• There’s been some lore updates but I’m lazy and forgot to document some of them so they’re not all listed here.
• New Drawbacks
  • 5 Minutes of Infamy: You are unlucky enough to have been caught in the spotlight of one of the most popular shows while living through one of the unluckiest moments of your life. Whether it was saying something extremely offensive, dumb, or racist, you have gotten five minutes of global infamy as a meme. You incur a –2 penalty on Charisma-based skill checks against other characters, at the GM’s discretion.
  • Cowardly: You might face dangerous situations with bravado, but you are constantly afraid. Your base speed when frightened and fleeing increases by 1 square, and if you are moved down on the condition track due to a mind-affecting effect the number of steps you move is increased by 1. If you would normally be immune to fear, you do not take these penalties but instead lose your immunity to fear (regardless of its source).
  • Entomophobe: A harrowing experience with insects when you were young instilled in you a deep-seated fear of insects of all description, especially when they swarm together. You take a –2 penalty on attacks against insects and insectoid creature, and you take a any penalties caused by insectoid creatures swarming you is increased by 2.
  • Geek Physique: As a result of spending as much time as possible on the net and the constant playing of VRPGs, your physical body has suffered somewhat. Let’s just say that it would do you well to come outside from time to time. You treat your Strength as 2 lower for the purpose of determining your carrying capacity. If you take any feats or cybernetics that increase your Strength, the new carrying capacity is still affected by this drawback.
  • Helpless: You once stood helpless as great harm befell a loved one, and that paralysis sometimes returns when an ally is in a dire position. The frst time per combat encounter that an ally within 6 squares falls unconscious or dies as the result of an attack, you are unable to act on your next turn.
  • Impatient: You love leaping into battle at the earliest opportunity, and it frustrates you to wait for others to act. You can’t delay or ready actions, and if you are the last of your allies to act in a round of combat, you take a –1 penalty on ability checks, attack rolls, defenses, and skill checks until you act again.
  • Insatiable: You have become so accustomed to binging on the finer things in life that you find going without such excess particularly strenuous. Goods and services cost you 10% more (and can’t be paid for by allies), and you need twice as much food and liquid as normal for the purposes of preventing starvation and thirst.
  • Scarred: An injury left you horribly, visibly scarred, making it more difficult for you to hide your true face, and also making most people distrustful of you merely due to your appearance. You take a –5 penalty on Stealth checks made to disguise yourself, and a –2 penalty on Deception checks.
  • Stigmatized: You were kept at the periphery of society for a long period of time, so that even when you are among strangers in a new place, you feel the weight of your missing socialization. You take a –3 penalty on Persuasion checks made to improve a target’s attitude and Gather Information checks.
• New Traits
  • Amiable Briber (Social): Your attempts to bribe others usually come off as playful or as a gag. The first time someone refuses a bribe you offer, that person’s attitude toward you doesn’t worsen, even if the offer would normally offend the person.
  • Bodyguard (Combat): You’ve made a living protecting others, learning to spot danger quickly and respond quickly and decisively. You Gain a +1 trait bonus to Initiative, and a +2 trait bonus to Perception checks to notice ambushes, traps, and similar dangers. Once per game session you can spend a hero point to interpose yourself, as an immediate action, between an attack and anyone else in an adjacent square. The attack is made against your AC, and you suffer any damage or effects if it hits.
  • Callous (Social): You have endured many hardships throughout your life, and this has hardened you to the suffering of others to the point that you are not easily swayed by a sad story. You gain a +4 trait bonus on Perception checks that oppose the Deception checks of creatures that attempt to deceive you by winning your sympathy.
  • Cynical (Social): You have seen many heroes in your time, but you see only their capacity for failure and the ways they fall short of being truly good. This practice in looking past facades has proven a useful skill. You gain a +1 trait bonus on your Will defense against mind-affecting effects and any kind of illusion.
  • Fugitive (Combat): You crossed the law (or those in charge thought you did), and you are now a wanted criminal. As such, you have grown used to looking over your shoulder wherever you go. While in settlements, you gain a +3 trait bonus on Perception checks to determine awareness for the purpose of a surprise round.
  • Gifted Smuggler (Social): You have a knack for hiding goods on your person. Any object at least one size smaller than you is treated as an additional size smaller for the purposes of concealing the item on yourself via a Stealth check.
  • Hacker (Skill): You’re the ghost in the machine (even if you are a pathetic creature of meat and bone), cracking into the toughest systems and mining data. You have dealt with the harshest elements of the net, panted and sweat as you ran through the corridors, and have been toughened by the experience (and possibly challenged a few perfect immortal machines). Add +1 to your Surface Defense and your Core Defense (if you have one). Whenever you successfully hack into a Corporate, Government, or Military network, you automatically download 1d6x1000 credits worth of information you can sell on the black market.
• New Program – Cadeceus – Usually military in origin, this relatively common program interfaces with biomonitors across a small communications network – usually an intra-squad network – and provides anyone in that network with a summary of the current health of the network members. If HUDs are available this is available as a HUD pane, otherwise it is displayed as per normal on a computer. Functionally, this allows everyone in the network to know the hit points of each other. Additionally, anyone in the network gains a bonus to Treat Injury checks on other members of the network equal to the level of the program. This program can handle a number of members equal to its working level. As this program is run distributed across the network, the connections to the team member’s biomonitors do not count against Systems Management. The Cadeceus program costs 500 Credits per level.
• New Story Feat – Gettin’ the Band Back Together
  Prerequisite: Have a group that you used to engage in activities with that has since been broken up
  Benefits: Your skills at operating within a group have taught you valuable lessons in teamwork. You automatically succeed on attempts to use the Aid Another action, and people automatically succeed on the Aid Another action to assist you. The bonus you provide or gain from the Aid Another action is increased by one-quarter your character level. Additionally, you gain an increasing bonus as you rebuild your band.
  First Band Member: You are now trained in the Persuasion skill if you were not already. Additionally, you can choose which mental ability score you use for the Persuasion skill but only when using it against former band members.
  One-Third of All Band Members: You can now choose which mental ability score you use for the Persuasion skill for all uses of the skill and against all targets.
  Two-Thirds of All Band Members: You gain the Skill Focus [Persuasion] feat. If you already have this feat, you instead gain a bonus feat of your choice that requires Persuasion as a trained skill.
  Goal: Regain all of the members of your old group as Level 3 contacts. If any of the members of your old group are found to be deceased or unable to participate in group activities, you will need to find a suitable replacement for them. During the course of this you must decisively defeat an appropriate number of of foes.
  Completion Benefits: When you’ve managed to make contact with all of your old compatriots you can choose to either reassemble the band or not. Reassembling the band brings all of the other group members into the party’s fold as GM-controlled NPCs. Choosing to not reassemble the band instead allows you to not count activations of band members as uses of your single use of a Level 3 contact for a session.
• New Hack Actions – DoS Attack and Popup Infestation
• New Psionic Power – Unspeakable Doom
• New Generic Gear [Weapon] – Sword Cane

• Added new Vehicle Tactical Fire options.
• New Vehicle Accessories: Command & Control Co-Processor, Command & Control Mining Co-Processor
• Lore update on the Conqueror-class Stealth Battlecruiser. Stats still a work in progress.
• Lore update on the Iwo Jima-class Mobile Marine Base. Stats still a work in progress.
• Lore update on the Lagos-class Battlecruiser. Stats still a work in progress.
• Lore update on the Phoenix-class Command Ship. Let it be known that I had this thing named as the Phoenix-class more than a year before Halo Wars introduced a similar concept in the form of the UNSC Spirit of Fire.
• Official announcement: I’ve handed off the development of the Yoitsuni and the Calengil to two different players. Want to seize control of the development of a different species and leave your mark on the setting? Contact Marty.
  • Holy Yoitsuni Empire – John B.
  • Calengil Dominion – Chris H.
• New Magic Type: Qi Manipulation

RULES ADDITION: Watcher Character Advancement

Watcher Initiation – As part of initiation into the Watchers, you receive a set of Watcher Implants. These bits of biotechnology are reverse-engineered Nightlord tech, which serve to allow the Watcher to control his abilities. Additionally, it functions as a translation device, holding an infinite amount of languages and learning new languages as they are encountered (after a few days of exposure). You can understand the language without penalty, but speaking the language imposes a -6 penalty to social interaction skills when using the translator – this penalty is reduced to -3 one month after receiving the implant. Since this is organic technology, you do not become susceptible to ion damage.

Detect Night – You receive a +5 bonus to notice nightscript. Further, if you pass within 1 square of a nightbridge or character with one or more Night feats you immediately sense that the place or character is touched by the Night.

Decipher Nightscript – You are able to pick out bits of Nightscript from your environment. You may make an Intelligence check (DC 15) to read Nightscript – you add your Night Bonus to this check as well. If successful, you may identify the contents of a night scribble or determine the intentions of a strange inscription or strange verse. To those without this ability Nightscript appears to be meaningless or random symbols which are frequently entirely overlooked.

Night Shift – As a full-round action, you can shift into the Night. While in the Night, your movement speed is quadrupled, but you cannot interact with anything outside of the Night. As you gain levels, the ease with which you can enter the Night increases. Returning from the Night to reality is a free action that can only be taken on your turn. You can only enter the Night once per turn. When you Night Shift, you can also shift a number of adjacent creatures equal to your Night Bonus, however creatures who have the Night Shift ability cannot be shifted in this manner. Unwilling creatures can be shifted in this fashion, however you must make a melee touch attack against them to shift them.

Night Abilities – As you gain experience you learn to manipulate the Night and its effects in more advanced ways. Each time you gain a Night Ability, choose one from the list below that you meet the prerequisites for.

• All or Nothing (Prerequisite: Unshakeable) – The Night’s effects on reality can be inherently random, sometimes allowing you to succeed in the face of overwhelming odds while at other times making you fail where you might have normally succeeded. Once per session before making a roll, you may increase the auto-succeed and auto-fail ranges of that roll by 5.  For rolls that did not normally auto-succeed or auto-fail, this becomes a range of success on 16-20 and failure on 1-4.  For attack rolls, auto-success on this roll counts as a critical threat as well as an automatic hit, however this critical threat must be confirmed as normal.  You may not take 10 or take 20 with a roll affected by this ability.
• Black Cat – Strange and unfortunate accidents tend to plague your enemies. Rolls that automatically fail on a given die roll now increase the range that they fail on by 1.  This only affects the highest-level opponent you are in direct conflict with.  This ability may be taken multiple times. For each additional time you take it, Black Cat affects the next highest-level opponent.
• Night Dodge (Prerequisite: Tough Luck, Character Level 12 or higher) – Due to your ability to duck into the Night as needed, sometimes attacks miss you, even when you would have otherwise been hit.  You may spend a hero point and make the usual hero point roll the beginning of any round (Things Get Weird applies if you have it). For a number of rounds equal to the result of your action point roll plus your Night bonus, any successful attack against you has a 20% chance of missing you after all.
• Night Fetch (Prerequisite: Night Scrounge) – You are now able to pull useful items from the Night faster and more reliably.  Roll a d20, adding your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (whichever is highest). If the roll * 1000 exceeds the desired item’s cost, you’re able to acquire it in one round. Otherwise, fetching the item takes a number of minutes equal to the difference between the cost and 1000 * the roll. The moment the item is no longer being held or watched it returns to the Night.
• Night Scrounge (Prerequisite: INT, WIS, or CHA 13 or higher) – Sometimes items that are cast away or lost find their way into the Night.  While the most of these are lost keys or lone socks, sometimes some are more useful.  Once per session you may spend an hour to find a weapon or piece of gear. The cost of this equipment cannot exceed your 1000 * (Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma modifier (whichever is highest) plus your Night bonus. If the item is a weapon, attacks with it fail on a natural 1 or 2 – if the weapon already has an increased failure range than increase the range by 1.  The item automatically breaks at the end of the session.  You may take this ability up to three times, each time allowing you to find an item once per session.
• Night Stash (Prerequisite: Night Fetch) – You are able to shift normal items into the Night, to be recovered later.  You may place a single item into the Night, where you can retrieve it later. Unlike items discovered with the Night Scrounge feat, items stashed in the Night don’t gain increased failure ranges or any special tendency to break.  You must spend an hero point and take one minute to place an item in the Night. Afterward, you may retrieve the item at any time as a full round action (even if you’re in a different location). When the item is retrieved, you must roll a d20, adding your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (whichever is highest), add your Night Bonus to this roll as well. If the result of this roll * 1000 is equal to or less than the item’s cost, it becomes lost in the Night.  The item can be returned to the Night as a full-round action, allowing you to retrieve it again at a later point in time.  The character may only have one item stashed in the Night at any one time.
• Scribble (Prerequisite: Level 7 or higher) – Your knowledge of nightscript allows you to create self-delivering messages. You may write a short nightscript message (one sentence) that makes itself plain to one individual of your choice. The message can move instantly to any desired location up to 10 kilometers from the point it was created and lingers for 24 hours, or until it is read by the intended recipient, whichever comes first. Creating the scribble requires one full round per word in the message, and you may create one scribble per session per point of Night bonus you have.
• Spoil (Prerequisites: Unshakable) – You are naturally resistant to the power of the mystic world.  The DC of all invocations targeting you, and your defense scores any spell, incantation, true incantation, or nanospell, are increased by double your Night bonus.
• Strange Inscription (Prerequisite: Scribble, Level 12 or higher) – You can create bits of nightscript that influence the minds of others.  You may create a piece of nightscript that immediately imposes itself on another character within your line of sight. Doing so requires 2 full rounds. You must make an attack against the target’s Will defense – this attack bonus is equal to your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (whichever is highest) plus quadruple your Night bonus.  Success on the attack causes the target to suffer one of the following effects.  The target of a strange inscription cannot be affected by another piece of nightscript until this piece has run its full course (alleffects comes to an end and all temporary attribute damage is recovered). Each use of this ability counts as a use of your Scribble ability.
  • Blindness: The target is blinded for 2d4 rounds.
  • Confusion: The target suffers 2d4 points of temporary Intelligence damage. This damage recovers at the rate of 1 point per minute.
  • Depression: The target suffers 2d4 points of temporary Charisma damage. This damage recovers at the rate of 1 point per minute.
  • Fear: The target attempts to flee the area at his top speed for 2d4 rounds.
  • Generosity: The target’s disposition toward everyone is improved by two grades for 2d4 minutes.
  • Indecision: The target is stunned for 1d6 rounds.
  • Lethargy: The target loses their Dexterity bonus to Reflex Defense and may only take one move or standard action per round for 2d4 rounds.
  • Malice: The target’s disposition towards everyone is worsened by two grades for 2d4 minutes.
  • Pain: The target takes 2d8 subdual damage. This damage is recovered at the rate of 2 points per minute.
• Strange Verse (Prerequisite: Strange Inscription, Level 17 or higher) – You can create complex snippets of nightscript with a variety of results.  Once per session, you may create a string of nightscript that immediately imposes itself on another character within line of sight. Creating the string requires four full rounds. You must make an attack against the target’s Will defense – this attack bonus is equal to your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (whichever is highest) plus quadruple your Night bonus.  Success on the attack causes the target to suffer one of the following effects:
  • Song of…: As any of the Strange Inscription effects except that the number of dice rolled is increased by 1.
  • Song of Blood: The target suffers 3d8 damage.
  • Song of Death: You must immediately make an additional attack (at the same bonus) against the target’s Fortitude defense. If the attack succeeds, the target is immediately reduced to –1 HP and begins dying.
  • Song of Obedience: The target’s disposition toward you becomes “Ally” until they next rest.
• Tough Luck (Prerequisite: Black Cat, Level 6 or higher) – You’re more than just a jinx, you’re a magnet for unlucky breaks.  Opponents affected by your Black Cat ability must spend either a hero point or their next available swift action to avoid losing any critical hit or auto-success made against you.
• Things Get Weird (Prerequisite: All or Nothing, Level 12 or higher) – Any time you roll a ‘6’ with an hero point roll, the die explodes (roll the die again and add the new result to it).  However, any time that you roll a 1 on the hero point roll, you subtract one from the end result of the hero point roll.  If you only roll 1 hero point die, you gain no effect from the hero point instead.
• Unshakable – You remain calm and collected even in the face of the utterly bizarre and incomprehensible. You add your Night Bonus to your Will defense. Further, you take no penalties to Initiative and can still take 10 when in the Night.

Integral Theory – You are a student of exotic mathematics that describe the operation of a theoretical world, mathematics that have a profound impact on the Night. You may use mathematical formulas to influence the base workings of the Night, providing yourself with one of the following benefits while in an area where the Night is present or while within in the Night. The ‘bonus’ referred to is your Night Bonus, as determined by your Night User Character Advancement. Once chosen this bonus remains in effect until you leave the Night. The next time you enter the Night, a new bonus may be chosen.

• A bonus to all attack rolls and either unarmed damage or damage.
• A dodge bonus to Reflex Defense equal to 2x your Night Bonus
• A bonus to all defenses
• DR against physical attacks
• Resistance equal to 2x your Night Bonus against one energy type, chosen upon activation of Integral Theory
• A number temporary hit points equal to three times your Night Bonus.

Description Theory – Your mathematical formulae that grant you the ability to create more potent alterations within the Night now create alterations and make those alterations persist even after the Night has departed or you have left the Night. When you depart the Night you may retain your Integral Theory bonus. This effect immediately ends when the character next enters the Night, regardless of if that entry into the Night was of their own volition.

Summation Theory – You can now extend the benefits of Integral Theory to a number of allies equal to your Night Bonus. This does not allow you to apply the benefits of Description Theory to them.

Encompassing Theory – You can now extend the benefits of Description Theory to a number of allies equal to your Night Bonus.

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NEW MAGIC TALENTS

• CREATION MAGIC TALENT TREE
• Expedient Crafter: The action it takes for you to cast the Creation spell decreases to a swift action.
• Prerequisites: Fast Crafter

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NEW MOJO MANIPULATION CONTENT

New Improved Mojo – Extra Mojo: You gain another point of Mojo.  This Improved Mojo can be taken multiple times.

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RULES UPDATE: Military Occupational Specialities

Military Occupational Specialities are now open to all military characters, not just mundane ones.

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NEW MUNDANE CHARACTER PROGRESSION COMBAT METHOD: Grace, Tact, and Wit

Grace, Tact, and Wit – Rather than focusing on force of arms or fists, you have instead honed your razor wit and personality into a useful weapon and defense in combat.  At level 1 you gain the Noble Fencing Style talent as a bonus talent (Expert class, Fencing talent tree), and you can use this talent with any one-handed melee weapon you are proficient with instead of just light weapons.  You add the Fencing talent tree to the list of talent trees that you can spend your Mundane Character Progression bonus talents on (see below).  At level 3 and every 3 levels thereafter you gain a bonus feat that you meet the prerequisites for from the following list of feats.

• Banter
• Brilliant Defense
• Combat Trickery
• Demoralizing Strike
• Disturbing Presence
• Fan Service
• Fight Through Pain
• Force of Personality
• Humiliate
• Indomitable Personality
• Intimidator
• Mark
• Poise [Martial Arts]
• Predictive Defense
• Silver Tongue
• Undermine

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NEW MUNDANE CHARACTER PROGRESSION COMBAT METHOD: Perpetual Tinker

Perpetual Tinker – You are always tinkering with your equipment, focusing on that art rather than your actual combat skills.  Relying on this ‘enhanced’ equipment means you’re rather dependent on it, but the improvements you’ve made to your equipment mean you can hold your own with it.  At level 1 you gain the Personalized Modifications talent as a bonus talent (Expert and Scoundrel classes, Outlaw Tech tree) and you can use this on any weapon instead of only powered weapons, however using it requires 4 hours of work instead of a standard action.  When you use the Personalized Modifications talent the changes are permanent instead of only lasting until the end of the encounter.  You add the Outlaw Tech talent tree to the list of talent trees that you can spend your Mundane Character Progression bonus talents on (see below).  You can still use the talent as a Standard Action as normal but if you do the benefits only last until the end of the encounter and you can only use it in this fashion on powered weapons.  At level 3 and every 3 levels thereafter you gain a bonus feat that you meet the prerequisites for from the following list of feats.

• Advanced Device
• Expert Scavenger
• Hasty Modification
• Scavenger
• Signature Device
• Skill Focus (Mechanics)
• Skill Training (Mechanics)
• Starship Designer
• Superior Tech
• Tech Specialist
• Technophile
• Urgent Modification

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NEW MAGIC TYPE: Creation Magic

Encapsulated Spells – Rather than actively working magic into shape to cast a spell, you instead pre-shape it.  By directing the energy into a pre-built form, you are able to prepare a wide variety of magic for use ahead of time by expending material resources in the process.  This is an expensive process, the cost of which is dependent on the form being used.  Creating an encapsulated spell takes 1 hour per spell.  When activated, Encapsulated Spells function as you had gotten a 5 on the d20 to roll your Magery check.  By doubling the creation cost, this is improved to a 10.  At level 7 this improves to a 10 normally, and a 15 with doubled cost.  At level 13 this improves to a 15 normally and a 20 with quadrupled cost.

Base Encapsulation Cost – Base Encapsulation Cost is the cheapest you can encapsulate a spell for – essentially, it is the cost for the spell itself without any form or form modifiers.  Base Encapsulation Cost is equal to your Magery check modifier in whatever the predominant local currency is.

Forms and Form Modifiers – Forms are what physical shapes you can ‘cast’ a spell into.  Form Modifiers allow you to alter these shapes or the spells they encapsulate.  You begin play knowing two of these – at least one of which must be a Form.  At level 3 and every 4 levels thereafter you learn an additional form or Form Modifier.

• Forms
• Ammunition – Ammunition represents spells cast into the forms of bullets (cartridges or balls), arrows, crossbow bolts, and the like.  These are designed to be fired out of a weapon, and each of the subtypes of Ammunition forms vary in how they work and how much they cost
  • Equal – Equal ammunition is actually a blank cartridge, and is only usable with bullets.  Technically the round doesn’t even need to be a proper blank, it could just be a musket ball or empty shell casing.  Equal activates the spell and you choose its target as normal for the spell.  Equal form costs five times the cost of the ammunition you are making the spell into, plus your Base Encapsulation Cost.
  • Minus – Minus deals no damage to the target, and instead applies the effects of the contained spell effect to them with a successful ranged attack.  This is useful for distributing helpful effects from range.  Minus form costs 7.5 times the cost of the ammunition you are making the spell into, plus your Base Encapsulation Cost.
  • Plus – Plus deals the normal damage for the ammunition and affects the target with the contained spell effect with a successful ranged attack.  Spells that activate from range ignore the range and affect the target damaged by the ammunition as normal – if the Magery check of the encapsulated spell would allow it.  Plus form costs 10 times the cost of the ammunition you are making the spell into, plus your Base Encapsulation Cost.
• Grenade – Grenade represent spells designed to be thrown (grenades for a grenade launcher can be made via Ammunition forms, but they only affect a target directly hit by them).  They can look like actual grenades, fragile flasks of liquid, large bouncy balls, pieces of paper, or the like.  When thrown, they function as a simple thrown weapon.  Grenade-form encapsulated spells cost triple your Base Encapsulation Cost.
• Liquid – Liquids are designed to be applied directly to an object or consumed by a user.  Applying or consuming a liquid is a standard action.  Unlike slap-patches, liquids can be used on a range of targets instead of just living ones.  Liquid-form encapsulated spells cost double your Base Encapsulation Cost.
• Slap-Patch – Slap-Patches are applied directly to exposed skin of the target, be it the target of a hostile or helpful effect.  They require a successful melee attack as a standard action to apply to an unwilling target, or a move action to apply to yourself.  In either case, the target must have exposed skin.  Slap-Patch encapsulated spells cost your Base Encapsulation Cost.
• Tattoo – While tattooed encapsulated spells do not actually require tattooing the subject of them, they do appear as patterns on the skin of the target.  They can only be applied to biological, sentient targets, and can only contain spells which have a target of “You” and are activated with whatever action the spell normally takes (even if that is a Reaction).  Tattoo encapsulated spells cost 15 times your Base Encapsulation Cost.
• Trap – Traps are a non-mobile Form, instead being a single Square enchanted with the spell.  The spell triggers when someone other than you enters that square.  You can exempt a number of other entities from triggering the spell equal to your level, but they must be present when you create the trap.  Trap-form encapsulated spells cost eight times your Base Encapsulation Cost.
• Form Modifiers
• Delayed Effect (Valid For: Ammunition [Minus], Ammunition [Plus], Liquid, Slap-Patch, Trap) – This delays the effect of the encapsulated spell for a number of rounds up to your character level.  You choose the delay when you are crafting the encapsulated spell.  Once it is set, it cannot be changed.  This modifier doubles the Base Encapsulation Cost of the encapsulated spell.

Bonus Talents – As you level, you gain bonus talent slots that can only be used on talents from the Creation Magic and Magic Item talent trees.  Note that you do not qualify for the Magic Bullets and Advanced Magic Bullets talents, but you can duplicate these via the Ammunition encapsulated spell Form.

Focused Magic – When you learn a spell via Magery Training, you do not add it to your spell suite – you instead add it to your repertoire of spells known for Encapsulated Spells, and you instead add a use of the Creation spell to your spell suite.  You gain no benefit from learning a spell multiple times via Magery Training, so choosing one multiple times is not a good idea.

Reinforcement – Part of what you have learned about the process of turning energy into matter can be applied to things beyond simply creating objects.  By spending a standard action, you can enhance an object to be more useful for its given purpose.  If it is a weapon, it provides the listed bonus as a bonus to attack or damage (your choice) equal to 1/5th your level.  If it is an item that boosts a skill check, the bonus increases by double the listed bonus.  Armor affected by Reinforcement increases any defense bonus and/or damage reduction it provides by the Reinforcement bonus.  Reinforcement can only be applied to skill-boosting equipment, melee weapons, and armor.

Ammo Crafter – By spending whatever action it would normally be to reload a ranged weapon you are using you can create ammunition inside the weapon’s magazine.  This ammunition can be any type of mundane ammunition, but it cannot be an ammunition-form encapsulated spell.  The amount of ammunition that you create is equal to triple your Reinforcement bonus (3 pieces at level 3, 6 at level 9, and so on).  Ammunition created by this method immediately disappears and is lost if it leaves the weapon in a manner other than being fired.  This cannot be used to create the following ammunition types: Anti-Shield, Explosive, Grenade arrows, or Shock Rounds.  Additionally, it cannot be used to create grenades or any form of guided missile ammunition.

Favored Weapon – Choose one weapon that you are proficient with.  When you create one of these weapons with Creation, you gain the listed bonus to attack and damage with the weapon.  Unlike a normal use of the Creation spell, you can create this weapon even if it normally could not be created by the spell (such as if it was a technologically advanced object).  In the case of technologically-advanced weaponry, you must have purchased the weapon and ‘attuned’ yourself to it – this deconstructs the weapon and essentially lets you ‘remember the pattern’ for it.  If your favored weapon is a melee weapon, it is automatically affected by your Reinforcement ability.  If it is a ranged weapon, using Creation to create it also automatically activates your Ammo Crafter ability.  When you use Creation to make your favored weapon, you can sacrifice one of your encapsulated spells (which must be a portable form – not a Trap) in the process – this provides the weapon the effects of the Strike Boost spell for a number of rounds equal to half your level.

Inherent Artifact – Unlike most mages who dabble into the field of Creation, you can manage the pinnacle of the art from an early stage – but in a limited form.  When you reach level 3, choose one Artifact – you effectively have the Artifact Crafter talent, but can only use it to create this one Artifact.  You do not need to have seen the Artifact in use.  However, when you create this artifact the duration of time it remains created for is equal to a number of rounds equal to your character level, rather than one-quarter your character level.  Unlike the normal use of the Artifact Crafter talent, you can use Dual Crafter to make a second copy of the Artifact, instead of a second distinct Artifact – if you do not have the Artifact Crafter talent you must make a second copy if you are using Dual Crafter.  You can still take the Artifact Crafter talent normally once you qualify for it.  Inherent Artifact automatically gains the benefits of Reinforcement, and is created in its evoked (but not Activated) form like a device created by the Device Crafter talent.

Inner World: Land of a Thousand Weapons – Effectively, this is categorized as a True Incantation.  However, it is only available to users of the Creation Magic discipline, there exists a separate, more ‘proper’ True Incantation originating from Creation spirits (Forgotten Blacksmith: Artisan of the Ages).  Unlike most True Incantations, however, every user effectively has their own name for it, and their own incantation of choice.

• Casting Time: Ten Move Actions (taken consecutively or not)
• Duration: 1 round per character level
• Nonlethal Damage: 4d8
• Magery Check: 30
• Origin: N/A
• Spirit: Creation
• This true incantation essentially ‘temporarily overrides reality’ within a 30-square radius around the caster.  While within this area, the caster’s Creation spells are reduced to a free action, and their encapsulated spells are not consumed while used within this area.  Meanwhile, characters hostile to the caster find their magic impeded, suffering a -10 penalty on all Magery checks while within the area.  The area is isolated from the outside, effects from inside cannot pass out, and vice versa. 

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RULES UPDATE: Wealth Talent (Lineage talent tree, Heroic talents)

Add the following to the talent: A character with this talent gains an Excellent quality financial service provider dedicated towards building their portfolio – however, unlike a financial service provider paid for during the course of play, this provider is not considered to be taking any of the income as a fee.  This portfolio starts play with 100,000 credits in it, and it can be liquidated as normal whenever the character chooses to do so.  Additional credits can be placed into this portfolio as normal.  Credits gained from the Wealth talent can be added to the portfolio during creation.

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NEW CHRYSOARI EQUIPMENT

Chrysoari Gravity Grenade
Small Simple Thrown Weapon
Cost: 200 Chrysoari Protectorate Credits
Availability: Restricted (Illegal if Calengil)
Weight: 0.5 kg
The Chrysoari gravity grenade creates an altered gravity field in a 2-square radius area.  The user chooses between low, high, and standard gravity, applying the normal affects as such.  This change in gravity lasts for 2d4 rounds.

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PSIONIC CHARACTER PROGRESSION: New Avatar

Mystic: Unlike other Avatars, the Mystic avatar provides the following bonuses – +2 to Knowledge [Arcana] and the Mystic feat as a bonus feat (see Magic Feats)

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NEW STORY FEATS

Aspiring Noble
You strive to be seen as a legitimate noble.
Prerequisite: Must be a member of an established family that is yet unrecognized as nobility.  Must be from a culture or society that would allow new noble families to arise.
Beneft: You have learned to further your name among the people. Choose a polity (state, nation, empire – whatever would have to recognize you as nobility). While in your chosen settlement, you gain a +2 bonus on Persuasion checks when dealing with the commoners of that polity.  If you are level 10 or higher, the bonus increases to +4.
Goal: Have your family recognized as nobility by either three established noble families or a ruling monarch.
Completion Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus on checks with Persuasion when dealing with the rest of the citizens of your chosen polity. Your bonus to interact with commoners increases to +4, or it increases to +6 if you are level 10 or higher.

Self-Exiled Noble
You chose to leave nobility behind.
Prerequisite: You must have intentionally left your noble family and changed your name or appearance afterward.  Must be from a culture or society that would allow new noble families to arise.
Beneft: You gain a +2 bonus on Deception checks, and Deception is a class skill for you. You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and a +2 bonus on skill checks against members of your former family.
Goal: Escape your former name by establishing your own noble legacy. In addition, you must decisively defeat a challenging foe from your former family who may wish to return you to your old home.
Completion Benefit: Your bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls from this feat increases to +2 and the bonus to skill checks increases to +4, and these bonuses now apply to anyone who threatens your allies or your new noble legacy.

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Okay, some of you can see my actual post draft document and you know there’s tons of stuff not in this post. It’s coming, I’m just purging that draft of stuff that’s ‘ready to go.’

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Designing Vehicles
• Vehicle Tactical Fire
• Vehicle Maneuvers
• VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS
  • MOVEMENT SYSTEMS
  • DEFENSE SYSTEMS
  • WEAPONS SYSTEMS
    • MISSILE/HARDPOINT OPTIONS
  • ACCESSORIES
• VEHICLES
  • Terran Alliance Ground Vehicles
    • ATMTU (All-Terrain Multipurpose Transport Unit)
    • All-Terrain Vehicle
    • Groundcar
    • Medivac
    • Microweight Hobbycraft
    • Paraglider
    • Rapid Attack Vehicle
    • Skimboard
  • Terran Alliance Strike Craft
    • Attack Craft (Eagle III, Lancer, Lancer II, незваный гость, and numerous other models)
    • Shuttle
  • Terran Alliance Interstellar Transport Craft
    • Hecate-class Runabout
    • Hermes-class Courier
    • Janus-class Runabout
    • Wayfarer-class Medium Transport
  • JolKoar Empire Ground Vehicles
    • Jeg’Koar-class Light Assault Vehicle
  • Calengil Interstellar Transport Craft
    • Model Year 12EO27 Esteemed Performance Yacht (Runabout)
• Wildlife
  • Hellcat (Tau Ceti, Tau Ceti e) [CL 8]
• NEW SPECIES FEATS
• NEW CHRYSOARI GEAR [Equipment – Advanced Chrysoari Personal Shield Generator]
• RULES ADDITION: Life Bound Spirit Granted Powers
• RULES ADDITION: Alien Artifacts (Non-Standard) – Translator Artifact
• TALENT UPDATE – Former Genius Loci (Magic Talents)
• NEW TYPE OF MAGIC – Channeling
• NEW TYPE OF MAGIC – Contracted Summoning
• COMMERCIAL SERVICES
• PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
• LUXURY GOODS AND SERVICES
• SKILL REVAMP: PILOT
• NEW STORY FEATS
• NEW EQUIPMENT TEMPLATES
• COMPUTER AND COMMLINK REVAMP
• Drugs and Toxins
• RULES UPDATE: CEC Character Advancement (Improvement)
• NEW TYPE OF MAGIC: “Mojo”

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DESIGNING VEHICLES

If you need to design a ship from scratch rather than modify an existing ship, simply start with one of the following stock ships. Each stock ship has a cost and basic description for a generic, no-frills version of a vehicle of that size.  To improve the design, use the vehicle modification rules to add and improve the systems and abilities you need.  A lone character can’t design a starship from scratch without the Starship Designer feat, and even then normally needs the aid of a shipyard to build one.

Once you have determined all the systems you want to add to your stock ship, you can determine its Initiative, Perception, base attack, grapple, attacks, damage threshold, and fighting space using the standard rules for these values.  Remember to select to crew a quality when determining these values (if needed).

SHIP DEFAULTS BY POWER

CALENGIL DOMINION:
Artificial Gravity: No
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Sublight Drives: Fusion Torch
Shields: SR Rating 5 lower than normal for the component (minimum 0)
Damage Reduction: 5 higher than normal for the stock ship type
Armor: 3 higher than normal for the stock ship type
Other: Cockpit Ejection System accessories are treated as non-standard modifications.

CHRYSOARI PROTECTORATE:
Artificial Gravity: Yes
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Shields: Always Chrysoari Energy
Sublight Drives: Gravitic Drive

DEEP ONES MINING UNION:
Artificial Gravity: If the ship is constructed for Deep Ones, no – the ship is water-filled. If the ship is constructed for a non-aquatic species, then it will have an artificial gravity generator installed under license from the Chrysoari. This generator provides a tunable artificial gravity field ranging from 0.5 G to 2 G. However, this generator costs 2,000 x Ships Cost Modifier in Chrysoari Protectorate Credits.
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Sublight Drives: Varies, but functions at 1 square lower than the speed purchased. Deep Ones vessels have considerable bulk due to the fact that they are designed to resist crushing deep-ocean pressures.
Damage Reduction: 10 higher than normal for the stock ship type
Armor: 3 higher than normal for the stock ship type
Hit Points: Deep Ones vessels gain bonus hit points equal to 10 x the vehicle’s Cost Modifier
Ability Scores: +2 STR, -2 DEX
Free Accessories: Amphibious Seals (with +50% bonus to swim speed)

DEVOUT PEOPLE OF THE FOST:
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive

THE GLORIOUS IMPERIUM:
Artificial Gravity: Yes, via an artificial gravity generator installed under license from the Chrysoari. This generator provides a tunable artificial gravity field ranging from 0.5 G to 2 G. However, this generator costs 2,000 x Ships Cost Modifier in Chrysoari Protectorate Credits.
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Free Accessories: Amphibious Seals

JOLKOAR EMPIRE:
Artificial Gravity: Yes
FTL Drives: Dirac Waverider
Sublight Drives: Gravitic Drive

PROXIMAN SUZERAINTY:
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Sublight Drives: Ion Engine
Free Accessories: Reinforced Keel

RISANTHA SPIRITLANDS:
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Sublight Drives: Fusion Torch
Damage Reduction: 5 higher than normal for the stock ship type
Armor: 5 higher than normal for the stock ship type
Ability Scores: -2 INT

SPEAKERS CONSORTIUM:

TERRAN ALLIANCE:
Artificial Gravity: Yes (by default for vehicles larger than Gargantuan), can be added to Gargantuan vehicles at a cost of 6,000 Terran Alliance Credits.
FTL Drives: Higgs Drive
Sublight Drives: Stover Drive

TEUTHIDOID PEOPLES:
Artificial Gravity: If the ship is constructed for Teuthidoids, no – the ship is water-filled. If the ship is constructed for a non-aquatic species, then it will have a Higgs Field artificial gravity generator installed under license from the Terran Alliance. This generator provides a tunable artificial gravity field ranging from 0.4 G to 1.2 G. However, this generator costs 2,000 x Ships Cost Modifier in Terran Alliance Credits.
FTL Drives: Higgs Drive (Uncommon)
Sublight Drives: Biological Engine
Free Accessories: Living Ship, Self-Aware, Teuthidoid Adaptive Armor
Required Accessories: Unless the vehicle is being constructed for use specifically in a radiation-shielded environment (i.e. underwater), the vehicle must have a shield rating of at least 5.

UNITED LISSONIAN TREEHOLDS:
Artificial Gravity: Yes (for ships larger than Gargantuan)
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Sublight Drives: Ion Engine and Solar Sail

THE UNITY:
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive

XLYAT’TA’ACR UNIFIED COOPERATIVE:
FTL Drives: Flux Space Drive
Sublight Drives: Fusion Torch

STOCK SHIP TYPES

CLASS	SIZE	STR	DEX	INT	SPEED (Character/Starship)	HP	DR	Armor	Cost	Crew	Passengers	Cargo	Consumables	Emplacement Points
Light Fighter	Huge	34	20	14	16/5	60	10	+3	30,000	1	0	50 kg	2 days	2
Interceptor	Huge	38	24	14	16/6	90	10	+3	100,000	1	0	50 kg	2 days	5
Superiority Fighter	Huge	42	22	14	16/4 (2,500 km/h)	120	10	+7	50,000	1	0	50 kg	2 days	5
Bomber	Huge	46	18	14	16/3	150	10	+12	50,000	2	0	50 kg	2 days	10
Light Freighter	Colossal	42	10	12	12/2 (750 km/h)	120	15	+12	20,000	2	6	100 tons	2 months	5
Heavy Shuttle	Colossal	46	14	14	12/3 (1,200 km/h)	120	15	+12	50,000	4	8	20 tons	1 month	5
Swift Assault Craft (SAC)	Colossal	50	14	16	12/3 (1,250 km/h)	150	15	+12	200,000	4	4	5 tons	1 month	20
Heavy Freighter	Colossal (Frigate)	106	10	12	-/1	400	15	+12	500,000	10	10	100,000 tons	6 months	5
Frigate	Colossal (Frigate)	114	16	16	-/3	800	15	+12	2,000,000	30	10	5,000 tons	1 year	50
Destroyer	Colossal (Frigate)	116	16	16	-/2	1,100	20	+13	5,000,000	60	20	7,500 tons	1 year	75
Cruiser	Colossal (Cruiser)	118	14	16	-/2	1,500	20	+14	10,000,000	400	30	10,000 tons	2 years	100
Battlecruiser	Colossal (Cruiser)	124	12	18	-/2	2,000	20	+16	20,000,000	800	100	20,000 tons	2 years	200
Carrier	Colossal (Cruiser)	128	10	16	-/1	2,000	20	+14	20,000,000	500	400	40,000 tons	2 years	200

Class: This is a general summary of the type of basic chassis you are starting with.

Size: This is the size of the vehicle.

STR/DEX/INT: These are the ability scores for the vehicle.

Speed: This is the speed of the vehicle in both character-scale movement and starship scale movement. Vehicles above Colossal size will not have speeds listed for character-scale movement. Vehicles capable of atmospheric flight by default will have a maximum atmospheric speed in parentheses after the two numbers – this number represents the maximum crusing speed for atmospheric flight for the vehicle, not the peak velocity it can reach in an atmosphere (which is usually escape velocity or orbital velocity).

HP: This is the amount of hit points the vehicle has.

DR: This is the damage reduction that the vehicle has.

Armor: This is the vehicle’s armor bonus to Reflex defense.

Cost: This is the amount of base credits that it costs for the chassis. The currency used is whatever the primary currency is at the shipyard you are constructing the vehicle at.

Crew: This is the amount of crew it takes for the vehicle to operate at normal efficiency. Vehicles can sometimes be operated with less crew.

Passengers: This is the amount of passengers the vehicle can carry. Unless a luxury upgrade is purchased, this is either spartan accomodations or seating only, depending on the size of the vehicle.

Cargo: This is the cargo capacity of the vehicle, which can be used to store cargo or traded in for more emplacement points (see Vehicle Modification)

Consumables: This is the amount of time that the vehicle can remain active before refeuling.

Emplacement Points: This is the amount of unused emplacement points that the vehicle starts out with. If you worsen a stock ship’s starting value in a category by 25%, you gain a number of emplacement points equal 10% of the ship’s stock emplacement points (or twice that many if you worsen it by 50%).  For the purpose of the crew required to operate a starship, worsening means increasing the crew required (by 25% or 50%).  Any emplacement points gained in this may must be kept as spares to purchase additional cargo space, addition tons of cargo capacity equal to the starship’s cost modifier for each emplacement point spent.

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VEHICLE TACTICAL FIRE

Using one of these options requires the commander of the vehicle to use a standard action.  While it is in effect, the vehicle can make no attacks until the start of the commander’s next turn.  To use an option, the vehicle must meet certain prerequisites.

Anti-Personnel Fire
Prerequisite: Autofire weapon
As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  Allied characters and vehicles in this area of effect gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls and +1 die of damage against character-scale targets.

Heavy Assault
Prerequisite: ATVU or similar vehicle
This vehicle can guide allies’ weapons to exploit battlefield weaknesses.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  All allied characters in those squares which attack a target that is within range of the vehicle’s weaponry deal +1 die of damage on a successful attack.

Minesweeper
Prerequisite: Perception +6, DR 10
This vehicle excels at locating and neutralizing minefields.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares within a 2-square radius around itself.  All alied characters and vehicles within this area gain a +10 equipment bonus to Perception checks when locating mines, and they take half damage from mines that detonate.

Platoon Leader
Prerequisite: Expert-quality or better crew
Advanced commlinks and tactical analyzers allow this vehicle to coordinate friendly troops more effectively.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares within a 6-square radius around itself.  All allied characters and vehicles within this radius grant an additional +1 bonus when they use the aid another action.  When dealing with Squads, this increases the squad’s bonuses to d20 rolls by an amount equal to the number of characters in the Squad – 1.

Recon
Prerequisite: Speed 6 squares (in the current movement scale)
This vehicle is equipped with precise sensors and optics, allowing it to locate the enemy quickly and efficiently.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 2-square radius around itself.  Allied characters in this area of effect receive a +5 equipment bonus on Initiative checks.

Shock and Awe
Prerequisite: Autofire weapon dealing 3 damage dice minimum.
This vehicle coordinates fire to lay down a blistering amount of damage.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares within a 6-square radius around itself.  Any enemy in this area of effect automatically moves -1 step on the condition track when targeted by a successful attack that deals damage equal to or exceeding the the target’s damage threshold.

Sniper Fire
Prerequisite: Gunner, Intelligence 16+
This vehicle has superior targeting equipment, allowing it to pinpoint the enemy.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  Allied characters and vehicles in this area can aim as a single swift action.

Spotter
Prerequisite: Perception +6
This vehicle provides valuable observation data and calculations for allies wielding heavy weapons.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  Allied characters and vehicles wielding heavy weapons in this area gain a +2 equipment bonus to attack rolls and have a critical hit range of 18-20.

Tank Killer
Prerequisite: Weapon dealing 6 dice or more of damage
This vehicle specializes in eliminating other vehicles.  As a standard action, this vehicle can forgo all attacks to provide a battlefield effect to all squares in a 6-square radius around itself.  All allied characters and vehicles in this area ignore the DR of vehicles on a successful attack roll.

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VEHICLE MANEUVERS

The vehicle maneuvers system provides new options for any character acting as a pilot or a gunner during a starship-scale encounter.  Similar to the system for using Magic, Nanite Control, and Psionics, the vehicle maneuvers system allows characters to perform incredible stunts or make use of advanced tactics in order to gain the upper hand in starship-scale combat.  Except for maneuvers used by gunners, only pilots in starfighters and airspeeders may make use of the mechanics in this section – capital ships and space transports are too large and cumbersome.  However, the combat thrusters modification can allow colossal starships to make use of maneuvers.

A starship maneuver is a special action that allows a pilot or gunner to do something beyond the bounds of the Pilot skill and abilities provided by the ace pilot prestige class.  Vehicle maneuvers enhance attacks, strengthen defenses, reduce damage, or provide other unique effects (and do more than just make you list lazily to the left).

Learning New Maneuvers

A character who takes the Starship Tactics feat automatically learns a number of starship maneuvers equal to 1 + their Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).  A character can learn additional vehicle maneuvers by taking the Starship Tactics feat again or increasing their Wisdom modifier.

Using Vehicle Maneuvers

When your character uses a starship maneuver, make a Pilot check.  The check result determines the starship maneuver’s result.

Most maneuvers have varying degrees of success, but some (including all maneuvers with the [attack pattern] descriptor) have an all-or-nothing effect.  For those with multitiered effects, your check result determines the maximum effect you can achieve, though you can also choose a lesser effect.  If your check is too low to activate the maneuver’s most basic effect, nothing happens, the maneuver is spent, and the action is wasted.

Regaining Vehicle Maneuvers

You have different ways to regain spent vehicle maneuvers, making them available for use once more.

When a starship combat sequence is over and you have a chance to rest for 1 minute, you regain all starship combat maneuvers.

If you roll a natural 20 on a Pilot check to activate a starship maneuver (but not for any other uses of the Pilot skill), you regain all spent maneuvers at the end of your turn.

You can spend a Hero Point as a reaction and immediately regain one spent maneuver.

Some unique abilities allow you to regain spent vehicle maneuvers in other ways.

Maneuver Descriptions

Some starship maneuvers fall into special categories that affect how they are used and who can use them.  The following descriptors are applied to any relevant vehicle maneuvers mentioned here:

Attack Pattern: Maneuvers that have the [attack pattern] descriptor represent formations and flying patterns that form an overall starship combat strategy.  An attack pattern maneuver differs from other maneuvers in that, once activated, its effects last until the end of the encounter.  Additionally, you may gain the benefit from only one attack pattern maneuver at a time, and if you activate an attack pattern maneuver while already gaining the benefits of another, the second maneuver replaces the effects of the first.

Dogfight: Maneuvers that have the [dogfight] descriptor represent tactics and actions that apply only in close combat situations.  A dogfight maneuver may be activated only while your ship is engaged in a dogfight with another starship or group of starships.

Supernatural: A maneuver that has the [supernatural] descriptor is one that relies on the user’s connection to the universal subconcious, or to magic in some way, for its benefit.  Only characters who are trained in the Magery or Psionics skill may make use of supernatural maneuvers, and activating one is considered to be using Magery or Psionics.  Consult the Special section of a maneuver with this tag for availability.

Gunner: A maneuver that has the [gunner] description does not require you to be the pilot of the ship in order to activate the maneuver.  Any gunner maneuvers may be activated by either the pilot (using pilot-controlled weapons) or by a character serving as a gunner aboard a starship or airspeeder.

Starship Maneuver Descriptions

The following vehicle maneuvers are available to any character who has the Starship Tactics feat (with the exception of [supernatural] maneuvers, which have additional prerequisites).  Each maneuver includes the following information:

Starship Maneuver Name [descriptor]
If a starship maneuver has a descriptor, it appears in square brackets after the starship maneuver’s name.  The name of the starship maneuver is followed by a brief description of the starship maneuver’s effect. 
Time: The type of action needed to activate the starship maneuver. 
Target: The target or targets affected by the starship maneuver.
Make a Pilot check OR Make an attack roll.  The results of the Pilot check or attack roll are described here.
Special: Some vehicle maneuvers have special rules, which are covered here.

Afterburn
This maneuver allows a pilot to throttle up and blast past enemies, to avoid becoming entangled in dogfights.
Time: Full-round action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  The results of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 15: You immediately take the all-out movement action as a free action.  Additionally, during this action you gain a +1 maneuver bonus on all Pilot checks made to resist another pilot initiating a dogfight.
DC 20: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on Pilot checks increases to +2.
DC 25: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on Pilot checks increases to +5.
DC 30: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on Pilot checks increases to +10.

Angle Defenses [attack pattern]
This attack pattern focuses active defenses in a particular direction, making it easier to absorb incoming attacks from a certain angle.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You (and special; see text).
Make a Pilot check.  If you succeed on a DC 15 Pilot check, you successfully activate this maneuver.  While you are engaged in combat, choose a single other vehicle or space station as the target of Angle Defenses.  Your SR is considered doubled for the purpose of absorbing attacks originating from that particular target.  However, your SR is considered halved (round down) for the purpose of absorbing attacks from all other opponents.
Special: You must be piloting a vehicle that has SR 5 or more to use Angle Deflector Shields.  You may choose to deactivate this attack pattern with a swift action.  The maneuver remains spent if you do so.

Attack Formation Zeta Nine [attack pattern]
This attack pattern is typically used to approach capital ships or other vessels that have heavy firepower.  It emphasizes the role of defenses over firepower.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  If you succeed on a DC 20 Pilot check, you successfully activate this maneuver.  While you are using Attack Formation Zeta Nine as your chosen attack pattern, you subtract 1 die of damage from all vehicle weapon damage rolls and add +20 to your vehicle’s SR.
Special: You must be piloting a vehicle that has SR 5 or more to use Attack Formation Zeta Nine.  You may choose to deactivate this attack pattern with a swift action.  The maneuver remains spent if you do so.

Attack Pattern Delta [attack pattern]
This attack pattern utilizes close-range maneuvering by allied ships to make it more difficult to target and hit an individual vessel.  The attack pattern typically requires the vessels to fly in a straight line toward their target, shielding the ships to the rear.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  If you succeed on a DC 20 Pilot check, you successfully activate this maneuver.  While you are using Attack Pattern Delta as your chosen attack pattern, you gain a +1 maneuver bonus to your vehicle’s Reflex Defense any time you are adjacent to an allied starfighter or airspeeder.
Special: If any adjacent allies are using Attack Pattern Delta as well, your maneuver bonus to Reflex Defense increases to +2.

Counter [dogfight]
This maneuver allows a pilot to take a quick action while engaged in a dogfight after being the target of an attack.
Time: Reaction.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 20: You may immediately take one swift action.
DC 25: You may immediately take one move action.
DC 30: You may immediately take one standard action.
Special: You may activate this maneuver only as a reaction to being attacked by another vehicle with which you are engaged in a dogfight.  The result of the attack is resolved before you take your action, and your Initiative is not modified by this maneuver.

Devastating Hit [gunner]
This maneuver lets you score an incredibly precise hit on a target, punching holes in vital systems and potentially disabling your target.
Time: Standard action.
Target: A single vehicle within weapons range.
Make an attack roll.  The result of the attack roll determines the effect, if any:
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 0-4: You deal normal weapon damage to the target, +1 extra die of damage.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 5-9: You deal normal weapon damage to the target, +2 extra dice of damage.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 10 or more: You deal normal weapon damage to the target, +3 extra dice of damage.

Engine Hit [gunner]
This maneuver allows you to target an opponent’s engines, slowing them down with a successful hit.
Time: Reaction.
Target: One vehicle that you just attacked.
Make an attack roll.  If you deal damage to a vehicle with a critical hit or deal damage to a vehicle that is equal to or greater than its damage threshold, you may activate this maneuver as a reaction.  Compare the result of your attack roll to the target’s Reflex Defense to determine the effect, if any:
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 0-4: Target’s speed is reduced by 1 square for the remainder of the encounter.  An engineer aboard the target ship may spend a full-round action to repair the damage to the engines (DC 20 Mechanics check).
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 5-9: As above result, except the target’s speed is reduced by 2 squares (DC 25 Mechanics check to repair).
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 10 or more: As above, except the target’s speed is reduced by 3 squares (DC 30 Mechanics check to repair).

Evasive Action [dogfight]
This maneuver allows a starship to slip free of close pursuit, escaping from a dogfight more easily.
Time: Move action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 15: You immediately attempt to disengage from the dogfight (no action required).  You gain a +2 bonus on your opposed Pilot check to disengage.
DC 20: As DC 15, except the bonus on your Pilot check is +5.
DC 25: As DC 15, except the bonus on your Pilot check is +10.
DC 30: As DC 15, except the bonus on your Pilot check is +20.

Explosive Shot [gunner]
You target critical vehicle systems and fuel cells, causing your target to explode with incredible force.
Time: Reaction.
Target: All targets adjacent to a vehicle you just destroyed.
Make an attack roll. Compare the result of the attack roll to the Reflex Defense of all targets adjacent to a vehicle you just destroyed.  The result of the attack roll determines the effect, if any:
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 0-4: You deal normal weapon damage to the target, +1 extra die of damage.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 5-9: You deal normal weapon damage to the target, +2 extra dice of damage.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 10 or more: You deal normal weapon damage to the target, +3 extra dice of damage.

Fighter Loop [dogfight]
This maneuver allows a pilot to loop a vehicle through the same location it just left, launching a surprise attack on an unsuspecting opponent.
Time: Reaction.
Target: One target engaged in a dogfight with you.
Make a Pilot check.  If you are engaged in a dogfight and an opponent fails his opposed Pilot check to make an attack against you, you may activate this maneuver with a DC 20 Pilot check as a reaction.  If successful, you may make an attack of opportunity against that opponent.

Fighter Slip
A teamwork-focused starfighter tactic, the Fighter Slip maneuver allows a pilot to destroy an opposing starship that threatens one of his or her allies by flying at the enemy vessel head-on.
Time: Full-round action.
Target: One enemy airspeeder or starfighter within (2 x your vehicle’s speed) squares.
Make a Pilot check.  When you activate this maneuver, you move up to twice your vehicle’s speed in a straight line through your opponent’s square.  If something halts your movement before you enter your opponent’s square (such as being drawn into a dogfight), the maneuver fails to activate.  When you enter your opponent’s square, you make an attack as a free action against the target.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effectiveness of the maneuver:
DC 15: If you destroy your target with your attack, a collision does not occur.
DC 20: As DC 15, but add a +1 circumstance bonus to your attack roll.
DC 25: As DC 15, but add a +1 circumstance bonus to your attack roll and +1 die of damage.
DC 30: As DC 15, but add a +2 circumstance bonus to your attack roll and +1 die of damage.
DC 35: As DC 15, but add a +2 circumstance bonus to your attack roll and +2 die of damage.
Special: If you fail to successfully activate this maneuver, you still move through your opponent’s square and a collision occurs.  You do not get to make an attack as a swift action, and you cannot make a Pilot check to avoid the collision.  (Your opponent may do so, however.)

Fighter Spin
Originally an improvised combat maneuver created by pilots of vectored-thrust aircraft, the Fighter Spin maneuver allows you to attack multiple targets with your starship’s weapons.
Time: Standard action.
Target: One 2×2-square area within weapons range.
Make a Pilot check.  You may make a starship-scale area attack with a vehicle weapon even if it is not normally capable of making area attacks at starship scale.  The vehicle weapon must be capable of autofire.  The result of the Pilot check also determines the success of your attack:
DC 25: You may make an autofire attack at the normal -5 penalty.
DC 30: As DC 25, except you take only a -2 penalty on your attack roll.
DC 35: As DC 25, except you take no penalty on your attack roll.

Flanking Formation [attack pattern]
This attack pattern divides an attacking force into two or more groups, making it easier to attack an enemy’s flanks.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  If you succeed on a DC 20 Pilot check, you successfully activate this maneuver.  While you are using Flanking Formation as your chosen attack pattern, you gain a +1 maneuver bonus on attack rolls made with vehicle weapons while adjacent to any other allied airspeeder or starfighter.
Special: If any adjacent vehicles are using Flanking Formation as well, your maneuver bonus on attack rolls increases to +2.

Formation Slash
A starship tactic that involves moving a ship into the midst of enemy forces in order to cause an opponent to strike its own allies.
Time: Reaction.
Target: One adjacent opponent.
Make a Pilot check.  When you are the target of an attack made by an adjacent opponent that misses, you may activate this maneuver.  The results of the Pilot check are as follows:
DC 20: The missed attack is instead redirected to a different adjacent opponent of your choice.  Compare the original attack roll to the Reflex Defense of the new target; if the attack roll exceeds the target’s Reflex Defense, resolve damage as normal.
DC 25: As DC 20, but add a +1 circumstance bonus to the redirected attack roll.
DC 30: As DC 20, but add a +2 circumstance bonus to the redirected attack roll.
DC 35: As DC 20, but add a +5 circumstance bonus to the redirected attack roll.
Special: The new target of the redirected attack may not in turn use the Formation Slash maneuver to redirect that attack.

I Have You Now
This maneuver allows a ship to close in on its target, striking from short range with devastating effect.
Time: Swift action.
Target: One adjacent vehicle.
Make a Pilot check.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 15: If you successfully damage the target of this maneuver this turn, compare your attack roll to the target’s Fortitude Defense.  If your attack roll exceeds the target’s Fortitude Defense, the target moves -1 step down the condition track.
DC 20: As DC 15, except you gain a +1 maneuver bonus on your attack roll.
DC 25: As DC 15, except you gain a +2 maneuver bonus on your attack roll.
DC 30: As DC 15, except you gain a +5 maneuver bonus on your attack roll.

Intercept
This maneuver allows a ship to fire thrusters and intercept a passing target, engaging it in a dogfight.
Time: Reaction.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  If an enemy starfighter or airspeeder moves into a square up to 2 squares away from you, you may activate this maneuver to attempt to initiate a dogfight.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 20: You may initiate a dogfight as an attack of opportunity against a target up to 2 squares away.  If successful, you may immediately move 1 square toward your target as a reaction.
DC 25: As DC 20, except you gain a +1 maneuver bonus on your Pilot checks to initiate the dogfight.
DC 30: As DC 20, except you gain a +2 maneuver bonus on your Pilot checks to initiate the dogfight.
DC 35: As DC 20, except you gain a +5 maneuver bonus on your Pilot checks to initiate the dogfight.
Special: You activate this maneuver as a reaction to a starfighter or airspeeder moving into a square up to 2 squares away from you.

Overwhelming Assault [attack pattern]
Vehicles that use an Overwhelming Assault attack pattern concentrate their fire on a single target to the exclusion of all others.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You (and special; see text).
Make a Pilot check.  If you succeed on a DC 20 Pilot check, you activate this maneuver.  While you are engaged in combat, choose one other vehicle as the target of Overwhelming Assault.  On your action, before making an attack roll, you may choose to subtract a number from all vehicle weapon attacks you make against that target and add twice that number to all vehicle weapon damage rolls (before multipliers are applied).  The penalty on attack rolls applies to all attacks you make until the start of your next turn, but the bonus on damage rolls applies only on attacks against the target you designate. You may change the target of this attack pattern as a swift action.
Special: You may choose to deactivate this attack pattern as a swift action.  The maneuver remains spent if you do so.

Shield Hit [gunner]
This maneuver allows you to target an opponent’s shield generators, reducing their effectiveness with a successful hit.
Time: Standard action.
Target: A single vehicle within weapons range.
Make an attack roll. If your attack roll exceeds the target’s Reflex Defense, you deal normal weapon damage to the target (reduced by DR and SR as normal).  Additionally, the target has its shields reduced in power by the attack.  The amount by which the target’s SR is reduced depends on the results of your attack roll:
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 0-4: Target’s SR is reduced by 5.  An engineer aboard the target ship may use the recharge shields action to restore the loss to shield rating as normal.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 5-9: As above, except the ship’s SR is reduced by 10.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 10 or more: As above, except the ship’s SR is reduced by 15.
Special: The damage from your attack is reduced normally by the target’s DR and SR; apply the effect of Shield Hit after resolving damage.  If your damage exceeds the SR of the target’s shields, its SR is reduced by 5 in addition to any effect from this maneuver.

Skim the Surface
This maneuver allows a starship to get down beneath a larger ship’s activate defenses, dealing damage that bypasses shields and directly impacts the hull.
Time: Full-round action.
Target: One starship or space station of Colossal (frigate) or larger in size whose fighting space you fly through.
Make a Pilot check.  You may move up to twice your speed, passing through the target’s fighting space before ending your turn in an unoccupied square.  When you enter the target’s fighting space, you attempt to dip below the target’s active defenses, allowing you to make a single vehicle weapon attack against the target that ignores the target’s SR.  You take a penalty on your attack roll while making this attack, determined by the result of your Pilot check:
DC 20: You take a -10 penalty on your attack roll.
DC 25: You take a -5 penalty on your attack roll.
DC 30: You take a -2 penalty on your attack roll.
DC 35: You take a -1 penalty on your attack roll.
Special: If your Pilot check result to activate Skim the Surface is 19 or lower, you collide with the target vehicle.  You may not attempt to avoid the collision, but the target may do so if it wishes. Any gunners aboard a ship using Skim the Surface that have readied an action to attack during the maneuver may take their attacks when the pilot does.  Such attacks ignore SR and take the same penalties on the attack roll that the pilot does.  A gunner who readies an action to attack in this way moves his or her place in the initiative order to immediately before the pilot’s, as normal.

Snap Roll
This maneuver lets a pilot peel his or her vehicle away from its current location with incredible speed, causing attackers to fire at where it was just moments ago.
Time: Reaction.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  Your Pilot check replaces your Reflex Defense until the start of your next turn.  If your Pilot check result is lower than your normal Reflex Defense, you may choose to retain your normal Reflex Defense.
Special: You use this maneuver as a reaction to an incoming attack; when you do so, you make your Pilot check and replace your Reflex Defense before the result of that attack is resolved.  You must declare that you are using this maneuver before the attack is resolved and damage is rolled.

Strike Formation [attack pattern]
Pilots who use a Strike Formation attack pattern devote themselves to overwhelming an enemy with damage rather than concerning themselves with their own defense.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  If you succeed on a DC 20 Pilot check, you activate this maneuver.  While you are using Strike Formation as your chosen attack pattern, you add +1 die of damage as a maneuver bonus on all damage rolls made with weapons aboard your ship, but take a -2 penalty to Reflex Defense as well.
Special: You may choose to deactivate this attack pattern at any time with a swift action.  The maneuver remains spent if you do so.

Talon Roll [dogfight]
This maneuver allows a pursuing starfighter to stay with a maneuvering opponent even when its target is attempting to escape.
Time: Reaction.
Target: One target engaged in a dogfight with you.
Make a Pilot check.  Whenever you are engaged in a dogfight and one of your opponents attempts to disengage from that dogfight, you may activate this maneuver as a reaction.  The result of your Pilot check determines the effect of this maneuver:
DC 20: If the target fails to disengage, you may make an attack of opportunity against the target.
DC 25: As DC 20, except the target takes a -1 penalty on its opposed Pilot check to disengage.
DC 30: As DC 25, except the penalty is -2.
DC 35: As DC 25, except the penalty is -5.
Special: You use this maneuver as a reaction to an opponent attempting to disengage from a dogfight; you must declare that you are using this maneuver after the opponent declares the attempt but before the opposed Pilot check takes place.

Target Lock [dogfight]
This maneuver allows a pilot to focus on a single target, lining up a shot with careful precision.
Time: Standard action.
Target: One target with which you are engaged in a dogfight.
Make a Pilot check.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 15: When attempting to attack the target in a dogfight, you gain a +1 maneuver bonus on opposed Pilot checks and attack rolls.
DC 20: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on opposed Pilot checks increases to +2.
DC 25: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on opposed Pilot checks and attack rolls increase to +2.
DC 30: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on opposed Pilot checks increases to +5 and the maneuver bonus on attack rolls increases to +2.
DC 35: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus on opposed Pilot checks and attack rolls increase to +5.
Special: If the target of this maneuver successfully disengages from the dogfight, the benefit of this maneuver is lost, even if you initiate a dogfight with that target again.

Target Sense [supernatural]
This maneuver allows a Magically- or Psionically-empowered pilot to target opponents without the use of a vehicle’s targeting computer.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You.
Make a Magery or Psionics check.  When you activate this maneuver, it allows you to use your Wisdom or Charisma bonus on your attack rolls made in this round.  This replaces the vehicle’s Intelligence bonus on attack rolls made with the vehicle’s weapons.  Your Magery or Psionics check determines the bonus this maneuver grants:
DC 20: You may add your Wisdom or Charisma bonus on all attack rolls made until the start of your next turn.
DC 25: As DC 20, except you gain an additional +2 maneuver bonus on your attack rolls.
DC 30: As DC 20, except you gain an additional +5 maneuver bonus on your attack rolls.
Special: This is only available to characters trained in Magery or Psionics.

Thruster Hit [gunner]
This maneuver allows you to target an opponent’s maneuvering thrusters, reducing the maneuverability they provide to a ship.
Time: Reaction.
Target: One vehicle that you just attacked.
Make an attack roll.  If you deal damage to a vehicle with a critical hit or deal damage to a vehicle that is equal to or greater than its damage threshold, you may activate this maneuver as a reaction.  Compare the result of your attack roll to the target’s Reflex Defense to determine the effect, if any:
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 0-4: Target takes a -1 penalty to Reflex Defense, Initiative checks, and Pilot checks for the remainder of the encounter.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 5-9: As above, except the penalty is -2.
Exceeds Target’s Reflex Defense by 10 or more: As above, except the penalty is -5 and the target can only move in a straight line.

Volk’s Loop
This maneuver allows a pilot to accelerate quickly away from an opponent before returning to make an attack.
Time: Reaction.
Target: One target within weapons range.
Make a Pilot check.  If you end your turn farther away from your target than when your turn began, you may activate this maneuver as a reaction to make an immediate attack run against that target.  The result of your Pilot check determines the penalty to your Reflex Defense imposed by the attack run.
DC 20: The attack run imposes a -10 penalty to Reflex Defense instead of the normal -2.
DC 25: The attack run imposes a -5 penalty to Reflex Defense instead of the normal -2.
DC 30: The attack run imposes the normal -2 penalty to Reflex Defense.
DC 35: The attack run imposes a -1 penalty to Reflex Defense instead of the normal -2.

Volk’s Weave
This maneuver allows the ship to fly in a corkscrew, moving forward as normal but making the ship difficult to hit.
Time: Swift action.
Target: You.
Make a Pilot check.  When you fight defensively or use the total defense action, you may make a Pilot check as a swift action in the same turn to improve your Reflex Defense at the expense of lost speed.  The result of the Pilot check determines the effect, if any:
DC 15: Your vehicle’s speed is reduced by one-half (round down), but you gain an additional +1 maneuver bonus to your vehicle’s Reflex Defense until the start of your next turn.
DC 20: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus is +2.
DC 25: As DC 15, except the maneuver bonus is +5.
Special: If the Volk’s Weave would reduce your vehicle’s speed to 0 squares, you automatically fail to activate this maneuver.

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VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS

COST MODIFIERS

It costs more to build an FTL drive that can move a capital-class ship than one for a scout or a runabout.  Bigger vehicles are simply costlier to improve or modify.  Thus, each size of vehicle has a cost modifier, which is applied to the baes cost of systems added to vehicles of that size.  For example, regenerating shields have a base cost of 5,000 credits.  When added to a Colossal ship, this price is multiplied by the ship’s cost modifier of x5, for a final cost of 25,000 credits.  If added to a Colossal (cruiser) starship, the modifier is x500, for a final cost of 2,500,000 credits.

Vehicle Size	Cost Modifier
Colossal (station)	X5000
Colossal (cruiser)	X500
Colossal (frigate)	X50
Colossal	X5
Gargantuan	X2
Huge	X1
Large or Smaller	X0.5

EMPLACEMENT POINTS

You must meet certain size, bracing, and power requirements before adding a system to a vehicle.  Often, it simply isn’t practical to add numerous new systems to an existing starship.  Emplacement points represent the numerous factors that combine to limit how many systems a single vehicle can have.

Each modification or new system has a rating in emplacement points to represent the effort required to add that feature to an existing vehicle.  The more emplacement points a modification requires, the greater its demand in terms of room, bracing, power, and integration with other systems.

If you lack the emplacement points to support a system, you can still install it; however, more time and credits are needed to add the subsystems that enable your new systems to function.  For every emplacement point you lack for a system, add 2 days to base installation time, 5 to the Mechanics check DC to install it, and 20% to the system cost.  Additionally, any vehicles that have modifications installed in this manner are automatically considered “used” (see Notes), and any systems added without sufficient emplacement points are damaged beyond repair if the vehicle is disabled.  This represents the harder work of finding ways to route power to your system, squeeze through already jammed conduits, and overcome the limitations of your overstuffed vehicle.  Additionally, GMs should feel free to rule that some modifications cannot be installed without sufficient emplacement points, such as passenger conversions when no cargo space is available.

GAINING EMPLACEMENT POINTS

A vehicle can gain additional emplacement points in one of three ways.  Existing systems can be removed, making their emplacement points available for new systems.  Thus, if a combat pilot decides he needs a quad gatling more than he needs maneuvering jets, he can remove the jets and gain the emplacement points to install a quad gatling.  Removing systems in this way takes half as long as installing them would take and involves no associated cost.  In fact, the old system can normally be sold for 1/4 of its original value (assuming it’s in good working condition and you can find a buyer).

Alternatively, a starship can give up cargo capacity to gain more emplacement points (this is how the first four Praetor-class Torpedo Cruisers the Terran Alliance created came into being).  The freed space makes it much easier to reroute power lines, add small power generators, and securely lock new systems to the ship’s superstructure.  It takes a number of tons of cargo capacity equal to a vehicle’s cost modifier for size to equal 1 emplacement point.  For example, to gain an additional 4 emplacement points for a Colossal (frigate) vessel, you must sacrifice 200 tons of cargo capacity.

Finally, a starship of Colossal or larger size can gain emplacement points by removing escape pods, gaining 1 emplacement point per 10% of the escape pods removed.  However, doing this is illegal on anything other than a military starship, and it only takes a DC 10 Perception check to notice.  Failure to have enough escape pods on a vessel is grounds to have the vessel impounded and the captain and owner issued a hefty fine, and possible the revocation of their licenses.

UNUSED EMPLACEMENT POINTS

Most off-the-rack vehicles have some unused capacity, though fighters usually do not, allowing some modifications to be made more easily.  A standard, unmodified vehicle design generally has 1 unspent emplacement point.  In some cases, this capacity is later used for a “standard” upgrade.  For example, an unmodified Hermes-class Courier has 1 unspent emplacement point, but it is standard practice for TAPS teams to use this to install a standard luxury upgrade to turn their vessel into more of a mobile home, since they spend so much time aboard the courier.

Some vehicles are renowned for being easily modified.  In part, this is the result of extra attachment points, power outlets, access hatches, and unused carrying capacity left over after the ship’s core systems are installed.  Such ships have even more unused emplacement points, allowing multiple systems to be added without removing anything or dealing with additional expenses.  For example, the four-deck variant of the Janus-class (the Hecate-class) comes with 5 unused emplacement points.

NONSTANDARD MODIFICATIONS

Rare or nonstandard system modifications (including those deemed by the GM to be ill-suited for installation on a given vehicle) require substantially more effort to install, doubling the number of emplacement points required and multiplying the cost by 5.  A modification is nonstandard if the vehicle does not have any similar system in its stock version.  For example, adding a Proximan-made Flux Space drive to an Terran vessel would be nonstandard, but adding a  Higgs drive to a Terran Corvette would not. The GM is the final arbiter of what systems are sufficiently dissimilar to qualify as nonstandard, and particularly unusual combinations may be forbidden altogether (no putting Higgs Drives on fighters, or worse, groundcars).

INSTALLATION

Installing a new system, or modifying an old one, is normally a matter of work force, time, and a Mechanics check.  This assumes the vehicle in which you are installing the system is otherwise fully functional, the system to be installed is freely available, and you have the tools and space needed.  Remember that making Mechanics checks aboard a starship that has moved down the condition track incurs the normal penalties associated with that spot on the track.  Under less optimal conditions, the time, money, and Mechanics check DC required could be increased by as much as 100%, and the GM may decide that modifications are impossible in these circumstances.

INSTALLATION WORK FORCE

The bigger a vehicle, the more people it takes to make modifications.  For vehicles of Gargantuan size or smaller, a single person can do everything necessary (though it’s often much easier with help).  For Colossal ships, the minimum work force is larger: Colossal, 5; Colossal (Frigate), 10; Colossal (Cruiser), 20; and Colossal (Station), 50.  The minimum work force can make a modification or add a new system in the normal installation time (see below).  It isn’t practical for a smaller work force to make changes to such big ships, regardless of how much time the workers have.  If your work force is bigger than your minimum, the installation can go faster, but the maximum work force that can be used on any given installation is 10 x the minimum work force for the ship’s size.

INSTALLATION TIME

The base time needed to add a modification or system is calculated as follows:

Time (in days) = (emplacement points) x (vehicle’s cost modifier) / (number of workers)

In many cases, a new system can be added to a starfighter with just a single day of work.  This is possible because many systems are modular, allowing different engines, weapons, and computer systems to be easily removed and new ones slotted in.  Even something like reinforced bulkheads represents a predesigned kit of clamps and brackets that bolt on to existing hull plating.  Still, some installations take large amounts of time unless a huge work force can be brought to the project.

INSTALLATION CHECKS

Proper installation requires a mechanics check at the end of the installation time.  The base DC for such a check is 21, +1 for each emplacement point a system or modification uses.  If the check fails by less than 10, the installation is a partial failure.  You must spend half as much time and money to try again, and gain a +5 bonus on your next Mechanics check to install the system or modification.  A check that fails by 10 ore more is a total failure – all the time and money spent is wasted, and you must start over from the beginning.

VEHICLE SYTEMS

A vehicle’s systems can be upgraded, replaced, and modified many times throughout the vehicle’s operational lifetime.  A vehicle systems falls into one of four categories: movement, defense, offense, or accessories.  Each system has a number of factors that affect its cost and availability, detailed in the table that accompanies each section.

Emplacement Points: This value is the number of emplacement points required to install the system in a vehicle without incurring an additional cost or time delay.

Availability: Some vehicle accessories have limited availability or are strictly regulated (see Restricted Items under Equipment).  A system that is normally available without restriction is categorized as common.

Size Restriction: Some systems can be placed only in vehicles of a certain size.  Systems are normally limited to ships of a given size or larger, and some systems can function only in smaller ships.

Cost: Sometimes a vehicle accessory has a flat cost.  Often the cost is determined by multiplying a base number by the vehicle’s cost factor, which is determined by its size.  If a cost is given as “base,” you must multiply it by the cost modifier for the vehicle’s size.  If the cost is just given as a number of credits, the cost is the same no matter what size vehicle you add the system to.

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VEHICLE MOVEMENT SYSTEMS

Vehicle movement falls into three basic categories – character scale, starship scale, and FTL.  A starship might be described as “fast” if it has an advanced FTL drive, yet still be relatively slow at starship-scale movement.  Movement systems are extremely popular modifications for couriers and military designers.

System	Emplacement Points	Availability	Size Restriction	Cost
Atmospheric Thruster	2	Common	Colossal or smaller	4,000 credits base
Atmospheric Thruster, Advanced	5	Common	Gargantuan or smaller	10,000 credits base
Combat Thruster	1	Restricted	Colossal	4,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 1	3	Licensed	Colossal (cruiser) or smaller	20,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 2	3	Licensed	None	19,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 3	2	Licensed	None	18,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 4	2	Licensed	None	17,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 5	2	Licensed	None	16,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 6	2	Licensed	None	15,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 8	1	Licensed	None	14,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 10	1	Licensed	None	13,000 credits base
FTL Drive, Class 15	1	Licensed	None	12,000 credits base
Flux Space Portal Generator	10 or 20	Licensed	Colossal (frigate) or larger	5,000,000 credits or 10,000,000 credits
Maneuvering Jets +2	2	Common	None	4,000 credits base
Maneuvering Jets +4	3	Common	Colossal or smaller	10,000 credits base
Maneuvering jets +6	4	Licensed	Gargantuan or smaller	20,000 credits base
Navicomputer, limited	0	Common	None	1,000 credits
Navicomputer	1	Common	None	4,000 credits
Navicomputer, advanced	2	Common	None	40,000 credits
Speed Booster	2	Common	Gargantuan or smaller	6,000 credits
SubLight Accelerator Motor	2	Military	Gargantuan or smaller	50,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 1 square)	2	Common	None	2,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 2 squares)	3	Common	None	4,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 3 squares)	4	Licensed	Colossal (cruiser) or smaller	10,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 4 squares)	5	Restricted	Colossal (cruiser) or smaller	20,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 5 squares)	6	Military	Colossal or smaller	40,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 6 squares)	7	Military	Gargantuan or smaller	80,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 7 squares)	8	Military	Gargantuan or smaller	160,000 credits base
Sublight Drive (speed 8 squares)	9	Military	Gargantuan or smaller	320,000 credits base

Atmospheric Thrusters
Atmospheric thrusters increase a vehicle’s speed when it is flying in the atmosphere of a planet.  Any vehicle able to operate in an atmosphere has some engine system designed for air flight, normally a form of jet propulsion.  Atmospheric thrusters are an augmentation of these basic systems, designed to make the vehicle more competitive with a dedicated aircraft.
Basic atmospheric thrusters increase a vehicle’s maximum velocity and fly speed by 10%, and an advanced atmospheric thruster increases these by 25% (rounding down to the nearest square of speed and 10 km/h).  Thus, a Lancer II Attack Craft with a basic atmospheric thruster has a maximum velocity of 1,320 km/h and a fly speed of 17 squares at character scale.
Atmospheric thrusters have no effect on starship-scale movement.
This is only available for atmospheric-capable ships.

Combat Thrusters
Often used by couriers that might see combat, Swift Assault Craft, and smugglers, combat thrusters are modifications to a space transport’s existing engines and maneuvering thrusters that allow the vehicle to engage in space combat as though it were a starfighter.  A vehicle with combat thrusters is treated as one size category smaller than its actual size category for the purpose of being targeted by ships larger than Colossal [Frigate] size (thus imposing the penalty for attacking targets smaller than Colossal size).  Additionally, the space transport is treated as a starfighter for the purpose of dogfighting (meaning that it can engage in and be engaged in dogfighting) and combat maneuvers.  This modification does not change the ship’s size modifier to Reflex Defense.
This is only available for space-capable ships of Colossal size.

FTL Drives
The FTL drive is the most important piece of technology in space travel.  Regardless of it’s manufacturer, FTL drives are rated by numeric class: The smaller the number, the faster the drive.
The best FTL drive created in mass numbers is a Class 1 drive.  However, it is possible to improve the Class 1 drive to a Class .5 using the Starship Designer feat.  Class .5 FTL drives require 8 hours of maintenance per month and a DC 20 Mechanics check to keep it running smoothly, otherwise it fails at a random and extremely inconvenient time.  Class .25 drives can also be created from a Class .5, but the secret of doing so is a closely-guarded secret by the people with the know-how.
In simple terms, the Class Number of a drive represents the amount of days that a vehicle with a drive of that class takes to travel one light year.  Thus, a vehicle with a Class 1 drive system can travel at a speed of 1 LY/Day, taking 4 days to make the Sol -> Centauri run.  A vehicle with a Class .25 drive can make the trip in 1 day.
Vehicles can have multiple instances of the same type of drive system (for example a Class 1 main drive, and a Class 14 backup drive), but you cannot usually have two different types of drive system, as the Higgs Drive and the Flux Space Drive have radically different power requirements.  It is possible to do so, but installing both on a vehicle means treating the second drive type as a non-standard modification.
This is only available for space-capable ships (no FTL groundcars for you!).
Fighters: Fighters are too small to mount most FTL drives on.  Advanced powers (Chrysoari, Hive, JolKoar) can do this, but it is still treated as a non-standard modification.
Swift Assault Craft: SAC treat FTL drives as non-standard modifications.

• Dirac Waverider (Users: JolKoar Empire)
• Poorly understood even by the JolKoar, let alone by the Terran scientists who captured an intact one in March 2030, the Dirac Waverider is a highly advanced method of non-Flux Space FTL travel. Operating on most of the same principles as the Terran Alliance’s Higgs Drive, the Dirac Waverider could be seen as a version of the Higgs Drive advanced along numerous generations of technology. The analogy used by Admin.MInt.TechDir.ArcXen personnel is that the Higgs Drive is a dugout canoe, where the Dirac Waverider is a “highly advanced composite surfboard which convinces the universe to make waves like the ones at Mavericks, man” in the words of Dr Donnie Beck, lead ArcXen researcher on the Dirac Waverider and 2028 World Surfing Champion.  Both the Dirac Waverider and the Higgs Drive can be classified as Alcubierre-style spacetime warping propulsion methods, but the key difference lies in the creation and formation of the actual Alcubierre metric utilized.  Whereas the Higgs Drive has to carry or produce its own negative matter to induce the creation of the metric (see GSRD, NMST, and STRANGE in the Higgs Drive description), the Dirac Waverider instead utilizes manipulation of the Dirac Field (formerly known as the Dirac Sea and also known as the Negative Field) to solve the negative matter prerequisite for the formation of a proper metric.  The Dirac Waverider systems tune the localized Dirac Field into a waveform structure which stabilizes into a variation on the standard Alcubierre metric – the metric utilized by this system does not notably contract spacetime in front of the vessel, allowing for both safe use in non-empty areas and for forward-looking sensors to remain active while at speed.  The expanding spacetime behind the vessel pushes the vehicle along in stabilized area, isolating it from any potential relativistic problems.  How exactly the drive system accomplishes this disruption in the Dirac Field and manipulation of the metric is unknown to ArcXen researchers at this time.
• Flux Space (Users: Calengil Dominion, Chrysoari Protectorate, Deep Ones Mining Union, Devout People of the Fost, Lissonian Treeholds, The Glorious Imperium, Proximan Suzerainty, Risanthan Spiritlands, The Unity, Warriors, Xylat’Ta’Acr Unified Cooperative)
  • “Flux Space is weird.”  That is the opening line to the TAAF’s primer on Flux Space given to all cadets as part of their basic training.  Even the Proximans, who introduced humanity to the technology when First Contact was made in the mid-2020s, are not quite sure how the technology works.  They admit to discovering it by accident during a foray into studying the structure of spacetime at very small scales.  Essentially, Flux Space is “not here, but there, yet still here at the same time.”  A more detailed explanation would go on to talk about entanglement, quantum foam, non-Euclidian geometries, Hilbert spaces, quantum field theory, nth-dimensional geometry, Kalzua-Klein theory, brane cosmology, and 20th century Terran science fiction.  Basically, Flux Space is “outside of our four-dimensional spacetime”…somehow.  A ship entering Flux Space just vanishes in regards to our universe, for all intents and purposes, and is transported to a place best described as a “rolling, shifting vacuum-like place with drifting ‘gravity’ currents and eddies.”  Flux Space, though ’empty,’ is filled with stable, mappable gradients in it’s structure, almost like constantly blowing winds on an ocean.  Following these currents and eddies allows for what is effectively superluminal travel in our universe.  As mapped so far, these currents and eddies appear to mesh most of the objects in our universe of sufficient mass together (though not directly), effectively creating a transportation network that connects stars to other stars.  These connections are by no means direct: for example, the Sol system is not connected to Proxima Centauri through any reasonably direct route, so travelling between the two via Flux Space requires going against the gradients and currents.  The size of the current and eddy leading to an object is proportional to the mass of that object – larger objects create larger eddies and currents, which allow for faster travel but are more difficult to divert out of.  Gradients flow in both directions, allowing for two-way travel, though the gradients are usually separated within flux space by about a half-day’s worth of travel against the gradient, so switching directions mid-journey is not feasible for most ships.  One oddity of Flux Space is the effect it has on psionics: psionics do not function in flux space without direct contact to a target.  Some cultures consider looking upon Flux Space to be taboo, and therefore do not have viewports active while travelling in Flux Space.  Still others consider looking upon Flux Space to be crucial to enlightenment, and spend long hours staring at the roiling, non-Euclidian patterns of energy and nothingness.
  • Entering Flux Space: Entering Flux Space requires either a Flux Space Gateway or a Flux Space Portal Generator.  Both methods utilize the same method – intense gravity fields create a microsingularity which is then forcibly evaporated, leaving a momentary brief segment of time where there is simply a ‘hole’ in space, which opens into Flux Space.  The vehicle then enters this hole.  Leaving Flux Space works the same, only in reverse – the microsingularity is projected into Flux Space, which tears open a hole back to normal space.  Flux Space Gateways are constructs that exist simultaneously both in Flux Space and normal space, while Flux Space Portal Generators utilize the same technology on a smaller scale to open a portal for the ship using them.
  • Travelling In Flux Space: While in Flux Space, vessels can require specialized drives to move against the gradients and currents, or at speeds greater than the gradients and currents will carry the ship.  A vessel without these drives can only travel at the speeds of the gradients and currents, which are subject to the GM (and usually functions as a Class 15 FTL drive and involves bizarre routing).  The specialized drives used to travel in Flux Space vary from species to species, but the ‘simplest’ of them is a quantum vacuum plasma thruster.  Traditionally, none of these drives function in ‘normal’ space, though some advanced species have created ones that can operate outside of flux space.  These drives are what the Class of a ship equipped for flux space actually represent.  By default, navigating against a standard gradient requires a Class 1 FTL drive – slower drives simply cannot push against the normal currents of flux space.  In a doldrum area where only a weak gradient is present, slower drives could allow for free navigation of flux space.  In areas of stronger gradients, such as in the Local Interstellar Cloud, all gradients typically flow towards the largest star in a region – Sirius A in the case of the LIC.  Usually these gradients will completely bypass stars 0.5 Solar Masses and smaller, leading to the relative isolation of systems like Proxima Centauri.  Small-scale gradients exist, usually in widely-separated multiple star systems, such as the mapped gradients existing between Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri.
  • Flux Space Features: There exist a range of features within Flux Space which are non-permanent, some of which are boons, and some of which are deadly hazards.
  • Breezes: Breezes are temporary increases in gradient flow, allow a vehicle to travel faster along that gradient.  Properly utilized, these can allow a ship to ‘surf’ the breeze, drastically increasing the distance the ship can travel in a day.  Surfing the breeze requires a DC 25 Pilot check per day in the breeze.  Success doubles the distance travelled by the vehicle.  Every 5 points that the DC is beat by increases the multiplier by 1 (x3 for 30, x4 for 35, and so on).  The chance of a breeze forming between two star systemsis 1% per day, and the breeze will last for 1d4 days before dissipating.
  • Doldrums: Doldrums are static features in flux space – areas of weakend to nonexistent gradient that allow for a vehicle to travel in whatever direction they choose.  Doldrums do not appear or disappear, they are best defined as map features.
  • Sinks: Sinks are sudden increases in localized gravitation gradient – a dangerous hazard that occurs on an unpredictable basis.  This hazard can form at any time, and can cripple or outright destroy a smaller vessel.  A sink forms and dissipates almost instantaneously, a vehicle’s pilot can make a DC 35 Pilot check to detect the sudden increase in gradient and avoid it.  Small sinks do 1d4x100 points of damage, medium sinks do 2d6x100 points of damage, and a large sink will do 4d6x100 points of damage.  This damage is hull-rending gravitational force – it is reduced by damage reduction but shields have no effect on it.  A sink does not have a set percentage of occurance, it only occurs when the GM says it occurs.  Rumors speak of terrifying weapons of long-lost civilizations that can create sinks at will.
  • Storms:  A storm is best defined as a ‘tangle’ in the gradients, where they loop around on themselves, knot themselves up, and twist around, creating hull-stressing gravitational forces before eventually returning to normal. Like sinks, storms only occur when the GM says they happen.  Unlike sinks, storms can be detected in advance.  Any ship in flux space can detect a storm within one day’s travel time of it with a DC 25 Use Computer check, and maps of all known storms are regularly published by authorities.  Storms cannot be easily avoided – they affect an entire gradient.  A ship caught in a storm will take 4d10x2 points of damage per day (reduced by damage reduction but not shields), and has a 50% chance of making no effective progress towards its destination.  Storms can be avoided, any ship that can travel off the gradient can avoid a storm with little difficulty.  A storm will never appear in a doldrum area. Once formed, a storm will last for 1d6 days before the gradient returns to normal.
  • “Stuff”: Not a technical term by any means.  When travelling off the gradient there is always a chance that you may stumble across something drifting through the endless void of flux space.  Cast-off waste from ships, escape pods, wrecked vessels, and a host of other things can be found in the rolling, shifting void of flux space.  For every ten cumulative days of travel off of the gradients, you have a 1% chance of discovering something.  To determine what is found, roll a d100 and consult the following list.
  • 01-05 – Interesting Junk: Unlike boring junk, this is junk which actualy has a possible value.  This could be historical value – a fragment of a ship known to have been lost decades or centuries ago.  It could be military value – a portion of an encryption system, a fragment of a weapons battery, a lost missile weapon.  The value could be of an informative nature – a fragment of a destroyed ship from an unknown power with the information needed to find and contact them.  Or the value could be monetary – cargo pods which aren’t empty, rare metals, and so on.  The junk could even be plot-relevant, a clue to something that is being searched for.  No matter what, the junk was worth stopping for and collecting.  However, it is almost impossible to distinguish interesting junk from boring junk or dangerous junk without actually bringing it on-board for examination.
  • 06-07 – Escape Pod: Ships lost or damaged in flux space may release escape pods, especially if they are crippled beyond all repair.  Occasionally, these are found by ships on the gradient, but more often they drift off the gradient and are lost forever. More advanced powers have stasis-capable escape pods which can keep their occupant alive through a stasis field or cryogenic system.  Still other species are capable of hibernation and could survive.  The call on this is up to the GM.  To determine who is in the escape pod, roll a d100 and consult below.
  • 01-60 – Known Advanced Power (Chrysoari, Fost, Lissonian): There is a 85% chance that this pod has a working stasis field.
  • 61-90 – Known Non-Advanced Power (All other Flux Space using powers):There is a 35% chance that this pod has a working cryo chamber.
  • 91-95 – Known Non-Flux Space Using Power (JolKoar, Speakers, Terran): To determine if the occupant is in stasis or cryo, roll again and reroll if you roll above a 90.
  • 96-100 – Unknown Race: 50% chance of survivor.
  • 08-10 – Lifeform: Surprising to most non-seasoned spacefarers and those who are not exotic biologists, there is actually sparsely-found life in flux space, though it was long ago removed from the gradients.
  • Plasma Squid: These strange, energy-based creatures are a collection of translucent, glowing bubbles, connected by streams of lightning, all forming a body and trailing ‘tentacles.’  The creature is made of energy fields of varying types and frequencies, and its place in whatever passes for an ecosystem in flux space is unknown. The smallest on record is 30 meters in diameter with tentacles a hundred meters long, the largest on record is unthinkably huge – larger than the Sirius Trade Station. Their presence is easily detectable by most electromagnetic scanners – they ‘scream’ in broadband emissions detectable from a safe distance away. Any ship that gets too close to one is likely to be destroyed utterly.  The plasma squid is drawn to the energy pulsing through a starship and it will tear ship apart to get at it. The explosions which are the likely result of the creature’s attack simply provide it with a massive surge of food and, sometimes, spur it to divide and thus reproduce itself. Some scientists feel that all plasma squid are descendants of a single creature, one which may well have been an artificial creation. Others believe in an as-yet-undiscovered ‘flux-space ecology’ and consider the plasma squid to simply be a top predator in that ecology. Little else is know of their lifecycle, so, either theory may well be correct. Plasma squid attacks by embracing a target ship in its tentacles. Energy pulses through them and into the ship, burning out circuits and melting hulls.  The creature then proceeds to tear this ship apart, with a special interest in the engines. Their attacks can be avoided with a DC 30 Pilot check, each round.  Failure on this check means that the ship takes 4d10+20 damage.  The plasma squid can be attacked, it is considered to have a Reflex defense of 10 and 300 hit points (for an average member of the species).  However, it is completely immune to physical damage, and takes half damage from all energy damage.
    
  • 11-15 – Abandoned Ship, Known Advanced Power: A ship belonging to one of the advanced powers has been abandoned here.  This is most likely a badly damaged vessel, one where the crew fled prior to its expected destruction.  The ship could be on the verge of exploding or it could be a dead hulk.  Alerting the owners to its location would probably be the best course of action, unless the ship belongs to a power currently at war with the power that discovered it, in which case the ship will probably be claimed as a prize of war.  Note – this does not have a be a ship from a power that uses flux space as a primary means of FTL travel.
  • 16-20 – Abandoned Ship, Known Non-Advanced Power: As above, but the ship belongs to one of the less-advanced powers.
  • 21-22 – Abandoned Ship, Unknown Power: The power that built this vessel is a mystery, but their technology is on the level of the advanced or non-advanced powers (GM’s discretion), as opposed to the rare relics of lost civilizations found floating around off the gradient. The ship will contain clues to the powers’ location and biology (or biologies for multi-species powers), and as such, is an incredible treasure, as whoever finds it will be able to make a well-informed First Contact after a suitable study.  Of course, a ship built by an unknown power may well contain a variety of dangers; exploring it can be risky, due either to different environmental tolerances or due to traps left behind by the original owners.
  • 23 – Mysterious Relic: This is about as dangerous – and as potentially rewarding – as a random find can get. The ship has stumbled on something left behind, abandoned or lost by one of the civilizations lost to time, or perhaps by one of the transcendent races which are still around, a hitherto unknown power which exceeds even the advanced powers, or – more chillingly – it might have been left there by the cosmic boogeymen of late – Nightlords.  The relic could be anything – a weapon, a scientific experiment, a collection of music – but it will be strange, incomprehensible and, even if benign in original design, very dangerous to those who find it and do not take every possible precaution.  Even the hypothetical music collection could be lethal; perhaps the music of the a hitherto unknown power causes insanity or the vibrations turn human cells to mush. The introduction of such a relic can easily spawn several scenarios or, if it is sufficiently dangerous, end a campaign…and leave another pile of junk drifting through hyperspace. Indeed, if the relic is found adrift in a cloud of  fragments identified as being from a recently constructed ship, this ought to be considered an important clue…
  • 24 – Active Base: Several powers maintain active, mobile bases inside flux space, for a variety of purposes.  Secret research, benign scientific studies, military rallying points, or possibly even more sinister purposes.  Traditionally, these bases are very difficult to find as they operate with no beacons on.  However, you’ve just happened to stumble across one of them.  It could be staffed by bored scientists looking for a temporary diversion from their job monitoring gradient flow…or it could be staffed by bloodthirsty, trigger-happy soldiers who are bored and itching for a fight.  Or it could be considered restricted territory and you’ll be fired upon after a warning (if you get a warning at all).
  • 25-30 – Dangerous Junk: Possibly one of the more dangerous things that could be found off the gradient (barring hostile forces), dangerous junk is generally indistinguishable from boring or interesting junk but is a whole lot more risky to have on-board.  Missiles with arming mechanisms based on warmth or atmosphere, cargo pods containing virulent pathogens or fast-breeding species, data stores with invasive code, and so on.  Sometimes the junk is a trap, laced with a tracking beacon to lead pirates or raiders to the ship’s current location or destination.  However, it is almost impossible to distinguish interesting junk from boring junk or dangerous junk without actually bringing it on-board for examination.
  • 31-100 – Boring Junk: The vast majority of ‘stuff’ found off the gradients is this.  Bits of worked metal of no value, empty cargo pods, fragments of old hardware, literal biological waste, and so on.  Flux space is a dumping ground for trash for some people, and its no surprise that lots of it turns up off the gradients. This has no monetary, historical, or military value at all.  However, it is almost impossible to distinguish interesting junk from boring junk or dangerous junk without actually bringing it on-board for examination.
  • Flux Space Portal Generators: A smaller version of the technology used in Flux Space Gateways, Portal Generators can be added to a ship to give it the ability to enter and leave Flux Space without the aid of a Gateway.  Portal Generators can traditionally be added onto ships of Colossal (frigate) size and up, though some advanced species may have smaller versions which can go on smaller vehicles.  Flux Space Portal Generators are considered non-standard modifications for Terran starships, thus costing 20 emplacement points and 10,000,000 credits. When adding these to a vehicle constructed at a shipyard that normally builds Flux Space-capable vehicles, this instead costs 10 emplacement points and 5,000,000 credits.  The Chrysoari have a Flux Space Portal Generator that only takes up 5 emplacement points and can be added to any size vehicle, however they refuse to sell or license this technology to anyone outside the Protectorate – black market cost is estimated at 20,000,000 Chrysoari Protectorate Credits.
• Higgs Drive (Users: Terran Alliance, Teuthidoid Peoples)
  • The Higgs Drive is the method of FTL transit developed by the Terran Alliance and used by both them and the Teuthidoid Peoples (who obtained it through a technology trade deal in return for advanced aquaculture techniques).  Higgs Drives require a very high amount of energy to operate, with the most common power source being an array of casimir batteries charged by fusion reactors.  They can be operated for about 8 hours before needing to cool off, degauss, and undergo routine, primarily automated maintenance for 16 hours.  The Class number of a Higgs Drive is equal to how many 8-hour periods are needed to travel 1 light year.  Therefore, a Class 1 Higgs Drive can travel 1 light year in 8 hours, before needing to cool for 16 hours.  On most vessels, this limits how far a ship can travel in one day.  Vessels with multiple Higgs Drives can use them consecutively, allowing one drive to cool, degauss, and undergo maintenance while another propels the ship.  The Higgs Drive is an Alcubierre-style spacetime warping drive, which, when combined with a Higgs inertial manipulation field, allows for the creation of an altered area of spacetime sufficient to surround the ship.  Spacetime in front of the ship is contracted, and spacetime behind the ship is expanded.  The use of a Higgs field decreases the perceived mass required to transport with this drive which in turn keeps energy requirements reasonable, and the fact that the ship is never moving at superluminal velocities (since it is essentially stationary) means that general and special relativity do not come into play.  Contact with the warped areas of space is extremely hazardous and will usually lead to matter being torn apart at the subatomic level.  This protects the vehicle from any unexpected hazardous debris, but it also means that the Higgs Drive cannot be used in a heavily-trafficked area, such as a stellar system.  The Standard Operating Procedure for a Higgs Drive is to travel to the edge of a stellar system (or the edge of the heavily trafficked/debris-filled area, the edge of the Kuiper belt in Sol’s case) – or to leave the trafficked areas and set a course up and out of the trafficked areas (plotting a course up or down from the ecliptic in Sol’s case) – before activating the Higgs Drive.  In the second case, there are clear, well-surveyed lanes that have been created in and out of the system perpendicular to the ecliptic, allowing for travel without reduced possibility of destroying resource deposits.  Access to these lanes is heavily restricted, and is primarily only open to military vehicles.
  • Components: The Higgs Drive is a complicated piece of machinery, the basic primer for operation of it numbers over a thousand standard datapad pages, but there are three primary components – the GSRD, the NMST, and the STRANGE.
  • Gravitation State Reversal Device (GSRD): When the Higgs Drive was originally developed the negative matter required to actually create the spacetime distortions that make FTL transit possible was only obtainable by using large and complicated exotic matter traps to capture rare, free-moving exotic dark matter, or through the use of particle accelerators capable of energy levels above 10 teraelectronvolts in a slow process – at the time, only the Superconducting Super Collider in the Southern States of America and the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider were available to the Janus team for fuel creation.  The SSC had been shut down by the Southern States of America in an effort to balance their budget, and the Janus team bought the facility outright, while CERN leased them access to the HL-LHC while CERN was building the Future Circular Collider on Mars.  These slow production methods of negative matter fuel were untenable, and a major hurdle to opening the stars to exploration – just the estimated 1 milligram of negative matter needed to travel to Alpha Centauri would cost around 30,000,000,000,000 (30 Trillion) credits.  However, the solution to this problem was discovered by accident one day in July 2021.  While working on a production run of fuel for another Janus test, there was a moderate earthquake in Oklahoma (later determined to be caused by hydraulic fracturing for hydrocarbon extraction) while the beam was in operation.  Running at peak capacity when the earthquake happened, the SSC was powered to 20 TeV – the nanometers of disruption in the waveguides sent the proton stream hurtling out of alignment.  A freak occurence in quantum mechanics happened, with at least one proton from the stream passing through the waveguides unimpeded and before entering into one of the superconductors chilled down to around -200C.  This one in a quadrillion quantum occurence, combined with the fact that the SSC utilized outright archaic superconductor technology (as opposed to the newer ‘warm’ superconductors used by the HL-LHC), lead to something happening that just should not happen – the production of a stable strangelet.  The boogeyman of particle physics was real, and it was currently sealed inside a strong magnetic field which was keeping it isolated.  The only reason that the strangelet was even discovered was the fact that it was growing, steadily converting more of the electromagnet into strange matter.  But there was something…off…about this strangelet – it was almost like it was a negative strangelet.  The electromagnet had been removed and replaced and shipped off to a Janus research lab for study, and after studies and downright risky experiments with the resulting strangelets it was confirmed that this was indeed a strangelet which qualified as negative matter, however these strangelets decayed rapidly when exposed to specific electromagnetic frequencies.  Suddenly two major problems with the Higgs Drive were solved – the lack of a controllable shutdown method prior to fuel exhaustion, and the fuel source problem.  The Janus team suddenly found themselves with a very valuable funding source – the only source of this new production method of negative matter was the glob of strangelets they had in isolation, and it is suspected that more than a few of the attacks against Project Janus during late 2021 and early 2022 were actually black ops teams attempting to steal the strangelet supply.  The GSRD itself is quite simple – at its core, it contains a ‘seed’ strangelet created from a ‘seed’ of the original glob of SSC strangelets (though some older drives may have an actual ‘seed’ from that glob).  Matter is fed into the GSRD (typically unrecyclable waste matter or interstellar hydrogen), and inertially forced into momentary contact with the seed.  Strange matter converts ordinary matter into strange matter when placed into contact with it almost instantaneously, so this process is very quick.  The resulting new glob of strangelets is then inertially channeled into the Negative Matter Storage Tank through a Rigarium-lined guidepath.  GSRD operation is only undertaken when fuel supplies are low.
  • Negative Matter Storage Tank (NMST): Quite possibly the least-understood component of the Higgs Drive is the Negative Matter Storage Tank. Even before the glut of negative matter resulting from the July 2021 Strangelet Incident beacme a problem, there was always the issue of storing something that is by its very nature liable to destroy what it is stored in.  Antimatter storage was easy, just confine it in a Penning trap and be done with it.  But while negative matter could be confined by a Penning trap, it incurred such a stress on the trap that the lifetime of the device was measured in days.  Enter Rigarium, a weird substance compound created by alloying several rare elements – though it is known to occur in sparesly-located natural deposits.  When supplied with appropriate reagents, Rigarium forms a sort of ‘wall’ existing in four spatial dimensions, isolating the contents from the rest of Minkowksi spacetime and rendering them, effectively, nonexistent (if completely surroudned). The NMST is the most dangerous component of the Higgs Drive, since even a momentarily uncontrolled failure of the tank’s catalyst systems could result in a catastropic release of the negative matter fuel (see ‘The Phoenix Anomaly’ below).  The actual mechanism by which Rigarium operates is still poorly understood, but operation and maintenance procedures for the NMST itself are well-documented and strictly regulated.
  • Strangelet Trunk Routes And Negation Emitters (STRANGE): STRANGE is the term for both the series of inertially-controlled, magnetically-confined guidepaths which run from the NMST to emission ports on the surface of the vehicle, as well as the electromagnetic emitters embedded in the hull of the vehicle which allow for a controlled shutdown of the Higgs Drive. The magnetic confinment of these guidepaths is not to control the strangelets, it is to prevent any virtual particles from interacting with the strangelet – strangelet movement and isolation is controlled via the inertial fields in these guidepaths.  The guidepaths are lined with Rigarium, preventing any interaction between the strangelets and the ship.
  • Wirehead Dependency: In order to perform at peak efficiency, constant monitoring of all Higgs Drives systems is required, along with continuous tweaks to the shape, structure, and strength of the spacetime waveforms in order to stay on course.  Experiments in automating Higgs Drive control have ended poorly, usually with ships going off on an unexpected vector and being lost forever.  Soft AI proved unable to reliably work as controllers for the systems, which led to the development of the Wirehead System.
  • Dangers: The major downside to the Higgs Drive is the inherent danger to all matter near the ship when activating the drive and while it is in flight.  In frequently-travelled spacelanes, there are numerous FTL vectors which can be assigned to a vessel, each one providing enough clearance from the other vectors to allow for save travel.  Diverting from these vectors without permission (a difficult thing to obtain due to the fact that communications aside from psionics don’t work at FTL speeds) is a serious offense (if you are somehow caught).  The actual size of the area of space that is affected by the drive while it is in operation is extremely small, roughly only several centimeters wide.  That small area of space is expanded out into the altered area of spacetime the ship resides, in.  This means that collisions with a ship moving via a Higgs Drive is statistically improbably, but still possible, and since the amount of energy released should two ships travelling with Higgs Drives collide would be enough to destroy anything near them and possibly cause a spacetime disruption, regulations are heavily enforced.
  • The Phoenix Anomaly: Another danger of the Higgs Drive is the mystery of the Phoenix Anomaly.  First codified with the engine trouble that kept the titular ship from launching on time, the Phoenix Anomaly has since been blamed for the loss of several vehicles prior to the definition of the anomaly, namely the T.A.S.S. John W Young, who’s AI survived the disaster and was rediscovered in 2030, whereupon it turned over sensor records of the end result of the anomaly, proving several theories and disproving several others. In short, the Phoenix Anomaly is an unexpected destabilization of the negative matter storage tank (NMST) which leads to the tank going critical and failing. The resulting eruption of negative matter results in a space-time anomaly similar in nature to a short-lived wormhole, tearing open space and creating a tunnel to…just about anywhere (in theory).  In the only documented incident (the John W Young), the fact that the tank was ejected in time led to the relocation of the vessel’s wreck and surviving crew approximately 17 light years in the blink of an eye, though scientists theorize this distance is by no means a maximum or a minimum limit.  If the tank is not ejected in time, theoretically the resulting eruption of negative matter would cause the complete destruction of the ship, or at the very least its engineering section.  What actually causes the destabilization of the tank is unknown, and given the nature of the NMST it might never be known.  Current theory states that Rigarium simply has a limited lifespan, but there seems to be no pattern to the failure rate of the NMST.
  • Wake Jumping: Wake jumping was developed by the TAAF as an enhanced use of large-scale Higgs drives, and allows for all Higgs-Drive equipped vessels to travel at the Class of the drive equal to the largest-sized vessel among their grouping, provided that they are within 4 squares of the vessel.  It is usually used to transport frigates (which often have Class 3 drives) with battle fleets built around a command ship or battlecruiser (which have Class 2 drives).  Standard communication is possible between vessels in this 4-square radius area. However, ships engaging in Wake Jumping use several vectors in a given spacelane, so traffic control tends to not like it when this is done inside a frequently-traveled spacelane.
• Quark Drive (Users: Nissala Minor States Alliance)
• Listed only for completion and lore’s sake, the Minor States Alliance of the Nissala on Shirase 1 developed a unique brand of FTL travel which appears to break several laws of physics – mainly those concerning relativity.  Powered by the several large supercolliders, the vehicle uses the emissions of high-energy particle collisions which create quark-gluon plasma to accelerate the vehicle to relativistic, and then superluminal velocities.  However, this acceleration is ‘slow’ by FTL standards, taking approximately 29 Earth days to even reach 1c.  Another problem arises once the vehicle goes superluminal – as a consequence of time dilation, the ship’s own reference frame begins to speed up when compared to the outside world, thus making time on the ship travel far slower.  For example, the trip from Nissala to Alpha Centauri undertaken by the Minor States Alliance took about 500 years according to the ship’s internal reference frame.  Therefore, use of the Quark Drive is not recommended unless a form of long-duration stasis is available.
• <SPEAKERS FTL SYSTEM GOES HERE>

Maneuvering Jets
It is possible to increase a vehicle’s ability to pitch, jink, and roll by adding additional small maneuvering thrusters that automatically fire during extreme maneuvers.  Although all starships include some maneuvering thrusters, special maneuvering jets give more power to perform maneuvers behind a vehicle’s normal capacity.
Maneuvering jets give a vehicle +2, +4, or +6 equipment bonus to its Dexterity score.

Navicomputer
A navicomputer is an astrogation calculator designed to make all the calculations necessary to travel at FTL speeds.  Most starships have navicomputers, but those that lack FTL drives, and the rare SACs that have added FTL drives to them usually do not. Though extremely expensive, advanced navicomputers exist.  These grant a +10 bonus on Use Computer checks made for astrogation, rather than at typical navicomputer’s +5.  Additionally, a character aboard a ship that has a navicomputer need not be trained in the Use Computer skill to make use of the astrogate aspect of the skill.
This is only available for space-capable vehicles.
SACs: Most SACs do not have room for an FTL drive, let alone a full navicomputer.  Typically when they have an FTL drive added, the either rely on wake jumping, or have a limited navicomputer that can only store two FTL Runs worth of information.

Speed Booster
Speed boosters allow pilots to divert all power from certain systems directly into the engines and booster jets to temporarily increase the vehicle’s speed. The pilot, co-pilot or system operator can, as a swift action, re-route power from all weapons to the engines, allowing the maximum velocity and squares per round movement to increase by 50% (round up) on a successful Pilot check made to increase vehicle speed. The pilot also gains a +5 equipment bonus to this check. If no weapons are installed on the vehicle, its shields are reduced to 0 SR (if any), it loses half its remaining consumables in the boost, and the pilot suffers a -5 penalty to all Pilot checks during the boost. The vehicle will retain the speed increase until the speed booster is shut down with another swift action, or after a number of rounds equal to the vehicle’s Strength modifier. Should the speed booster disengage automatically in this fashion, the vehicle moves one step down the condition track. If the speed booster is disengaged automatically, the pilot, co-pilot, or system operator must still spend a swift action to restore power to the systems before they can be used.

SubLight Accelerator Motor (SLAM)
A SubLight Accelerator Motor (SLAM) is an overdrive system designed to draw power from systems not in use to give a starship a brief burst of additional speed.  A starship’s SLAM system provides a +5 bonus on Pilot checks to increase a vehicle’s speed.  This bonus increases to +10 if the pilot is using all-out movement.
This is only available for space-capable ships.

Sublight Drive
A sublight drive is what makes a ship move through space or atmosphere.  Though a SLAM can enhance a ship’s space speed, sometimes a new sublight drive is required to reach such speeds with minimal effort from the pilot. Replacing a ship’s sublight drive can be expensive, though, and many ships cannot reach high speeds due to the bulk of their sublight drives.

• Air-Breathing Engine, Aerial [Max Speed Available: 8 squares, Emplacement Points Used: -3 (minimum 1), Availability: Common, Cost: Quarter all costs, Consumables: Reduce to 1/2 standard]
  • This represents any engine that can only operate in an atmosphere – turboprops, turbofans, ramjets, scramjets, reciprocating piston engines, internal combustion engines, electric motors that rely on air for cooling, and so on. They can be installed in addition to a space-capable sublight drive to provide improved speed inside an atmosphere. Checks made to build, repair, and install air-breathing engines receive a +15 bonus.
• Air-Breathing Engine, Hovercraft [Max Speed Available: 2 squares, Emplacement Points Used: -2 (minimum 1), Availability: Common, Cost: 1/4th cost, Consumables: double standard]
  • Utilizing a flexible skirt to contain a cushion of air that the vehicle hovers above, hovercraft are capable of crossing both land and water, however they are finicky and difficult to control. A vehicle being propelled via a hovercraft system is considered to be a Hovering Vehicle for the purposes of Pilot checks. However, any penalty for being unspecialized in Hovering Vehicles is doubled – hovercraft are finicky and difficult to control at times. Checks made to build, repair, and install hovercraft propulsion receive a +10 bonus, however all replacement parts for hovercraft engines are considered to have Rare availability representing the difficulty in maintaining the hovercraft skirt. Hovercraft are loud and suffer a -10 penalty to all Stealth checks. Additionally, anyone onboard one or near one suffers a -10 penalty to all hearing-based perception checks, hearing protection and electronic communication are normally used to communicate aboard one.
• Air-Breathing Engine, Inertial Manipulation [Max Speed Available: 5 squares, Emplacement Points Used: -1 (minimum 1), Availability: Common] (USERS: JolKoar Empire, Terran Alliance, United Lissonian Treeholds)
  • Through the use of inertial manipulation and high-efficiency thrusters, even the most unaerodynamic vehicle can be made to fly through the air. However, inertial levitation is limited to a flight ceiling of around 5,000 meters. A vehicle propelled via Inertial Manipulation Levitation is considered to be a Hovering Vehicle for the purposes of Pilot checks.
• Air-Breathing Engine, Wheeled [Max Speed Available: 5 squares, Emplacement Points Used: -3 (minimum 1), Availability: Common, Cost: 1/8th cost, Consumables: triple standard]
  • This represents any engine that can only operate in an atmosphere and only on the ground – typically an internal combustion engine or air-cooled electric motor. Checks made to build, repair, and install air-breathing wheeled engines receive a +20 bonus.
• Biological Engine (USERS: Teuthidoid Peoples) [Availability: Rare, Special: Must be part of the ship’s original construction – cannot be added post-manufacture]
  • While not technically a distinct drive technology itself, biological engines are worth mentioning due to their inherent flexibility. A Teuthidoid Biological Engine functions as an Air-Breathing Engine, an Ion Engine, and a Solar Sail, all while technically being a single engine component. However, it takes several rounds to reconfigure between these modes, and each mode is still subject to the normal speed restrictions of that type of propulsion system. Biological Engines are an innate feature of a ship, and can only be found on Teuthidoid-built vessels as they are an innate feature of those vessels.
• Chemical Rocket [Max Speed Available: 4 Squares, Emplacement Points Used: +2, Availability: Common, Cost: Halve all costs, Consumables: Reduce to 1/4 standard]
  • Though they are easily the simplest sublight drive technology, chemical rockets are rarely used due to their inefficient fuel-to-Δv ratio. Checks made to build, repair, and install chemical rockets receive a +10 bonus.
• Fusion Torch (USERS: Calengil Dominion, Risanthan Spiritlands) [Max Speed Available: 6 Squares, Emplacement Points Used: +1, Availability: Common, Cost: Reduce by 25%]
  • The simplest out of the commonly used sublight drives beyond basic chemical rockets, the fusion torch is essentially a fusion reactor that has a magnetically-controlled output port for the plasma created by the engine. Constant acceleration is not used with the engine, instead the engine fires to get the vehicle up to speed or for critical maneuvers, otherwise the fuel consumption of the engine is prohibitive for long-duration. Fusion Torches should not be used in the atmosphere – it’s exhaust stream is radioactive. Installing separate Air-Breathing Engines or Atmospheric Thrusters allows safe atmospheric operation. While fusion torches are bulky, they are extremely easy to repair and any mechanic worth their name can tear down a fusion engine and rebuild it. Checks made to build, repair, and install fusion torches receive a +5 bonus.
• Gravitic Drives (USERS: Chrysoari Protectorate, JolKoar Empire) [Max Speed Available: 8 Squares, Emplacement Points Used: -1 (minimum 1), Size Restriction: Increase by 1 size, Availabilty: Rare, Cost: Double Cost]
  • These drives utilize controlled gravity fields to pull the vehicle along rather than propel it. Ships equipped with gravitic drives always have artificial gravity, regardless of the size. Gravitic drives represent the pinnacle of reasonably common sublight engine technology, however the knowledge of how to build and repair them is not widely known. Checks made to build, repair, and install gravitic drives take a -20 penalty unless the person making the check is either from one of the powers who uses this technology, or has spent extensive time studying the science and technology behind them.  Gravitiy drives also count as a Flux Space FTL Drive – Speed 7 and 8 count as a Class 0.5, Speed 6 and 5 count as a Class 1, Speed 4 and lower count as a Class 2.  However, they to not count as Flux Space Portal Generators.
• Ion Engine (USERS: Lissonian Treeholds, Proximan Suzerainty) [Max Speed Available: 5 Squares, Availability: Common, Consumables: Quadruple Standard]
  • The ion engine generates power to break down molecules of a fuel material to create ions, and then expels them by means of a magnetic impeller. It doesn’t provide as effective a mass-thrust ratio as the fusion torch, but it’s more fuel efficient, and its exhaust is not nearly as dangerous. Ion engines don’t function in any kind of atmosphere, so most ships with this kind of drive also come equipped with Air-Breathing Engines. Ion engines are highly reliable, since they contain barely any moving parts (if any at all).
• Solar Sail (USERS: Lissonian Treeholds) [Max Speed Available: 8 Squares, Emplacement Points Used: -3 (minimum 0), Cost: Always in Lissonian Exchange Units, Consumables: Octuple Standard]
  • Solar sails (also called light sails or photon sails) are a form of spacecraft propulsion which uses large mirrors, driven by radiation pressure exerted by sunlight. A useful analogy may be a sailing boat; the light exerting a force on the mirrors is akin to a sail being blown by the wind. High-energy laser beams can be used as an alternative light source to exert much greater force than would be possible using sunlight, a concept known as beam sailing, however this can only be done in areas where the beams have been set up – therefore it is commonly used to give ships with this propulsion system an initial boost in the right direction. Solar sail craft begin movement from rest with a speed of 1 square (unless already moving faster due to an alternative propulsion system), the vehicle’s speed increases by 1 square every 10 rounds until it reaches the maximum speed for its solar sail drive. When beam sailing, the laser beams push the vehicle at a 4 square speed, allowing it to start movement at that velocity. The sails are extremely fragile, and are therefore only deployed when it is absolutely safe to do so. Deploying or stowing the sails takes 1 minute, while replacing damaged sails takes 12 hours. In combat, any weapon hit against the ship destroys any deployed sails – however, if the sails are destroyed while the vehicle is in motion, the vehicle will continue to move at its current speed and heading until acted upon by an outside force (such as another propulsion system). The solar sail propulsion system comes with three spare sails – additional sails can be stored as cargo, with nine sails being stored taking up 1 emplacement point worth of cargo (5 tons for Colossal, 50 tons for Colossal (frigate), and so on). The speed of a vehicle using solar sails cannot be increased via the SLAM or Speed Booster components, or the Increase Vehicle Speed function of the Pilot skill. Solar sails are completely useless in an atmosphere, and are destroyed if deployed when entering an atmosphere.
• Stover Drives (Stover-Kwan-Konstantinov Higgs Field-Assisted Fusion-Torch Particle Impulse Engine) (USERS: Terran Alliance) [Max Speed Available: 7 Squares]
  • For Terran spacecraft, the sublight drive usually represents a “Stover Drive.”  While the original incarnation of the Stover Drive was a simple Fusion Torch, the current technology behind the drive system these days is technically known as the “Stover-Kwan-Konstantinov Higgs Field-Assisted Fusion Torch Particle Impulse Engine” or the “SKK Higgs-Assisted Fusion Torch.”  The fusion torch that comprised the original Stover Drive is now used to produce particles that are magnetically accelerated at relativistic velocities out of the propulsion ports.  A low-power Higgs Nullification Field is used to lower the inertia of the vehicle that the propulsion system is part of, which increases the acceleration of the vehicle until it has reached the desired velocity, at which point the Higgs Field is powered down gradually to allow for normal operation inside the vessel.  The vessel then coasts until thrust is needed again.  This drive system has a peak performance of roughly 1 AU/hour, which keeps time dilation to an ‘acceptable’ 99% of normal. The Stover Drive can safely be operated inside the atmosphere due to the Higgs Field, since the fusion reactor that powers it is aneutronic, meaning it emits minimal energy in the form of ionizing neutron radiation.  Common manufacturers of this drive system include Volokh-Wang Space Systems, however most shipbuilders have in-house manufacturing arms for production.

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VEHICLE DEFENSE SYSTEMS

Defense systems include anything that reduces the chance a starship will be destroyed.  They are often less regulated than weapon systems, since every ship needs a certain amount of defenses to deal with routine space hazards.

System	Emplacement Points	Availability	Size Restriction	Cost
Adaptive Armor, Advanced	0	Extremely Rare	None	Priceless
Adaptive Armor, Chrysoari	0	Rare	None	800,000 Chrysoari Protectorate Credits
Adaptive Armor, Teuthidoid	0	Teuthidoid-Built Ships Only	None	N/A (included in base cost of ship)
Armor, +1	2	Licensed	None	4,000 credits base
Armor, +2	5	Restricted	Colossal or larger	10,000 credits base
Armor, +3	10	Military	Colossal (frigate) or larger	20,000 credits base
Armor, +4	20	Military	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	40,000 credits base
Chaff Projector	3	Restricted	None	16,000 credits base
Jamming Suite	1	Military	None	10,000 credits base
Jamming Array	5	Military	Colossal or larger	40,000 credits base
Living Ship	0	Rare	None	N/A (included in base cost of ship)
Regenerating Shields	2	Restricted	None	10,000 credits base
Reinforced Bulkheads +10%	2	Common	None	4,000 credits base
Reinforced Bulkheads +20%	5	Licensed	None	10,000 credits base
Reinforced Bulkheads +30%	10	Restricted	None	20,000 credits base
Shields, Chrysoari Energy	As normal shields	Military	As normal shields	Double normal shield cost, in Chrysoari Protectorate Credits
Shields, SR 10	1	Common	None	1,500 credits base
Shields, SR 15	1	Common	None	2,000 credits base
Shields, SR 20	1	Common	Gargantuan or larger	2,500 credits base
Shields, SR 25	1	Common	Gargantuan or larger	3,000 credits base
Shields, SR 30	2	Common	Gargantuan or larger	4,000 credits base
Shields, SR 35	2	Common	Gargantuan or larger	5,000 credits base
Shields, SR 40	2	Common	Colossal or larger	6,000 credits base
Shields, SR 45	2	Common	Colossal or larger	8,000 credits base
Shields, SR 50	3	Common	Colossal or larger	10,000 credits base
Shields, SR 55	3	Common	Colossal or larger	12,000 credits base
Shields, SR 60	3	Common	Colossal (frigate) or larger	16,000 credits base
Shields, SR 70	3	Common	Colossal (frigate) or larger	20,000 credits base
Shields, SR 80	4	Common	Colossal (frigate) or larger	25,000 credits base
Shields, SR 90	4	Common	Colossal (frigate) or larger	30,000 credits base
Shields, SR 100	5	Common	Colossal (frigate) or larger	40,000 credits base
Shields, SR 125	6	Common	Colossal (frigate) or larger	50,000 credits base
Shields, SR 150	7	Common	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	60,000 credits base
Shields, SR 175	8	Common	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	80,000 credits base
Shields, SR 200	10	Common	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	100,000 credits base

Adaptive Armor [Advanced, Chrysoari, Teuthidoid]
Found only in vehicles designed by the most advanced powers and long-abandoned derliects, adaptive armor utilizes bio-technology or mysterious crystalline technology. When struck by an attack, the outermost layer of the armor ‘learns’ about the attack and the rest of the armor adapts to absorb and disspate the energy, leaving just the physical impact of the attack. Chrysoari Adaptive Armor halves all incoming damage from incoming directed energy weapon attacks. Advanced Adaptive Armor halves incoming damage from all energy damage sources including plasma and other forms of non-directed energy. Teuthidoid Adaptive Armor is only available in Teuthidoid-built ships and halves all incoming damage from non-energy sources, however if the ship lacks a shield rating at any time it takes double damage from any radiation-based damage – including energy weapons (both directed and non-directed).

Armor
A basic level of armor exists on all starships – it’s a necessary part of building a hull strong enough to survive the rigors of space – and armor never has to be completely replaced, just patched up.  However, it’s possibly to add additional armor beyond what’s needed to keep a starship intact, or to add armor to ground and air vehicles as well, and doing so can boost the a vehicle’s chance of making it out of a firefight.  Additional armor is heavy and generally obvious, giving a vehicle a blocky, military appearance.  Armor is bought as an equipment bonus to the armor a vehicle adds to its Reflex Defense.  Skilled pilots often prefer vehicles without heavy armor, since they can use their character level in place of a vehicle’s armor bonus in any case.

Chaff Projector
A chaff projector is a countermeasure system that protects a craft from incoming projectiles and disrupts targeting computers attempting to gain a lock. As a reaction, the chaff gun fires a trail of energized durasteel shards and particles from the rear of the craft in a 6-square (character scale, only the cone behind it on starship scale) cone, dealing 7d10x2 to any objects (incoming missiles, starships, etc) caught in the affected area as they are showered with flechette. Additionally, for 2 rounds after the chaff is deployed, any attacks rolls made against the ship do not benefit from their craft’s Intelligence modifier as the targeting software is unable to obtain a lock on its prey.  The ammunition capacity for a chaff projector is equal to the ship’s cost modifier. Additional capacity can be added, increasing the cost by 20% for each additional chaff burst (up to a maximum of double capacity).

Jammers
Jammers come in many forms, from small jamming suites used in strike craft to massive jamming arrays carried by some capital ships.  Not all jammers are effective enough to alter game statistics – the jamming suite in a wing commander’s Interceptor, for example, has too small an effect on other ships to modify game statistics in any way.
A sensor jamming system is capable of blinding enemy sensors and fire-control computers, making the vehicle carrying the jammer a more elusive target.  The effectiveness of a jamming suite is limited to small craft and space transports, and a single target within 6 squares (starship scale) must be selected as the target of the jammer (a swift action).  A jamming array affects all enemy vehicles within 6 squares of the vehicle carrying it, regardless of the size of those vehicles.
A vehicle affected by a jammer takes penalties on Use Computer checks made for communications or sensors.  For a jamming suite, the penalty is -4 for starfighters and -2 for space transports.  For a jamming array, the penalty is -6 for starfighters, -4 for space transports, and -2 for capital ships.  This penalty also applies to enemy fire control systems, although it cannot reduce a ship’s Intelligence ability attack modifier on attack rolls below +0.
A system operator can attempt to overcome the effect of a jammer.  Doing this is a swift action and involves a Use Computer check (with the jammer penalty) opposed by the Use Computer check of the ship with the jammer.  On a successful result, the jammed vehicle takes no penalties from jamming until the start of the system operator’s next turn.

Living Ship
A living ship’s hull is an organic, living creature – it heals hit points on its own as normal for living creatures. The vehicle can be repaired as normal with the Mechanics check. All functions of the Treat Injury skill can be used on a Living Ship, however the time it takes to actually make these checks is increased by multiplying the normal time by the vehicle’s cost modifier (minimum x1).

Regenerating Shields
Because of the importance of shields, many engineers have tried to devise ways to improve their performance.  For example, the Teuthidoids install backup generators on their vessels to keep their defenses strong, while others have added additional power generators or special computers to ensure that shield generators have the most power when they need it.  All these systems are essentially ways to have shields regenerate more quickly, even if they work on different principles.
If you have regenerating shields, your current shield rating increases by 10 (up to the vehicle’s maximum shield rating) when you use the recharge shields action.  Normal shields increase their shield rating by only 5 when recharged.

Reinforced Bulkheads
The overall durability of a vehicle can be increased by reinforcing its internal bulkheads.  Reinforced bulkheads increase a vehicle’s hit points by 10%, 20%, or 30%.  (These improvements don’t stack.)

Shields
While not entirely the ‘energy shields’ of science fiction, shields do indeed represent a certain level of energy deflection capability.  Shields serve to deflect, disrupt, or otherwise interfere with and stop enemy attacks from hitting the vehicle.  They represent a combination of a variety of technologies, including magnetic fields, interceptor missiles, and CIWS projectile destruction systems (such as the Terran Alliance’s Pulse Laser System).  Less advanced powers tend to do without shielding, instead preferring to use heavy armor and high damage resistance technologies instead. Standard shields cannot protect against directed-energy weapons.

Shields, Chrysoari Energy (USERS: Chrysoari Protectorate)
The Chrysoari’s most heavily-guarded technology, these shields create high-intensity energy fields around their ships which can absorb incoming directed-energy weapons fire, incinerate or overload missiles, and melt physical weapons. These shields protect against directed-energy weapons in addition to all other attacks.

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VEHICLE WEAPONS SYSTEMS

Weapons systems are pretty heavily regulated, with almost all of them restricted to military vessels only.  For ranges, consult the table below.

Type of Weapon	Point Blank (no penalty)	Short (-2 attack)	Medium (-5 attack)	Long (-10 attack)
Railguns, Missiles, Plasma Supercasters	0-3 Squares	4-6 Squares	7-15 Squares	16-30 Squares
Pulse Lasers, Ion Encumbrance System	0-1 Squares	2 Squares	3-4 Squares	5-8 Squares
Nano-Missile System	0-1 Squares	2 Squares	3-5 Squares	6-10 Squares
Light Gas Guns	0-4 Squares	5-8 Squares	9-20 Squares	21-40 Squares
Ballistic Repeaters, Gatling Cannons	0-1 Squares	2 Squares	3 Squares	4 Squares
Howitzer	Cannot Fire	5-10 Squares	11-20 Squares	21-30 Squares
Mining Laser	0-4 Squares	5-7 Squares	8-16 Squares	17-31 Squares

System	Damage	Emplacement Points	Availability	Size Restriction	Cost
Artemis-Class Bombardment Laser	11d10x5	40	Military, Energy Weapon	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	2,000,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Ballistic Repeater, Light	2d10x2	1	Restricted	None	4,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Ballistic Repeater, Medium	3d10x2	2	Restricted	None	6,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Ballistic Repeater, Heavy	4d10x2	3	Military	Huge or larger	8,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Ballistic Repeater, Super-Heavy	5d10x2	4	Military	Gargantuan or larger	10,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Ballistic Repeater, Max	7d10x2	5	Military	Colossal or larger	14,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Ballistic Repeater, Supermax	8d10x5	7	Military	Colossal (frigate) or larger	150,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Docking Gun	By Weapon	1	By Weapon	None	Weapon Cost + 2,000 Credits
Fire-Linked Weapon, 2	+1d10	+1	Military	None	x2 Weapon Cost
Fire-Linked Weapon, 4	+2d10	+2	Military	None	x4 Weapon Cost
Fire-Linked Weapon, Optional	Special	+0	Military	None	+2,000 to cost
Gatling Cannon	3d10x2	1	Military	None	4,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Gun, Double	+1d10	+0 or x1.5	Military	None	x3 Weapon Cost
Gun, Quad	+2d10	+1 or x2	Military	None	x5 Weapon Cost
Howitzer	7d10	2	Military	None	3,000 Credits
Ion Bomb	5d10 Ion	–	Military	None	1,000 Credits
Ion Bomb Rack	–	1	Military	None	2,000 Credits
Ion Encumbrance System	Special	2	Military	None	10,000 Credits
Ion Encumbrance System, Hive-Made	Special	2	Military	None	40,000 Station Credits
Light Gas Gun	9d10x5	15	Military	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	200,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Mining Laser, Light	4d10x2	2	Licensed, Energy Weapon	Colossal or larger	10,000 Deep Ones Nodules
Mining Laser, Medium	5d10x3	3	Restricted, Energy Weapon	Colossal (frigate) or larger	30,000 Deep Ones Nodules
Mining Laser, Heavy	6d10x4	4	Military, Energy Weapon	Colossal (cruiser) or larger	60,000 Deep Ones Nodules
Missile Launcher, Light	By Missile	2	Military	None	4,000 Credits
Missile Launcher, Medium	By Missile	5	Military	None	7,000 Credits
Missile Launcher, Heavy	By Missile	20	Military	Colossal (frigate) or larger	60,000 Credits
Nano-Missile System	4d10x2	2	Military	None	30,000 Credits
Plasma Exhaust	4d10x2	1	Military, Energy Weapon	Gargantuan or smaller (Colossal vehicles with Combat Thrusters can mount it)	10,000 Fost Divine Sanctifications
Plasma Supercaster, Ultralight	5d10x2	1	Military, Energy Weapon	None	5,000 Fost Divine Sanctifications
Plasma Supercaster, Light	6d10x2	2	Military, Energy Weapon	Huge or larger	10,000 Fost Divine Sanctifications
Plasma Supercaster, Medium	7d10x2	3	Military, Energy Weapon	Gargantuan or larger	20,000 Fost Divine Sanctifications
Plasma Supercaster, Heavy	8d10x2	4	Military, Energy Weapon	Colossal or larger	40,000 Fost Divine Sanctifications
Plasma Supercaster, Ultraheavy	9d10x5	6	Military, Energy Weapon	Colossal (frigate) or larger	800,000 Fost Divine Sanctifications
Point-Defense Weapon	By Weapon	–	Military	Colossal or larger	+4,000 Credits to weapon cost
Pulse Laser Array	3d10x2	3	Military, Energy Weapon	Colossal or larger	80,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Railgun, Light	7d10x2	2	Military	Gargantuan or larger	8,000 Credits
Railgun, Medium	9d10x2	4	Military	Colossal or larger	16,000 Credits
Railgun, Heavy	7d10x5	10	Military	Colossal (frigate) or larger	140,000 Credits

Artemis-Class Bombardment Laser (USERS: Terran Alliance)
The Artemis-class bombardment  laser is a development of the orbital laser platforms developed during the 2000s and 2010s.  While the idea of using lasers as anti-missile defense was rendered pointless by advanced missile technologies, development of orbital laser installations for bombardment purposes was continued after the end of the cold war.  This led to the various orbital laser installations that were in place by 2012, when they saw their first use – one which had not been on the design board -by using the lasers to vaporize destabilized rock formations to prevent the creation of megatsunamis.  The laser installations saw some use during WW3, but their tactical value was hindered due to their limited theater linger time, being orbiting platforms, as well as their long recharge times and lack of ability to rapid fire.  More often, they saw use as orbiting command and control posts.  The primary user of orbital weapons installations during the War was the United States, who used them to make up for the fact that their strategic arsenal was limited in the late 2000s when they lost access to uranium stockpiles in the wake of the Uranium Conflict.  After the war, development of the laser technology has continued, leading to the Artemis-class of lasers.  While the Artemis still suffers notable drawbacks (single-fire capacity, long recharge time, and extensive requirements for cooling and capacitor systems), it was built with the idea of building it into large vessels, allowing for more mobility than an orbiting platform.
The laser at the core of the Artemis-class is a deuterium fluoride (DFL) chemical laser, operating in the infrared range with a wavelength of around 3.8 µm.  This wavelength grants the laser some immunity to atmospheric blooming, but it also means that the beam is invisible to the human eye.  While immunity to blooming is what makes the laser effective as a ground-to-space weapon, the associated support systems for the laser and the difficulty in making beamguides that can transport a 3.8 µm beam without melting are what prevent the DFL laser from being used in Pulse Laser Systems for the time being.
An Artemis-class laser can fire once every five minutes dealing 11d10x5 damage.  If allowed to charge for one hour, an Artemis-class laser can instead be fired in bombardment mode, which does 11d10x20 damage to a 20-square radius area (character scale) on a planetary surface, or 11d10x20 damage to a space target.  When attacking a space target, this requires an attack roll, which takes a -20 penalty to attack a target smaller than Colossal (Station) due to the fact that it is aimed by turning the ship to face the target, and takes 2 rounds to initiate the firing procedure for bombardment mode (firing on the 3rd round).  When used in standard mode, the laser takes a -20 penalty to attack targets smaller than Colossal (Cruiser). Damage from an Artemis-class laser completely ignores any Shield Rating that is not provided by an energy field or a system designed to impair directed-energy weapons.
Artemis-class Bombardment Lasers are directed-energy weapons.

Ballistic Repeaters [Light, Medium, Heavy, Super-Heavy, Max, Supermax] (USERS: Calengil Dominion, common with paramilitaries among other powers)
Similarily to the Gatling Cannons used by the Terran Alliance, Calengil Ballistic Repeaters do their damage through the use of chemically-propelled high-velocity slugs. Unlike Terran Gatling Cannons, however, they are single-barreled weapons that fire a single, larger-caliber shot for a standard attack. They are capable of autofire, in which case they target a single square (starship scale) or 4 squares (character scale), and use 5 rounds of ammunition per autofire attack. Light Ballistic Repeaters hold 500 shots, Medium hold 400, Heavy hold 300, and Super-Heavy hold 200. On vehicles of larger than Gargantuan size, their ammunition is instead treated as cargo – Light ammo is 0.4 KG each, Medium is 0.6, Heavy is 0.8, Super-Heavy is 1, Max is 0.5 tons, and Supermax is 5 tons.

Docking Gun
Docking Guns are character-scale weaponry added to vehicles, primarily for anti-personnel use.  Any character-scale weapon can be mounted as a docking gun.  Docking guns count as heavy weapons, regardless of their original category.  If they require power, they draw it from the vehicle’s power systems, instead of requiring an energy cell or power pack.  Docking guns have no effect in starship-scale combat.

Double/Quad Gun Mounts
Double and Quad versions of guns are available, creating weapons with higher rate of fire and damage potential.  Double and Quad mounts for weapons requiring more then 4 emplacement points have different EP costs (double = x1.5 EP, quad = x2 EP).

Fire-Linked Weapons
Weapons of any type that deal damage can be fire-linked to increase their output, using up more space than a double or quad weapon, but costing less.  With every attack, fire-linked missiles, torpedoes, and projectile weapons (that track ammunition usage) consume a number of shots of ammunition equal to the number of fire-linked weapons.
Fire-finked missiles can fire in autofire, using the normal number of shots for autofire.
Optional Fire Link: Some fire-linked weapons, such as missiles and torpedoes, are designed to have their link deactivated to conserve ammunition.  The link can be turned on or off as a swift action, and the extra damage and ammunition consumption applies only while the link is activated.

Gatling Cannon (USERS: Terran Alliance)
Gatling cannons are the primary fighter-scale weapon in the Terran arsenal.  Utilizing caseless, high-velocity rounds, fired from rotary-barrel cannons, they effectively have unlimited ammunition for the purposes of combat encounters.  Gatling cannons fire in 5-round bursts, which target a single enemy (and do not count as autofire).  For the purposes of carrying ammunition for long-duration missions, each 5-round burst weighs 1 KG, costs 25 credits, and should be treated as cargo.  Gatling cannons can be used on autofire.  On autofire, they target a single square (starship scale) or 4 squares (character scale), and use the standard autofire rules, except for the fact that they use 10 rounds.  Gatling cannons are commonly found in dual-mount.

Howitzer (USERS: Calengil Dominion, Terran Alliance, common with paramilitaries among other powers)
A howitzer is an indirect-fire weapon which propels a variety of solid-shell ordnance in a parabolic arc towards its target. The method of propulsion varies, but it is usually either a chemical reaction or electromagnetic acceleration. The listed damage is for a ‘standard’ piece of ordnance, specialized rounds which have different effects exist and vary with power. A howitzer cannot fire at a target within point-blank range, and treats the weapon’s point of origin as being 100 squares (character scale) in the air for the purposes of determining line of sight and cover. Howitzers cannot be used in a microgravity environment, and have radically variable accuracy when used in any gravity other than the one that they were designed to be used in.

Ion Bombs (USERS: Calengil Dominion, Glorious Imperium, Lissonian Treeholds, Proximan Suzerainty, Terran Alliance)
Ion bombs are fin-stabilized weapons used to knock out electronics on the surface of a world.  Because of their fin-stabilizing guideance system, they can only be used in an atmosphere, and attacks with them take a -5 penalty.  Ion bombs may target a square directly beneath the ship that deploys them.  On impact, they create a strong electromegnetic pulse that deals 5d10 points of ion damage in a 10-square radius.  Ion bomb racks can hold up to four ion bombs.

Ion Encumbrance System (USERS: Calengil Dominion, Lissonian Treeholds, Terran Alliance. NON-USER DISTRIBUTORS: The Hive)
The ion encumbrance system fires a specialized slug that doubles as both a disabling weapon and tracking device. When using the ion encumbrance system, upon a successful hit it causes the target craft of Colossal or smaller size to suffer a -1 penalty to all defenses, attack rolls, ability checks and skill checks. Multiple hits from the system are cumulative up to a -5 penalty. The penalty remains in place until the ion sensor tags are removed with a Disable Device check of the Mechanics skill, DC 10, which requires you to be able to touch the sensor tag. Regardless of size, a successful IES hit gives the attacker a +5 bonus to attack rolls made with any missile launcher system tied to the IES. The attacker is also able to locate any tagged ship with a Use Computer check, DC 10. Ion tags further provide the attacker with technical data on any tagged ship, which imposes a -2 penalty to Deception checks made against the attacker by a tagged ship, and provides a +2 bonus to Pilot checks made in a dogfight with a tagged craft. A successful tag also allows the attacker to know the current Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence scores, along with hit points, damage reduction, shield rating, armor, weapons load-out, FTL drive, and speed of a tagged craft…or at least the best guess the computer system can make about the loadout of unknown vessels.  The Ion Encumbrance System uses the same range modifiers as gatling guns.  The ammunition capacity of an ion encumbrance system is limited to two-hundred fifty Ion Sensor Tags. Additional capacity may be added, increasing the cost by 25% for each additional fifty tags (up to a maximum of five-hundred tags). Hive-made IES impose double the normal penalties, and increase the bonus to missile attacks to +7.

Light Gas Gun (USERS: Terran Alliance)
A light-gas gun works on the same principle as a spring piston airgun. A large-diameter piston is used to force a gaseous working fluid through a smaller-diameter barrel containing the projectile to be accelerated. This reduction in diameter acts as a lever, increasing the speed while decreasing the force.  The Terran Alliance utilizes three-stage light gas guns, which can propel a projectile to 10.5 kilometers per second.  For comparison, the railguns utilized by the Terran Alliance accelerate projectiles to around 7.5 kilometers per second.  The downside of the light gas gun is it’s considerable size, and slow reload rate.  This limits its use to the largest of capital ships in the fleet.  A light gas gun can fire every 3 rounds.  Light gas guns are assumed to have unlimited ammunition.  Light gas guns take a -20 penalty to attack targets smaller than Colossal (Cruiser) due to the fact that they are aimed by turning the ship to face the target.  The current standard in Terran Alliance light gas guns is the Northtech-Microstellar 400mm methane combustion light gas gun.

Mining Lasers [Light, Medium, Heavy] (USERS: Deep Ones Mining Union)
Most definitely not designed for combat use, the mining lasers developed by the Deep Ones do have combat potential when their users are forced to turn them onto enemies. Tuned to carve out chunks of rock rather than punch through material, these are nonetheless deadly weapons. Mining Lasers completely ignore any Shield Rating that is not provided by an energy field or a system designed to impair directed energy weapons, and completely ignores all DR. When determining the amount of salvageable material in debris fields, debris clusters, mineral-rich planetoids, and metallic planetoids located through the exploration rules, increase the resulting tonnage by 25%.
Mining Lasers are directed-energy weapons.

Missile Launchers (USERS: Pretty much everyone)
Missile launchers come in three sizes, Light, Medium, and Heavy.  For loadout options, see the Missile/Hardpoint Options section.  The ammunition capacity of a missile launcher is dependent on it’s size: Light, 6; Medium, 16; Heavy, 30.  Additional capacity can be added, increasing the cost by 20% for each additional missile (up to a maximum of double capacity).

Nano-Missile System (USERS: Calengil Dominion, Lissonian Treeholds, Terran Alliance)
Nano-missiles look almost identical to slugthrower cannon fire at a glance, but a closer look reveals what that they are actually small missiles. Nano-missiles are capable of tracking targets as normal for guided missile weapons. The system is not particularly popular because slugthrower cannons do comparable damage and are considerably cheaper. However, those that can afford it prefer the dead-on accuracy provided by the nano-weaponry.  The ammunition capacity of a nano-missile system is limited to five-hundred nano-missiles. Additional capacity may be added, increasing the cost by 25% for each additional one-hundred nano-missiles (up to a maximum of one-thousand missiles). Additional missiles cost 100 credits each.  Nano missile systems can load several different types beyond the standard nano-missile, affording a great diversity of capability when combined with the large storage capacity for missiles.  Nano-missiles can be loaded onto standard hardpoints as well – four nano-missiles fit on one hardpoint.

• Anti-Missile Interceptors – Anti-Missile Interceptors have a smaller warhead than the standard nano-missile, but instead have larger thrust capability and higher maneuverability, perfect for taking out incoming missiles and cruise missiles. The crewman controlling the nano-missile system can make a number of intercept attempts per turn equal to the number of attacks of opportunity they can make – these intercept attempts are made when a missile attacks the vehicle.  However, the crewman cannot make more intercept attempts than the amount of anti-missile interceptors that are loaded.  To make an intercept attempt the crewman makes an attack roll, if their attack roll beats that of the missile, roll damage for the nano-missile as usual.  If the damage is more than 10 points, the missile is destroyed – otherwise the attack misses and the missile may attack again as usual if it had lock-on.  Anti-missile interceptors cost 300 credits each.
• Decoy Missiles – Decoy missiles remove the target target acquisition and lock systems and warhead of the missile and replace them with an array of signal emitters.  When launching a decoy missile, the character firing it must make a Use Computer check.  The decoy missile is programmed with a flight path chosen by that character as well, which it follows.  When a character attempts to fire on the vehicle with any computer-aided weapon (meaning they’re not just looking out the window to pick their target), they must make a Perception check vs that Use Computer check.  If they beat the Use Computer check, they can target the vehicle as normal, otherwise they hit the decoy missile.  Decoy missiles are also effective against guided weapons that are attempting to attack after missing – their attack roll must beat the Use Computer check in this case.  Any damage dealt to a Decoy Missile destroys it, they fly at a speed of up to 10 squares per turn and can move a total of 30 squares before exhausting their fuel.  Decoy missiles cost 300 credits each.
• Fragmentation Missiles – Fragmentation missiles replace the standard explosively formed penetrator warhead of the nano-missile and replace it with a fragmentation warhead instead.  High-explosive nano-missiles do one less die of damage, but count as an area-of-effect attack for a single starship square instead of a direct attack.  High-explosive nano-missiles cost 200 credits each.
• Sensor Probes – Sensor probes replace the warhead of the nano-missile with a small sensor array similar to the standard array found on the vehicle launching it.  These can move for a total of 30 squares at a rate of 10 squares per turn before exhausting their fuel, and allow the vehicle to make perception checks in remote areas.  Once the fuel is exhausted the missile can no longer move, but it remains active and transmitting for the next 6 hours.  Sensor probes cost 400 credits each.
• Variant Load – Nano-missiles can be purchased without a warhead, allowing a standard grenade to be modified and installed in place of the warhead.  Doing so requires a DC 20 Mechanics check to properly install and fuse the grenade, this check takes 10 minutes or longer (GM’s discretion). While this does allow you to do strange things like install nonlethal baton grenades onto a missile, keep in mind that the missile itself has around 80 kilograms of mass and is travelling at a very high velocity – that baton grenade probably won’t be that effective as a nonlethal weapon.  Empty variant load nano-missiles cost 50 credits each.

Plasma Exhaust (USERS: Devout Peoples of the Fost)
The Fost’s most deadly weapon for strike craft, the Plasma Exhaust is exactly what it says – an exhaust port for plasma. More specifically, it is a magnetically-steered output port for directing drive plasma onto enemies at point-blank range. Plasma Exhausts can only be used to attack an enemy that you are dogfighting with. Once activated, the Plasma Exhaust automatically attacks the target each round as a free action (using your bonus). For each consecutive round you successfully attack with a Plasma Exhaust against the same target without you or the target disengaging the dogfight, the damage increases by an additional die. However, each round you attack with a plasma exhaust reduces your vehicle’s speed by 1 square. If your speed reaches 0 squares, then the Plasma Exhaust shuts off. Speed lost in this fashion is restored at 1 square per turn.
A vehicle cannot have more than one Plasma Exhaust installed.
Plasma Exhausts are energy weapons, but are not directed-energy weapons.

Plasma Supercasters [Ultralight, Light, Medium, Heavy, Ultraheavy] (USERS: Devout Peoples of the Fost)
Based on the same plasma projection technology as the Fost’s Plasma Caster personal weapon, Plasma Supercasters propel magnetically-confined plasma at high velocity towards their targets. While the ‘more advanced’ powers view plasma technology with derision, considering it a mere stepping stone towards true energy weapons, it is a deadly weapons system. The Fost have no desire to move beyond plasma technology, considering mastery over ionized gas to be an art form.
Plasma Supercasters are energy weapons, but are not directed-energy weapons.

Point-Defense Weapon
Point-defense weapons can fire at targets smaller than Colossal size without penalty. Weapons that can only be installed on vehicles of Colossal size or larger cannot be made into Point-Defense Weapons.

Pulse Laser Array (USERS: Terran Alliance, Teuthidoid Peoples)
The only common energy weapon in the Terran Alliance arsenal aside from the Artemis-class Bombardment Laser and the DEW Wing component of the TARAWA System, pulse lasers fire for very short bursts (less than the amount of time it takes to blink your eye).  This is to prevent overheating and to mitigate energy requirements.  They are designed for use as projectile defense (and in that role they function as the vessels Shield Rating), but they can be used offensively. The emitters for the pulse lasers are scattered across the hull of the ship, with the laser generation being done at a central location.  The beam is then guided along beamguide tubes to the emitter port to be used, where the beam is then aimed using a durable lens and accurate servomotors.  Due to their fast firing times, they are commonly controlled by an AI.  Pulse lasers suffer from atmospheric blooming, and therefore have reduced range in atmospheres.  The most common pulse laser array used in the Terran Alliance Navy is the Pandyne Integration 1-megawatt system.
Pulse lasers completely ignore any Shield Rating that is not provided by an energy field or a system designed to impair directed energy weapons.
Pulse lasers can fire twice with a single standard action, either at the same target twice or at two separate targets. Additionally, pulse lasers can autofire, at a -5 penalty, filling 2 starship squares with fire – however this shuts the pulse laser system off for 3 rounds to allow the heat buildup caused by firing all the emitters to dissipate.  During this time, the vehicle’s Shield Rating is halved.
Pulse Laser Arrays are directed-energy weapons.

Railguns (USERS: Terran Alliance, common with paramilitaries among other powers)
Railguns are the default shipboard artillery weapons used by the Terran Alliance.  Since they aren’t legally classified as an energy weapon, they are also common among paramilitaries, bounty hunters, and mercenaries across space. Railguns are designed to fire in an arced trajectory when in an atmosphere, allowing them to strike at locations that direct-trajectory weaponry such as standard firearms are unable to reach. When in an atmosphere, enemies targeted by a railgun at long or medium range have their cover bonus reduced one step, except in the case of total cover, which remains unaffected. For instance, improved cover (+10 cover bonus) is treated as regular cover (+5 bonus) while regular cover is treated as having no cover at all. Railguns have a 1-square burst when fired at a character-scale target. The ammunition capacity of a railgun is determined by its size: light, 30; medium, 50; heavy, 75. Additional capacity can be added, increasing the cost by 20% for each additional 10 projectiles (up to a maximum of double capacity).  A railgun may fire every other round.  On ships of Cruiser size or larger, railguns are assumed to have unlimited ammunition. Even though they fire physical projectiles, railguns count as energy weapons, but are not directed-energy weapons.  Examples include the Andromeda-type 128-megajoule railgun made by Turov-Barker Corporation (a Terran Alliance heavy railgun).  Ammunition for railguns is relatively simple to make and can by made in the field if the proper materials are available.

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MISSILE/HARDPOINT OPTIONS

Nano Missile System Options (or 4 missiles per Hardpoint)

MISSILE TYPE	DAMAGE	SPLASH RADIUS	COST/MISSILE	SPECIAL
Standard	4d10x2	None, Direct Target	100	NO
Anti-Missile Interceptor	3d10x2	None, Direct Target	300	YES
Decoy Missile	N/A	N/A	300	YES
Fragmentation Missile	3d10x2	None, AoE Targeting 1 Starship Square	200	NO
Sensor Probe	N/A	N/A	400	YES
Variant Load	By Grenade	By Grenade	50	YES

Anti-Missile Interceptors – Anti-Missile Interceptors have a smaller warhead than the standard nano-missile, but instead have larger thrust capability and higher maneuverability, perfect for taking out incoming missiles and cruise missiles. The crewman controlling the nano-missile system can make a number of intercept attempts per turn equal to the number of attacks of opportunity they can make – these intercept attempts are made when a missile attacks the vehicle.  However, the crewman cannot make more intercept attempts than the amount of anti-missile interceptors that are loaded.  To make an intercept attempt the crewman makes an attack roll, if their attack roll beats that of the missile, roll damage for the nano-missile as usual.  If the damage is more than 10 points, the missile is destroyed – otherwise the attack misses and the missile may attack again as usual if it had lock-on.

Decoy Missiles – Decoy missiles remove the target target acquisition and lock systems of the missile and warhead and replace them with an array of signal emitters.  When launching a decoy missile, the character firing it must make a Use Computer check.  The decoy missile is programmed with a flight path chosen by that character as well, which it follows.  When a character attempts to fire on the vehicle with any computer-aided weapon (meaning they’re not just looking out the window to pick their target), they must make a Perception check vs that Use Computer check.  If they beat the Use Computer check, they can target the vehicle as normal, otherwise they hit the decoy missile.  Decoy missiles are also effective against guided weapons that are attempting to attack after missing – their attack roll must beat the Use Computer check in this case.  Any damage dealt to a Decoy Missile destroys it, they fly at a speed of up to 10 squares per turn and can move a total of 30 squares before exhausting their fuel.

Sensor Probes – Sensor probes replace the warhead of the nano-missile with a small sensor array similar to the standard array found on the vehicle launching it.  These can move for a total of 30 squares at a rate of 10 squares per turn before exhausting their fuel, and allow the vehicle to make Perception checks in remote areas.  Once the fuel is exhausted the missile can no longer move, but it remains active and transmitting for the next 6 hours.

Variant Load – Nano-missiles can be purchased without a warhead, allowing a standard grenade to be modified and installed in place of the warhead.  Doing so requires a DC 20 Mechanics check to properly install and fuse the grenade, this check takes 10 minutes or longer (GM’s discretion). While this does allow you to do strange things like install nonlethal baton grenades onto a missile, keep in mind that the missile itself has around 80 kilograms of mass and is travelling at a very high velocity – that baton grenade probably won’t be that effective as a nonlethal weapon.  Empty variant load nano-missiles cost 50 credits each.

Light Missile Launcher Options (or 1 Hardpoint)

MISSILE TYPE	DAMAGE	SPLASH RADIUS	COST/MISSILE	SPECIAL
Standard	7d10x2	4 square	500	NO
Armor Piercing	7d10x2	4 square	500	YES
Narrow Blast	8d10x2	1 square	1,000	NO
Wide Blast	5d10x2	6 square	1,000	NO
Homing	7d10x2	4 square	1,000	YES
Ionized Cluster	7d10x2	0 squares	750	YES
Radiation Burst	Special	6 square	2,000	YES
Anti-Strike Craft	7d10x2	2 squares	4,000	YES
Light Cruise Missile	9d10x2	4 squares	800	NO
EMP	9d10x2 Ion	4 square	2,000	NO

Armor Piercing: These missiles are optimized for penetrating shielding and armor.  They have penetration 10 (ignoring the first 10 points of DR or SR), but require a more precise shot to detonate properly and thus take a -5 penalty on the attack roll.

Anti-Strike Craft (USERS: Lissonian Treeholds, The Warriors. NON-USER DISTRIBUTORS: The Hive): Developed as a joint project by the Hive and the Lissonians during the Nightcaller Conflict, these missiles are highly maneuverable and contain advanced tracking hardware to pursue agile targets. When aimed, they can make two additional attacks on a miss instead of one prior to self-destructing. They have a +3 bonus to attack targets smaller than Colossal size (as well as Colossal targets with Combat Thrusters), this bonus increases to +6 when aimed.

Homing: Aiming before attacking with this missile causes the missile to make two additional attacks on a miss instead of one prior to self-destructing.  Also, improved tracking software provides a +3 bonus to attacks with this missile, aimed or not.

Ionized Cluster: Ionized cluster missiles are each covered in an ionized sheath upon launching, which gives them penetration 10 against shields.  Ionized cluster missiles affect all craft within the target space square, representing that several smaller missiles are attacking a group of closely flying targets.

Light Cruise Missile: Though guided, these torpedoes travel much slower than light torpedoes and missiles in general – only having a Reflex Defense of 20 (instead of 30) and travel at a maximum speed of 12 space squares per round. They are generally used for attacking slow-moving or immobile targets, or from a very close range.

Radiation Burst: These specialized missiles emit deadly radiation in a 6-square burst radius.  Being within or moving through this burst area is the same as being exposed to extreme radiation (SE 255).  If you have total cover within a vehicle, you gain a +5 equipment bonus to Fortitude Defense to resist the effects of radiation.  The effects will dwell for 1d6 rounds, before beginning to disperse, reducing the size of the burst-area by 1 until it disappears entirely.  Use of these weapons is frowned upon, and Radiation Burst missiles are considered to have an availability of Illegal.

Medium Missile Launcher Options (or 1 Hardpoint)

MISSILE TYPE	DAMAGE	SPLASH RADIUS	COST/MISSILE	SPECIAL
Standard Medium Missile	9d10x2	4 square	750	NO
Medium Cruise Missile	7d10x5	8 square	750	YES
Swarm Missile	6d10x2	0 squares	2,000	YES
Medium Armor Piercing Missile	9x10x2	4 square	750	YES

Armor Piercing: These missiles are optimized for penetrating shielding and armor.  They have penetration 10 (ignoring the first 10 points of DR or SR), but require a more precise shot to detonate properly and thus take a -5 penalty on the attack roll.

Medium Cruise Missiles: Though guided, these torpedoes travel much slower than torpedoes and missiles in general – only having a Reflex Defense of 20 (instead of 30) and travel at a maximum speed of 12 space squares per round. They are generally used for attacking slow-moving or immobile targets, or from a very close range.

Swarm Missile (USERS: Lissonian Treeholds, The Warriors): Designed to overload shielding technologies, the swarm missile splits into three submunitions after launch. Roll your attack with this missile three times. For each attack that hits, roll damage and apply the damage to the Shield Rating of the ship – then apply the highest of the three damage rolls to the ship itself (if the damage makes it through the shields or the shields have been taken offline).

Heavy Missile Launcher Options (or 2 Hardpoints)

MISSILE TYPE	DAMAGE	SPLASH RADIUS	COST/MISSILE	SPECIAL
Standard Heavy Missile	9d10x5	4 square	2,000	NO
Heavy Cruise Missile	9d10x5	6 square	2,500	YES
Medium Armor Piercing Missile	9x10x5	4 square	2,000	YES

Armor Piercing: These missiles are optimized for penetrating shielding and armor.  They have penetration 10 (ignoring the first 10 points of DR or SR), but require a more precise shot to detonate properly and thus take a -5 penalty on the attack roll.

Heavy Cruise Missile:  Though guided, these torpedoes travel much slower than torpedoes and missiles in general – only having a Reflex Defense of 20 (instead of 30) and travel at a maximum speed of 16 squares per round (5 space squares).  They have penetration 10, ignoring the first 10 points of SR or DR when calculating damage. They are generally used for attacking slow-moving or immobile targets, or from a very close range.

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VEHICLE ACESSORIES

Accessories include any systems that do not fall under one of the previous categories.  They add functions or improve existing systems on a vehicle, making them more capable and efficient.

System	Emplacement Points	Availability	Size Restriction	Cost
Added Power Couplings +1	0	–	None	20,000 Credits Base
Added Power Couplings +2	0	–	None	50,000 Credits Base
Added Power Couplings +3	0	–	None	100,000 Credits Base
Amphibious Seals	2	–	None	8,000 Credits Base
Anti-Boarding Systems	5	Military	Colossal or larger	20,000 Credits Base
Automated Repair Systems	1	–	Colossal or larger	10,000 Credits Base
Auxiliary Generators +2	2	–	None	4,000 Credits Base
Auxiliary Generators +4	3	–	Gargantuan or larger	10,000 Credits Base
Auxiliary Generators +6	4	–	Colossal or larger	20,000 Credits Base
Backup Battery	0	–	None	10,000 Credits Base
Cargo Jettison System	1	–	None	2,000 Credits Base
Cargo Pod, Light	0	–	Gargantuan or larger	1,000 Credits Base
Cargo Pod, Medium	1	–	Colossal or larger	2,000 Credits Base
Cargo Pod, Heavy	2	–	Colossal (frigate) or larger	3,000 Credits Base
Cockpit Ejection System	2	–	Colossal or smaller	16,000 Credits
Cotterdam	1	–	Colossal or larger	6,000 Credits
Cryogenic Chambers	2	–	Colossal or larger	1,000 Credits Base
Docking Clamp	1	–	Colossal (frigate) or larger	4,000 Credits Base
Drone Bay	1	Licensed	Colossal or smaller	10,000 Credits Base
Extended Range	2	–	None	200 Credits Base
Fuel Converters	1	–	Colossal or larger	4,800 Credits Base
Hangar Bay	8	–	Colossal (frigate) or larger (usually)	20 Credits Base
Hardpoints	1	Licensed	None	1,000 Credits
Holding Cells (25% of Passengers)	1	Military	None	2,000 Credits Base
Holding cells (50% of Passengers)	2	Military	None	4,000 Credits Base
Holding cells (75% of Passengers)	4	Military	None	10,000 Credits Base
Interrogation Chamber	0	Illegal	Colossal or larger	20,000 Credits
Luxury Upgrade, Basic	1	–	–	20,000 Credits Base
Luxury Upgrade, Advanced	1	–	–	40,000 Credits Base
Luxury Upgrade, Extreme	1	–	–	100,000 Credits Base
Medical Suite	1	–	Colossal or larger	6,000 Credits Base
Passenger Seating	1	–	–	400 Credits Base
Passenger Quarters	10	–	Colossal or larger	1,000 Credits Base
Personalized Controls	0	–	Colossal or smaller	1,000 Credits
Plasma Punch	1	Military	Colossal or larger	50,000 Credits
Reinforced Keel	2	–	Gargantuan or larger	8,000 Credits Base
Security Bracing	2	–	Gargantuan or larger	4,000 Credits Base
Self-Aware	0	–	–	500 Credits Base (see description)
Sensor Array Computer +2	1	–	None	10,000 Credits Base
Sensor Array Computer +4	2	–	None	50,000 Credits Base
Sensor Array Computer +6	3	Licensed	None	100,000 Credits Base
Sensor Baffling	0	Military	None	40,000 Credits Base
Sensor Decoy	1	–	None	4,000 Credits Base
Sensor Enhancement Package	1	–	–	30,000 Credits Base
Sensor Masking	1	Illegal	Gargantuan or larger	300,000 Credits Base
Towing Cable	1	–	–	4,000 Credits Base
Workshop	1	–	Gargantuan or larger	3,000 Credits Base

Added Power Couplings
While some starship’s emplacement points are limited by physical space, typically it is the power demands of additional systems that limit modifications to a craft. In order to keep ships within acceptable safety margins, most manufacturers install fewer power couplings than the generators are actually capable of accommodating. By installing additional power couplings, a vehicle is able to tap into that otherwise unrealized potential. Added power couplings give a vehicle a +1, +2, or +3 bonus to its total available emplacement points.

Amphibious Seals
Amphibious seals allow a starship to function as a submarine.  This unusual modification is popular with scout ships, and vehicles designed for covert military operations.
By redesigning a ship’s seals to handle high exterior pressure and ensure that no venting allows water into engines, heat sinks, or weapon ports, starships can function well underwater.  They are slow, with a swim speed of only one-half their fly rate (minimum 1 square movement) and a maximum underwater velocity of only one-tenth their atmospheric velocity.  However, they might escape detection underwater.
If a starship is normally able to land on the surface of a planet, adding amphibious seals adds the ability to land safely in any body of water large enough to accommodate it.  This can be useful when exploring planets without spaceport facilities.

Anti-Boarding Systems
Anti-boarding systems are a series of cameras, blast doors, and weapons placed throughout a starship, assisting the ship’s crew in combating unwanted visitors without directly exposing themselves.  Each anti-boarding security checkpoint (a CL 4 hazard when active) includes the following:
Light blast door: DR 10, 250 HP, damage threshold 35, Strength 40, break DC 60, Mechanics DC 25 to disable device.
Security camera: Allows any authorized user to make Perception checks into the area (even when sealed).
Gun turret: Remotely operated slugthrower turret.  Reflex defense 10, DR 10, 20 HP, Attack +5, 2d8 ballistic damage, autofire capable, belt-fed ammo, capacity: 250 rounds.
All vital locations (bridge/cockpit, main engineer, gunnery stations, airlocks, docking rings, and so forth) have a security checkpoint at each entrance.  In addition, each section of corridor at least 10 squares (15 meters) long and each room at least 4 squares by 4 squares (6 meters by 6 meters) in size will also have a security checkpoint.  Normally, the system is programmed to recognize crewmembers as friendly so they won’t be attacked.
Although anti-boarding systems are normally controlled by the ship’s system operator, any character with administrator access (that is, to whom the ship’s computer has an attitude of helpful) can activate or deactivate the system as a routine command.  As with other computers, the Will Defense of a starship’s computer is 15 + the starship’s Intelligence bonus, but its default starting attitude is hostile (instead of unfriendly) while the anti-boarding system is active.
Because starships are rarely boarded before they have been disabled or voluntarily powered down, anti-boarding systems have independent backup power sources that allow them to operate even after power is lost, for up to 100 hours.

Automated Repair Systems
An automated repair system automatically deploys robots under the control of a Class III shipboard maintenance AI.  When the ship moves -1 or more steps down the condition track, the repair systems automatically activate – requiring no action on the part of the crew.  Automated repair systems take no action other than making a Mechanics check to jury-rig a starship, moving it +1 step on the condition track.  The automated repair system is considered to have a Mechanics check modifier of +13.  If a starship takes any damage that gets past its SR (if any) in a round while the repair system is activated, there’s a 25% chance that the repair system’s robots are destroyed.

Auxiliary Generators
A starship uses a lot of energy, drawing power form its engines or power reactors array for motion, defenses, weapons, sensors, computing power, environmental systems, and dozens of other systems both major and minor.  Building bigger engines creates a need for greater bracing and fuel storage, which in turn results in a larger starship, and thus a need for even more power, and adding additional power reactors arrays is usually cost-prohibitive.  In this constant battle between energy needs and engine size, one solution is to add auxiliary generators.
Auxiliary generators are able to step in and supply power to specific systems when engine or main reactor array is needed to propel the ship or engage in crucial functions (such as powering an FTL drive).  Because they need to produce power only at peak usage, the generators are smaller and use less fuel than an equivalent engine or additional primary reactor.  This doesn’t provide any additional speed for the starship in question, but it does give it more power when engines are at maximum capacity.
Auxiliary generators give a starship a +2, +4, or +6 equipment bonus to its Strength score.  They also allow a starship’s systems to continue to function when the engines are shut down or destroyed.

Backup Battery
A backup battery is a common safety precaution taken by all vehicles, but it can be put to more uses than just as a backup.  A backup battery allows a vehicle to operate, at least its basic functions, for up to 1 hour after the normal power generation method fails.  Additionally, if a vehicle is pushed to the bottom of the condition track by ion damage, the engineer can make a DC 25 Mechanics check to reverse the ionization using the backup battery, moving the ship +1 step up the condition track.  However, doing so permanently drains the backup battery, which must then be replaced.

Cargo Jettison System
A cargo jettison system allows a ship to dump part or all of its cargo into space without docking or slowing down.  The system is often used by large freighters hauling explosive materials that might become unstable.  A pilot or systems operator can dump any single cargo bay, or all cargo on the ship, as a swift action.  If this is done while the starship is moving in space, it takes a DC 30 Perception or Use Computer check made as a reaction to notice the action from another starship.

Cargo Pods
Cargo pods are additional storage space added to a ship to boost its total carrying capacity.  Though they allow smaller ships to carry more goods, they also reduce a ship’s ability to maneuver quickly, making them unpopular with military craft.  Each cargo pod added to a starship reduces it’s Dexterity score by 2.  You can add multiple cargo pods to a starship, but cannot add a pod if it would drop the starship’s Dexterity below 1.
The additional carrying capacity is based on the size of the starship.  A light cargo pod adds (starship’s cost modifier) x 1 tons of cargo.  A medium cargo pod adds (starship’s cost modifier) x 5 tons of cargo.  A heavy cargo pod adds (starship’s cost modifier) x 10 tons of cargo.
A cargo pod can be made detachable (to act as an escape pod) for five times the cost.

Cockpit Ejection System
Standard on some starfighters, a cockpit ejection system allows a ship’s cockpit to eject in the event of the ship’s destruction, and subsequently acts as an escape pod.  When the starship is destroyed, the pilot makes a DC 20 Pilot check.  If the check is successful, the cockpit ejects without its inhabitants taking any damage from the destruction of their ship.  On a failed check, those within the cockpit take half the damage that exceeds the ship’s damage threshold, as normal, before the cockpit manages to separate.

Cotterdam
A cotterdam is a very basic form of airlock that can be used to connect two Colossal or larger starships.  The cotterdam is little more than a flexible tube that extends between two starship hatches, allowing complete movement between the vessels with no need for extravehicular equipment.  A cotterdam creates a tunnel 3 squares long and 1 square wide, and maneuvering two adjacent ships into position to use the cotterdam requires a DC 15 Pilot check from the pilot of each vessel.  Failing this check by 10 or more results in a collision between the ships.

Cryogenic Chambers
Cryogenic chambers are hibernation systems that allow live creatures to be carried in stasis.  Originally developed prior to the invention of FTL drive systems, they are now used to transport critically injured patients to better medical facilities.  Each unit of cryogenic chambers can carry a number of Medium-sized (or smaller) creatures equal to (starship’s cost modifier) / 5. 

Docking Clamp
A docking clamp allows a starship to dock with other starships in space.  normally, this accessory is used by passengers to move from shuttles to larger ships, but larger vessels can use them as makeshift starfighter launches.  Once the clamp is in place, creatures can move safely between the clamped ships.  A starship can maneuver, fight, and even travel at FTL speeds with ships of smaller size clamped to it.  However, if a ship takes damage in excess of its damage threshold, all starships attached to it by docking clamps are shaken off.
Docking clamps on smaller ships aren’t strong enough to do much more than hold the ship in place during routine docking.  These are built into the cost of all starships and have no special game effect.

Drone Bay
Similar to mounting an automated repair team, a drone bay is instead a small docking  bay  that  launches  small,  airborne  drones.   A  standard  drone bay can either hold 5 small drones or 10 tiny drones. Drones must have some flying capability. Drones in a drone bay can vary from emergency  services droids deployed to put out fires or perform emergency medical services, probe drones to help in exploratory surveys, or a number of other legitimate applications. Nefarious individuals may load the drone bay with assassin drones or other combat-related models. Standard droid bays require a crew of 1, who acts as the drone wrangler and mechanic.

Extended Range
Some starships need to operate for extended periods without ever returning to port.  Such a ship can be built with oversized fuel tanks, extra stores of food, and improved recycling systems.  Doing this improves a starship’s consumables by 10% of its original value (rounded down, minimum 1 day) x the number of times you have installed extended range on the starship.

Fuel Converters
Fuel converters transform matter into usable fuel that can keep a starship running even over long journeys.  While fuel converters never eliminate the need to refuel during visits to spaceports, they can extend the amount of time between visits and reduce fuel costs.  Fuel converters come in a variety of forms, including solid fuel converters, gas scoops, and solar converters.  If the pilot of a starship with fuel converters spends at least 1 hour gathering fuel (in a way dependent on the type of converter (ask the GM), the ship regains one unit of fuel (enough for one day’s travel at sublight, one hour’s travel in atmosphere or in combat, or one hour at FTL).

Hangar Bay
A hangar bay can be installed on a ship of Colossal (frigate) size or larger (and sometimes on Colossal ships, at the GM’s discretion).  It holds secondary craft such as starfighters, corvettes, and shuttles.  Each bay has (starship’s cost modifier) / 50 units of hangar space, and multiple bays can be combined for more space.  The hangar space taken up by a carried vessel is determined by it’s size: Large, 0.5 units; Huge, 1 unit; Gargantuan, 5 units; Colossal, 20 units.  A vehicle can enter or exit a hangar with two move actions.

Hardpoints
Hardpoints are external mounts for missile weapons, bombs, or mines carried externally of any launcher tube or weapon mount.  Each hardpoint modification gives a ship an array of four hardpoints that can carry missiles, bombs, mines, or drop tanks.  The number of hardpoints required varies from system to system.
Bomb, mine, missile, or torpedo: 1 hardpoint each, or 2 hardpoints if the weapon is restricted to starships of Colossal or greater size.
Drop tanks: One week of consumables requires a number of hardpoints equal to the starship’s size modifier.  This may be spread across multiple arrays if needed.  Drop tanks cost 500 credits each, and they are available only for starships of Colossal or lesser size.
Each hardpoint array counts as a single weapon; if multiple arrays carry identical payloads, they can be fire-linked.  It’s possible to replace any of the payload choices with a simple DC 15 Mechanics check and 1 minute of work.  The cost of a hardpoint does not include the cost of the payload attached to it.
A starship can have a number of loaded hardpoint arrays equal to its cost modifier without penalty, and it can carry twice this amount as a heavy load.  Carrying a heavy load reduces the starship’s speed to three-quarters normal and allows it to move only three times its speed with the all-out movement action; in addition, the pilot takes a -10 penalty on Initiative and Pilot checks.  Hardpoints carrying no payload do not count for purposes of calculating encumbrance.
Because they are outside launchers or racks, the payloads on hardpoints are vulnerable.  Any time a starship moves one step down its condition track as a result of damage, half the payload in its hardpoints are lost (choose randomly).
Although loaded hardpoints are extremely obvious, a hardpoint with no missile or mine attached retracts or folds against the hull, making them difficult to notice (DC 25 Perception or Use Computer check to detect, modified by range).

Holding Cells
Holding cells (often referred to as the brig) are standard on capital ships and some smaller vessels (including patrol ships).  Up to 75% of a starship’s passenger capacity can be converted to holding cells.
A holding cell has reinforced walls (DR 10, 150 hit points), and an advanced lock (DC 25 Mechanics check to bypass from the outside, DC 30 to bypass from the inside), and cameras and sensors that allow it to be monitored from remote stations (+5 equipment bonus on Perception checks made into the cell from the security post).  A small port allows food or similar small items to be passed safely into the cell without exposing the jailor, and it can be used to make ranged weapon attacks into the cell.  Cells also include an armored ring (DR 10, 50 hit points) to which binders or similar restraints can be attached.

Interrogation Chamber
An interrogation chamber is a holding cell specifically designed to force prisoners to confess their crimes and reveal their secrets.  The starship needs at least one holding cell, and the listed cost is for converting one holding cell (for a single prisoner) into an interrogation chamber.
The only “legitimate” use an interrogation chamber has is that the isolation and limited sensory input distorts the prisoner’s perception of time, so you don’t have to wait 24 hours to retry a failed Persuasion check; however each attempt that uses an interrogation chamber requires six hours of uninterrupted questioning.  (Don’t forget that a prisoner is completely at your mercy, so you gain a +5 bonus on your Persuasion check.)
Additionally, when making a Persuasion check to intimidate a character into revealing a piece of secret information, an interrogation chamber gives you the option of seeking information whose revelation would endanger the prisoner’s life or the life of one of it’s allies (contrary to the normal rules for Persuasion).  This requires you to torture the prisoner, a blatantly evil act.  Furthermore, if you fail your Persuasion check, the prisoner will attempt to give you an untrue answer that it believes you want to hear, gaining a +5 bonus on their Deception check for every point by which your Persuasion check failed.

Luxury Upgrade
A luxury upgrade is a shipwide increase in the quality of a starship’s accommodations.  Panels of calming colors, stylish trim, and quality artwork cover bulkhead walls and access panels.  Bunks and stowage lockers are replaced with comfortable beds and wooden wardrobes.  Lounges are upgraded with recliners, desks, and multipurpose game boards.  Music systems are installed throughout the ship, and food preparation areas are adapted to allow gourmet cooking and fresh food storage.
A basic luxury upgrade changes a starship from a harsh travel vehicle to a comfortable home on the move.  An advanced luxury upgrade goes a step further, making the ship the equivalent of an upper-scale hotel.  An extreme luxury upgrade turns a starship into a palace in space, fit for monarchs and corporate executives.  So satisfying is life on a ship with an extreme luxury upgrade that the crew quality of the ship increases by one step (to a maximum of expert) though this has no effect on the statistics of a crew of defined characters.
To maintain such luxury is not cheap, requiring 1/50 of the cost of the upgrade each month to keep music current, quality foods stored, and worn pillows replaced.  After any month when this expense is not paid, the luxury level of the ship is reduced by one step (extreme to advanced, advanced to basic, basic to a typical starship) until proper upgrading is again established (including recouping the cost of all missed months of maintenance).

Medical Suite
A medical suite, which can be installed on ships of Colossal size or larger, provides the necessary facilities to maintain the health of a crew over a long period.  A medical suite includes (starship’s size modifier) / 5 medical beds. ( A starship may combine multiple medical suites when determining the facilities available.)  A medical bed contains monitoring equipment to keep track of vital signs and the medical gear needed to deal with most common injuries and illnesses.  Treat a medical bed as a medpac (10 uses, with a single charge costing as much as a medpac), a medical kit, and a surgical kit.

Passenger Conversion
Some space transports and larger vessels specialize in transporting passengers instead of cargo.  One section of passenger space has sufficient room for a number of passengers equal to the ship’s size modifier, and these passengers can either have seats (typically for voyages of only 1 day or less) or quarters.  In either case, these are steerage-quality accommodations (shared rooms, bunk beds, storage lockers, and so on); for higher quality, the ship may also have a luxury upgrade (see above).

Personalized Controls
One advantage of smaller ships is that their controls can be personalized to allow the single character controlling a given ship’s function to have everything tuned to his or her preferences.  This level of personalization simply isn’t possible on ships with dozens or hundreds of crew members.
Any or all of the basic functions performed by a freighter, fighter, corvette, runabout, or scout pilot, copilot, gunner, commander, system operator, or engineer can be personalized to a single, specific character.  (The price listed is for personalizing the controls of one of these positions.)  Personalized controls grant that one character a +1 bonus on checks with any skill relevant to that crew position (usually Mechanics, Pilot, or Use Computer).  however, the high degree of personalization makes it more difficult for anyone else to use the controls, giving any other character a -2 penalty on skill checks relating to the same position.

Plasma Punch
A plasma punch is a massive plasma drill that can create airlocks where none exist by boring through the hull of a ship.  The plasma punch resembles a dome-shaped plasma emitter that connects to the hull of a ship via three magnetic limbs, with the emitter facing directly at the spot where the hole is to be drilled.  A plasma punch takes 1 round for every 2 points of DR that the ship it is attacking has, and the ship takes 1d6 damage every round that the punch is activated (this damage bypasses DR and shields).

Reinforced Keel
A starship’s keep can be reinforced to allow it to survive greater physical shocks.  Although this has no impact on its DR or HP, it does cause the ship to take only half damage from collisions.  If a ship with a reinforced keel rams another ship, it deals +2 damage per die of ramming damage (and still takes only half damage itself).

Security Bracing
Security bracing entails a series of internal bulkheads and clamps designed to protect a section of a starship – even if the ship as a whole is destroyed.  Only passenger compartments and escape pods can benefit from security bracing.  When the ship is reduced to 0 hit points by an attack that deals damage equal to or greater than its damage threshold (thus destroying the ship), subtract the ship’s DR from the damage dealt to anyone in an area protected by security bracing.  Anyone outside this area takes damage equal to one-half the amount that exceeded the ship’s damage threshold, as normal.

Self-Aware
Self-Aware vehicles come in two varieties – living and AI. The Self-Aware accessory for living vehicles is an innate feature for them, they are sentient biological organisms and the ship is their body. Self-Aware AI vehicles are vehicles which have had either a dedicated AI processor added to them or a sufficiently advanced Expert System. In either case, the Self-Aware vehicle begins its life as a nonheroic character with a number of nonheroic class levels equal to its cost modifier (minimum 1, maximum 16), after which point it gains XP and levels as normal for a character. The Living Self-Aware accessory is only available for ships which have the Biological Ship armor modification. The AI Self-Aware accessory is available to all ships that lack the Biological Ship armor modification, however it is only available for purchase from powers which have at least Advanced computers or from those who have some form of dedicated AI processor. For an AI Self-Aware vehicle, the vehicle’s Wisdom and Charisma are determined via point buy using 10 points, and its Intelligence score is either the vehicle’s Intelligence score or the Intelligence score of any standard computer system purchased separately and installed. For a Living Self-Aware vehicle, the vehicle’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are determined via point buy using 20 points.

Sensor Array Computer
One of the main functions of a starship’s computer is to gather and interpret data collected from various sensors.  Of course, this can take quite a lot of processing power, limiting the computer’s ability to perform other tasks.  To boost overall compute performance, a sensor array computer can exclusively process sensor data, leaving the ship’s main computer free to aid in targeting and handling the ship’s many computerized systems.
A sensor array computer gives a starship a +2, +4, or +6 equipment bonus to its Intelligence score.

Sensor Baffling
Sensor baffling allows a vessel to make Stealth checks to hide even without cover or concealment.  However, if the vessel moves a distance of more than its speed in one turn, this benefit is lost as the energy emitted by the engines negates the sensor baffling advantage.

Sensor Decoy
A sensor decoy is a missile with an electronics package designed to make it look like a full-sized starship on sensors.  Sensor decoys are programmed to emulate the ship they are launched from, thus causing enemy sensors to show two identical ships flying away from each other.
A sensor decoy flies in a straight line at a speed of up to 5 squares, but they won’t exceed the maximum speed of the ship that launched them.  It takes a DC 25 Use Computer check to determine whether a sensor decoy is a fake at a range of 2 or more squares.  However, the sensor decoy can’t fool optical scanners (or the naked eye) so it is automatically revealed as a fake at a range determined by the launching ship’s size: up to Gargantuan, 1 square; Colossal, 2 squares; Colossal (Frigate), 5 squares; Colossal (Cruiser), 10 squares, Colossal (Station), 20 squares.  Sensor decoys have enough power for 1 minute of flight, Reflex Defense 17, DR 0, 30 HP, and damage threshold 10.  Sensor decoys are only effective in the vacuum of space; in an atmosphere of any type, their profile and true nature become obvious to sensors.
The cost of a sensor decoy system includes the cost of three decoys.  A single replacement decoy costs 1000 credits base.

Sensor Enhancement Package
A sensor enhancement package includes sensors superior to those normally carried by starships, providing better detection and early-warning capability.  A sensor enhancement package gives a system operator a +5 bonus on Perception and Use Computer checks made to operate the ship’s sensors.

Sensor Mask
An extremely expensive modification, a sensor mask is a combination of sensors, chemical and electronic emitters, holographic projectors, and other anti-detection systems that make detecting a vehicle equipped with them extremely difficult.  Rather than attempting to hide the ship by negating sensor emissions, a sensor mask reads the signals emitted by enemy sensors as they strike the ship, and then replaces those same sensor signals on the far side of the ship, effectively making it seem like the sensor signals passed right through the ship (as though it were open space).  A sensor mask adds +10 to the DC of any Perception or Use Computer check made to detect the ship.

Towing Cable
This cable is the standard connection point attached to a ship’s chassis to facilitate the towing of containers or maneuvering ship hulls around a ship yard. In some situations, players may wish to tow a disabled ship, asteroid, or other object behind their own ship, or perhaps nudge or push another ship ahead of them. In order to tow something behind you, you require either a harpoon or towing cable of some kind, and the target object must be within your towing capacity. A ship’s total towing capacity is arrived at by taking the ship’s Strength modifier and adding that to its size modifier for damage threshold. This number, referred to as the towing point, determines how much a ship can tow. Use the table below to determine how many points a given item requires to be towed. Note that towing any objects at all imposes a -25% penalty to all space and atmospheric movement, and the towing vehicle (as well as all objects being towed) is considered flat-footed. Also, a ship can only tow half as much in atmosphere as it can in space. Also, dragging a single object of Medium size or smaller does not appreciably affect the vehicle in any way. Further, multiple vehicles can combine their tow score to tow larger things. For instance, to tow a Colossal station into place, you might require 10 freighters working together.

OBJECT SIZE	REQUIRED TOWING POINTS
Large	1
Huge	10
Gargantuan	20
Colossal	40
Colossal (frigate)	80
Colossal (cruiser)	150
Colossal (station)	300

Workshop
A fully equipped starship workshop is able to do tasks just not possible with even the best handheld tools.  A good workshop includes numerous benches and storage racks, a full set of permanently mounted plasma cutters, flood lamps, magnifying viewers, plasma drills, tethers, power prybars, clamps, and similar tools.  It can be used to repair or modify nearly anything.
Mechanics checks and Use Computer checks made to repair, modify, or construct objects in the workshop (or the vehicle in which the workshop is located) gain a +2 equipment bonus.

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ATMTU (All-Terrain Multipurpose Transport Unit)

Designed during the Resource Wars as a multirole ground transportation vehicle designed to tackle an ever-expanding range of combat theaters, the ATMTU exists in various models which all follow the same general pattern – wheeled propulsion for use over most terrain, and a deployable hovercraft skirt for use crossing water that is too deep to be forded, or terrain that would be difficult for the vehicle to cross on wheels, such as shifting sands.  Originally a military vehicle, it has since become available to the general public as well.
Cost: 14,000 Terran Alliance Credits (7,000 Used)
Availability: Licensed
Huge Ground Vehicle or Hovering Vehicle (dependent on propulsion method in use)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
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Defenses
Reflex 13 = 10 + 2 (Dex) + 3 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 2 Size [flat-footed 11 = 10 + 3 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 2 Size]
Fortitude 19 = 10 + 9 (STR)
+3 armor
HP 70/70
DR 10
Damage Threshold 29 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [10])
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Speed:
Air-Breathing Engine, Wheeled – 12 square character scale, 3 square vehicle scale (200 km/h Max Velocity)
Air-Breathing Engine, Hovercraft – 6 square character scale, 1 square vehicle scale (60 km/h Max Velocity)
Fighting Space: 5 squares (character scale), 1 square (vehicle scale)
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +XX = X (BaseATK) + 9 (STR) + 10 (Size)
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Abilities: Strength 28, Dexterity 14, Constitution -, Intelligence 12
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
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Crew 1 (Pilot)
Passengers: 4
Cargo: 1 ton
Consumables: 1 week (internal)
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Unused Emplacement Points: 2
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SPECIAL NOTES
Hovercraft System – The ATMTU can deploy a hovercraft skirt and two pitch-controlled electrically-driven aerial propellers to allow it to cross water or similar obstacles which it could not safely drive over.  This transition takes 3 full rounds to complete, during which time the vehicle cannot be in motion.

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All-Terrain Vehicle

The all-terrain vehicle, which includes a wide variety of designs, uses three or four wheels for movement, resulting in a slower land speed but greater safety than other one-person utility vehicles.  Intended to handle a wide variety of terrain, and with maintenance and repairs easier than floating vehicles, the all-terrain vehicle has remained popular even with advances in technology over the years.  Modern versions use high-power electric motors with large enough batteries for full-day operation.
Cost: 10,000 Terran Alliance Credits (5,000 used)
Availability: Licensed
Medium Ground Vehicle (Wheeled)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
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Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 5 (Dex) + 1 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 1 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 12 = 10 + 2 (STR)
+1 armor
HP 20/20
DR 5
Damage Threshold 12 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [0])
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Speed: 10 squares (max velocity 120 km/h)
Fighting Space: 1 square
Cover: None
Grapple +X = X  (BaseATK) + 2 (STR) + 0 (Size)
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Abilities: Strength 14, Dexterity 20, Constitution -, Intelligence 12
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X
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Crew 1 (Driver)
Passengers: 1
Consumables: 1 Day
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Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Groundcar

Still the most popular for of ground transportation in the Terran Alliance.  Internal combustion engines may have given way to electric motors, but wheels still propel the vehicle forward.  Although slower than airspeeders, and far more prone to mechanical failure, groundcars remain popular due to the fact that they are comparatively cheap.  The standard models are intended for paved roads, but a common modification to the suspension and tires enables a groundcar to be driven off-road.  Military versions of this exist, usually with a top-mounted cannon (3d10 damage, no autofire, uses the unused emplacement point)
Cost: 4,000 Terran Alliance Credits (1,000 used)
Availability: Licensed
Huge Ground Vehicle (Wheeled)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
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Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 2 (Dex) + 3 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 3 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 15 = 10 + 5 (STR)
+3 armor
HP 50/50
DR 5
Damage Threshold 25 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [10])
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Speed: 8 squares (max velocity 160 km/h)
Fighting Space: 3×3
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +X = X  (BaseATK) + 5 (STR) + 10 (Size)
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Abilities: Strength 20, Dexterity 14, Constitution -, Intelligence 12
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X
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Crew 1 (Driver)
Passengers: 4
Cargo: 300 kg and up, dependent on model
Consumables: 1 week
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Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Medivac

The medivac is designed to serve as both a mobile medical center and as a protective vehicle in hazardous environments. Equipped standard with cutting-edge medical sensors, capable of detecting and analyzing hazards such as airborne diseases and the presence of radiation, it is an updated version of the medical choppers that saw prevalent use during the Resource Wars and Third World War. Characters inside a medivac are considered to be immune to airborne hazards (such as a inhaled poisons and disease) and to radiation from sources outside the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle’s internal atmosphere regulation system grants characters inside the vehicle a +5 equipment bonus to Fortitude Defense against attack rolls made by airborne diseases and poisons the characters have not yet been affected by. The medivac relies on atmosphere for lift and its engines, so it cannot reach orbital altitude.
Cost: 410,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Availability: Licensed
Gargantuan Airspeeder
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
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Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 2 (Dex) + 3 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 5 Size [flat-footed XX = 10 + 3 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 5 Size]
Fortitude 22 = 10 + 12 (STR)
+3 armor
HP 60/60
DR 5
SR 0/0
Damage Threshold 42 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [20])
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Speed: Fly 8 squares (max velocity 280 km/h), Fly 2 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 5×5 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 12 (STR) + 10 (Size)
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Abilities: Strength 34, Dexterity 12, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
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Crew 2 (Pilot, Copilot)
Passengers: 4, plus 2 patients
Cargo 10 tons
Consumables: 1 week
Carried Craft: 1 Large Ground Vehicle or 2 Medium Ground Vehicles
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Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Microweight Hobbycraft

The microweight is a simple glider that uses a small, quiet engine to provide power, and a set of folding wings with a 4-meter wingspan for control. Microweights are popular sport craft, and many luxury resorts provide rentals in scenic areas such as oceanside cliffs and canyons. When folded, the microweight is the size of a large backpack, and it takes 1 full round to extend or retract the wings. Because it depends on the engine for much of its lift, it can only operate for 1 hour before its standard power pack must be replaced.
Cost: 500 Terran Alliance Credits (250 Used)
Availability: Common
Medium Air Vehicle (Low Altitude)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
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Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 5 (Dex) + 0 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 0 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 13 = 10 + 3 (STR)
HP 10/10
DR 5
Damage Threshold 13 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [0])
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Speed: 6 squares (max velocity 42 km/h)
Fighting Space: 1×1
Cover: None
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 3 (STR) + 0 (Size)
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Abilities: Strength 16, Dexterity 20, Constitution -, Intelligence 10
Skills: Initiative +X, Pilot +X
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Crew 1 (Pilot)
Consumables: 1 Hour/Power Pack
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Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Paraglider

Paragliders are sturdier and more aerodynamic than microweights, using smaller engines that assist only in takeoffs, landings, and difficult maneuvers. As a result, they have a far higher operational ceiling and can function for nearly indefinite periods of time. Paragliders are popular with more serious recreational flyers. Its possible to modify a paraglider for military purposes by increasing the strength of its engine, adding straps for weapons, or covering the wings with sensor-baffling materials (which cause a -5 penalty on any check to detect the paraglider using sensors). All of these changes can be made as a single modification for 1,000 credits. Extra sensors such as electrobinoculars are also often added, though doing this costs little more than the expense of the device added.
Cost: 400 Terran Alliance Credits (200 Used)
Availability: Common
Medium Air Vehicle
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
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Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 5 (Dex) + 0 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 0 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 13 = 10 + 3 (STR)
HP 10/10
DR 5
Damage Threshold 13 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [0])
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Speed: 6 squares (max velocity 48 km/h)
Fighting Space: 1×1
Cover: None
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 3 (STR) + 0 (Size)
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Abilities: Strength 16, Dexterity 20, Constitution -, Intelligence 10
Skills: Initiative +X, Pilot +X
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Crew 1 (Pilot)
Consumables: Indefinite
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Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Rapid Attack Vehicle

This craft functions both as a rapid-deployment aerial assault vehicle and as a patrol craft, and is used by both the Army and Marines. Commonplace fleet hangar bays, the RAV features an ablative armor coating used to protect the craft during rapid atmospheric deployment. When descending in this fashion, the RAV travels at a speed of 6 squares (starship scale) and boasts a shield rating of 30 with an additional +2 armor. Once the craft had completed atmospheric entry, it lost these bonuses, having burned away its re-entry plating and diverted power to its engines. The RAV is equipped with one of the lightest railguns currently in the arsenal, designed to take out enemy armor emplacements and turrets, while its dual gatling cannon turret and NanoMissile system are used for defense or in an anti-infantry capacity. Some desperate naval officers have deployed the vehicles as a last-ditch defensive gambit during losing space battles, using them as a static fighter screen. Of course, these craft were unable to move in space, but they could use their positional rockets to turn.
Cost: 550,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Availability: Military (additional licenses required)
Huge Air Vehicle (speeder)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X, Sensor Enhancement Package
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 4 (Dex) + 5 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 2 Size [flat-footed XX = 10 + 5 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 2 Size]
Fortitude 19 = 10 + 9 (STR)
+5 armor
HP 80/80
DR 10
SR 20/20
Damage Threshold 29 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [10])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 12 squares (max velocity 750 km/h) [Flight Ceiling: 5,000 meters]
Fighting Space: 2×3 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 9 (STR) + 15 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 28, Dexterity 18, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X (+5 bonus to operate sensors), Pilot +X, Use Computer +X (+5 bonus to operate sensors)
————————————————–
Crew 3 (Pilot, Gunner [NanoMissile System], Gunner [Railgun])
Consumables: 1 day
Payload: 50 Railgun rounds, 500 NanoMissiles
————————————————–
Light Railgun (Gunner 2): attack +X, damage 7d10x2
Dual Gatling Cannon Turret (Pilot): attack +X (+X Autofire), damage 4d10x2
NanoMissile System (Gunner): attack +X (+X Autofire), damage 4d10x2 (guided missile weapon)
————————————————–
Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Skimboard

The skimboard is a form of personal transport which allows the rider (usually a single character) to hover above the ground. The board utilized a series of inertial fields and microengines to propel the device along at a flight ceiling of around one meter (though with questionable modifications, this could be more than doubled). Though balance was an important key to remaining on the board, the rider was also held in place by adhesive lines of goo called stick-strips. The board was operated via a series of foot controls at the rear, which could be used to regulate the power flow between the engines and fields for maximum maneuverability.
The agility of the board made it popular among sporting enthusiasts, who were nicknamed “slashers” due to their practice of slashing through the air with flips and spins.
Skimboarding could be a dangerous activity, with falls from the board resulting in injuries if the rider wasn’t adequately protected with a crash helmet, elbow pads and knee pads. The device also had a built-in anti-collision system which attempted to automatically angle the board away from obstacles. However, this feature was often abused by slashers in the sport of “going vertical”, a stunt which involved the slasher heading towards a wall at top speed. At the last possible minute, the rider would then bank straight up (aided by the anti-collision system) and shift power to the rear engines, riding up the wall with only the stick-strips to keep the rider from falling. Most slashers could go two-to three-meters up the wall before being overcome by gravity, though the record is five meters.
Cost: 800 Terran Alliance Credits (400 used)
Availability: Common
Medium Ground Vehicle (Speeder)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 5 (Dex) + 0 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 0 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 13 = 10 + 3 (STR)
HP 10/10
DR 5
Damage Threshold 13 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [0])
————————————————–
Speed: 12 squares (max velocity 280 km/h)
Fighting Space: 1×1
Cover: None
Grapple +4 = 1 (BaseATK) + 3 (STR) + 0 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 16, Dexterity 20, Constitution -, Intelligence 10
Skills: Initiative +X, Pilot +X
————————————————–
Crew 1 (Pilot)
Consumables: 1 Hour/Power Pack
————————————————–
Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Attack Craft (Eagle III, Lancer, Lancer II, незваный гость, 染み抜き, and numerous other models)

The Attack Craft designation is given to a range of models produced by manufacturers across the Terran Alliance. Each manufacturer’s model has their own unique quirks, but follow the same general template given below. The Attack Craft functions in a role similar to multirole combat aircraft, specializing in no specific combat function.  Standardized armament loadout is one Class VI AI-controlled pulse laser array, a fore-mounted quad gatling cannon battery controlled by the pilot, and an internal magazine of light missiles controlled by the gunner.  Additionally, the specifications for attack craft require at least 8 mounting points for standard-sized munitions, which can be converted into 4 mounting points for oversized munitions – these mounting points can also be used for consumables stores to extend the operational range of the craft.
Cost: 900,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Availability: Military (additional licenses required)
Gargantuan starfighter
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 6 (Dex) + 7 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 7 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 26 = 10 + 16 (STR)
+7 armor
HP 120/120
DR 10
SR 35/35
Damage Threshold 41 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [15])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 16 squares (max velocity 2,000 km/h), Fly 4 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 4×4 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 16 (STR) + 15 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 42, Dexterity 22, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew: 2 (Pilot, Gunner)
AI: 1 Pulse Laser Class VI AI
Passengers: None
Cargo: 50 kg
Consumables: 2 days
Carried Craft: none
Payload: 12 Light Missiles
Hyperdrive: None
————————————————–
Quad Gatling Cannons (Pilot): attack +X (+X Autofire), damage 5d10x2
Pulse Laser Array (AI Controlled): attack +X (+X Autofire (hits 2 squares, shuts off the array for 3 rounds)), 3d10x2 damage, can fire twice with a standard action
Light Missile Launcher (Gunner): attack +X, damage dependent on missile load
————————————————–
Hardpoint Options (4 Slots per array. 1 slot for any mine/bomb/missile. Mines/Bombs/Missile that are for Colossal or larger vessels require 2 slots)
Array 1 (4 slots)
Array 2 (4 slots)
————————————————–
Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Shuttle (Various models exist)

Used for short-range travel, this derivitave of the bomber chassis can actually be created in a pinch by loading a passenger bay into the bomber’s internal weapons bay. Situations that call for more people to be transported require the use of either the Marine Assault Craft (for short range) or a Runabout (for long range).
Cost: 600,000 Terran Alliance Credits
Availability: Licensed
Gargantuan Starfighter
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 4 (Dex) + 8 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 8 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 28 = 10 + 18 (STR)
+7 armor
HP 100/100
DR 10
SR 20/20
Damage Threshold 43 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [15])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 16 squares (max velocity 1,200 km/h), Fly 3 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 4×4 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 18 (STR) + 15 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 46, Dexterity 18, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew 2 (Pilot, Copilot)
Passengers: 6
Cargo: 500 kg
Consumables: 4 days
————————————————–
Sensor Decoy: Shuttles come equipped with a standard Sensor Decoy accessory by default.
Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Hecate-class Runabout ^{(Shipwright: Pizzuto Industries Orbital Yard, Luna)}

The Hecate-class is a derivative of the Janus-class, produced on an as-requested basis.  Unlike the stock Janus-class, which removed the original Janus‘s fourth deck, the Hecate-class retains the fourth deck as room for after-market modifications.  Beyond this, the major difference between the Hecate-class and the Janus-class is that the Hecate-class has a radically different layout on the upper deck.  Numerous systems that are in the upper deck on the Janus-class are instead located in the lower (fourth) deck, and the space they would have occupied is instead configured as a single-craft hangar bay, capable of holding 1 vessel of up to Gargantuan size.  The Hecate class is easily distinguished from the Janus-class due to the addition of two vertical control surfaces which aid in the maneuvering of the vessel when in an atmosphere, in addition to the overall larger profile of the vehicle.
Military Hecate-class runabouts come armed standard with 2 dual gatling cannons, a nanomissile array (100 missiles), and a single light missile tube. Civilian models instead come equipped with a basic luxury upgrade. None of these systems consume any additional EP, and are instead part of the stock systems.
Select Hecate-class Runabouts
HEC00: S.S. Hecate [CRP-045] Owned by Yang Enterprises, used for ferrying Executives to/from the Neptune facilities.  Unlike most lead ships of a class, this is not owned by the Shipwright since the first vehicle was produced by request.
HEC01: T.A.S.S. Fred W. Haise [MAR-040]
HEC22: T.A.S.S. Great Britain [ADC-059]
Cost: 2,000,000 Credits (1,500,000 used)
Availability: Restricted
Colossal Space Transport
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 2 (DEX) + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size)
Fortitude 32 = 10 + 22 (STR)
+12 armor
HP 170/170
DR 15
SR 20/20
Damage Threshold 82 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [50])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 12 squares (max velocity 2,000 km/h), Fly 3 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 12×12 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total
Grapple +XX = X (BaseATK) + 22 (STR) + 20 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 54, Dexterity 14, Constitution -, Intelligence 16
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew 3 (Minimum 3: Pilot, Wirehead, Systems Operator/Engineers)
AI: 1 Class VI for Weapons Operation, 1 Class III Maintenance AI
Passengers 5
Cargo: 15 Tons
Consumables: 1 month
Carried Craft: 5 hangar units (1 gargantuan vehicle or 5 huge or smaller vehicles).
FTL Drive: Class 2 [Higgs Drive]
————————————————–
AI Controlled Pulse Laser Array: attack +7 (+2 Autofire), damage 5d10x2
————————————————–

System/Component	Emplacement Points
FTL Drive, Class 2 [Higgs]	3
Navicomputer	1
Sublight Drive (3 Squares) [Stover]	4
Shields (SR 20)	1
AI Controlled Pulse Laser (Level 4)	5
Unused Emplacement Points	5

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Hermes-class Courier ^{(Shipwright: Pizzuto Industries Orbital Yard, Luna)}

The Hermes class is an outgrowth of the Janus-class Runabouts, albeit one missing the entire middeck.  The Higgs Drives and power systems are top of the line, and extended to take up almost the entirety of the lower deck.  The remaining 1/4 of the lower deck now holds the Pilot/Engineer’s quarters.  The Stover Drive systems are also upgraded, now extending two thirsd of the way towards the cockpit on the upper deck.  The remaining third of the distance is a cargo hold, capable of being converted to a single-person passenger quarter if needed.  Between this hold and the cockpit are the wirehead’s quarters, the wirehead interface tank, and a small galley. There is no lift system on the Hermes-class only a series of ladders.
Military Hermes-class couriers are armed with a single fore-mounted light railgun and AI-controlled Pulse Laser System, civilian ones are instead unarmed (aside from the pulse laser system) and come with a basic luxury upgrade.
The Hermes-class sports three Class 1 Higgs Drives standard, affording the craft either great redundancy or ludicrous FTL speeds. Standard operation is to run drive 1, then run drive 2 while letting drive 1 undergo cooldown, retaining drive 3 as a spare. When time is of the essence, all three drives are used, allowing the ship to stay indefinitely at FTL and affording it a mind-bogglingly-fast speed of 3 light years per Terran standard day.
Hermes-class Couriers dealing with Terran Fleets go by different call signs in official communiques depending on their direction in relation to the fleet.  Couriers going outbound to a deployed fleet are referred to as “Mercury X,” where X is the fleet number they are headed to.  Couriers inbound from a deployed fleet to a base are referred to as “Thunderbird X,” where X is the fleet number they are departing from.  Couriers going from one fleet to another are referred to as “Hermes X Y”, where X is the fleet it departs from and Y is its destination fleet.  In any of the previous cases, if the fleet in question is non-terran the number is prepended with an alphabetical code corresponding to the fleet race (T for Tuethidoids, P for Proximans.).  A courier going from base to base is referred to as “Reita Z,” where Z is the base it departed from.  These are only call signs used in communiques however, the vessel names themselves follow no noticeable pattern at all.
Hermes-class vessels are launched as simply “Hermes <Number>,” with the actual name of the ship being chosen by the designated crew of the vessel, who, by tradition, then re-christen the ship.
Select Hermes-class Couriers:
HC00: TASS Hermes [TPS-033] (one of 7 Hermes-class vessels currently assigned to the Sol/Alpha Centauri run)
HC04: TASS Cydonia [TPS-036] (the crew is from Mars)
HC05: TASS Syria Planum [TPS-037] (another crew from Mars)
HC06: TASS Tranquility Base [TPS-038]
HC07: TASS Maple [TPS-039]
HC08: TASS Barracuda [TPS-040]
HC09: TASS Speedfreak [TPS-041]
HC23: SS Northern Excursion [CRP-082] – Owned by MCubed Integration and listed on their assets roster as a ‘high-speed personnel transport’ with dedicated room for 1 passenger, the Northern Excursion also happens to maintain a weapons load-out permit and reportedly has a pseudo-AI in place of a wirehead.  Suspicion abounds that this is actually an SDA vessel registered as a Corporate vessel to avoid attention in its activities.
HC28: TASS Mako [TPS-062]
HC30: SDA Kathleen Kenyon [SDA-076] – The Kathleen Kenyon is used by the SDA as a high-speed personnel transport with dedicated room for 1 passenger.  Like most SDA-registered vessels, it maintains an all-SDA crew.
Cost: 1,500,000 Credits (1,000,000 used)
Availability: Restricted
Colossal Space Transport (Gargantuan for Dogfighting and being targeted by ships larger than Colossal [Frigate] size)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 4 (DEX) + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size)
Fortitude 33 = 10 + 23 (STR)
+12 armor
HP 120/120
DR 15
SR 40/40
Damage Threshold 83 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [50])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 12 squares (max velocity 2,200 km/h), Fly 5 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 12×12 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +XX = X (BaseATK) + 23 (STR) + 20 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 56, Dexterity 18, Constitution -, Intelligence 16
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew 2 (Pilot/Engineer, Wirehead/Systems Operator)
AI: 1 Class VI for Weapons Operation, 1 Class III Maintenance AI
Cargo: 5 Tons, or 1 Passenger and 1 Ton
Consumables: 1 month
FTL Drives: Class 1 [Higgs], Class 1 [Higgs], Class 1 [Higgs] (In Function: Use all 3 drives – operate as if a class 0.33 Drive, Use 2 drives – operate as a class 0.66 Drive, Use 1 drive – Operate as a class 1 Drive), Class 4 [Higgs] (Backup)
————————————————–
AI Controlled Pulse Laser Array: attack +7 (+2 Autofire), damage 5d10x2
————————————————–

System/Component	Emplacement Points
FTL Drive, Class 1 [Higgs] x3	9
FTL Drive, Class 4 [Higgs]	2
Navicomputer	1
Sublight Drive (5 Squares) [Stover]	4
Shields (SR 40)	1
AI Controlled Pulse Laser (Level 4)	5
Atmospheric Thrusters	2
Combat Thrusters	1
Automated Repair Systems	1
Unused Emplacement Points	1

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Janus-class Runabout ^{(Shipwright: Pizzuto Industries Orbital Yard, Luna)}

The Janus-class Runabout is based off of the design used for the Janus, the civilian experimental testbed craft used to test many of the systems now commonplace on Terran Alliance spaceships. Potentially lightly armed, moderately armored, and with a triple-deck design, it was intended for use for a range of military applications, but it also sees use in the private sector as a private yacht or transport vessel. More than a few Janus-class Runabouts have been sold for civilian use, but for the most part those that are sold off are sold disarmed aside from an AI-Controlled Pulse Laser Array for self-defense purposes – obtaining and maintaining a weapons load-out permit is a very difficult chore.
Military Janus-class runabouts come armed standard with 2 dual gatling cannons, a nanomissile array (100 missiles), and a single light missile tube. Civilian models instead come equipped with a basic luxury upgrade. None of these systems consume any additional EP, and are instead part of the stock systems.
Select Janus-class Runabouts
JR00: S.S. Janus [CIV-038] – The lead ship of the class and testbed for the Higgs Drive, the Janus is technically a Hecate-class vessel.  These days it serves as an experimental testbed for technologies developed by its owner and designer, CEC Council General Marko Suslovich, much to the annoyance of officials who would rather parade it around the Alliance as a fundraising technique.  However, the vehicle is the property of CGNC Suslovich who purchased it from the Alliance in 2026.  Though a civilian vessel, the Janus maintains an active weapons load-out permit and is currently listed as assigned to the T.A.S.S. Feng-Huang, where CGNC Suslovich serves as Chief Engineer.
JR01: T.A.S.S. Morpheus [ADC-028]
JR02: T.A.S.S. Medea [ADC-029]
JR03: T.A.S.S. Hermes [ADC-030]
JR04: T.A.S.S. Circe [ADC-031]
JR05: T.A.S.S. Goddard [CEC-001]
JR06: T.A.S.S. Korolev [NVY-082]
JR12: SDA Northern Flight [SDA-020]
Cost: 1,500,000 Credits (1,000,000 used)
Availability: Restricted
Colossal Space Transport
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 2 (DEX) + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size)
Fortitude 30 = 10 + 20 (STR)
+12 armor
HP 150/150
DR 15
SR 20/20
Damage Threshold 80 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [50])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 12 squares (max velocity 2,000 km/h), Fly 3 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 12×12 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total
Grapple +XX = X (BaseATK) + 20 (STR) + 20 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 50, Dexterity 14, Constitution -, Intelligence 16
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew 3 (Minimum 3: Pilot, Wirehead, Systems Operator/Engineers)
AI: 1 Class VI for Weapons Operation, 1 Class III Maintenance AI
Passengers: 5
Cargo: 5 Tons
Consumables: 1 month
FTL Drive: Class 2 [Higgs]
————————————————–
AI Controlled Pulse Laser Array: attack +7 (+2 Autofire), damage 5d10x2
————————————————–

System/Component	Emplacement Points
FTL Drive, Class 2 [Higgs]	3
Navicomputer	1
Sublight Drive (3 Squares) [Stover]	4
Shields (SR 20)	1
AI Controlled Pulse Laser (Level 4)	5
Unused Emplacement Points	1

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Wayfarer-class Medium Transport ^{(Shipwright: Holland Multinational Construction Firm)}

The logical evolution of the concepts developed by the Interplanetary Shuttle, the Wayfarer-class medium transport occupies the space between the Courier and Runabout classes, and the large interstellar freighters such as the Leviathan and Praetor-classes. Of course, the design has been altered from the truss-based framework of the Interplanetary Shuttle to one that can withstand FTL flight. Payload modules can be attached and detached from the vessel as needed. This modular design enables a Wayfarer to load a passenger section, hangar module, or cargo module, depending on what is needed at the time. A Wayfarer features powerful engines that give the vessel surprisingly good speed, which led to its adoption as the standard private-sector interstellar shipping vessel.
The 90-meter Wayfarer-class medium transport requires a crew of five for optimal operation, but can be flown effectively with only a pilot, wirehead, and an engineer/systems operator. The remaining two crew are either cargo attendants or flight attendants (or both) depending on if the Wayfarer is fitted out for cargo or personnel transport.  Traditionally, the vehicle flies with an additional pilot, engineer/systems operator, and wirehead, and attendant, all of whom work in shifts.  All payload modules come standard with room for two Gargantuan or smaller spacecraft or ground vehicles, typically used for cargo lifters or vehicles owned by the passengers. The craft comes armed with an AI Controlled pulse laser array for self-defense purposes, the Class VI AI which operates this system is given strict ethics programming that restrict it from being used except in self-defense. Its standard FTL drives are relatively average, making the Sol to Alpha Centauri run in approximately 8 days. It also comes equipped with a backup FTL drive, however it takes over 40 days to make the Sol to Alpha Centauri run using that drive.
Select Wayfarer-Class Transports
WRF00: S.S. Wayfarer [CRP-030] – Prototype, owned by Holland Multinational Construction Firm
WRF39: Bright Star Seven [CRP-389] – Charter vessel owned by Bright Star Charter Services, provides Exceptional quality space transport services for personnel.
Cost: 2,000,000 Credits (1,500,000 used)
Availability: Restricted
Colossal Space Transport
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex XX = 10 + 0 (DEX) + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size) [flat-footed XX = 10 + 12 (Armor Or Heroic Level) – 10 (Size)
Fortitude 27 = 10 + 17 (STR)
+12 armor
HP 140/140
DR 15
SR 20/20
Damage Threshold 77 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [50])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 12 squares (max velocity 800 km/h), Fly 3 squares (starship scale)
Fighting Space: 12×12 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total
Grapple +XX = X (BaseATK) + 17 (STR) + 20 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 44, Dexterity 10, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew 9 (Minimum 3: Pilot, Wirehead, Systems Operator/Engineer. Traditionally there are two shifts, plus 2 cargo/passenger attendants and one additional wirehead.)
AI: 1 Class VI for Weapons Operation
Passengers: 6
Cargo: 225 Tons
Consumables: 3 months
Carried Craft: 2 Gargantuan Vehicles
FTL Drives: Class 2 [Higgs] (backup Class 10 [Higgs])
————————————————–
AI Controlled Pulse Laser Array: attack +6 (+1 Autofire), damage 5d10x2
————————————————–

System/Component	Emplacement Points
FTL Drive, Class 2 [Higgs]	3
FTL Drive, Class 10 [Higgs]	1
Navicomputer	1
Sublight Drive (3 Squares) [Stover]	4
Shields (SR 20)	1
AI Controlled Pulse Laser (Level 4)	5
Unused Emplacement Points	1

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Jeg’Koar-class Light Assault Vehicle

Gargantuan Air Vehicle (speeder)
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X (+5 bonus to operate sensors), Sensor Enhancement Package
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex 18 = 10 + 4 (Dex) + 5 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed 14 = 10 + 5 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 19 = 10 + 9 (STR)
+5 armor
HP 80/80
DR 10
SR 20/20
Damage Threshold 39 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [20])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 12 squares (max velocity 750 km/h)
Fighting Space: 3×3 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 9 (STR) + 15 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 28, Dexterity 18, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X (+5 bonus to operate sensors), Pilot +X, Use Computer +X (+5 bonus to operate sensors)
————————————————–
Crew 2 (Pilot, Gunner)
Consumables: 1 day
Payload: 50 Light Cannon rounds, 1000 Heavy Repeating Rifle rounds
————————————————–
Light Cannon (Gunner): attack +X, damage 5d10x2
Heavy Repeating Rifle (Pilot): attack +X (+X Autofire), damage 2d12
————————————————–
Unused Emplacement Points: 1

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Model Year 12EO27 Esteemed Performance Yacht (Runabout)

Designed by the highly-esteemed Esteemed Starship Emporium and Construction Yard, the current model year of the long-running Esteemed Performance Yacht includes one new feature. Replacing last year’s experiment with ion drives, this year the line includes top of the line solar sails acquired from the Lissonian Treeholds. As usual, internal fuel stores are minimal, and the Emporium recommends use of the stock-provided external stores tanks to increase flight time.

Cost: 500,000 Calengil Blood-Markers
Availability: Common, Custom-Order Only

Huge Starship
Initiative +X
Senses: Perception +X
————————————————–
Defenses
Reflex 21 = 10 + 6 (Dex) + 10 (Armor Or Heroic Level) [flat-footed 20 = 10 + 10 (Armor Or Heroic Level)]
Fortitude 26 = 10 + 16 (STR)
+10 armor
HP 120/120
DR 15
SR 10/10
Damage Threshold 36 (Fort Defense + Size Mod [10])
————————————————–
Speed: Fly 16 squares (max velocity 12,500 km/h), 6 squares starship scale [fusion torch], 8 squares starship scale [air-breathing engine], 8 squares starship scale [solar sail]
Fighting Space: 2×2 or 1 square (starship scale)
Cover: Total (crew)
Grapple +X = X (BaseATK) + 16 (STR) + 10 (Size)
————————————————–
Abilities: Strength 42, Dexterity 22, Constitution -, Intelligence 14
Skills: Initiative +X, Mechanics +X, Perception +X, Pilot +X, Use Computer +X
————————————————–
Crew 1 (Pilot)
Passengers: 1
Cargo: 250 kg
Consumables: 2 days (internal) + 4 weeks (drop tanks)
FTL Drive: Class 1 (Flux Space), Navicomputer
————————————————–
Attack (Pilot): attack +X, damage XdYxZ
————————————————–
Hardpoint Options (4 Slots. 1 slot for any mine/bomb/missile. Mines/Bombs/Missile that are for Colossal or larger vessels require 2 slots)
ARRAY 1 (4/4 Slots Used)
• Drop Tank
• Drop Tank
• Drop Tank
• Drop Tank
————————————————–
Unused Emplacement Points: 1
————————————————–
SPECIAL NOTES
• No Artificial Gravity – Calengil vessels lack artificial gravity unless it is added as an after-market modification.
• Basic Luxury Upgrade – 20000 credits/month to keep the luxury upgrade current – only provides a bonus to generic crew.
• Solar Sails – Solar sails (also called light sails or photon sails) are a form of spacecraft propulsion which uses large mirrors, driven by radiation pressure exerted by sunlight. A useful analogy may be a sailing boat; the light exerting a force on the mirrors is akin to a sail being blown by the wind. High-energy laser beams can be used as an alternative light source to exert much greater force than would be possible using sunlight, a concept known as beam sailing, however this can only be done in areas where the beams have been set up – therefore it is commonly used to give ships with this propulsion system an initial boost in the right direction. Solar sail craft begin movement from rest with a speed of 1 square (unless already moving faster due to an alternative propulsion system), the vehicle’s speed increases by 1 square every 10 rounds until it reaches the maximum speed for its solar sail drive. When beam sailing, the laser beams push the vehicle at a 4 square speed, allowing it to start movement at that velocity. The sails are extremely fragile, and are therefore only deployed when it is absolutely safe to do so. Deploying or stowing the sails takes 1 minute, while replacing damaged sails takes 12 hours. In combat, any weapon hit against the ship destroys any deployed sails – however, if the sails are destroyed while the vehicle is in motion, the vehicle will continue to move at its current speed and heading until acted upon by an outside force (such as another propulsion system). The solar sail propulsion system comes with three spare sails. The speed of a vehicle using solar sails cannot be increased via the SLAM or Speed Booster components, or the Increase Vehicle Speed function of the Pilot skill. Solar sails are completely useless in an atmosphere, and are destroyed if deployed when entering an atmosphere.
• Speed Booster – Speed boosters allow pilots to divert all power from certain systems directly into the engines and booster jets to temporarily increase the vehicle’s speed. The pilot can, as a swift action, re-route power from all weapons to the engines, allowing the maximum velocity and squares per round movement to increase by 50% (round up) on a successful Pilot check made to increase vehicle speed. The pilot also gains a +5 equipment bonus to this check. If no weapons are installed on the vehicle, its shields are reduced to 0 SR (if any), it loses half its remaining consumables in the boost, and the pilot suffers a -5 penalty to all Pilot checks during the boost. The vehicle will retain the speed increase until the speed booster is shut down with another swift action, or after a number of rounds equal to the vehicle’s Strength modifier. Should the speed booster disengage automatically in this fashion, the vehicle moves one step down the condition track. If the speed booster is disengaged automatically, the pilot must still spend a swift action to restore power to the systems before they can be used.
• SubLight Accelerator Motor – A starship’s SLAM system provides a +5 bonus on Pilot checks to increase a vehicle’s speed. This bonus increases to +10 if the pilot is using all-out movement.

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Hellcat (Tau Ceti, Tau Ceti e) [CL 8]

The Hellcat is a species of large felinoids native to Tau Ceti e. These lizard-like creatures are masters of stealth, equivalent to a nastier version of an Earth lion or tiger, and hunt elementals for food. They typically dwell in caverns with active lava rivers, and can be found basking in the warmth of a lava flow when not actively hunting. Hellcat hunting is a well-appreciated pastime amongst Hands of Action, however overhunting of the creature has lead to a one-kill per year limit for hunters in modern times.
Medium (male) or Large (female) beast 8
Initiative +6; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +7
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Defenses
Reflex 17 (Flat-Footed 11) (DEX 6, Natural Armor +1 (+2 for Females))
Fortitude 13
Will 12
HP 52; Damage Threshold 12
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Speed 8 squares
Melee 2 claws +9 each (1d4+8 plus poison plus fire) and bite +9 (1d6+8 plus fire)
Fighting Space 1 square (male) or 4 squares (female); Reach 1 square
Base Attack +5; Grapple +11
Attack Options Ambush, Charging Leap, Elemental Touch, Fire Resilient, Flaming Claws, Invisibility, Poison
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Abilities STR 18, DEX 23, CON 16, INT 2, WIS 14, CHA 14
Special Qualities Low-Light Vision, Scent
Feats Skill Focus (Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Skill Training (Survival)
Skills Perception +7, Magery +9 Stealth +16, Survival +7
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Ambush – A Hellcat deals an extra 2d6 points of damage with its natural weapons against a flat-footed opponent.
Charging Leap – As a full-round action, a Hellcat can move up to three times its speed at an opponent, gaining a +15 bonus to Jump checks made during this movement. If it ends this movement adjacent to a creature, it can make a single claw attack against that creature. If this attack hits, the target can be knocked prone if the attack also beats the target’s Fortitude defense.
Elemental Touch – Elementals are a Hellcat’s natural prey, and it takes no damage from coming into contact with any kind of elemental spirit.
Fire Resilient – Cave Crawlers ignores the first 10 points of fire damage they take per round. They are immune to damage from overly hot conditions, up to 150 C.
Flaming Claws – A Hellcat’s natural weapons deal an additional 2d6 points of fire damage.
Invisibility – As a swift action, a Hellcat may fade from sight, becoming invisible to optical sensors (and vision). This ends if the hellcat attacks, and lasts for 1 round. A Hellcat may activate this ability once every 5 rounds.
Poison – If the claws of a Hellcat deal damage to a living target (or damage that target’s magic-based autoshields), the target is also poisoned. If the poison succeeds on an attack roll (1d20+9) against the target’s Fortitude Defense, the target moves -1 step along the condition track. The poison attacks each round until cured with a successful DC 15 Treat Injury check. If the target falls unconscious, the poison remains, potentially keeping the target unconscious for an indefinite period of time.

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NEW SPECIES FEATS

Journey of Destruction [Species]
The Journey of Destruction teaches about returning pain with pain, all to bring about the End of Things.
Prerequisites: Path of the Unknowable Destroyer
Benefits: You gain a +5 bonus to damage against any target that has moved you down the condition track within the past 2 rounds.

Journey of Remembrance [Species]
Those who have completed the Journey of Remembrance have learned much of the ways of war, even if that is not their primary focus.
Prerequisites: Path of The One Who Sleeps Outside Of Time
Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus on all untrained Knowledge [Tactics] checks and can make them without being trained in the skill.  Additionally, you may use your Knowledge [Tactics] skill to use the Tactical Assessment feature of the Gather Information skill.

Path of The First [Species]
The Path of the Ka’Jol emphasizes duty to one’s masters and tasks above all else.  Those who believe they could sway you from your path and duty are sorely mistaken.
Prerequisites: Follower of the Loyal
Benefits: You gain a +5 bonus to your Will defense vs mind-affecting effects, including the Deception and Persuasion skills.

Path of The One Who Sleeps Outside Of Time [Species]
Followers of the Path of The One Who Sleeps Outside Of Time never cease gathering knowledge about other cultures, even ones they don’t have extensive exposure to.
Prerequisites: Follower of the Timebringer
Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus on all untrained Knowledge [History] and Knowledge [Culture] checks, and can make these skill checks without being trained in those skills.

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NEW CHRYSOARI GEAR [Equipment – Advanced Chrysoari Personal Shield Generator]

Advanced Chrysoari Personal Shield Generator
Cost: 30,000 Chrysoari Protectorate Credits
Availability: Military
Weight: 2 kgs
Usually reserved for high-ranking military officers and dignitaries, this is the current pinnacle of non-prototype Chrysoari shield generator technology.  This shield generator can operate constantly for two hours when powered by three power packs.  It provides a Shield Rating of 30, but if the shield rating is reduced to 0 then the power packs are depleted and must be recharged or replaced.  Sold standard, these devices are fitted for Chrysoari use, and have to be re-fitted for any other species.  This requires a DC 30 Mechanics check, or a Chrysoari technological specialist (who usually charges 200 CPC). Like all Chrysoari shields, this protects against physical attacks, energy attacks, and directed-energy attacks.

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RULES ADDITION: Life Bound Spirit Granted Powers

Blood Is Power: When you damage a living creature with your bite attack, you gain a bonus to attack and melee damage equal to one-quarter your character level (minimum +1). This bonus lasts for a number of turns equal to half your character level.

Exsanguinate: Increase the damage dice of your bite attack to 2d6.

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RULES ADDITION: Alien Artifacts (Non-Standard) – Translator Artifact

Classified as an artifact for legality purposes, this device’s status as an actual ‘alien artifact’ is a matter of some debate. Unlike more standard ‘alien artifacts,’ it is known that these devices are actually still being manufactured. This is determined through analysis of the materials that comprise their casing – a casing which to this day is still impenetrable without destruction of the artifact and its workings. What is known is that new ones turn up on the market from time to time, and can fetch quite a high price. When obtained ‘new’ the translator artifact is solid block of impenetrable metal, and it can be forced back into this neutral state with a DC 40 Mechanics check. When in this state, it can be pressed against an ear or other auditory receptor, at which point it molds itself into a shape that will attach to that body part – how it detects when it is pressed against one is unknown. At this point, the artifact is in its working state. Translator artifacts come ‘new’ with no languages programmed into them, langauges can either be transferred from another translator artifact to it (DC 20 Use Computer check that takes 5 minutes) or they can ‘learn’ them on their own over the course of about 72 hours of exposure. The translator artifact allows you to seamlessly understand auditory communication of any language programmed into it, and will instruct you on communication in these languages, but you take a -5 penalty to social interaction skills when speaking in this fashion. You must actually be able to physically speak the language in order to use this – if your body lacks the requisite appendages or organs, you cannot communicate in this fashion.

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TALENT UPDATE – Former Genius Loci (Magic Talents)

Upon receiving this talent, you immediately gain enough levels of Thirst to place you at Thirst Level 15. However, you do not need to make the usual Wisdom check required at Thirst Level 8 – all known methods of regaining corporeal form after becoming a Loci have an equally difficult task. If a Former Genius Loci is slain while at Thirst Level 15 they revert to Loci state in their current location rather than becoming a spirit.

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NEW TYPE OF MAGIC – Channeling

Viewed with derision by some Contractors, Channelers instead forgo the contract process in favor of diversity in abilities.  However, due to the lack of a contract they can only use their abilities for a limited amount of time before having to rest.

Spirit Repertoire: This is the number of spirits you currently have in your repertoire.  At level 1 you start play having two types in your repertoire.  Every 2 levels after that, you learn another spirit type.  Once selected, these cannot be changed.  Spirit types are chosen from the same list as Contractors.

• Air
• Animal
• Battle
• Courage
• Darkness
• Destruction
• Earth
• Electromagnetism
• Fire
• Gravity
• Ice
• Life
• Light
• Mankind (and Proximankind, and Teuthidoidkind, and Risanthankind…)
• Metal
• Water

Sign: While you are channeling a spirit you manifest its sign.  Unlike a Contractor, you cannot suppress a sign.

Influence: This is more of a roleplaying piece of information.  While a channeled spirit cannot control the actions of the channeler under normal circumstances (but see Control below), they do exert some form of influence over the channeler’s thought process while channeled.

Automatic Channel: At any time, a channeler can channel a spirit in its repertoire to gain access to that spirit’s Automatic Power.  This does not count against uses of Channeling, however the channeler must still manifest the sign of the spirit.

Channeling: A Channeler can channel spirits for a number of rounds per day based on their level.  At level 1 they can do this for 4 + Wisdom Modifier rounds per day.  Every level after 1st adds another 2 rounds of use per day.  Activating Channeling is a swift action that can only be taken on your turn, whereas ending a channeling is a free action that can only be taken on your turn.  When you activate channel, choose one of the spirit types in your repertoire – while channeling, you gains access to a number of granted powers chosen from that spirit.

Channeling Augmentation: Beginning at level 5, you channel some of the spirit’s energy into yourself in a more flexible fashion, granting you a benefit chosen from the list below.  As you increase in level, you may choose additional augmentations.  Augmentations stack with themselves, and you may select them more than once.  Each time you channel, you can change these augmentations.

• Energy Resistance 5 (This can only be used when channeling an appropriate spirit (Electromagnetism (Electricity Resist), Fire (Fire Resist), Ice (Cold Resist))
• Damage Reduction 1.  This stacks with other sources of Damage Reduction.
• +1 insight bonus to Defenses
• +1 insight bonus on attack rolls
• +1 insight bonus on damage rolls
• +2 insight bonus on Initiative checks

Speak With All Spirits: You gain the ability to speak directly with all spirits, as if you spoke a common language.

Control: When you channel a spirit, you can choose to give that spirit a point of Control over you instead of having the channeling use up rounds of Channeling.  By doing so, you automatically channel the spirit for a number of rounds equal to one-half your character level.  When this channeling would expire, you can instead choose to accept another point of Control as a free action in order to continue it.  Control points reset when you sleep.  When you reach 3 total points of Control that you have granted to any number of spirits (3 to one, 2 to one and 1 to another, and so on), the muddled thoughts trapped in one body begin to have additional affects.

• 3 Points of Control – You take a penalty to your Initiative checks equal to the amount of Control you have granted.  However, you also increase your defense against mind-affecting effects by the amount of Control you have granted.
• 4 Points of Control – You gain the benefits of Automatic Channel for all spirits in your repertoire without having to manifest a sign.
• 5 Points of Control -You gain the benefits of 1 Granted Power (available at level 1) for all spirits in your repertoire without having to manifest a sign.
• 6 Points of Control – You lose control of your character and they become an NPC under the control of the GM.  You are now controlled by whatever spirit has the highest Control over you, or a randomly-determined one from your repertoire if there is a tie.

Dual Channel: When you channel, you can now select your Granted Powers from two spirits in your repertoire rather than one.  This does not apply to Automatic Channel. When doing so, you manifest both signs.

Triple Channel: When you channel, you can now select your Granted Powers from three spirits in your repertoire rather than two.  This does not apply to Automatic Channel. When doing so, you manifest all three signs.

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NEW TYPE OF MAGIC – Contracted Summoning

Character Level	Ability Scores (High/Average)	Skill Bonuses (High/Average/Untrained)	Customization Points	Feats	Special
1st-2nd	14/10	+10/+5/+0	4	1	Summoning, Contracted Entities
3rd-4th	15/10	+11/+6/+1	6	2	Entity Gift (First)
5th-6th	16/11	+12/+7/+2	10	3	Contracted Horde
7th-8th	17/11	+13/+8/+3	12	4
9th-10th	18/12	+14/+9/+4	16	5	Entity Gift (Second)
11th-12th	19/12	+15/+10/+5	18	6
13th-14th	20/13	+16/+11/+6	22	7
15th-16th	21/13	+17/+12/+7	24	8	Entity Gift (Third)
17th-18th	22/14	+18/+13/+8	28	9	Second Summoning
19th-20th	23/14	+19/+14/+9	32	10

Contracted Entities – Unlike Yoitsuni, which shape concepts into physical form via their servants, Contracted Summoners instead form pacts with specific entities to be able to call upon them for assistance. However, since shaping energy into physical form requires effort on the part of the summoner, the actual power of the entity is dependent on the magical strength of the summoner – not the entity. Contracted Summoners have no limit on the amount of contracts they can have active with entities, however each contract must be negotiated separately. Finding these entities can sometimes be difficult. A Contracted Summoner always begins play with one contracted entity of their choosing which they construct using the rules below – all subsequent entities are constructed by the GM. Each entity has their own restrictions that they impose on the summoner. Some will only allow themselves to be summoned under certain conditions, others instead require the summoner to display a sigil at all times or follow certain obediences.

Summoning – A Contracted Summoner can call forth one entity at a time as a full-round action, which causes the entity to appear in a square adjacent to you.  This action requires verbal actions.  Only one entity can be called forth at a time, but they may be summoned for an unlimited amount of time per day as long as their HP remains above 0.  Dismissing an entity takes a move action.  An entity who’s HP is reduced to 0 is automatically dismissed, and cannot be summoned again until the summoner rests for a normal sleep cycle, at which point it returns with 1 HP.

Customization Points – Entities are built using a number of customization points based on the summoner’s level. Only the first entity is built by the summoner, the GM builds any subsequent ones that the summoner contracts with over the course of play.

Feats – A servant has a number of feats available according to the table above.  These can be selected from any feats that the servant meets the prerequisites for, even if the prerequisites are met via customization points.  This cannot be used to gain the High-Power Magic Training, Mage Talent, Magery Training, or Skill Focus feats.

Entity Gifts – Each entity has a form of passive benefit they provide to their summoner. Each time you gain an Entity Gift, choose one of your contracted entities to receive the gift of. Gifts are unique to each entity, and are determined by the GM, but they are rarely combat-oriented.

Contracted Horde – At 5th level you can make a contract with a swarm of small creatures rather than a specific entity. This horde is constructed as normal using one-half the standard amount of customization points, but it gains the following features in addition. You can only be contracted to one swarm at a time. This does not automatically grant a swarm entity contract, the summoner must still seek one out as normal.
Size: Always Fine
Swarm: Swarms are immune to all damage except for non-autofire area-of-effect attacks.  Additionally, they are also immune to psionic effects, poison (unless it is an area of effect poison), stunning, nonlethal damage, fatigue, exhaustion, flanking, tripping, bull rushing, and grappling.
Swarm Attack: A swarm can automatically inflict 1d8+1 points of damage on anything it shares a square with.  This counts as a natural weapon attack, does not provoke an attack of opportunity, and deals additional damage equal to 1/2 the swarm’s heroic level (if any).  Additionally, this effect can also inflict Distraction (see below).
Distraction: A creature that takes damage from a swarm’s Swarm Attack can be nauseated. Any living creature that takes damage from the Swarm Attack is subject to an immediate and additional attack versus the target’s Fortitude Defense.  The swarm uses it’s Dexterity score for the attack.  If this attack succeeds, the creature is nauseated and experiences stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, cast incantations, cast true incantations, use nanite abilities, manifest psionic powers, activate force spells, concentrate on spells/powers/incantations/nanite abilities/force spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.

Second Summoning – At level 19 you can have two servants summoned at once, or one servant and your servant aspects.

Contracted Entities

HP: An entity has either 24+CON Mod HP, or half the (Summoner’s HP+Entity’s CON Score (Not modifier)), whichever is higher.
DEFENSES: Calculated normally (servants use your Heroic level, entities can wear armor if they gain the feats for it), use the Summoner’s class modifiers.
ATTACKS: A entity’s base attack bonus is equal to that of an Expert of your character level.
MOVEMENT: Unless otherwise noted, an entity has a land speed equal to the Summoner’s.
SKILLS: As indicated, plus Magery (Average).  The bonuses listed above do not include the entity’s ability score, feats, or any gear.
SIZE: Unless otherwise noted, the entity is always the same size as the summoner.
OPERATIONAL RANGE: An entity can operate at a base range of 20 squares from the summoner, plus an additional square per character level of the summoner.

Defensive Entities (Role: Defense of the summoner)

• Healer
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (Average), CON (High), INT (High), WIS (High+2), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Surgical Expertise
  SKILLS: Treat Injury (High)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Spellcasting (Vital Transfer) x2
  FEATURES: Can use the Treat Injury skill to perform First Aid on its summoner a number of times per day equal to the 1 + (summoner’s character level / 8) instead of only once per day.
• Interceptor
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High+2), CON (High), INT (Average), WIS (High), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Parry
  SKILLS: Perception (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Spellcasting (Intercept) x2
  FEATURES: Can use the Parry feat and the Intercept spell in response to attacks made against adjacent allies. The Interceptor entity is considered proficient with any weapon it is wielding only for the purposes of the Parry feat. Gaining proficiency for normal attacks requires using a feat.
• Interdictor
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (High), CON (High), INT (Average), WIS (Average), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Halt
  SKILLS: Persuasion (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Spellcasting (Thrust) x2
  FEATURES: An Interdictor uses its Strength modifier instead of its Charisma modifier when using Persuasion to Intimidate.

Scout Entities (Role: Scouting for the summoner)

• Aerial
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High), CON (Average), INT (High), WIS (High+2), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: None
  SKILLS: Perception (High)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Flight (ignores the usual Level 5 restriction), Low-Light Vision
  FEATURES: None
  SIZE: 2 sizes smaller than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)
• Incorporeal
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High), CON (Average), INT (Average), WIS (High+2), CHA (High)
  BONUS FEAT: None
  SKILLS: Stealth (Average)
  MOVEMENT: Fly speed of SummonerLandSpeed-2 Squares
  BONUS OPTIONS: Spellcasting (Phase) x2
  FEATURES: Can’t be targeted by weapons (unless the weapon is a Device or is affected by Strike Boost or a magic ability that adds damage such as Electrical Weapons. Cannot travel through solid matter without actually using the Phase spell.
• Stealth
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High+2), CON (Average), INT (Average), WIS (High), CHA (High)
  BONUS FEAT: Duck and Cover
  SKILLS: Stealth (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Presence Concealment
  FEATURES: None
  SIZE: 1 size smaller than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)

Heroic Entities (Role: Variable, but combat-focused)

• Archer
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High+2), CON (High), INT (High), WIS (Average), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Choose one Weapon Proficiency – Simple, Pistols, or Rifles
  SKILLS: Perception (High)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Ability Increase (DEX)
  FEATURES: When contracting with an Archer-class entity, the entity gains a ranged weapon, but you must supply ammunition for it.  Every time it is summoned, it appears with this ranged weapon and ammunition.  The weapon cannot be changed, and the ammunition can be replaced by providing the ammunition to the entity when it is summoned. Ammunition used by the servant is consumed as normal, so you must restock it from time to time.
• Assassin
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High), DEX (High+2), CON (Average), INT (High), WIS (Average), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Weapon Proficiency (Simple)
  SKILLS: Stealth (High)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Presence Concealment
  FEATURES: Assassin-class entities have Sneak Attack (as the scoundrel talent, one instance of it at level 1 plus another time for every 5 levels the summoner has).  When contracting with an Assassin-class entity it comes with a simple melee weapon.  Every time it is summoned, it appears with this weapon, with the size of the weapon adjusted if the servant has been summoned in a different size than it previously was in (the difference in size between the weapon and a the entity always remains the same).
• Caster
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High), CON (Average), INT (High), WIS (High+2), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Magery Training (choose an appropriate number of spells).
  SKILLS: Knowledge [Arcana] (High)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Spellcasting x2 (Choose 2 spells)
  FEATURES: The entity can take the Magery Training feat in place of normal feats.  For the purposes of prerequisites, it is treated as having all schools of magic, but it gains none of the usual bonuses of those schools.
• Lancer
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (High), CON (Average), INT (Average), WIS (Average), CHA (High)
  BONUS FEAT: Weapon Focus (Simple)
  SKILLS: Acrobatics (Average), Jump (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Reach (Weapon [See Features] – this is a special, one-time exception to the normal rules for the Reach option), Skilled (Jump) [Factored in above]
  FEATURES: When contracted, a Lancer gains a weapon which is treated as a Device. This weapon does 1d8 (for a medium-sized servant) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (chosen when the servant is contracted), and gains a reach of 1 square through the bonus option granted to this servant.
• Saber
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (High), CON (High), INT (Average), WIS (Average), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Weapon Focus (Simple)
  SKILLS: Acrobatics (Average)
  MOVEMENT: 1 square faster than the summoner’s base speed.
  BONUS OPTIONS: Improved Natural Armor, Pounce (this ignores the usual restriction of having to be quadrupedal)
  FEATURES: When contracted, a Saber gains a weapon which is treated as a Device. This weapon does 1d10 (for a medium-sized servant) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (chosen when the servant is contracted).

Transport Entity (Role: Providing mobility for the summer)

• Aerial
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (Average), DEX (High+2), CON (Average), INT (High), WIS (High), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Dodge
  SKILLS: Acrobatics (High)
  MOVEMENT: Land speed equal to summoner’s ground speed – 4 squares (minimum 1 square).
  BONUS OPTIONS: Flight
  FEATURES: Aerial transport entities have a fly speed of 1 square faster than normal.
  SIZE: 1 step larger than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)
• Aquatic
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High), DEX (Average), CON (High+2), INT (Average), WIS (High), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Conditioning
  SKILLS: Swim (Average)
  MOVEMENT: Land speed equal to summoner’s ground speed – 2 squares (minimum 1 square).
  BONUS OPTIONS: Amphibious, Swim
  FEATURES: Aquatic transport entities have a swim speed of 1 faster than normal.
  SIZE: 1 step larger than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)
• Landbound
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (Average), CON (High), INT (Average), WIS (High), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Conditioning
  SKILLS: Climb (Average), Endurance (High)
  MOVEMENT: Land speed equal to summoner’s ground speed + 2 squares.
  BONUS OPTIONS: Climb, Improved Natural Armor
  FEATURES: Landbound transport entities have a 1-step boost in their Endurance skill (from Average to High, factored in above) and their Climb skill (from Untrained to Average, factored in above).
  SIZE: 1 step larger than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)

Grand Entities (Role: Battlefield domination)

• Berserker
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (Average), CON (High), INT (Average), WIS (Average), CHA (High)
  BONUS FEAT: Bull Rush
  SKILLS: Intimidate (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Ability Increase (Strength)
  FEATURES: Berserker entities can wield weapons one size larger than usual. For example, a Medium-sized Berserker can wield a Large weapon one-handed or a Huge weapon two-handed. Additionally, when contracting with a Berserker-class entity, it comes with a simple melee weapon – it is then treated as proficient with this weapon.  Every time it is summoned, it appears with this weapon, which is always to two sizes larger than the Berserker (for example, if the Berserker is Medium than the weapon is Huge). The damage is increased as appropriate.  Berserker entities who wield a weapon that is Huge size or larger make Area of Effect melee attacks in a 1-square splash around the primary target. This area of effect attack is still counted as melee damage for the purposes of the Bull Rush and similar feats and abilities.
• Dragon
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (Average), CON (High), INT (High), WIS (Average), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Predictive Defense
  SKILLS: Knowledge [Choose one] (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Flight
  FEATURES: A Dragon entity has a breath weapon it can use once per encounter. This is a 12-square cone area of effect attack that deals 1d6 damage per character level of the summoner. The dragon’s Magery skill is used as the attack roll for the breath weapon. The damage type is chosen when the Dragon is contracted and is selected from the following list:
  • Acid (stream of acid) – On the round after the dragon hits a target with the breath weapon, it causes an additional acid damage 1d4 damage per character level of the summoner.
  • Cold (supercool air) – This breath weapon chills the target, covering it in a layer of ice. This reduces all of its movement forms by 1 square until it succeeds on a free action DC 15 Strength check to remove the ice.
  • Electricity (bolts of lightning) – This electricity damage also counts as Ion damage.
  • Fire (…its a cone of fire) – A fire damage breath weapon sets things on fire.
  • Slashing (blades of air) – A slashing breath weapon inflicts bleed damage equal to 1/5th the summoner’s character level in addition to the normal damage.

  SIZE: 1 size larger than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)

• Wyrm
  ABILITY SCORES: STR (High+2), DEX (Average), CON (High), INT (Average), WIS (High), CHA (Average)
  BONUS FEAT: Improved Defenses
  SKILLS: Survival (Average)
  BONUS OPTIONS: Tremorsense
  FEATURES: All squares that a wyrm travel through are considered difficult terrain until repaired. Wyrms that are large enough can use this to destroy entire structures, though strength checks may be required to do this.
  SIZE: 2 sizes larger than the summoner (apply corresponding size modifiers)

CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS

1 POINT

• Aid Rite: The entity counts as a Bonded Follower for their master when performing Rites that provides a number of Bonded Followers equal to the amount that you would provide.  The entity can take [Magic] feats on its own to increase this number even further, this stacks with the bonuses that feats that you have provide. There is no need to use the Bond Follower rite, your servant is automatically bonded to you at all times, even if it is not summoned.
• Aid Ritual (Prerequisite: Aid Rite): The Aid Rite customization option now expands to provide its benefit to Rituals as well.
• Amphibious – This option gives the entity the ability to breathe both water and air.
• Bite – This option adds a bite attack to your entity, which deals appropriate damage for the servant’s size.
• Claws – This option adds 2 claw attacks to your entity, which deal appropriate damage for the servant’s size.
• Climb – This option gives the servant a climb speed equal to its base speed.  Selecting it an additional time adds another 4 squares to the climb speed.
• Improved Damage – Choose one natural weapon your servant has when you select this option.  Increase the damage dice of that attack by one step.  You can select this option multiple times, but it must apply to a different attack each time.
• Improved Invocation Aid (Prerequisite: Aid Ritual): The entity counts as itself another time over when determining how many Bonded Followers it effectively provides to you for the purposes of Rites and Rituals. This ability can be taken multiple times.
• Improved Natural Armor – The entity’s natural armor bonus to Reflex defense increases by 2.  You can select this option once for every 5 levels you have.
• Low-Light Vision – The entity gains low-light vision.
• Pounce – The entity can make a full attack action after making a charge.  This is only available to entities with four or more legs or who can fly or swim.
• Pull – Choose a natural attack that the entity has.  When it hits with this attack, make an opposed strength check against the target.  If you succeed, you move the target one square closer to you.  This option can only be added to a natural attack that has reach.
• Reach – Choose a natural attack that the entity has.  This attack has a reach of 1 additional square.  You can take this option multiple times, increasing the reach for that attack each time or adding reach to a new attack.
• Resistance – Choose an energy type from Cold, Electricity, or Fire.  The entity gains Resist 5 vs that energy type.  You can take this option multiple times, increasing the resistance each time or adding a new kind of resistance.
• Skilled – Each time you add this option to an entity, you increase its skill modifier with a chosen skill by one step (Untrained->Average->High).  This option can be chosen multiple times.
• Slam – This adds a slam attack to the entity, which deals appropriate damage for its size.
• Spellcasting – For 1 Customization point, you can add a spell to the entity’s spell suite.  This option can be chosen multiple times.  This spell can come from any school.
• Swim – The entity gains a swim speed equal to its base speed.  Each time you select this option after the first, the swim speed increases by 4 squares.  This does not grant the entity the ability to breathe the substance they are swimming through.
• Tail – The entity has a long tail, which grants it a +2 bonus to checks to maintain its balance and a +2 to Fortitude and Reflex defenses relating to staying balanced.  This option can be chosen multiple times.
• Tail Slap – The entity’s tail is now a weapon, dealing appropriate damage for its size (1d6 damage at Medium).  Your servant must have a tail before you can choose this option.  This option can be chosen multiple times, but not more times than the amount of tails the entity has.
• Tentacle – The entity possesses a tentacle, which deals 1d4 damage at Medium (and appropriate damage for different sizes).  This option can be chosen more than once.
• Wing Buffet – The entity can batter foes with its wings, dealing 1d4 damage at Medium (and appropriate damage for different sizes).  The entity must have wings before you can choose this option.

2 POINTS

• Ability Increase – For 2 customization points, you can increase an ability score of the entity by +2.  You can select this once, plus one additional time for every 6 levels you have.
• Darkvision – The entity gains the ability to see into the infrared range, allowing it to see in most dark areas.
• Energy Attacks – Pick one energy type: cold, electricity, or fire.  All of the entity’s natural attacks deal +1d6 damage of this energy type, or one weapon wielded by the entity deals +1d6 damage of this energy type.  You must be at least level 5 to select this option.
• Flight – The entity grows large wings and gains a fly speed equal to its base speed.  For 2 additional customization points, the entity flies through the use of magic and has no wings.  Additionally, the fly speed can be increased, adding 4 squares to the speed for every point spent to increase the speed.  You must be at least level 5 to select this option.
• Gore – The entity grows horns on the top of its head, which are a natural attack that deals 1d6 damage at Medium.
• Immunity – The entity is immune to one of the following energy types: cold, electricity, or fire.  You can take this option more than once, choosing an additional energy type each time.  You must be at least level 7 to choose this option.
• Improved Spirit Bind – Before you can select this option, the entity must have Spirit Bind.  When you select this option, choose an additional Granted Power (following any level restrictions as normal) from the ones available to the spirit chosen for Spirit Bind – this Power is added to the entity.  You can select this option twice.
• Limbs – The entity gains an additional pair of limbs.  These can be arms, or they can be legs (which increase the servant’s land speed by 2 squares).  You can select this option multiple times.
• Presence Concealment – In any condition of illumination other than bright light, the entity disappears into the shadows, giving it concealment (20% miss chance) and a +5 bonus to Stealth checks.  This option can be taken again to increase the benefit to total concealment (50% miss chance) and a +10 bonus to Stealth checks.  The entity can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.
• Tremorsense – As long as the entity is standing on bare earth or in water, it gains tremorsense out to a range of 6 squares.  This option can be taken multiple times, increasing the range by another 6 squares each time.

3 POINTS

• Frightful Presence – The entity unsettles enemies, either through a terrifying appearance, menacing actions, or just a sense of it being ‘wrong.’  As part of an offensive action, the servant can activate this ability, which functions as a Persuasion check vs the Will defense of all targets within 12 squares of the entity.  If the check succeeds, the target is terrified, causing it to flee from the entity at top speed for 1 minute. The target can’t take standard actions, swift actions, or full-round actions while fleeing,  and the target stops fleeing and can act normally if it is wounded. As a free action or reaction, the target can spend a Hero Point (if it has not already spent one earlier in the round) to negate the effect.  The effect is automatically negated if the target’s level is equal to or higher than your character level. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.  You must be level 9 to choose this option.
• Improved Servant – For 3 Customization points, you can improve the base class of a entity.  This can only be added once per entity, and cannot affect abilities added through Hybrid Entity.
  • Defensive Servant
    • Improved Healer – Whenever the entity uses the Treat Injury skill to heal damage, it heals an additional extra point for every point the check result exceeds the DC in addition to the normal amount of hit points it heals.
    • Improved Interceptor – The entity can now use the Parry feat to block incoming ranged attacks.  This cannot be used to block autofire attacks or attacks made by weapons from a vehicle that is Colossal size or larger (unless it is a point-defense weapon or a docking gun).  Using this vs a burst weapon means the attack is treated as a miss.  Using this vs a splash weapon treats the primary target as missed, but the splash targets are still considered hit.
    • Improved Interdictor – The entity can now use the Halt feat on targets of any size instead of only targets up to one size larger than itself.
  • Scout Servant
    • Improved Aerial – The Aerial entity now halves all range penalties to visual-based Perception checks.
    • Improved Incorporeal – All entity against the Incorporeal servant now have a 50% miss chance..
    • Improved Stealth – The Stealth entity gains an additional +5 bonus to its Stealth check.
  • Heroic Servant
    • Improved Archer – The size of the range categories for any ranged weapon (including thrown weapons) wielded by the Archer entity double. Additionally, it does an extra die of damage with any ranged weapon it wields.
    • Improved Assassin – The Assassin entity’s weapon deals an additional two dice of damage. When the Assassin attacks a target that is unaware of the Assassin’s presence or has been denied its Dexterity bonus to Reflex Defense, the target moves -1 step on the condition track.
    • Improved Caster – The Caster entity now has a 6-square wide aura that grants a +5 bonus to all Magery checks made within the area (including the Caster’s own Magery checks). Additionally, the Caster can use a full-round action to grant an additional +5 bonus to a chosen person making a Magery check inside that area.
    • Improved Lancer – The Lancer entity can now throw its weapon at standard thrown weapon ranges with no penalty. The weapon automatically returns to the Lancer on its next turn. Additionally, the Lancer servant’s defenses are now treated as 5 higher when determining the effects of any form of harmful magic.
    • Improved Saber – The Saber entity’s weapon deals an additional die of damage. Additionally, the Saber entity’s defenses are now treated as 10 higher when determining the effects of any form of harmful magic.
  • Transport Servant
    • Improved Aerial – The Aerial entity is now immune to vacuum and gains a starship-scale fly speed of 1 square which is usable both in atmosphere and vacuum. This does not grant the passenger any form of immunity to vacuum.
    • Improved Aquatic – The Aquatic entity can now carry passengers in such a way that they are protected from the medium the servant is travelling through, possibly by holding them inside its mouth.
    • Improved Landbound – The Landbound entity is now completely immune to abilities that would forcibly move it (they are not, however, immune to abilities that move the surface they are currently on, because that would just be bizzare).
  • Grand Servant
    • Improved Berserker – The area of effect splash radius of the Berserker’s melee attacks increases by 1 square to a 2-square splash around the primary target. Additionally, if the primary target is Medium or smaller the square that creature is in is treated as difficult terrain following the Berserker’s attack.
    • Improved Dragon – The size of the Dragon’s breath weapon increases to an 18-square cone and it can use it one additional time per encounter, but it must wait at least 5 rounds after the first use before using the breath weapon again.
    • Improved Wyrm – The radius of the Wyrm’s tremorsense doubles, as does the radius of difficult terrain creation – it now creates difficult terrain in all squares adjacent to the ones it moves through as well.
• Independent Action – Your entity’s operational range increases to a base range of 1 kilometer from you, plus an additional kilometer for every 5 character levels you have.
• Spirit Bind – The entity has manifested abilities of a specific kind of spirit.  Choose a spirit from the Spirit Binding list.  The entity gains the Sign, Automatic Power, and one Granted Power (which must be one that can be chosen at level 1) from that spirit.

4 POINTS

• Device – The entity gains a Device, as if using Device Magic, but it cannot gain spells this way unless the spells are chosen as Device Abilities.  If the entity is one that requires a weapon or item to be contracted with, this option converts that item into a Device.
• Fast Healing – While summoned, the entity heals its own wounds at a rate of 1 HP per round.  You must be level 11 to choose this option.
• Hybrid Entity – For 4 Customization points, you can add a lesser version of a class to an entity.  You cannot add a hybrid class to an entity of that base class – no Hybrid Healer/Healer servants.  This option can only be added once per entity.
  • Defensive Entity
    • Hybrid Healer – The entity’s Treat Injury skill is improved by one step (Untrained -> Average -> High) and it gains the ability to use the Treat Injury skill to perform First Aid on its summoner a number of times per day equal to the 1 + (summoner’s character level / 10) instead of only once per day.
    • Hybrid Interceptor – The entity gains the Parry feat as a bonus feat and the ability to use the Parry feat in response to attacks made against adjacent allies.
    • Hybrid Interdictor – The entity gains the Halt feat as a bonus feat and can use its Strength modifier instead of its Charisma modifier when using Persuasion to Intimidate.
  • Scout Entity
    • Hybrid Aerial – The entity gains the Wings option and has its Perception improved to High.
    • Hybrid Incorporeal – As a reaction, the entity can gain the immunity to weapons inherent to the Incorporeal servant type. This lasts until the start of the entity’s next turn, and can only be used once every 5 rounds. The servant must be aware of an attack to use this ability.
    • Hybrid Stealth – The entity gains the Presence Concealment bonus option (once), and gains Duck and Cover as a bonus feat
  • Heroic Entity (Flavor-wise, you can’t add any of these (except Hybrid Caster) to Servants that can’t wield a weapon)
    • Hybrid Archer – When hybridizing an entity as an Archer, it gains a ranged weapon, but it must be provided with ammunition.  Every time it is summoned, it appears with this ranged weapon and ammunition.  Ammunition used by the servant is consumed as normal, so you must restock it from time to time. The servant is considered proficient with this specific weapon, but not with other weapons similar to it. Ammunition can be replaced by giving it to the entity when it is summoned.
    • Hybrid Assassin -The entity gains Sneak Attack (as the scoundrel talent, one instance of it at level 1 plus another time for every 5 levels the summoner has).  When hybridizing an entity as an Assassin, it gains a simple melee weapon. Every time it is summoned, it appears with this weapon, with the size of the weapon adjusted if the servant has been summoned in a different size than medium (the difference in size between the weapon and a the servant always remains the same, with a medium-sized servant being ‘normal.’).
    • Hybrid Caster – The entity can take the Magery Training feat in place of normal feats.  For the purposes of prerequisites, it is treated as having all schools of magic, but it gains none of the usual bonuses of those schools. In addition, it gains the Spellcasting customization ability twice.
    • Hybrid Lancer – The entity gains a simple melee weapon which is treated as a Device. This weapon does 1d8 (for a medium-sized servant) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (chosen when this hybrid option is applied), and gains a reach of 1 square with this weapon. It is treated as if proficient with this weapon.
    • Hybrid Saber – The entity gains a simple melee weapon which is treated as a Device. This weapon does 1d10 (for a medium-sized servant) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (chosen when this hybrid option is applied).
  • Transport Entity
    • Hybrid Aerial – The entity’s size is increased by one step, and they gain the Flight customization ability (with wings) with a speed one square higher than the fly speed would normally be.
    • Hybrid Aquatic – The entity’s size is increased by one step, and they gain the Swim customization ability with a speed one square higher than the swim speed would normally be.
    • Hybrid Landbound – The entity’s size is increased by one step, their Enduance skill is increased by one step (Untrained -> Average -> High), and their Climb skill is increased by one step (Untrained -> Average -> High).
  • Grand Entity
    • Hybrid Berserker -The entity can wield weapons one size larger than usual. For example, a Medium-sized entity that is hybridized as a Berserker can wield a Large weapon one-handed or a Huge weapon two-handed. If the servant wields a weapon that is Huge size or larger it make Area of Effect melee attacks in a 1-square splash around the primary target. This area of effect attack is still counted as melee damage for the purposes of the Bull Rush and similar feats and abilities.
    • Hybrid Dragon – The entity’s size is increased by one step and it gains the same breath weapon feature that Dragon entities have.
    • Hybrid Wyrm – The entity’s size is increased by two steps and it gains the same difficult terrain creation feature that Wyrm entities have.
• Improved Spellcasting – Add one Incantation to the entitiy’s spell suite

SIZE	ABILITY MODIFIERS	REF DEFENSE MODIFIER	STEALTH SIZE MODIFIER	DAMAGE THRESHOLD MODIFIER	CARRYING CAPACITY	HEIGHT OR LENGTH
Colossal	+32 STR, +32 CON, -4 DEX	-10	-20	+50	x20	19.3 meters or more
Gargantuan	+24 STR, +24 CON, -4 DEX	-5	-15	+20	x10	9.7 to 19.2 meters
Huge	+16 STR, +16 CON, -4 DEX	-2	-10	+10	x5	4.9 to 9.6 meters
Large	+8 STR, +8 CON, -2 DEX	-1	-5	+5	x2	2.5 to 4.8 meters
Medium	None	+0	+0	–	x1	1.3 to 2.4 meters
Small	-2 STR, +2 DEX	+1	+5	–	x0.75	0.7 to 1.2 meters
Tiny	-4 STR, +4 DEX	+2	+10	–	x0.5	0.4 to 0.6 meters
Diminutive	-6 STR, +6 DEX	+5	+15	–	x0.25	0.2 to 0.3 meters
Fine	-8 STR, +8 DEX	+10	+20	–	x0.01	0.1 meters or less

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COMMERCIAL SERVICES

Commercial services provide the structure around which the economy grows and flows. Providing these services requires quite a bit of initial investment but can make a person excessively rich over time. Or not; well over 90% of all businesses fail within the first decade, taking the investors and the original owner with them. Characters might well want to purchase access to one or more of these services during the course of their activities. The need for communication, manufacturing or the transport of goods continues despite all events.

Quality of Services

Variations in service infrastructure, available technology and business practice severely affect the quality of commercial services. All services come in four potential service levels: poor, adequate, excellent and exceptional. The four levels of quality provide progressively higher levels of service. This translates into bonuses to the skills used to provide the service, higher DCs to interrupt service provisioning and a higher level of difficulty securing the service.

Poor services possess a very limited service infrastructure. Their equipment just barely meets whatever standards govern licensing. They have limited ability to provide customer service and less interest in doing so. On the positive side, they provide the service cheaply. They are also likely to keep poor business records, confusing the paper trail if the purchaser needs to avoid persecution for one infraction or another.

Adequate services provide no such protection. They have sufficient infrastructure to provide both reasonable levels of service and customer support. Most keep exceptionally good records that they freely share with government authorities. Unlike their more prosperous kin, the outfits providing adequate services simply cannot afford the legal costs of holding off government attention.

Excellent services invest heavily in their service infrastructure. They offset their high initial and continuing costs by billing their customers considerably more than the other services. In exchange, their customers get access to services that provide a high degree of consistency. In the event of legal investigation the corporations providing excellent services generally protect their clients as much as possible. They cannot stand up to a planetary government indefinitely, but will generally ignore lesser civil authorities.

Exceptional service providers can hold out against even planetary governments almost indefinitely. Of course, the service provider would never allow things to get to that point: that is, after all, why they buy elections. The services these companies provide are uniformly of the highest quality and responsiveness to their customers.

Games Masters may use the following table when designing their own commercial services to represent the effects of quality:

Quality Level	Cost Modifier
Poor	x0.75
Adequate	x1
Excellent	x2
Exceptional	x4

Available Services

The following selection provides a broad cross-section of the types of services available to characters.

Commercial Service	Availability	Cost per Unit
Construction
Poor	Common	750 credits per day
Adequate	Common	1000 credits per day
Excellent	Common	2000 credits per day
Exceptional	Rare	4000 credits per day
Docking (Per Day)
Poor	Common	375 credits for Huge, 1125 credits for Gargantuan, 1875 credits for Colossal, 3325 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 4775 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Adequate	Common	500 credits for Huge, 1500 credits for Gargantuan, 2500 credits for Colossal, 4500 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 6500 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Excellent	Common	1000 credits for Huge, 3000 credits for Gargantuan, 5000 credits for Colossal, 9000 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 13000 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Exceptional	Rare	2000 credits for Huge, 6000 credits for Gargantuan, 10000 credits for Colossal, 18000 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 26000 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Financial
Poor	Common	By service
Adequate	Common	By service
Excellent	Common	By service
Exceptional	Rare	By service
Manufacture
Poor	Common	20% base cost per unit
Adequate	Common	40% base cost per unit
Excellent	Common	50% base cost per unit
Exceptional	Rare	60% base cost per unit
Shipping
Poor	Common	36 credits/kg, 188 credits/kg express
Adequate	Common	48 credits/kg, 250 credits/kg express
Excellent	Common	96 credits/kg, 500 credits/kg express
Exceptional	Rare	190 credits/kg, 1000 credits/kg express
Service Broker
Poor	Common	7.5% total fee
Adequate	Uncommon	10% total fee
Excellent	Uncommon	30% total fee
Exceptional	Rare	50% total fee
Spaceyard
Poor	Common	3750 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Adequate	Rare	5000 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Excellent	Rare	10000 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Exceptional	Extremely Rare	20000 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Travel (Planetary)
Poor	Common	750 credits per person one way
Adequate	Common	1000 credits per person one way
Excellent	Common	2000 credits per person one way
Exceptional	Rare	4000 credits per person one way
Travel (Space)
Poor	Common	560 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 937 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, 1350 credits per person per per day of FTL on dangerous routes
Adequate	Rare	750 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 1250 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, 1800 credits per person per per day of FTL on dangerous routes
Excellent	Rare	1500 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 2500 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, 3600 credits per person per per day of FTL on dangerous routes
Exceptional	Extremely Rare	3000 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 5000 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, dangerous routes unavailable

Construction

Construction services cover everything from making authorized (or unauthorized) modifications to a rented station room to building freestanding structures on a planet’s surface. These services include the employment of laborers, specialists with specific needed skills and the purchase of whatever raw materials are necessary. Most construction contracts follow the ‘fixed price’ model. The service provider estimates the number of days and materials required to do the work. He then presents this price to the buyer.
A few service providers still work on a ‘time and materials’ basis. In these contracts the buyer pays for all materials as they are purchased and the hourly rate of the employees working on the contract. This latter form of billing comes in and out of popularity: it can substantially reduce the price of a contract but can also lead to spiraling costs equal to ten times the original estimated amount.
Payment on a fixed cost construction contract involves a 25% up front payment, 25% payment at a half way mark and 50% payment at completion of the contract. Time and materials’ billing occurs monthly, with a final bill due within 30 days of work completion.

• Poor construction services use unskilled laborers and substandard materials. They ignore the codes associated with proper construction practices. Whenever a structure they worked on comes into question (e.g. is hit by weapons fire, subjected to severe weather conditions or inspected by the government) it automatically fails. On the positive side, poor construction is extremely cheap and can be used to perform radical alterations in a short period of time. If it becomes relevant, assume that the workers have Profession (Construction) +2 and Mechanics +2 for the purpose of skill checks. Buildings constructed by poor construction services may look good for the first few months. They quickly deteriorate over time, incurring double the normal maintenance costs.
• Adequate construction services use moderately-skilled workers and standard materials. They obey construction codes so long as they do not unduly interfere with business. Structures they build resist damage and wear normally. Characters can purchase adequate construction services and expect work to start within a few days of the contract signing. If it becomes relevant, assume the workers have Profession (Construction) +4 and Mechanics +4 for the purpose of skill checks. Buildings constructed by an adequate construction service pay due deference to materials limitations. They may not be the most elegant structures, but they are extremely sturdy. They have normal maintenance costs.
• Excellent construction services engage professional artisans of high skill. They also contract out for high quality materials, sometimes doubling or even tripling the expected cost of a given installation. Structures built by excellent construction services have 10% more hit points than the average structure of their type and resell for half  again the normal value. If it becomes relevant, assume workers have a +8 bonus to both Profession (Construction) and Mechanics for relevant skill checks. Buildings constructed by excellent construction services display a fine sense of aesthetics. They incorporate the latest modern materials along with the vetted wisdom accumulated through centuries of architectural tradition. Such buildings are fairly easy to maintain; assume one-half the normal maintenance costs.
• Exceptional construction services hire only the most skilled workers and professionals to man their projects. They buy the highest quality materials, checking over each piece for individual flaws. Structures built by exceptional construction services have 20% more hit points than an average structure. These structures also gain a +2 equipment bonus to their defenses – the broad side of a barn is harder to damage if it is reinforced with high-quality materials and built to withstand category 5 hurricanse. If it becomes relevant assume the workers have a +12 bonus to both Profession (Construction) and Mechanics checks.

Estimating Time: As a rule-of-thumb a construction service alters roughly 33 square meters of an existing structure per day. They can construct 16 square meters per day. They can maintain 7,000 square meters of area a day. Construction service providers generally sell their services in increments of one day.

When to use: Characters might hire construction services to alter their own quarters, build a house on a planet, or repair damage done to the same by the nefarious forces of the galaxy. Of course, the Games Master can also use this service cost to assess restitution penalties against the characters for property damage in addition to tacking on as much as 400% as a penalty fee.

Docking

Even the largest spacecraft cannot contain entire worlds. Instead, they act as ferries through the infinite reaches of space, connecting living worlds to one another. They require places to load and unload cargo, refuel or simply sit while idle between missions. Docks provide these services for a fee.
Many governments, in an effort to direct more traffic their way, provide their diplomats with expansive privileges to open docks to ships ‘free of charge’. These privileges form a vital commodity of trade in the diplomatic world. Ambassadors exchange temporary docking rights for everything from an invitation to a meeting to cessation of undeclared conflicts.
A ship must pay one day’s fees in order to enter the dock. Most docks issue a bill every 30 days thereafter. If the ship leaves before the next billing cycle, it must pay any accumulated fees or the dock will not release the craft. A character with sufficient time and Hackcraft skill might, at the Games Master’s option, be able to hack into the dock control system to release a ship without paying. The DC for such an action would range between 25 and 35 depending on the installation.
In order to determine the docking fee per day for ships of most standard sizes refer to the chart below. For more information about the services available by quality type reference the descriptions following the chart. This chart does not cover vessels of larger than Colossal (Cruiser) size.
Ships carrying more than one weapon, or a military grade weapon of any sort, can expect to double their normal docking fees.

• Poor docking services provide few amenities. The docks generally display poor repair, with mechanical and electrical failure staved off by the actions of a brave few. What supplies they see are of poor quality and in bad condition. Halve the consumables of a vehicle resupplied here (minimum 1 day) in order to account for spoilage and outright equipment failure. These docks do not offer any additional services as part of their docking fees. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +4 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and shoddy equipment.
• Adequate docking services provide solid docking bays, good cargo handling and a relatively robust support infrastructure. These facilities have adequate stores of good, serviceable supplies. The dock may also offer either interior or space-side storage in the event the buyer does not immediately appear. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +8 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and equipment.
• Excellent docking services serve some of the finest ships in the galaxy. They have clean, high quality facilities for everything up to minor ship repairs. They can service and re-supply a ship of any size in under a day, although they will sometimes take two or three for ‘general maintenance’. If a ship has sustained up to 3 steps of condition track movement, or is within 90% of its maximum hit points the dock will repair the damage and condition track movement as part of its normal services. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +12 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and equipment.
• Exceptional docking services provide the highest possible level of service. Not only are the facilities clean, they use the latest technology. Furthermore, the facility staff display a friendly, cheerful attitude that puts most veteran spacehands on edge. The dock will repair any damage equal to 20% or less of the ship’s hit points free of charge, and can restore up to 4 steps of condition track movement. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +14 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and superior equipment.

When to use: Characters generally pay docking fees only when they own their own ships or if they rent a ship for personal use. Some smugglers pay them as well, as ‘part of the cost of business’. Generally, these fees are built into the shipping and travel contracts described below.

Financial

Fundamentally, financial services exist to take money and cause it to make more money without the character’s active involvement. This highly exciting task, dramatised in many an entertainment stellar-cast, amounts to playing with abstract numbers all day while avoiding the inconvenient restrictions raised by governments to slow down the numbers’ multiplication.
Commercial financial services provide the benefits of this game to the masses. They store and transfer credits, buy stocks in aggregate for their customers, allow for speculation in various commodity futures and generate income by loaning money.
Characters may purchase one of four services from a financial service. These services are:

• Build Portfolio: The character gives the financial service control over some number of funds in order to create a passive income stream. The portfolio generates income based on the quality of the institution. Characters may liquidate their portfolio for up to 60% of its total value. The rest goes to pay fees and taxes.
• Hold Credits: Credits may make the galaxy go round but just keeping them in a stack does little good. Characters may withdraw credits from their holdings either as credits or in the form of any recognised currency.
• Loan: The character may buy a loan from the financial service. Purchasing a loan involves paying fees to everyone involved with the paperwork as well as considerable interest on the amount borrowed. Failure to meet the terms of a loan can result in losing all of the items purchased with the borrowed money, as well as other assets equal in value to the total interest payments expected. Loans have a specific term during which the customer must repay them, typically from one to 30 years. Some particularly massive loans require up to 100 years to repay.
• Transfer Credits: Characters may sometimes find it necessary to transfer credits (or other currency) from one person to another. These so-called ‘wire transfers’ generally involve small amounts of money sent through low cost service providers. However, businesses use the same infrastructure to transfer billions of credits from one organisation to another.

Wherever there is enough money, organised crime takes an interest. In the case of financial services this interest takes the form of black market financial services (i.e. loan sharks) who will happily lend someone with little or no borrowing power or a desire to avoid the legal paper trail any amount of money. Failure to pay these individuals back for their generosity, or failure to do so in the time frame specified, generally results in fatal ‘accidents’.
Financial services charge fees are based on both their quality and the type of transaction desired.

• Poor quality financial service providers set up shops in the worst parts of the galaxy, where the hopeless go to live out the last of their days in grinding misery. They provide short-term loans, simple savings and other exciting services at rates intended to attract business and make money. The wealth they reap from the helpless allows their corporate masters to live a life their customers can only dream of. There is a 10% chance per transaction that a poor service provider will make a ‘mistake’ in his or her own favour. The provider will only fix these ‘clerical errors’ if forced to do so through legal action. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: The portfolio generates income equal to 5% of its total value. The financial service provider takes 1% of this income as service fees. Characters may take advantage of this service with any amount of credits. If an error occurs, all of the portfolio’s earnings go to the service provider.
  • Hold Credits: The service provider holds and dispenses the character’s credits for ten credits a year. If an error occurs the institution fails to provide the funds when requested to do so.
  • Loan: The service provider will loan up to 1,000,000 credits assuming the character can provide 10% of the total amount as a down payment. The loan will have an interest rate between 7% and 11%, with an average of 8% per year. If an error occurs the provider loses track of one year’s worth of principle and interest payments.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider can transfer credits at the cost of ten credits per 1,000 credits transferred to any other institution in the galaxy. If an error occurs the entire transferred amount ‘vanishes’ due to a ‘computer error’.
• Adequate quality financial service providers exist primarily to assist the working class. They provide reliable, no-frills services. Some deliberately market themselves as excellent or exceptional service providers in order to enhance their image. They typically open offices in average neighbourhoods where the population has a modest amount of income and savings. There is a 5% chance per transaction that an adequate financial service provider will make a mistake on a transaction. If a mistake occurs there is a 50% chance that the provider’s internal audit will catch it at the end of the year. If the character notices the mistake and points it out, the company will rectify the matter. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A portfolio held at an adequate provider will contain a broad range of investments earning on average a 7% return per year. These providers take 2% of the total earnings generated by the portfolio in service fees. They require a minimum of 10,000 credits investments in the portfolio. If a mistake occurs, it results in a loss of 1d6% from the total earnings.
  • Hold Credits: The provider charges 100 credits to hold and dispense on demand any amount of credits for the character. These accounts carry insurance for the first 100,000 credits. In the event of a problem with the service provider the insurance provider will restore up to 100,000 credits to the character. Any excess will, unfortunately, be lost. If a mistake occurs it causes a loss of 5% of the character’s total held credits.
  • Loan: The service provider will loan up to 10,000,000 credits assuming the character can provide 12% of the total loan amount up front. The loan will carry an interest rate between 10% and 6%, with an average rate off 7%. If an error occurs the provider loses track of 1d6 payments.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider will transfer credits anywhere in the known galaxy for a fee of 20 credits per 1,000 transferred. If an error occurs the funds are delayed 1d4 days due to improperly filed paperwork.
• Excellent quality financial service providers cater to the needs of the steadily shrinking middle and upper-middle classes. They provide a full range of services, financial advice and counselling for those who need it. These service providers generally open well-appointed offices in nice neighborhoods. Roughly half of their clients are businesses rather than individuals. There is a 1% chance per transaction that an excellent quality financial service provider will make a mistake. There is a 75% chance the provider’s monthly internal audit will catch the error. If the customer points out the error they will immediately rectify it. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A portfolio held with an excellent provider will contain a broad range of investments, including so called ‘conscience’ investments designed to provide a return while supporting specific causes. The portfolio must have at least 100,000 credits for the service provider to accept it. It earns 9% return per year. The service provider takes 3% of the total income as his fee. A mistake results in the provider taking 4% fees rather than 3%.
  • Hold Credits: The provider charges 500 credits to hold and dispense any number of credits. This account is insured for up to 1,000,000 credits. If something happens to the account or to the service provider the character can retrieve up to 1,000,000 credits. Any credits in excess of that amount vanish. A mistake causes 1% of the account’s total worth to vanish.
  • Loan: The provider can lend up to 100,000,000 credits assuming the character can pay 16% of the total borrowed amount upfront. These loans typically carry an interest rate between 9%and 4%,with an average of 6%. If an error occurs the provider loses track of one payment.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider can transfer any amount of credits anywhere in the known galaxy. The transfer is insured for its complete amount. This service costs 40 credits per 1,000 credits transferred. If an error occurs the money is delayed by one day due to incorrectly filed paperwork.
• Exceptional quality financial service providers generally work behind the scenes, loaning money to governments and handling the finances of nations. They also cater to the highest income and highest status people in their own societies. Their offices are generally unmarked but extremely well made. Their theory is that if you are rich enough to find them then you deserve the very best treatment. There is no chance an exceptional financial services agency will make a mistake with a client account. They perform constant internal audits to insure their sources of cash do not pull their resources and move to a different provider. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A portfolio held at an exceptional service provider has a minimum value of 1,000,000 credits. It earns 11% average rate of return. The provider takes 4% of the total return as his fees. Generally, the investments in the portfolio involve highly  complex tax shelters, speculative investments and government-confounding legal manoeuvres designed to protect the investor’s wealth.
  • Hold Credits: The provider charges 1,000 credits per year to hold and dispense credits. This account is insured for the entire amount stored, although in theory no errors can occur.
  • Loan: The provider can loan any amount assuming the character can pay 16% of the total amount up front. They charge between 9% and 3% interest, with an average interest of 5%.
  • Transfer Credits: The provider handles the transfer of credits and securities for governments, megacorporations and individuals. They charge 100 credits per 100,000 credits transferred, taking care of all paperwork and any dummy corporations needed to insure smooth transfer. They transfer a minimum of 100,000 credits at a time.
• Restricted/Black Market financial service providers work in a world of their own. They provide the same services as their legitimate counterparts, but with a great deal less paperwork. Portfolios stored with them do not generate taxable income. Credits they hold do not appear on any asset statements. Loans they give out require no collateral or fees, but come at ruinous interest rates. Credits they transfer for their customers never appear on any manifests, database records or financial transaction sheets. In return for this protection from scrutiny the client accepts a great deal of risk. Black market financial services have a way of disappearing overnight; taking whatever resources they held with them. Failing to repay a loan to one of these groups does not result in bankruptcy but in beatings, intimidation and eventually death. There is a 5% chance per transaction the provider makes an error. In this case, errors involve exposing illegal dealings to the authorities and their security forces. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A ‘portfolio’ with a black market service provider involves ‘investments’ into a wide array of criminal dealings. These portfolios have no minimum investment and generate an 8% annual rate of return. Income from this service does not appear on any government records. If an error occurs the portfolio vanishes and the character will be charged with conspiracy to commit a wide array of crimes.
  • Hold Credits: The service provider will hold any amount of credits free of charge. These assets do not appear on any government records. If the character wants to access his credits he must pay 5% of the total withdrawn amount to the service provider as an ‘access fee’. If an error occurs the money is lost and the character cannot regain any of the amount.
  • Loan: The service provider will loan up to 1,000,000 credits with no credits down and a minimum interest rate of 20% per year. If an error occurs the service provider marks the character as an example to other deadbeats.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider will transfer any number of credits for a fee of 50 credits per 1,000 credits transferred. No records of this transfer will exist in any government files.

When to use: Financial services providers exist to take the character‘s money or to provide them with loans for particular expensive equipment. A character who needs money quickly, or who needs to move money without it appearing on legitimate documents, will quickly find himself immersed in the world of black market finances.

Manufacture

Characters generally search for the products of manufacturing rather the ability to manufacture. However, the amount of money passing through peoples’ accounts as they secure the right to manufacture this or that gewgaw makes manufacturing big business. The better the terms secured, the more money everyone makes and therefore the more companies will pay for help finding the services. Manufacturing services involve contracts to produce anywhere from a hundred to several hundred million completed units. The buyer pays for the units with the intention of either using them or selling them to a third party. In order to have a part manufactured the character must have access to the design specs and detailed information about how to industrially manufacture the design. Research scientists in the character’s employ could create this information, an employer could provide it, or it might be available as common intellectual property. The minimum order from a manufacturing facility is 100 units. Governments buying particularly large ticket items can negotiate their way around this limitation. Once a character negotiates a manufacturing contract it takes 1d4 months to prepare the assembly line and produce the order. The order takes 1d4 weeks to complete once the line begins operation. When contracting manufacturing services the following quality modifiers apply:

• Poor quality manufacturing uses the cheapest possible infrastructure, the lowest quality materials and as few skilled workers as possible. They can produce items cheap and quick, but not with any kind of quality. Items created by these facilities give the user a -1 equipment penalty to any skill checks, attack rolls, damage rolls made when using the object. Armour created in these facilities has a -1 penalty to its defense bonuses. Poor quality facilities produce one defective item for every ten units. These defective items have a 50% chance of failing each time they come into use.
• Adequate quality manufacturing uses relatively modern manufacturing methods suited to the item in question. They use affordable materials, sacrificing a bit of price consideration for quality. Items produced by adequate manufacturing facilities provide no bonuses or penalties. Adequate quality facilities produce one defective item for every thousand units. These defective items inflict a -1 equipment penalty to any skill check, attack roll or damage roll using the item. They also have a 10% chance to fail each time they come into use.
• Excellent quality manufacturing uses state of the art manufacturing methods, high quality materials and skilled workers to monitor the operations. This combination allows them to produce high quality items relatively quickly. The items they produce gain +1 hardness to represent the superior manufacturing techniques involved with their construction. Excellent quality facilities produce one defective item for every 10,000 units. These defective items have a 10% chance of failing each time they come into use.
• Exceptional quality manufacturing facilities use technology on the bleeding edge of what their civilisation produces. They process their own raw materials, as no one else can meet their exacting specification. Skilled workers and scientists oversee the process, insuring that nothing goes wrong anywhere along the path. These facilities take 1d4 years to meet an order, not 1d4 months. In return, they produce items of superior quality. All items created by these facilities may have one of the following bonuses: +1 hardness, +20% hit points, +1 equipment bonus to one skill check, attack roll or damage roll. This bonus is selected when the character places the order and exists in every unit in the lot. Exceptional quality facilities produce one defective item for every 100,000 units. These defective items work as normal items but do not receive the manufacturing bonus described above.

When to use: Characters may use manufacturing services when working for organised crime, various resistance movements or for themselves. Generally, manufacturing is the best way to lay hands on extremely large numbers of items. The costs associated with mass manufacturing mean it will be considerably beyond the abilities of most characters to pay for.

Shipping

Many characters own and need nothing beyond what they carry on their bodies. A decent hand weapon, a fistful of credits and a bad attitude are all they need to challenge the galaxy. However, even some characters occasionally needs to ship in a bit of fresh olive oil and some decent mozzarella. Sometimes characters will also need to ship items to specific destinations rather than travelling there themselves. The cost for shipping an item is based on the quality of the shipping service and the total weight. These rules cover the cost of shipping something to another star system. Treat intra-system shipments (on a single planet or between planets in a system) as a transport requiring one-half light year of FTL travel.

• Poor quality shipping services hire questionable carriers and cut a lot of corners to keep costs down. They will carry any item, no questions asked, but require the shipper to sign a contract clearing them of any legal responsibility for the package. They do not offer any insurance for contents or proper delivery. These shipping services take one week per light year of distance to transfer a regular package and three days per light year to transfer an express package.
• Adequate quality shipping services hire reputable carriers for long duration contracts. They will carry legal items to any legitimate destination. For an additional ten credits per kilogram per light year they will insure a package during shipping but not to delivery. Adequate shipping providers cannot act as a legal certification of delivery. These shipping services take one week per light year of distance to transfer a regular package and two days per light year to transfer an express package.
• Excellent quality shipping services support private transport fleets. Since they use their own ships they can ship any legitimate item to any destination they can get landing clearance for. For an additional twenty credits per kilogram per light year they will insure a package during shipping as well as verify the identity of the recipient. Excellent shipping providers cannot act as legal certification of delivery. These shipping services take four days per light year of distance to transfer a regular package and two days per light year to transfer an express package.
• Exceptional quality shipping services use a private transport fleet in addition to scheduled couriers and occasionally less legitimate carriers. They will carry nearly anything, although they will not handle the most illegal and dangerous of cargos. They require all shippers to sign a waiver stating the carrier is not legally responsible for the package contents. For an additional twenty credits per kilogram per light year they will insure a package during shipping and certify delivery. Exceptional shipping providers can provide legal certification of delivery. These shipping services take four days per light year to transfer regular packages and one day per light year to transfer express packages.

When to use: Characters may interact with shipping services any time they wish to send or receive a package. Others may employ them to intercept packages, or to insert packages into the system in such a way as to avoid a paper trail.

Service Broker

The volume of services offered and needed makes it difficult for a single freelancer, no matter how skilled, to make ends meet. They simply cannot find work fast enough to meet the constant demands for credits imposed upon them by an uncaring society. Service brokers aggregate both contracts and professional service providers. They take a portion of the profits for themselves, passing the rest on in the form of wages and benefits. Brokers use their power to take on jobs far beyond what a single consultant could manage. With hundreds, sometimes thousands, of talented professional service providers on call the broker can handle contracts from megacorporations and governments. Working for a service broker allows the character to avoid making a skill check every week. However, the service broker takes a percentage of the character’s total profits every week as ‘service and administrative fees.’ Buying a service from a broker allows the character to access highly skilled professionals without going through the hassle of hiring them himself. The buyer pays 10% more per hour per quality level (e.g. 10% for poor, 20% for adequate, 30% for excellent and 40% for exceptional) than the base cost for the service. See the Professional Services entry below for more details.

• Poor quality service brokers have a small stable of relatively unskilled individuals. A character paying one of these brokers for their services may take five on his Profession check every week. A character hiring a service from these brokers gets someone with a total skill bonus of +8. The broker will only keep one kind of professional on staff, limiting the services he may provide.
• Adequate quality service brokers have a modest stable of skilled workers at their disposal. A character working with one of these brokers may take ten on his Profession check every week. If the character hires the broker for services he receives a consultant with a total skill bonus of +11. The broker keeps his group stocked with related skills (e.g. computer programming and computer repair) so the client can ‘one-stop shop’ for a general kind of need.
• Excellent quality service brokers have a large stable of skilled workers from a variety of related disciplines. A character working with one of these brokers may take 15 on his Profession check every week. If the character hires the broker for services he receives a consultant with a total skill bonus of +13. Excellent brokers maintain relationships with a wide array of consultants, allowing them to offer almost any service to their customers.
• Exceptional quality service brokers maintain a huge stable of highly skilled, sought-after workers from nearly every discipline. A character working for one of these brokers may take 20 on his Profession skill check every week. If the character hires the broker for services he receives a consultant with a total skill bonus of +15. Exceptional brokers rarely work with non-megacorp customers.

When to use: Characters may approach a service broker to sell their services. If they have difficulty finding a particular service on the open market they may wish to pay the additional cost to have a broker provide them with the skills they need.

Spaceyard

When a ship suffers damage during a combat the owner must pay for ship repairs in addition to any fines resulting from the crew’s actions. If the ship has taken modest damage then a well-equipped dock can perform the repairs (see the Docking entry above). More serious damage, like that sustained in a large firefight, requires more complete facilities.

• Poor quality spaceyards contain a bare minimum of working equipment. The workers struggle to make ends meet while repairing ships with parts rejected by other, more prosperous, spaceyards. They keep relatively poor records and try to avoid the attention of government regulators. A poor spaceyard can repair up to 10% of the ship’s maximum hit points (maximum 20 HP), provide +1 step of movement on the condition track, or perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +8 bonus to make the check.
• Adequate quality spaceyards contain working but not state of the art equipment. The workers are well-paid and reasonably competent at their jobs. The spaceyard’s administration maintains all required records in an attempt to avoid government entanglements. An adequate spaceyard can repair 20% of the ship’s maximum hit points (Maximum 40 HP), provide +2 steps of movement on the condition track, or perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +10 bonus to make the check.
• Excellent quality spaceyards have well maintained, high quality equipment. They hire skilled workers and technicians and include regular retraining as part of their operating expenses. These spaceyards keep extremely detailed records of all transactions but will try to maintain their client’s privacy in the face of casual legal inquiries. An excellent spaceyard can repair 30% (maximum 60 HP) of the ships maximum hit points, provide +3 steps of movement on the condition track, and perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +12 bonus to make the check.
• Exceptional quality spaceyards contain the most expensive, sophisticated equipment available anywhere in the known galaxy. Their workers are selected from among the best of the best and receive regular training to help them remain current with the latest technological trends. These shipyards keep detailed records of every transaction, but will defend their client’s privacy using any means necessary. An exceptional spaceyard can repair 30% of a ships maximum hit points (maximum 80 HP), provide +4 steps of movement on the condition track, and perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +15 bonus to make the check.

When to use: Characters will use a spaceyard whenever a ship they are responsible for suffers damage. Military and government ships use spaceyards dedicated to their service; commercial ships will have to pay for spaceyard time if they sustain enough damage to require assistance. Particularly imaginative players might want to play workers in a spaceyard, dealing with the colourful characters who come through on a regular basis.

Travel [Planetary]

Unless the characters wish to walk everywhere they will, eventually, hire a transportation service. These services range from ground transports to hypersonic jetliners and suborbital transports. The faster the transport the more expensive it becomes. On a planet characters can get to any major destination fairly easily. If the characters wish to travel to an out-of-the-way location the Games Master may wish to make the service less available.

The cost is modified by the desired speed:

• Poor quality planetary transport provides bare-bones accommodation. The conditions inside the transport vehicle are cramped, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +8 to any required Pilot checks. Passengers travelling in these conditions must make an Endurance check (DC 15) after eight hours or take one point of nonlethal damage. Each hour after the passengers must make another Endurance check (DC 15 + 1 for each hour after the eight) or take two points of nonlethal damage.
• Adequate quality planetary transport provides the passengers with relatively safe accommodation. The conditions inside the transport vehicle do not inspire any particular discomfort. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +10 to any required Pilot checks. Passengers cannot sleep in these conditions. If they spend more than 24 hours in the transport they begin to accrue fatigue following the normal rules.
• Excellent quality planetary transport provides accommodation. The service provides meals, places where the passengers can sleep and sanitary facilities. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +12 to any required Pilot checks. Passengers can operate normally during time spent aboard the transport.
• Exceptional quality planetary transport provides luxurious travel accommodation. The passengers eat fine meals, have access to expensive entertainment and may purchase a selection of luxury goods and services based on the carrier’s capacity. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +14 to any required Pilot skill checks. Passengers can operate normally assuming they escape the temptations to purchase luxury services.

When to use: Characters use planetary travel services whenever they buy a train ticket, charter a flight or hire a limousine for a night on the town.

Travel [Space]

Many characters will never own their own interstellar spacecraft – cost of FTL drive systems is just out of reach in most civilizations. The debt payments alone would wipe out everything but a major business. Fortunately for those who cannot afford their own spacecraft travel services exist to carry people from one end of the known galaxy to the other. Characters purchase tickets on spacecraft, paying all of the costs up front. Typically, the spacecraft will leave in seven days. If the character wishes to leave immediately, he must pay three times the listed price. A single transport company will typically offer two service qualities: a ‘standard’ rate and their ‘valued customer’ service. Travel to another destination within the same solar system is treated as one-quarter day of FTL travel, unless the GM rules otherwise.

• Poor quality space travel services amount to travel in a cargo hold. The carrier does not provide the passengers any supplies. Passengers sleep on raw metal floors or, at best, in body-sized tubes with a door covering one end. Sanitary facilities are shared with all of the passengers. There is a 10% chance the ship is also carrying illegal luxury goods (usually drugs) and will be boarded by the authorities at some point during its trip. These services rarely keep good records about their craft or passengers, making them popular with people attempting to avoid government detection.
• Adequate quality space travel services generally provide the passengers with a shared communal area and a well-appointed body-sized tube to sleep in. This sleeping tube has a relatively soft floor, a computer screen built into the ceiling and speakers to play music. It also contains sufficient power to run a laptop or other computer. The service also provides sustaining, if unappetising, meals and a small exercise area. There is a 5% chance that one of the passengers carries illegal luxury goods (usually drugs). If the authorities catch this individual at customs everyone onboard the craft will have to submit to a search and background check.
• Excellent quality space travel services provide each passenger with a small, private, securable cabin measuring no more than 50 square feet. This cabin contains well-made furnishings, a comfortable bed and various entertainment and luxury amenities. The passengers may also order from a menu of luxury services, some of which may be illegal at either the flight‘s point of origin or its destination. The crew serves sustaining meals free of charge, or the passengers may pay for more luxurious meals if they wish to spend the credits.
• Exceptional quality space travel services provide each passenger with a suite of rooms no less than 200 square feet in size. This suite contains all of the amenities the extremely rich have come to expect, as well as a selection of widely available luxuries provided at no additional charge. The passenger may, of course, purchase additional luxuries for a nominal fee.

When to use: Characters will purchase space travel services every time they want to travel from one system to another, or when they wish to travel between installations within a specific system. Treat intra-system travel as a single jump on a major jump route.

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Characters will both buy and engage in the offering of commercial services. These services, ranging from piloting a spacecraft to cleaning the floor of a diplomat’s rooms, allow individuals and corporations to access skills they might not ordinarily possess. Commercial services tie directly to most skills and especially the Profession skill. Characters may hire services as they would purchase any other item or contract on the open market. The cost of a service depends on the relative rarity of the skill and their effective skill level. Modestly difficult, commonly available skills cost very little to hire. Highly unusual skills cost quite a lot, especially at the high levels of craft such specialists display. The following section provides basic information about the services including: name, availability and the cost for contracting to individuals of varying skill levels. The cost given does not include the cost for materials. When offering up a service most providers must post a bond. The amount of this bond typically equals the service provider’s yearly gross earnings. If the service provider fails to provide services as contracted the bond is forfeit, in addition to any fees legal authorities impose for breaking the contract.

• Accounting – An accountant goes through profit and loss statements, expenses and assorted other issues to work out exactly what taxes and fees a business should pay. The accountant must spend one day working on the books per 100,000 credits the business earns per quarter. If he does so, the accountant may make a Knowledge (Business) check for the business to ‘set’ the books. The business may use the accountant’s Knowledge (Business) check as a default result when attempting to secure licensing or determine how much it must pay for fees and taxes.
  • Skill: Knowledge (Business) +8;Cost per hour: 48 credits; Cost per day: 380 credits; Cost per 100,000 gross per year: 1520 credits
• Appraisal – In a world filled with exotic goods a forthright appraiser rates alongside a skilled doctor or an honest drive mechanic. Appraisal requires one minute, although a good appraiser charges for one hour of service and prepares an ‘appraisal report‘ detailing the current market value, any defects the item might possess and its probable origin.
  • Skill: Knowledge (Art, Culture [<Species>], History [<Species>], Physical Sciences, or Planetary Sciences) +8; Cost per hour: 34 credits; Cost per use: 34 credits
• Apprentice Dockworker – Apprentice dockworkers have only the bare minimum training required not to hurt others. They work and play hard, struggling to make ends meet while not being crushed under the huge weights they haul around. Most also have some minor training in electronics and mechanics, so they can spot problems before they arise. Businessmen involved with shipping will often hire a handful of dockworkers in addition to those provided with docking services. These individuals may make any Profession (Dockworker) checks required to properly move or secure qoods.
  • Skill: Profession (Dockworker) +8; Cost per hour: 23 credits
• Apprentice Electrician – Apprentice electricians have completed the tests required to prove their competency. They are licensed to make minor electrical repairs or modifications to the station’s superstructure of their own accord with minimal supervision. They may not make changes beyond installing additional outlets or fixing a broken power feed without authorisation from a master electrician.
  • Skill: Mechanics +8; Cost per hour: 28 credits
• Arbitration – Individuals or corporations involved in a contract dispute may decide to enter arbitration rather than go to the courts or other legal authorities. All parties must agree to abide by the arbitrator’s decision and the arbitrator may recommend any remedy he wishes. Arbitrators generally have a great deal of experience both in business and law. They make decisions based on the wording of the contract, the intent of the contract and demonstrations made by the involved parties to live up to both. Arbitration typically requires between one and three days. Particularly complex issues make take up to a week to resolve. The party found in default on the contract must pay the arbitrator fees in addition to whatever remedy or restitution the arbitrator requires.
  • Skill: Knowledge (Civics) +14; Cost per hour: 88 credits; Cost per day: 700 credits
• Archaeological Translator – Xenoarchaeology requires considerable time, training and resources. Most people scavenging deserted planets have none of the above. Instead, they rely on a complex network of professional services to help them investigate objects. An archaeological translator is one such professional. Specifically, archaeological translators use their extensive knowledge of unusual dialects and forgotten languages to piece together the meaning of inscriptions and equations found on dead worlds. Each day they work on a particular inscription (equal in size to a thirty-character message in English) they may make a Intelligence check (DC 20). If they succeed, they translate the message. If they fail, they may try again the next day. If they have the language as one known, they complete the entire translation work in between one hour and one day of work, dependent on the length of translation required.
  • Skills: Intelligence 18, Known languages as normal for their species plus 9 more; Cost per hour: 72 credits; Cost per day: 575 credits
• Bodyguard – A good bodyguard knows how to fight, how to avoid a fight and how to spot a fight before it happens. They will fight when paid to do so but generally try to avoid such entanglements. Professional bodyguards must register with most security authorities and are legally liable if anything happens to their charges while under their watch.
  • Skills: Persuasion and Perception +11; Cost per hour: 39 credits; Cost per day: 315 credits
• Cleaner – Diplomats, executives, and the people who just work hard every day all share one thing in common: quarters that become disordered when lived in. A cleaner is a bonded agent, responsible for tidying up after the great, powerful or merely harried. They hire on by the hour, but most prefer to take a contract involving one cleaning day a week over a several month period.
  • Skill: None; Cost per hour: 4 credits; Cost for four cleanings a month: 20 credits
• Commercial Psion (scan) – Hiring a bonded commercial psion to engage in a scan requires considerable resources. The psions available for this service are generally 5th level or higher, allowing for deep scans if needed. They typically charge for a minimum of three hours and bill additional hours over that at a normal rate. If the experience they must scan is particularly traumatic they will charge an additional 10% ‘trauma’ fee.
  • Skill: Psionics +15; Cost per hour: 94 credits; Minimum charge: 282 credits
• Commercial Telepath (truth reading) – Hiring a commercial psion to engage in surface scans while two or more businesspeople negotiate has become a standard business practice across much of the galaxy. Bonded psions of any species work for about the same cost, although exceptionally-skilled telepaths could demand higher prices if they wished to do so. Commercial psions charge for a minimum of two hours work, even if they only spend five minutes with both clients.
  • Skill: Psionics +10; Cost per hour: 63 credits; Minimum charge: 126 credits
• Computer Programmer – Sometimes, the only way to get a program exactly suiting the client’s needs is to have it custom written by a professional. Fortunately for the client, computer programmers come at a credit a dozen in most areas. For double the usual rate most computer programmers will also take on hacking or security breaking jobs as well. Hunger does a lot to wear away at the moral fibre of sentients who pride themselves on being smarter than everyone else. A simple custom program (eg. a script) to perform a single information or computer-related task requires one day to code, test and debug. A more complex program involving many interrelated functions may require far more of work from a team of dedicated programmers.
  • Skill: Use Computer +9;Cost per hour: 36 credits; Cost per day: 285 credits
• Computer Repair – Computers, whether of human or alien origin, remain finicky and somewhat unreliable things. Repairing a computer from run-of-the-mill failures caused by poor maintenance or cosmic rays requires a Mechanics check (DC 10) and one hour of work.
  • Skill: Mechanics +8; Cost per hour: 34 credits
• Courier – A professional courier hand delivers messages or packages from the sender to the recipient. They take responsibility for whatever they carry and work hard to avoid the attention of anyone who would interfere with the delivery. A courier’s employer is expected to pay reasonable travel expenses in addition. to the courier’s hourly fee. Most couriers work in a relatively isolated geographic area (e.g. a city or a space station) but some work on an interstellar basis.
  • Cost per hour: 18.75 credits; Cost per day: 150 credits
• Data Analysis – A data analyst sifts through the infinite amounts of data available on any given subject, trying to discover the reality behind the patterns. Good data analysis involves both research and inference from the discovered trends. It orders information from most important to least important based on the client’s priorities, points out details missed by casual viewers and points out the interactions between this data and outside influences. Characters may hire data analysts when they need to sift large amounts of data for a specific person, pattern or piece of information they know must be there but cannot seem to find. Data analysis takes at least a day. Depending on the DC assigned by the Games Master, it may take ten or even 20 days (if the analyst must take 10 or take 20).
  • Skills: Endurance, Perception, and appropriate Knowledge +8; Cost per hour: 45 credits; Cost per day: 360 credits
• Data Entry – Any reasonably active commercial area generates vast amounts of information about every transaction. Automation and scanning technology, not to mention RFID tags, have gone a long way towards reducing the mountain of paperwork. Fortunately for the unskilled, for every innovation government regulations require four more pieces of entered data. Data entry covers these requirements, giving characters a +2 bonus to their Knowledge (Business) skill checks when audited. Characters must hire at least one day of data entry for every 100,000 credits their business processes in order to get the bonuses.
  • Skill: Use Computer +2; Cost per hour: 15 credits; Cost per day: 120 credits
• Driver – Readily available public transport, as well as widely available private vehicles, makes hiring a driver a luxury rather than a day-to-day affair. A driver may be hired for a single evening, for a short trip or on an extended contract. In any case the driver often receives security training as part of his preparations for going into business.
  • Skill: Pilot +9 (Ground Vehicles); Cost per hour: 36 credits; Cost per night (four hour trip): 144 credits
• Diplomatic Psion – A diplomatic psion is the perfect universal translator, at least when dealing with species that are not immune to psionics. They pay careful attention to idiom, inflection and connotation to insure the message comes across successfully. The diplomatic psion may also accompany characters when they need to speak with high-level officials who do not share languages with the character.
  • Skills: Psionics +15, Perfect Telepath talent; Cost per hour: 100 credits; Cost per day: 800 credits
• Diplomatic Translator – A diplomatic translator works with his employers to create documents and speeches in a specific language. They pay careful attention to idiom, inflection and connotation to insure the message comes across successfully. The diplomatic translator may also accompany characters when they need to speak with high-level officials who do not share languages with the character. Diplomatic translators are cheaper than diplomatic psions, but they are far less flexible.
  • Skills: A specific language and Persuasion +10; Cost per hour: 50 credits; Cost per day: 400 credits
• Enforcers – These criminals make a living by intimidating people into doing what their bosses wish. Generally they try to avoid actual physical contact with the target. Standing around being intimidating is not illegal; inflicting real harm might result in charges of at least battery and potentially attempted murder. Criminals are not well known for taking care of one another. An enforcer expects to pay for his own legal fees and any fines levied against him out of his own pocket.
  • Skill: Persuasion +8; Cost per hour: 68 credits; Cost per day: 540 credits
• Engineer – An engineer possesses extensive training in the construction and repair of complex technologies. He also knows how to apply existing technology to previously unsolved problems. Characters may hire an engineer to repair their equipment or solve a particularly thorny technical puzzle.
  • Skill: Mechanics +10; Cost per hour: 50 credits; Cost per day : 400 credits
• Entertainment – This broad category of services covers everything from street buskers to professional exotic dancers. Characters can usually find general entertainment fairly easily. Finding a specific kind of entertainment (e.g. exotic dancers for a party for a diplomat) requires a Gather Information check (DC 15).
  • Skill: Profession (Entertainment Type) +8; Cost per hour: 23 credits or more; Cost per engagement (four hours) per performer: 90 credits or more
• Exclusive Entertainment – The above entertainment category assumes the character hires a relatively unknown act for a short period of time. Hiring a ‘known’ or named act with some level of popularity is considerably more difficult but hardly impossible. After all, entertainers make money by performing. It is in their best interests to be accessible.
  • Skill: Profession (Entertainment Type) +14; Cost per hour: 53 credits; Cost per engagement four hours) per performer: 210 credits
• Expert Appraisal – An expert appraisal involves all of the elements of the less expensive appraisal service. Expert appraisal also involves detailed historical research on the object in question, information about similar objects found and sold in the last decade and detailed scientific analysis of the materials composing the object. An expert appraisal generally takes one to four days (roll 1d4 if the Games Master has no opinion).
  • Skill: Knowledge (Art, Culture [<Species>], History [<Species>], Physical Sciences, or Planetary Sciences) +14; Cost per hour: 70 credits; Cost per day: 560 credits
• Expert Data Analysis – Expert data analysis can spot patterns and trends that would elude even the most sophisticated data mining and pattern matching software. Highly skilled data analysis can produce patterns from ambient noise and detect the truth hidden in a storm of irrelevant data.
  • Skills: Endurance, Perception, and appropriate Knowledge +14; Cost per hour: 88 credits; Cost per day: 700 credits
• Expert Pilot – Highly skilled pilots, especially those with deep space experience, can usually find work easily enough. Most of this work is relatively dull: hauling cargo, flying transports and similar work involving nothing more complex than handing off the controls to various Command and Control groups during the trip. However, these talented individuals truly earn their pay when the dangers of the galaxy rear their ugly heads. A skilled pilot can be the difference between almost losing a cargo to raiders and never hearing from the ship again. Contrary to the romantic imagination of entertainment producers, most pilots do not own their own spacecraft. They primarily lease or rent ships or fly ships owned by larger commercial concerns.
  • Skill: Pilot +14 (One specific vehicle type); Cost per hour: 70 credits; Cost per day: 560 credits
• Expert Scientific Analysis – The vast array of forgotten technology littering the countless worlds of the galaxy has created a booming business in artefact analysis. Characters truly serious about discovering the functions of  an artefact may have to hire one of the big names in the field, an expert to do the work for them. This scientist posts a bond with the local authorities to prove he will not steal the items or information submitted to him for analysis.
  • Skill: Knowledge (appropriate) +17; Cost per hour: 84 credits; Cost per day: 699 credits
• Facilitation – Sometimes negotiations break down due to misunderstandings, mutual hostility or just simple unwillingness on one party or the other to make concessions. A facilitator works to overcome these problems, using his own persuasive power and sensitivity to work through the problems between the negotiating parties. Many groups, proud of their own ability to resolve conflicts, do not call in a facilitator until things have degenerated almost to the point of no return.
  • Skill: Perception and Persuasion +15; Cost per hour: 78 credits; Cost per day: 625 credits
• Forge Documents – For every legitimate transaction entered in the books, most people assume that an illegitimate transaction of equal size has occurred. All of this illegal activity requires carefully forged documents ranging from identification card to entire falsified corporations. The skills required to pull these documents together are available if you know where to look, but everyone involved runs the risk of alling afoul of the law. It takes about one hour to forge an identification card or create simple authorisation forms. Creating more complex documents can take days, months or even years depending on how complex an undertaking the characters wish to conceal.
  • Skill: Deception +11; Cost per hour: 79 credits; Cost per day: 630 credits
• Forge Identity – Creating an identification card involves making a handful of computer records capable of withstanding a casual investigation. Forging an identity requires far more than that: the new identity must have a carefully fabricated history, credit lines, bank entries and a host of little details capable of withstanding close scrutiny. It takes at least one day to forge an identity.
  • Skills: Deception, Hackcraft, and Use Computer +15; Cost per day: 750 credits
• Investigation – Hiring an investigator to find items, people or information remains a viable business option. Investigators spend their time developing contacts in addition to honing their ability to sort through the vast data streams generated by everyday transactions. Investigators typically charge an hourly or daily fee in addition to passing on any travel or materials costs to the client.
  • Skills: Gather Information +10; Cost per hour: 63 credits; Cost per day: 500 credits
• Journeyman Dockworker – A journeyman dockworker has proven he can handle himself, his cargo and a small group of other dockworkers. He can fill in for a foreman if necessary. Additionally, he receives training in the  complex regulations surrounding docking procedures and the control of the docking queue.
  • Skill: Profession (Dockworker) +11; Cost per hour: 41 credits; Cost per day: 330 credits
• Journeyman Electrician – A journeyman electrician proves his ability to work independently by passing an increasingly complex set of tests. He cannot legally certify work, but he can work on his own without direct supervision.
  • Skill: Mechanics +10; Cost per hour: 50 credits; Cost per day: 400 credits
• Labourer – A labourer possesses no marketable skills other than his strong back and willing hands. Labourers stand ready to help with any task requiring muscle and sweat. Most are hard working men and women who simply cannot find better work.
  • Skill: None; Cost per hour: 4 credits; Cost per day: 35 credits
• Master Dockworker – A master dockworker long ago demonstrated competence at basic tasks. He then moved on to acting as a foreman and professional advocate for his fellow workers. Master dockworkers are also certified in zero-g operations.
  • Skill: Profession (Dockworker) +14; Cost per hour: 70 credits; Cost per day: 560 credits
• Master Electrician – A master electrician achieves his position by passing a set of extremely difficult technical tests. He must also log at least 20,000 hours of electrical work as both a foreman and a direct line worker. Once he passes both of these requirements he may certify electrical work as well as act as a supervisor for one or more ‘gangs’ of electricians. Master electricians generally may take their pick of work, but only find work at their level approximately 20% of the time. The rest of the time they get journeyman’s wages.
  • Skill: Mechanics +13; Cost per hour: 84 credits; Cost per day: 675 credits
• Negotiator – A professional negotiator studies the art of the deal in order to better serve his clients. He tries to secure the best deal legally possible using any means necessary. He posts a bond which he forfeits if a client can prove he had a conflict of interest or did not fairly represent them during the negotiation process. Simple negotiations may take as little as one hour. Complex negotiations involving multiple parties and/or governments may take several days or months.
  • Skills: Persuasion +10; Cost per hour: 50 credits; Cost per day: 400 credits
• Pilot – Pilots, both atmospheric and space, can make a decent living by hiring on to fly cargo vessels, transports, private aircraft and couriers. They do not generally own the craft they fly, although a handful do.
  • Skills: Pilot +9 (One specific vehicle type); Cost per hour: 36 credits; Cost per day: 285 credits
• Private Doctor – A private doctor works in a public practice, legally sealed to prevent others from interfering with the doctor-patient relationship. He will treat anyone who can pay, assuming he can legally practice medicine on them. Private doctors do not generally have facilities for long term-care, but can provide short-term medical treatments or administer drugs.
  • Skill: Knowledge (Life Sciences) and Treat Injury +11; Cost per hour: 53 credits
• Private Security – Private security forces abound anywhere there are people willing to take money to fight. Bonded security agents can provide crowd control and organisation at public or private events. Most are reasonable combatants (Soldier 2 or Nonheroic 8) but try to avoid any action that will cause them to lose their bond.
  • Skill: Perception +6; Cost per hour: 20 credits; Cost per day: 160 credits
• Private Tutor – A private tutor works one-on-one with his student on whatever subjects he knows. Each session lasts for one hour. Most tutors see their students at least twice a week. Private tutors can also be used to help a character learn a language, filling the requirement for a native speaker of the language being learned. The cost for one 4-hour session covering language instruction is the same as a one-hour session for other subjects.
  • Skills: Any three Knowledge skills +14; Cost per hour: 58 credits
• Researcher – Researchers specialise in retrieving complete information from public records. They build reports that may be later used for data analysis, giving the analyst a +2 bonus to his skill checks to detect patterns or ferret out information. Preparing a typical research report requires one day of work.
  • Skill: Use Computer +7; Cost per hour: 21 credits; Cost per day: 170 credits
• Scientific Analysis – Basic scientific analysis requires access to a lab and knowledge of science. It covers technological and compound identification, basic genetic scans and forensic analysis of previously gathered evidence. This analysis requires at least eight hours of dedicated work.
  • Skill: Appropriate Knowledge skill; Cost per hour: 48 credits; Cost per day: 380 credits
• Secretarial – A secretary answers messages, sorts files, does basic office management and provides a certain level of decoration.
  • Skill: Gather Information, Knowledge (Business), Perception, Persuasion, Use Computer +4;Cost per hour: 18 credits; Cost per day: 140 credits
• Ship Engineer – Spacecraft (usually) do not repair themselves. They require highly skilled technicians to work them over, repairing and refinishing parts until the systems work once more. Repairs can take days or weeks, depending on how badly damaged the ship was when it limped into dock.
  • Skill: Mechanics +8; Cost per hour: 38 credits; Cost per day: 300 credits
• Space Hand – Able-bodied spacemen can usually find work on any ship. They live a hard life, crewing ships the authorities should have pulled out of service decades ago but still somehow manage to limp along. These atrocious and dangerous living conditions do nothing to deter the romantics who want to join the ‘spacing life’, although it does thin their ranks over time.
  • Skill: Mechanics +8; Cost per hour: 23 credits; Cost per day: 180 credits
• Translator – Professional translators work with documents or on the spot communications. They translate information from one language to another. Most try to convey the meaning behind the words as well as the literal translations, but when pressed for time they will likely allow such nuances to slip through the cracks. Translating a piece requires one hour per five pages of written text.
  • Skills: Speak any four languages; Cost per hour: 27 credits; Cost per day: 212 credits
• Teacher – A teacher instructs a class of between ten and thirty pupils in a given skill. He may or may not actually practice the skill professionally on his off-time. Running a class requires three hours of preparation for every session. Each session requires between one and eight hours, depending on the subjects covered and the purpose of the class.
  • Skill: Knowledge (any three) +8; Cost per hour: 23 credits; Cost per day: 180 credits

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LUXURY GOODS AND SERVICES

Luxury goods and services are, for the most part, completely useless to most characters. But someone will always find a use. They come in five grades of quality.

• Poor goods and services occupy the lowest possible rung of the luxury sector. The services may endanger the user. Poor goods display shoddy workmanship and even worse materials. Most fall into the category of ‘cheap knock-offs’ barely worth the credits they cost.
• Adequate goods and services provide a decent value for the buyer’s credits. Services at this quality level give exactly what they promise and no more. Goods display reasonable manufacturing practices and decent materials. These luxuries form the baseline of goods available to sentients.
• Excellent goods and services generally cost more than most sentients can afford on a regular basis. Services at this quality level include a wide variety of amenities and extra touches designed to make the buyer more comfortable. Excellent goods display high-quality manufacturing techniques. Their creators make them from costly materials, even if a less expensive material would meet the need.
• Exceptional goods and services focus exclusively on the concept of hedonistic need. Exceptional services focus on the ‘experience’ as much as the delivery of quality. Goods at this quality level look and feel good whether they add any additional functionality
  or not.
• The Noble level of luxury provides an unimaginable level of hedonism. Noble services provide for every possible desire or contingency. Noble goods seem to come, literally, from another world where good taste and beauty mean something radically different than they do to the rest of the species.

Ancient Trinkets

Distinct from alien artifacts in the sense that they…can’t really do anything, ‘ancient trinkets’ covers a radically different type of item: the vast hordes of broken or simply useless ancient junk various exploration groups sell to collectors in order to fund their expeditions.

• Poor quality ancient trinkets cost around 75 credits per item and are more available than trinkets of higher quality. Regardless of what they once did, the items no longer have any useful function. These trinkets display considerable signs of wear: faded colours, scratching and breakage are not uncommon.
• Adequate quality ancient trinkets cost around 100 credits per item. They are reasonably well-preserved, showing only modest signs of wear. These trinkets range from alien flatware to statuary and items that once might have worked but have long since fused into rubbish.
• Excellent quality ancient trinkets cost around 500 credits per item. They have only superficial scratches, despite their lengthy stay away from regular maintenance. Collectors search out these items to refurbish them into exceptional quality items. Most of these items have some level of artistic merit, even if their original function bordered on the mundane.
• Exceptional quality ancient trinkets cost around 1,000 credits each. They are extremely difficult to find. Most are sold in highly selective markets known only to a chosen few. These items displayfew, if any, signs of wear regardless of their age.
• Common Ancient Trinkets: dolls, doorknobs, paintings, plumbing fixtures, statues, toys.

Botanicals

On a planet, especially one with a healthy ecosystem, finding a native plant presents few challenges. Anyone can walk out the door and pick up a bit of healthy organic matter. However, finding the right plant, or one from another world, presents considerably more difficulty. Plants with religious, emotional or just aesthetic value generally cost even more. The prices listed below present the cost of the plant while it is in season. It also assumes the plant is native to the character’s current location. If it is not, the character may choose to either buy synthetics (reducing the cost and the quality) or double the price with for light year between the character and the plant’s point of origin. Technology allows the creation of synthetic versions of nearly any organic botanical at will. However, the created items do not look or feel quite like those grown naturally. Reduce the quality of a synthetic by one step for the purpose of any effect (positive or negative) the organic might produce. Properly decorating a room with botanicals requires one bunch per 33 square meters and a Profession (Florist) check (DC 10).

• Poor quality botanicals were badly treated during their growth and shipping. They wilt quickly no matter what the character does to keep them fresh. Poor quality botanicals cost five credits for a bunch or plant and cannot travel more than one day’s FTL travel from their point of origin before spoiling.
• Adequate quality botanicals represent the baseline of botanical materials. Most adequate botanicals are still alive when purchased and can produce viable plants if properly taken care of. Adequate quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +1 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers.
  Adequate quality botanicals cost ten credits for a bunch or plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them up to three day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
• Excellent quality botanicals have exceptional color, structure or significance. They require careful handling to preserve their value. Excellent quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +2 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception skill check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers. Excellent quality botanicals often also have cultural or religious significance. Excellent quality botanicals cost 50 credits for a bunch or a plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them up to two day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
• Exceptional quality botanicals stand at the pinnacle of the botanical world. Exquisitely beautiful, with a short blooming season and relatively short lifespan, these rare botanicals generally cannot be easily found. Characters searching for these flowers will find them quite difficult to find, although not impossible for seekers with the right connections. Exceptional quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +3 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers. Exceptional quality botanicals cost 100 credits for a bunch or a plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them up to three day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
• Noble quality botanicals are extremely rare, perhaps only blooming once a year and only then under very specific circumstances modern science cannot duplicate. These flowers are typically only available to those who have direct connections with the producer. Noble quality botanicals, when in bloom and used as a gift or to decorate a room, provide the character with a +5 bonus to his Persuasion checks if he previously succeeded at a Perception check (DC 20) to determine his target’s favourite colors/flowers. Noble quality botanicals cost 1,000 credits for a bunch or a plant. With proper storage a merchant can carry them for up to one day’s FTL travel from their point of origin.
• Example botanicals include: Roses, Lissonian Treeblooms

Celebrations

It seems that work, poverty and the steady oppression of the common man have not changed much, or even been limited to humanity. Fortunately all sentients long ago developed finely-honed psychological mechanisms for finding joy and amusement amidst the sorrow. The most visible, and certainly the most entertaining, of these are the great celebrations people put on to mark momentous occasions. The price for a celebration includes catering, decorations, entertainment, event co-ordination and all associated religious or civil ceremonies. Participants in a celebration may either take active roles, with carefully scripted parts or passive roles in which they sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

• Poor quality celebrations involve the cheapest possible food, drink, entertainment and events. The whole event, from beginning to end, displays both the participants’desire for a better life and their enjoyment of life. Entertainment at these parties often comes in the form of recorded entertainment programs played on a repeating loop. Poor celebrations cost 23 credits per person.
• Adequate quality celebrations present decent food and liquor in an organised fashion around one or more important celebratory elements. The best that can be said about an adequate celebration is that it neither offends any of the guests nor breaks any of the rules of civilised behaviour. Those who attend such a celebration can expect to spend the next few hours in conversation with others, ignoring the background noise raised by the celebration’s activities. One element of the celebration may be of excellent or even exceptional quality. Adequate celebrations cost 30 credits per person.
• Excellent quality celebrations display high quality food and liquor along with attention grabbing entertainment. These elements interweave with the celebration’s primary events, creating a memorable time for everyone involved The entertainment will almost always come from live performers. Decorations for this level of celebration typically cost hundreds, if not thousands, of credits. Excellent celebrations cost 150 credits per person.
• Exceptional quality celebrations mark the pinnacle of what most people will see in their lifetimes. The event coordinator attends to every possible detail, making a memorable occasion for all involved. Waves of exquisitely prepared food wash against the celebrants as event after event flawlessly takes place. Even someone at the centre of the celebration (like a bride or groom at a wedding) is swept along like so much flotsam. Exceptional celebrations cost 300 credits per person.
• Noble quality celebrations mark the greatest events of an era. State funerals, imperial weddings and other such events draw this level of effort. A whirl of exotic entertainments and expensive foods surrounds the celebrants, marred only occasionally by the presence of some pesky ritual. Noble celebrations cost 3000 credits per person.

When to use: Characters might purchase celebrations for any special occasion. Celebrations are traditional in most cultures at the four great life-changes: birth, marriage, childbirth and death.

Clothing

Despite the occasional nudist movement most sentient species, as a general rule, wear some form of covering. Being sentient, the moment they start creating something they make it an excuse to demonstrate their social superiority. With this trend came the concept of style as well as the idea of spending more than a year’s worth of income on a single suit of clothing. Each race has its own point of view about clothes, their own styles and their own methods of manufacture. Some cultures appear indifferent to the subtleties of fashion. Sociologists speculate that these cultures do not support enough choice based social differentiation to allow for the formation of style. All outfits come with sufficient clothing to cover the body as well as various culturally appropriate accessories. For example, a poor outfit for a one culture consists of a brown tunic and trousers of rough cloth with a tie belt and a pair of boots. These items remain fairly constant as the quality increases, eventually adding a
coat at the excellent level. When negotiating with a member of a culture that is indifferent to the subtleties of fashion the character does not suffer from any penalties or gain any bonuses due to low or high qualities of clothing respectively.

• Poor clothing covers the body with little style or grace. The rough or cheaply manufactured cloth barely holds together. However, it is widely available and extremely easy on the bank account. This level of clothing comes in a variety of ‘stylish fashions,’ badly imitated from the fashions worn by the rich and famous. The colours are all slightly off, the cut wrong and the cloths barely fit. None of this bothers those who can just barely afford them. During negotiation a character wearing Poor clothing suffers a -1 penalty to his Persuasion checks. Vendors do not like dealing with people who do not have sufficient funds to pay for their wares. A poor outfit costs 40 credits.
• Adequate clothing covers the body with a certain amount of style. Although still mass-produced these items are made of good cloth and cut so as to not fall quite so badly on the body. The primary problem with adequate clothing is that it wears out quickly; after one year of wear treat the outfit as poor quality clothing for the purpose of effects. When negotiating, Adequate clothing provides neither a bonus nor a penalty. An adequate outfit costs 50 credits.
• Excellent clothing covers the body with fine-manufactured fabrics and a fair amount of tailored clothing. The base items making up an excellent outfit may have been manufactured but a professional tailor altered them to fit the wearer’s body more naturally. An excellent outfit will usually contain several layers of stylish clothing. One piece, usually the jacket or vest, is of exceptionally rich material. This item acts as the ensemble’s ‘centrepiece’. When negotiating Excellent clothing provides the character with a +1 bonus to his Persuasion checks. An excellent outfit costs 250 credits.
• Exceptional clothing is not available off store racks. The character must stand for a fitting, purchase materials and wait for a tailor to fashion the clothes. This is the minimum level of clothing a noble or professional diplomat can safely wear in public or to functions. Even if the character himself has no sense of style the tailor will work with him to ensure he radiates self-assured confidence. An exceptional outfit can last for decades; true style may become outdated but it never looks bad. During negotiation Excellent clothing provides the character with a +2 bonus to his Persuasion checks. An exceptional outfit costs 500 credits.
• Noble clothing is hand made for specific events. Each outfit can only be worn once; its rich symbolic meaning holds no power outside of the particular event it was meant for. The most skilled tailors in the galaxy make noble clothing of the rarest, finest materials. When negotiating Noble clothing provides a +4 bonus to Persuasion checks. A noble outfit costs at least 5,000 credits.

Drugs

Hallucinogens, mood-alters and opiates remain as popular as ever. Drug use is not limited to any single social class or species, though some cultures seem to be immune to their lure. All drugs require a Constitution check (DC 10). Drugs require two checks to resist the effect. The first check occurs 1d4 rounds after the initial contact. The second check occurs 1d4 minutes after initial contact.

• Drugs have the following basic effects, further modified by the product’s quality:
  • Euphoria: The drug causes the user to feel pleasure or at least negate pain. Users generally experience this pleasure as sexual stimulation or as a mental ‘high‘. Euphoria allows the character to ignore penalties applied by confusion or pain. The character also suffers from a -4 penalty to all skill checks.
    • Example drugs: cocaine, opiates, metazine.
  • Hallucinogen: The drug randomly stimulates the brain’s sensory areas, causing the user to sense things that simply do not exist. These hallucinations may take any form, from subtle alterations in the user’s environment to voices, visions of the dead or even complete sensory shutdown.
    • Example drugs: LSD, peyote.
  • Intoxication: The drug causes its user to lose track of his environment. In effect, this acts as a tranquilliser. Even the lowest quality intoxicants deal a -5 penalty to Perception checks for their duration. This penalty increases by -3 for every quality level over poor of the drug.
    • Example drugs: DBZ, baler.
  • Mood Alteration: The drug alters the user’s brain chemistry to cause a specific emotional reaction. This reaction remains regardless of the events occurring around the user for as long as he remains under the drugs effect. Most of these drugs promote feelings of sexual desire, although some chemists have produced drugs capable of inducing happiness, despair and even ennui. Characters under the influence of these drugs may ignore the effects of fear.
    • Example drugs: dance (jittery), laugh (amusement), death (despair).
  • Memory Rip: The drug causes the user’s brain to randomly fire memories. These memories jumble together, causing the user to relive his life as it never happened. Characters under the influence of these drugs gain a +4 bonus to Knowledge skills but suffer a -4 penalty to all other skill checks or attack rolls they must make for the duration.
    • Example drugs: purple trip, flyer.
• Drug quality causes the following secondary effects:
  • Poor quality drugs are either poor rip-offs of more expensive products or drugs so dangerous that only the most desperate would try them. Taking one of these drugs produces the normal effect, but also requires the character to make a Constitution check (DC 15) or take 1d4 damage to a random ability score. Poor quality drugs stay in the user’s system for at least 2d6 hours. A single hit costs seven credits.
  • Adequate quality drugs present only a modest danger to the user. When the character ingests a hit of these drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or take 1d4 damage to a random ability score. These drugs last for 1d6 hours, although the user will suffer from any penalties associated with the drug for 1d6 additional hours. A single hit costs roughly ten credits.
  • Excellent quality drugs are refined to the point where they deliver a good high for the danger they present. When a character ingests a hit of these drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 7) or take one point of damage to a random ability score. The effects of these drugs last 1d8 hours, with the penalties lasting 1d4 additional hours after the benefits run down. A single hit costs at least 50 credits.
  • Exceptional quality drugs are refined to a point of near-perfection. This makes them exceptionally potent and dangerous to use. When a character ingests a hit of these drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 10) or take 1d4 damage to a random ability score. The effects of these drugs last 2d6 hours, with the penalties lasting an additional 1d6 hours after the benefits run down. A single – hit of these carefully manufactured drugs costs at least 100 credits.
  • Noble quality drugs come from the most sophisticated biochemical labs imaginable and are sold directly to the power elite. When a character ingests a hit of these powerful drugs he must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or take one point of damage to a random ability score. The effects of these drugs last for 2d6 hours. At the end of that time the penalties vanish as well. A single hit of these rare drugs costs at least 1,000 credits.

Entertainment Programs

Most people will only hire a professional entertainer once or twice in their life and go to see live entertainments fairly rarely. Instead, they purchase entertainment programs from central providers. These providers offer programs designed to cater to every taste. Over the centuries entertainment providers have worked hard to streamline the process of providing tailored programs to their customers. Characters can order entertainment anywhere, at any time, so long as they have access to a suitable display device and are connected to a suitable network. They may also tune into a variety of ‘free’ channels sponsored by governments or commercial interests.

• Poor quality entertainment programs have relatively low production values. These programs cost four credits per hour to download. Many are poorly put together ‘adult entertainment’ shows intended to amuse those with a variety of forbidden fetishes.
• Adequate quality entertainment costs five credits per hour to download. These programs cover a wide range of topics in a manner varying between almost unwatchable to bearable with sufficient amounts of intoxicants. These shows are commonly dramas or comedies revolving around obscure culture points lost on all but the most involved viewer.
• Excellent quality entertainment programs cost 25 credits per hour to download. These programs feature celebrities or named acts engaged in whatever activities made them famous.
• Exceptional quality entertainment programs cost 50 credits per hour to download. These programs represent nearly the best that a specific cultural establishment can produce. Whatever their origin these programs are almost universally entertaining, spanning culture and time to provide entertainment for generations.

Evening Out

An evening out generally involves some form of entertainment, a meal and enough liquor to make everyone involved relaxed. A simple evening out generally does not cause much of a stir. A truly legendary night on the town though, involving any number of things best left unmentioned, could weigh on the character’s legal record for decades to come. At such times, friends in the diplomatic corps or in the security department become very important.

• Poor evenings out usually consist of little more than a cheap meal and a walk in the local garden or park. The time out may be quite enjoyable if the company is good, but the actual expense is, fortunately, quite low. A poor evening out costs 38 credits per person
• Adequate evenings out usually involve watching an entertainment program, having an adequate meal and sharing a cheap bottle with a friend. Such evenings out generally provide everyone involved with an excellent if not entirely memorable time. An adequate evening out costs 50 credits per person.
• Excellent evenings out often involve live entertainment, a fancy dinner and the opportunity to meet important people in a relaxed setting. Restricted luxuries, including drugs, are available as part of the fee. Characters engaged in an excellent evening out can make a Gather Information check (DC 20) to learn where to find a single luminary, celebrity or other important person. An excellent evening out costs 250 credits per person.
• Exceptional evenings out involve live entertainment, exceptional meals and debauchery of Roman proportions. Some cultures claim to regard such goingson as a regular ‘evening out‘, although even they must spend a bit of time recuperating from the excesses endured during such revelry. Characters engaged in an exceptional evening out may make a Persuasion check (DC 15) to spend an hour or two with a luminary or celebrity. This important person may not be coherent enough to be of much help though; he pursues the same activities as the characters. An exceptional evening out costs 500 credits per person.
• Noble evenings out rival a Roman orgy in their splendour and debauchery. The revellers dine on cuisine unheard of by normal people then gorge their senses with sex, drugs and entertainment. Fortunately individuals who can afford this sort of thing routinely have enough lawyers and political clout that they will never come to trial. A noble evening out costs 5000 credits per person.

When to use: Characters may purchase this service either as a way to spend money, to have fun or to meet important people.

Furniture

Individual furnishings, including appliances, cost a considerable sum of money. This category covers things larger than a picture frame but not so large as to constitute an entire room including: tables, couches, large packs of pillows/meditation mats and various appliances. People generally buy furniture when they intend to stay in one place for a considerable length of time. Characters wishing to spend time in a furnished room are advised to either rent furniture (see Luxury Services below) or rent a furnished room (see Station Services, also below).

• Poor quality furniture displays all of the signs of rapid, cheap manufacture by sentients with more haste than good sense. These cheap items generally look okay when purchased but quickly degrade. Just normal wear and tear reduces the item’s resale value to 10% of its initial purchase price within one month. The item has -1 hardness and -10% to its total hit points due to its shoddy construction. These items cost 150 credits. Poor quality furniture will not impress most characters, giving the owner a -2 penalty to Deception and Persuasion checks when dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room.
• Adequate quality furniture is made of synthetic materials that hold together reasonably well. These serviceable items may have generic decorations intended to make them more aesthetically pleasing. These items provide no bonuses or penalties and cost 200 credits each.
• Excellent quality furniture displays wealth, if not good taste. These furnishings contain expensive materials, reproductions of cultural art woven into their decorations and often semi-tasteful colour schemes designed to highlight their quality. Most of this furniture comes in the ‘latest style’, meaning it will look dated in a year or two. Furnishing an entire room in excellent quality items will impress most characters, giving the owner a +1 bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks when dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room. Excellent quality furnishings cost at least 1,000 credits each.
• Exceptional quality furniture is made using traditional materials and craftsmanship, updated with the latest technological and ergonomic innovations. The designs for this category come from centuries of steady development rather than the whims of the moment. As such, an exceptional piece of furniture may be passed down for several generations before needing to be replaced due to wear. Furnishing an entire room with exceptional quality items gives the owner a +2 bonus to Deception and Persuasion checks when dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room. Exceptional quality furnishings cost at least 2,000 credits each.
• Noble quality furniture is handmade by the most skilled artisans, using only the finest natural materials available. Each of these incredibly expensive items glows with the light only a craftsman’s love can give them. These heirloom quality items might last for centuries before finally retiring to a museum. Furnishing an entire room in noble quality items gives the owner a +4 bonus to Deception and Persuasion checks made while dealing with anyone other than a member of an ascetic culture while in the room. Noble quality furnishings cost at least 20,000 credits each.

Furniture weighs anywhere between 50 pounds and 1,000 pounds, depending on what it is and how it was made. Common items include: beds, chairs, desks, lamps, rugs pillows and tables.

Furniture Rental

Many travellers who ply the spacelanes stop for a few weeks in search of a future from time to time. Those who find one often find they spend weeks, even months, ‘on the road’. Though they have a residence, they spend most of their lives out among the stars. Characters in this situation find that it often makes sense to rent furniture from one of the rental or consignment vendors rather than buying it outright. It costs less in the short term to rent rooms full of furniture than it does to buy a single decent piece.
When a character sets up an account with a rental vendor he may choose to establish a ‘rental profile’. This profile contains a list of all of the character’s desired rental items, along with his preferences regarding colours and decoration schemes. When the character schedules his arrival to the station, he can also flag the vendor to deliver the items in his profile to his room. If he has items in storage (see station storage below) he can have items delivered from it as well. Given at least one day’s warning, the rental vendor can make it look as if the character never left his ‘apartment‘.
Characters pay for furniture rental by room by week.
Quarters in most stations contain at most two rooms, or three counting the bathroom. Quarters on colonies, or on homeworlds, can be a bit more extensive. If the character lives in large quarters furniture rental quickly becomes cost-intensive over any meaningful length of time. The bonuses and penalties for rental furniture apply to everyone except members of ascetic cultures.

• Poor furniture rental services provide a minimal level of furnishings. This generally consists of tables, chairs and a bed. They also provide a freestanding screen to divide the room and a single chest of drawers or other storage unit. The furnishings have seen better days. Most bear the scars of heavy use. At least one item per room was broken and inexpertly repaired. Characters with this level of furnishing suffer a -3 circumstance penalty to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone to their room for business negotiations. Poor furniture rental costs 10 credits per day.
• Adequate furniture rental services provide a level of comfort in addition to serviceability. The items rented generally include good beds, tables, chairs, some decorative items like pillows, some cooking equipment and a handful of trinkets. Where a poorly furnished room looks shoddy, an adequately furnished room looks like someplace a person might spend a few months in comfort. The
  furnishings look somewhat worn but do not have any structural damage. Characters with this level of furnishing suffer a -1 circumstance penalty to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone to their room for business negotiations. Adequate furniture rental costs 14 credits per day.
• Excellent furniture rental services provide quality furnishings at reasonable prices. Every furnished room contains several expensive pieces coordinated by a professional designer so they work together. Each room will have sufficient amenities in addition to a handful of luxury items. Some excellent furnishing contracts also include a ‘consumables’ provision, wherein the company provides the renter with a bottle or two of liquor and various consumable room supplies in addition to the furniture. Characters with this level of furnishing gain a +1 circumstance bonus to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone into their room for business negotiations. Excellent furniture rental costs 71 credits per day.
• Exceptional furniture rental services provide high quality furnishings for a steep price. These service providers employ professional interior decorators that coordinate the room to meet the client‘s tastes. Contracts at this level also include a daily cleaning and laundry service. All also include a basic consumables contract, freeing the character from the need to purchase his own adequate meal materials. Characters with this level of furnishing gain a +2 circumstance bonus to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone into their room for business negotiations. Exceptional furniture rental costs 143 credits per day.
• Noble furniture rental services provide both beautiful furniture and basic personal services including cleaning, cooking and laundry. A room appointed in this fashion contains masterpieces of modern design as well as classical pieces invoking a more decadent age. In some cases the furniture in these rooms is specially designated as ‘belonging to the renters. None of the company’s other
  customers will ever use the items, preventing them from sustaining damage while the renter travels or has no need of them. Characters with this level of furnishing gain a +3 circumstance bonus to their Deception and Persuasion checks when they invite someone into their room for business negotiations. Noble furniture rental costs 1429 credits per day.

When to use: Characters can use this service when they do not want to purchase furniture or pay the exorbitant prices associated with renting adequate furnished quarters.

Liquor

One theory of the development of civilisation posits that all intelligent races, aside from a few, share a single common influence: some form of intoxicating beverage (alcohol for carbon-based creatures similar to humans). Those who support it point to the evidence of ancient brewing found in the earliest ruins of almost every space-capable civilisation. Archaeologists will debate the truth of such things long after everyone else lies face down, no longer able to think or move thanks to imbibing their beverage of choice. Every race in the known galaxy with the exception of a few produces thousands of different kinds of liquors. Bottles of substances with every imaginable taste travel the interstellar trade routes in volumes dwarfing everything but gun running. Attempting to build a catalogue of even the most commonly available beverages would consume a book the size of most 20th century human telephone books. Ingesting more than one or two glasses of any beverage requires the character to make a Constiution check (DC 5). Success gives the character a +1 bonus to Strength and Constitution and a -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom. If the character fails the saving throw he suffers the penalty
but does not gain the bonus. When the character imbibes more before the first effect wears of he must make a second Constitution check (DC 10). Success grants an additional bonus of +1 to Strength and Constitution. If the character succeeds or fails he gains an additional -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom (total penalty -2). Every drink after this second save requires an additional Constiution check (DC 10). Success allows the character to stay conscious. Each drink deals an additional -1 penalty to Intelligence and Wisdom. These effects last for a length of time determined by the quality of the delivery mechanism.

• Poor quality liquor burns the throat as it goes down. Whatever taste the manufacturers claim these substances possess, in reality they all taste foul. However, nothing quite matches them when one wishes to get drunk fast. The bonuses for imbibing these caustic concoctions last for one hour, but the penalties last for 20 hours. The DC of the Constitution check to gain a positive effect from one of these drinks is increased by +2. On the positive side, a bottle of this rot-gut only costs seven or eight credits. A single drink costs a credit. This quality of product is available in the seediest bars and onboard spacecraft where liquor is, strictly speaking, forbidden.
  • Examples: Rotgut
• Adequate quality liquor can be tasted by something other than a carrion-eater without inducing nausea. The bonuses for imbibing adequate liquor last for four hours. The penalties persist for 12 hours. This is the normal quality for the ‘drinking public’. A bottle of these beverages costs approximately ten credits; – a single drink costs two credits.
  • Examples: Crappy American beer.
• Excellent quality liquor displays considerable flavour as well as potency. The bonuses for imbibing excellent liquor last for three hours. The penalties persist for ten hours. Excellent quality beverages are the norm at diplomatic functions and high-class celebrations. A single bottle costs five credits. 50 credits; a drink costs five credits.
  • Examples: Microbrew beer
• Exceptional quality liquor is the finest beverage a race will ship. These complex liquors have deep flavours, significant bite and a finish that leaves the drinker wanting more. The bonuses for imbibing excellent liquor last for four hours. The penalties persist for 18. A single bottle costs 100 credits; a drink costs ten credits.
  • Examples: Maker’s Mark
• Noble quality liquor never ships far from its point of origin. Instead, connoisseurs gather around it, hoping to sample a single drink so they can tell their children about the experience. These drinks grace the tables of Emperors and Presidents. The bonuses from imbibing noble quality beverages last for six hours. The penalties persist for six hours. A single bottle of these rare liquors costs at least 1,000 credits; a single drink costs 100 credits.
  • Examples: 100-year old scotch, 80-year old cognac, small-batch high quality stuff

Live Entertainment

Performers from around the galaxy long ago realised if they waited around for private contracts they would starve to death. Instead they organised large-scale public performances and charged people for the privilege of seeing them. Purchasing a ticket to live entertainment gives the character a seat in a show’s audience. For the duration, the character has the opportunity to watch the performance or others in the audience. Performances are typically scheduled weeks or months in advance. Characters may purchase tickets to all but the most popular shows up to the day before the performance. Shows typically run for three months per quality level before closing down. Most shows stage two to three performances each week.

• Poor quality performances fail on every level. The performers play woodenly, the props fail to work or involve the audience and the themes presented have no connection to the audience’s needs. Every character in the audience must make a Wisdom check (DC 10) or suffer a -1 penalty to all Wisdom-based skill checks the next day due to their disappointment and distraction. Tickets to poor live entertainment cost 37 credits each for as long as the thing runs.
• Adequate quality performances neither excite nor disappoint. They are technically correct. The performers hit their marks without much spirit. At the end of the performance the viewers were suitably entertained. Tickets to adequate live entertainment cost 50 credits each.
• Excellent quality performances have a spark and sparkle that adequate performances lack. They might not be as technically accomplished as an adequate performance but they more than make up for any problems with good acting. Characters in the audience must make a Wisdom check (DC 10) to look away from the performance. Those that do not look away find any mind-affecting penalty they suffer from suppressed for the next hour. Tickets to excellent live entertainment cost 250 credits.
• Exceptional quality performances are remarkable synergies of talent, technology and spirit capable of sweeping the audience away from their mundane worlds for a few hours. All of the performers do not have to be perfect, but they do have to perform with all of their heart and soul. Characters in the audience must make a Wisdom check (DC 15) to look away from the performance. Those that do not look away find any mind-affecting penalty they suffer from suppressed for the next day. Tickets for exceptional live entertainment cost 500 credits each.
• Noble quality performances cannot be commanded; the combination of talent, technology and vision required to put one on occurs spontaneously or not at all. Characters cannot buy tickets to see this quality of performance. Instead, any performance has a 1% chance per show of transcending its own boundaries and becoming ‘noble’. Everyone in the audience feels the transition and for the next day gains a +1 luck bonus to all skill checks.

Meal Materials

Most families in the galaxy attempt to prepare their own meals at least five nights a week. Even the meanest rooms come with some means of storing and preparing food. Characters who fix their own food often find they get better meals, at considerably cheaper prices, than what they can get from the commissary or cafeteria. Of course, some also find they simply have no knack for cooking. The costs below assume the character buys culturally appropriate goods. Buying materials originating outside of the culture costs double the listed prices, and sometimes requires lead time and shipping costs as well. Similarly characters on board a ship, space station or colony without agriculture must spend double the normal price to purchase non-synthetic meal materials. These factors stack: nonsynthetic materials from a different culture cost three times as much as regular materials of the same quality. Synthetic materials always count as being one quality level lower than their purchase price when determining their effects. Materials born of vats and ordered proteins never taste like those kissed by true winds and a blazing sun. If the characters have a room or some form of long-term cold storage they may keep meal materials for up to a week. Characters with access to a freezer (Low-level housing for lifestyles, Type C quarters, or any vehicle with a galley) can freeze materials for up to two months.
Preparing a meal takes between thirty minutes and six hours. The techniques for cooking range from simple boiling to complex, multi-step heating and cooling techniques designed to change the material’s chemical composition.

• Poor quality meal materials are just this side of spoiled. They may be too old, have been kept at too high a temperature or simply made of inferior quality materials. Whatever the cause, meals made with these materials will sustain life but not taste terribly appetising. When a character prepares a meal with these materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 10). If he fails his guests must make a Constiution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next hour due to nausea. If he rolls a natural 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude saving throws during the next hour. Poor quality materials cost three credits per person per meal.
• Adequate quality meal materials show reasonable amounts of care in their processing and presentation. Their treatment renders them somewhat bland but not impossible to eat. Meals made with adequate materials generally taste good enough to eat without inducing the nausea associated with poorer quality materials. When a character prepares a meal with these materials he may make a Profession (cook) check. If he rolls a natural one his guests must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next hour due to nausea. If he succeeds his guests may make a Concentration check (DC 20) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +1 bonus to further Concentration checks for the next hour. If he rolls a natural 19 or 20 his guests receive a + I bonus to their Fortitude saving throws during the next hour. Adequate quality materials cost four credits per person per meal.
• Excellent quality meal materials are either quite fresh or extremely well-packaged. They retain most of their natural flavour, texture and colour. These materials almost burst with flavour, although people used to adequate materials may find the natural taste of food quite strange. Whenever a character prepares a meal with these materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 15). If he rolls a natural one his guests must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next hour due to nausea. If he succeeds his guests may make a Wisdom check (DC 10) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +2 bonus to further Wisdom checks and Will defensefor the next hour. If he rolls a natural 18 to 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude defense during the next hour. Excellent quality materials cost 20 credits per person per meal.
• Exceptional quality meal materials taste like they just came out of the field, or in the case of things like pasta carry a regional flavour all of their own. Characters who have never eaten a meal fixed with this level of materials express shock at the amount of flavour present in food, above and beyond heavy-handed seasoning. When a character prepares a meal with exceptional materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 15). If he succeeds his guests may make a Wisdom check (DC 5) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +2 bonus to further Wisdom checks and Willpower defense for the next hour. If he rolls a natural 17 to 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude defense during the next hour. Exceptional quality materials cost 40 credits per person per meal. Characters may reduce this to five credits per person per meal if they have the opportunity to shop at local farms buying in-season crops.
• Noble quality meal materials are always fresh, regardless of the season or the mountains of credits needed to make them so. These materials may be limited to a single region or even a single farm, but those willing to pay any price can dine on them every evening if they so choose. When a character prepares a meal with noble materials he may make a Profession (cook) check (DC 20). If he succeeds his guests may make a Wisdom check (DC 5) to appreciate the meal, thereby gaining a +3 bonus to further Wisdom checks and Willpower defense for the next hour. If he rolls a natural 16 to 20 his guests receive a +1 bonus to their Fortitude defense during the next hour. Imperial quality materials cost 400 credits per person per meal. Characters may not reduce this cost by shopping at local markets.

Prepared Meals

For many sentients the flavour and pleasure of a homecooked meal simply do not compare with the time it takes to make one. In the hurried world of work and play, they would rather have someone else to make a meal for them. Alternately, they may regard eating a prepared meal as a special treat, something they do in order to relieve the daily grind associated with food preparation. Vendors providing prepared meals of every imaginable quality level make up roughly 30% of all retail stores on most civilised worlds. Even in the poorest parts of the galaxy people set up shop to make a snack or a meal for their fellow sentients. Characters may buy prepared meals from stalls, mobile carts or restaurants the size of an imperial palace. The location and expense of the decor does not seem to have a positive or negative impact on the quality of the provided meal. The price of a prepared meal varies based on both the type of meal and its quality. The chart below provides a general price guide, these prices may also be used to determine the cost of catering:

Quality Level	Snack	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner/Main Meal
Poor	1 credit	2 credits	4 credits	6 credits
Adequate	1 credit	3 credits	6 credits	12 credits
Excellent	2 credits	5 credits	8 credits	16 credits
Exceptional	10 credits	15 credits	20 credits	40 credits
Noble	20 credits	30 credits	40 credits	120 credits

• Poor quality prepared meals use inferior products and poor cooking techniques. They provide a reasonable level of sustenance without a large probability of contracting diseases. Each time a character eats one of these meals he must make a Constitution check (DC 5) or suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls and skill checks for the next 24 hours.
• Adequate quality prepared meals use adequate materials and decent cooking methods. These meals provide sustenance without offending good taste. Eating an adequate meal provides neither bonuses nor penalties.
• Excellent quality prepared meals use adequate to excellent ingredients and well-applied cooking methods. Most excellent meals involve at least four courses, although some may go as high as five or six. These meals provide not only sustenance but a degree of pleasure as well. If the character succeeds at a Perception skill check (DC 20) when he offers to buy another character a meal he gains a +2 circumstance bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks targeting the other character. This bonus lasts for the duration of the meal.
• Exceptional quality prepared meals use excellent or exceptional ingredients and excellent cooking techniques. These meals typically involve at least four courses, although they may have up to eight separate dishes. If the character succeeds at a Perception check (DC 20) when he offers to buy another character a meal he gains a +3 circumstance bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks targeting the other character. This bonus applies during the meal and for one hour after its conclusion.
• Noble quality prepared meals are only available from the most exclusive restaurants or in the homes of the power elite. These meals are elaborate affairs taking days to set up and up to six hours to completely consume. They involve only the finest ingredients prepared by the most skilled chefs in the galaxy. If the character succeeds at a Perception check (DC 15) when he offers to buy another character a meal he gains a +2 circumstance bonus to his Deception and Persuasion checks targeting the other character. This bonus applies during the meal and for one day after
  its conclusion.

Trinkets

These decorations range from knobs on the tops of bedposts to elaborate mirrors and abstract sculptures. Rather than create a huge list of everything from picture frames to building-sized sculptures, all of these items are referred to as ‘trinkets’. In order to find out the starting price for a trinket refer to the table below. Items made of particularly valuable materials (e.g. diamonds) may cost as much as ten times the amount listed above. Trinkets with exceptional cultural significance (e.g. originals of famous masterpieces) generally cost at least twenty times the listed value.

Size	Poor	Adequate	Excellent	Exceptional	Noble
Fine	4 credits	5 credits	25 credits	50 credits	500 credits
Diminutive	15 credits	20 credits	100 credits	200 credits	2000 credits
Tiny	30 credits	40 credits	200 credits	400 credits	4000 credits
Small	90 credits	120 credits	600 credits	1200 credits	12000 credits
Medium	1800 credits	2400 credits	12000 credits	24000 credits	240000 credits
Large	3600 credits	4800 credits	24000 credits	48000 credits	480000 credits
Huge	7200 credits	9600 credits	48000 credits	96000 credits	960000 credits
Gargantuan	14400 credits	19200 credits	96000 credits	192000 credits	1920000 credits
Colossal	28800 credits	38400 credits	192000	384000 credits	3840000 credits

• Poor quality trinkets are made of shoddy materials. If manufactured, they are in terrible shape. If handmade, they display little, if any, craftsmanship. Poor quality trinkets may, at the Games Master’s option, sell as adequate or even excellent quality trinkets if they become part of a fad.
• Adequate quality trinkets consist of decent materials put together in a way that does not cause the creator shame. They have simple decorations and a least a minimal level of aesthetic value not tied to a cultural fad.
• Excellent quality trinkets consist of expensive materials put together with care and precision. They usually have intricate designs and decorations. Most jewellery is of excellent or better quality.
• Exceptional quality trinkets contain rare and expensive materials worked using the most sophisticated artistic skills a culture possesses. They may not be masterpieces but they display a consistent level of superior craftsmanship.
• Noble quality trinkets are masterpieces, moments of artistic brilliance that cannot be easily duplicated. Characters will probably never have an opportunity to purchase a noble level trinket, though they may be commissioned to steal one.

Vacation (excluding travel costs)

The grinding misery of daily life and work, even for those at the highest levels of society, requires occasional relief. For many sentients this relief comes daily in the form of liquor. Most sentients also dream of a time when they can, if just for a few days, set aside the demands of their society to just relax. Such dreams bear fruit on ‘vacations.’ During a vacation the sentient travels to some place removed from his day-to-day life. There he lives at a slightly higher standard of living than he can usually sustain, relaxing for a moment into the fantasy of a better life. Once rested he returns to the daily grind with a new ‘spring’in his step.

• Poor vacations cover poor quality food and lodging as well as inexpensive entertainments. The trip provides the purchaser with a good number of memories, both good and bad. Poor vacations cost 300 credits per day.
• Adequate vacations cover adequate quality food and lodgings. Services provided during the vacation allow a family to split up or stay together as they wish. They typically involve excellent or even exceptional entertainments, as well as the occasional excellent meal. Adequate vacations cost 400 credits per day.
• Excellent vacations provide the purchaser with incredible lodgings and meals, all carefully calculated to be far more than an even a hungry family could eat. Every possible need is carefully considered then covered by courteous staff. Entertainment fills every waking moment, although the buyer may retreat to a well-appointed private room to avoid it if he so desires. Excellent vacations cost 2000 credits per day.
• Exceptional vacations provide a wealth and opulence unimaginable by most people. These vacations allow the wealthy to briefly experience the lifestyle lived by their nominal betters. The staff often pretend to be virtual slaves, putting on an act worthy of the greatest stages. Exceptional vacations cost 4000 credits per day.
• Noble vacations rarely come into the public view. These individuals have the best of everything. They can command private performances from the most notable acts, shut down entire planets to be their pleasure preserves or violate every standard of ethical conduct with no repercussions. Noble vacations cost an unfathomable 40000 credits per day.

When to use: Characters may buy vacations when they wish to blow off some steam or reward themselves for a job well done. Alternately, vacations make excellent cover stories for agents who need a reason to travel.

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SKILL REVAMP: PILOT

Rather than the Pilot skill now representing bizzare skill to control all moving vehicles, you know can only have the knowledge of piloting a range of vehicles. When you train the Pilot skill, you choose a number of vehicle types from the list below equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).

• Ground Vehicles (Cars, Trucks, etc)
• Hovering Vehicles (Terran Rapid Attack Vehicle)
• Air Vehicles (Aircraft, Helicopters)
• Strike Craft (Space Fighters, Swift Assault Craft)
• Colossal Spacecraft
• Colossal (Frigate) Spacecraft
• Colossal (Cruiser) Spacecraft
• Colossal (Station) Spacecraft

If you are trying to control a vehicle not on your chosen list of vehicles, you take an increasing penalty for each step away that vehicle is from the closest vehicle you have. One step is a -1 penalty, two steps is -3, three steps is -6, four steps is -10, five steps is -15, six steps is -21, and seven steps is -28. For example, if you have chosen Strike Craft and are trying to pilot a Cruiser, you would take a -9 penalty to Pilot checks. Note that this does allow for ‘strategic selection’ of vehicle types. Choosing Air Vehicles and Colossal (Frigate) does mean that the highest penalty you will suffer is a -3.

If you are attempting to control a vehicle who’s controls and displays are in a language you are not fluent in, you may make a DC 25 Pilot check to attempt to work out the controls. Success on this check means you suffer a -4 penalty to control that vehicle, otherwise you suffer a -8 penalty. If the vehicle was made for your species then you gain a +5 bonus on the check to see if you can figure out the controls. Be warned, failing this check and continuing to attempt to use the vehicle can have…(•_•) / ( •_•)>⌐■-■ / (⌐■_■)…explosive results. YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

If you are attempting to control a vehicle made for a species with a different body layout than you have, you suffer an automatic -10 penalty to Pilot checks to use that vehicle. For reference, this penalty applies to humans when they are piloting any vehicle that was constructed by a non-humanoid creature. The GM may institute penalties based on minor things like differing numbers of fingers, but these should be at most a -3 penalty.

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NEW STORY FEATS

Artifact Hunter
You’ve somehow managed to come into possession of an artifact from a long-lost or long-dead civilization. The black market is sometimes teeming with these things, but any of these artifacts sold openly are usually snatched up by governments and think tanks “for the good of everyone” (and we all know what that means). However, those governments and think tanks might come gunning for your artifact.
Prerequisite: You must own at least one alien artifact
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus on all skill checks relating to an alien artifact. This could be a skill check to determine what the artifact does, what kind of technology it uses, or to reconfigure the artifact if it subject to being reconfigured. You gain a +4 bonus to any skill check made to determine anything about the progenitor culutre of the alien artifact. If you are level 10 or higher, these bonuses are doubled. In addition, once per day you can activate an artifact that has already has its uses exhausted, however this cannot be used on Chemical-based artifacts. If you are level 10 or higher, you can use this abiltiy twice per day.
Goal: Gain ownership of a total number of artifacts equal to your character level. Should you complete this story feat and then gain a level, you must check to see if you still meet this goal – if you do not, you lose the completion benefit until you meet this goal again. You must also decisively defeat an appropriate number of agents from various Departments of Unspecified Services who are attempting to steal your artifacts for their possibly-nefarious masters. At least one of these agents should be considered a challenging foe, and will most likely have at least one artifact of their own.
Completion Benefits: You’ve learned how to more efficiently use artifacts. Double the amount of times any artifact you own can be used before needing a recharge – in the case of Chemical-based artifacts this does apply (possibly increasing the amount of damage they can deal via Unstable). Additionally, the agents stop attempting to steal your artifacts as long as you meet this completion benefit, and you will occasionally be ‘leaked’ information about possible artifact stashes and sales.

Contract Complications [Life]
Life spirits are strange things – they can restore vitality to living creatures, but to be able to do that they must pull vitality from another living thing.  Contractors of Life spirits can learn to use this to instead boost their own vitality and abilities, but learning to control such an ability without giving in to the urges of your bound spirit takes time.
Prerequisite: Mage Talent [Spirit Binding (Life)]
Benefit: When you use Blood is Power, you must make an opposed check against your bound spirit – your Wisdom check versus its Charisma check, however a Hero Point may be spent to automatically succeed on this check.  If you succeed on this check, there is no additional effect.  If you fail this check, your character falls into a bloodthirsty rage, effectively becoming an NPC under the control of the GM.  While raging, you gain a bonus bonus to melee attack and damage rolls equal to your one-half your character level (rounded down) with your bite, but cannot use skills that require patience or concentration, such as Hackcraft, any Knowledge skill, Magery, Mechanics, Stealth, Treat Injury, and Use Computer.  This rage lasts for a number of turns equal to 5 + the Spirit’s Charisma modifier, however each turn that the character rages you may make another opposed check to reduce the remaining duration by 1 additional round.  Life spirits hunger to consume more life, and they will lash out at whoever is closest, regardless of the target’s affiliation with the contractor.  This rage may only be triggered once per encounter.
Goal: Successfully resist going into rage a number of times equal to your character level.  Note – when you level up, you lose the completion benefit until you meet this goal again, however the feat still counts as completed (allowing you to choose a new story feat).
Completion Benefit: You no longer risk being overcome by your bound spirit and therefore no longer have to make opposed checks to resist going into rage.  Instead, you can willingly go into the bloodthirsty rage detailed above (except you retain control of your character) by spending a hero point as a free action on your turn or as a reaction – it no longer only triggers when you deal damage with your bite damage.  Additionally, while you are raging you can choose to end your rage as a reaction to an incoming affect targeting your Will defense.  By doing so, this effect is completely negated, even if it would have still had an effect if it failed to beat your Will defense – however, negating the effect immediately ends your rage.  Otherwise, this rage lasts for a number of turns equal to 5 + your Wisdom modifier, however you can choose to end this rage with a DC 10 Wisdom check as a free action on your turn before the duration is up.  You may only trigger your rage once per encounter.

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NEW EQUIPMENT TEMPLATES

Calengil Template
The Calengil Dominion would like to have others think of them as one of the great powers. Their ongoing war against the Chrysoari certainly seems to help their self-image in this matter, and the cheaply-made goods they shovel onto the market en-masse could fool the unwary into thinking this as well. Selling high volumes at low prices, they compete against the more advanced manufacturers though sheer amount of product. Unfortunately, these products are not the best in existence – but they are cheap. Any generic item may be made ‘Calengil’ by adjusting it in the following fashion:

• Increase the weight of the item by 20%. Calengil make up for their limited understanding of advanced materials science by piling on bulk.
• If the item uses an power pack or energy cell reduce its maximum effective charge (number of hours of use, number of uses, etc) by one.
• Decrease the cost of the item by 20%
• If the item is a weapon, it has a 50% chance of breaking on an attack roll that results in a natural 1. The nature of this break varies with weapon, but in general it requires an hour and a DC20 Mechanics check to fix.

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COMPUTER AND COMMLINK REVAMP

WHY THIS IS NEEDED – Welllll, remember that the original rules set of this game system was designed for Star Wars.  In Star Wars, computers are, well, 1970s-esque.  Big, clunky, not exactly portable, and really more like mainframes than anything else.  The portable computer and datapad in the rules were really all you got, and the rules for computers were still really designed for fluff use and not game mechanic use – they really didn’t mesh well with the Hacking rules. So, revamp time!  And by that, I mean ripping rules out of another system and converting them for my use (as usual)!

What Defines a Computer and Computer Programs?

• Tech Bonus – Tech Bonus is a rough estimate of ‘how advanced the technology that makes the computer work is.’ If the Primitive tech bonus represents silicon microcontrollers, and Basic represents optical circuits, then Moderate would represent early forays into quantum computing, and so on.  Mechnically, the Tech Bonus is added as a bonus to all Hackcraft and Use Computer checks made while using the computer, and it is also used to determine the Working Program Level of programs being run, the Maximum Program Level of programs that can be run, the Systems Management capacity of the computer, the Storage Capacity of the computer, the Processing Capacity of the computer, and the Cost of the computer.
• Grade – Grade represents the quality of the computer within a given Tech Bonus.  A Grade 1 computer represents more of an integrated automation circuit, while higher grades represent actual computational capacity.  A computer’s Grade is used to determine the Intelligence of the computer (Computer INT  = 9 + Computer Grade) for anything dependent on the computer’s Intelligence. It is also used to determine Maximum Program Level, Systems Management, Storage Capacity, Processing Capacity, and Cost.
• Program Level – This is how ‘advanced’ a piece of software is, ranging from 1 to any number above that.
• Working Program Level – Working program level represents how well a given program runs.  It is determined by adding the level of the program itself to one-half of the Tech Bonus of the computer (rounded up) that it is being run on.  For some programs this determines a bonus that the program provides, for others it has no effect.
• Maximum Program Level – This is the maximum working program level that a computer can support.  Hack Actions have a program level equal to the character level of the hacker using them, so hackers must continually upgrade their hardware as they advance in skill. Maximum Program Level is equal to (Grade x Tech Bonus) x 2 + (Grade / 2), rounded up.
• Systems Management – Systems Management represents the computer’s capacity to control and manage various peripheral devices. These are things like smartguns, drones, sensors,and integrated modules such as commlinks. Systems Management is equal to (Tech Bonus x Grade).
• Storage Capacity – Storage Capacity is the maximum total levels of all programs, hack actions, and data units that can be stored on the computer.  It is equal to 5 x ((Tech Bonus²) x (Grade²)).  Storage capacity can be expanded via supplemental storage media, with each piece of media weighing 0.01 kg and providing an amount of extra capacity equal to 5 x (Tech Bonus²) and costing 500 x (1 / Tech Bonus) of the same currency as the computer.  A device can have a number of supplemental storage media installed equal to its Grade.
• Processing Capacity – Processing Capacity is the maximum sum of all the levels of running programs and readied hack actions that the computer can handle at any given time. It is equal to 2 x ((Grade²) x Tech Bonus).
  
• Cost – Standard form-factor computers (AKA desktops and components) cost 500 x (Tech Bonus x Grade) of the currency of their manufacturer or the predominant currency of the area where they are being manufactured. Computers can be obtained by manufacturers from a given power with that power’s normal Tech Bonus at a 50% discount, or of a Tech Bonus one higher than normal for +50% of listed cost.  For example, a standard, run of the mill computer made by the Terran Alliance with Grade 4 costs 3,000 Terran Alliance Credits, while a Tech Bonus 4 computer of Grade 4 made by the Terran Alliance costs 12,000 Credits. Alternative form factor computers have additional cost modifiers, as detailed in their section below.
• Weight (for desktops and components): See the table below.  For alternative form factors, the weight is still based on the table below but is modified (see that section).

Grade	Primitive (+1 Tech Bonus)	Basic (+2 Tech Bonus)	Moderate (+3 Tech Bonus)	Advanced (+4 Tech Bonus)	Hypertech (+5 Tech Bonus)	Artifact (+6 Tech Bonus) [Weight varies heavily]
1	5 kg	0.5 kg	0.125 kg	0.021 kg	0.0026 kg	0.0003 kg
2	10 kg	1 kg	0.25 kg	0.42 kg	0.0052 kg	0.0005 kg
3	20 kg	2 kg	0.5 kg	0.83 kg	0.01 kg	0.001 kg
4	40 kg	4 kg	1 kg	0.167 kg	0.021 kg	0.0021 kg
5	80 kg	8 kg	2 kg	0.333 kg	0.042 kg	0.0042 kg
6	160 kg	16 kg	4 kg	0.667 kg	0.083 kg	0.0083 kg
7	320 kg	32 kg	8 kg	1.3 kg	0.167 kg	0.021 kg
8	640 kg	64 kg	16 kg	2.7 kg	0.333 kg	0.033 kg
9	1280 kg	128 kg	32 kg	5.3 kg	0.667 kg	0.067 kg
10	2560 kg	256 kg	64 kg	11 kg	1.3 kg	0.133 kg

“Normal” Computer Tech Levels (AKA the level that gets the 50% discount)
Primitive – Most Pre-FTL and Early FTL Civilizations
Basic – Calengil Dominion, Risanthan Spiritlands, Some Pre-FTL and Early FTL Civilizations
Moderate – Deep Ones Mining Union, Glorious Imperium, Speakers Consortium, Terran Alliance, The Unity, XTA Unified Cooperative, Yoitsuni
Advanced – Chrysoari Protectorate, Fost Peoples, JolKoar Empire, Lissonian Treeholds
Hypertech – Hive
Artifact – Travelers (if they ever felt the need to make a computer), Alien Artifacts

Wait, What About Displays? – For tech levels from Primitive through Moderate, the computer is implied to have a built-in display screen.  For Advanced through Artifact, the computer is implied to use some form of holographic projection by default. At Moderate and above, a computer can utilize a HUD interface instead of a physical display screen, which reduces the weight of the computer by 25% (up to 2 kg).

Alternative Computer Form Factors

Portable Computers (Basic, Moderate, and Advanced tech levels only) – These represent the standard, run of the mill ‘laptop computer’ idea.  Powered by either a power pack (if the original weight is 1 kg or above) or an energy cell (if lighter), they last 4-8 hours on a single charge.
Maximum Program Level: -10%
Systems Management: -20%
Storage Capacity: -40%
Processing Capacity: -20%
Cost: 150%
Weight: Basic Tech Level, -50%; Moderate Tech Level, -40%; Advanced Tech Level, -30%

Ultraportable Computers (Basic, Moderate, and Advanced tech levels only) – Taking the miniaturization of the Portable Computer a step further, these computers are small enough to fit into a large pocket, though their user interfaces are sometimes unweildy.  They are powered by an energy cell and last for 2-4 hours on a single charge.
Maximum Program Level: -20%
Systems Management: -40%
Storage Capacity: -60%
Processing Capacity: -30%
Cost: 200%
Weight: Basic Tech Level, -70%; Moderate Tech Level, -60%; Advanced Tech Level, -50%

Belt Computers (Basic, Moderate, and Advanced tech levels only) – An idea that never really has caught on anywhere, belt computers are effectively the same as ultraportable computers but with expanded power capacity.  They are functionally the same as ultraportable computers, only they require two energy cells and last for 6-9 hours on a single charge.  They are 250% of the normal cost as opposed to 200%.

Wearable Computers (Basic, Moderate, and Advanced tech levels only) – The pinnacle of miniaturization of early computer technology, watch computers cram as much as they can into an extremely small space.  However, performance is sacrified in the name of this miniaturization.  Watch computers last for 20-24 hours on a single energy cell.  This form factor is used for small watch computers, earbud commlinks, and other small computers designed to be worn rather than carried.
Maximum Program Level: -30%
Systems Management: -75%, minimum 1
Storage Capacity: -80%
Processing Capacity: -50%
Cost: 400%
Weight: Basic Tech Level, -90%; Moderate Tech Level, -80%; Advanced Tech Level, -60%

Personal Assistant (THIS IS THE THING THAT REPLACES THE PRIOR ‘COMMLINK’) (All tech levels except Primitive) – Ranging in size from wrist-mounted to small earbuds or even cybernetic implants, the personal assistant is by far the most common form factor in use.  These small devices combine a computer with various other electronic devices, such as communications systems, sensor arrays, and data recorders.  They last between 20 and 180 hours on a single energy cell (dependent on grade and usage). A personal assistant can have a number of additional devices installed into it based on its tech level (2 at Basic, 3 at Moderate, 4 at Advanced, 5 at Hypertech, and 6 at Artifact).
Maximum Program Level: -20%
Systems Management: -50%, minimum of 2x the number of installed devices
Storage Capacity: -60%
Processing Capacity: -40%
Cost: 200% (this also doubles the cost of all installed devices)
Weight: Basic Tech Level, -60%; Moderate Tech Level, -50%; Advanced Tech Level, -40%; Hypertech Tech Level, no change; Artifact Tech Level, no change

I’ve got a computer in my head, what about that?!

Direct Neural Interfaces are handled as follows…

• Artificial Intelligence – An AI’s effective DNI is treated as a standard form-factor computer of a Grade equal to AI’s INT – 9 and a Tech Bonus equal to AI’s INT Modifier.
• CEC Neural Interface – The CEC Neural Interface is treated as a standard form-factor computer of a Grade equal to Character’s INT – 9 and a Tech Bonus of +3.
• Magic-Based DNI – Magic-Based DNI are treated as a standard form-factor computer with a Grade equal to Character’s WIS – 9 and a Tech Bonus equal to Character’s Wisdom Modifier – 1.

All right, show me one of these new computers…

Terran Alliance Armed Forces Model 3 Communications Device – This is the current standard-issue commlink assigned to all TAAF personnel upon joining the forces. Replacing the Model 2 in 2027 (which in turn replaced the Model 1 in 2021), it is a rugged, portable device designed to withstand the rigors of whatever can be thrown at it. However, it is not exactly ‘top of the line’ computer hardware – it is a communications device.  Each commlink is permanently keyed to its recipient upon issue, and that soldier’s unique 9-digit TAAF ID is tagged to all transmissions from it.  It is a modular device, however it does contain a hardwired communications module which permits access to the TAAF Communications Network, as well as an extended range transceiver and emergency beacon.
Cost: Cannot be purchased, if lost a new one is issued.  Estimated black market price is 20,000 Terran Alliance Credits.
Weight: 0.5 kg
Tech Level: Moderate (+3 Tech Bonus)
Grade: 2
Form Factor: Personal Assistant
Installed Peripherals (2 open slots): Permanently-installed Communicator (permanently-installed TAAF Encryption Module, permanently-installed Long-Range Upgrade Module, permanently-installed Beacon Module), Unused Slot, Unused Slot
Maximum Program Level: 11
Systems Management: 6 (effectively 5 since the Communicator peripheral counts against this limit)
Storage Capacity: 72 (effectively 68 due to the standard Level 2 Military Attack Barrier installed)
Processing Capacity: 10 (actually 14, but 4 is used for the barrier).

So what are these peripheral things anyway?

Peripherals are hardware that are either integrated into the computer itself, or connected through a wired or wireless connection.  If a peripherals is listed here but not described here, check the equipment section for costs and details.  The GM has the final say on what can and cannot be integrated into the computer.

• AR Gloves
• Biomonitor
• Biomonitor, Implanted
• Bioscanner
• Commercial Data Feed
• Communications Scanner
• Communications Transceiver – This integrated module is communications hardware, the actual type of which varies by the technology used by the manufacturer. This module itself has capacity for further sub-modules as detailed below (up to a number of sub-modules equal to the manufacturer’s tech bonus), and it has a range equal to 25 kilometers per point of tech bonus.  This module weighs 1/2 of the weight of a grade 3 computer of the tech level of the manufacturer.  Its cost is 1/2 that of a grade 2 computer of the tech level of the manufacturer.  This replaces the old commlink.
  • Beacon Sub-Module – This sub-module allows the computer to function as a portable beacon with 40,000 kilometer range.  it cannot transmit data beyond a distress signal on a specific wide-band range of frequencies.  Each of these sub-modules has a unique identification code, allowing for easy determination of who is in distress.  While this beacon is in use, the entire power of the computer is diverted to it, disabling all other functionality.  This costs 2,500 credits and weighs 0.25 kg.
  • Long-Range Transceiver Sub-Module – This sub-module contains an additional transceiver for use at longer ranges than the pre-existing one.  Useful range of the communications transceiver is quadrupled.  This sub-module costs 450 credits.
  • TAAF Encryption Sub-Module – This sub-module is not purchasable on the open market (estimated black market price is 10,000 Terran Alliance Credits). When not properly keyed, it does not automatically decrypt secure TAAF communications, however it does provide a +5 Equipment bonus to Use Computer checks made to do so.  When properly keyed, it is linked in to the rotating cipher system of the TAAF Communications Network as normal.  Other powers have similar sub-modules for their own military networks.
  • Shadownet Encryption Sub-Module – Similar to the TAAF Encryption Sub-Module, this allows access to the SDA’s secure Shadownet protocol.  It cannot be purchased, and goes for about 20,000 Terran Alliance Credits on the black market. Like the TAAF Encryption Sub-Module, it provides a +5 Equipment bonus to Use Computer checks made to hack into the Shadownet if it is not properly keyed.
  • Personal Encryption Sub-Module – This allows you to utilize more advanced encryption methods, providing a +5 bonus to Use Computer checks made to secure communications with your computer. It costs 50 credits.
  • Scrambler Sub-Module – This functions identically to the pocket scrambler, except it is built in to the transceiver.  It costs 400 credits.
• Computerized Interface Scope
• Display Contacts
• Display Glasses
• Electrobinoculars, Advanced – Computer not required for use.
• Electrobinoculars, Holo-Recording – Computer not required for use.
• Holo Gloves
• Holoprojector
• Hypoinjector Wristband – While a computer is not required for operation of this peripheral, having a computer connected to it does allow for authorized users to remotely activate the wristband.
• Quantum Computing Unit – Technically this is a computer itself, however all of its systems are dedicated to running the AI it contains.  QCUs can interface with any other computer as a peripheral, giving the AI contained in them access to that computer and its peripherals.
• Radiation Detector – Computer not required for use.
• Recording Unit – Computer not required for use.
• Sensor Pack – Computer not required for use.
• Sensor Pack, Speaker Advanced – Computer not required for use.
• Smartgun System

Programs?  We don’t need no stinking programs!

Actually, you do.  As for why, read below.  Programs purchased from manufacturers with a higher or lower tech bonus than the computer they are going to be run on need to be converted.  This takes four successful DC 20 Use Computer checks, with each attempt taking 8 hours.

• AR Games – While these come in a wide range of titles and program levels, they have no actual game effect.  An AR game costs 5 credits per level.
  
• Augmented Overlay – This replaces the pre-existing equipment of the same name. Augmented Overlay systems are common in engineering and business. To use an overlay, every member of the team must have some form of AR display. The Augmented Overlay’s AI (AOAI) monitors the data gathered by the various team members and computer systems, and displays any relevant information on each user’s display. For example, an archaeologist is working in a trench when a new satellite pass detects an interesting surface feature nearby. The overlay would highlight this feature in the archaeologist’s display. Later, when the team’s linguist manages to translate the alien alphabet, the AOAI would automatically overlay any alien text with the current best-guess translation. The AOAI is not a ‘true AI,’ it is instead actually a self-learning algorithm that takes into account team member’s specializations and makes a ‘best guess’ as to who could use any information that has been learned. For an experienced team, the Augmented Overlay is a great boon, giving a bonus equal to the Working Level of the program to all Intelligence-based skill checks as long as someone on the team is trained in the skill being used (as if every user were automatically using the aid another action). However, processing the flood of information from an AOAI can be distracting; each user suffers a –2 penalty to all Perception checks while running the system on their AR display. Activating or deactivating the Augmented Overlay is a swift action.  The Augmented Overlay program costs 750 credits per level of the program, and a separate copy of the program must be obtained for all team members.  In the event of team members having mismatched working levels, use the average of all working levels (rounded down) to determine the bonus.
• Defense Barriers – The full details of these are in the hacking section.  To determine the level that a barrier uses for the purposes of Processing Capacity, consult the list below.
  • Passive Civilian Barrier: Level = Barrier Level
  • Military Attack Barrier: Level = 2 x Barrier Level
  • Maze Barrier: Add the level of the Maze Barrier to the effective level of the barrier.
• Encryption Cracker – This program contains a variety of brute-force and algorithmic subroutines that aid in attempts to defeat encryption and secured communications.  It provides an equipment bonus to Use Computer checks made to do so equal to the Working Level of the program.  Encryption Crackers cost 1000 credits per level and are considered to have Military availability.
• Expert System – An expert system is a smart AI that comes with nonheroic levels equal to its program level.  It is only available from manufacturers with Advanced tech level and above, manufacturers with lower tech levels often have dedicated hardware for running AI. The AI can gain levels as normal, but every additional level increases its program level by 1.  Expert Systems costs 3000 credits per level.
• Knowledge Database – These programs are keyed to a specific Knowledge skill, determined when purchased.  They provide an equipment bonus to that Knowledge skill equal to the Working Level of the program, however consulting the database to gain this bonus requires a full-round action.  This program costs 500 credits per level.
• Knowledge Database, Self-Aware – These programs are keyed to a specific Knowledge skill, determined when purchased.  They provide an equipment bonus to that Knowledge skill equal to the Working Level of the program, and allow for untrained use of that knowledge skill, however consulting the database to gain this bonus requires a full-round action.  This program costs 1000 credits per level and is only available from manufacturers that are Advanced tech level or higher.
• Peripheral Manager – This program utilizes processing capability to increase the amount of peripherals that a computer can manage.  For every two working levels of this program, the computer gains a +1 bonus to its Systems Management.  Peripheral managers cost 50 credits per level.
• Personal Secretary – This is the equivalent to an Expert System for the Primitive, Basic, and Moderate tech levels.  Personal Secretary programs manage schedules, communications logs, and workflow to approve memos, remember birthdays, direct work-flow, micro-manager, and promote synergy.  Whatever that means is still unknown, but this effectively provides a +2 equipment bonus to a single Profession skill chosen when purchasing this program.  The Personal Secretary is only available as a level 1 program, and costs 200 credits.
• Search Protocols – A combination of sorting algorithms, search APIs, and (at higher levels) expert systems, Search Protocols make it easier to find whatever it is you happen to be looking for.  Using a search protocol program provides an equipment bonus to the Use Computer check made to find the information you are looking for.  This bonus is equal to the working level of the program.  Search protocols cost 50 credits per level.
• Smartgun Protocol – Another program only available as a level 1 program, the smartgun protocol provides interface APIs and transmission protocols between a smartgun and a heads-up display connected to the computer. When performing maintenance on a smartgun, this program provides an equipment bonus to the Mechanics checks made on the weapon equal to the working level of this program. This program costs 300 credits and is considered to have Licensed availability.

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Drugs and Toxins

For custom toxins, see the rules for that in the Knowledge [Life Sciences] and Knowledge [Physical Sciences] skills.

Neural Inhibitor, Terran – This special neurotoxin is tailored to target the neurochemistry of life found on Earth, and consequently also affects other similar biochemistries.  Each dose costs 375 credits.  When a living target susceptible to this toxin is affected by it, theu target are poisoned and the toxin makes an attack roll (1d20+5) against the target’s Fortitude Defense, moving the target 1 step down the condition track if it succeeds.  If the attack fails, the target does not move down the condition track, but the dart’s next attack gains a cumulative +1 bonus (so it attacks with 1d20+5 originally, 1d20+6 after the first failure, 1d20+7 after the second failure, etc.).  The target’s condition is considered persistent until the poison is treated, and the poison makes an attack roll at the beginning of the target’s turn until the poison is cured with a DC 20 Treat Injury check).  Once the target falls unconscious, the neurotoxin dissipates on its own. 

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RULES UPDATE: CEC Character Advancement (Improvement)

All CEC members have a companion Class V AI that assists them with managing their nanite systems.  As the character gains levels, so does the AI.

Character Level	AI Nanite Abilities	AI Ability Scores	Special
1st-2nd	1	12/10/6	Class V AI, AI Trained Skills, Standard-Issue Nanoaugmentations, Bonus Nanoaugmentations
3rd-4th	1	13/10/6	AI Skill Focus (Nanite Control)
5th-6th	2	14/11/6	Bonus Nanoaugmentations
7th-8th	2	15/11/7	AI Skill Focus (Any)
9th-10th	3	16/12/7	Advanced Class V AI, Bonus Nanoaugmentations
11th-12th	3	17/12/7	AI Skill Focus (Any)
13th-14th	4	18/13/8	Bonus Nanoaugmentations
15th-16th	4	19/13/8	AI Skill Focus (Any)
17th-18th	5	20/14/8	Bonus Nanoaugmentations
19th-20th	5	21/14/9	AI Skill Focus (Any)

Companion AI – Each member of the CEC is partnered with a Class V AI from an early stage in their training.  This AI is an independent character under the control of the GM.  The AI’s primary purpose is to allow the CEC Corpsman to control the nanites that allow them to work their scientific magic.  It’s secondary purpose is to monitor the behavior and actions of the Corpsman to ensure that they follow the regulations regarding use of the nanites.  It’s tertiary purpose is to allow the use of nanoaugmentations such as the Move-By-Wire system and the Deflect talent.  A Companion AI has the authority to completely shut down all of a Corpsman’s augmentations and nanite control, though this is only done in extreme cases of misuse.

AI Ability Scores – The Companion AI, like all AI, only has mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma).  It has 1 ability score that it is good at, and 1 that it is decent at, and 1 that it is bad at.  You choose which is which upon taking the NMS Implants feat.  A CEC Companion AI cannot have a bad Intelligence.  The AI’s inherent +2 bonus to Intelligence is already considered to be factored into these ability scores.

Class V AI: All Class V AI are trained in manipulation of nanites.  A CEC member receives a +2 bonus to their Nanite Control checks for all applications of the skill except for activating nanite abilities.

AI Trained Skills:  The AI has been given training in some fields before it is ever deployed.  Choose 1 + the AI’s intelligence modifier skills from Gather Information, Hackcraft, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Mechanics, Nanite Control, Pilot, Survival, Use Computer.  As the AI’s intelligence modifier increases, it gains training in additional skills.

AI Nanite Abilities: An AI has some training in nanite abilities.  It begins play with one Nanite Abilitiy in it’s suite, and gains additional ones as the character levels.  These are chosen from the same nanite abilities available to CEC members.  These can be activated using the same rules that characters use to activate nanite abilities, except they use the AI’s Nanite Control modifier.

Standard-Issue Nanoaugmentations: A member of the Combat Engineers Corps receives the following nanoaugmentations as part of their training: Biomonitor, CEC Neural Implant, Subcutaneous Comlink, Glide Systems, HUD, Move-By-Wire System (Grade I), Regenerative Implant

Bonus Nanoaugmenations: At first level and every 4 levels after the CEC members receives an additional number of nanoaugmenations of their choice equal to their Constitution modifier.

AI Skill Focus: At level 3, the AI gains Skill Focus (Nanite Control) as a bonus feat.  This applies only to it’s personal Nanite Control check.  At level 7 and every 4 levels thereafter, the AI gains another Skill Focus feat.

Advanced Class V AI: The bonus from Class V AI now applies to Nanite Control checks made to activate nanite abilities.

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NEW TYPE OF MAGIC: “Mojo”

Mojo Manipulation – There’s something weird about your ability to use magic – you lack the ability to project it offensively, you can only affect yourself or people you are in physical contact with.  At level 1 you begin play with a number of Mojo Points equal to your Wisdom modifier.  You may spend these points on the Mojo Abilities listed below, however once you spend the points you cannot regain them.  As you level up, you gain additional Mojo Points according to the Bonus Mojo column – this is not a cumulative bonus this is your current total bonus mojo.  Some Mojo Abilities are a flat cost, others come in a range of levels with a cost per level.  Abilities which have a range of levels can be improved by adding additional Mojo as you level.  You cannot have more levels in an ability than you have character levels.

• Adrenal Manipulation (1 Mojo) – Through careful application of magic to augment your adrenal system, you gain an additional move or standard action on your turn.  However, using this action causes an immediate amount of nonlethal damage to yourself equal to twice your character level.
• Energy Aura (1 Mojo) – When you select this ability, choose an energy type – Electricity, Fire, Cold.  As a standard action, you can project an aura of this energy type around you.  Anyone attacking you in melee without a reach weapon suffers 1d6+Your Wisdom Modifier of this kind of energy damage.  Additionally, you can use this offensively as a melee attack, in which case you also add half your level to the damage.  The aura lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, and can be deactivated as a free action.  You can select this ability multiple times, choosing a different energy type each time.
• Energy Strike (0.5 Mojo) – When you select this ability, choose an energy type – Electricity, Fire, or Cold.  As a standard action, you can enhance your unarmed and melee weapon attacks with this energy.  Doing so adds 1d6+Your Wisdom Modifier of this energy to the attack’s damage.  This benefit lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier, and can be deactivated as a free action.  You can select this ability multiple times, choosing a different energy type each time.
• Enhanced Lung Capacity (0.25 Mojo/Level) – For each level you have of this ability, you double the amount of time that you can hold your breath.
• Environmental Temperature Resistance [Cold] (0.25 Mojo) – You suffer no penalties due to cold environment or cold weather.
• Environmental Temperature Resistance [Hot] (0.25 Mojo) – You suffer no penalties due to hot environment or hot weather.
• Forceful Strike (0.5 Mojo) – Instead of dealing damage with an unarmed attack, you can attempt to knock the target prone.  Compare your attack roll to the target’s Fortitude defense rather than Reflex defense – if you succeed, then they are knocked prone in their square.  For every 2 points that you exceed their Fortitude defense, you can knock them back 1 square.  If this would knock them into a solid object, they take 1d6 damage per square of movement they had left to move.  If this would knock them into another target, compare your attack roll against that target to see if you knock that target prone too.  You must declare that you are using this ability before you attack.
• Improved Action (0.5 Mojo/Level) – When you select this ability, choose a roll that you make which uses a d20.  This must be a physical action, such as ranged attack, melee attack, Endurance, Initiative, Climb, Swim, and so on.  If this is an attack roll, you gain +1 per level of this ability.  If this is a skill check, you gain +3 per level of this ability.
• Improved Coordination (1 Mojo/Level) – For each level of this ability, you gain a +4 bonus to Initiative and Acrobatics, and a +2 dodge bonus to Reflex defense.  This stacks with the Move-By-Wire System nanoaugmentation.
• Jumping Augmentation (0.25 Mojo/Level) – For each level of this ability, double your maximum movement per round only for the purpose of how far you can jump.  Halve any damage you take from falling.  Additionally, you gain a +4 bonus to Jump per level of this ability.
• Magic-Reinforced Body (1 Mojo/Level) – For each level of this ability, add your Wisdom score to your hit points.
• Nerve Strike (1 Mojo) – You can use your mastery of magic’s effect on biological targets to interfere with an opponent’s coordination and muscle control.  Before you make an unarmed melee attack, you can declare it to be a nerve strike.  If you hit with the attack, instead of dealing damage you can instead reduce the target’s Dexterity or Strength by an amount equal to your half your Wisdom modifier.  If this would reduce the target’s Dexterity or Strength to 0, then the target is paralyzed and considered to be at the bottom of the condition track (though still conscious).  The target recovers from this reduction in ability scores at a rate of 1 point per hour normally, or 2 points per hour if they are resting.  This ability has no effect on non-biological targets, spirits, or any target without a distinct central nervous system.
• Permanent Ability Boost (1 Mojo/Level) – When you acquire this ability, choose a physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution).  You gain a +2 magic bonus to this ability score per level of this ability.  This does not stack with boosts from abilities like Pact-Based Theurgy.  You cannot receive more than a +6 bonus to any given ability score from this.  You can acquire this ability three separate times, once for each ability score.
• Protective Field (0.5 Mojo/Level) – You gain a magic bonus to Reflex defense and any defense being affected by a magic-based effect.  This bonus is equal to the level of this power.
• Regenerative Augmentation (0.5 Mojo/Level) – For each level of this ability, double the amount of hit points you recover from natural healing and Second Wind.  The bonus to natural healing stacks with the Regenerative Implant nanoagumentation.
• Slow Fall (0.25 Mojo/Level) – When you would suffer falling damage, ignore a number of squares that you fell equal to your Wisdom score multiplied by your level in this ability.  If this number is equal to or greater than the distance in squares that you have fallen, you ignore all falling damage from the fall and land on your feet if you so desire.
• Static Stance (0.25 Mojo/Level) – As a move action you can root yourself in place.  While rooted, you gain a +3 bonus per level to all of your defenses – but only to resist being moved against your will.  If you move or are moved, this ability immediately deactivates.  While you are rooted, you lose all dodge bonuses to Reflex defense and cannot make any action that could be considered a block or a parry.  You may disable this ability as a free action on your turn.
• Strong Swimmer (1 Mojo) – You double your swimming rate, even if it only comes from the Swim skill.
• Temporary Ability Boost (0.25 Mojo/Level) – When you acquire this ability, choose a physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution).  As a move or standard action you can boost this ability score by 2 per level of this ability.  This bonus lasts for a number of full rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier.  At the end of this duration, you suffer nonlethal damage equal to five times the level of this ability.  You can acquire this ability three separate times, once for each ability score.
• Thrown Weapon Mastery (1 Mojo) – You can use mundane objects such as bottles, tools, empty firearm magazines, and so on, as deadly thrown weapons.  These improvised weapons suffer none of the standard penalties for improvised weapons and do 1d6+Strength Modifier damage, either lethal or nonlethal at your discretion.  Additionally, you gain a +1 bonus to attack with all thrown weapons and a +3 bonus to damage with all non-explosive thrown weapons – these bonuses do apply to mundane objects described above.
• Thrown Weapon Parry (0.25 Mojo/Level) – As a reaction you can attempt to catch a slow-moving projectile (such as an arrow, thrown knife, grenade, and so on) that is approaching you.  To do so, you must make a ranged attack roll – if your result exceeds the attack roll of the incoming attack, you successfully catch the projectile.  You must have a free hand to attempt this, and attempting to do so counts as an attack of opportunity.
• Unarmed Augmentation (0.5 Mojo) – Reinforcing your unarmed attacks with magic, you gain a bonus to unarmed damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.  However, this cannot be used in conjunction with any form of unarmed weapon – even combat gloves.  Your unarmed attacks now count as a magic-based form of damage.  Additionally, you can now choose to deal lethal damage with your unarmed attacks even if you were not previously able to do so.  If you already had the ability to do lethal damage with your unarmed attacks, you now count as one size larger for the purposes of determining your damage.
• Unarmed Armor Penetration (0.25 Mojo/Level) – This ability gives your unarmed attacks the ability to ignore 2 points of armor bonus to Reflex defense per level of this ability and 2 points of equipment-based damage reduction per level of this ability.  This can be used with Unarmed Augmentation, but not Energy Strike.  When the target of an attack augmented by this is examined, the armor is undamaged – the attack just completely bypasses the armor.
• Untraceable (1 Mojo) – You can move over surfaces without leaving visible traces.  You make no noise from walking or running, and any Perception test to detect you via hearing takes a -8 penalty.  You don’t trip vibration or pressure sensors if they are designed to detect walking or running targets.  You can walk across deep snow without sinking, but cannot walk across liquid surfaces.  While being tracked by non-visual cues, including the Track spell and power, attempts to track you suffer a -4 penalty.
• Wall Run (0.5 Mojo) – You can run up vertical surfaces for a limited distance.  As a full-round action, make an Endurance check and divide the result by two – this is the amount of meters that you can run up the surface, provided this does not exceed the maximum distance you can run this turn.  At the end of your movement, you fall off the wall if you have not reached a horizontal surface.

Improved Mojo – Each time at level 3 and every 2 levels thereafter, you gain one Improved Mojo ability from the list below.  To select an Improved Mojo ability, you must have the Mojo Ability that it enhances.

• Air Step (Improves: Jumping Augmentation) – You can essentially make a jump off of the air now – Jumping Augmentation now triples your maximum movement for the purposes of jumping.  Additionally, you can now spend a full-round action to jump twice in a round – you do not need to land on a solid surface between the first and second jump.

• Chakra Master (Improves: Nerve Strike) – Your ability to interfere with another’s coordination now expands to interfering with the flow of their magic as well.  You can now use Nerve Strike to impose a penalty to all Magery checks the target makes equal to your Wisdom modifier.  You cannot use both functions at once, you must choose if you are going to decrease an ability score or impair their magic with each use.

• Improved Forceful Strike (Improves: Forceful Strike) – You may now deal damage when using Forceful Strike, in addition to knocking them back.
• Improved Wall Run (Improves: Wall Run) – You no longer divide the result of the Endurance check you make as part of wall run by two – use the full result instead.  You still cannot exceeed your normal run distance for the turn.
• Thrown Barrage (Improves: Thrown Weapon Mastery) – When using Thrown Weapon Mastery to attack with improvised throwing weapons, you can now throw a handful of the improvised weapons instead of only one.  This functions as a normal autofire attack and requires 10 pieces of ammunition of a similar size to each other.
• Water Run (Improves: Untraceable) – You can now walk across liquid surfaces, but only when taking the run action.  You must end your turn on a solid surface, otherwise you fall into the liquid as normal.

Center Self – As a swift action, you can temporarily move yourself up on the condition track a number of steps equal to your Wisdom modifier.  This lasts for a number of turns equal to your Wisdom modifier.  This cannot be used to negate any persistent conditions.

Sculpt Mojo – As a full-round action, you can remove mojo from one ability and temporarily add it to another.  You can move up to your Wisdom modifier of mojo points in this way.  This shift in mojo lasts for a number of minutes equal to your Wisdom modifier.  When it ends, you suffer nonlethal damage equal to your Wisdom score.

Infuse Mojo – As a full-round action, you can call upon the magic around you to reinforce your mojo.  You can add a number of mojo points to one ability equal to double your Wisdom modifier, however this cannot increase the level of an ability to higher than your Wisdom score.  This boost lasts for a number of full rounds equal to your Wisdom modifier.  Once this boost ends, you suffer nonlethal damage equal to double your Wisdom score, and you lose a number of mojo points equal to double your Wisdom modifier from randomly-selected abilities for a number of minutes equal to your wisdom points.

Gift Mojo – You can temporarily awaken another’s ability to use mojo.  As a full-round action that requires contact with the target, you can give the target the ability to use Mojo as if they normally had the ability to do so.  The target uses their own Wisdom modifier and makes all decisions involved with the distribution of mojo normally.  However, the target does not gain the Center Self, Sculpt Mojo, Infuse Mojo, or Gift Mojo abilities.  The target retains the ability to use mojo for a number of minutes equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Two weeks of updates! All you badass normal characters out there finally get that “I’m gonna fix it eventually” power boost that I’ve been promising for a while now. A smattering of new weapons and equipment are released. Two new Wings for the TARAWA system have been made at the request of someone who wanted to invoke the Macross Missile Massacre trope. The song references continue with 3 new invisible touches for Path of the Disciplined Warrior (and a new Mindjack). A new psionic talent lets you call up the skills of the former owners of weapons you use Psychometry on. A host of new culture bonuses are released. There’s a some new species feats, general feats, magic feats, psionics feats, and one martial arts feat. The expansion of the Creation Magic talent tree has happened, along with the first two bits of rules for Genius Loci (Genius Loci Bond and Former Genius Loci talents). As usual, there’s new generic combat techniques. Called Shots finally happened because I got lazy and ported over rules from Pathfinder. Some expansion to bound spirits for contractors. Skill expansions for Gather Information, Mechanics, and Psionics. A bit of an expansion for the base psionic abilities Danger Sense and Deep Scan. Two new ammunition types. Some new nanoaugmentations. New abilities for familiars and yoitsuni servants. And then there’s the Invocations system, adapted from Spycraft.

UPDATE TABLE OF CONTENTS

• NEW RULE: Mundane Character Progression (THIS IS BIG, READ THIS OR ELSE)
• NEW SPEAKERS EQUIPMENT
• NEW TARAWA SYSTEM WINGS
• NEW PATH OF THE DISCIPLINED WARRIOR CONTENT
• NEW PSIONIC TALENTS
• NEW CULTURE BONUSES
• NEW SPECIES FEATS
• NEW GENERAL FEATS
• NEW MAGIC FEATS
• NEW PSIONIC FEATS
• NEW LISSONIAN EQUIPMENT
• NEW MAGIC TALENTS
• NEW GENERIC COMBAT TECHNIQUES
• RULES EDITS [Autofire]
• NEW RULES: CALLED SHOTS
• TRAINING CHANGES
• NEW BOUND SPIRIT GRANTED POWER [Courage]
• NEW SKILL USE: Gather Information [Active Investigation]
• PSIONIC CHARACTER PROGRESSION EXPANSION: Ability Variants [Danger Sense, Deep Scan]
• NEW VARIANT AMMUNITION TYPES
• NEW NANOAUGMENTATIONS
• NEW SKILL USES: Psionics [Dark Corners, Focus the Mind]
• NEW BOUND SPIRIT GRANTED POWERS [Ice]
• NEW MARTIAL ARTS FEATS
• NEW GENERIC EQUIPMENT
• NEW HUMAN EQUIPMENT
• SKILL USE: Mechanics [Modify Weapon] – Additional Modification Options
• FAMILIAR-AIDED THEURGY: New Familiar Abilities
• INVOCATIONS: The Basics
• INVOCATIONS: Rites
• INVOCATIONS: Rituals
• INVOCATIONS: The Thirst
• YOITSUNI SERVANT SUMMONING: New Customization Options

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NEW RULE: Mundane Character Progression (THIS IS BIG, READ THIS OR ELSE)

If your character lacks Magery as a trained skill, Nanite Control as a trained skill, Psionics as a trained skill, and also lack the Force Control Implants feat, then you gain access to the Mundane Character Progression rule. Basically, if you are totally mundane, you gain access to the rule. Should you ever gain Magery, Nanite Control, or Psionics as a trained skill, or the Force Control Implants feat, then you lose immediately access to this rule and gain the corresponding character advancement for whatever non-mundane thing you have obtained. However, if you obtain such a thing in the course of resolving a Story Feat, you do not lose access to this rule.

Character Level	Bonus Feats	Bonus Talents	Bonus Combat Techniques Readied	Special
1st-2nd	1	0	1	Combat Method, Specialization
3rd-4th	1	1	1
5th-6th	2	1	1
7th-8th	2	2	2
9th-10th	3	2	2	Improved Specialization
11th-12th	3	3	2
13th-14th	4	3	3
15th-16th	4	4	3
17th-18th	5	4	3	Greater Specialization
19th-20th	5	5	4

Bonus Combat Techniques Readied: Increase the amount of combat techniques you can ready by this amount.

Combat Method: At level 1, choose your character’s combat method from the list below. This represents the overall ‘feel’ of your unique style of fighting rather than a combat school.
• Iterative Attacks: You have learned to get off more attacks in a shorter period of time. These additional attacks can only be used when making a Full Attack or when making a regular attack with a ranged weapon set to semiautomatic fire (in which case you cannot use the rules for semiautomatic fire that allow you to take a penalty to attack to do extra dice of damage). At level 6 you gain your first additional attack, which is made at a -5 penalty. Every five levels after that, you gain another additional attack, and the penalty for each additional attack increases by 5 each time (second additional attack is at -10, third is at -15, etc). When making the extra attacks as a regular attack (with a semiautomatic ranged weapon), you can ONLY use that weapon to make them. When making a Full Attack, you can use any weapon you are actively armed with (including natural weapons and unarmed attacks) to make the attacks, in any combination you choose.
• Marksmanship: You have spent much time on the shooting range or practicing with target dummies (or live targets if you’re sadistic), honing your abilities to hit specific weak points. When making a called shot, you reduce the penalty by 2. This penalty reduction increases to 3 at level 6, and by an additional 1 at every 5 levels after that (4 at level 11, 5 at level 16, and so on).
• Unarmed Combat: Rather than focusing on a method of attack, you have instead focused on making sure that you are just as dangerous when unarmed as others are when armed. You gain Martial Arts I as a bonus feat.  At level 3 you gain Martial Arts II as a bonus feat.  At level 6 you gain Martial Arts III as a bonus feat.  At levels 9, 12, 15, and 18 you gain any [Martial Arts] feat as a bonus feat.

Specialization: At level 1, choose your character’s specialization from the list below. This specialization determines the effects of other features of Mundane Character Progression, as well as providing a bonus of its own.
• Celebrity: You are automatically trained in the Knowledge (Culture [<Your species or the primary species you cater to>]) and Persuasion skills.
• Combat: You are automatically trained in the Endurance and Treat Injury.
• Diverse Skills: You are automatically trained in two skills of your choice – these cannot be Magery, Nanite Control, or Psionics.
• Diplomacy: You are automatically trained in the Deception and Persuasion skills.
• Hacking: You are automatically trained in the Hackcraft and Use Computer skills.
• Military: You are automatically trained in the Knowledge (Civics) and Profession (Military) skills. If you are already trained in Profession (Military) by way of your Species or Training, you are instead automatically trained in the Endurance skill.
• Vehicles: You are automatically trained in the Pilot and Ride skills.

Bonus Feats: You gain bonus feats as you level, the list you draw these bonus feats from is dependent on your Specialization.
• Celebrity: You choose your bonus feats from the following list: Banter, Battle Anthem, Card Shark, Composer, Disturbing Presence, Famous, Fan Service, Force of Personality, Friends in Low Places, Gorgeous, Jet Setter, Little Black Book, Musician, Natural Leader, Simply Irresistible, Solo Flourish, Skill Focus (Knowledge [Culture (<species>]), Skill Focus (Persuasion), Studio Musician, Superstar, The Look
• Combat: Your bonus feats are selected from the following list: any [Martial Arts] feat, Careful Shot, Conditioning, Coolness Under Fire, Improved Defenses, Improvised Weapon Mastery, Medical Team, Melee Defense, Never Surrender, Pistoleer, Riflemaster, Skill Focus (Endurance), Skill Focus (Treat Injury), Sport Hunter, Tireless Squad, Weapon Focus, Weapon Proficiency
• Diplomacy: You choose your bonus feats from the following list: Academic Contacts, Banter, Card Shark, Cut the Red Tape, Experienced Linguist, Expert Briber, Force of Personality, Linguist, Natural Leader, Perfected Attitude, Rapport, Scholarly, Silver Tongue, Skill Focus (Deception), Skill Focus (Persuasion), The Pen Is Mightier, Undermine
• Diverse Skills: Your bonus feats are chosen from the following list: any [Team] feat, Academic Contacts, Adaptable Talent, Brilliant Defense, Fascinating Information, Mission Specialist, Natural Leader, Quick Skill, Recall, Scholarly, Skill Focus (the two skills you selected for Specialization), Skill Training
• Hacking: You choose your bonus feats from the following list: any [Hacking] feats, Skill Focus (Hackcraft), Skill Focus (Use Computer), Slicer Team
• Military: Your bonus feats are selected from the following list: any [Team] feat, By The Book, Careful Shot, Conditioning, Coolness Under Fire, Coordinated Attack, Coordinated Barrage, Decorated Veteran, Keep Your Head Down, Linguist, Military Man, Mudfoot, Mustang, Pistoleer, Promotion, Rapport, Riflemaster, Skill Focus (Endurance), Skill Focus (Knowledge [Civics]), Skill Focus (Profession [Military]), Squared Away, Top Kick, Unconventional, Warrant
• Vehicles: You choose your bonus feats from the following list: any [Vehicle] feats, Advanced Device (must be a vehicle), Destructive Force, Drone Operations, Hasty Modification, Heavy Hitter, Hold Together, Momentum Strike, Mounted Combat, Mounted Defense, Mounted Regiment, Moving Target, Signature Device (must be a vehicle), Skill Focus (Pilot), Skill Focus (Ride), Starship Designer, Superior Tech, Tech Specialist, Weapon Focus (Heavy Weapons), Weapon Proficiency (Heavy Weapons)

Bonus Talents: You gain bonus talents as you level, the talent trees you draw these bonus talents from are dependent on your Specialization. You may always use a bonus talent to gain a talent from a talent tree on the heroic talents page.
• Celebrity: Disgrace (Expert), Inspiration (Expert)
• Combat: Brawler (Soldier), Healer (Expert/Soldier)
• Diplomacy: Influence (Expert), Provocateur (Expert)
• Diverse Skills: Superior Skills (Expert), Versatility (Scout)

• Hacking: Slicer (Scoundrel), Superior Skills (Expert)
• Military: Leadership (Expert), Veteran (Soldier)
• Vehicles: Deep Space Explorer (Scout), Spacer (Scoundrel)

Improved Specialization: You gain a new benefit based on your chosen specialization.
• Celebrity – Trend Setter: You receive Jet Setter as a bonus feat, if you already had the feat then you may instead take any other feat from the Entertainer bonus feat list that you qualify for in its place. The amount of times per day that you can use any given presence action is increased to two per day. Every 5 levels you gain beyond 9th level increases the amount of times you can use each hack action per day by 1. Additionally, you now add one-half your character level to all Presence checks, as if it was a skill.

• Combat – Favored Weapon: Choose one specific weapon you have. While you are wielding this specific weapon, you gain combat bonuses that increase with your level. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage with this weapon, which increases by 1 every 5 levels beyond 9th. Changing the weapon you have assigned to this requires spending 14 4-hour downtime periods training with the new weapon.
• Diplomacy – Right-Hand Man: You are either assigned or naturally attract a right-appendage sentient, who becomes your aide. You receive the Protégé feat as a bonus feat, except the character’s level begins at a level three-fourths of yours (round down) instead of one-half. This does not count as the Protégé feat.
• Diverse Skills – Jack of All Trades: You can now use any skill untrained, except for Magery, Nanite Control, and Psionics. When making a check with an untrained skill, you gain a +1 bonus to that skill. This increases to +2 at level 13, +3 at level 17, +4 at level 21, and +5 at level 25.
• Hacking – Favored Hardware: Choose one specific computer or neural interface you have. While you are using this computer or neural interface to hack, you gain bonuses that increase with your level. You gain a +2 bonus to all Hackcraft and Use Computer checks made with it, and a +1 bonus to your Surface Defense and (if applicable) your Core Defense when using it. These bonuses increases by 2 every 5 levels beyond 9th. Changing the item you have assigned to this requires spending 14 4-hour downtime periods training with the new one.
• Military – Subordinates: You gain a number of followers equal to your rank number minus 1. If you are a Warrant Officer, the resulting number is doubled. If you are an Officer, the resulting number is tripled. These followers are the same branch as you and have the corresponding training for that branch. When you receive this ability you gain a bonus talent chosen from Commanding Officer (Squad Leader heroic talent tree), Inspire Loyalty (Loyal Protector heroic talent tree), or Reconnaissance Team Leader (Reconnaissance heroic talent tree). All of your followers are created as if they were obtained via this talent. You can only have three of the followers you get from this ability with you at once, the others are off managing your affairs and keeping the team’s gear in peak condition. If your character is not currently engaging in active service these followers function the same, but are not assigned to you – they instead represent comrades-in-arms, fellow veterans, and so on.
• Vehicles – Favored Vehicle: Choose one specific vehicle you have or that is assigned to you. While you are serving as a crewmember on this vehicle, you gain bonuses that increase with your level. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage withthe vehicle’s weapons and a +1 bonus to all skill checks relating to the vehicle., These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels beyond 9th. Changing the vehicle you have assigned to this requires spending 28 4-hour downtime periods training with the new vehicle.

Greater Specialization: You gain a new benefit based on your chosen specialization.
• Celebrity – Flunkies: You find yourself surrounded by people constantly seeking your attention, willing to do almost anything you ask of them. These are heroic characters one-quarter your level, and you receive a number of them equal to three times your Charisma modifier. You can only one-half your Charisma modifier of them present at any given time.
• Combat – School of Hard Knocks: You’ve been around the block long enough to pick up more than a few tricks. Choose one combat school that you do not already have. You receive the benefits as if you qualified for the 3rd degree mastery of this school (including the effects of the 1st and 2nd degrees) even if you do not meet the prerequisites for it. This combat school does not count against the limit of schools that you can benefit from that you might have due to your Martial Arts feats.
• Diplomacy – Left-Hand Man: You are either assigned or naturally attract another right-appendage sentient, who becomes your second aide. You receive the Protégé feat as a bonus feat, except the character’s level begins at a level three-fourths of yours (round down) instead of one-half. This does not count as the Protégé feat.You can only have one aide present at any given time between this ability and Right-Hand Man. The other aide is assumed to be off managing your affairs when not present.
• Diverse Skills – Diverse Focus: You gain Skill Focus as a bonus feat, but do not have to select a skill for it on a permanent basis. Instead, you may change the skill that this Skill Focus feat is assigned to by spending 2 4-hour downtime periods in study.
• Hacking – Subroutines: You’ve written enough automation scripts to automate your hacking tools and memory use. When using your Favored Hardware, you have access to a second pool of readied hacks. The size of this pool is equal to that of your first pool.
• Military – Competent Subordinates: Your subordinates are now considered nonheroic characters of a level equal to yours. They still receive all the bonus feats and trained skills that they would get for being followers, and still are considered followers for any talents you have.
• Vehicles – We’ve Been Through A Lot Together: While serving as a crewmember on your Favored Vehicle you can perform seemiingly impossible feats. As a free action a number of times equal to your character level you can perform one of the things listed below. Once used, a use of this ability is gone for good – you get one additional use per character level, can ‘bank’ them from level to level, but there is no way to get additional uses besides levelling. A vehicle can only be affected by one of these abilities once per turn.

"Incoming Fire!" – Automatically cause an attack rolled against your vehicle to miss, even once the attack is resolved. (Commanding officer, copilot, executive officer, pilot, or second officer only )
"Watch Out!" – Automatically succeed on any Pilot or Ride check, including any check to avoid a hazard or obstacle, getting the best possible outcome on the check. (Pilot or copilot only)
"Do It Now!" – Allow your vehicle to act out of turn, thus changing your position in the initiative order. (Commander, executive officer, operations officer, pilot, second officer, or system operator only)

"Right Full Rudder!" – Cause any damage rolled against your vehicle to instead affect any other vehicle within three squares. (Commander, executive officer, operations officer, pilot, second officer, or system operator only)

"Patch That Breach!" – Repair your vehicle, restoring a number of hit points equal to its damage threshold. (Engineer only)
"Reverse The Polarity!" – Restore your vehicle’s shields to full SR. (Engineer, operations officer, or system operator only)
"Execute Attack Pattern Alpha" – Regain all uses of your vehicle maneuvers. (Commander, gunner, or pilot only)

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NEW SPEAKERS EQUIPMENT

Speakers Sensor Pack [Equipment]
Cost: 4,000 Speaker’s Consortium Currency Units
Weight: 1 KG
This functions as a standard sensor pack, except it’s operation time is a move action instead of a standard action. It is a device with a near-universal mounting system, able to be strapped onto almost any limb of most known species.

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NEW TARAWA SYSTEM WINGS

Swarm Missile Pod – A "Wing" in classification only, the Swarm Missile Pod is actually a non-deployable wing which carries an extensive amount of small guided missiles which deal 4d10 B/S/P damage.. Based on a smaller-scale version of the Nano-Missile System installed on several TAAF ground and space vehicles, this pod contains an array of nano-missile tubes. Each pod contains 50 missile tubes, which can be fired either in single-shot mode or fully-automatic (which consumes 10 missiles and attacks a 2×2 square area).These missiles are guided, so if you take an Aim action and miss on your attack then the missile can attack again on your next turn with a -5 penalty (this second attack does not require an action on your part). Swarm Missile Pods cannot be reloaded by a Frame. The missiles have a cost of 5 credits each and an availablility of Military. The missiles use the same range categories as Nano-Missiles. While a Swarm Missile Pod is not deployable, it must be ‘deployed’ in the same fashion as any other Wing, uses Controlled Wing capacity as normal, and must be used in blocks of two as usual.

• HP: 60 (50 – 5 + 15)
• Fortitude Defense: 10 + 2 CON + X User’s Heroic Level
• Reflex Defense: 10 + 4 DEX + 1 Size + X User’s Heroic Level
• Will Defense: N/A, Counts as Mindless and cannot be hacked because bio-computer.  Theoretically a Psion using the system could be targeted through a deployed Wing, but then they’ll use their own Will Defense.
• STR 12, DEX 18, CON 15
• RESOURCE CONSUMPTION
  • N/A, Missile Pods are not deployable.
• RESOURCE CAPACITY
  • 50 Missiles

Nano-Missile Array – A "Wing" in classification only, the Nano-Missile Array is actually a non-deployable wing which carries several missiles commonly used in the vehicular Nano-Missile System – these missiles still deal (4d10)x2 B/S/P damage. Each pod contains 20 missile tubes, which can be fired either in single-shot mode or fully-automatic (which consumes 10 missiles and attacks a 2×2 square area). These missiles are guided, so if you take an Aim action and miss on your attack then the missile can attack again on your next turn with a -5 penalty (this second attack does not require an action on your part). Nano-Missile Arrays cannot be reloaded by a Frame. The missiles have a cost of 10 credits each and an availablility of Military. The missiles use the same range categories as Nano-Missiles. While a Nano-Missile Array is not deployable, it must be ‘deployed’ in the same fashion as any other Wing, uses Controlled Wing capacity as normal, and must be used in blocks of two as usual.

• HP: 60 (50 – 5 + 15)
• Fortitude Defense: 10 + 2 CON + X User’s Heroic Level
• Reflex Defense: 10 + 4 DEX + 1 Size + X User’s Heroic Level
• Will Defense: N/A, Counts as Mindless and cannot be hacked because bio-computer.  Theoretically a Psion using the system could be targeted through a deployed Wing, but then they’ll use their own Will Defense.
• STR 12, DEX 18, CON 15
• RESOURCE CONSUMPTION
  • N/A, Missile Pods are not deployable.
• RESOURCE CAPACITY
  • 20 Missiles

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NEW PATH OF THE DISCIPLINED WARRIOR CONTENT

MINDJACKS

Combat Mimic – When you strike a target, you can make a Psionics check as a free action. If you beat the target’s Will defense, you add a copy of one combat technique that the target has readied to your readied combat techniques. You do not need to meet any prerequisites for this technique, and it does not count against your normal limit.

INVISIBLE TOUCHES

I Don’t Really Know Her – Make a Psionics check. If you beat the target’s Will Defense, the target forgets about your existence for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. Not only are they flat-footed versus your attacks during this time, they are completely unaware of your existence. If you attack the target during this period, this effect immediately ends.
Nothing Could Go Wrong – Make a Psionics check. If you beat the target’s Will Defense, you may reroll your attack once per round against the target, however you must accept the new roll. You must choose to use this before you know whether you have hit the target or not. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier.
Something Mysterious – Make a Psionics check. If you beat the target’s Will Defense, you are considered to have concealment versus that target and can make Stealth checks against them as a free action once per round on your turn. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier.

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NEW PSIONIC TALENTS

INVESTIGATION TALENTS

• Psychometric Absorption: When you use the Psychometry talent on a weapon that has passed through at least one previous user you can absorb some of the lingering psychometric impressions of previous users’ skills. If you do not have proficiency with the weapon, you become proficient with it. If you are already proficient with it and do not have Weapon Focus with it, you instead gain the benefits of Weapon Focus with that weapon. If you already had Weapon Focus that the weapon benefits from, you instead gain the Weapon Specialization talent with that weapon. If you already have the Weapon Specialization talent with the weapon or the weapon group it belongs to, you instead gain the benefits of Crushing Assault, Impaling Assault, or Stinging Assault. If you already have the appropriate of those three talents, you instead gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage with the weapon. Aside from Psychometry, all the talents mentioned in this talent are from the Weapon Specialist tree available to Soldiers. Any benefit you gain from this talent lasts until you sleep next.
  • Prerequisites: Psychometry

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NEW CULTURE BONUSES

Electrical Tolerance – You are from a location that experience constant electrical surges or lightning storms in the atmosphere. Your constant exposure to these effects has made your body naturally resistant to electrical damage. You receive a +2 to all defenses against attacks related to electricity, such as power surges, shocks, lightning bolts, and the like, and you receive a +2 bonus to all Perception checks when attempting to detect the type or location of an electrical disturbance, such as a shorted wire or electric fence.

Entertainer – You are from a society that enjoys and appreciates good entertainment, and you are now taking up the craft for yourself. You receive a +2 bonus to all Profession skill checks related to entertainment. In addition, select one of the following specialties: Singing, Dancing, Acting, Filmmaking, or News Reporting. You receive a further +2 bonus to any Profession check related to this field.

High-G Tolerance – You come from a world where the gravity is significantly higher than normal for your species. Prolonged exposure has made you better able to operate in higher gravity situations, but lower gravities can be a significant problem. Characters with this feat ignore the first two points of Dexterity penalty for high-gravity situations. Jump distances and lifting capacities are increased by 1 fractional point, so a 1/2 would become a 1/3, 1/4 would become 1/5, and so on. Additionally, the character receives a +2 bonus on all Acrobatics checks related to high-G conditions. Lower gravities present a bigger problem. however. All Dexterity and Strength modifiers are increased by two. Jump distances and lifting capacities are increased by one multiplier point, so x2 becomes x3, x4 becomes x5, and x8 becomes x9. This represents the inability of the body to adapt to lower gravity, which is much more extreme to you than a normal member of your species.

Insulated Skin – You have a thick layer of skin with a considerable amount of sub-dermal fat and other natural insulation that keeps you warm in extremely cold conditions. You receive a +2 to all of the following skills where they relate to cold weather: Climb, Jump, Stealth, Survival, Swim, and Treat Injury. In addition, cold-related medical conditions such as hypothermia only affect you half as quickly as they would a normal person. For example, if a hypothermia check in an icy environment is called for once per hour, you would roll only once every other hour. Your recovery time for such conditions is halved regardless of the success of a Treat Injury check made to treat those conditions.

Jeweler – You have a background in working with valuable gemstones and fine jeweler, as well as an appreciation for such things. In addition to your ability to recognize the value of various rocks and minerals you might encounter, you also have a natural ability to pick them out of a crowd. You receive a +2 bonus to Mechanics, Perception, and Profession checks where they relate to gemstones and jewels, and a + 1 bonus to those same skills when working with less valuable metals and ores such as iron, copper, and the like. In addition, you own a piece of jeweler that holds special interest for you. Perhaps it is a family heirloom, or a gift from a relative, or just something from your own personal collection. It might be a gem-encrusted ring. a valuable necklace, or even a functional device such as a watch or belt buckle made of gold or other semi-precious metal. The item has a value of 1d6+500 credits, but is not something you will willingly part with except in the direst of circumstances. You might, for example, pawn your valuables to buy a ticket in order to avoid pursuit by bloodthirsty criminals, but you would not simply sell it in order to purchase some more equipment for your next mission. You might, however, use it as collateral for a loan.

Primitive – You are from an extremely primitive culture and are unfamiliar with technology, but are better equipped to physical skills. Although you are used to a low-tech society, that does not mean you are uneducated. In fact, you have probably learned a great deal about the rest of the world. You are just not experienced with it. Because of your physical upbringing, you receive a +1 to all of the following skills: Acrobatics, Climb, Jump, Perception, Stealth, Survival, and Swim. These apply even in high-tech settings – you can transfer your climbing abilities to scale a large cargo pallet just as easily as you can a cliff face, for example. In addition, you also know how to use certain primitive weapons not used in modem society, such as boomerangs and blowguns, as appropriate to your culture. You are proficient with one weapon common to your people, regardless of if it is an exotic weapon or not. However, your inexperience with technology gives you a -2 penalty to each of the following skills: Hackcraft, Mechanics, Pilot, Profession, and Use Computer. You also cannot begin with any in Knowledge skill trained unless it is directly related to your culture, and you cannot know any languages that your culture would not know.

Radiation Tolerant – You are from a country or area that has been the target of nuclear attacks or radioactive accidents in the distant past. As a result, your body has built up certain chemicals that make you naturally resistant to radiation. You receive a +5 bonus to your Fortitude Defense versus radiation effects.

Spelunker – You are familiar with natural underground passages and enjoy visiting large systems of caves. You receive a +3 bonus to your Knowledge skills relating to cave exploration and the caverns near your home, if applicable. You are also extremely comfortable moving through the rough, wet, dark areas of a natural cavern. Any penalties to your movement or combat abilities are halved when you are in a cave environment. For example, if the GM determines that the wet and rough underground passage you are exploring results in a -3 to your melee attack roll and -50% to your speed, you would only receive a -2 attack penalty, and your speed would only be reduced by -25%. In addition to this, you receive a +2 to all Climb, Jump, Stealth, and Survival checks in a natural cave environment.

Strong Swimmer – You come from an island or other area where swimming is not just a pastime but a simple necessity of life. Because of your years of practice and study, you can swim, dive, and work underwater better than most. You receive a +5 bonus to all Swim checks. In addition, if you make your Swim check during any given round, you can move one-third of your speed as a move-equivalent action and two-thirds of your speed as a full round action.

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NEW SPECIES FEATS

A Mind of Your Own [Species]
You refuse to have any part of a society that will not let you make choices for yourself. Strong-willed enough to break free, you have made the only choice you could.
Prerequisite: Member of any Caste-Based society (Chrysoari, Hand of Action, or Glorious Imperium), Wisdom 13+
Benefit: You made the choice to leave hundreds or thousands of years of tradition and the shelter of your society to find your own way in life; any other compulsion or forced compliance does not have much of a chance of working against you. Whenever anyone succeeds on an attack or skill check against your Will Defense for a non-instantaneous effect, you can force them to make a second attempt one round later on your turn. One full round has to pass between the sucessful attack and the forced second attempt, which may cause you to succumb to any effects on your next turn if that much time has not elapsed. However, you take a -5 penalty on Persuasion checks made against members of your own species or society unless they also have this feat.

Artisan [Species]
You have an aesthetic sense that is very uncommon in your culture. While you may not be considered ‘normal’ because of this artistic streak, you can accumulate a remarkable amount of respect for your skills if you desire.
Prerequisite: You must be from a ‘warrior species’ or ‘warrior culture’ (JolKoar’Amask, JolKoar’Amask (Houses J’Nag and Ujo’Luf), Imperiumite with Soldier Pleb status, or Proximan), trained in a Profession skill
Benefit: Anyone can be an artist, but only someone with drive, talent, and the ability to make their work known to their people can truly claim to be an artisan. Artisans can belong to any profession; they are a subclass of workers, not a specific category of work type. Whenever an artisan attempts to sell their wares by making a Profession check for income, you gain 42 times the result of the skill roll in credits. This assumes you have access to your own culture, many of whom respect you for your art, or an appreciative alien market.
As a side benefit, you do not suffer any circumstance penalties to Charisma-based skill checks or Charisma checks that might be imposed on one of your race that does not choose the life of a warrior. In militaristic societies, this benefit can make the feat worth taking all by itself.
Normal: Profession checks made to make money provide 35 times the skill check result in credits.

Assimilated Wisdom [Species]
You have accumulated a wealth of information on a variety of different topics, more than you could possibly access in normal circumstances. When you concentrate, you can recall facts from virtually any field.
Prerequisites: Artificial Intelligence [Terran Soft AI], Fost [Fuuer], Hive, Mind of Intelligence "Bonded", or Proximan with Lore-Keeper training; Trained in any three Knowledge skills OR two Knowledge skills plus Mechanics.
Benefit: A number of times per day equal to your character level, you may make a Intelligence check (DC 13). If you succeed, you may either add a +2 competence bonus to any Knowledge or Mechanics skill check or make a skill check in any trained only skill in which you do not possess training. This skill check is modified only by your relevant statistic and half your level; you cannot benefit from aid another or equipment based bonuses while using Assimilated Wisdom.

Sharp Claws [Species]
You’re a bit of a genetic throwback, to a time in the not-too-distant-past when Lissonians actually needed their claws.
Requirement: Lissonian
Benefits: Your claws do 2d4 damage instead of 1d4 damage, and you gain a 2-square climb speed – which also gives you the +8 bonus that species with a climb speed get on Climb checks.  However, you have decreased touch sensitivity with your hands (-5 Perception when using your hands to examine something), and you take a -2 penalty on all ranged attack rolls aside from ones made with thrown weapons.

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NEW GENERAL FEATS

Anti-Psion Training
Through proper training, mental discipline, or possibly even just constantly having an earwormy song stuck in your head you have hardened your mind against intrusions from psionic sources.

Prerequisite: Psionics must not be a trained skill
Benefit: You receive a +3 bonus to your Will defense versus psionic effects, and Damage Reduction 3 versus psionic damage sources.

Contempt
You have no time for lesser foes.
Prerequisite: Character level 6+.
Benefit: As a free action, you may make a single
attack against an opponent whose total challenge level is
at least 4 lower than character level. This feat ability
may only be used once per session, plus one additional
time per session for every 4 character levels you possess.
This feat may never be used more than once during any
single round.

CQB Gunnery
You casually consider all CQB tactics second nature.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +9 or higher
Benefit: When you make an attack with a braced firearm against a target within point-blank range and your damage is more than the target’s Fortitude Defense.  Further, if you are holding a braced firearm when you have to roll an Initiative check to begin combat, you gain a +4 bonus on the check.  However, if your first action during the combat is anything other than a firearm attack against an opponent within short range, you lose this bonus when you declare the action lowering your initiative by 4 after the attack resolves (this does not mean you get to act again on this turn).

Diving Shot
You may take evasive actions while attacking.
Prerequisites: Running Attack, base attack bonus +6 or higher.
Benefit: When you take any standard action ranged attacks, you may move a number of squares up to your speed. You may move part of this distance before your shot and part after your shot, as long as you don’t exceed your speed during the action. In addition, if you move at least one square during your action, you receive a +2 bonus to your Defense until the start of your next action.

Exalted One
By no great worth or intent of your own, you have been elevated above other members of your faith and are considered to be a modern prophet or other high-profile religious figure. You have a following and, whether you like it or not, a direct impact on your faith. Good luck.
Prerequisite: Liturgies of the Heart.
Benefit: You have committed the ultimate sins of being well-spoken and charismatic. Now, members of your faith from all over will come to hear your words and try to benefit from your ‘wisdom’. You may have no clue why you have become so famous or appreciated by your fellows, but you have impressed enough of them that your name has been added to the list of high profile figures of your faith and your words, for good or ill, will forever live on with your followers. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to any Charisma-based skill or attribute check made involving members of your own faith and the bonus granted from a use of Liturgies of the Heart improves to +3.

Expert Scavenger
Be it due to luck or skill, you have a knack for finding exactly what you are looking for when scavenging for parts.
Prerequisites: Scavenger
Benefit: You gain a +5 bonus to your Perception check made to use Scavenger. This stacks with all other bonuses to Perception.

Greater Called Shot
You can make multiple called shots where others could land but one.
Prerequisites: Intelligence 13+, Melee Defense, Improved Called Shot, base attack bonus +6.
Benefit: Whenever you make an attack, you can choose to replace that attack with a called shot. You can make multiple called shots in a single round. Each additional called shot after the first made in the same round takes a –5 penalty. In addition, a called shot that deals half the creature’s hit points of damage (minimum 40) is a debilitating blow.
Normal: You can make only one called shot in a round as a full-round action. A called shot that deals half the target’s hit points of damage (minimum 50) is a debilitating blow.

Improved Called Shot
You are skilled at landing blows right where you want to.
Prerequisites: Intelligence 13+, Melee Defense
Benefit: You receive a +2 bonus on attack rolls when making a called shot. When taking a full-round or standard action that gives you multiple attacks, you can replace a single attack with a called shot. You may only attempt one called shot per round.
Normal: You can make one called shot per round as a full-round action.

Improved Suppressing Fire
You are extremely effective at laying down fields of suppressing fire.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +3 or higher
Benefit: The penalty you impose on enemies when using the Suppressing Fire option of Aid Another increases to -4, and you can now use Suppressing Fire using a weapon set to autofire.  This works like Suppressing Fire normally does (including the increase to a -4 penalty) but it functions against all enemies within a 3×3 square area, as opposed to the normal 2×2 area for autofire attacks.

Knockout Blow
You dispatch minions with jaw-shattering blows.
Prerequisites: Strength 13+, Contempt, Martial Arts I
Benefit: Once per round, when you successfully
make an unarmed attack against a nonheroic character
possessing an challenge level at least 4 levels lower than your character level and inflict at least 1 point of damage (after
damage reduction, class abilities, and other
options are applied), if your attack roll beats the target’s Fortitude defense than the target is knocked unconscious for a number of rounds equal to your Strength modifier.

Liturgies of the Heart
Your oratory skills, pure adherence to your convictions and
inspirational examples can touch the reverence of other members of your faith
deeply, strengthening their resolve in the times of greatest
hardship.
Prerequisites: Charisma 13, Priestly Devotion.
Benefit: As Priestly Devotion, except that every member of your faith who
can hear your words also gains the Priestly Devotion bonuses
for the duration.

Perfect Stance
Your shooting form is superb.
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1 or higher.
Benefit: You may brace a weapon as a free action any time you take the aim action. When braced in this fashion, you reduce the penalty for autofire by 2.

Poison Basics
You’re studied many of the world’s most deadly toxins — how to counter them, and how to create them.
Prerequisites: Trained in Knowledge [Life Sciences] or Knowledge [Physical Sciences], level 3 or higher
Benefit: You can no longer poison yourself by failing a roll on Knowledge [Life Sciences] or Knowledge [Physical Sciences] checks made to create poison.  You may take 20 when using the aforementioned skills to create poisons. Finally, you receive a +2 competence bonus to your Fortitude Defense when dealing with attacks that could be described as a poison.

Poison Mastery
Your aptitude with poisons increases.
Prerequisites: Poison Basics, level 7 or higher
Benefit: Any poison you create gains a +3 bonus to it’s attack rolls.

Poison Supremacy
You are now a master of poisons in your own right, able to wield them with as much menace as any gun or melee weapon — if not more.
Prerequisites: Poison Mastery, level 12 or higher
Benefit: The time required for you to prepare a poison is reduced to half (rounding up). Further, you receive a +10 gear bonus with all Knowledge [Life Sciences] or Knowledge [Physical Sciences] checks made to identify a poison or drug and its properties. Finally, you receive a +4 competence bonus to your Fortitude Defense when dealing with attacks that could be described as poison (this bonus replaces the Fortitude Defense bonus granted by the Poison Basics feat).

Priestly Devotion
You have studied your faith or spirituality more deeper than most and can readily find strength in its teachings.
Prerequisites: Wisdom 13, trained in Knowledge (Culture [<Species that the faith originates from>])
Benefit: You can draw upon your faith to accomplish things
others cannot. Once per day, you can recite a passage
from memory, learned during your religious studies, as
a standard action. For a number of rounds equal to your
Wisdom bonus, you gain a +2 morale bonus to your Fortitude or
Will defenses and any skill checks.

Technophile
Your appreciation for gadgets borders on the disturbing.
Prerequisite: Trained in Mechanics and Use Computer
Benefit: Your disposition towards electronic devices gives you an innate appreciation of how they work and how they can be repaired. When making Mechanics skill checks for any reason related to electronics, the time needed for the check is always halved. In addition, you always have 5,000 credits worth of electronic devices of your choice on your person. These little wonders always seem to be with you, even if you are searched and the items taken away, you can find them again or construct new ones out of existing materials 24 hours later. The Games Master may determine that some situations will negate this part of the skill, such as imprisonment or complete isolation.

Traceless
You have developed the habit of removing signs of
your presence.
Prerequisites: Intelligence 13 or higher
Benefit: The DC for any attempt to notice your presence or passage (i.e. whether you’re in the same room as
them now or have been before) is increased by a number equal to your Intelligence modifier. If you are no
longer present and this adjusts the DC to spot you to 10
or more, the Survival skill is required to trace
your steps. Further, no one may take 10 or 20 when
making a skill check to notice your presence or passage.
This ability works whether the pursuer is making an
opposed skill check or not.

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NEW MAGIC FEATS

Blood of the Phoenix [Magic]
Any lingering imbalances from your days as a mortal have been flushed from your system. You are now truly eternal.
Prerequisites: Character level 20+, Philosopher, Skill Focus (Knowledge (Arcana))
Benefit: While your outward appearance does not change, you ignore any and all penalties for age. You may still die from violence or accident. Your maximum Constitution bonus to your hit points is doubled. You cannot be affected by critical hits.

Ceremony [Magic]
Your understanding of ceremony offers you special insight into the mechanics of mystic events.
Prerequisites: Magus
Benefit: By choosing a time rich with symbolism, meticulously preparing the setting, and indoctrinating your followers with special care, you can augment the energies available for an invocation. You must spend 20 credits for every follower (possibly producing a money trail others may notice) at least one month and not more than one year before the invocation is to take place. Your GM may have other requirements as well, based on the invocation in question, the location, the time of year, and other factors.
By fulfilling the requirements above, each of your regular followers (excluding those with magic feats that increase their value) is counted twice towards the number of followers available to perform the invocation. You may only prepare a follower for a single invocation at any time; his energies are not doubled for any other invocation you perform.

Circle of Power [Magic]
You may share your mystical power with others.
Prerequisites: Initiate
Benefit: You may contribute your power and the power of your bonded followers to the invocations of others without being bonded to them. If the individual leading the invocation also has this feat, you contribute your full power (including all feats and talents) to the number of followers available.

Enlightened [Magic]
You see the unseen world clearly now, and its vast powers are yours to command!
Prerequisites: Character level 18+, Magus. You must have at least six other Magic feats before you may take Enlightened.
Benefit: There is no limit to the number of followers you may harness for your invocations. You count as 20 bonded followers when participating in any rite or ritual (including one you are performing).
Special: You may not take the Philosopher feat after gaining the Enlightened feat.

Familiar Spirit [Magic]
As in some mystic legends, an animal has attached itself to your company and aids you in your efforts. You’ve made a contract and become a magical whatever! Just be sure to keep your head on your shoulders, otherwise you won’t get ahead in life. It never is a good time to lose one’s head. If you’re not careful, you won’t ever be able to become the head of a major corporation.
Prerequisites: Charisma 13 or higher, Initiate. You cannot take this feat if you already have Familiar-Aided Theurgy.
Benefit: Upon receiving this feat, the character gains access to the abilities Familiar-Aided Theurgy.  However, there are several differences.
1)
You do not gain the ability to cast spells, unless you already have the ability to do so.
2)
The Familiar does not gain the ability Aid Spellcasting, it instead gains the ability Aid Rite.
Aid Rite: The Familiar counts as a Bonded Follower for their master when performing Rites that provides a number of Bonded Followers equal to the amount that you would provide.  The familiar is treated as if having the Mystic feat for the purposes of feat prerequisites, and can take [Magic] feats such as Initiate on its own to increase this number even further, this stacks with the bonuses that feats that you have provide.  There is no need to use the Bond Follower rite, your familiar is automatically bonded to you at all times. This counts as the Aid Rite familiar ability.

Guardian Presence [Magic]
Sometimes it seems as if… something… is watching out for you.
Prerequisites: (Charisma 13+ and Mystic) OR Mage Talent
Benefit: At the start of each session, you may give one hero point to the GM to hold for you. At any time during the session, he may decide that your character is in great peril and secretly add the maximum value of the held action point to one of your rolls. The maximum value of the action point must have an impact on the result of your roll or the GM may not use it for you. If the point is not used by the end of the session you gain two additional hero points at the beginning of the next session, one of which is temporary and is lost at the end of the next session if not used.

Initiate [Magic]
Through diligent study and force of will you can tap into the primal magical forces of the universe.
Prerequisites: Character level 5+, trained Knowledge (Arcana). Mystic or Mage Talent. At least one other [Magic] feat other than Mystic or Mage Talent
Benefit: You may attempt any magic rites that you have learned. You may combine the energies of up to 40 followers to enact your rites. You may begin to learn magic rituals. You count as 5 bonded followers when participating in a rite or ritual (including one you are performing).
Normal: Characters with the Knowledge (Arcana) skill may learn magic rites but cannot perform them without the Initiate feat. Characters cannot comprehend magic rituals until they gain this feat.

Magus [Magic]
Your knowledge of the unseen world allows you to gather tremendous spiritual power and shape it into grand displays of magical force. Your mastery may even match that of the actual mages (if you aren’t one yourself).
Prerequisites: Character level 10+, Initiate, trained in Knowledge (Arcana). You must have at least four [Magic] feats before you may take Magus.
Benefit: You may perform magic rituals that you have learned. You may combine the energies of up to 1,000 followers when you enact rites or rituals. You count as 10 bonded followers when participating in a rite or ritual (including one you are performing).

Masked Energies [Magic]
You are able to dampen any "overflow" of energies as you perform invocations.
Prerequisites: Magus
Benefit: All attempts to detect your invocations suffer a +4 DC modifier and the effective range at which you may be detected (using the Quickening feat or a similar ability) is reduced to one quarter of normal (rounded down).

Mystic [Magic]
The forces of the unseen world have peculiar resonance for you.
Benefit: You roll one more dice for your hero points than you normally would for your level. Further, you count as 2 bonded followers when participating in any rite or ritual (including one you are performing).

Mystic Fount [Magic]
Your connection to the unseen world is unusually strong, making you a source of power for others.
Prerequisites: Mystic or Mage Talent
Benefit: During an invocation, you count as an additional number of bonded followers equal to your character level + the number of magic feats you possess.Special: The attack roll of Thirst checks for all rituals you participate is increased by +1.

Mystic Lens [Magic]
Prerequisites: Initiate, Mystic Fount
Benefit: During an invocation, you count as an additional number of bonded followers equal to twice your character level + the number of magic feats you possess. This replaces the bonus from the Mystic Fount feat. In addition, you can now use the Knowledge [Arcana] spell to perform Minor Spells.
Special: The attack roll of Thirst checks for all rituals you participate in are increased by +2. This replaces the penalty from the Mystic Fount feat.

Mystic Nexus [Magic]
Prerequisites: Magus, Mystic Lens
Benefit: During an invocation, you count as an additional number of bonded followers equal to four times your character level + the number of magic feats you possess. This replaces the bonus from the Mystic Lens feat, but you still retain the ability to use Minor Spells.
Special: The attack roll of Thirst checks for all rituals you participate in are increased by +5. This replaces the penalty from the Mystic Lens feat.

Mystic Surge [Magic]
You are able to accelerate the process of performing an invocation by devoting excess energy to it.
Prerequisites: Magus
Benefit: Each time you make a Knowledge (Arcana) skill check to perform a rite or ritual, you may use the energy of 50 bonded followers to add +10 to the result of your roll. This energy is no longer available to determine the effects of the rite or ritual (as described under Effect).

Philosopher [Magic]
Through exploration of the unseen world, you have reached equilibrium. You have achieved an enduring balance with yourself and with the world.
Prerequisites: Character level 16+, Magus
Benefit: You cease to age, and ignore all age penalties. You may still die from violence or accident.
Special: You may not take the Enlightened feat after gaining the Philosopher feat.

Spirit-Sensitive [Magic]
Your connection to the spirits around you allows you to receive messages from them. Their messages are rarely clear and you might be ridiculed for speaking of them but what they tell you is always the truth – no matter how bad that might be.
Prerequisite: Must be trained in the Magery skill or have the Mystic feat
Benefit: Once per game session you can roll a Perception skill check at DC 20 in order to listen to the messages of spirits around you. If successful you can ask the Games Master up to three yes or no questions about your current situation, which the Games Master must answer truthfully. For each question asked, you immediately suffers 2d6 nonlethal damage from listening to the nearly-incomprehensible words of the spirits. As a note, some places that are rife with spirits might force the character to take the test and ask all three questions – at the Games Master’s discretion!

The Quickening [Magic]
You are able to sense gathering mystic energies.
Prerequisites: Initiate or Mage Talent
Benefit: You automatically become aware of the performance of any rite or ritual within two kilometers for every 25 followers (or fraction thereof) involved in the event. If you are within half that distance from the event, you may sense the general direction of such activities. Finally, if you come within one quarter that distance, you can determine the exact location of the event.

Second Sight [Magic]
You are sensitive to the presence of mystic relics.
Prerequisites: Mystic or Mage Talent
Benefit: When you are within 4 squares of one or more magic artifacts or devices, the GM secretly rolls a d6. With a result of 1, you become aware of the item’s presence. You may automatically determine if an object is a magic artifact or device simply by handling it, and once you have identified a magic artifact or devices, you may sense its direction up to 10 kilometers away.

Totem [Magic]
You have a close bond with a single type of animal, allowing you to call upon then and control them at will.
Prerequisites: Initiate
Benefit: Choose one animal type. You are considered to have the Control Animals rite in effect for that animal type at all times. The radius of this ability is a fraction of that of the ritual, at only 200 squares, though you may still command animals of the chosen type to come to you from up to 2 kilometers away.

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NEW PSIONIC FEATS

Echo-Sensitive
Your connection to the mental energies of others occasionally allows you to see or hear mental energies of the deceased, proverbial echoes burned into the very environment around where they fell. Their messages are rarely clear and you might be ridiculed for speaking of them but what they tell you is always the truth – no matter how bad that might be.
Prerequisite: Must be trained in the Psionics skill
Benefit: Once per game session you can roll a Perception skill check at DC 20 in order to listen to the thoughts of the deceased that linger in the environment around you. If successful you can ask the Games Master up to three yes or no questions about your current situation, which the Games Master must answer truthfully. For each question asked, the character immediately suffers 2d6 nonlethal damage from the shock of dealing with these barely-there psionic impressions. As a note, some places that are rife with these thoughts might force the character to take the test and ask all three questions – at the Games Master’s discretion!

Fade to Black
You subconsciously ‘discourage’ people from noticing, causing you to fade from existence to those who are not paying attenttion.
Prerequisites: Charisma 13 or higher, must be trained in the Psionics skill
Benefit: You may add your Charisma modifier to
your Stealth checks (in addition to your
Dexterity modifier).

Forgotten
You have slipped between the cracks of the modern
world, forgotten by both man and machine.
Prerequisites: Character level 5+, Fade to Black,
Traceless.
Benefit: The DCs of all Gather Information, Knowledge, and Use Computer checks to gain information about
you are increased by +5.

Silhouette
Your slide into obscurity has made you nearly invisible to the untrained eye. You find it difficult to interact
with anyone — even those you seek out.
Prerequisites: Character level 10+, Forgotten.
Benefit: You are always considered to be using the Stealth skill as if you’d taken 10
(though you may still use actions and roll to replace this
total, perhaps with a higher result). People must make a Perception check (DC 10 + your Stealth skill bonus + all other applicable modifiers) to
notice you. You must take a move action to make a
Psionics check (DC equal to 10 + Your Character Level + Your Charisma Modifier) before directly communicating with others verbally. Characters with the Psionic Perception talent or those immune to Psionics may see and hear you normally (unless you
successfully take action to conceal yourself).

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NEW LISSONIAN EQUIPMENT

Kalanaya [Weapon]
Cost:
400 Lissonian Exchange Units (Classical), 2000 Lissonian Exchange Units (Modern)
Classical – Medium Advanced Melee Weapon (Exotic for Non-Lissonians)
Modern – Medium Simple Melee Weapon (Advanced Melee for Non-Lissonians)
1d6 Slashing or Piercing damage
Weight : 2 kg
Availability: Common (Wherever Lissonians have a presence) or Rare (everywhere else)
Named for the legendary inventor of this weapon, a kalanaya consists of a medium-length blade attached to a circular guard with a grip running through the center of it. The idea behind the weapon is that it is usable no matter the orientation of the wielder towards the ground – the blade can slide around the circular guard to any orientation needed simply as part of making an attack or block action. Classical versions rely on the wielder’s strength and agility to re-orient the blade, while moden versions of the weapon use precision servos and accelerometers to predictably re-orient the blade. When attacking a target armed with a kalanaya, a flanking attacker only receives half the normal bonus to attack from flanking (+1 instead of +2). Both versions of the kalanaya can benefit from the Lissonian Molecular Blade upgrade.

Lissonian Molecular Blade [Equipment Modification]
Upgrade Slots: 0
Availability: Restricted
Cost: 2000 Lissonian Exchange Units for a melee weapon, 20 credits for a piece of ammunition
Restriction: This upgrade can only be applied to Lissonian-manufactured weapons which deal slashing or piercing damage (except for bullets). It must be applied to the weapon or ammunition in question when manufactured.
This upgrade utilizes the cutting edge in Lissonian materials science to create a self-sharpening graphene blade that cuts at a molecular level. This adds an extra die of damage to the weapon and turns the blade pitch-black, making this upgrade easy to identify visually.

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NEW MAGIC TALENTS

CREATION MAGIC TALENT TREE (additions)

• Armament Crafter: You are proficient with any weapon you create via the Creation spell. In addition, your Weapon Focus feat and Weapon Specialization talent covers all weapons you create with the spell.
  • Prerequisites: Ability to cast the Creation spell, Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization talent
• Artifact Crafter: The absolute pinnacle of the Creation spell allows you to temporarily create an Artifact Fragment. You must have seen the Artifact in use and its Activated form before you can create it via Creation. Creating an Artifact in this way requires expending a Hero Point when casting Creation, and the Artifact created lasts for a number of rounds equal to one-quarter your character level (rounded down, minimum 1). This duration cannot be increased by spending a Hero Point or via the Lasting Magic Item talent. This talent can be used in conjunction with the Dual Crafter talent only to make a second, distinct Artifact Fragment – however this requires spending another Hero Point.
  • Prerequisites: Device Crafter, Wisdom 16+, Level 10 or higher
• Device Crafter: Approaching the pinnacle of the Creation spell, you are able to create a small array of Devices with the spell. When you learn this talent you gain a number of Devices (as per device magic) that you can create via the Creation spell. These advance as per the normal rules for Devices, however they are not intelligent and cannot speak. Unlike normal objects created by Creation, the duration of these creations is a number of rounds equal to one-half your character level (rounded down, minimum 1). This duration cannot be increased by spending a Hero Point or via the Lasting Magic Item talent. The amount of Devices that you gain for this talent starts at 1 at character level 1, you gain an additional device at level 5 and every 5 levels thereafter.
  • Prerequisites: Mage Talent for a school other than Device Magic, Skill Focus (Magery)
• Dual Crafter: When you cast the Creation spell to make a one-handed weapon, you can create one in your other hand as part of the same action while still only expending one use of the Creation spell.
• Fast Crafter: The action it takes for you to cast the Creation spell decreases to a move action.

SHAMANISM TALENT TREE (additions)

• Genius Loci Bond: Through luck, skill, hard work, or disaster, you’ve achieved a rare thing – a bond with a Genius Loci. This talent can be granted by the GM at any time – if this happens, the character must spend the next available opportunity to gain a talent slot where this talent can be learned, even if this means going back to a base class instead of a prestige class. The features of this talent can only be used within the territory boundary of the bonded Genius Loci. If the Loci you are bound to somehow becomes a Former Genius Loci, then you can regain these features while within the territory boundary that the Loci creates when they begin to release their stages. The benefits of a Loci bond are sealed until un-sealed at your command, save for the Stage 0 benefit which is always available while you are within the Loci’s territory boundary. Releasing a stage of the Bond is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity and you must unlock each stage in numerical order. The benefits of stage release remain until the end of the combat encounter or five minutes after the last stage release, whichever is shorter.
  • Stage 0 – At all times while you are within the Genius Loci’s territory boundary you have a constant mental link with the Loci. This functions as the Influence feature of a spirit bind with the appropriate type of spirit for the Loci’s type, and allows you to mentally converse with the Loci as if you were a contractor with it (however its mental ability stats do not progress like a contractor’s spirit’s do).
  • Stage 1 – When Stage 1 and any subsequent Stages are released, you gain the Sign feature for the appropriate type of spirit for the Loci as if you were a contractor of that spirit. You cannot suppress this sign through any means aside from re-sealing all stages of your bond release (a move action). Releasing Stage 1 provides you with the appropriate abilities for a Shamanistic Mentor Spirit user of your level for the Loci type – except for the Consult feature and the mental ability scores.
  • Stage 2 – When Stage 2 is released you receive the appropriate features for a Contractor of your level for the type of spirit associated with the Loci you are bound to – except for the mental ability scores, Speak With Spirits, Slowed Aging, and Speak With All Spirits features.
  • Stage 3 – When Stage 3 is released you gain the True Incantation associated with the Genius Loci type you are bound to. If this Incantation has a use limitation, you must follow it.
  • Prerequisites: You must have had contact with a willing Genius Loci or Former Genius Loci (this is more difficult than it might seem)
• Former Genius Loci: Long thought to be impossible, you’ve acheived the unthinkable and somehow forced yourself back into a corporeal form after being turned into a Genius Loci.
  • Stage 0 – At all times you gain the benefit of the Speak With All Spirits feature that Contractors gain at level 11. In addition, your time spent as a Loci leaves you with the Influence feature of a spirit bind appropriate for the type of Loci you were.
  • Stage 1 – When Stages 1 through 3 are released, you gain the Sign feature for the appropriate type of spirit for the Loci that you were as if you were a contractor of that spirit. You cannot suppress this sign through any means aside from re-sealing all stages of your release (a move action). Releasing Stage 1 provides you with the appropriate abilities for a Shamanistic Mentor Spirit user of your level for your Loci type – except for the Consult feature and the mental ability scores. You creates territory boundary that is a  a 6-square radius around yourself when you release this stage.
  • Stage 2 – When Stage 2 is released you receive the appropriate features for a Contractor of your level for the type of spirit associated with the Loci you are bound to – except for the mental ability scores and Slowed Aging features. Your territory boundary increases to a 12-square radius.
  • Stage 3 – When Stage 3 is released you gain the True Incantation associated with the Genius Loci type you are bound to. If this Incantation has a use limitation, you must follow it. Your territory boundary increases to a (12+(1/2 Character Level))-square radius.
  • Stage 4 – When Stage 4 is released, you regain the ability to construct a body from the appropriate material while within their regained territory boundary and automatically do so when you release this stage (temporarily removing your current body from existence when you do so).  Your territory boundary increases to a (12+Character Level)-square radius.
  • Stage 5 – When Stage 5 is released, you regain the ability to suppress or amplify magic within your territory boundary.  You can use this ability as a full-round action.  Suppressed magic imposes a -CharacterLevel penalty to all Magery Checks, while amplified magic adds a +(1/2 Character Level) bonus to all Magery checks. Your territory boundary increases to a (24+(2*Character Level))-square radius.
  • Prerequisites: GM Permission (and you’re not likely to get it)

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NEW GENERIC COMBAT TECHNIQUES

• Assault Gunner [Stance]
  • Rather than walking your fire across targets to maximize accuracy, you try to direct your attacks to the vital areas of your opponents to maximize effectiveness.
  • Prerequisite: Weapon Proficiency (Rifles) or Weapon Proficiency (Heavy)
  • While under the effect of this Stance, you deal one more die of damage with all your attacks with autofire-only weapons and with weapons set to autofire. All attack rolls you make suffer a -2 penalty as you forfeit traditional means of improving accuracy for the chance to deal extra damage. Pistols and Simple Weapons cannot benefit from this stance.
• Centered Stance [Stance]
  • You’re trained to endure great punishment, overcoming injuries through sheer willpower.
  • Prerequisites: Wisdom 13 or higher, Martial Arts I
  • While under the effect of this Stance, you gain a number of temporary HP equal to your Will Defense – 10. Any damage you take comes out of these temporary hit points first. These hit points are lost when you leave this stance. You can only gain this benefit once per encounter.
• Extended Burst
  • Digging in your heels and thrusting your shoulder into your weapon’s stock, you lay down a truly devastating amount of fire.
  • Prerequisite: Weapon Proficiency (Rifles) or Weapon Proficiency (Heavy)
  • As a full-round action, you can a Full Attack with an autofire-only weapon or a weapon set to autofire that you are wielding. For every attack you make this turn and until the start of your next turn, that weapon is considered braced. Pistols and Simple Weapons cannot benefit from this technique.
• Fire Support
  • By concentrating your fire to impede your enemies’ movements, you can provide your squad with more than just a damage source.
  • Prerequisite: Weapon Proficiency (Rifles) or Weapon Proficiency (Heavy)
  • While under the effect of this Stance, you deal one less die of damage with all your attacks. Any enemy that you successfully attack, whether through a direct attack or an area attack, with an autofire-only weapon is affected as though you had successfully used the Suppressing an Enemy aspect of the Aid Another action targeting them.
• Forward Stance [Stance]
  • You make aggressive, diving motions, investing your entire body into every attack.
  • Prerequisites: Charging Fire or Powerful Charge
  • While under the effects of this Stance, any attack you make at the end of a charge has its critical threat range increase by 1 (usually to 19 or 20 instead of just 20) and you gain an additional +2 bonus on the attack. If this attack is a a melee attack and miss, you fall prone. If this attack is a ranged attack and you miss, then determine where the attack hits using the thrown weapon scatter rules and reroll the attack to resolve it.
• Inverted Stance [Stance]
  • You’re trained to fight as fluidly in a handstand as on your feet, performing a whirling mix of strikes and kicks. This stance is commonly seen among practitioners of the School of the Dance.
  • Prerequisites: Trained in Acrobaticss
  • While under the effects of this Stance, each time you successfully hit an opponent with a melee attack your current initiative count is increased by 1 (this does not apply until the next turn). While in this stance, you may not atake any movement actions other than a move action to move 1 square and Jump checks.
• Killshot
  • By taking your time in lining up your attack, you are able to deal devastating amounts of damage with your next shot.
  • As a full-round action, make one ranged attack (this cannot be an autofire attack). You are considered to have aimed for this attack, and you deal an extra amount of damage equal to one-half your level (rounded down).
• One Shot-One Kill [Stance]
  • You wait for the perfect shot, taking care to make a clean kill the first time.
  • Prerequisite: Precise Shot
  • While under the effect of this Stance, any ranged attack effected by the Aim action is a Critical Hit on a roll of 19 or 20. If the roll is 19, it is not an automatic hit if it would not have hit under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, your increased precision is extremely susceptible to obstruction, doubling any penalties from cover or improved cover.
• Ready Stance [Stance]
  • You’re skilled at striking first, preventing your opponents from completing their attacks.
  • Prerequisites: Skill Focus (Initiative), Martial Arts I
  • Opponents successfuly hit by one or more of your unarmed attacks while you’re in this stance suffer a -2 penalty to all their attacks until the end of the round.
• Strafe
  • By walking your line of fire carefully over your targets, you can better control the area of your autofire attacks.
  • Prerequisite: Weapon Proficiency (Rifles) or Weapon Proficiency (Heavy)
  • As a normal autofire attack, except that the area of your attack is 1 square by 4 squares rather than the typical 2 squares by 2 squares. Pistols and Simple Weapons cannot benefit from this technique.
• Sudden Burst
  • You are able to rapidly respond to the arrival of potential targets, and to lay down fire while keeping up with your squad.
  • Prerequisites: Weapon Proficiency (Rifles) or Weapon Proficiency (Heavy), trained in Initiative
  • As a swift action you put yourself on alert. Until the start of your next turn, whenever you make an attack with an autofire-only weapon or a weapon set to autofire, that weapon is considered to be braced.

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RULES EDITS

Area Attacks [Autofire] – Changing "When you brace an autofire-only weapon…" to "When you use a braced weapon set to autofire…" It made no sense to leave it as autofire-only but talk about weapons that aren’t autofire-only in the next bit. TL;DR: You can now brace rifles and autofire with them to only take a -2 instead of a -5. It’s still two swift actions to do so.

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NEW RULES: CALLED SHOTS

A called shot is an attack aimed at a particular part of the body, in the hope of gaining some extra effect from the attack. The smaller or better guarded the area, the more difficult the called shot. A called shot is a single attack made as a full-round action, and thus can’t be combined with a charge, feats like Rapid Strike, multiple attacks with a full-attack action, or semi-automatic weapons fire.

Called shots are divided into three basic difficulty groups: easy, tricky, and challenging. Easy called shots represent large areas of the body, and are made at a –2 penalty. They have relatively minor effects unless a critical hit is scored or massive damage is dealt. Tricky called shots represent either smaller areas, like a hand, or areas a creature protects well, like its head. Tricky shots receive a –5 penalty, and inflict more serious consequences. Challenging called shots represent very small areas like eyes, fingers, or creatures’ necks. They receive a –10 penalty, and successful hits cause significant short-term impairment. Beyond these challenging ratings lie almost impossible called shots that receive a –20 penalty. For called shots against non-humanoid creatures, use common sense and the categories above as guidelines. For example, a flying creature’s wings are treated as arms.

Range and Reach: Called shots work best at close range. Melee called shots are at a –2 penalty if the target isn’t adjacent to its attacker. For called shots made at range, all range penalties due to range increments are doubled.

Critical Hits and Critical Threats: A called shot has the normal chance for a critical hit, and inflicts an extra effect if one is confirmed. The exact effects of a successful critical hit depend on where the target was hit, and are described under Called Shot Effects.

Cover: Cover other than soft cover interferes with a called shot even more than with a normal shot. Double any Reflex Defense bonuses provided by cover that isn’t soft cover. In addition, cover may make certain called shots impossible.

Concealment: The miss chance for a called shot against a creature with concealment increases to 50%. It’s not possible to make a called shot against a creature with total concealment. For effects that function like concealment, a miss chance of 50% or more prevents called shots, a miss chance of 20% increases to 50%, and miss chances of other values are doubled.

Damage Reduction: If damage reduction completely negates the damage from a called shot, the called shot has no effect. If hit point damage does get through, the called shot has normal effects. Damage reduction does not reduce any ability damage, ability drain, penalties, or bleed damage caused by the called shot.

Immunity: Immunity to critical hits protects against the extra effects of called shots. Partial protection, protects the creature as though the called shot were a critical hit.

Stacking: Unless otherwise stated, penalties for multiple called shots do not stack, even if they are to different areas of the body. Ability damage and drain caused by called shots always stacks.

Called Shot Effects

The consequences of a successful called shot vary depending on whether the hit is a normal hit, a critical hit, or a debilitating blow (a hit for 50 points of damage or more). When more than one limb or organ can be affected by a called shot, the attacker can choose the target if desired; otherwise, it should be determined randomly.

Called Shot: An attack aimed at a body part that deals fewer than 50 points of damage results in a normal called shot. Called shots inflict either minor penalties or temporary inconveniences.

Critical Called Shot: When a called shot is confirmed as a critical hit but deals fewer than half the creature’s hit points of damage (minimum 50), a critical called shot results. Critical called shots can cause ability damage, bleeding, and other serious effects.

Debilitating Blow: A called shot that deals half the creature’s hit points of damage (minimum 50) or more (whether a critical hit or not) results in a debilitating blow that has extra effects. A debilitating blow inflicts major consequences and potentially permanent consequences.

Effect Maintenance Checks: Knowledge [Physical Sciences], Magery, Nanite Control, and Psionics made to maintain an effect suffer a -5 penalty if the target making the check has suffered a called shot that could intefere with their ability to maintin that effect.

Healing Called Shot Effects: Some called shot effects render a given location useless until healed. Remedying this condition requires the victim be healed (through any combination of sources) for as many hit points of damage as the called shot caused. If the victim is suffering from multiple wounds of this sort, divide healing equally between them.

Table: Called Shot Locations

Location	Type	Penalty
Head	Tricky	-5
– Ear	Challenging	-10
– Eye	Challenging	-10
– Neck	Challenging	-10
Chest	Easy	-2
– Heart	Challenging	-10
Vitals	Tricky	-5
Arm	Easy	-2
– Hand	Tricky	-5
Leg	Easy	-2

Arm

Arms are the manipulating limbs of a creature, including tentacles. Wings are also considered to be arms for purposes of a called shot. Called shots to the arm are easy (–2 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to an arm deals no additional damage, but for 1d4 rounds, any attack rolls, ability checks, or skill checks made using the wounded arm take a –2 penalty. A flying creature shot in the wing must make an Acrobatics (DC = your attack roll) check to avoid descending involuntarily.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the arm deals 1d4 points of Dexterity damage and 1d4 points of Strength damage. If your attack roll does not beat the target’s Fortitude defense, this damage is halved (minimum 1 damage to each ability score).. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the arm for 1d4 minutes.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow deals 1d6 points of Dexterity damage and 1d6 points of Strength damage. If your attack roll beats the target’s Fortitude defense, then the arm is rendered arm useless until healed. If you beat the target’s Fortitude defense by 5 or more, then arm is severed or otherwise mangled such that only surgery (and possibly cybernetics) can repair it (unless the target has the ability to regenerate limbs). The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the arm (if the arm remains usable) for 2d6 minutes.

Chest

Called shots to the chest are aimed at the well-protected center of mass of a creature. Called shots to the chest are easy (–2 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to the chest deals no additional damage, but any skill checks caused by the hit (such as an Acrobatics check while balancing or a Climb check while climbing) take a –2 penalty.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the chest deals 1d4 points of Constitution damage and moves the target -1 step on the condition track – this movement is considered a persistent condition that requires surgery to remove. If your attack roll does not beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then they do not move down on the condition track. The creature also suffers the effects of a called shot to the chest.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the chest deals 2d4 points of Constitution damage and moves the target -2 steps on the condition track – this movement is considered a persistent condition that requires surgery to remove. If your attack roll does not beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then they only move -1 step on the condition track – this movement is still considered a persistent condition that requires surgery to remove. If your attack roll beats the target’s Fortitude defense by 5 or more, the creature’s internal injuries deal 1 point of Constitution damage in any round the creature takes a standard action. The internal injuries can be healed by either a DC 25 Treat Injury check made to perform surgery or by healing as many hit points as the debilitating blow dealt. The creature also suffers the effects of a called shot to the chest.

Ear

Ears are the organs used to hear. Creatures without visible ears generally aren’t susceptible to called shots to that location. Called shots to the ear are challenging (–10 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to the ear deafens that ear for 1 round, and imposes a –2 penalty on Perception checks. A creature that loses hearing in all ears is deafened until hearing is returned by way of a DC 20 Treat Injury check made to perform surgery.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the ear deafens that ear for 2d6 minutes and leaves the target only able to take a move or standard action (but not both) for 1 round. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the ear for that duration.
Debilitating Blow: If your attack roll beats the target’s Fortitude defense, then a debilitating blow to the ear destroys that ear and stuns the target for 1 round, then leaves it only able to take a move or standard action (but not both)  for 1d4 rounds, and deafened until the ear is repaired, usually by way of a cybernetic replacement. If your attack roll fails to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then the target is deafened until their hearing is returned by way of a DC 20 Treat Injury check made to perform surgery – but their ear is not destroyed and they are not stunned.

Eye

Eyes include whatever organs a creature uses to see. At the GM’s discretion, a called shot to the eye can also target sensory organs such as antennae, potentially negating abilities like blindsense. Generally, a creature can’t be blinded until it has lost all vision in all of its eyes. Creatures with five or more eyes take no penalties from called shots to their eyes until they’re blinded in enough eyes to bring them down a single functional eye, but can still be blinded in that eye by a critical hit or debilitating blow. Called shots to the eye are challenging (–10 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to the eye gives all of the target’s foes concealment against its attacks for 1 round and gives it a –2 penalty on Perception checks. If the creature only has one functional eye prior to the called shot, it is blinded for 1 round instead.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the eye costs the target sight in that eye for 1d4 minutes. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the eye for that duration.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the eye destroys that eye, causes blindness until the condition is removed with surgery to install a cybernetic or similar replacement, and deals 1d6 points of bleed damage. If your attack fails to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then the eye is not destroyed and instead the target loses sight in that eye for 1d4 hours, and suffers no bleed damage. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the eye for 2d6 minutes.

Hand

Hands include most extremities used for fine manipulation. Called shots to the hand are tricky (–5 penalty).
Called Shot: For 1d4 rounds, any attack rolls, damage rolls, ability checks, or skill checks made using the wounded hand take a –2 penalty, including attack and damage rolls with two-handed weapons. In addition, the target takes a –4 penalty to its defenses to resist disarm attempts, and drops its weapon (if any) on an attack roll result of a natural 1.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the hand deals 1d4 points of Dexterity damage. In addition, the target drops anything it is holding in that hand. Items held in two hands aren’t dropped, but the target still loses its grip with the injured hand. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the hand for 1d4 minutes.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow deals 1d6 points of Dexterity damage. If your attack beats the target’s Fortitude defense, then the blow renders the hand useless until healed. If your attack beats the target’s Fortitude defense by 5 or more, the hand is severed or otherwise mangled such that only extensive surgery, cybernetics, or similar effects can repair it. Regardless of the results, anything held in the wounded hand is automatically dropped, even items held in two or more hands. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the hand (if the hand remains usable) for 2d6 minutes.

Head

Called shots to the head are tricky (–5 penalty), as most creatures show some skill at dodging attacks aimed at their faces. Some creature lack a proper head altogether. Creatures with multiple heads must be hit by called shots to all their heads in a single round to suffer ill effects, and even then, only suffer the least effect that is inflicted on any single head.
Called Shot: A called shot to the head moves the target -2 steps on the condition track.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the head deals 1d6 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage (randomly determine which) and leaves the target only able to take a move or standard action on their turn (but not both) for 1d4 roudns. If your attack roll fails to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then they only suffer the Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma damage. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the head for 1d4 minutes.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the head deals 1d6 points of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma damage (roll separately for each), and immediately moves the target to the bottom of the condition track – after 10 minutes they move to the -10 level, but outside aid could move them up the track sooner. If your attack roll does not exceed the target’s Fortitude defense, then the target does not suffer the condition track movement – instead they are only able to take a move or standard action (but not both) on their turn for 1d10 roudns. If you beat the target’s Fortitude defense by 5 or more, the target is rendered senseless by severe brain trauma, causing the target to suffer an amount of Intelligence and Charisma damage sufficient to reduce each of these ability scores to 1 – this damage can only be healed through advanced medical science (extensive cybernetics or something more advanced) or through magic that borders on miracles. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the head for 2d6 minutes.

Heart

A called shot to the heart represents an attempt at a killing blow. If the hit isn’t either a critical hit or a debilitating blow, the attempt fails and is just a normal hit. A called shot to the heart can be used for any small, likely fatal location on a creature, such as the only weakness on an unimaginably powerful creature. Called shots to the heart are challenging (–10 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to the heart is just a normal hit with no extra effect.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the heart pierces the organ, moves the target to -3 steps on the condition track as a persistent condition that requires surgery to remove, and inflicts 1d4 points of Constitution bleed damage. If your attack fails to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then the target is instead moved -2 steps on the condition track as a persistent condition and suffers 1 point of Constitution bleed damage. In either case, stopping the bleeding requires either Fast Healing, or any form of healing that heals as many points of damage (from one or more sources) as the original blow dealt, or a successful DC 20 Treat Injury check that takes 1d4 rounds to complete.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the heart destroys it, instantly killing any creature that relies on its heart to survive – creatures with multiple hearts can survive this as long as one heart remains. If your attack roll fails to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, the target instead -4 steps on the condition track as a persistent condition that requires surgery to remove, and the target takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage and 1d4 points of Constitution bleed damage. Targets that can survive without a heart automatically suffer the conditions inflicted by a miss versus Fortitude defense.

Leg

Legs are the ambulatory limbs of a creature, including feet. Called shots to the leg have no special effect on creatures with five or more legs. Called shots to the leg are easy (–2 penalty).

Called Shot: A called shot to a leg lowers the target creature’s speed by 2 squares for 1d4 rounds if it has two or fewer legs, and by 1 square if it has three or four legs. In either case, the creature’s speed cannot be reduced below 1 square per round. Called shots to the leg have no effect on creatures with five or more legs. Hitting the same leg more than once has no extra effect, but the speed penalty for hits on different legs stack. Additionally, any skill or ability checks involving movement (such as Acrobatics or Swim checks) take a –2 penalty for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the leg deals 1d4 points of Dexterity damage and knocks the target prone. If your attack does not beat the target’s Fortitude defense, then they are not knocked prone. The creature also suffers the effects of a called shot to the leg for 1d4 minutes.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the leg knocks the creature prone. The blow renders the leg entirely useless until the leg is treated by a DC 25 Treat Injury check that requires a full-round action (if the creature making the check has a medical kit, longer if they do not). If you beat the target’s Fortitude defense by 5 or more, the leg is severed or otherwise mangled such that only cybernetics or advanced medical science can repair it. If you fail to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, the target is instead lamed and moves at half speed until the leg is healed, or until it receives a successful DC 20 Treat Injury check that requires a full-round action. A creature with a useless or severed leg moves at half speed if it still has more than half of its legs usable; otherwise, it cannot stand up and must crawl to move. The target also suffers the effects of a called shot to the leg (if the leg remains usable) for 2d6 minutes.

Neck

The neck makes for a difficult but rewarding target. Injuries to the neck keep a creature from speaking easily, and if blood vessels or the windpipe are damaged, such injuries rapidly lead to death. Creatures that lack vulnerable heads generally can’t be attacked in the neck either. Called shots to the neck are challenging (–10 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to the neck makes speaking above a hoarse whisper impossible for 1 round. Any attempts to cast an Incantation or True Incantation have a 20% chance of failing outright, as do attempts to activate artifacts and evoke devices.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit to the neck deals 1d6 points of bleed damage. In addition, if your attack exceeds the target’s Fortitude defense, then the target’s windpipe is crushed and they are unable to breathe or speak, and possibly suffocating. A crushed windpipe can be repaired by healing (from one or more sources) that heals as many hit points of damage as the original hit dealt, or by a DC 25 Treat Injury check to open up a hole into the windpipe. The latter check deals 2d6 hit points of damage, and leaves the creature still unable to speak. If you fail to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, it still suffers the effects of a called shot to the neck for 1d4 minutes.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the neck leaves the target unable to speak or breathe and deals 1d4 points of Constitution bleed damage. If you fail to beat the target’s Fortitude defense, they instead suffer 2d6 points of regular (hit point) bleed damage, and the are is only unable to speak and breathe for 1d4 minutes. The Constitution bleed damage caused by a debilitating blow to the neck can only be stopped by healing (from one or more sources) that heals as many points of damage as the original blow dealt, or a DC 20 Treat Injury check that takes 1d4 rounds to complete.

Vitals

The vitals correspond to the abdomen on a humanoid: critical organs not well-protected by bone. Attacks on the vitals can also include dastardly “low blows.” Vitals for non-humanoid creatures can include nearly any location that is relatively hard to hit, poorly protected, and debilitating if struck. Called shots to the vitals are tricky (–5 penalty).
Called Shot: A called shot to the vitals leaves the target -2 steps on the condition track as a persitent condition that lasts for 1d4 rounds. Failure to beat the target’s Fortitude defense reduces this duration to 1 round. While suffering from this condition, the target cannot run or charge.
Critical Called Shot: A critical hit deals 1d4 points of Constitution damage. In addition, the target is cannot attack, cast spells (or more advanced forms of magic), use powers, use formulae, use nanite abilities, or do anything that requires concentration, and can only make a single move action per turn (no standard or swift) for 1d4 rounds and moves -2 steps on the condition track as a persistent condition that lasts for 1d6 minutes. Failure to beat the target’s Fortitude defense means the target only suffers from the Constitution damage and the condition track movement. While the target is suffering from the persistent condition inflicted by this, it cannot run or charge.
Debilitating Blow: A debilitating blow to the vitals deals 1d6 points of Constitution drain, renders it unable to attack, cast spells (or use more advanced forms of magic), use powers, use formulae, use nanite abilities, or do anything that requires concentration, and leaves it only able to make a single move action per turn (no standard or swift) for 1d4 rounds, and moves it -2 steps on the condition track as a persistent condition that lasts for 2d6 minutes. Failure to beat the target’s Fortitude defense changes the Constitution drain to Constitution damage, and reduces the inability to attack/etc to a duration of 1 round. If you beat the target’s Fortitude defense by 5 or more, the target is disemboweled or otherwise horrifically wounded, and takes 1 point of Constitution bleed damage. The Constitution bleed damage caused by a debilitating blow to the vitals can only be stopped by healing that heals as many points of damage (from one or more sources) as the original blow dealt, or a DC 20 Treat Injury check that takes 1d4 rounds to complete. Drain damage to ability scores can only be healed through cybernetics or advanced medical science.

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TRAINING CHANGES

Army, CEC Training, Marines, and Navy

Add the following to these trainings: "Professional Soldier: You are automatically trained in the Profession (Military) skill."

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NEW BOUND SPIRIT GRANTED POWER [Courage]

Still Standing – You gain another box on the condition track, this one at -15 on the track. You can take this ability again to receive another box at -7.

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NEW SKILL USE: Gather Information [Active Investigation]

Whenever a Player wishes to solve a mystery or investigate
a hidden fact of any kind, the Gather Information skill can
be used to facilitate this during game play. The GM should remain descriptive during this process, never
allowing dice rolls to dominate the session. Delivering the
facts uncovered during investigation without context or
descriptive flavour should also be avoided, as this leaves the
act of investigating bland and without any real interest to
the Player or Players involved.
Tracking down suspects and discovering clues are definitely
activities that allow the Aid Another action. Because
a great number of Players might be able to help during
investigations but only a certain amount of additional
effort can be constructive, the Aid Another bonus for
successfully making the DC 10 Gather Information check
to help with an Active Investigation is +1 as opposed to
+2. A maximum of four additional Players (or Non-Player
Characters if the GM allows their help) can
contribute at any given time.
As an extended action, Active Investigation can take
minutes, hours or days depending on how many steps the
Games Master has decided the investigation should take.
The base DC for the Gather Information check can be
anywhere between 15 (for a commonly known lead in
a case) to 30 or more (for clues or information that are
extremely difficult to obtain).
One skill check is made for each major element in the
investigation, usually defined around important clues or
relevant facts, against a DC set by the GM. A
successful check reveals the clue, while an unsuccessful
check uses an amount of time determined by the GM and turns up nothing.
At the start of any given step, the Player(s) involved should
declare how they wish to begin and any suspicions they
might already have. These are taken into account in the
form of modifiers on the table below. The Games Master
then makes a Gather Information check secretly, applying
all relevant modifiers and any circumstance penalties or
bonuses that may exist.
If an Active Investigation check ever beats the Gather
Information DC by 15 or more, the Players have achieved a breakthrough in the whole case (not just that one lead or
clue investigated) and can immediately solve it unless there
is a campaign reason why they cannot. Even if this block
on their progress does occur, they at least gain one or more
additional clues as a reward for their brilliant work.
If the check is failed by 5 or more, the Games Master can
choose to provide a false clue but this should be a rare
occurrence (no more than twice in an investigation) and
only if there is a reason for such misleading evidence to
exist.
If the check is failed by 10 or more the case has deadended and at least one week must pass before it can be
investigated again. If a case ever dead-ends three times in
a row, it is effectively impossible for the Players involved
to decipher and an extensive length of time must pass before a fresh start can be
made (several months to a year). When this occurs (if the Players are still interested
in pursuing it again), it is a brand new investigation and
must begin completely from the beginning. This involved
re-investigating clues they may have already uncovered, as
obviously something went utterly wrong in their case work
before.

Skill Check Modifiers	Gather Information DC Modifier
Every Player with the Skill Focus (Gather Information) or Skill Focus (Perception) feat involved (up to five)	-1
Suspicions1
Inaccurate but not completely opposite of the truth	+0
Slightly accurate (a single detail is correct but not a key fact)	-1
Partially accurate (correct culprit but with no evidence at all)	-2
Fairly accurate (limited clues discovered that indicate truth)	-3
Completely accurate (truth is already guessed but needs hard evidence)	-4
Slightly inaccurate (wrong culprit but no mistaken evidence to support this)	+1
Partially inaccurate (right ideas but the Players are following a false lead)	+2
Completely inaccurate (investigation is the true definition of ‘assumption’)	+4
Prior Checks
For every consecutive successful check before the current one2	-1
For every unsuccessful check made during the investigation to date2	+1
Every natural 20 rolled for an Active Investigation check	-1
Every natural 1 rolled for an Active Investigation check	+2
Conditions
Active resistance to the success of the investigation3	+1 to +5
Each year since the objective of the investigation and the present day4	+1
Investigators have recognised legal authority in the area of the current check	-2

¹
In the case of multiple suspicions among several Players involved in the investigation use only the suspicion voiced by the Player making
the primary Gather Information check.
² Up to a maximum of +5/–5 in total. Each bonus cancels a penalty of the same type and vice versa, leaving a single success or failure
modifier of –5 to +5.
³ The DC increase is equal to the level of ability the interfering party or parties possess. If just one individual wishes to stop the investigation,
that is worth +1, +2 at best. A group or environmental condition (such as erosion destroying vital evidence or a clean-up crew hired to
obscure the facts) might apply a +3 to +4 penalty to checks. It would take a full government conspiracy or similar massive form of resistance
to qualify for a +5.
⁴ This DC increase stops at +5 for five years, then progresses at an additional +1 for every five year interval after this to +10 total for a 30
year old investigation. Every ten years after this applies another +1 to a total of +20 at 130 years. Beyond this, every century increases the
penalty by +1 to a maximum of +30 for 1100 years or more.

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PSIONIC CHARACTER PROGRESSION EXPANSION: Ability Variants [Danger Sense, Deep Scan]

DANGER SENSE
As as move action, a Psion may re-focus their danger sense into a more advanced version. This adds additinoal benefits to Danger Sense, but imposes a penalty to the Psionics check made as part of Danger Sense. These variants remain active until you fall unconscious or deactivate them as a move action. Variants can be used in combination with each other.
Direction (-4 Penalty) – You know the direction and distance to the triggering attacker.
Target (-8 Penalty) – You may immediately make an attack against the triggering attacker. This counts as an attack of opportunity, and you must either already be armed, have the Martial Arts I feat, or have the Quick Draw feat. This is an instinctive action, you do not know where the target is before they shoot, you just react and attack them mere milliseconds after their attack on you begins. Your attack and the triggering attack resolve ‘at the same time’ for a lack of a better description. If your attack imposes a penalty or condition track movement on the triggering attacker, then they suffer the effects of that on their attack roll against you. If you kill or otherwise incapacitate the attacker, then your attack completely negates their attack (they miss).

DEEP SCAN
When performing a Deep Scan,
you may instead perform one of the following variations on it. Each of them imposes a penalty on the Psionics check you make to perform a Deep Scan.
Brute Scan (-4 Penalty) – You push deeply with
the scan, causing much more damage and pain than necessary.
This scan deals 1d6 points of damage instead of 1d3, and it always deals lethal damage even if the target is not resisting. When you make a Brute Scan, you can make a free Persuasion check to intimidate the target.
Extended Range (-6 Penalty per square) – You
push the scan outwards, performing it against a target at a longer range than normal, although this is extremely
difficult. Each additional square the target is beyond the ones adjacent to you imposes a -6 penalty to your Psionics check.

Gentle Scan (-2 Penalty) – You carefully protects
the subject of the scan from any painful memories or
aberrant thoughts, reducing the strain of the scan.
Any damage inflicted during the scan is divided evenly
between the you and the target.
Holistic Scan (-6 Penalty) – Instead of asking specific
questions, you simply read the current state of
the target’s mind. Each round, you must make
a Gather Information check (DC 20); if successful, you learn one useful fact from the subject’s mind,
assuming the subject knows any facts relevant to you. For example, you might come across
a memory of a face in the crowd; the subject does not
know this person but you do. Such a fact
is useful to you but would not turn up in the
course of normal questioning.

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NEW VARIANT AMMUNITION TYPES

Adhesive: This ammunition counts as an adhesive grenade that only affects the target it is shot at.
Cost: 100 Credits
Available For: Calengil Shotguns (requires Open Choke), Human 12 Gauge Shotgun Shell

Talon: This is a conventional hollow point round with a twist — when it expands, its jacket peels back to form six sharp claws. These claws curl outward beyond the smooth outer edges of the mushroom-shaped shoulder, lacerating surrounding flesh as the bullet speeds through its target. Talon rounds cause serious, bloody wounds. A target hit by a talon bullet suffers the base damage dice (2d4, 2d6, 2d8, etc) of the bullet as bleed damage every round on the beginning of their turn. Additional hits with talon bullets add a flat +1 bonus to this bleed damage. The bleeding can be stopped with a DC 20 Treat Injury check requiring a full-round action to perform, or with the application of any form of hit point healing.
Cost: 5x standard clip cost
Available For:
Humans (21x60mm Rocket-Assisted Bullet, 5.7x28mm Pistol Round, 5.7x29mm TAAF Caseless, 7.62x40mm TAAF Caseless, 8.6x70mm TAAF Sniper Round, 9x18mm TAAF Caseless, 9x20mm TAAF Caseless, ‘non-standard’ ammunition calibers by request)

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NEW NANOAUGMENTATIONS

Analytical Nose – You add chemical sensors to your nasal cavity and sinuses, along with an implant which processes this sensor data into a more useful form. You can tell the chemical composition of a substance simply by inhaling it, but you will need the make the appropriate Knowledge check to actually determine what this chemical composition means.

Analytical Tongue – You add chemical sensors to your tongue, along with an implant which processes this sensor data into a more useful form. You can tell the chemical composition of a substance simply by tasting it, but you will need the make the appropriate Knowledge check to actually determine what this chemical composition means.

Balance Enhancer – This modification to your inner ear augments your natural sense of balance with additional sensors that allow you to detect your orientation with respect to the local gravity source. You gain Skill Focus (Acrobatics) as a bonus feat.

Eye, Flare Compensation – This nanoaugmentation either adds a photosensitive dimming layer to your cornea, or more commonly, a fast-responding shutter just behind your iris linked to photoreceptors on your retina, which rapidly closes off the eye for just long enough to block the effects of flash-bangs and similar weapons.

Move By Wire System, Adrenal Augmentation – This nanoaugmentation adds a set of implants that attach to your adrenal glands that can stimulate adrenaline distribution and help it work more efficiently. When you activate your Move-By-Wire System, you can choose to activate this nanoaugmentation as well. Doing so grants you an additional move or standard action per turn, however it doubles the consumption of the the rounds of ‘safe use’ of the Move-By-Wire System, and doubles the damage you take if you are out of safe rounds.

Move By Wire System, Improved Adrenal Augmentation (Requires: Move By Wire System, Adrenal Augmentation) – This additional augmentation of your adrenal glands allows you to stimulate adrenaline distribution for different reasons and increase adrenaline production. ‘Safe Use’ rounds of the Move-By-Wire System are no longer consumed at double the rate. Additionally, you now add your Constitution modifier to Climb, Jump, and Swim checks.

Tracheal Filter – This nanoaugmentation builds successive layers of filters inside your trachea. Each time you select this nanoaugmentation, you receive a +4 bonus to your Fortitude defense against inhaled poisons and inhaled diseases.

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NEW SKILL USES: Psionics [Dark Corners, Focus the Mind]

Dark Corners (Full-Round Action): The strongest emotions — love, hatred, fear — all
leave a mark on our minds. You can scan a target for
these marks and use them to your advantage. Doing so requires one full round action
and allows you to use one of the following options.
Desires: By probing your target’s strongest loves and
hates, you can more effectively lure them into your
clutches. Make a Psionics check. If you beat the target’s Will defense, you may add your Charisma modifier as a circumstance bonus to all seduction
checks you make involving your target. This bonus lasts until the end of the encounter if used in combat, or until the end of the four-hour downtime block you are currently in if used outside of combat.
Dreams: You find the target’s greatest aspirations,
and use them to get closer to the target. Make a Psionics check. If you beat the target’s Will defense, you may add your Charisma modifier as a circumstance bonus to all Deception and Presence checks involving your target. This bonus lasts until the end of the encounter if used in combat, or until the end of the four-hour downtime block you are currently in if used outside of combat.
Fears: You pick up on the traumatic moments of
your target’s life, and can twist them to your own ends.
Make a Psionics check. If you beat the target’s Will defense, you may add your Charisma modifier as a circumstance bonus to all Persuasion checks made to intimidate the target. This bonus lasts until the end of the encounter if used in combat, or until the end of the four-hour downtime block you are currently in if used outside of combat.
All of these options are much more difficult to
manifest if your target knows you can read his mind. If
the target is aware that you are psionically-capable, they may attempt to actively resist your scan, doing so adds +5 to their Will defense versus theses abilities.

Focus the Mind (Full-Round Action): You may enter a meditative trance that focuses your
mind completely on a single problem, giving you a
much better chance of coming up with a solution. Doing so requires a full-round action and lets you add your Charisma modifier to your Intelligence checks, Wisdom checks, Knowledge skill checks, and Profession skill checks for 1 minute per character level. This cannot be used to boost Profession checks which take longer than the duration the bonus lasts for.

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NEW BOUND SPIRIT GRANTED POWERS [Ice]

Advanced Chill Air – Chill Air now provides its benefits to anyone or anything occupying squares adjacent to you.

Chill Air – As a standard action, you may chill the air around you to provide a buffer against fire damage and damage caused by heat. Make a Magery check, the result determines the amout of resistance you get. The resistance from this power applies to both fire damage and damage caused by sources such as exposure to hot environments. This ability does not function in a vacuum.

Check Result	Resistance
15 or less	5
16-20	10
21-25	15
26-30	20
31 or higher	25

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NEW MARTIAL ARTS FEATS

Fluid Stances [Martial Arts]
You’re able to fight using a number of stances, moving from one to another with fluid grace.
Benefit: Each time you succeed with an attack, you may change stances as a free action.

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NEW GENERIC EQUIPMENT

Baton Grenade [Tiny Simple Ranged Weapon]
This solid round for grenade launchers is normally made of plastic or a plastic-like material, and is launched directly at a target rather than at an enemy formation. In addition to the damage it deals, if the target’s Fortitude Defense is beaten by your attack roll, than the target is knocked prone. This grenade can only be fired from a grenade launcher of any kind. It can be made for Micro Grenade Launchers, in which case it does 3d4 damage instead of 5d4.
5d4 Nonlethal Bludgeoning Damage
150 credits, 0.5 kg, Restricted Availability

Bow Silencer [Generic Equipment, Weapon and Armor Accessories]
A bow silencer consists of a wool or foam cover for both ends of the string, preventing the string from slapping against the bow’s frame and reducing vibration throughout the weapon. The bow silencer operates like a standard silencer, except that it functions for bows, composite bows, and crossbows – but not repeating crossbows.
200 credits, 0.25 kg, Licensed Availability

Cane [Medium Simple Melee Weapon]
Canes do not need to be physically concealed to be considered a ‘concealed weapon,’ your Stealth check to hide the weapon is more of you making it look like you actually need the cane for medical or fashion reasons. A cane can be used to perform the grapple attack required to use the Trip feat, doing so provides a +2 bonus to the check.
1d4 Nonlethal Bludgeoning Damage
30 credits (fancier ones cost more, but are mechanically the same), 1.5 kg

Snap Baton [Small Simple Melee Weapon] (Just adding some text)
A snap baton is a retractable baton designed to be collapsible for easy concealment. When collapsed it is a tiny object instead of small, and it can be extended as either a free action made as part of an attack, or as a swift action. When collapsed, it does not count as a weapon for the purposes of threatening squares around you.

Weighted Cane [Medium Simple Melee Weapon]
Unlike a standard cane, this cane is deliberately weighted in order to improve its capabilities as a weapon. It does not need to be physically concealed to be considered a ‘concealed weapon,’ your Stealth check to hide the weapon is more of you making it look like you actually need the cane for medical or fashion reasons. However, if examined closesly, a DC 20 Perception check will detect the increased weighting of the cane and expose it for what it is. A weighted cane can be used to perform the grapple attack required to use the Trip feat, doing so provides a +2 bonus to the check. Weighted Canes are treated as a two-handed weapon regardless of how it is wielded for the purposes of Strength bonus to damage, therfore you add 1.5x your Strength modifier instead of just your Strength modifier.
1d4 Bludgeoning Damage
60 credits (fancier ones cost more, but are mechanically the same), 3 kg

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NEW HUMAN EQUIPMENT

High Velocity Canister Cartridge (HVCC) [Tiny Simple Ranged Weapon]
Based on a concept first used by the United States during the Vietnam War, this grenade is catching on as an excellent short-range anti-personnel and perimeter defense weapon. Each canister holds upwards of 115 flechette darts, which — when fired — are dispersed over an area nearly 9 meters long, mowing down fleshy targets along the way.  This grenade can only be fired from a grenade launcher.  Mini-grenade versions exist, at 3d8 damage instead of 5d8.
5d8 Piercing Damage, affects all targets in a 6-square long, 3-square wide cone originating from in front of you
200 Terran Alliance Credits, 0.5 kg, Military Availability

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SKILL USE: Mechanics [Modify Weapon] – Additional Modification Options

Custom Grip (300 Credits): By molding a leather, plastic, or rubber grip especially for the weapon and character, the character receives a +2 bonus to their Reflex defense to oppose disarm attempts. However, other characters who use the weapon with the custom grip suffers a –1 penalty to their attack roll and a -2 penalty to their Reflex defense to oppose disarm attempts.

Custom Stock (800 Credits): The firearm’s stock and grip are modified to meet the agent’s exact measurements. At the start of each combat, an agent firing a weapon with a custom-fitted stock gains a +1 bonus to his initiative total. This bonus is added only once, at the start of each combat, rather than every round. The character only receives this bonus if they are armed with the weapon or consider it their primary weapon. If a character switches to a weapon with this modification during combat, their initiative count increases by +1 and decreases by -1 when they no longer wield it. When anyone other than the character who owns the weapon uses this weapon in combat, the +1 bonus to initiative becomes a –1 penalty. This bonus/penalty may be combined with the effects of a trigger job.

De-burred Frame (revolvers, pistols only) (Cost: 300 Credits): De-burring a firearm removes all sharp edges from the weapon, preventing it from snagging on the shooter’s clothing or holster when it is drawn. A character drawing this weapon is assumed to have the Quick Draw feat. If they already have the Quick Draw feat, they are assumed to have the Lightning Draw feat, but may only use it with this weapon.

Ergonomic Form (melee weapons only) (Cost: 300 Credits): This modification focuses on the weapon’s sharp edges and/or bulk, reducing the chance of a snag or other mishap when drawing it. A character drawing this weapon is assumed to have the Quick Draw feat. If they already have the Quick Draw feat, they are assumed to have the Lightning Draw feat, but may only use it with this weapon.

Floating Barrel (Cost: 600 Credits): This modification inserts a bed of fiberglass between the barrel and stock, countering the minute accuracy modifiers suffered when the stock expands or constricts under extreme temperatures. When using a firearm with a floating barrel to make a standard attack, the character gains a +1 bonus to his attack roll.

Heavy Barrel (Autofire-capable weapons only) (Cost: 1000 Credits): This modification installs a strengthened barrel which is less likely to overheat during automatic weapons fire. This decreases the penalty applied to automatic fire by 1. However, the increased weight of the barrel makes the weapon awkward to use, incurring a -2 penalty to Initiative while armed with this weapon. This modification adds 1.5 kg to the weapon’s weight.

Smoothened Well (Cost: 800 Credits): This modification polishes any minor imperfections within a firearm’s loading well, allowing magazines to be loaded quickly and with little chance of error. A weapon with this modification can be reloaded one step faster (full round->standard action->move action->swift action->free action). This modification cannot be applied to weapons with an internal magazine.

Trigger Job (Cost: 800 Credits): This modification improves the firearm’s existing trigger action, making it crisper and more consistent. At the start of each combat, a character armed with a weapon with the trigger job modification gains a +1 bonus to his initiative total. This bonus is added only once, at the start of each combat, rather than every round. The character only receives this bonus if they are armed with the weapon or consider it their primary weapon. If a character switches to a weapon with this modification during combat, their initiative count increases by +1 and decreases by -1 when they no longer wield it. This bonus may be combined with the effects of a custom-fitted stock (see opposite).

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FAMILIAR-AIDED THEURGY: New Familiar Abilities

Aid Rite: The Familiar counts as a Bonded Follower for their master when performing Rites that provides a number of Bonded Followers equal to the amount that you would provide.  The familiar can take [Magic] feats on its own to increase this number even further, this stacks with the bonuses that feats that you have provide. There is no need to use the Bond Follower rite, your familiar is automatically bonded to you at all times.

Aid Ritual (Prerequisite: Aid Rite): The Aid Rite Familiar Ability now expands to provide its benefit to Rituals as well.

Aid Spellcasting (Prerequisite: You must have gotten the familiar via the Familiar Spirit feat, you must have the Mage Talent feat): True to its role as a go-between working for you,  a familiar can provide a more active role in assisting spellcasting.  As a standard action, it can make a DC 10 Magery check (with its normal -4 penalty to the skill) to provide a +4 bonus to any Magery check you makes on that turn.

Expanded Invocation Aid (Prerequisite: Aid Ritual): The familiar can now count as a Bonded Follower for mystics beyond its master, however it must be bonded to that mystic as normal.

Improved Invocation Aid (Prerequisite: Aid Ritual): The familiar counts as itself another time over when determining how many Bonded Followers it effectively provides to you for the purposes of Rites and Rituals. This ability can be taken multiple times.

Magic Feat: The familiar gains a [Magic] feat as a bonus feat. This feat cannot be Familiar Spirit or Mage Talent. This ability may be taken multiple times.

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INVOCATIONS: The Basics

Invocations are considered ‘advanced magic,’ existing somewhere between Incantation and True Incantation on the sliding scale of ‘how powerful is this.’ A form of ritual spellcasting, invocations consist of rites and rituals, and most notably – do not require innate or non-innate magical power to be used. Functionally, they exist more as a means to appease spirits into doing your bidding as opposed forcing your will upon them or the universe. However, there is a certain amount of interaction the person leading the invocation has with the spirits and their power, meaning that this is a possibly dangerous path to tread upon. Constant reliance upon invocations slowly causes the mystic to slide more and more towards dangerous revelations that can shatter the mind of all but the most mentally-hardy sentients. There are dangerous things in this realm, things that sentients were not meant to know, and channeling these powers can warp you beyond comprehension.

Learning Rites & Rituals
Before a character can perform an invocation, they must
research it in arcane lore or learn it from another mystic. Typically, texts that contain mystic rituals date back
to lost or ancient civilizations. Once such a text (or a teacher) has been
acquired, the mystic may start spending downtime time periods to learn the invocation. Rites require 60 successful 4-hour time periods to learn and rituals require 90 successful 4-hour time periods to learn. Each time a time period is spent, a Knowledge [Arcana] check must be made vs the DC listed for the invocation being studied. Sucess means that the time period is a success, failure means that it is not and the time is wasted. If learning the invocation from a teacher rather than a text, the character may add one-half the teacher’s level as a bonus to the skill check. Some texts may also provide a bonus to learn (or other bonuses), but these are rarities. Any character may attempt to learn rites, but a character must have the Initiate feat to learn rituals.

Performing Rites & Rituals
To perform an invocation, a mystic must fulfill four requirements:
• They must have learned the invocation, as described above.
• They must meet the invocation’s minimum level requirement.
• They must harvest spiritual energy from a number of their bonded followers (see the Bond Follower rite). The number of followers required to produce the
desired effect is listed in the rite or ritual description.
• They must have the appropriate feat (Initiate to perform rites, Magus to perform rituals)
If the mystic meets all three of these requirements, the invocation can be completed unless somehow disrupted during the invocation (e.g. the mystic is killed or their followers are driven off).

Rite and Ritual Descriptions
The format for all rites and rituals follows.

Rite or Ritual Name
Each invocation’s name is followed by a general description it s function, following by these entries.
Learning DC: The DC of the Knowledge (Arcana) skill check required to learn this invocation.
Thirst Check: The bonus that the GM rolls an attack against your Will defense at.  If the GM beats your will defense, then your Thirst Level goes up by 1. Applies only to rituals.
Minimum Level: Your character must be at least this high to learn this invocation.
Bonded Followers: The mystic must harvest the energy of this many bonded followers (see the Bond Follower rite) to perform the invocation.
Complex Check: The DC for casting the invocation, and how often it may be attempted — see Complex Skill Use below.
Effect: The effects of successfully completing the invocation.

Complex Skill Use
Certain tasks are reliable in nature but require a long and variable period to complete. These occasions call for a complex skill check. The check comes in two parts — a DC and an interval. The DC works much like a normal skill check: it represents the number an character must reach with their skill roll. The interval indicates how often the character may make a skill roll (each roll coming at the end of one interval).
What makes complex checks different is that the results of each skill roll are cumulative. If the first roll does not reach the DC (and it usually won’t due to the very high DCs associated with most complex skill checks), the character may continue to work towards that goal, making another check after another interval has elapsed and adding it to his previous total. The character may continue to work towards the DC until the task is accomplished, he gives up, or he is interrupted for a period equal to half of one interval (after which he must begin again, with a cumulative total of 0).
Complex skill checks require total concentration. When making one, you are considered flat-footed. Being injured while making a complex skill check interrupts the effect, though the character may normally return to it as their next action if the interval is more than 1 round. If the interval lasts 1 round or less, any interruption ends the check and requires that the character start the skill check over with a cumulative total of 0 unless they succeeds with a skill check for the skill in question (DC equal to 10 + the damage taken).
You may not take 10 or 20 when making a complex skill check.

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INVOCATIONS: Rites

Many individuals draw strength from the observation of simple rites, from weddings to holiday celebrations to funerals. Ceremony gives form and substance to our social lives. Many of these practices echo the traditions of ancient mystic rites — ceremonies that gather the spiritual force of the faithful and channel it as a palpable force for the good of their group or the aims of their leader.
Characters with the Initiate feat may attempt to perform any rites they know as a complex check using their Knowledge (Arcana) skill. Rites generally require 5 or more linked followers on the scene to lend their spiritual strength to the undertaking, though the character’s feats usually cover lower numbers. The character may utilize his own energies in his ritual, but like any follower, may only do so once per day.

Bond Follower
Bond Follower is used to harness the spiritual energy of the mystic’s loyal followers for use in other invocations. During this process, the follower swears allegiance to the mystic in a ceremony designed to cement the mystic’s authority. This varies from mystic to mystic, but often involves a show of loyalty and the creation of a visual reminder of the follower’s subservience, such as a tattoo or even a brand.
Learning DC: 12
Minimum Level: 5
Bonded Followers: 5
Complex Check: 25 — 1 minute
Effect: The mystic may only harvest the spiritual energy of followers they have has bonded with this rite. In addition, these followers must be physically present at an invocation the mystic performs to donate their energy to it. A single follower may only donate their energy to one invocation per day, requiring a full night’s rest to replenish his power before they may be tapped again.
Followers must at least marginally understand the process of performing invocations or have developed their magic potential to be of any use to a mystic. As such, a follower must be trained in Knowledge (Arcana) or Magery to be bonded.
If a bonded follower has feats that increase the amoutn of followers they count as, these feats apply to this as well.
If the mystic bonds a follower who has followers of his own, each of those followers adds their energy to invocations he performs — assuming they’re present when the invocation is enacted, of course.
Followers who are already bonded to one mystic may not be bonded to another, and bonded followers may not be stolen by another mystic. Bonded followers may be transferred to a new mystic, however, if both mystics agree.
Followers may not be bound against their will.
Bonded followers are immune to the Steal Soul ritual except when performed by the mystic to whom they are bound.
Should a follower ever leave the mystic he is bonded to (voluntarily or not), neither party suffers adverse effect (other than the fact that the follower can’t contribute to the mystic’s invocations). However, the bond between mystic and follower remains — the mystic gains a +4 bonus to his Perception checks when the follower is within a number of squares equal to two times the mystic’s Wisdom modifier. The mystic may also make an Wisdom check (DC equal to 5 + the follower’s level) to glean the current direction to the follower at any time, at any range.
If the mystic dies (or his soul is stolen), the bond with his followers dissolves and the followers may be bonded to another mystic, using the standard rules.

Control Animals
The mystic can exert supernatural control over animals. While this ritual is in effect, the mystic can see through the animals’ eyes and control their every move. The mystic would be wise, however, not to instruct an animal to attack one of its close companions.
Learning DC: 20
Minimum Level: 5
Bonded Followers: 20
Complex Check: 35 — 1 round
Effect: The mystic seizes control of a number of animals within a 2 kilometer radius. They may only control a number of animals whose total hit dice total does not exceed the mystic’s level. The mystic may only control non-sentient species. There are only two limits to this control: 1) Controlled animals are still afraid of anything they are normally afraid of (fire, water, etc), and 2) Controlled animals cannot be forced to attack anyone they share a close emotional bond with, such as a beloved owner. Attempting either of these things breaks the mystic’s control over the animal, after which it is likely to be very angry with him.

Curse
This rite takes the form of a blight of bad luck inflicted upon one of the mystic’s enemies. Things begin to go spectacularly wrong for the afflicted person — guns jam, gadgets malfunction, small items go missing, etc. Close friends and family almost immediately notice the difference and wonder what’s wrong. Fortunately, a curse wears off over time, gradually growing weaker until it fades away altogether. Alternately, this rite can be used to remove a curse before it has run its course.
Learning DC: 27
Minimum Level: 8
Bonded Followers: 25 per –1 (see below)
Complex Check: 40 — 1 round
Effect: The mystic targets one person within his line of sight to be the victim of the curse. The mystic makes a Knowledge (Arcana) check against the target’s Will defense. Failure negates the rite entirely. Success, however, indicates that the victim suffers a –1 penalty to all die rolls for every 25 bonded followers harvested during the rite, up to a maximum of –5. This penalty decreases by 1 every 7 days until it has faded away entirely. A friendly mystic may remove the curse earlier by performing this rite and making an Knowledge (Arcana) skill check (DC equal to the Knowledge (Arcana) skill check when the curse was inflicted).

Invest
This rite allows a mystic to temporarily “harvest” the energy of his bonded followers, allowing him to perform other rites with that energy without the physical presence of his followers.
Learning DC: 20
Minimum Level: 9
Bonded Followers: 20 or more
Complex Check: 100 — 1 minute
Effect: This rite temporarily transfers the energy of a group of bonded followers to the mystic, allowing the mystic to use that energy at a later time to perform other invocations. The amount of power transferred to the mystic is equal to one-half the number of bonded followers participating in the rite (rounded down). The maximum amount of energy that a mystic may store using this rite is equal to 20 × the number of mystic feats he possesses. Once this energy is invested in the mystic, it remains with him for a number of days equal to the mystic’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1) or until used, whichever comes first. Until the energy is used (or dissipates), the bonded followers may not provide energy for any other invocations.

Minor Wards
This rite prepares a charm or token that — when physically touched to a target — greatly impedes the target from fighting, casting spells and invocations, and performing invocations. Perhaps best known version of this rite is the traditional Japanese folded paper charm used to ward off evil spirits, though many other variations are known around the world.
Learning DC: 20
Minimum Level: 5
Bonded Followers: 5
Complex Check: 25 — 1 half action
Effect: When this rite is successfully completed, the agent chooses one object of Tiny size or smaller as his ‘ward’. This ward is charged for one minute. During this time, the mystic may make a melee touch attack to place the ward on any target’s person. If this attack is successful, you must make a Knowledge (Arcana) check versus the target’s Will defense. If you succeed, the target suffers a –5 penalty to all attack rolls, Magery checks, and Knowledge (Arcana) checks made to perform invocations. This penalty lasts while the ward remains on his person. If the target succeeds with his Will save, the ward falls harmlessly to the floor at his feet.
At the start of each round a target suffers a penalty from a ward, he may — as a free action — attempt a Wisdom check (DC equal to 10 + the mystic’s Wisdom modifier) to free themself from the ward. With success, the ward falls harmlessly to the target’s feet. The ward may not otherwise be removed from the target until its charge runs out, after which it falls harmlessly to the target’s feet.
After one minute, the ward’s charge runs out and the ward become inert. The mystic must perform this invocation again to renew the ward or create a new one. The mystic may only have one ward active at any time.

Speak With Spirit
This rite causes a target spirit to appear as a translucent shape and answer a limited number of the mystic’s questions. Although information is always gained using this rite, spirits are notoriously tricky and cantankerous, and frequently attempt to trick those whom they don’t like.
Learning DC: 23
Minimum Level: 9
Bonded Followers: 10
Complex Check: 60 — 30 minutes
Effect: The target spirit must be within two kilometers of the mystic to be summoned using this rite (though the spirit may be manifested or not). If within range, the spirit appears instantly when this rite is successfully completed. A spirit must answer a number of questions equal to the character level of the mystic, divided by 5 (rounded down) and modified as follows.

Spirit’s disposition toward mystic	Modifier
Unfriendly	–1 question
Hostile	–2 questions
Adversary	–3 questions

The spirit is compelled to tell the truth but may answer as cryptically as it likes.

Steal Soul
Steal Soul is the dark side of Bond Follower. Only the most evil mystics use the rite, since it requires a human sacrifice, but the power it offers tempts all those who know of it. Unlike Bond Follower, the sacrifice need not be a willing subject. Best of all (from the mystic’s point of view), the mystic permanently absorbs the spiritual energy of the sacrifice and may thereafter call upon it as though it were an extra follower.
Learning DC: 35
Minimum Level: 12
Bonded Followers: 80
Complex Check: 150 — 4 hours
Effect: When the mystic performs the sacrifice, they automatically slays the victim with a single blow. The mystic is then considered to have two or more extra followers present at all times (see below), whom he may harvest once per day. This rite may be performed multiple times, granting the mystic one or more extra followers each time.

The mystic may only steal the souls of those who have the Mystic feat or are trained in Magery, and each stolen soul contributes to the mystic’s invocations as if the soul stolen was performing them (e.g. a stolen mystic’s or mage’s soul contributes 2 followers’ worth of energy, while a stolen initiate’s soul contributes 5 followers’ worth of energy, and a stolen magus’ soul contributes 10 followers’ worth of energy.) Finally, stolen souls fade after one year (their energies do not add to the mystic’s follower total beyond that time).

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INVOCATIONS: Rituals

Beyond the power of rites are truly mighty examples of mystic power — rituals. A mystic must be at least an Initiate to learn a ritual. Like rites, rituals are consistently successful as long as the mystic gathers sufficient followers and is allowed to perform the ritual without undue interruption. Unlike rites, rituals involve a certain degree of risk in the form of the Thirst (see below).

Bestow
This ritual temporarily channels the energy of a massed group of followers into a single individual.
Learning DC: 32
Thirst Check: +20
Minimum Level: 13
Bonded Followers: 100 or more (see below)
Performance Time: 100 — 5 minutes
Effect: This ritual works exactly like the Invest rite, except the recipient of the energy doesn’t have to be the mystic performing the ritual, and the energy transferred is equal to 1/5 the number of bonded followers participating in the ritual.

Celebration
This subtle but powerful ritual draws power from unsuspecting celebrating victims for use in the mystic’s invocations.
Learning DC: 27
Thirst Check: +15
Minimum Level: 15
Bonded Followers: 0
Performance Time: 100 — Full action
Effect: Celebration may be performed on anyone who is celebrating or rejoicing (e.g. fans at a sporting event or rock concert, or friends at a party). Mock celebration cannot power the ritual. When this ritual is successfully performed, the mystic may then perform another ritual within a number of minutes equal to 10 × the mystic’s character level. During this second ritual, the mystic gains a bonus number of bonded followers equal to the number of celebrants divided by 10 (rounded down). This ritual has no adverse effect on the celebrants.

Control Weather
This ritual makes it possible to control the currents of weather. The mystic may call up rainstorms, or cause droughts. Hail, sleet, and snow are all possible as well. Given enough followers, a mystic can even cause hurricanes, tornadoes, or an ice age.
Learning DC: 38
Thirst Check: +25
Minimum Level: 17
Bonded Followers: Varies (see below)
Complex Check: 200 — 4 hours
Effect: Although the ritual’s DC remains the same no matter how severe the desired weather effect, the number of followers required greatly increases as the impact of the effect spreads to cover a wider area (see below). In addition, the GM may rule that summoning an effect out of season requires even more followers.
Once the ritual is completed, the mystic concentrates on the desired effect and chooses a spot in his line of sight where the weather effect originates.

Weather Effect	Followers	Duration
Call light wind	15	6 hours
Call severe wind	25	6 hours
Call a rainstorm	30	1 hour
Call sleet or hail	50	1 hour
Call a snowstorm	50	1 hour
Call blizzard	150	6 hours
Cause drought	250	1 week
Call a tornado	500	1 hour
Call a hurricane	1,000	1d6 days
Change local climate	10,000	1 year
Cause an ice age	100,000	10 years

Create Anchor Node
This ritual turns an ordinary circle of stones into an anchor node which can be used with the Teleport ritual. Now you know what Stonehenge is for!
Learning DC: 35
Thirst Check: +25
Minimum Level: 15
Bonded Followers: 1000
Complex Check: 300 — 4 hours
Effect: This ritual may only be performed on a solstice, and requires a circle of stones, each of which must weigh at least 250 kilograms. Once the ceremony is complete, the circle becomes an anchor node to which mystics can transport matter with the Teleport ritual. The anchor node may be eliminated if more than half of the stones are removed or destroyed. The mystic who creates an anchor node is automatically familiar with it, and does not need to spend 3 hours there in order to use it (per Teleport). Additionally, you may include a number of smaller stones or tokens made of stone or a stone-like material up to your character level when performing this invocation. These stones allow a true mage to use the Teleport incantation to transport to the anchor node without having been there before.

Create Genius Loci
Either a heinous act or one of last resort to preserve someone, this ritual forcibly relocates a consciousness into the very terrain itself, creating a genius loci. This is a dangerous ritual for the mystic, since it will always increase the mystic’s Thirst level no matter what.
Learning DC: 35
Thirst Check: +40 (inflicts two levels of Thirst on a successful attack vs Will defense, one on a failed attack)
Minimum Level: 10
Bonded Followers: 5 per 1×1 square (which works out to to 200 per square kilometer)
Complex Check: 300 – 4 hours

Effect: This ritual binds the target (which may or may not be the mystic) to a specified area as a Genius Loci, ripping the target’s consciousness from their body and binding it to the area.  The Loci’s territory boundary is 1 square per 5 bonded followers.  The type of loci that this creates is determined by the GM based on the area that the loci is being bound to. Once per year, this ritual can be used again to expand the Genius Loci’s territory boundary – re-invoke the ritual to increase it, the new area replaces the old one of it is higher.
By accepting another three automatic levels of Thirst, this ritual can be performed as if the interval on the complex check was 1 round.

Reunion
Using this ritual a mystic may physically transport one or more bonded followers to him.
Learning DC: 21
Thirst Check: +15
Minimum Level: 9
Bonded Followers: 50 + 10 per additional follower transported
Complex Check: 30 — 1 hour, or one full action (see below)
Effect: The mystic summons one or more of his bonded followers to his current location. Travel time follows the same rules as the Teleport incantation (the follower moves at the speed of light to your location).

In an emergency, the mystic may perform this ritual as a full action, but suffers 4 points of temporary Constitution damage in the process and an automatic level of Thirst.
Each follower who is transported using this ritual must make an Endurance check (DC 25 minus the mystic’s character level). Any who fail are stunned for a number of rounds equal to the difference between the roll and the DC, during which time they may not be tapped for use in any invocations.

Teleport
This ritual instantly transports objects or people to an Anchor Node, no matter the distance. Anchor nodes are large open areas ringed with mystic focal devices (such as Stonehenge). A rapid form of this ritual can be used in an emergency, but it inflicts permanent harm on the mystic.
Learning DC: 29
Thirst Check: +20
Minimum Level: 11
Bonded Followers: 50
Complex Check: 35 — 15 minutes or half action (see below)
Effect: Using this ritual, the mystic transports (at the speed of light) 25 kg of living or non-living matter (including themself, if the so desires) for every character level they have. This matter is sent to an anchor node, which is a special area prepared with the Create Anchor Node ritual. Many of the stone circles that exist around the world actually serve as anchor nodes, and a mystic may use any of these as a receiving point as long as he has first visited the circle and spent at least 3 hours inside it attuning himself to its mystic energies.
In an emergency, a mystic may perform this ritual as a half action, but may only transport 12.5 kg of matter for every character level they have, and suffer one point of Constitution drain (drain damage to ability scores can only be healed through cybernetics or advanced medical science.)
Unwilling passengers may be transported using this ritual if the mystic is touching them. The mystic must beat their Will defense with an additional Knowledge (Arcana) check, otherwise they remain behind when the teleportation occurs. The mystic may remain behind after completing this invocation, but the ritual is considered spent regardless, and whatever (and whomever) else the mystic was teleporting continues to the destination whether he goes with them or not.
Each character who teleports (including the mystic) must make an Endurance check (DC 25 minus the mystic’s character level). Any who fail are stunned for a number of rounds equal to the difference between their roll and the DC.

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INVOCATIONS: The Thirst

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” “Knowledge is Power.”

Throughout the millennia, magic traditions have drawn upon different facets of an unseen world as dangerous as it is illuminating. Mages have the advantage of having a neurochemistry designed to handle this unseen world. Mystics, on the other hand, do not. Every mystic knows in their heart that the knowledge they amass is not without price. The oldest texts and earliest whispered traditions call this price “the Thirst”.

A mystic is not a native of the mystic world, and mystics who tap into it tread on alien ground. Once a mystic can enact rituals, they must forever after guard themself against the seductive lure of even greater power — absolute power — and those who seize it from him. Mystics see the Thirst as a living force of nature, craving slaves the same way that they crave mystic power. It is their greatest enemy, preying on spirits drunk with the very forces of creation at their fingertips. As shown above, the Thirst lures unwary mystics with seemingly greater power, but eventually leads them to madness, spiritual ruin, and physical self destruction. And when a powerful mystic destroys himself, they rarely go out alone.

Thirst Mechanics

Each time a mystic begins a ritual, the GM makes an attack against the mystic’s Will defense using the listed bonus for the ritual as the attack bonus. If the attack is unsuccessful, the mystic has conquered the seductive sway of the forces they wield. Otherwise, they suffers from the Thirst, gaining one Thirst level.

All Thirst effects are cumulative.

Thirst levels have the following effects.

Level 1: Ritual power fills the mystic with a surge of confidence and personal will. The mystic gains a +1 bonus when using any Charisma-based skill within a number of hours after successfully performing any invocation equal to the difference between his roll and the invocation’s DC.

Level 2: The mystic’s focused mind awakens to new vistas of ritual power. Whenever the mystic spends a hero point to add to a complex skill check, the highest two dice are added instead of only the highest. However, the mystic becomes uncomfortable and ill at ease when not studying or using mystic forces. The mystic suffers a -2 penalty to Will defense except when learning a new incantation or resisting a level of Thirst.

Level 3: The mystic is able to fathom nuances about the mystic world that are lost to others. They perform and learn rituals as if their character level were 2 levels higher.

Level 4: The mystic’s physical needs wane in favor of his ritual efforts — Endurance check DCs for starvation are 5 higher for the mystic, but they also gain +2 temporary HP per character level for 1 day after starting any ritual (this can only happen once per day). The mystic’s focus comes at the cost of broader pursuits, however — they are distracted and listless when not seeking the means to greater power, and suffers a –2 penalty to all skill checks except those using the Knowledge (Arcana) or Magery skills.

Level 5: The mystic performs and learns rituals as if their character level were 4 levels higher

Level 6: The mystic’s mind reels with the incredible knowledge they have acquired, and their control over “lesser beings” increases by the day. The mystic gains 1 point each of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The mystic’s body pays the price, however — they are physically ravaged by the Thirst, appearing noticeably ill and losing 2 points each of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution when not using undergoing a ritual or otherwise under the effect of magic.

Level 7: The mystic’s mental and empathic powers turn from personal charm to domination — the mystic gains an additional 1 point each of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma (for a total increase of +2 to each ability).

Level 8: The mystic is driven mad by the Thirst as their mind awakens to the vast outer reaches of the mystic world. The madness may not be apparent to casual observers, but the mystic no longer thinks or reacts in a truly human manner. Rumors persist that this level of comprehension opens up entirely new vistas of untapped power, but proof of this “apotheosis” is limited to mythic accounts of god-kings who lorded over the world thousands of years ago. Only mystics who achieve this state of being know for sure, and they rarely survive for long after their ascension. Upon reaching this level of Thirst, one of several things happens the mystic receives Mage Talent for Spirit Binding, the type of spirit being determined by the GM. Unlike a normal spirit bind, the mystic can receive this even if they are already bound to a spirit, since this isn’t an actual spirit bind, its more of a ‘mutation.’ The mystic does not receive the Ability Scores or Contract Augmentation abilities, nor does this spirit bind count as one for the purposes of qualifying for the Contractor prestige class. The abilities gained from this spirit bind are part of the mystic’s innate being, and therefore not suppressed by any effect that would normally suppress or cancel spirit binding abilities.
If a player character agent reaches this state, they must make a Wisdom check against a DC of their own Wisdom score. Failure of this Wisdom check means that the GM takes control of the character, and they become an NPC – probably a highly deranged and power-mad one. This level of Thirst is permanent and can only be obtained once. Once obtained, a Mystic will always have the effects of it even if their Thirst drops below 8.

Level 9: The mystic’s growing Thirst resonates through the physical realm, causing unease and often stark fear amongst the weak-willed and unprepared. All creatures and characters with a Wisdom score of 6 or less automatically flee in fear when the mystic comes within 5 squares + 1 square per two character levels the mystic possesses. Against all other creatures and characters, the GM must make an attack versus their Will defense, with the mystic’s Thirst level being used as the attack bonus, success on this attack moves the creatures and characters two steps down on the condition track as a persistent condition that lasts for 1d4 rounds – during these roudns the creatures or characters must either flee or fight the mystic. Creatures and characters of heroic level 6 or higher are immune to this effect. This effect is mind-affecting and doesn’t affect non-intelligent creatures and characters, nor can it affect spirits or spirit beasts.

Level 10: The mystic begins to slip completely out of sync with the physical world. After the mystic is successfully hit with a physical attack (but before damage is rolled), the mystic may spend two hero points to cause the attacker to roll a d20. With a roll of 1–10, the attack misses, regardless of the original attack roll. Attacks thus prevented seemingly pass through the mystic without effect. Unfortunately, this ability may only be used against physical attacks. Furthermore, if any Magery check made to attack the mystic rolls a natural 20, than the effect created by the Magery check does double damage (if it does damage at all).

Level 11: The mystic’s physical degeneration acts as a conduit between the physical world and the mysterious realm of spirits, allowing the mystic to unleash surges of magical power as blasts of energy into the world of the living. When the mystic gains this level of Thirst, they must pick one of the following types of energy: cold, electricity, energy (like a laser), or fire. Thereafter, as a standard action, the mystic make a standard attack with the chosen energy type. This attack uses simple weapon ranges. It inflicts 1d6 damage per 10 bonded followers’ worth of energy the mystic expends (to a maximum damage value of 5d6) – this damage does not count as coming from a magical source (but see Level 13, below). This energy attack type may not be adjusted once chosen, and this choice remains set even if the mystic’s Thirst drops below 11 and then increases to 11 again. If a mystic’s spirit bind from Thirst level 8 is Electromagnetism, Fire, Ice, or Light, then they may not make a choice – their choice is already set (Electromagnetism -> Electricity, Fire -> Fire, Ice -> Cold, Light -> Energy).

Level 12: The mystic’s physical substance is slow to recover from damage and drastic steps must be taken to retain it during battle. The mystic subtracts his Thirst ranks from any HP they would recover from Second Wind or natural healing, and double their Thirst ranks from any HP that would be restored via Treat Injury. If being treated by someone using the Lay on Hands talent to use Magery in place of Treat Injury, no subtraction takes place. The mystic may voluntarily destroy bonded followers to temporarily boost their HP, at the rate of 10 bonded followers for every bonus +2d6 HP gained. These bonded followers are devoured whole and may never be tapped again, they are instantly slain and their bodies obliterated, leaving behind all of their equipment. The process of consuming bonded followers for HP requires one full day per 50 followers sacrificed. There is no limit to the bonus HP that may be gained in this fashion (and the bonus HP may increase the mystic’s temporary vitality above his normal maximum – in which case the excess coutn as temporary hit points), though the bonus HP fades after a number of days equal to the mystic’s Wisdom modifier.

Level 13: The mystic gains a critical defense against the spirits which assault them for becoming the abomination that they are. The energy blasts gained at Thirst level 11 now count as a magical source of damage, allowing them to properly damage spirits and spirit beasts.

Level 14: By this degree of Thirst, the mystic begins to gain a degree of control over their unnatural abilities, but their constant defiance of the laws of nature demand equal recompense. At this level of Thirst, the mystic gains one unique ability and one unique weaknesses that set him apart from the few others who have reached this level of spiritual corruption. The GM should come up with parallel effects with a similar theme. Sample unique ability and weakness packages include:
• The mystic gains a modified version of a ritual, often with no bonded follower requirement. If additional benefits are added (such as increased effectiveness or lowered complex skill check DC), the bonded follower requirement should remain and additional penalties (such as increased skill check interval) should be applied. Meanwhile, the mystic loses access to one other ritual forever.
• The mystic’s perceptions are expanded, allowing him to see vistas that would shatter the minds of lesser beings. They perform and learn rituals as if their character level were 10 higher. Unfortunately, their obssession with these power raises their penalty to all skill checks aside from Knowledge (Arcana) and Magery to -10. This supersedes the bonus from the 5th Thirst level and the penalty from the 4th Thirst level.

Level 15: The mystic’s physical shell is now merely a circumstantial, transient waystation for the mystic, who would now be better described as a form of lesser or mutated spirit. When the mystic dies, their spirit may manifest in the physical realm within 2 kilometers mile of their body as if they were a spirit of the kind they received their ‘bind’ to in Thirst level 8.

 

Slaking the Thirst

The call of the mystic world does abate over time. Four times a year, which must be separated by at least 4 months, the mystic may make a single Wisdom check versus a DC of their own Wisdom score. Success reduces their Thirst level by 1. Making this check requires two full hours of quiet contemplation. Failure on this check provides no benefit other than consuming the attempt. 

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YOITSUNI SERVANT SUMMONING: New Customization Options

All of these Customization options are 1-Point options.

Aid Rite: The Servant counts as a Bonded Follower for their master when performing Rites that provides a number of Bonded Followers equal to the amount that you would provide.  The servant can take [Magic] feats on its own to increase this number even further, this stacks with the bonuses that feats that you have provide. There is no need to use the Bond Follower rite, your servant is automatically bonded to you at all times, even if it is not summoned.

Aid Ritual (Prerequisite: Aid Rite): The Aid Rite customization option now expands to provide its benefit to Rituals as well.

Improved Invocation Aid (Prerequisite: Aid Ritual): The servant counts as itself another time over when determining how many Bonded Followers it effectively provides to you for the purposes of Rites and Rituals. This ability can be taken multiple times.