rna~nderof this intrclductorychapt~rexplains the concepts of roleplaying characters, and adventures.

Get your imagination fired up-you're

gninq t o

SO, WHAT IS

own design, stories propelled forward by our actions

ancl react ions and moving evpr closer to t h e inevitabfe conclusion.
Think of roleplaying thpln as interactive storyt~Iling.
You and a qroup of friends create alter egos and enter t h e world nf your imaginations, exploring realms
limited only. by your creativity. One person assumes
the rnle of referec--or gamemaster-informing
the
players of their characters' situations-the environment, t h t words and actions of the other characters
Present (those characters not controlled by t h e play-

I~o~Al~~I~~yIN~;?
read nuvels: \10u'vy seen nlovips: you've
watched telews~on.What is it about these things t h a t
you've

thp players' characters' activities.

'IVith n roleplaying game you can thrust yourself

himself to savc his kingdom?

to name ] ust a Iew. *

(GM),has just h ~ g u nto summarize the events of the

last adventure (for now don't worry about t h e game
mechanics-the dice rollinq, character attribute and
skill names, et cetera). The dialogue in quotes indicates that the p l a y ~ is
r speaking in t h e voice of his or
her character.
Em:Your characters escaped t h p Vizier's Flying Armada, but vour s!qshlp suffered scvcre damage dwin2 the ensagernrnt. You're suing to have to make

* ,411 copyr~ghtsand trademarks are the property of their

wspertlve nwncrs

0 1 1 tiit. lnwrr hull. w h ~ c you

t ~ c;rn"t s r r vcr, \+ell
from t h e deck. Mike, make a Perception roll.

is

Tim: About a quarter of a mile to t h e north is a large

plain dotted with severaI s m a l l ~ s hbuildings. You can't
make out much more than that from this distance.
Mike {pluyrng Fimt ,MaTp .Yt~nsson): "Captain, what 're
yer orders?"
Judy: "Head for that clearing." (po~nts)
Mike: "Aye. Captain.Tim: Chris, where's your character at this point?
Chris {pluyinq Creuman Fahr~r):In t h e crow's nest.
Tim: Okay. make a Perception check.
Chris: (Rolls some d ~ c e .1) rolled a 14.
Em:A fourteen? Okay, that's pretty good. You notice
a plume of grayish-white smoke twistin2 upward into
the sky from a wooded hill to t h e northeast.
Chris: *Captain, Inok: a fire t o t h e nort beast.Judy: Do I see t h e smoke?
Fm:Yes, it's about a half-mile from your current prr
sition.
Judy:"Stensson.whatdoyouthink?Shouldwechcck
out t h e fire first or head t o the villagp?"

Mike: Okay. (Rolls.) l got a 9.

Tim: That's qood. Something tells you to took behind
you. When you turn you see a glint of light in t h e sky.
It only takes you a couplp of seconds t o realize that
it's the Armada's lead ship.
Mike: 'Look! It's t h e Armada."
Chris: I'm climbing down from t h e crow's nest.
Judy: *Get to your battle stations while I t u r n us
around. We can't nutrun them, so we're golnq to have
to hght.*

Ern: AlI right. we're getting into combat rounds now.

Everyone make Reflexes rolls. ..
w
T h e night continues with an exciting confrontation
between t h e Armada and t h e .
~Iavers'
characters.
"
Luckily. the pirate aI11esof t h e characters show u p to
monlent t o arrive'

Th~nkofroleplayingasacombinat~onof
interactive
storytelling, acting tmprovisation, and dice-roiling.

CREATING A CHARACTER
The &tails of the areas covcrecl here appear in the
rest of the book. (Play~rs,you rlon't r~eedto worry
about those chapters: only the gamemaster has to knntr:
the fine po~nts.)Once you'w reacl this section, you'll
he armed and ready tn becnmc a part nf a roIepla?ling
adventure. The D6 System is drs~gnedso that you can
play in any genrp (science fiction, fantasy, cyberpunk.
Victorian, pulp, horror. et cetera) withol~thaving to
learn a nrw set of rules for each on^!
Now kt's begin your foray into t h e exciting world
of roleptaying games...

1. Make a photocopy of a character sheet.

2. Distribute attrihutp dice.
3. Select skitls and distribute skill dice.
4. Rot1 for body points (if applicable).
5. Determine personal information (name.
species, gender. height, weight.
appearance).
6. CI~ooseAdvanrages and Disadvantages.
7. Record or select special abilities
fspells, psychic powers, et cetera).
8. Create background and personality.
9. Detwmine starting money and
purchase equipment.

CHARACTERS
To plav t h e gamr you'll need a character. 4 character
IS an alter ego whose part ytru assume for the duration ot a gamma sess~cin.Thinkof il a s improvisational
acting: you know the abilities and persnnalitv of your
character and you decide how that character reacts
to the situations presented to him. I-nlikt most traditional games. which foliow set prnceclur~s[or each
player's turn. rnlcplaying games leave all options
open. If someone shoots at your character. fnr rxample. you can decide t o leap out of t h r way. nr return fire. or catch the bullet in your teeth. ..
Okay. that last option sounds pretty outlaridish, but
what if your character is a sup~rherolAnd then again.
what i f he isn't?
So, we need a way to quantify t h e character's ahilities-his aptitudes, skills. special powers (magical.
psychic, super). et cetera. T h e D6 System represents
your character's level of ahillty in each area with a
dfe c n d ~a,number of six-sided dice plus a numhcr of
"pips," For example, a die code of 3 U + 1 means three
I six-sided dice plus one pip (don't worry about what
( you do with these die codts far now: we'll cover that
a little later In the section titled Making Drce Rolls).
AII ynu need to know sight now 1s that the mort dice
and the more pips, t h e better the character's exper, tise in t h e particular aptitude or skill

Attrihutts represent a character's basic aptitudesher inherent levels of ability in various areas, frtm
physical strength t o logical reasoning. Your
gamemaster rmll provide yr)u with either a character
ternplate {a partially crcated character that y t ~ ucan
customize tc, IISP as your own) or a list of attributes
that will he used for his game worId (soyou can create a character from scratch).
Example: S p a c ~Oppra Game Attributes
Stwrtgth r)r;~srrllslrrnqth
und l~r-el
of
physic.ol cnndrtioninq
Reflexr.~mucflon rrme
Cnnrdrnntrnn aim and hcllancp
I'erc~prion:oh~~n'ui1ot)
and s~uth-,wn.rr
R~asvnrngcl~drtrtronand prohlert?-,~ol~:~ng
Knorr~lrdqpeducarron (Formed or informal)

Characters begin with a total number of dice dictated by the gamemaster. usually three c l i c ~per attribute. In our cxampie thrn. a starting character
woulcl have a total of righteen dice (IXD).Y ~ NdI ~ c i d e
how t h o s t d i c e should be divicled a m o n g t h e
character's attributes. If you u a n t to create a space

'

.-

, , > . ( ,;. , > '" ( 0 "L 1 . :> , * :

yuur ~vrtila?~Ee
d ~ r or n tthr chnractcbr 5 5trertg;Il. lit..I<&"<,*.

;or

,L\<.:.;

I,?,

'L<P

flexes. and I'erception attributes, t h t a p t ~ t u d t =most

s
important to someone with that career.
Example: Space smuggler Choract~r-18
Total Dice
R P ~ ~ P X 4D
PS.

Coordmalron: 2 D
Perceptinn. .ID
Reasonrng. 33
K n o u . l p d , ~2111

,'

You might have noticed that none of these die codes

have pips. Well. you ran break up t h e s e dice into
smaller units (just like you can hrcak tPn into ten
ones). Each die code has three levels of pips. 0. 1 ,
and 2. The progrrsslnn looks like this: 0. + l .+2, 1D.R.
1D-I. lD*2.2D+O. 2D~1,2D+2,3r)+O,
:ID+1.3V+2.4D+0.
et cetera. Since any number plus 7ero equals that
number. we can drop the +0. pips. Leaving 11sw i t h - 1.
+2, 1D. 1D+1. ID+?. LD. 2D+ 1. et cetera. IVc can thcn
IT) into s u b u n i t s uf three - I 's, or a

at t h r r t pips equals
onedie (1D=+3).(Don't worry, it's r ~ oas
t complicated
as it seems.)
Example: Revised S p a c ~
Srn uggler Choroc.
ter-18 Total Dice

Coordination 2D- I
Perception 4D
Reasoning: 2D
Let's check o u r math. First we'll add t h e dice
(4D+3D-ZD+4T3+2D+2D=
1i D j a n d t h e n t h e pips
(2+1=3-ID) for a total of 18D ( I iD+lD=lHD).
Attributes typically have a Iower limit of 2D and an
upper limit of I D , with :3D t h e average. Special circumstances can change those boundaries--ask yuur
qamemaster about them i f you're interested (or read
the Charactem chapter of t h e Gamemaster Section).
StiIl with us? Good. Don't worry, t h e die code prgression is the most difficult part of t h e game. Once
you've got that. cvprythinq else is simple.

At this point vou've cluant ifed the character's basic

aptitudes. But what about the specific areas h e has
ci ther studied, practiced, ar been trained in'? We need
some way to represwt thesr acquired skiIls.
tVell, let's think about this for a minute. Suppose
you want your character t o have a hiqh l ~ v c nf
l expertise in pistol. If he starts oft with a high a p t l t t ~ d t

rticular ski11 is based on t h e attribute that govit-in our example, p ~ s t d1s based on Coordina-

: .I,!:-;:r::;::->
.<ii;!:.?>r.<:::
kt::;:
;LI ;:: s < , , I
(I;C,C. ::\vide t l ~ v s t .dice amone :!I? skills thr chnrnctrr possesses (defined by the character template or selected
from t h e skill list prtwided by the gamemaster) just
like attributes, except that t h e number of skill dice is I
added to t h e base attribute. For exampte, ~f t h e character had a Coordination of 2D+ I and you spent 1D of
skill d ~ c eon blaster (a futuristic weapon), h e would
have a total b l a s t e r d ~ ecode of 3D.1 (2D+1 +
1 D=3D- 1).

I
1

Example: Space= Smuggler Charatter-7

Total Skill D i c ~

10hng. I D on hlasfer. 1U.l on ron, 2 pips un seurt-tr,

and 1~
o n srorporrs, ~ d du p t h p d i c e
(ID+ I D +1D* 1D+1D=SD) and the pips ( 2 . I + 1 +2=6=2D)
and we get a total of 7D (3D+2D=?D).
Note that t h e standard limit on the number of ski11
dice you can add to any one skill for a starting char-

acter is 2D. Again. the gamemaster may change t h i s

requirement. bu?she'll tell you i f that's t h e case.
You can also change the number of ski! dice by selecting Advantages and D~sadvantagesfor your char-

What are his parpnts like?

HOWmany sibl~ngsdoes h e have, ancl what are
the?, Iikc?
\.$'hat moral code does hFs family ascribe to'

PERSONAJAIny/PSYCflOUM;P
Define your character's current psychological state
by coming up with answers to questions like.
M'hat's t h e most important thlng in t h e character's
life?

What is his gnaI in life?

u n a t are his i r n m e d i a t ~airns?
What is his normal demeanor?
What does he hate?
kt'hat does he like'?
What was his most ernharassing moment:'
Does he h a w any habits or quirks?

'I'll1; I:IIAIEAGTER CREATlON TEMPTATE

The gamemaster may provide you with a Character Creation Ternplate that defines the various aspects of characters in her garne
world-which attributes they have. which skills are available. how
many attribute and skill dice they start with. allowed species. et
cetera. From this template you can creare your character. Just copy
down the appropriate ~nfomationonto a hlank piece of paper (with
enough room to f i l l in yuur die codes) and then follow t h e normal

character creation process (alloting attribute dice, selecting skills

and distributing skill dice. et cetera), Thinkof t h e templateas aguide
to t h e types of characters you can play for a particular game world.
You can find a blank copy of the Character Creation Template in
Chapter Two.
h

You may or may n d wish to select one or morr goals

[or your character. H e may want to conquer t h e world
(an extremely dangerous goal) or track down a vilEain who wronqed him, or collect vast stores of treasure, or extend the boundaries of t h e Great Galactic
Empire, or order as many different drinks from as
ma& different taverns as possible.
Having a goal helps you determine how your character w~llreact in a given situation. Dues a particular
course take him closer o r farther away from his goal?
Can he make a deal to help someone else with her
coal in return for assistance in achievin: his goal?

FilTJ lBOIWI'S
Characters can b e i n with any num her of Fate Points.
from none to five. as detcrminecl by the gamemaster,
but in most games. characters start with one

I
1

ROJ,EPI,APIN(; NOTES
So far we've spent all nf our time recording quantifiable information ahout our character. Now we c o m t
to t h e less concrcte aspects: psycholo3 and sociol0.Q.

\$%ere did this character grow up? Does h e have

any annoying habits? Does he have any siblings or
other close family members? How did he Iearn all of
h i s rkills? What is his goal in life?
It's time to answer thcse and other questions to
completeour character. Some of this information may
be dictated bv f h e gamemaster (shr'll tpll vou if that's
t h e case). And you don't have to answer all of t h e
foliowing questions. Just pick t h e ones that srem most
imporrant tn your character.
Decide t h e basics of your character" backqround by
answering questions like:
What kind of nationJkin~r~!cfom/planet
did this char-

some quirks from the fol'towin2 list. These q u i r k d o not affect your character's
scores (llke ~Zdvantagesand Disadvantages can-see
below). hut instead serve to add depth to his personality.
Belches
Condescendin?
Constantly Quotes Cliches
Cracks Knuckles
Curscs
Drv Sense nf Humor
~ n h r m o u sAppetite
Fxtremely Organized
Favorite Drink
Growls
Keeps a Journni
Lisp
Loves Puns
Loves Tragedy
Mumbles
Must Alviays H a w t h e Last Kord in a Conversation
hlust Euy a Souvenir from Every Place C'is~ted
Nervous Twitch
Noisv Eatrr

You may want to choose

Obsessively Clean

Optimistic

Practical Joker
Prefers a Particular Color(s)
Refuses t o Bathe
Responds only to Full Name and Title

Congrntuiations' You've completrd t h e character creatinn process. So now what d o you do with all of this
~nfnrmatinn?

Scratches Constantly
ries.
The gamemaster provides the setup-he tells you
the goal of t h e adventure (most of t h e time). From
that point on. t h e players direct t h e flow and pace of
the adventure, inlorrning t h e gamemaster of their
characters' a c t l v ~ t ~at
e seach step along the way. For

S p ~ a k in
s a Whisper

Yawns Constantly

whatevrr information lie might have. The king gives

you the basics, but tells you that an old hemit-wizart1 in t h e Outlands west af t h r kingdom is rumored
to know everythin? about this particular talisman.
You and your companions then decide t o head into
t h e Outlands to f~nrlthe hermit so that you can get
o n with t h e quest. On your way* however. you run
into a q o u p of bandits who demand all of your gold

how many skill dice you must either take awnyor add
to y o u r character's starting sk~lldicr: (a positive clie
code result means arld while a negative die code result means subtract).
l'nur gamemaster will tell you whether any of t h e
.Advantaqes o r Disadvantages listed in Chapter Three
do n o t apply to h ~ gnmc
s
world nr are not altowed.

t h e Talisman. o r tht. characttrs and t h e dragon hecome allies against a greater cviI. et cetera.
So how d o you win? WelI, technically, there's no
such thing as winnlng in a roleplayinggarne. The closest result t o a win condition wt)uld include the surviva1 of y o u r character and t h e accomplishment of
t h e goal set at t h e beginning of t h e adventure. Along

Thick Accent
Uses Flowery Langaugt
Utterly Unorganized

and Di.qadr:a~
rages

Aduantage/Di.roduonfag~

Dip cod^

PIi1KINt; IPIC11S ROCIS

(walking, talking. Iooking. opening an unlocked door.
et cetera) do not require a roll because of their sim-

4d

:8',sa8-a;,,,:.,4

c ):t~erlal~gungrc,
r r r a l l ~ r ~ gn f o r r r ~ a t i allout
on
a starport.

dodging otlt of the way of a laser bolt. et cetera) are

m w r difficult,so there is a chance that your character may fail to accomplish his goal. The better your
character is at a certain s kilf. however, t h e more likely
he will succeed in performing it. and that's why you
concentrated your attribute and skill dlce on t h e attributes and skills t h a t m n s t a p p l i e d to y o u r
character's line or work.
Don't worry about when you need to m a k ~a die
roll: your gamemaster will let you know. He'll tell you
to make a skilS or attribute roll and give you a basic
idea of t h e level of difficulty of the task you are about
to attempt. For example. if your private detective
character Is trving t o leap out of t h e way of a bulIet,
t h e gamemaster wrll tell you t o make a d c d i roI1.
~ You
then find your dnd-ge die code on your character tem-

ure i n dodging the hullet.

But what i f your character doesn't have t h e do&p
worry, it doesn't mean he
dodge, it
just means that h e dorsn't have any particular pxpertise in t h a t area of the Reflexes aptitude. Instead.
he must rely on his basic Reflexes die code to gpnera t e a total. Just remember, if a charac~erdoesn't have
a skill, u s e t h e die code of t h e attribute under which

THE l\TII,nIll1
Whenever you makr askill o r attribute roll, make sure
one of t h e dice is of a different color than t h e rest.
This die is called t h e Wild Die. and it can either help
or harm you, depending on t h e value it turns up.
If you roIl a one on the Wild Die, it means you've
mad? a critical error in your skill attempt. I f your character was trying to dodge a bullet. it may mean that
he tripped and smashed his head into a nearby wall.
and still got hit by t h e projectile.
If you roll a six on t h e Wild Die. it means you've
done something especially helpful to your attempt.
After you add u p your dlce. you can roll t h e Wild Vie
again afid add that value t o t h e total. If you roll a six
again on t h e Wild Die. you add that and then roll a
third time, and so forth. Kote thaT a f t e r the lni t ial roll
ernpt, rollinga one on the Wild Die does
not indicate a critical error.
ExamoEe: The WiM Dip

o 1
1 I
I;,u 1011 uni)fht~r
I;, s o ~ O L Itrrfr!
that to your tolo1 11.3-1;- 19)and mll o901n Thrc
rime you roI1 a one and odd if lo rorol( 13+1=_70).
gluing a final roll of20 I'orrr qurn~rnrrsrtlrinF~rm.7
vou thof your charact~rrnarluqed 10 successful(v
jump out nffhe bullet's purh, tumbling o full rrrrn
and landing bock on your feet ( a s p e c t a c u l o r f ~ a ~ .
which you New abIe lo acrornpli~hk r o ~ r s ~ y o u
generated such a hiyh total)

Note
skill, 2

--.--

CIiAItrlCTER POINTS

Wing to spend any on this attempt (think of it like

chess: no move is f~naluntil vou take your hand off
Y O U V ~once
~ ~ you've
:
removed your hand, you cannot change your mind).
Note: You can decide to spend Character Points
a F t p ' ~ ~ u ' vmade
e
Your roll (unIi ke Fate Points-see
below).
You can
no
than two Character
Points on a particular skill attempt.
Character Points can only be s p e n t o n skill
or attribute rolls.
You cannot spend more than two Character
Points on any skill or attribute attempt.

h a m p l e : Character Paints
L ~ t sayd:vour
k
pricor~dct~ctiue~coundup uvfh
a tofa/ dodqe roll of h Since you don 'I think that
/hut total rs high enough to acoid the bullet. and
thew 1s u hiqh p e r r p n t a p r h o n c ~thalvotrrcharacter ruon'l srrrvrve sucll an rnjury, you d<gc.cid~to
s p n d o CharocfprPoint. You suhtruc[ one from
/he n u r n h r OF Charac~erPornts lived on your
chumcfer fernpiate and mil one additional dre
You roll a 4. and add that lo your inrfrni total of6
for 0 rot01 of I0 {6+4=Ifl,).
Sfill. the torai dwsn'l seem high enough Cnott?.
rhe gurnernusfcr sfill hasn't sold anyfl~ingahr)i~t

I:ll'a']ll POIX'l'S
You have one o t h r r option for ~r~creasing
t h e chances
of succeeding at a particular skill roll: Fate Points.
Before making t h e roll, y o u c a n inftrrm t h e
gamemaster that you will spend a Fate Point Lvou
cannot decide t n s p r n d a Fate P@nt after you've made
your skill roll). Subtract one from t h e Fate Point listing on your character tern plat^, but rather than adding onf extra die t o your roll like you did when you

spend a Character Point. you d o u b l ~t h e number of

skill dice and pips.
Note: All die c o d e adjustments (perlalties o r h+
nuscs) are applied ufierdoubling t h sk~El
~ o r attribute

To use a Fate Point, you musl declare it before making your roll.
You may spend only one Fate Point on a n v
skill attempt.
Only one die counts as the Wild Die, not two.
h a r n p l ~ Fate
r
Por'nh

Your prr uore d~rrcricehcis n l r ~ n o g ~tod dodqe

t h ~~ P I I Ifrred
P ~ by t h qunzster
~
chusrng him, hut
hr i-~allzrsh~ needs to stop tht7 U S S U I I U R
from
~
sf~ooitnqogurn-uithout hirrt~nghtm! Qrrrt~o Fpat.
You d ~ c r rfo
l ~s p n d one ofyourprutious f ~ F ro f ~~
Pofnf.~.
.sr~bmcttngnnp From your F ~ JPoint
~ P tot01

>,

'

Yr <

L',

'-

"5<

to the t , ~ < kyou ~ d ~t ol i tk ( ~ o m l l i ~ ~ h

erntes a d ~ f f ~ c u l number
ty
based c
example, picking t h e lock to t h e ba
sion may have a set difficulty nun
other character opposes your skill
ing a bullct you fired at her, however, you succeed by
rolling a higher bluster total than she rolled a dodge
total (which is called a n ouuosed
skill rolll.
..

Most times, t h e gamemaster will give you an indication of t h e difficulty level of a particular task, based
o n t h e table below.
I f you want to infiltrate a computer system. the
gamemaster might tell you that your character thinks
it will be an Easy task since t h e computer doesn't
seem to have any readily apparent s ~ c u r i t yfeatures
or encoding algorithms currently in operatinn. You
know from this information, then, that you need to
roll something between a six and a ten (from t h e chart
above), althnugh you don't know t h e exact number.
Of course, the gamemaster tells you how difficuItt h e
attempt will he boscd on your c h o m c l ~kr pprr~ption
o f tilt7 Pxfenuuhnq fcrctuts gocerning the rusk 3 ease or
diff~culp.There may be other determinants that your
character woi~ldhave n o way of knowing-which may
increase or decrease t h c difficulty.
Esscntrally, the ganiemaster gives you a general idea
of the difficulty Il-vcI: just remember vou can't always
rely on the validity nf t h e information.

and huhlrng the nurnlwr of brawllng skill dice

TASIi IlIPFICIJL3"1'
you g ~ to
l roll Since thr O ~ ~ t ~ c thas
i c r a hrawiLevel of Difficulty
Number Range
ing d ~ ecod^ d 2 D +1, ir t ~ m p o r a n l bcorn~.?
y
4D+2
for ~tlrsskill crtlprnpt You rt~ll/our d1cc3 fore total
Very Easy
1-5
of 16 (4+344+5=16) to which yor~add the 2 p i p s .
Easy
6-10
pndrng with a Iotul brawling roll of I#-uhrch IS
Moderate
11-15
p r d p durn good'
Difficult
16-20
Example: Thp frrnatical u-orlord Kalrrn Zun is
Very
Difficult
21-25
abosrt to drop [ h sucred
~
P l l o ~ n i xStone Into the
Heroic
26-30
cortex to thp Fiw C:nir:ene. I f f h udifac!
~
is drstrqyed. ~t crould doon?thp plnnr? So conquclst by
Heroic+
31 +
the ~ r ; i Zan.
l
Your arc-her characr~rhus one
choncp to knock !he ur~zfc~cf
out o f Ton :F hands
brfnre h~ drops ii (more ahtlut drsonrrmg an oppclnent uppots In C h o p t ~E~gh!hr)
r
Yurr rtrerefor~
d e c l d e t o s ~ n d ~ F ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,Zttheendofanadventure,thegam~masterreward~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ h I e r h ~ n ~ J m b r of dice .YOU
rolI
f h p archery ufrenlpr
surviving characters with Character P a i n t s and Fate
S i n r ~the character htts u n arc hery sk1Il of 5D.Z
points, based on their performancethroughout the

TABLE

I!7TOTdITINI(;
CRI~IRAGTITIRS

to full into the uvr!.r.u"

DIFPICIJI,TY NUMBERS

gamemaster's job.

ters; they have 110 other game use).

~ uwouldn't
t
it make srnse that your charactcr may
have improved In some areas over t h e course of the
ddventurr' If she's been picking locks at every o p
portunity. wouIdn't she get beztw at it?

: OBJECTIVES:
I

m m ~ e a a m m a m o e * ~ m m e e e a m o m e a o a m m ~ m e a
e

SPECIAI, ABILITIES

Fate Points
Character Poin&
-

WUUSI) STATKS

A 2 Wounds
2 3 Wounds

: AIkIJOTE:
:
a
m

I:ONKEI:TIOK WITR CRAJ1AI:TERS:

creasmg t h e skill, hut use t h e die code of the attibute

of Character Points equal to t h e skill's current die

code. For example. i f you want to raise your
character's dodge skill from 3D- 1 to 3D+2, you must
s p ~ n dt h r w C h a r a ~ t ~Points
r
(because t h e number
in front of the D is 3). To Encrcasf further, from 3n+2
to I D (the next s t e p in the die code progression)
would cast another three Character I'oints. To move
up to 4D-1 from 1D, however, would cost four Character Points.

rdination attribute's die code. you may de-

That's all you nerd to know to play a Dfi System game.

Don't worry if you didn't understand anything explained above; your gamemaster shoutd be able t o
heIp you out during the game. And you don't have to
m ~ m o r i z eanything. %!.lost of t h e information you'il
need during an adventure appears on the character

to have some fun!

The D6 System provldes a framework upon which to

base any genre of roleplaying game you want to play:
fantasy, space opera, hard sclence fictlon, p a s t - h n l ~
caust, cyberpunk. horror. o r nther emtlca. Although it
may sound like just, another gcncric n~lessystem, it
isn't. The D6 System allows gamemasters to develop
an entire game system-not Kame world. game .?yslem
One potential problem with generic sulrs systcnls
is that they force each world to lit into t h e confines
d e f i n ~ dby the rules themselves, rather than allowing the world to rnold t h e rules. With Dci, yorr decide
how the rules work in each world vou d c v ~ l oor~*alav
"
in, with o n e unifying aspect: alE rules are based nn
t h e rolling of six-sided dicc.
One example of a D6 game system is The ,Stor M'irm
Roiep!o.y,nq Come. Each area of the rules (character
creation. combat. special Powers. er cetera) works in
a particular way-hut each could work differently. If
You wanted to make the combat rules more intricate

*ii

and detailed. for example. You could swap in o n e of

the combat option ~ a c k a g c sprovided in this hooko r even d ~ ~ e l oone
p of vour own- Or what if You
wanted to use body points rat her than wound levels
for damage? No problem. The entire game-and aII
D6 games-are cornplet~lycustorn~zable.
U s ~ n gthe D6 System you can also develop your own
rules from scratch. You choose t h e attributes, skills,

climactic. slow-mo

So, you tell the players that you're going to use the
most deta~lpdcornhar options so that every rnove t h e
characters make hecomes extremely important to the
outcome o f t he battle. You've spent a great deal of time
and effort to get to this point: you want to savor the
moment, not get ~tnvcr wlth.
If yo11 w0~11dlike to just start playing a
game
withui~thaving to create your o w n system. don't
worry. In Chapter Eleven you'll find a complrtc garnp
system already developed. plus a frw rharacter templates for your players,

\\TH~lT
IIOES THE

~~f\M~~8h\srl'Kl~
Do?
The gamemastyr fulfillsmany roles, f m n ~referee to
game
creator-and in the case t h e D6 system*m e n game rules d c s ~ ~ m eSnme
r . GMs may choose
to play only one o r two of these roles, and others
may choose to play all of tt~em.Your level of invt~lvernent and time expend~turer r r n a ~ n cs n t ~ r c l y u pt o you.

DIIW(YI"I'R

-.

As the gamemaster, you set the stage for t h e players.

You tell them about their characters' current surmundings, from thp
dav to the
identities of the garnemastcr characters (those characters not contmlled by t h e players) present. Whenever a plaver's character undertakes an act ion, you
inform her of t h e results nf that action
To make this part of t h e job easier, you may wish
to use props: maps, player handouts. dim lighting (to
sinrulate t h e darkness of an underground complex.
for cxamplc), musir (lor thratrical effect), o r anything

\\,j;\;jw'tm<

\al:l.tl

":,a

>C2LL

',:b,:

t \:vet

!:: h ( , ! ' , T J\ < W L l L

mcrchae~ciisc'"'Havr I got a dcnl tor ~ O L I . >Is

"
tht* pi;lyers resporrd in t h e voice of their characters. you continue t o play the role c ~ ft h e merchant. If another
gamemaster character arrives, say a police officer,
you assume his role as well, perhaps sayinq (in a voicc
different from t h e one you used for t h e merchant).
*It%atmsgoing on her??"
r e f e r ~ you
e decide what actions are possible based
on the physics of t h e game world. I f one of t h e characters wants t o fire a blaster through a concrete wall,
for example. you judge whether or not s u c h an action could occur hascd o n your knowledge of t h e elements itwolved. Roleplaying games don't provide you
with an encyclopedia full of pussikle circumstances
so that you can look them u p w h e n ~ v e ar particular
situation develops. You arc instcad calIed upon to use
your judgment and imagination to cut rapalate on t h e
information you am given.
Also in your role a s referee you determine t h e difficulty of t h e tasks .tht players' charactrrs wish to
undertake. If a character wants t o climb a wall, for
example, you decide t h e rlifficulty number h e has to
heat t o accomplish that feat. If the wall has n o footor hand-holds, you may set t h e di[f~cultyat Difficult
(17). If instead it was a brick structure with strong
vines winding up t o t h e roof, you might set the difficulty at Easy ( 8 ) .
(Don't worry about t h e n t ~ r n h t r so r t h t difficulty
qualifiers for now. Those will I>e explained later in
the Gamemaster Section.)

'I\'ORT,l) CRKATOR
.As world creator you design and develop t h e milieu in which your players' characters will adventure.
You are responsible for determining every aspect of
this world, from its .ohvsical
nature to its uolitics to
+
its populace. Does magic exist? If it does, is it treated
Ilk? a s c i e n c ~nr like a superst~tion?Who realEy controls the world? Are thew vampires o r cyborgs or diI
nosaurs running amok? D o Kleecnps irnm t h e planet
Bobeen constantlv take human form and parade
: around like insane monkeys'!
Ot course. you always have t h e option d using an
I established sefting, either from a bonk. a televis~on
I show. nr a movie you love, or from one of Ukst End's
other game lines (like Slur M'on,for example).

s t a r t ~ n gwith characters. and rnovinq nn to skilts,

magic and other powers systems, equipment, adventures, combat. vehicle combat, and healing and vehiclr repair, with a sample game system at the end of
t h e hook. At each step you learn t h e o p t ~ o n savailable and how each works, so that you can decide
which you want t o use for your game world's rules
system.

GAME JIlSSIGNEIt
I
'

Last. you may take on the role of game designer. deciding how cach aspect of t h c rules works, from character c r ~ a t i o nto combat This book prnwdes you with
several options for each area, hut you are more than
encouraged to come up with your own ideas

THE IREST OF THIS

S13@ITION
The rest of the chapters in the Gamemaster Sectiun
take you through each aspect of roleplaying games.

On the following sheets you'll record t h e basic structure of your game system, from character template
information t o combat options t o magic rufes.Think
of t h e Character Creation Template as t h e players'
guide to drsigning characters t o play in your game
world. and t h c Game Tvmpfate as your structure for
t h e game system itself.
Make photocopies of these templates so that as you
p r n c ~ e dthrough this hook, you can start designing
your first game system! Just record the options you
choose on the sheet and you're ready to go!

Game Name:

Came Designer:
Genre:
Uhrld Overview:

POWERS SE43'ION

IIOY1,IBATSIICTIOX

TI'ItE(S)

1):kMAGE SYSTIIM
2 ZZ'ounds f :-

J Slagic
7 Psionic
A Super
3 Other:

A Body Points Formula:

ROIyND STRITFIJ RE
IjSlrnultaneous
2 Initiative rounds
1 Continuous
OWlONS
J Hit location

LIMITiZTlOXS h BESTRICTIOSS
-

LI Speed

3 Wound Type
PnWER SKY1.I. NdMES

IIRVELOPINI; r l

IBEIRS0NA.C
1NFOltl!I~~l'lON

'~ERIR'IJVI'E

How would yr,u qo a l ~ o u td e s c r ~ l j i n gone of your

frirnds to another" You might lndicate his gender, his
Since characters stand at the center of any roleplaying eye and hair culur, his basic hocly form {tall, short,
game. you start d ~ s ~ g n r an game
q
system by deciding
thin, et cetera), his age. and t h e basics of his personon t h e particular character ability va1uf.s (Strengh. ality. Though vnu Think ytju've provided enouqfl inCoordination. et cetera). personal qualities (species. [ormation ahnut h ~ r nyour
.
other friend may still have
gender. politica1 affiliatic~ns,anti so on), ancl skills a completely different picturre of t h p prrson you'vc
(dodge, o r r h ~ r ycherni.?tr~and s o forth) that need to atter11ptt.d tu describe. So y o t ~might then start addbe represent~din your game. From this information. ing other defining features or qualities until j'ou've
players can create their own charactcrs ancl you can come to a point where this person cannot he illusinvent all OI t h e gamemaster charactcrs (GMCsj. trated any further (of ctjusse, vou could always draw
Think of t h e Character Creation Template as a m o d ~ l a picture or providc a photo as well).

information a b o u t a particuIar character-name,

race, prof~ssion,likes, dislikes, peculiarities. aptitudes, skills, mystical powers. ct cetera-and with the
options available f o r each entry-specl~s (clfling.
mountain-man, goblin, and so on). gender (femalr.
rnalc, neuter, nonr), profession (gangster. CIA agent,
arena rnage, and so forth). W h e n you create a new

nctrr (all of t h e qualities and quantities that make

him up) to anv degree you p r ~ f t r from
.
a sketchy outline to a detailed cliaracter treatment. Remr~nhcrthat
as you read t h e rest of t h e chapter. For example. you
r n a y r l ~ c ~to
d rfist a rharacter's age as 15.o r as twentyish. o r not at all. .lust make s u r e that t h e Character
Creation Template contains enough information for

psopriate words, numbers, and die codes.

First, make a photocopy of t h e D6 System Character Creation
and grab a I " ~ ~ " . you prcr- Characters in fantasy anti science fiction often coInp
indicate
teed through t h e remainder of the
various species. from elves, rju.arues. and trolls
sPctinn-r
O n the temp'ate the information for
to vampires, andro~cls,and Martians-not to forget
l e a v e o u t s w t l n n s you haven't decided upotzcan humans, of course,,&gampmaster, you C I P C ~ ~wPh ~ c h

,,

>*(.\>(

,,

.&>,

&

',

% \

<.

\"%{ > b 2 . -

your spccics, LISPthe format below.

YOU can change this information for FvPrY game
world ytlu create For example. ~f you want your hu-

You don't have ton many chorces In t h i s area Most

species wrll have two genders: male and fernale. You
rniqht also devise a gender-less race or a race whose
mprnbers can spontanrnusl!, c h a n ~ phptween
and [ernale. .Ignbn, if you come t1P with a new choice.

don't hesitate to use it.

",,l',

<

,,\I

In a roleplaying game. characters can he of almost

,f,
a kid 10 an old man of 100 some-

young. thirties. midclleaged, old, and so on.

APFII,IiYlt'IONS
\'ou may create organizations in your worId to whlch
th, characters "lay helone Examples lnclude antiterrorist groups, rerigious cults. adventuring bands.

MlI14illrr14Nl) \t71i14;Iirr
Chrmse a rnaxlmurn ar~cli n i ~ ~ i m uheiyttt
~ n ,ind w e ~ g h t

Height Minimum/Maximum:
Weight Minirnum/Maximum:
Physical Description:

Minimurn/Maxirnurn Die Code

Weaknesses:

., -,, .

-,

*..,.',

,,-, , > -

: ,<..<..

,,'-, , - , '>,<
-,

-.,'

1,. -

\;;

< . . ,/.,

prov~tit.pi;lyt.rs ~ - i : i;I ~ Itst ;.In(:c?chst.ril,t~(rnt > f t l ~ t .r.mes

of which t h r y can htcon-tc members.

hySi?f~
LJ:[T!F.~
~
r d y ~ 1 1 ) o i :l):%w
iittr~'>iit?\..-Ic!~~!r;jc!er

car] pvrfr)r~nany skill that falls u n t l p r ; ~part~culnrskill

by uslng thr d i r C O ~ Pof t h r attrihutr itself. Fnr PXample, even though rnv aristocrat doesn't have any
skill dice in rkldqr, ht. car1 still attempt to leap out of
Now vou have to dec~clewhich aptitucles you woulcl t h e way (using his Reflexes dlce. since that's t h e atIike t h e characters i11 your game worlcl to quant~ly. tribute dcldqe falls beneath). It just means that h e
rlt~esn'thave any partlc~llarpspertlsr above and hei.e.. which attributes will be assinned die codes that
will drterrnlne w h ~ t h e nr
r not a gharacter succeeds yond his hasic aptiturlr
C'haracters normally ih~ginplay with a nutnher of
* S % s K W 4 w
at a particular task during an adventure.
*%$y-<v<.
.Attributes van represettt any ability from phys~cal attribute dice equal to the rlr~nberofattril~utrstimes
.*- WXH*,.
A+**'
strength t o mental prowess to maqical control You three ( 4 of attrthutes s 3 - * of attribute dice). For
determine which of thcsc n t t r i b ~ t applics
~s
to your example, i f kC)I : chonse srvrn a t t r ~ h u t c sfor thr rharworld. and how complex vou would like your charac- actcrs in t h i s parTicular Same world, they v.r>uldeach
ters to be. For examply. YCJL may design a science I>eginwith a total of ( 7 x 3 = 21 ) attribute dice. These
fiction universe where m a ~ i dr,esn't
c
exist, and there- car1 by split arnonga cktaracter's attributes as detailed
fore. YOU don't include Magic as a character a t t r ~ b u t r . in the h t t r ~ h u t e sspction of Chapter One.
Or YOI; could crpatr a fantasy wnrlc! in w h i r h t h ~ The follr)w~nglist of attrihutrs includes an ~\ltcrnate Names cntry. You can opt to zise nnp of these
c h a r a c t e r s will s p e n d all o[ t h e i r t i ~ n rcrawlin!:
narncs i f you think it tnort clnsely matches the ton?
and [pel nf t h e particular game world for which you
are c r e a t i n ~this game system. Fur example. rather
t h a n uslng t h e n a m e Rntlwledge ~n my fantasy game.
you may instead call it Lore.
If you want to incorporate the game mechanic of a
eci of an ,African swalparticular ability, but don't want t o add another attribute to your game. you can always decree t h a t t h e
ability is cnverrd by o n r nf t h e a t t r ~ h u t c syou'vt alrrady s ~ l ~ c t cFor
d . c-xarnplc.you want t o use thc clrr L'in2 skill w h i c h falls uncl~rnerltht h e Mechanics attribute. hut you aIreaclv have seven attributes a l ~ d
YOt' don't want to have to add another. So. YOU deattribute equal to the species minimum of a particular character
cide that clri~.rngrlow falls under Reflexes (an attribute
(for humans. use t h e standard 2nj. Playprs then select t h e skills
I've alrearly recorded on my Character Creation Ternthey wish to increase (following t h e normal nrles for distribution
plate). C h a p t ~ Four
r
lists both t h e standard attribute
of startin5 skill dice).
unon which a skit1 is based a s well as a l t e r n a t ~atExample: Your hunron harhncrn charoci~rhas 15D rn starttiibutes it coulcl fall beneath.
mng :skrll d ~ c eYou drcrdr to upply 5.D of thcrt l o lifting. qic.rng
hrm a fotal of 7D in rifting ('the base of 2Ll pIus tI7e :;U YO[;
CORE ATTRIRIJTES
spnr). Qi3 to brawling, gtilrng a tr)?olof 613 In brawling ( r h ~
When creating a L)6 System game, begin with t h e four
bosr of2D plus the 4D YOL'spent), and rhe rpmurntng 6 0 to
core attrit~utes.These are t h e aptitudes required for
sword. g!!rrnrnga torn! sword skrll u f 8 D C,7n + 6131.
t h e combat m c o u n t e r s r~fersecltn Ihrouqhnut t h e
rrst of thr hook (if you plan not to have a n y battles.
The recommended starting skill dice with the 'No Attrihutcs*
vnu don't need these abilities).
o p t i o n is 15F) Increase o r decrpase this die code depending on
t h e tone of your game wortd. Also, vou may allow plavers to igCOORllINATION
nore the 2D spending limit per skill (as done in this example).
Alternate
Names:
Aim. Dexterity
You can treat the attributes (Coordination. Kefiex~s,and so
C n o r d ~ n a t ~ orrprrsents
n
a character's ability t o pcron) as skills since you'I1 n c ~ dthem lor c e ~ t a i ncases (like Endurform feats that require manual d e d e r i t y or handeye
ance for resisting damage). o r yott could create specialized skills
cooperation, r.e..tine rnotor skills. Such tasks inclucie
that cover t h o s e areas (like t h e resrst darnape sskl rat her than
firing a brw or gun, pick~nga lock, and throwing a
Endurance).
grenade.
This opt ion works extremely well for dimension-hoppinq. timeNotc: In Slur M r s . t h e Dexterity attribute encornfaring, or genre-crossing games. If a character arsivcs at a place
passrq hot h Conrdination and R~tEea~s.
(or time. or whatever) where a skills e_uists, he can learn it and
t h e player can add it to his skill list. You don't have to worry
ESDIJRANCE
which attribute the skill falls under. You can therefore pick up
Alternate Names: Constitution. Stamiria
any game and just use t h e skill names without having to spend
Endurance is a rneasusr ol a character's bodily r ~ s i s time determining the attributes that govern each-in fact. you
tance. i.e., how wcll his body stands up to attack.
don't have to worry about t h e attributes used in t h e game at ail.
whether from direct injury o r more insidious sources
Tn d ~ t e r m i n the
e skill die code of any gamemaster character from
like poison, disease, or magical sickness.
that game, just add use the skill value listed (e.g. parachuttnq
Note: In Stur Il.i~rs.the Strength attribute encompasses
4D+I] and treat all otherskilts fskitls that wauEd normallv rely on
both Strength and Endurance.
an attribute die code) as having the minimum species dice.
- 3

Alternate Names: ' i : r c I ~ r ~ o h q y

The Technical attrihutr nlrasurcs a character's aptitude lor technological cquip17ient.from computers to
electronic listening devices t o electronic security. as
well a?those skills that require a combination c>f linowledge and Coordination, like hrrr ~ i l dand f u q c > r ~ .

Alternate Names: Lorc. \l

isrio~;i.x i e n c e
T h e Knnwledge a t t r i b u t ~r e p r r s r n t s a character's
level of edrrcation in various f~elds,from scientific
pursuits Iike physics t o philusophical concepts. from
history ancl lanquages t o magical lore and planetary
systems. A n y information a character could know in
the game world could fall r l n d e r n ~ a t hthis attribute.
Again. if you're playing in a i~niversewhere combat
rules t h e day and thinking takes a tar seconcl, then
yousr: ain't gonna care 'bout Kh-no-tigee (1's hates
dose s ~ l e n Irtters-now
t
w h ~ r t ' sm y hlg gun").

\trI IA~Ar'~b\!Tlm
Alternate Names: Mental Fortitude. Mind. Spirit
A character's i+illpower represents his ahilitv to withstand rn~ntalattacks, whether they come fro111situational prpssurps, l t k ~stress, o r d i r ~ c assautt.
t
like
magical crr psychic p h u n t ~ ~ ~ ~ t - ~ ~ n .

8lAGIc
Mternate Names: Dweornercm[t. Zlvsticisrn. Witchcraft
The Magic attribute gauges a d ~ a r a c t e r ' salfinitv for
t h e use of mystical forcer. Most skills l~asedon this
are
others do
f u r exarnplc. t h e ability to determine what incantation anChap
other character 1s attempting to P r f n r m .
ters Six and Eleven for m o r t information nn m a q c
systems and their game mechanics.

'3

.+

SKILLS
chapter

Alternate Marnes: Mechanics. Sensory E x t r n s ~ n n .

Symbiotic Attachment
Mechanics represents a
to repair
machinery. vthicles, weapons. armor. sndrtlids, ancl
so on. It can also rneasurp ability In skills which require a combination of Rcflcxcs and Knowledge, like
shield operation, riding, and driving (vou must first
learn how to operate t h e device, hut then you must
relv 0" ouicknpss to use t h e device to its uotential).
Alternate Names: Awareness. Cngnition. C)bscrvatinn,
Sense
Sometimes a character may have t h e opportunity to
notice something in his surmcindings that rniqht prrr
vide a n important piece of information. For euample,
a character might spot a bulgirlg pocket on an advessary, which may indicate t h e presence of a concealed
wearlon. Thp Perception attribute covers such instances as well as t h o s e skills that require t h e ability
t o read t h e emc~tionsor logical reasoning of another.
like bargaining, commanding. o r persuading.

Alternate Names Charm. P r e s ~ n c ~

This attribute represents a character's personal ~ f
fect on others. It rncludes such skiIls as uratior~,acting. and groomin!:

PSlOWIc POWER
Alternate Names: I'syc ti i c Ah i l l t v
Like Maqc. t h ~ attrllmte
s
applies c)nIy i n ganlr worlds

though

M01'11

MBCHANICAI.

comp,e~ensive,

cxha~istive.list c,f skills and t h e attributes upon which

they are based, characters begin play
7~
C;M may altrr this value for a p a r t ~ c u l a game
r
world 1.

The move entrv reprcsrnts t h distancr

~
a chnrnct~r
of a certain species can travel in meters every five
secnnds (one ctlrnhat rtlund). I-iumans normalIy lime
a m'vr

~ ~ I I ~ ~ ~ lB0TNI'S
~ ~ ~ C r l ' ~ i
Charactrrs Pntnts have t w o purposes: I . tc) increase
dip rolls. and 2. to lncsrast character skiIl die codes
(as mentioned in Chapter One). Sormallv. characrcrs
becin with five Character Tnints. but feel free t o srlec; another startin#va!ue if it would better fit in with
your garnc world

Fate Points can vastly i t ~ f l u e n can

~ encounter and
should therefme not be distributed casually. The number of Fate Points you assign t o startingcharacters is
u p to you (thrrugh g i v ~ n gone point is t h e recorn-

mended standard ).

ileteran Poil-tts have nn ~nlpacton game play or character advancement whatsoever (refer t o Chapter
{ h e ) .They allow you as gamemaster t c ~quickly rlet t r l n i n t t h e overall a b i l ~ t yIec-el and experience of a
character. For cxampIe. i f one character has 30 Veterarl P o i ~ ist and another has only 15, ynu can mrne
ci~atelysee that t h e first charactcr has particlpared
in more andlor harder adver~tures.

I/

'

":>,

'0

,;,m,';,,J:m

Ih1R11EGE SYSTEMS

i h e 06 iystrm h a s two standard ways to r r p r r s r n t

the amount of damage a character can suffer (whet her
1 from physical assault, magical spells, poison, et
cetera) befc~redying. Choose t h e system that most
coincides w ~ t ht h e nature or your universe (though
this particular choice relies more on personal preferI en& than anything rlse). Anri don't forget to recnrd
j on the Character Creation Template which system you

'

,"
:, ,\. C,,,<,!.~;'TL*!- >

<::-

BODY POINTS

I
P

Characters begin play with n number of body points

equal to 2Oplus an. Endurance roll. As with t h e wounds
system. increasr o r decrease t h e base value of 20 t o
alter the lethality of your game world. When a charactPr falls to zero or less body pnints, h e dies. See
the Damaze sectlon of Chapter Eight for more information.
Example: :vv CIA ugent c-llurcrcterhas an Endur<;ncrdie code of3U- I 7i) d r t ~ n n r his
n ~ hodv
potnlc you l n o k ~an Endurunce roll (1 rolled an
I I ) clnd add ~r ro rlzp b o s ~o f 2 0 for a fotrrl of 31
(11 + 37).

1 k 0 IJII % A M
~i
.bide from dctcrmining a cklarac?er'sphysical and
mental capabilities, a player may or may not wish tn
define that character's personality-his history. liis
lamilv, his beliefs. his quirks, et cetcra. One option is
to allnw players to select Advantages and Disadvantages (as definrd in Chapter One). Skim t h e list belorv ancl determine first, whether you want tn use
.Advantages and Disadvantages, and second, whlch
particular entries you want to include ur exclude
(record this on t h e Character Creation Template).
To sum u p the use of Advantages and Disadvantages: choosean itern. write ~ton the character sheet.
record the associated clie codes (which is in parentheses), add u p the die codes (which can result in a
positive or a ncgative nunll~er),and d c t c r m i n ~how
many extra o r fewer skill dice that character receives
(positive value = extra. negative value = fewer).

iIII\TfiATAGIS AN11
I)ZSAI)VASfI'A(;1<S
I

Addiction (+3D):T h t character cannot go more than

one day without drinking. gambling, etc.. i.e.. satisfying his addiction. Failt~reto do so results in lowered

On

ADYiIWAGES AND DISADIrAATA

choose.

With this damaqr system, characters can take up to

five wounds before dving. You can increase or dcC r P a S E that number t o make your game worlci more
or less lethal. LVhenever a character suffers a wound.
he also rccelves a penalty to all of his skill ancl attribute rolls until h e hcaIs. See t h e Llarnrtge s ~ c t i o nof
Chanter Eight
.. for more information.

>-,:;:::<'

'las

takes Of the
has a 5f10'
'"2 add'ctfri 'gain.

Name
,4dcliction
Argument;
BfackouTs
Center of Conversation
Compulsive Tendencies
Curse

'ItrOIJNDS

-,>,:,!-*",j>

t h e first day, an i t t r i b u t e of 4ljwoufd fall to 3U.Y: on

t h second
~
it would fall tn ~ ) + la n d s n o n \ ~ f t e r
Or Ies:

, ,',!:,.s

tri tjult' ~ C ' ( ? ~ Vtrv

S 1 tor r a c h c!av she .,roes wi tt~nut
{on I

tint Skill Dice Moclifier

3D
1D
.2 IJ

1D
+3D
?n

Debt

depending on the
sr7e nf t h e debt

Delusions of Grandeur
Extraordinary Hearing
Extraordinary M
Extraordinary Si,
Extremely Cornpeti

-1 D

-2D
'I R

C ~ l T h 3 r l PI
- ln

Fanatic
--.. .

HalluclnatIonS

Hides Emotions
infravisior
Low klf-4

Manic Depressive
Med~calProblem
Migraine Headaches
Motion Sickness
Kightman
Koble Rirt..
h'o Self-confidence
Obsessive Tendencies
Paranoia

Pathological Liar
Phobia
Physically rrnpairrrr
Poor Memory
Procrastirlation
Quick Draw

+3L1

*2D
+ID

+ZD
-30
+lD
a

Released Convict

Sixth Sense
Skeleton i

Sworn En

Ultravisin
Wanted fc

set

-2U c)r more

+ l b (creature ,)!+3D (SF

-I

-9

"&-

..
p

:i

-.
,.-,.

r ei

..

>-

t I

, , ,:

>l

ploitnhlc situation arises, arguinq thouqh shp met i m r s agrees with h e r atlversasy. The argument hecomes a game, a strategic contest of ~.ilk.

>

s9&&\;

< :',
+'C

?iiiIuci~~i~!i(~!~\
l-:<!>j:

'j'

I-<!:,<

#I.:

: ; p : + t h s:i:.s

;-:.::,;;<--

:\,I- i:t-.g:rlc ! : , ! \ ' ~ ? 1 ~ ~ < ' 1 4 l 5 1 ~ 1Hv

~ t ~cannot
.
te!! wheri
snrnt.t!~irigis truIy nccurrinq o r just a iiprnent of his

imagination. The G'11 has full control over this Disad- :vantaqc.
L
Blackout9 {+2D): Iluring high pressurr situations. t h i ~ Infmvision (-3D): Characters born with this en hancrd
r h a r a c t t r has a tendericytto hlnrkol~ttnr svvernl rnin- v1sua1 a r u ~ t vcan see into t h e infrared spectrum. .
utcs. She h a s n o recutlect1ol.l of this Inst Zirne. In game therehv srnsinc heat ijatterns.
terms. t h e character blacks nllt whenever she rvlls a Low Selfesteem (+2D3: This character has a low (>pin1 rm the 12'ild Die for 11) nlinutys.
Ion of hprscll She constantly berates herself. h a r p
Center of Convemtion (+ID): This character feels rng on h r r had qualities.
t h e neecl to always hr In the 1'lc''''' o ' e v e r ~ c - o n ' ~Manic
~ ~ Depressive (AD): This character slips into
. . ....
satinn. And whv not. He aEwa!.h. I.-.
hlhOW
:-(I?
M'IIJI
drrp. long-lasting depressions. He doesn 't car; nhou t
to sav-at beast, that's what he t h i n k s
anvtli jng d ~ l r ~ nthese
l(
times. Thr p l a y ~ mav
r
decide
At nnv
t h r char- when tlie character falls Into drpressio11 and wtwn
clecitft. to do r)r say sornrzliing that slit. h e extricates himsrlf lrom it. If the player never lrts
actrr
would not normally rlr, or say undtbr t11r circunl- his charnrtcr lapse into this stale, the CiJI should take
stances. I.'ur esnmpte, durinq a vclr~versntionv.-s:h :I thc initiative.
head of state, t h r chararter miqht blurt out. "Your Medical Problem (+SD): This character suffers from
- '
wife is rn~1c.huqlrcr "
Lllnrt I rxpecter[."
n n nllrntmt that requtres she take medicme evrry day
Curse {+3E)): T h i s c h a r a c t r r ith her inherited o r tn t r ~ a t l ~ ei l l n ~ x s 'l'he
.
player and
should work . *
b r r ~ u ~ upon
ht
hrrscll a curse. '1-he p l n y r must dr- tnrether t o d e v r l o ~t h~e specifics of the problem, the
clcle t h sprcifics
~
of the her;. l ~ u tknnwn curses i r l appropriate rnerl~c~nc,
and the ramificatic~nsof failcludr t~ncontrollal~le
sl~ape-chnncinc.a v ~ o l e n treacing tr) take the med~cine.
I
tinn t o sornetliinq t h e c h ~ r a c t c
it~ldconstant Migraine Headaches (+2D): The character h a s a 33Yh
fz"..-.' - -....- - I l l L l ~ Yil! cl ~ I V t ' T lI i l S K ,
(1-2 on n roll nf ID) chance per day t o s u f f ~ the
r unk h t (+1Dto +3D.depending on thesize of the debt): r ~ l r n t ~ pain
n g of a s e v e r e mqraine headache. In game
This ch2rr.lcter f51:hcr inhrritcbd this cleht o r horsow~rl t r r m s , the character recelvrs a -1D penaltv to all crf
a s u h s t a n t ~ a lmnozln! ~ ) Irjr>ne\.:
f
Shy h2s a tirnr 11mlt his attributes for t h c renla~nrlerof that day.
f o r repaying t h c Inan.
Motion Sickne,~(+ 1D): Whenever this cl-iaractrr rirlcs
n~lt~sions
of Grandeur (+lD): The 1)est ttiing to e w r a rreature o r a vehicle, s h e must make an Endurance
happen to thr, world. That's h o w chiirilctvrs with t h i s check against a n Easy ( I n ) difficuttv or inirnerfiately
Llisadvnntaqc view tt~ernsetves.No nne can qilrpass begin t c ) shake anrl vomit. giving her a -1D p ~ n a l t yto
their prowtxs\-they shoulcln-t rvpn bother tryilig.
akl actions unrl~rtakenwhile still ridinq.
Extraordinary Hearing (-2D): 'Fhe const r ~ ~i cnt r t i Nightmares (+ 15): Almost every night, this r hnraccharacter's souncl collectc~rs(txrtrs. ust~ally).has in- tev suffers frotn 1ir)rrible nightmares. usually related
creasrd h i s ahilitv to cl~stin:_li~~sh
betwet.11 strn~3ar tco a n unsatisfieri issue in h ~ sI r k . though not necessounds. drtcrmit~rihc dirrctic)r~o!the s n i ~ r c r otfh n s t s a r ~ l y "4s
. a rysult, the character ~ieetls1 0 nours nf
stjunds. anrl p ~ c kup rvhispers fro117A d i ~ t i i t l ~ ~ .
sleep pcr day. Failure to get t h e r e q u ~ r c damount of
t s a 1 U penalty to all skill and attribute
Extraordinary Memory (-I D): This character ran r c rPst r e s ~ ~ l in
roll"for
call inn^ ago events o r t.stitc.ric facts with pasp I n
camp trrms. s h e gains - I U to any Knowlrcigc-based Yohle Birth
Dl: This character IeIl into luxuryskill rrhl.
horn into a wealthy?perhaps nnb!e. family Shewanted
Extraordinary Sight (-2D): Thp shapr and genetic for nothing, at tending t h e best schools. ordering sermakeup nf tfiis c t ~ n r a c t e r ~cyrs
s r n a h i e t-ces ((1 see vants around, and h a v q everything she des~rerl.The
''?Ins
with dollble the amount of
three times ;ts f a y as a nnrma[ menll>er ( I f tier spc- 'fl"'"'te'
funds
normalty
given
to
qtarting chasactrrs,
cies.
.-I.

Irn

-1.

drinks. Slit, cannot turn down a c-llalltncc.

roll, he reduces his chance of success in Zhr current

I-

-' I
0 ,
-. ' . , , L 1 ,
nf hvr s ) r c p i n g ~ I I V I I O I I ~ T ! Y K : .lnd s r r u t ~ n ~ ecerv
/r
acquaintanre. hhe never knows when her enemies will

I
I
1 1 1 1:
., . < \
,
o u : . r c~)rltr,lct( x i : :,> ( (.,)rat tthrs I l f t ~Thr a s w s s r n
coultl hr anyonc and could strrke at rtnytirne.

Pathological Liar (+ 1D): This character can11

himself from lymgconstantly. No matter what t
at~onhc I S compelled to esagqerate, f ~ band
, outr~ght

V I O ~ Pspectrum.
~

< l > > j \ ' <

Phobia (+lD): The d ~ code

e
of this Visadvant
les rlepcndinq on t h e level of t h e character's
a maximum of +3[3$.At 1W. t h e c h a r a c t t r a
nbiect of his fenr as o f t ~ as
n pnsqible. hut has n o prot>lem deal~nqwith i t when the time comes. At -3D. t h e
c h a r a c t ~ rwill never put himself in a situation whrre
he has to cope with his [ear. If h r docs wind up in
such a situation, h e freezcs nrld r e ~ n a i r ~unmoving
s
until t h r ohjttct of his rear subsides. Fears includr
htlghts. waler. certain creatures, darkness. open
spaces, cramped spaces, magic. thunder, lightning.
and so on.

Physically Impaired (+3D): Thr character suffers

from a pruhlern of thc body. He may he blind. deaf. o r
mute {or any other impairment you can clevise).
Poor Memory (+ID): Characters w ~ t hthis problem
havptrouhlr remembering. In game terms, whenever
the character has to recall a n important pzrce af information, her chances of doing so drop by 212 (for
any Knowledqc-hased skill roll).
Procrastination (+lD): This c h a r a c t r r always puts
e v e r y t h ~ noif.
~ Evrn w h t n snmething cannot wait, he
st111I ~ t its gn until it's too late.
Qnick Draw I-2D): T h e r h n r a c t r r may draw a type ol
weaDon (sword. rifle, blaster. and so forth) imnledia t e l 1.e.. ~ttfrres nnt cnunt as an action during a comhat round. Vote that this factor applies onlv t o a s ~ n g l r
weaporl
I f you w'ant your
to hr
to quick draw a sword and a knitr, h e nlzlst take this
factor twicr (for a cumulative -4D penalty).
Released Convict (+ID): S o m e t i m e d u r i n g t h i s
charact~r'slife h r was convicted of a crime (which
he may nr may nnt have committed). After srrving a
tall sentent.p, h e was released and now must battle
tfre stigma arfainst exconv~r-ts.
sidh 5enW4eI-2D): ~h~~character has an innate dnnccr sense. Fiftv percent ( 1-3 on a roll nf ID) of t h e
time an alarm goes off in her head when s h e comes
tr;,thin a few secontis Of a ,jangcrous
situation,
.rhe
(;ITrolls this check secretly
and alerts
t h e pjal;rr
when it is successful.

t h o r l t ~ ehave
~ b q u n thcrr srarch for him.

-*rrpd

<CB9

\ " '

d ' *

Yuu may want t o prov~dcplayers with a list of possible professions they can choose from ( o r a list of
careers they connvi use) based o n the envimnmcnt

of your yanle world. Relow you'll f ~ n dan assortrnpnt

of character occupations. hut crcatc your OM n as you
scr f ~ tNntr that thcse professions (lo not offer any
qamt b ~ n e l i tthey
,
are ir-itencled merely to give an idea
for w h a t types of skills such a character would most
tikely have.
Skills urlttrn w i t h ~ ngreater-than anrl less-than signs
rt-prrscnt a generic type of skill which should be s u b
stituted with an actual skill.
E x a m p l ~ :A ~-l~urut-ter
hris u p r o f ~ s ~ r oThat
n
rncludes <language. c ~ sa L'cuul Skill The plqvrr
~ P C I C I P S to .rekc/ Ru.~.~ian
as the pnrtrculor Jon,nuage his chomct~rknorr>s HP roztlr111ur:r
jr~.<fas
IL'PII p i r k ~ dEnnglrsh. Spnnr.~h.J o p n n r ~ s or
~ . cln!.
nthpr lanqoaqe

>-

A1,ClIEYlIST
Usual SkiIls: Firr k h o ~ l - l ~ dAqIchpmir~I
~,
C.'onrnctron,
{drntrfi Suhsfanrp,
P O ~ , ~ OJdpnf,fv
"Poisnn,
Orgonrc A / c / I c ~ ?Innrqc~rtrt
:
dlclrern~F~nrte.2lcitht.mutrcs W~crrrrod~nurnrr~.~
Role: The alchemist serves many purposes throughnut t h r lands She crrateschcmicalcompounds used
for everything trrrm foocl preservatives. to potions
infused with magical chaos, to explosive devices.
Ttiouch t h e alchemrst frequently places herself in
c l a n y ~s. h e may reap huqe rewards from her work.

ronrol-f

I~~~GIII~EOLO(;IST
Usual Skills: Swrmrnrng~ I'rtlock. Rc>cid/llrrrte <Lrrn~ U I U ' I ~ P Y7i-rrps.
-'.
Sc~ctk'nozrledq~.
C'hr~flCon.stt.llofinn.

Ilreroldry, C'urrograghy, H i s t o r of <Ar ~ >.o Hlstory o F

ciflc "skeleton" and t i t it in with the character's history. Nn nlattrr what. h e m u s t never reveal this serwt. It will bring harrn to either hirn o r those he lovcs.

tl,c rxplorrr,
thouSh with a srratrr lntcrrst in inte1lPctllal
djscnvPry t h a n treasure rPco.crery,

rnediat~lyattacks.

n ~ r r c e n a r i e sf n r protrrtlon. These bodyguards typi-

i<OI)IT4~IJARll

*
***

-*< **
-"a c-

* w

?ma -a,

~:~~1iI'~~~~~:~~Y.Is'J'/~3I~~~,
Csual Skills:irid,rrtrh .>y)cJcrcm\.

H r - c ~ l ~ Lr ~
r i qv c ~ r ? I w. /&nt i h I"orsr,n. 111llc~:~rrnst.
.Mulurse, k n ( ~ t o r n i :Org{;nrc .A/-

CARDSHARPIIR
Skills:~qneo,r. Assurnr

A ppru rsrrlg,Con.

the name), w h i l e others rcvnlve arnund elaboratr

that
large

CARTOI;RAP813R

chrmy C ' P I ~ U ~ Knor

C J ~ t-i~dqr.
Role: Corpnr~alrstsshare t h e awe of anatomy that
necrologists possess. R u t . unlikr their count~rpai-ts.
they I~elieveIn thc sanctity of all life, regardl~ssof

I I ~ S W CT"h. ~ y a c as
t a resource t u healers, providing
thern with dctailed descriptinns r)f the known rffects
of c e r t a i n s z ~ h s t a n c e su n Ii\.ing t i s s u e s . T h c
corport=alistalso dcvntes a larr,re amount r>fh e r time
to t h p ~ a t t g o r i z i i t i c o
~fr ~thc various species that rt.-

.l'et/ir~rlflr~.
IcirntrF ,2't~lflc.n-r~otz1rr
Role: The demon hunter ablir>rs d t m t ~ n i ccreatures
(any creatures not nf this dimension who threaten to
eradicate life) anrl thosr whc would have rlealir~ps
with these dark fiends. They s ~ e kout rlet t~crwordly
occurrences. always se;~rcl-tinqtor their soi~rccIn
hopes of cventuallt; eliminating ~t

ITTOCATOR
Csual 5kilIs: .:lVicrpori >. Firr Knorr.irdgc, RltndFiqhtrnrl,
.M~lrrur)~
fi~clirs.Arcunr~Lor<>

Role: Evocators pnrcocrer hundrerls of spells in thwr

lifetimes, selecting only those that h a v t t h r power to
came grwt ronflaqratior~snr devastation. They per-

power prrvents their u n t ~ r n e l ydeath. and as a result.

have earned reputations as fearless warriors who can
casiIy turn t h e tide of battle with the loc~singnt a smelt.
spell upon the enemy. S ~ n c tevncators
.
hold pclwer as
!he pinnacle of lifr achievement, they tvpically master sevrrai weapons. provitiing them with another
means to surprise Iheir opponents.

EXPLORER
Usual Skills: clt'mpnn ., .C;n*rmnringC'ookrnq. Firt.
Krlon~l~c1,ne.
L~stm.Trops. Char! C(~ns!c.lluIion.
Cnrtog-

ers spend years in t h e wrlderriess. w t h e r on sea. lanrl.

other star systerns, nr in different d i n w n s ~ o n sZl't~t.n
.
they d o reach ciuili;fed arcas. they clevotc m u c h rlf
their time to Ilhrary research, searcl1111.q
for the next
great conquest.

~EI~\~~~I/APOTIII~C~~IST/~)OI~T

Usual Skills: Sneak. ,,lssunw I ( I r , ~ / t i ~Uurtt~nnq,

.
lJilot
c Vi.r.~el>, Yai~igotron,
Appm r r r n ~T r u d ~R o u ~ . cLbnlocl.~.F o e ~ r jI!uq~lrng
:
Role: SmugpIers generally c n m c into two types. t h e
suave, fast-talker and tht shifty sneak. These h e r chants" usuallv deal in goods of an illegal sort, from
nnn-tariffed agricult~tralproducts tu banned w e a p
magic to powerful druqs.

Usual Skills: l i i ~ o p r s -.
r ~ . Il'c(~gonit>as
I:q/rr,nq S ~ l e = .
Snrcrk. Ltstm. Informofion (;at/~errnqh'nnk. Tcrrlrng.
Tvrrci~n,fiuckrn<
Role: The tracktr seeks out and captures anyone o r
anything that will bring her a grt5at price (or even a
not-so-great pricc, depending on hvr current financial stat^^?;)

SI'EI,I,IACIi Ell
CmaI Skills: .:M i.opnrt ;-, Oor)h.rrly.Fir(>F;rrc>u.lt~d.q~.
TyrU s u d Skills: < W ~ o p o n >S. n ~ a kI.~ s l c nL'n1rji.k.
,
finps.
ruin
Rolonce. I,rbrc~v 14e. Infi~rmtlironChfherrn,n T o r l ~ ~ g .Role: Manderess meander t h r t ~ u g ht h e worlrl (or the
Rt~ulrniorr.. Plrctrne Low. .Ycalinq
qalaxy) with n o clestination. They takr odd jobs for
Role: The s p ~ l l j a c k e rtracks and steals all manner c ~ t short p ~ r i o d sof timr to carti enough for food and
enchanted objects, from weapons to spellqems t o lost shelter. hut soon grow bored with tlte area and move
artifacts. Thvse wizards s t u d y various a s p e c t s of on. Some wanderers haye chosen this life for thcir
magic as we11 as t h e suhtlr n u a n r r s of lnf~ltrat~nn
and love c ~ atfventure,
f
vowing t o see rvcry grrat w o n d ~ r
theft. They employ many skills in their quest to cap- of the worlci. Others s ~ m p l ycannot stand the sedenture t h e i t r m s of their (or their znastrr's) clesirtt.
tary life and enjoy wandwing tor its own sake.

SPECJ,SLIN(;KR

Usual Skills: Weupnnless Fiqh tiny Sn.1~

. Rcud/'U'rrtc,
k ~l.onguoges>. Rlmrlliqhling. CornRole: T h e spellslinger travels t h e lands, usually
searching tor ~xciternentand a d v ~ n t t ~ rFhe
r . believes
in a well-rounded hasc ot knnwleclge, from fighting
styles to t h e a r t s to t h e intricacies of magic.

SPY

Us~raISkills: .Mrditutron. cUimer?.sion- fiinu lrciq,np.

A.5truI Throry, .V<>:r.rh~rlort..
Idmtr h V ~ t h ~ r c r ~ o tArlrr~,
cone Lore
Role: The few warlocks that still exist in t h e world
devote their Fives to t h e a c q u ~ s i t ~ oofnmagical knnwledge. They freclurntIy s u m m o n demonic creatures.
using them a s sourccs nf inlclrmation. protectors, o r
Iack~ys.Warlocks typically have dark, somber personalities, shackling themselves t o thrir l a h o r a t o r i ~ s
for centuries.

Csual Skills: I1/Pupnn>. W~nponlt3ssFiqt~trr~q

S!VIP>.
Sneok. L l s t ~ n Chlnck.
.
R o l u n r ~~nl'nrr~w!~on
.
G<lth~rrnq>
WEAPON MASTER
Assunle Id~rltrRTurling. Sculmng
Role: Spies lead truly dangerous Iives. s n ~ a k i n glntn Usual Skills: Mirtrpr)n> J f t ~ d i t r ~ ~ i rBuianrc..
rn,
enrrny t e r r ~ t n r ygathering
,
valuable informatin~r.and R l r n d ~ i g h r ~ n g . M;ruponfes.s F-~qh!rn q S l y l e ,
returnin? t o their patrons undetectecl. In rtlc~stna- Blrrcksmrth~n~.
Ubr~dcarr-in:
tions, city-states, and s t a r systems, espionage carries Role: T h e w t a p n n rnastfr ~ l r v o t much
~ s of her life to
a penalty of death, and as a result, fpw spirs survlvr Icarninq t h e secrets of steel, woocl, or flesh. cliscovf n r very long-altfinuyh t h o s t that do are e i t h e r verv eri11g their latent energies and harnessing them tn
g o d nr vcrv high on !he eneniv's hit-list.
hecome virtually invincible in conlhat. S o m weapon
~
rnastcrs prefer a s~nqlptype of weapon, while others
THEIJRIS'l'
helievr diversity will always triumph.
U s d Sljllls:Reed/Write -Longuaqc.s~..%ct K n o ~ ~ * l ~ d v .
Lrhrurv I IFP.Aswul Thpnrv. Fmrlal.5. Armne /.ow. Ft-

..' . - $ - d - $

nil? .Mufh~matics

Role: The theurist. unlike other spellcasters, typically

learns n o skills other than sprlls. She devt)tes her I~fr
to t h e undcrstandinq of rnaglc and t h e mystical forces
oft he universe. Not one spell will pass before her eyes
that s h e tloes not imrnerliately learn and master. She
constantly s r e k s nut t h o s e incantnt~onsthat 12avr
eluded her. collecting an arscnal n l spells and e n chanted items. Late in their careers, theurists usually begin to craft their own magical devices.

FINT\NC~:S

Characters need money to purchase equipment. No

general qt~idelinee x i s t s for d e t e r m i n i n g startlng
funcis-it dppends on ytwr game rvorld and hnw well
rqu~ppedyou'd like your character to he.
Ynu may want to come up with a standard starting
amount. like 100 cold coins o r s100, and t h t n modify
that number depending o n a particular character's
b a c k ~ r o u n d(nobles rrccive lnrrrc. peasants less).

This chapter confains a list of s k ~ l l susahle in a variety of $en yes. As with everything else in t h e Dfi Yystern, this catalog gives you a starting pobnt: crfate
new skills as t h e need arises. and alter existlng skills

CfICLIING FOR SKILL

to suit your gam? world.

Record t h e s k ~ l l syou wish t o u s e for a particular
game worid beneath their appropriate attributcs on
t h Character
~
Creation Trmplate (if v o u don't have
enough room, you may want to writr t h ~ m
on a separate piece of paper).
Note that some skills can fall irnder differmt attnhutes. Since t h e D6 System allows you to select
which attributes work wit11 your gamr WOTICF. 1 0 1 1 may
want to u s e n skill that is based on a n attribute vt>u'rt.
not using. Tn alleviate t h i s prohlem, srlrne entries contain sevrra1 possible attributes. .Illst use t h e o n e that

Whenever a player wants her c l ~ a r a c t r rto d o something. you must decide whether or not to call for a
skill roll. .!us2 use your common sense. If a lent h a s a
c h a n r r of fai!ure, ask t h e player to make a roll. She
then simply rolls h e r dice (after taking into account
a n y modifiers, like spent Fate Points or target range)
and tells you t h e total she g e n ~ r a t e dfor that s k ~ l atl
tempt. From t h e r ~just
, follow the simple rule hrqher
ic hrltr3r.

to have t o adjust t h e information provided.

Some tasks dn not require a skill roll. and therefore

d o not have a difficultynumber. This includes cverything f r o m talking and walking to eating and s l e e p

SI~IIAIA
' ~

~ ~ ' ~ ~ s

You can thinkof it this way: the difficuIty label (Verv

Easy, Easy et cetera) helps you drtetminp what nurn-

U'hrn a plahrr roiC? ;I 1 rjn thlb \ t i l c l 0 ; you

~ .have
two options. you can either treat it as a crit~calfailure and have something extremely hacl happen lo that
character. or you can instead tell t h e plavcr to leave
out the Wild Die and the highest die.
Example: Mike's character. Sccrtrt Ayar~tTnrnlin.
wants tn shoot the f l e ~ i n genPmy agent. He makes a
plstol roll and gets t h e lolluw~ng:1 (Wild Dip). 4 . 5 . 3 .
3. The GM car) cieclde to have a crltical failusc occur

TAIIIMG IT SI,Olt'l,l'
This System calls fur yo11 to guess. YOU dorl't have

Increasinq the tlmc it takcs to perfor111a particular

fpat can make the task easier to accompllsl~,7'hrs is

are called opposed roIls.

1tFBIC:RS JIICI, I10 YOU 1JS11?

" ~ l k I ~ ESI&gIA'ltS
f'

character automatic success whet^ speaking his lan-

hunter b e h i n i . ' ~ o r r n a l lto

~ , jump across t h ernptb
~
space wolrlc! require a jumprnq roll (which this character has at 30). but this character also happens to have
the armhlic*'
(at 4n-1)' The p l a y r asks whether

Some charact~rsmay have sptcidliz~dkrtowl~daeor

with a piwn
For cramplr+ a
with
the cur prlofrnq skill (drlvinu,) may have particular

cars is therefore greater than his ability to drlvt- anv

o t h t r type of car. This added prowess I S represen Fed
him usejunlprnq but :ivy him an extra ID for his a c r e
batfcs capabilities (or tell him to average the two d ~ e
codes). If you want to keep the game simplr p u t Iess

realistic), you can opt to follow t h first

~ ruk Ci.e.. use
t h e skiIl thar nroc/ applres to the feat). ,Is you make
your pamr more complex {which you may dcclde to
do the more you plak), you can shift your n ~ l ~ n into
gs
t h e seconcl (use whatever skill seems appropriate) and
third (average t h e skrlls or give bonuses) opt~ons.

E ~ a m p lA~ charort~r
:
uYth a tockp\ckinqdie,
crde of ,ID- I hnc o sper~nl~zution
rn cornhtnuIron Ir)ckr U ' / ~ ~ n e u ehr
r h n ~!o m a k e a
lockpicking roll lo open CI combrnafinn luck, he
q~t.cc i I D h o n u ~ h, r <I torul of 5D+ I . ZVhm hr
attPmprs to prck onl0o!hrrf y p p nf Eork. h o r r > ~ r ? ~ r .
h~ roll? 4L)- I

cannot attempt more than one skill during that

tkr factors t h a t cannot nornlallv be quantified.)

Chance of Failure

tinns or knowltdge which t h e skill covers.

Most skilIs have examples afterward that
give you an i d ~ aof how to s e t the difficulty

ACRORATICS

A specialization costs five Character Points o r 1D

of starting skill dice. A character may have no more
than one specialization in any given sk~ll.For example,
a character takes a Macintosh specialization in cornp a t ~ s o p m f i o n ?He
; . cannot then take any n t h ~ sper
cializations in that skdl (mainframes, is'indows. and
so on).

MON-PROPIC~IEXCYPENAJ,'l'IES
OITION
You can opt to increase the difficulty of anv
given skill attempt by 5 or 10 if the character
dnes not have any training in that skill (if..
the
skill is not listed with a hiqher die code than its
base attribute).

Based On: Reflexes

Time Required: 5 seconds
~ e s c r i ~ t l o nC:h a r a c t e r s with this skill can
Tumble. leap. ancl roll to avoid falling damage, to entertain an audience. or to surprise an opponent in
combat. T h r d~ff~culty
required to accomplish a given
feat varies with each situation. Use the foliowing table
as a guideline,

Action
Roll t o surprise an opponent
(gives + 1 D to attack roll wlth
melee weapon)
Leap across a gap less than twice
t h e character's htight in length
Tumble ta alleviate damage from a
melee weapon (gives +2D to
Endurance roll vs. damage)

Difficulty

Easy
Moderate

Difficult

AI,CHl?MICAlJCIIEbIIt~AI,CONCOCTION
Based On: Inlcllect. Endurance

Bawd On: The attrihutr u n d e r which t h e skill falls.

An entry with multiple attributes indicate that theskill
any one of the attributes Iisted
ma! he $flvcrned

in
(eLq., a
with a chem,co[ con;D+2 could create a substance that
cochon
could cause 3D). Incendiary fluids inflict standard fire

->

S f v p w - * x

>

<

-4IKt:,\Sl: r,OIiE
atin? the strhstance.
I f a character has t h e rhelrrgr sktll (anti therefore
exists in a world w ~ t hmagic} and makrs a Heroic- c ~ l rhpmical cuncoctron mll. shc may cryat p rnag~calfluids, though she m u s t atsr) have access to ahr spell
she wishes to transfer i n t o t h e liquid (i.r..shc tnust
be able to cast the banrsh sl~elltn irnhue a potion with

Bawd On: 1ntellct.t hnrm it.d::rh

'Time Required: 5 seconds

Description: ?'hose poss~ssing!this skill know the

rumors. tales, and legt.ncls of magic ( t h e GM shquld
Increase the diffirulty tor each attrrnpt by the lenqth
of tinre since t h e occurence at a rate of * 1 for every
Lore

Difficulty

Acids,'Glues,Grcase Difficlrlt

Time Required

3~ t?clllrs

ANATIIMY
Based On: Intellect
Time Required: 5 scconds
Description: Characters wlth this skill have studied
the maln functions of thr hodic-s nf those species in

Difficulty

Farnous wiz:irrls
Enchantecl item types
Individual spells and their cffect
Precise Incations of supposedly
magical areas

Moderate

Histories of specific
enchanted items

ASSlJME Il)IIKTIl'IT
Based On: Prrsence,
Time Required: I 0 minutes to 1 hour depending on
cotnplc-xity of disguisc

Guess main functions of

a creature's visible features

Discover creaturr's
weakn~ssesbased on its
appearance
Alter healing prncrdures
hasrd on specific ana2omy.l'
tlirtgnosp infections and virusrs

Zloderatr

Action
F4 )ol nt hers for a short amount of

l'rry Dlff~cuIt
klernic

tirnt! at a short distanrc away

Dtsguist. his facial features
Alter bodily appearance

7 Adding his anafr~rnydie code as a bonus to his hrcrl-

(shnrtcr, taller. slimmer.

different species)

Based On: P e r c ~ ~ t i o Rn e, -

nmriptibn: Characters must o f t e n rely o n their ability to locate individuals to form a network of informants who can offer various types of information
abou! people, places, or events in t h e area they inhabit (cities. ptanets, sectors. qalaxles). or who can
pull some strings for charact~rsin nced.
Action
Difficulty
Find contact
\'pry Easv
Grneral rumors
Easy
Secrets of t h e streets
Mc?derate
Specific information ahout
harmless individual or event
Difficult
Specific information about
Very Difficult
danqerous individual or event

<CRL3TIVE ABILET19

higher total.
Orneriness >
beast riding hy
1-5

&-lo

11-13

Result
Beast stops and
refuses t ( move
~
for 3 seconds.
Beast stops and
refuses to move
far I 0 seconds.
Beast bolts in a
random direction
for 1D rounds.
Beast bucksrider.
Rider must make an
Easy ( 10) Keflexes
roll to avoid being
thrown off

CUSTOMS 01: <RBt;lON \TOR C'IJ1,TIJRESY

thlng from drawing to singing to poetry to dancing.

~ R E I - ~ T ~ YRIIJINI;
RD
Based On: Mechanical, Reflexrs
Time Required: 3 seconds
Description: This skill measures a character's ability

Based On: I n t ~ I 1 ~ cPt ~

. rccption
Time Required: 3 seconds
Description: This skill measures a character's level
of knuwlerlge about a given region's or culture's customs.

Meanings of traditions
Full knowledge of
esoteric custom

$loderate
Very Difficult

l)EA(;NOSK BMAIADY

Familiarity with
Dncument or

Signature
nifficulty Time Required
Intimately fijrnillnr
?*loderatelyfamiliar Modesarc. 3 st.coilds
t'nfan~iliar
Difficult
5 secn11d.s

(;A;)lBtlNf;

Determine tvpe

Diffi~uth..

Time Required

mode rat^

1 minute

medicine necded
to purge disease
1 day to 1 week

ETIBIJEWE
Time Required: 5 seconds
Description: Etiquette measures a character's knnwledqe ot the forms, manners. and cerrrnt)nles ronsidcr~d
acceptable by snrlcty.

Area of Knowkedge
Proper table manners and
introductions c)f homeland
Specific forms of conduction

Difficulty

Mrll~deratr
K n o w l ~ d of
~ eceremonies
of homelanrl
A

~M'-I

Difficult

tncr~asrt h e difficulty h l ~ IWPI Or more f o r SCF

cieties with which t h e character h a s no prior t-xperi-

Bawd On: F'erception. Presence

Time Required: 1.engtf-t ol a c n m r
Description: A gambler knows I i o ~
t o play various
gnnles nf ct~rtnce.~ l n d r r s t a n d sodcis and sprcnrts, rintl
(sometimes1 has t h e ability to rnnuPnt-~
a game. especially t h o s ~invt~lvir\r:cards, cllcc. or wlreels (or
0thc.r rlrmpnts that involvc somc arrlount of skill to
w ~ n )A character who sucv-~ssf~rEly
cheats at a game
can altrr the outcome in the favor of anyt)np involved.
~ncltrrling(and espcriall_v)himself.
I f a c l ~ a r a c t eattempts
r
to cheat ( n o matter whether
h e is sucressful o r not), allow all others irlvolved in
the game t o n u k e P r r c c p t ~ o nrtdis. 4nyone w h o roils
h ~ q h e rthan t h e chnractcr's garn bling total (the one
he ~ r l a d etn drtrrmirir w h e t h e r he successfully
cheated) notices the characttr's efforts to alter t h r
Gamp-snulccrnle,
Action
Know game rules
Familiar with gamp
probabilities a n d statistics
Influence game (cheat)

11,4(X J,I NG
Eased On: Prrsence. I'erceptinn
Time Requiwd: Varies depending on local haqq1in.q

customs
k t i p t i o n : Thrifty characters <,ftPnPmplny haggiiny
to 1owt.r the price
goods thpy p.tIrc!lase or rnlsc
t h e prlce of merchanclise ~ h wish
~ yto sell.

FORGERY

as t h e identification of foqeries.

11NA1,I SG
Unofficial notP
or ct>rresponrl~nce
Moderate

document
5 mintueq

Description: Dottors, n~edic.;.nursc5 and ottrer me&call?. t r i l ~ n p dpersonnel use vnrjnus techniques m ~ r I i clnrs, and rlruqs to help cure the sick o r injurecl of
their ailments.

( 3 wtliit-tds to 4 ~ o ~ n ( 1 . s1 .~ ~ O I E I I Ct ~o, :iW ~ L I ~ C I S , anrl

crcb;isrttir d ~ f f ~ c u! ,l It >

for o t t ~ e species).
r

: ~ . Irvr.1.;
o

sonn)~fusingthewounrlclan~agesystem,orZUbody Action
Difficulty
Time Required
points if using t h e body point darnaqe sys2em.
Determir~ewhether
Current Wound
a substance IS
Level of Victim
Difficulty
po~sanous
I wound,'75-100'~,
Determine type
of body points remainin2
Yerv Easy
of poison (sleep.
2 wounds:5&74'L
s~cknpss.
of bcldy points remaining
death. ctc.)
Moderate
5 minutes
3 wounds '2.5.5(1'%
Determine Rame
of hncly points remaining
-1 woundsil-2S':Y
Determine
Vtry Difficult 1 h o u r
Difficult
antidote
of body points remaining
5 wnunds't) body points
Very Difficult
INFORYIATIOM GATMERING

JI1!RALIlIEY

~ a s e dOn: P ~ r c e p t i o nPrcscncc
,

Bzwd OR: KROWICCI~C.

I n t t l l ~ c t Perception
.

Type of Information
General feeling of
" u n d ~ r g r o u n dpopulace
~
Idcntlfy derivation
and history of heraldry
Identify rnranlnqs of
heraldric elemcnts

%loderate

Specific incidents
Moderate

WWTRU MKV'P

Based On: Perception. Presence, Reflexes

RISTORH 01' <AREiV

Based On: Knawlcdgc. LntrILect
Time Required: 5 sccnnds
De.wription: A character who possesses this skill
knows t h e history of a p a r t i c ~ l a tarea. whether it be
as small as a city or as l a r g ~a s an entirr wnrld

.IIJMPING
Based On: Reflexes. Strength
Time Required: 5 seconds
Description: The jumpin? skill covers Imps in hori,,,,tal and, or vprtlcal dlrPctions The difficulty is
determined by the distance jumped: -5 for each meter
horizontally and +10 for each meter vertically. If, for

Area of Knowledge
Tirnclinc nf n~ajoscvcnts
Kations, leaders. and wars

Muderate
Legends and m>.ths
Difficult
Aricient ocrure~lces
Very Difficult
lncrpasc the diffictlltv depending upon t h e size of the
area irivolvecl.
Size of Area

Subct~ntinent

Increase
Dif ficultv By

& a 4 On: Intrllect. Knnw'tedge

Time Requiw.ed:3 seconds
Description: Knowledge of t h e law can be a very im-

portant skiiI. especially when it cnmes t o customs,

incarctration. aqrccmrnts, and treaties.
Area of Knowledge
Rasic tenets of generic law
Homeland ( c ~ t y laws
)

Specific discipline
(rcal estate. tort.
er~tertainrnrnt.et cetera)

+-+

,
,
, ,
,
,. - . ...- - . .
. ,.*..
, , , ,,
char;ic!rr M.!IO w : i w , t ~t o TALST' his (:rid?(' ski:! 1)) 11-1
has a diffic~rltyof 13 (5-3-3= 13. since 1 D=;( pips). tf
the character fails t h e rull, he gets t h e bonus indicated by his d i e rt)jl,
,

<.I-.,

Based On: Kru:)~!od:,re.inti.llcit, l'erccptiur~

ne Required:
Varies
.
.
. .
.
. .
[abases contains vast
wove helpful or at least

>

Thp diffic.111tcnfa skill

.--. ...
culiy of zero).
;A:

",a

. -" .....

Complexity
of Subject
General knowlerlge
tnt roductnry theories
h 2

--A

1-c-r-

,.l *I.., ,+,

Obscurity of Subject
"--- -

. . .

>--.

'

Difficulty Modifier
-0

-3
'

Difficulty Modifier
{I

10
Esoteric
1 :hr?r..
tl;ffirirlfw M n d i f i ~ r
w "'u.
C a t a l o g ~ dlarge
.
-n
Catalnged, small
Kot cataloged. large
crnnll
.'Nnt ratalr\cr@rl
-rL
......
A chomctcr rs'nnrsIn
'nf''m'w
trvn ~i?$YlrdlI?q[he T P ~ ~ I U U ~ Iof
C I ce/ls
R
rn superhented condlt~onsIn thrs gomr world t h ~ stoprc
i.5 ccansrd~redrrncomrnon 1 - 5 )clnd cuurnq pd_np
( + I O ) and the charcrrfer on/? has acr'css Io o
smull. ceraloged datubas P ( -.5) The tolul dr fficuie for hrs fllk(3rnpl.thrwfor(>,rs 20 Is+10-,?:.?(J).
4

",L

LYLY'Y

L 2

<.

1,OCFIPICIEINI;
Based On: Coorclination
Time Required: Varies
Dewription: A character with lvckprckrng can rrlease
the tumblers on a lock withnut the key or comhination. Notc thay t h ~ sskill applies only to mechanical
locks (electronic, optical, and similar security measures fall under t h e security skill).

Type of Lock

Difficulty

Simple key-loc k
Complex key-lock
Combination lock
Microchip key-iork

Easy

%loderate
Difficult
Very Difficult

MEJIITATIOY
Based On: Spirit. Kill power
Time Required: 10 minutes
Description: As many sages. philosophers. and psychiatrists have I r a r n ~ dt,h e focusing of thr mind can
release formidable power within a person This skill
allows a character t o temporarily illcrease any one
skill die code for a number of minutes equal tn a 1D
roI1. The difficulty is determined by t h e amount nf

rnotlqh tr) bcxrt I ~ rPi ~ x rInsr3psfbonus 1es'c.l ';4

p ~ p ~snj ,thr chcrlnrrerk dndge i n ( - r ~ ab?.
~ e[roo
~
p~pr,frir 113 rninufrs Ilr rvlls ID ond g J t . s a .7 so
the bonus /cis!.< for F/L.P rnrnutes

<)I ELEE \YEAPOW

Based On:R ~ f l e u r s
Time Required: 5 s t c o n d s
De.wriation: Characters who enqaqe in d o s t ' g u n r t r r s
comb;[ m a y wish to h a v t t<e ability to wield a
wPapon, rather than relyng snlrlp on a weaponless
fighting style (we below). .As a character beconlrs
more uroficient I R t h e u s e of a varticular weapon, she
incredses her accuracy-ith;r
in striking Ar in pin~ n i n t l n ct h e most vulnerable area of her C)F)C)OIIF~~~.
Since cach t!pe of weapon requires different knowledge and muscIe control, a character cannot apply
her experience in on? weapon to another. For es- 4
ample.; character highly sk~tledin t h e use of a sword
(die code of 7912) rnay have nnIy a limitecl knowledge of axes ( d i e code of 4R-1)and absolutely no
yxperipncc ln club (default to Rcfleses die cude of

14

313+23,

r3llSSILE IIrlAPOS*
Bawd On: C<)orcIination
Time Required: 5 seconds
Description: Characters w h o engaGe in long-range
cornha! rnay rrrish to Increase the~rprofic~cncywith
missile weapons (bows. blowguns, pistols, riflrs.
blasters, flamethrowers, and so on).
Like the crnrlw uqPaponbskill, each typt of weapon
requires different knowledge and muscle control, and
thcrcfore a character cannot apply her experience in
o n e weapon to another For ~ x a m p l e a, c h a r a c t ~ r
highly skilled In t h e use of n rifle (die code of P D + I )
may have only a limited knowledcy of pistols (die code
nf 3D.2) and absolutely no experience In hlowgun
( d ~ f a u l t o Cc)ordination d ~ code
e
of 4r>)

XA171tklTIOiV
Based On: K n o w l ~ d g el~llellect
,
Time Required: 5 seconds to 4 hours
Description: .%acrgafionmeasures a character's abiltty to plot a safe course through a body of water or
through space. Failure means that t h e pilot of t h e
vesset must make a piloting skilt chrck against a difficulty o n e Itvel hlgher than t h e difficulty of t h e area.
Success means t h e pilot need not make a roll (unless
h e performs an unexpecttd maneuver): thp v e s s ~ l
arrives safely.

CompEetely safe;
navigable lanes marked
Relatively safe;
few obstacles
Karrow safe-lane
Many obstructions
Many moving obstructions
(e.g. asteroids)

Very Easy

Easy

Moderate
Difficult
Very Diffic~~lt

Based On: Presence

Time Required: Lengh of speech
Description: Public speaking represents a character's
ski11 at oration, his abi'tity t o speak in front of Iaqr
crowds and t o convince them of his beliefs.
Action
Dif ficufty
Speak with Iittle fear
and stammering
Easy
Speak confidently
and with emotion
Moderate
Difficult
Convince crowd t
t Increase or decrease this difficulty depending on
the demeanor of t h e crowd as a w h o i ~ FriendIy.
.
accepting crowds wiH be easier to convice, while hostile crowds rvill be more difficult t o convince.

Rased On: Knowledge, l n t e l l ~ c t

Time Required: 5 srconds
Description: A ski11 in a science discipiine (physics,
chtmis t ry. biolo~~.
geology. thermodynamics, artificial intelligence, et cetera) represents a character's
knowledge of that a r t a .
Type of Knowledge
Difficulty
Basic knowledge
Crery Easy
Theories
Easy
Complex concepts
Moderate
Cuttingedge topics
Very Difficult

SECRET SOCIETIES
Based On: Knowleclge. Intellect, P e r c ~ p t i o n
Time Required: 5 seconds
Description: This skill covers knowledge of groups
that act in secrecy.
Type of Knowledge
Difficulty
Names and rumors
of Y T U P I ~
Easy
Locations of operation
ModeraTe
Philosophies
Difficult
C'ery Difficult
Activities
Personages
Heroic

SHADOWING

Based On: Perception

Baqed On: Knowledge. Intellect. Perception
Time Required: Varies
Time Required: Depends on length of document
Description: T h e shadou-inq skiIl r e p r e s e n t s a
Description: This skill enables a character to com- character's ability to follow a given target.
prehend and use t h e written form of t h e specified
Action
Difficulty
langauge.
Follow target
Action
Difficulty
in o p t n area
i'ery Easy
Create and read simple
FolIow target
sentences using a
in small town
Easy
smaH vocabulary
Easy
Follow target
Create and read
in small city
Moderate
documents of medium
Follow target
difficulty
Moderate
in large, congested city
Very Difficult
Create and read novels
Very Difficult

SMEAII

Based On: Reflexes, Strength

Based On: Reflexes. P e r c e ~ t i o n

Time Required: 5 seconds
Description: This ski tl enables characters to shroud

ers e v e r g h i n g from pyramids tn s!qscrapers.

SPEAK <IAXGIJA613
Scale surface with few
hand- and foot holds
Scale surface with no
hand- o r tootholds

Difficult

Very Difficult

Bawd On: Knowledge. Intellect. Perception

Time Required: Depends on length of conversation
Description: The character may converse with any
other creature who speaks t h e specified Iangauge.
High levels of proficiency in the skill indicate a great

fluency, including accent, intonation. and connota-

.,(,'.

;(,

,:,;

,: . < - , :

< :..<,,
, ,.,
<-.!#,.
>

',.,

:'

-. ,"

, '

, ,>-

~ b , i ~ i ci3i ~~ I ~ : ~ : ? I . [ ; I ~ I I ~ T

by t h e amount Ily wchich the rhrtractvr misses t h t

difficulty.
Dif ficultv

Action

Easy

Captur~accent, irltonation.
and conr~otationof
native speakers

Vrry n~fficult

SWI#MIN(;

5)f:
Grassland

\,'cry Easy
Easy

J,loderate

Fnrwt

Difficult
l e r v Difficult
Increasr t h t difficult! bv nne l ~ v e lfor each clay
sinct. t hc person nr creaturt. ~,asscdthrough the a r m
Rain foreqt

TRAl'S

Moderate
DIfflcult

:)i!'!ic.ult>

Desert

Cmvey and u n d e r s t a n d
simple thoughts
Converse casually with
native speaker
onvev and unriers tan tl
* r ~ ~ p $ % - ~ ~ ,

:i!z.r;li r t :!pc,

Bawd On: Perception. Krflcxes

Time Required: Deper~rlson rnmplesity of trap
Description: T h r hupr skill represrnts a character's
proficrency in s e r t i n ~ Iocating.
.
i113dclisahl~ngtraps.

T ~ P
TYPe
Pit
5n;irp
~
~

s?

1.wate

Difficulty

Difficulty
!'cry Easv

Difficulty
Easy
\loderate

Disable
Easy
Easv
i

Bnsed On: Endurance

Time Required: 3 s ~ r ~ n < i s
Easy
Description: Those who dare to trend in t h e deep
E~~~
i
.
waters
kec. rivers, and oceans n l u s t havr t 1 ~ I.nck ~leectlt. Djfflculr
su:rmrnrng sktll or will risk rfrnwn~ng.
ball dart
Very
Action
Difficulty
Dilftcult

Swim in clear. calm water

vim in choppy water
. .

\kry Easy
Easy
J,lodcrnte

Swim during a heavy storm

Save another drowning char;ictrr

Difficult
Very Difficult

waves

&

'I'RIIATRICS
Bawd On: Perception. P r r s c n c ~
Time Required: Depends on Irngrth of performance
Description: This ski11 measures a chari~cterksabity
to fool others into hrlrcvinq h e is solnronr clse. The
t'henfrirs skill total generated lor a given AttrnlpZ becomes t h e difficulty needed for another character to
see through the performance (usually a Perception
roll).

TIIBIJRGY
Based On:K n o w t e ~ I g Intellect.
~.
Spirit
Time Required: 5 seconds
Description:The theuriiskill repwsents a character's
k n o w l ~ d q eof magical ~ n c a ~ l t a t i c ~
and
n s ]terns.

*--4
'x
L,

Action

q~j
<$

*W&PriV<d*X

bq

ra%+

23

~
c

i-

715 W W . , ~ ~

-+
A

A <

Knowlcdqe of common sprll

Knowledge of uncommon spell
Knowledqc
~ ~ ~of rare
~ spell
, ; ; 2
Identify spell as it is cast by
another character
l d ~ n t i f venchanted items

TP
L k A L El 1
C.-r==T'*

DifficuFty
Easy
Moderate
Difficult
;
y t ' r ~ Difficult

Heroic

I W

Rased On: Perception

Time Required 3 seconds
Description: Track~nqallowsa character t o follow thc
n ~ a r k ~ n g[eft
s hv a person or creature T h e rlilflculty
depends a n t h e terrain and t h e anlount of tlmP thal
has passtd since the q u a r r y made i t s tracks

Difficult
l+rv

Diff~cult

Diff~cult
Very
Difficult

IJltBAM GEOI;RA13RY
Eased On: Knowledqe. Intellrct. Perception
Time Required: .5seconcls
Description: .A c h a r a c t e r who k n o w s u r b a n
grorqraphycan locate puh11ctransportation, povcrnmental buildings, and nthrr spccifrc structures Prowess i n this skill allows h i n ~to navigate grid s t r t r t s .
subways, and city sewer systems. ,I
successful s k ~ l l
check means t hal the character can flnrl his way to
his clestination in half the norntal arnount of time and
without g k t t ~ n glust. F a ~ l u means
r~
he either simply
cannot locatr h ~ destination
s
o r hp 1,ecomes tltterly
Inst.

Type of

Difficulty

Ce~lericcity layout
Location of s p t c ~ f r cbuildings
and structures
Good and bad sections
Street 'subway navigation
Spwtr naviqation

i b r y Easy
Easy

\loderate
Difficult
Very Difficult

Jlodify t h e difficultv hasrd on the conyestedness

and use of civil engineering ~n a particular citv

<'1'ESSEI> l'II..4bl'In'G
Bawd On: Perceptjolr
Time Required: 3 seconds
Description: .I
character must make a prlotrrlg roil
whenevyr he a t t r r n ~ t sto ~ e r f o r mn stunt (see the
nnrnial c i r c i ~ ~ n s t a n c does
e s not require a roll. Types
of vessrls i n c l u t t ~s t a r s h ~ p s hr~ats.
.
hovercraft, and
cars. Irucks, a n d rnotorcyclcs ( ~ which
n
case thc skill
can be called driving).

1- I

ance rolls when resisting damage {see Chapter Eight.

"Combat." tor more information).
Defense Bonus
H e a w Padding
You must determine t h e costs of the various i t ~ m s
Leather .Armor
below depending on t h e scarcitv of the equipment.
Chain Link Armor
oreemen
t
s
the laws go'ov~rningi t s sale, and t h e trade a,
of your game world.
Flak Jacket
Plate {Irmor
Kevlar Ceramic
Iist of statistics that
IJ cause, how far they

ey can hold, and how

fast they can be wielded. Refer to Chapter Eight, "Cornbat." for more informarlon on using those values.

MISS1J,E 71'EAPOTS
speed Damage

R~~~

''

15'30,'70
1223'60

-1

'

3D*2
4D

-2

2D-1

AI)VIIKTIIRING 611AR
Characters often employ other paraphernalia when
taking part i n an adventl~re.Beluw you'll find a sample
list of types of equipment that might come In handy
at some point d u r ~ n ga character's adventuring career.
YOU can create gear that serves no particular game
purpose or that has i t s own set of statistics. For example, a rnedkit rniqht heal rwo wounds if a successlul I~cnlrny,ncheckis nrnde. or soft, padded shoes might
give a - I D bonus to all sneak rolls.
Devise equipment as you see fit, but b r careful not

Wheelock Pistol

bllltEE 'I\'IIAIB(SNS
- - - - .- .

Weapon
Baseball Bat
Battle-axe
Rrass Knuckles
Electrwknife
Fist
Knife
Swnrd

Range

Speed

Damage

-2

5TR+l D
STR+?r>
STK- I

- In-1
0
-1
-2

0
- 1D

+1D

STRAID
STR
5TK+2
STR- 1D+1
STK+lD+2

ing tun. don't worry ton much about the rules.

Archaeologist's Kit
.Arrows
Ast rolahe
Backpack
Bandolier
Raftpries
- ..

Belt

Binoculars
Blanket

II

.-<.m,L.*

tn include vehicles of various types. From carts and

wagons t o luxury liners and spacecraft. Refer to t h e
Veh~cleCombat section of Chapter Eiqht. "Combat.for more information on creatlnq statistics for vt.-

NT
heab

ing oftPn work hest, but weapons (cspeciallv

those

a
approprlatpja,,rl
dp
vices ( l ~ o m i n gbeacons, for pxample) give t h e
ers mother '-toy" to play with,yoLI
coulrleven sprlnklr
an entire sccnarln w i t h seemingly useless ~ t r m sthat

undertake a mlsslnn for some form of author~tv.t h e

<

*>

,,

<

, 4

~ ~ C I V I ~ I I ~ : I ~ :(f > t h r r,ttnrar.:l.rs :!rr .;u pposer?:(I ;luq

a hotel rourn where two cnrlnv agents will rrteet. for
example. they'll need electronic listelling devices. In
these cases, YOU should providr the necessary e q u i p
mcnt to t h r characters on loun. !It t h r cnd of the adventure. t h e characters should t u r n i n whatever
they've borrowed (except thnsr items that were either used up or lefi purposrly. of course).
Make s u r e to g~c-ct h t characters opportunities to
purchase eqoipalfljt every once in whiir, Thry'I]
oftrn n ~ c to
d stock up on s u p ~ ~ l i ercplen~sh~ngwhats,
ever they've usvci ciurinq t h e ~adventures.
r
Sc~rrletimes
vou rnight want to limit the charac-ters'ahil~tyto prrr
c u r e items as an added complication tn a scenario.
example. their p l n n ~nllght have gone down in
the rniddle of n jungle. and the characters have r ~ n l y
enough supplies to last a few cltllis. I f they don't ~ n a k p
it 20 civ1117arjnnin time, people may start rlvinc.
Thv anlotlnt of equipment t h e characters have access to varies with t h e game world and the Irrcntions
within that settinq. Usr this asptct of the garrle to
help set t h p tonr of the m1lieu.
t ijr

,
,

Many game wc~rIcIsinclude magic. psionics. rnysticism, o r other supernatural powers. This chapter
gives you a basic overview of such systems anti provides a n Pxample of
that you can incorporate
into your gamr right away.

C<

SOIJRCI! (1 you

YOut

- - - - .. - ..

rnaglc system, you musr also

. .. ..
-

think about the theory behrnd ~ t use.

s
For example.
--..-.
--A
:.
you can dccide not to worry ar>our &L
rrirory azlu just
-:rf~+..
-.,:zarrl
Rothaz
appears
savs it works ("The rrllgllly
- nut of nowhere. levitating in mi d-air. With a wave nF
his hand he turns you all into u.a rt hogs." "Hey. how'd
he d o that"" "Magic. Now, d o you still want to go into
could have a riimension
of pure
ttle taverIly), or
to cast their
that spellcasters can
,, p r 13.
..,..o u r,,..,Av u l u >--v
in t h e universe
s
~ L0J I, y
a that a11 t h ~ n q s
,,,,. ,,,
,,,.....,.,r.nn,*r
,,,, ..,. .;hich spellusers can drain away
ofthe
p,w,r their incantat
leaving
the
injured or d ~ a d()r
. perhaps all spelIs rely on
rC n
m ; r*.--.
t i r a l~
n r i ; l t i o n st h a t when corn" . 'r. kn
, "n
\ . . l r v m ~ t h * .,...I
..,,...,..,., causes the reorganibintd with certain COpnnnnnt.F
of quarks in a !ziven area, thereby producing
the desired
. L .

WI,

klagic plays a large role in many fantasy settings- In

sonre. rnaqit pervades the world. while in others it
lies hidden in millennia-old ruins. Iost to all hut. n fpw
reclusive wizards and witchrs. But don't rrile out
other genres: you could create a npw atmosphere i n
an old s e t t ~ n gby including magic. Fnl- exampie- the
Wid R'pst, sckcncr fiction, espionage. etc.
'The extent t o w h ~ c hy t ~ uwant magic t o he u s 4 In
your game world will rleterm~newhat type of magic
system you create. You can restrict t h e use of magic
in several ways:
Limit y o u r p l a y e r c h a r a c t e r s ' e x p o s u r e to
spellhnoks and rxperipnceri w i ~ a r d SO
s that t h ~ cany
not learn spells easily.
Incorporate thp use of spell components, forcing
characters to cnnstantlv restrjck since thp compm
aents are destroyed when casting an incantation. In
addition. if you make t h e more pnwrrful spells requtre
expensive or extremely rare components, characters
will have to rrly on t h e less powerful spells.
* Havt spells drain life force (wounds, body poirlts.
Character Points, or Fate Points) from t h r caster.
* !2ilow other characters to scnsc t h e use of magic.

..

- - -- ..- - - - -

-- -

(GAbIK RIICRANII:S

mPrhanirs
a mapic svstem determine
- - - ,
hnw spells are learned. cast, d~spellecl,and otherwise
manipulated. You can treat spells as skills that fall
under t h e Tllaqic attribute or as special
- . powers that
d o not require a n v rr:rll whatsoever. Ot course. you
can always develop your own s
~. h
.-,

7
.
-

L?

I,EARNI

SPEI,I,S

Acquiriny and Iearning incantations usually occupies

a majority of a spellcaster3stime, ntpending on the
amaunt of magic use you want [or a p a r t ~ c u l a game
r
world. you must decide t h e difficulty of locating and

ily it can he sensed and located.

the use of maqic

character wants t o Iearn a new spell, he'll have t o

face this deadly wizard in battIe.

tions are written into spellbooks o r on loose parchment paper, but you could encode t h e formula for a
spell o n stone, in a computer. In a spellgem (see "Artifrtctsv below), or anywhere else that makes sense
for your game world. Spells may be written in a stan-

2, the spell didn't work and the caster retains tt in his

memory 3) the spell drdn't work but some other effect
occurred. or 4) the spell worked and another effectocc u r r ~ das well (note: if not using the "From Memoryq
option, ignore the question of whether or not a spell

Eight). It represents t h e l e n q h of time it takes t o cast

a spell. ranging from a few seconds to days o r months.
If the value appears without a time measurement

a total of 1 I spells memorized at one time (each die

is equal to 3 pips, so 3 )( 3 = 9.- 2 pips = 1 1I) and may
cast those when h e chooses.
under this system a character must spend a half
hour to inscribe t h t magical formula of a spell into
his memory. To memorize 11 spells wntlld t h e r ~ f o r e
take f i v ~
and a half hours. i5'henever a ''nIeln0r~slotopens, i.e., t h e character casts a spell. h e can t h m
memorize another spell in tha? slot.
Once a character has cast a spell. h e cannot cast it
again ~1nt11
h e takes t h e time t o re-memorize i t . One
way to avoid this limit is to rnprnorize a given spell
multiple times If a character uses three memory slots
(spending an hour and thirty minutes s t u d ~ i n g for
)
the same spell, he can cast that spell three times hfore h e needs t o memorize i t again.
3. Ttlrough Objects: Another r n ~ t h o d f o r
scrolls.
spellcasting relies on concrete objects
wands. potions, and t h e like fnr releasing magical
energies. Characters havc n o inherent aptitudc for
or contml over magic (i.e.. t h e llagic attrihirte and
spell skills are not used). They must instead spend

Range: T h e ranye qives th? maximum distance from

?r the caster that the spell can reach. For example, an
incantation with a range of 10 meters could not directl?;affect a charactcr standing 12 meters away from
the sprllcaster. The wizard can tarqet aspell anyhere
within t h e designated range.

The most common (and tl-reo n e s user1 f u r the sample

magic s y s t ~ min this chapter) are:

turp. a certain amount

of Effect: This v a l u ~deternines t h e total area

that a spell can affect. Treat the number given as t h e
radius of n circle centered on t h e point the caster targeted (which is limited by t h e spell's range). Anything
within that area hecorn~saffected by the spell. .4n
of effect of five meters, therefore. would affect
anything within five meters of the targpt point.
gome incantatinns C~(E not affect an overall area, but
rather a numl>er of targets within t h e spell's range. A
spellcastrr can choose a number of targets up to the
designated value. For exarnpFe. a spell with an area of
effectof thrpe cl-taracters can target one. two, o r t h r e e
characters withill t h e spell's range.
Duration: .A spell's duration indicates the length of
time t h e incantation lasts. Fnr e x a m p l ~ .it a wizard
usps t h e parulyz~spell (duration of 10 minutes) to
incapacitate his victim, the paralyzation effect wears
off ten minutes after h e cast t h e spcll.

of an element. or part of a dead

creature, and so forth.

I.(

r must
y: snccess means h e notices t h e casting nf t h e spell and
the generaf d i r ~ c t l o nof t h e caster. For euample, a
magical pulse of "lni50 meters" means that anyone
within 50 meters w h o heats a difficulty of I f l on a
Magic roll notices t h e release of the spell.

)IAGICOmIOx:SIIAl'IN6SPEI*ISON
'rIW FIJIr
You can treat magical spells as static effects, i.e.. all
spells always work exactlv t h e s a m e tray no mattes
the circun?stances surrou;Eling
cxssting,
you
could allow
to manipulate
on
as cornpIicated as they might seem. Essentially. t h e difficulty
of casting a spell increases dependingon t h e amount
of alteration from its standard version. Srr: the Spcll

SPELI, SHrlPING TllBC31

Spell Attribute
Speed change
Rangc change
-4rea of Effect

Difficulty Increasc
+ 1 per time-unit
-1 per distance-unit

1 per radius-unit nr
number-of-targets
change

Iluration change
1 per time-unit
A unit refers to the measure used for that particuIar spell. For example. an incantation with a range of
12 feet could be extended or contracted at the rate of
+ 1 per fool. To limit the range to nine feet, then, would
i n c r e a s ~t h e d~ff~cuIty
by three. 4 spell with a range
of eight yards could be extended or contracted at t h e
rate of 1 per yurd. To increase its range from eight
yards to 12 yards, then, would raisr t h r diff~cultyhy

< > ' I > ' ' #

,,

.,

I't~,ipker [:~:ht "I nrnih;it"~'yilu may ~ ~ t o susrh t\?c

follc~wlngoption: a character who stifters damage
whilt casting a spell autotnatically loses that spcll.
For ~xample.a character casting a spell with a speed
of one minute would lose the incantation i f Iie took
darnage at any time d u r ~ n g
that m~nute.
l'hoseincantations that rcquireless than oneround
(five sectmds) to cast work a 11ttledifferentlv. A charactcr rolls his Reflexes dice to clctermine when he

,,,~d~~rinq~~~promhafro~nd,T~~r~~su~~ing~otal
resents the t~rriethe character begins to cast his spell.
Thr speed nf t h r spcll ( w h ~ c hcan h~a negative numher) is then added tn the tnta1 to ~ i v ae new value. II
the character suffers rlanlaqe at any point between
the first value ( t h e lieflexes total) and t h e second
value (thc R p f l ~ s e stotal plus t h c spcll's spred), the
cast" loses the 'pc'lExample: W i ~ l ! ~!he
r U'izord /?as engalaged a
p u p of handrts ~nhrrlik OR 1hi.v cornha! round.
CVult~rplons to d ~ s t r o rthr rt1ffiun.s u.E!I? u firet x ~ l (~r-hrrh
l
ha< cr sppc,d nf -8) T h f 3 pluyrr m n
nrng M.'(iItt?r nrrrk~so Heflex~sroll lo deternrrnr

g ~ n ~ r uuf I5
~ s Thp hrrndrtr {as u qmup I mll n
tor01 of I I . Srnrp H b l t ~ rg ~ r ~ ~ r o rhr
t c dArghhrr
r-r~lrrc., he qor.r. first. Hc, strrrfs c . u c ~ crt
~ n15
~ und
rr9~II
ct~nrlnurr t ~curt untrl trmp r.u/ue seren (1.:
(Waltrr:c R P ~ ~ P Xmll)
P S - ,C ( t h r f i r ~ h l l .b ~ p p d )
= 7 ) E(:rry c f l ~ r r ~ c
II'IJO
f ~ rn ~ u vtokc (lrr CI(.IIOR
doring tho! trmp p ~ r i o dIir7hrrh t n thrr cosr does
rnclrrde fhe bandrls. u:ho rolled rrn I I I llus u
rhance !o mflict darnuge on CZ'alt~rund tht.rt.h).
cause hrm lo Iose h r ~frrebal!

13111;1SNIS(~CHARJII:TJ!~~S
The number of spells (or other powers) that
characters receive during character creation
depends on thc game world. Thc recommended
number is four. In a world with little magic. however, characters may start with only one spell
or even with none at all. Or in a world over-

Special consicleratinns:
Speed: Thr time required to cast can be rcdl~ced
o r cxpandcd bv t h e time unit qiven. If t he speed valrte
is a number w i i h no time measurement qualifier, then
the difficulty increases at a rate uf + I per o n e s t e p
from the d e s i g ~ ~ a t evalue;
d
aspeed of nine. therefore,
could he r e d u c ~ dto a s p ~ c d
of sewn with a difticul'ty
increase al two.
RRTIFAIY'S
Area of Effwt: Increasfn~nr decreasing the number of targets of the spelI (for those spells that give Many fantasy adventures-novels.
movies. and
t h e area of effect as a number of targerts) raises the rolcplaving games-revolve arouncl t h e quest f o r a
difficulty at the rate of + 1 per additic~naltarget
sacrerl or rnaqical treasure. Such devices can comc
In a variety of forms. from wands and potions to enDISRIJPTINC SFELIAXSTIW
chanted blades and crystal balls. The rndpic of these
You may choose to dlsallow t h e disruption of spelIs items u s u a l l ~fails Into one oft h e follnwlng
while they are heinq cast. Whcnever a character at- ries.
tempts to cast a sprll. h e may do so without worry-

SPBT,E, SI3IIJIATION

rnand word (*'Abrncndahra") o r g e s i u r ~iruhhlnRthe

lamp)).

ENRANI:I!D PO11'13R OR FROIIrESS

Other artifacts serve to increase the power of a character in s o m e way. Sometimes t h e item affects t h e
character himself, conveying a +TT) to Strength, for
example. .An item cnultl. on the other hand. Ilavc air
inhprent power that s e t s it apart from other itmns of
a similar form. r.2, a sword that causes adrlltional
damage. dispels erichantrr~ents,o r gives t h wieldcr
~
a +2U In his sword shll.

You can also create a r t ~ f a c t that

s
I ~ V Punique effects.
For example, a spellqern (a hand-si7ed p l w e of cry.<tal imbued with rnaqic) could store irlcantatiuns from
which s p e l l c a s t ~ r scan learn new spells. Or a n onyx
orh could open a gate into another d~menslon.You
can create any kind of 1nagicn1d e v ~ c cthat fits within
your game world.

CIIARGED ITISIS
Some artifacts might have a Iiniitecl number of uses

before their magic 1s expended. You have t h e optron

of allowing these lttnls to hecome forever useless o r
tn he recharged hy a specified procedure. Perhaps
casting a spell Into thp device miatit rejuvenate rt. O r
the character may have to dip t h e art~factinto t h e
maq~call a k ~nf NaI nurra o n t h e far side of the continent. The restoration tor each Item couId be different-which couId makc for an unlimited supply of
poterltia! adventures for the player characters.

PERMAYENT I'l'EJIS
XTanvartifacts have unlim~teclmagical energy ant1 will
never lose their a h i l i t i ~ sSuch
.
~.nchantmeritsshould
he rare In worlds where magic is scarce: otherwise.
whn~verhchds such a device could easily cause your
game to become unbalanced. One side has a distinct
advantage that prcvents them from insing in almost
any situation.
Be careful when h a n d i ~ i gout permanent artifacts.
The more you give t n t h e players, the harder you'll
find it to c m a t e a d v e n t u r t s that cha!lenqe them.

'(*\>;*(,I

GAME 31ECBAXII:S
This rnaqic system uses t h e following spell attributes:
d ~ f f i c u I t speed.
y~
range, area of effect, and durat~on.
Characters have t h e ahiiity t n alter their spelIs on the
fly ( a c c o r d ~ n to
g t h e spell shaping rules given above).

CASTING CHAOS ItlNnlWS

t h p pattrrn of chaos energv that defines t h e incantation. :

I
gesture o r p h r a s ~
( o r both) taps into a nearby

x*

IJM1,EASREFI (IIIIAOS TABIX

Roll

2
3
4

3
6

Effect
r a n d o m s p e l l m e m o r i z e d hy t h e
spellcaster goes off rather than t h e intended
sptll
A randnm spell occurs (not limited to t h e
caster's currently memorized incantations)
A random spell or enchanted item ceases to
function for 2 0 minutes
T h e caster vanishes and reappears 51) feet
in anv direction from his current location
All spellcasters in a 50-foot radius centered
on t h e caster automatically gain a -3D bon u s to any cast any spell for the next ID min?,

utes

Magical enerLy-comes horn randomly moving ley lines

the desired effect. Since t h e levlines constanzlymove.

hoWevrr. the wi7ard never knows whcther h e will bp
able to control t h e pnwer h e r e l e a ~ r s which
.
snmc-

~ b ~ i ~ s ; b

Characters can cast an unllrnited number of spelIs

per day, but thediff~culty
to cast any spell is increased
by a value equal to the number 06 spells the wizard
has cast that day so far (note that this only counts
spells that wer~successfullycast; any failed attempts
are not included). Only a full eight hours of sleep can
remove t h e added difficulty. Fnr example. a character w h o has already cast five spelIs on a given day
would have a +5 penalty to t h e difficulty of t h e next
spell hc attempted to cast. This slow difficulty increasr represents t h e growing Intigue speIlcasters
experiencr when they allow chaos energy to flow
through their bodies.
In game terms, whcnever a character falls the difficulty rnll to cast a spell, t h r C V must roll 2n and consult the Unleashed Chaos Table.

SOIJRCE OF MAGIC

"

c t1,i.r,5 cnrrcy f l o ~ Isn + ct~t ~ t ~ c , i < t<r f~r,c:y

r
If t h y 'chaos
h l n d ~ r "loses control of her spell whlFc casting. s h e
unleashes chaos energy directly into her environment
with unknown results.

11

,411 magic in Scfoot r a d ~ u scentered

,
on t h e
caster, goes dead for l D minutes
The spell effect occurs 1D minutrs after t h e
completion of the incantation

After the caster unleashes her spell, s h e becnrnes rnesmerizecl by a random creature in
h ~line
r of sight for I D minutes
t h r intended effect (as determined by t h e

,'. , . r -; .
t \ : ,.'.. ..rnos strpan? The .;ppIlcasti.r ma!
then recast the enchantment that causcd t h e backlash, rvcn if he d ~ not
d originallv cast it.

, ,
p o r a r j :!ur
r

*, mx-

- :<

,
I

Difficultv: Sperial
Speed: Specla1
Range: Special
Area of Effect: Special
Duration: Special
The caster can unleash pure c h a o t ~ cenerLy in an attempt to simulate a spell. The incantation 1s cast at a
difficulty of 1I) plus the simulated spell's d~fficulty.
and automatically triggers a chaotic backlash (tile (;>I
rolls on the L'nIeashed Chaos Table). If the caster fails
the difficulty roll. t h e G M rolls a second time on t h e
Unleashed Chaos Tahle. The s ~ m u ? a t espeIl
d
is treated
just as ~f i t had been cast normally (us~nqits speed,
range, area of effect, and duration ).

CHAOS BIJRST
Difficulty: I5
I Speed: -4
1 Range: 30 meters
Area of Effect: One character
Duntion: lnst an t
At t h e casting of this spell, three bolts of swirling energy erupt from t h e caster's fingertips ant! streak to, ward one target. The sperl user must make an attack
roll for each bolt. hut it is treated as a srngle action.
Each bolt causes 4D damage The rasttr then rolls
once on t h e Enleashed Chaos TabIe, r ~ g a r d l e s o
sf hls
success in hitting his target.

L ' ,

in 131tb c

HR;\Il'
Difficulty: IS
Speed: -7
Range: Touch
Area of Effect:
Duration: Instant
T h t caster may steal a C h a r r t c t ~ Point
r
frorn her target and use
power t n t e m p ~ r a r i increase
l~
her
ability to cast her nest spell (receiving a 2D honus to
her spell skill r t ~ l laqainst tts difficulty). Note that the
honus applies only to t h e n r d spell cast by t h e spell
user. The victim nf t h e incantation feels a dull pain in
his chest when the Character Point is s u c k ~ daway. If
the targt-t has no Character Points. h e still feeIs the
a c h ~ but
.
the caster does r i o t gain any benefit.

FIiISR
Difficulty: 10

Speed: - 4
Range: I meter
Area of Effect: 1 0 meters
Duration: Instant
This quick enchanment creates a painful burst of light
that affectsall creatures within t h e spell's area of elfect Those affected (i.e.. looking in the direction of
t h e light) go blind for 10 seconds (thereby suffering a
-2D penalty to all actions durinqthat time: see C h a p
ter Eight, "Cornbat.- for more information on blindness penalties>.

Il BSITATE

CHAOS WBlt
Difficulty: 1;
Speed: -4
Range: 20 meters
Area of Effect: 5 meters
Duration: 30 minutes
This chaos binding creates hundreds of strands of
chaotic fiber that inter%-eavethemselves into a web
of magical energy "iht spell user must anchor t h e web
between at least two objects. Anyone touching the
web with bare flesh automatically takes 3D damage
(once per contact] and causes a chaotic backlash (roll
once on the Unleashed Chaos Table). Any attack o n
t h e web results in an additional chaotic backlash.
When t h e spell ends, the fibers quickly break down
and fade away. their innate chaos expunged. Tote that
t h e caster is not immune to the effects of t h e web.

CONTAIN Clt.4OS
Difficulty: 213
Speed: -.i
Range: 40 meters
Area of Effea:

Duration: Instant
If cast within 10 seconds after a chaotic backIash, the

Difficulty: .5
Speed: -.i
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One character
Duration: Instant
'l'hrough this incantation. the caster Injects a tiny
amount of c haos energy in to to his victim's body, causlng t h e target's rnuscies t o spasm mornentarfly. As a
resuIt. the target suffers a -3 penalty on his nest Reflexes roll for ~nitiative.

S1YRERI)i~RT
Difficulty: 2 0
Speed: -6
Range: 20 meters
Area of Elfed: Special
Duration: 20 seconds
Upon thy casting of t h i s spell, flve dark motes of ene r e coalesce in t h e caster's hand. The chaos binder
may hurl the deadly magic one mote at a time (speed
of +1) at t h e s a m e or separate targets (each attack is
treated a s a separate action). The caster may choose
ta throw them all at once (incurring t h e rtpplicabIe
rnulti-action penalties) or one at a time. A successfvl
attack causes 3D in t h e victim as t h e black mote burrows into t h e target's body. Once within. the dark
energy begins to suck away the victim's will (subtract
one ptp of a mental attribute and nnr pip of Endur-

,( t L ' , >
',
. ' h t L < ):I' \ :,'?
I =,',>,:I ,;\
' ~ , ~
Iht. lost plps rcturn d t :he s n c w rate t r w ) were losl)
L L

&>:-*

t c:<
~d ' <
, o ' ~1.' ~\ ' I < )

<

,,hLt\

<

*c:\

-<*\

.Ir)

.(

c i ,:<id 0 1

; 07

may e r n r i ~ c n t ra spell thn: has aiready I_ree11cdst.

ZIID'OEIC'S BEPENSE
Range: 25 meters
Area ofEffect: One object
Dusation: 10 minutes

Difficulty: 12
Speed: .5 minutes
Range: Area ofEffect: T ~ caster
P
Duration: 8 hours

than 10[) kilograms at a movement rate of u p to 10

(twice as fast as a walking human). W h ~ l edirecting
the wave, t h e castpr may not undertake other actiwties. hut must concentrate on the e n e r e to keep ~t

Psychic, or pslonlc. powers share many srrnllarities

Speed: 3 r n ~ n u t e s
Duration: 3 hours
klaglc leaves telltale signs of its use in t h e form of
shimmering paths of residual chaos invisible to the
naked eye. With this spell. t h e user attunes her s q h t
to t h e range ofchaos waves, enablrng her to see these
stringy paths and [ollow t h e m to their source. The
caster may t r a ~ la particular path up to t h e spelI's
area of effeclat which polnt it gradually fades. If t h e
orlginal caster has left t h e area. t h e trall ends in midair. The speIlcaster may then cast sense residual magic
aqain and pick u p t h e trail where it left off,follow~ng
u p t h e limit of i t s area, and so on.

Area of Effect: The caster

Duration: 4 hours
)$hen this enchantment is cast, a swirling, blotchy.
gray-and-black film encases the spellcaster's body
completely concealing h e r features.

N'I\KP MAGIC

ter may pscvent a spell from occurring (just

t ~ o no f various components. artifacts-whereas

ps~onicshinges on t h e power of the mind.

(;iZ?IEi ?IIFIITLI,INII:S

L
, :
,
,
. trc): ::)?IT l ) < w r ~ rAI>(I
< c s i a l w t ! h ~n t j t I(.(- 0 : ? ! I P ted111s
Psychic powers us? nrany of :hrhsamc game rules as s,,~ tr,t,untthem clown,
tl,evtllrn
itltoa~u~ts,
magical sprllr;. Rather than the Magic attrilmtt.. %low- gair, cr,mplety
,>f
powers. lJutmust take care
ever. characters use the Psychic Ability a t t r i h u t ~as t,, cunceal
Xhrnl fr(,m thr evcrvdn?l populace, who
t h e basis for their
for such pnwcrs.
would report t h ~ i nirnrned~ntrly.so scarpd are they
psionir skills, then. fa[l under Psvrhic 4bility.
of what t h e qovcrnmctlt conti 11~1t.sto call 'rnonstcrs."
+XWA

,:

GAME MECBAKICS

Characters can learn to use psionics in many diffrrent ways.

Innate AbiZEv: .A character nlay he born with an in-

hi^ svstem lrsesdifficulty,speed, range, area of ?flect. and duration. I t is recomn~enclcdthat thc attrihutv \.i
illrrow~rh? used in t h ~ game
s
systmi since
many r ) f t h c powers can be resistecl by it. Alternativelv. yotl can treat willpower as a skill: underanuther
rneiltal itttr~butt,,like klinrl, for instanre

herent p s y c h ~ cpower as a resuIt of it genetic mutntion (En a society where 99.W nf thp popk~latinnhas
no psvchic abilitvat all). As h e gets older he can learn
t o controi and harness that ahility.

'

Learned Ability: In a particular game world all characters may have t h e potential to become psychrcally
active. Various tralninq proqrams (in a world w h ~ r c
s u c h a b ~ l i t vis encouraged) o r banned rlocurnents
concerning t h e use o f psychic powers (in a worlcl
where psinnics are consiclered evil) can enhance a
character's baslc a p t ~ t u d c .
[*nicted Ability: sometimesa character
be
blessed (or cursed, &-pencling on t h r s r n t i m r n t s of
the Rame world's society) with a psvchic ability during a traumatic or injurious event. For example, a
character may he subjected to mtjrrnous amounts of
radiation that s o r n ~ h o walter ills brain structurp to
allow him to produce psychic effects Or during intensive brainwashing, a c h a r a c t ~ r ' smind rebels wtth
all its force. releasing its energy in such a way that i t
creates a new synaptic
pathwav that allows
hirn to
u s e psionics.

USEN(; PSYClW: POWERS

'

1,IURNINB PSITCBICIBOIERS

t 6

Xfost literarv and filrn sources depicting

pow. .psvchic
.

e r s show & ? i o n l c a ~ lactive

~
characters usinq their
abilities whenever and as often as thev like ITnlike
spells, therefore. psych~cpowers do not have to be
memorized. Once a character has learned to use a
I power h c has unlimited use nl it. Since this lack of
I limitation could disturb gamr halancr. it 1s rrcornmended that you incorporatc t h c lifc drain optional
attribute (see h'laqic Game Mechanics above).

POII'ERS
ESP
Difficulty: l'arqct's IZ'iI]p, , ~ e r
speed: 0
Range: 100 meters
..2rea of Effect: Onc character
Duration: 3 n ~ i n i ~ t e s
A c h a r a c t e r with t h i s power car1 spcrvtly enter the
m i n d (jf her tar$et
listyn to hls tholl?!hts

11,rlhWASSAKLT
Diffict''t!: srarget's 'vi'l~'~'verl10
Speed:-2

Rang':
of
One
Duration: Instant
T h ~ spower ;tllows a character to clirectlv attack an
opponent's mind, tearing apart synpases anrl killin?
brain cells. rL successful attack causes 6D rlarnagr.
whlch IS r r s ~ s t ~hv
d t h r victim's Willnnwer rather
than h i s E n d u r a l

bIlW1) WOIlW

Difficulv:

U'Fllllntvpr

Range: Irr
Area of Effect:one character

L'4'

W ~ t ht h ~ spowrr a c h a r a c t t r r a n plant a fnrcign

thrrught in his vict irn that prtvcnts his memory Ircm
PSYCHIC M)\ITERATTRIBTJTES
capturing the images, sounds. a n d nthet perceptinns
psychic powers have [he
att
as s p c ~ s : that occur around him for the duration o f t h e 1)owPr.
When t h e p n w t r wears nff.thc target cannot rememdifficulty.speed, range, area of effect, duration, plus
The optional attributes components, l ~ f drain,
e
and he'an!'thil'~ during that perio~lmagical (in this case. psychic) pulsc. T h r ncxt srction contains a sample psychic power system hasecl TELEKINESIS
Difficulty: 1 prr IT) kilograms
on these attributes.
+

SAMPLE PSYCHIC POMTERS

BACWGROITND
In the late 21st century, g e n ~ t maniptiPatinn
~c
has bern
banned. Previous attempts to control t h e strurtzrre
of human beings have failed horriblq: creating a race
mnnsters~mostofwhom
been
locked away forevcr in thc deep basements of t h r
world's most arivanced research lahs.
of

Speed: -i
Range: 25 meters
Area of Effect: Duration: 15 m i n u t ~ s
This pnwrr allows n ch; ~racterto mnvr an nbjcct
, i this
nnvwhrrP within !hat range. The standar(I Spet31iof
, n,nvement is two rrleters per
second (approxi ,,,,,,,,,
,, speed of a walking man).

,...,

--++"'.7

~ ~ ~ ~ a r a c t e,- rL:.-<-lr
c a ;n *+.LCr vL- c.LC.,n- m o \ ~ - ~

Recause cornlc book charactrrs have many varird arid

sometimes u n i q u e abilities, super pnwer systems
work differently than the more standarcli~edspeEls
and psychic powers. Each super power has its nwn
associated limitations and game mechanics (which
are described within the power's entry).
Superheroes usually begin play already possessing
theirabilities, hut you could run a campaiqn in whlcli
the characters discover their latent talents o r suddenly receive powers through an experlrnent gone
awry, an extreme dosc nf radiation, nr contact with
extraterrestrial beings.
The simplest method for allowing players t o select
super powers for their characters is t o assign each
pnwer a point cost and each character a point allowance. Fnr example. lor a Iow-power campaign. yo11
might give each character 100 priints to spend on
super powers. while for a high-power campaign you
might give 500 points. Below ynu'!l f ~ n dsome sample
powers and their associated point costs In parenthcses after t h e power name.

SAMPLE IBO\JIRS
Body Weaponry (10 per die of damage): .4 character with this ahilitv can u s e a Dart of h ~ sbocIy t o attack, whether it is"a natural fehture (ra7or-sharp fingernails, fangs, tongue) or a n extra appendage (limbs.
blades. spikes). T h e darnaqc from such a weapon can
range anywhere from In t o 8D ciepcnd~ngon the nature and composition of t h e hncly part.
Energy Generation (10 per die of damage): This
power alluws a character to cryate bolts ot electricity o r other m e r m form that causc anywhere from
1D t o XD damage. The character uses his Coordinat ~ o nattribute or enerqy weapon skill in combat t o
determine whether o r not he hit his tarpet (as per
the normal combat rules).
Enhanced Attribute (5 per bonus pip): The character has an automatic hor~us(ranging from +5to -20)
in one attribute. 1411 skills based on that a t t r ~ h u t also
r
gain t h e bonus value.

Invulernahility to <Damage Form> (10 per die of

resistance bonus/l50 for complete immunity): A
character with this ability eithrr has a bonus in t h ~
range of I D to 4D to Endurance when resisting darnage of t h e indicated type or takes no damage from
that type whatsoever. Damage forms incIudc radiation, lightning, acid, aging, and so forth.

Lightning Speed 175): This character has a ground

rnuvenlent nf four times h ~ species'
s
normal. A human hem with this abillty would have a movement
value of 40 (10 x 4 = 40)
Matter Generation (100): A character u i t h this ability can create anci launch a specific substance, from
acid to steel t o water.
Metamorphosis (200): character with this power
can change i n t o an alternate form, whether it be another person, an element (like water or flame). o r
energy. This power also covers the ability t o phase in
spacr-time. enablinga character to pass through solid
nbr~cts.
Rapid Healing (100 per healing multiplier): A character with this power heals at u p t o I 0 timcs his s p e
cies' normal ratP (we Chapter 10 "Healinq and Vehicle Repair" for more information).
Shield (50 pet die of dodge 'emus): This power allows a character to deftvct energy or missile w e a p
ons. The shield could be anything from a specially
constructed aluminum aIloy t o a natural force-fieldlike barrier. T h e character gains a 1D to 3D bonus t o
dodging these weapons.'

types. using these two sections yo; shouid be able

to design an adventure qu~cklvand easily, so get a
pen and paper for notes and read on.

TITPBSOF AIIVIINrURKS

with any genre, let's use an example set in t h e far future-

, i t h o u t it, h e !uses his monarchical status. it turns

TIIE QIJEST
behest of another.
This type of adventure is typicaIly associated with
t h e fantasy genre: King Arthur searching for t h e Holy
Grail: t h e brave warrfor hunting down t h e nefarious

its disappearance. To make matters worse, t h e annclaI Festival of the Stars-during which t h e Overlord
marches through the streets with t h e Symbol at his
side-starts in three days.

security measures return to working order, making it

impossible for the characters to escape unnoticed.
or, the
find themselves trapped on a

ervone else involved In the contest,

The characters mav become involved in the contest in

charact ~ r worry
?
abnut an irnrnine~~t
occurrence. For
example, a carrlaSc containing the king's daughter
races toward a cliff's edge. nr t h r characters are attempting to sneak past a hall-dozen sec~irltvmeasures
to steal a preclnus painting. or a ghost-like Presence

!he
,he slolen p u s s u ~ o r ~ p r o ~ i d e dher Fu~eriar.
c-mpr~rer srcrmg. sysrcm krcks In, rpquirlng her
I, p n f p r
sprondurt. pussmord-K~htch shp
hauppin
ne-yt 15 seconds, shemust
nolc fry lo p/lmlna/p,hyposs,or rn Fomp uw sarvr

:'mt,
;;( ; > % < ' ' 2, <.; ' , * ,
<,:, , ::' (, ' : r . ' ,
q!t9e/1tdr!/I&) :o 0/1(~0d
10 ~ t a r~
! 0 / / l n u< hlk)
-wuicarch the seconds. Frunrrcnll-v,she starts toss-

c,,?,,

,:;I

)C)LI

Four at a 'Ime. E u e r ~
jng Ihp
seconds
you let her
'"'
leA. If
she rolls rhe five sixes before the 15 seconds are

,
' ; . ;. .,:,t
' , , . ' \ c'<:,
',
," , .,,\ , '<*;)~leld ~ iS~L I!! ~ C TX I ) (!iinliiqt'.
The only other element to incorporate into a chase
is the distance between the characters involved so
that you can determine range (see Chapter Eight,
~ C o m h a t - ~See
) , the Movement section of chapter
',+

'

[he consulufe's ularms

been able to roll two dice at a time, thereby making it

that much more difficult t o get fives sixes. As a g u i d e

line, a character with a n average skill of 313 can roll
two o r three sixes in 10 seconds fairly consistently
(depending upon how fast t h e player can roll t h e
dice). You may want tn Increase t h e number of sixes
needed as t h e player characters advance their skills
and get to roll eight or even 10 dice at a time.

taking part in the chase.

(IOMBIIT
sometimes
the characters

will become involved in a

situatinn that erupts into vinIence. The game rnechani, needed to run battles appear i n the ntdutcaateer
h~ornbat,w

I~IIVITIRS~~IRI
13S

with near misses and exciting events.

to set u p a chase scene is to ereThe
a t e a list of the various obstacles the c h a r a c t ~ r must
s
overcome, especially ~f vw can couple it with a map
of t h e area. Just like scenes, YOU can have locationbased and trmc-based events. List each occurrence
either when It occurs (in colnbat rounds-perlods of five seconds; see Chapter Eight. "Combat.- f o r
information on rounds)
where it Occurs.
Let's look at an example in w h ~ c ht h e player characters must pursue a group of thieves o n hoverbikes
through an underl;lround cavern complex.
Round One: Both groups begin in a large cavr that
t>oasts a small hovercraft docking facility. Two tunriels lead offinto t h e rest of t h e complex. T h e thieves
choose t h e o n e on t h e right. .411 characters must make
hooprbikp p l l o f i ~ checks
g
against an Easy (7) rlifticul ty
to attoid hitting t h e s l d ~ of
s t h e tunnel's mouth as
they enter. Anyone w h o tails t h e roll suffers 2D damage to himself and 5D damage tn his hoverbike.
TunneE Exit: When t h e two groups reach t h e first
tunnel's exit. t h e y find that it opens into another tunnel which ~rnrnediatelycurves downward. Everyone

tion, designing friends. toes, and casual acquaintanto meet, GM characters

cps for the player
include e v p r w n c from major villains to annoying big
from Stalwart r [ ) m p n i f l n ~+n
recluses. And don't torget t h e less-spectacular characters-the shop owners. bartenders. tavern patrons,
spaceport citizens. government off~cials,and so forth.
They're just as ~ m p o r t a n tto t h e story as everyone
else.
T
) panic,
~
you
~ don-t
~
havP
~
to
characters to fill t h e entire universe. You should carefully
choose which GM characters play t h e most pivotal
role in your adventure and design them in detail. Then
se!ect t h e less important characters and determine
most of their hackground and personalitY. and so on
until you come down to the nameless characters who
need nothinq nlort than a brief mention. YOUcan categorize these characters into lead. supportin?,, and
extra characters.

**

c I I f ~ ~ ~ l ~ ~ ~Description
r r ~ ~ ~ ~ s

Supporting characters usually play a rote as seconds

to lead characters. assisting them in their eflorts t o
achieve their goal. You don't have to spend as much
time creating supporting characters as you do w ~ t h
lead characters. You may want to record their at-

Extras are the nameless, and sometimes tacelpss.

role, and may serve to help nr hinder t h e p l a y ~ r c h a r acters, but otherwise they have no bearing on the
overall conflict.
You can easily s u m up t h e s e characters in paragraph stats like this:
t o Guards. All s t a t s 2D except. Coordination :<D.
blaster 3n+I.Strength 3D+1. Move 10. Heaw laser

Below h u m a n average for an attribute.

Untrained human a v e r a s e for an
attribute and many skills.
ht-erage levei or training for a htrman.

geographic. arm. About 1 in 10O.OOO

people will haxfe t r a i n ~ n gto this skill lever. 6D
Among t h e hest on a continvnt. Ahout
1 in IO.OOo,nOo people will have training
to this skill 1evt.l.

at this Eevel.
One nf t h e best in a scrtor.
One of t h e hest i n a region.
Among the best in a galaxy.

SPEGIAI, ARIWTIES
Many characters h a v t special a b ~ l i t i e s s, t ~ c has su-

actly t h e wrong moment!

CHARACTER POIXTS A X n FATE

MISDIRECTING TBE FIAYEBS

may have wcll over 50 Character Points) az~dmany

will have at least three Fate Points.

ABILITIES

I~REIWIJICES

+'
>

- A

proceed through the encounters in t h e

order thev appear. s o ~f you read only
t h e first half of thp srpnarlo, you could

The creature's orneriness die

code represents its resistance to contact with nther
creatures o r characters. See t h e <rreohzre>ndrngskill
in the Skills chapter for more information

ImR1~~'i~ItIN~;
111I)ITENT1BltI:S
First, you're going to nred an adventure. You can htty
one from West End Games, create one yourself. or
make u n e up as you go along (as shown above).

You don't have to memorize every

d e t a i l either. J L I S ~know t h e basic
plotlinc and structure of the story. If
the players do somet hing unexpected.
like killing a malor vYllnin
....... W..~ U ' SSUP
posed to participate in t h e f inale of
..
T ~ aavenrure,
P
you II rieeci
10 know
what vou can d o t o alter t h e remaindcr of t h e s t o r y so thaf it still comes to a satisfvinq condusion.
.I,

CHARACTER CAnnS
One way to quicken game play is tn create Ghf character cards. Ynu can either photocopy t h e section
detailinq each character o r vou can write their game
inform?ltion on an index card. As t h e player character encounter various G M charactrrs, you can pull
out their c h a r a c t ~cards
r
s o that you h a w all of their
Important inlormatinn at your fingertips. In this way.
you won't have to flip through pages of t h e adventure Innking for a particular character's stats, especially i f that character participates in more than one

encounter.
Thiq t e r h n i o u ~
w o r k esneciallv wrll for campaigns

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g
~ t the
t
hack of the ship. You begin t o lose attitude control
and start plummctini;l toward t h e surface' What are
vnu goinq to do?"

later. Fuu never know whrn t h e players ma! rlecicle

to return to sprak with a particular character. If you
havenmtkept a record of h ~ pame
s
informallon. you
may have to guess-and you ct)uld b? wrong, thereby
shattering t he players' s u s p ~ n s i n nof disbelief ("Didn't
this guy h a w blup sktn th? last time we talked with
him:'").

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Such fast starts put t h e player:: immediately un

their toes. thrusting them into t he middleof t h e game
h ~ f o w t l i e y e v know
e ~ it. Once theyl*=v' e dealt with thew
immediate problem. they're thoroughly enmeshed in
t h e story.
STOCK
A q a ~ n ,hp careful with this technique. 5ome playAnother way to save time during an adventure-and
ers may not likr it. some may love it. Choose t h e one
t o save you from looking ill-prepared-is to c r ~ a t ~
that works best tor vour group. And above all. vary
several "stock" encounters. These short scenes could your adventure heqinnings. Nothing puts plavers to
he anything from a bar brawl tn a chance meeting sleep more quickly than a n introduction that esaclly
with a squad of stormtroopers checking Ens. When mirrors t h e last five.
your players decide t o go somewhere or d o something that you hadn't foreseen-and t herefnre hadn't
written out beforehand-you can use one of your
stock encounters to fill in t h e space while you figure You've successfully brought t h e player characters
our a way to get t h e characters back on track with
into t h e adventure. Now you have to keep them tct h e adventcre.
cused and enthralled with the plot If vou see their
Try to devcIop ten o r Inore stock encouriters that ryes start to wander. o r they fa11 into a conversation
cover a variety of environments. The more you cre- about the Iasl game (or worse, what t h e watched on
ate, t h e less likely you'll he to get stuck in an acIventelevision last night). you know somethinc's gone
ture because t h r plnyrr characters did something or wrong. This srction should help vou maintain an inwent somewhere unexpected.
volving storv and a sense of -really being there."

ENCOIJNPERS

STARTING TRE
BI)\1IINTIIRII
You h a w s ~ v ~ r options
al
for stnrtir~~
The DCI System relies on fast-paced, cinemat~cadventures
an adventure. The most common is
where action oftrn takes center stage. Your joh as GM is to
the mission briefinq introduction ( e s fluctuate the pace of t h e scenari-speeding
up during the
pecially if t h e charactrrs arr agents
exciting parts and slowing down afterward to give t h e characof s n m e kind nf organization. governt e r s (and t h e players!) some time t o breath. Don't get bogged
ment-sponsored o r otherwise). 'I'he
down in details {unless vou and your group want to. of course):
characters, who may or may not know
sacrificine some realism aHows you to keep t h e game mowng
each other, have been assembIed by
[and thereby, keep your players' interest focused o n their chartheir superior lor a meeting on their
acters' situation).
upcoming assignment. The superior
If duringan adventure. t h e players do something unexpected
gives t h e m an oh~ective.provides
(which you should expect!),don't let them know it. Just makc
them with the resources they'll need
up the part of t h e story that you haven't yet created. You have
to accomplish that goal, and answers
t o rely on your judgement and imagination to continue t h e
whatever questions h e can.
game without ruining t h e players' "suspension of disbeIief."
U'hilr this standard starting formal
wnrks in moqt situations, it can also
get boring. especially since not much happens during this encounter. T h e characters just sit a m u n d discussing t h e mission. N o t h ~ n gr ~ a I l ystarts to happen Your first job is t o vividly d ~ p i cthe
t scenr unfoidlng
until they get on their way.
b ~ f o t hr e~ player characters. Where are they? Who
else 1s there? Zi'hat's happening? These are the questions yuu must answer irnmed~ately.
Another way to throw characters into the midst of
t h e action is t o s t a r t t h e game rn rnecI~ures. The player

you questions about their surrounclings ('*How many

The Gronp: "Sure."

Gamemaster: "All right. You make your Last course

~ ~ ~ ~ : . 4 ~ ~ ~ , ~ S ~ s
to learn

prt,videsucktlifelikpdescrlI,til,ns

is to picture
sccnp in your mind
do
can to convey that same scene to vourplavers,
You may incorporate movie or tele;isionfot;tage
you'uetaped, mapsand d iaarams
you copied out of
library books, o r even illustrations you've drawn

Another way to keep !::ih rpiavtbrsenrapturpd in the

story is to qve them a cleadlrrle. 'They have only four
hourstto rescue slaves heacleci for an unknown location In t h e danqerous .lungles of Zhadonm Or maybe
the CIA needs to warn a rf'motc outpost hefore the
Ri~ssiansarrive to destroy it. l ~ u st a t e i l i t ~communi-

time to accomplish their objective. they don't waste

tinct feeling that something up there is looking clown

PERSOKAI, STAKE

BBIJE17ABI,IICBAk1C:TIZRS

vide them with a p ~ r s o n a lstake In t h e nutcome of

the adventure. Maybe one ot their siblings has btcn
captured
a necromancer, or a crimelord has sent
bounty hunters after them, or their homeland's qovprnmcnt mistakenly believes they have become traitors.
The characters
to deal with thcse situations.

Other than t h e setting, t h e player characters will also

encounter o t h e r people who live in the game world.
Your job is tn make sure that these <;\I
characters
apppar real to the playcrs. Their words and aclions
must seem a p p r o p r i a t ~in t h e context nf their histfi

alI nf his YCSOU~C~S-his

s k ~ l l sallies,
,
finances, etc.to accomplish his imrnediatr as well as his long-trrm

IIXCI%ING T,C)CAIJ?S
Use settings that evoke a sense of w n n d ~ rYou
. could
above t h ground
~
t l y massive antigrav engines, or a
spaceport built into the cl~ffsof a n ancient series of
canyons.

the player characters

Y' doing
!I'u
can
make these sights ~ n g a g i nand
~ mcmnrahle for t h e
to make

players.

tl place

character is edremely ct,mfletjtive. for example, you

c o ~ l l dcreate a rival group [hat seeks to outdo the
player characters at ever!, turn. T h e players w~lldo
everything in their power to make sure their charactcrs succeed more often and more quickly than the
npwt-omprs,

GIVIR(; O1"l'IORS
Don't constantly force your players to follnw along
t h e prescribtd path of the advcnturc. Thcy may have
devised an alternate scheme for success not covered
by the scenario,
aIl,-Jyou shouldrt't penalize
them for
their
Instead you'l[ have to use
judg
ment t o run t h e remainder of t h e a d v e n t u r ~ .
If t h e players feel that they never have a choice.
that you have predeterrninecl what their characters
will d o and say-and t h ~ r r f o r how
~ . t h e adventure

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playng. l'art of ttie fun cr! A roleplayltiq gainr IS !hr

almost unlimited possible r e a c t ~ o n st o ar1y given situation. Take that away and you've lost much of t h e
reason for participating in this type of game.
Sometimes t h e c h a r a c t e r s will have only a few
choices-or at least.
that's fine if it makes
the scenario and does
as t h e GM t o dictate their characters' paths.
Reward creativity. Givs t h e players a reason to
ercise their brains. T
t h t y have, t h e more th
their characters mak
else to blame it on. and when their characters succeed, they feel a genuine sense of accornplishmtnt.
111

THE SURTI,IS ART OF

~IISI)IREC'E'IOM
ectly guess the conclus
an adventure while they're progressing through
ing encounters won't provide
as much excitement as they should.
This is where t h e subtle art nf m i s d i r ~ c t i n ncomes
in. ~ h goal
r here is t o keep ttie players (and their
characters) guessing and revising t h o s e guesses

through thew*holeadventure.You can d o this in small

ways: make die rnlls, smile for a nlornent. and then
clon't say anyth~nqahout it: have t h e characters rnll
Perception checks. ask for their totals. and then just
continuewith t h e encounter; ask a plavcr for d ~ t a i l e d
information on how her character is going t o close a
d o o r rii'hich hand are you using?" "Llo you have a
weapon in your handv), hut then have t h e portal close
uneventfully.
You also have t h e option of throwing in major red
herrings. If a G M character starts tracking the characters, t h e players wiIl immediately attempt t o mesh
this new person's presence with t h e rcst of t h e atlventure. In reality, however. he's just a common thief
looking for a n easy mark. or h e t h i n b that one of t h e
characters looks fanlil~arhut doesn't want t o say anything until hr's s u r e he's not mistaking that character for someone else.
A plaver character could receive a death t h r ~ a t
from a largc crirnina! orqanization operating in t h e
sector Unfortunately t h t nlcssape was delivered tn
t h e wrong person, and t h e crimelord has no interest
in him o r his companions. Of course, you won't let
f l l ~ nknow
?
that.
I

I
I

1,I)AIIINC; TnE DICE

The most important part of a rr~Ieplayinggame is t h c
story. Don't let t h e rules get in thc way. [f a flubbed
die roll would normally indicate that t h e main v~llain
dies a few m ~ n u t e si n t o t h e aclventurc, fudqe t h e roll.
Say h~ just harely escaped. For this reason you should
t r y to m a k ~all of your rolls behind a GM screen nr
hidden from thc players by some other object (like
your hands).
If t h e play~rsmake a rnll that wnuld destroy t h e
scenario. or would make it less exciting. you can fudge
t h e rtifficulty nunihrr. For example, you've set up a

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to
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above a concrete floor. One player clecictes that her
character will Ellst t u r n off t h e I ~ g h t and
s wait for their
quarry t o faI1. You hadn't thought of thaz possihllity
when you designed your adventure (or it wasn't ad-

bend the bounty.

Don't go :overboard with this technique. If t h e playP ~ suspect
S
that you've been altering die rolls and
difficulties. they'll start t o lose interest because it will:
seem that their free will has been taken away. You
should fudge rules only a t critical moments and you

characters,

IJSLNC; TRE MASTER%IKCII1"

The AMa~terBook
" ruIes incorporates a deck of In8 cards that
influence play. You can use these cards in a D6 game with minor
rnodificatiorl (i-moring t h e bottom half of all cards).
Using t h e ,Z!asterhok,'D6 conversion in the appendix, you can
convert a n y card t h a t gives a bonus to an action (formula:
(!24usterBookvalue),'3 = quotient and remainder: t h e quotient hecomes the die code and the remainder t h e number of pips). For
example, the Dorrhle Cross card gives a -6 bonus tn any action
that directly betrays t h e rest of t h e party. Using t h e formula, t h e
+ti becomes a +3D (613 = 2 remainder 0).
Plot cards can be used as normal. For example, the Common
Cmund card allows a character t o ~ s t a b l i s h"common ground"
with an otherwise alien o r unknown being or -g~oup.
Treat any Life P o ~ n t as
s Fate Points and any Skill Points as Character Points. The word "handq replaces t h e w o r d "pool" throughout.
Ignore t h e text on t h e Serze lnificrtitle card: instead it allows t h e
character to act first in a combat round. The E f f ~ ccard
t
allows a
character to add +2 to any action or damage roll.
At the beginning d every adventure, hand out three to five
cards (depending on how much card-use you want) tu each player
and double that amount t o yourself. You or any prayer may then
use any card at any time. Cards not used by t h e end o f t h e adventure are discarded and new ones are dealt out at t he start of t h e
1 next scenario.

During an atlventure y n u " in

~~
charge. Don't get into
an elaborate rliscussion about t h e nuances of t h e
game rules or of o n e of your decisions. You can always discuss rules questions o r arguments w ~ t hthe
players after thy game (see t h e "Getting Fccdhack
section below).
tVhile this general guideline provides you with a
g r ~ a deal
t
of power, it also hefts nn you t h e responsibility of using that power wisely. You have to he fair.

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y1:)tt ("311gill1 lerllitstt~r.I<\;?;ll-y(tI1C.

is p[il!.illg

tratetl and eventually quit once it brrnmes ol)vir)us to have fun, so just d o your hest and enjov yourself.
that there's n o pr~intin continuing.
CUrZRfECTERS TO
U'hile vou take t h e role ot t h e villains in t h e adven- 12tAJA07#rENG
tures you run, d o not think of yourself as t h e oppol?i41IA
nent of t h e players. Your job is to make sure t h e players have a good time, not to beat them. U ' h ~ l cyou Sometimes characters nverl tcl fail. If thev rnll poorlv.
shnuld try t<, piuridr t h e players' characters with a or are simply outclassed, or most importantly. if they
challenge. you shouldnmttry to devise an unbeatable play poorly. their characters will lose.
On t h c other hand, wjth each defeat, t h e characadventure.
ters
(anrl players) should learn something. They may
Then again. i f t h e players d o s o m ~ t h l n stupid,
g
you
r
to approach a situation. o r they
shouldn't coddle them. The first lime they rnakc n learn a h e t t ~ wav
maysturr~ble
upon
a
ton\ or gadget that will help them
particular mistake vou may want to alert them and
reduce t h e damage it would have caused, t ~ utth e sec- in the future. It should take ucrscverance and dedication. but I ~ a r n i n gfrom rnistz~keswill e v ~ n t u a l l ylead
ond time you should adjudicate t h e Prror fairly.
Tread carefutly on t h ~ saspect of parnenlasterinq. to success.
It's easy to fall one {trayor t h other.
~
.lust remember
that vou're all playing this game to have fun.

THE

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NlililBISGTRE GAMII GOING

The player characters will stray from your adventure.

Expect ~t-hut don't worry about it. If y o u ' v ~t a k ~ n
your t i n e to prepare thescenario as i ~ ~ d i c a t ae hd n v ~ .
you shouldn't have a problem getting things back on
track without alertirlg the players t n their sounrlabout
way of procetding through t h e adventure.
In fact, some G U S cnrne to enjoy t h e opportunity
to run t h e game on t h e fly. You need a ?clod imagination and a good understandine of t h e adventure to
improvise encounters, but t h e more you do it. t h e
better you'll get.
When the character first meander away from the
ptot, ga in t h e direction t h e players are heading. Start
making up things off t h e t o p of your head, throwing
as much color and flash around as you can. If you
need a couple of mrnutes to figure out how to get t h e
plavers hack into t h e story. call for a hrrak.

The ability t o improvise is extremely important

because it allows you t o maintain t h e players' rllusion of h - ~ pwill. They have to bellrve that they can
choose their own path, instead of being forced to d o
eracflywhatthp(;51wsnfsthemtodo--rhisisagame.
and In games players get t n make choices about their
actions. Players hulc being forced t o d o something!
C)f course. you are always free to throw complications at the players. If they have chosen to go in an
unexpected directinn, you can pull out a character
card o r a stock encounter (or make one up on the
s p u r of t h e moment) and let them deal with that situation while you f ~ g u r eout how to bring them back
into t h e plot.
Sometimes, through no fault of t h e players or vour
own, t h e adventure dies. T h e characters don't know
how to proceed and t h e players c o m p l r t ~ l ylase intrrest. T h e best way to handle such a situation is to
make someth~nghappen. A brawl brvaks out. o r a
nearby GM character gets dragged off by a band of
ruffians. or t h e lights sucideniy go nut. or t h e
character's s h i p suddenly experiences a malfunction
that will send it into t h e c l o s ~ s star.
t
and so on. Get
t h e players excited. Put their characters' lives i n danger. Make them worry about how the encounter will
turn out.

Adventures can last a sinqle night or can span sevcral game s~ssions.At t h e end of a scenario (or the
end of t h e game session), you may wish t o distribute
rewards

Make sure that what t h e characters receive for their

actions matches what they went through during t h e
adventure
Characters may he swarcled money equipment, and
weapons tor their act ~vities.They rnav also make contacts with a11 irnportant Ghl character-someone who
can help t h e m in a future adventure.
Characters also receive Character Points and Fate
Points at the cnrl of adventures. which can be used
to increase skills or can be saved for later adventures.
As a general rule, a character shouId receive 3-15
Character Points ant1 1-2 Fate Points for each adventure. The award depends upon several factors:

Did the Player Accomplish the Adventure God?

Give characters one Fate t'oint for succeeding in their
mission
How Well The Characters (and Players) Did. This
reward represrnts how t h e group did as a whole. If
t h e players solved puzzles,came u p with inqenious
solutions, and made s u r e everyone involved had fun.
give them ~ i to
x eight Character Points: if t h e players
did poorly givc them only three or four Character
Points.
How Welt Fach Individual Player Did. I t certain
players were very clever nr went out of their way to
make t h e game
fun. qive her an extra Fate Point.
-.
Whether They Coclperated. Ef t h e players worked
w ~ l Ias a team. give each of them two to four extra
Character Points.
Did They Play In Character? If a player r o l e p l a y d
his character w4ell,give him thrye or four Character
Points.
Did All Of You Have Fun? If all of you (yes, this
includes the CM) had a good time. give t h e players
as many as three o r four extra Character Points.

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aw;~rt!q~ii~f~l~nesarefr)r;i~~;~ver:ig~~(Ivv~i:~res~)a~~~ ~ ) o ~ i ~ e s ~ t s c : - i t ~ ~ t s ~ ~u ~! ~. E
o rt ' sht ot pdt ~
a 1?1~ d l ~ ~ t
ning two nlghts of camlng. or four or flve fa~rIylong and run a qamp, and you carl't always please evesyepisodes. I f an adventure r u n s over severak sessions, o n e no maTter what you do. Instead. view player rethe GM may want to give partial awards dunnq the actions and comme~ltsas hints as to what you can
adventure so t h e players don't go too Inn? without dn In t h e next adventure that will keep then1 on the
getting anything to show for their efforts. Fir?al Char- edge of their seats.
acter and Fate Point awards should he correspondThe best wav to confront such a problem is t o ask
ingly increased to reflect t h e length of the adventure. t h e players what they did and didn't like. You could
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cjf Character Point the characters receive.

Again. try n o t to be too lavish in giving out "stuff"your c h a r n c t ~ r need

s
something to work for later. In
t h e movies, rewards of iriendsh~p.honor. and carnaraderie were more important than money or e q u i p
rnent. Of course. a cash advance now and then doesn't

and your players have fun. I t not, e i t h t r you or your

players will eventually give up and find sornething else to d o during those precious

CLIFFBANG1':RS
If an advcnturc will cnntinue ovcr a few game ses-

as throwing u p a "to be continued" line at the

end of the night's episode.
For example, the player characters race
across the country t o stop a rogue agent from
betraying the CIA. Just as they rush into the
room where t h e traitor is supposed to make
the exchange, a dozen encmy soldiers n p
pear from h i d d e n alcoves a n d p o i n t
submachineguns at the characters. The
misgu~dedagent turns and says. "What
took you so Ionq7-and t h e session ends.
Don't even let the players ask any questions about t h e scene. Just tell them
they'll have t o wait u n t ~ n
l ~ xttrme.

(;ElWl'INGFEKDBACII
Sometimes a n a d v e n t u r ~doesn't
thrill t h e pIayers like you expccted
it to w h e i ~you were first reading
or creating it. As y o u run a scenario you should pay attention to
t h e players' reactions to t h e
various scenes. Did they stand
up and all try to talk at once
during t h e chase? Did they go
comatose when they reached
t h e puzzle-solving encounter? The players words and
actions can convey a great
deal of information about
which parts put them to

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Sometimes charactrrs qet into situatic~nswhere they

fined svstem tor deterrninlng t h r effects of attacks.

characters
ma?lattenlpt
d,,sinl:a baZtlc.
from firing a gun (as long as h e has one) to knockin2
his opponent over to runninq away The r o m t x ~ t a n t s
nlavdie in s u c h er~counters,clepending on hnw much
da*nagt they give and receive.
Read through t h p following transcript r,f a tvpical
game s e s s i o ~w~h c r ~the characters have just come
illto conflict with their advprsarirs. Don't worry ahout
the tiice rolls for now: t h e rest of this chapter exphins
all combat-related mechanics in detail.
CM: Okay, we're in combat rounds now. E v ~ r y o n e
m a k ~ Rrflpxps
a
roll. (A11 players and the 654 roll their
dice.) Anyone roll hiqhrr t h a n '(1:'
Rrian: Yeah, I rolled a 2R!
GM:,211 right, what rlo you want to d o
Brian: Ah. that clqlends. What'rr t h e mcrcs doing'
GM: Tuw <,I thcm are running across t h e dockinq bav
toward vou and t h e other two are setting u p some
kind of large. tripod-motlrrtecl weapon w a r the entrance, which 1s about fifteen meters away Zrnnl you.
Rrian: H m m m ... I'll fire my blastrr at onr of the two
with t h e heavy weapon. (Checks t h e rangc .of h i s
blaster ancl t h r n rolls his character's hkrrf~rdice).
Let's see. I got a n 11.
GM: That's a hit! Okay, roll damage.
Rrian: (Chrtks his blaster's darnaqe die coclc and then
rolls five d i c ~ . 1) rolled a total of 16.
GM (Rolls Endurance dice jar t h e rncrc.) 1 rolled a 12
to resist. so thp damage was higher than the troop~r's
Endurance roll hut less than double, which translates
t o o n e wouncl. Your Illaster shot hits t h e merc i n the
shouldrr, but other than a l~lackmark nn h ~ plasteel,
s
h e seems all right. Okay. anyme make a Reflexes roll
of 15 or higher l

Tim &Torn (simultaneously): I did!

going to take two shots. one at each of the

runnin~towarcl
CM: You're going to lose I D from each shot since
yoioumretakinq more than onp action.
'Tim: Nn problem. I've got 7D+ 1 in hlostrr anyway. How
at t h i s
GM: About 1 0 m ~ t e r s .
Ttm: (Checks his blaster's range and rolls his dlce.)
Hmmm . well. I onlv rnlleti a 6 on rnv first shot.
GM: That's a miss.
Tim: 1 figured. Okay, nn mv second s h o t I rolled a 13.
CM: Hit! Roll darnace.
Tim: (C'h~rksblaster's damage dice and rnlls.) That's
a total of ... 19.
Ghl: (Rolls ~ncrc'sEndurance.) I rolled a 3. Y n t ~ damr
age roll is t h r w t i m r s hieher than his Enclurance rollq
That's three wottnrisl You blast him square in tile
chest ancl h e goes Ifving backward ahout two meters.
ISknv. Tom, it's your turn.
Torn: Is that h e a q ?rrtmeapon
almnst mounted'?
GM: Yeah. and i t looks like they're about to fire it.
Tom: Okay. then I'm going t o take two actions. First
I'm going to shoot at o n e of t h e troopers with my
hlaster rifle, and them I'm going to dodqe out of the
way.
GM: Okay, you lnse In from ~ a c action
h
since you're
taking two.
Torn: (Checks his rangp and rr~llshis hiuster dice.) 1
rnlled a fi on t h e wild die! (Rolls t h e w ~ l dd w again.)
$11 right, that's a total of ?I!
GM. You ~lailedhim! Roll damage.
Tom: (Rolls his hlaster rifle's damage dice.) I rolled
an 18.

Tin"

!I'm

,,,, ,

Once all the characters whose Reflexes rolFs were

26 or better perform their actions (i.e., those allowm-!
to take their actions in t h e hrst second of the round),
call out t h e next second by saying "two." A1 l c haracters may move one-fifth of their movement again, and
any characters who generated a Reflexes roll of 21-

exchange like a simultaneous combat, Both may take

their actions regardless of whether one or the other
1s killed. .4 character who dies. however. may not take
any actions after this second.

CoWIhhIoIJS COMlhU':
ROIJMD SEBIJBX\'C:11
I . A11 gamemaster and plaver characters make a Re2. The gamemaster calk out t h e current second of
the round (starting at one)
3. .4lI characters may move one-fifth oftheir move-

On your turn (as player o r gamemaster) you may

choose to take more than one action. The more you
attempt to do. however, the less care and concentration you can apply to cach action. making it harder for
yntl to succeed at all of them. This increased difficulty

skill dice for both actions when rolling for success.

E x a m p l ~ Rnun
:
CIr~lliarn.~.
on undercoc~rClPl
Iur,Se Ipaping across to
,9p,
borrng rooftop R ~ n l i z ~ nheg doesn 'r haue much
time. Brian d ~ c i d he
~ shus to druu- hrs pistol and
Fiw rrnrnedrate/y-imd he t h l n k ~h ~ ' dbe hfrer
offshoohng ~ W I C P just
.
tn CQSP SIRCC
h e i tokrnq
thwe nctrons Idruu-ing und t h ~ hnnq
n
tu4rce),he
rnslsr subrrart ZD from each skill u t t ~ m p tLuckio: dmu-rng CI u.eupon does not requrw a skrI1
rnII onyuqaJ:so he only Iospc f h p 213 from hrs Iu*o
mc~rksmunshrproll^. S I ~ Chrs
P marksmunrhrp die
code i.q ,%
1. IIPImukes both actrons af .YQ- 1 (not
cnnnring mngp und ofhersituutronnl penalfles).
tq

4. Characters who may take an action in this second

5. .Add one to the current second and then go back t o

step 2 (after five seconds. the round ends).

MOVEMlzi\TT

Characters may walk up to t h c ~ move

r
value in meters
everv round. For example, a character with a mt>ve
of 12 can walk 12 meters in anv direction
during a fivesecond combat round. To move
COB!TIAiJOIJS COR1M.T
any faster requires a R~flexesroll against a
deterrn~ncdby t h e number of exIMIPIA'FIVIZ DETERMIXATION difficulty
tra "movements" (one movement is equal
Reflexes Roll Action Taken on Second ...
to the character's move value: two rnovements is equal t o two times the character's
261
move:
and s o on). Each extra movement
21-25
2
adds It) to the difficulty. For example. a
11-15
3
bounty hunter chararacter wants t o capture
6-10
4
a bandit before the thief leaps onto a movinn train in a few seconds. Since the bandit
0-5
5
is'ibout 25 meters away and the bounty
hunter's move is 1 0 , there's n o way t h e
bounty hunter can reach his quarry within five seconds. The player therefore decides t o have the
bounty hunter make two and a half extra moves.
1. Make a Reflexes roll
The first 10 meters IS free (it's a normal move, not
2. Refer to t h e Continuous Combat Initiative Dean extra one), hut the next 1>meter distance yields
termination chart t o determine which second
a total difficulty of 20 (10 for the first extra move of
the character may take an action
10 meters and another 10 for t h e second extra move
3. Move onefifth of movement dnring each secof five meters). If the bounty hunter's move had
ond of t he round
been 20, h e would have needed to make only one
4. Determine the number of actions you uiill take
extra move and therefore would have had a tota!
5. Subtract dire for multiple actions
difficulty of El).
6. Perform action(sl on t h e second indicated by
You may also wish to increase movement difficulty
the Continuous Combat Initiative Det~rmination
depending on the type of terrain. A character runchart
ning through a warehouse crowded with stacks of
boxes would have more trouble than if he were tunNote: Step 3 occurs during everv second of the
ning across an open pla~n.
round. while sfem 4 throunh 6 occur onlv an the

lYrrrf\t:IiIN~;AN11
1BlIFENIBING

I . Add or subtract Clffcnsc Modifiers

2. RoTl attack (lice
damage roll to defmcler's Endur-

I . UecIarr dndqc, parry. o r nn c l c f ~ n s ~

4. Compare attack difficulty to attacker's wcapot~skill

5. ff hit. roll Eildurance

I\'HilT YOU NEED TO ROJAI, TO

11IT A CIlilltACT13Ii
tnl nf at least 10 tn succrssfr!llv h ~ at r l e f t ~ n d i nchar~
acter. .lust roll yorlr hrrrrr.lrne srrwrd? or c;rc-Itc>rv(or

the sppropriare skill [or whatever weapon you're us-

l ' h e other rvay to change thy value neecl~rlto hlt n

charactrr invnlvcs t h r LISCof CIocljies and parrirs.

IM)DC;ISS
If a character dodyes ( w h ~ r counts
h
as an a c t ~ r ~ nhc
),
mils h ~rkldqe
s
s k ~ l dice.
l
Thc generated c-aluc rrplaces
t h e 10 as the hasp attack difficulty P
deefendcr
I
can
r t o r ~ qany
~ typr
w ~ a p r l n( n ~ e ~ eor
r >rr)issilr>.
Example:R spew prrol~dprrdps tr) dodqe nut
IC-IIJ of the nwi-r:~
rpfurn frw Hr rolls Ilrc
clodce skrll 01.3fl+2 and qeriemlrs u 15. whrch
hrcomes thr> neu' ortuck drffirull?, ihe mprr must
bpat tr) scow a rurrrs~firl/?/ton thr spncp pirnrp
of rhr

E ~ a r n p l e :Lufer rn !IIP cc~rnhur,the spuce pidoclqes nga:orn. hut wtnd.~u p ~ r ' i t lu~ total
d o d ~ en ~ l lnT on/> ;.<tnrp /I?,- ~ . ( i l l h~
i ~ gwprurrd IS I t w rho11 I0 irhc bast, ci~fficr~l&),
rlrc ulf ~ ~iiff!c.uih.
k
rs luu*rr[hem I! uwuld burr hec~n~f
Ire hrrct not dotlgetl uf crll Ihenct* the rrsk mr'olr-ed
i n tr? rn? lo clrrrfcrpn!pon ngpt?n~nt's
oltcrcks)
It m a v seem unrealistic to allow a character t o
mtp

Example: A .<pucep ~ r o rI ~L Y u
~ ~I R S P T
pistrlr
skrll oS 117+1 firr.5 ur (I rusfrrr71.cc~ffiricrlHr. rnll.7
111slaser pistol drr-(Jclrld qc~rr.(I 1.3 (2, 4. 5 2, t I
prp), ~ ~ ~ IS~ Y PI O ~C P TI //?OII
~ 117. ~ n d t ( - c ~ f rtwt
rr~z
srrcct.~~rl~d
in hittin? ~ I I Poffici~il.

tlecision on tvhilt numerical rffvcts a given situation

sperd rrr a l a s ~ bolt

r
travelin? at t h e sptrcl of light.
hlc) not thinkahout adndge this way. Achaaracterwho
is rlndging is iirlticipating t h e location of his attnck~r's
aim (hrtore the attack IS marlc), and is dotnl;! all hr

, ; ( , i":.<":<,
:\ , > > -

1.5,

,;,-

<>:

<

.c

<,

k,>

',

<

t~out.vrr.~ I Y( i i ' t ( ' [ 1 ~ 1 ~~!L-I ( ' S S ~ S I I I C . O ~ T P C<I Ii~~. lt!il.rvd

fora becomes easier to h i t (representecl In t h e game
hy making a do@ roll that is l ~ s sthan the normal
vaIue needed for a successfuI attack). R u t most t i m e s ,
h e leaps out of the way scant mill~seconcisI)efore his
npponent Iar~nchesa n attack.

I'ARRIES

&!

1 3.

<>T>
-<p ' ~ c ~ , , : ~
1*

Body Location

of I t t a c k 2011

0
I

Right tlnnd
I.rft Hand
Rqht Leg
Left Leg
Riyht Foot
Left Foot

2
R
4
3

Only melee weapuns (f~st.clubs, sworcls. et cctera)

can be parried: missile w e a c ~ o n s(guns.
arrow.;
-.
< ..
blowgun darts. et cetera) c a n k t ( u r ~ l e s sotherwise
indicated by t h e sl>ecitic qame world). Tr] 1)rtrrv (alsc,
treated as an action). t h r rlefendrr rolls 'his h ~ c ei n
hPa nlPIpC
still (M.hlCfI
- - - Wpilnn,,
r- 9iill,
-he
to defend the blow (c g . attacker's l,rawllnS
vs, clefentier's hrawllnrr. or attacker's swnrd vs
defender's knife). If the aitacker generates t h r higher
number. he slips past the d e f m c l ~ r ' sparry and scores
a successful hit I f the defrnder generates the h i n h ~ r
tot.aI, l ~ manages
e
to block the ~;iowIauncIletl hiv'the
attacker. Note that likc dodges, t h r parrv berorrtvs
the r~rwattack rliffici~ltyre$rdlrss of rh; total gmerated, even if it is less than I 0 (the has^ rlilficulty to
hit a character).
' - I

Exornpfe: I'th, on enr~n?orabrrrhc~rronfnlm

thp Vurtl~fhern
Rcgions. srr-irtq.s h hi7 cluh <I! Sir C;or.m
bolorran. Cur-ln parrrrs I ~ ~PI O E I~~ C IIIE.F
I ~su ord
usrng hrs f~ncrnl:skrll. I 'I17 gcv?erntr.T nn ottrrck
mllnf I,', bur C u l - r n ~ pot .f~l , ~ ~ ! t o f n
ofl 1.7, h u m l ~
d ~ f l ~ c t rthr
n g clr~hb ~ h w
,l srr7c1shrs rnlo hrs .<hit

IIRT LOCATION OPTION

To determine t h e location wherr a charat-ter was
hit, consult the following chart.
P* h

A%

'."a
i*

;4hciomtn

gd2%

.
'-L--,
*..llC51

--u

**

r -

-*
s ~ - *

Head
Example: A q ~ n lRrrun Il'~lirurr?.rrolls h ~ rsr t
tm-k (lice and cndr up i ~ ~ iol iioroi of 14, a r u c
r~'5filI hrt T ~ GCI
P 1 / 7 ~clleckr
n
f h Hrt
~ Locatron
Cllurt In(&\ up thp nncJ5 drqrt-rrj lllrr rwsr rn 3ond dr>k/rmrn~.c
tllr~lEllrllio,r~sI l r / hr.c-opponcnf rn
Ihr rich! fcoot
.*

rn

-711-1

Itill\ qv 15
Eacl-r weapon has a listin" for its s h o r t r n.r.r t-.
i ~-~
. am
-n d
. &
long ranges inytilin: closer than short range is c o ~ i sirlered point-bIank and has a - I T ) mudrflrr. Short- $
range attacks incur ntj penaltrcs. Fox rn~diutn-r,inqe
attacks, t h e attacker l o s ~ s1D from h i attack roll. and
for [ongmnqe rtttiicks. h e lose4 L'D

j-

~
-

SIB1311nOPTION

#?

m e wcaporls rPqlllre rnore t l m t Pc) use than others.

If you weulcl I I ~ Ptn take thls speed drffrrmce into
account, and t h c r ~ h y
add more ~ e a l ~ s to
r n your cornbat encounters. a p p l y t h r speetl valuc of a character's
weapon to h ~ rnitiatlvr
s
Refleses rt~ll

r-

y7

9
B
%
!.

h
T

i?rurnple: 4',. rnrrc 1crlh a Rmfl~xi>.c

mi/ o f .?D

h-

Defense Total .Modifier

-.

-.

Full Darkness

+15

-5

Attack Dice .Modifier

Point-Blank Range
I>

II
I

E.~amplr,:.Srr 1 1 1 1 In Lcrlorrnn qfrrdr.7 inro the

botfferrnq ~r~eririrrqon
(3.vpensrr-esrrrl ofchorn !nor1
urmor (urmor C Y I ~ I I E , 1 D+I 1.s rdgecl unci pc~rnfctl
.u9enpon.c>-2 L c hlrm~u-ecrpons j Hrv ~ p p r ) n ~ n t
hnrhpc I i ~ mrr7 !he .~rdrI!-~th
o morp for n rota! nf
E ; d r r r r ~ c ~ : ~ gG I I LIR rrlokec an En'ndirrunc~roll C h r ~
nrmor rrtld\ -2 for fho h l ~ ~ n t - u * ~ o pcrlfnrk)
ori
lo
reczct In t I w SurrriJ round, hrs spponenf crIsu
clnsl~rsnt hrm with a l a q knlfr
~
Thlr trrn?. Gar-m
rttlds In+I tn !?IF E n d ~ ~ r n n rmll
c j crnt-P r h c~ltark
~
r unrr fronr on ~ t l c e du eupnn

Awound represents anyt tliny f r t ~ ma bruise tc> a dcrp

lacrration tn a hrnken arm.

IIAMiZGE 'S1'I~EI)I"I'ION

<.

*.,*y

" " < P' B $ < *

T
&
c

&

r
C B

& .

>r
< m

'

Fnr pach wound a rhnractcr suffcrs. ro1F an nnrl

consult t h e chart helnw tn determine t r h a t t y : w nl
injury h e suffers.
Die Roll
Damage Type
2
L~c~ration
r

Gash
Vt.el) Hruise

3
4--5
6-7
8-9
10
II
I2

SI:f4L11

5urapr
Puncture
Internal Wound
Rrokcl-t R o n p
Concussion

All characters and vvhitles have a scale code that r e p

wsent!: its mass relat~vuto the mass of other objects.
Characters have a scale code of 0, but a t a n k m a 7have
n scale code 0 1 4L). artd ii s t n r s h ~ pa scale crjde cyf 9L).

1-131.ROIE.
M
Characters can protect themselves frnnr damage hy
wearing grar that t l t h ~ shi~IC1s
r
t h r m from o r absorbs
attacks. The arnlor value of such equipment is addcrl

LVhenever obiects r,l a different mass,'size attar k eac h

othrr. find thc difftrrnce hetwern Ehr~rs c a l r codes
A cliarncter figlitin? a tank would have a scale code
difference of 11) (1LH1-41)). The smaller of t h e s e two
objects cfains that diffprencr In scale code dice
as a hnnus to hlt t h e higgtr obiect, whiltr the
bigger object loses that difference to hit the
smaller

IJSING WOIJSISS
Damage
I [round
2 Ubunds
3 Wounds
4 Illounds
5 Wounds

Condition

Game Effect

Stunned
lniured
5evereIy injured
%fortallyWounded

-ID to all actions*

-2D to all actions*
-3D to all actions*

n~ad

cannot t a k ~
any

*This penalty does not apply to Endurance rolls to

USING R O W WIWTS
13 Rody Points

Drath

*,

(I~IPC~.

F x a m p l ~.4
t ~ t r m h r p/ s r o l ~
r n h o f 9D)
frms 11s I>lu.stc~
cnnnvn (sr'ufecode of 3D j
ut o srnc11lorbits! spoce sratron Isctrlc*code
nf {OD)Fint ire Flnd f h diffirmct.
~
in s r s i l ~
rode hv suhtrc~r!tngfhp b l o . ~ t ~
r-nnnon
r
'F
scrifc

c t } d ~o f 4 D ~ n o f r c ue . e ' r ~not using

fhr .r!alrhip;i .FCU/P (.ode. rhu! IS w e d only

~ r - l ~rfr nIF on I ~ cPl d ~ n d i n gsf& nC an uftat k ) r'rr~rrrfht. spucr strrtron 's scale cc~dc,
oF IOL) 7 h rrt.sul!~n<
~
dre cocle of F;D I 105413 1.q [hen a d d ~ df r ~thp h l r ~ t e cannon
r
:F
.qi~nnrr:qstarship qunnerv skill mll (rrrn~rnhct,trrftrng the, h m ~ d
srdp nf cr horn
rh ( I lo{ eosrer ttlun hifrrne u conrll~u*rt,k.

a!/n r h ~ factom
r
being equal].

DETERMINNG DAMAGE
ITSING THE WOIIKI) DAX4I;E SYSTEM
Lower Limit
1
Damage Roll 1 Endurance Roll
Damage Uolt 2 2 x Endurance Roll
Damage Roll 2 3 x Endurance Roll
Darnage Roll 2 4 x Endu~anceRoll
Damage Roll 2 5 x Endurance Roll

Upper Limit
Darnagp Roll < Endurance Roll
Damage Roll < 2 x Endurance Roll
Damage Roll < 3 x Endurance Roll
Damage Roll < 4 x Endurance Roll
Damage RcdI < 5 x Enduratlce Roll
Damage Roll c 6 x Endurance Roll

TJSENG THE BOW POINT DAMAGE SYSTEM

Damage Suffered? = Darnagr Roll - Endurance Roll
t (zero or a negative r ~ s u I indicates
t
no damage)

Effect

I. wound
2 wounds
3 wounds
4 wounds
5 wounds

;)tJ!!.<th 1 2 1

r~~i~~v.-:!;::j:~~
t,!:;$r;it:t(+!-s:11)(:

~ - ~ ~ ! l ! ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ,

C'haractrrs tnav h t Iicalcrl in a vnrirty of ways, from

natural to magical methods.

Characters who refrain from activity heal naturally

at thr Inllowing rates (depending on t h e damage system used in the game world):

Wounds: LVounds h ~ a al t ratc of o n e per day

Body Points: Brrdy points heal at a rate of five per

day.

Magical spells and items can help h.cal. rcvivc. o r resurrect injured or dead characters. Thta game mechan~cs
involved vary depentling o n the game world and
t h e spell or item in question. For e x a m p l ~an
, elislr o f
healing might restore 1 D rvnur~dsc)r 3 D hnrlv points.
Develop s u c h magic as befits your game.

M1I)II:INII
Csing the heulin~sk1I1.
acIl,~ractcrcan attempt to heal
a wounded companion once per dav aacording t o the
following chart:
Current Wound Level of Victim Difficulty
1 wound '7.5-1 00":8 of hotly
points remaining
l'ery Easy
2 wounds,'Sn-74% of body
points remaining
Easy
3 wounds 23-30":, of hod?
pnints remaininq
hloderatr
'1 wounds, 1-25'?)of body
points remaining
Difficult
Yery Ljifficult
5 wounds '0 body polnts
4 successful roll indicates that the injured character
either removes one wnund from his tt)tal or heals 21)
body points.

I;

Yehicle combat works exactly like normal character

(space)). LJsually given in rncters ppr second (for

paced and cinematic, and the basic rame mechanics

\>el ow reflect that ambition Feel free t o incorporate as
many of your own house rules o r optional systems as
?nu want Futl~rcD6 games will provide add~tinnal
mechanics and vehtcle oations where auurouriate.

tltr vehicle's ablllty to resist damage ((1.

1,ike characters, vehicles havt.

associated set of
game varues. /\I1v e h l c l ~ sh(,ulti
s
havp at least t h e
lowing information:

'IyEB1(:tEXAMI: T H I YERICLI'S
DIISIGKATIOS (''A WRilLE 01: A TIM13,"
'"TIIJ 1,I:I:IiI' (:AMEL,'" TEIE TIIIKI:'S (Il-IR).
Type: 'T'lie vehicle's make and rnorlel (Alpha-class

1. 2D.2.
'IL)).
Hull Hitsj'hdp Pointq: This dual vaIue d ~ t ~ r m i n r s
how much damage a vehicle can sustain before it
is clestroved (i.e.. how rnanv "hits" the vehicle can
take). T& first num her cor;espc>nds to t h e rr-nund~
character danlaqr svstern. and t h c s r c n n d number
to t h e t ~ o d yporrlts darnage system (see Chapter
Three. -'Characters."
Chapter Eight. "Combat."
[or ni<>reinformation) Choose which option wnrks
best for yorrr game world ancl your players.
Weapons: R e p ~ a tt h ~ l i s ofentries
t
btlow fnreach
weapon type.
Type: Ttre number and type of weapon ( t w o
machineguns. o n e missile launcher. four laser cannnns}
Fire Arc: The directlon which t h weapon
~
points
(forwarrl. aft. port. starboard, forwarcl starboarcl.
turret (can turn in any dirrction)).
r r ~ u .S.u m h r r of characters needpd t o operate
the weapon (the pilot suffers a multi-act~onpenalty i f tie pilots t h e craft and fires a weapon sirnul-

e.

cruiser. '92 C h e w Eerreta. your standard cast).

%ale:T h e veh~cle'sscalr dic code (2D.3D+1.8n)scc Scale in Chapter Eight. "Combat."
Size: The vehicle's dimensions (length, wiclth.
h e ~ g h tw~ngspan).
,
Piloting Skill: The skill needed to operate the vehbcle (starf~ghterpiloting. hoverbike piloting, drivtaneously).
ing).
. ,,
.%-ole The weapon's scale die code (see C h a p
Crew: The number of characters needed t o opert e r E ~ g h t ."Combat." for m o r e information o n
ate the vehicle.
scalts).
Passengem: T h t number of additional characters
.%rll The skill used to operate t h e weapon (la(other than t h e c r e ~ t )that the vehicle can hold.
ser cannon, machineguns, e r l e y weapuns).
Cargo Capacity: The a m r ~ u n tof extra weight t h e
fir^ C R I I ~ ~The
C ) ! attack bonus die c t ~ d teh a t repveh~c-lecan carry (100 kilnqmms, 1 0 mctrrc tons,
resents t 1 1 ~weapon's inhercnt a c c ~ ~ r awhich
cy
may
nonc).
include a ~ ~ y t h ~t n ~
r :msiglits to targeting software
Cover The die code that represents t h e amount ot
(0. l D + l >,ID).
defense (added to a character's hasp dpfrnse value)
Rangv, Thp wtapon's range values (10!20 ;10.5/
thevehicle affords its crcw and passtngers (+.i.
+It).
12 20. I.i0,4nn:9f)O)-srr Chapter Eight, " C ~ m h a t , ~
Full).
for rnore inforn~atinnon rangr
Altitude Range: T h e vehicle's altitude limitations
Ucrrncr:lr T h e damage die rode caused by t h e
( q r o t ~ r ~ In0
d , rr~eters.X kilometers. spacecapable).
weapon ( l U-2, 3U. !K)- F ).
Maneuverability: T h e die code representing how
Cost: T h e cost of the vehicle Iiew or used (%ZOO
well the s h ~ handles
p
(added t o t h e p ~ l o t ' spiloting
(ntw 1: .<115 ( ~ r s r d ) . 10.(100 credits (new). P.(100
s k ~ l whcn
l
performin? stunts).
(used))
Move: The vehicle's standard cruising movement
Description: The llasic purposc, look. and history
value/mauimum number r)f moves per rttunci in atof t h e vehicle type or t h e particular vehicle.
mosphere and snacc ( 3 0 2 (atrnnsnhercl: 7 5 6

( 7 :

r?lsc.l \s-i>.!it o IFICIUC?~'

\.,,:

:hebfoll<.~winq
~?PI!IS

:.,.!I- I v

i r l i>

vehicle template:

Consumahles: The Senqth of time a crew can-

Scale:
Size:

Ski&

\
&

K
K

apply 111 torward a11tI 1U to port

Lightspeed MuItiplier This v a l u ~d r t ~ r n g v r n distance (which is rneasurvd in

tinre). For txarnpEe. a ship w i t h a
li~htspeedmultiplrer of x2 wants tn travel

eA

.-. .
nloving at a 1r:htsprtvt r n u l t ~ p l ~r l t~ 1r 1 olir clay t o
reach that svstem. T h ~ ship
s
(with ~ t x:!s multiplier)
would take t w o days. Higher vallles indicaw sCowcr
lightspeed engines.

On a successful hrt, the attacker rolls his v e h i c l e " ~

damage dice and t h e rlpfender rolIs his vehicle's hull/

Snsors:The distance and effectivenessof avehi

cates that t h e scnsnrs can scan u p t n 60 meters a
with a +3D bonus to t h e character's sensors skhl
The diff~cultyof sensing an object tleperlds on its s i x .
e n e r n output. and acceleration, plus other situational
factors like nearby radiation.

RIOITKMEI\TT
Yc-hicl~.sfollow t h e same game mechanics as chararters for mnvenlent p ~ ~ r p o s See
r s . M o v ~ r n e n it r C
~ hap
ter Eight, "Combat." lor more informat~on.

VEHICLE DA3IAf;E CRiiRT

Sitnation

'

Damage Roll 2
Hull/Rnrl~5 t r ~ n f l hRoil
Damage Ro!l>
HulliZ x Rndy Strength Roll

Damage KoH 2
HuIl!3 x Body S t r e n g h Roll

Effea
Temporary Effect
(one round)
Permanent Effect
(repair required)

Permanent Ef tect
(past destmnyed)

durNormally. n character can operdte a vehicle firthout Temporary Effect: The damage effectlasts 0111~
~
~twas ~ n c v r r e dand t h e r r ~ u n dirnmedrh a v i n to
~ makc a skill roll-asual
driving. Onlywt~en In< t h round
he wants to perform a sfunf d o d~c-rrrjlls crime into atvly follr~wing.
play

Permanent Effert (repair required): Characters may

repair the damage w ~ t hthe appropriate skill rolls or
hy hiring a mechanic.

The haw difficulty to hit a vehicle is 10.

T h e charaute

PERICCI': 1H313(;33
may attempt to dodge t h e
craft out of the way of In-

comrng

proiectiles.

Rathsr Than t h e d o r i q ~
skill. t h e character ust?
his prkol~ngshill (plus
t h e vehicle's maneuverability r n d ~ to
)

The rolled value I>+

comes t h e new attack d~fficulty.

B o t h vrh~cles t a k e a n

SAMPI# STUNTS
Baw Dif fitnlty
Easy (1 0)

Stunt
Ram
45" turn
90" turn
180" turn

* A -

waww

X?d

FASV (10)

Moderate ( 1 5)
Very Difficult

YY"

+ ~ & ? ~ R X K ~ , ~ > ~ ,. w+ W & * m r

* , m we*"6W%h*?,%%@3
> t w g * e ? s l y ** r
,
,

I'

, I

,.

I , .[

! ?
I I I ? ~ ~ C " P T I ( ~ptal~r
I [ I < crt1rr;ltr.s a tn:,tl
hull horly strenqtt~uf 6. Y l n r t 19 is rrlrlrt than three
tlrnes higher than ti, the drfrnding plane suffers three
hits (or, ~f u.;rnc: t h e hndv potnts s y s t e n ~ .13 hndy
pmntsof darnagt. ( 1 9 - ti = 1 3 ) ) .
r

Maneuverability
Random System Damaged

ILtEl~lll~tING
\Tl<IIICIAl!S
x

>

A&

hj+v

Characters mav rt-dv or1 t t ~ e l rown trcli~~icnl

s k ~ l l sor
that of hirer1 rnechnnics to repalr dnniaqecl vehicles.
T h r follow ~ n chart
g
shows t h p d ~ f f ~ c u fand
t v cost asVehicl~damage may manifest i t s ~ I f~n various ways.
with various rcpajrs (the cost I S Iistetl ns rl.
from loss of rnant.uvernbility to huIl Ilreeches. ~ e l h w >vciat~rl
percentage r)l t h e prlce of a new vehlcie).
you'll find explanations nl the damage ~ftet-is
listrd
Dice Lost
Difficulfp
Cost Time Required
on t h e Vehicle Damage Effect chart.

Maneuverability: The vehicle loses I L j of diffirult y.

N o t e that t h e 11taneuveral)ilitycode may drop helow

zero (-1 D. -2n, and so forth). reflcctinqa vehicle darnaged s n seriously that t h e craft more a c t l ~ a l l yinterferes with t h e pilot-s a h i l ~ t yto harrdle it.

'ID

RT) o r more

13nrlerate
1)ifficult

15"
?O";,

F day

T h e standard difficulty for repairin? nnc hit n r five

hodv points is 10. with a time r r q ~ l i r ~ nf
r f four hours.
Sviitem Damaged: Randomly select a vehicle's sys- All o t h e r system rypiilrs drpend on vour gatneworld.
t e ~ n(lightspeed enelnes. communications, t r a c t r ~ r Yvu can clecide o n dflficulties. costs. and required
beam, shields, ct c e t ~ r a ) That
.
system hecomes In- time w h c n c v ~ rcharacters need to fix a v~llic-lt'nr ~ D I
operable (or loses 1 C) i f it has an associated die code). can makc vour own c h a r t s when vnu design vour
Hull Damage: Thc ship suffers an amount of danragc game wc)rld.
Destroyed p a r t s nr svqtems masl be replaced. Scas d e t c r m ~ n e dhy t h e normal combat damaqe rules
(sccChapter Eight. T o m t ~ a t ' ) .Fnr cxarnple. in a clog- lect a d~fficultyto install and acost that accounts for
fight. one plane shoots anothtr. scoring a successful t h c intricacy and availability of t h e part as reflectecl
h i t for huIl d a m a p ( a s d e t ~ r m i n e t bya
l
TD roIl on t h r by your game world.

use any of the samples coverer! in that chapter

Hanci out t h e Character Creation Template to the
players s o that they can design their characters, and
then read t h e text detailing t h e options selrcted otl
t h e Game 'Template (sirnultrrneous combat. for exarnplp) in t h e appropriate chapters. As you play. yuu
may wish tn hcgin altering t h e game hy n d d ~ n go p
lions either in an ~ f f n r tto better match the game
worlci or to make t h e system more detailed and cornplex. At that point you should photocopy t h e blank
templates in Chapter Two. "The Gamemaster's Section." Fill in thc s h c r t s ( p ~ r f e r a b l yin penc~lso that
you can change them later) and distribute copies of
them t n t h e players so they know what you've added,
deleted. or replaced.
The D6System alIows you tn select and crentc rules
to reflect each game world. so v o t ~may end up with
several sets uf ternulates for the various eamrs voii
run. Sometimes
can use t h e same templates fbr a
fcw game worlds. but oftrn you'll find ~tcaslcr t o keep
them separate.
Future garnes from West End wiIl incl~rde
ternptates
appropriate for that world. ~ I I I S any arlditioaal options not discussed in this boc~k.You can also play
any of t h r .Wo~ferHonkgames using t h e simple conversion heInw: all you n ~ e dis t h e iVorldRook for t h e
game you want t o run.

If you'd like t o play a MasrrrRook game with

the D6 rules, you can use this simple method
for converting between the two.
Since D6 allows yo11 to use whichever attributes and skills you deem appropriate for a
particular genre, you can use t h e .ZrlosterRook
attributes-Aqifity. Dexterity*Strcnqth. Endurance, intellect. Mi [id. Charisma. and Confidence
(ignoring Toughness)-and t h e ,MusrerBook
sk~ilsas clefinrd hv t h e particular iVorldRook.
You need onIv convprt thc :Wast~rRookva1ups
into Dti die codes usinq the following formula'
(.Was~rrBookvalue)~3
= quotient and remainder.
T h e quotient becomes t h e die code and the remainder the number of pips. For example. a
jMosf~rRnnk
score of 13would be a D6 die code
of 4D+1 (13,'3 = 4 remainder 1).
You can use this quick-and-easy formula to
convert all t h e attribute and skill values. To
makc things even easier, the ;MosterBook attributes contain t h e Tltj core attrihutes-Agili t y (Reflexes). D e x t e r i t y ( C o o r d i n a t i o ~ ~ ) .
Strength, and Endurance.
Last. Skill Palnts hecome Character Points.
and Life Points become Fate Points. Once
you've done that. you can start playing! And you
don't have to g o through an entire adventure
beforehand and change aI1 the :\fasterBook values. You c a n just d o i t on t h e fly. If one
gamemaster c h a r a c t e r never uses any skill
other than fire mrnbet during an encounter, you
would've wasted your time converting his values. This wav you onlv convert the attributes
or skills vou need during plav.

CIl ARlllCTER 1NPORbf AT103

f)AW.I(;E SYSTIIPI
A ~ Kequlrements:
P

d aliounds 3: 5
J Body P o ~ n t sFormula.
.II)VLIST.U;ESA N b I)ES.4~~~~ST.lC;13S

Any

All except ~nfravsion

and ultravis~on

Starting A t t r ~ h u Dice:
t~

21D

AITRIBUTES ANII SIIII,l,S

COORDINATON

ENDURANCE

REFLEXES

5TKENGT.H

Lockp~ck~nq

Swrmrn~ng

kcrobatlcs
Bala rtce

Jump~ng

Prck Pocket

Blindfighting
Dodge

cM~sslleWeapon>
<Thrown Weapon>

cMe!ee Weapon>

Scaling

Sneak

KNOWLEDGE
Et~quette
Forqery

Healinq

History o f <Area>

M'ECHANlCAt

Contacts

<Creature> Rjdinq

4Creatrve Ability>

cYeh~cle/Vessel>Prlotinq

Haqqling
Information Gatherma

Kead/Wrr*
Shadowin4

c Canauaqe,

S e c r e t societies

5peakcLanauaae>

Urban teoqraphy

Traps

Game Name: be-e-lc

Gamr Designer:
Genre: AMY
Li'orld Overview: This game works well for any qenre t h a t requires a cinematic style of play. Fast action and
simplicity qovem t h e qame's overall structure. I t can be used a5 a basis for more complex qames by adding in
option5 and a power (magic, psionic, super, or other).

Technology Level:

Varies

POWERS SECTION

CO1)IBAT SIICTIOM

lTIBI{S)

Yb:ZbI,l(;8 SI*S'rEM
d U h u n d s f :5
A Body Points Formula.
ROIJRI) STItUIYIJRE
d Simultaneous
3 I n i t i a t ~ vrounds
t

A Magic

Psianic

;
ISuper

Other:

LIHIT.1TIONS & RBSTRICTIOFYS

None

i Continuous
OlVIONS

A Hit location
2 Speed
3 kound Type
POWER SHI1.L N.4WES
None

YIISCECIAWEOUS NOTES
lnclude In t h ~ s
area any weapons, adventurinq gear. special world considerations, or any other topic t h a t relates ta
the structum o f t h e game rules or the settrng. This section might also ~ o n t a i n
an ovenrfew UF a campaign as sample

adverrture ideas

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;
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"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
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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
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means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated
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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
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3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
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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
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7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as
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8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing
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9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any
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10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
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You have written permission from the
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12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the
Open Game Content due to statute,
judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach
within 30 days of becoming aware of the

breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.

14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent
necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
The D6 System (WEG51005), Copyright 1996, West End Games.
West End Games, WEG, and D6 System are trademarks and properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc.
PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION:
Product Identity: The D6 System; the D6 trademarks, the D6 and related logos and any derivative trademarks not specified as
Open Game Content; and all cover and
interior art and trade dress are designated as Product Identity (PI) and are properties of Purgatory Publishing Inc. All rights
reserved.
Open Game Content: All game mechanics and material not covered under Product Identity (PI) above; OpenD6 trademark and
OpenD6 logo (as displayed on this
document cover page).

'd
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tbe
*ih,&?a&'d:h
'to:leigr i@

yw,
past tq

..

&e&,re:&e institutes a p*e

~ i t hw, -~t i m e enewid. . : : , I ,y'
8

B k
~;"di"air,'&my

aps-i;zkctrooperu
k

s to

of the dangerous Tann

I,

'-=..
A.t
+

fly

t.

,:

kss :
.,

e. . , t
rlt

:-. '

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