Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Bribery

How much is a typical bribe? Depends how rich the recipient is, and what sort of exacerbating circumstances exist. Somebody will only take a bribe if they think they can get away with it.

If the recipient of the bribe is required to do more than nothing (such as beyond "you didn't see us"), multiply the value by 5.

If they’re really risking something, multiply it by 5 again. (x25)

If they’d hang for this, multiply it by 5 again. (x125)

If the GM wants to randomly add some person-to-person variance to this, they can determine how high or low the person getting bribed is willing to go, secretly roll 2d6:

2: This person is desperate and/or very sympathetic. -50% bribe cost.
3-5: This person is willing to take a low ball bribe. Might be sympathetic or not confident: -10% bribe cost.
6-8: This person is typical of someone in their position: Normal bribe cost.
9-11: This person is particularly scared of the consequences, thinks high of themselves, etc.: +10% bribe cost.
12: This person either has principles, hates you, or you're bribing a group of people instead of one: +50% bribe cost. Generally, if you underestimate how much the person getting bribed thinks they're worth, they’ll probably get offended and either extort you, outright refuse, or plan to double cross you. Similarly, you can do a secret roll if they low ball the bribe. If the bribe is too low, roll 2d6:

2: This person will take the bribe and then double cross you to the authorities. And they won't even keep the bribe, either out of principle or spite or loyalty or something.
3-4: This person will take the bribe and then double cross you. They'll keep the bribe, or a secret portion of it, and maybe give the rest to the authorities as proof. They just want to double down on the rewards.
5-6: This person will be annoyed and/or offended and ask you to stop bothering them.
7-10: This person will ask for a bigger bribe. If you low ball them again roll again.
11-12: This person will haggle with your bribe until they get something they think is reasonable.

(I use a silver standard in most of my campaigns, but I'll put this in terms of gp since that's typical of most other games.)

1gp will bribe a beggar.
10gp will bribe a peasant.
100gp will bribe a guard, acolyte, or tradesfolk of modest means.
1,000gp will bribe a merchant, priest, or tradesfolk of good means.
10,000gp will bribe a noble.
100,000gp will bribe a king. 
1,000,000gp will bribe a god.

For a beggar, a bribe will buy a few months worth of meals if you spread it out, or maybe some booze to go with it. You could buy some warm clothing, or a ticket out of this place.

For a peasant, a bribe could buy you a couple of farm animals to brace against starvation or get ahead. It could afford you a wedding dowry, and perhaps a set of nice clothes to go with it.

For a guard, a bribe means you can have some real fun: a couple of nights of prostitutes, higher end booze, drugs, and games. If you can get away with it, either by being clever or kicking back some of the bribe to your superiors, you could potentially invest in a nice home, or maybe enough goods to start a trade. Open an inn somewhere, or maybe own a windmill, or a big house in the country. Anything other than guarding.

For a merchant, a bribe can hire protection, either from legitimate guards or criminal gangs. Priests can afford luxuries. Tradesfolk can hire servants. All these folk can feel like nobles with a bribe.

For a noble, a bribe buys bribes. It's enough to fund fancy feasts and expensive outings to impress your peers and recruit knights to your house. This bribe could fund a small fleet of ships to better your wealth.

For a king, a bribe buys nobles. It's enough to hire an army of mercenaries, or outright purchase a county. It's enough to appease the people, for with this money one could lessen an extortive tax burden for a year.

For a god, a bribe buys glory and worshippers. A million gold is enough to erect a grand temple in their honor. Thousands of the finest cattle, libations, and goods can be purchased and sacrificed to your splendor. It buys oddities in abundance like golden statues laden with gemstones, albino oxen most fit for sacrifice, luxurious lifestyles for high priests and their cohorts.

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Fantasty Martial Arts

Martial systems develop in response to their environments and the culture of the time. For fantasy settings, those environments include giant monsters, magic, and other general weirdness that would absolutely affect all martial systems everywhere in the setting. Unless your setting has only humans, or only humanoids with a similar height, reach, number of limbs, etc., your fantasy martial systems are going to have radically different considerations.

Any of these martial arts can be taken in place of a language for Monks, Fighters, Barbarians, Paladins, and Rangers. Or maybe as a Feat, GLOG Template, what have you.

Source

Orcish Aquathlon

A specialized form of underwater striking and grappling, which turn out to be a little different when gravity it a bit more subjective. Special attention is taken as to one's buoyancy, as the states of rising, neutral, and sinking often affect what limbs come in reach.

Being above your opponent is generally considered a winning position, as it allows you to keep your opponent from rising and accessing air, usually by kicking them in the face.

Practitioners receive no penalties when fighting underwater, and the amount of time they can hold their breath is doubled.


Novan Tunnel Fighting

Practiced in the drow volcanic city of November. Utilizes a braided training cord for grappling. Military uses use a sharp unbreakable cord that can slice through unarmored appendages with ease.

Techniques are divided into two categories: feet first, and head first. Feet first techniques emphasize pins and kicks while braced against a surface. Head first techniques make use of the braided cord to snag and drag limbs around sharp surfaces or garrote your opponent. Numerous pins have been developed to asphyxiate or otherwise incapacitate your opponent in confined spaces.

A sport version of this exists. An arena is constructed either vertically or horizontally, with one side composed of glass for spectators to see into. A rat maze is then constructed out of shaped stone and dirt. The fighters each start at one of multiple entrances and must find each other. This is done in total darkness. Those without darkvision will find learning the sport difficult.

Practitioners receive no penalties when grappling or using Light weapons when squeezing. Movement speed is 1/2 rather than 1/4th while squeezing.


Suthlands One-Armed Boxing

Numerous wars with the orcs of Shadowmountain have left many a veteran in the Suthlands missing eyes, noses, ears, and limbs. (The Shadowmountain orcs, contrary to the propaganda and scary stories, don't typically execute captives or kill opponents in battle. Instead they prefer to mark them by mutilation as a sign to other orcs that this person lost a fight, and hence might be below their effort.)

Missing arms are common. In this vacuum a fighting style was developed to make use of the lack of two arms: one-armed boxing. There's an emphasis on power and keeping the 'stump' protecting the head or body.

Practitioners deal more damage with a punch (but only with one arm), and only every other round of combat.


Troll Art

More martial art than fighting system. Makes use of quasi-religious meditation. The monk makes use of their mastery of their body in order to regenerate like a troll. Exemplary practitioners can even regrow limbs and rejuvenate aging body parts. Legendary practitioners can grow limbs and body parts that they didn't have originally, like a hydra sprouting new heads.

The mythical founder figure of the Troll Art was a woman named Fatoumata Din, and was described as to be so powerful in the practice that, with sufficient time and calories, could clone herself entirely.

Practitioners can use an action to gain temporary Regeneration. Available to monks only. No other adventuring professions has the introspection required.


Don't Eat Me

A self-defense system designed to assist the user in avoiding being predated by larger creatures. Applies to anything that could scoop you up and eat you whole: trolls, giants, kraken, giant birds.

Originally observed in small prey animals (to human), including mice, rats, and bugs. Rats would go on to be formal instructors in the school, opening academies to teach their (to them) giant neighbors.

First Rule of Don't Eat Me: If you can run, RUN!
Second Rule of Don't Eat Me: If you can hide, HIDE!
Third Rule of Don't Eat Me: Picking you up? Bite! Bite! Bite! Stab! Stab! Stab!
Fourth Rule of Don't Eat Me: If it drops you, scurry away!
Fifth Rule of Don't Eat Me: Out of options? Play dead! (Maybe it'll lose interest)
Sixth Rule of Don't Eat Me: Never travel alone. Always has at least three people (most big things have only two hands to grab).

Practitioners receive advantage to get out of grapples by larger creatures, and get an AC bonus to their attacks. Coincidentally, it also gives a minor boost to disarming techniques.


Armstrong's Long LAW Arms For Harm

For use with Armstrong's Long LAW Arms! What's the point of having a Long LAW Arm if you don't know how to use it? Having synthetic arms twice or three-times the length of somebody else's can be a big advantage! It can also be a liability if used improperly. Well, Armstrong's got the solution for you! A nifty fighting system to use with your superficially-extended limbs!

Armstrong advertises that the best use of the Long LAWs is to use them for slapping. Slapping really hard and fast, like a windmill arm falling from the heavens!

Practitioners ignore the penalties for using long arms. And they may or may not be taken seriously by other martial artists.


Glare Art

Makes use of body contortion and special paints to produce terrifying images. In this sense, the Glare Art is much more so art than any of the martial systems above. Derived from observance of petrifying creatures, such as the Basilisk and Medusa. Adherents will essentially practice making faces, until they can make a face that is truly terrifying enough to stop anything with sight in its tracks.

Being able to warp the face in this manner takes quite a lot of practice and skill, with varying levels of mastery present in the orders that teach them.

Initiates will begin by practicing spooky faces in a mirror, and will be taught how to formulate and apply the proper paints that emphasize certain features. Eventually, if they're good enough, they'll progress to higher stages by testing out their abilities on small plants.

Past a certain level of power, though, we pass beyond the realm of safe practice. Masters are capable of petrifying, truly petrifying someone with their glare alone. It takes a lot of energy and special knowledge of facial makeup to produce such an effect, but at a certain point it becomes outright dangerous to practice. There are several fables of overconfident masters using their powers wantonly, and all eventually catching glimpse of themselves by some fluke and self-petrifying.

Practitioners get advantages to intimidate their opponents. At higher levels they can Stun or even Petrify them at a glance. Available to monks only. No other adventuring professions has the introspection required.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Gods, Dungeons, Nemesis, Doom

I'm fond of emphasizing the role of religion in worldbuilding, so here's a mechanical take for Tidelock, with a kind of Greco/Roman bent.

~~~~~~

Dungeons are a weird space. It's just kind of assumed that you can just... murder everything inside of one without consequence? Like dungeons are a truly lawless place, free of the moral trappings of society and religion. What happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon. There are some exceptions, sure, but by and large murder and plunder in the dungeon is the norm. I mean, that's what one does in dungeons, right?

This assumption can be applied to most 'wilderness' places in your traditional RPG campaign. You go places and kill stuff and take loot, right? And nobody bats an eye at the adventurer for doing so.

...But what if that wasn't the case? What might that look like? What if the religious consequences for murder were quite real and explicit, for everyone? (Not just for goody-two-shoes paladins and clerics.)

Like, what if you killed a goblin, and then the goblin god was got pissed at you for (in its eyes) murdering one of its followers? And then the goblin god would bide its time until the right moment to, like, have a rat bite at your ankles while you're fighting, causing you to take a spear to the face?


The "Dungeon" is Desecrated

Desecrated in a religious sense: it is a space within which the relevant gods no longer cast their gaze. It is not a sacred, or even a normal space - if it were, there would be religious consequences for plunder and killing. In the true "dungeon" there are not.

Some dungeons are desecrated. Some have been that way for a very long time (such as old ruins). Some are not (yet). In order to do your killing and plunder without running the risk of gaining Nemesis or Doom (see below), you're going to need to consult with a good faith cleric, priest, druid, or other religious sage, in order to determine whether this particular space has the protection of a god.

So, say you're an adventurer!

How does one determine whether a space is protected by a god or not?

  • Lore
  • Rumor
  • History (desecrations and consecrations are important events. People will remember them, and tell their kids and grandkids about them.)
  • Consult or contract a sage, priest, druid, monk, scholar, etc. to find out.
  • Be a cleric, druid, occultist, etc. and do the augury yourself to determine if there's something here.
  • If there's religious stuff around (altars, priests, religious art), it's a sure thing that at some point it is, or was.

Does the place you want to loot and possibly kill within have the protection of a god?

  • No: Well, have at it, then!
  • Yes: Better get protected by a god then, or have it arranged to strip the protection from the place. Consult a priest.

You don't want this to happen to you!

"Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime" - Pierre-Paul Prud'hon

With this is mind, the adventuring party can make some informed decisions about the places they want to delve and the things they might want to hurt.

Ruins will typically be desecrated dungeons, and have likely been so for a long time. Chances are that one can avoid divine retribution in these godless spaces. People like to avoid these for exactly this reason. It might be full of monsters without sentience: undead and the like. Conspiracies and outlaw cults might drag people to these places so that they can do their horrible rituals without the notice of gods and men. Ruins are innately risky places.

Caves, Groves, and other Natural Spaces may or may not be deconsecrated. Are there religious markings anywhere about it? Does it have a sacred animal inside? Is a Druid present? You can consult a Druid if one is unsure whether that space is okay to take from or not, or take a (probably) safe risk if you don't see any markings.

Forts, Temples, Shrines, Hamlets, or other places that have People are likely not only to not  be deconsecrated, but are probably specifically consecrated: under the watchful eye of one or more gods. Not recommended to attack or loot unless you're either preemptively absolved (morally, legally, religiously), have significant divine protection, or you're prepared to accept some divine retribution (see below).

Outlaws carry their desecration wherever they go. There's very rarely religious consequence for killing one or taking their stuff. It's still possible, though, for outlaws to gain religious protection from some other source than from the society which outlawed them. A pious outlaw is rare indeed, but one can become a serious problem for the authorities. It's not uncommon for outlaws to kidnap priests, monks, and druids to use as hostages in case somebody comes after them - a priest who dies in a skirmish will likely taint everyone involved.


Nemesis and Doom

When characters kill things that are still under a god's protection, steal or deface holy items, exhibit extreme hubris, or otherwise act in a way that invites divine retribution, they gain either Nemesis or Doom, proportional to how severe the transgression.

Nemesis is a die (in whatever system you use, likely a d20), that the GM keeps in reserve to use against you at a very inopportune time: an important Save, a crucial attack roll, a dangerous kill check, etc. This roll can be whatever the GM dictates (although it probably shouldn't generate critical hits). Nemesis inflicted for any particular act range from 1 to 5, depending on severity.

Nemesis dice never expire. They can be held onto and hoarded until a truly critical moment. The GM has discretion for what fate this entails. Nemesis can be removed by making amends with the offended god, by the various ways one might do so (material sacrifices, blood prices, donating to charity, self-flagellation, etc.). Or, Nemesis can be removed by getting another god to get the offended one off your back. The champions of gods in this way are like the international diplomats of the religious world. They have a certain amount of immunity before they're expelled.

The player-character find out how much Nemesis they have when they next sleep or long rest. It's not immediately apparent how much Nemesis a certain act has produced. Until this point, the GM cannot use Nemesis on that respective character.

Examples of acts that might produce Nemesis: 

  • Killing someone. (Everyone's got a god. Maybe even if they attacked first. Do all the gods recognize a mortal's argument of self-defense? Probably not.)
  • Touching a dead body. Maybe even looking at one. Maybe even mentioning a dead person's name.
  • Cursing a god. Cursing The gods. Cursing God.
  • Taking treasure from a place that has not been de-sanctified by a cleric.
  • Beating up a priest, monk, druid, pilgrim, or other holy person.
  • Killing a sacred stag, favored animal, or "monster" considered holy to a god (without the proper ritual beforehand).
  • Supporting, being around, or being associated with somebody with active Nemesis. The closer you are, the more it radiates.
  • Expressing hubris.

Doom is reserved for truly offensive acts in the eyes of the gods. Doom can never be removed by any means. Characters with Doom suffer the worst possible outcome on an injury table or death saving throw when next it is rolled (or at least something more severe than a potentially normal outcome). This can't be gamed (say, by trying to preempt it in a safe scenario). GM has discretion to withhold the Doom if the situation seems too safe.

Similar to Nemesis, Doom cannot be utilized or confirmed until an Omen has been revealed. It's up to the GM as to exactly when this happens. These should be specific to the offended god (e.g. a snake eating itself, a shattering mirror, an eclipse).

Examples of acts that might produce Doom:

  • Defiling the altar of a death god.
  • Hearing the banshee call your name.
  • Slaughtering and looting a temple.
  • Killing an (innocent) priest, monk, druid, or other holy person.
  • Slaughtering the sacred chickens.

What's the Point?

What's the point of these mechanics? Well, maybe two things. One is that hopefully it might lead towards the campaign that emphasizes careful consideration of killing, particularly its religious consequences. Murder suddenly becomes a much more expensive proposition if the gods are paying attention to your violence. If you want to kill without consequence, you're going to need to get permission (or protection) from some gods.

So, what do you do instead of murder and plunder? Well, you can maybe murder and plunder only a little bit and maybe get a manageable amount of Nemesis. You can beat up or capture your enemies (but be careful with the priests!), or force them to run away. You can make sure that when you do kill and plunder, you've got some religious backing to do so.

Second, it really gets religion involved in the adventuring cycle. Want to do dungeon delving? Better consult a priest first. Get some blessings before you head out of town. Visit shrines along the way. Why are there unplundered shrines and treasures all over the place? Because most people know better than to mess with them. Going to fight some gnolls/orcs/trolls/etc.? Well, you'd better get some protection against their gods, or you've got some serious nemesis in store for you.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Kalliope Jazz - Exploration/Campaign Systems for Lancer

 The Lancer RPG generally doesn't have systems for exploration. The following was my attempt to homebrew such systems for my Kalliope Jazz campaign setting. It's got a few base assumptions:

  • It's a bit gritty. Mechs don't have infinite power. They work kind of like Evangelion mechs, with a power gauge ticking downward. Mechs are scrappy little death machines cobbled together with old ship parts and prayers.
  • Food is one of the most valuable commodities.
  • PCs start the campaign indebted. Credits are the main currency.
  • Taking your enemies prisoner is generally more lucrative than killing them.
  • Cloning is very expensive and highly regulated.
GoogleDocs Link

Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

KALLIOPE JAZZ HOMEBREW RULES SECTION

For use with the Lancer RPG for Exploration and Adventure

UPKEEP COSTS

There are 4 Seasons per Year.


Upkeep

Cost per Season

Description

Effects

Bell Peppers and Beef (Without the Beef)

0

Bare subsistence. Your stomach is always rumbling. You sleep inside your mech.

-2 to all skill checks.

As Much Rice As You Can Eat

2

Perhaps lacking in nutrition, but it will sustain you. You sleep in a barn.

-1 to all skill checks.

A Bit of Protein

5

Brothy soup and leftovers. Maybe the occasional tip to a musician. You sleep in a bed.

No Penalties/Bonuses

Steaks Every Night

10

Steaks and fully balanced means. An entertainment subscription service. The occasional gift for a paramour. You sleep in a room with a lock on it.

+1 to all skill checks. The following season only you can reduce the penalty from poor nutrition by 1.

Wine and Blackjack

25

The occasional high class entertainment and eating out every night. Tons of partying and money for drugs.

Same as Steaks Every Night, except you get a free GET A DAMN DRINK downtime action in addition to your normal one. For this carousing, roll twice and take the lower result.

Caviar and Champagne

100

The most luxurious imported goods. High class hotels and entertainments. Playing golf with businessmen and politicians.

+2 to all skill checks. An additional +2 Bonus towards any diplomacy or dealing with the rich and famous. Get a free GET A DAMN DRINK downtime action without disadvantage.

MECH COSTS AND BONUSES.

Players will begin the Kalliope Jazz campaign with 1000 Credits of debt to the Orleans Company.


The purchasing of Orleans Company (GMS) equipment requires a GMS License.

A GMS License costs 50 Credits per Year. This gives you access to all of the standard GMS weaponry, systems, and mechs.     Licenses must be renewed every Year.


Mech Licenses cost 500 Credits to purchase.

Talents cost 250 Credits to purchase.

Mech Skills cost 150 Credits to purchase.


Grit increases to 1 after spending 1000 Credits, and every 2000 Credits after that. Credits acquired by taking out loans do not contribute towards Grit. Credits spent on Repairs do count towards Grit.


After acquiring 3 Licenses in a particular Mech, receive a Core Bonus from that Manufacturer.


Mech Licenses can be Rented for One Year.

100 Credits for the 1st Rank

300 Credits for the 1st and 2nd Ranks

500 Credits for All 3 Ranks

SALVAGE

When a mech is destroyed, roll 1d6 for each Weapon Mount or System. It is destroyed if rolled under excess damage dealt to mech, up to a maximum of 5. If excess damage exceeds 10 or the pilot self-destructs, the mech is utterly obliterated.


(So if 4 excess damage destroys a mech, then each System and Weapon Mount is salvagable upon a 5-6 on a 1d6 roll.)


Disabled or destroyed mechs can have their Systems and weapons salvaged and sold off or converted into Repairs. Systems and weapons can be retrofitted onto Player mechs at a Garage/Stables at a cost equal to their Salvage value.


Auxiliary Weapons = 1 Repair = 5 Credits Salvage

Main Weapons = 2 Repairs = 10 Credits Salvage

Heavy Weapons = 4 Repairs = 20 Credits Salvage

Superheavy Weapons = 8 Repairs = 40 Credits Salvage

Systems = 1 Repair per SP = 5 Credits Salvage per SP


Prying all of the weapons and systems off of a mech takes 1 Hour. Salvage obtained in this way takes up 1 Carry Capacity for every 4 Repairs, or it can be bundled up as an Object of Size 1 for every 8 Repairs harvested.


You can try and quickly amputate a fallen mech’s equipment in a single round with a successful applicable Skill Check (GM’s discretion as to what applies). Particularly difficult systems or weapons to extract (such as Integrated Mounts) will require a Difficult Skill Check. Whether successful or not, equipment obtained by amputation has half normal value as soon as an amputation is attempted.

REPAIRS + LIMITED ITEMS

Every Repair costs 10 Credits. You begin the campaign with all your Repairs. These may be purchased and loaded up when doing a Full Repair.


Doing a Full Repair when in Nova New Orleans does not cost you anything, although replenishing your Repairs, up to your max repairs, does.

REPUTATION BONUSES/PENALTIES

Orleans Company = GMS

The Colonists = ISP-N

House of Coals = SSC

The Oracles = Horus

Imperial Remnants = HA


Reputation with each group exists on a -10 to 10 scale. -10 indicates that this group will attempt to destroy you utterly to ensure you’ll never come back. 10 means that you are allied and considered deeply trustworthy.


Reputation with a group or particular person means that their items are cheaper.

Items purchased from Faction Vendors will cost 100% - (5% x Reputation). To a maximum of 50% for Allied, and 150% for enemies. Vendors will stop selling to you once you reach -5 or lower. At that point you must purchase such items and licenses from the Black Market.

HONOR AND RANSOM

On Kalliope, it is often more enriching to take enemies captive rather than killing them. Lancers with connections who are slain will simply be downloaded into new bodies via the Omninet. But Lancer held captive will not reincarnate unless certain anti-cloning protocols are breached. (If that happens, the original “Illegitimate” is typically disinherited, and slated for elimination by cloning authorities.)


The Orleans Company provides arbitration and safe transfer services for ransoms at a fee of 15%. They also provide consultations for reasonable ransom rates. Transactions and prisoner swaps are performed honorably under company auspices, rather than relying on hazardous in-person transfers.


Typical ransoms are as follows. Ransoms will often take 1d4 Seasons to finalize, due to the negotiation and logistical processes.


Position

Ransom

Peasant*

5

Soldier

100

Knight**

1,000

Baron

10,000

Count

100,000

Duke/Margrave

1 Mill


*Peasants are typically not even worth the cost of feeding them, and are usually executed or mutilated and set free.

**Knights and more senior nobility are typically Lancers, and are hence immortal.


Conditions

Modifier

Family Is Rich

x3

Family Cares About Them

x1.5

Injured

x0.90

Tortured

x0.5

Mutilated

x0.75 per Mutilation


Wards, Prisoners, and Ransoms have a cost to hold them equivalent to x2 whatever Food/Entertainment costs you would prefer to keep them in as per the above Table. (Prison costs on top of food/entertainment.) Generally, the better you treat your prisoners, the more amiable they and their faction will be to you if ever the favor should be returned.

DEATH AND TAXES

Dying is expensive. This is why most noble houses prefer ransom over regrowing clones. Regrowing a Clone and building a brand new mech costs 1000 Credits by default. This amount automatically goes towards your debt, which accumulates debt-interest at a rate of 20% per Year. At the start of the campaign the Orleans Company holds this debt, although it’s possible that other entities can purchase this if they feel the need.


The Orleans Company is not fond of supporting horses that keep losing. If your debt exceeds 3000 Credits due to cloning expenses, they will implant your new clone with cybernetic protocols to “safeguard their investment”.


If your debt exceeds 5000 Credits due to repeated death, your Cloning Contract becomes null and void with the Orleans Company. They will not bring you back, and will attempt to confiscate whatever remains of your estates if you die again. Or they might bring you back and sell you into debt slavery.


Orleans Protocols and Cloning Contracts may be removed or renewed if you can reduce your debt. Typically to below 1000 Credits.


The Orleans Company offers personal and business loans to Lancers at the above 20% per Year rate, up to 1000 Credits. This Credit Limit can be extended by gaining Reputation with this faction.

REPLACING LOST MECHS

Sometimes your mechs may be irreparably destroyed or captured. When this happens you’ll need to replace the entire unit. The cost for replacing an mech is 40 Credits (or 4 Scrap) for an Everest, and 80 Credits (or 8 Scrap) for any other mech frame. If you have the Licenses to produce mech frames other than the Everest, and you decide to rebuild your mech using the Everest template, you must use the Everest frame for at least one season prior to switching frames.

EXPLORATION PROCEDURES

TIMEKEEPING

There are 6 Watches in a Day.

Each Watch is 4 Hours.

Days alternate between Night and Day (Night is 24 Hours long, as is Day)

TRAVEL

A mech travels underwater at a velocity of Speed x 3 Knots

An Everest with 4 Speed travels at 12 Knots (About 12 mph)

Hexes are 24 miles across. (Takes 2 hours, 1/2 Watch, to travel



Mech Speed

Knots (Speed x 3)

Watch Distance (Miles Travelled / 4 Hours)

Watches to Cross Hex (24 Miles)

Distance Travelled Per Day (Nautical Miles)

# Hexes Travelled During One Watch

Hexes Travelled Per Day

1

3

12

2

72

0.5

3

2

6

24

1

144

1

6

3

9

36

0.666

216

1.5

9

4

12

48

0.5

288

2

12

5

15

60

0.4

360

2.5

15

6

18

72

0.3333

432

3

18

7

21

84

0.2857

504

3.5

21

8

24

96

0.25

576

4

24

9

27

108

0.2222

648

4.5

27

10

30

120

0.2

720

5

30

EXPLORATION PROCEDURE

TRAVELING

  1. Searching or Traveling?

  2. PCs determine underwater travel elevation (Surface, Floating, or Floor)

  3. Determine Weather Effects or Travel Events

  4. Determine direction of travel and formation.

  5. (If Underwater) GM determines Lost Status and potential Veer

  6. PCs engage Movement / Searching

  7. If Active Sonar is engaged, record terrain features and moving objects.

  8. Resolve Encounters, if any

  9. Record resources expended

ELEVATION

When traveling underwater, for our purposes there will generally be three important elevations: Surface, Floating, and Floor.


When traveling on the Surface, mechs have full view of the sky. They are visible from the air and can spot things on the surface up to 3 miles. Active Sonar will grant the greatest amount of information. It is the least stealthy option.


When Floating, mechs do not have view of the sky, nor do they have a visual of the sea floor. It typically grants no visual information. Active Sonar will reveal a moderate amount of information. It is slightly more stealthy than Surface. There are different degrees of Floating, depending on the maximum depth of the area. All water areas will have a Depth rating from 1-6, which corresponds to potential degrees of Floating. In these instances, Depth 1 = Surface. Max Depth = Ocean Floor. (e.g. in an area of max Depth 4, a Depth of 1 is the surface. Depth 4 is the Ocean Floor. The party may travel at Floating depths 2 and 3.) The deeper you Float, the less information Sonar grants and the less detectable you are.


When traversing the Sea Floor, mechs have a visual of the floor of the ocean and are susceptible to any terrain movement penalties, and any visual features they can see (up to Sensors distance). Active Sonar will reveal the least amount of information, especially if located in a valley or contained within other obstructing landscape. It is the stealthiest option. Traveling along the sea floor gives the greatest chance that one will avoid enemy active and passive sonar.


Weather Effects and Floor Terrain Features

Certain weather effects may affect Travel Speed, Getting Lost chances, or Veer.

WEATHER


Weather Type

Surface

Floating

Floor

Speed Modifier

Special

Rain Storm

*

*

*

x1

Surface visibility reduced fractionally based on Storm potency. Veer chance doubled.

Gravity Storm

*

*

*

x0.75

Every Watch, Hull Save or take 2d6 Physical Damage.

Surface Fire

*



x1

Mechs gain 1 Heat every round spent in fire.

Jelly Cloud

*

*


x0.5

Every Watch, Agility Save or take 1d6 Energy Damage.

Spirit Storm


*

*

x1

Every Watch, Systems Save or a ghost inhabits your machine. (Effects Vary)

Water Spouts

*



x1.25

Once per Watch, there is a 5% chance for each mech to be picked up and hurled into an adjacent hex. This chance is halved for mechs of size 2, and halved again for size 3.

Charybdis


*


x2

Gravitational Anomaly that will crush anything that enters. When encountering a Charybdis, make two consecutive Agility Checks. If both are failed then your mech and pilot are crushed and destroyed.

Fog

*



x1

Visual searching chances are Impaired.

Radiation Bloom

*

*

*

x1

50% Chance of any particular Elevation being affected. Reduces Sensors by half.


All Saves are DC 10 unless otherwise noted.

TERRAIN

* Indicates which elevation this affects.


Terrain Type

Surface

Floating

Floor

Speed Modifier

Special

Grasslands



*

x1


Canyons



*

x0.75


Caves



*

x0.5


Reef



*

x0.75

Gain Precision +1 when avoiding or evading.

Algae Mats

*



x0.5


Oil Cloud

*

*


x0.75


Minefield**

*

*

*

x0.25

Terrain effects may be ignored within a single hex by having an Encounter with mines.

Abyss


*


x1

Getting Lost chance tripled.

Hades Field

*

*


x0.5

Energy Drain

Gravity Field

*

*

*

x1.25

Veer Effects are Directional and Constant


**Minefields may be active or inactive at any level.

GETTING LOST

Only applicable when at Floating or Floor elevations, or during weather effects that prevent visibility conditions on the Surface.


When it is determined that the party has gotten Lost, the GM secretly rolls a degree of Veer and distance movement penalty. When Lost, the party has no bearings and cannot accurately determine direction and course. To regain bearings, one of the following must occur:

  • Gain sight of a familiar landmark (such as an island, a wreck, or natural feature), or area that has been previously scanned by the party.

  • Receive directions from a local.

MECHS

Your Mech Bonuses affect certain areas of exploration.


Hull increases your Carry Capacity.

Agility modifies your Speed, which affects Travel Times.

Systems amplifies the chance of discovering something hidden when Searching. It also amplifies the scouting radius of active sonar and surveillance drones.

Engineering modifies energy consumption and recovery, which can be used to overdrive your mech to high speeds or sustain oneself in areas of energy drain.


Carry Capacity = (3+Hull) x Size

1 Unit for Carry Capacity = , a Treasure Chest, Extra Ammo, a spare Energy Core, etc.


Search Success Chance = 5% + 5% per point of Systems

Multiple people may initiate searches simultaneously. All Search rolls are done in secret.


Energy Production = 1% per point of Engineering.

RESOURCES

There are two resources which will be important to exploration: Energy and Repairs.


Repairs work independently of the travel mechanics. Resting requires 1 Watch (4 Hours) instead of the normal one Hour. Full Repairs require the use of a Garage/Stables/Dry Dock Port.


Energy is the primary resource for exploration, the equivalent of torches and rations ticking down. Every mech has a reactor that supplies energy which under resting conditions is self-sustainable but under strenuous conditions drains. Energy begins at 100% and drains at a rate proportional to the hazard faced, modified by factors such as Mech Size and Engineering Save.


Under normal conditions, a mech uses up 5% of its Energy every Watch and every Combat Round.  Every Watch, a mech produces Energy according to its Engineering mech skill. (Yes, with 6 Engineering you can in fact gain Energy during exploration.)


Energy Expended = 5% - Engineering


During Exploration, a mech pilot may Overdrive the Mech. Doing so increases your exploration Speed. For every 1 Speed, an additional 2% Energy is used every Watch. You cannot Overdrive your mech in combat, only in Exploration.


If Overdriving your mech by a Speed of 3 higher than normal, you must pass an Engineering check every Watch (DC 10) or suffer 1 Stress.


During Combat, Combat Energy Drain may be reduced to 2% per Round default at the expense of your mech being Slowed and Impaired. This can be initiated as a Protocol, which persists until the Protocol is disabled.


If your Energy reaches 0%, your mech is effectively Stunned until it either rests or acquires Energy from some source.


Energy returns while Resting at a rate of (5+Engineering)% per Watch. Resting may occur within areas of Energy Drain, though in some areas of potent Energy Drain this will be a losing battle.


Returning back home to base after a season requires no Energy and happens automatically.

SPECIAL SYSTEMS

HUGINN TRANSDUCER

1 SP, Unique

Once per Watch while underwater, your mech emits a mighty caw of active sonar that determines general topographical data and major structures within 24 nautical miles (one hex) plus an additional 8 miles per 2 points of Systems. It will identify moving objects of size 1 within the same hex (within 15 miles), and moving objects of size 2 or greater in adjacent hexes.


During combat, the Huginn Transducer may be activated as a Protocol - All Invisible beings within Sensors only have a 33% chance to be missed, instead of 50%.


Beware, though, for there are terrible things in the deeps. And they’re surely listening.


MUNINN DRONE

1 SP, 1 Carry Capacity

Once per Watch, you may send your drone up into the sky to get a bird’s eye view of the surrounding area. Depending on the weather, it may acquire surface topography up to 96 miles.


UNIVERSAL POWER CABLES

Pilot Item, 1 Carry Capacity

You may connect two mechs together with this cable, allowing them to donate/receive Energy from one another. Mechs connected this way may not move 2 Spaces from each other. In combat, this takes a Full Action to attach, or a Free Action to unattach.


EXTRA BATTERIES

1 Carry Capacity

An easily-acquirable reserve. Each battery can instantly give your mech an additional 20% Energy for a Size 1 or ½ mech, 15% for a Size 2 mech, or 10% for a Size 3 mech.

PORTS

Are divided into three categories: Docks, Dry Dock, and Hostile.


At Docks, your mechs can be bunkered up for the rest of the season, but they don’t have the facilities to do a Full Repair. Sometimes special Downtime Activities will be present, depending on the Port.


At Dry Dock Ports, Full Repairs may be initiated. Dry Dock Ports are often bigger and more impressive than Wet Dock Ports. The cost of purchasing Repairs will vary from port to port.


At Hostile Ports, Full Repairs may not be initiated, and Downtime Activities may not happen without some kind of subterfuge. The Port Guards may also attack and attempt to impound your mechs and/or arrest or kill you.

MISCELLANEOUS

MULE Harness (Lancaster II) has the added benefit of having all riding mechs match the Lancaster’s speed when traveling.


Transfusion Cables. Pilot Gear. Allows the sharing of Energy between mechs. Any connected mechs may donate any amount of Energy to any other connected mechs. Requires 1 Watch to complete.