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| 1 | +# Basic Rules |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +## Abilities |
| 4 | +Each of the six abilities is used in different circumstances. |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +- __Strength__: Used for melee attacks and saves requiring physical power, like lifting gates, bending bars, etc. |
| 7 | +- __Dexterity__: Used for ranged attacks and saves requiring poise, speed, and reflexes, like dodging, climbing, sneaking, balancing, etc. |
| 8 | +- __Constitution__: Used for saves to resist poison, sickness, cold, etc. The Constitution bonus is added to healing rolls. A PC's number of item slots is always equal to their Constitution defence. |
| 9 | +- __Intellect__: Used for saves requiring concentration and precision, such as recalling information, crafting objects, tinkering with machinery, identifying arcane technology, etc. |
| 10 | +- __Psyche__: Used for saves requiring perception and intuition, such as tracking, navigating, searching for secret doors, communing with psychic powers, etc. |
| 11 | +- __Eco__: Used for saves requiring willpower and charm, such as persuading, deceiving, intimidating, resisting mental domination, etc. |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +## Saving Throws |
| 14 | +If a character attempts something where the outcome is uncertain and failure has consequences, they make a saving throw, or "save". To make a save, add the bonus of the relevant ability to a d20 roll. If the total __exceeds 15__, the character succeeds. If not, they fail. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +If the save is opposed by another character, then instead of aiming to equal or exceed 15, the side doing the rolling must get a total greater than the opposing character's relevant defence score in order to succeed. If they fail, the opposing side succeeds. This type of save is called an opposed save. Note that it doesn't matter which side does the rolling, since the odds of success remain the same. |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +If there are situational factors that make a save significantly easier or harder, the referee may grant the roll __advantage__ or __disadvantage__. If a roll has advantage, roll 2d20 and use the better of the two dice. If it has disadvantage, roll 2d20 and use the worse of the two dice. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +## Item Slots |
| 21 | +PCs have a number of item slots equal to their constitution defence. Most items, including a day's water and rations, light weapons, tools and so on take up 1 slot, but particularly heavy or bulky items like armour or medium to heavy weapons will take up more slots. Groups of small, identical items may be bundled into the same slot, at the referee's discretion. Carrying more items than your slot limit will make your character __Encumbered__, which imposes disadvantage on all physical saves. It is impossible to carry more than 20 slots worth of items. |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +## Combat |
| 24 | +On their turn, a character may move and take up to one combat action. This action may be using a Gift, making a second move, making an attack, attempting a stunt, or any other action deemed reasonable by the referee. |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +Melee weapons can strike adjacent foes, but ranged weapons cannot be used if the shooting character is engaged in melee combat. To make an attack, roll a d20 and add the character's Strength or Dexterity bonus, depending on whether they are using a melee or ranged weapon, respectively. If the attack total is __greater than__ the defender's armor defence value, the attack hits. If not, the attack misses. |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +Alternatively, an attack roll can also be resolved by the defender rolling a d20 and adding their armor bonus, hoping to roll a total __greater than__ the defence of the ability the attacker is using. If they succeed, the attack misses. If they fail, the attack hits. |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +On a hit, the attacker rolls their weapon's damage die to determine how many __Hit Points__ (__HP__) the defender loses. A bonus damage die of the weapon's type may be added to the roll if the ideal weapon was used against an enemy type. |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +## Wounds and Healing |
| 33 | +When a character reaches 0 HP, they begin taking __Wounds__, which fill item slots and incur penalties. If a character fills 10 item slots with Wounds they will die. |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +|DAMAGE PAST 0HP|WOUND|SLOTS|DESCRIPTION| |
| 36 | +|---------------|-----|-----|-----------| |
| 37 | +|1|Just a scratch| - |You were lucky, this time.| |
| 38 | +|2|Damaged Item| - |A random inventory item is destroyed or damaged.| |
| 39 | +|3|Bloody Mouth| 1 |Your mouth drools blood and your speech slurs.| |
| 40 | +|4|Scrambled Nerves| 1 |Disadvantage on PSY saves.| |
| 41 | +|5|Teeth Knocked Out| 1 |Disadvantage on EGO saves.| |
| 42 | +|6|Addling Blow| 1 |Disadvantage on INT saves.| |
| 43 | +|7|Stomach Wound| 1 |Disadvantage on CON saves.| |
| 44 | +|8|Weakening Wound| 1 |Disadvantage on STR saves.| |
| 45 | +|9|Crippling Blow| 1 |Disadvantage on DEX saves.| |
| 46 | +|10|Bloody Gash| 1 |-d8 Max HP.| |
| 47 | +|11|Major Fracture| 2 |You cannot use a limb. -d6 STR and -d6 DEX.| |
| 48 | +|12|Lost an Eye| 2 |Your eye is gone. -d6 DEX and -d6 EGO.| |
| 49 | +|13|Cracked Skull| 2 |-d8 INT and -d8 PSY.| |
| 50 | +|14|Mangled Guts| 2 |-d8 CON and -d8 max HP.| |
| 51 | +|15|Severed Hand| 2 |-d8 STR and -d8 DEX.| |
| 52 | +|16|Severed Arm| 3 |-10 STR and -10 DEX. You pass out.| |
| 53 | +|17|Severed Leg| 3 |- 10 STR and -10 DEX. Cannot walk. You pass out.| |
| 54 | +|18|Braindead| 3 |-10 INT, -10 PSY, -10 EGO. You pass out.| |
| 55 | +|19|Bloody Mess| 3 |Roll 3 random wounds. You pass out.| |
| 56 | +|20|FATALITY| - |You are dead.| |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +HP is replenished via Short or Long Rests. A Short Rest is a quick sit-down, with a glug of water or a meal. This replenishes d8 + Constitution bonus HP. A Long Rest is a full night's sleep in a safe place. This replenishes all lost HP, and can heal minor wounds. |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +If your character is __Deprived__ they cannot benefit from Short or Long Rests. Deprivation can be incurred through many means, but the most common are starvation or thirst. |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +## Mystic Gifts |
| 63 | +Characters use their Gift in play by stating what they want to accomplish, and then paying an HP cost set by the referee, usually of d6. This represents the toll the unnatural powers take upon the body. Using a Gift in combat will result in a d8 damage roll, but this amount can be increased by paying more HP (paying d8 HP would grant a d10 damage roll, and so on). The same ratio applies to Gifts that heal allies' HP. |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +Gifts fill up psyche slots. Your maximum psyche slots cannot exceed your Psyche bonus. |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +## Advancement |
| 68 | +As you adventure in Vaarn, your character will grow from a relative novice into a more seasoned explorer. This is represented by your Level. All new characters start at Level 1, and advance by completing Expeditions. The precise nature of a single Expedition will be defined by the GM, but they usually involve extended journeys during which the characters solve problems, negotiate with or battle opponents, and discover more about the world of Vaarn. Completing an Expedition will gain you one experience point or __XP__. When your XP equals your current Level, increase your Level by one and erase all XP tallies. |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +When you level up, you receive 3 points which you may use to increase your Abilities. Abilities may never be raised higher than 20/+10. You may also roll a d8 and add the result to your maximum HP. |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +Once a character has reached level 10, they are considered complete. Each subsequent level will grant one extra HP, and they cannot increase their Abilities further. It is recommended that they recruit an Apprentice to accompany them on Expeditions. Once they have gained a few Levels, this Apprentice can become your new main character. |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +# Mystic Gifts |
| 75 | +Faith, mastery of arcane nano-tech, abuse of psychoactive fungus, or mutation has given your mind uncanny influence over the material world. Gifts are not items you carry, but intrinsic abilities you possess. Using a Gift costs HP; a precise cost will be determined by the Referee once you describe what you want to accomplish. The baseline cost is d6 HP. Gifts always hit in combat without rolling against Armour; they deal damage of one dice size higher than the user paid in HP. Therefore paying d6 HP will result in a damage roll of d8, and so on. |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +If you are not satisfied with the sample Gifts on offer, you may roll a completely random Gift. Simply roll once on the Quality table and once on the Form table opposite to generate the name of your Gift. You may decide, along with the GM and the other players, what exactly this Gift does. |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +|d20|SOURCE OF POWER|YOUR GIFT| |
| 80 | +|---|---------------|---------| |
| 81 | +|1|Mystical Crystal|Telekinesis| |
| 82 | +|2|Ritual Cannibalism|Pyrokinesis| |
| 83 | +|3|Psychoactive Fungus|Telepathy| |
| 84 | +|4|Nanomachine Infection|Memory Extraction| |
| 85 | +|5|Irridiated at Birth|Mind Control| |
| 86 | +|6|Meditation|Invisibility| |
| 87 | +|7|Dream Quest|Astral Projection| |
| 88 | +|8|Parasitic Spirit Entity|Healing Hands| |
| 89 | +|9|Mutation|Paralysing Touch| |
| 90 | +|10|Addictive Rare Drug|Eye Lasers| |
| 91 | +|11|Cybernetic Implants|Augury| |
| 92 | +|12|Devouring Memories|Inhuman Speed| |
| 93 | +|13|Brain Surgery|Second Sight| |
| 94 | +|14|Religion|Force Wall| |
| 95 | +|15|Ancient Mask|Generate Lightning| |
| 96 | +|16|Ancient Ring|Ultrasonic Scream| |
| 97 | +|17|Born During Eclipse|Levitation| |
| 98 | +|18|Found Weird Orb|Summon Orbs| |
| 99 | +|19|beheld Azathoth, the Daemon Sultan|Cryokinesis| |
| 100 | +|20|Studied in Lost Archives|Induce Sleep| |
| 101 | + |
| 102 | +# Quality and Form |
| 103 | +|d20|1-5|6-10|11-15|16-20| |
| 104 | +|---|---|----|-----|-----| |
| 105 | +|1|Bashing|Absorbing|Adhering|Bewildering| |
| 106 | +|2|Binding|Armouring|Addicting|Calming| |
| 107 | +|3|Blinding|Banishing|Blackening|Charming |
| 108 | +|4|Burning|Concealing|Blossoming|Commanding |
| 109 | +|5|Choking|Countering|Cacophonous|Enticing |
| 110 | +|6|Consuming|Curing|Dazzling|Horrifying |
| 111 | +|7|Corroding|Cushioning|Dividing|Hysterical |
| 112 | +|8|Crushing|Deflecting|Duplicating|Maddening |
| 113 | +|9|Deafening|Disappearing|Evolving|Mesmerising |
| 114 | +|10|Detonating|Disarming|Extinguishing|Mocking |
| 115 | +|11|Disintegrating|Disguising|Fusing|Revealing |
| 116 | +|12|Draining|Entangling|Ghostly|Whirling |
| 117 | +|13|Electrifying|Warding|Grasping|Slithering |
| 118 | +|14|Excruciating|Guarding|Inflating|Dreaming |
| 119 | +|15|Freezing|Shielding|Inverting|Encoding |
| 120 | +|16|Withering|Healing|Invulnerable|Enraging |
| 121 | +|17|Impaling|Hindering|Prismatic|Pulsing |
| 122 | +|18|Imprisoning|Invigorating|Transmuting|Saddening |
| 123 | +|19|Infecting|Mending|Teleporting|Scrying |
| 124 | +|20|Liquefying|Nullifying|Whispering|Subtle |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +|d20|1-5|6-10|11-15|16-20| |
| 127 | +|---|---|----|-----|-----| |
| 128 | +|1|Claw|Salt|Hail|Chaos |
| 129 | +|2|Clay|Sand|Haze|Cold |
| 130 | +|3|Crystal|Silk|Wind|Darkness |
| 131 | +|4|Flesh|Skin|Shard|Prism |
| 132 | +|5|Mould|Soil|Miasma|Distortion |
| 133 | +|6|Flower|Stone|Perfume|Dream |
| 134 | +|7|Fungus|Sugar|Pollen|River |
| 135 | +|8|Fruit|Ray|Plague|Fire |
| 136 | +|9|Glass|Thorn|Rain|Frost |
| 137 | +|10|Ice|Vine|Sandstorm|Ghost |
| 138 | +|11|Iron|Rust|Orb|Gravity |
| 139 | +|12|Ivory|Void|Bolt|Growth |
| 140 | +|13|Leaf|Ash|Snow|Song |
| 141 | +|14|Stone|Blizzard|Smoke|Voice |
| 142 | +|15|Moss|Breath|Arc|Light |
| 143 | +|16|Hand|Cloud|Sphere|Lightning |
| 144 | +|17|Gaze|Dust|Shield|Thread |
| 145 | +|18|Roots|Fog|Helix|Parasite |
| 146 | +|19|Beam|Mist|Web|Paradox |
| 147 | +|20|Cascade|Fragrance|Wound|Entropy |
| 148 | + |
| 149 | +# Exotica |
| 150 | +Exotica are strange, rare objects that are highly sought after. Each PC may begin play with one item of Exotica. Roll once on the table below. If you roll the same Exotica as another player, take the next available option down. |
| 151 | + |
| 152 | +|d20|EXOTICA|DESCRIPTION| |
| 153 | +|---|-------|-----------| |
| 154 | +|1|Mirror Ring|Projects a hologram copy of the wearer that mimics their actions.| |
| 155 | +|2|A Fool’s Head|The severed head of a synthetic jester. Not in great condition but can still remember some jokes.| |
| 156 | +|3|Singing Crystal|When struck, sings loudly and beautifully for up to an hour.| |
| 157 | +|4|Nightmare Box|Small cube of unbreakable, dark-tinted glass. One small peephole. Anyone looks inside will be paralysed by horror.| |
| 158 | +|5|Sandworm Horn|Blow outdoors to summon a sandworm, if you are bold enough.| |
| 159 | +|6|Midas Bomb|Transforms organic matter into gold.| |
| 160 | +|7|Sky-seeking Salve|Reverses effect of gravity on object it coats. Take care when outdoors| |
| 161 | +|8|Chameleon Cloak|Perfectly matches the colour of its surroundings| |
| 162 | +|9|Desiccated Mycomorph|Tiny dried out fungus-man. A drop of blood will revive him.| |
| 163 | +|10|Flesh of the Honeyed Lamb|Stolen from the Cult of the Honeyed Lamb; meat imbued with a powerful medicinal psychedelic.| |
| 164 | +|11|Agoniser|A barbaric relic. Silver needle that causes unbearable pain to organic creatures without leaving a mark.| |
| 165 | +|12|Exultant’s Hawk|Cybernetic hunting animal, bound to you telepathically. 3 HP, Armour 17, d4 claw damage.| |
| 166 | +|13|Black Heart|Repulsive twitching cyborg organ. Will slowly and painfully revive a single dead body.| |
| 167 | +|14|All-Purpose Idol|Imbued with powerful neuro-active programming. Observers always believe idol represents the deity they worship.| |
| 168 | +|15|Ulfire Candle|Ulfire is the ninth colour; its light has the unusual quality of shining through solid objects. It is blocked by lead.| |
| 169 | +|16|Vial of ICE-9|Alchemical substance that transforms all water it touches into un-meltable ice.| |
| 170 | +|17|Pale Blade of Amun-Oh|Priests of Amun-Oh pledged never to take a life; their white knives will cut through anything except living flesh.| |
| 171 | +|18|Blasphemies of the Binary Demon|A tablet engraved with a series of quantum-logical propositions. Poses little threat to organic life, but can be deadly to sentient machines.| |
| 172 | +|19|Helpful Snake|It lives up your sleeve and tries, whenever it can, to help.| |
| 173 | +|20|Dried Crypt Lotus|Grim flower that sprouts from the forehead of corpses. Sometimes kept as a keepsake of a lost companion.| |
| 174 | + |
| 175 | +# Cybernetics |
| 176 | +PCs may begin with a cybernetic implant instead of a mystic Gift at the GM’s discretion. Cybernetic implants do not take up item slots; however, each cybernetic implant is associated with one of a PC’s six Abilities. Each Ability may have only one implant assigned to it. Cybernetics cannot boost a PC’s stats past the natural 20/+10 maximum. |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +|d20|IMPLANT|ABILITY|EFFECT| |
| 179 | +|---|-------|-------|------| |
| 180 | +|1|Air Current Microsensor|PSY|You suffer no navigation or combat penalties from blindness or darkness.| |
| 181 | +|2|Alluring Fakeface|ECO|You are extraordinarily beautiful. +2 to EGO.| |
| 182 | +|3|Autoglot HeadBank|INT|+2 to INT. You understand all languages.| |
| 183 | +|4|Backup Heart|CON|+2 to CON. +5 max HP.| |
| 184 | +|5|Carbide Knucklebones|STR|Your bare fists deal d8+2 damage.| |
| 185 | +|6|Cyberliver|CON|You gain immunity to all poisons. You cannot get drunk.| |
| 186 | +|7|Dazzleskin Filaments|CON|You are immune to energy weapons. Disadvantage when trying to hide.| |
| 187 | +|8|Dopamine Synthesizer|EGO|+2 to EGO. You are immune to fear, panic, and embarrassment.| |
| 188 | +|9|Dorsal Jump-pack|DEX|You have hover-jets mounted on your back. You fly slowly and loudly.| |
| 189 | +|10|Ferrosteel Exo-Skeleton|STR|Add +2 to Armour and STR. Subtract -2 from DEX. You cannot swim.| |
| 190 | +|11|Finger Syringe|DEX|One finger is a hidden injector. You can load it with any tonic or poison.| |
| 191 | +|12|Hydraulic Biceps|STR|+2 to STR. Add STR bonus to weapon damage.| |
| 192 | +|13|Hyper-elastic Tendons|DEX|+2 to DEX. You can jump like a frog.| |
| 193 | +|14|Merciless Cybereyes|DEX|+2 to DEX. Add DEX bonus to ranged weapon damage.| |
| 194 | +|15|Mercurial Fakeface|EGO|Your face can alter its features and colour at will.| |
| 195 | +|16|Sub-dermal Ceramic Plating|CON|+2 to Armour. Cannot be removed.| |
| 196 | +|17|Sub-dermal Insulation|CON|Immunity to all damage from flames, cold, and electricity. Cannot be removed.| |
| 197 | +|18|Tactical Bioscanner|PSY|You know the Armour, Hit Points, and Morale of any Biological creature.| |
| 198 | +|19|Tactical Technoscanner|INT|You know the Armour, Hit Points, and Morale of any Synthetic creature.| |
| 199 | +|20|Trauma-Response Rig|CON|Make a CON save to ignore the results of Wound rolls.| |
| 200 | + |
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