and examine it up close but you only need a few moments before you’ve got a general idea. It takes an hour to cut a duplicate. When you are using the key for the first time, make a Intellect + Infiltration test at Difficulty 6 less the period of study; TIME AN HOUR HALF AN HOUR MINUTES MOMENTS

DIFFICULTY 3 2 1 0

Roll when you come to use the key. Success indicates that the key is good enough to open the lock. If it fails, well, you’re out of luck! Skeleton Key (5 Points): Points) The Skeleton Key is a key that has been cut in such a way that, with some jiggering in the

•

DISGUISE: GUY INCOGNITO Disguise is to present yourself as something your not. Guy Incognito represents the art of almost becoming the disguise. Through the use of this set of feats, you transcend the act of pretending to be someone else to actually becoming that person in your own mind. It is important to note that you must purchase Step One, Step Two and Step Three for each individual alternative Identity you may have (thus, costing 6 experience per new identity you wish to create). However, Steps Four and Five can be used with any such ID purchased. Step One: Who Are You? (1 Point): Point) The first stage in assuming a new identity is to determine the little details. Things like name, place of birth, date of birth etc. Once you have determined these pieces of information about alternate identity, they become solid “facts” to you, second nature. Whenever you assume an alternate identity, you never become confused about who you currently are. If quizzed about such details, you never miss a


94 new identity. It goes beyond simple acting: for all intents and purposes, you utterly believe you are this new person.

beat: they are no longer even fictitious to you. Step Two: What Do You Know? (2 Points): Points) As with Step One, but you now compartmentalize facts about a personality.

So sincere you are in your belief, that only magical means could detect you are other than who you say you are. This feat allows you to assume an identity that doesn’t require a disguise: you can present a completely different face to the world purely by changing your demeanor and stance. However, this would incur a successful Charm + Disguise roll to convince someone.

You might decide that “Klatu of Nikto” is a farmhand who has been mooning over a particular girl since his youth. Once this is determined, you can forever remember this and associate it with a specific personality. Once you’ve succeeded in a successful Charm + Intrigue test about such “facts”. If quizzed about them later, you automatically succeed: they are no longer even fictitious to you. Step Three: Who Do You Know? (3 Points): Points) As with Step One and Step Two, you are now able to instantly associate other people with a personality and never struggle to remember. If you were to meet the Contessa while masquerading as the Marquis de Carabou, you could walk right by her outside your disguise and they would never even recognize you. Step Four: Perfected Look (4 Points): Points) You can now instantly don your alternative disguise without making a roll. It takes you only a few moments to ‘change’ into even the most elaborate of costumes, so practised you are at the transformation. Step Five: Perfected Disguise (5 Points): Points) This is the total package: without even a roll, you can change your stance, voice and even physical presence merely by taking a few moments to assume your

INTRIGUE FEATS •

CONVINCE: SECRETS & LIES Have You Lost Weight? (1 Point): Point) Little white lies come easy to you and most people think you are 100% serious. You add 1d to your Personality rolls to impress and fascinate people. Poker Face (2 Points): Points) Untruths just roll off your tongue and merge with fact to misdirect and mislead anyone talking with you. Your lies blend so well with the truth that listeners can start to doubt even what they know to be fact. Attempts to see through your obfuscation or even read your reaction receive a -1d penalty. I Didn’t Do It (3 Points): Points) You’ve always got a cover story prepared. If something happens and you need someone to corroborate you are elsewhere, you’ve got it covered.


95 Once per session, you may “phone a friend” and get them to corroborate a story you are telling. Your alibi is good enough to get rid of any casual attention.

which reveals a person’s true feelings. They can be less than a fraction of a second but they can be hard to control (in fact, most people don’t even know that they are doing it).

For more serious problems, you’ll need a real alibi…

You are trained to catch those minor expressions and anyone trying to bluff or otherwise hide their emotions from you receive a -2d penalty.

I Don’t Have It With Me (4 Points): Points) You may Squish and Squash on your Intrigue rolls when lying.

Lie Detector (4 Points): Points) You are extremely skilled on divining whether someone is telling you the truth or lying through their teeth.

Cross My Heart (5 Points): Points) Sincerity is your bread and butter. Even when faced with evidence proving your lies, your reaction is one of pure innocence.

You may Squish or Squash your Intrigue rolls when attempting to see through lies.

The Height of your Intrigue sets are always 10 (sets of a lower Height are raised to 10). •

Know You Better Than You Know Yourself (5 Points): Points) Your sets are always 10 on your Intrigue rolls against anyone with whom you have a close relationship.

EMPATHY: LIE TO ME Understanding (1 Point): Most Point) behavioural patterns fit into a limited number of categories. After having a conversation with someone in person for at least an hour, you gain a basic insight into their behaviour and gain a +1d on your Personality rolls to fascinate when dealing with them. Body Language (2 Points): Points) You have become adept at reading body language and can tell a person’s subconscious feelings. You gain a +1d to your Intrigue rolls when understanding someone’s current emotional state. Micro Expressions (3 Points): Points) A micro expression is a small facial expression

A close relationship is any where there is a level of intimacy where you have spent in excess of a month as a good friend, working partnership or lover. LEADERSHIP FEATS •

AUTHORITY: THE LOOK OF EAGLES This group of feats is all about command, especially of Rank & File. File Rank & File describes anyone at the bottom of an organisation. Examples are Private, Constable, Spice Miners, Military Guard and the like. You may expressly interchange the term Rank & File with Unworthies.


96 You There! (1 Point): Point) As long as you look the part and act the part, most Rank & File are used to responding without thought. You can issue an order to a Rank & File person and they’ll obey to the best of their ability without even thinking about it. Just don’t give them cause to think about it. I Need OJ, No Pulp, Now! (2 Points): Points) If you can give a specific, clear instruction to a Rank & File, they receive a 1d bonus to their first roll to carry out your order. For Freedom! (3 Points): Points) You may issue a rallying cry or inspiring speech in a moment of hopelessness or impending doom. You automatically reduce Morale Attacks against your Rank & File by 1. Follow Me! (4 Points): Points) Any time you are working alongside a team of subordinates, they all receive a 1d bonus to their rolls. And yes, this increases the Threat Rating of Unworthies by 1. Come On, We Can Do This! (5 Points): Points) You may promote one Rank & File’s die to a Special Die for one task each when your only action is to give inspiring or motivating instruction. The Rank & File must be able to see you to receive the benefits of this ability.

•

STRATEGY: PLANS WITHIN PLANS Most of the following feats are used in connection with an Organisation. Organisation What this organisation is depends entirely on what advantages you have taken. Organisations are usually referenced in the Influence and Rank advantages but may be another advantage (or even a Company if using REIGN). Logistics (1 Points): Points) You always know where your organisation stands in relation to competition. You generally know what resources the organisation has to deploy and what are currently being used. At any time, you can request that your Games Master given you a quick report on how your organisation is doing compared to the competition (or a specific competitor) in terms of Poorly, Moderately or Well. You may also request a report on whether you have the resources to deploy a task or when they will become available. All at a moments notice. Your finger is firmly on the pulse of your organisation. Assay (2 Points): Points) You gain a 2d bonus on your Observe tests to appraise your organisation or another organisation within the same field as your own. New Direction (3 Points): Points) You may declare (or suggest to the top brass) a New Direction for your organisation, thus changing its goal.


97 This new direction will sweep out the cobwebs of your organisation and shake things up a bit.

While people are still impressed with your efforts, you are the one everyone wants to know.

You may only suggest one New Direction every 4 months but for the first month of activity after the New Direction is implemented, you gain +1d to your Leadership skill when making rolls connected with this new direction.

Make a Charm + Leadership roll. For a number of weeks after making a New Direction equal to the Height of a set, add 1 to your Special Dice on your rolls for an appropriate advantage. MARKSMANSHIP FEATS

Consolidate Power (4 Points): Points) With the New Direction may come changes within management. You can try to usher in people a little friendlier to your cause. When you successfully implement a New Direction, you may make a Command + Intrigue roll with a -2d penalty at a Difficulty equal to the points in an appropriate advantage. If score a set, you may increase the points in that advantage by 1. E.g. a character has Rank 5 divided in Station 2 and Sphere 3. She successfully implements a New Direction and so makes an attempt to Consolidate Power. She rolls her Command + Manipulate dice pool of 7, reduced to 5, at a Difficulty of 5. She rolls and scores 1, 3, 4, 7 and 7. 2x7 is higher than Difficulty 5, so she may raise her Rank to 6 (either increasing her Station by 1 or Sphere by 1). Golden Boy (5 Points): Points) The New Direction for your organisation is considered to be a fantastic idea and people won’t soon forget who came up with it (even if it is not as successful as it was hoped).

•

BALLISTICS: BALLET OF BULLETS One In The Chamber (1 Point): Point) You add 1 to the clip of your ballistic weapons. Shoot From The Hip (2 Points): Points) You can draw your firearm and fire in the same turn without taking a multiple action penalty. Snap Shot (3 Points): Points) You may combine a Dodge test with a ballistic test without taking a multiple action penalty. BiBi-Manual Firearms (4 Points): Points) Your Offhand penalty is reduced by -1d penalty and your second weapon penalty is reduced by -1d. You must choose the same mode of fire for both weapons but you may attack separate targets! Carnival of Carnage (5 Points): Points) With almost pinpoint accuracy, you let loose with a stream of lead which somehow manages to find its mark: you may take down as many Unworthies as your Width. You may combine this with “BiManual Firearms”.


98

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Judging Eye (2 Points): Points) You can examine an object and determine its quality in terms of “Poor”, “Moderate” or “Good” without making a roll.

PROJECTILES: HAWKEYE Notch (1 Point) Point): oint) If you take at least 1 full round loading your weapon and perform no other action, you may add 2d to your subsequent attack.

Valuing Eye (3 Points): Points) You can examine an object and determine its approximate value in terms of “Inexpensive”, “Moderately Expensive” or “Highly Expensive” without making a roll.

Deflect (2 Points): Points) As long as it is hafted in some fashion, you may parry with your ranged weapon as if it were a melee weapon at no penalty.

Assessing Eye (4 Points): Points) If you can spend a round watching someone use a Skill you possess, you can determine whether they are “Worse Than You” (two points or more lower than you), “About The Same” (within 1 point either way of your pool) or “Better Than You” (two points or more than you) without making a roll.

Dead Eye (3 Points): Points) You may Squish your projectile attacks. Fletcher (4 Points): Points) As long as you have the tools to hand, you can construct a makeshift archaic weapon or ammo using Intellect + Engineering. WEAPON DART ARROW/BOLT BOLA BOW CROSSBOW

DIFFICULTY 1 2 3 4 5

Exploiting Eye (5 Points): Points) You can appraise someone’s combat style and exploit a weakness in it. By spending a round “sizing up” your opponent, on your next attack against them, you may add 2 to the Special Die of your next attack.

Dead Shot Shot (5 Points): Points) If you Aim, the Height of your attack is automatically 10 on your next attack.

You may only use Exploiting Eye against a person once per encounter.

OBSERVE FEATS • •

EVALUATE: ASSAYING EYE Remembering Eye (1 Point): Point) If you reexamine something that you have personally previously examined, you automatically know if it has changed or been altered in any way. You don’t know for certain what that change may be without a roll but you know for certain that it no longer is the same.

SEARCH: RIGOROUS INSPECTION Methodical (1 Points): Points) If you take Double Time to search somewhere, you gain a +2d bonus instead of the usual +1d. You may not take Extra Double Time. Browse (2 Points): Points) You can look through a bulk of things, be it looking for a specific paragraph in a book or a single person in a crowd, and as long as you


99 relevant. This works for most Diplomacy rolls to seduce or fascinate, most Intrigue rolls and some Leadership rolls.

have a basic idea of what you are looking for, you receive no penalty. Identify (3 Points): Points) Your searching skills are so tightly honed that you automatically register the best places to hide things as soon as you enter a room. You halve the time it takes to search a location.

Bat’s Ear (4 Points): Points) Not only is your hearing sensitive and well trained but you don’t quickly forget what you’ve heard. You can acutely identify which direction a sound emanated from without rolling (even an echo or amongst other sound) and can Squish your hearing rolls.

Teamwork (4 Points): Points) If you have a group of people willing to follow your directions in a search, you add 1 to your Special Die on your Observe tests when searching. Hunch (5 Points): Points) You have developed your senses to the point where you can feel when something is hidden. Once per session, you can reroll any failed Observe test made to search.

•

SIGHT: SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT

HEARING: INSECT IN THE WIND

Cat’s Eye (1 Point): Point) Your night vision is better than most: you reduce a dice pool penalty from poor illumination by 1.

Appreciation (1 Point): Point) You know when something sounds good and definitely when it sounds bad. You gain a +1d bonus to Observe rolls when appraising a sound quality including music.

Staring Contest (2 Points): Points) When you sit and watch a subject, be it a specific location, an object or person, you may Squash your rolls to notice any changes in status of that watched subject.

Pin Drop (2 Points): Points) Your hearing is more sensitive than the average person and you can pick out a single sound amongst a hubbub with little difficulty. You may reduce any hearing Difficulty or Penalty by 1.

Quick Eye (3 Points): Points) Movement catches your eye and you tend to notice even the most discrete of twitches. You add 1 to your Initiative.

PERCEPTION FEATS •

Perfect Pitch (5 Points): Points) Your ear for sound is so well developed that you could detect a single bad note in an orchestra. You add 2 to your Special Dice of your sets on Perception rolls for hearing.

Vocal Modulation (3 Points): Points) Having trained your own ear to recognise tones and pitch, you have a measure of control over how your own voice sounds. You gain +1d on any roll where your voice is

Eagle’s Eye (4 Points): Points) Your distance vision is acute. You may treat a target at medium range at short range. Recall (5 Points): Points) Your memories are viscerally visual and this affects the way your memory works, so much so that


100 you can always tell if something is different to what you remember. This is a useful skill and shows keen observation: you’re the first to recognise a new haircut or that someone has redecorated. Of course, this has further reaching applications: you will also notice if someone has moved something belonging to you or perhaps even that the fungus you’ve been growing has multiplied. You may change the Height of a set on your sight-based Perception rolls to 10.

Roguish Charm (3 Points): Points) You can definitely talk the talk and if your friends didn’t know better, they’d swear your tongue was made of silver. If you fail a Personality roll when enthralling someone, instead of causing an awkward situation, you can reroll a number of dice equal to your Personality skill. Hearty Laugh (4 Points): Points) Sometimes, things don’t go according to plan or someone says something they shouldn’t have. Perhaps they revealed something that should have been secret or asked the Senator’s wife where she dyed her hair.

PERSONALITY FEATS •

ENTHRALL: WINNING SMILE Firm Handshake (1 Point): Point) When meeting someone for the first time and give them your “Firm Handshake”, you get +1d on your Personality rolls to impress and fascinate for a number of rolls equal to your Personality skill. Disarming Wink (2 Points): Points) If you are in a heated or otherwise tense situation, you can just give someone your “Disarming Wink” to ease the tension. Once per encounter, you may use this feat to trigger another person to start attempting to placate the situation and discuss things rationally. This won’t change anyone’s mind (so if they are that intent on gutting you, wink at them all you like) but it does give you an ally for trying to resolve things peacefully.

Without making a roll, you make a big resounding laugh which glosses over the fact that your friend just called the King’s daughter an ugly pig. This is a social do-over but it will only work once per encounter. The Kiss (5 Points): Points) You are that good at kissing that you can make a person who finds you attractive melt into your arms, despite how inappropriate it might be. Make a Charm + Personality roll with a penalty based on the situation. The more inappropriate it is, the bigger the penalty (laying one on your superior at a meeting would probably be -2d, kissing your Lord’s wife in front of him might be -4d but grabbing that guy you’ve been flirting with for days would probably give you a bonus). A failed roll earns you a slap.


101 If you are successful, the person subjected to your Kiss is suddenly much more favourable toward you: not only are they more inclined to side with you but you can Squish and Squash your Personality and Intrigue rolls against them.

This will only work once per scene. Don’t Even Think About It! (3 Points): Points) As “I Wouldn’t Do That If I Were You” only roll 2 dice as Counter Dice. I’m Your Worst Nightmare (4 Points): Points) You may Squash or Squish on a Threaten Action and may even use it during combat! See the next chapter for more on the “Threaten Action”.

This is a powerful feat when used right and will almost guarantee you a night with company if you wish it. But it isn’t a mind control ability: if you upset your target at a later date, this feat is cancelled.

I’ll Crush You And Everything You Hold Dear! (5 Points): Points) As threats go, you couldn’t be more serious. The only people this feat has no effect on are those that have absolutely no friends or family.

You can only use The Kiss once per session. •

INTIMIDATE: RATTLE OF THE SNAKE You may invoke this threat once per session. Roll Command plus Personality with -1d. Everyone with a lower Speed than yours simply stops and looks at you.

I Wouldn’t Do That If I Were You (1 Point): Before combat starts (or Point) otherwise dangerous circumstances commence) you may issue a threatening warning to someone about to take an action. If they then go ahead, roll a single die as a free Counter Die. If this spoils a set, they think twice and decide not to cross you. Otherwise, you merely put them off. Stop Right There! (2 Points): Points) If someone isn’t fleeing for their life (or in otherwise dangerous circumstances) you can stop someone dead in their tracks. Roll Command plus Personality. If your Width is greater than their Intellect or Threat Rating, they freeze. They may still defend themselves but won’t otherwise move or make an offensive action.

Anyone who later decides to attack you after being affected by this threat loses 1 die from their fastest set. PILOT FEATS •

ATMOSTPHERE: AEROBATICS Barrel Roll (1 Points): Points) You can make a quick roll to evade a target or object. Add 1d to your Jink rolls. Afterburner (2 Points): Points) You gain +1d on attempts to “Chase” a target. Feel The Gee’s! (3 Points): Points) You add 1 to your Body when subjected to G-Force.


102 Aerobrake (4 Points): Points) You can slow your aircraft putting yourself instantly behind another without stalling. Add 1 Width to your “Manoeuvre” Actions. Redline (5 Points): Points) You can squeeze that extra little bit of speed out of your aircraft and add 1 to the Speed of your vehicle for a round. Every round you use this ability before allowing the engine to cool down, roll an additional die. If you ever score a set, you damage your vehicle: reduce Handling or Speed by 1 (your choice). •

VOID: VOIDRUNNER ZeroZero-G (1 Point); Point) you add 1d to your Athletics tests when in Zero-G. Space Legs (2 Points); Points) you never get sick due to Zero-G manoeuvres and add 1 to the Width of any Habitus tests in space. Space Jockey (3 Points); Points) you add 1 to your Physique when subjected to GForce. Space Cowboy (4 Points); Points) you add 1 to the Handling of your space vehicle. Astrogation (5 Points); Points) you’ve spent a lot of time in space and you know the stars like the back of your hand. Just by examining the local constellations, you can automatically identify any star system you have previously visited. Further, you add 1 to the Width of any attempt to plot a course through any such system.

PHYSICIAN FEATS •

INFLICTION: THE HARROW Heartless (1 Point): Point) You are used to attempts at persuasion (well, screams for help). You receive a +1d bonus to resist anyone attempting to influence or sway you. The Right Tools For The Job (2 Points): Points) Having honed your powers of ‘persuasion’, you are now able to perform great works without the need for tools. You waive the usual penalty for torture without the adequate tools. No Marks (3 Points): Points) Any attempt to detect your use of torture is made at a Difficulty of your Physician skill. Forceful Grip (4 Points): Points) By twisting someone’s arm or even gripping them tightly on the shoulder or neck, you can inflict enough pain to make them weak at the knees. They lose 2 dice when attempting to resist Intrigue tests whilst suffering. Of course, they may not be too fond of you after you release them… Mind Games (5 Points): Points) Your skill as a torturer has now progressed to the level where you no longer need to inflict pain on someone to “break” them. Through threats, blackmail, rationing and other forms of inflictions, you can condition someone to give them what you want or even get them to sympathise with you.


103 Through prolonged use of this feat, you could potentially convince someone that the sky is green. •

EEMEDY: FIRST AID Kit (1 Point): Point) You always have a well stocked First Aid kit to hand. Bandages, antiseptic cream, cleaning alcohol, painkillers, you name it, you’ve got it. Anyone using your kit adds 1d to their Remedy rolls. Staunch (2 Points): Points) Using your First Aid kit, you can halt the bleeding from a wound without making a roll. If you attend a person shortly after receiving an injury and spend 10 minutes helping them, you can immediately reduce a Complication by 1 level. Cleaning (3 Points): Points) Using your various pieces of kit, you can even go some way to removing any dirt or foreign matter from that injury. As “Staunch”, only you can reduce two Complications by 1. Dressing (4 Points): Points) As “Cleaning”, only any further Medicine sets made on that wound have a minimum Height of 5 (raise any lower set to 5). Resuscitate (5 Points): Points) If someone is killed, you have a number of rounds equal to their Physique statistic to attempt to resuscitate them. Roll Intellect + Physician at Difficulty 7. If you are successful, they 1 damage to every location currently at zero.

SINISTER FEATS •

ASSASSIN: BLACK HAND From out of the Shadows… (1 Point): The skilled assassin knows that the attack is only the end result and that the ambush itself is where the skill lies. Accordingly, when making an attack against a surprised opponent, you may use your Stealth skill in place of a combat skill. Surreptitious Strike (2 Points): Even in the midst of combat, there are often opportunities presented for a sinister blow. As long as your opponent is unaware of your attack, you may take advantage of their ignorance and use a Surreptitious Strike. You add 2d to your attack roll against an opponent engaged by another person. Unseen Blade (3 Points): As “From out of the Shadows…”, but this is the true assassin’s strike: launching your assault against an unwitting opponent, you attempt to bury your blade in their back. You add 2 to Physical damage of your weapon when making an attack against a surprised opponent. You may not use this during combat. Sinister Assault (4 Points): You are skilled enough now to combine your unseen blade with that of your surreptitious strike, allowing you to truly


104 Palm (2 Points): Points) You can pick up or hold a small object in an apparently empty hand. Any attempts to spot you do so have a Difficulty of your Sinister.

devastate an unknowing opponent even in the midst of battle. When making an attack against an opponent who is engaged by another character and has lower Initiative Score than you, you add 2 Physical Damage to your attack against that character.

Load (3 Points) Points): You can secretly move an object from one place to another, say from one hand to the other or from a table to your pocket. Any attempts to spot you do so are at a Difficulty of your Sinister skill.

Heartseeker Heartseeker (5 Points): As “From out of the Shadows…”. The Heartseeker technique is the most powerful training any would-be assassin can learn. Realising that it is better not just to attack your opponent but to strike where they are most vulnerable, you attempt to cut your victim’s vitals.

Ditch (4 Points): Points) You can drop an object (or stash an object on someone else) and any attempts to spot you do so are at a Difficulty of your Sinister skill. Simulation (5 Points): Points) You can convince someone that you or someone else has used Palm, Load or Ditch when no such thing has been done by making a Command + Sinister test at a Difficulty of the technique used, i.e. Palm is Difficulty 2, Load is Difficulty 3 and Ditch is Difficulty 4.

You may not combine this with “Unseen Blade”. PENALTY: Roll Prowess + Stealth at a Difficulty equal to your opponent’s Physique statistic. STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: Your victim takes 1 Physical Damage which cannot be converted into a Complication and you may choose which statistic you affect. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: As above but 2 Physical Damage. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: As above but 3 Physical Damage. •

PRESTIDIGITATION: QUICKER THAN THE EYE Sleight of Hand (1 Points): Points) You can combine your art of prestidigitation and thievery to pick someone’s pocket with +1d.

STEALTH FEATS •

HIDING: SHADOW DANCE Bolt Hole (1 Point): Point) Whenever you first enter a room, you automatically scope out what may be the best places to hide. Of course, you’ll need to actually investigate them to see if they are any good but you’ve a head start over your peers. If you take Extra Time to hide, you gain +2d instead of +1d. You may not take Double Extra Time. Hidey Hole (2 Points): Points) As “Bolt Hole”, only you gain +2d to your search rolls if


105 you take Extra Time to locate hidden things.

On Silent Wing (5 Points): Points) You don’t so much walk as glide over the ground, such is the precision of your footfall.

Camouflage (3 Points): Points) As “Bolt Hole”, only if you take Extra Time to hide, you can also arrange things to make it more difficult to find your article, imposing a 1d penalty to anyone’s search rolls. One With The Shadows (4 Points): Points) As “Camouflage”, only if you take Extra Time to hide, you can also Squash and Squish your rolls. Shinobi (5 Points): Points) This is the art of invisibility through stealth. By utilising quick moves followed by absolute stillness, minimising lines of sight to yourself and reducing light sources, you can virtually vanish from sight. You gain all the benefits of “Bolt Hole”, “Camouflage” and “One With The Shadows” without taking Extra Time. However, you cannot then gain the benefits of Extra Time or Double Extra Time. •

SNEAKING: SILENT WALK A Serene Breeze (1 Point): Point) Your footfalls are practised and sure. The Height of your Stealth sets when moving quietly are at least 3 (raise any lower set to 3). Shallow Breath (2 Points): Points) You may Squash your Stealth rolls when moving silently. Rivulet Of Rain (3 Points): Points) As “Shallow Breath” but you may also Squish. Falls The Snow (4 Points): Points) As “Serene Breeze”, only the Height is now 6.

You may add 1 to the Width of your Stealth rolls or ignore any penalty for running while sneaking or sneaking through stealth-adverse terrain or reduce the Difficulty of any sneaking roll by 2. SURVIVAL FEATS •

DIRECTION: PATH OF THE WAYFINDER North (1 Point): Point) If you take a moment to orientate yourself, you can innately detect which direction is North without making a roll. This adds +1 Height to your Survival tests when navigating. Flow Like Water (2 Points): Points) You automatically pick out the best, easiest paths to take, thereby reducing movement penalties by 2. Reading The Signs (3 Points): Points) You instinctively take in your surroundings wherever you go, sensing if you’ve been somewhere before. Furthermore, you may Squish or Squash when traversing an area you’ve travelling through within the past month. Dead Reckoning (4 Points): Points) You can identify where you are in the world and how to reach your destination, purely by calculating the distance you’ve travelled and speed you travelled it at. All you need are a few points of reference. Roll Intellect + Survival at a Difficulty based on the information available;


106 TYPE CELESTIAL NAVIGATION GOOD DESCRIPTION POINT OF REFERENCE FAMILIAR LANDMARK MULTIPLE LANDMARKS

The Long Way Home (5 Points): Points) instinctively know your back to starting point without making a even in the most labyrinthine systems and thickest of forests. •

another part of life for you. You’ve even become quite adept at making your “ingredients” actually have something approaching taste.

DIFFICULTY IFFICULTY 6 5 4 3 2 You your roll, cave

SUSTENANCE: DOWN & OUT Weather Watching (1 Point): Point) You’ve lived in the outdoors long enough to know when the weather is about to turn. You can forecast the weather for a number of hours equal to your Survival rating without making a roll. Survivor (2 Points): Points) You are adept at locating food in the most unlikely of places: if there is food to be found, you’ll find it. While it may only be wild berries, nettles and cockroaches for dinner, at least you’ll eat. You can spend 30 minutes scavenging and ensure that you feed a number of people equal to your Survival rating without making a roll. Be warned, what you bring back won’t be pretty but it will stave off hunger until the next meal. More delicate people might need to make a Intellect + Focus roll to eat your offering and then perhaps a Physique + Habitus roll to keep it down. That’s up to the GM. It’s All In The Preparation (3 Points): Points) Finding your next meal has become just

You may roll your Survival in place of Cookery. Let’s be straight, whatever you produce won’t be Cordon Bleu (unless “caterpillar and fungus Stew” counts) but it will be a bit more satisfying. Combined with Survivor, as long as you don’t tell your friends what they’re eating, they’ll be quite happy with whatever you produce. Gimme Shelter (4 Points): Being Points) outdoors most of your life, you’ve learned that sometimes you need at least one wall at your back. You can spend an hour looking for shelter and locate something without making a roll. At best, it might be a small cave, at worst, a cardboard box. The only guarantee is that it will shield you from the worst of the weather for a night. Refuse Collector (5 Points): Points) You’ve trained your stomach to accept whatever goes in it and not to complain. Training was hard but you managed it. Now, you have no problems eating anything. The thought of eating the most hideous of things doesn’t even faze you. Things that a dog wouldn’t touch, you’ll quite happily chow down. You never suffer indigestion nor get food poisoning: you can eat rotten meat and think yourself lucky for the protein.


107 This won’t protect you from anything truly poisonous but it will help (add 1 to the Width of your Habitus sets).

The area of interest that your Lore skill is for (i.e. Zoology or Heraldic Lore) is called the Field. Field Fellow Student (1 Points) Points): You gain +1d on your Personality and Intrigue rolls against people in your Field of study.

SPECIALIST SKILLS •

DRIVE: JOYRIDER

Scintillating Conversation (2 Points): Points) You may roll your Knowledge skill in place of your Personality skill when attempting to impress or fascinate someone.

180 AMF (1 Point): Point) You can swap the car end-for-end (either direction) without losing speed. The Bridge is Out (2 Points): Points) Using the nearby terrain, you can make considerable jumps in your vehicle while minimizing damage. Halve all damage to your vehicle from falling from a height (or landing from a jump).

Fascinating Facts (3 Points): Points) You have studied your Field for many years and can recall many facts with clarity. You can Squash your Knowledge rolls. Area Of Expertise (4 Points): Points) When you purchase this feat, choose an area “Area Of Expertise”. This must be something specific like “Ships Of The Line” for a “Imperial Heraldy” skill or “Caladan Wildlife” for a “Fauna Lore” skill (but not so specific to be unusable).

That's Why They're Called Bumpers (3 Points): Points) as “The Bridge is Out”, but you can also halve all damage to your vehicle from impacts with other vehicles. Powerslide (4 Points): Points) you can reduce any handling Difficulty incurred due to your speed by your Pilot skill. Trading Paint (5 Points): Points) when you perform a Sideswipe action on an opponent's vehicle, you impose a Difficulty of your Width on their next Drive roll. If your opponent fails their next roll, they lose control completely and crash into the nearest hard thing. •

KNOWLEDGE: KNOW-IT-ALL The Lore skill is purchased individually for each area of study. However, once purchased, you may utilise any Know-ItAll feat with any Lore skill you may have.

You gain add 1 to your Special Dice on rolls pertaining to your Area of Expertise. KnowKnow-It-All (5 Points): Points) The Height of your Knowledge rolls is 10 (raise any lower set to 10). •

LANGUAGE: FLUENCY The Language skill is purchased individually for each different language. However, once purchased, you may utilise any Fluency feat with any Language skill you may have. Impress (1 point): You gain +1d to your Personality rolls to impress or fascinate


108 someone who understands languages than you.

less

Regional Dialects (2 Points): Points) You have learned to recognise the differences in accent to identify which region of a country a person speaking a language you speak comes from. Native Tongue (3 Points): Points) You are so studied in this language that your accent is indistinguishable from a native speaker. Natives of the country of origin will automatically assume you are one of them. You can combine this with “Regional Dialects” to convince people you are from a specific area of that country. Dialect Continuum (4 Points): Points) Some areas of the world seem almost as if they have multiple languages. In reality, it is one language with a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close but gradually widening the difference in intelligibility as the distances become greater. Your linguistic knowledge in a specific region of the world is such that you know all the local dialects. With this feat, you could travel from end of China to another and have no difficulty communicating. Polyglot (5 Points): Points) You have studied language to an extent that you can learn new languages exceptionally easily.

You halve the experience cost (rounding up) when purchasing new language skills. •

RIDE: HORSE WHISPERER Horsekeeper (1 Point): Point) You gain 1d on your Observe rolls to determine the quality of an animal. Verbal Command (2 Points): Points) You have a close tie with your animal and can give it basic verbal commands without making a roll. This only works on an animal that you’ve spent time training. Your animal understands simple things like “Stop that!” or “Come over here”. NonNon-verbal Command (3 Points): Points) You can communicate commands through the use of your legs, controlling your mount’s direction without using your hands. This only works on an animal that you’ve spent time training. You may combine another action with Ride without taking a multiple action penalty. Overrun (4 Points): Points) You can force your mount to ride someone down. Your animal must be at a gallop to use this ability. Roll your beast’s Physique + your Ride skill. Damage is equal to Width but you utilise any second set as if you had made a Charge action at no penalty. This is your only action in a round. Kick (5 Points): Points) You can get your mount to strike as an additional Close Combat


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attack without taking a multiple action penalty.

age. Such combat is now ingrained into your very nerves and musculature.

Your mount rolls Physique + its Attack (which is 1 for a mount untrained at kicking things) and damage is based on your mount (a riding horse is receives no bonus, a warhorse adds 1 to Physical Damage).

Your weapon skills are no longer limited by your Shield Fighting skill and you do not incur the -2d penalty when making a Slow Attack.

SHIELD FIGHTING Shields Up (1 Point): The Holtzman Shield is a powerful defensive tool, however, it is useless if not switched on. You have trained with shields to the extent that it has become instinct for you to reach for the button at the first sign of trouble. It does not cost you an action to activate your shield. Fast on Defense (2 Points): The Holtzman Shield prohibits any fast moving object. The trained fighter knows that by making their own movements fast, they can add to the velocity of incoming strikes and thereby increasing the resistance of the shield. When you make a parry, your sets ignore the Height of any attack they might block. E.g. An opponent comes at you with a 2x7 attack. You roll your parry and score 2x4. Using your Fast on Defense, your ignore your opponent’s Height and thus can block his 2x7 with your 2x4. Shield Conditioned (3 Points): You have trained in Shield Fighting since an early

However, your training is so ingrained that you always fight as if you were Shield Fighting: all your attacks are automatically slow and incur a -2d penalty when fighting against a nonshielded opponent. BiBi-Manual Fighting (4 Points): You are trained to utilise your off-hand in combat, either using a second weapon or allowing you to move your weapon to a to your off-hand, allowing you to attack from an expected direction. You may either reduce the penalty for using your Off-Hand by 2. Alternatively, if not fighting BiManually, when you take a Feint action, you not only add 1d to your dice pool but also reduce an opponent’s die pool by 1d. Attack Sinister (5 Points): Shield Fighting is as much about misdirection, setting up an opponent until you can deliver the final strike. If done correctly, your opponent will never see the Attack Sinister coming… Every time you take a Feint action, instead of adding +1d, you receive +1 Special Die. You may expressly combine this feat with Bi-Manual Fighting.


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TRACK: TRAILBLAZER Recognition (1 Point): Point) By quickly examining a set of tracks, you can identify the approximate size, mass and source of a set of tracks without making a roll. Examples might be a “A small dog”, “A heavy man with medium sized feet” or “Very heavy motorbike”. Trailing (2 Points): Points) You gain a bonus +1d to follow a set of tracks that were within the last hour. Interpretation (3 Points): Points) You are trained at interpreting the signs of activity at a site. You gain a +1d bonus to your Observe rolls when appraising a situation of what may have happened

The Thief’s Eye (1 Point): Point) “You can’t kid a kidder”, as the saying goes. The experienced thief knows all the tricks and can more readily spot when someone is attempting to use them against him. You gain a +1d bonus to detect Sinister attempts on you. The Mark (2 Points): Points) Knowledge is a powerful tool and a good thief knows when something is likely to land them in hot water. Casing a joint, keeping an eye on a prospective victim…the Mark is the skill of knowing your target. By making a Insight + Underworld test, you can attempt to discern details about your intended victim. It takes 30 minutes of observation to make a roll using The Mark. - 2X: You observe your target and discern the Difficulty of the task in terms of Easy (Difficulty 1 to 2), Difficult (3 to 4) or Hard (5+). STANDARD SUCCESS

Shadowing (4 Points): Points) You may combine a Stealth roll with your tracking attempts without taking a multiple action penalty. Obfuscation (5 Points): Points) As long as you take the time to do so, you have become adept at hiding your own tracks and anyone attempting to track you receives a -3d penalty. Using this ability requires no roll but doubles your travel time. •

Alternatively, you can discern the victim’s Sense + Sight or Hearing pool in terms of Easy (less than 5), Difficult (5 to 7) or Hard (8+). EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: As above, but you know the exact die pool or Difficulty. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: As above, and you gain a +1d on the Crime attempt.

UNDERWORLD NDERWORLD: ILL-GOTTEN MIENS This feat represents a thieves’ learning in the art of doing less than lawful activities above and beyond the basics.

Trained Professional (3 Points): Points) When you purchase “Trained Professional”, choose an area of Crime;


111 GRIFTER: You have worked a lot of scams over the years and know them all. You receive a +1 die bonus on any scam attempts including any related Intrigue rolls you may need to make. LEGEDERMAIN: Your prestidigitation knows no bounds. You receive a +1 die bonus on all rolls involving pick pocketing, including detection. LOCKSMITH: You are an expert on locks and can wax lyrical on their design for hours. You receive a +1 die bonus on all rolls involving locks, including lock picking. MIDDLEMAN: You receive a +1 die bonus on any tests involving the black market. This includes sales, location and general knowledge of the streets. Accomplice in Arms (4 Points): Points) A thief can get by on her own but thievery is always better if you can get a friend to distract the Mark…I mean help you out. You and an accomplice can work together on a criminal act. Your compatriot must have at least one level of Sinister to assist you or you must spend 30 minutes explaining what they must do. While they assist, you may Squish or Squash your Sinister rolls. Confidence (5 Points): Points) May be it is destiny or just plain old bad luck but sometimes, even the greatest thieves have a moment of failure. This is normally when the guards are called and what a thief really needs now is a good pair of running boots…

However, some thieves have a last chance: just acting naturally. Whatever you failed to do, by acting with confidence and gusto, you can attempt to convince everyone that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. And certainly not doing anything you shouldn’t. If you fail a Sinister test or are detected performing an illegal act, you can make a Charm + Sinister test at a Difficulty based upon situation. SITUATION

DIFFICULTY

CAUGHT RED HANDED HEAVILY IMPLICATED IN THE CRIME HEAVILY SUSPECTED OF THE CRIME REASONABLY SUSPECTED SUSPECTED OF THE CRIME

6 5 4 3 2

If the victim has no way of knowing you were responsible, then you can get away with the failure without making a roll. Nb. This does not work on Assassin attempts! However, if the victim knows full well you are responsible (typically by someone else witnessing the event), then no matter how well you roll, you better start running! STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: You convince anyone interested that, while perhaps you may have been possibly but not quite behaving somewhat perhaps not above board, you certainly weren’t doing anything directly illegal. Sir. You better move along quickly… EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: You put on a convincing show and no one but the


112 remain

Hack (3 Points): Points) You ignore 1 point of armour with your Axe attacks.

MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: You’re performance is so convincing that others will actually defend your right to be where you are. Well done, you cur.

Lop (4 Points): Points) If you successfully hit an Unworthy, you can lop off a limb of your choice (the head counts as a limb in this instance).

most interested suspicious.

parties

This has the side effect of automatically taking that Unworthy out of the fight, irrespective of Width or Height.

WEAPON SPECIALISATIONS •

ARCHERY: ARCHER’S EYE

Cleave (5 Points): Points) You can make a “Cleave” action. You twirl your axe impressively and then strike your opponent with startling ferocity.

Fast Eye (1 Points): Points) You add 1 to your Initiative. Sharp Eye (2 Points): Points) You may add 1 to or subtract 1 from your Height on your Missile rolls.

Roll Prowess + Axe at -1d and reduce the Speed of your attack by 2.

Piercing Eye (3 Points): Points) You reduce the armour of your target by 1 for your Missile attacks. Hunter’s Eye (4 Points): Points) If you spend a round Aiming at a target, you add 1 to your Special Dice on an attack instead of the usual Aim bonus. Killer’s Eye (5 Points): Points) As “Hunter’s Eye”, only you add 2 to your Special Dice. •

HEAVY MELEE ELEE: BROADCUTTER Bite (1 Point): Point) If you successfully damage your opponent, you gain +1d against them on your next attack. Chop (2 Points): Points) You may select whether your damage Physique or Prowess with damage from your Axe.

If you hit, you double your Width for the purposes of determining damage. •

HEAVY WEAPONS: BFG That’s (1 Point): Point) If you’ve got a heavy weapon in your hands, you can substitute your Heavy Weapon’s skill for Intrigue for intimidating people. One (2 Points): Points) Anyone hit by your heavy weapon loses 2d instead of 1. Big (3 Points): Points) If you successfully cause damage, your target is knocked down. Frakkin’ (4 Points): Points) When you make an attack, you can affect a number of Unworthies equal to your Width, twinning your set against each of them. E.g. You score 3x5. You can attack 3 Unworthies each with a 3x5.


113 Parry (2 Points): Points) You may combine a parry action with an attack action without taking a multiple action penalty.

Gun (5 Points): Points) Any damage prevented by armour is immediately destroyed. •

LONG ARMS: ONE SHOT, ONE KILL Balance (3 Points): Points) If you are hit, you do not lose dice from sets used for sword attacks. You can lose dice from any other set however.

Sniper Breathing (1 point): point) Accomplished shooters learn to slow down their breathing (and heartbeat), thereby reducing gun shake. When you spend a round Aiming, you add +2d to your pool rather than the normal +1d.

Measure Twice, Strike Once (4 (4 Points): Points) You add 1 to your Width against opponent’s with a lower Initiative than you.

You may not take a second aim action.

Flow Of Battle (5 Points): Points) If you take no other action this round, the Height of a set is 10 for the purposes of counter dice.

Under Fire (2 points): points) If you kill an unaware Unworthy with an Aimed attack, the shot creates a Morale Attack equal to the Width of your set. • Pinpoint Accuracy (3 points): points) You are an expert in targeting weak spots. Your Aimed attacks ignore 1 point of Armour.

Parry (1 Point) Point): t) You gain +1d when making a parry.

Stay on Target (4 points): The points) distractions of battle do not faze you: you’re Aim is not interrupted even if you take damage.

Entrapment (2 Points): Points) The Height of your set on a Disarm manoeuvre cannot be less than 5. If it is lower, immediately raise the Height to 5.

One Shot, One Kill (5 points): points) As A “Sniper Breathing” but you may take additional Aim actions equal to your Insight statistic. You first Aim action adds 2d and each additional action adds 1d.

Cutting Strike (3 Points): Points) If you deal damage, your opponent must take it as a Complication.

You may expressly roll more than 10d in this manner. •

PERSONAL: STEEL WEB

Sword Breaker (4 Points): Points) If the Height of your set on a successful Disarm manoeuvre is equal to or greater than your opponent’s skill, their weapon is immediately destroyed.

MEDIUM MELEE: BLADEMASTER Battokiri (1 Point): Point) As long as you take no other actions, you may draw your weapon and strike in the same round without penalty.

Killing Strike (5 (5 Points): Points) If you deal damage, your opponent cannot take it as a Complication.


114

•

Double Tap (4 points): points): A successful attack deals damage as if the target were struck by two identical attack sets.

SMALL ARMS: CQB Close Quarters Battle, or “CQB”, training is all about taking the initiative, surprising the enemy, and moving quickly while applying overwhelming force in a short period of time.

CQB Specialist (5 points): points) As Breach & Clear but the operator may add 2 to the Width to all their attacks within close range. The bonus afforded by CQB Specialist does affect Unworthies targeted by Tango Down.

All CQB techniques are only usable within close range. Pistol Transition (1 point): in the event of a malfunction of the primary weapon or if the primary runs out of ammo, once per turn, you can switch sidearm without penalty. Breach & Clear (2 points): you're trained to be quick, decisive and deadly when engaging the enemy in close quarters: to explode into a room with overwhelming force and take down your targets with lightning speed. You may add +1 Width to your attacks in the first round of any combat. Tango Down Down (3 points): your intense training allows you to attack with pinpoint accuracy in the heat of battle. When you apply an attack set to an Unworthy, you affect a number of Unworthies equal to the Width of your set.

•

UNARMED: KICK MURDER

Cobra Strike (1 Point): Point) You gain +1 Speed when making an Unarmed Strike. Flesh Of Steel (2 Points): Points) You can parry weapon attacks without taking damage. Spin The Wheel (3 Points) Points): ts) You add 1 to the Width of your Trip actions. Axe Kick (4 Points): Points) You may Squash and Squish your Unarmed rolls. Death Strike (5 Points): Points) Also known as “The Iron Middle Finger”, roll Prowess + Unarmed Combat at -1d. Damage is Width ignoring armour.

Breach & Clear may be used to augment the speed and damage of your set, but it does not affect the number of Unworthies killed by your attack set. E.g. A natural 2x9 attack might act as a 3x9 for damage when combined with Breach & Clear but it will only kill 2 Unworthires. The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

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Secret Feats BENE GESSERIT FEATS •

WEIRDING WAY Muscle Training (1 Point): The Bene Gesserit train their adepts to control every individual muscle, making them uniquely aware of all their movements. Their physical control is beyond compare making them equally as good at performing a graceful dance or a backflip. Add 1d to any roll pertaining to acrobatics, dancing, gymnastics or contortions as long as that is the only action they take that round. Petit Perception (2 Points): Adepts are trained to exercise petit perception at all times, noticing to a terrifying degree minutiae that others miss. Slight differences in air currents or the design of a room will allow a BG to detect hidden portals and spy-holes, It is development of this talent which ultimately permits their Truthsaying abilities. Add 1d to the character’s Perception rolls as long as they are not performing any other action. PranaPrana-Bindu Conditioning (3 Points): The Sister has developed her physiological control to such an extent that she can completely control many facets of her biology. Male trainees may not find such conditioning quite as useful.

Sisters can control their arousal, whether they conceive or not, their menstrual cycle, the gender of any child they conceive, they can also control their metabolism, putting on or shedding weight as they require. It is through Prana-Bindu Conditioning that Adepts can enter Bindu Suspension, slowing their heartbeat to a fraction of its normal rate to assume a semblance of death. In the suspended metabolic state, the Adept requires one tenth of the water, food and oxygen normally needed to survive. This also slows the progress of contaminants in the blood (such as narcotics and poisons) to one fifth their normal rate. Whipcord Reflexes Reflexes (4 Points): There is no difference between thought and action for you, your reflexes are that disciplined. Your Height in combat is always a minimum of your Prowess + Habitus and you always win Initiative on a tie. You are Weirding Way (5 Points): trained to fight with lethal precision and accuracy, fighting at lightning speed. A user of the weirding way only has to decide the action he or she wants to perform and it has already been performed. For example, to imagine oneself behind an opponent at the current moment in time; when trained well, this knowledge will place you at the spot desired. As the art's prana bindu incorporation allows even small attacks to do massive damage, weirding way combat is to the death


116 Before you roll your dice in combat, you add 1 to your Special Dice for all dice rolls in combat. •

BG WAY Litany Against Fear (1 Point): One of the earliest lessons for a BG Adept is that all things are a state of mind. Pain, fear, anger, they are all temporary and the disciplined mind can tune them out. To help focus the mind against external influences, the BG are taught the following mantra; “I must not fear: fear is the mind-killer, Fear is the little-death which brings total obliteration, I will face my fear: I will permit it to pass over me and through me, And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to its path, Where the fear has gone there be nothing, Only I will remain.” They add 1d to their Focus rolls when reciting the litany. If they are performing an action while using the Litany Against Fear, they lose 1 Height. Simulflow (2 Points): Bene Gesserit sisters develop their mental powers as well as their physical capabilities. In doing so, they gain the talent of Simulflow, literally the simultaneous flow of several threads of consciousness at any given time. The Adept can add an Intellect-based action each round without incurring a multiple action penalty.

Petit Betrayal (3 Points): The secret teachings of the Bene Gesserit confer superior observational powers to practicing adepts. Using the BG Way, you can read a person, learning personality traits, mannerisms, demeanor all from the things they say, the way they say them and their body language. Roll Insight + Observe to “Register” a person. The resulting Width becomes your Register Rating: all further uses of BG Way utilize this in some fashion. When you have registered a person, you may Squash and Squish on Diplomacy, Intrigue and Personality rolls against that individual. Once trained in this ability, you also learn some measure of control. Anyone attempting to read your emotions or indeed register you, receives a -2d penalty. Truth Saying Saying (4 Points): Those trained to pick up on Petit Betrayals are able to detect whether someone is lying by detecting inflection and change in a subject's voice, observing and interpreting their body language and analyzing physical signs like pulse and heart rate. Such perception of someone else's veracity is an ability that all humans have, in principle, but that requires extensive training to develop to the point of usefulness. The BG are just that good. To use Truth saying, you must have registered a person first. Roll Insight + Intrigue countered by your target’s Command + Intrigue. You receive a


117 bonus to your Width equal to your Register Rating. If you are successful, you can tell whether or not your target is lying.

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: Your target obeys with some reluctance. If your command is distinctly counter to their nature, they remain inactive this round and you must make another Voice roll. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: Your target obeys as if everything were normal. If your command is harmful to themselves or someone they truly care about (not an employer), they remain inactive this round and you must make another Voice roll. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: Your target obeys with some urgency. They will even go so far to hurt others, even loved ones.

Voice Voice (5 Points): Bene Gesserit are trained in what they call "the Voice" - a means "to control others merely by selected tone shadings of the voice.” By modulating the subtleties of her voice, a Bene Gesserit can issue commands on a subconscious level, compelling obedience in others that they cannot resist, whether they are consciously aware of the attempt or not. You may use the Voice to issue absolute commands by pitching your voice to register on the subject’s subconscious mind, driving them to action even against their own, conscious will. You must first register your target. Then roll Command + Personality countered by a target’s Command + Focus. Your Width is limited by your Register Rating, however it takes the target an action to resist the Voice. Your resulting Width determines your target’s capitulation.

REVEREND MOTHER FEATS •

TRUTHSAYER Velvet Velvet Glove (1 Point): The Bene Gesserit are trained never to overtly seek power for themselves, for to do so would bring too much attention to their kind. However, instead, they have become supremely adept at manipulating others. The Reverend Mother may add 1d to their Intrigue rolls to influence other people. Truthtrance (2 (2 Points): Induced by one of several “awareness spectrum” narcotics, truthtrance enables the Reverend Mother to enter a semi-hypnotic state during which the petit betrayals of falsehood become more readily apparent. You may Squash and Squish on your Truth Saying rolls.


118 Especially when the Mother Superior perishes, it is important to take her ego/memory so that her plans and strategies may continue uninterrupted.

Superior Voice (3 Points): Your command over the Voice is such that, while you still need to register a subject. You may Squash and Squish on your Voice rolls.

Once per session, the Reverend Mother may gain +1 Special Die on any roll. For each additional set of memories she absorbs, she may use this bonus an additional time per session.

Ancestral Memory (4 Points): One of the powers of a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother is her Ancestral Memory: the combined ego and memories of all her female ancestors, passed on through genetic memory, and thus, up to the point where each following ancestor was born and the physical contact with the mother broken.

E.g. A Reverend Mother has three Other Personalities stored. Three times per session, she gain +1 Special Die on a roll. MENTAT FEATS

The ego/memory combination remains a distinct identity within the Reverend Mother's mind, and is able to inject itself into her awareness at appropriate or emotional moments, though the Reverend Mother's ego is always dominant. This allows a Reverend Mother to draw upon her ancestors’ memories to help her. Once per session, roll Insight + Focus. You may add the result as a die bonus to your next roll. Other Memory (5 Points): Reverend Mothers may also pass their own ego/memory combination to other Reverend Mothers at will, merely by touching foreheads. When a Reverend Mother dies in the presence of another Reverend Mother, the second will accept the ego/memory of the first to prevent the loss of the dying Reverend Mother's experience and ancestral memories.

•

COMPUTATION Mentat Awareness (1 Point): Mentats instinctively know when something deserves their attention. Like one wrong note in an orchestra, they can see that something, someone or even some event is out of place. Whether the Mentat properly responses to this information will depend on their other deductive powers. During the course of a session, the Judge may inform you that sense that something is amiss. He or she is under no obligation to tell you what is troubling you, however. Machine Logic (2 Points): The Mentat can perform an additional Intellect-based action each round without incurring a multiple action penalty. Furthermore, he or she can perform sophisticated acts of mathematics in their head.


119 Mnemonic Conditioning Conditioning (3 Points): Your mind is a storehouse of knowledge and you can recall everything you perceive, people’s names, facts read in books etc with little difficulty.

Strategy adds 1d to any rolls which take advantage of this Strategy. A Master Success on a Computation roll is called a “Straight-Line Computation”, otherwise defined as an easy or obvious result (Data A + Data B = Result C).

You can only remember minute details for 12 hours per level of Intellect, after which, you must either discard the memory or transfer it to long term memory, which in turn loses much of the fine details.

E.g. A mentat makes a computation in respect of the best way to gain entry to a secure building. She has been provided with useful Data detailing the Guard’s Movements, the nature of the Security System, the skill of the insurgency agents, who created the security system and who trained them.

Mentat Trance (4 Points): The Mentat Trance is a mnemonic process by which you organize data, sort facts and memorises information. By entering a Mentat Trance, the Mentat can recall all data within his or her Short Term memory and review it, establishing Data. Not only does this allow the Mentat to examine things he or she has seen, heard or otherwise experienced exactly as he or she saw them but he or she can pause, rewind and closely examine Data.

The Judge gives that 5 pieces of useful Data, reducing the Difficulty to 5. The Mentat rolls Intellect + Observe and scores 2x6. The Width is 2, making this operation a Strategy 2: anyone attempting to break into the building gains 2d on their rolls. Be careful, however. For Strategies built on incorrect data can be used against you, converting the die bonus of a Strategy to a die penalty! And it might be too late before you realise!

Of course, the Mentat’s examination of a thing is limited by his or her memory of it. They cannot examine something in detail if they didn’t actually see it or were too far away! • Computation (5 Points): By utilising Data learned from either external sources or internal sources (such as from a Mentat Trance), the Mentat can calculate a Strategy. Roll Intellect + Observe at Difficulty 10. Each piece of useful Data reduces the Difficulty by 1. If the Mentat generates a set, the resulting Width determines how effective the Strategy is. Each point of

PROJECTION Analysis (1 Point): A Mentat requires useful and accurate Data on which to base his or her Computations and Projections. Analysis allows you to examine, cross-reference and ultimately appraise whether Data is accurate or inaccurate. Roll Insight + Observe at Difficulty 10. Reduce the Difficulty by 2 per other Datum that can be used to cross-


120 reference. Any resulting set determines how accurate you think the information is. STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: Simply inconsistent or inaccurate data stands out to you and approximately tell how inaccurate data is. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: Incorrect data becomes obvious and you know to discount it and not rely on it. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: Carefully concealed truths and outright lies can be discerned. And if you are familiar with the person’s behind it, you can actually see the hand of the person feeding you false data. Evaluation (2 Points): Using available data, you can evaluate a situation or scenario, highlight difficulties, hindrances, weaknesses, strengths and the like. Roll Insight + Observe at Difficulty 10. Reduce the Difficulty by 2 per piece of Data relating to the scenario/situation. For each point of Width, the Judge has to reveal one fact or complication about the evaluated scenario/situation. In all cases, these are facts about what is, not what may be. This can also reveal the difficulty of a task and any penalties that might be incurred. E.g. A mentat might evaluate a hazardous trip through a dangerous part of the world and each revealed fact might reveal what sort of weapons the enemy might have, where they are likely to attack from, what their motivation is etc.

Extrapolation (3 Points): As Evaluation, but where Evaluation gives you information about a given scenario, Extrapolation allows you make educated guesses based on available data.This reveals possibilities like motivations, past activities, current activities, likely direction of attack, immediate reaction and course of action. Basically, they can divine the truth behind a person or persons recent activities and actions. Forecast (4 Points): By taking available information about an individual or body, you can give a immediate forecast as to likely occurrences, problems and trouble. Once per month, the Mentat can select a House venture and add 1 to Special Dice on the roll. Projection (5 Points): Mentats are not simply human calculators. The exceptional cognitive abilities of memory and perception are the foundations for supra-logical hypothesizing. Mentats are able to sift large volumes of data and devise concise analyses in a process that goes far beyond logical deduction: Mentats cultivate "the naïve mind", the mind without preconception or prejudice, similar to the contemporary practice of Zen that can extract the essential patterns or logic of data, and deliver useful conclusions with varying degrees of certainty. By utilising the data available, they can perform supreme acts of logic, projecting the likely outcome of events and the minutiae required to make it happen.


121 Roll Insight + Observe with a Difficulty of 10. Reduce this by 2 for each piece of useful data pertaining to the Projection. The results of Projection are largely left up to the Judge of the Game. Essentially, what the Mentat is doing is predicting the future utilising data and thus, the applications of this can be outstanding. For example, you can determine what a rival house is going to do (specifically revealing their likely House ventures) or perhaps you could attempt to predict assassination attempts against your household or an individual. The implications of a mentat projection are far reaching and a reliable projection can appear to be almost supernatural in its accuracy. SWORDMANSHIP SECRET FEATS: SWORDMASTER THE GINAZ

OF

Advantage, Mine (1 Point): The Ginaz teach that one must utilise every advantage to their benefit. A person's height and length of arm, fighting left handed against a right handed opponent, a heavy blade against a lighter blade, a longer blade against a shorter, anything which might give the Ginaz Swordmaster that slight edge is exploited. As every other school trains in the use of short or light blades, it is not uncommon for the Ginaz to have plenty of advantages to exploit... Non-Ginaz trained opponent's receive -1d to their Duel actions. Sweeping Grace (2 Points): The premier swordmaster school in the Known Universe instructs that power and is temporary and will always be defeated by skill in the long run. The

school conditions graceful, perfectly timed swordplay both with shield and without. This provides a basis of flexibility incomparable by rival schools. Slow Attacks only incur a -1d penalty. However, unless other schools, they receive no penalty for fighting non-shielded opponents. Eye On The Blade (3 Points): Misdirection and the attack sinister are the tools of most swordplay. The Ginaz are no exception, however, they are extensively trained to watch where their opponent's blade is and not where the opponent would have you believe it to be. If your Swordmanship Rating is equal to or higher than your opponent's Swordmanship or Duel Rating, you ignore the effects of any Feint actions against you. The Invisible Enemy (4 Points): Ginaz are conditioned to pick up on subtle cues and to assess every situation. They see potential enemies and avenues of attack, calculating all manner of permutations, allowing them to see a flow of events that others cannot. In any given situation, a Ginaz Swordmaster may have already been attacked and have defeated a dozen potential attacks that may never arise. You can never be ambushed by a melee attack and always get a defense, either a parry or a dodge. True Strike (5 Points): The ultimate teaching of the Ginaz Swordmaster School is the "blow to end all blows", the coupe de grace which ends his opponent in one fell strike. The Swordmaster measures and assesses his opponent's swordstrokes, learning their style, their strength, their bad habits and how to exploit them all until they are able to launch that final fatal strike.


122 Every time you roll your Swordmanship against an opponent, you may take the result of any one die and store it.

Round six, he makes a True Strike with an automatic 4x9 attack, his opponent is unable to defend against it and is mortally wounded.

At any point, you may make a True Strike melee attack: instead of rolling your Swordmanship dice pool, you may utilise any stored dice to make a set. You must use all your stored dice. Stored numbers can be of any value but you may not store more dice than your Observe rating. You may not use any special dice. E.g. A Ginaz Swordmaster faces off against a Moritani opponent. He has a Swordmanship dice pool of 7 and an Observe skill of 4. Round one, he rolls 9, 7, 7, 5, 4, 3, 3. He decides to store the 9 and use his 2x7 for an attack. The next round he rolls 10, 9, 8, 6, 6, 3, 1. He could decide to store any of the numbers but since he has already has a 9, he decides stores another one. Round three, he rolls 9, 9, 8, 7, 7, 5, and 4. He decides to break up the 2x9 and stores one of the 9s. He uses the 2x7 for a parry. Round four, he rolls 10, 10, 6, 4, 3, 2 and 2. The Swordmaster hasn’t rolled a 9 and decides that putting any other number would be a waste. Round five, he rolls 10, 9, 9, 9, 8, 7 and 3. He decides to break up the 3x9 and store one of them. He makes an attack at 2x9 and now has four 9s stored. His Observe skill is 4, so he cannot store any further dice.


123

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Now you can see what all the different elements are, it is time to actually put together a character.

Step 01 - statistics All characters start with 1 in all their Statistics.

Step 02 - early life Choose one

ACADEMIC EDUCATION BENE GESSERIT TEACHING COMMONER UPBRINGING CRIME SYNDICATE DUELING INSTRUCTION MERCANTILE FAMILY MENTAT PRIMING NOBLE HOUSEHOLD ORPHANED OUT-FREYN UPBRINGING RELIGIOUS HOUSEHOLD SLAVE PITS

Step 03 - vocational conditioning Choose one

ASSASSIN BENE GESSERIT ADEPT CHOAM ADVISOR DELEGATE INTELLIGENCE AGENT MASTER STRATEGIST MENTAT NOBLE SUK PHYSICIAN SWORDMASTER

Step 04 - House Service Choose one

ACADEMIC ADVISOR CHOAM ECONOMIST DIPLOMATIC SPOKESPERSON HOUSE PHYSICIAN MASTER OF ASSASSINS PERSONAL CONFIDANTE SECUND ELECT SECURITY COMMANDER SPYMASTER TECHNOLOGIST WARMASTER WEAPONS MASTER

Step 05 - Personal Calling

ACADEMIC ADVOCATE ARENA FIGHTER ARTISAN BREEDER CAROUSER COURTESAN CRIMINAL EXILE/FUGITIVE IMPERIAL SERVANT MERCHANT OFF-WORLD EDUCATION PRIVATEER SLEEPER AGENT UMMA

Step 06 - extras Spend 10 Character Points to round off your character. You may only improve a statistic by 1 point at this stage and may not purchase a skill above 3.


124 However, at this stage, where you have a Broad Skill and a Narrow Skill, you can have the Narrow Skill and increase the Broad Skill by 1. E.g. A character has the Broad Skill of Athletics on 1. They receive the Acrobatics Narrow Skill on 2. They decide to convert the Narrow Skill, so halve the Acrobatics from 2 to 1 and add it to the Athletics skill, raising it to 2. If the Narrow Skill is an odd number, you may pay 1 Character Point beforehand, otherwise it is lost. E.g. A character has Intrigue on 3 and Empathy on 3. They decide to convert Empathy. This is halved to 1.5. The 0.5 is wasted unless the character pays 1 Character Point. Costs are; Statistic Advantage Broad Skill Special Dice Narrow Skill Special Dice Feats

There are five castes but player characters will only be from the highest three. These are Regis Familia (the noble families of the Known Universe), the NaNa-Familia (being house family members, high ranking officers/advisors and merchant gentry) and the Bondsmen (these are the free peoples, artisans, etc).

Step 08 - finishing touches Here is where you breathe life into your character. Who were his or her parents? What were their names? How did you end up a member of the Minor House? All the little details are filled in here. Describe what your character looks like. How they normally dress. What sort of equipment do they usually carry with them?

5pts variable 2pts 2pts 1pts 1pt 1 per level

Step 07 - caste Imperial society is divided into Castes. Your Caste determines your social standing, the higher the Caste, the more important you are. It confers a starting point for how people deal with one another. It also determines things like marriage, employment and the like. For instance, it is unlikely that a member of the Regis Familia would marry a Pyon (at least, not without controversy). However, marriage to a member of the Na-Familia would be acceptable and even a Bondsmen, though unusual, wouldn’t be too frowned upon. The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

125

early life ACADEMIC EDUCATION Attack +1 Listen +1 Perform +1 Prestidigitation +1 Sight +1 Sneaking +1

The character learned about the universe around him or her from volumes of filmbooks and solido projections. Gain: ¥

+1 Intellect

¥

Academia +1

¥

Choose two Knowledge Skills at Rank 1 and the Level 1 Knowledge Feat

CRIME SYNDICATE Your family are privateers of some kind, perhaps they run a protection racket or are smugglers. Gain:

BENE GESSERIT TEACHING ¥ Whether a commissioned proctor or renegade sister trained the character he or she received preliminary training in the secret “witching ways” of the Bene Gesserit. Gain: ¥

+1 Insight

¥

Habitus +1

¥

Empathy +1

¥

Both Bene Gesserit Level 1 Secret Feats

Choose one of the following: +1 Command +1 Insight

¥

Sinister +1

¥

Choose any three of the following: Convince +1 Hiding +1 Intimidation +1 Negotiation +1 Sneaking +1 Underworld +1

COMMONER OMMONER UPBRINGING You were either raised by Pyons or were a Pyon yourself. Gain:

DUELING INSTRUCTION

¥

+1 Physique

¥

Survival +1

Under the tutelage of a rogue blade master or family Weapons Master, the character trained in the art of dueling over a period of many years. Gain:

¥

Choose any three of the following:

¥

Choose one of the following:


126 MENTAT PRIMING +1 Physique +1 Prowess ¥

Duel +1

¥

Acrobatics +1

¥

Shield Fighting Skill at 1 and the Level 1 Shield Fighting Feat

Recognised for his or her mental prowess during infancy, the character was primed as a potential mentat until reaching the age at which a voluntary decision was required to continue with his or her education. Gain: ¥

+1 Intellect

¥

Observe +1

¥

Research +1

¥

Both Level 1 Mentat Secret Feats

NOBLE HOUSEHOLD

Commercial Upbringing MERCANTILE FAMILY

The character was reared under the auspices of a noble household, where he learned by observing the skills of statecraft. Gain: ¥

+1 Charm +1 Command

You were raised as part of a family who made a living buying and selling. Gain: ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Command +1 Intellect

¥

Diplomacy +1

¥

Choose any two of the following: Convince +1 Empathy +1 Evaluate +1 Intimidation +1 Negotiation +1 Underworld +1


¥

Diplomacy +1

¥

Enthrall +1

¥

Choose 1 of the following Advantages: ALLIES 2 BENEFACTOR 2 HONORARIUM FAMILIA 2

ORPHANED A family tragedy left the character orphaned at an early age. The character survived on the streets until a patron came to his or her rescue.


127 RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Insight +1 Physique

Raised in a religious household, the character first learned about the universe through the eyes of a believer.

¥

Survival +1

¥

¥

Gain the BENEFACTOR Advantage at 2pts

¥

Choose one of the following: Convince +1 Stealth +1 Underworld +1

Choose one of the following: +1 Command +1 Intellect

¥

WORLDLY (Orange Catholicism) Advantage

¥

Knowledge (Religion) +1

¥

Choose one of the following: Enthrall +1 Perform (Oration) +1 Willpower +1

OUT-FREYN UPBRINGING The character spent his or her early childhood as the ward of a foreign, non-Imperial culture, such as the Fremen, Tleilaxu or Spacing Guild.

SLAVE PITS ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Intellect +1 Prowess

¥

WORLDLY Advantage

¥

Choose any two of the following:

Incarcerated within the slave pits of a rival household, the character survived a long period of torment and hard labor before escaping his captors. ¥

Convince +1 Direction +1 Disguise +1 Education +1 Knowledge (Culture) +1 Underworld +1

Choose one of the following: +1 Physique +1 Prowess

¥

Athletics +1

¥

Choose any two of the following: Intimidation +1 Sight +1 Sneaking +1 Sustenance +1 Vigor +1 Willpower +1


128

Vocational conditioning ASSASSIN (STARTING CASTE 3) In a culture where warfare is highly frowned upon and indiscriminate destruction is actually illegal, the Assassin provides a refined solution. The assassin follows a deeply ingrained Code of Ethics (amazingly enough called “the Assassin’s Code”) and considered highly honourable, in spite of the fact they are hired killers.

¥

Choose a Level 1 Feat from one group of Feats and the Level 1 and the Level 2 Feats from another group. Choose from any of the following groups of Feats; INFILTRATION FEATS Access: Locksmith’s Hand Disguise: Guy Incognito

¥

+1 Insight

OBSERVE FEATS

¥

+1 Prowess

Evaluate: Assaying Eye Search: Rigorous Inspection

¥

+2 Infiltration

¥

+2 Observe

¥

+2 Sinister

¥

Choose two of the following:

SINISTER FEATS Assassin: Black Hand Prestidigitation: Sleight of Hand

+1 Observe +1 Sinister +1 Stealth +1 Special Dice (Observe) +1 Special Dice (Sinister) +1 Special Dice (Stealth) ¥

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Bene Gesserit Sister Acrobatics +1 Convince +1 Empathy +1 Infliction +1 Intimidate +1 Remedy +1 Sneaking +1 Weapon Skill +1

BENE GESSERIT ADEPT (STARTING CASTE 4) All adepts are women who come from at least the Bondsmen caste. They are trained in the arts of conversation and manners, able to conduct themselves in cultured environments. Bene Gesserit trained women are highly sought


129 after as consorts and companions.

CHOAM ADVISOR (STARTING CASTE 3)

¥

+1 Insight

¥

+1 Prowess

¥

+2 Habitus

¥

+2 Intrigue

¥

+2 Personality

The CHOAM Advisor is specifically trained to work with (and occasionally manipulate) the laws and regulations of that financial institution.

¥


¥

+1 Insight

+1 Habitus +1 Intrigue +1 Personality +1 Special Dice (Habitus) +1 Special Dice (Intrigue) +1 Special Dice (Personality)

¥

+1 Intellect

¥

+2 Academia

¥

+2 Diplomacy

¥

+2 Knowledge (Economics)

¥

+2 Strategy

Acrobatics +1 Etiquette +1 Evaluate +1 Knowledge (Religion) +1 Listen +1 Sight +1 Perform +1 Weapon Skill +1

¥



¥

¥

¥

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection):

Both Bene Gesserit Level 1 Feats and a Level 2 Bene Gesserit Feat Both Bene Gesserit Level 2 Feats ¥

You may learn additional Bene Gesserit Secret Feats without further limitation.

CHOAM is the most important company in the Known Universe. Every export and service worth anything is bought and sold through the Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles.

+1 Academia +1 Diplomacy +1 Knowledge / Strategy +1 Special Dice (Academia) +1 Special Dice (Diplomacy) +1 Special Dice (Knowledge / Strategy) Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Authority +1 Convince +1 Etiquette +1 Evaluate +1 Intimidate +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Willpower +1


130

¥


¥

Choose 4 Level 1 Feats from the following Feat groups Choose a Level 1 Feat from one group of Feats and the Level 1 and the Level 2 Feats from another group. Choose from any of the following groups of Feats;

+1 Diplomacy +1 Intrigue +1 Special Dice (Diplomacy) +1 Special Dice (Intrigue) ¥

ACADEMIA FEATS

DIPLOMACY FEATS Etiquette: Savoir Faire Negotiation: Salesman ¥

Knowledge: Know-It-All

DELEGATE (STARTING CASTE 4) The delegate’s main function is to represent the house in whatever capacity maybe required. Critical contract negotiations, labour disputes, legal matters, anything and everything, the delegate should be able to handle tense social situations. ¥

+1 Charm

¥

+1 Command

¥

+3 Diplomacy

¥

+3 Intrigue

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Authority +1 Convince +1 Enthrall +1 Evaluate +1 Intimidate +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Strategy +1

Education: Empirical Erudition Research: Fact Finder

Strategy: Plans Within Plans


Choose one of the following: Choose 4 Level 1 Feats from the following Feat groups Choose a Level 1 Feat from a group of Feats and the Level 1 and the Level 2 Feats from the following groups of Feats DIPLOMACY FEATS Etiquette: Savoir Faire Negotiation: Salesman INTRIGUE FEATS Convince: Secrets & Lies Empathy: Lie to Me

MASTER STRATEGIST (STARTING CASTE 4) Military battles are uncommon but small skirmishes, house security and raids are not.


131 The Master Strategist is trained in organising groups of people for the protection and defense of the house (even if that sometimes means going on the attack…). ¥

+1 Prowess

¥

+1 Command

¥

+3 Leadership

¥

+3 Observe

¥


LEADERSHIP FEATS Authority: Look of Eagles Strategy: Plans Within Plans OBSERVE FEATS Evaluate: Assaying Eye Search: Rigorous Inspection

+1 Leadership +1 Observe +1 Special Dice (Leadership) +1 Special Dice (Observe) ¥

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Attack +1 Ballistics +1 Defend +1 Empathy +1 Intimidate +1 Knowledge +1 Language (Battle Language) +1 Research +1

¥

Choose one of the following: Choose 4 Level 1 Feats from the following Feat groups Choose a Level 1 Feat from one group of Feats and the Level 1 and the Level 2 Feats from another group. Choose from any groups of Feats;

of

the

following

Superior Planning MENTAT (STARTING CASTE 4) The Mentat is one of the most simultaneously auspicious and difficult trainings one can go through. Only a very small fraction of the population has the right mental framework to achieve the mental state required. Those that do are highly employable individuals. ¥

+1 Insight

¥

+1 Intellect

¥

+2 Academia

¥

+2 Observe

¥

+2 Perception


132

¥

Choose two of the following: +1 Academia +1 Observe +1 Perception +1 Special Dice (Leadership) +1 Special Dice (Observe) +1 Special Dice (Perception)

¥

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Build +1 Design +1 Empathy +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Negotiation +1 Prescience +1 Willpower +1

¥

NOBLE (STARTING TARTING CASTE 4) The nobility are really the people in charge and that’s what they do. They are those of noble birth, those who lead by example and the rulers of people and commerce. ¥

+1 Prowess

¥

+1 Charm

¥

+2 Diplomacy

¥

+2 Duel

¥

+2 Leadership

¥

Choose two of the following: +1 Diplomacy +1 Duel +1 Leadership +1 Special Dice (Diplomacy) +1 Special Dice (Duel) +1 Special Dice (Leadership)

Choose one of the following: Both Mentat Level 1 Feats and a Level 2 Mentat Feat

¥

Both Level 2 Mentat Feats ¥

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Convince +1 Education +1 Empathy +1 Enthrall +1 Evaluate +1 Intimidate +1 Language (Battle Language) +1 Shield Fighting +1

You may learn additional Mentat Secret Feats without further limitation.

¥

Choose one of the following: HONORARIUM FAMILIA Advantage EMINENCE Advantage at 2pts

Courtly Training The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

133

¥

Choose 2 Level 1 Feats from the following Feat groups

¥

+1 Diplomacy +1 Observe +1 Perception +1 Special Dice (Diplomacy) +1 Special Dice (Observe) +1 Special Dice (Perception)

DIPLOMACY FEATS Etiquette: Savoir Faire Negotiation: Salesman DUEL FEATS

¥

Attack: Power Attack Defend: Weave

Authority: Look of Eagles Strategy: Plans Within Plans Shield Fighting: Swordmaster

One of the most important roles in the Known Universe is Intelligence. And no, not intelligence, but the gathering of information. Good, quality information is vital for accurate strategy and for any mentat you might employ. The Spymaster is skilled at the gathering of this intelligence and also the sowing of misinformation.

Choose six of the following (no more than three of any single selection): Access +1 Empathy +1 Enthrall +1 Evaluate +1 Hiding +1 Language (Battle Language) +1 Sneaking +1 Strategy +1

LEADERSHIP FEATS

SPYMASTER (STARTING CASTE 3)


¥

Choose one of the following: Choose a Level 1 Feat from one group of Feats and the Level 1 and the Level 2 Feats from another group. Choose from any of the following groups of Feats; DIPLOMACY FEATS Etiquette: Savoir Faire Negotiation: Salesman

¥

+1 Insight

OBSERVE BSERVE FEATS

¥

+1 Command

Evaluate: Assaying Eye Search: Rigorous Inspection

¥

+2 Diplomacy

¥

+2 Observe

¥

+2 Perception

PERCEPTION FEATS Hearing: Pet Sounds Sight: Sight Beyond Sight


134

+1 Special Dice (Physician) ¥

Control +1 Empathy +1 Etiquette +1 Knowledge +1 Prescience +1 Sustenance +1 Vigor +1 Willpower +1

Suk Doctor SUK PHYSICIAN (STARTING CASTE 4) In an age of paranoia, where that trusted employee or servant might be a sleeper agent or assassin, people who you can truly trust are rare. The Doctors of the Imperial Suk School are deeply conditioned so they literally cannot harm another individual. And this is their worth: a Suk can be trusted absolutely to do their best to save your life. A trait worth a lot of money in this age.


¥

IMPERIAL CONDITIONING Advantage

SWORDMASTER (STARTING CASTE 3) The House Swordmaster is a vital role for any household of Imperial society. They are trained from a very young age to duel, armed only with holtzman shield and kindjal blade. They are best of the best and any household worth its salt would be remiss to not have one on hand.

¥

+1 Insight

¥

+1 Intellect

¥

+2 Academia

¥

+2 Perception

The Swordmaster’s duties are usually as Secund Elect, requiring them to settle matters by a legal duel on behalf of the house, but also act as bodyguards and teachers for the noble heirs.

¥

+2 Physician

¥

+1 Physique

¥


¥

+1 Prowess

+1 Academia +1 Perception +1 Physician +1 Special Dice (Academia) +1 Special Dice (Perception)

¥

+2 Athletics

¥

+2 Duel

¥

+2 Marksmanship


135

¥

Choose two of the following: +1 Athletics +1 Duel +1 Marksmanship +1 Special Dice (Athletics) +1 Special Dice (Duel) +1 Special Dice (Marksmanship)

¥


MARKSMANSHIP FEATS Ballistics: Bullet Man Projectiles: Hawkeye Shield Fighting: Swordmaster ¥

Optional: You may spend 6 of your 10 Character Points to become a Ginaz Swordmaster. You gain: GINAZ TRAINING Advantage

Atmospheric +1 Control +1 Direction +1 Shield Fighting +1 Void +1 Vigor +1 Weapon Skill +1 Willpower +1 ¥

Swordmanship Skill +1 Ginaz Swordmanship Level 1 Secret Feat You may learn additional Ginaz Swordmanship Secret Feats without further limitation

Choose one of the following: Choose 4 Level 1 Feats from the following Feat groups Choose a Level 1 Feat from one group of Feats and the Level 1 and the Level 2 Feats from another group. Choose from any of the following groups of Feats; ATHLETIC FEATS Acrobatics: Wired Running: Marathon Man DUEL FEATS Attack: Power Attack Defend: Weave


136

House service All characters gain the elements detailed under each section. Additionally, every House Service receives the following:

¥

Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Atmospheric +1 Build +1 Design +1 Direction +1 Etiquette +1 Language +1 Remedy +1 Void +1

Choose from the following options for any of the skills you possess: One Feat group at Level 1, Level Two and Level 3 Two Feat groups at Level 1 and Level 2 Three Feat groups at Level 1 and one Feat group at Level 1 and Level 2

CHOAM ECONOMIST If possible, two Feat groups at Level 3 If possible, 1 Feat group at Level 4 and either two Feat groups at Level 1 or the Level 2 Feat to another group ACADEMIC ADVISOR The character has served as an academic specialist, consultant or tutelary. Having specialised in religious, historical or cultural lessons, the character aspires to the post of Academic Advisor, counseling his liege in addition to educating the noble heirs. ¥

The character has served the House as a financial officer, supervising various economic, financial and mercantile ventures. Having served as a corporate officer, treasury exchequer or financial officer, the character aspires to the rank of CHOAM Advisor. ¥

+1 Insight +1 Intellect ¥

Choose two of the following: Academia Knowledge Observe

+1 Skill or Special Die +2 Skill or Special Die +1 Skill or Special Die

Choose two of the following: Academia +1 Skill or Special Die Diplomacy +1 Skill or Special Die Knowledge (Economics) +2 Skill or Special Dice

Choose one of the following: +1 Insight +1 Intellect

¥


¥

Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Authority +1 Convince +1


137

Empathy +1 Evaluate +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Search +1 Strategy +1

Attack +1 Defend +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Listen +1 Sight +1 Underworld +1 Willpower +1

HOUSE PHYSICIAN The character has operated as a chief medic, House paramedic or staff surgeon, having served in a military hospital or household infirmary. The character aspires one day to the rank of House Physician. Diplomatic Emissary

¥

DIPLOMATIC IPLOMATIC SPOKESPERSON The character has served his or her House as a member of the Sysselraad delegation or Landsraad Embassy. The character may have served as a liaison, representative or counsel aspiring to the rank of Diplomatic Spokesperson. ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Charm +1 Command

¥

Choose two of the following: Diplomacy Intrigue Personality

¥


Choose one of the following: +1 Charm +1 Intellect

¥

Choose two of the following: Academia Diplomacy Physician

¥


Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Evaluate +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Listen +1 Prescience +1 Search +1 Sight +1 Willpower +1

Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection);


138 MASTER OF ASSASSINS Diplomacy Intrigue Personality

The character has served as a House Agent, counter-insurgent or assassin. The character hopes to reach the rank of Master of Assassins. ¥ ¥


Choose two of the following: Intrigue Leadership Sinister

¥

Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Arrangement +1 Atmospheric +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Perform +1 Prescience +1 Remedy +1 Void +1 Willpower +1

+1 Insight +1 Prowess ¥



Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Acrobatics +1 Direction +1 Etiquette +1 Hide +1 Infliction +1 Intimidate +1 Sneak +1 Sustenance +1

Kanly Duel PERSONAL CONFIDANTE SECUND ELECT The character has served as a personal confidante to a family noble, providing companionship, entertainment and advice commensurate with his or her role. ¥

Choose one of the following: ¥ +1 Charm +1 Command

¥

The character has served as a bodyguard or man at arms for a House. The character hopes to one day achieve the rank of Secund Elect, the personal bodyguard to the liege. Choose one of the following: +1 Physique +1 Prowess



139

¥

Choose two of the following: Athletics Diplomacy Duel

¥

Access +1 Atmospheric +1 Direction +1 Etiquette +1 Language +1 Shield Fighting +1 Sneak +1 Void +1


Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Atmospheric +1 Convince +1 Direction +1 Empathy +1 Language +1 Listen +1 Shield Fighting +1 Sight +1

SPYMASTER The character served as a covert agent within the House intelligence arm. The character may have performed as an informant, spy or provocateur, hoping to one day secure the position of House Spymaster. ¥


SECURITY COMMANDER The character operated as a House security agent, serving as a member of the elite guard, brute squad or secret police. The character aspires to the hold the rank of Security Commander. ¥


Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection);

Choose two of the following: Intrigue Perception Stealth

¥

Choose two of the following: Duel Leadership Marksmanship

¥

¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Command +1 Physique

¥

+1 Insight +1 Prowess


Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Access +1 Disguise+1 Etiquette +1 Evaluate +1 Infliction +1 Language +1 Search +1 Void +1


140 WARMASTER The character has fulfilled one or more tours of duty serving as a junior officer in the House military. The character may have served as a troop leader, elite commando or military advisor, seeking the heights of House Warmaster. Master Artisan

¥

+1 Command +1 Physique

TECHNOLOGIST The character has served as a technology consultant, engineer or mechanic, possibly for the military. The character hopes to be one day recognised as a Master Craftsman. ¥

Choose two of the following: Academia +1 Skill or Special Die Engineering +1 Skill or Special Die Observe +1 Skill or Special Die

¥

¥

Choose two of the following: Duel Leadership Observe



¥


Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Atmospheric +1 Direction +1 Etiquette +1 Knowledge +1 Language +1 Negotiation +1 Remedy +1 Void +1

¥

Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Atmospheric +1 Ballistics +1 Etiquette +1 Language +1 Projectiles +1 Shield Fighting +1 Void +1 Willpower +1

WEAPONSMASTER The character has served as a weapons instructor for the family nobility, House guard or military elite. In time, the character may achieve the rank of Weapons Master presiding over all House-sponsored combat training programs.


141

¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Charm +1 Prowess

¥

Choose two of the following: Duel Engineering Marksmanship

¥


Choose five of the following (no more than two of any one selection); Acrobatics +1 Atmospheric +1 Control +1 Etiquette +1 Language +1 Shield Fighting +1 Vigor +1 Void +1


142

Personal calling ACADEMIC

ARENA FIGHTER

You enjoy learning and spend your spare time researching and reading film books.

The character demonstrates remarkable skill and valor in the arena, fighting beats or trained gladiators to create a spectacle for the adoring public.

¥


¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Physique +1 Prowess

¥

Academia +1

¥

Evaluate +1

¥

Duel +1

¥

Knowledge (any) +1

¥

Acrobatics +1

¥

Knowledge (any) +1

¥

Enthrall +1

¥

Vigor +1

ADVOCATE Gifted in verbal communication, the character excels as an advocate or spokesman for some political organization such as household, school or combine. ¥

ARTISAN You have a talent for the artistic and have great skill in design and creation. This could be a technology, a piece of art or jewellery.

Choose one of the following: ¥ +1 Charm +1 Command

¥

+1 Charm +1 Insight

Diplomacy +1 ¥

¥



Empathy +1 Engineering +1

¥

Enthrall +1 Entertain +1

¥

Language (any) +1 ¥

Etiquette +1

¥

Evaluate +1


143

¥

Knowledge +1

¥

+1 Charm +1 Prowess

BREEDER Because of some extraordinary quality in her genetic makeup, the BG Sisterhood grooms the character to become a participant in its selective breeding program. ¥

¥

¥

BEAUTY Advantage

¥

Enthrall +1


CRIMINAL RIMINAL

+1 Command +1 Intellect

You are an out and out criminal. You spend a lot of time stealing or otherwise breaking the law. It’s how you pass the time.

PRIZED BLOODLINE Advantage ¥

You spend your spare time drinking and being entertained. Your life goes by in a haze of semuta music and other stimulants. Choose one of the following: +1 Charm +1 Insight ¥

Personality +1

¥

Etiquette +1

¥

Knowledge (Gambling) +1

¥

Underworld +1

¥

Infiltration +1

¥

Convince +1

¥

Sneak +1

¥

Underworld +1

EXILE/FUGITIVE As a result of criminal exile or fugitive flight, the character has survived as a renegade before enlisting with his or her current House under bonded servitude. ¥

COURTESAN You are an extraordinary person to be around, a delight to spend an evening with and you find yourself often called upon to entertain.

Choose one of the following: +1 Insight +1 Prowess

CAROUSER

¥



¥

Perception +1


144

¥

Sustenance +1

¥

Intrigue +2

¥

Underworld +1

¥

Etiquette +1

¥

Vigor +1 OFF-WORLD EDUCATION

IMPERIAL SERVANT The character serves the Emperor as an official observer and cultural attaché to the House Entourage. Though obligated to perform certain Imperial functions, the character is free to serve his patron House in any number of official capacities. ¥


¥

WORLDLY Advantage

+1 Command +1 Intellect

¥

Direction +1

¥

Etiquette +1

¥

Sustenance +1

EMINENCE Advantage +2pts

¥

Negotiation +1

¥

Enthrall +1

¥

Etiquette +1

MERCHANT The character has made major investments and developed his or her talents at buying and selling either before joining the Household or as a part of her past-times. Choose one of the following: +1 Charm +1 Command ¥

¥


¥

¥

The character received her vocational conditioning on another homeworld, learning about the planet and its rulers.

WEALTH Advantage +2pts

PRIVATEER Before enlisting with his or her current House, the character survived as an enterprising smuggler or mercenary. ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Command +1 Prowess

¥

CONTACTS Advantage +2pts

¥

Convince +1

¥

Sneak +1

¥

Underworld +1


145

¥

SPICE DIET Advantage at 3pts

¥

Focus +1

Prescient Waking Dream SLEEPER AGENT For years the character has been serving as a secret mole, on assignment from another House. The character must designate her original faction, homeworld and purpose. ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Charm +1 Command

¥

BENEFACTOR Advantage +2pts

¥

Intrigue +1

¥

Disguise +1

UMMA Gifted with prescient ability, the character possesses the natural talent to glimpse or even predict future events. Because prophets are often mocked and scorned, the character may choose to keep his or predictive talents secret. ¥

Choose one of the following: +1 Command +1 Insight


146

Gear Roleplaying in the DUNE universe is not really about having lots of equipment. Given that the players are part of a powerful noble house, a character can pretty much gain access to anything they need. Cost for an individual item then is virtually irrelevant. The only real concerns we have then are how difficult the items are to obtain, the cost for a bulk order and the length of time it takes to obtain. So each piece of gear is can be said to have the following traits:

If successful, subtract the resulting Width from 6 to determine the Time Factor. Combine the Time Factor and the Time Trait to determine how long it will take for the item to arrive. E.g. Width 3 subtracted from 6 is 3. This is the Time Factor. The Time Trait is Days. Combined, it will take 3 Days for the item to arrive. After the roll, look at the Cost Trait. There are two values, the first is the value for one item and the second is the value for a bulk item. Reduce the Wealth rating by the first for a week or reduce the Treasury rating by the second for a month.

GAME EFFECT - what the gear actually does DIFFICULTY - how hard it is to obtain COST - how much treasury does it require TIME - how quickly you can expect to receive it This book will detail some of the things that appear in the books and some suggestions for other things, but really, when it comes to character’s wanting things, the Judge only really has to concern him or herself about the game effect and the aforementioned gear traits. When a character decides to obtain some gear, they can either do it using their own personal connections or as a House Venture. The former, requires a Charm + Contacts roll at a Difficulty equal to the Gear Trait. If the latter, roll Charm + Influence Quality.

The number in brackets under Cost is the number of items received for a bulk order.

Manufacturing Mass production in the Known Universe is nothing like what one would expect of the future. The proscription on any machine made in the image of a man’s mind is pretty farreaching. This basically prohibits any item or piece of machinery which might be considered to “think for itself”. That’s anything remotely like a computer, microchips and the like. So, mass production is either through crews of artisans toiling round the clock or through Servok. Servok The Servok is a clock-set mechanism created to perform simple tasks. It was one of the limited


147 "automatic" devices Butlerian Jihad.

permitted

after

the

A Servok then is an ornate clockwork machine used to mass produce parts which are then assembled by artisans.

Technological factions Although there are many artisans that specialize in manufacturing specific technologies, there are three factions who in the Known Universe who are well known for production of technology. These are; • • •

BENE TLEILAX HOUSE RICHESE IX

The BENE TLEILAX or Tleilaxu are an extremely xenophobic and isolationist, non-Imperial society. The Bene Tleilax are genetic manipulators, equivalent in power to a major house in the Imperium. They exclusively control a number of planets in the Imperium but they are originally connected with the planet Tleilax, the sole planet of the star Thalim. Not organized along feudal lines, the Tleilaxu are secretive and very little is known about them; however we learn their society is said to be a meritocracy. They are chiefly known for their biological products, such as artificial eyes, gholas, and Face Dancers. Because they deal in morallyquestionable but highly desired products, the Tleilaxu are universally distrusted but still influential.

HOUSE RICHESSE are a Great House of the Landsraad who deal in manufacturing high technology. While not as able or skilled as the Ixians, the Richesse’s goods are still in circulation if only because they are a pivotal member of the Landsraad and not some tolerated Out-freyn faction. The Richese possess large shipyards and it is from them that the bulk of starships are purchased. IX is a planet ruled by the IXIAN CONFEDERACY. It is noted that Ix is classed with the Richese as "supreme in machine culture,"[1] and that Ixian solido projectors "are commonly considered the best." The name Ix comes from the planet's name (a spelling pronunciation of the Roman numeral IX) is derived from the fact that it is the ninth planet of its sun. Ixian devices are commonplace and considered essential throughout the Known Univese, though they sometimes test the limits of the anti-technology proscriptions of the Butlerian Jihad, mankind's crusade against computers, thinking machines and conscious robots Ix is the leader in providing technology to the Imperium, more so than Richese. The machines from Ix are far superior to that of Richese, however, Ix has the same status as the Bene Tleilax: tolerated rather than accepted. The Ixians and Tleilax both walk a fine line with their barely acceptable technologies. The Ix commonly use cybernetic replacements and this immediately sets people of the Imperium on edge.


148 The Tleilaxu, commonly referred to as the “Dirty Tleilax”, trade in biological entities and twisted creations. Ix cybernetics are obvious and are designed to be shown off. They are typically superior to the replacement, perhaps adding a die to any appropriate rolls. E.g. a cybernetic eye might add 1d to Perception rolls when using Sight. Tleilax cloned limbs are indistinguishable from the original, however, the perception is that you’re literally buying tainted goods and the replacement is a dirty Tleilax stain on your soul.

insulation gear that keeps the body temperature up but without overheating… This technology has enable humanity to spread across the galaxy and live in places that we today wouldn’t even dream of it. You are encouraged to devise your own environments and technology, to detail the environment of your domains as much as possible. The attention to detail of the world you live is a key part to conjuring up the experience of DUNE, separating it from other science fiction games.

In game terms, any technology you can think of is available from at least one of these factions. The problem is that there are always repercussions. Goods from the Tleilax are tainted by their very name. Goods from Ix are considered to be a necessary evil. Goods from Richese just aren’t as good as either of the other two factions but they are more acceptable.

Environmental technology The peoples of the Known Universe have colonized every habitable planet, no matter how harsh the environment. From arid wastelands to worlds of frozen ice, you will find humanity everywhere. They have developed significant technologies to enable life in these hostile environments. The Stillsuit, aiding life in a waterless desert, and the Zerosuit, granting life in the lethal depths of space, are two such technologies. All manner of wonderful technologies have been developed, from special tents, heating devices, The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

149 uncommon and rarely used, they are more difficult to obtain in the Known Universe.

armaments ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Personal Armaments 1 1/1 (1,000) Hours These are small or light blades. Kindjals, rapiers, daggers and slip tips. They do Width in Physical Damage during combat. Low Velocity.

ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Medium Armaments 2 2/1 (1,000) Hours This cover heavier weight weapons like broadswords, machetes, gladius’ and the like. They do Width +1 Physical Damage in combat. High Velocity.


Heavy Armaments 3 3/1 (500) Hours This covers large and heavy weapons like two handed swords, halberds and battle axes.

Small Arms do Width Physical Damage and have a Short Range of 30m, Medium Range 90m and a Long Range of 150m. High Velocity. ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Long Arms 5 2/1 (250) Weeks Long Arms are ballistic Shotguns, Assault Rifles and Sniper Rifles. Long Arms do Physical Damage.

Width

+1

Shotguns add 2d at Short Range. Their Short Range is 15m, Medium Range is 45m and Long Range is 75m. Assault Rifles allow automatic fire and have a Short Range of 95m, a Medium Range of 275m and a Long Range of 460m. A Sniper Rifle can only fire once a round but has a Short Range of 1,000m, a Medium Range of 3,000m and a Long Range of 5,000m.

High Velocity. High Velocity. ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Small Arms 4 1/1 (500) Days This covers ballistic handguns,


150 ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Heavy Arms 6 3/2 (100) Weeks These are rocket launchers, mortars and grenade launchers. Any weapon which can damage or decimate a vehicle. Heavy Weapons do Width +2 Physical Damage and their range is effective for a great distance. High Velocity.

darts can either be envenomed or come with an electrical charge. Envenomed weapons are darts loaded with a type of poison (see the poisons later in this section). Envenomed darts are useless against armoured opponents but can penetrate a shield. Electrically charged darts incur Width Physical Damage which ignores armour and cannot be bought off as a complication. However the damage fades at 1 PD a round. Slow Pellet Stunners can penetrate a static holtzman shield, however, if the target dodges or is otherwise moving fast, the dart will not penetrate.

Lasgun ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Lasguns 7 2/1 (100) Weeks The lasgun is the most devastating weapon personal weapon available. It can cut a swathe through an unshielded vehicle like a knife through hot butter.


Slow Pellet Stunners 4 1/1 (500) Days The slow pellet stunner is a spring-loaded dart launcher. The

So the Slow Pellet Stunners are best employed on an unaware target. Small Arms do Width Physical Damage and have a Short Range of 20m, Medium Range 60m and a Long Range of 100m.

Hunter Seeker



Hunter Seeker 7 7/1 (5) Weeks The hunter seeker is one of the assassin’s most powerful and yet most difficult tool to use.

and cannot be roused for 12 hours less Physique Rating.

It is a small sliver of suspensorbouyed equipment which is remote-guided from near location.

EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: The victim remains awake but receives a -2 Height penalty to their dice rolls for 4 hours less Physique Rating.

Due to their small size, their visual capacity is limited and the assassin must rely on sensing movement.

MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: The victim is unaffected.

To use a hunter seeker, roll Insight + Sinister, difficulty 8 to attack a stationary target, difficulty 5 against a moving target. The attack does Width + 3 Physical Damage ignoring armour. Shields are effective but the hunter seeker usually takes the victim by surprise, while their shield is down. ITEM TEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Poison, Sedative 1 1/1 (100 doses) Hours This Potency 5 and takes effect after a number of hours equal to the victim’s Physique. The victim rolls Physique + Habitus at a Difficulty equal to the Potency. FAILURE: The victim falls asleep

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: The victim remains awake but is lethargic and extremely drowsy for 8 hours less Physique Rating.


Poison, Sickness 3 1/1 (1000 doses) Days This Potency 7 and takes effect after a number of hours equal to the victim’s Physique. The victim rolls Physique + Habitus at a Difficulty equal to the Potency. FAILURE: The victim is violently ill and cannot keep any food down for 12 hours less Physique Rating. They receive -2 Height and -1 Dice Pool while they suffer the effects. STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: The victim is unwell and feels very nauseous. They receive -1 Height for 12 hours less Physique Rating. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: The victim feels green and suffers -1 Height for a number of hours equal to 6


152 less their Physique Rating MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: The victim is unaffected. ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Poison, Lethal 5 3/1 (100 doses) Weeks This Potency 3 and takes effect after a number of hours equal to the victim’s Physique.


Battle Dress, Medium 4 3/1 (50) Weeks Medium armour, consisting of reinforced Plasteel Plates (Armour Rating 2).


Battle Dress, Heavy 5 4/2 (25) Months Heavy armour, consisting of environmentally enclosed Plasteel Armour (Armour Rating 3).

The victim rolls Physique + Habitus at a Difficulty equal to the Potency. FAILURE: The victim horrible death.

dies

a

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: The victim is comatose and out for the count for 8 weeks less their Physique Rating. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: The victim is bed-ridden but conscious for 4 weeks less their Physique Rating. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: The victim is violently ill for a few days but is otherwise unaffected.

Holtzman Shield Belt ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Holtzman Shield 3 4/2 (50) Weeks Personal Holtzman Shield, built into an ornate belt.


Vehicle Shield 5 6/2 (5) Weeks The Holtzman Shield large enough to fit on a vehicle. Adjustable from a personal

Defenses ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Battle Dress, Light 3 2/1 (100) Days This is light armour, made up of Plasteel Plates and flexible parts (Armour Rating 1).


153 vehicle (such as a ground car and ornithopter up to starships and the like). ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Prudence Door 6 7/1 (3) Weeks The Prudence Door (or PentaShield) is an internal five-layer holtzman shield generator that provides tight security around an area. Access rolls on a Prudence Door are Difficulty 9. Each Prudence Door adds 1 to the Espionage Score of your House.

Poison Snooper ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Poison Snooper 1 x Rating 1 x Rating/Rating/3 (500) Hours The Poison Snooper allows the user to make an Insight + Rating roll to counter a Prowess + Assassin roll when attempting Chaumas or Chaumurky.


Respirator 2 2/1 (500) Hours The Respirator allows the wearer to survive in adverse atmospheres. This includes gas attacks and harsh conditions. It does not allow one to survive in a vacuum.


Zero Suit 6 5/2 (50) Months The Zero Suit is used in a zero survivability atmosphere. This is places like the void, underwater and other such harsh conditions.

House Shield ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

House Shield 7 -/3 (1) Months The most powerful shield generator. This is a large holtzman field that surrounds a building. Adds 10 to the Defense Score of the House.

Also counts as Armour Rating 1.


154

communication ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Communinet Transmitter Rating Rating / Rating/3 (100) Days A Personal Transceiver. Comparable to a modern day radio. The rating becomes a difficulty to intercept transmissions.


Distrans 4 3/1 (10) Weeks This is a technology by which information is implanted in animals for storage and retrieval. The information is stored subliminally by voice. The message can be retrieved from the animal by uttering a word or phrase. The message is usually be repeated by the animal as a series of words uttered through vibrations. The sound was likened to words connected by a series of hums. Assassins use distrans animals extensively as a form of covert communication. Typically, birds are the most common form of distrans employed are they are better flyers but bats are especially useful, as they could travel under the cover of night.


Communinet Interceptor Rating Rating x 2/Rating/2 (5) Weeks A powerful tool utilised to intercept Communinent tranmissions. Roll Intellect + Rating with a Difficulty of the Rating of the Communinet Transmitter to intercept a transmission. However, given the prevalence of interceptors, Battle Language is often used, so there’s no guarantee you can decode the transmission once received.

Vehicles ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Ground Vehicle, Personal 3 4/1 (10) Days This is two-person car. It may be wheeled, tracked or hovers like a landspeeder. It can be as ornate or as practical as you like it.


Ground Vehicle, Carrier 4 5/1 (10) Weeks As a personal vehicle but this is a six person people carrier.


Ground Vehicle, Transport 5 6/2 (10) Weeks As a personal vehicle but this is a large goods transporter.



Ground Vehicle, APC 6 7/2 (5) Weeks As a personal vehicle but this is an Armoured Personnel Carrier. Each APC adds 1 to the Warfare Score of your House.


Ground Vehicle, AFV 7 8/2 (5) Months As a personal vehicle but this is an Armoured Fighting Vehicle. Each AFV adds 2 to the Warfare Score of your House.


Ground Vehicle, Battle 8 9/3 (5) Months As a personal vehicle but this is a Battle Tank or Launcher vehicle. Each APC adds 3 to the Warfare Score of your House.

GAME EFFECT

The ornithopter is the most common form of personal transport in the Known Universe. They are basically aerial vehicles that use a combination of jets and beating wings that give a recognizable “Thwok-thwok” sound. The powered wings allow all movement you expect from a helicopter but without the difficulties associated with said vehicle.


Air Vehicle, Carrier Ornithopter 3 6/2(5) Weeks As a Personal Ornithopter, but a six person carrier.

Transport Ornithopter

Personal Ornithopter ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME

Air Vehicle, Personal Ornithopter 2 5/1 (5) Days


Air Vehicle, Transport Ornithopter

4 7/2 (5) Months As a Personal Ornithopter but a large goods transporter



Battle Ornithopter ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Each House Frigate adds 3 to the Warfare Score.

Air Vehicle, Battle Ornithopter 5 8/2 (5) Weeks As a Personal Ornithopter but designed for aerial combat. Come fitted with a holtzman shield. They are designed for controlled collisions against other shielded vehicles. Each Battle Ornithopter adds 2 to the Warfare Score.


Void, Personal 4 6/1 (5) Weeks A large shuttle for traveling through space. Carries four people. Effective in atmospheric and void travel.


Void, Carrier 5 7/1 (5) Weeks A very large space-faring vehicle. Can carry about 10 people in luxury. Effective in atmospheric and void travel

Void, House Frigate 7 9/2 (3) Months A large, battle ready spacecraft. Used for transport through hostile areas. The House Frigate is effective in atmospheric and void travel.

House Frigate ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Void, House Transporter 7 9/2 (6) Months A large transport spacecraft. Used for carrying massive loads from planet to planet. The House Transporter is effective in atmospheric and void travel.


Void, Crusher 10 --/3 (3) Months A Crusher a very large battlecruiser that is used to drop from orbit to ground targets. Used primarily in shielded engagements. Effective in


157 atmospheric and void travel. Each Crusher adds 4 to the Warfare Score.

Crushers ITEM DIFFICULTY COST TIME GAME EFFECT

Void, Monitor 10 --/4 (1) Years A Monitor is huge battleship which can break into 10 smaller destroyers. Each Monitor adds 10 to the Warfare Score. The Monitor is only effective in Void travel.


158

DOMAIN Creation Unlike character creation, House creation is a cooperative process in which each player has equal say about the salient features pertaining to the house. House creation involves making important decisions, rolling dice, and applying the results.

Defense that details their defensive and security capabilities.

Most importantly, you and your fellow players will work together to attach stories to mechanical developments in the house creation process. You will use the broad descriptions and details generated from these decisions and transform them into a living, breathing house with a history, future, and interesting family to engender the same sorts of investment that players have for their particular characters.

Influence which measures the amount of sway the House has within the system.

Ideally, your group should create their noble house before creating their characters. Doing so provides a good basis from which each player can build his or her personas. Some groups may find that creating their characters beforehand helps guide their choices about the house and its historical developments. There’s no wrong order, so follow whatever approach works best for you. Houses a made up of the Fiefs they control. A Fief can be anything, a good or service but is general land from which they gain power, prestige and wealth. A House has seven House Traits which sum up their temporal power, influence, military might gained from all its holdings and fiefs. These are;

Espionage demarcates the intelligence/counterintelligence and assassination abilities of the House.

Dominion describes the morale and faith of the people who work for the House. Territory measures the extent and production of all the lands held by the House. Treasury details the amount of money and economic clout the House has. Each of the seven Traits consists is rated from 1 to 6 and is often used as a dice pool for house activities (or “Ventures”). A Trait Rating is made up of a Trait Score which is anywhere from 0 to 60. The Trait Score reflects specific things which make up the Trait Rating. For example, well trained troops might be 3 points of the Score for Warfare. To determine the Trait Rating, divide the Trait Score by 10 and round off. Within the context of this game, each Trait Rating represents these approximate features. WARFARE 1

Warfare which measures the military power of the House. 2

LEVEL TWO BASIC COMPANIES, WELL TRAINED SQUADS, A BASIC BATTALION TWO WELL-EQUIPPED


159

3

4

COMPANIES

ASSASSIN INTO THE

A BASIC BRIGADE, A WELL-EQUIPPED

LORD’S BEDCHAMBERS YOUR ASSASSINS / SPIES

A WELL-EQUIPPED

5

NEVER LEAVE A TRACE

6

BRIGADE A BASIC ARMY, A WELL-EQUIPPED DIVISION

6

5

BATTALION A BASIC DIVISION,

A BASIC ARMY GROUP,

KNOW YOUR RIVALS’ EVERY MOVE

INFLUENCE 1

A WELL-EQUIPPED ARMY

2

PEOPLE BARLY REMEMBER THE HOUSE EXISTS A POLITICAL

DEFENSE 1

SECURITY OUTPOSTS,

3

OTHER HOUSES WORRY ABOUT YOUR OPINION

2

BASIC GUARDS, BACKGROUND CHECKS GARRISONS, SHIELDED OUTPOSTS,

4

CAN JUST AS EASILY CAUSE

3

LEVEL

LEVEL

SECURITY PATROLS BUNKERS, SHIELDED GARRISONS, TIGHT SECURITY SWEEPS

4

6

OR CEASE RIOTS

5

OTHER PARTIES ASK YOUR PERMISSION BEFORE ACTING

FORTS, SHIELDED BUNKERS, SECURITY CORDONS

5

CONSIDERATION

CASTLES, SHIELDED FORTS, PRU-DOORS FORTRESSES, SHIELDED CASTLES,

6

CAN SWAY WHOLE GROUPS WITH BUT A WORD

DOMINION 1

LEVEL THE LOWER CASTES ARE ON THE VERGE OF REVOLT

PRU-DOORS ALL OVER

2 ESPIONAGE 1

2

3 4

LEVEL IVORY TOWER / CLUELESS

AWARE OF CURRENT EVENTS / CAN MAKE PYONS DISAPPEAR FINGER ON THE PULSE, EYES EVERYWHERE YOU COULD GET AN

THE PEOPLE ARE APATHETIC

3

THE HOUSE IS POPULAR

4

HAVE A STRONG BELIEF IN THE HOUSE

5

WOULD FIGHT FOR THE HOUSE


160

6

WOULD DIE FOR THE HOUSE

TERRITORY

LEVEL

1

FEW PEOPLE AND LITTLE RESOURCES

2

3

YOUR PEOPLES ARE NUMEROUS AND THERE ARE SOME RESOURCES YOU HAVE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE & REASONABLE RESOURCES

4

YOUR DOMAIN IS DENSELY POPULATED / EXTENSIVE

5

YOUR FIEFS AND FEES HAVE

RESOURCES MANY SKILLED PEOPLES AND RESOURCES

6

YOU HAVE COPIOUS POPULATION & RESOURCES AVAILABLE

TREASURY

LEVEL

1

THE HOUSE IS POOR & THE PYONS POORER

2

THE HOUSE AND PYONS GET BY

3

LIFE IS COMFORTABLE FOR ALL / FEW PROBLEMS

4

HIGH LIFESTYLE FOR THE HOUSE, PYONS NEVER WANT

5

HOUSE IS AFFLUENT / ARTISANS ARE RICH

6

HOUSE IS STINKING RICH / PYONS ARE COMFORTABLE

STEP ONE: Siridar fief Siridar is a title which denotes that a thing is pertaining to a House Major. A Fief is a thing of value, such as an office, right of exploitation or some other type of revenue-producing property which is granted by a lord to a vassal in return for allegiance (usually by homage and fealty). A Siridar Fief, then, is a thing of value granted to a House Major by the Padishar Emperor in return for allegiance to the Throne. Given the scope of such a thing, such a fief is generally a planetary system and all that comes with it. A planetary system would be far too large for a single noble family to effectively run. And as the Siridar Fief is granted to a House Major, the Siridar Fief is broken down into smaller fiefs which are then granted to Houses Minor. Within the scope of this DUNE RPG, the players take the roles of the household of one such House Minor. Said House Minor has a fief which belongs to them. All such fiefs are determined as part of creating the Siridar Fief. This is done by rolling a dice pool of 11d and the resulting Set(s) and Waste Dice determine different aspects of the system. 2X1 STELLAR ARCOLOGY An arcology is an artificial self-enclosed habitat. It could be a hollowed out asteroid or a massive disk orbiting a star or an artificial hive-like structure or anything else you might imagine. Each arcology counts as a single Territory. Territory


161 3X1 TWO STELLAR ARCOLOGIES As above but with two such structures. 4X1 THREE STELLAR ARCOLOGIES As above but with three such structures. 5X1 FOUR STELLAR ARCOLOGIES As above but with four such structures.

2X2 GAS GIANT WITH STELLAR ARCOLOGY Has an artificial habitat orbiting or within a Gas Giant. The Gas Giant is mined for resources adding 5 to the Treasury Score of each Territory.

2X6 SMALL SIZE, POOR PLANET This is a small habitable planet with few minerals or metals. Has two Territories. Territories 3X6 MEDIUM SIZE, POOR PLANET As above, but has three Territories. Territories 4X6 LARGE SIZE, POOR PLANET As above, but with four Territories 5X6 GREATER SIZE, POOR PLANET As above, but with five Territories. Territories

3X2 GAS GIANT WITH TWO STELLAR ARCOLOGIES As above but with two such structures.

2X7 SMALL SIZE, MODERATE WEALTH PLANET This is a small habitable planet with reasonable minerals or metals. Has a two Territories. Territories

4X2 GAS GIANT WITH THREE STELLAR ARCOLOGIES As above but with three such structures.

3X7 MEDIUM SIZE, MODERATE WEALTH PLANET As above, but with has a three Territories. Territories

5X2 GAS GIANT WITH FOUR STELLAR ARCOLOGIES As above but with four such structures.

4X7 LARGE SIZE, MODERATE WEALTH PLANET As above, but has a four Territories 5X7 GREATER SIZE, MODERATE WEALTH PLANET As above, but has a five Territories

2X3, 4 OR 5 SMALL MOON A small habitable moon which has one Territory. Territory 3X3, 4 OR 5 MEDIUM MOON As above but with two Territories. Territories

2X8 SMALL SIZE, AFFLUENT PLANET This is a small habitable planet with many minerals or metals. Has two Territories. Territories

4X3, 4 OR 5 LARGE MOON As above but with three Territories. Territories

3X8 MEDIUM SIZE, AFFLUENT PLANET As above, but with has three Territories. Territories

5X3, 4 OR 5 GREATER MOON As above but with four Territories. Territories

4X8 LARGE SIZE, AFFLUENT PLANET As above, but with four Territories. Territories 5X8 GREATER SIZE, AFFLUENT PLANET As above, but with five Territories. Territories


162 2X9 SMALL SIZE, WEALTHY PLANET This is a small habitable planet with great minerals or metals. Has two Territories. Territories

2

Uninhabitable Moon, Moon, Small: Small: The system has a moon with no biosphere or an inhospitable biosphere. It orbits one of the system’s planets. This moon is mined for resources and features an Arcology. Arcology Adds 10 to the Treasury Score and 5 to the Influence Score of the controlling House.

3

Uninhabitable Moon, Moon, Large: Large: The system has a moon with no biosphere or an inhospitable biosphere. It orbits one of the system’s planets. This moon is mined for resources and features an Arcology. Arcology Adds 5 to the Treasury Score, the Influence Score and the Territory Score of the controlling House.

4

Uninhabitable Planet, Small: The system has a small inhospitable or otherwise uninhabitable planet which orbits the system star. Adds 5 to the Treasury Score, 5 to the Territory Score and 5 to the Influence Score of the controlling House.

5

Uninhabitable Planet, Medium: The system has a medium sized inhospitable or otherwise uninhabitable planet which orbits the system star. Adds 5 to the Treasury Score and 10 to the Territory Score of the controlling House.

6

Uninhabitable Planet, Large: The system has a large sized inhospitable or otherwise uninhabitable planet which orbits the system star. Adds 6 to the Treasury Score, 6 to the Territory Score and 3 to the Influence Score of the controlling House.

7

Uninhabitable Planet, Greater: The system has a huge sized inhospitable or otherwise uninhabitable planet which

3X9 MEDIUM SIZE, WEALTHY PLANET As above, but with three Territories. Territories 4X9 LARGE SIZE, WEALTHY PLANET As above, but with four Territories. Territories 5X9 GREATER SIZE, WEALTHY PLANET As above, but has five Territories. Territories

2X10 SMALL SIZE, OPULENT PLANET This is a small habitable planet with dense minerals or metals. Has two Territories. Territories 3X10 MEDIUM SIZE, OPULENT PLANET As above, but with three Territories Territories. 4X10 LARGE SIZE, OPULENT PLANET As above, but has four Territories. Territories 5X10 GREATER SIZE, OPULENT PLANET As above, but has five Territories. Territories Table A - Solar System Features 1

Asteroid Field: There’s an Asteroid Field somewhere in the system. Mining operations will have begun long ago and provides a source of minerals and metals for the Siridar Fief. One of the Houses Minor will be responsible for this operation (adds 10 to their Treasury Score and 5 to their Territory Score). There is an Arcology which controls said operation.


163 orbits the system star. Adds 7 to the Treasury Score, 7 to the Territory Score and 1 to the Influence Score of the controlling House. 8

9

10

Harsh Condition World, Large: Large: The planet is habitable but mostly arid or arctic tundra making living conditions harsh. Has four Territories. Territories The Harsh Conditions feature stacks with any other features chosen. Extreme Condition World, Greater: Greater: The planet is habitable but mostly desert or frozen wastes making life extremely difficult. Has five Territories. Territories The Extreme Conditions feature stacks with any other features chosen. Planetary Ring: There is a large ring of dust, debris and asteroids circling a moon or planet. Adds 5 to Treasury Score of all Territories on the planet.

STEP two: Territory The world you live on is a vast land, having nearly every type of terrain and climate imaginable. From frozen mountains and frigid to the arid plains, people carve out their homes in a variety of regions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The habitable areas of the planet are called Territories. Territories There are three basic types of Territory determined by the type of planetary body they inhabit;

An Arcology is a self-enclosed artificial habitat. A Stellar Arcology is a large, space-borne version of an Arcology. A Moon is a planetary body which orbits a larger planetary body. May or may not have a life sustaining biosphere. A Planet is a planetary body which orbits a star. May or may not have a life sustaining biosphere. There are four different sizes of Territory and each has different characteristics; A Small Territory is an area of land approximately the size of the United Kingdom (93,000 miles2). A Medium Territory is an area of land approximately the size of Alaska (586,400 miles2). A Large Territory is an area of land approximately the size of India (1,269,338 miles2). A Huge Territory is an area of land approximately the size of China (3,696,100 miles2). All Territories start off as Huge and can have up to eight Features. eatures A Feature is predominant type of terrain. For example, you might think of Russia as predominantly a Tundra terrain. That would be its main feature. Arrakis is mostly Arid desert. That too is a feature. The players and Judge work together to decide how many features to take and what they are. No feature is better than any other. This may not be realistic but the point here is to tell a story and to create an interesting world in which to tell that story: arguing over who gets


164 to live in the best spot on the planet doesn’t get the game off to a good start (though it might make for a good story during play).

Such rare exotics prove difficult to defend. Further, much of the land is dominated by the industry of this product or service.

E.g. The players decide that a territory called Amsford is mostly Forests and Grasslands. However, they then decide to give it Lakelands. So Amsford is mostly Lakelands with some Grasslands and Forests.

Worse, the independent harvesters/craftsmen of the product have little need of the controlling House.

The Features available are; • • • • • • • • • • •

Arable Land Exotic Deposits Extreme Conditions Forest Grasslands Harsh Conditions Lakelands Mineral Deposits Mountainous Resource Deposits Wetlands

Arable Land is any healthy and fertile soils with plenty of sunlight and good precipitation. Arable Lands are difficult to defend but food is readily available and the land is picturesque. People are therefore happier with the controlling House. Lands are also more open, giving rise to a large population. However, the economy does not produce anything of real value. Exotic Deposits is a thing unique to that territory and cannot be found anywhere else in the Known Universe. This then becomes a highly sought after commodity yielding Influence and great economic boon.

Extreme Conditions is some state of weather or terrain that makes living in the territory very difficult. Deserts or Arctic conditions are good examples of Extreme Conditions. While it makes it difficult to maintain morale and belief in the state, it does produce a people hardier than those who have it easy. Forest is an area packed with dense woodlands or jungle, depending on the climate. Such wilds provide an easily defendable position and a plethora of wild game available for locals. Like Arable Land, however, the economy is somewhat poor and the exports provide little influence. Grasslands are large open plains or prairies which great tracts of habitable areas and equally great numbers of grazing animals. Such open terrain is difficult to defend and there are little real exports, providing small influence and a poor economy. However, the sheer open land gives rise to huge populations. Harsh Environment is a state of weather or terrain that makes living in the territory harder than the average. Arid locations or frozen Tundra are examples of harsh environs. It is more difficult to invade such territories, not only because of the conditions but the peoples are used to adversity. The downside is that they pay little heed of the commands of the House.


165 Lakelands is a fertile region with many large bodies of fresh water lakes and rivers. Nearly always picturesque and with readily available foods, the natives always have a high morale. The major drawbacks to Lakelands are the sheer lack of habitable land and a poor economy. Mineral Deposits describe a region which has many seams of metals and other precious minerals. Mining of these provides a fantastic economy, however, work conditions are usually poor and the blame is fairly placed at the feet of the ruling House. Mountainous territories describe those that have many high peaked mountains or otherwise very hilly terrains. Defending such a territory is relatively easy for the natives, however, finding places to live and expand is challenging. Resources denotes any territory that is given over to the harvesting of various highly sought after miscellaneous resources. Oil, clay, precious gems and the like are all such resources. Much of the land is devoted to the harvest and procurement of said resource, yielding poor defense and few places to live. Conversely, there are good exports and influence. Wetlands are any territory which is marshy or boggy. Such areas give rise to a very diverse biosphere but living conditions can be poor giving rise to traitorous thoughts and economy somewhat low. Your next step, then, is to place your noble house in one of areas of the world

You may choose from any of the Territories generated by your roll for the Siridar Fief. Your Territory is important because it has a great deal of influence on other factors, including your house’s starting resources, history (both ancient and recent) and a number of other elements that shape its final form. You can place any and all houses wherever the group decides, having as many houses in one territory as you like. There are just a few things to consider: 1) A shared Territory is split up into smaller Territories: a Territory of one size is split into two of the size below. E.g. A Huge Territory is shared, which becomes two Large Territories. 2) If you share a Territory with another House, you gain +5 Influence but receive -5 Dominion. 3) If you are the sole House on a planetary body, you gain +5 Dominion, -5 Influence. 4) If you are the sole occupant of a Territory but share the rest of the planetary body with one or more other Houses, you receive no bonuses or penalties. 5) Once you’ve selected where you are situated, you choose one feature in that territory as the predominant feature of your lands. So even if one territory has seven different features, you only need to select one.

There may only be one Territory in a system with several Houses fighting over land or there may be more land than people, every Siridar Fief is different.


166

DOMAIN TYPE ARCOLOGY MOON PLANET

DOMAIN TYPE POOR MODERATE AFFLUENT WEALTHY OPULENT

DOMAIN TYPE BOTANICAL DOMES ENERGY COLLECTION MINERAL DEPOSITS EXOTIC DEPOSITS

DOMAIN TYPE ARABLE EXOTIC EXTREME FOREST GRASSLAND HARSH LAKELAND MINERALS MOUNTAIN RESOURCES WETLAND

DEFENSE SCORE 20 10 10

BASE SCORES ESPIONAGE INFLUENCE SCORE SCORE 10 10 10 10 10 10

WARFARE SCORE +0 +0 +0 +0 +0

DEFENSE SCORE +0 +0 +0 +0 +0

WEALTH MODIFIER ESPIONAGE INFLUENCE SCORE SCORE +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 -5

WARFARE SCORE -5

DEFENSE SCORE -5

ARCOLOGY MODIFER ESPIONAGE INFLUENCE SCORE SCORE +0 +0

+0

+0

-5

+0

+0

+0

+0

WARFARE SCORE +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0

DEFENSE SCORE -5 -5 +10 +5 -5 +5 +5 +0 +10 -5 +5

WARFARE SCORE 10 10 10

TERRITORY SCORE 10 10 20

TREASURY SCORE 10 10 10

TERRITORY SCORE +0 +0 -5 -5 -5

TREASURY SCORE -5 +0 +5 +10 +15

+5

TERRITORY SCORE +5

TREASURY SCORE +0

+5

+0

-5

+5

+0

+0

-10

+5

+5

+0

+0

+5

-10

+10

DOMINION OMINION SCORE +5 -5 -10 +5 +5 -5 +10 -10 +0 -5 -5

TERRITORY SCORE +5 -5 +0 +0 +10 -5 -10 +0 -10 -5 +5

TREASURY SCORE +0 +5 +0 -5 -5 +0 -5 +10 +0 +5 -5

DOMAIN MODIFIERS ESPIONAGE INFLUENCE SCORE SCORE -5 +0 +5 +10 +0 +0 +0 -5 -5 +0 +5 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +0 +5 +5 +0 +0

DOMINION SCORE

10 20 10

DOMINION SCORE

+5 +0 +0 -5 -5

DOMINION SCORE


167

STEP THREE: HOUSE history The next step is to determine your house’s historical events, which is done by 11d10 and comparing the results with the following sections. When your house was founded determines the number of historical events that can influence the final shape your house takes at the start of the game. Older houses have more historical events, while younger houses have fewer.

Once you’ve generated your own House, you must then determine the histories of all the other Houses. In addition to the player’s House, there is one additional Minor House for every 2 habitable planets. There is a minimum of 2 additional houses, meaning the most basic system is 3 Minor Houses. 2X1

The House was subject to a terrible rivalry leading to a grudge which festered into revenge. The revenge was enacted and your House came out victorious. Someone, somewhere still remembers this long burning vendetta…

Each house has a history, a chronicle of deeds and crimes that shape its identity. Great deeds might elevate a house to greater heights, while scandal and tragedy can shatter a house’s foundation, forcing it to fall into obscurity.

If Vengeance was your first historical event, your House came into existence after the fall of another House. Perhaps one of the ancestors was the last surviving member or an ally of the winning House who was granted lands.

Historical events provide important developments in your family’s history, either adding to your fortunes or diminishing them.

Choose one:

Each event modifies your scores, increasing or decreasing them by the indicated value. Record them in the order that you rolled them. Historical events can reduce a Trait Score to 5 but no lower. Sets describe truly momentous events in your house’s history. You must choose one set as your Founding Set, this describes the circumstances of your house’s origins, defining what sort of event elevated your family to nobility. Waste Dice describe random events which have occurred in their history.

VENGEANCE

¥+10 Territory, +10 Influence, -5 Warfare ¥+10 Treasury, +10 Espionage, -5 Defense

3x1

As above but choose: ¥+15 Territory, +10 Influence, -5 Warfare ¥+15 Treasury, +10 Espionage, -5 Defense

4x1


5x1



168 2 X2

CONQUEST

Revelations as a first historical event means your group learned a great secret or information that caused them to rise to power.

Your family fought and defeated an enemy, perhaps a powerful smuggler cartel or merchant family, annexing their territory and holdings to their own. With such a victory comes the trouble of old loyalties, weakening your house’s hold and influence over the pyons.

Choose one: ¥+10 Influence, +5 Espionage ¥+10 Treasury, +5 Espionage

3x3

If conquest is your first historical event, you gained your noble status by defeating another lord. Choose one:

¥+10 Influence, +10 Espionage ¥+10 Treasury, +10 Espionage

4x3

As above but choose:

5x3

As above but choose: ¥+15 Territory, +15 Treasury, -5 Influence ¥+15 Dominion, +15 Territory, -5 Espionage

5x2

As above but choose: ¥+20 Territory, +15 Treasury, -5 Influence ¥+20 Dominion, +15 Territory, -5 Espionage

2 X3

REVELATIONS Your faction either discovered a great secret or laid one to rest. This may have led to blackmail, created huge embarrassment for another faction (which might not be forgotten) or perhaps even saved a House from a great scandal.

As above but choose: ¥+15 Influence, +15 Espionage ¥+15 Treasury, +15 Espionage

¥+15 Territory, +10 Treasury, -5 Influence ¥+15 Dominion, +10 Territory, -5 Espionage

4x2

As above but choose: ¥+15 Influence, +10 Treasury ¥+15 Espionage, +10 Treasury

¥+10 Territory, +10 Treasury, -5 Dominion ¥+10 Influence, +10 Territory, -5 Dominion

3x2


2X4

CHANGE The Great House which rules the Siridar Fief had a change of structure. Perhaps the old lord died and his son took over or perhaps a new family have replaced them, at the behest of the Padishar Emperor. If Change is your first roll, this indicates that the new lord instigated sweeping changes and your house’s rise to power was one of them. Choose one: ¥+10 Dominion, +10 Influence, -5 Treasury ¥+10 Influence, +10 Territory, -5 Treasury


169 3x4

from the Bondsman caste by marriage or through some great act that warranted your elevation to a noble house.

As above but choose: ¥+15 Dominion, +10 Influence, -5 Treasury ¥+15 Influence, +10 Territory, -5 Treasury

4x4

Otherwise, ascent indicates that your house participated in some key historical event that improved their fortunes.


5 x4

Choose one:


¥+10 Influence, +5 Treasury ¥+10 Territory, +5 Treasury

3x7

2X5-6 INFRASTRUCTURE

¥+10 Influence, +10 Treasury ¥+10 Territory, +10 Treasury

Infrastructure describes a period of peace and prosperity, a moment in your house’s history remembered for growth and expansion.

4x7

If infrastructure is your first result, your house was born during a period of expansion under your lord or king’s rule.

5x7

4x54x5-6 Choose 2 Trait Scores, add 10 to both. 5x55x5-6 Choose 2 Trait Scores and add 15 to one and 10 to the other. 2 X7

ASCENT An advantageous marriage, a great deed for a liege lord, or heroism in a decisive battle can all improve the fortunes of a noble house. If this is your first historical event, it indicates that your house was raised

As above but choose: ¥+15 Influence, +10 Treasury ¥+15 Territory, +10 Treasury

As above but choose: ¥+15 Influence, +15 Treasury ¥+15 Territory, +15 Treasury

Choose 1 Trait Score and add 10. 3x53x5-6 Choose 2 Trait Scores and add 10 one and 5 to the other.


2X8

VICTORY You family achieved an important victory over their enemies. Foes could include a rival house, terrorists or Outfreyn smugglers. In any event, your family rose in prominence and power because of their victory. As an initial historical event roll, this victory was so great that your family was raised to nobility. Choose one: ¥+10 Warfare, +5 Territory ¥+10 Defense, +5 Treasury


170 3x8 3x8

As above but choose: ¥+10 Warfare, +10 Territory ¥+10 Defense, +10 Treasury

4x8


5x8


2 X9

GLORY A family wins glory through a military victory, personal achievement, or by a great act of heroism. Glory is similar to ascent, but it focuses on one figure in your family’s past. The result of this individual’s deeds advances your family’s standing in the eyes of its peers. Generally, glory as a first historical event should imply that your house was formed as a reward for the great acts of their founder. Choose one: ¥+10 Treasury, +5 Warfare ¥+10 Treasury, +5 Defense

3x9

As above but choose: ¥+10 Treasury, +10 Warfare ¥+10 Treasury, +10 Defense

4x9

As above but choose: ¥+15 Treasury, +10 Warfare, ¥+15 Treasury, +10 Defense

5x9

As above but choose: ¥+15 Treasury, +15 Warfare ¥+15 Treasury, +15 Defense

2X10 PATRONAGE Your family gained the favor of the Siridar Lord, the Bene Gesserit, the Spacing Guild or from some other powerful body. As a result, their fortunes improved, and they climbed in standing. This favor might also result from a family member becoming a personal Aide to the ruling House or becoming an Imperial Doctor or a Mentat. Should favor be your first historical result, your house came to power through the influence of some external body. Choose one: ¥+10 Treasury, +5 Territory ¥+10 Territory, +5 Treasury

3x10 As above but choose: ¥+10 Treasury, +10 Territory ¥+10 Territory, +10 Treasury




171 WASTE DICE - TABLE A 1

Perhaps your family may have gained status through dubious or tragic means, perhaps replacing the previous lords who were wiped out during the catastrophe or were a lesser branch that rose in station as they inherited the holdings of their kin.

DOOM Easily the worst possible result, your house suffered a terrible series of mishaps, disasters, and tragedies that nearly erased your family.

Choose one: Doom might be a series of natural events sent by God to test you or you might have been the target of a rival House, or a combination of events the results of which combine into one catastrophic setback.

¥-5 Defense, +5 Dominion, +5 Warfare ¥-5 Warfare, +5 Dominion, +5 Defense

4

Whether from a poor marriage, a downturn in trade, or a series of tragic losses in a conflict, your house entered a period of decline.

Choose any 2 Trait Scores and reduce them both by 5. 2

DEFEAT

Perhaps a desperate lord wedding his daughter to a merchant prince-or of a major branch becoming extinct, leaving the holdings to a lesser branch to rule. Choose a Trait Score and reduce it by 5 but add 5 to any other.

Your family fought a war or smaller conflict but was defeated, losing status, precious resources and influence. Perhaps your family might have been swallowed up by another house and forced to marry into a lesser branch until your original bloodline became all but extinct.

DESCENT

5

SCANDAL Your family was involved in some disaster, a scandal that haunts them still. Good options include spawning a bastard, incest, failed conspiracies, and so on.

Choose one: ¥-5 Treasury, +5 Defense, +5 Dominion ¥-5 Dominion, +5 Defense, +5 Treasury

Choose one: 3

CATASTROPHE A result of catastrophe usually indicates a natural disaster, such as an outbreak of plague, blight, or drought, any of which can diminish your population and ability to control your lands.

¥-5 Espionage, +5 Territory, +5 Dominion ¥-5 Dominion, +5 Territory, +5 Espionage

6

MADNESS Inbreeding, fell secrets, disease, or mental defects can produce derangement and madness among any peoples,


172 including its rulers. A madness historical event indicates that a particular figure suffered from some insanity, producing unpredictable results, with positive or negative outcomes.

You also gain a duty to help and assist your allies. Woe betide the day your alliance shatters… 9

At some point in your house’s history, one or more parties within the household came to disagree. This disagreement grew into a full blown split. Perhaps they left and formed their own house or maybe the disagreement came to blows.

Roll a d10 for each Trait Score and modify the Score based on the result; 1: -5 2: -4 3: -3 4: -2 5: -1 6: +1 7: +2 8: +3 9: +4 10: +5 7

INVASION/REVOLT An invasion or revolt marks a period of collapse, destruction, and ruin. Most of these results come from an external invasion, either from a rival house, raiders, or an Offworld conflict, or perhaps even the ruling house, but it can also stem from a period of inept rule that led to a widespread Pyon revolt. Choose one: ¥-5 Territory, +5 Warfare, +5 Dominion ¥-5 Dominion, +5 Warfare, +5 Territory

8

DIVISION

Out in the world, there is a rival party that views your House as an enemy. Choose one: ¥-5 Territory, +5 Defense, +5 Warfare ¥-5 Territory, +5 Dominion, +5 Influence

10

WINDFALL A windfall is a stroke of luck, a blessing that catapults your family into fame (or infamy). Possible results could be an advantageous marriage, a gift from the king, discovery of new resources on one’s lands, and more.

ALLIANCE Choose a Trait Score and raise it by 5. The House has a close allegiance with a powerful family, another House Minor or possibly even the ruling House Major. Perhaps overtime, your house has merged or may merge with its allies but certainly, for now, their fortunes affect your own. Choose one: ¥+5 Territory, -5 Influence, +5 Espionage ¥+5 Treasury, -5 Dominion, +5 Warfare


173 WASTE DICE - TABLE B 1

4

A member of your house took a stand or took some cause of action which proved to be the wrong choice. This led to the faction being given a black mark or otherwise treated with disdain.

TREACHERY Either you suffered the results of treachery or you were involved in committing a treacherous act. In either case, the historical event stains your family’s name.

Choose one: ¥-5 Influence, +5 Espionage, +5 Warfare ¥-5 Dominion, +5 Espionage, +5 Defense

Choose any 1 Trait and reduce it by 10. 2

VILLAIN

5

Your family produced a character of unspeakable cruelty and wickedness, a villain whose name is still whispered with dread.

A debt that has still to be called in… Choose one:

Choose one:

3

DEATH A prominent member of your family died under suspicious or otherwise tragic circumstances causing great setbacks and diplomatic problems. Perhaps it was during a critical time or the family member was highly respected or they left no heir or replacement. Choose one:

AID The family lands or fees suffer some setback or disaster that requires your House to beg for assistance. Another faction answers the call, leaving your faction in their debt.

Such a character might have committed terrible crimes in his home, killed guests under his roof, or was simply just a bad person.

¥-5 Influence, +5 Defense, +5 Espionage ¥-5 Dominion, +5 Warfare, +5 Espionage

DISHONOUR

¥+5 Territory, +5 Warfare ¥+5 Treasury, +5 Defense

6

FOLLY During its history, one of House’s ancestors or employees did something extraordinarily stupid. They might have made an agreement to something that was completely unrealistic, ordered something grandiose and utterly useless or perhaps caused some minor disaster through recklessness. Regardless, the idiotic decision made by “House Bonehead” has not been forgotten.

¥-5 Influence, +5 Dominion, +5 Territory ¥-5 Treasury, +5 Dominion, +5 Espionage


174 Choose one:

great at that thing. This continues to be their duty and responsibility. Don’t let your House down…

¥-5 Espionage, +5 Territory, +5 Defense ¥-5 Defense, +5 Treasury, +5 Warfare

7

Some faction, a rival house or perhaps even your own house’s pyons needed help, begged for it, but you turned it down. You didn’t listen, didn’t care, and now that haunts your family (or perhaps just your family’s name). Choose one: ¥-5 Territory, +5 Warfare, +5 Defense ¥-5 Treasury, +5 Dominion, +5 Espionage

8

Once per Month, one of your Household may add 1d to a dice roll related to your duty or reputation.

CALLOUSNESS

INVESTMENT The House sponsored an artisan, some new development or otherwise invested time and effort into some person, project or building.

10

BOON Another house, a faction or some other group owes you. For whatever reason, perhaps they needed money or assistance or you had some other thing they needed, you provided the solution and now they owe you a debt. You may cash this debt in once against that faction and once it used, it is gone, but what you can get out of them can be spectacular…

That sponsorship turned out to be a a wise investment and the returns won you much standing. Choose one: ¥+5 Influence ¥+5 Territory ¥+5 Treasury

9

REPUTATION Your house has performed admirably at some duty or task that was assigned to them. They won the respect and admiration of their peers and their lords for their activities. And now your house is known for being


175

DOMAIN Management Once you’ve got your domain all worked out, you probably want to know what to do with it…

then that the Householders.

players

are

always

High

THE YEAR The House domain is the focal point of each faction: it represents their strengths and weaknesses as a group and is ultimately their home and defense. If the domain falls, then the House is sure to follow… So really, even if you aren’t interested in playing politics, the very least you will want to do is protect your borders. For if a House looks weak, it is certain that its peers will drop on them like a pack of wolves. THE HOUSEHOLD Each House consists of a House Domain and a Household: Household if the House Domain is the lands and fees owned by the House, then the Household is the family, friends and employees which run it. The Household consists of two types of person, High Householders and Low Householders. Householders The former are the important people who make the decisions whereas the latter are the servants, guards, cooks, cleaners, drivers and the like. Traditionally, most High Householders are at least of the Bondsmen caste. Rarely are Pyons and lower more than Low Householders. High Householders are the movers and shakers, the people that attend the Sysselraad meetings and generally get the House into and out of problems. It should come as no surprise to you

So now that is cleared up, we need to discuss what sort of things the Household can do with this Domain and how that feeds the narrative. The events of game take place over Years. Years A Year is a standard measure of 12 months of a Guild Year. Each month, the Householders and the Domain get to do “stuff”. This “stuff” can be anything from holding a party to building a new barracks to spying on a rival’s ‘habits’. A list of what exactly you can do follows, but it is important to note that although you have many options, you only have enough time in a month to do certain “stuff”. To represent this limited time, each High Householder can only do four things for themselves in a month (each thing is called an Operation) Operation in between their regular duties, training and the like. They can also do one thing for the Domain each month (which is called a Venture). Venture Operations are things that an individual character can do, like spying on a specific person, making special pains to get to know someone or even assassinating an enemy. Ventures are performed by directed by a are in charge

big events and orchestrations all the House itself. These are High Householder (that is, they of the Venture) and can include


176 things like a raid on a rival’s silos, building a dam and organising a big procession. To put this in perspective, we shall just repeat an important phrase: EACH HIGH HOUSEHOLDER CAN AND 1 VENTURE EACH MONTH

MAKE

DEFENDER: the House has decided to tighten security, close the borders and lock the domain down. This grants +1d to Defense rolls. NEUTRAL: the House has not taken an official stance on anything and thus gains no bonuses.

4 OPERATIONS

HOUSE STRATEGY A House Strategy is a general attitude and direction that the House is taking. A House can only have one House Strategy at a time and this yields a bonus to certain House Ventures. The Household decides what the House Strategy is and it takes a full month to implement. In game terms, the Household decides to change the Strategy in one month and it takes the next full month to implement it. E.g. On Month 3, a House currently has the Neutral House Strategy. It decides to change the Strategy. The decision is made in month 3, it takes the entirety of Month 4 to implement the changes and they gain the benefits of the Strategy in Month 5. The House Strategies are: BUILDER: the House is cultivating its lands, encouraging people to sign up with them, building useful infrastructure like power stations and dams and slowly expanding its borders to free (and sometimes not so free) lands. This gives the House +1d to Territory rolls. COURTESAN: the House has an open territory, allowing people to come and go as they please. The House welcomes people with open arms. This grants +1d to Influence rolls.

PROLETARIAN: the House is focusing on its own internal politics, breaking up house holdings and giving great benefit to the people who work for them. This yields +1d to Dominion rolls. NETWORKER: the House is sends out its spies, infiltrating the companies and organisations at all levels. This grants +1d to Espionage rolls. STOCKPILER TOCKPILER: the House has curbed spending, limited development and counting its coins. This yields +1d to Treasury rolls. WARMONGER: the House’s resources and tactics are generally on the offense, in a state of combat readiness, yielding +1d to Warfare rolls. HOUSE OUSE VENTURES As previously mentioned, the House as a whole can do stuff to advance its plans and goals. When a House works together as a living organism, this is called a Venture. Venture Examples of House Ventures are building a new Agora for the market traders or a new spaceport. At the beginning of a Month, each Householder can take a House Venture. Not every Householder needs to take a House Venture (and there are some reasons for only a small number of Householders to take Ventures) but generally, the more a House does, the more effective it can be.


177 A Householder who declares a House Venture is said to be Directing that Venture. When a Householder is directing, they are spending most of the month making arrangements, negotiations and otherwise organising the Venture. The rest of their time is spent undertaking their general duties and their hobbies. This leaves them with enough time to undertake one personal endeavour for the House each week. Such endeavours are called Operations and will be discussed in the next section.

Depending on the size and power of the House, this can mean dice pools are relatively low. Do not be dissuaded by dice pools of 4 to 6, as there is assistance to be had. The individual actions and activities of the Householders can increase the dice pools through the use of the previously mentioned Operations. So a Household performing several Ventures that reduces its Traits to relatively low dice pools can be increased by appropriate and well performed personal activities. The House Ventures are:

Ventures require a dice roll to resolve and take two House Traits and add them together to form a dice pool. One of the downsides for making Ventures (and one of the reasons why you may not want every Householder undertaking a Venture each Month) is that you must reduce a House Trait by 1 each time it is being employed in a given Month. This cannot reduce the Trait below 1. E.g. A House makes three Ventures that all utilise the Treasury Trait. The Treasury Trait is 3 and is reduced by 1 for each Venture it is used by. This reduces the trait by 3 to 1d for each roll. At the beginning of the next Month, each Trait suffers Degradation. Degradation Each time a trait is used in a Month, reduce its Trait Score by 1. Then use the modified Trait Rating for this Month. E.g. a House has an Espionage Trait Score of 33. This yields a Trait Rating of 3. The House uses the Espionage Trait twice in one Month. This degrades Trait Score by 2 at the beginning of the next Month to 31.

APPROPRIATE: The House either steals, annexes or otherwise plunders another House’s resources. Target a rival House’s Warfare, Defense, Territory or Treasury. Roll your Warfare + Territory countered by their Defense + Territory. You reduce your opponent’s targeted Trait Score by double your resulting Width and gain that amount. ATTACK: The House goes on the offensive and attempts to reduce the Trait of an opposing House through aggressive action. Attacks target a rival House’s Warfare, Defense, Territory or Treasury. Roll Warfare + Territory against Defense + Territory. Reduce their appropriate Trait Score by double the resulting Width.


178 E.g. Your House decides to attack a rival House’s Influence. You roll Espionage + Treasury countered by their Defense + Influence. You roll 3x6 and they roll 2x7, reducing your Width to 1. You reduce their Influence Score by 2 (Width 1 x 2). DEVELOP: The House decides to improve its domain by building, cultivating and training. Roll your Territory + Treasury at a Difficulty of the Trait you want to improve. Raise the appropriate Trait Score by your resulting Width. E.g. Your House has an Espionage Trait of 4. You take a Develop venture to raise your Espionage. You roll Territory + Treasury at Difficulty 4 and score 3x5. You raise your Espionage Score by 3. INVESTIGATE: The House monitors a rival House’s activities, the movement of their troops and its bondsmen’s activities. You roll Espionage + Influence countered by your target’s Espionage + Defense. If you are successful, you discover the target House’s current House Strategy. MAINTAIN: The House puts some efforts into upkeeping its lands, repairing broken machinery, upgrading power stations and providing new tools for the Pyons. Roll Territory + Treasury. Choose one Trait per point of Width. Those traits don’t suffer Degradation this month. MISINFORM: The House deliberately goes out of its way to distribute lies and false trails to its rivals. This is different to merely countering other House’s Surveillance ventures.

Your House makes a list of fake Ventures that it is undertaking and a fake House Strategy. You roll your Espionage + Influence. Your Width doubled creates a Difficulty for your opponents Surveillance and Investigate ventures. Rivals aren’t aware of whether they pass or fail. All they know is that they receive results: either the truth (if they do indeed pass) or your misinformation (if they fail). PROPAGANDA: The House makes an attack against the hearts and minds of the people of the target House. This is an Attack which target’s a House’s Dominion, Espionage and Influence. Roll Espionage + Influence against Defense + Dominion. Reduce their appropriate Trait Score by double the resulting Width. SUBVERT: Similar to an Appropriation venture, the House decides to bribe, brainwash or otherwise poach another House’s people. Target a rival House’s Dominion, Espionage or Influence. Roll your Espionage + Influence countered by their Espionage + Dominion. You reduce your opponent’s targeted Trait Score by double your resulting Width and gain that amount. SURVEILLANCE: The House looks into the activities of rival House. Choose a rival House and a House Trait. Roll your Espionage + the


179 chosen House Trait. This is countered by their Defense + Espionage.

the Game or some other bonus to a House Venture.

MINIMAL SUCCESS - 1X: Reveals if any House Ventures are being undertaken which utilise the target Trait.

The House Operations are;

STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: Reveals how many Ventures are being undertaken using the target Trait. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: Reveals what Ventures are being undertaken using the target Trait.

ASSASSINATE: The Householder attempts to take out the agent of a rival House, this can be anywhere from a daring commando raid or a lone assassin striking from the darkness. You can target a High Householder or a Low Householder.

HOUSEHOLDER OPERATIONS

Against a High Householder, this is best resolved through an Encounter. The goal is to outright kill the target Householder. This has far reaching ramifications and if you want it to be legal, you must ensure that your House is either in a War of Assassins or in Kanly.

As previously discussed, each Month a character in a Household can undertake four personal activities for the House.

Against a Low Householder, roll Intellect + Sinister countered by the House’s Defense + Espionage.

Where Ventures involve a Householder directing teams of people working toward a specific goal for the House, an Operation is the Householder going out on their own and performing some task for their own reasons.

Success knocks a die out of one of the target Householder’s Venture sets for that Month. INTELLIGENCE: The Householder goes looking for information on the activities and resources.

When a character undertakes an Operation, it can either be resolved by a dice roll or by an Encounter, depending on the situation.

You can either hunt for some specific information (such as a character’s most prized possession) or gain Intelligence on the House.

This basically comes down to whether the player and/or Judge decide whether the result of the Operation is either dangerous (such as with an Assassination) or a good opportunity for role-playing (such as with a Socialise operation).

If the latter, target a rival House.

MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: Reveals the current Trait Level.

When it comes to a dice roll, the Operation lists the roll necessary. A resulting set either yields an abstract result determined by the Judge of

Roll Insight + Observe countered by the target House’s Defense + Espionage. Success either reveals the appropriate information or if Intelligence, you may gain a bonus of either +1d, +2d or +1 Special Die to an appropriate House Venture..


180 INTERROGATE: The Householder attempts to glean information from a rival Householder. This can be anything from torture to a revealing conversation.

Against a Low Householder, you can hold a die ransom from one the target House’s dice pools this Month.

You can either Interrogate a Low Householder or a High Householder.

The House can either yield (returning the die to their pool but giving you a bonus die to one of your die pools) or refuse and lose the die for this Month.

Against a High Householder, this is resolved through an Encounter. The results can yield either +1d, +2d or +1 Special Die to an appropriate House Venture.

MISLEAD: The Householder lays misdirection and lies to its rivals.

Against a Low Householder, either roll Intellect + Physician or Insight + Intrigue. This countered by Command + Focus, if the former, or Command + Intrigue if the latter. The information revealed from a High Householder very much depends on the results of the Encounter. If against a Low Householder, you may choose one High Householder per Width. For each High Householder chosen in this fashion, you learn one of their Operations and whether or not they are taking a Venture this Month. KIDNAP: The Householder appropriates a Low or High Householder from a rival House. Against a High Householder, again, this is resolved by an Encounter. Against a Low Householder, roll Intellect + Sinister countered by a House’s Defense + Espionage. The result of kidnapping a High Householder effectively neutralizes their Ventures and Operations this Month. But has further reaching consequences (read: the target House will probably not be too happy about it!).

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You make a list of fake Operations and a fake Venture that you are undertaking this Month. You roll your Intellect + Intrigue. Your Width doubled creates a Difficulty for your opponents Spy and Interrogate operations against you. Rivals aren’t aware of whether they pass or fail. All they know is that they receive results: either the truth (if they do indeed pass) or your misinformation (if they fail). PROTECT: You watch over the Operations and Ventures of another Householder of your House. Choose another High Householder. Roll your Insight + Perception. Your Width doubled creates a Difficulty for any opposing Operation against the chosen High Householder. Householder’s performing Operations against the target are disrupted if they fail the test. SABOTAGE: The Householder either targets a rival House or a Householder, attempting to disrupt their activities. Roll Prowess + Sinister. This is countered by the House’s Defense + Espionage (if targeting a rival House) or by Insight + Perception (if targeting a rival Householder).


181 When targeting a House, choose a Venture. Reduce the Height of the Venture dice roll by your Width. If targeting a Householder, choose one of their Operations. Reduce the Height of the Operation dice roll by your Width. SOCIALISE: The Householder meets with a member of a rival House and engenders a relationship, whatever the nature of that relationship might be. Choose a rival High Householder or Low Householder. If the former, this is resolved by an Encounter. The results of which are largely left up to the Judge of the Game but typically involve the target becoming friendlier to the operator.

STEAL: The Householder steals something of important from a rival House. This is resolved as an Encounter and can have great ramifications, based upon what is being stolen. Stealing a fabulous piece of art from a rival House will probably cause upset and embarrassment, especially if performed at the right time. However, stealing the command codes to deactivate the house’s defenses is another matter entirely. The specific results can yield either +1d, +2d or +1 Special Die to an appropriate House Venture, as determined by the Judge of the Game.

If the latter, you roll Charm + Personality. Success adds 1d to one of your House’s Ventures against the target House. SPY: The Householder shadows a Householder, observing their activities.

rival

Target a High Householder. Roll your Insight + Perception countered by the House’s Defense + Espionage. MINIMAL SUCCESS - 1X: Reveal one of the Householder’s Operations. STANDARD SUCCESS - 2X: As above, but reveal two of the Householder’s Operations. EXPERT SUCCESS - 3X: As above, but reveal four of the Householder’s Operations. MASTER SUCCESS - 4X: As above, but reveal four of the Householder’s Operations and any House Venture they are undertaking this Month. The One Roll Engine is the property of Arc Dream and Greg Stolze. DUNE is the property of Herbert Properties LLC. The writer makes no claim to such licenses and this role-playing game is available for no profit. Should any party object to this document, please contact the author and it shall be removed.

Houses of the Landsraad

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