From c5a3489e67309977e083cfc003f75550fc252f0a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Brian S. Stephan" Date: Wed, 7 May 2025 08:13:40 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] rebuild this patch with -d to clearly only be removals Signed-off-by: Brian S. Stephan --- patches/base/015-major-dedupe.patch | 3951 ++++----------------------- 1 file changed, 558 insertions(+), 3393 deletions(-) diff --git a/patches/base/015-major-dedupe.patch b/patches/base/015-major-dedupe.patch index 9102fb9..01b6999 100644 --- a/patches/base/015-major-dedupe.patch +++ b/patches/base/015-major-dedupe.patch @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ ---- _tmp/ccsrd.md 2025-04-05 12:25:12.335698984 -0500 -+++ _tmp/ccsrd.new.md 2025-04-07 23:17:44.833762460 -0500 +--- _tmp/ccsrd.md 2025-05-07 08:11:29.069893581 -0500 ++++ _tmp/ccsrd.new.md 2025-05-07 08:11:39.216950498 -0500 @@ -4769,28 +4769,6 @@ GM Intrusions: Onlookers react with unreasoning fear. A weird interaction sends an ally or object careening into the sky. @@ -2517,7 +2517,7 @@ ### EXCEEDING CYPHER LIMITS Sometimes characters might want or need to carry more than their normal allotment of cyphers, and in a modern fantasy -@@ -50114,4840 +47765,1401 @@ +@@ -50114,1124 +47765,8 @@ 99–00 (group): The PCs arrive, but apparently their directions were wrong, because they're not where they wanted to go, but someplace completely different. @@ -2527,192 +2527,143 @@ -Power shifts are an optional rule in the Cypher System Rulebook that represent many of the exceptional things that -superheroes can do, like throwing cars, blasting through brick walls, leaping onto speeding trains, and cobbling -together interdimensional gateway devices in a few hours. -+### OPTIONAL RULES FOR FAIRYTALE - +- -A typical superhero PC gets five power shifts. Power shifts are like permanent free levels of Effort that are always -active. They don't count toward a character's maximum Effort use (nor do they count as skills or assets). They simply -ease tasks that fall into specific categories, which include (but are not necessarily limited to) the following. -+Optional Rule: I Have That! - +- -Accuracy: All attack rolls. -+In fairy tales, characters often have exactly the right mundane piece of equipment - +- -Dexterity: Movement, acrobatics, initiative, and Speed defense. -+that they need to bypass a story-related obstacle hidden away in a pocket or a bag. Rather than having the PCs stock up -+on mundane items like marbles, rope, and breadcrumbs in town, use the I Have That! rule. This means players don't have -+to keep exact track of their characters' mundane equipment; instead, they spend an amount to get an unspecified "Pocket -+Item" in - +- -Flight: The character can fly a short distance each round; each additional shift increases this speed (whether the -flight comes from a power shift or a character ability) by one range category (long for two shifts, very long for three -shifts). -+that category. Then, when they're out in the world and realize they could solve a problem with an item, they can just -+say, "I have that!" and pull it from their pocket. All Pocket Items are one-use only; after using them, the PC marks off -+one of their Pocket Items for the appropriate price category. - +- -Healing: One extra (one-action) recovery roll per day. -+Most Pocket Items are inexpensive, but moderate and expensive Pocket Items exist, and are likely more useful than their -+less expensive counterparts. - +- -Increased Range: Increases the range of one ability or attack. A touch-range ability (such as Shock) increases to short -range, a short-range ability increases to long range, and a long-range ability increases to very long range. -+The GM has veto power over items that they don't think you could have found or carried. - +- -Intelligence: Intellect defense rolls and all knowledge, science, and crafting tasks. -+Using the I Have That! rule doesn't preclude PCs from also purchasing these items directly. For example, if a character -+who sews wants to buy a thimble and an inexpensive Pocket Item, they can. However, they cannot later turn the thimble -+into a Pocket Item; it remains a thimble. - +- -Power: Effects of one specific character ability, including damage for that ability (+3 points) if appropriate, but not -attack rolls with that ability. -+Example Pocket Items - +- -Prodigy: Give up a lower-tier ability to get a higher-tier ability -+Inexpensive - +- -Resilience: Might defense rolls and Armor (+1). -+• Apple - +- -Savant: Two specific skills (other than attacks, defenses, or a special ability), such as history, perception, or -persuasion. -+• Ashes (handful) - +- -Single Attack: Attack rolls and damage (+3 points) for one specific kind of attack, such as pistols, kicks, or Thrust. -+• Breadcrumbs - +- -Strength: All tasks involving strength, including jumping and dealing damage with melee or thrown attacks (+3 points), -but not attack rolls. -+• Butter - +- -For power shifts that affect tasks, each shift eases the task. Applying two shifts eases the task by two steps, and -applying three shifts eases the task by three steps. -+• Candy - +- -A character assigns their five power shifts as desired, but most characters should not be allowed to assign more than -three to any one category. Once the shifts are assigned, they should not change (however, researching an experimental -procedure to change a character's power shifts could be the culmination of a character arc such as Uncover a Secret). -+• Chalk - +- -### PRODIGY POWER SHIFTS -+• Cricket in a cage - +- -Some superhero character concepts are about breaking the normal power level for a hero. In most cases, you can do this -using power shifts. For example, if you want your strong hero to be really strong, put one or more power shifts into -strength. If you want your archer character to be really good at shooting arrows, put a power shift into single attack -(bows). If you want your speedster hero to be really fast, put a power shift into power (Fleet of Foot). And so on. -+• Cup - +- -But what if you want your character to be a swashbuckling teleporter who blinks all over the battlefield? There's no -low-tier teleportation ability, so you can't be a teleporter as a tier 1 character, and the character concept isn't -nearly as fun if you have to wait until tier 4 before you can learn a teleportation ability (like Short Teleportation). -+• Egg - +- -This is where you can (with the GM's approval) use a power shift for the prodigy option. Prodigy lets you give up one of -your lower-tier abilities for a higher-tier ability -+• Fabric - +- -that matches your character concept. For example, if your swashbuckling teleporter is a Graceful Explorer who Fights -With Panache, you could give up one of your tier 1 Explorer abilities (so you'd only have three instead of four) or give -up your tier 1 focus ability, Fights With Panache, and instead select the tier 4 ability Short Teleportation. -+• Flyswatter - +- -Choosing prodigy as a power shift is an interesting trade-off for your character; you end up with a powerful ability -that you couldn't get otherwise, but at the cost of a power shift (which the other characters are probably using to add -to their skills, damage, or defenses). Keep in mind that higher-tier abilities tend to cost more Pool points (especially -because your Edge as a low-tier character is less than that of a higher-tier character), so you'll weaken yourself if -you use that ability often—which might be a good reason to allocate more points to that stat Pool, or assign a power -shift to healing so you have more opportunities per day to recover Pool points. -+• Glass jar - +- -Theoretically, you could put two power shifts in prodigy for the same ability, allowing you to select a high-tier -ability. However, there are two reasons not to do this. First, those high-tier abilities usually have even higher costs, -which limits how often you can use them. Second, if you start out with the best version of that ability, there's no room -to grow. It's fun when your character impresses other superheroes by improving an ability, and it's really handy when -your nemesis supervillain underestimates you based on your old limitations. So unless the GM wants every superhero PC to -start with one top-tier ability, give yourself room to grow and use prodigy only to get a mid-tier ability. -+• Glue - +- -### GAINING MORE POWER SHIFTS -Some GMs will want to allow PCs to increase their power shifts. Having a character spend 10 XP to do so would probably -be appropriate. Other GMs will want to run superhero games with PCs of greater or lesser power (cosmic-level heroes or -street-level heroes, perhaps). In such cases, the GM should grant the PCs more or fewer power shifts at the game's -start. -+• Honey - +- -### POWER STUNTS -A power stunt is pushing a superpower beyond its normal limits or using it to do something it normally can't do. -Examples: -+• Leather - +- -• A lightning-blaster hero shooting their electricity farther than normal -+• Magnets - +- -• A fire-creating hero absorbing fire from a burning building -+• Marbles - +- -• A telepathic hero communicating with or understanding a machine -+• Nails - +- -• A teleporter hero traveling to another dimension -+• Needle and thread - +- -• An illusionist hero negating an opponent's invisibility -+• Paper - +- -The Cypher System Rulebook explains modifying abilities on the fly, describing -+• Plait of hair - +- -a method of altering the range, area, or other aspects of an Intellect-based ability by spending more Intellect points. -In a superhero game, these modifications aren't limited to Intellect-based abilities—it's reasonable that a strong hero -could affect a larger area with Golem Stomp or an agile hero could disarm more than one opponent using Advantage to -Disadvantage. The cost for making these changes works just like modifying an Intellect-based ability. The additional -cost uses the same Pool as the ability's normal cost; if an ability doesn't have a cost, the GM should choose an -appropriate ability for the points to come from. -+• Pot of fat - +- -• Increasing range costs 1 Pool point per range step increased (immediate to short, short to long, long to very long). -+• Pot of grease - +- -• Increasing duration costs 1 Pool point for one step (one minute to ten minutes, ten minutes to an hour). Durations -cannot be increased more than one step in this way. Abilities that last for only an action or a round (such as an -Onslaught attack) cannot have their duration increased. -+• Ribbon - +- -Abilities that don't have a Pool cost, like Eyes Adjusted, can be modified as well. If modifying the range or duration, -the GM decides what Pool the point cost is paid from. However, most abilities like this don't have ranges or durations, -so modifying them requires a difficult, formidable, or impossible task roll. -+• Rice (handful) - +- -Modifying the area or other aspects of an ability is more difficult. Instead -+• Straw - +- -of increasing the Pool point cost, the character decides how they want to modify their ability, and the GM sets a -difficulty of the task to successfully modify it, according to the following guidelines: -+• Tacks - +- -Difficult (4): Something within the spirit and general idea of the ability, using a self- only ability on another -character, or using a single-target ability in a weakened form on two targets. Examples: Using a self-only ability like -Hover to give another creature the power to fly. Using Teleportation to go to another dimension instead of somewhere in -the same dimension. Splitting Frost Touch or Onslaught into hindered attacks against two opponents. -+• Wax - +- -Formidable (7): Something similar to the description or intent of the ability, but changing its nature, or having a -single-target ability affect an area. Examples: Using Hover to make an opponent crash into the ceiling. Using Shroud of -Flame to absorb fire. Using Telepathic to talk to a machine or Machine Telepathy to talk to a living person. -+• Wool - +- -Impossible (10): An effect that has nothing to do with the ability's description or intent. Examples: Using Hover to -blast an opponent with fire. Using Foil Danger to copy an opponent's attack. Using an attack like Thunder Beam to heal -someone. -+Moderate - +- -Of course, if the altered ability is an attack, the hero still needs to make a successful attack roll against their -target— just because the character found a way to use Hover as an attack doesn't mean the attack automatically hits. The -attack task for the altered ability uses the normal difficulty for attacking that target. For example, if Hammermind -wants to split her Onslaught so she can attack two level 2 robots, first she has to succeed at the difficulty 4 task to -split the attack, then she can make the two (hindered) level 2 attack rolls against the robots. -+• Bird in a cage - +- -Just like in any aspect of the game, other factors might ease or hinder the hero's attempt to perform the stunt. For -example, if the hero Firelash is trying a stunt to use his Shroud of Flame to absorb a fire attack from his evil sister -Swordblaze, the GM might decide that the similarities in their flame powers mean that Firelash's attempt is eased. But @@ -2722,8 +2673,7 @@ -stunt task, or present the heroes with temporary effects that ease or hinder power stunt tasks, like a virus that -erratically amplifies mutant genes, or a burst of energy from an alien artifact that reacts with a robot hero's power -core. -+• Sewing shears - +- -If a hero tries a particular stunt in more than one session, the GM doesn't need to give the task the same difficulty -every time; the circumstances of each attempt are never quite the same. Perhaps this supervillain's fire is a little -hotter or cooler than the one the hero tried to absorb last time. Or the spaces between the dimensions are thinner or @@ -2733,48 +2683,32 @@ -this time; just look at the current circumstances and make a decision based on that. In fact, this is part of the reason -why the difficulties are three levels apart; the GM is more likely to be consistent at rating something as difficult, -formidable, or impossible than deciding whether it's a level 6 or level 7 task. -+• Thimble - +- -### PERMANENT POWER STUNTS -+### OPTIONAL RULES FOR SCIENCE FICTION - +- -Once a character has successfully performed the same difficult, formidable, or impossible power stunt a few times, they -might want to make it a permanent part of their repertoire of abilities. By spending 2 XP, the character gains the -ability to perform that power stunt whenever they want, with no need for a power stunt task. The GM decides how many -times the character has to get the stunt right before they can spend XP to learn it. Three successful attempts over at -least three separate sessions is a reasonable guideline, plus some downtime between game sessions to represent mastering -this variant. -+### SPACE HAZARDS - +- -Learning a power stunt does not count as a step in character advancement. -+A few specific hazards that you can include as part of an encounter involving a spacecraft follow. These hazards are -+more site specific than the general threats presented in Chapter 5: Conflicts of the Future. - +- -Learning how to do a formidable or impossible power stunt might be the reason to take a character arc like New -Discovery, Transformation, or Uncover a Secret. -+### GRAVITY WELL - +- -### REALLY IMPOSSIBLE TASKS -+All bodies in space produce a gravitational field, though usually only things the size of a small moon or larger pose a -+hazard to unprepared (and sometimes even to prepared) spacecraft. The larger the body, the "deeper" and wider the -+associated gravity field. Any time a spacecraft launches from a moon or planet, it must escape the gravity well. For RPG -+purposes, that's either a routine task, or a low-difficulty one (assuming no complicating factors are at play). - +- -The Cypher System Rulebook gives a few examples of how, in the superhero genre, having power shifts means that a -difficulty 10 task is not impossible. Superheroes deal with planetary threats like giant robots, multidimensional -sorcerers, and world-sized monsters, and for this sort of campaign, difficulties up to 15 are possible. This section -presents more details and examples of tasks, threats, and creatures of difficulty 11 to 15. -+Gravity wells become a hazard when a spacecraft encounters one unexpectedly— usually because of a navigational or sensor -+error, but occasionally because of a moon or extreme gravity source being someplace unforeseen. - +- -### FEATS OF STRENGTH -+Slingshot Trajectory: An unexpected encounter with a gravity well can sling a spacecraft off on a new and unwanted -+trajectory on a failed piloting task, the difficulty determined by the situation. - +- -Use the following table to estimate the difficulty of various incredible feats of physical strength. -+Captured: An unexpected encounter with a gravity well can also capture a spacecraft in the gravity well's orbit, forcing -+the craft to expend additional power to get free (power it may or may not have) - +- -| Difficulty | Lifting Task | -|------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 4 | Lift a 150-pound (68 kg) object | @@ -2785,8 +2719,7 @@ -| 13 | Lift a 20-ton (18 tonne) fire truck, mobile home, fighter jet, Apatosaurus, or light military tank | -| 14 | Lift a 40-ton (36 tonne) humpback whale or loaded tractor-trailer | -| 15 | Lift an 80-ton (72 tonne) space shuttle, single-story house, passenger train car, or military tank | -+### BLACK HOLE - +- -| Task Circumstances | Difficulty | -|------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| -| Lifting the object as high as the character can reach | +0 | @@ -2800,44 +2733,26 @@ -| Pushing or pulling (not lifting) an object a short distance | +0 | -| Pushed or pulled object can roll or slide very easily | -1 | -| Pushed or pulled object is buoyant and moving through water | -1 | -+Black holes are just extreme gravity wells. All the dangers associated with a gravity well also apply to black holes. A -+couple of additional hazards are also associated with black holes, notably tidal destruction ("spaghettification"), time -+dilation, and being swallowed. - +- -\*Each additional doubling of the character's size eases the task by another step. -+Tidal Desctruction: Mechanically speaking, while a spacecraft feels tidal forces by passing too close to a black hole's -+event horizon, all tasks aboard the craft are hindered, Void Rules are in effect, and if a GM intrusion is triggered -+thereby, the ship sustains major damage and risks coming apart. Meanwhile, PCs in the ship (assuming some sort of -+fantastic tech-rated gravity nullifier isn't in use) suffer 1 point of ambient damage each round. - +- -Some character abilities are able to move heavy things, often more easily than brute physical strength can. If a -superhero wants to push the limits of what those abilities can do, the GM can compare the baseline effects of those -abilities to the Feats of Strength table to determine the comparable difficulty of the task, and modify the character's -roll to succeed. -+A ship near a very large black hole (like Sagittarius A\*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way -+Galaxy) can avoid tidal effects because the gravity gradient is so much wider, but still feel relativistic time -+dilation. - +- -### FEATS OF SPEED -A character can move a short distance (50 feet \[15 m\]) as their entire action as a routine task (difficulty 0, no roll -needed). This is basically a jog or a hustle, faster than a walk -+Relativistic Time Dialation: From a mechanical perspective, spacecraft that survive close encounters with black holes -+and return to normal space discover that more time has passed than expected, which could range from fairly -+inconsequential minutes or hours, to far more serious days, months, years, centuries, or more. - +- -but not an all-out run. A character can try to run a long distance (100 feet \[30 m\]) as their entire action, but they -must succeed at a difficulty 4 Speed task to complete the movement; failure means they trip, stumble, slip, or fall down -at some point during the move and stop. -+Past the Event Horizon: The event horizon is the point of no return, where not even light can escape the clutch of -+gravity. If a spacecraft falls into a black hole, assuming it is not spaghettified by tidal forces, it is still lost -+from the universe of its origin. At least, it's lost assuming no intervention from a fantastic tech-rated -+post-singularity AI or ancient ultra. - +- -Of course, superheroes aren't normal people—they're exceptional, and some can run as fast as Olympic athletes, or much -faster. For a character trying to run more than a long distance as their entire action, use the following table to -determine the difficulty for the task. Failing this roll is just like failing the basic running roll described above. -+### RADIATION BELT/SOLAR FLARE - +- -| Difficulty | Running Distance | Notes | -|-------------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------| -| 6 | 200 feet (60 m) | 19 mph (30 kph) | @@ -2849,249 +2764,119 @@ -| 13 | 2,800 feet (850 m) | 273 mph (440 kph) | -| 14 | 1 mile (1.5 km) | 545 mph (880 kph); Boeing 747 | -| 15 | 2 miles (3 km) | 1,600 mph (2,575 kph); Mach 2 | -+Radiation belts of intensely charged particles trapped by magnetic fields around some planets and moons can surge, -+causing radiation exposure. An unexpected solar flare, or the drive plume of a massive spacecraft, can cause the same -+unexpected exposure. - +- -### TREMENDOUS LEAPS -+Ship Damage: The ship suffers minor or major damage, requiring repair and perhaps even replacement of parts. This damage -+is as serious as you require for the purposes of creating an interesting story. - +- -Some—but not all—strong superheroes can easily leap dozens or hundreds of feet, well beyond what's possible with the -jumping rules (running a short distance and jumping 30 feet \[9 m\] is a difficulty 10 task). Characters who want to -jump huge distances like that should take the Amazing Leap ability, allowing them to jump a long distance or more. -+Radiation Sickness: When PCs are exposed to intense radiation, they suffer 3 points of ambient radiation damage for each -+minute the character fails a difficulty 3 Might defense task. If the character fails three such defense rolls during any -+single period of radiation exposure, they suffer acute radiation sickness, a level 8 disease that drops them one step on -+the damage track for each day they fail a Might defense roll until they expire. - +- -All characters with at least one power shift in strength get the benefit of a free level of Effort for each strength -shift. This effectively increases their standing jump distance by 1 foot (30 cm) per shift and their running jump -distance by 2 feet (60 cm) per shift, which is impressive compared to a normal person, but not phenomenal. -+### ASTEROID/DEBRIS FIELD - +- -To make superhero character jumps a bit more exciting, the GM can implement an optional rule in which strength shifts -count double for free levels of Effort when jumping. For example, a character with five strength shifts would get ten -free levels of Effort on jump tasks instead of five. This allows them to do a 15-foot (4.5 m) standing jump as a -difficulty 1 task (base difficulty 11, eased by 5 × 2 steps) and a 40-foot (12 m) running jump as a difficulty 5 task -(base difficulty 15, eased by 5 × 2 steps), which seems more appropriate for a character strong enough to lift a car -over their head. -+Movies often depict asteroid belts as densely packed fields of tumbling rock that ships must constantly swerve through -+to avoid a collision. Such locations are not easy to find in the solar system. But such situations can occur in -+fantastic settings, or possibly in solar systems other than Earth's. - +- -### MODIFYING HIGH-TECH DEVICES -+Evasive Ateroid Piloting: During any round a spacecraft moves through a densely packed asteroid or debris field, the -+pilot (or shipmind) must succeed on a piloting task, whose difficulty is set by the situation. On a failed roll, a -+collision occurs. Each time a collision occurs, the ship (and possibly its crew) is damaged according to the track laid -+out below. Collisions are assumed to be major rocks or pieces of debris, or possibly a series of smaller pieces of -+debris all impacting nearly simultaneously, with one getting through the shielding. - +- -It's common for technically savvy superheroes to fiddle with machines to make them work better or do something -different. Sometimes the object in question is their own gear, but it's just as likely to be something they took from a -defeated supervillain or found on an alien spaceship. -+Finding Shelter: The best way to find shelter in order to effect repairs, or hide from pursuers, is to try to find an -+asteroid or piece of debris large enough for the spacecraft to land on or find a crevice to slide into. To land a -+spacecraft on an asteroid or big piece of debris is a challenging (difficulty 5) piloting task to match the asteroid's -+spin, then slide into the cramped space. - +- -A character who expects to modify many devices should consider learning abilities such as Innovator, Jury-Rig, Modify -Artifact Power, Modify Device, and Quick Work. A character who only wants to dabble in this sort of activity can do so, -but it takes longer and is less efficient. -+### CRAFTING MAGIC ITEMS - +- -Small modifications are things like changing a device's target, range, or duration. "Small" is subjective and up to the -GM, but generally, it means adding another target (although for some high-level devices, adding a target isn't a small -change), increasing the range by one step (immediate to short, short to long, long to very long), or increasing the -duration by one step (one minute to one hour, one hour to ten hours). The task difficulty for making a small -modification is generally equal to the device's level minus 1, which also determines how much time it takes to complete -the modifications. -+Potions, scrolls, and other one-use items are cyphers, and longer-lasting items are generally artifacts. - +- -Big changes are modifying a laser rifle to shoot cold or electricity, turning a communication device into a telepathic -shield, or turning a jetpack into a force field device. These modifications are like repairs; they use the device's -level for the difficulty and creation time, but take half as long as the time listed. -+### CRAFTING CYPHERS - +- -A character modifying their own device eases the task. This applies whether the character built the device themselves or -they've been repairing and tinkering with it long enough that they fully understand its workings. -+1\. Choose Cypher Level. Creating a low-level cypher is easier than creating a high-level one. The character decides -+what level of cypher they're trying to create, which must be in the level range for the cypher as listed in the Cypher -+System Reference Document. Note that some cyphers have the same effect no matter what level they are, so the character -+could make crafting easier by creating the lowest-level version of that cypher, but the GM is always able to rule that a -+particular cypher must be crafted at a certain level or higher for it to work. In particular, a stim is very strong for -+its level range, and should always be treated as a level 6 cypher when crafted by a PC. - +- -Regardless of whether the change is big or small, failing the modification task means the character wastes the full -amount of time spent attempting the modification, and uses up materials equal to the device's level minus 2, but they -can try again. If they fail with a roll of a natural 1, it's likely that the free GM intrusion means the device is -ruined (but perhaps could be salvaged for materials). -+2\. Determine Materials. Just as crafting an axe requires iron and wood, crafting a magical cypher requires strange and -+exotic materials—powdered gems, ink from monsters, mysterious herbs, and so on. The level of the cypher determines how -+expensive these materials are, according to the following table. - +- -Modification GM intrusions: The device gains a high depletion rate, needs to be recharged after each use, or develops a -side effect such as overheating (inflicting damage to the user) or creating a thunderous noise. -+| Cypher Level | Materials Cost | -+|--------------|--------------------------| -+| 1 | One inexpensive item | -+| 2 | Two inexpensive items | -+| 3 | One moderate item | -+| 4 | Two moderate items | -+| 5 | Three moderate items | -+| 6 | One expensive item | -+| 7 | Two expensive items | -+| 8 | Three expensive items | -+| 9 | One very expensive item | -+| 10 | Two very expensive items | - +- -Modifying a device is similar to using a power stunt to alter a character ability. If a character wants to make a -permanent change to one of their technology-based abilities, the GM should treat that more like a permanent power -stunt—costing XP—than a modification. -+3\. Assess Difficulty. The difficulty of a magic item crafting task is always equal to 1 + the level of the cypher. The -+crafter can reduce the assessed difficulty of a crafting task with skill training (such as being trained or specialized -+in brewing potions or scribing scrolls), assets, special abilities provided by their focus or type, and so on. Using a -+formula, recipe, or other guideline for a specific cypher counts as an asset for this purpose. Because this is an -+activity requiring special knowledge, it is not possible for a character with no skill (or with an inability in this -+skill) to do this sort of crafting; the character cannot attempt the task at all. - +- -Modifying the appearance of an item is just a cosmetic change and should take only a few hours at most for a typical -handheld or worn item like a weapon, helmet, or boots. Changing -+4\. Determine Time to Craft. The amount of time it takes to craft a magical cypher is determined by the assessed -+difficulty, so decreasing the assessed difficulty not only means the character is more likely to succeed, but also that -+they have to spend less time on crafting it. See the table below. - +- -the appearance of a spacesuit or full-body mechanized armor might take eight to twenty hours of work, depending on the -extent of the changes. -+For any time in excess of nine hours, the process is assumed to have stages where the character is not actively working -+on it, just checking on it occasionally to make sure everything is going as planned— allowing the base ingredients of a -+potion to cook for a few hours, stirring to make sure the ingredients don't congeal, allowing ink on a scroll to dry, -+and so on. In other words, the character is able to perform other actions in the vicinity of the crafting (such as -+studying, resting, eating, and so on), but couldn't craft on the road or in the middle of a dungeon. - +- -### FASTER CRAFTING IN A HIGH-TECH SETTING -In some superhero campaigns, crafting technology is so advanced that objects are designed virtually, with holograms, or -with a mind-machine interface, and they are constructed by advanced 3D printers or clouds of nanobots. Under these -conditions, the GM should ease -+| Assessed Difficulty | Time to Craft | -+|---------------------|---------------| -+| 1 | Ten minutes | -+| 2 | One hour | -+| 3 | Four hours | -+| 4 | Nine hours | -+| 5 | One day | -+| 6 | Two days | -+| 7 | One week | -+| 8 | Three weeks | -+| 9 | Two months | -+| 10 | Six months | - +- -the assessed difficulty to determine the crafting time by three or four steps, with the crafter needing to be present -for only about the first quarter of that time and the "helpers" taking care of the rest. -+5\. Complete Subtasks. The crafting character must complete multiple subtasks that are steps toward finishing the -+process. The number of subtasks required is equal to the assessed difficulty of the crafting task attempted. So a -+crafting task assessed as difficulty 5 requires five subtask successes. - +- -### OPTIONAL RULES FOR HORROR -+The difficulty of each individual subtask begins at 1 and increases by one step for each remaining subtask, until the -+crafter succeeds on the final, highest-difficulty subtask. Generally, subtask attempts occur at equally divided -+intervals over the course of the full time required to craft the item. - +- -This chapter describes many different optional rules (called "horror modules") for making horror games more exciting or -suspenseful. Horror modules are tweaks the GM applies -+> If at any point the crafter fails on a subtask, the item isn't ruined. Instead, the character only wasted the time -+> spent on that subtask, and can spend that much time again and then try to succeed at that same subtask. If the crafter -+> fails twice in a row on the same subtask, the character can continue crafting, but in addition to losing another -+> interval of crafting time, more crafting material (equal to one of the kind of item needed to craft it) is destroyed -+> in a mishap and must be replaced before crafting can continue. -+> -+> A player may ask to apply Effort to each subtask. Applying Effort is something they do in the moment, not over the -+> course of days or weeks. Generally speaking, Effort cannot be applied to any crafting task or subtask that exceeds one -+> day - +- -to the rules to make a horror scenario even more scary or to represent how -+### CRAFTING ARTIFACTS - +- -an event usually happens in a horror genre -+Crafting an artifact is similar to choosing a new type or focus ability—the character has many to choose from, they -+select the one that best fits their intention, and thereafter they can use the artifact much like they'd use any of -+their other character abilities. The main difference is that most artifacts don't cost Pool points to activate, and -+character abilities don't have a depletion stat that eventually removes the item from play. Crafting artifacts is -+handled as a long-term benefit of character advancement; the character and GM agree on the artifact to be crafted, and -+the character spends 3 XP. If the item is fairly simple, the GM can skip the crafting details and just say that after a -+period of time, the PC creates the artifact. For an item that significantly alters gameplay—granting the character vast -+telepathic powers or giving them the ability to teleport at will—the GM can give the item an assessed difficulty equal -+to 3 + the artifact level and require the character to follow the crafting steps for creating a magical cypher. Crafting -+this kind of artifact takes up to five times as many materials and up to twenty times as long as crafting a cypher of -+the same assessed difficulty - +- -If a module changes the options that players or PCs have, the GM should tell the players about it when the game begins. -For example, if the GM is using the Character Posse module, the players should know about it at the start of the game so -they can become familiar with all their characters instead of having to pause when they switch scenes and spend several -minutes reviewing a second set of characters. Likewise, players should know if their healing options are affected by the -Ironman module, or if they have additional recovery roll options from the Hysteria module. -+### RITUAL MAGIC - +- -This chapter also suggests various modules that are appropriate for different horror genres. The GM should feel free to -use some, all, or none of those modules when running a game of that type, or introduce other modules to provide a unique -twist to the game. -+### TIME - +- -### GENERAL HORROR GM INTRUSIONS -+Ritual magic has two aspects related to time: how long it takes to prepare the ritual, and how long it takes to perform -+it. The preparation time is how long it takes to get ready to perform the ritual. The performance time is how long the -+ritual takes from start to finish, once the preparations (if any) are complete. - +- -The following GM intrusions work for most horror genres. -+### DIFFICULTY AND SUBTASKS - +- -• Something foils a character's attempt to escape: a getaway car won't start, they drop the keys that unlock the exit -door or lock up the villain, or the shotgun they're using to clear a path jams or runs out of shells. -+Completing a ritual has an overall difficulty level, usually equal to the level of the challenge. Sometimes there isn't -+a clear idea of what level the challenge should be— teleporting a group of people to a nearby city and raising a person -+from the dead don't have an obvious task level. In these cases, the GM should choose a level for the ritual based on -+what would make an interesting experience for the players. Instead of having the success or failure of this sort of -+magic come down to one roll, ritual magic lets the GM build tension by requiring the players to make rolls for multiple -+subtasks. The subtasks start at difficulty 1, and the subtask difficulty increases by 1 each time until the players make -+a final roll at the highest difficulty. A ritual with an overall difficulty of 4 has four subtasks, with the first one -+at difficulty 1, the second at difficulty 2, the third at 3, and the last one at 4. - +- -• The antagonist enters a secure or sealed room by an unexpected method: crashing through a door or wall, crawling out -of a ventilation shaft, jumping out of a trap door, manifesting electronically through a Wi-Fi signal, or teleporting. -+If at any point the PC fails a subtask, the ritual isn't automatically ruined, but it costs time—a failure means the -+time spent on that subtask was wasted, but the character can spend that much time again and try to succeed at that same -+subtask. The GM may decide that later attempts at that subtask are hindered, or that a certain number of failures during -+the ritual (perhaps equal to half the ritual's overall level) means the whole thing needs to be started again. Skills, -+assets, and other special abilities can ease subtasks just like they do with any other task (which might make some of -+the subtasks routine and not require a roll at all). Characters may apply Effort to each subtask. - +- -• A mysterious noise nearby amplifies the tension, and when investigated reveals itself to -+### POOL INVESTMENT - +- -be . . . a cat, either perfectly calm or hissing and leaping. This often allows for a momentary de-escalation followed -by a real scare, such as the antagonist reaching out of the darkness to grab a character. -+Some rituals might require the PCs to spend points from their Pools on each subtask, with Might representing blood or -+vitality, Speed representing energy, and Intellect representing will or sanity. Multiple PCs involved in the ritual -+could collectively contribute to this cost (and if a ritual costs many points, spreading out the cost in this way may be -+necessary to prevent a participating PC from dying during the ritual). - +- -• A dramatic and/or ridiculous amount of blood and gore from something that just got killed splashes on a character, -blinding them until they take an action to wipe their eyes clean. -+### ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE - +- -### BAD PENNY -+The GM may allow a character to speed up a ritual, reducing the time required for one or more subtasks. Generally, -+reducing a subtask's time by half should hinder the subtask, and reducing it by half again (reducing the time needed to -+a quarter of the normal amount) should hinder the subtask by an additional step (two steps total). The minimum amount of -+time for a subtask is 1 round (unless the subtask is routine, in which case the GM may allow it to take no time at all). - +- -An unwanted or dangerous object (such as a cursed artifact) keeps turning up, no matter how many times the PCs try to -discard or destroy it. In many cases, there might be only one way to rid themselves of the item (such as dousing it with -holy water or burying it in a graveyard) or only one way to destroy it (such as burning it in a church or stabbing it -with a magical dagger). The item might slowly repair itself—and depending on the item, it might be more frightening if -it shows up fully intact or still bearing damage from how the PCs tried to destroy it. -+### EXAMPLE RITUALS - +- -This reappearance usually isn't because the item is literally walking to wherever the PCs are (although if the item is -something like a cursed doll, that might make it more frightening). In most cases, it just happens to be where the PCs -went, found in an unobtrusive place like the back of a closet, under a car seat, or in the bottom of someone's luggage. @@ -3100,34 +2885,25 @@ -if the PCs abandon a haunted ring, on the next day when they're waiting for a train they recognize a man they saw -earlier just as he gets hit by an oncoming train, and his severed hand—wearing the ring—lands at their feet. Even if the -PCs go to a remote area with no people, one of them might suddenly vomit up their lunch—and the haunted ring. -+The following are examples of common magical rituals suitable for many fantasy settings. Specific details of a ritual -+may vary depending on what the characters are trying to accomplish; for example, a ritual to ask a demon for a favor -+might be similar to one used to ask an angel, but the exact details are probably very different. Everything listed in a -+ritual is merely a suggestion, and the GM should alter, add, or remove whatever they like to suit their campaign. - +- -### CHARACTER POSSE -+### UNDERSTANDING THE EXAMPLES - +- -Every player is given at least two characters to run, each with about the same amount of background and abilities so -they're all suitable as main characters. A player usually runs only one of these PCs at a time. As the action in the -story changes locations, the GM can have one or more players switch their active PC and interact with the other active -PCs and the story in -+Each ritual is described in the following format. - +- -a different way. This keeps the players from knowing which characters are supposed to have the important roles in the -story, allows for some of the PCs to split off for a while without the rest -+Level: The overall level of the ritual, which determines how many subtasks it has. - +- -of the group having to wait, and gives every player a backup character to play if their active PC dies. -+Time: The preparation time (if any) and performance time. - +- -Character Posse works best when the characters are very simple and don't have many abilities that require a lot of -knowledge and description. That way the player can focus on the personality of the PC and not have to keep remembering a -stack of complicated abilities. In a non-fantastic modern setting, that often means characters who have a lot of skills -and automatic or simple bonuses (like Combat Prowess and Fleet of Foot) but one or zero abilities that have durations or -require special actions (like Anecdote and Muscles of Iron). -+Roles: Things other characters can do to participate and help. - +- -### DEAD ALL ALONG -A handful of people are forced to stick together under unusual circumstances—they're survivors of a shipwreck, -quarantined to avoid an outbreak of a deadly disease, waiting for a riot to leave their neighborhood, or locked away @@ -3136,148 +2912,104 @@ -aliens; one or more of them disappear or are found dead. Eventually the PCs realize that they are ghosts of people who -haven't come to terms with their own deaths, and the weird experiences are their limited interactions with the real -world and the living people trying to bury their bodies or put their souls at peace. -+Side Effects: Negative consequences for failed rolls or GM intrusions. -+Reagents: Resources that can help success. - +- -In these stories, the emotional journey of the ghosts is about understanding their situation and coming to terms with -their deaths. In normal play, GM intrusions are complications that the characters have to deal with, but to represent -the secret and inverted expectation of this module, GM intrusions are used to simplify what the characters experience, -but with a spooky twist. -+Pool: What kind of Pool points the ritual costs. - +- -When a PC crosses over and disappears, that player can still participate in the game by using the Ghostly Helpers -module. -+Other Assets: Kinds of abilities that can help success. - +- -### FRAGILITY -+### BESEECH - +- -Whenever a character selects the Increasing Capabilities option for advancement or gains an ability that permanently -increases their Pools, they can add a maximum of 1 point to their Might Pool and 1 point to their Speed Pool; other -points left over (if any) -+Call upon a powerful supernatural entity such as a deity, archangel, demon lord, or ancient elemental to ask for a favor -+that the entity can and is likely to do (nothing it would ethically oppose). If the ritual is successful, the entity -+makes its attention known, such as by manifesting as a light, noise, or visible spirit. It may ask for more information, -+for a task or favor in return, or for a service to be named later. The entity is not compelled to do the favor; the -+ritual merely gains its attention and gives the characters the opportunity to speak their case. - +- -must go to their Intellect Pool, even if that's not normally an option for the ability. This does not apply to the extra -points the player can divide among their Pools at character creation. This creates a more "realistic" game scenario -where the PCs are more like normal people who don't get much more powerful physically over the course of a campaign, but -still can learn new skills, advance their minds, and so on. -+Level: The level of the entity - +- -This module does not affect abilities like Enlarge (which temporarily adds 4 points to your Might Pool), but it does -affect abilities like Enhanced Might, Enhanced Speed, and Lead From the Front (which permanently increase one or more -Pools). -+Time: Four hours of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -### GHOSTLY HELPERS -+Roles: Chanting, lighting candles, holding gifts/reagents - +- -In a horror story, it's common for major characters to be killed or incapacitated, but in a horror RPG, that means the -player of a dead character doesn't have much to do. The Ghostly Helpers module gives players whose characters are out of -the game two ways to have an active role in the scenario. -+Side Effects: Curse, hallucination, prerequisite quest (a challenge or task the characters must perform before the -+entity will consider answering) - +- -First, the dead character is still able to spend their XP to give a living character a reroll. To facilitate this, the -GM should allow players to award the second 1 -+Reagents: Scroll giving the history of and important details about the entity, offerings of gratitude or appeasement - +- -XP from a GM intrusion to a dead character (although this would come up only if there is one character left alive and -the second XP would be wasted) and give dead characters 1 XP whenever there is a group intrusion. -+Pool: Might or Intellect - +- -Second, the dead character is able to use their subtle cyphers to help a living character. Depending on the cypher, this -might be a direct benefit to the PC (like easing a roll) or interfering with an NPC (like making an opponent drop their -weapon). When the GM gives out more subtle cyphers, any excess ones (beyond the cypher limit of living PCs) should go to -the dead characters, up to the cypher limits of the dead characters (any extra cyphers beyond that are lost). -+Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities - +- -The player of a dead character always gets to decide when to help and which PC to affect with their help—they're not -merely extensions of the living PCs. Whether this help is just fate or coincidence working on behalf of the PC, or if it -literally is the lingering ghost of a dead character trying to save a living person, depends on the scenario and the GM. -+Beseech only draws the entity's attention; the various Conjure rituals bring the summoned entity bodily to the ritual -+space to talk in person. - +- -Help from a dead character doesn't have to be from a ghost. Depending on the genre, it might be the influence of a -guilty artificial intelligence, a sentient weapon with a grudge, a cultist with conflicting loyalties, and so on -+### CONJURE THE DEAD - +- -### HALLUCINATION RESET -+Summons the spirit of a dead person or creature (commonly called a "ghost"), which appears in the summoning circle -+prepared for the ritual. The spirit remains there for about a minute, during which time the summoners can interrogate -+them or persuade them to share information. The spirit usually wants something in return (such as messages conveyed to -+the living or unfulfilled tasks completed). If the characters don't comply, they must magically threaten or compel the -+spirit to obey. - +- -In some horror genres, it's unclear if the character is truly experiencing what's happening in the story, or if they're -hallucinating or dreaming it. In some cases, their fear response -+Level: The level of the dead spirit - +- -to the real events happening around them prompts their conscious or subconscious imagination to create an unreal -scenario that's even more terrifying, only to have them snap out of it and find themselves in a prior (but perhaps still -very dangerous) situation. This sort of hallucination allows the story to go completely off the rails and then suddenly -return to normal. -+Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -If the GM plans to have a hallucination reset, they should keep track of damage taken, equipment used, and XP spent for -each character (if using cypher and XP cards, there should be a separate space for each character's used cards). When -the hallucination ends, stop the action, explain that the PCs find themselves at an earlier point in the story (or wake -up after some time has passed if it's a dream), and restore their Pools, equipment, and XP to their previous state. If -the GM doesn't know exactly how much each character's Pool changed, allow each PC to make a free recovery roll to -compensate for it. -+Roles: Chanting, holding hands in a circle, manipulating a spirit device - +- -If the GM needs to use a hallucination reset to recover from a disastrous outcome, they should try to reset the PCs as -close as possible to their previous state, relying on the players' recollection of which cyphers and XP belonged to each -character. As it's unlikely that they kept track of how many Pool points they spent in the now-false encounters, the GM -can allow each of them a free recovery roll to make up for it. -+Side Effects: Haunting, possession - +- -Used carefully, a hallucination reset leaves the characters wondering what is real, and it can be a tool for the GM to -rewind an encounter that goes out of control or accidentally kills a character because of poor rolls. Used too much, it -risks causing the players to lose interest in the game because the frequent resets undermine their emotional connections -to their characters and negate any progress in the story. -+Reagents: Mementos of the spirit's life, the spirit's former physical remains, a person or creature to possess - +- -Note that a deliberate and planned reset can deliberately do strange things with the story because it's completely in -the characters' heads. A horror game about werewolves might have a dream or hallucination about fascist soldiers -attacking the PCs with flamethrowers. One about aliens might show the antagonists turning into sexy vampires. A haunted -house might convince the PCs that they're tearing off their own faces. A hallucination might even include elements of -something that will happen in the future, so when the actual event occurs (perhaps in a later session) the players won't -know if they should act on their "future memories" of these events or ignore them as falsehoods. -+Pool: Might or Intellect - +- -### HORROR MODE -+Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities, religious or cultural connections, secret name of the spirit - +- -Horror Mode is an optional rule discussed in the Cypher System Rulebook. When using this rule, the GM can escalate the -tension by increasing the range of numbers that trigger a GM intrusion: first on a roll of 1 or 2 instead of 1, then a -roll of 1 to 3, then a roll of -+A ghost remembers much of its life, including whether it knows, likes, or hates the people summoning it, and will act -+accordingly. - +- -1 to 4, and so on. The Escalation Rate table below shows what causes the intrusion range to increase. -+### CONJURE DEMON - +- -Horror Mode is unique among the horror modules in that the default assumption is that the GM is using it for every -horror game, at least some of the time. Using Horror Mode makes the players aware of the risks they take every time they -make a roll. They won't take easy tasks for granted, and they might apply Effort to turn an easy task into a routine -task so they don't have to roll at all and risk an intrusion. This ends up depleting their Pools faster, which makes -them feel more vulnerable. -+Summons a demon (an evil supernatural creature from another dimension, plane, or realm) to command or convince it to -+perform a task. The demon is primitive and bestial, not a creature of great wits and charm. The demon remains there for -+about a minute, during which time the summoners must bargain with or command it to perform a deed that takes no longer -+than an hour and requires it to travel no more than about 50 miles (80 km)—spying, murder, and destruction of property -+are common tasks. Usually the demon has to be threatened or magically coerced into obeying. If the summoners fail to get -+it to comply, it makes one attack against them and then returns to wherever it came from (and probably bears a grudge -+for the unwanted summoning). - +- -### ESCALATION RATE -+Level: The level of the demon - +- - --@@ -3305,148 +3037,99 @@ - - -
-+Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -### HYSTERIA -+Roles: Bloodletting, chanting, lighting candles, holding gifts/reagents, tracing the summoning circle - +- -Screaming is a natural reaction when you're frightened, but it's also likely -+Side Effects: Aggression, bad smell, curse, equipment damage or theft, possession - +- -to draw the attention of whatever is frightening you. The Hysteria horror module encourages characters to give in to the -natural instinct to scream, but introduces dangerous consequences for doing so. -+Reagents: Blood; meat; magical inks or paints for a summoning circle; contracts; a person to possess; objects -+representing anger, destruction, or hatred (according to the desired service) - +- -At any time, as an action, a PC can use a free one-action recovery roll (which doesn't use up the one-action recovery -roll that all characters get), but doing so means they also spend that action loudly screaming. Because of this noise, -the GM can make a free intrusion and doesn't have to award XP for it. -+Pool: Might or Intellect - +- -A PC's ten-minute recovery roll takes only one minute, but the PC -+Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities, secret name of the demon - +- -has to scream and have an emotional meltdown for the entire time. As with the previous option, this allows the GM to -make a free intrusion (after the recovery period) and they don't have -+### CONJURE DEVIL - +- -to award XP for it. The PC still has the option of resting normally for ten minutes to use the ten-minute recovery roll -(without screaming, and without the free intrusion). -+Summons a devil (an evil supernatural creature from another dimension, plane, or realm) to command or convince it to -+perform a task. The devil remains there for about a minute, during which time the summoners must bargain with or command -+it to perform a deed that takes no longer than an hour and requires the devil to travel no more than about 50 miles (80 -+km)—spying, stealing, guarding, and murdering are common tasks. The devil usually wants something in return (even if -+just an agreement for a later favor); otherwise, the characters must threaten it or have some way to force it to obey. -+If the characters fail to strike a bargain, the devil returns to wherever it came from (and probably is annoyed at the -+interruption). - +- -In most situations that use Hysteria, the free intrusions involve drawing the -+Level: The level of the devil - +- -attention of something that wants to harm the PCs or the sudden appearance of something dangerous. -+Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -### INSTANT PANIC -+Roles: Bloodletting, chanting, lighting candles, holding gifts/reagents, tracing the summoning circle - +- -Most people in real life aren't prepared for the existence of aliens, monsters, or killer robots, and seeing something -that shatters their worldview is frightening and traumatic. The first time a character sees a creature (or anything else -suitably horrifying) they thought wasn't possible or only existed in books and movies, they must make an Intellect -defense roll against the creature's level. If they fail, for one round either they're paralyzed with fear or they run in -the opposite direction. -+Side Effects: Bad smell, curse, infernal mark, possession - +- -Repeat appearances by the creature (or other creatures like it) that they've seen before usually don't trigger this -reaction a second time, but encountering a large number of those creatures or seeing them do something unusual might -trigger it. For example, seeing a ghoul crawl out of a storm drain might trigger panic; seeing another ghoul (or the -same one again) won't trigger it again, but seeing a large pack of ghouls approaching, or seeing one ghoul eating a dead -person could trigger another panic reaction. Even if a character has gotten over their initial panic, the GM can prompt -it again as an intrusion if the circumstances warrant it. -+Reagents: Blood; magical inks or paints for a summoning circle; contracts; a person to possess; objects representing -+betrayal, deception, or greed (according to the desired service) - +- -### IRONMAN -+Pool: Might or Intellect - +- -There are no cyphers (subtle or manifest) or artifacts that heal, and all other healing effects (such as recovery rolls -and Healing Touch) restore only the minimum amount possible. For example, a tier 2 character using a recovery roll would -get only 3 points (as if they rolled a 1 on a d6, plus 2 for their tier) to add to their Pools. This results in a -gritty, dire scenario where the only way PCs can restore their Pools is with recovery rolls and character abilities that -heal. -+Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities, secret name of the devil - +- -Cypher System characters are tough and resilient, even at tier 1, but Ironman brings them down to a more realistic power -level. Ironman is more punitive for characters whose abilities cost Pool points and less of a challenge for characters -whose abilities don't cost anything (such as Physical Skills). For a slightly less challenging option, allow the use of -healing cyphers and artifacts, but limit them to the minimum amount. -+### CONJURE ELEMENTAL - +- -### LAST SURVIVOR -+Summons a primordial elemental spirit of air, earth, fire, or water, which appears in a physical form. The elemental -+remains for about a minute, during which time the characters must attempt to bribe, threaten, or bargain with it. An -+elemental is usually summoned to do something that takes no longer than an hour and requires it to travel no more than -+about 50 miles (80 km)—attack, guard, and scout are common tasks. The elemental typically wants something in return for -+its service, usually a gift or bribe appropriate to its nature—incense for air, gems for earth, oil for fire, salts for -+water, and so on. If the summoners can't come to an agreement with the elemental, it might make one attack before it -+leaves. - +- -Sometimes the antagonist kills off all the protagonists one by one, leaving only one survivor to challenge them. In the -journey toward that point, it's not clear who the last survivor will be, and sometimes a potential last survivor is -eliminated unexpectedly or sacrifices themselves so that another person may live. The Last Survivor horror module -+Level: The level of the elemental - +- -is a way for PCs to temporarily thwart fate, but it inevitably feeds toward the last surviving character having extra -advantages when dealing with the murderous antagonist. -+Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -When using this module, the GM places a token on the game table that represents the last survivor, and puts a piece of -paper (or an XP card) underneath the token that represents 1 XP. Whenever there is a GM intrusion, instead of giving 2 -XP to a player and letting that player award 1 XP to another player, the GM gives 1 XP to the chosen player, and the -other 1 XP is added to the last survivor token. Whenever there is a group intrusion, 1 XP is added to the last survivor -token (as if the last survivor were a separate PC). -+Roles: Chanting, music, using ceremonial objects, holding gifts/reagents, tracing the summoning circle - +- -At any time, a player can decide that their PC becomes the last survivor by picking up the token and its XP. -+Side Effects: Damage, weakness toward one kind of attack - +- -However, those XP belong to the role of the last survivor and always remain separate from individual character XP. While -a PC is the last survivor, they gain the following benefits and restrictions: -+Reagents: Gifts (black powder, gems, ice, incense, oil, salt, soil, water, wood), destroying opposing items or -+creatures - +- -• All rolls to save them from being killed are eased by two steps. -+Pool: Might, Speed, or Intellect, depending on the kind of elemental - +- -• The last survivor XP can be spent only by the last survivor, and only on the last survivor's rolls, never on any other -players' rolls. (The PC can still spend their personal XP normally, including on other players' rolls.) -+Other Assets: Elemental power, knowledge or control of similar entities, nature magic, secret name of the elemental - +- -• At any time, whoever has the token can pass the role of last survivor to another player. The receiving player gets all -the XP associated with the last survivor (if there are none, the GM immediately gives 1 XP to the token). -+Elementals are simple creatures whose interests and attentions are focused on themselves and their element. Flattery and -+playing up their strengths are the key to bargaining with them. - +- -• Once a player has given up the role of last survivor, they can never again be the last survivor. -+### CONSECRATION - +- -• If the last survivor role has no XP left to spend, and there are no other players to pass the token to (because -everyone else has already been the last survivor), the last survivor can pass the token to the GM in exchange for their -character getting 1 XP. Once this happens, the last survivor token is removed from the game. -+Wards a location against evil influences and unwanted magic for a year and a day. The ritual affects an area up to a -+very long distance across. Evil creatures and magical effects of less than the ritual's level can't enter the area or -+use abilities against it. If the PCs are warded out of the designated area, they must make an Intellect defense roll to -+enter it (and another each minute while within the area, or retreat) and all their actions inside or targeted within the -+area are hindered by two steps. - +- -### MADNESS -+Level: The level of the effects to protect against - +- -Madness is an optional rule discussed in the Cypher System Rulebook. When using this rule, if Intellect damage from fear -or shock reduces a PC's Intellect Pool to 0, they regain points in the Pool, but their maximum Intellect Pool is reduced -by 1. If their Intellect Pool is ever reduced to 0 again, they go insane and replace their current descriptor with the -Mad descriptor. -+Time: One hour of preparation, two hours of performance - +- -### PERILOUS VENTURE -Sometimes the PCs need to perform a ritual or other complex action that takes several rounds or minutes, and if they -make mistakes along the way it's a setback instead of an outright failure. For example, they might need to read a @@ -3456,64 +3139,52 @@ -difficulty increases each time until the players make a final roll at the highest difficulty (equal to the overall level -of the challenge, such as the demon they want to banish, the original zombie virus, or the most powerful ghost -attempting to leave the house). -+Roles: Drawing lines and symbols along the border, chanting, calling out local features (with candles, runestones, or -+other suitable markers) - +- -Generally, these subtasks occur at equally divided intervals over the course of the full time required to complete the -ritual. If at any point the PC fails a subtask, the ritual isn't ruined, but it costs time—a failure means the time -spent on that subtask was wasted, but the character can spend that much time again and try to succeed at that same -subtask. -+Side Effects: Lights, sounds, weak spots or "back doors" in the barrier - +- -Skills, assets, and other special abilities can ease subtasks just like they do with any other task (which might make -some of the subtasks routine and not require a roll at all). Characters may apply Effort to each subtask. Of course, -applying Effort is something characters do in the moment, not over long periods of time, so it's generally impossible to -apply sustained Effort on a task or subtask that takes longer than a day. -+Reagents: Silver dust, sacred oil, buried blessed gemstones - +- -The GM should decide if a given ritual is something that other PCs can help with. Even if it initially seems like a solo -venture (like reading a spell from a book), it might benefit from assistants who repeat a chant, burn candles, perform -arcane gestures, or just hold the acting character upright as the ritual drains their strength. In general, giving -multiple PCs something to do is better than having everyone wait on the sidelines while one character holds the -spotlight. -+Pool: Intellect - +- -To make the situation more interesting, the GM can introduce a time challenge, like requiring the PCs to finish by a -specific time (perhaps a midnight deadline for containing the ghosts in the house, or banishing a demon that's -inflicting damage to an NPC every round it possesses them). This puts pressure on the PCs to complete the process as -soon as possible. -+Other Assets: Warding magic, religious knowledge - +- -The GM can also add side effects for failed rolls or as intrusions. For example, a weak spot in the salt line might -allow one powerful ghost to break free, an error in the banishing spell might painfully enrage the demon and hinder the -next subtask, electrical or magical energy might lash out and harm a nearby character, and so on. The ritual might use -up quantities of -+### ENCHANT WEAPON - +- -a limited resource, such as holy water, silver powder, or rare herbs; if the PCs have only enough materials to complete -the ritual (perhaps with a little extra in case they make one mistake), that forces them to use Effort, XP, and other -tricks to make sure they don't fail too often and run out. -+Enchants a light, medium, or heavy weapon with magical power, granting an asset on attack rolls with the weapon for the -+next day. - +- -Finally, some rituals might require the PCs to spend points from their Pools on each subtask, with Might representing -blood or vitality, Speed representing energy, and Intellect representing will or sanity. Other physical or mental tolls -could also require points from Pools. Multiple PCs involved in the ritual could collectively contribute to this cost. -+Level: 3 or 4 - +- -### POOR CHOICES -Sometimes people in horror do dumb things. They wander off alone to investigate a weird noise. They abandon their -friends and try to escape in a rusty old car. They have sex in a spooky barn. These things usually put them in danger -and sometimes get them gruesomely killed. Using the Poor Choices module means the GM can use intrusions to make the -characters do things that the audience of a horror movie would think are stupid. -+Time: Thirty minutes of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -These intrusions work like the normal kind (the GM awards 2 XP, and the player gives one of them to another player). -However, while normal intrusions are subtle changes that influence the situation, using Poor Choices lets the GM abandon -that restraint and dictate a specific overt character action, even if it's something that the player wouldn't normally -choose. -+Roles: — - +- -These intrusions can be risky, but they shouldn't be obviously self-destructive or harmful. For example, the GM -shouldn't use an intrusion to make a PC drink something that they know is poisonous, jump out of an airplane without a -parachute, punch a police officer, or stare directly at an eclipse. The idea is to put the character in a complicated @@ -3521,172 +3192,107 @@ -they're in a horror scenario, but their characters don't, and this helps prevent the players from using metagame -knowledge to keep the PCs out of trouble. Another way to look at it is the characters should act as if they live in a -world where horror movies don't exist, so they don't know not to do these things. -+Side Effects: Weapon attack hindered, higher GM intrusion rate - +- -As with any GM intrusion, the player can choose to spend 1 XP to refuse a Poor Choices intrusion, but they should -consider accepting the intrusion for the sake of the story, and because they'll need the XP later. -+Reagents: Rare oils, gem dust - +- -### POOR CHOICES INTRUSIONS -+Pool: Speed or Intellect - +- -The following are examples of GM intrusions to use with the Poor Choices module. -+Other Assets: Battle tactics, weapon crafting - +- -A character investigates a strange noise on their own. ("It'll be fine!") -+In a high-magic campaign, a higher-level version of the Enchant Weapon ritual might grant a second asset on attack -+rolls, grant extra damage, affect multiple weapons at once, or all of the above. - +- -• Two or more characters sneak off to have sex. -+### ENTOMBMENT - +- -• A character leaves behind an important piece of equipment, such as a weapon, phone, car keys, or their outer layer of -clothes. (The GM can use this intrusion after the fact when a player tries to use a specific item.) -+Imprisons a creature in a vessel (usually a valuable box, clay pot, or other closeable container, but it might be a gem, -+the heart of a tree, or another atypical object) for as long as the vessel remains closed and undamaged. The ritual -+forces the creature into the vessel, either in a spiritual form or by shrinking it to a size that will fit within the -+vessel. - +- -• A character gets drunk or high. -+Level: The level of the creature - +- -• A character falls asleep. -+Time: Sixteen hours of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -• A character slips away to urinate out in the woods or a nearby scary building. -+Roles: Chanting, carrying or protecting the vessel - +- -• A character doesn't care that nearby animals are acting strange (especially if they're guard dogs). -+Side Effects: Bystander imprisoned with the target, containment has a flaw, target lashes out - +- -• A character doesn't shoot a dead monster in the head. ("We need to save ammo.") -+Reagents: Vessel, symbolic bindings (chains, ropes, shackles, and so on), anathema objects - +- -• A character runs away into the dark or away from a place that would be a better, safer direction to run. -+Pool: Intellect - +- -• A character reads aloud words from the weird old book they found, or they play an old recording of someone else -reading the book aloud. -+Other Assets: Control magic, grappling, imprisoning magic, wards - +- -• In a multistory building, a character runs upstairs or down into a basement (where they could get cornered) instead of -outside where they could escape in any direction. -+### EXORCISM - +- -• A character chooses a dumb or obvious hiding place, such as a closet or under a bed. -+Drives out unwanted spirits (ghosts, demons, or something else) from an area up to a long distance across. Once cast -+out, the spirits cannot return for a year and a day (although most of them decide to move on long before that time -+comes). Completing the ritual doesn't prevent other spirits from entering or inhabiting the area, but it is likely that -+they can sense that an exorcism happened there, and most choose to avoid such an area so they don't suffer the same -+fate. The ritual can also be used to cast out spirits from a possessed creature, preventing those spirits from returning -+for a year and a day. As with using the ritual to cleanse a location, this doesn't prevent other spirits from afflicting -+the creature, but later spirits can sense the recent exorcism and prefer to avoid that creature. - +- -• A character tries to escape by squeezing through a space that no human could reasonably get through quickly, such as a -doggie door or a tiny window in a garage door. -+Level: The level of the most powerful hostile presence to be exorcised - +- -• A character hides the fact that they've been bitten by a zombie, have a weird rash like the one they saw on the walls -of the alien spaceship, or have been hearing a spooky voice telling them to kill their friends. ("I'll be okay.") -+Time: Two hours of preparation, two hours of performance - +- -• A character runs straight down the road to get away from a pursuing vehicle (instead of onto the sidewalk, behind a -big tree, or around a tight corner). -+Roles: Chanting, positive emotions, presenting holy objects, restraining afflicted individuals, tracing the area with -+incense - +- -• A prone or supine character crawls away from approaching danger instead of getting up and running. -+Side Effects: Lights, sounds, hideous physical transformations, injuries, telekinesis - +- -• A character doesn't call the local authorities for help when they hear something dangerous. -+Reagents: Bindings, candles, holy water, religious icons and books, scapegoats - +- -• A character ignores or rationalizes a weird noise. -+Pool: Intellect - +- -• A character jumps into the water—a lake, swimming pool, sacred fountain, and so on. -+Other Assets: Warding magic, religious knowledge - +- -• A character goes into the cave, mine shaft, or creepy house. ("I'm just going to look around for a second.") -+Using an exorcism ritual on an area is mainly for getting rid of spirits afflicting the area in ways other than -+possessing a creature— throwing objects, causing nightmares, making noises, and so on. - +- -• A character insists on staying behind while everyone else goes on ahead. ("Someone should be here when the sheriff -shows up!") -+### FLESH FOR KNOWLEDGE - +- -• A character doesn't check the back seat of a car before getting in and starting it. -+Sacrifices some of the ritualist's flesh, inflicting Might and Speed damage equal to the level of the ritual and -+permanently reducing the character's Pools by 4 points (the character can divide this loss between Might and Speed as -+they see fit). The character experiences painful hallucinations that give them insight and understanding. They -+immediately learn one type or focus ability available to them (any ability they could learn by spending 4 XP as an -+advancement). - +- -• A character ignores an obvious creepy clue that there's something wrong in the house, like a bloody axe, a room full -of taxidermy animal heads, or newspaper clippings about recent murders. -+Level: Twice the tier of the ability the character wishes to learn - +- -• While being pursued, a character calls for help or otherwise attracts attention (like banging on store windows at -midnight). -+Time: One hour of preparation, one hour of performance - +- -• A character tries to pet an unknown lifeform. -+Roles: Chanting, restraining the subject of the ritual - +- -• A character tries to make peaceful contact with an obviously hostile entity. ("It's as frightened of us as we are of -it!") -+Side Effects: Lasting damage, permanent damage, scarring - +- -• A character unlocks a door or disables a security system to let a scared stranger into a safe area. -+Reagents: Silver knife, silver vessel - +- -• A character doesn't bother to turn on the lights. -+Pool: See above - +- -• A character uses an action taunting their foe. -+Other Assets: Pain tolerance, surgery - +- -• A character follows a trail of blood. -+Instead of permanently reducing a character's Pools by 4 points, the GM could allow other permanent penalties such as -+reducing an Edge stat by 1 (to a minimum of 0), gaining an inability in a useful skill, or permanently reducing all -+points gained through recovery rolls by 2. - +- -• A character ignores good advice from a helpful and knowledgeable NPC. ("That old lady was a superstitious kook.") -+### PURIFICATION - +- -• A character uses a firearm as a loud, ineffective solution for a simple problem (like shooting a padlock). -+Rids a creature of an ongoing affliction, such as a disease or poison, or any unwanted magical effect, such as a curse -+or charm spell. In some versions of this ritual, whatever is ailing the creature gets forced into a nearby specified -+creature or object, which is then discarded or safely destroyed. - +- -• A character picks up a shady or outright scary-looking hitchhiker. -+Level: The level of the affliction or effect to remove - +- -• A character scares another character (perhaps by grabbing their shoulder unexpectedly and shouting) as a joke. -+Time: One hour of preparation, two hours of performance - +- -• A character momentarily forgets how to do a simple action, like open or close a door. -+Roles: Applying reagents, chanting - +- -• A character forgets to put their phone on silent mode. -+Side Effects: Affliction or effect spreads to another creature, target moves a step down the damage track - +- -• A character imitates or makes fun of a creepy doll or statue. -+Reagents: Anointing oils, healing herbs, objects repellent to the source of the affliction, magical paint for writing on -+the target, scapegoat, silver dust - +- -• A character tries to help a child who has no reason for being there. -+Pool: Might - +- -### POSSESSION -+Other Assets: Healing magic, resistance to the target's affliction - +- -Some demons have the ability to possess a living creature, taking over a character's body as if it were the demon's own. -The demon must touch the character to attempt possession (even if the demon's touch normally inflicts damage, the -possession attempt doesn't inflict damage). The character must make an Intellect defense roll or become possessed, -whereupon the demon's immaterial form disappears into the character. -+### RESURRECTION - +- -The first round in which a character is possessed, they can act normally. In the second and all subsequent rounds, the -possessing demon can try to control the actions of the host, but the character can attempt an Intellect defense roll to -resist each suggested action. Successful resistance means that the character does nothing for one round. When the demon @@ -3701,48 +3307,35 @@ -powerless for one or more days. One way to exorcise a demon is to command it out in the name of an entity that has power -over the demon. This can be attempted once per day and grants the possessed character an additional Intellect defense -roll to eject the demon. -+Restores a dead being to life. The creature is restored to full health and is ready to act as soon as the ritual is -+completed. Depending on how they died and the nature of death in the setting, the creature may or may not remember -+anything that happened after they died. - +- -Other kinds of creatures (ghosts, beings of pure mental energy, and so on) may have the ability to possess characters in -the same way that demons do. -+Level: The level of the deceased (at least tier 6 if a PC) - +- -### SECRET TWIST -+Time: Five hours of preparation, two hours of performance - +- -It's common when tensions are high and lives are on the line that humans get paranoid and start to turn on each other, -interpreting stressed behavior as suspicious and seeing enemies in the eyes of strangers. This is compounded when there -is an active threat that can disguise itself as human (like an alien or demon) or take off a mask and pretend to be a -fellow prisoner or victim (like a chainsaw killer), only to reveal themselves when the perfect opportunity comes along. -These secret twists are the source of many jump scares and unexpected betrayals that create chaos and paranoia. -+Roles: Applying reagents, chanting, prayers, shielding the corpse from hostile entities - +- -To use a secret twist, the GM first needs to decide three things: -+Side Effects: Creature moves a step down the damage track, enmity of a death god, lasting damage, scarring, sympathetic -+damage - +- -• The secrets they want the PCs to keep from each other. Examples might be "Your character is actually the shapechanging -alien that is hunting everyone on the spaceship," "The chainsaw killer is the identical twin of your character," or -"Another PC ruined your life but they don't realize who you are." -+Reagents: Deceased's corpse, healing ointment, items of emotional significance (such as devotion, hope, or regret), -+items of importance to the deceased, parchment extolling the deceased's history and deeds, soul-sympathetic items - +- -• The best time to reveal the secret to the player involved. This might be something the player learns before the game -starts or a revelation during the game. If there are multiple secrets, the players might learn them at different times. -For example, the PC whose life was ruined by another character might know this at the start of the game, but another PC -might not know they had an identical twin (perhaps they were separated at birth). -+Pool: Might or Intellect - +- -• The best time to reveal the secret to the other characters. The GM might choose to push it out into the open (perhaps -with a GM intrusion) or let the player decide when to reveal it. For example, the GM decides that walking into a dark -room with a black light is how all the human PCs realize that one character is really a shapeshifting alien with -UV-fluorescing skin, but the GM allows the PC whose family fortune was stolen by another character to bring that up on -their own (perhaps when they're alone with the thief). -+Other Assets: Close relationship with the deceased (such as a connection or family relation), healing magic, necromancy, -+spirit knowledge, secret name of the deceased - +- -If revealing the secret to the players is supposed to happen during the game, it would be suspicious if only one player -was pulled aside for a conversation about it—the other players would know something unusual was going on. Instead, the -GM can call a quick break in the game and send that player a text. Even better, the GM could send every player a secret @@ -3751,40 +3344,28 @@ -fact that everyone gets a note disguises who might be getting a secret twist. By making sure that each note has some -kind of value (such as by letting a player trade it in later for an asset or a subtle cypher), players who don't receive -a special secret still spend a reasonable amount of time reading the note and keeping it safe. -+A lesser version of the Resurrection ritual might bring the creature back to life, but only to the debilitated or -+impaired state on the damage track instead of hale, requiring further rest or healing. - +- -If the players are especially skilled at roleplaying, there may be opportunities for multiple secret twists, especially -those that change a character's identity. For example, in a scenario where there are duplicates of the PCs walking -around in their city (evil twins, clones, aliens, or the like), the identity of individual characters might switch from -the originals to duplicates and back again several times during the game. -+### SACRIFICIAL RITE - +- -Multiple shifts of identity are probably easier for the GM and players to handle if they take place over several game -sessions and each session starts with players knowing exactly who they're playing. It also helps if the players take -separate notes about what the original and the duplicate know. -+A creature is ritually killed and its soul is placed in an object. The soul object might be a temporary destination so -+the soul can be transported and used elsewhere (such as an offering to a demon or as part of a spell), or it might be -+the final destination for the soul (such as placing it in a sword to create a magic item). - +- -### SHOCK -+Level: The level of the creature (at least tier 6 if a PC) - +- -Shock is an optional rule discussed in the Cypher System Rulebook. When using this rule, seeing something terrifying -means a PC must make an Intellect defense roll. The difficulty is based on the level of the scary thing, or the GM can -simply choose the level (see the Shock Levels table). Failure on the defense roll means either the character takes -Intellect damage or -+Time: One hour of preparation, one hour of performance Roles: Chanting, playing instruments, bearing the soul object, -+restraining the creature, slaying the creature - +- -the player temporarily loses control of the character (the GM decides if they scream, freeze, run, or take some other -appropriate action, perhaps with input from the player). -+Side Effects: Creature rages or escapes, damage, dying curse, haunting - +- -### SHOCK LEVELS -+Reagents: Bindings, creature to be sacrificed, drum, flute, silver knife, soul object (its level must be at least as -+high as the creature's level) - +- -| Event | Level | -|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------| -| Something unexpected darts or jumps out | 1 | @@ -3797,149 +3378,99 @@ -| Seeing a monstrous creature | Creature Level | -| Witnessing something supernatural (like a spell) | 5 | -| Seeing something mind-bending (like an impossible, multidimensional demigod coalescing out of thin air) | 8 | -+Pool: Might or Intellect - +- -### UNEASE -+Other Assets: Death spells, instant-kill abilities, soul manipulation - +- -Horror isn't always overt monstrosities trying to tear your limbs off or drag your soul into Hell. Sometimes it's -something slightly off-putting, a stretching of the norm, an itching behind your eyes, or a sinking feeling in your -stomach. You can feel that something is wrong, but you don't know exactly what, and you're not sure what to do about it. -Your body isn't sure if it should jump into fight or flight, so you're anticipating a spike of adrenaline and it's very -distracting. -+### MAGICAL TECHNOLOGY - +- -With the Unease horror module, whenever a character is in the presence of something disturbing that risks breaking their -worldview, all their actions are hindered. Normally this happens whenever the triggering situation is within a short -distance of the character, but the range might vary depending on what the PC sees and the nature of the disturbance. For -example, a demon the size of a house might cause unease whenever it's within very long range, but a city-sized alien -starship hovering in the sky might affect people whenever they can see it even though it's a thousand miles away. -+To craft items of magical technology in a setting where they are commonplace, use the standard rules for crafting -+regular (nonmagical) items. - +- -If the GM plans to have an ongoing Unease effect throughout an entire game session (like an alien death fleet), they -should consider using physical reminders in the game area so players don't forget its effects. Over time, the GM might -allow characters to become used to these worrying sights, perhaps due to exposure or maybe by purchasing the familiarity -as a medium-term benefit. -+### MAGIC PLUS TECHNOLOGY - +- -Some creatures in the Cypher System already have the ability to make others uncomfortable just by being in the same -area, so if they are the only weird creatures the GM plans to use in a horror game, there's no need for the Unease -module. -+Whatever technology exists in the setting could be magically enhanced if magic is also present. Such items would almost -+certainly be manifest cyphers or artifacts. Here's an example cypher: - +- -In some ways, Unease is a more limited form of Instant Panic but can also be used in tandem with it. -+### FROZEN TIMEPIECE - --### OPTIONAL RULES FOR FAIRYTALE -+Level: 1d6 + 2 +- + ### OPTIONAL RULES FOR FAIRYTALE -Fairy tale games have unique opportunities for magic that aren't found elsewhere— death, curses, blessings, and wishes -are all prevalent in fairy tales and make interesting elements in games. Here are some suggested ways to handle them. -+Effect: Creates or transforms into a pocketwatch that seems to be made of ice. Upon activation of the cypher, the user -+can take normal actions, but everything and everyone around them is frozen in time. The user cannot affect anything -+else, but they can move through the world and take actions that affect themselves or their own belongings (bandage a -+wound, repair a broken item, and so on). The effect lasts for one round per cypher level. - +- -Death -+And here's an example artifact: - +- -You've probably noticed that in fairy tales, characters die all the time. Or almost die. Or sleep forever instead of -die. Or die and come back to life. You get the idea. -+### TRUTH BINOCULARS - +- -Potentially, this will also be true in a fairy tale game. Thankfully, death doesn't have to be the end of a character's -life. There are any number of ways to stop or reverse death, including artifacts, cyphers, and abilities. Additionally, -a few NPCs, such as witches or Death themself, may have the power to bring someone back from the dead. -+Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- -Typically, though, if a character dies and chooses to stay dead (or is unable to find a way to return to life), they are -dead—they no longer have bodies, abilities, Pools, -+Form: Pair of binoculars with a large runic symbol on them - +- -and so on. They can communicate to the living only through magic. Someone may stay dead for up to about a year (in game -time) and still return to life. After that time elapses, death is permanent. -+Effect: Not only do these make it easy to see things far away, but looking through them also allows the viewer to see -+through illusions and see things that are normally invisible, assuming the effect has a level lower than that of the -+binoculars. - +- -Curses -+Depletion: 1–2 in 1d100 (check each use) - +- -In fairy tale games, curses are likely to be common. Most witches can cast curses -+To craft items that are both technological and magical, either you need to make the device first and then enchant it, or -+you need to enchant it as it is made. Either way, the skills for making the device and for making it magical are likely -+very different. - +- -of one form or another, as can many fey beings, queens, and sea creatures. Even objects and places can cause a character -to become cursed. Characters might have multiple curses on them at the same time. -+### TECHNOLOGY THAT INTERACTS WITH MAGIC - +- -All curses have a level, from 1 to 10. The level affects how hard it is to resist the curse, as well as how severe the -effects are and how difficult it is to remove the curse. -+In a world with scientists and engineers faced with the presence of real magic, some of them would develop ways to -+interact and cope with it. Technological devices that are not magical but deal with magic could include: - +- -Curses work slightly differently than regular damage. Curses can have an impact on the game and the game mechanics (a -character is turned into a fish or becomes invisible, all of their interactions are hindered, they take ongoing damage, -and so on), or they can have more of a roleplaying impact (a character looks much older, they forget the word "apple," -their skin turns golden). See the Curse table for a list of example curses. -+Magic detector (expensive): This simple white badge glows purple in the presence of magic. Once it detects something -+magical, it does not function again. - +- -Preventing Curses -+Mystical hazard suit (very expensive): This full-body protective suit is cumbersome and clumsy, not unlike a hazmat -+suit. However, all of the wearer's tasks to resist magical effects are eased. If the wearer takes even 1 point of -+physical damage, the suit rips and no longer functions until it is repaired and resealed. - +- -When a character attempts to resist being cursed, they must make an Intellect defense roll against the level of the -curse being cast. Being trained in Intellect defense eases -+Spellscrambler (very expensive): Essentially a sonic grenade, this device produces a variety of strange electromagnetic -+signals—some audible and very loud, some not—on a number of frequencies. The mental processes needed to cast a spell are -+impossible to achieve for one round within a short distance of the device. Like any grenade, it can be used only once. - +- -this task, as does having a skill in curses or resisting curses. -+### MAGIC THAT INTERACTS WITH TECHNOLOGY - +- -Often, part of a curse's effects is hindering curse resistance; thus, a character who already has one curse on them will -find defending against a second curse is more difficult (their task is hindered). -+In a world where magic and technology coexist, wizards will have spells and effects that protect them from shotgun -+blasts as well as sword blades, and radiation as well as fire or frost. Consider, for example, these effects as cyphers: - +- -Removing Curses -+### FINDING PRYING EYES - +- -Similar to poison and disease, curses aren't automatically removed when a character makes a regular recovery roll. -Instead, they stick around, continuing to affect the PC long after the curse is cast. In order to rid themselves of a -curse, the character must take actions to remove it. The actions required depend on the nature and level of the curse. -+Level: 1d6 + 3 - +- -The easiest way to remove a curse is to find, buy, steal, borrow, or otherwise acquire an object that removes curses -(such as the blood pearl blossom cypher). Alternatively, the character might be able to pay someone who is skilled in -curse removal to do the deed. -+Effect: Magically discovers if anything is watching or listening to the user right at that moment, and reveals the -+source. Electronic surveillance devices, long-range scopes, hidden cameras, and magical scrying attempts all trigger -+this effect. In all these cases, the "source" is the nearest representation. So a hidden microphone is revealed, but not -+the location of the listener. - +- -Curse Intrusions and Curse Mode -+### POWER DEVICE - +- -In addition to dealing with the original effect of the curse, a cursed character is more likely to have bad things -happen to them. There are two ways for the GM to work this into the game: curse intrusions and Curse Mode. Ideally, -you'll want to use both of these, as they each add something unique to the experience of being cursed. -+Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- -Curse intrusions work like regular GM intrusions, and the cursed character gets XP. However, they only get 1 XP instead -of the usual 2, and they must decide whether to keep it or give it to another player. Introduce additional curse -intrusions from the Curse Intrusions table when it feels appropriate. This might be anytime the character has a big -success, when they're in a particularly risky position, or when they start to feel like they've forgotten about the -curse. -+Effect: Magically powers one device that can fit within an area a short distance across. The device is now fully -+powered, charged, or fueled. If the cypher is used on an automobile, for example, the gas tank is full. If used on a -+flashlight, the battery is fully charged. - +- -Curse Mode. When using this rule, the GM increases the range of numbers that trigger a GM intrusion. As soon as a -character is cursed, every time they roll a 1 or a 2 (instead of just a 1), they trigger a GM intrusion. As time passes, -GM intrusions happen on a roll of 1 to 3, then a roll of 1 to 4, and so on. This potentially means that a die roll in @@ -3947,50 +3478,25 @@ -optional rule in the Cypher System Rulebook, with one exception: the escalation works at a much slower pace. This is -because Curse Mode is not designed to heighten immediate tension, but rather to create a long-term sense of being -saddled with an unwanted and unpredictable negative effect. -+### SCREEN CONTROL - +- -Typically, the intrusion range is increased by 1 when: -+Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- -• The character is cursed. -+Effect: A technological screen (a television, computer monitor, smartphone, or the like) within short range shows -+whatever the user wishes for up to one minute per cypher level. The display can be pictures, text, or meaningless shapes -+and colors. - +- -• The character starts a new day (or makes their ten-hour recovery roll). -+Because magic works on intuitive rather than scientific levels, mages could have spells that disrupt technology, even -+though the technology involved might not have any common principles - +- -> • The character actively takes an action to remove the curse (curses like wreaking havoc, which is part of the reason -> they're so hard to get rid of). -+### MIND CONTROL - +- -• The character attempts to resist an additional curse being cast upon them. -+From a rules perspective, mind control is fairly straightforward: one creature decides what actions another creature -+takes (perhaps limited in that the controlled creature won't take actions that harm them or go against their nature, -+such as attacking friends). But what's happening inside the controlled creature's head—whether during the effect or -+afterward—often isn't specified. There are several options for the GM to consider, either for all kinds of mind-control -+magic or on a case-by-case basis. - +- -Once all curses are removed, Curse Mode is no longer in effect. -+- Confusion: The controlled creature doesn't understand why they're doing things they normally wouldn't do, but they -+ aren't aware of any outside influence on their thoughts and actions. Once the control is over, the creature may admit -+ that they don't know why they did those things, or come up with an explanation justifying (to themselves and others) -+ their reasons for those actions. - +- -While not all regular GM intrusions are necessarily bad for the character, curse intrusions always make the cursed PC's -situation worse. -+- Dream: The controlled creature is aware of what's going on but perceives it in a dreamlike state. They may believe -+ that they're in control of themselves the entire time, or somewhat aware that they're not fully in control (similar to -+ being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol or disoriented by an illness). Afterward, the creature might feel strange about -+ the events but may not realize that someone else was controlling them. - +- -Curse Intrusions -+- Trapped: The active thoughts in the controlled creature's head come from the controller, but the creature still has a -+ small voice or awareness in the background, like they're a prisoner in their own mind. This horrible situation usually -+ means the controlled creature reverts to normal once the control is gone, and is probably very upset that their mind -+ and body autonomy were violated. - +- -| d6 | Curse | -|-----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 1 | An insect stings or bites the character at just the wrong moment. | @@ -3999,30 +3505,17 @@ -| 4 | A deep sense of despair comes over the character. | -| 5 | The character feels an overwhelming urge to start dancing. | -| 6 | The character's clothes are suddenly much too large. | -+One way to present mind control more safely is to disallow certain actions but otherwise leave the character in control. -+For example, being charmed by a vampire might mean the PC can't attack the vampire (or its allies) or run away, but is -+still able to call for help, heal themselves, leave at a normal pace, and take other actions. Alternatively, the -+character can be given a specific command, and until they comply with that command their other actions are hindered by -+one or more steps. If the player is willing to engage with the parameters of the mind control, the GM may award them an -+additional 1 XP (or, to approach it from the opposite direction, the GM can offer them a GM intrusion that the mind -+control is happening, and allow the player to spend 1 XP to refuse it, or go into XP debt if they want to refuse it but -+have no XP to spend). - +- -Curse Table -+A rule for any game: don't use mind control (or anything) to make a character have sex without the player's permission. -+For more information and guidelines about consent in RPGs, read the free Consent in Gaming PDF at myMCG.info/consent - +- -Roll 1d20 on the Curse table to determine the effect of the curse, or choose one that feels appropriate to the situation -and the characters. -+### MYSTICAL MARTIAL ARTS - +- -Typically, curses that have simple roleplaying effects (such as the character's inability to speak their own name) are -lower-level curses, while those that affect gameplay (such as decreasing recovery roll points) are higher level. Curses -that have multiple effects are likely the highest level of all. However, sometimes an incredibly simple curse is still -very high level because the caster wants to make it very hard to get rid of. -+If the setting calls for wuxia-style fantasy martial arts or similar types of action, you can make a few rule changes to -+portray the kinds of things characters in such stories can accomplish. - +- -| D20 | Effect | -|------|------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 1 | Turned into an animal (bear, toad, hedgehog, swan, dog, etc.) | @@ -4045,31 +3538,15 @@ -| 18 | Moves slowly (effort on Speed tasks costs +1 Speed) | -| 19 | Can no longer say, write, or spell their own name | -| 20 | No one else remembers or recognizes the character | -+- Running and climbing speeds and jumping distances are doubled. For those trained in running, climbing, or jumping, the -+ speeds and distances are tripled instead of doubled. For those specialized, they are quintupled. For all intents and -+ purposes, this means that everyone can run up a wall or jump very high in the air, and masters can practically fly or -+ run across water. - +- -Curse Removal Table -+- Everyone knows kung fu. Unless a person is a simple farmer, herder, or merchant, they know how to fight with elaborate -+ and powerful martial arts styles. This doesn't change anything in the game mechanically—no one gets the ability to use -+ weapons that they wouldn't normally have under the rules. But it does change the flavor, suggesting that no PC is -+ entirely ignorant of weapons or close combat. - +- -Some curses have a specific way that they must be removed. Others can be removed in a variety of ways. You can use the -table as a reference for ways to remove or undo a curse, or you can roll 1d10 to give a curse a specific method of -removal. -+- Players are encouraged to come up with interesting names for their martial arts abilities. Instead of using a Bash -+ attack, perhaps it is "The Three-Flower Fist," and instead of Fury, a character uses "The Rage of the Sevenfold." It -+ is reasonable for high-tier martial abilities such as Amazing Effort, Jump Attack, or Finishing Blow to be described -+ with a magical flare— blazing auras of fire, brilliant cascades of light, ethereal figures overlaying the character, -+ and so on. - +- -There are also many artifacts, cyphers, and other objects in the world that will remove (or prevent) curses. -+- Materials and objects are easier to destroy. For the purpose of attacking objects, subtract 2 from the level of any -+ material (minimum of 0). It should be relatively simple for any character to smash through a plain wooden door with -+ little effort, and true warriors can shatter stones with their blows. - +- - --@@ -4131,22 +3608,15 @@ - - -
-+- Wounds heal faster. Everyone gains +1 to all recovery rolls. - +- -Blessings -+- Superhuman abilities exist. Consider adopting some of the superhero rules from the Cypher System Reference Document, -+ in particular the power shift optional rules. These may derive from almost supernatural levels of training in various -+ techniques (such as dianxue) but probably mostly from neili. - +- -When someone is blessed, it typically means that they are more likely to receive a beneficial GM intrusion when they -roll a 1 (or when the GM deems it appropriate to give them an intrusion). The Blessing Intrusions table provides -examples of positive GM intrusions that a blessed character might receive. -+> Dianxue: The touch of death—killing by using precise nonlethal force on key points of the body. Neili: Internal force— -+> building up and cultivating the energy known as qi and using it for supernatural effects. - +- -Blessing Intrusions -+### POSSESSION - +- -| d6 | Blessing | -|-----|--------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 1 | Someone randomly gives the character a small gift. | @@ -4155,283 +3625,46 @@ -| 4 | The weather is suddenly in the character's favor. | -| 5 | Someone nearby just happens to have the thing the character needs. | -| 6 | A cypher or artifact works even better than expected. | -+Some creatures (demons, ghosts, entities of living mental energy, and so on) have the ability to possess a living -+person, taking over a character's body as if it were the creature's own. The creature must touch the character to -+attempt possession (even if the creature's touch normally inflicts damage, the possession attempt doesn't inflict -+damage). The character must make an Intellect defense roll or become possessed, whereupon the creature's immaterial form -+disappears into the character. - +- -Wishes -+The first round in which a character is possessed, they can act normally. In the second and all subsequent rounds, the -+possessing creature can try to control the actions of the host, but the character can attempt an Intellect defense roll -+to resist each suggested action. Successful resistance means that the character does nothing for one round. When the -+creature isn't trying to control the host, the character can act as they choose. Usually, a possessing creature's -+actions are limited to controlling its host and leaving the host (the creature's own abilities are unavailable to it -+while in someone else's body). - +- -Wishes can be granted via objects, creatures such as genies, or as part of a bargain. When the character asks for a -wish, the GM assigns it a level. The larger and more difficult the wish, the higher the level. Generally, a wish such as -gaining an asset or inexpensive item is level 1, and a wish for an expensive item or for a foe to vanish is level 7. -+While it possesses a character, the creature is immune to most direct attacks (though not so the host; killing the host -+will eject the creature). For example, hitting a demon-possessed human with a sword hurts only the human, not the demon -+controlling them. Mental attacks and special abilities that only affect possession or the type of possessing creature -+usually work normally - +- -In order for a wish to be granted, the character must succeed on an Intellect-related task (usually persuasion or -possibly intimidation) equal to the wish's level. On a failed roll, the wish is either not granted at all or is -partially granted, depending on the wish and the creature or object that is granting it. -+A possessed character is allowed an Intellect defense roll to eject the creature once per day. The defense roll is -+hindered by one additional step each day of possession after the first seven days. An ejected, cast-out, or exorcised -+demon is powerless for one or more days. One way to exorcise a demon is to command it out in the name of an entity that -+has power over the demon. This can be attempted once per day and grants the possessed character an additional Intellect -+defense roll to eject the demon. - +- -Even if a wish is granted, the character may not get exactly what they want, especially if the wish is poorly worded, -has multiple interpretations, or asks for something that is utterly impossible (such as destroying the entire world). -+Possession is like mind control in that it takes away a player's ability to control their character, and that can make -+some players very uncomfortable. See the section on mind control and consent for more information (page 67). +- + Optional Rule: I Have That! --Optional Rule: I Have That! -+### SECRET AND TRUE NAMES + In fairy tales, characters often have exactly the right mundane piece of equipment +@@ -51324,953 +47859,8 @@ --In fairy tales, characters often have exactly the right mundane piece of equipment -+Learning a creature's true name comes with a subtle and instinctive awareness and understanding of that creature, -+including its strengths and weaknesses. In general, this eases all tasks related to that creature (including attacks, -+defenses, and interactions) by two steps. In some cases, confronting a creature with knowledge of its true name might be -+enough to convince it to perform a service without compensation. A creature doesn't automatically know if someone has -+learned its true name (although there is magic that can reveal this knowledge), but they can usually figure out that an -+informed opponent has some kind of advantage against them and deduce that their secret name is involved. - --that they need to bypass a story-related obstacle hidden away in a pocket or a bag. Rather than having the PCs stock up --on mundane items like marbles, rope, and breadcrumbs in town, use the I Have That! rule. This means players don't have --to keep exact track of their characters' mundane equipment; instead, they spend an amount to get an unspecified "Pocket --Item" in -+Learning a true name is difficult and takes time. A character wanting to discover a creature's true name might choose -+the Uncover a Secret character arc to do so. - --that category. Then, when they're out in the world and realize they could solve a problem with an item, they can just --say, "I have that!" and pull it from their pocket. All Pocket Items are one-use only; after using them, the PC marks off --one of their Pocket Items for the appropriate price category. -+### WISHES - --Most Pocket Items are inexpensive, but moderate and expensive Pocket Items exist, and are likely more useful than their --less expensive counterparts. -+Unless the GM's intention is to make the players regret that their characters were offered a wish, it's best to give -+them what they ask for, as much as it is within the power of the creature to do so. If the GM wants to twist the wish, -+do so as a GM intrusion— that way, the character still gets a reward, and they can either accept the twisted wish (which -+isn't as good as they had hoped) or pay 1 XP to reject the intrusion (which represents them coming up with airtight -+wording that can't be twisted). - --The GM has veto power over items that they don't think you could have found or carried. -+Second, consider the level of the creature granting the wish—that's basically the level of the wish, as the creature -+shouldn't be able to grant a boon more powerful than itself. Therefore, it's reasonable that a level 6 creature could -+create a level 6 effect. The GM could look at the creature's other abilities (or abilities of other creatures of its -+level), decide if what the PC is asking for is within its power, and either grant the requested wish or adjust the -+result downward until it's appropriate for the creature's power. - --Using the I Have That! rule doesn't preclude PCs from also purchasing these items directly. For example, if a character --who sews wants to buy a thimble and an inexpensive Pocket Item, they can. However, they cannot later turn the thimble --into a Pocket Item; it remains a thimble. -+Wishing for more wishes doesn't work because a creature shouldn't be able to create something more powerful than -+itself—at least not without some investment of time and other resources, like a character using XP to acquire an -+artifact. - --Example Pocket Items -+### FANTASY RULES MODULES - --Inexpensive -+### AWARDING TREASURE - --• Apple -+It's best to think of gold and magic as two different kinds of currencies that characters have access to. - --• Ashes (handful) -+### GOLD - --• Breadcrumbs -+The Cypher System abstracts item costs into general categories— inexpensive, moderate, expensive, and so on. Starting -+characters generally have access to only a few inexpensive and moderate items and perhaps one or two expensive items. In -+a typical fantasy campaign, the characters should become wealthier as they advance. - --• Butter -+### MANIFEST CYPHERS - --• Candy -+The expectation is that PCs will use cyphers often because they'll have many opportunities to get more; if the players -+can exploit this mechanic by selling off most of their cyphers in town, they're abusing the rules to make gold. The GM -+might be tempted to discourage this behavior by reducing how often the PCs gain new cyphers, but that goes against the -+premise of cyphers in the game: they should be common enough that the PCs use them freely instead of hoarding them. The -+key to addressing this selling-cyphers wealth problem is to make it harder to sell or trade cyphers for gold. - --• Chalk -+The PCs can have opportunities to trade their cyphers with NPCs in town, whether that's at a magic item shop, the tower -+of a mentor wizard, a thieves' guild, a temple, other adventurers, or the local government. The kinds of cyphers these -+NPCs can offer may be limited in theme (such as a benevolent church that makes healing potions and trades them for other -+useful cyphers) or quantity (such as having only one or two cyphers available each month). Two cyphers of the same level -+are generally considered to be about the same value, although local biases and NPC interests may affect their -+willingness to trade certain items despite or because of a level disparity - --• Cricket in a cage -+### ARTIFACTS - --• Cup -+Artifacts are the high end of magical currency, and in terms of buying and selling them, they're like manifest cyphers: -+not something a typical NPC can use, and beyond what a typical NPC can afford, but they could be traded for a different -+artifact of about the same level. Unlike cyphers, the game doesn't assume that PCs have frequent opportunities to gain -+new artifacts or replace the ones that deplete. - --• Egg -+In a pinch, an artifact is worth the equivalent of one or two very expensive items or one exorbitant item, depending on -+what the artifact can do. An artifact that grants an asset to one kind of roll is probably worth about as much as a very -+expensive item, one that adds +1 Armor might be worth two expensive items, and a strong defensive or offensive artifact -+could be worth about the same as an exorbitant item. - --• Fabric -+### DUNGEONS, CASTLES, AND KEEPS - --• Flyswatter -+This section describes several kinds of common physical features and their game stats. Any of these levels can be -+adjusted up or down by the GM—a wall made from soft wood can have a lower level than a typical wall, stone can be -+reinforced by magic so its level is higher, and so on. - --• Glass jar -+### WALLS - --• Glue -+Walls are generally either constructed (intentionally built by a creature) or natural (already existing without any work -+by a creature). Anything describing walls in this section also applies to ceilings and floors. - --• Honey -+- Paper wall (level 1): This thin wall only blocks sight. Creatures can attack through a paper wall as if attacking -+ blindly (hindered by four steps), but it's usually easier to break a hole in the wall and attack through the hole. -+ Paper walls are vulnerable to piercing and slashing weapons (attacks are eased). A gauzy curtain is equivalent to a -+ paper wall, and a cloth wall is probably level 2. - --• Leather -+- Wooden wall (level 4): This is a typical wall for an average wooden house. The walls of a decrepit shack or a -+ partition within a dungeon might be only level 2 or 3, but the exterior palisade wall of a fort or a log cabin might -+ be level 5. Wooden walls are vulnerable to fire (attacks with fire are eased) but resistant to bashing and piercing -+ weapons (attacks are hindered). - --• Magnets -+- Stone wall (level 6): Constructed stone walls are bricks or masonry (fitted stones), with or without mortar to hold -+ them in place, or hewn stone (dug into existing natural rock). Natural stone walls are usually unworked stone (like a -+ cave wall or cliff face, which tend to be uneven) but might have areas where creatures smoothed or modified them to -+ suit their needs for a living space. Some constructed stone walls are reinforced with metal bars on the surface or -+ built inside, increasing its level to 7. Stone walls are vulnerable to piercing weapons (attacks are eased) but -+ resistant to bashing and slashing weapons (attacks are hindered). - --• Marbles -+- Iron wall (level 7): These expensive walls are usually reserved for protecting something important, like a vault. - --• Nails -+### DOORS - --• Needle and thread -+Doors are access points for encounters and (if trapped or infested with dangerous creatures) can be encounters all on -+their own. In most cases, trying to break through a door involves damaging its latch or hinges rather than destroying -+the main portion of the door (trying to destroy the door instead of the latch and hinges is a hindered task). - --• Paper -+- Simple wooden door (level 2): This is a fragile door meant to close off an interior space for privacy rather than to -+ keep out a determined intruder. Instead of a single piece of wood, a simple wooden door is usually made of multiple -+ planks nailed together on a frame or with support struts. Wooden doors of all strengths are vulnerable to fire -+ (attacks with fire are eased) but resistant to bashing and piercing weapons (attacks are hindered). - --• Plait of hair -+- Good wooden door (level 3): This is a stronger door meant to provide some security, such as for a typical house or -+ shop. - --• Pot of fat -+- Strong wooden door (level 4): This is a heavy door reinforced with wood or metal to make it difficult to break. An -+ especially strong wooden door, such as the main entrance to a fort or castle, is probably level 5. - --• Pot of grease -+- Stone door (level 5): These heavy doors are usually carved from a solid block of stone and designed to pivot on a -+ center point. They are common in places like dungeons where wood and metal are scarce. Stone doors are vulnerable to -+ piercing weapons (attacks are eased) but resistant to bashing and slashing weapons (attacks are hindered). - --• Ribbon -+- Iron door (level 6): A solid iron door is meant to protect something very valuable or vulnerable, such as a vault or a -+ king's tomb. In a damp environment like a dungeon, they tend to rust and stick in place. - --• Rice (handful) -+- Wooden portcullis (level 3): The gaps in a portcullis present more defense opportunities than a door, such as allowing -+ archers to fire at the creatures trapped by it. They're also useful in closing access to a waterway without impacting -+ its flow. A wooden portcullis is relatively fragile and usually isn't meant to keep anyone out for long. - --• Straw -+- Iron portcullis (level 6): Much sturdier than wood, an iron portcullis is meant to keep creatures in place as long as -+ necessary. Often the best way to get past a portcullis is to lift it instead of breaking it, but some are designed to -+ lock in place to prevent this. A door to a prison cell is essentially a type of iron portcullis. - --• Tacks -+### TRAPS - --• Wax -+One common element of fantasy exploration—particularly for castles and dungeons—is the danger of traps. - --• Wool -+### TRIGGERING TRAPS - --Moderate -+Mechanical traps have a triggering mechanism—something set up to react when an unauthorized creature is in the area. -+Magical traps have triggers that are usually based on proximity—if a creature enters the area the trap is "watching," it -+activates. - --• Bird in a cage -+### FINDING TRAPS - --• Sewing shears -+Most characters won't notice traps unless actively looking for them; they don't know a trap is in the area until their -+presence, movement, or action triggers it. Characters can passively or actively search for traps if they suspect such -+dangers are present. - --• Thimble -+Passive searching for traps means one character (usually in the front of the group) is carefully checking the area -+before moving forward. This means the group moves at about half normal speed, but they get to make a search roll for any -+traps the GM has in their path. Allowing characters to passively search in this way means the players don't have to keep -+stating over and over that they're looking for traps. The drawback for them is that it takes them more time to get -+anywhere (which means time-based special abilities and cyphers will run out sooner). + • Thimble -### GM INTRUSIONS -+Active searching is used when the characters worry or suspect that there is a trap in the area and want to find it. -+Active searching takes about one round for each immediate area searched. Rather than having the players make separate -+rolls for each immediate area, the GM should have them make one roll for the entire room; if successful, they find the -+trap, and if they fail, they don't find it. If there is a second trap, the GM can have them make another roll after -+they've resolved the first trap. - +- -GM intrusions present fantastic opportunities to imbue fairy tale games with a bit more weirdness, wonder, and whimsy, -all while making the game more interesting and surprising for characters. -+### DISABLING, DAMAGING, AND BYPASSING TRAPS - +- -There's a list of example GM intrusions in the Cypher System Rulebook, and any of those would work in a fairy tale game. -The GM intrusions included in this section are more specifically designed with fairy tale magic in mind—they're what -could happen when magic goes wrong (or extraordinarily right). -+A character can attempt to disable a trap so it's no longer able to activate or harm anyone. Normally this task has the -+same difficulty as the trap's level, but some traps are rickety and easy to disable, while others are carefully crafted -+and much harder to disable. Traps are objects and use the object damage track. Characters can attack a trap with weapons -+or special abilities to damage or destroy it. Some traps may be vulnerable to certain attacks or unusual means of -+sabotage (such as hammering a piton into a groove where a blade springs out). Magical traps can be damaged or disabled -+with special abilities. - +- -Remember that GM intrusions don't always mean that something has gone wrong or is bad for the players (unless they are -curse intrusions). A GM intrusion could be the arrival of a good omen, the sudden reversal of a curse, or something that -seems bad at first (like falling down a rabbit hole) but leads to something wonderful in the end (a whole new world to -explore!). -+Instead of disabling a trap, a character can try to bypass it so they and their allies can get past it without -+triggering it but still leave it as a danger to anyone else who passes through the area. The task to bypass a trap is -+hindered by two steps - +- -The Fairy Tale Intrusions tables are ways to quickly generate intrusions appropriate to a fairy tale aesthetic. Roll on -the appropriate table to determine the intrusion that occurs, or choose one that feels right for the situation. -+Failing an attempt to disable, bypass, or sabotage a trap means it activates. Usually the trap's target is the acting -+character, and the trap's attack is eased because the character placed themselves in harm's way - +- -Interaction Intrusions -+Unless a character has the ability to manipulate magic, it's very difficult to bypass a magical trap (the attempt is -+hindered by two additional steps). - +- -| d10 | GM Intrusion | -|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 1 | A mischievous brownie attempts to steal an object from the characters in the middle of an important conversation or fight. | @@ -4444,13 +3677,9 @@ -| 8 | The North Wind has taken a liking to one of the characters and does something to help them succeed in their actions. | -| 9 | One of the PCs inadvertently (or purposefully) offends someone, and they are instantly turned into a frog. | -| 10 | An opponent holds up a mirror or other reflective surface at just the right moment, reflecting a spell or ability back on the character. | -+### UNDERSTANDING THE LISTINGS - +- -World Intrusions -+The rest of the chapter presents a large number of traps with game stats. Every trap is presented by name, followed by a -+standard template that includes the following categories. If an entry doesn't apply to a particular trap, it is omitted -+from the listing. - +- -| d10 | GM Intrusion | -|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 1 | One or more characters accidentally damage or offend a plant of some type, causing it to retaliate. | @@ -4463,14 +3692,9 @@ -| 8 | A mountain rises up suddenly between the place where the characters stand and the place they need to get to. | -| 9 | Somewhere far off, a magical effect backfires, causing a stampede of wild animals to run right toward the characters. | -| 10 | One of the characters smells gingerbread. The scent is so tempting, they have a hard time turning away from it. | -+Level: Like the difficulty of a task, each trap has a level. You use the level to determine the target number a PC must -+reach to find, evade, or disable the trap. In each entry, the difficulty number for the trap is listed after its level -+(always three times the trap's level). - +- -Item Intrusions -+Description: This general description explains what the trap does, how it operates, whether it resets automatically, if -+it has a limited number of uses, and so on. - +- - --@@ -4532,310 +3756,180 @@ - - -
-+Damage Inflicted: Generally, when a trap hits a creature, it inflicts its level in damage regardless of the form of -+attack (arrow, poison, collapsing ceiling, and so on). The entries always specify the amount of damage inflicted, even -+if it's the normal amount for a trap of its level. - +- -### PLAYER INTRUSIONS -+Modifications: Use these numbers when a trap's information says to use a different target number. For example, a level 4 -+trap might say "defends as level 5," which means PCs attacking it or trying to disable it must roll a target number of -+15 (for difficulty 5) instead of 12 (for difficulty 4). Typical modifiers are to the trap's attacks, defenses, and -+stealth (how hard or easy it is to notice the trap). - +- -A player intrusion occurs when a player chooses to alter something in the story, making things easier for a player -character. It's kind of a reverse GM intrusion: instead of the GM giving the player XP and introducing an unexpected -complication for a character, the player spends 1 XP -+GM Intrusion: This entry suggests one or more ways to use GM intrusions in an encounter with the trap. It's just one -+possible idea of many, and the GM is encouraged to come up with their own uses of the game mechanic. - +- -and presents a solution to a problem or complication. -+### COMMON TRAP POISONS - +- -Once Upon a Time: Someone you played with as a child reappears and helps you in whatever you are doing. They may be -alive or dead, but your heart is warmed upon seeing them, for it's been a long time. -+- Blindness: The poison blinds the creature if they fail a defense roll. Typical durations are one minute, ten minutes, -+ and one hour. - +- -As You Wish: You do something that reminds another person or creature in the area of someone they once cared for deeply. -They are eager to assist you in whatever you've got going on, at least for a few minutes. -+- Choking: The poison makes the creature choke and cough if they fail a defense roll. Typical durations are one minute, -+ ten minutes, and one hour. Severe versions of choking poison might make a creature start to suffocate. - +- -Once Upon a Dream: Not long ago, you dreamt of a scenario similar to the one that you find yourself in now. You can't -remember all of the details, but you remember enough to know some of what's about to take place, and it gives you an -additional action to prepare something useful. -+- Damage Track: The poison moves the creature down one step on the damage track if they fail a defense roll. - +- -Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo: A little sprinkle of magic from your fairy godmother is all you need to achieve a goal, retry a -task, or be better at something you're attempting to do. -+- Debilitating: The poison hinders all of the creature's actions by one or two steps if they fail a defense roll. (Some -+ poisons may affect only certain kinds of actions, such as Speed defense rolls or Might-based tasks.) Typical durations -+ are ten minutes, one hour, and ten hours. - +- -Wish Upon a Star: Long ago, you helped part of a dying star return to its rightful place in the sky. It keeps an eye on -you and, in a moment when it feels like all hope is lost, it sends a little magic or light to aid you. -+- Instant Damage: The poison inflicts damage (Might, Speed, or Intellect) one time if the creature fails a defense -+ roll. - +- -Dreams Do Come True: Something you wished for long ago comes true just at this moment. It might be for a broken weapon -to be fixed, an ally to appear, or a bit of knowledge or understanding to arrive in your mind. -+- Ongoing Damage: The poison inflicts damage (Might, Speed, or Intellect) immediately. When a certain amount of time has -+ passed (such as every round or every minute), it inflicts damage again if the creature fails its defense roll. The -+ ongoing damage usually ends on its own (such as after five additional rounds of damage) or after the creature makes a -+ defense roll against it. Usually the ongoing damage is a much smaller amount than the initial damage, such as 1 point -+ every round. - +- -What's Come to Pass: Not long ago, someone forewarned you of the exact scenario that you find yourself in now. You know -just what to do to put yourself at an advantage in the situation. -+- Paralysis: The poison prevents the creature from taking any physical actions if they fail a defense roll (this might -+ leave them standing in place like a statue, or make them go limp and collapse to the floor). Typical durations are ten -+ minutes, one hour, and ten hours. - +- -Think Happy Thoughts: You think of something or someone that brings you great joy, and it imbues your next few actions -with magic, allowing you to fly or do some other thing that you are normally unable to do. -+- Sleep: The poison knocks the creature unconscious if they fail a defense roll. Typical durations are ten minutes, one -+ hour, and ten hours. The poison might also make the creature groggy, hindering all actions for an additional amount of -+ time equal to how long the unconsciousness would have lasted (for example, knocking out a creature for an hour and -+ then making them groggy for an hour, even if they're awakened early). - +- -I Can Show You the World: Something or someone in the area shows itself to you, highlighting a route you were looking -for, an object you had lost, or an answer to a problem. -+### ARROW 4 (12) - +- -Happily Ever After: Through the power of your love for another, you use magic to protect someone you care for. They are -able to sidestep an attack that would normally do them grave damage. -+Fires an arrow or crossbow bolt. The simplest one-use trap of this kind is an actual crossbow (perhaps hidden behind a -+hole in a wall or door) rigged with a tripwire to pull the trigger; a creature would need to manually reset this trap -+for it to be a danger again. More complex traps might automatically reload from a supply of bolts so the trap can be -+triggered multiple times, or fire automatically once triggered until the ammunition is expended. A variant of this trap -+releases a volley of arrows into the targeted area, affecting multiple creatures or the same creature more than once. - +- -If a player has no XP to spend, they can't use a player intrusion. -+Damage Inflicted: 4 points - +- -### MINOR AND MAJOR SPECIAL EFFECT OPTIONS -+Modifications: Defense and stealth as level 6 (if hidden behind a hole in the wall) - +- -Any time a PC attempts an action and rolls a natural 19 or 20, they have the option -+GM Intrusion: The arrow is barbed, and removing it inflicts 3 points of damage. The arrow is attached to a string, cord, -+or wire, with the other end tied to something dangerous like a falling block or an electrical shock. - +- -of triggering a minor special effect or major special effect, respectively. In fairy tales, almost anything goes, which -can be overwhelming to a player trying to decide what their character's special effect might be. Here are a few special -effect options for players to use or be inspired by. -+### CRUSHING WALL 6 (18) - +- -Minor Effect Suggestions -+A section of a wall falls over onto the targeted character. This is usually a one-use trap (although a similar trap -+could be built in its place). - +- -• A weapon comes alive at the perfect moment and does a bit more damage to a foe. -+A variant of this trap is a deadfall, where something heavy (such as a log, huge stone block, or cart full of rocks) -+falls from a higher position onto the character. Sometimes the falling block is made to exactly fit a trapped corridor -+so that triggering the trap makes the area impassible. - +- -• A fluctuation in magic hinders all of the foe's tasks for one minute. -+ A less lethal variant drops a large amount of sand or dirt, inflicting 3 points of ambient damage (ignores Armor). -+Another variant releases oil (perhaps burning) or marbles, inflicting 3 points of ambient damage and making the area -+difficult terrain. - +- -• A curse, spell, or ability has additional force behind it, and lasts a round longer than expected. -+Damage Inflicted: 6 points (ignores Armor) - +- -• The foe's magical armor begins to dissipate, decreasing the amount of protection it offers on the next attack. -+GM Intrusion: The fallen wall blocks access to an exit. The wall debris buries the character, who is trapped until they -+can dig free. Another trap, hazard, or threat is behind the fallen wall (such as arrow traps or a room full of zombies) -+and can now reach the characters. - +- -• A shapeshifting or disguise spell or ability dazzles the target, easing all tasks related to it. -+### DISINTEGRATION 7 (21) - +- -• A magical attack hits the target and something they were holding, causing damage to both. -+A magical ray of eerie energy blasts the character, disrupting their physical matter. Any creature killed by the ray (or -+any object destroyed by it) turns to dust. - +- -Major Effect Suggestions -+Damage Inflicted: 15 points - +- -• A weapon comes alive at the perfect moment and does a lot more damage to a foe. -+GM Intrusion: In addition to inflicting damage, the ray moves the character one step down the damage track. Part of the -+ray splits or ricochets off the character and strikes a second creature, inflicting 10 points of damage. - +- -• A fluctuation in magic prevents a foe from taking their next action. -+### EXPLOSIVE GLYPH 4 (12) - +- -• A curse that was cast upon you by the foe you're attacking is removed. -+A magical rune activates when touched or passed over, exploding in an immediate or short area. Typical glyphs inflict -+acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage, but more unusual versions include ones that inflict holy, shadow, thorn, -+unholy, or stranger types of magical energy damage. A nonmagical variant of this trap sprays a mist of acid, a jet of -+electrified salt water, or a gout of burning oil. - +- -• A foe surrenders, agreeing to lay down their weapons. -+Damage Inflicted: 4 points of energy damage (ignores Armor); all creatures in the area take 1 point of damage even if -+they make their defense roll. - +- -• A foe accidentally steps on a living plant or dangerous creature while trying to dodge your blow, and it attacks them -or holds them fast. -+Modifications: Stealth as level 5 - +- -• A shapeshifting or disguise spell or ability works so well that the foe's familiar or companion runs off, afraid to -continue the fight. -+GM Intrusion: The glyph marks the character's face with a symbol indicating they are a thief. The glyph makes the -+character run away in fear for one minute. The character is cursed, and all of their actions are hindered until the -+curse is removed. - +- -### EQUIPMENT -+### FLOODING ROOM 4 (12) - +- -Most weapons that are powered by magic, such as wands, operate exactly like a regular weapon; they just do their damage -using magic. -+Exits to the room close off and the area starts to fill with water. Within a few minutes, the entire room is flooded and -+creatures in it begin to drown. - +- -Equipment and weapons with unique magic abilities are typically considered to be cyphers or artifacts. -+A variant of this room reduces the air pressure (either by pumping it out through tiny holes or by retracting the floor -+or ceiling). As the air gets thinner, characters are hindered by one, two, or three steps before falling unconscious and -+starting to suffocate. (Restoring the air allows the characters to awaken, but doesn't move them back up the damage -+track.) - +- -### CURRENCY -+Damage Inflicted: None until drowning starts - +- -In most fairy tales, money isn't precise. Someone might be poor or rich. They might find a bag of gold or a chest full -of jewels. They might be the richest man in the town or have nothing but a tired old cow to their name. But typically -what they don't have is "one gold piece" or "thirty farthings" to their name. This means that whatever your fairy tale -setting, you can think in general terms of money instead of keeping meticulous track of every penny, farthing, gold -coin, or dollar. -+Modifications: Defends as level 7 - +- -To keep things easy, no matter what currency your characters use, think of money as being in simple amounts that scale -up, such as a copper coin, a silver coin, and a gold coin. These could easily equate to the inexpensive, moderate, and -expensive items on the equipment list. Items that are very expensive might be worth a bag of silver, while exorbitant -items might be worth a bag of gold. -+GM Intrusion: Hostile creatures such as piranhas or electric eels are in the water and attack all creatures. The room -+fills with water faster than expected because the floor and/or ceiling are also moving toward each other. - +- -Additionally, if the PCs are completing a character arc, accomplishing a task, or doing some other type of action to -receive a piece of equipment, you can use the price category to decide how complicated or difficult that task is. A -moderately priced item likely requires completing a moderately difficult task, while an exorbitant item may require -something that taxes the PCs and really puts their skills and dedication to the test. -+### MANGLER 3 (9) - +- -### SIGNATURE ITEMS -+A small hole in the wall extends sharp blades or weights when a creature reaches into it, mangling their hand and -+hindering all actions requiring that hand by one or two steps. - +- -In fairy tales, clothing, weapons, and other items that a character carries for a long time tend to be very personal and -very important. They're often unique and handcrafted, -+A floor variant is a small trapdoor over a closed compartment, which mangles the character's foot when they step on the -+trapdoor, reducing their movement speed by half. - +- -they may have names or stories that go with them, and because characters tend to keep them for a long time, they may -have undergone repairs or have markings that tell something about the character's background. -+ Another variant is a needle trap attached to a small peephole or spyhole in a door or wall. The trap springs when the -+character touches the area around the hole (even a slight touch with their face as they look is sufficient), inflicting -+lasting damage to the character's eye and partially blinding them. A gentler variant traps the character's limb in glue -+instead of inflicting damage. The character's extremity might be glued to the hole, or they may be able to pull free but -+have a glue pot stuck on their hand or foot. - +- -### APPAREL AND ARMOR -+Damage Inflicted: 3 points, plus lasting damage - +- -In most cases, characters start out by wearing any type of clothing they choose. Typically (unless the GM decides -otherwise or unless it is designated as armor), -+Modifications: Stealth as level 4 - +- -this clothing is purely for decorative and roleplaying purposes and offers no additional benefits. -+GM Intrusion: The trap has hooks, holding the character in place and inflicting damage when they try to escape if they -+fail a Speed defense roll. The glue attracts a swarm of fire ants or wasps. The glue is also a slow-acting acid or -+poison. - +- -However, clothing with additional benefits can be purchased, stolen, found, or earned by completing favors and -accomplishing tasks. -+### NET 3 (9) - --### OPTIONAL RULES FOR SCIENCE FICTION -+A net suspended above the character drops and constricts (and perhaps lifts the character off the ground). Large net -+traps can affect multiple creatures at once. This kind of trap usually requires a creature to manually reset it. +- + ### OPTIONAL RULES FOR SCIENCE FICTION -Establishing a Technology Rating -+A variant of this trap is a snare made of sturdy cord or wire. - +- -Every science fiction setting has an implicit level of advancement, which is the average degree of technological -sophistication available to most characters. This sophistication lies along a spectrum, from contemporary, to advanced, -all the way to fantastic. Each of these terms specifies a particular "technology rating" (or "tech rating" for short). -+Damage Inflicted: Entanglement (trapped character cannot move until they use an action to make a Might or Speed defense -+roll to break or escape the net) - +- -A tech rating is a handy way of helping you select what equipment your characters can use in chapter 7 and chapter 8, -which optional rules you'd like to include from chapter 6, and maybe even help guide your creature choice from chapter -### 9. -+Modifications: Attacks as level 5, defends as level 2 - +- -On the other hand, you could choose to make all options available, regardless of tech rating. No technology police will -cite you if you don't stick inside a previously declared lane. The setting is your background for telling a compelling -story. Does your setting have faster-than-light travel? Great. Unless it's integral to the story (or fun for you), don't -worry about justifying it if you've generally settled on an advanced rating for your hard science fiction game (which -doesn't normally include FTL capability). In fact, the surprising and unexpected are where excitement is usually found -in a setting; breaking the established rules (for a good reason) often leads to interesting results. -+GM Intrusion: The net is barbed, inflicting 1 point of damage each round that the trapped character tries to move. The -+net is the nesting place for biting insects, which swarm and attack the trapped character and all nearby creatures each -+round. - +- -### COSMIC SET PIECES AND OPTIONAL RULES -+### PIT 4 (12) - +- -This chapter contains a variety of subsystems and set pieces that you can choose to incorporate in your game, depending -on the kind of setting you'd like to run. Options here run the gamut from making your science fiction setting more -realistic to making your fantastic games even wilder by introducing rules for posthuman advancement and psionics. -+A trapdoor in the floor opens, dropping the triggering character into a pit. Larger versions of this trap can catch -+multiple characters at once. The trap can be reset by moving the trapdoor back into its closed position. In outdoor -+areas, this trap is more likely to be a pit covered in leafy branches (or a tarp) and camouflaged by soil and other -+debris. - +- -### QUICK DESCRIPTIONS FOR COMMON SCI-FI SITUATIONS -+A variant of this trap is a bridge over a chasm, river, or other dangerous location that is rigged to collapse when -+enough weight reaches the middle section. - +- -Weightlessness (zero G) feels like, first time:The sensation of falling jerks through the body; instincts scream to -reach out and catch yourself. -+Damage Inflicted: 1 point of ambient damage per 10 feet fallen (ignores Armor) - +- -Weightlessness (zero G) feels like, once acclimated: A feeling of lightness, evanescence, like floating in a pool of -water, if the water were clear air. A little push sends you gliding. -+GM Intrusion: The trapdoor is slippery with oil, hindering attempts to catch the edge and avoid falling. The trapdoor -+closes after the character falls through, trapping them inside in the darkness. The walls of the pit are greased, -+hindering attempts to climb out by two steps. A dangerous creature is at the bottom of the pit (or in a room adjacent to -+it). The pit is filled with poison gas. The trapdoor detaches and falls into the pit, inflicting 1 point of ambient -+damage per 10 feet it falls. The pit has spikes at the bottom, inflicting an additional 4 points of damage to anyone who -+falls in. - +- -High acceleration feels like (if strapped in): A massive kick in the back, followed by the sensation of tremendous -weights sitting on your chest. Any movement is a struggle against an overwhelming weight holding you down. -+### POISON GAS 3 (9) - +- -Blacking out from high acceleration feels like: Lightheaded and hard to think, a sensation of a slowing pulse. Noises -soften as if heard through a drainpipe. Color fades from vision, then everything goes either to black, or possibly to -white, as consciousness lapses. -+The area slowly fills with poison gas. Because it takes a minute or more for the poison to become thick enough to cause -+harm, it is likely that the character won't realize at first that they've sprung a trap. - +- -Exposure to hard radiation feels like: Heat. (The more dangerous the radiation, the hotter it feels, and may be -accompanied by blue light; radiation excites electrons in the air that then slip back into an unexcited state, emitting -high-energy photons that glow blue.) -+A variant of this trap fills the room with flammable gas, which explodes if there is an open flame (such as from a -+torch) or a spark (such as a metal weapon against metal armor), inflicting fire damage equal to the trap's level. - +- -Exposure to vacuum feels like: Breath explodes out of lungs, cold slashes the body like a knife carved from a glacier. -Tears freeze in the corners of eyes, ice forms on teeth and tongue. Moisture boils out of ears, scalp, freezing on -exposed skin, lips, and eyelids. (As this happens, the Effects of Vacuum also take their mechanical toll on the -character.) -+A further variant fills the room with dead air (containing no oxygen), which slowly extinguishes flames and suffocates -+creatures. - +- -### OPTIONAL RULES: HARDER SCIENCE FICTION -+Damage Inflicted: As poison - +- -Hard science fiction is distinguished from other science fiction subgenres by the perception of scientific accuracy. -This means hard science fiction often precludes technology deemed impossible by mainstream scientific theory, including -mainstays like faster-than-light travel and time travel. Choosing a hard science fiction setting also means the GM is @@ -4843,98 +3937,68 @@ -real-life space travel offer tremendous breadth when it comes to providing excitement (i.e., life-threatening dangers) -that can raise the stakes in an authentic fashion. Not to say that gun battles with space aliens aren't exciting, but in -a hard science fiction setting without aliens, there are all kinds of opportunities for pulse-pounding GM intrusions. -+Modifications: Stealth as level 5 - +- -In fact, that bears repeating: Use GM intrusions to incorporate these harder science fiction repercussions when the -situation is relevant. Rather than hitting your PCs over the head with an information-exposition hammer on the dangers -of space repeatedly, simply demonstrate it with a relevant GM intrusion. -+GM Intrusion: The character has an allergic reaction to the gas, which hinders all their actions for an hour after -+exposure because of sneezing, watery eyes, or itchy skin. The gas makes the character hallucinate, mistaking their -+companions for enemies, until they make an Intellect defense roll. The gas is flammable. - +- -The Cypher System Rulebook describes some hard science fiction considerations regarding the effects of gravity, which -are summarized here for ease of reference. -+### POISON NEEDLE 5 (15) - +- -Long-Term Microgravity Exposure: Long-term penalties (such as inabilities in physical tasks), unless ameliorated with -advanced drugs such as space-fit serum or space-fit nano-tabs. -+A poisoned needle jabs at a character touching the trapped object (usually a lock or treasure chest) or is fired from a -+mechanism similar to an arrow trap. It may have a reservoir of poison that allows it to attack several times. - +- -Low Gravity: Weapons that rely on weight, such as all heavy weapons, inflict 2 fewer points of damage (dealing a minimum -of 1 point) unless user is trained in low-gravity maneuvering. Short-range weapons can reach to long range, and -long-range weapons can reach to very long range. -+Damage Inflicted: 1 point (plus poison) - +- -High Gravity: All physical tasks are hindered. Ranges in high gravity are reduced by one category (very long-range -weapons reach only to long range, long-range weapons reach only to short range, and short-range weapons reach only to -immediate range). Those trained in highgravity maneuvering ignore the change in difficulty but not the range decreases. -+Modifications: Stealth as level 6 - +- -Zero Gravity: All physical tasks are hindered. Short-range weapons can reach to long range, and long-range weapons can -reach to very-long range. -+GM Intrusion: The trap releases acid into the lock mechanism, making the trapped object impossible to unlock. The trap -+releases acid into the container, destroying some of the valuables inside. The trap releases a puff of poison gas -+instead of a poisoned needle, affecting all nearby characters. - +- -### VOID RULES -+### PORTCULLIS 5 (15) - +- -The extreme environment in space— hard radiation, lack of air and pressure, wild temperature variations, and lack of -gravity—tends to magnify small issues into much more significant ones. While Murphy's Law (everything that can go wrong -will go wrong) is a useful reminder to keep an eye out for trouble even under regular circumstances, Finagle's Law -reigns in space, which is that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong—at the worst possible moment. To evoke this -law, GMs can implement Void Rules. -+An iron portcullis drops from the ceiling to block access to an area or separate a character from others nearby. If the -+creature dodging the falling portcullis wants to choose which side of the trap they end up on, the Speed defense roll is -+hindered. Otherwise, it is even chances what side they end up on. - +- -The idea is to create a feeling of increased repercussions by changing one die roll mechanic. In the game, activities on -a planet's surface—and within a functioning air-filled spacecraft, habitat, or space suit when everything is going -well—remain normal. The PCs interact with each other and the NPCs, investigate, research, repair an external sensor -module, travel, and so on. -+A variant of this trap is a solid wall. A magical variant is a force field. - +- -But that could change the moment something goes wrong—maybe a fault is recognized in the spacecraft's computer or -shipmind. A minor leak is detected in the cargo bay. An enemy spacecraft has fired on and damaged the PC's spacecraft. -The spacecraft's orbit is deteriorating. Whatever. The point is, the situation has suddenly become complicated. In -space, when a situation becomes complicated, it also becomes potentially deadly. That's when you have the option to -announce you've instituted Void Rules. -+Damage Inflicted: 5 points - +- -While using Void Rules, GM intrusions governed by die rolls change. Normally this happens only on a roll of 1, but when -Void Rules apply, it becomes a roll of 1 or a 2. Void Rules are similar in many ways to Horror Mode, though the threat -range doesn't normally continue to escalate. -+GM Intrusion: The portcullis impales the character, trapping them beneath it until it is lifted or destroyed. The -+portcullis is electrified, inflicting 1 point of damage each time it is touched or attacked with flesh or a metal -+object. A second portcullis drops nearby, trapping a character in a small area. Murder-holes in the ceiling allow -+enemies to make ranged attacks on the trapped character. - +- -While Void Rules are in effect, the GM intrusions automatically triggered should play off the situation, influenced as -much as possible by the realistic dangers space travel has on the human body and the situation at hand -+### ROLLING BOULDER 6 (12) - +- -Choosing Instead of Rolling: Each GM intrusion is keyed to a die result, usually a d6. The die range is not meant to -imply you should always randomly generate a GM intrusion. Instead of rolling, choose the conflict that you think will -make the story better and more exciting. The option to roll is really only here if you can't decide (and are facing -decision fatigue). Mainly, these GM intrusion tables are provided as a quick way to inspire complications for a given -situation. -+A large boulder, wheel, or barrel rolls into the area, crushing anything in its path. Depending on the configuration of -+the area, the boulder might follow a specific path, ricochet erratically, break open pit traps, or get stuck somewhere. - +- -### EFFECTS OF VACUUM -+A variant is a large iron weight on a chain that swings from the ceiling. The weight swings back and forth several -+times, giving it multiple chances to hit the characters, but decreasing its damage with each swing until it stops and -+becomes an obstacle. - +- -In terms of game mechanics, an unprotected character in vacuum moves one step down the damage track each round. However, -at the point where they should die, they instead fall unconscious and remain so for about a minute. If they are rescued -during that time, they can be revived. If not, they die -+Damage Inflicted: 6 points - +- -### VACUUM GM INTRUSIONS -+Modifications: Defends as level 7 - +- -| d6 | GM Intrusions (Choose Best Option) | -|-----|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 01 | The character notices a crack in their space suit or ship. It's not breached now, but may soon become a serious problem. | @@ -4943,27 +4007,17 @@ -| 04 | A catastrophic blow-out exposes the character or characters to vacuum. It may also send them spiraling out into the void, depending on the situation. | -| 05 | Vacuum exposure causes the character to projectile vomit, effectively rendering them unable to take an action on their next turn. | -| 06 | Vacuum exposure causes the character to go temporarily blind, which is only relieved a few minutes after normal atmosphere is restored. | -+GM Intrusion: The boulder crashes through a door or wall, giving other dangerous creatures access to the character's -+location. The boulder blocks the way out. The boulder carries a character along with it for some distance. The boulder -+is hollow and full of burning oil, leaving a fiery trail behind it. The boulder is hollow and contains undead skeletons, -+which jump out as it moves and attack nearby creatures. - +- -### SPACE SUITS ARE FALLIBLE -+### SLICING BLADE 5 (15) - +- -Even if advanced tech or fantastic tech is available, space suits are susceptible to all kinds of mishaps. Of course, -that's especially true for contemporary tech space suits, which work hard at keeping a constant internal air volume so -that a wearer doesn't have to continually exert themselves to hold the suit in a given position or pre-breathe oxygen at -a higher concentration. "Hard-shell" suits manage this with multiple joints and segments that shift on ball bearings, -and by being able to maintain a higher internal pressure than soft suits. -+A thin blade slices out from a gap in the wall, floor, or ceiling. The trap might be designed to sweep the entire area -+(such as the width of a corridor) or leave a tiny safe space just beyond the blade's reach so a creature who knows of -+the trap can get past it. This kind of trap is usually designed to reset automatically after a minute or has a lever -+nearby that allows a creature to reset it manually. - +- -### SPACE SUITS GM INTRUSIONS -+Damage Inflicted: 5 points - +- -| d6 | GM Intrusions (Choose Best Option) | -|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 01 | An ill-fitted suit (or one whose auto-fit function is malfunctioning) unexpectedly hinders the character's action | @@ -4972,18 +4026,13 @@ -| 04 | Space sickness/a tumble/a spin nauseates the character. If they vomit in their helmet, they are blinded until such time as the helmet can be removed and cleaned. | -| 05 | An electrical short from an external tool or piece of hardware fries the space suit's electronics, limiting communication to helmet-tohelmet touch (if in a vacuum where sound doesn't propagate), use of micro thrusters, and limits air supply to just a quarter of what was previously available. | -| 06 | A bloated suit from an overpressure incident hinders all tasks, but is not lethal . . . until the suit won't quite fit back into the airlock. | -+Modifications: Attacks as level 6 - +- -### EFFECTS OF ACCELERATION AND HIGH-G MANEUVERS -+GM Intrusion: The blade is a magical weapon with an additional effect, such as inflicting 3 points of fire damage. The -+blade is rusted and breaks off when it hits the character, inflicting 1 point of damage (ignores Armor) each round after -+the initial attack until it is healed. - +- -In a fantastic tech setting where gravitic control usually cancels inertia, spacecraft acceleration (or deceleration) is -only an issue when the gravitic systems malfunction. But acceleration is always something everyone has to deal with in -contemporary or advanced tech settings. -+### SLIDING STAIR 4 (12) - +- -Of course, massive acceleration (or deceleration) is just plain lethal. Someone who jumps off a ten-story building is -subject to several hundred Gs when they suddenly stop. Less extreme is still dangerous, because it pulls blood out of -pilots' and passengers' heads, rendering them unconscious. This can happen at just 4 or 5 Gs without any amelioration, @@ -4991,13 +4040,9 @@ -which include acceleration serum, allow characters to survive the kind of Gs a spacecraft might pull for extended trips -or during battle, up to a maximum of 15 Gs. Ships have limiters that normally prevent them from thrusting at higher -speeds. Normally. -+A stairway or section of stairs unexpectedly turns into a ramp. Anyone who makes a Speed defense roll can catch hold -+near where they were standing; otherwise, they slide or tumble to the bottom and take damage. This kind of trap usually -+resets after a minute or has a manual reset lever at the top or bottom of the stairs. - +- -### ACCELERATION AND HIGH-G MANEUVER GM INTRUSIONS -+Damage Inflicted: 1 point of ambient damage per 20 feet slid (ignores Armor) - +- -| d6 | GM Intrusions (Choose Best Option) | -|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 01 | After high-G maneuvers, even with amelioration, tissue bruising results, giving the character black eyes, which take a few days to clear. | @@ -5006,25 +4051,18 @@ -| 04 | While under high Gs (or afterward), a mild brain aneurysm causes the character to have a sudden headache and blurred vision, which hinders all vision-related tasks until medical treatment is received. | -| 05 | While under high Gs (or afterward), the character begins to have a hard time breathing. The reason is that a lung or lungs have partially collapsed. All tasks are hindered by two steps until the character dies after several hours or until medical treatment is received. | -| 06 | The character has a stroke, and descends two steps on the damage track. They remain debilitated until medical treatment is received | -+GM Intrusion: The trap releases oil, hindering attempts to climb the ramp or stairs by two steps. Tiny blades stick out -+between the sections of the ramp, inflicting an additional 3 points of damage. The trap releases a boulder to roll down -+the stairs after the sliding character, inflicting an additional 3 points of damage. - +- -### LONG-TERM EXPOSURE TO ZERO G AND RADIATION -+### SNAKE PIT 4 (12) - +- -In a setting with contemporary tech, a variety of issues related to long-term exposure to micro-gravity and high -radiation beset astronauts, including bone and muscle loss, less circulating blood and red cell mass, less ability to -constrict and dilate in vessels, irregular hormones, diminished immune system, inability of mitochondria to initiate -wound healing, and even shortened telomeres. The inability to heal even minor wounds and nicks until a space-farer -returns to stronger gravity will eventually prove lethal, though a snapped bone or normally inconsequential virus or -parasite could also do them in. -+The trap drops the character into a pit full of snakes or drops a large number of snakes on the character. The snakes -+immediately attack the character and perhaps others in the area. - +- -### SPACE HEALTH HAZARD GM INTRUSIONS -+Damage Inflicted: As per the swarm of snakes - +- -| d6 | GM Intrusions (Choose Best Option) | -|-----|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 01 | Space sickness happens to everyone eventually. Nauseated characters are hindered in all tasks and may vomit unexpectedly. | @@ -5033,22 +4071,16 @@ -| 04 | Vision becomes distorted because the character's eyes literally take on a new shape in zero G, all vision-related tasks are hindered | -| 05 | Despite precautions, sometimes viruses infect a character. The common cold virus is, ridiculously enough, still not preventable in advanced settings, and if anything, has even more severe symptoms for those in microgravity. The character descends one step on the damage track until they get better. | -| 06 | The character is diagnosed with cancer. Depending on the tech setting, it is amenable to medical intervention (or at least long-term treatment to keep symptoms controlled), if that intervention comes soon enough. | -+GM Intrusion: The snake poison is especially potent, moving the character one step down the damage track if they fail a -+Might defense roll. The snakes constrict the character, hindering their actions until the snakes are defeated. - +- -### MOVING IN MICROGRAVITY -+### SPEAR 4 (12) - +- -Long-term zero G is dangerous, but there are issues associated with moving around in microgravity. Those who have spent -at least a little time in microgravity can move as part of a routine action. It's only when something else distracting -or dangerous is happening simultaneously that routine movements through a ship or station become potentially -problematic. -+The trap fires a spear, javelin, or other large projectile. (In many ways, this is a scaled-up and more dangerous -+version of an arrow trap, and the same suggestions for that trap apply to this one.) - +- -### MOVING IN MICROGRAVITY GM INTRUSIONS -+Damage Inflicted: 6 points - +- -| d6 | GM Intrusions (Choose Best Option) | -|-----|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| -| 01 | A misjudged jump uses too much force and the character takes damage when they hit an unexpected bulkhead or other obstruction, or too little force, leaving them stranded in the middle of an open area | @@ -5057,177 +4089,132 @@ -| 04 | A mishap causes the character to spin wildly, hindering all tasks by two steps from disorientation and nausea. Without outside aid, micro thrusters, or some other useful strategy, stopping a spin is difficult. | -| 05 | An ally accidentally jostles the character, and they are sent on an unexpected trajectory as if they had misjudged a jump. | -| 06 | When attempting to grab a resisting target or panicking ally, or after some kind unexpected shake or violent ship maneuver, the character is sent on an unexpected trajectory as if they had misjudged a jump. | -+Modifications: Defense and stealth as level 5 (if hidden behind a hole in a wall) - +- -### OPTIONAL RULES: EXTENDED VEHICULAR COMBAT (SPACECRAFT COMBAT) -+GM Intrusion: The impact of the spear knocks the character prone. The spear is barbed, and removing it inflicts 3 points -+of damage. The spear is attached to a string, cord, or wire, with the other end tied to something dangerous like a -+falling block or an electrical shock - +- -When vehicular combat occurs—which happens whenever the PCs are completely enclosed in a vehicle so that it's not really -the characters fighting, but the vehicles— start with the vehicular combat rules described in the Cypher System -Rulebook. -+### TELEPORTER 6 (18) - +- -However, if you'd like to provide the PCs with more options designed especially for spacecraft combat, use these -optional rules instead, which include a "redline maneuver" system for trying extremely risky spacecraft maneuvers, -bridge combat options, and more. The base vehicular combat rules have been integrated into these extended rules, so you -don't need to continually cross-reference them to understand how it all works. -+The trap magically moves the character to another location within about 1,000 feet (300 m), typically a prison cell, an -+oubliette, or a very deep pit. It's more efficient to kill an intruder than to teleport them, so teleportation is -+usually reserved for trapping creatures for interrogation. - +- -In extended vehicular combat, PCs on a spacecraft take actions on their turn, just like in a standard Cypher System -combat encounter. Use standard initiative rules to determine when PCs take their actions, and when enemy spacecraft take -theirs. Characters will be crewing specific spacecraft system stations described under Bridge Combat, and thus could -attempt a piloting maneuver, to fire the ship weapons, to scan the enemy craft for weaknesses, or to attempt some -similar spacecraft operation task on their turn. Alternatively, they might be somewhere else on the ship attempting -repairs, fighting off boarders, attempting to open communications in order to negotiate, or taking some other action. -+Damage Inflicted: None - +- -For their part, enemy spacecraft are likely to fire on the same systems aboard a PCs' spacecraft as the ones the PCs are -firing on (weapons, defenses, engines, or even a kill shot). The PC pilot rolls one or more defense rolls. The enemy -spacecraft faces the same modifications the PCs face when targeting a particular system (as described hereafter), except -those modifications ease or hinder the PC making the defense roll, since NPC craft never roll themselves. And, if an -enemy ship manages to disable a system on the PCs' ship on an attack, PCs can attempt repair tasks to get those systems -back online on their turns. -+GM Intrusion: The teleport destination is above the ground, causing the character to fall some distance and take damage -+(1 point of ambient damage per 10 feet fallen). The destination is dangerous, such as a tiny room lined with spikes, a -+shark tank, or a boulder in a lava lake. - +- -The main difference between spacecraft combat and regular combat is that the difficulty of tasks that the PCs attempt in -relation to the enemy craft varies a lot more than in regular combat. In normal combat, a task difficulty is usually -equal to the foe's level. But in spacecraft combat, a task difficulty is equal to a modified task difficulty (beginning -with the spacecraft's level, but moving on from there, as noted hereafter). The modified difficulty always applies to -anything characters attempt in regard to the enemy spacecraft, whether a PC fires at an enemy ship, dodges return fire, -attempts to scan the enemy spacecraft, attempts to repair damage caused by the enemy spacecraft, and so on. -+### CHARACTER OPTIONS - +- -It's actually similar to a normal task. For example, when a PC scans a robot, the task difficulty is usually the robot's -level, but not always. Sometimes the robot's effective level is modified because of intrinsic skills or systems the -robot possesses, or because of something it does making it harder (or easier) for it to be scanned. In the case of -spacecraft combat, modification is pretty much a given, and is even more variable. So variable, in fact, that a space -combat status tracker has been provided. to turn potentially confusing conflicts into something as easy as looking at a -marker to know what the difficulty for a particular task is. -+### MODERN MAGIC CHARACTER OPTIONS - +- -The modifiers that apply, even before PCs attempt a specific combat task noted under Bridge Combat, are as follows. -+### DESCRIPTORS - +- -### BASE COMBAT TASK MODIFIERS -+Most of these descriptors are for characters who are or become significantly nonhuman - +- -The following modifiers change the effective level of the enemy of the spacecraft for a given task by hindering or -easing a PC's roll. Track each change in effective level on the space combat status tracker -+nonhuman; for example, the Dragon descriptor means you're a four-legged, winged dragon who can breathe flame. These -+descriptors include suggestions for how to advance or improve your inherent nature as that sort of creature (becoming -+even more dragonish if you are a Dragon, for example). The GM should allow a character with such a descriptor to choose -+any of these abilities (and any others the GM feels are appropriate for the descriptor) in place of a type ability, -+either upon advancing to a new tier or selecting them as an other option of character advancement by spending 4 XP. - +- -### SPACECRAFT LEVEL DIFFERENCE -+It's Only Magic Descriptors: Chimera, Dragon, Ghost, Hunter, Nix, Sylph, Unmagical - +- -Compare the levels of the spacecraft involved in the conflict. If the PCs' vehicle has the higher level, the difference -in levels becomes a reduction in the difficulty of attack and defense rolls PCs might make. If the PCs' vehicle has the -lower level, the difference is an increase in difficulty by the same amount. If the levels are the same, there is no -modification. -+Chimera - +- -### MISMATCHED TECH RATING -+You have a blend of animal attributes; you may be a well-known mythological creature, - +- -It's possible that vehicles from different tech ratings will fight each other at some point, or become caught up in a -larger multi-vehicle fight. When they do, each step difference in tech rating between two opposed vehicles increases the -effective level of the higher-rated vehicle by two steps. -+like a satyr or minotaur, or you may have a unique combination of features. Bison horns, - +- -### VEHICLE COORDINATION -If two vehicles coordinate their attack against an enemy vehicle, the attack is eased. If three or more vehicles -coordinate, the attack is eased by two steps. -+boar tusks, bear paws, a wolf's tail, a lion's mane: take your pick. Your thickened skin offers - +- -### SUPERIOR SHIP SYSTEMS -+protection from attacks and the elements. Depending on your dexterity—and whether you - +- -Some vehicles have superior weapons or defenses, as noted in the specific vehicle listing in chapter 8. If a vehicle has -a superior system, treat that vehicle as if one level higher than its actual level when figuring attacks or evasion -tasks if that specific system is involved. -+have opposable thumbs—you may use adaptive weapons and tools, like a dagger modified - +- -### REDLINE MANEUVER -+to be held in a paw instead of a hand. You're eager to protect the ones closest to you, and - +- -When someone with access to spacecraft controls attempts a particularly audacious and risky maneuver, it's a "redline" -maneuver. Essentially, declaring a redline maneuver eases one task a PC attempts in a spacecraft under duress, but comes -with a concomitant risk. -+usually more likely to run toward conflict than away from it. - +- -To make a redline maneuver, a character spends 1 XP as a free action. In doing so, they unlock the option for all the -PCs to attempt to redline for rest of the combat. To redline, a PC describes the dangerous thing they want to attempt, -then takes that action. Mechanically, the PC eases the particular task they are attempting (which might just be to fire -at the enemy craft's weapons), but increases the GM intrusion range by two points. -+You gain the following characteristics: - +- -A character who redlines could opt to increase their gamble by easing a task by two steps or even more; however, each -step increases the GM intrusion range by another two points that round. -+Fur and Hide: +1 to Armor. - +- -Redline maneuvers are also available in desperate non-combat situations aboard a spacecraft. For example, Tammie's ship -is caught in a decaying orbit over Venus, and the ship doesn't have enough power left to break out. She tells the GM -that she's going to try an extremely risky maneuver that involves igniting ALL the remaining power at once, hoping that -the explosive thrust will succeed in blowing the craft into a higher orbit. Because things are desperate, she commits to -easing the task by two steps after paying 1 XP. This easing (plus any skill, application of Effort, and so on) gives her -a pretty decent chance of succeeding, except the GM intrusion range is now 1–5. -+Animal Strength: +1 to your Might Pool. - +- -If a GM intrusion is triggered, something goes wrong. Remember that success might still be possible if the roll was high -enough, but still falls within the increased GM intrusion range. -+Charging Ahead: You're trained in initiative. - +- -If you're looking for inspiration for appropriate GM intrusions when a redlining PC triggers one, refer to suggested GM -intrusions presented under Bridge Combat hereafter, each associated with a particular ship system that a character is -probably crewing. -+For the Gang: You stick up for your friends. When you draw the attack, your defense is only hindered by one step. - +- -After any round where a redline maneuver was attempted, the GM intrusion range returns to normal (1 on a 1d20) as the -next round beings. -+Ham-fisted: Tasks requiring fine motor skills are hindered. - +- -Multiple Redline Maneuvers: Only one PC needs to spend 1 XP to unlock redline maneuvers for themselves and for any other -PCs aboard the same spacecraft for the duration of a single encounter. Multiple redline attempts during the same round -by two or more PCs additively increase the GM intrusion range for that round. So, a PC attempting to redline who takes -their turn after previous redline attempts that round faces a GM intrusion range that's already inflated, and which will -inflate more when they redline. (PCs who do not redline during a particular round don't have to worry about the -increasing GM intrusion range for their action.) -+Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first -+adventure. - +- -Thus, while PCs do not need to pre-announce their intention to redline at the beginning of each round, coordinating -wouldn't be a bad idea. Whichever PC redlines last in a round where redline maneuvers were already attempted could face -a fairly significant GM intrusion range. -+1\. A herd, a pride, a pack, a flock: whatever the collective noun for chimeras is, you're looking to build (or join) -+one. - +- -If Void Rules are also being used and have triggered, redline maneuvers are even more dangerous. -+2\. You need supplies to adapt a legendary weapon perfectly to your physique. - +- -### THE SUPERIORITY OF A WELL-CREWED SPACECRAFT -+3\. The other PCs were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you protected them from harm. - +- -A spacecraft with some or all of the PCs crewing different systems stations will be more capable than a regular -spacecraft in combat. Which means that an enemy spacecraft that might prove challenging based on its level might -actually be fairly easily handled by PCs who fully understand their options. -+4\. You were held hostage by someone running a chimera fighting ring, and the other PCs freed you. - +- -But be careful, because even competent PCs should fear squadrons of enemy ships, and military craft with several weapon -systems. Even a single level difference is magnified, so make sure not to capriciously throw spacecraft at the PCs that -are 2 levels higher than their own -+Chimera Advancement: - +- -### BRIDGE COMBAT -+Athlete - +- -If several PCs are aboard the same spacecraft, give them the following option: ask each PC to crew one of the ship -system stations, including weapons (of which there could be more than one system, requiring more than one PC to crew -them all), piloting, and science and engineering (which could be divided into two stations with similar functionality). @@ -5235,26 +4222,21 @@ -flip between system controls as part of another action, using two stations or even just one station for the whole ship. -Even if a PC flips a station (reconfigures, as engineers like to say), only a single PC can crew a station (and take an -action using it) each round. -+Dual Light Wield - +- -When crewing their stations, PCs have several station-specific options available to them. What they do can bears on how -the encounter plays out on a round-to-round basis, similar to regular combat. Specific options are provided for each -station, but characters are free to attempt other actions they can think of. -+Enhanced Might - +- -The following ship systems might be found on larger spacecraft with room for more than a single pilot. -+Enhanced Speed - +- -Shipmind System Control: -+Fists of Fury - +- -Some ships with integrated AIs (shipminds) can control a particular system autonomously, without a PC. When it acts in -this fashion, it can only take a single action each round, which means it could attack and move, but not also attempt a -complicated engineering or defensive maneuver. A shipmind acts at a level equal to the overall spacecraft. In addition, -shipmind actions against an enemy spacecraft are assessed with the same modifiers for targeting as a PC crewing the -station. -+Frenzy - +- -### WEAPONS - -A spacecraft may have more than one weapon system. Each individual weapon system has its own station, which can be @@ -5611,82 +4593,13 @@ -| 09 | GM-selected robot, advanced tech rating (variable) | -| 10 | GM-selected armament, advanced tech rating (variable) | - --### SPACE HAZARDS -- --A few specific hazards that you can include as part of an encounter involving a spacecraft follow. These hazards are --more site specific than the general threats presented in Chapter 5: Conflicts of the Future. -- --### GRAVITY WELL -- --All bodies in space produce a gravitational field, though usually only things the size of a small moon or larger pose a --hazard to unprepared (and sometimes even to prepared) spacecraft. The larger the body, the "deeper" and wider the --associated gravity field. Any time a spacecraft launches from a moon or planet, it must escape the gravity well. For RPG --purposes, that's either a routine task, or a low-difficulty one (assuming no complicating factors are at play). -- --Gravity wells become a hazard when a spacecraft encounters one unexpectedly— usually because of a navigational or sensor --error, but occasionally because of a moon or extreme gravity source being someplace unforeseen. -- --Slingshot Trajectory: An unexpected encounter with a gravity well can sling a spacecraft off on a new and unwanted --trajectory on a failed piloting task, the difficulty determined by the situation. -- --Captured: An unexpected encounter with a gravity well can also capture a spacecraft in the gravity well's orbit, forcing --the craft to expend additional power to get free (power it may or may not have) -- --### BLACK HOLE -- --Black holes are just extreme gravity wells. All the dangers associated with a gravity well also apply to black holes. A --couple of additional hazards are also associated with black holes, notably tidal destruction ("spaghettification"), time --dilation, and being swallowed. -- --Tidal Desctruction: Mechanically speaking, while a spacecraft feels tidal forces by passing too close to a black hole's --event horizon, all tasks aboard the craft are hindered, Void Rules are in effect, and if a GM intrusion is triggered --thereby, the ship sustains major damage and risks coming apart. Meanwhile, PCs in the ship (assuming some sort of --fantastic tech-rated gravity nullifier isn't in use) suffer 1 point of ambient damage each round. -- --A ship near a very large black hole (like Sagittarius A\*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way --Galaxy) can avoid tidal effects because the gravity gradient is so much wider, but still feel relativistic time --dilation. -- --Relativistic Time Dialation: From a mechanical perspective, spacecraft that survive close encounters with black holes --and return to normal space discover that more time has passed than expected, which could range from fairly --inconsequential minutes or hours, to far more serious days, months, years, centuries, or more. -- --Past the Event Horizon: The event horizon is the point of no return, where not even light can escape the clutch of --gravity. If a spacecraft falls into a black hole, assuming it is not spaghettified by tidal forces, it is still lost --from the universe of its origin. At least, it's lost assuming no intervention from a fantastic tech-rated --post-singularity AI or ancient ultra. -- --### RADIATION BELT/SOLAR FLARE -- --Radiation belts of intensely charged particles trapped by magnetic fields around some planets and moons can surge, --causing radiation exposure. An unexpected solar flare, or the drive plume of a massive spacecraft, can cause the same --unexpected exposure. -- --Ship Damage: The ship suffers minor or major damage, requiring repair and perhaps even replacement of parts. This damage --is as serious as you require for the purposes of creating an interesting story. -- --Radiation Sickness: When PCs are exposed to intense radiation, they suffer 3 points of ambient radiation damage for each --minute the character fails a difficulty 3 Might defense task. If the character fails three such defense rolls during any --single period of radiation exposure, they suffer acute radiation sickness, a level 8 disease that drops them one step on --the damage track for each day they fail a Might defense roll until they expire. -- --### ASTEROID/DEBRIS FIELD -- --Movies often depict asteroid belts as densely packed fields of tumbling rock that ships must constantly swerve through --to avoid a collision. Such locations are not easy to find in the solar system. But such situations can occur in --fantastic settings, or possibly in solar systems other than Earth's. -- --Evasive Ateroid Piloting: During any round a spacecraft moves through a densely packed asteroid or debris field, the --pilot (or shipmind) must succeed on a piloting task, whose difficulty is set by the situation. On a failed roll, a --collision occurs. Each time a collision occurs, the ship (and possibly its crew) is damaged according to the track laid --out below. Collisions are assumed to be major rocks or pieces of debris, or possibly a series of smaller pieces of --debris all impacting nearly simultaneously, with one getting through the shielding. -- --Finding Shelter: The best way to find shelter in order to effect repairs, or hide from pursuers, is to try to find an --asteroid or piece of debris large enough for the spacecraft to land on or find a crevice to slide into. To land a --spacecraft on an asteroid or big piece of debris is a challenging (difficulty 5) piloting task to match the asteroid's --spin, then slide into the cramped space. -- + ### SPACE HAZARDS + + A few specific hazards that you can include as part of an encounter involving a spacecraft follow. These hazards are +@@ -52347,1384 +47937,6 @@ + spacecraft on an asteroid or big piece of debris is a challenging (difficulty 5) piloting task to match the asteroid's + spin, then slide into the cramped space. + -### SHIP COLLISION DAMAGE TRACK - -| Number of Collisions | Effect | @@ -7065,1233 +5978,9 @@ - -### MAGICAL RULES MODULES - --### CRAFTING MAGIC ITEMS -- --Potions, scrolls, and other one-use items are cyphers, and longer-lasting items are generally artifacts. -- --### CRAFTING CYPHERS -- --1\. Choose Cypher Level. Creating a low-level cypher is easier than creating a high-level one. The character decides --what level of cypher they're trying to create, which must be in the level range for the cypher as listed in the Cypher --System Reference Document. Note that some cyphers have the same effect no matter what level they are, so the character --could make crafting easier by creating the lowest-level version of that cypher, but the GM is always able to rule that a --particular cypher must be crafted at a certain level or higher for it to work. In particular, a stim is very strong for --its level range, and should always be treated as a level 6 cypher when crafted by a PC. -- --2\. Determine Materials. Just as crafting an axe requires iron and wood, crafting a magical cypher requires strange and --exotic materials—powdered gems, ink from monsters, mysterious herbs, and so on. The level of the cypher determines how --expensive these materials are, according to the following table. -- --| Cypher Level | Materials Cost | --|--------------|--------------------------| --| 1 | One inexpensive item | --| 2 | Two inexpensive items | --| 3 | One moderate item | --| 4 | Two moderate items | --| 5 | Three moderate items | --| 6 | One expensive item | --| 7 | Two expensive items | --| 8 | Three expensive items | --| 9 | One very expensive item | --| 10 | Two very expensive items | -- --3\. Assess Difficulty. The difficulty of a magic item crafting task is always equal to 1 + the level of the cypher. The --crafter can reduce the assessed difficulty of a crafting task with skill training (such as being trained or specialized --in brewing potions or scribing scrolls), assets, special abilities provided by their focus or type, and so on. Using a --formula, recipe, or other guideline for a specific cypher counts as an asset for this purpose. Because this is an --activity requiring special knowledge, it is not possible for a character with no skill (or with an inability in this --skill) to do this sort of crafting; the character cannot attempt the task at all. -- --4\. Determine Time to Craft. The amount of time it takes to craft a magical cypher is determined by the assessed --difficulty, so decreasing the assessed difficulty not only means the character is more likely to succeed, but also that --they have to spend less time on crafting it. See the table below. -- --For any time in excess of nine hours, the process is assumed to have stages where the character is not actively working --on it, just checking on it occasionally to make sure everything is going as planned— allowing the base ingredients of a --potion to cook for a few hours, stirring to make sure the ingredients don't congeal, allowing ink on a scroll to dry, --and so on. In other words, the character is able to perform other actions in the vicinity of the crafting (such as --studying, resting, eating, and so on), but couldn't craft on the road or in the middle of a dungeon. -- --| Assessed Difficulty | Time to Craft | --|---------------------|---------------| --| 1 | Ten minutes | --| 2 | One hour | --| 3 | Four hours | --| 4 | Nine hours | --| 5 | One day | --| 6 | Two days | --| 7 | One week | --| 8 | Three weeks | --| 9 | Two months | --| 10 | Six months | -- --5\. Complete Subtasks. The crafting character must complete multiple subtasks that are steps toward finishing the --process. The number of subtasks required is equal to the assessed difficulty of the crafting task attempted. So a --crafting task assessed as difficulty 5 requires five subtask successes. -- --The difficulty of each individual subtask begins at 1 and increases by one step for each remaining subtask, until the --crafter succeeds on the final, highest-difficulty subtask. Generally, subtask attempts occur at equally divided --intervals over the course of the full time required to craft the item. -- --> If at any point the crafter fails on a subtask, the item isn't ruined. Instead, the character only wasted the time --> spent on that subtask, and can spend that much time again and then try to succeed at that same subtask. If the crafter --> fails twice in a row on the same subtask, the character can continue crafting, but in addition to losing another --> interval of crafting time, more crafting material (equal to one of the kind of item needed to craft it) is destroyed --> in a mishap and must be replaced before crafting can continue. --> --> A player may ask to apply Effort to each subtask. Applying Effort is something they do in the moment, not over the --> course of days or weeks. Generally speaking, Effort cannot be applied to any crafting task or subtask that exceeds one --> day -- --### CRAFTING ARTIFACTS -- --Crafting an artifact is similar to choosing a new type or focus ability—the character has many to choose from, they --select the one that best fits their intention, and thereafter they can use the artifact much like they'd use any of --their other character abilities. The main difference is that most artifacts don't cost Pool points to activate, and --character abilities don't have a depletion stat that eventually removes the item from play. Crafting artifacts is --handled as a long-term benefit of character advancement; the character and GM agree on the artifact to be crafted, and --the character spends 3 XP. If the item is fairly simple, the GM can skip the crafting details and just say that after a --period of time, the PC creates the artifact. For an item that significantly alters gameplay—granting the character vast --telepathic powers or giving them the ability to teleport at will—the GM can give the item an assessed difficulty equal --to 3 + the artifact level and require the character to follow the crafting steps for creating a magical cypher. Crafting --this kind of artifact takes up to five times as many materials and up to twenty times as long as crafting a cypher of --the same assessed difficulty -- --### RITUAL MAGIC -- --### TIME -- --Ritual magic has two aspects related to time: how long it takes to prepare the ritual, and how long it takes to perform --it. The preparation time is how long it takes to get ready to perform the ritual. The performance time is how long the --ritual takes from start to finish, once the preparations (if any) are complete. -- --### DIFFICULTY AND SUBTASKS -- --Completing a ritual has an overall difficulty level, usually equal to the level of the challenge. Sometimes there isn't --a clear idea of what level the challenge should be— teleporting a group of people to a nearby city and raising a person --from the dead don't have an obvious task level. In these cases, the GM should choose a level for the ritual based on --what would make an interesting experience for the players. Instead of having the success or failure of this sort of --magic come down to one roll, ritual magic lets the GM build tension by requiring the players to make rolls for multiple --subtasks. The subtasks start at difficulty 1, and the subtask difficulty increases by 1 each time until the players make --a final roll at the highest difficulty. A ritual with an overall difficulty of 4 has four subtasks, with the first one --at difficulty 1, the second at difficulty 2, the third at 3, and the last one at 4. -- --If at any point the PC fails a subtask, the ritual isn't automatically ruined, but it costs time—a failure means the --time spent on that subtask was wasted, but the character can spend that much time again and try to succeed at that same --subtask. The GM may decide that later attempts at that subtask are hindered, or that a certain number of failures during --the ritual (perhaps equal to half the ritual's overall level) means the whole thing needs to be started again. Skills, --assets, and other special abilities can ease subtasks just like they do with any other task (which might make some of --the subtasks routine and not require a roll at all). Characters may apply Effort to each subtask. -- --### POOL INVESTMENT -- --Some rituals might require the PCs to spend points from their Pools on each subtask, with Might representing blood or --vitality, Speed representing energy, and Intellect representing will or sanity. Multiple PCs involved in the ritual --could collectively contribute to this cost (and if a ritual costs many points, spreading out the cost in this way may be --necessary to prevent a participating PC from dying during the ritual). -- --### ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE -- --The GM may allow a character to speed up a ritual, reducing the time required for one or more subtasks. Generally, --reducing a subtask's time by half should hinder the subtask, and reducing it by half again (reducing the time needed to --a quarter of the normal amount) should hinder the subtask by an additional step (two steps total). The minimum amount of --time for a subtask is 1 round (unless the subtask is routine, in which case the GM may allow it to take no time at all). -- --### EXAMPLE RITUALS -- --The following are examples of common magical rituals suitable for many fantasy settings. Specific details of a ritual --may vary depending on what the characters are trying to accomplish; for example, a ritual to ask a demon for a favor --might be similar to one used to ask an angel, but the exact details are probably very different. Everything listed in a --ritual is merely a suggestion, and the GM should alter, add, or remove whatever they like to suit their campaign. -- --### UNDERSTANDING THE EXAMPLES -- --Each ritual is described in the following format. -- --Level: The overall level of the ritual, which determines how many subtasks it has. -- --Time: The preparation time (if any) and performance time. -- --Roles: Things other characters can do to participate and help. -- --Side Effects: Negative consequences for failed rolls or GM intrusions. --Reagents: Resources that can help success. -- --Pool: What kind of Pool points the ritual costs. -- --Other Assets: Kinds of abilities that can help success. -- --### BESEECH -- --Call upon a powerful supernatural entity such as a deity, archangel, demon lord, or ancient elemental to ask for a favor --that the entity can and is likely to do (nothing it would ethically oppose). If the ritual is successful, the entity --makes its attention known, such as by manifesting as a light, noise, or visible spirit. It may ask for more information, --for a task or favor in return, or for a service to be named later. The entity is not compelled to do the favor; the --ritual merely gains its attention and gives the characters the opportunity to speak their case. -- --Level: The level of the entity -- --Time: Four hours of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Chanting, lighting candles, holding gifts/reagents -- --Side Effects: Curse, hallucination, prerequisite quest (a challenge or task the characters must perform before the --entity will consider answering) -- --Reagents: Scroll giving the history of and important details about the entity, offerings of gratitude or appeasement -- --Pool: Might or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities -- --Beseech only draws the entity's attention; the various Conjure rituals bring the summoned entity bodily to the ritual --space to talk in person. -- --### CONJURE THE DEAD -- --Summons the spirit of a dead person or creature (commonly called a "ghost"), which appears in the summoning circle --prepared for the ritual. The spirit remains there for about a minute, during which time the summoners can interrogate --them or persuade them to share information. The spirit usually wants something in return (such as messages conveyed to --the living or unfulfilled tasks completed). If the characters don't comply, they must magically threaten or compel the --spirit to obey. -- --Level: The level of the dead spirit -- --Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Chanting, holding hands in a circle, manipulating a spirit device -- --Side Effects: Haunting, possession -- --Reagents: Mementos of the spirit's life, the spirit's former physical remains, a person or creature to possess -- --Pool: Might or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities, religious or cultural connections, secret name of the spirit -- --A ghost remembers much of its life, including whether it knows, likes, or hates the people summoning it, and will act --accordingly. -- --### CONJURE DEMON -- --Summons a demon (an evil supernatural creature from another dimension, plane, or realm) to command or convince it to --perform a task. The demon is primitive and bestial, not a creature of great wits and charm. The demon remains there for --about a minute, during which time the summoners must bargain with or command it to perform a deed that takes no longer --than an hour and requires it to travel no more than about 50 miles (80 km)—spying, murder, and destruction of property --are common tasks. Usually the demon has to be threatened or magically coerced into obeying. If the summoners fail to get --it to comply, it makes one attack against them and then returns to wherever it came from (and probably bears a grudge --for the unwanted summoning). -- --Level: The level of the demon -- --Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Bloodletting, chanting, lighting candles, holding gifts/reagents, tracing the summoning circle -- --Side Effects: Aggression, bad smell, curse, equipment damage or theft, possession -- --Reagents: Blood; meat; magical inks or paints for a summoning circle; contracts; a person to possess; objects --representing anger, destruction, or hatred (according to the desired service) -- --Pool: Might or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities, secret name of the demon -- --### CONJURE DEVIL -- --Summons a devil (an evil supernatural creature from another dimension, plane, or realm) to command or convince it to --perform a task. The devil remains there for about a minute, during which time the summoners must bargain with or command --it to perform a deed that takes no longer than an hour and requires the devil to travel no more than about 50 miles (80 --km)—spying, stealing, guarding, and murdering are common tasks. The devil usually wants something in return (even if --just an agreement for a later favor); otherwise, the characters must threaten it or have some way to force it to obey. --If the characters fail to strike a bargain, the devil returns to wherever it came from (and probably is annoyed at the --interruption). -- --Level: The level of the devil -- --Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Bloodletting, chanting, lighting candles, holding gifts/reagents, tracing the summoning circle -- --Side Effects: Bad smell, curse, infernal mark, possession -- --Reagents: Blood; magical inks or paints for a summoning circle; contracts; a person to possess; objects representing --betrayal, deception, or greed (according to the desired service) -- --Pool: Might or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Knowledge or control of similar entities, secret name of the devil -- --### CONJURE ELEMENTAL -- --Summons a primordial elemental spirit of air, earth, fire, or water, which appears in a physical form. The elemental --remains for about a minute, during which time the characters must attempt to bribe, threaten, or bargain with it. An --elemental is usually summoned to do something that takes no longer than an hour and requires it to travel no more than --about 50 miles (80 km)—attack, guard, and scout are common tasks. The elemental typically wants something in return for --its service, usually a gift or bribe appropriate to its nature—incense for air, gems for earth, oil for fire, salts for --water, and so on. If the summoners can't come to an agreement with the elemental, it might make one attack before it --leaves. -- --Level: The level of the elemental -- --Time: Three hours of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Chanting, music, using ceremonial objects, holding gifts/reagents, tracing the summoning circle -- --Side Effects: Damage, weakness toward one kind of attack -- --Reagents: Gifts (black powder, gems, ice, incense, oil, salt, soil, water, wood), destroying opposing items or --creatures -- --Pool: Might, Speed, or Intellect, depending on the kind of elemental -- --Other Assets: Elemental power, knowledge or control of similar entities, nature magic, secret name of the elemental -- --Elementals are simple creatures whose interests and attentions are focused on themselves and their element. Flattery and --playing up their strengths are the key to bargaining with them. -- --### CONSECRATION -- --Wards a location against evil influences and unwanted magic for a year and a day. The ritual affects an area up to a --very long distance across. Evil creatures and magical effects of less than the ritual's level can't enter the area or --use abilities against it. If the PCs are warded out of the designated area, they must make an Intellect defense roll to --enter it (and another each minute while within the area, or retreat) and all their actions inside or targeted within the --area are hindered by two steps. -- --Level: The level of the effects to protect against -- --Time: One hour of preparation, two hours of performance -- --Roles: Drawing lines and symbols along the border, chanting, calling out local features (with candles, runestones, or --other suitable markers) -- --Side Effects: Lights, sounds, weak spots or "back doors" in the barrier -- --Reagents: Silver dust, sacred oil, buried blessed gemstones -- --Pool: Intellect -- --Other Assets: Warding magic, religious knowledge -- --### ENCHANT WEAPON -- --Enchants a light, medium, or heavy weapon with magical power, granting an asset on attack rolls with the weapon for the --next day. -- --Level: 3 or 4 -- --Time: Thirty minutes of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: — -- --Side Effects: Weapon attack hindered, higher GM intrusion rate -- --Reagents: Rare oils, gem dust -- --Pool: Speed or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Battle tactics, weapon crafting -- --In a high-magic campaign, a higher-level version of the Enchant Weapon ritual might grant a second asset on attack --rolls, grant extra damage, affect multiple weapons at once, or all of the above. -- --### ENTOMBMENT -- --Imprisons a creature in a vessel (usually a valuable box, clay pot, or other closeable container, but it might be a gem, --the heart of a tree, or another atypical object) for as long as the vessel remains closed and undamaged. The ritual --forces the creature into the vessel, either in a spiritual form or by shrinking it to a size that will fit within the --vessel. -- --Level: The level of the creature -- --Time: Sixteen hours of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Chanting, carrying or protecting the vessel -- --Side Effects: Bystander imprisoned with the target, containment has a flaw, target lashes out -- --Reagents: Vessel, symbolic bindings (chains, ropes, shackles, and so on), anathema objects -- --Pool: Intellect -- --Other Assets: Control magic, grappling, imprisoning magic, wards -- --### EXORCISM -- --Drives out unwanted spirits (ghosts, demons, or something else) from an area up to a long distance across. Once cast --out, the spirits cannot return for a year and a day (although most of them decide to move on long before that time --comes). Completing the ritual doesn't prevent other spirits from entering or inhabiting the area, but it is likely that --they can sense that an exorcism happened there, and most choose to avoid such an area so they don't suffer the same --fate. The ritual can also be used to cast out spirits from a possessed creature, preventing those spirits from returning --for a year and a day. As with using the ritual to cleanse a location, this doesn't prevent other spirits from afflicting --the creature, but later spirits can sense the recent exorcism and prefer to avoid that creature. -- --Level: The level of the most powerful hostile presence to be exorcised -- --Time: Two hours of preparation, two hours of performance -- --Roles: Chanting, positive emotions, presenting holy objects, restraining afflicted individuals, tracing the area with --incense -- --Side Effects: Lights, sounds, hideous physical transformations, injuries, telekinesis -- --Reagents: Bindings, candles, holy water, religious icons and books, scapegoats -- --Pool: Intellect -- --Other Assets: Warding magic, religious knowledge -- --Using an exorcism ritual on an area is mainly for getting rid of spirits afflicting the area in ways other than --possessing a creature— throwing objects, causing nightmares, making noises, and so on. -- --### FLESH FOR KNOWLEDGE -- --Sacrifices some of the ritualist's flesh, inflicting Might and Speed damage equal to the level of the ritual and --permanently reducing the character's Pools by 4 points (the character can divide this loss between Might and Speed as --they see fit). The character experiences painful hallucinations that give them insight and understanding. They --immediately learn one type or focus ability available to them (any ability they could learn by spending 4 XP as an --advancement). -- --Level: Twice the tier of the ability the character wishes to learn -- --Time: One hour of preparation, one hour of performance -- --Roles: Chanting, restraining the subject of the ritual -- --Side Effects: Lasting damage, permanent damage, scarring -- --Reagents: Silver knife, silver vessel -- --Pool: See above -- --Other Assets: Pain tolerance, surgery -- --Instead of permanently reducing a character's Pools by 4 points, the GM could allow other permanent penalties such as --reducing an Edge stat by 1 (to a minimum of 0), gaining an inability in a useful skill, or permanently reducing all --points gained through recovery rolls by 2. -- --### PURIFICATION -- --Rids a creature of an ongoing affliction, such as a disease or poison, or any unwanted magical effect, such as a curse --or charm spell. In some versions of this ritual, whatever is ailing the creature gets forced into a nearby specified --creature or object, which is then discarded or safely destroyed. -- --Level: The level of the affliction or effect to remove -- --Time: One hour of preparation, two hours of performance -- --Roles: Applying reagents, chanting -- --Side Effects: Affliction or effect spreads to another creature, target moves a step down the damage track -- --Reagents: Anointing oils, healing herbs, objects repellent to the source of the affliction, magical paint for writing on --the target, scapegoat, silver dust -- --Pool: Might -- --Other Assets: Healing magic, resistance to the target's affliction -- --### RESURRECTION -- --Restores a dead being to life. The creature is restored to full health and is ready to act as soon as the ritual is --completed. Depending on how they died and the nature of death in the setting, the creature may or may not remember --anything that happened after they died. -- --Level: The level of the deceased (at least tier 6 if a PC) -- --Time: Five hours of preparation, two hours of performance -- --Roles: Applying reagents, chanting, prayers, shielding the corpse from hostile entities -- --Side Effects: Creature moves a step down the damage track, enmity of a death god, lasting damage, scarring, sympathetic --damage -- --Reagents: Deceased's corpse, healing ointment, items of emotional significance (such as devotion, hope, or regret), --items of importance to the deceased, parchment extolling the deceased's history and deeds, soul-sympathetic items -- --Pool: Might or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Close relationship with the deceased (such as a connection or family relation), healing magic, necromancy, --spirit knowledge, secret name of the deceased -- --A lesser version of the Resurrection ritual might bring the creature back to life, but only to the debilitated or --impaired state on the damage track instead of hale, requiring further rest or healing. -- --### SACRIFICIAL RITE -- --A creature is ritually killed and its soul is placed in an object. The soul object might be a temporary destination so --the soul can be transported and used elsewhere (such as an offering to a demon or as part of a spell), or it might be --the final destination for the soul (such as placing it in a sword to create a magic item). -- --Level: The level of the creature (at least tier 6 if a PC) -- --Time: One hour of preparation, one hour of performance Roles: Chanting, playing instruments, bearing the soul object, --restraining the creature, slaying the creature -- --Side Effects: Creature rages or escapes, damage, dying curse, haunting -- --Reagents: Bindings, creature to be sacrificed, drum, flute, silver knife, soul object (its level must be at least as --high as the creature's level) -- --Pool: Might or Intellect -- --Other Assets: Death spells, instant-kill abilities, soul manipulation -- --### MAGICAL TECHNOLOGY -- --To craft items of magical technology in a setting where they are commonplace, use the standard rules for crafting --regular (nonmagical) items. -- --### MAGIC PLUS TECHNOLOGY -- --Whatever technology exists in the setting could be magically enhanced if magic is also present. Such items would almost --certainly be manifest cyphers or artifacts. Here's an example cypher: -- --### FROZEN TIMEPIECE -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Effect: Creates or transforms into a pocketwatch that seems to be made of ice. Upon activation of the cypher, the user --can take normal actions, but everything and everyone around them is frozen in time. The user cannot affect anything --else, but they can move through the world and take actions that affect themselves or their own belongings (bandage a --wound, repair a broken item, and so on). The effect lasts for one round per cypher level. -- --And here's an example artifact: -- --### TRUTH BINOCULARS -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Form: Pair of binoculars with a large runic symbol on them -- --Effect: Not only do these make it easy to see things far away, but looking through them also allows the viewer to see --through illusions and see things that are normally invisible, assuming the effect has a level lower than that of the --binoculars. -- --Depletion: 1–2 in 1d100 (check each use) -- --To craft items that are both technological and magical, either you need to make the device first and then enchant it, or --you need to enchant it as it is made. Either way, the skills for making the device and for making it magical are likely --very different. -- --### TECHNOLOGY THAT INTERACTS WITH MAGIC -- --In a world with scientists and engineers faced with the presence of real magic, some of them would develop ways to --interact and cope with it. Technological devices that are not magical but deal with magic could include: -- --Magic detector (expensive): This simple white badge glows purple in the presence of magic. Once it detects something --magical, it does not function again. -- --Mystical hazard suit (very expensive): This full-body protective suit is cumbersome and clumsy, not unlike a hazmat --suit. However, all of the wearer's tasks to resist magical effects are eased. If the wearer takes even 1 point of --physical damage, the suit rips and no longer functions until it is repaired and resealed. -- --Spellscrambler (very expensive): Essentially a sonic grenade, this device produces a variety of strange electromagnetic --signals—some audible and very loud, some not—on a number of frequencies. The mental processes needed to cast a spell are --impossible to achieve for one round within a short distance of the device. Like any grenade, it can be used only once. -- --### MAGIC THAT INTERACTS WITH TECHNOLOGY -- --In a world where magic and technology coexist, wizards will have spells and effects that protect them from shotgun --blasts as well as sword blades, and radiation as well as fire or frost. Consider, for example, these effects as cyphers: -- --### FINDING PRYING EYES -- --Level: 1d6 + 3 -- --Effect: Magically discovers if anything is watching or listening to the user right at that moment, and reveals the --source. Electronic surveillance devices, long-range scopes, hidden cameras, and magical scrying attempts all trigger --this effect. In all these cases, the "source" is the nearest representation. So a hidden microphone is revealed, but not --the location of the listener. -- --### POWER DEVICE -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Effect: Magically powers one device that can fit within an area a short distance across. The device is now fully --powered, charged, or fueled. If the cypher is used on an automobile, for example, the gas tank is full. If used on a --flashlight, the battery is fully charged. -- --### SCREEN CONTROL -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Effect: A technological screen (a television, computer monitor, smartphone, or the like) within short range shows --whatever the user wishes for up to one minute per cypher level. The display can be pictures, text, or meaningless shapes --and colors. -- --Because magic works on intuitive rather than scientific levels, mages could have spells that disrupt technology, even --though the technology involved might not have any common principles -- --### MIND CONTROL -- --From a rules perspective, mind control is fairly straightforward: one creature decides what actions another creature --takes (perhaps limited in that the controlled creature won't take actions that harm them or go against their nature, --such as attacking friends). But what's happening inside the controlled creature's head—whether during the effect or --afterward—often isn't specified. There are several options for the GM to consider, either for all kinds of mind-control --magic or on a case-by-case basis. -- --- Confusion: The controlled creature doesn't understand why they're doing things they normally wouldn't do, but they -- aren't aware of any outside influence on their thoughts and actions. Once the control is over, the creature may admit -- that they don't know why they did those things, or come up with an explanation justifying (to themselves and others) -- their reasons for those actions. -- --- Dream: The controlled creature is aware of what's going on but perceives it in a dreamlike state. They may believe -- that they're in control of themselves the entire time, or somewhat aware that they're not fully in control (similar to -- being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol or disoriented by an illness). Afterward, the creature might feel strange about -- the events but may not realize that someone else was controlling them. -- --- Trapped: The active thoughts in the controlled creature's head come from the controller, but the creature still has a -- small voice or awareness in the background, like they're a prisoner in their own mind. This horrible situation usually -- means the controlled creature reverts to normal once the control is gone, and is probably very upset that their mind -- and body autonomy were violated. -- --One way to present mind control more safely is to disallow certain actions but otherwise leave the character in control. --For example, being charmed by a vampire might mean the PC can't attack the vampire (or its allies) or run away, but is --still able to call for help, heal themselves, leave at a normal pace, and take other actions. Alternatively, the --character can be given a specific command, and until they comply with that command their other actions are hindered by --one or more steps. If the player is willing to engage with the parameters of the mind control, the GM may award them an --additional 1 XP (or, to approach it from the opposite direction, the GM can offer them a GM intrusion that the mind --control is happening, and allow the player to spend 1 XP to refuse it, or go into XP debt if they want to refuse it but --have no XP to spend). -- --A rule for any game: don't use mind control (or anything) to make a character have sex without the player's permission. --For more information and guidelines about consent in RPGs, read the free Consent in Gaming PDF at myMCG.info/consent -- --### MYSTICAL MARTIAL ARTS -- --If the setting calls for wuxia-style fantasy martial arts or similar types of action, you can make a few rule changes to --portray the kinds of things characters in such stories can accomplish. -- --- Running and climbing speeds and jumping distances are doubled. For those trained in running, climbing, or jumping, the -- speeds and distances are tripled instead of doubled. For those specialized, they are quintupled. For all intents and -- purposes, this means that everyone can run up a wall or jump very high in the air, and masters can practically fly or -- run across water. -- --- Everyone knows kung fu. Unless a person is a simple farmer, herder, or merchant, they know how to fight with elaborate -- and powerful martial arts styles. This doesn't change anything in the game mechanically—no one gets the ability to use -- weapons that they wouldn't normally have under the rules. But it does change the flavor, suggesting that no PC is -- entirely ignorant of weapons or close combat. -- --- Players are encouraged to come up with interesting names for their martial arts abilities. Instead of using a Bash -- attack, perhaps it is "The Three-Flower Fist," and instead of Fury, a character uses "The Rage of the Sevenfold." It -- is reasonable for high-tier martial abilities such as Amazing Effort, Jump Attack, or Finishing Blow to be described -- with a magical flare— blazing auras of fire, brilliant cascades of light, ethereal figures overlaying the character, -- and so on. -- --- Materials and objects are easier to destroy. For the purpose of attacking objects, subtract 2 from the level of any -- material (minimum of 0). It should be relatively simple for any character to smash through a plain wooden door with -- little effort, and true warriors can shatter stones with their blows. -- --- Wounds heal faster. Everyone gains +1 to all recovery rolls. -- --- Superhuman abilities exist. Consider adopting some of the superhero rules from the Cypher System Reference Document, -- in particular the power shift optional rules. These may derive from almost supernatural levels of training in various -- techniques (such as dianxue) but probably mostly from neili. -- --> Dianxue: The touch of death—killing by using precise nonlethal force on key points of the body. Neili: Internal force— --> building up and cultivating the energy known as qi and using it for supernatural effects. -- --### POSSESSION -- --Some creatures (demons, ghosts, entities of living mental energy, and so on) have the ability to possess a living --person, taking over a character's body as if it were the creature's own. The creature must touch the character to --attempt possession (even if the creature's touch normally inflicts damage, the possession attempt doesn't inflict --damage). The character must make an Intellect defense roll or become possessed, whereupon the creature's immaterial form --disappears into the character. -- --The first round in which a character is possessed, they can act normally. In the second and all subsequent rounds, the --possessing creature can try to control the actions of the host, but the character can attempt an Intellect defense roll --to resist each suggested action. Successful resistance means that the character does nothing for one round. When the --creature isn't trying to control the host, the character can act as they choose. Usually, a possessing creature's --actions are limited to controlling its host and leaving the host (the creature's own abilities are unavailable to it --while in someone else's body). -- --While it possesses a character, the creature is immune to most direct attacks (though not so the host; killing the host --will eject the creature). For example, hitting a demon-possessed human with a sword hurts only the human, not the demon --controlling them. Mental attacks and special abilities that only affect possession or the type of possessing creature --usually work normally -- --A possessed character is allowed an Intellect defense roll to eject the creature once per day. The defense roll is --hindered by one additional step each day of possession after the first seven days. An ejected, cast-out, or exorcised --demon is powerless for one or more days. One way to exorcise a demon is to command it out in the name of an entity that --has power over the demon. This can be attempted once per day and grants the possessed character an additional Intellect --defense roll to eject the demon. -- --Possession is like mind control in that it takes away a player's ability to control their character, and that can make --some players very uncomfortable. See the section on mind control and consent for more information (page 67). -- --### SECRET AND TRUE NAMES -- --Learning a creature's true name comes with a subtle and instinctive awareness and understanding of that creature, --including its strengths and weaknesses. In general, this eases all tasks related to that creature (including attacks, --defenses, and interactions) by two steps. In some cases, confronting a creature with knowledge of its true name might be --enough to convince it to perform a service without compensation. A creature doesn't automatically know if someone has --learned its true name (although there is magic that can reveal this knowledge), but they can usually figure out that an --informed opponent has some kind of advantage against them and deduce that their secret name is involved. -- --Learning a true name is difficult and takes time. A character wanting to discover a creature's true name might choose --the Uncover a Secret character arc to do so. -- --### WISHES -- --Unless the GM's intention is to make the players regret that their characters were offered a wish, it's best to give --them what they ask for, as much as it is within the power of the creature to do so. If the GM wants to twist the wish, --do so as a GM intrusion— that way, the character still gets a reward, and they can either accept the twisted wish (which --isn't as good as they had hoped) or pay 1 XP to reject the intrusion (which represents them coming up with airtight --wording that can't be twisted). -- --Second, consider the level of the creature granting the wish—that's basically the level of the wish, as the creature --shouldn't be able to grant a boon more powerful than itself. Therefore, it's reasonable that a level 6 creature could --create a level 6 effect. The GM could look at the creature's other abilities (or abilities of other creatures of its --level), decide if what the PC is asking for is within its power, and either grant the requested wish or adjust the --result downward until it's appropriate for the creature's power. -- --Wishing for more wishes doesn't work because a creature shouldn't be able to create something more powerful than --itself—at least not without some investment of time and other resources, like a character using XP to acquire an --artifact. -- --### FANTASY RULES MODULES -- --### AWARDING TREASURE -- --It's best to think of gold and magic as two different kinds of currencies that characters have access to. -- --### GOLD -- --The Cypher System abstracts item costs into general categories— inexpensive, moderate, expensive, and so on. Starting --characters generally have access to only a few inexpensive and moderate items and perhaps one or two expensive items. In --a typical fantasy campaign, the characters should become wealthier as they advance. -- --### MANIFEST CYPHERS -- --The expectation is that PCs will use cyphers often because they'll have many opportunities to get more; if the players --can exploit this mechanic by selling off most of their cyphers in town, they're abusing the rules to make gold. The GM --might be tempted to discourage this behavior by reducing how often the PCs gain new cyphers, but that goes against the --premise of cyphers in the game: they should be common enough that the PCs use them freely instead of hoarding them. The --key to addressing this selling-cyphers wealth problem is to make it harder to sell or trade cyphers for gold. -- --The PCs can have opportunities to trade their cyphers with NPCs in town, whether that's at a magic item shop, the tower --of a mentor wizard, a thieves' guild, a temple, other adventurers, or the local government. The kinds of cyphers these --NPCs can offer may be limited in theme (such as a benevolent church that makes healing potions and trades them for other --useful cyphers) or quantity (such as having only one or two cyphers available each month). Two cyphers of the same level --are generally considered to be about the same value, although local biases and NPC interests may affect their --willingness to trade certain items despite or because of a level disparity -- --### ARTIFACTS -- --Artifacts are the high end of magical currency, and in terms of buying and selling them, they're like manifest cyphers: --not something a typical NPC can use, and beyond what a typical NPC can afford, but they could be traded for a different --artifact of about the same level. Unlike cyphers, the game doesn't assume that PCs have frequent opportunities to gain --new artifacts or replace the ones that deplete. -- --In a pinch, an artifact is worth the equivalent of one or two very expensive items or one exorbitant item, depending on --what the artifact can do. An artifact that grants an asset to one kind of roll is probably worth about as much as a very --expensive item, one that adds +1 Armor might be worth two expensive items, and a strong defensive or offensive artifact --could be worth about the same as an exorbitant item. -- --### DUNGEONS, CASTLES, AND KEEPS -- --This section describes several kinds of common physical features and their game stats. Any of these levels can be --adjusted up or down by the GM—a wall made from soft wood can have a lower level than a typical wall, stone can be --reinforced by magic so its level is higher, and so on. -- --### WALLS -- --Walls are generally either constructed (intentionally built by a creature) or natural (already existing without any work --by a creature). Anything describing walls in this section also applies to ceilings and floors. -- --- Paper wall (level 1): This thin wall only blocks sight. Creatures can attack through a paper wall as if attacking -- blindly (hindered by four steps), but it's usually easier to break a hole in the wall and attack through the hole. -- Paper walls are vulnerable to piercing and slashing weapons (attacks are eased). A gauzy curtain is equivalent to a -- paper wall, and a cloth wall is probably level 2. -- --- Wooden wall (level 4): This is a typical wall for an average wooden house. The walls of a decrepit shack or a -- partition within a dungeon might be only level 2 or 3, but the exterior palisade wall of a fort or a log cabin might -- be level 5. Wooden walls are vulnerable to fire (attacks with fire are eased) but resistant to bashing and piercing -- weapons (attacks are hindered). -- --- Stone wall (level 6): Constructed stone walls are bricks or masonry (fitted stones), with or without mortar to hold -- them in place, or hewn stone (dug into existing natural rock). Natural stone walls are usually unworked stone (like a -- cave wall or cliff face, which tend to be uneven) but might have areas where creatures smoothed or modified them to -- suit their needs for a living space. Some constructed stone walls are reinforced with metal bars on the surface or -- built inside, increasing its level to 7. Stone walls are vulnerable to piercing weapons (attacks are eased) but -- resistant to bashing and slashing weapons (attacks are hindered). -- --- Iron wall (level 7): These expensive walls are usually reserved for protecting something important, like a vault. -- --### DOORS -- --Doors are access points for encounters and (if trapped or infested with dangerous creatures) can be encounters all on --their own. In most cases, trying to break through a door involves damaging its latch or hinges rather than destroying --the main portion of the door (trying to destroy the door instead of the latch and hinges is a hindered task). -- --- Simple wooden door (level 2): This is a fragile door meant to close off an interior space for privacy rather than to -- keep out a determined intruder. Instead of a single piece of wood, a simple wooden door is usually made of multiple -- planks nailed together on a frame or with support struts. Wooden doors of all strengths are vulnerable to fire -- (attacks with fire are eased) but resistant to bashing and piercing weapons (attacks are hindered). -- --- Good wooden door (level 3): This is a stronger door meant to provide some security, such as for a typical house or -- shop. -- --- Strong wooden door (level 4): This is a heavy door reinforced with wood or metal to make it difficult to break. An -- especially strong wooden door, such as the main entrance to a fort or castle, is probably level 5. -- --- Stone door (level 5): These heavy doors are usually carved from a solid block of stone and designed to pivot on a -- center point. They are common in places like dungeons where wood and metal are scarce. Stone doors are vulnerable to -- piercing weapons (attacks are eased) but resistant to bashing and slashing weapons (attacks are hindered). -- --- Iron door (level 6): A solid iron door is meant to protect something very valuable or vulnerable, such as a vault or a -- king's tomb. In a damp environment like a dungeon, they tend to rust and stick in place. -- --- Wooden portcullis (level 3): The gaps in a portcullis present more defense opportunities than a door, such as allowing -- archers to fire at the creatures trapped by it. They're also useful in closing access to a waterway without impacting -- its flow. A wooden portcullis is relatively fragile and usually isn't meant to keep anyone out for long. -- --- Iron portcullis (level 6): Much sturdier than wood, an iron portcullis is meant to keep creatures in place as long as -- necessary. Often the best way to get past a portcullis is to lift it instead of breaking it, but some are designed to -- lock in place to prevent this. A door to a prison cell is essentially a type of iron portcullis. -- --### TRAPS -- --One common element of fantasy exploration—particularly for castles and dungeons—is the danger of traps. -- --### TRIGGERING TRAPS -- --Mechanical traps have a triggering mechanism—something set up to react when an unauthorized creature is in the area. --Magical traps have triggers that are usually based on proximity—if a creature enters the area the trap is "watching," it --activates. -- --### FINDING TRAPS -- --Most characters won't notice traps unless actively looking for them; they don't know a trap is in the area until their --presence, movement, or action triggers it. Characters can passively or actively search for traps if they suspect such --dangers are present. -- --Passive searching for traps means one character (usually in the front of the group) is carefully checking the area --before moving forward. This means the group moves at about half normal speed, but they get to make a search roll for any --traps the GM has in their path. Allowing characters to passively search in this way means the players don't have to keep --stating over and over that they're looking for traps. The drawback for them is that it takes them more time to get --anywhere (which means time-based special abilities and cyphers will run out sooner). -- --Active searching is used when the characters worry or suspect that there is a trap in the area and want to find it. --Active searching takes about one round for each immediate area searched. Rather than having the players make separate --rolls for each immediate area, the GM should have them make one roll for the entire room; if successful, they find the --trap, and if they fail, they don't find it. If there is a second trap, the GM can have them make another roll after --they've resolved the first trap. -- --### DISABLING, DAMAGING, AND BYPASSING TRAPS -- --A character can attempt to disable a trap so it's no longer able to activate or harm anyone. Normally this task has the --same difficulty as the trap's level, but some traps are rickety and easy to disable, while others are carefully crafted --and much harder to disable. Traps are objects and use the object damage track. Characters can attack a trap with weapons --or special abilities to damage or destroy it. Some traps may be vulnerable to certain attacks or unusual means of --sabotage (such as hammering a piton into a groove where a blade springs out). Magical traps can be damaged or disabled --with special abilities. -- --Instead of disabling a trap, a character can try to bypass it so they and their allies can get past it without --triggering it but still leave it as a danger to anyone else who passes through the area. The task to bypass a trap is --hindered by two steps -- --Failing an attempt to disable, bypass, or sabotage a trap means it activates. Usually the trap's target is the acting --character, and the trap's attack is eased because the character placed themselves in harm's way -- --Unless a character has the ability to manipulate magic, it's very difficult to bypass a magical trap (the attempt is --hindered by two additional steps). -- --### UNDERSTANDING THE LISTINGS -- --The rest of the chapter presents a large number of traps with game stats. Every trap is presented by name, followed by a --standard template that includes the following categories. If an entry doesn't apply to a particular trap, it is omitted --from the listing. -- --Level: Like the difficulty of a task, each trap has a level. You use the level to determine the target number a PC must --reach to find, evade, or disable the trap. In each entry, the difficulty number for the trap is listed after its level --(always three times the trap's level). -- --Description: This general description explains what the trap does, how it operates, whether it resets automatically, if --it has a limited number of uses, and so on. -- --Damage Inflicted: Generally, when a trap hits a creature, it inflicts its level in damage regardless of the form of --attack (arrow, poison, collapsing ceiling, and so on). The entries always specify the amount of damage inflicted, even --if it's the normal amount for a trap of its level. -- --Modifications: Use these numbers when a trap's information says to use a different target number. For example, a level 4 --trap might say "defends as level 5," which means PCs attacking it or trying to disable it must roll a target number of --15 (for difficulty 5) instead of 12 (for difficulty 4). Typical modifiers are to the trap's attacks, defenses, and --stealth (how hard or easy it is to notice the trap). -- --GM Intrusion: This entry suggests one or more ways to use GM intrusions in an encounter with the trap. It's just one --possible idea of many, and the GM is encouraged to come up with their own uses of the game mechanic. -- --### COMMON TRAP POISONS -- --- Blindness: The poison blinds the creature if they fail a defense roll. Typical durations are one minute, ten minutes, -- and one hour. -- --- Choking: The poison makes the creature choke and cough if they fail a defense roll. Typical durations are one minute, -- ten minutes, and one hour. Severe versions of choking poison might make a creature start to suffocate. -- --- Damage Track: The poison moves the creature down one step on the damage track if they fail a defense roll. -- --- Debilitating: The poison hinders all of the creature's actions by one or two steps if they fail a defense roll. (Some -- poisons may affect only certain kinds of actions, such as Speed defense rolls or Might-based tasks.) Typical durations -- are ten minutes, one hour, and ten hours. -- --- Instant Damage: The poison inflicts damage (Might, Speed, or Intellect) one time if the creature fails a defense -- roll. -- --- Ongoing Damage: The poison inflicts damage (Might, Speed, or Intellect) immediately. When a certain amount of time has -- passed (such as every round or every minute), it inflicts damage again if the creature fails its defense roll. The -- ongoing damage usually ends on its own (such as after five additional rounds of damage) or after the creature makes a -- defense roll against it. Usually the ongoing damage is a much smaller amount than the initial damage, such as 1 point -- every round. -- --- Paralysis: The poison prevents the creature from taking any physical actions if they fail a defense roll (this might -- leave them standing in place like a statue, or make them go limp and collapse to the floor). Typical durations are ten -- minutes, one hour, and ten hours. -- --- Sleep: The poison knocks the creature unconscious if they fail a defense roll. Typical durations are ten minutes, one -- hour, and ten hours. The poison might also make the creature groggy, hindering all actions for an additional amount of -- time equal to how long the unconsciousness would have lasted (for example, knocking out a creature for an hour and -- then making them groggy for an hour, even if they're awakened early). -- --### ARROW 4 (12) -- --Fires an arrow or crossbow bolt. The simplest one-use trap of this kind is an actual crossbow (perhaps hidden behind a --hole in a wall or door) rigged with a tripwire to pull the trigger; a creature would need to manually reset this trap --for it to be a danger again. More complex traps might automatically reload from a supply of bolts so the trap can be --triggered multiple times, or fire automatically once triggered until the ammunition is expended. A variant of this trap --releases a volley of arrows into the targeted area, affecting multiple creatures or the same creature more than once. -- --Damage Inflicted: 4 points -- --Modifications: Defense and stealth as level 6 (if hidden behind a hole in the wall) -- --GM Intrusion: The arrow is barbed, and removing it inflicts 3 points of damage. The arrow is attached to a string, cord, --or wire, with the other end tied to something dangerous like a falling block or an electrical shock. -- --### CRUSHING WALL 6 (18) -- --A section of a wall falls over onto the targeted character. This is usually a one-use trap (although a similar trap --could be built in its place). -- --A variant of this trap is a deadfall, where something heavy (such as a log, huge stone block, or cart full of rocks) --falls from a higher position onto the character. Sometimes the falling block is made to exactly fit a trapped corridor --so that triggering the trap makes the area impassible. -- -- A less lethal variant drops a large amount of sand or dirt, inflicting 3 points of ambient damage (ignores Armor). --Another variant releases oil (perhaps burning) or marbles, inflicting 3 points of ambient damage and making the area --difficult terrain. -- --Damage Inflicted: 6 points (ignores Armor) -- --GM Intrusion: The fallen wall blocks access to an exit. The wall debris buries the character, who is trapped until they --can dig free. Another trap, hazard, or threat is behind the fallen wall (such as arrow traps or a room full of zombies) --and can now reach the characters. -- --### DISINTEGRATION 7 (21) -- --A magical ray of eerie energy blasts the character, disrupting their physical matter. Any creature killed by the ray (or --any object destroyed by it) turns to dust. -- --Damage Inflicted: 15 points -- --GM Intrusion: In addition to inflicting damage, the ray moves the character one step down the damage track. Part of the --ray splits or ricochets off the character and strikes a second creature, inflicting 10 points of damage. -- --### EXPLOSIVE GLYPH 4 (12) -- --A magical rune activates when touched or passed over, exploding in an immediate or short area. Typical glyphs inflict --acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage, but more unusual versions include ones that inflict holy, shadow, thorn, --unholy, or stranger types of magical energy damage. A nonmagical variant of this trap sprays a mist of acid, a jet of --electrified salt water, or a gout of burning oil. -- --Damage Inflicted: 4 points of energy damage (ignores Armor); all creatures in the area take 1 point of damage even if --they make their defense roll. -- --Modifications: Stealth as level 5 -- --GM Intrusion: The glyph marks the character's face with a symbol indicating they are a thief. The glyph makes the --character run away in fear for one minute. The character is cursed, and all of their actions are hindered until the --curse is removed. -- --### FLOODING ROOM 4 (12) -- --Exits to the room close off and the area starts to fill with water. Within a few minutes, the entire room is flooded and --creatures in it begin to drown. -- --A variant of this room reduces the air pressure (either by pumping it out through tiny holes or by retracting the floor --or ceiling). As the air gets thinner, characters are hindered by one, two, or three steps before falling unconscious and --starting to suffocate. (Restoring the air allows the characters to awaken, but doesn't move them back up the damage --track.) -- --Damage Inflicted: None until drowning starts -- --Modifications: Defends as level 7 -- --GM Intrusion: Hostile creatures such as piranhas or electric eels are in the water and attack all creatures. The room --fills with water faster than expected because the floor and/or ceiling are also moving toward each other. -- --### MANGLER 3 (9) -- --A small hole in the wall extends sharp blades or weights when a creature reaches into it, mangling their hand and --hindering all actions requiring that hand by one or two steps. -- --A floor variant is a small trapdoor over a closed compartment, which mangles the character's foot when they step on the --trapdoor, reducing their movement speed by half. -- -- Another variant is a needle trap attached to a small peephole or spyhole in a door or wall. The trap springs when the --character touches the area around the hole (even a slight touch with their face as they look is sufficient), inflicting --lasting damage to the character's eye and partially blinding them. A gentler variant traps the character's limb in glue --instead of inflicting damage. The character's extremity might be glued to the hole, or they may be able to pull free but --have a glue pot stuck on their hand or foot. -- --Damage Inflicted: 3 points, plus lasting damage -- --Modifications: Stealth as level 4 -- --GM Intrusion: The trap has hooks, holding the character in place and inflicting damage when they try to escape if they --fail a Speed defense roll. The glue attracts a swarm of fire ants or wasps. The glue is also a slow-acting acid or --poison. -- --### NET 3 (9) -- --A net suspended above the character drops and constricts (and perhaps lifts the character off the ground). Large net --traps can affect multiple creatures at once. This kind of trap usually requires a creature to manually reset it. -- --A variant of this trap is a snare made of sturdy cord or wire. -- --Damage Inflicted: Entanglement (trapped character cannot move until they use an action to make a Might or Speed defense --roll to break or escape the net) -- --Modifications: Attacks as level 5, defends as level 2 -- --GM Intrusion: The net is barbed, inflicting 1 point of damage each round that the trapped character tries to move. The --net is the nesting place for biting insects, which swarm and attack the trapped character and all nearby creatures each --round. -- --### PIT 4 (12) -- --A trapdoor in the floor opens, dropping the triggering character into a pit. Larger versions of this trap can catch --multiple characters at once. The trap can be reset by moving the trapdoor back into its closed position. In outdoor --areas, this trap is more likely to be a pit covered in leafy branches (or a tarp) and camouflaged by soil and other --debris. -- --A variant of this trap is a bridge over a chasm, river, or other dangerous location that is rigged to collapse when --enough weight reaches the middle section. -- --Damage Inflicted: 1 point of ambient damage per 10 feet fallen (ignores Armor) -- --GM Intrusion: The trapdoor is slippery with oil, hindering attempts to catch the edge and avoid falling. The trapdoor --closes after the character falls through, trapping them inside in the darkness. The walls of the pit are greased, --hindering attempts to climb out by two steps. A dangerous creature is at the bottom of the pit (or in a room adjacent to --it). The pit is filled with poison gas. The trapdoor detaches and falls into the pit, inflicting 1 point of ambient --damage per 10 feet it falls. The pit has spikes at the bottom, inflicting an additional 4 points of damage to anyone who --falls in. -- --### POISON GAS 3 (9) -- --The area slowly fills with poison gas. Because it takes a minute or more for the poison to become thick enough to cause --harm, it is likely that the character won't realize at first that they've sprung a trap. -- --A variant of this trap fills the room with flammable gas, which explodes if there is an open flame (such as from a --torch) or a spark (such as a metal weapon against metal armor), inflicting fire damage equal to the trap's level. -- --A further variant fills the room with dead air (containing no oxygen), which slowly extinguishes flames and suffocates --creatures. -- --Damage Inflicted: As poison -- --Modifications: Stealth as level 5 -- --GM Intrusion: The character has an allergic reaction to the gas, which hinders all their actions for an hour after --exposure because of sneezing, watery eyes, or itchy skin. The gas makes the character hallucinate, mistaking their --companions for enemies, until they make an Intellect defense roll. The gas is flammable. -- --### POISON NEEDLE 5 (15) -- --A poisoned needle jabs at a character touching the trapped object (usually a lock or treasure chest) or is fired from a --mechanism similar to an arrow trap. It may have a reservoir of poison that allows it to attack several times. -- --Damage Inflicted: 1 point (plus poison) -- --Modifications: Stealth as level 6 -- --GM Intrusion: The trap releases acid into the lock mechanism, making the trapped object impossible to unlock. The trap --releases acid into the container, destroying some of the valuables inside. The trap releases a puff of poison gas --instead of a poisoned needle, affecting all nearby characters. -- --### PORTCULLIS 5 (15) -- --An iron portcullis drops from the ceiling to block access to an area or separate a character from others nearby. If the --creature dodging the falling portcullis wants to choose which side of the trap they end up on, the Speed defense roll is --hindered. Otherwise, it is even chances what side they end up on. -- --A variant of this trap is a solid wall. A magical variant is a force field. -- --Damage Inflicted: 5 points -- --GM Intrusion: The portcullis impales the character, trapping them beneath it until it is lifted or destroyed. The --portcullis is electrified, inflicting 1 point of damage each time it is touched or attacked with flesh or a metal --object. A second portcullis drops nearby, trapping a character in a small area. Murder-holes in the ceiling allow --enemies to make ranged attacks on the trapped character. -- --### ROLLING BOULDER 6 (12) -- --A large boulder, wheel, or barrel rolls into the area, crushing anything in its path. Depending on the configuration of --the area, the boulder might follow a specific path, ricochet erratically, break open pit traps, or get stuck somewhere. -- --A variant is a large iron weight on a chain that swings from the ceiling. The weight swings back and forth several --times, giving it multiple chances to hit the characters, but decreasing its damage with each swing until it stops and --becomes an obstacle. -- --Damage Inflicted: 6 points -- --Modifications: Defends as level 7 -- --GM Intrusion: The boulder crashes through a door or wall, giving other dangerous creatures access to the character's --location. The boulder blocks the way out. The boulder carries a character along with it for some distance. The boulder --is hollow and full of burning oil, leaving a fiery trail behind it. The boulder is hollow and contains undead skeletons, --which jump out as it moves and attack nearby creatures. -- --### SLICING BLADE 5 (15) -- --A thin blade slices out from a gap in the wall, floor, or ceiling. The trap might be designed to sweep the entire area --(such as the width of a corridor) or leave a tiny safe space just beyond the blade's reach so a creature who knows of --the trap can get past it. This kind of trap is usually designed to reset automatically after a minute or has a lever --nearby that allows a creature to reset it manually. -- --Damage Inflicted: 5 points -- --Modifications: Attacks as level 6 -- --GM Intrusion: The blade is a magical weapon with an additional effect, such as inflicting 3 points of fire damage. The --blade is rusted and breaks off when it hits the character, inflicting 1 point of damage (ignores Armor) each round after --the initial attack until it is healed. -- --### SLIDING STAIR 4 (12) -- --A stairway or section of stairs unexpectedly turns into a ramp. Anyone who makes a Speed defense roll can catch hold --near where they were standing; otherwise, they slide or tumble to the bottom and take damage. This kind of trap usually --resets after a minute or has a manual reset lever at the top or bottom of the stairs. -- --Damage Inflicted: 1 point of ambient damage per 20 feet slid (ignores Armor) -- --GM Intrusion: The trap releases oil, hindering attempts to climb the ramp or stairs by two steps. Tiny blades stick out --between the sections of the ramp, inflicting an additional 3 points of damage. The trap releases a boulder to roll down --the stairs after the sliding character, inflicting an additional 3 points of damage. -- --### SNAKE PIT 4 (12) -- --The trap drops the character into a pit full of snakes or drops a large number of snakes on the character. The snakes --immediately attack the character and perhaps others in the area. -- --Damage Inflicted: As per the swarm of snakes -- --GM Intrusion: The snake poison is especially potent, moving the character one step down the damage track if they fail a --Might defense roll. The snakes constrict the character, hindering their actions until the snakes are defeated. -- --### SPEAR 4 (12) -- --The trap fires a spear, javelin, or other large projectile. (In many ways, this is a scaled-up and more dangerous --version of an arrow trap, and the same suggestions for that trap apply to this one.) -- --Damage Inflicted: 6 points -- --Modifications: Defense and stealth as level 5 (if hidden behind a hole in a wall) -- --GM Intrusion: The impact of the spear knocks the character prone. The spear is barbed, and removing it inflicts 3 points --of damage. The spear is attached to a string, cord, or wire, with the other end tied to something dangerous like a --falling block or an electrical shock -- --### TELEPORTER 6 (18) -- --The trap magically moves the character to another location within about 1,000 feet (300 m), typically a prison cell, an --oubliette, or a very deep pit. It's more efficient to kill an intruder than to teleport them, so teleportation is --usually reserved for trapping creatures for interrogation. -- --Damage Inflicted: None -- --GM Intrusion: The teleport destination is above the ground, causing the character to fall some distance and take damage --(1 point of ambient damage per 10 feet fallen). The destination is dangerous, such as a tiny room lined with spikes, a --shark tank, or a boulder in a lava lake. -- --### CHARACTER OPTIONS -- --### MODERN MAGIC CHARACTER OPTIONS -- --### DESCRIPTORS -- --Most of these descriptors are for characters who are or become significantly nonhuman -- --nonhuman; for example, the Dragon descriptor means you're a four-legged, winged dragon who can breathe flame. These --descriptors include suggestions for how to advance or improve your inherent nature as that sort of creature (becoming --even more dragonish if you are a Dragon, for example). The GM should allow a character with such a descriptor to choose --any of these abilities (and any others the GM feels are appropriate for the descriptor) in place of a type ability, --either upon advancing to a new tier or selecting them as an other option of character advancement by spending 4 XP. -- --It's Only Magic Descriptors: Chimera, Dragon, Ghost, Hunter, Nix, Sylph, Unmagical -- --Chimera -- --You have a blend of animal attributes; you may be a well-known mythological creature, -- --like a satyr or minotaur, or you may have a unique combination of features. Bison horns, -- --boar tusks, bear paws, a wolf's tail, a lion's mane: take your pick. Your thickened skin offers -- --protection from attacks and the elements. Depending on your dexterity—and whether you -- --have opposable thumbs—you may use adaptive weapons and tools, like a dagger modified -- --to be held in a paw instead of a hand. You're eager to protect the ones closest to you, and -- --usually more likely to run toward conflict than away from it. -- --You gain the following characteristics: -- --Fur and Hide: +1 to Armor. -- --Animal Strength: +1 to your Might Pool. -- --Charging Ahead: You're trained in initiative. -- --For the Gang: You stick up for your friends. When you draw the attack, your defense is only hindered by one step. -- --Ham-fisted: Tasks requiring fine motor skills are hindered. -- --Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first --adventure. -- --1\. A herd, a pride, a pack, a flock: whatever the collective noun for chimeras is, you're looking to build (or join) --one. -- --2\. You need supplies to adapt a legendary weapon perfectly to your physique. -- --3\. The other PCs were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and you protected them from harm. -- --4\. You were held hostage by someone running a chimera fighting ring, and the other PCs freed you. -- --Chimera Advancement: -- --Athlete -- --Dual Light Wield -- --Enhanced Might -- --Enhanced Speed -- --Fists of Fury -- --Frenzy -- --Dragon -+Dragon + ### CRAFTING MAGIC ITEMS - You can shift at will between a dragon and humanoid form; you may choose to spend more time in one form or the other. In - your dragon form you're about 10 feet (3.5 m) long with four legs, leathery wings, and a serpentlike tail. You're drawn + Potions, scrolls, and other one-use items are cyphers, and longer-lasting items are generally artifacts. @@ -56180,188 +50392,6 @@ ### SUPERHERO CHARACTER OPTIONS @@ -9256,13 +6945,12 @@ Charge Weapon (2+ Intellect points): As part of making an attack with your enchanted weapon, you charge it with magical power, inflicting 2 additional points of energy damage. If you make more than one attack on your turn, you choose whether to spend the cost for this ability before you make each attack. Enabler. -@@ -59310,382 +52600,157 @@ +@@ -59310,236 +52600,11 @@ Your wooden body might be smooth like a polished board, rough like tree bark, or a mix of both. -### ANIMAL FORM MINOR ABILITIES TABLE -+### FANTASY SPECIES - +- -| Animal | Skill Training | Other Abilities | -|-------------------|------------------------|------------------| -| Ape | Climbing | Hands | @@ -9286,230 +6974,132 @@ -| Turtle | Might defense | Armor | -| Venomous snake | Climbing | Venom | -| Wolf | Perception | Scent | -+For many fantasy worlds, there is a plethora of sapient creatures suitable for player characters. Here we present -+additional options, which a player can choose for their character in place of their descriptor - +- -Aquatic: The animal either breathes water instead of air or is able to breathe water in addition to breathing air. -+### CREATURES AND NPCs - +- -Armor: The animal has a thick hide or shell, granting +1 to Armor. -+### MODERN MAGIC CREATURES - +- -Constrict: The animal can grip its opponent fast after making a melee attack (usually with a bite or claw), easing -attack rolls against that foe on later turns until the animal releases the foe. -+### BARGAINER FIEND 3 (9) - +- -Fast: The animal can move a long distance on its turn instead of a short distance. -+Bargainer fiends are natives of "hell dimensions" whose job is to come to the mortal world and convince people to barter -+or trade their souls. Their natural shape is usually a lanky humanoid with horns, claws, vestigial bat wings, and a -+forked tail, with a faint smell of brimstone, but they can partially or completely disguise themselves as humans to -+tempt and advise mortals. - +- -Flying: The animal can fly, which (depending on the type of animal) may be up to a short or long distance on its turn. -+Typical devils are warriors and torturers, and demons are mortal souls reforged into entities of pure spite and hate, -+whereas bargainer fiends see themselves as classier beings with loftier goals. However, bargainers are aware that they -+are weaker than their counterparts, and they make sure they don't do any front-line fighting if they can help it. - +- -Hands: The animal has paws or hands that are nearly as agile as those of a human. Unlike with most animal shapes, the -animal's tasks that require hands are not hindered (although the GM may decide that some tasks requiring human agility, -such as playing a flute, are still hindered). -+Motive: Bargain for souls - +- -Scent: The animal has a strong sense of smell, gaining an asset on tracking and dealing with darkness or blindness. -+Environment: Anywhere humans can be found - +- -Small: The animal is considerably smaller than a human, easing its Speed defense tasks but hindering tasks to move heavy -things. -+Health: 9 - +- -Venom: The animal is poisonous (usually through a bite), inflicting 1 additional point of damage. -+Damage Inflicted: 4 points +- + ### FANTASY SPECIES --### FANTASY SPECIES -+Armor: 2 - --For many fantasy worlds, there is a plethora of sapient creatures suitable for player characters. Here we present --additional options, which a player can choose for their character in place of their descriptor -+Movement: Short + For many fantasy worlds, there is a plethora of sapient creatures suitable for player characters. Here we present + additional options, which a player can choose for their character in place of their descriptor -### VARIANT RULE: TWO DESCRIPTORS -+Modifications: Deception as level 5 - +- -By having dwarf, elf, or other species take the place of a character's descriptor, it creates a situation where only -human characters have the variability of choosing a descriptor that suits their personality. The GM might instead allow -all human characters to have two descriptors, and nonhuman characters to have a standard descriptor in addition to their -species descriptor. -+Combat: A bargainer fiend attacks with a punch or a firearm. If they aren't trying to hide their inhuman nature, they -+throw short-range bolts of painful hellfire, inflicting 4 points of damage and stunning the target for one round. - +- -Sometimes contradictory descriptors might weaken or negate each other's benefits and drawbacks. If one descriptor gives -training in a skill and another gives an inability in that skill, they cancel each other out and the character doesn't -have any modifier for that skill at all. -+The heart of a bargainer fiend's power is its ability to arrange for rewards for a mortal client in exchange for the -+client's soul. Typical rewards are training in a skill, learning a new type or focus ability, wealth equivalent to one -+exorbitant item, an artifact, or anything else that can be acquired by spending 4 XP. The price is always the client's -+mortal soul, usually after a specific time period. Bigger demands by the client require the fiend to get approval from -+their superiors, and the price is higher, but usually still manageable. - +- -### DESCRIPTORS AS SPECIES -+A bargainer fiend can use an action to transform themself into a human or near-human form (such as a human with devil -+horns) or return to their natural form. They can assume the guise of a specific human (such as a person their client -+knows) only if that human is dead or has an agreement with a bargainer fiend. - +- -If a player wants to play a nearly human species without any exceptional or unique special abilities, it's easy for a GM -to pick an appropriate descriptor and use it as that species' descriptor. A greyhound-like species might have the Fast -descriptor. -+Interaction: Bargainer fiends serve at the pleasure of their infernal masters, and they know their lives are forfeit if -+they ever fail. This colors their interactions with clients; they will say anything to accomplish their mission, and -+their only true loyalty is to the fiend who created and controls them. - +- -### CATFOLK -+Use: A motivational speaker offers to teach clients confidence and charm, with great results. An old sorcerer knows some -+rare magic for those willing to pay a steep price. A mysterious person has been seen visiting people in the terminal -+ward of various hospitals. - +- -You are unmistakably feline. Your people have fur; large, pointed ears; sharp teeth and claws; and even tails. You are -nimble, graceful, and quick. An ancient and sophisticated culture, your people have their own language, customs, and -traditions developed in relative seclusion over the centuries. Neither conquerors nor conquered, the success of your -society has come from the fact that you have given most others a wide berth. As a people, you almost never get involved -in wars or similar matters, which has given other cultures the idea that you are aloof, unapproachable, or mysterious. -As long as they leave you alone, what they think is fine with you. -+Loot: A bargainer fiend may have a cypher relating to their duties or as a gift or payment for a client, but most of -+their material riches are hell-crafted and not safe to carry for long. - +- -You gain the following characteristics: -+### DIVINITY OF THE CITY 8 (24) - +- -Agile: +4 to your Speed Pool. Skill: You are trained in climbing and balance tasks. -+Divinities of the city are a pantheon of modern-era demigods who have a strong connection to some aspect of urban life. -+They get their powers from their connection to a modern element that's being worshipped. For example, the Divinity of -+Defacement gains power when someone creates graffiti or stares in wonder at a mural, while the Divinity of Urban -+Creatures grows stronger each time someone saves a turtle from a highway or shivers at coyotes' calls. Divinities look -+mostly humanoid, but their appearance has some tie to their connection. The Divinity of Defacement might wear -+graffiti-themed clothing, the Divinity of Urban Creatures might have a bear's head, and the Divinity of Architecture -+might have gargoyle wings. - +- -Bared Claws: Even unarmed, your claws are light weapons that inflict 4 points of damage. -+Motive: Defense; protection; power - +- -Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first -adventure. -+Environment: Urban landscapes - +- -1\. You were curious as to what the other PCs were up to. -+Health: 75 - +- -2\. You needed to get out of town, and the PCs were going in the same direction as you. -+Damage Inflicted: 8 points - +- -3\. You are interested in making a profit, and the other PCs seem to have a lead on doing just that. -+Armor: 4 - +- -4\. It seemed like a lark. -+Movement: Short; long when flying - +- -### DRAGONFOLK -+Combat: Divinities attack a foe up to a long distance away with a spell related to their connection (sending a pack of -+rabid raccoons after a foe, lifting a highway, or having a mural attack). These attacks inflict 8 points of damage on a -+single target or, if the divinity chooses, the attack hits all targets within short range of the destination for 6 -+points of damage. - +- -You have scales, fangs, claws, and magic—gifts of the dragons. You might have been born of dragonfolk parents, willingly -transformed in a magical ceremony, or chosen by a dragon to be their agent or champion. You have a great destiny before -you, but it is your choice whether to make it your own or bend to the will of those who made you what you are. Some -people mistrust or fear you, and others consider you a prophet or wish to exploit your power for their own goals. -+Most divinities have a close-range attack as well, such as turning into a coyote and attacking their target with tooth -+and claw or grabbing a painted weapon out of a wall mural. - +- -You gain the following characteristics: -+Divinities also have a number of additional spells, including: - +- -Sturdy: +2 to your Might Pool. Skill: You are trained in intimidation -+Animate: Turns any material into an animate level 4 creature. The creature has a mind and will of its own, and acts just -+as that type of creature would act if it were born instead of created. - +- -Dragonbreath (3 Might points): You breathe out a blast of energy in an immediate area. Choose one type of energy -(arcane, cold, fire, thorn, and so on); the blast inflicts 2 points of damage of this kind of energy (ignores Armor) to -all creatures or objects within the area. Because this is an area attack, adding Effort to increase your damage works -differently than it does for single-target attacks. If you apply a level of Effort to increase the damage, add 2 points -of damage for each target, and even if you fail your attack roll, all targets in the area still take 1 point of damage. -Action. -+Forever Space: Creates an endless length of alleys, roads, or bridges between itself and all characters it chooses -+within long range. Characters must succeed on a level 5 Intellect defense task to find an exit. While moving through the -+forever space, characters take 2 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) each round. - +- -Draconic Resistance: You gain +2 Armor against the type of energy you create with your dragonbreath. -+Heal: The divinity heals themself, a creature, or an object for 5 points of damage. - +- -Scaly: +1 to Armor. Inability: You have difficulty relating to non-dragons. Tasks to persuade non-dragons are hindered. -+Illusion: Divinities can cast elaborate and convincing illusions over their domain, making the area seem more appealing, -+beautiful, or dangerous. Illusions cover up to a ten-block area and last for up to an hour. Seeing through one is a -+level 8 task. - +- -Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first -adventure. -+Interaction: Divinities rarely care about humans unless they're connected to their particular part of the urban -+landscape. Sometimes they can be persuaded or negotiated with, but not if the character has previously damaged or -+endangered the divinity's connection—for example, a poacher of urban wildlife probably has no chance of interacting -+positively with a Divinity of Urban Creatures. - +- -1\. You believe the other PCs can help you solve a mystery about your heritage. -+Use: A divinity is a powerful aggressive or defensive force, putting the PCs in a position where they must fight or -+negotiate to prevent death and destruction. In addition to situations where a divinity clashes with those who would -+exploit them, they may have information or unique magic (such as an unlocking spell) that the characters need to reach a -+goal. - +- -2\. You needed to get out of town, and the PCs were going in the same direction as you. -+Loot: Divinities rarely carry anything of interest to humans, but they might bequeath to allies a powerful artifact -+related to some aspect of their domain. - +- -3\. Your creator, master, or mentor told you to help the PCs. -+### ELEMENTAL, ELECTRICITY 4 (12) - +- -4\. You want to make a name for yourself, and the other PCs seem competent and compatible. -+Electricity elementals alternate between a feral-looking humanoid energy form and a near-spherical cloud of intensely -+glowing sparks. They spontaneously arise when supernatural events take place near high-voltage wires or electrical -+substations, and their high rate of speed often means they've traveled hundreds of miles before anyone realizes they -+appeared. Extremely mobile and curious, they inadvertently or deliberately cause harm wherever they go. - +- -### GNOME -+Motive: Explore and shock - +- -You are curious and love discovering ways to turn found things into art, tools, or weapons. You might be a sculptor, -smith, artist, chef, storyteller, or inventor. Alchemy, magic, and engineering fascinate you. Other beings may see you -as a strange mix of a nature-loving elf and a craft-obsessed dwarf, but you and your kind are unique people with a -passion for life, exploration, and creation. -+Environment: Anywhere electricity can easily reach - +- -You gain the following characteristics: -+Health: 24 - +- -Genius: +2 to your Intellect Pool. -+Damage Inflicted: 4 points - +- -Skill: You are trained in two skills that suit your creative nature, such as alchemy, smithing, poetry, cooking, -woodcarving, or pottery. -+Movement: Short; very long with electrical conduction - +- -Skill: You are practiced in using hammers. -+Modifications: Attacks and Speed defense as level 5 due to quickness; stealth as level 2 due to buzzing noise - +- -Natural Affinity: You gain one of the following abilities: Communication, Eyes Adjusted, or Minor Illusion. -+Combat: An electricity elemental strikes twice each round with a limb, or fires one bolt of electricity at a target -+within short range. - +- -Inability: Your small size makes some physical tasks difficult. Might-based tasks are hindered. -+As its action, an elemental can heal itself for up to 4 points of health by draining power from a touched electrical -+machine, creature (such as a robot), manifest cypher, or artifact. A drained object moves one step down the object -+damage track. A drained robot takes 4 points of damage. A drained manifest cypher is fully consumed and useless. A -+drained artifact immediately checks for depletion (artifacts with a depletion of "—" are either immune to this ability -+or have a depletion of 1 in 1d10 for this purpose). - +- -Additional Equipment: You have a bag of light tools or a bag of heavy tools. -+An electricity elemental can pass through conductive materials at full speed, ignoring obstacles and difficult terrain. -+An electricity elemental can power any electrical device that runs on household power, but it's uncomfortable for them -+and they don't like doing it. - +- -Initial Link to the Starting Adventure: From the following list of options, choose how you became involved in the first -adventure. - @@ -9589,158 +7179,9 @@ - -4\. You or your priest had a vision of you traveling with the other PCs. - --### CREATURES AND NPCs -- --### MODERN MAGIC CREATURES -- --### BARGAINER FIEND 3 (9) -- --Bargainer fiends are natives of "hell dimensions" whose job is to come to the mortal world and convince people to barter --or trade their souls. Their natural shape is usually a lanky humanoid with horns, claws, vestigial bat wings, and a --forked tail, with a faint smell of brimstone, but they can partially or completely disguise themselves as humans to --tempt and advise mortals. -- --Typical devils are warriors and torturers, and demons are mortal souls reforged into entities of pure spite and hate, --whereas bargainer fiends see themselves as classier beings with loftier goals. However, bargainers are aware that they --are weaker than their counterparts, and they make sure they don't do any front-line fighting if they can help it. -- --Motive: Bargain for souls -- --Environment: Anywhere humans can be found -- --Health: 9 -- --Damage Inflicted: 4 points -- --Armor: 2 -- --Movement: Short -- --Modifications: Deception as level 5 -- --Combat: A bargainer fiend attacks with a punch or a firearm. If they aren't trying to hide their inhuman nature, they --throw short-range bolts of painful hellfire, inflicting 4 points of damage and stunning the target for one round. -- --The heart of a bargainer fiend's power is its ability to arrange for rewards for a mortal client in exchange for the --client's soul. Typical rewards are training in a skill, learning a new type or focus ability, wealth equivalent to one --exorbitant item, an artifact, or anything else that can be acquired by spending 4 XP. The price is always the client's --mortal soul, usually after a specific time period. Bigger demands by the client require the fiend to get approval from --their superiors, and the price is higher, but usually still manageable. -- --A bargainer fiend can use an action to transform themself into a human or near-human form (such as a human with devil --horns) or return to their natural form. They can assume the guise of a specific human (such as a person their client --knows) only if that human is dead or has an agreement with a bargainer fiend. -- --Interaction: Bargainer fiends serve at the pleasure of their infernal masters, and they know their lives are forfeit if --they ever fail. This colors their interactions with clients; they will say anything to accomplish their mission, and --their only true loyalty is to the fiend who created and controls them. -- --Use: A motivational speaker offers to teach clients confidence and charm, with great results. An old sorcerer knows some --rare magic for those willing to pay a steep price. A mysterious person has been seen visiting people in the terminal --ward of various hospitals. -- --Loot: A bargainer fiend may have a cypher relating to their duties or as a gift or payment for a client, but most of --their material riches are hell-crafted and not safe to carry for long. -- --### DIVINITY OF THE CITY 8 (24) -- --Divinities of the city are a pantheon of modern-era demigods who have a strong connection to some aspect of urban life. --They get their powers from their connection to a modern element that's being worshipped. For example, the Divinity of --Defacement gains power when someone creates graffiti or stares in wonder at a mural, while the Divinity of Urban --Creatures grows stronger each time someone saves a turtle from a highway or shivers at coyotes' calls. Divinities look --mostly humanoid, but their appearance has some tie to their connection. The Divinity of Defacement might wear --graffiti-themed clothing, the Divinity of Urban Creatures might have a bear's head, and the Divinity of Architecture --might have gargoyle wings. -- --Motive: Defense; protection; power -- --Environment: Urban landscapes -- --Health: 75 -- --Damage Inflicted: 8 points -- --Armor: 4 -- --Movement: Short; long when flying -- --Combat: Divinities attack a foe up to a long distance away with a spell related to their connection (sending a pack of --rabid raccoons after a foe, lifting a highway, or having a mural attack). These attacks inflict 8 points of damage on a --single target or, if the divinity chooses, the attack hits all targets within short range of the destination for 6 --points of damage. -- --Most divinities have a close-range attack as well, such as turning into a coyote and attacking their target with tooth --and claw or grabbing a painted weapon out of a wall mural. -- --Divinities also have a number of additional spells, including: -- --Animate: Turns any material into an animate level 4 creature. The creature has a mind and will of its own, and acts just --as that type of creature would act if it were born instead of created. -- --Forever Space: Creates an endless length of alleys, roads, or bridges between itself and all characters it chooses --within long range. Characters must succeed on a level 5 Intellect defense task to find an exit. While moving through the --forever space, characters take 2 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) each round. -- --Heal: The divinity heals themself, a creature, or an object for 5 points of damage. -- --Illusion: Divinities can cast elaborate and convincing illusions over their domain, making the area seem more appealing, --beautiful, or dangerous. Illusions cover up to a ten-block area and last for up to an hour. Seeing through one is a --level 8 task. -- --Interaction: Divinities rarely care about humans unless they're connected to their particular part of the urban --landscape. Sometimes they can be persuaded or negotiated with, but not if the character has previously damaged or --endangered the divinity's connection—for example, a poacher of urban wildlife probably has no chance of interacting --positively with a Divinity of Urban Creatures. -- --Use: A divinity is a powerful aggressive or defensive force, putting the PCs in a position where they must fight or --negotiate to prevent death and destruction. In addition to situations where a divinity clashes with those who would --exploit them, they may have information or unique magic (such as an unlocking spell) that the characters need to reach a --goal. -- --Loot: Divinities rarely carry anything of interest to humans, but they might bequeath to allies a powerful artifact --related to some aspect of their domain. -- --### ELEMENTAL, ELECTRICITY 4 (12) -- --Electricity elementals alternate between a feral-looking humanoid energy form and a near-spherical cloud of intensely --glowing sparks. They spontaneously arise when supernatural events take place near high-voltage wires or electrical --substations, and their high rate of speed often means they've traveled hundreds of miles before anyone realizes they --appeared. Extremely mobile and curious, they inadvertently or deliberately cause harm wherever they go. -- --Motive: Explore and shock -- --Environment: Anywhere electricity can easily reach -- --Health: 24 -- --Damage Inflicted: 4 points -- --Movement: Short; very long with electrical conduction -- --Modifications: Attacks and Speed defense as level 5 due to quickness; stealth as level 2 due to buzzing noise -- --Combat: An electricity elemental strikes twice each round with a limb, or fires one bolt of electricity at a target --within short range. -- --As its action, an elemental can heal itself for up to 4 points of health by draining power from a touched electrical --machine, creature (such as a robot), manifest cypher, or artifact. A drained object moves one step down the object --damage track. A drained robot takes 4 points of damage. A drained manifest cypher is fully consumed and useless. A --drained artifact immediately checks for depletion (artifacts with a depletion of "—" are either immune to this ability --or have a depletion of 1 in 1d10 for this purpose). -- --An electricity elemental can pass through conductive materials at full speed, ignoring obstacles and difficult terrain. --An electricity elemental can power any electrical device that runs on household power, but it's uncomfortable for them --and they don't like doing it. -- --Interaction: Electricity elementals are somewhat intelligent but perceive and think at much faster rates than humans, so --they quickly become frustrated with "slow" communication. They can be summoned and controlled with magic, but there's a --10% chance the elemental breaks free of the spell and attacks or flees. -+Interaction: Electricity elementals are somewhat intelligent but perceive and think at much faster rates than humans, so -+they quickly become frustrated with "slow" communication. They can be summoned and controlled with magic, but there's a -+10% chance the elemental breaks free of the spell and attacks or flees. + ### CREATURES AND NPCs - Use: Power grid fluctuations throughout the city may be the result of a roving electricity elemental. Something exploded - every car battery along a major street. Something noisy has taken over the eccentric inventor's workshop. + ### MODERN MAGIC CREATURES @@ -60237,29 +53302,6 @@ Loot: Zorps rarely hold onto anything for more than a few minutes, but sometimes they might have a stolen manifest cypher. @@ -15413,182 +12854,10 @@ ### CYPHERS ### MODERN MAGIC CYPHERS -@@ -67875,2429 +55303,177 @@ +@@ -68047,2258 +55475,6 @@ - Level: 1d6 + 1 + Other common malware cypher names are WarlockAntivirus, SpellManager, HexCleaner, TomeBot, and ScryBlocker. --Form: Egg, battery, cross-stitch square -- --Effect: Brings a dead creature whose level is equal to or less than the cypher's back to life for ten minutes per cypher --level. PCs are automatically brought back for the duration. The creature is exactly as they were in life, with the same --stats, personality, knowledge, and so on, but only has 2 points of health or Might. If the creature's health or Might --Pool is healed to full in some way during this time, they return to life permanently, but with a 3-point reduction in --their maximum health or Might Pool. -- --Stay Down -- --Level: 1d6 -- --Form: Nail polish, glove, stick -- --Effect: Upon activating the cypher, the user's hand crackles with power and noise. They emit a concussive blast at a --single foe within long range, inflicting 3 points of damage, knocking them prone, and stunning them for a number of --rounds equal to the cypher level. -- --Take Me There -- --Level: 1d6 -- --Form: Crayon, chalk, lipstick -- --Effect: The user spends a few rounds drawing a map of somewhere they're trying to get to. Even if the map is not the --least bit accurate, they will sense a thread of magic leading them to their desired destination. If the place they seek --is hidden, they must make an Intellect roll against its level to see if they succeed (the cypher provides an asset). The --thread lasts for one day per cypher level or until they reach their destination, whichever is sooner. -- --Talk to Me -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Form: Spiderweb, flyer, building blocks -- --Effect: The user can talk to any creature that is part of a structure, such as a mermaid in a fountain statue, a stone --gargoyle on a skyscraper, or a dragon-shaped doorbell on a private home. The user can ask them a number of questions --equal to the cypher level and get true answers. The questions must pertain to something the creature would know, such as --something they saw or heard in the area, something they felt, or who made them. -- --Teleportation Block -- --Level: 1d6 + 4 -- --Form: Bird's nest, remote control, building block -- --Effect: A short area within immediate range of the user becomes warded against any teleportation effect or other ability --that allows travel without direct physical movement (including abilities specifically meant to get around obstacles, --such as Bypass Barrier). Any creature whose level is less than the cypher level can't use these methods to get in or --out. Player characters using such abilities must succeed at an Intellect-based task with a difficulty equal to the --cypher level in order to enter or leave the area. The block lasts for one day per cypher level. -- --Through the Window -- --Level: 1d6 -- --Form: App, mirror, flyer -- --Effect: The user chooses any window they can see, and they are able to look through it as if they were standing right in --front of it. The window does not need to be transparent, the user does not need to stay in sight of the window after --they choose it, and no one else can perceive what they're doing. While they are looking through the window, they can --wink to change their vision back to their current location, then wink again to return to the window. The effect lasts --for ten minutes per cypher level or until they choose to end it. -- --Time Ticket -- --Level: 1d6 + 3 -- --Form: Bus ticket, moss, remote control -- --Effect: For the next day, no matter what time the user leaves or what hurdles they encounter, they will arrive exactly --on time for the event, ride, or other activity. Busses and planes will not leave without them, the play or movie will --not start until they arrive, and they'll meet people exactly when they said they would. (Note that this doesn't change --how the user gets there— they may still sit in traffic forever or get stuck in the security line.) Their traveling --companions, if any, enjoy the same benefit as long as they stick with the user. -- --Tunnel Traverser -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Form: Coveralls, poncho, knitted scarf -- --Effect: When activated, it turns the wearer into a liquid or gaseous form of themselves, allowing them to travel through --small spaces, such as air ducts, sewer tunnels, tight caverns, and so on. Efforts to detect the user are hindered by two --steps (or three steps if the cypher is level 5 or higher), even by magic or security systems. The spaces must be at --least 1 foot (30 cm) in diameter and must not be blocked by rocks, doors, and so on. The effect lasts for ten minutes --per cypher level. -- --What the Doctor Ordered -- --Level: 1d6 + 1 -- --Form: Potion, herbs, candle -- --Effect: Restores a number of points equal to the cypher level to the user's choice of Pools. In addition, the user adds --+3 to their next recovery roll. -- --Who's Looking -- --Level: 1d6 + 3 -- --Form: Remote control, glass eye, stone with a hole -- --Effect: For the next ten minutes per cypher level, the cypher vibrates any time the user is being monitored, watched, or --tracked by something of the cypher level or less. This includes people, devices, security systems, cameras, spells, and --so on. -- --Wire Wraith -- --Level: 1d6 -- --Form: Wire, broken electronics, phone charger -- --Effect: Activating the cypher creates a large wraithlike being that looks as if it's formed from wire. The wraith is a --level 4 incorporeal construct that inflicts 4 points of electrical damage (ignores Armor) with its touch when directed. --While the construct persists, the user can use it to slip through small areas, carry an electrical current, or attack --foes. It lasts for a number of rounds equal to the cypher level. -- --Wrecking Balls -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Form: Baseball, bouncy ball, marble -- --Effect: When thrown, the ball multiplies into a number of itself equal to the cypher level. Each ball bounces once and --then slams into targets within long range chosen by the user. The impact of each ball does 2 points of ambient damage --(ignores Armor). If the same foe is hit by two or more balls, they are also knocked prone for one round. -- --You're Safe Now -- --Level: 1d6 + 3 -- --Form: Suspenders, lapel pin, spiderweb -- --Effect: Once the user activates the cypher, it protects them from ambient damage. The next time they would take ambient --damage, such as from falling off a roof or being electrocuted by a power line, the cypher absorbs all of the damage (up --to the cypher level). -- --Software Cyphers -- --EasyMagic.App -- --Level: 1d6 + 2 -- --Form: App -- --Effect: Adds +1 to the user's Intellect Edge (+2 for cypher level 5 or higher) for the next 24 hours, but only for the --purpose of casting spells. -- --When the cypher is activated, the user attracts the attention of a malevolent internet d@emon, who slides into their --internet-connected devices and starts draining their magic. The d@emon remains even after the cypher's duration expires. -- --Malware Cyphers -- --EasyMagic.app has a beneficial effect, but also a serious drawback—it attracts a hostile creature to prey upon the --user's magic. The cypher is significantly better than a typical Edge-augmenting cypher like an Intellect booster --(lasting 24 hours instead of one hour) in order to trick a naive or greedy character into activating it. Magicians --well-versed in cypher lore (and human nature) recognize that this sort of thing is too good to be true. -- --The GM should feel free to create similar kinds of malware app cyphers that are somewhat better than the standard ones --in this chapter or in the Cypher System Rulebook, and give them a harmful side effect. Example malware cypher benefits --are curatives that add more points or affect two Pools at once, Effort enhancers that can be used two or more times in --an hour, and perfections that don't require an action to activate (and therefore can affect a roll on the same turn the --user activates the cypher). -- --Example malware cypher drawbacks are hindering the user's attack spells, debiting the user's bank account, monitoring --the user's in-person or magical communications, deleting the user's other magical app cyphers, compelling the user to --take a specific action, "locking" one of the user's spells until they pay a ransom, accessing private data such as --passwords or photos, and so on. -- --Other common malware cypher names are WarlockAntivirus, SpellManager, HexCleaner, TomeBot, and ScryBlocker. -- -### SUPERHERO CYPHERS - -### POWER BOOST CYPHERS @@ -17675,188 +14944,115 @@ -Form: Three green leaves - -Effect: When placed upon a person, the leaves restore all Pools to full, move -+Form: Egg, battery, cross-stitch square - +- -a character one step up the damage track, or bring a dead character back to life. However, the character also gains a -permanent 3-point reduction in their maximum Intellect Pool. -+Effect: Brings a dead creature whose level is equal to or less than the cypher's back to life for ten minutes per cypher -+level. PCs are automatically brought back for the duration. The creature is exactly as they were in life, with the same -+stats, personality, knowledge, and so on, but only has 2 points of health or Might. If the creature's health or Might -+Pool is healed to full in some way during this time, they return to life permanently, but with a 3-point reduction in -+their maximum health or Might Pool. - +- -Snickersnee -+Stay Down - +- -Level: 1d6 + 4 -+Level: 1d6 - +- -Form: Small jewel, talisman, or bead -+Form: Nail polish, glove, stick - +- -Effect: When attached to a weapon, causes it to grow two to five times its normal size. The weapon inflicts an -additional +2 points of damage, but otherwise can be used as if it were a weapon of its original size. -+Effect: Upon activating the cypher, the user's hand crackles with power and noise. They emit a concussive blast at a -+single foe within long range, inflicting 3 points of damage, knocking them prone, and stunning them for a number of -+rounds equal to the cypher level. - +- -Song of the Dead -+Take Me There - - Level: 1d6 - +- +-Level: 1d6 +- -Form: Small stuffed bird with yellow and blue plumage -+Form: Crayon, chalk, lipstick - +- -Effect: When the user spends ten minutes breathing into the mouth of the bird, it comes to life. It flies off, but now -carries a piece of the user's life inside it. When the user dies, the bird flies back to their body and is able to -communicate to those around it, but only for one day. After that, the bird returns to its lifeless form. -+Effect: The user spends a few rounds drawing a map of somewhere they're trying to get to. Even if the map is not the -+least bit accurate, they will sense a thread of magic leading them to their desired destination. If the place they seek -+is hidden, they must make an Intellect roll against its level to see if they succeed (the cypher provides an asset). The -+thread lasts for one day per cypher level or until they reach their destination, whichever is sooner. - +- -Sorcerer's Skeleton Key -+Talk to Me - - Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- +-Level: 1d6 + 2 +- -Form: Wooden stick, iron wand, or piece of straw - -Effect: When tapped three times against any locked door or other object (of the cypher level or lower), the key -automatically unlocks it. -+Form: Spiderweb, flyer, building blocks - +- -Spirit Ring -+Effect: The user can talk to any creature that is part of a structure, such as a mermaid in a fountain statue, a stone -+gargoyle on a skyscraper, or a dragon-shaped doorbell on a private home. The user can ask them a number of questions -+equal to the cypher level and get true answers. The questions must pertain to something the creature would know, such as -+something they saw or heard in the area, something they felt, or who made them. - +- -Level: 1d6 -+Teleportation Block - +- -Form: Ring, necklace, hairpin, or bracelet -+Level: 1d6 + 4 - +- -Effect: Summons a group of helpful fey who provide assistance for ten minutes. During this time, they do as the wearer -commands as long as they're within long range. They can hinder any or all opponents' tasks, provide information, assist -in small tasks, and so on. The fey will not do anything that goes against their basic nature and safety (such as -self-harm, attacking their friends, or obvious suicide missions). -+Form: Bird's nest, remote control, building block - +- -Fey are fickle beings. While spirit rings and the like allow someone to hold power over them, it's very much dependent -on the fey's blessing. Angering the fey may cause them to leave at any moment (even in the middle of something -important), and they may take the time to curse or prank the characters before they disappear. -+Effect: A short area within immediate range of the user becomes warded against any teleportation effect or other ability -+that allows travel without direct physical movement (including abilities specifically meant to get around obstacles, -+such as Bypass Barrier). Any creature whose level is less than the cypher level can't use these methods to get in or -+out. Player characters using such abilities must succeed at an Intellect-based task with a difficulty equal to the -+cypher level in order to enter or leave the area. The block lasts for one day per cypher level. - +- -Teleport Hat -+Through the Window - +- -Level: 1d6 + 3 -+Level: 1d6 - +- -Form: Silly hat that is always too large on the wearer no matter what size their head is -+Form: App, mirror, flyer - +- -Effect: Allows the wearer to wish for a creature that they know to appear at their side. The creature must agree to be -teleported (or convinced via some type of interaction, such as persuasion or intimidation). The teleported creature -stays for as long as both parties agree, but not more than a day. At that time, the creature is returned to their place -of origination. -+Effect: The user chooses any window they can see, and they are able to look through it as if they were standing right in -+front of it. The window does not need to be transparent, the user does not need to stay in sight of the window after -+they choose it, and no one else can perceive what they're doing. While they are looking through the window, they can -+wink to change their vision back to their current location, then wink again to return to the window. The effect lasts -+for ten minutes per cypher level or until they choose to end it. - +- -Three Needles -+Time Ticket - +- -Level: 1d6 -+Level: 1d6 + 3 - +- -Form: Three enchanted needles -+Form: Bus ticket, moss, remote control - +- -Effect: For the next ten minutes per cypher level, the user can climb any solid surfaces (even vertical ones) as if -doing so was a routine task. -+Effect: For the next day, no matter what time the user leaves or what hurdles they encounter, they will arrive exactly -+on time for the event, ride, or other activity. Busses and planes will not leave without them, the play or movie will -+not start until they arrive, and they'll meet people exactly when they said they would. (Note that this doesn't change -+how the user gets there— they may still sit in traffic forever or get stuck in the security line.) Their traveling -+companions, if any, enjoy the same benefit as long as they stick with the user. - +- -Tin Man's Tears -+Tunnel Traverser - - Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- +-Level: 1d6 + 2 +- -Form: Tiny vial filled with tears -+Form: Coveralls, poncho, knitted scarf - +- -Effect: When poured out, spreads out to cover an area about 2 feet by 2 feet (60 cm square), transforming any metal it -touches into brittle rust, down to a depth of about 6 inches (15 cm). When used on a metal creature (such as a tin -soldier), the rust inflicts damage equal to the cypher's level and hinders all movement actions for ten minutes. -+Effect: When activated, it turns the wearer into a liquid or gaseous form of themselves, allowing them to travel through -+small spaces, such as air ducts, sewer tunnels, tight caverns, and so on. Efforts to detect the user are hindered by two -+steps (or three steps if the cypher is level 5 or higher), even by magic or security systems. The spaces must be at -+least 1 foot (30 cm) in diameter and must not be blocked by rocks, doors, and so on. The effect lasts for ten minutes -+per cypher level. - +- -To Peter With Love -+What the Doctor Ordered - +- -Level: 1d6 + 3 -+Level: 1d6 + 1 - +- -Form: Wrapped box with a bomb inside and a gift tag on the outside -+Form: Potion, herbs, candle - +- -Effect: Write a person's name on the tag, and the box will deliver itself to that person at a time and place you -specify. When opened, the box does damage to the recipient equal to the cypher level. Traveling to the recipient takes -at least a round and sometimes longer, depending on the distance and difficulty. -+Effect: Restores a number of points equal to the cypher level to the user's choice of Pools. In addition, the user adds -++3 to their next recovery roll. - +- -Valorous Whetstone -+Who's Looking - +- -Level: 1d6 -+Level: 1d6 + 3 - +- -Form: Sharpening stone -+Form: Remote control, glass eye, stone with a hole - +- -Effect: After sharpening at least one of their weapons with the whetstone, the user instantly feels more brave. For the -next ten minutes, all of their intimidation actions are eased, and their sharpened weapon inflicts +2 points of damage. -+Effect: For the next ten minutes per cypher level, the cypher vibrates any time the user is being monitored, watched, or -+tracked by something of the cypher level or less. This includes people, devices, security systems, cameras, spells, and -+so on. - +- -Vase of Tears -+Wire Wraith - - Level: 1d6 - +- +-Level: 1d6 +- -Form: Vase, vial, or jar filled with tears -+Form: Wire, broken electronics, phone charger - +- -Effect: Breaking the vase creates a protective spell around the character, preventing them from taking any Might damage -the next time they are physically attacked. -+Effect: Activating the cypher creates a large wraithlike being that looks as if it's formed from wire. The wraith is a -+level 4 incorporeal construct that inflicts 4 points of electrical damage (ignores Armor) with its touch when directed. -+While the construct persists, the user can use it to slip through small areas, carry an electrical current, or attack -+foes. It lasts for a number of rounds equal to the cypher level. - +- -White Snake -+Wrecking Balls - - Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- +-Level: 1d6 + 2 +- -Form: Piece of a magical snake - -Effect: Upon swallowing the piece of the snake, the user gains the ability to understand and speak with all living @@ -17865,39 +15061,27 @@ -Wish-Granting Pearl - -Level: 1d6 + 1 -+Form: Baseball, bouncy ball, marble - +- -Form: Flaming pearl -+Effect: When thrown, the ball multiplies into a number of itself equal to the cypher level. Each ball bounces once and -+then slams into targets within long range chosen by the user. The impact of each ball does 2 points of ambient damage -+(ignores Armor). If the same foe is hit by two or more balls, they are also knocked prone for one round. - +- -Effect: The user can make a single wish and have all or part of it come true. The GM assigns a level to the wish, so the -larger and more difficult the wish, the more difficult it is to have the wish granted. Generally, a wish such as gaining -an asset or inexpensive item is level 1, and a wish for an expensive item or for a foe to vanish is level 7. The cypher -cannot grant a wish above its level. -+You're Safe Now - +- -Witch Bottle -+Level: 1d6 + 3 - +- -Level: 1d6 + 1 -+Form: Suspenders, lapel pin, spiderweb - +- -Form: Ornate stoppered bottle filled with wine, seawater, or pins and needles -+Effect: Once the user activates the cypher, it protects them from ambient damage. The next time they would take ambient -+damage, such as from falling off a roof or being electrocuted by a power line, the cypher absorbs all of the damage (up -+to the cypher level). - +- -Effect: Captures a witch (of a level up to the cypher's level). Upon entering the bottle, the witch takes damage equal -to the cypher's level and is trapped until someone whispers their name into the bottle's mouth and releases them. -+Software Cyphers - +- -Witch's Ladder -+EasyMagic.App - - Level: 1d6 + 2 - +- +-Level: 1d6 + 2 +- -Form: Garland of knotted string, feathers, teeth, and bells - -Effect: Safely stores one curse for use at a later time. The stored curse may be released and cast only by the person @@ -17906,48 +15090,29 @@ -Wooden Spoon - -Level: 1d6 + 4 -+Form: App - +- -Form: Plain wooden spoon -+Effect: Adds +1 to the user's Intellect Edge (+2 for cypher level 5 or higher) for the next 24 hours, but only for the -+purpose of casting spells. - +- -Effect: When stirred through the air, restores the user's energy and vitality. The user gains two additional actions on -their next turn. For example, they can move a long distance, use a one-action recovery roll, and activate a cypher as -their turn, or attack a foe three times. -+When the cypher is activated, the user attracts the attention of a malevolent internet d@emon, who slides into their -+internet-connected devices and starts draining their magic. The d@emon remains even after the cypher's duration expires. - +- -Yonder Yarn -+Malware Cyphers - +- -Level: 1d6 + 4 -+EasyMagic.app has a beneficial effect, but also a serious drawback—it attracts a hostile creature to prey upon the -+user's magic. The cypher is significantly better than a typical Edge-augmenting cypher like an Intellect booster -+(lasting 24 hours instead of one hour) in order to trick a naive or greedy character into activating it. Magicians -+well-versed in cypher lore (and human nature) recognize that this sort of thing is too good to be true. - +- -Form: Skein or spool of yarn -+The GM should feel free to create similar kinds of malware app cyphers that are somewhat better than the standard ones -+in this chapter or in the Cypher System Rulebook, and give them a harmful side effect. Example malware cypher benefits -+are curatives that add more points or affect two Pools at once, Effort enhancers that can be used two or more times in -+an hour, and perfections that don't require an action to activate (and therefore can affect a roll on the same turn the -+user activates the cypher). - +- -Effect: Unravels to lead the user to their desired destination. The yarn unspools at the speed that the user would -normally walk or ride. The yonder yarn will not enter territory it deems too dangerous, and it cannot go through solid -obstacles. If the yarn is cut, it no longer works. -+Example malware cypher drawbacks are hindering the user's attack spells, debiting the user's bank account, monitoring -+the user's in-person or magical communications, deleting the user's other magical app cyphers, compelling the user to -+take a specific action, "locking" one of the user's spells until they pay a ransom, accessing private data such as -+passwords or photos, and so on. - +- -It is difficult, but not impossible, to protect oneself from being found by yonder yarn. Witches, in particular, know -ways to hide themselves (and others) from the yarn's power. -+Other common malware cypher names are WarlockAntivirus, SpellManager, HexCleaner, TomeBot, and ScryBlocker. - +- ### ARTIFACTS + ### MODERN MAGIC ARTIFACTS @@ -71059,1170 +56235,6 @@ item, but probably for only one use. Powerful magical creatures might be able to recharge artifacts, at least temporarily