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Chapter 3: Interacting With the Universe

The Environment

There are more hazards in the universe than just other beings bent on your utter destruction. Many aspects of the universe itself can be deadly in the right circumstances.

Drowning

Swimming in the pool at the YMCA is pretty simple (that is unless you can't swim). There is no need to check in this case unless the character has no swimming skill. During rougher conditions, however, everyone needs to perform a swim check. The TN depends on the water as shown below. If the swimmer doesn’t make the TN, he takes the difference in CT. A character without the swimming skill is in big trouble. When he's in any kind of water over his head, he has to make the previously described check.

Falling

A fall of a few meters might not be deadly. But when that fall involves terminal velocity, survivability approaches zero quickly. A character takes 2(1) damage for every 5 meters fallen. For each additional 5 meters, shift the damage level down 1 level. When no more row shifts are possible, shift right. Damage is capped at 5(7). Apply the wounds randomly, and ignore any damage modifiers for hit location.

Water from a low altitude can potentially break a fall on a Fair (5) swimming roll. Success divides the damage by 2. This check can be made up to 50 meters, up to 20 meters the damage can be completely negated by a successful check. Landing on a haystack, awning, or other soft obstacle reduces the damage by half if the character makes a difficult (7) Dexterity roll.

Smoke and Fire

Characters in dense smoke have to make a difficult (7) Fortitude check during their first action each round to avoid suffocation. A wet cloth over the mouth and nose—or similar makeshift protection adds +2 to the roll. If the character fails the Fortitude roll, he takes the difference between the roll and the TN in CT. Should he ever happen to fall unconscious, he continues to lose CT in this way every round until he dies.

The damage applied to a character who is actually on fire depends on just how big the flames are. A small fire, such as a burning sleeve, causes 1(5) damage at the beginning of every turn to whatever area is on fire. A larger fire causes 2(5) to the affected areas. A character totally consumed by flames takes 3(5) damage, with the wounds applied to every area at once.

Temperature, Pressure and Breathing

Each round a character is exposed to vacuum (or similarly low breathing and pressure environments, as defined by the Master) he must make a difficult (7) Fortitude check. Unlike in smoke, there is no way to mitigate this outside of a source of oxygen (which negates it entirely). Damage dealt is the difference between the check EN and difficulty. Vacuum is a lot more than just low oxygen, it is also low pressure. Any character caught in a vacuum without the appropriate equipment takes must make a difficult (7) Fortitude check every 2 minutes or take 1(3).

Suffocation

Choking and suffocation work similarly to lack of oxygen from vacuum. Test every other round. Under most conditions, choking works exactly the same way. When being actively choked, by a skilled practitioner (someone with an appropriate martial art, for example), test every round. A single failure causes the character to fall unconscious.

Game Designers Note: You may declare you can hold your breath a lot longer than 10 seconds, and you would be right. Lack of oxygen is not the reason most choke victims fall unconscious, instead it is lack of blood flow to the brain. A properly applied choke is very effective at doing both at the same time.

In situations where choking is caused by an environmental factor, a character can withhold oxygen for 6 turns (one minute) per column of their Fortitude while performing light physical tasks, half as long when doing strenuous tasks. Each time a character takes CT while withholding oxygen, subtract half the CT taken from the number of turns he can continue to withhold.

High Pressure

Characters may become exposed to high pressure environments in many ways. In some, like deep sea diving, there are steps that can be taken to prevent issues (The Bends). When properly equipped and skilled, make an appropriate skill check at TN 5. Failure causes joint pain and confusion (among other fun symptoms), in game terms divide the maximum CT of the character in half and shift Knowledge one step left for a period of one day or until appropriate treatment is acquired. Without proper equipment the TN is at Master discretion, but should be at least TN 9.

Temperature Extremes

When the temperature exceeds a level that is effectively mitigated by the clothing of a character, in either direction, the character risks consequences. In extreme heat, the character must make a Fortitude check versus a difficulty (5, 7, 9 etc.) based on the level of heat extremity (defined by the race) every 6 turns. Access to appropriate fluids can double this time. Failure means a loss of 1(1) CT for each failure. A character who falls below zero CT due to heat exhaustion is subject to heat stroke. Continue making the tests as noted above, but do not apply any CT, however anytime a CT result of greater than double your Fortitude column is revealed take a wound to the torso.

In extreme cold situations, check Fortitude with a difficulty set by the level of temperature extreme based on race. Failure reduces the column value of the character's Acuity by 1. When Acuity falls to 0, the character is unconscious and subject to hypothermia. As soon as a character fails a roll he becomes noticeably impaired, slurring his speech and having difficulty making decisions. A character who has failed two checks will be subject to extreme apathy and will be noticeably shivering. In either of these cases, the malady can be diagnosed with a Standard (5) First Aid or Easy (3) Medicine check.

Sci-Fi Fiat

All of the previous rules on some level assume a human, or human like, physiology. Obviously, the universe is filled with beings of all stripes. The simplest way to apply these rules is to assume a norm based on the races of the individual characters. For the Heroes to be in the same room without constant discomfort they need to expect the same environmental conditions. If your game is centered around an alien race that lives in molten lava, then temperature norms will be different from a game of lunar yetis. The same goes with pressure and breathing of gases. It may not be oxygen the crew breathes, but they all breathe the same thing (or some minority group has special accommodations, such as Vac suits).

Some Edges will give a Hero the ability to ignore some of these restrictions. Maybe a stellar praying mantis type alien has a pressurized carapace and suffers almost no ill effects in vacuum. That is great! If a player gives his Hero some special ability via edges or another mechanic, it absolutely should be important at least once in the game.

Due to some strange evolutionary process, Antares Darkeye is immune to any poison he ingests willingly. To simulate this, he has purchased an appropriate Edge. After being captured by his nemeses, Grun and Chensky, he is imprisoned in their grimy brig. Not knowing about this quirk of his physiology, Grun revels in forcing Antares to drink the poison that he believes will end his life. It does not, of course, and his possum act ends in another daring escape for the notorious space pirate.

Darkness

In reduced vision conditions, shift the Acuity 2 columns left (minimum 1) when performing a task or check where vision is vitally important. The penalties for partial lighting apply to targets greater than 10 meters away. Of course, if a target is somehow illuminated (such as carrying a lit flashlight), the penalty should be adjusted by the Master, if not negated entirely.

Movement

It is often necessary to know exactly how far something can move in a standard combat round. The number of meters a Hero, extra, or vehicle can move each round is its "Rate".

The Rate of Heroes and most aliens is its Dexterity value. A vehicle's Rate is listed in its statistics. Both creatures and vehicles move a proportion of their Rate every action. Any move up to half the Rate in a single action is considered walking. A move over half (and up to the full Rate) is considered running. This means that when running, any character can move 2xRate in about 10 seconds, in or out of combat. This can be increased by Stepping Up (see below).

You can’t get extra movement by playing a reserve card, or a step 14. Your character is still limited to two move actions, as above. You may step up during any run action (or step 14), however.

After sucker punching Grun and climbing out of the cell, Antares still needs to find a way off of this bucket o’ bolts. Time is of the essence, so he asks the Master how far it is to the control panel. The Master indicates it is 9 meters. Antares has a Rate of 10, so he can make it there and still attempt to override the security and get the hell out of here.

Running incurs a -4 penalty to a Hero or creature's other actions. Passengers in "running" vehicles or on animals suffer the penalty too. The faster you go, the bumpier the ride.

If you really need to move, your Hero can "step up". Stepping up means your character goes all out and runs, swims, climbs, or rides as fast as he possibly can. The cost is a little bit of fatigue.

Whenever you want your character to step up, check the Movement Table and roll the die type listed under "Step Up". Add that many meters to the character's running movement for that particular action.

The number listed under "Fatigue" is the amount of CT the hero loses for pushing himself so hard. A rider can make mounts step up by making a Fair (5) riding check. In this case, the animals take the CT.

Once the security is successfully overridden (the security around here is about what one would expect from a chump like Grun, he muses), the door slides open and Antares sees a hallway running right and left. Deciding which way to go is no problem as soon as he spies Chensky 25 meters down the hallway to the left. On his action, the space pirate knows he needs to move as quickly as he can, for Chensky is an insectoid Mantis from Denebola IV, and he is fast. He declares his intention to step up and rolls a d4, scoring a 3. He deftly scampers 13 meters down the right hallway, and begins scheming on how he intends to secure his escape before he falls into the clutches of a grimy, interstellar criminal insect.

Stepping up while operating a vehicle requires a Fair (5) driving check (or test, depending on the situation at the Master's discretion). Vehicles and their drivers don’t take CT for this, but you should check for a malfunction (if applicable, as explained in Chapter Eight). There is no way to “run" (double your movement) when swimming or climbing, by the way, and no matter what your climbing or swimming level, you can’t normally move faster than the maximum listed on the Movement Table. You can still step up, however.

Movement Rates

The Movement Table below tells you how to figure Rate when a character is running, climbing, or swimming.

Rate is the base movement rate for the entire round. You'll need to split this among your actions when it's important. For swimming and climbing, use your character's skill levels in swimming and climbing as the base number.

Step Up is the type of die you roll to get extra movement by “stepping up". Unlike most checks in Future Imperfect, don’t roll again on Max. Transhumans, Avatars, MekPurr and Canines add 1 to their step up roll when walking (running). If the character has claws, add 1 to the roll while climbing. If webbed appendages are present, add 1 when swimming.

Fatigue is the amount of Concussion Threshold your character loses when he steps up. Transhumans take no CT when picking up the pace. Max is the absolute maximum your character can move for certain types of actions, such as climbing and swimming.

Ryssh K'Toaah has successfully docked his launch on the outer hull of Grun’s ship. He knows time is short to get in there and save Antares Darkeye’s ass…again. On his action he decides to go all out and step up. His Dexterity is 8. Since he's running, he moves 16 meters per round, and because he is an Avatar, he can move an extra d4+1 meters at the cost of 1 CT when he steps up.

Encumbrance

The encumbrance is an estimate of the Hero, extra, or vehicle versus the weight of the load. Consult the appropriate gear table or ask the Master how heavy a load is. A draft animal carrying an unconscious IRSOL probably has a light load. A Blarad (a type of ursoid) in PAPA probably has an average load, but if the movement servos were damaged, it could be a heavy load even if he were exceptionally strong.

The relative loads below are listed along with how much you need to reduce the Hero's or extra's Rate. If a character with an 8 Rate is carrying a heavy load, his Rate is effectively reduced to a 2 for the round.

Of course, what's a heavy load to human might be inconsequential to a Blarad. The minimum for each class of load is listed under "Weight" in kilograms*. Racial modifications are discussed in the Race chapter.

For instance, Tara 7’s Strength is 6. She can carry up to 18 kilograms with no problems. From 18 kg up to 36 kg is a light load. From 36 kg up to 60 kg is a medium load. From 60 kg on up is a heavy load.

Ursoids add two to the multiplier at each level. Saurians, Transhumans and Avatars add one. Avians and IRSOL subtract one. For example, 5 x Strength is a light load for an Ursoid.

*Ok, science-nerd, I know kilograms are a unit of mass and not weight. They are however, much more familiar than Newtons to the average reader. When the manual refers to Kg, it means a force equal to one Kg on Terra at sea level. Put that slide-rule away, everything is going to be fine.

Ryssh scampers around a corner just in time to see a fully bound Antares fall to the ground, and a snickering Chensky standing a few meters behind him with a tangler in his three clawed hand. Never short on bravado, Antares declares (to both Ryssh and Chensky, it seems) “I got this under control”.

Ryssh, however, doesn’t believe him. On his action he charges forward and slings a squirming and yelling captain Darkeye over his shoulder. Ryssh is a feline Avatar, and his strength is IV-3. Antares is slim, but still weighs 85 kg, easily above the medium load (70 kg) and therefore heavy (up to 110 kg) for the big Avatar. “Put a sock in it, I got you. And this.” He growls.

Lifting

What if a Hero needs to lift something momentarily and not carry it a long distance? The lift value of any Hero or extra is equal to the heavy load value multiplied by 1.5. This very heavy weight, however, is not automatically hoisted. If time matters, a Hero must make a Strength test to lift anything heavier than their Heavy load. If a Hero has as much time as necessary, he can automatically manage his full lift...eventually.

A lift is a standard test. Lifting between the heavy load and Lift value is TN 3, lifting over the Lift value is TN 5. The character may lift his Lift value on a success, and +5% for each bump. Do not draw or use extra cards on asterisks.

Game Designers note: Why is lifting a test instead of a check? While it is possible that exterior factors could make multiple things occur during a lift, the reasoning behind this decision is much simpler. Checks are always open ended. Theoretically, that nearly comatose IRSOL in the corner could lift a Concordat Battlecruiser if he just rolls enough bumps. While this extreme example is functionally impossible, a case where a player gets extraordinarilly lucky could see a regular human hefting a hovercar above his head (maybe with the help of chips). By using the system as detailed here, a Hero can push himself and heft even more than he thought possible, just not orders of magnitude more. If your Crew would like to keep that wild situation possible, by all means, make lifting a check! Remember, the universe is yours, this manual is only a guide.

Gravity

Exploring space means that the exotic locations could have conditions that are wildly divergent from one another. Planets and other planetary bodies where Heroes might interact will have a gravitational value (expressed in G). To keep things simple, G is a multiple of gravity as we know it, so just multiply the G value by the appropriate load or lift to see the new value.

Ismail and her crew have come across a ForeRunner outpost on a giant asteroid hurtling through space. The asteroid is large and dense enough that it has a G value of .17 (approximately equal to Luna). While preparing to disembark, Allison prepares a Vac suit and collection of equipment weighing 47 KG. She knows on this asteroid that will feel like approximately 8 KG. Her strength is II-3, so this is a light load. While walking through the airlock to get to the planet (where the ship has 1G atmosphere), this is a heavy load.

Conflict

You have a Hero, and you know what the numbers mean and how the dice and cards function. Now it is time to begin bringing the crew to life. A good story is never easy. The protagonist finds obstacles at every turn. Overcoming these obstacles form the basis of both the Hero and the story. Whenever a Hero is at odds with some element of the universe, there is conflict. When that conflict devolves into combat, the Master breaks the game down into "rounds" of about 10 seconds each (two 5 second actions). This may also be referred to as "action time".

Action Card Hand Management

Once the Master declares action time, make a Reflex check and compare it to a TN of Easy (3). Draw 1 card from the Action Deck plus 1 for every success and bump. If you critically fail, you get no cards this round, though you might still use a reserve card (see below). If your hero is injured, don’t forget to subtract the penalty from your Reflex total. Choose two of the cards you have drawn and discard the remaining cards. If one of your cards says bonus, you may keep that in addition to up to two other cards (if available). If one of your cards says discard, discard it, as well as your highest other card before choosing. A reserve card is considered your highest. Be sure to shuffle at the end of any round where a card with the SHUFFLE effect is indicated on the bottom edge. Once all players have drawn their cards and discarded as appropriate they should declare to the Master they are ready.

Action Time

When the Master declares action time, the sequence of game play becomes more structured. Each turn is divided into 15 steps, listed in the upper right of the Action Card. There are two special cards as well, the 14 and the 0. In a standard deck of cards, these would be the jokers. Each of these have special effects depending on the situation, and will be discussed shortly.

Each step is also subdivided into 4 fragments each. These fragments are used to determine sequencing when two actions occur on the same step. While from an exterior point of view these actions appear simultaneous, the fragments allow the game to provide a mechanism for timing that is simple and clear. Fragments are listed in the lower left of the Action Card.

Finally, when even more granularity is necessary, each Action Card also has an impulse listed in the upper left corner, from 0-53. Anytime it is unclear when something may occur, or how long it will take, a single Action Card draw can provide this information.

The Master informs the Crew that the security system has been successfully disabled, but the automatic audit system checks every 10 seconds to ensure it is working. When it determines security is down, the computer will erect a forcefield and no one else will be able to enter. This means there is up to 10 seconds between now and the closing of the forcefield. He secretly cuts the deck and consults the impulse of 14. He now knows the aperture will remain open until the 14th impulse (during the 4th step). Of course, the Crew has no idea...

Because combat time simulates approximately 10 seconds of time in 54 impulses, each impulse is approximately .19 seconds. If knowing exactly when something will occur is necessary, the impulses can be used to extrapolate.

Surprise

Most beings don’t just whip out their pistols and start blazing away when some tentacled baddie comes jumping out of the black of space at them. They usually just fumble with their vocabulary until their training kicks in and motivates some action (which just might be drawing the aforementioned pistol).

Anytime there's a good chance your character might be surprised, the Master is going to ask you to make a Bravery check. The difficulty is Standard (5) if your character's expecting some sort of danger- lncredible (11) if he's not. If you don’t make the roll, you don’t get any cards, and your character can’t act that round. He can act normally in the next round as long as he makes an Easy (3) bravery check.

Ismail steps out of the airlock a few seconds before Allison. Her first instinct is always to keep her crew safe, especially Allison, the youngest crew member. She is very wary of danger. When a stream of bugs come barreling out of the ruins, she (and Allison) need to make Bravery checks at difficulty 5.

Actions

Once all players declare they are ready, the Master will begin counting steps down from 14. When he calls the step number of an action card in your hand, you can take one action. When one of your cards is called, flip it over and tell the Master what your character is attempting to do. Until then, you have to wait until one of your cards is called to take an action. The Master will reveal his cards after all players have had a chance to declare they will be taking an action (but before players declare what those actions are).

Compare fragments (lower left corner) to break ties with other characters who have the same step. Since the Master shares an Action Deck with the Crew, it's not possible for each side to have an action on the same step and fragment.

Rushing

Sometimes a Hero may wish to perform an action very quickly, more quickly than their cards initially allow. In this situation, the player may declare a rush. When the Master calls a step, declare your intent to take an action and show your card and indicate you will be rushing this action. Compare the step on your card to the step where the action is attempted and shift the row of the TN up a number of times equal to the difference. Once the top row is reached, shift left. A rush may not take an action before what would make the task I-1.

Kayla Argent knows agents of Benjamin Hadaad are coming up the stairs behind her, so she needs to use her grapple to swing across the space between the hangars. The Master declares combat time and she checks her IV-3 Reflexes, getting pathetic results of 3, 4 and 4. She draws 2 cards, step 7 and 5. She knows if they engage her at all, they will use their stun rods and she will not likely escape. When she declares she is ready, the Master calls 14, then 13, then 12. Rumi, her player, thinks to herself that she cannot take much more risk, and when the Master calls 11 she declares her intent to take an action, and reveals her step 7. Swinging across on the grapple is a Dexterity test, and she has IV-2. With a difference of 4, her test is shifted all the way to I-1. She had better draw well...

When attempting to rush, even standard actions that normally do not require a test or check, require one. Failure means a trip or other hesitation, causing your action to take place two steps after your card. Rush tests for normal actions are standard (5) difficulty.

Note that rushing does not change the fragment, so you may not rush to go ahead of someone with the same card. Also, you may not declare a rush after another action is declared. Players will declare their intent to rush before the Master reveals if they have a card in that step. Conversely, the Master will declare a rush for an enemy character as he calls the next step (so he does not have foreknowledge of player cards).

Action Speed

Each action card your Hero holds is one potential action. Some activities can be completed in a single action, others require multiple actions to complete. Normal actions such as drawing a weapon, or performing a psychological contest have an action speed of 1. The action speed tells you the number of cards it takes to resolve an action. How many cards you have depends on your Reflex roll (see above).

Each action is roughly 5 seconds long (unless you get that 14). Performing an action is more than the net time it takes to complete once started, it also entails preparation and finding the right opportunity to act.

Actions and equipment also have action speeds. If the action speed is 1 and the character is using a weapon, he can fire up to its "rate of fire" once per card. An action speed of 2 or higher means that the character's action is a little slower. He needs to spend and hold Action Cards to prepare, aim, or otherwise get ready for his attack. Lay these cards aside to help you keep count. They're spent whenever they come up and can’t be reused. Once you've spent enough of these to prepare your character's action, you can use the final card to resolve it. If the deck gets shuffled while you're preparing an action, make sure any cards you're holding to prepare an action get shuffled back in the Action Deck. Use counters to keep track of how many actions you've already spent preparing. A good way to do this is with a d6 or any other easy-to-read die.

Leonid Kovnachuk (Chuk) is covering his comrades with his blast MMG. He is wearing a harness, so the weapon has an action speed of 2. After hearing an unnerving clacking sound, he raises his weapon toward the hallway just in time to see an approaching Klackon warrior. The Master declares combat time, and Chuk rolls an 8 on his Reflex check. He draws three cards and selects steps 10 and 6. On 10 he raises his MMG and starts to aim. On 9 the Klackon warrior dashes forward toward him, almost closing the distance. Chuk will not be able to fire until 6 (this MMG is heavy!). Will the warrior arrive before he fires? The Master calls out 8. We will know soon enough...

Simple & Complex Actions

A Hero can perform a simple action together with any complex actions. A simple action is one that doesn’t require much concentration, such as talking, resisting a psychological contest, or moving. A more complex action, such as drawing a weapon or starting a psychological contest, requires an Action Card (or appropriate check, Master’s discretion). Extended actions require multiple action cards.

Below are a few examples of what are considered simple, complex and extended actions:

Simple: Talking, moving, resisting a psychological contest.
Complex: Drawing a new weapon, making a stun check, initiating a psychological contest, reloading a weapon, any kind of movement that requires a skill roll.
Extended: Programming a computer, building a shelter, preparing a meal

Waiting

Sometimes you might want to wait until some hero or extra does something before you take your action. Say you know some bug-eyed alien is about to come through a door, and you want to wait and blast a hole in it when it does.

The way to do this is by waiting and keeping a single card in reserve. When the card you want to reserve would normally be played, tell the Master you're going to reserve it instead and place it face down and set it aside. You can only ever have one card reserved (unless you are preparing an extended action or a complex action with a speed greater than 2, see below).

Anytime you want to play the reserved card, including earlier than normal in the next round, reveal it to the Master, take your action, and discard it.

If you want to interrupt someone else's action with a reserved card, like when the beastie comes crashing through the door, you have to beat it in an opposed Reflex contest. The winner gets to resolve his action first. Reserve cards are not guarantees!

You can hold your reserved card over several rounds if you like. You have to flush it when you resolve another action card, you draw a card marked “DISCARD” (see below), or an opponent forces you to discard through a psychological contest (see below).

If you have a card reserved you may choose to forgo the initiative test each round to hold it. The drawback is, once you play your card, it’s your only action that round. Of course, there is no chance of triggering a discard…

If you choose to draw, when any of your cards come up you must either take an action (discarding the reserved card and using the current card) or discard the current card.

Extended Actions

Sometimes, a Hero will wish to accomplish something that takes more than a few seconds during a combat. Maybe he needs to assemble a radio, translate a Forerunner manuscript or place an explosive charge. In this case, the Master will assign an action speed to the action. This is the number of cards that must be played to complete the action. In some cases, the preparation must all be done consecutively without interruption, in others preparation may be done in chunks as desired. This determination is up to the Master.

When attempting to use a reserved card to perform an extended action, use the following procedure. When it is your turn to take an action, inform the Master that you are preparing, and describe specifically how you wish to perform the action when it resolves. This may include waiting for a set of circumstances to occur. The Master will tell you how many cards this will require. When it is your turn, place your card to the side like you would with any other speed 2+ action (create a preparation stack). Continue doing this until your trigger condition occurs (if this happens before you have fully prepared, your action is not ready and could be disrupted) or you have enough cards to fully perform your action. If it is the latter case, tell the Master you are placing your final card in reserve, awaiting your described contingency. When the desired situation arises, resolve your prepared action. Preparing extended actions does not forgo drawing new cards each round, however, if you have fully prepared and are holding a reserve card, this does.

While Chuk waylays the approaching klackons, Frost must set the explosive charge necessary to destroy the hall and collapse the cavern. However, she does not want to trap Chuk below, so once the preparation is in place, she will give a signal and Chuk will fall back. Once he has escaped the tunnel, Frost will trigger the explosion and they can make their getaway. The Master declares that it will take 30 seconds (6 cards) to prepare and set the explosive charge.

Meanwhile, Chuk is creating havoc with his blast MMG. One klackon proves extremely resilient and takes multiple bursts to fell, before Chuk can react another klackon warrior is able to close the distance and attack. The klackon smartly chooses to target the MMG, and renders it inoperable. Chuk is heavily disadvantaged in an unarmed combat versus a klackon warrior while encumbered with a harness and MMG (and a useless one at that), so he decides he needs to fall back on his action. By this time Frost has prepared 5 cards toward placing the charge, her next action will allow her to wait for Chuk to pass and then blow the tunnel.

Special Cards

Cards marked BONUS or DISCARD are Special cards and can never be reserved. As you might have guessed, drawing one also has other effects. The bonus allows your character to go at any time during the round without having to make a second Reflex check to interrupt another character's action. In other words, you can always go first (even after hearing what the opponent wishes to do!). It also allows you to hold an extra action this round, as mentioned previously.

The discard is bad news. It means your character hesitates for some reason. Maybe he's starting to feel his wounds or he's distracted by the bad guys. Whatever the reason, the card doesn’t count as an action, and you have to discard your highest other action card along with it. If you have a reserve card, it's considered the highest. If you are in the midst of preparing an extended action, one of your preparation cards is also discarded (unless you already discarded a reserve card).

Whenever any special card is drawn, reshuffle the deck after the round. These cards are marked SHUFFLE on the lower edge to remind you.

Ranged Combat

Say what you will about violence, but a great many see a tabletop RPG as an opportunity to turn some scheming villain’s head into space goo. ln simple terms, all you need to do is figure out your Task Number and draw a card. If the result shown in the appropriate row and column is equal or higher than the TN, you've hit. Virtually all combats are tasks.

While you're reading this part, remember that you should figure out all the modifiers for the Master instead of making him do it all for you. That frees him up to interpret the results in grisly detail and keep all the bad guys and their modifiers straight. Take a couple seconds to consider before you draw, once the card is revealed, no further adjustments can be made to the task. Know what is happening before you draw!

Weapons

When the situation devolves into violence, the resolution starts with what kind of weapon your Hero is going to use. There are lots of options in the known universe, from black powder muskets to plasma pistols and beyond.

Most weapon groups have their own classification. See the descriptions and skill list for an explanation of what works where. Whichever weapon your Hero uses, that's the kind of shooting specialization he needs. If he doesn’t have it, he can use his Dexterity instead, but since this is a "default" roll, you must halve the total (round down).

If your character has a related specialization, such as laser pistol when he is trained with blasters, you can use it, subtracting 2 from the result (see chapter XX).

Rate of fire

A Hero can fire up to his weapon’s "rate of fire" each action. Most weapons have a rate of fire of 1 on selective fire. You need several actions to spray a room full of henchmen in the same round. Weapons on automatic fire can instead fire bursts.

The Attack

A ranged attack is a Dexterity Task with modifiers based on the situation. Some factors that may come to bear in combats across the known (or unknown) universe, are range, target size, movement and other distractions. Those potential modifiers are discussed below. Here is where Action Cards really shine. A single card draw can determine whether an attack hits, the number of hits from a burst, the damage, the hit location and, in extreme circumstances, whether an unintended target is hit.

Range

The Task Number required is Fair (5) plus any relevant modifiers. To find the range, count the number of meters between the shooter and the target and then divide it by the weapon’s Range Increment, rounding down. The number you get is added to Fair (5) to get the base TN of the shot. See the gear section for any applicable range increments or other vital details regarding weaponry.

Now that you've got your base TN, you may need to add or subtract a couple of modifiers to your shooting roll. These things come up often in a firefight, so be sure to keep track of them. The universe is full of the unknown. When something unexpected happens, the Master will let you know the appropriate modifiers.

It's a lot harder to hit a target when you're on the move. Any action in which a Hero runs (exceeds his movement for the action), he suffers a -4 penalty to all other actions he might try to do during that action (like blasting whatever's chasing him).

Target Size

If the target has a size 3 or less (1/2 human size), add 1 to the TN. If it's two or less, add 2, and so on, to a maximum of -6 (increments at .5, .25 etc). The opposite is also true. A target that is size 12 gives the character a +1 bonus to his result, a target size 18 has a +2 modifier, and so on, up to a maximum of +6.

Target Speed

Of course, it's harder to hit a moving target than one that's standing still. Any time a target is moving faster than a relative Rate of 20, subtract 4 from your roll. "Relative" means you need to take into account how fast the target and the shooter are moving in relation to each other. If a rider is chasing a cyclist moving at an equal speed, for instance, the penalty for speed is halved.

Area Effect Weapons

Area effect weapons like shotguns and grenades work a little differently than most weapons. The benefit of either is that one shot releases multiple projectiles. This makes them ideal for unskilled shooters, since they can make up for their lack of skill by filling the air with metal. Even better, the closer the shooter is to his target, the more projectiles are likely to hit and the more damage they can cause.

Anyone firing an AE weapon shifts his damage down a number of rows as listed in the AE column in the weapon description. Subtract one bonus shift every 10 meters after the first. So at 1-10 meters a shotgun shifts 4 rows. At 11-20 it shifts 3, and so on.

Shotguns get a shooting bonus in an inverse fashion. In other words, the shooting roll receives AE-(number of bonus damage dice) in bonus to the result. The projectiles need room to spread, and that spread inherently reduces the number and force of the projectiles impacting the target.

Kayla Argent’s creeping through a spaceport when a gelatinous alien rises up just under 20 meters away. Having only a double barreled shotgun, she unloads both barrels at the thing. At this range, she gets a +1 bonus to shooting, however, each shot that hits adds 3 bonus row shifts to the damage result. The alien thing is likely to be splattered unceremoniously all over the bulkhead.

Automatic Weapons

Automatic weapons fire looses several rounds at once at the expense of precision. When a character chooses to fire an automatic weapon, he usually may choose to fire a burst. The Number of rounds in the burst are listed on the appropriate Weapon Table, Chapter XX. The Action Card determines how many of the rounds hit, and where. Consult the burst section of the Action Card for number of hits, locations are listed directly above in the location section. The first round hits the standard location (rounded box), the 2nd hits one bump up, the third one bump down, and the fourth two bumps up. If more rounds hit, start the process over.

If the gunner wants to fire at multiple targets, he needs to decide how many shots each target gets, and then he splits his skill among them. Each target is resolved as a separate test. A gunner can never aim or make called shots when firing on automatic (see Special Maneuvers). Each extra target after the first adds two to the TN.

Hrulfgarr is guarding a hovercar running through Antares City when a band of pirates on cycles moves in for the kill. He opens fire with the blaster mounted on the roof. His shooting: Heavy Blasters result is a 12, versus the TN is 6 because of range and speed. That's a success and a bump, so he checks the burst section of the card and hits with 2 shots.

Automatic weapons may have the suppression attribute. Weapons with this attribute are especially effective at providing covering fire. They are also more likely to hit unintended targets (see below).

To perform a covering fire action, declare your intention to the Master and indicate the area and number of rounds that will be expended (selective fire, 3 round burst, 5 round burst or 10 round burst). Covering fire may be utilized in an area <size>, or <size> if the weapon has the suppression attribute.

Whenever a target enters the area during the covering fire, draw an action card and check for hits as if the trait and skill of the firer were equal to the fire volume (selective fire equals 1, three round burst 2, etc). Be sure to check for unintended targets as well! The area is considered covered until the firer takes a different action or all rounds have found targets.

Explosives

Explosions can be very dangerous. Explosives deal damage based on column like other weapons, but it can vary by distance. Closer to the epicenter is more dangerous. Every 10 meters from the detonation point shifts the damage one column left.

A hero that is up to 3 meters away from an explosion would take regular damage. The damage at 4-10 meters (or as weapon type indicates) reduced damage. Targets that take no damage because of distance may still suffer temporary deafness or other effects as determined by the Master. Armored targets take reduced damage within initial the blast radius, and no damage outside.

Wounds received from explosives still have locations, but do no extra damage because of it. Explosive damage to the head is equivalent to that dealt to the arm.

Special Maneuvers

Heroes use all kinds of tricks and techniques to make sure they succeed where lesser individuals might fail. What follows are some of the little advantages that Heroes may use to garner a leg up on the competition.

Called Shots

Thick shelled klackons often do not fall even after multiple hits. Luckily, there is a weak spot near the eye stalks. Hitting a specific spot on your target is a "called shot”, and of course, it comes with a penalty. The smaller the target, the bigger the penalty. The table below is for targeting humans and other bipedal creatures, but it should give you an idea for blasting anything in the galaxy.

Aiming

Each ranged weapon has an Aim value, expressed as x/y. The first number is the number of combat steps to perform an aim action, as described below. It is also the bonus the weapon receives for each action spent aiming after the first. A weapon may receive the Aim bonus twice. The number after the slash is the to-hit penalty the weapon receives when it is not aimed, as well as the initiative penalty. Taking an Aim action does not cause a Hero to lose a reserve card.

A Tech 8 Blast pistol has an Aim value of 1/-1, while a Tech 8 Blast rifle has 2/-3. Antares Darkeye can fire his blast pistol unaimed at a penalty of 1, while Harry Greenhill is penalized 3 when firing his blast rifle unaimed.

Game Designers Note: In many RPGs there is a tendency for characters to be overly specialized, especially in the case of weaponry. Intrepid players peruse the weapon lists for the one that does the most damage, has the highest accuracy bonus, or has some other desirable quality. In most cases with ranged combat, this is a rifle, often a heavy one. Every combat, no matter whether in an open field or in an elevator shaft involves the hero toting this heavy rifle along for the ride. And why not, they have no skill in any other weapon! This is counter to how things work in the real world (while gaming is not the real world, some level of believability is desired). In many types of operation, a smaller, lighter weapon such as a handgun would be of great advantage due to the increased maneuverability and ease of aim. These aim rules attempt to incentivize “the right tool for the job”. In close quarters, where the range is unlikely to be outside of 10 meters, the speed and lack of large unaimed penalty of handguns should make them an attractive option. In the end, what this leads to is not only more fun and challenging combats, but also more well-rounded characters.

Procedure

To aim, place down your initiative card and declare your intention and target on your turn. Each time a step is counted down, place one aim marker on your initiative card. When counters equal to the Aim value of your weapon exist on top of your card, you have completed your aim action and are eligible for your next shot to be aimed. If your next action comes during your aim time, you may place that card in reserve and use it any time after the aim is completed (as soon as the next fragment). Aim actions may be completed over multiple rounds (as long as the appropriate steps have passed), and a completed aim may be held over to the next round. Up to 3 aim actions may be completed in a row (one to cancel the penalty, two for bonus). If any other action is attempted by the Hero (or if they are defeated in a Psychological Contest), they lose all aim counters (as well as any reserve cards!) and must begin again.

If the target attempts to move before the completed aim, and the firer has a reserve card, the attacker may choose to immediately attempt the fire action. The firer may attempt an opposed Reflex task against the target. If the shooter wins, he may immediately attempt the shot. Consult the number of tokens on the initiative card. If they are equal or greater than the aim number, resolve the shot as aimed, otherwise the shot is unaimed.

The shooter may instead choose to hold the aim and follow the target. In this case, after each meter the target moves the shooter may interrupt and make his shot, assuming the target is still visible (or the shooter doesn't mind trying to blow through the intervening cover).

Harry finds himself face to face with an oversized alien bug barreling down the corridor toward him. He knows he only has one shot left in his blast rifle, so he needs to make it count. When the Master calls out 12 he declares his intention to aim. A blast rifle has an aim value of 2/-3, so aiming for 2 steps will cancel the -3 penalty, while 4 steps will grant a bonus of 2.

On step 10, Harry places a card in reserve. He will now be able to fire immediately when the aim action completes at 8. All is going to plan. However, on step 9 the bug closes half the distance and the Master declares its intention to move, potentially taking him out of his field of fire (he is now adjacent to a corridor). Harry checks his counters and notes he has three on his card, so he can fire now without penalty. He squeezes off a round. The range is close for a blast rifle, so the TN is 5. He draws an action card (Impulse 1) and checks the III-3 column result, a 7, a hit!

Now he must check his III-2 Reflex versus the bug’s IV-1. The bug scores a lowly 1, making Harry lucky because his result is only 4. Too bad Mr. bug, you are hit before you can get down that corridor! Splat.

Two Weapons

A Hero using weapons in each hand suffers -2 to each attack. Any action taken with an off hand is made at an additional -4 (for a total of -6). A hero can fire with each hand up to the weapons’ usual rate of fire. Each shot is a separate task.

Two handed ranged weapons

Generally speaking, you need two hands to operate a rifle, but it can be done with one. Subtract 2 from any one-handed rifle (or any other two handed ranged weapon) attack. For larger weapons, be sure to consult the weight of the weapon and the Strength of the user. It is even possible to use two rifles at once, but don’t forget about the penalties mentioned above.

Some types of ranged weapons are even more difficult to handle than that. These are generally support weapons, but can be used with the assistance of a harness, tripod or by sufficiently strong individuals. Ranged weapons with listed strength minimums can be used with a speed and accuracy penalty described in the gear section, Chapter XX.

Reloading

Ammo is expendable, and running out makes your Hero expendable as well. It takes one action to put a single bullet into a pistol or rifle, or a single shell in a shotgun or grenade launcher. To swap the magazine in a handgun or rifle requires one action to remove the old and one to insert the new. Of course, you can always try speed- loading to accomplish this faster. See speed-load in Chapter XX.

Heavy weapons are a different animal altogether, and each has a Reload attribute listed on the Weapons table. This attribute is the amount of actions it takes to reload the weapon. Consult the description of each individual weapon for more detail as to the procedure. Primitive black powder and muzzle-loading weapons take forever to reload. Five actions at least, and they can never be speed-loaded.

Throwing Things

The throwing skill works just like shooting for most weapons. The Range Increment for all thrown weapons is +1/(Strength value + 2), so a III-2 Strength would add +1 to the base TN of Fair (5) for every 5 meters distance. A target at 10 meters is TN 7. The maximum range a character can throw an average size weapon (1-2 pounds) is his Strength trait value x 5 meters.

Kayla’s Strength of II-3 lets her heave a plasma grenade 30 meters, with a TN of 13.

When a thrown item is not accurately placed, it has to go somewhere. In the case of explosives this could be very important, indeed. Consult the clock face in the bottom right of the Action Card, placing the target in the middle and the 6 directly back toward the shooter/thrower. Scatter the projectile a number of meters equal to the step of the card plus the amount the test failed by, up to a maximum of the distance thrown. The Master should use judgment (and creativity!) in scattering when large distances are indicated. A grenade thrown with enough force to fly 15 meters is unlikely to scatter 45 meters. That is, unless it hits a pole and bounces off a ledge and into the bed of a passing pickup truck, then explodes 45 meters later! If a thrower critically fails, scatter the projectile from the thrower instead.

Unintended Targets

Sometimes it is necessary to know if a missed shot could hit someone near or along the path of the shot. If a bystander is a meter or so from the target and directly between it and the shooter the hit location entry on the Action Card can be used directly. If the bystander was covering up the part of the target that was hit, he gets hit instead. You have to figure out where the bystander gets hit based on the situation or another card draw (usually the generated hit location will suffice, depending on the relative sizes of the individuals).

When any number of fired projectiles miss the intended target, they may potentially hit someone unintended. Any individual within 1 meter of the path of the projectile may be hit (2 meters for weapons with the suppression attribute). If this situation exists, the Master should inform the player before the card draw. All eligible targets should be declared, in order of preference. Check the bystanders located on the right edge of the Action Card. If there is an x over that bystander, and fired projectiles exist without already finding targets, that bystander is hit. Each unintended target may be hit no more than once.

Chuk is still lugging that blast MMG around, but now he has it reloaded. Just in time, it seems, for he hears that familiar and unnerving crackling sound that indicates oncoming klackon warriors to his left. He takes a few steps back and looks down the corridor and his eyes widen with shock. At least 10 warriors are bearing down on his position, but running in front of them are Harold Funkhauser and Johan Hemsler.

Chuk doesn't have time for precision, knowing the hardiness of the klackon warriors he estimates he barely has time to thin them out before they reach his position, so he has to risk the shot. The Master declares Funkhouser to be the most likely unintended target, while Hemsler is second. But the bonus is, the remaining 8 potential targets (besides the one in his sights) will all be klackon warriors! He grumbles a throaty "Sorry, boys", and lays down a withering blaster bolt stream.

Chuk has 3 levels in Shooting: Heavy Weapons, Blasters, and a III Dexterity. Given the desperate nature of the situation he does not have time to aim. When his first card comes up, he squeezes off 10 rounds (blast MMG are full automatic only). At this range, the difficulty is 5. His card is impulse 35, showing 5 in the TN...a hit. Checking the burst section for his weapon, he notes 5 rounds hit the intended klackon warrior.

He just started having a really bad day. The hit locations for those hits are: Left Leg, Belly, Belly, Right Leg and Left Leg. As good as that sounds, 5 projectiles from the burst are unaccounted for. Checking the right edge of the card, he sees that both Funkhouser and Hemsler are safe!

Neither of them seems very happy about it, however, given the scowls they wear conspicuously in Chuk's general direction. No matter, for the next closest klackon, which happens to be right behind Johan, is also hit. Checking the hit locations, this goes to the Belly.

And now for the damage section. Blast MMG does 4(2) damage, for 18. Klackons have a size of 7, dealing 2 wounds to each target in each location. The Blarad thinks to himself, well worth the risk, though his crew mates might not share his assessment.

Melee Combat

Making fighting skill rolls is a lot like making shooting rolls. First figure out the specialization that matches the weapon. Some basic fighting concentrations are knives, swords, stunrods, and brawling. The last one, brawling also covers clubs, hammers, brass knuckles and the like, as well as improvised weapons.

The Task Number of the attack is Fair (5) plus the opponent's fighting skill for whatever weapon is currently in his hand. A Hero gets his fighting: brawling skill if he is empty-handed or has some sort of "club" in his hand-like a bottle or even a pistol, martial arts works empty handed or as appropriately armed (such as with fencing). As with shooting maneuvers, an attacker can make "called shots" (see page XX).

Antares is a rough and tumble kind of guy, but this is not always evident at first glance. A drunken canine looking for a fight in the spaceport on Rigel III happens to find his casual sneer annoying. Antares obliges the drunkard by punching him square in the face. Since the hero is using his fists, he adds the target's fighting: Brawling of 2 to the TN of 5, making it 7.

Weapon Speed

Most hand-to-hand weapons have a Speed of 1, so each action lets the wielder attempt an attack. A few weapons are really slow and have a Speed of 2. These take an action to ready before they can strike.

If a character has a weapon in each hand he can make two attacks during one action. Each of these are rolled separately with a penalty of -2 to each attack. The off-hand attack takes an additional -4 penalty too, so that attack suffers a total -6.

Defensive Bonus

Certain weapons make it hard for an opponent to get in close. An alien with a vibroknife has a hard time burying it in the heart of a marine with a laser sword. The reach advantage of certain weapons is its Defensive Bonus (DB).

The Defensive Bonus is applied directly to the attacker's TN for the fighting task. See Chapter XX for details about each weapon’s bonuses. If one combatant has a greater Size than the other, he may add the size difference to his Defensive Bonus. So a human (size 6) with a sword (DB 1) has a relative DB of 0 versus an Ursoid (size 7) who is unarmed.

Sometimes a weapon’s length can be a detriment. Instead of doing damage, an attacker can designate a Close maneuver. The TN is a standard attack roll, modified as above. The attacker must be wielding a weapon that is shorter than the defender's weapon, or be unarmed. If successful, the attacker has gotten in so close that the longer weapon cannot be effectively used. The Defensive Bonus of the longer weapon now becomes a penalty, and they may no longer add their strength to any damage dealt. To regain their previous position, the wielder of the longer weapon must generate some distance. This is done exactly as the Close maneuver, with the Defensive Bonus penalty still applying. Alternatively, the wielder may choose to attack with his off hand or use some other kind of attack.

While wandering the back alleys of Centauri City, Hrulfgarr gets himself on the wrong side of a conversation with a local constable. The constable takes offense, and draws his powered truncheon (DB 1). Hrulfgarr was just out for a stroll, and while he has his trusty blast pistol, he does not envision a murder charge in his future, so he raises his fists and prepares for the worst. The constable reacts first, and jabs at him with the electrified end of his truncheon. Hrulfgarr is an accomplished brawler (Fighting: Brawl 3), so the constable has a TN of 8 (5+3). He resolves his task for a result of 5, a miss. Hrulfgarr sees the crackle of the business end of that club, and knows he needs to avoid it at all costs, so he decides to make a close maneuver, where his brawling will be at an advantage. His TN is 8 (5+2, plus 1 for weapon DB). Luckily, his task generates an 8, so he and closes the distance. Now he can attack with a TN of 7, while his opponent will attack at 9. Additionally, no Strength will be added to hits against Hrulfgarr.

Entanglement

Instead of doing brawling damage some weapons can be used to entangle and/or trip a target. Doing either is an opposed task of the attacker's appropriate fighting skill versus the opponent's Dexterity (and potentially dodge is the Master deems it applicable. A Hero can break an entanglement by exceeding the TN listed on the weapon table with a Strength check. If the weapon is listed as fragile, it would be broken by this (such as with a lariat or simple net). Otherwise, he has to just plain wriggle his way out of it. This is an opposed Dexterity task versus the attacker's skill with the weapon.

The Master should feel free to apply bonuses and penalties according to the situation. Obviously, if your entangled Hero is being dragged behind a hovercycle, it's going to be a bit tougher to break free than it might normally be. Don't forget to help the Master by suggesting appropriate bonuses and penalties for the situation.

Defense

When getting hit is not an acceptable option, an "active defense" could be the best action. To initiate an active defense, declare your intention to do so and discard your highest remaining action card. If you have a card in reserve, that is your highest. Otherwise, this is the only time an Action Card lets you act before it's your turn (without rushing). The Master will inform you if a preparation stack is retained or lost when making an active defense, depending on the situation.

The TN for the opponent to hit you is now the greater of either his normal TN or an opposed Fighting/Dodge check. You can’t spend any more Story Chips on your roll once the bad guy starts his attack roll, however. Make this check once and keep it as your defense until your next action.

An active defense is just that: active. This means that there must be real movement, such as jumping behind cover or throwing himself to the ground for a dodge, or for a combat action (check), retreating at least 1 meter. Otherwise, subtract 4 from his roll.

Of course, if you've got a card in reserve, that can be used to run away instead. When someone levels their weapon at you, declare your intention and make the opposed Reflexes check as normal. It is just a move, however, so be sure to have something to hide behind, or you're just increasing the range.

Hit Locations

After consulting the action card to determine whether you hit, and how well, the next step is to determine where. In the upper left hand corner of the card is a section with four rectangles. In each of these rectangles is a hit location. The standard hit location is the one has rounded corners. Always begin there when determining location. Hit locations can be bumped with skill.

The hit location on the cards work best with humanoids and things that like to think they're human, but it can also be used for aliens with a little jury rigging. The Master may use a special chart for really weird aliens, but this one works most of the time.

Vitals are all the target's vital parts, by the way, like the all-important groin, the heart, lungs, liver, and all those other messy parts the body needs to keep walking and talking. Consider it a part of the torso when applying wounds and wound modifiers.

Modifiers (Mandatory) +1 bump When punching or using attacks with the punch attribute
+1 bump height advantage when fighting
+1 bump Point-blank range when firing a weapon

Modifiers (Optional) +/-1 bump per attack roll bump (choose direction)

Bumping

Every bump on an attack test lets the shooter adjust his hit location. Consult the action card and shift up or down. This way a really good shooter is more likely to get a killing blow to the body or head areas, or otherwise hit their intended location. Using the location bump is optional.

Point Blank

Point-blank range is used when one character is holding a weapon on another, using him like a shield, holding him hostage, or shooting over a table where they both sit. In general, the weapon should be close enough to touch the target with arms extended. The point blank bump is not optional.

Prone Targets

A Hero laying down is much harder to hit with a ranged attack than an alien standing up in the middle of a street. When you make a successful attack test against a prone target, check hit location normally. Unless the result has the prone attribute, it's a miss (assuming this is from the front, of course, adjust accordingly based on facing). This adjustment is counteracted when standing adjacent to the prone target. If the firer is within 2 meters of the target, ignore this rule.

Cover

Using cover is one of the most important things a hero can do to save his skin. A Hero who stands out in the open might inspire song, but they'll probably be sung posthumously. Once you know where an attack has hit the target, you need to take into account any cover the target might have there. The hit location table is all set up to help you out. If the hit location is a character's left arm and he's leaning around a corner to fire with his right, the bullet is going to hit the corner.

The table is even broken up into chest and belly, so if your character is behind a bar and a shot hits his belly, you know it's probably going into the table instead. That's why it's important you tell the Master exactly what your character is doing, so he can figure out if the hero should get the benefits of cover or not.

Cover penetration

Cover does two things to an attack: it may deflect it or it may reduce some portion of its inertia (which is what ends up causing the damage in the end). Let's cover the first bit first.

When an attack hits some kind of cover, consult the penetration value of the weapon and the appropriate section of the action card. If the penetration value is greater, use the result in the upper right. If it is equal or one less, use the value in the center. If it is 2 or more less, use the bottom left value. If the Penetration value is 5 or more less than the armor value, the shot is cannot penetrate. Treat P or A results as an armor ablation, but deal no damage to the target.

D: Deflect, no damage is dealt.
A: Ablate, deal reduced damage and decrement the armor value by 1 until repaired.
P: Penetrate, deal full damage to the target and decrement the armor value if the toggle result is YES.

Damage

Weapon damage is grouped by similar effectiveness. The weapon charts show two damage values for each weapon. The standard damage is dealt if the target is unarmored or a P result is shown on the card. The reduced damage column is what is dealt on an A result.

Tech Level

People have been getting killed by knives and muskets for hundreds of years. In the future, these weapons will remain just as deadly. What sets a Brown Bess apart from a blast rifle is Tech Level (TL). The nuances of TL will be discussed in Chapter: XX, Gear. Generally, either will kill an unarmored Hero just fine, but higher tech weapons are lighter, faster, more accurate, more efficient and, more importantly (in game mechanics), better at penetrating impeding obstacles.

Penetration Number

Weapons will have a Penetration Number assigned. Once a hit has been scored, compare the PN to the AV and follow the procedure outlined in Cover Penetration. Strength also has a PN equal to the column.

Armor

When bullets, knives, or anything else encounter an obstacle, they lose some of their energy. The thicker and tougher the obstacle, the more damage is absorbed. Obstacles have an Armor Value (AV).

Armor stops fighting attacks as well. Fighting damage uses a character's Strength Trait total plus the weapon’s damage. If the character has a Strength value equal to or higher than the PN of the weapon, one level of AV can be ignored. Penetration is figured exactly the same as with ranged weapons otherwise.

Unarmed characters halve the PN of their strength versus foes in rigid armor. An animal with natural weapons, such as a tiger, will have a weapon entry for this (as well as a PN). The table below lists some obstacles and their Armor levels. We've also listed the most common type of die each level stops for convenience.

Cover

If you can see any part of your target, it isn’t fully concealed. If somebody's head is sticking out of a crawlspace, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out where the rest of his body is (assuming a standard anatomy, of course). Partial concealment doesn’t modify an attack roll, since you can usually figure out where the whole target is (however, the cover does count as armor). If a target is completely concealed but an attacker knows about where the target is (even a general direction), he can attack at -4.

Rolling damage

Every weapon in Future Imperfect has a listing for "damage" as well as "red dmg". These will be listed like 2(2), where the first integer is the column, and the second is the row. Whenever a character is hit in the vitals, you can add 1 to the row, head adds 2 to the row.

Firearms have fixed damage, such as 2(3) (for a Sonic Protein Disruptor, for example). For every full multiple of your target's Size you do in damage, your attack causes one wound. Any leftover damage is dealt in CT. Most humans have a Size of 6, but aliens vary considerably. The target takes the wound(s) in the area shown in the Hit Location section of the Action Card.

Kayla Argent is surprised by a GPR agent that has been stalking her through the spaceport. He attempts to engage her in melee combat, but she is wary and avoids his force katana. She draws her blast pistol and slags him in the belly with it. Blast pistol has a damage of 2(4), so consulting her action card (45), she notes a 26 in the damage area. The GPR agent is human, size 6. Therefore he takes 4 wounds and 2 CT. Probably not the best day he has ever had...

Other Damage Effects

Some weapons are effective at dealing differing kinds of damage. These weapons will have special attributes, such as Stun or Fire. Stun damage is referenced exactly like other damage, except the target is dealt no wounds. He suffers stun effects (see below) as if the full damage had been dealt, and incurs CT as if the attack had been a (non-lethal) hand to hand attack. Fire damage deals damage normally and, in addition, may set the target on fire. If the toggle on the card reads YES, the target is subject to the fire rules, above.

Melee and Hand to hand damage

When a hand to hand weapon hits, consult the weapon table for the damage the weapon does. If the wielder has a Strength column plus row equal to or greater than the weapon, he may shift one row down.

Hrulfgarr uses his vibro knife to impale a Mertun pirate. He has a 3(2) Strength and the knife does 2(3) damage. He draws his card (52, for the knife) and gets 7. His 3 column Strength allows him to add 1 to the PN of his weapon, so the pirate's armor is ignored. His Strength column plus row is 5, his weapon also has 5, so he can shift to 2(4) damage. His result is 9, so he deals 1 wound and 3 CT to the Mertun.

Brawling

Certain kinds of attacks, like fighting: brawling, are generally considered non-lethal. Non-lethal combat can still be dangerous. For each 6 points of effect (damage), deal 3 CT. For each 12 points of effect, deal 1 wound. Truncate all fractions.

When the armament is a little heavier, such as a baseball bat or a heavy table, the attacker may choose to deal lethal or non-lethal damage. This choice must be made before drawing Action Cards.

During a brawl in a seedy planetside hangout, Hrulfgarr smashed a bottle over an enemy's head, and drew a card to find the results. In the entry for his strength (3) and brawling (3) he finds 15 points of effect. Since the enemy has a Size of 6, the attack would have done two wounds if it had been made with a deadly weapon. Since it was just a bottle, the hero suffers 6 CT and takes one wound.

Martial Arts

Some types of unarmed fighting are more effective than others. Over the centuries many styles of fighting disciplines have developed in all corners of the galaxy. These rules cover two types of unarmed fighting. The basic rules work just like any other skill task. Draw your card and cross reference as normal. Damage from Martial Arts is like lightly armed in that damage is termed non-lethal (mostly). Advanced hand to hand combat adds a new level of detail to the combat experience, but it is optional. The rules for creating and using martial arts are covered in Chapter: XX Skills.

Wounds

Everyone — Heroes, aliens, and geriatrics alike - can take the same number of wounds in each body part: five. Most heroes can shrug off a wound or two, but more than that is real trouble. The following table describes wound penalties.

Scratches are bruises, shallow but irritating cuts, and muscle strains.
Light wounds are sprains, deep but non threatening cuts, or multiple bruises.
Heavy wounds encompass fractured or broken bones or deep and bloody cuts.
Serious wounds are life-threatening cuts across major arteries, compound fractures, or internal bleeding.

Critical wounds are the worst case scenario. If a character's wounds are critical in torso or head, he's critically injured. This generally means dead, but given the state of advanced medical technology, there may still be hope. Consult the Gear chapter for more information. If a limb becomes critical, it is severed, crushed, burned to a cinder, or otherwise out of action forever (well, depending on the hospital facility, of course).

Risk

One of the most important concepts in Future Imperfect is know your players, and play the game you want to play. Rules are malleable, and we strive to make a system that can work within many sets of constraints that your group may have to ensure the game is fun for them.

Risk is an optional system. Without it, the game is assumed to always be in a state of risk. In other words, Heroes can always die if the appropriate amount of damage is dealt. If, however, your group feels that true heroes will never die in an unimportant circumstance, then the risk system is made for you and your Crew.

When using the optional risk system, any wound that would be critical in the head or torso is instead treated as a serious wound and the Hero is out of action for the remainder of the scene. The Hero should devise or accept some kind of complication (permanent or temporary) related to the situation, and the player and Master should describe how the situation resolves itself.

During any combat scene (the Master has the final say on which scenes qualify) a player may designate that his Hero will risk death. This declaration must be made during (or very near, Master discretion) the first round of combat. A player may make this declaration no more than once per session. At the conclusion of the session the Hero (if he survived, of course) is awarded one extra experience point.

This goes without saying, that if you choose to risk death with your Hero, advanced technology cannot save you. The combat may be taking place inside a major trauma center, but if you declare the risk, then for some reason your character cannot be saved by any means once that final wound is taken.

Wound Markers

Damage is tracked in six locations: head, torso (includes belly, chest and vitals), right arm, left arm, left leg, and right leg. A specially designed character sheet is available in this book. Colored clips can be used to track wounds effectively.

Wounds are only added together when they're taken in the same location. For instance, a character who takes a light wound to the right arm in one round and another light wound in the same arm later would then have a serious wound in that arm. If a character takes a light wound to the head and then takes a heavy wound to his leg, they aren’t added together.

A character can’t be killed by wounds to the arms or legs. He can take enough Concussion (see below) to put himself out of action, but he can’t die until he bleeds to death or someone plugs him in the head or torso. Only a hit to the head or torso will spell the end.

Wound Modifiers

Wounds are a terrible burden. Shock distorts senses, pain distracts concentration, and damage to arms and legs make holding things and movement of any type nearly unbearable. All of this is manifested with die roll penalties based on the highest wound the Hero has been inflicted. Consult the table below for details regarding the magnitude of these penalties. Wound penalties are never subtracted from "effect" totals such as damage or psionics, but they do apply to everything else.

The penalty depends on the highest-level wound your hero has suffered. If he has a light and a serious wound, for instance, subtract the penalty for serious wounds (-3) from all action totals, irrespective of wound location.

Shock might be more than a lingering distraction, it might conspire to cause a Hero to miss an action or two. Whenever a character is dealt damage he must make a Fortitude check, called a Stun check. Wound penalties apply. The TN is listed in the Stun column of the wound penalty table.

Failure causes a character to be stunned until he makes a recovery check. Each round, stunned characters use their action to make recovery check to shake off the stun. Your character needs to make a stun check every time he takes a wound unless he's already stunned. Success, of course, means the character is not affected by Stun.

Recovery

A hero may try to recover from being stunned during any action. This is called a "recovery check", and it takes one entire action. A recovery roll is made just like a stun check, except the difficulty is your highest current wound level. Any character that critically fails a recovery check immediately falls unconscious. The amount of time he stays down is 1d6 hours or until someone makes a Fair (5) medicine roll to wake him up.

Concussed characters might lose consciousness for a few minutes or fall to the ground trying to catch their breath. Every time your character takes a wound he also takes Concussion from sheer fatigue and exhaustion. Concussion is shock, fatigue, and in the case of Wound trauma the time characters shocked from wounds associated with losing bits and pieces of your favorite anatomy.

When a character is reduced to 0 CT or lower he becomes “Concussed”. This doesn’t necessarily mean he’s passed out, but he is otherwise unable to participate in the combat. Concussed characters get no Cards and can’t perform actions except in special circumstances. Concussed characters generally fall by the wayside. Heroes who continue to take CT after they reach zero risk death.

Death

There are lots of ways to expire. The universe is a vast and unforgiving expanse.

Bleeding

Serious damage greatly increases bleeding. Whenever a character takes a heavy wound, he begins bleeding, losing 1 CT per round. Seriously wounded characters bleed 2 CT per round. Critically wounded limbs bleed 3 CT per round. A character reduced to negative his starting CT level by bleeding has bled to death.

Healing

Medical technology varies greatly around the known universe. Consult the description of the appropriate gear, if any is being utilized. Same goes with healing facilities such as hospitals. The following rules assume no equipment or assistance of any kind.

Concussion is easy to get rid of. On a simple (3) medicine roll of any kind (including default), anyone can provide the necessary care to restore all CT in about 2 minutes. Otherwise your hero gets his CT back at the rate of 1 per minute.

Only those skilled in medicine or first aid may attempt to treat real wounds. This attempt may be made up to one hour after an injury. A character with the medicine: general skill can heal light and heavy wounds. Only a doctor with medicine: surgery can heal more severe wounds.

The doctor has to roll once for each wounded area. If successful, the roll reduces the area's wounds by one level. The TN depends on the wound level. Critically injured limbs cannot be healed by normal means, but you can still try to stop the bleeding.

After one hour, a wound can only be healed by time (or certain technologies which we'll get into later). Doctors really can’t do a whole lot for a broken bone that's surrounded by swollen tissue or a gash that's already started to heal on its own without advanced medical facilities or equipment.

A character can try to heal a wound every 5 days by making a Fortitude roll against the same difficulties listed above. If the roll succeeds, the wound improves by one level. Natural healing rolls are made for each area. A character with wounds to an arm and his torso would roll twice, possibly improving the condition of each location by one would level.

Psychological Contests

There is more to besting your foes than yanking triggers and smashing things to oblivion. That's a lot of fun (for some), but sometimes it's even more satisfying to stare down an enemy and send him running back to Proxima Centauri, or trick a savvy extra into thinking some alien's sneaking up on him so you can shoot him in the back.

Bluff, intimidate, and ridicule are psychological contests that can be used to break an opponent's nerve or concentration. Persuasion is also a psychological contest, but it isn’t generally used in combat.

A psychological contest is an opposed test versus one of the target's skills. If the test is being made against a group, use the leader's skill. Initiating a psychological contest is an action. Resisting one is not and is done automatically.

Psychological contests can have additional effects besides just getting the bad guys to do what you want. The number of successes and raises determines the effect of the contest.

All this is summed up on the Psychological Contests Table.

Annoyed

Your character's stern gaze or cruel taunt angers or upsets your opponent. The target suffers -4 to his next action. This includes any "passive" defense skills like fighting or resisting further psychological contests.

Distraught

The target is totally distracted by your hero's jibe, trick, or surly stare. The target is annoyed, and in addition loses his highest Action Card. If he's got a reserve card, he loses that instead.

Broken

You've broken the bad guy's will—for the moment at least. He's annoyed and distraught and you get to draw a Story Chip from the pool.

Simple Psychological Contests

Most opposed social interaction takes place during simple psychological contests. When a smooth-talking spacer attempts to learn valuable secrets from a crafty smuggler he met at a backwoods starport, this is a simple psychological contest. This type of action is much more subtle, and open to more interpretation and roleplaying. Simple psychological contests can be checks or tests, at the Master's discretion.

In a simple psychological contest, the initiator of the test or check compares the die roll or Action Card versus a TN set by the relative skill of the other being. Consult the following table for the appropriate difficulty.

If the target has 3 or more levels in the appropriate skill, add one to the TN.

Stakes

Before initiating any simple test of will, the initiator must make it clear what he is attempting to accomplish. Once both parties understand what is at stake, each has an opportunity to spend chips or otherwise affect the die roll. The Master must be sure that the player knows the potential consequences of each possibility. All declarations of stake are subject to Master approval.

Antares Darkeye wishes to blather the desk sergeant at the local precinct long enough for Harry to sneak past and get into the jailer’s office. He decides he will tell the sergeant a fictional story about a crime he witnessed last evening, and ensure to keep him engaged and unaware of the surroundings. Matt (the player of Antares) declares that if he can win this task, the sergeant is engaged in his story long enough for Harry to get past. If he is able to get a bump, Harry can get in and out without being seen. If Antares fails, however, the sergeant sees through the ruse and maintains his vigilance, noticing Harry before he can get to the jailer’s office.

Players should be encouraged to develop their entire stake scenario. If they have a good and creative set of circumstances the Master should make every effort to accommodate them. If the player does not have a full idea, or if the Master believes the proposed scenario is inappropriate, he should make a counter declaration to the player. The player should not draw until they know the stakes for all likely possibilities. Once the dice are cast, the action is taking place. There is no way to cancel the action, though if another player (or NPC!) wishes to attempt to interrupt, an opposed Reflexes check may be attempted to interrupt, as described in the initiative section.

Game designers note: Most players understand and accept consequences in physical combat. The enemy rolls, they are hit by a specified weapon, the damage is applied: Simple, and without argument. Social combat is another thing entirely. Specify the stakes, such as NPC wants to know where some Hero is hiding. A player may respond, I would not tell them under any circumstances! Yet, a skilled and savvy talker might get the information anyway. They might know when the Hero lies, they could note body language and deduce the truth, there are many possible ways an NPC (or Hero!) could gain information even without cooperation. The stakes are the stakes, and this is not equivalent to losing control of the character, any more than taking damage from a gunshot is. I refuse to take the damage from this blast under any circumstances! Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

The same goes for fear or compulsion. Fire is scary, we know this. Depending on the scope of the game, that might not matter. Players might be free to declare they run into the burning building to look for some dropped item. In a grittier game, a GM might want to use fear rules. A giant monster shows up, make your fear roll.

Often, social consequences, fears and compulsions could be better handled with the carrot than the stick. Instead of deciding that the mastermind NPC has convinced a Hero to reveal vital information, invoke a sliding scale cost based on the NPC skill task that the player must pay to resist. Pay a chip for each success or reveal the information, your choice. Allow the player freedom to determine his reaction, but no matter what, if the cost is not paid the NPC learns the info (somehow). In other words, the Hero might remain completely silent, but some movement, some tic, some inconsequential movement gave away the vital info.

Some players strongly rebel against what they perceive as losing control of their character, even though functionally it is no different than taking damage from a physical attack. Some players enjoy roleplaying the negative consequences. The best solution is to know your players, and use the method that will work the best for your crew. Give the players the game they want!

Fear and Terror

Some things are a lot more unnerving than an adversary hurling insults in your general direction. These sorts of psychological contests can be either active or passive: a scary alien inherently causes fear, but it could use an action to augment the resulting fear.

When the Master calls for a Fear test, the Hero rolls his bravery with a difficulty TN set by the Master and consults the following table.

Critical failure on a Fear test results in the Hero being terrified.

If Fear wasn’t bad enough, there is also Terror. A Hero may not spend Story Chips in any way during a Terror test. Otherwise, it is the same as a Fear test.

Critical failure or drawing a step 0 is extra bad. If a Hero critically fails on a Terror test, he draws no cards in the next draw phase, takes no actions (including active defenses) and just cowers in place. The hero is catatonic. During the following draw phase he becomes terrified. Same goes for drawing the step 0.

Klackon warriors gather in groups of 7 before attacking, and initiate a click-clacking of their claws. Anyone within earshot is subject to fear (TN 7) upon hearing this noise.

Terrified

A terrified Hero breaks and runs. During the next draw phase, the Hero draws a single card, and when it comes up, must attempt to maximize distance from the Terror causing event.

Collaborative Roleplaying

In Future Imperfect, both the good guys and the bad guys can utilize story chips. These are represented by poker chips which come in three (actually, four-black is covered later) colors (blue, red, and white). The Master starts the first game session with a pool of 10 blue, 25 red, and 50 white chips. The mix won’t change except under very special circumstances which we'll tell you about in Chapter XX. At the start of each game session, every player gets to draw up to three Story Chips at random from the pool. For example, if a player has two chips remaining from the previous session, he draws one, or if he has five, he draws none. The Master also gets to draw one chip that he can use for all the extras and bad guys.

If you quit playing and decide to finish later, or the game is part of a campaign, everyone needs to write down the type and number of chips they had so they can pull them out the next time. There's a space on your character sheet for just this purpose. When you do get your chips back at the beginning of the next game session, make sure everyone gets their old chips before anyone draws their new ones.

Players also get rewarded with specific Story Chips during play. Mainly you get these for learning from a failure. Story chips are not awarded for success or for rolling dice well. Success is its own reward! The Master's section has more specific information on how heroes earn both story chips and bounty points.

Story Chips

A character can use his Story Chips in any one of 3 ways: to improve Trait and skill checks, to save his skin by canceling wounds, and to trade them for bounty points.

White Story Chips allow the player to draw one extra card before choosing which to keep. If this is a damage roll that would normally keep all of the cards, choose one to discard.

Red Story Chips let you draw an action card and add it to your result. Only one red chip may be used per test or check.

Blue Story Chips are just like red chips, except they can be used even if you critically fail.

One note: You can’t use White or Red Story Chips if you critically fail.

Any Story Chip may be spent to make an unskilled check a skilled check, provided you are invoking an Impetus. More about Impetus in Chapter XX.

Saving your skin

One of the most common usages of story chips is to prevent damage. Spending a story Chip reduces the effects or makes it so the hit never happened in the first place. Whenever your character takes damage, you can spend chips to negate some of it. This applies to damage from a single attack. If your hero's shot twice in the same round, you have to reduce each attack separately.

Wounds are negated before any CT is rolled, but they do not stop the CT. If you need to negate CT (after taking damage from bleeding, drowning, brawling or something else), each level of Story Chip negates 5 points of Wind as shown below.

Red and blue chips have one further special function. If used to negate a wound less than their full value they may also negate the CT roll as well.

Bounty

Story Chips can be converted into bounty points at the end of any session as well, with Master approval (see the next page). Blue chips are worth 3 bounty points, red chips are worth 2, and white chips are worth 1.

A player can spend Story Chips helping other members of the crew. This sort of working together is encouraged. One rule, however, is you cannot spend a Story Chip to reduce the damage another player takes if that player has any chips of his own.

When facing the perils of the galaxy, heroes tend to learn. At the end of each night's game session the Master may give you something called a "bounty". Bounties come from exceptional circumstances. Every Hero in the crew gets a share of the bounty. If there are leftover points, they stay in the pot until the next time the group gets a reward. You can then use your bounty points to raise your character's Traits and skills if you'd like.

New skill levels cost whatever the new level is. If you want your character's shooting to go from 3 to 4, it costs you 4 bounty points. You can only raise skill once per story arc, and only one level at a time

Raising your training in a Trait costs two times the new level. So to go from 4d6 Strength to 5d6 would cost 10 points.

Traits can be raised as well. The cost equal to three times the die type of the level. To go from a d4 to a d6 would cost 18 bounty points. You'll probably have to save up for a while to pull this off. You don’t have to, but it makes for a better story if you say exactly how your character starts getting stronger or smarter. Maybe he spends his off hours lifting weights or reading technical manuals.