• No results found

Numenera Player's Guide [OEF].pdf

N/A
N/A
Protected

Academic year: 2021

Share "Numenera Player's Guide [OEF].pdf"

Copied!
65
0
0

Loading.... (view fulltext now)

Full text

(1)
(2)

THE NINTH WORLD

NUMENERA OVERVIEW

CREATING YOUR CHARACTER

CHARACTER TYPE

CHARACTER DESCRIPTOR

CHARACTER FOCUS

EQUIPMENT

2

4

10

16

34

38

61

For a free downloadable copy of the official Numenera character sheet and a step-by-step

guide to character creation using this sheet, visit www.numenera.com/charactersheet.

CREDITS

Writer/Designer Monte Cook

Rule Developers Monte Cook and Sean K. Reynolds Additional Writi ng Shanna Germain

Lead Editor S h a n n a Germain Editor Ray Val Iese Proofreader M ichele Carter

Cover Designer and Lead Artist Kieran Yanner G raphic Designer Sarah Rob i n son

Artists

J ason Engle, G u ido Kuip, Patrick M cEvoy, M att Stawicki, Ad rian Wi lkins, Kieran Yanner Cartographer Ch ristopher West

Al pha Playtesters S h a n n a Germ a i n , Ray Val Iese, Col i n M cComb, J ames Bel l , Erik Mona, Dan ica King, Sean Reynolds, Stan!, Hyru m Savage

© 2013 Monte Cook Games, LLC

NuMENERA and its logo are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC.

(3)

The older man stokes the fire, stirring the embers, some of which float into the night sky. The young girl's

gaze follows them as the sparks join the panoply of stars.

"Our world is very young," the man says. He leans heavily on his gnarled wooden staff and adjusts his

tattered cloak with one hand. "But it is built upon the bones of another, much older world."

The girl nods.

"Many worlds, actually. Most people say eight, but it could be more. They say eight so that they can call

our world the Ninth World."

She nods again, but he can see that she doesn't truly understand. Does he? Can anyone comprehend

such a passage of time? The face of the world had shifted so much. Even the stars were not untouched by

the changing aeons.

"The people that came before us, if people they were, commanded great powers." He pulls from his

leather pouch a thing made of metal and the light, smooth material called synth. He uses his thumb to

touch the clear panel in well practiced, if not entirely understood, ways. The air around the device fills with

light that dances and moves in symbols and pictures that mean nothing to him. The girl gasps and then

laughs in delight.

"Some of their ancient powers remain, even though the people do not," he tells her. "And some bring wonder

and beauty. But others bring deaths for which we have no name. Their legacy is a blessing and a curse."

"Magic," the girl whispers.

(4)

W

elcome to the N inth World, where tech nology is magic and even our most d i stant future is sti l l very m uch the past. The N inth World is the setting of the roleplayi ng game NuMENERA™. This book is the Numenera Player's Guide, not the fu l l ru lebook. The Player's Guide offers a brief overview of the setting and the rules of the game, and it provides a l l the i nformation you need to create a character so you can play N u menera, explore the N i nth World , and d iscover its wonders and dangers for you rself.

In a roleplaying game, the players take on the roles of people in a fictional world. Each player creates a character to portray, and together, the players create a story. I n their i magination, the players experience the same challenges and reward s that their characters experience. To faci l itate this, the rules of the game govern whether characters succeed or fa i l at what they try to do. Th is book sometimes refers to the player characters as PCs.

In add ition to the players who are the characters i n the story, there is another player-the game master-who i s not only the arbiter of the rules but also the crafter of the narrative. The game master (sometimes referred to as the G M) i ntrod uces com p l ications, enemies, a l l ies, twi sts, and s u rprises i nto the story. H e or she should have a copy of the fu l l corebook-Numenera, which includes a l l the information from this book, p l u s m uch more. As a

player, you can read through the corebook if you wish, but everyt h i n g you need is here.

N umenera is all about discovery. I n the game, your character will discover wonders of the prior ages (our own world's far distant future) and a technology so advanced that, as author Arthur C. Clarke wrote, it is indistinguishable from magic. You will discover mysteries to solve and meet interesting people who populate this strange world. You will discover dangerous foes in the form of extraterrestrials, robots, mutants, or the genetic experiments of the past. You will discover technology called the numenera that will aid in your endeavors.

The key to playing N umenera is the story. The way to "win" this game is to come away with a great tale. Always remember that your character is one of the main heroes in a fabulous science-fantasy narrative. The N i nth World is a weird and wondrous place, and the trials and tribulations you face are part of that story. Through your character, you wil l d iscover things unlike anything you've d reamed of, and in so doing craft a tale with your friends that you'll always remember.

Read t h rough the N u menera Overview (page 4) , and then jump right i n and make a character. You don't have to read through every character option right away-j u st choose a type, descri ptor, and focu s that sound i nteresting, and get goi n g!

(5)

NUMENERA OVERVIEW

''Any sufficiently advanced technology is

indistinguishable from magic. "

-Arthur

C.

Clarke

The key to playing Numenera is the story. The

way to "win" this game is to come away with

a great tale.

T

here have been eight previous worlds. You may refer to them as ages, aeons, epochs, or eras, but it's not wrong to t h i n k of each as its own i n d ivid ual world. Each former world stretched across vast m i l le n n i a of time. Each played host to a race whose civil izations rose to s u p remacy but eventually d ied or scattered , d i sappeared or tran scended. During the time that each world flourished, those that ru led it s poke to the stars, reengineered their physical bod ies, and mastered form and essence, a l l i n their own u n ique ways.

Each left beh i n d rem n a nts.

The N i nth World is b u i lt on the bones of the previous eight, and i n particu lar the last fo u r. Reach i nto the d u st, and you ' l l find that each particle has been worked , man ufactured, or grown, and then ground back i nto drit-a fine, artificial soi l-by the relentless power of time. Look to the horizon-is that a mounta i n , or part of an i m possible monu ment to the forgotten em peror of a lost people? Feel that s u btle vibration beneath you r feet and know that ancient engines-vast mach ines the s ize of kingdoms-sti l l operate i n t h e bowels o f t h e earth.

The N i nth World is about d iscoveri ng the wonders of the worl d s that came before it, not for their own sake, but as the means to i m p rove the present and b u i l d a futu re.

Each of the prior eight worlds, i n its own way, i s too d i stant, too different, too i n comprehensi ble. Life tod ay

is too dangerous to dwe l l on a past that can n ot be u nderstood . The people excavate and study the marvels of the prior epoch s j u st enough to help them s u rvive in the world they have been given. They know that energies and knowled ge are s u s pended invi s i bly i n the a i r, that reshaped conti nents of i ron and glass-below, u pon, and above the earth-hold vast treas u res, and that secret doorways to stars and other d i mensions and real m s provide power and secrets and death. They sometimes cal l it magic, and who are we to say that they' re wrong?

More often, however, when they find leftovers of the old world s-the devices, the vast mach ine complexes, the altered land scapes, the changes wrought u pon l iving

creatures by ancient energies, the i nvisible nano-spi rits hovering in the a i r in cloud s cal led the I ron Wind, the information transm itted i nto the so-cal led d atasphere, and the rem nants of visitors from other d i mensions and a l ien planets-they cal l these thi ngs the numenera. In the N i nth World, the n u menera i s both a boon and a bane. It makes life very d ifferent from any other time on Earth.

In a southern part of the vast, singular continent of the N i nth World l ies a cluster of settled lands col lectively called the Steadfast. Although each of the kingdoms and principal ities of the Steadfast has its own ru ler, a leader known as the Amber Pope guides the Order of Truth, an organ ization of Aeon Priests that commands a great deal of respect i n the region. Thus, the Amber Pope i s l i kely the most powerfu l ru ler i n the Steadfast even though he does not govern a s i ngle square foot of land. The Order of Truth reveres the people of the past and their knowled ge on a quasi rel igious level of adoration and faith. It i s a rel i gion devoted to science.

Deeper in the wilds l ies a region cal led the Beyond, where vi l l ages and com m u n ities are isolated and rare. Here, Aeon

Priests sti l l study the secrets of the past, but they do so cloistered i n remote claves. These priests do l ittle more than pay l i p service to the Amber Pope, if that, and are not considered part of the Order of Truth. Like the regions i n which they l ive, and t h e claves i n which they work, they are isolated , islands u nto themselves.

THE PEOPLE OF THE

NINTH WORLD

I n the youth of an age, people use the resou rces they have on hand, cou pled with whatever understanding of their world they can master, to carve out a l ife for themselves. In the N inth World, the resou rces are the n u menera-the detritus of the prior eras-and the people's understanding of these resou rces is crude and i ncomplete. The Aeon Priests possess j u st enough d iscern ment and knowledge to suggest possible uses for thi ngs, but so m uch remains to be d iscovered . Even

(6)

the creatures and plants of the N i nth World are strange by­ prod ucts of the prior ages; the past left beh ind flora, fauna, and mach ines, some designed by lore or natu re, others transplanted from d i stant stars or d i mensions.

The people of the N i nth World clothe themselves in newly spun fabrics but weave the artifacts of the past i nto each garment. They forge armor, weapons, and tools from materials recovered from ancient structures and devices. Some of these materials are metal s , but others are (or appear to be) glass, stone, bone, flesh, or substances that defy categorization and u nderstandi ng.

Those who ri sk the mysterious dangers to recover the rel ics of the past provide a valuable service. Typically these brave sou l s-warrior glaives, science-wield i n g nanos, and wily jacks-bri ng their findi ngs to the Aeon Priests, who use the artifacts to fashion tools, weapons, and other boons for the growing civi l ization. As time passes, more i n d ivid uals learn to use the n u menera, but it sti l l rem a i n s a mystery to

most people.

Who, then, are the people of the N i nth World ? Most are h u mans, although not all that call themselves h u man truly are. There are likewise the abhumans: some mutants, crossbreeds, genetically engi neered, and their offspring. And then there are the visitants, who are not native to the earth but who now call the N i nth World home, and who have no more understanding of the past (even their own) than anyone else.

THE NUMENERA

People with knowled ge of the rel ics of older worlds d ivide them i nto th ree types: artifacts, cyphers, and oddities. ARTI FACTS are large devices that typica l ly can be used more than once to prod uce the same res u lt. An artifact

m i ght be a belt that creates a sh ield of i nvisible force to protect the wearer or a flyi ng skiff that carries people and cargo from one place to another. The term is almost always used for an item that has an obvious pu rpose-a weapon, a defense, a mode of transport, a means of com m u n ication or learn i n g new i nformation, a means of obta i n i n g food or other necessities, and so forth. Artifacts make their u sers more powerfu l , or they make l ife easier or better. CYP H E RS are u s u a l ly s m a l l , m i nor devices that most characters can coax a si ngle effect from before they are depleted and become cu riosities or decorations. They m i ght include a q u ick injection designed to repai r physical damage i n a l iving creatu re or a hand held object that, when m a n i p u l ated properly, becomes a weapon that explodes with tremendous force. H owever, cyphers are dangerous when gathered together because they create rad iation and harmonic freq uencies that are i n i m ical to human life. ODDITI ES are the rel ics that are neither cyphers nor artifacts. They serve no obvious pu rpose but have strange fu nctions that are at least curious, if not down right entertai n i ng. Examples i nclude a piece of glass in a metal frame that shows pecu liar i m ages or a box with th ree bel l s that ri ng a t u n p red ictable times. N ot everything from the prior worl d s can be u nderstood . In fact, m uch of it can n ot.

LOOKING AT THE NINTH WORLD

FROM THE

21

ST CENTURY

The N i nth World i s a science-fantasy setting approxi mately a b i l l ion years i n the future. The people of the world dwe l l amid the flotsam o f im possible u ltratech o f e i g h t prior

(7)

civi l izations and cal l it magic. U n i magi nably h uge mach i nes lie beneath the earth, and sate l l ites orbit high above, tra n s m itti n g a web of data and free energy. Nanotech, gravitic tech nology, genetic engi neering, spatial warping, and su perdense polymers allowed the i n h abitants of the previous worl d s to reshape the planet. Mass and energy were theirs to command.

I n many ways, the N i nth World i s a med ieval fantasy setting without the h i storicity. When people who h aven't done a lot of homework on the dark ages run a trad itional fantasy game, they often i nsert modern sen s i b i l ities or developments such as democracy, hygiene, or matches. But i n the N i nth World , these t h i ngs, and more, make sen se. Characters can have rai n sl ickers, i n k pens, zippers, and plastic bags, all left over from the prior eras (or fash ioned from leavings of the past) . They can u nderstand how i l l nesses are transm itted or how soci a l i s m works. They can know that the earth revolves around the sun and be aware of other "anachro n i stic" bits of knowledge.

On the other hand, characters i n N u menera don't refer to weapons as "gu ns" or veh icles as "cars." The tech nology

in the N i nth World is too advanced and too alien for such term i nology to h ave end u red . U s i n g 2 1 st-centu ry terms for weapons and veh icles is as inappropriate as using med ieval terms. The n u menera is wei rd-m uch of it was n 't created by h u m a n s or for h u mans. It i s n 't designed or presented in any way that m i ght be fa m i l iar to the players or the characters. O n ly t h rough experimentation, player i n s ight, and character ski l l can the PCs identify, and possi bly u se, what they find.

Perhaps even more i m portant, the artifacts, cyphers, and odd ities that characters use probably aren't serving their original pu rpose. The explosive cypher that a character tosses at an enemy m ight have been the power sou rce for a veh icle. The force field the enemy uses to protect herself from the blast m i ght have been des igned to conta i n the rad iation of the fuel rod s i n a m i n i ature n uclear reactor.

Welcome to the N i nth World , where every d iscovery might save you-or ki l l you. But you won't know until you try.

TASK DIFFICULTY

Throughout this book you ' l l find places where we suggest you ask you r G M for additional i nformation. The GM can find this i nformation i n the N u menera corebook.

RULES OVERVIEW

N u menera uses a twenty-s ided d i e (1 d20) to determ i n e the resu lts of most actions. Whenever a roll of any kind i s cal led for and no d i e is specified , rol l a d20.

The game master sets a difficulty for any given task. There are 1 0 degrees of d ifficu lty. Thus, the d ifficu lty of a task can be rated on a scale of 1 to 1 0.

Each d ifficu lty has a target number associated with it. The target n u m ber i s always th ree times the task's d ifficu lty, so a d ifficu lty 4 task has a target n u m ber of 1 2. To succeed at the task, you m u st rol l the target n u m ber or h igher.

Character skills, favorable circumstances, or excel lent equi pment can decrease the d ifficu lty of a task. For example, if a character i s trai ned i n cl i m b i ng, she turns a d ifficu lty 6 cl i m b i nto a d ifficu lty 5 cl i m b. Th is i s cal l ed decreasing the difficulty by one step. If she is special ized i n c l i m b i ng, she t u r n s a d ifficu lty 6 c l i m b i nto a difficu lty 4 c l i m b. Th i s i s cal led decreasing the difficulty by two steps.

A skill is a category of knowledge, abil ity, or activity relati ng to a task, such as cl i m b i ng, geography, or persuasiveness. A character who has a ski l l is better at completing related tasks than a character who lacks the s k i l l . A character' s level of skill is either trained (reasonably skil led) or specialized (very skil led) .

I f you are trai ned i n a skill relati ng to a task, you decrease the difficu lty of that task by one step. If you are special ized , you decrease the difficu lty by two steps. A skill can never decrease a task's d ifficu lty by more than two steps.

Anyt h i n g else that red uces d ifficu lty (help from an al ly, a particu lar piece of eq u i p ment, or some other advantage) i s referred t o as an asset. Assets c a n never decrease a task's d ifficu lty by more than two steps.

You can also decrease the d ifficulty of a given task by applying Effort. (Effort is described in more detail on page 1 1 .)

TAS K D I FFICU LTY DESC R I PTION TARG ET NO. G U I DANCE

0 Routi ne S i m ple 2 Standard 3 Demand i n g 4 Difficult 5 Challenging 6 I ntim idati ng 7 Form idable 8 Heroic 9 I m mortal 1 0 I m possible 0 3 6 9 1 2 1 5 1 8 2 1 24 2 7 3 0

Anyone c a n do this basically every time. M ost people can do this most of the time.

Typical task req u i ri n g focus, but most people can u s u a l ly do this. Req u i res full attention; most people have a 50/50 chance to succeed. Trai ned people h ave a 50/50 chance to succeed .

Even trai ned people often fa i l . N o r m a l people almost never succeed . I m possible without s k i l l s or great effort. A task worthy of tales told for years afterward . A task worthy of legends that last l ifetimes.

A task that normal h u mans couldn't consider (but one that doesn't break the laws of physics) .

(8)

To s u m up, th ree thi ngs can decrease a task's d ifficu lty: skills, assets, and Effort.

If you can decrease a task's d ifficu lty to 0, you automatica l ly succeed and don't need to make a rol l .

WHEN DO YOU ROLL?

Any time you r character attem pts a task, the G M assigns a d ifficu lty to that task, and you rol l a d20 aga i n st the associated target n u m ber.

When you j u m p from a b u rn i n g veh icle, swi ng a battleaxe at a m utant beast, swi m across a raging river, identify a strange device, convince a merchant to give you a lower price, craft an object, use a power to control a foe's m i n d , or use a heat-beam em itter t o carve a h o l e i n a wal l , you make a d20 rol l .

H owever, i f you attem pt somet h i n g that has a d ifficu lty of 0, no rol l is needed-you automatica l ly succeed. M a ny actions have a difficu lty of O. Examples include walking across the room and open i n g a door, u s i n g a s pecial abil ity to negate gravity so you can fly, u s i n g an abil ity to protect you r friend from rad iation, or activating a device (that you a l ready u n derstand) to erect a force field. These are a l l routine actions and d o n ' t req u i re rol l s .

U s i n g s k i l l , assets, and Effort, you c a n decrease t h e difficu lty o f potentia l ly a n y t a s k t o 0 and thus negate the need for a rol l . Walking across a narrow wooden beam is tricky for most people, but for an experienced gym nast, it's routine. You can even decrease the d ifficu lty of an attack on a foe to 0 and succeed without rol l i ng.

If there's no rol l , there's no chance for fa i l u re. H owever, there's a l so no chance for remarkable s uccess (in

N u menera, that u s u a l ly mea n s rol l i n g a 1 9 or 20; see S pecial Rol l s on page 8) .

COMBAT

Making an attack i n com bat works the same way as any other rol l : the GM assigns a difficu lty to the task, and you rol l a d20 aga i n st the associated target n u m ber.

The d ifficu lty of you r attack rol l depends on how powerfu l you r opponent is. J ust as tasks have a d ifficu lty from 1 to 1 0, creatu res have a level from 1 to 1 0. Most of the time, the difficu lty of you r attack rol l is the same as the creature's level. For example, if you attack a level 2 band it, it's a level 2 task, so you r target n u m ber is 6.

It's worth noting that players make all die rolls. If a character attacks a creature, the player makes an attack roll. If a creature attacks a character, the player makes a defense roll.

The damage dealt by an attack i s not determ i ned by a rol l-it's a flat n u m ber based on the weapon or attack used. For example, a s pear always does 4 poi nts of damage.

You r Armor characteristic red uces the damage you take from attacks d i rected at you. You get Armor from weari ng physical armor (such as a stu rdy leather jerki n or chai n m a i l) or from s pecial a b i l ities. Like weapon damage, Armor is a flat n u m ber, not a rol l . I f you ' re attacked , s u btract you r Armor from t h e damage you take. For example, a leather jerki n gives you 1 point of Armor, mea n i n g that you take 1 less point of damage from attacks. If a bandit h its you with a knife for 2 poi nts of damage wh ile you ' re weari ng a leather jerki n , you take o n ly 1 point of damage. If you r Armor red uces t h e damage from an attack t o 0, you take no damage from that attack.

(9)

When you see the word "Armor" capital ized i n the game rules (other than as the name of a s pecial a b i l ity) , it refers to you r Armor characteristic-the n u m ber you s u btract from inco m i n g damage. When you see the word "armor" with a lowercase "a," it refers to any physical armor you m i ght wear.

Typical physical weapons come i n t h ree categories: l ight, med i u m and heavy.

L I G H T WEAPONS infl ict o n ly 2 poi nts of damage, but they red uce the difficu lty of the attack rol l by one step because they are fast and easy to u se. Light weapons are pu nches, kicks, clubs, kn ives, handaxes, rapiers, and so on. Weapons that are particu larly small are l i ght weapons.

M ED I U M WEAPONS inflict 4 poi nts of damage. M ed i u m weapons include sword s, battleaxes, maces, crossbows, spears, and so on. M ost weapons are med i u m . Anyt h i n g that cou l d b e u sed i n one hand (even if it ' s often u s e d i n two hands, such as a quarterstaff or spear) i s a med i u m weapon.

H EAVY WEAPO NS infl ict 6 poi nts of damage, and you m u st use two hands to attack with them. Heavy weapons are h u ge sword s, great ham mers, mass ive axes, hal berd s , heavy crossbows, and so on. Anyt h i n g that m u st be u s e d i n two h a n d s i s a heavy weapon.

BONUSES

Rarely, an a b i l ity or piece of eq u i pment does not decrease a task's d ifficu lty but i n stead add s a bon u s to the d ie rol l . Bon u ses always a d d together, so if you get a + l bon us from two different sources, you have a +2 bon us. I f you get enough bon u ses to add up to a +3 bon u s for a task, treat it as an asset: i n stead of add i n g the bon us to you r rol l , decrease t h e difficu lty b y o n e step. Therefore, you never add more than + l or +2 to a die rol l .

SPECIAL ROLLS

When you rol l a natural 1 9 (the d20 shows " 1 9") and the rol l is a s uccess, you also have a m i nor effect. In com bat,

a m i nor effect infl icts 3 additional poi nts of damage with you r attack, or, if you'd prefer a s pecial res u lt, you could decide i n stead that you knock the foe back, d istract him, or someth i n g s i m i lar. When not i n com bat, a m i nor effect cou l d mean that you perform the action with particular grace. For example, when jumping down from a ledge, you land smooth ly on you r feet, or when tryi ng to pers uade someone, you convi nce her that you ' re smarter than you real ly are. In other word s , you not o n ly succeed but a l so go a bit fu rther.

When you rol l a natural 20 (the d20 shows "20") and the rol l is a s uccess, you also have a major effect. This is s i m i lar to a m i nor effect, but the resu lts are more remarkable.

In com bat, a major effect inflicts 4 add itional poi nts of

You don't earn XP for ki l l i n g foes or overco m i n g standard challenges i n the cou rse o f play. Di scovery i s the soul of N u menera.

damage with you r attack, but aga i n , you can choose i n stead to i ntrod uce a d ramatic event such as knocking down you r foe, stu n n i n g h i m , or taki ng an extra action. Outs ide of com bat, a major effect means that someth i n g beneficial happens based on the circum stance. For exam ple, when cl i m b i n g u p a cliff wal l , you make the ascent twice as fast. When a rol l grants you a major effect, you can choose to

use a m i nor effect i n stead if you prefer.

I n com bat (and only i n combat) , if you rol l a natural 1 7 or 1 8 on you r attack rol l , you add l or 2 additional poi nts of damage, res pectively. N either rol l has any special effect options-j ust the extra damage.

Rol l i n g a natural l is always bad. It means that the G M i ntrod uces a new com p l ication i nto the encou nter.

RANGE AND SPEED

D i stance is s i m p l ified i nto th ree categories: i m med iate, short, and long.

I M M EDIATE DISTANCE from a character i s wit h i n reach or with i n a few steps. If a character stands i n a small room, everyt h i n g i n the room is with i n i m med iate d i stance. At most, i m med iate d i stance i s 1 0 feet (3 m) .

SHORT DISTANCE is anyt h i n g greater than i m med iate d i stance but less than S O feet (l S m) or so.

LONG DISTANCE is anything greater than short d i stance but less than l 00 feet (30 m} or so. (Beyond that range, d i stances are always s pecified-SQQ feet [l S 2 m], a m i l e [l .6 km], and so on.)

The idea is that it's not necessary to measure precise d i stances. I m med iate d i stance i s right there, practica l ly next to the character. Short d i stance i s nearby. Long d i stance is farther off.

All weapons and s pecial a b i l ities use these terms for ranges. For example, a l l melee weapons have i m med iate range-they are close-com bat weapon s , and you can use them to attack anyone wit h i n i m med iate d i stance of you . A th rown knife (and most other th rown weapons) has short range. A bow has long range. A nano's Onslaught a b i l ity also has short range.

A character can move an i m med iate d i stance as part of another action. In other word s, he can take a few steps over to the control panel and activate a switch. H e can l u nge across a s m a l l room to attack a foe. H e can open a door and step through.

A character can move a short d i stance as h i s enti re action for a turn. H e can a l so try to move a long d i stance

(10)

as h i s enti re action, but the player m ight have to rol l to see if the character s l ips, trips, or stu m bles as the res u lt of moving so far so q u ickly.

For exam ple, if the PCs are fighting a group of abhumans, any character can l i kely attack any a b h u m a n i n the general melee-they' re all with i n i m med iate range. Exact positions aren't i m portant. Creatu res i n a fight are always movi ng, s h ifting, and jostl i ng, anyway. H owever, if one abhuman stayed back to use h i s cross bow, a character m i ght have to use her entire action to move the short d i stance req u i red to attack that foe. It doesn't matter if the a b h u m a n is 20 feet (6 m) or 40 feet (1 2 m) away-it' s s i m ply considered short d i stance. It does matter if he's more than 50 feet (1 5 m) away because that d i stance would req u i re a long move.

EXPERIENCE POINTS

Experience poi nts (XP) are reward s given to players when the GM i ntrudes on the story (th i s is called GM i ntru s ion) with a new and unexpected challenge. For example, i n the middle of com bat, the GM m i ght i nform the player that he d rops h i s weapon. H owever, to i ntrude i n this manner, the G M m u st award the player 2 XP. The rewarded player, i n turn, m u st i m med iately give one of those XP to another player and j u stify the gift (perh aps the other player had a good idea, told a fu n ny joke, performed an action that saved a life, and so on) .

Alternatively, the player can refuse the G M i ntrusion. lf he does so, he doesn't get the 2 XP from the G M , and he m u st a l so spend l XP that he a l ready has. I f the player has no XP to spend, he can't refuse the i ntrusion.

The GM can also give players XP between sessions as a reward for recoveri ng i nteresting artifacts or making d i scoveries d u ri n g an adventu re. You don't earn XP for ki l l i n g foes or overco m i n g standard challenges i n the cou rse of play. Di scovery is the soul of N u menera.

Experience poi nts are u sed primarily for character advancement (for deta i l s , s e e Chapter 3 : Creating You r Character, page 1 0) , b u t a player can also spend 1 XP to rero l l any die rol l and take the better of the two rol l s .

CYPHERS

As explai ned i n Chapter 2: N u menera Overview, cyphers are a type of n u menera that have a si ngle m i nor use. A character can carry cyphers and use them d u ri n g the game. You can't bear many cyphers at a time because a large n u m ber of these wei rd items e m it rad iation or dangerous chemica l s that

I n N umenera, players make all d ie rolls. If a character attacks a creature, the player makes an attack roll.

If a creature attacks a character, the player makes a defense roll.

don't mix wel l . G atheri n g cyphers together i n one place is extraord inari ly u n healthy.

Characters wi l l find new cyphers freq uently i n the cou rse of play, so players should n 't hesitate to use their cypher abil ities. Beca u se cyphers are always d ifferent, the characters wi l l always have new s pecial powers to try.

There are two kinds of cyphers: anoetic and occultic. ANOETIC CYP H E RS are s i m p l e to use: a p i l l to swallow, a small hand held device with a switch to fl i p, or a bom b to th row.

OCC U LTIC CYP H E RS are more complex and more dangerous, but they often have better and more i nteresting effects. An occultic cypher cou nts as two cyphers for the pu rpose of determ i n i n g how many you can bear at the same time.

OTHER DICE

I n add ition to a d20, you ' l l need a d6 (a s ix-sided d i e) . Rarely, you ' l l need to rol l a n u m ber between l and l 00 (often cal led a d l OO or d% rol l ) , which you can do by rol l i n g a d 2 0 twice, u s i n g t h e last d i git o f t h e first rol l as t h e "tens" place and the last d igit of the second rol l as the "ones" place. For exam ple, rol l i n g a 1 7 and a 9 gives you 79, rol l i n g a 3 and an 1 8 gives you 38, and rol l i n g a 20 and a 1 0 gives you 00 (also known as 1 00) . If you have a dl 0 (a ten-sided d ie) , you can use it i n stead of the d20 to rol l n u m bers between l and 1 00.

(11)

CREATING YOUR

CHARACTER

This section explains how to create characters to play in a

Numenera game. For a free downloadable copy of the official Numenera

character sheet and a step-by-step guide to character creation using this sheet,

visit www. numenera. com/charactersheet.

CHARACTER ST ATS

Every player character has th ree defi n i n g characteristics, which are typica l ly cal led "statistics" or "stats. " These stats are M ight, S peed , and I ntel l ect. They are broad categories that cover many d ifferent but related as pects of a character. M IG HT: M ight defines how strong and d u rable you r character is. T h e concepts o f strength , end u rance, constitution, hard i ness, and physical prowess are all folded i nto this one stat. M ight isn't relative to size; i n stead , it's an absol ute measu rement. An elephant has more M ight than the m ightiest tiger, which has more M ight than the mightiest rat, which has more M ight than the m ightiest spider.

M ight governs actions from forci ng doors open to walking for d ays without food to res i sting d i sease. It's also the primary means of determ i n i n g how m uch damage you r character can s u stai n i n a dangerous s ituation . Physical characters, tough characters, and characters i nterested in fighting should focus on M ight.

SPEED: S peed describes how fast and phys ically

coord i nated you r character is. The stat e m bodies q u ickness, movement, dexterity, and reflexes. S peed governs s uch d ivergent actions as dodging attacks, s neaki ng arou nd q u ietly, and t h rowi ng a ball accu rately. It helps determ ine whether you can move farther on you r turn. N i m ble, fast, or sneaky characters wi l l want good S peed stats, as wi l l those i nterested i n ranged com bat.

I NTELLECT: This stat determ ines how smart,

knowled geable, and l i kable you r character is. It includes i nte l l i gence, wisdom, charisma, education, reaso n i ng, wit, wi l l power, and charm. I ntel l ect governs solving puzzles, remembering facts, tel l i n g convi ncing l ies, and u s i n g mental powers. Characters i nterested i n com m u n icating effectively, being learned scholars, and wiel d i n g the n u menera should stress their I ntel l ect stat.

POOL, EDGE, AND EFFORT

Each of these stats has two components: you r Pool and you r Edge. Your Pool represents you r raw, innate abil ity, a n d you r Edge represents knowi ng how t o u s e what you have. A third element ties into this concept: Effort. When your character real ly need s to accomplish a task, you apply Effort.

Pool

You r Pool is the most basic measu rement of a stat. Compari n g the Pools of two creatu res wi l l give you a general sense of wh ich creatu re is s u perior i n that stat. For example, a character who has a M ight Pool of 1 6 is stronger (in a basic sen se) than a character who has a M ight Pool of 1 2. M ost characters start with a Pool of 9 to 1 2 i n most stats-that's the average range.

When you r character i s injured, sickened , or attacked , you tem porarily lose poi nts from one of you r stat Pools. The natu re of the attack determ ines which Pool loses points. For example, physical damage from a sword red u ces you r M ight Pool, a poison that makes you c l u m sy red uces you r S peed Pool, a n d a psionic blast red uces you r I ntel l ect Pool. You can a l so spend points from one of you r stat Pools to decrease a task's d ifficu lty (see Effort, next page) . You can rest to regai n lost poi nts from a stat Pool (ask you r G M fo r additional information) , and some special a b i l ities or n u menera m ight allow you to recover lost poi nts q u ickly.

Edge

Although your Pool is the basic measurement of a stat, you r Edge is also im portant. When something requ i res you to spend points from a stat Pool, your Edge for that stat red uces the cost. It also red uces the cost of applying Effort to a roll.

For example, let's say you have a mental blast ability, and activating it costs 1 point from your I ntellect Pool. Subtract your I ntellect Edge from the activation cost, and the result is how many points you must spend to use the mental blast. If using your Edge reduces the cost to 0, you can use the ability for free.

(12)

You r Edge can be different for each stat. For example,

you could have a M ight Edge of l , a S peed Edge of l , and an I ntel l ect Edge of 0. You ' l l always have an Edge of at least 1 in one stat. You r Edge for a stat red uces the cost of spend i n g poi nts from that stat Pool, but not from other Pools. You r M ight Edge red u ces the cost of s pend i n g poi nts from you r M ight Pool, but it does n't affect you r S peed Pool or I ntel l ect Pool. Once a stat's Edge reaches 3 , you can apply one level of Effort for free.

A character who has a low M ight Pool but a high M ight Edge has the potential to perform M ight actions con s i stently better than a character who has a M ight Edge of O. The h igh Edge wi l l let her red uce the cost of spend i n g poi nts from the Pool, w h i c h m e a n s she' l l have more poi nts available to spend on applying Effort.

Effort

When you r character real ly need s to acco m p l i s h a task, you can apply Effort. For a begi n n i n g character, applying Effort req u i res spend i n g 3 poi nts from the stat Pool appropriate to the action. Thus, if you r character tries to dodge an attack (a S peed roll) and wants to increase the chance for s uccess, you can apply Effort by spend i n g 3 poi nts from you r S peed Pool. Effort lowers the d ifficu lty of the task by one step. Th is is cal led applying one level of Effort.

You don't have to apply Effort if you don't want to. If you

choose to apply Effort to a task, you m u st do it before you attem pt the rol l-you can't rol l first and then decide to apply Effort if you rol led poorly.

App lyi n g more Effort can lower a task's d ifficu lty fu rther: each additional level of Effort red uces the d ifficu lty by another step. App lyi ng one level of Effort lowers the d ifficu lty by one step, applyi n g two leve l s lowers the d ifficu lty by two steps, and so o n . H owever, each level of Effort after the first costs o n ly 2 points from the stat Pool i n stead of 3 . So a p p lyi ng two leve l s of Effort costs 5 points (3 fo r the first level plus 2 fo r the second level) , applyi n g th ree level s costs 7 points ( 3 p l u s 2 p l u s 2) , and so o n .

Every character has an Effort score, w h i c h ind icates t h e maxi m u m n u m ber o f levels of Effort that c a n b e appl ied

to a rol l . A begi n n i n g (first-tier) character has an Effort of

l , mea n i n g you can apply only one level of Effort to a rol l .

A more experienced character has a h igher Effort score

and can apply more leve l s of Effort to a rol l . For example, a character who has an Effort of 3 can apply u p to three levels of Effort to red u ce a task's d ifficu lty.

When you apply Effort, s u btract you r relevant Edge from the total cost of applying Effort. For example, let' s say you need to make a S peed rol l . To i ncrease you r chance for success, you decide to apply one level of Effort, which wi l l red uce t h e d ifficu lty o f th e task b y o n e step. Normal ly, that would cost 3 points from you r S peed Pool. H owever, you

(13)

have a S peed Edge of 2, so you s u btract that from the cost. Thus, applyi ng Effort to the rol l costs o n ly 1 point from you r S peed Pool.

What if you appl ied two levels of Effort to the S peed rol l i n stead o f ju st o n e ? That wou l d red uce t h e difficu lty o f the task by two steps. Normal ly, it would cost 5 points from you r S peed Pool, but after s u btracting you r S peed Edge of 2, it costs o n ly 3 points.

Once a stat's Edge reaches 3 , you can apply one level of Effort for free. For example, if you have a S peed Edge of 3 and you apply one level of Effort to a S peed rol l , it costs you 0 poi nts from you r S peed Pool. (Normal ly, applyi ng one level of Effort would cost 3 points, but you s u btract you r S peed Edge from that cost, red uci ng i t t o 0.)

S ki l l s and other advantages a l so decrease a task's d ifficu lty, and you can use them i n conjunction with Effort. I n addition, you r character m i ght have s pecial a b i l ities or eq u i pment that allow you to apply Effort to acco m p l i s h a s pecial effect, such as knocki ng down a foe with an attack or affecti n g m u ltiple targets with a power that normally affects o n ly one.

Effort and Damage

I n stead of applying Effort to red uce the d ifficu lty of you r attack, you can apply Effort t o i n crease t h e amount of damage you infl ict with an attack. For each level of Effort you apply i n this way, you infl ict 3 additional poi nts of damage. This works for any kind of attack that inflicts damage, whether a sword , a cross bow, a m i n d blast, or somet h i n g else.

When using Effort to i n crease the damage of an area attack, s uch as the explosion created by a nano's Flash abil ity, you infl ict 2 additional poi nts of damage i n stead of 3 poi nts. H owever, the additional poi nts are dealt to

a l l targets in the area. Further, even if one or more of the targets i n the area res i st the attack, you sti l l inflict 1 point of damage to them.

Multiple Uses of Effort and Edge

I f you r Effort is 2 or h igher, you can apply Effort to m u ltiple aspects of a s i ngle action. For example, if you make an attack, you can apply Effort to you r attack rol l and apply Effort to i ncrease the damage.

The total amount of Effort you apply can't be h igher than you r Effort score. For exam ple, if you r Effort i s 2, you can apply u p to two levels of Effort. You cou l d apply one level to an attack rol l and one level to its damage, two levels to the attack and no levels to the damage, or no levels to the attack and two leve l s to the damage.

You can use Edge for a particu lar stat o n ly once per action. For example, if you apply Effort to a M ight attack rol l and to you r damage, you can use you r M ight Edge to red uce the cost of one of those uses of Effort, not both. If you spend 1 I ntel l ect point to activate you r m i nd blast and one level of Effort to decrease the difficu lty of the attack rol l ,

you c a n u s e you r I ntel l ect Edge t o red uce t h e cost o f o n e of those t h i ngs, not both.

STAT EXAMPLES

A begi n n i n g character is fighting a creatu re cal l ed a broken hound. She stabs her spear at the broken hound, wh ich is a level 2 creatu re and thus has a target n u m ber of 6. The character stands atop a boulder and stri kes downward at the beast, and the GM rules that this helpful tactic i s an asset that decreases the d ifficu lty by one step (to difficu lty 1 ) . That lowers the target n u m ber to 3. Attacki ng with a s pear is a M ight action; the character has a M ight Pool of 1 1 and a M ight Edge of 0. Before making the rol l , she decides to apply a level of Effort to decrease the d ifficu lty of the attack. That costs 3 poi nts from her M ight Pool, red uci ng the Pool to 8. But they appear to be poi nts wel l s pent. Applyi ng t h e Effort lowers t h e d ifficu lty from 1 t o 0, so no rol l is needed-the attack automatica l ly succeed s.

Another character i s atte m pti n g to convi nce a guard to let h i m i nto a private office to speak to a n i n fl uential noble. The GM rules that this i s an I ntel l ect action. The cha racter i s t h i rd tier and h a s a n Effort of 3 , an I ntel lect Pool of 1 3 , and an I ntel l ect Edge of 1 . Before making the rol l , he m u st decide whether to apply Effort. H e can choose to apply one, two, or th ree leve l s of Effort, or apply none at all. T h i s action i s i m portant to him, so he decides to apply two leve l s of Effort, decrea s i n g the d ifficu lty by two steps. T h a n ks to his I ntel l ect Edge, applyi ng the Effort costs o n ly 4 points from h i s I ntel l ect Pool (3 poi nts for the fi rst level of Effort plus 2 poi nts fo r the second level m i n u s 1 poi nt for h i s Ed ge) . S pen d i n g those poi nts red uces h i s I ntel l ect Pool to 9. The GM decides that convincing the guard i s a d ifficu lty 3 (de m a n d i ng) tas k with a target n u m ber of 9; applyi n g two leve l s of Effort red uces the d ifficu lty to 1 (s i m p le) and the target n u m ber to 3 . The p l ayer rol l s a d20 and gets an 8. Because this res u lt i s at least eq u a l to the ta rget n u m ber of the task, he s u cceed s. H owever, if he had not appl ied some Effort, he wou l d h ave fa i led because h i s rol l (8) wou l d h ave been less than the task's origi n a l target n u m ber (9) .

CHARACTER TIERS AND BENEFITS

Every character sta rts the game at the first tier. Tier i s a meas u rement of power, toughness, and a b i l ity. Characters can advance u p to the sixth tier. As you r cha racter advances t o h igher tiers, you ga i n more a b i l ities, i ncrease you r Effort, and can i m p rove a stat's Edge or i ncrease a stat. Generally s pea king, even first tier cha racters a re a l ready q u ite ca pable. It's safe to a s s u m e that they've a l ready got s o m e experience u n d e r their belt. This i s not a "zero to hero" p rogression, but rather an i n stance of com petent people refi n i n g and h o n i n g their capa b i l ities and knowledge. Adva ncing to h igher tiers i s not rea lly the "goal " o f N u menera characters, but rather a representation of how cha racters progress i n a story.

(14)

Every character starts the game at the first tier. Tier is a meas u rement of power, toughness, and abil ity. Characters can advance u p to the sixth tier. To progress to the next tier, characters earn experience poi nts (XP) by goi n g on adventures and d i scoveri ng new t h i ngs-the N i nth World is about d iscovery of the past and what it means for the future. Experience poi nts have many uses, and one use i s to p u rchase character benefits. After you r character p u rchases four character benefits, he or she goes u p to the next tier. Each benefit costs 4 XP, and you can p u rchase them in any order, but you m u st p u rchase one of each kind of benefit (after which you advance to the next tier} before you can p u rchase the same benefit aga i n . T h e four character benefits are as fol lows.

I NC REAS I N G CAPAB I LITI ES: You gai n 4 poi nts to add to you r stat Pools. You can allocate the poi nts among the Pools however you wish.

MOV I N G TOWARD PERFECTIO N : You add 1 to you r M ight Edge, you r S peed Edge, or you r I ntel l ect Edge (yo u r choice) . EXTRA E F FORT: You r Effort score increases by 1 .

S K I L LS: Yo u become tra i ned i n one s k i l l of yo u r choice, oth e r than attacks o r d efe n s e . As descri bed i n t h e R u l e s

Ove rview (page 6) , a character tra i n ed i n a s ki l l treats t h e d ifficu lty o f a rel ated task as one s t e p l ower t h a n norm a l . The s k i l l you choose fo r t h i s benefit c a n be anyt h i n g yo u w i s h , s u c h as cl i m b i ng, j u m p i n g, pers u a d i ng, or s neaki n g. You ca n a l s o choose to be knowl edgea b l e i n a certa i n a rea of l o re, such as h i sto ry or geology. You can eve n choose a s k i l l based o n yo u r characte r' s s pecial a b i l ities. For exa m p l e , if you r c h a racte r can m a ke an I ntel lect ro l l to b l ast a n enemy with mental fo rce, yo u can become tra i ned i n u s i n g t h at a b i l ity, treat i n g its d ifficu lty as one ste p lowe r t h a n n o r m a l . If you choose a s k i l l t h at yo u a re a l ready tra i ned i n , yo u become s pecial ized i n t h at s ki l l , red u c i n g the d ifficu lty of re l ated ta s ks by two ste ps i n stead of one.

Players can also spend 4 XP to p u rchase other s pecial options i n lieu of gai n i n g a new ski l l . Selecting any of these options cou nts as the skill benefit necessary to advance to the next tier. The s pecial options are as fol lows:

• Red uce the cost for weari ng armor. Th i s option lowers the M ight cost by 1 and lowers the S peed red uction by 1 . • Add 2 to you r recovery rol l s .

• I f you ' re a glaive, select a new fighting move. T h e move m u st be from you r tier or a lower tier.

• I f you ' re a nano, select a new esotery. The esotery m u st

be from you r tier or a lower tier.

• I f you ' re a jack, select a new trick of the trade. The trick

(15)

SKILLS

Sometimes you r character gai n s tra i n i n g i n a s pecific ski l l or task. For example, you r focu s m i ght mean that you ' re trai ned i n sneaking, i n cl i m b i n g and j u m ping, or i n social i nteractions. Other times, you r character can choose a skill to become trai ned i n , and you can pick a skill that relates to any task you th i n k you m ight face.

The game has no defin itive l i st of ski l l s . H owever, the fol lowi ng l i st offers ideas:

Astronomy Healing Perception

Balancing H istory Persuasion

Biology I dentifyi ng P h i losophy

Botany I n itiative Pickpocketing

Carrying I ntimidation Repairing

Cl i m b i n g j u m p i n g Rid i n g

Deceivi ng Leatherworki ng Smashing

Escaping Lockpicki ng Sneaking

Geography M etalworki ng Swi m m i n g

Geology N u menera Woodworki ng

You cou l d choose a s ki l l that i n corporates more than one of these areas (i nteract i n g m ight i nclude deceivi ng, i n t i m i d ating, and pers u ad i n g) or i s a more s pecific vers ion of one (h i d i n g m ight be s neaki ng when you ' re not movi ng) . You cou l d also m a ke u p more genera l , p rofessional s ki l l s , such as baker, sailor, or l u m berj ack. I f you want to choose a s ki l l that' s not on t h i s l i st, it's probably best to run it past the G M first, but in genera l , the most i m portant as pect i s to choose s ki l l s that a re a p p ropriate to you r character.

Rem e m ber that if you gain a s ki l l that you ' re a l ready trai ned i n , you become special ized i n that s ki l l . Beca use s ki l l descriptions can be nebulous, d eterm i n i n g whether you ' re trai ned or special ized m ight take some t h i n ki n g. For exam ple, if you ' re trai ned i n lyi n g and l ater ga i n an a b i l ity that grants you s ki l l with a l l socia l i nteractions, you become s peci al ized i n lyi n g and trai ned i n a l l other types of i nteractions. Being tra i ned th ree times i n a s ki l l i s no better than bei n g tra i ned twice (in other word s, s pecia l ized i s as good as it gets) .

O n ly s k i l l s gai ned through character type a b i l ities, such as the glaive's fighting moves focus a b i l ities, or other rare i n stances al low you to become skil led with attack or defe n se tasks.

I f you gai n a s pecial abil ity through you r type, you r focu s, or some other as pect of you r character, you can choose it i n place of a ski l l and become trai ned or s pecial ized i n that abil ity. For exam ple, if you have a mind blast, when it' s time to choose a skill to be trai ned i n , you can select you r m i n d blast as you r s k i l l . That wou l d red uce the difficu lty every time you u sed it. Each a b i l ity you h ave cou nts as a separate ski l l for this pu rpose. You can't select "all m i n d powers" or "all esoteries" as one skill and become trai ned or special ized i n s u c h a broad category.

CHARACTER DESCRJPTOR,

TYPE, AND FOCUS

To create you r character, you build a s i m p l e statement that describes h i m or her. The statement takes this form: " I am a [fil l i n an adjective here] [fil l i n a noun here] who [fil l i n a verb here]. "

Th us: " I am an adjective noun who verbs." For example, you m i ght say, " I am a Rugged glaive who Controls Beasts" or "I am a Charm i n g nano who Focuses M i nd over M atter. "

I n this sentence, the adjective is cal l ed you r descriptor.

The noun is you r character type.

The verb is cal led you r focus.

Even though character type i s i n the middle of the sentence, that's where we' l l start this d i scussion. (J ust as in a sentence, the noun provides the foundation.)

Character type is the core of you r character. In some roleplayi ng games, it m ight be called you r character class.

You r type helps determine your character's place i n the world and relationship with other people in the setting. It's the noun of the sentence "I am an adjective noun who verbs."

You can choose from th ree character types: glaive, jack, and nano.

Descri ptor defines you r character-it flavors everything you do. You r descri ptor places you r character i n the s ituation (the first adventure, wh ich starts the campaign) and helps provide motivation. It's the adjective of the sentence " I am an adjective noun who verbs."

You can choose from twelve character descri ptors. Focus is what you r character does best. Focus gives you r character s pecificity a n d provides i nteresting new a b i l ities that m i ght come i n handy. You r focu s a l so helps you understand how you relate with the other player characters in you r group. It's the verb of the sentence "I am an

adjective noun who verbs."

There are many character foci to choose from .

(16)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Character types and foci grant PCs special abilities at each new tier. Using these abil ities usually costs points from you r stat Pools; the cost is listed in parentheses after the ability name. You r Edge in the appropriate stat can red uce the cost of the abil ity, but remember that you can apply Edge only once per action. For example, let's say a nano with an I ntellect Edge of 2 wants to use his Onslaught ability to create a bolt of force, which costs 1 I ntel lect point. He also wants to increase the damage from the attack by using a level of Effort, which costs 3 I ntellect points. The total cost for his action is 2 points from his I ntellect Pool (1 point for the bolt of force plus 3 points for using Effort minus 2 points from his Edge) .

Sometimes the point cost for an abil ity has a + sign after the n u m ber. For exam ple, the cost m ight be given as "2+ I ntel l ect points . " That means you can spend more poi nts or more levels of Effort to i m p rove the a b i l ity fu rther.

M a ny special a b i l ities grant a character the option to

perform an action that she cou l d n 't normally do, such as projecting rays of cold or attacking m u ltiple foes at once. Using one of these a b i l ities is an action u nto itself, and the end of the a b i l ity' s description says "Action" to rem i n d you. It a l so m i ght provide more i nformation about when or how you perform the action.

Some s pecial a b i l ities allow you to perform a fa m i l iar action-one that you can a l ready do-in a d ifferent way. For example, an abil ity m ight let you wear heavy armor, red uce the difficu lty of S peed defense rol l s , or add 2 poi nts of fire damage to you r weapon damage. These a b i l ities are cal led enablers. U s i n g one of these a b i l ities i s not con s idered an action. Enablers either fu nction constantly (such as bei ng able to wear heavy armor, which i s n 't an action) or happen as part of another action (such as add i n g fire damage to you r weapon damage, which happens as part of you r attack action) . If a special abil ity is an enabler, the end of the abil ity' s descri ption says " E nabler" to rem i n d you.

(17)

CHARACTER TYPE

Character type is the core of your character. In some roleplaying games, it might be called

your character class. Your type helps determine your character's place in the world and re­

lationship with other people in the setting. It's the noun of the sentence "I am an

adjective

n o u n

who

verbs. "

You can choose from three character types: glai11e, nano, and jack.

GLAIVE

G l a ives a re the e l ite warriors of t h e N i nth Wor l d , u s i n g wea p o n s a n d armor t o fight t h e i r e n e m i e s . H u nters, g u a rd i a n s , a n d sold i e rs cou l d be g l a ives . Somet i m e s scouts, wa rlord s , band its, a n d eve n ath l etes a re g l a ives . " G l a ive" i s a com m o n s l a n g term u sed a l most everywhere i n t h e Steadfast a n d t h e Beyo n d fo r any person s k i l led with wea pons o r a m a rt i a l a rt, but in truth , it a p p l ies o n l y to t h e best of the best. G l a ives a re warriors who com m a n d a b i l ities fa r beyo n d those of a typ ical person with a sword .

M ost glaives are either strong-u s i n g the heaviest armor and weapons available and havi ng a high M ight-or fast, sticki ng with l i ght weapons and armor and havi ng a high S peed . A few attem pt to use both M ight and S peed and stay somewhere in the m idd le. G l a ives a l so use ranged weapons s uch as bows or darts. Some don't rely on weapons at a l l , preferri ng t o use t h e i r bod ies i n hand-to-hand com bat­ pu nch i ng, kicki ng, grabbing, throwi n g, and so on. G laives i n Society: In most cities and villages, people hold glaives i n great esteem. Although a glaive could j u st as l i kely be a thug as a noble warrior, those who help protect their fel l ow h u ma n s from the dangers of the N i nth World are always treated with res pect. There i s no shame in getting paid for the use of one's skills, so bei n g a blade for h i re is a perfectly acceptable profession. Restrictions on carryi ng weapons openly are rare, and most glaives wear the tools of their trade with pride.

N ot s u rpri s i ngly, glaives often get along best with other glaives, or at least sold iers, guards, or similar com rades i n arms. N anos, scholars, and people who aren't terri bly physical are less l i kely to m ix wel l with glaives, but obviou s ly not every glaive is the same. They focus on their bod ies, but that doesn't mean they don't value more cerebral pursuits as wel l . A glaive need not follow the stereotype of the d u m b bruiser with a sword or an axe.

GLAIVE STAT POOLS

Stat

M ight S peed I ntel l ect

Pool Starti ng Value 1 1

1 0 7

You get 6 additional poi nts to d ivide among you r stat Pools however you wi s h .

G laives in the G roup: I n a group o f explorers, glaives typically take the lead . They' re u s u a l ly the most phys ically capable, the most d u rable, and the most ready to meet danger head-on. Sometimes they act protectively toward their companions; other times, they' re more self-i nterested.

Either way, a glaive' s place is often i n the middle of the fray. G laives and the N u menera: When it comes to the

n u menera, most glaives are i nterested i n weapon s , armor, or devices that aid them i n combat. The ancients prod uced a l l sorts of i ncred i b ly d u rable substances, many of which can be made i nto armor that is l ighter and more protective than steel . Sometimes, glaives can scavenge a s u it of armor com posed of these advanced materials, but more often they find the materials and then ask a crafter or s m ith to make the armor. Of course, the problem is that a substance that

is d ifficult to damage is also hard to work.

As varied as armori n g m ateri a l s m i ght be, n u m e n e ra wea p o n ry i s i nfin itely more so. These ite m s i n c l u d e melee wea pons t h at s h ock, stu n , or b u rn wh ateve r t h ey to uch; a n d ra n ged wea pons t h at b l ast p roject i l e s with i ncred i b l e power o r b u rsts of stra nge energies. There a re a l s o b o m b s , d a m a g i n g e n e rgy fi e l d s , poisonous gases, a n d fa r stra n ger wea p o n ry, but some g l a ives fi n d t h at such co m p l ex objects a re better off i n the h a n d s of a n a n o . M a n e uvera b i l ity i s j u st a s i m portant as attack o r defe n s e , h owever, so a n i t e m t h at a l l ows a g l a ive to move q u ickly or negate gravity is a great prize.

(18)

restorative objects, such as injections of chemicals that improve reaction time or pills with microscopic repair devices that heal wounds and restore fatigued muscle tissue. They use the n ickname "boost" for any cypher that enhances their strength, stamina, reflexes, or other physical aspects, wh ile one that repairs damage or alleviates fatigue is cal led a "treat." Advanced G laives: As they progress, glaives become better com batants, often fel l i n g m u ltiple foes i n a s i ngle stroke. They gai n special types of attacks and learn to use armor more efficiently to get the most out of the protection it offers.

GLAIVE BACKGROUND

G laives are no mere band its or town guards. They stand head and shoulders above ord i nary soldiers and brawlers. Someth ing in your background-whether intensive training, inborn traits, or biomechanical mod ification-has made you more than the others around you. Choose one of those three options (described below) as the source of your skills, strength, reflexes, and stamina. It wil l provide the foundation of your background and give you an idea of how you can improve. The G M can use this information to develop adventures and quests that are specific to your character and play a role in your advancement.

Intensive Training

You are strong, fast, or both, but what real ly separates you from the crowd is you r tra i n i ng. Perhaps you ascended

the h i ghest peak of the B l ack Riage or sought the deepest sewers beneath Qi to find teachers who cou l d show you how to move, fight, and end u re beyond normal h u man l i m its. You know a thousand ways to ki l l a foe, most of them secret to a l l but a chosen few. You ' re privy to tech n iques

and fighting styles that most people i n the N i nth World

have never seen. You have learned that the i m possible is possible-as long as you know the secret. You r body i s a weapon, and you r weapon i s part of you r body. You have stud ied with the masters, and now you carry that regimen as you ventu re i nto the world.

Advancement: You need to tra i n and practice con stantly to hone you r ski l l s and develop new tech n iques, b u i l d i n g on what you've been taught. Perhaps a t s o m e poi nt you wi l l retu rn t o you r secret masters for fu rther i n itiation or find new teachers or lessons that can take you to the next step.

When you gai n additional poi nts for you r stat Pools, an increase to a stat's Edge, or an increase i n the level of Effort you can apply, the benefit comes as the result of rigorous exercise and personal development. When you gain a new ski l l or glaive abil ity, it's the res u lt of the martial arts you have stud ied .

Inborn Traits

You 've trai ned u nder excel lent i nstructors and have experience in many dangerous situations, but what

makes you different is deep i n s ide, entwi ned i n you r

genetic heritage. M aybe i t w a s the l u c k o f b e i n g born fit. M aybe you ' re a h u l ki n g brute-a mountainous figure who commands attention when you enter a room . Or maybe you r strength is more s u btle; you m ight be the descendant of a bioengineered race bred (or designed) for perfection.

Perhaps you ' re a m utant with psych ic a b i l ities that augment you r physical natu re; you guide and enhance you r attacks with teleki nesis, or you use a natural m utation in you r bra i n t o control matter on a molecu lar level t o res i st blows and infl ict harm. Perhaps you ' re someth i n g wholly new: an aberration or a h u man so perfect that you ' re beyond human. You m i ght be a posth uman-the next step toward the true desti ny of the people of the N i nth World .

Advancement: You have talents o f which you are only d i m ly aware. You must practice and experiment to find you r l i m itations, if any. At some point i n t h e future, you m ight have to seek out someone who can help you master you r i n herent abilities. You were born with great power-now you need to learn how to use that power, even if the ed ucation takes a l ifetime.

When your stats improve, it's because you're tapping deeper into the unknown reserves within you. When you gain a new glaive abil ity, it's the result of your superh u man traits

as much as it is about your study, practice, or knowledge. You can do th ings that other people simply cannot, no matter how hard they train.

Biomechanical Modification

You m ight be a fighter, but you ' re no archaic stereotype­ this is the N i nth World, after a l l . Although you trai ned and gai ned you r share of practical experience, you have the n u menera on you r side as wel l . Some of you r knowled ge of fighti ng tech n i q ues is i m p l a nted i n you r bra i n and spine, wired i nto you r nerves and m u scles. You r joi nts h ave s u rgica l ly i m p l a nted servo motors. S u bdermal plati ng makes you tougher than should be possi ble. You r m u scle tissue is augmented with artificial fibers.

Perhaps you r genetic code has been rewritten by engineered viruses, or the tissues i n you r body have been reworked by nanotech, turn i n g you i nto an efficient battle mach ine. Or maybe you 've been altered by strange science-rad ioactive treatments of bizarre energies, chem ical com pounds and d rugs, or extrad imensional enhancements-that makes you stronger, faster, tougher, and more proficient i n attack and defe n se than anyone around you .

Whatever the case, you're the result o f ancient knowledge made manifest in the present, and now you're shaping the future. Perhaps your modifications are obvious and visible; perhaps they're not. Regardless, you know that you're more than merely human.

Advancement: You r body i s an ongoing project. In a way, it's a work of art, although its beauty comes not from its appearance but from what it can do. As you go forward ,

(19)

you should keep an eye out at a l l times for new parts and systems that can be incorporated i nto you r body, or new doses of d rugs and supplements to maintai n you r a b i l ities. You m i ght need to seek out s u rgeons, mechan ics, or bioen hancement specialists to take you to the next level. Perhaps the Aeon Priests can help. Perhaps the parts you need can be found o n ly i n the ru i n s of the past or the dangerous black market of a faraway city.

When you r stats i m p rove, it's because you l itera l ly have added someth i n g new to you r body. When you gai n a new abil ity, it's the d i rect res u lt of a tangible change i n you r own physical being.

GLAIVE TIERS

First-Tier Glaive

Fi rst-tier glaives h ave the fol lowi ng a b i l ities: Effort: You r Effort i s 1 .

Fighter: You have a M ight Edge of 1 , a S peed Edge of 1 , and an I ntel l ect Edge of O.

Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time. Practiced in Armor: Glaives can wear armor for long period s of time without tiring and can com pensate for slowed reactions from wearing armor. You can wear any kind of armor. You red uce the M ight cost per hour for wearing armor and the Speed Pool red uction for weari ng armor by 2. Enabler.

Practiced With All Weapons: You can use any weapon.

Enabler.

Physical Skills: You are trai ned i n you r choice of one of the fol lowi ng: balanci ng, c l i m b i ng, j u m ping, or swi m m i ng. Enabler.

Starti ng Equipment: You start with cloth i ng, two weapons (or one weapon and a s h ield) , l i ght or med i u m armor, an explorer's pack, two cyphers (chosen for you by the G M ) , one odd ity (chosen for you by the G M ) , a n d 5 s h i n s (coins) .

If you start with a ranged weapon that req u i res a m m u n ition (arrows, for example) , you start with 1 2 of that type of a m m u n ition. Before selecting you r weapons, armor, and other gear, you m ight want to wait u ntil after you 've chosen you r fighting moves, descri ptor, and focu s.

Fighting Moves: You have a s pecial talent for com bat and can perform feats that others can barely i magine. These feats are cal led . Some fighting moves are con stant, ongoing effects, and others are s pecific actions that u s u a l ly cost poi nts from one of you r stat Pools.

Choose two of the fighting moves descri bed below. You can't choose the same fighting move more than once u n less its descri ption says otherwi se.

• Bash (1 M ight point) : This is a p u m m e l i n g melee attack. You r attack inflicts 1 less point of damage than normal, but dazes you r target for one rou nd, d u ri n g which time the d ifficu lty of a l l tasks it performs i s mod ified by one step to its detri ment.

• No Need for Weapons: When you make an unarmed

attack (such as a pu nch or kick) , it cou nts as a med i u m weapon i n stead o f a l i ght weapon. Enabler.

• Pierce (1 Speed point): This is a wel l-aimed, penetrating ranged attack. You make an attack and infl ict 1 add itional point of damage if you r weapon has a sharp poi nt. Action. • Th rust (1 M ight poi nt): This is a powerfu l melee stab. You

make an attack and inflict 1 add itional point of damage if you r weapon has a sharp edge or poi nt. Action.

• Trained Without Armor: You are trai ned i n S peed defense actions when not weari ng armor. Enabler.

Second-Tier Glaive

Second-tier glaives have the fol lowi ng a b i l ities:

Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack i n which you are not a l ready trai ned: l ight bashi ng, l i ght bladed, l ight ranged , med i u m bas h i ng, med i u m bladed , med i u m ranged , heavy bas h i ng, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are trai ned i n attacks u s i n g that type of weapon. Enabler.

Fighti ng Moves: Choose one of the fol lowi ng fighting moves (or a move from a lower tier) to add to you r repertoi re. I n addition, you c a n replace o n e o f you r first-tier fighti ng moves with a different first-tier fighting move. • Chop (2 M ight poi nts): Th is is a heavy, powerfu l s l ice

with a bladed weapon, probably overhand. You m u st grip you r weapon with two hands to chop. When making this attack, you take a -1 penalty to the attack rol l , and you infl ict 3 add itional poi nts of damage. Action.

• Crush (2 M ight points): Th i s i s a powerfu l p u m m e l i n g attack with a bas h i n g weapon, probably overhand. You m u st gri p you r weapon with two hands to cru s h . (If fighti ng u narmed , this attack is made with both fists or both feet together.) When making this attack, you take a -1 penalty to the attack rol l , and you i nfl ict 3 additional poi nts of damage. Action.

• Reload (1 Speed point): When using a weapon that normally req u i res an action to reload, such as a heavy crossbow, you can reload and fire (or fire and reload) i n t h e same action. Enabler.

• Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task i n which you are not a l ready trained: M ight, S peed , or I ntel l ect. You are trai ned i n defense tasks of that type. U n l i ke most fighting moves, you can select this move up to t h ree times. Each time you select it, you m u st choose a different type of defense task. Enabler.

• Successive Attack (2 Speed points): If you take down a foe, you can i m med iately make another attack on that same turn aga i n st a new foe with i n you r reach. The second attack i s part of the same action. You can use this fighti ng move with melee attacks and ranged attacks. Enabler.

Third-Tier Glaive

T h i rd-tier glaives have the fol lowi ng a b i l ities:

Expert Cypher Use: You can bear t h ree cyphers at a time. Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack i n which

References

Related documents

This means that the expression K ˆ in (61) is of order O ( k 2 ) and it can be concluded from (52) that if the multi-dimensional advection is treated by

Subsequent to these dedicated applications of giant internet companies, like Google latitude (2009), Facebook Places (2010) entered the mobile market. Presently Foursquare

2 African regional resistance to the acknowledgment and enforcement of international positions (played out in the UN General Assembly but operationalised on the continent) proved

In equilibrium, Alice may envy Bob, but only if Bob’s endowment is more valuable (at equilibrium market prices) than Alice’s.. In particular, when all endowments are the same, they

MAGGIE'S REFORM-BASED MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT I turn now to Maggie, where the challenges of mathematics reform and the complexities of research on mathematical

(a) This Table includes standard pitch diameters, outside diameters, and caliper diameter factors for single-cut sprockets This Table includes standard pitch

Third generation calcium channel blockers enable to reduce the incidence of peripheral oedema and chlorthalidone is certainly more effective than hydrochlorothiazide in

Some times, the choice of format is dependent upon things you need the manual for. Some guides are best used as written documents, which you can download and print. This will allow