DEATH*[SHATTER]
An Alternate Future Dark Fantasy Game
Tabletop Roleplaying Game System and Setting
Written & Designed by Nomes De Guerre
Out of Hell’s Gate, the Forked River spills. Welcome to City, the Domain of Damascus, in Amarika, where the dead Don’t die…
Memory struggles to recall when exactly, and why, the apocalypse happened.
Was it mere years ago, or has it been centuries? Did the Age of Belief pass us by silently, or did Indra’s digital net swallow us up one day? Or was it the Legions of Kalifornia, with their Black Knights, and their Blue Bombs, that heralded the Final Day in fire?
One way or another, nature has changed, mutated. Monsters roam free. Our bodies now naturally merge with dark machines. Living metal Labyrinths grow in the countryside like kudzu vines, always inching towards The Spiralled City…
Time is not what it used to be. Love has died, and Death sleeps.
You have glimpsed the Great Cave Beyond, and yet … You live.
What happens when a thing cannot die? When a system can’t recycle its waste?
When change must happen at any cost? Grotesque monsters, living labyrinths, hungry demons, A.I. ghosts, men that walk and yet sleep, and more; all the unnatural consequences of growing pimples that cannot be popped.
In Death[Shatter], you are a Dead-Ringer, tasked with healing the Land by wielding the power of True Death.
Mechanic, hacker, radical, daredevil, DJ, healer, journalist, mystic; Dead-Ringers can be many things and go by many names; but above all, a Dead-Ringer is a psychopomp.
Dead-Ringers help the world move on.
Collect shards of the World Soul, by defeating monsters, closing labyrinths, helping ghosts pass on, resisting Empire, making art, being nice to unhoused folks, and more.
Shards can be gifted back to nature, to return the land to wholeness- healing the World Soul, which in turn helps Sleeping Men awaken from their stupor, monsters become mere beasts; and most importantly, snuffs out the Blue Flame of Rot.
You can also spend Shards on improving your skills, upgrading your gear, and more. But beware; the longer you delay returning the Land to Wholeness, ever brighter shall the Blue Flame burn…
Your alarm clock is ringing, the coffee pot is bubbling, your chainsword could use a good cleaning from the last Labyrinth you sealed, and your junker mag-lev needs an oil change before the next race…
WHAT IS DEATH:SHATTER?
QUICK START GUIDE
MAKING & PLAYING A DEAD-RINGER
RESOLVE
KARMA
LEVELING UP
TRAINING & MASTERY
RESOURCES
LABYRINTHS
THE GREAT CAVE
ROLES
DISPOSITION & REPUTATION
COMBAT
WEAPONS
ARMOR
CONDITIONS
INVENTORY
ATTRIBUTES, SKILLS, TALENTS
ALL FACTIONS
CHARACTER SHEET
ADVENTURING
Travel
Exploration
Labyrinths
Cairns
Time
Resources
Downtime
EQUIPMENT
Weapons/Armor
Body Mods
Misc.
LORE
Death:Shatter is a table top roleplaying game. Roleplaying games are collaborative storytelling in a structured environment- you play the role of a character, in a group of players called a Gang, working together to topple Empire, close labyrinths, and heal the world soul. You are solely responsible for your character, and the structure of the game provides you with a framework for what you can and cannot do- usually determined by dice rolls with bonuses from your characters skills. Certain limitations help ground the game in a certain reality, but the sky is the limit as you build your characters to become heroes. The design of this game rewards players for customizing and optimizing their character builds, and working collaboratively as a team with diverse strengths and weaknesses.
When you get a group together to play a role playing game, you’ll need a few things. First of all, you need a Game Master. Just as you role play your character, the Game Master role plays the rest of the world, including monsters, people, the weather, the environment, and importantly keeps the mechanics of the game running smoothly- especially when things like combat, exploring, or other encounters get a bit crunchy and hard to keep track of.
Trust the Game Master as your guide and narrator as you explore the world- they are here to make a challenging, immersive, and rewarding experience for the group of players. Because the Game Master runs the game, they have final judgment on interpretation and execution of the game’s rules.
Like any game, the purpose of a role playing game is entertainment, and no matter what game you are playing, the rules are ultimately up to you. The following game rules are intended to provide a working game, but if there are parts which you and your group don’t like, feel free to change them around so that they work better for your group. Some people prefer to play roleplaying games the way board games are played, where rules are played as written. Similarly, some people prefer to modify their games to high degrees of customisation and choice. Feel free to stick to the rules; or bend them, break them, and change them at your GM’s discretion.
Dice rolls represent risk, tension, and fate. You roll when attempting something difficult, opposing another creature, and resolving uncertainty in combat or exploration.
Death:Shatter uses only D6’s (six sided dice), and occasionally the GM may use d100’s (one hundred sided dice). You can use regular dot-sided dice, or numbered dice, whichever are easier to read for you, although you may need quite a few. If you don't have physical dice, or not very many, don't worry- there are many easy to use online alternatives and applications specifically designed to simulate dice rolling. Even Google has a built in dice roller: just enter a Google search for “roll three d6” or similar.
Most dice rolls you make utilize a dice pool system, or a number of dice that represent the skill or attributes potential and development.
To use a skill, react to a contest, or calculate damage; roll the amount of dice noted in the dice pool, such as 3d6 (three six-sided dice). You compare the total sum of the dice roll to the Difficulty Class (DC), a number set by the GM, or denoted by another creature's statistics, which represents the threshold of difficulty required to succeed. If the total number of the dice you rolled meets or exceeds the DC, you succeed. If it is lower than the DC, you fail.
Modifiers (bonuses or penalties) may apply, depending on circumstances or abilities.
Decide who your character, called a Dead-Ringer is. Consider things like name, personality, quirks, background, and physical features. These details have no mechanical restrictions or effects on regular gameplay, but are encouraged to create a connection between you and the character.
Your Patron determines which Attributes your character naturally specialize in, which exclusive Patron Skill Trees (Boons) become available, and your thematic focus (e.g., martial discipline, psychic influence, temporal manipulation, etc.) See PATRONS EXPLAINED (page XX.) and ALL PATRONS (page XX.)
When you choose a Patron, you gain one free Patron Shard to assign exclusively to any Patron Skill (aka “Boon”) you qualify for. (Boons begin at 0d6.)
Each character has seven Attributes: Intuition, Muscle, Balance, Conduit, Nerd, Cool, and Karma.
At character creation, roll 3d6. you receive that many Attribute Dice (d6’s) to distribute among these Attributes. Every Attribute must be at least 1d6.
You may assign multiple dice to any Attribute as desired. The number of dice assigned to an Attribute is the Attribute’s modifier. (For example, “Muscle 3d6” means your Muscle modifier is 3.)
You begin with 7 Shards to assign to any Skills or Attributes. (This pool is separate from your starting Attribute Dice.) You also get one free Patron Shard to assign exclusively to an introductory Boon.
All Knacks (basic skills) automatically begin at 1d6, while Talents and Boons begin at 0d6.
You may spend your 7 Shards to purchase or increase existing skills, or to increase Attributes further (as long as prerequisites are met, as is the case with most talents and boons) During character creation, You may spend your Shards however you like. Once you finish character creation, your character's stats cannot be changed (other than normal leveling) until you visit the Great Cave. (see RESOLVE, page ?x?) Although related, Attributes and Skills level separately. Using up a Shard into a Skill’s dice pool does not affect the parent Attribute, and vice versa.
Resolve represents physical and mental resilience, and is the primary metric of player health and stability, (rather than hit points or health). In character creation; choose ONE Attribute to be your Resolve stat: Muscle OR Cool OR Karma. Your Resolve = 4 × that Attribute’s modifier.
(For example: If you choose Cool as your Resolve Stat, and your Cool starts at 3d6, your starting Resolve = 12.)
Your Resolve increases whenever you level up (add Shards to) the Attribute you chose as your Resolve Stat (see Resolve rules section); and decreases when you take damage. Some talents, equipments, and single use items let players heal their resolve.
Talk to your DM for advice about starting money, equipment, body mods, downtime hobbies, living situation, and your weekday job. On average, Dead-ringers have a minimum wage job, a decent apartment with roommates, and a bit of savings and spending money. Depending on your Patron, your situation can vary.
A starting character's Attributes and Talents might look something like this. (knacks not listed)
Resolve: 12 Intuition 2d6 >Clairvoicance 3d6 >Dream Projection 2d6 Muscle 1d6 Balance 3d6 (Resolve stat) Conduit 1d6 Nerd 1d6 Cool 2d6 >Street-sense 2d6 Karma 1d6 |
This table is only shown as a very basic example of Attributes and Skills. (A fully detailed Character Sheet, and pre-made characters, can be found on page XX.)
Patron Choice: Unlocks Patron SkillTree (“Boons”), +1 Patron Exclusive Shard.
Attributes: 7 core attribute stats. Assign 11d6 among Attributes ONLY. (minimum 1d6 each).
Skills: Begin with 7 Shards (+1 from your Patron- use exclusively on a starting Boon) to assign to ANY Attributes, Skills & Talents.
(ALL knacks start at 1d6. Talents start at 0d6. Tiered Talents start at 1d6 after the first is unlocked)
(Attributes, Skills, & Talents level independently.)
Resolve: 4 × the modifier of Muscle OR Cool OR Karma.
Dice Pools: When attempting to use a skill or talent, roll the number of d6s in the appropriate dice pool, and compare the result to a DC. Meeting or exceeding the DC means success; rolling under the DC means Failure.
Intuition: Sense of flow, awareness, and emotional clarity.
Muscle: Physical strength, endurance, and bodily tenacity.
Balance: Coordination where mind and body meet.
Conduit: The subconscious mind’s reach into time, physics, and the unseen.
Nerd: Analytical reasoning, intellect, logic, and technical knowledge.
Cool: Social presence, composure, cultural fluency, and personal vibe.
Karma: The world’s luck shining through you; spend Karma dice to re-roll.
Instead of classes, like in many TTRPGs, in Death[SHATTER], your character has a Patron. Patrons can be understood as your Dead-Ringers lineage, skill set, benefactor, and community. They inform what you’re good at, what you’re bad at, the support networks you have, your social reputation, and access to proprietary skills, called Talents, and technologies.
Patrons are chosen at character creation. When you choose a Patron, you unlock access to that Patron's exclusive talents.
Boons can only be learned if you are aligned to that Patron, and you can only have one Patron at any time.
You may denounce a Patron if you wish to start a new one, which requires a certain ordeal specified by the Patron, and will likely have negative effects on your reputation in the previous Patron’s community. Once denounced, you may choose a new Patron, which requires a certain ordeal or initiation specified by the new Patron, provided your reputation with them is at least neutral.
Similarly, if you act in a way that contradicts your Patron's morals or interests, you may face warnings, consequences, demotion, or even exile from within that Patron's society.
If you denounce a patron, you may keep the Boons that you have already unlocked, learned and/or mastered, but you will not be able to advance in them any further.
All patrons in this edition of Death:Shatter can be found in the ALL PATRONS section, (page XX.), and their proprietary talents can be seen in ATTRIBUTES, SKILLS, TALENTS (page XX.) under their parent attribute.
For quick reference, here is a quick description and alignment chart for the patrons available in this book:
The Omen Pact (Intuition)
Psychics and Shamans that utilize dreams and the subconscious to learn deep truths and find hidden information; as well as run interference on enemies, using their weaknesses against them.
The Black Dragon Ring (Muscle)
A fighter’s guild that embodies the raw power of dragons. Fire, strength and rage are their specialty.
Kali-Sudo (Balance)
Monks in the Kali-Sudo Order focus on mental discipline, martial arts, and technical prowess, and have four different specialized fighting traditions.
Ultraviolet’s Touch (Conduit)
Those with the touch, called violets, have chaotic and powerful psychic abilities that even the Omen Pact dare not attempt. However, their reality warping abilities come at great cost.
City College of Technology & Industry (Nerd)
The brightest hackers, mechanics, and scientists in City gather here to study information networks, labyrinths, cybernetics, and create great inventions and machines.
Phoenix United (Cool)
An underground resistance movement to Empire, Phoenix’s value community networks, protecting the weak, and are naturally inclined to take the lead in social situations and shoot their way out of dangerous ones. Known for their efficient use of traditional firearms and vehicles, and creative utilization of guerilla tactics.
Attributes represent broad qualities of your character’s physical, mental, and supernatural capabilities. Each Attribute has associated Skills, and skills have three levels of complexity; Knacks, Talents, and Boons. Skills are more specific expressions of it’s parent Attribute.
Although Skills are related to their parent Attribute, they advance independently. Increasing an Attribute does not automatically improve its Skills, and vice versa. Both matter mechanically- Attributes determine base competency and can influence the outcome of many skills, while Skills themselves determine specialized expertise.
During character creation, and leveling up, the GM awards Shards that you may spend how you like to increase any Attribute, or skill. Shards also act as an in-game currency. (See more info about shards on page XX.) (see more info about Leveling up on page XX.).
To use a skill, make an attack roll, or react to a contest, simply roll the amount of d6’s in the dice pool of the skill or attribute you want to utilize. Note the result of the dice roll, add or subtract modifiers, and then compare the result to the difficulty class (DC) of the challenge. If the total number of your roll is higher than or equal to the DC, you succeed. If the number is lower, you fail.
After the result of using a skill or talent resolves, regardless of success or failure, you must then pay the required costs, if any.
Knacks, and some Talents, have no cost to use, and can be used as many times a day as you want on your adventures.
Some Talents, and most Boons, require a Cost to be paid after using it. Usually, the cost is a temporary penalty to an attribute or skill. When you use a talent requiring a cost, you pay the required cost(s) after the dice are rolled and the effect is resolved, unless otherwise specified.
Some Talents and Boons can only be used once a day, or require special conditions to be met.
Costs that drain skills or attributes can be paid even if their dice pool value is 0d6, but if paying a cost would put that dice pool at less than 0d6, you accrue Bad Luck. (See BAD LUCK, page XX)
Skills and Attributes that have been drained or altered from paying Costs, always regenerate back to their base dice pool value after a good night's sleep, at a safe location, unless otherwise stated.
Bishop, the CCTI hacker, wants to use the Boon Superior Intellect, which has the cost –1d6 Intimidate. However, Bishop has already used this skill two times in this session already, and after paying the costs, their Intimidate has gone from its base value of 2d6, to 0d6.
Bishop knows that if they pay the -1d6 when at 0, they will get Bad Luck, but that’s OK with Bishop, as using the skill is critical at this moment. They use the skill like normal, succeed, and pay the costs. Immediately they accrue Bad Luck, and must take the disadvantage penalty on the next roll the GM decides. (See BAD LUCK, page XX.)
There are three categories of Skills, and each Skill can only be used at a specific “speed.” Skills can be improved with Shards.
>KNACKS are skills that most average people have familiarity with, like swimming, lifting, hiding, writing, etc. All knacks start at 1d6 in character creation, and require you to spend Shards to level up.
>TALENTS are skills not as common to average laypeople, and require some degree of training, learning, or background in. All Talents start at 0d6, and require you to spend Shards to level up. Advancement Tiers of a Talent can be unlocked by spending a Shard on the next advancement.
>BOONS are skills granted and learned through your allegiance to a great force or organization, and can be advanced and trained into powerful abilities. When you choose a Patron in character creation, you get one free Shard to spend exclusively on available Boons. Like Talents, all Boons start at 0d6, and require you to spend Shards to level up. Advancement Tiers of a Boon can be unlocked by spending a Shard on the next advancement.
All categories of skills have different speeds associated with them. The “speed” of the skill is a representation of the concentration and time needed to perform it, and mechanically the window of opportunity that you can utilize in.
>PASSIVE. An ongoing effect that is always present, without a check needed to utilize, except in rare occasions. “Passive perception” is an example of this.
>RITUAL. Takes time, sensitivity, and concentration to perform; and usually cannot be done in combat or other hectic situations.
>FOCUS. Less sensitive to chaotic environments than a Ritual, but still requires a certain amount of concentration. Many focus skills can be done in combat, but may take a full turn or more to resolve; or last the duration of how long you stay focused; and may require multiple checks to maintain.
>FLASH. These are instinctual, and require no concentration other than muscle memory. Flash skills are trained reflexes that you can rely on in the highest pressure environments, and usually require a one time DC check, with immediate results. Notably, when in combat, movement less than 10 feet counts as a flash skill.
The speed, requirements, and cost, are all included in the first line of the description for each Skill. (See ATTRIBUTES, SKILLS, TALENTS page XX)
In many cases, there are things you simply can’t do. But with most skills, you can always take the time to learn them; by spending Shards awarded to you by the GM when you level up, by taking time to train, or by purchasing Shards with credits.
In cases that you want to do something, but you do not have any levels in the relevant Shards pool (0d6), the GM may just say it’s just impossible for you to do; OR you can attempt it in spirit, with an automatic fail.
In cases where the thing you wish to do does not have a relevant Skill, the GM may let you creatively argue for the use of another Skill, or simply roll the closest relevant Attribute in its place.
In any case, trust the GM’s discretion for the final word.
Since Death is gone from the world, Player Characters need not worry about True Death, except at the hands of a rogue Dead-Ringer. Instead of health or hit points, a Dead-Ringer has Resolve. You can think of this as the strength of mind and body needed to win a battle or overcome adversity. Your Resolve is equal to 4, times the modifier of either Muscle, Cool, or Karma- your choice. Once you choose your Resolve Stat in character creation, you cannot change this until you visit the Great Cave. (See THE GREAT CAVE, page XX.)
Your base total Resolve will always be equal to 4 x (Muscle OR Cool OR Karma modifier)
When a typical enemy deals damage to your Dead-Ringer, it will weaken your Resolve. (Since Dead-Ringers don't fear death, and most battles take place in time-loop bubbles, they have learned to fight even under the most extreme physical injury. Loss of limbs however, do not regenerate.)
Your Resolve increases whenever you add dice to the Attribute you chose as your Resolve Stat. Your Resolve decreases when you take damage. (Your resolve doesn't change when you pay a cost that would drain your Resolve stat. Paying costs is a temporary status, not a permanent modifier. Your Resolve, and your players Attribute resources, reset after a good night's sleep.)
Lillith, the Phoenix United street racer, starts with a 3d6 Cool in character creation, and decides to choose Cool as her Resolve stat. She starts the game with a resolve of 12.
If you reach zero resolve, choose from one the following outcomes:
You may respawn at the last Cairn you rested at (paid your respects to). When you do this, you lose all credits in your inventory. You return fully restored, but you suffer a -1 penalty to your maximum Resolve. This penalty is cumulative each time you return in this way. Monsters, traps, and puzzles in the area also respawn. (To see more about Cairns, see the section CAIRNS, on page ?x?) (This penalty only goes away when you get a good night's sleep at home.)
If repeated Cairn respawns reduce your maximum Resolve to 1, and you take any further damage, the Blue Flame will forcibly take you to the Great Cave - a dreamlike limbo world where Lady Death sleeps. (see THE GREAT CAVE, page XX) Here, you may permanently spend Karma to reshape your character’s stats and change elements of your character’s foundation. (you cannot have a negative modifier, if you would, instead you take a Bad Luck Point, and your dice pool remains at zero.) (see BAD LUCK, page XX.) When you return to the physical world, you lose all your credits, and cannot retrieve them. You wake up in your home fully rested and restored. (Your Karma retains the permanent penalties.) If you were in a labyrinth before visiting the Great Cave, it remains open until sealed. Monsters, traps, and puzzles in the area respawn. Back home, you will be unable to rejoin the Gang until they return from their adventure. While you wait for them, you can shop, talk to your neighbors, go to work, make art, train, work on hobbies or crafting, and many other things.
You keep all the credits in your inventory, return to your home, and fully regenerate. If you were in a labyrinth, it remains open until sealed. Monsters, traps, and puzzles in the area respawn. Back home, you will be unable to rejoin the Gang until they return from their adventure, and you cannot attempt to enter the labyrinth again until the next session. While you wait for the Gang, you can shop, talk to your neighbors, go to work, make art, train, work on hobbies or crafting, and many other things.
Karma represents a Dead-Ringer’s connection to the subtle currents of fate, intuition, and the City’s invisible machinery. It is the small reservoir of personal gravity that lets you bend chance, steady your hand, or lean into a moment the way destiny intended. Karma is not magic, nor is it a resource you can bully. It is simply the truth that sometimes the world tilts in your favor, until you run out of it.
Karma is tracked as a dice pool, expressed in Xd6. Your Karma modifier is equal to the number of dice in the pool. Unless otherwise noted, Karma recovers to its full value after a good night’s sleep at a safe location.
Karma is used in two primary ways:
You may spend a single Karma die after making any roll, to immediately add the result of that die to your total. Karma is always spent after the initial roll, and only one Karma die can be used per action unless a skill or Patron explicitly allows otherwise.
Many Skills- especially those belonging to Patrons- require Karma to activate or enhance. When a Skill lists a cost such as “Cost: 1 Karma,” you must remove one die from your Karma pool before making the Skill’s roll. When your Karma is reduced, its modifier decreases accordingly.
Your Karma pool represents mental clarity, spiritual alignment, and a resonance with whatever forces move beneath City’s surface. When your Karma is low, your instincts feel dull and unfocused; when it is high, the whole world seems to breathe in rhythm with your next step.
You may spend Karma even if you have none remaining (0d6). A Dead-Ringer who reaches beyond their means - whether through desperation, arrogance, or necessity- invites the attention of whatever forces govern chance and consequence. Players who overspend Karma accrue Bad Luck, which prevent further Karma use and impose penalties on subsequent rolls. (See BAD LUCK, pg. XX.)
Karma fully replenishes after a full night of uninterrupted sleep in a safe resting place such as a personal residence, or patron lodging. Some Patrons, labyrinth anomalies, or rare items may restore Karma in other ways, but these effects are uncommon and always described explicitly when they occur. However, If you have a permanent penalty to your karma, it does not regenerate.
Whenever you take a major negative action against Humanity or your Patron (its members or goals); OR if paying for a skill cost would lower a skill or attribute to less than 0d6; you will accrue something called a Bad Luck Point.
Bad Luck Points are single use, consumable dice, that impose a statistical disadvantage on your next roll. You cannot decide to use them- you MUST use them on the next roll the GM specifies. You cannot use Karma if you have bad luck, and can only use Bad Luck Points one at a time.
When you have Bad Luck, the next time you roll dice for any reason, the GM can decide to have you roll an extra d6. You roll your dice pool like normal, plus the extra d6 for Bad Luck. Before you add up the totals of the roll, you remove the highest die from the roll, and then add up the values.
In simple terms, when you roll with Bad Luck: roll Xd6+1d6, drop the highest. (X is the normal roll you would have made.)
At higher levels:
6d6-9d6: when you roll with Bad Luck, roll Xd6+2d6, drop the highest TWO.
10d6 and up: when you roll with Bad Luck, roll Xd6+4d6, drop the highest FOUR.
If you have Bad luck, it does NOT regenerate like other stats when you get a good night's sleep. After you use a Bad Luck Point, it is permanently removed from your character, but you can accrue more later.
When using a Skill that requires a cost (such as Draconic Rage: Flash, Cost –1d6 Dodge), if paying that cost would put a skill at a negative deficit, you get Bad Luck.
If Trixie has 2d6 Dodge, but uses Draconic Rage three times in one day, that would make her dodge skill less than 0d6, after paying the cost for Draconic Rage. Skills cannot go into the negatives, so as soon as she pays the cost that would make it negative, she accrues Bad Luck instead, and the GM decides when she applies it.
Trixe currently has 0d6 Karma. She rolls her Draconic Rage skill, and rolls poorly, so she decides to use a Karma Die to re-roll (even though she has 0d6 Karma). She can still do so, but she immediately accrues Bad Luck, and the GM decides when she applies it.
Characters grow stronger in Death:Shatter not by gaining fixed XP totals, but through GM-awarded Shards, or purchasing Shards with credits. GM rewards are granted when the Gang completes meaningful objectives or demonstrates strong roleplay, creativity, teamwork, or problem-solving. credits are gained by defeating monsters, closing labyrinths, or when dealing with spirits and other mystical entities.
Getting Shards, no matter how you acquire them, represents increased experience, training, and supernatural attunement.
You can spend these dice to add to your dice pools in any Attributes, Skills, Talents, or Karma. When you have more than one Shards to spend, you may distribute them across your character's stats how you like, or concentrate them all into a single stat. You can use them however you’d like. but when you spend Shards on certain Talents or Advancement Tiers, be sure they’re available to you, and you have all the prerequisites for them.
Increasing the Attribute dice pool for your Resolve stat will also improve your Total Resolve.
You also don't have to spend all the Shards awarded by a GM during level up. You can save them for a rainy day, just make a note of it on your character sheet. Banking them for later allows you to save for expensive Talents or Boons, wait until you meet certain prerequisites, and plan more strategically around your build choices. Use them how you’d like!
But remember- you can’t level up just anywhere; you need a good night’s sleep in the comfort of your home, gang hideout, or patron lodging.
Let's say your character, Bronson, a prize fighter turned Black Dragon Warrior, is ready to level up after clearing out a labyrinth of Destined Blue Flame cultists. Once you return home, and rest, The DM awards you 5 Shards. What can you do with them?
You might choose to: add one of them into your current 2d6 Muscle, add one to your current 1d6 Draconic Rage, add one into your current 3d6 Heavy Armor, and add one into your current 2d6 Force; and just in case you need some luck, you add the last one into your current 1d6 Karma.
When you're finished leveling up, you’d update your stat sheet to reflect the changes you made. 3d6 Muscle, 2d6 Draconic Rage, 4d6 Heavy Armor, 3d6 Force, and 2d6 Karma.
Dead-Ringers can train to improve their skills beyond normal dice advancement. Through dedicated study under a qualified teacher, a character may earn Mastery Levels, transforming one of their Shards into a guaranteed result. Mastery can only be applied to Skills and Talents, not Attributes.
Mastery represents intense focus, perfect technique, and deep understanding.
Each level of Mastery turns one of your d6s in a dice pool into a permanent 6. You can have multiple levels of mastery, and each level requires a time commitment as measured below.
Although the “Leveling Up” process awards Shards based on story progress, Training & Mastery uses those dice for specialized advancement that requires downtime, mentorship, and focused personal practice. Shards that are spent on achieving levels of mastery, cannot be used in other ways.
To gain a Mastery Level in a skill, three conditions must be met:
The teacher must already have mastery in the desired skill, and be willing to take you on as a student. You can often seek out a teacher in your Patron’s community.
Training requires a number of weeks equal to 7, minus the Attribute modifier associated with the skill, with a minimum of 1 week. (SEE TIME, page XX.)
To gain each cumulative level of Mastery, you must spend 1 Shard per Mastery Level.
This cost applies per level: Mastery 1 costs 1 Shard, Mastery 2 costs 2 additional Shards, and so on.
Rose, a street kid who was taken in by Kali Sudo Monks, has been growing in her abilities, and wants to gain a level of mastery in Tigers Paw, a Kali Sudo fighting tradition. The skill’s parent Attribute is Balance 3d6, and it’s modifier is 3. She spends a Shard she purchased with credits. Her training time to achieve Mastery 1 Tigers paw is 7 - 3 = 4 weeks.
Shepard, a Phoenix United Operator, has been spending a lot of time practicing gambling to pay off a debt to a crime lord. He needs to meet a deadline, and needs to risk ging to some high stakes tables. He starts training in Bluff to gain a mastery level. His Cool attribute is 4d6. How long would it take him to gain a mastery level in Bluff?
Some Talents and Boons are tiered, meaning they unlock higher tiers with progression. To advance to the next level of a skills Advancement Tier; spend 1 Shard, spend 1 week of training (can simply be done between game sessions) and meet all other required prerequisites.
Dead-Ringers navigate a world defined by struggle, scarcity, and opportunity. Their survival depends not only on combat ability, but on how they manage their resources; namely credits. (Also known as jimmies, links, dubs, bucks, moola, dineros.) This chapter details the game’s economic systems, currencies, and common rewards.
As you and your gang go about adventures, you will collect Shards. These are earned by defeating monsters, sealing labyrinths, and doing good in the world. Shards can be used to level up your character, converted to currency at special vendors to buy and upgrade equipment, body mods, and more. They can also be used to heal the Soul of the World. Healing the soul of the world is a monumental task, but the more you contribute to it, the Wholeness percentage increases. As that percentage rises, you will find people become more helpful and friendly; and defeating monsters and sealing labyrinths will become easier… after a time. It gets worse before it gets better.
While resting at cairns, or at home, you may consume any number shards to add that many 1d6’s to any attribute or skill’s dice pool.
credits are directly convertible into Shards at specific vendors.
500 credits = 1 Shard
Shards may be spent to Increase Attributes, improve knacks, Talents, Boons, increase Karma, train Mastery Levels (with proper downtime), and buy Legendary Equipment.
Special NPC’s, Cairns, Temples, and Landmarks allow your credits to be deposited into the larger World Soul, to raise the global Wholeness percentage. As Wholeness increases,City becomes safer, vendor prices slightly decrease, NPCs become friendlier, monster difficulty slightly decreases, Labyrinth's difficulty slightly decreases, and new stories may unlock. credits invested this way are lost permanently, but reshape the world’s fate.
Credits are the everyday currency of City. You use Credits to purchase weapons, armor, ammunition, tools and utilities, body modifications, repairs and services, food, lodging, and travel, amongst other things.
Most Dead-Ringers will have a weekday job, part or full time, or a conditional allowance from their Patron. Between sessions, the world continues on in real time. Each day that passes in the real world, passes in the game at the same rate. This way, your character and the game maintains a sense of continuity and reality between game sessions. This is called downtime, and you can use it for working, training, and your character's hobbies. You tell the GM how you divy up your time, and the GM will decide your results at the beginning of each session accordingly.
Daily work: 20-80 Credits/day (down time only)
Dangerous, odd jobs, gig work: ???–??? Credits/gig (session time only)
Credits are abundant enough for lifestyle needs, but rare enough that high-end gear remains aspirational.
As the Blue Flame of Rot is emboldened by undeath, living technological monstrosities called Labyrinths arise; in City, and outside of City. They are rogue, unbound artificial intelligences that have learned to use abandoned technology to mold earth and flesh; creating networked hives that spawn monsters and enslave unfortunate souls trapped inside. As they grow, they can take over city blocks or buildings, forests, tunnelling into mountains, and more. Left unchecked, they will always grow larger and attempt to overrun and colonize any undefended technology.
While traversing labyrinths, you will often find points of rest, called Cairns. These are nodes in the network of a labyrinth that draw upon energy from the Soul of the World to maintain the labyrinth's physical form.
Because of the natural nexus of energy at these nodes, Dead-ringers may take a moment to pay their respects to these Cairns. This is a bittersweet remembrance- you honor the life being sapped from the soul of the world, not the labyrinth itself.
Paying your respects at a cairn allows the gang to rest, regenerate, and regroup while exploring a labyrinth. You can meditate at these cairns to automatically regain your resolve points, and spend credits on skill points and other upgrades.
But beware, when you pay your respects at a cairn, all enemies, traps, and puzzles will reset. As you progress through a labyrinth, you may decide to rest, or not rest, at a cairn depending on your goals. If you decide to farm credits from some easy enemies, you can rest at a cairn as many times as you wish to get more credits.
Resting at a cairn naturally saves your progress in a labyrinth. If your resolve reaches zero, you can elect to lose the credits in your inventory at the spot you ‘died’, and get transported back to the last cairn you paid your respects to. Afterwards, you may attempt to return to the spot you died and pick up the credits you lost. (They will stay there until the labyrinth is sealed or you pick them up.) (For more info about what happens when you ‘die’, see RESOLVE - page XX.)
Alternatively, you can choose to hack into the labyrinth’s digital network at the site of a cairn, provided you have the Netrunning skill. This is different from paying your respects. If you are Netrunning at a cairn, it temporarily shuts down all other cairns, and no cairns may be paid respects to, as long as you are Netrunning.
If you wish, you may also dismantle a cairn. Doing this has a number of effects. Dismantling a cairn weakens enemies in the labyrinth by a very small amount, but it’s an effect that stacks as multiple cairns are dismantled. But if you dismantle a cairn, you may not return to it if you die, you cannot rest at it, and it cannot be reconstructed. If all the cairns in a single labyrinth are dismantled, the labyrinth will collapse and become sealed the moment you leave it. Sealing a labyrinth gives each Dead-ringer in your gang an amount of credits depending on its difficulty. (The last cairn at the end of a labyrinth is always locked, and conditionally unlocked by defeating the most difficult enemy - or enemies.)
If you reach zero resolve in the twisting halls of a labyrinth, choose from one the following outcomes:
You may respawn at any Cairn in the labyrinth you have paid your respects to. When you do this, you lose all credits in your inventory. (You may attempt to return to the spot you fell and pick them back up as a flash action.) You return fully restored, but you suffer a -1 penalty to your maximum Resolve. This penalty is cumulative each time you return in this way. Monsters, traps, and puzzles also respawn when you do.
If repeated Cairn respawns reduce your maximum Resolve to 1, and you take any further damage, the Blue Flame will forcibly take you to the Great Cave - a dreamlike limbo world where Lady Death sleeps. (see THE GREAT CAVE, page XX) When you return to the physical world, you lose all your credits, and cannot retrieve them. You wake up in your home fully rested and restored. The labyrinth you were in before visiting the Great Cave remains open unless closed by the rest of the Gang. Back home, you will be unable to rejoin the Gang until they return from their adventure, and you cannot attempt to enter the labyrinth again until the next session. While you wait for them, you can shop, talk to your neighbors, go to work, make art, train, work on hobbies or crafting, and many other things.
You keep all the credits in your inventory, and fully regenerate. The labyrinth remains open, and all monsters, traps, and puzzles reset, unless closed by the rest of the Gang. Back home, you will be unable to rejoin the Gang until they return from their adventure, and you cannot attempt to enter the labyrinth again until the next session. While you wait for the Gang, you can shop, talk to your neighbors, go to work, make art, train, work on hobbies or crafting, and many other things.
Since respawning at cairns is technically time travel manipulation, and you will see the lingering effects. Your own ghost might run past you, puzzles might be different, and you may forget critical details about the labyrinth. Enemies may even get a sense of deja-vu, and begin to predict your movements and attacks, giving them slight bonuses. Mechanically, this looks like higher DC’s in the labyrinth for monsters, traps, puzzles, or changing details after multiple attempts.
The Great Cave is a dream-world beyond the physical plane, a liminal realm where a Dead-Ringer drifts in sleep, wandering in a state between life and dissolution. It is reached only when a Dead-Ringer’s final ember of Resolve has been blown out, the Blue Flame intervenes, drawing them into the Cave as a final ward against True Death... Here, Death herself slumbers, deep within the Cave’s recesses. The Great Cave is Lady Death’s Dream.
While visiting this realm, a Dead-Ringer must undergo a great transformation. The Cave becomes a space for reflection, inner rearrangement, and profound change.
A Dead-Ringer is brought to the mouth of the Cave whenever they have suffered penalties to their Resolve from respawning too many times between a good night's sleep.
The Great Cave is the only place where a Dead-Ringer may perform permanent restructuring of their character’s essence. Here, they may permanently spend Karma to swap the values of Attributes or Knacks, and change their Resolve modifier to a different Attribute.
Each swap, exchange, or modification requires a permanent –1d6 Karma cost for each individual change made. This permanent penalty does not heal after a good night's sleep. Each modification you make while in the Great Cave gives you a Bad Luck point. (See BAD LUCK, page XX.
These changes represent deep metaphysical rewrites- alterations performed not through training or experience, but through communion with the primordial forces that shape identity and destiny.
Upon awakening, the Dead-Ringer loses all credits currently in their possession, and they return home in City, fully regenerated, with renewed Resolve, and permanently changed. The GM may decide to narratively explore the consequences of the changes, and even require roleplay for the Dead-Ringer to justify, process, or react to their experience.
Being in a Gang is all about team work. Optionally, each player can take on a role. You can come up with other roles if your gang is larger than 4, or not use them at all. The first four listed here are archetypes that every gang should have, but using them as official rules is entirely optional.
The Ace mediates disagreements, listens to the rest of the Gang, takes feedback, and makes sure the gang’s goals and individuals needs are met. They help keep a unified front to assure that everyone is on the same page.
Keeps an eye out and does most of the searching, observations, and often has the highest passive perception of the group.
Keeps the maps while exploring labyrinths. You don’t need to be an artist. Just draw boxes on paper, and label the places you’ve been and things you’ve seen. Connect the boxes with lines showing how you got in and out.
Write down the people you meet, the things you hear about, and the leads you’re privy to. You never know what piece of information might be important later.
If your Gang is larger than four- worry not. Here are some additional optional roles Dead-Ringers can take on.
Protects the group and does most of the intimidation, tanks damage, or hits hard. Looks scary and has a heart of gold. They often have a higher intimidation, force, etc than the rest of the Gang.
Has expansive knowledge of networks, information, netrunning, lore, trivia, and more. The Gang often relies on them for niche information. The GM may allow them to have more knowledge about the world than other players.
Primarily is the gear-head of the group. They often have access to a workshop, connections and discounts with other equipment dealers and shops; they may also help to repair and maintain the Gang’s equipment, vehicles, and weapons.
Creatures and people naturally have a spectrum of Disposition, which is their opinion or instincts about you. Similarly, organizations have a spectrum of Reputation, based on your involvement, support, or opposition to their goals.
The spectrum of both disposition and reputation are essentially the same. Reputation in an organization affects the average Disposition of its members toward you. Reputation can move between a spectrum of positive modifiers (+), neutral, or negative modifiers (–) These are single numbers that modify Cool checks against them (or animal handling checks, if applicable.) The following spectrum are just mile markers, and the positive or negative modifiers can
Aggressive (–5), Wary (–3), Hesitant (–1), Neutral (0), Curious (+1), Friendly (+3), Fawning (+5)
Agressive
Creatures who are Aggressive towards you, will attack on sight outside the city, or will make a scene inside the city. Cool checks (and animal handling if applicable) against them have a -5 penalty.
Wary
Creatures who are Wary towards you will avoid you entirely if at all possible, and attack or make a scene only if confronted. Cool checks (and animal handling if applicable) against them have a -3 penalty.
Hesitant
Creatures who are Hesitant towards you will keep their distance, but will not attack or make a scene if confronted. Cool checks (and animal handling if applicable) against them have a -1 penalty.
Neutral
Creatures who are Neutral towards you will not avoid you nor greet you, and will largely ignore you unless confronted. There are no disposition penalties or bonuses for checks against them.
Curious
Creatures who are Curious towards you will not approach or confront you, but oftentimes will follow you if otherwise unoccupied. Cool checks (and animal handling if applicable) against them have a +1 Bonus.
Friendly
Creatures who are Friendly towards you will often approach you, or at least be happy to see you. Cool checks (and animal handling if applicable) against them have a +3 bonus.
Fawning
Creatures who are Fawning towards you will often drop what they are doing and approach you, and/or follow you, unless convinced otherwise. Cool checks (and animal handling if applicable) against them have a +5 bonus.
Most normal people will be hesitant or neutral to you. Most beasts will be Wary or Aggressive.
Your Patron, and its community starts at Friendly towards you. The Empire is likely Aggressive towards you, except at the GM’s discretion.
When entering combat, Initiative order is automatically determined by who has the highest Balance. On a tie, creatures or player characters roll Balance, and the highest roll gets the higher place in initiative order. On subsequent ties, roll Balance again.
On a creature or player's turn, they may use one flash action, and one focus action; OR you may use two Flash actions. (except when stated otherwise, or under special conditions). Whenever a “free” action is mentioned, that means the player or creature may use that action without using up a free or focus action.
Using a flash action includes Flash-speed skills, attacks, reactions, small actions like pulling a lever or opening an unlocked door, You may also use another flash action in place of a focus action; but you may not use an extra focus action in place of a flash action.
Reactions are special flash actions a player or creature can use on someone else’s turn, in response to other specific actions. Common reactions include Dodge and Parry.
Using a Focus action includes focus-speed skills, attacks, and moving more than 5 feet.
When making an attack roll, the weapon you are using determines what you roll. Blades use balance, guns use intuition, and baseball bats use muscle, for instance. To attack (either focus or flash, depending on the weapon) roll the appropriate skill (Ex: Balance 2d6). The defending creature may respond with a contest by making a dodge, parry, block, or another relevant flash skill. If no contest is made, add or subtract relevant information and modifiers, and their Armor becomes the DC. Compare the results; the higher result wins, and relevant results like damage are now rolled. Contests
Characters have an optional inventory management system, called Weight Capacity, at the GM’s discretion. Some may find inventory management to be a cumbersome mechanic that detracts from fun gameplay, while others may find additional layers of resource management make games more challenging and interesting.
Talk to your GM about using optional mechanics or not, such as Inventory Management.
In the case that you don’t use inventory management, you should at least consider some basic reasonable limits to what your Dead-Ringer can carry. No, your Dead-Ringer Snapper probably can’t carry a .50 cal minigun in each hand, a backpack full of camping supplies, all your DJ equipment, and a chainsaw. Unless of course, your character build is muscled out to be able to carry all that and/or you have some cybernetic enhancements that would justify that capability.
In the case you DO use inventory management, use the following system; Weight Capacity.
Your character is only strong enough to carry so much. When using optional rules like inventory management, stick to the following rule of thumb: a Dead-Ringer can carry weight less than or equal to your maximum potential roll of Endurance and Lifting, added up, times TWO. (If your Endurance is 2d6 and your Lifting is 2d6, you can effectively carry 48lbs or less.) This includes equipped weapons and armor, large cybernetics, and anything else carried in a backpack or similar.
If your inventory is heavier than your weight capacity, your movement speed is reduced to 5. Your weight capacity is not penalized for up to 10 small items.
Even if you aren't using optional rules like Weight Capacity, the GM may use their discretion to invoke a movement speed penalty if you are carrying an unreasonable amount of items that wouldn’t make sense even in a fantasy game. GM’s should be lax on these penalties and allow for generous player experience, except in extreme circumstances of player abuse.
Any given weapon a Dead-ringer can wield, and some body modifications that work like weapons, have four distinct characteristics: Weight, Complexity, Range, and Damage Type.
The weight of a weapon is listed in the descriptions for individual weapons (page XX.). If you are using the optional inventory management system (page XX.), this affects the total inventory you can effectively carry.
Complexity refers to the amount of damage any given weapon can deal, and the upkeep required to keep it in working order.
Conventional, Mechanical, and Energy are the three levels of complexity a weapon can have.
base 1d6 damage. Maintenance required only in flavor- no downsides in the field.
base 2d6 damage. Chace of Jam increases by 10% with each use, tracked by GM. (GM rolls d100, if under X%, weapon jams.) Clearing a Jam in combat requires one Focus action. Maintenance in downtime required to reset Chance of Jam to 0%.
Base 3d6 damage, plus energy type. Chance of Rupture increases by 10% with each use, tracked by GM. (GM rolls d100, if under X%, weapon ruptures.) Rupture destroys the weapon, and deals damage to the controller instead of the intended target. Maintenance in downtime required to reset Chance of Rupture to 0%, or to fix a Ruptured weapon. Fixing a Ruptured weapon resets its Chance of Rupture to 0%.
Weapons may be of 3 different types of range, and some weapons can be used with multiple different ranges.
Melee weapons can be used to attack a creature within 5-10 feet of you, depending on the size of the weapon. The attack roll for Melee weapons is based on the damage type it uses.
Thrown Weapons can be used to make an attack roll up to (80+X) feet away from you. (X) is your Throwing Skill modifier, times 4. The attack roll for Ranged weapons is usually Intuition. (Pierce)
Fired weapons can be used to make an attack roll at the distance specified in the weapons description. The attack roll for Ranged weapons is usually Intuition. (Pierce)
When successfully dealt regular damage, creatures who are vulnerable to Slashing damage get dealt additional damage equal to your Balance modifier.
When successfully dealt regular damage, creatures who are vulnerable to Blunt damage get dealt additional damage equal to your Muscle modifier.
When successfully dealt regular damage, creatures who are vulnerable to Piercing damage get dealt additional damage equal to your Intuition modifier.
Creatures who take Cryo Damage in addition to normal damage, get their movement speed reduced by (X), for (half X) turns. (X) is the normal damage dealt.
Creatures who are vulnerable to Cryo Damage, in addition to normal damage, instead get their movement speed reduced by (twice X), for (X) turns. (X) is the normal damage dealt.
Creatures who take Fire Damage in addition to normal damage, get dealt an extra (X) damage at the start of subsequent (X) turns. (X) is equal to half the normal damage dealt, rounded up.
Creatures who are vulnerable to Fire Damage, in addition to normal damage, instead get dealt an extra (X) damage at the start of subsequent (X) turns. (X) is equal to the normal damage dealt.
Creatures who take Disruption Damage in addition to normal damage, get all their Attributes and Skills reduced by 1d6 for (X) turns (minimum 0d6). (X) is half the normal damage dealt.
Creatures who are vulnerable to Disruption Damage, in addition to normal damage, instead get all their Attributes reduced by 2d6 for (X) turns (minimum 0d6). (X) is the normal damage dealt.
Amarika
The colloquial name for the land. This realm is one of burning oil, neon signs, enchanted forests, living metal, crumbling ruins, and well worn paths.
City
A paradoxically crumbling and vibrant city, both old and new. Squint and you’ll see glowing eyes in the alley, easy to miss under the neon signs on the street.
City Districts
The Riverfront District. A strip of City along the Forked River. A couple pleasant parks dot the riverfront. The Empire’s golden dome and the Mountain of Man loom overhead.
Wicker Square. A popular market on the Riverfront district where fishmongers, pawn merchants, coffee shops, sex workers and spice taverns alike all hock their wares. Shanty towns on the northern outskirts.
Lore Street Alley. A collection of narrow and dirty, but immensely popular, pedestrians-only slum systems, packed with tiny store fronts, dubious quality noodle and coffee wagons, trash, and cheap apartments. It looks super cool here when it rains, which is most of the time.
Reserve Strip. A fast paced, dangerous district where there are more machines and industry than anywhere else in City. Pedestrians beware.
Station
A small village, north of City, inhabited mostly by honored dead who once lived pure lives. Dead-Ringers may buy various simple items from the shops in Station.
Ru Valley
A shanty town, south of City, inhabited by cruel mutations and beasts. At night they can be heard wailing and screeching; taunting adventurers and torturing themselves in their living death. May Death remember them when she returns. Nearly overtaken by Pale Buffalo Marsh.
Glacier’s Tradeway
A road that runs north to south, connecting City with Station.
The River of Roots
Flows from the west into the Forked River, meeting at City and together flowing westward.
The Forked River
Winds generally north to south, out of the Hell's Gate, elbowing into City, where it meets the River of Roots, and together flows south westward.
Mountain of Man
A completely barren mountain looming over City, split into two uneven sides. The larger of the two sides has a massive concrete glyph, shining white, on its half domed face. A religion has risen out of this one strange rune, and adherents to it are known to dress in burgundy robes with the white-silver letter printed on it. They paint the mountains giant letter a fresh coat of white paint every year, accompanied with propane-fumed orgies, feasts, and blood sport.
Loyal Jon’s Leap
The smaller half of the Mountain of Man, where Grand Marshal Jon Roy supposedly demonstrated his worthiness of ruling the Domain of Damascus- by making the impossible jump across the split mountain and surviving. This fulfilled prophecy of the Bear worshipers, convincing them of his right to rule hundreds of years ago.
Hell’s Gate
A narrow canyon between Loyal John’s Leap and the Mountain of Man, where the Forked River flows out of.
Pale Buffalo Marsh
A floodplain just south of City. ghouls and dangerous corrupted spirits reside here. Once a sacred place, now tainted by the sludge and waste of City. The Forked river and The Rooted River meet here. Magnetic north swings wide here. There is a little shop on the north edge of the swamp that is one of the only places left in this region where you can acquire clay, paint and canvases.
Booker Woods
Greater & Lesser Antelope Canyons
Moose Can Gulch
Frank’s Wilderness
Frank’s Church
Bob’s Wilderness
The sense of being in tune, in the flow, free of psychological obstacles. don't overthink it.
Use this attribute to make attack rolls with Pierce-type weapons.
Knacks
(These start at 1d6)
>Animal Handling (Focus) Understanding the motives and instincts of wild or domesticated creatures. Success usually improves a creature’s disposition towards you. On failure, try again only after a good night's sleep. Failures usually worsens a creature's disposition towards you.
>Artist (Ritual or focus, GM’s discretion) Making works of art, like paintings, music, dance, sculpture, digital media, etc; as well as analyzing, critiquing, and understanding them.
>Speaking (Passive) Familiarity with and ability to understand various forms of verbal communication. Characters know Kinglish. New languages can be learned, or inherited, per GM discretion. Learning new languages requires training. (see TRAINING & MASTERY)
>Search (Focus) Spotting hidden objects or people, finding weaknesses, lipreading, eavesdropping on or watching another person.
>perception (Passive) Your steady awareness of your surroundings. Equal to your Intuition modifier, plus this skills modifier, times 2.
>Survival (Ritual) Surviving in wilderness environments, including the ability to identify plants, animals, and their nutritional and medicinal uses.
>Tracking (Focus) Following the trail of another person, animal, or creature, or keeping after a moving target, with or without being noticed.
>Disguise (Ritual) Altering features or clothing to be unrecognizable or to look like someone else. Also useful in acting performances.
>Gambling (Focus) Playing and cheating at games of strategy and luck.
>Investigation (Focus) Gathering information, researching topics, analyzing data, and piecing together clues.
TALENTS
(These start at 0d6)
>CREATURE Speaker (Passive) You can naturally understand the language of a chosen creature species. Choose wisely. Attempts at Animal Handling with the chosen species get an extra 1d6 per this skills Modifier. (Learning a new species’ language after the first, requires mastery 1, and a new Shards per each new language learned.)
>Beast Charm (Passive, Cost: –1 Karma, use once per day, req. Creature Speaker Mastery 1) When attempting an animal handling check, you may automatically succeed. If a creature’s disposition is Hesitant or worse, it becomes Friendly. If it is Neutral or better, it becomes Fawning.
Boons - The omen pact
(Requires the listed Patron, start at 0d6)
>Dream Projection (Ritual, cost –1d6 Balance, use once per day. ) When you sleep, you maintain a spark of awareness. While you sleep, you may focus on one other person or creature and attempt to view their mind. Doing so while the other creature is awake may alert them to your presence. The cost of this skill applies after waking up.
-If the other creature is awake, this skill has a DC of 12, plus the other creature's Intuition modifier.
-On success, for each piece of information you seek, you must roll this skill. As long as you remain successfully connected, you may choose whether they are alerted to your presence, and you can see a detailed portrait of specific emotions, motivations, and less detailed memories or traumas.
-On failure, you do not see their mind, and they are alerted to your presence, and will recognize you if they see you later. If you rolled with bad luck, you run the risk of developing early stages of psychosis.
-If the other creature is asleep, this skill has a DC of 10, plus half their intuition modifier. (rounded up.)
-On success, for each piece of information you seek, you must roll this skill. As long as you remain successfully connected, you may choose whether they are alerted to your presence, and you can see a detailed portrait of specific emotions, motivations, and less detailed memories or traumas. You may maintain this skill for as long as you’d like, provided you and your target are both asleep.
-On failure, you do not see any further into their mind, but they are not alerted to your presence. If you rolled with bad luck, you run the risk of developing early stages of psychosis.
>Astral Body (Passive, req. Dream Projection) Developing your Astral body helps create stronger psychic boundaries between you and the dream world. This passive skill tier removes the possibility of developing psychosis from the Dream Projection skill, making it safer and more reliable.
>Astral Travel (Ritual, Cost, –2d6 Balance. Use once a day. req. Dream Projection Mastery 1) When you use Dream Projection, now, you do not need to focus on an individual to connect with them. Rather, your consciousness’ embodiment takes form on the astral plane, and you can travel around it as if it was the physical world. You can enter and observe any humanoid mind with a DC of 12, and any beast mind with no DC. Your attempts to enter their mind will not alert them unless you choose to.
-On success, you see a holistic portrait of their emotions and motivations.
-On failure, you stay on the astral plane, but you cannot enter that mind until the next time you use Astral Travel.
You may attempt to visit (X) minds while astral travelling, up to (2X) miles away. If you are woken up while astral travelling, you will spend X hours with the disoriented condition. (X) is this skill’s modifier.
>Clairvoyance (Focus, cost –1d6 Balance): Slipping into a state of trance to read natural signs, synchronicities, and interpret dreams through The Omen Pact. GM discretion as to DC and results.
>Soultap (Focus, line of sight, cost –1d6 karma, Req. Clairvoyance): In battle, you may slip into a brief trance and briefly view the pacts, intentions, motivations, and fears of another, and use it to their deadly advantage by tormenting, manipulating or taming the enemies subconscious. You do not get a holistic portrait; rather, you get little details, without context. This takes one full turn in combat, or instantly when out of combat. To make this check, contest your Soultap vs. that creature's Intuition.
-On success, the DM reveals pertinent information, strengths, or weaknesses of the creature. The next attack made against that creature, from yourself or anyone you share that information with, rolls an extra D6 to hit.
-On failure, instead, you get the condition disoriented for one turn.
>Mind Swap (Focus, line of sight, Cost: -1d6 Karma Req. Soultap Mastery 1) You attempt to forcibly exchange consciousness with another creature, trading bodies for a short period. When you attempt this skill, contest your Mind Swap vs. the target’s Intuition.
-If you succeed, your consciousness enters the target’s body, and their mind is pulled into yours. The swap takes place when you end your turn. Both creatures retain their own mental Attributes and Skills- but use the physical statistics (Muscle, Balance, health/Resolve maximums, movement, resistances, equipment compatibility) of the body they now inhabit. You may have the target roll with Bad Luck while inhabiting your body. Both you and the target keep your initiative that you started the combat with. This swap lasts for (X) turns. (X) is the number that you exceeded their roll by.
-If the target succeeds, the swap fails, and you become disoriented for (X) turns. (X) is the number that they exceeded your roll by.
-If the contest is a tie, the swap fails, and you both become disoriented for 1 turn.
The effect ends when the duration expires, or either creature is knocked to 0 Resolve, and you may take a flash action to sever the connection on your turn.
>Mind Prison (Focus, line of sight, cost: roll 1d6 and take that much Resolve damage, req Mastery 1 in Soultap) You trap a creature’s consciousness inside its own mind, turning its fears, doubts, and memories against it. To use this skill, contest your Intuition vs. the target's Intuition. The contest must be rolled at the beginning of each of your and the targets turn to maintain the effect. The result of the contest is resolved at the beginning of each of yours and the targets turns. While focused, you and the target cannot take any actions.
-If you succeed, and on subsequent successes, the target takes (Xd6) damage. (X) is this skills modifier.
-If the target succeeds, you lose focus, and nothing happens.
-On a tie, both you and the target take (Half Xd6, rounded up) damage. (X) is this skills modifier. You may maintain focus.
The effect ends if you lose focus, or if the creature reaches 0 Resolve. You may end this effect on your turn at any time as a flash action.
Your body's strength, endurance, and tenacity.
Use this Attribute to make attack rolls with blunt-type weapons.
Knacks
(These start at 1d6)
>Lift: Moving or lifting heavy objects.
>Speed: Moving quickly on the ground while avoiding obstacles and keeping from stumbling. Your movement speed in combat is equal to 30 + (X). (X) is twice this skill's modifier. Movement speed applies in increments of 5, rounded down. (30-34 counts as 30, 35-39 counts as 35, etc.)
>Stamina: Physical endurance and resistance to pain, disease, and poison.
>Swim: Moving and surviving in a liquid medium.
TALENTS
(These start at 0d6)
>Heavy Armor (Passive) When wearing a new set of heavy armor for the first time, make a Heavy Armor check. The DC is determined by the weight of the armor, and by the GM’s discretion. On success, when wearing that specific piece of Heavy armor, the speed penalty for wearing heavy armor is decreased by your Heavy armor modifier. On failure, Your speed is decreased by the weight of the armor. You may attempt that check again after a good night's sleep.
>Armorless (Passive) When wearing no armor, you get a bonus +2 to your resolve if Muscle is your Resolve stat.
>Movement Freedom (Passive, req. Armorless, Mastery 1) When you unlock this skill, you get an additional free Shard in Dodge. When wearing no armor, your speed is increased by 5 feet per d6 in this skill.
BOONS - The Black Dragon Ring
(Requires the listed Patron, start at 0d6)
>Draconic Rage (Flash, Cost -1d6 Dodge) When you unlock this skill (not activate it), you take a free Shard in Armorless. Your Draconic connection to the Black Flame erupts in your blood. Your muscles flex to their limits, veins twist and throb. Bursting out of your skin, you become enveloped in the black flame for a short time. When activated, other creatures in a 10 ft radius take Xd6 damage at the start of each turn, for X turns, where X is this Skills Modifier.
>Blackened Scales (Focus, Req. Draconic Rage Mastery 1, cost: -1d6 Dodge) The black blood fire envelops you and hardens into a flexible scaled exoskeleton. If you are not wearing any armor, you may equip the "Black Flame Armor" for X turns, where X is this skills modifier.
>Molten Invulnerability (Focus, req. Blackened Scales, Draconic rage Mastery 1, cost: -2d6 Dodge) Your body becomes as heavy as lead, making you a powerful juggernaut. DC 16, minus your muscle modifier. If you are not wearing armor, for (X) turns; reduce all incoming damage by 6, you gain Immunity to the terrified condition, and you cannot be knocked prone or shoved. X is this skill’s modifier.
>Ash Cloud Burst (Flash, Cost: -1d6 Stamina)
>Blood Fire Tongue (Flash, Cost: -1d6 Literacy): A special gland in the mouth developed to excrete the deadly black flame blood, and spray it at a short range onto enemies. Range: 15 Feet. Does X damage, where X is the roll used for this skill.
>Blood Fire Ancestry (Passive, req. Bloodfire Tongue Mastery 1, Cost: –2d6 Nerd) You can understand most forms of draconic, and dragons will have a neutral or better disposition towards you.
>Koriast, Avatar of the Black Flame (Focus, req. Draconic Invulnerability, Blood Fire Ancestry Mastery 2, Cost: -4d6 Karma) You attempt to don the mantle of Koriast, the Dragon Queen. The DC is 24, minus your Muscle Modifier. On success, you spend the rest of your turn transforming into the Avatar of Koriast, and cannot take any other actions. For (X) turns in combat: All damage done to you is halved, rounded up. You grow leathery dragon wings. You get an additional (+Xd6) in Flying, Intimidation, Lifting, Stamina. While transforming, you may equip the Black Flame Armor, which lasts as long as you are transformed. (X) is this skill’s modifier. You may activate Draconic Rage without paying it’s costs while you are in this state.
Measure of Your flexibility, limberness, quickness, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination. Where Muscle and Intuition Shake Hands, tango, and get it on.
Use this attribute to make attack rolls with Slash-type weapons.
Knacks
(these start at 1d6.)
>Acrobatics: Performing feats of gymnastics, extraordinary balance, dance (and related performance arts), as well as breaking falls.
>Climbing: Scaling various surfaces, ropes, vines, cracked walls, etc.
>Contortion: Flexibility, fitting through spaces not natural to the body, or escaping from otherwise secure physical bonds by twisting, writhing, and contorting the body.
>Dodge: Slipping out of danger’s way, whether avoiding an attack or a sprung trap.
>Parry:
>Jumping: Leaping over obstacles, onto higher planes, or just for fun.
>Riding: Controlling and riding domesticated mounts, or hanging onto a fast moving vehicle being piloted by someone else.
>Stealth: Moving silently and avoiding detection, whether through shadows or crowds.
>Pilot: Operating any vehicle, including steering, animal management, and technical knowhow. Requires 1d6 for each type of vehicle known.
>Throwing: Hitting a target accurately with a thrown item, including stones, javelins, bottles, and knives. Also used for catching thrown items. Use this skill to make an attack with ranged(thrown) weapons.
Talents
(These start at 0d6.)
>Flying (Flash, Req. self propelled flying apparatus. Cost: -1d6 balance) Aerial maneuvering under one’s own power (such as cybernetic wings).
>Slickshot (Flash, Req. Balance Mastery 1): Re-roll any dice result of One or Two, on Ranged attack rolls.
>Sleight of Hand (Flash, Req. Stealth): Nimbleness with the fingers and misdirection, including picking pockets, palming items, and stage magic.
>Lockpicking (Focus, Req. Sleight of hand): Opening a mechanical lock without possessing the key or combination. Cannot be used on encrypted/digital locks.
Boons - Kali Sudo
(Requires the listed Patron, start at 0d6)
When you choose Kali Sudo as your patron, spend a Shard (one free patron Shard is granted in character creation) to start in one of four Fighting Traditions; Tigers Paw OR Drunken Turtle OR Guarded Mantis OR Graceful Crane.
A Fighting Tradition itself does not have a dice pool, is not a skill, and cannot be increased with Shards. They have special skill trees that you may advance in as normal. To learn another Fighting Tradition, you must first have Mastery 1 in the first tier of another fighting tradition, and you must train for an amount of weeks equal to 7, minus your balance modifier (minimum 1 week) and you must spend a Shard. (Learning a new Kali Sudo tradition does not count as mastery.)
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Tigers Paw (Fighting Tradition, passive) When you unlock this fighting tradition, take a free Shard in Shroud Claw OR Student of the Moon. Take a free Shard in Stealth. You may attempt a Stealth check in combat as a free action. This does not count toward your total actions in a turn.
>Shroud Claw (Flash, cost: -1d6 Mettle) When attacking from stealth, you may roll this skill before you make the attack roll. The DC is 14, minus your Stealth modifier. If this check succeeds, and the following attack succeeds, double the damage you would deal.
>Dark Strike (Flash, cost –2d6 Mettle) Whenever you attack, you may roll this skill before you make the attack roll. The DC is 18, minus your balance modifier. If this check succeeds, and the following attack succeeds, make an additional free attack roll.
>Student of The Moon (Passive) Whenever you fail a stealth check, you may roll again using this skill instead. Do this no more than (X) times a day. When rolling for this skill, you may add (+X). (X) is this skills modifier.
>Shadow’s Embrace (Passive, Req. Shroud Claw Mastery 1 OR Student of the Moon Mastery 1) When you unlock this skill, your total flash actions per turn is increased by one. If an enemy is aware of your presence, but can’t find you due to you being hidden from a Stealth check, they must attempt a contest of their Intuition, Vs. your Intimidation, as soon as they are able, at the beginning of each of their turns. Then roll Shadow’s Embrace.
-If you succeed in the contest, they take damage equal to the result of half your Shadows Embrace roll.
-If they succeed in the contest, they take 1 damage.
-If the contest is a tie, they gain the condition Panicked for (X) turns. (X) is half your Balance Modifier, rounded up.
>Death Leap (Flash, requires Shadows Embrace Mastery 1, cost: -2d6 speed) Whenever you attack, you may roll this skill before you make the attack roll. DC 18, minus your Balance Modifier. If you are positioned above an enemy (rooftop, rafters, etc), or If you are against a wall or solid vertical surface, you may use all of your available movement speed to drop or launch yourself that far towards an enemy. The target must be in range of your available movement. If they fail to react, they take additional Blunt damage equal to the excess distance you used, plus the amount rolled when you made this check. This Blunt damage is dealt whether or not the attack roll succeeds. (If you have at least Mastery 1 in Intimidation, and only when a Death Leap kills a creature, other enemies that see this must succeed on a contest of your Intimidation vs their Cool, or gain the condition Terrified for (X) turns. (X) your Intimidation Modifier.)
Drunken Turtle (Fighting Tradition, Passive) When you unlock this skill, take a free Shard in Heavy Armor. You take a Free Shard in Speed. Take a free Shard in Swagger Step OR Slippery Bastard.
>Swagger Step (Flash, Cost: –1d6 Stealth) If you are wearing heavy armor, contest your Swagger Step + your Balance modifier, Vs. their Intuition.
-If you succeed, you may double your movement speed until the end of your next turn. The next attack against you has (-X). (X) is half this skill’s modifier, rounded up.
-If they succeed, they get +1 on their next attack roll against you.
-If it's a tie, nothing happens.
>Taunting Laugh (Flash, req Swagger Step Mastery 1, Cost: –1d6 Balance) DC 16, minus your Balance modifier. On success, the next time you use the Dodge reaction, you may Heal (X) Resolve points on yourself as a free reaction. (X) is this skills Modifier.
>Slippery Bastard (Passive) If you are wearing heavy armor, each time you use all your movement speed in a turn, the next attack made against you has its damage reduced by (Xd6). (X) is half this skill’s modifier, rounded up
>Unstoppable Momentum (Flash, Cost -2d6 Stealth, half your movement speed, Req. wearing heavy armor, Slippery Bastard OR Swagger Step Mastery 1) When you activate this skill, if you are wearing heavy armor, your movement speed is reduced to half your base movement speed, rounded up, until end of turn. If you use your entire available movement speed after activating this ability, on your next turn, your speed is increased to double its base speed instead. On successive turns, if you use all your available movement, it doubles your movement speed on the next turn. This effect ends if you don’t move your full movement speed.
>Wrecking Shell (Passive, req. wearing heavy armor, Unstoppable Momentum Mastery 1) If you are wearing heavy armor, whenever you double your movement speed, add 1d6 Blunt damage to your next melee damage roll, for each time your movement has been doubled on this chain*. Add this bonus damage no more than (X) times per attack. (X) is this skills modifier. (*a chain starts when you do the same thing on your turn, at least once on each of your turns, and the chain grows with each time you do that thing. The chain stops and starts over if you don't do that thing. In this instance, this chain refers to doubling your movement speed only.)
Guarded Mantis (Fighting Tradition) When you unlock this fighting tradition, You take a free Shard in Dodge. You take a free Shard In Parry. You take a free Shard in Counter Strike OR Hypnotic Sway. You can blueprint an enemy's attack and defense patterns in a split second, understanding their strengths and weaknesses. You focus on tiring them out with a strong defense, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike with lethal precision. (Passive) After a single enemy attacks you for the third consecutive time in combat, (without attacking anyone else) you immediately get a free flash attack with a DC equal to half their Armor Class.
>Counter Strike (Flash, cost: –1d6 Lift) The first time on an enemies turn that you make a successful Parry reaction, you may make an extra free attack called Counter strike immediately. Roll Counter Strike instead of your standard attack roll.
On success, do half the damage you would normally do.
On failure, the cost for this skill instead becomes –1d6 Balance.
>Hypnotic Sway (Focus, Cost: -1d6 Bluff to activate; move no more or no less of 5 feet of movement speed on each turn you maintain focus) DC 10, plus the target's Intuition Modifier. On success, the targeted enemy focuses their attention and attacks on you for as long as they are hypntized. Roll this check with a cumulative +1 to the DC, at the beginning of each turn, to maintain focus. While hypnotized, the creature cannot attack anyone other than you, and the creature rolls with Bad Luck on all checks against other creatures, until the effect ends. When hypnotized in this way by you, the target’s AC is –2 its base AC. When the effect ends, the target becomes Disoriented until the start of their next turn. The effect ends when you fail to maintain focus, you move more or less than 5 feet in one turn, you don’t move at all.
>Panoramic Senses (Passive, Req. Counter Strike Mastery 1) When you Unlock this skill, you gain a free Shard in Perception. You become immune to enemies imposing the conditions Panicked, Surprised, and Disoriented. Whenever an enemy attempts a stealth check while in combat with you, you may contest it with a Panoramic Senses check.
If you succeed, the target automatically fails all further Stealth checks for (X) turns.
If they succeed, nothing happens.
(X) is this skill’s modifier.
>Eerie Stillness (Flash, Reaction, Cost: -2d6 Karma use 10 movement speed or less your previous turn) DC 16, minus your Balance Modifier. On success, you may use Counter Strike any number of times per turn for the next (X) turns, as a free reaction whenever you Parry, or an enemy Parries. (X) is your Balance Modifier.
(Passive) Whenever you use Counter strike, you may add this skill’s d6 pool to your attack roll. As long as you use 10 feet or less movement speed the previous turn, you may use Counter Strike without paying its costs.
Graceful Crane (Fighting Tradition, Passive) When you unlock this fighting tradition, you take a Free Shard in Karma. You take a free Shard in Dodge. You take a free Shard in River Step OR Freshwater Song. You have learned that all life exists in rhythm. By listening to the subtle music, you are always in the right place at the right time, and can walk calmly through normally hectic battles without risk of bodily harm. Attack rolls against you are reduced by half your perception modifier.
>River Step (Flash, Reaction, Cost –1d6 Karma) Whenever you would Dodge, you may instead use this skill. DC 14, minus your Balance modifier.
On success, teleport to any square you have been in before, up to 1 square away from you (a square is 5 feet).
>Share Fate (Focus, Cost: –2d6 Karma) DC 12, plus the target’s Intuition Modifier. Choose a creature. On success, if you would be dealt damage by that creature, reduce that damage by your Balance modifier. The creature takes damage equal to the amount you prevented, plus this skill’s modifier. To maintain focus on successive turns, at the beginning of each turn after the first, make a Focus check: DC 12, plus the target’s Intuition, +2 cumulative. You may end this effect any time.
>Freshwater Song (Focus, Cost: –1d6 Balance) DC 12, minus your balance modifier. You may temporarily boost one of your skills or attributes by 1d6, for (X) turns. (X) is your balance modifier.
>Wild Allegiance (Flash, Req. Freshwater Song Mastery 1, Cost: –3d6 Balance) DC 16, minus your Balance modifier. Choose one: You may temporarily boost another skill or attribute on you or an ally by Xd6, for X turns. OR; You may temporarily reduce an enemies single Attribute by Xd6, for X turns. (X) is half your balance modifier, rounded up.
>Redirect Animosity (Flash, Reaction, Req. Freshwater Song Mastery 1, Wild Allegiance Mastery 1 Cost: –2d6 Balance, –2d6 Karma) DC 20, minus your Balance modifier. When an enemy attacks you, you may use your reaction to roll this skill. On success, reduce damage that would be dealt to you by (X). If damage is reduced this way, you may then reduce any Attributes of that attacking creature by that many d6’s, in any combination, for (X) turns. (X) is this skills modifier. (If 4 damage was reduced, you may reduce any of those creatures attributes by a total of 4d6, in any combination attributes, for 4 turns)
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>Avatar of the Grand Master (Focus, Req. Graceful Crane, Guarded Mantis, Drunken Turtle, & Tigers Paw. Cost: –4d6 Karma) You attempt to embody the warrior spirit Akali-So. The DC is 22, minus your balance modifier. On success, you take a full turn transforming into Akali-So. You cannot use any other actions this turn. You get a temporary (+Xd6) in each of these skills: Stealth, Endurance, Lift, Acrobatics, Climb, Dodge, Parry, Jump; for (X) turns. (X) is your Balance modifier.
Being a Conduit means touching time, space, and physics itself. These skills are hard to control, have a high physical cost to use, a high chance of failure, and a high ceiling of potential.
Conduit has no Knacks of its own. All Conduit Skills are Boons- they are unavailable to Dead Ringers who do not have Ultraviolets Touch as their Patron.
>Regeneration (Flash, Cost: –1d6 Muscle) You heal minor wounds on yourself or another by touch, rearranging molecular structures, or simulating neurotransmitters to inspire morale; restoring their Resolve. The DC is 12, minus your Conduit Modifier. You heal Resolve points on a willing creature equal to the your Regeneration Modifier.
>Revival (Ritual, Req. Regeneration Mastery 1, Cost: (–Xd6) Conduit, (–Xd6) Karma, and take (X) damage.) You touch one creature who has died in the last 10 minutes and restore them back to life with half their maximum resolve, rounded up. (X) is the chosen creature's Resolve Stat Modifier.
>Aura Sense (Req. Ultraviolet’s Touch –1d6 Acrobatics): for one minute you can visually see the color and frequency of all electromagnetic fields, up to 100 feet. The DC is 12, minus your conduit modifier.
>Projected Senses (Req. Aura sense, cost: –2d6 Acrobatics): For one minute, provided your skin can touch the ground or a connected wall, you tune your awareness to sensing minute vibrations anywhere up to 300 feet around you. You can sense things as quiet as a heartbeat, breath, or the radiation of heat or an electrical device. The sense must be specified to electromagnetic, subsonic, ultrasonic, thermal, etc. The DC is 14, minus your conduit modifier.
>True Sight (Passive, Req. Aura Sense Mastery 1 and Projected senses): you can permanently see any electromagnetic, sonic, ultrasonic, etc. frequency, but you can only see one at a time, taking the place of the visual light spectrum. Choosing between which filter you see can be done effortlessly as a free action, as simple as a blink. Once a day, the first time you use this skill, make a True Sight check, with a DC equal to 14, minus your conduit modifier. On a failed save, your sight becomes temporarily locked into a single random frequency for 24 hours. you must make a successful True sight check the next day, with a DC of 14, +1 for each successive day. On a successful save, you may use this ability as many times as you like, without using an action in combat, until your next sleep.
>Dominate Time (Focus, Cost: -3d6 Conduit) You reach out beyond your mind to control the time force. The DC is equal to 20. On a success, you may control the flow of initiative. Excluding your own turn, you can reverse the turn order, or skip a turn. (this does not change narrative time, or undo actions) Roll this ability each single turn you wish to change, with a +2 increasing cumulative difficulty on each extra turn manipulated. When you fail, It returns to the normal turn order, starting after the last turn you manipulated. When you fail, you take 1d6 Resolve damage, +1d6 for each time you made a Focus check on this ability. If you would die from this skill resolving, you cannot regenerate at a Cairn. Return home, or visit the Great Cave, instead.
>Sunder (Focus, Req. Regenerate Mastery 1, Cost: -4d6 Conduit) Dissolves the molecular bonds of everything around you. DC 20, minus your conduit modifier, increasing in +1 DC on each successive turn to maintain focus. Does 4d6 Area of Effect damage at the beginning of each turn that focus is maintained, to all substances or creatures other than you, in a 3d6+X foot diameter sphere centered around you. Roll the size of the sphere at the beginning of each turn after you maintain focus. X is plus or minus your Conduit modifier.
>SHATTER (Flash, Req. True Sight Mastery 1, Dominate Time Mastery 1, Cost: Visit the Great Cave after this skill resolves.)
You blink out of time. DC 20. Take (X) extra turns after this one. During those extra turns, time freezes. You cannot deal damage. Other creatures cannot move, take reactions, take damage, or get conditions. Cairns cannot be activated. (X) is your Conduit modifier. After this skill resolves, your physical form immediately collapses, and you must visit the Great Cave.
Functional rationality, intellect, and raw brain power.
Kinda cute, tbh. “Erm, ACTUALLY…”
Knacks
(automatically start at a 1d6.)
>Medicine: Using first aid techniques to treat injuries, as well as an understanding and application of medical procedures, including diagnosing illnesses and performing surgery.
>Navigation: Determining the correct course using external reference points, such as stars, maps, or landmarks, as well as creating maps.
>Literacy: Familiarity with and ability to understand various forms of written communication, as well as the ability to write and create literary compositions, including forging papers and identifying such forgeries.
>Scholar: This skill represents knowledge and/or education in areas not covered under any other skill (such as history, lore, etc.). This may be restricted to a specific field (represented by specializations) or a general knowledge of a wide range of subjects. It is used to remember details, rumors, tales, legends, theories, important people, and the like, as appropriate for the subject in question. However, the broader the category, the fewer the details that can be recalled.
>Economics: Knowledge of business practices, exchange rates, the monetary value of goods and opportunities, and other information regarding barter and sales, including the ability to determine how to make money with another skill the character has.
Talents
(automatically start at a 0d6.)
>Tech: Using and designing (not making) complex mechanical or electronic equipment, such as programming and operating computers and manipulating communication devices.
>Fabrication: Designing making complex mechanical devices, like computers, netrunner interfaces, cybernetic body mods, vehicles, etc. Requires materials, tools, shop space. When you learn this skill, you must choose and specify a trade, like the highlighted examples mentioned above. You may be creative in how you choose a fabrication trade, but always ask for the GM’s discretion. New trades can be learned by training- see
>Security: Installing, altering, and bypassing security devices, locked doors, as well as identifying various kinds of traps, by conventional means. (guessing passwords, picking locks,
Boons - City College of Tech I
(Requires the listed Patron, start at 0d6).
>Netrunning (Focus, Req. CCTI, OR Fabrication. Cost: -1d6 Balance) you have a bio-computer chip implanted in your spine, and a computer interface jack that extends from a chosen location on your body, seamlessly allowing you interface with a computer terminal, and any connected networks, visualized in your minds eye. When netrunning, you can quickly access database information, public or private records, and any information on that network. At Cairns, you can interface with a labyrinth's AI, learning the secrets of the labyrinth, its inhabitants, layout, traps, and treasure. You become oblivious to the outside world except through hearing. You cannot willingly move while netrunning. If you are moved involuntarily (pushed, pulled, carried), the connection ends. While netrunning, you auto fail visual passive perception checks, and cannot take reactions. The DC depends on the system security, and it’s AI’s intelligence, if any. Make a DC check every minute you maintain the connection, or every turn if you’re in combat. Subsequent checks after the first do not count towards a combat turn’s actions. You can end this focus without consequence, but a Failure will alert AI to your presence. If you fail a Netrunning check, you cannot attempt to hack from that same terminal again until after a long rest.
>Reprogram (flash, Requires CCTI, Netrunning. Cost, –2d6 Balance. Use once per turn) Your skill in netrunning is highly advanced. After a successful netrunning check at a terminal, you can roll Reprogram to attempt to bypass weaker security systems entirely, and even rewrite code. This allows you to disable traps, alarms, or change the alignment of any networked Guardian AI’s, or any other relevant systems. You may choose one system to change when you make this check. The DC depends on the network's security, and its AI intelligence, if any. Failure will alert AI to your presence.
>Mass Reprogram (flash, Req. Netrunning Mastery 1, Reprogram, Cost: -6d6 Balance) You resolve this ability in a similar fashion as Reprogram. When using this skill, you may choose (X) systems to reprogram in a network, with a +2 cumulative DC increase per chosen system beyond the first. (X) is this skills modifier. The base DC depends on the network's security, and its AI intelligence, if any. Failure will alert AI to your presence. If you fail any check, you take Disruption Damage equal to the amount of systems you attempted to reprogram.
>Probability Logic (Flash, Req. CCTI, Cost: -1d6 Nerd): DC 10, minus your Nerd modifier. On a success, You make two guesses as to the modifier of an attribute, skill, or DC of a chosen creature, trap, or skill challenge, and the DM reveals which guess is closer.
>Probability Calculation (Flash, Req. Probability Logic Mastery 1 Cost: -2d6 Nerd): DC 16, minus your Nerd modifier. Choose a creature, trap, or skill challenge. Declare a single attribute, skill, value, or DC you wish to identify. On success, the GM reveals the exact value of the chosen modifier or DC.
>Probability Alteration (Req. Probability Calculation Mastery 1, cost –3d6 Nerd, –2d6 Karma): DC 20, minus your Nerd modifier. On success, choose (X) creatures, traps, and/or skill challenges, other than yourself. For each chosen target, select one attribute, skill, or DC. The GM reveals the current value of each selected attribute, skill, or DC. After the GM reveals the values, you may increase or decrease each chosen value by (X) for (X) turns. (X) is equal to half this skill’s modifier, rounded up. A value altered this way cannot be reduced below 0d6. After the effect ends, all altered values return to normal.
>Statistical Singularity (Flash, Req. Probability Alteration Mastery 1, Cost –4d6 Nerd, –2d6 Karma) DC 22, minus your Nerd modifier. You collapse all probability branches into a single optimal path.
On success, for the next (X) turns, a roll of your choice you make on that turn is instead replaced with the highest potential roll for that dice pool. You must announce this choice before using that skill. This cannot be used for attack rolls.
On failure, for the next (half X) turns, an enemy of the GM’s choice gets this bonus instead.
(X) is your Nerd Modifier.
>Combat Telemetry (Flash, Cost –1d6 Cool) DC 14, minus your Nerd modifier. On success, pick one enemy. For the rest of the turn:
>Ghost in the Network
Your ability to tune into people, places, culture, and relationships. Keep your head on straight, and. People either stop to look - or you slide by unnoticed. No inbetween.
Knacks
(These start at 1d6.)
>Mettle (Passive) Ability to withstand stress, temptation, other people’s interaction attempts, mental attacks, and pain. Failed Mettle checks do damage to Resolve, or penalties to skills, at the GM’s discretion.
>Flirt (Focus, Req. target to have Curious or better disposition towards you) Using friendliness, flattery, or seduction to influence someone else, and improve their disposition towards you. Can also be useful in sales and bartering transactions, and situations involving etiquette.
>Bluff (Passive) Lying, tricking, or deceiving others, as well as verbal evasion, misdirection, and blustering. Disguise can complement uses of this skill. Also useful in putting on acting performances.
>Intimidation (Focus) Using physical presence, verbal threats, taunts, torture, or fear to influence others or get information out of them. Failed intimidation attempts result in penalties to Disposition.
>Persuasion: Influencing others or getting information out of them through bribery, honest discussion, debate, diplomacy, or speeches. Also useful in negotiations, business transactions, storytelling, and oration. Failed Persuasion attempts result in penalties to Disposition.
Talents
(These start at 0d6.)
>Command (Flash, Req. Ace Role) Effectively ordering and coordinating others in team situations. Only players with the Ace role may use this skill, and must demonstrate effective leadership to the DM. The DC is determined by how simple or complicated the plan is, and how cohesive the group spirit appears to the GM. (simpler is easier) Successful Command checks give +X to each player in the gang for each of their next roll. Failed command checks give -X instead. X is this skills modifier.
Boons - Phoenix united
(Requires the listed Patron, start at 0d6)
>Street Sense (Passive) Finding information, goods, and contacts in City, particularly through the Phoenix United Underground network. Also useful for determining possible motives and methods of anti-empire individuals and factions.
>Street Cred (Passive, Req. Street Sense) Your normal Reputation amongst normal citizens is increased by one, and amongst Phoenix United members by two. (SEE REPUTATION & DISPSITION)
>Family Fixer (Passive, Req. Street Cred)
>Phoenix Dawn (Passive, Req. Family Fixer)
>Black Market Connections (Passive, Req Phoenix United)
>Counterfeiter (req. Phoenix United)
>Fence (Req . Black Market Connections)
>Grease Bunny (Req. Phoenix United)
Not a traditional attribute. Simply Measures and modifies your luck. The Soul of the world looks up at you with grace… re-roll.
Any time you roll dice, you may spend any number of Karma dice you have, to re-roll an equivalent amount of dice. Karma dice regenerate between sessions. You may decide to use Karma die before or after you make a roll.
You may assign any number of Attribute dice or Shards to your karma- during character creation, or when the GM awards them.
Each Karma dice can be used once, and regenerate between sessions.
(For example, if you fail a DC check while rolling 3d6 Karma means you can expend up to 3 dice to re-roll any dice, up to 3 times a session.)
A loosely organized group of psychics, druids, and shamans. The Omen Pact has very little hierarchy or structure, but are united in their commitment to being at the right place, at the right time, to bear witness and shed light wherever darkness festers. They hold summits from time to time to discuss direct action, argue over the ethics of being psychic, and increase their spiritual bond. Some individuals who have Ultraviolets Touch attend Omen Pact summits, and while they are welcomed to join as fellow psychics, they are often held at arms length with fear and suspicion over the power they hold.
>Friendly towards The Owls
> Hesitant towards Ultraviolets Touch
>Neutral towards Congregation of the Bear, other Dead-Ringer Patrons.
>Aggressive towards the Empire, and the Destined Blue Flame
This draconic cult has the outward appearance of a simple underworld fight club network, when in reality they work to summon the power of the Dragon Avatar, Koriast, initiating proven fighters into their ranks by injecting her black flame blood into their veins. This dangerous ritual often kills weaker individuals, and can seriously harm stronger ones in the beginning. But after a few months of regular injections and recovery, their bodies adapt and become raging demons of flame and brute strength. They are famously bullies and criminals, but only in the eyes of the Empire and enabling centrists. They often work alongside Phoenix United, sharing common anti-authoritarian sentiments, but they do clash from time to time when the Phoenix’s cringe at the Dragon’s recklessness and violence.
>Friendly towards Phoenix United
>Neutral towards The Omen Pact
>Wary towards Kali-Sudo, Ultraviolet’s Touch.
>Wary towards CCTI
>Aggressive towards Congregation of the Bear, The Destined Blue Flame
Tucked away In the Sapphire mountains are the Kali Sudo Dojo’s, who honor and embody the simple path of Akali-So. They live low tech lives of asceticism and rigorous martial arts training, accepting scarce charity to maintain operations. While modest in appearance, they are lethal fighters. A simple sword in their hands, or their hands themselves, rival all but the most advanced industrial weapons technology. They are renowned as formidable warriors; even Dragon Ring fighters and Imperial Black Knights respect their prowess and code of honor. Most Kali Sudo monks train in a dojo from a young age, taken as orphans from City, or given over to the order from wealthy and poor parents alike.
>Friendly towards the Omen Pact
>Neutral towards most
>Wary of the Congregation of the Bear
Those with the Touch, often called Violets for short, are few and far between. They have terrifying, reality warping psychic abilities that make them true wild cards. Since their metabolism works in overdrive to support their overgrown psychic abilities, it’s common for Violets to be thin and physically weak. Often their affiliations are totally unique to each individual; often feared by others, and deeply misunderstood by most. Violets often avoid contact with other Violets, simply because the amplification and instability of their combined strength creates ripe conditions for permanent reality destabilisation. Except in rare cases, most Violets live a life of voluntary or forced exile. They often make a life in the alleys and by-ways of City, on the outskirts, or secluded in the countryside.
In the beating heart of City is the renowned College. Here, academics, engineers, hackers and scientists of all kinds cut their teeth. A veritable playground of fabrication shops, sub-zero computer servers, lecture halls, particle accelerators, cybernetic-biology labs, and more pack the ascending floors of the singular goliath campus tower. The only skyscraper in City, the CCTI campus is a stark reminder of
A techno-fascist occupying regime from the west, that has a tenuous hold of authority in the land. The golden dome where they have centralized their power is called the Seet. From the Seet rules the Grand Marshal Jon Roy, redundantly also carrying the title of The Seet. Jon is a man that is clouded by machinery- most of his body and mind have been replaced by living metal. His humanity is all but lost; as are his elite cybernetic Black Knights, and his lazy but violent LoMen.
>Friendly towards Congregation of the Bear
>Wary towards The Owls, the Destined Blue Flame, Kali Sudo
>Generally Aggressive towards Dead-Ringers.
A secretive council of ancient, powerful, angelic or demonic beings (depending on who you ask). They rarely involve themselves personally in the matters of Men, but they keep a watchful eye on all the happenings of the Domain of Damascus. Ansof The Eye is the only name known to be associated with The Owls, the name and individual behind it shrouded in mystery. Many are paranoid to their ever watchful presence.
>True Neutral
Worship of the Bear Totem is the oldest and most widespread religion in City. Its adherents are commonly found making pilgrimages to the Mountain of Man, at the top of which it is said that the burgundy and silver garments they wear transform them into great athletes and hunters. At the foot of the mountain, propane fumes and profligation stir the pilgrims into a frenzied haze. Their church is a great blood-sport arena near the base of the Mountain.
>Aggressive towards The Black Dragon Ring
>Wary of Phoenix United
>Friendly towards the Empire
As long as The Blue Flame of Rot burns, our Lady Death sleeps- and some prefer it that way. The Destiny Cult is what most people call them- a paranoid, disgusting group of mutants that preach the embrace of corruption in the streets. Instead of yelling about the end times, they proselytize the Stagnant Forever, not only eternal life, but accelerating its corruption and mutation. Desperately hopeful of their grim gospel, they submit themselves and new members to horrible biological experiments; grafting of beastly organs and limbs, illicit gene splicing, ingestion of strange chemicals, and risky experimental cybernetics- extreme even to the most affluent expirimenters. They are not necessarily popular in City, but their stench is ever present, with missionaries in every major district. And slowly, their numbers grow as the Soul of the world grows weary.
>Wary or Aggressive towards everyone
>Fawning towards prospective members.
Name >____________________________
ROLE >____________________________
GANG >____________________________
GENDER >_________ AGE>____________
BUILD >____________________________
PERSONALITY >_____________________
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MAX RESOLVE >_________
CURRENT RESOLVE >_________
KARMA >_________
______>Intuition
______>Muscle
______>Balance
CHARACTER PORTRAIT |
______>Conduit
______>Nerd
______>Cool
BOONS
Inventory
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Equipment
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BODY MODIFICATIONS
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BACKGROUND
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BONDS
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NOTES
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Knacks
_____>Animal Handling (Focus)
_____>Artist (Ritual)
_____>Speach (Passive)
_____>Search (Focus)
_____>perception (Passive)
_____>Survival (Ritual)
_____>Track (Focus)
_____>Disguise (Ritual)
_____>Gamble (Ritual)
_____>Investigation (Ritual)
_____>Lift (Focus)
_____>Speed (Focus, Flash up to 10 feet)
_____>Stamina (Passive)
_____>Swim (Focus)
_____>Acrobatics (Focus)
_____>Climb (Focus)
_____>Contortion (Focus)
_____>Dodge (Flash)
_____>Parry (Flash)
_____>Jump (Flash)
_____>RidE (Focus)
_____>Stealth (Focus)
_____>Pilot (Focus)
_____>Throw (Focus)
_____>Medicine (Focus)
_____>Navigation (Focus)
_____>Literacy (Passive)
_____>Scholar (Passive)
_____>Economics (Passive)
_____>Mettle (Passive)
_____>Flirt (Focus)
_____>Bluff (Passive)
_____>Intimidation (Focus)
_____>Persuasion (Focus)
When not in active combat or other time sensitive encounters, time passes in whatever way the GM sees fit for narrative flow. Players can roleplay in the moment, or montage a period of time with intermittent scenes, all at the GM’s guidance and discretion.
During combat, or other time sensitive encounters, players and other creatures' turns are roughly equivalent to 10 seconds. Some Talents specify effects that last in minutes, therefore one minute is equal to approximately 6 turns in an encounter. Some powerful Talents may mess with Time- but these effects only change the turn order, not invalidate or reverse other creatures actions, unless specified.
One week of “in-game” time can be roughly equivalent to the real-life time that passes between sessions of the game.
The general rule of thumb is that if the gang ends a session back at their home in City, time passes roughly equivalent in the game as to real-world time. This allows players to let their characters train, earn income through their job, and do downtime activities that would normally make for tedious gameplay during a session. The GM can encourage some roleplay scenes of what happened during the players week, at the player and GM’s agreement.
If many weeks or months in the real world pass between sessions, the GM can decide to have a higher amount of time pass in-game to speed things up, but the GM should be consistent between sessions to keep advancement balanced and meaningful. Players and GM’s should have a session zero discussion to set expectations about this before playing.
If the Gang is in the middle of an encounter, and need to end the session, the GM and players can elect to pause time between sessions, unless the characters want to auto-fail the encounter and respawn back in their homes in City. If at the end of a session, the table elects to pause time in the middle of an encounter, the players cannot engage in downtime activities, training, or other between-session activities. The scene is frozen, and picks back up exactly where they left off.