Mgp6602 - OGL Horror (Oef)

Contents

Credits

Introduction to OGL Horror

2

Horror Roleplaying

4

Horror Character Creation

19

Skills and Feats

33

Chainsaws, Stakes and Nailguns

81

Conditions, Environments and Hazards

120

Combat (and Running Away)

126

Fear and Loathing

148

Magic, Mysteries and Phenomena 156 Cults and Conspiracies

170 181

Monsters

204

Sample Horror Campaigns

241 251

License

Ian Belcher

Cover Art Scott Clark

Interior Illustrations Aaron Acevedo, Eric Bergeron, Stephen Cook, Anthea Dilly, Vincent Hie, Patrick Keith, Kythera, Jon Netherland, Peter Schlough, Nathan Webb, Leo Winstead, Ursula Vernon

Studio Manager Production Manager Alexander Fennell

Playtesting Mark Billanie, Daniel Haslam, Mark Howe, Jamie Godfrey, Alan Moore, Daniel Scothorne, Mark Sizer, Michael J Young

OGL Horror Character Sheet252 Index

Development and Layout

Ian Barstow

Turning the Screw

Designer’s Notes

CONTENTS

Gareth Hanrahan

254 256

Proof Reading Ben Hesketh

OGL Horror is ©2003 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of non-Open Game Content of this work by any means without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. OGL Horror is presented under the Open Game License. See page 256 for the text of this licence. With the exception of boxed story text and character names, character creation rules detailing the mechanics of assigning dice roll results to attributes and the character advancement rules detailing the effects of applying experience, all text within OGL Horror is declared as open content.

1

INTRODUCTION

Introduction On the face of it, horror roleplaying is not that different to roleplaying in any other genre or era. The characters face similar challenges – enemies to defeat or outwit, mysteries to unravel, dangers to overcome. The difference is one of attitude, mood and meaning. The familiar surfaces of the world are not a mere backdrop for the characters’ heroic escapades; there are gibbering things in the shadows. Certainty falls away – nothing can be trusted or relied upon. In most games, the Players know that the challenges they face will be balanced with their abilities, that their characters are who they believe themselves to be, and that the Games Master is ultimately on their side.

terrible madness, and may even lose his own identity. Every action you make could be the misstep that sends you plummeting through the fragile walls of reality into the endless nightmare of horror.

In a horror game, none of that is true. By playing, you are asking the Games Master to put your character – and you – through the wringer. Your character might face creatures utterly invulnerable to his attacks, have friends and allies torn away by alien claws or incomprehensible magic or

Most of this book assumes that the game is taking place in the modern day, in the familiar present. This is often the most effective setting for horror. Both Players and Games Master are (one presumes) wholly familiar with the world around them, keeping the need for dull exposition or scene-setting to a minimum. More importantly, horror is often best when it perverts the familiar. We know what is possible or impossible in the modern world, so when something casually and hideously violates the ‘rules’ of our world, it is horrific. Horror that strikes close to home is very effective. The thing that crawls out of a witch’s cauldron in the tenth century is not half as scary as the thing that is crawling out of your television right now.

That is not to say that the Games Master is out to get the characters no matter what, or that everything is utterly, utterly hopeless. There is always a path through the labyrinth. It is always worth lighting a candle against the darkness. Just remember that the fear-filled thrill of being lost, alone, desperate and scared is the point of the game, not a sign of defeat.

That said, the paradigm of horror can be used with any setting. While the focus of this book is on the modern day, with the occasional diversion to the roots of the modern horror genre in the Victorian era and the 1920s, this book can also be used to add horror to games set in any time or place. Hateful shadows and terrible things can happen anywhere – and while these settings may lack the patina of familiarity that gives modern day horror its special bite, they have their own unique charms, whether it is the fear of having to face the monsters armed not with guns, but with bronze swords and flint arrows, or the terror of being all alone in the interstellar night…

2

‘We’ve got to clean out this car.’ Irene reached back and dragged a camera out from beneath a pile of polystyrene cups and fast food wrappers. The car was rank with the smell of cigarettes and stale burgers. She trained the camera on the house across the street. ‘What is it?’ asked Rookman. ‘A light just came on inside. Second floor.’ She peered through the camera’s eyepiece. ‘There’s someone in there.’

‘What happened to staking the place out until-’ ‘Fuck that.’ He popped open the glove compartment and took out a gun. ‘I want him dead.’ *** The back door was unlocked. Rookman pushed it open with the nose of his pistol. He crept forwards, wincing as his shoes squeaked once on the tiled floor. The kitchen inside was practically sterile, every surface wiped clean – except one. On a chopping board next to the sink was a single human finger, a woman’s finger, elegant with a long painted nail. The wedding ring was covered in blood, but he still recognised it. He’d given it to her five years ago, seen it every day for three years, seen it in his dreams every night for the other two.

INTRODUCTION

‘Let me see.’ He grabbed the camera off her. ‘It’s him. I’m going in. Stay here, start the engine, and be ready to move.’

Now it was here, waiting for him. Fighting back the impulse to throw up into the sink, he reached out, took the ring (crusted with dried blood), kissed it and slipped it into a pocket. He held the severed finger helplessly for a moment, unsure of what to do with it, then it thrust it into the same pocket. Then he took the safety off the gun, and walked further into the dark house. *** ‘…and leave a message. Beep.’ ‘It’s Irene. It’s now, shit, 3.27 on Sunday morning. We’re outside Lichfield’s house. Rookman’s gone in. We, we found an old letter belonging to his wife, she’d been involved in some sort of business deal with Lichfield. We got Lichfield’s address off it. It’s –’ ‘Oh hell, that was a gunshot. Look, I’ll ring you back.’ *** ‘Mr. Rookman.’ Lichfield smiled widely, and gestured to a couch. ‘I was expecting you. Can I get you something?’ Rookman pointed the gun and fired directly into Lichfield’s grinning face. For a moment it felt like the finger in his pocket was the one pulling the trigger. One, two, three, and the grin just got wider. Lichfield’s cheeks split down invisible seams, revealing row after row of unnaturally sharp teeth. The bullets just left tiny pucker-marks in his face. ‘Rooourkmaaannn’. The voice was unrecognisable. First Lichfield’s head, then his whole body unfolded along lines of teeth, like a fractal made of dripping meat, a chain of star-fish covered in sharks’ teeth. The finger convulsed again, sending four, five, six bullets into the centre of Lichfield’s writhing chest. One appendage licked out lazily, and the gun became a mess of twisted gunmetal mixed with a mess of hot red wetness and shattered white chips. That’s my hand thought Rookman. His other hand closed around the twitching finger in his pocket. Then another dozen appendages flickered out from Lichfield. *** Irene held the flashlight in her teeth as she tried to pick the lock on the front door. She almost had it when the door opened from the other side. ‘You!’ ‘It’s OK,’ said Rookman, smiling widely. ‘I got him.’ Something twisted in her stomach.

3

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Horror Roleplaying The basic system used in OGL Horror is fundamentally identical to that used in the other Core books from Mongoose Publishing. The skills and feats are similar, as is the combat and task resolution systems. If you are familiar with other games using the same system, this chapter can be safely skimmed.

Characters in Horror Games

A player in a horror game is asked to perform a strange sort of double-think. On the one hand, the character should be as real as possible, with goals, desires, hopes and fears, a family, friends, a job, and all the trappings and ties of life. However, the player knows that this is a horror game – if you hear a noise upstairs, it probably is a monster, and your friends are probably going to end up as bait, or madmen, or worse. Every tie to the world can be turned against you and every heroic act can get you killed. For a horror game to work properly, the player has to accept and embrace this paradox and give the Games Master the tools he needs to hurt the character. Some Players therefore try to second-guess the Games Master, by creating characters who have no tie to or interest in the world, and who just try to escape from the scenario as soon as possible instead of facing the horror. This is counterproductive and simply not fun for either player or Games Master. Keep these two rules in mind: You are here to get scared. Attempting to escape the game (‘my character does not reply to the desperate letter from his brother, but instead goes on holiday to Hawaii’) is not fun.

There is always a chance of success, but it is always a slim one. The wise player knows that there is actually only one rule there.

Characters and Dice When a group of thugs from a street gang take shots at your character from a speeding car, they may hit or they may miss wildly. In a movie, their success or failure would be part of the script. In a roleplaying game, this is determined by random chance based on the thug in question’s skill. Since there is a variable involved, dice become a necessary part of the roleplaying medium. When a person goes to a shooting range, the variance of his shots is mostly based on their skills but can also be influenced by luck, timing, and a thousand other factors. These are summed up by rolling a d20 (that is a 20 sided die) with a high number representing most of the factors aligning in a favourable way and a low number meaning the opposite. Dice are used to determine success when using your character’s skills, when deciding how enduring or intelligent he might be, and when you absolutely, positively need to put a bullet in someone and keep it there.

On The Naming of Dice Dice in roleplaying games go by a series of shorthand codes that are very easily to learn but look confusing at first glance. A four sided die (the singular form of dice) is also called a d4. The ‘d’ stands for dice. In this book, dice will be referred to by this code preceded by the number of them needed for any given roll required by the rules.

If you’ve never played a roleplaying game before…

Then welcome to OGL Horror and the shortest explanation of roleplaying ever written. One participant – the ‘Games Master’ – describes the scene, and the Players decide how their characters will react. ‘You open the box and find a bomb inside,’ says the Games Master, ‘the countdown is at thirty seconds. What do you do?’ Run? Hide? Try to disarm the bomb? Call for assistance? Throw it out a window? The Games Master, using the rules as a guideline, decides what results your actions have. Repeat all that over the course of a few hours, mixing in hideous ghouls, cryptic texts, government conspiracies, madness, death, horror, pain and possibly junk food or even a nice bottle of wine, and you have a session of OGL Horror.

4

For example, deranged soldier Burke Talbot wants to fire his custom rocket launcher at an approaching band of investigators (who are trying to find out why there has been a string of deaths around army bases and what exactly did the Special Weapons Division dig out of the desert sands in 1991?). He would need to succeed at an attack roll and his soon to be piecemeal victims would need to roll Reflex saving throws on 1d20. Do not despair; terminology like attack roll and Reflex saving throws will be explained soon. Note that the 1 in a dice code is simply assumed if no other number is listed or needed. If the d20 check is successful, the investigators would only take half damage from the rocket’s detonation.

When in doubt about how to resolve any given action, keep this simple piece of advice in mind. Any attempted action that has some chance of failure can be handled by rolling a twenty-sided die (d20). To determine if a character, be it a Player Character or one controlled by the Games Master, succeeds at a task, do this: ~ Roll a d20. ~ Add any relevant modifiers. ~ Compare the result to a target number. If the result equals or exceeds the target number, the character succeeds. If the result is lower than the target number, the character fails.

The 10d6 means Talbot’s Player would roll one six sided die, note the number, then roll it again nine more times and add the results to the first roll. Out of 10d6, a Player can get a range of numbers from 10 (all ten dice roll a 1) to 60 (every die rolls a 6). When multiple dice are indicated by this shorthand code, the values of the rolls are always added together.

armoured with a vest that has a special vulnerability that multiplied all electrical damage by x3, any successful attack would inflict 4 (x3 modified to x4 by the additional x2 critical modifier) times the normal damage, not 5 times (which would occur if the multiplies were added together, which they are not as per this rule).

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

One last dice note concerned the idea of a d100, also called a d%. This is also called a percentile roll in roleplaying parlance. To do this, roll a d10 twice. The first roll is for the tens digit; the second roll is for the ones digit. If you were to roll a 4 and the a 2, that generates the number 42. When rolling a percentile, two 0s count as the number 100. Some dice sets have a special d10 with a two digit number (10,20,30, and so on) stamped on each of its faces to make this easier, but such dice are certainly not necessary.

The Core Mechanic:

Actions Once you have a character and some dice, you have all the tools you need to begin playing Rounds of play. These usually consist of the Games Master, the person guiding the story and the action of a game, asking questions and describing scenes and Players suggesting actions their

Multipliers Certain modifications to dice rolls exist within the rules that, instead of adding a set number or an addition die or dice to a roll, multiply the result. These are listed as ‘x2’ or some other multiplication value. Multipliers apply to every numeric modifier and the basic dice involved in the roll but not to additional dice added as a modifier to the roll. For example, if Buck the reporter has a holy bullet that does 2d6 extra damage to possessed people and, and he inflicts a critical hit when he shoots his possessed friend, the attack would deal the bullet’s normal 1d10 damage multiplied by x2 plus the 2d6 holy damage, for a grand total of 2d10 projectile plus 2d6 holy. Multipliers can stack but regardless of their values, they stack in a specific way. When a check or value has two or more multipliers, the highest value multiplier is kept and every additional multiplier increases the first one’s value by 1. If Toshia were to take an critical swipe with her taser-claws (a 1d8+4 electrical attack) at a person

5

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

characters wish to take in response to these descriptions. Everything a character wishes to do, from waking up and putting on his socks to filling a band of street thieves full of crossbow bolts, is an action. Actions come in different types and have different rules attached to them. Simple actions are things that do not require rolls except in the most adverse of conditions. Under normal circumstances, a character is allowed to tie his shoes without needing to make a die roll for success. If that same character had just been hit by a crosstown bus after staggering out of a warehouse where mob enforcers had been dosing him with sodium pentathol to make him talk, it might be a different story. Whenever a character needs to make a simple action, something they can normally do everyday with no special skill or talent required, the Games Master will generally simply declare success or, in the example just given, require a roll (also called a ‘check’) or simply declare failure. Contested actions make up the largest part of the rule mechanics for combat and skills in this book. Everything

that a character does which has a chance of failing because of someone else’s actions, skills, or abilities, the result is a contested roll. A psycho throwing a Molotov cocktail at an armoured car is an example of a contested action; his attack roll is contested by the vehicle’s Defence. Contested checks are never guaranteed and even the most masterful of archers can miss his mark once in a while. Saving throws, which are a special type of check made to see if a character can escape the effects of something adverse, are another kind of contested roll. A term used during contested rolls is DC, short for Difficulty Class. The DC of a contested check is the number a d20 check (plus or minus modifiers) must equal or roll higher than in order to succeed. A roll that is lower than the given DC for an action fails. The d20 is the most common type of die rolled during an average gaming session, making it crucial to the system and the single most important die for any Player to own. Astute Players may have realised at this point that if contested checks have to beat a listed DC and they are all made using a single d20, then actions with a DC of 21 are impossible. On the surface, this is correct – which is where characters come in. Characters and the skills and abilities they gain come with modifiers that are added to or subtracted from certain kinds of checks. These modifiers can theoretically make any check possible, no matter how high the DC might be. Though it is often a convention with games running the d20 rules to allow all rolls of 20 on a d20 to be an automatic success, this is not always the case. By the same token, a roll of 1 (called a ‘natural’ 1 because it is the actual result on the die roll, just as with a ‘natural’ 20) is not always an automatic failure. Instances in the rules where a natural 1 or 20 indicate automatic success or failure will be clearly marked in the text of the rules themselves.

Ability Scores

Every character in a d20 game has six basic abilities. Each one represents some aspect of that character’s mental or physical prowess. Some types of creature may possess a non-ability, such as undead monsters not truly possessing a Constitution score – the ability governing health. In most cases, a character will have a positive value of some kind in each of the six scores, indicating some development or lack thereof in that area.

6

Ability Modifiers

Ability Modifiers

The modifier is the number you apply to the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. You also use the modifier with some numbers that are not die rolls. A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty.

The Abilities Each ability partially describes your character and affects some of his actions. Abilities are not the sum total of a character’s personality or capabilities, but they do provide the framework around which skills and d20 checks are typically made, making them a very important part of the character’s description.

Strength (STR) Strength measures your character’s muscle and physical power. Strength also limits the amount of equipment your character can carry. You apply your character’s Strength modifier to: ~ Melee attack rolls. ~ Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon (including a sling). Exceptions: Off-hand attacks receive only one-half the character’s Strength bonus, while two-handed attacks receive one and a half times the Strength bonus. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies to attacks made with a bow that is not a composite bow. ~ Climb, Jump, and Swim checks. These are the skills that have Strength as their key ability. ~ Strength checks (for breaking down doors and the like).

Dexterity (DEX) Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes and balance. This ability is the important for characters who typically wear light armour or no armour at all and for anyone who wants to be a skilled shot. You apply your character’s Dexterity modifier to: ~ Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, pistols and rifles. ~ Defence, provided that the character can react to the attack.

Score

Modifier

1

–5

2–3

–4

4–5

–3

6–7

–2

8–9

–1

10–11

0

12–13

+1

14–15

+2

16–17

+3

18–19

+4

20–21

+5

22–23

+6

24–25

+7

26–27

+8

28–29

+9

30–31

+10

32–33

+11

34–35

+12

36–37

+13

38–39

+14

40–41

+15

42–43

+16

44–45

+17

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Each ability, after changes made because of age or other campaign factors, generally has a modifier ranging from –5 to +5. The Ability Modifiers table shows the modifier for each score. Ability score modifiers can range higher than +5, but they cannot go lower than -5 because the status of a creature or object changes when its ability scores drop to 0. See below for further details.

etc. . . ~ ~

Reflex saving throws, for avoiding explosions and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly. Balance, Escape, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Tumble and Use Rope checks. These are the skills that have Dexterity as their key ability.

Constitution (CON) Constitution represents your character’s health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character’s hit points, so the ability is important for all classes. You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to: ~ Each roll of a Hit Die (though a penalty can never drop a result below 1 – that is, a character always gains at least 1 hit point each time he advances in level). ~ Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats. ~ Concentration checks. Concentration is a skill, important to spellcasters, that has Constitution as

7

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

its key ability. If a character’s Constitution score changes enough to alter his Constitution modifier, the character’s hit points also increase or decrease accordingly.

Intelligence (INT) Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. It is important for any character who wants to have a wide assortment of skills. You apply your character’s Intelligence modifier to: ~ The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game. ~ The number of skill points gained each level – but your character always gets at least 1 skill point per level. ~ Appraise, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, Knowledge and Search checks. These are the skills that have Intelligence as their key ability. An animal has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2. A creature of human-like intelligence has a score of at least 3.

Wisdom (WIS) Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one’s ability to analyse information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one’s surroundings. If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom score. You apply your character’s Wisdom modifier to: ~ Will saving throws (for negating the effect of mindaltering phenomena or spells). ~ Heal, Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival checks. These are the skills that have Wisdom as their key ability.

Charisma (CHA) Charisma measures a character’s force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting. Every creature has a Charisma score. You apply your character’s Charisma modifier to: ~ Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate and Perform checks. These are the skills that have Charisma as their key ability. ~ Checks that represent attempts to influence others. When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly. Most of these changes are also retroactive; a character receives or loses additional hit points for previous levels if an increase or

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decrease in Constitution occurs. One important exception to this retroactive rule regards Intelligence. A character does not retroactively gain additional skill points for previous levels if she increases her intelligence, nor are skill points lost if Intelligence is lowered for any reason.

Ability Score Loss Various attacks cause ability score loss, either ability damage or ability drain. Points lost to ability damage return at the rate of 1 point per day (or double that if the character gets complete bed rest) to each damaged ability, and certain chemical or mechanical effects offset ability damage as well. Ability drain, however, is permanent, though some effects can restore even those lost ability score points. While any loss is debilitating, losing all points in an ability score can be devastating. ~ Strength 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He lies helpless on the ground. ~ Dexterity 0 means that the character cannot move at all. He stands motionless, rigid, and helpless. ~ Constitution 0 means that the character is dead. ~ Intelligence 0 means that the character cannot think and is unconscious in a coma-like stupor, helpless. ~ Wisdom 0 means that the character is withdrawn into a deep sleep filled with nightmares, helpless. ~ Charisma 0 means that the character is withdrawn into a catatonic, coma-like stupor, helpless. Keeping track of negative ability score points is never necessary. A character’s ability score cannot drop below 0. Having a score of 0 in an ability is different from having no ability score whatsoever. Some effects and abilities impose an effective ability score reduction, which

is different from ability score loss. Any such reduction disappears at the end of the effect or ability’s duration and the ability score immediately returns to its former value.

Reputation

Reputation is used to determine whether another character (a Games Master character) recognises a character. Those who recognise the character are more likely to help the character or do what he or she asks, provided the reputation has a positive connotation to the character who recognises the character. A high Reputation bonus also makes it difficult for the character to mask his or her identity. Most of the time, a character does not decide to use his reputation. The Games Master decides when a character’s reputation can be relevant to a scene or encounter. At the moment it becomes relevant, the Games Master makes a Reputation check for a Games Master character who might be influenced in some fashion due to the character’s fame or notoriety, as detailed below.

Fame and Infamy Most characters with a high Reputation bonus (+4 or higher) are considered well known within their profession or social circle. Whether this has a positive or negative connotation depends on the point of view of the person who recognises the character. When a character has a positive opinion of a character’s reputation, the character is considered to be famous by that character. Fame, when recognised, provides a bonus to certain Charisma-based skill checks.

Situation

Reputation Check Modifier

Recognising character is part of the +5 character’s professional or social circle The character is famous, known far +10 and wide with either a positive or negative connotation The character has some small amount of fame or notoriety

+2

Using the Reputation Bonus Whenever the Games Master decides that a character’s reputation can be a factor in an encounter, the Games Master makes a Reputation check (DC 25) for whoever may recognise him. A Reputation check is 1d20 + the character’s Reputation bonus + the Int modifier of the person recognising the character. Some Knowledge skill modifiers might apply instead of the Int modifier, if the character would be well known in the field covered by the Knowledge skill. Modifiers to the Reputation check depend on the character and the Games Master character in question, as shown below. Note that if the Games Master character has no possible way of recognising a character, then the Reputation check automatically fails.

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

If a character’s Constitution score drops, then he loses 1 hit point per Hit Die for every point by which his Constitution modifier drops.

When a character has a negative opinion of a character’s reputation, the character is considered to be infamous by that character. Also, at the Games Master’s option, a character might be considered infamous in certain situations due to events that have transpired in the campaign. Infamy, when recognised, inflicts a penalty to certain Charisma-based skill checks.

If the Games Master character succeeds at the Reputation check, he or she recognises the character. This provides a +4 bonus or a –4 penalty on checks involving the following skills for the duration of the encounter: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate and Perform. The Games Master must decide that a character’s fame or infamy can come into play in a given situation to make a Reputation check necessary. A character who does not know, or know of, the character cannot be influenced by his or her reputation.

Carrying Capacity

Encumbrance rules are based largely on a character’s Strength score and determine how much a character’s armour and equipment slow him or her down. Encumbrance comes in two parts: encumbrance by armour and encumbrance by total weight. The former is not truly affected by Strength as it deals largely with the limits of mobility imposed by the armour itself. The latter is entirely based on Strength as the stronger a character is, the greater the load he can handle without succumbing to the slowing effects of heavy and unwieldy burdens.

Encumbrance by Armour A character’s body armour defines his maximum Dexterity bonus to Defence, armour check penalty, speed, and running speed. Unless your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, that is all you need to know. The

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HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Carrying Capacity

10

Strength Score

Light Load

Medium Load

Heavy Load

1

3 lb. or less

4–6 lb.

7–10 lb.

2

6 lb. or less

7–13 lb.

14–20 lb.

3

10 lb. or less

11–20 lb.

21–30 lb.

4

13 lb. or less

14–26 lb.

27–40 lb.

5

16 lb. or less

17–33 lb.

34–50 lb.

6

20 lb. or less

21–40 lb.

41–60 lb.

7

23 lb. or less

24–46 lb.

47–70 lb.

8

26 lb. or less

27–53 lb.

54–80 lb.

9

30 lb. or less

31–60 lb.

61–90 lb.

10

33 lb. or less

34–66 lb.

67–100 lb.

11

38 lb. or less

39–76 lb.

77–115 lb.

12

43 lb. or less

44–86 lb.

87–130 lb.

13

50 lb. or less

51–100 lb.

101–150 lb.

14

58 lb. or less

59–116 lb.

117–175 lb.

15

66 lb. or less

67–133 lb.

134–200 lb.

16

76 lb. or less

77–153 lb.

154–230 lb.

17

86 lb. or less

87–173 lb.

174–260 lb.

18

100 lb. or less

101–200 lb.

201–300 lb.

19

116 lb. or less

117–233 lb.

234–350 lb.

20

133 lb. or less

134–266 lb.

267–400 lb.

21

153 lb. or less

154–306 lb.

307–460 lb.

22

173 lb. or less

174–346 lb.

347–520 lb.

23

200 lb. or less

201–400 lb.

401–600 lb.

24

233 lb. or less

234–466 lb.

467–700 lb.

25

266 lb. or less

267–533 lb.

534–800 lb.

26

306 lb. or less

307–613 lb.

614–920 lb.

27

346 lb. or less

347–693 lb.

694–1,040 lb.

28

400 lb. or less

401–800 lb.

801–1,200 lb.

29

466 lb. or less

467–933 lb.

934–1,400 lb.

+10

x4

x4

x4

extra gear your character carries will slow him or her down any more than the armour already does. If your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, however, then you will need to calculate encumbrance by weight. Doing so is most important when your character is trying to carry some heavy object.

Weight If you want to determine whether your character’s gear is heavy enough to slow him or her down more than the armour already does, total the weight of all the character’s items, including armour, weapons and gear. Compare this total to the character’s Strength on the Carrying Capacity table. Depending on how the weight compares to the character’s carrying capacity, he may be carrying a light, medium or heavy load. Like armour, a character’s load affects his maximum Dexterity bonus to Defence, carries a check penalty (which works like an armour check penalty), reduces the character’s speed and affects how fast the character can run, as shown on the Carrying Loads table. A heavy load counts as heavy armour for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armour. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character. If a character is wearing armour, use the worse figure (from armour or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties, as a character can only suffer from one set of encumbrance penalties at a given time.

Base Speed and Encumbrance Reduced Speed

20 ft.

15 ft.

30 ft.

20 ft.

40 ft.

30 ft.

50 ft.

35 ft.

60 ft.

40 ft.

70 ft.

50 ft.

80 ft.

55 ft.

90 ft.

60 ft.

100 ft.

70 ft.

Lifting and Dragging A character can lift as much as his maximum load over his head. A character can lift as much as double his maximum load off the ground, but he can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way, the character loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence and can move only 5 feet per round (as a full-round action). A character can generally push or drag along the ground as much as five times his maximum load. Favourable conditions can double these numbers, while bad circumstances can reduce them to one-half or less.

Bigger and Smaller Creatures The figures on Carrying Capacity are for Medium bipedal creatures. A larger bipedal creature can carry more weight depending on its size category, as follows: Large x2, Huge x4, Gargantuan x8, Colossal x16. A smaller creature can carry less weight depending on its size category, as follows: Small x3/4, Tiny x1/2, Diminutive x1/4, Fine x1/8.

Carrying Loads Load Medium Heavy

Max Dex +3 +1

Check Penalty –3 –6

–—— Speed —–— (30 ft.) (20 ft.) Run 20 ft. 20 ft.

15 ft. 15 ft.

x4 x3

Quadrupeds can carry heavier loads than characters can. Instead of the multipliers given above, multiply the value corresponding to the creature’s Strength score on the Carrying Capacity table by the appropriate modifier, as follows: Fine x1/4, Diminutive x1/2, Tiny x3/4, Small x1, Medium x1.5, Large x3, Huge x6, Gargantuan x12, Colossal x24.

Movement and Distance ——————— Speed ——–———— 15 feet

20 feet

30 feet

40 feet

One Round (Tactical)* Walk

15 ft.

20 ft.

30 ft.

40 ft.

Hustle

30 ft.

40 ft.

60 ft.

80 ft.

Run (x3)

45 ft.

60 ft.

90 ft.

120 ft.

Run (x4)

60 ft.

80 ft.

120 ft.

160 ft.

Tremendous Strength For Strength scores not shown on Carrying Capacity, find the Strength score between 20 and 29 that has the same number in the ‘ones’ digit as the creature’s Strength score does and multiply the numbers in that by 4 for every ten points the creature’s strength is above the score for that row.

One Minute (Local) Walk

150 ft.

200 ft.

300 ft.

400 ft.

Hustle

300 ft.

400 ft.

600 ft.

800 ft.

Run (x3)

450 ft.

600 ft.

900 ft.

1,200 ft.

Run (x4)

600 ft.

800 ft.

1,200 ft. 1,600 ft.

Armour and Encumbrance for Other Base Speeds The Base Speed and Encumbrance table below provides reduced speed figures for all base speeds from 20 feet to 100 feet (in 10-foot increments).

One Hour (Overland) Walk

1.5 miles

2 miles

3 miles

4 miles

Hustle

3 miles

4 miles

6 miles

8 miles

Run

—

—

—

—

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Base Speed

Movement

There are three movement scales, as follows. Tactical, for combat, measured in feet (or squares) per round. ~ Local, for exploring an area, measured in feet per minute. ~ Overland, for getting from place to place, measured in miles per hour or miles per day. ~

One Day (Overland) Walk

12 miles

16 miles

24 miles 32 miles

Hustle

—

—

—

—

Run

—

—

—

—

* Tactical movement is often measured in squares on the battle grid (1 square = 5 feet) rather than feet.

11

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Modes of Movement: While moving at the different movement scales, creatures generally walk, hustle or run. Each type of movement affects the speed of the character and the types of action that can be performed at the same time. The Combat (and Running Away) Chapter will explain simultaneous actions in greater detail. Walk: A walk represents unhurried but purposeful movement at 3 miles per hour for an unencumbered person. Hustle: A hustle is a jog at about 6 miles per hour for an unencumbered human. A character moving his speed twice in a single round, or moving that speed in the same round that he performs a standard action or another move action is hustling when he moves. Run (x3): Moving three times speed is a running pace for a character in heavy armour. It represents about 9 miles per hour for a human in full plate or heavy combat armour. Run (x4): Moving four times speed is a running pace for a character in light or no armour. It represents about 12 miles per hour for an unencumbered human, or 8 miles per hour for a human in chainmail or tactical body armour such as riot gear.

Tactical Movement Use tactical movement for combat. Characters generally do not walk during combat—they hustle or run. A character who moves his speed and takes some action is hustling for about half the round and doing something else the other half. Hampered Movement: Difficult terrain, obstacles, or poor visibility can hamper movement. When movement is hampered, each square moved into usually counts as two squares, effectively reducing the distance that a character can cover in a move. If more than one condition applies, multiply together all additional costs that apply. This is a specific exception to the normal rule for doubling. In some situations, your movement may be so hampered that you do not have sufficient speed even to move 5 feet (1 square). In such a case, you may use a full-round action to move 5 feet (1 square) in any direction, even diagonally. Even though this looks like a 5-foot step, it is not, and thus it provokes attacks of opportunity normally. You cannot take advantage of this rule to move through impassable terrain or to move when all movement is prohibited to you. You cannot run or charge through any square that would hamper your movement.

12

Basic Movement Characters exploring an area use basic movement, measured in feet per minute. Walk: A character can walk without a problem on the local scale. Hustle: A character can hustle without a problem on the local scale. See Overland Movement, below, for movement measured in miles per hour. Run: A character with a Constitution score of 9 or higher can run for a minute without a problem. Generally, a character can run for a minute or two before having to rest for a minute.

Mounts and Vehicles Mount/Vehicle

Per Hour

Per Day

Mount (carrying load) Light horse or light warhorse

6 miles

48 miles

Light horse (151–450 lb.)1

4 miles

32 miles

Light warhorse (231–690 lb.)1

4 miles

32 miles

Heavy horse or heavy warhorse

5 miles

40 miles

Heavy horse (201–600 lb.)

3.5 miles

28 miles

3.5 miles

28 miles

4 miles

32 miles

3 miles

24 miles

3 miles

24 miles

Donkey or mule

3 miles

24 miles

Donkey (51–150 lb.)1

2 miles

16 miles

Mule (231–690 lb.)

2 miles

16 miles

4 miles

32 miles

3 miles

24 miles

2 miles

16 miles

Raft or barge (poled or towed)2

1/2 mile

5 miles

Keelboat (rowed)

1

Heavy warhorse (301–900 lb.)

1

Pony or warpony Pony (76–225 lb.)

1

Warpony (101–300 lb.)

1

1

Dog, riding Dog, riding (101–300 lb.)

1

Cart or wagon Ship

1 mile

10 miles

Rowboat (rowed)2

1.5 miles

15 miles

Sailing ship (sailed)

2 miles

48 miles

Yacht (powered)

Varies

Varies

2

1 Quadrupeds, such as horses, can carry heavier loads than characters can. See Carrying Capacity, above, for more information. 2 Rafts, barges, keelboats, yachts, and rowboats are used on lakes and rivers. Yachts can also be taken on open water (ocean travel). If going downstream, add the speed of the current (typically 3 miles per hour) to the speed of the vehicle. In addition to 10 hours of being rowed, the vehicle can also float an additional 14 hours, if someone can guide it, so add an additional 42 miles to the daily distance travelled. These vehicles cannot be rowed against any significant current, but they can be pulled upstream by draft animals on the shores.

Terrain and Overland Movement

Hampered Movement Additional Movement Cost

Terrain

Highway

Road or Trail

Trackless

Difficult terrain

x2

Desert, sandy

x1

x1/2

x1/2

Obstacle*

x2

Forest

x1

x1

x1/2

Poor visibility

x2

Hills

x1

x3/4

x1/2

Impassable

—

Jungle

x1

x3/4

x1/4

Moor

x1

x1

x3/4

Mountains

x3/4

x3/4

x1/2

Plains

x1

x1

x3/4

Swamp

x1

x3/4

x1/2

Tundra, frozen

x1

x3/4

x3/4

* May require a skill check

Overland Movement Characters covering long distances cross-country use overland movement. Overland movement is measured in miles per hour or miles per day. A day represents 8 hours of actual travel time. For rowed watercraft, a day represents 10 hours of rowing. For a sailing ship, it represents 24 hours. Walk A character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem. Walking for longer than that can wear him or her out (see Forced March, below).

Run A character cannot run for an extended period of time. Attempting to run and rest in cycles – the preferred method for long distance overland travel when time is not an important factor or in short supply – effectively works out to a hustle.

Hustle A character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling for a second hour in between sleep cycles deals 1 point of nonlethal damage, and each additional hour deals twice the damage taken during the previous hour of hustling. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from hustling becomes fatigued.

Terrain The terrain through which a character travels affects how much distance he can cover in an hour or a day (see Terrain and Overland Movement). A highway is a straight, major, paved road. A road is typically a dirt or gravel track. A trail is like a road, except that it allows only single-file travel and does not benefit a party travelling with vehicles. Trackless terrain is a wild area with no paths.

A fatigued character cannot run or charge and takes a penalty of –2 to Strength and Dexterity. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue.

Forced March In a day of normal walking a character walks for 8 hours. The rest of the daylight time is spent making and breaking

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Condition

Manoeuvrability Manoeuvrability Rating Perfect

Good

Average

Poor

Clumsy

Minimum forward speed

None

None

Half

Half

Half

Hover

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Move backward

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Reverse

Free

–5 ft.

No

No

No

Turn

Any

90º/5 ft.

45º/5 ft.

45º/5 ft.

45º/10 ft.

Turn in place

Any

+90º/–5 ft.

+45º/–5 ft.

No

No

Maximum turn

Any

Any

90º

45º

45º

Up angle

Any

Any

60º

45º

45º

Up speed

Full

Half

Half

Half

Half

Down angle

Any

Any

Any

45º

45º

Down speed

Double

Double

Double

Double

Double

Between down and up

0

0

5 ft.

10 ft.

20 ft.

13

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

camp, resting and eating. A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +2 per extra hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from a forced march becomes fatigued. Eliminating the nonlethal damage also eliminates the fatigue. It is very possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing himself too hard on a forced march. Mounted Movement A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. The damage it takes when doing so, however, is lethal damage. The creature can also be ridden in a forced march, but its Constitution checks automatically fail, and, again, the damage it takes is lethal damage. Mounts also become fatigued when they take any damage from hustling or forced marches.

Three Dimensional Movement Once movement becomes three-dimensional and involves turning in midair and maintaining a minimum velocity to stay aloft, it gets more complicated. Most flying objects have to slow down at least a little to make a turn and many are limited to fairly wide turns and must maintain a minimum forward speed. Each flying object has a manoeuvrability rating, as shown on the Manoeuvrability table. The entries on the table are defined below. ~ Minimum Forward Speed: If a flying object fails to maintain its minimum forward speed, it must land at the end of its movement. If it is too high above the ground to land, it falls straight down, descending 150 feet in the first round of falling. If this distance brings it to the ground, it takes falling damage. If the fall does not bring the object to the ground, it must spend its next turn recovering from the stall. Its pilot must succeed on a DC 20 Pilot skill check to recover. Otherwise it falls another 300 feet. If it hits the ground, the object and its pilot take falling damage. Otherwise, it has another chance to recover on its next turn. ~ Hover: The ability to stay in one place while airborne. ~ Move Backward: The ability to move backward without turning around. ~ Reverse: An object with good manoeuvrability uses up 5 feet of its speed to start flying backward. ~ Turn: How much the object can turn after covering the stated distance. ~ Turn in Place: An object with good or average manoeuvrability can use some of its speed to turn in place.

14

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Maximum Turn: How much the object can turn in any one space. Up Angle: The angle at which the object can climb. Up Speed: How fast the object can climb. Down Angle: The angle at which the object can descend. Down Speed: A flying object can fly down at twice its normal flying speed. Between Down and Up: An average, poor, or clumsy flying object must fly level for a minimum distance after descending and before climbing. Any flier can begin descending after a climb without an intervening distance of level flight.

Evasion and Pursuit In round-by-round movement, simply counting off squares, it is impossible for a slow character to get away from a determined fast character without mitigating circumstances. Likewise, it is no problem for a fast character to get away from a slower one. When the speeds of the two concerned characters are equal, there is a simple way to resolve a chase: If one creature is pursuing another, both are moving at the same speed, and the chase continues for at least a few rounds, have them make opposed Dexterity checks to see who is the faster over those rounds. If the creature being chased wins, it escapes. If the pursuer wins, it catches the fleeing creature.

Moving Within a Single Square In general, when the characters are not engaged in round-by-round combat, they should be able to move anywhere and in any manner that you can imagine real people could. A 5-foot square, for instance, can hold several characters; they just cannot all fight effectively in that small space. The rules for movement are important for combat, but outside of combat they can impose unnecessary hindrances on character activities.

The Rules of Exploration Vision and Lighting Conditions Several types of equipment, such as nightvision goggles, grant darkvision, but characters without this quality need light to see by. See the table below for the radius that a light source illuminates and how long it lasts. In an area of bright light, all characters can see clearly. A creature cannot hide in an area of bright light unless it is invisible or has cover. In an area of shadowy illumination, a character can see dimly. Creatures within this area have concealment relative to that character. A creature in an area of shadowy illumination can make a Hide check to conceal itself. In areas of total darkness, creatures without darkvision are effectively blinded. In addition to the obvious effects, a blinded creature has a 50% miss chance in combat (all opponents have total concealment), loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence, takes a –2 penalty to Defence, moves at half speed and takes a –4 penalty on Search checks and most Strength and Dexterity-based skill checks. Characters with low-light vision equipment can effectively double the given radius of bright light and shadowy illumination whilst they are using this equipment. Characters with darkvision equipment can see lit areas normally as well as dark areas within 60 feet. A creature cannot hide within 60 feet of a character with darkvision unless it is somehow invisible or has cover other than shadows. Only a creature that can claim concealment

Light Sources and Illumination Object

Bright

Shadowy

Duration

Candle

n/a*

5 ft.

1 hour

Disposable Light Stick

10 ft.

5 ft.

2 hours

Camplight

15 ft.

30 ft.

6 hr./ battery

Floodlight**

60-ft. cone 120-ft. cone 2 hr./ battery

Lantern, oil

30 ft.

60 ft.

6 hr./pint

Flashlight

20 ft.

40 ft.

6 hr./ batteries

Torch

20 ft.

40 ft.

1 hr.

*A candle does not provide bright illumination, only shadowy illumination.

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Sometimes a chase occurs overland and could last all day, with the two sides only occasionally getting glimpses of each other at a distance. In the case of a long chase, an opposed Constitution check made by all parties determines which can keep pace the longest. If the creature being chased rolls the highest, it gets away. If not, the pursuer runs down its prey as the quarry’s stamina flags.

**A floodlight lantern illuminates a cone, not a radius. or cover from a condition that is not directly dependent on lighting can succeed at Hide skill checks against a character or being with darkvision.

Breaking Objects When attempting to break an object, you have two choices: smash it with a weapon or break it with sheer strength. Breaking objects can also be accomplished through the application of energy other than kinetic, but the basic rules for doing so are largely unchanged. Exceptions to this principle are noted below when appropriate. Smashing an Object Smashing a weapon or held object with a slashing or bludgeoning weapon is accomplished by the sunder special attack. Smashing an object is a lot like sundering a weapon, except that your attack roll is opposed by the object’s Defence score. Generally, you can smash an object only with a bludgeoning or slashing weapon. Defence Objects are easier to hit than creatures because they usually do not move, but many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow. An object’s Defence is equal to 10 + its size modifier + its Dexterity modifier. An inanimate object has not only a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to Defence), but also an additional –2 penalty to its Defence. Furthermore, if you take a full-round action to line up a shot against an inanimate object, you get an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 bonus on attack rolls with a ranged weapon.

15

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Hardness Each object has hardness – a number that represents how well it resists damage. Whenever an object takes damage, subtract its hardness from the damage. Only damage in excess of its hardness is deducted from the object’s hit points (see the Common Armour, Weapon and Shield Hardness and Hit Points table; the Substance Hardness and Hit Points table and the Object Hardness and Hit Points table). Hit Points An object’s hit point total depends on what it is made of and how big it is (see the Common Armour, Weapon and Shield Hardness and Hit Points table; the Substance Hardness and Hit Points table; and the Object Hardness and Hit Points table). When an object’s hit points reach 0, it is ruined. Very large objects, such as wagons or main battle tanks, may have separate hit point totals for different sections or locations. ~ Energy Attacks: Acid and sonic attacks deal damage to most objects just as they do to creatures; roll damage and apply it normally after a successful hit. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects; divide the damage dealt by 4 before applying the hardness. ~ Ranged Weapon Damage: Objects take half damage from ranged weapons (unless the weapon is a siege engine or something similar). Divide the damage dealt by 2 before applying the object’s hardness. ~ Ineffective Weapons: Certain weapons just cannot effectively deal damage to certain objects. ~ Immunities: Objects are immune to nonlethal damage and to critical hits. Even animated objects, which are otherwise considered creatures, have these immunities because they are constructs. ~ Vulnerability to Certain Attacks: Certain attacks are especially successful against some objects. In such cases, attacks deal double their normal damage and may ignore the object’s hardness. ~ Damaged Objects: A damaged object remains fully functional until the item’s hit points are reduced to 0, at which point it is destroyed. Damaged (but not destroyed) objects can be repaired with the Craft skill. Saving Throws Nonmagical, unattended items never make saving throws. They are considered to have failed their saving throws, so they always are affected by spells. An item attended by a character (being grasped, touched, or worn) makes saving throws as the character (that is, using the character’s saving throw bonus).

16

Common Armour, Weapon and Shield Hardness and Hit Points Weapon or Defensive Item

Hardness

HP1

Light blade

10

2

One-handed blade

10

5

Two-handed blade

10

10

Light metal-hafted weapon (police baton, small pistol)

10

10

One-handed metal-hafted weapon (standard revolver, nunchaku)

10

20

Light hafted weapon

5

2

One-handed hafted weapon

5

5

Two-handed hafted weapon (shotgun, baseball bat)

5

10

Projectile weapon (crossbow, speargun)

5

5

Armour

special2

armour bonus x5

Shield (riot shield, trash can lid)3

10

10

Firearm

5

7

The hp value given is for Medium-size armour, weapons and shields. Divide by 2 for each size category of the item smaller than Medium, or multiply it by 2 for each size category larger than Medium.

1

Varies by material; see Substance Hardness and Hit Points.

2

Shields are very rare in a modern setting, but they do occasionally occur in the hands of riot officers and other emergency personnel.

3

Substance Hardness and Hit Points Substance

Hardness

Hit Points

Paper or cloth

0

2/inch of thickness

Rope

0

2/inch of thickness

Glass

1

1/inch of thickness

Ice

0

3/inch of thickness

Leather or hide

2

5/inch of thickness

Wood

5

10/inch of thickness

Stone

8

15/inch of thickness

Iron or steel

10

30/inch of thickness

Ballistic Material

15

30/inch of thickness

Titanium Alloy

20

40/inch of thickness

Bursting Items When a character tries to break something with sudden force rather than by dealing damage, use a Strength check (rather than an attack roll and damage roll, as with the sunder special attack) to see whether he succeeds. The difference is between hacking a door down (attacking it) and shouldering it open (bursting it). The DC depends more on the construction of the item than on the material. If an item has lost half or more of its hit points, the DC to break it drops by 2.

and applies in all situations, even when the character is flat-footed or would lose his Dexterity bonus for some other reason.

Equipment Bonus If the character wears armour, it provides a bonus to the character’s Defence. This bonus represents the armour’s ability to protect the character from blows. Armour provides a minimum bonus to anyone who wears it, but a character who is proficient in the use of a certain type of armour receives a larger bonus to Defence. Sometimes the character can not use the equipment’s bonus to Defence. If an attack will damage the character just by touching him or her, the character can not add an equipment bonus (see Touch Attacks).

Size Modifier The bigger an opponent is, the easier it is to hit in combat. The smaller it is, the harder it is to hit. Size modifiers are shown on the Size and Defence of Objects Table.

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Masterwork quality items always get saving throws. A masterwork item’s Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses are equal to 5 plus their masterwork bonus. An attended masterwork item either makes saving throws as its owner or uses its own saving throw bonus, whichever is better. ~ Animated Objects: Animated objects count as creatures for purposes of determining their Armour Class (do not treat them as inanimate objects).

Larger and smaller creatures get size bonuses and size penalties on Strength checks to break open doors as follows: Fine –16, Diminutive –12, Tiny –8, Small –4, Large +4, Huge +8, Gargantuan +12, Colossal +16. A crowbar or portable ram improves a character’s chance of breaking open a door.

Defence Defence represents how hard it is for opponents to land a solid, damaging blow on a character (or object). It is the attack roll result (also called the Difficulty Class) that an opponent needs to achieve to hit a target. The average, unarmoured civilian has a Defence of 10. A character’s Defence is equal to: 10 + Dexterity modifier + class bonus + equipment bonus + size modifier

Dexterity Modifier If the character’s Dexterity is high, the character is particularly adept at dodging blows or gunfire. If the character’s Dexterity is low, the character is particularly inept at it. Sometimes the character cannot use his Dexterity bonus. If the character cannot react to a blow (is ‘flat-footed’), he cannot use his Dexterity bonus to Defence. A Dexterity penalty, however, still applies even if flat-footed.

Class Bonus A character’s class grant an innate bonus to Defence. This bonus measures the character’s combat savvy

17

HORROR ROLEPLAYING

Other Modifiers

Size and Defence of Objects

Other factors can add to Defence. ~ Feats: Some feats give a bonus to Defence. ~ Natural Armour: Some creatures have natural armour, which usually consists of scales, fur or layers of thick muscle. ~ Dodge Bonuses: Some other Defence bonuses represent actively avoiding blows. These bonuses are called dodge bonuses. Any situation that denies the character his Dexterity bonus also denies the character dodge bonuses. Unlike most types of bonus, dodge bonuses always stack with each other. ~ Magical Effects: Some campaigns may include magic. Some magical effects offer enhancement bonuses to armour (making it more effective) or deflection bonuses that ward off attacks.

Object Hardness and Hit Points

Touch Attacks

Object

Hardness

Hit Points

Break DC

Rope (1 inch diam.)

0

2

23

Simple wooden door

5

10

13

Small chest

5

1

17

Good wooden door

5

15

18

Footlocker

5

15

23

Strong wooden door

5

20

23

Masonry wall (1 ft. thick)

8

90

35

Hewn stone (3 ft. thick)

8

540

50

Chain

10

5

26

Manacles

10

10

26

Masterwork manacles

10

10

28

Fire door (2 in. thick)

10

60

28

Some attacks disregard armour. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll (either a ranged touch attack roll or a melee touch attack roll). The attacker makes his attack roll as normal, but the target’s Defence cannot apply any equipment bonus or armour bonus. All other modifiers, such as class bonus, Dexterity modifier, and size modifier, apply normally.

Size

Defence Modifier

Colossal

–8

Gargantuan

–4

Huge

–2

Large

–1

Medium

+0

Small

+1

Tiny

+2

Diminutive

+4

Fine

+8

DCs to Break or Burst Items Strength Check to: DC Break down simple door

13

Break down good door

18

Break down strong door

23

Burst rope bonds

23

Bend iron bars

24

Break down barred door

25

Burst chain bonds

26

Break down iron door

28

Condition

DC Adjustment*

Magnetic Seal

+5

Welded Shut

+10

* If both apply, use the larger number.

18

In most horror games, the character creation rules become the most well-thumbed and familiar sections of the book. Few characters survive for long – some fall victim to bizarre and gory fates, others go insane and others are only used for one-shots or short campaigns anyway. These rules are designed to produce a wellrounded and workable character as quickly as possible, without producing forgettable, disposable non-entities. For those playing in longer games, or who want more finesse when it comes to character generation, there are more detailed class rules later in the chapter.

The character concept should include motivation and plot hooks for the Games Master.

Occupations

Concept

All characters have one of the following occupations. A character may hold other jobs as his career unfolds, but the benefits of a starting occupation are only applied once, at the time of character creation. Other occupations can easily be reflected by choosing the right skills during the rest of character creation, though some may have to be paid for as cross-class skills to simulate that while the character may have done other things during his life, it was a struggle to master skills that they did not have as much of an opportunity to learn.

If the Games Master just lets you come up with any sort of character, then you have more or less free reign when it comes to concept. Your character can be as ordinary or bizarre as fits the campaign – usually, mundane but strongwilled characters work best in a horror game.

Each occupation provides a number of additional permanent class skills that the character can select from a list of choices. Once selected, a permanent class skill is always considered to be a class skill for the character. If the skill selected is already a class skill for the character, gains a one-time competence bonus for that skill. Because these bonuses provide a modifier for skills that are also class skills from the character’s chosen class, it may be easier for a Player to choose class first and occupation afterwards.

The basic concept for a new character depends mainly on the nature of the game. If the Games Master has told you what sort of characters are appropriate (‘you’re all scientists or soldiers in a secret military research laboratory’), then you have a starting point and should discuss with the other Players who plays which role.

A character’s occupation is a major part of his background and concept, but should not be the entirety of the character’s personality. Avoid the trap of defining the character by his ‘hat’ – one is a reporter, another is an FBI agent or a parapsychologist or a doctor or whatever.

Character Generation Checklist 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Come up with a concept Determine ability scores Choose a character class Select Skills, Feats and Ties Finishing touches

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Horror Character Creation

Some starting occupations provide a Reputation bonus or a bonus feat. Finally, a starting occupation may also increase the character’s Wealth bonus. Choose one occupation from the available selections and apply the benefits to the character as noted in the occupation’s description.

Academic Academics include librarians, archaeologists, scholars, professors, teachers and other education professionals. Prerequisite: Age 23+

19

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Computer Use, Craft (writing), Decipher Script, Gather Information, Knowledge (occult lore, art, behavioural sciences, business, civics, current events, earth and life sciences, history, physical sciences, popular culture, tactics, technology or theology and philosophy), Research or add a new Read/Write Language or a new Speak Language. Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +2

Adventurer Adventurers include professional daredevils, biggame hunters, relic hunters, explorers, extreme sports enthusiasts, field scientists, thrill-seekers and others called to face danger for a variety of reasons. Prerequisite: Age 15+ Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Bluff, Climb, Demolitions, Disable Device, Drive, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (occult lore, streetwise, tactics or

technology), Move Silently, Pilot, Ride, Spot, Survival, Swim, Treat Injury or add a new Speak Language. Bonus Feat: Select one of the following: Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Brawl or Personal Firearms Proficiency. Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

Athlete Athletes include amateur athletes of all types and professional athletes of Olympic quality, including gymnasts, weight trainers, wrestlers, boxers, martial artists, swimmers, skaters, and those who engage in any type of competitive sport. Prerequisite: Strength 13+ or Dexterity 13+ Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Balance, Climb, Drive, Jump, Ride, Swim or Tumble. Bonus Feat: Select one the following: Acrobatic, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Brawl, Endurance or Focussed. Reputation Bonus Increase: +2 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

Blue Collar Blue collar occupations include factory work, food service jobs, construction, service industry jobs, taxi drivers, postal workers and other jobs that are usually not considered to be desk jobs. Prerequisite: Age 18+ Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Craft (electronic, mechanical or structural), Climb, Drive, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Repair or Ride. Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +2

Celebrity A celebrity is anyone who, for whatever reason, has been thrust into the spotlight of the public eye. Actors, entertainers of all types, newscasters, radio and television personalities fall under this starting occupation. Prerequisite: Age 15+

20

Dilettante

Reputation Bonus Increase: +4 Wealth Bonus Increase: +4

Prerequisite: Age 18+

Creative The creative starting occupation covers artists of all types who fan their creative spark into a career. Illustrators, copywriters, cartoonists, graphic artists, novelists, magazine columnists, actors, sculptors, game designers, musicians, screenwriters, photographers, roleplaying game writers and web designers all fall under this occupation. Prerequisite: Age 15+

Dilettantes usually get their wealth from family holdings and trust funds. The typical dilettante has no job, few responsibilities and at least one driving passion that occupies his day. That passion might be a charity or philanthropic foundation, an ideal or cause worth fighting for, or a lust for living a fun and carefree existence.

Skills: Choose one of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Gamble, Intimidate, Knowledge (current events or popular culture), Ride or add a new Speak Language. Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +5

Doctor

Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Bluff, Computer Use, Craft (visual art or writing), Disguise, Forgery, Knowledge (occult lore or art), Perform (act, dance, keyboards, percussion instruments, sing, stand-up, stringed instruments or wind instruments) or Spot. Reputation Bonus Increase: +2 Wealth Bonus Increase: +2

A doctor can be a physician (general practitioner or specialist), surgeon, psychiatrist or even a veterinarian. Prerequisite: Age 25+ Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Craft (pharmaceutical), Computer Use, Handle Animal, Knowledge (behavioral sciences, earth and life sciences, or technology), Search or Treat Injury. Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +3

Criminal This illicit starting occupation reveals a background from the wrong side of the law. This occupation includes con artists, burglars, thieves, crime family soldiers, gang members, bank robbers, and other types of career criminals.

Emergency Services Rescue workers, firefighters, paramedics, hazardous material handlers and emergency medical technicians fall into this category.

Prerequisite: Age 15+

Prerequisite: Age 18+

Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Bluff, Disable Device, Disguise, Forgery, Gamble, Hide, Knowledge (streetwise), Move Silently or Sleight of Hand.

Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Balance, Climb, Computer Use, Drive, Jump, Knowledge (behavioral sciences, earth and life sciences, or technology), Search, Treat Injury, Swim.

Bonus Feat: Select one of the following: Deceptive or Personal Firearms Proficiency.

Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +2

Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Skills: Choose one of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Bluff, Craft (visual art or writing), Diplomacy, Disguise or Perform (act, dance, keyboards, percussion instruments, sing, stand-up, stringed instruments or wind instruments).

Brawl,

Entrepreneur Entrepreneurs have an obsession about being their own boss. They are often egocentric, have an abundance of

21

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

confidence, and the ability to acquire the funds necessary to bankroll their newest moneymaking venture. These business owners have a knack for putting together business proposals, gathering resources and getting a new venture off the ground. They rarely want to stick around after the launch, however, as they prefer to put their energies into the next big thing.

Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gamble or Knowledge (business, current events or technology). Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +4

Investigative There are a number of jobs that fit within this occupation, including investigative reporters, photojournalists, private investigators, police detectives, criminologists, criminal profilers, espionage agents, and others who use their skills to gather evidence and analyse clues.

Military covers any of the branches of the armed forces, including army, navy, air force, and marines, as well as the various elite training units such as Seals, Rangers, and Special Forces. Prerequisite: Age 18+ Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Climb, Demolitions, Drive, Hide, Knowledge (tactics), Move Silently, Navigate, Pilot, Survival or Swim. Bonus Feat: Select one of the following: Brawl, Combat Martial Arts, Light Armour Proficiency or Personal Firearms Proficiency. Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

Prerequisite: Age 23+ Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Computer Use, Craft (visual art or writing), Decipher Script, Forgery, Gather Information, Investigate, Knowledge (behavioural sciences, civics, earth and life sciences, or streetwise), Research, Search or Sense Motive. Brawl,

Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +2

Law Enforcement Law enforcement personnel include uniformed police, state troopers, federal police, federal agents, SWAT team members and military police. Prerequisite: Age 20+ Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Diplomacy, Drive, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (civics, earth and life sciences, streetwise or tactics) or Listen.

22

Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +2

Military

Prerequisite: Age 18+

Bonus Feat: Select one of the following: Meticulous or Personal Firearms Proficiency.

Bonus Feat: Select one of the following: Combat Martial Arts, Light Armour Proficiency or Personal Firearms Proficiency.

Religious Ordained clergy of all persuasions, as well as theological scholars and experts on religious studies fall within the scope of this starting occupation. Prerequisite: Age 23+ Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Decipher Script, Knowledge (occult lore, art, behavioural sciences, history, streetwise or theology and philosophy), Listen or Sense Motive. Reputation Bonus Increase: +2 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

Rural Farm workers, hunters and others who make a living in rural communities fall into this category. Prerequisite: Age 15+ Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks

Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

Scientists and engineers of all types belong to this starting occupation. Prerequisite: Age 23+ Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill: Computer Use, Craft (chemical, electronic, mechanical or structural), Knowledge (business, earth and life sciences, physical sciences or technology), Repair or Research. Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +3

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Technician

White Collar Office workers and desk jockeys, lawyers, accountants, insurance agents, bank personnel, financial advisors, tax preparers, clerks, sales personnel, real estate agents and a variety of midlevel managers fall within the scope of this starting occupation. Prerequisite: Age 23+ using that skill. Balance, Climb, Drive, Handle Animal, Repair, Ride, Survival or Swim. Bonus Feat: Select one of the following: Brawl, Guide or Personal Firearms Proficiency. Reputation Bonus Increase: +0 Wealth Bonus Increase: +1

Student A student can be in high school, college, or graduate school. could be in a seminary, a military school, or a private institution. A college-age student should also pick a major field of study. Prerequisite: Age 15+ Skills: Choose three of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Computer Use, Knowledge (any, except appraisal, streetwise or tactics), Perform (act, dance, keyboards, percussion instruments, sing, stand-up, stringed instruments or wind instruments) or Research.

Skills: Choose two of the following skills as permanent class skills. If a skill the character selects is already a class skill, he receives a +1 competence bonus on checks using that skill. Computer Use, Diplomacy, Knowledge (art, business, civics, earth and life sciences, history, physical sciences or technology) or Research. Reputation Bonus Increase: +1 Wealth Bonus Increase: +3

Ability Scores

Each character has six ability scores; Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Beginning scores range from 3 to 18. There are three methods to determine a character’s ability scores – the Games Master can either let the Players pick their favourite method or just specify which one is used in his game.

Random Generation

Roll 4d6 six times, dropping the lowest dice. Total each roll, then allocate each result to a particular ability score. For example, if you get a 4d6 roll of 3, 3, 5 and 6,

23

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

you drop one of the low threes, total the result (14) and assign it to one of your ability scores. If you wanted to have a character of above average agility and speed, then assign the 14 to his Dexterity score. The average human norm for an ability score is 10.

Standard Scores

Finally, you may also just take a set package of ability scores and assign them as you see fit. This standard package is 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8.

Character Classes

Planned Generation

Instead of rolling dice, you may select the scores you want. You have 25 points to spend on ability scores. Each score starts at 8, and the costs to increase a score are given below. You may also drop scores below 8, gaining one point for every ability point deducted. For example, taking a Strength of 3 would give you another 5 points with which to buy other abilities. You may not drop a score below 3 without the approval of the Games Master. Score

Cost

Score

Cost

8

0

14

6

9

1

15

8

10

2

16

10

11

3

17

13

12

4

18

16

13

5

In OGL Horror, there are four basic character types – Combatants, Scholars, Investigators and Ordinary People. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. ~

Combatants (soldiers, bouncers, martial artist monks, explorers, athletes or just generic ‘tough guys’) have the best Base Attack Bonus and Hit Points of any character. They have fewer skills and tend to resort to violence in the face of danger.

~

Scholars (scientists, occultists, antiquarians) have a high number of skill points and unlike the other character types, scholars do not have any cap on how high certain skills can be.

~

Investigators (reporters, detectives, spies) have only average skills and a limited number of feats. Their chief advantage is their resolve in the face of horror. Each of the other character types is especially vulnerable to a particular form of terror, but the investigator handles each type of horror with equal resolve.

~

Finally, Ordinary People (office workers, students, backpackers, pesky kids) have the widest range of feats and skills available to them. They are often illequipped to deal with the nightmare that awaits them, but can be surprisingly resilient. These types are referred to as character classes. Classes are explained further below, but when generating a beginning character, just deciding on which class suits your character is enough. Every class uses certain similar terminology. When reading about the capabilities of each class, keep the following terms in mind.

Hit Die

The die type used by characters of the class to determine the number of hit points he has.

Class Skills

This section of a class description provides a list of class skills and also gives the number of skill points the character has. A character’s Intelligence modifier increases the number of skill points he has. The maximum ranks a starting character can have in a class skill is six (except for a Scholar’s Intelligence-based skills).

24

Starting Feats

Each class has a certain number of feats available.

Base Attack Bonus

The character’s Base Attack Bonus is added to any attack rolls he makes. You add your Base Attack Bonus, an ability modifier (Strength modifier for melee attacks, Dexterity modifier for ranged attacks) and any other modifiers (range, height, darkness, etc.) to a d20 roll to determine if an attack hits.

Base Save Bonuses

Each character type lists a bonus to the three saving throws. Add the character’s Constitution modifier to Fortitude saving throws, Dexterity modifier to Reflex saves and Wisdom modifier to Will saves.

Horror Save Modifier

Horror saves (see Chapter 8, Fear and Loathing) are based on the character’s Will save, but each character type has its own special rules and modifiers listed in this section.

Defence Bonus

Each type has a Defence bonus that determines how hard it is to hit the character.

Combatant

Hit Points: 10 + 2d10 + triple the character’s Constitution bonus. Class Skills: The combatant’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Drive (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Str or Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (current events, popular culture, streetwise or tactics) (Int), Navigate (Int), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Repair (Int), Speak Language (none), Survival (Wis) and Swim (Str). Also, the starting occupation selected can provide additional class skills to choose from. Skill Points: (Int modifier x 6) + 24 Starting Feats: Combatants get three feats of their choice, plus another three feats selected from the following list: Advanced Combat Martial Arts, Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Advanced Two-Weapon

Fighting, Agile Riposte, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armour Proficiency (heavy), Armour Proficiency (light), Athletic, Blind-Fight, Brawl, Burst Fire, Cautious, Cleave, Combat Training, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts, Combat Reflexes, Combat Throw, Commanding Voice, Dead Aim, Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Double Tap, Drive-By Attack, Elusive Target, Endurance, Exotic Firearms Proficiency, Exotic Melee Proficiency, Far Shot, Guide, Improved Base Attack Bonus, Improved Brawl, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Improved Combat Throw, Improved Damage Threshold, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Improved Knockout Punch, Improved Trip, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Knockout Punch, Mobility, Nimble, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Pulling Strings, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Quick Reload, Shot on the Run, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Skip Shot, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Strafe, Streetfighting, Sunder, Toughness, Track, Two-Weapon Fighting and Unbalance Opponent.

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

A character can also buy skills from other classes’ skill lists. Each skill point buys a half rank in these crossclass skills, and a character can only buy up to half the maximum ranks of a class skill (3 ranks for a starting character).

Base Attack Bonus: +3 Base Saving Throw Bonuses: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +1 Horror Save Modifier: Combatants react without thinking, running on adrenaline and instinct. When faced with horror, they tend to snap and act instead of freezing. They have a –4 penalty to Panic checks and automatically have the ‘fight’ response instead of freezing if they fail a Panic check by 5 or less points (see Chapter 8, Fear and Loathing). If they fail a Panic check by 6 or more points, they have the usual chance of fighting or fleeing. Defence Modifier: +2

Scholar

Hit Points: 6 + 2d6 + triple the character’s Constitution bonus. Class Skills: The scholar’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Computer Use (Int), Craft (chemical, electronic, mechanical, pharmaceutical, structural, visual art or writing) (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Demolitions (Int), Disable Device (Int), Forgery (Int), Investigate (Int), Knowledge (art, behavioural sciences, business, civics, current events, earth and life sciences, history, occult, physical sciences, popular culture, streetwise, tactics, technology or theology and philosophy) (Int), Navigate (Int), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Repair (Int), Research (Int), Search (Int) and Speak Language (none). Also, the starting occupation the character selects can provide additional class skills to choose from.

25

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Skill Points: (Int modifier x 6) + 48. Scholars have no maximum to their skill ranks for any Intelligence-based skills.

Meticulous, Nimble, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Pulling Strings, Renown, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Skill Focus, Studious and Surgery.

Starting Feats: Scholars get three feats of their choice, plus another three feats selected from the following list: Alertness, Alternate Approach, Attentive, Builder, Cautious, Contact, Custodian, Creative, Dodge, Double Tap, Educated, Focused, Gearhead, Guide, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Linguist, Medical Expert,

Base Attack Bonus: +1 Base Saving Throw Bonuses: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2 Horror Save Modifier: Scholars are no more prone to panic or fear than other people – indeed, absent-minded

Ordinary People Character Level

Base Attack Bonus

Defence

Fortitude

Reflex

Will

Class Features

1

+0

+0

+0

+0

+1

Bonus Feat

2

+1

+1

+0

+0

+2

Bonus Feat

3

+1

+1

+1

+1

+2

Two Bonus Feats

th

4

+2

+1

+1

+1

+2

5th

+2

+2

+1

+1

+3

Bonus Feat

6th

+3

+2

+2

+2

+3

Bonus Feat

7

th

+3

+2

+2

+2

+4

Bonus Feat

8

th

+4

+3

+2

+2

+4

+4

+3

+3

+3

+4

Bonus Feat

+5

+3

+3

+3

+5

Bonus Feat

st nd rd

9th 10

th

The ordinary person’s bonus feats must be taken from the starting feats list found in the class description. Extra Hit Points per Level: 1d6 + Constitution bonus Extra Skill Points per Level: 5 + Intelligence bonus

Scholar Character Level

Base Attack Bonus

Defence

Fortitude

Reflex

Will

Class Features

1

+0

+0

+0

+0

+1

Bonus Feat

2

+1

+1

+0

+0

+2

Bonus Feat

3

+1

+1

+1

+1

+2

Bonus Feat

4

th

+2

+2

+1

+1

+2

5

th

+2

+2

+1

+1

+3

Bonus Feat

6

th

+3

+3

+2

+2

+3

Bonus Feat

7

th

+3

+3

+2

+2

+4

Bonus Feat

8

th

+4

+4

+2

+2

+4

9

th

+4

+4

+3

+3

+4

Bonus Feat

+5

+5

+3

+3

+5

Bonus Feat

st nd rd

10

th

The scholar’s bonus feats must be taken from the starting feats list found in the class description. Extra Hit Points per Level: 1d6 + Constitution bonus Extra Skill Points per Level: 8 + Intelligence bonus

26

Defence Modifier: +1

Investigator

Hit Points: 8 + 2d8 + triple the character’s Constitution bonus. Class Skills: The investigator’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Computer Use (Int) Craft (visual art, writing) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Drive (Dex), Gamble (Wis), Hide (Dex), Investigate (Int), Knowledge (occult lore, art,

Combatant Character Level

Base Attack Bonus

Defence

Fortitude

Reflex

Will

Class Features

st

1

+1

+1

+1

+1

+0

Bonus Feat

2

nd

+2

+2

+2

+2

+0

Bonus Feat

3

rd

+3

+2

+2

+2

+1

Bonus Feat

4

th

+4

+3

+2

+2

+1

5th

+5

+3

+3

+3

+1

Bonus Feat

6

th

+6

+4

+3

+3

+2

Bonus Feat

7

th

+7

+4

+4

+4

+2

Bonus Feat

8

th

+8

+4

+4

+4

+2

+9

+5

+4

+4

+3

Bonus Feat

+10

+5

+5

+5

+3

Bonus Feat

9th 10

th

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

scientists may not even notice the danger – but they have a –4 penalty to Madness checks. An ordinary person might be disturbed by a literally impossible event, such as a non-Euclidean shape, but a scholar has a deeper understanding of the universe. An impossible event undercuts everything he knows and puts everything into doubt. The more you know, the greater the shock when it all becomes a lie.

The combatant’s bonus feats must be taken from the starting feats list found in the class description. Extra Hit Points per Level: 1d10 + Constitution bonus Extra Skill Points per Level: 4 + Intelligence bonus

Investigator Character Level

Base Attack Bonus

Defence

Fortitude

Reflex

Will

Class Features

1

+0

+1

+0

+0

+1

Bonus Feat

2

+1

+2

+0

+0

+2

Bonus Feat

3

+1

+2

+1

+1

+2

Bonus Feat

4

+2

+3

+1

+1

+2

5

+2

+3

+1

+1

+3

Bonus Feat

6

+3

+4

+2

+2

+3

Bonus Feat

7

+3

+4

+2

+2

+4

Bonus Feat

8

+4

+4

+2

+2

+4

+4

+5

+3

+3

+4

Bonus Feat

+5

+5

+3

+3

+5

Bonus Feat

st nd rd th th th th th

9

th

10

th

The investigator’s bonus feats must be taken from the starting feats list found in the class description. Extra Hit Points per Level: 1d8 + Constitution bonus Extra Skill Points per Level: 5 + Intelligence bonus

27

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Why 3rd level characters?

If a beginning character is ‘level three in his chosen type’, what is a 1st level character? Why not begin at 1st level? There are two main reasons. Starting at level three means there is scope in the rules for weaker characters, such as children, instead of having beginning characters be the bottom of the ladder. More importantly, although this game is entirely self-contained and stand-alone, there are numerous other games by Mongoose Publishing and others that use similar mechanics. These games use a similar scale of level for characters. They also emphasise advancement – their outlooks are essentially positive, where characters expect to get better. Horror is not really about gaining anything (certainly, nothing you really want to have). Therefore, OGL Horror characters start off relatively competent at level three instead of climbing up from level one.

behavioural sciences, business, civics, current events, earth and life sciences, history, physical sciences, popular culture, streetwise, tactics, technology or theology and philosophy) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Research (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (none), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis) and Treat Injury (Wis). Also, the starting occupation the investigator selects can provide additional class skills to choose from.

Class Skills: The ordinary person’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Craft (any) (Int), Drive (Dex), Gamble (Wis), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (any), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (none) and Spot (Wis). The Player may choose another five skills as class skills. Also, the starting occupation the ordinary person selects can provide additional class skills to choose from. Skill Points: (Int modifier x 6) + 30

Skill Points: (Int modifier x 6) + 30 Starting Feats: Investigators get three feats, plus another three feats selected from the following list: Acrobatic, Alertness, Alternate Approach, Animal Affinity, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armour Proficiency (light), Athletic, Attentive, Blind-Fight, Brawl, Combat Training, Confidant, Contact, Creative, Deceptive, Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Double Tap, Drive-By Attack, Educated, Elusive Target, Extra Ties, Focused, Force Stop, Great Fortitude, Guide, Heroic Surge, Improved Base Attack Bonus, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Knockout Punch, Lightning Reflexes, Linguist, Loner, Low Profile, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Pulling Strings, Renown, Run, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Skill Focus, Stealthy, Studious, Surface Vehicle Operation, Toughness, Track or Trustworthy. Base Attack Bonus: +1

Starting Feats: Ordinary people get three feats of their choice, plus another four feats selcted from the following list: Aircraft Operation, Alertness, Alternate Approach, Animal Affinity, Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Armour Proficiency (light), Athletic, Attentive, Brawl, Builder, Cautious, Cleave, Combat Training, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts, Combat Reflexes, Combat Throw, Commanding Voice, Confidant, Contact, Custodian, Creative, Deceptive, Defensive Martial Arts, Dodge, Double Tap, Educated, Elusive Target, Endurance, Extra Ties, Far Shot, Focused, Gearhead, Great Fortitude, Guide, Heroic Surge, Improved Brawl, Power Attack, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Knockout Punch, Lightning Reflexes, Linguist, Loner, Low Profile, Ludicrously Rich, Meticulous, Mobility, Nimble, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Pulling Strings, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Renown, Run, Simple Weapons Proficiency, Stealthy, Strafe, Streetfighting, Studious, Sunder, Surface Vehicle Operation, Toughness, Track, Trustworthy, TwoWeapon Fighting.

Base Saving Throw Bonuses: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2 Base Attack Bonus: +1 Horror Save Modifier: Investigators have no horror save modifier. Defence Modifier: +2

Ordinary People Hit Points: 6 + 2d6 + triple the character’s Constitution bonus.

28

Base Saving Throw Bonuses: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2 Horror Save Modifier: Most people have never encountered anything out of the ordinary; while scholars have had their intellectual or philosophical horizons challenged, combatants have faced danger, and investigators have seen strange or disturbing things, ordinary people have never been exposed to any real

danger or horror. checks.

They have a –4 penalty to Fear

Defence Modifier: +1 Special: Every time a character advances a level in this class, they may reduce the psychological ramifications of horrors they have experienced (see Chapter 8, Fear and Loathing).

Skills, Feats and Ties

The character’s class and ability scores determine how many skill points he has. A character may not put more than 6 points into a skill. A character has a set number of feats he can choose from, depending on his class and occupation. Skills and Feats are listed in Chapter 4.

Ties

Every sane character has a number of Ties. Each Tie is a bond to a particular thing – a lover, a spouse, children, family, friends, a home, an organisation, a belief or philosophy, a religion, a dream, a goal, anything that the character might live for… or die for. A beginning character has five permanent Ties to allocate, as well as one temporary Tie which reflects the character’s current goals. Multiple Ties can be allocated to a single thing. Note that even a single bond is a strong connection. Two Ties means the character would consider risking life and limb for the object of the bond; three Ties means that the character would willingly die for the object of the bond. Four or more Ties indicates a level of obsession that utterly consumes the character. For example, a character might have the following Ties:

~ ~ ~ ~

3 points: his family as a whole. 1 point: his favourite daughter, Cheryl 1 point: his job as a struggling writer 1 point (temporary Tie): Getting home in time for Christmas. At the start of the game, Cheryl runs off into the fog, so the Player changes his temporary Tie from ‘Getting Home’ to ‘Finding Cheryl’. A temporary Tie can be changed once per game session, or at the discretion of the Games Master. Note that Ties can stack with each other in certain circumstances – the temporary Tie for ‘Finding Cheryl’ stacks with the basic Tie to Cheryl and the character’s general Tie to his family. Ties should be to things that the Games Master can threaten (in fact, they are things the Games Master is encouraged to threaten), so they should be mostly external to the character. Having a Tie to ‘becoming the greatest swordsman who ever lived’ does not give

In addition to being a roleplaying tool to measure what the character cares about, Ties can give the character bonuses in certain circumstances. When the object of a Tie is threatened, the character can roll an extra 1d10 per Tie for saving throws, attack rolls or skill checks that directly help in saving or protecting the object of the Tie. Each Tie can be used only once, although a Tie can be reused if the object of the Tie is threatened again after being successfully rescued or protected. Returning to the example, our character has a total of five Ties that can be used to give a +1d10 bonus to rolls relating to finding and rescuing his daughter. He can use each Tie once per adventure. Characters can lose Ties, but this is quite rare. Normally the focus of a Tie will change, at the Games Master’s discretion. If the character loses his job as a writer, buys a gorgeous new Mustang, he may lose the Tie to his job as a struggling writer and instead gain a Tie to his car. That said, the Games Master can rule that a Tie is downgraded or lost if the Player does not portray the character’s connection to that Tie correctly. The Sociopathy disorder also permanently removes Tie points. The Loner feat will also reduce a character’s Ties.

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

the Games Master much latitude for horror. Unless he cuts off the character’s arm and introduces a diabolical undead master swordsman.

On the bright side, it is also possible to gain entirely new Ties, in addition to the normal five permanent and 1 temporary. See the feat Extra Ties for details. A character who loses every single permanent Tie is immediately deemed to be an incurable sociopath, unable to demonstrate basic human empathy. He is placed in the care of the Games Master, who will probably tuck him away in a nice asylum where kind people can look after him. Or maybe the character will come back to haunt his old friends… as the monster he has now become.

Finishing Touches

Select equipment from Chapter 5, Chainsaws, Stakes and Nailguns. Fill out the character sheet, remembering to take ability score modifiers and Synergy bonuses into account when working out skills.

Age

You can choose or randomly generate your character’s age. Most characters are adults (18+). With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his mental ability scores increase (see the Aging Effects table). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.

29

Height and Weight

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Aging Effects Race

Middle Age1

Old2

Venerable3

Maximum Age

Human

35 years

53 years

70 years

+2d20 years

1

At middle age, –1 to Str, Dex and Con; +1 to Int, Wis and Cha.

2

At old age, –2 to Str, Dex and Con; +1 to Int, Wis and Cha.

3

At venerable age, –3 to Str, Dex and Con; +1 to Int, Wis and Cha.

Random Height and Weight Race

Base Height

Height Modifier

Base Weight

The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s extra height beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character’s extra weight beyond the base weight.

Starting Equipment

Most characters start with possessions and equipment that reflects their starting Human, male 4´ 10½” +2d10” 120 lb. × (2d4) lb. occupation and total Wealth bonus. This approach mostly appeals to a Player’s Human, female 4´ 5½” +2d10” 85 lb. × (2d4) lb. common sense. Military personnel will almost certainly have a personal firearm When a character reaches venerable age, secretly roll his of some sort – but not a tanks or missile launchers. maximum age, which is the number from the Venerable Doctors will probably have medical and even surgery column on the Aging Effects table plus the result of the dice kits – but not a fully equipped ER in their basement. roll indicated on the Maximum Age column on that table, Also, a Games Master may well rule that all characters and records the result, which the Player does not know. A start with nothing, other than the clothes on their back character who reaches his maximum age dies of old age at and a few personnel effects – this is especially true in some time during the following year. one-off games where you all wake up strapped down on sheet metal slabs, with strange new scars on your The maximum ages are for Player Characters but exist chests… only as a maximum possibility. Most people in the modern world die from pestilence, accidents, infections or violence before getting to venerable age. Advancement is entirely optional in OGL Horror. Survival is the goal, not getting tougher or more powerful. In long-term games, however, characters may learn new skills and feats. Each of the four character types is divided into levels. A beginning character is level three in his chosen type. With each level gained, a character gains more hit points, a higher Base Attack Bonus and Base Saving Throws, a higher Defence and so on. Weight Modifier

Advancement

Whether or not a given campaign has advancement is up to the Games Master. If the scenario is for a oneshot story or even a short campaign, the Games Master may well rule that there is no advancement option for the characters (beyond keeping their skins and sanity intact). In general, it is only long-term campaigns that really need advancement options – if the Players repeatedly play the same characters investigating weird occurrences for the Quincy Foundation, then the following advancement rules should be used.

Class Tables

Each of the four classes has a class table. This table details how a character improves as attains higher levels in the class. It includes the following information. ~ Level: The character’s level in the class. ~ Base Attack Bonus: The character’s base attack

30

~

~ ~ ~

Level-Dependent Benefits

In addition to attack bonuses and saving throw bonuses, all characters gain other benefits from advancing in level. The following summarises these additional benefits.

Experience and Level Dependent Benefits

XP: This column shows the experience point total needed to achieve a given character level. Class Skill Max Ranks: The maximum number of ranks a character can have in a class skill is equal to his character level +3. A class skill is a skill associated with a particular class. Class skills are listed in each class description in this chapter. Cross-Class Skill Max Ranks: For cross-class skills (skills not associated with a character’s class), the maximum number of ranks is one-half the maximum for a class skill. Maxing out a cross-class skill costs the

same amount of points as buying the maximum rank in a class skill. (For example, at 1st level, a character can pay 4 points for 4 ranks in a class skill, or spend the same 4 points for 2 ranks in a cross-class skill.) The half ranks (.5) indicated on the table don’t improve skill checks; they simply represent partial purchase of the next skill rank and indicate that the character is training to improve that skill. Feats: This column indicates the levels at which a character gains feats (two at 1st level, one more at 3rd level, and one more at every 3rd level thereafter). See Chapter 4, Skills and Feats Chapter for feat descriptions. Ability Increases: This column indicates the levels at which a character gains ability score increases. Upon attaining 4th, and 8th level, a character increases one of his ability scores by 1 point. The Player chooses which ability score to improve. The ability improvement is permanent.

HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

bonus and number of attacks. Fort Save: The base save bonus for Fortitude saving throws. The character’s Constitution modifier also applies. Ref Save: The base save bonus for Reflex saving throws. The character’s Dexterity modifier also applies. Will Save: The base save bonus for Will saving throws. The character’s Wisdom modifier also applies. Class Features: Level-dependent class features, each explained in the section that follows. Defence Bonus: The character’s bonus to Defence. The character’s Dexterity modifier and equipment bonus also applies.

~

Experience and Level Advancement

Experience for advancing in level rests in the hands of the Games Master. There are no hard and fast rules for awarding experience in a horror game, however, typical characters should gain experience quite slowly. Gaining between 500 and 800 experience points per four to eight hour game session is reasonable. Particularly combatintensive sessions, multiple horrors and mysteries uncovered (and survived) in a session and the conclusion of a story arc should reward the characters with increased experience for their successful endeavours. When a character advances in level, they gain the benefits of the next level in whichever class they choose to advance in.

Experience and Level Dependent Benefits Character Level

XP

Class Skill Max Ranks

Cross-Class Skill Max Ranks

Feats

Ability Increases

1st

0

4

2

1st and 2nd

-

2

nd

1,000

5

2.5

-

-

3

rd

3,000

6

3

3

4

th

6,000

7

3.5

-

5th

10,000

8

4

-

6

th

15,000

9

4.5

4

7

th

21,000

10

5

-

-

8

th

28,000

11

5.5

-

2nd

9th

36,000

12

6

5th

-

45,000

13

6.5

-

-

10

th

rd

1st -

th

-

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HORROR CHARACTER CREATION

Multiclassing

Each time a multiclass character attains a new level, he either increases one of his current class levels by one or picks up a new class at 1st level. When a multiclass character increases one of his class levels by one, he gains all the standard benefits that characters receive for attaining the new level in that class: more hit points, possible bonuses on attack rolls, Defence and saving throws (depending on the class and the new level), a new class feature (as defined by the class) and new skill points. Also level-dependent bonuses accrue as normal. A character advancing from 5th level to 6th will gain a bonus feat regardless of which class he advances in. Note that a character who gains a new class does not gain the new class’ Horror save modifier. This modifier always remains the same as the character’s starting class Horror save modifier. Skill points are spent according to the class that the multiclass character just advanced in (see the individual class descriptions for skill points per level). Skills purchased are purchased at the cost appropriate for the class level that gives them to the character. Note that the character’s original occupation changes in no way after character creation. Even if the character started off as a Gurkha (military original occupation) and five years later becomes a roughneck on an oilrig, his original military occupation remains the same (though he may well have moved class from Combatant to Ordinary Person).

How Multiclassing Works

Donnie Barker, a 4th level Combatant, decides he wants to expand his repertoire by improving some of his investigative abilities. When Donnie accumulates 10,000 XP, he becomes a 5th level character. Instead of becoming a 5th level Combatant, however, he decides to become a 4th level Combatant/1st level Investigator. Now, instead of gaining the benefits of a new level of Combatant, he gains the benefits of becoming a 1st level Investigator. He gains hit points from a 1st level Investigator’s Hit Die (d8 plus his constitution modifier), a 1st level Investigator’s +1 to Defence, a 1st level Investigator’s + 1 Will save bonus, and the Investigator’s skill points (5 + his Intelligence modifier). When purchasing skills for this new level, Donnie uses the Investigator’s class skill list to determine whether a skill point buys 1 rank or .5 rank. If he wants to add ranks to one of the Combatant’s class skills, that skill is considered cross-class for him at this level. The benefits described above are added to the scores Donnie already had as a Combatant. His Defence score gets a +1 bonus. His Base

32

Attack Bonus, Fortitude save bonus and Reflex save bonus do not increase because these numbers are +0 for a first level Investigator. He does not gain any of the benefits a 5th-level Combatant gains. He could spend some of his new skill points to improve his Combatant class skills, but some of them (such as Handle Animal) would be treated as cross-class skills for this purpose – these skill points would each buy only .5 rank. He also gains a new feat chosen from the Investigator class list. Upon accumulating 15,000 XP, Donnie becomes a 6th level character. He decides he’d like to continue along the Investigator path, so he increases his Investigator level once more instead of increasing his Combatant level or picking up a level in a third class. Again he gains the Investigator’s benefits for attaining a new level rather than the Combatant’s. At this point, Donnie is a 6th level character: a 4th level Combatant/2nd level Investigator. At each new level he attains, Donnie must decide whether to increase his Combatant level or his Investigator level. Of course, if he wants to have even more diverse abilities, he could acquire an additional class. In general, a character can have levels in as many different classes as he likes.

OGL Horror and Multiclassing

Multiclassing is entirely normal in OGL Horror. The scarred veteran Combatant will suddenly find his guns mean nothing in the face of a cosmic mind-eating amoeba, and picks up some skills as a Scholar to find out its weak-point. The ordinary mother-of-three who is forced to track her stolen child through an eldritch forest, a bizarre version of her own town (with alligators instead of policemen), a government research lab and an extradimensional hellhole may well pick up a few levels as an Investigator (hey, and maybe even her kid). Most of the characters who survive repeatedly in horror situations become very individual and hard to box into a single class type, so multiclassing makes sense for a great many characters as they develop.

Skills and Feats

Using Skills

To make a skill check, you roll d20 and add the appropriate skill modifier. Skill modifiers follow a simple equation: Skill modifier = skill ranks + ability modifier + miscellaneous modifiers. Miscellaneous modifiers can be anything from synergy bonuses (we will get to those later on) to circumstantial bonuses and penalties based on where you are doing the skill and how many grenades are going off around you. To be a little more specific: ~ Skill Ranks: A character’s ranks in a skill is based on the number of skill points the character has invested in the skill. Some skills can be used even if the character has no ranks in the skill; doing this is also called making an untrained skill check. ~ Ability Modifier: The ability modifier used in the skill check is the modifier for the skill’s key ability (the ability associated with the skill’s use). The key ability of a skill is noted in its description. ~ Miscellaneous Modifiers: Miscellaneous modifiers include bonuses provided by feats and class features

and penalties such as the ones associated with the nonproficient use of armour.

Acquiring Skill Ranks

Ranks indicate how much training, experience or innate talent a character has with a given skill. Each skill has a number of ranks, from 0 (for a skill in which a character has no training at all) to 13 (for a 10th-level character who has increased a class skill to its maximum rank). Skill modifiers can be much higher than 13 once ability bonuses and other factors are added in, but skill ranks themselves can never be higher than 13. When making a skill check, a character adds his skill ranks to the roll as part of the skill modifier.

SKILLS & FEATS

A character has a number of skill points (see Chapter 3, Horror Character Creation) that are used to buy skills. The character’s class and Intelligence modifier determine the number of points received. If the character buys a class skill, he gets 1 rank in the skill for each skill point spent. If the character buys a cross-class skill, he gets .5 rank per skill point spent. The maximum rank in a class skill is six for a beginning character. Half a rank does not add anything to the modifier for using that skill, but it does allow a check when the skill can only be used trained.

Skill Checks and Automatic Rolls

Unlike with attack rolls and saving throws, a natural roll of 20 on the d20 is not an automatic success when making a skill check, and a natural roll of 1 is not an automatic failure. This reflects the fact that bonuses and penalties with skills checks can often be wider than the twenty point margin of the die roll itself, and that some tasks become so simple to adept people that skills failing one time in twenty simply is not reasonable. However, if the character is under exceptional stress at the time of the roll (having recently failed a Fear roll, for instance) then the Games Master may rule that the natural 1 and 20 rules are brought into play for skill checks. This represents the notion that extreme pressure can bring out the very best in people’s abilities – or make them fluff the most basic of tests.

Difficulty Class Examples Difficulty (DC)

Example (Skill Used)

Very easy (0)

Notice something large in plain sight, like an oncoming tank (Spot)

Easy (5)

Climb down a fire escape (Climb)

Average (10)

Summarise a complex scientific document (Knowledge)

Tough (15)

Disarm an explosive, preferably before it goes off (Demolitions)

Challenging (20)

Swim against a strong current (Swim)

Formidable (25)

Decode an ancient manuscript (Decipher Script)

Heroic (30)

Grasp a potent magical ritual (Knowledge (occult))

Superheroic (35)

Leap across a 30 foot chasm (Jump)

Nearly impossible (40)

Track a trained commando through the forests of war-torn Brazil on a moonless night after 12 days of rainfall (Survival, and a lot of ranks in it)

33

SKILLS & FEATS

Difficulty Class

Some checks are made against a Difficulty Class (DC). The DC is a number set by the Games Master (using the skill rules as a guideline) that a character must attain to succeed. This number is the sum total of every condition inherent in the check itself and does not include environmental factors or aspects outside the scope of the basic skill. Those are circumstantial or synergy modifiers and they augment the check, not the Difficulty Class.

Opposed (Contested) Checks

Some skill checks are opposed checks. They are made against a randomised number, usually another character’s skill check result. For ties on opposed checks, the character with the higher base skill bonus wins. If those scores are the same, the highest key ability score wins the tie. If these are also the same, every character involved rerolls the check.

Trying Again

If a character fails a skill check, he can sometimes try again. Check the applicable skill description to find out if, and under what circumstances, a character may try again. Many skills have natural consequences for failing that must be accounted for. Even if these offer another try, the consequence must be suffered first. Some skills cannot be tried again once a check has failed for a particular task. If the use of a skill carries no penalty for failure, a character can ‘take 20’, as per the rules given below, and assume that he keeps trying until he eventually succeeds (assuming he has enough of a modifier to succeed).

Favourable and Unfavourable Conditions

Some situations may make a skill easier or harder to use, resulting in a bonus or penalty to the skill modifier or a change to the skill check’s DC. The Games Master can alter the odds of success in four ways to take into account exceptional circumstances. ~ Give the skill user a +2 circumstance bonus to represent conditions that improve performance, such as having the perfect tool for the job, getting help from another character or working under conditions that are significantly better than normal. ~ Give the skill user a –2 circumstance penalty to represent conditions that hamper performance, such as being forced to use improvised tools or possessing misleading information. ~ Reduce the DC by 2 to represent circumstances that make the task easier, such as having a friendly audience when making a Perform check or searching for information on an extremely well documented topic with a Computer Use check. ~ Increase the DC by 2 to represent circumstances that make the task harder, such as making a Perform check in front of a hostile audience or searching for information on a very poorly documented topic with a Computer Use check.

Attempted Action

Skill

Conditions that affect a character’s ability to perform the skill change the character’s skill modifier. Conditions that modify how well the character must perform the skill to succeed change the Difficulty Class. A bonus on a character’s skill modifier or a reduction in the DC of the check has the same result – they create a better chance for success. But they represent different circumstances and sometimes that distinction is important. Opposing Skill

Trying to sneak past a guard dog

Move Silently

Listen

Convincing a police officer that you are a relative of the deceased

Bluff

Sense Motive

Hiding from a hunting horror

Hide

Spot

Chasing a stolen car

Drive

Drive

Making a false cultist outfit

Disguise

Spot

Stealing the icon from the altar without being seen

Sleight of Hand

Spot

Identifying a faked scroll as false

Forgery

Forgery

Untrained Skill Checks

Generally, if a character attempts to use a skill he does not have any ranks in, the character makes a skill check as described. The character’s skill modifier do not include skill ranks because the character does not have

Example Opposed Checks

34

any. The character does get other modifiers, though, such as the ability modifier for the skill’s key ability. Some skills can be used only if the character is trained in the skill; there are very few circumstances that will allow these skills to be used untrained.

Time and Skill Checks

Using a skill might take one round, several rounds, or even longer. It might take no time at all. Types of actions define how long activities take to perform within the framework of a combat round (6 seconds) and how movement is treated with respect to the activity. See the skill description for specifics on how long a skill takes to use. In general, using a

skill that requires concentration while in close combat is dangerous. Nearby opponents get to make attacks of opportunity against a character when he lets his guard down. When people make attacks of opportunity with firearms, things start to rock and roll.

Some skill applications require the use of tools. If tools are needed, the specific items required are mentioned in the skill description. If the character does not have the appropriate tools, he can still attempt to use the skill, but the character takes a –4 penalty on his check. A character may be able to put together some impromptu tools to make the check. If the Games Master allows this, reduce the penalty to –2 (instead of –4) for having a set of impromptu tools. It usually takes some time (several minutes to an hour or more) to collect or create a set of impromptu tools and it may require a skill check as well. The same skill as the one being attempted with the tool in the first place is usually the best one to use in this circumstance.

Checks without Rolls

A skill check represents an attempt to accomplish some goal, usually in the face of time pressure or distraction. Sometimes, though, a character can use a skill under more favourable conditions and eliminate the luck factor. Two kinds of ‘diceless’ skill checks exist. ~ Taking 10: When a character is not being threatened or distracted, he may choose to take 10. Instead of rolling d20 for the skill check, calculate the result as if the character had rolled a 10 (an average roll on a d20). For many relatively routine tasks, taking 10 results in a success. Distractions and threats make it impossible for a character to take 10. A character also cannot take 10 when using a skill untrained, though the Games Master may allow exceptions for truly routine activities. ~ Taking 20: When a character has plenty of time, is faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalty for failure, a character can take 20. Instead of rolling d20 for the skill check, calculate the result as if the character had rolled a 20. Taking 20 is the equivalent of attempting the check over and over again until the character gets it right. Taking 20 takes twenty times as long as making a single check (2 minutes for a skill that can normally be checked in 1 round).

Aiding Another

In some situations, characters can cooperate to accomplish a given task. One character is designated as the leader in the effort, while the others try to aid the character in his efforts. A character aids another by making a skill

In many cases, a character’s help will not be beneficial or only a limited number of characters can help at the same time. The Games Master may always limit aid another attempts as he sees fit for the conditions.

Skill Synergy

Sometimes, the Games Master may decide that having one skill provides a bonus when a character uses another skill in certain situations. The character must have at least 5 ranks in the related skill to gain this synergy bonus, and the Games Master must agree that the two skills can complement each other in the given situation. In such cases, the character receives a +2 synergy bonus on the skill check. Certain skills list an inherent synergy bonus in their description.

SKILLS & FEATS

Tools

check (DC 10). This is an attack action, and the character cannot take 10 on this check. If the check succeeds, the character’s ally gains a +2 circumstance bonus to apply to his skill check to complete the task.

Modifier Types and Stacking

A modifier provides a bonus (a positive modifier, such as a bomb built with nice little labels on all the important wires) or a penalty (a negative modifier, such as a bomb built with every wire the same thickness and colour and little labels that are all lying) to a die roll. Every applicable modifier, positive and negative, is added to the check result, but special attention must be given to named modifiers. Bonuses with specific descriptors, such as ‘equipment bonus’, generally do not stack (combine for cumulative effect) with others of the same type. In those cases, only the best bonus of that type applies. The only specific bonuses that stack are dodge bonuses, synergy bonuses and sometimes circumstance bonuses. Circumstance bonuses stack only if they are provided by differing circumstances; if two circumstance bonuses caused by similar circumstances apply, they do not stack. Specific bonuses that do not stack include competence, cover, equipment, morale, natural armour, and size. Any bonus without a descriptor (such as simply a +1 bonus) stacks with other bonuses. All penalties stack, regardless of their descriptors, within reason. Do not apply the vision penalties for twilight and night-time if it is dark outside!

Skill Descriptions

In OGL Horror, skills are presented in alphabetical order in the following format. The first line of every skill listing includes the following:

35

SKILLS & FEATS

When reading a skill description, keep the following details in mind: ~ Trained Only: If ‘Trained Only’ appears on the line beneath the skill name, a character must have at least 1 rank in the skill to use it. If ‘Trained Only’ is omitted, the skill can be used untrained. If any particular notes apply to trained or untrained use, they are covered in the Special section. ~ Armour Penalty: If ‘Armour Penalty’ appears on the line beneath the skill name, apply the armour penalty of the armour the character is wearing to checks involving this skill.

Skills Balance (Dex) Armour Penalty

~

Skill Name (Key Ability) Trained Only and/or Armour Penalty (if applicable). The Key Ability abbreviation stands for the ability whose modifier applies to the skill check (exceptions: Speak Language and Read/ Write Language have ‘None’ given as their key ability because the use of these skills never requires a check).

Below the primary skill line, the following information is given: ~ Check: What a character can do with a successful skill check and the check’s DC. The majority of the skill’s entry occurs in this section. ~ Try Again?: Any conditions that apply to repeated attempts to use the skill for a particular purpose. If this entry is omitted, the skill check can be tried again without any inherent penalty other than taking additional time. ~ Special: Any particular notes that apply, such as whether a character can take 10 or take 20 when using the skill. ~ Untrained: Any details about using a skill untrained. If this entry does not appear, it means the skill works the same even when used untrained, or that an untrained character cannot make checks with this skill (true for skills that are designated ‘Trained Only’). ~ Time: How much time it takes to make a check with this skill.

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Used to stay upright or stable while moving along narrow or uneven surfaces. Check: The character can walk on a precarious surface. A successful check lets the character move at half his speed along the surface as a move action. A failure indicates that the character spends his move action keeping his balance and does not move. A failure by 5 or more indicates that the character falls. The difficulty varies with the conditions of the surface. A damaging surface is any walking area that causes the character to take damage while he is contiguous with it, such as a burning window ledge or the acid-covered rim of an industrial vat. Being Attacked While Balancing: While balancing, the character is flat-footed (the character loses his Dexterity bonus to Defence, if the character has one), unless the character has 5 or more ranks in Balance. If the character takes damage, he must make a Balance check again to remain standing. Accelerated Movement: The character can try to cross a precarious surface more quickly than normal. The character can move his full speed, but the character takes a –5 penalty on his Balance check. Moving twice the character’s speed in a round requires two checks, one for each move action. The character can attempt to charge across a precarious Narrow Surface

DC*

Difficult Surface

DC

7–12 in. wide

10

Uneven or angled

10

2–6 in. wide

15

Slippery surface

10

Less than 2 20 Damaging +5 in. wide surface *Add +5 to the DC if the narrow surface is slippery or angled; add +10 if it is both slippery and angled.

surface. Charging requires one Balance check at a –5 penalty for each multiple of the character’s speed (or fraction thereof) that the character charges. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Balance check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Focused feat gets a +2 bonus on all Balance checks.

Bluff (Cha) Bluff covers lies, fast-talking, acting and con artistry. Check: A Bluff check is opposed by the target’s Sense Motive check when trying to con or mislead. Favourable and unfavourable circumstances weigh heavily on the outcome of a bluff. Two circumstances can work against the character; the bluff is hard to believe or the action that the bluff requires the target to take goes against the target’s self-interest, nature, personality or orders. If it is important, the Games Master can distinguish between a bluff that fails because the target does not believe it and one that fails because it asks too much of the target. For instance, if the target gets a +10 bonus because the bluff demands something risky of the target and the target’s Sense Motive check succeeds by 10 or less, then the target didn’t so much see through the bluff as prove reluctant to go along with it. If the target’s Sense Motive check succeeds by 11 or more, he has seen through the bluff, and would have succeeded in doing so even if it had not placed any demand on him (that is, even without the +10 bonus). A successful Bluff check indicates that the target reacts as the character wishes, at least for a short time (usually 1 round or less), or the target believes something that the character wants him or her to believe. A bluff requires interaction between the character and the target. Targets unaware of the character cannot be bluffed.

Creating a Diversion to Hide: A character can use Bluff to help him or her hide. A successful Bluff check gives the character the momentary diversion needed to attempt a Hide check while people are aware of the character (see the Hide skill). Sending a Secret Message: A character can use Bluff to send and understand secret messages while appearing to be speaking about other things. The DC for a basic message is 10. Complex messages or messages trying to communicate new information have DCs of 15 or 20. Both the sender and the receiver must make the check for the secret message to be successfully relayed and understood.

SKILLS & FEATS

Time: Balancing while moving one-half the character’s speed is a move action. Accelerated movement, allowing the character to balance while moving his full speed, is also a move action.

cannot dodge the character’s attack effectively. If the character succeeds, the next attack the character makes against the target ignores his Dexterity bonus to Defence (if the opponent has one), thus lowering his Defence score. Using Bluff in this way against a creature of animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2) requires a –8 penalty on the check. Against a non-intelligent creature, feinting is impossible.

Anyone listening in on a secret message can attempt a Sense Motive check (DC equal to the sender’s Bluff check result). If successful, the eavesdropper realizes that a secret message is contained in the communication. If the eavesdropper beats the DC by 5 or more, he understands the secret message. Whether trying to send or intercept a message, a failure by 5 or more points means that one side or the other misinterprets the message in some fashion. Try Again? Generally, a failed Bluff check makes the target too suspicious for the character to try another bluff in the same circumstances. For feinting in combat, the character may try again freely. Special: A character can take 10 when making a bluff (except for feinting in combat), but cannot take 20. A character with the Deceptive feat gets a +2 bonus on all Bluff checks.

Feinting in Combat: A character can also use Bluff to mislead an opponent in combat so that the opponent Sense Motive Example Circumstances

Modifier

The target wants to believe the character.

–5

The bluff is believable and does not affect the target much one way or the other.

+0

The bluff is a little hard to believe or puts the target at some kind of risk.

+5

The bluff is hard to believe or entails a large risk for the target.

+10

The bluff is way out there; it is almost too incredible to consider.

+20

37

Time: A bluff takes at least 1 round (and is at least a fullround action) but can take much longer if the character tries something elaborate. Using Bluff as a feint in combat is an attack action.

SKILLS & FEATS

Climb (Str) Armour Penalty Used to climb things, surprisingly enough. Check: With each successful Climb check, the character can advance up, down or across a slope, wall or other steep incline (or even a ceiling with handholds). A slope is considered to be any incline of less than 60 degrees; a wall is any incline of 60 degrees or steeper. A failed Climb check indicates that the character makes no progress, and a check that fails by 5 or more means that the character falls (unless the character is secured with some kind of harness or other equipment). The DC of the check depends on the conditions of the climb. If the climb is less than 10 feet, reduce the DC by 5. Since the character cannot move to avoid an attack, he is flat-footed while climbing (the character loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence). Any time the character takes damage while climbing, make a Climb check against the DC of the slope or wall. Failure means the character falls from his current height and sustains the appropriate falling damage. Accelerated Climbing: A character can try to climb more quickly than normal. The character can move his full speed, but the character takes a –5 penalty on his

Climb check. (Moving twice the character’s speed in a round requires two checks, one for each move action.) Making Handholds and Footholds: A character can make handholds and footholds by pounding pitons into a wall. Doing so takes 1 minute per piton and one piton is needed per 3 feet climbed. As with any surface with handholds and footholds, a wall with pitons in it has a DC of 15. In similar fashion, a climber with an ice axe or other proper implement can cut handholds or footholds in an ice wall. Catching Yourself When Falling: It is practically impossible for a character to catch himself on a wall while falling. Make a Climb check (DC equal to wall’s DC + 20) to do so. A slope is relatively easier to catch on to (DC equal to slope’s DC + 10). Special: Someone using a rope can haul a character upward (or lower the character) by means of sheer strength. Use two times a character’s maximum load to determine how much weight he can lift in this manner. A character can take 10 while climbing, but cannot take 20. A character without climbing gear takes a –4 penalty on Climb checks. At the Games Master’s discretion, certain kinds of climbing attempts might require only a rope or some other implement, or even just one’s hands and

DC

Example Wall or Surface or Task

0

A slope too steep to walk up.

5

A knotted rope with a wall to brace against.

10

A rope with a wall to brace against. A knotted rope. A surface with sizable ledges to hold on to and stand on, such as a rugged cliff face.

15

Any surface with adequate handholds and footholds (natural or artificial), such as a rough natural rock surface, a tree, or a chain-link fence. An unknotted rope. Pulling yourself up when dangling by your hands.

20

An uneven surface with just a few narrow handholds and footholds, such as a coarse masonry wall or a sheer cliff face with a few crevices and small toeholds.

25

A rough surface with no real handholds or footholds, such as a brick wall.

25

Overhang or ceiling with handholds but no footholds.

—

A perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surface cannot be climbed.

Modifiers

Condition

–10*

Climbing inside an air duct or other location where one can brace against two opposite walls (reduces normal DC by 10).

–5*

Climbing a corner where a character can brace against perpendicular walls (reduces normal DC by 5).

+5* Surface is slippery (increases normal DC by 5). *These modifiers are cumulative; use any that apply.

38

Level of Security

DC

Minimum

20

A character with the Athletic feat gets a +2 bonus on all Climb checks.

Average

25

Exceptional

35

Time: Climbing at one-half your speed is a full-round action. Moving half that far (one-fourth the character’s speed) is a move action. Accelerated climbing, allowing the character to climb at his full speed, is a full-round action.

Maximum

40

security checks at that site until the end of the character’s session (see Computer Hacking below). Computer Hacking: Breaking into a secure computer or network is often called hacking. Some networks can be accessed via the Internet; others are not connected to any outside network and can only be tapped into by a user who physically accesses a computer connected to the site.

Computer Use (Int) Trained Only This skill covers hacking, programming and advanced operation of computer systems. Check: Most normal computer operations do not require a Computer Use check (though a character might have to make a Research check; see the Research skill description). However, searching an unfamiliar network for a particular file, writing computer programs, altering existing programs to perform differently (better or worse) and breaking through computer security are all relatively difficult and require skill checks. Find File: This skill can be used for finding files or data on an unfamiliar system. The DC for the check and the time required are determined by the size of the site on which the character is searching. Finding public information on the Internet does not fall under this category; usually, such a task requires a Research check. This application of the Computer Use skill only pertains to finding files on private systems with which the character is not familiar. Size of Site

DC

Time

Personal computer

10

1 round

Small office network

15

2 rounds

Large office network

20

1 minute

Massive corporate network

25

10 minutes

Defeat Computer Security: The DC of this application of Computer Use is determined by the quality of the security program installed to defend the system. If the check is failed by 5 or more, the security system immediately alerts its administrator that there has been an unauthorised entry. An alerted administrator may attempt to identify the character or cut off the character’s access to the system. Sometimes, when accessing a difficult site, the character has to defeat security at more than one stage of the operation. If the character beats the DC by 10 or more when attempting to defeat computer security, the character automatically succeeds at all subsequent

SKILLS & FEATS

feet, rather than a full set of climbing gear to avoid the penalty.

Every site is overseen by a system administrator—the person in charge of the site and who maintains its security. Often, the system administrator is the only person with access to all of a site’s functions and data. A site can have more than one system administrator; large sites have a system administrator on duty at all times. A character is the system administrator of his own personal computer. When a character hacks into a site, the visit is called a session. Once a character stops accessing the site, the session is over. The character can go back to the site in the future; when he does, it is considered a new session. Several steps are required to hack into a site: Covering Tracks: This step is optional. By making a Computer Use check (DC 20), a character can alter his identifying information. This imposes a –5 penalty on any attempt made to identify the character if his activity is detected. ~ Access the Site: There are two ways to do this: physically or over the Internet. A character can gain physical access to the computer, or a computer connected to the site. If the site being hacked is not connected to the Internet, this is probably the only way a character can access it. A variety of skill checks may be required, depending on the method used to gain physical access. Alternatively, a site may be reached over the Web. This requires two Computer Use checks. The first check (DC 10) is needed to find the site on the net. The second is a check to defeat computer security (see the Defeat Computer Security section in this skill description). Once a character has succeeded in both checks, the character has accessed the site. ~ Locate What You Are Looking For: To find the data (or application, or remote device) the character wants, make a Computer Use check. See the Find File section under this skill description. ~

39

~

SKILLS & FEATS

~

Defeat File Security: Many networks have additional file security. If that is the case, the character needs to make another check to defeat computer security (see the Defeat Computer Security section in this skill description). Do Your Stuff: Finally, the character can actually do what he came to do. If the character just wants to look at records, no additional check is needed. A character can also download data, although that often takes several rounds – or even several minutes, for especially large amounts of information – to complete. Altering or deleting records sometimes requires yet another check to defeat computer security. Other operations can be carried out according to the Computer Use skill description. Defend Security: If the character is the system administrator for a site (which may be as simple as being the owner of a laptop), he can defend the site against intruders. If the site alerts the character to an intruder, the character can attempt to cut off the intruder’s access (end the intruder’s session), or possibly identify the intruder. To cut off access, make an opposed Computer Use check against the intruder. If the character succeeds, the intruder’s session is ended. The intruder might be able to defeat the character’s security and access his site again, but the intruder will have to start the hacking process all over. Attempting to cut off access takes a full round. One surefire way to prevent further access is to simply shut the site down. With a single computer, that is often no big deal – but on a large site with many computers (or computers controlling functions that cannot be interrupted), it may be time-consuming or even impossible. A frame defender can also attempt to identify the intruder; to do so, make an opposed Computer Use check against the intruder. If the defender succeeds, he learns the site from which the intruder is operating (if it is a single computer, the character learns the name of the computer’s owner). Identifying the intruder requires 1 minute and is a separate check from cutting off access. This check can only be made if the intruder is accessing

the character’s site for the entire length of the check – if the intruder’s session ends before the character finishes the check, the character automatically fails. This application of the skill can also be used to intercept a cell phone conversation if the character has a cellular interceptor. The DC is 35, or 25 if the character knows the number of the phone that initiated the call. Degrade Programming: A character can destroy or alter applications on a computer to make use of that computer harder or impossible. The DC for the attempt depends on what the character tries to do. Crashing a computer simply shuts it down. Its user can restart it without making a skill check (however, restarting takes 1 minute). Destroying programming makes the computer unusable until the programming is repaired. Damaged programming imposes a –4 penalty on all Computer Use checks made with the computer (sometimes this is preferable to destroying the programming, since the user might not know that anything is wrong and won’t simply decide to use a different computer). Scope of Alteration

DC

Time

Crash computer

10

1 minute

Destroy programming

15

10 minutes

Damage programming

20

10 minutes

A character can degrade the programming of multiple computers at a single site; doing so adds +2 to the DC for each additional computer. Fixing the degraded programming requires 1 hour and a Computer Use check against a DC equal to the DC for degrading it + 5. Write Program: A character can create a program to help with a specific task. Doing so grants the character a +2 circumstance bonus to the task. A specific task, in this case, is one type of operation with one target. Operate Remote Device: Many devices are computeroperated via remote links. If the character has access to

Type of Operation

DC

Time

Shut down passive remote (including cameras and door locks)

20

1 round per remote

Shut down active remote (including motion detectors and alarms)

25

1 round per remote

Reset parameters

30

1 minute per remote

Change passcodes

25

1 minute

Hide evidence of alteration

+10

1 minute

Other* Varies Varies * The Games Master should set the parameters for programs written with other intentions in mind. These should fall within the same numbers and time variables as other tasks.

40

Special: A character can take 10 when using the Computer Use skill. A character can take 20 in some cases, but not in those that involve a penalty for failure. A character cannot take 20 to defeat computer security or defend security. Writing a program to accomplish these tasks allows them to be done with a time delay, by remote access, or in a way that does not require immediate action on the part of the character; see above.

Concentration (Con) Used to focus the character’s mind in the face of danger, distraction or stress to allow the use of certain skills or abilities. Check: A character makes a Concentration check whenever he may potentially be distracted (by taking damage, by harsh weather, and so on) while engaged in some action that requires the character’s full attention. Such actions include using skills that provoke attacks of opportunity while in a threatened square. In general, if an action would not normally incur an attack of opportunity, a character does not need to make a Concentration check to avoid being distracted. If the check succeeds, the character may continue with the action. If the Concentration check fails, the action automatically fails. The check DC depends on the nature of the distraction. Try Again? Yes, though a success does not cancel the effects of a previous failure, such as the disruption of an action that was being concentrated on. Special: By making a check against DC 15, a character can use Concentration to attempt an action defensively, so as to avoid attacks of opportunity altogether. This does not apply to other actions that might incur attacks of opportunity (such as moving). If the Concentration check succeeds, the character may attempt the action normally without incurring any attacks of opportunity. A successful Concentration check still does not allow a character to take 10 on a check when he is in a stressful situation; the character must roll the check as normal. If the Concentration check fails, the related action automatically fails (with any appropriate ramifications) and the action is wasted, just as if the character’s concentration had been disrupted by a distraction.

Distraction

DC

Damaged during the action *

10 + damage dealt

Taking continuous damage during the action **

10 + half of continuous damage last dealt

Vigorous motion (bouncy vehicle ride, small boat in rough water, below decks in a stormtossed ship, riding a horse)

10

Violent motion (very rough vehicle ride, small boat in rapids, on deck of storm-tossed ship, galloping horse)

15

Extraordinarily violent motion (earthquake)

20

Entangled in net or snare

15

Grappling or pinned

20

Weather is a high wind carrying blinding rain or sleet

5

SKILLS & FEATS

the computer that controls such systems, the character can either shut them off or change their operating parameters. The DC depends on the nature of the operation. If the character fails the check by 5 or more, the system immediately alerts its administrator that there has been an unauthorised use of the equipment. An alerted administrator may attempt to identify the character or cut off his access to the system.

Weather is wind-driven hail, 10 dust, or debris * Such as an activity that requires more than a single full-round action. Also from an attack of opportunity or readied attack made in response to the action being taken (for activities requiring no more than a full-round action). ** Such as from catching on fire. Special: Since Concentration checks are called for in stressful situations, a character cannot take 10 or take 20 on such checks. A character with the Focused feat gets a +2 bonus on all Concentration checks. Time: Making a Concentration check does not require an action; it is either a reaction (when attempted in response to a distraction) or part of another action (when attempted actively).

Craft (Int) Some Trained Only This skill encompasses several categories, each of them treated as a separate skill: Craft (chemical), Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), Craft (pharmaceutical), Craft (structural), Craft (visual arts) and Craft (writing). Craft skills are specifically focused on creating objects. To use a Craft skill effectively, a character must have a kit or some other set of basic tools. The purchase DC of this equipment varies according to the particular Craft skill. To use Craft, first decide what the character is trying to make and consult the category descriptions below. Make

41

SKILLS & FEATS

a Wealth check against the given purchase DC for the object to see if the character succeeds in acquiring the raw materials. If the character succeeds at that check, make the Craft check against the given DC for the object in question. If the character fails the check, he does not make the object and the raw materials are wasted (unless otherwise noted). Generally, a character can take 10 when using a Craft skill to construct an object, but cannot take 20 (since doing so represents multiple attempts, and the character uses up the raw materials after the first attempt). The exception is Craft (writing); a character can take 20 because the character does not use up any raw materials (and thus no Wealth check is required to use the skill).

If the check succeeds, the final product is a solid material, about the size of a brick. An explosive compound does not include a fuse or detonator. Connecting a fuse or detonator requires a Demolitions check. Special: A character without a chemical kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (chemical) checks.

Craft (chemical) (Int) Trained Only

A character who selects this skill with the Builder feat gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (chemical) checks.

This skill allows a character to mix chemicals to create acids, bases and explosives.

Craft (electronic) (Int) Trained Only

Acids and Bases: Acids are corrosives substances. Bases neutralize acids but do not deal damage. A base of a certain type counteracts an acid of the same type or a less potent type. Purchase Type of Chemical DCs Craft DCs

Time

Acid

Base

Mild (1d6/1d10) * 8

15

10

1 min.

Potent (2d6/2d10)

20

15

30 min.

12

Concentrated 16 30 20 1 hr. (3d6/3d10) * The dice rolls in parentheses are typical splash damage/ immersion damage caused per round of exposure to the acid.

This skill allows a character to build electronic equipment from scratch, such as audio and video equipment, timers and listening devices, or radios and communication devices. When building an electronic device from scratch, the character describes the kind of device he wants to construct; then the Games Master decides whether the device is simple, moderate, complex, or advanced compared to current technology. Special: A character without an electrical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (electronic) checks. A character who selects this skill with the Builder feat gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (electronic) checks. Type of Scratch-Built Electronics (Examples)

Purchase Craft DC DC

Time

Simple (timer or detonator) 8

15

1 hr.

Type of ScratchBuilt Explosive

Purchase DC

Craft DC

Moderate (radio direction finder, electronic lock)

12

20

12 hr.

Time

Improvised (1d6/5 feet) *

6

10

1 round

Complex (cell phone)

16

25

24 hr.

22

30

60 hr.

Simple (2d6/5 feet)

12

15

10 min.

Advanced (radar, computer)

Moderate (4d6/10 feet)

16

20

1 hr.

Complex (6d6/15 feet)

20

25

3 hr.

Powerful (8d6/20 feet)

25

30

12 hr.

Craft (mechanical) (Int) Trained Only

Devastating (10d6/25 30 35 24 hr. feet) * The figures in parentheses are typical damage/burst radius for each type of explosive.

42

Explosives: Building an explosive from scratch is dangerous. If the Craft (chemical) check fails, the raw materials are wasted. If the check fails by 5 or more, the explosive compound detonates as it is being made, dealing half of its intended damage to the builder and anyone else in the burst radius.

This skill allows a character to build mechanical devices from scratch, including engines and engine parts, weapons, armour, and other gadgets. When building a mechanical device from scratch, the character describes the kind of device he wants to construct; then the Game Master decides if the device is simple, moderate, complex or advanced compared to current technology. Special: A character without a mechanical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (mechanical) checks.

Purchase DC

Craft DC

Time

Simple (tripwire trap)

5

15

1 hr.

Moderate (engine component, light armour)

12

20

12 hr.

Complex (automobile engine, 9mm autoloader handgun)

16

25

24 hr.

Advanced (jet engine)

20

30

60 hr.

A character who selects this skill with the Builder feat gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (mechanical) checks.

Craft (pharmaceutical) (Int) Trained Only This skill allows a character to compound medicinal drugs to aid in recovery from treatable illnesses and poisons. A medicinal drug gives a +2 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of a specific disease or poison. The Craft (pharmaceutical) check is based on the severity of the disease or poison to be countered as measured by the DC of the Fortitude save needed to resist it.

Secondary Damage: The damage a character takes after 1 minute of exposure to the poison if the character fails a second saving throw. Ability score damage is temporary, unless marked with an asterisk, in which case the damage is permanent ability drain. Unconsciousness lasts for 1d3 hours, and paralysis lasts 2d6 minutes. Purchase DC: The DC for the Wealth check necessary to obtain the raw materials to craft the poison, or to purchase one bottle of solid or liquid poison or one highpressure cylinder of gaseous poison. A bottle holds two doses, while a cylinder holds enough gas to fill a 5-foot radius area and takes 1 round to fill the area. Restriction: The restriction rating for the poison, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the poison on the black market. This restriction does not apply to gathering the raw materials for a poison. Craft DC: The DC of the Craft check to create a quantity of the poison. If the Craft check succeeds, the final product is a synthesised solid or liquid poison stored in a bottle (containing 4 doses) or a gas stored in a pressurised cylinder. When released, the gas is sufficient to fill a 10foot-radius area and takes 1 round to fill the area.

By the same token, the medicine that heals can also harm. Poisons can also be made by the pharmacist, according to the Poisons table:

Time: The amount of time required for the Craft check.

Disease Fortitude or Poison Save DC

Craft Purchase DC DC of of Antidote Antidote

Time

A character with the Treat Injury Expert feat gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (pharmaceutical) checks.

14 or lower

5

15

1 hr.

Craft (structural) (Int)

15–18

10

20

3 hr.

19–22

15

25

6 hr.

23 or higher

20

30

12 hr.

Biological Weapons

25 (if available)

35

4d10 hr.

This skill allows a character to build wooden, concrete or metal structures from scratch, including bookcases, desks, walls, houses, and so forth, and includes such handyman skills as plumbing, house painting, drywall, laying cement and building cabinets.

Poisonous Substances: Solid poisons are usually ingested. Liquid poisons are most effective when injected directly into the bloodstream. Gaseous poisons must be inhaled to be effective. The table below summarises the characteristics of various poisons. Save DC: The Difficulty Class of the Fortitude save to negate the effects of the poison. Initial Damage: The damage a character takes immediately upon failing his or her Fortitude save.

SKILLS & FEATS

Type of Scratch-Built Mechanical Device (Examples)

Special: A character without a pharmacist kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (pharmaceutical) checks.

When building a structure from scratch, the character describes the kind of structure he wants to construct; Type of Scratch-Built Structure (Examples)

Purchase DC

Craft DC

Time

Simple (bookcase, false wall)

5

15

12 hr.

Moderate (shed with power)

10

20

24 hr.

Complex (bunker, domed ceiling)

15

25

60 hr.

Advanced (house)

20

30

600 hr.

43

SKILLS & FEATS

Poisons Poison

Type

Save DC

Initial Damage

Secondary Damage

Purchase DC

Restriction

Craft DC

Time

Arsenic

Ingested

15

1d4 Str

2d4 Con

9

Res (+2)

24

4 hr.

Atropine

Injury

13

1d6 Dex

1d6 Str

3

Res (+2)

14

1 hr.

Belladonna (plant, aconite)

Injury

18

1d6 Str

2d6 Str

14

Lic (+1)

n/a

n/a

Blue Vitriol

Injury

12

1d2 Con

1d2 Con

3

Res (+2)

9

1 hr.

Blue-ringed Octopus Venom

Injury

15

1d4 Con

1d4 Con

14

Lic (+1)

n/a

n/a

Chloral Hydrate

Ingested

18

1d6 Dex

Unconsciousness (1d3 hours)

12

Res (+2)

28

8 hr.

Chloroform*

Inhaled

17

Unconsciousness — (1d3 hours)

9

Res (+2)

24

4 hr.

Curare (plant resin)

Injury

18

2d4 Dex

2d4 Wis

15

Res (+2)

n/a

n/a

Cyanide

Injury

16

1d6 Con

2d6 Con

15

Mil (+3)

31

15 hr.

Cyanogen

Inhaled

19

1d4 Dex

2d4 Con

12

Mil (+3)

28

8 hr.

DDT

Inhaled

17

1d2 Str

1d4 Str

9

Lic (+1)

20

4 hr.

Knockout Gas

Inhaled

18

1d3 Dex

Unconsciousness (1d3 hours)

12

Res (+2)

26

8 hr.

Lead Arsenate (gas)

Inhaled

12

1d2 Str

1d4 Con

6

Res (+2)

17

2 hr.

Lead Arsenate (solid)

Ingested

12

1d2 Con

1d4 Con

6

Res (+2)

18

2 hr.

Mustard Gas

Inhaled

17

1d4 Con

2d4 Con

12

Mil (+3)

26

8 hr.

Paris Green (gas)

Inhaled

14

1d2 Con

1d4 Con

9

Res (+2)

20

4 hr.

Paris Green (solid)

Ingested

14

1d4 Con

1d4 Con

9

Res (+2)

24

4 hr.

Puffer Poison (fish)

Injury

13

1d6 Str

Paralysis for 2d6 minutes

13

Lic (+1)

n/a

n/a

Rattlesnake Venom

Injury

12

1d6 Con

1d6 Con

12

Lic (+1)

n/a

n/a

Sarin Nerve Gas

Inhaled

18

1d4 Con

2d4 Con

15

Illegal (+4)

30

15 hr.

Scorpion/ tarantula venom

Injury

11

1d2 Str

1d2 Str

12

Lic (+1)

n/a

n/a

Strychnine

Injury

19

1d3 Dex

2d4 Con

9

Res (+2)

23

4 hr.

Tear Gas

Inhaled

15

Blindness for 1d6 rounds

—

9

Res (+2)

21

4 hr.

VX Nerve Gas Inhaled 22 1d6 Con 2d6 Con 21 Illegal (+4) 42 48 hr. * Chloroform gives off vapour that causes unconsciousness. Applying chloroform to an unwilling subject requires a successful grapple check and pin. n/a: Certain poisons can’t be made with the Craft skill. Instead, such a poison must be obtained by extracting it from the creature in question.

44

then the Games Master decides if the structure is simple, moderate, complex or advanced in scope and difficulty.

A character who selects this skill with the Builder feat gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (structural) checks.

Special: A character without a mechanical tool kit takes a –4 penalty on Craft (structural) checks.

Craft (visual art) (Int) This skill allows a character to create paintings or

Creating a work of visual art requires at least a fullround action, but usually takes an hour, a day, or more depending on the scope of the project. Work of an Expert or Master quality can raise a character’s Reputation score. Make a Reputation test, adding +1 for an Expert work or +2 for a Master work, against a DC of 20. If the test is successful, the artist’s reputation goes up 1 point. Artistic endeavours can never raise a character’s Reputation score by more than +5, and only one test can be made every 6 months. Special: A character with the Creative feat may gain a +2 bonus on all Craft (visual art) checks. See the Creative feat description for details.

Craft (writing) (Int) This skill allows a character to create short stories, novels, Hollywood scripts, e-zine articles and similar works of writing. When creating a work of writing, the Player simply makes a Craft (writing) check, the result of which determines the quality of the work. Unlike visual art, no Wealth check is necessary to use this Craft skill. Creating a work of writing requires at least 1 hour, but usually takes a day, a week, or more, depending on the scope of the project. Work of an Expert or Master quality can raise a character’s Reputation score. Make a Reputation test, adding +1 for an Expert work or +2 for a Master work, against a DC of 20. If the test is successful, the artist’s reputation goes up 1 point. Writing endeavours can never raise a character’s Reputation score by more than +5, and only one test can be made every 6 months. Special: A character with the Creative feat may gain a +2 bonus on all Craft (writing) checks. See the Creative feat description for details. Craft (visual art/writing) Success Table Skill Check Result

Effort Achieved

9 or lower

Untalented amateur

10–19

Talented amateur

20–24

Professional

25–30

Expert

31 or higher

Master

Decipher Script (Int) Trained Only Used to decode ancient scripts or modern cryptographs. Check: A character can decipher writing in an ancient language or, more often, in code. This can also be used to interpret the meaning of an incomplete text. The base DC is 20 for the simplest messages, 25 for standard codes, and 30 or higher for intricate or complex codes or exotic messages. Helpful texts or computer programs can provide a bonus (usually a +2 circumstance bonus) on the check, provided they are applicable to the script in question. If the check succeeds, the character understands the general content of a piece of writing, reading about one page of text or its equivalent in 1 minute. If the check fails, the Games Master makes a Wisdom check (DC 10) for the character to see if he avoids drawing a false conclusion about the text. Success means that the character does not draw a false conclusion; failure means that the character gets completely the wrong end of the stick and reaches an incorrect thesis. The Games Master secretly makes both the skill check and the Wisdom check so the character cannot tell whether the conclusion drawn is accurate or not.

SKILLS & FEATS

drawings, take photographs, use a video unit, or in some other way create a work of visual art. When attempting to create a work of visual art, the character simply makes a Craft (visual art) check, the result of which determines the quality of the work. Unless the effort is particularly elaborate or the character must acquire an expensive piece of equipment, the basic components have a purchase DC of 5.

Try Again? No, unless conditions change or new information is uncovered. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Decipher Script check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Studious feat gets a +2 bonus on all Decipher Script checks. Time: Decryption takes 1 full round or more, depending on the complexity of the code. The Games Master determines how long this skill actually takes, but mechanical aid usually helps.

Demolitions (Int) Trained Only Used to make things explode. Check: Setting a simple explosive to blow up at a certain spot does not require a check, but connecting and setting a detonator does. Also, placing an explosive for maximum effect against a structure calls for a check, as does disarming an explosive device. Set Detonator: Most explosives require a detonator to go off. Connecting a detonator to an explosive requires a Demolitions check (DC 10). Failure means that the explosive fails to go off as planned. Failure by 5 or more means the explosive goes off as the detonator is being installed.

45

Time: Setting a detonator is usually a fullround action. Placing an explosive device takes 1 minute or more, depending on the scope of the job.

Diplomacy (Cha) SKILLS & FEATS

The skill allows the character to persuade others to let you examine records, of the rightness of your task, or that there really are mutant alligators in the sewers. Check: A character can change others’ attitudes with a successful check (see the table below). In negotiations, participants roll opposed Diplomacy checks to see who gains the advantage. Opposed checks also resolve cases where two advocates or diplomats plead opposing cases before a third party. Complicate Disarm Checks: A character can make an explosive difficult to disarm. To do so, the character chooses the disarm DC before making his check to set the detonator (it must be higher than 10). The character’s DC to set the detonator is equal to the disarm DC of a potential disarmer. Place Explosive Device: Carefully placing an explosive against a fixed structure (a stationary, unattended inanimate object) can maximize the damage dealt by exploiting vulnerabilities in the structure’s construction. The Games Master makes the check (so that the character does not know exactly how well he has done). On a result of 15 or higher, the explosive deals double damage to the structure against which it is placed. On a result of 25 or higher, it deals triple damage to the structure. In all cases, it deals normal damage to all other targets within its burst radius. Disarm Explosive Device: Disarming an explosive that has been set to go off requires a Demolitions check. The DC is usually 10, unless the person who set the detonator chose a higher disarm DC. If the character fails the check, he does not disarm the explosive. If the character fails by more than 5, the explosive goes off. Special: A character can take 10 when using the Demolitions skill, but cannot take 20. A character with the Cautious feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Demolitions checks. A character without a demolitions kit takes a –4 penalty on Demolitions checks. Making an explosive requires the Craft (chemical) skill.

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The Games Master chooses the character’s initial attitude based on circumstances. Most of the time, the people the heroes meet are indifferent toward them, but a specific situation may call for a different initial attitude. The DCs given in the accompanying table show what it takes to change someone’s attitude with the use of the Diplomacy skill. The character does not declare a specific outcome he is trying for; instead, make the check and compare the result to the table on the next page. Try Again? Generally, trying again does not work. Even if the initial check succeeds, the other character can only be persuaded so far. If the initial check fails, the other Attitude

Means

Possible Actions

Hostile

Will take risks to hurt or avoid you

Attack, interfere, berate, flee

Unfriendly Wishes you ill

Mislead, gossip, avoid, watch suspiciously, insult

Indifferent Does not much care

Act as socially expected

Friendly

Wishes you well

Chat, advise, offer limited help, advocate

Helpful

Will take risks to help you

Protect, back up, heal, aid

Difficulty Table for Diplomacy Checks Initial Attitude

New Attitude Hostile

Unf.

Indif.

Friendly Helpful

Hostile

19 or less

20

25

35

45

Unfriendly

4 or less

5

15

25

35

Indifferent

—

0 or less

1

15

25

Friendly

—

—

0 or less

1

15

check so that the character does not necessarily know whether he has succeeded. This skill can accomplish several different things, all of which a given character can attempt assuming he has the proper equipment on hand to do so.

Special: A character can take 10 when making a Diplomacy check, but cannot take 20.

Open Lock: A character can pick conventional locks, finesse combination locks and bypass electronic locks. The character must have a lockpick set (for a mechanical lock) or an electrical tool kit (for an electronic lock). The DC depends on the quality of the lock.

A character with the Trustworthy feat gets a +2 bonus on all Diplomacy checks. Time: Diplomacy is at least a full-round action. The Games Master may determine that some negotiations require a longer period of time. Bribery and Diplomacy Offering money or another form of favour can, in the right situation, improve a character’s chances with a Diplomacy skill check. Bribery allows a character to circumvent various official obstacles when a person in a position of trust or authority is willing to accept such an offering. An illegal act, bribery requires two willing participants – one to offer a bribe and the other to accept it. When a Non-Player Character requires a bribe to render services, then a character’s Diplomacy check automatically fails if a bribe is not attached to it. If a bribe is not required, a hero can add a bribe to get a bonus on his skill check. This can backfire, as some characters will be insulted by a bribe offer (their attitude changes one step for the worse) and others will report the hero to the proper authorities. To bribe a character, make a Wealth check. Typical DCs are shown on below, but the Games Master may modify the DC as he sees fit. If the hero succeeds in the check, he gains a +2 bonus on the Diplomacy check. For every point by which the hero beats the DC, increase the bonus by +1 (to a total maximum bonus of +10). Bribe Target

Purchase DC

Rave Bouncer

6

Bureaucrat

10

Informant

7

Police officer

10

Corporate Exec

15

Disable Device (Int) Trained Only Used for disarming traps or sabotaging machinery. Check: The Games Master makes the Disable Device

Lock Type (Example)

DC

Cheap (briefcase lock)

20

Average (home deadbolt)

25

High quality (business deadbolt)

30

High security (average corporate vault)

40

Ultra-high security (maximum security vault)

50

SKILLS & FEATS

character has probably become more firmly committed to his position, and trying again is futile. The Games Master is the final authority on retries of this skill, but second chances should be expensive in time, gifts, or both.

Disable Security Device: A character can disable a security device, such as an electric fence, motion sensor, engine kill switch, or security camera. The character must be able to reach the actual device unless some remote way of dealing with it exists (though this is usually covered by Computer Use in such an instance). If the device is monitored, the fact that the character attempted to disable it will probably be noticed. Note that this skill just circumvents security; use the Technical skill to accomplish tasks like hotwiring vehicles and tapping into monitor feeds. When disabling a monitored device, the character can prevent his tampering from being noticed. Doing so requires 10 minutes, an electrical tool kit and increases the DC of the check by +10. Device Type (Example)

DC

Cheap (apartment door alarm)

20

Average (business security camera)

25

High quality (business motion detector)

30

High security (corporate vault alarm)

35

Traps and Sabotage: Disabling (or rigging or jamming) a simple mechanical device has a DC of 10. More intricate and complex devices have higher DCs. The Games Master rolls the check. If the check succeeds, the character disables the device. If the check fails by 4 or less, the character has failed but can try again. If the character fails by 5 or more, something goes wrong. If

47

SKILLS & FEATS

it is a trap, the character springs it. If it is some sort of sabotage, the character thinks the device is disabled, but it still works normally. With this skill, a character can rig simple devices to work normally for a while and then fail some time later (usually after 1d4 rounds or minutes of use). Building anything more permanent also requires use of the Craft (structural) skill and additional time. Try Again? Yes, though the character must be aware that he has failed in order to try again. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Disable Device check. A character can take 20 to open a lock or to disable a security device, unless the character is trying to prevent his tampering from being noticed. Possessing the proper tools gives a character the best chance of succeeding on a Disable Device check. Opening a lock requires a lockpick set (for a mechanical lock) or an electrical tool kit (for an electronic lock). Opening a locked car requires a lockpick set. Disabling a security device requires either a mechanical tool kit or an electronic toll kit, depending on the nature of the device. If the character does not have the appropriate tools, he takes a –4 penalty on your check. A lock release gun can open a mechanical lock of cheap or average quality without a Disable Device check. A character with the Cautious feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Disable Device checks. Time: Disabling a simple mechanical device is a fullround action. Intricate or complex devices require 2d4 rounds

Disguise (Cha) Used to change a characters appearance or make him look like someone else. Check: A character’s Disguise check result determines how good the disguise is. It is opposed by others’ Spot check results. Make one Disguise check even if several people make Spot checks. The Games Master makes the character’s Disguise check secretly so that the character is not sure how well his disguise holds up to scrutiny. If the character does not draw any attention to himself, however, others don’t get to make Spot checks. If the character comes to the attention of people who are suspicious, the suspicious person gets to make a Spot check. The Games Master can assume that such observers take 10 on their Spot checks. The effectiveness of the character’s disguise depends in part on how much the character is attempting to change his appearance.

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Disguise

Modifier

Minor details only

+5

Appropriate uniform or costume

+2

Disguised as different sex

–2

Disguised as different age –2 * category * Per step of difference between the character’s age category and the disguised age category (child, young adult, adult, middle age, old, or venerable). Familiarity

Bonus

Recognises on sight

+4

Friend or associate

+6

Close friend

+8

Intimate

+10

If the character is impersonating a particular individual, those who know what that person looks like automatically get to make Spot checks. Furthermore, they get a bonus on their Spot checks. Usually, an individual makes a Spot check to detect a disguise immediately upon meeting the character and each hour thereafter. If the character casually meets many different people, each for a short time, the Games Master checks once per day or hour, using an average Spot modifier for the group (assuming they take 10). Try Again? No, though the character can assume the same disguise again at a later time. If others saw through the previous disguise, they are automatically treated as suspicious if the character assumes the same disguise again. Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 when establishing a disguise. A character without a disguise kit takes a –4 penalty on Disguise checks. A character with the Deceptive feat gets a +2 bonus on all Disguise checks. A character can help someone else create a disguise for him or her, treating it as an aid another attempt. Time: A Disguise check requires 1d4 x10 minutes of preparation. The Games Master makes Spot checks for those who encounter the character immediately upon meeting the character and again each hour or day thereafter, depending on circumstances.

Drive (Dex) Trained Only

Try Again? Most driving checks have consequences for failure that make trying again impossible. Special: A character can take 10 when driving, but cannot take 20. A character with the Vehicle Expert feat gets a +2 bonus on all Drive checks. There is no penalty for operating a general-purpose motor vehicle. Other types of motor vehicles (heavy wheeled, powerboat, sailboat, ship and tracked) require the corresponding Surface Vehicle Operation feat, or the character takes a –4 penalty on Drive checks. Time: A Drive check is a move action.

Escape Artist (Dex) Armour Penalty Use to escape from manacles, ropes, or the tentacles of monsters. Check: Make a check to escape from restraints or to squeeze through a tight space. For ropes and chains, a character’s Escape Artist check is opposed by the Dexterity check result of the opponent who tied the bonds. Since it is easier to tie someone up than to escape from being tied up, the opponent gets a +20 bonus on his Dexterity check. Note that a character in a zip tie cannot release themselves with the Escape Artist skill, though the zip tie can be broken. For a tight space, a check is only called for if the character’s head fits but his shoulders do not. If the space is long, such as in an airshaft, the Games Master may call for multiple checks. A character cannot fit through a space that his head does not fit through. A character can make an Escape Artist check opposed by his opponent’s grapple check to get out of a grapple or out of a pinned condition (so that the character is just being grappled). Doing so is an attack action, so if the character escapes the grapple he can move in the same round.

DC of Escape Artist Check

Ropes

Opponent’s Dex check +20

Net

20

Handcuffs

35

Tight space

30

Grappler

Opponent’s grapple check

Try Again? A character can make another check after a failed check if the character is squeezing through a tight space, making multiple checks. If the situation permits, the character can make additional checks as long as he is not being actively opposed. Special: A character can take 10 on an Escape Artist check. A character can take 20 if he is not being actively opposed (a character can take 20 if he is tied up, even though it is an opposed check, because the opponent is not actively opposing the character).

SKILLS & FEATS

Used for driving cars or motorcycles. Check: Routine tasks, such as ordinary driving, don’t require a skill check. Make a check only when some unusual circumstance exists (such as inclement weather or an icy surface), or when the character is driving during a dramatic situation (the character is being chased or attacked, for example, or is trying to reach a destination in a limited amount of time). When driving, the character can attempt simple maneuvers or stunts.

Restraint

A character with the Nimble feat gets a +2 bonus on all Escape Artist checks. Time: Making a check to escape from being bound by ropes, handcuffs, or other restraints (except a grappler) requires 1 minute. Escaping a net is a full-round action. Squeezing through a tight space takes at least 1 minute, maybe longer, depending on the distance that must be crossed.

Forgery (Int) Some Trained Only Used to fake passports, legal documents or cheques. Check: Forgery requires materials appropriate to the document being forged, and some time. To forge a document the character needs to have seen a similar document before. The complexity of the document, the character’s degree of familiarity with it, and whether the character needs to reproduce the signature or handwriting of a specific individual, provide modifiers to the Forgery check, as shown below. Some documents require security or authorisation codes, whether authentic ones or additional forgeries. The Games Master makes the character’s check secretly so the character is not sure how good his forgery is. A forger is not allowed to know the check result, but does gain a retry if the document’s final check is 10 or less. Quality is hard to judge, but a lousy piece of work is recognisable to all. Only simple or moderate level forgeries can be attempted without at least one rank in this skill. The Forgery skill is also used to detect someone else’s forgery. The result of the original Forgery check that created the document is opposed by a Forgery check

49

SKILLS & FEATS

by the person who examines the document to check its authenticity. If the examiner’s check result is equal to or higher than the original Forgery check, the document is determined to be fraudulent. The examiner gains bonuses or penalties on his check as given in the table below.

Examiner’s Condition

Modifier

Type of document unknown to examiner

–4

Type of document somewhat known to examiner

–2

A document that contradicts procedure, orders or previous knowledge, or one that requires the examiner to relinquish a possession or a piece of information, can increase the examiner’s suspicion (and thus create favourable circumstances for the examiner’s opposed Forgery check) as determined by the Games Master.

Type of document well known to examiner

+0

Document is put through additional tests *

+4

Try Again? No, since the forger is not sure of the quality of the original forgery. Special: To forge documents and detect forgeries, one must be able to read and write the language in question (this skill is language-dependent).

A character without a forgery kit takes a –4 penalty on Forgery checks.

A character can take 10 when making a Forgery check, but cannot take 20.

Time: Forging a short, simple document takes about 1 minute. Longer or more complex documents take 1d4 minutes per page or longer.

A character with the Meticulous feat gets a +2 bonus on all Forgery checks. Familiarity*

Modifier

Unfamiliar (seen once for less than a minute)

-4

Fairly familiar (seen for several minutes)

+0

Quite familiar (on hand, or studied at leisure)

+4

Forger has produced other documents of same type

+4

Document includes specific signature

-4

* Use all modifiers that apply from this list. Check Modifier

Examination Time

Simple (forged e-mail, business card)

+0

10 min.

Moderate (letterhead, business form)

-2

20 min.

Complex (stock certificate, driver’s licensc)

-4

1 hr.

Difficult (passport)

-8

4 hr.

Extreme (Secret Service ID)

-16

24 hr.

Document Type

50

Examiner only casually reviews the –2 document * * Cumulative with any of the first three conditions on the table. Apply this modifier along with one of the other three whenever appropriate.

Gamble (Wis) This skill is used to win money or favours at games of chance. Check: To join or start a game, a character must first pay a stake. The character sets the purchase DC of the stake if he starts the game, or the Games Master sets it if the character joins a game. Stakes run from penny-ante (purchase DC 4) to astronomical (purchase DC 24). A character cannot take 20 when purchasing a stake. If the stake is within the character’s means (it is equal to or less than his Wealth bonus), the character stands no chance of winning any significant amount. The character might come out ahead, but the amount is not enough to affect his Wealth bonus. Since paying the stake didn’t cost any points of Wealth bonus, the character does not lose anything either. If the stake is higher than the character’s Wealth bonus (before applying any reductions from purchasing the stake), the character gets a +1 bonus on his Gamble check for every point the purchase DC is above the character’s Wealth bonus. The character’s Gamble check is opposed by the Gamble checks of all other participants in the game. If playing at a casino, assume the house has a Gamble skill modifier equal to the stake purchase DC. Regardless of the stake purchase DC, the house does not get a bonus on its Gamble check for the purchase DC. If there are many

A character with the Confident feat gets a +2 bonus on all Gamble checks. Time: A Gamble check requires 1 hour.

Gather Information (Cha)

If the character beats all other participants, he wins and gains an increase to his Wealth bonus. The amount of the increase depends on the difference between the character’s check result and the next highest result among the other participants. Gambling is a risky proposition, but it is also one that can only be attempted infrequently with any real success. Every Gamble check made within the same month suffers a cumulative -1 circumstance penalty and a character can never benefit from more than a total of +5 to their current Wealth score at any one time. Try Again? No, unless the character wants to put up another stake. Special: A character cannot take 10 or take 20 when making a Gamble check.

SKILLS & FEATS

characters participating, the Games Master can opt to make a single roll for all of them, using the highest Gamble skill modifier among them and adding a +2 bonus to the check.

Used to scout out secrets and rumours in a community or region. Check: By succeeding at a skill check (DC 10) and spending 1d4+1 hours passing out money and buying drinks, a character can get a feel for the major news items in a neighbourhood. This result assumes that no obvious reasons exist why information would be withheld. The higher the check result, the better the information. If the situation does not require the expenditure of money, no Wealth check is necessary. Information ranges from general to protected, and the cost and DC increases accordingly for the type of information the character seeks to gather, as given in the table below. General information concerns local happenings, rumors, gossip and the like. Specific information usually relates to a particular question. Restricted information includes facts that aren’t generally known and requires that the character locate someone who has access to such information. Protected information is even harder to come by and might involve some danger, either for the one asking the questions or the one providing the answer. There’s a chance that someone will take note of anyone asking about restricted or protected information. The character can increase the amount of money used to gather information, gaining a circumstance bonus by effectively offering a bribe (though the process might entail buying more expensive drinks, not necessarily offering a character extra money). Increase the Wealth check DC by 2 for each +1 circumstance bonus the character wants to add to his skill check. Try Again? Yes, but it takes 1d4+1 hours for each check and characters may draw attention to themselves if they repeatedly pursue a certain type of information.

Check Result Difference

Wealth Bonus Increase

1–9

+1

Type of Information

DC

Purchase DC

10–19

+2

General

10

5

20–29

+3

Specific

15

10

30–39

+4

Restricted

20

15

40 or more

+5

Protected

25

20

51

Special: A character can take 10 when making a Gather Information check, but cannot take 20.

SKILLS & FEATS

A character with the Trustworthy feat gets a +2 bonus on all Gather Information checks. Time: A Gather Information check takes 1d4+1 hours.

Handle Animal (Cha) Trained Only Use this skill not only to train animals for security or circus purposes, but also to find out how most animals will react to the character. Check: Train an animal within a specified time to get an effect. The DC depends on what the character is trying to do. Also make a check to influence a creature with of the animal type – treat this is a full-round action that is treated precisely like a Diplomacy check (see the Diplomacy skill description for modifiers), except uses the Handle Animal skill instead of the Diplomacy skill to determine attitude changes. Handle an Animal: This means to command an animal to perform a task or trick that it knows. If the animal is wounded or has taken any ability score damage, the DC increases by +5. If the check is successful, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action. ‘Push’ an Animal: To push an animal means to get it to perform a task or trick that it doesn’t know, but is physically capable of performing. If the check is successful, the animal performs the task or trick on its next action. Teach an Animal a Trick: The character can teach an animal a specific trick, such as “attack” or “stay,” with one week of work and a successful Handle Animal check. An animal with an Intelligence of 1 can learn a maximum of three tricks, while an animal with an Intelligence of 2 can learn a maximum of six tricks.

52

Task

Time

DC

Handle an animal

Move action

10

“Push” an animal

Full-round action

25

Teach an animal a trick

1 week

See text

Train an animal for a purpose

See text

See text

The character can teach an animal to obey only that character. Any other person attempting to make the animal perform a trick takes a –10 penalty on his or her Handle Animal check. Teaching an animal to obey only the character counts as a trick (in terms of how many tricks the animal can learn). It does not require a check; however, it increases the DC of all tricks the character teaches the animal by +5. If the animal already knows any tricks, the character cannot teach it to obey only that character. Possible tricks include, but are not limited to, the following: ~ Attack (DC 20): The animal attacks apparent enemies. The character may point to a particular enemy to direct the animal to attack that enemy. Normally, an animal only attacks humans and other animals. Teaching an animal to attack all creatures (including unnatural creatures such monsters) counts as two tricks. ~ Come (DC 15): The animal comes to the character, even if the animal normally would not do so (such as following the character onto a boat). ~ Defend (DC 20): The animal defends the character (or is ready to defend the character if no threat is present). Alternatively, the character can command the animal to defend a specific other character. It is Hostile to anything that seems a threat to the character. ~ Down (DC 15): The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs down. ~ Fetch (DC 15): The animal goes and gets something. The character must point out a specific object, or else the animal fetches some random object. ~ Guard (DC 20): The animal stays in place and prevents others from approaching. It is treated as Hostile to all strangers approaching. ~ Heel (DC 15): The animal follows the character closely, even to places where it normally wouldn’t go. ~ Perform (DC 15): The animal does a variety of simple tricks such as sitting up, rolling over and so on. ~ Seek (DC 15): The animal moves into an area and searches for something of interest. It stops and indicates the first thing of interest it finds. What constitutes an item of interest to an animal can vary. Animals almost always find other creatures or characters of interest. To understand that it is looking for a specific object, the animal must make an Intelligence check (DC 10). ~ Stay (DC 15): The animal stays in place waiting for the character to return. It reacts as Unfriendly to any character trying to move it other than its master. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still defends itself if it needs to.

~ ~

Track (DC 20): The animal tracks the scent presented to it. Work (DC 15): The animal pulls or pushes a medium or heavy load.

Try Again? Yes. Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 when handling animals. An untrained character uses Charisma checks to handle and push animals, or to influence their response to him, but he can’t teach or train animals.

Time: See above. Teaching or training an animal takes a number of days. The character does not have to spend the entire time training the animal; 3 hours per day is enough. Spending more than 3 hours per day does not reduce the number of days required. The character cannot spread the days out; if the character does not complete the training during a period of consecutive days, the effort is wasted.

Hide (Dex) Armour Penalty Use this skill to cower in the shadows and hope the bad people don’t see you. Check: A character’s Hide check is opposed by the Spot check of anyone who might see the character. The character can move up to half his normal speed and hide at no penalty. At more than half and up to the character’s full speed, the character takes a –5 penalty. It is practically impossible (–20 penalty) to hide while attacking, running or charging.

SKILLS & FEATS

Train an Animal: Rather than teaching an animal individual tricks, the character can train an animal for a general purpose. Essentially, an animal’s purpose represents a preselected set of known tricks that fit into a common scheme. An animal can be trained for one general purpose only, though if the animal is capable of learning additional tricks (above and beyond those included in its general purpose) it may do so. Training an animal for a purpose requires fewer checks than teaching individual tricks. ~ Combat Riding (DC 20, 6 weeks): An animal trained to bear a rider into combat knows Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard and Heel. An animal trained in riding may be ‘upgraded’ to an animal trained in combat riding by spending three weeks training it and making a Handle Animal check (DC 20). If the animal was trained in other tricks (in addition to those provided by training the animal for riding), those tricks are completely replaced by the combat riding tricks. ~ Fighting (DC 20, 3 weeks): An animal trained for combat knows the following tricks: Attack, Down and Stay. ~ Guarding (DC 20, 4 weeks): An animal trained to guard knows the following tricks: Attack, Defend, Down and Guard. ~ Labouring (DC 15, 2 weeks): An animal trained for heavy labour knows Come and Work. ~ Hunting (DC 20, 6 weeks): An animal trained for hunting knows Attack, Down, Fetch, Heel, Seek and Track. ~ Performing (DC 15, 4 weeks): An animal trained for performing knows Come, Fetch, Heel, Perform and Stay. ~ Riding (DC 15; 3 weeks): An animal trained to bear a rider knows Come, Heel and Stay.

A character with the Animal Affinity feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Handle Animal checks.

The Hide check is also modified by the character’s size: Size

Modifier

Size

Modifier

Fine

+16

Large

–4

Diminutive

+12

Huge

–8

Tiny

+8

Gargantuan

–12

Small

+4

Colossal

–16

Medium

+0

Cover or Concealment

Circumstance Bonus

Three-quarters

+5

Nine-tenths

+10

If people are observing the character, even casually, he cannot hide (though talents or feats might alter this). The character can run around a corner so that he is out of sight and then hide, but the others then know at least where the character went. Cover and concealment grant circumstance bonuses to Hide checks, as shown below. Note that a character cannot hide if he has less than onehalf cover or concealment. Creating a Diversion to Hide: A character can use the Bluff skill to help him hide. A successful Bluff check can give the character the momentary diversion needed to attempt a Hide check while people are aware of the

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SKILLS & FEATS

behave in a certain way. A character’s Intimidate check is opposed by the target’s level check (d20 + the target’s character level or Hit Dice). Any modifiers that a target may have on Will saving throws against Panic effects apply to this level check. If the character succeeds, he may treat the target as friendly for 10 minutes, but only for purposes of actions taken while in the character’s presence (that is, the target retains his normal attitude, but will answer questions, offer limited help, or take simple actions on the character’s behalf while intimidated). Different circumstances can dramatically affect the effectiveness of an Intimidate check. There are limits to what a successful Intimidate check can do. The character cannot force someone to obey his every command or do something that endangers that person’s life. If the character fails by more than 5, the target may actually do the opposite of what the character wishes.

character. While the others turn their attention from the character, he can make a Hide check if the character can get to a hiding place of some kind. As a general guideline, the hiding place has to be within 1 foot for every rank the character has in Hide. This check, however, is at a –10 penalty because the character has to move fast.

Special: A character can take 10 when making an Intimidate check, but cannot take 20.

Tailing: Also called shadowing, a character can use Hide to tail a person in public. Using the skill in this manner assumes that there are other random people about, among whom the character can mingle to remain unnoticed. If the subject is worried about being followed, he can make a Spot check (opposed by the character’s Hide check) every time he changes course (such as turning a corner, exiting a building). If the subject is unsuspecting, he generally gets only a Spot check after an hour of tailing.

A character may add a +2 bonus to his Intimidate check for every size category the character is larger than his target. Conversely, the character takes a –2 penalty to his check for every size category the character is smaller than his target.

Special: A character can take 10 when making a Hide check, but cannot take 20.

Time: An Intimidate check is a full-round action

A character with the Stealthy feat gets a +2 bonus on all Hide checks. Time: A Hide check is an attack action.

Intimidate (Cha or Str, character’s choice)

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Try Again? No. Even if the initial check succeeds, the other character can only be intimidated so much and trying again does not help. If the initial check fails, the other character has become more firmly resolved to resist the intimidator and trying again is futile.

Use this skill to show people, in no uncertain terms, who calls the shots. Check: With a successful check, a character can forcibly persuade another character to perform some task or

A character with the Confident feat gets a +2 bonus on all Intimidate checks and on level checks to resist intimidation.

Investigate (Int) Trained Only Used to examine objects or areas forensically. Check: A character generally uses Search to discover clues and Investigate to analyse them. If the character has access to a crime lab, the character uses the Investigate skill to collect and prepare samples for the lab. The result of the Investigate check provides bonuses or penalties to the lab workers. Analyse Clue: The character can make an Investigate check to apply forensics knowledge to a clue. This function of the Investigate skill does not give the character

clues where none existed before. It simply allows the character to extract extra information from a clue he has found.

Circumstances

DC Modifier

Every day since event (max modifier +10)

+2

Scene is outdoors

+5

Scene slightly disturbed

+2

Scene moderately disturbed

+4

Scene extremely disturbed

+6

Collect Evidence: The character can collect and prepare evidentiary material for a lab. This use of the Investigate skill requires an evidence kit. To collect a piece of evidence, make an Investigate check (DC 15). If the character succeeds, the evidence is usable by a crime lab. If the character fails, a crime lab analysis can be done, but the lab takes a –5 penalty on any necessary check. If the character fails by 5 or more, the lab analysis simply cannot be done. On the other hand, if the character succeeds by 10 or more, the lab gains a +2 circumstance bonus on its checks to analyse the material. This function of the Investigate skill does not provide the character with evidentiary items. It simply allows the character to collect items he has found in a manner that best aids in their analysis later, at a crime lab. Organise Search: By making an Investigate check (DC10), the character can co-ordinate a search of an area, giving a +2 synergy bonus to the Search checks of the people searching. At least four other people must be involved in the search effort. Reconstruction: By making an Investigate check (DC20), the character can reconstruct what happened at a scene, working out who moved where, what caused a particular mark or injury and so on. Try Again? Generally, analysing a clue again does not add new insight unless another clue is introduced. Evidence collected cannot be recollected, unless there is more of it to take. If either of these things occur, an investigator can gain another retry, but the first check

Special: A character can take 10 when making an Investigate check, but cannot take 20. Collecting evidence requires an evidence kit. If the character does not have the appropriate kit, the character takes a –4 penalty on his check. A character with the Attentive feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Investigate checks. Time: Analysing a clue is a full-round action. Collecting evidence generally takes 1d4 minutes per object.

SKILLS & FEATS

The base DC to analyse a clue is 15. It is modified by the time that has elapsed since the clue was left and whether or not the scene has been disturbed.

must be made with all the available evidence that has been identified.

Jump (Str) Armour Penalty Used for impressive and possibly live-saving jumps. Check: The DC and the distance the character can cover vary according to the type of jump the character is attempting. The character’s Jump check is modified by his speed. The DCs specified below assume a speed of 30 feet (the speed of a typical human). If the character’s speed is less than 30 feet, he takes a penalty of –6 for every 10 feet of speed less than 30. If the character’s speed is greater than 30 feet, he gains a bonus of +4 for every 10 feet over 30. If the character has ranks in the Jump skill and succeeds on a check, the character lands on his feet (when appropriate) and can move as far as the character’s remaining movement allows. If the character attempts a Jump check untrained, the character lands prone unless he beats the DC by 5 or more Standing from a prone position is a move action. Distance moved by jumping is counted against maximum movement in a round. A character can start a jump at the end of one turn and complete the jump at the beginning of your next turn. Long Jump: This is a horizontal jump, made across a gap such as a chasm or stream. At the midpoint of the jump, the character attains a vertical height equal to onequarter the horizontal distance. The DC for the jump is equal to the distance jumped (in feet) + 5. The DCs for long jumps of 5 to 30 feet are given in the table below. A character cannot jump a distance greater than his normal speed. All Jump DCs covered for a Long Jump assume that the character can move at least 20 feet in a straight line before attempting the jump. If this is not the case, the DC for the jump is doubled.

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SKILLS & FEATS

Long Jump Distance

DC *

Long Jump Distance

DC *

5 feet

10

20 feet

25

10 feet

15

25 feet

30

15 feet 20 30 feet 35 * Requires a 20-foot move. Without a 20-foot move, double the DC. High Jump Distance

DC *

High Jump Distance

DC *

1 foot

6

5 feet

22

2 feet

10

6 feet

26

3 feet

14

7 feet

30

4 feet 18 8 feet 34 * Requires a 20-foot move. Without a running start, double the DC. Creature Size

Maximum Height

Colossal

128 ft.

Gargantuan

64 ft.

Huge

32 ft.

Large

16 ft.

Medium-size

8 ft.

Small

4 ft.

Tiny

2 ft.

Diminutive

1 ft.

Fine

0.5 ft.

If the character fails the check by less than 5, he does not clear the distance, but can make a Reflex save (DC 15) to grab the far edge of the gap. The character ends his movement grasping the far edge. If that leaves the character dangling over a chasm or gap, getting up requires a move action and a Climb check (DC 15). High Jump: This is a vertical leap, made to jump up to grasp something overhead, such as a tree limb or ledge. The DC for the jump is 2 + the height x4 (in feet). The DCs for high jumps of 1 to 8 feet are given in the table below. All Jump DCs covered here for the High Jump assume that the character can move at least 20 feet in a straight line before attempting the jump. If this is not the case, the DC for the jump is doubled. If the character succeeds on the check, he can reach the height. The character grasps the object he was trying to reach. If the character wishes to pull himself up, the character can do so with a move action and a Climb

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check (DC 15). If the character fails the Jump check, he does not reach the height, and lands on his feet in the same square from which the character jumped. The difficulty of reaching a given height varies according to the size of the character or creature. Generally, the maximum height a creature can reach without jumping is given in the table below. As a Medium-size creature, a typical human can reach 8 feet without jumping. If the creature is long instead of tall, treat it as one size category smaller. Hop Up: The character can jump up onto an object as tall as his waist with a Jump check (DC 10). Doing so counts as 10 feet of movement for that round. The character does not need to get a running start to hop up (the DC is not doubled if you do not get a running start). Jumping Down: If the character intentionally jumps from a height, he can take less damage than if he just falls. The DC to jump down from a height is 15. The character does not have to get a running start to jump down (the DC is not doubled if the character does not get a running start). If the character succeeds on the check, he takes falling damage as if the character had dropped 10 fewer feet than he actually did. Special: Effects that increase a character’s speed also increase the character’s jumping distance, since the check is modified by the character’s speed. A character can take 10 when making a Jump check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Acrobatic feat gets a +2 bonus on all Jump checks. A character with the Run feat gains a +2 competence bonus on Jump checks preceded by a 20-foot move. Synergies: Tumble can provide a +2 synergy bonus on Jump checks. Time: Using the Jump skill is either a move action or a full-round action, depending on whether the character starts and completes the jump during a single move action or a full-round action.

Knowledge (Int) Some Trained Only This skill encompasses several categories, each of them treated as a separate skill. These categories are identified and defined below. The number of Knowledge categories is kept purposely finite. When trying to determine what

Appraising the value of an object is one sort of task that can be performed using Knowledge. The DC depends on how common or obscure the object is. On a success, the character accurately identifies the object’s purchase DC. If the character fails, he thinks it has a purchase DC 1d3 points higher or lower (determine randomly) than its actual value. If the character fails by 5 or more, he thinks it has a purchase DC 1d4+2 higher or lower than its actual value. The Games Master may make the Knowledge roll for the character, so he does not know whether the appraisal is accurate or not. The fifteen Knowledge categories, and the topics each one encompasses, are as follows. ~ Appraisal: The fine art of studying goods and determining their worth, as noted above. ~ Art: Fine arts and graphic arts, including art history and artistic techniques. Antiques, modern art, photography, and performance art forms such as music and dance, among others. ~ Behavioural Sciences: Psychology, sociology and criminology. ~ Business: Business procedures, investment strategies and corporate structures. Bureaucratic procedures and how to navigate them. ~ Civics: Law, legislation, litigation and legal rights and obligations. Political and government institutions and processes. ~ Current Events: Recent happenings in the news, sports, politics, entertainment and foreign affairs. ~ Earth and Life Sciences: Biology, botany, genetics, geology and palaeontology. Medicine and forensics are also included in this category. ~ History: Events, personalities and cultures of the past. Archaeology and antiquities.

SKILLS & FEATS

Knowledge skill a particular question or field of expertise falls under, use a broad interpretation of the existing categories. It is suggested that new categories are kept to a minimum, as other skills, talents, feats and synergies are based on the categories listed below and new ones may be fitting in a given campaign. Check: A character makes a Knowledge check to see if the character knows something. The DC for answering a question within the character’s field of study is 10 for easy questions, 15 for basic questions and 20 to 30 for tough questions.

~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~

~

Occult: Strange religious beliefs, spiritualism and magical traditions. Physical Sciences: Astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics and engineering. Popular Culture: Popular music and personalities, genre films and books, urban legends, comics, science fiction and gaming, among others. Streetwise: Street and urban culture, local underworld personalities and events. Tactics: Techniques and strategies for disposing and manoeuvring forces in combat. Technology: Current developments in cutting-edge devices, as well as the background necessary to identify various technological devices. Theology and Philosophy: Liberal arts, ethics, philosophical concepts and the study of religious faith, practice and experience. Try Again? No. The check represents what a character knows and thinking about a topic a second time does not let the character know something he never knew in the first place. Special: An untrained Knowledge check is simply an Intelligence check. Without actual training, a character only knows common knowledge about a given subject.

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SKILLS & FEATS

A character can take 10 when making a Knowledge check, but cannot take 20.

DC

Sound

–10

A battle

A character with the Educated feat gets a +2 bonus on any two types of Knowledge checks.

0

A normal conversation

5

A person in heavy armour walking at a slow pace, trying not to make any noise

The Games Master may decide that having 5 or more ranks in a specific Knowledge skill provides a character with a +2 synergy bonus when making a related skill check. For example, having 5 ranks in Knowledge (technology) may provide a +2 synergy bonus with a character’s Disable Device skill check when trying to deactivate the nuclear reactor (before the atomic ghosts break in).

10

An unarmoured person walking at a slow pace, trying not to make any noise

15

A 1st-level Investigator sneaking up on someone *

20

A tiger stalking its prey*

30

A bird flying through the air

+5

Through a door

Time: A Knowledge check can be a reaction, but otherwise requires a full-round action. Needing to study to make a Knowledge check is actually a Research check and requires ranks in that skill.

Listen (Wis) Used to hear monsters creeping up on you… Check: Make a Listen check against a DC that reflects how quiet the noise is that a character might hear or against an opposed Move Silently check. The Games Master may call for a Listen check by a character who is in a position to hear something. A character can also make a Listen check voluntarily if he wants to try to hear something in the character’s vicinity. The Games Master may make the Listen check in secret so that the character does not know whether not hearing anything means that nothing is there or that the character failed the check. A successful Listen check when there is not anything to hear results in the character hearing nothing. Try Again? A character can make a Listen check every time he has the opportunity to hear something in a reactive manner. As a move action, the character may attempt to hear something that he failed (or believes he failed) to hear previously. Special: When several characters are listening to the same thing, the Games Master can make a single d20 roll and use it for all the listeners’ skill checks. A character can take 10 or take 20 when making a Listen check. Taking 20 means the character spends 1 minute attempting to hear something that may or may not be there to hear. A character with the Alertness feat gets a +2 bonus on all Listen checks.

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+15 Through a solid wall * This is actually an opposed check; the DC given is a typical Move Silently check result for such a character or creature. Condition

Check Penalty

Per 10 feet of distance

–1

Listener distracted

–5

A sleeping character can make Listen checks, but takes a –10 penalty on the checks and may only make these in reaction to events – they cannot decide they are continually making Listen checks voluntarily! Time: A Listen check is either a reaction (if called for by the Games Master) or a move action (if a character actively takes the time to try to hear something).

Move Silently (Dex) Armour Penalty Used to creep up on monsters… Check: A character’s Move Silently check is opposed by the Listen check of anyone who might hear the character. A character can move up to half his normal speed at no penalty. At more than half speed and up to the character’s full speed, he takes a –5 penalty. It is practically impossible (–20 penalty) to move silently while attacking, running or charging. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Move Silently check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Stealthy feat gets a +2 bonus on all Move Silently checks. Time: Move Silently is a move action.

Navigate (Int)

Length of Trip

DC

Short (a few hours)

20

Moderate (a day or two)

22

Long (up to a week)

25

Extreme (more than a week)

28

For movement over a great distance, make a Navigate check. The DC depends on the length of the trip. If the character succeeds, he moves via the best reasonable course toward his goal. If the character fails, he still reaches the goal, but it takes the character twice as long (the character loses time backtracking and correcting his path). If the character fails by more than 5, he travels for the expected time, but only gets halfway to his destination, at which point the character becomes lost. When faced with multiple choices, such as at a branch in a tunnel, a character can make a Navigate check (DC 20) to intuit the choice that takes the character toward a known destination. If unsuccessful, the character chooses the wrong path, but at the next juncture, with a successful check, the character realizes his mistake. A character cannot use this function of Navigate to find a path to a site if the character has no idea where the site is located. The Games Master may choose to make the Navigate check for the character in secret, so he does not know from the result whether the character is following the right or wrong path. A character can use Navigate to determine his position on earth without the use of any high-tech equipment by checking the constellations or other natural landmarks. The character must have a clear view of the night sky or the horizon in order to make this check. The DC is 15. Try Again? A character may make a second Navigate check (DC 20) to regain his path. If the character

Special: A character can take 10 when making a Navigate check. A character can take 20 only when determining his location, not when travelling. A character with the Guide feat gets a +2 bonus on all Navigate checks. Time: A Navigate check is a full-round action.

SKILLS & FEATS

This skill allows the character to plot a course using a map or dead reckoning. Check: Make a Navigate check when a character is trying to find his way to a distant location without directions or other specific guidance. Generally, a character does not need to make a check to find a local street or other common urban site, or to follow an accurate map. However, the character might make a check to wend his way through a dense stretch of alleyways or a labyrinth of underground storm drains.

succeeds, he continues on to his destination; the total time for the trip is twice the normal time. If the character fails, he loses half a day before the character can try again. The character keeps trying until he succeeds, losing half a day for each failure.

Perform (Cha) This skill encompasses several categories, each of them treated as a separate skill. These categories are identified and defined below. The number of Perform categories is kept purposely finite. When trying to determine what Perform skill a particular question or field of expertise falls under, use a broad interpretation of the existing categories. It is suggested that new categories are kept to a minimum, as other skills, talents, feats and synergies are based on the categories listed below and new ones may be fitting in a given campaign. Ranks in Perform do not necessarily mean the character is a stage performer, but would be able to make some kind of income using this skill (even if that is just by busking). Check: The character is accomplished in some type of artistic expression and knows how to put on a performance. The character can impress audiences with his talent and skill. The quality of the character’s performance depends on his check result. The eight Perform categories, and the qualities each one encompasses, are as follows. ~ Act: The character is a gifted actor, capable of performing drama, comedy or action-oriented roles with some level of skill. ~ Dance: The character is a gifted dancer, capable of performing rhythmic and patterned bodily movements to music. Result Performance 10 Amateur performance. Audience may appreciate your performance, but is not impressed. 15 Routine performance. Audience enjoys your performance, but it is not exceptional. 20 Great performance. Audience highly impressed. 25 Memorable performance. Audience enthusiastic. 30 Masterful performance. Audience awed.

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~

SKILLS & FEATS

~

~ ~

~

~

Keyboards: The character is a musician gifted with a talent for playing keyboard musical instruments, such as piano, organ, and synthesizer. Percussion Instruments: The character is a musician gifted with a talent for playing percussion musical instruments, such as drums, cymbals, triangle, xylophone and tambourine. Sing: The character is a musician gifted with a talent for producing musical tones with his voice. Stand-Up: The character is a gifted comedian, capable of performing a stand-up routine before an audience. Stringed Instruments: The character is a musician gifted with a talent for playing stringed musical instruments, such as banjo, guitar, harp, lute, sitar and violin. Wind Instruments: The character is a musician gifted with a talent for playing wind musical instruments, such as flute, bugle, trumpet, tuba, bagpipes and trombone. Try Again? Not for the same performance and audience. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Perform check, but cannot take 20. A character without an appropriate instrument automatically fails any Perform (keyboard), Perform (percussion), Perform (stringed) or Perform (wind) check he attempts. At the Games Master’s discretion, impromptu instruments may be employed, but the performer must take a –4 penalty on the check because his equipment, although usable, is inappropriate for the skill. Every time a character takes the Creative feat, he may gain a +2 bonus on checks involving two Perform skills the character designates. See the Creative feat description for details. Time: A Perform check usually requires at least several minutes to an hour or more to complete.

Pilot (Dex) Trained Only Used for aircraft, boats and any vehicles not covered by the Drive skill. Check: Typical piloting tasks don’t require checks. Checks are required during combat, for special manoeuvres or other extreme circumstances, or when the pilot wants to attempt something outside the normal parameters of the vehicle. When flying, the character can

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attempt simple manoeuvres and stunts (actions in which the pilot attempts to do something complex very quickly or in a limited space). Each vehicle’s description includes a manoeuvre modifier that applies to Pilot checks made by the operator of the vehicle. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Pilot check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Vehicle Expert feat gets a +2 bonus on all Pilot checks. This skill is not used for driving hover vehicles of any kind. Though they technically fly, they are dependent upon maintaining steady distance on solid and semisolid surfaces; characters use the Drive skill to control hovercraft. There is no penalty for operating a general-purpose fixedwing aircraft. Other types of aircraft (heavy aircraft, helicopters, jet fighters and spacecraft) require the corresponding Aircraft Operation feat, else the character suffers a –4 penalty on Drive checks. Time: A Pilot check is a move action.

Profession (Wis) Used to earn money and make a living. Check: A character makes Profession checks to improve his Wealth bonus every time he attains a new level. The DC for the check is the character’s current Wealth bonus. If the character succeeds at the Profession check, his Wealth bonus increases by +1. For every 5 by which the character exceeds the DC, his Wealth bonus increases by an additional +1. A character cannot take 10 or take 20 when making a Profession check to improve his Wealth bonus. How many ranks a character has in the Profession skill (including ranks the character may have just acquired after gaining a level) also has a bearing to the Wealth bonus increase the character receives as a flat bonus to his Wealth score. As a character gains new ranks, this bonus increases accordingly. In addition to the Wealth bonus increase a character gains from your Profession check result (if the check succeeds), the number of ranks the character has in this skill increases his Wealth bonus as follows. Special: If the Games Master deems it appropriate, a character can add his Profession ranks when making a

Wealth Bonus Increase

1–4

+1

5–8

+2

9–12

+3

13–16

+4

17–20

+5

21- 23

+6

Reputation check to deal with a work- or career-related situation. A Profession ability is fairly specific, and will rarely be of direct use within a game. However, if the character happens to come across a specific task that is in the scope of his Profession, and he has 5 or more ranks in this skill – he may gain a +2 synergy bonus to that task. Every time a character takes the Windfall feat, he gets a cumulative +1 bonus on his Wealth Score, beyond any Wealth bonuses accrued by this skill.

Read/Write Language and Speak Language (None) Trained Only The Read/Write Language skill and Speak Language skill do not work like standard skills. A character automatically knows how to read, write and speak his native language; the character does not need ranks to do so. Each additional language costs 1 rank. When a character adds a rank to Read/Write Language, he chooses a new language that the character can read and write. When a character adds a rank to Speak Language he chooses a new language that the character can speak fluently. A character never makes Read/Write Language or Speak Language checks. A character either knows how to read and write or speak a specific language or does not. To be able to speak a language that the character can read and write, he must take the Speak Language skill for the appropriate language, and vice versa. A character can choose any language, modern or ancient. See below for suggestions.

Language Groups There are thousands of languages to choose from when a character buys ranks in Speak Language or Read/Write Language. A few are listed here, sorted into their general language groups as found on Earth. A language’s group does not matter when a character is buying ranks in Speak Language or Read/Write Language. Language groups are provided because they pertain to the Linguist feat. This list is by no means exhaustive – there are more language groups and most contain more languages than those listed here. ~ Algic: Algonkin, Arapaho, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Shawnee. ~ Armenian: Armenian. ~ Athabascan: Apache, Chipewyan, Navaho. ~ Attic: Ancient Greek*, Greek. ~ Baltic: Latvian, Lithuanian. ~ Celtic: Gaelic (Irish), Gaelic (Scots), Welsh. ~ Chinese: Cantonese, Mandarin. ~ Finno-Lappic: Estonian, Finnish, Lapp. ~ Germanic: Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, English, Flemish, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Yiddish. ~ Glot: Glot. ~ Hamo-Semitic: Coptic*, Middle Egyptian*. ~ Indic: Hindi, Punjabi, Sanskrit*, Urdu. ~ Iranian: Farsi, Pashto. ~ Japanese: Japanese. ~ Korean: Korean. ~ Romance: French, Italian, Latin*, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish. ~ Semitic: Akkadian (aka Babylonian)*, Ancient Hebrew*, Arabic, Aramaic*, Hebrew. ~ Slavic: Belorussian, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Ukrainian. ~ Tibeto-Burman: Burmese, Sherpa, Tibetan. ~ Turkic: Azerbaijani, Turkish, Uzbek. ~ Ugric: Hungarian (aka Magyar). *This is an ancient language. In the modern world it is spoken only by linguistic scholars.

SKILLS & FEATS

Ranks

Repair (Int) Trained Only Check: Most Repair checks are made to fix complex electronic or mechanical devices. The DC is set by the

Repair Task (Example)

Purchase DC

Repair DC

Repair Time

Simple (tool, simple weapon)

4

10

1 min.

Moderate (mechanical or electronic component)

7

15

10 min.

Complex (mechanical or electronic device)

10

20

1 hr.

Advanced (cutting-edge mechanical or electronic device)

13

25

10 hr.

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SKILLS & FEATS

Games Master. In general, simple repairs have a DC of 10 to 15 and require no more than a few minutes to accomplish. More complex repair work has a DC of 20 or higher and can require an hour or more to complete. Making repairs also involves a monetary cost when spare parts or new components are needed, represented by a Wealth check. If the Games Master decides this is not necessary for the type of repair the character is attempting, then no Wealth check is needed. Jury-Rig: A character can choose to attempt jury-rigged, or temporary, repairs. Doing this reduces the purchase DC by 3 and the Repair check DC by 5, and allows the character to make the checks in as little as a full-round action. However, a jury-rigged repair can only fix a single problem with a check and the temporary repair only lasts until the end of the current scene or encounter. The jury-rigged object must be fully repaired thereafter. A character can also use jury-rig to hot-wire a car or jump-start an engine or electronic device. The DC for this is at least 15 and it can be higher depending on the presence of security devices. The jury-rig application of the Repair skill can be used untrained. Try Again? Yes, though in some specific cases, the Games Master may decide that a failed Repair check has negative ramifications that prevent or hamper following checks. Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 on a Repair check. When making a Repair check to accomplish a jury-rig repair, a character cannot take 20. Repair requires either an electrical tool kit, a mechanical tool kit, a multipurpose tool or another appropriate item, depending on the task. If the character does not have the appropriate tools, he takes a –4 penalty on the check (or may be unable to do the repair at all at the Games Master’s discretion).

Research (Int) Used for searching libraries, the Internet, professional journals or newspaper archives for clues. Check: Researching a topic takes time, skill and some luck. The Games Master determines how obscure a particular topic is (the more obscure, the higher the DC) and what kind of information might be available depending on where the character is conducting his research. Given enough time (usually 1d4 hours) and a successful skill check, the character gets a general idea about a given topic. This assumes that no obvious reasons exist why such information would be unavailable, and that the character has a way to acquire restricted or protected information. Research is the skill for finding recorded facts. Learning what other people know is usually more appropriately done as a Gather Information check. DC

Task

10

Ransack an area to find a certain object.

20

Notice a typical secret compartment, a simple trap, or an obscure clue.

25+

Find a complex or well-hidden secret compartment or trap; notice an extremely obscure clue.

The higher the check result, the better and more complete the information. If the character wants to discover a specific fact, date, map, or similar bit of information, add +5 to +15 to the DC. Try Again? Yes, though the Games Master may rule that you have exhausted your current research material and that you must find more sources before you can make another attempt. Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 on a Research check.

Synergies: Craft (mechanical) or Craft (electronic) can provide a +2 synergy bonus on Repair checks made for mechanical or electronic devices.

A character with the Studious feat gets a +2 bonus on all Research checks.

A character with the Gearhead feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Repair checks.

Synergies: Computer Use can provide a +2 synergy bonus on a Research check when searching computer records for data.

Time: See the table for guidelines. A character can make a jury-rig repair as a full-round action, but the work only lasts until the end of the current encounter.

An appropriate Knowledge skill with 5 or more ranks can provide a +2 synergy bonus on a Research check when looking for information related to the Knowledge. Time: A Research check takes 1d4 hours.

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Ride (Dex)

Guide with Knees (DC 5): The character can react instantly to guide his mount with his knees so that the character can use both hands in combat or to perform some other action. Make the check at the start of the character’s round. If the character fails, he can only use one hand this round because the character needs to use the other to control his mount. Stay in Saddle (DC 5): The character can react instantly to try to avoid falling when his mount rears or bolts unexpectedly, or when the character takes damage. Fight while Mounted (DC 20): While in combat, the character can attempt to control a mount that is not trained in combat riding (see the Handle Animal skill). If the character succeeds, he uses only a move action and the character can use his attack action to do something else. If the character fails, he can do nothing else that round. If the character fails by more than 5, he loses control of the animal. For animals trained in combat riding, the character does not need to make this check. Instead, the character can use his move action to have the animal perform a trick (commonly, to attack). The character can use his attack action normally. Cover (DC 15): The character can react instantly to drop down and hang alongside his mount, using it as one-half cover. The character cannot attack while using his mount as cover. If the character fails, he does not get the cover benefit. Soft Fall (DC 15): The character reacts instantly when he falls off a mount, such as when it is killed or when it falls, to try to avoid taking damage. If the character fails, he takes 1d6 points of falling damage. Leap (DC 15): The character can get his mount to leap obstacles as part of its movement. Use the character’s Ride modifier or the mount’s Jump modifier (whichever is lower) when the mount makes its Jump check (see the

Fast Mount or Dismount (DC 20; armour penalty applies): The character can mount or dismount as a free action. If the character fails the check, mounting or dismounting is a move action. (A character cannot attempt a fast mount or dismount unless he can perform the mount or dismount as a move action this round, should the check fail.) Special: If the character is riding bareback, he takes a –5 penalty on Ride checks. A character can take 10 when making a Ride check, but cannot take 20.

SKILLS & FEATS

Used for riding horses and other animals. Check: Typical riding actions do not require checks. A character can saddle, mount, ride and dismount without a problem. Mounting or dismounting an animal is a move action. Some tasks, such as those undertaken in combat or other extreme circumstances, require checks. In addition, attempting trick riding or asking the animal to perform an unusual technique also require a check.

Jump skill). The character makes a Ride check (DC 15) to stay on the mount when it leaps.

Animals ill-suited as mounts incur a –2 penalty on their rider’s Ride check. Time: Ride is a move action, except when otherwise noted for the special tasks listed above.

Search (Int) Used for combing an area for clues or signs of danger. Check: The character generally must be within 10 feet of the object or surface to be examined. A character can examine up to a 5-foot square area or a volume of goods 5 feet on a side with a single check. A Search check can turn up individual footprints, but does not allow a character to follow tracks or tell the character which direction the creature or creatures went or came from. Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 when making a Search check. A character with the Meticulous feat gets a +2 bonus on all Search checks. Time: A Search check is a full-round action.

Sense Motive (Wis) Used to determine when someone is lying or being deceptive. Check: A successful check allows the character to avoid being bluffed (see the Bluff skill). The character can also use the skill to tell when someone is behaving oddly or to assess someone’s trustworthiness. In addition, a character can use this skill to make an assessment of a social situation. With a successful check (DC 20), the character can get the feeling from another’s behavior

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that something is wrong. Also, the character can get the feeling that someone is trustworthy and honorable.

SKILLS & FEATS

Try Again? No, though the character may make a Sense Motive check for each bluff made on the character. Special: A character can take 10 when making a Sense Motive check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Attentive feat gets a +2 bonus on all Sense Motive checks. A character can use Sense Motive to detect that a hidden message is being transmitted via the Bluff skill (DC equal to the bluff check result of the sender). If the character’s check result beats the DC by 5 or more, the character understands the secret message as well. If the character’s check fails by 5 or more, the character misinterprets the message in some fashion. Time: A Sense Motive check may be made as a reaction to another character’s Bluff check. When that is the case, the Games Master may roll the character’s Sense Motive check in secret, so the character does not necessarily know someone’s trying to bluff him or her. Using Sense Motive to get a sense of someone’s trustworthiness takes at least 1 minute.

Sleight of Hand (Dex) Trained Only; Armour Penalty Used for magic tricks or picking pockets. Check: A check against DC 10 lets a character palm a coin-sized, unattended object. Minor feats of sleight of hand, such as making a button disappear, also have a DC of 10 unless an observer is concentrating on noticing what the character is doing. When a character performs this skill under close observation, the character’s skill check is opposed by the observer’s Spot check. The observer’s check does not prevent the character from performing the action, just from doing it unnoticed. When a character tries to take something from another person, the character’s opponent makes a Spot check to detect the attempt. To obtain the object, the character must get a result of 20 or higher, regardless of the opponent’s check result. The opponent detects the attempt if his check result beats the character’s check result, whether the character takes the object or not. A character can use Sleight of Hand to conceal a small weapon or object on his body. It can also be used to manipulate a small object in each hand, so long as one

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Concealing Weapons and Objects Condition

Sleight of Hand modifier

Size of weapon or object Fine

+12

Diminutive

+8

Tiny

+4

Small

+0

Medium-size

–4

Large

–8

Huge or larger

cannot be concealed

Clothing is tight or tailored

–4

Clothing is especially loose or bulky

+2

Clothing is specifically modified for concealing object

+2

Weapon is carried in concealed holster

+4

Weapon can be drawn normally

–2

Weapon can be drawn a move –4 action (or free action with the Quick Draw feat) is coin-sized and the other is no larger than a foot in any dimension. Used this way, it can conceal the manipulation from others, though it can be opposed by Spot as noted above. It is assumed that, when attempting to conceal a weapon or other object, a character is wearing appropriate clothing. Drawing a concealed weapon is more difficult than drawing a regularly holstered weapon, and normally requires an attack action (or a move action if the character has the Quick Draw feat). Keeping the weapon in an easyto-draw position makes concealing it more difficult. To conceal a weapon or other object, make a Sleight of Hand check. A character concealing an object before he or she heads out into public can usually take 10 unless he or she is rushed, trying to conceal it when others might see, or under other unusual constraints. Sleight of Hand can be used untrained in this instance, but the character must take 10.

Size and Concealment The object’s size affects the check result, as shown on the Concealing Weapons and Objects table. The type of

holster used or clothing worn, and any attempt to make a weapon easier to draw, can also affect the check.

Special: A character can take 10 when making a Sleight of Hand check, but cannot take 20. A character can make an untrained Sleight of Hand check to conceal a weapon or object, but must always take 10. A character with the Nimble feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Sleight of Hand checks. Time: A Sleight of Hand check is an attack action.

Spot (Wis) Used to spot hidden things, or things that are not quite right. Check: The Spot skill is used to notice items that are not immediately obvious and people who are attempting to hide. The Games Master may call for a Spot check by a character who is in a position to notice something. A character can also make a Spot check voluntarily if he wants to try to notice something in his vicinity. The Games Master may make the Spot check in secret, so that the character is not aware if that they fail a check. A successful Spot check when there is nothing to notice results in the character noticing nothing.

Patting someone down for a hidden weapon requires a similar check. However, the skill employed is Search and the searcher gets a +4 circumstance bonus for the handson act of frisking the target. Some devices may also offer bonuses under certain circumstances (a metal detector offers a bonus to Search checks to find metal objects, for example). Spotting Concealable Armour: Concealable armour can be worn under clothing if the wearer wants it to go unnoticed. Don’t use the modifiers from Table: Concealing Weapons and Objects when wearing concealable armour. Instead, anyone attempting to notice the armour must make a Spot check (DC 30).

SKILLS & FEATS

Try Again? If the first check failed or if the attempt was noticed, a second Sleight of Hand attempt against the same target, or when being watched by the same observer, has a DC 10 higher than the first check.

An observer attempting to spot a concealed object receives a –1 penalty for every 10 feet between himself and the target, and a –5 penalty if distracted.

Try Again? A character can make a Spot check every time he has the opportunity to notice something in a reactive manner. As a full-round action, a character may attempt to notice something that he failed (or believe he failed) to notice previously. Special: A character can take 10 or take 20 when making a Spot check.

Spot is often used to notice a person or creature hiding from view. In such cases, the character’s Spot check is opposed by the Hide check of the character trying not to be seen. Spot is also used to detect someone in disguise (see the Disguise skill), or to notice a concealed weapon carried by another person. A character’s Spot check is modified by a –1 penalty for every 10 feet of distance between the character and the subject or item he is trying to discern. The check carries a further –5 penalty if the character is in the midst of activity. Spotting Concealed Objects: Noticing a concealed weapon or other object requires a Spot check. The DC varies: If the target made a roll when concealing an object, the DC of the Spot check to notice the object is the same as the target’s check result (an opposed check, in other words).

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A character with the Alertness feat gets a +2 bonus on all Spot checks.

SKILLS & FEATS

Time: A Spot check is either a reaction (if called for by the Games Master) or a full-round action (if a character actively takes the time to try to notice something).

Survival (Wis) Wilderness survival, hunting, and tracking. Check: A character can keep himself and others safe and fed in the wild, what little wild is left in the world, or in the urban wilderness of the deep sprawl. With the Track feat, a character can use Survival checks to track a character or animal across various terrain types. DC 10

15

18

Task Get along in the wild. Move up to half the character’s overland speed while hunting and foraging (no food or water supplies needed). The character can provide food and water for one other person for every 2 points by which the character’s check result exceeds 10. Gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saves against severe weather while moving up to half the character’s overland speed, or gain a +4 circumstance bonus if stationary. The character may grant the same bonus to one other character for every 1 point by which the character’s check result exceeds 15. Avoid getting lost and avoid natural and industrial hazards, such as quicksand or condemned construction sites.

If the character takes an attack action or a full-round action, the amount of breath the character has remaining is reduced by 1 round. Effectively, a character in combat can hold his breath only half as long as normal. After that period of time, the character must make a Constitution check (DC 10) every round to continue holding his breath. Each round, the DC of the check increases by 1. If the character fails the check, the character begins to drown. The DC for the Swim check depends on the water: Water

DC

Calm water

10

Rough water

15

Stormy water

20

Special: A character can take 10 when making a Survival check. A character can take 20 when tracking if there is no danger or penalty for failure, but not on periodic checks to get along in the wild.

Each hour that the character swims, make a Swim check against DC 20. If the character fails, he becomes fatigued. If the character fails a check while fatigued, the character becomes exhausted. If the character fails a check while exhausted, the character becomes unconscious. Unconscious characters go underwater and immediately begin to drown.

A character with the Guide feat gets a +2 bonus on all Survival checks.

Try Again? A new check is allowed the round after a check is failed.

Time: Basic Survival checks occur each day in the wilderness or whenever a hazard presents itself. When using Survival with the Track feat to track a character or animal, checks are made according to distance, as described in the Track feat.

Special: A character takes a penalty of –1 for every 5 pounds of gear he carries, including armour and weapons.

Swim (Str) Armour Penalty Used to swim or manoeuvre in water or other semi-solid substances, such as quicksand.

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Check: A successful Swim check allows a character to swim one-quarter his speed as a move action or half the character’s speed as a full-round action. Roll once per round. If the character fails, he makes no progress through the water. If the character fails by 5 or more, he goes underwater. If the character is underwater (from failing a swim check or because the character is swimming underwater intentionally), the character must hold his breath. A character can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to the character’s Constitution score, but only if the character does nothing but take move actions or free actions.

A character can take 10 when making a Swim check, but cannot take 20. A character with the Athletic feat gets a +2 bonus on all Swim checks.

application of the skill can be used successfully on a character only once per day.

Time: A Swim check is either a move action or a fullround action, as described above.

Treat Injury (Wis) Used to give first aid and medical care to the sick or injured. Check: The DC and effect depend on the task attempted. A specific intent is needed for a Treat Injury check, chosen from the listed options below. This skill has two subskills, regular medicine and psychology. The options below, with the exception of the last two, involve the former. Long-Term Care (DC 15): With a medical kit, the successful application of this skill allows a patient to recover hit points and ability points lost to temporary damage at an advanced rate – 3 hit points per character level or 3 ability points restored per day of complete rest. A new check is made each day; on a failed check, recovery occurs at the normal rate for that day of rest and care. A character can tend up to as many patients as he has ranks in the skill. The patients need to spend all their time resting. The character needs to devote at least half an hour per day to each patient they are caring for. Restore Hit Points (DC 15): With a medical kit, if someone has lost hit points, the character can restore some of them. A successful check, as a full-round action, restores 1d4 hit points. The number restored can never exceed the character’s maximum hit points. This

SKILLS & FEATS

Revive Dazed, Stunned or Unconscious Character (DC 15): With a first aid or medical kit, the character can remove the dazed, stunned or unconscious condition from a character. This check is an attack action. A successful check removes the dazed, stunned or unconscious condition from an affected character. The character cannot revive an unconscious character who is at –1 hit points or lower without first stabilising the character. Stabilise Dying Character (DC 15): With a first aid or medical kit, a character can tend to a character who is dying. As an attack action, a successful Treat Injury check stabilises another character. The stabilised character regains no hit points, but he stops losing them. The character must have a treat injury kit to stabilise a dying character. Surgery (DC 20): With a surgical kit, a character can conduct field surgery. This application of the Treat Injury skill carries a –4 penalty, which can be negated with the Surgery feat. Surgery requires 1d4 hours; if the patient is at negative hit points, add an additional hour for every point below 0 the patient has fallen to. Surgery restores 1d6 hit points for every character level of the patient (up to the patient’s maximum hit points) with a successful skill check. Surgery can only be used successfully on a character once in a 24-hour period. A character who undergoes surgery is fatigued for 24 hours, minus 2 hours for every point above the DC the surgeon achieves in the skill check. The period of fatigue can never be reduced below 6 hours in this fashion. Treat Disease (DC 15): With a medical kit, a character can tend to a character infected with a treatable disease. Every time the diseased character makes a saving throw against disease effects (after the initial contamination), the treating character first makes a Treat Injury check to help the diseased character fend off secondary damage. This activity takes 10 minutes. If the treating character’s

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SKILLS & FEATS

check succeeds, the treating character provides a bonus on the diseased character’s saving throw equal to his ranks in this skill. Treat Poison (DC 15): With a medical kit, a character can tend to a poisoned character. When a poisoned character makes a saving throw against a poison’s secondary effect, the treating character first makes a Treat Injury check as an attack action. If the treating character’s check succeeds, the character provides a bonus on the poisoned character’s saving throw equal to his ranks in this skill Try Again? Yes, for restoring hit points, reviving dazed, stunned, or unconscious characters, stabilising dying characters, and surgery. No, for all other uses of the skill. Special: The Surgery feat gives a character the extra training he needs to use Treat injury to help a wounded character by means of an operation. A character can take 10 when making a Treat Injury check. A character can take 20 only when restoring hit points or attempting to revive dazed, stunned or unconscious characters. Long-term care, restoring hit points, treating disease or treating poison requires a medical kit. Stabilising a dying character or reviving a dazed, stunned or unconscious character requires either a first aid kit or a medical kit. Surgery requires a surgical kit. If the character does not have the appropriate kit, he takes a –4 penalty on the check. A character can use the Treat Injury skill on himself only to administer restore lost hit points, treat disease or treat poison. The character takes a –5 penalty on his check any time he treats himself. Time: Treat injury checks take different amounts of time based on the task at hand, as described above.

Tumble (Dex) Trained Only; Armour Penalty This skill allows the character to make acrobatic dodges and rolls. Check: A character can land softly when he falls, tumble past opponents in combat, or tumble through opponents.

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Land Softly: The character can make a Tumble check (DC 15) when falling. If the check succeeds, treat the fall as if it were 10 feet shorter when determining damage. Tumble past Opponents: With a successful Tumble check (DC 15), the character can weave, dodge and roll up to 20 feet through squares adjacent to opponents, risking no attacks of opportunity. Failure means the character moves as planned, but provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Tumble through Opponents: With a successful Tumble check (DC 20), the character can roll, jump or dive through squares occupied by opponents, moving over, under, or around them as if they weren’t there. Failure means the character moves as planned, but provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. Try Again? No. Special: A character with 5 or more ranks in Tumble gains a +3 dodge bonus to Defence (instead of the normal +2) when fighting defensively, and a +6 dodge bonus (instead of the normal +4) when engaging in total defence.

A character cannot take 10 or 20 when making a Tumble check to move through or past opponents. Otherwise, it usually possible to take 10 when making a Tumble check, but not 20.

Time: A character can try to reduce damage from a fall as a reaction once per fall. A character can attempt to tumble as a free action that must be performed as part of a move action.

Feats in OGL Horror

Feats are gained in four different ways in OGL Horror. They can be gained as free feats from a character’s starting class and occupation, they can be purchased with the three bonus feats given to all characters at 3rd level, they can be granted by advancing in a given class, or they can be bought with the extra feat awarded to all characters at 6th and 9th level. Once gained, the method of procurement is irrelevant. A character either has a feat or he does not.

Feat Descriptions Here is the format for every feat description found in this sourcebook. Feats are purposefully left as vague as possible while still providing all of the rules support needed to run them in a campaign. This way, the same feat taken by two different characters can simulate different approaches to the same basic talent. Feat Name: The name of the feat. Prerequisite: A minimum ability score, another feat or feats, a minimum base attack bonus and/or the minimum ranks in a skill that a character must have to acquire this feat. This entry is absent if a feat has no prerequisite. A character can gain a feat at the same level at which he gains all the prerequisites. A character cannot use a feat if the character has lost a prerequisite, for whatever reason. Benefit: What the feat enables a character to do. Normal: What a character who does not have this feat is limited to or restricted from doing. If there is no particular drawback to not possessing the feat, this entry is absent.

Feats Acrobatic You are unusually agile. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Jump checks and Tumble checks. Special: Remember that the Tumble skill cannot be used untrained.

Adrenaline Surge

SKILLS & FEATS

A character with the Acrobatic feat and at least 1 rank in this skill gets a +2 bonus on all Tumble checks.

Special: Additional facts about the feat. If there are no special features about a feat aside from what it does and its prerequisites, this entry is also absent.

You can perform an additional action in a round. Benefit: The character may take an extra move action or attack action in a round, either before or after the character’s regular actions. The character may use Adrenaline Surge a number of times per day depending on his character level (as shown below), but never more than once per round. The character must make a Fortitude save (DC 10) immediately after performing the additional action or become fatigued. Character Level

Times per Day

1 –3

1

st

rd

4 –6

2

7 –9

3

10 +

4

th

th

th

th

th

Advanced Combat Martial Arts You are a master of unarmed fighting. Prerequisites: Combat Martial Arts, Improved Combat Martial Arts; base attack bonus +6 or higher. Benefit: When the character scores a critical hit on an opponent with an unarmed strike, the character deals triple damage. Normal: A critical hit with an unarmed strike deals double damage.

Advanced Firearms Proficiency You can use firearms set on autofire. Prerequisite: Personal Firearms Proficiency. Benefit: The character can fire any personal firearm on autofire without the usual –4 penalty (provided, of course, that it has an autofire setting). Normal: Characters without this feat take a –4 penalty on attack rolls made with personal firearms set on autofire.

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SKILLS & FEATS

Agile Riposte You can strike when your opponent attacks. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Dodge. Benefit: Once per round, if the opponent the character has designated as his dodge target (see the Dodge feat) makes a melee attack or melee touch attack against the character and misses, the character may make an attack of opportunity with a melee weapon against that opponent. Resolve and apply the effects from both attacks simultaneously. Even a character with the Combat Reflexes feat cannot use the Agile Riposte feat more than once per round. This feat does not grant more attacks of opportunity than the character is normally allowed in a round.

Aircraft Operation Select a class of aircraft (heavy aircraft, helicopters, jet fighters or spacecraft). The character is proficient at operating that class of aircraft. The heavy aircraft class includes jumbo passenger airplanes, large cargo planes, heavy bombers and any other aircraft with three or more engines. Helicopters include transport and combat helicopters of all types. Jet fighters include military fighter and ground attack jets. Spacecraft are vehicles such as the space shuttle and the lunar lander. Prerequisite: Pilot 4 ranks. Benefit: The character takes no penalty on Pilot checks or attack rolls made when operating an aircraft of the selected class. Normal: Characters without this feat take a –4 penalty on Pilot checks made to operate an aircraft that falls in any of these classes, and on attacks made with aircraft weapons. There is no penalty when the character operates a general-purpose aircraft. Special: A character can gain this feat multiple times. Each time a character takes this feat, he selects a different class of aircraft.

Alertness You have finely tuned senses. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Listen checks and Spot checks.

Alternate Approach Instead of relying on willpower and discipline, you handle horror with either sheer guts or incredible mental flexibility. Prerequisite: Iron Will. Benefit: Select either your character’s Intelligence or Constitution score. Use that ability score’s modifier instead of your character’s Wisdom modifier for all Horror saves.

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Animal Affinity You are good with animals. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Handle Animal checks and Ride checks. Special: Remember that the Handle Animal skill cannot be used untrained.

Archaic Weapons Proficiency You are proficient with archaic weapons such as swords and axes. Benefit: The character takes no penalty on attack rolls when using any kind of archaic weapon. Normal: A character without this feat takes the –4 nonproficient penalty when making attacks with archaic weapons.

Armour Proficiency (heavy) You are proficient with heavy armour. Prerequisites: Armour Proficiency (light). Benefit: When the character wears a type of armour with which the character is proficient, the character gets to add the armour’s entire equipment bonus to his Defence. Normal: See Armour Proficiency (light).

Armour Proficiency (light) You are proficient with light armour. Benefit: When the character wears a type of armour with which the character is proficient, the character gets to add the armour’s entire equipment bonus to his Defence. Normal: A character who wears armour with which he is not proficient takes an armour penalty on checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble. Also, a character who wears armour with which he is not proficient adds only a portion of the armour’s equipment bonus to his Defence.

Athletic You are especially fit and quick. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Climb checks and Swim checks.

Attentive You are exceptionally observant, and pay attention to all nuances of a situation. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Investigate checks and Sense Motive checks. Special: Remember that the Investigate skill cannot be used untrained.

Blind-Fight You can fight in darkness. Benefit: In melee combat, every time the character misses

because of concealment, the character can reroll the miss chance roll one time to see if the character actually hits. The character takes only half the usual penalty to speed for being unable to see; darkness and poor visibility in general reduces the character’s speed to three-quarters of normal, instead of one-half.

You deal more damage in a fistfight. Benefit: When making an unarmed attack, the character receives a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls and the character deals nonlethal damage equal to 1d6 + his Strength modifier. Normal: Unarmed attacks normally deal nonlethal damage equal to 1d3 + Strength modifier.

Builder You have a knack for constructing items. Benefit: Pick two of the following skills: Craft (chemical), Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), and Craft (structural). The character gets a +2 bonus on all checks with those skills. Special: The character can select this feat twice. The second time, the character applies it to the two skills he didn’t pick originally. Remember that Craft (chemical), Craft (electronic), and Craft (mechanical) cannot be used untrained.

Burst Fire When using a firearm with autofire, you can fire a short burst at a particular target. Prerequisites: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency. Benefit: When using an automatic firearm with at least five bullets loaded, the character may fire a short burst as a single attack against a single target. The character receives a –4 penalty on the attack roll, but deals +2 dice of damage. Firing a burst expends five bullets and can only be done if the weapon has five bullets in its magazine. Normal: Autofire uses ten bullets, targets a 10-foot by 10-foot area, and cannot be aimed at a specific target. Without this feat, if a character attempts an autofire attack at a specific target, it simply counts as a normal attack and all the extra bullets are wasted. Special: If the firearm has a three-round burst setting, firing a burst expends three bullets instead of five and can be used if the weapon has only three bullets in its magazine.

Cautious You look before you cut the wire.

Cleave You can keep on chopping. Prerequisites: Strength 13+; Power Attack. Benefit: If the character deals an opponent enough damage to make the opponent drop (either by knocking the opponent out due to massive damage or by reducing the opponent’s hit points to less than 0), the character gets an immediate extra melee attack against another opponent adjacent to the character. The character cannot take a 5-foot step before making this extra attack. The extra attack is with the same weapon and at the same bonus as the attack that dropped the previous opponent. The character can use this ability once per round.

SKILLS & FEATS

Brawl

Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Demolitions checks and Disable Device checks. Special: Remember that the Demolitions skill and the Disable Device skill cannot be used untrained.

Combat Training You are trained to react in combat. Benefit: You may always choose whether to fight or flee if you fail a Panic check by 6 or more.

Combat Expertise You are trained in using the ebb and flow of combat to your defensive advantage. Prerequisite: Intelligence 13+. Benefit: When the character uses the attack action or the full attack action in melee, the character can take a penalty of up to –5 on his attack roll and add the same number (up to +5) to the character’s Defence. This number may not exceed the character’s base attack bonus. The changes to attack rolls and Defence last until the character’s next action. The bonus to the character’s Defence is a dodge bonus (and as such it stacks with other dodge bonuses the character may have). Normal: A character without the Combat Expertise feat can fight defensively while using the attack or full attack action to take a –4 penalty on attacks and gain a +2 dodge bonus to Defence.

Combat Martial Arts You can deal damage with unarmed strikes. Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: With an unarmed strike, the character deals lethal or nonlethal damage (the character’s choice) equal to 1d4 + the character’s Strength modifier. The character’s unarmed attacks count as armed, which means that opponents do not get attacks of opportunity when the character attacks them unarmed. The character may make attacks of opportunity against opponents who

71

SKILLS & FEATS

provoke such attacks. Normal: Without this feat, a character deals only 1d3 points of nonlethal damage. Unarmed attacks normally provoke attacks of opportunity, and unarmed combatants cannot normally make attacks of opportunity.

Combat Reflexes You can respond quickly to opponents who let their guard down. Benefit: The maximum number of attacks of opportunity the character may make each round is equal to the character’s Dexterity modifier + 1. The character can still only make one attack of opportunity on a single opponent per round. With this feat, the character may also make attacks of opportunity when flat-footed. Normal: A character without the Combat Reflexes feat can make only one attack of opportunity per round and cannot make attacks of opportunity when flat-footed.

Combat Throw You can turn an opponent’s momentum against them. Prerequisite: Defensive Martial Arts. Benefit: The character gains a +2 bonus on opposed Strength and Dexterity checks any time the character attempts trip or grapple attacks, or when the character tries to avoid a trip or grapple attack made against him.

Commanding Voice You are especially good at snapping people out of a freeze. Benefit: If you shout at someone who has frozen in the face of horror due to a failed Panic save, they get a bonus to their Will save equal to your Charisma bonus.

Confident You are naturally self-confident. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Gamble checks and Intimidate checks, and on level checks to resist intimidation.

Contact You have friends in useful places. Benefit: You have one major or three minor contacts. You may specify who these contacts are at any point, either before the game begins or during play. A minor contact may have one or two useful skills at a +8 modifier, or be able to give information on a particular topic. A major contact has skills with a +12 modifier, can give detailed and comprehensive information on a topic, or is influential in a particular field (law enforcement, military, medical, etc). Special: You may take this feat more than once.

Custodian You are in charge of a particular facility. You may only take this feat if you are part of an organisation (see Chapter 10, Cults and Conspiracies). Benefit: Select one of the following organisation feats: Arsenal, Artefact, Forensics Laboratory, Library, Occult Library, Research Laboratory. Your organisation gains this feat. Special: You make take this feat up to five times.

Creative You have a creative streak. Benefit: Pick two of the following skills: Craft (visual art), Craft (writing), Perform (act), Perform (dance), Perform (keyboards), Perform (percussion instruments), Perform (sing), Perform (stand-up), Perform (string instruments) and Perform (wind instruments). The character gets a +2 bonus on all checks with those two skills. Special: A character can select this

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feat as many as five times. Each time, the character selects two new skills from the choices given above.

Dead Aim

Deceptive Trust me… Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Bluff checks and Disguise checks.

Defensive Martial Arts You are skilled at avoiding injuries. Benefit: The character gains a +1 dodge bonus to Defence against melee attacks. Special: A condition that makes the character lose his Dexterity bonus to Defence also makes the character lose dodge bonuses. Also, dodge bonuses stack, unlike most other types of bonuses.

Dodge You are adept at dodging attacks. Prerequisite: Dexterity 13+. Benefit: During the character’s action, the character designates an opponent and receives a +1 dodge bonus to Defence against any subsequent attacks from that opponent. The character can select a new opponent on any action. Special: A condition that makes the character lose his Dexterity bonus to Defence also makes the character lose dodge bonuses. Also, dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most other types of bonuses.

Double Tap You can make two quick shots as a single attack. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Point Blank Shot. Benefit: When using a semiautomatic firearm with at least two bullets loaded, the character may fire two bullets as a single attack against a single target. The character receives a –2 penalty on this attack, but deals +1 die of damage with a successful hit. Using this feat

Drive-By Attack You are skilled at attacking from a moving vehicle. Benefit: The character takes no vehicle speed penalty when making an attack while in a moving vehicle. Also, if the character is the driver, he can take his attack action to make an attack at any point along the vehicle’s movement. Normal: When attacking from a moving vehicle, a character takes a penalty based on the vehicle’s speed. Passengers can ready an action to make an attack when their vehicle reaches a particular location, but the driver must make his attack action either before or after the vehicle’s movement.

SKILLS & FEATS

You line up your attacks with deadly precision. Prerequisites: Wisdom 13+; Far Shot. Benefit: Before making a ranged attack, the character may take a full-round action to line up his shot. This grants the character a +2 circumstance bonus on his next attack roll. Once the character begins aiming, he cannot move, even to take a 5-foot step, until after the character makes his next attack, or the benefit of the feat is lost. Likewise, if the character’s concentration is disrupted or the character is attacked before his next action, the character loses the benefit of aiming.

fires two bullets and can only be done if the weapon has at least two bullets in its magazine.

Educated The benefits of an expanded education, whether it be at Hellburg College or the University of Life. Benefit: Pick two Knowledge skills. The character gets a +2 bonus on all checks with those skills. Special: A character can select this feat as many as seven times. Each time, the character selects two new Knowledge skills.

Elusive Target You can use opponents as cover in combat. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Defensive Martial Arts. Benefit: When fighting an opponent or multiple opponents in melee, other opponents attempting to target the character with ranged attacks take a –4 penalty. This penalty is in addition to the normal –4 penalty for firing into melee, making the penalty to target to character –8. Special: An opponent with the Precise Shot feat has the penalty reduced to –4 when targeting the character.

Endurance You have great reserves of stamina. Benefit: The character gains a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: hourly Swim checks to avoid becoming fatigued, Constitution checks to continue running, Constitution checks to hold the character’s breath, Constitution checks to avoid damage from starvation or thirst, Fortitude saves to avoid damage from hot or cold environments and Fortitude saves to resist suffocation or drowning. Also, the character may sleep in heavy or light armour without becoming fatigued. Normal: A character without this feat who sleeps in armour is automatically fatigued the following day.

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SKILLS & FEATS

Exotic Firearms Proficiency Choose a weapon type from the following list: cannons, heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and rocket launchers. Prerequisites: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency. Benefit: The character makes attack rolls with the weapon normally. Normal: A character who uses a weapon without being proficient with it takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls. Special: A character can gain this feat as many as four times. Each time a character takes the feat, he selects a different weapon group.

Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency Choose one exotic melee weapon. The character is proficient with that melee weapon in combat. Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: The character makes attack rolls with the weapon normally. Normal: A character who uses a weapon without being proficient with it takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls. Special: A character can gain this feat multiple times. Each time the character takes the feat, he selects a different exotic melee weapon.

Extra Ties You have especially strong personal convictions and connections. Benefit: You have two extra Ties. Special: You may take this feat multiple times.

Far Shot You are good at attacking from long range. Benefit: When the character uses a firearm or archaic ranged weapon, its range increment increases by onehalf (multiply by 1.5). When the character throws a weapon, its range increment is doubled.

Fearless You look under the bed every time and refuse to let the night-terrors bother you… much. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Fear saves. Special: This feat may not be taken by a starting character of the Ordinary Person class, though it may be selected later on.

Focused You keep your cool. Benefit: The character gets get a +2 bonus on all Balance checks and Concentration checks.

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Force Stop You can force another vehicle to stop. Prerequisites: Drive 4 ranks, Vehicle Expert. Benefit: When the character sideswipes a surface vehicle, the character can force the other vehicle to a stop by nudging it into a controlled sideways skid. Make opposed Drive rolls between the character and the driver of the other vehicle, applying the vehicle’s Size modifiers if applicable. If the character wins, the opponent’s vehicle spins ninety degrees and stops. If the opponent wins, he has resisted the force stop attempt, but does not force the character to stop instead.

Gearhead You have a knack with machines. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Computer Use checks and Repair checks. Special: Remember that the Computer Use skill and the Repair skill can only be used untrained in certain situations.

Great Cleave Chop chop chop… Prerequisites: Strength 13+; Power Attack, Cleave; base attack bonus +4 or higher. Benefit: As Cleave, except that the character has no limit to the number of times he can use it per round.

Great Fortitude You are tougher than normal, Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saving throws.

Guide You are good at surviving outdoors. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Navigate checks and Survival checks.

Impromptu Weapon Proficiency You are a serial killer’s nightmare. Household items are lethal weapons in your hands. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+ Benefit: The character only takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls when using any kind of improvised weapon. Normal: A character without this feat takes the –4 nonproficient penalty when making attacks with improvised weapons.

Improved Brawl You deal extensive damage in a fistfight. Prerequisites: Brawl; base attack bonus +3 or higher. Benefit: When making an unarmed attack, the character

Improved Bull Rush You know how to push opponents back. Prerequisites: Strength 13+; Power Attack. Benefit: When the character performs a bull rush, the character does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender.

Improved Combat Martial Arts You are extremely skilled at martial arts. Prerequisites: Combat Martial Arts; base attack bonus +4 or higher. Benefit: The character’s threat range on an unarmed strike improves to 19–20. Normal: A character without this feat threatens a critical hit with an unarmed strike only on a 20.

Improved Combat Throw You excel at tripping and throwing opponents. Prerequisites: Defensive Martial Arts, Combat Throw; base attack bonus +3 or higher. Benefit: In melee combat, if an opponent attacks and misses the character, the character may immediately make a trip attack against the opponent. This counts as an attack of opportunity. Special: This feat does not grant the character more attacks of opportunity than he is normally allowed in a round.

Improved Damage Threshold You get knocked down, but you nearly always get back up again. Benefit: The character increases his massive damage threshold by 3 points. Normal: A character without this feat has a massive damage threshold equal to his current Constitution score. With this feat, the character’s massive damage threshold is current Con score +3. Special: A character may gain this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Improved Disarm You are skilled at disarming opponents. Prerequisites: Intelligence 13+; Combat Expertise. Benefit: The character does not provoke an attack of opportunity when the character attempts to disarm an opponent, nor does the opponent get a chance to disarm the character if the attempt fails.

Improved Feint You excel at misdirecting opponents in combat. Prerequisites: Intelligence 13+; base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: The character can make a Bluff check in combat as a move action. The character receives a +2 bonus on Bluff checks made to feint in melee combat. Normal: Feinting in combat normally requires an attack action.

SKILLS & FEATS

receives a +2 competence bonus on his attack roll and the character deals nonlethal damage equal to 1d8 + the character’s Strength modifier. These advantages replace the Brawl feat’s advantages; they do not stack. Additionally, the character’s unarmed attacks count as armed, which means that opponents do not get attacks of opportunity when the character attacks them unarmed. The character may make attacks of opportunity against opponents who provoke such attacks. Normal: Unarmed attacks normally deal nonlethal damage equal to 1d3 + Strength modifier.

Improved Initiative You react quickly in a fight. Benefit: The character gets a +4 circumstance bonus on initiative checks.

Improved Knockout Punch You are extremely skilled at knocking people out. Prerequisites: Brawl, Knockout Punch; base attack bonus +5 or higher. Benefit: When making the character’s first unarmed attack against a flat-footed opponent, treat a successful attack as a critical hit. This critical hit deals triple damage. The damage is nonlethal damage. Special: Even if the character has the ability to treat unarmed damage as lethal damage, the damage from a knockout punch is always nonlethal.

Improved Trip You can follow through on trip attacks. Prerequisites: Intelligence 13+; Combat Expertise. Benefit: The character does not provoke an attack of opportunity when he tries to trip an opponent while is unarmed. If the character trips an opponent in melee combat, the character immediately gets to make a melee attack against that opponent as if the character had not used his attack action for the trip attempt.

Improved Two-Weapon Fighting You are an expert at fighting with two weapons. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Two-Weapon Fighting; base attack bonus +5 or higher. Benefit: The character gets a second attack with his offhand weapon, albeit at a –5 penalty. Also, this feat

75

SKILLS & FEATS

allows the character to use a melee weapon in one hand and a ranged weapon in the other. Normal: Without this feat, a character can only get a single extra attack with an off-hand weapon, and both weapons must be of the same type (either both ranged weapons or both melee weapons).

Knockout Punch You are skilled at cold-cocking opponents. Prerequisites: Brawl; base attack bonus +2 or higher. Benefit: When making the character’s first unarmed attack against a flat-footed opponent, treat a successful attack as a critical hit. This damage is nonlethal damage. Special: Even if the character has the ability to treat unarmed damage as lethal damage, the damage from a knockout punch is always nonlethal.

Lightning Reflexes You have excellent reflexes. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Reflex saving throws.

Linguist You are adept at learning new languages. Benefit: Whenever the character encounters a new language, either spoken or written, he can make an Intelligence check to determine if he can understand it. The check is made with a bonus equal to the character’s Intelligence modifier. For a written language, the bonus applies to a Decipher Script check instead. The DC for the check depends on the situation: DC 10 if the language is in the same group as a language the hero has as a Read/Write Language or Speak Language skill; DC 15 if the language is unrelated to any other languages the hero knows; and DC 20 if the language is ancient or unique. With this special ability, a character can glean enough meaning from a conversation or document to ascertain the basic message, but this ability in no way simulates actually being able to fluently converse or read a given language.

Loner You have few connections to other people or ideals. Benefit: The character has two less Ties than normal (i.e. a beginning character has only three Ties instead of the normal five). However, the character does not suffer any penalties to Horror checks for being alone or only having one other person present.

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Low Profile Who? Benefit: Reduce the character’s Reputation bonus by 3 points.

Ludicrously Rich You are very well off. Prerequisites: Windfall, Educated. Benefit: The character’s Wealth bonus increases by +4.

Medical Expert You are skilled at aiding the sick. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Craft (pharmaceutical) checks and Treat Injury checks. Special: Remember that the Craft (pharmaceutical) skill cannot be used untrained.

Meticulous You are painstakingly accurate and thorough. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Forgery checks and Search checks.

Mobility You are skilled at dodging past opponents. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Dodge. Benefit: The character gets a +4 dodge bonus to Defence against attacks of opportunity provoked when the character moves out of a threatened square. Special: A condition that makes a character lose his Dexterity bonus to Defence also makes the character lose dodge bonuses. Also, dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most other types of bonuses.

Nimble You have exceptional flexibility and manual dexterity. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Escape Artist checks and Sleight of Hand checks. Special: Remember that the Sleight of Hand skill cannot be used untrained.

Personal Firearms Proficiency You know how to use a gun. Benefit: The character can fire any personal firearm without penalty. Normal: Characters without this feat take a –4 penalty on attack rolls made with personal firearms.

Point Blank Shot You are skilled at making accurate shots at close range. Benefit: The character gets a +1 bonus on attack and

damage rolls with ranged weapons against opponents within 30 feet.

Power Attack

Pulling Strings You can manipulate the bureaucracy of your organisation. Prerequisite: Reputation +1. Benefit: You may add your Reputation modifier to that of your organisation’s Response modifier when determining Response times.

Precise Shot You are an excellent shot. Prerequisite: Point Blank Shot. Benefit: The character can shoot or throw ranged weapons at an opponent engaged in melee without penalty. Normal: A character takes a –4 penalty when using a ranged weapon to attack an opponent who is engaged in melee combat.

Quick Draw You can draw weapons with surprising speed. Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: The character can draw a weapon as a free action. A character with this feat may throw weapons at his full normal rate of attacks. If the character also has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, he may draw two light or one-handed weapons in one free action. Normal: A character can draw a weapon as a move action.

Quick Reload You can load weapons quickly. Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: Reloading a firearm with an already filled box magazine or speed loader is a free action. Reloading a revolver without a speed loader, or reloading any firearm with an internal magazine, is a move action. Normal: Reloading a firearm with an already filled box magazine or speed loader is a move action. Reloading a

Renown You are well known in your field. Benefit: The character’s Reputation bonus increases by +3.

Run You are unusually fast on your feet. Benefit: When running, the character moves a maximum of five times his normal speed instead of four times. If the character is in heavy armour, the character can move four times his speed rather than three times. If the character makes a long jump, the character gains a +2 competence bonus on his Jump check.

SKILLS & FEATS

You can make exceptional powerful attacks. Prerequisite: Strength 13+. Benefit: On the character’s action, before making attack rolls for a round, the character may choose to subtract a number from all melee attack rolls and add the same number to all melee damage rolls. This number may not exceed the character’s base attack bonus. The penalty on attacks and bonus on damage applies until the character’s next action.

revolver without a speed loader, or reloading any firearm with an internal magazine, is a full-round action.

Selective Ignorance Your rationality can take some heavy knocks before breaking into insanity. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Madness saves. Special: This feat may not be taken by a starting character of the Scholar class, though it may be selected later on.

Shot on the Run You are a talented skirmisher and never stay still long enough to draw fire when shooting. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Point Blank Shot, Dodge, Mobility. Benefit: When using an attack action with a ranged weapon, the character can move both before and after the attack, provided that the character’s total distance moved is not greater than his speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender the character is attacking (though it can provoke attacks of opportunity from others, as normal).

Simple Weapons Proficiency You know how to use simple weapons effectively. Benefit: The character makes attack rolls with simple weapons normally. Normal: A character without this feat takes the –4 nonproficient penalty when making attacks with simple weapons.

Skill Focus You are especially skilled in one narrow field. Benefit: Select a skill. You have a +3 insight bonus to all skill checks with that skill.

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SKILLS & FEATS

Skip Shot You can bounce attacks around cover. Prerequisites: Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot; base attack bonus +5 or higher. Benefit: If the character has a solid, relatively smooth surface on which to skip a bullet (such as a street or a concrete wall), and a target within 10 feet of that surface, the character may ignore cover between the character and the target. However, the character receives a –2 penalty on his attack roll and the character’s attack deals –1 die of damage. Special: The surface does not have to be perfectly smooth and level; a brick wall or an asphalt road can be used. The target can have no more than nine-tenths cover for a character to attempt a skip shot.

Spring Attack You are good at hit-and-run attacks. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Dodge, Mobility; base attack bonus +4 or higher. Benefit: When using an attack action with a melee weapon, the character can move both before and after the attack, provided that the total distance moved is not greater than the character’s speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender the character is attacking (though it can provoke attacks of opportunity from others, as normal). A character cannot use this feat if he is carrying a heavy load or wearing heavy armour.

Steady Nerves Things do not startle you easily. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Panic saves. Special: This feat may not be taken by a starting character of the Combatant class, though it may be selected later on.

Stealthy You go unseen and unheard. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Hide checks and Move Silently checks.

Strafe You can affect a wider area with a firearm than normal. Prerequisites: Personal Firearms Proficiency, Advanced Firearms Proficiency. Benefit: When using a firearm on autofire, the character can affect an area up to 20-foot wide by 5-foot deep (that is, any four 5-foot squares in a straight line). Normal: A firearm on autofire normally affects a 10-foot by 10-foot area.

Streetfighting You are good at backalley fighting. Prerequisites: Brawl; base attack bonus +2 or higher. Benefit: Once per round, if the character makes a successful melee attack with an unarmed strike or a light weapon, the character deals an extra 1d4 points of lethal damage.

Strong Willed You have a stronger will than normal. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws, except Horror saves (Fear, Madness and Panic saves).

Studious You have a knack for research. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Decipher Script checks and Research checks.

Sunder You smash items with élan. Prerequisites: Strength 13+; Power Attack. Benefit: When the character strikes an object held or carried by an opponent, such as a weapon, the character does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The character gains a +4 bonus on any attack roll made to attack an object held or carried by another character. The character also deals double normal damage to objects, whether they are held or carried or not. Normal: A character without this feat incurs an attack of opportunity when he strikes at an object held or carried by another character.

Surface Vehicle Operation Select a class of surface vehicle (heavy wheeled, powerboat, sailboat, ship, or tracked). The character is proficient at operating that class of vehicle. The heavy

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Surgery You are trained in surgical procedures. Prerequisite: Treat Injury 4 ranks. Benefit: The character can use the Treat Injury skill to perform surgery without penalty. Normal: Characters without this feat take a –4 penalty on Treat Injury checks made to perform surgery.

Toughness You are tougher than normal. Benefit: The character gains +3 hit points. Special: A character may gain this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Track You can find and follow a trail. Benefit: To find tracks or follow them for one mile requires a Survival check. The character must make another Survival check every time the tracks become difficult to follow. The character moves at half his normal speed (or at the character’s normal speed with a –5 penalty on the check, or at up to twice the character’s speed with a –20 penalty on the check). The DC depends on the surface and the prevailing conditions. ~

Very Soft: Any surface (fresh snow, thick dust, wet mud) that holds deep, clear impressions of footprints.

~

~

~

Soft: Any surface soft enough to yield to pressure, but firmer than wet mud or fresh snow, in which the quarry leaves frequent but shallow footprints. Firm: Most normal outdoor or exceptionally soft or dirty indoor surfaces. The quarry might leave some traces of its passage, but only occasional or partial footprints can be found. Hard: Any surface that does not hold footprints at all, such as bare rock, concrete, metal deckings, or indoor floors. The quarry leaves only traces, such as scuff marks. Surface

Track DC

Very soft

5

Soft

10

Firm

15

Hard

20

Condition

DC Modifier

Every three targets in the group being tracked

–1

SKILLS & FEATS

wheeled class includes all kinds of semi-trucks and tractor-trailers, as well as wheeled construction vehicles (such as earth movers) and wheeled armoured vehicles (such as some armoured personnel carriers). Powerboats are engine-powered water vessels designed for operation by a single person and usually no more than 100 feet in length. Sailboats are wind-powered water vessels. Ships are large, multi-crewed water vessels. Tracked vehicles include bulldozers and tanks and other military vehicles. Prerequisite: Drive 4 ranks. Benefit: The character takes no penalty on Drive checks or attack rolls made when operating a surface vehicle of the selected class. Normal: Characters without this feat take a –4 penalty on Drive checks made to operate a surface vehicle that falls under any of these classes, and to attacks made with vehicle weapons. There is no penalty when you operate a general-purpose surface vehicle. Special: A character can gain this feat as many as five times. Each time the character takes the feat, he selects a different class of surface vehicle.

Size of targets being tracked: 1 Fine

+8

Diminutive

+4

Tiny

+2

Small

+1

Medium-size

+0

Large

–1

Huge

–2

Gargantuan

–4

Colossal

–8

Every 24 hours since the trail was made

+1

Every hour of rain since the trail was +1 made Fresh snow cover since the trail was made

+10

Poor visibility: 2 Overcast or moonless night

+6

Moonlight

+3

Fog or precipitation

+3

Quarry hides trail (and moves at +5 half speed) 1 For a group of mixed sizes, apply only the modifier for the largest size category represented. 2 Apply only the largest modifier from this category.

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SKILLS & FEATS

If the character fails a Survival check, he can retry after 1 hour (outdoors) or 10 minutes (indoors) of searching. Normal: A character without this feat can use the Survival skill to find tracks, but can only follow tracks if the DC is 10 or less. A character can use the Search skill to find individual footprints, but cannot follow tracks using Search.

Trustworthy People are always happy to chat with you and rarely believe you have ulterior motives. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Diplomacy checks and Gather Information checks.

Two-Weapon Fighting You can fight with a weapon in each hand. Prerequisite: Dexterity 13+. Benefit: The character’s penalties for fighting with two weapons are reduced; see Chapter 7, Combat (and Running Away). The weapons used must both be melee weapons or both be ranged weapons (the character cannot mix the types). He may also draw two light or one-handed weapons in one move action (or free action if he also has the Quick Draw feat).

Unbalance Opponent You can unbalance opponents in combat, causing them to easily overextend or miss. Prerequisites: Defensive Martial Arts; base attack bonus +4 or higher. Benefit: During the character’s action, the character designates an adjacent opponent no more than one size category larger or smaller than the character. The character can select a new opponent on any action. That opponent does not get to add its Strength modifier to attack rolls when attacking the character. If the opponent has a Strength penalty, he still takes that penalty. The opponent’s Strength modifier applies to damage, as usual.

Vehicle Dodge You can swerve out of the way of trouble. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+; Drive 6 ranks, Vehicle Expert. Benefit: When driving a vehicle, during the character’s action the character designates an opposing vehicle or a single opponent. The character’s vehicle and everyone aboard it receive a +1 dodge bonus to Defence against attacks from that vehicle or opponent. The character can select a new vehicle or opponent on any action.

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Vehicle Expert You are skilled at handling a vehicle. Benefit: The character gets a +2 bonus on all Drive checks and Pilot checks.

Weapon Finesse You can use light melee weapons with remarkable subtlety and speed. This also applies to rapiers and chains, if you are proficient with them. Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: The character may use his Dexterity modifier instead of his Strength modifier on attack rolls with all light melee weapons, rapiers and chains. However, he may only employ this ability if he is proficient with the weapon.

Weapon Focus Choose a specific weapon. You can choose ‘unarmed strike’ or ‘grapple’ as a weapon for the purposes of this feat. Prerequisites: Proficient with weapon; base attack bonus +1 or higher. Benefit: The character adds +1 to all attack rolls he makes using the selected weapon. Special: A character can gain this feat multiple times. Each time the character takes the feat, the character must select a different weapon.

Whirlwind Attack You can hit everyone nearby in one attack. Prerequisites: Dexterity 13+, Intelligence 13+; Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Combat Expertise; base attack bonus +5 or higher. Benefit: When the character performs a full-round action, the character can give up his regular attacks and instead make one melee attack at the character’s highest base attack bonus against each adjacent opponent.

Windfall You are particularly wealthy. Benefit: The character’s Wealth bonus increases by +1. Special: A character can select this feat multiple times.

Magical Feats and Psychic Feats

These feats are described in Chapter 9, Magic, Mysteries and Phenomena. Magical or Psychic feats may not be available to characters - ask the Games Master.

This section covers the wide variety of gear generally available to those who become embroiled in horrific events of all sorts. The tremendous range takes into account the fact that the characters may have an international military organisation funding them… or be stuck in a basement with a screwdriver and not a lot else. Many of the objects in this section are battery-operated. Any device that uses batteries comes with them. As a general rule, ignore battery life—assume that heroes (and their antagonists) are smart enough to recharge or replace their batteries between adventures, and that the batteries last as long as needed during adventures. If battery life is important in the game, roll d20 every time a battery-operated item is used. On a result of 1, the batteries are dead and the object is useless. New batteries have a purchase DC of 2 and can be changed as a move action.

Wealth and Purchasing

Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his buying power – a composite of income, credit rating and what savings a character has managed to put away. A character’s Wealth bonus serves as the basis of the character’s Wealth check, which is used to purchase equipment and services for the character. In many ways, Wealth can be a character’s most important statistic, opening doors and keeping others closed.

Wealth Bonus

A newly created character’s Wealth bonus is +0 modified by: ~ Wealth provided by the character’s starting occupation. ~ Bonuses from the Windfall or Ludicrously Rich feats, if taken. ~ +1 (or more) for taking ranks in the Profession skill. Over the course of play, the character’s Wealth bonus will decrease as the character purchases expensive items and increase as the character gains levels. A character’s Wealth bonus can never fall below +0 and there is no limit to how high the Wealth bonus can climb.

Since Wealth is an abstract concept, it is sometimes difficult to determine how financially well off a character is. To get a general sense of how financially solvent a character is at any given time, check the table below. Inflation and the effects of in-game events can seriously impact the real effect of these numbers, so they serve only as a general guideline.

Purchasing Equipment

Wealth checks are used to determine what characters can afford and what gear they might reasonably have access to. Every character has a Wealth bonus that reflects his buying power. Every object and service has a purchase DC. To purchase an object, make a Wealth check against the purchase DC.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Chainsaws, stakes and nailguns

The Wealth Check

A Wealth check is a d20 roll plus a character’s current Wealth bonus. The Wealth bonus is fluid. It increases as a character gains Wealth and decreases as the character makes purchases. If the character succeeds on the Wealth check, the character gains the object. If the character fails, he cannot afford the object at the time. If the character’s current Wealth bonus is equal to or greater than the DC, the character automatically succeeds and his Wealth bonus does not decrease. If the character successfully purchases an object or service with a purchase DC that is higher than his current Wealth bonus, the character’s Wealth bonus decreases.

Wealth Bonus

Financial Condition

+0

Impoverished or in debt

+1 to +4

Struggling

+5 to +10

Middle class

+11 to +15

Affluent

+16 to +20

Rich

+21 or higher

Very rich

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CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Shopping and Time

Buying less common objects generally takes a number of hours equal to the purchase DC of the object or service, reflecting the time needed to locate the wanted materials and close the deal. Getting a license or buying an object with a restriction rating increases the time needed to make purchases.

Taking 10 and Taking 20 on a Purchase Check A character can usually take 10 or take 20 when making a Wealth check. Also, there is a penalty for spending beyond a character’s means. Whenever a character buys an object that has a purchase DC higher than his current Wealth bonus, the character’s Wealth bonus decreases (see below).

Try Again?

A character can try again if he fails a Wealth check, but not until the character has spent an additional number of hours shopping equal to the purchase DC of the object or service.

Restrictions and Licences

Most items are easily appropriated, but some equipment is regulated by most governments. These items have a Restriction rating in their listing. If Games Master does not deem that the character has the requisite contacts or licence to gain these items normally, the modifier (+1 to +4) is applied to the Purchase DC, as it is particularly hard to buy these items without a licence or someone to acquire it for them. Also, if the character acquires an item for which he does not have the requisite licence, it is considered illegal in the eyes of the law for the character to possess or use that item.

Aid Another with Purchase Checks

One other character can make an aid another attempt to help a character purchase an object or service. If the attempt is successful, that character provides the purchaser with a +2 bonus on his Wealth check. The

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Object or Service Purchase DC

Wealth Bonus Decrease

15 or higher

1 point

1–10 points higher than current Wealth bonus

1 point

11–15 points higher than current Wealth bonus

1d6 points

16 or more points higher than current

2d6 points

character who provides the aid reduces his Wealth bonus by +1.

Losing Wealth

Any time a character purchases an object or service with a purchase DC higher than his current Wealth bonus, or one with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the character’s Wealth bonus goes down. How much the Wealth bonus is reduced depends on how expensive the object is. Along with this loss, any time a character buys an object or service with a purchase DC of 15 or higher, the character reduces his current Wealth bonus by an additional 1 point. A character’s Wealth bonus only goes down if he successfully buys an object or service. If the character attempts to buy something and the check fails, his Wealth bonus is unaffected.

Wealth Bonus of +0

A character’s Wealth bonus can never decrease to less than +0. If a Player Character’s Wealth bonus is +0, the character does not have the buying power to purchase any object or service that has a purchase DC of 10 or higher, and cannot take 10 or take 20 when making a purchase check.

Regaining Wealth

A character’s Wealth bonus recovers as the character advances. Every time a character gains a new level, make a Profession check. If the character has no ranks in this skill, make a Wisdom check instead. The DC is equal to the character’s current Wealth bonus (minimum of DC 5). If the character succeeds, his current Wealth bonus increases by +1. For every 5 points by which the character exceeds the DC, he gains an additional +1 to his Wealth bonus. Adventuring may also result in Player Characters finding valuable items or information that could potentially improve their wealth. In such cases, the benefit translates into a Wealth award. Use the rules below for Selling Items to determine how much of an increase a Player Character receives to his Wealth score, if any.

Selling Items or Information

To sell something, a character first needs to determine its sale value. Assuming the object is undamaged and in working condition, the approximate sale value is equal to the object’s Purchase DC (as if purchased new) minus 3. Selling an object can provide an increase to a character’s Wealth bonus. The increase is the same amount as the Wealth bonus loss the character would experience if the

Doing away with Wealth

Equipment Tables

character purchased an object with a purchase DC equal to the sale value. Regardless of the character’s current Wealth bonus, he gains a Wealth bonus increase of 1 whenever the character sells an object with a sale value of 15 or higher. If a character sells an object with a sale value less than or equal to his current Wealth bonus (and that sale value is 14 or lower) the character gains nothing. No rolls can improve or decrease these numbers; they are a standard part of the Wealth and Purchase system. A character cannot legally sell restricted objects unless the character is licensed to own them. A character also cannot legally sell objects that have been reported as stolen. Selling objects illegally usually requires that the character have contacts in the black market and reduces the sale value by an additional 3 points.

Wealth in Other Periods

The Wealth bonus is an abstraction, so it works perfectly well in other time periods. The prices of different items will vary, of course; in general, the further you go back, common goods become slightly cheaper but rarer goods become much more expensive. The DC to purchase a meal in a restaurant in 1890 might be only DC 3 instead of DC 4 in the modern day. However, the DC to purchase a camera might be DC 20 instead of DC 14.

Equipment items are described by a number of statistics, as shown on the following tables. ~ Size: The size category of a piece of equipment helps to determine how easy that object is to conceal, and it also indicates whether using the object requires one hand or two. In general, a character needs only one hand to use any object that is of his size category or smaller. ~ Weight: This column gives the item’s weight. ~ Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the item. This number reflects the base price and does not include any modifier for purchasing the item on the black market. ~ Restriction: The restriction rating for the object, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the item on the black market.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Some Games Master may dislike the abstraction of the Wealth bonus system; others may be running games where the characters simply do not get to shop, or where your possessions are unimportant. In such cases, just decide how much cash the character has and use any appropriate price guide or shopping catalogue to determine prices.

Bags and Boxes

With the wide variety of equipment available to modern adventurers, it is often critical to have something to store the equipment in or carry it around in. Aluminium Travel Case A travel case is a reinforced metal box with foam inserts. Wing-style clamps keep it from opening accidentally. Briefcase A briefcase can carry up to 5 pounds worth of gear. A briefcase can be locked, but its cheap lock is not very secure (Disable Device DC 20; break DC 10). Contractor’s Field Bag A combination tool bag and notebook computer case, this has pockets for tools, pens, notepads and cell phones. It even has a clear plastic flap for maps or plans. Made of durable fabric, it holds 10 pounds worth of equipment and comes with a shoulder strap. Day Pack This is a small backpack, the sort often used by students to carry their books around, or by outdoor enthusiasts on

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General Equipment Object

Size

Weight

Purchase DC

Restriction

Bags and Boxes Aluminium travel case 10 lb. capacity

Med

5 lb.

10

—

40 lb. capacity

Large

10 lb.

11

—

75 lb. capacity

Large

15 lb.

12

—

Briefcase

Med

2 lb.

7

—

Contractor’s field bag

Med

2 lb.

6

—

Day pack

Small

2 lb.

5

—

Handbag

Small

1 lb.

4

—

Standard

Small

2 lb.

7

—

Oversized

Med

3 lb.

9

—

Patrol box

Med

4 lb.

9

—

Business

Med

3 lb.

12

—

Casual

Med

2 lb.

8

—

Formal

Med

3 lb.

15

—

Fatigues

Med

3 lb.

9

—

Uniform

Med

2 lb.

9

—

Ghillie suit

Med

5 lb.

6

—

Coat

Med

2 lb.

8

—

Fatigue jacket

Med

2 lb.

7

—

Overcoat

Med

3 lb.

9

—

Parka

Med

3 lb.

9

—

Photojournalist’s vest

Med

1 lb.

9

—

Range pack

Clothing Clothing outfit

Outerwear

Windbreaker

Med

1 lb.

6

—

Tool belt

Small

2 lb.

9

—

Tripod Camera

Med

5lb.

16

—

35mm

Small

2 lb.

17

—

Digital

Tiny

0.5 lb.

14

—

Disposable

Tiny

0.5 lb.

4

—

Camera Film

Dim

—

3

—

Camera Film Developing

—

—

3

—

Cell phone

Dim

—

9

—

Large

10 lb.

22

—

Computers and Consumer Electronics Cameras

Computers Desktop

84

Med

5 lb.

23

—

Upgrade

—

—

See text

—

Digital audio recorder

Tiny

1 lb.

10

—

Dial-up

Tiny

1 lb.

3

—

Broadband

Tiny

1 lb.

4

—

Cellular

Tiny

1 lb.

6

—

PDA

Tiny

0.5 lb.

16

—

Portable satellite phone

Small

2 lb.

17

—

Portable video camera

Small

2 lb.

16

—

Printer

Med

3 lb.

12

—

Scanner

Med

3 lb.

12

—

Basic

Tiny

1 lb.

7

—

Professional

Tiny

1 lb.

15

—

Black box

Tiny

0.5 lb.

4

Illegal (+4)

Caller ID defeater

Tiny

1 lb.

5

—

Cellular interceptor

Tiny

0.5 lb.

23

—

Lineman’s buttset

Tiny

1 lb.

13

Lic (+1)

Metal detector

Small

2 lb.

11

—

Night vision goggles

Small

3 lb.

17

—

Tap detector

Tiny

1 lb.

7

—

Line tap

Tiny

0.5 lb.

13

Lic (+1)

Receiver tap

Tiny

0.5 lb.

3

Res (+2)

Telephone tracer

Med

5 lb.

23

—

Bolt cutter

Med

5 lb.

6

—

Caltrops (25)

Small

2 lb.

5

—

Chemical kit

Med

6 lb.

16

—

Demolitions kit

Med

5 lb.

13

Lic (+1)

Disguise kit

Med

5 lb.

12

—

Duct tape

Tiny

1 lb.

4

—

Basic

Large

12 lb.

14

—

Deluxe

Huge

33 lb.

21

—

Basic

Med

6 lb.

7

—

Deluxe

Med

8 lb.

15

—

Fake ID

Fine

—

See text

Illegal (+4)

Modems & Accessories

Walkie-talkies

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Notebook

Surveillance Gear

Telephone taps

Professional Equipment

Electrical tool kits

Evidence kits

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First aid kit

Small

3 lb.

5

—

Forgery kit

Small

3 lb.

12

—

Steel

Tiny

1 lb.

7

—

Zip-tie (25)

Dim

0.5 lb.

6

—

Instrument, keyboard

Large

12 lb.

12

—

Instrument, percussion

Huge

50 lb.

14

—

Instrument, stringed

Large

7 lb.

13

—

Instrument, wind

Tiny

1 lb.

8

—

Lockpick set

Tiny

1 lb.

9

Lic (+1)

Lock release gun

Tiny

0.5 lb.

12

Res (+2)

Basic

Large

22 lb.

13

—

Deluxe

Huge

45 lb.

20

—

Medical kit

Med

5 lb.

15

—

Multipurpose tool

Tiny

0.5 lb.

9

—

Pharmacist kit

Med

6 lb.

17

Res (+2)

Search-and-rescue kit

Med

7 lb.

12

—

Spike strip

Huge

22 lb.

13

—

Surgery kit

Med

5 lb.

16

Lic (+1)

Med

3 lb.

10

—

Standard

Small

2 lb.

7

—

Rangefinding

Small

3 lb.

15

—

Electro-optical

Small

4 lb.

16

—

Chemical light sticks (5)

Tiny

1 lb.

2

—

Climbing gear

Large

10 lb.

11

—

Compass

Dim

0.5 lb.

5

—

Fire extinguisher

Med

3 lb.

8

—

Flash goggles

Tiny

2 lb.

15

—

Handcuffs

Mechanical tool kits

Survival Gear Backpack Binoculars

Flashlights Penlight

Dim

0.5 lb.

3

—

Standard

Tiny

1 lb.

4

—

Battery flood

Small

2 lb.

6

—

Gas mask

Small

5 lb.

13

—

GPS receiver

Tiny

1 lb.

15

—

Maps

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Road atlas

Tiny

1 lb.

4

—

Tactical map

Tiny

0.5 lb.

3

—

Mesh vest

Med

7 lb.

8

—

Portable stove

Tiny

1 lb.

9

—

Large

12 lb.

5

—

Sleeping bag

Med

4 lb.

9

—

2-person dome

Med

4 lb.

11

—

4-person dome

Med

7 lb.

12

—

8-person dome

Large

10 lb.

13

—

Trail rations (12)

Tiny

1 lb.

5

—

Tiny

0.5 lb.

4

—

Blasting cap

Tiny

0.5 lb.

4

Lic (+1)

Radio controlled

Tiny

0.5 lb.

10

Lic (+1)

Timed

Tiny

0.5 lb.

7

Lic (+1)

Wired

Tiny

1 lb.

6

Lic (+1)

Hip

Tiny

1 lb.

5

—

Concealed carry

Tiny

0.5 lb.

5

—

Illuminator

Tiny

0.5 lb.

7

—

Laser sight

Tiny

0.5 lb.

15

—

Standard

Tiny

0.5 lb.

11

—

Electro-optical

Small

3 lb.

18

—

Tiny

0.5 lb.

3

—

Pistol

Tiny

1 lb.

12

Mil (+3)

Rifle

Small

4 lb.

14

Mil (+3)

Tents

Weapon Accessories Box magazine Detonators

Holsters

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Rope (150 ft.)

Scopes

Speed loader Suppressors

short hikes. It holds 8 pounds of gear and fits comfortably over one or both shoulders. Handbag Handbags provide another way to carry 2 pounds of equipment. The purchase DC shown is for a basic bag; high-fashion purses can increase the DC by as much as 5 points. Range Pack This lightweight black bag has a spacious inner compartment capable of holding roughly 8 pounds of gear and can hold an additional 4 pounds in six zippered external compartments. The larger version holds 12 pounds of equipment in the internal compartment and another 6 pounds in the zippered external pouches. A range pack easily holds several pistols and a submachine gun and the larger version can hold disassembled rifles.

Patrol Box Originally developed for use by police officers, this portable file cabinet has found favor with traveling salespeople. This hard-sided briefcase takes up the passenger seat of an automobile and provides easy access to files, storage for a laptop computer and a writing surface. It holds 5 pounds worth of equipment and has an average lock (Disable Device DC 25; break DC 15).

Clothing

The items described here represent special clothing types, or unusual outfits that a character might need to purchase. For the most part, clothing choice is based on character concept. It is generally assumed that a hero owns a reasonable wardrobe of the sorts of clothes that fit his lifestyle. Sometimes, however, a character might need something out of the ordinary. When that is the case, he will have to purchase it like any other piece of gear. Clothes generally have only two effects on game

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mechanics: one on Disguise checks, and one on Sleight of Hand checks. First, clothing is part of a disguise. See the Disguise skill description for more on how appropriate dress affects Disguise checks. Clothes also help to hide firearms, body armour, and small objects. Tightly tailored clothing imposes a penalty on an attempt to conceal an object; clothing purposely tailored to conceal objects provides a bonus. Clothing Outfit An outfit of clothing represents everything a character needs to dress a part: pants or skirt, shirt, undergarments, appropriate shoes or boots, socks or stockings, and any necessary belt or suspenders. The clothes a character wears does not count against the weight limit for encumbrance. Business: A business outfit generally includes a jacket or blazer, and it tends to look sharp and well groomed without being overly formal. Casual: Casual clothes range from cut-off jeans and a Tshirt to neatly pressed khakis and a hand-knit sweater. Formal: From a little black dress to a fully appointed tuxedo, formal clothes are appropriate for “black tie” occasions. Special designer creations can have purchase DCs much higher than shown on the table. Fatigues: Called “battle dress uniforms” (or BDUs) in the United States Army, these are worn by hardened veterans and wannabes alike. They are rugged, comfortable, and provide lots of pockets. They are also printed in camouflage patterns: woodland, desert, winter (primarily white), urban (grey patterned), and black are available. When worn in an appropriate setting, fatigues grant a +2 equipment bonus on Hide checks. Uniform: From the cable guy to a senior Air Force officer, people on the job tend to wear uniforms—making such clothing an essential part of some disguises, since a uniform inclines people to trust the wearer. Ghillie Suit: The ultimate in camouflage, a ghillie suit is a loose mesh overgarment covered in strips of burlap in woodland colors, to which other camouflaging elements can easily be added. A figure under a ghillie suit is nearly impossible to discern. A character wearing a ghillie suit with appropriate coloration gains a +6 equipment bonus on Hide checks in the relevant terrain. The suit’s coloration can be completely changed in five minutes. However, the bulky suit imposes a penalty of –2 on all Dexterity checks, Dexterity-based skill checks (except Hide) and melee attack rolls. Outerwear In addition to keeping a character warm and dry, coats and jackets provide additional concealment for things a character is carrying (they often qualify as loose or

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bulky clothing; see the Sleight of Hand skill description in Chapter 4, Skills and Feats. Coat: An outer garment worn on the upper body. Its length and style vary according to fashion and use. Fatigue Jacket: A lightweight outer garment fashioned after the fatigue uniforms worn by military personnel when performing their standard duties. Overcoat: A warm coat worn over a suit jacket or indoor clothing. Parka: This winter coat grants the wearer a +2 equipment bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of cold weather. Photojournalist’s Vest: Made of cotton with mesh panels to keep the wearer cool, the photojournalist’s vest has numerous obvious – and hidden – pockets. It counts as loose and bulky clothing when used to conceal Small or smaller weapons, and also grants the “specially modified to conceal object” bonus when used to conceal Tiny or smaller objects; see the Sleight of Hand skill description in Chapter 4, Skills and Feats. Windbreaker: This is a lightweight jacket made of windresistant material. Tool Belt:This sturdy leather belt has numerous pockets and loops for tools, nails, pencils and other necessities for repair and construction work, making it easy to keep about 10 pounds of items on hand. The pockets are open, however, and items can easily fall out if the belt is tipped.

Computers and Consumer Electronics Rules for operating computers appear under the Computer Use skill. Some of the items in this section have monthly subscription costs as well as initial purchase costs. The purchase DC accounts for both costs; once a character has obtained the item, he does not have to worry about ongoing subscription costs.

Camera Still cameras let a character capture a record of what he has seen. 35mm: The best choice for the professional photographer, this camera can accept different lenses and takes the highest-quality picture. A camera is needed to use the photography aspect of the Craft (visual art) skill. The film used in a camera must be developed. Digital: A digital camera uses no film; instead, its pictures are simply downloaded to a computer as image files. No film developing is necessary. Disposable: A 35mm camera with film built in can be purchased from vending machines, tourist traps, drugstores, and hundreds of other places. Once the film is used, the entire camera is turned in to have the film developed. Film: The medium upon which photographs are stored, film comes in a variety of sizes and speeds. The purchase DC represents the cost of a roll of 24 exposures of highspeed (ASA 400) film.

Digital Audio Recorder These tiny recorders (about the size of a deck of playing cards) can record up to eight hours of audio and can be connected to a computer to download the digital recording. Digital audio recorders don’t have extremely sensitive microphones; they only pick up sounds within 10 feet.

Cell Phone A digital communications device that comes in a handheld model or as a headset, a cell phone uses a battery that lasts for 24 hours before it must be recharged. It works in any area covered by cellular service.

Modem A modem allows a character to connect a computer to the Internet. To use a modem, a character must have a computer and an appropriate data line (or a cell phone, in the case of a cellular modem). All computers come with dial-up modems, which allow connection to the Internet but without the speed of broadband or the flexibility of cellular. Dial-up modem: This uses a standard telephone line; while it is connected, that telephone line cannot be used for another purpose. Broadband: Cable modems and DSL services bring high-speed Internet access into the homes of millions. A broadband modem gives a character on-demand, high-speed access to data, allowing Computer Use and Research checks involving the Internet to be made in half the normal time. Cellular: A cellular modem allows a character to connect her notebook computer to the Internet anywhere he can use a cell phone. However, access speed is slow, and any Computer Use or Research check involving the Internet takes half again the normal time (multiply by 1.5).

Computer Whether a desktop or notebook model, a computer includes a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor, speakers, a CDROM drive, a dial-up modem, and the latest processor. A character needs a computer of any kind to make Computer Use checks and to make Research checks involving the Internet. Desktop: Bulky but powerful, these machines are common on desks everywhere. Notebook: Slim, lightweight, and portable notebook computers have most of the functions available on desktop computers. Upgrade: A character can upgrade a desktop or notebook computer’s processor to provide a +1 equipment bonus on Computer Use checks. Increase the purchase DC of a desktop by +1 or a notebook by +2 to purchase an upgrade.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Film Developing: In most areas, drugstores and photo shops provide 1-hour service; in others, it takes 24 hours. In really remote areas, film may have to be sent away for developing, taking a week or longer. The purchase DC represents the cost of getting two prints of each shot on a roll of film, or one of each and any two also blown up to a larger size.

PDA Personal data assistants are handy tools for storing data. They can be linked to a notebook or desktop computer to move files back and forth, but cannot be used for Computer Use or Research checks. Portable Satellite Telephone This object looks much like a bulky cell phone and functions in much the same way as well. However, because it communicates directly via satellite, it can be used virtually anywhere on earth, even in remote areas well beyond the extent of cell phone service. Portable satellite phones are very expensive to use. When used in a place not served by regular cellular service, each call requires a Wealth check (DC 6). Portable Video Camera Portable video cameras use some format of videotape to record activity. The tape can be played back through a VCR or via the camera eyepiece.

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Printer The colour inkjet printer described here is suited for creating hard copies of text and image files from computers. Scanner A colour flatbed scanner allows the user to transfer images and documents from hard copy into a computer in digital form. Walkie-Talkie This hand-held radio transceiver communicates with any similar device operating on the same frequency and within range. Basic: This dime-store variety has only a few channels. Anyone else using a similar walkie-talkie within range can listen in on the character’s conversations. It has a range of 2 miles. Professional: This high-end civilian model allows a character to program in twenty different frequencies from thousands of choices—making it likely that the character can find a frequency that is not being used by anyone else within range. The device can be used with or without a voice-activated headset (included). It has a range of 15 miles.

Surveillance Gear

Keeping an eye on suspects or tracking the moves of potential enemies can be essential in an investigation. Black Box This device, easily concealed in the palm of one hand, emits digital tones that convince the phone system to make a long-distance connection free of charge. They also let a user ‘bounce’ a call through multiple switches, making the call harder to trace (the DC of any Computer Use check to trace the call is increased by 5). Caller ID Defeater When a phone line contains a caller ID defeater, phones attempting to connect with that line show up as ‘anonymous’ or ‘unavailable’ on a caller ID unit. Such a call can still be traced as normal, however. Cellular Interceptor About the size of a small briefcase, a cellular interceptor can detect and monitor a cell phone conversation within a 5-mile area by listening in on the cellular service’s own transmitters. Intercepting the calls of a particular cell phone requires a Computer Use check (DC 35); if the user knows the phone number of the phone in question, the DC drops to 10. Obviously, the phone must be in use for someone to intercept the call. A cellular interceptor cannot be used to intercept regular (ground line) phone connections.

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Lineman’s Buttset This device resembles an oversized telephone handset with a numeric keypad on the back and wire leads hanging from the bottom. It functions as a portable, reusable telephone line tap. With a Repair check (DC 10), a user can connect to a phone wire and hear any conversation that crosses it. A lineman’s buttset is a common tool for telephone repair personnel. Metal Detector This handheld device provides a +10 equipment bonus on all Search checks involving metal objects. Night Vision Goggles Night vision goggles use passive light gathering to improve vision in near-dark conditions. They grant the user the ability to see in darkness, also called darkvision – but because of the restricted field of view and lack of depth perception these goggles provide, they impose a –4 penalty on all Spot and Search checks made by someone wearing them. Night vision goggles must have at least a little light to operate. A cloudy night provides sufficient ambient light, but a pitch-black cave or a sealed room does not. For situations of total darkness, the goggles come with an infrared illuminator that, when switched on, operates like a flashlight whose light is visible only to the wearer (or anyone else wearing night vision goggles). Note that sudden illumination of an area can temporarily blind a character who has been using night vision goggles in total darkness. They must make a Reflex save (DC 15) to quickly avert their gaze or remove the goggles. If this fails, they are blinded for 1d4 rounds (1d6 rounds if the illumination is brighter than a 60 watt bulb, such as a signal flare). Tap Detector Plug this into a telephone line between the phone and the outlet, and it helps detect if the line is tapped. To detect a tap, make a Computer Use check (the DC varies according to the type of telephone tap used; see ‘telephone taps’ below). With a success, the tap detector indicates that a tap is present. It does not indicate the type or location of the tap however. Also, it cannot be used to detect a lineman’s buttset. Telephone Tap These devices allow a character to listen to conversations over a particular phone line. Line Tap: This tap can be attached to a phone line at any point between a phone and the nearest junction box (usually on the street nearby). Installing it requires a Repair check (DC 15). It broadcasts all conversations on the line over a radio frequency that can be picked up by

Associated Item

Climb

Climbing gear

Craft (chemical)

Chemical kit

Craft (electronic)

Electrical tool kit

Craft (mechanical)

Mechanical tool kit

Craft (pharmaceutical)

Pharmacist kit

Craft (structural)

Mechanical tool kit

Demolitions

Demolitions kit

Disable Device

Car opening kit Electrical tool kit Lockpick set Lock release gun

Disguise

Disguise kit

Forgery

Forgery kit

Investigate

Evidence kit

Perform (keyboards)

Instrument, keyboard

Perform (percussion)

Instrument, percussion

Perform (stringed)

Instrument, stringed

Perform (wind)

Instrument, wind

Repair

Electrical tool kit Mechanical tool kit Multipurpose tool

Treat Injury

First aid kit Medical kit Surgery kit

any professional walkie-talkie. Detecting a line tap by using a tap detector requires a Computer Use check (DC 25). Receiver Tap: This item can be easily slipped into a telephone handset as a Repair check (DC 5). It broadcasts all conversations over a radio frequency that can be picked up by any professional walkie-talkie. Detecting a receiver tap by using a tap detector requires a Computer Use check (DC 15). Telephone Line Tracer Essentially a highly specialized computer, a line tracer hooked to a phone line can trace phone calls made to that line, even if there’s a caller ID defeater hooked up at the other end. All it takes is time. Operating a line tracer is a full-round action requiring a Computer Use check (DC 10). Success gains one digit of the target phone number, starting with the first number of the area code.

Professional Equipment

This category covers a wide variety of specialized equipment used by professionals in adventure-related fields. Some objects contain the tools necessary to use certain skills optimally. Without the use of these items, often referred to as kits, skill checks made with these skills almost always incur a –4 penalty. Note that some skills, by their nature, require a piece of equipment to utilise at all. Skills and the kits they are associated with are listed below. See the descriptions of the kits for additional details. Note that kits should be restocked periodically (purchase DC 5 less than the original purchase DC). Bolt Cutter An exceptionally heavy wire cutter, a bolt cutter can snip through padlocks or chain-link fences. Using a bolt cutter requires a Strength check (DC 10). Caltrops Caltrops are four-pronged iron spikes designed so that one prong is pointing up when the caltrop rests on a surface. A character scatters caltrops on the ground to injure opponents, or at least slow them down. One bag of twenty-five caltrops covers a single 5-foot square. Each time a creature moves through a square containing caltrops at any rate greater than half speed, or each round a creature spends fighting in such an area, the caltrops make a touch attack roll (base attack bonus +0). A caltrop deals 1 point of damage on a successful hit, and the injury reduces foot speed to half normal (a successful Treat Injury check, DC 15, or one day’s rest removes this penalty). A charging or running creature must immediately stop if it steps on a caltrop.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Skill

Chemical Kit A portable laboratory for use with the Craft (chemical) skill, a chemical kit includes the tools and components necessary for mixing and analyzing acids, bases, explosives, toxic gases, and other chemical compounds. Demolitions Kit This kit contains everything needed to use the Demolitions skill to set detonators, wire explosive devices, and disarm explosive devices. Detonators must be purchased separately. Disguise Kit This kit contains everything needed to use the Disguise skill, including makeup, brushes, mirrors, wigs, and other accoutrements. It does not contain clothing or uniforms, however.

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Duct Tape The usefulness of duct tape is limited only by a character’s imagination. Duct tape can support up to 200 pounds indefinitely, or up to 300 pounds for 1d6 rounds. Characters bound with duct tape must make a Strength or Escape Artist check (DC 20) to free themselves. A roll provides 70 feet of tape, 2 inches wide. Electrical Tool Kit This collection of hand tools and small parts typically includes a variety of pliers, drivers, cutting devices, fasteners, power tools, leads and wires. Basic: This small kit allows a character to make Repair checks to electrical or electronic devices without penalty. Deluxe: This kit consists of a number of specialized diagnostic and repair tools as well as thousands of spare parts. It grants a +2 equipment bonus on Repair checks for electrical or electronic devices and allows a character to make Craft (electronic) checks without penalty. Evidence Kits Law enforcement agencies around the world use generally the same tools to gather evidence. Having an evidence kit does not grant access to a law enforcement agency’s crime lab; it merely assists in the proper gathering and storing of evidence for use by such a lab. Without an evidence kit, a character receives a –4 penalty to use the collect evidence option of the Investigate skill. Basic: A basic evidence kit includes clean containers, labels, gloves, tweezers, swabs and other items to gather bits of physical evidence and prevent them from becoming contaminated. Deluxe: A deluxe kit includes all the materials in a basic kit, plus supplies for analysing narcotic substances at the scene and for gathering more esoteric forms of physical evidence such as casts and moulds of footprints or vehicle tracks, as well as chemical residues and organic fluids. It also contains the necessary dusts, sprays, brushes, adhesives and cards to gather fingerprints. It grants a +2 equipment bonus on Investigate checks under appropriate circumstances (whenever the Games Master rules that the equipment in the kit can be of use in the current situation). Using a deluxe kit to analyse a possible narcotic substance or basic chemical requires a Craft (chemical) check (DC 15). In this case, the +2 equipment bonus does not apply. Fake ID Purchasing a falsified driver’s license from a black market source can produce mixed results, depending on the skill of the forger. Typically, a forger has 1 to 4 ranks in the Forgery skill, with a +1 ability modifier. When a character purchases a fake ID, the Games Master secretly

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makes a Forgery check for the forger, which serves as the DC for the opposed check when someone inspects the fake ID. The purchase DC of a fake ID is 10 + the forger’s ranks in the Forgery skill. First Aid Kit Available at most drugstores and camping supply stores, this kit contains enough supplies (and simple instructions for their use) to treat an injury before transporting the injured person to a medical professional. A first aid kit can be used to help a dazed, unconscious or stunned character by making a Treat Injury check, or to stabilise a dying character. A first aid kit can be used only 1d4 times before needing to be replaced or replenished. Treat Injury skill checks made without a first aid kit incur a –4 penalty. Forgery Kit This kit contains everything needed to use the Forgery skill to prepare forged items. Depending on the item to be forged, a character might need legal documents or other items not included in the kit. Handcuffs Handcuffs are restraints designed to lock two limbs of a prisoner together (normally at the wrists or ankles). They fit any Medium-size or Small human or other creature that has an appropriate body structure. Steel: These heavy-duty cuffs have hardness 10, 10 hit points, a break DC of 30, and require a Disable Device check (DC 25) or Escape Artist check (DC 35) to remove without the key. Zip-Tie: These are single-use disposable handcuffs, much like heavy-duty cable ties. They have hardness 0, 4 hit points and a break DC of 25. They can only be removed by cutting them off (Disable Device and Escape Artist checks automatically fail). Instrument, Keyboard A portable keyboard, necessary in order to use the Perform (keyboard instrument) skill. Instrument, Percussion A set of drums, necessary in order to use the Perform (percussion instrument) skill. Instrument, Stringed An electric guitar, necessary in order to use the Perform (stringed instrument) skill. Instrument, Wind A flute, necessary in order to use the Perform (wind instrument) skill. Lockpick Set A lockpick set includes picks and tension bars for opening locks operated by standard keys. A lockpick set allows

Lock Release Gun This small, pistol-like device automatically disables cheap and average mechanical locks operated by standard keys (no Disable Device check necessary). Mechanical Tool Kit This collection of hand tools and small parts typically includes a variety of pliers, drivers, cutting devices, fasteners, and even power tools. Basic: This kit, which fits in a portable toolbox, allows a character to make Repair checks for mechanical devices without penalty. Deluxe: This kit fills a good-sized shop cabinet. It includes a broad variety of specialized hand tools and a selection of high-quality power tools. It grants a +2 equipment bonus on Repair checks for mechanical devices and allows a character to make Craft (mechanical) or Craft (structural) checks without penalty. Medical Kit About the size of a large tackle box, this is the sort of kit commonly carried by military medics and civilian EMTs. It contains a wide variety of medical supplies and equipment. A medical kit can be used to treat a dazed, unconscious or stunned character, to provide long-term care, to restore hit points, to treat a diseased or poisoned character, or to stabilise a dying character (see the Treat Injury skill). Skill checks made without a medical kit incur a –4 penalty. A medical kit can be used only 1d4 times before needing to be replaced or replenished. Multipurpose Tool Also known as a Swiss army knife. This device contains several different screwdrivers, a knife blade or two, can opener, bottle opener, file, short ruler, scissors, tweezers and wire cutters. The whole thing unfolds into a handy pair of pliers. A multipurpose tool can reduce the penalty for making Repair, Craft (mechanical), Craft (electronic) or Craft (structural) checks without appropriate tools to –2 instead of the normal –4. The tool is useful for certain tasks, as determined by the Games Master, but may not be useful in all situations. Pharmacist Kit A portable pharmacy for use with the Craft (pharmaceutical) skill, a pharmacist kit includes everything needed to prepare, preserve, compound, analyse and dispense medicinal drugs. Search-and-Rescue Kit This waist pack contains a first aid kit, a compass, waterproof matches, a lightweight “space” blanket, a

standard flashlight, 50 feet of durable nylon rope, two smoke grenades and one signal flare. Spike Strip This device is designed to help the police end car chases. The strip comes rolled in a spool about the size of a small suitcase. Deploy it by rolling it across a roadway, where it lies like a flat, segmented belt. The user can roll it out onto the road without entering the lane of traffic. Until the strip is activated, the spikes do not protrude, and cars can pass safely over it. When the user activates it (via a control device attached to the end of the strip by a 10foot-long cord), the spikes extend. Each time a creature moves through a square containing an activated spike strip at any rate greater than half speed, or each round a creature spends fighting in such an area, the spike strip makes a touch attack roll (base attack bonus +0). The strip deals 2 points of damage on a successful hit, and the injury reduces foot speed to half normal (a successful Treat Injury check, DC 15, or one day’s rest removes this penalty). Wheeled vehicles passing over the strip are automatically hit – although vehicles equipped with puncture-resistant tires are not affected.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

a character to make Disable Device checks to open mechanical locks (deadbolts, keyed entry locks, most car locks and so forth) without penalty.

Surgical Kits These kits are generally only used by professionals and feature multiple types of scalpel, suture materials, antiseptic swabs and other surgical apparatus. A character with a surgical kit can use the Treat Injury skill to perform life-saving surgery on other people. Without a surgical kit, this type of skill checks incurs a –4 penalty, which stacks with the –4 penalty for lacking the Surgery feat, if applicable. A medical kit can be used only 1d4 times before needing to be replaced or replenished.

Survival Gear

Survival gear helps characters keep themselves alive in the great outdoors. Backpack This is a good-sized frame backpack, made of tough water-resistant material. It has one or two central sections, as well as several exterior pockets and straps for attaching tents, bedrolls or other gear. It can carry up to 60 pounds of gear. A backpack also gives a character a +1 equipment bonus to Strength for the purpose of determining carrying capacity. Binoculars Binoculars are useful for watching opponents, wild game and sporting events from a long distance. Standard: Standard binoculars reduce the range penalty for Spot checks to –1 for every 50 feet (instead of –1 for

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every 10 feet). Using binoculars for Spot checks takes five times as long as making the check unaided. Rangefinding: In addition to the benefit of standard binoculars, rangefinding binoculars include a digital readout that indicates the exact distance to the object on which they are focused. Electro-Optical: Electro-optical binoculars function the same as standard binoculars in normal light. In darkness, however, users looking through them see as if they had the darkvision ability granted by night vision goggles.

Fire Extinguisher This portable apparatus uses a chemical spray to extinguish small fires. The typical fire extinguisher ejects enough extinguishing chemicals to put out a fire in a 10foot by 10-foot area as a move action. It contains enough material for two such uses.

Chemical Light Stick This disposable plastic stick, when activated, uses a chemical reaction to create light for 6 hours. It illuminates an area only 5 feet in radius. Once activated, it cannot be turned off or reused. The listed purchase DC is for a pack of 5 sticks.

Flashlight Flashlights come in a wide variety of sizes and quality levels. Those covered here are professional, heavy-duty models, rugged enough to withstand the rigors of modern adventuring. Flashlights negate penalties for darkness within their illuminated areas. Penlight: This small flashlight can be carried on a key ring. It projects a beam of light 10 feet long and 5 feet wide at its end. Standard: This heavy metal flashlight projects a beam 30 feet long and 15 feet across at its end. Battery Flood: Practically a handheld spotlight, this item projects a bright beam 100 feet long and 50 feet across at its end.

Climbing Gear All of the tools and equipment that climbing enthusiasts use to make climbing easier and, in some cases, possible. This includes ropes, pulleys, helmet and pads, gloves, spikes, chocks, ascenders, pitons, a hand-axe, and a harness. It takes 10 minutes to remove the gear from its pack and outfit it for use. Use this gear with the Climb skill. Compass A compass relies on the Earth’s magnetic field to determine the direction of magnetic north. A compass grants its user a +2 equipment bonus on Navigate checks.

Flash Goggles These eye coverings provide total protection against blinding light.

Gas Mask This apparatus covers the face and connects to a chemical air filter canister to protect the lungs and eyes from toxic gases. It provides total protection from eye and lung irritants. The filter canister lasts for 12 hours of use. Changing a filter is a move action. The purchase DC for one extra filter canister is 6. GPS Receiver Global positioning system receivers use signals from GPS satellites to determine the receiver’s location to within a few dozen feet. A GPS receiver grants its user a +4 equipment bonus on Navigate checks, but because the receiver must be able to pick up satellite signals, it only works outdoors. Map While a compass or GPS receiver can help characters find their way through the wilderness, a map can tell a character where he is going and what to expect when he gets there. Road Atlas: Road atlases are available for most countries, showing all major roads in each state, county or area. They can also be purchased for most major metropolitan areas, detailing every street in the entire region. Tactical Map: A tactical map covers a small area – usually a few miles on a side – in exacting detail. Generally, every building is represented, along with all roads, trails, and areas of vegetation. Tactical maps

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Mesh Vest This is a lightweight vest with a series of pockets for items such as a compass, spare ammunition magazines, pressure bandages and a radio, along with loops for attaching grenades, knives or tools. It can hold up to 40 pounds of equipment. A mesh vest provides a +2 equipment bonus to Strength for the purpose of determining carrying capacity. Portable Stove This small stove works on kerosene or white gasoline, and can easily be broken down and carried for backpacking. Rope Climbing rope can support up to 1,000 pounds. Sleeping Bag This lightweight sleeping bag rolls up compactly. It can keep a character warm even in severe weather and can also double as a stretcher in an emergency. Tent A tent keeps a character warm and dry in severe weather, providing a +2 equipment bonus on Fortitude saves against the effects of cold weather. Trail Rations Trail rations come in a number of commercial options. The purchase DC given is for a case of 12 meals. They all provide the necessary energy and nutrition for survival, which gives you a rough idea of how tasty they are...

Weapon Accessories

As if modern weapons were not dangerous enough, a number of accessories can increase their utility or efficiency. Box Magazine For weapons that use box magazines, a character can purchase extras. Loading these extra magazines ahead of time and keeping them in a handy place makes it easy to reload a weapon in combat. Detonator A detonator activates an explosive, causing it to explode. The device consists of an electrically activated blasting cap and some sort of device that delivers the electrical charge to set off the blasting cap. Connecting a detonator to an explosive requires a Demolitions check (DC 10). Failure means that the explosive fails to go off as

planned. Failure by 5 or more means the explosive goes off as the detonator is being installed. Blasting Cap: This is a detonator without a built-in controller. It can be wired into any electrical device, such as a light switch or a car’s ignition switch, with a Demolitions check (DC 10). When the electrical device is activated, the detonator goes off. Radio Control: This device consists of two parts: the detonator itself and the activation device. The activation device is an electronic item about the size of a deck of cards, with an antenna, a safety and an activation switch. When the switch is toggled, the activation device sends a signal to the detonator by radio, setting it off. It has a range of 500 feet. Timed: This is an electronic timer connected to the detonator. Like an alarm clock, it can be set to go off at a particular time. Wired: This is the simplest form of detonator. The blasting cap connects by a wire to an activation device, usually a small pistol-grip device that the user squeezes. The detonator comes with 100 feet of wire, but longer lengths can be spliced in with a Demolitions check (DC 10).

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

are not available for all areas, and, though inexpensive, they generally have to be ordered from federal mapping agencies (taking a week or longer to obtain).

Holster Holsters are generally available for all Medium-size or smaller firearms. Hip: This holster holds the weapon in an easily accessed – and easily seen – location. Concealed Carry: A concealed carry holster is designed to help keep a weapon out of sight (see the Sleight of Hand skill). In most cases, this is a shoulder holster (the weapon fits under the wearer’s armpit, presumably beneath a jacket). Small or Tiny weapons can be carried in waistband holsters (often placed inside the wearer’s waistband against his back). Tiny weapons can also be carried in ankle or boot holsters. Illuminator An illuminator is a small flashlight that mounts to a firearm, freeing up one of the user’s hands. It functions as a standard flashlight. Laser Sight This small laser mounts on a firearm, and projects a tiny red dot on the weapon’s target. A laser sight grants a +1 equipment bonus on all attack rolls made against targets no farther than 30 feet away. However, a laser sight cannot be used outdoors during the daytime. Scope A scope is a sighting device that makes it easier to hit targets at long range. However, although a scope magnifies the image of the target, it has a very limited field of view, making it difficult to use.

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Standard: A standard scope increases the range increment for a ranged weapon by one-half (multiply by 1.5). However, to use a scope a character must spend an attack action acquiring his target. If the character changes targets or otherwise lose sight of the target, he must reacquire the target to gain the benefit of the scope. Electro-Optical: An electro-optical scope functions the same as a standard scope in normal light. In darkness, however, the user sees through it as if he had the darkvision ability granted by night vision goggles. Speed Loader A speed loader holds a number of bullets in a ring, in a position that mirrors the chambers in a revolver cylinder. Using a speed loader saves time in reloading a revolver, since a character can insert all the bullets at once. Suppressor A suppressor fits on the end of a firearm, capturing the gases traveling at supersonic speed that propel a bullet as it is fired. This eliminates the noise from the bullet’s firing, dramatically reducing the sound the weapon makes when it is used. For handguns, the only sound is the mechanical action of the weapon (Listen check, DC 15 to notice). For longarms, the supersonic speed of the bullet itself still makes noise. However, it is difficult to tell where the sound is coming from, requiring a Listen check (DC 15) to locate the source of the gunfire. Modifying a weapon to accept a suppressor requires a Repair check (DC 15). Once a weapon has been modified in this manner, a suppressor can be attached or removed as a move action. Suppressors cannot be used on revolvers or shotguns. A suppressor purchased for one weapon can be used for any other weapon that fires the same caliber of ammunition.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle items include travel expenses, entertainment and meals beyond the ordinary, and housing, for those characters interested in buying a home rather than renting. Lifestyle items are shown on the table below. Housing A number of types of homes are mentioned on the Lifestyle table. The purchase DC covers the down payment, not the total cost of the home. A character buying a home does not have to worry about mortgage payments; they simply replace the hero’s rent, which is already accounted for in the Wealth system. The small house and condo are one- or two-bedroom homes, probably with curbside parking. The large condo and medium house are three-bedroom homes with garage or carport parking for one or two cars. The large

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house is a four-bedroom home with a two-car garage, while the mansion is a five- or six-bedroom home with an extra den, spacious rooms throughout, and a three-car garage. All of these homes are of typical construction; luxury appointments or avant garde design is available with a +2 increase to the purchase DC. Location dramatically affects a home’s value. The given purchase DC assumes a typical suburban location. An undesirable location, such as a bad neighbourhood or a remote rural site, reduces the purchase DC by 2. A particularly good location in an upscale neighbourhood or city centre increases the purchase DC by 2. Entertainment Purchase DCs are given for several entertainment options. They represent the purchase of a single ticket. A pair of tickets can be purchased together; doing so increases the purchase DC by 2. Meals Several typical meal costs are provided. The cost of picking up the tab for additional diners adds +2 per person to the purchase DC. Transportation Airfare tickets are for a single passenger round trip. Oneway tickets are available, but only reduce the purchase DC by 1. Car rentals and lodging rates are per day. Services The broad spectrum of services available to characters is only represented in overview here. Services are identified on the Services table. Auto Repair Having a car repaired can be expensive; how expensive depends on the amount of damage the vehicle has suffered. The purchase DCs for damage repair assume the vehicle has not actually been disabled; if it has, increase the purchase DC by +3. Repair generally takes 1 day for every 10 hit points of damage dealt, and results in the vehicle being returned to full hit points. Bail Bonds Characters jailed for crimes can seek bail. Bail is a monetary guarantee that the suspect will show up for his trial. The bail amount is set by a judge or magistrate, sometimes immediately following arrest (for minor crimes) and sometimes days later (for serious crimes). If bail is granted, a character can arrange for a bail bond – a loan that covers bail. The purchase DCs represent the fees associated with the loan; the bond itself is paid back to the bond agency when the hero shows up for trial. If the hero fails to show up, the agency loses the bail loan and may send bounty hunters or other thugs after the character.

Services Purchase DC

Auto repair 1 to 10 hp damage

15

11 to 20 hp damage

18

21 to 30 hp damage

21

30+ hp damage

24

Towing

8

Bail bonds Property crime

13

Assault crime

16

Death crime

22

Bribery Bouncer

6

Bureaucrat

10

Informant

7

Police officer

10

Legal services

10 + lawyer’s Knowledge (civics) ranks

Medical services Long-term care

10 + doctor’s Treat Injury ranks

Restore hit points

12 + doctor’s Treat Injury ranks

Surgery

15 + doctor’s Treat Injury ranks

Treat poison/disease

10 + doctor’s Treat Injury ranks

Bail amounts vary dramatically, depending on the seriousness of the crime, the suspect’s criminal history, his role in society, his family life and other factors the judge believes indicate that the character will or will not flee (or commit other crimes) before the trial. An upstanding citizen with a good job and a family who has never before been charged with a crime gets minimal bail; a career criminal with nothing to lose gets maximum bail or may not be granted bail at all. The purchase DCs shown assume the suspect is viewed positively by the court. If not, increase the purchase DC by as much as 5. Whatever the base purchase DC, a successful Diplomacy check (DC 15) by the suspect reduces the purchase DC by 2. Property Crime: The crime involved only the destruction of property; no one was attacked or seriously hurt as part of the crime.

Medical Services A character’s medical insurance is built into his Wealth bonus; the purchase DCs represent the ancillary expenses not covered, or only partly covered, by insurance. Medical services must be paid for in full regardless of whether they are successful. See the Treat Injury skill for more information on the medical services described below. Long-Term Care: The purchase DC represents treatment for regaining hit points or ability score points more quickly than normal on a given day. Restore Hit Points: The purchase DC represents treatment for hit point damage from wounds or injuries on a given day. Surgery: The purchase DC represents the cost of a single surgical procedure. Poison/Disease: The purchase DC represents one application of treatment for a poison or disease.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Item

Assault Crime: The crime involved an attack intended to capture, kill, or seriously injure the victim. Death Crime: Someone died as a result of the crime.

Weapons

The weapons covered here are grouped into three categories based on their general utility: ranged weapons, explosives and splash weapons, and melee weapons.

Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons fall into three general groups: handguns, longarms, and other ranged weapons such as crossbows. When using a ranged weapon, the wielder applies his Dexterity modifier to the attack roll. Handguns and longarms are personal firearms. A personal firearm is any firearm designed to be carried and used by a single person. Ranged Weapon Traits Ranged weapons are described by a number of statistics, as shown on the Ranged Weapons table below. Damage: The damage the weapon deals on a successful hit. Critical: The threat range for a critical hit. If the threat is confirmed, a weapon deals double damage on a critical hit (roll damage twice, as if hitting the target two times). Damage Type: Ranged weapon damage is classified according to type: ballistic (all firearms), energy (of a specific type), piercing (some simple ranged weapons), or slashing (a whip). Some creatures or characters may be resistant or immune to some forms of damage.

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Range Increment: Any attack at less than this distance is not penalized for range. However, each full range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. Ranged weapons have a maximum range of ten range increments, except for thrown weapons, which have a maximum range of five range increments. ~ Rate of Fire: Some ranged weapons have a rate of fire of 1, which simply means they can be employed once per round and then must be reloaded or replaced. Firearms, which operate through many different forms of internal mechanisms, have varying rates of fire. The three possible rates of fire for handguns, longarms, and heavy weapons are single shot, semiautomatic, and automatic. ~ Single Shot (Single): A weapon with the single shot rate of fire requires the user to manually operate the action (the mechanism that feeds and cocks the weapons) between each shot. Pump shotguns and bolt-action rifles are examples of firearms with single shot rates of fire. A weapon with the single shot rate of fire can fire only one shot per attack, even if the user has a feat or other abilities that normally allow more than one shot per attack. ~ Semiautomatic (S): Most firearms have the semiautomatic rate of fire. These firearms feed and cock themselves with each shot. A semiautomatic weapon fires one shot per attack (effectively acting as a single shot weapon), but some feats allow characters armed with semiautomatic weapons to fire shots in rapid successions, getting in more than one shot per attack. ~ Automatic (A): Automatic weapons fire a burst or stream of shots with a single squeeze of the trigger. Only weapons with the automatic rate of fire can be set on autofire or be used with feats that take advantage of automatic fire. Magazine: The weapon’s magazine capacity and type are given in this column. The amount of ammunition a weapon carries, and hence how many shots it can fire before needing to be reloaded, is determined by its magazine capacity. How the firearm is reloaded depends upon its magazine type. The number in this entry is the magazine’s capacity in shots; the word that follows the number indicates the magazine type: box, cylinder, or internal. A fourth type, linked, has an unlimited capacity; for this reason the entry does not also have a number. Weapons with a dash in this column have no magazines; they are generally thrown weapons, or weapons (such as bows) that are loaded as part of the firing process. ~ Box: A box magazine is any type of magazine that can be removed and reloaded separately from the weapon. ~ Cylinder: A revolver keeps its ammunition in a cylinder, which is part of the weapon and serves as the firing chamber for each round as well. Unlike box

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~

magazines, cylinders cannot be removed, and they must be reloaded by hand. However, most revolvers can be used with a speed loader. Using a speed loader is much like inserting a box magazine into a weapon. Without a speed loader, a firearm with a cylinder magazine must be loaded by hand. Internal: Some weapons keep their ammunition in an internal space, which must be loaded by hand. This is the case with most shotguns, as well as some rifles. Linked: Some machine guns use linked ammunition. The bullets are chained together with small metal clips, forming a belt. Typically, a belt holds 50 bullets; any number of belts can be clipped together. In military units, as the gunner fires, an assistant clips new ammunition belts together, keeping the weapon fed.

Size: Size categories for weapons and other objects are defined differently from the size categories for creatures. The relationship between a weapon’s size and that of its wielder defines whether it can be used one-handed, if it requires two hands, and if it is a light weapon. ~ A Medium-size or smaller weapon can be used onehanded or two-handed. A Large weapon requires two hands. A Huge weapon requires two hands and a bipod or other mount. ~ A Small or smaller weapon is considered a light weapon. It can be used one-handed and, as a light weapon, is easier to use in your off hand. Weight: This column gives the weapon’s weight when fully loaded. Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the weapon. This number reflects the base price and does not include any modifier for purchasing the weapon on the black market. Restriction: The restriction rating for the weapon, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the weapon on the black market. Reloading Firearms Reloading a firearm with an already filled box magazine or speed loader is a move action. Refilling a box magazine or a speed loader, or reloading a revolver without a speed loader or any weapon with an internal magazine, is a fullround action. Loading a belt of linked ammunition is a full-round action. Linking two belts together is a move action.

Handguns

A handgun is a personal firearm that can be used onehanded without penalty. This includes all pistols and some submachine guns and shotguns. All handguns require the

Ranged Weapons Damage

Critical

Damage Type

Range

Rate of Fire

Magazine

Size

Weight

Purchase DC

Restriction

Handguns (require the Personal Firearms Proficiency feat) Beretta 92F (9mm autoloader)

2d6

20

Ballistic

40 ft.

S

15 box

Small

3 lb.

16

Lic (+1)

Colt Double Eagle (10mm autoloader)

2d6

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

9 box

Small

3 lb.

16

Lic (+1)

Colt M1911 (.45 autoloader)

2d6

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

7 box

Small

3 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

Colt Python 1 (.357 revolver)

2d6

20

Ballistic

40 ft.

S

6 cyl

Med

3 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

Derringer (.45 hold-out)

2d6

20

Ballistic

10 ft.

Single

2 int

Tiny

1 lb.

14

Lic (+1)

Desert Eagle (.50AE autoloader)

2d8

20

Ballistic

40 ft.

S

9 box

Med

4 lb.

18

Lic (+1)

Glock 17 1 (9mm autoloader)

2d6

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

17 box

Small

2 lb.

18

Lic (+1)

MAC Ingram M10 (.45 machine pistol)

2d6

20

Ballistic

40 ft.

S, A

30 box

Med

6 lb.

15

Res (+2)

Ruger ServiceSix (.38S revolver)

2d6

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

6 cyl

Small

2 lb.

14

Lic (+1)

S&W M29 (.44 magnum revolver)

2d8

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

6 cyl.

Med

3 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

TEC-9 (9mm machine pistol)

2d6

20

Ballistic

40 ft.

S, A

3215 box

Med

4 lb.

14

Res (+2)

Walther PPK (.32 autoloader)

2d4

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

7 box

Small

1 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Weapon

Longarms (require the Personal Firearms Proficiency feat) AKM/AK47 (7.62mm assault rifle)

2d8

20

Ballistic

70 ft.

S, A

30 box

Large

10 lb.

15

Res (+2)

Browning BPS (10 gauge shotgun)

2d10

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

5 int

Large

11 lb.

16

Lic (+1)

HK MP5 (9mm submachine gun)

2d6

20

Ballistic

50 ft.

S, A

30 box

Large

7 lb.

20

Res (+2)

HK PSG1 1 (7.62mm sniper rifle)

2d10

20

Ballistic

90 ft.

S

5 box

Large

16 lb.

22

Res (+2)

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Weapon

Damage

Critical

Damage Type Range

RoF

Magazine

Size

Weight

Purchase DC Restriction

M16A2 (5.56mm assault rifle)

2d8

20

Ballistic

80 ft.

S, A

30 box

Large

8 lb.

16

Res (+2)

Mossberg (12 gauge shotgun)

2d8

20

Ballistic

30 ft.

S

6 int

Large

7 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

Remington 700 (7.62mm hunting rifle)

2d10

20

Ballistic

80 ft.

Single

5 int

Large

8 lb.

17

Lic (+1)

Sawed-off Shotgun (12 gauge shotgun)

2d8

20

Ballistic

10 ft.

S

2 int

Med

5 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

Steyr AUG (5.56mm assault rifle)

2d8

20

Ballistic

80 ft.

S, A

30 box

Large

9 lb.

19

Res (+2)

Uzi (9mm submachine gun)

2d6

20

Ballistic

40 ft.

S, A

20 box

Large

8 lb.

18

Res (+2)

Winchester 94 (.444 hunting rifle)

2d10

20

Ballistic

90 ft.

S

6 int

Large

7 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

Heavy Weapons (each requires a specific Exotic Weapon Firearms feat) M-60 (medium machine gun)

2d8

20

Ballistic

100 ft.

A

Linked

Huge

22 lb.

21

Mil (+3)

M-2HB (heavy machine gun)

2d12

20

Ballistic

110 ft.

A

Linked

Huge

75 lb.

22

Mil (+3)

M72A3 LAW (rocket launcher)

10d62

—

—

150 ft.

Single

1 int

Large

5 lb.

15

Mil (+3)

M79 (grenade launcher)

Varies2

—

—

70 ft.

Single

1 int

Large

7 lb.

14

Mil (+3)

Other Ranged Weapons (required Weapon Proficiency feat given in parentheses)

100

Compound Bow (Archaic)

1d8

20

Piercing

40 ft.

Single

—

Large

5 lb.

10

—

Crossbow (Simple)

1d10

19-20

Piercing

40 ft.

Single

1 int

Med

7 lb.

9

—

Discus (Simple)

1d6

20

Bludgeoning

20 ft.

Single

—

Small

4 lb.

4

—

Flamethrower (no feat required)

3d6

—

Fire

—

Single

10 int

Large

50 lb.

17

Mil (+3)

Javelin (Simple)

1d6

20

Piercing

30 ft.

Single

—

Med

3 lb.

4

—

Pepper Spray (Simple)

Special2

—

Special2

5 ft.

Single

1 int

Tiny

0.5 lb.

5

—

Shuriken (Archaic)

1

20

Piercing

10 ft.

Single

—

Tiny

0.5 lb.

4

—

Taser (Simple)

1d42

—

Electricity

5 ft.

Single

1 int.

Small

2 lb.

7

—

Whip (Archaic)

1d2

20

Slashing

15 ft. 3

Single

—

Small

2 lb.

4

—

Personal Firearms Proficiency feat. Using a handgun without this feat imposes a –4 penalty on attack rolls. Handguns can be broken down into three smaller groups: autoloaders, revolvers and machine pistols. ~ Autoloaders (sometimes called ‘automatics’) feature removable box magazines and some models hold quite a lot of ammunition. They work by using the energy of a shot fired to throw back a slide, eject the shot’s shell casing, and scoop the next round into the chamber. They are more complex than revolvers, but nevertheless have become increasingly popular in the modern age. ~ Revolvers are relatively simple firearms that store several rounds (usually six) in a revolving cylinder. As the trigger is pulled, the cylinder revolves to bring the next bullet in line with the barrel. ~ Machine pistols are automatic weapons small enough to be fired with one hand. Some are autoloader pistols modified to fire a burst of bullets in a single pull of the trigger, while others are modified submachine guns, cut down in size and weight to allow onehanded use. Ranged weapons that use box magazines come with one full magazine.

Colt Python The Python has a well-deserved reputation for accuracy. Due to its high quality of manufacture, the Colt Python is always considered a superbly crafted weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls. Derringer This pistol breaks open at the breech like a doublebarreled shotgun. The two-shot weapon has one barrel atop the other and is barely 5 inches long, making it easy to conceal. Desert Eagle Manufactured by Israeli Military Industries, the Desert Eagle is the king of large-frame, heavy-caliber autoloaders. The version on Table: Ranged Weapons fires the massive .50 Action Express round. The Desert Eagle also comes in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum models. Glock 17 The Glock is typical of 9mm self-loading pistols carried by many police officers and military personnel.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Ranged Weapon Table notes 1 This superbly crafted weapon grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls. 2 This weapon does special damage. See the weapon description. 3 See the description of this weapon for special rules.

Beretta 92F The standard service pistol of the United States military and many American law enforcement agencies. Colt Double Eagle Based on the M1911 mechanism, this pistol is an updated civilian version that fires a 10mm round. Colt M1911 This .45 semiautomatic pistol was used by the United States military for decades until it was recently replaced by the Beretta 92F. Manufactured at three locations in the United States alone, the M1911 can be found all over the world, and is still in use in several other military forces.

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Due to its high quality of manufacture, the Glock 17 is always considered a superbly crafted weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls. MAC Ingram M10 No longer in production, about 10,000 of these small submachine guns were made and supplied to United States police forces, the U.S. Army, Cuba, and Peru. Light pressure on the trigger produces single shots, while increased pressure brings automatic fire. The M10 accepts a suppressor without modification. Ruger Service-Six This revolver, designed specifically for police use, fires the .38 Special round. It was very popular with United States police forces prior to the increasing use of autoloaders in recent decades and is still in service with many police forces today. S&W M29 The Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum revolver fires one of the most powerful pistol cartridges in the world. The M29 is known for its deafening sound, bright muzzle flash and powerful recoil. TEC-9 The Intratec TEC-9 is an inexpensive machine pistol popular with criminals because it can be modified (Repair check DC 15) to fire on automatic. The pistol only works on semiautomatic fire or, if modified, only on automatic. Once modified to fire on automatic, the TEC9 cannot be changed back to semiautomatic. Walther PPK The PPK is a small, simple and reliable autoloader with a design that dates back to the 1930s. It remains in widespread service among European police, military and government agencies.

Longarms

Longarms are personal firearms that require two hands to be fired without penalty. This group includes hunting and sniping rifles, assault rifles, shotguns and most submachine guns. The basic longarm is the rifle, a group that includes both hunting rifles and sniper rifles. Rifles are usually autoloaders, and they function internally in a manner very similar to autoloader pistols. Some models are operated manually, however, with the user having to work a bolt or lever between each shot. Assault rifles are rifles designed for military use and feature automatic as well as semiautomatic fire. Shotguns are large-bore weapons that primarily fire shells full of small projectiles. They tend to be powerful,

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but only at short range. Reduce shotgun damage by 2 points for every range increment of the attack. Submachine guns are relatively compact longarms that generally fire pistol ammunition. They can fire on automatic. All longarms are covered by the Personal Firearms Proficiency feat. Longarms are not well suited to close combat. A character takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll when firing at an adjacent target. AKM/AK-47 This assault rifle of the old Soviet Union is one of the most popular firearms in the world, having found common use in scores of bush wars and insurrections – on all sides of such conflicts. Browning BPS This heavy longarm fires the largest shotgun round available, the 10-gauge shell. HK MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 family of weapons is among the most recognizable in the world. Many different designs exist; described here is the most basic model. Due to its high quality of manufacture, the MP5 is always considered a superbly crafted weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls. This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the magazine. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted. HK PSG1 This high-precision sniper rifle, based on the design of the HK G3, has a fully adjustable trigger and stock for individual users. The PSG1 comes with a standard scope. Due to its high quality of manufacture, the PSG1 is always considered a superbly crafted weapon. As such, it grants a +1 bonus on attack rolls. M16A2 Typical of the assault rifles used by militaries around the world, the Colt M16A2 is the current service rifle of the United States military and is commonly used by other armies and in the civilian world. This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the magazine. This setting does not grant the ability to

Mossberg The Mossberg Model 500 ATP6C is a pump-action shotgun designed for military and police work. Remington 700 A bolt-action rifle with a reputation for accuracy, the Remington 700 has been popular with hunters and target shooters since its introduction in the 1940s. Sawed-Off Shotgun This is a 12-gauge, double-barreled shotgun with the stock and barrels sawed short. All that is left of the stock is a pistol grip, and the barrels are roughly 12 inches long. Sawed-off shotguns are generally illegal; most are homemade by cutting down a standard shotgun. Steyr AUG An unusual and exotic-looking weapon, the bullpup AUG is the standard rifle of the Austrian and Australian armies. Its completely ambidextrous components make it equally convenient for left- and right-handed users and it features a built-in optical sight. This weapon features a three-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only three bullets instead of five and can be used with only three bullets in the magazine. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted. Uzi Designed in the 1950s for the Israeli army, the Uzi has become the most popular submachine gun in the world. It features a collapsible stock, making it extremely compact. Winchester 94 The Winchester Model 94 Big Bore is a lever-action rifle typical of big-bore hunting rifles found around the world.

Heavy Weapons

The weapons covered in this section fall under different Exotic Firearms Proficiency feat. Someone who wields a heavy weapon without the appropriate proficiency takes a –4 penalty on all attack rolls with the weapon. M-60 Introduced in the Vietnam War era, this medium machine gun is still in widespread use with the U.S. military and that of several other armies. The Exotic Firearms

Proficiency (heavy machine guns) feat applies to this weapon. M2HB This heavy-duty .50-caliber machine gun has been in service since World War II and remains a very common vehicle-mounted military weapon around the world. The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (heavy machine guns) feat applies to this weapon. M72A3 LAW The LAW (light antitank weapon) is a disposable, oneshot rocket launcher. It comes as a short, telescoped fibreglass and aluminium tube. Before using the weapon, the firer must first arm and extend the tube, which is a move action. When the LAW hits its target, it explodes like a grenade or other explosive, dealing its 10d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 10-foot radius (Reflex save DC 18 for half damage). Because its explosive features a shaped charge designed to penetrate the armour of military vehicles, the LAW ignores up to 10 points of hardness if it strikes a vehicle, building, or object. However, this only applies to the target struck, not to other objects within the burst radius.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if a character uses the setting without the feat, he makes a normal attack, and the extra two bullets are wasted.

The M72 has a minimum range of 30 feet. If fired against a target closer than 30 feet away, it does not arm and will not explode. If someone is directly behind and adjacent to the character firing the LAW, that person must make a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid being hit by the rocket’s backblast, which will cause 2d6 fire damage. The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (rocket launchers) feat applies to this weapon. M79 This simple weapon is a single-shot grenade launcher. It fires 40mm fragmentation grenades (see Explosives and Splash Weapons, below). These grenades look like huge bullets an inch and a half across; they cannot be used as hand grenades, and the M79 cannot shoot hand grenades. Attacking with an M79 is identical to throwing an explosive: you make a ranged attack against a specific 5-foot square (instead of targeting a person or creature). The differences between using the M79 and throwing an explosive lie in the range of the weapon (which far exceeds the distance a hand grenade can be thrown) and the fact that the M79 requires a weapon proficiency to operate without penalty. The Exotic Firearms Proficiency (grenade launchers) feat applies to this weapon.

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Other Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons that are not firearms include such diverse objects as crossbows, tasers and pepper spray. The feat that provides proficiency with these weapons varies from weapon to weapon, as indicated on the Ranged Weapons table.

Ammunition Type (Quantity)

Purchase DC

5.56mm (20)

4

7.62mm (20)

4

7.62mmR (20)

4

.444 caliber (20)

6

.50 caliber (20)

6

9mm (50)

5

10mm (50)

5

.22 caliber (50)

4

.32 caliber (50)

5

.38 special (50)

5

.357 caliber (50)

5

Discus A solid circle which is rim-balanced for extra control. Made of either specially-shaped rock or modern materials.

.44 caliber (50)

5

.45 caliber (50)

5

.50AE caliber (50)

6

10-gauge buckshot (10)

5

Flamethrower A flamethrower consists of a pressurized backpack containing fuel, connected to a tube with a nozzle. It shoots a 5-foot wide, 30-foot long line of flame that deals 3d6 points of fire damage to all creatures and objects in its path. No attack roll is necessary, and thus no feat is needed to operate the weapon effectively. Any creature caught in the line of flame can make a Reflex save (DC 15) to take half damage. Creatures with cover get a bonus on their Reflex save.

12-gauge buckshot (10)

4

Arrow (12)

8

Crossbow bolt (12)

7

Compound Bow Bow hunting remains a popular sport in North America. A character’s Strength modifier applies to damage rolls made when using this weapon. Crossbow A crossbow requires two hands to use. Pulling a lever draws the bow. Loading a crossbow is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

A flamethrower’s backpack has hardness 5 and 5 hit points. When worn, the backpack has a Defence equal to 8 + the wearer’s Dexterity modifier + the wearer’s class bonus. A backpack reduced to 0 hit points ruptures and explodes, dealing 6d6 points of fire damage to the wearer (no save allowed) and 3d6 points of splash damage to creatures and objects in adjacent 5-foot squares (Reflex save, DC 15, for half damage). Any creature or flammable object that takes damage from a flamethrower catches on fire, taking 1d6 points of fire damage each subsequent round until the flames are extinguished. A fire engulfing a single creature or object can be doused or smothered as a full-round action. Discharging a fire extinguisher is a move action and instantly smothers flames in a 10-foot by 10-foot area. A flamethrower can shoot 10 times before the fuel supply is depleted. Refilling or replacing a fuel pack has a purchase DC of 13.

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Ammunition

Javelin This light, flexible spear built for throwing can be used in melee, but since it is not designed for it, characters using it in this manner are always considered nonproficient and take a –4 penalty on their melee attack rolls. Pepper Spray A chemical irritant that can temporarily blind a target, pepper spray comes in a single-shot container. To use it, make a ranged touch attack against the target. The target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. Shuriken A shuriken is a thrown, star-shaped projectile with four to eight razor-sharp points. A character may draw a shuriken as a free action. Taser A taser uses springs or compressed air to fire a pair of darts at a target. On impact, the darts release a powerful electrical current. On a successful hit, the darts deal 1d4 points of electricity damage and the target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be paralysed for 1d6 rounds. Reloading a taser is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

pistol round is not compatible with the much larger .50 rifle-caliber cartridge (see above). 10-gauge Buckshot, 12-gauge Buckshot Shotgun cartridges, also known as buckshot, are sold in boxes of ten. Arrow Arrows come in quivers of 12 and are used with the compound bow and other types of archery weapons. These missile weapons consist of a slender shaft and a pointed head. Crossbow Bolt A shaft or missile designed to be shot from a crossbow, bolts come in quivers of 12.

Ammunition

Ammunition for firearms and other ranged weapons is covered on the Ammunition table. 5.56mm, 7.62mm, 7.62mmR, .444, .50 These calibers of ammunition are generally used in rifles, assault rifles, or machine guns, and are sold in boxes of 20 bullets each. The 7.62mmR is used in the AKM and other ex-Soviet weapon types, and is not compatible with the larger 7.62mm cartridge. The .50 caliber is a huge cartridge generally fired from heavy machine guns, but also adapted to a few models of powerful sniper rifles. 9mm, 10mm, .22, .32, .38 S, .357, .44, .45, .50AE These calibers are generally used in pistols or submachine guns, and are sold in boxes of 50 bullets each. The .50AE

Explosives and Splash Weapons

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Whip Whips deal a small amount of lethal damage. Although a character does not ‘fire’ the weapon, treat a whip as a ranged weapon with a maximum range of 15 feet and no range penalties. Because a whip can wrap around an enemy’s leg or other limb, a character can make a trip attack with it by succeeding at a ranged touch attack. The character does not provoke an attack of opportunity when using a whip in this way. If the character is tripped during his own trip attempt, the character can drop the whip to avoid being tripped. When using a whip, a character gets a +2 bonus on your opposed attack roll when attempting to disarm an opponent (including the roll to keep from being disarmed if the character fails to disarm the opponent).

These weapons explode or burst, dealing damage to creatures or objects within an area. Explosives can be thrown or set off in place, depending on the type of explosive device. Dynamite and hand grenades are examples of these weapons. All explosives must be detonated. Some, such as grenades, include built-in detonators. Pulling the pin on a grenade is a free action. Others require timers or other devices to set them off. Detonators are covered in Weapon Accessories. A splash weapon is a projectile that bursts on impact, spewing its contents over an area and damaging any

Explosive Weapon

Damage

Damage Type

Burst Radius

Reflex DC

Range

Size

Weight

Purchase DC

Restriction

40mm Fragmentation Grenade

3d6

Slashing

10 ft.

15

—

Tiny

1 lb.

16

Mil (+3)

C4/Semtex

4d6

Concussion

10 ft.

18

—

Small

1 lb.

12

Mil (+3)

Det Cord

2d6

Fire

See text

12

—

Med

2 lb.

8

Res (+2)

Dynamite

2d6

Concussion

5 ft.

15

10 ft.

Tiny

1 lb.

12

Lic (+1)

Fragmentation Grenade

4d6

Slashing

20 ft.

15

10 ft.

Tiny

1 lb.

15

Mil (+3)

Smoke Grenade

—

—

See text

—

10 ft.

Small

2 lb.

10

—

Tear Gas Grenade

See text

—

—

—

10 ft.

Small

2 lb.

12

Res (+2)

Thermite Grenade

6d6

Fire

5 ft.

12

10 ft.

Small

2 lb.

17

Mil (+3)

White Phosphorous Grenade

2d6

Fire

20 ft.

12

10 ft.

Small

2 lb.

15

Mil (+3)

Splash Weapons

Direct Hit Damage

Splash Damage

Critical

Damage Type

Range

Size

Weight

Purchase DC

Restriction

Acid, Mild

1d6

1

20

Acid

10 ft.

Tiny

1 lb.

6

—

Molotov Cocktail

1d6

1

20

Fire

10 ft.

Small

1 lb.

6

—

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CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Critical: The threat range for a critical hit. If the threat is confirmed, a weapon deals double damage on a critical hit (roll damage twice, as if hitting the target two times). Reflex DC: Any creature caught within the burst radius of an explosive may make a Reflex save against the DC given in this column for half damage. Range Increment: If the weapon can be thrown, its range increment is shown in this column. Explosives with no range increment must be set in place before being detonated – see the Demolitions skill.

creature or object within that area. Generally, creatures directly hit by splash weapons take the most damage, while those nearby take less damage. Splash weapons must usually be thrown to have effect. Explosives and splash weapons require no feat to use with proficiency unless they are fired or propelled from some sort of launcher or other device, in which case the appropriate Weapon Proficiency feat for the launcher is necessary to avoid the –4 nonproficient penalty. Explosives and Splash Weapons Traits Explosives and splash weapons are described by a number of statistics, as shown on the Explosives and Splash Weapons table. Damage/Direct Hit Damage: The primary damage dealt by the weapon. For explosives, the Damage column shows the damage dealt to all creatures within the explosive’s burst radius. For splash weapons, the Direct Hit Damage column is used for a target directly struck by the weapon. Burst Radius/Splash Damage: For explosives, the burst radius is the area affected by the explosive. All creatures or objects within the burst radius take damage from the explosive. For splash weapons, all creatures within 5 feet of the weapon’s impact point take splash damage equal to the amount shown in this column. Damage Type: Damage from explosives and splash weapons is classified according to type: energy (of a specific type) or slashing. Some creatures or characters may be resistant or immune to some forms of damage.

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Size: Size categories for weapons and other objects are defined differently from the size categories for creatures. The relationship between a weapon’s size and that of its wielder defines whether it can be used onehanded, if it requires two hands and if it is a light weapon. A Medium-size or smaller weapon can be used onehanded or two-handed. A Small or smaller weapon is considered a light weapon. It can be used one-handed and, as a light weapon, is easier to use in a character’s off hand. Weight: This column gives the weapon’s weight. Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the weapon. This number reflects the base price and does not include any modifier for purchasing the weapon on the black market. Restriction: The restriction rating for the weapon, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the weapon on the black market. Grenades and Explosives Many explosives require detonators, which are described in Weapon Accessories. 40mm Fragmentation Grenade This small explosive device must be fired from a 40mm grenade launcher, such as the M79. It sprays shrapnel in all directions when it explodes. The 40mm fragmentation grenade has a minimum range of 40 feet. If fired against a target closer than 40 feet away, it does not arm and will not explode. The purchase DC given is for a box of 6 grenades.

Although the damage statistics on the table represent a 1-pound block, C4 is sold in 4-block packages. The purchase DC given represents a package of 4 blocks. C4/ Semtex requires a detonator to set off. It is considered to be a moderate explosive for the purpose of using a Craft (chemical) check to manufacture it. Det Cord Det cord is an explosive in rope-like form. Technically, det cord does not explode – but it burns so fast (4,000 yards per second) that it might as well be exploding. Normally used to string multiple explosive charges together for simultaneous detonation (allowing a single detonator to set them all off), det cord can also be looped around a tree or post or other object to cut it neatly in half. The information on the table represents a 50-foot length. A length of det cord can be spread out to pass through up to ten 5-foot squares. When this is the case, it deals the indicated damage to all creatures in each 5-foot square through which it passes. Det cord can also be doubled up; for each additional 5 feet of cord within a single 5-foot square, increase the damage by +1d6 to a maximum increase of +4d6. This ‘explosive’ requires a detonator to set it off. It is considered to be a simple explosive for the purpose of using a Craft (chemical) check to manufacture it. Dynamite Perhaps one of the most common and straightforward explosives, dynamite is very stable under normal conditions. A stick of dynamite requires a fuse or detonator to set it off. Additional sticks can be set off at the same time if they are within the burst radius of the first stick, increasing the damage and burst radius of the explosion. Each additional stick increases the damage by +1d6 (maximum 10d6) and the burst radius by 5 feet (maximum 20 feet). It is possible to wire together several sticks of dynamite for even greater explosive effect. Doing so requires a Demolitions check (DC 10 + 1 per stick). If the character succeeds on the check, the damage or the burst radius of the explosion increases by 50% (the character’s choice).

To set off dynamite using a fuse, the fuse must first be lit, requiring a move action (and a lighter or other source of flame). The amount of time until the dynamite explodes depends on the length of the fuse – a fuse can be cut short enough for the dynamite to detonate in the same round (allowing it to be used much like a grenade), or long enough to take several minutes to detonate. Cutting the fuse to the appropriate length requires a move action. Dynamite is sold in boxes of 12 sticks. It is considered to be a simple explosive for the purpose of using a Craft (chemical) check to manufacture it. Fragmentation Grenade The most common military grenade, this is a small explosive device that sprays shrapnel in all directions when it explodes. The purchase DC given is for a box of 6 grenades. Smoke Grenade Military and police forces use these weapons to create temporary concealment. On the round when it is thrown, a smoke grenade fills the four 5-foot squares around it with smoke. On the following round, it fills all squares within 10 feet, and on the third round it fills all squares within 15 feet. The smoke obscures all sight, including the darkvision ability granted by night vision goggles. Any creature within the area has total concealment (attacks suffer a 50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target). It disperses after 10 rounds, though a moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the smoke in 4 rounds and a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses it in 1 round. Smoke grenades are available in several colors, including white, red, yellow, green, and purple. As such, they can be used as signal devices. The purchase DC given is for a box of 6 grenades.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

C4/Semtex So-called ‘plastic’ explosives resemble slabs of wax. Hard and translucent when cold, these explosives warm up when kneaded and can then be coaxed to take various shapes. The information on the table represents a 1pound block. Additional blocks can be wired together, increasing the damage and burst radius; each additional block increases the damage by +2d6 and the burst radius by 2 feet, and requires a Demolitions check (DC 15) to link them.

Tear Gas Grenade Military and police forces use these weapons to disperse crowds and smoke out hostage takers. On the round that it is thrown, a tear gas grenade fills a 5-foot radius with a cloud of irritant that causes eyes to fill with tears. On the following round, it fills a 10-foot radius, and on the third round it fills a 15-foot radius. It disperses after 10 rounds, though a moderate wind (11+ mph) disperses the smoke in 4 rounds and a strong wind (21+ mph) disperses it in 1 round. A character caught in a cloud of tear gas must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be nauseated. This effect lasts as long as the character is in the cloud and for 1d6 rounds after he leaves the cloud. Those who succeed at their saves but remain in the cloud must continue to save each round. A gas mask renders the target immune to the effects. A wet cloth held over the eyes, nose and mouth provides a +2 bonus on the Fortitude save.

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Thermite Grenade Thermite does not technically explode. Instead, it creates intense heat meant to burn or melt through an object upon which the grenade is set. Military forces use thermite grenades to quickly destroy key pieces of equipment. The purchase DC given is for a box of 6 grenades. White Phosphorus Grenade White phosphorus grenades use an explosive charge to distribute burning phosphorus across the burst radius. Any target that takes damage from a White Phosphorus grenade is dealt an additional 1d6 points of fire damage in the following round and risks catching on fire. In addition, a WP grenade creates a cloud of smoke. Treat a white phosphorus grenade as a smoke grenade (see above), except that it only fills squares within 5 feet of the explosion point. The purchase DC given is for a box of 6 grenades. Splash Weapons Many splash weapons, such as Molotov cocktails, are essentially homemade devices (improvised explosives). The purchase DC given in the Explosives and Splash Weapons table reflects the typical cost of the necessary components. See the Craft (chemical) skill for details on making improvised explosives. Acid, Mild A character can throw a flask of acid as a grenadelike weapon. A flask is made of ceramic, metal, or glass (depending on the substance it has to hold), with a tight stopper, and holds about 1 pint of liquid. This entry represents any mild caustic substance. Acid may be purchased in many places, including hardware stores. Molotov Cocktail A Molotov cocktail is a flask containing a flammable liquid, plugged with a rag. A Molotov cocktail is easily made by hand (Craft (chemical) check DC 8 or Intelligence check DC 10). To use it, the rag must first be lit, requiring a move action (and a lighter or other source of flame). The cocktail detonates in 2 rounds or on impact with a solid object, whichever comes first. A target that takes a direct hit is dealt an additional 1d6 points of fire damage in the following round and risks catching on fire.

Melee Weapons

Melee weapons are used in close combat, and they are generally among the simplest types of weapons. The feat that provides proficiency with these weapons varies from weapon to weapon; some are considered simple

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weapons (covered by the Simple Weapons Proficiency feat); others are archaic (Archaic Weapons Proficiency) or exotic (Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency). A character’s Strength modifier is always added to a melee weapon’s attack roll and damage roll.

Melee Weapons Traits Melee weapons are described by a number of statistics, as shown on the Melee Weapons table below. ~ Damage: The damage the weapon deals on a successful hit. ~ Critical: The threat range for a critical hit. If the threat is confirmed, a weapon deals double damage on a critical hit (roll damage twice, as if hitting the target two times). ~ Damage Type: Melee weapon damage is classified according to type: bludgeoning (weapons with a blunt striking surface), energy (of a specific type), piercing (weapons with a sharp point), and slashing (weapons with an edged blade). Some creatures or characters may be resistant or immune to some forms of damage. ~ Range Increment: Melee weapons that are designed to be thrown can be used to make ranged attacks. As such, they have a range increment just as other ranged weapons do – but the maximum range for a thrown weapon is five range increments instead of ten. Any attack at less than the given range increment is not penalized for range. However, each full range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. ~ Size: Size categories for weapons and other objects are defined differently from the size categories for creatures. The relationship between a weapon’s size and that of its wielder defines whether it can be used one-handed, if it requires two hands, and if it is a light weapon. ~ A Medium-size or smaller weapon can be used one-handed or two-handed. A Large weapon requires two hands. ~ A Small or smaller weapon is considered a light weapon. It can be used one-handed and, as a light weapon, is easier to use in a character’s off hand. ~ Weight: This column gives the weapon’s weight. ~ Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the weapon. ~ Restriction: None of the following melee weapons have restrictions on their purchase.

Simple Melee Weapons

Generally inexpensive and light in weight, simple weapons get the job done nevertheless.

When used by a character with the Brawl feat, brass knuckles increase the base damage dealt by an unarmed strike by +1 and turn the damage into lethal damage. The cost and weight given are for a single item. Cleaver Heavy kitchen knives can be snatched up for use as weapons in homes and restaurants. These weapons are essentially similar to the twin butterfly swords used in some kung fu styles. Club Almost anything can be used as a club. This entry also represents the wooden nightsticks sometimes carried by police forces, lengths of lead piping and baseball bats. Knife This category of weapon includes hunting knives, butterfly or “balisong” knives, switchblades and bayonets (when not attached to rifles). A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a knife. Metal Baton This weapon can be collapsed to reduce its size and increase its concealability. A collapsed baton is Small and cannot be used as a weapon. Extending or collapsing the baton is a free action. Pistol Whip Using a pistol as a melee weapon can deal greater damage than attacking unarmed. No weight or purchase DC is given for this weapon, since both vary depending on the pistol used.

is a Called Shot; see Chapter 7, Combat (and Running Away). Stun Gun Although the name suggests a ranged weapon, a stun gun requires physical contact to affect its target. The taser is a ranged weapon with a similar effect. On a successful hit, the stun gun deals 1d3 points of electricity damage, and the target must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15) or be paralysed for 1d6 rounds. Tonfa This is the melee weapon carried by most police forces (their version occasionally being called a nightstick), used to subdue and restrain criminals. A character can deal nonlethal damage with a tonfa without taking the usual –4 penalty.

Archaic Melee Weapons

Most of these weapons deal damage by means of a blade or a sharp point. Some of them are moderately expensive, reflecting their archaic nature in modern-day society. Bayonet (Fixed) The statistics given describe a bayonet fixed at the end of a longarm with an appropriate mount. With the bayonet fixed, the longarm becomes a double weapon—clublike at one end and spearlike at the other. A character can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, but if the character does so, he incurs all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, as if using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. Hatchet This light axe is a chopping tool that deals slashing damage when employed as a weapon.

Fire axe A heavy axe normally used to break down doors and thin walls.

Rifle Butt The butt of a rifle can be used as an impromptu club.

Longsword This classic, straight blade is the weapon of knighthood and valour.

Sap This weapon, essentially a smaller version of a club, deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage.

Machete This long-bladed tool looks much like a short, lightweight sword.

Stake A shaft of wood no longer than 3 feet long with a sharp whittled end. A poor weapon, though if you happen to be trying to hit something in the heart, remember that this

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Brass Knuckles These pieces of moulded metal fit over the outside of a character’s fingers and allow him to deal lethal damage with an unarmed strike instead of nonlethal damage. A strike with brass knuckles is otherwise considered an unarmed attack.

Rapier The rapier is a lightweight sword with a thin blade. A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a rapier.

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Melee Weapons

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Weapon

Damage

Critical

Damage Type

Range Increment

Size

Weight

Purchase DC

Simple Weapons (require the Simple Weapons Proficiency feat) Brass Knuckles1

+1

20

Bludgeoning

—

Tiny

1 lb.

5

Cleaver

1d6

19-20

Slashing

—

Small

2 lb.

5

Club

1d6

20

Bludgeoning

10 ft.

Med

3 lb.

4

Knife

1d4

19-20

Piercing

10 ft.

Tiny

1 lb.

4

Metal Baton

1d6

19-20

Bludgeoning

—

Med

2 lb.

8

Pistol Whip

1d4

20

Bludgeoning

—

Small

—

—

Rifle Butt

1d6

20

Bludgeoning

—

Large

—

—

Sap

1d6

20

Bludgeoning

—

Small

3 lb.

2

1

Stake

1d4

20

Piercing

—

Small

2 lb.

—

Stun Gun1

1d3

20

Electricity

—

Tiny

1 lb.

5

Tonfa1

1d4

20

Bludgeoning

—

Med

2 lb.

6

Archaic Weapons (require the Archaic Weapons Proficiency feat) Bayonet (fixed) 1

1d4/1d6

20

Piercing

—

Large

1 lb.

7

Fire Axe

1d8

20

Slashing

—

Med

4 lb.

6

Hatchet

1d6

20

Slashing

10 ft.

Small

3 lb.

4

Longsword

1d8

19-20

Slashing

—

Med

4 lb.

11

Machete

1d6

19-20

Slashing

—

Small

2 lb.

5

Rapier

1d6

18-20

Piercing

—

Med

3 lb.

10

Spear

1d8

20

Piercing

—

Large

9 lb.

6

Straight Razor

1d4

19-20

Slashing

—

Tiny

0.5 lb.

4

Sword Cane

1d6

19-20

Slashing

—

Med

3 lb.

9

Exotic Weapons (each requires a specific Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency feat)

1

Chain1

1d6/1d6

20

Bludgeoning

—

Large

5 lb.

5

Chainsaw

3d6

20

Slashing

—

Large

10 lb.

9

Kama

1d6

20

Slashing

—

Small

2 lb.

5

Katana

1d10

19-20

Slashing

—

Large

6 lb.

12

Kukri

1d4

18-20

Slashing

—

Small

1 lb.

5

Nunchaku

1d6

20

Bludgeoning

—

Small

2 lb.

5

Three-Section Staff1

1d8/1d8

20

Bludgeoning

—

Large

3 lb.

7

See the description of this weapon for special rules.

Spear This primitive device is a reach weapon. A character can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but cannot use it against an adjacent foe.

Because of this special construction, a sword cane is always considered to be concealed; it is noticed only with a Spot check (DC 18). The walking stick or umbrella is not concealed, only the blade within.

Straight Razor Favored by old-school organized crime “mechanics,” this item can still be found in some barbershops and shaving kits.

Exotic Melee Weapons

Sword Cane This is a lightweight, concealed sword that hides its blade in the shaft of a walking stick or umbrella.

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Most exotic weapons are either atypical in form or improved variations of other melee weapons. Because each exotic weapon is unique in how it is manipulated and employed, a separate Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency feat is required for each one in order to avoid the –4 nonproficient penalty.

If a character uses the chain as a reach weapon, he can strike opponents up to 10 feet away. In addition, unlike other weapons with reach, the character can use it against an adjacent foe. In this case, the character can only use one end of the chain effectively; he cannot use it as a double weapon. Because a chain can wrap around an enemy’s leg or other limb, a character can make a trip attack with it by succeeding at a melee touch attack. If the character is tripped during his own trip attempt, the character can drop the chain to avoid being tripped. When using a chain, the character gets a +2 equipment bonus on his opposed attack roll when attempting to disarm an opponent (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if the character fails to disarm the opponent). A character can select the Weapon Finesse feat to apply his Dexterity modifier instead of Strength modifier to attack rolls with a chain. Chainsaw Military and police units use powered saws to cut through fences and open doors rapidly. They are sometimes pressed into service as weapons, often by people who watch too many movies. If a character is not proficient with a chain saw and rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll, he has hit himself with the blade and suffer 3d6 damage. Kama A kama is a wooden shaft with a scythe blade extending at a right angle out from the shaft. Kama are traditional weapons in various styles of karate. Katana The katana is the traditional Japanese samurai sword. When used with the Exotic Melee Weapon Proficiency feat, it can be used with one hand. For a wielder without the feat, the katana must be used with two hands and the standard –4 nonproficiency penalty applies. Kukri This heavy, curved dagger has its sharp edge on the inside of the curve.

Nunchaku A popular martial arts weapon, the nunchaku is made of two wooden shafts connected by a short length of rope or chain. Three-Section Staff Originally a farm implement for threshing grain, this weapon is composed of three sections of wood of equal lengths, joined at the ends by chain, leather, or rope. The three-section staff requires two hands to use. The three-section staff is a double weapon. A character can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, but if he does, the character incurs all the normal attack penalties associated with fighting with two weapons, as if using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon.

Improvised Weapons

Any portable object can be used as a weapon in a pinch. In most cases, an object can be wielded either as a melee weapon or a ranged weapon. A character takes a –4 penalty on his attack roll when wielding or throwing an improvised weapon. An improvised weapon is not considered simple, archaic or exotic, so these weapon proficiency feats cannot offset the –4 penalty. The Impromptu Weapon Proficiency does partially offset the penalty, by reducing it to –2.

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Chain Also called the manriki-gusari, this is a simple chain with weighted ends. It can be whirled quickly, striking with hard blows from the weights. One end can also be swung to entangle an opponent. The chain can be used either as a double weapon or as a reach weapon. A character can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, incurring all the normal attack penalties as if using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. In this case, the character can only strike at an adjacent opponent.

Throwing: A character can effectively wield or throw an object of his size category or smaller using one hand. A character can effectively wield or throw an object one size category larger than himself using two hands. An improvised thrown weapon has a range increment of 10 feet. Increase the range increment for creatures of Large size or larger as follows: Large 15 feet, Huge 30 feet, Gargantuan 60 feet, Colossal 120 feet. Damage: Improvised weapons deal lethal damage based on their size, although the Games Master may adjust the damage of an object that is especially light or heavy for its size. The wielder’s Strength modifier applies only to damage from Tiny or larger improvised weapons; do not apply the wielder’s Strength modifier to damage from Diminutive objects. The Improvised Weapon Damage by Size table gives the damage for improvised weapons of varying size. Improvised weapons threaten a critical hit on a natural roll of 20. Improvised weapons of Fine size deal no damage. Unlike real weapons, improvised weapons are not designed to absorb damage. They tend to shatter, bend, crumple or fall apart after a few blows. An improvised weapon has a 50% chance of breaking each time it deals damage or, in the case of thrown objects, strikes a solid surface (such as a wall) or an object larger than itself.

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CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Improvised Weapon Damage by Size Object Size

Examples

Diminutive

Ashtray, CD disk case, 1 crystal paperweight, glass shard*

Tiny

Damage

Fist-sized rock, mug, 1d2 screwdriver, softball, flashlight, wrench, broken bottle*, full soda can, buzzsaw blade*, heavy paperweight, water pistol*, letter-opener, aerosol & lighter*

Drill Critical hits with a drill inflict triple damage rather than double damage. Electric Sander This power tool ignores a creature’s natural armour (but not normal armour). Hedge Trimmer/Lawn Mower These deal 2d6 damage if powered, but only 1d4 if used without power.

Small

Bottle*, drill*, fire extinguisher, flower pot, helmet, metal hubcap, vase, lamp, dumbbell

1d3

Medium

Bar stool, brick, briefcase, bowling ball*, garbage can lid, hockey stick, nail gun*, electric sander*

1d4

Nail Gun A ranged weapon that normally has a range of 10 feet, deals 1d10 damage and normally has a ‘magazine’ of 50 nails. It can also be set to shoot on autofire.

Large

Empty garbage can, guitar, television*, office chair, tire iron, hedge trimmer/lawnmower*

1d6

Television If this improvised weapon breaks, it will (if plugged in) deal and extra 1d6 electricity damage to the taregt as the electronics short out.

Huge

10-foot ladder, mailbox, oil barrel, park bench, sawhorse

1d8

Gargantuan

Desk, dumpster, file cabinet, large sofa, soda machine, piano

2d6

Colossal

Junked vehicle, shed, 2d8 telephone pole *See the description of this weapon for special rules. Aerosol and Lighter Everyone’s favourite home-made flamethrower. Only effective up to five feet, but deals 1d6 fire damage. Bottle If a bottle breaks, it becomes a broken bottle rather than useless. Bowling Ball If properly bowled (on an uncluttered, flat and hard surface) a creature hit by a bowling ball must make a Reflex save (DC equal to the attack roll) or be knocked prone. Broken Bottle These deal 1d3 damage. Any character with armour of any kind is dealt only 1 damage on a successful attack.

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Buzzsaw Blade A character using this weapon in melee takes 1d2 damage every turn. If thrown, this weapon deals 1d4 damage.

Glass Shard A character using this weapon in melee takes 1 damage every turn.

Water Pistols Often stolen from small children to serve as holy water dispensers. A water pistol fires a 10-foot long line of water that deals no damage in itself, but will hit all creatures and objects in its path. No attack roll is necessary. Any creature caught in the line can make a Reflex save (DC 15) to avoid it completely. Creatures with cover get a bonus on their Reflex save.

Armour

Body armour comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, providing varying degrees of coverage and varying heaviness of materials. Two feats cover proficiency in the use of armour: Armour Proficiency (light) and Armour Proficiency (heavy). On rare occasions in a modern game, a character may carry a shield of some kind into combat. This can either be considered an impromptu item, such as a trash can lid or other held object larger than one foot square, or a tactical item such as a police riot shield. In any case, an impromptu shield provides a +1 to Defence and carries an Armour penalty of -2, while a tactical shield designed for protection adds +2 to Defence and confers a -1 Armour Penalty because of its superior construction.

~ ~

~

~

~

Equipment Bonus: The protective value of the armour. This bonus adds to the wearer’s Defence. Nonproficient Bonus: The maximum amount of the armour’s equipment bonus that can be applied to the wearer’s Defence if the wearer is using armour with which he is not proficient (does not have the appropriate feat). Maximum Dex Bonus: This number is the maximum Dexterity bonus to Defence that this type of armour allows. Heavier armour limits mobility, reducing a character’s ability to avoid attacks. Note that even if a character’s Dexterity bonus drops to +0 because of armour, the character is not considered to have lost his Dexterity bonus. Armour Penalty: The heavier or bulkier the armour, the more it affects certain skills. This penalty applies to checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently and Tumble. Speed (30 ft.): Medium and heavy armour slows a character down. The number in this column is the character’s speed while in armour, assuming his base speed is 30 feet (the normal speed for most human beings).

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Armour Traits Armour is described by a number of statistics, as shown on the Armour table below. ~ Type: Armour comes in four types: archaic, impromptu, concealable and tactical. Archaic armour is old-fashioned armour, such as medieval chainmail and plate mail. Impromptu armour includes items that provide protection even though they are primarily constructed for non-combat activities, such as leather biker’s jackets and football pads. Concealable armour is modern body armour designed to fit underneath regular clothing. It can be worn for extended periods of time without fatiguing the wearer. Tactical armour is modern body armour that fits over clothing and cannot be easily concealed. Its weight and bulk make it impractical to wear all the time, and it is generally only donned when a specific dangerous confrontation is likely. Because it is worn over clothing in tactical situations, tactical armour often has pockets, clips and velcro attachment points for carrying weapons, grenades, ammunition, flashlights, first aid kits and other items.

Armour Equipment Bonus

Nonproficient Bonus

Maximum Dex Bonus

Armour Penalty

Speed (30 ft.)

Weight

Purchase DC

Restriction

Leather Jacket Impromptu

+1

+1

+8

-0

30

4 lb.

10

—

Leather Armour

Archaic

+2

+1

+6

-0

30

15 lb.

12

—

Light Undercover Shirt

Concealable

+2

+1

+7

-0

30

2 lb.

13

Lic (+1)

Pull-up Pouch Concealable Vest

+2

+1

+6

-1

30

2 lb.

13

Lic (+1)

Undercover Vest

Concealable

+3

+1

+5

-2

30

3 lb.

14

Lic (+1)

Concealable Vest

Concealable

+4

+2

+4

-3

25

4 lb.

15

Lic (+1)

Chainmail Shirt

Archaic

+5

+2

+2

-5

20

40 lb.

18

—

Light Duty Vest

Tactical

+5

+2

+3

-4

25

8 lb.

16

Lic (+1)

Tactical Vest

Tactical

+6

+2

+2

-5

25

10 lb.

17

Lic (+1)

Special Response Vest

Tactical

+7

+3

+1

-6

20

15 lb.

18

Lic (+1)

Plate Mail

Archaic

+8

+3

+1

-6

20

50 lb.

23

—

Forced Entry Unit

Tactical

+9

+3

+0

-8

20

20 lb.

19

Lic (+1)

Armour

Type

Light Armour

Heavy Armour

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CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

~ ~

~

Weight: This column gives the armour’s weight. Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the armour. This number reflects the base price and does not include any modifier for purchasing the armour on the black market. Restriction: The restriction rating for the armour, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the armour on the black market. Leather Jacket This armour is represented by a heavy leather biker’s jacket. A number of other impromptu armours, such as a football pads and a baseball catcher’s pads, offer similar protection and game statistics. Leather Armour This archaic armour consists of a breastplate made of thick, lacquered leather, along with softer leather coverings for other parts of the body. Light Undercover Shirt Designed for deep undercover work in which it is critical that the wearer not appear to be armed or armoured, this garment consists of a T-shirt with a band of light protective material sewn in around the lower torso. Pull-Up Pouch Vest This garment, consisting of a torso apron of light protective material held up by a loop around the neck, can be stored in an innocuous belt-pack. Deploying the apron is a move action. This garment provides no equipment bonus (and has no armour penalty or maximum Dexterity bonus) when undeployed. Undercover Vest Covering a larger area of the torso, this vest provides better protection than the light undercover shirt – but it is also more easily noticed. It is best used when the armour should remain unseen but the wearer does not expect to face much scrutiny, as it grants a +2 bonus on an opponent’s Spot checks to notice the armour. Concealable Vest Standard issue in many police forces, this vest provides maximum protection in a garment that can be worn all day long under regular clothing. While it may go unnoticed by a quick glance, it is usually visible to anyone looking closely for it, granting a +4 bonus on Spot checks to notice the armour. Chainmail Shirt This medieval-era armour is a long shirt made of interlocking metal rings, with a layer of padding

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underneath. It is heavy, making it uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Light-Duty Vest A lightweight tactical vest designed for extended use by riot police and forces on alert for potential attack, this armour sacrifices a degree of protection for a modicum of comfort – at least compared to other tactical body armours. Tactical Vest The standard body armour for police tactical units, this vest provides full-torso protection in the toughest flexible protective materials available. Plate Mail This medieval-era armour consists of metal plates that cover the entire body. It is heavy and cumbersome compared to most modern armour, but it does provide a great deal of protection. Special Response Vest Built like the tactical vest, but incorporating groin and neck protection as well as a ceramic plate over the chest, this armour provides additional protection in battles against heavily armed opponents. Forced Entry Unit The most powerful protection available is built into this suit, which consists of a heavy torso jacket with ceramic plates over the chest and back, neck and groin guards, arm protection and a helmet. Heavy and cumbersome, this armour is generally only donned by tactical officers heading into a dangerous assault.

Vehicles

Vehicles are described by a number of statistics, as shown on the Vehicles table below. ~ Crew: The standard number of crew. In most cases, only one person is needed to drive the vehicle; other crew members serve as gunners or co-pilots. ~ Passengers: The number of passengers (in addition to the crew) the vehicle is designed to carry. Vehicles that carry passengers can use that space to carry additional cargo when passengers aren’t present. Each unused passenger slot allows the vehicle to carry an additional 100 pounds of cargo. ~ Cargo Capacity: The amount of cargo the vehicle is designed to carry. Many vehicles can carry extra passengers instead of cargo, but doing so is usually a cramped, uncomfortable, and often unsafe experience for those passengers. As a rule of thumb, one additional passenger can be carried for every 250 pounds of unused cargo capacity.

~

~

~ ~ ~ ~

~

~

Civilian Aircraft

All aircraft, from one-seaters to jumbo jets, are controlled by the use of the Pilot skill. A few examples are provided here from the variety of airgoing vehicles that might be available to characters. Bell Jet Ranger This is perhaps the most common civilian helicopter worldwide; it has also been adopted by many military forces as a light utility helicopter. The Jet Ranger is two squares wide and seven squares long. It provides threequarters cover for crew and passengers. Bell Model 212 This is the twin-engine, civilian version of the ubiquitous Huey helicopter. As a civilian aircraft, it is a sturdy, reliable helicopter used for passenger and cargo work all over the world. Military versions are still in use in many countries. The Bell 212 is three squares wide and seven squares long. It provides three-quarters cover for crew and passengers (one-quarter cover for passengers if the cargo doors are open). Cessna 172 Skyhawk This common single-engine propeller plane is relatively inexpensive. A Cessna 172 is seven squares wide (including wings; fuselage is one square wide) and six squares long. It provides three-quarters cover for crew and passengers.

Learjet Model 45 This is a sleek business jet introduced in the late 90s. Two turbofans, set on the fuselage above and behind the wings, provide the power. The interior includes luxury accommodations and a lavatory. A Learjet is ten squares wide (including wings; fuselage is two squares wide) and twelve squares long. It provides three-quarters cover for crew and nine-tenths cover for passengers.

Civilian Cars

Most new civilian cars include such standard features as air conditioning, air bags, antilock brakes, cruise control, keyless entry and an AM/FM radio with CD player. Luxury vehicles often also include extras such as heated side mirrors, power seats, leather upholstery and sunroofs. In general, these luxury amenities can be added to a nonluxury car with an increase of 1 to the vehicle’s purchase DC. Unless otherwise noted, civilian cars provide three-quarters cover for their occupants (although passengers who lean out of windows or sunroofs, perhaps to fire weapons, may be reduced to one-half or even one-quarter cover).

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

~

Initiative: The modifier added to the driver’s or pilot’s initiative check when operating the vehicle. Manoeuvre: The modifier added to any Drive or Pilot checks attempted with the vehicle. Top Speed: The maximum number of squares the vehicle can cover in 1 round at character scale (with the number of squares at chase scale in parentheses). This is the fastest the vehicle can move. Defence: The vehicle’s Defence. Hardness: The vehicle’s hardness. Subtract this number from any damage dealt to the vehicle. Hit Points: The vehicle’s maximum hit points. Size: Vehicle size categories are defined differently from the size categories for weapons and other objects. Purchase DC: This is the purchase DC for a Wealth check to acquire the vehicle. This number reflects the base price and does not include any modifier for purchasing the vehicle on the black market. Restriction: The restriction rating for the vehicle, if any, and the appropriate black market purchase DC modifier. Remember to apply this modifier to the purchase DC when making a Wealth check to acquire the vehicle on the black market.

BMW M3 The M3 is a two-door luxury sports car equipped with a standard 3.2 litre, 333-horsepower engine. The M3 is two squares wide and three squares long. Chevrolet Cavalier A two-door family coupe, the Cavalier is two squares wide and four squares long. Dodge Neon The Neon is an inexpensive four-door family sedan. It is two squares wide and three squares long. Ford Crown Victoria The Crown Victoria is a large four-door family sedan equipped with a 4.6 litre, 220-horsepower V8 engine. Large and durable, it is a favorite of police forces (police cruisers are commonly Crown Victorias). The Crown Victoria is two squares wide and four squares long. Jaguar XJ Sedan The XJ is a four-door luxury sedan. It is two squares wide and four squares long. Lamborghini Diablo The Diablo is a top-of-the-line exotic sports car – a two-door coupe equipped with a standard 6.0 litre, 550horsepower V12 engine. The Diablo is two squares wide and three squares long. Mercedes E55 AMG The E-Class is a four-door luxury sedan equipped with a

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Vehicles

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Vehicle

Crew Pass. Cargo

Init.

Man.

Top Speed

Defence Hardness Hit Points Size

Purchase DC

Restriction

Bell Jet Ranger (helicopter)

1

4

250 lb.

-4

-4

245 (25)

6

5

28

G

39

Lic (+1)

Bell model 212 (helicopter)

2

13

5,000 lb.

-4

-4

200 (20)

6

5

36

G

45

Res (+2)

Cessna 172 Skyhawk (prop plane)

1

3

120 lb.

-4

-4

210 (21)

6

5

30

G

36

Lic (+1)

Learjet Model 45 (corporate jet)

2

10

500 lb.

-4

-4

1,100 (110) 6

5

44

G

40

Lic (+1)

BMW M3 (sports coupe)

1

4

200 lb.

-2

+1

275 (27)

8

5

32

H

30

Lic (+1)

Chevrolet Cavalier (economy coupe)

1

4

275 lb.

-1

-1

185 (18)

9

5

30

L

26

Lic (+1)

Dodge Neon (economy sedan)

1

4

275 lb.

-1

-1

220 (22)

9

5

30

L

26

Lic (+1)

Ford Crown Victoria (midsize sedan)

1

5

425 lb.

-2

-1

185 (18)

8

5

34

H

28

Lic (+1)

Jaguar XJS (luxury sedan)

1

4

275 lb.

-2

-1

230 (23)

8

5

34

H

32

Lic (+1)

Lamborghini Diablo (sports coupe)

1

1

100 lb.

-2

+1

360 (36)

8

5

34

H

37

Lic (+1)

Mercedes E55 AMG (luxury sedan)

1

4

325 lb.

-2

+0

280 (28)

8

5

34

H

32

Lic (+1)

Volkswagen Jetta (mid-size wagon)

1

4

275 lb.

-2

+0

230 (23)

8

5

32

H

28

Lic (+1)

Civilian Aircraft

Civilian Cars

Civilian Motorcycles Ducati 998R (racing bike)

1

0

0 lb.

+0

+3

370 (37)

10

5

18

M

27

Lic (+1)

Harley Davidson FLSTF (street bike)

1

1

0 lb.

-1

+1

275 (27)

9

5

22

L

26

Lic (+1)

Yamaha YZ250F (dirt bike)

1

1

0 lb.

+0

+2

165 (16)

10

5

18

M

23

Lic (+1)

AM General Hummer (SUV)

1

3

1,000 lb.

-2

-2

140 (14)

8

5

38

H

34

Lic (+1)

Dodge Caravan (minivan)

1

4

325 lb.

-2

-2

195 (19)

8

5

34

H

28

Lic (+1)

Ford F-150 XL (pickup)

1

2

1,700 lb.

-2

-2

175 (17)

8

5

36

H

28

Lic (+1)

Civilian Trucks

116

Vehicle

Crew Pass. Cargo

Init.

Man.

Top Speed

Defence Hardness Hit Points Size

Purchase DC

Restriction

Bayliner 1802 Capri (runabout)

1

5

2,100 lb.

-2

-2

55 (5)

8

5

28

H

28

Lic (+1)

Fairline Targa 30 (cabin cruiser)

1

3

2,100 lb.

-4

-4

80 (8)

6

5

40

G

32

Lic (+1)

Sea-Doo XP (personal watercraft)

1

1

60 lb.

-1

+1

105 (10)

9

5

22

L

24

Lic (+1)

2

0

3,600 lb.

-2

-2

175 (17)

8

10

36

H

34

Res (+2)

Honda 1 TRX400FW (4wheel ATV)

0

675 lb.

-1

+1

95 (9)

9

5

22

L

23

Lic (+1)

Limousine

1

7

425 lb.

-4

-4

195 (19)

6

5

38

G

36

Lic (+1)

Removals Truck

1

2

33,000 lb.

-4

-4

165 (16)

6

5

44

G

34

Lic (+1)

NABI Model 40LFW (city bus)

1

39

0 lb.

-4

-4

120 (12)

6

5

48

G

38

Lic (+1)

BMP-2 (tracked 3 APC)

7

250 lb.

-2

-2

70 (7)

8

10

52

H

40

Mil (+3)

M1A2 Abrams (tracked tank)

4

0

425 lb.

-4

-4

80 (8)

6

20

64

G

47

Mil (+3)

M113A1 Gavin (tracked APC)

2

11

200 lb.

-2

-2

65 (6)

8

10

48

H

39

Mil (+3)

UH-60 Black Hawk (helicopter)

2

14

9,000 lb.

-4

-4

325 (32)

6

5

46

G

47

Mil (+3)

Other Civilian Vehicles Armoured Truck

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Civilian Water Vehicles

Military Vehicles

powerful 5.5 litre, 349-horsepower V8 engine. It is two squares wide and four squares long. Volkswagen Jetta The Jetta is a four-door station wagon. It is two squares wide and three squares long.

Civilian Motorcycles

Unlike getting into a car, mounting a motorcycle is a free action. Motorcycles tend to perform better than automobiles, but they provide no cover to their occupants. Ducati 998R This is a top-of-the-line street bike with a strong heritage of winning races. The 998R is one square wide and two squares long.

Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy This huge motorcycle sports a 1,450cc engine. It is designed to look cool and compete for space on the roads with automobiles. It is one square wide and two squares long. Yamaha YZ250F A classic dirt bike, this is very similar to the motorcycle used by United States Army cavalry scouts. The YZ250F is one square wide and two squares long.

Civilian Trucks Trucks include pickups, sport utility vehicles, vans and minivans. They generally have the same features as civilian cars. Like cars, trucks generally provide three-quarters cover to their occupants. The rear bed of a pickup truck, however, provides only one-half cover.

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CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

AM General Hummer The four-door Hummer is a civilian version of the military’s all-terrain “humvee” utility vehicle. It comes equipped with a powerful 6.5 litre, 195-horsepower V8 turbo diesel engine. The hummer is decked out like a luxury vehicle inside, but this vehicle is every bit as rugged as the military version. The military version can be configured in a variety of ways, including a two-door pickup, a four-door pickup with a short bed, and a completely enclosed, SUVlike body with a hatchback and four doors. It lacks the luxury accessories of the civilian version, but it is equipped with puncture-resistant tires. A Hummer is two squares wide and four squares long. Dodge Caravan The Caravan is a minivan with two conventional doors up front, sliding doors on the side, and a rear hatch-style door. It is two squares wide and four squares long. Ford F-150 XL This two-door pickup truck has a 4.2 litre, 202horsepower V6 engine. The F-150 is two squares wide and four squares long.

Civilian Water Vehicles Piloting a water vehicle is covered by the Drive skill. Bayliner 1802 Capri This is a large runabout – a powerboat with an outboard engine and an open cockpit with a tiny cabin (about the size of the interior of an economy car) forward. It comes with a trailer; loading or unloading it requires a paved boat ramp and 10 minutes of work. The Capri provides one-half cover to occupants in the cockpit or stern, full cover to occupants in the cabin, and no cover to those forward of the cockpit. The Capri is two squares wide and four squares long. Fairline Targa 30 This cabin cruiser is a motor yacht with two internal diesel engines. It comes equipped with four berths and a fully equipped galley. It provides one-half cover to occupants in the cockpit or stern, full cover to occupants below deck, and no cover to those forward of the cockpit. The Targa is three squares wide and six squares long.

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Sea-Doo XP This is a two-seat jet ski that propels itself with a powerful jet of water. The Sea-Doo XP is one square wide and two squares long and provides no cover for its riders.

Other Vehicles A few types of vehicles don’t fit neatly into the categories covered above. Many of these (such as the armoured truck and the limousine) are usually custom built, so the model name is not specified as it is with most other vehicles in this section. The description and stats reflect a typical model. Armoured Truck Used to transport money between businesses and financial institutions, armoured trucks are designed to deter wouldbe thieves. The truck has three doors and firing ports that allow the crew to use their firearms without leaving the vehicle. The armoured truck is two squares wide and four squares long. It provides nine-tenths cover for its occupants. It is equipped with puncture-resistant tires. Honda TRX400FW This all-terrain vehicle is something like a four-wheeled motorcycle. It is one square wide and two squares long. It provides no cover for its riders. Limousine A limousine is a big, comfortable car. The statistics given are for a moderate-sized vehicle, rather than a stretch limo or a conventional car with a professional driver. Limousines feature virtually every available luxury feature, often including televisions and small refrigerators. A partition divides the front seat from the rest of the vehicle. A limousine is two squares wide and five squares long. It provides three-quarters cover for its occupants. Moving Truck This is a large cargo truck used to move furniture or deliver freight. Trucks of this sort are often available as rentals. A moving truck is two squares wide and five squares long. It provides three-quarters cover for occupants in the cab and full cover for any in the back. NABI Model 40LFW This is a typical city bus. It has a door at the front and a second door about halfway down the right-hand side. This vehicle is two squares wide and eight squares long. It provides three-quarters cover for crew and passengers.

Military Vehicles

BMP-2 A Soviet-era armoured personnel carrier, the BMP is used by the Russian army and more than twenty exSoviet states or clients. It is crewed by a driver, a gunner and a commander. It has three top hatches, one above each crew position, and a large door in back for infantry soldiers to load or disembark. It takes a full-round action to enter the vehicle through a top hatch and another full-round action to start it moving. The BMP-2 is three squares wide and four squares long. It provides full cover to its occupants. This vehicle comes equipped with a 30mm cannon (see the Vehicle Weapons table) mounted in a full turret.

UH-60 Black Hawk Introduced in the 1980s to replace the aging UH-1, the Black Hawk is the U.S. Army’s primary utility helicopter. The UH-60 is three squares wide and twelve squares long. It provides three-quarters cover to crew and passengers (one-quarter cover to passengers if the cargo doors are open).

CHAINSAWS, STAKES & NAILGUNS

Several military vehicles are covered here. In addition, a number of the civilian vehicles covered above, such as the AM General Hummer and the Bell Model 212 helicopter, are commonly seen in military service.

M113A1 Gavin Introduced in 1960s and for many years a mainstay of the U.S. Army, this tracked armoured personnel carrier is now in use by more than fifty countries. It is crewed by a driver and a commander, and features a top hatch above each position as well as a rear door. It takes a fullround action to enter the vehicle through a top hatch and another full-round action to start it moving. The Gavin is three squares wide and four squares long. It provides full cover to its occupants.

M1A2 Abrams This is the U.S. Army’s main battle tank, probably the most advanced and powerful tank in the world. It is crewed by a driver, a gunner, a gun loader, and a commander. It has three top hatches, one for the driver and two on the turret. The driver’s position cannot be reached from the other positions, which are all accessed by the turret. It takes a full-round action to enter a tank and another full-round action to start it moving. The Abrams is three squares wide and six squares long. It provides full cover to its occupants. This vehicle comes equipped with a tank cannon (see the Vehicle Weapons table) and an M2HB heavy machine gun (see the Ranged Weapons table) , both mounted in full turrets. Vehicle Weapons Weapon

Damage

Critical

Damage Type

Range

Rate of Fire

Magazine

Size

Cannons (require the Exotic Firearms Proficiency (cannons) feat) BMP-2 30mm Cannon

4d12

20

Ballistic

150 ft.

A

Linked

Huge

M1A2 Abrams Tank Cannon

10d12

20

Ballistic

150 ft.

Single

1

Huge

Weight, purchase DC and restriction rating do not apply. These weapons are part of the vehicles on which they are mounted.

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CONDITIONS,ENVIRONMENTS&HAZARDS

Conditions, environments and Hazards A number of adverse conditions can affect the way a character operates, as defined here. If more than one condition affects a character, apply both if possible. If not possible, apply only the most severe condition. Damage from conditions, environments and hazards are always considered lethal damage unless noted otherwise in its description.

Ability Damaged

The character has lost 1 or more ability score points. The loss is temporary and these points return at a rate of 1 per day of rest. This differs from ‘effective’ ability loss, which is an effect that goes away when the condition causing it goes away.

Ability Drained

The character has lost 1 or more ability score points. The loss is permanent.

Blinded

The character cannot see at all, and thus everything has total concealment to him or her. The character has a 50% chance to miss in combat. Furthermore, the blinded character loses their Dexterity bonus to Defence, moves at half speed, and incurs a –4 penalty on Strength-based and Dexterity-based skills. This –4 penalty also applies to Search checks and any other skill checks for which the Games Master deems sight to be important. The character cannot make Spot checks or perform any other activity (such as reading) that requires vision. Characters who are blind long-term (from birth or early in life) grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them (at the Games Master’s discretion).

Cowering

The character is frozen in fear, loses his Dexterity bonus, and can take no actions. In addition, the character takes a –2 penalty to his Defence. The condition typically lasts 10 rounds.

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Dazed

Unable to act, a dazed character can take no actions, but still gets the benefit of his normal Defence. This condition typically lasts 1 round.

Dead

A character dies when his hit points drop to –10 or lower, or when his Constitution drops to 0.

Deafened

The character cannot hear and takes a –4 penalty on initiative checks. The character cannot make Listen checks. Characters who are deafened long-term (from birth or early in life) grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them (at the Games Master’s discretion).

Disabled

The character has 0 hit points. The character can take only a single move action or attack action, and takes 1 point of damage after any action.

Dying

The character is near death and unconscious, with –1 to –9 wound points. The character can take no actions and each round a dying character loses 1 hit point until he dies or becomes stable.

Entangled

An entangled character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls in addition to a –4 penalty to Dexterity. If the entangling bonds are anchored to an immobile object, the entangled character cannot move. Otherwise, the character can move at half speed, but cannot run or charge.

Exhausted

Characters who are exhausted move at half speed and cannot run or charge. Furthermore, they take a –6 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. After 1 hour of complete,

Fatigued

Characters who are fatigued cannot run or charge and take a penalty of –2 to Strength and Dexterity. After 8 hours of complete, uninterrupted rest, a fatigued character is no longer fatigued.

Flat-Footed

A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed, meaning he is not yet up to speed with the situation. A flat-footed character loses his Dexterity bonus to Defence.

Grappled

When grappled, a character cannot undertake any action other than attacking with his bare hands, attacking with a light weapon, or attempting to break free from his opponent. The character loses his Dexterity bonus to Defence, except on attacks from characters with whom he is grappling.

Helpless

Paralysed, sleeping or unconscious characters are helpless. A helpless character has an effective Defence of 5 + size modifier. An attacker can attempt a coup de grace against a helpless character.

Prone

An attacker who is prone (lying on the ground) takes a –4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use bows or thrown ranged weapons. The character gains a +4 bonus to Defence against ranged attacks, but takes a –4 penalty to Defence against melee attacks.

Shaken

A shaken character takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks.

Stable

A stable character is no longer dying, but is still unconscious.

Stunned

A character who becomes stunned loses his Dexterity bonus, drops what he is holding and can take no attack or move actions. In addition, the character takes a –2 penalty to Defence. The condition typically lasts 1 round.

CONDITIONS,ENVIRONMENTS&HAZARDS

uninterrupted rest, an exhausted character becomes fatigued.

Unconscious

An unconscious character is unable to defend himself. The character is helpless and typically falls prone.

Nauseated

Characters who are nauseated are unable to attack or do anything else requiring attention or concentration. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.

Panicked

A panicked character flees as fast as possible and cowers (see Cowering, above) if unable to get away. The character defends normally but cannot attack.

Paralysed

Characters who are paralysed fall to the ground, unable to move (they have an effective, but not actual, Dexterity and Strength of 0). They are considered helpless.

Pinned

A pinned character is held immobile (but not helpless) in a grapple. The character takes a –4 penalty to Defence against melee attacks and loses his Dexterity bonus to Defence.

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CONDITIONS,ENVIRONMENTS&HAZARDS

Environments and Hazards Darkness and Light

It is a rare mission that does not end up in the dark somewhere, even in the modern, electrically lit world and characters need a way to see. See the Light Sources table for the radius that a light source illuminates and how long it lasts.

Light Sources Item

Light

Duration

Candle

5 feet

12 hours

Torch

20 feet

2 hours

Halogen Lantern

40 feet

24 hours

Flashlight 20 feet* 6 hours *Creates a beam 30 feet long and five feet high

Heat and Cold

Heat and cold deal damage that cannot be recovered until the character counteracts or escapes the inclement temperature. As soon as the character suffers any damage from heat or cold, he is considered fatigued. A character not properly equipped to counteract the heat or cold must attempt a Fortitude saving throw each

hour (DC 15, +1 for each previous check). Failure means that the character loses 1d4 hit points. Heavy clothing or armour provides a –4 penalty on saves against heat but grants a +4 equipment bonus on saves against cold. A character who succeeds at a Survival check (DC 15) gains a +4 competence bonus on the save (see the Survival skill). Searing heat or bitter cold (desert or arctic conditions) forces a character to make a Fortitude save every 10 minutes. Failure means that the character loses 1d6 hit points. Appropriate clothing and successful use of the Survival skill can modify the save, as noted above.

Catching on Fire

Characters exposed to open flames might find their clothes, hair or equipment on fire. Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out – that is, once the character succeeds at the saving throw, he is no longer on fire. A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with blankets permits the character another save with a +4 bonus.

Starvation and Thirst

Sometimes characters might find themselves without food and water. In normal climates, characters need at least a gallon of fluids and about 1/4 pound of decent food per day to avoid the threat of starvation. In very hot climates, characters need two or three times as much water to avoid dehydration. A character can go without water for one day plus a number of hours equal to his Constitution score. After this, the character must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of damage. A character can go without food for three days, in growing discomfort. After this, the character must make a Constitution check each day (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or sustain 1d6 points of damage. Damage from thirst or starvation cannot be recovered until the character gets water or food, as needed. Even magical or psionic effects that restore hit points cannot heal this damage.

122

A character in an airless environment (underwater, vacuum) can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to his Constitution score. After this period of time, the character must make a Constitution check (DC 10) every round to continue holding his breath. Each round, the DC of the Constitution check increases by 1. When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, he begins to suffocate or drown. In the next round, the character falls unconscious with 0 hit points. In the following round, the character drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round after failing the check, the character dies of suffocation or drowning.

breath for a number of rounds equal to his Constitution score. After this period of time, the target must make a Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) every round to continue holding his breath. The target begins to suffocate on a failed check (see Suffocation and Drowning).

Smoke

Characters breathing heavy smoke or similar toxic gases must make a Constitution check (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) each round or spend that round nauseated. Characters who choke for 2 consecutive rounds take 1d6 points of damage. Smoke also obscures vision, giving one-half concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it.

If at any time the target breaks free or slips free of the grapple, the stranglehold is broken (although any damage that was dealt remains). Note that a grappled target who is not pinned can use his attack action to strangle his attacker in return.

CONDITIONS,ENVIRONMENTS&HAZARDS

Suffocation and Drowning

Falling

Strangulation

A character takes 1d6 points of damage for every 10 feet of a fall, to a maximum of 20d6 points. If the character succeeds on a Reflex saving throw (DC 10, +1 for each 10 feet fallen), this damage is halved. If the saving throw fails, full damage is applied.

When a character is strangled by an instrument or an attacker, use the rules below. A character can strangle or choke a target of the same size category or one size category larger or smaller. The strangling attempt incurs an attack of opportunity.

A character can make a Tumble check (DC 15) to treat a fall as if it were 10 feet shorter when determining the damage and the Reflex saving throw DC required by the fall.

To begin the choke, the attacker must succeed at an opposed grapple check. If the grapple succeeds, the attacker can choose to deal normal unarmed damage as well as choke the target. The target can hold his of her Damage from Falling Objects Object Size

Example

Initial Damage

Reflex Save DC

Strength Check DC

Fine

Penny

0

n/a

n/a

Diminutive

Paperweight

1

0

n/a

Tiny

Wrench

1d3

5

n/a

Small

Vase

1d4

10

5

Medium

Briefcase

1d6

15

10

Large

Garbage Can

2d6

20

20

Huge

Oil Barrel

4d6

25

30

Gargantuan

Piano

8d6

30

40

Colossal

Minivan

10d8

35

50

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CONDITIONS,ENVIRONMENTS&HAZARDS

Diseases Disease

Type

Fort Save DC

Incubation Period

Initial Damage

Secondary Damage

Anthrax

Inhaled/Injury

16

1d2 days

1 Con

1d4 Con*

Small Pox

Inhaled/Contact

15

2d4 days

1 Str & 1 Con

1d2 Str & 1d2 Con

Pneumonia

Inhaled

12

1d4 days

1 Str

1d3 Str & 1d3 Con

Hantavirus

Injury

14

1 day

1d2 Str

1d2 Str & 1d2 Con*

Necrotising Faciitis

Contact

13

1d6 days

1 Con

1d3 Con*

West Nile Virus

Injury

12

1d4 days

1 Dex & 1 Con

1d2 & 1d2 Con*

Salmonellosis Ingested 13 1 day 1 Str & 1 Dex 1 Str & 1 Dex *If damage is sustained, make a second saving throw to avoid 1 point being permanently drained (instead of damaged).

Falling Objects Objects that fall upon characters (or creatures, or vehicles) deal damage based on their size and the distance fallen, as noted on the Damage from Falling Objects table. Objects deal the initial damage given in the table below if they fall 10 feet or less. An object deals an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 10-foot increment it falls beyond the first (to a maximum of 20d6 points of damage). Objects of Fine size are too small to deal damage, regardless of the distance fallen. A successful Reflex save indicates that the target takes half damage. The size of the falling object determines the save DC. If the save fails by 10 or more, and the object is at least two size categories larger than the character, the character is pinned under the fallen object. A pinned character cannot move but is not helpless. The character can make a Strength check to lift the object off himself or an Escape Artist check (DC 20) to get out from underneath. The Games Master can modify the DCs for these checks based on the circumstances.

Poison

When a character takes damage from a poisoned weapon, touches an item smeared with contact poison, consumes a poisonous substance, inhales a poisonous gas or is otherwise poisoned, the character must make a Fortitude saving throw. If the character fails, he takes the poison’s initial damage (usually ability damage). Even if the character succeeds, he typically faces secondary damage 1 minute later. This secondary damage also requires a Fortitude saving throw to avoid. Poisons are detailed in the Craft (pharmaceutical) skill description. Poisonous liquids are usually administered through injection or by application to a weapon. Poisonous gases

124

must be inhaled to be effective. Poisonous solids are usually ingested with food or drink.

Perils of Using Poison

A character has a 5% chance (roll of 1 on 1d20) to expose himself to a poison whenever the character applies it to a weapon or otherwise readies it for use. Additionally, a character who rolls a 1 on an attack roll with a poisoned weapon must succeed at a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) or accidentally poison himself with the weapon.

Poison Immunity

Creatures with natural poison attacks are immune to their own poison. Nonliving creatures and creatures without metabolisms are immune to poison (such as oozes), though it is conceivable that a special poison could be synthesized specifically to harm them.

Disease

When a character is exposed to a treatable disease, the character must make an immediate Fortitude saving throw. The victim must make this roll when he comes into contact with an infectious carrier, touches an item smeared with diseased matter, consumes food or drink tainted with a disease, or suffers damage from a contaminated attack. If the character succeeds, the disease has no effect on him or her – the character’s immune system fights off the infection. If the character fails the save, he takes damage after an incubation period; once per day thereafter, the character must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw to avoid secondary damage. Two successful saving throws in a row indicate that the character has fought off the disease and recovers, taking no more damage.

Disease Traits

The characteristics of some treatable diseases are summarised on the Diseases table. ~ Type: The disease’s method of delivery – ingested, inhaled or via an injury – and the DC needed to save.

Electricity Damage Type

Examples

Damage

Fort Save DC

Jolt

Car battery, stun gun

1d3

10

Low Voltage

Fuse box, electrical socket

2d6

15

Medium Voltage

Industrial transformer, electric fence

4d6

15

Acid

High Voltage

Power line, electric chair, lightning

8d6

20

Acid Damage

of acid must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or take 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. A second save must succeed 1 minute later to avoid taking another 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage.

~

~ ~

Corrosive acids deal damage each round of exposure. The amount of damage varies depending on the acid’s strength, as noted on the Acid Damage table.

Acid Strength

Splash Attack

Total Immersion

Mild

1d6

1d10

Potent

2d6

2d10

Concentrated 3d6 *Damage per round of exposure

3d10

Acid damage from an attack reduces hit points. A character fully immersed in acid takes potentially more damage per round of exposure than a character splashed with acid. The fumes from most acids are inhaled poisons. Those who come within 5 feet of a large body

Electricity

CONDITIONS,ENVIRONMENTS&HAZARDS

Some injury diseases can be transmitted by a wound as small as an insect bite. Most diseases that are inhaled can also be ingested (and vice versa). Incubation Period: The amount of time before initial damage takes effect (if the victim fails his Fortitude save). Initial Damage: The ability damage the victim takes after the incubation period. Secondary Damage: The amount of ability damage the character takes one day after taking initial damage, if he fails a second saving throw. This damage is taken each day the saving throw fails.

Electrical hazards come in many forms, including stun guns, downed power lines and electric security fences. The Electricity Damage table gives damage values for various electrical hazards based on relative voltage. A character can make a Fortitude saving throw to reduce the damage by half. If that character is not grounded or is otherwise insulated from the current, a successful save indicates that no damage is suffered.

125

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

Combat (and Running Away) Combat in OGL Horror is played out in rounds, and in each round everybody acts in turn in a regular cycle. Skills, feats, and equipment can modify combat rolls in numerous ways, but it does not change the basic tenets of how combat operates. Combat usually runs in the following way. Each combatant starts the battle flat-footed. Once a combatant acts, he is no longer flat-footed. Exception: When everyone involved in a combat knows that a battle is about to begin and spend more than one minute in full view of each other, no one is flatfooted during the first round (except to an attack that comes in from outside the visible opponents). ~ The Games Master determines which characters are aware of their opponents at the start of the battle. If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. The combatants who are aware of their opponents can act in the surprise round, so they roll for initiative. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take one move or attack action. Combatants who were unaware do not get to act in the surprise round. If no one or everyone starts the battle aware, there is no surprise round. ~ Combatants who have not yet rolled initiative do so. All combatants are now ready to begin their first regular round. ~ Combatants act in initiative order. Initiative is calculated using a Dexterity check as detailed below. ~ When everyone has had a turn, whether they take advantage of it or not, the combatant with the highest initiative acts again, and the characters repeat acting in initiative order until combat ends. ~

Attack Roll

An attack roll represents a character’s attempts to strike an opponent on the character’s turn in a round. When a character makes an attack roll, he rolls 1d20 and adds his attack bonus. If the result equals or beats the target’s Defence, the character hits and deals damage. Many modifiers can affect the attack roll.

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A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on the attack roll is always a miss. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a hit. A natural 20 is also always a threat – a possible critical hit. If the character is not proficient in the weapon he is attacking with (the character does not have the appropriate Weapon Proficiency feat), that character takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll.

Attack Bonus A character’s attack bonus with a melee weapon is: Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier A character’s attack bonus with a ranged weapon is: Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + range penalty + size modifier

Strength Modifier Strength helps a character swing a weapon harder and faster, so a character’s Strength modifier applies to melee attack rolls.

Size Modifier Creature size categories are defined differently from the size categories for weapons and other objects. Since this size modifier applies to Defence against a melee weapon attack or a ranged weapon attack, two creatures of the

Size Modifiers Size (Example)

Size Modifier

Colossal (blue whale [90 ft. long])

–8

Gargantuan (gray whale [40 ft. long])

–4

Huge (elephant)

–2

Large (lion)

–1

Medium-size (human)

+0

Small (German shepherd)

+1

Tiny (housecat)

+2

Diminutive (rat)

+4

Fine (horsefly)

+8

same size strike each other normally, regardless of what size they actually are. Creature sizes are compatible with vehicle sizes.

Dexterity measures coordination and steadiness, so a character’s Dexterity modifier applies when the character attacks with a ranged weapon.

Range Penalty The range penalty for a ranged weapon depends on what weapon the character is using and how far away the target is. All ranged weapons and thrown weapons have a range increment (see Chapter 5, Chainsaws, Stakes and Nailguns). Any attack from a distance of less than one range increment is not penalized for range. However, each full range increment causes a cumulative –2 penalty on the attack roll. A thrown weapon has a maximum range of five range increments. Ranged weapons that fire projectiles can shoot up to ten increments.

Damage

When a character hits with a weapon, he deals damage according to the type of weapon. Effects that modify weapon damage also apply to unarmed strikes and the natural physical attacks of creatures. Damage is deducted from the target’s current hit points. Attacks against objects are dealt with in a separate section detailed below.

Minimum Weapon Damage If penalties to damage bring the damage result below 1, a hit still deals 1 point of damage. This can be negated by Hardness or Damage Reduction to 0; the minimum damage of 1 rule only applies to penalties on the damage roll itself.

Strength Bonus When a character hits with a melee weapon or thrown weapon, add his Strength modifier to the damage. The Weapon Finesse feat applies only to attack rolls, not damage. ~

~

Off-Hand Weapon: When a character deals damage with a weapon in his off hand, add only half of the character’s Strength bonus. Wielding a Weapon Two-Handed: When a character deals damage with a weapon that he is wielding two-handed, add 1.5 times the character’s Strength bonus. However, the character does not get this higher Strength bonus when using a light weapon twohanded; in such a case, only the character’s normal Strength bonus applies to the damage roll.

Sometimes damage is multiplied by some factor, generally a x2 or more due to a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results. Bonus damage represented as extra dice is an exception. Do not multiply bonus damage dice when a character scores a critical hit.

Critical Hits When a character makes an attack roll and gets a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), the character hits regardless of the target’s Defence and the character has scored a threat of a critical hit. To find out if it is actually a critical hit, the character immediately makes another attack roll with all the same modifiers as the attack roll that scored the threat. If the second roll also results in a hit against the target’s Defence, the attack is a critical hit. The second roll just needs to hit to confirm a critical hit; the character does not need to roll a second 20. If the second roll is a miss, then the attack just deals the damage of a regular hit.

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

Dexterity Modifier

Multiplying Damage

A critical hit multiplies the character’s damage. Unless otherwise specified, the multiplier is x2. It is possible for some weapons to have higher multipliers, doing more damage on a critical hit. Some weapons have expanded threat ranges, making a critical hit more likely. However, even with these weapons, only a 20 is an automatic hit. The Critical columns on the weapon tables (in Chapter 5, Chainsaws, Stakes and Nailguns) indicates the threat range for each weapon on the tables.

Defence Value

A character’s Defence Value (DV) represents how hard it is for opponents to land a solid, damaging blow on the character. It is the attack roll result that an opponent needs to achieve to hit the character. The average, unarmoured civilian has a Defence of 10. A character’s Defence Value is equal to: 10 + Dexterity modifier + class bonus + equipment bonus + size modifier

Dexterity Modifier If a character’s Dexterity is high, he is particularly adept at dodging blows or gunfire. If a character’s Dexterity is low, he is particularly inept at it. Characters apply their Dexterity modifier to Defence. Sometimes a character cannot use his Dexterity bonus, whether because of an entanglement, being caught flatfooted, or for some other reason. If a character cannot react to a blow, that character cannot use his Dexterity bonus to Defence.

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Note that a Dexterity penalty will still apply, however, even if the character is flat-footed.

Class Bonus A character’s class and level grant the character an innate bonus to Defence. This bonus applies in all situations, even when the character is flat-footed or when the character would lose his Dexterity bonus for some other reason.

Equipment Bonus If a character wears armour, it provides a bonus to his Defence Value. This bonus represents the armour’s ability to protect the character from blows, effectively meaning that they do not hit hard enough to inflict damage. Armour provides a minimum bonus to anyone who wears it, but a character who is proficient in the use of a certain type of armour receives a larger bonus to Defence. Sometimes a character cannot use his equipment bonus to Defence. If an attack will damage the character just by touching him or her, that character cannot add his

equipment bonus to Defence (see Touch Attacks, below).

Size Modifier The bigger an opponent is, the easier it is to hit in combat. The smaller it is, the harder it is to hit. Since this same modifier applies to attack rolls a creature does not have a hard time attacking another creature of the same size. Size modifiers are shown on the Size Modifiers table.

Other Modifiers Other factors can add to a character’s Defence Value. Feats: Some feats give a bonus to a character’s Defence Value. Dodge Bonuses: Some other Defence bonuses represent actively avoiding blows. These bonuses are called dodge bonuses. Any situation that denies a character his Dexterity bonus also denies his dodge bonuses. Unlike most sorts of bonuses, dodge bonuses stack with each other.

Touch Attacks Some attacks disregard armour. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll (either a ranged touch attack roll or a melee touch attack roll). The attacker makes his attack roll as normal, but a character’s Defence does not include any equipment bonus or armour bonus. All other modifiers, such as class bonus, Dexterity modifier and size modifier, apply normally.

Hit Points

A character’s hit points tell how much punishment he can take before dropping. Hit points are based on the character’s class and level and the character’s Constitution modifier applies. When a character’s hit point total drops to 0, he is disabled. When it drops to –1, he is dying. When it drops to –10, the character is dead.

Speed

A character’s speed tells how far he can move in a move action. Humans normally move 30 feet, but some creatures move faster or slower. Wearing armour can slow a character down. A character normally moves as a move action, leaving an attack action to attack. The character can, however, use his attack action as a second move action. This could let the character move again, for a total movement of up to double his normal speed. Another option is to run all out (a full-round action). This lets the character move up to four times his normal

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speed, but a character can only run all out in a straight line and doing so affects the character’s Defence (see the full-round action Run).

Generally, when a character is subject to an unusual or magical attack, he gets a saving throw to avoid or reduce the effect. A saving throw is a 1d20 roll plus a bonus based on the character’s class and level (the character’s base save bonus) and an ability modifier. A natural 1 (the d20 comes up 1) on a saving throw is always a failure. A natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20) is always a success. The Difficulty Class for a save is determined by the attack or effect itself. A character’s saving throw bonus is equal to: Base save bonus + ability modifier

Saving Throw Types The three different kinds of saving throws are: Fortitude: These saves measure a character’s ability to stand up to massive physical punishment or attacks against his vitality and health such as poison and paralysis. Apply a character’s Constitution modifier to his Fortitude saving throws. Reflex: These saves test a character’s ability to dodge massive attacks such as explosions or car wrecks. Often, when damage is inevitable, a character gets to make a Reflex save to take only half damage. Apply the character’s Dexterity modifier to his Reflex saving throws. Will: These saves reflect a character’s resistance to mental influence, domination, and psychological effects. Apply the character’s Wisdom modifier to his Will saving throws.

Initiative

Every round, each combatant gets to take their allotment of actions. The combatants’ initiative checks, from highest to lowest, determine the order in which they act, from first to last. At the start of a battle, each combatant makes a single initiative check. An initiative check is a Dexterity check. Each character applies his Dexterity modifier to the roll, and anyone with the Improved Initiative feat gets an additional +4 bonus on the check. The Games Master finds out what order characters are acting in, counting down from highest result to lowest, and each character acts in turn. On all following rounds, the characters act in the same order (unless a character takes an action that

If two or more combatants have the same initiative check result, the combatants who are tied go in order of total initiative modifier (including Dexterity modifier and Improved Initiative bonus, if applicable). If there is still a tie, roll a die. Flat-Footed: At the start of a battle, before the character has had a chance to act (specifically, before the character’s first turn in the initiative order), the character is flat-footed. A character cannot use his Dexterity bonus, and therefore loses his this bonus to Defence while flatfooted. Joining a Battle: If characters enter a battle after it has begun, they roll initiative at that time and act whenever their turn comes up in the existing order.

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

Saving Throws

results in his initiative changing; see Special Initiative Actions).

Surprise When a combat starts, if a character was not aware of his enemies and they were aware of the character, that character is surprised. Likewise, a character can surprise his enemies if the character knows about them before they are aware of the character.

The Surprise Round If some but not all of the combatants are aware of their opponents, a surprise round happens before regular rounds begin. The combatants who are aware of the opponents can act in the surprise round, so they roll for initiative. In initiative order (highest to lowest), combatants who started the battle aware of their opponents each take an attack action or move action during the surprise round (see Action Types, below). If no one or everyone is surprised, a surprise round does not occur.

Unaware Combatants Combatants who are unaware at the start of battle do not get to act in the surprise round. Unaware combatants are still flat-footed because they have not acted yet. Because of this, they lose any Dexterity bonus to Defence.

Actions in Combat The fundamental actions of moving and attacking cover most of what a character wants to do in a battle. They are described here. Other, more specialized options are touched on in the Actions in Combat table, and covered in Special Initiative Actions and Special Attacks.

The Combat Round

Each round represents about 6 seconds in the game world. A round is an opportunity for each character

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COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

Actions in Combat Type of Action

Attack of Opportunity?*

Attack Actions

Yes

Withdraw

No

Extinguish flames

No

Attack (melee)

No

Use a skill that takes a full round

Usually

Attack (ranged)

Yes Yes

Reload a firearm with an internal magazine

Yes

Attack (unarmed) Attack (aid another)

No

Free Actions

Bull rush (attack)

No

Drop an object

No

Escape a grapple

No

Drop to prone, sitting, or kneeling

No

Feint (see the Bluff skill)

No

Speak

No

Ready (triggers an attack action)

No

Varied Action Types

Make a dying character stable

Yes

Disarm‡

Yes

Attack a weapon

Yes

Grapple‡

Yes

Attack an object

Maybe†

Load a weapon

Yes

Total defence

No

Trip an opponent‡

No

Use a skill that takes an attack action

Usually

Use a feat?

Varies

No Action

Move Action

Delay

Move your speed

Yes

Use a piece of equipment

No

Climb (one-quarter speed)

No

Climb, accelerated (one-half speed) No Crawl

No

Draw a weapon^

No

Holster a weapon

Yes

Move a heavy object

Yes

Open a door

No

Pick up an object

Yes

Reload a firearm with a box magazine or speed loader

Yes

Retrieve a stored object

Yes

Stand up from prone, sitting, or kneeling

No

Start/complete full-round action

Varies

Swim

No

Use a skill that takes a move action

Usually

Full-Round Action

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Run

Bull Rush (charge)

No

Charge

No

Coup de grace

Yes

Full attack

No

Overrun (charge)

No

No

5-foot step No * Regardless of the action, if a character moves out of a threatened square, the character usually provokes an attack of opportunity. This column indicates whether the action itself, not moving, provokes an attack of opportunity. † If the object is being held, carried, or worn by a creature, Yes. If not, No. ^If the character has the Quick Draw feat, this is a free action. If the character has the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, he can draw two light or one-handed weapons in one move action (or free action if he also has the Quick Draw feat). ‡ These attack forms substitute for a melee attack, not an action. As melee attacks, they can be used once in an attack or charge action, one or more times in a full attack action, or even as an attack of opportunity. ? The description of a feat defines its effect. involved in a combat to take an action. Anything a person could reasonably do in 6 seconds, a character can do in 1 round. Each round’s activity begins with the character with the highest initiative result and then proceeds, in descending order, from there. Each round of a combat uses the same initiative order. When a character’s turn comes up in the initiative sequence, that character performs his entire round’s worth of actions (though exceptions exist; see Attacks of Opportunity and Special Initiative Actions).

Action Types

The four types of actions are attack actions, move actions, full-round actions and free actions. In a normal round, a character can perform an attack action and a move action (or two move actions; a character can always take a move action in place of an attack action), or a character can perform a full-round action. A character can also perform as many free actions as the Games Master allows. In some situations (such as in the surprise round) a character may be limited to taking only a single attack or move action.

Attack Action An attack action allows a character to do something. A character can make an attack, use a skill or a feat (unless the skill or feat requires a full-round action to perform; see the Actions in Combat table), or perform other similar actions. During a combat round, a character can take an attack action and a move action. A character can take a move action before or after performing an attack action.

Move Action A move action allows a character to move his speed or perform an action that takes a similar amount of time. A character can move his speed, climb one-quarter of his speed, draw or stow a weapon or other object, stand up, pick up an object,or perform some equivalent action (see the Actions in Combat table). A character can take a move action in the place of an attack action. If a character moves no actual distance in a round, that character can take one 5-foot step before, during or after the action.

Full-Round Action A full-round action consumes all a character’s effort during a round. The only movement the character can take during a full-round action is a 5-foot step before, during, or after the action. Some full-round actions do not allow a character to take a 5-foot step. A character can also perform free actions (see below) as the Games Master allows.

Free Action Free actions consume a very small amount of time and effort and over the span of the round, their impact is so minor that they are considered free. A character can perform one or more free actions while taking another action normally. However, the Games Master puts reasonable limits on what a character can really do for free. For instance, dropping an object, dropping to a prone position and speaking a sentence or two are all free actions – but may be restricted.

Attack Actions

Most common attack actions are described below. More specialized attack actions are mentioned in Table: Actions in Combat, and covered in Special Attacks.

Melee Attacks With a normal melee weapon, a character can strike any enemy within 5 feet. Enemies within 5 feet are considered adjacent to the character. A character capable of making more than one melee attack per round must use the full attack action (see Full-Round Actions, below) in order to make more than one attack.

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

For almost all purposes, there is no relevance to the end of a round or the beginning of a round. A round can be a set amount of game time starting with the first character to act and ending with the last, but it usually means a span of time from a certain round to the same initiative number in the next round. Effects that last a certain number of rounds end just before the same initiative count that they began on.

Fighting Defensively A character can choose to fight defensively while making a melee attack. If the character does so, he takes a –4 penalty on his attack in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to Defence in the same round. A character with 5 or more ranks in Tumble gains a +3 dodge bonus to Defence (instead of the normal +2) when fighting defensively.

Unarmed Attacks Striking for damage with punches, kicks and head butts is much like attacking with a melee weapon, except that an unarmed attack deals nonlethal damage. Unarmed strikes count as light melee weapons (for purposes of two-weapon attack penalties and so on). The following exceptions to normal melee rules apply to unarmed attacks. ~ Attacks of Opportunity: Making an unarmed attack against an armed opponent provokes an attack of opportunity from the character attacked. The attack of opportunity comes before the character’s attack. An unarmed attack does not provoke attacks of opportunity from other foes, nor does it provoke an attack of opportunity from an unarmed foe. ~ ‘Armed’ Unarmed Attacks: Sometimes a character or creature attacks unarmed but the attack still counts as armed. A creature with claws, fangs and similar natural physical weapons, for example, counts as armed. Being armed counts for both offense and

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COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

~

~

defence – not only does a creature not provoke an attack of opportunity when attacking an armed foe, but a character provokes an attack of opportunity from that creature if the character makes an unarmed attack against it. The Combat Martial Arts feat makes a character’s unarmed attacks count as armed. Unarmed Strike Damage: An unarmed strike from a Medium-size character deals 1d3 points (plus the character’s Strength modifier, as normal) of nonlethal damage. A character can specify that his unarmed strike will deal lethal damage before the character makes his attack roll, but the character takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll because he has to strike a particularly vulnerable spot to deal lethal damage.

Ranged Attacks With a ranged weapon, a character can shoot or throw at any target that is within the ranged weapon’s maximum range and in line of sight. A target is in line of sight if there are no solid obstructions between the character and the target. The maximum range for a thrown weapon is five range increments. For weapons that fire projectiles, it is ten range increments. A character capable of making more than one ranged attack per round must use the full attack action (see FullRound Actions, below) in order to make more than one attack. ~ Shooting or Throwing into a Melee: If a character shoots or throws a ranged weapon at a target that is engaged in melee with an ally, the character takes a –4 penalty on his attack roll because the character has to aim carefully to avoid hitting the ally. Two characters are engaged in melee if they are enemies and they are adjacent to one another. An unconscious or otherwise immobilized character is not considered engaged unless

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~

he is actually being attacked. If the target is so big that part of it is 10 feet or farther from the nearest ally, the character can avoid the –4 penalty, even if it is engaged in melee with an ally. Because of the weapon’s unwieldy shape and size, an attacker using a rifle takes a –4 penalty on attacks against adjacent opponents. Fighting Defensively: A character can choose to fight defensively while making a ranged attack. If the character does so, he takes a –4 penalty on his attack in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to Defence in the same round.

Total Defence Instead of attacking, a character can use his attack action simply to defend. This is called a total defence action. The character does not get to attack or perform any other activity, but does get a +4 dodge bonus to his Defence for 1 round. The character’s Defence improves at the start of this action, so it helps against any attacks of opportunity the character is subject to while performing his move action.

Move Actions

With the exception of specific movement-related skills, most move actions do not require a check, though in some cases ability checks may be required.

Movement The simplest move action is moving the character’s speed. If a character takes this kind of move action during his turn, the character cannot also take a 5-foot step. Many nonstandard modes of movement are also covered under this category, including climbing and swimming (up to one-quarter the character’s speed), crawling (up to 5 feet) and entering a vehicle.

Manipulating Objects

Standing Up Standing up from a prone position requires a move action. It provokes an attack of opportunity from opponents who threaten the character. A character can make a Tumble check (DC 20) to stand without provoking an attack of opportunity. If the Tumble check result is 30 or better, standing is a free action instead of a move action.

Start/Complete Full-Round Action The ‘start/complete full-round action’ move action lets a character start undertaking a full-round action (such as those listed on the Actions in Combat table) at the end of his turn, or complete a full-round action by using a move action at the beginning of his turn in the round following the round when the character started the fullround action. If the character starts a full-round action at the end of his turn, the next action that character takes must be to complete the full-round action or, if that is physically impossible, abandon it completely.

Full-Round Actions

A full-round action requires an entire round to complete. If it does not involve moving any distance, a character can combine it with a 5-foot step.

Charge Charging is a special full-round action that allows a character to move more than his speed and attack during the action. However, there are tight restrictions on how and when a character can charge. Movement during a Charge: The character must move before his attack, not after. The character must move at least 10 feet and may move up to twice his speed. All movement must be in a straight line, with no backing up allowed. The character must stop as soon as he is within striking range of his target (the character cannot run past the target and attack from another direction). A character cannot take a 5-foot step during the same round as a charge. During the surprise round (or any other time a character is limited to taking no more than a single attack action on

Circumstances

Primary Hand

Off Hand

Normal penalties

–6

10

Off-hand weapon is light

–4

–8

Two-Weapon Fighting feat

–4

–4

Off-hand weapon is light and –2 Two-Weapon Fighting feat

–2

his turn) the character can still use the charge action, but he is only allowed to move up to his speed (instead of up to twice his speed). ~ Attacking after a Charge: After moving, the character may make a single melee attack. The character gets a +2 bonus on the attack roll. The character also takes a –2 penalty to his Defence for 1 round (until the beginning of the character’s turn in the following round).

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

In most cases, moving or manipulating an object is a move action. This includes drawing or holstering a weapon, retrieving or putting away a stored object, picking up an object, moving a heavy object and opening a door. If the character has a base attack bonus of +1 or higher, he can draw a weapon as part of his normal movement.

Two-Weapon Fighting Penalties

Even if the character has extra attacks, such as from having a high enough base attack bonus or from using multiple weapons, a character only gets to make one attack after a charge. Instead of attacking the target, a character can attempt to push the target back; see Bull Rush.

Full Attack If a character gets more than one attack per action because his base attack bonus is high enough, because he fights with two weapons, because he is using a double weapon or for some special reason, the character must use the full attack action to get his additional attacks. The character does not need to specify the targets of his attacks ahead of time. The character can see how the earlier attacks turn out before assigning the later ones. Full attack is a full-round action. Because of this, the only movement a character can take during a full attack is a 5-foot step. The character may take the step before, after or between the attacks. If a character gets multiple attacks based on his base attack bonus, the character must make the attacks in order from highest bonus to lowest. If the character is using two weapons, the character can strike with either weapon first. If the character is using a double weapon, the character can strike with either part of the weapon first. ~ Committing to a Full Attack Action: A character does not have to commit to a full attack until after the first attack. The character can then decide whether to make his remaining attacks or to take a move action. Of course, if the character has already taken a 5-foot step, he cannot use his move action to move any distance,

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since he cannot avoid attacks. However, the character gets a +2 bonus to Defence against ranged attacks while running. A character can run for a number of rounds equal to his Constitution score, but after that the character must succeed at a Constitution check (DC 10) to continue running. The character must check again each round in which he continues to run, and the DC of this check increases by 1 for each check the character makes. When the character fails this check, he must stop running. A character who has run to his limit must rest for 1 minute (10 rounds) before running again. During a rest period, a character can move normally, but cannot run.

~

but the character could still draw or put away a weapon, for instance (see Move Actions, above). Fighting Defensively: A character can choose to fight defensively when taking a full attack action. If the character does so, he takes a –4 penalty on all attacks in a round to gain a +2 dodge bonus to Defence in the same round.

Attacking with Two Weapons If the character wields a second weapon in his off hand, the character can get one extra attack per round with that weapon. Fighting in this way is very difficult, however the character takes a –6 penalty on the regular attack or attacks with his primary hand and a –10 penalty on the attack with his off hand. Characters fighting with two weapons but have them both be melee or both be ranged in nature unless they possess the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. A character can reduce the penalties inherent in this kind of combat in two ways. If the off-hand weapon is light, the penalties are reduced by 2 each. An unarmed strike is always considered light. Also, the Two-Weapon Fighting feat reduces the primary hand penalty by 2, and the off-hand penalty by 6. The Two-Weapon Fighting Penalties table below summarises the interaction of all these factors. ~ Double Weapons: A character can use a double weapon to make an extra attack as if he were fighting with two weapons. The penalties apply as if the offhand weapon were light.

Run A character can run all out as a full-round action. When a character runs, he can move up to four times his speed in a straight line. The character does not get a 5-foot step. The character loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence

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A run represents a speed of about 14 miles per hour for an unencumbered human.

Withdraw Withdrawing from melee combat is a full-round action. When a character withdraws, he can move up to twice his speed. The character does not also get a 5-foot step. The square the character starts from is not considered threatened for purposes of withdrawing, therefore enemies do not get attacks of opportunity against the character when he move from that square. If while withdrawing, the character moves through another threatened square (other than the one started in) without stopping, enemies get attacks of opportunity as normal. Some forms of movement (such as climbing and swimming) require skill checks from most creatures. A character may not withdraw using a form of movement for which that character must make a skill check.

Miscellaneous Actions

Some actions do not fit neatly into the above categories. Some of the options described below are actions that take the place of or are variations on the actions described earlier. For actions not covered in any of this material, the Games Master determines how long such an action takes to perform and whether doing so provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening enemies.

Use Feat, Skill or Special Ability Certain character attributes let a character take special actions in combat. Other feats are not actions in themselves, but they give a character a bonus when attempting something he can already do. Some feats aren’t meant to be used within the framework of combat.

Attacks of Opportunity

The melee combat rules assume that combatants are actively avoiding attacks. A Player does not have to declare anything special for his character to be on the defensive. Sometimes, however, a combatant in a melee lets his guard down, and does not maintain a defensive posture as usual. In this case, combatants near him or her can take advantage of this lapse in defence to attack for free. These attacks are called attacks of opportunity.

Weapon Type A character can use a melee weapon to make attacks of opportunity whenever the conditions for such an attack are met (see Provoking an Attack of Opportunity, below). In addition, a character can make attacks of opportunity with unarmed attacks if the character’s unarmed attacks count as armed (see ‘Armed’ Unarmed Attacks).

Threatened Squares A character threatens the squares into which he can make a melee attack, even when it is not the character’s action. Generally, that is all squares adjacent to the character’s position. An enemy that takes certain actions while in a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity from the character. A character can only make attacks of opportunity with melee weapons, never with ranged weapons.

Provoking an Attack of Opportunity Two actions can provoke attacks of opportunity: moving out of a threatened square and performing an action within a threatened square that distracts from defending and lets the character’s guard down. ~ Moving out of a Threatened Square: When a character moves out of a threatened square, that character generally provokes an attack of opportunity. There are two important exceptions, however. A character does not provoke an attack of opportunity if all he moves is a 5-foot step, or if the character withdraws. If the character does not start in a threatened square, but moves into one, the character has to stop there, or else he provokes an attack of opportunity as he leaves that square. ~ Performing an Action that Distracts the Character:

Some actions, when performed in a threatened square, provoke attacks of opportunity because they make a character divert his attention from the fight at hand. Using a ranged weapon, in particular, provokes attacks of opportunity. The Actions in Combat table notes many additional actions that provoke attacks of opportunity.

Making an Attack of Opportunity An attack of opportunity is a single melee attack, and a character can only make one per round. A character does not have to make an attack of opportunity if he does not want to. An experienced character gets additional regular melee attacks (by using the full attack action), but at a lower attack bonus. A character makes his attack

Defence Modifiers Circumstances

Melee

Ranged

Defender sitting or kneeling*

–2

+2

Defender prone*

–4

+4

Defender stunned or cowering†

–2

–2

Defender climbing†

–2

–2

Defender flat-footed†

+0

+0

Defender running†

+0

+2

Defender grappling (attacker not)

+0

+0‡

Defender pinned^

–4

+4

Defender helpless (such as paralysed, sleeping, or bound)

+2

+2

Defender has cover

— See Cover —

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

The individual feat descriptions tell a character what he needs to know about them. Most uses of skills or abilities in a combat situation are attack actions, but some might be move actions or full-round actions. When appropriate, the description of a talent or a skill provides the time required to use it.

Defender concealed or invisible — See Concealment — * May instead improve bonus to Defence granted by cover. See Cover, below. † The defender loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence. ‡ Roll randomly to see which grappling combatant the character strikes. That defender loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence. ^ Treat the defender’s Dexterity as 0 (–5 modifier).

Attack Rolls Modifiers Circumstances

Melee

Ranged

Attacker flanking defender*

+2

—

Attacker on higher ground

–1

+0

Attacker prone

–4

–2†

Attacker invisible‡ +2 +2 * A character flanks a defender when he has an ally on the opposite side of the defender threatening the defender. † Some ranged weapons cannot be used while the attacker is prone. ‡ The defender loses any Dexterity bonus to Defence.

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of opportunity, however, at his maximum attack bonus – even if the character has already attacked in this round.

Movement and Position

When using a grid to represent character’s movement, the standard scale equates 1 inch (or a 1 inch square) to 5 feet in the game world.

Standard Scale One inch (or one square) = 5 feet ‘Next to’ or ‘adjacent’ = 1 inch (5 feet) away (or in adjacent square) 30mm figure = A human-size creature A human-size creature occupies an area 1 inch (5 feet) across (or one square) One round = 6 seconds

Tactical Movement Where a character can move, how long it takes to get there, and whether he is vulnerable to attacks of opportunity while moving are key questions in combat.

How Far Can a Character Move? Characters normally move 30 feet, although armour can slow a character down. Some creatures move faster or slower. A character’s speed when unarmored is sometimes called base speed. ~ Encumbrance: A character encumbered by carrying a large amount of gear or a fallen comrade may move slower than normal. ~ Movement in Combat: Generally, a character can move his speed as a move action. If a character uses his attack action as a move action, the character can move again (for a total movement of up to twice the character’s normal speed). If the character spends the entire round to run all out, he can move up to four times his normal speed. If a character does something that requires a full round, he can only take a 5-foot step. ~ Movement in Darkness: If a character moves when he cannot see, such as in total darkness,

his speed is limited to one-half normal. The BlindFight feat reduces this penalty.

Passing Through Sometimes a character can pass through an area occupied by another character, creature or object. ~ Friendly Character: A character can move through a square occupied by a friendly character. ~ Unfriendly Character: There are two ways to move through a square occupied by a resisting enemy. The character can attempt an overrun. Or the character can attempt to tumble through a square occupied by an enemy (if the character has ranks in the Tumble skill; see the skill description). A character can move through a square occupied by an unfriendly character who does not resist as if the character was friendly. ~ Square Occupied by Creature or Object Three Sizes Larger or Smaller: Any creature can move through a square occupied by a creature or object three size categories larger or three categories smaller than it is. The Games Master may overrule this if the creature literally fills the space, as some oozes do.

Flanking If a character is making a melee attack against an opponent, and an ally directly opposite the character is threatening the opponent, the character and his ally flank the opponent. The character gains a +2 bonus on his attack roll. The ally must be on the other side of the opponent so that the opponent is directly between the character and the ally. A character does not gain a bonus for flanking when making a ranged attack.

Combat Modifiers

This section covers offensive and defensive modifiers provided by position. In the incredibly violent world

Cover Degree of Cover

Examples

Cover Bonus to DV Cover Bonus to Ref Saves

One-quarter

Standing behind a 3-ft. high wall

+2

+1

One-half

Fighting from around a corner or a tree; standing at an open window; behind a creature of same size

+4

+2

Three-quarters

Peering around a corner or a big tree

+7

+3

Nine-tenths

Standing at an arrow slit; behind a door that is +10 slightly ajar

Total On the other side of a solid wall * Half damage if save is failed; no damage if successful.

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—

+4* —

Concealment Examples

Miss Chance

One-quarter

Light fog; light foliage

10%

One-half

Shadows; dense fog

20%

Three-quarters

Dense foliage

30%

Nine-tenths

Near-total darkness

40%

Total

Attacker blind; total darkness * Attacker must also guess target’s location

50%*

of tomorrow, these modifiers can be the edge a Player Character needs to survive. As such, they are a vital part of combat.

Favourable and Unfavourable Conditions Generally speaking, any situational modifier created by the attacker’s position or tactics applies to the attack roll, while any situational modifier created by the defender’s position, state or tactics applies to the defender’s Defence. The Games Master judges what bonuses and penalties apply, using the Defence Modifiers table and the Attack Roll Modifiers table as guides.

Cover

Cover provides a bonus to Defence Value. The more cover a character has, the bigger the bonus. In a melee, if a character has cover against an opponent, that opponent probably has cover against the character, too. With ranged weapons, however, it is easy to have better cover than the opponent. The Games Master may impose other penalties or restrictions on attacks depending on the details of the cover.

Degree of Cover Cover is assessed in subjective measurements of how much protection it offers. The Games Master determines the value of cover. This measure is not a strict mathematical calculation, because a character gains more value from covering the parts of his body that are more likely to be struck. If the bottom half of a character’s body is covered, that only gives one-quarter cover, because most vital areas are still fully exposed. If one side or the other of a character’s body is covered, the character gets one-half cover.

Cover Defence Bonus The Cover table below gives the Defence bonuses for different degrees of cover. Add the relevant number to

Cover Reflex Save Bonus The Cover table also gives the Reflex save bonuses for different degrees of cover. Add this bonus to Reflex saves against attacks that affect an area. This bonus only applies to attacks that originate or burst out from a point on the other side of the cover.

Striking the Cover Instead of a Missed Target If it ever becomes important to know whether the cover was actually struck by an incoming attack that misses the intended target, the Games Master should determine if the attack roll would have hit the protected target without the cover. If the attack roll falls within a range low enough to miss the target behind cover but high enough to strike the target if there had been no cover, the object used for cover was struck.

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Degree of Concealment

the character’s Defence. This cover bonus overlaps (does not stack) with certain other bonuses.

This can be particularly important to know in cases when a character uses another character as cover. In such a case, if the cover is struck and the attack roll exceeds the Defence of the covering character, the covering character takes the damage intended for the target. If the covering character has a Dexterity bonus to Defence or a dodge bonus, and this bonus keeps the covering character from being hit, then the original target is hit instead. The covering character has dodged out of the way and didn’t provide cover after all. A covering character can choose not to apply his Dexterity bonus to Defence and/or his dodge bonus, if the character so desires.

Concealment

Concealment includes all circumstances in which nothing physically blocks a blow or shot, but something interferes with an attacker’s accuracy.

Degree of Concealment Concealment is subjectively measured as to how well concealed the defender is. Examples of what might qualify as concealment of various degrees are given in the Concealment table below. Concealment always depends on the point of view of the attacker.

Concealment Miss Chance Concealment gives the subject of a successful attack a chance that the attacker missed because of the concealment. If the attacker hits, the defender must make a miss chance percentile roll to avoid being struck.

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Actually, it does not matter who makes the roll or whether it is rolled before or after the attack roll. When multiple concealment conditions apply to a defender, use the one that would produce the highest miss chance. Do not add the miss chances together.

Helpless Defenders

A helpless foe – one who is bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise at the attacker’s mercy – is an easy target. A character can sometimes approach a target who is unaware of his presence, get adjacent to the target, and treat him or her as helpless. If the target is in combat or some other tense situation, and therefore in a state of acute awareness and readiness, or if the target can use his Dexterity bonus to Defence, then that target cannot be considered unaware. Further, any reasonable precaution taken by a target, including stationing bodyguards, placing his back to a wall, or being able to make Spot checks, also precludes catching that target unaware and helpless.

Regular Attack A helpless defender has an effective Defence of 5 + his size modifier. If a character is attacking with a ranged

weapon and is not adjacent to the target, the character can use a full-round action to make the attack and gains a +5 bonus on the attack roll. If the character is attacking with a melee weapon, or with a ranged weapon from an adjacent square, the character can use a full-round action to deliver a coup de grace.

Coup de Grace As a full-round action, a character can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace to a helpless foe. A character can also use a ranged weapon, provided the character is adjacent to the target. The character automatically hits and score a critical hit. If the defender survives the damage, he still must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die. Delivering a coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening foes because it involves focused concentration and methodical action. A character cannot deliver a coup de grace against a creature that is immune to critical hits.

Knockout Blow As a full-round action, a character can make an unarmed attack or use a melee weapon that deals nonlethal damage to deliver a knockout blow to a helpless foe. A character can also use a melee weapon that deals lethal damage, but the character takes a –4 penalty on any attempt to deal nonlethal damage with the weapon. The target has an effective Defence of 5 + his size modifier. If the character hits, he automatically scores a critical hit. Delivering a knockout blow provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening foes because it involves focused concentration and methodical action. A character cannot deliver a knockout blow against a creature that is immune to critical hits.

Special Initiative Actions

Usually a character acts as soon as he can in combat, but sometimes a character wants to act later, at a better time, or in response to the actions of someone else.

Delay By choosing to delay, the character takes no action and then acts normally at whatever point in the initiative count the character decides to act. When a character delays, he voluntarily reduces his initiative result for the rest of the combat. When the character’s new, lower initiative count

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Delaying Limits The longest a character can delay before taking an action is until after everyone else has acted in the round. At that point, the delaying character must act or else forfeit any action in that round. If multiple characters are delaying, the one with the highest initiative modifier (or highest Dexterity, in case of a tie) has the advantage. If two or more delaying characters both want to act on the same initiative count, the one with the highest initiative modifier gets to go first. If two or more delaying characters are trying to go after one another, the one with the highest initiative modifier gets to go last; the others must go first or lose their action for the round.

Ready The ready action lets a character prepare to take an action later, to interrupt another character. Essentially, the character splits his action, taking the move action on the character’s initiative count and the attack action at a later point. On the character’s turn, he prepares to take an action later, if a specific trigger is met. Then, later in the round, if the readied action is triggered, the character takes it, acting before the triggering action. Readying does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The character’s move action, and the attack action he readies, may both provoke attacks of opportunity normally. Readying an Action A character can ready an attack action or a move action. To do so, the character specifies the action he will take and the conditions under which the character will take it. Then, any time before the character’s next action, the character may take the readied attack action in response to those conditions. The readied action occurs just before the event that triggers it. If the trigger is part of another character’s actions, the readied action interrupts the other character. The other character continues his actions once the readied action is completed. The character’s initiative count changes. For the rest of the encounter, it is the count on which the character took the readied action, and the character acts immediately ahead of the character whose action triggered the readied action.

A character can take a 5-foot step as part of his readied action, but only if the character didn’t otherwise move any distance during the round. If the character comes to his next action and has not yet performed the readied action, the character does not get to take the readied action (though the character can ready the same action again). If the character takes his readied action in the next round, before his regular turn comes up, the character’s initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and he does not get a regular action that round.

Special Attacks

This section covers firearms, grappling, explosives, attacking objects and an assortment of other special attacks

Aid Another

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comes up later in the same round, the character can act normally. The character can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then, thus fixing the character’s new initiative count at that point. A character cannot interrupt anyone’s action with a delayed action (as a character can with a readied action; see below).

In combat, a character can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If the character is in position to attack an opponent with which a friend of the character is engaged in melee combat, the character can attempt to aid the friend as an attack action. The character makes an attack roll against a Defence Value of 10. If the character succeeds, he does not actually damage the opponent – but the character’s friend gains either a +2 circumstance bonus to attack that opponent or a +2 circumstance bonus to Defence against that opponent (aiding character’s choice) on the friend’s next turn.

Firearms

The most basic form of attack with a firearm is a single shot. One attack is one pull of the trigger and fires one bullet at one target. The Personal Firearms Proficiency feat allows a character to make this sort of attack without penalty. If a character is not proficient in personal firearms, he takes a –4 penalty on attacks with that type of weapon. A number of other feats allow a character to deal extra damage when he fires more than one bullet as part of a single attack at a single target. If a character does not have those feats, he can still fire more than one bullet – but the extra bullets do not have any effect, and are just wasted ammunition. As with all forms of ranged weapons, attacking with a firearm while within a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity. Because of the weapon’s unwieldy shape and size, an attacker using a rifle takes a –4 penalty on attacks against adjacent opponents.

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Autofire If a ranged weapon has an automatic rate of fire, a character may set it on autofire. Autofire affects an area and everyone in it, not a specific creature. The character targets a 10-foot by 10-foot area and makes an attack roll; the targeted area has an effective Defence of 10. If the character does not have the Advanced Firearms Proficiency feat, he takes a –4 penalty on the attack roll. If the attack succeeds, every creature within the affected area must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or take the weapon’s damage. Autofire shoots 10 bullets, and can only be used if the weapon has 10 bullets in its magazine. Autofire is not the same thing as burst fire, which involves firing a short burst at a specific target. Firing a burst requires the Burst Fire feat. If a character fires a blast of automatic fire at a specific target without the Burst Fire feat, it is treated as a standard attack. The attack, if successful, only deals normal damage – all the extra ammunition the character fired is wasted. Some firearms – particularly machine guns – only have autofire settings and cannot normally fire single shots.

Held at Gunpoint If a character is flatfooted and has no cover, and the attacker is adjacent and has time to aim a gun at him, the attacker may use an Attack action to declare that the character is Held at Gunpoint. If the attacker shoots the character in this situation, the attack is almost invariably fatal. If the attack hits, it counts as a Coup de Grace attack. This special rule only applies when shooting humans, not monsters. If the attacker is distracted (by a Bluff or some other event), the character is no longer considered to be Held at Gunpoint.

Grenades and Explosives

An explosive is a weapon that, when detonated, affects all creatures and objects within its burst radius by means of shrapnel, heat, or massive concussion. Its effect is broad enough that it can hurt characters just by going off close to them. Some explosives, such as grenades, can be thrown, and they explode when they land. Others are planted, with fuses or timers, and go off after a preset amount of time elapses.

Thrown Explosives An attack with a thrown explosive is a ranged attack made against a specific 5-foot square. A character can target a square occupied by a creature. Throwing the explosive is an attack action. If the square is within one range increment, you do not need to make an attack roll.

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Roll 1d4 and consult the table to see which corner of the square the explosive bounces to. If the target square is more than one range increment away, make an attack roll. The square has an effective Defence of 10. Thrown weapons require no weapon proficiency, so a character does not take the –4 nonproficient penalty. If the attack succeeds, the grenade or explosive lands in the Roll on d4

Corner of Targeted Square

1

Upper Left

2

Upper Right

3

Lower Right

4

Lower Left

If the weapon was thrown two to three range increments (11 to 30 feet), roll 1d8 Roll on 1d8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Location Struck Upper left corner, one square beyond target Upper right corner, one square beyond target Upper right corner, one square right of target Lower right corner, one square right of target Lower right corner, one square short of target Lower left corner, one square short of target Lower left corner, one square left of target Upper left corner, one square left of target

For ranges of up to five range increments (31 to 50 feet), roll 1d12. Roll on 1d8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Location Struck Upper left corner, two squares beyond target Upper right corner, two squares beyond target Upper right corner, one square beyond and right of target Upper right corner, two squares right of target Lower right corner, two squares right of target Lower right corner, one square short and right of target Lower right corner, two squares short of target Lower left corner, two squares short of target Lower left corner, one square short and left of target Lower left corner, two squares left of target Upper left corner, two squares left of target Upper left corner, one square beyond and left of target

targeted square. Roll 1d4 and consult the table above to see which corner of the square the explosive bounces to.

After determining where the explosive landed, it deals its damage to all targets within the burst radius of the weapon. The targets may make Reflex saves (DC varies according to the explosive type) for half damage.

Planted Explosives A planted explosive is set in place through the use of the Demolitions skill, with some kind of timer or fuse determining when it goes off. No attack roll is necessary to plant an explosive; the explosive sits where it is placed until it is moved or goes off. When a planted explosive detonates, it deals its damage to all targets within the burst radius of the weapon. The targets may make Reflex saves (DC varies according to the explosive type) for half damage.

Splash Weapons A splash weapon is a ranged weapon that breaks apart on impact, splashing or scattering its contents over its target and nearby creatures or objects. Most splash weapons consist of liquids in breakable containers. To attack with a splash weapon, make a ranged touch attack against the target. Thrown weapons require no weapon proficiency, so characters do not take the –4 nonproficient penalty. A hit deals direct hit damage to the target and splash damage to all other creatures within 5 feet of the target. A character can instead target a specific 5-foot square, including a square occupied by a creature. Use the rules for thrown explosives. However, if a character targets a square, creatures within 5 feet are dealt the splash damage, and the direct hit damage is not dealt to any creature. If the character misses the target (whether aiming at a creature or a square), check to see where the weapon lands, using the rules for thrown explosives. After determining where the object landed, it deals splash damage to all creatures within 5 feet.

Attacking an Object

Sometimes a character needs to attack or break an object. These rules are also used to determine what happens to items that get struck with attacks specifically intended to damage them.

Objects are easier to hit than characters because they usually do not move, but many are tough enough to shrug off some damage from each blow. Objects are harder or easier to hit depending on their size and whether they are immobile or being held, carried, or worn by opponents. The base Defence of objects is shown on the Size and Defence of Objects table in Chapter 2, Horror Roleplaying. If a character uses a full-round action to make an attack against an inanimate, immobile object, the character gets an automatic hit with a melee weapon, or a +5 bonus on his attack roll with a ranged weapon. An object being held, carried, or worn has a Defence equal to the above figure + 5 + the opponent’s Dexterity modifier + the opponent’s class bonus to Defence. Striking a held, carried, or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity from the character who holds it. If a character has the Sunder feat, he does not incur an attack of opportunity for making the attempt.

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If the character misses the target, the explosive lands at a corner of a square nearby in a random direction. Consult the tables below to determine where the explosive lands.

Strike an Object

Hardness: Each object has hardness—a number that represents how well it resists damage. Whenever an object takes damage, subtract its hardness from the damage. Only damage in excess of its hardness is deducted from the object’s hit points (see the Substance Hardness and Hit Points and Object Hardness and Hit Points tables in Chapter 2, Horror Roleplaying). Hit Points: An object’s hit point total depends on what it is made of or how big it is (see the Substance Hardness and Hit Points and the Object Hardness and Hit Points tables in Chapter 2, Horror Roleplaying). Energy Attacks: Acid and sonic attacks deal normal damage to most objects. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects; divide the damage by 2 before applying the hardness. Cold attacks deal onequarter damage to most objects; divide the damage by 4 before applying the hardness. Ineffective Weapons: The Games Master may determine that certain weapons just cannot deal damage effectively to certain objects. Immunities: Objects are immune to nonlethal damage and to critical hits. Saving Throws: Unattended objects never make saving throws. They are considered to have failed their saving throws. An object attended by a character (being grasped,

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Bull Rush COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

A character can attempt a bull rush as an attack action made during his move action, or as part of a charge. In general, a character cannot make an attack action during a move action; this is an exception. In either case, the character does not get a 5-foot step before, during, or after the bull rush attempt. When the character bull rushes, he attempts to push an opponent straight back instead of attacking the opponent. A character can only bull rush an opponent who is one size category larger than the character, the same size, or smaller.

Initiating a Bull Rush First, the character moves into the target’s square. Moving in this way provokes an attack of opportunity from each foe that threatens the character, probably including the target. Second, the character and the target make opposed Strength checks. If the character and the target are different sizes, the larger combatant gets a bonus on the Strength check of +4 per difference in size category. The character gets a +2 bonus if he was charging. The target gets a +4 stability bonus if he has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable. touched, or worn) receives a saving throw just as if the character himself were making the saving throw.

Breaking Objects When a character tries to break something with sudden force rather than by dealing damage, use a Strength check to see whether he succeeds. The DC depends more on the construction of the object than on the material. If an object has lost half or more of its hit points, the DC to break it decreases by 2.

Repairing Objects Repairing damage to an object takes a full hour of work and appropriate tools. Without the tools, a character takes a –4 penalty on his Repair check. At the end of the hour, make a Repair check (DC 20). Success restores 2d6 hit points. If damage remains, the character may continue to make repairs for as many hours as it takes to restore all the object’s hit points. There are certain situations where repairing a specific item works in other ways; these exceptions are part of the item’s description when applicable.

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Bull Rush Results If the character beats the target’s Strength check, the character pushes the opponent back 5 feet. The character can push the target back an additional 5 feet for every 5 points by which the character exceeded the target’s check result, provided the character moves with the target. A character cannot, however, exceed his normal movement for that action. The target provokes attacks of opportunity if moved. So does the character, if he moves with the target. The target and the character do not provoke attacks of opportunity from each other as a result of this movement. If the character fails to beat the target’s Strength check, the character moves 5 feet straight back to where the character was before the character moved into the opponents square. If that square is occupied, the character falls prone in the square.

Overrun

A character can attempt an overrun as an attack action made during his move action, or as part of a charge. In general, a character cannot make an attack action during a move action; this is an exception. In either case, the

First, the character must move at least 10 feet in a straight line into the target’s square (provoking attacks of opportunity normally). Then the target chooses either to avoid the character or to block the character. If the opponent avoids the character, the character keeps moving. A character can always move through a square occupied by someone who lets the character by. If the opponent blocks the character, make a trip attack against the opponent (see Trip). If the character succeeds in tripping his opponent, the character can continue his movement as normal. If the character fails and are tripped in turn, the character falls prone in the target’s square. If the character fails but are not tripped, the character has to move 5 feet back the way he came, ending his movement there. If that square is occupied, the character falls prone in the square.

Trip

A character can try to trip an opponent, or otherwise knock him or her down, as an unarmed melee attack. A character can only trip an opponent who is one size category larger than the character, the same size, or smaller.

Making a Trip Attack Make an unarmed melee touch attack against the target. Doing this incurs an attack of opportunity from the target as normal for unarmed attacks. If the attack succeeds, make a Strength check opposed by the target’s Dexterity check or Strength check (target’s choice). If the character and the target are different sizes, the larger combatant gets a bonus on the Strength check of +4 per difference in size category. The target gets a +4 bonus on his check if he has more than two legs or is otherwise exceptionally stable. If the character wins, he trips the target. If the character loses, the target may immediately react and make a Strength check opposed by the character’s Dexterity check or Strength check to try to trip the character.

Being Tripped (Prone) A tripped character is prone (see the Defence Modifiers table, above). Standing up from a prone position is a move action, as listed above.

Tripping with a Weapon Some weapons, such as the chain and the whip, can be used to make trip attacks. A character does not incur an attack of opportunity when doing so. If the attacking character is tripped during his own trip attempt, the character can drop the weapon to avoid being tripped.

Disarm

As a melee attack, a character may attempt to disarm his opponent. If the character does so with a weapon, he knocks the opponent’s weapon out of his hands and to the ground. If the character attempts the disarm while unarmed, the character ends up with the weapon in his hand.

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character does not get a 5-foot step before, during, or after the overrun attempt. With an overrun, the character attempts to move through an opponents area, going past or over the opponent. A character can only overrun an opponent who is one size category larger than the character, the same size, or smaller. A character can make only one overrun attempt per action.

If a character is attempting to disarm the wielder of a melee weapon, follow the steps outlined here. Disarming the wielder of a ranged weapon is slightly different; see below. ~ Step One: The character provokes an attack of opportunity from the target he is trying to disarm. ~ Step Two: The character and the target make opposed attack rolls with their respective weapons. ~ Step Three: If the character beats the target’s attack roll, the target is disarmed. If the character attempted the disarm action unarmed, he now has the weapon. If the character was armed, the target’s weapon is on the ground at the target’s feet. If the character fails the disarm attempt, the target may immediately react and attempt to disarm the character with the same sort of opposed melee attack roll. The opponent’s attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the character. If the opponent fails to disarm, the character does not get a free disarm attempt against the opponent.

Ranged Weapons To disarm an opponent wielding a ranged weapon, the character makes a melee attack or unarmed attack to strike the weapon in the opponent’s hand (see Attack an Object). If the weapon is held in two hands, it gets a +2 bonus to its Defence. If the character’s attack succeeds, the ranged weapon falls to the ground or winds up in the character’s hands (if the character made the attack unarmed). This kind of disarm attempt provokes an attack of opportunity, but if the character fails, the target does not get to make a disarm attempt against him.

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Disarming an opponent by using a ranged weapon is only possible if the character doing so possesses the Improved Disarm feat.

Grabbing Objects A character can also use disarm to snatch away an object worn (but not held) by a target. Doing this works the same as a disarm attempt (see above), except for the following. Attack of Opportunity: If the target’s attack of opportunity inflicts any damage, the attempt to grab the object automatically fails. Modifiers: If the object is well secured or otherwise difficult to grab from the target, the target gets a +4 bonus. On the other hand, if the object is poorly secured or otherwise easy to snatch or cut away, the attacker gets a +4 bonus. Failed Attempts: Failing an attempt to grab an object does not allow the target to attempt to disarm the character.

Grapple

Grapple Checks When a character is involved in a grapple, he will need to make opposed grapple checks against an opponent—often repeatedly. A grapple check is something like a melee attack roll. A character’s attack bonus on a grapple check is: Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + grapple modifier

Grapple Modifier

Grappling means wrestling and struggling hand-to-hand. When people may be carrying guns or blades grappling can be a dangerous proposition, but it can be a useful combat option in certain cases where normal methods of assault may not advisable or possible. It is also a staple of the horror genre and therefore explained in details below. There are three stages to grappling: grabbing, holding and pinning. Grabbing: Normally, a grab is just the first step to starting a grapple. If the character grabs an opponent, but fails to go on to hold him or her, the character does not actually start a grapple. However, sometimes all a character wants to do is grab the target. Holding: Once a character has established a hold, he is

Grapple Modifiers

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involved in a grapple. From a hold, a character can attempt a number of actions, including damaging the opponent or pinning the opponent. A character cannot get a hold on any creature more than two size categories larger than the character. However, such a creature can get a hold on the character—so while a character cannot initiate a grapple with a creature more than two size categories larger than, a character can still end up in one. Pinning: Getting the opponent in a pin is often the goal of a grapple. A pinned character is held immobile.

Size (Example)

Grapple Modifier

Colossal (blue whale [90 ft. long])

+16

Gargantuan (gray whale [40 ft. long])

+12

Huge (elephant)

+8

Large (lion)

+4

Medium-size (human)

+0

Small (German shepherd)

–4

Tiny (housecat)

–8

Diminutive (rat)

–12

Fine (horsefly)

–16

A creature’s size works in its favour when grappling, if that creature is of Large size or bigger. Conversely, a creature of Small size or less is at a disadvantage because of its size when grappling. Instead of using a creature’s size modifier on a grapple check (as would be done for a melee or ranged attack roll), use the appropriate grapple modifier from the Grapple Modifiers table below.

Starting a Grapple To start a grapple, a character first needs to grab and hold his target. Attempting to start a grapple is the equivalent of making a melee attack. If the character gets multiple attacks in a round, he can attempt to start a grapple multiple times (at successively lower base attack bonuses). Follow these steps. ~ Step One – Attack of Opportunity: A character provokes an attack of opportunity from the target he is trying to grapple. If the attack of opportunity deals the character damage, the character fails to start the grapple. If the attack of opportunity misses or otherwise fails to deal damage, proceed to step two. ~ Step Two – Grab: The character makes a melee touch attack to grab the target. If the character fails to hit the target, the character fails to start the grapple. If the character succeeds, proceed to step 3. ~ Step Three – Hold: Make an opposed grapple check. This is a free action. If the character succeeds, the character has started the grapple, and deals damage to the target as if with an unarmed strike. If the character loses, he fails to start the grapple. The character automatically loses an attempt to hold if the target is

If the character cannot move into the target’s square, the character cannot maintain the grapple and must immediately let go of the target. To grapple again, the character must begin at step 1.

Grappling Consequences While a character is grappling, his ability to attack others and defend himself is limited.

grappling. The character can still use it against opponents he is grappling. No Movement: A character cannot move while held in a grapple.

If the Character is Grappling When a character is grappling (regardless of who started the grapple), he can attempt any of several actions on his turn. Unless otherwise noted, each of these options is equivalent to an attack. If the character normally gets more than one attack per attack action, he can attempt as many of these options as he has attacks available, using his successively lower attack bonus for each roll. The character is limited to these options only; he cannot take any other actions.

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

~

two or more size categories larger than the character is (but the character can still make an attempt to grab such a target, if that is all he wants to do). Step Four – Maintain the Grapple: To maintain the grapple for later rounds, the character must move into the target’s square. This movement is free and does not count as part of the character’s movement for the round movement. Moving, as normal, provokes attacks of opportunity from threatening enemies, but not from the target. The character and the target are now grappling.

No Threatened Squares: A character does not threaten any squares while grappling. No Dexterity Bonus: A character loses his Dexterity bonus to Defence (if the character has one) against opponents the character is not

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COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

~

~

~

Damage the Opponent: Make an opposed grapple check; if the character succeeds, he deals damage as with an unarmed strike. Pin: Make an opposed grapple check; if the character succeeds, he holds the opponent immobile for 1 round. The opponent takes a –4 penalty to Defence against all attacks from other people (but not from the character); however, the opponent is not considered helpless. A character cannot use a weapon on a pinned character or attempt to damage or pin a second opponent while holding a pin on the first. A pinned character cannot take any action except to attempt to escape from the pin. Escape from Grapple: Make an opposed grapple check. If the character succeeds, he can escape the grapple. If more than one opponent is grappling the character, the grapple check result has to beat all their check results to escape. Opponents do not have to try to hold a character if they do not want to.

Alternatively, the character can make an Escape Artist check opposed by the opponent’s grapple check to escape from the grapple. This is an attack action that the character may only attempt once per round, even if the character gets multiple attacks. If the character has not used his move action for the round, the character may do so after escaping the grapple. ~ Escape from Pin: Make an opposed grapple check. If the character succeeds, he can escape from being pinned. (Opponents do not have to try to keep the character pinned if they do not want to.) The character is still being grappled, however. Alternatively, a character can make an Escape Artist check opposed by the opponent’s grapple check to escape from the pin. This is an attack action that the character may only attempt once per round, even if the character gets multiple attacks. ~ Break Another’s Pin: Make an opposed grapple check; if the character succeeds, he can break the hold that an opponent has over an ally. ~ Draw a Light Weapon: A character can draw a light weapon as a move action. ~ Attack with a Light Weapon: A character can attack with a light weapon while grappling (but not while pinned or pinning). A character cannot attack with two weapons while grappling.

If the Character is Pinned When an opponent has pinned the character, he is held immobile (but not helpless) for 1 round. The character cannot attempt any other action. On the character’s turn, he can attempt to escape from the pin. If the character succeeds, he is still grappling.

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Joining a Grapple If the target is already grappling someone else, a character can use an attack to start a grapple, as above, except that the target does not get an attack of opportunity against the character and the character’s grab automatically succeeds. The character still has to make a successful opposed grapple check and move in to be part of the grapple. If multiple enemies are already involved in the grapple, the character picks one against whom to make the opposed grapple check.

Multiple Grapplers Several combatants can be in a single grapple. Up to four combatants can grapple a single opponent in a given round. Creatures that are one size category smaller than the character count as one-half creature each; creatures that are one size category larger than the character count as two creatures; and creatures two or more size categories larger than the character count as four creatures. When involved in a grapple with multiple opponents, the character chooses one opponent to make an opposed check against. The exception is an attempt to escape from the grapple; to escape, a character’s single grapple check must beat the check results of all opponents.

Called Shots and Special Attacks

Instead of just attacking a creature, a character can choose to target a specific part of the body. Normally, this is done because some part of the creature is especially vulnerable to damage, or in some cases because the creature can only be killed by a strike to a particular organ (vampires with a stake through the heart, for example). The difficult of a called shot depends on the size of the area being attacked, as follows: For example, if one character is trying to stab another in the eye with a fork (charming…), he is attempting to

Called Shot Modifiers Target

Size

Head

Two Sizes Smaller

Throat

Three Sizes Smaller

Eye

Four Sizes Smaller

Arm, Leg or Tentacle

One Size Smaller

Heart or other internal organ

Three Sizes Smaller

Effects of Called Shots on Humans If the attack hits, the target must make a Fortitude save at a DC equal 10 + the damage inflicted, or suffer a negative effect. These are at the discretion of the Games Master, but are normally one of the following: ~

If the attack targeted an arm or hand, the character suffers a –2 injury penalty to all attack rolls or skill checks using that arm. Multiple injuries to the same arm do not cause multiple penalties.

~

If the attack targeted a leg, the character’s movement is reduced by 5 feet per round. An additional attack (to the character’s other leg) will reduce his movement by another 5 feet per round. Further attacks do not cause multiple reductions.

~

If the attack targeted the character’s head, the character is stunned for one round.

~

If the attack targeted the character’s throat, he is nauseated for one round.

~

If the attack targeted the character’s eye, he suffers a –2 injury penalty to all skill checks involving vision. Two injuries to the eye blinds the character.

This is not as much of a difficulty as one might think. Games Masters are the ultimate controllers of their stories and their decisions are law. If an idea for an action does not match anything here, the Games Master’s instincts usually suffice for the moment and an idea that gets used multiple times becomes a precedent. These form the basis for ‘house rules’, something every campaign develops over time. As long as everyone involved in the game is having fun playing and the rules apply equally to everyone, there is no such thing as a ‘bad call’. The Games Master has both the privilege and the responsibility of being the ultimate arbiter during play, but he must act with impartiality or the spirit of fairness is lost.

COMBAT (& RUNNING AWAY)

strike a target that is four sizes smaller than the full-size opponent. If the target is human, and therefore Mediumsized, the eye is four sizes smaller than Medium, i.e. Diminutive. The Size penalty for a Diminutive target is –8.

Unusual Combat Situations

There are any number of actions that can be taken in combat completely covered by the rules just presented, but inevitably, a Player is going to propose something that is not. Modern roleplaying is fast moving, highly technical, and conflicts in this setting tend to be won or lost through the ideas and actions of those involved, not the person with the biggest gun. The problem with clever combat ideas is that they are usually unique, which makes it very difficult to pattern them to the common battle options given in this chapter.

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FEAR & LOATHING

Fear and Loathing The doctors told him it was all in his head. They were right. One night, he tore the padding off the cell door with his teeth and smashed his skull open on the exposed metal. Things crawled from the gory ruin of his head and skittered out under the door. Horror roleplaying has become almost synonymous with ‘sanity systems’ that gleefully track the characters’ descent into madness and terror. In a well-played game, such systems are little more than mechanical reinforcement for roleplaying – the character is not scared because he failed his Fear save, he is scared because the Player playing him is scared. Therefore, these rules should usually be applied only to reinforce and support the roleplaying of the Players. If a Player wants to press on into the dark cavern even though his character failed his Fear save, the Games Master should usually allow it. These rules should be enforced only if a minority of the Players are acting against the best interests of horror, or when a Player wants better rulesbased guidance on how his character would react. In short – this section of rules is a complement for roleplaying, not a replacement.

Three Forms of Horror

A Horror Save is a special kind of Will saving throw that occurs when a character is confronted by a horrific or disturbing encounter. If the character fails the saving throw, he is scared, nauseated or otherwise hindered. If he succeeds, he can act relatively normally as his courage

A Note on Mental Illness

These rules are obviously and deliberately not an accurate portrayal of mental illness. The aim here is to provide a system that mimics the types of overthe-top insanity seen in horror movies and books, not realism.

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is enough to overcome his fear. Horror Saves are far more damaging that normal saving throws; if a character fails by a large margin, he can become psychologically scarred. Horror Saves come in three flavours. Panic Saves occur when the character is in immediate danger, such as a burning building, onrushing car or rampaging psychopath. Relatively mundane situations can trigger panic saves, but they are also the least ‘damaging’ of the three types of horror. Fear Saves occur when the character is in a disturbing situation. There is no immediate danger, just a brooding, lurking, waiting darkness. It is the fear of the haunted house, of the shuttered room, of the noise in the attic. It is the fear of strangers, of shadows, of nameless fears and night terrors. Finally, Madness Saves occur when the character is confronted by the impossible and the inexplicable, when all the rules of reality crumble away or are revealed as

Horror Save Modifiers Situation

Modifier

Other People -4

One other person

-2

Small group (2-6 people)

+0

A crowd

+2

More enemies/monsters than friends present

-2

Lighting Dark/Dim Light

-2

Total Darkness

-4*

Insanity Each Shock Point

-1

Mild Phobia to stimulus

-2

Severe Phobia to stimulus -4 *This assumes that the horror can still be detected nonvisually. If it is purely a visual phenomena, then the character does not have to make a Horror save at all. If it is based on visual stimuli but has other effects (a gibbering monster), the -4 penalty applies. lies. They are the rarest of the three Horror saves, as they only happen when the character is directly exposed to the supernatural (although truly bizarre situations, like discovering everyone you know are actually NSA agents and you have been living in a fake town constructed inside a psychological warfare research laboratory for the last thirty years would also trigger a Madness Save). Failing a Madness save always has dire consequences.

Shock Points As characters fail Horror Saves, they accumulate Shock Points. These points measure how shaken the character is by his experiences. These points penalise the character’s Horror Saves (-1 to all Horror saves per Shock point). Shock points can become long-term phobias or other psychological traumas over time – see Gaining and Losing Shock, below.

Making Horror Saves In all cases, a Horror save is made just like a normal Will save – roll 1d20 and add the character’s Will save bonus, and try to get a total that is equal to or higher than the Difficulty Class. Three of the four basic character classes have a penalty to a particular kind of Horror Save. If the Horror save fails by a margin of five or less, the character enters a particular state. If the save fails by a margin of

Panic Saves

A Panic Save is required when the character is suddenly confronted by immediate danger. The danger does not have to be supernatural, but must be a threat right now. Immediacy is the essence of panic. If the character fails the Panic Save by five or less, he freezes for a number of rounds equal to the margin of failure. If he fails by six or more, he either flees or fights. If the character rolls a 1 on the Panic Save, he also gains 1d3 Shock points. Freezing: A character who freezes in the face of panic cannot move or act. He is flatfooted. The character automatically unfreezes if struck, injured or even touched by anything. The character may make a Will save (DC equal to the Panic save DC– 5) to unfreeze if someone shouts at him or otherwise tries to snap him out of the momentary stupor. When the character unfreezes, he may roll initiative and act normally thereafter.

FEAR & LOATHING

Alone (no allies)

six or more, the character enters into a different and far more acute state.

Sample Panic Saves Situation

Panic Save DC

The character hears a gunshot

5

A car drives straight towards the character

10

A figure suddenly looms out of a dark alleyway

10

The character takes 10 or more points of damage in one round

10

The character is suddenly attacked by a knife-wielding maniac

12

The character is trapped in a burning building

12

Someone shoots at the character

12

A large explosion happens near the 15 character The character finds himself caught in a crossfire

15

The character is chased by a hideous monster

20

The character is chased through a dark maze by an even more hideous monster

25

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walk up the stairs. Harder ones are when you realise there are too many shadows in your room and something is dripping on your shoulder.

FEAR & LOATHING

If the character fails the Fear Save by five or less, he is shaken for a number of rounds equal to the margin of failure. If he fails by six or more, he is repulsed. If the character fails by ten or more, he is repulsed and gains 1d4 Shock points. Shaken: A shaken character takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls, skill checks and saving throws including Horror saves. Repulsion: A character repulsed by fear is either nauseated, fascinated or in denial for 1d4 rounds (Player’s choice on which condition affects the character). After this, the character is shaken for a number of minutes equal to the margin of failure, and suffers an additional –2 penalty on Horror saves while shaken. A nauseated character cannot attack or do anything except move – he is too busy voiding his innards in one direction or another. Fight or Flight: A character who suffers a flight or fight response has a 50% chance of panicking and a 50% chance of attacking or otherwise doing something in response to whatever caused the panic. The character may make a Fortitude save at a DC equal to the Panic Save to take the opposite reaction. A fleeing character is panicked and moves as fast as possible away from the thing or event that caused the panic. If unable to flee, he freezes as above. The character panics for a number of rounds equal to the margin of failure. The panicked character can defend himself as normal, but cannot attack. A character who fights must either attack the thing that caused the panic, or else pick some goal (finding survivors, retrieving an item lost or damaged in the explosion) and obsessively try to accomplish that goal. The character becomes single-mindedly fixated on the attack or goal, and is simply incapable of thinking about anything else. This state lasts for a number of rounds equal to the margin of failure.

Fear Saves

Fear Saves are required when the character is in a scary or disturbing situation. Easy Fear saves may be resisting the urge to hide under the blanket when the footsteps

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A fascinated character cannot do anything except stare in horror at whatever scared him. He is considered stunned for the duration. A character in denial momentarily refuses to accept that whatever just happened actually happened. Unless

Sample Fear Saves Situation

Fear Save DC

Wandering through a dark and empty house

5

Remembering a nightmare

5

Finding a dead animal

10

Spooky and unexplained sounds

10

Seeing truly disturbing or disgusting images

12

Lost in a dark maze

12

Trapped in a nightmare and unable to wake up

12

Finding a corpse

15

Being deliberately confronted with the object of your phobia

15

Finding a friend’s corpse

20

Seeing a ghost

20

Multiple Simultaneous Horror Saves?

What happens when a hideous monster bursts up out of the floor, causing both Panic and Fear saves? Or what if a character looks upon the Nightmare Crystal, which is the heart of Fear and Madness?

Example: Three characters, Dr. Black, Fr. Brown and Sgt. Grey encounter a possessed child that spits flaming bile at them. This causes a Panic save (DC12) and a Fear save (DC15). Dr. Black has a Panic save of +5 and a Fear save of +1. Fr. Brown has a +6 to both. Sgt. Grey has a Panic save of +1 and a Fear save of +5. Dr. Brown’s Player rolls a 10, so he gets a total of 11 on his Fear save (a failure) and 15 on his Panic save (success). He is shaken, but can continue. Fr. Brown rolls a 15, so he’s unaffected by either. Sgt. Grey also rolls a 10, giving him an 11 on his Panic save and a 15 on his Fear save, so he gets a Freeze result (but he is a combatant, so he must Fight instead). forced to acknowledge it (for example, if the character is attacked by a monster that he is denying the existence of), the character will act as if whatever scared him does not exist. This is a risky option, as if the character is forced to recognise the threat again, he must make another Fear save.

Madness Saves

Madness Saves are required when the walls of reality shatter for the character. When the utterly impossible and horrific manifests in front of the character, a Madness save is required.

If the character fails the Madness Save by five or less, he is shaken for a number of rounds equal to the margin of failure. If he fails by six or more, he gains 1d6 Shock points and becomes temporarily insane.

FEAR & LOATHING

If an entity or event has two or three different Horror saves associated with it, then the Player should just make one roll and use it for all the saves, applying the appropriate modifiers and comparing to each individual DC.

Shaken: A shaken character takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws. Temporary Insanity: A character driven temporarily insane by an event rolls 1d6 and compares the result below. All conditions last for 1d6 rounds, and the character is considered shaken for a number of minutes equal to the margin of failure and suffers an additional –2 penalty on Horror saves while shaken: On 1-3, they cower for d6 rounds, probably screaming and crying. On 4-5, they suffer a breakdown which robs them of the ability to process any information at all for the duration. The character is considered paralaysed. On a 6, they faint and will remain unconscious for d6 rounds.

Sample Madness Saves Situation

Madness Save DC

Reading the diary of a madman

10

Repeated synchronicities (i.e. deja vu)

12

Having an out-of-body experience

12

Finding evidence of a paradox

15

Seeing proof that 2+2=5

15

Meeting an alternate-reality or time-travelling version of yourself

20

Experiencing a paradox or dimensional fold

25

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Breathers

FEAR & LOATHING

There is an obvious gap in this list that should be addressed. In one-shot games or particularly short campaigns the characters will not get the chance to gain deal with accumulated Shock until after the whole deal is completed – which pretty much nullifies Shock’s effect on the characters. In this type of game session, the characters have an additional checkpoint – when the characters have a ‘breather’. This is a moment in the horror when everyone gets the chance to catch their breath; the monster is no longer chasing them, the haunted house has stopped freaking them out for half an hour, or they take a break from the increasingly weird FBI investigation to grab a coffee.

Gaining and Losing Shock

Shock points measure short-term damage to the character’s sanity. They are gained by failing Horror Saves. Failing a Panic save can lead to various forms of post-traumatic stress; failing a Fear save can dredge up phobias, and failed Madness saves are the most dangerous of all, as they strike directly at the character’s psyche. For every Shock point a character has, he suffers a –1 morale penalty to all Horror saves.

Temporary Relief Sheer Grit: A character can remove one point of Shock by making a Will save (DC20) once the duration of whatever effect caused the Shock has expired. For example, if the character gained the Shock point while being panicked for 10 rounds, the character could make the Will save at the end of the 10 rounds. If multiple Shock points are gained during a single encounter, the character can only remove one Shock point by making the Will save. Distractions: The character can also remove Shock points by turning to alcohol, drugs or some other distraction. A character who blocks the memory of whatever caused the Shock in this fashion may remove up to four Shock points. The impairment from the drugs or alcohol lasts two hours per Shock point, and causes

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a –1 circumstance penalty per Shcck point removed to all attack rolls and skill checks for the duration of the impairment. Furthermore, when it comes to buying off the remaining Shock points (see Long-term Effects, below), the cost of any related additions is reduced by one. For example, if a character drinks himself into a stupor to remove three Shock points, the cost for mild or severe Alcoholism is reduced by one point for that character. Deal With This Later: Finally, the character can remove the penalties to Horror saves from accumulated Shock points by just pushing all the trauma away to be dealt with later. Choosing to Deal With This Later is a full-round action. The character gains one extra Shock point and must still buy off all these Shock points at some point, but he can ignore the penalty from any Shock. If the character gains more Shock points after declaring that he will Deal With This Later, this Shock causes the usual penalties. The character can choose to Deal With This Later again, but gains one extra Shock point each time he does this. For example, Thomas the reporter has five Shock points as a result of exploring a haunted house. This gives him a rather crippling –5 penalty to all Horror saves. His camerawoman Alice is trapped somewhere inside the house. To enter the building, Thomas has to make a Fear save, but the penalty from Shock means that he has almost no chance of making the save. He therefore chooses to Deal With This Later. He gains another Shock point (bringing him to a rather worrying total of six), but he now has no penalties to his Horror saves. He heads into the house, gets mauled by more ghouls, and eventually manages to exorcise and rescue Alice. In the course of these events, Thomas gains another four Shock

points. At the end of the adventure, he has a –4 penalty to his Horror saves (from the last four Shock points), and a total of ten Shock points. And seeing as it is the end of the adventure, he has to Deal With Them Right Now.

Facing One’s Fears A character who has already encountered a particular horror before may declare that he is facing his fear before encountering it again. Choosing to Face One’s Fears is a full-round action. The character gains one Shock point, but also gains a +10 morale bonus to the first Horror check caused by the monster or situation.

Inner Reserves A character who has had an ability score drained or damaged may gain a Shock point to ignore such penalties for one round. The character’s will overcomes the weaknesses of body and mind.

Long-term Effects

Shock points never last for long. Whenever one of the following events occurs, the character must deal with all his accumulated Shock points. These ‘checkpoint’ events are: ~

The end of the current adventure, as determined by the Games Master.

~

The character gains a level.

~

There is a downtime in the adventure of at least two weeks.

Shock Point Total

Will save DC

1-3

10

4-6

15

7-10

20

11+

25

protected or aided their Ties, or if the characters eradicate a major source of weirdness (escaping the demonic mine is one thing – blowing the whole hellhole to smithereens as you leave is another). This reduction is normally another 1d6 Shock points. If any Shock points remain, the character accumulates psychological problems and disorders. Essentially, the character buys these disorders with Shock points. The character must spend all his Shock points. A character can only purchase each disorder once, and going from a mild disorder to a severe one only costs 2 points. The exception is Toughening – a character may take the Toughening disorder once every time he buys off accumulated Shock points. If by some disaster the character has every disorder on the Results of Shock list and still has Shock points left over, he may buy off the remaining Shock points at the cost of one Wisdom point per Shock point. A character with no Wisdom is irretrievably insane.

Results of Shock Disorder

Shock Points

Addiction, mild

2

Addiction, severe

4

Amnesia

4

Depression

2

Disassociative Identity Disorder

4

Obsession

2

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2

If the character is treated by a psychiatrist, the psychiatrist may make a Knowledge (behavioural science) check at the same DC as the Will save. A successful check reduces the DC for the character’s Will save by 2 points.

Paranoia

2

Phobia, mild

2

Phobia, severe

4

Sociopathy

2

As part of a reward for completing a scenario, the Games Master may remove Shock points from the characters. This should only be done if the characters successfully

Schizophrenia

2

Toughening

1

When one of these events occurs, the character must deal with Shock points. Firstly, every character’s mind has a certain amount of resilience. The character may make a Will save; if this save is successful, the first 1d6 Shock points are removed from the character. The DC for this Will save varies – the more damage the character’s mind has taken, the harder it is to shrug off.

FEAR & LOATHING

Other Uses for Shock Points

Natural Recovery

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FEAR & LOATHING

Phobias

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Acrophobia

Fear of heights

Pyrophobia

Fear of fire

Aerophobia

Fear of drafts, air swallowing or airborne noxious substances

Scotophobia

Fear of darkness

Somniphobia

Fear of sleep

Agoraphobia

Fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places like markets

Thalassophobia

Fear of the sea

Anthropophobia

Fear of people or society

Thanatophobia

Fear of death or dying

Automatonophobia

Fear of ventriloquist’s dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues; anything that falsely represents a sentient being

Xanthophobia

Fear of the colour yellow

Xyrophobia

Fear of razors

Automysophobia

Fear of being dirty

Autophobia

Fear of being alone or of oneself

Aviatophobia

Fear of flying

Ballistophobia

Fear of missiles or bullets

Bathophobia

Fear of depth

Bibliophobia

Fear of books

Blennophobia

Fear of slime

Botanophobia

Fear of plants

Brontophobia

Fear of thunder and lightning

Bufonophobia

Fear of toads

Cacophobia

Fear of ugliness

Catoptrophobia

Fear of mirrors

Chionophobia

Fear of snow

Chronomentrophobia

Fear of clocks

Claustrophobia

Fear of confined spaces

Coimetrophobia

Fear of cemeteries

Coulrophobia

Fear of clowns

Daemonophobia

Fear of demons

Dipsophobia

Fear of drinking

Gerontophobia

Fear of old people or of growing old

Heliophobia

Fear of the sun

Hemophobia

Fear of blood

Herpetophobia

Fear of reptiles or creepy, crawly things

Hippopotomotophobia

Fear of phobias with overly long names

Insectophobia

Fear of insects

Ligyrophobia

Fear of loud noises

Mechanophobia

Fear of machines

Motorphobia

Fear of automobiles

Necrophobia

Fear of death or dead things

Nelophobia

Fear of glass

Noctiphobia

Fear of the night

Nosocomephobia

Fear of hospitals

Oneirophobia

Fear of dreams

Pagophobia

Fear of ice or frost

Removing Disorders A character who gains a level as an Ordinary Person after character creation can remove any one disorder with a rating of 2 or less on the Results of Shock Table, providing they succeed at a Will save (DC 15). Prolonged psychiatric care of at least three months, with no odd occurrences during the therapy, allows the character to make a Will save (DC 13 + the disorder’s rating) to remove a single disorder. The psychiatrist may make a Knowledge (behavioural science) check at the same DC as the Will save. A successful check reduces the DC for the character’s Will save by 2 points.

Disorders Addiction, mild: The character needs a fix or a drink regularly, and can go a maximum number of days equal to his Charisma bonus plus his Constitution bonus before entering withdrawal. His Wealth bonus is reduced by 2 and he suffers a –4 penalty while under the affects of his particular poison. When in withdrawal, the character must make a Fortitude save each day to be able to function. If the save fails, the character is considered shaken until a new fix is gained and will suffer periods of nausea. Addiction, severe: As mild addiction, but the character needs a daily dose of whatever he is addicted to. He can go a maximum number of days equal to his Charisma or Constitution bonus (whichever is higher) before entering withdrawal. His Wealth bonus falls by 2 per month of addiction. Amnesia: The character blocks out the memories of whatever caused the trauma. The character must make a Will save (DC20) to recall any memories. The character automatically gains five Shock points as the repressed memories flood back if he encounters the source of his amnesia again.

Obsession: The character becomes obsessed with something. Roll 1d6 for each Tie – on a one, the character becomes obsessed with that Tie, and gains another three Tie points devoted to it. If no ones are rolled for any Tie, the character gains three Tie points devoted to a person or concept chosen by the Games Master. Note that these obsessive points do not count for the purposes determining if a character becomes an incurable sociopath due to Ties being destroyed.

Disassociative Identity Disorder: The character’s psyche fragments to create an alternate personality to deal with the trauma. Eventually, the character may develop multiple personalities which come to the fore in times of stress (the character switches personality whenever he fails a Horror save). The alternate personalities have the game statistics and abilities as the primary, but each has different a distinctly different mindset. Additionally, each additional personality will slowly accumulate disorders of its own (as the Games Master decrees), quite probably swamping the primary personality eventually.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The character develops a set of rituals and nervous responses that he must perform. This unsettles people around him, giving the character a –2 penalty to all Charisma-based checks. If the character is prevented from performing his rituals, he suffers a –2 penalty to all his skill checks.

FEAR & LOATHING

Depression: The character loses hope for the future, or ceases to attach emotional importance to certain aspects of life. He suffers a –2 morale penalty to all Will saves and must make a Will save (DC10) to motivate himself each day, otherwise he will stay in his home. If dragged out, he suffers a –2 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks. Oddly, the morale penalty does not apply to Horror checks. The character simply does not care enough to be particularly bothered.

Paranoia: The character becomes convinced that enemies are everywhere. He suffers a –4 penalty on Sense Motive checks, and always believes that the other person is plotting against him if he fails a Sense Motive check. Phobia, mild: The character has an unnatural fear of some phenomena and suffers a –2 to any horror checks involving it. Phobia, severe: The character has an overwhelming fear of some phenomena and suffers a –4 to any horror checks involving it. Sociopathy: A dangerous disability, a character who becomes sociopathic slowly loses the emotional capacity to connect with anything he experiences or is involved in. The character degrades 1 permanent Tie by 1 point. If this leaves the Tie with no points left devoted to it, then it no longer exists as a Tie. If a character has no Ties left at all, then he is an incurable sociopath and the character is taken over by the Games Master. Schizophrenia: The character begins to suffer from hallucinations and delusions. If he fails any Horror checks, the margin of failure is doubled – e.g., if a character fails a roll by 4, work out the results as if he had missed the DC by 8. Toughening: The character becomes more resistance to horror. Increase the character’s Horror save bonus for one type of Horror (Panic, Fear or Madness) by 1.

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Magic, mysteries and phenomena Occult powers lurk beneath the surface of horror. Magic and psychic powers are never simply a shield or weapon against the horror – they are a part of it. A character with such abilities is intimately tied to the darkness. The powers he uses to drive back or delve into the shadows are the same powers that animate the shadows, or enable them to move through our reality.

Using Supernatural Abilities

There are five types of supernatural ability in OGL Horror. ~ Rituals: Rituals can be used by any character and do not require any special feats. They are time-consuming and difficult. Rituals can be used to exorcise ghosts, summon or banish demons, open portals and call up that which should not be summoned. ~ Spells: Practising this form of magic requires that the character possess certain feats, as well as the Knowledge (occult) skill. Spells can be cast comparatively quickly, but have limited effects. ~ Psychic Abilities: Unlike magic, psychic powers are not learned – a character is born with them, or acquires them through misfortune. Psychic powers are governed by the Concentration skill and also require that the character have the appropriate feats. ~ Faith: Characters with fervent religious beliefs or intense strength of will can sometimes drive back evil. Faith is based on the Knowledge (theology and philosophy) skill. It is relatively accessible, but having the appropriate feats makes it much more reliable.

~

Artefacts: Magical items each have a unique method of activation and unique powers. Using a Spell, Psychic Ability or Faith takes a standard action, and draws an attack of opportunity unless the caster makes a Concentration check (DC 15). Other conditions can also prevent a character from using a supernatural ability – each character involved must succeed at a Concentration check at the DC listed below.

Character is… Grappling or Pinned

DC20

In a moving vehicle, vigorous motion

DC10

Violently moving vehicle

DC15

Violent weather

DC5

Unnaturally violent weather

DC10

Injured during casting

DC10+the amount of damage sustained

Matching the powers to the game

Not all of the powers have to be included in any one campaign. The Games Master should pick and choose the available abilities. Rituals are basically plot devices – each ritual does one thing and one thing only. They are a tool for characters with no occult powers of their own, allowing them to deal with a supernatural threat. The aim of the game might be

Supernatural Powers and Player Characters

In a horror game, any supernatural powers possessed by characters should be double-edged swords. At the best of times, the powers merely make the character a more attractive target. In most situations, the power should be an added source of horror. Psychic powers force the character to see, to taste, to experience the most ghastly things imaginable. Magic requires a character to make bargains and sacrifices with hideous entities. The characters are drawing on the same powers as the monsters and are taking the first steps towards becoming monsters themselves. Try not to let supernatural powers become too commonplace or familiar, or dominate the game. Every use of such powers should either advance the plot or open up new vistas of horror.

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Spells make magic a lot less mysterious, so they should only be made available to the Players in a high-powered campaign where bizarre occult events are familiar. In a medium-powered game, where the characters deal with horrors on a regular basis, then spells should be used by evil cultists and sorcerers. Finally, in a game where the characters have no clue about the nature of the horror and no hope of confronting it directly, the Games Master can just decide vaguely what the antagonists can do without having to pin it down in mechanics – they can do whatever is needed to scare the Players. Psychic powers can be used in any game – they are mainly an information-gathering tool, and so the lower tier of psychic feats can fit quite comfortably into a lower-powered game. These powers do not require any special training, so a character from an entirely mundane, ordinary background can develop psychic powers. Faith is a big one, and should only be used in campaigns where it is genuinely appropriate. If pious people have a special protection from evil, that implies that there’s a divine morality out there, that there is a God (or Gods) and maybe even a divine plan. In some games, that is perfectly acceptable – once you bring in God, you can also bring in his opposite number and all his little demons. Letting those with fervent faith have special power over evil can add to the horror – having a special gift is little comfort if it means that you are the only who can go out and fight the evil demon. Faith (as a special power, anyway) should not be allowed in games of cosmic horror (where the empty, uncaring nature of the universe is an important element) or where the horror’s origin is scientific (zombies animated by bizarre chemicals should not be vulnerable to faith).

Finally, Artefacts are plot tools just like rituals. However, an artefact will probably be used constantly during a game, so their abilities should be less powerful (a ritual might allow the characters to banish a demon wholly, but an artefact might only give them a chance to fight it) but generally more useful.

Rituals

Rituals are usually found in ancient books of occult lore, decoded from glyphs on the walls of tombs, or derived from mathematical formulae. They are a form of ceremonial magic, requiring only belief and the proper words and gestures from the participants – it is not necessary to comprehend how the magic works. Each ritual description has the following elements: Ritualists: The number of characters required to perform the ritual. Primary: Each ritual has a primary caster who leads the ceremony and a number of secondary ritualists who aid the primary. The primary character must make a roll of some kind (usually Knowledge (occult) or a Wisdom or Charisma check against some DC. Secondaries: Each secondary ritualist must also make a check of some sort. For each secondary who succeeds, the primary character gets a +3 ritual bonus to his roll (and these bonuses stack with each other). Requirements: Any special qualities that the primary or secondary ritualists must possess. Components: Any special items that must be present for the ritual. Costs: Some rituals drain hit points, ability scores or some other aspect of the characters. Casting Time: How long the various parts of the ritual last. Effect: What effect the ritual has, if effective. Failure: What happens if the primary ritualist fails his check.

MAGIC, MYSTERIES & PHENOMENA

to find an ancient ritual that closes the gateway to Hell or banishes the cosmic horror. Try to avoid ending every game with a ritual, as it does rapidly become a tired cliché. As long as they are not overused, rituals can be an eerie part of any campaign.

Exorcism

This ritual drives out demons or evil spirits possessing a victim or inhabiting a building. Ritualists: The ritual calls for at least one priest or similarly qualified primary ritualist (6 or more ranks in Knowledge (theology and philosophy) or Knowledge (occult) is acceptable), as well as two to five assistants. Primary: The primary must make five opposed Will saves against the demon. The demon may add its Hit Dice to its rolls; the primary may add his Charisma modifier and gets a +2 synergy bonus if he has 6 or more ranks in Knowledge (theology and philosophy). Secondaries: The secondaries need only succeed at a Madness save (DC 10) to successfully aid the primary ritualist.

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Requirements: The primary gets a +5 circumstance bonus if he knows the demon’s true name or if he has some other hold over the spirit. Components: Bell, book and candle, as well as something symbolising purity (salt is commonly used). Costs: Once the fifth opposed Will save is made, the primary takes temporary Wisdom damage equal to the hit dice of the demon. Casting Time: One minute (12 rounds) of chanting and preparation, followed by the clash of wills between entity and primary ritualist. Each clash (opposed Will save) takes one round, with a one-round gap in between. Effect: If the primary ritualist wins the majority of the five opposed Will saves, the entity is banished. If it is an outsider, it is forced to return to its place of origin and may not return unless summoned. If it is a ghost or other entity tied to this earth, it is disrupted for 10d10 months or is wholly destroyed, depending on how strongly the entity was tied to this world. Failure: If the primary ritualist fails by more than two Will saves (i.e, the entity won by a margin of 4-1 or 5-0), the entity may choose to possess him instead. The two must make another opposed Will save (and remember that the primarily ritualist has now suffered temporary Wisdom damage). If the primary ritualist fails this save, he is possessed.

Summon Demon

This potent ritual tears open the fabric of reality, to allow a demonic entity entry into the world of matter and flesh. Ritualists: There is no limit to the number of ritualists involved in a summoning. Primary: The primary ritualist must succeed at a Knowledge (occult) check every round for the duration of the ritual, at a DC equal to 10+the demon’s hit dice. If he fails this check, the ritual continues and the demon continues to drain power from the secondary casters (see below). If he fails this check twice in a row, or is killed, the ritual collapses. Secondaries: Each secondary caster in the ritual provides power to open the portal. They need merely be present and keep chanting. Requirements: The summoning requires a properly prepared ritual space and summoning circle. These can be prepared in five minutes with a successful Knowledge (occult) check (DC 10). If the circle is carefully prepared (which takes at least a week of work), the primary ritualist gets a +5 ritual bonus to his checks. Components: The primary must know the demon’s true name. Sacrifices can also help with the summoning – for every round in which a victim bleeds, the primary caster gets a bonus to his roll equal to the amount of hit points lost by the victim. Costs: The demon drains power from the secondary casters to open the portal. It must drain a number of

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points from their ability scores equal to its hit points. Each round, it absorbs 1d8 points from up to six different secondary casters. Alternatively, the demon can draw power from some other source, such as yet more sacrificial victims. Casting Time: The ritual takes thirty minutes of chanting and incantation before the portal begins to form. Once the gate opens, the ritual lasts until the demon has drained enough energy from the secondary casters to come through into our reality. Effect: The demon emerges into our reality, and remains here until banished or destroyed. Failure: The demon is caught in between realities. If it had drained an amount of ability score points less than half its hit point total, it is hurled back to wherever it came from. If it drained an amount of ability score points less than half its hit point total, it can partially manifest in our world, tainting wherever the ritual took place. The demon cannot move or use most of its powers, but can warp reality somewhat. Also, a subsequent summoning ritual can use the demon’s accumulated power – if a 100 hit point demon had drained 75 points of ability scores before the summoning was stopped, a second summoning ritual need only provide the remaining 25 points to free the demon.

Call Storm

The ritual of calling the storm being an unnatural storm down upon a region. Ritualists: One primary caster and any number of secondary casters. Primary: The primary caster must make a Knowledge (physical sciences) or Survival check to shape the weather to the desired form. The storm lasts for six hours. The DC for this check depends on what type of weather is desired.

Weather Type Storm Type

Base DC

Heavy Rain

10

Lightning Storm

15

Snowstorm

15

Added Extras

DC Increase

Flooding or snowdrifts block overland travel

+5

High winds block flight

+5

Lighting strikes specific locations

+2 per strike

Storm blocks communications

+5

Double storm duration

+2 per doubling (initial duration is six hours)

Alignment of Stones

The alignment of stones ritual activates ancient monoliths or other constructions. Some of these monolith sites open gates to other realms, others awaken sleeping monsters or grand special powers to a user. Ritualists: This ritual needs only a primary caster. Primary: The primary must make a Knowledge (occult) check at DC25, and gets a +2 synergy bonus if he has five or more ranks in Craft (structural). Secondaries: Secondary ritualists must also make Knowledge (occult) checks, as above. Requirements: None.

Components: None. Costs: None are required to use the ritual, but activating the magic of the old stones may require a sacrifice of some sort. Effect: The effect of the ritual depends on what ancient site was activated. Using this ritual at certain Iron Age sites in western Europe can open a misty gate to the Celtic otherworld. Activating the ancient stones that lie beneath the patterns in the Nazca desert can call down those who went to the stars aeons ago. Failure: If the primary ritualist’s roll fails by 10 or more, the ancient site suffers considerable structural damage as a surge of magic rushes through it. This may cause a minor earthquake or even make the place collapse.

Spider Dreams

The ritual of spider dreams summons a host of tiny ghostly spiders that begin to weave a thick web over a building or other structure. The spiders flit between reality and etherealness and the web itself is invisible to normal people. This magical web prevents anyone inside the building from leaving by any means – even ethereal creatures cannot pass through the webs. It is used to contain a horrific, evil force within a given structure. Ritualists: This ritual needs one primary and three or four secondary ritualists. Primary: The primary must make an opposed Will save against the Will save of the most powerful entity inside the building. The entity may add its Strength or Charisma bonus (whichever is higher) to its roll. Secondaries: Three of the secondary casters must approach the building from at least five hundred feet away which the primary does the same. The four must each approach from one of the four cardinal points while chanting (north, south, east, west), with the primary caster approaching from the remaining cardinal point. The secondary casters must each make a Concentration check (DC10) to aid the primary caster. Requirements: Once three of the secondary casters and the primary caster reach the building to be bound in spider web, they must enter the structure. The webs then seal up that last entrance. The four must enter the building for the spell to work. The fourth secondary caster may remain outside. The ritual lasts as long as any one of the casters is alive, so the fourth secondary caster can act as an anchor, keeping the spider web intact for as long as he lives, even if the other four have been torn apart. Components: The ritual requires a rare breed of spider from North Africa, which must be held under the tongue of each caster as the ritual is cast. Costs: None. Casting Time: Half an hour. Effect: If the ritual succeeds, nothing can leave the web-bound structure by any means. The evil is trapped

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Secondaries: The secondary casters must succeed at a Will save (DC15). Requirements: None. Components: None. Costs: The ritual inflicts an amount of ability score drain equal to the DC of the Knowledge or Survival check made by the primary. This drain can be divided amongst the primary and secondary ritualists. Casting Time: One hour. Effect: The storm boils up out of the sky and lasts for at least six hours. Failure: The storm goes out of control – it may fade away unnaturally quickly, or cause unforeseen effects.

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within. This containment lasts until all the people who cast the ritual are dead. Rumour has it that it is possible to bring down a web by somehow entering the dreams of the arachnid weavers, but no known ritual or spell allows this sort of contact. Failure: If the caster fails the opposed Will save, the spider web is not strong enough to contain the powers within the building.

Spells and Spellcasting

Spells are quick, vicious incantations that suddenly create an unnatural effect. The key skill used to cast spells is Knowledge (occult). Casting a spell requires a skill check to determine how effective the spell is. The higher the result, the more effective the spell is. However, the higher the result, the greater the ability score or hit point drain caused by the spell. Additionally, the character must have access to a written version of the spell in order to learn it and is limited as to how many spells he can know.

casting result of 22, he could choose to use a result of 20 or 15 or any value lower than 22.

Spellcaster

The character can cast spells. Prerequisites: Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma score of 13+. Benefit: The character can cast any spell that he knows. The maximum number of spells that he can know is equal to his Intelligence modifier. A starting character taking this feat knows one spell. Special: Taking this feat gives the character three Shock points, which must be bought off using the normal rules (see Chapter 8, Fear and Loathing).

Spell Mastery

The character has the magical prowess to contain a wide repertoire of spells. Prerequisites: Spellcaster; Intelligence 13+. Benefits: The character may know three extra spells.

Spell Focus

Spellcasting Drain Casting Result

Ability Score Drain

10 or less

1

11-15

2

16-20

3

21-25

4

26+

5

Spellcasting Feats

To use spells at all, a character must have the Spellcaster feat. A character may know a number of spells equal to his Intelligence modifier. Extra spells can be obtained by taking the Spell Mastery feat.

Control Magic

The character can choke off the energies of a spell before it drains him dry. Prerequisites: Spellcaster: Wisdom 15+. Benefit: The character may choose to use a lower casting result if he desires. For example, if the character rolls a

The character’s mind is unusually forceful and adept when it comes to spellcasting. Prerequisites: Spellcaster; Charisma 13+. Benefit: The character has a +4 bonus to Knowledge (occult) checks when casting spells.

Casting a Spell

To cast a spell, the character makes a Knowledge (occult) check. The total of the dice roll plus the character’s Knowledge (occult) bonus (which includes skill ranks, ability modifiers, bonuses from feats such as Skill Focus and so on) is referred to as the casting result. The higher the casting result, the more powerful the spell. The casting result also determines how much ability score drain the spell inflicts. A spell always takes a full-round action to cast. Each spell description has the following elements: Drains: Which ability score is drained by the spell. Range: The range of the spell.

Spells and other OGL games

OGL Horror uses a different spellcasting system to other OGL games. In most other games, spellcasting is dependable and safe. Each caster can cast a certain number of spells per day and spells are divided neatly into different levels. If the Games Master wishes to convert spells from other OGL games to OGL Horror, the casting DC is 5 plus the spell’s level x 5 and the spell drains a number of ability score points equal to twice the spell’s level. When converting spells from OGL Horror to other games, ignore the ability score drain and reverse the above formula to get the spell’s level, taking the desired effectiveness of the spell as the casting DC.

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Spells Bleeding Spell

Drains: Constitution. Range: 10 feet X casting result. Duration: A number of rounds equal to the casting result. Target: One person. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: Fortitude negates. The target of this spell begins to bleed from his eyes, nose, mouth and other orifices. He loses a number of hit points per round equal to the ability score drain of the spell. Furthermore, the character has a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls, skill checks and Horror saves due to the distraction and pain. By making a Treat Injury roll (DC equal to the casting result), the bleeding can be stemmed

for 1d4+1 rounds. Being struck by this spell forces a Madness save (DC12).

Blight

Drains: Strength. Range: 30 feet. Duration: One year (D). Area of Effect: One field or one creature. Components: S. Saving Throw: Fortitude negates. Land cursed by blight becomes barren and infertile. Nothing will thrive there for a year and even after this the area will still be noticeably poor. If cast on a creature, that creature becomes ill for a number of days equal to the casting result (-1 to all rolls), or lame (-4 to attack rolls with a lamed hand, or half movement and –4 to Balance and other agility-related roll with a lame leg).

Bind Energy

Drains: Dexterity. Range: Within eyesight. Duration: As long as the caster concentrates. Target: One machine. Components: None. Saving Throw: V. Bind energy allows the caster to control the flow of electricity (or steam, or whatever powers the machine) through a device. He can use the casting result as a Computer Use, Disable Device, Drive or Pilot check. The caster can control any device he can see by using the spell in this fashion.

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Duration: How long the spell lasts. If the duration is marked with a (D), the spell can be dismissed at will by the caster before the duration runs out. Target or Area of Effect: What the spell is cast on. Components: ~ V – verbal: the caster must be able to speak to cast the spell ~ S – somatic: the caster must be able to make gestures to cast the spell ~ M – material: the spell requires an item of some sort. Saving Throw: If the spell allows a saving throw, it is noted here. The DC for the Saving Throw is always 10+the Intelligence modifier of the caster (before any drains take place)+the number of points drained by the spell.

Call Horror

Drains: Wisdom. Range: Special. Duration: One minute per casting result. Target: One creature. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: None. This spell summons up a creature to serve the caster. It congeals from shadow and dust, or drifts down out of the skies, or suddenly erupts out of the ground. The creature has a maximum hit dice equal to half the casting result and will obey the caster’s verbal commands. It counts as an aberration, and has no particular special abilities, though it may well provoke a Fear save (DC 10) as it arrives. The creature will vanish once the spell’s duration expires.

Cloud the Mind

Drains: Wisdom Range: Casting result in feet. Duration: Concentration + 1d6 rounds.

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Target: One person. Components: None. Saving Throw: Will negates. The victim of cloud the mind must make a Concentration check every round, at a DC equal to the casting result to act. His thoughts have to push through a morass of confusion and distractions. If the victim is attacked or threatened, he may make another Will save.

Divination

Drains: Wisdom. Range: 0 feet. Duration: 10 minutes. Target: Self. Components: V, S, M. Saving Throw: None. Divination allows the caster to predict the future in very vague terms. The spell is channelled through some token or device, such as cards, dice, mathematical equations, a scrying pool or some other method. Use the casting result as a percentage chance for the caster to foresee a particular event.

Dominate

Drains: Charisma. Range: 100 feet.

Duration: A number of minutes equal to the casting result. Target: One creature. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: Will negates. To use dominate, the caster must look into the target’s eyes (this is a gaze attack). The spell transfers a single telepathic command to the target, who must attempt to comply. The victim is not consciously aware that he is being controlled, but does sense that something is wrong. If the command is to do something self-destructive or utterly against the victim’s sense of self or morality, he may make another Will save every round.

Ghost Claw

Drains: Strength and Constitution. Range: 100 feet. Duration: Instantaneous. Target: One creature. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: Reflex halves. Ghost claw conjures a spectral claw that slashes across the flesh of one target. The caster must make a ranged touch attack to hit with the claw. It inflicts hit point damage equal to the casting result. Ghost claw can also affect ethereal or incorporeal creatures.

Invisibility

Drains: Charisma. Range: Self. Duration: Casting result in minutes. Target: Self. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: None. This spell does not give true invisibility – it merely distorts the perceptions of anyone looking at the caster, making it much, much harder for them to notice him. The DC for spotting the caster is increased by the casting result, but any observers are entitled to a new Spot check whenever the caster moves. If the caster attacks, the DC for the Spot check is reduced by 20 for as long as he attacks, and will expire after 1d4+1 rounds. This spell works on security cameras and other visual sensors as well as eyes.

Project Dreams

Drains: Wisdom. Range: Unlimited. Duration: Objectively, one hour in the real world; in the subjective dream world, a number of hours equal to the casting result. Target: One or more dreamers, up to a maximum of the caster’s Charisma bonus. Components: V, S, M. Saving Throw: Special; see below. The project dreams spell allows the caster to create a

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If a victim fails a Fortitude save against the spell, he is fatigued the next day. The material component for this spell is a link to the targets – a piece of clothing, a drop of blood, a copy of a signature, a passport or some other personal item.

See Through Veils

Drains: Charisma. Range: Self. Duration: Casting result in rounds. Target: Self. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: None. When this spell is cast, the character can perceive auras, invisible creatures, magical emanations and other supernatural phenomena. Interpreting these auras is difficult, and often all the spell can do is show the caster than something is odd there. The caster can see invisible or ethereal creatures clearly. He may use the casting result as the roll for Spot or Sense Motive checks as he can perceive the auras of creatures. Using this spell triggers a Madness save at a DC equal to the casting result –5.

Spacewarp

Drains: Constitution and Strength Range: Touch Duration: Special; see below. Target: Creature or object touched Components: V, S, optional M. Saving Throw: Fortitude negates. Spacewarp creates folds in space. It can be used to teleport a character or object a number of miles equal to the casting result multiplied by fifty. A character unwilling to be transported has a +5 bonus to the Fortitude save. Alternatively, the spell can be used to increase the inner dimensions of an object or structure up to the size of a small house. Multiply the size of the space inside by the casting result. This increase in space lasts the casting result in minutes.

Finally, the spell can be made both permanent and more powerful using a material component – specifically, certain rare metals and precious stones. The transportation variant of the spell can create a permanent portal with a range equal to the casting level in lightyears, while the space-increasing version becomes a permanent tesseract ten times larger. While the spell is maintained, the caster cannot regain the ability score points drained by the spacewarp.

Terror

Drains: Charisma. Range: 120 feet. Duration: Instantaneous. Target: One or more characters. Components: V. Saving Throw: None. This simple spell creates an image of the target’s worst fears to terrify them. The target must make a Fear save (if he has any phobias) or Panic save (if he has no phobias) at a DC equal to the casting result. Optionally, the caster can split the casting result among multiple targets – a casting result of 25 could be used to hit one target with a Fear save (DC15) and another with a Panic save (DC10). If a target does have a phobia, remember to apply their penalty to their saving throw (see Chapter 8, Fear and Loathing).

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dreamscape and draw the sleeping minds of several other people into it. The other people appear in the dream more or less as they really are in the waking world, while the caster must sculpt a dream-avatar for himself. In the dream, the caster has the Warp Reality ability (see Chapter 12, Monsters), and uses his casting result instead of his Concentration score while in the dream. Any damage or Shock points echo into the real world – one-tenth (round up) of the effective damage gained in the dream transfer over to reality.

Ward by Will

Drains: Constitution and Charisma. Range: Self. Duration: Casting result in rounds. Target: Self. Components: V, S. Saving Throw: None. Ward by will gives the caster Damage Reduction equal to the casting result. This protection drains away as the spell goes on, decreasing by one point every round (so the protection is always equal to the remaining duration of the spell). Any injuries inflicted on the caster are instantly healed or deflected by the magic.

Psychic Phenomena

Each individual psychic power is a feat in its own right; it is quite possible for a character to have only one psychic power. They do not have to be learned – at the Games Master’s discretion they may be developed naturally or even due to a supernatural mishap. Psychic abilities depend on the Concentration skill and require that the character have the appropriate psychic feats. Psychic powers have a chance to backfire and injure the user. The easier the Concentration check, the higher the chance of Backfire, as shown on the Backfire table.

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Backfire Concentration DC

Backfire on a roll of…

Less than 10

10 or less

10-14

1-4

15-19

1-3

20-24

1-2

25+

1

The hit point loss or other penalty caused by a Backfire is listed with each feat, in a section marked ‘Backfire’. Retries: If a character fails a Concentration check to read a particular impression or learn information about a topic, the character may try again. However, the chance for Backfire doubles each time. If the character rests for at least eight hours between attempts, the chance for Backfire does not double. A character may not take 10 or take 20 on a Concentration check to use a psychic power. All psychic abilities take a standard action. All psychic characters must have the Sensitive feat. After that, they can choose other feats freely, as long as they meet the prerequisites.

Psychic Abilities Astral Form

The character can leave his body for short periods and travel in an astral body. Prerequisite: Precognitive. Benefit: Entering astral form requires a Concentration check (DC 25). While in astral form, the character is in the astral plane, a realm of pure thought. Here, emotions, metaphors and concepts have ‘physical’ form, while the astral reflections of ‘real’ objects are as

immaterial and almost imperceptible. Navigating through the Astral plane requires a Knowledge (occult) check (DC 20). The character can attempt to manifest in the material world (in a ghost-like, incorporeal astral body) by making a Concentration check (DC 20). While manifested, the character can perceive the real world, walk through walls and is immune to attacks other than those that hurt incorporeal creatures. To return to his body, the character must either walk in incorporeal form to the empty body, or else return to the Astral plane and navigate back. If the character fails to navigate the plane, an astral creature may (5% chance per hour) possess the empty body, and require an exorcism to remove it. A failed Navigation roll means that the character is lost for a number of hours equal to the Knowledge (occult) roll. Backfire: 1d10 hit points.

Empathic

The character can project or receive emotions in others nearby. Prerequisite: Charisma 15+. Benefit: By concentrating, the character can detect or project emotions. When detecting emotion, the character may use his Concentration skill instead of his Sense Motive skill. To project emotion, the character must make a Concentration check, at a DC of 10+the target’s Will save. Projecting emotion can cause the target to be distracted, giving a –2 morale penalty to attack rolls and skill checks, or give an ally courage, giving a +2 morale bonus to Horror saves. Backfire: 1d4 hit points.

Precognitive

The character can perceive the immediate future. Prerequisite: Wisdom 13+. Benefit: Sometimes, the character receives cryptic images or prophecies of potential futures. These happen naturally, but the character can also try to trigger an precognitive flash, as shown on the Precognition table. Backfire: 1d4 hit points.

Precognition Future

Concentration DC Effect

Next round

15

The character can gain either a +4 dodge bonus to Defence, or a +10 insight bonus to an attack roll.

Short term (next hour at most)*

20

The character gets flashes of likely events in the next hour, such as a monster attacking or a bomb exploding.

Next 24 hours*

25

The character receives the information in the form of either a montage of images or a short rhyme or riddle.

Indefinite*

15

Again, the character receives the information in the most cryptic form possible. * If the character wants information on a particular topic, the DC is increased by 5.

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Pyrokinetic

Pyrokinesis Effects

Concentration DC

Creating a spontaneous flame*

15

Moving an existing fire**

10

Every foot of range

+1

Every additional1d6 points of fire +5 damage * This is a Small fire, which will cause 1d6 damage (especially if the character has created it on someone’s body). ** Causing a fire to roll off a burning object, form a barrier and so on. Backfire: 1d6 hit points for every 10 points of the Concentration DC.

Second Sight

The character can see magical auras and ghosts. Prerequisites: Wisdom 15+. Benefit: See the see through veils spell above. The Second Sight feat gives exactly the same abilities if the character succeeds at a DC15 Concentration check, except the Concentration check result is used as the modifier to Sense Motive and Spot checks. A new Concentration check must be made every 1d4 minutes to maintain this psychic power. Using this power triggers a Madness save at a DC equal to the Concentration check –5. Backfire: Blinded for 1d4 minutes.

Sensitive

The psychic flash may be nothing more than a momentary image, a scent, a triggered memory or just a feeling that something is wrong.

Sensitivity Situation

Concentration DC

Within 30 feet of psychic emanation

20

Within 10 feet of psychic emanation

15

Touching psychic emanation

10

MAGIC, MYSTERIES & PHENOMENA

The character can make things burn. Prerequisite: Telekinetic. Benefit: The character can create heat and flame using his mind alone. The DC for the Concentration check is calculated as follows:

Benefit: The character occasionally senses psychic traces, emotional residue, unseen presences and other kinds of supernatural phenomena. This ability is not under the character’s control – the Games Master should make a Concentration check for the character, depending on the situation. If the check succeeds, the character gets a psychic flash.

Backfire: 1d4 hit points.

Speaker for the Dead

By touching a corpse or a ghost, the character can draw the spirit of the deceased into himself. Prerequisites: Second Sight. Benefit: While the character contains the spirit, the spirit can speak through the character, see through his eyes and so on. If the spirit does not want to be contained (or does not want to leave, or wants to try to use the character’s body for a round), the creature must make a Will save opposed by the character’s Concentration). If the character dies while the spirit is trapped within him, both are destroyed. Backfire: 2d6 damage, plus the character suffers a –4 penalty to any attempts to resist possession for the next 24 hours.

The character gets psychic flashes and images on occasion.

Handling Psychic Visions

Any sort of predictive ability can be troublesome in a game. Players have an unerring ability to sow chaos and drive the plot off course, so ensuring any event takes place as planned can be very difficult. Keep visions as general and as cryptic as possible. Instead of answering their questions, they should tell the Players what questions they should be asking. Use images that could easily be misinterpreted. Consider using techniques like the indeterminate clue to keep your options open – just drop a bizarre image on the Players and let them come up with why it might have shown up in a vision. Finally, it might be that the visions only show what would have happened if the characters never got the vision, so any actions based on the information from the vision will paradoxically prevent the vision from coming to pass.

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Telekinetic

The character can move objects with the power of his mind. Prerequisites: Constitution 13+. Benefit: The character may produce any of the following effects by concentrating.

Telekinesis Effects Effect

Concentration DC

Lift objects*

Total Strength + Round Dexterity required

Levitate

15

Telekinetically Grapple check of grapple target

Check must be made every…

Minute Round

Telekinetically =Attack roll. Round strike** * For example, if the character wants to clumsily hammer open a stuck door, he could use Dexterity 3 and Strength 17 and have a Concentration DC of 20. Telekinetically unlocking a door with a key might require Strength 1 and Dexterity 10. ** When telekinetically striking a target, the character may use the Power Attack feat to inflict damage. For example, if the character wants to deal 5 points of damage with the attack, he must accept a –5 penalty to his Concentration check. Backfire: 1d8 hit points.

Telepathic

The character can sense the thoughts of others, or project his own upon them. Prerequisite: Empathic. Benefit: To scan the thoughts of another character, the telepath must make a Concentration check at a DC equal to the distance in feet between the telepath and the target, plus the target’s Will save bonus. The telepath detects surface thoughts first, but continued scans can probe memories and buried thoughts. The character can also project his own thoughts at the same DC. He can even alter the memories of another person, but this requires five rounds of contact for a short-term memory and ten rounds of contact for a longterm memory. Backfire: 1d10 hit points.

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Faith

Faith demands sacrifice and belief. The basic roll for a Faith check is a Charisma or Wisdom check (Player’s choice). Having six or more ranks in Knowledge (theology and philosophy) gives the character a +2 synergy bonus to the roll. However, mere knowledge is not enough – the character must be prepared to make sacrifices. Each Faith effect has a requisite DC in order for it to manifest. Each effect of Faith also has a required stake, a level of penalty that the character will incur if the Faith check fails. For example, a Player might agree that if his character fails to Exorcise a demon, the demon will possess the character, or that his character will gain three Shock points, or lose 2d6 hit points. If the Faith check succeeds, the character suffers no penalty. If Faith is available in the game, only a character with the Pious feat may employ this ability any efficacy. Any nonPious character can use the effects of Faith listed below, by making an unmodified Wisdom or Charisma check, where natural 1s and 20s have no effect. Having any of the feats below makes using Faith much easier and a roll of a natural 20 is always a success. It is a full-round action to invoke a Faith effect.

MAGIC, MYSTERIES & PHENOMENA

Faith Feats Pious

The character has a faith in his divine entity that few can rival, enabling him to receive answers to his prayers. Benefit: The character may make Faith checks normally and a natural 20 is always a success.

Devout

The character’s faith is singularly strong. Prerequisite: Pious. Benefit: The character has a +5 divine bonus when using Abjure, Bless, Exorcise or Inspire Courage.

Sanctified

The character is protected by higher powers. Prerequisite: Pious. Benefit: The character has a +5 divine bonus when using Heal, Holy Aegis, Intervention or Release.

Faith Effects Abjure

DC: 20. Effect: The character repels evil. All evil, unnatural creatures within 30 feet of the character gain an Aversion (holy) weakness at a level equal to the character’s Knowledge (religion) check (or the monster’s normal Aversion (holy) weakness, if it is higher) for the next 2d6 rounds.

Bless

DC: Varies; see below. Effect: A single weapon or item touched by the character becomes holy. The effect varies depending on what object is being blessed by the character.

Exorcise

DC: Target’s Will Save + Hit Dice. Effect: This ability is similar to the ritual of Exorcism, but works much more quickly. It works only on spiritual enemies such as ghosts or demons. The targeted horror is disrupted for one hour per point of difference between the character’s result and the DC of the Faith check. The creature will manifest again after this time and the DC

increases by 5 each time a particular creature is targeted with this ability after the first.

Heal

DC: Varies; see below. Effect: The character restores lost hit points or ability scores.

Faith Healing Injury

DC

Effect

Curable disease

20

Character is cleansed of the disease

Incurable or 25 supernatural disease, blindness or other permanent injury

Character is healed

Hit points lost

25

The character regains 10+1d10 hit points

Ability score drained

25

The character regains 1d4 lost ability score points

Describing Faith

All of the powers of faith below are described in rather bland, mechanical terms. The Player and Games Master should tailor the descriptions in-game depending on how the character uses faith. A trained exorcist might abjure a monster by holding him a shining crucifix and ordering it to retreat in Latin. An innocent child with pure faith might abjure the same horror by just closing his eyes and hoping it will go away.

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Sample Stakes

Stakes are what the character is willing to sacrifice in the name of Faith. Ideally, they should be tied to the current situation in the game – the Player declares that the monster about to burst in the door will attack his character first if he fails to repel it. The stake has to be meaningful and if the Games Master feels that the Players are trying to ‘work the system’ (say, by having one Player declare that the monster will attack his character first and then planning their tactics based on that knowledge about the monster’s movements), he should increase the DC or even disallow the use of Faith entirely. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shock points: The character gains three Shock points. Stigmata: The character suffers 2d6 hit points of damage. Misfortune: The character automatically fails the next three important rolls. Penance: The character suffers a severe reversal of fortunes. Loss of Faith: The character suffers a permanent –4 penalty to all future Faith checks.

Holy Aegis

DC: 25. Effect: Holy Aegis protects the character from all forms of harm. He gains 50 temporary hit points, which last for enough to enough time to complete one task – a single fight, rescuing a child from a burning building, escaping from a pursing monster. Any damage is taken from these temporary hit points first.

Inspire Courage

DC: 20. Effect: The character draws upon his faith to rally the spirits of others. The character and any allies gain a +4 divine bonus to Horror saves for the next 2d6 rounds.

Intervention

DC: 30. Effect: When a character uses intervention, he humbly asks that whatever divine powers exist reach down and aid him. Intervention usually functions through coincidence – a lock happens to be rusty and pops open, a police officer happens to wander by, the moon comes out from behind a cloud and illuminates a path through the forest. Intervention may even result in the manifestation of entities or other signs to help the character. Its precise effects are up to the Games Master.

Release

DC: 25. Effect: The power of release has two separate but related effects. Firstly, release can be used to break any bonds (such as ropes or handcuffs) or locked doors that are restraining the character from escaping. The power of release has no power over supernatural barriers, though. Secondly, if the character invokes release and touches someone who is possessed or under a mind-affecting spell or effect, the target is freed from the mental influence.

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Artefacts

Each artefact is unique, its provenance the subject of occult speculation and frenzied research, its fate the subject of endless and often lethal conspiracy. An artefact is unlikely to be found in the hands of only a single character – most have whole organisations or cults dedicated to protecting or exploiting them.

Black Grail

The Black Grail is a stone bowl, octagonal in shape. It is carved from black stone, with striations of silver and green metal running through it. It was dredged up from the mid-Atlantic by a fishing vessel in the 1850s and sold to an antique dealer. It passed from private collection to private collection until it was eventually purchased by the

According to records, water from the Black Grail had strange effects on anyone who drank it. One antiquarian in Boston has a stuffed animal which he claims is the preserved body of a dog that drank from the Grail, but biologists dismiss it as a cleverly made fake. Some theorise that the metal in the Grail was radioactive and that the water causes mutations. At least one vial of water from the Grail is kept in a private collection. Perhaps the Grail was a product of long-vanished Atlantis. Its transforming powers could be caused by magic, or advanced genetic-engineering technology. As to what happened to it… could the Mariposa have been intercepted and boarded by thieves? Or did the Grail’s power reach the crew? Has the Grail returned to the ocean, or is it in the hands of some ancient cult – or cutting-edge biogenetics company? Abilities: The Grail has only one power – anyone who drinks from it starts to change. The changes are usually adaptive, so a drinker who falls into the ocean might begin to grow gills, while someone trapped in the darkness might begin to turn into some bizarre rat-like hybrid. The period of change usually lasts no more than a day, although secondary transformations can be triggered by stress in later months.

Book of Dead Names

Abilities: The Book of Dead Names contains all manner of spells and rituals. It gives a +10 equipment bonus to any Research or Knowledge (occult) checks. However, opening the book requires a Will save (DC18) to avoid possession by the spirit of some long-dead sorcerer.

White Lens

The White Lens is an opaque circle of glass four feet in diameter, contained in a frame of brass. The frame was added sometime in the 18th century, but the origins of the glass are unknown. The light of other days shines through the lens – put it against a window, and images of the past are illuminated in the room beyond. Adjusting the lens alters how far back the lens goes; generally, the closer the focal point, the shorter the time distortion. Focussing the lens on a point right in front of it might only go back a few hours; beam it across the length of a large room, and you look back centuries. The lens is currently embedded in the wall of a private library, where the owner uses the light to read books that have long since decayed past the point of legibility.

MAGIC, MYSTERIES & PHENOMENA

British Museum in 1913. The ship carrying the Grail, the Mariposa, never arrived. Its wreck was found in the Arctic in 1957.

Abilities: The lens can indeed create images of past times. The beam from the lens is limited in size, and it can illuminate an area only a few feet across as any time, but its abilities are otherwise infallible. Adjusting the lens to ‘tune into’ a particular time requires a Knowledge (physics) check (DC varies, depending on what level of precision is required). The true danger of the White Lens is that it leaks. Things from other days flicker at the edges of the lens, and sometimes they crawl through…

The Book of Dead Names is an encyclopaedia of occult lore, assembled from the writings of dozens of occultists and master sorcerers. Whenever one of these masters feels that his life is beginning to ebb away, he writes down the essence of all that he has learned and places it in the book. It is the secret heritage of the occult underworld, a supreme act of erudition and generosity to the next generation of sorcerers. Of course, master sorcerers are liars. While a few did pass on their lore freely, most encoded their personalities in graven rituals, or locked their spirits in paintings to be included with the book, or reduced themselves to essential salts and left instructions in the book on how they should be resurrected. Anyone reading the book is assailed by a clamouring horde of powerful ghosts, each one seeking a new host body. There is no shortage of candidates – the Book is one of the most comprehensive books of lore in the world and there are always those willing to risk their souls for knowledge. The keeper of the book changes with alarming regularly, as one occult group or another seizes control of it.

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CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Cults and Conspiracies Paranoia is one of the keystones of horror. They really are all out to get you. Any smiling face could be a waxen mask concealing a horrible mess of slimy tentacles, or warp into the fanged maw of a werewolf, or be perfectly human but still betray you to the darkness. There are unknown armies moving in the shadows, cults and conspiracies that serve dark goals or dark masters. There are also groups who hunt the darkness, who oppose these cults – or who are cults themselves.

Ability Scores

Like a character, an organisation is defined by six ability scores, and has skills, feats, and hit points, and these function in a similar way to those of a character. An organisation reduced to 0 hit points is destroyed, while a organisation with an ability score of 15 has a +2 bonus. The six ability scores are:

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~

Force (For): Analogous to Strength, Force measures how powerful the organisation is in terms of military might. A conspiracy with low Force might be able to have a cultist hire thugs to beat someone up, while a conspiracy with high Force might have summoned demons, assassins, or even have a private army. Force modifies how much help and protection the character’s get from the conspiracy, or how the conspiracy will oppose them.

~

Response (Resp): Analogous to Dexterity. The higher a organisation’s Response score, the faster and more agile it is. If the characters are working for a group with a low Response, it might take weeks or months before they get help. A group with high Response might be constantly monitoring the characters’ actions, ready to step in at a moment’s notice.

~

Resources (Reso): Analogous to Constitution, Resources measures the financial strength and backing of the organisation. A group with high Resources might be extremely wealthy, or have huge stockpiles of equipment and treasure. Resources modifies how big a Wealth bonus characters get from being part of the conspiracy. It also adds to the organisation’s hit points, as the conspiracy is more resilient.

~

Information (Info): The equivalent of Intelligence, this measures how much scientific knowledge or research ability the organisation has. A group with low Information lacks laboratories or researchers; a group with high Information has vast archives. Information modifies the amount of research and background data the characters can get from the organisation, and determines how many skill points the organisation has.

~

Occult (Occ): Analogous to Wisdom, Occult measures how much magical or mystical power and knowledge the organisation has. A low Occult score is analagous to very little stored information on the occult and only a minor psychic on the payroll. An organisation with a high Occult has an extensive magical library and a whole staff of sorcerous scriers on hand.

Cults & Conspiracies in a Horror Game

The conspiracy need not be the enemy; often, the characters are working for some secret or semi-secret organisation. One of the major problems with horror games is giving the characters a reason to stay together after the first scenario – making them all part of the same group solves that problem, but creates another problem. If the characters have a helpful, loyal organisation that takes care of them, the horror is diminished. The Games Master could just sweep the organisation away in a single blow if the characters are relying on it too much, but that sort of sudden, brutal blow irritates players. Therefore, conspiracies and groups in OGL Horror use a similar set of statistics to player characters. This lets the Games Master measure how much support the characters can get (or how much opposition they will face) and how many losses the conspiracy can take before being destroyed. ~

Influence (Infl): The equivalent of Charisma, Influence measures how much ‘pull’ the organisation has. A conspiracy with high Influence can deal with governments and national organisations. A conspiracy with low Influence might have trouble altering the opinion of its neighbours. Influence modifies a character’s Reputation.

the organisation by 5% multiplied by the organisation’s Resources modifier.

Conspiracies do not roll for ability scores; instead the scores are assigned by the Games Master (alternatively, let the players build their own organisation by buying ability scores from a points budget.) A minor, local, conspiracy might have 20-40 points to spend on ability scores; a fringe cult or section of a large government group like a police precinct might have 50-80 points; a major national organisation or worldwide conspiracy might have 100 or more points. Unlike characters, organisations buy ability scores using points on a onefor-one basis.

Occult: Occult measures both how much practical mystical knowledge the group has, and also what occult defences and resources it has.

Applying Ability Scores

Force: Roll Force whenever a question of sheer manpower comes up for the organisation. Force also determines how much damage an organisation can do. Response: Response determines how aware the organisation is of the characters’ actions, and also serves as a form of Initiative – an organisation with high Response will respond quicker to a character’s requests.

Resources: Each character may add the Resources modifier of the conspiracy to their Wealth bonus (do not subtract if the Resources modifier is negative). If they do so, then the materials or services they acquire from a purchase check are technically the conspiracy’s, not their own. Also, increase or decrease the hit points of

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Any long-term campaign that is not an episodic, ‘monster-of-the-week’ game will probably end up involving a conspiracy of sorts: A cult of evil sorcerers trying to call their alien deity down to earth, a secret conspiracy to use genetically engineered insects to spread disease, a network of spies trying to uncover state secrets by stealing corpses for necromancy. Instead of there being a single monster that must be stopped, the conspiracy is a horror with many bodies and many heads. The campaign centres on the characters’ efforts to thwart the conspiracy.

Information: Information determines how many skill points the organisation has. An Intelligence check can be used to work out if the organisation knows something ‘offhand’.

Influence: If the character identified himself as a member of the organisation, and the organisation is known, the character applies the group’s Influence modifier to his Reputation bonus. This can actually reduce the character’s Reputation.

Hit Points

The hit points of an organisation are calculated as follows: +1 for each individual member +5 for each member with special skills (such as a character) +10 for each influential leader. +20 for each major stronghold or headquarters. For example, an ancient cult that watches the tombs of Egypt in the hopes of finding a way to realign them with the stars and call back the orbiting souls of the Pharaohs has a dozen members (+12 hit points), including three sorcerers (+5 each) and a madman who believes he is a reincarnated god (+10). They have a hidden stronghold deep beneath a replica sphinx (+20). This conspiracy has a total of 57 hit points.

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CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Organisation Skills Skill

Ability

Uses

Time Required

Computer Use

Info

Hacking, computer security, programming, searches

8 hours

Craft

Info

Building specialised equipment

48 hours

Decipher Script

Info or Occ

Breaking codes, analysing ancient tomes

24 hours

Demolitions

Resp

Disarming bombs

-

Disguise

Resp or Infl

Arranging for disguises for the characters

4 hours

Forgery

Info

Forging documents, IDs

8 hours

Gather Information

For or Infl

Door-to-door searches, surveys, rumour control

48 hours

Intimidate

For or Infl

Gunboat diplomacy or subtle political pressure

24 hours

Investigate

Info or Occ

Crime scene investigation

8 hours

Art

Info

Information on art history, art world rumours

24 hours

Behavioural Sciences

Info

Psychological analysis

24 hours

Civics

Infl

Information on law and legislation, politics

48 hours

Current Events

Infl

Information on current events, scanning the news

8 hours

Earth & Life Sciences

Info

Information on biology, botany, geology etc.

48 hours

History

Info or Occ

Information on history

48 hours

Occult Lore

Occ

Information on the occult

48 hours

Physical Sciences

Info

Information on chemistry and physics

48 hours

Pop. Culture

Infl

Entertainment rumours and news

8 hours

Streetwise

Infl

The word on the street

8 hours

Tactics

For

Strategic and tactical advice

4 hours

Technology

Info

Information on cutting-edge technology and devices

12 hours

Theology & Philosophy

Occ

Information on religious and philosophy

48 hours

Repair

Info

Repairing specialised equipment

1 week

Research

Info

Digging through public records, libraries etc

48 hours

Search

For

Searching an area for a runaway

24 hours

Treat Injury

Reso

Medical treatment

1 week

Knowledge

Organisation Skills and Actions

An organisation has a number of skill points equal to four times its Intelligence score. Organisations can select from the following skills: In general, an organisation makes skill checks just like a character, and with similar effect. For example, a librarian character trying to locate an obscure news article from the 1930s would make a Research check (1d20 + the character’s Research skill ranks + Int bonus) at a DC of 15. An FBI agent could make a request for her organisation to do the same, and the Games Master

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would make a Research check for the FBI (1d20 + the FBI’s Research skill ranks + Info bonus) at the same DC of 15. Of course, the FBI has a very high Research skill and a huge Info bonus. The disadvantages of going through an organisation instead of the character making the check himself are: ~ Requests made of an organisation can be tracked or intercepted. Cigarette-smoking men could nefariously interfere with the result of the Research check. ~ Requests take a great deal of time, often much longer than it would take the character to do the task himself.

Request Times Time

-5

One month

-4

Three weeks

-3

Two weeks

-2

One week

-1

Three days

0

One day

+1

12 hours

+2

8 hours

+3

4 hours

+4

1 hour

+5

30 minutes

+6

10 minutes

+7 or more

Instantly

Response Times

Organisations are designed to give the characters backup without solving all their problems. The response time mechanic means that the characters can afford to hand boring or time-consuming tasks off, but anything that has to be done immediately is up to them. It is best to prioritise by dealing with the most important tasks personally and never handing over a lead to an organisation in a time-critical situation. the normal Response time. If an organisation takes 20 on the roll, it takes only 10 times longer than normal.

Organisation Feats

Some situations give a bonus to the Response modifier: Situation

Modifier

Emergency!

+3

Characters are geographically distant from the organisation Outside usual scope of activities

-2

Remote area

-4

Extremely isolated area

-6

Lost

-8

Making Requests

A character can submit a request for assistance just by making a phone call. However, every organisation takes some time to process such a request and provide aid. The organisation’s Response modifier determines how quickly it responds. A character with the Pulling Strings feat may add his Reputation bonus to the Response modifier. If the character is in bad standing with the organisation, a penalty may be applied to the Response (usually –2 or –4).

Most organisations have one per two important characters (basically, one per two player characters or influential non-player characters) to a maximum of three for a local organisation, six for a national, or twelve or more for a massive, world-spanning group.

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Response Modifier

Arsenal

The organisation has a large stockpile of weaponry. Benefit: The organisation has a +5 bonus to Force checks for acquiring weaponry and has access to military-grade or illegal gear.

Artefact

The organisation has access to an ancient mystical artefact of considerable power. Perhaps it protects the holder, or detects immanent supernatural danger, or can slay monsters unaffected by normal weapons. The organisation knows a little about the artefact, but has not yet fathomed its full powers. Benefit: The characters can gain access to the artefact if the organisation makes a Occult check (DC15). Special: The organisation may take this feat more than once.

Each skill check has a time requirement – add the response time to the time required for the skill check to work out how long it will take for the characters to get the results of the skill check. In addition to making skill checks, an organisation can also perform the following actions. The organisation may take 10, or keep rerolling, but each attempt takes

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CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Organisation Actions Action

Ability

DC

Time

Minor military support (two police officers/thugs)

Force

10

5 mins

Significant military support (police squad, assassins)

Force

12

10 mins

Major military support (SWAT team, snipers)*

Force

15

30 mins

Overwhelming military support (helicopter gunships)*

Force

20

8 hours

Loan of advanced or heavy weaponry*

Force

15

24 hours

Car hire

Response

5

1 hour

Plane tickets to anywhere

Response

15

1 hour

Helicopter*

Response

20

1 hour

Aid Another with Investigate, Knowledge or Research

Information

5

24 hours

Elements for a magical ritual

Occult

15

48 hours

Casting a spell*

Occult

25

Varies

Spreading rumours

Influence

10

48 hours

Rumour control

Influence

15

24 hours

Cover-up* Influence 20 24 hours * Requesting any of these too often (i.e. more than once per scenario) will really annoy the organisation. Also, not every organisation can provide all of these actions. Asking your local police station to cast a spell for you will get an immediate response, but not the one you were asking for.

Covert The organisation’s very existence is concealed. Benefit: The organisation gives no Reputation increase (or decrease), but its members are ‘off the grid’ in terms of fingerprints, police records and so on, which gives the characters considerably more latitude when it comes to avoiding the attention of the authorities.

Emergency Response The organisation is always on standby to help the characters. Benefit: The organisation has a +5 bonus to Response for the purposes of determining Response time.

Fanatical Loyalty The organisation demands absolute faith from its members. Benefit: Organisation members may add the group’s Occult bonus to their Will saves for the purposes of Horror checks.

Financial Sway The organisation is adept at using its financial muscle to influence other groups. Benefit: The organisation may use Resources instead of Influence for the purposes of pulling political strings.

Forensics Laboratory The organisation has a well-equipped forensics laboratory. Benefit: The organisation has a +2 equipment bonus to Investigate checks. If a character uses the forensics lab, he gets a +4 equipment bonus to Investigate and Treat Injury checks.

Hospital The organisation has a private medical facility. Benefit: The organisation has a +4 equipment bonus to Treat Injury checks.

Library The organisation has an extensive reference library dealing with a particular subject. Benefit: Choose a subcategory of the Knowledge skill (such as Knowledge (occult) or Knowledge (technology)). The organisation has a +2 equipment bonus to that particular type of Knowledge check. If a character uses the library, he gets a +4 equipment bonus that particular type of Knowledge check. Special: The organisation may take this feat more than once.

Occult Library The organisation has a comprehensive library of occult texts.

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Prerequisite: Library of Knowledge (occult). Benefit: Members get the Spell Mastery feat for free and may be able to find useful rituals through research.

The organisation keeps track of the psychological state of its agents, and offers counselling and evaluation after encounters with the horrific. Benefit: If the characters have any Shock points remaining at the end of a scenario, they automatically gain the benefit of psychological treatment, and lose 2d4 Shock before having to buy psychological problems.

Research Lab The organisation has a well-equipped research laboratory. Prerequisite: Forensics Laboratory. Benefit: The organisation has access to a research laboratory, which gives it a +2 equipment bonus to Craft, Investigate, Repair and Knowledge (technology) checks. It can also produce specialised equipment in half the normal time (24 hours instead of 48).

Secure Base The organisation’s headquarters is protected by state-ofthe-art security systems. Benefit: The organisation gains +20 hit points, and the headquarters is well defended. Special: The organisation may take this feat more than once.

Widely Known The organisation is famous. Benefit: Members gain an additional +5 bonus to Reputation, but the characters will also attract attention wherever they go.

Damaging an Organisation

Every organisation has a number of hit points. This is an abstract value, that measures how much disruption the organisation can take to its structure and plans before

Organisations take damage as follows:

Organisation Damage Event

Hit Points lost

Member lost or killed

1

Leader or officer lost or killed

2d6

Major base destroyed

3d10

Plot foiled

1d10

Damage to an organisation may also reduce its ability scores – burning a cult’s library reduces their Occult score. Organisations ‘heal’ by recruiting, at a rate of 5 + the organisation’s Resources modifier per month.

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Psychological Treatment

collapsing. Losing all its hit points does not mean that every single member of the organisation is killed – a group may be forced to disperse long before it loses all its members.

Prestige Classes

A prestige class is a special form of advancement that is only accessible to members of a particular organisation and then only if they fulfil certain prerequisites. Each prestige class gives certain unique special abilities. Following a prestige class may even allow characters to advance beyond 10th level – but this is entirely at the Games Master’s discretion.

Sample Organisations Federal Bureau of Investigation The FBI is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice. It has the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes assigned to it. The FBI also is authorised to provide other law enforcement agencies with cooperative services, such as fingerprint identification, laboratory examinations and police training.

My Ancient Globespanning Illuminated Order can beat up your Secret Branch of the US Intelligence Services

If two organisations engage in a shadowy war in the occult underworld, have them make opposed Force versus Force, Occult versus Occult, or Influence versus Influence checks. The loser takes damage equal to the difference between the two results. An organisation may be forced to cancel its plans if it takes a considerable amount of damage, even if the organisation itself is still intact. Similar, if the players are careless and let their backing group get damaged, they may be cut loose. Just because the FBI as a whole has thirty thousand hit points does not mean the players can afford to let agents die.

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elementals in the Yucatan the next, so the corporations can start exploiting a mine in the jungle.

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

FBI Statistics HP: 30,000 Force: 25 (+7) Response: 14 (+2) Resources: 25 (+7) Information: 33 (+12) Occult: 15 (+2) Influence: 24 (+7)

The Group’s staff and equipment are a mix of the best and the broken. Some of the research scientists and ex-military field operatives are brilliant and skilled professionals, but others are eccentrics too useful to just fire, but too strange to function in a normal corporation. The Group is given cutting-edge gear to field test, but the majority of its equipment is made up of cast-offs from the parent corporations. Keeping the Group’s budget under control is a major problems; sometimes the Group can pass back biological samples to a pharmaceutical or genetic engineering corporation and pay for itself for a while, but often Group missions end with a very large explosion and an even larger bill.

Skills: Computer Use +17, Craft +17, Decipher Script +17, Demolitions +17, Disguise +17, Forgery +17, Gather Information +18, Intimidate +12, Investigate +19, Knowledge (art) +17, Knowledge (behavioural sciences) +19, Knowledge (civics) +19, Knowledge (current events) +19, Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +19, Knowledge (history) +19, Knowledge (occult lore) +19, Knowledge (physical sciences) +19, Knowledge (pop. culture) +19, Knowledge (streetwise) +19, Knowledge (tactics) +17, Knowledge (technology) +19, Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +19, Repair +17, Research +19, Search +12, Treat Injury +15.

Group 23’s headquarters is an anonymous building in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, but its missions can take place anywhere. Its current head is Albert Duchon, who has used the Group as his own private research lab for years. Now, Duchon is retiring back to France, and the two front-runners for his job are J. Mortimer Clyde III, the entirely useless second son of one of the Group’s patrons, and Alison Smith, who has vowed to drag the Group back to efficiency and constant profitability.

Feats: Arsenal, Emergency Response, Forensics Laboratory, Library (all), Private Hospital, Psychological Treatment, Research Lab, Secure Base (x 10).

Group 23

The Group currently has a half-dozen five-man field teams and a support staff of sixty.

Group 23’s brief is to investigate inexplicable and bizarre events worldwide – and report back to the group’s mysterious patrons. A consortium of multinational corporations and financers control the Group and use it to deal with any unusual phenomena or strange situations encountered by any of their numerous subsidiaries and business. The Group is often ordered to contain and then cover up a problem – Group members might find themselves in Germany one day, dealing with zombies animated by toxic waste, and fighting nature

Group 23 Statistics HP: 135 Force: 5 (–3) Response: 14 (+2) Resources: 5 (–3) Information: 14 (+2) Occult: 5 (–3) Influence: 10 (+0)

Group 23 Troubleshooter

176

Class Level

Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save

Will Save Special

Defence Bonus

Reputation Bonus

1st

+0

+1

+0

+1

Oh S**t

+0

+0

2nd

+1

+2

+0

+2

Spin Control

+1

+0

3rd

+1

+2

+1

+2

Bonus feat

+1

+0

4th

+2

+2

+1

+2

Really Dirty Secrets

+1

+0

5th

+2

+3

+1

+3

Dealing With Demons

+2

+1

Skills: Computer Use +7, Investigate +7, Knowledge (civics) +7, Knowledge (current events) +7, Knowledge (physical sciences) +8, Knowledge (technology) +12, Repair +12, Research +12, Treat Injury +4.

Group 23 Troubleshooter The best agents of Group 23 advance in this prestige class. They are experienced not only in investigating the weird events that the group is faced with, but also in dealing with the group’s corporate patrons. Knowing how to work the system is as important as knowing one end of a stake from the other. Requirements To qualify to become a Group 23 Troubleshooter, a character must fulfil the following criteria. ~ Skills: Gather Information 6 ranks, Investigate 6 ranks. ~ Feats: Alertness, Iron Will. ~ Ties: One or more ties to Group 23. Class Information The following information applies to the Group 23 Troubleshooter prestige class. Hit Die: d8 Class Skills The Group 23 Troubleshooter’s class skills are as follows: Bluff (Cha), Computer Use (Int), Craft (chemical, electronic, mechanical, pharmaceutical)(Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Investigate (Int), Listen (Wis), Knowledge (any) (Int), Navigate (Int), Pilot (Dex), Profession (Wis), Read/Write Language (none), Research (Int), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Speak Language (None). Skill Points at Each Level 4 + Int modifier Class Features Oh S**t (Ex): The troubleshooter learns to anticipate trouble before it arises. If ever attacked while flatfooted, he may make a Reflex save at a DC equal to the attack roll to dodge the attack completely. He may only use this ability once per combat.

Bonus Feat: Ongoing training within the Group gives the agent a bonus feat from the Investigator’s class feats. Really Dirty Secrets (Ex): The troubleshooter’s job takes him into the underbelly of industrial espionage and black science. An unscrupulous agent could use what he has learned to damage the Group’s patron corporations. The character may use a secret to get a +4 bonus to a single Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate roll against another character with a tie to one of the patron corporations, or else to gain a +5 bonus to one Wealth roll. However, every time the character uses a secret, the Group’s Response score drops by one for any action involving that character – if the character dies in the field, what he knows dies with him…

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Feats: Arsenal, Covert, Forensics Laboratory, Library (civics, current events, technology), Psychological Treatment, Research Lab.

Spin Control (Ex): The troubleshooter becomes more and more experienced at covering things up. He has a +4 insight bonus to Bluff and Forgery checks, but only when deflecting suspicion and unwanted attention. For example, he could use this ability to block a police investigation, but not to Bluff his way into an ongoing police investigation.

Dealing with Demons (Ex): A lifetime of cutting deals and facing down horrors leaves the character tough and jaded. He has a +2 resistance bonus to all Will and Horror saves.

Cult of Unity The Cult of Unity is a fringe cult that believes fervently in reincarnation. According to their doctrine, human souls should be reborn again and again in human bodies. However, with the vast increase in population in recent centuries, souls have become fragmented. A single soul is now divided among hundreds or thousands of bodies. The only solution? Mass murder. Some members of the cult are serial killers. They target those people who they believe share a fragment of their soul. These killers are protected and sheltered by the cult, making them very difficult to catch. Many of these cultists study magic, both to divine who holds a soul fragment and to aid in their ritual killings. Others are lunatics, who murder anyone who reminds them of themselves or their idealised self-image. Other, more sinister cultists believe that just cutting bloody chunks out of the mass of humanity is not enough – there must be a total solution. They sit and plot the utter destruction of whole cities or communities. They are architects of mass destruction and total warfare.

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Cult of Unity Statistics

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

HP: 900 Force: 15 (+2) Response: 14 (+2) Resources: 15 (+2) Information: 6 (–2) Occult: 12 (+1) Influence: 10 (+0) Skills: Forgery +4, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (occult lore) +9, Knowledge (streetwise) +6. Feats: Arsenal, Artefact, Covert, Fanatic Loyalty, Financial Sway, Library (occult lore), Occult Library.

Ascendant of Unity Members of the Cult of Unity who have begun to reassimilate what they see as their stolen soul-fragments. In truth, they are just draining life energy from their victims and slowly become horrific vampiric monsters. As they progress in the prestige class, they become progressively more and more inhuman.

The cult is terrifyingly efficient at recruiting new members. It offers a seductive message – ‘all the failures and disappointments in your life are not really your fault. You have been denied your birthright, your full soul was stolen from you. Just retake it, and you will be perfect, just like you were meant to be…’ Cult members are trained to support each other, covering for each other’s crimes and aiding in their schemes. Rumour has it that the Cult of Unity is masterminded by a circle of the elite, who have completely reclaimed their souls and are now superhuman beings.

Requirements To qualify to become an Ascendant of Unity, a character must fulfil the following criteria. ~ Skills: Knowledge (occult) 8 ranks. ~ Feats: Contacts, Spellcaster. ~ Special: The character must have killed at least ten people to begin advancing in this class. At each level, the number of deaths required is multiplied by ten (100 at level 2, 1000 at level three and so on.) Class Information The following information applies to the Ascendant of Unity prestige class. Hit Die: d6

Ascendant of Unity

178

Class Level

Base Attack Bonus

Fort Save Ref Save

Will Save

Special

Defence Bonus

Reputation Bonus

1st

+0

+1

+0

Track Soul

+1

+0

+0

2nd

+1

+2

+0

+0

Bonus Spells

+2

+0

3rd

+1

+2

+1

+1

Feed on Death

+3

+0

4th

+2

+2

+1

+1

First Change

+3

+0

5th

+2

+3

+1

+1

Second Change

+4

+1

Skill Points at Each Level 4 + Int modifier Class Features Track Souls (Ex): The Ascendant carefully scrutinises everyone and everything around him, looking for the thieves who took part of his soul. He gains a +2 insight bonus to Listen, Gather Information, Sense Motive and Spot checks. Bonus Spells (Su): At 2nd level, the Ascendant gains the spells Bleeding Spell, Dominate and Invisibility if he does not already have them. Feed on Death (Su): At 3rd level, the Ascendant masters the technique of ‘reclaiming his soul’ – whenever he kills another human, he gains a temporary +1 enhancement increase to a single ability score (maximum of +2 enhancement bonus to each ability score). This ability score increase lasts for one month. Alternatively, the Ascendant can choose to restore 1d6 hit points after a kill instead of increasing an ability score. First Change (Su): At 4th level, the Ascendant transforms into a non-human entity. He still looks more-or-less human, but gains Damage Reduction 10. However, he also begins to see the truth behind his transformation – whenever the Ascendant looks into a mirror, he sees the corrupted nature of his own soul. He therefore gains Aversion (mirrors) 15 and Vulnerability (mirrors) 10. Second Change (Su): At 5th level, the Ascendant accepts his destiny as an architect of death and misery. He gains the Warp Reality ability, as well as the Need for murder (see Chapter 12, Monsters).

Sol Worldhive Earth was colonised several thousand years ago. The colonisation was invisible and almost imperceptible, as the colonists existed entirely in idea-space. They entered into the minds of the world’s lifeforms as patterns of instinct and codes in their DNA, memes that would take millennia to germinate. One of the conceptual colonists shattered on impact. Shards of its being became embedded in the minds of one rather successful primate species. Driven by alien memories that they interpreted as images of gods and monsters, the primates rapidly developed civilisation, language and technology. This occurred far ahead of schedule as far as the other colonists were concerned – the plan (and the leader of the colonists was the plan, the idea and the entity are exactly the same thing) was for the colonists to expand within the minds of all of the world’s creatures until they were ready to wholly possess the world. Now, in the last few centuries, the primates have succeeded in inflicted severe damage on the host species of the surviving colonists. Steps must be taken.

CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Class Skills The Ascendant of Unity’s class skills are as follows: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Dex), Disguise (Dex), Drive (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Str or Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Knowledge (occult lore) (Int), Knowledge (streetwise) (Int), Knowledge (tactics) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex).

The Sol Worldhive, in its largest form, is every living thing on this planet other than humanity. They have all been infected by living alien ideas. Humanity’s selfawareness comes from the decaying remnants of one of these ideas. From their perspective, humans are ghastly perversions of the natural order that must be destroyed. The colonist-ideas work on a timescale measured in millennia, so adapting to the rapid changes of the last few hundred years has been exceedingly difficult for them. They have thrown off concept-shells to produce faster, smaller ideas. These entities are capable of infecting humans. Instances of these faster ideas are called précis. Each précis has a different goal. Some intend to simply wipe humanity from the earth; others protect sections of the natural world; others try to find out what happened to that lost colonist by investigating ancient archaeological sites, or attempt to wipe the decaying meme from humanity. Others work to accelerate the great work and awaken the sleeping memes, which would turn the entire biosphere of Earth against humanity. When a précis manifests, it can control animals and plants as well as transferring itself to humans. It spreads itself through a variety of means – a human might be infected by watching the pattern of bees on a window, or through the DNA in a dog’s saliva transferred through a bite.

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CULTS & CONSPIRACIES

Individual Précis Infestation Statistics HP: 200 Force: 16 (+3) Response: 20 (+5) Resources: 5 (–3) Information: 5 (–3) Occult: 10 (+0) Influence: 5 (–3) Skills: None except those possessed by the host bodies. Feats: None.

Fable Institute The Fable Institute was a psychological hospital, once. Sited in a renovated insane asylum, it provided longterm care and treatment for dozens of patients. Once, it was a place of healing. Now, it is something else. From outside the high stone walls and thickly wooded grounds of the institute, the change is imperceptible. The few staff that live outside the grounds still leave the institute each evening, going to their homes in the neighbouring villages. Food and other supplies are still delivered each morning to the tradesman’s door at the back of the institute. Indeed, it seems that the institute is expanding, as new patients are brought in every few weeks. In truth, the Fable Institute has undergone a terrible inversion. Most of the staff are now locked in the cells and wards, and the inmates dress as doctors and nurses. The true horrors, though, are the other things roaming the ancient halls. Every delusion and terror in the minds of the patients has taken on physical form to torment them. The very structure of the Institute has changed, warped in on itself, so now there are endless miles of twisting corridors and tunnels within the building. The lord of the Fable Institute is a thing called The Doctor, a smiling face ringed with knives and syringes. It poses as the head of the Institute, and arranges for the more… interesting patients from other hospitals to be transferred. Within the walls of the institute, they are treated, ripened and their fears are harvested. To allay suspicion, The Doctor maintains the fiction that the hospital is functioning normally. Staff living outside have demons or other horrors assigned to them. One

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nurse goes home each day with the living fear of germs crawling over her skin; another has a serial killer with a sharpened garden rake hiding in his car boot. Visitors to the institute are either turned away, or else invited in and driven mad to make more monsters. The cause of the Institute’s change is in there, somewhere. Perhaps some radical new drug therapy caused nightmares to manifest; perhaps something from the old asylum awoke or was activated; perhaps it is all in the minds of the patients, but no less deadly for that.

Fable Institute Statistics HP: 70 Force: 5 (–2) Response: 6 (–2) Resources: 8 (–1) Information: 7 (–2) Occult: 12 (+1) Influence: 6 (–2) Skills: Knowledge (Behavioural Sciences), +5, Knowledge (civics) +5, Knowledge (history) +5, Treat Injury +9. Feats: Private Hospital, Secure Headquarters.

Turning the Screw

The Appeal of Horror

Why do people play horror roleplaying games? Or, for that matter, watch scary movies or read disturbing books? Firstly, it can be fun to be scared, to get adrenaline pumping and hair standing on end. Horror also sets up a contrast between fear and more positive emotions - a joke is funnier if it comes as a release of the tension built up by horror. More seriously, horror shocks the Player (or reader) out of the comfortable and familiar world; it suggests that monsters really are lurking in the shadows, that the rules of society or reality as we know them can be wrong. Horror roleplaying has one great advantage over movies or books. In the vast majority of stories, the protagonist does win, or at least survive, and the audience knows this will happen. It can be a paltry victory, but it is still a victory. Similarly, in most roleplaying games, the Players know that the Games Master is more or less on their side, or is at least playing fair. Horror roleplaying games, however, offer no such guarantees of victory. The protagonists (the Player Characters) will only win out if they are clever and lucky enough. Horror games are therefore much more challenging than other roleplaying games; the Players know that their characters will be put through a nightmarish gauntlet of challenges, and that failure will bring disaster. That challenge is the great appeal of horror roleplaying games.

What is Horror in a Roleplaying Game?

The Players. That’s a joke, but we will come back to it. More seriously, horror in a roleplaying game is a mood. It is very difficult to actually scare Players in the medium of roleplaying games and almost impossible to scare them consistently. The horror Games Master should aim for a mood where the Players can scare themselves.

TURNING THE SCREW

Running a horror game is one of the trickier exercises for a Games Master. Most other games are defined by their settings – a game set in a land of wizards and dragons, a game full of starships and aliens, or modern-day spies and assassins and so on. A horror game lacks these props, and is primarily concerned with mood. The Games Master cannot simply throw an element of the setting (say, a monster or a dungeon) at the Players and let them react to it. Plots have to be carefully constructed. This chapter is a guide to doing exactly this.

In a horror movie, the perceptions of the viewer are trapped by the filmmaker. Disturbing images and sounds are used to create that mood. In a movie theatre, the viewer cannot easily leave. Watching the same movie at home, the effect of the movie is reduced because the viewer has far more control. You cannot stop a movie or walk out of one (well, you can, but it annoys everyone around you and that social taboo is strong enough to keep most people there even in the face of horror). At home, you can pause the movie or turn it off. Of course, in a movie theatre, the viewer is surrounded by a crowd of people. Watching a video at home, alone, removes this safety blanket of other people. Reading a horror novel is also a solitary activity; the reader has no support, no-one to share the fear with. So, solitude and a lack of control are two of the major tools used to create this horrific mood – and they are the two tools that Games Masters cannot use effectively. Unlike movies or books, a roleplaying game is a consensual hallucination, a group activity. While the Games Master is theoretically in a position of authority, any of the Players can at any time break character and damage or totally destroy the mood. Good Players will try to diminish this, of course, but every bathroom break, spilled soda or out-of-character comment does diminish the mood. It gives control back to the Players. This is not control of their characters; Players always have that. It is control over the mood, of the emotional environment of the game. A Player can break the feeling of horror easily, no matter how hard the Games Master tries.

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There is no good way for the Games Master to stop the Players from breaking the mood. You could theoretically tie them to their seats and brainwash them until they are incapable of conceiving of anything except for the game, but that is possibly going a bit too far. A better alternative is just to accept that by the very nature of the medium, moods in roleplaying games are fragile, and the Games Master should concentrate on building and repairing the mood instead of trying to ensure he keeps total control over it. The Players can always dismiss the horror by an effort of will; the key is ensuring that they do not want to. Solitude is the other tool that has to be discarded. Again, roleplaying games are a group activity. It is much scarier to be on your own, with no-one else to dismiss your fears, but every roleplaying game needs at least two people, Player and Games Master (more or less; there are exceptions, but we will concentrate on traditional table-top roleplaying games here). In a game with a single Player, the Games Master has to be careful – he has a much better chance of building and maintaining an intense atmosphere of horror, but go too far and it is emotional bullying. A single Player can be split off from a group for a brief time, but the Games Master cannot ‘split the party’ for too long, as Players get bored (and hence start exercising their control and breaking the mood) while the Games Master is off dealing with the single Player. So, if the horror Games Master cannot prevent the mood from being broken easily, and if he has to deal with a group of active Players instead of a solitary protagonist,

what does he have left? The tools remaining are Atmosphere, Description, Implication, Violation, Hope and Reaction. Note that these tools are (mostly) aimed at the Players, not the characters. Also, the precise type of horror – survival horror in a world beset by zombies, the hunt for a supernatural serial killer, ghost-fighting secret agents – is unimportant, as these tools can be used with almost all types of horror.

Atmosphere

A catch-all term for the basic ambience of the game, atmosphere can be divided into out-of-game and in-game atmosphere. To build out-of-game atmosphere, some Games Masters like to use background music, diffuse light sources like candles, props, decorations, or even simple things like playing in a darkened room. The effectiveness of such theatrics varies – some Players find it all a bit too amusing or even campy, which ruins the atmosphere. Also, it can get annoying if it is too dark to see the character sheets or if the candles drip wax on the dice. Background music is generally a good idea, especially if the game is based on a movie and you have a copy of the soundtrack. Keep the music at a low level if you just want to use it to set the mood, or play it slightly louder if you are going to go to the trouble of playing specific tracks at specific scenes. Props are dealt with in their own section later in this chapter.

Social Contracts

Before we delve into exactly how to give your Players nightmares, we should stop briefly to consider the concept of the social contract. Basically, both Players and Games Masters should agree on what is and is not acceptable. This contract can be quite formal, with a list of what situations and concepts are OK, or it can just be a mutually unspoken agreement. When playing, both Players and the Games Master should know the answers to the following questions:

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~

Is this really a horror game, or is it a dark fantasy/occult investigation game with some horrific trappings? A horror game implies that a nasty fate is in stall for some or all of the characters, but a game which just has the trappings of horror (say, vampires), does not have to end with the gruesome deaths of all the Player Characters.

~

Is the game about scaring the characters, or the Players? Much of the advice given below is about evoking an emotional reaction from the Players, not the characters. Scaring the characters is easy – they just fail a Fear save. Scaring the Players is a much bigger task – and it is not always worth attempting. If the Players want a casual ‘beer and pretzels’ game where they get to play demon hunters and quote their favourite horror movies, then the Games Master need not bother coming up with frightful images to scare the Players, and can instead concentrate on his demon voices and cool places to have firefights.

~

What, if any, elements or subjects are taboo? Some Players have phobias (and playing on a Player’s phobia is really just asking for trouble). Others have moral or personal objections to certain topics (say, child abuse). Are the taboo subjects utterly banned (they will never even be mentioned in the game) or should they merely be handled carefully (they will never come up directly, but may be a plot point).

In-game atmosphere really depends on the style of the game. Do not shy away entirely from the clichés – misty moors, haunted houses, crumbling abandoned castles, full moons and clanking chains, blood running down the walls and so on – as these can be effective prompts to the Players on the style of game. Think carefully about how you want the game to feel, and remove elements that will disrupt that atmosphere. Even two very similar games can benefit from a fine-tuning of atmosphere. For example, consider a game where the characters are police officers investigating weird events. In a game that contrasts the ordinary, everyday lives of the officers with the bizarre and horrific cases they encounter, a scene where the characters buy donuts fits perfectly with the game. In a similar game that concentrates on clinical, forensic investigation of monsters, that little mundane scene is basically a distraction from the game.

or ‘hideous’ – tell the Players it is as big as a car, or a house, or an aircraft carrier, and that it resembles slabs of rotten meat welded together with barbed wire or a gigantic rotting white grub or that it smells like bile and engine oil. Describe sections of the horror in detail; the characters may only get momentary glimpses of the werewolf’s flashing yellow eyes and bizarrely clean (even sculpted) white teeth before the monster grabs one of them and runs off into the forest, but those glimpses should be evocative enough to let the Players build up an image of the monster. The key when describing horrific scenes is to give the Players enough detail to make the horror seem ‘real’ and let them fill in the gaps with their own fears. Writing a boxed text description of a scene in advance works if the scene is static – for example, the Players discover a ghastly, gory murder scene with a mutilated body, or the aftermath of a bizarre ritual. However, if the Games Master is reading out boxed text in a monotone when a monster is attacking, all sense of spontaneity and threat is gone. Think about what a monster looks

TURNING THE SCREW

Ideally, there should be room for the Games Master to walk around behind where the Players are sitting – just moving around the table can work wonders for unsettling the Players. There should also be a space where the Games Master can have private conferences with an individual Player, out of earshot of the others.

Description

Most roleplaying games exist in a middle ground where everything from the monsters to the most basic aspects of housing or society needs to be described. Every part of the world is equally unfamiliar to the Players. In a horror game, most of the setting is mundane – it takes place in the here-and-now of the modern world, or in a relatively wellknown and familiar part of history and therefore does not need much descriptive clarification; conversely the monsters and bizarre events are utterly unfamiliar and have to be described in detail. The Games Master should not skimp on the mundane elements of the game. The best horror is fundamentally plausible – everything is real or at least believable apart from the one horrific deviation from reality. If the mundane, non-horrific elements of the game are neglected, then the impact of the bizarre events is lost. When describing nigh-indescribable horrific elements, it is best to use as many similes and ‘hard’ descriptive words as possible. Don’t call a monster ‘huge’

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TURNING THE SCREW

like, but tailor the description to the situation when you introduce the monster. Ideally, the Players should feel like their characters have done something wrong and that they have somehow blundered off the expected plot of the scenario, and that this encounter with the monster was not anticipated by the Games Master, so that the safety net of planning and plot is gone. It is one thing to fight, say, a vampire in his crypt, as the Players will assume that the Games Master intends for them to defeat the monster in its lair. Running into the same vampire during what the Players believed was an informationgathering trip to the morgue is a far more alarming experience.

Implication

Implication is a very, very useful tool for the horror Games Master. One of the chief appeals of roleplaying games is that the Players are the ones driving the story, making the decisions and solving the mysteries. The audience is not sitting back watching the characters puzzle out the clues and work out what is going on, the audience is running the characters.

Nothing the Games Master says or does can be quite as creepy as the ideas the Players have themselves. Implication is the art of leaving a void in the game, which the Players fill themselves. It is the chill that strikes when you are sitting there and all the unconnected and seemingly meaningless clues suddenly fall into a new and terrible pattern. The receipt from the gas station, the newspaper clipping about a missing child, the occult symbol traced on the back of the book and the odd stain on the carpet of your living room suddenly coalesce and reveal that there is going to be another murder and you know when and where it is. Implication tricks the Players into scaring themselves – the Games Master just draws the dots and lets the Players draw the most horrific connections possible between them. To use implication, you avoid completely linear chains of clues. Instead, you have multiple clues relating to a single events or mystery. For example, consider the following two sets of clues, both leading to a confrontation with a ghost. The characters are called in to investigate weird events in a house ~ they research the history of the house, and discover a murder took place there ~ they research the

The Rain of Eyes

My favourite example of horror-through-violation comes from an old game session. It was, essentially, a minor scene designed to set the mood, but it was just so strange and wrong that it really worried the Players. It is rather icky, but the real strength of the horror is the violation of reality by linking two entirely disparate concepts – raindrops and eyes. A group of character are exploring on a muddy plain with lots of huge broken rocks sticking out of the mud, with the occasional chasm or cave. The skies darken. A few drops of rain fall. Games Master: A drop of rain lands a few feet ahead of you. Where it landed, something’s appeared. A small round white thing. Player: Appeared? How? Games Master: It just grew up out of the ground in an instant after the raindrop hit. It is an eye. Player: What do you mean, it is an eye? Games Master: Where the raindrop fell, a human-sized eye has grown up out of the ground. It glistens wetly amid the mud. As you stand there staring, it looks back at you with a strangely pleading glint. Oh, by the way, the sound of the rain is getting louder. It is about to pour. Player:
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murder and find out that the murderer was never caught ~ they track down and catch the murderer ~ the ghost is exorcised. This is nice, simple and linear, but never contains that moment of terrible implication.

Now, the Games Master never states that two officers covered up the identity of the true murderer, nor does he ever directly tell the Players that only by catching the other officer can the ghost be laid to rest. However, the Players should be able to work it out from the clues. The Games Master might not even know what really happened that the police covered up, instead just taking the best idea the Players come up with and using that. By leaving a deliberate gap at the heart of the game, the Games Master lets the Players scare themselves through implication.

Violation

Roleplaying games cannot handle a lot of the classic elements of horror very well. Gore, for example, is primarily a visual thing – the best description from the Games Master simply will not be as viscerally twisted as a picture of a mangled corpse. Spooky atmosphere, sudden shocks and so on are also hard to achieve in a roleplaying game. However, roleplaying games can achieve a high level of violation, of wrongness that can be deeply scary. Take the fundamental, universally accepted laws of reality, society or convention and subvert them. Look at Escher prints, or divide cause and effect. Doors that open on themselves, living creatures that exist only as memories that move through the human mind like tigers in the long grass, houses that are larger inside than out, a human skeleton in three-billion-year-old rocks – all of these are impossible, but more than that, they go against the grain of reality.

Hope

Perhaps the cruellest tool in the arsenal of horror, hope is the certain knowledge that there is always a way out – or a way through – the horror. If there is no hope, the Players will simply give up. The Games Master can stymie or kill the characters at any time, the Players cannot ‘win’ unless the Games Master is willing to let

If the Games Master gives the Players hope by always having one route to success, the horror is not reduced, it is magnified. If they give up, it is because they choose to admit defeat, not because it is the only option. They panic because they know that the solution to the mystery or the way to defeat the monster is out there, if only they are smart and brave enough to find it. The knowledge drives the Players onwards, convincing them to take risks and keeping them going in the face of darkness. Promising that there is always a solution does not mean it has to be a good solution. Merely surviving can be a victory in some situations.

Reaction

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A better version of events: The characters are called in to investigate weird events in a house ~ they research the history of the house, and discover a murder took place there ~ they research the murder and it seems to be a dead end; the murderer was caught and the case closed. Simultaneously, a mysterious vagrant is found dead near the house. Tracing the vagrant’s history reveals that he was once a police officer and that he and his partner were involved in the murder case.

them. Overwhelming, unstoppable, inescapable horror is simply boring.

The final tool for the Games Master is the ability to watch the Players; judge their reactions and adapt to them. You can ease off if a Player is getting uncomfortable, play on their suspicions (if they suspect the new butler of being a vampire, arrange for the characters to encounter him just as he sends all the mirrors in the mansion off for resurfacing), steal their best ideas (‘maybe the cult leader somehow transferred his mind into the painting and that is why we’ve seen copies in all their temples’ say the Players – the Games Master hastily scribbles a note and smiles at the Players) or even change the plot to suit their actions. Reaction should be used carefully. If it becomes too obvious that the Games Master is adapting everything to the actions of the Players, then the impact of the horror is diminished. The horror should seem uncaring and indifferent, there should be the implication of vast and terrible forces moving in the background. React too much, and it just seems that the Games Master is picking on the Players. Use reaction for finesse, not brute plotting.

Types of Horror

Horror does not fall neatly into a set of boxes. Any and all of these types of horror could show up in a game, merging and blending together. Vampires, for example, started off as a combination of symbolic and brooding horror, but these days are mostly spooky.

Spooky

This is the domain of most horror movies. It works by building tension with foreshadowing and, well, spooky events. The characters explore the haunted house… boards creak underfoot… they push through cobwebs… they hear chains clanking… it gets more and more

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claustrophobic. The tension grows more and more unbearable until there is a jump! Something suddenly appears, or attacks, or breaks, or explodes, or whatever. After that panic, there is a period of release and rest, after which the spookiness begins to build again. Spooky horror games are relatively simple to run. It is all about atmosphere and description.

Nightmarish

Here, the laws of reality break down. The underlying logic of the game world stops being basically similar to the logic of the real world, instead becoming orientated wholly towards horror. The Players cannot trust the perceptions of the characters. Surreal events and horror can appear anywhere. The horror is not wholly a real thing – the characters might be moving in and out of a dream-world, or be eternally trapped in some twisted shadow of reality.

Symbolic

In symbolic horror, the horror means something. It can be a sort of social commentary – vampires as a metaphor for sex, or stalkers – or be a reflection of the characters

– vampires, who hunts the character for his blood, are actually his conviction that no-one will ever love him for himself. The horror is a terrible exaggeration of some real or in-character psychological phenomena.

Brooding Horror

In brooding horror, the horror is basically uncaring towards humanity or the characters, until they disturb it. It sits there brooding in the darkness, waiting, just as it has untold aeons. It is not evil as we define it – but that is because it is older and colder than our puny words. With brooding horror, the key is conveying a sense of age and distance. The world is bigger and stranger than the characters can cope with.

Gore

Playing on the nerves of the Players is one thing. Scaring their minds is another. Sometimes, though, horror is all about kicking them in the stomach. Gory horror is overflowing with blood and guts and vile fluids. It is the splatter of bone chips and flesh when the chainsaw goes in.

Body Horror

A variant on gore, body horror is about changes. We live in our skins – our own bodies are the one safe place that the horror should not be able to subvert. Body horror is the fear of disease, of infection, of being turned into something unrecognisable to ourselves.

Disturbing

Disturbing horror attacks the foundations of the characters’ (or the Players’) beliefs. It is the horror of going into freefall when your assumptions about how reality works are torn away. The characters discover they are not what they thought they were, they discover that all their world is held in the dreams of an insane child, or are confronted with undeniable proof that this is all there is and there is no God.

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Sometimes, you just gotta laugh. Comic horror does not take any of the above seriously. Let the Players make their quips, and do not take the game too seriously (alternatively, have the monsters and the rest of the world be dead serious, while the characters see just how ludicrous the whole thing is).

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Discrete: The horror is essentially self-contained – the rest of the world is unaffected by it. It is only those directly confronted by the horror that are at risk. An example would be a single vampire count at loose in New York – it is a dangerous monster, but you are safe when it is not present.

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Subtle: The horror is essentially invisible until it strikes – anything could be infected by the horror. There is no safety anywhere, but the world appears to be unchanged on the surface. If our vampire count in New York has turned a few people into vampire spawn and no-one can tell who has been transformed, the paranoia engendered makes it subtle horror.

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The problem is not insurmountable – there are several campaign structures that can be used. The main concern in each of them is tying the characters to the horror. Why do the characters become involved? What do the characters do? What can they achieve? And, importantly for a campaign, why do they do it all again next week?

Trapped Mundanes

One of the simplest ways to keep the characters coming back to the horror in adventure after adventure is to never let them leave. This can be done blatantly (the characters are shipwrecked on an island (or a planet) and have no way off; the doors of the haunted house never, ever open and the campaign is spent going from room to room to room in this massive, rambling mansion) or slightly more subtly (the characters all live in the same town, which is built on top of a burial ground, or portal to hell, or is the subject of government experiments in mind control; the characters are not drawn to the horror, the horror is drawn to the characters).

Overwhelming: The horror is everywhere! The world is breaking down, society is crumbling and the end of the world is nigh. If everyone in New York is a vampire spawn, apart from (some) of the Player Characters, this is overwhelming horror.

Horror Campaign Structures

The term ‘campaign’, used to describe a linked series of roleplaying adventures (others use ‘chronicle’ or ‘saga’ or do not even give it a name, but assume automatically that one adventure will lead onto another) was originally derived from wargames, and is the standard structure for most gaming groups. One battle leads onto another, one mystery contains links or clues to the next. Other campaigns centre on an overarching plot or other structure – perhaps the characters are agents of some secret government agency, investigating mysterious cases on one hand and fighting internal corruption and conspiracies on the other, or children of a noble house in a game where ensuring the fortunes of their family is the main aim. Horror campaigns are trickier than normal games. In most roleplaying games, the characters get into adventures basically because that is their job (they are mercenaries, spies, space knights, wizards, detectives or some other seekers of adventure) or because of their nature (as vampires, disguised dragons and so on). In

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horror games, many of the characters are utterly ordinary people who do not want ‘adventure’ – and certainly not the ghastly cavalcade of death and torment that makes up most horror games. The horror Games Master cannot say to the Players ‘go ahead and roll up some characters’ for anything other than a one-shot – horror campaigns need more planning and groundwork, because unlike characters in other genres, most horror characters cannot be just handed a plot and expected to play along.

Comic

This campaign structure does take a bit of control away from the Players; the Games Master is essentially pushing the plot onto the characters are they have no way of leaving. The payoff is that the characters can be entirely ordinary people, which can be most immersive and evocative type of characters for horror. The trapped mundanes structure also has a useful built-in end point to the campaign – the characters discover how to escape from the horror.

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Sample Campaigns: Ghost World: This campaign begins with a rash of disappearances; people suddenly vanish from the lives of the characters and the police are baffled. They investigate, and progressively stranger and stranger events start happening. Eventually, the Players work out that the characters are actually long-dead ghosts and the whole campaign has been taking place in a sort of spiritual limbo. This is rather clichéd, but still works, and it lets the Games Master put in whatever sort of nightmarish encounters he wants without having to worry too much about logical plausibility. The key to running this campaign properly is keeping emotional plausibility.

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Adrift: It is the turn of the 19th century and the characters are all on board about a magnificent steam liner. The ship sails through a Bermuda triangleesque region of dimensional instability, and reality collapses. The ship sails off into a nightmarish otherworld. The whole campaign can centre on the characters exploring the twisted ship, encountering other survivors, finding out why the ship was on its course, and maybe finding a way back to the real world. Perhaps they can hitch a ride on the USS Eldridge, the warship said to be at the heart of the Philadelphia Experiment.

Dark Heritage

A variation on the trapped mundanes structure, this campaign has the characters trapped not by the physical environment, but by their own selves. They all have some quality that attracts horror to them (possibly unwittingly). They could all be descendants of a cursed family, or the adopted survivors of a cult of child sacrifice, or veterans of a military operation that went horribly wrong and attracted the wrath of the swamp elemental Alxhollan. This campaign structure can also link the characters together; if their ‘dark heritage’ is a matter of blood and

inheritance, then all the characters should be related by blood. It is probably a good idea to initially dismiss the link between the characters in the first game by using it in the plot. For example, if the campaign is going to be based on the fact that the characters are the product of a millennia-long breeding program designed to produce the perfect vessel for an alien mind, then the Games Master probably does not want the Players to work out too quickly that the fact that they are all members of the same family is important. He should therefore have the characters be brought together in the first place by a family event, such as the reading of a will. The Players will assume that their characters are related only because the Games Master wanted to use the reading as an excuse to get them together. Otherwise, the Players will immediately tie any mention of breeding or eugenics or family to their own family Ties. This sort of misdirection and secondguessing of the Players is often necessary to run horror games. Horror games are concerned with mood, while most other games are mainly concerned with setting. Anyway – the dark heritage campaign concept works by tying the characters to the horror via an indirect route. They have not blundered into it, like those in the trapped mundanes campaign, nor are they sent to it, as in the investigators campaign blow. It comes to them because of who or what they are.

Patrons, Plots and Clue Dispensers

A Patron is a powerful individual or organisation that is in charge, or at least has influence over the characters (the chief of police, the mysterious gentleman who sends them off to investigate weirdness, the head of the family). They can be the voice of the Games Master to nudge the Players in a particular direction or back towards the plot, as needed. A Plot Dispenser is a narrative device through which the characters are given new mysteries. A detective agency is basically a plot dispenser; plots (in high heels and short skirts) come through the door, often followed by a man with a gun. A character with psychic visions of upcoming evil is also a plot dispenser, as is a book of ancient prophecies that can only be decoded by cross-referencing them with events in the newspaper. Anything that can hand the characters something to do at the start of the game is a Plot Dispenser. A Clue Dispenser is a narrative device that hands the Players clues or suggestions on how to proceed if they are stuck. Examples might include a forensics lab, a psychic, a researcher who analyses old records and faxes the results to the characters and so on. The Clue Dispenser cannot ever solve the mystery or help the characters directly; it is just a way to move things on if the game slows down. When planning a horror campaign, consider including one or more of these in the basic structure of the game. Mysteries are very hard to run in a roleplaying game, because Players can misinterpret or miss basic clues and get bored because they cannot progress any further. A patron can guide them back if they go off track, a plot dispenser can get them going at the start of the game, and a clue dispenser allows the Games Master to give hints. Including these elements from the start of the game is much better than blatantly jamming them in later on, when you find yourself needing them. The Games Master should ensure that the Players know that these are not get-out-of-jail free cards, and that the Clue Dispenser will not always be able to help them, but having these elements available makes the game much more robust.

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Spook Central: Fifty years ago, a group of deranged occult architects built a skyscraper that was actually a device for contacting alien astral entities. The skyscraper (built with cast-iron girders with cores of pure selenium) would activate the psychic pineal glands of anyone in the upper dome when the stars aligned. However, the cost of building this eldritch edifice bankrupted the occultists, and the skyscraper was converted into apartments. The characters are all living in this building when the stars align. Suddenly, they are granted a psychic connection to the alien entities. The characters have the occultists hunting them on one hand and bizarre alien entities oozing out of their minds on the other – and all because the rents were low.

Investigators

This is one of the archetypical horror campaigns. All the Player Characters are investigators – private detectives, FBI agents, or police officers in a modern day game, but the same structure works with holy inquisitors in 16th century Spain or Company accountants sent to review the mines on Proxima Centauri V in a futuristic game. The characters must investigate the mystery because it is their job, and the mystery leads to the horror. An investigation-based campaign gives the Games Master great scope for introducing all sorts of mysteries and puzzle-solving. It also gives the characters authority and influence – if they are police officers, for example, they can order autopsies, have crime scenes opened, exhume bodies and all sorts of other fun stuff. Too much authority can be tricky to deal with, though. Horror is predicated on the Players being powerless to a degree, so giving the Players the ability to call in the National Guard makes a single werewolf much less of a threat. Never give the Players the tools to dismiss the horror completely – a werewolf is mainly a physical threat, so giving the Players control over overwhelming physical power destroys any sense of threat.

Most investigative campaigns change into Weirdness Busters (see below) if they go on for long enough. In a Weirdness Buster campaign, the characters know and accept that there are supernatural powers, but that is not initially true in an investigative campaign.

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Sample Campaigns: Lights in the Sky: The characters are members of a group of UFO hunters, who investigate sightings of flying saucers and other paranormal phenomena. As the campaign progresses, they begin to realise that all the sightings are tied to a travelling circus. What exactly is going on at the freak show? And what does the legacy of famed 19th century showman P.T. Barnum have to do with it? Precinct 666: The characters are police officers and detectives in a precinct that contains more than its fair share of numerologist serial killers, ancient temples, bizarre cultists, monsters in the sewers and demonic lawyers.

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Sample campaigns: What You Don’t Know Can Kill You: The characters are attacked by mysterious cultists. After fending them off, the characters discover that the one thing they all have in common is that they all once studied under a particular professor of archaeology. This professor has uncovered something ancient and powerful and the cult believes he passed the secret onto one of his students. Even if the professor did do so, he did not give it to any of the characters, but the cult will not believe that. The only way to stop the cult harassing the characters is to delve into the professor’s research, find what the cult is looking for, and turn it against them.

Weirdness Busters

In most of the horror campaigns described above, the character’s main aim is not to defeat the horror, but to investigate or escape it. Sometimes, though, the best way to save the mysterious girl who shows up on your doorstep complaining that a demon is after her unborn child is to banish the demon back to the netherworld (after neutralising the evil fertility clinic that uses ancient Sacred King magic to produce children). In a Weirdness Buster game, the characters are employed to thwart or destroy the horror. In some ways, this simplifies things immensely. The structure of most horror adventures is that the characters are hooked by some seemingly mundane event, which is slowly revealed to have a more alarming cause or meaning. In a Weirdness Buster game, the characters can be told much more directly – you can skip the setup where the characters arrive in the small village in Germany, meet their sick cousin, explore the village a little, hear howling in the woods and then get attacked by a hairy monster. Instead, you just have the characters’ employer say ‘werewolf in Bavaria eating people – off you go. Pick up your silver bullets at front desk’. The downside is that horrific events become routine, almost mundane. In a light-hearted game, where horror is used as a spice instead of the main course, this is fine (if it is Tuesday, it must be vampires). The characters know they will end up facing something horrific, so they can accept and prepare for it. Most long-term games end up in a situation like this, and it can be exploited by the Games Master.

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One of the most irritating things in a roleplaying game is having to roleplay ignorance. If you drop the clues described in the little Bavarian scenario above - a dark forest, howling, a character who seems strangely ill – every roleplayer is going to think ‘right – it is a werewolf’ and start looking for the silverware. This is possibly not good roleplaying in terms of staying in character, but it is really just as natural as a character in a play not wondering why there are exits to the left and right of him, and behind him, but never in front of him. The Players know they are heading into a mystery even if the characters do not. The Games Master should either build a mystery original and complex enough that the Players cannot see through it just by thinking like Players, or else harness the Player/character gap. The Weirdness Buster campaign does just that – it removes a lot of the hoops that the Players have to jump through.

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Sample Campaigns: Hunters of the Night: The Quincy Foundation was made by a group of friends who survived their own dark nightmare, in memorial of the one who gave his life to save them all. They have learned that there are ancient evils – vampires and worse – in the world, but that human faith, determination and science could defeat them. The foundation is divided into several sections, each named after one of the founders. Harker Section deals with the finance of the group, which has investments in property all over the world. Seward Section deals with medical support and psychological analysis and counselling. Godalming Section handles the Foundation’s relationships with INTERPOL, the FBI and national governments. Van Helsing Section is the heart of the Foundation’s fight against evil – it gathers information, and studies monsters – and how to kill them. There are rumours of two secret sections, codenamed MINA and LUCY. LUCY deals with the Foundation’s contacts in the underworld, with turncoat monsters and inhuman spies, while MINA has a number of Foundation agents who are not entirely…normal. Department 1013: It is the closing days of World War II. As the Allies roll towards Berlin, the Nazis set loose all the occult horrors and superscience horrors they have. The brave commandoes of Department 1013 are on the front lines of the secret war, bringing down Foo Fighters, blowing up zombie-making chemical works and fighting demons in the cellars of Castle Faust, before heading off to the hidden Nazi Fortress in Antarctica for the final confrontation…

Shadow World

All the campaign structures described so far assume that the characters are, to some degree, normal. In a roleplaying game, ‘normal’ tends to mean ‘comparatively

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weak and powerless’, and it also gives a baseline for weird events and violation. Even in the Weirdness Busters campaign, which might include obviously supernatural Player Characters fighting against their own kind, the characters have at least a link to normality. In a Shadow World game, the majority of the game takes place well outside the boundaries of normality. A game where all the characters are monsters is one example, or a game where the characters spend so much time in a bizarre otherworld that it becomes familiar and therefore not horrific. Most Shadow World games end up as dark fantasy instead of ‘true’ horror.

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Sample Campaigns: The Invisible College: The characters are all part of a secret society of adepts and wizards, sworn to keep their supernatural powers secret while aiding the unilluminated masses of humanity. There are all sorts of nightmarish entities held in check only by magic… Dream Delvers: Using a combination of neuroscience and latent telepathy, the characters are specialists in a brave new form of therapy. Teams are sent into the sleeping minds of patients to confront and destroy their inner traumas and repressed fears. As part of the process, the team members can be given ‘virtual’ superhuman abilities while inside the patient’s psychological matrix (it is all just a dream, after all), and such abilities are often needed to defeat the bizarre imaginings encountered. And why are there so many people with nightmares about leather-bound monsters coming for treatment all of a sudden?

Campaign Lengths & Notes

For a horror game to have the most impact, the Games Master should plan how long the campaign is going to last before it even begins. Other games can get by with a loosely linked series of adventures, but horror is best when there is a definite drive and a time limit.

One Shots

The shortest possible campaign is obviously a one-shot game, a single scenario taking up no more than two or three sessions of play. One shots are great for horror, especially using the trapped mundanes or investigator structures described earlier. In a one-shot, the Player Characters are disposable, so they can be killed, maimed, driven insane, or turn out to be the spawn of hideous starbeasts. The Games Master could even give pregenerated characters to the Players, who have backgrounds specifically designed to fit with the scenario (‘you are all wannabe TV psychics, and you’re all attending a seminar on ‘Tax and the Tarot’).

Short Campaigns

A short-term campaign is a campaign with a definite, planned, foreseeable ending, usually six to twelve game sessions in length. Almost every session and side plot is somehow linked into the main plot – everything, from the mysterious death in room 23, to the crashed van with ‘International Cocaine Exporters’ emblazoned on it, to the leather-bound book with the weird symbols, to your aunt Bertha’s sore toe is connected to the evil conspiracy. A short campaign has room for a nice, long, meaty plot without losing intensity. Everything ties in, so the same horrors keep cropping up and getting more intense, but things are not quite as squashed as they are in a one shot game.

explore a setting and build character depth. The tricky part is balancing the need to keep some horrific elements without having a revolving door for Player Characters (they come in sane, they go out two weeks later gibbering or in a box).

Killing Characters

In most horror games, there are hideous monsters, strange entities, mysterious curses and other things that turn characters into shredded corpses, gibbering lunatics, piles of ancient dust or nothing but a faint, lingering memory. Killing characters is easy, and a sudden death does make the Players more nervous and more willing to be scared. However, if the Games Master kills Player Characters constantly, the horror is diminished. The Players have no real attachment to characters that only last a few minutes.

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The downside of one-shots is that there really is no time for the Players to get attached to their characters and they can involve quite a bit of work on the part of the Games Master. In a long-term campaign, the Games Master can build plots off what the Players do, but there is no time for the Players to seed plots in a one-shot. Of course, seeing as it is a one-shot, the Games Master does not need to worry about the next session, and can have the world overrun by brain-eating zombies, swallowed by a black hole, or destroyed by tarot archetypes running amok.

Instead of killing characters, consider the following penalties for failure:

The major problem with short campaigns is that they are wholly self-contained, and if the Players get into the game and want to keep playing, the Games Master can find that he has used all his best ideas in the initial plot. Sequels can be very hard to do. Short campaigns work very well with the Investigators, Dark Heritage and Weirdness Buster set-ups.

Long-Term Campaigns

In a long-term campaign without a definite, planned endpoint, really scary horror becomes very hard to achieve. The characters will be seeing monsters again and again, so they will get jaded and used to weirdness. The Games Master can still pull out all the stops once in a while and scare the toughest characters, but in the majority of game sessions, the characters will react with ‘oh… another ghost’ instead of ‘Waaagh! A ghost!’. Long-term campaigns work best with the Weirdness Buster, Shadow World or Investigator models of play – there might be an over-arcing campaign plot, but most individual sessions are going to be ‘monsters of the week’, so having a plot dispenser helps a lot. Having no planned end to the campaign does give plenty of time to

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Maiming: A character might lose an eye, or a hand, or be paralysed or otherwise injured when the monster chews up the last of his hit points.

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Madness: Feel free to dump Shock Points on characters who wander into lethal danger. Having your mind pulled out by a magical mirror and projected through a trillion light-years and you feel every inch of the distance as you travel is worth quite a lot of Shock.

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Change: The horror does not kill the character, but it does do something horrible to him. Laying eggs in his chest, stealing his identity, transforming him into a spawn, inflicting a slowly degenerative disease and so on…

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Killing Other People: The character’s Ties are there to give the Games Master something else to threaten other than the character himself. If the character fails to stop a monster, perhaps it eats one of his loved ones instead of himself.

Linked Investigations

If one plot is going to lead onto another, then the Games Master must plant links between the mysteries. However, given the nature of roleplaying games, it can be very hard to plot clues in advance – the Players are always doing the unexpected. The traditional metaphor for a series of linked mysteries is ‘the layers of an onion’ – the characters peel off one layer to discover another beneath. What does the Games Master do, though, if the Players decide the best way to get through the current layer is to burn it off, destroying everything that leads to the next layer? Two methods for dealing with this are the Moving Clue and the Indeterminate Clue: The Moving Clue is a link to the next part of the campaign which the Games Master can plug in wherever the characters go. Say the clue is a letter from a dead man that will lead the Players to what is literally a dead letter office. The Games Master intends for the Players to find it in the letterbox of a friend of one of the characters. However, the characters never get around to visiting that friend in the course of their investigations. Instead of letting that plot hook wither, have the friend bring it to the characters, or let them bump into the mailman and have the letter fall out of his satchel, or have a stalker steal the letter and the characters end up catching him as part of an unrelated investigation. Do not shy away from moving things around ‘behind the scenes’ if it is required to move the characters on to the next plot. In general, having clues chase the characters around like this can make mysteries a bit too easy to solve, but here

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solving the mystery is less important than the link to the next plot. The Indeterminate Clue is a plot element the Games Master throws in without quite knowing what it means. Later, the Games Master can come back and link it into the main plot (or just listen to the Players discussing it, and steal their best idea). For example, the characters get an anonymous phone call that asks for them by name, says ‘I have something important to tell you’, and then all they hear is the sound of fighting and dogs barking, followed by the line going dead. Neither the Players nor the Games Master is quite sure who made the phone call. Later in the game, the Games Master can retroactively decide who the phantom caller was, and bring that character into the game in some fashion. For example, the characters could find a phone booth covered in gore and scratch marks, the handset dangling like a burst intestine, and a bloodspattered card with the Player Character’s phone number and a mysterious address written on it. Alternatively, perhaps the characters get another phone call from the anonymous caller, who fills them in on another clue. The key to the Indeterminate Clue is laying groundwork in advance, so it looks like the Games Master has a big complex plot, even when the poor Games Master has no idea what’s going on at all. As an aside, Indeterminate Clues are great for sparking creativity – when you have to come up with a coherent explanation for the bit of weirdness you just dropped on the Players, you tend to surprise yourself.

Campaign Construction Example: ‘Ghosts in the Fog’

The year is 1895 or so. London is – or was until a few days ago – awash with occultists and spiritualism. The Golden Dawn society practise ceremonial magick and two-bit mediums hold séances in every garret. The topic of every conversation (when not deploring the latest antics of Alistair Crowley) is the debate over the immortality of the human soul. Finally, a young visiting physicist named Nikolai Tesla adapts the necrophone technology pioneered by Thomas Edison and builds a Necroscopic Engine, which will make the soul (an electromagnetic phenomenon) manifest in an electric field. It all goes wrong. The Necroscopic Engine short-circuits in the damp London fog. Suddenly, every potential spectre in London leaps into electrical existence. The entire capital swarms with angry ghosts, who turn on the living – and whenever anyone dies in London, their soul is trapped by the fog. The outskirts are evacuated, but the centre of the city is lost. Somewhere in Whitechapel, Tesla’s Necroscopic Engine is still running, turning the fog into a literal death trap. It must be shut down – and that is where the characters come in.

This campaign set-up neatly handles character death – they can come back as ghosts instantly. Adversaries can include ghosts, deranged Londoners and electric zombies. For a slightly higher-powered game, the Player Characters could be an all-star team – perhaps W.B. Yeats, Alistair Crowley and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could recruit Thomas Edison to save London.

Horror Scenarios

A scenario is defined here as a single plot that might take one or more sessions of play to resolve. Horror games are much more dependant on Games Master-designed plot that other styles of play – in most horror games, the characters are either hooked into investigating the horror, or else encounter it by accident instead of actively seeking it out. The Games Master must therefore arrange for the characters to somehow become involved. Horror campaigns tend to be episodic – a new hook is presented, its mystery plumbed, the monsters defeated and the characters sink gratefully back into mundane life until the next game. The Games Master should take advantage of this episodic nature by making each ‘episode’ of the campaign as unique as possible.

Initial Concept

The beginning of any scenario is the initial spark, the one-line summation of the plot. It might connect directly to the characters (‘Jackie discovers that the talisman she found in the sunken ship gives her a psychic link to the Atlantean ghosts, and they turn her apartment complex into a deathly mirror image of a temple’) or be nothing more complex that ‘vampires in Pennsylvania’ or ‘something about infected blood’. It could even be inspired by the plot of a horror movie or book.

Hooking the Characters and Players

Why are the characters involved? What links them to the concept? Sometimes, they will be linked directly (such as the Atlantean talisman, above). In other games, the characters will be following up on a hook from a previous scenario – they found the mysterious letter in the office

of the cult leader and are now off to find out what Moore Chemicals have to do with undead cockroaches. If the characters do not have such a direct link and you cannot give them a plain, unbaited hook from a plot dispenser (for example, the characters are not members of an elite monster hunting squad who actively investigate weirdness), then you have to hook the characters. One traditional method is for a character to get a letter from an old friend or relative, asking for his help (but this is a terrible cliché in horror games and should be avoided if possible). You can use the characters’ Ties to bring them into a scenario (if one character has a Tie to a ecological activist group, then have a branch of the group be troubled by strangely tough mutant cockroaches). While hooking the characters, you should also take care to hook the Players. Most good Players will play along with whatever hook they are given (‘I get a letter from my old aunt Petunia telling me that she’s being threatened by mysterious men in black. Ok, I leave right away’), but will be much more enthusiastic if the hook sounds interesting (‘I get a letter from a mysterious man in black, telling me he’s being threatened by my old aunt Petunia? What the hell?!’) A good hook offers a taste of the mystery and horror to come and gives a starting point for investigation or exploration, without really revealing what is going on. Often, the hook has nothing directly to do with the initial concept, but there is a route for the Players to stumble from one to the other: ‘The mysterious man in black is actually a member of the ecogroup. Aunt Petunia is actually an intelligent swarm of undead cockroaches who ran away from the Atlantean sorcerers who are manipulating the head of Moore Chemical into sacrificing a verdant swamp to power their continent raising ritual. If the characters can rescue the real Aunt Petunia from the depths of the undeadcockroach-hive, they can find the Atlantean stone that is animating the insects, then ally with the eco-group to infiltrate the chemical plant and use the stone’s magic to stop them poisoning the swamp before it is too late…’

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This is a short-term campaign structure, designed to be Overwhelming Nightmarish Horror. The characters are Weirdness Busters. They have to make their way through a haunted, fog-choked Victorian London. The Games Master could tie particular powerful spectres to landmarks or major historical events – they might have to exorcise the spirit of Guy Fawkes to get through Westminster, or fend off spectral pirates at the Admiralty Dock. Somewhere at the heart of the fog is the Necroscopic Engine, and the half-alive, half-dead form of Tesla.

Traps and Stakes

There are two ways to keep the Players from doing what is usually the sensible thing in any horror game (running away and never looking back). These two approaches are the trap and the stake. In a game based around the trap, the characters cannot leave the area controlled by the horror. This may be caused by an entirely mundane barrier (the characters are on a deserted island and the only boat has sunk; the elevator has broken and they cannot force open the door to the fire escape) or a supernatural one (all the roads lead back to the spooky town; the characters are trapped

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in their own delusions and the horror follows them wherever they go). In the stake variant, the characters have something precious to them (usually, a Tie such as a loved one) that will be lost if they do not defeat the horror. They can leave, but Aunt Petunia is stuck down there with the cockroaches. A scenario can use both traps and stakes; for example, if the characters are police officers, the initial investigation essentially puts their reputations or even their jobs at stake (‘solve this case of the missing teenager’). If the stake is not big enough to keep the characters in the scenario (‘argh! Things! I’m getting out of here! I don’t care if it costs me that promotion!’) then the trap can be employed to keep them there (‘aargh! The door won’t open! The things are outside too!’)

In general, use stakes instead of traps. Traps basically deny the Players a lot of options. While being trapped and isolated is a major part of horror, it should not be the only reason the characters are involved. Drawing the characters deeper into the horror with stakes is a much better approach than hooking them and then immediately putting them in a trap.

Plotting

The first step in plotting is to come up with three or four really scary images or scenes related to the initial concept, and flesh them out a little. What would scare you in those situations? How can you manoeuvre the characters into being as vulnerable and terrified as possible? These horrific moments should then be loosely tied together with possible connections. For example, the Games Master wakes up screaming from a nightmare about a hairy, many-legged spider-thing

How Not To Run Non-Player Characters

I once ran a fairly standard horror scenario where the plot revolved around a madman who summoned a demon to abduct a child. Although he lived quite close to the child’s family, nothing tied him to the crime – he used magic to call the demon, so there was no reason to suspect him of involvement. However, the scenario also said to play him as a crazed, nasty, twisted old man. The characters met him when they were walking down the country lane to town. I roleplayed the madman as suggested. After about a minute of conversation, one of the Players said ‘I shoot him in the leg. He’s obviously the bad guy.’ I argued that they had no reason to suspect him. The Player agreed, but pointed out that this crazy old man seemed completely out of place – everyone else in the town was rather nice and bland, except for this one madman who was taking obvious glee at their efforts to find the missing child. He was the only person who was even faintly unusual and therefore had to be important. I told the Player his character would not shoot an old man based solely on a hunch (bad Games Mastering on my part). The game continued, and they found a piece of minor circumstantial evidence (a button, I think) linking the old man to the kidnapping. Again, the Player asked if he could shoot the old man now. I refused, saying that a button was not enough for his character to justify shooting someone. Later, they found damning evidence and went to the old man’s house. He called up the demon again, who attacked the Player Characters. As an aside, another problem with the scenario was that the allegedly fearsome and terrible demon had so few hit points, a single shot from any one of the characters’ guns could take it down – make your monsters tough enough to be threatening. The Player, with great satisfaction, shoots the old man, shouting ‘I said he was the bad guy! If you’d let me shoot him when we met him, he wouldn’t have been able to summon the demon again’. In retrospect, this was poor roleplaying on the Player’s part and my Games Mastering was equally bad. The Player was thinking about the crazy old man from the perspective of a Player (‘he’s the only Non-Player Character who’s crazy, evil sorcerers tend to be crazy and he must be in the scenario for a reason’) which is bad, but asking Players to squash this kind of thinking and consider every plot purely in-character is not a good idea. Instead of coming up with scenarios that fall apart if the Players consider the metagame, the Games Master should use more robust scenarios. In the example above, if I had played the old man as a lot less crazy, or else let the Players find him instead of just randomly running into him on the road, or even just had a second viable suspect (‘you meet two entirely separate crazy old men. One summoned the demon, the other is just a senile old coot. Which one do you shoot?’), then the scenario would have worked much better.

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To have this charming image in the game, the Games Master needs to get the Players into the town, and then into the church. Perhaps the whole town is actually the spider’s (metaphorical) web – it hunts by getting strangers stuck in the town, then hunts them down by vibrations in the web. The townsfolk could sabotage the characters’ attempts to leave; the characters stop for fuel, and the station attendant pours sand in their tank. Everyone in town tries to wrap the characters in sticky emotional bonds – and when they fight back, they attract the attention of the spider (perhaps the attention of the spider could be incarnated in the form of the town sheriff, who drives around watching the vibrations of the telephone wires, which shake when the town is disturbed by outsiders). If the characters could see the town as it really is, they would see the invisible strands of the psychic web linking all the townfolk together.

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The characters’ car is sabotaged. They get stuck in town. The townspeople try to keep them there. They cause trouble, which brings the sheriff. They investigate the town. They do research. They go to the church. They fight the spider and are forced to run away. They learn to distract the spider, and while half the characters cause havoc in town, the others sneak into the church, find the mummified body of the priest and banish the spider. Ideally, they should finish the banishing spell just before the spider eats the other characters. The Games Master can imagine links between these scenes, but should be prepared to adapt. It is possible that a group of especially belligerent Players could cause the sheriff to appear if they start a fight in the opening scene at the gas station. Alternatively, tactically minded Players might work out a way to defeat the spider in the first fight scene, or escape from the town to return with better supplies. Players who can roleplay very

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descending from above. Being a good little Games Master, he notes down the image and decides to use it in a game. He is already planning a game set in a small, isolated town, so he uses the spider there. He needs a tall structure for the spider-thing to descend from, and the obvious choice is a church-spire. The spider can lower itself on a strand of web from the bell-tower (and the rope to pull the bell could actually be a braided, sticky web). One of the characters pulls on the rope to ring the bell… his hand gets stuck to it, and the bell does not ring, it crushes a few eggs or sucked corpses or something in the tower above, and a shower of slime and young spider hatchlings fall onto the characters below. They look up to see where the slime came from – just in time to see the spider falling towards them, one leg reaching towards each of their upturned faces….

Once the Players realise something strange is going on, the characters might do research in the town library. Maybe back in the ‘50s, the town was torn about by prejudice and paranoia and a local priest tried to solve the problem with magic. He summoned the spider to bind people together, but it never left. Now everyone in town is peaceful and friendly, even cloying…and sticky. The characters head off to the church to find the priest, they push open the door, see the bell rope… and down comes the spider. Remember, the ties between the various images and scenes should be fairly loose, to allow for the actions of the Players. In the above sketch, the Games Master might have a list of encounters like:

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well might be able to sow dissent in the town, tearing the social web apart. Characters with occult skills might be better off replicating the priest’s research and coming up with their own banishing spell. Do not lock the Players into a predetermined route through the scenario – have the horrific set-pieces ready, and bring them in when appropriate.

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Twenty Bizarre Events

1. The raindrops run up the window, instead of down, and form an eerie pattern. 2. The wind seems to carry the faint echo of screaming voices. 3. That tree in the garden…you could swear it was two feet to the left yesterday. 4. The phone rings, but the voice on the other end is the speaking clock. 5. One of the characters experiences a sudden muscle cramp or spasm every time he walks through a doorway. 6. One of the characters uses an utterly unfamiliar, alien word for a normal concept. 7. Two (or all) of the characters has the same nightmare. 8. A character catches a glimpse through a window or closing door of a room in complete disarray. When he investigates, the room is perfectly fine and tidy. 9. All the silverware on the table suddenly turns and points towards one character. 10. Something breaks. It sounds like glass, but faintly metallic. No matter how hard the characters search, they cannot find what broke. 11. One of the characters experiences a few minutes of ‘missing time’. 12. The watch of one of the characters stops dead, or goes backwards. 13. A coffee stain on a map circles the place the characters are going – but the map is a new one, and no-one has ever put a coffee cup on it before. 14. The character finds an old newspaper or photo that refers to him. 15. All of the characters experience a moment of déjà vu, jamais vu or presque vu. 16. An old wound or scar begins to bleed again. 17. All the noise in an area – conversation, machinery, traffic, weather, etc. – stops simultaneously for a moment. 18. All mobile phones, televisions, radios and other electronic equipment momentarily stops working in a burst of static – or all simultaneously turn on. 19. One of the characters gets a split-second glimpse of himself from another perspective, an out-of-body experience. Something shadowed and terrible looms over him. 20. One character finds a healthy, live goldfish swimming in his toilet.

Twisting

The best, most memorable scenarios have a twist – some imaginative difference that sets them apart. It does not always have to be a plot twist. A new and distinctive monster or horrific concept works wonders, but few Games Masters can consistently come up with new horrors that are really scary. Overlaying an interesting plot also works – the revelation that the horror is supernatural is the twist. The game can also be made memorable by using an unusual location; everyone expects werewolves on the Scottish moors, but how about werewolves on a Scottish oil rig? Making sure there is always something new and unexpected keeps the game fresh.

Non-Player Characters

Most horror scenarios work best when the number of nonPlayer Characters is low. It is less work for the Games Master, and focuses the game on the Players. Extraneous non-Player Characters can be killed off in horrible ways. Avoid having extremely powerful or competent nonPlayer Characters who can save the characters or solve the mystery – one element of horror is responsibility. Your life is in your own hands and only you can get yourself through this. If you do introduce such non-Player Characters, then either saddle them with restrictions (‘Van Helsing knows all about vampires and how to kill them, but is old and comparatively weak’) or else make them slightly suspect or dangerous (‘Van Helsing knows all about vampires and how to kill them, and he’s very strong for his age… and now that you think about it, you haven’t seen him outside in the sunlight…’).

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Classic roles for non-Player Characters in horror include: Victims: the poor unfortunates who get eaten/ sacrificed/transformed by the horror. Try to avoid the helpless victim – Players respond better to those who show at least a little courage in the face of horror. If you use the Ties of characters as victims, make sure there is at least a chance that the Players can save the victim. Police officers and other authority figures: In most horror games, the police either have to be kept in the dark (‘officer, you don’t understand! I burnt down that

orphanage because they were demon nuns! Demon nuns… stop hitting me!’) or negotiated with to gain access to records or aid (‘I need to review adoption records for 1975-1981 now. Oh, and a flamethrower’). Characters with a little authority could be able to request roadblocks, searches and even SWAT teams.

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Experts: Professors, antiquarians and other characters who can dispense clues and give details of the plot. Never hand the Players all the information they need – leave room for implication.

Jamais vu – the opposite of déjà vu in some respects; encountering an entirely normal situation but feeling absolutely no chronological connection to it. A minor example is suddenly forgetting your best friend’s name. More severe is the sudden sensation that you no longer know the room you have entered. It’s been your bedroom for the last seven years, it’s got your personal effects in it – but nothing in it strikes any chord of familiarity with you.

Ordinary People: Do not gloss over the existence of just plain folks. If it were not for the vast seething masses of humanity, where would the monsters hide? Include the occasion trivial encounter with ordinary characters, to make sure the Players do not assume that every Non-Player Character they meet is directly connected to the plot.

Presque vu – moments of only ephemerally perceived or remembered clarity or greatness. Having a concept on ‘the tip of one’s tongue’ is an example, as is rousing from a dream with a tremendous idea – only to have it slide between your fingers as wake up.

Allies and other investigators: While the burden of the dealing with the horror should rest on the Player Characters, including a few friendly faces and mouthpieces for the Games Master is a good idea. Giving the Players a ‘safe area’ creates a bigger contrast with the horror (and blowing up the safe area is a huge and horrifying violation suitable for a major turning point in a campaign). If you include people who are basically in the same position as the Player Characters – other monster hunters/church sponsored exorcists/people infected by a horrible sentient virus or whatever the characters are – they can serve as cautionary examples to the Players. Cultists and Madmen: And serial killers, and demon hybrids, and corrupt cops, and the corporate suit who wants to capture the monster alive so the bioweapons division can breed and market it. Ideally, these should initially appear to be one of the other types of Non-Player Character, as it is far more horrifying if someone you assumed to be safe and friendly turns out to be an enemy.

Monsters

Monsters in a horror game require careful pacing. In most circumstances, you should never introduce a monster and have it killed in the same scene. There should be hints and foreshadowing first. Monsters in horror should not be disposable cannon fodder (or at least they should not be disposed of lightly). One good schedule to follow is: 1. The characters find evidence that they will later tie to the monster – scratch marks on a corpse, for example – but which initially can be explained by a wholly mundane cause. 2. They find evidence of something else connected to the monster; again this can be explained away with mundane causes.

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‘Vu’ Sensations

Déjà vu – the classic sensation that most people have experienced; encountering a novel situation that seems eerily familiar. Déjà vu can sometimes be so intense that people do can predict entire actions and phrases a moment before others performed them.

All of ‘vu’ sensations can be used to give elliptical hints and clues to characters, but they can also be mildly disorientating (-1 to attack rolls, saves and skill checks for the following round). 3.

4. 5.

The characters are attacked by the monster, or see someone else being killed. The creature escapes. They begin to research or develop a way to attack it. It attacks again before they are ready. They have to fend off its attacks while completing their plan.

Like Non-Player Characters, monsters fall into several roles: ~ Atmosphere: The monster is there to make the horror and danger of the place manifest – it is supposed to alarm the Players, but probably will not prove too much bother to the characters if they keep their nerve. ~

Guardian: The monster is an obstacle that the characters must defeat or bypass. It is a checkpoint in the scenario – the characters cannot move onto the next section until they know how to get through it. Usually, they learn how to get past it while also learning some other part of the plot, ensuring they do not blunder forward without a clue what is going on.

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~

Stalker: The monster is out roaming around, either hunting or being sent to gather victims for some other purpose. Stalkers are often under the control (or were under the control and have escaped) of an antagonist monster or evil sorcerer.

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Antagonist: The monster is intelligent and opposed to the characters, plotting against them. It has its own inhuman and horrific goals.

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Plot Device: The monster is in the game either to violate the laws of reality and facilitate the plot (the characters are investigating a strange new drug, which turns out to be the distilled pollen of a carnivorous alien flower) or to be the end of the plot (the cultists are trying to summon their fearsome demon-god, and if they succeed, the earth is doomed). In a low-powered game, most monsters are more than a match for the characters. They might, if they plan it carefully and are lucky, be able to defeat one in a fight, but mostly they have to flee monsters when they encounter them, and will only win out by unravelling the mystery. In a higher-powered game, fighting monsters directly becomes an option. Monsters should always be disturbing in some fashion – even for little beasties that are there as cannon fodder or flavour, try to come up with one memorable bit of description or behaviour that will make the Players loathe the monster. For example, the characters are exploring the ruins of a Nazi fortress known for its diabolical experiments. The rats there have long, hollow tails with sharp bone spurs on the end. They drive the bone spikes into the feet or calves of the characters as they pass, and suck blood up through

the hollow tail. Really, these rats are no more dangerous than a normal rat, but their freakish behaviour makes them scary.

Bizarre Events

Bizarre events are the stock-in-trade of the horror Games Master. Horror games tend to have few encounters with Non-Player Characters (the Players usually keep their activities secret) and fewer (but deadly) monsters. Therefore, to spice up scenes, the one thing left to do is have strange things happen. Don’t have bizarre events happen on a regular basis. Partly, this is because too much weirdness desensitises the Players to it, but more importantly, the Players have to have a baseline reality that they can understand and trust. If everything changes at the whim of the Games Master, there is no point in planning or taking anything seriously. Establish a rigorously logical, plausible, sane setting and then undercut it with the impossible. Bizarre events include all the usual Fortean events (rains of fish, lights in the sky, statues bleeding), but can also be foreshadowing of upcoming horrors (the werewolf hunters hear distant howls across the moors, which could be nothing more than lonely dogs). The key here is to unsettle the Players, and clue them in that something is not right, that they are on the trail of the horror.

Isolating the Characters

Cutting the characters off from safety, supplies and support is a common element in horror games. The higher the level of technology, of course, the harder it is

Props & Handouts

Handouts work very well in mystery games. They give the Players physical evidence to examine. Most non-physical evidence is filtered twice – once by the Games Master and once by the character. A handout can be examined directly by the Player. It is very easy to hide clues in a handout; normally, the Games Master says something like ‘you find a set of financial records… give me an Appraise or Intelligence check, DC 15… OK, you notice a discrepancy in one account’. In a handout, the Games Master can hide this discrepancy and let the Players work it out (which is far more rewarding). Handouts also encourage roleplaying – while examining a handout, the Players are perfectly in sync with their characters. With the web and modern desktop publishing software, it is very easy to write up convincing handouts. The Games Master can grab text from documents on the web and edit them to insert clues. Old scrolls can be made by painting the paper with really, really strong coffee or baking them in the oven. Burning parts of the paper can tantalisingly obscure key words and force the Players to handle the items carefully. Another great handout is an old book with a bookmark or key passages highlighted - all sorts of weird occult and junk science books can be bought cheaply in second-hand stores. If you want to embroil the characters in the mystery of Roswell, have them find a copy of some dodgy UFO book with the chapter on Roswell dog-eared and a mysterious set of co-ordinates written in the margin…

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Unless there is a plot point behind it (i.e., someone jams the characters’ radios or summons a Fallen Angel of the Message to disrupt their phones), give the Players some warning before cutting them off from communications. Letting them know in advance that they will be out of touch means you do not have to deal with arguments about wavelengths and phone base station ranges in the middle of an important scene.

There are five ways to isolate characters: physically, via communications, socially, secretly and supernaturally. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. It is a good idea to mix and match these – the Players will get annoyed if every adventure begins with a huge storm that traps them in the haunted castle/spooky village/ abandoned mineshaft.

Social Isolation: The simplest type of isolation – if no-one believes the characters, they are alone even in the middle of a crowd. Social isolation only works if the horror is intangible or esoteric. The police are not going to help the characters if they tell them that the upcoming Interpretive Dance Event in Central Park is going to summon an elder god, and the proof is right here in this ancient Sumerian scroll. However, the police are much more likely to help if the characters have a few shredded corpses. The more physical evidence present, the more likely it is that the characters can overcome social isolation.

Physical Isolation: The characters are stuck in a location, and cannot get out. The trouble here is working out how they got there in the first place. Options include: ~ Mechanical failure: their car breaks down, their plane crashes. ~ Weather: The fog is too thick to drive through, the winds are too high to fly. ~ Geography: The only bridge out of town is down, the river is flooded, the characters are on an island and the next boat does not come for a week. ~ Cramped Conditions: The characters are in a location that is hard to reach, like sewers or steam tunnels. Cave-ins and locked doors can isolate them.

If you want social isolation, make it clear that the characters will waste a lot of time by trying to contact others, and that they might even be blamed for whatever the horror did. Alternatively, make the characters distrust the authorities – it is hard to go to the police if one of them is in league with the evil cult.

The problem with physical isolation is that it can often be easily overcome with modern technology (there are very few places in the Western World that cannot be reached within a few hours by a helicopter), and on its own, it can sidetrack the Players into trying to construct an escape route instead of escaping the horror. Only use physical isolation when the threat is primarily physical and you want to ensure that the characters do not have access to superior numbers or extra firepower. Communications Isolation: Mobile phones, radios, computers and the internet – having the characters in constant contact with each other and the outside world does make mysteries and loneliness harder to achieve. It allows the characters to keep track of each other’s status, share information and call in help from outside. All this aside, communication is not too damaging to the horror, and when it is, it is very easy to cut it off. ~ Equipment failure: Batteries go dead, water gets into the case. ~ Electromagnetics: A storm or other atmospheric disturbance prevents the signal from getting through. ~ Local Conditions: The characters are underground/in the shadow of a mountain/the phone wires are cut.

Mistrust: The characters can contact someone – but all communications go through a switchboard or other point that they cannot trust. The emergency services dispatcher has exactly the same speech patterns as the village full of frog people…

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to achieve. The Players can find themselves out of touch by driving for an hour in a game set in the 1920s, and or by riding for even less time in a medieval game. The closer you get to the modern day, the harder it is to isolate the characters. Oddly, once you move into the future, it becomes easier, as futuristic games tend to be set either on alien planets, isolated space ships or stations, or in post-apocalyptic ruins.

Secret Isolation: The flip-side of social isolation; in secret isolation, the characters are trying to cover up the existence of the horror. This only work if the characters are working for some patron or organisation who wants to conceal the existence of weird monsters or magic. Supernatural Isolation: This is very heavy-handed, and should only be used when you absolutely have to isolate the characters. Here, the isolation is magical – the door can never be opened, thick black fog surrounds the town, anyone walking down the road is teleported back to their open grave in the cemetery.

Dealing With Player Tactics

There are a few common, classic tactics used by Players in horror games. Countering these plans means the Players have to think for themselves.

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Take off and nuke the site from orbit: Instead of going into the bad place – the haunted house, the

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sewer, the factory full of possessed robots – the characters try to destroy the place from the outside, by burning it down or blowing it up. Solution: Put something of value to the characters (a Tie, an important document or piece of evidence) in the bad place. The characters cannot burn the house down until they rescue the child trapped inside. ~

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Ignore the weirdness at all costs: The characters refuse to follow any plot hooks at all. When they hear noises in the attic, they go back to bed. If they get a letter from an old friend, they return it unopened. Solution: Either have the horror follow the characters (if they stay in bed, they suddenly feel something cold and slimy crawling up through the blankets) or show that the sooner they start investigating, the better their chances of success. We give up and wait for clues: The Players assume that the Games Master will eventually provide enough information to solve the mystery, so they sit back and only follow obvious clues. Solution: Drown the Players in information. Give them stacks and stacks of clues and hooks. Make sure that they always have some potential lead. Laugh it off: The Players try to find the humorous side of everything, and do not take anything seriously. Solution: A little nervous humour is fine (and witty self-referential jokes work wonderfully in comic horror games), but if the Players resorting to comedy in a serious horror game… let them joke for a while. Let them get comfortable, and warm, and having a fun time… and then have something burst in and eat one of them.

Mysteries

Many horror games are more about investigating a mystery than horror per se. After all, having the monster show up too often or too soon will result either in the characters getting killed or the impact of the horror being lost. The solution is to put a mystery in the way, to let the horror build slowly. Not every horror game has to be about investigating a mystery, but the vast majority are. There are three ways to structure a mystery.

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The Direct Approach: The simplest approach is to have a chain of clues, each of which leads to the next. The mystery unfolds one step at a time and each scene reveals another clue. This is easy for the Games Master to write, as it uses the minimum number of clues. The two drawbacks are that the Players are basically being led the nose from clue to clue, and if they miss one they are stuck without any path to follow.

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Web of Clues: The inverse of the direct approach; in the web of clues, there are lots and lots of clues but no one clue leads to the next part of the mystery. The Players have to draw their evidence together and figure it out. Instead of having only one clue, they have dozens. The web of clues requires much more preparation from the Games Master, but does mean the Players are never stuck for something to investigate and have to actually work to figure out the mystery.

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Evidence: This variant has no or few preplanned clues – instead, the characters can investigate anything, and the Games Master comes up with what they discover on the fly. This style of play requires the Games Master to have both a full grasp of the plot and any evidence that might be found and to be flexible enough to cope with the Players’ actions. It is the most interesting and immersive style of mystery, but is also the easiest to mess up.

Investigations & Autopsies

All too often, these can degenerate into a dull series of skill checks. This is acceptable for certain situations, just as it is fine to deal with a trivial combat in a few quick rolls (the Games Master might not bother describing how a character deals with a zombie if he has already fought and killed fifty-seven of them). However, important investigations and analysis of clues deserves as much detail as a climatic fight scene. The best approach is to take each piece of evidence that can be obtained separately and give the Player a chance to make decisions in between each discovery. For example, one character is performing an autopsy upon the corpse of a victim of a dimensional fold, when the normal spatial relationships of reality collapsed. He automatically notices a strange pattern of bruising on the chest. The Games Master asks how the Player will continue. Assuming that the bruising was caused by an impact, the Player replies that his character will take a swabbing from the bruise, hoping to find out what struck the victim. The Games Master calls for a Treat Injury roll (DC 10), even though he knows nothing will be found. Next, the character X-rays the corpse and finds a metallic shape inside the body’s lung. He operates (again, Treat Injury DC 10) and digs out a large ornamental paperweight. There is no way that the paperweight could have been swallowed or inhaled… The key is that the Player gets to choose at each step how to proceed, and uncovers the evidence one step at a time. Only hand the Player all the information at once if the process of digging out the evidence is tiresome or time consuming. In most circumstances, let the Players tease the clues out, skill check by skill check. The Games

Master should regularly be calling for Spot, Search, Listen, Investigate, Gather Information and Knowledge checks.

Do not aim to make the Players paranoid – they will get there on their own quickly enough. If the Players split the party, some Games Masters prefer to let the Players whose characters are not present to listen in – in a game where horror is the main goal, then being able to see your allies getting killed is fine. In a game where mystery is more important, the Games Master might choose to take Players aside and run private scenes, so the main body of the Players do not know what has happened to the wandering Player. If you do split the Players up like this, make sure that the Players who are not ‘active’ have something to do while waiting. A good time to run a separate scene is when the rest of the Players are examining a handout or discussing their course of action. If Alice sneaks off to explore the hospital morgue, wait until Bob and Charles find the hospital records and start examining them before taking Alice aside and running encounters in the morgue.

Combat in horror should be fast-placed and brutal. In most cases, pressure the Players to make quick decisions – do not let them spend ages working how they can get the best flanking bonus, ask them what they are doing right now, and if they stall, start dropping their initiative count. Never say how many hit points a monster has left – in fact, you should consider hiding as much information as possible from the Players. If the Games Master is up for a little extra book-keeping, keeping the Players’ own hit points secret from them and describing all injuries graphically instead of numerically really reinforces the horror. A Player who is told that his character has a sucking chest wound and is having trouble breathing is far more scared than a Player who knows that his character has only 4 hit points left out of fifty. That said, said, some experienced Players have so internalised the game mechanics you can viscerally scare them by saying ‘you get hit for 46 hit points!’

TURNING THE SCREW

Paranoia

Horror Combats

One of the nastiest tricks is to co-opt one of the Players to be a villain. Players know that the Games Master basically has to play fair and will control his most evil and cunning impulses, but another Player is under no such restriction. If one of the characters is replaced by a shapeshifting monster or infected by a mind-warping alien virus, do not turn his character into a Non-Player Character immediately. Instead, brief the Player on how his evil character will act and let him play it normally. Players are much more willing to accept characters controlled by Players instead of the Games Master. They are vaguely like insects in that regard – ants attack anything that enters the nest that does not bear the right chemical markers, but blindly accept anything that has the right scent. Similarly, Players mistrust every Non-Player Character, but will blindly accept a character that is being run by another Player, even if the character is obviously insane.

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TURNING THE SCREW

One side-effect of making horror combat fast and deadly is that the Players will spend a lot of time planning their tactics and preparing for the fight, which can be boring for the Games Master. This preparation is a good thing, as it shows that the Players are scared of and respect your monsters. That said, if it gets too tiresome, drop a monster into their tactics session.

Recovering When Things Go Wrong

Horror is a very tricky style of game to run and sometimes it all goes wrong. Here are some suggestions on fixing a game that is running off the rails.

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It is just not clicking: The Games Master had a really great idea for a plot or monster, but for some reason – tired Players, a boring combat scene, in-character or out of character arguments – the current session is not working very well, and the big resolution of the plot or confrontation with the monster is going to fall flat. Solution: Salvage what you can and turn the game into foreshadowing. Having the monster vanish from its lair and crawl into the sewer is a poor ending, but at least you can use the monster again in a later game – and having cunningly foreshadowed it in this game, it should be properly horrifying when the Players finally encounter it. No Horror: The Players just are not being scared by the game. Solution: Do something unexpected. Switch from one form of horror to another. If the characters are exploring a brooding ruin, have them swarmed by rats or zombies. Conversely, if the game is survival horror, let everything go spookily quiet. Shake the game up and catch their attention. The Mystery is too tough: The Players are stuck and do not know what to do. Solution: Sometimes, it takes a while for the Players to digest the clues. This is the horror of implication, when the clues fall into place. If they just are not putting things together and are getting bored after a half-hour or so, then give the Players a clue from a clue dispenser. Provide hints that will let them move on – and up the danger to compensate. Running Amuck: Sometimes, a game can suddenly go crazy. It all started out with a simple investigation of a haunted house. Suddenly one of the characters is shooting police officers with a shotgun and the rest of the party are running for the next train out of town. The Players have made a series of really bad decisions and it looks like the game is all about to end unexpectedly. Solution: Pick the character who can best carry the campaign and find a way to save him. A total party kill almost always ends a campaign, but

a single survivor can provide the nucleus for a new party of investigators.

Scenario Construction Example: ‘The Quincy Foundation’ Initial Concept: The characters are members of the Quincy Foundation (see Weirdness Busters above), sent to investigate an alleged spontaneous combustion in London. Hooking The Characters and Players: Hooking the character is easy – they work for a group that investigates weirdness. To raise the Players’ interest, the Games Master writes up a fake newspaper clipping describing the combustion. Apparently, a man climbed up onto a of a radio mast before bursting into flames in front of horrified onlookers. Plotting: The style of the game is modern day occult horror. The Games Master wants to use a web of clues approach to the mystery. He decides that the combustion was caused by the ghost of a psychic who was burnt at the stake for witchcraft. The ghost has recently been freed somehow and is trying to lay itself to rest. However, when it possesses someone, it soon causes them to explode in flames, creating another explosive ghost. So, the characters will have at least two spirits to deal with – the long-dead psychic and the newly-dead victim. Having the death happen at a radio tower sets up all sorts of potential bizarre events involving radio transmissions from the dead. If the Players get stuck, the Games Master can just have a ghost talk to them over a handy radio, and he can hint at supernatural activity with radio static. How was the first ghost freed? The Games Master is stuck on this for the moment, so he pencils in the idea that the ghost’s grave was uncovered by building work, or perhaps an archaeological dig. Maybe the ghost’s victim was an archaeologist – or a thief who stole something from the dig. Most people burnt at the stake do not have grave goods, so maybe the ghost is tied to something belonging to the witchhunter. Or perhaps the psychic was a pyrokinetic, and used his abilities to burn the witchhunter and onlookers when he was on the stake (or not… if the Players have read the novel Good Omens, they will be reminded of Agnes Nutter, who loaded her petticoats with gunpowder and shrapnel being burnt for witchcraft and all horror will be lost). So, what else could connect a ghost to burning people?

Traps and Stakes: The initial stake is that the characters have been assigned this mission and have to complete it. If one or more of them become possessed by the ghosts, of course, then they have an even bigger stake – they have to solve the case before they explode. Twisting: The twists here is not that the monster is fundamentally sympathetic – that happens a lot in ghost stories – it is that whenever anyone falls victim to the combustion, another fiery ghost is created. If the characters cannot squash the ghosts, the plague of combustions will spread.

is next door to the archaeological dig that uncovered the first ghost. That is the initial link and provides a motivation for the second ghost – perhaps he will try to recontact his mistress, or make amends with his wife for his infidelity. It certainly gives him a reason to hang around as a ghost. How will the Players deal with the ghosts? Exorcisms? Will they heroically allow themselves to be possessed, then have ‘controlled detonations’ inside a ghost-proof chamber, trapping the spirits within? Could the gaseous ghosts somehow be channelled into the mains and burnt off like normal gas? The rest of the questions can be answered as the game goes on – the initial investigation of the combustion should fill up two or three hours of play, especially if the Games Master throws in troublesome obstructions from the police and a few bizarre events. Ideally, one of the characters will blunder into a position where they get possessed by one of the ghosts, putting a nice time limit on the investigation…

TURNING THE SCREW

How about gas? The psychic was not burnt at the stake, he was buried alive in a chamber that filled up with natural gas and foul air. When he possesses someone, their cells become more and more suffused with methane until they explode. It is very dodgy science, but it make a weird sort of sense – and gives a great clue to give in an autopsy. So, the ghost is connected with gas (and radios, now. It is the Phantom of the Utilities).

Non-Player Characters: The family of the man who exploded will probably be interviewed by the Players (and his ghost might return to them). The characters will have to deal with the London police, so coming up with a contact there is a good idea. The characters will probably end up researching the history of witches, so a librarian clue dispenser character fits. Monsters: The two ‘monsters’ are the two ghosts. The ghost of the man who exploded is confused and does not know what happened to him – in some ways, that makes him more dangerous. He has connections to the modern world (his family and friends) and in attempting to contact them, he is likely to accidentally possess someone and cause another combustion. The other ghost is hundreds of years old, and less likely to possess people – but it has psychic abilities. What does it want? It brought its victim to a radio tower – could it have instinctively been drawn to electromagnetic activity? Was it trying to beam itself into space? Or was it trying to call something down? Or was the tower built on the site of an old building that was important to the ghost in life? The Games Master could then decide that the victim was having an affair with a woman, and that her apartment building

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Monsters A horror game does not have to involve monsters – but there is something deeply satisfying about making fear incarnate in a physical form. Rather than just providing a shopping list of monsters, this chapter has a set of creature types and abilities that can be used to build suitable monsters for a game. Then there is a bloodsplattered shopping list of monsters. Traditions in horror games must be observed.

Making a Monster

Begin with a mad scientist’s lab, all bubbling beakers, crackling electrodes and crumbling Carpathian keeps. Begin with a gothic cathedral shrouded in darkness and webs, where something lurks and drips foul excretions from atop the spires. Begin with ooze-dropping eggs in the sewers, begin with illegal genetic experiments, begin with a twisted, alien, misshapen form crawling through the ceiling tiles and peering down at your bed. Begin with the dawn of time, when terrible things descended through the cooling hydrogen mists and made the rough world of Earth their home. Begin with what scares, repulses or disturbs you. Keep whatever horrific seed or idea inspired the monster in mind as you go through the mechanical creation process. Getting the rules right is nowhere near as important as providing a fun and scary encounter for the Players. Unlike other games where ‘balanced encounters’ are key, horror games regularly put the characters up against entities that they have no chance of defeating directly. The basic measure of a creature’s power is the number of Hit Dice it has. A creature’s Hit Dice depends on its role and the strength of the characters it will be opposing (see Chapter 11, Turning the Screw, for a discussion of

Monster Hit Dice Guidelines

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Monster Designed For…

Hit Dice

Atmosphere

¼ to 3

Guardian

Equal to +15 Hit Dice

Stalker

+1 to +5 Hit Dice

Antagonist

+3 to +10

Plot Device

+5 to + whatever the Games Master wants

monster roles). Remember that a beginning character has three Hit Dice. The steps for designing a monster are: 1. Choose Hit Dice. 2. Choose Size. The size of the monster affects its Defence, Attacks (especially Grapple) and ability to hide. 3. Choose Type. A monster can be an Aberration, Animal, Construct, Monstrous Humanoid, Ooze, Outsider, Plant, Undead or Vermin. 4. Set the monster’s ability scores, speed, damage and natural armour bonus. 5. Calculate the monster’s hit points, Defence, attack bonus, grapple bonus, fighting space, reach, skill points and feats just as you would for a human character. 6. Choose or create special abilities for the monster. 7. Choose or create weaknesses for the monster. 8. Set the monster’s Horror save DCs. 9. Write up Evidence and Research entries for the monster. 10. Fly, my pretty, fly!

Creature Description

Each creature is organized in the same general format, as described in the following text. Much of the information on a creature is condensed into a creature statistics block, the contents of which are explained below.

Size

A creature falls into one of nine size categories. Each size category includes a size modifier that applies to the creature’s Defence and attack rolls; a modifier that applies to grapple checks; and a modifier that applies to Hide checks. These modifiers have been figured into the statistics for the creatures described here.

Type

A creature’s type determines many of its characteristics and abilities: physical ability scores, Hit Die type, base attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, skill points, feats and special qualities. Mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) can vary widely among creatures of a type; unless a type description specifies a particular score for one of these abilities, the Games Master will assign values as he deems appropriate.

Hit Dice (HD) and Hit Points (hp)

A creature’s Hit Dice is equivalent to its level for determining how various abilities affect the creature, its rate of natural healing, and its maximum ranks in a skill. A creature’s Hit Dice and Constitution modifier determine its hit points. A creature’s entry gives the creature’s average hit points.

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Massive Damage Threshold (Mas)

When a creature takes damage from a single attack equal to or greater than its current Constitution, it must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15) or immediately drop to –1 hit points. If the damage would reduce the creature to –1 hit points or fewer anyway, the massive damage threshold does not apply and the creature does not need to make a Fortitude save. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead and other creatures immune to critical hits ignore the effects of massive damage and do not have massive damage thresholds. Vermin gain a +5 species bonus on their Fortitude saves to avoid falling to –1 hit points.

Initiative (Init)

The creature’s modifier on initiative checks is usually equal to its Dexterity modifier, although the Improved Initiative feat provides an additional +4 bonus.

Speed (Spd)

A creature’s tactical speed on land is the amount of distance it can cover in one move action. If the creature wears armour that reduces its speed, this fact is given along with a parenthetical note indicating the armour type; the creature’s base unarmoured speed follows. If the creature has other modes of movement, these are given after the main entry. Unless noted otherwise, modes of movement are natural (not magical). Burrow: The creature can tunnel through dirt, but not through rock unless the descriptive text says otherwise. Creatures cannot run while burrowing. Climb: A creature with a climb speed has the Climb skill at no cost and gains a +8 species bonus on Climb checks. The creature must make a Climb check to climb any wall or slope with a DC greater than 0, but it can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened while climbing. The creature climbs at the given speed while climbing. If it attempts an accelerated climb, it moves at double the given climb speed (or its normal land speed, whichever is less) and makes a single Climb check at a –5 penalty. Creatures cannot use the run action while climbing. The creature retains its Dexterity bonus

to Defense (if any) while climbing and opponents get no special bonus on their attack rolls against the climbing creature. Fly: The creature can fly at the given speed if carrying no more than a medium load. All fly speeds include a parenthetical note indicating manoeuvrability: Perfect: The creature can perform almost any aerial manoeuvre it wishes. Good: The creature is agile in the air, but cannot change direction as readily as one with perfect maneuverability. Average: The creature can fly as adroitly as a small bird. Poor: The creature flies as well as a very large bird. Clumsy: The creature can barely fly at all. Creatures that fly can make dive attacks. A dive attack works just like a charge, but the diving creature must move a minimum of 30 feet. It can make only claw attacks, but these deal double damage. Creatures can use the run action while flying, provided they fly in a straight line. Swim: A creature with a swim speed can move through water at the given speed without making Swim checks. It gains a +8 species bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. The creature can always choose to take 10, even if distracted or endangered when swimming. Creatures can use the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line.

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Defence

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A creature’s Defence includes a parenthetical mention of the modifiers contributing to it. The creature’s ‘touch’ Defence (discounting natural armour and other armour modifiers) and ‘flat-footed’ Defence (discounting Dexterity bonus and dodge bonuses, if any) are provided as well.

Base Attack Bonus (BAB)

A creature’s base attack bonus does not include any modifiers. It is used to calculate a creature’s grapple modifier as well as the maximum bonus on damage rolls for a creature using the Power Attack feat. A creature’s base attack bonus is derived by cross-referencing the creature’s Hit Dice and type on the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table.

Grapple Modifier (Grap)

Whenever a creature makes an opposed grapple check, apply this modifier to its d20 roll. The total modifier on grapple checks is determined as follows: base attack bonus + Strength modifier + grapple modifier. The grapple modifiers for creatures of various sizes are given in Table: Creature Sizes.

Primary Attack (Atk)

If a creature moves more than 5 feet in the same round it attacks, it makes only a single attack using its primary attack bonus. This bonus includes modifications for size and Strength (for melee attacks) or Dexterity (for ranged attacks). A creature with the Weapon Finesse feat can use its Dexterity modifier on its primary attack. The damage and primary weapon type are noted in parentheses. Creatures can attack with natural weapons or manufactured weapons (sometimes both). A creature’s primary attack damage includes its full Strength modifier (1.5 times its Strength bonus if it is the creature’s sole attack). Use the creature’s primary attack bonus whenever the creature makes an attack of opportunity.

Natural Weapons

Natural weapons include teeth, claws, horns and the like. The number of attacks along with the weapon, attack bonus, and form of attack (melee or ranged) are provided in a creature’s entry. Unless noted otherwise, natural weapons threaten critical hits on a natural attack roll of 20. If any attacks also cause some special effect other than damage, that information is given along with the damage. Unless noted otherwise, creatures deal double damage on critical hits. Natural weapons have types just as other weapons do. The most common types are summarised below.

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Bite: The creature attacks with its mouth, dealing piercing damage. Claw or Rake: The creature rips with a sharp appendage, dealing slashing damage. Gore: The creature spears the opponent with an antler, horn, or similar appendage, dealing piercing damage. Slap or Slam: The creature batters opponents with an appendage, dealing bludgeoning damage. Sting: The creature stabs with a stinger, dealing piercing damage. Stings are usually poisoned.

Manufactured Weapons

Creatures that use manufactured weapons follow the same rules as characters, including those for multiple attacks and two-weapon fighting penalties.

Full Attack (Full Atk)

A creature that takes no more than a 5-foot step during its turn can make a full attack using all of its natural weapons. A creature’s full attack includes both its primary attack and its secondary attacks (if any). The primary attack bonus includes modifications for size and Strength (for melee attacks) or Dexterity (for ranged attacks). A creature with the Weapon Finesse feat can use its Dexterity modifier on melee attacks. A creature’s primary attack damage includes its full Strength modifier (1.5 times its Strength bonus if it is the creature’s sole attack or if the creature is wielding a two-handed melee weapon). The remaining weapons are secondary attacks and take a –5 penalty on attack rolls. Creatures with the Multiattack feat (see Feats, below) take only a –2 penalty on secondary attacks. Secondary attacks add only one-half the creature’s Strength bonus to the damage. Creatures that do not normally carry ranged weapons are still given a ranged attack bonus for situations in which they might be throwing objects at a target.

Fighting Space (FS)

Fighting space approximates the amount of space a creature needs to move and fight effectively, and how much space it occupies on a grid of 5-foot by 5-foot squares. The table of Creature Sizes gives the fighting space for creatures of any given size, although variations and exceptions are possible.

Reach

A creature’s reach is the distance at which it can strike targets with its natural weapons without needing to adjust its position on the grid. A creature using its natural weapons threatens all squares within its reach. When measuring diagonally, every second square counts as two squares. The table of Creature Sizes provides the typical

A creature with a 0-foot reach must move into the fighting space of its target to attack it, provoking an attack of opportunity from the target as the creature enters the target’s fighting space and threatened area. Also, creatures with 0-foot reach do not threaten the squares around them.

Special Qualities (SQ)

Many creatures have unusual abilities. A special quality can be extraordinary (Ex) or supernatural (Su): Extraordinary: Extraordinary abilities are nonmagical and are not subject to anything that disrupts magic. Using an extraordinary ability is a free action unless noted otherwise. Supernatural: Supernatural abilities are magical. Using a supernatural ability is an attack action unless noted otherwise. Supernatural abilities may have a use limit or be usable at will. However, supernatural abilities do not provoke attacks of opportunity when used and never require Concentration checks.

Weaknesses (Wk)

Some monsters have special weaknesses and discovering these weaknesses is often the key to defeating the horror.

Saves (SV)

A creature’s Fortitude, Reflex and Will saving throw modifiers take into account the creature’s type, ability score modifiers, feats and any special qualities.

Abilities

Creatures have the same six ability scores as characters: Strength (Str), Dexterity (Dex), Constitution (Con), Intelligence (Int), Wisdom (Wis), Charisma (Cha). Exceptions are noted below. Nonabilities: Some creatures lack certain ability scores. These creatures do not have an ability score of 0; they

lack the ability altogether. The modifier for a nonability is +0. Other effects of nonabilities are as follows. Strength: Any creature that can physically manipulate other objects has at least 1 point of Strength. A creature with no Strength score cannot exert force, usually because it has no physical body or because it is immobile. The creature automatically fails Strength checks. If the creature can attack, it applies its Dexterity modifier to its base attack bonus instead of a Strength modifier. Quadrupeds can carry heavier loads than bipedal characters. See Chapter 2, Horror Roleplaying. Dexterity: Any creature that can move has at least 1 point of Dexterity. A creature with no Dexterity score cannot move. If it can act (such as by casting spells), the creature applies its Intelligence modifier instead of its Dexterity modifier to initiative checks. The creature fails all Reflex saves and Dexterity checks.

MONSTERS

reach for creatures of any given size. The Games Master may adjust the values in the table by –5 feet or +5 feet for creatures that have less than normal or greater than normal reach. Unlike the wielder of a reach weapon, a creature with greater than normal reach (more than 5 feet) can still strike creatures next to it. A creature with greater than normal reach usually gets an attack of opportunity against a character if the character approaches it, because the character enters a square it threatens before he can attack it. (This does not apply if the character takes a 5foot step.) Large or larger creatures with reach weapons can strike targets out to double their reach but cannot strike at targets within their normal reach or less.

Constitution: Any living creature has at least 1 point of Constitution. A creature with no Constitution has no body or no metabolism. It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects or is harmless. The creature is also immune to ability damage, ability drain and energy drain and it always fails Constitution checks (though these probably have no effect as it has no metabolism anyway). Intelligence: Any creature that can think, learn or remember has at least 1 point of Intelligence. A creature with no Intelligence score is an automaton, operating on simple instincts or programmed instructions. It is immune to all mind-affecting effects and automatically fails Intelligence checks. A creature can speak all the languages mentioned in its descriptive text. Any creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher understands at least one language. Wisdom: Any creature that can perceive its environment in any fashion has at least 1 point of Wisdom. Anything with no Wisdom score is an object, not a creature. Anything without a Wisdom score also has no Charisma score.

Multiattack Feat

The creature is adept at using all its natural weapons at once. Prerequisite: Three or more natural weapons. Benefit: The creature’s secondary attacks with natural weapons take only a –2 penalty. Normal: Without this feat, the creature’s secondary natural attacks take a –5 penalty.

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Charisma: Any creature capable of telling the difference between itself and things that are not itself has at least 1 point of Charisma. Anything with no Charisma score is an object, not a creature. Anything without a Charisma score also has no Wisdom score.

Horror

This section describes what horror checks the monster prompts by its mere presence. Most cause only one sort of Horror save, but a few cause multiple saves – see Chapter 8, Fear and Loathing, for more details. In general, the DC for a Horror save should be 10 + ½ the creature’s Hit Dice + its Charisma bonus, although the Games Master should feel free to adjust this DC up or down for especially scary or bizarre entities.

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Skills

This section lists alphabetically all the creature’s skills by name along with skill modifiers that include adjustments for ability scores and any bonuses from feats or species abilities (unless otherwise noted in the descriptive text). All listed skills were purchased as class skills unless the creature acquires a character class (see Advancement, below).

Feats

This section lists alphabetically all the creature’s feats. Most creatures use the same feats that are available to characters, but some have access to the Multiattack feat.

The monster can trigger other Horror saves because of its actions – if an alien thing suddenly bursts out of a wall, the characters might have to save against both Panic and Madness.

Evidence

This section describes what physical evidence can be gathered from the trail of the creature, or its victims. Each piece of information has a required skill (usually Investigation) and DC listed.

Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses Creature’s Hit Dice

Good Save Bonus

Poor Save Bonus

Base Attack Bonus (A)

Base Attack Bonus (B)

Base Attack Bonus (C)

1 or less

+2

+0

+1

+0

+0

2

+3

+0

+2

+1

+0

3

+3

+1

+3

+2

+1

4

+4

+1

+4

+3

+1

5

+4

+1

+5

+3

+2

6

+5

+2

+6/+1

+4

+2

7

+5

+2

+7/+2

+5

+3

8

+6

+2

+8/+3

+6/+1

+4

9

+6

+3

+9/+4

+6/+1

+4

10

+7

+3

+10/+5

+7/+2

+5

11

+7

+3

+11/+6/+1

+8/+3

+5

12

+8

+4

+12/+7/+2

+9/+4

+6/+1

13

+8

+4

+13/+8/+3

+9/+4

+6/+1

14

+9

+4

+14/+9/+4

+10/+5

+7/+2

15

+9

+5

+15/+10/+5

+11/+6/+1

+7/+2

16

+10

+5

+16/+11/+6/+1

+12/+7/+2

+8/+3

17

+10

+5

+17/+12/+7/+2

+12/+7/+2

+8/+3

18

+11

+6

+18/+13/+8/+3

+13/+8/+3

+9/+4

19

+11

+6

+19/+14/+9/+4

+14/+9/+4

+9/+4

20

+12

+6

+20/+15/+10/+5

+15/+10/+5

+10/+5

Base Attack Bonus (A): Use this column for aberrations, monstrous humanoids and outsiders. Base Attack Bonus (B): Use this column for animals and vermin. Base Attack Bonus (C): Use this column for constructs, oozes, plants and undead.

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Research

This section lists what can be discovered by researching the monster in ancient books of lore (or on the Internet, for that matter). Each piece of information has a required skill (usually Research) and DC listed.

A creature’s type determines many of its characteristics and abilities: physical ability scores, Hit Die type, base attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, skill points, feats and special qualities. Mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) can vary widely among creatures of a type; unless a type description specifies a particular score for one of these abilities, the Games Master will assign values as he deems appropriate. A creature belongs to one of the nine types described below. A single creature cannot have more than one type. Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses provides the modifiers to a creature’s saving throws and attack rolls based on its type and Hit Dice.

Creature Damage

Each creature type below gives guidelines on how much damage a creature’s attacks should do. However, keep

For example, if you spend ages describing the speed and strength of a monster, it is a terrible anticlimax when it hits for 1d6+3 damage. Similarly, if you just say ‘the monster hits you for 2d6+10 damage’, that is much more threatening in terms of game mechanics, but not very scary. Characters have at least 10 hit points and usually around 20-30. Use low amount of damage (1-4 points) to worry the Players without seriously threatening the characters. Dangerous monsters should do between 10 and 15 points of damage with a hit and game-ending horrors can do far more.

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Creature Types

in mind that these are guidelines. You should balance a creature’s attacks with how often the creature shows up and how scary it is supposed to be. If a creature only appears at the climax of the game and will only be in combat with the characters for a round or two, make sure it has the strength and damage to make a serious, alarming impact on them. If the creature will be harassing them throughout the game, it should not be able to kill a character with a single blow.

Also, remember that most monsters lack ranged attacks, while the characters will probably be loaded up with guns…

Aberrations Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

42–43

10–11

28–29

32d8

2d6

4d8

2d8

4d6

Gargantuan

34–35

10–11

24–25

16d8

1d8

4d6

2d6

2d8

Huge

26–27

10–11

20–21

8d8

1d6

2d8

2d4

2d6

Large

18–19

12–13

16–17

2d8

1d4

2d6

1d6

1d8

Medium-size

10–11

14–15

12–13

1d8

1d3

2d4

1d4

1d6

Small

6–7

16–17

10–11

1/2 d8

1d2

1d6

1d3

1d4

Tiny

2–3

18–19

10–11

1/4 d8

1

1d4

1d2

1d3

Diminutive

1

20–21

10–11

1/8 d8

—

1d3

1

1d2

Fine

1

22–23

10–11

1/16 d8

—

1d2

—

1

Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

42–43

10–11

28–29

32d8

2d6

4d6

2d8

4d6

Gargantuan

34–35

10–11

24–25

16d8

1d8

2d8

2d6

2d8

Huge

26–27

10–11

20–21

4d8

1d6

2d6

2d4

2d6

Large

18–19

12–13

16–17

2d8

1d4

1d8

1d6

1d8

Medium-size

10–11

14–15

12–13

1d8

1d3

1d6

1d4

1d6

Small

6–7

16–17

10–11

1/2 d8

1d2

1d4

1d3

1d4

Tiny

2–3

18–19

10–11

1/4 d8

1

1d3

1d2

1d3

Diminutive

1

20–21

10–11

1/8 d8

—

1d2

1

1d2

Fine

1

22–23

10–11

1/16 d8

—

1

—

1

Animals

209

MONSTERS

Aberration

An aberration has a bizarre anatomy, strange abilities, an alien mindset, or any combination of the three. Aberrations are fundamentally wrong, although they are often composed of recognisable parts. An aberration might be a dog’s body welded to a wheelchair, that rolls towards the characters slavering and biting, or the product of nuclear waste mutating mildew into a sentient slime. Hit Die: d8. Base Attack Bonus: Equal to Hit Dice (Column A in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: Any one. Skill Points: 2 x Int score, plus 2 points per Hit Dice beyond 1 HD. Feats: Int modifier (minimum +0), plus 1 feat per 4 Hit Dice beyond 1 HD. Horror: Aberrations usually cause Fear, although especially disturbing ones cause Madness.

Animal

Feral and snarling, diseased and rotting or just spooky and foreboding, ordinary animals can be just as scary as the most bizarre monsters.

Hit Die: d8. Base Attack Bonus: 3/4 of total Hit Dice (Column B in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: Fortitude and Reflex (some animals have different good saves). Skill Points: 10–15. Feats: None. Animals share the following additional traits: Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Animals are proficient with their natural weapons only. They are not proficient with armour. Ability Scores: Animals have Intelligence scores of 1 or 2 (predatory animals tend to have Intelligence scores of 2). No creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal. Low-Light Vision (Ex): Most animals have low-light vision. Horror: Animals do not cause Horror saves under most circumstances.

Construct

A construct is a thing animated with artificial life – a sewn-together corpse, a stone statue driven by magic, a

Constructs Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Extra Hit Points

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

44–47

6–7

—

32d10

120

4d6

2d6

2d8

4d6

Gargantuan

36–39

6–7

—

16d10

80

2d8

1d8

2d6

2d8

Huge

28–31

6–7

—

8d10

40

2d6

1d6

2d4

2d6

Large

20–23

8–9

—

2d10

20

1d8

1d4

1d6

1d8

Medium-size

12–15

10–11

—

1d10

10

1d6

1d3

1d4

1d6

Small

8–11

12–13

—

1/2 d10

5

1d4

1d2

1d3

1d4

Tiny

4–7

14–15

—

1/4 d10

—

1d3

1

1d2

1d3

Diminutive

2–5

16–17

—

1/8 d10

—

1d2

—

1

1d2

Fine

1

18–19

—

1/16 d10

—

1

—

—

1

Monstrous Humanoids

210

Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

42–43

8–9

26–27

32d8

2d6

2d8

2d8

4d6

Gargantuan

34–35

8–9

22–23

16d8

1d8

2d6

2d6

2d8

Huge

26–27

8–9

18–19

8d8

1d6

1d8

2d4

2d6

Large

18–19

10–11

14–15

2d8

1d4

1d6

1d6

1d8

Medium-size

10–11

12–13

10–11

1d8

1d3

1d4

1d4

1d6

Small

6–7

14–15

8–9

1/2 d8

1d2

1d3

1d3

1d4

Tiny

2–3

16–17

8–9

1/4 d8

1

1d2

1d2

1d3

Diminutive

1

18–19

8–9

1/8 d8

1

—

1

1d2

Fine

1

20–21

8–9

1/16 d8

—

—

—

1

Hit Die: d8. Base Attack Bonus: Total Hit Dice (Column A in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: Reflex, Will. Skill Points: 2 x Int score, plus 2 points per Hit Dice beyond 1 HD. Feats: 1 + Int modifier (minimum 0), plus 1 feat per 4 Hit Dice beyond 1 HD.

Constructs share the following additional traits. Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Constructs are proficient with their natural weapons only. They are not proficient with armour. Ability Scores: Constructs have no Constitution score and usually no Intelligence score. Extra Hit Points: Constructs gain extra hit points according to size, as shown on the Constructs table. Immunities: Constructs are immune to mind-influencing effects and to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, necromancy effects and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. They are not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain or the effects of massive damage. Repairable: Constructs cannot heal damage on their own but can be repaired using the Repair skill. A successful Repair check (DC 30) heals 1d10 points of damage to a construct and each check represents 1 hour of work. A construct reduced to 0 hit points is immediately destroyed and cannot be repaired. Horror: Constructs can cause Panic saves if they appear normal (a possessed car) before attacking. Otherwise, they tend to cause mild Fear.

Monstrous humanoids share the following additional traits: Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Monstrous humanoids receive either Archaic Weapons Proficiency or Simple Weapons Proficiency as a bonus feat. They are proficient with their natural attacks and any weapon mentioned in their entries. Monstrous humanoids noted for wearing armour (such as mutated supersoldiers) gain the bonus feat Armour Proficiency with whatever type of armour they are accustomed to wearing (light or heavy), as well as all lighter types. Darkvision (Ex): Most monstrous humanoids have darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Horror: Usually, monstrous humanoids cause Panic or Fear.

Monstrous Humanoid

Twisted mockeries of the human form, this category covers werewolves, degenerate sewer dwellers, drugenhanced supersoldiers driven mad by adrenaline poisoning and so on.

MONSTERS

possessed construction robot out for revenge. They tend to be slow and clumsy, but are very resilient. Hit Die: d10. Base Attack Bonus: 1/2 of total Hit Dice (Column C in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: None. Skill Points: None. Feats: None.

Ooze

Squelch. Oozes drip and squeeze and glow and tend to dissolve things they could with acidic pus. Oozes can be the product of chemical accidents, alien engineering or even ancient horrors trapped in the Antarctic ice. Hit Die: d10. Base Attack Bonus: 1/2 of total Hit Dice (Column C in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: None. Skill Points: None. Feats: None. Oozes share the following additional traits: Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Oozes are proficient

Oozes Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Extra Hit Points

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

44–45

6–7

26–29

32d10

40

4d6

4d6

2d8

2d6

Gargantuan

36–37

6–7

22–25

16d10

30

2d8

2d8

2d6

1d8

Huge

28–29

6–7

18–21

8d10

20

2d6

2d6

2d4

1d6

Large

20–21

8–9

14–17

2d10

15

1d8

1d8

1d6

1d4

Medium-size

12–13

10–11

10–13

1d10

10

1d6

1d6

1d4

1d3

Small

8–9

12–13

8–9

1/2 d10

5

1d4

1d4

1d3

1d2

Tiny

4–5

14–15

8–9

1/4 d10

—

1d3

1d3

1d2

1

Diminutive

2–3

16–17

8–9

1/8 d10

—

1d2

1d2

1

—

Fine

2–3

18–19

8–9

1/16 d10

—

1

1

—

—

211

MONSTERS

Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: Fortitude, Reflex, Will. Skill Points: 8 + Int modifier per Hit Dice. Feats: 1, plus 1 feat per 4 Hit Dice beyond 1 HD.

with their natural weapons only, but not with armour. Ability Scores: Oozes have no Intelligence score. Extra Hit Points: An ooze has no natural armour rating but is difficult to kill because of its protoplasmic body. It gains extra hit points (in addition to those from its Hit Dice and Constitution score) according to its size, as shown below. Immunities: Oozes are immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions and other attack forms that rely on sight. Oozes are not subject to critical hits, flanking or the effects of massive damage. Blindsight (Ex): Most oozes have blindsight with a range of 60 feet. Horror: Oozes cause Fear saves.

Outsiders share the following additional traits: Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Outsiders receive either Archaic Weapons Proficiency or Simple Weapons Proficiency as a bonus feat. They are proficient with their natural weapons and any weapon mentioned in their entries. Outsiders noted for wearing armour (such as alien bounty hunters) gain the bonus feat Armour Proficiency with whatever type of armour they are accustomed to wearing (light, heavy), as well as all lighter types. Darkvision (Ex): Most outsiders have darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Horror: Outsiders almost always cause Madness saves.

Outsider

An outsider is a creature originating from some other dimension, reality or plane of existence. They are not from around here and have incomprehensible abilities that twist both perception and the laws of reality. Demons, aliens, faerie folk, things from another dimension – all are outsiders. Hit Die: d8. Base Attack Bonus: Total Hit Dice (Column A in the

Plant

Plants are rarely monsters; feral ferns and pernicious petunias do not show up in most horror games. That said, the occasional giant carnivorous plant or alien symbiote is terrifying precisely because it is so rare and unexpected. Hit Die: d8.

Outsiders Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

44–47

6–7

28–29

32d8

4d6

4d6

2d8

2d6

Gargantuan

36–39

6–7

24–25

16d8

2d8

2d8

2d6

1d8

Huge

28–31

6–7

20–21

8d8

2d6

2d6

2d4

1d6

Large

20–23

8–9

16–17

2d8

1d8

1d8

1d6

1d4

Medium-size

12–15

10–11

12–13

1d8

1d6

1d6

1d4

1d3

Small

8–11

12–13

10–11

1/2 d8

1d4

1d4

1d3

1d2

Tiny

4–7

14–15

10–11

1/4 d8

1d3

1d3

1d2

1

Diminutive

2–3

16–17

10–11

1/8 d8

1d2

1d2

1

—

Fine

2–3

18–19

10–11

1/16 d8

1

1

—

—

Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

44–45

6–7

28–29

32d8

4d6

2d6

2d8

4d6

Gargantuan

36–37

6–7

24–25

16d8

2d8

1d8

2d6

2d8

Huge

28–29

6–7

20–21

4d8

2d6

1d6

2d4

2d6

Large

20–21

8–9

16–17

2d8

1d8

1d4

1d6

1d8

Medium-size

12–13

10–11

12–13

1d8

1d6

1d3

1d4

1d6

Small

8–9

12–13

10–11

1/2 d8

1d4

1d2

1d3

1d4

Tiny

4–5

14–15

10–11

1/4 d8

1d3

1

1d2

1d3

Plants

212

Diminutive

2–3

16–17

10–11

1/8 d8

1d2

—

1

1d2

Fine

2–3

18–19

10–11

1/16 d8

1

—

—

1

Base Attack Bonus: 1/2 of total Hit Dice (Column C in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: Fortitude. Skill Points: None. Feats: None.

Undead

The restless dead may be tied to the mortal plane by unfinished business – or by unnatural hunger for the warmth of the living. Hit Die: d12. Base Attack Bonus: 1/2 of total Hit Dice (Column C in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table).

Undead share the following additional traits: Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Undead receive either Archaic Weapons Proficiency or Simple Weapons Proficiency as a bonus feat. An undead is proficient with its natural weapons and any weapon mentioned in its entry. Undead noted for wearing armour (such as a reanimated knight) gain the bonus feat Armour Proficiency with whatever type of armour they are accustomed to wearing (light, heavy), as well as all lighter types. Ability Scores: An undead has no Constitution score. It uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks. Darkvision (Ex): Most undead have darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Immunities: Undead are immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, necromantic effects and mind-affecting effects. They are not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain,

MONSTERS

Plants share the following additional traits: Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Plants are proficient with their natural weapons only. They are not proficient with armour. Immunities: Plants are immune to sleep, paralysis, stunning and mind-affecting effects. They are not subject to critical hits or the effects of massive damage. Low-Light Vision (Ex): Most plants with visual sensory organs have low-light vision. Blindsight (Ex): Most plants without visual sensory organs have blindsight with a range of 60 feet. Horror: Plants cause Madness saves, if any.

Good Saving Throws: Will. Skill Points: 3 x Int score, plus 2 points per Hit Dice beyond 1 HD, but bear in mind that most undead will have terrible Intelligence scores. Feats: 1 + Int modifier, plus 1 feat per 4 HD beyond 1 HD.

Undead Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

44–45

6–7

—

32d12

4d6

4d6

2d8

2d6

Gargantuan

36–37

6–7

—

21d12

2d8

2d8

2d6

1d8

Huge

28–29

6–7

—

10d12

2d6

2d6

2d4

1d6

Large

20–21

8–9

—

4d12

1d8

1d8

1d6

1d4

Medium-size

12–13

10–11

—

1d12

1d6

1d6

1d4

1d3

Small

8–9

12–13

—

1/2 d12

1d4

1d4

1d3

1d2

Tiny

4–5

14–15

—

1/4 d12

1d3

1d3

1d2

1

Diminutive

2–3

16–17

—

1/8 d12

1d2

1d2

1

—

Fine

2–3

18–19

—

1/16 d12

1

1

—

—

Vermin Size

Str

Dex

Con

Minimum HD

Slam

Bite

Claw

Gore

Colossal

42–43

6–7

26–27

32d8

2d6

4d6

2d8

4d6

Gargantuan

34–35

6–7

22–23

16d8

1d8

2d8

2d6

2d8

Huge

26–27

6–7

18–19

8d8

1d6

2d6

2d4

2d6

Large

18–19

8–9

14–15

2d8

1d4

1d8

1d6

1d8

Medium-size

10–11

10–11

10–11

1d8

1d3

1d6

1d4

1d6

Small

6–7

12–13

8–9

1/2 d8

1d2

1d4

1d3

1d4

Tiny

2–3

14–15

8–9

1/4 d8

1

1d3

1d2

1d3

Diminutive

1

16–17

8–9

1/8 d8

—

1d2

1

1d2

Fine

1

18–19

8–9

1/16 d8

—

1

—

1

213

MONSTERS

energy drain, or effects of massive damage, or any effect requiring a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. Healing: Undead cannot heal damage on their own if they have no Intelligence score. Undead can be healed with negative energy (usually only available through the use of magic). Most undead are destroyed immediately if reduced to 0 hit points or less. Horror: Undead almost always cause Fear.

Vermin

This type includes insects, arachnids, other arthropods, worms and similar invertebrates. They crawl up your leg and nest beneath your skin. Hit Die: d8. Base Attack Bonus: 3/4 of total Hit Dice (Column B in the Creature Saves and Base Attack Bonuses table). Good Saving Throws: Fortitude. Skill Points: 10–15. Feats: None. Vermin share the following additional traits. Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Vermin are proficient with their natural weapons only. They are not proficient with armour. Ability Scores: Vermin have no Intelligence score. Potent Venom: Medium-size or larger poisonous vermin get a bonus to the save DC of their poison based on their size, as follows: Medium-size +2, Large +4, Huge +6, Gargantuan +8, Colossal +10. Darkvision (Ex): Most vermin with visual sensory organs have darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Blindsight (Ex): Most vermin without visual sensory organs have blindsight with a range of 60 feet. Immunities: Vermin are immune to mind-affecting effects. Resistance to Massive Damage (Ex): Vermin gain a +5 species bonus on Fortitude saves to negate the effects of massive damage. Horror: Most vermin cause Panic in large numbers, although those with a phobia to their type suffer Fear.

Special Monster Types

There are two special monster types that can be added to any other type - Incorporeal and Swarm. A ghost is both Undead and Incorporeal, while instead of fighting a single spider, a character might be devoured by a Swarm of ants.

Incorporeal

An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons and spells or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms.

214

An incorporeal creature has no natural Defence bonus but has a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (always at least +1, even if the creature’s Charisma score does not normally provide a bonus). An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see farther from the object it is in and attack normally, the incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect. An incorporeal creature’s attacks pass through natural armour, armour and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against it. Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage, as they can fly with perfect manoeuvrability at a speed of 30 feet. Incorporeal creatures cannot make trip or grapple attacks, nor can they be tripped or grappled. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would

move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight.

Swarms

A swarm is a collection of Fine, Diminutive or Tiny creatures that acts as a single creature. A swarm has the usual characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A swarm has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed and a single Defence score. A swarm makes saving throws as a single creature. A single swarm occupies a square (if it is made up of nonflying creatures) or a cube (of flying creatures) 10 feet on a side, but its reach is 0 feet, like its component creatures. In order to attack, it moves into an opponent’s space, which provokes an attack of opportunity. It can occupy the same space as a creature of any size, since it crawls all over its prey. A swarm can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa without impediment, although the swarm provokes an attack of opportunity if it does so. A swarm can move through cracks or holes large enough for its component creatures. A swarm of Tiny creatures consists of 300 nonflying creatures or 1,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Diminutive creatures consists of 1,500 nonflying creatures or 5,000 flying creatures. A swarm of Fine creatures consists of 10,000 creatures, whether they are flying or not. Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space, because creatures in a swarm are packed tightly together and generally

Templates

A template is a set of adjustments to a creature’s or character’s statistics. For example, a ghost is a template applied to another creature, so a ghost might be the ghost of a Combatant or a Scholar – or even a creature, such as a dog or tiger. To create a ghost, you start with what the ghost was before it died, then apply the ghost template to its statistics.

Swarm Base Damage

1–5

1d6

6–10

2d6

11–15

3d6

16–20

4d6

21 or more

5d6

crawl over each other and their prey when moving or attacking. Larger swarms are represented by multiples of single swarms. The area occupied by a large swarm is completely malleable, though the swarm usually remains in contiguous squares.

MONSTERS

An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it does not wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to both its melee attacks and its ranged attacks. Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.

Swarm HD

Traits: A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons. A swarm composed of Fine or Diminutive creatures is immune to all weapon damage. Reducing a swarm to 0 hit points or lower causes it to break up, though damage taken until that point does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attack. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage. Also, they cannot be tripped, grappled or bull rushed, and they cannot grapple an opponent. A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures, with the exception of mindaffecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns and morale effects) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and some spells. Swarms made up of Diminutive or Fine creatures are susceptible to high winds. For purposes of determining the effects of wind on a swarm, treat the swarm as a creature of the same size as its constituent creatures. A swarm rendered unconscious by means of nonlethal damage becomes disorganised and dispersed and does not reform until its hit points exceed its nonlethal damage again. Swarm Attack: Creatures with the swarm subtype don’t make standard melee attacks. Instead, they deal automatic damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. A swarm’s statistics block has “swarm” in the Attack and Full Attack entries, with no attack bonus given. The amount of damage a swarm deals is based on its Hit Dice, as shown below. A swarm’s attacks are nonmagical, unless the swarm’s description states otherwise. Damage reduction

215

MONSTERS

sufficient to reduce a swarm attack’s damage to 0, being incorporeal, and other special abilities usually give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to damage from a swarm. Some swarms also have acid, poison, blood drain or other special attacks in addition to normal damage. Swarms do not threaten creatures in their square and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below. Distraction (Ex): Any living creature vulnerable to a swarm’s damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 swarm’s HD + swarm’s Con modifier; the exact DC is given in a swarm’s description) negates the effect. Spellcasting or concentration within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 20 Concentration check.

Special Qualities

Special qualities are where the monster gets to ‘break the rules’ and do things that are impossible for the characters. Most monsters have two or three special abilities, although more powerful monsters have an even larger range of powers. Alternate Form (Su): A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume one or more specific alternate forms. Assuming an alternate form results in the following changes to the creature: ~ The creature retains the type of its original form. It gains the size of its new form. ~ The creature loses the natural weapons, natural armour, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its original form. ~ The creature gains the natural weapons, natural armour, movement modes and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. ~ The creature retains the special qualities of its original form. It does not gain any special qualities of its new form. ~ The creature retains the supernatural attacks of its old form (except for breath weapons and gaze attacks). It does not gain the supernatural attacks of its new form. ~ The creature gains the physical ability scores (Str, Dex, Con) of its new form. It retains the mental ability scores (Int, Wis, Cha) of its original form. ~ The creature retains its hit points and save bonuses, although its save modifiers may change due to a change in ability scores. ~ The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak

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~

intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have human-like hands to cast spells with somatic components. The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form and it gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise. Blindsense (Ex): Using nonvisual senses, such as acute smell or hearing, a creature with blindsense notices things it cannot see. The creature usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to pinpoint the location of a creature within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent the creature cannot see still has total concealment against the creature with blindsense and the creature still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Defence against attacks from creatures it cannot see. Blindsight (Ex): This ability is similar to blindsense, but is far more discerning. Using nonvisual senses, such as sensitivity to vibrations, keen smell, acute hearing or echolocation, a creature with blindsight maneuvers and fights as competently as a sighted creature. Invisibility, darkness, and most kinds of concealment are irrelevant, though the creature must have line of effect to a target in order to discern that creature or object. The ability’s range is specified in the creature’s descriptive text. The creature usually does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to notice creatures within range of its blindsight ability. Unless noted otherwise, blindsight is continuous and the creature need do nothing to use it. Some forms of blindsight, however, must be triggered as a free action. If so, this is noted in the creature’s description. If a creature must trigger its blindsight ability, the creature gains the benefits of blindsight only during its turn. Breath Weapon (Su): A breath weapon attack usually deals damage and is often based on some type of energy. Such breath weapons allow a Reflex save for half damage (DC 10 + 1/2 breathing creature’s racial HD + breathing creature’s Con modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). A creature is immune to its own breath weapon unless otherwise noted. Some breath weapons allow a Fortitude save or a Will save instead of a Reflex save. Change Shape (Su): A creature with this special quality has the ability to assume the appearance of a specific creature or type of creature (usually a humanoid), but retains most of its own physical qualities. A creature cannot change shape to a form more than one size category smaller or larger than its original form. Changing shape results in the following changes to the creature:

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Constrict (Ex): A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, after making a successful grapple check. The amount of damage is given in the creature’s entry. If the creature also has the improved grab ability it deals constriction damage in addition to damage dealt by the weapon used to grab. Damage Reduction (Ex or Su): A creature with this special quality ignores damage from most weapons and natural attacks. Wounds heal immediately, or the weapon bounces off harmlessly (in either case, the opponent knows the attack was ineffective). The creature takes normal damage from energy attacks (even nonmagical ones), spells and supernatural abilities. The entry indicates the amount of damage ignored (usually 5 to 15 points). Fast Healing (Ex): A creature with the fast healing special quality regains hit points at an exceptionally fast rate, usually 1 or more hit points per round, as given in the creature’s entry. Except where noted here, fast healing is just like natural healing. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow a creature to regrow lost body parts, nor (unless otherwise stated), allow severed body parts to be reattached. Gaze (Su): A gaze special attack takes effect when opponents look at the creature’s eyes. The attack can have almost any sort of effect: petrification, death, charm and so on. The typical range is 30 feet, but check the creature’s entry for details. The type of saving throw for

Aversions, Vulnerability and Creativity

One of the fun bits of modern-day horror games is taking the strange supernatural restrictions of monsters, and channelling them through technology. It is this line of thought that gives us ultra-violet lamps and carbon bullets for hunting vampires, or capturing ghosts by finding out what unfinished business they have and lifting them off a site like a fingerprint using a constantly repeating video of the object of their obsession. Aversion and Vulnerability have a numerical rating instead of a flat effect (the werewolf has Vulnerability: Silver instead of just having a form of Damage Resistance that is automatically countered by silver) to make it easier for the Games Master to work out exactly how effective a new weapon can be. Reward creative thinking, but do not let the characters wipe out the horrors with cheesy super-weapons.

MONSTERS

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The creature retains the type and subtype of its original form. It gains the size of its new form. The creature loses the natural weapons, movement modes and extraordinary special attacks of its original form. The creature gains the natural weapons, movement modes, and extraordinary special attacks of its new form. The creature retains all other special attacks and qualities of its original form, except for breath weapons and gaze attacks. The creature retains the ability scores of its original form. The creature retains its hit points and saves. The creature retains any spellcasting ability it had in its original form, although it must be able to speak intelligibly to cast spells with verbal components and it must have human-like hands to cast spells with somatic components. The creature is effectively camouflaged as a creature of its new form and gains a +10 bonus on Disguise checks if it uses this ability to create a disguise.

a gaze attack varies, but it is usually a Will or Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 gazing creature’s racial HD + gazing creature’s Cha modifier; the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). A successful saving throw negates the effect. A monster’s gaze attack is described in abbreviated form in its description. Each opponent within range of a gaze attack must attempt a saving throw each round at the beginning of his turn in the initiative order. Only looking directly at a creature with a gaze attack leaves an opponent vulnerable. Opponents can avoid the need to make the saving throw by not looking at the creature, in one of two ways. Averting Eyes: The opponent avoids looking at the creature’s face, instead looking at its body, watching its shadow, tracking it in a reflective surface, and so on. Each round, the opponent has a 50% chance to not need to make a saving throw against the gaze attack. The creature with the gaze attack, however, gains 20% concealment against that opponent. Wearing a Blindfold: The opponent cannot see the creature at all (also possible to achieve by shutting one’s eyes). The creature with the gaze attack gains total concealment against the opponent. A creature with a gaze attack can actively gaze as an attack action by choosing a target within range. That opponent must attempt a saving throw but can try to avoid this as described above. Thus, it is possible for an opponent to save against a creature’s gaze twice during the same round, once before the opponent’s action and once during the creature’s turn. Gaze attacks can affect

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ethereal opponents. A creature is immune to gaze attacks of others of its kind unless otherwise noted. Allies of a creature with a gaze attack might be affected. All the creature’s allies are considered to be averting their eyes from the creature with the gaze attack and have a 50% chance to not need to make a saving throw against the gaze attack each round. The creature also can veil its eyes, thus negating its gaze ability. Improved Grab (Ex): If a creature with this special attack hits with a melee weapon (usually a claw or bite attack), it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required. Unless otherwise noted, improved grab works only against opponents at least one size category smaller than the creature. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the improved grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it takes a –20 penalty on grapple checks, but is not considered grappled itself; the creature does not lose its Dexterity bonus to AC, still threatens an area and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents. A successful hold does not deal any extra damage unless the creature also has the constrict special attack. If the creature does not constrict, each successful grapple check it makes during successive rounds automatically deals the damage indicated for the attack that established the hold. Otherwise, it deals constriction damage as well (the amount is given in the creature’s descriptive text). When a creature gets a hold after an improved grab attack, it pulls the opponent into its space. This act does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It can even move (possibly carrying away the opponent), providing it can drag the opponent’s weight. Low-Light Vision (Ex): A creature with lowlight vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish colour and detail under these conditions.

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Paralysis (Ex or Su): This special attack renders the victim immobile. Paralysed creatures cannot move, speak, or take any physical actions. The creature is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Paralysis works on the body, and a character can usually resist it with a Fortitude saving throw (the DC is given in the creature’s description). Unlike hold person and similar effects, a paralysis effect does not allow a new save each round. A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it is paralysed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer cannot swim and may drown. Poison (Ex): Poison attacks deal initial damage, such as ability damage or some other effect, to the opponent on a failed Fortitude save. Unless otherwise noted, another saving throw is required 1 minute later (regardless of the first save’s result) to avoid secondary damage. A creature’s descriptive text provides the details. A creature with a poison attack is immune to its own poison and the poison of others of its kind. The Fortitude save DC against a poison attack is equal to 10 + 1/2 poisoning creature’s racial HD + poisoning creature’s Con modifier (the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). A successful save avoids (negates) the damage. Pounce (Ex): When a creature with this special attack makes a charge, it can follow with a full attack – including rake attacks if the creature also has the rake ability. Powerful Charge (Ex): When a creature with this special attack makes a charge, its attack deals extra damage in addition to the normal benefits and hazards of a charge. The amount of damage from the attack is given in the creature’s description. Psionics (Sp): These are abilities that a creature generates with the power of its mind. Psionic abilities are usually usable at will. Rake (Ex): A creature with this special attack gains extra natural attacks when it grapples its foe. Normally, a monster can attack with only one of its natural weapons while grappling, but a monster with the rake ability usually gains two additional claw attacks that

it can use only against a grappled foe. Rake attacks are not subject to the usual –4 penalty for attacking with a natural weapon in a grapple. A monster with the rake ability must begin its turn grappling to use its rake – it cannot begin a grapple and rake in the same turn.

Regeneration (Ex): A creature with this ability is difficult to kill. Damage dealt to the creature is treated as nonlethal damage. The creature automatically heals nonlethal damage at a fixed rate per round, as given in the entry. Certain attack forms, typically fire and acid, deal lethal damage to the creature, which does not go away. The creature’s descriptive text describes the details. A regenerating creature that has been rendered unconscious through nonlethal damage can be killed with a coup de grace (typically by chopping it into little bits). The attack cannot be of a type that automatically converts to nonlethal damage. A creature must have a Constitution score to have the regeneration ability. Attack forms that do not deal hit point damage ignore regeneration. Regeneration also does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Regenerating creatures can regrow lost portions of their bodies and can reattach severed limbs or body parts; details are in the creature’s descriptive text. Severed parts that are not reattached wither and die normally. Resistance to Energy (Ex): A creature with this special quality ignores some damage of the indicated type each time it takes damage of that kind (commonly acid, cold, fire or electricity). The entry indicates the amount and type of damage ignored. Scent (Ex): This special quality allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odours just as humans do familiar sights. The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple normal range. When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere

A creature with the Track feat and the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom (or Survival) check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odour is, the number of creatures tracked, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Track feat. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility.

MONSTERS

Ray (Su): This form of special attack works like a ranged attack. Hitting with a ray attack requires a successful ranged touch attack roll, ignoring armour, natural armour and shield. Ray attacks have no range increments. The creature’s descriptive text specifies the maximum range, effects and any applicable saving throw.

within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. Whenever the creature comes within 5 feet of the source, the creature pinpoints the source’s location.

Sonic Attacks (Su): Unless otherwise noted, a sonic attack follows the rules for spreads. The range of the spread is measured from the creature using the sonic attack. Once a sonic attack has taken effect, deafening the subject or stopping its ears does not end the effect. Stopping one’s ears ahead of time allows opponents to avoid having to make saving throws against mindaffecting sonic attacks, but not other kinds of sonic attacks (such as those that deal damage). Stopping one’s ears is a full-round action and requires wax or other soundproof material to stuff into the ears. Swallow Whole (Ex): If a creature with this special attack begins its turn with an opponent held in its mouth (see Improved Grab), it can attempt a new grapple check (as though attempting to pin the opponent). If it succeeds, it swallows its prey, and the opponent takes bite damage. Unless otherwise noted, the opponent can be up to one size category smaller than the swallowing creature. Being swallowed has various consequences, depending on the creature doing the swallowing. A swallowed creature is considered to be grappled, while the creature that did the swallowing is not. A swallowed creature can try to cut its way free with any light slashing or piercing weapon (the amount of cutting damage required to get free is noted in the creature description), or it can just try to escape the grapple. The Defence of the interior of a creature that swallows whole is normally 10 + 1/2 its natural armour bonus, with no modifiers for size or Dexterity. If the swallowed creature escapes the grapple, success puts it back in the attacker’s mouth, where it may be bitten or swallowed again. Telepathy (Su): A creature with this ability can communicate telepathically with any other creature within a certain range (specified in the creature’s entry, usually 100 feet) that has a language. It is possible to address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining a telepathic conversation with more than one

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creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time. Some creatures have a limited form of telepathy, while others have a more powerful form of the ability. Trample (Ex): As a full-round action, a creature with this special attack can move up to twice its speed and literally run over any opponents at least one size category smaller than itself. The creature merely has to move over the opponents in its path; any creature whose space is completely covered by the trampling creature’s space is subject to the trample attack. If a target’s space is larger than 5 feet, it is only considered trampled if the trampling creature moves over all the squares it occupies. If the trampling creature moves over only some of a target’s space, the target can make an attack of opportunity against the trampling creature at a –4 penalty. A trampling creature that accidentally ends its movement in an illegal space returns to the last legal position it occupied (or the closest legal position, if there’s a legal position that is closer). A trample attack deals bludgeoning damage (the creature’s slam damage + 1-1/2 times its Str modifier). The creature’s descriptive text gives the exact amount. Trampled opponents can attempt attacks of opportunity, but these take a –4 penalty. If they do not make attacks of opportunity, trampled opponents can attempt Reflex saves to take half damage. The save DC against a creature’s trample attack is 10 + 1/2 creature’s HD + creature’s Str modifier (the exact DC is given in the creature’s descriptive text). A trampling creature can only deal trampling damage to each target once per round, no matter how many times its movement takes it over a target creature. Warp Reality (Su): The creature can alter the laws of reality and perception. The creature must make a Concentration check to create an effect, as follows: Often, Warp Reality will be an opposed check where the opponent has a +5 bonus; for example, to push someone

Warp Reality Effects

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Effect

Concentration DC

Fly

10

Reverse gravity/walk up walls

15

Telekinetically affect objects

12

Speed or slow time

15

Isolate a structure from the rest of the world

20

Cause a Fear or Madness check

5+ DC of Fear or Madness check

telekinetically, roll the monster’s Concentration against the target’s Strength, and the target gets a +5 bonus. Warp Reality is essentially a way for the Games Master to model all the bizarre events associated with demons and other nightmarish creatures.

Weaknesses

Aversion (Ex or Su): A creature with an aversion is repelled by the object of its aversion (fire is a common one, as are holy symbols like crosses). It must make a Will save to come within 20 feet of the aversion, and even then can only advance at five feet per round. Furthermore, if the object of the aversion comes closer to the creature, it must make the Will save again or move out of range. Each aversion has a strength, which determines the DC for any Will saves made by the creature. For example, a zombie might have Aversion: Fire (10), meaning it must make a Will save at DC10 to approach someone holding a burning torch. Also, anyone holding the object of aversion may take the strength of the aversion as the result of a die roll when making a Horror save against the monster. For example, a character holding a burning torch may take 10 on Horror saves caused by zombies, as zombies have Aversion: Fire (10). Disruptable (Su): A creature vulnerable to disruption has only a tenuous hold on physical reality. If struck with sufficient force in one round (i.e, it fails a Massive Damage save), it is dispersed, destroyed or otherwise incapacitated for 8+2d20 hours. Usually, a creature that is disruptable has some Special Quality that keeps it from being destroyed, so temporarily disrupting it may be all the characters can do until they find out how to permanently kill it. Need (Ex or Su): A creature with a need must fulfil it at regular intervals and will go to great risks to do so. A vampire might need to drink blood every month while a cybernetic killing machine might need to recharge every day. If the monster fails to fulfil its need, it takes 2 points of temporary ability damage (usually Constitution). Sensitivity (Ex): A creature that is sensitive to a particular phenomena (sunlight, cold) suffers a –2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks when exposed to it. Vulnerability (Ex or Su): A creature with vulnerability to a particular substance may take extra damage from attacks using that substance. Like aversion, vulnerability has a rating (e.g, a werewolf might have Vulnerability: silver (15)). Vulnerability has the following effects:

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For example, our poor werewolf has Damage Reduction 15 and silver Vulnerability 15. If shot with a normal weapon, the damage is reduced by 15. If however it is shot with a silver bullet, the vulnerability reduces the Damage Reduction (15-15=0), so the bullet does normal damage. If the werewolf had only Damage Reduction 10, then the bullet would do an extra 1d6 points of damage as five points of vulnerability are left over after reducing the Damage Reduction to 0. If touched by silver, the werewolf must make a Fortitude save (DC15) or be burnt for three points of damage. If submerged in molten silver, the werewolf takes 15d6 points of damage per round. We shall now let the poor werewolf die in peace.

Aberrations Sewer Beast

Huge-size Aberration Hit Dice: 8d8+40 (80 hp) Massive Damage: 20 Initiative: -2 (Dex) Speed: 20 ft, swim 40 ft. Defence: 16 (-2 Dex, -2 size, +10 natural), touch 6, flatfooted 16 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +9/+19 Attack: Bite +9 melee (2d8+6) Full Attack: Bite +9 melee (2d8+6), Two Tentacles +4 (1d6+3) Space/Reach: 15 ft. x 15 ft / 10 ft. Special Qualities: Ambush, Blindsight, Improved Grab, Multiple Eyes, Squeeze

Weaknesses: Sensitivity (sunlight), Need (drugs) Saves: Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +2 Abilities: Str 16, Dex 6, Con 20, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 3 Skills: Hide +3, Listen +2, Spot +7, Survival +5, Swim +8* Feats: Power Attack, Track Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 5): A trail of slime and sewer water leads to a manhole. The edges of the manhole are slightly cracked and stained. ~ Knowledge (physical sciences) (DC 15): The slime is from no known creature, but contains genetic markers suggesting that it was artificially engineered. It is also dangerously mutagenic. ~ Treat Injury (DC 15): The corpse was partially devoured, but there are several other strange injuries, which resemble marks left by exploratory surgery on the intestines and inner arm. Research: ~ Gather Information (DC 20): All the victims suffered from various medical conditions, treated with drugs. ~ Research (DC 15): Pharmaceutical companies deny that biological waste from failed experiments was dumped in public sewers instead of being properly incinerated. Horror: Fear (DC 14)

MONSTERS

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If the creature has Damage Resistance, it is reduced by an amount equal to the Vulnerability rating when the attack uses that substance. If there is any Vulnerability left over after overcoming damage resistance, the monster takes 1d6 extra damage for every five points of Vulnerability (rounding up). A creature cannot use Fast Healing or Regeneration to recover from damage inflicted by a substance to which it is Vulnerable. If touched by the substance in a normally nondamaging fashion (i.e. the werewolf merely picks up a silver knife instead of being stabbed with it), the creature must make a Fortitude save every round (DC equal to the strength of the Vulnerability) or be nauseated and take one point of damage per five points of Vulnerability. If the monster is exposed to an unusually concentrated form of the vulnerable substance, the extra damage may increase, up to a maximum of 1d6 per point of vulnerability.

It might have been an alligator, once. Certainly, its hide is scaly beneath the filth, stitches and scars, but it has more limbs and misshapen appendages than any natural creatures. Its snout is covered with eyes of all shapes, colours and sizes that grow and pop like boils. A strange bone-tipped tentacle, like an embryonic arm, sprouts from either side of the mouth. It swims sullenly through the foul waters beneath the cities, occasionally climbing up to feed. The sewer creature is the product of genetic engineering gone wrong. Its cells are an agonised, seething, cancerous mass. Unable to die, unable to endure its biochemical imbalances and agonies, it hunts down victims and sucks painkillers and other medicinal drugs from their bloodstreams. It can live off garbage and sewer rats indefinitely – it is drugs that bring it to the surface and it can scent them over great distances. It can even taste the faint residue in urine, and crawl up out of recently used toilets for a fix. Combat: Sewer beasts attack from ambush. They hide beneath the water surface, watching through their secondary and tertiary snout-eyes. When prey comes near, the beast explodes out of the water, trying to catch the victim in its massive jaws. A trapped victim is then probed by the side tentacles, which drive into the stomach, intestines and other places in the body

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where the beast might find drugs. The death is gory and agonising – just like the rest of the beast’s life.

MONSTERS

Ambush (Ex): Sewer beasts get a +4 circumstance bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks while hiding in the sewers. Blindsense (Ex): Sewer beasts can detect other creatures moving within the sewers. Improved Grab (Ex): If the sewer beast hits with its bite attack, it can immediately make a Grapple attack. If it successfully grapples, it gets a +4 bonus to attacks with its side tentacles. Multiple Eyes (Ex): Sewer beasts get the Alertness feat for free and have all-around vision. They can also see into the infra-red spectrum. Squeeze (Ex): Sewer beasts can fit through tiny gaps – their bones jellify, allowing them to push through spaces only a few inches wide.

Game Ideas: A game involving a sewer beast is going to end up as a fairly straight-forward bug hunt, so complicate matters with pharmaceutical corporations, conspiracies, police cover-ups and so on – the monster is just the unforeseen disaster that throws everything into chaos.

Animals Bat

Diminutive animal Hit Dice: ¼ d8 (1 hp) Massive Damage: 10 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 5ft, fly 40 ft (good) Defence: 16 (+2 Dex,+4 size), touch 16, flat-footed 14 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +0/–17 Attack: None Full Attack: None Space/Reach: 1 ft. x 1 ft. / 0 ft. Special Qualities: Blindsight Weaknesses: None Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4 Skills: Listen +9, Move Silently +6, Spot +9 Feats: None Found in belfries and dark woods, bats eat insects and fly out unexpectedly, startling characters and getting caught in their hair.

Cat

Tiny animal Hit Dice: ½ d8 (2 hp) Massive Damage: 10 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. Defence: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flatfooted 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +0/-12 Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d2-4) Full Attack: Two claws +4 melee (1d2-4), Bite -1 melee (1d2-4) Space/Reach: 2 ½ ft. x 2 ½ ft / 0 ft. Special Qualities: Low-light vision Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1 Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 7 Skills: Balance +10, Climb +5, Hide +17, Jump +6, Listen +4, Move Silently +9, Spot +4 Feats: Weapon Finesse Always of the domestic variety, sometimes black and unlucky.

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Dog

Horse

Large Animal Hit Dice: 3d8+6 (19 hp) Massive Damage: 15 Initiative: +1 (Dex) Speed: 60 ft. Defence: 13 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 10, flatfooted 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +2/+7 Attack: Hoof +2 melee (1d4+1) Full Attack: Two hooves +2 melee (1d4+1) Space/Reach: 10 ft. x 10 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Scent, low-light vision Saves: Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6. Skills: Listen +6, Spot +6 Feats: None An ordinary riding or draft horse.

Rat

Tiny animal Hit Dice: ¼ d8 (1 hp) Massive Damage: 10 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 15 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 10 ft. Defence: 14 (+2 Dex,+2 size), touch 14, flat-footed 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +0/-12 Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3-4) Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3-4) Space/Reach: 2 ½ ft. x 2 ½ ft / 0 ft. Special Qualities: Scent, low-light vision Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1 Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 2 Skills: Balance +10, Climb +12, Hide +18, Move Silently +10, Swim +10 Feats: Weapon finesse Squeak. Squeak squeak. Squeaksqueaksqueaksqueak SQUEAKSQUEAKSQUEAKSQUEAK.

MONSTERS

Medium animal Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp) Massive Damage: 15 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 40 ft. Defence: 13 (+2 Dex,+1 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +1/+3 Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+3) Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+3) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft Special Qualities: Scent Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6. Skills: Jump +4, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +1 (+5 when tracking by scent), Swim +5 Feats: None. A large guard dog, family pet, or hound of the Baskervilles.

Abilities: Str 17, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2 Skills: Balance +11, Climb +14, Hide +11, Listen +9, Spot +9, Swim +11 Feats: None Not poisonous, but this snake can quickly crush the life from an unfortunate investigator.

Shark

Medium animal Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (16 hp) Massive Damage: 13 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: Swim 60 ft. Defence: 15 (+2 Dex,+3 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +2/+3 Attack: Bite +4 melee (2d6+2) Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (2d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Low-light vision

Python

Medium Animal Hit Dice: 3d8+3 (hp 16) Massive Damage: 13 Initiative: +3 (Dex) Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft, swim 20 ft. Defence: 15 (+3 Dex,+2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +2/+5 Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4) Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Improved grab, constrict 1d6+4, scent, low-light vision Saves: Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +2

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Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2 Skills: Listen +7, Spot +7, Swim +9 Feats: Weapon Finesse Horror: Panic 10 Sharks can scent blood in the water over great distances and have mouths overspilling with razor-sharp teeth.

Tiger

Large animal Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp) Massive Damage: 17 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 40 ft. Defence: 14 (+2 Dex, -1 size, +3 natural), touch 11, flatfooted 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +4/+14 Attack: Claw +9 melee (1d8+6) Full Attack: Two claws +9 melee (1d8+6), bite +4 melee (2d6+3) Space/Reach: 10 ft. x 10 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Pounce, improved grab, rake Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Balance +6, Hide +5, Listen +3, Move Silently +9, Spot +3, Swim +11 Horror: Panic 10 These predatory beasts are rarely man-eaters – rarely.

Wolf

Medium Animal Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp) Massive Damage: 15 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 50 ft. Defence: 14 (+2 Dex,+2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +1/+2 Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1) Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft Special Qualities: Scent, Trip Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +1 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Hide +3, Listen +6, Move Silently +4, Spot +4, Survival +1 (+5 when tracking by scent) Feats: None Horror: Panic 5 The children of the night, what music they make… Trip (Ex): If the wolf hits with a bite attack, it may attempt to trip an opponent as a free action without having to make a touch attack or drawing an attack of opportunity. If the trip attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the wolf.

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Constructs Nightmare Engine

Large Construct Hit Dice: 5d10+20 (50 hp) Massive Damage: Initiative: -3 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. Defence: 11 (-1 size, -3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 6, flatfooted 11 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +2/+13 Attack: Chainsaw +8 melee (3d6+7) Full Attack: Chainsaw +8 melee (3d6+7), three Slams +3 melee (1d8+4 each) Space/Reach: 10 ft. x 10 ft /10 ft. Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 10, Process Horror, Cannibalise, Control Machinery Saves: Fort +1, Ref -2, Will +1 Abilities: Str 24, Dex 4, Con -, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 11 Skills: Hide +10*, Repair +20* Feats: None Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 10): All the victims were killed by a chainsaw. No such weapon was found at the scene, nor did security cameras detect anything. ~ Repair (DC 20): There do seem to be numerous anomalies – automatic doors that opened without a key, glitches in the security system…and for that matter, so does your computer. Research: ~ Research (DC 30): The suggestion of a self-organising system was present in some of the earliest computer programs written by Ada Lovelace. ~ Research (DC 20): A junkyard night watchman died in suspicious circumstances two months ago. Horror: Fear 20 Even describing its outline is difficult. The Nightmare Engine is a ramshackle horror built of junk and rusty metal. It hides amid the discarded carcasses of its kin and it is hard to tell if a given engine block or ancient lawnmower is just scrap or is actually a quiescent limb of the Engine. Its shape changes, as it sloughs off old parts and welds on new ones. It favours sharp things, and cutting things, and things that burn. The Nightmare Engine is fuelled by fear. It drinks in the terrified psychic emanations of its prey, picking up fear on television aerials twisted into reverse dream-catchers and sucking it down, to be downstepped in blood-soaked transformers into physical form and mixed with engine oil and blood. Its hunger is instinctive – while the creature can sense fear, it understands nothing of the human mind. Its attempts to provoke fear tend to be clumsy at first, but

the Nightmare Engine quickly and efficiently learns how to adjust its murders to be as terrifying as possible.

Combat: A Nightmare Engine begins by trapping its prey. In modern cities, a building can easily be isolated – automatic doors can be compelled to lock, dump trucks driven to block exits, phones disabled – and then it begins to stalk. Grinding, lumbering footstep after footstep, its blades whirring, the Nightmare Engine goes about processing its victims. Fear is changed to fuel and living flesh is turned into dead meat. Process Horror (Su): If anyone fails a Fear check within 30 feet of the Nightmare Engine, the Engine instantly recovers a number of hit points equal to the margin of failure. Cannibalise (Ex): The Nightmare Engine can absorb other machines into its own body. It can either add new capabilities (such as ranged attacks from firearms, or faster movement), or repair itself. It has a +20 insight bonus to Repair checks. Furthermore, as the Engine looks like a walking heap of scrap metal, it gains a +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks when concealed amid machinery.

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Where does the Nightmare Engine come from? Noone knows. The Engine can control other machines and perhaps it seeds them with a spark of its own consciousness. A car animated to drive over its owner might slowly become more and more aware until it begins to grow limbs, and teeth, and evil…

Full Attack: Punch +8 melee (1d6+5) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Damage Resistance 5, Fame Weaknesses: Vulnerability: Exceedingly Bright Lights (10) Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +0 Abilities: Str 20, Dex 11, Con -, Int 7, Wis 5, Cha 15 Skills: None Feats: Renown Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 10): There are traces of what appears to be sunscreen at the crime scene. ~ Knowledge (physical sciences) (DC 25): It is not sunscreen – it is some sort of chemical compound that absorbs ultra-violet radiation, certainly, but it is quite poisonous. Research: ~ Gather Information (DC 15): Rumours of drug abuse and medical problems have dogged this celebrity for years. It is also said that the celebrity’s demands are getting more and more eccentric. ~ Research (DC 30): The celebrity did attend a ‘private clinic’ for a ‘minor operation’ several years ago. Horror: Fear 10 Medicine has come a long way since a mad scientist jolted a corpse back to life with bubbling vital fluids and bolts of lightning. There are no more unsightly bolts in the neck, no more scars, no more sutures of thick, ugly

Control Machines (Su): The Nightmare Engine can psychically control other machines within 120 feet. It can control one machine as a free action, two machines as a standard action, or four machines as a full-round action. It suffers a –2 penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks for every machine it controls and the machines use the Engine’s Base Attack Bonus for any attacks. Game Ideas: Nightmare Engines are horrific because of the modern world – machines and appliances are everywhere, so the characters should never feel safe or secure.

Animated Corpse

Medium Construct Hit Dice: 6d10+10 (46 hp) Massive Damage: Initiative: +0 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. Defence: 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +3/+8 Attack: Punch +8 melee (1d6+5)

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twine. Cosmetic necromancy is a refined art now – a nip, a tuck, a small incision, and a careful injection of certain chemicals, and it (and its career) is alive… The primary customers for this illegal procedure are celebrities. The process still has one or two drawbacks (primarily, brain tissue is severely damaged during reanimation, and the animated corpse needs huge amounts of insanely expensive drugs). Therefore, only people who can continue to earn millions while being one step above drooling morons can successfully avail of the procedure – and therefore dozens of celebrities are rumoured to have been transformed into the living dead. Originally, all the subjects either willingly underwent the transformation to preserve a fading youth, or else died of overdoses or accident and were reanimated to keep a record deal or movie going. Recently, however, some pretty young starlets have been butchered and resurrected even before they are made famous, so that they will be both trouble-free and eternally pretty. Another drawback of the procedure is that the subject’s skin (now flawless and wrinkle-free) begins to rot if exposed to bright lights. A special oil can protect the skin against damage for short times, allowing animated stars to work under the bright lights of stage and screen. However, the flash of a tabloid photographer’s camera can severely damage the corpse, causing many to develop a literally murderous hate of the paparazzi. Combat: Few animated corpses bother to attack, physically – they have, like, people for that. Anyone alleging that a Hollywood star or pop idol is in fact a rotting artificial zombie (more plastic and chemicals than human) will get sued. If an animated corpse does snap and go on the rampage, it attacks by hammering its elegantly manicured fists into the skulls of its victims. Fame (Ex): Most animated corpses are famous (Reputation bonus of at least +10) and all are either rich or have a rich backer (Wealth Bonus +20 or more). Game Ideas: These horrors can be run as a satire of modern celebrities, a twist in a Scooby-doo-esque comedy game, or the killer in an especially surreal murder mystery.

Monstrous Humanoids Demon Hybrid

Medium Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice: 6d8+24 (54 hp) Massive Damage: 18 Initiative: +3 (dex)

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Speed: 40 ft. Defence: 18 (+3 Dex,+5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +6/+9 Attack: Claw +10 melee (1d8+3) or by firearm +8 Full Attack: Two claws +10 melee (1d8+3), Bite +5 melee (1d4+4), or by firearm +8 Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 5, Rage, Low-light vision, Possession Bullets Weaknesses: Aversion: Holy (10), Vulnerability: Holy (10) Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +6 Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 12 Skills: Bluff +3, Climb +4, Craft (bullets) +10*, Disguise +3, Drive +4, Hide +4, Intimidate +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +4, Search +4, Sense Motive +7, Spot +7 Feats: Simple Weapons Proficiency, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Weapon Focus (claw), Track, Point Blank Shot Evidence: ~ Handle Animal (DC 15): The guard dogs here are specially trained to tolerate the security staff – other animals are shying away from them. ~ Investigate (DC 20): The body has a bullet lodged in it, which is stuck near the heart and resists attempts to surgically remove it. It is made of a curious alloy of copper, and seems to have symbols engraved on it. ~ Knowledge (occult) (DC 20): Most guards do not unconsciously model the route of their patrol on demonic sigils. Research: ~ Research (DC 25): Ancient church records describe some evil spirits entering the body through wounds. Disease was once thought to be a form of possession. ~ Research or Gather Information (DC 20): There are several reports of gunfire, and even rumours of people being shot by the guards, but police investigations found no evidence. Horror: Fear 15 The smile is too wide. Not just false (although it is false, painfully so, a shark’s sincerity), but the way their lips peel back from the jaw is disturbing. They look human from most angles, but sometimes (in the light from a muzzle-flash or bolt of lightning), you can see beneath the skin and see the monster beneath. Demon hybrids are human bodies that are worn as illfitting disguises by demonic spirits. The human mind is gone and the body is dead, but something inside it keeps the body moving. The body does not endure for long – it begins to cook from the inside out, as the hell-hot spirit of the demon inhabits it. Burnt-out organs are defecated out, to reduce the body’s weight and to prevent the stench from becoming noticeable. Despite these precautions, it

is possible to spot a demon hybrid if one knows what to look for – and when to look.

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When excited or angry, the demon form comes to the fore. The eyes of the body glow red and the skin begins to peel. Tiny tendrils of demonic energy coil out of the ears and nose. If the demon rages, these coils grow much bigger and more solid, until the hybrid’s head is a mess of writhing, slime-dripping black tentacles that part occasionally to give a glimpse of gnashing teeth or warped face. Demon hybrids are created when a human is shot with a special magical bullet. The bullet sticks inside the wound, infecting the victim’s blood with demonic diseases until the victim succumbs and a new demon hybrid can coalesce. They are commonly used as security guards by diabolic sorcerers or evil corporations, as they are tough, loyal and self-renewing. Combat: Demon hybrids use firearms loaded with their special bullets. They prefer to shoot a target once, then hunt the human down and kill the body with claws and teeth, as a perverse hazing for the new demon. Rage (Ex): Once per day, a demon hybrid may rage for seven rounds. While raging, it may not use skills or ranged attacks, but gains a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution (gaining another 2 temporary hit point per Hit Die due to the Constitution increase). It also gets a +2 morale bonus to Will saves, but suffers a –2 penalty to Defence. Possession Bullets (Su): A demon hybrid may make one possession bullet per day if it succeeds at a Craft (bullets) check (DC15). Anyone struck by these unholy bullets takes normal damage – and as long as the bullet stays in the wound, the victim takes one point of temporary Constitution damage every ten minutes. A victim may make a Fortitude save (DC14) to resist this damage. If the victim dies while injured by a bullet, he instantly becomes a demon hybrid. A stuck bullet can be removed with a Treat Injury check (DC25). Once the bullet is removed, the victim regains lost Constitution at the rate of one point every ten minutes. Game Ideas: Demon hybrids are thugs, but powerful and dangerous ones. A careful party should be able to defeat them with planning. Use their possession bullets to sow paranoia among the party – any wound could be lethal for everyone...

Demon Child

Small Monstrous Humanoid Hit Dice: 2d8+8 (18 hp) Massive Damage: 18 Initiative: +2 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. Defence: 17 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +2/-6 Attack: Punch or kick +0 melee (1d4-2) Full Attack: Punch or kick +0 melee (1d4-2) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /0 ft. Special Qualities: Damage Reduction 5, Damage Transfer, Insinuate, Warp Reality Weaknesses: Aversion: Holy (15), Disruptable, Vulnerability: Holy (15) Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +6 Abilities: Str 6, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 14

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Skills: Bluff +9, Concentration +12, Disguise +4, Hide +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Sense Motive +7, Spot +7 Feats: Alertness, Skill Focus (Concentration), Deceptive, Great Fortitude Evidence: ~ Knowledge (occult) (DC 20): The child’s horoscope indicates that it is dominated by dark forces and evil omens. ~ Search (DC 15): Good little children do not have animal bones, dead birds or thousands of insects living under their beds. Research: ~ Research (DC 25): Hospital records indicate that the birth was difficult and lengthy. Alarmingly, thirteen critically ill patients all died at exactly the same moment the child was born. ~ Gather Information (DC 25): Everyone knows the child is trouble at school – a litany of report cards and suspensions give testimony to that. Only the other children at the school, however, speak in whispers of a teacher who vanished. Neither school records nor the staff recall anything about this teacher. A playground myth perhaps… Horror: Fear 12, Madness 15 This is not a possession; this child was always wrong. Born bad, perhaps, or a changeling stolen from the crib and replaced by a demon. These things filter in through the cracks of reality; parents bring a new life into the world, but sometimes this new life comes from a dark place. Demon children are destructive by their very nature. They take no apparent delight in causing pain and suffering (indeed, they take no apparent delight in anything), but they manipulate and sabotage everything around them. Demon children drive neighbours insane (and in a cuttingone’s-own-eyes-with-a-nail-scissors way, not a cute Denis-the-Menace-way) and shatter families. If a demon child finds out that someone is involved in something important (such as a group of Player Characters investigating a mystery), it will stop at nothing to ruin them. Destroying a demon child is difficult – not only it is protected by its parents, it can draw on their unnatural love to transfer injury to them. Hurt the child and you hurt the parents more. The only ways to banish such a thing is

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with magic or faith and even then the consequences of the child’s disappearance must be dealt with. Combat: Demon children use their Warp Reality power to cause accidents and catastrophes around them, as they are physically quite weak. Insinuate (Su): A demon child can extend psychic tendrils into the mind of one other person. That person must make a Will save (DC 12) or become obsessed with caring for and protecting the child. Even considering violence against the child forces that person to make a Madness save (DC 20). The victim also suffers a –20 penalty against any checks to perceive that the child is evil or dangerous in any way. A demon child can only insinuate itself with one person at a time, but can switch insinuations once per round. If a character dies while under the effect of this ability, the character returns as a ghost within 1d6 rounds to protect the child. Damage Transfer (Su): The demon child may automatically transfer up to half the damage inflicted on it to the victim of its insinuation ability (as long as that victim is still alive). If it makes a Concentration check (DC equal to the damage inflicted), it may transfer all the damage inflicted by up to one attack per round. A demon child is still vulnerable to the Disruptive effects of damage, even if the damage itself is transferred. Game Ideas: Often, if a Games Master puts a child into a horror game, the Players (quite reasonably) shoot it at the earliest possible opportunity. Freaky children are always trouble. Therefore, the demon child is designed to be used as a sub-plot in a game – instead of the adventure centring on banishing the demon child, the child is just an added complication in another investigation. For example, if the characters are pursued by monsters and forced to take refuge in an isolated farmhouse, have one of the children living there be a demon child. Monsters outside, and a twisted child inside…

Werewolf (template)

There are those who theorise that lycanthropy is a virus, a quadruple-helix DNA molecule that rewrites the host’s DNA when triggered by hormones aroused by the lunar cycle. Perhaps silver interferes with this complex biochemical

Natural werewolves are humans born with the ability to assume wolf and hybrid forms. A human who contracts lycanthropy after being wounded by a werewolf becomes an afflicted werewolf. A werewolf uses either the character’s or the wolf’s statistics and special abilities in addition to those described below. Hit Dice: Same as the character plus the wolf’s Hit Dice (2d8). Speed: Same as the character, or 50 feet for hybrid and wolf form. Defence: Same as the character while in human form. In hybrid and animal form, the creature gains a +2 natural armour bonus. This bonus does not stack with other natural armour bonuses.

action. Upon assuming either form, the werewolf regains hit points as if having rested for a day. A slain werewolf reverts to its humanoid form, although it remains dead. Afflicted werewolves find this ability difficult to control, but natural lycanthropes have full control over this power. Curse of Lycanthropy (Su): Any humanoid hit by a werewolf’s bite attack (in wolf or hybrid form) must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15) or contract lycanthropy. Trip (Ex): A werewolf in wolf form that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the werewolf. Scent (Ex): This ability allows a werewolf in wolf or hybrid form to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Damage Reduction 15 (Su): A werewolf in wolf or hybrid form ignores the first 15 points of damage. Fast Healing (Su): A werewolf regains one hit point every round. Wolf Empathy (Ex): A werewolf can communicate with wolves in any form and gains a +4 species bonus on Diplomacy checks when influencing a wolf’s attitude. A friendly wolf understands and heeds simple commands, such as ‘wait’, ‘chase’, ‘flee’ and ‘attack’. Darkvision (Ex): In their wolf and hybrid forms, werewolves have darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

MONSTERS

transformation, retarding the changes in the cells it touches and causing the lycanthrope’s flesh to melt away as cell walls collapse in a chaos of enzymes. They theorise that there are hereditary carriers of the disease, who have learned to cope with the disease, and infected victims who quickly degenerate. They theorise that with a proper regimen of regulatory drugs and dietary supplements, those infected by the virus could live a perfectly normal life. These people have never been in the forest, at night, when the silver spears of moonlight make pools of light and shadow amid the trees, and the wolves are out, howling, panting, white teeth gleaming before they pounce.

Weaknesses: Aversion: Silver (15) Vulnerability: Silver (15) Vulnerability: Wolfsbane Herb (10)

Base Attack: Same as the character +1. Grapple Bonus: Apply modifiers for Strength depending on the lycanthrope’s form. Attacks: Same as the character while in human form. In hybrid and animal form, a werewolf attacks with its powerful bite, dealing 2d6 points of damage plus its Strength modifier.

Saves: Same as the character, with a +3 bonus on Fortitude and Reflex saves. Ability Scores: Werewolves gain the following ability score increases: Con +4, Wis +2. Additionally, a werewolf that assumes wolf and hybrid form gains the

Special Qualities: A werewolf retains all the special qualities of the character and gains the additional special qualities listed below. Alternate Form (Su): A werewolf can assume wolf or hybrid form up to three times per day, but its gear is not absorbed into the new form. The bipedal hybrid form is about 6 feet tall, with a short tail and thick fur. The legs are like those of a wolf, and the head combines humanoid and lupine features in degrees that vary from one werewolf to the next. The animal form is that of a fully-grown wolf without any trace of human features. Changing to or from wolf or hybrid form is a move

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following additional benefits for as long as it remains in either form: Str +2, Dex +4. Skills: Same as the character, with a +1 species bonus on Hide checks, a +2 species bonus on Move Silently checks, a +3 species bonus on Spot checks and a +5 species bonus on Listen checks. A werewolf in wolf or hybrid form also gains a +4 species bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. Feats: Same as the character. A werewolf gains the bonus feats Iron Will and Weapon Finesse (bite). Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 10): Wolves. Definitely wolves or other large canines. ~ Investigate (DC 20): There is a blood-stained piece of cloth, which looks like it was torn from a shirt. There’s also a tablet. ~ Investigate or Knowledge (earth and life sciences) (DC 25): Saliva in the wound comes from the animal. It seems to be a carrier for an unusual virus. Bob the lab guy was checking it out, but he accidentally scratched himself with a needle. It’s probably nothing, and he’s taken a tetanus shot. Research: ~ Treat Injury (DC 20): The tablet is an extremely strong anti-histamine used for treating allergies. The blood matches the victim. ~ Research (DC 25): Previous attacks match the lunar cycle. Horror: Panic 15, Fear 20. Combat: Werewolves hunt in packs. They surround their prey, circling and letting the victim exhaust both strength and ammunition, before closing in for the kill. Most packs hunt purely for food and devour their victims whole, carefully disposing of the remains in human form at daybreak if the kill did not happen in an isolated area. A lone wolf sometimes tries to infect a suitable human of the opposite sex for mating and packs of werewolves occasionally serve a more power lord or entity. Game Ideas: Werewolves are one of the classic horror monsters, so there is a lot of scope for using them in games. An old-style scenario where the characters are trapped in the forest can be fun at the start of a campaign – it puts the Players into the horror movie mindset from the beginning. Werewolves can also be added as a complication to other scenarios; as both Players and characters are familiar with the whole werewolf myth, it is easy to drop scary hints. Why did all the victims carry silver penknives?

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Oozes Mimetic Ooze

Medium Ooze Hit Dice: 3d10+10 (31 hp) Massive Damage: Initiative: +1 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. Defence: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +1*/+2 Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d6+1) Full Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d6+1) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Telepathy, Change Shape, Copy Abilities, Fire/Cold/Electrical/Acid Resistance 30 Weaknesses: Vulnerability: Sonics (30) Saves: Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +2 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 13, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 13 Skills: None* Feats: None* Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 10): Looks like chemical burns on the carpet – not especially serious ones. At a guess, there was a really bad stain and someone went overboard with the cleanser. ~ Investigate (DC 20): There are fragments of some sort of plastic lodged in the wounds. The killer was wearing some sort of latex gloves. ~ Investigate (DC 35): There is some sort of strange artificial spiderweb on the victim’s neck and hands. Research: ~ Gather Information (DC 15): Neighbours say that the victim was being stalked by someone. Certainly, there have been quite a few strangers in the area recently. ~ Research (DC 30): A local research corporation was rumoured to be on the verge of a breakthrough, but has since clammed up and denied all the rumours. Their stock price has collapsed. ~ Knowledge (physical sciences) (DC 30): The spiderweb found could be shattered by high-frequency sound waves. Horror: Madness 12 when the nature of the ooze is revealed. Different forms may cause different types of Horror. Take human nerve cells and thread them through a newly developed form of plastic myomer that becomes flexible when electrified. Cap the myomers with microscopic sensors that let the nerve cells interface with the human nervous system. Float the mesh in a bio-active gel that can adjust its density and let all those nerve cells grow together into something that approximates a brain. In an ideal world, you end up with a substance that can change shape on command.

This is not an ideal world.

Lonely? Then the ooze might transform into your ideal mate – or misinterpret your commands and kill anyone who approaches you to make sure you stay lonely. Hear a noise in the attic, and wonder if it is a monster? With mimetic ooze connected to you, anything you fear will be there. The advertisements for mimetic ooze write themselves – or would, if the corporation who made it were not all killed by a rogue ooze obeying the paranoid fantasies of one employee. He now sits alone in his office, denying his crime – and so oozes are obediently mimicking the people they killed for him. The ooze connects to people using exceedingly fine, sticky filaments of neural matter, like spiderwebs that extend from the ooze and cluster on the skin of nearby people. An ooze in the middle of a crowd is surrounded by a constantly changing set of connections, as filaments extend and break. The filaments are almost invisible (Spot check at DC 30, to notice one), but glow brightly when exposed to ultra-violet light. They are as weak as gossamer, but the ooze can strengthen a filament if it chooses (the Strength check DC and to break the filament and its hit point total increases by one per round, to a maximum of Strength DC 30 and 30 hp). Combat: Mimetic ooze has an inbuilt sense of selfpreservation, and will fight to defend itself by slamming pseudopods of gel into assailants. Usually, however, it attacks because someone feels threatened, or suicidal, or guilty, or fearful and the ooze shapeshifts to give them what they want. Telepathy (Ex): The ooze’s ‘telepathy’ is actually nerve signals transmitted along its neural fibres. It can receive commands from all humans touched by these filaments, and even send (usually simple and incomprehensible) messages back. The ooze usually extends filaments to connect to everyone in the same room or within 30 feet, but it can choose to exclude some people or try to

Change Shape (Ex): The ooze can assume almost any form. Its mass stays constant, but it can adjust its volume and density proportionately. It has a maximum Strength of 30. Copy Abilities (Ex): While connected via a neural filament to a character, the Ooze can use that character’s Intelligence, Base Attack Bonus, feats and skills.

MONSTERS

Mimetic Ooze, in its ‘natural’ form, looks like an extremely tangled net of fine silver wires caught in a rather lumpy mass of silvery jelly. The ooze can change its shape at will, in response to the commands of humans around it. The problem is in its interpretation of ‘command’. It responds primarily to subconscious desires, impulses and fears. It is more empathic than telepathic, adapting to respond to strong emotion. If the ooze connects to a person, it does its best to obey their unconscious desires and commands – and since most people are a contradictory mess of impulses, this can be disastrous.

connect to those in a neighbouring room. The filaments grow at a rate of 10 feet per round. The filaments can only interface with bare skin, but can thread through most clothing. Wearing a biohazard suit protects against telepathic intrusion.

Game Ideas: The horror of the ooze is not the monster itself – it is in the characters themselves, in how their thoughts and desires find horrific form in the ooze. The best time to use this monster is in a game after a climatic, world-saving adventure. The characters have confronted some truly fearsome horror and survived – how has that affected and changed them? Throw them up against some mimetic ooze, and find out…

Cosmic Mess

Colossal Ooze Hit Dice: 32d10+40 (216 hp) Massive Damage: Initiative: -2 (Dex) Speed: 20 ft. Defence: 0 (-8 size, -2 Dex), touch 0, flat-footed 0 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +16/+49 Attack: Slam +25 melee (4d6+25+absorbing touch) Full Attack: Slam +25/+20/+15 melee (4d6+25+absorbing touch) Space/Reach: 60 ft. x 60 ft /20 ft. Special Qualities: Regeneration 40, Absorbing Touch, Convert Biomatter, Divide Weaknesses: Vulnerability: see below (80) Saves: Fort +19, Ref +8, Will +5 Abilities: Str 44, Dex 6, Con 29, Int 0, Wis 1, Cha 1 Skills: None. Feats: None. Evidence: ~ Spot (DC 5): There is a giant slime monster from outer space eating everything! ~ Investigate (DC 10): The thing absorbs all organic matter, leaving only metal, stone and plastic behind. Research: ~ Research (DC 20): Scientists recently discovered something frozen in the arctic ice. ~ Knowledge (life science) (DC 40): Eureka! Its weakness is… Horror: Fear 15, Madness 15

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It is a giant slime monster from outer space. It looks, to be honest, perfectly ludicrous – a living mess of fluorescent tentacles and dripping goo. It is incapable of communication, of thought, of doing anything except devouring living matter. It is more like a natural disaster than a monster.

Game Ideas: 50’s B-movies make great one-off horror games. Most involve a team of specialists – the brilliant scientist, the misguided general, the plucky reporter and so on – that provide a perfect set of roles for the Players. Also, making it a once-off lets the mess eat the world safely if the Players fail to stop it.

The cosmic mess eats any and all organic matter it can touch. Plants and creatures are absorbed whole and it takes several minutes for the mess to digest a trapped meal. Those fleeing the mess can see those who have been trapped floating within the mess, slowly dissolving inside the slime monster. As the mess eats, it grows stronger until it is ready to reproduce, splitting in two like an amoeba.

If using the mess as part of a campaign, then ensure that the characters are on hand when the mess is discovered. Instead of being a disaster relief game, as above, this becomes disaster avoidance – can they work out a way to stop the mess before it rolls off the ice sheet and into the forest?

Combat: The best approach is probably just to lie down and let the mess wash over you – while the horror is easy to hit with a weapon, it heals any injury almost instantly. Nothing short of a nuclear bomb can kill the mess directly – and even then, if even a tiny fragment survives, the mess will grow again. The mess must have a weakness, though – it was found encased in the ice, and the meteor fragments in the ice suggest it came from outer space. An alien race must have somehow pacified the mess enough to blast it into space. Of course, finding that weakness before the mess devours the world is the key problem.

Grey

Convert Biomatter (Su): For every hit point of damage inflicted by the mess on a living creature, it adds one point to its biomatter store. It also gains 5 points of biomatter store when moving over waste ground, 10 points when moving through grassland, 20 points when moving through farmland, and 40 points per round when moving through lush forests or other overgrown areas. It does not gain any points when moving through deserts, tundras, uninhabited urban areas or other lifeless zones. Its Regeneration draws from the biomatter store.

Small Outsider Hit Dice: 2d8 (9 hp) Massive Damage: 10 Initiative: +1 (Dex) Speed: 30 ft. Defence: 16 (+1 size, +1 Dex,+4 natural), touch 12, flatfooted 15 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +2/-3 Attack: Claw +1 melee (1d3-1), Alien Technology +2 (special) Full Attack: Claw +1 melee (1d3-1), Alien Technology +4/+4/+4 (special) Space/Reach: 5 ft. x 5 ft /5 ft. Special Qualities: Alien Technology Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +10 Abilities: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 26, Wis 24, Cha 8 Skills: Computer Use +16, Craft (alien tech)+16, Knowledge (life sciences) +16, Spot +14 Feats: Alien Weapons Proficiency Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 15): There are some curious circular burn marks in the field. ~ Investigate (DC 20): All clocks within a half-mile of the burn marks have stopped. ~ Investigate (DC 25): …and at the wrong time, too. In fact, no clock agrees with any other clock. Research: ~ Research (DC 15): Lights were seen in the sky over the burn site. ~ Gather Information (DC 20): Yeah, there have always been lights over that way. Swamp gas, some folks say, or the planet Venus. Horror: Madness 15

Divide (Su): If the mess reaches a biomatter store total of 200, it splits in two, creating another mess with 200 hit points. Both messes have an initial biomatter store of 0.

Driving alone on a country road at night, the hedgerows seems to extend infinitely ahead and behind you, a fractal of dark leaves encompassing your whole world. The speedometer blurs as the clock slows until both are

Regeneration (Su): The mass regenerates 40 hit points per round, if it has any hit points in its biomatter store (see below). Absorbing Touch (Su): Anyone touched by the mess must make a Fortitude save and a Reflex save (both DC 26). If the Fortitude save fails, the victim takes another 1d6 points of acid damage. If the Reflex save fails, the victim loses 5 feet of movement, as a shell of sticky goo clings to his body. Those touched by the mess rarely manage to escape it…

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Combat: The chances of a character actually fighting with a Grey is vanishingly small – most encounters will be no more than a glimpse of a tiny, child-like figure disappearing in a bright light. Should the characters stumble into some Grey plot, they might have a round or two to act before the aliens incapacitate them.

paradoxically unmoving. Then a bright light opens above you, like an eye, and you are – On a table. Frozen. Surrounded by them. Probes and surgery and tagging. A terrible sense of purpose and incomprehensible distance, a worldship tumbling through the upper ethers, outracing light and the tangles of gravity to come here, to this world, to this road, to this, to you – And you’re driving alone on a country road at night. Your neck aches, but you cannot remember why. The entities referred to in paranormal and UFO culture as the Greys are generally assumed to be aliens (but some have theorised that faerie-folk in a parallel universe might have developed technology faster and better than us, and that the Enochian Intelligence sketched by Crowley bears a striking resemblance to the Greys). They have (unsurprisingly) grey skin and large heads. Their eyes are entirely black, without pupil or iris. They have no visible ears and only a vestigial nose. Their technology (or magic, or however they manipulate reality) is centuries ahead of humanity’s, and is wholly beyond our comprehension – as are their motives. Whether they are here to harvest our genetic material, prepare the world for an invasion, retrieve what they lost in a crashed ship, or perform some task entirely alien to our frame of reference, the Greys’ plans invariably sow confusion and sorrow for ordinary people.

MONSTERS

Alien Technology (Su): ‘Greytech’ can do almost anything, but it does require a few seconds to activate. If a Grey uses technology as a standard action, it can create either one of the following effects: ~ Force Shield: The Grey creates an invisible energy shield around itself (it is a 5 foot aura around the Grey). It provides Damage Reduction 20, and deals 20 points of electrical damage (Fortitude save, DC11 for half) to anyone who touches it. ~ Stun Beam: This is a ray attack that deals 1d6 points of electrical damage to anyone struck. The victim must also make a Fortitude save (DC16) or be stunned for 2d6 rounds. If the Grey takes a full-round action (or full attack), it can create any of the following effects: ~ Wide Force Shield: As the regular force shield, but the wide force shield is 100 feet long, and can be used to protect a whole area or trap someone. ~ Multiple Stun Beams: As the regular stun beams, but the Grey can either shoot multiple people or target one person with a wider beam, gaining a +6 equipment bonus to the stun attack. ~ Levitation: The Grey can cause an object up to the size of a truck to levitate off the ground, rising at a rate of 20 feet per round. ~ Memory Erasure: The Grey can erase someone’s short-term memory by touching the victim. The victim may make a Will save (DC 20) to resist the effect. ~ Warp Reality: The Grey may use the Warp Reality special quality, substituting half its Computer Use skill for Concentration. Game Ideas: Little grey men in flying saucers are essentially plot enablers – any weird or horrific events can be justified by lights in the sky and cryptic alien plots. While the Greys can basically do anything, don’t use this as an excuse to jerk the Players around with utterly opaque mysteries. Start the horror with lights in the sky, but let it evolve naturally.

Demon

Large Outsider Hit Dice: 8d8+64 (104 hp) Massive Damage: 26 Initiative: +3 (Dex) Speed: 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)

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Defence: 20 (-1 size, +3 Dex,+8 natural), touch 12, flatfooted 17 Base Attack Bonus/Grapple: +8/+20 Attack: Claw +15 melee (2d6+8) or Hellfire +11 ranged (special) Full Attack: Two Claws +15 melee (2d6+8), Bite +10 melee (1d8+8) or Four Hellfires +11 ranged (special) Space/Reach: 10 ft. x 10 ft /10 ft. Special Qualities: Change Shape, Damage Reduction 10, Warp Reality, Hellfire, Infernal Aura, Temptation, Unkillable Weaknesses: Aversion: Holy (15), Vulnerability: Holy (20), Disruptable, Banishable Saves: Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +9 Abilities: Str 26, Dex 16, Con 26, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 20 Skills: Bluff +15, Climb +6, Concentration +13, Diplomacy +15, Gather Information +8, Hide +2, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (occult) +13, Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) +13, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Sense Motive +15, Spot +6 Feats: Power Attack, Cleave Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC 15): The weird symbol on the floor is drawn in a mixture of blood and some sort of powder, possibly ground bone. There are very strange magnetic anomalies here – it is as though space is warped here. ~ Investigate (DC 20): The victim was burnt to death, and some projectile did hit him in the chest. The strange thing is, the damage seems to be concentrated on genitals and face, specifically the eyes. ~ Spot (DC 20) or Knowledge (theology and philosophy) (DC 15): All the religious icons and symbols around here are burnt and blackened, as if exposed to flame. Research: ~ Research (DC 20) or Knowledge (occult) (DC 10): The symbol is a summoning circle, used for calling up demons. ~ Research (DC 25) or Knowledge (occult) (DC 15): Demons have an unholy aura – maybe that is what affected the religious icons. ~ Gather Information (DC 25): That burn victim was having an affair with his neighbour’s wife. ~ Research (DC 30) or Knowledge (occult) (DC 20): ‘Vine is a great king and an earle, he showeth himselfe as a lion, riding on a blacke horsse, and carrieth a viper in his hand, he gladlie buildeth large towres, he throweth downe stone walles, and maketh waters rough. At the commandement of the exorcist he answereth of things hidden, of witches, and of things present, past, and to come.’ Horror: Panic 20, Fear 20, Madness 15

An entity from Hell, or from reaches of reality we can and should know nothing of, or from our own minds, a demon is a powerful and evil thing. They cannot exist in our world under normal circumstances without being crushed into nothingness. However, if a demon is properly summoned and anchored to this dimension (usually through a sacrifice), it can exist and use its abilities freely in this reality. Despite their utterly evil nature and hatred of all things, demons are unlikely to attack unless provoked. They much prefer to pervert or turn their enemies through temptation and rhetoric. Why destroy a mortal with a single blow when you can destroy him much more profitably, slowly and completely by making him a worshipper of evil? Demons are intelligent and cunning foes, though, and do not hesitate to use all their terrible powers when threatened. The appearance of a demon might be a horrific mockery of the human form liberally mixed with animal parts, horns and teeth, or a shape of sulphurous gas and darkness, or a seemingly mundane shape that somehow oozes evil. Most demons are summoned for a purpose, although others have maintained cults on Earth for centuries who bring them through regularly as part of rituals. Combat: Demons prefer to incapacitate their opponents, then either convert, torture or sacrifice them. Hellfire (Su): A demon can hurl bolts of hellfire as ranged touch attacks with a range of 80 feet. If the attack hits, it inflicts damage based on the morality of the character - in essence, it sets their sins on fire. Especially moral characters take 1d6 damage, most people take 2d6 damage, while those people who have lived sinful lives take 3d6 or more. A living saint might be immune to this attack. A Reflex save (DC 19) is allowed to take half damage. Infernal Aura (Su): The demon is surrounded by an infernal aura 80 feet in radius, which reduces all Holy auras by five. It also spoils water, sickens creatures, wilts plants and makes the area foul and depressing. Temptation (Su): A demon detects a character’s Ties if the character enters the demon’s aura and fails a Will save (DC19). The demon then uses its Diplomacy and Change Shape abilities to tempt the character – a character searching for his lost child might be offered the secret of the child’s fate by the demon. Unkillable (Su): A demon cannot be slain by mere damage, only disrupted. The only ways to permanently get rid of a demon are to banish it or inflict lethal damage with a holy weapon.

Banishable (Su): The ritual that summons the demon also creates an anchor for it, that keeps it in this reality. Sometimes, the anchor is a magical construct that can be unwoven with a reversed spell; in other rituals, the anchor is a physical object that can be destroyed or broken. Removing the anchor banishes the demon.

Undead Ghost (template)

Ghosts are the spectral remnants of intelligent beings who, for one reason or another, cannot rest easily in their graves. A ghost greatly resembles its corporeal form in life, but in some cases the spiritual form is somewhat altered. Ghosts exist on the Ethereal plane, a spirit realm that is the shadow of the material world.

MONSTERS

Game Ideas: Demons make great plot devices. Firstly, a demon summoning is a classic climax to a game – you have a cult doing weird things to prepare for the summoning, a ritual for the characters to disrupt/subvert/ blow up with rocket launchers and a built in time limit (if the Players mess around too much, the demon arrives and they all die). Secondly, demons are powerful enough to be really scary, twisted enough to prefer playing on the characters’ personalities instead of just destroying them, and chatty enough to have conversations with them instead of just going ‘grr…argh’ – all in all, excellent archvillian material.

Special Qualities: A ghost retains all the special attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect nonethereal creatures. The ghost also gains the manifestation ability plus one to three other special attacks as described below. The save DC against a special attack is equal to 10 + 1/2 ghost’s HD + ghost’s Cha modifier unless otherwise noted. ~ Corrupting Gaze (Su): A ghost can blast living beings with a glance, at a range of up to 30 feet. Creatures that meet the ghost’s gaze must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 2d10 points of damage and 1d4 points of Charisma damage. ~ Corrupting Touch (Su): A ghost that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack deals 1d6 points of damage. Against ethereal opponents, it adds its Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls. Against nonethereal opponents, it adds its Dexterity modifier to attack rolls only. ~ Draining Touch (Su): A ghost that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack drains 1d4 points from any one ability score it selects. On each such successful attack, the ghost heals 5 points of damage to itself. ~ Possession (Su): Once per round, an ethereal ghost can merge its body with a living creature. To use this ability, the ghost must be manifested and it must try move into the target’s space; moving into the target’s space to use the malevolence ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The target can resist the attack with a successful Will save (DC 15 + ghost’s Cha modifier). A creature that successfully saves is

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. It gains the incorporeal subtype. Size is unchanged. Hit Dice: All current and future Hit Dice become d12s. Speed: Ghosts have a fly speed of 30 feet, unless the base creature has a higher fly speed, with perfect manoeuvrability. Defence: Natural armour is the same as the base creature’s but applies only to ethereal encounters. When the ghost manifests (see below), its natural armour bonus is +0, but it gains a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma modifier or +1, whichever is higher. Attack: A ghost retains all the attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect creatures that are not ethereal. Full Attack: A ghost retains all the attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect creatures that are not ethereal. Damage: Against ethereal creatures, a ghost uses the base creature’s damage values. Against nonethereal creatures, the ghost usually cannot deal physical damage at all but can use its special attacks, if any, when it manifests (see below).

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immune to that same ghost’s possession for 24 hours and the ghost cannot enter the target’s space. If the save fails, the ghost vanishes into the target’s body and can control it and speak through it. The victim can try to expel the ghost once every round by making a Will save (DC 15 + ghost’s Cha modifier). ~ Manifestation (Su): Every ghost has this ability. A ghost dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a ghost manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested ghost can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested ghost can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armour. A manifested ghost always moves silently. A manifested ghost can strike with its touch attack or with a ghost touch weapon. A manifested ghost remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested ghost can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. The ghost’s incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane. ~ Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it is difficult to destroy a ghost through simple combat; the ‘destroyed’ spirit will often restore itself in 2d4 days. A ghost that would otherwise be destroyed returns to its old haunts with a successful level check (1d20 + ghost’s HD) against DC 16. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a ghost for sure is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each spirit and may require a good deal of research. Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that the ghost has no Constitution score and its Charisma score increases by +4. Skills: Ghosts have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Search and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the base creature. Feats: Unchanged. Evidence: ~ Investigate (DC15): The slime on the corpse is some sort of organic compound. ~ Treat Injury (DC15): Cause of death was heart failure. Research: ~ Research (DC20): This is not the first death that happened there – there was a murder twenty years ago. Never solved, either. Horror: Fear 20. The dead linger. Like old photographs, they fade and become rotten or brittle. These spectral knots of memory

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and emotion retrace the steps of their lives endlessly, making ruts in the matter of the world. Remembrance becomes ritual becomes infinite repetition, until the ghost is nothing but a little speck of hate or sorrow or regret that blossoms into terrible forms when interrupted. Until the knot of tragedy and circumstance that trapped the ghost in its repetitions is resolved, it cannot move onwards. Combat: Ghosts usually interpret everything in terms of their own personal tragedy – a character might be mistaken for the one who killed the ghost and attacked with everything the ghost can muster. Others might be ignored or even protected. The most dangerous ghosts are those who are aware of what they are and who cling to their ritual actions to keep them on this side of death. After all, if there is nothing but oblivion beyond death, even a thin existence as a ghost is better than nothing. Such ghosts violently resist any attempts to dismiss them. Game Ideas: Ghosts have a built-in puzzle – something is keeping the ghost tied to this world. Unravel that mystery, and the ghost goes away. This is a perfect structure for a simple scenario. Another level of complexity can easily be introduced; for example, if the characters are hunting a serial killer, they might run into the ghost of a victim, who is now imitating its death over and over as a copycat killer. Some evidence suggests that ghosts are an electromagnetic phenomena. They might create interference patterns on televisions, or be trapped by magnets.

Vampire (template)

The archetype for the suave, charming, bloodthirsty monstrosity. Undead: Vampires have the traits and immunities common to undead. Hit Dice: Change to d12. Vampires have no Constitution score. Speed: Same as the base creature. Defence: The base creature’s natural armour improves by +6. Attacks: A vampire retains all the attacks of the base creature and gains a 2d6 slam attack (unless the creature previously possessed a more powerful superior slam attack). Special Qualities: Blood Drain (Ex): A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage each round the pin is maintained.

Spider Climb (Ex): A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as if it was a spider. Darkvision (Ex): Vampires have darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Weaknesses (Ex) A vampire has several weaknesses, described below. A vampire can have fewer weaknesses, but each lost weakness costs a vampire one of its other special qualities. For example, a vampire that is immune to the effects of garlic might be unable to summon children of the night. Vulnerability: Direct Sunlight (30) Aversion: Garlic (20) Aversion: Holy (25) Vulnerability: Holy (25) Inviolate Sanctuary: A vampire cannot enter a privately owned residence unless invited in by the rightful owner or tenant. Wooden Stake: Wooden weapons that deal piercing damage (such as wooden stakes, arrows, pool cues, spear shafts and table legs) destroy a vampire instantly if the attacker makes a successful called shot to the heart and inflicts at least 5 points of damage.

MONSTERS

Create Spawn (Su): A humanoid or monstrous humanoid slain by a vampire’s blood drain attack rises as a vampire loyal to its creator (called the master vampire, or simply ‘master’). Domination (Su): As an attack action, a vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by gazing into his eyes. The vampire can attempt to dominate only one target at a time, and the target must be within 30 feet and able to see the vampire. A target that fails a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 vampire’s Hit Dice + vampire’s Charisma modifier) becomes the vampire’s thrall for 1 day per Hit Die of the vampire. The thrall temporarily loses all previous allegiances and Ties and adopts a singular, unswerving allegiance to the vampire. If the vampire commands its thrall to do something blatantly self-destructive, the target can make a Will save to break the vampire’s control. If the save succeeds, the target becomes freewilled and regains its previous allegiances and Ties. Alternate Form (Su): A vampire can assume the form of a bat, rat or wolf as a move action. The vampire can remain in that form until it assumes another form or until the next sunrise. Children of the Night (Su): Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world and, once per day, can call forth a pack of 4d8 rats, a swarm of 10d10 bats, or a pack of 3d6 wolves as a full-round action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the vampire for up to 1 hour. Damage Reduction 15 (Su) Fast Healing 5 (Ex): A vampire heals 5 points of damage each round so long as it has at least 1 hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points or lower, a vampire automatically assumes gaseous form (see below) and attempts to escape. It must reach its home coffin within 2 hours or be destroyed. It can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours. Once at rest in its coffin, its hit points rise to 1 hit point after 1 hour; the vampire then resumes healing at the rate of 5 hit points per round. Gaseous Form (Su): As a move action, the vampire (and all its gear) becomes insubstantial, misty and translucent. The vampire gains damage reduction 20 in this form. Its armour (including natural armour) ceases to modify its Defence, though other modifiers (such as from Dexterity and size) still apply. The vampire cannot attack or use supernatural abilities while in gaseous form. A vampire in this form can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with good manoeuvrability. It can pass through small holes or narrow openings, even mere cracks. Its gaseous form is subject to wind and cannot enter water or any other liquid. Cold Resistance 20 (Ex): A vampire ignores the first 20 points of cold damage from any cold-based attack. Electricity Resistance 20 (Ex): A vampire ignores the first 20 points of electricity damage from any electricitybased attack.

Ability Scores: Vampires gain the following ability score increases: Str +6, Dex +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +4. As undead creatures, vampires have no Constitution score. Skills: Same as the base creature. Vampires receive a +8 species bonus on Bluff, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive and Spot checks. Feats: Vampires gain the bonus feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative and Lightning Reflexes, assuming the base creature meets the relevant prerequisites and does not already have these feats. Evidence: ~ Treat Injury (DC 10): The victim died of blood loss, although there is also a considerable amount of neck trauma. I’ll do an autopsy tonight.

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Investigate (DC 20): Fragments of dirt found at the scene are rather dry soil that is not native to this area at all. ~ Treat Injury (DC 20): The victim had a rare blood type. Research: ~ Gather Information (DC 20): The police have been ordered off the case. Rumour has it that some European embassy put diplomatic pressure on them. Horror: Panic 20, Fear 15.

MONSTERS

~

Combat: The weaknesses of vampires are well known, due to the vast numbers of movies and TV shows featuring them. Vampires therefore take precautions, ensuring that there are no convenient stakes or crosses nearby that might interfere with the hunt… Game Ideas: Like werewolves, vampires are one of the classic horror monsters. However, werewolves are creatures of the wilderness, where the characters lack support and resources. Vampires are urban killers, where the characters have access to all sorts of weapons and supplies. If the Games Master even mentions neck trauma or blood loss, the Players start running for holy water pistols and stakes. Therefore, vampires need a twist such as an isolated location, an unusual way of disguising their kills, a hold over the characters or some other complication to ensure the game does not become a parody too quickly.

Zombie (template)

Type: The creature’s type changes to undead. Hit Dice: Double the number of Hit Dice and raise them to d12. Speed: Reduce by one-third. Defence: A zombie’s natural armour bonus to Defence increases to a value based on the zombie’s size (but use the base creature’s natural armour bonus, if it is higher):

Tiny or smaller +0, Small +1, Medium-size +2, Large +3, Huge +4, Gargantuan +7, Colossal +11. Attacks: The zombie retains all the natural attacks and weapon proficiencies of the base creature. A zombie also gains a slam attack. Damage: Natural and manufactured weapons deal damage normally. A slam attack deals damage depending on the zombie’s size (but use the base creature’s slam damage if it is greater): Fine 1, Diminutive 1d2, Tiny 1d3, Small 1d4, Medium-size 1d6, Large 1d8, Huge 2d6, Gargantuan 2d8, Colossal 4d6. For purposes of Strength bonuses to damage, a slam attack is considered a two-handed attack. Special Qualities: A zombie loses all of the base creature’s supernatural qualities except for immunity or resistance to specific energy types. A zombie may retain any or all of the base creature’s extraordinary abilities, at the Games Master’s discretion. In addition to gaining the undead type, a zombie has the following special qualities: ~ Move or Attack Action Only (Ex): A zombie has poor reflexes and can perform only a single move action or attack action on its turn. It can only move and attack if it charges. ~ Keep Going (Su): A zombie keeps fighting when reduced to 0 hit points. It must be completely destroyed by reducing it to –10 hit points. Weaknesses: Aversion (Fire) 15, plus Either a Need (such as Need: Brains) or a Vulnerability. Ability Scores: A zombie’s ability scores change as follows: Str +2, Dex –2. Additionally, it has no Constitution or Intelligence score, its Wisdom score changes to 10 and its Charisma score decreases to 1. Skills: The zombie loses all skills. Feats: The zombie loses all of the base creature’s feats and gains the Toughness feat. Evidence: ~ Spot (DC 5): It’s a moving corpse. ~ Treat Injury (DC 20): There seems to be brain activity in the cerebellum, but nowhere else. The corpses are functioning with pure animal instinct. Horror: Panic 12. Zombies can be created by magical spells, chemical accidents, alien viruses or voodoo brainwashing. In all cases (except perhaps the latter), they are shambling corpses that stagger forward to tear chunks of flesh out of the living. Combat: Graagh…crush…kill. Zombies lack subtlety. Game Ideas: Zombies are best suited for use as minor guardians that the characters can just blast their way past, or else as city- or world-ending plagues of the living dead.

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Non-Player Characters

The following characters are mostly suitable for use as impromptu Player Characters, as well as minor nonPlayer Characters. None have any supernatural powers.

Bystander, Innocent

Child, Irritating

Small human; HP 5; Mas 8; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 15, touch 15, flat-footed 15; BAB +0; Grap -6; Atk -1 melee (1d3-1, punch); Full Atk -1 melee (1d3, punch); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +0; Rep +0; Wealth +0; Str 6, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 8, Wis 6, Cha 12. Class: Ordinary Person (1). Occupation: None. Skills: Climb +3, Hide +2, Listen +2, Jump +1, Move Silently +2. Feats: Dodge, Stealthy. Possessions: Fake (or real) mobile phone with annoying ringtones

Cultist

Medium human; HP 18; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 16, touch 12, flat-footed 16; BAB +2; Grap +4; Atk +4 melee (1d4+2, knife) or ranged +2 (2d6, Glock); Full Atk +4 melee (1d4+2, knife) or ranged +2 (2d6, Glock); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +1; Rep +0; Wealth +5; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 9 Class: Ordinary Person (2) Occupation: Criminal Skills: 30 skill points. Bluff +4, Drive +3, Disguise +4, Hide +2, Knowledge (occult lore) +3, Knowledge (streetwise) +3, Listen +4, Move Silently +5, Profession +3,Search +3, Spot +4 Feats: Alertness, Armour Proficiency (light), Deceptive, Improved Base Attack Bonus, Personal Firearms

Cult Leader

Medium human; HP 12; Mas 10; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11; BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +0 melee (1d3-1, punch) or ranged +0 (2d6, Glock); Full Atk +0 melee (1d3-1 punch) or ranged +0 (2d6, Glock); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +7; Rep +5; Wealth +10; Str 9, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 15 Class: Scholar (2) Occupation: Religious Skills: Bluff +7, Concentration +6, Disguise +7, Diplomacy +5, Decipher Script +9, Forgery +9, Investigate +9, Knowledge (occult lore) +9, Knowledge (theology and philosophy) +9, Profession +4, Research +8, Sense Motive +6 Feats: Deceptive, Dodge, Iron Will, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Renown. In a game with magic, replace Dodge and Personal Firearms Proficiency with Spellcaster and Spell Mastery Possessions: Glock, religious artefacts, ceremonial robes, miscellaneous severed body parts

MONSTERS

Medium human; HP 18; Mas 15; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12; BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch); Full Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2; Rep +0; Wealth +6; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11 Class: Ordinary Person (2) Occupation: Blue Collar Skills: Climb +4, Craft (any) +6, Drive +6, Listen +3, Handle Animal +3, Perform +3, Profession +2, Repair +3, Sense Motive +3, Spot +3 Feats: Animal Affinity, Builder, Contact, Extra Ties, Surface Vehicle Operation, Skill Focus (Craft) Possessions: Mobile phone, wallet, small change, personal items

Proficiency, Point Black Shot, Stealthy, Toughness. Possessions: Concealable vest, Glock 17 pistol

Detective

Medium human; HP 21; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 12, touch 12, flat-footed 12; BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch) or ranged +1 (2d6, pistol); Full Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch) or ranged +1 (2d6, pistol); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3; Rep +0; Wealth +7; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 13 Class: Investigator (3) Occupation: Investigative Skills: Bluff +5, Gather Information +6, Hide +4, Investigate +4, Knowledge (civics) +4, Knowledge (current events) +4, Listen +5, Move Silently +4, Profession +4, Research +4, Search +4, Sense Motive +6, Spot +5, Survival +4 Feats: Contact, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Track Possessions: Pistol, camera, notebook, false ID, mobile phone

Police Officer

Medium human; HP 25; Mas 13; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 17, touch 13, flat-footed 16; BAB +3; Grap +4; Atk +5 melee (1d4+2, tonfa) or ranged +4 (2d6, Beretta); Full Atk +5 melee (1d4+2, tonfa) or ranged +4 (2d6, Beretta); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3; Rep +2; Wealth +5; Str 14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 13 Class: Combatant (3)

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Occupation: Law Enforcement Skills: Drive +4, Gather Information +4, Knowledge (Civics) +3, Knowledge (Streetwise) +3, Profession +2, Spot +4, Survival +4 Feats: Armour Proficiency (Light), Combat Martial Arts, Defensive Martial Arts, Improved Disarm, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank Shot, Track Possessions: Light armoured vest, Beretta 92f, Tonfa, Radio, Handcuffs

Priest, Old

Medium human; HP 12; Mas 7; Init -2; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 9, touch 9, flat-footed 9; BAB +1; Grap +0; Atk -4 melee (1d6-1, cane); Full Atk -4 melee (1d6-1, cane); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort -1, Ref -1, Will +5; Rep +5; Wealth +8; Str 8, Dex 7, Con 7, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 15 Class: Scholar (2) Occupation: Religious Skills: Diplomacy +7, Decipher Script +11, Investigate +8, Knowledge (art) +8, Knowledge (behavioural science) +8, Knowledge (civics) +8, Knowledge (history) +12, Knowledge (theology and philosophy) +13, Perform +5, Profession +6, Read/Write/Speak (Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Arabic, French, German, Italian), Research +8, Sense Motive +9 Feats: Educated, Linguist, Pulling Strings, Studious, Renown, Trustworthy Possessions: Robes, crucifix, mobile phone, walking stick

Reporter, Plucky

Medium human; HP 17; Mas 11; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11; BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch); Full Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +3; Rep +4; Wealth +7; Str 10, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 15 Class: Investigator (3) Occupation: Creative Skills: Bluff +6, Computer Use +5, Craft (writing) +6, Craft (visual art) +5, Diplomacy +6, Disguise +6, Drive +2, Gather Information +6, Hide +4, Investigate +4, Knowledge (current events) +4, Knowledge (streetwise) +4, Listen +5, Move Silently +4, Profession +3, Research +4, Search +4, Sense Motive +3, Spot +6. Feats: Alertness, Creative, Deceptive, Renown, Stealthy, Trustworthy Possessions: Notepad computer, camera, tape recorder, mobile phone

Serial Killer

Medium human; HP 21; Mas 14; Init +6; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11; BAB +2; Grap

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+5; Atk +6 melee (3d6+3, chain saw); Full Atk +6 melee (3d6+3, chain saw); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2; Rep +2; Wealth +5, Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 13 Class: Ordinary Person (3) Occupation: Adventurer Skills: Bluff +8, Climb +7, Disguise +7, Disable Device +3, Drive +6, Listen +4, Hide +8, Intimidate +5, Move Silently +8, Profession +4, Spot +4, Treat Injury +2 Feats: Exotic Weapons Proficiency, Deceptive, Dodge, Improved Base Attack Bonus, Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Toughness, Weapon Focus (chain saw) Possessions: Chainsaw, chest freezer full of frozen chests, mobile phone that only God rings

Scientist

Medium human; HP 12; Mas 11; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11; BAB +1; Grap +1; Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch); Full Atk +1 melee (1d3, punch); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +2; Rep +3; Wealth +6; Str 10, Dex 10, Con 11, Int 17, Wis 11, Cha 9 Class: Scholar (2) Occupation: Academic Skills: Computer Use +10, Craft (chemical) +8, Craft (electronic) +9, Craft (pharmaceutical) +8, Decipher Script +10, Knowledge (earth and life sciences) +11, Knowledge (physical sciences) +11, Knowledge (technology) +13, Research +12 Feats: Contact, Educated, Pulling Strings, Renown, Skill Focus (Knowledge (technology)), Studious Possessions: Computer, Leatherman, mobile phone

Soldier

Medium human; HP 29; Mas 16; Init +2; Spd 30 ft.; Defence 20, touch 14, flat-footed 18; BAB +4; Grap +6; Atk +3 melee (1d4+3, knife) or ranged +6 (2d6, HKMP5); Full Atk +3 melee (1d4+3, knife) or ranged +6 (2d6, HKMP5); FS 5 ft. x 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1; Rep +1; Wealth +1; Str 15, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10 Class: Combatant (4) Occupation: Military Skills: Climb +4, Disable Device +3, Knowledge (tactics) +5, Jump +4, Listen +3, Move Silently +5, Navigate +4, Repair +3, Spot +3, Survival +4, Swim +6, Treat Injury +3 Feats: Alertness, Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Armour Proficiency (light), Burst Fire, Improved Base Attack Bonus, Personal Firearms Proficiency Possessions: Tactical vest, HKMP5, Radio, Survival Gear

Horror campaigns always need slightly more work than a campaign in another genre. There has to be some justification for the characters coming back to the horror again and again. There has to be a way to introduce replacement characters, to take the place of those who have died or gone insane. Finally, there has to be a way to introduce new scenarios and mysteries. All of the following campaign structures are designed to fulfil all these requirements, as long campaigns are far harder to throw together than a simple one-shot session. In short, the Players will be trapped with a constant stream of new horrors and not even death is a release.

Down Among The Dead Men

Werner von Braun and rocket technology were not the only things looted from the Third Reich in 1945. The Nazis, primarily Himmler, had been researching and retrieving occult lore and artefacts for decades. All their secrets were locked in concrete bunkers beneath Berlin, or in the libraries of castles across Bavaria. Both the allies and the advancing Red Army claimed their share of the occult spoils. In parallel to the nuclear arms race of the Cold War, there was a shadow race for spells and magic. Both sides delved into the magical traditions of the world, sifting the superstitious dross out and refining the fragments of genuinely effective lore. Monsters from myth – werewolves, vampires, ghosts, pennalagon, hags, angels – were dragged out of the shadows, into the medical labs and onto dissection tables. Some were put to work as spies or assassins. Few security systems could detect a ghost and a vampire could take out its target with terrifying ease. Handlers armed with holy water and rosewood stakes ensured that these ‘special agents’ stay on track. This shadow race was kept secret from all but the highest echelons of government and the military. Black libraries and military covens were established in isolated areas and a new branch of the Defence Intelligence Agency, the Office of Teleological Operations (OTO) was created to oversee this research. Its Soviet Counterpart, attached to SMERSH (the Soviet counterintelligence group), was

Department K. Both groups knew that mastery of magic and the occult could be the deciding factor if the Cold War turned hot again. Neither group quite knew what they were going to unleash.

Activities of the OTO

The OTO is subdivided into sections. Section One is dedicated to strategic command, allocating resources and planning the long-term activities of the OTO. Section Two’s brief is research and development, evaluating newly acquired magic or monsters. It works closely with Section Three, Defence (blocking Soviet activities, countermagic) and Section Four (acquisitions, who travel all over the world looking for occult resources). Section Five is Special Weapons, an euphemism for underground vaults full of slavering wolf-beasts and vampires kept sated by drug-laced blood. Section Six’s title is Special Projects and it controls the OTO’s attempts to summon more powerful creatures. Finally, Section Seven (nicknamed the Inquisition) is the OTO’s self-policing mechanism, looking for traitors, spies and those unable to cope with the great work.

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Sample Horror Campaigns

OTO Timeline 1944: The Defence Intelligence Agency becomes aware that the Nazis are using previously unknown weapons. Several officers are assigned to research this worrying development. 1945: Germany is defeated. The Allies seize a huge amount of material from the Nazi archives. The officers investigating the Nazi weapons are spun off to form the core of the OTO. 1946: The Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Truman are presented with overwhelming evidence proving the existence of magic. A document, termed the Blessing, orders the OTO to replicate the more palatable parts of Nazi research. 1947: An early attempt to activate one of the occult formulae tears a gate open in the sky above Roswell. The OTO have no idea what they summoned, but the bodies are stored for later analysis.

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1949: An army garrison in southern Germany suffers a series of unusual losses. The incident is tagged for investigation by the OTO. A team is sent out, and come face to face with a vampire. A second team later manages to subdue the monster and bring it back undead. 1951: The vampire, who calls itself Graf Anselm von Markoff, is approved for use in the field once its weaknesses have been catalogued. A special handling team is assigned to it. The vampire proves terrifyingly effective in both combat and espionage. 1953: The vampire identifies one senior member of the OTO as a spy. Following an inquiry, a further three infiltrators are discovered. To prevent more leaks, the OTO is divided into four sections. 1956: OTO agents, working in concert with the FBI, discover a long-range enchantment targeting Washington. Section Four managed to dispel the magic, but this is the first sign that the Soviets have also managed to replicate Nazi magic. 1957: A running hex battle in Berlin between three OTO agents, a summoned elemental and Soviet counter-intelligence operatives confirm the existence of a counterpart to OTO. 1960: Attempts to control an entity discovered in the Antarctic fail, leading to the destruction of the research team stationed there. 1963: The OTO is forced to raid three Ivy League colleges, destroying branches of a necromantic cult worshipping an Aztec skull god. 1964: OTO agents prevent a major disaster off the coast of Maine by banishing an elder sea god back to the depths. 1965: The OTO expands to five departments, as Research and Field Work are split in two. Section Six splits into the present-day Sections Six and Seven at this point, too, but this division is not apparent to most staff until the reorganisation in 1979. 1968: During a high-level NATO summit, the existence of some aspects of the OTO is revealed to US allies. Both Great Britain and France admit that they have their own long-running paranormal departments, although both are much more focussed on destroying monsters instead of using them. Information sharing between NATO members suggests that the USSR is winning the occult arms race and the budget for the OTO is doubled. 1969: The OTO begins three new major projects. Project HERMES is to break the magical code and develop a scientific theory of magic. Project NOSTRODAMUS is a long-term scrying and remote viewing project, aimed at discovering exactly what

Characters in the OTO

OTO characters are assigned to one of the seven sections – commonly, sections two to five. Each section specialises in a different set of skills and abilities. Section One (Strategic Command): Section One agents rarely take to the field. Most are administrators; the senior staff is usually drawn from the best of the other Sections. Section One agents specialise in Computer Use, Diplomacy, Knowledge (arcane lore, civics, current events, history, tactics) and similar skills. The OTO’s information technology and electronic warfare staff are part of Section One, so any mission involving surveillance includes a Section One agent. Section Two (Research): Research section is divided in two. The main department of research applies science to investigating and controlling the various entities and monsters encountered by the OTO. Labs turn out ultraviolet sunlamps for fighting vampires, or rice grenades for paralysing obsessive-compulsive Chinese ghosts. Research has a vast library of occult tomes and is busily scanning them to create a fully-searchable database of ancient lore. The dark half (or, more accurately, dark one-sixteenth at most) of Section Two are the few older agents who were not poached by Project HERMES. These agents actively study magic. Section Three (Defence): Defence section works closely with the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA, looking for signs of occult activity. Nicknamed (rather unoriginally), the Ghostbusters, Section Three specialises in counter-magic and dispelling. They have yet to discover any sort of universally effective dispelling ritual, so counter-magic really involves using detective work and intelligence to track down the caster and ‘countering’ them with a bullet. Section Four (Field Operations): Also known as acquisitions, Section Four follows up on rumours dredged up from both intelligence agencies such as ECHELON and less reputable sources (there is an office in Section One where a poor intern goes through every tabloid and conspiracy rag on a daily basis, looking for possible sightings). Field Operations works closely with Defence, although it has far more overseas missions. Section Five (Special Weapons): Most of this section is made up of nervous, haunted men, thin-faced and hardeyed. They are the handlers. Their charges are kept in vaults, or coffins, or magnetic fields, or ancient clay flasks, or magical gems. Whenever the intelligence or military communities encounter a problem they cannot deal with easily – a particular troublesome politician, a thief who refuses to be caught – they turn to Section Five. None of the charges can be trusted, not even for a

moment, but their dark powers and darker hungers can be channelled…

Section Seven (Internal Affairs): OTO agents walk in the twilight worlds of espionage and the occult. Both have their dangers – corruption, mental and physical and spiritual; madness and paranoia. Any agent could falter. It is only through the constant vigilance of Section Seven that the OTO endures. Those agents who are unable to cope with the stress must be identified before they break; those agents who are beginning to turn must be culled.

Office of Teleological Operations HP: 1,300 Force: 20 (+5) Response: 16 (+3) Resources: 22 (+6) Information: 28 (+9) Occult: 22 (+6) Influence: 18 (+4) Skills: Computer Use +15, Decipher Script +15, Demolitions +4, Disguise +5, Forgery +15, Gather Information +16, Intimidate +6, Investigate +18, Knowledge (art) +10, Knowledge (behavioural sciences) +10, Knowledge (civics) +12, Knowledge (current events) +12, Knowledge (earth & life sciences) +10, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (occult lore) +17, Knowledge (physical sciences) +10, Knowledge (pop. culture) +5, Knowledge (streetwise) +5, Knowledge (tactics) +6, Knowledge (technology) +10, Knowledge (theology & philosophy) +17, Repair +10, Research +20, Search +11, Treat Injury +7. Feats: Arsenal, Artefact x 3, Covert, Forensics Laboratory, Library (civics), Library (current events), Library (occult), Occult Library, Psychological Treatment, Research Lab, Secure Base.

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Section Six (Special Projects): Special Projects is a mere shadow of its former self, a handful of scientists and men in dark trench-coats, plotting the course of cosmic horror for the good of the nation. The vast bases and research labs out in the desert have been shut down or turned over to more ‘conventional’ black projects, and the worthy foe of Department K is gone, replaced with little cells of Islamic necromancers, white-trash demon-worshippers or third world undead despots. The great hope of a Chinese arcane research project seems to have come to nothing. Section Six has to come up with something absolutely spectacular to justify its existence and the existence of the OTO. Turning the power of the Omaha Gate into a weapon should qualify…

Department K has and what is in store of the United States. Finally, Project SIMON MAGUS is intended to put as many of Section Four’s acquisitions to use in the field as possible. 1971: An OTO agent retrieves plans for golem construction from a site in Poland. Soon after, she is tracked down by people believed to be working for Mossad, and later is found dead in her locked apartment with the Seal of Solomon branded on her forehead. 1972: Project HERMES builds a research laboratory in Omaha and begins recruiting the best mathematicians, physicists and parapsychologists it can find. 1973: A town in North Africa is sacrificed to demons. Both Department K and the OTO blame the other for the disaster. 1974: Project NOSTRODAMUS locates Department K’s headquarters, a secret city in the Urals nicknamed the Witch’s Hut. Section One authorises Project SIMON MAGUS to begin planning a preemptive strike on the Witch’s Hut. 1975: At midnight on Midsummer’s Eve, the strike goes ahead. Agents release six heavily armed golems, which smash through Department K defences and open the way for a chemical attack using the bizarre pathogen recovered from the Antarctic mission in 1960. Over 80% of Department K’s staff and senior officials are killed. Unknown to the Americans, most are reanimated within 48 hours of their deaths. The mission is initially deemed a success. 1977: In their annual report, Project NOSTRODAMUS reports signs of an impending major incident. They are unable to specify where or when this incident will take place, so their warnings are ignored. 1978: Project HERMES is destroyed. The research facility in Omaha is ripped from our reality, leaving a portal to a nightmarish alternate universe. The portal endures for almost three weeks before closing, and the incidence of paranormal events and entities reaches record levels. Evidence suggests that the research laboratory was attacked by Department K spells, although there are long-running rumours that this evidence was planted to push the blame onto the Russians. 1979: Following the disaster, the OTO is reorganised from the ground up. The existence of the special projects division is acknowledged, and turned into Section Six. Project SIMON MAGUS is given full section status, and becomes Section Five. The

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previous Section Five (internal affairs) becomes Section Seven. Many senior OTO agents are retired and the organisation’s budget is decreased – after all, Department K has also suffered a major reversal, and the OTO should be able to capitalise on its existing successes. 1983: Under its new head, Director Kolchak, Section Four begins a series of investigations into paranormal events throughout America. Surprisingly few of these investigations return anything useful for the OTO and in 1986 Section Seven begins its own investigation, suspecting Kolchak of using his office to run a crusade against monsters. 1986: During the Iran-Iraq war, it becomes evident that both sides are experimenting with djinni. 1988: The last remnants of Project NOSTRADAMUS are shut down. Their last prophecies concern a period of chaos, when the OTO will be tested to its limit. 1989: The Berlin wall falls, signalling the beginning of the end of the Cold War. In an eerie parallel to its beginning, OTO agents swarm over the border to check out occult sites previously denied to them by the Iron Curtain. 1991: During Operation Desert Storm, US helicopters face attacks from summoned djinni. Section Three dispatches an exorcism team to deal with the problem. 1995: In the first and last ‘official’ contact between the OTO and its counterpart, a psychic transmission announces that Department K is to be shut down. The telepath informs the OTO that Department K has a large menagerie of cryptozoological beasts and monsters, and that he fears that these horrors will be set free. Arrangements are made to secretly ship the Department’s menagerie to America, where it will be taken into the custody of Section Five. However, when the Section Five handlers arrive in Murmansk, they find that the ship has vanished. 1996: Section Seven reactivates the long-dormant link between the OTO and the FBI, to investigate occultism in America. 1997: Section Three confirms that while Department K was shut down in 1995, many of its occult resources are finding their way into the arsenals of the former Soviet states, not to mention other ‘rogue states’, criminal syndicates and terrorist groups. 1999: The OTO begins to reorganise, to focus its efforts on domestic occultism. 2001: Following 9-11, the OTO begins tracing links between Al-Qaida and other fringe occult groups. 2003: Now.

Games Master Notes

There are several possible approaches to an OTO-based campaign. The simplest is that the characters are agents from Sections Three and Four (maybe with a computer specialist from Section One or a secret observer from Section Seven). They investigate weird events, protect the United States from occult attack and generally do all sorts of espionage and secret agent missions with a magical tinge. They are spies, but spies in the mode of John Le Carre instead of James Bond. Tim Powers’ excellent novel Declare is the major inspiration for this campaign. The campaign is basically episodic – one mission might take the characters to a cornfield in Kansas, investigating crop circles. Next week, they are dealing with a rogue agent trying to sell charms to North Korea, or undead attacks on troops in Cuba. Mix real-world events into the game (although check with the Players first, as some may be uncomfortable with including events like 9-11 in fantasy game). Keep the paranoia as high as possible – look at the X-Files for inspiration. Section Five offers a really disturbing variant campaign. If you really want, you can have non-human Player Characters such as vampire agents, but that takes away from the mood. The real horror is when the Player Characters are the human handlers of a ‘special weapon’. It is a weapon that talks, and hates, and hungers, and is invulnerable to conventional weapons. They have to let it go – and then catch it again. There is a cave network in Afghanistan so deep and so fortified that bunker-buster bombs cannot crush it, and regular troops would get slaughtered. The characters are sent in with a steel cage containing a spined, scaly thing. Bullets cannot stop it, and it can see in pitch darkness. Their orders – send it into the cave, wait 24 hours and then recapture it. Section Two is fairly sure that the chemically-treated bullets will subdue it, but there’s only one way to be sure. Another option is to start the campaign in the closing months of World War II, and run from there. If the characters are young field agents in the 1940s, they could be active for most of the OTO’s existence. The timeline above describes the history of the organisation, but the characters could avert (or cause) many of the disasters. The mood for an OTO game should always be dominated by weary paranoia, by terrible decisions made in smoky backrooms and bars from Washington to Pearl Harbour, by the endless ticking of the clock. Take the fears of the bomb, of terrorism, of governmental conspiracies, and give them an occult-horror twist.

The Stairwell The stairwell leads down.

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Physically down, certainly, into the bowels of the earth. The answers are always underground. The stairwell also leads inside, into the soul. And perhaps it leads into hell. The Stairwell Campaign is about delving into the characters and finding horror within. It is a game of surreal, disturbing personal horror. The characters are drawn into a nightmarish version of the real world, where everything in the end leads endlessly downwards. The key to this style of game is taking the characters’ Ties and using them as inspirational seeds for monsters and horrors. Major inspirations for this style of play include the Silent Hill series of computer games, and to a lesser extent the novel House of Leaves. Images and repeating concepts are very important to the stairwell campaign. As the game becomes progressively stranger and more surreal, the Players will need some clues, some guidelines to help them interpret what is going on. The Games Master should define his own set of rules for the Players to figure out. For example, a game might use the following clues: ~

The Stairwell Always Leads Down: The deeper the characters go, the more dangerous it gets. Safe conversations with Non-Player Characters and places of refuge are always high up, on cable-cars, on rooftops, on balconies. Similarly, the worst horror is always in the basement, in the sewers, in mineshafts, in pits and downstairs.

~

Twelve Steps Down: Twelve is a sacred number. Room 12 is always the room containing the clue, there are twelve cracks in the mirror, twelve crows on the telephone wire, twelve questions that need answering. Horrors might be linked to the Zodiac or the hours of the day. Whenever the characters are looking for a pattern, it will usually be somehow linked to twelve.

~

One Falls, All Fall Down: The characters have to stick together. If any of them falls, then they all suffer. Anyone who dies comes back to haunt the survivors.

These rules should be established early in the game, by examples. Show each rule clearly at the start (using a Non-Player Character for the last one) and then let the Players notice that there is a pattern by repeating the rules. The rules also imply a sense of terrible purpose to the game – there is something going on just beyond the comprehension of the characters. The characters should be ordinary people for the most part. The horror can arise anywhere – the characters are all on a bus together, something rams it off the road, they all wake up some time later in the nightmare world. Feel free to railroad and leave the Players confused at the start of the game; this is not rational horror, so the normal rules of reality can be suspended.

Terrible Purpose

Terrible purpose is the hook that keeps the Players interested in the game. This sort of surreal horror undercuts their sense of reality – if the Games Master can warp any aspect of the setting just to scare them, the Players will have very little attachment to the world. Any plans they make can be subverted; any safety they

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find can be torn away. Implying that there is a purpose behind the bizarre and horrific events keeps the Players interested. They need something solid to work with, even when the world is amorphous and strange. Build the terrible purpose from the Ties of the characters, and from the speculations of the Players during the game. For example, if the Players suspect that all their characters are the descendants of a creature created through alchemy, build hints about such a creature into the game. Never wholly reveal the terrible purpose, always imply it.

Dark Reflections of the Real World

Basing the horror on the real world, at least initially, gives the Players another handle on the game. The repeated emphasis in this section on giving the Players something understandable is deliberate. All too often, surreal horror ends up with the Players getting bored by the cavalcade of bizarre events. Having a framework, such as a reflection of the real world or a set of abstract rules means that the changes are all happening within a meaningful structure, even if the Players cannot grasp that structure*. *to be perfectly honest, this structure often ends up being used to justify the Games Master’s actions after the game, but that is perfectly valid.

Turning Ties into Nightmares

The sample Ties given in Chapter 3, Horror Character Creation are: ~ 3 points: my family as a whole. ~ 1 point: my favourite daughter, Cheryl ~ 1 point: my job as a struggling writer ~ 1 point (temporary Tie): Getting home in time for Christmas. Combining these Ties with the sample rules for the Stairwell given above, how can we make the game horrific? The temporary Tie gives us an immediate hook for the character – he is travelling, so all we need to do have his car break down, his plane crash or whatever. Also, it is almost Christmas, which gives a wonderful array of really freakish images to work with. Monsters could attack bedecked in fairy lights, the characters could be stalked with animated Christmas trees, the whole jolly spirit of the holiday can be twisted. ‘On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…’ – perhaps the characters have to locate items to replicate that song in order to escape. Christmas’ religious aspects tie nicely into the character’s love for his family. Set up resonances between the holy family in the stable and his family. (And ‘family as a whole’ suggests ghastly images of a sewn-together thing, all legs and arms and moaning faces…) Cheryl can be used as a lure to bring the character deeper into the horror. The character’s Tie to his writing can also be melded with the horror. Perhaps he finds a book, apparently written by himself, that describes his current situation; ‘I picked up the book and read a random paragraph. To my horror, it began ‘I picked up the book and read a random paragraph. To my horror, it began ‘I picked up the book…”. He could encounter characters he has written, or perhaps a monster made up of discarded words, which tattoos phrases onto its victim’s skin with each blow. For added fun, pass the Player a note a few minutes into the game, informing him that he has suddenly remembered that one of the other Player Characters has the same name, appearance and – apparently – the same personality and history as a minor character in a novel he once wrote.

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Bait & Switch

One possible introduction to a Stairwell game is to pitch it at the Players as a completely different sort of game. Have them come up with fairly mundane but competent characters and drop hints that the campaign is going to be about conspiracies and UFOs, or hunting occult serial killers, or that the characters will get turned into vampires after a few sessions (this promised campaign is the ‘bait’). The Players expect one style of plot, and

will be confused and shocked when you drop them down into the surreal horror of the Stairwell (and substituting a radically different style of play is, obviously, the ‘switch’). Make sure that the game is compelling and interesting enough to keep the Players interested. The bait-andswitch is a gamble that the ‘wow! Argh!’ factor of the Players being dropped unexpectedly into a horror game is more fun for them than the promised game. If you bait the hook too well, the Players may actual prefer to play the bait game.

A Sample Stairwell Game

Giving a full outline is impossible, as the whole point of this game is to build the horror using aspects of the characters. Therefore, the Games Master should take

Symbol

Building

Event

Aries (ram)

Police Station

The characters find records about an investigation into a suspicious drowning on the lake. A tourist was found in the middle of the frozen lake, fully clothed. The tourist checked into the local hotel. (Link the tourist to one of the character’s Ties.)

Taurus (bull)

Bar

The bar is inhabited by a poltergeist, which attacks the characters, creating a body for itself out of broken glass.

Gemini (twins)

Ski Lift

One of the twins in the symbol seems to be twisted and misshapen. Going up the mountain on the ski lift brings the characters out of the horror for a while – the upper slopes of the mountain are safe. The misshapen twin symbolises the warped nature of the town.

Cancer (crab)

Seafood Restaurant

The back room is laid out for a banquet, but all the food appears to be pieces of human flesh.

Leo (lion)

Museum

The characters discover that the mines were closed following a disaster that trapped and killed a dozen miners. Their bodies were never discovered.

Virgo (virgin)

Church

The church appears to be protected from the strangeness affecting the town. A young boy named Simon is hiding there and claims that everyone else in the town has vanished. As the characters talk to him, they realise that he is out of time. In 1891, when the mine collapsed, everyone in town rushed out to help with the rescue and Simon was left all alone. The church is the only place where he and the characters are in the same time frame.

Libra (scales)

An ordinary house on This house is built atop the entrance to the mine. If the characters can the outskirts of town get past the creatures lurking here, they can enter the mine.

Scorpio (scorpion)

Records Office

Maps of the mine can be found here.

Sagittarius (archer)

Hunting Goods Store

Weapons. And more monsters.

Capricorn (Goat)

Butcher’s Shop

The butcher’s shop has numerous sides of meat with strangely human faces hanging from the ceiling.

Aquarius (water carrier)

General Store

More equipment. Characters in a horror game always find wonderful uses for gas stoves or kitchen knives.

Pisces (fish)

Hotel

The hotel is a labyrinth, where the corridors become progressively more like mine tunnels. One of the rooms contains clues as to what is going on.

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Take a real-world place or structure – a small town, a building, a vehicle – and change it. Leave the basic floorplan unaltered, but warp the contents of each place. An engine room becomes a furnace for souls, a hotel becomes a sliding-block puzzle full of hungry ghosts. Let the Players choose their path, but all paths will lead into different aspects of the horror.

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entrance to the mine and descend into it to find a way out of the horror.

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Legacies in Stone

Stone is a memorial. Structures built of worked stone have subtle magnetic signatures running through them, fractal patterns that remember when and where the building was first made. These patterns can lie dormant in the stone for centuries – until they are awoken. The world teeters on the edge of apocalypse. Soon, the inexorable course of history will drag civilisation up a steep ramp of technological advancement, to crash out on the other side. The Singularity (the moment when the rate of technological innovation becomes effectively infinite) will collapse, resulting in the utter destruction of humanity. Not in a nuclear war, but in a war with weapons so advanced we cannot even conceive of them today – but it will happen soon, within the 21st century.

this rough outline and combine it with the characters that his Players come up with. The game takes place as a ski resort called Copper Lake. In the 1890s, it was a mining town. Now, the copper mines in the mountain are exhausted and the town’s only major industry now is tourism. The characters arrive to find the town almost deserted. A snowstorm is approaching, which will prevent them from leaving. Initially, the only thing out of the ordinary is that twelve major buildings in town have an astrological symbol daubed on their doors, in what appears to be goats’ blood. What is going on? Largely, that is up to the Players to determine. The mine collapsed in 1891, trapping and killing several miners, and their ghosts seem to be both restless and angry. There is also another group in town, who ate at the seafood restaurant and stayed at the hotel and who seem to be the target of the miners’ anger. Perhaps they are cultists trying to tap the power of the ghosts, or developers planning to destroy the last remnants of the mine to expand the ski slopes, or the heirs to the mining corporation on a corporate teambuilding weekend. The characters have to find the

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Moments before the end of the world, a group of people fled back in time, using quantum entanglement to drag themselves through the millennia. The process tore their flesh away, reducing them to nothing more than little knots of conscious information in the fabric of space-time. They learned to dream themselves into visible forms and to manipulate the primitive huntergatherer tribes around them. These immaterial quantum ghosts from the future gave rise to the legends of the Fair Folk, the faeries. The Fae intend to save the world – by destroying the future.

Bridges In Time

The Fae can use the quantum signatures in buildings to travel forward in time. The more intact the building, the easier the transit. A bridge can be opened using a partially decayed or ruined building, but this causes a longer period of ‘ghosting’ on either side of the transit. A traveller is stuck in an immaterial, spectral form for days or weeks, haunting the building before becoming solid for a while. The Fae travelled back from the end of time without the benefit of a structure to guide them, so they are eternally stuck in this dematerialised form. The main vanguard of the Fae is stationed somewhere in prehistory, but they have established smaller camps throughout history up to the 18th century.

They work through agents. Some are fanatical tribal warriors, sent forward just to kill or steal children. Others

Of course, from the other side, the Fae’s agents are mysterious, spectral figures that haunt ancient buildings, or emerge to cause havoc and horror.

Running the Game

This campaign begins as a simple ghost-hunting game. Old buildings like castles and tombs seem to be haunted and there have been sightings of strange, immaterial figures. The characters investigate, encounter strange events and foil the horror. Repeat this a few times. Then the world changes. The characters wake up in an alternate reality where they are wanted fugitives. The Fae’s agents have made a short-term change to eliminate the characters. In the course of running from the authorities and finding out what they are being hunted from, the characters run into others who have been targeted by the Fae. There is a secret war being fought for control of historical sites. If the Fae can control enough ancient buildings to funnel their agents through, they can cause enough deviations to change history for ever. The ritual of the Alignment of Stones (see Chapter 9, Magic, Mysteries and Phenomena) is actually a formula that draws on Fae science. Using this ritual, the characters can travel back and forth in the same way the Fae do, fighting the war across time. If the Games Master ever wanted to run a horror/ time travel/swashbuckling/ cyberpunk game, now is the time. As the characters travel, control and preservation of buildings becomes key. The characters could become the secret architects of history – why did the Knights Templar take possession of the Temple of Solomon? Not to get at the vaults beneath, but to use the Temple to travel back to when it was founded…

The final, horrific revelation of the game is that the characters themselves are – or will be – the Fae.

Travel via Stone

The Fae method of time travel works by using a magnetic imprint in a structure to guide a quantum tunnel in space-time. The traveller uses Fae technology (or the Alignment of Stones ritual, which amounts to the same thing) and selects how far forwards or back they want to go. The traveller then dematerialises, becoming nothing more than a tangle of information imprinted onto the magnetic field. As the traveller approaches his destination date, he begins to materialise. Firstly, the traveller becomes conscious again as a spectral, immaterial form. Slowly, this form accretes matter and becomes solid. The traveller has a limited amount of time in solid form before he slowly dematerialises again. This second period of dematerialisation is eternal – the traveller lingers as a ghost for a while, then fades into nothingness.

SAMPLE HORROR CAMPAIGNS

are changelings, children taken back and trained by the Fae. The Fae cannot manifest, but their agents can. Their overall goal is to cut away the events that lead to the establishment of modern civilisation and jolt the course of history onto another track, one that never leads to the Singularity, one where the Fae are the beneficent, wise and utterly insane rulers of humanity throughout all time.

This fate can be avoided in two ways; firstly, if the traveller returns to his own time, he does not dematerialise after travel. Alternatively, the traveller can ‘anchor’ himself by taking a sample of the magnetic field (either a large chunk of rock, or else scanning and replicating the field using technology). Travelling in this manner is extremely taxing, as shown on the Travel Costs table. Time Travelled: How far the traveller goes. The state of the building affects time travel – see below. Constitution Drain: How much Constitution is drained from the traveller.

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SAMPLE HORROR CAMPAIGNS

Flicker Time: As the character travels, he experiences moments of reality. During these moments, his passage may cause unexplained events in history; the traveller might be perceived as a ghost. Madness Save DC: Flicker Time is extremely traumatic. The traveller must make a Madness save while travelling. If the Madness save has a value associated with it (e.g., 35/1d8), the value after the slash is the number of Shock points sustained by the character if he fails the Madness save. Ghost Time: On either side of a transition, the character appears as an immaterial ghost for the listed time – see Quantum Ghosts, below. Materialised Time: How long the character spends as a solid entity before dematerialising again. Anchoring can lengthen this time. If the building the character is using to travel is damaged during the course of history, the Constitution drain is increased, as follows:

Building Damage Building Is…

Constitution Drain Increased By…

Utterly unchanged

0%

In good condition

10%

Decayed

20%

Renovated

30%

Partially destroyed

50%

Demolished (or not yet built, in the case of travellers going backwards)

Character is destroyed in transit.

politics and history so that the buildings still get built, but the reasons are quite different. The ultimate aim is to establish a new world order that avoids the disaster of the Singularity.

Quantum Ghosts

While dematerialised, a character cannot be injured by anything other than electrical attacks. Any damage causes the character to be disrupted for 1d4 hours. The character is almost totally invisible and immaterial (50% miss chance to all attacks, and the character can pass through solid objects). The character cannot leave the structure being used for time travel.

Altering History

The Fae are in a difficult position – if they alter history too much, they will end up deleting the very structures that allow their agents to move back and forward in time. Most changes are therefore very small and subtle, re-engineering

Travel Costs

250

Time Travelled

Constitution Drain

Flicker Time

Madness Save DC

Ghost Time

Materialised Time

50 years

2d4

One month

10

10 minutes

One day

100 years

2d6

Six months

15

30 minutes

Three days

250 years

2d8

One year

20

One hour

One week

500 years

3d4

Five years

25

Two hours

Two weeks

750 years

3d6

Twenty years

30

Six hours

Three weeks

1,000 years

3d8

One century

35/1d8

Twelve hours

One month

1,500 years

3d10

Two centuries

35/1d10

One day

Two months

2,000 years

3d12

Four centuries

35/2d6

One week

Three months

3,000 years

4d10

Eight centuries

35/2d8

One month

Three months

5,000 years

4d20

1,500 years

35/2d10

One year

Three months

Designer’s notes The four character types are partially based on horror archetypes and partially built around the horror system, of which more anon. They have enough skill points and hit points to get themselves into trouble, but are not so competent that the players can switch their brains off and rely on their character’s abilities to survive. Ties obviously tie the characters into the world, while signalling to the Games Master what the players are interested in and what they want the game to centre on. It is an unwritten law of game design that a horror game has to have a system to drive the characters insane. Breaking horror into panic, fear and madness fits the three situations where horror arises in a roleplaying game, and the Shock point mechanic allows the player to decide how their character reacts to the horror while still forcing penalties for psychological injuries. It also gives a mechanical reward to substance abuse, a factor absent from most other horror games. If it doesn’t make good tactical sense for a character to get absolutely hammered after a run-in with cosmic horror, the game is missing something…

encourage you to write contradictions and insulting comments in the margin, as anything that makes Games Masters stop and consider how they run a game and why they make a particular decision is a good thing. Games Mastering goes all too often unexamined. That chapter also has clear debts to Sandy Petersen’s Call of Cthulhu, John Tynes & Greg Stolze’s Unknown Armies and Ken Hite’s Suppressed Transmissions. Horror roleplaying is interesting as it is one of the few styles of game that states its emotional goals openly. We play fantasy games, not ‘epic heroism’ or ‘sense of wonder’ games. We play science fiction, not ‘sense of freedom in an open universe’ or ‘positive humanism’ games. Horror is more honest – it goes straight for the emotional jugular. Perhaps that is why horror works so well for one-shot games, which are a very interesting and liberating style of gaming, and one that everyone should try.

DESIGNER'S NOTES

It’s always nice to have an opportunity to write a game for yourself. Most of OGL Horror is either ‘how Gar runs his games’ or ‘what Gar would like to see in a game’. With luck, Mongoose sold a copy to someone other than me, hence these designer’s notes. After all, I know why I wrote what I wrote.

It knows what it is looking for and heads straight into the darkness. I hope you find interesting things there. Gar

Cults and Conspiracies is a compromise. On the one hand, having any sort of support or aid does diminish the quintessential isolation of horror. However, one of the major problems of horror games is that isolation – how do the characters get involved? How do replacement characters show up when the first group go insane or die? Using set response times lets the players have the support of a patron group while still forcing them to deal with immediate problems on their own. The concept of using variations of the basic character abilities and skills to model groups comes from Gamma World’s community rules. This system also lets the Games Master keep track of how much damage the players have done to opposing groups and cults. The magic and monsters rule sets are both variations on standard OGL material, tweaked to suit the horror genre, and specifically horror roleplaying. Both reward player creativity – trying to destroy most monsters through sheer firepower, or relying on supernatural abilities to solve problems is self-defeating. Ingenuity is the key to success in horror gaming (that, and finding the convenient monster-banishing ritual that seem to crop up in every other horror scenario). The Games Mastering chapter is a distillation of everything I know about running horror games. I

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OGL HORROR CHARACTER

CHARACTER SHEET

252

A more detailed character sheet is available from www.mongoosepublishing.com

CHARACTER SHEET

A more detailed character sheet is available from www.mongoosepublishing.com

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Index INDEX

A Ability Damaged 120 Ability Drained 120 Ability Scores 6, 23 Ability Modifiers 7 Ability Score Loss 8 Acid 125 Actions 5 Actions in Combat 130 Action Types 131 Attacks of Opportunity 135 Attack Actions 131 Full-Round Actions 133 Miscellaneous Actions 134 Move Actions 132 Advancement 30 Experience and Level Advancement 31 Multiclassing 32 Age 29 Ammunition 105 Armour 113 Artefacts 168 Atmosphere 182 Attacking an Object 141 Attack Roll 126 Autofire 140

B Bags and Boxes 83 Balance 36 Blinded 120 Bluff 37 Breaking Objects 15 Bull Rush 142 Bursting Items 17

C Called Shots 146 Carrying Capacity 9 Catching on Fire 122 Character Classes 24 Charisma 8 Climb 38 Clothing 87 Computers and Consumer Electronics 88 Computer Use 39

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Concealment 137 Concentration 41 Constitution 7 Cover 137 Cowering 120 Craft 41 Cults and Conspiracies 170 Ability Scores 170 Damaging an Organisation 175 Hit Points 171 Making Requests 173 Organisation Feats 173 Organisation Skills and Actions 172 Cult of Unity 177

D Damage 127 Dazed 120 Dead 120 Deafened 120 Decipher Script 45 Defence 17 Defence Value 127 Demolitions 45 Dexterity 7 Difficulty Class 34 Diplomacy 46 Disabled 120 Disable Device 47 Disarm 143 Disease 124 Disguise 48 Drive 49 Dying 120

E Electricity 125 Entangled 120 Escape Artist 49 Exhausted 120 Explosives and Splash Weapons 105 Grenades and Explosives 140 Planted Explosives 141 Splash Weapons 141 Thrown Explosives 140

Faith 166 Faith Effects 167 Faith Feats 167 Falling 123 Falling Objects 124 Fame and Infamy 9 Fatigued 121 Fear Saves 150 Feats 69 Federal Bureau of Investigation 175 Firearms 139 Flat-Footed 121 Forgery 49

G Gamble 50 Gather Information 51 General Equipment 84 Ghosts in the Fog 192 Grapple 144 Grappled 121 Group 23 176

H Handle Animal 52 Heat and Cold 122 Height and Weight 30 Held at Gunpoint 140 Helpless 121 Hide 53 Hit Points 128 Hope 185 Horror Saves 148

I Implication 184 Improvised Weapons 111 Initiative 129 Intelligence 8 Intimidate 54 Investigate 54

J Jump 55

F

K

Fable Institute 180

Killing Characters 191 Knowledge 56

L Legacies in Stone 248 Altering History 250 Quantum Ghosts 250 Travel via Stone 249 Lifestyle 96 Lifting and Dragging 11 Listen 58

Madness Saves 151 Melee Weapons 108 Archaic Melee Weapons 109 Exotic Melee Weapons 111 Simple Melee Weapons 109 Monsters 197 Aberrations 210, 221 Animals 210, 222 Animated Corpse 225 Constructs 210, 224 Cosmic Mess 231 Creature Types 209 Demon 233 Demon Child 227 Demon Hybrid 226 Ghost (template) 235 Grey 232 Incorporeal 214 Making a Monster 204 Mimetic Ooze 230 Monstrous Humanoids 211, 226 Nightmare Engine 224 Oozes 211, 230 Outsiders 212 Plant 212 Sewer Beast 221 Special Qualities 216 Swarms 215 Undead 213, 235 Vampire (template) 236 Vermin 214 Weaknesses 220 Werewolf (template) 228 Zombie (template) 238 Movement 11 Manoeuvrability 13 Movement and Position 136 Overland Movement 13 Tactical Movement 12 Three Dimensional Movement 14 Move Silently 58 Multipliers 5

N Nauseated 121

O Occupations 19 Office of Teleological Operations 241 Activities of the OTO 241 Characters in the OTO 242 OTO Timeline 241 Overrun 143

P Panicked 121 Panic Saves 149 Paralysed 121 Perform 59 Phobias 154 Pilot 60 Pinned 121 Poison 124 Profession 60 Professional Equipment 91 Prone 121 Props & Handouts 198 Psychic Phenomena 164 Handling Psychic Visions 165 Psychic Abilities 164

R Ranged Weapons 97, 99 Handguns 98 Heavy Weapons 103 Longarms 102 Reaction 185 Read/Write Language and Speak Language 61 Repair 61 Reputation 9 Research 62 Ride 63 Rituals 157

S Saving Throws 129 Search 63 Sense Motive 63 Shaken 121 Shock Points 149 Gaining and Losing Shock 152 Long-term Effects 153 Other Uses for Shock Points 153 Size and Defence of Objects 18 Sleight of Hand 64 Smoke 123 Social Contracts 182

Sol Worldhive 179 Speed 128 Spells and Spellcasting 160 Casting a Spell 160 Spellcasting Feats 160 Spells 161 Spot 65 Stable 121 Starting Equipment 30 Starvation and Thirst 122 Strangulation 123 Strength 7 Stunned 121 Suffocation and Drowning 123 Surprise 129 Surveillance Gear 90 Survival 66

INDEX

M

Navigate 59 Non-Player Characters 239

T The Stairwell 245 Ties 29 Touch Attacks 18 Treat Injury 67 Trip 143

U Unconscious 121 Using Skills 33 Aiding Another 35 Skill Checks and Automatic Rolls 33 Skill Synergy 35

V Vehicles 115 Civilian Aircraft 115 Civilian Cars 115 Civilian Motorcycles 117 Civilian Trucks 118 Civilian Water Vehicles 118 Military Vehicles 119 Violation 185 Vision and Lighting Conditions 15 Darkness and Light 122

W Wealth and Purchasing 81 Losing Wealth 82 Regaining Wealth 82 Restrictions and Licences 82 Selling Items or Information 82 Wealth Bonus 81 Weapon Accessories 95 Weight 10 Wisdom 8

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OGL LICENSE

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OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/ or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing,

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