Special Points, Attributes, Magic/Resonance, Skills, and Resources can all be issued a priority value from A to E. No two columns can be issued the same priority value.
Priority | Metatype | Attributes | Magic & Resonance | Skills | Resources |
A(4) | Human (9) Elf (8) Dwarf (7) Ork (7) Troll (5) |
24 | Magician/Mystic Adept: Magic 6, two Rating 5 Magical Skills, 10 spells Technomancer: Resonance 6, two Rating 5 Resonance skills, 5 complex forms |
46/10 | 450.000¥ |
B(3) | Human (7) Elf (6) Dwarf (4) Ork (4) Troll (0) |
20 | Magician or Mystic Adept: Magic 4, two Rating 4 Magical skills, 7 spells Technomancer: Resonance 4, two Rating 4 Resonance skills, 2 complex forms Adept: Magic 6, one Rating 4 Active Skill Aspected Magician: Magic 5, one Rating 4 Magical skill group |
36/5 | 275.000¥ |
C(2) | Human (5) Elf (3) Dwarf (1) Ork (0) |
16 | Magician or Mystic Adept: Magic 3,5 spells Technomancer: Resonance 3,1 complex forms Adept: Magic 4, one Rating 2 Active Skill Aspected Magician: Magic 3, one Rating 2 Magical skill group |
28/2 | 140.000¥ |
D(1) | Human (3) Elf (0) |
14 | Adept: Magic 2 Aspected Magician: Magic 2 |
22/0 | 50.000¥ |
E(0) | Human (1) | 12 | None | 18/0 | 6.000¥ |
Body | Agility | Reaction | Strength | Will | Logic | Intuition | Charisma | Edge | Magic |
1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 2/7 | 1/6 |
Body | Agility | Reaction | Strength | Will | Logic | Intuition | Charisma | Edge | Magic |
1/6 | 2/7 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 3/8 | 1/6 | 1/6 |
BONUS: Low-Light Vision
Body | Agility | Reaction | Strength | Will | Logic | Intuition | Charisma | Edge | Magic |
3/8 | 2/7 | 1/5 | 3/8 | 2/7 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 1/6 |
BONUS: Thermographic Vision, +2 dice for pathogen and toxin resistance, 20% increased social lifestyle cost
Body | Agility | Reaction | Strength | Will | Logic | Intuition | Charisma | Edge | Magic |
4/9 | 1/6 | 1/6 | 3/8 | 1/6 | 1/5 | 1/6 | 1/5 | 1/6 | 1/6 |
BONUS: Low-Light Vision
Body | Agility | Reaction | Strength | Will | Logic | Intuition | Charisma | Edge | Magic |
5/10 | 1/5 | 1/6 | 5/10 | 1/6 | 1/5 | 1/5 | 1/4 | 1/6 | 1/6 |
BONUS: Thermographic Vision, +1 Reach, +1 Dermal Armor, 100% Increased Lifestyle Cost
The numbers under each attribute are the starting value and the maximum value for that attribute. Starting values are free points that do not use Attribute Points found in Step 2.
Character creation for metavariant, metasapient, and shapeshifter characters follows the same procedures as for the standard metatypes, with only one small change. Some of the options require part of the character’s starting Karma to be spent just to allow for the additional abilities these characters will possess. On the other hand, a few metavariant options end up giving the character a little extra Karma to spend. This extra Karma counts toward the Karma limit allowed for Negative Qualities. The Karma cost for playing a certain option does not count against the character’s Positive Quality limit, though. Some of the options require taking a few Negative Qualities just to afford the Karma buy-in, but it may well be worth it to play an Ursine shapeshifter with the metahuman form of a giant.
Metasapients and shapeshifters who select Priority A, B, C, or D for Magic have their natural Magic of 1 replaced with their new Magic attribute. Character options that have a natural Magic attribute cannot also have a Resonance attribute and thus cannot select that option during character creation. Special attribute points can be used to increase the natural Magic attribute of a metasapient or shapeshifter, and the attribute can also be increased through Karma purchase as part of normal character advancement. If a character’s Magic is reduced to 0 through Essence loss, they cannot use any abilities tied to Magic.
When making a shapeshifter character, the player creates the animal fist. The attributes listed in the table are for the natural animal form. To determine their metahuman attributes, the player must simply note how many attribute points were put into each attribute, and those are applied to the base metahuman attributes as well. At character creation the shapeshifter chooses a metahuman form and pays for it with Karma. This Karma is in addition to the Karma cost for playing certain shapeshifter species. Human is the default and costs nothing. Metatypes and metavariants are listed with costs in the Shapeshifter Metahuman Form Cost Table. Certain metavariants have some very unique characteristics that do not translate to the metahuman form of a shapeshifter. These are also noted in the table.
Once character creation is complete, the attributes are treated as separate scores. If a player increases their shapeshifter character’s natural Strength attribute, the Strength of the metahuman form does not change, and vice versa. Racial traits are a special case. Most transfer from the natural form to metahuman form, with the exception of Natural Weapon (Bite) and Goring Horns (unless the character is a troll or other variant that naturally has horns large enough for goring). Natural Weapon (Claws) takes the form of extremely hard and sharp figernails and toenails.
Negative Qualities, such as Uneducated, can be bought off with Karma, but a good reason is needed. For example, canine shifters do not have the Uneducated quality because they live among people and learn right alongside them. Buying off this quality would require a similar story, such as a shifter who was a mascot at a college, or a trained ursine, tigrine, or falconine learning while their handlers are not looking.
All shapeshifters have an Edge attribute range of 1 to 4.
Shapeshifter charts can be found in Run Faster.
Creating a changeling character requires the player to choose a level of SURGE: Class I (10 Karma), Class II (15 Karma), or Class III (30 Karma). The chosen class indicates the Karma limit of chosen metagenic qualities and determines the variability of SURGE characteristics for the character. Select one of three class options to determine the actual Karma cost of this variation. The three options are based on how much control a player wants in the effects of the character’s SURGE. Players with Class III characters get to select the full range of qualities, both positive and negative, for the character. Players with Class II characters select the Positive Qualities to the Karma level of their choice; they then must roll Negative Qualities randomly to balance out the Positive Qualities selected. Players with Class I characters select all qualities randomly. They initially should roll random Positive Qualities until they have what they believe to be a suffiient amount (maximum Karma value of these qualities is 30). They then randomly roll Negative Qualities to balance out the Positive Qualities.
When a player selects Positive and Negative Metagenic Qualities, the combined Karma values need to either balance exactly or err in favor of a single point of Karma on the Positive Quality side of the balance; the player must pay for the imbalance with Karma from their free Karma pool.
Gamemasters are allowed some leeway when it comes to selecting metagenic qualities for an NPC. She can either select the ones she would like the character to have for the purposes of story, campaign, or character background, or she can roll on the Metagenic Qualities Table.
In any case, the player or gamemaster has to remember the general rule of each Class of SURGE. Class I SURGE can be totally random but is limited to metahuman and minor animal qualities; there is no need to connect the Positive and Negative Qualities to the same metatype or animal classifiation. Class II SURGE is more diverse and includes traits found outside the metahuman spectrum; again there is no need to connect Positive and Negative Qualities, though it tends to be more likely. Class III SURGE runs the gamut, though the majority have traits that all reflect a similar theme, such as catperson, lizardperson, birdperson, etc.; thus the Positive and Negative Qualities should all relate to the overall theme.
To randomly determine metagenic qualities, fist roll 1D6 and consult the Random Positive Karma Value table. Then consult the table with the appropriate Karma range and roll the amount of dice listed to see what quality has been assigned to your character. Then roll 1D6 and consult the Random Negative Karma Value table and follow the same process to randomly select Negative Qualities.
All Changeling tables can be found in Run Faster.
These points are spent in your eight primary attributes (BOD, AGI, REA, STR, WIL, LOG, INT, and CHA). One point is spent per attribute rating and cannot exceed the metatype maximum.
Magic is used by magicians (Adepts, Aspected Magicians, Mages, Shamans, and Mystic Adepts), and Resonance is used by Technomancers.
At creation, characters begin with 25 Karma. Before anything else, these are spent purchasing qualities. At creation, characters can only possess at most 25 Karma worth of Positive Qualities and 25 Karma worth of Negative Qualities. Negative qualities can be bought off later.
The skills column in the character creation table shows the number of points that can be used on individual skills and the number of points that can be used on skill groups.
At creation, it takes one skill point to either get a new skill, skill specialization, or raise that skill rating by 1 point. Skill Group points can also be spent at 1 point per skill group rating.
Having a specialization gives you a +2 dice pool bonus to skill tests involving the area of specialization. These skill points cannot be spent on Magic and Resonance based skills unless you have a Magic or Resonance rating. No individual skill may have more than one specialization at character creation. Specializations cannot be taken for skill groups, only individual skills.
Characters start with free Knowledge and Language skill points equal to (INT + LOG) × 2. They are spent the same way as skill points, but only for Knowledge and Language skills. Characters also begin with one free native language.
The highest any skill can be raised at this point is 6. All skill points must be spent at this step and cannot be kept after character completion.
This is where all the money is spent. Any leftover karma can be spent for more nuyen at 2,000 nuyen per karma point at a max of 10 Karma (20,000 nuyen total). Only 5000 nuyen or less can be carried over after character creation, not including starting nuyen from Lifestyle purchases. When buying cyberware or bioware, each attribute can receive a bonus up to a max of +4. Characters are limited to a maximum Availability rating of 12 and device rating of 6.
Only 7 Karma can be kept after character creation. All other karma must be spent. For attributes or skills, karma must be spent under normal character advancement rules.
Item | Karma cost | Restriction |
Bound Spirits | 1 Karma per Service (Force of spirit is equal to Character’s Magic) | Can only have a number of bound spirits equal to Charisma. |
Complex Forms | 4 karma per complex form | Max number of complex forms at character creation equal to Logic. |
Spells | 5 Karma per spell | Max spells/rituals/preparations known at Character Creation equals Magic rating × 2 |
Bond Foci | Variable (See bonding cost rules) | Max Force of all foci that can be bonded at character creation equal to character’s Magic × 2 |
Contacts | 1 Karma for each point of Connections Rating, 1 Karma for each Loyalty Rating (Minimum Karma requirement = 2) | A single contact may not have more than 7 karma spent on them at character creation. |
Registering sprites | 1 karma per task (Level of sprite equal to Character’s Resonance Rating) | Can only have a number of Registered Sprites equal to the character’s Charisma. |
Initiative: | (INT+REA)+1D6 |
Astral Initiative: | (INTx2)+2D6 |
Matrix AR Initiative: | (INT+REA)+1D6 |
Matrix VR Initiative (Cold Sim): | (Data Processing + INT) + 3D6 |
Matrix VR Initiative (Hot Sim): | (Data Processing + INT) + 4D6 |
Mental Limit: | [(LOGx2)+INT+WIL]/3 (round up) |
Physical Limit: | [(STRx2)+BOD+REA]/3 (round up) |
Social Limit: | [(CHAx2)+WIL+ESS]/3 (round up) |
Physical Condition Monitor: | [(BOD + Augmentations)/2]+8 (round up) |
Stun Condition Monitor: | [(WIL + Augmentations)/2]+8 (round up |
Overflow: | Body + Augmentation bonuses |
Composure: | CHA + WIL |
Judge Intentions: | CHA + INT |
Lifting/Carrying: | BOD + STR |
Memory: | LOG + WIL |
Walk Movement Rate: | Agility × 2 |
Run Movement Rate: | Agility × 4 |
A character may only train to improve one Mental and one Physical attribute, or one attribute and one skill, in a single downtime period. Note that you can’t improve Physical skills or Mental attributes during the same downtime period when you receive implants or augmentations that improve those same attributes.
Attributes | 1 Attribute @ 2 Ratings per downtime. |
All Skills | (logic)/2 Skills @ 3 Ratings per downtime. |
Skill Groups | 1 Group @ 1 Rating |
Attributes | New Rating × 5 Karma |
Skill Groups | New Rating × 5 Karma |
Skills | New Rating × 1 Karma |
K/L Skills | New Rating × 2 Karma |
Complex Form | 4 Karma |
Spell | 5 Karma |
Quality | Original Karma Cost × 2 |
Specialization | 7 Karma |
Initiate Level | 10 + (grade × 3) Karma |
Submersion Level | 10 + (grade × 3) Karma |
New MA Tech | 5 Karma + 1,500¥ for instruction |
New MA Style | 7 Karma + 2,500¥ for instruction |
Attributes | New Rating × 1 Week |
Skill Groups | New Rating × 2 Weeks. Cannot raise attributes or skills at the same time. |
Skills w Rating 1-4 | New Rating × 1 Day |
Skills w Rating 5-8 | New Rating × 1 Week |
Skills w Rating 9-13 | New Rating × 2 Weeks |
Complex Form | 12 / (Software + Intuition [Mental]) Days |
Spell | 12 / {(Type) + Intuition [magical lodge’s Force]} Days |
Specialization | 1 Month. Cannot be learned with anything else. |
New MA Tech | 2 Weeks |
New MA Style | 1 Month |
Instructors follow the standard rules for and need a minimum skill rank of 4 or the skill rank you are training to, whichever is higher. Instructors may train individual skills, groups, or train specializations. Instruction is also used to teach spells, complex forms, rituals, and various other techniques.
Tutorsofts are virtual private tutors that aid you in learning a specific skill. The tutorsoft makes Instruction Tests with a dice pool equal to its Rating × 2. Tutorsofts cannot teach skills based on Magic or Resonance.
Type | Availability | Cost |
Instructor (Rating 4-13) | Rating × 2 | [10 × (Rating)]¥ per day |
Tutorsoft (Rating 1-6) | Rating | Rating × 400¥ |
If the player is able to find an instructor to train him and help him perfect his techniques, the time it takes improve his skill is reduced by 25 percent (round down). Tutorsofts work similarly.
Once per downtime you may choose to Work for The Man or Work for The People:
In either case, you may only trade away or gain a maximum of 5 Karma each time you Work for The Man or Work for The People, and it takes up one week of downtime during which you can do nothing else. You cannot do this again until after you pull another Shadowrun. Your total earned Karma does not change, regardless of how much you Work for The Man or Work for The People.
To purchase an item off the books, make an Availability Test. This is an Opposed Test of your Negotiation + Charisma [Social] versus the item’s Availability Rating. If you win the Opposed Test, you find the gear at the listed price, and it is delivered in the amount of time given on the Delivery Times table divided by your net hits. If you tie in the test, you find the gear, but the delivery time is twice that listed on the table. If you fail the test, you can try again after twice the amount of time on the table.
If you roll a glitch on an Availability Test, your inquiries may have attracted unwanted attention. If you roll a critical glitch, the most extreme iteration of the above possibilities occurs, and you stand no chance of actually acquiring the item in question.
When contacts look for an item for you, they use their Negotiation and Charisma for the Availability Test, with their Connection Rating serving as a bonus to their Social limit. If the contact hasn’t done a lot of business with you, he might ask for a finder’s fee.
Any item with a number in Availability must be bought with an Availability Test to not be on any purchase records.
Up to 100¥ | 6 hours |
101¥ to 1,000¥ | 1 day |
1,000¥ to 10,000¥ | 2 days |
10,001 to 100,000¥ | 1 week |
More than 100,000¥ | 1 month |
Item | Any item with Availability “R” |
Magic | License to practice magic, registered Awakened Individual |
Spell Weapon | Knowledge and use of a single Combat Spell |
Technomancy | Registered technomancer, license to use Resonance abilities |
Occupational | Registered professional (doctor, nurse, electrician, private detective, etc.) |
Availability | Cost | |
Fake license (Rating 1-6) | (Rating x 3)F | Rating x 200¥ |
Fencing gear is a two-step process. First, you need to find a buyer. This is a time-consuming process that takes an Extended Etiquette + Charisma [Social] Test with a threshold of 10 and an interval equal to the delivery time on the Delivery Times Table. You may use the item’s Availability in a Teamwork Test if you like; the more rare items you bundle together, the easier it is to find a buyer.
The second step is to actually sell the item. You and the buyer make Opposed Negotiation + Charisma [Social] Tests. The final price the buyer offers is twenty-five percent of the item’s listed price, plus five percent for each of your net hits, or minus five percent for each of the buyer’s net hits. Once you have a price, you can sell, or you can take your item to another potential buyer and start the entire process over again.
If you get a glitch or a critical glitch on an Etiquette test to find a buyer, then your attempts have attracted unwanted attention from the authorities (or other parties), similar to a glitch on a Black Market Goods Test. If you roll a glitch or a critical glitch when you’re haggling in the Opposed Negotiation test, then you’ve managed to insult or otherwise piss off the buyer, and the deal might be off—or worse.
You can always go to a contact such as a fixer or relevant specialist to fence a hot item for you. He or she will happily take your item and offer you five percent of the item’s value times your Loyalty Rating with the contact. You might be able to get more selling it yourself, but your contact will take it off your hands, no questions asked.
Acrobatic Defender – R&G | Use Gymnastics in place of WIL while using Full Defense. |
Adrenaline Surge – RF | Always act first in initiative pass. |
Agile Defender – R&G | Use AGI in place of WIL while using Full Defense. |
Ambidextrous – SR5 | No off–hand penalty. |
Analytical Mind – SR5 | +2 DP to certain Logic Tests. Cuts test time in half. |
Animal Empathy – RF | +2 DP to all tests involving the influence or control of an (awakened) animal (riding too). |
Aptitude – SR5 | Raise one skill maximum by 1. |
Astral Chameleon – SR5 | Astral signatures last half as long. –2 DP for Assensing the astral signature. |
Bilingual – SR5 | List a second language as a native tongue. |
Black Market Pipeline – RF | +2DP to Availability test, plus lower price, for one contact. |
Blandness – SR5 | Memory tests to recall specific details about the character increased by 1. –2 DP to find in a crowd or to describe. |
Born Rich – RF | Greater Karma>Nuyen exchange during character creation. |
Brand Loyalty – R&G | +1 DP to any roll involving either a specific manufacturer or a specific product. –1 DP to any roll NOT involving that specific manufacturer or product type. |
Catlike – SR5 | +2 DP to Sneaking tests. |
City Slicker – RF | +1DP for all Outdoor skills in an urban environment. |
Codeslinger – SR5 | +2 DP to a single matrix action. |
College Education – RF | Buy Academic Knowledge skills at half price during character creation. |
College Education – SASS | +1 to any Academic Knowledge test limit. |
Daredevil – RF | Two points of edge rewarded for daring actions. |
Deus Vult! (CoH) – TAP | WIL roll can ignore wound penalties. CHA+WIL roll to ignore religion. |
Digital Doppelganger – RF | Your character is harder to find on the Matrix. |
Disgraced – RF | +2DP to intimidate certain individuals. |
Double-Jointed – SR5 | +2 DP for Escape Artist tests. Can squeeze into tight spots. |
Erased – RF | Public Awareness never goes above 1. |
Exceptional Attribute – SR5 | +1 to one maximum attribute limit except Edge. |
Fame – RF | Social bonuses for being famous. |
First Impression – SR5 | +2 DP for Social Tests during first meetings. |
Focused Concentration – SR5 | No penalties for sustaining Magic/Resonance abilities. |
Friends in High Places – RF | More karma at character creation for contact buying. |
Gearhead – SR5 | +2DP on difficult vehicle maneuvers or stunts. +20 speed or +1 Handling to vehicles for 1D6 minutes. |
Gifted Healer – B&B | +1 DP to Stabilization, Diagnosis, or Treatment tests. |
Guts – SR5 | +2 DP on tests to resist fear and intimidation. |
Hawk Eye – RF | +1DP to Perception tests, Range bonuses. |
High Pain Tolerance – SR5 | Ignore one box of damage per rating when calculating wound modifiers. |
Home Ground – SR5 | Ignore some background count, +2 street cred for certain Negotiation tests, +2 Matrix tests in some places, +2DP on evasion tests, +2 DP to find hiding spots, or +2 DP to certain knowledge tests. |
Human Looking – SR5 | Look like a human when not a human. |
Indomitable – SR5 | Bonuses to a limit of your choice. |
Inspired – RF | +2 Street Cred. +1DP for all Artisan or Performance skills. |
Inspired – SASS | +3 DP to the Artisan specialization tests. +2 bonus in Street Cred in that field. |
Jack of All Trades, Master of None – RF | Less Karma needed for low-level skill learning. |
Juryrigger – SR5 | +2 DP for Mechanical Tests when juryrigging gear with a -1 threshold. |
Lightning Reflexes – RF | +1 Initiative, +1 bonus initiative die, +1 to all defense tests. |
Linguist – RF | +1 to all language skill tests. Cheaper language skills. |
Lucky – SR5 | +1 to maximum Edge. |
Made Man – RF | Organized crime syndicate as a contact. |
Magical Resistance – SR5 | Bonus DP to spell resistance tests. |
Mentor Spirit – SR5 | Recieve a Mentor Spirit. |
My Country, Right or Wrong (CoH) – TAP | WIL check to ignore wound penalties CHA+WIL to betray your country. |
Natural Athlete – SR5 | +2 DP for Running and Gymnastics tests. |
Natural Hardening – SR5 | 1 point of Biofeedback Filtering. |
Natural Immunity – SR5 | Immunities to a specific toxin. |
Night Vision – RF | Gain low-light vision. |
One Trick Pony – R&G | Perform a martial arts technique without the skill. |
Out for Myself (CoH) – TAP | +3 DP to surprise tests Double all Notoriety gained by acts of selfishness or betrayal. |
Outdoorsman – RF | +2DP for Outdoors skill group. |
Overclocker – RF | +1 rating to one cyberdeck ASDF attribute. |
Perceptive – RF | +1 or +2 DP on all Perception checks. |
Perceptive Defender – R&G | Use Perception in place of WIL while using Full Defense. |
Perfect Time – RF | +1DP for performance tests involving timing/rhythm. +1 Free Action during every action phase. |
Photographic Memory – SR5 | +2 DP to all Memory Tests. |
Poor Link – RF | -2DP to magic rituals affecting you.+2DP to resistance tests against rituals affecting you. |
Privileged Family Name – RF | NPCs suffer -2DP on social tests against you. |
Quick Healer – SR5 | +2 DP to all Healing Tests |
Radiation Sponge – R&G | Radiation affects your character less. |
Rad-Tolerant – R&G | Double the time it takes to become Blighted. |
Rank – RF | +1 to social limits per level. See Rank Table, p86, RF. |
Resistance to Pathogens/Toxins – SR5 | +1 DP to Resistance Tests. |
Restricted Gear – RF | No availability test for one piece of gear. |
School of Hard Knocks – RF | Cheaper Street Knowledge skills. |
Sense of Direction – RF | +1DP to all Navigation skill tests. |
Sensei – RF | Gain a contact as a reliable instructor. |
Sharpshooter – R&G | Penalties for Called Shots decreased by 2 -1 DP to all other Ranged Attack actions. |
Solid/Legendary Rep – RF | Reputation bumps for certain groups. |
Spacer – R&G | +1 DP to all Physical actions in non-Earth gravity. |
Speed Reading – RF | Read really fast, recall text with a check. |
Spike Resistance – RF | +1DP to resist damage from biofeedback. |
Spirit Affinity – SR5 | +1 spirit service for each spirit of a specific type +1 DP for Binding Tests. |
Spirit Whisperer – RF | Spirits resist summoning more, but are stronger when summoned. |
Steely Eyed Wheelman – RF | Reduce terrain modifiers when making vehicle tests. |
Strive for Perfection (CoH) – TAP | Halve the cost of all Called Shots. Can only make Called Shots. |
Technical School Education – RF | Cheaper Professional Knowledge skills. |
Too Pretty to Hit – R&G | Use CHA instead of WIL while using Full Defense. |
Tough as Nails – RF | Increase Physical or Stun condition monitor. |
Toughness – SR5 | +1 DP to Body when making Damage Resistance tests. |
Trust Fund – RF | Free lifestyle with money leftover. |
Trustworthy – RF | +1DP to Influence skills, +2 social limit. |
Vehicle Empathy – RF | +1 Handling and +1DP to Pilot skills. |
Water Sprite – RF | +2DP to all Diving and Swimming tests. |
Will To Live – SR5 | +WIL to Damage Overflow boxes. |
Witness My Hate – RF | +2DV for single-target Direct Damage spells at +2 Drain. |
Addiction – SR5 | Gain addiction to a specific substance. |
Aged – B&B | Penalties for each decade over 50. Knowledge bonuses for each decade over 50. |
The Akichita Code (CoH) – RF | Never show fear. Challenge strength against worthy foes. Do not allow yourself or loved ones to fall into decadence or slothful behavior. Never harm the weak or innocent. |
Albinism – RF | Lack pigmentation. |
Allergy – SR5 | Gain allergy to substance or environmental condition. |
Amnesia – RF | Be amnesiatic. |
Assassin’s Creed (CoH)– SR5 | Cannot kill anyone that you are not specifically paid to kill. |
Asthma – RF | Suffer regular amnesia. |
Astral Beacon – SR5 | Highly visible astrally. Signature lasts 2x long. -1 to threshold for assensing information. |
Bad Luck – SR5 | Roll 1D6 when spending Edge. On a 1, bad things happen. |
Bad Rep – SR5 | Start play with 3 Notoriety. |
Bi-Polar – RF | Fluctuate emotions randomly at the gamemaster’s discretion. |
Big Regret – RF | -3 social limit for those that know your past. |
Blighted – R&G | Various penalties due to long-term radiation exposure. |
Blind – RF | Completely blind. Fail all vision-based perception tests. Multiple penalties. |
Borrowed Time – RF | Face death at literally any time. |
Bushido 2.0 (CoH) – RF | Must always follow the commands of one’s superiors, no matter the personal cost. |
Code of Honor – SR5 | Prevent a specific group from being harmed. |
The Code of the Good Cop (CoH) – RF | To serve as an officer of the law, without fear, favor, or discrimination. To protect those in need and, if necessary, to lay down your life in the service of duty. To hold your personal conduct beyond reproach and bring no shame upon your organization. |
The Code of the White Hat (CoH) – RF | Must not take advantage of law-abiding Matrix users. May not use lethal code against fellow deckers. |
The Code of Wuxia (CoH) – RF | May not harm the innocent. May never accept bribes or misuse authority. May not serve the corrupt. |
Codeblock – SR5 | –2 DP on one specific Matrix action. |
Combat Junkie – R&G | Make composure checks to not get violent during stressful situations. |
Combat Paralysis – SR5 | -3 on Surprise tests. Initiative penalty on first initiative test. |
Computer Illiterate – RF | -4DP to all tests involving electronics. |
Consummate Professional (CoH) – TAP | +2 DP when interacting with employers. Street Cred is obtained much harder. |
Creature of Comfort – RF | Become addicted to your lifestyle. |
Day Job – RF | Have a job on the side, or be a shadowrunner on the side. |
Deaf – RF | Completely deaf. Multiple penalties. |
Dependents – SR5 | Gain family members that interfere with work. Pay a portion of Lifestyle to maintain dependents. |
Did you just call me dumb? – RF | Any social glitch becomes a critical glitch. |
Dimmer Bulb – RF | -1DP to all tests involving LOG or INT, depending on level. |
Distinctive Style – SR5 | +2 DP to find your character. -1 memory test threshold to recall info about your character. |
Driven – RF | Make a test to avoid pursuing an aspiration. |
Earther – R&G | -2 DP to all physical actions in non-Earth gravity. |
Elf Poser – SR5 | Look like an elf without being an elf. |
Emotional Attachment – RF | Become attached to one piece of gear. Penalties for losing it. |
Ex-Con – RF | Character is on parole-Has to check in often. Reputation penalties. |
Flashbacks – RF | Have violent flashbacks based on trigger stimuli. |
Gremlins – SR5 | Much easier to glitch when rolling technology or sophisticated mechanical devices. |
Harmony with Nature, The Shaman’s Code (CoH) – RF | May only bind spirits after agreeing to a fair exchange of services. Must always respect and honor spirits. |
Hobo with a Shotgun – RF | Refuse to stay in accommodations above Squatter. |
The Hermetic Code (CoH) – RF | Never destroy information, especially magical knowledge. Always speak the truth and denounce falsehood. Capture rare things intact rather than destroy the unknown. |
The Hippocratic Oath (CoH) – RF | Must provide medical aid if able. Must not use lethal medicine. Must keep a patient’s confidence. |
Hung Out to Dry – RF | Socially shunned. |
Illiterate – RF | -1 social limit, -2DP with electronics. Cannot read. |
Illness – B&B | Chronic illness that requires frequent treatment. |
In Debt – RF | Get lots of bonus money during character creation, must pay it back during gameplay. |
Incompetent – SR5 | Cannot default in a specific skill group. |
Incomplete Deprogramming – RF | Sleeper agent glitched out. Stressful situations randomly bring out another personality. |
Infirm – RF | Diminished physical attributes. |
Insomnia – SR5 | INT + WILL before rolling to recover Stun damage and Edge. When failing, double the time to recover naturally. |
Liar – RF | -1DP to all social skill tests. Randomly get called a liar. |
Loss of Confidence – SR5 | –2 DP on a specific skill. |
Low Pain Tolerance – SR5 | –1 wound modifier for every 2 boxes of cumulative damage. |
Night Blindness – RF | Cannot see in the dark |
Oblivious – RF | Penalties for Perception tests. |
Omerta, The Code of Silence (CoH) – RF | Cannot kill police officers, oppose a family superior, and must not give information to authorities. |
Ork Poser – SR5 | Look like an Ork without being an Ork. |
Pacifist – RF | Avoid violence. |
The Paladin’s Code (CoH) – RF | Cannot break one’s word. Cannot harm the innocent. Must not allow art or beauty to come to harm. |
Paranoia – RF | Believe everyone is out to get you. |
Paraplegic – RF | Paralyzed from the waist down. |
The Path of the Samurai (CoH) – RF | Cannot kill anyone from surprise or treachery. |
Phobia – RF | Have a potentially debilitating phobia. |
Pie Iesu Domine Dona Eis Requiem – RF | Always have 1 box of physical damage. |
Poor Self Control – RF | Various degrees of impulsive. |
Pregnant – B&B | Become pregnant. Cumulative penalties as pregnancy goes on. |
Prejudiced – SR5 | –2 DP for all Social Tests against a prejudiced target. Prejudiced targets gain bonuses against you. |
Records on File – RF | +2DP for Big Ten to identify or locate you in a certain area. |
Reduced (Sense) – RF | -2 to a chosen sense. |
Scorched – SR5 | Gain memory loss, blackouts, migraines, or paranoia/anxiety. |
Sensitive System – SR5 | Double all Essence losses caused by cyberware. Bioware implants WIL Test before Drain or Fading Tests to prevent additional damage. |
Sensory Overload Syndrome – RF | High ARO saturation may give seizure. |
Signature – RF | Leave a calling card at jobs. |
Simsense Vertigo – SR5 | –2 DP to tests when interacting with AR, VR, or simsense. |
SINner – SR5 | Gain a SIN. |
Social Stress – SR5 | When using Leadership or Etiquette, reduce the number of 1s required to glitch the test by 1 due to some form of PTSD. |
The Soldier’s Code (CoH) – RF | Must obey orders form superiors. Must not loot the dead or allow them to be looted. Must not lie to superiors. Must maintain honorable conduct and obey the rules of war. May never torture or harm prisoners. |
Spirit Bane – SR5 | A specific spirit type will have a grudge against you. Penalties for summoning that specific spirit type. |
Thug Life (CoH) – RF | Must always wear gang colors and donate half of all earnings beyond lifestyle to gang. |
Uncouth – SR5 | Must make social tests to resist behaving improperly at a -2. Double the cost for learning Social skills. Can never learn a Social skill group. |
Uneducated – SR5 | Cannot default on Technical, Academic, Knowledge, and Professional Knowledge skills. |
Unsteady Hands – SR5 | AGI + BOD test to prevent shaking. -2 DP for all AGI based tests when shaking. |
Vendetta – RF | Composure (3) when confronted with a particular individual or group or enter a violent frenzy. |
Wanted – RF | Receive a bounty for your capture/death. |
Warrior’s Code (CoH) – SR5 | Cannot kill an unarmed opponent Cannot take lethal action against unaware or unprepared opponent Cannot knowingly kill someone defenseless. |
Weak Immune System – SR5 | +2 disease power for every Resistance Test |
White Hats, The Code of the Hacker (CoH) – RF | Cannot destroy or erase information. Must always strive to preserve information. |
Acting | Athletics | Biotech | Close Combat | Conjuring |
Con Impersonation Performance |
Gymnastics Running Swimming |
Cybertechnology First Aid Medicine Biotechnology |
Blades Clubs Unarmed |
Banishing Binding Summoning |
Cracking | Electronics | Enchanting | Firearms | Influence |
Cybercombat Electronic Warfare Hacking |
Computer Hardware Software |
Alchemy Artificing Disenchanting |
Automatics Longarms Pistols |
Etiquette Leadership Negotiation |
Engineering | Outdoors | Sorcery | Stealth | Tasking |
Aeronautics Mechanic Industrial Mechanic Nautical Mechanic |
Navigation Survival Tracking |
Counterspelling Ritual Spellcasting Spellcasting |
Disguise Palming Sneaking |
Compiling Decompiling Registering |
Skills highlighted in bold cannot be defaulted.
Agility |
Archery, Automatics, Blades, Clubs, Escape Artist, Exotic Melee Weapon (Specific), Exotic Ranged Weapon (Specific), Gunnery, Gymnastics, Heavy Weapons, Locksmith, Longarms, Palming, Pistols, Sneaking, Throwing Weapons, Unarmed Combat |
Body |
Diving, Free-Fall |
Reaction |
Pilot Aerospace, Pilot Aircraft, Pilot Exotic Vehicle (Specific), Pilot Ground Craft, Pilot Walker, Pilot Watercraft |
Strength |
Running, Swimming |
Charisma |
Animal Handling, Con, Etiquette, Impersonation, Instruction, Intimidation, Leadership, Negotiation, Performance |
Intuition |
Artisan, Assensing, Disguise (includes makeup and enhancement), Interests Knowledge, Language, Navigation, Perception, Small Unit Tactics, Street Knowledge, Tracking |
Logic |
Academic Knowledge, Aeronautics Mechanic, Arcana, Armorer, Automotive Mechanic, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Computer, Cybertechnology, Cybercombat, Demolitions, Electronic Warfare, First Aid, Forgery, Industrial Mechanic, Hacking, Hardware, Medicine, Nautical Mechanic, Professional Knowledge, Software |
Willpower |
Astral Combat, Survival |
Magic |
Alchemy, Artificing, Banishing, Binding, Counterspelling, Disenchanting, Ritual Spellcasting, Spellcasting, Summoning |
Resonance |
Compiling, Decompiling, Registering |
Skills highlighted in bold cannot be defaulted.
Category | Linked Attribute | Examples |
Academic | Logic | Biology, Medicine, Magic Theory, Politics, Philosophy, Literature, History, Music, Parabotany, Parazoology |
Interests | Intuition | Current Simsense movies, popular trideo shows, 20th Century trivia, Elven Wine, Urban Brawl, Combat Biking, Pop music |
Professional | Logic | Journalism, Business, Law, Military Service |
Street | Intuition | Gang Identification, Criminal Organizations, Smuggling Routes, Fences |
Character seeks | Threshold |
General Knowledge | 1 |
Detailed Knowledge | 2 |
Intricate Knowledge | 4 |
Obscure Knowledge | 6+ |
Situation | Threshold |
Universal Concept (Hunger, Fear, Bodily Function) | 1 |
Basic Conversation (Concerns of daily life) | 1 |
Complex Subject (Special/Limited interest topics) | 2 |
Intricate Subjects (Almost any technical subject) | 3 |
Obscure Subject (Very technical/rare knowledge) | 4 |
Situation | Dice Pool Modifier |
General Knowledge | -2 |
Detailed Knowledge | +1 to +4 |
All present-day languages exist in Shadowrun in some form or another. Also there are some unique languages:
Create disguise: Disguise + Intuition [MENTAL]. The number of hits rolled is the threshold for anyone trying to see through the disguise later on.
Prepare explosives: Each hit on a Demolitions + Logic [Mental] Test adds 1 to the explosive’s effective rating.
Escape restraints: Escape Artist + Agility [PHYSICAL] (Threshold). If you succeed, you’re free after working on it for one minute (20 Combat Turns), divided by the number of net hits you get on the test.
Restraints | Threshold |
Rope, plastic cuffs | 2 |
Metal handcuffs | 3 |
Straitjacket | 4 |
Containment manacles | 5 |
Reinforced material | +1 |
Situation | Modifier |
Character being watched | -2 |
Character physically restrained | -(Restrainer’s Strength) |
Character has picks or cutting implement | +2 |
Ease suspicions: Etiquette + Charisma [Social] vs Perception + Charisma [Social]. If you get any net hits, they’ll accept you. If you get 3 or more net hits, their attitude toward you will improve, moving up a line on the “NPC’s attitude” section of the Social Modifiers table.
Smooth recovery: Make an Etiquette Test against a threshold equal to the severity of the blunder. When making Etiquette tests with a group of NPCs, use the same rules for influencing groups.
Etiquette and glitches: A glitch on an Etiquette Test is treated the same as a social blunder—the temporary annoyance could give you a –2 dice modifier on your next social test. Critical glitches result in major social gaffes that have a lasting effect on the relationship your character has with others—the NPC’s stance towards your character could move one step toward Enemy. This is the stuff of which long-time grudges and major feuds are made, the words of disrespect that set street armies into motion.
Diagnose wounds/illness (B&B): Medicine + Logic or First Aid + Logic Test as a Complex Action. Apply any appropriate dice pool modifiers from the Healing Modifiers. If the injured character is fitted with a biomonitor, the medic gains an additional +1 dice pool bonus for this test, not compatible with the use of a medkit. If the Diagnostic Test is successful, the medic gains a +2 dice pool bonus to subsequent Stabilization or Treatment Tests. A glitch on the Diagnostic Test may indicate that the medic has missed an important detail or finding (reduce the dice pool bonus to +1 or 0), whereas a critical glitch may mean that the medic has misdiagnosed the patient altogether (–2 to subsequent Stabilization or Treatment tests).
Improvise medical supplies: Make a First Aid + Intuition Test as a Complex Action. Each hit on this test reduces the –3 modifier for lacking medical supplies by 1 to a minimum of 0. The amount of time subsequently required to administer First Aid is increased by 50 percent (multiply the time by 1.5) to represent extra time spent modifying objects and materials for unintended uses.
Rapid assessment: Make a First Aid + Intuition (2) Test as a Simple Action. If successful, he gains a general sense of the patient’s status (alive or dead, in distress, badly wounded, etc). Note that this is different than a formal Diagnosis Test.
Stabilize: Make a First Aid + Logic (variable) Extended Test as a Complex Action. The threshold for this test is the total number of boxes of physical damage the injured character has accumulated. Apply any dice pool modifiers from the Healing Modifiers Table. If a critically injured character cannot be stabilized before his Overflow exceeds his Body, he dies.
If successful, the injured character stops accumulating additional damage. The injured character is still subject to any Wound Modifiers accrued, but each net success on the Stabilization test reduces the total wound modifiers by 1. The character rendering aid can chose to continue until all Wound Modifiers have been negated. The negation lasts for a number of hours equal to the First Aid skill rating of the character who performed the test. Additionally, a Stabilization Test can be performed to negate wound modifiers for non-progressive damage, including Stun. The threshold for the Stabilization Test is equal to the total number of boxes on the injured character’s Condition Monitors (Including both Stun and Physical damage). Each net hit on this test reduces the total Wound Modifiers by 1; the character rendering aid can chose to continue until all Wound Modifiers have been negated.
Treat wounds: Make a First Aid + Logic (2) [Mental] Test as a Complex Action. The standard rules apply with the following exceptions. First, if the character has exceeded his Physical Condition Monitor and is accumulating Overflow Damage, a Stabilization Test is still required to halt the ongoing damage. Second, if the injured character has been previously stabilized, net hits on the Treatment Test reduce the damage by 2 boxes each. The maximum number of net hits that can be applied in this manner is equal to the medic’s First Aid skill or Medkit rating, whichever is higher.
A critical glitch on a First Aid Test increases the damage by 1D3 (1D6 ÷ 2) boxes. The maximum damage healable with the First Aid skill is equal to the skill’s rating. First Aid may only be applied to a character once for that set of wounds, and it may not be applied if the character has been magically healed. Using the First Aid skill in combat requires a Complex Action and takes a number of Combat Turns equal to the number of boxes of damage the character is healing.
Create forgery: Creating a forgery is a Forgery + Logic Test. The limit for this test is either Physical (for forged art, signatures, and other physical objects) or Mental (for credsticks, documents, and other items that are more data than substance).
The quality of the forgery is based on the number of hits scored on the test. This number acts as the threshold for attempts to spot the fake. Anyone examining a forgery makes an Opposed Test using a Perception + Intuition [Mental] Test or Forgery + Intuition [Mental] Test. If they score as many or more hits than the quality of the forgery, the item is exposed as a fake.
Climbing: Assisted climbing is accomplished with specialized gear such as ropes and harnesses. Assisted climbing is easier and safer, but requires more preparation. Unassisted climbing may be done on the fly, because you climb without any gear. Climbing is a Complex Action, and the number of hits you get on your Gymnastics + Strength [Physical] Test determines how far you can move vertically or laterally during your climb, as noted on the Climbing Table. The more difficult the climb, the more dice pool modifiers you get, which is also noted on the Climbing Table.
Rappelling: This technique requires a Free-Fall + Body [Physical] (2) Success Test. So long as you have the proper gear and training, you can brake at any point in the descent, slow your speed, and land safely. Rappelling expends a Simple Action, during which you fall at a rate of 20 meters per Combat Turn. Rappelling characters can increase the number of meters descended during that same Combat Turn by 1 for each net hit beyond the threshold on the Free-Fall Test. If you take another Simple Action in the same phase, such as firing a weapon, you get a –2 dice pool modifier to both that action and the Free-Fall Test. Stopping requires another Free-Fall Test with the same threshold. On an unsuccessful test, you don’t slow down and may take damage if you hit the ground at speed.
Climbing failures and glitches: A test while climbing or rappelling automatically halts your progress, and you have to make a Reaction + Strength Test to hold on. If you fail this second test, you start to fall (about 20 meters per Combat Turn). During your next Action Phase, you may attempt to stop by making a Reaction + Strength Test with a –2 dice pool modifier. Your GM may allow other climbers to make a Reaction + Strength Test to grab you.
Characters who are using climbing gear are allowed an additional test if they fall. Have the character who prepared the safety lines make a Free-Fall + Logic [Mental] Test against a threshold equal to half the falling character’s Body (round down). The falling character may apply Edge to this test. If successful, the safety gear catches, leaving the character dangling. If it fails, the character falls.
Falling damage: When a character falls more than three meters, he takes Physical damage with a DV equal to the number of meters fallen, with an AP of –4. Use Body + Armor to resist this damage. The GM should feel free to modify the damage to reflect a softer landing surface (sand), branches to break the fall, and so on.
Falling characters drop 50 meters in the first Combat Turn, 150 meters in the second Combat Turn, and 200 meters every Combat Turn after that. Terminal velocity for a falling body is about 200 meters per turn.
Jumping: Make a Gymnastics + Agility Test, applying any appropriate modifiers. For every hit you get on this test, you jump 1 meter on a standing jump or 2 meters for a running leap. No matter how many hits you get, you can’t jump farther than your Agility x 1.5 meters. For a vertical jump, it’s the same test, but you get half a meter of altitude per hit and the maximum you can jump is 1.5 times your height.
Situation | Movement distance |
Assisted climbing down (Rappelling) | 20 meters + 1 meter per hit |
Assisted climbing upward | 1 meter per hit |
Assisted climbing horizontally | 1 meter per 2 hits |
Assisted climbing upside down (On a ceiling or overhang) | 1 meter per 3 hits |
Unassisted climbing upward | 1 meter per 2 hits |
Unassisted climbing down | 1 meter per hit |
Situation | Dice Pool Modifier |
Assisted climbing | +2 |
Surface is | Dice Pool Modifier |
Easily climbable (Chain-link fence) | +1 |
Broken (Tree, loose stone wall) | +0 |
Flat (Brick wall, side of old building) | -3 |
Sheer (Metal wall, seamless stone) | -5 |
Slippery or wet | -2 |
Greased or gel-treated | -4 |
Intimidate: Intimidation is an Opposed Intimidation + Charisma [Social] Test against the target’s Charisma + Willpower, modified by the appropriate entries on the Social Modifiers Table.
Instruct: In order to teach someone a skill, a character must have the skill at Rating 4 or higher. The teacher can only teach up to their own Instruction Rating. Teaching is an Instruction + Charisma [Social] Test. Every hit on the Teaching Test reduces the time for the student to improve their skill by a day.
Lead: If you lead people who accept you as their (lone) superior, even temporarily, you can take a Complex Action to make a Simple Leadership + Charisma [Social] Test. How this helps depends on what you choose to do.
Key lock: Defeating a key lock requires a Locksmith + Agility [Physical] (Lock Rating, 1 Combat Turn) Extended Test. Autopickers add their Rating in dice to this test; their Rating may also be used in place of Locksmith skill.
Maglock/keypads: The first step to bypassing a maglock is to remove the case and access the maglock’s electronic guts. This requires a successful Locksmith + Agility [Physical] (Maglock Rating x 2, 1 Combat Turn) Extended Test. Some maglock systems come equipped with anti-tamper systems, rated between 1 and 4. In order to bypass the anti-tamper circuits, an additional Locksmith + Agility [Physical] (anti-tamper system rating) Test must be made. If this fails, an alarm is triggered.
Medicate: Medicine + Logic [Mental] Test; apply appropriate modifiers, including wound modifiers if a character is applying the Medicine skill to her own wounds. Each hit provides +1 die to any subsequent healing tests the character makes for healing through rest as long as the character using the Medicine skill spends some time tending to the injured character. For Physical injuries the character needs to spend at least 30 minutes per day tending to the injuries of her patient. For Stun it is 10 minutes per hour to gain the bonus dice. Medicine may only be applied once to each set of wounds.
Navigate: Navigation + Intuition [Mental] Test, with a threshold based on the terrain, taking into account modifiers for environmental factors.
Observe in detail: Perception + Intuition [MENTAL]. Net hits determine how much detail you get. This test is opposed by Stealth skills if someone is deliberately trying to hide from you.
Item/Event is | Treshold | Examples |
Obvious/Large/Loud | 1 | Neon sign, running crowd, yelling, gunfire |
Normal | 2 | Street sign, pedestrian, conversation, silenced gunfire |
Obscure/Small/Muffled | 3 | Item dropped under table, contact lens, whispering |
Hidden/Micro/Silent | 4 | Secret door, needle in haystack, subvocal speech |
Situation | Dice pool modifier |
Perciever is distracted | -2 |
Perciever is specifically looking/listening for it | +3 |
Object/sound not in immediate vicinity | -2 |
Object/sound far away | -3 |
Object/sound stands out in some way | +2 |
Interfering sight/odor/sound | -2 |
Perciever has active enhancements | + (Rating) |
Visibility and Light | (Environmental Modifiers) |
Visibility | Light/glare | Wind | Range | Modifier |
Clear | Full Light/No Glare | None or Light Breeze | Short | +0 |
Light Rain/Fog/Smoke | Partial Light/Weak Glare | Light Winds | Medium | -1 |
Moderate Rain/Fog/Smoke | Dim Light/Moderate Glare | Moderate Winds | Long | -3 |
Heavy Rain/Fog/Smoke | Total Darkness/Blinding Glare | Strong Winds | Extreme | -6 |
Combination of two or more conditions at the -6 level row | -10 |
Perform: Performance is a Simple Test with a Social limit—the GM can use your hits to gauge the artistry of your performance. Generic modifiers on the Social Modifiers Table apply, and your target(s) use their Charisma + Willpower to oppose your test.
Metatype | Walk rate | Run rate | Sprint increase |
Dwarf, Trol | Agility x 2 | Agility x 4 | +1m/hit |
Elf, Human, Ork | Agility x 2 | Agility x 4 | +2m/hit |
Running: Characters who are running take a –2 dice pool modifier to all actions performed while running (except for Sprinting). Characters charging into melee combat gain a +4 dice pool modifier (making a net bonus of +2 when combined with the general penalty) when running into melee combat. Characters making a ranged attack against a running opponent suffer a –2 dice pool penalty. When running, the character takes fatigue damage every 3 minutes.
Sprinting: In this action, they make a Running + Strength [Physical] Test. Each hit increases the distance a character can move in a Combat Turn by either 1 meter (for dwarfs and trolls) or 2 meters (for elves, humans, and orks). Characters are allowed a maximum number of Sprinting tests equal to half their Running skill per Combat Turn, minimum of 1. Sprinting characters also suffer fatigue if they sprint for too long.
If you sprint over multiple consecutive Combat Turns or during multiple Action Phases in the same Combat Turn, you risk taking fatigue damage. For every consecutive Action Phase or Combat Turn in which you use the Sprint action, you take a cumulative 1S DV of fatigue damage, which means that the second time you take it without dialing it back you take 2S, then 3S, etc.
Fatigue damage: Fatigue damage is Stun damage you incur through doing something strenuous or for being in the middle of something stressful. It’s caused by harsh environments, hard exertion, and drek like that. Fatigue damage is resisted with Body + Willpower, not with any armor. Fatigue damage cannot be healed while the condition causing it still exists.
Combat maneuvers: Designate a “Leader” for the test. The leader rolls a Small Unit Tactics + INT [Mental]. The team members then roll, normal Teamwork rules apply. All hits are tallied and compared to the number of hits required to perform a specific maneuver. Apply bonuses if the maneuver has been successfully completed, or apply the necessary penalties.
Successes Required: 4
If successful, the moving elements of the team/unit receives a +3 to defensive actions while any enemy combatants receive a –3 penalty for any offensive actions.
Successes Required: 5
+2 to all defensive tests.
Successes Required: 6
Attackers on the team receive a +3 attack bonus.
Successes Required: 4
+1 bonus against any surprise/ambush checks, +2 on Initiative roll.
Successes Required: varies
For every 3 successes (rounded down) the leader makes in their Small Unit Tactics roll, team members receive N+1 to their attack bonus.
Successes Required: 4
If the attacking team breaches before they are seen by defenders, they receive a +3 attack modifier. If their approach and breach is known, the bonus is only +1.
Successes Required: 4
Same as the Standard dynamic entry, but with any added benefits of the explosive device.
Successes Required: see description
+4 for all friendly forces maneuvering under the shield, -2 for all enemy actions because of combined artillery and regular fire.
Successes Required: 6
+4 for all attack rolls with semi-auto, burst-fire, or fully automatic firearms.
Successes Required: varies
Defensive bonus to the searcher only based on number of successes when performing the maneuver. Maneuver fails if no successes are rolled, giving the searcher no bonuses or penalties. A glitch gives the searcher a -2 defensive penalty, while a critical glitch means they are seen by the enemy, who moves on them to force them from their position.
Successes Required: 2
+1 on all Perception Tests and +2 to the overwatcher’s Initiative roll if combat is initiated.
Sneak: Sneaking + Agility [PHYSICAL] vs Perception + Intuition [MENTAL]. This skill allows you to remain inconspicuous in various situations.
Survive: The Survival skill covers the ability to find food, water, and temporary shelter in any environment. If you’re exposed to these conditions for 24 hours or more, you’ll need to start making daily Survival + Willpower [Mental] Tests. If you fail the test, you don’t find the food or shelter you need and take Stun damage with a Damage Value equal to twice the threshold. The Stun damage cannot be healed until you get a good night’s sleep without having to make a Survival Test. If your Stun Condition Monitor overflows and you fall unconscious, you cannot make your Survival Tests, so you just keep taking the damage (now Physical from overflow) until you’re either rescued or dead.
Wilderness terrain | Threshold |
Mild (Forest, plains, urban) | 1 |
Moderate (foothills, jungle, swamp) | 2 |
Tough (desert, high mountains) | 3 |
Extreme (Arctic, Antarctic) | 5+ |
Situation | Pool modifier |
Camping/survival gear on hand | +2 |
No food or water | -2 |
Heat/climate control available | +1 |
Inappropriate clothing/armor | -1 to -4 |
Extended travel or exertion | -1 to -4 |
Toxic terrain | -2 to -4 |
Character injured | -Wound Modifier |
Weather | Pool modifier |
Poor | +1 |
Terrible | +2 |
Extreme | +4 |
Swim: Swimming is a Complex Action. A swimming character can move a number of meters in a Combat Turn equal to the average of their Agility and Strength. You can take a Simple Action to “sprint” with a Swimming + Strength [Physical] Test, adding 1 meter per hit, or 2 meters per hit if you’re an elf or a troll. Swimming on the surface of water or under it does not affect this rate of speed. As with the Running skill, swimmers suffer from fatigue after an extended time.
Holding your breath: Sixty seconds (twenty Combat Turns) is the base time a character can hold his breath before any tests are needed. A character needing to hold his breath longer can make a Swimming + Willpower Test (with the Controlled Hyperventilation specialization coming into play if you have it). Each net hit extends the clock by 15 seconds (5 Combat Turns).
Once the time expires the character must breathe or take 1 box of Stun damage at the end of each Combat Turn until they breathe (this damage cannot be resisted). Once all the stun boxes are filled, the character loses consciousness. At this point the character takes one box of physical damage at the end of each Combat Turn until rescued or dead.
Treading water: You can tread water for a number of minutes equal to your Strength rating. At the end of this time, make a Simple Swimming + Strength [Physical] (2) Test. Success means you can keep treading water (or float, if you’re skilled at Swimming) for the same amount of time before another test; failure means you slip and take 1 box of Stun damage that you can’t resist. If you have a flotation device, double the time between tests. You can keep treading water as long as you can stay conscious.
Track: Tracking a person or critter requires a Tracking + Intuition [Mental] Test with a threshold based on the terrain (decided by the GM using the Success Test Thresholds table, p. 45). If the target is actively obscuring their trail, tracking is handled as an Opposed Test. The tracker rolls Tracking + Intuition [Mental] against the target’s Sneak + Agility [Physical].
Character roll | Target roll |
CON + CHA [Social] | CON + CHA [Social] |
Etiquette + CHA [Social] | Perception + CHA [Social] |
Impersonation + CHA [Social] | Perception + INT [Mental] |
Intimidation + CHA [Social] | CHA + WIL |
Leadership + CHA [Social] | Leadership + WIL [Social] |
Negotiation + CHA [Social] | Negotiation + CHA [Social] |
Performance + CHA [Social] | CHA + WIL |
Situation | Pool modifier |
Superior Working Conditions | +1 |
Distracting Working Conditions | -1 |
Poor Working Conditions | -2 |
Bad Working Conditions | -3 |
Terrible Working Conditions | -4 |
Superior Parts | +1 or more |
Inadequate Parts | -2 |
Unavailable Parts | -4 or not allowed |
Available plans/reference materials | +1 |
AR enhanced plans/reference materials | +2 |
Working from memory with logic 5+ | +0 |
Working from memory with logic 1-4 | -(5-Logic) |
NPC attitude | Pool modifier |
Friendly | +2 |
Neutral | +0 |
Suspicious | -1 |
Prejudiced | -2 |
Hostile | -3 |
Enemy | -4 |
Desired results | Pool modifier |
Advantageous to NPC | +1 |
Of no value to NPC | +0 |
Annoying to NPC | -1 |
Harmful to NPC | -3 |
Disastrous to NPC | -4 |
Control thoughts/emotions spell cast on | -1 per hit |
Char has (known) street reputation | + (Street Cred) |
Subject has (known) street reputation | -(Street Cred) |
Subject has “ace in the hole” | +2 |
Subject has romantic attraction to the character | +2 |
Character is intoxicated | -1 |
Con modifiers | Pool modifier |
Character has plausible-seeming evidence | +1 or 2 |
Subject is distracted | +1 |
Subject has time to evaluate the situation | -1 |
Etiquette modifiers | Pool modifier |
Char has inappropriate look (Wrong attire, etc) | -2 |
Char obviously nervous, agitated, or frenzied | -2 |
Subject is distracted | -1 |
Intimidation modifiers | Pool modifier |
Character is physically imposing | +1 to +3 |
Subject is physically imposing | -1 to -3 |
Characters outnumber the subject(s) | +2 |
Subjects outnumber the character(s) | -2 |
Character wielding weapon or obvious magic | +2 |
Subject wielding weapon or obvious magic | -2 |
Character causing (or has caused) subject physical pain (torture) | +2 |
Subject is oblivious to danger or doesn’t think character “would try something so stupid” | +2 |
Leadership modifiers | Pool modifier |
Character has superior rank | +1 to +3 |
Subject has superior rank | -1 to -3 |
Character is an obvious authority figure | +1 |
Character not part of subject’s social strata | -1 to -3 |
Subject is a fan or devoted to character | +2 |
Negotiation modifiers | Pool modifier |
Character lacks background knowledge of situation | -2 |
Character has blackmailed material or heavy bargaining chip | +2 |
Tests typically use this formula: SKILL + ATTRIBUTE [LIMIT] (THRESHOLD)
Difficulty | Threshold |
Easy | 1 |
Average | 2 |
Hard | 4 |
Very Hard | 6 |
Extreme | 8-10 |
Nigh Impossible | 11-12+ |
Glitches happen when more than half of the rolled dice pool show ones.
Critical Glitches happen when your Glitched dice roll has no successes.
A player can always buy hits at a rate of 1 hit per 4 dice, rounded down.
On opposed tests, the goal is to generate at least 1 net hit over your opponent. Ties are losses.
Re-trying a failed test adds a cumulative -2 DP on each retry unless a sufficient break has been taken.
During extended tests, every successive roll is rolled with one less die in the pool. When there are no dice left, the test is over.
Extended tests do not need to be made concurrently. Characters can, within a reasonable time frame depending on the circumstances, pick up where they left off with the amount of hits and dice pool remaining in place.
A glitch on an extended test reduces the hits accumulated to this point by 1D6. A critical glitch ends and fails the test.
Difficulty | Threshold |
Easy | 6 |
Average | 12 |
Hard | 18 |
Very Hard | 24 |
Extreme | 30+ |
Task | Time Interval |
Fast | 1 Combat Turn |
Quick | 1 Minute |
Short | 10 Minutes |
Average | 30 Minutes |
Long | 1 Hour |
Consuming | 1 Day |
Exhaustive | 1 Week |
Mammoth | 1 Month |
First, choose a test leader. Everyone except the leader roll the test. Every assistant that scores a hit raises the leader’s limit by 1. Every hit by assistants adds +1 DP to the leader’s test. The most dice that can be added to the leader’s roll in the test is their highest rating in the test skill or attribute. Then the leader rolls with the adjusted dice pool.
On an assistant’s glitch or critical glitch, the leader receives no adjustment and bad stuff happen.
Composure: | CHA + WILL. Threshold is based on the situation. |
Judge Intentions: | CHA + INT vs WIL + CHA Opposed test. |
Lift/Carry: | Base for lifting is 15kg per STR. Every hit on a BOD+STR test raises that by 15kg. Base for overhead lifting is 5kg per STR. Every hit on a BOD+STR test raises that by 5kg. Base for carrying is STRx10kg. Every hit on a BOD+STR raises that by 10kg. |
Memory: | Recalling information is a LOG+WIL. Each hit adds to that info later on. Glitches mean the character misremembers information. Critical glitch means you believe and remember something that never happened. |
Combat turns last for 3 seconds (20 combat turns is one minute). Everyone involved in the combat turn gets an action phase (Where they can perform actions) on their initiative pass (When their turn in the Combat Turn comes up).
Each player rolls their initiative score based on the combat situation (Physical, Astral, Matrix)
If there is a tie, use ERIC (Edge, Reaction, Intuition, Coin Toss) to break the tie.
Initiative changes through combat. After every initiative pass, everyone loses 10 points of initiative. Activating augmentations or receiving wounds can change initiative. If the base initiative dice increases or decreases, the player rolls the changed dice and adds or subtracts that value from their initiative. Wound modifiers also change initiative, and are applied to character’s initiative attribute.
Characters never go twice during the same initiative pass, even if their score changes.
When a character enters combat after combat has started, they roll initiative like normal and subtract 10 for every initiative pass that has happened.
A player can choose, during their initiative pass only and only while declaring actions, to delay their action. They can then choose to go before, after, or at the same time as another character’s current initiative pass at a -1 DP. When multiple characters do this, the tie is broken just like initiative ties.
Initiative is rolled for each combat turn.
All participants must make a Surprise Test. REA + INT (3). Characters who have been alerted in some way gain a +3 DP. Failure means characters lose 10 points from their initiative score. On a Critical Glitch, the character is completely stunned and does not act for the first Action Phase. If they are able to enter combat after that, they receive a –10 penalty for failing the Surprise Test, as well as the –10 penalty for entering combat in the middle of the fight. Characters who plan an ambush and delay their actions while they lie in wait for the arrival or appearance of their targets receive a +6 dice pool modifier on the Surprise Test and are automatically not surprised.
First, characters declare their actions. They can take two Simple Actions or one Complex Action. Any player can declare a free action during anyone’s initiative pass. After declaring, characters then resolve those actions.
Do this along everyone’s initiative scores until everyone has gone, then subtract 10 from everyone’s score and start back at the top. Players all roll initiative again once everyone reaches zero.
Movement takes place during an entire COMBAT TURN (NOT during each initiative pass). This is based on their movement rate.
Once characters exceed their walk rate, they are considered running and take -2 DP to all actions except sprinting. Charging into melee combat gives a +4 DP modifier (Net bonus +2) when running into combat. Making a ranged attack against a running opponent gives a -2 DP modifier. Making a ranged attack against a sprinting opponent gains a -4 DP modifier.
Once characters exceed their run rate, they are considered sprinting and cannot move unless they take a sprint test during their action phase. Each hit on a Running + STR [Physical] test increases the distance they can move by 1 meter (for Dwarves and Trolls) or 2 meters (For Elves, Humans, and Orks). Characters can make a maximum number of Sprint tests equal to half their Running skill per Combat Turn at a minimum of 1. If you sprint over multiple consecutive Combat Turns or during multiple Action Phases in the same Combat Turn, you risk taking fatigue damage. For every consecutive Action Phase or Combat Turn in which you use the Sprint action, you take a cumulative 1S DV of fatigue damage, which means that the second time you take it without dialing it back you take 2S, then 3S, etc.
Fatigue damage is Stun damage resisted with Body + Willpower, not with any armor. Fatigue damage cannot be healed while the condition causing it still exists. With a little room to move, agile characters can avoid an Interception attempt of their opponents without engaging in combat. Using a Complex Action with their movement, they can make an Agility + Gymnastics (1) [Physical] Test. Each hit above the threshold allows the character to move past one opponent.
Characters can take one Free Action during their own Action Phase or sometime later in the Initiative Pass. They can only take free actions before their first Action Phase in the Initiative Pass if they are not surprised. Typically, only one Free Action is allowed per Initiative Pass, but the GM can allow more if it seems reasnable.
Activate, Deactivate, or switch from AR/VR, and various other devices with different modes that are linked via Direct Neural Interface.
Quickly drop something. The item may break.
Kneel or drop prone. Cannot perform if surprised.
Mentally command a weapon to eject the clip.
Communicate a few quick gestures. INT (2) to understand it.
Split the dice pool to attack multiple targets. This is done by applying all attack modifiers (Wound, Environmental, Situational, Recoil, etc) and splitting, as evenly as possible, between all attacks. All rolls are then handled separately. The total number of attacks that can be made in a single Action Phase is limited to one-half the attacker’s Combat skill.
This allows the character to use the Block Defense option for an entire Combat Turn for the price of the normal Interrupt Action by making their defense active instead of reactive. This can only be used during a character’s Action Phase.
This allows the character to use the Dodge Defense option for an entire Combat Turn for the price of the normal Interrupt Action by making their defense active instead of reactive. This can only be used during a character’s Action Phase.
This allows the character to use the Parry Defense option for an entire Combat Turn for the price of the normal Interrupt Action by making their defense active instead of reactive. This can only be used during a character’s Action Phase.
Once characters exceed their walk rate, they are considered running and take -2 DP to all actions except sprinting. Charging into melee combat gives a +4 DP modifier (Net bonus +2) when running into combat. Making a ranged attack against a running opponent gives a -2 DP modifier. Making a ranged attack against a sprinting opponent gains a -4 DP modifier.
Send one short phrase of verbal communication. Be conservative within the 3-second Combat Turn phase.
A player may take two Simple Actions per Action Phase, but only ONE can be an attack action.
Activate a magical focus.
Call an already summoned spirit.
Activate, Deactivate, or switch from AR/VR, and various other devices with different modes that are not linked via Direct Neural Interface.
Issue a command to a single spirit or group of spirits.
Free a spirit from the summoner’s control.
Fire a single arrow from an already loaded bow.
Fire a readied firearm. Cannot take any other actions after this. When Simple Action fired, Burst fires 3 bullets, Full-Auto fires 6 bullets.
Nock 1 arrow on a bow or insert a removable clip (Ammo labeled with a ‘c’)
Make a Perception test.
Carefully pick up or put down an object.
Perform a Con + CHA [SOCIAL] vs Con + CHA [SOCIAL] opposed test or Performance + CHA [SOCIAL] vs CHA + WIL test. For every three boxes of damage the character has, they gain a +1 DP to their roll, ignoring injury modifiers. The character’s net hits become the threshold for a Perception Test for anyone the character attacks to avoid being caught unaware by the character. Unaware characters do not get a Defense Test when they are attacked.
Unarmed Combat Only
Make an Unarmed Combat Attack Test against an opponent within a character’s reach. If successful, the opponent is pushed outside the reach of the character, a minimum of 1 meter. No damage is done with the attack. The character can move up to their Walk rate, and the location of where the opponent is pushed is determined by the person giving the push. This can be done as an Intercept Action (-5 Initiative) if an opponent attempts to move into the character’s Reach space. The pushing character cannot be in a Grapple or Clinch.
Make a (Weapon Skill) + REA [Physical] (3) test to draw and fire a weapon in a single Simple Action. On a glitch, the weapon is stuck in-holster or dropped. On a critical glitch, bad stuff happens.
Draw a weapon. If the weapon is not in a traditional holster, use a Complex Action to ready this weapon at the GM’s discretion. A character can ready a number of small throwing weapons (Shuriken, throwing knives, etc) equal to one-half of the character’s AGI (round up) per Ready Weapon action.
Use a Simple Action to cast a spell more quickly, but at a +3 to Drain to each spell cast.
Remove a clip from a ready firearm.
Switch from Astral Perception to normal perception, or vice versa.
Unarmed Combat Only
While the character is running, they can make an Unarmed Combat Attack Test against an opponent with the intent of moving them from their location. Like a Charge, the character has to Run at the opponent and make an Unarmed Combat Attack test. The attack deals no damage. If successful and the character’s STR + Net Hits exceeds the opponent’s Physical limit, the opponent is pushed back a distance in meters equal to the net hits of the Attack Test in the direction of the attacking character’s movement. If successful and the character’s STR + Net hits does not exceed the opponent’s Physical Limit, the character does not move the opponent and cannot move past the opponent in this phase. If unsuccessful, the character falls Prone, tripping up before the attempt or knocked back from the impact.
Stand. If wounded, success in BOD+WIL(2) test.
Take Aim with a ready firearm, bow, or throwing weapon for a +1 DP or a +1 Accuracy increase to the test. You can continue making Take Aim actions uninterrupted for a maximum bonus of WIL/2 rounded up. If there is a scope or image magnification, the first Take Aim does not give the normal bonus, and instead initializes the use of the device.
Gain a cover bonus to the defense test so long as there is no surprise.
Throw a readied throwing weapon.
Use a device that is activated typically with a single movement.
Only one complex action is possible per Action Phase.
This is an attack from a Burst Fire-capable weapon (not Semi-Auto Burst) fired to increase damage instead of making it harder to avoid. The attack loses the -2 penalty to the defender, but gains the +1 DV. It costs the firer three rounds of ammunition.
Shift consciousness to the Astral Plane.
Enter a Banishing contest with a spirit.
This Full-Auto attack gains +2 DV and costs the firer six rounds of ammunition.
Cast a spell.
Run towards your foe and gain a +2 DP modifier to melee damage (+4 DP total, -2DP for running)
This Semi-Automatic attack gains +1 DV and costs the firer two rounds of ammunition. There is no penalty to defensive rolls from this shot.
For use with suppressive fire, this attack narrows the suppression zone to 5 meters at the end (instead of 10) but prevents targets within the affected area from being able to avoid the fire with the Drop Prone action. They can still use the Lucky Cover Edge action to avoid the roll, but they continue to suffer all the normal penalties of being within a suppressed area.
To break out of a Subduing or Clinch, the character must succeed in an Unarmed Combat + STR [PHYSICAL] Test with a threshold equal to the net hits scored on the opponent’s original Subduing Test.
This is used in tandem with a character’s movement for the Combat Turn. Make an AGI + Gymnastics [PHYSICAL] (1) Test. Each hit above the threshold allows the character to move past one opponent who is within Interception range. The opponents cannot use Interception against that character without using Shadow Block.
Fire a readied weapon in Full-Auto Fire mode. When fired as a Complex Action, Full-Auto uses 10 bullets. Cumulative recoil applies.
Fire a readied weapon in Long Burst or Semi-Auto burst.
Fire a readied mounted or vehicle weapon.
Load and fire, or fire and load a bow in a single action.
Lay down suppressive fire.
Most matrix actions are made with a Complex Action.
Make a melee attack.
Make a (Melee Skill) + INT [MENTAL] (3) test to gain a +3 DP on their next melee attack against that opponent. If they fail, they take a -1 penalty on the next melee attack. On a glitch or critical glitch, the character must take a -3 DP penalty on their Defense Test against the next attack from any source.
Reload weapons that are belt fed, break action, cylinder, drum, internal magazine, muzzle loaders, or speed loaders. (Ammunition marked with a ‘belt’, ‘b’, ‘cy’, ‘d’, or ‘m’.)
A character with a VCR and Rigger Adapted Vehicle may jump in.
Unarmed Combat Only
The character attempts to move an opponent and throws his whole body into the attempt. The test and results are similar to Shove, but the attacking character uses STR + Body plus net hits instead of just STR + net hits. On a successful attempt, both the character and opponent are Prone.
Once characters exceed their run rate, they are considered sprinting and cannot move unless they take a sprint test during their action phase. Each hit on a Running + STR [Physical] test increases the distance they can move by 1 meter (for Dwarves and Trolls) or 2 meters (For Elves, Humans, and Orks). Characters can make a maximum number of Sprint tests equal to half their Running skill per Combat Turn at a minimum of 1. For every consecutive Action Phase or Combat Turn in which you use the Sprint action, you take a cumulative 1S DV of fatigue damage, which means that the second time you take it without dialing it back you take 2S, then 3S, etc.
Subdue an opponent. Spend a Complex Action per Action Phase to sustain the subduing. The opponent cannot take an action that requires Movement. A Free Action can end the Subduing, but the character will still be in contact with the opponent for that Action Phase. Subduing Actions can be done as an Interrupt Action (-5 initiative score) by a character on an opponent who has successfully completed a touch-only attack against them.
Summon a spirit.
The character makes a Close Combat Skill attack test with a +2 Touch Only advantage. If successful, the character does no damage, but is in contact with the opponent for that Action Phase or until the opponent moves, risking an Intercept Action. Characters defending against a grapple or clinch after making a touch-only attack against an opponent receive a -2 DP penalty against that opponent.
Weapons such as the Shock Glove or Baton can inflict damage during a touch-only attack. These don’t benefit from net hits from the attack to increase DV. Using the weapon can cause damage with a Touch-Only attack makes it the only attack action the character can make during that Action Phase.
Make a skill test.
These actions can be taken out of turn.
REA + INT + (Unarmed Combat) [Physical]
Block an incoming melee attack for one defense test. Can add bonus dice (weapon foci, etc).
A character that is within the area of a Suppressive Fire Attack can choose to take an Interrupt Action to drop prone behind any cover within 4 meters.
REA + INT + Gymnastics [Physical]
Dodge an incoming melee attack for one defense test.
Drop prone in suppressive fire without needing REA + EDG
Make a melee attack to interrupt an opponent moving past.
REA + INT + [Melee Weapon Skill]
Deflect an incoming melee attack with a readied melee weapon.
The character can choose to move up to 2 meters to place themselves between an attacker and a target and take the brunt of an incoming attack. There is no Defense Test, only Damage Resistance (BOD + Armor). This action can only be performed once per Combat Turn.
The character can move towards a grenade to pick up or intercept it (using movement that the character has left) with an AGI (2) Test. If successful, the character makes a Throwing Weapons Attack test with a -2 DP penalty.
Immediately after a Throwing Weapons Attack or Area-Effect Indirect Combat Spell Spellcasting Test, a character can make an immediate Interrupt Action to flee. The character choses the direction to move and can use any amount of available Movement to move away from the incoming attack.
In the case of diving on the grenade, the character moves toward the grenade, still limited by available remaining Movement, and can choose to make a Drop Prone Free Action when reaching the grenade. The sacrifice means the character takes all the grenade damage and eliminates the blast. In the case of a gas grenade, the action cuts the effectiveness in half.
Add WIL to defense tests for the entire Combat Turn. Can still Block, Dodge, and Parry.
The attacker declares an attack as part of the Declare Actions part of his Action Phase.
The defender also declares what method he is using to defend. A standard Defense Test (Reaction + Intuition) is free; for a price, the defender can choose to Dodge, Parry, Block or go on Full Defense.
The attacker rolls Combat Skill + Attribute +/– modifiers [Limit]. Apply appropriate wound, environmental, recoil, and situational modifiers to the attacker according to the specific attack.
The defender rolls Reaction + Intuition +/– modifiers. Apply appropriate wound, environmental, and situational modifiers to the defender according to the specific attack. Compare the results to the hits of the attacker. If the attacker scores more hits than the defender, the attack hits the target. Note the net hits (the number of hits that exceed the defender’s hits) and move on to the second step. If the result is a tie the attack is considered a grazing hit. A grazing hit does not do any damage, but the attacker makes contact. This allows certain contact-only attacks (poisons, shock gloves, touch-only combat spells, etc.) to still do damage. If the defender scores more hits than the attacker, the attack misses and you’re done rolling.
Add the attacker’s net hits to the Damage Value of the weapon to determine the modified Damage Value. Apply the attack’s Armor Penetration (AP) modifier to the defender’s Armor to determine the modified Armor Value. Compare the modified Damage Value with the modified Armor Value to determine if damage will be Physical (modified DV is greater than or equal to the modified Armor Value) or Stun (modified DV is less than the modified Armor Value). As long as the modified Armor Value is positive, the defender rolls Body + modified Armor to resist damage. Otherwise the defender only rolls Body. Each hit scored reduces the modified Damage Value by 1. If the DV is reduced to 0 or less, the attack was stopped by the character’s armor or thick hide, and no damage is inflicted.
Apply the remaining Damage Value to the target’s Condition Monitor. Each point of DV equals 1 box of damage. Wound Modifiers may come into effect as a result of the damage. Characters may also need to check for knockdown. The additional effects of certain damage types should also be determined here.
The AP value on combat removes dice from the defending character’s Armor bonus. AP does not remove dice from Body.
Acid damage is Physical. In addition to its normal damage, it also reduces the rating of any Armor it hits by 1. If the acid isn’t removed from the target (by washing it off, or because the acid is from a spell and evaporates into mana after the spell ends), then the acid continues to burn. Each Combat Turn the base DV of the acid is decreased by 1 and damage is applied again. The acid also continues to burn through armor reducing the target’s Armor rating by 1 until the acid is removed, neutralized, or loses all its base DV. The Armor reduction should be applied to worn Armor first but could be applied to Armor accessories (+Armor items) if the gamemaster allows. At the gamemaster’s discretion, acid can also create Light Smoke conditions in an area around the target.
Cold damage is Physical. Additionally, cold damage can make armor brittle, liquids freeze, lubricants gum up, etc. Make a simple Armor Test for anything directly hit. If the armor gets no hits, it breaks and cannot be used as armor. It can be repaired with the Building & Repairing rules. In the case of a glitch, it’s destroyed irreparably. With a critical glitch the armor breaks irreparably in a dangerous way.
Electrical damage is treated as Stun or Physical damage depending on the source and/or target. The Non-conductivity armor upgrade adds its full rating to the Armor value. The gamemaster can also decide which (if any) other factors may modify the target’s damage, such as extra conductivity for a character covered in water. An Electricity attack that does damage can stun and incapacitate the target as well, though if there is no damage, there is no secondary effect at all.
Secondary effects for characters injured by Electricity damage include a –1 dice pool penalty on all actions and Defense Tests, but not Damage Resistance Tests, for 1 Combat Turn and an immediate Initiative Score reduction of 5. The dice pool penalty and Initiative Score reduction do not accumulate with multiple attacks, but the length of the penalty is extended by 1 Combat Turn for each successful damaging attack while a character is affected. If the character’s Initiative Score is reduced to 0 or below, they lose their last action. If they have no Initiative Score left the reduction comes on the start of the next Combat Turn.
Electronic equipment and drones can also be affected by Electricity damage. They never suffer Stun damage so Electricity damage is Physical when used against electronics and drones. They resist damage as usual and suffer a secondary effect if they take even a single box of damage. The secondary effect for electronics and drones damaged by Electricity damage is shorting out or overloading. In game terms this is reflected as secondary Matrix damage equal to half the Physical damage rounded down. Vehicles can be damaged by Electricity attacks but do not suffer any secondary effects. Specific systems of vehicles can be targeted by a Called Shots.
Fire damage is Physical. It can also make things catch fire. To determine if something catches fire, roll Armor Value + Fire Resistance – Fire AP (see Fire Armor Piercing Ratingstable, below). The threshold on this test is the net hits rolled on the fire-based attack. If the item succeeds, it is not on fire (for now). Armor accessories are excluded from the test but the gamemaster may require them to make their own test.
When something catches fire, the fire has an initial Damage Value of 3. This damage is caused at the end of each Combat Turn, and the DV increases by 1 at the start of each subsequent Combat Turn until the item is completely destroyed or the fire is put out. You can fight the fire a number of ways (water, smothering, etc.), making an Agility + Intuition Test and reducing the fire’s DV by 1 for each hit. Remember, as long as the fire is burning it can ignite any nearby flammables, including furniture, vehicles, foliage, and elves.
Type of fire | AP |
Open Flame | -2 |
Fire-Based spells | Spell Force |
Flame-based weapon | -6 |
Treat any Pollutant attack as a toxin with the following characteristics:
Armor provides no dice to resist a Pollutant attack. Armor upgraded with a Chemical seal provides immunity to the damage and toxic effects.
Anaphylactic Shock: If the damage from the attack with this effect is not completely resisted, the victim enters anaphylactic shock, resulting in muscle spasms and autonomic system failure if left untreated. The victim continues to take 1 box of unresisted Physical damage each Combat Turn until death, or until the victim is treated as per Stabilization.
Radiation attacks cause Physical damage. Armor provides no dice to resist Radiation damage, unless it has an upgrade to provide Radiation resistance, which provides dice equal to its rating for the Damage Resistance Test and the following Toxin Resistance Test. Treat every Radiation attack that hits as a toxin causing Nausea with a DV equal to net hits of the attack (before the Damage Resistance roll).
Water damage does not directly affect any Condition Monitors; instead, it has a chance to knock characters down. The base Water damage for knockdown purposes is the Force of the spell. The targeted character rolls Agility, reducing the Water damage by the number of hits. If the remaining damage is higher than the character’s Physical limit, the Water damage knocks them down, as if they had been forcibly taken a free Drop Prone action. Additionally, the area around the target with a radius of (Force / 2) meters is slippery for the next ten minutes. Any action involving movement in this area, including Defense Tests, take a –2 dice pool penalty.
Active fires in that same area have their DV reduced by the spell’s Force. Also, any exposed and unsealed electronics may be damaged. For any such devices, make a Device Rating (3) Test; failure means water hit the sensitive innards of the device and bricked it.
Victim takes a –2 DP modifier to all actions for ten minutes, due to confusion and disorientation.
If the Power of an attack after the Toxin Resistance Test exceeds the target’s WIL, he is incapacitated (unable to take any actions) with vomiting and dizziness for 3 Combat Turns. Whether or not a character is incapacitated, Nausea doubles all of a character’s wound modifiers for ten minutes.
If the Power of an attack after the Toxin Resistance Test exceeds the target’s REA, the target is paralyzed and unable to take physical actions for 1 hour. Even if the target is not paralyzed, he suffers a –2 DP modifier for the next hour.
If the damage from the attack with this effect is not completely resisted, the victim enters anaphylactic shock. The victim continues to take 1 box of unresisted Physical damage each Combat Turn until death, or until the victim is treated as per Stabilization.
When a toxin comes into play, note its Speed to determine when it takes effect. At the end of the appropriate Combat Turn, the victim makes a Toxin Resistance Test to see if the toxin takes effect. This test uses BOD + WIL + the rating of any protective gear/systems; each hit reduces the toxin’s Power by 1 point. If the Power is reduced to zero, the toxic substance takes no effect; otherwise, apply the effect depending on the remaining Power level.
If exposed to more than a single dose at a given time, increase the Power of the toxin by +1 per additional dose. Duration might also increase, at the gamemaster’s discretion.
Likewise, if left in contact with a toxin for an extended period, the effects can be increased. If the victim is still being exposed to the toxin when the toxin’s Speed interval elapses, perform another Toxin Resistance Test, and so on each time the Speed interval elapses. For each subsequent Toxin Resistance Test after the first, increase the Power of the toxin by +1, cumulatively.
If they’re to do any good, antidotes must be taken before a toxin’s effects kick in. An antidote taken afterwards will not diminish the damage caused by the toxin but may reduce the toxin’s other effects. Note that some toxins simply have no effective antidote, particularly neurotoxins.
If a victim has suffered Physical damage overflow from a toxin, then application of the appropriate antidote automatically stabilizes her.
When a character falls more than three meters, he takes Physical damage with a DV equal to the number of meters fallen, with an AP of –4. Use Body + Armor to resist this damage. The gamemaster should feel free to modify the damage to reflect a softer landing surface (sand), branches to break the fall, and so on.
Falling characters drop 50 meters in the first Combat Turn, 150 meters in the second Combat Turn, and 200 meters every Combat Turn after that. Terminal velocity for a falling body is about 200 meters per turn.
Fatigue damage is Stun damage you incur through doing something strenuous or for being in the middle of something stressful. It’s caused by harsh environments, hard exertion, and drek like that. Fatigue damage is resisted with Body + Willpower, not with any armor. Fatigue damage cannot be healed while the condition causing it still exists.
For every consecutive Action Phase or Combat Turn in which you use the Sprint action, you take a cumulative 1S DV of fatigue damage, which means that the second time you take it without dialing it back you take 2S, then 3S, etc. If you’re only running (using your running movement rate) instead of sprinting, this damage is taken every 3 minutes.
As with running fatigue, the DV from a harsh environment starts at 1S and increases over time. Unlike running fatigue, if you keel over in a hostile environment the damage doesn’t stop rolling in.
Environment severity | Fatigue damage interval |
Mild | 6 Hours |
Moderate | 3 Hours |
Harsh | 60 Minutes |
Extreme | 1 Minute (10 Combat Turns) |
Deadly | 6 Seconds (2 Combat Turns) |
After 24 hours, if you haven’t eaten, slept, or had a (nonalcoholic) drink, you risk fatigue damage. Like running, the damage starts at a mere 1S and increases over each interval it is taken. The interval for hunger is 6 days, for thirst is 2 days, and for sleep is 3 hours. This damage stops when you eat, drink, or sleep, respectively. Money for food is considered part of your Lifestyle.
If the damage is stun, it carries over into the Physical damage track. For every 2 full boxes of excess stun damage, carry over 1 box of Physical damage.
If the damage is Physical, it carries over into Overflow. Overflow damage is equal to BOD. If Overflow takes damage, the character becomes medically unstable and takes an additional box of damage every (BOD) minutes until stabilized. If damage exceeds Overflow, the character dies.
A character may invoke the Dead Man’s Trigger rule to perform one final action before dying or falling unconscious. For the character to do so, all three of the following conditions must be met:
If the character passes all three conditions, he may perform one final action of any kind (no movement) which is resolved as normal. This action can be modified by any Free Action as well.
A character who succeeds in the Perception Test during an ambush or other surprise situation is alerted in some way and receives a bonus on his Surprise Test. Note that anyone enjoying the protection of a Combat Sense spell or Adept power always gets a Perception Test, but they can still be surprised if they don’t receive enough hits.
To resolve surprise situations, all participants must make a Surprise Test, rolling Reaction + Intuition (3). Characters who have been alerted in some way receive a +3 dice pool modifier on this test. Surprise Tests do not have a Limit. Success means individuals get to act normally. Failure means characters lose 10 from their Initiative Score (either when Initiative is rolled or immediately if it occurs in the middle of the Combat Turn) and they are considered surprised until their next Action Phase. Surprised characters get no Defense Test when attacked. This can be avoided by spending a point of Edge to avoid surprise. They still lose the Initiative Score points, but they can at least use their defense rolls.
Characters who are surprised cannot take any actions that directly affect, impede, or counteract characters who are not surprised. This means surprised characters cannot attack the non-surprised characters, nor can they dodge or defend against attacks from those characters; the surprised character cannot react to the other characters’ actions in any way. The surprised character can, however, carry out other actions that are not specifically directed at any surprising characters, such as dropping prone or readying a weapon (but not firing it).
Note that this affects would-be friendly actions, too. A character caught in an ambush situation may not react to his friend’s warning to duck, for example, if they failed their Surprise Test.
Characters who glitch on their Surprise tests may still react appropriately, but they startle in some way, such as jumping, knocking into something, or dropping something they were holding.
A critical glitch on a Surprise Test means the character is completely stunned and does not act for the first Action Phase. If they are able to enter combat after that, they receive a –10 penalty for failing the Surprise Test, as well as the –10 penalty for entering combat in the middle of the fight. Surprise may also occur within a combat that has already started. Whenever new characters are unexpectedly introduced to a combat situation, the gamemaster should order a Surprise Test for all characters, both those already engaged in combat and the ones just entering. If any characters are surprised, adjust Initiative Scores, return to the regular Combat Turn, and remember that surprised characters cannot make defense rolls during this Action Phase.
Characters who plan an ambush and delay their actions while they lie in wait for the arrival or appearance of their targets receive a +6 dice pool modifier on the Surprise Test. Ambushing characters are automatically not surprised by the characters they are ambushing—assuming they are aware of the movement and actions of their target(s), such as an ambush on open terrain. If the ambusher is unaware of his prey’s activities, the ambusher still receives the +6 modifier, but he must check for surprise as well, as he may not be ready or may be temporarily distracted when the target comes into sight.
Note that if an ambushed character manages to come through the Initiative roll with a higher score than those who set the ambush, they can get the drop on their ambushes and act first.
If movement takes a character within one meter (+1 meter per point of Reach) of an opponent, and the character attempts to pass by without attacking that opponent, that opponent can use an Interrupt Action and voluntarily decrease their Initiative Score by 5 to make a melee attack. This rule also applies to characters who are attempting to move out of melee combat.
If the opponent has a melee weapon ready, he uses his normal melee weapon skill rating; otherwise, he uses the Unarmed Combat skill. If the character is wielding a firearm they may choose to use the weapon as a club and attack with the Club skill. This attack follows all of the normal rules for Melee Combat.
If, after their Resistance Test, the character attempting to pass takes damage equal to their Body, he is intercepted and cannot continue his movement. Prone combatants cannot intercept.
Agile characters can avoid the Interception attempts of their opponents without engaging in combat. Using a Complex Action with their movement, they can make an Agility + Gymnastics (1) [Physical] Test. Each hit above the threshold allows the character to move past one opponent.
If a character takes a number of boxes of damage (Stun or Physical, after a Damage Resistance Test) from a single attack that exceed his Physical limit, then the attack automatically knocks him down (this acts as a forced, free Drop Prone action). Any character who takes 10 or more boxes of damage after a Resistance Test in a single attack is always knocked down.
Certain less-than-lethal weapons are specifically designed to knock a target down. Gel rounds, for example, reduce the Physical limit of a character by 2 when comparing it to the DV to determine knockdown.
A character making a melee attack may attempt to intentionally knock his opponent to the ground by using a Called Shot.
Sometimes, characters need to subdue an opponent without beating them into unconsciousness. To do so, the attacker must engage in subduing combat.
To subdue a character, resolve melee combat normally using the Unarmed Combat skill. If the attacker successfully hits, compare his Strength + net hits to the defender’s Physical limit. If the attacker’s total exceeds the defender’s Physical limit, the attacker grapples and immobilizes the defender. This subduing attack causes no damage to the defender.
To break out of the lock, the defender must take a Complex Action and succeed in an Unarmed Combat + Strength [Physical] Test with a threshold equal to the net hits scored on the attacker’s original grappling test. Otherwise the defender remains subdued and cannot take any actions requiring physical movement. Consider the subdued character to be prone for any attacks made against him. The grappling character does not need to make any tests to maintain the grapple, but he must spend a Complex Action on each of his Action Phases to hold the position. The grappler may also choose to do one of the following on each Complex Action he spends to maintain the grapple, or as an interrupt action (-5 to imitative score):
Characters can choose to attack more than once in a single Action Phase by using the Multiple Attacks Free Action. This action represents both attacking multiple times from a single melee weapon and attacking with two different weapons (firearms or melee). The attacker’s dice pool is calculated with all modifiers and then split as evenly as possible between all attacks, and each attack is handled separately.
Edge spent on this test adds into the pool before it is divided.
The total number of attacks you can make in a single Action Phase is limited to one-half the attacker’s Combat Skill.
The Multiple Attack Free Action cannot be used with any Martial Arts technique that requires its own action (e.g., Counterstrike, Iaijutsu, Flying Kick, and Throw Person). It can still be used with other techniques to reduce modifiers prior to the attack or increase the damage of the attack. It can also be used with certain Called Shot techniques (e.g., Pin, Entanglement). There is a specific martial art technique, Multiple Opponent Combat that is specifically designed to be used with Multiple Attack Free Action.
Target location | Attack modifier | Max DV | Potential effects |
Ankle | -8 | 1 | Slowed, Winded |
Ear | -10 | 1 | Deafened, Stunned |
Eye | -10 | 1 | Blinded, Stunned |
Foot | -8 | 1 | Stunned, Slowed, Winded |
Forearm | -6 | 2 | Broken Grip, Weak Side |
Genitals | -10 | 4 | Stunned, Nauseous, Buckled |
Gut | -6 | 8 | Stunned, Nauseous, Slow Death |
Hand | -8 | 1 | Stunned, Broken Grip, Weak Side |
Hip | -6 | 3 | Knockdown, Slowed |
Jaw | -8 | 2 | Stunned, Unable to Speak |
Knee | -8 | 1 | Stunned, Slowed, Winded |
Neck | -8 | 10 | Stunned, Bleedout |
Shin | -6 | 2 | Knockdown, Slowed, Winded |
Shoulder/Upper Arm | -6 | 3 | Stunned, One-Arm Bandit, Weak Side |
Sternum | -10 | 10 | Stunned, Fatigued, Winded |
Thigh | -6 | 3 | Slowed, Winded |
Location | Modifier | DV limit | Effect |
Engine Block | -4 | None | Disables Vehicle |
Fuel Tank/Battery | -6 | None | Disables Vehicle. Causes fuel/battery leak. |
Axle | -6 | 6 | Reduces speed by 1 |
Antenna | -8 | 2 | Disables comms and wireless capability |
Door Lock | -6 | 0 | Door cannot be opened |
Window Motor | -4 | 0 | Window cannot be opened |
Block an incoming melee attack for one defense test. Can add bonus dice (weapon foci, etc).
Dodge an incoming melee attack for one defense test.
Drop prone in suppressive fire without needing REA + EDG
Deflect an incoming melee attack with a readied melee weapon.
Add WIL to defense tests for the entire Combat Turn. Can still Block, Dodge, and Parry.
Situation | DP Mod |
Attacker firing burst or semi-auto burst | -2 |
Attacker firing flechette shotgun/medium spread | -3 |
Attacker firing flechette shotgun/narrow spread | -1 |
Attacker firing flechette shotgun/wide spread | -5 |
Attacker firing Full Auto (Complex) | -9 |
Attacker firing long burst or semi-auto (Simple) | -5 |
Attacker has longer reach | -1 DP per Net Reach |
Defender defended against previous attack | -1 per previous attack |
Defender has longer reach | +1 DP per Net Reach |
Defender in melee targeted by ranged attack | -3 |
Defender in moving vehicle | +3 |
Defender prone | -2 |
Defender receiving a Charge | +1 |
Defender running | +2 |
Defender unaware/surprised | NO DEFENSE POSSIBLE |
Defender wounded | -Wound Mod |
Defender has good cover | +4 |
Defender has Partial Cover | +2 |
Target hit by AOE attack | -2 |
Target is Size Average (Medium drones, BOD+STR from 5-10) (R&G) | — |
Target is Size Bulky (large drones, vehicles, BOD+STR from 11-15) (R&G) | -1 |
Target is Size Huge (Jumbo jet engine) | -3 |
Target is Size Large (BOD+STR 16 or higher) (R&G) | -2 |
Target is Size Miniscule (Micro drones) (R&G) | +3 |
Target is Size Small (Small drones, BOD+STR from 2-4) (R&G) | +1 |
Target is Size Tiny (Mini drones, door locks/hinges, keypads) (R&G) | +2 |
Barriers have a Condition Monitor based on their size and Structure rating. Every square meter (of about 10 centimeters thickness) of material has a number of boxes equal to the Structure rating of the barrier.
A defender using the barrier as cover receives a defense bonus for cover. If the defender is completely hidden behind the barrier, the attacker suffers a –6 Blind Fire dice pool modifier for not being able to see his intended target, but the hidden defender is considered unaware of the attack. If the barrier between the attacker and defender is transparent, like bullet resistant glass, there is no cover or obstruction to sight, but the attack must penetrate the barrier to reach the defender. If the barrier takes the hit first, the gamemaster rolls Structure + Armor to resist the damage, and the structure takes any unresisted damage. If the Structure rating is exceeded by the damage it suffers, any remaining damage is transferred to the target behind the barrier.
If the weapon’s modified Damage Value does not exceed the barrier’s Armor rating (modified by the weapon’s AP), then the weapon is simply not strong enough to pierce the barrier, and the attack automatically fails.
If a character intends to destroy a barrier (or knock a hole in it), resolve the attack normally. The attack test is unopposed. The purpose of the attack test is to generate extra hits to add to the Damage Value. If a character got no hits, then only apply the base Damage Value. The only way a character could “miss” is if he got a critical glitch on the attack test. A character may use Demolitions as the attack skill if he has the proper materials and time to set charges. Before rolling the barrier’s damage resistance test, adjust the modified Damage Value to reflect the type of attack, as noted on the Damaging Barriers Table. Resolve the Damage Resistance Test by rolling the barrier’s Structure + Armor. Barriers ignore Stun damage.
Weapon | DV mod |
Melee or Unarmed | — |
Projectiles and Bullets | See Penetration Weapons |
Explosives in contact with barrier | Base DV x 2 |
AV Rocket/Missile | Base DV x 2 |
Combat spell | — |
Apply the remaining DV as damage to the barrier. If the total boxes of damage are greater than or equal to the Structure rating, the attack has made a hole in the structure. Each hole is one square meter per increment of Structure rating. For example, an attack that dealt 30 net points of damage to a Structure 15 barrier would create a 2-square-meter hole.
If the weapon you’re using is primarily a penetrating weapon, like a firearm or pointed sword, then the barrier takes 1 box of unresisted damage (or no damage at all at the gamemaster’s discretion), allowing the rest to transfer to the target behind it. When multiple rounds are fired at a barrier, the damage increases to 2 boxes for 3 bullets, 3 boxes for six bullets, and 4 boxes for 10 bullets. Subtract this from the damage done to anyone on the other side of the barrier. This is only true for weapons whose modified DV exceeds the Armor rating of the barrier. As above, if the modified DV is less than the Armor, the attack is stopped dead with no damage to anything.
When using a body as cover, use Body in place of Structure. Armor acts the same. Apply damage to the body before moving on to the intended target. Also of note is the difficulty of lugging a body around as a shield, as they tend to be heavy and awkward. Apply an Agility and Reaction penalty equal to the difference between the holder’s Strength and the shield body’s Body attribute while the metahuman shield is carried.
Barrier | Structure | Armor | Example |
Fragile | 1 | 2 | Standard Glass |
Cheap | 2 | 4 | Drywall, plaster, door, tire |
Average | 4 | 6 | Furniture, plastiboard, ballistic glass |
Heavy | 6 | 8 | Tree, hardwood, chainlink, lightpost, dataterm |
Reinforced | 8 | 12 | Densiplast, security door, armored glass, Kevlar wallboard |
Structural | 10 | 16 | Brick, plascrete |
Heavy Structural | 12 | 20 | Concrete, metal beam |
Armored/Reinforced | 14 | 24 | Reinforced concrete |
Hardened | 16+ | 32+ | Blast bunkers |
This value is the base limit for Vehicle Tests made where maneuverability is the most important feature.
This value is the base limit for Vehicle Tests that emphasize raw speed.
This value represents the maximum number of Range Categories that the vehicle can move in a single Combat Turn.
A combination of structural integrity and size of the vehicle and its resistance to damage.
Armor is the second value (with Body) that forms the dice pool that vehicles use to resist damage.
For any vehicle not being actively piloted by a metahuman, this takes the place of all Mental attributes and Reaction for any tests the vehicle needs to make.
The limit for Perception and other detection tests using the vehicle’s systems.
12 plus half the vehicle Body (rounded up)
Ignore Stun damage
Electricity damage = Physical Damage
Modified DV of an attack must be greater than armor of vehicle to cause damage
The driver of the vehicle adjusts her movement rate with the required action to control the vehicle or during her Action Phase but chooses the movement rate at the beginning of each Combat Turn instead of moving by Initiative Pass.
Speed Attribute | Walking Rate (M/Turn) | Running Rate (M/Turn) |
1 | 5 | 10 |
2 | 10 | 20 |
3 | 20 | 40 |
4 | 40 | 80 |
5 | 80 | 160 |
6 | 160 | 320 |
7 | 320 | 640 |
8 | 640 | 1280 |
9 | 1280 | 2560 |
10 | 2560 | 5120 |
Situation | Treshold | Examples |
Easy | 1 | Merging, passing, sudden stop, drift or gradual turn (less than 75 degrees) |
Average | 2 | Avoiding an obstacle, maneuvering through a narrow spot, tight turn (75-130 degrees) |
Hard | 3 | Hairpin turn, “stoppie” on a motorbike, driving through unusual places (mall), “dog leg” or hairpin turn (greater than 130 degrees) |
Extreme | 4+ | Jumping vehicle over an obstacle, driving through a space just big enough for the vehicle, while ramping a vehicle through the air rolling it just enough to have a hook from an overhanging crane knock a bomb off the bottom of the vehicle before it explodes |
Driver Jumped In with Control Rig | –Control Rig rating | A rigger using a Control Rig has a much easier time controlling a vehicle she can feel. |
Terrain | Modifier | Examples |
Open | 0 | Highways, flat plains, open sea, clear sky |
Light | +1 | Main street thoroughfares,rolling hills, dock areas, intracityair traffic |
Restricted | +2 | Side streets, light woods, rocky mountain slopes, light traffic, shallow waters, heavy air traffic, low altitude flying over heavy terrain |
Tight | +4 | Back alleys, heavy woods, steep slopes, high traffic, swamp, heavy rapids, flying at street level through a city, flying through winding canyons |
Situation | Modifier |
Pilot has impaired Visibility | Consult Visibility column (p. 175) |
Piloting in limited Light conditions | Consult Light column (p. 175) |
Pilot unaware of event | No test possible |
Pilot wounded | –wound modifiers from Vehicle test |
Piloting damaged vehicle | –(damage modifier) Handling (minimum 1) |
Pilot using Augmented Reality (AR) | +1 Handling |
Pilot using Virtual Reality (VR) | +2 Handling |
Pilot jumped into Control Rig | Decrease threshold of tests by rating of Rig |
When a vehicle crashes (or rams), it and any passengers must resist damage equal to the Body of the vehicle.
DV | Passengers, Driver, and Vehicle resist with |
Body of the vehicle | Body + Armor – 6 AP |
If Body of vehicle > armor of passenger, it is physical damage (otherwise stun damage).
Automatic Composure (4) Test, taking a penalty to their actions equal to how many hits they missed the threshold by, for a number of Combat Turns equal to the same number.
Drivers must spend at least one Complex Action in each Combat Turn driving their vehicle, or the vehicle is considered Uncontrolled at the end of the Combat Turn. All characters apply a –2 dice pool modifier to all their actions if they are in an uncontrolled vehicle.
If the driver does not make a Vehicle Test to regain control of the vehicle in one Combat Turn, one of two things happens in the following order:
A driver who is rigging the vehicle or has a direct neural link to it may activate or deactivate systems such as sensors, ECM, weapons. The driver may also call up a status report to monitor the position, heading and speed, damage report, and/or current orders of the vehicle. Activated sensors, ECM, and ECCM systems come online at the start of the next Action Phase, even if the character who activated the system does not have any actions due to their Initiative Score being 0 or less.
A driver or passenger may use sensors to detect or lock onto targets.
This action can be used to manually activate/deactivate sensors, ECM/ECCM, weapon systems, and other onboard vehicle systems.
This action is not really an action at all, simply the expenditure of an action to represent efforts taken for the entire Combat Turn to keep the vehicle under control. This action does not need to be taken as the driver’s first action in combat, but until this action is taken, the vehicle is considered uncontrolled at the end of the Combat Turn and may crash or be taken over by the vehicle’s on-board Piloting system.
A driver or passenger may fire a vehicle-mounted weapon.
Vehicle-mounted weapons are fired using Weapon Skill + Agility [Accuracy] for manual operation, like door guns on mounts, or Gunnery + Logic [Accuracy] for remote operated systems. A Complex Action is required for shooting weapons mounted on a vehicle in any firing mode. Characters shooting handheld weapons follow the normal rules for ranged combat and suffer a –2 dice penalty for firing from a moving vehicle. Stationary vehicles do not confer any of these effects, though they may inflict the Firing from Cover modifier.
A driver spends a Complex Action when executing a maneuver that requires a Vehicle Test. Failed Vehicle Tests may result in the vehicle being considered uncontrolled or may lead to a second Vehicle Test to avoid a crash. Glitched Vehicle Tests almost always result in a crash. Critical Glitch Vehicle Tests always result in a crash.
Treat as a melee attack. The target must be within the vehicle’s Walking or Running Rate (a –3 dice modifier applies if the driver has to resort to running). Steps to ramming listed below:
Driver rolls | Target is Pedestrian | Target is Driving another vehicle |
Vehicle Skill + REA [Handling] | REA + INT* | REA + INT [Handling] |
*May use the Full Defense or Dodge Interrupt Action.
Driver must resists | Target is Pedestrian | Target is Driving another vehicle |
*DV/2 (round up) | Resist *DV with (Body + Armor – 6 AP) | Resist *DV |
*DV is determined from Ramming Damage Table
If the ram succeeds, each driver must make an additional Vehicle Test to avoid losing control of the vehicle.
Driver makes a Vehicle Skill + REA [Handling] (2) vs the target’s Vehicle Skill + REA [Handling] (3)
If either driver fails, the vehicle is considered uncontrolled and cannot perform any actions until control is regained.
Speed (M/Turn) | Damage Value (DV) |
1-10 | Body / 2 |
11-50 | Body |
51-200 | Body x 2 |
201-300 | Body x 3 |
301-500 | Body x 5 |
501+ | Body x 10 |
When a combat situation involves two or more parties that are all in moving vehicles, the Chase Combat rules are used instead of the standard combat rules.
A Chase Combat Turn has the following steps:
Passengers may only perform regular combat actions.
A Speed Environment is a place where the movement of the vehicle is not significantly inhibited, i.e. a major highway, open field, calm waters, or clear skies. In this Environment the maneuverability of vehicles is much less important than raw speed.
A Handling Environment is a place where space is limited and quick reflexes and maneuverability are more important than speed. For example: winding residential streets, rocky foot-hills and canyons, a crowded harbor, or flying at street level through a city.
Range | Speed environment (Meters) | Handling environment (Meters) |
Short | 0-10 | 0-5 |
Medium | 11-50 | 6-20 |
Long | 51-150 | 21-80 |
Extreme | 151-300 | 81-150 |
A driver may perform any of the following actions on their turn, as long as the target vehicle is within the Chase Range specified. All Chase Actions are Complex Actions.
The number of Range Categories a vehicle can change during this action is equal to their Acceleration. The driver makes a Reaction + Vehicle Skill [Speed or Handling] (maneuver Threshold) test. For every hit she beat the threshold by she may shift one Range Category towards or away from her opponent. If this action results in a move out of Extreme range the pursuing vehicle is allowed its own Reaction + Vehicle Skill [Speed or Handling] (maneuver Threshold) test to try and keep her in sight.
The acting vehicle makes a sudden move to cut off a target vehicle, forcing it to crash. Make an Opposed Reaction + Vehicle Skill [Handling] Test. If the acting vehicle achieves more hits, the target vehicle must make an immediate Vehicle Skill + Reaction [Handling] test to avoid crashing, with a threshold equal to the net hits on the test.
The acting vehicle attempts to collide with a target vehicle. Make an Opposed (Vehicle Skill) + Reaction [Speed or Handling] Test. If the Ram is taking place in a Speed Environment use Speed as the limit, and use Handling if the Ram is taking place in a Handling Environment. If the ramming vehicle achieves more hits, the vehicles have collided. The target of the Ram takes damage equal to the Body of the ramming vehicle plus any Net Hits achieved. The vehicle that did the Ramming takes damage equal to half its Body. Reference previous Ramming section for more details.
An uncontrolled vehicle could crash (causing damage to it and all passengers, slow down (allowing all following vehicles to gain a Chase Range Category), etc.
If you attempt to attack a target outside the vehicle while using a weapon not mounted to the vehicle, you suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls.
When a vehicle is attacked in combat, the driver rolls his Reaction + Intuition as the defense part of the Opposed Test.
Whenever a vehicle is hit by an attack, it resists damage as normal, rolling Body + Armor.
Vehicles that are under attack can use a Free Action and undertake evasive driving—the vehicle equivalent of Full Defense. The driver of the vehicle reduces their Initiative Score by 10 and can add a number of dice equal to their Intuition to the defense dice pool to dodge attacks. Evasive driving cannot be used against ramming attacks.
Called shots against vehicles follow the same rules as for Called Shots in regular combat. Another option, however, is available to the attacker if the called shot succeeds. The attacker can choose to target and destroy any specific component of the vehicle: window, sensor, tire, etc. Shot-out tires inflict a –2 dice pool modifier per flat tire to Vehicle Tests (Vehicle Skill + Reaction [Handling]).
Unarmed combat is decided by an opposed test of (Unarmed Combat Skill) + AGI [Physical] vs REA+INT. Unarmed melee damage is (STR)S.
Armed Melee combat is decided with an opposed test of (Melee Combat Skill) + AGI [Accuracy] vs REA + INT.
Situation | DP Mod |
Attacker making Charging Attack | +2 |
Attacker Prone | -1 |
Attacker making Called Shot | -4 |
Character has Superior Position | +2 |
Character using Off-Hand Weapon | -2 |
Attacker Wounded | -wound modifier |
Defender receiving a charge | +1 |
Environmental modifiers | (Check Light and Visibility mods for Perception) |
Attacker has friends in melee | +1 or Teamwork |
Opponent Prone | +1 |
Touch-Only attack | +2 |
If an attacker has an ally engaged in the same melee, they get the “Attacker Has Friends in Melee” +1 modifier.
Instead of the +1 modifier, on their Action Phase, an attacker can choose to aid her allies. The attacker takes a Complex Action and makes an Opposed Test using her Combat Skill + Agility [Accuracy] with all appropriate modifiers, including the Ally in Combat modifier, against the opponent’s Intuition. Hits from this test are added as a positive dice pool modifier for the next ally to attack the same opponent. The next ally can also use these hits as a bonus on their own teamwork test, hoping to build the amount of hits they are passing on to the eventual attacker. Three teamwork attacks can be made before a standard attack must be made.
Trolls have a natural Reach of 1 that is cumulative with weapon Reach.
Martial arts styles may be selected as specializations of a particular Close Combat skill for the normal cost of 7 Karma—selecting that specialization provides a +2 bonus when using that technique.
Martial arts styles may be selected as specializations of a particular Close Combat skill for the normal cost of 7 Karma—selecting that specialization provides a +2 bonus when using that technique.
Each martial art style has six techniques for a character to choose. Buying a new style costs 7 Karma, and when you buy that style you may then choose a technique to go with it. Buying additional techniques costs 5 Karma. At character creation, you can buy up to 5 total techniques, in a single style, which costs 27 Karma. You can only buy one style at character creation.
Martial arts styles may be selected as specializations of a particular Close Combat skill for the normal cost of 7 Karma—selecting that specialization provides a +2 bonus when using that technique.
After character creation, the character can continue to learn techniques within the martial art style or pick up a new martial art style. Each technique within the style takes 2 weeks to learn and the same Karma cost. A character can learn a new technique in a different martial art style, but they must spend the time to learn that style of fighting as well. Each new style takes 1 month to learn and costs 7 Karma for the style and the first technique; that time includes the learning of the technique. Once a style is known techniques within that style cost 5 Karma and 2 weeks to learn. A character can learn multiple styles, but there is a limit in how much stacking a character can get away with. You cannot gain more than a +2 bonus or a reduction in modifiers by more than 2 from purchasing the same technique from two different martial art styles.
Each style can be used as a skill specialization. Some of these styles can be a specialization for a combination of skills, or do not easily fit into a single skill and so are not listed here. The gamemaster makes judgment calls about what specializations may be applied to which skills.
Unarmed Combat 52 Blocks, Akido, Boxing (Classic/Brawler/Swarmer), Capoeira, Carromeleg, Drunken Boxing, Jeet Kune Do, Jujitsu, Karate, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Sangre y Acedo Wrestling (MMA), Tae Kwon Do, Wildcat, Wrestling (Professional, Sport, Sumo) Firearms Firefight, Gun Kata, Knight Errant Tactical, Lone Star Tactical, The Cowboy Way Gymnastics Parkour Blades Fiore dei Liberi (Two Weapon Swordfighting), Kenjutsu, Kunst des Fechtens (Long Sword Fighting), Okichataw, La Verdadera Destreza (Rapier Fighting), Pentjak-Silat, Wudang Sword Clubs Arnis de Mano, Bartitsu, Jogo Du Pau, Okichataw, Quarterstaff Fighting Archery Kyujutsu, Turkish ArcheryThe Strength Rating of individual cybernetic limbs or partial cybernetics can be used on various techniques. When applying subduing damage to an opponent, the character could use their individual hand, arm, or leg Strength in the attempt, as various choke holds can be done either with the arm, hand, or leg.
When attempting to throw, grapple, subdue, or disarm an opponent with hand razors, blades, and spurs, the character does not get the cyber weapon specialization bonus dice. Additionally, cybernetic weapons can be damaged and broken in combat. This is especially true in Sangre y Acero style of combat. Because the attack using a cybernetic melee weapon is based on the Physical Limit of the character, it doesn’t make sense to reduce the Accuracy of the weapon (that would be a Called Shot to a location). Instead, a successful Called Shot reduces the AP value by 1. If a cybernetic weapon is damaged more than once this way, it can no longer retract properly (if said cyber weapon was retractable). Damage to cyber weapons can only be repaired by a cybernetic specialist at one tenth the price of the cyberware being repaired and require a Logic + Cybertechnology [Mental] (10, 1 hour) Extended Test to complete.
While skillwires help with the applicable skill rating for a character, they cannot allow the use of martial arts techniques without the character first learning the style and techniques separately.
When a character and opponent are in physical contact, such as when a magician is being subdued or subduing an opponent, and the magician is casting a touch spell directed at that opponent, the opponent can only resist the effects of the spell and does not get a Defense Test against the Touch Attack.
Some magicians may attempt to fight an opponent using a spell like Magic Fingers. This is a very challenging task with martial arts. This kind of combat doesn’t gain the benefits of the Superior Position modifier or Reach, nor does it gain an extra damage advantage, so some techniques do not apply. Visual modifiers apply as the use of the spell is based on line of sight.
Some adept powers have a boost that is similar to a Martial Art technique, such as Rolling Cloud or Light Body. If the adept has both the power and the technique, the rules or bonuses of the power supersede the gains and rules of the technique. If the adept turns off the power, however, she can still use and gain the advantage of the technique. Current list of powers/techniques with such an overlap include:
Power | Technique |
Light Body | Rolling Cloud |
Light Body | Leaping Mantis |
Wall Running | Monkey Climb |
No single martial art style deals directly with fighting spirits, but there is a technique for fighting such unusual opponents. The technique is called Neijia, and any character who has purchased a martial art style can learn this technique.
Neijia (Complex Action): Neijia allows the character to perform a physical version of Astral Combat against Materialized spirits. The character must first make a successful Touch Attack against the spirit. This can include a Grapple or Clinch, but it also counts if the character has been Engulfed. Using only Willpower vs. Willpower as an attack, the character can impose Charisma + net hits in Stun Damage that the spirit must resist. This damage is not physical, so it cannot be used to take down wards or magical barriers. The character feels drained after making this attack, resisting Stun Damage equal to hits (not net hits) from the spirit defending against the attack. If they are a mage they resist Drain per their tradition; everyone else uses Willpower + Charisma.
When a character with a Martial Art training attacks an opponent using a weapon such as a shock glove or stun baton, they have a choice of damage to apply. They can either opt for the normal, non-electric damage of the attack, taking full advantage of any Martial Arts techniques they use, or they can apply the shock damage without the net hits or increases from techniques. If the character is in touch contact with an opponent from a Grapple or Clinch and has equipment that deals electricity damage, the character may make a Free Action to initiate shock damage to the opponent provided that the gamemaster agrees that the weapon is also in touch contact with the opponent. If the weapon is not in touch contact, it costs the character a Simple Action. The target can attempt to squirm away, but the Grapple or Clinch means they have trouble moving, giving them a –3 dice penalty on their Defense Test. As is the case with Touch Only Attacks, the attack succeeds on a tied roll. As is the case above, neither net hits nor techniques will increase the Damage Value of the weapon when used in this fashion.
These martial art techniques cover various new actions, Called Shots, and bonuses to actions that can be learned in a martial art style. These techniques can only be purchased through a martial art style or the One Trick Pony Quality. Note that characters should use each technique as appropriate to the martial art style even though the technique is available for various styles.
Whenever a Called Shot is used as a technique it means one of two things. If the Called Shot is normally available to everyone, the character can reduce the Called Shot modifier by 1 for that Called Shot. If the Called Shot description includes an action that requires Martial Arts training, then the character is allowed to use that technique but gets no reduction in the Called Shot modifier.
(Clubs/Blades Only)
Complex Action
The character lunges forward with a long step toward his opponent, effectively adding +1 to the Reach of the attack. The character takes a –1 to any Defense Tests and cannot use any Active Defense techniques until after his next Action Phase.
(Close Combat Only)
The technique provides a +1 die bonus to Interception Interrupt Action tests.
This technique grants a +1 die bonus to Defense Tests when using the Dodge Interrupt Action.
Reduce Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Break Weapon).
When the character makes an attack, the weapon resists as a barrier. Most weapons including guns are considered heavy material on the Barrier Rating table. If the attack is successful and does damage, the opponent’s weapon becomes damaged and is less effective. There are two options for a Break Weapon Called Shot. If the accuracy of the weapon is higher than 3, the character can reduce the accuracy of the weapon by 1. This can be done multiple times until the weapon has been reduced to an accuracy of 3. If the weapon has Reach greater than 0, the character can damage the weapon by reducing its Reach by 1. This can be done multiple times until Reach is 0.
(Unarmed Combat Only)
With this Called Shot, the character makes an unarmed attack. If the attack is successful and the character’s Strength plus net hits exceeds the opponent’s Physical Limit, the character snatches the targeted weapon out of the opponent’s hands and can use it themselves, though they have to take a Ready Weapon Action to do so (it’s not likely that they snatched the weapon in such a way that it’s set properly in their hand).
If the attack is successful but the character’s Strength plus net hits do not exceed the opponent’s Physical limit, then the opponent receives a penalty equal to the net hits if they use that weapon during their next Action Phase.
If the character fails in the attack, then the opponent has a +2 dice pool bonus in attacking the character with that weapon for that Action Phase.
(Exotic Weapon Only)
The character can use a rope or whip-like weapon to entangle her opponents instead of outright killing them. In an Armed Combat Attack using an Exotic Melee Weapon Skill, the character can use net hits from the attack to reduce the opponent’s Agility for that Action Phase instead of dealing damage from the weapon. If the attack generated any net hits at all, the opponent cannot move any further away from the character than the range of the weapon. If the opponent’s Agility is reduced to 0, the opponent can do no other action than attempt to break free. Like a subdual or clinch, the opponent will have to break free of the entanglement in order restore his agility attribute. If they want to get away, the opponent can attempt an Escape Artist + Agility [Physical] Test as a Complex Action with a threshold of the number of successes used to reduce his Agility. If successful, the opponent is free and no longer suffers from the Agility penalty. Weapons that can be used with this called shot include: chain whip, leather whip, manrike, kusarigama, rope dart, and lariat. Note that use of this action requires Martial Art training.
(Close Combat Only)
This attack does no damage, but if it is successful, in the next Action Phase, when the character truly attacks, the opponent takes a penalty to his Defense Test equal to the net hits of the Feint. An opponent cannot be penalized by more than one Feint action by the character before the character attacks.
(Requires Archery/Thrown Weapon)
On a successful attack with the weapon, if the DV exceeds the Armor Rating of the target’s clothing, then the flesh and clothing of the opponent are pinned to that object. Net hits determine how securely the opponent is pinned. While the opponent is pinned, he suffers a –2 penalty to all Defense Tests.
To break free of a pin, the character can make a Body + Strength [Physical] Test as a Simple Action with a threshold of the net hits of the pin. The character can also rip himself free as a Free Action, but takes 1 box of unresisted physical damage for each net hit on the Pin Called Shot. Both the Simple and Free Action can be attempted in the same Action Phase. If the Simple Action fails, the difference between the hits rolled and the threshold are added to the Physical Damage the character takes when attempting to break free.
Add +2 to the Physical limit of the character for Subduing Actions
With a successful opposed Gymnastics + Agility [Physical] vs. Reaction + Intuition Test, the character has clinched their opponent. This means that the character has a hold of the opponent (and possibly vice versa), so they can’t move away from each other. The difference between a Clinch and a Grapple action is that a Grapple involves a lock or choke hold on the opponent to immobilize him, while a Clinch doesn’t immobilize an opponent and allows both the character and opponent to make actions other than those involving the Clinch.
The character who initiated the Clinch gets the Superior Position bonus modifier to actions while maintaining control of the Clinch. Both the character and opponent’s Reach bonus are negated, and attacks with melee weapons receive a penalty equal to their Reach bonus. Firearm use by both the character and opponent are penalized by the net successes of the Clinch. Unless the opponent escapes from the Clinch, neither opponent nor character can move away from each other.
They can, however, move up to 2 meters on each of their actions together. A character in the inferior position can attempt to use an Escape Action (see below) to break the Clinch. A character in the Superior Position can let go of the Clinch as a Free Action; at this point the character in an inferior position can choose to use an Interrupt Action (–5 Initiative Score) to attempt to maintain the Clinch and gain Superior Position. This requires a new Gymnastics + Agility [Physical] by the player in the inferior position, and they receive a +1 dice pool bonus thanks to the fact that they are already in contact with the other character; the character in the Superior Position does not get the Superior Position bonus in this instance.
A successful Clinch Action can lead to a Subdual, Called Shot: Knockdown, or Throw.
(Ranged Weapons Only)
Close Quarter Firearms is learned for a specific Ranged Weapon Skill. Reduce the ranged combat Attacker in Melee Combat modifier by 1 for the character when using Firearms, Bow, or Throwing Weapons Skill (depending on the Martial Art style it’s tied to). This technique can be selected more than once to gain each skill.
This technique provides a +1 die bonus to Defense Tests against Ranged Attacks if engaged in close combat.
(Unarmed Combat Only)
In place of the standard Defense Test, the character makes an Unarmed Combat + Reaction [Physical] Test against the opponent’s standard Attack Test. If the defender achieves more hits than the attacker, the defender successfully avoided the attacker’s strike while returning and landing a strike of their own. The defender’s counterstrike attack has a Damage Value equal to the defending character’s standard Unarmed DV + net hits. The damage is resisted by a standard Damage Resistance Test. If the defender does not achieve more hits, then he must make a Damage Resistance Test against the damage of the attacker’s strike as normal.
The Crushing Jaws technique allows Subduing actions to cause Physical Damage equal to the character’s Strength. This technique can only be used once per Combat Turn.
When the character is attempting to reverse a Subdual hold on him, reduce the Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Reversal) or reduce the threshold for the Reversal Interrupt Action by 1 (player’s choice).
Reduce Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Specific Location). An arm or leg must be the location targeted.
(Close Combat Only, -10 to Initiative Score, Spend 1 Edge)
The character must declare that he is performing a Finishing Move combination. The character makes an attack. If the character successfully damages an opponent with the melee attack, the character can then make an immediate extra strike against the same opponent with a +2 dice pool modifier. A gratuitous Free Action to taunt the opponent can also be applied. This action can only be performed once per Combat Turn.
The character must be at least a meter away from the opponent and be able to move toward the opponent to perform this action. A Flying Kick Action gives both +1 Reach and +1 dice pool bonus to the unarmed attack. If the Flying Kick Action is unsuccessful, the character becomes off balance, suffering a –1 dice pool penalty to Defense Tests until the character’s next Action Phase.
The attacking character receives a +2 dice pool modifier to their Close Combat skill test, but may not use any Defensive Interrupt Actions for that Action Phase (Block, Dodge, Full Defense, Parry, etc.). They also adjust their Initiative Score by –5.
Reduce the Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Entanglement) (Exotic Weapon only).
(Blade Only)
With a successful attack, the character improves their AP by 2 for the weapon. If the character fails, he takes a –2 penalty to his next action (not counting Defense Tests) and cannot use the Parry or Block Defensive Actions until his next Action Phase. Regardless of success or failure, the character has to Ready the Weapon (as he’s holding it in an unusual manner) in order to attack again. This move cannot be combined with Two Weapon fighting as it requires both hands. The weapon must be a blade with at least a Reach of 1.
Reduce the Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Blast Out of Hands).
(Close Combat Only)
With this attack, the character gives the opponent +2 to their Defense Test. If successful the character gets +1 DV.
On a successful Close Combat Attack, the character deals no damage to his opponent. Instead, the character can move the opponent 1 meter per net hit in the direction of the character’s choosing, up to the Walking rate of the character or opponent, whichever is less. A character may attempt herding multiple opponents by splitting his dice pool as normal. The distance that the character can herd multiple opponents is determined on an individual opponent basis.
With this action, the character may perform Quick Draw Simple Action with any melee weapon. As with the quick draw rules, the weapon must be properly sheathed or holstered in order to use the Quick Draw Action. If successful, the character can then attack with the weapon as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action for that Action Phase.
Add 2 to the character’s Damage Value when calculating if the opponent has been stopped by the character’s attack. This bonus is not added to the actual Damage Value against the opponent—it is only used to determine stopping power.
The technique allows the character to do more damage when making a charge attack. Using it provides +1 DV on the Charge Action or reduces the Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Knock Down). Characters only receive one of these benefits, as listed with the martial art style they select. If they want access to the other bonus, they must select this technique again.
With this technique, a character may perform a Reversal Action (either Called Shot or Interrupt) instead of an Escape Action.
This technique provides +1 Reach to basic Unarmed Combat Actions. Multiple purchases of this technique cannot be combined to give more than a +1 Reach advantage.
(Close Combat Only)
The character must make an Agility + Gymnastics [Physical] (3) test. If successful, the character can then make a Close Combat Attack as a Simple Action. The character can’t move from a Kip-up to attack an opponent if they are not in Reach. Failure on a Kip-up Action means that the character is still prone.
The player may choose to inflict damage as if it was a normal melee attack when making a Called Shot (Disarm) or Called Shot (Blast Out of Hands). The player selects which of those two Called Shots this technique applies to when they select it; if they want to use it for both techniques, they need to select it again. Damage from a Knucklebreaker is Stun only.
The character’s maximum horizontal jump distance goes from Agility x 1.5 meters to Agility x 2 meters.
For any wall of a height of 5 meters or less, this technique allows the character to climb unassisted at the assisted climbing speed of 1 meter per hit.
Characters can add 1 to the total dice pool if fighting two to three opponents, or add 2 to the total dice pool for four or more opponents. This addition is made to the total pool before it is split for each of the attacks.
If you have this and are being attacked in melee combat by multiple assailants, reduce Friends in Melee modifier for the attackers by 1 or reduce the Defender has Defended Against Previous Attacks penalty by 1 (meaning that the –1 die penalty starts on the third attack). Characters can use only one of these options, as noted in their particular martial arts style.
Add +1 die to the Melee Defense Tests of the character when an opponent is attempting to use Called Shot (Knock Down) against her or +1 die in Melee Defense Tests when receiving a Charge with a Delayed Action. Characters only receive one of these benefits, as listed with the martial art style they select.
Practitioners of this technique get +1 die to Block or +1 die to Parry. Characters only receive one of these benefits, as listed with the martial art style they select.
It reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Disarm).
Reduce Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Dirty Trick), reduce the Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Vitals), or reduce the Called Shot penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Specific Location (Eye)). Characters only receive one of these benefits, as listed with the martial art style they select.
(Armed Melee Combat Only, Interrupt Action, -7 Initiative Score)
In place of the standard Defense Test, the character makes a (Melee Weapon Skill) + Reaction [Accuracy] Test against the opponent’s standard Attack Test. If the defender achieves more net hits than the attacker, the defender successfully avoided the attacker’s strike and managed to return a strike of their own. The defender’s riposte attack has a Damage Value equal to the normal DV of the weapon + net hits and is resisted by a standard Damage Resistance Test. If the defender does not achieve more hits, then he must make a Damage Resistance Test against the damage of the attacker’s strike, with the damage increased by 2 due to the defender being off balance after their failed riposte.
It provides +1 to the Physical limit when resisting the Push, Shove, or Sacrificial Move actions.
(Interrupt Action, -10 to Initiative Score)
Add the character’s Strength and Body to the net hits of the unarmed attack to determine if it exceeds the opponent’s Physical Limit. If successful, the opponent can then be thrown up to a number of meters equal to 1 plus the net hits scored on the test. The maximum distance that a character can throw an opponent is the difference in the character’s Strength minus the opponent’s Body in meters. If this distance value is less than 0, then the maximum distance is 0, meaning less than one meter away from the character. The opponent suffers damage equal to the net successes of the test, not the distance thrown.
If the initial test is successful but the throwing character did not exceed the opponent’s Physical Limit, then both characters are on the ground with no damage done to either. If the attack is unsuccessful, the throwing character is Prone and takes damage equal to the number of net hits scored by the opponent minus the throwing character’s Physical Limit. This may be no damage if the character succeeded in the attack, but did not exceed the opponent’s Physical Limit.
(Interrupt Action, -5 Initiative Score)
If a character is using the Dodge Interrupt Action, an opponent can use Shadow Block on that opponent. They must make a Gymnastics + Agility [Physical] Test with the threshold being the opponent’s net hits from their Dodge Test. If successful, the character reduces the hits the Dodging character received on their Defense Test by the net hits they achieved on their test.
Shadow Block can also be used to counteract an Evade action. As above, the character with Shadow Block makes a Gymnastics + Agility [Physical] Test with the threshold being the opponent’s net hits from their Evade Test. If successful they reduce this net hits on the test, thereby reducing the number of people the person attempting the Evade automatically passes. The Shadow Blocker can choose which person then can attack, but it has to be someone who was within five meters of the person attempting to Evade at some point in their movement.
This technique reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Splitting the Damage).
This reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Pin).
This reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Shake up) or Called Shot (Specific Location (Eye, Ear, Sternum)).
(Close Combat Only)
Pouncing Dragon is a close-combat attack where the character has superior position to the opponent and uses gravity to their advantage. Besides the Superior Position modifier, the character gets +2 DV on a successful attack. After the attack, the character is at the same level as the opponent and loses the Superior Position advantage.
This reduces the DV of Falling Damage by 1.
Martial Art techniques allow more control over how the opponent falls when the character knocks him off his feet. He may choose to inflict damage as if it were a normal melee attack. Damage type from a sweep is always Stun.
If the character has successfully engaged in a Clinch or Subduing action against an opponent, he may then attempt to throw their opponent as a Simple Action. Throw person can also be done as an Interrupt Action (–10 from Initiative Score) after successfully blocking an opponent’s attack. The character rolls an Unarmed Combat Attack Test, opposed as normal. If the character succeeds and character’s Strength + net hits exceed the opponent’s Physical Limit, the opponent can then be thrown up to a number of meters equal to the net hits scored on the test. The maximum distance that a character can throw an opponent is the difference in the character’s Strength minus the opponent’s Body in meters. If this distance value is less than 0, then the maximum distance is 0, meaning less than one meter away from the character. The opponent suffers damage equal to the net successes of the test, not the distance thrown. At the end of the throw, the opponent is Prone. If the character is successful in the attack but does not exceed the opponent’s Physical Limit, the opponent is not thrown and is still standing but remains in a Clinch or Subduing grip. Failure means the target is not thrown and also escapes the character’s grip.
This reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Harder Knock).
When in Clinch combat, the character can leverage their opponent’s body for more impact, giving them +1 DV when inflicting damage.
This reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Trick Shot).
(Clubs/Blades Only)
The character receives a +2 dice bonus when using Full Defense against Close Combat attacks. The character must be able and ready to use a weapon in each hand in order to perform this style of defense.
This provides +1 die to Riposte, +1 die to Counter Strike, or +1 die to Throw (including both the Throw Person and Sacrificial Throw actions). Characters only receive one of these bonuses, as indicated in their particular Martial Art style.
This reduces the penalty by 1 for Called Shot (Feint) (Close Combat only).
(Clubs/Blades Only)
Each weapon can only have a reach of 1 or 0. Two-weapon style combat treats both weapons as one. When attacking, use the lesser Reach of the two weapons, but add 1 to the Accuracy and Damage Value of the longer weapon. The character must be able and ready to use a weapon in each hand in order to perform this style of attack.
Ranged combat is an opposed test of (Weapon Skill) + AGI [Accuracy] vs REA + INT
If a weapon has multiple firing modes, a character can change the firing modes with the Change Gun Mode Simple Action. If the device is smartlinked, the Changed Linked Device action is a Free Action.
Mode | Action | Defense mod | Rounds fired | Notes |
Single-Shot (SS) | Simple | 0 | 1 | No Recoil |
Semi-Automatic (SA) | Simple | 0 | 1 | |
Semi-Automatic Burst (SB) | Complex | -2 | 3 | |
Burst Fire (BF) | Simple | -2 | 3 | |
Long Burst (LB) or Full Auto (FA) | Simple | -5 | 6 | |
Full Auto (FA) | Complex | -9 | 10 | |
Suppressive Fire | Complex | Duck/Cover | 20 | No Recoil |
A character can suppress a triangular area projecting from the shooting character outward up to a distance of his choosing, up to the maximum range of the weapon, with a width of 10 meters at its end and a height of 2 meters. Make a (Weapon Skill) + Agility [Accuracy] Test, including all modifiers, and record the hits. The suppressive fire zone lasts until the end of the Combat Turn as long as the firer does not move or commit to any other action.
Anyone in the suppressive fire zone or immediately adjacent to it takes a dice pool penalty to all actions equal to the shooter’s hits, unless they are completely unaware of it.
Any character who is in the suppressed area (but not behind cover or prone), or who moves into or out of the area before the end of the suppressive fire, risks catching some flying lead. That character must make a Reaction + Edge Test (+ any dice they may get as a result of choosing to use Full Defense) with a threshold equal to the hits scored by the suppressing attacker. Note that in the test, you use your full Edge rating, regardless of whether you have spent points during the session (though you do not, of course, use burned Edge points). If the test fails, the character is hit, suffering damage equal to the weapon’s base Damage Value modified by any special ammunition being fired. Characters in the suppressed area who remain behind full cover or drop prone are not at risk. Characters may choose to avoid rolling and use their Free Action to go prone and avoid getting hit. If a character does not have a Free Action remaining she may use the Hit the Dirt Interrupt Action and go prone instead of getting hit. Any character who stands up or moves again before the suppressive fire stops must make a test to see if she is hit.
If multiple suppressive fire actions occur covering the same area, only the highest dice pool penalty counts against targets in or near the suppressed area, but targets must make a Reaction + Edge test against all overlapping zones, taking damage from the ones missed. Reaction + Edge Tests in this situation are subject to the diminishing pool effect of being shot by multiple attackers in a single Action Phase. After each roll apply a –1 die penalty to the defender’s dice pool.
For use with suppressive fire, this attack narrows the area of suppression horizontally but increases it vertically. The attack narrows the suppression zone to 5 meters at the end (instead of 10) but prevents targets within the affected area from being able to avoid the fire with the Drop Prone action. They can still use the Lucky Cover Edge Action to avoid the roll, but they continue to suffer all the normal penalties of being within a suppressed area.
Suppressive Fire with flechette (f) ammo functions similar to Enhanced Suppression and prevents targets from using the Drop Prone action to avoid the attack and suffers no loss of width. Suppressive Fire with flechette ammunition has a wide range of effects, covered by the Flechette Suppressive Fire Tables. Effects are arranged by Choke Setting. Narrow Spread Choke settings only confer the Enhanced Suppression and their normal effects.
Range | DV adjustment | ACC adjustment | DEF adjustment | Extra width |
Short | -1 | - | -3 | 4 meters |
Medium | -3 | - | -3 | 8 meters |
Long | -5 | -1 | -3 | 12 meters |
Extreme | -7 | -1 | -3 | 16 meters |
Range | DV adjustment | ACC adjustment | DEF adjustment | Extra width |
Short | -3 | - | -5 | 6 meters |
Medium | -5 | - | -5 | 12 meters |
Long | -7 | -1 | -5 | 18 meters |
Extreme | -9 | -1 | -5 | 24 meters |
Recoil accumulates with every bullet fired until the attacker stops firing to bring the gun (or guns) back under control. Recoil penalties are cumulative over every Action Phase and Combat Turn unless the character takes, or is forced into, a Simple or Complex Action other than shooting. Recoil is cumulative to the character, not the weapon he’s firing. Recoil accumulates from every shot the character takes, not just from the firing of the same weapon. If you are firing two guns at the same time, shots from the one affect the other, so bullets from each gun add to your total recoil value.
To figure out your recoil penalty, start with the amount of recoil compensation you have. You get 1 free point anytime you start firing, then you add your Strength/3 (rounded up) and the recoil compensation of any guns you are prepared to shoot (that means loaded and in your hands; if you have to put bullets in it or draw it from a holster or do anything of the sort, you’re not ready to shoot that weapon). Then subtract any bullets you’re about to fire. If the number is a negative number, that’s your recoil penalty; subtract the penalty from your dice pool before you roll for the attack.
When making multiple firearm attacks in a single Action Phase, calculate the total recoil penalty based on the bullets to be fired that round and remove it from your dice pool before splitting the pool for the multiple attacks.
Single Shot (SS) weapons have the disadvantage of not being able to fire multiple rounds in a single Action Phase, but they have the advantage of not suffering from cumulative recoil when fired in single shot mode.
Vehicle and Drone mounted weapons have the advantage of a sturdy platform from which to fire. The vehicle itself has enough mass to absorb the bulk of the recoil created by the weapon. Mounted weapons have Recoil Compensation equal to the Body of the vehicle plus any built in Recoil Compensation of the weapon.
Method | Result | Action type |
Removable Clip (C) | Remove or Insert Clip | Simple |
Speed Loader | Use speed loader to completely load gun | Complex |
Fill Clip | Insert (Agility) rounds into clip | Complex |
Break Action (B) | Insert 2 rounds | Complex |
Belt Fed (belt) | Remover or insert belt | Complex | Fill Belt/Drum | Insert (Agility) Rounds into belt/drum | Complex |
Internal Magazine (M) | Insert (Agility) Rounds | Complex |
Muzzle-Loader (ML) | Load 1 muzzle tube | Complex |
Cylinder (CY) | Insert (Agility) rounds into belt | Complex |
Drum (D) | Remove or Insert Drum | Complex |
Bow | Nock 1 Arrow | Simple |
All removable ammunition containers (Clip, belt, drum, cylinder, etc) holds the maximum rounds for the weapon.
Visibility | Light/glare | Wind | Range | Modifier |
Clear | Full Light/No Glare | None or Light Breeze | Short | +0 | Light Rain/Fog/Smoke | Partial Light/Weak Glare | Light Winds | Medium | -1 | Moderate Rain/Fog/Smoke | Dim Light/Moderate Glare | Moderate Winds | Long | -3 | Heavy Rain/Fog/Smoke | Total Darkness/Blinding Glare | Strong Winds | Extreme | -6 | Combination of two or more conditions at the -6 level row | -10 |
Compensation | Effect |
Flare Compensation | Glare conditions shift two rows up |
Image Magnification | Reduce Range conditions by one category |
Low-Light Vision | Treat Partial Light and Dim Light as Full Light |
Thermographic Vision | Visibility and Light conditions shift one row up |
Tracer Rounds (FA) | Wind in rows below Light Winds and Range in rows below Short shift one row up |
Smartlink | Wind shifts one row up |
Sunglasses | Glare conditions shift one row up/Light conditions shift one row down |
Ultrasound | Visibility shifts one row up, ignore Light conditions (within 50 meters) |
Condition | How to compensate |
Visibility | Ultrasound, Thermographic |
Light | Low-Light, Sunglasses, Thermographic, Ultrasound |
Wind | Tracer Rounds, Smartlink |
Range | Image magnification, tracer rounds |
Situation | Attacker DP modifier |
Attacker firing from cover with imaging device | -3 |
Attacker firing from a moving vehicle | -2 |
Attacker in melee combat | -3 |
Attacker running | -2 |
Attacker using off-hand weapon | -2 |
Attacker wounded | -Wound Modifier |
Blind Fire | -6 |
Called Shot | -4 |
Previously aimed with Take Aim | +1DP, +1 Accuracy |
Wireless Smartgun | +1 (gear)/+2(implanted) |
Short (+0 DP) | Medium (-1 DP) | Long (-3 DP) | Extreme (-6 DP) | |
Pistols | Range in meters | |||
Taser | 0-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 |
Hold-Out Pistol | 0-5 | 6-15 | 16-30 | 31-50 |
Light Pistol | 0-5 | 6-15 | 16-30 | 31-50 |
Heavy Pistol | 0-5 | 6-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 |
Automatics | Range in meters | |||
Machine Pistol | 0-5 | 6-15 | 16-30 | 31-50 |
SMG | 0-10 | 11-40 | 41-80 | 81-150 |
Assault Rifle | 0-25 | 26-150 | 151-350 | 351-550 |
Longarms | Range in meters | |||
Shotgun (Flechette) | 0-15 | 16-30 | 31-45 | 45-60 |
Shotgun (Slug) | 0-10 | 11-40 | 41-80 | 81-150 |
Sporting Rifle | 0-50 | 51-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 |
Sniper Rifle | 0-50 | 51-350 | 351-800 | 801-1500 |
Heavy Weapons | Range in meters | |||
Light Machinegun | 0-25 | 26-200 | 201-400 | 401-800 |
Medium/Heavy Machinegun | 0-40 | 41-250 | 251-750 | 751-1200 |
Assault Cannon | 0-50 | 51-300 | 301-750 | 751-1500 |
Grenade Launcher | 5-50 | 51-100 | 101-150 | 151-500 |
Missile Launcher | 20-70 | 71-150 | 151-450 | 451-1500 |
Ballistic projectiles | Range in meters | |||
Bow | 0-STR | To STR x 10 | To STR x 30 | To STR x 60 |
Light Crossbow | 0-6 | 7-24 | 25-60 | 61-120 |
Medium Crossbow | 0-9 | 10-36 | 37-90 | 91-150 |
Heavy Crossbow | 0-15 | 16-45 | 46-120 | 121-180 |
Impact projectiles | Range in meters | |||
Thrown Knife | 0-STR | To STR x 2 | To STR x 3 | To STR x 5 |
Shuriken | 0-STR | To STR x 2 | To STR x 5 | To STR x 7 |
Thrown grenades | Range in meters | |||
Standard | 0-STR x 2 | To STR x 4 | To STR x 6 | To STR x 10 |
Aerodynamic | 0-STR x 2 | To STR x 4 | To STR x 8 | To STR x 15 |
The shotgun user can set his weapon’s choke for a narrow spread, medium spread, or wide spread. Changing the choke setting requires a Simple Action (or a Free Action if the shotgun is smartlinked).
Medium spreads cannot be used with Called Shots.
Wide spreads cannot be used with Called Shots.
Flamethrowers can be used to blast a single target or they can be used to spread flame over a wider area in an attempt to strike multiple targets. The area attack takes a Complex Action and allows the user to attack up to two additional targets within two meters of another target. A single Attack Test is made against all targets, and they make their Defense Tests separately. The DV is reduced by 2 for each additional target the flame is engulfing. Flamethrowers can also be used for laying down Suppressive Fire, consuming four shots, and they can take advantage of the same rules as Flechette Suppressive Fire.
Flamethrowers deal fire damage and will set fire to almost every item caught in the attack’s area of effect for at least a short period of time (gamemaster’s discretion).
Flamethrowers use Taser ranges but suffer only a –1 penalty at Extreme range and no penalty at Long range or closer.
Flamethrowers use the Exotic Ranged Weapon (Flamethrowers) skill.
Flamethrowers cannot mount any accessories except biometric safety systems.
Ammo type | Called shot type available |
APDS | Bulls-Eye Double-Tap/Burst, Through and Through…and Into |
Assault Cannon | Extreme Intimidation!, Up The Ante |
AV | That Hit The Spot!, Up The Ante |
Capsule | Down The Gullet |
Explosive | Finger Popper, Here’s Much in Your Eye!, Shake, Rattle, and Pop! |
EX-Explosive | More Muck, Better Duck!, Shake, Rattle, and BOOM!, Troll Finger Popper |
Flare | Flash Blind, Light ‘em Up! |
Flechette | Nasty Finger Prick, On Pins and Needles, Shredded Flesh |
Frangible | Here’s Much in Your Eye! |
Gauss Rifle | Through and Through…and Into |
Gel | Bellringer, Finger Popper, Spinner, Ricochet Shot |
Gyrojet | Light ‘em Up, Ricochet Shot, Spinner |
Gyrojet Taser | That Hit The Spot |
Hollow Points | Finger Popper, Here’s Much in Your Eye! |
Injection Dart | Hit ‘em Where It Counts |
Stick’n’Shock | That Hit the Spot |
Taser Dart | That Hit the Spot |
Tracer | Flame On! |
Tracker | Tag! |
Edge is represented as luck in Shadowrun. It is spent out of your total pool of Edge. Typically, a character gets a point of edge back from a fulfilling meal and a good night’s sleep of eight hours. Otherwise, the GM can reward edge on whatever circumstances they feel necessary. Characters can spend edge to do the following things:
Roll 5 initiative dice for one combat turn.
Either negate the effects of one glitch or turn a critical glitch into a glitch.
Make a BOD + WIL (3) test to spend a single action before dying/passing out.
The character must declare that he is performing a Finishing Move combination. The character makes an attack. If the character successfully damages an opponent with the melee attack, the character can then make an immediate extra strike against the same opponent with a +2 dice pool modifier. A gratuitous Free Action to taunt the opponent can also be applied. This action can only be performed once per Combat Turn.
Spend this to find a conveniently effective piece of cover in a place where you would otherwise not have cover.
Spend TWO edge points after an attack has been declared to warn a teammate of an incoming attack, making it miss.
Use a Martial Arts technique once per Combat Turn, whether you are trained or not.
Remove 4 points worth of Called Shot penalties for any Called Shot.
The character can choose to move up to 2 meters to place themselves between an attacker and a target and take the brunt of an incoming attack. There is no Defense Test, only Damage Resistance (BOD + Armor). This action can only be performed once per Combat Turn.
Gain a DP bonus equal to edge. Include Rule of Six. Ignore limits.
Re-Roll all dice that were not hits. Cannot be used on glitches or critica
l glitches.Move to the top of the initiative score for one combat turn.
Instantly get a Defense Test when caught in surprise.
Edge can be permanently spent (Thereby removing 1 point from your maximum attribute) to do the following actions. This edge must be recovered by spending Karma.
Automatically succeed in an action with four net hits.
Your character lives where they otherwise would be dead.
Characters with the First Aid skill may immediately help reduce the trauma of wounds (Stun or Physical). First Aid can only be used if you have a medkit (even if you do not currently have supplies for it), and it may only be applied within 1 hour of when the damage was taken. Roll a First Aid + Logic [Mental] (2) Test, applying appropriate modifiers from the Healing Modifiers table. (Characters using First Aid on themselves or others must also apply their wound modifiers to the test.) Each net hit over the threshold removes 1 box of damage; divide the net effect in half (rounded up) if the victim being treated is wearing any kind of full-body armor. A critical glitch on a First Aid Test increases the damage by 1D3 (1D6 ÷ 2) boxes. The maximum damage healable with the First Aid skill is equal to the skill’s rating. First Aid may only be applied to a character once for that set of wounds, and it may not be applied if the character has been magically healed. Using the First Aid skill in combat requires a Complex Action and takes a number of Combat Turns equal to the number of boxes of damage the character is healing.
Eye and ear attacks that blind and deafen require a little extra care. Any type of Healing Test (First Aid, Medicine, Heal spells, etc.) have their threshold increased by 1 when working in these sensitive spots.
In all cases once the healer has taken care of enough boxes to cover the DV Limit of the Called Shot, the injury is considered repaired no matter how much other damage may be present.
Make a Body + Willpower (1 hour) Extended Test. The character must rest for the entire hour for it to count. Each hit heals 1 box of Stun damage.
Make a Body x 2 (1 day) Extended Test. The character must rest for the entire day for it to count. Each hit heals 1 box of Physical damage. Physical damage cannot be healed through rest if the character also has Stun damage.
A glitch on a healing test doubles the resting time. A critical glitch increases the damage by 1D3 (1D6 ÷ 2) boxes in addition to doubling the resting time.
Characters with the Medicine skill are able to speed the healing process. The character makes a Medicine + Logic [Mental] Test; apply appropriate modifiers, including wound modifiers if a character is applying the Medicine skill to her own wounds. Each hit provides +1 die to any subsequent healing tests the character makes for healing through rest as long as the character using the Medicine skill spends some time tending to the injured character. For Physical injuries the character needs to spend at least 30 minutes per day tending to the injuries of her patient. For Stun it is 10 minutes per hour to gain the bonus dice. Medicine may only be applied once to each set of wounds, but it may be applied even if First Aid and/or magical healing have already been used.
Medicine cannot be applied in combat situations.
To use a medkit/autodoc in combat is a time-consuming task. First the character must perform a Complex Action to apply a medkit/autodoc. After the medkit/autodoc is in place she receives a dice pool modifier equal to the medkit rating (if it’s functioning wirelessly) or the autodoc’s First Aid or Medicine autosoft when treating a character. If the character is untrained, she can still make an untrained First Aid test using her Intuition attribute minus 1 die and the device’s rating in place of her First Aid skill. If a wireless medkit is hooked up to a patient and left unattended, simply roll the device’s rating x 2 for any subsequent tests. Medkits and autodocs can be accessed and controlled remotely via the Matrix/wireless link.
The Heal spell can be used to repair physical injuries. Each hit from the Spellcasting Test heals one box of Physical damage (up to a maximum equal to the spell’s Force). Sorcery cannot heal damage resulting from magical Drain.
If the character’s condition is not stabilized, she takes an additional box of damage every (Body) minutes for blood loss, shock, and other things that affect a body on the brink of death. In order to stabilize a wounded character, a First Aid + Logic [Mental] (Variable) Test or Medicine + Logic [Mental] (Variable) Test must be made (situational modifiers apply). Medkits and autodocs may be used to stabilize a character as well. If successful, the wounded patient stabilizes and no longer takes automatic additional damage. If the stabilization fails, the character continues to take damage until she dies. Additional stabilization tests may be made, at a cumulative –2 dice pool modifier per test.
Once a character has been stabilized, First Aid, Medicine and/or magical healing may be applied normally.
Situation | Modifier |
Good Conditions (Sterilized med facility) | +0 | Average Conditions (Indoors) | -1 | Poor Conditions (Street or Wilderness) | -2 | Bad Conditions (Combat, Bad weather, Swamp) | -3 | Terrible Conditions (Fire, severe storm) | -4 | No Medical Supplies | -3 | Improvised Medical Supplies | -1 | Wireless medkit/autodoc | +Rating | Applying medical care remotely/thru medkit or autodoc | -2 | Assistance | As Teamwork Test | Uncooperative Patient | -2 | Patient awakened or emerged | -2 | Patient has implants | -1 per 2 full points of lost essense |
Threshold | Injuries | Etiology/Toxin |
1 | 1-2 Boxes | Obvious |
2 | 3-5 Boxes | Common |
3 | 6-9 Boxes | Rare |
5 | 10+ Boxes | Exotic |
The Matrix is Shadowrun’s internet.
This can be literally anything electronic. Characters use Commlinks or Cyberdecks to connect themselves to the Matrix. They look roughly like their meatspace counterparts.
This is like your cell phone of the Shadowrun universe. It does nearly everything. They look just like cell phones.
A Cyberdeck is a Commlink with additional hacking features. It allows for Matrix attributes, which allows for most Matrix actions.
AR is the typical way people use Devices to connect to the Matrix. There are Augmented Reality Objects (AROs) that can be storefront signs, advertisements, navigation arrows, highlights on people or structures, art, documents, video stream, or anything else.
Utilizing a Direct Neural Interface (DNI), characters can virtually enter the matrix using SimSense technology. Their body goes limp and they’re first-person exploring in the virtual universe of the Matrix.
Simsense that operates at safe, legal levels to access VR.
Simsense without safeguards. Illegal to use and does not prevent BioFeedback damage.
Marks are signatures in the Matrix that tie things to people.
These are virtual places in the Matrix. Their size and vertical altitude are related to its importance.
These are collections of data.
These are Matrix Service Providers. There are global grids, city grids, and corporate grids.
This is the Matrix police. They are present on every grid.
A character uses a Device in Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality to control a Persona to put MARKs on a File, Device, or Persona that belongs to a Host on a Grid. They look humanoid.
Electronic devices run a lot of different applications, utilities, and code libraries to keep things working smoothly. Rather than list every single program running on a computer individually, the total effectiveness of these programs are described as Matrix attributes.These attributes are used as limits when performing Matrix actions and as part of your dice pool when defending against Matrix actions. There are four Matrix attributes: Attack, Sleaze, Data Processing, and Firewall (abbreviated ASDF).
Grids act as an internet service provider (ISP). Some hosts won’t allow connections from some ISPs, and some are exclusive to certain ISPs. Your grid is dictated by your lifestyle.
Lifestyle | Grid |
Low or Lower | Public Grid |
Middle | Local Grid |
High | Global Grid (Pick a Big Ten corp to be your ISP) |
Luxury | Any grid you want. |
The Matrix is usually wireless. Noise is connection interference between any two communicating entities that have Matrix connection.
Physical distance to target | Noise level |
Direct Connection | 0 |
Up to 100 Meters | 0 |
101-1,000 Meters (1km) | 1 |
1,001 – 10,000 (10km) | 3 |
10,001 – 100,000 Meters (100km) | 5 |
Greater than 100,000 Meters 8 | 8 |
Situation | Noise level |
Dense Foliage | 1 per 5 Meters |
Faraday Cage | No signal |
Fresh Water | 1 per 10cm |
Jamming | 1 per hit on Jam Signals actions |
Metal-Laced Earth or Wall | 1 per 5 Meters |
Salt Water | 1 per cm |
Spam zone or Static Zone | Rating |
Wireless Negation | Rating |
Spam zone | Static zone | Noise rating |
City Downtown | Abandoned Building | 1 |
Sprawl Downtown | Abandoned Neighborhood, Barrens | 2 |
Major Event or Advertising Blitz | Rural Area, Underground Area, Heavy Rain/Snow | 3 |
Commercial area in a City | Wilderness, Severe Storm | 4 |
Commercial area in a Sprawl | Remote place with satellite access only | 5 |
Massive gathering or during widespread emergency | Remote, Enclosed space (cave, desert ruin) | 6 |
When using a device to connect to the matrix, that device (Not the player) can take matrix damage. The Matrix Condition Monitor is 8+ (Device Rating / 2) boxes. Matrix damage is always resisted with Device Rating + Firewall. Technomancers take Stun damage.
If the Matrix Condition Monitor is filled, the device is bricked and stops working. If a character is using VR on the device when it bricks, they suffer Dumpshock.
When disconnected from the Matrix while in VR, you suffer Dumpshock. The DV for Dumpshock is 6S if you’re in ColdSim, 6P if you’re in HotSim. This is considered BioFeedback Damage. Characters suffer unresisted -2DP on all actions for (10 – WIL) minutes from disorientation.
Repairing Matrix Damage on a Device takes a toolkit, an hour of work, and a Hardware + LOG [Mental] test. Every hit either removes one box of Matrix damage or reduces the time required in half to a minimum of one Combat Turn (3 seconds). On a glitch, the device is permanently glitchy. On a critical glitch, the device is permanently glitched.
Biofeedback damage is Matrix code that damages specifically your SimSense module while in VR. When in ColdSim, BioFeedback damage is Stun damage. When it HotSim, it is Physical damage. BioFeedback damage is always resisted with WIL + Firewall.
When another persona or device sends keep-alive signals to your device, it forces that device to cancel out any attempt to disconnect from the Matrix. You cannot Switch Interface, Enter/Exit Host, or Reboot. You can disconnect only via a successful Jack Out action, causing dumpshock. If you fall unconscious in VR, you remain in VR and cannot defend against actions.
Devices have three ratings: Device Rating, Data Processing, and Firewall. Most of the time, other Matrix attributes are the same as the Device Rating.
Device type | Device rating | Examples |
Simple | 1 | General appliances, public terminals, entertainment systems |
Average | 2 | Standard personal electronics, basic cyberware, vehicles, drones, weapons, residential security devices |
Smart | 3 | Security vehicles, alphaware, corporate security devices |
Advanced | 4 | High-End devices, betaware, military vehicles and security devices. |
Cutting Edge | 5 | Deltaware, credsticks, black-ops vehicles and security devices |
Bleeding Edge | 6 | Billion-nuyen experimental devices, spacecraft |
Model | Device rating | Availability | Cost |
Meta Link | 1 | 2 | 100¥ |
Sony Emperor | 2 | 4 | 700¥ |
Renraku Samurai | 3 | 6 | 1,000¥ |
Erika Elite | 4 | 8 | 2,500¥ |
Hermes Ikon | 5 | 10 | 3,000¥ |
Transys Avalon | 6 | 12 | 5,000¥ |
Fairlight Caliban | 7 | 14 | 8,000¥ |
Sim Module | – | – | +100¥ |
Sim Module w/Hot-Sim | – | +4F | +250¥ |
All cyberdecks include illegal hot-sim modules right out of the box.
Cyberdecks have all four Matrix attributes with values listed in the Attribute Array for that particular device. When you first boot your deck, you must assign each of its four attribute values to one of the Matrix attributes. You can reconfigure your deck whenever you like as a Free Action you may only perform on your own Action Phase. This is not a matrix action. When you reconfigure your deck, you can either switch two of your deck’s Matrix attributes, or swap a running program with a program you have stored on your deck that is not running. Additionally, you can load a program you own into a currently unused slot, or unload a program and leave an open slot.
Deck | Device rating | Attribute array | Programs | Availability | Cost |
Erika MCD-1 | 1 | 4 3 2 1 | 1 | 3R | 49,500¥ |
Microdeck Summit | 1 | 4 3 3 1 | 1 | 3R | 58,000¥ |
Microtrónica Azteca 200 | 2 | 5 4 3 2 | 2 | 6R | 110,250¥ |
Hermes Chariot | 2 | 5 4 4 2 | 2 | 6R | 123,000¥ |
Novatech Navigator | 3 | 6 5 4 3 | 3 | 9R | 205,750¥ |
Renraku Tsurugi | 3 | 6 5 5 3 | 3 | 9R | 214,125¥ |
Sony CIY-720 | 4 | 7 6 5 4 | 4 | 12R | 345,000¥ |
Shiawase Cyber-5 | 5 | 8 7 6 5 | 5 | 15R | 549,375¥ |
Fairlight Excalibur | 6 | 9 8 7 6 | 6 | 18R | 823,250¥ |
There are three ways to get a mark on an icon. The first is the legitimate way: the icon invites you to add a mark. The other two ways are by hacking, both Matrix actions: Brute Force (the loud way) or Hack on the Fly (the sneaky way).
When you put a mark on something, your mark appears on the target icon. Your mark is only visible to you (without a Matrix Perception Test). You can choose its look, as long as it meshes with your own persona icon (per Matrix protocols).
You can put multiple marks on a single icon, up to a maximum of three (unless you’re an owner). Different Matrix actions require different numbers of marks on your target.
Marks only last a single Matrix session and are deleted when you reboot. This is rarely an issue for most devices because they almost never need to reboot, and when they do the hosts and other services usually have a standing offer, so re-marking them takes seconds.
Your marks are specific and connected to your persona and whatever you’ve marked, so you can’t just give them out for others to place or transfer them to other people. You can give other personas permission to mark devices you own with the Invite Mark action.
Each Matrix object can only have one owner, but you can own as many Matrix objects as you like. The owner of a device, host, persona, or file can always spot it in the Matrix. For all intents and purposes, owning an icon is the same as having four marks on it.
The owner of an icon can intentionally transfer ownership to another persona in a process that takes about a minute. If you steal a smartgun without transferring the ownership, the gun will still behave as though its owner is the guy you stole it from. That means changing ownership is a high-priority action any time you steal a wireless-enabled item. You can illegally change a device’s owner with a Hardware toolkit and an Extended Hardware + Logic [Mental] (24, 1 hour) test. A glitch on that test results in the item sending a report to the authorities.
Changing ownership of a file is somewhat easier. Your best bet is to use Edit File to copy it (the copy’s owner is you) and then delete the original, again with the Edit File action.
Note that you can’t change the owner of a persona or a host.
Hosts have a Host rating. Unlike the ratings of devices, the Host rating ranges from 1 to 12. Hosts also have all four Matrix attributes: Attack, Sleaze, Data Processing, and Firewall. The ratings of these attributes are usually (Host Rating), (Host Rating + 1), (Host Rating + 2), and (Host Rating + 3), in any order.
A host’s attributes are shared by itself and its IC programs.
Examples | Host rating |
Personal sites, pirate archives, public education | 1-2 |
Low-End commercial, private business, public libraries, small policlubs | 3-4 |
Social media, small colleges and universities, local police, international policlubs | 5-6 |
Matrix games, local corp hosts, large universities, low-level government | 7-8 |
Affluent groups, regional corp hosts, major government, secure sites | 9-10 |
Megacorp HQ, military command, clandestine head office | 11-12 |
Hosts have areas called archives that hold files that aren’t in use. File archives are deep in the host’s code, inaccessible to the average hacker. If you want an archived file, you’ll have to convince someone who already has a mark on the file to bring it out of the archive first.
A host can launch one IC program per Combat Turn, at the beginning of each Combat Turn. The host can have up to its rating in IC programs running at once, and it can’t launch more than one of each type of IC program at once. When an IC program takes enough damage to brick it, it crashes and vanishes from the host. The host can then run another copy of the IC at the start of the next Combat Turn if it wants to.
Each IC program has a persona with its own Condition Monitor and Initiative Score. It should be treated as if it is in hot-sim, so it gets a total of 4D6 Initiative Dice in Matrix combat. IC uses the Matrix attributes of its host. The IC in a host and the host itself share marks, so if one IC program is slapped with a mark, they all get one, as does the host itself. Similarly, the IC and host instantly share spotting information, so if the host spots you, so does all its IC.
IC rolls the Host rating x 2 for any attacks, limited by the Host’s Attack rating. The attack is a Complex Action, and the Dice Pool to resist the attack is listed with each type of IC. As with all Attack actions, a failed attack causes damage to the IC. IC is always considered to be legal, so its attacks never give it an Overwatch Score.
vs WIL + Firewall
When Acid gets 1 or more net hits on its attack, it reduces your Firewall by 1. If your Firewall has been reduced to 0 already, it causes 1 DV Matrix damage per net hit on the attack. The reduction is cumulative and lasts until you reboot the targeted device.
vs WIL + Data Processing
When it gets 1 or more net hits on its attack, it reduces your Data Processing by 1. If your Data Processing has been reduced to 0 already, it causes 1 DV Matrix damage per net hit on the attack. The reduction is cumulative and lasts until you reboot the targeted device.
vs INT + Firewall
When it hits, Black IC link-locks you. It also causes (Attack) DV Matrix damage (+1 DV per net hit and +2 DV per mark on the target) along with an equal amount of biofeedback damage.
vs LOG + Firewall
Blaster IC program’s attack causes (Attack) DV Matrix damage, +1 DV per net hit and +2 DV per mark on the target, with biofeedback damage. The biofeedback from a Blaster program can only cause Stun damage. A single successful attack also link-locks the target.
vs INT + Firewall
If Crash IC has a mark on you (through its host) and hits, one of your programs crashes, selected at random. Programs crashed this way can’t be run again until after a reboot.
vs WIL + Attack
When it gets 1 or more net hits on its attack, it reduces your Attack by 1. If your Attack has been reduced to 0 already, it causes 1 DV Matrix damage per net hit on the attack. The reduction is cumulative and lasts until you reboot the targeted device.
vs INT + Firewall
This IC is a simple but effective cybercombat program that causes (Attack) DV Matrix damage (+1 DV per net hit and +2 DV per mark) on the target with each successful attack.
vs WIL + Sleaze
When it gets 1 or more net hits on its attack, it reduces your Sleaze by 1. If your Sleaze has been reduced to 0 already, it causes 1 DV Matrix damage per net hit on the attack. The reduction is cumulative and lasts until you reboot the targeted device.
n/a
Patrols a host, scans marks, and uses Matrix Perception on everything all the time.
vs INT + Firewall
Every successful “attack” means another mark for the host and it’s IC on the target, up to the maximum of three marks.
vs WIL + Firewall
If the host has three marks on you when this IC hits you, you reboot immediately, taking dumpshock if you were in VR.
vs INT + Firewall
It causes (Attack) DV Matrix damage (+1 DV per net hit and +2 DV per mark on the target) with biofeedback damage.
vs LOG + Firewall
The Tar Baby IC link-locks you when it hits. If you’re already link-locked, it puts a mark on you, up to a maximum of three marks.
vs WIL + Sleaze
If this IC hits and the host has two marks or more on you, the host (and its owners) discover your physical location, which is usually reported to real-world authorities immediately.
Files do not have ratings (although protection on files does). Instead, they use the ratings of their owners when defending against Matrix actions.
Different grids have different demiGODs that monitor traffic and keep an eye out for security, which occasionally causes a bit of lag across grids. When you’re attempting a Matrix action against a target on another grid, you take a –2 dice pool penalty. If you want to avoid this penalty, you’ll have to hop to the target’s grid. If you have access to the grid you want, you can just use a Grid-Hop; otherwise you’ll have to get your access by the Brute Force or Hack on the Fly Matrix actions. Note that this penalty doesn’t apply when you’re inside a host; it’s only imposed when you’re out on a grid.
Lifestyle | Grid |
Low or Lower | Public Grid (-2DP to all Matrix actions while on the Public Grid) |
Middle | Local Grid (sprawl/county/local geographical area) |
High | Global Grid (Pick a Big Ten corp to be your ISP) |
Luxury | Any grid you want |
The moment you perform an illegal action (Attack or Sleaze), you get an Overwatch Score,or OS. When you perform an Attack or Sleaze action, your OS increases by the number of hits the target gets on its defense test.
Every fifteen minutes after you first start tallying an OS, it increases by another 2D6 (rolled by the gamemaster in secret).
When your Overwatch Score hits 40, the jig is up. The nastiness that follows is called convergence. First, they hit you for 12 DV Matrix damage, which you resist normally. Then they force your persona to reboot, erasing all of your marks and dumping you from the Matrix (causing dumpshock if you were in VR at the time). As if that wasn’t enough, they also report your physical location to the owner of the grid you were just using and the host you were in. If you’re in a host when you reach convergence, you’re not burned and dumped like you are out on the grid. Instead, the host gets three marks on you and starts deploying IC. If you leave a host after convergence, the GOD converges on you immediately.
Your gamemaster keeps your Overwatch Score a secret from you. You can use the Check Overwatch Score action or the Baby Monitor program to keep tabs on your OS.
You can slave devices to your commlink or cyberdeck. Your commlink (or deck) can handle up to (Device Rating x 3) slaved devices, becoming the master device in that particular relationship. The group consisting of your slaved devices plus your master commlink or deck is called a personal area network,or PAN.
Whenever a slaved device is called on to make a defense test, it uses either its own or its master’s rating for each rating in the test. If a slaved device is under attack via a direct connection (as through a universal data connector), however, it cannot use its master’s ratings to defend itself.
Because of the tight connections between the devices, if you get a mark on a slave you also get a mark on the master. This happens even if the slave was marked through a direct connection, so be careful about who you give your slaved devices to. This doesn’t work both ways; if you fail a Sleaze action against a slaved device, only the device’s owner gets the mark on you, not the master too.
There are also wide area networks,or WANs, with multiple devices slaved to a host. A host can have a practically unlimited number of devices slaved to it, but because of the direct connection hack you rarely see more devices than can be protected physically. If you are in a host that has a WAN, you are considered directly connected to all devices in the WAN. Only devices can be slaves, masters, or part of a PAN. In a WAN, the slaves must be devices, and the master must be a host.
You can switch your commlink, deck, other device, or persona (including your living persona, technomancers) to run silently. Switching to silent running is a Simple Action. Running silent imposes a –2 dice pool modifier to all of your Matrix actions due to the processing power needed to cover your tracks.
If you’re trying to find an icon that’s running silent (or if you’re running silent and someone’s looking for you), the first thing you need to do is have some idea that a hidden icon is out there. You can do this with a hit from a Matrix Perception Test; asking if there are icons running silent in the vicinity (either in the same host or within 100 meters) can be a piece of information you learn with a hit. Once you know a silent running icon is in the vicinity, the next step is to actually find it. This is done through an Opposed Computer + Intuition [Data Processing] v. Logic + Sleaze Test. If you get more hits, you perceive the icon as normal; on a tie or more hits by the defender, it stays hidden and out of reach.
Note that if there are multiple silent running icons in the vicinity, you have to pick which one you’re going to look at through the Opposed Test.
Marks can’t run silent because they’re already pretty hidden, but all other Matrix objects can be switched to silent running by their owners.
If you succeed with an Attack action, your target becomes aware that it is under attack by another icon, but it doesn’t automatically spot you. It will most likely actively search for you on its next action, although it will almost always alert its owner to the attack and (if it’s a host) launch IC, depending on the owner’s preferences and the gamemaster’s judgment. If you fail with an Attack action, you are not noticed, because you failed to affect your opponent.
If you succeed in a Sleaze action, you do not increase your visibility. If you fail a Sleaze action, your target immediately gets one free mark on you (or its owner does if your target is a device). This means it spots you right away, along with the whole owner-alerting and IC-launching thing.
When a defense test calls for a Mental attribute, use the owner’s rating. If a device is completely unattended, the Device Rating stands in for any Mental attributes an icon needs but doesn’t have. For example, a device that an owner sets and forgets, like a door lock, uses its Device Rating in place of Intuition as part of the defense pool against a Control Device action.
Complex Action
Cybercombat + LOG [ATTACK] vs WIL + Firewall
Simple Action
Marks Required: Owner
Simple Action
Electronic Warfare + LOG [SLEAZE] vs 6 dice.
Variable Action
Electronic Warfare + INT [SLEAZE] vs INT + Firewall (Or as action). Marks required 1 for Free, 2 for Simple, 3 for Standard or Complex
Complex Action
Hacking + LOG [ATTACK] vs Protection Rating x 2
Marks Required: 1
Complex Action
Cybercombat + LOG [ATTACK] vs INT + Firewall
Marks Required: 1
Complex Action
Cybercombat + LOG [ATTACK] vs INT + Firewall
Complex Action
Software + INT [FIREWALL] vs Data Bomb Rating x 2
Complex Action
Computer + LOG [DATA PROCESSING] vs INT + Firewall
Marks Required: 1
Complex Action
Marks Required: 1
Complex Action
Computer + LOG [ATTACK] vs WIL + Firewall
Complex Action
Computer + Resonance [ATTACK] vs (Signature Rating) x 2
Complex Action
Computer + LOG [SLEAZE] vs WIL + Firewall
Marks Required: 3
Interrupt Action
Marks Required: Owner
Complex Action
Complex Action
Hacking + LOG [SLEAZE] vs INT + Firewall
Complex Action
Electronic Warfare + INT [SLEAZE] vs INT + Data Processing
Simple Action
Marks Required: Owner
Simple Action
Hardware + WIL [FIREWALL] v LOG + Attack
Electronic Warfare + LOG [ATTACK]
Marks Required: Own
Complex Action
Electronic Warfare + LOG [DATA PROCESSING] v WIL + Firewall
Marks Required:3
Complex Action
Computer + INT [DATA PROCESSING] v LOG + Sleaze
Special Action
Computer + INT [Data Processing]
Complex Action
Computer + LOG [Data Processing] v WIL + Firewall
Marks Required: 3
Simple Action
(Data Processing Action)
Marks Required: NA/1
Complex Action
Software + LOG [SLEAZE] v (Device Rating x2)
Marks Required: 1
Complex Action
Electronic Warfare + INT [SLEAZE] v LOG + Firewall
Marks Required: 1
Complex Action
Hacking + INT [SLEAZE] v LOG + Firewall
Marks Required: 1 (See Desc)
Simple Action
(Data Processing action)
Marks Required: Owner
Complex Action
Computer + INT [DATA PROCESSING] v WIL + Sleaze
Marks Required: 2
Target is... | Not running silent | Running silent |
Within 100m | Automatic | Computer + INT [Data Processing] vs LOG + Sleaze |
Outside 100m | Computer + INT [Data Processing] | |
A host | Automatic |
Information is | Treshold | Time | |||||||||
General Knowledge or Public | 1 | 1 minute | |||||||||
Limited Interest or Not Publicized | 3 | 30 minutes | |||||||||
Hidden/Actively Hunted and Erased | 6 | 12 hours | |||||||||
Protected/Secret | N/A | N/A |
Information is | DP Mod |
Intricate or Specialized | –1 |
Obscure | –2 |
On another grid | –2 |
Programs can only be run on a cyberdeck. You can’t run more than one program of the same type on your deck at once. COMMON programs are available to anyone. HACKING programs require a license.
Agents are autonomous programs rated from 1 to 6. Each agent occupies one program slot. Agents use Matrix attributes of the device they run on, and their rating for attributes.
Agents also have the Computer, Hacking, and Cybercombat skills at a rating equal to their own.
You can have your agent perform Matrix actions for you. When an agent is running, it has its own persona (and icon). An agent is about as smart as a pilot program of the same rating.
Any attack on an agent damages the device on which it is running, rather than the agent itself. This means that if you’re running an agent on your deck, you and it share the same Matrix Condition Monitor.
Programs | Availability | Cost |
Common Program | — | 80¥ |
Hacking Program | 4R | 250¥ |
Agent (Rating 1-3) | Rating x 3 | Rating x 1,000¥ |
Agent (Rating 4-6) | Rating x 3 | Rating x 2,000¥ |
Since Technomancers are not devices, their Matrix attributes are based on metatype ratings. These are:
Matrix Attribute | Rating |
Device Rating | Resonance |
Attack | Charisma |
Sleaze | Intuition |
Data Processing | Logic |
Firewall | Willpower |
Your resonance maximum at character creation is your Essence rounded down. For every point (or fraction thereof) of Essense lost, both your current Resonance Attribute and your maximum Resonance Rating are reduced by one.
When you use a Resonance ability, you leave a unique signature behind in the fabric of the Resonance. This Resonance signature gets left on the target. If you’re in a host, your signature is left there, too. A signature has a rating equal to the Resonance rating of whatever left it, and it lasts for one hour times its rating.
Other Resonance beings (technomancers, sprites, and ... others) can detect a Resonance signature by getting at least 3 hits on a Matrix Perception Test; noticing a signature comes in addition to the usual questions you get to ask. If you’ve seen a signature before, you can try to recognize it. With 5 or more hits, you also get the impression of what kind of being or ability left it there (that info is free). You can erase a signature with the Erase Signature action.
Simple Action
Simple Action
Complex Action
Compiling + Resonance [Level] v Sprite Level
Complex Action
Decompiling + Resonance [Level] v Sprite Rating (+ compiler’s Resonance)
Complex Action
Software + Resonance [Level] v Complex Form Level + Resonance
Complex Action
Registering + Resonance [Level] v Sprite Level x 2
Complex Action
Software + Resonance [Level] v Special
Fading is resisted with Resonance + WIL. Fading Value (FV) can only be healed by the body’s natural healing process.
Submersion is measured in grades, beginning with Grade 1 and increasing. Each grade has a Karma cost equal to 10 + (Grade x 3) Karma. Your Submersion grade can’t exceed your Resonance attribute. If your Resonance is ever reduced below your Submersion grade, your grade is reduced.
The natural maximum for your Resonance attribute is 6 + your Submersion grade. You still have to spend Karma to increase your Resonance attribute.
When you first submerge, you find your way to the secret Resonance Realms, places made of thought and information tucked away in the spaces between Matrix objects. These realms are only known to submerged technomancers (and maybe sprites, but they’re not talking). They are pathways and places not created by the hand of any metahuman. They’re mysterious and possibly useful repositories of pure data, but they are unfortunately too mysterious for the scope of this book and will be explained in detail in Data Trails, the Matrix expansion book (sorry, omae).
Each grade of Submersion you gain gets you one additional echo. Unless otherwise noted, you can’t pick the same echo more than once. When echoes can be taken multiple times, their bonuses stack.
A Complex Form is a specific effect on the Matrix that you have learned to perform.
When you thread a complex form, you choose a Level for the effect. The higher the Level, the stronger the effect, but also the more risky it is to do. You can choose a Level up to three times your Resonance rating.
Threading is affected by modifiers due to noise, a target being on another grid, and the public grid. You can only use complex forms on icons you’ve spotted.
Some complex forms can be sustained through concentration. This lets their effects linger for as long as you sustain the complex form. Doing this is distracting, imposing a –2 dice pool penalty on all actions per complex form you’re sustaining. If something happens that the gamemaster thinks might break your concentration, she’ll call for a Simple Resonance + Willpower (2) Test to keep sustaining your Complex Forms. You can’t sustain Complex Forms when you’re unconscious (Not including VR). If you sustain a Complex Form for its Level in Combat Turns, its effects remain after you stop sustaining it.
Threading causes fading based on the specific complex form and its Level, with a minimum Fading DV of 2. If you get more hits on your Threading test than your Resonance rating, the Fading is Physical damage; otherwise it’s Stun damage.
You can learn a complex form by analyzing it with a Software + Intuition [Mental] Test; divide 12 by the number hits on the test to get the number of days it takes to learn it. At the end of the period, spend Karma to learn the complex form. You may know a total of (Resonance x 2) complex forms.
A complex form with a Device target can also be used to target a persona.
Sprites have a Device Rating and Resonance equal to their Level, and all four Matrix attributes are based on their Level and the type of sprite you compile. Its Matrix Condition Monitor has 8 + (Level / 2) boxes. A sprite’s Initiative is also based on its Level, and it has 4D6 Initiative Dice. A sprite’s owner is the technomancer that compiled it, and when you compile a sprite, it has your Resonance signature. If its physical location is tracked, the tracker gets your physical location instead; this also happens when a demiGOD converges on the hapless little sprite.
When you compile a sprite, you choose a Level for the sprite, up to twice your Resonance rating. For every net hit on the Compiling test, you get one task from the sprite.
You have a mental link to your sprites as long as you’re connected to the Matrix. You can communicate through this link with text, images, words, and so on. If you lose your connection with the Matrix, you also lose your mental link with your sprite(s). They’ll keep working on whatever it is they were doing, but when they’re done they’ll either vanish, or if they’re registered they’ll hang around waiting for you. Once you’re back online, you link up with your sprite(s) again.
Sprites are personas, but not devices; they can’t be part of a PAN or WAN.
Compiling sprites causes Fading of 2 DV per hit it gets in its defense test, with a minimum of 2 DV. This Fading is Stun damage, unless the sprite’s Level is greater than your Resonance, in which case it’s Physical damage. You can only have one compiled sprite at any given time.
When a sprite is compiled, its own Overwatch Score starts. When a demiGOD or a host converges on a sprite, it simply vanishes, even if it has tasks remaining. To decompile a sprite, make an Opposed Decompiling + Resonance [Social] v. target’s Level (+ compiler’s Resonance if the sprite is registered). Every net hit reduces the sprite’s owed tasks by 1. If the sprite is reduced to 0 tasks owed to its compiler, it returns to the Resonance on its next action. This causes Fading equal to 2 DV per hit (not net hit) the sprite rolls, with a minimum DV of 2.
A single task can be one of the following things: A single use of a sprite power; one Combat Turn worth of Matrix actions that apply to the same job; participation in cybercombat that lasts until all of the enemy combatants have been defeated or you’ve escaped to safety. If a sprite uses a sustained power for you, sustaining that power doesn’t count against further tasks unless you change it in some way, like switching targets. You can send a sprite to perform a remote task on another grid or in a host that you’re not in. When you send a sprite on a remote task, it vanishes back to the Resonance when it’s done, and you lose any remaining tasks.
You can increase your sprites’ longevity by registering them with the Matrix. This process takes a number of hours equal to the sprite’s Level; during this time, the sprite’s Overwatch Score does not increase due to time, and neither you nor the sprite can take other actions. At the end of this time, make an Opposed Registering + Resonance [Level] v. the sprite’s Level x 2. This causes Fading of 2 DV per hit (not net hit) the sprite gets, minimum 2 DV. You can register a number of sprites equal to or less than your Logic attribute.
If you get at least one net hit, your sprite is registered with the Matrix. Its OS is erased, but can be restarted if the sprite performs an illegal action. Add your net hits on the Registering test to the number of tasks your sprite owes you. The sprite is now a registered sprite and no longer counts toward your limit of one compiled sprite at a time. Your registered sprite will stay with you as long as it still owes you at least one task. Everything else is the same as for compiled sprites. Almost everything.
These are tasks that only registered Sprites can perform.
The Sprite Database can tell you which sprites have which powers.
Courier sprites are great at delivering messages securely and are pretty good trackers.
Attack | Sleaze | Data processing | Firewall | Initiative | Initiative dice | Resonance |
Level | Level + 3 | Level + 2 | Level + 1 | (Level x 2) + 2 | 4D6 | Level |
Skills: | Computer, Hacking |
Powers: | Cookie, Hash |
If you need a sprite for a quiet run that stays under the radar, the Crack sprite has what you need.
Attack | Sleaze | Data processing | Firewall | Initiative | Initiative dice | Resonance |
Level | Level + 3 | Level + 1 | Level + 2 | (Level x 2) + 1 | 4D6 | Level |
Skills: | Computer, Electronic Warfare, Hacking |
Powers: | Suppression |
Data sprites are masters of finding and manipulating data. They make great librarians, searchbots, and trivia contest ringers.
Attack | Sleaze | Data processing | Firewall | Initiative | Initiative dice | Resonance |
Level – 1 | Level | Level + 4 | Level + 1 | (Level x 2) + 4 | 4D6 | Level |
Skills: | Computer, Electronic Warfare |
Powers: | Camouflage, Watermark |
The Fault sprite is the one you want to have your back in a fight. Cold as IC and twice as tenacious, they’ll shred your enemies in the blink of an icon.
Attack | Sleaze | Data processing | Firewall | Initiative | Initiative dice | Resonance |
Level + 3 | Level | Level + 1 | Level + 2 | (Level x 2) + 1 | 4D6 | Level |
Skills: | Computer, Cybercombat, Hacking |
Powers: | Electron Storm |
Of all the sprites, the Machine sprite is the most likely to interact with the physical world, although that would happen through a device. They’re experts at all sorts of electronics.
Attack | Sleaze | Data processing | Firewall | Initiative | Initiative dice | Resonance |
Level + 1 | Level | Level + 3 | Level + 2 | (Level x 2) + 3 | 4D6 | Level |
Skills: | Computer, Electronic Warfare, Hardware |
Powers: | Diagnostics, Gremlins, Stability |
Different aspects of the world (the elements) are important to traditions in different ways—the description of each tradition describes how each element lines up with the different types of spells, reagents, and spirits in their thinking, indicating which types of spirits and spirit powers they might be likely to call upon in particular situations. Each tradition’s description also includes the Attributes used in the Drain Resistance Test for spellcasters of this tradition.
Mages of that particular tradition may only summon the spirits listed with the tradition, and they are restricted in the tasks they can assign them. Assigning tasks outside the general area of their tradition will not receive a response from the spirit (for example, a Buddhist mage telling an air spirit to heal him will get no response, as air is a Combat spirit in that tradition, while the Health spirit is earth).
Note that when a tradition is described as a “possession tradition,” replace the spirit power of Materialization in any spirits summoned by conjurers of that tradition with Possession.
Combat | Detection | Health | Illusion | Manipulation | Drain | |
Aboriginal (ShS) | Beasts | Earth | Plant | Guidance | Air | WIL+CHA |
Aztec (SG) | Guardian | Fire | Plant | Water | Beasts | WIL+CHA |
Black Magic (SG) | Fire | Water | Earth | Air | Man | WIL+CHA |
Buddhism (SG) | Air | Guidance | Earth | Fire | Water | WIL+INT |
Chaos Magic (SG) | Fire | Air | Earth | Man | Water | WIL+INT |
Christian Theurgy (SG) | Fire | Water | Air | Earth | Guidance | WIL+CHA |
Druid (SG) | Beast | Water | Plant | Air | Earth | WIL+INT |
Egyptian (ShS) | Fire | Earth | Air | Guidance | Water | WIL+INT |
Hermetic | Fire | Air | Man | Water | Earth | LOG+WIL |
Hinduism (SG) | Beast | Water | Plant | Air | Earth | WIL+LOG |
Islam (SG) | Guardian | Earth | Plant | Air | Fire | WIL+LOG |
Norse (ShS) | Guardian | Earth | Plant | Air | Fire | WIL+LOG |
Path of the Wheel (SG) | Earth | Guidance | Air | Water | Fire | WIL+CHA |
Psionic (ShS) | Fire | Air | Man | Guidance | Task | WIL+INT |
Qabbalism (SG) | Air | Earth | Fire | Water | Task | WIL+LOG |
Shaman | Beasts | Water | Earth | Air | Man | CHA+WIL |
Shinto (SG) | Air | Water | Plant | Beasts | Man | WIL+CHA |
Sioux (SG) | Beast | Plant | Fire | Air | Guardian | WIL+INT |
Vodou (SG) | Guardian | Water | Man | Guidance | Task | WIL+CHA |
Wicca (Goddess) (SG) | Fire | Water | Plant | Air | Earth | WIL+INT |
Wicca (Gardnerian) (SG) | Fire | Water | Plant | Air | Earth | WIL+LOG |
Wuxing (SG) | Fire | Earth | Plant | Water | Guidance | WIL+LOG |
Zoroastrianism (SG) | Man | Water | Fire | Air | Plant | WIL+LOG |
Any Awakened character can connect with a mentor spirit by taking the Mentor Spirit quality. Gamemasters may also choose to award mentor spirits in the course of role playing, provided the player character has done enough to deserve it.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: In combat or if someone under your care is badly injured. Make a Simple Charisma + Willpower Test (wound modifiers apply). You go berserk for 3 turns minus 1 turn per hit, so 3 or more hits averts the berserk rage entirely. If you’re already going berserk, increase the duration. When you’re berserk, you go after your attacker(s) without regard for your own safety. If you incapacitate the target(s) before the time is up, the berserk fury dissipates.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Whenever someone strongly disagrees with you, you must pass a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to keep from striking out against the offender. If the test fails, the attack can be in any form you choose (fist, spell, etc.), but it must have the intent to cause damage.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Unless you succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test at the start of combat, you cannot make an attack that incapacitates your target. If you take any Physical damage, this ends.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You are an inveterate gossip trying to stir up trouble, especially between friends, and thus cannot keep damaging secrets to yourself. Also, anytime you encounter a public situation deemed too quiet or stable (gamemaster’s discretion), make a Willpower + Intuition (3) Test. Failure means that you are compelled to stir the pot in any way you desire, be it attacking, telling lies, or throwing a drink on someone nearby.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Followers of Disease must make a CHA + WIL (3) Test to not flee or seek cover whenever in a combat situation, unless they outnumber their opponents. If they begin a fight with greater numbers but then their side is reduced so that they no longer outnumber their opponents, they must make a test to avoid fleeing.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You can never leave someone behind, betray your comrades, or let another sacrifice themselves in your place without making a successful Charisma + Willpower (3) test.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Followers of Doom must succeed in a WIIL + CHA (3) Test to avoid a fight once it has begun, or to not enact a plan to do violence. If they fail, they must engage in combat until all opponents are defeated or flee.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: If you break a promise, whether by choice or by accident, you take a –1 dice pool modifier to all actions until you make good on your promise.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You get the Allergy (pollutants, mild) quality (no bonus Karma for this negative quality).
Advantages:
Disadvantages: When someone sincerely asks you for help, you can’t refuse without succeeding in a Simple Charisma + Willpower (3) Test.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Followers of the Great Mother are lovers and healers, not fighters. As a result, they suffer a –1 dice pool modifier for any combat-related actions (using a combat skill, or casting a spell from the Combat category).
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You must make a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to abandon a planned course of action in favor of a new one. If you fail, you must endeavor to continue with your original plan, even if it means going on alone. Similarly, you must succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to proceed in anything without a plan.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: If a follower of Mutation finds themselves inferior to an opponent, they suffer a –1 penalty on all actions until they defeat their rival in that area, or overcome or compensate for the weakness in another way (such as acquiring a new power, spell, or augmentation).
Advantages:
Disadvantages: When confronted by a particularly haunting question, you must take a Willpower + Intuition (3) Test. Failure means you must undertake an Intuition + Logic [Mental] (5, 1 hour) Extended Test to try researching the answer. Completion of the Extended Test does not necessarily mean you found the answer, but it at least silences the question in your mind for the time being.
When a follower of Oracle becomes a Grade 1 initiate, she must choose Divination for her first metamagic rather than a Power Point or any other benefit.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: At the very beginning of combat, you must pass a Charisma + Intuition (3) Test; failure means you are unable to take actions that cause Physical damage for the duration of combat. At the beginning of a new Combat Turn, you may choose to retake the test if you failed the first time and you or a member of your team suffered damage in the previous Combat Turn.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: If they are in an area cleaner than their normal habitation, followers of Pollution must make a WIL + CHA (3) Test every day. If they fail, they must spend at least eight hours that day actively despoiling the land, regardless of any other plans they had for that time.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: A Rat magician must make a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to not immediately flee or seek cover whenever caught in a combat situation. If there is nowhere to flee, she is forced to fight.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You must make a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to avoid exploiting someone else’s misfortune to your own advantage or to pull a clever trick or prank even if it’s to the disadvantage of your friends.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You must make a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to give away something you own or be charitable in some way.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You must succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to avoid pursuing a vice or indulgence (drugs, BTLs, sex, and so on) when it is made available.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: Every time you take Physical damage in combat, make a Simple Charisma + Willpower Test (wound modifiers apply). You go berserk for 3 turns minus 1 turn per hit, so 3 or more hits averts the berserk rage entirely. If you’re already going berserk, increase the duration. When you’re berserk, you go after your attacker(s) without regard for your own safety. If you run out of targets before the time’s up, you keep attacking their bodies.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You must succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to avoid pursuing secrets or knowledge that few people know about when you receive hints of its existence.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: A Thunderbird magician must succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to avoid responding to an insult in kind.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: If you act dishonorably or without courtesy, whether by choice or by accident, you take a –1 dice pool modifier to all actions until you atone for your behavior.
Advantages:
Disadvantages: You must succeed in a Charisma + Willpower (3) Test to retreat from a fight.
Casting a spell involves some mental preparation and a Complex Action. You must first declare the Force at which to cast the spell. The Force acts as a limit on the spell. You can cast a spell at a Force up to twice your Magic rating.
Make a Spellcasting + Magic [Force] Test, including dice pool modifiers for injury, sustained spells, and so on. Any opposition roll or threshold you need to reach is listed in the spell description. If the number of hits (not net hits) you get (after applying the limit or Edge spending) exceeds your Magic rating, the spell’s Drain is Physical instead of Stun damage.
A magician in the physical world can only cast spells on targets that are in the physical world. Similarly, a magician in astral space can only cast spells on targets that are present in astral space (If you’re using astral perception (or you are otherwise dual-natured), you can cast spells on targets in either the physical world or astral plane. Only mana-based spells work in astral space, even if you’re in the physical world astrally perceiving the target. Auras cannot be targeted. Area spells can be cast on a specific target or a point in space that you can see.
This lets you cast a spell as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action, but with an added +3 Drain Value. If you decide to cast two spells as Simple Actions in the same Action Phase, both receive the +3 Drain Value.
You can attempt to cast multiple spells simultaneously in the same action, even at different targets. To do this, you have to split your Spellcasting + Magic dice pool between the spells you want to cast with a minimum of 1 die per spell. Since the modifiers per spell may be different, they are applied after you split the dice pool. The number of spells you can cast simultaneously is limited to your Magic attribute.
Drain calculation is listed for each spell; the Drain Value is determined using the Force and the listed calculation, but can never be lower than 2. After casting a spell, you must resist Drain using the dice pool for Drain Resistance according to your tradition.
If you sustain the spell, you take a –2 dice pool penalty to all tests while it is sustained. You can sustain multiple spells, but the –2 penalty is cumulative for each spell.
Area effect spells that are sustained can be moved as a Complex Action, provided that the spell area is in the magician’s line of sight. Characters that drop out of the affected area are no longer affected by the spell, while characters that are enveloped by the new affected area must defend against the spell accordingly.
A glitch on a spell might cause extra drain (generally a +2 Drain Value), invoke a different elemental effect than what was intended, hit the wrong target, or any other bit of mischief your gamemaster can think up. On a critical glitch, the spell could get away from you and cause all sorts of havoc, or you might not get to resist Drain, or it could go off in an unconventional and unpredictable manner that could harm you or your team—again, your gamemaster gets to decide what happens.
Counterspelling offers the magician two benefits: spell defense and dispelling. The Counterspelling skill does not work against spirits, critter powers, or alchemical preparations.
Spell defense is used against hostile spells cast at you or at targets that are within your line of sight (using the same rules as for targeting spells) that you decide to protect with spell defense. Declaring this protection is either a Free Action or, if you don’t have one left, an Interrupt Action that reduces your Initiative Score by 5. Each Combat Turn, you have a pool of dice for spell defense equal to your Counterspelling skill. When a spell is cast, you may choose to use some or all of your Counterspelling dice to defend against an incoming spell. Against each spell attack, you have to choose how many dice from this pool to allocate for defense, and you can select how many people (including yourself if you desire) are covered by these defensive dice. You can protect a number of people at one time equal to your Magic Rating. These dice are then added to the defense tests of everyone you’re covering. The pool refreshes at the beginning of each Combat Turn.
Dispelling is used to counter a sustained or quickened spell. A Dispelling Test is the dispeller’s Counterspelling + Magic [Astral] v. spell’s Force + caster’s Magic (+ amount of Karma spent on quickening the spell, if any). You may use a counterspelling focus to add to the test. You can also use reagents to change the limit of the test. Every net hit reduces the number of hits the caster had in casting the spell. This may reduce the effectiveness of the spell (for example, it could affect a Shadow spell’s visibility modifier). If the spell is reduced to 0 net hits, the spell ends completely. Regardless of how it goes, you take the Drain from the spell as if you had cast it—Physical if the spell’s Force was higher than your Magic rating, Stun otherwise.
A ritual can be dispelled if it contains a spell keyword and is ongoing (sustained or with a duration). Make an Opposed Counterspelling + Magic [Astral] Test against a dice pool equal to the sum of the Force of the spell and the total of the Magic ratings of all of the ritual’s participants. Every net hit you get reduces the net hits from the ritual’s sealing step (p. 296) by 1. You take drain equal to twice the hits (not net hits) on the opposing test. The Drain from dispelling a ritual is Stun unless the ritual’s Force is greater than your Magic rating, in which case the Drain is Physical.
Noticing magic is a Simple Perception + INT [Mental] Test with a threshold equal to the Skill Rating of the being performing it minus the Force of the magic, or 6 – Force if there’s no skill involved (minimum 1 in either case). You get a + 2 dice pool modifier on this test if you have any magic-related Active or Knowledge Skill.
Some spells require some inanimate object to roll dice. This is the dice they would roll:
Initiative type | Dice Pool | Example |
Natural Objects | 3 | Trees, soil, unprocessed water, hand-carved wood, metal cold-worked by hand |
Manufatured Low-Tech Objects and Materials | 6 | Brick, leather, simple plastics |
Manufactured High-Tech Objects and Materials | 9 | Advanced plastics, alloys, electronic equipment, sensors |
Highly Processed Objects | 15+ | Computers, complex toxic wastes, drones, vehicles |
This is the drain taken for the spell. Drain can never be below 2.
These spells cause extra damage of a particular element.
Direct spells inflict damage equal to your net hits on the opposed test (Spellcasting + Magic [Force] vs either BOD (for physical spells) or WIL (for mana spells)). The target does not resist damage, only the Spellcasting test.
Indirect spells are launched with an Opposed Test (Spellcasting + Magic [Force] vs REA + INT). You don’t need to see the target as long as you’ve got a clear line of fire. The DV of an indirect spell is Force + net hits, with an AP equal to –(Force). Damage from an indirect combat spell is resisted with Body + Armor.
Area indirect spells work like grenades: a Spellcasting + Magic [Force] (3) Test with scatter of 2D6 meters. You can add your net hits on this test to the DV if you beat the threshold; otherwise the spell still detonates, but the hits are used to reduce scatter by one meter per hit. The area is usually a radius in meters equal to the spell force.
The duration of all combat spells are instantaneous and cannot be sustained.
Name | Dir/Ind | P/M | Range | Dmg type | Drain | Elemental | Book |
[Element] Grenade | I | P | T | P | F-1 | [Element] | ShS |
Acid stream | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Acid | SR5 |
Ball Lightning | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | Electric | SR5 |
Blast | I | P | LOS (A) | S | F | SR5 | |
Chill | D | P | LOS | S | F-1 | ShS | |
Clout | I | P | LOS | S | F-3 | SR5 | |
Corrode [Object] | I | P | Touch | P | F-5 | Acid | SG |
Death touch | D | M | Touch | P | F-6 | SR5 | |
Demolish [Object] | D | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | SG | |
Destroy [Free spirit] | D | M | LOS | P | F-3 | SG | |
Destroy [Vehicle] | D | P | LOS | P | F-3 | SG | |
Distrupt [Focus] | D | M | LOS | Special | F-2 | SG | |
Fireball | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | Fire | SR5 |
Firewater | I | P | LOS | P | F-2 | Fire/Water | SG |
Flame burst | D | P | Self (A) | P | F+1 | Fire | ShS |
Flamethrower | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Fire | SR5 |
Frigid | D | P | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | ShS | |
Ice spear | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Cold | SG |
Ice storm | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F+1 | Cold | SG |
Insecticide [Insect spirit] | D | M | LOS (A) | P | F+1 | SG | |
Knockout | D | M | Touch | S | F-6 | SR5 | |
Lightning bolt | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Electric | SR5 |
Magebolt | D | P | LOS | P | F-4 | ShS | |
Manaball | D | M | LOS (A) | P | F | SR5 | |
Manabolt | D | M | LOS | P | F-3 | SR5 | |
Melt [Object] | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Acid | SG |
Napalm | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F | Fire/Water | SG |
One less [Species] | D | P | Touch | P | F-6 | SG | |
Pollutant stream | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Pollutant | SG |
Pollutant wave | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | Pollutant | SG |
Powerball | D | P | LOS (A) | P | F | SR5 | |
Powerbolt | D | P | LOS | P | F-3 | SR5 | |
Punch | I | P | Touch | S | F-6 | SR5 | |
Radiation beam | I | P | LOS | P | F-3 | Radiation | SG |
Radiation burst | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | Radiation | SG |
Ram [Object] | D | P | Touch | P | F-5 | SG | |
Shatter | D | P | Touch | P | F-6 | SR5 | |
Shattershield | D | M | Touch | P | F-3 | SG | |
Slaughter [Species] | D | P | LOS (A) | P | F-2 | SG | |
Slay [Species] | D | P | LOS | P | F-4 | SG | |
Sludge [Object] | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | Acid | SG |
Stunball | D | M | LOS (A) | S | F | SR5 | |
Stunbolt | D | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SR5 | |
Sunbeam | I | P | LOS | P | F-1 | ShS | |
Toxic Wave | I | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | Acid | SR5 |
Wrech [Object] | D | P | LOS | P | F-3 | SG |
Active detection spells involve an Opposed Test (Spellcasting + Magic [Force] vs either WIL + LOG (+ Counterspelling if available) [Mental] for living things with auras, (Force x 2) for magical objects, or the object resistance for mundane objects.
Counterspelling may be used to defend against active detection spells, even if the target is unaware of them being cast (for example, if they walk within range of an active Detect Enemies spell).
When a spell affects multiple targets, you should only make a single Spellcasting Test. Every potential target then makes an individual Spell Resistance Test and compares their result to yours. New targets may be detected as they enter the range of the spell, and they must make a Spell Resistance Test against your original Spellcasting Test.
While a passive spell is sustained, Perception Tests using this sense have a limit equal to the net successes from casting of the spell instead of the subject’s Mental limit. Counterspelling cannot be used to defend against a passive sense, but once an opposing spellcaster realizes there is an active sustained spell, she can try dispelling it.
A glitch on a Detection Spellcasting Test may result in false or misleading information. A critical glitch may inflict extra Drain, translate any Drain damage suffered into Physical Damage, temporarily strip the subject of a sense, or inexplicably apply the intended sense to others (particularly opponents) in range.
The standard range of the sense a Detection spell grants is Force x Magic in meters as a radius from the target of the spell. The more net hits you get when casting the spell, the more detailed information you receive.
Using the extra or enhanced sense may require the subject to Observe in Detail as a Simple Action.
All detection spells, with the exception of Diagnose, are sustainable.
Net hits | Results |
1 | Only general knowledge, no details |
2 | Major details only, no minor details |
3 | Major and minor details, with some minor details obscured or missing |
4 | Detailed information |
Name | Act/Pas | Type | P/M | Range | Drain | Book |
[Sense] Cryptesthesia | Passive | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
[Sense] Link | Passive | Psychic | M | Touch | F-2 | ShS |
Analyze Device | Active | Directional | P | Touch | F-3 | SR5 |
Analyze Magic | Active | Directional | P | Touch | F-3 | SR5 |
Analyze Truth | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-2 | SR5 |
Animal sense | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-5 | SG |
Area though recognition | Active | Psychic, area | M | LOS (A) | F+2 | SR5 |
Astral clairvoyance | Passive | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Astral message | Passive | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Astral window | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Borrow Sense | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Broadcast | Active | Area | M | Touch | F+1 | ShS |
Catalog | Active | Area | P | Touch(A) | F-3 | SG |
Clairaudience | Passive | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SR5 |
Clairvoyance | Passive | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SR5 |
Combat sense | Active | Psychic | M | Touch | F | SR5 |
Detect [Life form] | Active | Area | M | Touch | F-2 | SR5 |
Detect [Life form], extended | Active | Extended area | M | Touch | F | SR5 |
Detect [Object] | Active | Area | P | Touch | F-2 | SR5 |
Detect enemies | Active | Area | M | Touch | F-2 | SR5 |
Detect enemies, extended | Active | Extended area | M | Touch | F | SR5 |
Detect individual | Active | Area | M | Touch | F-3 | SR5 |
Detect life | Active | Area | M | Touch | F-3 | SR5 |
Detect life, extended | Active | Extended area | M | Touch | F-1 | SR5 |
Detect magic | Active | Area | M | Touch | F-2 | SR5 |
Detect magic, extended | Active | Extended area | M | Touch | F | SR5 |
Diagnose | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Dragon astral signature | Active | Psychic, area | M | LOS (A) | F+5 | SG |
Enchance aim | Passive | Directional | P | Touch | F-1 | SG |
Eyes of the pack | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-1 | SG |
Hawkeye | Passive | Directional | P | Touch | F-1 | SG |
Mana window | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Mind probe | Active | Directional | M | Touch | F | SR5 |
Mindlink | Active | Psychic | M | Touch | F-1 | SR5 |
Mindnet | Active | Psychic, area | M | Touch (A) | F | SG |
Mindnet, extended | Active | Psychic, extended area | M | Touch (A) | F+1 | SG |
Night vision | Passive | Directional | P | Touch | F-3 | SG |
Passenger | Passive | Psychic | M | LOS | F-1 | ShS |
Recorded room | Passive | Area | P | LOS (A) | F | ShS |
Secret handshake | Active | Area | M | Touch | F-4 | ShS |
Sending | Active | Extended area | M | Touch | F+2 | ShS |
Spatial sense | Passive | Area | P | Touch (A) | F-3 | SG |
Spatial sense, extended | Passive | Extended area | P | Touch (A) | F-1 | SG |
Thought recognition | Active | Psychic, directional | M | Touch | F | SG |
Translate | Active | Psychic/directional | M | Touch | F-4 | SG |
No techniques currently known to magic can erase Stun damage or cure psychological conditions. All health spells require the magician to physically touch the subject of the spell - this “laying on of hands” is traditional in magical healing lore the world over.
For Essence spells, take a dice pool modifier equal to the target’s actual Essence minus his maximum Essence (which will turn out to be 0 or a negative number), rounded up.
Negative spells are inverted health spells. Spells that negatively affect a character cause a Magic + Spellcasting [Force] damage, resisted by the subject’s BOD (+ Counterspelling, if applicable).
The duration of health spells can either be Instantaneous (I), Permanent (P), or Sustainable (S).
Name | Ess/Neg | P/M | Dur | Drain | Book |
Alleviate [Allergy] | Essence | M | S | F-6 | SG |
Alleviate addiction | Essence | M | S | F-6 | SG |
Alleviate nausea | — | M | S | F-4 | ShS |
Ambidexterity | Essence | P | I | F-3 | SG |
Antidote | — | M | P | F-3 | SR5 |
Awaken | Essence | M | S | F-3 | SG |
Convert blood to ichor | Essence/negative | P | I | F | ShS |
Crank | Essence | P | S | F-3 | SG |
Cure disease | Essence | M | P | F-4 | SR5 |
Decontamination | — | M | P | F-4 | ShS |
Decrease [Attribute] | Essence | P | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Decrease inherent limits | Negative | P | S | F-1 | SG |
Decrease reflexes | Negative | P | P | F-2 | SG |
Dehydrate | Negative | P | S | F-4 | ShS |
Detox | — | M | P | F-6 | SR5 |
Enabler | Negative | M | S | F-3 | SG |
Fast | Essence | M | S | F-3 | SG |
Forced defense | Essence | M | I | F-1 | SG |
Ghoulish strength | Essence | P | S | F-4 | ShS |
Heal | Essence | M | P | F-4 | SR5 |
Healthy glow | — | P | P | F-2 | ShS |
Hydrate | — | P | P | F-4 | ShS |
Increase [Attribute] | Essence | P | S | F-3 | SR5 |
Increase inherent limits | Essence | P | S | F-1 | SG |
Increase reflexes | Essence | P | S | F | SR5 |
Inflict disease | Essence/negative | M | P | F-3 | ShS |
Nauseate | Negative | M | I | F-2 | ShS |
Oxygenate | — | P | S | F-5 | SR5 |
Personal warmth | — | M | S | F-4 | ShS |
Prophylaxis | — | M | S | F-4 | SR5 |
Resist Pain | — | M | P | (DV)-6 | SR5 |
Rot | Essence/negative | P | I | F | ShS |
Stabilize | — | M | P | F-4 | SR5 |
Vampiric speed | Essence | P | S | F-2 | ShS |
Illusions fall into the following categories:
Name | OBV/REA | SS/MS | P/M | Range | Dur | Drain | Book |
[Sense] removal | REA | SS | P | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Agony | REA | SS | M | LOS | S | F-4 | SR5 |
Bugs | REA | MS | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SR5 |
Camouflage check | REA | SS | M | LOS | S | F-2 | SG |
Chaff | REA | MS | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Chaos | REA | MS | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Chaotic world | REA | MS | P | LOS (A) | S | F | SR5 |
Confusion | REA | MS | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SR5 |
Decoy | REA | MS | P | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Double image | REA | MS | P | Touch | S | F-1 | SG |
Dream | REA | MS | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Entertainment | OBV | MS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | SR5 |
Euphoria | REA | SS | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
False impression | — | SS | M | LOS | S | F-4 | ShS |
Foreboding | REA | MS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | SG |
Hot potato | REA | SS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | SG |
Hush | REA | SS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Improved invisibility | REA | SS | P | LOS | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Invisibility | REA | SS | M | LOS | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Manascape | — | MS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | ShS |
Mask | REA | MS | M | Touch | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Mass [Sense] removal | REA | SS | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Mass agony | REA | SS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Mass confusion | REA | MS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Opium den | REA | SS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Phantasm | REA | MS | M | LOS | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Physical camouflage | REA | SS | P | LOS | S | F | SG |
Physical mask | REA | MS | P | Touch | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Silence | REA | SS | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Sound barrier | REA | SS | P | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | SG |
Stealth | REA | SS | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Stench | REA | SS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Stink | REA | SS | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Swarm | REA | MS | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Switch vehicle signature | REA | MS | P | Touch | Special | F+1 | SG |
Trid entertainment | OBV | MS | P | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Trid phantasm | REA | MS | P | LOS (A) | S | F | SR5 |
Vampiric stealth | REA | MS | M | SELF | S | F-3 | ShS |
Vehicle mask | REA | MS | P | Touch | Special | F-3 | SG |
Vehicle mask | REA | MS | P | T | S | F-2 | SS |
Name | Keyword | P/M | Range | Dur | Drain | Book |
[Critter] form | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-4 | SG |
[Element] aura | Environmental | P | LOS | S | F+1 | SG |
[Element] wall | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F+2 | SG |
Air filter | Physical | M | LOS | S | F-6 | ShS |
Alter memory | Mental | M | LOS | P | F+1 | ShS |
Alter temperature | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | ShS |
Animate | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Armor | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Astral armor | Mental | M | LOS | S | F-2 | ShS |
Bind | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SG |
Bug zapper | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | SG |
Calm animal | Mental | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Calm pack | Mental | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Catfall | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Clean [Element] | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | P | F-3 | SG |
Compel truth | Mental | M | LOS | Special | F-1 | SG |
Control actions | Mental | M | LOS | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Control animal | Mental | M | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Control emotions | Mental | M | LOS | S | F-1 | ShS |
Control pack | Mental | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Control thoughts | Mental | M | LOS | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Convince | Mental | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SS |
Decrease gear limits | Physical | P | Touch | S | F-1 | SG |
Decrease noise | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Deflection | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-1 | SG |
Evaporate | Physical | M | LOS | S | F-4 | ShS |
Fashion | Environmental | P | Touch (A) | P | F-1 | SG |
Fashion | Physical | P | Touch | P | F-1 | SS |
Fix | Physical | P | Touch | P | F | SG |
Fling | Physical, damaging | P | LOS | I | F-2 | SR5 |
Gecko crawl | Physical | P | Touch | S | F-3 | SG |
Glue | Physical | P | LOS | P | F-3 | SG |
Glue strip | Physical | P | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | SG |
Hibernate | Mental | M | Touch | P | F-2 | SS |
Ice sheet | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | I | F | SR5 |
Ignite | Physical | P | LOS | P | F-1 | SR5 |
Increase gear limits | Physical | P | Touch | S | F-1 | SG |
Increase noise | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | SG |
Influence | Mental | M | LOS | P | F-1 | SR5 |
Insulate | Physical/environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | ShS |
Interference | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Interference | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SS |
Intoxication | Mental | M | Touch | P | F-3 | SS |
Levitate | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Light | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-4 | SR5 |
Lock | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-1 | SG |
Looking glass | Physical | P | Touch | S | F-3 | ShS |
Magic fingers | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Makeover | Physical | P | Touch | P | F-3 | SG |
Mana Barrier | Environmental | M | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Mana bind | Mana | M | LOS | S | F-2 | SG |
Mana net | Mana | M | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Mana static | Environmental | M | LOS (A) | P | F-1 | SG |
Mass animate | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | SR5 |
Mist | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | I | F-3 | SG |
Mob control | Mental | M | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | SR5 |
Mob mind | Mental | M | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | SR5 |
Mob mood | Mental | M | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | ShS |
Napalm wall | Physical/environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F | ShS |
Net bind | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Nutrition | Mana | P | Touch | P | F-3 | SS |
Offensive mana barrier | Environmental | M | LOS (A) | S | F+3 | SG |
Petrify | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-2 | ShS |
Physical barrier | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SR5 |
Poltergeist | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SR5 |
Preserve | Physical | P | Touch | I | F-3 | SG |
Protect vechile | Physical | P | Touch | Duration | F-1 | SG |
Pulse | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | I | F+3 | SG |
Pulse | Physical/environmental | P | LOS (A) | I | F-4 | ShS |
Radiation barrier | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | ShS |
Radiation shield | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-4 | ShS |
Reinforce | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-1 | SG |
Shadow | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-3 | SR5 |
Shape [Material] | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-2 | SG |
Shapechange | Physical | P | LOS | S | F-3 | SG |
Slow vehicle | Physical | P | LOS | S | F+1 | SG |
Spirit barrier | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F-1 | SG |
Spirit zapper | Environmental | P | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | SG |
Sterilize | Physical | P | LOS (A) | S | F+1 | SG |
Turn to goo | Physical | P | LOS | S | F+3 | SG |
A ritual must be performed in a magical lodge appropriate to the leader’s tradition, which is referred to as the foundation for the ritual. The Force of the lodge must equal or exceed the Force of the ritual to be cast. Once the lodge is active, no participant (except a spotter, if the ritual calls for one) may leave the foundation until the ritual is complete without causing the ritual to fail.
Each ritual must have a leader who knows the ritual being performed and can complete the last step, which seals the ritual. To start a ritual, the participants must announce their participation with the leader. The participants do not need to have learned the ritual; they simply must be willing to take part. All effects from the ritual have the leader’s astral signature. Each participant who is not of the same tradition as the leader suffers a –2 dice pool penalty on all actions for this ritual. If you’re casting a ritual all alone, you’re the leader.
The leader must then choose the ritual to perform. If required the leader also chooses the spell that will be included as part of the ritual. If the ritual requires knowledge of a spell or spell category, only the leader needs to know them. The leader then chooses the force of the ritual. At this point, the ritual foundation becomes activated.
As part of the ritual, the leader must expend reagents equal to the Force of the ritual. The leader may expend more reagents to reduce Drain when sealing the spell. For every [Force] drams of reagents spent (after the initial offering), the Drain value is reduced by 1, to a minimum of 2.
Next, the actual ritual is performed. The duration of this step is specific to each ritual (it’s in the description), but it’s almost always based on the ritual’s Force.
The final step in any ritual is sealing it. The leader makes a Ritual Spellcasting + Magic [Force] v. (Force x 2) test, with a Teamwork test from each of the participants. Each ritual’s description explains how the net hits from the sealing step are used, if at all.
After the spell effect goes off, each participant also takes Drain equal to twice the number of hits (not net hits) on the defense side of the Ritual Spellcasting Test (minimum 2). If the number of hits the leader got on her Teamwork Test was higher than her Magic rating, this drain is Physical; otherwise it’s Stun.
There are a number of rare things that could cause a ritual to fail prematurely. If a participant leaves the foundation after the lodge is activated but before the ritual is complete, the ritual fails. If the leader is incapacitated (or killed) before the ritual is sealed, the ritual collapses and fails. If the foundation is disrupted or broken at any point after becoming activated, the ritual fails.
When a ritual fails, every participant immediately suffers Drain. Make a Force x 2 test, as though the spell had actually been cast; the Drain is equal to twice the number of hits (not net hits) on this test in Stun damage. Any reagents you’ve already spent in Step 5 are wasted.
A glitch on a ritual in any step could result in extra Drain (e.g.,+2 Drain Value), an increase of 2 to the Force resisting completion of the spell, or the leader being forced to seal the ritual on his own. On a critical glitch, anything goes.
Rituals have a series of keywords that use special rules.
Spirits are naturally astral forms, much like you’re naturally a physical form. A spirit exists entirely in astral space, with astral attributes equal to its Force. A spirit can manifest, use astral travel, and get blocked by mana barriers just like any other astral form. Its appearance strongly reflects its type and the tradition of the magician who summoned it.
Every spirit has an affiity for one particular metaplane, known as its native plane, and may instantaneously travel to that metaplane with a Complex Action. Mana barriers do not prevent this movement.
By using metaplanar travel, a spirit may bypass a dual-natured mana barrier by traveling to their native metaplane and then reappearing on the other side of the obstacle. However, a spirit may only bypass the barrier in this way if its conjurer is on the other side of the barrier or if the spirit is familiar with what lies beyond the barrier.
If a spirit wants to affect anything on the physical plane, it has to materialize. It gets physical attributes based on its type and appears as a solid, physical version of its astral form—it’s relatively solid even if it doesn’t look solid. The spirit is dual-natured while it’s materialized, which means it exists simultaneously on the physical and astral plane, meaning it can see objects in both places—and be targeted by both mages on the physical plane and astral entities, such as astrally projecting mages. When materialized, the spirit uses astral perception (its only perception) to perceive the physical world. A spirit’s physical form is metahuman-sized or smaller and very obviously ethereal (there is no mistaking a spirit for something worldly). Its physical body is not subject to gravity—though most spirits stay close to the ground, but it can be knocked around by other forces.
Spirits follow the normal rules for combat, whether physical or astral. When Physical or Stun damage fills up a spirit’s Condition Monitor, that spirit is disrupted and immediately returns to its native metaplane. Spirits possessing vessels are only disrupted if the vessel’s Condition Monitor suffers a lethal amount of overflow damage.
A disrupted spirit cannot appear outside its metaplane for a period of (28 – Force), with a minimum time of 24 hours. If you’re on a deadline and desperately need a disrupted spirit back before that time expires, you must undertake a metaplanar quest to the spirit’s native metaplane and retrieve the spirit. To retrieve a possession spirit, you must already have a prepared vessel awaiting the spirit, regardless of whether the quest was successful.
Disrupted spirits still count against a conjurer’s limit of spirits, but a conjurer may choose to release a disrupted spirit at any time. Any services it still owes are lost.
A spirit can communicate telepathically with the summoner, even from astral space, so it doesn’t even have to manifest to receive orders or make reports. This link allows for communication over a distance but does not extend to the metaplanes, nor does it allow any other visual or audio connection. With this link, a summoner knows when a spirit he has summoned has been disrupted, as he will feel the loss of the link.
Your spirit can’t move farther away from you than your Magic rating x 100 meters. If forced out of this radius, the spirit will try to return as quickly as possible. If you send a spirit beyond this range, it counts as a remote service.
Summoning a spirit is a Complex Action. You can only summon one spirit at a time, and it only hangs around for a limited time—a summoned spirit will return to wherever it was when you called it when it’s either through with all of the services it owes you or when the sunrises or sets (whichever comes first).
You can only choose a spirit of a type available to your tradition. You also need to choose the spirit’s Force, up to twice your Magic rating. You can call a spirit with optional powers if the Force you choose is high enough; spirits have one optional power for every 3 full points of Force (so Force 1–2 spirits have no optional powers, Force 3–5 have 1, Force 6–8 have 2, and so on). Once a spirit has been summoned, its optional powers cannot be changed.
Make an Opposed Test using Summoning + Magic [Force] v. spirit’s Force. You may spend reagents to change the limit of this test. If you get no net hits, the spirit doesn’t show up. If you get net hits, the spirit arrives nearby in astral space, owing you one service per net hit. The nature of the services the spirit can provide depends on the type of spirit and its Force and powers.
Whether you successfully summon the spirit or not, you must resist Drain from the attempt. The Drain Value is equal to twice the hits (not net hits) on the spirit’s defense test, with a minimum Drain Value of 2. If the spirit’s Force is greater than your Magic rating, the Drain is Physical; otherwise it’s Stun.
A glitch on conjuring can result in the wrong spirit type (but still one within the summoner’s tradition), a spirit of lesser force (who makes the Opposed Test at the Force the summoner selected), or extra Drain (e.g., +2) to resist. On a critical glitch, kindhearted gamemasters could double the Drain the magician must resist or not allow the Drain to be resisted at all. More punitive gamemasters may see this as an opportunity to introduce the magician to a spirit of the intended Force who is not under the summoner’s control and wishes to have a “conversation” about how some spirits feel the practices of summoning and binding is a form of slavery.
Magicians can use teamwork to summon a spirit. All of the team members must be able to summon the type of spirit intended, and team members who are a different tradition than the team leader suffer a –2 dice pool penalty on their roll. The team uses the normal Teamwork rules for the test, and all of them suffer the same amount of Drain, which is twice the hits (not net hits) on the spirit’s defense test. If successful, only the leader of the ritual may command the spirit, so choose wisely.
A magician may make a rushed attempt to conjure a spirit by spending a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action. Make a standard Summoning Test but reduce the Limit by 2 after all reagents have been expended; also, add 3 to the Drain Value. A magician may only use Reckless Conjuring once per Action Phase.
Summoned and bound spirits don’t have their own Edge pools (or if they do, they don’t use them). However, you can spend your own Edge pool on your summoned spirits’ tests if you like.
Physical Attributes: The Physical attributes listed below are used when a spirit is materialized in the physical plane. The minimum attribute rating is 1, even if the table says it should be lower.
Skills: Spirits have the listed skills at a rating equal to their Force.
Movement: On the physical plane, spirits’ Walking rate is Agility x 2. Their Running rate is Agility x 4. They can move in any direction, ignoring gravity. They use the Running skill to “sprint” for +2 meters per hit.
Optional Powers: For every 3 full points of Force a spirit has, it has one optional power. A spirit can’t change the optional powers it has.
Binding is used to compel long-term services from a spirit that you’ve already summoned. This takes one hour per Force of the spirit and requires (Force x 25) drams of reagents to be used up in the binding. The test is an Opposed Summoning + Magic [Force] v. spirit’s Force x 2, and it inflicts Drain equal to twice the hits (not net hits) on the spirit’s defense test, minimum 2. Additional net hits beyond the first add to the number of services the spirit owes.
Once the spirit is bound, then the spirit and its services do not expire at the next sunrise or sunset. A spirit’s service ends when it has no more services owed to the magician. The bound spirit can be called or dismissed with a Simple Action as they appear next to the magician from the metaplane, awaiting further instructions on the astral. A magician can bind up to his Charisma attribute in spirits.
If you want to assign a bound spirit to a lengthy task, you can pay an amount of Karma equal to the spirit’s Force to have that spirit perform a service or a set of services for up to a year and a day. All other services are lost, and the spirit no longer counts against the conjurer’s spirit limit.
A spirit that is disrupted while performing a longterm service automatically returns to its task after 28 days minus the spirit’s Force.
Attempting to rebind a spirit during a firefight just isn’t practical, but sometimes you end up using a bound spirit’s final service at an inconvenient time. One solution to worrying about services is to bind the spirit in such a way that it obeys commands without using up any services. This process is known as fettering.
To fetter a spirit, a conjurer must perform a Binding ritual. In addition to the normal expenditure of reagents and time, the magician must give the spirit Force x 3 Karma and 1 point of his Magic attribute. In return, the spirit gains the Banishing Resistance power. If the spirit breaks free, or is banished, destroyed, or voluntarily released, the conjurer regains his 1 point of Magic. On the other hand, if a magician with a fettered spirit loses the last point of his Magic attribute for any reason, the fettered spirit automatically departs and takes the last of the magician’s talent with it; the magician is then considered burned out and does not regain the 1 point of Magic the spirit borrowed.
A fettered spirit counts against the magician’s spirit limit, and a magician may only fetter one spirit at a time. For purposes of this one-at-a-time restriction, an ally spirit is considered a fettered spirit. Thus, a magician with an ally may not fetter spirits unless he first loses or releases his ally spirit.
Banishing is severing the bond between a spirit and its summoner. When the bond is broken, the spirit returns to its own plane. This is not the same as disrupting a spirit and forcing it back to their home plane.
Banishing is a Complex Action. You make an Opposed Banishing + Magic [Astral] Test (you can spend reagents to set the limit of this test). This test is opposed by the spirit’s Force (+ the summoner’s Magic if the spirit is bound). For every net hit you get, the number of services the spirit owes is reduced by 1. If you reduce the spirit’s owed services to zero, it’s free and departs on its next action.
The Drain Value for banishing is equal to twice the hits (not net hits) on the spirit’s defense test, with a minimum Drain Value of 2. If the spirit’s Force is greater than your Magic rating, the Drain is Physical, otherwise it’s Stun.
If you (or another magician) has an action before the spirit departs, you can use Summoning to try to get it to owe you some services. It doesn’t matter what type the spirit is or which tradition you are in this case, since it’s already out and available.
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F-2 | F+3 | F+4 | F-3 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+4+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Running, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Accident, Astral Form, Concealment, Confusion, Engulf, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Elemental Attack, Energy Aura, Fear, Guard, Noxious Breath, Psychokinesis |
Special | Spirits of Air get +10 meters per hit when Sprinting |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F-2 | F+3 | F+4 | F-3 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+4+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Running, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Accident, Astral Form, Concealment, Confusion, Engulf (Air), Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Fear, Guard, Noxious Breath, Psychokinesis, Weather Control |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+2 | F+1 | F | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Animal Control, Astral Form, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-Light Vision, Smell), Fear, Materialization, Movement, Sapience |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Confusion, Guard, Natural Weapon (Drain Value = Force Physical damage, AP -), Noxious Breath, Search, Venom |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+2 | F+1 | F | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Gymnastics, Perception, Running, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Animal Control (Toxic Critters), Astral Form, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-Light Vision, Smell), Materialization, Movement, Mutagen, Natural Weapon (DV=(Force) Physical Damage, AP-), Pestilence, Sapience |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Corrosive Spit, Fear, Guard, Mimicry, Search, Venom |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+4 | F-2 | F-1 | F+4 | F | F-1 | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)-2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Binding, Guard, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Confusion, Engulf, Elemental Attack, Fear |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+4 | F-2 | F-1 | F+4 | F | F-1 | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)-1)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Binding, Elemental Attack (Pollutant), Engulf (Earth), Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Accident, Concealment, Confusion, Fear, Guard |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Clean Earth, Severe) |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+1 | F+2 | F+3 | F-2 | F | F | F+1 | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+3)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Flight, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Accident, Astral Form, Confusion, Elemental Attack, Energy Aura, Engulf, Materialization, Sapience |
Optional Powers | Fear, Guard, Noxious Breath, Search |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Water, Severe) |
Special | Spirits of Fire get +5 meters per hit when Sprinting |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+1 | F+2 | F+3 | F-2 | F | F | F+1 | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+3)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Flight, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Elemental Attack (Radiation), Energy Aura (Radiation), Engulf (Fire), Materialization, Sapience |
Optional Powers | Confusion, Fear, Guard, Search |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+1 | F | F+2 | F-2 | F | F | F+1 | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Perception, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Accident, Astral Form, Concealment, Confusion, Enhanced Senses (Low-Light, Thermographic Vision), Guard, Influence, Materialization, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Fear, Innate Spell (Any one spell known by the summoner; Force is limited to the spirit’s magic), Movement, Physchokinesis |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F | F | F+2 | F-2 | F | F | F+1 | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Perception, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Accident, Astral Form, Desire Reflection, Enhanced Senses (Low-Light, Thermographic Vision), Fear, Materialization, Mutagen, Pestilence, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Confusion, Guard, Innate Spell (Any one spell known by the summoner), Movement, Psychokinesis |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F | F+1 | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Concealment, Confusion, Engulf, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Accident, Binding, Elemental Attack, Energy Aura, Guard, Weather Control |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Fire, Severe) |
Special | Spirits of Water move twice as fast when in water. |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+2 | F+1 | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Binding, Elemental Attack (Pollutant), Engulf (Water), Materialization, Movement, Mutagen, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Accident, Concealment, Confusion, Fear, Guard |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Clean Water, Severe) |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+1 | F+2 | F+3 | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+1)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Blades, Clubs, Counterspelling, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Fear, Guard, Magical Guard, Materializaiton, Movement, Sapience |
Optional Powers | Animal Control, Concealment, Elemental Attack (Summoner chooses element during summoning), Natural Weaponry (DV=F+2), Psychokinesis, Skill (Choose any combat skill) |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+3 | F-1 | F+2 | F+1 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Arcana, Assensing, Astral Combat, Counterspelling, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Confusion, Divining, Guard, Magical Guard, Materialization, Sapience, Search, Shadow Cloak |
Optional Powers | Engulf, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-Light Vision, Thermographic Vision, or Smell), Fear, Influence |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+2 | F-1 | F | F+1 | F | F-1 | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Counterspelling, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Perception, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Concealment, Engulf, Fear, Guard, Magical Guard, Materialization, Sapience, Silence |
Optional Powers | Accident, Confusion, Movement, Noxious Breath, Search |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F | F | F+2 | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Artisan, Astral Form, Binding, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Search |
Powers | Accident, Astral Form, Binding, Materialization, Movement, Sapience, Serach |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Low-Light Vision, Thermographic vision, or Smell), Influence, Psychokinesis, Skill (Choose any Technical or Physical skill) |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+2 | F+2 | F | F+2 | F | F-1 | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | (Fx2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2)+3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Perception, Running, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Astral Form, Binding, Energy Drain (Essence, Touch, Physical Damage), Fear, Materialization |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Confusion, Guard, Movement, Natural Weapon (DV=(Force) Physical Damage, AP-), Noxious Breath |
Weaknesses | Essence Loss (1 point per day) |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F | F+1 | F+1 | F | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+1)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2) +3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Leadership, Perception, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Animal Control (Insect Type), Astral Form, Guard, Hive Mind, Inhabitation (Living Vessels), Innate Spell (Physical Barrier), Sapience |
Optional Powers | Binding, Confusion, Enhanced Senses (Smell, Thermographic Vision, or Ultrasound) |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Insecticides, Severe), Evanescence |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F-1 | F | F+3 | F-1 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+3)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2) +3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Perception, Gymnastics, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Animal Control (Insect Type), Astral Form, Enhanced Senses (Smell, Thermographic Vision, or Ultrasound), Hive Mind, Inhabitation (Living Vessels), Innate Spell (Any one illusion spell known to the summoner), Sapience |
Optional Powers | Compulsion, Fear |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Insecticides, Severe), Evanescence |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F | F+2 | F+2 | F | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+2)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2) +3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Gymnastics, Perception, Sneaking, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Animal Control (Insect Type), Astral Form, Enhanced Senses (Smell, Thermographic Vision, or Ultrasound), Hive Mind, Inhabitation (Living Vessels), Movement, Sapience, Search |
Optional Powers | Confusion, Guard, Natural Weapon (DV=(Force) Physical damage, AP 0), Noxious Breath |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Insecticides, Severe), Evanescence |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+3 | F+1 | F+1 | F+3 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+1)+2D6 | |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2) +3D6 | |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Counterspelling, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Gymnastics, Perception, Unarmed Combat | |
Powers | Animal Control (Insect Type), Astral Form, Fear, Hive Mind, Inhabitation (Living Vessels), Natural Weapon (DV=(Force+2) Physical damage, AP-1), Sapience | |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Binding, Magical Guard, Noxious Breath, Skill (A soldier spirit may be given an additional Combat skill instead of an optional power), Venom | |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Insecticides, Severe), Evanescence |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+3 | F+1 | F+1 | F+3 | F | F | F | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+1)+2D6 | |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2) +3D6 | |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Counterspelling, Exotic Ranged Weapon, Gymnastics, Perception, Unarmed Combat | |
Powers | Animal Control (Insect Type), Astral Form, Fear, Hive Mind, Inhabitation (Living Vessels), Natural Weapon (DV=(Force+2) Physical damage, AP-1), Sapience | |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Binding, Magical Guard, Noxious Breath, Skill (A soldier spirit may be given an additional Combat skill instead of an optional power), Venom | |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Insecticides, Severe), Evanescence |
B | A | R | S | W | L | I | C | EDG | ESS | M |
F+5 | F+3 | F+4 | F+5 | F+1 | F+1 | F+1 | F | F/2 | F | F |
Initiative | ((Fx2)+5)+2D6 |
Astral Initiative | (Fx2) +3D6 |
Skills | Assensing, Astral Combat, Con, Counterspelling, Gymnastics, Leadership, Negotiation, Perception, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat |
Powers | Animal Control (Insect Type), Astral Gateway, Banishing Resistance, Compulsion, Enhanced Senses (Smell, Thermographic Vision, or Ultrasound), Fear, Hive Mind, Sapience, Search, Spirit Pact, Wealth |
Optional Powers | Concealment, Guard, Natural Weapon (DV=(Force+3) Physical damage, AP-1), Noxious Breath, Venom |
Weaknesses | Allergy (Insecticides, Severe) |
Note | All Queen/Mother spirits are free spirits. |
In order for a critter to use a power against a target, they have to be in the same state, either astral or physical. Astral forms cannot affect physical targets, and physical forms cannot affect astral targets. An astral critter that can materialize can affect physical targets if they do so, however, and dual-natured critters can interact with the astral plane as easily as the physical one.
Each entry lists several common characteristics of each power:
Type: Like spells, powers may be either mana (M) or physical (P). Mana powers do not affect nonliving targets, whereas physical powers cannot be used in astral space or to affect astral forms.
Action: Most powers require a certain type of action (Simple or Complex) to activate. Some are always on and require no action to activate; these are listed with an Action of “Auto.”
Range: All powers have a range; this is listed as Line of Sight (LOS), Touch, or Self (the power affects only the critter itself). The Line of Sight rules for spellcasting (p. 281) also apply to critter powers. Unless otherwise noted, a power may only be used on one target at a time.
Duration: This entry indicates how long the power’s effect lasts. Powers that are constantly in effect (those with an Action of Auto) have a duration of Always.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Instant |
When a critter targets someone with this power, make an Opposed Test, using the critter’s MAG + WIL vs the target’s REA + INT. If the critter wins, treat it as if the target rolled a glitch on a test. If the critter scores 4 or more net hits, the accident is treated as a critical glitch. A critter can use this power on a number of targets at once equal to its Magic rating.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Touch | Duration: | Instant |
Treat this as a toxin attack with the following ratings:
Anaphylactic Shock: If the damage is not completely resisted, the victim takes 1 box of damage each Combat Turn until he dies, unless he is treated with a First Aid + LOG [Mental] (2) Test with appropriate drugs (such as from a medkit) or an Antidote, Detox, or Heal spell.
Type: | M | Action: | Complex | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Sustained |
This power lets the critters control the behavior of an animal or a group of animals. It has to be a normal behavior for the target animal. If the target critter leaves the controlling critter’s line of sight, it can’t be commanded any longer, but it will continue to follow any orders they had already been given for the critter’s CHA in minutes. The critter may control a number of small animals (cats, rats, etc.) equal to its CHA x 5, or a number of larger animals (wolves, lions, bears, etc.) equal to its Charisma. This power may not be used on any critter with the Sapience power.
Type: | P | Action: | Auto | Range: | Self | Duration: | Always |
The critter’s natural Armor rating is cumulative with any armor worn.
Type: | M | Action: | Auto | Range: | Self | Duration: | Always |
A critter with this power only exists in the astral plane. Only astral attacks or mana spells/powers may hurt an astral critter; physical attacks or spells/powers have no effect. The reverse is also true; an astral critter can only affect dual-natured beings or those on the astral plane, whether through astral projection or astral perception.
Critters with this power may manifest on the physical plane in the same way as astrally projecting magicians.
Type: | M | Action: | Complex | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Sustained |
The spirit can open an astral rift, which forces all nearby objects to become dual-natured and allows even mundanes to astrally project. An astral rift can open to any metaplane the spirit can visit.
Type: | M | Action: | Free | Range: | Self | Duration: | Sustained |
This power functions like Masking and Extended Masking metamagics. Use the spirit’s Edge in place of its initiate grade. The spirit can also hide its own use of powers on itself within the mask; only a magician who pierces this mask can see the spirit using such powers. A spirit can mask itself to look like another astral being, but it cannot try to pass itself off as a mundane being unless it is attached to a physical body or has the Realistic Form power.
Type: | M | Action: | Auto | Range | Self | Duration | Special |
When resisting a Banishing attempt, treat the spirit as if it owes a number of services equal to its Edge; these refresh every sunrise and sunset and are cumulative with any services the spirit may actually owe a conjurer.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Special | Duration: | Instant |
The critter with this power can make its target stick to any surface the target happens to be touching. The target may attempt to break free from this with a Complex Action, rolling STR + BOD against the critter’s MAG + WIL. If the target prevails, he has escaped. If he fails, he remains immobilized until the next time he can attempt an escape. The range of this power depends on how the critter binds its targets; it may shoot webbing (Range: LOS), have a sticky body (Range: Touch), or just be good at sticking to things (Range: Self).
Type: | M | Action: | Complex | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Sustained |
This power enables the critter to compel a target to perform a specific action, even if that action might not be in the target’s best interests. The critter must make an Opposed Test using its Magic + Charisma against the target’s Willpower + Logic; if the target loses, he must immediately carry out the compelled action. The victim immediately recognizes that he was compelled to act after this power is used. This power can’t be used to plant suggestions for future compelled actions; once the power is dropped, the target’s mind is his own once again.
Type: | P | Action: | Simple | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Sustained |
Critters with this power can mystically hide themselves, other people, or things that someone else is seeking. Concealment subtracts a number of dice equal to the critter’s MAG from any Perception Tests to locate the concealed subject. Concealment can be used simultaneously on a number of metahuman-sized targets equal to the critter’s MAG, or a number of much smaller targets (cats, babies, rats, etc.) equal to the critter’s MAG x 5. Concealed subjects can see each other if the critter allows it. The effect lasts until the target is spotted or the critter stops sustaining the power.
Type: | M | Action: | Complex | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Sustained |
This power renders the target unable to think clearly. The critter makes an Opposed Test using its MAG + WIL against the target’s WIL + LOG. Any net hits the critter scores become a negative dice pool modifier for any action the target character takes.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Special | Duration: | Instant |
The critter has a standard ranged combat attack using the critter’s Exotic Ranged Weapon skill + AGI [Physical], with range increments of (BOD) meters. The spit causes Acid damage, with a DV of (MAG x 2)P and an AP of –(critter’s MAG).
Type: | P | Action: | Simple | Range: | Special | Duration: | Sustained |
For an area with a radius of (Force) meters around the spirit, the temperature drops by (Force x 2)°C. Also, organic material in this radius decays at a faster rate, aging by a factor equal to the spirit’s Force. This effect is not fast enough to noticeably damage metahumans and other large critters, but the aura withers plants and kills small creatures such as insects or mice. This aura fills living creatures with unreasoning terror. Someone who wishes to voluntarily enter an affected area must succeed in an Opposed Test between their CHA + WIL and the spirit’s Force x 2 or else they are compelled to flee until they are out of sight of whatever caused the aura.
Type: | M | Action: | Complex | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Sustained |
Desire Reflection fids the greatest desire of a single target within line of sight and evokes a full-sensory illusion keyed to the desire in the target’s mind. To use this power the critter must succeed in an Opposed Test pitting its MAG + INT against the target’s WIL + INT. If it scores any net hits, the victim falls for the illusion. Otherwise the power fails to affect the victim.
Left to their own devices, victims act as if their desire were real and right in front of them. If the victim is attacked, injured, slapped, and so on, he may make another Opposed Test to resist the illusion; if the attack or what have you comes directly from a component of the illusion, add +2 to the dice pool. Each hit reduces the spirit’s net hits on the original Opposed Test. If the spirit’s net hits are reduced to 0, the victim breaks free of the illusion. Those who fail are lost and entranced, caught up in the fulfilment of their desire.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Touch | Duration: | Sustained |
The spirit makes an Opposed Test, using the spirit’s Force x 2 against the Object Resistance of all possible materials/objects within (Magic) meters (to save time, the gamemaster may choose to roll once for the spirit and then roll Object Resistance for each object or object type). If the spirit gets any net hits against a particular object, that object is devoured. While this power is sustained, barriers lose 1 point of Structure Rating and vehicles take 1 box of damage per Combat Turn. Living critters and characters are unaffected.
Type: | M | Action: | Special | Range: | Special | Duration: | Special |
This power functions like the Divination metamagic, except the spirit uses Magic + Intuition to divine meaning instead of Arcana + Logic.
Type: | M | Action: | Auto | Range: | LOS | Duration: | Instant |
Dragons (and some other, possibly related, critters) are able to communicate telepathically with other beings through this power—as many as they like within line of sight—no matter what the beings’ own Language skills look like. This power lets the critter project speech, but the target(s) cannot respond the same way without their own telepathic ability.
Type: | P | Action: | Auto | Range: | Self | Duration: | Always |
Dual-natured critters are active in both the astral plane and the physical plane at the same time. They can affect both astral and physical beings. They can perceive and interact with the astral plane like characters using astral perception. Being dual natured, though, is different from astral perception in that a dual-natured critter always senses both the physical and astral worlds; they don’t have to shift back and forth (and, in fact, cannot do so). Their minds are accustomed to processing both astral and physical sensations, so dual-natured critters don’t suffer the –2 dice pool modifier for interacting with the physical world while astrally perceiving.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Special | Duration: | Instant |
The power is a ranged attack, with range increments of (MAG) meters, using the critter’s Exotic Ranged Weapon skill + AGI [Physical] to attack. The attack’s DV is (MAG x 2)P with an AP of –(critter’s MAG), plus as the appropriate elemental damage, as listed in the critter’s statistics.
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Special | Duration: | Instant |
This attack follows the rules for Elemental Attack but with the following modifiations:
Pollutant attacks have a DV of (MAG x 2)S with an AP of –(critter’s MAG). Additionally, once the pollutant has worked its way into the character’s system (that is, after the interval determined by the toxin’s Speed), he must resist a toxin with the following stats:
Type: | P | Action: | Complex | Range: | Special | Duration: | Instant |
This attack follows the rules for Elemental Attack but causes radiation elemental damage. Radiation damage is treated as Physical damage and ignores Armor; however, the affected character may add the rating of a hazmat suit or other radiation-resistant gear when making a Damage Resistance Test against radiation damage. Radiation poisoning may also cause nausea, headaches, blindness, or other central nervous system impairments (per gamemaster’s discretion).
This implant harnesses the raw data-coordinating and synchronization power of the middle brain for the express purpose of directly manipulating rigged vehicles and drones (and other devices with rigger interface, like turrets). It has a built-in sim module, so you can use it for DNI with other devices. It also comes with a universal data connector and about a meter of retractable cable (it’s like getting a free datajack). When you’re jumped into a vehicle or drone, the control rig provides its Rating as a dice pool bonus on all Vehicle skill tests. Additionally, the rating of your control rig is added to the Handling and Speed of any vehicle you are jumped into. As if that was not enough, your Vehicle Test thresholds are reduced by the rating of your control rig (to a minimum of 1), again when you’re jumped in.
Device | Essence | Availability | Cost |
Rating 1 | 1 | 5R | 43,000¥ |
Rating 2 | 2 | 10R | 97,000¥ |
Rating 3 | 3 | 15R | 208,000¥ |
A rigger command console, or RCC, is like a deck for controlling drones (or other vehicles and devices). It’s about the size of a briefcase. It can act like a commlink and has all the features of a commlink in addition to the cool drone stuff. The main purpose of the RCC is to create a PAN with your drones. This gives the standard master-slave benefits, but the RCC comes with some extra features.
Console | Device Rating | Availability | Cost | Data Processing | Firewall |
Scratch-Built Junk | 1 | 2R | 1,400¥ | 3 | 2 |
Radio Shack Remote Controller | 2 | 6R | 8,000¥ | 3 | 3 |
Essy Motors DroneMaster | 3 | 6R | 16,000¥ | 4 | 4 |
CompuForce TaskMaster | 4 | 8R | 32,000¥ | 5 | 4 |
Maersk Spider | 4 | 8R | 34,000¥ | 4 | 5 |
Maser Industrial Electronics | 5 | 8R | 64,000¥ | 3 | 4 |
Vulcan Liegelord | 5 | 10R | 66,000¥ | 4 | 6 |
Proteus Poseidon | 5 | 12R | 68,000¥ | 5 | 6 |
Lone Star Remote Controller | 6 | 14R | 75,000¥ | 6 | 5 |
MCT Drone Web | 6 | 16R | 95,000¥ | 7 | 6 |
Triox UberMensch | 6 | 18R | 140,000¥ | 8 | 7 |
Data Processing is used to determine Initiative when running in VR and acts as the Limit for all Command tests performed on the RCC.
Along with all the standard features of a commlink, rigger command consoles have Noise Reduction and Sharing ratings that you set when you boot the console. The Noise reduction rating is straight-up Noise Reduction, which is cumulative with other forms of Noise Reduction. The Sharing rating is the number of autosofts you can run on the RCC that simultaneously run on all slaved drones at the same time. One caveat: if a drone is running any of its own autosofts, it cannot benefit from the RCC’s autosofts.
If you’re using an RCC, you can compensate for noise on the fly. Take a Complex Action and make an Electronic Warfare + Logic [Data Processing] test. The hits from this test act as Noise reduction (cumulative with all other Noise reduction) for the rest of the current Combat Turn.
The total of both ratings cannot exceed the device rating of the RCC. You can adjust the values of these two special ratings with a Change Device Mode action. That means if your RCC has a Device Rating of 1 it can only have one or the other feature running at a time.
Your RCC manages several parallel connections at once, so you can give a command to one, all, or some of your slaved drones with the same Simple Action. This multi-connection also lets you jump from one slaved drone to another without first jumping out of the drone you’re leaving. Commands issued from your RCC are acted on during the drone’s Action Phase, not yours.
Drones receiving multiple contradicting commands on the same control levels before they have a chance to enact those commands on their Action Phase fail to perform any of them and instead send an error message back to the users attempting to issue the commands.
If you want extra protection for your drones and the ability to command them all at once, you can slave them to your RCC. Your RCC can handle up to (Device Rating x 3) slaved drones, becoming the master device on that network. The group of your slaved drones plus your master RCC is called a personal area network, or PAN.
Whenever a slaved device is called on to make a defense test, it uses either its own or its master’s Rating for each Rating in the test. For example, if your slaved roto drone is the target of a hacker’s Brute Force action, it could use your Willpower in place of its Device Rating, and your RCC’s Firewall in place of its own Rating, assuming that either or both of these Ratings improve on what it already has.
The same rules for marks on slaved devices apply in the RCC-drone relationship as in other Matrix couplings. Most important to you are that if you get a mark on a slave, you also get a mark on the master, and that if an attacker has a direct connection, your drone can’t use you for help.
There are also wide area networks, or WANs, with multiple devices slaved to a host. This is the world of that special kind of rigger, the security spider. They slave their RCC to the building’s host and connect to the entire security system, including all of its slaved drones. When you’re inside a host, your effective “physical distance” to drones slaved to that host becomes zero, even if you’re on the other side of the world. The spider-rigger is often teamed up with a spider-decker to help against hacking intrusions on the security system.
The rigger interface is specialized gear that is fitted to a vehicle and allows you to jump in, rigger-style. Drones are designed for use by riggers, and have been designed with the rigger interface built in. Nearly all vehicles need to have the interface added as an after-factory option, however, except for military and law-enforcement vehicles.
Rigger Interface (Vehicle Mod) | Availability: 4 | Cost: 1,000¥ |
Autosofts are specialized programs designed to increase the effectiveness of a drone’s performance. In other words, people have skills, drones have autosofts.
An autosoft is rated between 1 and 6. A drone has a number of slots to use for autosofts and cyberprograms equal to half its Device Rating, rounded up. Swapping autosofts and programs is a Complex Matrix Action.
Here’s a short list of autosoft programs. An autosoft with the term [Model] in it means that each copy is for a specific model of drone or vehicle; for example, a Steel Lynx Maneuvering autosoft only works for Steel Lynx drones and is useless in a Nissan Jackrabbit or a Doberman drone.
If a drone is slaved to a rigger command console and isn’t running any of its own programs, it uses the programs running on the RCC. This can exceed its normal program limit.
Program/Software | Availability | Cost |
Autosoft | Rating x 2 | Rating x 500¥ |
Riggers can utilize a number of cyberprograms that deckers usually use. Programs purchased for use on an RCC cannot be used in a cyberdeck and vice versa. As with decks, RCCs cannot run more than one type of program of the same type, even if you rename it.
This is controlling a vehicle or drone via physical controls. Steering wheels, pedals, levers, cranks, buttons, switches, whatever. This is entirely limited to your character’s own physical capacity.
This is the result of a Control Device matrix action. This means your character has to be connected to the vehicle through the Rigger Control Console or a Commlink through the Matrix. Noise applies.
This is jumping into the device. This means having either three marks on a device or being the owner. If in AR, jumping in is a Complex Action. If in VR, jumping in is a Simple Action. If plugged into the device or an RCC using a direct connection, it’s a Simple Action.
When you’re jumped into a vehicle or other device, you’re in Virtual Reality mode. The control rig allows you to treat Vehicle actions the same way you treat Matrix actions, so any bonus you get to Matrix actions also apply to Vehicle actions when you’re jumped in; this includes Vehicle Control Tests, Gunnery Tests, and Sensor Tests.
Just like in the Matrix, you have the option of using cold-sim or hot-sim while rigging. If you’re using coldsim, you get +2D6 to your Initiative (3D6 total), and any biofeedback damage you take is Stun. If you’re using hot-sim, you get +3D6 (4D6 total) Initiative dice, and a +1 dice pool bonus that applies to all Matrix test (including Vehicle actions), but all biofeedback damage is Physical damage.
When you’re jumped into a vehicle, drone, or other device, the limits of that device are increased by the rating of your control rig. This includes vehicle and drone Sensor, Speed, and Handling, and the Accuracy of mounted weapons when used by the rigger. The control rig also connects more smoothly through an RCC when operating in VR.
When you want to jump out of a vehicle, drone, or other device, you use the Switch Interface Mode action to go to VR or AR. If you’re using a rigger command console, you can instead use the Jump into Rigged Device action to jump directly to another device on your PAN.
This is the device piloting itself via a pilot program.
A pilot program is specific to the device it’s in. You can’t just copy a program from one device and move it into a different one. After a week or so, the pilot is so adapted to the specific vehicle, drone, or other device that it’s useless in anything else, even other devices of the same model.
Pilots have a Rating indicated by the Device Rating of the vehicle, drone, or other piece of gear they’re in. This rating is used in place of any Mental attribute needed for a test, but it hardly makes up for a metahuman brain. When faced with something novel or unexpected, or a complicated command, a Pilot program must make a Device Rating x 2 Test against a threshold set by the gamemaster based on how confusing the situation is. If it fails this test, it blithely continues doing what it was doing before, or simply stops entirely and asks for instructions.
Drones follow normal combat rules in addition to Gunnery and Sensor rules for vehicles.
Drones acting autonomously have an Initiative attribute of Pilot Rating x 2, and get 3D6 additional Initiative Dice (for a total of 4D6). When jumped in, the drone uses the VR initiative of the rigger.
Whenever the vehicle or other device you’re jumped into takes Physical damage, the feedback can hurt you. Whenever the vehicle or drone you’re jumped into takes boxes of damage, you must resist half (rounded up) of that damage as Biofeedback damage.
When you take Matrix damage, it goes to the first device you’re using for your persona, not the device you’re jumped into. If you used your commlink or rigger command console to enter VR before jumping in, your commlink or RCC (respectively) is the target of Matrix damage to your persona. If you’re directly connected to the vehicle you’re jumped into, the vehicle takes the Matrix damage.
Drones have two damage tracks, Physical and Matrix. Fill up either one and the drone is either irreparably destroyed and joins the spare parts collections, or it gets bricked and it’s time to completely rewire its guts. But up until that final box is filled, damage done to a drone can be repaired. Repairing Physical damage follows the rules for building and repair.
Riggers can be forcefully ejected from their jumped-in vehicles in three nasty ways.
In all three cases, a dumped rigger suffers dumpshock and loses control of the vehicle (natch). Vehicles with a Pilot Rating will return to autopilot control at the beginning of the next Combat Turn. Vehicles are uncontrolled until someone else takes control.
Name | Acc | Reach | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Combat Axe | 4 | 2 | (STR+5)P | –4 | 12R | 4,000¥ | SR5 |
Combat Knife | 6 | — | (STR+2)P | –3 | 4 | 300¥ | SR5 |
Cougar Fineblade (Long) | 7 | — | (STR+3)P | –1 | 7R | 600¥ | R&G |
Cougar Fineblade (Short) | 7 | — | (STR+2)P | –1 | 5R | 350¥ | R&G |
Forearm Snap-Blades | 4 | — | (STR+2)P | –2 | 7R | 200¥ | SR5 |
Highland Forge Claymore | 5 | 2 | (STR+5)P | –5 | 14R | 4,500¥ | R&G |
Horizon-Flynn Rapier | 7 | 1 | (STR+2)P | –3 | 9R | 500¥ | R&G |
Katana | 7 | 1 | (STR+3)P | –3 | 9R | 1,000¥ | SR5 |
Knife | 5 | — | (STR+1)P | –1 | — | 10¥ | SR5 |
Monofilament Sword | 5 | 1 | (STR+3)P | –3 | 8R | 900¥ | R&G |
Pole Arm | 5 | 3 | (STR+3)P | –2 | 6R | 1,000¥ | SR5 |
Survival Knife | 5 | — | (STR+2)P | –1 | — | 100¥ | SR5 |
Sword | 6 | 1 | (STR+3)P | –2 | 5R | 500¥ | SR5 |
Vibro Knife | 5 | — | (STR+2)P | –2 | 6R | 1,000¥ | SASS |
Vibro Sword | 6 | 1 | (STR+4)P | –2 | 8F | 2,000¥ | SASS |
Victorinox Memory Blade (Sword) | 5 | 1 | (STR+2)P | –2 | 14R | 1,500¥ | R&G |
Victorinox Memory Blade (Dagger) | 5 | — | (STR+1)P | –2 | 14R | 1,250¥ | R&G |
Name | Acc | Reach | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Club | 4 | 1 | (STR+3)P | — | — | 30¥ | SR5 |
Extendable Baton | 5 | 1 | (STR+2)P | — | 4 | 100¥ | SR5 |
Sap | 5 | — | (STR+2)P | — | 2 | 30¥ | SR5 |
Staff | 6 | 2 | (STR+3)P | — | 3 | 100¥ | SR5 |
Stun Baton | 4 | 1 | 9S(e) | –5 | 6R | 750¥ | SR5 |
Maul Stun Staff | 6 | 2 | 9S(e) | –5 | 8R | 1,000¥ | R&G |
Telescoping Staff | 4 | 2 | (STR+2)P | — | 4 | 350¥ | SR5 |
Name | Acc | Reach | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ash Arms Combat Chainsaw | 5 | 1 | 8P | –4 | 6R | 2,000¥ | R&G |
Ash Arms Monofilament Chainsaw | 5 | 1 | 12P | –8 | 8R | 7,500¥ | R&G |
Bullwhip | 6 | 2 | (STR+1)P | +3 | 6 | 100¥ | R&G |
Chakram | 4 | — | (STR)P | — | 8R | 750¥ | R&G |
Garrote | 5 | — | (STR+4)S | –6 | — | 50¥ | R&G |
Monofilament Garrote | 5 | — | (STR+6)P | –8 | 18F | 2,000¥ | R&G |
Name | Acc | Reach | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Knucks | Physical | — | (STR+1)P | — | 2R | 100¥ | SR5 |
Monofilament Whip | 5(7) | 2 | 12P | –8 | 12F | 10,000¥ | SR5 |
Shock Gloves | Physical | — | 8S(e) | –5 | 6R | 550¥ | SR5 |
Name | Acc | Reach | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Bottle (Unbroken) | 3 | — | (STR+1)S | — | — | — | R&G |
Bottle (Broken, After First Hit) | 3 | — | (STR)P | — | — | — | R&G |
Chain | 4 | 2 | (STR+1)P | — | — | 10¥ | R&G |
Chair | 3 | 1 | (STR+2)S | — | — | 30¥ | R&G |
Fork | 4 | — | (STR-1)P | +1 | — | — | R&G |
Frying Pan | 3 | — | (STR+1)P | — | — | 20¥ | R&G |
Hammer | 4 | — | (STR+1)P | –1/–2 | — | 30 | R&G |
Pistol | 4 | — | (STR+1)P | — | — | — | R&G |
Pool Cue | 4 | — | (STR)P | +1 | — | 45¥ | R&G |
Rifle Butt | 3 | — | (STR+3)S | — | — | — | R&G |
Sledge Hammer | 3 | 1 | (STR+4)P | — | 1 | 40¥ | R&G |
(Check book listing for Wireless bonuses)
Tasers can take only top-mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Cavalier Safeguard | 5(6) | 6Se | –5 | SA | — | 6m | — | 275¥ | R&G |
Defiance EX Shocker | 4 | 9S(e) | –5 | SS | — | 4m | — | 250¥ | SR5 |
Tiffani-Defiance Protector | 5(6) | 7Se | –5 | SA | — | 3m | 2 | 300¥ | R&G |
Yamaha Pulsar | 5 | 7S(e) | –5 | SA | — | 4m | — | 180¥ | SR5 |
Hold-outs can’t take accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Colt New Model Revolver | 6 | 5P | — | SA | — | 5cy | 4R | 180¥ | GH3 |
Fichetti Tiffani Needler | 5 | 8P(f) | +5 | SA | — | 4c | 5R | 1,000¥ | SR5 |
Fichetti-Tiffani Self-Defender 2075 | 4 | 6P | — | SS | — | 4c | 3R | 350¥ | R&G |
Streetline Special | 4 | 6P | — | SA | — | 6c | 4R | 120¥ | SR5 |
Walther Palm Pistol | 4 | 7P | — | SS/BF | — | 2c | 4R | 180¥ | SR5 |
Light pistols can take top- and barrel-mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Light Fire 75 | 6(8) | 6P | — | SA | — | 16(c) | 6F | 1,250¥ | SR5 |
Ares Light Fire 70 | 7 | 6P | — | SA | — | 18(c) | 3R | 200¥ | SR5 |
Beretta 201T | 6 | 6P | — | SA/BF | (1) | 21(c) | 7R | 210¥ | SR5 |
Colt Agent Special | 5 | 8P | — | SA | — | 8c | 5R | 250¥ | SR5 |
Colt America L36 | 7 | 7P | — | SA | — | 11(c) | 4R | 320¥ | SR5 |
Fichetti Executive Action | 6 | 7P | — | SA/BF | — | 18(c) | 10R | 300¥ | R&G |
Fichetti Security 600 | 6(7) | 7P | — | SA | (1) | 30(c) | 6R | 350¥ | SR5 |
Nitama Sporter | 6(7) | 6P | — | SA | 1 | 5(m) | 4R | 270¥ | R&G |
Shiawase Armaments Puzzler | 4 | 6P | — | SA | — | 12(c) | 14R | 900¥ | R&G |
Taurus Omni-6 | 5(6) | 6P/7P | 0/–1 | SA/SS | — | 6(cy) | 3R | 300¥ | SR5 |
Heavy pistols can take top- and barrel- mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Predator III | 5(7) | 7P | –1 | SA | — | 15(c) | 6R | 600¥ | SASS |
Ares Predator V | 5(7) | 8P | –1 | SA | — | 15(c) | 5R | 725¥ | SR5 |
Ares Viper Silvergun | 4 | 9P(f) | +4 | SA/BF | — | 30(c) | 8F | 380¥ | SR5 |
Browning Ultra-Power | 5(6) | 8P | –1 | SA | — | 10(c) | 4R | 640¥ | SR5 |
Cavalier Deputy | 6 | 7P | –1 | SA | — | 7(cy) | 3R | 225¥ | R&G |
Colt Future Frontier | 5 | 8P | –1 | SS | — | 7(cy) | 6R | 500 | GH3 |
Colt Government 2066 | 6 | 7P | –1 | SA | — | 14(c) | 7R | 425¥ | SR5 |
Onotari Arms Violator | 5 | 7P | –1 | SA | 1 | 10c | 7R | 550¥ | R&G |
PSK-3 Collapsible Heavy Pistol | 4 | 8P | –1 | SA | — | 10c | 16F | 1,050¥ | R&G |
Remington Roomsweeper | 4 | 7P | –1 | SA | — | 8(m) | 6R | 250¥ | SR5 |
w/ flechettes | — | 9P(f) | +4 | — | — | — | — | — | R&G |
Ruger Super Warhawk | 5 | 9P | –2 | SS | — | 6(cy) | 4R | 400¥ | SR5 |
Savalette Guardian | 5(7) | 8P | –1 | SA/BF | 1 | 12c | 6R | 870¥ | R&G |
Machine pistols can take top- and barrel-mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Crusader II | 5(7) | 7P | — | SA/BF | 2 | 40(c) | 9R | 830¥ | SR5 |
Cavalier Evanator | 5(6) | 6P | — | BF/FA | 1(2) | 20c | 8R | 775¥ | GH3 |
Ceska Black Scorpion | 5 | 6P | — | SA/BF | (1) | 35(c) | 6R | 270¥ | SR5 |
Fianchetti Military 100 | 5(7) | 6P | — | SA/BF/FA | — | 20c | 8R | 850¥ | GH3 |
Onotari Arms Equalizer | 4(5) | 7P | — | BF/FA | (1) | 12(c) | 7R | 750¥ | R&G |
PPSK-4 Collapsible Machine Pistol | 5(6) | 6P | — | SA/BF | (1) | 30(c) | 17F | 2,800¥ | R&G |
Remington Supressor | 6 | 7P | –1 | SA/BF | — | 15c | 6R | 700¥ | GH3 |
Steyr TMP | 4 | 7P | — | SA/BF/FA | — | 30(c) | 8R | 350¥ | SR5 |
Ultimax 70 | 5(6) | 6P | — | BF/FA | 2 | 15(c) | 7R | 800¥ | R&G |
SMGs can take top- and barrel-mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Sigma 3 | 4(6) | 8P | — | SA/BF/FA | 2 | 50d | 7R | 1,000¥ | GH3 |
Cavalier Arms Gladius | 3(4) | 7P | — | BF/FA | 1(2) | 32c | 6R | 400¥ | GH3 |
Colt Cobra TZ-120 | 4(5) | 7P | — | SA/BF | 2(3) | 32c | 5R | 660¥ | SR5 |
FN P93 Predator | 6 | 8P | — | SA/BF | 1(2) | 50c | 11F | 900¥ | SR5 |
HK-227 | 5(7) | 7P | — | SA/BF | (1) | 28c | 8R | 730¥ | SR5 |
Ingram Smartgun X | 4(6) | 8P | — | BF/FA | 2 | 32c | 6R | 800¥ | SR5 |
Krime Spree | 4 | 7P | — | FA | 1 | 30c | 6R | 425¥ | GH3 |
SCK Model 100 | 5(7) | 8P | — | SA/BF | (1) | 30c | 6R | 875¥ | SR5 |
Uzi IV | 4(5) | 7P | — | BF | (1) | 24c | 4R | 450¥ | SR5 |
Assault rifles can take top-, barrel-, and underbarrel-mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
AK-97 | 5 | 10P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | — | 38c | 4R | 950¥ | SR5 |
AK-98 | 5 | 10P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | — | 38(c) | 8F | 1,250¥ | R&G |
-Grenade Launcher | 3 | Grenade | Grenade | SS | — | 6(m) | — | — | |
Ares Alpha | 5(7) | 11P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | 2 | 42c | 11F | 2,650¥ | SR5 |
-Grenade Launcher | 4(6) | Grenade | Grenade | SS | — | 6c | — | — | SR5 |
Ares HVAR | 5(7) | 8P | — | SA/BF/FA | 3(4) | 50(c) | 11F | 2,400¥ | |
Colt Inception | 7(8) | 10P | –1 | SA/BF | 1(3) | 35c | 11R | 2,250¥ | GH3 |
Colt M23 | 4 | 9P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | — | 40c | 4R | 550¥ | SR5 |
FN HAR | 5(6) | 10P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | 2 | 35c | 8R | 1,500¥ | SR5 |
HK XM30 | |||||||||
-Assault Rifle | 6(8) | 9P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | (1) | 30(c) | 15F | 4,500¥ | R&G |
-Carbine | 6(8) | 9P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | (1) | 30(c) | — | — | |
-Sniper | 7(9) | 9P | –2 | SA | 2(3) | 10(c) | — | — | |
-LMG | 6(8) | 9P | –2 | BF/FA | 2(3) | 100(belt) | — | — | |
-Shotgun | 3(5) | 10P | –1 | SA | (1) | 10(c) | — | — | |
-Grenade Launcher | 4 | Grenade | Grenade | SS | — | 6(c) | — | — | |
Nissan Optimum II | 5(7) | 9P | –2 | SA/BF/FA | 1 | 30(c) | 10F | 2,300¥ | R&G |
-Shotgun | 4(6) | 10P | –1 | SA | 1 | 5(m) | — | — | |
Krime Boss | 3 | 13P | –1 | SA | 1 | 15d | 11R | 600¥ | GH3 |
Krupp Arms Kriegfaust | 8 | 9P | –1 | SA/BF | 1 | 25d | 10R | 1,300¥ | GH3 |
SBd-44 | 3 | 10P | –1 | SA/BF/FA | — | 32c | 4R | 500¥ | GH3 |
Shiawase Arms Monsoon | 5 | 10P | –1 | SA/FA | 1 | 20mlx6 | 10F | 1,900¥ | GH3 |
Ultimax Rain Forest Carbine | 7 | 14P | –4 | SA | 1 | 18c | 5R | 2,800¥ | GH3 |
Yamaha Raiden | 6(8) | 11P | –2 | BF/FA | 1 | 60c | 14F | 2,600¥ | SR5 |
Shotguns can take top, barrel, and underbarrel accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Auto-Assault 16 | 4 | 13P | –1 | SA/BF/FA | –2 | 10c or 32d | 18F | 1,800¥ | R&G |
Cavalier Falchion | 5(7) | 12P | –1 | SS | — | 8m | 9R | 1,200¥ | GH3 |
Defiance T-250 | 4 | 10P | –1 | SS/SA | — | 5(m) | 4R | 450¥ | SR5 |
Enfield AS-7 | 4(5) | 13P | –1 | SA/BF | — | 10c or 24d | 12F | 1,100¥ | SR5 |
Franchi SPAS-24 | 4(6) | 12P | –1 | SA/BF | –1 | 10c | 12F | 1,050¥ | R&G |
Mossberg AM-CMDT | 5(7) | 12P | –1 | SA/BF/FA | — | 10(c) | 12F | 1,400¥ | R&G |
PJSS Model 55 | 6 | 11P | –1 | SS | 1 | 2(b) | 9R | 1,000¥ | SR5 |
Remington 990 | 4 | 11P | –1 | SA | — | 8(c) | 6R | 950¥ | R&G |
Shiawase Arms Rain | 4 | 10P | –1 | SA | 1 | 5ml | 4R | 450¥ | GH3 |
Winchester Model 201 | 8 | 11P | –1 | SA | — | 2b | 8R | 1,300¥ | GH3 |
Winchester Model 2054 | 4(5) | 11P | –1 | SA | 1 | 7m | 6R | 900¥ | GH3 |
Winchester Model 2066 | 4 | 11P | –1 | SS | — | 5m | 4R | 1,000¥ | GH3 |
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
M1 Garand | 5 | 12P | –1 | SA | — | 8(C) | 3R | 1,100¥ | GH3 |
Marlin 3041 BL | 5 | 10P | –3 | SA | — | 6(M) | 5R | 1,100¥ | GH3 |
Marlin 3468SS | 4 | 13P | –1 | SS | — | 4(M) | 6R | 1,000¥ | GH3 |
Marlin X71 | 5 | 12P | –4 | SS | — | 5(M) | 6R | 1,500¥ | GH3 |
Marlin X9S | 4 | 6P | — | SA | — | 10(C) | 3R | 300¥ | GH3 |
Springfield 2003 | 9 | 12P | –2 | SS | — | 5(M) | 4R | 3,600¥ | GH3 |
Springfield M1A | 6 | 12P | –1 | SA | — | 20(C) | 6R | 1,700¥ | GH3 |
Springfield Model 1855 Reproduction | 2 | 10P | — | SS | — | 1(CB) | 4R | 850¥ | GH3 |
Winchester Model 2024 | 6 | 12P | — | SA | — | 7(M) | 4R | 1,800¥ | GH3 |
Winchester Model 2067 | 5 | 8P | –1 | SA | — | 15m | 4R | 650¥ | GH3 |
Sniper rifles can take top, barrel-, and underbarrel-mounted accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Desert Strike | 7 | 13P | –4 | SA | 1 | 14c | 10F | 17,500¥ | SR5 |
Barret Model 122 | 7(9) | 14P | –6 | SA | 2 | 14(c) | 20F | 38,500¥ | R&G |
Cavalier Arms Crockett EBR | 6 | 12P | –3 | SA/BF | 1 | 20c | 12F | 10,300¥ | SR5 |
Onotari JP-K50 | 7 | 12P | –3 | SA/BF | 1 | 25(c) | 13F | 12,500¥ | R&G |
Pioneer 60 | 5 | 10P | –1 | SS | — | 5(m) | 2R | 500¥ | R&G |
Ranger Arms SM-5 | 8 | 14P | –5 | SA | 1 | 15c | 16F | 28,000¥ | SR5 |
Remington 950 | 7 | 12P | –4 | SS | — | 5m | 4R | 2,100¥ | SR5 |
Ruger 100 | 6 | 11P | –3 | SA | 1 | 8m | 4R | 1,300¥ | SR5 |
SVD | 5(6) | 10P | –2 | SA | — | 10c | 6R | 800¥ | AP |
Terracotta Arms AM-47 | 7(9) | 15P | –4 | SA | 1(3) | 18(c) | 14F | 35,000¥ | R&G |
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
GE Vindicator | 4(6) | 9P | –4 | FA | 2 | 100 or 200b | 24F | 6,000¥ | R&G |
Ingram Valiant | 5(6) | 9P | –2 | BF/FA | 2(3) | 50c or 100b | 12F | 5,800¥ | SR5 |
Krime Wave | 5 | 10P | –2 | FA | 2 | 50c or 100b | 11F | 2,000¥ | GH3 |
SA Nemesis | 5(7) | 9P | –2 | BF/FA | 2 | 50c or 100b | 16F | 6,500¥ | R&G |
MMGs and HMGs could be carried by someone with Strength of 8+ and 10+ (respectively).
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
FN MAG-5 MMG | 4(5) | 11P | –3 | FA | 2(8) | 50c or 100b | 18F | 8,500¥ | R&G |
RPK HMG | 5 | 12P | –4 | FA | 6 | 50c or 100b | 16F | 16,300¥ | SR5 |
Ruhrmetall SF-20 HMG | 5(6) | 12P | –4 | FA | 1(4) | 50c or 100b | 18F | 19,600¥ | R&G |
Stoner-Ares M202 MMG | 5 | 10P | –3 | FA | — | 50c or 100b | 12F | 7,000¥ | SR5 |
Ultamax MMG | 5(6) | 10P | –2 | FA | 1/6 | 50c or 100b | 16F | 7,600¥ | R&G |
Ultimax HMG-2 | 4(5) | 11P | –4 | FA | 6 | 50c or 100b | 16F | 16,000¥ | R&G |
Suffer uncompensated recoil. Can take top and underbarrel accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Thunderstruck Gauss Rifle | 7(8) | 15P | –8 | SA | 1 | 10c + Energy | 24F | 26,000¥ | R&G |
Ares Vigorous Assault Cannon | 4 | 16P | –6 | SS | — | 12(c) | 18F | 24,500¥ | R&G |
Krime Bomb | 6(7) | 16P | –6 | SS | — | 4m | 20F | 23,000¥ | GH3 |
Krime Cannon | 4 | 16P | –6 | SA | 1 | 6(m) | 20F | 21,000¥ | SR5 |
Ogre Hammer SWS Assault Cannon | 6 | 16P | –4 | SA | — | 6(c) | 20F | 32,000¥ | R&G |
Panther XXL | 5(7) | 17P | –6 | SS | — | 15(c) | 20F | 43,000¥ | SR5 |
Suffer uncompensated recoil. Can take top and underbarrel accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Antioch-2 | 4(6) | Grenade | — | SS | — | 8(m) | 6F | 3,200¥ | SR5 |
ArmTech MGL-12 | 4 | Grenade | — | SA | — | 12(c) | 10F | 5,000¥ | SR5 |
Suffer uncompensated recoil. Can take top and underbarrel accessories.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Aztechnology Striker | 5 | Missile | — | SS | — | 1(ml) | 10F | 1,200¥ | SR5 |
Mitsubishi Yakusoku MRL | Missile | Missile | Missile | SA/BF* | — | 4x2m | 20F | 14,000¥ | R&G |
Onotari Arms Ballista MML | Missile | Missile | Missile | SS | — | 4(m) | 19F | 7,500¥ | R&G |
Onotari Interceptor | 4(6) | Missile | — | SS | — | 2(ml) | 18F | 14,000¥ | SR5 |
Bows have ratings that indicate the minimum Strength you need to use that weapon. When attacking with a bow, a character whose Strength is less than the Strength minimum suffers a –3 dice pool modifier per point below the minimum; this penalty reflects the difficulty they have in pulling the bow and nocking an arrow. Use the lowest value of your Strength, the bow’s rating, or the arrow Rating for range and damage when attacking a target.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Bow | 6 | (Rating + 2)P | –(Rating/4) | Rating | Rating x 100¥ | SR5 |
Arrow | — | — | — | Rating | Rating x 2¥ | SR5 |
Injection Arrow | — | — | — | (Rating + 2)R | Rating x 20¥ | SR5 |
Onotari Interceptor | 4(6) | Missile | — | 18F | 14,000¥ | SR5 |
Modern crossbows are equipped with automatic reloading devices, so unless you’re using a museum piece, reloading doesn’t require a Ready Weapon action. Crossbows have internal magazines (m) holding up to 4 bolts. Crossbows are available in Light, Medium, and Heavy sizes.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Light | 7 | 5P | –1 | 2 | 300¥ | SR5 |
Medium | 6 | 7P | –2 | 4R | 500¥ | SR5 |
Heavy | 5 | 10P | –3 | 8R | 1000¥ | SR5 |
Bolt | — | — | — | 2 | 5¥ | SR5 |
Injection Bolt | — | — | — | 8R | 50¥ | SR5 |
A character can ready (Agility ÷ 2) of these knives with one Ready Weapon action.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Throwing knife/Shuriken | Physical | (STR + 1)P | –1 | 4R | 25¥ | SR5 |
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Throwing Knife/shuriken | Physical | (STR+1)P | –1 | 4R | 25¥ | SR5 |
Boomerang | Physical -1 | (STR+2)P | — | 4 | 50¥ | R&G |
Harpoon/Javelin | Physical | (STR+3)P | –1 | 6 | 125¥ | R&G |
Net | Physical-2 | — | — | 6 | 350¥ | R&G |
Throwing Knife/shuriken | Physical | (STR+1)P | –1 | 4R | 25¥ | SR5 |
Urban Tribe Tomahawk | Physical+1 | (STR+2)P | –1 | 4 | 200¥ | R&G |
Grenades are small, self-contained explosive packages. Minigrenades are grenades specifically designed for use with grenade launchers, set to arm when they have traveled 5 meters from their point of origin and explode on impact. This safety feature can be disabled with an Armorer + Logic [Mental] (4, 5 Minutes) Extended Test. Minigrenades have the same cost and effects as standard grenades.
Grenades and similar explosives can also be rigged with a tripwire to set up as a basic booby-trap. This requires an Extended Demolitions + Logic [Mental] (8, 1 Complex Action) Test.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Flash-bang | 10S | –4 | 10m Radius | 6R | 100¥ | SR5 |
Flash-pak | Special | — | Special | 4 | 125¥ | SR5 |
Fragmentation | 18Pf | +5 | –1/m | 11F | 100¥ | SR5 |
High Explosive | 16P | –2 | –2/m | 11F | 100¥ | SR5 |
Gas | as Chemical | — | 10m | 2+Chem avail | 40¥+Chem Cost | SR5 |
Smoke | — | — | 10m | 4R | 40¥ | SR5 |
Thermal, smoke | — | — | 10m | 6R | 60¥ | SR5 |
Laser weapons suffer no recoil. For each range category beyond Short, decrease the weapon’s DV by 1 (Medium –1, Long –2, Extreme –3). Decrease the DV by 1 for each level of Visibility modifiers (Light –1, Moderate –2, Heavy –3). The air condition and distance modifiers stack. Portable laser weapons derive their power from peak discharge battery packs. Stationary or vehicle mounted laser weapons are often directly linked to energy sources. Laser weapons require the Exotic Ranged Weapon (Laser Weapons) skill to use.
They may mount underbarrel and top mounted accessories only and cannot be modified in any way.
Check listing for range tables.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Redline | 9 | 5P | –10 | SA | — | 10c or External Source | 14F | 7,500¥ | R&G |
Ares Lancer MP Laser | 7 | 7P | –10 | SA | — | 2x10c or External Source | 18F | 16,000¥ | R&G |
Ares Archon Heavy MP Laser | 7 | 10P | –10 | SA | — | External Source | 24F | 35,000¥ | R&G |
Flamethrowers require a small flame to ignite the fuel mixture. Igniting the flame require a Complex Action to ready it. If the flamethrower is connected via wireless to the users PAN, it’s only a Simple Action. A wireless DNI connection makes it a Free Action.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Shiawase Blazer | 6 | 10P | –6 | SA/BF/FA | — | 4(c) | 16F | 2,200¥ | R&G |
Shiawase Arms Incinerator | 4 | 12P | –6 | SS | — | 6c | 12F | 10,000¥ | GH3 |
See book for special rules.
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Screech Sonic Rifle | 6 | 7S | * | SS | — | 10(c) | 16R | 8,000¥ | R&G |
Blowgun | 8 | 1P | — | SS | n/a | 1(ml) | 4 | 15¥ | R&G |
Bolas | Physical | (STR+3)S | +4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6 | 75¥ | R&G |
Monofilament Bolas | Physical | (STR+3)S/12P | +4/–8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 18F | 4,000¥ | R&G |
FN-AAL Gyrojet Pistol | 5 | 10P | –2 | SA | — | 10(c) | 12F | 2,000¥ | R&G |
Trafalgar Gun Cane | 6 | 7P | — | SS | — | 1(b) | 9R | 750¥ | R&G |
Knockoff Gun Cane | 5 | 9P | — | SS | — | — | 6R | 150¥ | |
Net Guns | |||||||||
-Basic | 5 | — | — | SS | n/a | 4(b) | 9 | 750¥/350¥ | R&G |
-XL | 5 | — | — | SS | n/a | 2(b) | 9 | 1,000¥/400¥ | R&G |
ShockNet | As Gun | 8S(e) | –5 | as gun | n/a | as gun | 10R | +250 | R&G |
Shooting Bracer | 5(6) | 7P | — | SS | — | 1(b) | 10R | 1,250¥ | R&G |
Check book entry for stats
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Mode | RC | Ammo | Avail | Cost | Book |
AquaDyne Shark-XS Harpoon Gun | 5 | 9P | –2 | SS | — | 5(m) | 8R | 800¥ | R&G |
Pistol Crossbow | 7 | 4P | — | SS | — | — | 6R | 300¥ | R&G |
Ares Giantslayer Slingshot | 7 | 2P | — | SS | — | — | — | 50¥ | R&G |
Standard Harpoon Gun | 5 | 9P | –2 | SS | — | 1 | 6R | 200¥ | R&G |
Ares S-111 Super Squirt | 3 | Chemical | — | SA | — | 20(c) | 7R | 950¥ | SR5 |
Fichetti Pain Inducer | 3 | Special | — | SS | — | Special | 11R | 5,000¥ | SR5 |
Parashield Dart Pistol | 5 | Drug/toxin | — | SA | — | 5(c) | 4R | 600¥ | SR5 |
Parashield Dart Rifle | 6 | Drug/toxin | — | SA | — | 6(m) | 6R | 1,200¥ | SR5 |
Name | ACC | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
Arrow | — | — | — | Rating | Rating x 2¥ | SR5 |
Barbed Head | — | +1 | — | 5R | 10¥ | R&G |
Bolt | — | — | — | 2 | 5¥ | SR5 |
Explosive Head | –1 | +2 | –1 | 9F | 15¥ | R&G |
Hammerhead | –1 | +1S | +2 | 5 | 5¥ | R&G |
Injection Bolt | — | — | — | 8R | 50¥ | SR5 |
Incendiary Head | –1 | Special | — | 12F | 100¥ | R&G |
Injection Arrow | — | — | — | (Rating + 2)R | Rating x 20¥ | SR5 |
Screamer Head | –2 | –2S | +6 | 2 | 5¥ | R&G |
Stick 'n' Shock | –1 | 8S(e) | –5 | 6R | 25¥ | R&G |
Static Shaft | — | +4S(e) | — | 6R | Rating x 25¥ | R&G |
Name | DV | AP | Avail | Cost | Book |
APDS | — | –4 | 12F | 120¥ | SR5 |
Assault cannon | — | — | 12F | 400¥ | SR5 |
Capsule | –4 | +4 | 2 | 5¥ | R&G |
EX-Explosive Rounds | +2 | –1 | 14F | 120¥ | R&G |
Explosive rounds | +1 | –1 | 9F | 80¥ | SR5 |
Flare | –2/+2 | +2/–3 | 6R | 20¥ | R&G |
Flechette rounds | 2 | 5 | 6R | 65¥ | SR5 |
Frangible | –1 | +4 | 2R | 10¥ | R&G |
Gel rounds | +0S | +1 | 2R | 25¥ | SR5 |
Hollow points | +1 | +2 | 4F | 70¥ | SR5 |
Injection darts | — | — | 4R | 75¥ | SR5 |
Regular ammo | — | — | 2R | 20¥ | SR5 |
Stick-n-Shock | –2Se | –5 | 6R | 80¥ | SR5 |
Taser dart | — | — | 3 | 50¥ | SR5 |
Tracer | — | — | 6R | 60¥ | SR5 |
Tracker | –2 | –2 | 8R | 150¥ | R&G |
AV Rounds | — | –1/–5 | 14R | 175¥ | R&Ge |
Gyrojet | –2S(e) | –5 | 14R | 160¥ | R&Ge |
Gauss | — | — | 18F | 400¥ | R&Ge |
Fuel Canister | — | — | 16F | 40¥ | R&Ge |
For missiles, add +4 to AVAIL. Cost for Missiles is [(Rocket Cost) + Sensor Rating] x 500¥
Rockets and missiles are set to arm when they have traveled 10 meters from their point of origin and explode on impact. This safety feature can be disabled with an Armorer + Logic [Mental] (4, 5 Minutes) Extended Test.
Name | DV | AP | Blast | Avail | Cost | Book |
Anti-vehicle | 24P | –4/–10 | –4/m | 18F | 2,800¥ | SR5 |
Fragmentation | 23Pf | +5 | –1/m | 12F | 2,000¥ | SR5 |
High-explosive | 21P | –2 | –2/m | 18F | 2,100¥ | SR5 |
Groundcraft | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Seats | Avail | Cost | Book |
Dodge Scoot | 4/3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3,000¥ | SR5 |
Harley-Davidson Scorpion | 4/3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 12,000¥ | SR5 |
Yamaha Growler | 4/5 | 3/4 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 5,000¥ | SR5 |
Suzuki Mirage | 5/3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 8,500¥ | SR5 |
C-N Jackrabbit | 4/3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 10,000¥ | SR5 |
Honda Spirit | 3/2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 12,000¥ | SR5 |
Hyundai Shin-Hyung | 5/4 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | 28,500¥ | SR5 |
Eurocar Westwind 3000 | 6/4 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 110,000¥ | SR5 |
Ford Americar | 4/3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | 16,000¥ | SR5 |
SK-Bentley Concordat | 5/4 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 65,000¥ | SR5 |
Mitsubishi Nightsky | 4/3 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 320,000¥ | SR5 |
Toyota Gopher | 5/5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 25,000¥ | SR5 |
GMC Bulldog | 3/3 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | 35,000¥ | SR5 |
Rover Model 2072 | 5/5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 68,000¥ | SR5 |
Ares Roadmaster | 3/3 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 52,000¥ | SR5 |
Chrysler-Nissan Journey | 4/3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | 17,000¥ | SS |
Conestoga Trailblazer | 2/1 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 75,000¥ | SS |
Conestoga Trailblazer +Trailer | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 95,000¥ | SS |
Dodge Ram Industrial (Large Chassis) | 2/1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 51,000¥ | SS |
Dodge Ram Industrial (Narrow Chassis) | 3/1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 49,000¥ | SS |
Espirit Industries Watcher (SUV) | 3/3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 40,000¥ | SS |
GMC Endurance (Van) | 3/3 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | 35,000¥ | SS |
GMC Sidewinder (SUV) | 4/3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 33,000¥ | SS |
Honda Artemis (car) | 4/2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | 17,000¥ | SS |
S-K LT-21 (Delivery Van) | 2/1 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 31,000¥ | SS |
Watercraft | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Seats | Avail | Cost | Book |
Morgan Cutlass | 5 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 14R | 96,000¥ | SR5 |
Proteus Lamprey | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | — | 14,000¥ | SR5 |
Samuvani Otter | 4 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 | — | 21,000¥ | SR5 |
Vulkan Electronaut | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 108,000¥ | SR5 |
Yongkang Gala Trinity | 5 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 37,000¥ | SR5 |
Aircraft | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Seats | Avail | Cost | Book |
Ares Dragon | 4 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 12 | 355,000¥ | SR5 |
Ares Venture | 5 | 7 | 4 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 12F | 400,000¥ | SR5 |
Artemis Nightwing | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 20,000¥ | SR5 |
Cessna C750 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 146,000¥ | SR5 |
Fed-Boing Commuter | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 10 | 350,000¥ | SR5 |
GMC Banshee | 6 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 24F | 2,500,000¥ | SR5 |
Nissan Hound | 5 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 13R | 425,000¥ | SR5 |
Northrup Wasp | 5 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12R | 86,000¥ | SR5 |
R-F Fokker Tundra-9 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 12 | 300,000¥ | SR5 |
Handling and Speed are listed as On Road/Off Road when slashes are used.
Modification | Avail | Cost | Book |
Rigger Interface | 4 | 1,000¥ | SR5 |
Standard Weapon Mount | 8F | 2,500¥ | SR5 |
Heavy Weapon Mount | 14F | 5,000¥ | SR5 |
Manual Operation | +1 | +500¥ | SR5 |
Chameleon Coating | 12R | Body x 2,000¥ | SS |
Dash Light Bar | 15F | 3,500¥ | SS |
Emergency Light Bar | 15F | 5,000¥ | SS |
Morphing License Plate | 8F | 1,000¥ | SS |
Siren | 15F | 1,400¥ | SS |
Smuggling Compartment | 12F | 3,500¥ | SS |
Smuggling Compartment (Troll) | 12F | 7,000¥ | SS |
Spoof chips | 8F | 500¥ | SS |
Drone | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Avail | Price | Book |
Horizon Flying Eye | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2,000¥ | SR5 |
MCT Fly-Spy | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2,000¥ | SR5 |
Drone | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Avail | Price | Book |
Aztechnology Crawler | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4,000¥ | SR5 |
Cyberspace Designs Dragonfly | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 12R | 2,500¥ | SS |
Lockheed Optic-X2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2,000¥ | SR5 |
Drone | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Avail | Price | Book |
Ares Duelist | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5R | 4500¥ | SR5 |
Bust-A-Move (2g) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 700-1,500¥ | SS |
Clockwork Greyhound | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 225,000¥ | TVG |
F-B Bumblebee | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 12F | 24,000¥ | NP |
GM-Nissan Doberman | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4R | 5,000¥ | SR5 |
MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5,000¥ | SR5 |
Shiawase Caduceus “CAD” 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12R | 16,500¥ | B&B |
Transys Office Maid | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8,000¥ | SS |
Drone | Handl | Speed | Accel | Body | Armor | Pilot | Sensor | Avail | Price | Book |
Aeroquip M.E.D.-1 “Dustoff” Medical Evacuation Drone | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 10R | 12,000¥ | B&B |
Cyberspace Designs Dalmation | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6R | 10,000¥ | SR5 |
GMC Snatch’n’Grab | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12F | 8,000¥ | SS |
Modified Dassault Janitorial Drone | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 10,000¥ | SS |
Modified Renraku Manservant-3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 14F | 9,000¥ | SS |
Steel Lynx Combat Drone | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 10R | 25,000¥ | SR5 |
Lockheed Optic-X2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2,000¥ | SR5 |