New Horizon

Starter Guide
Michal Lysek Ian Stewart
 New Horizon
Starter Guide
Everything you need to play the RPG is available for free. All required materials can be downloaded from:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/

Before you can join any role playing game you need to create a character to play with. Therefore, we will start with character creation in just
a moment. However, if you feel that you want to learn a bit more about New Horizon then you should download this guide:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonCampaignSettingGuide(shortpreview).pdf

Creating a Character
All players have to fill out a character sheet:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonCharacterSheet.pdf

If you want to do it fast and easy, without having to make any calculations, then we recommend using our Character Creation
web-page. (See “Character Creation using our web-page” below.)

However, if you prefer learning how to create a character in detail, then everything you need to know is provided in this book.
(See “Character Creation using Pen and Paper” below.)

Information useful for Character Creation

Creating a playable character requires distributing Point to your character’s Attributes, Backgrounds and Traits. It also involves
selecting a character Race. After that, you’ll have to select different equipment, including Armor and Weapons. All of this is
explained in this book, but you will also find it in the Player’s Manual:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonPlayersManual(shortpreview).pdf

Character Creation using our Web-page

You can use our PHP-based character creation page, which will allow you to create a new character within a few minutes time:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/volt/charactercreation/index.php

After you have created your character, simply print out as copy of the Character Creation Sheet and write down all the data
shown on the web-page onto your Character Sheet.

Character Creation using Pen and Paper

Creating a character using pen and paper takes a little longer time to do and there are a few calculations which you will have to
perform as well. This is recommended for more experiences players. For newbie players we recommend using the Character
Creation web-site, which will perform all the calculations for you.

Character Creation Guide

The Character Creation Guide is found on page 38.
The guide requires that you learn how to distribute Points for your:
• Backgrounds (see page 28),
• Attributes (see page 30),
• Traits (see page 32),

Tables with Equipment and other things

All the necessary tables are available for download from the web. Here you will find Stun, Injury and Willpower Penalty tables,
Encumbrance tables, Trait tables, and Armor, Weapons, and Equipment tables, and more:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonTables.zip

Preparing for a Role Playing Game

Game Masters (GMs) should learn about the Volt rule system and how to prepare and run a New Horizon Role Playing Game
(RPG). Everything a GM needs to know is found in this book, but also in the Game Master’s Manual:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonGameMastersManual(shortpreview).pdf

The GM can use any Non-Player Characters (NPCs, page 45) or Monsters (page 57) he wants for his adventures.

NPCs are also available here:

http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonNPCs.pdf

Monsters are also available here:

http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonMonsterManual(shortpreview).pdf

Last but not least, the GM must learn how to prepare and run an adventure for his players. Adventures are performed in the
same way as for other games based on the D20 dice system. The only thing the GM has to learn is how to perform a battle
using the Vo|t rule system. For this purpose, we have prepared a battle which you can learn from on page 62.

Now you have everything you need to create characters and prepare games for the New Horizon setting.

New Horizon Role Playing Game

New Horizon Studios
 New Horizon

Credits and I ntroduction

New Horizon Design Team Contents
New Horizon is a property of Michal Lysek, Ian Stewart and New Horizon New Horizon:
Studios, and distributed by Lypson Intelligent Systems in Sweden. For What’s this book for? 3
more information contact Michal Lysek at Lypson Intelligent Systems. Reaching beyond the stars 3
Taking the first step 3

Campaign Guide Design New Horizon Campaign Setting

What makes New Horizon unique?
3
4
• Michal Lysek Seven important facts about the setting 4
• Ian Stewart The general area 4
Heroes and villains 5
Vo|t Rule System Rumors of other life-forms
Roaming the land
5
5
• Mats Andersson Beware of the beasts 5
• Niklas Berg The Planet 5
People 6
Hired Artists Races
Languages
6
6
Conceptual Artists Cities and their countryside 6
• Eriance (concept art of buildings and characters) Law enforcement 6
• Udana (concept art of monsters) Rogues and bandits 6
Geodites 6
Cover Artists Narehl Ministry of Stones
Stores and shops
7
7
• Minties Mercenaries for protection 7
• Cushart Treasure hunting 7
Merchants and trade 7
Graphic Designers Military soldiers 7
• Minties Hunters of the wild 8
• Cushart Bounty hunters 8
Couriers 8
Additional Graphics Design Miners of the Azuremar Mountain Range
Spies within the company or organization
8
8
• Michal Lysek Journalists of the world 8
• Ian Stewart Physician 8
• The Glyph Cyber Life Physician 8
• Unrealsmoker Bionic Engineer 8
Cross Genome Physician 8
Copyright Continents and Factions:
New Horizon Studios and New Horizon logo are trademarks owned by
The land of New Horizon 9
Michal Lysek, Ian Stewart and New Horizon Studios. All New Horizon char-
Continents 9
acters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trade-
Population 9
marks owned by Michal Lysek, Ian Stewart and New Horizon Studios. This
Factions 9
material is protected under the copyright law of Sweden. Any reproduction
or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohib-
Youzem and the Walk of Man: 11
ited without the express written permission of Michal Lysek, Ian Stewart
and New Horizon Studios. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity
Youzem and Narehl: 17
to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Vo|t Rule System: 18
© 2011 New Horizon Studios. All rights reserved.
First Printing: April 2011
Character Creation: 19
ISBN: 978-1-4475-3968-1
Races: 22
New Horizon Studios
Humans 24
Lypson Intelligenta System (Lypson Intelligent Systems)
Wafans 26
Andersbergsringen 199, SE-302 55 Halmstad, Sweden
VAT: SE969702477701 Backgrounds: 28
Phone: +46 (0)35 21 11 92 Attributes: 30
E-mail: info@newhorizon1.com Traits: 32
Equipment: 34
Visit our website at http://www.newhorizon1.com Character Creation Guide: 38
Visit our forums at http://www.newhorizon1.com/forum/forum.php NPC Organizations: 44
Non-Player Characters (NPCs): 45
Vo|t Rule System: 48
Combat: 49
Injuries: 52
Hazards: 56
Monsters: 57
Preparing for a game: 62

www.newhorizon1.com
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 Role Playing Game
What’s this book for?
This book is a short summary of the New Horizon Role Playing Game
Compendium, which is available here:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/order.php
The New Horizon Starter Guide contains everything you need to know
if you want to create characters for the New Horizon setting and create
your own New Horizon adventures for these characters. The book is in-
tended to be used as a role-playing game (RPG) guide for New Horizon
games in which participants assume the roles of New Horizon charac-
ters. As long as it is within the rules, players have the freedom to select
different actions of their characters in order to shape the direction and
outcome of the game.
One of the players is expected to assume the role of a game master
(GM). The GM creates a setting in which each player plays the role of a
single character. The GM describes the game world and its inhabitants
while the other players describe the intended actions of their characters.
Based on this information, the GM describes the outcome of each ac-
tion. Some outcomes are determined by the rule system, and some are
chosen by the GM.
New Horizon is a table top RPG. While the D20 tabletop system is the
most popular, New Horizon uses an exciting new rule system called Vo|t.
For this new rule system you only need two D20 dice, preferably one
white and one black.
Reaching beyond the stars
Long ago, the 20th century world that we once knew passed away. Rath-
er than coming to a close with the extinction of humanity, it ended with
the birth of its sister race, the wafans. Without realizing that this new spe-
cies existed, humanity continued with its typical hubris in dominating the
world, and, in the process, unwittingly enslaved the wafans.
Since time immemorial, the subjugated people of the world have fought
their way to independence, and the revolution that came from the wafans
was no different.
After nearly destroying planet Earth, the two sides came to recognize one
another and, in the same breath, understood that their continued mutual exis-
tence was tenuous at best. If they were to survive, they would need to colonize
other worlds and travel among the stars. In the hopes of finding such a place,
the colony ship Icarus set out for the distant star system of Epsilon Eridani.
Rather than finding an inhabitable world, the colonists instead discovered a
verdant and water-covered moon, which they aptly named New Horizon.
New Horizon was far from perfect, as they soon discovered: savage
wildlife and daunting geography would make their new home a difficult
place to survive. However, as the distant descendants of those original
colonists are about to discover, the greatest danger on their new world is
not a beast or a forest, but basic human nature and the unknown.
Taking the first step
Humans and wafans from Earth came to New Horizon in the year 2325 AD.
About 250 000 of them arrived. To this date, they have only lived on the planet
for slightly less than two hundred years. Only 2 million people (Humans and
Wafans) live on New Horizon at present. The planet’s landmass is much larger
than that of Earth. The people of New Horizon are spread out on the different
continents, living in major cities that lie at least a few thousand kilometers away
from each other.
There are only about ten large cities on the planet with a population above
25,000, but there are also more than a thousand cities which are very small, with
a population far below 10,000 people. Small cities usually have a big problem
surviving on their own. The savage wildlife of the planet is capable of destroying
anything that’s not big enough to defend itself.
www.newhorizon1.com/forum/forum.php
Beware of stepping outside the borders of your city, because certain death
awaits you on the other side. Stay within the protective walls of your city and
you’ll be safe. Only brave and foolish adventurers would consider doing the op-
posite. Adventures are easily found for those who seek them out, but for a price,
and sometimes the cost can be just too high.
If you do, however, consider going out to seek adventure, then make sure you
are prepared at least. Purchase proper equipment, armor and weapons so that
you will stand a chance against the dangerous animals living in this world. And
keep in mind that most animals are more resilient against ranged weapons,
which is why melee weapons are often the better choice. And when you go out
into the wild world, we shall all pray that everything will go well, and that you’ll
return safely home once more.
New Horizon
Campaign Setting
New Horizon is a campaign about the ultimate destiny of the abstract
concept of humanity. Not limited strictly to humans, the story is designed
not just to explore humanity as we know it, but the many different direc-
tions it can possibly go in, what these new branches of humanity are like,
and how the old-fashioned models of humanity, like us, deal with them,
and deal with the changes in themselves.
To that end, the series is broken into three distinct time periods: Road
to New Horizon, New Horizon and Beyond the New Horizon, or, to put it
another way, the familiar and mysterious past, the turbulent present and
the distant and inexplicable future.
The series begins in the middle, intentionally leaving many mysteries of
the past behind on Earth, and exploring a future far removed from ours.
We both set ourselves up for the notion that there are other forms of
humanity walking the street with us, an incredible notion in and of itself,
but also as a way of dressing the issues we find in the world around us
as something other than what they are, in order to be able to look at them
objectively in terms of issues of morality.
The central phase is set 170 years after the colonization of the second
moon of Epsilon Eridani IV, the planet dubbed New Horizon. The Colony
Planet had a turbulent and somewhat hazy set of formative epochs,
wracked with a few historical mysteries which weren’t properly commit-
ted to the history books.
New Horizon, with its unknown regions and complex history, is a world
that offers endless possibilities for the creation of RPG and video games.
At the current point in time, full scale imperial expansion is now in swing,
with many feuding or loosely allied city states sitting on top of many
smaller renegade internal factions attempting to rise to prominence from
within, or by less scrupulous means.
In terms of a steady game play state, the world is divided into many dif-
ferent dynamically differentiated zones. Main zones are called factions,
and each faction has its own look and feel. Each faction also has its own
capital city, with smaller settlement cities scattered around it in the outly-
ing zones. In terms of human and wafan history, New Horizon is a very
young planet. It’s been around for more than 4 billion years but its most
recent inhabitants arrived on the planet in the year 2325 AD.
In approximately two hundred years they have established around ten
large cities on 5 of the 7 different continents, and 7 main factions have
achieved power and act as ruling governments. The people, both humans
and wafans, live their lives as best they can, keeping themselves within
their city walls. The wildlife around the planet is mainly unexplored and
unknown, and very dangerous. The world offers amazing opportunities
for villains to hatch schemes and for heroes to be born. So, once again,
welcome to New Horizon, and have a wonderful time in our world…
3
 New Horizon
New Hor izon
What makes New Horizon
unique?
Many things about New Horizon make it unique. One such, for example,
is wafans, who are often confused with droid robots but who in reality are
in fact living beings. There are also Medeans, who are the next evolution
of humanity, and something both new and unique. They are humans who
have been “merged” with the unique fauna of New Horizon and they are
truly exceptional. The unique wildlife of this planet is yet another thing
which makes New Horizon stand out. We also have the alien flora found
all over the planet, and the inexplicable phenomenon known as Voli-
taires, Moai, Motes and Whoris. On Earth, humans reached what could
be called a technological pinnacle. They had everything. They even cre-
ated wafans. When they came to New Horizon, things changed.
On Earth, humans had allowed their technological evolution to grow one
step at the time. Everything was slowly but systematically evolving, for
the better and for the sake of advancement. But when they came to New
Horizon, certain things took a huge step back. Cities like Avalon felt the
change. The capital of New Horizon is as modern as anything ever found
on Earth, but cities like Trapper Town did not have the proper equipment
to become a modern city. When Trapper Town was created, people had
to use the materials and equipment which they had with them. No roads
were available to transport any larger cargoes, and planes and trains are
still of a small size, and thus not able to help in any larger extent. This
is not to mention that raw materials were still hard to come by. Mining
has begun, but not to a great enough extent to make a large difference,
and only a few companies exist which can do something with such raw
materials. Most of the things which are created go to Avalon, Warhead,
Xanadu and Glacier Run City, so the rest of the world is still far less
advanced. Many towns and cities look like something from the old Wild
West or worse, but always with a certain touch of high technology. For
similar reasons, many places on New Horizon look like something from
either the Middle Ages in Europe or the 19th century in the USA. Certain
things are state-of-the-art, but most of the rest is simply old and obso-
lete. Satellites do not exist, and neither does fast and reliable transporta-
tion (except for the few trains and airplanes available for travel between
larger cities). New Horizon is much like the old west, if someone had
accidentally teleported it into the future.
New Horizon is a world of action and adventure, where people can explore
enormous areas from the great heights of the Azuremar Mountains to the
dark depths of the Narehlian jungles, from the frozen plains of the Aquilon’s
Reach to the lifeless deserts of the Neo Titanian landscape. Adventurers
are encouraged to explore every available part of the world, but know that
not all places are easily attainable. Trains and planes exist, but only be-
tween major cities. Smaller cities and other areas which are more out of
the way are usually harder to reach and sometimes even unattainable.
The world also exhibits a somber side. Not all adventures end happily,
even if some do. However, some individuals are still humorous enough
to sprinkle the world with some rays of happiness.
New Horizon is unique in many ways. Even though it is a science fic-
tion type of world, it creates the feeling of being a fantasy type of world
instead, where people are required to run all around the world on foot,
explore forests, mountains, caverns and deserts. If it hadn’t been for the
wafans and certain technologies, it would have been seen as a fantasy
world instead.
Last but not least, New Horizon also has something called “Ether”, which
represents this world’s own kind of “magic”. Ether is a force bound by the
physical properties on New Horizon and the mystical Ethereal realm. This
may seem confusing at first, but there are actually two worlds out there,
not just the one all of us live in. The normal world is where all people live,
and what most of us see. The other world, however, is also all around us,
but invisible to most people. Those few people who are able to see both
these worlds have learned to manipulate its boundaries, and thus make
use of the special laws of physics only possible in the other world, creat-
ing impossible things which can only be referred to as magic.
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4
Seven important facts
about the setting
1. The campaign setting lets you play a game that is not limited by
geographical or historical boundaries and presents you with a world
within which you can aspire to heights of status, power and intelligence
and reach the pinnacle of your potential and skill. New Horizon offers
you the chance to become the hero everyone has been waiting for, but
only if you have what it takes to truly be a hero…
2. The current year for this Campaign Setting is 2495.
3. The humans of New Horizon are divided into Olympian humans,
Promethean cyborgs, and Medeans. The wafans of New Horizon are
divided into Aesir, Vanir and Jotun wafans.
4. The world is filled with wonders and has a lot to offer brave adventur-
ers who dare to step outside the safety of their home. But exactly what
wonders await is for you to find out.
5. The world is also filled with unimaginable dangers, so don’t jump into
deep water if you have the feeling that the current might be too strong.
6. Different groups of people rule the world. The major groups are di-
vided between the 7 main factions. Other minor groups are found in
different cities and towns all over New Horizon.
7. There is an almost unlimited amount of adventure to be found in the
unknown corners of the world. All you have to do to find them is to take
a big step into the wild world and hope for the best. It’s very dangerous,
and you might not live long enough to become a known hero, but if you
do, then one day you might just become a legend.
The general area
The planet New Horizon was formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life ap-
peared on its surface within a billion years after that. Life has therefore
existed on the planet for a long time. Currently, however, the most intel-
ligent forms of life on New Horizon are humans and wafans originating
from Earth, or at least that’s what everyone believes. The people of New
Horizon are spread out over an enormous area, not an easy feat con-
sidering that there are only about 2 million people living on the planet.
Naturally, during the approximately 200 years they’ve been on the planet,
they have set up about ten large cities where most people now live.
Currently, there are three human races (Olympian, Promethean, and
Medean) and the three wafan races (Aesir, Vanir, and Jotun). They all live
together within the known cities of the world, with only a few exceptions.
New Chania, for example has more Medeans than any of the other races.
Xanadu is a city where mostly Olympians live, because Prometheans
and Medeans are not liked very much by Xanadian Olympians.
All cities are widely spread out, and there’s a distance of at least a few
thousand kilometers between them, with few exception. Because of that,
the people of each city are beginning to grow apart from each other. This
can be best seen in the way they dress or in the way their city buildings
are designed. Trapper Town largely resembles a typical western city,
while the Garden of Zen has a more exotic Asian look to it. Warhead
is solely focused on military power, while there’s no city as glamorous
and impressive as the capital of New Horizon, Avalon. There are airports
and railroads in each city, but most citizens keep to their own home and
town and don’t travel to other cities very often. Generally, you only see
adventurers move between the different cities. The isolation of cities and,
more importantly, of the ruling factions caused their people to grow apart,
which often leads to conflicts and sometimes even war.
The people of New Horizon are mostly civilized and they live in the dif-
ferent cities of the world. There are no uncivilized people on the planet
that anyone knows of as yet, but then again most areas are still unknown
and unexplored.
 Role Playing Game

Heroes and villains The Planet

Heroes are important for every world. You usually don’t know who they
are or where they come from, but in this case the heroes of New Horizon
are you! The characters you create are the heroes, unless you aim to
create a villain. Most villains, however, are usually pre-created NPCs.
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and whether they are humans
or wafans doesn’t matter. They often arise from the most unexpected
places and surpass anyone’s imagination. Each and every one of them is
different, as are their motivations also, because who knows what drives
a hero to do the things that no one else dares to do.
As a living and breathing character on New Horizon you can choose
any type of profession or station. You can be anything from an impious
rogue to a law-abiding sheriff, from a poor but skillful soldier to a wealthy
but lazy businessman. No one is born a hero, but a hero can be found
within anyone. It’s usually a product of triumphs and tragedies taken from
a person’s past deeds, and mixed together into a masterpiece that will
greatly influence future events and change the world as we know it. A
hero’s ambition and motivation is often strongly influenced by his or her
colorful background, and this is also what makes the hero intriguing. Put
a team together and journey out to unknown places for some adventure
and maybe, if you live long enough, you’ll find your hero within.
Epsilon Eridani resembles the Sun as it may have existed 4 billion years
ago. At the age of 1 billion years, Epsilon Eridani is a main-sequence
star of the spectral class K2. It’s only 10.5 light years away from Earth’s
solar system, and it’s the closest star in the constellation Eridanus. Epsi-
lon Eridani is both smaller and less massive than the Sun, with a much
higher metallicity (enrichment in elements heavier than helium). Epsilon
Eridani weighs an estimated 85% of the Sun’s mass and 84% of the
Sun’s radius, but possesses only 28% of its luminosity. Across the Milky
Way, metallicity is higher in the galactic centre and decreases as one
moves outwards. Since Epsilon Eridani is closer to the galactic center
than the Sun, its metallicity is much higher than that of the Sun or any of
the planets in the solar system.
Star system
• System: Epsilon Eridani
• Mass: 1.657658 x 1030 kg
Epsilon Eridani IV
• Planet: Epsilon Eridani IV
• Semi-Major Axis: 0.9525 AU (142 492 323 km) from star (sun)
• Mass: 1.899 x 1027 kg
• Surface Area: 6.218 x 1010 km2

Rumors of other life-forms

There are rumors and theories that other intelligent life-forms have ex-
• Volume: 1.083 x 1012 km3
• Orbital Period around star: 372 days

isted on New Horizon and that some might still exist. Ruins have been Epsilon Eridani IVb (New Horizon)
found deep inside the Vivid Jungles, and other traces have also been • Planet: Epsilon Eridani IVb
found in the Caledonia Mangrove. Some people believe that many hun- • Type: Terrestrial
dreds, or even thousands, of years ago there were other intelligent crea- • Semi-Major Axis: 0.009 AU (1 346 382 km) from Epsilon Eridani IV
tures living on the planet. There creatures might even have been more • Mean Radius: 5 786.3 km
evolved and more technologically advanced than we are, but for some • Circumference: 36 356.4 km
unknown reason they disappeared. Adventuring deep into areas where • Mass: 4.066 x 1017 kg
no other human or wafan has ever been before might uncover hidden • Surface Area: 420 738 018 km2
secrets or even treasures. It is not uncommon to find unknown and mys- • Surface Land Area (45%): 189 116 497 km2
terious weapons, equipment or technology. • Surface Water Area (55%): 231 621 521 km2
• Volume: 8.115 x 1011 km3
Roaming the land • Surface Gravity: 0.81 G (Gravitational Constant 6.67 x 10-11 m3 kg-1 s-2)
• Length of Day: 28 hours
Trapper Town is the peak of Lonely Mesa, surrounded to the north by the • Length of Year: 372 days, 12 months / 31 days
natural skyscrapers of the Azuremar Mountains Range, and to the south • Orbital Period around Epsilon Eridani IV: 10.095 days
by the wild fauna of the Narehl jungles. The harsh winds knocking on
the city walls from time to time remind the townspeople that beyond the Epsilon Eridani IVb (New Horizon) is the second moon of the fourth plan-
safety of their city there are dangers sneaking about, ready to steal the et in its star system, and the only planetoid in the system to sustain life.
life of anyone who’s unwary. Epsilon Eridani IVb orbits a very large, reddish terrestrial desert world
(a non-habitable planet with a rust desert which is very rich in ore under
Travelling north beyond the Lansdale Ocean to the icy lands of the Aq- the surface, named Epsilon Eridani IV). Epsilon Eridani IVb has a barren
uilon’s Reach will chill any man or beast not ready to take on the cold sister moon devoid of atmosphere, Epsilon Eridani IVa (Nifelheim). The
winds and harsh environment of the coldest place on the planet. Here Epsilon Eridani star system has a yellow dwarf star (sun) and is orbited
the sheer strength of Mother Nature’s cold breeze can kill a man or wafan by 5 planets. On New Horizon there are two types of humanoid beings
if they are not suitably prepared to protect themselves. The bare waste- that roam the planet; humans and wafans (Wave Form Androids). The
lands of Neo Titania are not exactly the safest place on the planet: the planet’s current citizenry, either Human or wafan, is currently rated as
most resistant and savage beasts on the planet roam this barren land being around 2 million.
attacking anything they run into as food is scarce and survival is the only Epsilon Eridani V
thing on the menu. The totally unknown forests and jungles of Verdura Epsilon Eridani I
contain secrets that no man has ever seen. Let us not forget to mention
the pearls hidden underneath the two large oceans on the planet. Explor-
ing the world is extremely dangerous, but also exciting and rewarding to
the same degree. If anyone has the nerves for it, that is… Epsilon Eridani II
Epsilon Eridani IV
Beware of the beasts
New Horizon is a planet that has been around for several billion years, Epsilon Eridani IVa
and just like Earth, life exists on this planet. Therefore, it’s only logical (Nifelheim)
that the planet has its own unique flora and fauna. The animals are usu-
ally very dangerous and they are capable of eating both humans and Epsilon Eridani III
wafans alike. Humans and wafans are, however, new to the planet, so
for most creatures they are unknown. Some creatures, though, like the Epsilon Eridani IVb
Grim Stalkers have already gotten a taste for this new type of food and (New Horizon)
they gladly eat them whenever they are not protected by the walls sur-
rounding their large cities.

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 New Horizon
New Hor izon
People
The humans of New Horizon are more versatile than ever before. What
further defines them is that even though all humans are humanoid, there
are three distinct groups which show an enormous amount of phylogeny,
like ants. The three distinct sub-species all live, work, and even interact
with one another differently. Each is tailor-made for a specific lifestyle
and certain broad specializations. However, each human, regardless of
creed, is a unique individual and cannot simply be labeled.
Waveform Androids, colloquially known as wafans, were “created” by
humans to in order to be their slaves. In time, they won their freedom
through blood, sweat and tears and became the second species of hu-
manity to inhabit Earth and, later, also the stars. Wafans are not ma-
chines, like you might think; they are in fact people. Wafans are not made
in factories – they are “born”, not like people, but they are born nonethe-
less. 90% of all wafans are born in a Wafan Crèche.
A Wafan Crèche is formed when six or more wafans of the same type are
summoned by the local community to act as mentors to a new generation
of a dozen or so wafans. They’ll be close with a few crèche mates and
usually, but not always, consider them siblings. A Wafan is born with a
fairly general set of skills and vocabulary, equivalent to a fifteen-year-old.
He or she is raised and peered with one of the six mentors. Wafans are
also born with a very general configuration to their body – a prototype
form, if you will – bereft of decoration and weapons, or even ornamental
components.
Races
Since New Horizon hasn’t been occupied by humans and wafans for very
long, there shouldn’t be many different races. However, we should keep
in mind that, in time, these races will become more and more distinct,
both in behavior and the way they look. New races will also come into
existence, simple by allowing one group of a certain race to move to a
different place, change their culture over time, and evolve into something
different.
Humans:
1) Olympian Humans,
2) Promethean Cyborgs,
3) Medeans.
Wafans:
1) Aesir: Emulation Type Wafans,
2) Vanir: Composite Type Wafans,
3) Jotun: Solid Type Wafans.
Languages
English is the universal language of New Horizon. However, other lan-
guages do exist which were brought here along with the 250 000 colo-
nists who came from Earth.
Garden of Zen speaks a smattering of Mandarin Chinese and some Viet-
namese. French is prominent in the Port of Narehl.
Norwegian and a certain amount of Swedish can be found in the rural
outlying areas of Aquilon, as well as a small hint of Cork. In New Chania
people speak English and Latin.
In Xanadu people mainly speak English with an American accent, as well
as a smattering of German. Polish can be found in the north part of Neo
Titania.
A little bit of the Old Persian language was come back to use and it’s
spoken in Al’Jannah (around the thousand mile desert), and Polynesian
and some Samoan can be heard around the Chain of Tears.
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6
Cities and their countryside
Most people live within the major cities of the world. Here, they feel pro-
tected from the harsh environment and the wildlife beyond the borders of
their city. Rural life is almost non-existent. Only larger groups of people
have the means to withstand the dangers of living in open land. Excep-
tions do occur, but they are very rare.
Law enforcement
New Horizon is an untamed and wild planet, where beasts rule the land –
and we’re not only talking about animals. Rogues and bandits have found
it easy to attack and rob people who are travelling the land because
there is not enough law enforcement around to make travel very safe.
Because of this, law enforcement was bound to be improved, but mostly
within city boundaries.
Within the city limits of Trapper Town, the marshals and their sheriffs
keep the peace and uphold the law. Trapper Town is where they have
their headquarters. Even though the whole of Walk of Man is, on paper,
at least, their whole jurisdiction, in practice they are mostly found within
the boundaries of each city. Controlling such an enormous area as Walk
of Man would be impossible. For one thing, there are not nearly enough
people on the planet to manage such a task, and it is still too dangerous
for policemen to just walk around in the wild by themselves.
Those who wish to help protect the land should report to Trapper Town
and sign up for a job as deputy of the Allied Regional Militia (ARM). Ala-
baster is the High Marshal of Trapper Town, which essentially amounts to
Alabaster being the man who takes the reports from all the sheriffs and
marshals in the entire Walk of Man, and dealing with all their problems.
Every large city has its own law enforcement, and usually a police force.
Policemen are very unlike soldiers, and in fact are generally the souls of
discretion. As their goal is order, rather than strategic victories, they will
only ever draw their gun if they have no other choice. However, some law
enforcement agencies by their very nature must place slightly more fast
and loose agents in their ranks to give them a variable response capabil-
ity. This includes individuals as well as entire teams of SWAT officers.
Rogues and bandits
Where there is not enough law enforcement to keep people in check,
there are always those who will find different opportunities to become rich
in ways which are not always ethical or legal. Since law enforcement is
generally confined within city limits, rogues and bandits are found in the
wilderness where they can roam free and do anything they want.
Different rogue organizations are hidden in different places, such as
within the Azuremar Mountain Range. They are generally large enough
to defend themselves from most of the dangerous wildlife. These rogue
organizations are called “Animus” by most people.
Geodites
The idea that crystals are stored memories gives wafans a modest ob-
session with crystals of all sorts, and they often exhibit an irrational cov-
etousness of crystals, similar to the desire humans have for money and
precious metals. Not necessarily a weakness, but an interesting systemic
quirk which has lead to specially grown tiny crystals called Geodites (of-
ten just called Geos, or Geo Crystals), which have a small metal band
with serial numbers written on them around their middle. Geodites are
the single universal currency of New Horizon.
 Role Playing Game
Narehl Ministry of Stones
The Narehl Ministry of Stones is the world’s sole source of Geodites, the
synthetically crafted gemstones used as global currency. They are very
carefully crafted in a secure underground laboratory, the location of which
is kept strictly top secret, and presided over by the Minister of Stones.
However, Geodites’ origins actually predate their use as currency. The
original intention was to use them as uncounterfeitable chips for use in
Narehlian Casinos. The cost of production proved prohibitive for mere
poker chips, but the local Government caught wind of the technology and
swiftly crafted their currency, the Narehlian Geodite, in the year 2380.
When Avalon became a reality in 2390, they globalised the Geodite over
the Xanadian Mark, the Walk of Man Dollar, the New Chanian Rupee
and the Aquilonian Crown, making it the world’s only legal tender. Each
Geodite is a meticulously crafted synthetic gemstone, inlaid with a gold
seal of authenticity and a small id chip, which modern cash registers read
as they are deposited. Hand-held scanners which can read these are
common, and cost less than ten Geodites. Fake Geodites are known col-
loquially as ‘Rock Salt’, or ‘Pebbles’. Compared to currencies on Earth,
one Geodite is roughly twenty cents, and 5 Geodites is about 1 USD.
Forty Geodites per hour is what most people in Trapper Town earn, while
the pay is better in larger or more modern cities like Xanadu or Avalon.
Stores and shops
Stores and shops can be found in every major city. The merchandise can
differ from place to place depending on the peculiarities of each city, but
what is always consistent is that weapons, armor and equipment can be
bought everywhere for any need an adventurer might have, as long as
he/she has deep enough pockets.
Mercenaries for protection
Travelling outside the protective boundaries of the cities is extremely
dangerous due to the wild fauna, and mercenaries are therefore highly
regarded and paid very well for their services. A merchant travelling the
land with his cargo without the escort of a team with mercenaries is either
crazy or suicidal. Mercenaries are better trained at fighting as part of a
team than duelists are, but are much worse at this than soldiers. On
the other hand, mercenaries are better at fighting solo than soldiers, but
cannot even rival duelists in this aspect. Unlike soldiers, mercenaries
generally have little or no aggression: they are paid to do a job but they
do not take their job personally.
Treasure hunting
If you are interested in exploring dungeons and caverns, there are plenty
to be found in Youzem. The Azuremar Mountain Range is literally filled
with caverns and tunnels leading to unknown places. It is not known who
or what made these tunnels and what treasures can be found inside them
by those who are brave enough to go and have a look. On New Horizon,
any treasure found might be something other people would find very
valuable, making treasure-hunting a very profitable and useful activity.
Every jungle contains mysteries and treasures never before seen. The Na-
rehlian Knights are the best jungle explorers in the world, but not even they
have seen more than a small part of the Narehlian Jungles. Travelling the
jungles of the world will lead any adventurer right into plenty of excitement
and danger. These overgrown forests contain unknown ruins and crypts
left behind by creatures who occupied this planet long before humans and
wafans ever arrived. The treasures found here are also beyond value.
Sailing the large seas can also lead to unknown wonders. There are
plenty of unknown islands all over the world, with who knows what se-
crets, not to mention what might be underneath the sea. One thing can
be said for certain: no matter where you go adventuring, you will easily
stumble on secret places holding unknown treasures such as weapons,
armors or other valuables of metals or other materials never before seen
by either humans or wafans, some of them more powerful than anything
the world has ever seen, some of them bound to Ether in ways unknown.
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Merchants and trade
Trading is one of the most common lines of work on New Horizon, and
visiting strange trading places is a great way to find those hard-to-find
items everyone is looking for. Rare and powerful weapons developed
by large weapon manufacturers sometimes find their way to the various
trading places before they are officially released to the public.
There are many different items which can be found and bought. Some
are found within the boundaries of the major cities, in shops and stores,
while other items are only found along the different trading routes on
Youzem or Neo Titania, acquired only through negotiation with traders
and other merchants.
The Missive Union is establishing more and more small trading posts
on major traffic routes to provide caravans and travelers with necessary
goods and repairs. They have branches all over the world, and are usu-
ally contracted by the local government.
The Xanadians are generally bent on expansionism, and they are the
ones building roads. Paved roads are found in every major city on the
planet, except Trapper Town and some of the smaller towns in Walk of
Man line Crane Hill. Outside of most city borders, there are no real roads
to be found, except for the very few which are being built outside Xanadu.
The goal of the Xanadian government is to expand their roads to every
major city, starting with those cities found on Neo Titania and then ex-
panding towards Youzem. In the years to come, more and more roads
will appear. Connecting Xanadu with Avalon by road and bridge, and af-
ter that also Warhead, is one of the main tasks these road builders have.
A few examples of items which can be bought from merchants are:
• Jannahlite carpets, produced in Al’Jannah.
• Essential oils for perfumes, mostly produced in New Chania.
• Platinum is a miners heart and soul, and the metal is found in Walk of Man.
• Different metals, found by miners in Walk of Man.
• Vehicles, developed mostly in Xanadu/Aquilon.
• Slaves, exported from Port of Narehl, by the Night Panthers Criminal Syndicate.
• Electronics, developed mostly in Xanadu/Aquilon.
• Wood is exported from Port of Narehl.
• Chocolate is found in Port of Narehl.
• Spices are produced in New Chania.
• Paper is a common Xanadian textile.
• Ink is usually produced in New Chania.
• Exotic fruits are found everywhere, but the most exotic fruits tend to
be from Al’Jannah, deep desert fruits, and deep jungle fruits.
Merchants have excellent trade skills and know how to legally or illegally
transport goods by land, ocean or sky. Merchants usually belong to some
trade’s guild.
Military soldiers
Every “Avalon faction” has its own military, usually divided into three bu-
reaus: Army, Air Force and Navy. Soldiers are recruited through standard
recruitment avenues in the same way as was done on Earth. Military
service is strictly professional, and drafts are forbidden by Avalon. Avalon
council members are not allowed a legal draft (compulsory service call)
by their rules.
Pretty much every faction except Walk of Man and Missive Union has
a small group of MPs (military police). Different types of soldiers exist,
such as, for example, Long Range Recon, Line Men, Infiltration Special-
ists, Infantry, Technicians (they help set up and tear down defenses and
guns), Sharp Shooters/Snipers, Field Medics, etc.
7
 New Horizon
New Hor izon
Hunters of the wild
Hunters are the rangers of New Horizon. They are mostly called “Hunt-
ers” but the name “Trapper” is also widely used. For a Hunter to learn a
specific area very well usually takes years, and the different areas of New
Horizon are quite large indeed. Hunters usually reside in a specific area,
such as the Jungles of Narehl, the Lonely Mesa in Youzem, Azuremar
Mountain Range in Youzem, the Forsaken Land in Neo Titania, or the
Snow Waste in Aquilon. Hunters know how to survive in the wilderness,
and they are better at it than anyone else.
Bounty hunters
Bounty Hunters are most common in Walk of Man. They can also be
found in Xanadu, Avalon and Aquilon’s Reach, but much less so due
to the more constant law enforcement in those factions. To become a
Bounty Hunter, one is required to apply for a license, which is done in
Avalon. It would most likely require a clean criminal record for a certain
length of time.
Bounty Hunters and Couriers are very similar, and, like Couriers, Bounty
Hunters may have less knowledge about different areas than the Hunter,
but their job is to find their fugitive quickly and transport him back to his
employer. The Bounty Hunter also has access to resources which can
help him in his work.
Couriers
The difference between a Courier and a Hunter is that the Courier has
much less knowledge about the land than the Hunter has. Hunters, how-
ever, only know their specific area well, while other areas are totally un-
known to them. Couriers may have less knowledge about the area which
the Hunter is expert on, but they usually travel longer distances, deliver-
ing packages or other equipment from one area to another.
A Courier also has access to resources which can help him in his work,
including how to find vehicles for travel or how to smuggle items in secret.
It is a difficult but very interesting profession.
Miners of the Azuremar
Mountain Range
There are many miners living in Walk of Man. Cities like Crane Hill and
Bleeding Hill thrive because of them. There are a lot of caves in the
Azuremar Mountain Range, and mines are just as common. Gold is al-
most worthlessly on New Horizon, used mainly in electronics, but rarer
metals like platinum are definitely looked for by prospectors.
Spies within the company
or organization
Corporate spies are pretty common and they are primarily used to steal
corporate secrets or data for the purposes of enhancing their own com-
pany’s competitive advantages, or to acquire state-of-the-art technology.
Corporate spies are only interested in helping their own company, usually
for monetary reasons.
Military spies are mostly interested in supplying their military with state-
of-the-art weapons. Their interest is not monetary, since weapons are of
higher value to the military than money. Spies are found pretty much all
over the world – after all, paranoia makes the world go around. Spies are
much like investigators, including their excellent disguise abilities. Espio-
nage or spying involves a person obtaining information that is considered
secret or confidential without the permission of the owner.
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8
Journalists of the world
There are several leading newspapers on New Horizon, generally one
large one for each faction. Most journalists work for one of these newspa-
pers, but there are a few exceptions. These newspapers are:
• A Walk of Man newspaper called ”The Rough Life”.
• Aquilonian major paper named “Aurora Daily”.
• “Spice of Life” for Narehl.
• Xanadian volume called “The Business of Life”.
• New Chania could have “Life in Print”.
• “The Working Man” for Missive Union.
• Warheads has the “Blunt Truth”.
• Avalon has the “World United”.
Physician
Human and Wafan physicians practice medicine, and they are skilled
at maintaining and restoring health. Physicians are divided into differ-
ent specialties. For humans, there are several to choose from, including
Bionic Engineer which focuses on Promethean Cyborgs and Cross Ge-
nome Physician who focuses on Medeans. Physicians who specialize on
Wafans are sometimes called Cyber Life Physicians.
Cyber Life Physician
Physicians and Cyber Life Physicians are not two different professions.
They are one and the same, although one learns more about medicine
while the other learns more about repairing. Humans and Wafans are
considered one people, even though they are two races, and medical
students study how to repair or heal both of them. Wafans don’t have pro-
gramming as such: they’re not really like computers, and their automated
functions are controlled by micro computers, like the subconscious. Wa-
fans aren’t based on known AI systems. They’re extraordinarily sophis-
ticated analog. Their subconscious, so to speak, which keeps them up
and running like the bits of our brain not under our direct control, are, by
comparison, more digital, though.
A cyber life surgeon has a very unique specialization where he has
learned to repair or restore a Wafans unique cybernetic physiology. The
cyber life surgeon is capable of sustaining and repairing the sophisti-
cated Luminous Core, which sends controlled light waves through the
heavy water and particle clouds creating the Wave Form, which in turn
forms the Wafan mind. A damaged Luminous Core can be repaired but
the Wafan will never be the same again, as a new mind replaces the
damaged one and forms a new personality for the Wafan.
The cyber life surgeon is also able to repair a Wafans Lucid Codex which
forms a Wafans crystalline memory array. A damaged Lucid Codex can
be repaired but previous memories are usually either partly or completely
gone. There are a few truly skilled cyber life surgeons who specialize in
only one of the Wafans cybernetic physiologies, and who excel in their
work, but most of them are all-rounders of medium skill who perform their
work adequately.
Bionic Engineer
The Bionic Engineer is often a mixture between a traditional physician
and an engineer. Specializing in Promethean Cyborg technology, he is
able to create or repair artificial limbs or Promethean electronics. At least
one Bionic Engineer is employed by most hospitals in the world, except
for those in Xanadu. Only a rare few Xanadian hospitals have their own
Bionic Engineers, since Xanadians shun Promethean technologies.
Cross Genome Physician
The Hershey University on New Chania is the only successful school on
the planet when it comes to producing physicians with specialization in
Medean Engineering. The Cross Genome Physician who only focuses
on Medean Engineering is required to select a specific medical specialty
(everything from Neurology to Pediatrics to Surgery). A physician who
completes his education usually either stays at the university or is em-
ployed by one of the many Asclepieion Hospitals in the world.
 Role Playing Game

Continents and Factions

The land of New Horizon Factions
From the frozen steps of Aquilon’s Reach to the greatest depths of the
Narehl jungles, New Horizon stretches out as far as the eye can see. The Avalon Factions
geography of New Horizon is divided into the following 6 main zones: Factions and continents are two totally different things. Continents are
defined by land and they are separated from each other by large ex-
• Youzem panses of water. Factions, on the other hand, are like nation states, de-
• Neo Titania fined by humanly laid out borders. A continent can contain people but it
• Aquilon can also be totally unknown. A faction is defined by the people of whom
• New Chania it is made up.
• The Chain of Tears
• Verdura There are 7 main factions on the planet. They trade with each other dur-
• Cain Ocean ing times of peace. In the not-so-good times, fighting can break out, often
• Lansdale Ocean to the brink of war. The Council of Avalon does not consider itself to be
a faction but rather an international organization whose main purpose is

Continents to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, eco-

A continent is one of several large landmasses on New Horizon. They are
generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with six
regions commonly regarded as continents, they are:
• Youzem
• Neo Titania
• Aquilon
• New Chania
• The Chain of Tears
• Verdura/South Pole
Conventionally, continents are usually described as large, continuous, dis-
tinct masses of land, which are usually separated by expanses of water.
New Horizon and its different continents stretch over a landmass that is
approximately one hundred and eighty nine million square kilometers.
Sub-arctic extremes chill its northern reaches, where ice sheets like the
Perpetua Glacier dominate the terrain in blinding white snow. Youzem is
a gigantic place where you will find the equatorial Vivid Jungles and the
tropical coasts of the Port of Narehl. It’s bordered on the north-east by the
Lansdale Ocean and on the south-east by the Cain Ocean. Neo Titania
is mostly covered by the Forsaken Land, a barred wasteland that only
offers danger to travelers.
nomic development, social progress, human rights, and the achievement
of world peace. It contains multiple subsidiary organizations to carry out
its missions. The 7 main factions of New Horizon are members of the
Avalon Council. These factions are Aquilon’s Reach, the Port of Narehl,
The New Chanian Conclave, the Missive Union, Trapper Town (Walk of
Man), Warhead Keep, and Xanadu. Other factions exist, but they are
not members of the Avalon Council. People capable of controlling other
people and society have always been important for any civilization, and
the same is the case even on New Horizon.
Civilized areas have high levels of control, but areas off the beaten track
much less so. Fingerprints, teeth, and DNA are all common human iden-
tifiers. For wafans, latex traces, chips of paint and foot prints are also
pretty good indicators commonly used to identify people living on New
Horizon. Factions like Xanadu and Warhead Keep, where all citizens are
closely monitored, have an extremely high level of control and they all
need to be able to identify themselves by different means. Other fac-
tions, like Aquilon’s Reach, Port of Narehl, New Chanian Conclave and
Missive Union, are also well controlled, but much less so than Xanadu
and Warhead Keep.
Trapper Town however, is different, and as wild and uncontrolled as it
gets. Cities outside the Avalon accords can vary, but they usually have
little or no identification methods.

Population Non-Avalon Factions

Besides the 7 main factions which belong to the Council of Avalon there
New Horizon is home to slightly more than 2 million people, all of who live are several other smaller factions which are neutral, and most are far
in the borders of approximately ten large cities. But there are also more weaker than the 7 Avalon Council Factions. Some of them are Al’Jannah,
than a thousand small towns scattered here and there with a population Riverguard, Savage Isles, Rogues Alliance and Escuerzo Clutch.
below 1000 people:
Al’Jannah is a faction from the Thousand Mile Desert of Neo Titania,
• Avalon: 349 201 which keeps primarily to itself due to its strong ancient religious beliefs.
• Xanadu: 271 298 However, despite their reclusive nature, they will offer food and shelter at
• Glacier Run City: 214 932 reasonable prices, as well as detailed maps of the desert.
• The Port of Narehl: 153 891
• Union Hold: 126 776 Riverguard is a faction which is a former splinter of Warhead. They use more
• Trapper Town: 97 092 old fashioned military doctrines, and act as wardens of the waterways of the
• Garden of Zen: 61 439 Youzem continent, charging small tolls at their checkpoint, and larger fees
• Warhead: 59 291 for armed escorts. Riverguard’s are found everywhere where there’s a river.
• New Crete: 37 445
• Streamdown Haven: 11 032 Savage Isles are a back to nature group of Medeans and Olympians who
• Crane Hill: 4 722 shun advanced technology in their daily lives. They still have it, but use it only
• Bleeding Hill: 4 298 when necessary. They’re nomadic hunter gatherers who ply their islands wa-
• Fort Mile-High: 3 392 ter ways on mobile boat homes. Savage Isles are found in the right hand por-
• Fort Fixed-Wing: 2 957 tion of the Chain of Tears, from the east of Union Hold, all the way to the north.
• Fort Horus: 2 271
• Red Feathers Rest: 1 337 Rogues Alliance are outlaws and thieves, even assassins, but they have their
• Beloreas Port: 716 own code of honor and dignity. They live in the Azuremar mountains and they
• Renegades Rest: 483 are ruled by the four ‘Aces,’ their de facto leaders. They spend years at a time
• Remaining towns/cities: 668 952 out in society, just blending in and doing small jobs occasionally.
_______________________________
• Total population: 2 071 525 Escuerzo Clutch is a faction of filthy god damned highway robbers trying
to pass as a nation. They took over the only major overland route from
the Walk of Man to Port of Narehl region, and attack passing convoys.

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9
 New Horizon
Avalon
Avalon excels at arbitration, and as such is the global center for dispute me-
diation between factions, businesses and even individuals. (We may even
make an Arbiter a job of a sort, like New Horizon’s Jedi.) They have excellent
covert ops, light peace keeping forces, and very little internal industry.
Trapper Town (Walk of Man)
Walk of Man excels at resource gathering, extensively mining and har-
vesting the wealth of New Horizon. They are easy going, laid back people
with a relaxed outlook and only token law enforcement, as most of their
denizens are trained from birth to protect themselves.
Xanadu
Xanadu excels at providing a comfortable lifestyle approximating Earth’s
through carefully controlled corporate management by their government.
They have excellent air force and covert ops. They have very polite peo-
ple but also plenty of individual rogue groups due to the government’s in-
ability to keep them in check. The people are polite, as mentioned before,
but at the same time distrustful of others.
The Port of Narehl
The Port of Narehl excels at marketing, providing massive venues for
goods from around the world, as well as hospitality. They have incredible
elite Knights. Very friendly and open, and they want your money.
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10
Warhead Keep
Warhead produces dedicated and talented soldiers, but they are not
warmongers. They see war as a necessary evil, and choose to be the
best at exercising it. They produce some of the world’s most impressive
weapons and armor.
Aquilon’s Reach
The people of Aquilon’s Reach are extremely progressive both techno-
logically and socially. They are regarded as lunatics and weirdoes by
many of their contemporaries.
The New Chanian Conclave
New Chania excels at the growing and harvesting of global dietary sta-
ples, training of medical personnel and the development of pharmaceu-
ticals, and is the birthplace of Medeans. This is the place where Medean
Splicing was born. New Chania is somewhat modest in their standard of
living, and they are very close to nature.
The Missive Union
The Missive union is a powerful organized workforce capable of tackling
jobs with immense gusto. They have virtually no military power except
their own security force. They manage most of the world’s shipping, air-
lines and trainlines.
 Role Playing Game
Youzem and the Walk of M an
Youzem
Youzem is the largest continent on the planet, spread out over an area
of 72 674 619 km2, it equals the size of Asia and Africa combined. In the
northern part of Youzem you will find the largest mountains on the planet
and in the southern part you will see the jungles of Narehl stretching out
all the way from the west to the east.
The geography of Youzem is divided into three zones: Walk of Man,
Azuremar Plains, and Narehl.
Azuremar Plains
Azuremar Plains are as vast as the eye can see. A place of strategic
importance during times of war, this land has seen its share of battles.
Azuremar Plains is a place filled with tall, blue-green grass that grows
on the many corpses that have littered the ground during the years. The
resources to be found here are abundant to any scavenger, if they dared
to scavenge into the hunting grounds of the Grim Stalkers, the planets
alpha predators. Looming on the horizon is the hunter nest.
Once small, this giant structure is made from the smashed and mangled
remains of vehicles, and even wafans, a food the Hunters aren’t typically
fond of. The area for two miles around the nest is completely barren of
other life. Entering here is, to put it lightly, suicide.
Narehl
Narehl is the largest jungle region in the world, and covers 2/3 of the
Youzem continent. The most fearsome animals can be encountered in
this place and it’s not something you’d want to do if you do not have
enough protection to defend yourself. Many brave souls have wandered
into these lands hoping to find lost ruins filled with unknown treasures
never to be heard from again. Only the most fearless and skilled warriors,
such as the Narehlian Rangers, can survive in the midst of these damp
and dark woods, and even they travel in groups. A lone person does not
stand a chance against the hunters that haunt this place.
Most areas within this jungle are still totally unknown, and even large
expeditions have not yet managed to discover much. These jungles hold
many secrets, many treasures and many dangers.
Walk of Man
The Walk of Man is an extremely widespread area which covers approxi-
mately half of the Youzem continent. The northern half of the continent is
part of the Walk of Man, which envelopes the gigantic mountain complex
named the Azuremar Mountain Range. Lonely Mesa, with Trapper Town
at its heart, Dusty Hollows with Bleeding Hill at its center and Blighted
Dunes with the massive city of Warhead are all part of the Walk of Man.
The jungle areas of Youzem are not included in this area, and neither are
the Azuremar Plains.
The lands of Walk of Man contain countless small cities. Most of these
are not marked on any map, since some of them are unexpectedly de-
stroyed by the dangerous wildlife on the planet while others are just as
suddenly set up by people who are in search of a new home.
These small cities therefore often disappear just as quickly as they ap-
pear. However, without a major alliance with a major city which promises
to protect the small settlement from any type of danger, a small city does
not have any chance of surviving any longer period of time, unless they
are extremely lucky, or powerful, on their own.
The Walk of Man is also a place that welcomes people of any background
or heritage. Criminals can easily find a place to hide in this place, as well
as people who try to flee from their former lives and want nothing more
than to start anew.
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But the law is still upheld by some of the best gunmen in the world. Just
because you can find a home here and hide from your past does not
mean that you cannot get into serious trouble if you break the law or if
you cross a powerful sheriff.
However, despite all this, the Walk of Man is still a wonderful place to
live. If offers a simple life to those who want peace and quiet, as well as
excitement and adventure for those who want to experience something
dangerous and thrilling.
Many people who are sick of the crowded and busy city life of Avalon,
Xanadu or Glacier Run City move to Trapper Town or any of the smaller
cities around the Walk of Man.
Walkers
It’s somewhat common for any young man or woman on New Horizon to
leave home and seek their fortunes on their own in many regions, but it’s
a 50/50 chance whether young folks will settle down or move on from this
region. Young men and women in The Walk of Man who decide to travel
the region to seek their fortune are often called ‘Walkers’.
Walkers are typically aged 16-24, if human, or 8-20 if Wafan. The most
common motivating factor that drives them to get out and explore their
homeland is the immensely isolated nature of many of the smaller towns,
which drives the young folks to seek new stimulus through adventure
and exploration.
While, as often as not, parents are dismayed, or even horrified, when
they discover their son or daughter is a Walker, it’s a commonly honored
tradition for the parents to give them a gift of a method of self protection
and a modest secured line of Geodites (Geodite Credits) so they can
last long enough to find their fortune. Wealthy families also provide their
children with a personal form of transportation.
A Walker’s first weapon can vary. Many families have traditions of
swordsmanship or gunplay, and either weapon is a very common gift to
a young Walker. It’s not altogether uncommon for a parent to hand off
their own weapon from their walking days to a son or daughter for luck.
Vehicles for a Walker are usually very rustic, often one-seated deuterium
motorcycles, or small two-man four-wheel drive vehicles with a storage
hatch in the back. Most are little more than basic frames and often sec-
ond or third hand at best. But a walker who comes from a wealthier family
will often drive something slightly sportier.
Walkers often begin their career as freelance couriers, taking small con-
tracts to move packages from place to place until some location or an-
other catches their fancy enough to slow them down for awhile and sink
their teeth into meatier jobs.
Walkers with a chip on their shoulder will often start their careers with
bounty hunting, seeking the scum of the region for much juicier pay.
Walkers hiring out as security or hired guns for mercantile convoys are
also not unheard of.
Furthermore, some Walkers turn to banditry, and often end up finding
themselves the target of younger, surlier Walkers out to make a name
for themselves.
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 New Horizon
Youzem and the Walk of M an
Lonely Mesa
Much like the fertile plains of central North America, dotted with forests
and hills, this area covers a sizable stretch of land, with many native
grazers and predators running amok, as well as areas of controlled graz-
ing lands used for genetically modified Earth livestock, cattle and sheep.
Ongoing concerns are the deadly Grim Stalkers, the planet’s alpha
predators, stalking and killing Men and wafans. Additionally, there is the
outlaw faction ‘Rusty Stars’, posing as bandits when their real goal is to
take over the zone, toppling Trapper Town and running it for themselves
with more ruthless efficiency to line their pockets with gold.
Trapper Town
The regional capital city, Trapper Town, is a minor trading hub. Though
nowhere near as impressive as any of the coastal trading centers, it sup-
ports a bustling economy. The primary exports are slug thrower firearms,
livestock and minerals. The peace is kept by the Marshall’s posse, led by
the infamous Wafan Lawman, Alabaster.
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Alabaster personally oversees all bounty contracts and leads any official
law actions. The local government is called The Voice of the West, a
group of four local citizens from the four major walks of life.
The Voice of the West is made up of the senior regional representatives
of the Hunters, the Farmers, the Miners and the Lawmen. They work
together as a council of three, with the fourth member (whoever drew
the short straw) sent off to represent the Walk of Man as their Septumvir.
Their will is carried out and administered/interpreted by the Marshal or
Mayor of each town throughout the region.
Trapper Town has a strange mix of low- and high-tech equipment and
facilities. Many buildings are made of primitive materials, and may look
scrounged. The technology they use is as advanced as anywhere else
on the planet and it clearly sticks out like a bright star in the black sky.
Most roads in the town are not paved.
Trapper Town is divided into two halves by a river. The left half is all busi-
nesses and warehousing, called the Business Halfway. The right half is
divided into the northern residential and governing body, called the Office
Quarter, and the southern living and dining area, called the Copper Quar-
ter. There’s a large market place at the juncture of the three regions. The
roads are more paved in the Office Quarter and the Business Halfway
than in the Copper Quarter.
Trapper Town is protected by a fifteen foot wall, approximately eight feet
thick, with heavy weapon turrets every fifty feet. Trapper Town also has a
railroad station and an airport located to the south of town.
 Role Playing Game
Sheriff’s Office
The law is upheld by the Lawman Alabaster and his many Marshalls.
Therefore, several Marshall’s offices can be found around Trapper Town,
and some in other cities within the Walk of Man. This isn’t “the” Sheriff’s
office, but one of the more common ones like those found in Trapper
Town. A standard sheriff’s building is usually a mixture of old western
fashion and modern high-technology and architecture. It is also not un-
common to see a lazy dog sleeping on the front porch.
Captain Booze’s Bar
Captain Booze’s bar is a locally well-known establishment in Trapper
Town, filled with a lot of people almost every day of the week. The bar
itself looks like any Trapper Town building, with a mixture of western style
and high-tech elements. There are water-filled steel barrels in front of
the bar, a stylish neon sign visible from a distance and even a satellite
dish on the roof (used for radio communication between neighbors). This
place doesn’t usually host the finest people, but that does not mean that
there are any people in Trapper Town that could be labeled “high class”.
However, it is a very popular place nonetheless for anyone who’s inter-
ested in having a drink, picking up a lady for the night or even starting a
good bar fight when things get too boring.
The Goddamn Liar
‘The Goddamn Liar’ is another crowded bar in Trapper Town. It is com-
mon to hear people telling stories about gunfights and other battles here.
The only place with a decent elbow room is probably in the pool hall, kept
clear by angry men armed with pool sticks. Poor lighting, the smell of
old wood, smoke and cheap booze is enough to make any native of the
town feel perfectly comfortable, despite the high decibels and crowding.
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Crane Hill
Crane Hill is a small town atop a dusty red hill, comprised mostly of liv-
ing quarters. The town has a small circular neighborhood of row houses
called the Circular Quarter. This neighborhood is sandwiched between
a red light district called Rat’s Nest on the northern side of town and a
railroad station for miners amidst the Mining Industry section found in the
southern part of town.
Crane Hill is approximately 1/5th the size of Trapper Town. It lies on the
southern edge of the Azuremar Mountain Range, next to Mare Lake,
which in turn lies not far from the much larger Moon Lake.
Dusty Hollows
After the fall of Neo Titania, New Horizon was starved for mineral wealth.
With the discovery of Bleeding Hill, a hill so intensely iron-heavy that
red rain ran from it, it was decided that the Dusty Hollows would have to
be the mining center of New Horizon with the city of Bleeding Hill as its
primary settlement.
The Rusty Stars frequently attempt sabotage this region, as well as at-
tempting to hijack various mineral convoys sent to Trapper Town. Also,
there are frequent stampedes of the aggressive pack predators called
Unicorns in the region, as well as flash floods often triggering frenzied
breeding activities from Horizon Moles.
Bleeding Hill
Bleeding Hill is actually three towns, all within a five mile radius of one
another. North Hill acts as an administration center for the region, and
is also home to the Marshals’ Refuge, the major law enforcement hub
for the region. West Hill is the home to most of the regions vices, male
and female escort services, bars, movie theaters and most other forms
of entertainment to help keep the miners and smelters who call this re-
gion home from going completely insane – a slice of Las Vegas on an
Alien Planet. South Hill is home to most of the mercantile establishments,
the lion’s share of resident housing as well as many of the more family-
friendly forms of recreation, as well as the primary barracks for the unwed
miners and smelters who make their living here.
The local Mayor is popular, but ineffective, and much of the local admin-
istration is done through his deputy mayor and the local posse. Here,
even more than in Trapper Town, bounty hunters are the second arm
of the law.
Candlewax Expanse
The Candlewax Expanse is a 1600 km forest in the far south of The Walk
of Man composed primarily of the rare beeswax trees. The local economy
is simplified, the scent of the trees keeping most external predators away,
and at the same time attracting the rare insects called Firedragons.
Criss-crossed with mountain runoff, the forest is a virtual safe haven for
many of the planet’s more primordial creatures, much akin to Earth’s Aus-
tralia or New Zealand.
During the nights in warm seasons, the trees emit their stored hydrogen,
creating brilliant blue flames to attract pollinating arthropods, their light
creating a long season of warmth and fertility brought on by their rotting
shed wax which supports a rich undergrowth of loose vines and flowering
creepers as well as giant ferns, producing a superb breeding ground for
all manner of bizarre creatures found nowhere else in the world.
The terrain is primarily meadow-like, with small rocky hills, but grows
swampy towards the river separating it from the jungles to the south.
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 New Horizon

Youzem and the Walk of M an

Blighted Dunes
An arid, desolate and sandy stretch of coastline and hills, notable for
prominent offshore fishing as well as gem mining in the coastal foothills.
The only real scenery is the small, narrow forests which dot the foot-
hill’s slopes. The Rusty Stars frequently attempt to sabotage gem mining
operations in the region, but more frequently local trouble is caused by
The Lodestone Group, who frequently discretely purchase the services
of mercenaries to run settlers off of their land so they can buy at reduced
prices.
Warhead is a massive, roughly round military base built on top of a mas-
sive offshore rock outcropping. However, the entire side of the oddly
shaped outcropping is pockmarked with many buildings carved out of the
rock, and many gun emplacements.
The central district is Warhead Hold, and there are four quarters around
it, the Barracks, the Market, the Training Pavilion and the Armory. Since
the city was built alongside cliffs, it came to be divided into two levels.
The lower level is more or less underneath the city and is called ‘Down

Warhead
Warhead Keep is one of the factions of New Horizon. The city is some-
thing of a training camp for the Vanguard Military. The sturdy fortress has
stood off attacks of surprising violence. Warhead, once a war-ravaged
dilapidated garrison city, has risen into a fortified city under the leadership
of its dictator and ruler, general Trask.
The most feared outlaws
and mercenaries gravitate
around this place, but it is
also where the best weap-
onry in all New Horizon
can be found, as well as
employment for the un-
scrupulous.
Below’. Down Below contains mostly civilian quarters and storage facili-
ties, as well as the generators and prisons. The upper level contains the
central district and its four surrounding quarters.
Warhead buildings are more rounded off than most typical military struc-
tures, and have a sort of bronzed color scheme mingled with reds and
whites. Warhead is surrounded by a small wall, only five feet tall, but with
a city build out of the rock itself the city wall is barely necessary. Warhead
also has a heliport located slightly south of the central citadel. There is
also a sea port at the north eastern edge of town.
Warhead is about the same size as Trapper Town, and half the size of
Avalon. The city is three times the size of any military base found any-
where on the planet. It’s also blackened by plumes of smoke and steam
from their munitions development departments. The sky above Warhead
is constantly dark as a result of the smoke emission by its many steel
industry and military factories, casting the whole city under a dark and
forbidding shadow.

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 Role Playing Game

Azuremar Mountain Range

A mountain range of truly titanic proportions, nearly the size of the North
American continent back on Earth. Perilous by any standards, these gla-
cier-covered mountains earn their name from the deep blue glaciers which
crest and calve, with the icebergs falling more than half a mile vertically
into Moon Lake. The region is very difficult to traverse, but amid its great
heights lay many hidden communities in the many high altitude valleys.

There’s little to no traditional criminal element in the Azuremars, but their

many hundreds of thousands of peaks, valleys and caves make it a place
where many secretive factions, such as the now seemingly extinct Scarlet
Moon Mercenaries, often hide themselves away from the rest of the world.
There are many people dwelling within their peaks who are enemies of the
outside world. The Azuremar Mountains spew thousands of tons of volca-
nic debris into the air every year. The highest peak of the mountain range is
called Mt. Michal, after the first mountain-climber who explored its deepest
recesses. Mt. Michal is covered in perpetual snows up until a few thousand
feet from the summit, where it blasts its hot ash into the atmosphere. The
area around the mountain range is surrounded by small snowy forests.

Red Feathers Rest

The only major city in the north of Blighted Dunes is the Red Feathers
Rest, home of the self described Iron Mustang Tribe and the largest and
most prosperous of the renewed ‘Native American’ culture movement.
Though only about twenty percent of their numbers are ‘Native Ameri-
can’ in genealogy, they live a life which, while composed of more high
technology than the average man of the Walk of Man in their glorious
city, is simple, regimented and deeply in tune with the nature of the land.
Trask’s Stronghold is found in the middle of the central district called War-
head Hold. This stronghold is the personal fortress of Warhead’s military
dictator, general Trask. This building serves as the main garrison, the
War Room, and the executive office of the city. Security is tight, and no
one but Trask’s top advisors have ever entered this sanctum.

The General’s District surrounding Trask’s Stronghold is the home of

Trask’s lackeys in the military aristocracy of Warhead. This is as close as
one gets to ‘upper class’ in Warhead, with large, but not well decorated
and very foreboding looking houses.

Inhabitants here, and in the whole city in fact, are highly guarded, obey-
ing the laws of the city to the letter, as there are constant examples of
what disobedience brings. So petrified and fearful are they by the ex-
amples, the inhabitants actually cooperate whole-heartedly with their
rigid enforcers to bring in anyone caught breaking the law. They can’t
be blamed: the enforcers are part of Trask’s personal police force, the
Black Templars.

Trask’s men are tough, but they don’t care to handle jobs that don’t af-
fect Warhead or their general. That’s where mercenaries come in. The
Mercenary Guild hires guns that can make a killing – in both senses of
the word – serving the desperate or lazy people who are offering the job.

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15
 New Horizon
Youzem and the Walk of M an
Azuremar Plains
The importance of the Azuremar Plains is well known to most people with
a military background. This place has seen more than one major war.
Many people have died which are now buried underneath its surface.
There is treasure to be found here, for those brave enough to wander
into the territory of the Grim Stalkers. Many have tried and only a few
have safely returned. Grim Stalker’s have their nest here. They are the
Alpha Predators of this planet and they eat both Humans and Wafans
with equal satisfaction. The area around their nest is completely barren
of other life, stretching out in a two mile radius. Walking into this area is
practically suicide.
Avalon
Avalon, the heart and soul of the emerging civilization of New Horizon,
is the world’s centralized government centre and home of the Vanguard
Security Force. As such, it’s considered a prime target for any possible
insurrection. The Avalon Council, which is also part of the city, is a mas-
sive complex of buildings located outside the central area of the city.
The Avalon Council doesn’t really count itself as a faction because it’s
more of an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate
cooperation between all the factions in the world. They also focus on
international law, international security, economic development, social
progress, human rights, and world peace. The Avalon Council has at its
disposal many different subsidiary organizations to carry out its missions.
All 7 factions of New Horizon – Aquilon’s Reach, the Port of Narehl, the
New Chanian Conclave, the Missive Union, Trapper Town, Warhead
Keep, and Xanadu – are members of the Avalon Council.
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The city is a massive circular walled settlement, with much remaining
wilderness between its central governmental complexes and the sur-
rounding industrial complex. One can go from a crowded city center to
manicured wilderness in a matter of minutes.
The city has a few principal regions: the Gouge, the Kinto, the Hous-
ing District, and the outer rim. The Gouge is the downtown area with
the shops, restaurants and recreational areas. The Kinto is the district
where the most industry is, along with the marketplace to get Wafan-
grade weapons and armor. The Housing District is where most wafans
and humans live. The outer rim of Avalon contains a few hangars with
transportation vehicles and hovercrafts. A protective wall surrounds the
city to protect its citizen from the dangers beyond.
Heart of Avalon
The Heart of Avalon is another complex of buildings within the city of
Avalon, with a gigantic skyscraper of splendid beauty in the center which
has a large halo running around the top of the building. It holds the offices
of some of the largest companies on the planet.
The complex is located in the center of Avalon City’s downtown finan-
cial district and contains 1.72 million m2 of office space. Anchored by
the Financial District of Avalon, Avalon City is the financial capital of the
world and the home to the Avalon Stock Exchange. The Avalon Stock
Exchange is the world’s largest stock exchange by market capitalization
of its listed companies. The Heart of Avalon is the highest building in the
city of Avalon, as well as one of the most beautiful.
 Role Playing Game
Narehl
Narehl is the largest jungle region in the world, and covers 2/3 of the
Youzem continent. The most fearsome animals can be encountered in
this place and it’s not something you’d want to do if you do not have
enough protection to defend yourself. Many brave souls have wandered
into these lands hoping to find lost ruins filled with unknown treasures
but never been heard from again. Only the most fearless and skilled war-
riors, such as the Narehlian Rangers, can survive in the midst of these
damp and dark woods, and even they travel in groups. A lone person
does not stand a chance against the hunters that haunt this place. Most
areas within this jungle are still totally unknown, areas that even large
expeditions have not yet managed to discover. These jungles hold many
secrets, many treasures and many dangers.
The Port of Narehl
The Port of Narehl, one of the factions of New Horizon, is the largest
jungle city in Narehl. A sanctuary for the Narehlians and its tourists, it
boosts the finest comfort and luxury that money can buy.
The Port of Narehl is literally built around its titanic trees. The buildings
in Narehl are built from the roots and intertwined with the bark as it as-
cends. A hover lift is constantly maintained beside the buildings to fa-
cilitate movement up and down the high-rise buildings. At night the city
comes alive with lights that rival the stars in the sky. The nightlife seems
never ending as tourists gamble, sing, dance, and basically party their
night and cash away in a Las Vegas type of setting. Every type of en-
tertainment is available to those who have enough Geodites to cover
the costs.
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Youzem and Nareh l
The Treetop Housing is where the Narehlians live. While most of the
lower-class people live on the lower levels, the high end of the populace
live in their wooded skyscrapers overlooking a gorgeous view of the la-
goon and the coasts. Tourists and visitors, along with the upper echelons
of the populace, are treated with more respect.
The Touristic Plaza is where you find the accumulation of all the hotels,
shops and entertainment that caters to the tourist. If there is anything
they want, chances are it’ll be here. Service is so good that, should there
be something you are unable to find, they’d get it for you by the next
morning. However, everything has its price. The cost is worth the money,
though, as everything here is both luxurious and branded.
The Port of Narehl also offers entertainment in the form of sightseeing
and adventures. Small trips into the jungle to see some of the wildlife in
its natural habitat are quite popular. Luckily, these trips are not taken very
far into the jungle, as it’s too dangerous to do so. They are also guided
by professional hunters and highly skilled rangers, so there is almost no
danger to the tourists, even if accidents do happen. The tourists like it this
way, as they believe its part of the adventure.
The Repair Facilities are run by engineer wafans from Narehl. These
engineers are expert at fixing soft body Wafans. Considering the seri-
ously over-priced tags surrounding this shop, these prices are more than
reasonable. The Port of Narehl is an internationally renowned resort city
for gambling, shopping and fine dining. It is most famous for its several
casino resorts and associated entertainment.
17
 New Horizon
Vo|t Rule System
Introduction
Different role-playing rule systems can be applied and/or used with the
New Horizon world and its different games.
Vo|t is a role-playing system developed to be used for different genres
and worlds, with only a few adjustments for the setting. Vo|t has been
adapted for New Horizon and is the official rule system for this book. This
book is using version 3.0 of the Vo|t rule system.
Vo|t is a set of rules and practices designed to quickly and accurately de-
termine the realistic outcome of a character’s action, taking both skill and
circumstance into account. The abilities of a character are summed up on
the character sheet, and chance is represented by two twenty-sided dice
(d20). No other dice or tables are used in-game.
How to read
The idea is to read through the entire text in the order it’s been written,
just like any ordinary book, not following any page references. The refer-
ences are there to serve as a guide to the reader who, once familiar with
the text, might use the text more as a reference work.
The Basics
The Dice Roll
A character’s ability to affect the world is described as a number of Attri-
butes - the traditional example here is Strength. The value of the Attribute
indicates how competent the character is in that particular area. In the
case of Strength, how strong the character is, how well he or she tends to
perform in situations in which success depends on the character’s ability
to use muscular force. The higher the Strength value, the stronger the
character. Normally, Attributes have a value between 1 and 15.
Vo|t uses exactly one type of dice roll. Basically, it’s used to determine
the outcome of actions, taken either by a character or an NPC. It uses
two 20-sided dice. Ideally, the two dice should be in different colors. Any
combinations will do, but we will assume that one die is black and that
the other one is white.
17
6 cess. He just happens move where the guard isn’t looking.
One white die, and one black die.
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The results of the rolled dice are not added together, but remain sepa-
rate. Each result is compared to the Target Number, usually the value of
a suitable Attribute, and if at least one of the results are equal to or lower
than the value of the target number, the action is a success.
If a character, for instance, attempts to move a boulder which lies in the
way, one “rolls Strength”. If one or both of the dice show a result which is
equal to or lower than the character’s Strength, the character succeeds
in moving the boulder.
A die that shows a value equal to or lower than the Attribute with which it
is compared is called a “successful die”. This means one can end up with
zero, one or two successful dice.
• The higher the value of a successful dice, the better the result.
• The higher the value of an unsuccessful dice, the less catastrophic the result.
• If both dice are successful, the highest result is used.
• If both dice are unsuccessful, the lowest result is used.
• A successful roll where the highest successful dice shows a result of 5
is called “5 success” and a failed roll of 15 is called “15 failed”.
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3 Strength 9, dice 18 and 3.
18
Example 1: Egon, Strength 9, attempts to move the boulder. He rolls two
20-sided dice. His results are 18 and 3. Since 3 is less than 9, the attempt is
“3 success” - not a very good success. The boulder will be moved, but it will take time. Had Egon rolled
an 18 and a 19 the result would have been “18 failed”. Since 18 is a high number, the attempt fails in a
relatively harmless way - not much time or energy is wasted. The boulder, however, stays where it is.
Example 2: Morgan, Strength 3, attempts the same thing. The results 3 and 18 would
still be “3 success”, 18 and 19 still a mild failure. However, Morgan rolls 5 and 17, which
is “5 failed”, a low result - several minutes are lost, and Morgan is very tired afterwards.
The basic idea is that, when compared to other results of the same type
(successful/unsuccessful), higher is always better.
Varying difficulty
In the example used above, the boulder might be large or small. It can be
argued that moving a smaller rock would be easier than moving a large
one. This is expressed as a temporary modification of the Target number.
An exceptionally heavy and troublesome boulder might give a -5 penalty,
while a smaller and lighter rock might award a +5 bonus.
Example: Egon attempts to move an exceptionally large and heavy boulder. He gets a -5
penalty. When rolling, Egon’s Strength attribute is treated as if it were 4 instead of the usual 9.
Luck
There is often a chance of success and a risk of failure, regardless of skill or
circumstance. To simulate such once-in-a-blue-moon deviations, the Luck
mechanic uses the difference in color between the two dice in each Roll.
• If the black die comes up 1, the roll is always a success. The degree
of success is determined by the white die, ignoring the Attribute.
• If the black die comes up 20, the roll is always a failure. The degree
of failure is determined by the white die, ignoring the Attribute.
In other words, there’s always a 5% chance of success, and a 5% risk of
failure. Note that the GM may veto absurd intentions without a roll, simply
stating that the attempt fails.
Example: Egon attempts to sneak up on a guard. He is not very good at it; his Stealth
score is 3. This time, however, the black die shows 1 and the white one 12 - a 12 Suc-
Competition
When competing, like when someone is trying to open a door someone else
attempts to keep closed, a roll is made for both (all) the people involved.
• A successful roll always beats an unsuccessful roll.
• A high successful roll beats a low successful roll.
• If both rolls are failed, there’s a stalemate. If for any reason a stalemate
is impossible, roll again.
Extended tests
Some actions require more continuous effort, like fixing a broken-down vehicle,
digging a trench or picking a lock. In order to resolve this kind of actions, extended
tests may be used. An extended test is a series of consecutive rolls, whose results
are added together. Each extended test has a Target Sum and a time scale. The
time scale determines how often a roll is made. The rate of Success from each
roll is added together. When the sum is equal to or higher than the Target Value,
the Action succeeds. Target values are written [in brackets], followed by the time
scale. If no time scale is specified, it is one second. If deciphering an encrypted
message calls for a Science [20] one hour test, a roll against Science is made
every hour. The rate of each Success is added up, until the sum exceeds [20].
Example: Fixing a jammed machine gun requires a Ranged Combat [10] roll. The first
second, the roll is a success of 4. The next roll is a failure, and nothing happens. The third
roll is a Success of 7, clearing the jam after three seconds: 4+7 = 11. In the third second,
the sum of the successful rolls is 11, more than the required [10].
 Role Playing Game
Repeated attempts
When circumstances permit, a character that has failed a roll may try again.
Unless some new tools or tactics are included in this new attempt, the char-
acter suffers a -2 penalty. This is cumulative; after two failures the penalty is
-4, and after four it is -8. When the Target Number is reduced below 1, the
character is no longer able to make constructive efforts: the task has proven
to be too difficult. This rule does not apply to attacks (for example trying to hit
a distant target with a rifle) or routine extended tests.
The Character
A character, in the context of role-playing games, generally refers to a
player’s alter ego inside the fictional world in which the game takes place;
in this case, New Horizon. The characters are created using the rules in
this text. Collaboration is generally beneficial - characters created at the
same time are more likely to fit in with the rest of the group. All characters
must be approved by the Game Master (GM) before the game starts.
All persons in the world of New Horizon which are not controlled by a
player are referred to as “NPC’s”, which is traditional shorthand for “non-
player character”. These are created and controlled by the GM. In creat-
ing them, the GM may use these rules, or just make up whatever values
that fit the NPC in question.
Preparation
Before the process of assigning numbers and spending points begins,
the nature of the character should at least be somewhat fleshed out.
Think about the character’s background, occupation, personality, family
and main areas of expertise. These are the meat of the character, that
which makes it a person rather than mere statistics.
Points
Points are used to measure a character’s general competence, and also
to show how that competence is divided. The GM decides how many
points the players should use to build their characters. The exact number
depends on what kind of a campaign the GM had in mind:
20 points each, Unskilled: A very young or unsuccessful group of ad-
venturers, a gang of teenage street brat.
30 points each, Average Joe: farmers, librarians, electricians, nurses
and cab drivers - ordinary people, typically with very little combat train-
ing and few extraordinary traits.
40 points each, Competent: A team of some renown - top investigators,
a prestigious military unit, the most respected scientist in a particular
field, or the like.
A story about a group of heroes with legendary skills might call for 50
points or more.
Progress
It is customary (but not necessary) to award additional points during the
campaigns. The GM decides what rate of progression is appropriate for
the campaign; one point after each session is generous, one for every
two or three sessions is more common. The players spend these points
freely, but should focus on areas which have been relevant since the last
time points were spent. If there has been no combat or contact with fire-
arms, then spending points on Ranged Combat is probably inappropriate
and may be vetoed against by the GM.
Since the purpose of the point system is to maintain a balance of power
within the group, it is recommended to give the same number of points to
every player. If a new player joins an ongoing campaign, the number of
points should be set reasonably close to that of the older characters, or
the new character should progress faster until balance is achieved. The
same goes for characters whose players have been absent for a while.
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Ch ar acter Creation
Overview
The character creation process follows these simple steps:
1. Receive points: The game master tells the players the amount of
points they are allowed to spend on their characters.
2. Spend points:
• Choose a race: There are six races available in New Horizon. The
three human races are Olympian, Promethean and Medean, and
the three wafan races are Aesir, Vanir and Jotun. For more
information, see Races, page 22.
• Purchase one or more Backgrounds: Your character has probably
had a life before adventuring. Use points to purchase values in one or
more Backgrounds. For more information, see Background, page 28.
• Purchase Attributes: The basic Attributes are the foundation of
the character. A higher value in an Attribute is better, and values are
purchased for points. For more information, see Attributes, page 30.
• Purchase Traits: This step is not mandatory. A character doesn’t
have to have any Traits at all. For more information, see Traits, page 32.
• Equipment: Together with the game master, figure out what, if any,
equipment the character should have at the beginning of the game.
One way to do this is to give each character a set amount of
geodites, appropriate for the campaign and its setting, and let them
spend it on their starting equipment as they see fit. Calculate the
various thresholds and values of the character’s weapons. For more
information, see Equipment, page 34.
3. Calculate final values: There are a few extra values that need to be
calculated, based on the values of the existing attributes:
• Stun thresholds: See damage thresholds on page 31, 36.
• Injury thresholds: See damage thresholds on page 31, 36.
• Encumbrance: See Encumbrance on page 31.
• Weapon modifiers: See Weapon modifiers on page 31.
In step 2, spend Points, the order in which the purchases are made is not set; one
may for instance begin with Traits, move on to Attributes, then purchase Back-
grounds - and then go back to spend any remaining points on Attributes or Traits.
Spending Points
On the character sheet, each Attribute and each line intended for Backgrounds
has a number of circles next to it. Above each column of circles is a number, repre-
senting the value gained by filling each circle. The circles are always filled in from
left to right. One point fills up one field, and all the fields must be filled before the
2 points used circle itself counts as filled:
4 points used
How attributes are filled,
12 points used with corresponding numbers.
9 points used
A circle divided into two fields cost two points to fill completely, one di-
vided into three fields costs three, and so on. The value of the Attribute
or Background is the number above the last circle to be completely filled.
Combat Attributes
The circles to the right of Close combat and Ranged combat are different from
those of the other Attributes: For balance reasons, Ranged combat is more
expensive to learn. A character who engages in close combat will also have to
be strong and fast, whereas a shooter relies solely on one Attribute: Ranged
combat. The cost of Close combat is the same as a regular Attribute, but the
circles are arranged differently to match the numbers above them.
Races
There are six races in New Horizon; three human races (Olympian, Pro-
methean and Medean) and three wafan races (Aesir, Vanir and Jotun).
For more information about the six different races, see page 22.
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 New Horizon

Ch ar acter Creation

Background The majority part of the Character Sheet is only filled out once. All cal-
The Backgrounds describe what a character has been spending his or her culations required for a character are set before even starting a game.
time on before the game begins. The Backgrounds the character chooses Once completed, the player only needs to compares dice rolls with the
are written on the empty lines in the centre of the character sheet. For completed character sheet values. The only exception is when a char-
more information regarding Backgrounds, see page 28. acter finds or buys a new armor or a new weapon, because then its
statistics must be recalculated.
Attributes
The Attributes are used to measure the character’s competence and skill in
different areas. There are 18 Attributes in New Horizon, and they are all list-
Character Creation Example
During character generation, a GM sets a number of Points and a sum
ed on the character sheet. For more information, see Attributes on page 30. of Geodites for each player (recommended 40 Points and 50 000 Geo-
dites).
Traits
Traits are properties of the character which cannot be accurately de- For each of the following points, describe the example character’s rea-
scribed as part of an Attribute. They can either be advantages or dis- soning when making choices:
advantages. Advantages cost points, while disadvantages give points.
Medean gene splicing, Promethean cybernetics and Wafan built-in tech- 1) Race, recommend non-olympian to get a chance to explain the
nature of the cost of Traits (both Geodites and Points). The player
nology are all described as Traits. For more information on Traits, as well
also chooses Size here.
as a list of examples, see Traits on page 32.
2) Backgrounds, perhaps a high value in one and a little lower in another.
Equipment 3) About 25 points are spent purchasing the necessary Attributes.
4) The character spends a few points on Traits.
Together with the GM, the player decided what weapons, armor and 5) The remaining Points are spent increasing a few Attributes.
other equipment the character starts the game with. Often, the players 6) The remaining Geodites are spent purchasing additional gear.
can be assigned a set sum of resources that can be used to purchase
equipment. The following are guidelines for an appropriate amount of Races
starting geodites for different levels of wealth, as well as a short descrip- There are six playable races in New Horizon; three human ones, and
tion of what sort military equipment each level can afford: three Wafan ones. Being a Wafan comes with a few benefits. First, their
injuries can be repaired, meaning they need not wait for a natural healing
Destitute: 1 000 Tools and improvised weapons. process. Second, they bleed much more slowly than humans do. In the
Poor: 10 000 A cheap weapon. interest of balance, this means that being a Wafan race costs 3 Points.
Walker: 20 000 Decent weapons and armor, or one good weapon. Write down your character’s race on an empty line in the central column
Adventurer: 50 000 Good weapons and armor. of the character sheet. If it is a Wafan race, check three circles by that
Professional: 100 000 Excellent weapons and armor. line. The race determines the character’s limitations in available Traits,
Wealthy: 500 000 Top of the line equipment, perhaps a small vehicle. but also in size.
Rich: 2 000 000 Geodites (money) is not an issue.
At the GM’s discretion, the characters may also start with loans of up to Size
twice their starting Geodites. Loans have an interest of 10% per month, The playable races in New Horizon are categorized as four different
and when the game starts the dept equals 150% of what was lent. sizes, which determine the highest permitted value in some Attributes.
Any character that does not take any such Trait is considered normally
Rules regarding equipment are found on page 34. A lists of weapons and sized, meaning 10 is the highest permitted Attribute value. There are ad-
armor can be downloaded from the web-page. vantages and disadvantages of all sizes, so they cost no Points.

Character Sheet As a guideline, Small characters are around 1,5 meter high, Large ones
closer to 2 meter, and Huge ones are 2,5 meter or more. Size is not
The character sheet can be downloaded from this link:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonCharacterSheet.pdf only length, however: an extremely muscular character can be Large at
1,8 meter of height. Conversely, a very slender character could still be
Attributes The player’s name The character’s name normally sized at slightly above 2 meter in height.
Backgrounds and Traits Encumbrance
Choose your own size from what’s available for your race. If it is not
Normal, write it down on the character sheet. This chart shows what sizes
vo|t Player: Name:
are available to the human and wafan races.
™

Attributes Value 3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Encumbrance

Human: Small Normal Large

Value 3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
0 -2 -5
Strength
Constitution Damage thresholds

Toughness
3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Negligible
Stun Injury
Negligible
Aesir: Small Normal
Willpower Minor Minor
Vanir: Normal Large
Arms
Legs

Moderate Moderate

Jotun: Normal Large Huge

3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Movement Serious Serious
Agility Severe Severe

3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Perception Armor Deflect Stop Slow

Your Size determines the upper limits of four Attributes:

Stealth
Coverage:

3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Acting Coverage:

Speaking

Small Normal Large Huge

Coverage:
3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Humanities
Weapons Chance to hit Damage Ranges
Strength: 9 10 11 13
Science
Fence
Attacks

Range

Pierce

Stun

Injury

1 10m
Snap shot
Strike

Directed
Guard

Aimed
Grapple

Auto
Defense

3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Power

Toughness: 9 10 11 13
Medicine 2 20m
Precision
Repair 3 50m

Agility: 11 10 9 8
4 100m
3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Animal ken 5 200m
6 500m
Stealth:
Driving

Close combat
3 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
7 1000m
8 2000m
11 10 9 7
Ranged combat 9 5000m

Note that Huge characters are considered Large Targets.

Weapons and weapon statistics Damage thresholds
Armor and armor statistics

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 Role Playing Game

Jotun Wafan

Aesir Wafan
Jotun Wafan

Jotun Wafan

Medean
Medean

Promethean Cyborg

Vanir Wafan

Vanir Wafan

Olympian Human

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21
 New Horizon
R ac es
The different races
Two races exist on New Horizon: humans and Wafans. Each of these two
races has three sub-races. Humans are divided into Olympian humans,
Promethean Cyborgs and Medeans. Wafans are divided into Aesir Wa-
fans, Vanir Wafans and Jotun Wafans. Jotun Wafans are the strongest of
all races. The weakest Jotun Wafan is as strong as a physically powerful
Vanir Wafan or Medean.
Jotun Wafans are also slower and less agile than any of the other races.
Vanir Wafans are second only to Jotun Wafans in resilience. Aesir Wa-
fans, Olympian humans, and Medeans are the most agile of all races.
Aesir Wafans are physically the weakest race, along with Olympian
humans. However, most Aesir Wafans are slightly more powerful than
Olympian humans. Vanir Wafans and Promethean Cyborgs are often
equally powerful. They are often what you would call fighters or warriors.
Medeans can acquire special abilities through DNA manipulation and the
merging of their DNA together with the DNA of a New Horizon creature.
Names
One of the most important things is giving your character a name. It is
more and more common for people living on New Horizon to only have a
single name, or a nick-name. This is especially true for people living on
Youzem and The Walk of Man. Lysekoid, Grenzenlos, Kaila, Ember and
Silhouette are good examples of this. Aquilonians, however, are fond of
having a family name as well. Jana Cainsdottir (which means the daugh-
ter of Cain) and Zack Arthursson (which means the son of Arthur) are
examples.
Backgrounds
No character start at the age of one, and therefore, he/she usually has
a background. A background represents the life which the character has
had before this day. A background should normally contain a place of
birth and the story about how the character became the man/ woman he/
she is today. If the character has a certain set of skills, the background
should normally be able to give a reason for that.
A character’s background should also be able to explain a character’s
view on life and society, morals and attitude towards other people and
races.
Humans Prometheans
Olympians
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22
Humans
The humans of New Horizon are more versatile than ever before. Back
on Earth, they were divided into two separate groups: normal humans
and those which received robotic implants. When humans reached New
Horizon, a third group was added to the mix: DNA manipulated humans,
mixed with the unique fauna of the new planet. These three distinct sub-
species co-exist as best they can, but their differences have been the
cause of many wars. However, each human, regardless of race or gen-
der, is and always will be a unique individual.
Wafans
Waveform Androids, colloquially known as Wafans, where “created” by
humans to be their slaves. In time they won their freedom through blood,
sweat and tears and became the second species of humanity to inhabit
Earth and later also the stars. Wafans are not machines, like you might
think; they are in fact people. Wafans are not made in factories. Wafans
are “born”, not like people, but they are born nonetheless. 90% of all
Wafans are born in a Wafan crèche. A Wafan Crèche is formed when six
or more Wafans of the same type are called up by the local community
to act as mentors to a new generation of a dozen or so Wafans. They’ll
be close with a few crèche mates and consider them siblings, though
not always.
A Wafan is born with a fairly general set of skills and vocabulary, equiva-
lent to that of a fifteen-year-old, so a ten-year-old Wafan is more or less
as mature as a 25-year-old human. A Wafan is usually raised and peered
with one of the six mentors. Wafans are also born with a very general
configuration to their body – a prototype form, if you will – bereft of deco-
ration and weapons, or even ornamental components.
What further defines them is that even though all Wafans are human-
oid, there are three distinct groups which show an enormous amount
of phylogeny, like ants. The three distinct sub-species all live, work, and
even interact with one another differently based on their creed. Each is
tailor-made for a specific lifestyle and certain broad specializations. How-
ever, each Wafan, regardless of creed, is a unique individual and cannot
simply be labeled.
Enormous 12 Feet
11
10
Large 9
8
Medeans
Medium 7
Small 5
 Role Playing Game
The life & death of a Wafan
If a Lucid Codex is removed, the Wafan can, theoretically, survive. How-
ever, their memories are entirely gone. Their Luminous Core is the por-
tion of their anatomy which, in conjunction with their Lucid Codex, makes
them alive. The unique Wave Form of their Luminous Core creates their
thought patterns, their souls, if you will. If it’s disabled for too long, their
system will be unable to recreate it properly.
Up to a certain point, a Wafan can be reactivated, and will suffer only
marginal personality alterations from their offline period, dependent
on the extent of damage to the core. After a certain point, it can’t be
reproduced with more than a marginal success rate, and the Wafan is
essentially dead as its personality cannot be resurrected. Placing an
intact Lucid Codex in a new Wafan body would give a new personal-
ity the memories of another Wafan, which it may or may not be able to
read properly, as each Wafan formats its stored memories in a different
fashion. Reading memories which are too different from one’s own format
could lead to pretty nasty insanity.
Wafan Architecture
What makes Wafans truly alive is their unique cybernetic physiology,
most important of which is their Luminous Core. The Luminous Core is a
heavy metallurgical reinforced ceramic shell, lined with a reflective mirror
surface and special light emitters. The hollow interior is filled with deu-
terium oxide, commonly known as Heavy Water, and particles of mag-
netically impelled reflective metal, set along a preset series of magnetic
loops and spires in a fractal pattern. The interior of the chamber is lit by
special lighting units which, when interacting with the particle flows, cre-
ates a constantly evolving aurora of light. It is used as a random thought
generator which gives Wafans their capacity for illogical thought and in-
tuitive leaps previously exclusive to organic life . Next most important is
their Lucid Codex.
A crystalline memory array which develops as the Wafan grows, with
their memories constantly being etched into deeper and deeper layers of
the crystalline structure, the Lucid Codex grows ever more complex and
unique in shape and color as the memory capacity increases. Memory
is stored in a slightly different format for each Wafan, so it’s not pos-
sible to simply plug-and-play the memory data, and to view the data of a
deceased Wafan often takes a super-computer several weeks of codex
work.
Wafans Vanirs
Aesirs
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Luminous Core
The first of these technologies is their Luminous Core, which is essential-
ly an extraordinarily heavy-duty environment pod containing heavy water
and precisely controlled amounts of radium particles which are suspend-
ed in the liquid medium. The specially calibrated shell sends controlled
light waves through the heavy water and particle clouds, creating a living
and rapidly evolving three dimensional fractal image called a Wave Form.
Wave Forms act as a virtual computer processor, and respond to chang-
ing data which is sent to them in the form of light waves in a semi-random
way, much as a human mind might react to them, allowing them an al-
most organic diversity of thought.
Certain particular components of the Wave Form are often related to
certain powers an individual Wafan might posses, such as the ability to
manipulate air molecules, or electromagnetic fields (i.e. combat powers,
such as the ability to hurl metallic blades at a foe with the power of elec-
tromagnetism). These wave forms may be duplicated by other Wafans,
but the success of this is not guaranteed.
The Luminous Core provides a certain systemic weakness in Wafans.
Vibrations and the supersonic range are as irritating to a Wafan as they
might be to a dog. Additionally, ultra sonic weapons or sound waves can
cause excruciating pain by disrupting the vibrations in their Luminous
Core, and can render them comatose, or even brain dead, by breaking
down the Wave Form if the intensity is strong enough.
Lucid Codex
The next crucial piece of technology is the Lucid Codex, a form of crys-
talline heart, and the method by which a Wafan’s memories are stored.
A secondary tank contains a dense liquid carbon medium, at the center
of which is a diamond, which is the Wafan’s data storage medium. Each
diamond pool has special trace impurities which slightly color each dia-
mond a distinct hue. As a Wafan grows and learns, the crystal grows
steadily larger, from the size of the head of a pin to something the size
of a football if a Wafan lives several centuries or absorbs a truly massive
amount of data.
Jotuns
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 New Horizon
R ac es
Olympian Humans
Proper Name: Olympian Human.
Slang Names: Progenitor, makers.
Derogatory: Monkey boys, meat bags, breeders.
Height Range: 5’0” to 6’4” female, 5’8” to 6’8” male.
Weight Range: 120 to 220 lbs female, 150 to 275 lbs male.
Weapon Types: Large to extremely large hand held.
Armor Types: All armor, from light to heavy.
Throughout the last four centuries, humans have improved their living
conditions and medical care to such a degree that they could no longer
simply call themselves “just” humans. Olympian humans are generally a
little stronger and a little faster compared to what humans were four hun-
dred years ago. They are more resilient to cuts and bruises, and much
more resilient – almost immune, in fact – to most common diseases.
Olympian humans can go without food, drink or sleep for longer periods
than what was possible for humans, and they can hold their breath for
up to a half an hour. They also live longer, in general close to 150 years,
as their cellular breakdown process has been slowed down noticeably.
Some Olympians humans are very intelligent, beyond what has ever
been seen before. However, stupidity still surfaces in some families de-
spite their brave efforts in the past to remove this unwelcome trait from
the general gene pool. Nevertheless, the general Olympian human is
still more intelligent than the general human a few hundred years past.
Origin
Olympian humans are the first of the five sentient races to have origi-
nated from Earth, and arguably the craziest. This is fortunate, as their
insanity is often the catalyst for some of the most shockingly amazing
advances in science and arts in recorded history. However, by the end
of the twenty-second century, the human population was beyond count.
Such large masses of people, on a planet which only seemed to get
smaller and smaller, led to a large set of new diseases and epidemic
outbreaks.
One day, when sudden death became just as common as everyday
breeding, people realized that they were doomed. The world was facing
many problems, and people knew that something extraordinary needed
to be done if they wanted to survive another century. The planet was
overpopulated. Food and medicine was in short supply, and many natural
resources were already at an end. Last but not least, new and, at that
time, unstoppable disease were killing people everywhere, to some de-
gree solving the problem of overpopulation, but at the same time making
people scared and forcing them to panic. Some scientists began to look
to the stars for a new place to live, although it would take many more
years before New Horizon was discovered.
Other scientists focused on new medical advancements, trying to im-
prove humans to make their immune systems better. These medicines
soon came to fruition, and were improved year after year. With their help,
people were able to more easily fight off dangerous diseases, until one
day the dangerous diseases were no longer a threat. At that point, the hu-
man immune system had been improved to such a degree that humans
became immune to many horrific hereditary conditions. Their physical
strength and endurance was also improved. Some people think that if
you believe that you cannot get sick, then your body will act accordingly,
and so medical advancements were also made to improve the human
mind.
As a result, the intelligence of the average human was increased beyond
anything they had ever hoped for, creating a sturdier strain of the old spe-
cies. After years of evolution, humans began to look back and compare
themselves to what they had been during the twenty-second century, and
they realized that they were no longer anything like homo sapiens. They
were superior in every way. In order to differentiate themselves from the
previous generations, they began to call themselves ‘Olympians’.
This all happened before people left Earth for New Horizon. The following
describes Olympians as they are now, and on New Horizon.
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24
Promethean Cyborgs
Proper Name: Promethean Human / Cyborg.
Slang Names: Augments, cyborgs.
Derogatory: Canned meat, retread, chopjobs.
Height Range: 5’2” to 6’8” female, 5’2” to 7’2” male.
Weight Range: 130 to 300 lbs female, 180 to 400 lbs male.
Weapon Types: Large to enormous handheld. Small to large mounted.
Armor Types: All armor, from light to heavy.
During war, or even sometimes by accident, an Olympian human some-
times loses a limb or becomes fatally wounded. During such an event, the
Promethean implantation process is the only option, where, more often
than not, vital organs of the human are merged with advanced technology.
During this process, advanced electronics are embedded into living tissue,
merged on a cellular level with protein interactions and neuron signals.
This extremely advanced engineering process is tailor-made for each in-
dividual, since no two individuals are even remotely identical on a cellular
level, differing a thousand times over when it comes to protein interactions
and biological pathways. The Promethean implantation process cannot
be performed on Medeans since a Medean’s chemical and biological pro-
cesses are totally unknown and differ for each individual. The Promethean
implantation process is therefore only performed on Olympian humans.
Origin
Promethean Cyborgs are not actually a distinct race, but are rather a modi-
fication of baseline Olympian humans who have chosen to have their bod-
ies altered with cybernetic components either to correct disfigurement or
mutilation, or to improve their own physical performance. ‘Cyborgs’ existed
as early as the 20th century, with the advent of technologies like the pace-
maker, but what we call Prometheans did not appear until much later in
history, and were actually an offshoot of the Wafan war for independence.
At the height of the war, Wafans had made substantial inroads into toppling
the human world government, but humans were beginning to hold their
own, and use their unpredictable nature to very slowly push back.
The current Wafan leader, an Aesir dubbed ‘Caligula’ by his former hu-
man masters, decided to use the humans’ own unpredictable creativity
against them. Seeking the finest genetic specimens the human race had
to offer, a trial and error process of surgical amputation and grafting pro-
duced many failures and unacceptable candidates before the ‘rictus ex-
oroid’ project reached fruition with the subject designated as ‘Grenzenlos
Ritter’. Grenzenlos Ritter was a cyborg whose base human form had a
massive frame, well developed muscles, advanced cognitive abilities as
well as the rare genetic condition called photographic memory & physical
feat. This allowed the finished subject not just to remember anything he
saw with perfect accuracy, but also to mimic any physical feat he had
witnessed with a high degree of accuracy.
Memory wiped and brainwashed, he was put to use in combat. His human
limbs, spinal cord and many organs and bones were either replaced or re-
inforced to create a specimen with strength drastically superior to an ordi-
nary human (and most Wafans) as well as impressive durability. However,
instead of bringing a decisive end to the war, over the next few years the
war escalated to heights previously unequalled at any point in history. This
was brought about by the unexpected escape of a previous specimen, Tier
Ritter, a new faction specifically forged to replace Wafans and humans as
the dominant race, making them subservient to a race that Tier believed
had both of their strengths and none of their weaknesses.
Eventually Tier and Gren killed each other, putting an end to Tier’s plans.
However, the legacy of cyborg technology remained. Cyborgs as extensive as
Grenzenlos (known to history as ‘Gren’) were too expensive and too power-
ful to be mass produced, as, excepting all but the most powerful and skilled
Wafan and humans, they were virtual gods on the battlefield. Those who later
received the ‘fire of the gods’, as it has been dubbed since, were far less ad-
vanced in overall modification. They were named Prometheans, and despite
having no direct connection to the grim horrors of all too well remembered war,
they find themselves shunned even to this very day, centuries later.
 Role Playing Game

Medeans
Proper Name: Medean Human. Medean
Slang Names: Trow, spliced, fae.
Derogatory: Flea bags, fuzz buckets, pixies, elves, fairies.
Height Range: 4’8” to 7’2” female, 5’0” to 7’5” male.
Weight Range: Substantial variation.
Weapon Types: Small to enormous handheld, all DNA Helix weaponry.
Armor Types: All armor, from light to heavy, and DNA Helix armor.

Medeans are created from Olympian humans by a powerful substance called

Medea. During the Medean transformation process, a chemical and biologi-
cal chain-process occurs on a cellular level, changing the human completely.

Origin
Of all the mysteries of New Horizon, its ancient ruins and its bizarre life forms,
no mystery is more intriguing than the Tulgey Wood, entirely alien to this world,
more so by far than even its human visitors. Creatures and organisms that
dwell within diverged from life on both Earth and New Horizon at a virtually
primordial level. This lush, verdant fungal paradise is believed to have been
a planet sometime roughly five hundred years past, and to have arrived by
celestial impact centuries ago. It has since slowly expanded outward, slowly
converting the enormous island of New Crete into a lush but toxic alien para-
dise teeming with exotic plants and animals. Due to the highly caustic nature
of the wood’s spores exploration has proven very difficult. However in 2442, a
team of Olympians and Aesir, using a new prototype exploration suit, was able
to delve several miles into the interior of the massive fungal dome and made
the discovery of the century. A species of deadly gravity-defying predatory jel-
lyfish, while unremarkable for what they were in and of themselves, were sig-
nificant for what they could bring about. These deadly jellies seemed to come
in an almost infinite number of variations, including adaptations which were
simply not normal for any jellyfish-like species. These included large stingers,
claws for their tendrils, armor plating, camouflage, the ability to spit poison Promethean
and any number of other bizarre traits. The most commonly assimilated trait
seemed to be some sort of powerful paralytic poison, earning them the name
Cyborg
“Gorgons”. A careful study of the creatures showed that they were all born with
normal DNA, but then, at some point in their maturation, when they stalked
other predators and took a large sample of their flesh, they would cocoon
themselves for a period of a month and emerge having incorporated the DNA
of their victim, allowing them to hunt in many new and different ways and en-
suring the survival of the species through an impressive diversity. However,
the offspring of such specimens were found to be missing the third DNA helix
of their parents, and their DNA was thus identical to their parents’ unmodified
genes. Several weeks of research led to the discovery of the substance which
allowed these creatures to perform their amazing feat. This is Medea, a very
powerful substance which acts like a prion, attacking foreign DNA and mak-
ing it soluble to the host, and binding it to a third helix in the Gorgons. It was
postulated that the substance Medea could easily be modified for human use
to create modified humans who would nevertheless breed completely true to
baseline, but the financial leaders of the research expedition were appalled
at the idea, and pulled the plug immediately. However, when the time came
to pull out, many pieces of research equipment and sixteen members of the
forty-two man team disappeared into the night. Where they had gone was
never discovered, and all attempts to track them failed. The team was forced
to pull out without them, and nothing more was heard for almost ten months.
Believing them dead, a special team was sent to search out their fate, and
an enormous press conference was held at a safe distance from the edge of
the wood. This event was crashed by the remaining scientists. Striding from
the woods, the six modified humans simply walked into the press conference Olympian Human
and unceremoniously made it their own, announcing themselves to the world.
They revealed that they had made a quick breakthrough due to the ingenious
thinking of their deceased colleague, Dr Hans Phae, that the breakthrough
had taken only two months, and that they’d been living and testing their bodies
free of the apparatus all this time. Their biggest surprise was the unveiling of
two of the scientists’ newly born, entirely normal baby girl, Anastasia. The re-
percussions of this unveiling are still felt today, emphasizing that, regardless of
how different they were, their genetic alterations were mere window dressings More information about Humans can be found here:
and their humanity remained untouched underneath it all. Since then, despite
a very virulent hatred of these ‘mutants’, especially pronounced in Xanadu, http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonPlayersManual(shortpreview).pdf
they have established their own city, Ilium, deep beneath the Tulgey Wood.

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25
 New Horizon

R ac es
Aesir Wafans
All these racial traits are relative except the height, weight and armor/
Vanir Wafans
All these racial traits are relative except the height, weight and armor/
weapon types. Personality traits can, and do differ greatly from Wafan weapon types. Personality traits can, and do differ greatly from Wafan
to Wafan. to Wafan.

Proper Name: Aesir Wafan. Proper Name: Vanir Wafan.

Slang Names: Little guys, little gals, skin types, curves, last born.
Derogatory: Turkey bacon, skin freaks, kosher pork, crunchiers,
lawn jockeys, small fry.
Height Range: 4’5” to 5’5” female, 5’0” to 6’0” male.
Weight Range: 110 to 200 lbs female, 150 to 250 lbs male.
Weapon Types: Small to large hand held. Extremely small mounted.
Armor Types: All armor types except heavy.
Slang Names: First born, alphas, composite, sleeks.
Derogatory: Hot rods, junkers, widgets, twonky, clunkers, stylists.
Height Range: 5’8” to 7’0” female, 6’4” to 8’0” male.
Weight Range: 250 to 400 lbs female, 350 to 500 lbs male.
Weapon Types: Large to very large hand held. Small to medium mounted.
Armor Types: All armor, from medium to heavy.

Origin
Last created of the Wafan creeds, the Aesir were designed for some of
the least scrupulous uses. Originally they were created specifically for
domestic duties as maids, chefs and all other viable manner of personal
servants.
Other common usage included 24-hour labor in small, cramped locations
which a Vanir couldn’t enter, and it was not considered desirable for a
human to enter. Therefore, many ancient towns had legions of naked,
androgynous Aesir roaming their sewers and maintenance tunnels, per-
forming endless series of maintenance tests.
Origin
The first mass produced form of Wafan, built as a compromise between
the originally theorized designs, which would eventually become Jotun
and Aesir respectively.
Their design was supposed to be such that they were of roughly the
same size as humans, but capable of a superior physical performance
and durability, allowing for a wide range of possible tasks.
Vanir were originally built in truly enormous numbers, and thus, when
Wafans originally rose up against the human masters, many rose to posi-
tions of power over their fellow Wafans.

Created to be as human possible in every detail, although on a scale

roughly one foot shorter than average, it came as no surprise when
anatomically correct and functional Aesir were eventually created for no
greater purpose than to serve as sex partners for wealthy humans.
When the Wafans eventually rebelled, and public officials ordered them
put down like animals instead of negotiated with, it was the Aesir who
struck first, and struck deepest. Not joining the active rebellion immedi-
ately, they waited for their brethren’s signal, and then simply assassinat-
ed many wealthy and powerful owners and sabotaged many of society’s
hidden and forgotten inner workings.
Appearance
Vanir are built as a skeletal frame, over which their motor function mecha-
nisms are sheathed in metal casings, and then foam is applied and mold-
ed to provide a rough approximation of human physique. Their bodies
are then sheathed in a carbon fiber mesh to create a woven fiber ‘skin’,
which is then imprinted with a semi-unique set of colored markings be-
fore incisions are made within the skin and mooring points are exposed.
The mooring points are wired to, and affixed with a Vanir’s external plate
armor, which is used to protect the most delicate joints and extremities
as well as the vitals in the chest and stomach. They will often spend

Appearance
They’re most easily differentiated from humans by their smaller stature
much money customizing their armor as they grow older, spending it on
a better plate in more pleasing shapes, along with trim, inlaid lighting and
chromed trims, as well as flashy paint jobs.
and typically lighter build. Also, Aesir will, as often as possible, wear
clothing which shows the maximum possible amount of bare skin. A Vanir also has a very human face, head of hair, and sometimes neck
and ears as well. Vanir take special pride in keeping their hair and face
An Aesir has visible but not unattractive seams in their skin at their major as appealing as possible.
joints. An Aesir will also almost always have similar skin indentations ap-
plied as art across other areas of their body much like humans will apply
tattoos. These are often even more distinct than a human’s fingerprint.

Aesir are not limited to human skin tones, hair colors or eye colors. As
such, the visual variety of Aesir is far greater than that of their human
cousins. In fact, as often as not, an Aesir will try to be as unique as pos-
sible, and cultivate as distinctive an image as possible, often wearing
vintage design clothing from eras long past to accomplish this feat.

Aesir are also more easily distinguished from humans, in that they’re
typically about one foot shorter in height, though perfectly proportioned in
their seemingly diminished stature.

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 Role Playing Game

Jotun Wafans
All these racial traits are relative except the height, weight and armor/
Jotun Wafan
weapon types. Personality traits can, and do differ greatly from Wafan
to Wafan.

Proper Name: Jotun Wafan.

Slang Names: Big bones, second born, behemoths, leviathans.
Derogatory: Tractors, garbage disposal, flapjack engines, donkey engines.
Height Range: 7’0” to 10’0” female, 8’6” to 12’0” male.
Weight Range: 500 to 800 lbs female, 700 to 975 lbs male.
Weapon Types: Large to extremely large hand held. Medium to
extremely large mounted.
Armor Types: All armor rated heavy and above.

Origin
Jotuns originated as the second variety of Wafan created for mass pro-
duction, crafted for use as live-capture law enforcement agents. Their
actual conception occurred prior to the Vanir’s construction as one of two
possibilities for the initial run of mass produced Wafans, but both plans
were ousted in favor of a composite of the two, i.e. the Vanir.

Appearance
Jotuns are the least physically human-like of the three Wafan creeds,
resembling ancient automated labor droids far more than they resemble
the androids they actually are. They tend to be large and burly of build,
with enormous hydraulic systems and heavy metal or ceramic plating for
heavy duty work capabilities over an extra thick metal and carbon fiber
woven under-suit. Any tools of the trade a Jotun acquires will often be
built into their structure or stored inside internal storage compartment
built into their massive superstructures, and as such a Jotun will often be
less symmetrical than other creeds.

Jotuns very rarely have animate faces, more commonly having an ar-
tificial-looking sculpted face. Jotuns typically eat either by using ports
located on their hands or by removing the lower portion of their sculpted
face plate and revealing a smaller sculpted open mouth beneath their
face to intake food. With their lack of facial expression, male Jotuns tend
to communicate their moods by a shift in eye color and the small pin
lights across their bodies, whereas the females have large tracks of LED
lights arrayed across their body for the same purpose.

Vanir Wafan

Aesir Wafan

More information about Wafans can be found here:

http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonPlayersManual(shortpreview).pdf

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27
 New Horizon
Backgrounds
Background
In all but the most special of cases, people are not blank slates. Their
knowledge comes from experience, their skill from training. That experi-
ence is described as a number of earlier careers or “Backgrounds”. Back-
grounds represent several aspects of the character:
Reputation: Fame and renown, respect from your colleagues. People
think and speak of a character with three or more Points in a Background
as competent, or maybe dangerous, all according to the player’s wishes.
This aspect of the Background is optional. You may choose to have a lot
of points in a Background but still be quite unknown, but not the other
way around.
Connections: You can make a Background roll to get in touch with col-
leagues or a member of a related profession; a lawyer for a Corporate
Manager, another tradesman for a Merchant, an illegal arms dealer for a
Mercenary and so on. You can also roll Background to get a job (doing
what that Background does) or find someone to sell your goods to. When
making such a roll, the GM takes the present circumstances into account;
supply, demand and the quality of the goods.
Backgrounds are written on the empty lines in the central column of the
character sheet. The first point spent on a Background fills its first circle,
granting a value of 3. Two points get you a 5, and so on. A character may
have any number of Backgrounds, but must fill at least one circle in each
one - Value 0 is the same as not having the Background at all.
• Value 3 in a Background indicates a student or a fresh recruit who
knows only the very basics of the trade.
• Value 5 in a Background has (just barely) the connections and the
know-how to make a living.
• Value 7 in a Background is what can be expected of a professional
with a few years of experience.
• Value 8 and above is appropriate for respected professionals with
good connections.
Bounty Hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward (bounty). Boun-
ty hunters are quite common in The Walk of Man (Trapper Town), but
much less so in the other factions of the world. Bounties can only legally
be offered either by the local or the Avalonian government. However, not
all bounties are strictly legal. Other factions usually rely on standard law
enforcement agencies to recover suspects. For the bounty hunter to be
able to track people in the wilderness, this should be combined with the
appropriate Hunter Background.
• Rolls: Find a specific person in cities, find out more about the target.
• Knowledge: Basic law, criminal gangs, infamous criminals, black
markets. Accustomed to wearing light body armor.
• Animal Ken: Ride Corbie and Swift Seizer.
• Close Combat: Knives, clubs, melee use of ranged weapons.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, pistols, shotguns and rifles.
Hunter
The Hunter, also called a Trapper or Ranger, is someone who knows how
to survive in the wilderness. Hunters have usually learned to survive in a
specific environment. They have the knowledge of how to live in harmony
with the native animals in that location, or at least how to avoid them. A
hunter usually knows the land well: how to find safe shelter for the night,
how to find food to eat, and how to avoid the dangerous animals which
stalk the land.
• Rolls: Tracking, read terrain, find water, make camp, prepare food.
• Knowledge: Local terrain, climate, natural toxins and remedies.
Accustomed to hiking.
• Animal Ken: Local flora and fauna. Ride Corbie and Swift Seizer.
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Walk of Man
• Close Combat: Knives, axes, spears and bows.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, Pistols, shotguns and rifles.
Mesa Trapper: Lonely Mesa.
Dune Trapper: Blighted Dunes.
Mountain Trapper: Azuremar Mountain Range and Dusty Hollows.
Steppe Hunter: Azuremar Plains and Candlewax Expanse.
Wild Child: Azuremar Plains and Azuremar Mountain Range. This Back-
ground does not include the use of firearms. Instead, a Wild Child knows
how to use crossbows and blowpipes.
• Close Combat: Knives, axes, spears.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, bows, crossbows and blowpipes.
Narehl
Ranger: Narehl Jungle. Tracking -2.
• Animal Ken: Ride Zakt.
• Close Combat: Any melee weapon shorter than about 1 meter.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, bows, crossbows, blowpipes,
pistols, shotguns and submachineguns.
Marsh Ranger: Vile Stretch in Narehl and Perianth Peninsula in Neo
Titania.
• Close Combat: Knives, clubs and polearms.
• Ranged Combat: Bows, crossbows, pistols and shotguns.
Other
Aquilonian Tundra Hunter: Snow Waste, Aquilon.
• Close Combat: Knives, clubs, axes and polearms.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, bows and rifles.
Desert Ranger: Thousand Mile Desert,
Forsaken Land, Neo Titania.
• Close Combat: Knives, clubs, swords och polearms.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, bows and rifles.
Diver: Accustomed to wearing a breathing
apparatus and fighting in the water.
• Driver: PWCs, Motorboats.
• Close Combat: Knives, harpoons.
• Ranged Combat: Harpoons (thrown and fired).
Druid of New Chania:
Tulgey Woods, New Chania.
Accustomed to wearing a
breathing apparatus although
Medeans usually don’t need it.
• Close Combat: Knives, clubs and staves.
• Ranged Combat: Thrown weapons, bows and blowpipes.
Fisherman / Pirate: The surface of the sea. Accustomed to some really
nasty weather at sea as well as fighting in the water.
• Driving: All shapes and sizes of fishing boats.
• Close Combat: Knives, clubs and polearms.
• Ranged Combat: Harpoons (thrown and fired), rifles.
Tulgey Hunter: New Chania. Accustomed to wearing a breathing ap-
paratus.
• Close Combat: Knives, axes and polearms.
• Ranged Combat: Bows, crossbows, blowpipes, shotguns and rifles.
 Role Playing Game
Mercenary
Mercenaries are trained fighters who use their talents to make money.
They are not part of a national or corporate army, but tend to work for
the highest bidder. Few bands of mercenaries care whether an operation
is legal or not, as long as the pay outweighs the risks. Mercenaries are
often hired by merchants who travel the many caravan routes to protect
them and their cargo. A character with the Mercenary Background may
also have been a bandit, pirate or assassin.
• Rolls: Contact shady dealers, find safe-house, set ambush.
• Knowledge: Black markets, criminal gangs. Accustomed to wearing
up to medium grade body armor.
• Driver and Animal Ken: One vehicle, or one riding animal of the
player’s choice.
• Weapons: Four weapon types of the player’s choice.
Miner
A Miner is a person whose work or business it is to extract ore or miner-
als from the ground. Miners have knowledge of the stress points of rock,
tunnels, stone walls, etc. Miners know how to use advanced machinery
as well pick and shovel to extract metallic ores and gem stones. They
are also very proficient with commercial explosives, including demolition
charges.
• Rolls: Appraise minerals, read terrain, suggest most efficient method
of exploitation of a deposit, identify explosion type, quantity, distance
and probable purpose.
• Knowledge: Commercial explosives, mining companies, corporate
and faction exploitation procedures, known deposits.
• Driver: Loaders, excavators, trucks, mining trucks.
• Repair: Repair and maintain manual and automated mining tools,
set and arm commercial explosives.
• Science: Geology, geography, prospecting, use of automated
equipment, calculate quantity, optimal position and probable effects
of explosives.
Soldier
A Soldier is trained and employed by the military branch of a faction.
Some are educated professionals in the skill of war and experts with
weapons or in hand-to-hand combat, while others are less disciplined
and might be more suitable as simple guards. One thing which all sol-
diers have in common is that they are all trained fighters of a specific
military force, and they know how to follow orders. Medics also have the
Physician Background.
• Rolls: Dig trenches, march in line, know who can to get things done
(officially and in practice), dodge undesired duties (but not direct orders).
• Knowledge: Military procedures, tactics, military equipment and
vehicles. Accustomed to wearing all manner of body armor.
• Medicine: Stop bleeding.
• Animal Ken: Ride Swift Seizer.
• Close Combat: Knives and close combat use of ranged weapon.
• Ranged Combat: Hand grenades, assault rifles and machine guns.
Aquilonian Soldier
Marines trained for arctic conditions.
• Movement: Skiing, ice-skating, running in snow or on ice.
• Animal Ken: Ride Corbie.
• Driver: Submarines, PWCs, Motorboats, snowcat, snowmobile.
Warhead Soldier
Trained for desert conditions.
• Driver: Jeeps, ATVs (wheeled and tracked), tanks.
Xanadian Soldier
Trained for desert conditions.
• Driver: Jeeps, airplanes, helicopters.
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Spy
Spies are used for infiltration, to acquire data, to bypass security or to
sow dissent in enemy ranks. They may work for one of the governments,
corporations, organizations, or for themselves. Espionage typically in-
cludes pretending to be someone else. If this is to be a realistic bluff in
the long run, the Spy Background is combined with at least one additional
Background – what the Spy can plausibly pretend to be.
• Rolls: Analyze security, deduce location of person or goods of interest,
memorize information, find/plant bug, find safe-house.
• Knowledge: Methods of infiltration, security systems, police procedures.
Familiar with concealable versions of weapons and equipment.
• Science: Bypass electronic lock, data encryption, decryption and
concealment.
• Repair: Pick mechanical lock, improvise picks and sabotage.
• Close Combat: Knives and clubs.
• Ranged Combat: Pistols.
Using Backgrounds
The Background can in some situations be used for rolls, just like Attri-
butes. It is a measure of the character’s renown and connections in that
particular field. People think and speak of a character with three or more
Points in a Background as competent, and perhaps dangerous (accord-
ing to the player’s wishes).
As a result, you can make a Background roll to get in touch with col-
leagues or professionals associated with your trade. You can also roll
Background to get a job (doing what that Background does) or find some-
one to sell your goods to.
The Background also covers every aspect of a profession that isn’t in-
cluded in any of the 18 Attributes. A character with the Soldier Back-
ground could use it to know how to get away with breaking some rules
as well as knowing who to talk to in order to get things done within the
military organization.
Note that Backgrounds never replace Attributes. A physician uses
Medicine to treat a wound - not the Physician Background.
Example: A private eye rolls the Investigator Background to find out who might have seen
something, but he must still use Speaking to convince a frightened witness to confide
in him.
The character’s Backgrounds also determine what the Attributes encom-
pass. For an Aquilon Hunter, Ranged Combat applies mainly to hunting
rifles and shotguns - not dealing with a jammed machine gun. Attempt-
ing tasks outside of your area of expertise typically results in penalties.
For example, an Auto Mechanic would suffer -2 to Repair repairing a
small boat, and along the lines of -5 to Repair trying to fix a surface-to-
air missile.
The higher the Background, the more advanced the character’s knowl-
edge in that field. For example, a character with Warhead Soldier 3 is
familiar with one type of assault rifle and one type of hand grenade. Any
other type of weapon would result in a -2 penalty. With Warhead Soldier
5 the character is trained in a handful of different rifles and SMGs as well
as the most common machine guns, anti-tank rounds and mines. With
Warhead Soldier 7 or better, only the most exotic military armaments will
result in penalties.
More Backgrounds are available here:
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 New Horizon
Attr ibutes
Attributes
The value of an Attribute depends on the amount of Points spent on it.
The GM decides the amount of points a character should be worth, de-
pending on the style, genre and mood of the campaign or adventure.
Looking at the Character sheet, you will notice that the first circle in the
top 10 Attributes is noticeably thicker than the others. These circles rep-
resent very basic abilities that most people take for granted. For exam-
ple, a character with 0 Strength, Movement or Agility is unable to move,
and character with 0 Speaking is unable to communicate. Players are
strongly recommended to spend ten of their Points filling out these ten
circles. Don’t leave one of these blank without a convincing reason, and
check with the GM first. A typical Olympian has 5 (2 points spent) in
these, and in Attributes pertaining to her Background.
Attributes
Strength Constitution
Toughness Willpower
Movement Agility
Perception Stealth
Acting Speaking
Humanities Science
Medicine Repair
Animal Ken Driving
Close Combat Ranged Combat
On the character sheet, each Attribute has a number of circles next to it.
Above each column of circles is a number, representing the value gained
by filling each circle. The circles are always filled in from left to right. One
point fills up one field, and all the fields must be filled before the circle
itself counts as filled. Seven points spent on Perception means the char-
acter has Perception 9. The first four circles cost one point each to fill,
and values 9 and higher have been split into two or more fields.
Perception 9.
The human norm is 5, or 2 points spent. A value of 7 is appropriate for a
trained professional, and the very best might achieve 9.
Attribute descriptions
Here are descriptions of the 18 Attributes that are used in New Horizon.
The idea is that these descriptions should give players a better under-
standing of what spending points in each Attribute actually means.
Strength: Raw muscle power. Strength affects the amount of damage
the character can dish out in close combat, and also affects how much
the body can take in terms of injury, since a lot of muscles means power-
ful bones.
Constitution: Constitution is about endurance, and it forms the basis of
a character’s immune system. It determines the quality of the character’s
veins and lungs, and how well the body handles injury and infection.
Constitution also determines rate of healing.
Toughness: The higher value in the Toughness attribute the more abuse
will the character’s body be able to withstand. Toxins, heat and cold must
get through the character’s Toughness before they begin to do actual
damage. This attribute also controls long-term endurance and the ability
to function without food or water.
Willpower: Basically, stubbornness. While Constitution sets the limits of
your body’s endurance, Willpower determines the character’s ability to
push it to those limits. High Willpower is not about refusing to change
one’s mind, but rather the will to survive - the thing that holds the con-
sciousness together when the body begins to falter.
Movement: Speed, traveling by foot. No matter what Attribute is used,
the character will never move faster than this - whether swimming, climb-
ing, sneaking or running. The exception is flying, for those characters
who have the appropriate Traits.
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Agility: Agility is used for more complex maneuvers, like jumping, climb-
ing, softening a fall, crawling through small openings or getting out of
handcuffs or ropes.
Perception: This Attribute measures the sensitivity and alertness of a
character’s senses. Perception is used to spot traps, see through dis-
guises and recognize people at long distances.
Stealth: To not be seen, heard or otherwise noticed. Also includes con-
cealing, planting or palming items.
Acting: Acting is, put simply, pretending. It is used for impersonation,
intimidation, cons or just maintaining a calm and relaxed manner when
the lawmen pull over your truck full of contraband.
Speaking: This Attribute is used to convince people of something
through reasoning. Whether eloquent or blunt, spoken or written; any
kind of persuasion, bartering, negotiation or even interrogation falls un-
der Speaking. Note the difference between using words and arguments
to interrogate and using brute force or an intimidating demeanor - in-
timidation has little to do with the words you use and everything to do
with how you back them up, and is therefore usually more Acting than
Speaking.
Humanities: Humanities encompass all manner of cultural knowledge:
language, psychology, sociology and cultural anthropology. It also in-
cludes knowledge of history and geography. A character with a single
Point spent in Humanities can speak one foreign language - not very
well, but enough to get by. The second Point in Humanities adds another
two languages, the third Point another three and so on: 3 Points would
be 1+2+3=6 languages. Two poorly spoken languages can be traded in
for being reasonably fluent in one. Three poorly spoken languages can
be traded in for native or near native fluency.
Science: Natural, formal and applied science. This Attribute is theoretical
in nature and is primarily used for programming, calculations or design-
ing functional schematics.
Medicine: The Medicine Attribute includes all kinds of medical or medi-
cine-related knowledge, including first aid, surgery, or (medicinal or rec-
reational) pharmacology.
Repair: The maintenance, repair, construction or deconstruction of any
kind of technological artifact.
Animal Ken: This Attribute determines your ability to interact with ani-
mals: Soothe them, scare them or even tame them (if they are at all
tamable). It is also used for riding, if you have any Background that states
that you are able to ride that particular animal. When combined with a
Soldier or Law Enforcement Background, Animal Ken also includes
knowledge of how and for what purposes the police and military use and
train animals.
Driving: Like all Attributes, Driver is governed by Backgrounds. Alone, it
refers to the ability to drive a car. For any other type of vehicle, you will
receive penalties if no Background states that you are familiar with it. In
combination with the Soldier Background, Driver also controls military ve-
hicles and their turrets or guided weapons. More Points in the governing
Background allows access to more advanced or exotic vehicles:
• Pilot, 1p: propeller plane, 2p: jet plane, 3p: helicopter.
• Helmsman, 1p: corvette, 2p: tanker, 3p: submarine.
Close Combat: Fighting hand to hand, with or without any kind of melee
weapon. Examples include swords, rifle butts, whips and broken bottles.
Close Combat governs both offensive and defensive abilities.
Ranged Combat: The use of any kind of ranged weapon such as bows,
rocks, pistols or flamethrowers. Anything that hits a target from a distance
uses Ranged Combat, whether the projectile is fired or thrown by hand.
 Role Playing Game

Attribute limitations Damage thresholds

An Attribute value 10, or 8 points, is usually considered human maxi- On the character sheet, under “Damage thresholds”, there is a table with
mum. The character’s Size might dictate higher or lower maximums in three columns. The first (leftmost) one is titled “Stun” and the third (right-
Strength, Toughtness, Agility and Stealth. The GM may also change this most) one is titled “Injury”. The second column (in the middle) has no title.
limit depending on the campaign: a group of powerful heroes could be In these columns, values related to the character’s ability to withstand
allowed to increase their Attributes a few notches higher than what would damage are recorded.
otherwise be permitted. For example, +1 when they have a total of 50
points, and +2 when they reach 75. Stun: The Damage thresholds table lists the five
levels of Stun used by the system, in ascending
Example: A Large Jotun can normally increase Strength to 11. In an epic campaign with order of severity. The first column holds a set of
characters built for 60 points, the GM increases all limits by +1: the Large Jotun may five values, which are the character’s Stun
purchase Strength 12. thresholds. They are calculated by adding the
character’s Strength, Constitution, and twice the
On the character sheet, the first circle (the one that corresponds to Value sum of Toughness plus Willpower (Strength +
3) is thicker for first ten Attributes. These Attributes represent very basic Constitution + (Toughness + Willpower) x 2) and
abilities that most characters should have at least one point in - there is comparing the result to the Stun thresholds table,
a huge difference between 0 and 3. One of these thicker circles left blank see page 36, 53. Jessica’s Stun levels.
indicates some sort of handicap:
Injury: The third column in the Injury table
0 Strength Unable to carry anything heavier than light holds a set of five values, which are the
clothes. character’s Injury thresholds. They are
0 Constitution Anything more strenuous than standing is calculating by adding the character’s
exhausting. Strength, Constitution and twice its
0 Toughness Extremely frail - beware of firm handshakes. Toughness and comparing the result to
0 Willpower Highly suggestible, and any pain prevents the Injury thresholds table, see page 36, 53.
constructive action. The second and central column has a list
0 Movement Incapable of any self-propelled locomotion. of three values - these are the negative
0 Agility Turning around requires ample room and modifiers corresponding to each damage Jessica’s Injury values.
plenty of time. level. They are determined by comparing
0 Perception Completely oblivious to the surroundings. the character’s Willpower to the wound penalties table, see page 52.
0 Stealth Notoriously loud and unable to grasp the
concept of visibility. Encumbrance
0 Acting Devoid of charisma, very easy to read The character’s Encumbrance table describes the amount of kilos the
(whether talking or not). Character is able to carry before a given penalty sets in. Compare the
0 Speaking Rudimentary vocabulary, barely literate, no character’s Strength with the Encumbrance table (which can be down-
rhetorical skills. loaded from our web-page) to get the specific thresholds.

The remaining eight Attributes are associated with more specialized

skills; most people are completely unfamiliar with several of them. These
Attributes are also much more closely linked to the character’s Back-
grounds: The number of points you may spend on them is determined by
the Background in which the character acquired those skills. As a rule of The encumbrance penalty affects rolls made with the following Attributes:
thumb, none of these Attributes should have a value more than 2 higher Strength, Constitution, Movement, Agility and Stealth. It also applies
than its corresponding Background. to all Initiative checks (see Combat section in the GM’s Manual) and all
aspects of Close Combat; Defense, Grapple, Guard and Strike.
Example: A mercenary who is an expert marksman (Ranged Combat 9) would inevitably
have gained some renown because of this feat: The Mercenary Background value should
not be lower than 7.
Weapon Modifiers
These numbers describe how much better (or worse) the character is at
fighting, compared to an average professional soldier. There are three
weapon modifiers:

Fence = Close combat - 7

Fence rates the character’s ability to defend or attack in close combat.
If the fighting turns into grappling, this modifier becomes less important.
Fence is the character’s Close combat Attribute minus seven.

Power = (Strength + Close Combat) / 2 - 7

Power affects the character’s skill when performing or defending against
grappling attacks. It also determines the force with which the character
can attack. Power equals the mean value of Strength and Close combat
(rounded up), minus seven.

Precision = Ranged combat - 7

Precision governs all aspects of shooting or throwing. It is the character’s
Ranged combat Attribute minus seven.

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 New Horizon
Tr aits
Traits
Traits are special qualities of the character, which for some reason can-
not be expressed through Attributes. They are usually either positive or
negative. Each Trait comes with a “cost” in Points. Negative Cost means
you get points back, to spend on other things.
Some of the positive Traits have negative effects as well and vice versa
- the cost reflects this, and a negative cost simply means the negative
aspects outweigh the positive.
Fill a circle for every point a positive Trait cost, or draw a minus in a circle
for every point you got back from a negative trait. The character’s Traits
are written on the same lines as Backgrounds. The column “Value” is
left blank for Traits.
If the GM awards more points after a session, the player may use those
to purchase new traits or buy off negative ones.
New negative traits may also be acquired during play. The character may
have been left hard of hearing after a nearby explosion, or had an arm
chewed off by something lurking in a swamp. Regardless of whether
a negative trait is bought voluntarily or is the result of in-game events,
points are always awarded. The same goes for positive traits; if the GM
permits, they may be acquired during play and will the cost the player
points.
In short, points are always awarded for new negative traits, and new
positive traits always cost points.
General Traits
With few exceptions, these are available to all six races in New Horizon,
human and Wafan alike.
Positive general traits:
Ambidexterity (1 point)
This Trait negates penalties for using a non-dominant hand.
Beauty (1 point)
You look great. People are generally more inclined to like you at first
glance, but on the other hand you’re more likely to be recognized. Jotuns
normally don’t have a human face and they are usually not allowed to
take this Trait..
Contact (1 to 3 points)
You know someone who might be able to help you out at times, if it’s not
too risky. Each such person is purchased as a separate Trait. The cost is
determined by the skill and influence of your contact, and by the loyalty to
you. Remember, however, that friendship is a two-way street.
1p: Someone who’s reasonably well-connected or skilled; a shady
dealer who can get rid of stolen goods for you, or a lawman you could
call to help you out of some uncomfortable situations.
2p: Someone quite important in their context, like the chief physician
at a hospital, the leader of a powerful street-gang, or a respectable
diplomat.
+1p: This is not just someone you know, it’s an old friend - or at least
a close one. Someone you’d take great risks for, and who’d do the
same for you.
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Eidetic Memory (1 point)
You can rapidly memorize and instantly recall numbers, dates, short
texts, faces, maps and such.
Sense of Orientation (1 point)
You are far less likely to lose your way, perhaps due to an intuitive sense
of the cardinal directions or remarkable spatial recognition.
Sense of Time (1 point)
Not only do you know roughly what time it is, you are also able to calcu-
late how long something should take. Examples include the time it takes
for opponents to reload, how fast it is plausible to travel in a certain kind
of terrain with a given type of vehicle and, of course, at what time one is
likely to arrive at a given location.
Negative general traits:
Addiction (-1 to -2 points)
-1p: Constant use of a legal substance, to a point at which it becomes
a nuisance to yourself and the other players. Examples include con-
stant smoking or getting drunk every night (and hung-over in the morn-
ing).
-2p: Frequent use of an illegal substance, which must be acquired,
smuggled through customs and hidden from the law at all times. If
you do not get your kicks at least once a week, the hunger for it will
increase with every day, until it makes you disregard everything else.
Clumsy (-3 points)
In everything you do, there seems to be a small but crucial detail that you
forget, or just mess up. Perhaps it’s just bad luck. Either way, a roll with a
Black 19 counts as a Black 20; you fail, regardless of all skill.
Coward (-2 points)
Choosing a dangerous option when there seems to be a less risky solu-
tion requires a Willpower Roll. Less risky options include surrendering,
hiding, running away from the battle or just not jumping over that gaping
chasm (at least not right now). If you Willpower is higher than 7, you
may not take this Trait. It must be bought off before Willpower can be
increased above 7.
Combat Paralysis (-3 points)
Whether a result of a sheltered childhood, strictly non-violent moral
standards or lacking courage, in each combat a Willpower-test must be
passed before you are able to act. Each attempt takes one full Turn.
Compulsive Behavior (-1 to -2 points)
Impulses, rituals or tics. For example: kleptomania, obsessive cleanli-
ness or coprolalia.
-1p: A disturbing habit, like spitting every 2 minutes or always repeat-
ing the last few words of every sentence. It won’t take long before
people begin to wonder what’s wrong with you.
-2p: These are behaviors that significantly impair your interaction with
the world or are very likely to get you into trouble, like compulsive
theft or lying.
Dark Secret (-1 to -3 points)
Everyone has them: Those dirty little secret that you’d rather not have
anyone know about. Perhaps your family tree is just a little bit too tan-
gled… Or maybe you’ve been a member of a secret cult that sacrificed
live animals (or worse) to some dark god.
A single point is highly embarrassing; -3p is something that you must
keep a secret at all costs: threaten witnesses, steal evidence or murder
if you have to.
 Role Playing Game

Delusions (-1 to -3 points) Reduced Sense (-1 to -10 points)

Delusions range from fanaticism to paranoia or hypochondria - some
can be quite imaginative. Remember, though, that what constitutes a
“delusion” is relative to the culture one inhabits. The number of Points
awarded, as usual, is in direct proportion to how inconveniencing the
delusion is to the character.
One or more of your senses doesn’t work the way they’re supposed to.
This mainly means Sight, Hearing or Smell/Taste.
-1p: No sense of Smell. This also means that you have no sense of
taste.

Examples: The firm belief that all water is toxic or that good always tri-
umphs no matter the odds.
Duties (-1 point)
A day-job, a family to look after, a garden that must be tended to - what-
ever the reason is, you cannot simply run off to distant adventures. There
are arrangements that must be made first, and even then there may be
uncomfortable side-effects to leaving.
Enemy (-1 to -3 points)
Someone has it in for you. The number of Points you get from this one
depends on how powerful the enemies are, and how far out of their way
they would go to make trouble for you. A -1 enemy might try to mess
with you if you happen to be in the same place, while a -3 enemy will put
considerable effort into destroying you in any way possible.
-1p: Reduced Sight / Reduced Hearing; -5 to Perception rolls involving
that sense. Negated by glasses or hearing-aid. -2p if you can’t fix your
problem by using glasses or a hearing-aid.
-3p: Deaf. No Perception rolls can be made based on sound alone.
You can read lips. -4p if you can’t.
-5p: Blind. No Perception rolls can be made based on sight alone.
Mutually exclusive with a high Ranged Combat Attribute.
Ugly (-1 point)
Whether you were born that way or were injured, people tend to dis-
like you because of how you look, at least initially. This means you get
slight penalties in many social interactions (and severe penalties in any
seduction-attempts).

Forgetful (-1 point) Unintelligible (-1 point)

Whether you are notoriously absent-minded or just easily distracted, You cannot speak in a way or in a language that people in general un-
things tend to slip your mind. You will occasionally realize too late that derstand, but your voice can still express emotion or a sense of urgency.
you did not reload after the last firefight, or that you didn’t bring that climb-
ing equipment after all.

Gullible (-1 point)

There are no disadvantages to this Trait. None whatsoever, it’s a free
Point. Trust me.

Missing Limb (-2 to -14 points) Vanir Wafan

-2p: Missing one arm.
-8p: Both arms missing (not recommended).
-3p: Per leg missing.

Each missing (or disabled) limb is a -2 to all Grappling rolls. This Trait
must be bought off before a replacement limb begins to function properly.

Mute (-2 points)

You cannot speak or produce any audible sounds using your mouth, not
even whispering. Persuasion rolls are limited to writing or hand gestures,
which in many interactions results in penalties.

No Sense of Direction (-1 point)

Whether you are using road signs or a very good map, it is still difficult
for you to find your way. Without either one, you’re lost in two minutes
outside your own hometown.

No Sense of Time (-1 point)

What difference does an hour or two make, anyway? Please do not work
with explosives, and I would recommend a job where time is relevant
in any way.

Phobia (-1 point)

You have an irrational fear of something. Examples include fear of con-
fined spaces (claustrophobia), heights (acrophobia), thunderstorms (as-
traphobia) and water (aquaphobia). You will go to great lengths to avoid
what you are afraid of. If it cannot be avoided, you will suffer a -2 to -5
modifier to all rolls, depending on the degree of exposure.

More Traits are available here:

http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonPlayersManual(shortpreview).pdf

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33
 New Horizon

Equipment
Equipment
The tables (which can be downloaded from our web-page) contain differ-
ent kinds of weapons and armor. They are listed together with a number of
acronyms and terms describing each item. Those acronyms and terms are
also used in the chapters about Combat and Injuries (in the GM’s Manual).

Please note that we do not in any way want to give the impression that
weapons and armor are the only kinds of equipment that are important.
They are simply the two kinds of equipment that need mechanics. Horizon Blade, with Strike 12.
Guard
Weapons • Record: the character’s Fence + the weapon’s Guard.
Weapons may, beside their primary function, also be used as brass
knuckles; you use the handle, shaft, stock, grip or the barrel to inflict Close combat weapons only. How well one can defend oneself with the
blunt force trauma. weapon at its full range.

If a weapon can be used in several ways, it might be a good idea to Example: The Horizon Blade has a Guard modifier of 5. Robert adds Evelyn’s Fence,
write them down as several “weapons” - one might, for instance, write arriving at the number 5 (5+0). He records the number 5 in the Guard column.
Knife(Cut) and Knife(Thrust) as separate, even though the attacks are
performed using the same physical weapon.

In the weapon tables, each weapon and method of attack is listed with
a number of values. These values describe an average professional sol-
dier, here assumed to have a value of 7 in all relevant Attributes.

Another way to put it is that the weapons table lists how dangerous
someone who has Fence 0, Power 0 and Precision 0 is with this particu-
lar weapon and method of attack.
If a character picks up a weapon, the player simply reads the numbers in
the table, and adds the character’s Weapon modifier.
On the character sheet, write down the sum of the number in the weap-
ons table, and the relevant Weapon modifier. When adding a negative
modifier, the result is a lower value than the original: 10 plus -3 is 7.
Since only close combat weapons have Strike, Guard, Grapple and
Defense, and only ranged combat weapons have Snap shot, Directed,
Aimed and Auto, those two sets (four values each) share columns on
the character sheet.
Horizon Blade, with Guard 5.
Grapple
• Record: the character’s Power + the weapon’s Grapple.
Close combat weapons only. Describes how useful the weapon is
when it comes to attacking while grappling. Short, convenient, cutting
weapons like knives work well here. Sharp weapons generally have a
higher Grapple than blunt ones. Some weapons are not usable at all at
Grapple range. This is indicated by a “-” (or a blank spot) in the tables,
which is also what is written on the character sheet.
Example: The Horizon Blade has no Grappling; it’s ”-”. He records this by writing a minus
in the “Grappling” column.

The weapons record sheet. Horizon Blade, with Grapple -.

The small square to the left of the weapon’s name is used to distinguish
close combat weapons from ranged weapons. If the weapon is close
combat, fill the square. This corresponds to the small squares above
certain columns - if the close combat square is filled, look at the Strike/
Guard/Grapple/Defense column headers. If it isn’t, look at the Snap shot/
Directed/Aimed/Auto column headers.
The specifics of each type of value, and what should be recorded, are
described below.
Strike
• Record: the character’s Fence + the weapon’s Strike.
Defense
• Record: the character’s Power + the weapon’s Defense.
Close combat weapons only. Describes how useful the weapon is as
a means to defend oneself when Grappling. See Combat section in the
GM’s Manual. Note that bare hands are usually better for defending one-
self in grappling than any weapon or implement.
Example: Evelyn has Strength 9 and Close Combat 7, which amounts to Power +1. When
recording the Defense of the Horizon Blade, her player (Robert) adds +1. The resulting
value, 5 (4+1), is what he records in the “Defense” column of the weapon.

Close combat weapons only. How well the weapon works offensively at
its full range. See Combat section in the GM’s Manual for more informa-
tion about Range. Note that some attacks, such as Wrestling or biting,
cannot be used at Striking Distance. This is indicated by the symbol ”-”
under Striking in the weapons table.

Example: the Horizon Blade has a Strike of 12. Robert adds Evelyn’s Fence: 0, and ar-
Horizon Blade, with Defense 5.
rives at the number 12 (12+0). He records this number in the Strike column.

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 Role Playing Game

Snap Shot
• Record: the character’s Precision + the weapon’s Snap Shot.

Ranged weapons only. Used when changing direction of fire, or when

the weapon has just been drawn and no time has been spent on aiming it
properly. Lighter weapons are generally better in this regard.

Example: Evelyn also gets a shotgun called Skinbreaker. While shotguns can be used
Skinbreaker, with Auto 4.
to administer blows in close combat, they are primarily meant for ranged combat - which
means they use the Snap Shot, Directed, Aimed and Auto column headers. Robert adds Attacks
Evelyn’s Precision, which is -2, to the shotgun’s Snap Shot, which is 4. The result is a • Record: the weapon’s maximum number of attacks per turn,
lousy 2, which he records in the Snap shot column. see Multiple Attacks in the Combat chapter found in the GM’s Manual.

Ranged weapons only. This value represents the maximum number of

attacks that might be made with the weapon. This is not just weapons
capable of full auto - the value covers all sorts of rapid firing, including
just pulling the trigger several times.

Example: The Skinbreaker shotgun is a sturdy old break-action side-by-side, granting it

an Attacks value of 2, so that’s what Robert puts down.
Skinbreaker, with Snap Shot 2.
Directed
• Record: the character’s Precision + the weapon’s Directed.

Ranged weapons only. This value is used when the weapon is already
pointed in the direction of the target.

Example: Robert adds Evelyn’s Precision of -2 to the Skinbreaker shotgun’s Directed: 8.

Skinbreaker, with Attacks 2.
He records the resulting value of 6 in the Directed column.
Range
• Record: The weapon’s Range.

Exceptionally long close combat weapons have Range X, indicating that

they can be used at Extended Distance. This is explained in more detail
under Close Combat, in the Combat section found in the GM’s Manual.
For ranged weapons, this indicates the longest distance at which the
weapon can be fired with reasonable accuracy.
Skinbreaker, with Directed 6.
Example: The Skinbreaker shotgun’s range is 3, or about 50m. The weapon is not in-
Aimed tended for use at a longer distance than this.
• Record: the character’s Precision + the weapon’s Aimed.

Ranged weapons only. This value is used when you’ve taken your time
to aim properly at a target before pulling the trigger. Heavier weapons
with good stability often have higher values here.

Example: A Skinbreaker’s Aimed is 9, which added to Evelyn’s Precision is a respectable

7, which is recorded in the Aimed column.
Skinbreaker, with Range 3.
Pierce
• Record for close combat weapons: the character’s Power + the
weapon’s Pierce.
• Record for ranged combat weapons: the weapon’s Pierce.

This is a measurement of the weapon’s ability to penetrate armor. For

close combat values, add the character’s Power to the weapon’s Pierce
Skinbreaker, with Aimed 7.
value. For ranged weapons it’s a separate value, not added to or modi-
Auto fied in any way. Pierce is explained in more detail under Armor (see page
• Record: the character’s Precision + the weapon’s Auto. 53).

Ranged weapons only. Weapons capable of firing multiple shots per
second have an Auto modifier, which is applied to each successive shot
after the first. See the rules for Multiple Attacks in the Combat chapter
found in the GM’s Manual.
Example: Robert records a 4, which is the sum of Evelyn’s Precision (-2) and the shotgun’s Auto
6. If she fires both barrels in rapid succession, the second shot isn’t very likely to hit anything.
Example: Robert records the Pierce values of Evelyn’s Horizon Blade, which is her Power
(+1) plus the Horizon Blade’s Pierce (7). The result is 8. He also records her Skinbreaker
shotgun’s Pierce value straight from the weapons table (2). This means the Horizon
Blade is better than the Skinbreaker for breaking through armor - on the other hand, the
Skinbreaker has the added advantage of being usable at a distance.

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 New Horizon
Equipment
Pierce values; Horizon Blade 8, Skinbreaker 2.
Stun
• Record for close combat weapons: Power + the weapon’s Stun.
• Record for ranged combat weapons: the weapon’s Stun value.
The Stun value measures the ability to cause pain to and temporarily
stun the target. Blunt weapons generally have more Stun than blades
and firearms.
Example: the Horizon Blade has a Stun of 26, which is added to Evelyn’s Power (+1) and be-
comes 27. Robert records this in the Stun column of the Horizon Blade’s row. The Skinbreak-
er has a Stun value of 25, which is he records in the Stun column of the Skinbreaker’s row.
Stun values; Horizon Blade 27, Skinbreaker 25.
Injury
• Record for close combat weapons: the character’s Power + the
weapon’s Injury.
• Record for ranged combat weapons: the weapon’s Injury value.
The Injury value represents the weapon’s ability to cause life-threatening,
lasting injuries. Blades and firearms generally have higher Injury values
than blunt weapons.
Example: adding Evelyn’s Power (+1) to the Horizon Blade’s Injury value of 35 gives Rob-
ert a nice 36 to write down in the Injury column of the weapon. The Skinbreaker shotgun
has an Injury value of 34, which he records in the same column, but on the Skinbreaker’s
row. Now, Evelyn is armed and ready to be unleashed into the world…
Injury values; Horizon Blade 36, Skinbreaker 34.
Wrong hand
Any attempt to make an attack using a weapon held in the characters off
hand incurs a -1 modifier to all four To Hit numbers: Strike, Guard, Grap-
ple and Defense. If a weapon is designed to be used with both hands but
is held in one, this results in a modifier of -3, cumulative with the penalty
for “wrong hand”, if applicable.
Melee combinations
Having a close combat weapon in each hand applies bonuses and pen-
alties apply to Strike, Guard, Grappling and Defense. Note that unless
the character has the Ambidexterity-Trait, one of the weapons in the
combination will also suffer the -1 Penalty for “wrong hand” to all four.
The weapon tables list the specific bonuses for various types of offhand
weapons. In general, combinations improve Strike or Guard at the ex-
pense of Grapple and Defense.
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Armor
Armor is described by its Coverage and Protection. Coverage rates how
likely the armor is to get in the way of incoming attacks, and Protection
rates to what extend an attack that does strike the armor is prevented
from causing damage.
Coverage
Coverage is rated 0-20, depending on how much of the body it covers.
Attacks that hit the armor and are strong enough to pierce it will damage
the armor, reducing the Coverage. 20 is completely sealed - the only way
to bypass this armor is by Wrestling, or by wearing it down to Coverage 19.
In the Coverage column there are 20 boxes for each row of armor. Leave
one box blank for every point of Coverage of the armor worn.
Example: A Ravager Jacket has Coverage 10. The player fills the rightmost 10 boxes.
The 10 boxes that are left blank indicate that the armor has Coverage 10.
Armor Coverage 10.
While some armor covers the entire body, most of them will only cover
some vital area. For instance, a vest only covers the torso, and will leave
the wearer vulnerable to attacks to the arms or legs. There is a small
figurine next to each line of armor. Areas that are protected by that kind
of armor are filled out.
Hardened armor
Armor is damaged when an incoming attack gets through the armor.
Hardened Armor (marked with an “x” in the Hard-column in the armor
table) is very rigid and provides better protection. It is, however, also
more likely to crack, reducing its Coverage. Hardened armor is marked
by writing an “x” by that armor’s name on the character sheet.
Reinforced areas
Some types of armor have a few strengthened sections that can with-
stand more damage than the rest. When such armor is equipped, write
down the armor type on one row and “Reinforced Area” on another. Fill
out their Coverage boxes as if they were two separate armors.
Protection
• Record: the armor’s Deflect, Stop and Slow values.
Each armor has three degrees of protection: Deflect, Stop and Slow.
When the armor is hit, the Pierce value of the attack is compared to
each of these.
• An attack with a Pierce lower than or equal to the armor’s Deflect-
value are completely deflected, and do no damage.
• An attack with a Pierce lower than or equal to the armor’s Stop-
value are stopped by the armor. The impact might still hurt, but the
attack does not draw blood or crush anything vital.
• An attack with a Pierce lower than or equal to the armor’s Slow-
value gets through the armor at a cost of some of its kinetic energy.
The damage is reduced.
• An attack with a Pierce higher than the armor’s Slow-value goes
straight through the armor, dealing damage as if it wasn’t there.
Armored combat is described in the Combat section found in the GM’s
Manual. The exact mechanics of the armor’s damage reduction is de-
scribed in the Injuries section in the GM’s Manual.
 Role Playing Game

Example: The Ravager Jacket from the previous example has a Deflect value of 3, a Stop
value of 5 and a Slow value of 7.

Ravager Jacket - Deflect 3, Stop 5, Slow 7.

Combining armor
Medeans usually have natural armor. That also allows them to wear nor-
mal armor on top. If a character wears several kinds armor they are written
separately. If an incoming attack strikes several layers of armor, use the
best Deflect, the best Stop and the best Slow of those armors.

Example: A medean has the Trait “Scales I”, and wears Duraplast Armor.

Medean with natural armor and wearing a normal armor.

Vanir Wafan
The white die of the incoming attack comes up 14. As this is lower than or equal to the
Coverage of both armors, they are both struck. The attack has Pierce 7, which is not De-
flected by either armor. It is, however, Stopped, by Scales I. Since Duraplast is hardened,
it becomes damaged from attacks that achieve Stop.

If the Pierce of the attack had been 9, it would not have been stopped by either layer.
It would have been Slowed by Scales I, but both armors would have been damaged. Medean
If your armor is hit, then all of them which have a Coverage lower than the
white die will be hit at the same time. Always the highest Deflection value,
the highest Stop value and the highest Slow value is used. And if damage
occurs, then all layers are equally damaged. It also means that wearing
several layers of armor is pointless, and just one armor is good enough.

Close Combat vs. Ranged Combat

Close-combat weapons in New Horizon have superior damage and armor penetration
compared to firearms. This balances their limited range, and it is why close-combat
weapons are just as popular as ranged weapons. Some animals on the planet are almost
immune to bullets, and can withstand almost an unlimited amount of piercing damage,
and therefore bludgeoning and slashing damage is the only way to go. Because of this,
close-combat weapons are very popular on the battlefield.

Armor, whether it’s a tough hide or a worn suit, have a quite high protection (but not
completely) against firearms. However, the penetration and damage of close-combat
weapons is still high enough to pierce through armor and they often cause more Injury
and Stun than firearms.

The distinction between bludgeoning/crushing, slashing and piercing is seamless in Vo|t:

Attacks with powerful penetration have a high Pierce value in Vo|t, while Slashing attacks Tables with Stun, Injury and Willpower Penalty, with Armor,
have a high Injury value and Bludgeoning/Crushing have a high Stun value. Firearms Weapons and Equipment, are available for download from here:
typically have high Pierce, but low Stun and Injury. Bullets may bite through the armor -
but they will not tear up enough tissue on their way through the beast to really harm it. In http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonTables.zip
short, you need to fire a lot of rounds into a target in order to achieve the same result as
a single close-combat attack would manage.

For this reason, close-combat weapons are usually a better choice than ranged weap-
ons, especially if a player is planning on hunting some of the wildlife on New Horizon.

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37
 New Horizon

Ch ar acter Creation Guide

Character Creation Guide
This chapter will be all about creating a new character for the New Hori-
zon RPG. The goal is to show you how easy it is to create a new charac-
ter, while at the same time point out the very few places where mistakes
can be made and where extra attention may be necessary.
Attributes
Attributes are the next thing you should take into account. Each player is
given a certain amount of Points. How many Points you get is totally up to
the Game Master (GM). However, a rule of thumb is that:

So what character should we create? A male or a female? A human or a 20 Points should be given to an unskilled young adventurer, 30 Points
Wafan? Which ever choice we make, the procedure is identical for each to a farmers, librarians, electricians, nurses and cab drivers - ordinary
race. Only Traits will differ. So before we select a race, let us first decide people, typically with very little combat training, 40 Points to a competent
upon a character name. How about… Alto. investigator or a prestigious military soldier, and 50-60 Points to a hero
and skilled adventurer.
Writing a background story for your character is optional but recommend-
ed, so we’ll do that as well: So let us give Alto 45 Points, and make him a skilled enough warrior but
not yet an elite soldier of renown prowess.
“Few individuals have as heroic a soul as the young man named Alto Merrimac. At a young age of 17,
the Aquilonian man suffered serious physical trauma to most of his body, and cybernetic prosthesis
would shorten his life span to little more than the age of thirty and cost most of his family’s life savings.
Distribute your 45 Points freely amongst your Attributes. You can use all
The alternative was to live as a quadruple amputee. However, the ASTI corporation’s bio-tech branch your Points for your Attributes or you can save some for your Traits and
offered him a third option, testing their experimental first generation organic replacement limbs. Hav- an occasional Background. When you play the role playing game, how
ing little choice, he accepted the procedure. After six grueling, horrible months, he became a new well you perform any action will be decided by the dice values compared
man. And though his new body wasn’t precisely human, he was debt free and able to walk and to your Attribute values. If you want to lift a stone, you roll your dice and
run like a normal man his age, despite his unusual limbs hampering his ability to pick up girls. compare it to your Strength Attribute. Your Attributes will cover most ac-
Taken by wanderlust, he left home liquidating his savings for the best Promethean plate
tions you want to perform, but not all. Remaining action will be covered
he could afford, he interfaced them with his body, and left home to see the world, meet
interesting new people and occasion- ally have a bar brawl with them over
by the Background you chose.
Xanadian/Aquilonian politics, trying new and interesting beers and search-
ing for the world’s most attractive Medean females to woo. Somewhere You will notice that some circles are bold.
along the line, he developed a taste for odd jobs, which has given him a This means you have to put a point in that
reputation as something of an explorer.” circle. Strength is one of the Attributes
which has a bold circle. So you have to put
a point in it. If you don’t, you won’t be able
to do anything which requires Strength, and
that would be impossible, unless your char-
acter was armless.

You will also notice that some

circles are divided into two or more
parts. That only means that they
cost more Points to fill. A circle di-
vided into two part cost two Points
to fill, and so on. A circle which is
not completely filled will not count
during the game, so always fill out
the whole circle.

So what should we make of this Alto character? How about a male hero,
tall and proud? A warrior, wearing a fighter’s armor and wielding a… large I was planning to make Alto strong. Not very strong but strong enough.
massive Maul. He would have to be able to wield his Maul after all. He should be fast on
his feet, so that he could do pretty well in a close combat fight. He would
So what would be the difference between the different race options you fight well with his Maul at close combat, but I think a normal gun would
can chose from? Should Alto be a Olympian Human, a Promethean Cy- be good to have as well, for ranged combat.
borg, a Medean, an Aesir Wafan, a Vanir Wafan or a Jotun Wafan? The
main difference between these races is the size of your character and the I’d also give him some points in “speaking” and “acting”. The former
Race specific Traits you can select for them. For example, Medean Traits would allow him to be able to talk well enough to talk himself out of cer-
are only available for Medeans, and so on. tain situations, while the former would allow him to scare people, making
him look more dangerous with his Maul than he actually is.
Human: Small Normal Large
Aesir: Small Normal Humanities would not be his strong point, but he should have decent
Vanir: Normal Large knowledge about Science and how to Repair Wafans. He would also
Jotun: Normal Large Huge have high points in Animal Ken, which will allow him to bond with animals
and learn how to communicate with them. He should also have decent
Small Normal Large Huge values in Driving, allowing him to drive a car or other type of vehicles.
Strength: 9 10 11 13
Toughness: 9 10 11 13 That’s more or less how I think Alto would be. A pretty decent Vanir Wafan
Agility: 11 10 9 8 fighter. He’d know how to talk to people and how to make a living. He’d
Stealth: 11 10 9 7 also know how to survive in the dangerous work that is New Horizon.

If you select a Jotun, it is recommended to not exceed 9 feet in height. PS! The GM should also decide how much Geodites each player
Usually, only NPC characters have Jotuns that are larger than 9 feet, up should get to spend on Traits, Armor, Weapons and Equipment.
to 12 feet actually.

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 Role Playing Game
After investing most of my Points into Attributes, I ended up with the value
8 for Strength (4 Points), the value 5 for Constitution (2 Points), the value
7 for Toughness (3 Points), the value 5 for Willpower (2 Points), the value
7 for Movement (3 Points), the value 7 for Agility (3 Points), the value 7 for
Perception (3 Points), the value 7 for Stealth (3 Points), the value 3 for Act-
ing (1 Points), the value 5 for Speaking (2 Points), the value 0 for Humani-
ties (0 Points), the value 5 for Science (2 Points), the value 0 for Medicine
(0 Points), the value 5 for Repair (2 Points), the value 7 for Animal Ken (3
Points), the value 5 for Driving (2 Points), the value 7 for Close Combat (3
Points), and the value 5 for Ranged Combat (2 Points).
Summarizing the Points spent, we get: 4 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 +
2 + 0 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 4 = 40 Points invested. That means I have 5
Points left to invest into Backgrounds and Traits, and don’t forget that I also
have to invest 3 Points for making Alto a Wafan.
The value written for the Attribute is the maximum value the Attribute
has, and not the number of invested Points.
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Backgrounds and Traits
Now we are moving onto Backgrounds and Traits. I decided to make
Alto a scientist and part-time mercenary, both Backgrounds. He will still
have duties as a scientist, which is a Trait. He has contacts, both as a
scientist and mercenary. Remember also that all Wafan races cost 3
additional points.
Backgrounds are written in the same way as Attributes. The value
shown above the right most circle should be written down. For
Traits however, it’s different. For Traits you do not write down their
value at all. Positive Traits just have their circle marked. Negative
Traits have a horizontal line drawn in the circle.
When you made a dice roll, you compare the values of your two dice
against your Attribute values, and in some cases your Backgrounds. You
never compare your dice to your Traits. This is why you never write down
the values of your Traits, like you do with Attributes and Backgrounds.
And try to make sure that you place your Backgrounds first on the Char-
acter Sheet, and your Traits last.
Remember, that some Traits cost Geodites, and not only Points. Fortu-
nately for Alto, I selected only Traits which are free and do not cost any
Geodites. However, you should always look in the “Trait Costs.xls” file
which can be downloaded from the web-page and check if your Medean,
Promethean Cyborg or Wafan Traits cost any Geodites.
Summarizing the Points spent, we get: 40 + 2 + 1 + 3 + 1 - 1 - 1 = 45.
Encumbrance
Encumbrance is calculated very easily. We know that Alto has a Strength
value of 8. So all you have to do is open the “Stun, Injury, Tables.xls”
file which can be downloaded from the web-page and have a look at the
Encumbrance table.
The three values shown for
Strength 8 is what I will put for
Alto’s three Encumbrance values.
0: 20, means 0 penalty if you carry
something that weights 0-20 kg. When
you reach 100.1 kg, you get no penalty
because you simply cannot move.
39
 New Horizon

Ch ar acter Creation Guide

Damage Thresholds Armor

Now we are going to calculate Alto’s damage thresholds. It’s almost as
easy as doing the Encumbrance, but it requires a small calculation as
well.
Stun Thresholds
To calculate the Stun Thresholds, you need this formula:
• Stun Table Value = Strength + Constitution + 2x (Toughness + Willpower)
For Alto, we perform the calculation like this:
• Stun Table Value = 8 + 5 + 2x (7 + 5) = 13 + 2x (12) = 13 + 24 = 37
Now we are going to give the character some Armor. We will start with
Armor and go for Weapons last. Armor and Weapons are found in the
“Weapons and Armor.xls” file which can be downloaded from the web-
page.
Remember that Armor cost Geodites. Make sure you have enough Geo-
dites to purchase the Armor which you select. And make sure you are
strong enough to carry it as well.
I have selected the Duraplast Armor with helmet for Alto.

Then you compare the calculated value (37) to the Stun Table, to get your
Stun Threshold values.
Take your calcu-
lated Stun Table
Value (37) and see
what Stun Thresh-
old values the table
will give you.

This armor has an X marking for being Hard.

Wound Penalties
To calculate the Would Penalties, you simple compare the Willpower of
your character to the Wound Penalties Table.
Armor gets damaged during a battle when the attack results in a Slow, which
means it gets through the armor. Armor with Hard is very rigid and it provides
better protection. However, it still gets damaged by Stop, which causes it to crack.

Take the Willpower (5 for

Alto) and see what Wound
Penalty values the table
will give you.

Injury Thresholds The Duraplast Armor has Coverage 16. Therefore, the first 16 squares are left
blank (unfilled). The armor has Deflect 4, Stun 5 and Slow 6.
To calculate the Stun Thresholds, you need this formula:
• Injury Table Value = Strength + Constitution + 2x Toughness
You are only able to wear one armor at the time.
For Alto, we perform the calculation like this:
Remember that Armor cost Geodites. Make sure you have enough Geo-
• Injury Table Value = 8 + 5 + 2x (7) = 13 + 14 = 27
dites to purchase the Armor which you select for your Character.
Then you compare the calculated value (27) to the Injury Table, to get
your Injury Threshold values.
Weapons
Calculating Weapon values for your Character is probably the most com-
Take your calcu- plicated part of the Character Creation process. Fortunately, these cal-
lated Injury Table culations are only done once, and don’t have to be redone during game
Value (27) and see play (unless your Attribute values change or your Character receives a
what Injury Thresh- new weapon).
old values the table
will give you. Remember to also select Punch, Kick and Wrestling as a weapon from
the Table, unless your Character is unable to do any of those things. As a
Close Combat weapon, we already have the “Maul” for Alto. As a Ranged
Combat weapon, I chose to give him a handgun, the “Vincere P74 Pistol”.
Once you have acquired your Stun Threshold values, Wound Penalty
values and Injury Threshold values, write them down in your Character
Sheet.

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 Role Playing Game

For both Close Combat weapons and Ranged Combat weapons, you do not
simply take the values from the Table and write them down on your Charac-
ter Sheet. The values in the Table (for each weapon) are Modifiers! These
Modifiers are put into a formula, and the real values are calculated. The formula
also differs between Close Combat weapons and Ranged Combat weapons.
Now that the values for Strike, Guard, Grapple, Defense, Pierce, Stun
and Injury have been calculated for Punch, they can be written down on
the Character Sheet.

Weapon Modifiers
To calculate the three Weapon Modifiers, you
need this formulas:
• Fence = Close Combat - 7
• Power = (Strength + Close Combat)/2 - 7
Now let us do the same calculations for Kick, Wrestling and Maul.
• Precision = Ranged Combat - 7

After making the calculations, you get:

• Fence = 7 - 7 = 0
• Power = (8 + 7)/2 - 7 = 15/2 - 7 = 7,5 - 7 = 0,5 = 0
• Precision = 5 - 7 = -2

Calculations for Close Combat Weapons

We are going to calculate the values for Strike, Guard, Grapple and De-
fense, and we are going to do it for each Close Combat weapon: Punch,
Kick, Wrestling and Maul. We also need to calculate the value for Pierce, • Strike = Fence + Weapon’s Strike Modifier
Stun and Injury for each weapon. Close Combat weapons don’t have a • Guard = Fence + Weapon’s Guard Modifier
value for Attacks, and they usually don’t have a value for Range. • Grapple = Power + Weapon’s Grapple Modifier
• Defense = Power + Weapon’s Defense Modifier
Punch: • Pierce = Power + Weapon’s Pierce Modifier
The formula for Strike is: • Stun = Power + Weapon’s Stun Modifier
• Strike = Fence + Weapon’s Strike Modifier • Injury = Power + Weapon’s Injury Modifier
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Strike Modifier for Punch is 10. So
for Alto, the Strike value is: Kick:
• Strike = 0 + 10 = 10 • Strike = 0 + 9 = 9
• Guard = 0 + 2 = 2
The formula for Guard is: • Grapple = 0 + 12 = 12
• Guard = Fence + Weapon’s Guard Modifier • Defense = 0 + 6 = 6
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Guard Modifier for Punch is 4. So for • Pierce = 0 + 6 = 6
Alto, the Guard value is: • Stun = 0 + 28 = 28
• Guard = 0 + 4 = 4 • Injury = 0 + 20 = 20

The formula for Grapple is: Wrestling:

• Grapple = Power + Weapon’s Grapple Modifier • Strike = -
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Grapple Modifier for Punch is 13. So • Guard = -
for Alto, the Grapple value is: • Grapple = 0 + 12 = 12
• Grapple = 0 + 13 = 13 • Defense = 0 + 9 = 9
• Pierce = bypass
The formula for Defense is: • Stun = 0 + 28 = 28
• Defense = Power + Weapon’s Defense Modifier • Injury = 0 + 26 = 26
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Defense Modifier for Punch is 8. So
for Alto, the Defense value is: Maul:
• Defense = 0 + 8 = 8 • Strike = 0 + 10 = 10
• Guard = 0 + 4 = 4
The formula for Pierce is: • Grapple = -
• Pierce = Power + Weapon’s Pierce Modifier • Defense = 0 + 2 = 2
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Pierce Modifier for Punch is 5. So for • Pierce = 0 + 11 = 11
Alto, the Pierce value is: • Stun = 0 + 35 = 35
• Pierce = 0 + 5 = 5 • Injury = 0 + 30 = 30

The formula for Stun is:

• Stun = Power + Weapon’s Stun Modifier
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Stun Modifier for Punch is 26. So for
Alto, the Stun value is:
• Stun = 0 + 26 = 26

The formula for Injury is:

• Injury = Power + Weapon’s Injury Modifier
The Table shows that the Weapon’s Injury Modifier for Punch is 18. So
for Alto, the Injury value is:
• Injury = 0 + 18 = 18

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 New Horizon

Ch ar acter Creation Guide

Finally, when all the Close Combat weapons are in place, we only need
to calculate the values for the Ranged Combat weapon, the “Vincere P74
Step 4: Damage Thresholds
There are 2 calculations and 3 Table check-ups which must be made here:
Pistol”. The formulas are different though.
1. Stun Table Value = Strength + Constitution + 2x(Toughness + Willpower)
2. Injury Table Value = Strength + Constitution + 2xToughness

• Snap Shot = Precision + Weapon’s Snap Shot Modifier
• Directed = Precision + Weapon’s Directed Modifier
• Aimed = Precision + Weapon’s Aimed Modifier
• Auto = Precision + Weapon’s Auto Modifier
• Attacks = Weapon’s maximum number of attacks per turn
• Range = Weapon’s Range
• Pierce = Weapon’s Pierce Modifier
• Stun = Weapon’s Stun Modifier
• Injury = Weapon’s Injury Modifier
Take the Stun Table value, go to the Stun Table, and see what Stun val-
ues you get for that Stun Table value.
Take the Injury Table value, go to the Injury Table, and see what Injury
values you get for that Injury Table value.
Take your Willpower value (attribute), go to the Wound Penalty Table,
and see what Wound Penalties you get for your Willpower value.
Write the values from the 3 Tables on your Character Sheet.

Vincere P74 Pistol:

• Snap Shot = -2 + 4 = 2
Step 5: Select Armor
Only Table check-ups must be made here:
• Directed = -2 + 6 = 4
• Aimed = -2 + 8 = 6
Go to the Armor Table and select the Armor you want.
• Auto = -2 + 5 = 3
• Attacks = 2
Write the Deflect, Stop and Slow values from the Table on your Character
• Range = 3
Sheet. There are 20 squares on the Character Sheet which belong to
• Pierce = 4
your Armor. They represent the Armor’s Coverage value. If the Armor has
• Stun = 11
Coverage 9 (see Armor Table), then leave the 9 left squares blank, and
• Injury = 24
mark the remaining 11 squares black.

Step 6: Select Weapons

Calculations and Table check-ups must be made here:

Weapon modifiers:
1. Fence = Close Combat - 7
2. Power = (Strength + Close Combat)/2 - 7
3. Precision = Ranged Combat - 7

Write these 3 values on your Character Sheet.

As you can see, the order of the weapons has been rearranged. It does
not matter whether you put Close Combat weapons first and Ranged
weapons last or vice versa. Remember also that Weapons cost Geo-
dites. Make sure you have enough Geodites to purchase the Weapons
which you select for your Character.
Summary
A summary of the steps which you need to take in order to complete filling
out your Character Sheet.
Step 1: Attributes
Take your Points and invest the amount you want in your Attributes. Mark
the circles on your Character Sheet, and write down its values.
Step 2: Backgrounds and Traits
Take your remaining Points and invest them in Traits and Backgrounds.
Write it down on your Character Sheet. Write them down on your Char-
acter Sheet. For Backgrounds, write down the value shown above the cir-
cle, just like for Attributes. For Traits, do not write down any values at all.
Step 3: Encumbrance
There is 1 Table check-up which must be made here:
Take your Strength value (attribute), go to the Encumbrance Table, and
see what Encumbrance values you get for your Strength value. Write the
values from the Table on your Character Sheet.
Close Combat weapons, including Punch, Kick and Wrestling:
1. Strike = Fence + Weapon’s Strike Modifier from Table
2. Guard = Fence + Weapon’s Guard Modifier from Table
3. Grapple = Power + Weapon’s Grapple Modifier from Table
4. Defense = Power + Weapon’s Defense Modifier from Table
5. Pierce = Power + Weapon’s Pierce Modifier from Table
6. Stun = Power + Weapon’s Stun Modifier from Table
7. Injury = Power + Weapon’s Injury Modifier from Table
Write these 7 values for your Close Combat weapon on your Character
Sheet.
Ranged Combat weapons:
1. Snap Shot = Precision + Weapon’s Snap Shot Modifier from Table
2. Directed = Precision + Weapon’s Directed Modifier from Table
3. Aimed = Precision + Weapon’s Aimed Modifier from Table
4. Auto = Precision + Weapon’s Auto Modifier from Table
5. Attacks = Attacks value from Table
6. Range = Range value from Table
7. Pierce = Weapon’s Pierce Modifier from Table
8. Stun = Weapon’s Stun Modifier from Table
9. Injury = Weapon’s Injury Modifier from Table
Write these 9 values for your Ranged Combat weapon on your Character
Sheet.

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 Role Playing Game
Conclusion
Try to avoid having a 0 value in the more important attributes. Someone
without Humanities or Science probably didn’t go to school, but it could still
be a socially functional character. The first ten Attributes, however, are very
basic abilities - there is a huge difference between 0 and 3. If you leave one
of these (thicker) circles blank, it indicates a serious handicap. Someone
without Movement cannot walk, and someone without Constitution gets
exhausted from just sitting. Similarly, a character with 0 Acting is someone
so completely devoid of charisma that automated doors won’t open when
approached. A character with 0 Speaking is unable to communicate more
complex ideas than “me hungry”. So it is recommended to put at least 3
points into all, or most, Attributes, especially those which have thick circles.
Now we have our Character Sheet filled out, and Alto is now ready for ac-
tion. He can now be used for any New Horizon Role Playing Game (RPG).
Each RPG is guided by a Game Master (GM), who will award players
with new Points and Geodites after successfully completing a game/ad-
venture. Each player is allowed to invest these new Points into Traits,
Backgrounds and Attributes. Traits and Backgrounds represent the
Characters “experience”. Just like in real life when a person completes
a task he becomes more experienced and would most likely be able to
complete the same task even better a second time.
The player tells the GM which Traits, Backgrounds or Attributes he wants
to increase using his new Points. However, it is the GM who actually
decides if the player is allowed to increate them or not. You should only
be allowed to increate something which is relevant to what the player
has experienced during the adventure. Or at least it should be something
which would help the player to complete the adventure better the next
time a similar adventure is experienced. The GM very seldom allows
players to invest new Points into new Attributes.
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New Points are invested into Attributes only when it’s relevant. It depends
on what the player did during the latest adventure. If the player performed
heavy weight lifting during his adventure, then an increase is the Strength
attribute would be in order. If the player spent a lot of time learning new
Sciences, then an increase in the Science Attribute might be appropriate.
But an increase in Movement would have been quite odd because it’s not
likely that a player manages to learn how to run faster.
Keep in mind that Attribute should be increased sparsely. Backgrounds and
Traits are more commonly awarded. Investing new Points into Backgrounds
which your player already has is much more common than adding a new
Background to the Character Sheet. Normally, the player would have to go
through some major training in order to gain a totally new Background. Many
Traits also need to be earned, and should not be selected just like that.
This life-like way of handling Attributes allows players to mimic real-life
experience much better than what is possible using other rule systems. It
means that Attributes compared between new players and veteran play-
ers will remain very similar, and it will allow new players and veteran play-
ers to play together. A veteran player will not be twice as strong as a new
player, because in real-life, a 40 year old soldier is not twice as strong as
a 20 year old soldier. However, the veteran player will have much more
Backgrounds and Traits, which simulate experience. The veteran player
will be much better equipped to handle new adventures, with so much
more experience in the baggage after many years of adventuring.
But remember, in the end, it is always the GM who decides what you can
and cannot invest your new Point into.
Our character creation web-page will also help you create a character:
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 New Horizon

NPC Organizations
The Rusty Stars
Every culture goes through hard times, some of them are harder than
others. At times the entire younger generation can be left twisting in the
wind so the older established generations can manage to remain stable
and provide for them and theirs. However where does that leave the
young folks in their twenties and thirties, desperate to leave the nest
but unable and ostracized or scorned for their lack of jobs? The Walk of
Man, always an old fashioned place run by some well to do senior gen-
try of the blue collar variety, have always been opposed to unnecessary
modernization. In the face of the Walk of Man losing business to more
modernized, albeit less plentiful, resource gathering operations count-
less orders for resources were shifted to regions that could provide them
more quickly, like Aquilons deep water mining operations.
The typical rusty star agent wears cheap imported body armor when on
mission, wearing a bandana of Red or white around their neck, pulled up
over their faces on missions. Beyond that, they’ve got little in the way of
formal uniforms. Their weapons are primarily imported semi automatic
weapons, and full autos if they can get them. A few more elite soldiers
in their group will carry heavier ordnance or impressive melee weapons.
The leaders of their ‘freedom fighter’ groups are often simply called
Leads, and their regular recruits called ‘the padfoots.’ A Lead will usually
be slightly better armored and armed, as well as more experienced, and
may be accompanied by an especially tough body guard, the duty usually
falling to quick response trained Vanirs or Medeans.

In the face of the modern leaderships stubborn refusal to modernize and
expand, many young folks were beginning to question the wisdom of
their elders, believing that they, in fact, may have lost perspective on
what’s really important, placing their generations values ahead of the well
being of the current generation.
To that end, an organization called The Shining Stars was founded to
protest the so called Voice of the West’s system. Their many protests
went unanswered, and one day after nearly a year, when their protests
reached a fever pitch, as they assailed the Council of the Voices head-
quarters with over a thousand protesters, speaking from bullhorns, their
leader personally called out Avery Savern, the current public representa-
tive of the voice. Their yelled arguments reached a fever pitch, and a line
was crossed, guns were pulled, and one man was left dead. But with
Saverns death, the local constables had no absolutely no choice but to
clear the streets by force.
They have a few especially elite units, often extremely talented merce-
naries, who they utilize for quick strike raids and guards for their crucial
facilities where they hide their growing stocks of weapons and vehicles.
Rust Stars tend to hole up anywhere they can, sometimes even taking
over industrial facilities, and continuing their output for their own pur-
poses, sometimes even feigning to continue shipments and maintaining
the illusion of their bases standard operation as long as possible.
However, they often go out of their way not to hurt the occupants if at
all possible, often keeping them guarded for as long as they can, before
pulling out with their ill gotten goods, but a few Rust Stars take liberties
with their prisoners, or even kill them outright for ‘supporting a system
that doesn’t work.’ Few other stars condone this.

Alabaster, the towns Sheriff yelled at them through his megaphone, call-
ing them “you damned fools are nothing but rusty stars,” forever chang-
Rusty Star Bandit
ing how these young folks were viewed. They were driven from the
streets, arrested by the dozens, high ranking officers tracked down and
arrested. Their leader, a young Olympian named Jebedia Kamerer. stood
trial, a virtual kangaroo court trial, and was convicted of the murder in
less than a week. Though due process was dubious, the video evidence
was absolutely irrefutable.

In the wake of Jebediahs hanging, the men now called the Rusty Stars
faced difficult decisions without the benefit of their level headed leader-
ship. Many now favored direct actions and those few that still favored
rational discourse were quickly shouted down by the others who’d lost
family and friends due to what they were calling The Purge. The change
began with acts of vandalism, then theft of government property but with
the governments dismissive denouncement of them as nothing more
than petty criminals, it quickly spread to acts of arson and sabotage.

With this change to a more violent standing, a new leader emerged. A

disenchanted Vanir woman named Olga Redstream. Hailing from Cork,
Olga was believed to have been the lover of Jebediah Kamerer. Her ac-
tions began leading the so called Rusty Stars down a dark and angry
path. Reform was not forgotten, but revenge seemed to be a much stron-
ger goal for many of their actions than any real sort of social justice.

Spurred on by their seeming lawlessness, many gangs of bandits, and

individual highwayman became far bolder and began rearing their ugly
heads. Small groups of extra-national criminals were even beginning to
suspect that the Walk was unable, or even unwilling to expend the re-
sources to protect themselves.

Lawlessness was running rampant in the walk. This led to the current
proclamation of open war on outlaws, the s called ‘Season of Gunshots.’
With the somewhat reluctant proclamation of the bounty on outlaws, the
Rusty Stars only stepped up their aggression.

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 Role Playing Game

Non-Player Ch ar acters (NPCs)

Non-Player Characters
Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are characters controlled by the Game
Master (GM) in New Horizon role-playing games (RPGs). A GM can se-
lect the NPCs he/she wants to use in the game and makes them interact
with the players who are part of the game.
Extensively audits the other factions to maintain government transpar-
ency. Fights for equitable exchange rates of raw materials exported from
the Walk of Man. Alabaster has to this day 135 arrests on his account,
and 40 kills in the line of law enforcement duty.

Alabaster Those who wish to help protecting the land should report to Trapper Town and
sign up for a job as deputy of the Allied Regional Militia (ARM). Talk to either
• Race: Aesir Wafan Kaleb or Alabaster in Trapper Town for an admission into the ARM, which cost
• Gender: Male one Geodite. Each member will be given a numbered badge and work to keep
them busy and our land clean. Alabaster is the High Marshal or Trapper Town.
From 2490 2470 - 2490 High Marshall essentially amounts to Alabaster being the man who takes the
reports from all the sheriffs and marshals in the entire Walk of Man, and has to
• City/Region: Azuremar Plains • City/Region: Walk of Man deal with all their problems. He’s also the local ARM contact.
• Faction: The Avalon Council • Faction: Trapper Town
• Tenure: 9 years
Alabaster
Appearance
Alabaster is a grizzled looking older male Aesir Wafan in his late thirties.
He has medium grade armor and two energy pistols, an Ultrasound Attributes Backgrounds & Traits
Blaster and an EMP Blaster, one on each hip. He is also fairly solidly built. Strength: 7 Humanities: 7 Law Enforcement Agent: 8
Constitution: 8 Science: 3 Mesa Trapper: 7
Background Toughness:
Willpower:
9
9
Medicine:
Repair:
3
3
Aesir Wafan:
Ambidexterity:
3p
1p
Alabaster is the former crèche mate of Kaleb, these two were born and raised
in a Aesir and Vanir joint crèche, a very rare thing. They both took different Movement: 8 Animal Ken: 5 Contact: 3p
paths, one an outlaw, but Alabaster was ever the prodigal son and worked his Agility: 7 Driving: 8 Sense of Orientation & Time: 2p
way up the law enforcement ranks until he became the High Marshall for the Perception: 8 Close Combat: 5 Duties: -1p
entire Walk of Man. Before 2490 he was a member of The Voice of the West Stealth: 5 Ranged Combat: 7 Enemy: -3p
but then he was kicked “upstairs” for personality conflict reasons. During 2470 Acting: 8 Silent Machinery: 1p
he was a member of a Sheriff’s Posse for a time. He was raised in Trapper Speaking: 9 Swiftness: 1p
Town and he is the only remaining member of his family, although he follows
them in politics.
Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow:
Regnant Jacket 11 4 6 11
Alabaster

Encumbrance 0: -2: -5:

15 30 75

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Attacks:

Range:
Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Fence: -2
Power: -1
Precision: 0

Ultrasound Blaster: 6 8 9 7 2 3 1 28 22
EMP Blaster: 4 7 9 8 3 3 10 30 24
Punch: 8 2 12 7 4 25 17
Kick: 7 0 11 5 5 27 19
Wrestling: 11 8 BP 27 25

Damage thresholds Ranges

Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m
2 20 m 7 1000 m
Arms:
Legs:

Negligible 8 5 Negligible
Minor 13 0 11 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m
Moderate 18 -3 18 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m
Serious 23 -5 24 Serious 5 200 m
Severe 28 30 Severe Difficulty: Average / Hard

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 New Horizon

Non-Player Ch ar acters (NPCs)

Their goal is to overthrow local government to create a so called ‘Demo-
Rusty Stars
Bandits are just as common in the Walk of Man as Hunters are. In fact, Ban-
cratically Correct Government of the Peoples’. This is the so-called Sea-
son of Gunshots, with the Rusty Stars and other bandits making so much
dits are common in every wild corner of the world, whether it is in Youzem, trouble that it threatens the whole economy of the world.
Neo Titania or Aquilon. Bandits prey upon hapless travelers and soldiers alike.
They are lawless rogues who only live for thievery and burglary. Some bandits
belong to a dangerous group called the Rusty Stars. Rampant banditry and Creating a new NPC
blatant acts of sabotage by the Rusty Stars has been sighted all over the re- Using these following guidelines you can easily create suitable NPCs
gion. Their goal is to overthrow local government to create a so called ‘Demo- for your game.
cratically Correct Government of the Peoples’. The Trapper Town Marshalls
are putting up large bounties towards the capture of these wretched humans Normal creation process for a new NPC:
and wafans, especially if they are part of the infamous Rusty Stars. During the You can create a new NPC in the same way as you create a new player
recent economic down turn affecting the entire Walk of Man region the Animus character. You invest a specific amount of Points into Attributes, Back-
bandits known as the Rusty Stars has been working overtime to make things grounds and Traits, and then you select armor, weapons, equipment and
even more unpleasant than what they already are. Rampant banditry and bla- complete the character sheet.
tant acts of sabotage by the Rusty Stars has been sighted all over the region.

Rusty Star Leader (Lead) Rusty Star Bandit (Padfoot)

Attributes Backgrounds & Traits Attributes Backgrounds & Traits
Strength: 7 Humanities: 5 Trapper (any): 8 Strength: 7 Humanities: 3 Trapper (any): 7
Constitution: 5 Science: 3 Sense of Orientation & Time: 2p Constitution: 5 Science: 3 Sense of Orientation & Time: 2p
Toughness: 7 Medicine: 3 Toughness: 7 Medicine: 3
Willpower: 9 Repair: 3 Willpower: 7 Repair: 3
Movement: 8 Animal Ken: 5 Movement: 7 Animal Ken: 3
Agility: 5 Driving: 5 Agility: 5 Driving: 3
Perception: 5 Close Combat: 8 Perception: 5 Close Combat: 7
Stealth: 8 Ranged Combat: 8 Stealth: 7 Ranged Combat: 7
Acting: 5 Acting: 3
Speaking: 7 Speaking: 5

Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow: Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow:
Hunter Jacket 10 4 7 12 Hunter Vest 7 4 7 12

Encumbrance 0: -2: -5: Encumbrance 0: -2: -5:

15 30 75 15 30 75

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Attacks:

Range:

Attacks:

Range:
Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Fence: 1 Fence: 0
Power: 0 Power: 0
Precision: 1 Precision: 0

Ophion F-40: 4 9 10 8 4 3 5 11 26 Ophion F-30: 4 7 9 7 4 3 4 10 24

Sword (cut): 14 7 5 5 25 30 Short Sword (cut): 12 5 13 6 4 20 29
Sword (thrust): 14 7 11 6 6 23 28 Short Sword (thrust): 12 5 14 6 5 22 27
Punch: 11 5 13 8 5 26 18 Punch: 10 4 13 8 5 26 18
Kick: 10 3 12 6 6 28 20 Kick: 9 2 12 6 6 28 20
Wrestling: 12 9 BP 28 26 Wrestling: 12 9 BP 28 26

Damage thresholds Ranges Damage thresholds Ranges

Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m
2 20 m 7 1000 m 2 20 m 7 1000 m
Arms:
Legs:

Arms:
Legs:

Negligible 6 4 Negligible Negligible 6 4 Negligible

Minor 12 0 10 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m Minor 11 -1 10 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m
Moderate 17 -3 16 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m Moderate 16 -4 16 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m
Serious 22 -5 22 Serious 5 200 m Serious 21 -8 22 Serious 5 200 m
Severe 26 29 Severe Difficulty: Average Severe 25 29 Severe Difficulty: Average

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 Role Playing Game

You can also use a NPC without filling out his character sheet. If you want to Attributes for Player Character and NPCs have the values 3, 5, 7-15.
fight an average NPC, then he will have the value 0 for his Modifiers: Fence, Monsters on the other had have values 1-20. Here are some pointers:
Power and Precision. It means that you don’t have to add these values to its • 3 = Weak.
weapon statistics. In other words, you can select a weapon from the weapon’s • 5 = Normal.
table and use its statistics without making any modifications to its statistics. • 7 = Trained.
• 8 = Experienced.
Different improvised NPCs: • 9 = Elite, after a lot of hard work and time.
• Average NPC: Just use the weapons table data without modification. • 10 = Phenomenal. Humanly maximum which is very rare, and it’s
• Better NPC: Assume all Weapon Modifiers are +1, or perhaps even +2. even more rare to have this value in several attributes.
• Worse NPC: Set all Weapon Modifiers are -1, -2 or whatever’s appropriate. • 11 = Superhuman. Maybe possible with extreme talent or with the
help of chemical, mechanical or biological advancements and
It is possible to create your own Non-Playing Characters (NPCs) for New with an enormous amount of training.
Horizon, as well as your own Monsters which follow the same creation • 12 = Legendary. More or less impossible to reach without the help
process. of external sophisticated cybernetics or biological improvements.

Robber Thug
Attributes Backgrounds & Traits Attributes Backgrounds & Traits
Strength: 7 Humanities: 3 Trapper (any): 7 Strength: 7 Humanities: 3 Trapper (any): 3
Constitution: 5 Science: 3 Sense of Orientation & Time: 2p Constitution: 5 Science: 3 Clumsy: -3p
Toughness: 7 Medicine: 3 Toughness: 5 Medicine: 3 Coward: -2p
Willpower: 7 Repair: 3 Willpower: 5 Repair: 3 Ugly: -1p
Movement: 5 Animal Ken: 3 Movement: 5 Animal Ken: 3
Agility: 5 Driving: 3 Agility: 3 Driving: 3
Perception: 5 Close Combat: 5 Perception: 5 Close Combat: 5
Stealth: 3 Ranged Combat: 5 Stealth: 3 Ranged Combat: 5
Acting: 3 Acting: 3
Speaking: 5 Speaking: 5

Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow: Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow:
Leather Jacket 10 2 4 7 Armor Jacket 10 2 3 6

Encumbrance 0: -2: -5: Encumbrance 0: -2: -5:

15 30 75 15 30 75

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Attacks:

Range:

Attacks:

Range:
Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Fence: -2 Fence: -2
Power: -1 Power: -1
Precision: -2 Precision: 2

Skinbreaker: 2 6 7 4 2 3 2 25 34 Ares Pistol: 3 3 6 4 2 3 4 10 24

Punch: 8 2 12 7 4 25 17 Knife (slash): 9 1 13 6 1 13 26
Kick: 7 0 11 5 5 27 19 Knife (thrust): 8 2 14 6 4 19 24
Wrestling: 11 8 BP 27 25 Punch: 8 2 12 7 4 25 17
Kick: 7 0 11 5 5 27 19
Wrestling: 11 8 BP 27 25

Damage thresholds Ranges Damage thresholds Ranges

Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m
2 20 m 7 1000 m 2 20 m 7 1000 m
Arms:
Legs:

Arms:
Legs:

Negligible 6 4 Negligible Negligible 4 3 Negligible

Minor 11 -1 10 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m Minor 9 -2 9 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m
Moderate 16 -4 16 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m Moderate 14 -5 15 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m
Serious 21 -8 22 Serious 5 200 m Serious 20 -10 22 Serious 5 200 m
Severe 25 29 Severe Difficulty: Average Severe 24 28 Severe Difficulty: Easy / Average

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47
 New Horizon
Vo|t Rule System
Vo|t
Different role-playing rule systems can be applied and/or used with the
New Horizon world and its different games.
Vo|t is a role-playing system developed to be used for different genres
and worlds, with only a few adjustments for the setting. Vo|t has been
adapted for New Horizon and is the official rule system for this book. This
book is using version 3.0 of the Vo|t rule system.
Vo|t is a set of rules and practices designed to quickly and accurately de-
termine the realistic outcome of a character’s action, taking both skill and
circumstance into account. The abilities of a character are summed up on
the character sheet, and chance is represented by two twenty-sided dice
(d20). No other dice or tables are used in-game.
How to read
The idea is to read through the entire text in the order it’s been written,
just like any ordinary book, not following any page references. The refer-
ences are there to serve as a guide to the reader who, once familiar with
the text, might use the text more as a reference work.
Vo|t Doctrine 1: Pace
In order to keep the focus on the story, the system needs to reach a
result using as few and as simple operations as possible. The human
brain tends to handle comparison better than calculation. Consequently,
Vo|t will ask “Which is the higher of A and B?” rather than “What is A
multiplied by B?”
When comparison was not an option, the system uses single digit addi-
tion and subtraction only.
Time in combat is measured in seconds, where each one is enough for
a single, immediate intention (action): run a few meters, take cover, aim,
shoot etc. Like in most systems, players take turns to describe the ac-
tions of their characters. Vo|t attempts to minimize the time needed to
determine the outcome of each action. Every intention should require no
more than one roll, and whenever possible - no roll at all. There are no
tables or charts to look up in combat. The turn should pass swiftly, main-
taining a steady flow of events as well as a sense of urgency.
Vo|t Doctrine 2: Sense
The outcome determined by the system needs to make sense in the
game’s world. While this does not necessarily mean the outcome should
be realistic, as in coherent with our own reality, it usually means similar
factors need to be taken into account. Long range, moving target, fog - it
makes sense that this sort of thing would reduce the accuracy of a shot,
even if the game isn’t supposed to work exactly like our world. If the
rules fail to depict an outcome that belongs in the game, the rules need
to be changed.
That said, there are no classes, levels or hit points in Vo|t. The only re-
striction for equipment is common sense (the Storyteller’s): Anyone can
wear heavy armor, and anyone can use an assault rifle. Without an ap-
propriate Background there will be penalties, but there is no mystical
force that prevents you from equipping it. Improvements are achieved
gradually, one Point at a time. Having more Points does not increase the
damage you can take or dish out unless that’s where you spend them.
Injuries are based on thresholds: either it is bad enough to be a severe
wound, or it isn’t. This means three right hooks will not mysteriously add
up to the impact of a sledgehammer, and 50 paper-cuts will not kill you.
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Vo|t Doctrine 3: Balance
Vo|t defines “balance” as a state where every character can contribute to
the group’s achievements to a roughly equal degree. The basic premiss
of balance is that cost is determined solely and exclusively by useful-
ness, to the character and to the group.
It is a common misconception that balance means restricting key-abilities
to a certain race, “class”, profession, or the like, effectively limiting the
player’s choices. This does save the designers a bit of work, since there
will be fewer combinations to be weighed and compared - but in itself,
enforcing stereotypes is no guarantee for balance.
Many systems set the cost of an ability in direct proportion to how hard it
is to learn. The problem with this method is that a pianist may have spent
just as much time refining her skills as a marksman. However, her abili-
ties are not likely to let her contribute as much in the group’s undertak-
ings. In Vo|t, that makes shooting more expensive to master than playing
the piano. This also means that if you are able to lift half a metric ton, that
is what you pay for - regardless of race, gender, trade, or the color of your
socks. There are no hidden back doors to cheaper improvements. If you
want an Attribute to increase, that is where you put your Points.
Doctrine 4: Immersion
The system is designed to keep the focus on the story as it is told; not
on dice or charts. Only the Storyteller needs to be familiar with Vo|t, and
no player needs to think or speak of rules or numbers in-game. Players
merely describe their character’s intentions:
• A: “I (want to) track them down”.
• B: “I shoot him in the leg”.
• C: “I (attempt to) stop the bleeding”.
The Storyteller uses Vo|t to get an objective result of this intention:
• A: Rolls Hunter, Success: “You find trampled grass, the trail leads to
the south-east”.
• B: Rolls Ranged Combat, Partial Success: “Your shot strays too
high - the bullet hits him in the back”.
• C: Rolls Medicine, Failure: “The wound is all wrapped up, but the
bleeding won’t stop”.
Vo|t is designed to run silently, with the Storyteller handling all the num-
bers and rolls. In the end how you choose to play it is a matter of personal
preferences. If you’d rather have the players take care of their own rolls,
the system won’t break because of it.
3
11
 Role Playing Game
Combat
Conflicts in which the participants risk injury and/or death are what we
call “combat”. This is the only part of Vo|t with its own, detailed mechan-
ics. This is partly because it generally means a higher degree of risk than
other things, and the characters also have a lot to lose: generally, life and
limb. It is also because actual combat is usually so frenzied and confus-
ing that it becomes very hard to keep track of what is actually happening,
without using a structured system to describe it.
We divide combat into two types: Close combat and Ranged combat.
Close Combat
Close combat is divided into three distances: Grappling, Striking and
Extended:
• Grappling distance is when you’re close enough to hug your
opponent, strangle her, or throw her to the ground.
• Striking distance is when you or the weapon you’re holding can
directly touch your opponent with just one quick step forward.
• Extended is the distance when you require a long weapon, such
as a spear or a staff, to reach your opponent.
Supposing both combatants are aware of each other’s hostile intentions,
combat usually starts at Striking distance, or at Extended if either of them
has sufficient range to attack from it.
Ranged Combat
Ranged combat is any kind of combat taking place at greater distances
than Close combat range. This means using weapons capable of injuring
an opponent from a distance - examples include thrown rocks, bows and
arrows, and automatic weapons.
Taking turns
In order to break combat down into manageable pieces, we divide it into
Turns. One turn is about one second long. Each turn, each character or
NPC involved is allowed to take one Action (see below).
Initiative
The order in which characters and NPCs take their turn is determined
by their Initiative value. The Initiative value is generated only once, dur-
ing the very first Turn. First, all combatants declare the Actions (see be-
low) they plan on taking in the first Turn. Calculate their Target numbers.
Those Target numbers are also the Target numbers for the Initiative roll,
with the exception that Encumbrance modifiers are always applied, even
for ranged weapon attacks.
Roll against the Initiative target number. The result is the character or
NPC’s Initiative value. The character or NPC with the highest successful
Initiative roll acts first, meaning his or her Action is declared first in all
turns but the first, and resolved first in all turns including the first, followed
by the second highest successful roll, and so on. When all those whose
Initiative rolls were successful have taken their turn, those who failed
their rolls act - again, ordered from highest to lowest.
When all have acted or chosen not to act, the Turn is over. Those able
and willing to continue may do so, and the next Turn begins. The initiative
values remain unchanged until the end of combat.
Combat generally continues until all participants on at least one “side”
are unwilling or unable to continue.
Example: Eva, Jacob, Lee and Anna are about to begin fighting. They roll their Initiative
rolls. Eva gets a 3 Success, Jacob an 8 Failed, Lee 4 Success and Anna 12 Failed. The
initiative order for the battle is as follows: Lee, Eva, Anna, Jacob.
In the first turn, after Initiative has been determined, characters and
NPC’s resolve their Actions according to their newly determined Initia-
tive order. In all turns after the first, this order is used - and Actions are
resolved right after they are declared.
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Combat
The exception: Close combat
At any time during a Turn, a character who has not yet acted may use
an Action to make a close combat attack against anyone in reach. This
overrides Initiative and may interrupt the movement of another character.
The target of a close combat attack may react immediately and take his
or her Action in direct response to the attack. The counterattack is only
possible if the defender has not yet acted in the current Turn and is aware
of the attacker’s presence and hostile intent.
Example: Eva decides to use her Action this turn to attack Jacob. This means Jacob is
given the opportunity to respond immediately, and he chooses to do so by attacking Eva.
Their attacks are resolved. Now, it’s Anna’s turn, and she chooses to attack Eva. Since
Eva has already acted in this turn, she may not counterattack. She still defends herself,
but she may not make an offensive Action. After Anna’s attack is resolved, the turn ends:
Jacob has already acted in the turn, thereby using up his Action.
Actions
Actions are things you attempt in the conflict, such as attacking, taking
cover or reloading. When the turn comes up in the Initiative order, a char-
acter’s controlling player may declare an Action. This simply means that
the action is described - it may be declared by using its name in theses
mechanics, or by using some form of more fanciful description - an Attack
could be described as a punch or a kick - or even be shown physically by
the controlling player (“I hit him like this”, showing a punch in the air). It is
then up to the GM to interpret the declarations and ask for clarification or
further description if anything seems unclear.
Once declared, the Action is resolved. How an Action is resolved de-
pends on the nature and type of the Action.
Attack type:
There are four types of attacks, regardless of the range. Each type de-
scribes a particular kind of intent with the attack:
• Most attacks are simply intended to maximize damage; this is the
Default attack type.
• It’s also possible to specify an intent to disarm an opponent. This
usually means targeting the arms and hands, and is declared as the
Disarm attack type.
• The third attack type is Immobilize, which signifies the intent to put
the opponent out of commission while not necessarily killing her,
often by targeting the legs.
• The attacker may also intend to Bypass armor in order to increase
her chances of actually getting though the opponent’s armor. This is
the fourth and final attack type.
The attack type should be declared when the attack itself is declared.
The GM should make sure that the players are familiar with the different
types and intentions.
Passive:
Attacks have a distinct difference from other rolls: they must not only
succeed, but also do better than the opponent’s attempts to not get hit.
These attempts are called the opponent’s Passive. For an attack to hit
the target, the Success must be higher than Passive. In Close combat,
Passive is determined by the opponent’s skill and weaponry. For Ranged
combat, Passive is determined by the distance to the target. The target’s
size and motion may also come into play.
Close combat
Any character or NPC may choose to go into Close combat with anyone
who is within range of the weapon used in the attack. Throwing a weapon
does not count as a close combat attack. In close combat, the characters
involved chose one attack each from the character sheet. This is done
even if it is the character’s intention to only defend in this Turn. If the
defender has used (or is about to use) a Close combat attack during
this Turn, she must use the Passive values from that attack. Otherwise,
the defender may choose an appropriate Passive (Guard or Defense,
depending on the distance) from any readied weapon.
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 New Horizon
Combat
Close combat Attack:
In Striking or Extended distance, the attacker rolls Strike, against the
target’s Passive: Guard. In grappling distance, the attacker rolls Grapple,
against the target’s Passive: Defense.
The attacker needs a Successful result higher than the target’s Passive
to hit. Otherwise, the attack has failed, being either blocked, dodged or
otherwise averted by the defender.
Both the attacker and the defender may be the subject of penalties, such
as injuries, fighting in total darkness (-5), or Encumbrance, see page 31.
Example: Abel tries to hit Kain with an axe. Kain isn’t within grappling distance, so Abel
rolls his Strike, which is 9. Kain can defend himself, and his Guard is 3. Abel needs to roll
between 4 and 9 with at least one die in order to hit Kain.
Should the target be unable to defend for whatever reason (e.g. caught
by surprise or tied to a chair), neither Defense nor Guard counts.
Counterattack: When a close combat attack is made against a target who
can see the attack coming, the defender may use her Action (if she has not
used it already) to immediately make a counterattack. In the counterattack
the roles are, of course, reversed - the defender becomes the attacker, and
vice versa. In Close combat, both attacks are first declared, and then they
occur simultaneously. This means that even if one attack causes injury or
death, it will not affect the opponent’s attack in this Turn. It is possible (and
not too uncommon) for two combatants to kill each other.
Reckless attack: The intention to attack recklessly must be announced
before the opponent takes any Action, for instance at the beginning of the
Turn. The reckless character gains +3 to her attack, but anyone attacking
her in this Turn gains +5. Both attacks and counterattacks can be Reckless.
Example: At the beginning of the Turn, Kain’s player announces that the character is
going to be reckless this Turn. His Strike is 8 and he gains the +3 bonus for a total Strike
value of 11. On the other hand, Abel will gain +5 when attacking Kain, and so will anyone
else attacking Kain in this Turn.
Repeated Attempts in Close Combat:
Making the same kind of attack with the same weapon against the same
target two Turns in a row is predictable. In effect, the second attempt in-
curs a -2 penalty to Strike, Guard, Grapple and Defense. Switching back
and fourth between two different attacks does not trigger this penalty, and
making the same attack more than twice does not increase it any further.
For example, if the attacker has already made one attempt to Disarm an op-
ponent with a right hand knife thrust there are three ways to avoid this penalty:
• Change the type of attack: Immobilize instead of disarm, or slash
instead of thrust.
• Attack using another weapon (this works even if it is an identical
knife held in the left hand).
• Attack another opponent.
Maneuvering
Maneuvering is part of an Attack Action and represents the intentional
change in distance between two combatants; decrease or increase. It is
declared before the attacks, and the fighter with the lowest Agility value
must decide first. Maneuvering does not require rolls, with one exception:
In order to increase the distance to an opponent that wishes to decrease
it, the character must pass an Agility roll.
• If either fighter is Reckless, the distance automatically decreases,
and no Agility roll is made.
• If the Agility roll succeeds, the distance is increased.
• If the Agility roll fails, the character may not attack that opponent
this Turn, and the distance is not increased.
If one combatant decreases the distance while the other successfully
increases it, the distance remains unchanged.
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50
If both fighters attempt the same kind of maneuver, the change in distance
is still only one step at a time: decreased distance from Extended becomes
Striking - not Grappling. A character may attempt to decrease the distance
from Grappling. This does prevent the opponent from increasing it to Strik-
ing distance without passing an Agility roll, but it has no other effect.
While the Agility roll for Maneuvering is done before the attacks, the ac-
tual change in Distance occurs after the attacks have been resolved.
Example: Faust and Josua are at Striking Distance. Josua attempts to close in to Grap-
pling Distance. Not willing to take the risk of backing away, Faust stands his ground. Their
attacks are resolved using Strike versus Guard. Faust did not attempt to increase the
Distance: the next Turn they will be at Grappling Distance.
When fighting several opponents at once, a character may only decrease
the distance to one of them, but may roll Agility to increase the distance
to each opponent.
Ranged Combat
The main difference between close and ranged combat is that in the latter, it is a
lot harder to defend oneself directly against incoming attacks. Instead, one must
rely on finding shelter, moving around and distracting the opponent - by return-
ing fire, for instance - to increase the chances of getting out of the battle alive.
Ranged combat Attack:
The likelihood of hitting a target with a ranged weapon depends largely
on to what extent the weapon is already pointed at it.
• Aimed: If the entire previous Turn was spent Aiming at the target,
the weapon’s Aimed value is used as the Target number. As soon
as the first shot has been fired, however, the Aimed bonus is lost,
unless another turn is spent Aiming.
• Directed: A readied weapon can fire directed shots at any target in
the direction in which it is pointed. Weapons are considered
“directed” at an area as wide as the Range in meters.
Example: 10m away (Range 2), the weapon is Directed at a circle with a 2m radius.
• Snap Shot: When firing at a target outside the area covered by
Directed, Snap Shot is used.
Example: A sniper is aiming at an enemy lieutenant in a camp, 500m away (Range 6).
Suddenly, a captured spy is dragged out of a tent 4m away from the target. The sniper
can, this Turn, either fire an Aimed shot at the lieutenant, or a Directed shot at the cap-
tured spy (as the spy is within 6m of the target). If the spy had been 20m away from the
lieutenant, the sniper could only have fired a Snap shot at him.
• Against a moving target less than 5m away, one may only fire Snap Shots.
There are factors which may affect the Target Number of a Ranged attack:
• +5 Peace and quiet (not a combat situation, or anything else
causing comparable levels of stress).
• +2 Shooter is not threatened (target is unaware or unable to retaliate).
• -2 Special Ranged Attack (i.e Disarm, Immobilize or Bypass Armor
attack)
• -2 Reduced sight (fog, gloom, blinded by light)
• -5 Blind Fire (the shooter knows roughly where the target is, but
can’t see it: always snap shot)
There are also factors which may affect the target’s Passive:
Target Size
• -1 Large (the size of a car or a larger riding mount, Huge jotuns)
• +1 Small (drones, the engine of a car, animals the size of a dog)
Target Position
• +1 Prone
• +2 Partial Cover (mostly hiding around a corner or behind a large
object)
• +3 Entrenched (a good, well-prepared firing-position)
Target Motion
• +1 Walking
• +2 Running (the target has moved a total of 10m or more during
this and the previous Turn)
 Role Playing Game

Ranges: Natasha rolls one die for the remaining attack against Andrew. It comes up 11 - higher
For Ranged combat, much of the Passive is determined by the distance than the Auto value. It misses. She then rolls two dice for the attacks against Nick, which
to the target: come up as 4 and 15. 15 is a miss. 4, however, is a hit. The weapon is no longer Directed
Range: Distance:
at either one of the targets.
1 10 m
Blind fire:
2 20 m
Blind fire means shooting at a target with a more or less known location,
3 50 m
but no visual contact (e.g. total darkness, blinded by strong light or firing
4 100 m
around a corner without looking). Blind fire is always Snap Shot (or Auto
5 200 m
If the distance is when firing several rounds) at -5.
6 500 m
about 10m, the
7 1 000 m Movement
Range is 1. If it is
8 2 000 m
closer to 20m, it is 2. As an Action, a character may move up to its Movement in meters. When
9 5 000 m
attempting to outrun, catch up with, slink past or block the escape of
The weapon’s Range value determines the longest Range at which it is someone in open terrain, an opposed Movement roll is used. In a more
still accurate. It can be fired at targets one notch beyond its Range (and confined space, like indoors among chairs and tables, in an scrubby for-
no more than one), but this incurs a -5 penalty. est or under water, use an opposed Agility check.

Example: A pistol has Range 3, and is used to fire at a target 100m away (Range 4). The
shooter receives a -5 penalty to the shot, and must score higher than 4 to hit. If the target
had been 200m away, the shooter would not have been able to hit.
Multiple Attacks:
If the weapon has 2 or more Attacks per Turn, it may be fired multiple
times each Turn. The number of attacks is not the same thing as the
number of bullets leaving the weapon. Below is an approximation:
Attacks: Rounds:
1 1
2 2
3 5
4 10
5 20
6 50
7 100
“Rounds” being to total number of rounds fired that turn, including the initial
one. Roll one die for each additional attack the player chooses to make.
Every die that is equal to or lower than Auto but higher than the target’s
Passive is a hit. For every hit, the initial attack becomes more dangerous:
• Pierce +1
• Stun +3
• Injury +3
If two or more attacks made in one turn miss, the weapon is no longer
Directed. Resolve the effect of the initial attack using the modified dam-
age. No other rolls are made.
Example: The initial Aimed shot of an automatic burst hits the target. The weapon has
4 Attacks, and one die is rolled for each of the three remaining attacks. Two of them
are lower than or equal to Auto but higher than Passive, so the Pierce of the Attack is
increased by 2, and Stun and Injury are increased by 6 each. Since two of the attacks
missed, the weapon is no longer Directed at the target.
Multiple Targets: The attacker may distribute the attacks over several
targets no more than 90° apart, from the attackers point of view. For
every full 5m between the intended targets the furthest apart from one
another, one Attack is lost. After having firing upon multiple targets, the
weapon is never considered Directed.
Movement can be combined with other Actions, with the following limitations:
• Movement can be combined with a Close Combat Action without
penalties. If the target is aware of the Movement, this gets the
character no closer than Striking Distance from the target, or
Extended if the target has a long weapon. From there, use
Maneuver.
• Attempting to Aim a ranged weapon while moving renders the
weapon Directed, not Aimed. -2 to ranged attacks, Movement is
halved.
• All attacks end the Movement. A character may not (in the same
Turn) attack and then move.
• Combining Movement with any Action other than attacks incurs a
-2 penalty to both Movement and the other Action, if applicable.
• Ducking and weaving to present a more difficult target reduces
Movement by -2. A successful Agility roll increases Passive to +3
(Irregular) instead of the usual +2 (Running).
Wait
Another possibility is to wait, simply passing the turn on to the next Initia-
tive score in line. A waiting character may choose to act immediately after
any other character, but may not interrupt their Actions. When the wait-
ing character has acted, she returns to her regular place in the Initiative
order, as of the next turn. When it is the waiting character’s turn to act
again, she may continue to wait, or do something else.
A waiting character may be ready to perform one specified Action, such
as firing in a certain direction (about 90°maximum width, Snap shot
unless a target is specified), drop prone, remotely trigger an explosive
charge etc. The specified waiting Action may be used to cut off another
character’s Action. If several waiting characters react to the same event,
they act simultaneously. If it for some reason is very important in what
order they act (e.g. a good old Mexican standoff), they roll a temporary
Initiative to determine the order.
If the waiting character wishes to take an Action that is not specified as
above, this Action will take place after the event that the character reacts
to. It may not interrupt the Actions of another character.
Aiming:
A character that is Aiming at a target may continue to do so while waiting,
provided that the target remains the same.

Example: Natasha is shooting at Andrew and Nick with a machine gun. She has de-
clared that she wants to “empty the magazine at them”, which means using the maximum
amount of attacks per turn. In the case of this machine gun this means 4 attacks - or 10
rounds. The GM determines that they will receive two attacks each.
Since she had already pointed it towards Andrew, her first attack is made with the weap-
on’s Directed value as the Target number. The value is 8 (her Ranged combat of 7 plus
the weapon’s Directed modifier of 1), and she rolls a 5 Success. The first shot hits. The
remaining attacks are made against her Auto value, which is 5.
Miscellaneous Actions
Other Actions include anything that takes about a second: locking and
loading a weapon, Aiming, standing up, taking cover, get into firing posi-
tion, pulling the pin from a grenade, taking out an empty magazine or
putting in a new one.
Dropping a weapon or switching between holding a weapon with one or
two hands does not count as an Actions. If an Action takes significantly
more time than a second, it will reach across several Turns.

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51
 New Horizon
Combat and I njur ies
Taking cover:
As an Action, a character may seek cover or a firing position, provided
there is a suitable cover within half the character’s Movement in meters.
A character taking cover is not visible at all and may not fire nor be di-
rectly fired at. A character in a firing position is harder to hit, increasing
Passive. Going from a firing position to cover can be combined with a
non-movement Action that does not require a roll, like reloading. Going
from cover to firing position can be combined with directing (but not aim-
ing or firing) the weapon at a target with a known location.
Wrestling
Wrestling is a special type of unarmed close combat attack made at
Grappling distance, against the target’s Defense. They can target the
head or body (Default), the arms (Disarm) or the legs (Immobilize). If the
attack is successful, the targeted becomes Seized at the end of the Turn.
Once Seized, a character may not move out of Grappling Distance. A
Seized opponent allows the attacker to make a Break attack:
Break: A successful Wrestling roll deals damage to the target, bypassing
all armor regardless of Coverage. The target is still considered Seized
after a Break. Break attacks are considered Disarm against Seized
arms and Immobilize against Seized legs. A Break as a waiting Action is
enough to dissuade most people from further resistance.
To break free, the victim makes a wrestling attack against the opponent
that has Seized it. A successful roll breaks the Seize.
Characters become Seized after Attacks are resolved, before the Dis-
tance changes:
• Seizing the arm in which the opponent is holding a knife (Disarm)
will not prevent the opponent from attacking with it the same Turn
(but it will the next).
• If the target is successfully freed in the same Turn the opponent is
attempting a Break, the Break fails.
Wrestling requires two empty hands and is very risky to attempt when
outnumbered:
• If the wrestler has only one hand empty and available, wrestling
attacks are made at a -2 penalty.
• A character that performs wrestling Actions has a -2 penalty to
Defense and Guard when defending against attacks made by
anyone other than the wrestling target.
From Attack to Damage
After a successful attack has been made - that is, an Attack roll with at
least one successful dice - the quality of the hit is determined. A success-
ful attack roll where one dice is successful is called a “Hit”, while one with
two successful dice is called a “Full Hit”.
• If both dice are below or equal to the target number, but one of them
is lower than target’s Defense or Guard (or the Distance, for ranged
weapons), it still counts as a Full Hit.
• Lucky rolls (Black die comes up 1) are “Full hits” only if both dice
are lower than or equal to the target number. They still have to beat
the Defense, Guard or Range.
The successful attack may result in an Injury. This process is explain in
the Injuries section (see page 52).
Multiple Weapons
Firing two weapons:
A character firing two firearms at once suffers a -2 modifier to Precision,
cumulative with all other penalties, such as those for wrong hand (-1).
This is handled as two separate attacks. Only one weapon at a time can
be Aimed or Directed. The other attack is always a Snap Shot. A charac-
ter may not fire more than two weapons as a single Action.
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52
Injuries
Effects which are dangerous to the character are expressed as two dam-
age values: Stun and Injury. Stun hurts, and you get it primarily from blunt
violence like punches, kicks, falls and clubs. Injury means more slow-
healing, lasting injuries such as cuts, bullet wounds and broken bones.
The higher the value of the Stun or Injury, the more dangerous they are to
the character. When a character is injured, the incoming Stun and Injury
values are compared to her Damage thresholds.
The worst Damage threshold not exceeded by the damage value deter-
mines the degree of Stun or Injury.
For instance, if an attack’s Stun value exceeds a character’s Moderate
but not her Serious Stun threshold, then she suffers Serious Stun.
A wounded character suffers the Wound Penalties of the worst Stun or
Injury sustained.
Example: Jessica receives an Injury of 12. Her Minor damage threshold is 10 and her
Moderate threshold is 16. Since the incoming Injury is above her Minor threshold but
below her Moderate, she receives an injury of Moderate degree. This means she will get
a -4 penalty to all rolls until the injury is healed.
Jessica’s Injury values.
Damage
After a successful attack, the attacker has either rolled below or equal
to the relevant Target number with one die or with two. A successful at-
tack roll where one die is successful is called a “Hit”, while one with two
successful dice is called a “Full Hit”. A Hit simply deals damage, regard-
less of the purpose of the attack. A Full Hit may have additional effects,
depending on the attacker’s intention:
• Maximum damage (default)
• Bypass armor
• Disarm
• Immobilize
If the attacker does not specify an intention, it is assumed that the goal is
to inflict the most severe damage possible.
Coverage
If the target is wearing an armor, the first thing to determine when resolv-
ing an attack is whether or not the armor protects. If the white die is high-
er than Coverage, the attack strikes where the armor does not protect.
• Wrestling: Armor never protects against Wrestling attacks (excep-
tion in sci-fi: mechanized armor).
• Coverage 20: If the Coverage is 20 the armor always protects, ex-
cepting only Wrestling attacks.
• Disarm: An armor that does not cover the arms never protects
against Disarm Full Hits.
• Immobilize: An armor that does not cover the legs never protects
against Immobilize Full Hits.
• Bypass: Bypass Armor attacks ignore armor if any die, black or
white, is higher than Coverage.
In all other cases, the armor protects.
Bypassing armor in close combat is difficult. The procedure often in-
volves grappling and inflicting Stun damage on the opponent with punch-
es in order to wear down the Defense.
 Role Playing Game
Protection
If the attack strikes armor, the weapon’s Pierce is compared to the De-
flect, Stop and Slow values of the target’s armor:
• Pierce is lower than or equal to Deflect: The attack causes no damage.
• Pierce is lower than or equal to Stop: The attack causes no Injury, and
Stun is reduced one level.
• Pierce is lower than or equal to Slow: Injury and Stun are reduced one
level. The armor is damaged.
• Pierce is higher than Slow: The armor has no effect, but is still damaged.
Hard armor is damaged when the Pierce value of an incoming attack is
higher than Deflect (it breaks from Stop as well as from Slow).
When an armor is damaged, check the highest empty Coverage square.
This indicates that part of the armor has been destroyed. Only blank
squares count as Coverage.
Coverage 9, worn down to 8.
If the armor is damaged by a burst of automatic fire, each Hit counts as a
separate damage to the armor.
Reinforced Areas
If a character that wears an Armor with a Reinforced Area, first compare
the incoming attack to the Coverage of the Reinforced Area. If the Cover-
age is lower, compare it to the Coverage of the rest of the Armor.
The damage roll
The white die symbolizes Stun, the black one Injury. Like with the usual
Attribute rolls, the goal is to roll as high as possible below or equal to a
Target number - in this case, the weapon’s damage values. The differ-
ence here is that there are generally two Target numbers, since most
weapons have two damage values: one for Stun and one for Injury. They
symbolize the weapon’s ability to cause Stun damage and Injuries, re-
spectively.
If it is possible to add an even multiplier of 20 (20, 40, 60…) to the result
and still end up below or equal to the damage value, do it.
Example 1: The Stun value is 32. The Stun die result is 10. 10+20 is 30, still below the
Stun value. The Stun damage is 30.
Example 2: The Injury value is 49. The Injury dice result is 8. 8+20+20 is 48, still below
the Injury value. The Injury damage is 48.
Example 3: The Stun value is 25. The Stun dice result is 16. 16+20 is 36, which is above
the Stun value. The Stun damage is 16.
Full Hits:
Maximum damage: In a Full Hit with the intention of causing maximum
damage the roll is made like a regular damage roll. The difference is that
die that yields the highest result for Stun and Injury is used, disregarding
the color of the dice.
Example: The attack has Stun 16 and Injury 23. The black die comes up 15 and the white
one 8. The highest Stun that can be achieved is 15. Stun is 15. The highest Injury that
can be achieved is 15. Injury is 15.
Bypass armor: Normal Hit damage. If either die is higher than the tar-
get’s Coverage, the armor is bypassed.
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Disarm: Normal Hit damage. If either Stun or Injuries is Serious, Severe
or Critical, the target drops what was held in a hand of the attacker’s
choice and is unable to use it until the wound heals. Mark the Injury
in the Arms column, and mark it again as a Serious Injury in the main
Injury column. A Critically injured arm is either crushed beyond repair,
severed or torn off.
Immobilize: Normal Hit damage. If either Stun or Injuries is Serious,
Severe or Critical, the target falls to the ground, unable to stand up until
the wound heals. Mark the Injury in the Legs column, and mark it again
as a Serious Injury in the main Injury column. A Critically injured leg is
either crushed beyond repair, severed or torn off.
Stun
There are five levels of Stun and five corresponding thresholds. In order
to determine how Stunned the character becomes, compare the incom-
ing Stun damage from the previous step with the character’s Stun thresh-
olds. If the Stun damage is equal to or lower than a specific Threshold,
then the character is Stunned to the corresponding degree.
Minor, Moderate and Serious Stun are various degrees of dizziness that
inflict penalties to everything the character attempts to do, but they are
not very lasting (see Recovery).
Severe Stun knocks the character to the ground, only vaguely aware of
her surroundings. Severe Stun permits the character to crawl a meter
each Turn. No other Actions are possible.
Critical Stun is unconsciousness. The character may not act in any way
whatsoever. This occurs when the incoming Stun is higher than the char-
acter’s Severe Stun threshold.
Example: Jessica also suffers a Stun of 8. This is higher than her Negligible Stun thresh-
old, but lower than her Minor level. This results in a Minor Stun.
Jessica’s Stun.
Injury
There are also five levels of Injuries, each with their own threshold. In or-
der to determine the level of Injury sustained, compare the Injury value of
the incoming attack to the character’s Injury thresholds. If the Injury value
is equal to or lower than a specific Threshold, the character receives an
injury of the corresponding level.
Injuries are recorded by striking a horizontal line through the correspond-
ing circle in the Injuries table. Additional injuries are not recorded if they
are of a lower level than the previous injury.
Example: Jessica receives an Injury of 6. This would be a Minor injury, but as she’s
already got the Moderate level, the new injury is not recorded.
Jessica’s Moderate Injury.
53
 New Horizon
I njur ies
Negligible: Bits of hair or clothes chopped up, possibly a bruise. Doesn’t
break the skin.
Minor: Injuries limited to skin and surface muscle tissue. Except caus-
ing pain, they don’t limit the usability of the body part and will often heal
quickly.
Moderate: Might be cracks in or chipping of the skeleton, significant
crushing or cutting damage to the muscles - limiting, but not completely
eliminating, the usefulness of the body part.
Serious: Extensive fractures and/or partly severed muscles. The injured
limb works very badly, if it works at all, and any movement causes ex-
treme pain.
Severe: An injury is Severe when the character has received life-
threatening damages, or an arm or leg has been completely disabled.
Examples include severed tendons, an arm being broken in several
places, or a blown kneecap. Severe injuries will not heal without surgical
procedures.
Critical: These injuries are blatantly destructive in a permanent way:
Bowels are all over the floor or half the cranium smashed in. This occurs
when the incoming Injury is higher than the character’s Severe Injury
threshold. Critical injuries that are the result of Disarm or Immobilize re-
sult in a Missing Limb Trait. Non-Disarm or Immobilize Critical Injury is
instantly fatal beyond repair, unless genre-specific, high-tech or magical
intervention is available. Some genres even lack a Critical damage level
altogether.
Bleeding
Bleeding, in Vo|t, refers to life-threatening loss of blood, or other types
of wounds that are fatal only after some time has passed. Minor Injury
or worse does mean that blood is shed, but unless potentially lethal, the
system will not consider it Bleeding. In New Horizon, wafans bleed more
slowly than the human races.
Bleeding is determined both by the damage level of the injury and wheth-
er or not the black die is odd. Minor and Moderate injuries do not lead to
life-threatening blood loss. Serious injuries may be fatal if untreated, and
Severe ones are. Critical injuries kill instantly, which means no bleeding
rolls are needed. Severe and Critical Injuries to arms and legs count as
Severe when determining bleeding.
Bleeding is handled as the amount of time before the character bleeds to
death. It is always a multiple of the value of the white die of the damage
roll. A higher bleeding time is better, since it means there is more time
before death occurs.
If you incur multiple bleeding injuries, treat the black die as odd even if
it isn’t. Only use the worst bleeding to determine the time before death
occurs.
Serious injuries
• Black die is even: no bleeding.
• Black die is odd: bleeding time is 10 x white die minutes (white die
hours for wafans).
Severe injuries
• Black die is even: bleeding time is 10 x white die minutes (white die
hours for wafans).
• Black die is odd: bleeding time is white die minutes (10 x white die
minutes for wafans).
Example 1: Alice receives a Serious injury, with damage dice results 4 (black) and 6
(white). The black die is even, so Alice will not bleed to death from this wound.
Example 2: Alice receives a Severe injury, with damage dice results 6 (black) and 18 (white).
The black die is even, so Alice will bleed to death in three hours (10×18 = 180 minutes).
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54
Example 3: André receives a Severe injury, with damage dice results 7 (black) and 13
(white). The black die is odd, so André will bleed to death in 13 minutes.
Example 4: André receives another Severe injury. The damage dice are 8 (black) and 2
(white). Because of the previous bleeding, the black die counts as odd. Without compe-
tent medical attention, André has two minutes to live.
Bleeding may be stopped by a successful Medicine roll (one roll per
bleeding to be stopped):
Bleeding: Modification to the Medicine Target number:
In arm or leg +2
< 10 min left -2
< 1 min left -5
Treating yourself -2
These modifications are cumulative, when applicable.
Cumulative damage
If a character suffers both Stun and Injury, she only receives penalties for
the highest of the two. Penalties from Stun and Injury are never added
together.
If the level of the incoming injury is equal in level to an injury previously
sustained, it is usually ignored, as described above. There are, however,
two exceptions: Moderate and Serious. When sustaining an additional injury
of Moderate or Serious level, the new injury is recorded as one level higher.
When determining bleeding, treat the injury as the recorded, higher level.
Example: Jessica receives another Moderate injury. This is, decidedly, not her day. The
additional Moderate injury is recorded as a new Serious injury.
Jessica’s Injury values.
Note that additional Moderate injuries do not turn into Severe injuries.
Injuries are only ever “raised” one level in this manner.
The above also applies to Stun, with the addition that two Severe stun
damages add up to Critical stun. If the level of the incoming stun is equal
in level to stun damage previously sustained, Moderate, Serious and Se-
vere Stun will increase one level.
Recovery
Both Stun and Injury heal after successful Recovery rolls, which are
made using Constitution.
Stun
There are three types of Stun Recovery:
• Action. Minor, Moderate and Serious Stun can be cured by a the
Recovery roll that requires an Action, taking the penalties for the
Injury into account. A successful Recovery roll clears all Stun at the
end of the Turn. Severe or Critical Stun cannot be cured this way.
• A break. A minute’s relative peace and quiet. This Recovery roll
does not take the wound penalties into account, If successful, it
reduces the Stun one level.
• Rest. An hour of rest removes any remaining Stun, no rolls required.
A character that suffers Critical Stun makes a Recovery roll the next Turn,
with Serious Penalties. A success lowers it to Severe Stun.
 Role Playing Game
Injuries
An Injury will, during the process of recovery, be Vulnerable. A Vulnerable
Injury’s recovery is very easily undone - each time the same hit location
gets a new injury (of any level), one level of recovery is undone. Any
straining beyond light physical therapy might call for a Constitution roll to
ensure the Injury’s recovery isn’t undone.
The penalty incurred from the injury on all Actions involving the limb is
based on the latest level to be Vulnerably recovered, not the level of the
highest actual injury.
Critical and Severe injuries will not heal without medical treatment, other-
wise the original injury determines how often a Recovery roll may be done:
• Minor: Every 2 days
• Moderate: Every 5 days
• Serious: Every 10 days
Several Traits change the time required for each Roll. A successful
Recovery roll lowers the effective Damage level of the injury one level.
This recovery is Vulnerable, which is recorded by making a vertical line
through the horizontal one used to mark the original injury. If all levels are
healed this way, the most severe level is completely removed (both the
vertical and horizontal lines).
Keep in mind that most often healing requires certain equipment, and
the physician should at least have a medical kit (see Equipment table).
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Severe Injuries:
In order for it to even be possible to make Recovery rolls for Severe
injuries, a medically competent person is needed - as well as the right
circumstances, such as peace and quiet in a structured environment and
access to the applicable tools.
The medically competent person makes a Medicine Attribute roll. Missing
tools or unfavorable circumstances mean negative modifications on the
roll. If the roll succeeds, the injury is lowered to Serious (vulnerable) and
may begin healing naturally.
Critical Injuries:
Critically injured arms or legs do not grow back, unless the character has
Regeneration. The procedure of the controlled amputation of a critically
injured limb follows the same rules as Severe injuries: Surgery reduces
it to a Serious injury, and after that recovery rolls are made to close the
wound one level at a time. Wafans and Prometheans may replace the
lost limb. Olympians may undergo cybernetic or genetic therapy, effec-
tively becoming either Medean or Promethan (forfeiting any Olympian
Traits). As long as they remain Olympian, however, critically injured arms
or legs cannot be replaced.
Repairing Wafans
Wafans recover Stun damage just like humans do, but they do not heal
Injuries (unless they have nanobots). The wafan process for recover-
ing from Injury very much resembles to that of humans, but instead of
making periodic Constitution rolls, wafans must be repaired. A Cyber Life
Surgeon with the appropriate tools may spend one hour to make a Repair
roll. Limbs are easier to repair, granting a +2 bonus to the roll. A success
creates a vulnerable recovery, by the same rules as for humans. A failure
means that the hour was wasted without any benefits to the wafan.
Contrary to humans, which always require time to heal, wafans can be
repaired again the next hour, and again until the damage is fully repaired.
Critically injured wafan limbs cannot be repaired, but must be replaced.
Replacing a limb is faster and easier, but also expensive. The procedure
takes 10 minutes, and requires a Cyber Life Surgeon to pass a Repair
test with +5. Failure will not damage the replacement limb.
Keep in mind that most often healing requires certain equipment, and
the physician should at least have a cyber life kit (see Equipment table).
55
 New Horizon

H azards
Hazards
Exhaustion
When a character is performing prolonged strenuous activity, the circum-
stances could call for a Constitution roll. Strenuous activity could be car-
rying a heavy bag up a hill, brawling in a bar or being ready for battle for
several minutes, weapon raised and looking for hidden enemies.
Prolonged exposure to heat or cold causes exhaustion.
When the Constitution roll fails, the character becomes tired, which mani-
fests as Stun damage. If the character is already Stunned, whatever the
source may be, the Stun Threshold is increased one level: Minor be-
comes Moderate, Severe becomes Critical, and so on. If the endeavors
are particularly taxing or time-consuming, the GM should apply penalties
to the rolls.
If the character got tired from just minutes of effort, exhaustion can be
cleared with a successful Constitution roll, with wound penalties. One
attempt per second is allowed, just like with any other Stun damage.
However, if the character became tired after hours of effort, each attempt
to shake the exhaustion takes one minute.
When a character is exposed to a toxin, roll its Potency, using the sub-
ject’s Toughness as the Passive.
• If the roll has no success that is higher than Toughness, the subject
suffers a very lenient version of the toxin’s effect, and after twice the
Delay. Stun and Injury are reduced by -10.
• If the roll has one success that is higher than Toughness, Injury and
Stun are reduced by -5. Other effects and their durations are halved,
when applicable.
• If the roll has 2 Successes, and the highest beats Toughness (a Full
Hit), the subject suffers the full effects of the toxin.
Example: A professor of archeology with Toughness 8 is hit by a poisoned dart, delivering
one dose of an Injected Potency 15 Neural toxin with a Delay of 20s (seconds). Its effects
are 35 Stun damage for 2h (two hours). The roll is 10 and 17. One success is above the
Passive. The Stun is reduced to 30, and the duration to one hour. The Stun die turns up
8. Since 20 can be added to 8 without exceeding 30, the Stun damage is 28. This is more
than the archaeologist’s Severe Threshold, so in 20 seconds he will pass out for one hour.
Increasing or reducing the dose affects the Potency:
Dose: Potency:

Falling x10
x5
+10
+5
Damage from falling inflicts both Stun and Injury damage. The base dam- x2 +2
age is set by the height, and then modified by the surface the character /2 -2
lands on, as well as the success of the Agility roll. When all modifications /5 -5
are made, roll the damage. /10 -10
Fall: Damage:
If an Absorbed or Injected toxin is used to coat a weapon, only a single dose can
be administered in an attack. The first successful attack uses up the toxin. (A
2m 17
list of toxins is found in a table which can be downloaded from our web-page.)
5m 26
10 m 33
Toxic fumes:
20 m 40
One of the most dangerous aspects of a fire is the smoke. If the concentration
50 m 50
of smoke is high (e.g fires indoors, or when entire buildings or hundreds of
100 m+ 57
trees burn), treat it as an Inhaled Potency 15 toxin with a Delay of 5 seconds.
• Smoke from burning wood or plants causes 30 Stun damage for one hour.
Note that fall damage does not increase beyond 100 meters. This is be-
• Smoke from fires in certain plastic materials and chemicals turns into
cause the speed of the fall does not increase past that distance. Falling
acid in the lungs, causing 30 Stun and 30 Injury.
does not need to overcome the armor’s Protection levels to cause dam-
age, but if the character is wearing at least a vest and a helmet, armor
Adjust the Potency if the concentration is extremely low or high. Most build-
may reduce the damage (see page 52-53).
ings, even wooden ones, contain enough paint and plastic components in
furniture, fabrics and electronics to make the smoke cause Injury. Smoke
Surface:
is typically clearly visible and lighter than the air around it, which means
-10 water (>3m)
the effect can often be avoided or mitigated by crawling on the ground.
-5 snow (>1m)
-2 slope (>45°)
+0 sand or dirt (with or without grass)
Disease
+2 hard, flat surface (metal, concrete, asphalt) A disease is described by Transmission, Infectivity, Latency and Symptoms.
+5 hard, rough surface (large rocks, cliffs) Transmission could be, for example: Contact (touch), Oral (through food or drink-
ing water), Vector (carried by an animal), or Airborne. Infectivity measures the
Agility and armor: likelihood of infection. Latency is the time between infection and the sign of the
- the Success rate of the Agility-check first Symptoms. The Symptoms, in this context, are the effects of the disease.
-2 wearing armor that covers torso and head
When a character is exposed to a disease, roll its Infectivity, using the
Example: Thomas, Agility 7, misses a jump between two buildings, and falls 20m (dam- subject’s Constitution as Passive.
age 40). He lands on asphalt, which increases the damage to 40+2 = 42. His Agility roll is • If the roll has no success that is higher than Constitution , the
4 and 16: a success of 4. This reduces the damage to 42-4 = 38. The damage roll turns subject suffers a very lenient version of the Symptoms, and after
up Black 4, White 12: Injury 24, Stun 32. twice the Latency. Stun and Injury are reduced by -10.
• If the roll has one success that is higher than Constitution, the
Toxins Symptoms and their durations are halved, when applicable. Stun
and Injury are reduced by -5.
A toxin is described by ROA (Route of Administration), Potency, Delay
• If the roll has 2 Successes, and the highest beats Constitution
and Effect. The ROA could be Absorbed (through the skin), Enteral (eat-
(a Full Hit), the subject suffers the full Symptoms of the disease.
en or imbibed), Injected or Inhaled. Potency determines how likely the
subject is to be affected. Delay is how long it takes for the toxin to work.
The Infectivity of the disease should be modified in accordance with the characters’
If no other unit is written, it is in seconds. The Effect could be simple
exposure to the pathogen (did they wade through the infected river, or did they drink
damage for many types of poison, or a more elaborately described con-
from it?) as well as their counter-measures (e.g. good personal hygiene against
sequence.
Contact-transmitted disease, mosquito nets against Vector borne, and the like).

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 Role Playing Game

Monsters of New Hor izon

Arbor Strangler Belaboar
• Fauna: Nemorisfauna. • Fauna: Terraefauna.
• Region: Youzem (Narehl), Neo Titania (Perianth Peninsula), New Chania. • Region: Youzem (Lonely Mesa, Azuremar Mountains).

Appearance: The Arbor Strangler is one of the few instances of land bound
gastropods found on New Horizon. A writhing mass of tentacles around a sack-
like core, which contains an enormous vicious beak for tearing large portions
from its prey, as well as two enormous golden eyes. It resembles an octopus as
viewed through a nightmare. They’re capable of swinging from tree to tree with
relative ease. If they lose a tentacle, another will grow out in short time. They
also heal rather quickly. They come in a variety of colors and markings.
Appearance: The Belaboar is a species of lizard. It is very large, be-
tween 8 and 14 meters long, and has a smoky grey color and red or or-
ange dorsal spots, edged in a lighter shade. The dorsal pattern appears
mottled or osculated. There are light crossbars on the dorsum, and light
yellow or white on the venter. It has small granular scales and spikes on
the back and legs. The large head is distinct from the neck, and the lining
of mouth and throat are orange-black.

Eating Habits: Arbor Stranglers dwell in trees near shallow or deep wa- Known Dangers: The Belaboar is a powerful bipedal runner. They run
ter, waiting for prey to pass, than drop and crush them to death in place, faster than any human or wafan, even if they are riding or driving. The
or drag them to water to drown them before consumption. Smaller prey adult beast can inflict a painful bite that is extremely corrosive. One pow-
may be grabbed with their whip like tentacles. erful bite can make an armor useless.

Mating/Social Habits: Arbor Stranglers are sexless creatures. When
they want to reproduce they simply allow one of their tentacles to break
off and from it a new Arbor Strangler is born. The process usually hap-
pens very quickly, normally within a few days time.
Behavior: Arbor Stranglers are not territorial creatures. They hunt alone
and are usually not seen together with other Arbor Stranglers. They are
not aggressive towards other animals which they do not want to eat.
They also hunt during the night and stay hidden during the day.
Environment: Arbor Stranglers are found throughout the forests of the
world located near rivers or streams.
Eating Habits: The Belaboar is truly one of a kind. It’s a rust monster in
every meaning of the word, and its saliva is able to make any metal rust
into powder within minutes. Belaboars corrode and eat metal objects.
Behavior: Belaboars are extremely aggressive predators, hunting in
packs attacking everything in sight which they can eat. They form societ-
ies similar to Earthly wolves, and they are even more dangerous than
Earthly Velociraptors (or at least that’s what scientists believe).
Environment: Belaboars live on open terrain and among hills and moun-
tains. They never go into a forest or jungle.

Arbor Strangler Belaboar

Attributes Armor Hide Attributes Armor Scales
Strength: 7 Strength: 11
Coverage: 15 Coverage: 15
Constitution: 9 Constitution: 9
Deflect: 3 Deflect: 2
Toughness: 5 Toughness: 7
Stop: 4 Stop: 5
Movement: 7 Movement: 17
Slow: 7 Slow: 7
Agility: 5 Agility: 8
Perception: 7 Perception: 9
Stealth: 5 Stealth: 8

Traits Traits
1) Wild Regrowth 1) Acid Resistance

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Difficulty Difficulty
Easy Average
Bite: 3 11 2 5 12 25 29 Claws: 6 14 4 9 9 25 33
Strangle: 12 8 27 27 Acid Bite: 13 8 16 32 36

Damage thresholds Damage thresholds

Stun Injury Stun Injury
Arms:
Front Legs:
Hind Legs:
Wings:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Arms:
Front Legs:
Hind Legs:
Wings:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Negligible 9 5 Negligible Negligible 14 10 Negligible

Minor 14 -1 11 Minor Minor 19 -1 16 Minor
Moderate 19 -3 17 Moderate Moderate 24 -3 22 Moderate
Serious 24 -6 23 Serious Serious 30 -6 29 Serious
Severe 29 30 Severe Severe 34 35 Severe

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 New Horizon

Monst e rs
Blog
• Fauna: Terraefauna, Aquaefauna, Subterraneafauna.
• Region: Youzem (riverbeds).

Appearance: A Blog is a large, brown, hideously fat and amorphous blob

like creature which often poses as a log at the bottom of a river, to attract
small fish which it than devours. It appears blob like, but is actually a
cephalopod, and when riled up and reveal an odd number of ferocious
tentacles, tipped with wicked hooks.

Mating/Social Habits: Blogs seem to communicate by blowing noxious

bubbles to attract one another for mating. The noxious bubbles seem to
be composed of methane which it creates as a bi-product of its digestive
tract. Blogs seem to mate in an oddly diplomatic way. The male will cre-
ate a stream of especially disgusting brown bubbles laced with reproduc-
tive molecules and the female will then swim through them and absorb
them through their skin.

Eating Habits: Blogs eat almost anything they can catch. An adult Blog
can be large enough to devour a Jotun whole. Juveniles are often as
small as a man’s fist.

Useful Attributes: An interesting trait of this creature is that it doesn’t

extract any kind of smell. Even very smelly creates lose their smell if they
are totally enclosed by a Blog.
Arbor Strangler
Environment: Blogs live near riverbeds and in caves all over Youzem.

Blog
Attributes Armor
Strength: 0
Coverage: Belaboar
Constitution: 2
Deflect:
Toughness: 2
Stop:
Movement: 1
Slow:
Agility: 1
Perception: 3
Stealth: 5

Traits
1) Small to Large
2) Acid Resistance
3) Toxin Resistance

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Difficulty
Easy
Acid Slime: 10 22 17

Blog
Damage thresholds
Stun Injury
Arms:
Front Legs:
Hind Legs:
Wings:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Negligible 1 0 Negligible
Minor 7 -1 6 Minor
Moderate 11 -3 11 Moderate
Serious 14 -6 15 Serious
Severe 21 22 Severe

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 Role Playing Game

Gavaron Ravager
• Fauna: Terraefauna. • Fauna: Terraefauna.
• Region: Youzem (Narehl Jungles, Lonely Mesa). • Region: Youzem, Neo Titania, Aquilon’s Reach, Verdura.

Appearance: The Gavaron is a dangerous predator, and a vicious and
deadly hunter. It looks a lot like a mutated reptile that has been crossed
with a snake and a spider. It has a long snake-like tail and head, but it
walks on 6 feet long spider-like legs. Gavarons possess some of the
more dangerous qualities of a spider. It can jump long distances, climb
upside down and bite very hard. The creature is covered with small
scales, which protects it from damage and fire. The beast possesses
huge fangs filled with necrotoxins which paralyzes and poisons the vic-
tim. Gavarons are usually golden orange or red in color with white spots
on their legs. They can grow to be up to 3-4 meters long and up to 2
meter high. A Gavaron almost always attacks a creature that invades its
lair or enters its territory.
Eating Habits: Gavarons prefer food that do not make much resistance
and are easy to catch. They can eat a human or Wafan on occasion, but
they prefer smaller animals. Gavarons hunt both during the day and dur-
ing the night. They have excellent night vision.
Behavior: Gavarons live either alone or in a group. Usually they avoid
other animals unless they are hunting.
Environment: Gavarons live in the Narehl Jungles, especially on the
west side. They do however leave the jungles on occasion to look for
food on the open terrain.
Appearance: Ravagers are not the largest predators, but pound for pound
not a single living creature on the planet is deadlier. Resembling a blunt nosed
crocodile bastard offspring with a lion, and a long salamander liked webbed
tail. These pebbly skinned creatures are hairless except for their long mane.
Size: Ravagers are typically the size of a large terrestrial dog on aver-
age, but can be as small as a beagle.
Known Dangers: Ravagers are relentless predators. They often go berserk in
battle. Their vicious jaws are capable of tearing apart Human and Wafan alike.
Eating Habits: Their appetites are scarcely voracious. A Ravager will fol-
low its prey for days, merely because they aren’t yet hungry enough to eat
it, and only to strike when its prey has grown complacent. Smaller, juvenile
Ravagers will often move from carcass to carcass likes crows, eating carri-
on. Because of this, a group of Ravagers is called “a murder of Ravagers”.
Behavior: Ravagers are aggressive animals who attack anything with
a pulse. They are not territorial animals, as they travel everywhere their
hunger leads them. Usually they hunt during the day, but some have
been seen during the night as well, especially if they didn’t find enough
food during daytime. They hunt in packs or alone. They have an amazing
sense of smell and they know how to stalk a prey for miles.
Environment: Much like Terrestrial wolves and coyotes, Ravagers can
learn to hunt in virtually any terrain.

Gavaron Ravager
Attributes Armor Scales Attributes Armor Hide
Strength: 11 Strength: 8
Coverage: 14 Coverage: 16
Constitution: 10 Constitution: 7
Deflect: 3 Deflect: 3
Toughness: 8 Toughness: 8
Stop: 5 Stop: 6
Movement: 13 Movement: 12
Slow: 9 Slow: 7
Agility: 10 Agility: 8
Perception: 9 Perception: 9
Stealth: 8 Stealth: 10

Traits Traits
1) Large 1) Intelligent
2) Toxin Resistance 2) Pain Resistance
3) Fire Resistance
4) Paralysis and Venom

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Difficulty Difficulty
Average Average
Venomous Claws: 7 13 4 11 9 26 32 Claws: 7 13 6 9 7 17 17
Venomous Bite: 12 9 11 28 31 Bite: 14 6 7 27 22

Damage thresholds Damage thresholds

Stun Injury Stun Injury
Arms:
Front Legs:
Middle Legs:
Hind Legs:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Arms:
Front Legs:
Hind Legs:
Wings:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Negligible 14 10 Negligible Negligible 12 8 Negligible

Minor 19 -1 16 Minor Minor 17 0 14 Minor
Moderate 25 -3 23 Moderate Moderate 22 -2 20 Moderate
Serious 30 -6 29 Serious Serious 27 -5 26 Serious
Severe 34 35 Severe Severe 32 33 Severe

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 New Horizon

Monst e rs
Scorpin
• Fauna: Terraefauna.
• Region: Youzem (Lonely Mesa, Azuremar Plains),
Neo Titania (Heshmeloch Badlands).

Appearance: Scorpins are night living creatures. They resemble Earthly Gavaron
scorpions but with some differences. One species have a flat, non-dan-
gerous tail, which it uses to hit the ground in order to send out a drum-like
signal to other Scorpins. Another species have a tail with a blade or a sting
at the end of it, which it uses for attacking enemies. Some of them have
poisonous stings as well. Scorpins have a 20-40 centimeter long body. The
front part has two nasty pincers. Right behind those is two pair of legs. The
back part of the body has another two pair of legs. The middle part of the
body has, on some species, two long tail-like tentacles with a poisonous
sting at the end. Scorpins have two eyes on the top of the head, and usu-
ally two to five pairs of eyes along the front corners of the head.

Mating/Social Habits: Most Scorpins reproduce sexually, and most spe-

cies have male and female individuals. There are many different types of
Scorpins, some are as large as 0,5 meter long, but most types are much
smaller. Those that are large are usually the non-poisonous types, while
the smaller ones are most dangerous. Scorpins come in different colors.

Behavior: Scorpins can live alone or together in a group. They are ter-
ritorial but at the same time they also often change territories whenever it
suits them. They are not aggressive unless attacked first.

Eating Habits: Scorpins eat bugs and other small creatures.

Environment: Scopins live on open terrains.

Scorpin Ravager
Attributes Armor Exoskeleton
Strength: 3
Coverage: 12
Constitution: 3
Deflect: 1
Toughness: 3
Stop: 3
Movement: 8
Slow: 5
Agility: 7
Perception: 5
Stealth: 7

Traits
1) Small
2) Poison Resistance
3) Venom Resistance
Scorpin
Attacks Chance to Hit Damage
Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Difficulty
Easy
Pinch: 3 10 1 7 5 19 17
Sting: 10 8 6 16 14

Damage thresholds
Stun Injury
Pincers:
2x Front Legs:
2x Hind Legs:
Wings:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Negligible 5 1 Negligible
Minor 9 -1 6 Minor
Moderate 14 -3 12 Moderate
Serious 18 -6 17 Serious
Severe 21 22 Severe

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 Role Playing Game

Scrap Gobbler
• Fauna: Terraefauna.
• Region: Youzem (Lonely Mesa, Azuremar Plains,
Narehl Jungles, Azuremar Mountains)
Appearance: The Scrap Gobbler is a bloated ovoid beast covered with
a tough, metal-like skin, which is extremely sticky and more often than
not has tons of dung, trash, metal pats and scraps of decaying organic
matter stuck on it.
The Scrap Gobbler is an ugly creature. It has a round body, and its 50
centimeters tall. It walks on four deformed legs, and has several vine-like
tentacles that are between 60 and 180 centimeters long rising from the
top of its head. The end of each tentacle has deformed claws, spikes
and suck-plugs.
Mating/Social Habits: Scrap Gobbler’s are sexless creatures. When it’s
time for them to produce young, they start to eat everything with a pulse.
Then one they, some cocoon-like jelly-things leaks out from under them.
Its outer layer hardens quickly. Two weeks later it cracks open like an egg
and a new Scrap Gobbler comes into the world.
Behavior: Scrap Gobbler’s live by themselves. They do not like other
animals or their own kind for that matter. They attack and eat everything
that comes near them and they do so with great fury.
Environment: The Scrap Gobbler is mostly a night living creature but
they can be seen during day time as well. They lives almost anywhere on
Youzem, both in the jungle, on open terrains and in the mountains. Their
metal-like skin can be sold for 75 Geodites a piece.

The Scrap Gobbler doesn’t have any eyes, and relies on a keep ability
to detect metal which it eats. The beast works a bit like a metal detector
in that aspect.

The Scrap Gobbler also has an inner thermosense. The beast has a big
mouth in the centre of its body, which is just like a wide gash filled with
razor sharp teeth made out of a unique type of metal.

Eating Habits: The Scrap Gobbler is a grotesque monster that lurks

within heaps of debris and refuse. The primarily eat metallic objects but
they never say no to a meal of fresh meat when the opportunity arises.
The beast also stinks like an open sewer.

Scrap Gobbler
Attributes Armor Metallic Debris
Strength: 5
Skin Armor Scrap Gobbler
Coverage: 8 10
Constitution: 5
Deflect: 8 4
Toughness: 5
Stop: 9 6
Movement: 5
Slow: 11 8
Agility: 3
Perception: 3
Stealth: 5

Traits
1) Small

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Defense:

Grapple:

Guard:

Strike:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Difficulty
Easy
Bite: 4 11 3 7 7 27 21

Damage thresholds
Stun Injury
Arms:
Front Legs:
Hind Legs:
Wings:
Tail:
Tentacles:

Negligible 6 2 Negligible
Minor 10 -1 7 Minor
Moderate 14 -3 12 Moderate
Serious 19 -6 18 Serious
Severe 22 23 Severe

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 New Horizon

Prepar ing for a game

Performing a RPG battle
Role Playing Games in the New Horizon setting are performed just like
for any other setting, whether that setting is based on Science Fiction or
Fantasy. A Game Master (GM) leads the adventure with one or several
players.
The GM can use any Non-Player Characters (NPCs, page 45) or Mon-
sters (page 57) he wants for his adventures.
More NPCs are available here:
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonNPCs.pdf
More Monsters are available here:
The battle begins
Megan and Sucher are about 20m away from K-OS, and about 10m from
each other. Everyone is armed and well aware of the hostile intentions
of the other party.
K-OS has Fence +3 and Power +4. A mace is: Strike 12, Guard 4, Grapple
9, Defense 4, Pierce 8, Stun 30, Injury 27. K-OS uses two Mass Weapons,
which decreases Grapple and Defense by -1, but increases Strike by +1.
As K-OS has the Ambidexterity Trait, the left Mace suffers no penalty.
K-OS has a Medium Jotun Armor, Coverage 20, Deflect 5, Stop 6, Slow
8. The armor has a Reinforced Area, Coverage 10, Deflect 6, Stop 8,
Slow 11 (hardened). K-OS is Huge, so any ranged attacks against him
have one less point of Passive to beat.

http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonMonsterManual(shortpreview).pdf K-OS
The only new thing to learn is how to perform battles, because all ad-
ventures contain battles in one form or another. The GM should learn Attributes Backgrounds & Traits
how to perform battles. Players usually battle Non-Player Characters
Strength: 12 Humanities: 3 Warhead Soldier: 5
(NPCs) or Monsters. For that purpose, we have set up a team of two
Players: Megan, a Promethean Cyborg, and Sucher, a Vanir Wafan. Constitution: 9 Science: 0 Jotun Wafan: 3p
Megan is a female Bounty Hunter and Trapper (points were invested Toughness: 9 Medicine: 0 Huge: 0p
in those backgrounds, page 28). Sucher is a professor who happens Willpower: 7 Repair: 0 Ambidexterity: 1p
to enjoy adventures. They have been tracking down a notorious Jotun Movement: 7 Animal Ken: 0 Delusions: -1p
Wafan who is wanted by the law in both Trapper Town and Warhead Agility: 5 Driving: 0 Enemy: -2p
Keep. They finally track him down in an area of ruins, probably a former Perception: 7 Close Combat: 10 Pain Blocker: 1p
small town which was either destroyed by a Grim Stalker attack or a war
Stealth: 3 Ranged Combat: 3 Jotun Armor: 1p
between local tribes.
Acting: 5
Speaking: 3
Megan
(Promethean Cyborg) Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow:
Reinforced Area (hard) 10 6 8 11
Sucher Savant Medium Jotun Armor 20 5 6 8
(Vanir Wafan)

Encumbrance 0: -2: -5:

50 100 250

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Attacks:

Range:
Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Fence: 3
Power: 4
Precision: -4

Crusher (right mace): 16 7 12 7 12 34 31

Smasher (left mace): 16 7 12 7 12 34 31
(Mass Weapons)
Punch: 13 7 17 12 9 30 22
Kick: 12 5 16 10 10 32 24
Wrestling: 16 13 BP 32 30

Damage thresholds Ranges

Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m
2 20 m 7 1000 m
Arms:
Legs:

Negligible 8 6 Negligible
Minor 13 -1 13 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m
Moderate 19 -4 19 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m
Serious 24 -8 25 Serious 5 200 m
Severe 28 31 Severe Difficulty: Hard

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 Role Playing Game

Megan has Fence -4 and Power -3. A Punch has Strike 10, Guard 4, Turn 1 (Roll Initiative)
Grapple 13, Defense 8, Pierce 5, Stun 26 and Injury 18. Megan: Aims at K-OS with the Ophion F-50. Initiative using Aimed, Tar-
get Number 11, 6:14, success of 6. The weapon is Aimed at K-OS.
Megan has Precision +1. The Ophion F-50 has Snap shot 3, Directed 8,
Aimed 10, Auto 7, Attacks 3, Range 3, Pierce 6, Stun 14 and Injury 26. K-OS: Runs towards Megan. Initiative using Movement, Target Number
7, 3:19, success of 3. K-OS advances 7 meters out of 20 meters.
Sucher has Precision 0. The Aero-1k Rocket Launcher has Snap shot
2, Directed 10, Aimed 11, Auto 6, Attacks 1, Range 3, Pierce 7, Stun 30 Sucher: Shoots at K-OS. Initiative using Snap shot, Target number 2,
and Injury 34. 14:11, failure of 11. Acting last, Sucher fires a Snap shot at K-OS. The
target is running, which increases the Passive by +2. The range is ap-
Dice Rolls are written as Black:White. 13:8 means Black 13, White 8. proximately 1, but K-OS is huge, so there’s also a -1 reduction to Passive
for ranged attacks against him. 2+1-1 = Passive 2.
----------------------------------------

Megan Sucher Savant

Attributes Backgrounds & Traits Attributes Backgrounds & Traits
Strength: 5 Humanities: 5 Bounty Hunter: 5 Strength: 7 Humanities: 3 Physician: 8
Constitution: 5 Science: 5 Mesa Trapper: 7 Constitution: 8 Science: 10 (Cyber Life Surgeon)
Toughness: 5 Medicine: 3 Beauty: 1p Toughness: 7 Medicine: 5 Programmer: 8
Willpower: 5 Repair: 5 Contact: 1p Willpower: 7 Repair: 9 Scientist: 12
Movement: 9 Animal Ken: 0 Sense of Orientation & Time: 2p Movement: 7 Animal Ken: 0 Teacher: 8
Agility: 7 Driving: 7 Gullible: -1p Agility: 7 Driving: 5 Vanir Wafan: 3p
Perception: 8 Close Combat: 3 Cybernetic Limb (Arm): 1p Perception: 5 Close Combat: 3 Contact: 3p
Stealth: 9 Ranged Combat: 8 Stealth: 5 Ranged Combat: 7 Eidetic Memory: 1p
Acting: 3 Acting: 3 Duties: -1p
Speaking: 5 Speaking: 7

Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow: Armor Coverage: Deflect: Stop: Slow:
Synthetic Fibre 16 3 4 6 Reinforced Area 11 7 12 14
Steel Armor 17 5 7 12

Encumbrance 0: -2: -5: Encumbrance 0: -2: -5:

10 20 50 15 30 75

Attacks Chance to Hit Damage Attacks Chance to Hit Damage

Attacks:

Range:

Attacks:

Range:
Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Strike / Snap Shot:

Guard / Directed:

Grapple / Aimed:

Defense / Auto:

Pierce:

Stun:

Injury:

Fence: -4 Fence: -4
Power: -3 Power: -2
Precision: 1 Precision: 0

Ophion F-50: 4 9 11 8 4 3 6 14 26 Aero-1k Rocket Launcher: 2 10 11 6 2 4 7 30 34

Knife (slash): 7 -1 11 4 -1 11 24 Punch: 6 0 11 6 3 24 16
Knife (thrust): 6 0 12 4 2 17 22 Kick: 5 -2 10 4 4 26 18
Punch: 6 0 10 5 2 23 15 Wrestling: 10 7 BP 26 24
Kick: 5 -2 9 3 3 25 17
Wrestling: 9 6 BP 25 23

Damage thresholds Ranges Damage thresholds Ranges

Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m Stun Injury 1 10 m 6 500 m
2 20 m 7 1000 m 2 20 m 7 1000 m
Arms:
Legs:

Arms:
Legs:

Negligible 4 3 Negligible Negligible 6 4 Negligible

Minor 9 -2 9 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m Minor 11 -1 11 Minor 3 50 m 8 2000 m
Moderate 14 -5 15 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m Moderate 17 -4 17 Moderate 4 100 m 9 5000 m
Serious 19 -10 21 Serious 5 200 m Serious 22 -8 23 Serious 5 200 m
Severe 23 27 Severe Difficulty: Easy / Average Severe 26 29 Severe Difficulty: Average

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63
 New Horizon

Prepar ing for a game

The roll comes up 2:7. 2 is a miss because it does not beat Passive, and
7 misses because it is higher than Sucher’s Snap shot. A more expe-
rienced fighter with a few Points in combat-related Backgrounds might
have realized the futility of this attack.
----------------------------------------
Turn 2
Megan: Fires a 20-round salvo at K-OS, which corresponds to 4 Attacks.
The first shot is Aimed, Target Number 11, and the remaining 3 Attacks
use Auto, Target Number 8.
K-OS has a Passive difficulty from the distance to the shooter, ~10 me-
ters, which is Range 1, negated by the -1 from Large Target. K-OS is run-
ning, but moving towards Megan, which means no bonus from “moving
target”. Passive is 0. The first attack comes up 15:8, a Hit. The White die
of the first roll, 8, is lower than or equal to the Coverage of the Reinforced
Area (10) of K-OS’ armor, so that’s where the attack lands. The extra 3
Attacks come up 18:10:5. 18 and 10 miss, but 5 is a hit. Two Attacks hit,
so Pierce is increased by +1, and Stun and Injury are increased by +3
each (rule for multiple attacks, see page 51). Half of the attacks made by
Megan this Turn hit their target, so the weapon is still Directed at K-OS.
K-OS: Runs the last few steps to Striking distance and attacks Megan
with his left Mace. As Megan has Guard 0, there is no Passive to beat.
Megan has Guard 0: If the character has several weapons, then you
have to decide which Guard value you should use. Megan has a knife
but she is not holding it, and therefore the Guard value for the knife can-
not be used. Guard for Punch is 0, and Guard for Kick is -2. A negative
value cannot be used since the die does not have negative values. -2 is
therefore the same as 0. Thus, it does not matter if you use the Guard
value for Punch or Kick. But you always select the highest value you can.
K-OS is still stunned, however, and suffers a -3 to his roll; Target Number 13. The
roll is 9:16, a Hit. White 16 does not beat the Coverage of Megan’s Fibre Armor, so
the armor is struck. However, as a Mace with half a ton of Jotun behind it has Pierce
12, Fibre Armor (Slow 6) makes no difference whatsoever. The damage roll is 19:8,
that is Stun 28 (8+20) and Injury 19. This surpasses Megan’s Severe Stun threshold
(23), which makes it a Critical Stun. Megan is out. The Injury surpasses the Moder-
ate threshold (15) and ís therefore Serious. It does not surpass the Serious threshold
(21) and is thus not Severe. The Black die is even, so Megan does not bleed.
Sucher: Still Aims at K-OS, with the attack as a Waiting Action. He orders
K-OS to drop his weapons.

Pierce (6+1=7) is compared with the armor’s Protection levels: Pierce 7
is higher than Deflect, but not higher than Stop. The attack is stopped by
the armor, and so it deals reduced Stun damage and no Injury damage.
Stun damage is 14+3=17 (+3 from the extra Attack that hit). The damage
roll comes up 10. To K-OS, that is a Minor Stun, reduced one step to
Negligible by the Armor. Since the Reinforced area is Hardened, it loses
2 Coverage from stopping the bullets (one per Attack that hit).
----------------------------------------
Turn 4
K-OS: Stands still, seemingly hesitating. Is this bald little man really pre-
pared to fire an explosive weapon with his accomplice this close? Mean-
while, he struggles to control the pain from the bullet he just took. K-OS
rolls Constitution (-3 from the Stun), 2:7, success, Minor Stun subsides.

Reinforced Area: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][x][x] [x][x][x][x][x] [x][x][x][x][x] Sucher: Continues to Wait.

A horizontal line is drawn through the two rightmost squares of K-OS’ ----------------------------------------
Medium Jotun Armor. K-OS
Together with the Reinforced Area the Jotun Armor covers the whole ( Jotun Wafan)
body: Coverage 20. When the Reinforced Area breaks down then is
weapons the whole coverage, even if the weaker armor parts were not
damaged at all. This is illustrated by also lowering the Coverage of the
whole armor and it can no longer be 100%, in other words, it cannot be
20. This is why you also need to lower the coverage of the Jotun Armor
with just as much as you have lowered the coverage of the Reinforced
Area: by two levels. This is marked by vertical lines and not by crosses,
since it illustrates areas which are no longer covered (protected). When
you repair the Reinforced Area, the damage to the whole armor marked
by vertical lines is automatically repaired as well, for free.

Jotun Armor: [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][-][-]

K-OS: Keeps running towards Megan, moving another 7 meters out of

13 meters.

Sucher: Aims at K-OS.

----------------------------------------

Turn 3
Megan: Fires the remaining 10 rounds in the clip at K-OS, which
amounts to 3 Attacks. The first Attack is Directed, Target Number 9,
4:9. That is a Full Hit of 9, which is higher than the Coverage of the
Reinforced area. It strikes the weaker areas of the Medium Jotun Armor.
The remaining two attacks come up 13:15 – two misses. Pierce 6 does
not beat Stop, so it’s still absorbed by the armor. The damage roll is 13:8.
Since it was a Full Hit, the die that yields the highest Stun can be used
even if it is Black. The result is 13, which is a Moderate Stun, reduced to
Minor. Because the Medium Jotun Armor is not hardened (except for the
reinforced area), the Coverage is not reduced.

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64
 Role Playing Game
Turn 5
K-OS: Charges Sucher, attempting to dodge the shot. K-OS has Agility
5, and rolls 2:19, a success. His Movement is considered Irregular, which
gives him a Passive of +3, -1 for being Huge = 2. On the other hand, it
slows him down to Movement 5 (7-2).
Sucher: Fires both remaining missiles at just over 5 meters distance, as
the Waiting Action permits him to interrupt K-OS’ movement. The target
has a Passive of 2, Suchers Target Number is 11.
The first attack comes up 2:20, a miss (as the successful die does not
beat Passive). The second attack is a roll of 4, a Hit that beats Passive.
The white die of the first attack was 20, which is higher than K-OS’ re-
duced Coverage. The armor does not protect. The damage roll is 10:17,
Stun 17, Injury 30 (10+20). K-OS suffers Severe Injury and will bleed to
death within 17 hours without medical attention.
----------------------------------------
Additional Advice
Here are some additional advice and battle related examples.
Close Combat:
Each character or Game Master character can choose to go
into Close Combat Battle with whomever they want as long
as they are within range of their weapon. Throwing a weapon
at someone is not counted as a Close Combat Battle. Attacks
and Maneuvers are counted as Close Combat Battles.
Attacks:
When a player declares that he wants to perform an attack
with his character, the first thing which must be decided is
whether the attack will be a Grapple or a Strike. If the op-
ponent is within wrestling range then the Attribute-comparing
dice rolls are made for Grapple-related attacks minus the op-
ponent’s Defense-value, but if not then the Attribute-compar-
ing dice rolls are made for Strike-related attacks minus the
opponents Guard value.
If the opponent is not able to protect him/herself at all, then
the Defense/Guard value is not subtracted from the attack.
If the dice roll results in at least one of the two die being a
successful roll then the Attack is counted as successful and
it hits its target. In such a case, a Damage roll is made (see
Damage on page 52).
Example:
Abel tries to hit Caine. Caine is not within wrestling range so
Strike is the proper attack type. Therefore, Abel must make a
dice roll for his Strike-value which is 9 according to his Char-
acter Sheet. Since Caine is able to defend himself his Guard
value must be subtracted from Abel’s Strike-value before the
dice roll is made. Since Caine’s Guard value is 3, Abel must
therefore roll a die that is lower/equal to 6 (9 - 3) in order to
successfully hit Caine with his attack.
The attacker must roll a die that is below or equal to the hit-
value, which for this example is 6 (the attackers Strike-value
minus the targets Guard value).
When a character is attacked in Close Combat Battle by
another character, then the defending character is able to
instantly perform a counterattack, ignoring Initiative-order.
Both attacks are performed at the same time.
www.newhorizon1.com/forum/forum.php
Reckless Attacks:
During an Attack a player can choose to make a Reckless
Attack which gives that player’s character a +5 bonus to his/
her Attack value, but disables the character’s Defense and
Guard values during the next counterattack.
Abel tries to hit Caine, but this time with a Reckless Attack.
Caine is not within wrestling range so Strike is the proper attack
type. Therefore, Abel must make a dice roll for his Strike-value
which is 9 according to his Character Sheet. Since Caine is
able to defend himself his Guard value must be subtracted from
Abel’s Strike-value before the dice roll is made. Caine’s Guard
value is 3, and Abel must roll a die that is lower/equal to 6 (9 - 3)
in order to successfully hit Caine with his attack. However, since
this attack is Reckless Abel is able to add a +5 bonus to that
value and now he must roll a die that is lower/equal to 11 (6 + 5
bonus) in order to successfully hit Caine with his attack.
But since Abel performed a Reckless Attack during his action,
Caine will be able to ignore subtracting Abel’s Defense/Guard
value from his Grapple/Strike value during his next attack.
Having an Aimed value of 20 is very rare. Only the best shots
in the world can achieve that since a value of 20 will always be
a successful hit when a D20 die is used. However, if a weapon
has a laser sight then it will allow the user to always hit a target.
When a weapon hits an armor of an opponent, the weapon’s
Pierce value is compared to the Armor’s Deflect, Stop and
Slow values. If the Pierce value is lower than the Deflect
value, then no damage is inflicted by the weapon.
Adam’s armor has the value 11 for Deflect while Mark’s
weapon has the value 10 for Pierce. It means that no matter
how much Mark tries to damage Adam, his weapon will never
penetrate his armor.
To bypass this problem Mark would have to upgrade his weap-
on or go for Wrestling. If Mark’s weapon is a pistol, then he
should upgrade to armor piercing bullets. In Wrestling mode,
you usually use daggers or similar weapons which have high
Grapple values, perfect for bypassing tought armor. Or you can
perform Wrestling attacks which can “break” an opponent’s
neck or bones no matter how good the armor is (see page 52).
If you perform a close combat attack then in that moment
you have to apply Guard and Defense to that attack. In
other words, at Striking or Extended Distance the attacker
rolls Strike against the opponents Guard, and at Wrestling
(Grapple) Distance the attacker rolls Grapple against the op-
ponents Defense. The Target Number will be either Strike
minus Guard or Grapple minus Defense.
For your Guard or Defense values, you use the weapon you
are currently using. If you are holding a gun, and the gun
is a Ranged weapon which does not have a Guard or De-
fense value, then you use the Guard or Defense value for
either Punch or Kick (preferably the highest value). But if you
have a Close Combat weapon in your hand then you use the
Guard or Defense value for that combat weapon instead of
the value from Punch or Kick.
If you Kick someone and that person makes a counter attack, then
you have to use the Guard or Defense value for Kick and not for
Punch of any Close Combat weapon you are holding in your hand.
65
 New Horizon
Prepar ing for a game
Initiative roll (Turn 1)
When starting a new battle you always make an Initiative roll. This is the
very first thing you do. The order in which a character or a NPC makes his
turn is determined by their Initiative value. The Initiative value is gener-
ated only once, during the very first Turn.
Normally, an Action only requires making a dice roll if there is a chance
that your may fail and you need to make the dice roll in order to determine
whether you will fail or not.
For example, a sniper lying under cover where no one can see him is
trying to aim at a target. No one knows that he is there so he has all the
time in the world to aim. He does not need to make a dice roll to see if he
will make a successful aim. On the other hand, if a soldier draws his gun
during battle he only has a fraction of a second to aim. In such a case,
the likelihood of failing is pretty high and he has to make a dice roll to
determine if he will make a successful aim or not.
The Initiative roll is different though, because here you’re mainly focusing
on getting your initiative value. Let’s take the same example again. A
sniper lying under cover where no one can see him is trying to aim at a
target. No one knows that he is there so he has all the time in the world
to aim. He does not need to make a dice roll to see if he will make a suc-
cessful aim. But since this will be his first action, he needs to make an
Initiative roll. His sniper rifle has an Aimed value of 12 (the Target value).
He makes a dice roll, white die has the value 13 and the black die has the
value 17. He failed because both die values are above the Aimed value
12. But in this case, the aim did not fail, because he would not be able
to fail with aiming when he had all the time in the world to aim success-
fully. Therefore, what happens is that his aiming is still a success, but his
Initiative value is 17 (failure).
So when you start a new battle, all combatants declare an Action which
they want to perform during the first Turn. Select a Target value, for ex-
ample the Aimed value of your weapon if you are trying to aim, or your
Movement attribute value if you are trying to run.
Roll against the Initiative Target value. The result is the character or
NPC’s Initiative value. The character or NPC with the highest successful
Initiative roll acts first, meaning his or her Action is declared first in all
turns but the first, and resolved first in all turns including the first, followed
by the second highest successful roll, and so on. When all those whose
Initiative rolls were successful have taken their turn, those who failed
their rolls act - again, ordered from highest to lowest.
Standard Battle
Adara’s aimed value is 12 for the weapon she is using. Butcher, her en-
emy, is standing 15 meters away, giving her a passive value of 1 since
15 meters is exactly between 10 (passive 1) and 20 (passive 2). The dice
roll must come up above 1 but below or equal to 12.
Adara shoots an aimed shot at Butcher (White die: 8, Black die: 13).
• Die value 8 is a success.
If the target is wearing armor, the first thing to determine when resolv-
ing an attack is whether or not the armor protects. If the white die is
higher than Coverage, the attack strikes where the armor does not pro-
tect. Butchers armor coverage is 20 for the main armor and 12 for the
reinforced area. Adara’s white die is 8, which is lower than the reinforced
area. It means that the reinforced area is hit and the armor protects.
All reinforced areas, except for those which are part of the very best and most expensive
armor, are Hardened. It means that the reinforced area is damaged by an attack which
reaches Stop damage. It means that the Coverage of the reinforced area is lowered.
Adara’s Pierce value is 8. Butcher’s armor (reinforced area) has Deflect
7, Stop 11, and Slow 14. That means that the armor Stops the attack and
the attack causes no Injury while Stun is lowered by one level.
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66
Adara makes a dice roll for damage:
• Adara makes a dice roll for damage against Butcher (White die: 20,
Black die: 19).
Adara’s weapon has a Stun value of 14 and an Injury value of 29. Her dice
values must be lower or equal to these values. Injury is not applied this time
however. White die 20 is used for Stun, which is higher than 14. It is not
lower or equal to 14, so the attack fails. Butcher is unaffected by the attack.
Adara’s aimed value of 12 will never come up above 12 in order to hit the armor which
is not reinforced. Unless she is lucky and gets a lucky shot with a black die value of 1.
So hitting the reinforced area is all she can plan for. Her Pierce value of 8 will always be
Stopped by Bucher’s armor. That means that she will never cause any Injury damage,
only Stun damage. And since her Stun value is low for this weapon, only 14, she will
never cause him any higher damage than Minor since Butchers Negligible value is 12
and Minor value is 17 for Stun. Two Minor damages are added together and can cause
Moderate damage, but that is the best Adara can ever hope for. She will be wise to not
continue this battle and run away instead, because even with Moderate damage Butcher
can kill her. However, if she is lucky (5% chance) to get a lucky shot, she could reach
above Butcher’s armor values and cause much higher Stun and Injury damage.
Full Hit
Adara’s aimed value is 12 for the weapon she is using. Butcher is stand-
ing 15 meters away, giving her a passive value of 1 since 15 meters is
exactly between 10 (passive 1) and 20 (passive 2). The dice roll must
come up above 1 but below or equal to 12.
Adara shoots an aimed shot at Butcher (White die: 2, Black die: 7).
• Die values 2 and 7 are both a success, which means this is a Full Hit.
Since both values are below 12 it means that it is a Full Hit. Full Hit’s
always cause maximum Stun and maximum Injury damage.
If the target is wearing armor, the first thing to determine when resolv-
ing an attack is whether or not the armor protects. If the white die is
higher than Coverage, the attack strikes where the armor does not pro-
tect. Butchers armor coverage is 20 for the main armor and 12 for the
reinforced area. Adara’s white die is 2, which is lower than the reinforced
area. That means that the reinforced area is hit and the armor protects.
All reinforced areas, except for those which are part of the very best and most expensive
armor, are Hardened. It means that the reinforced area is damaged by an attack which
reaches Stop damage. It means that the Coverage of the reinforced area is lowered.
Maximum damage: In a Full Hit with the intention of causing maxi-
mum damage the roll is made like a regular damage roll. The differ-
ence is that die that yields the highest result for Stun and Injury is
used, disregarding the color of the dice.
Adara’s Pierce value is 8. Butcher’s armor (reinforced area) has Deflect 7,
Stop 11, and Slow 14. That means that the armor Stops the attack and the
attack causes no Injury while Stun is lowered by one level (see Protec-
tion page 53 in the New Horizon Role Playing Game Compendium).
Adara makes a dice roll for damage:
• Adara makes a dice roll for damage against Butcher (White die: 3,
Black die: 14).
The highest value is used for both Stun and Injury damage!
Adara’s weapon has a Stun value of 14 and an Injury value of 29. Her
dice values must be lower or equal to these values. Injury is not applied
this time however. The highest die has the value 14, which is used for
Stun. 14 is lower or equal to 14. Bucher’s Stun Damage Thresholds show
the value 8 for Negligible, the value 13 for Minor, and the value 19 for
Moderate Stun damage. Value 14 therefore counts as Moderate Stun
damage, but lowered one level it becomes Minor Stun damage.
 Role Playing Game
Lucky Shot
Adara’s uses a bad weapon and aimed value is 6, very low. Butcher is
standing 15 meters away, giving her a passive value of 1 since 15 meters
is exactly between 10 (passive 1) and 20 (passive 2). The dice roll must
come up above 1 but below or equal to 6.
Adara shoots an aimed shot at Butcher (White die: 11, Black die: 1).
Normally, White die 11 would be a failure. But since Adara got Black die
1 which means Luck, she simply had luck on her side and hit Bucher
with the value 11.
• Die value 11 is a success.
Lucky shots always hit!
If the target is wearing armor, the first thing to determine when resolving
an attack is whether or not the armor protects. If the white die is higher
than Coverage, the attack strikes where the armor does not protect.
Butchers armor coverage is 20 for the main armor and 12 for the rein-
forced area. Adara’s white die is 11, which is lower than the reinforced
area. That means that the reinforced area is hit and the armor protects.
All reinforced areas, except for those which are part of the very best and most expensive
armor, are Hardened. It means that the reinforced area is damaged by an attack which
reaches Stop damage. It means that the Coverage of the reinforced area is lowered.
Adara’s Pierce value is 8. Butcher’s armor (reinforced area) has Deflect
7, Stop 11, and Slow 14. That means that the armor Stops the attack
and the attack causes no Injury while Stun is lowered by one level
(see Protection page 53 in the New Horizon Role Playing Game Com-
pendium).
Adara makes a dice roll for damage:
• Adara makes a dice roll for damage against Butcher (White die: 10,
Black die: 8).
Adara’s weapon has a Stun value of 14 and an Injury value of 29. Her
dice values must be lower or equal to these values. Injury is not applied
this time however. White die 10 is used for Stun, which is lower or equal
to 14. Bucher’s Stun Damage Thresholds show the value 8 for Negligible
and the value 13 for Minor Stun damage. Value 10 from the white die
therefore counts as Minor Stun damage, but lowered one level it be-
comes Negligible Stun damage.
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Self-healing with a
Constitution roll
Minor, Moderate and Serious Stun damage can be healed with a Consti-
tution roll during battle. Minor, Moderate, Serious and Severe Stun dam-
age can be healed with one hours rest without any dice rolls required.
Stun damage
During battle:
Minor, Moderate and Serious Stun damage can be cured during Battle
by a Recovery roll for Constitution that requires an Action, taking the
penalties for the Injury into account. A successful Recovery roll clears all
Stun at the end of the Turn. Severe or Critical Stun cannot be cured this
way. But if a Physician makes a successful dice roll (during his Turn) for
Medicine (Human) or for Repair (Wafan) then the Severe or Critical Stun
damage is lowered one level.
While resting:
A minute’s relative peace and quiet can also remove Minor, Moderate
and Serious Stun damage one level at the time. A Recovery roll (Con-
stitution roll) is still required if you only rest a short while, but it does
not take the wound penalties into account. If successful, it reduces the
Stun one level.
An hour of rest removes any Minor, Moderate, Serious and Severe
Stun damage, no rolls required.
A character that suffers from Critical Stun damage makes a Recovery roll
(Constitution roll) with Serious Penalties. A success lowers it to Severe
Stun. An hour of rest removes any remaining Stun, no rolls required.
Injury damage
An Injury will, during the process of recovery, be Vulnerable. A Vulnerable
Injury’s recovery is very easily undone - each time the same hit location
gets a new injury (of any level), one level of recovery is undone. Any
straining beyond light physical therapy might call for a Constitution roll to
ensure the Injury’s recovery isn’t undone.
Minor, Moderate and Serious Injury damage can be healed with a Re-
covery roll (Constitution roll). The original injury determines how often a
Recovery roll may be done:
• Minor: Every 2 days
• Moderate: Every 5 days
• Serious: Every 10 days
Critical and Severe Injuries will not heal without medical treatment!
A physician’s job is to make sure the patient’s wounds have the best
conditions for healing. But actual healing must be done by the body itself.
The Medicine Attribute of a Physician and the Repair Attribute of a
Cyber Life Physician helps the patient with his Recovery roll (Con-
stitution roll).
The Physician makes a dice roll for Medicine/Repair. If he is successful and he
gets a dice value 4 success, then the value +4 is used. Afterwards the patient
makes a Recovery roll (Constitution roll) and if the patient has the value 6 in
Constitution then he adds the Physicians value +4 to his Constitution value,
and must make a dice roll that is <= 10 to succeed. If the Physician fails with
his Medicine/Repair roll then no bonus is added to the patients Constitution
value when the patient makes his Recovery roll (Constitution roll).
For Severe and Critical Injury damages the Physician must have a Med-
kit and the Cyber Life Physician must have a Cyberlife-kit. If the patient
has Nanobots, then the Cyber Life Physician can use his Repair roll and
if successful it can be added as a bonus to the patients Constitution roll.
Bleeding
Bleeding for Humans and Wafans require a recovery roll for the Medicine
Attribute.
67
http://www.newhorizon1.com/NewHorizonCharacterSheet.pdf
 A New World
Beyond the Horizon
The New Horizon® Starter Guide contains everything you need to know to learn how to
create a playable character and how to set up RPGs for the New Horizon setting. This book
contains the most important parts of the New Horizon Role Playing Game Compendium,
suitable for all new players.

Don’t miss out on the New Horizon Role® Playing Game Compen-
dium which contains the New Horizon Campaign Setting Guide,
the Player’s Manual, the Game Master’s Manual, the Monster’s
Manual and the complete Vo|t rule systemTM. The compendium
is suitable for both new and experienced players.
For more information, visit:
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