The Pen is Mightier than the Sword 1435744292, 9781435744295

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The Pen is mightier than the Sword The Resources for designing your own Role Playing Games

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Contents Introduction: What is an RPG?

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Chapter 1 (Where When What?)

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Preliminary Layout

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Races

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Classes

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Other Creatures

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Inspiration

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Conclusion

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Chapter 2 (How?)

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Creating your Basic Rules

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Rules for Races

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Attributes

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Rules for Classes

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Health

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Your Basic Character Sheet

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Skills

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Advantages & Disadvantages

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Experience & Progression

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Money

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Initiative

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Turns & Actions

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Dice Rolls, Target #’s, and Other Rules

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Damage and Protection

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Combat Options

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Saving Throws

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Vehicle/Pet Rules

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Conclusion

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Chapter 3 (Everything Else)

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Equipment/Items

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Weapons

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Armor

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Vehicles

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Magic/Spells

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Creatures

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Rounding it out

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Conclusion

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Chapter 4 (Concepts)

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Magic

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Cyberware

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Bioware

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Psionics

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Mutant Powers

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Robots and Mechs

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Others

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Conclusion

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Chapter 5 (Resources)

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Skills

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Races

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Classes

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Equipment

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Weapons, Older and Melee

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Weapons, Modern

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Weapons, Futuristic

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Weapon Accessories

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Armor

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Clothing

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Vehicles

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Treasures, Metals, and Minerals

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Spells

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Psionic Powers

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Magic Items

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Animals, Common

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Creatures, Common

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Cyberware

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Bioware

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Vehicle/Spaceship Accessories

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Existing Role Playing Games and Rules

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Chapter 6 (A few Games)

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Silent Service

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Down Under

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Modem

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Free Realm

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Rights and Restrictions

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Introduction: What is an RPG? When a lot of people hear about Role Playing Games they think of two things: An anti-religious past time from the '80's that required LSD or some other hallucination, or a group of classic nerds sitting around a table in their parents basement arguing about dice rolls, math, or what superhero could beat another. The above could probably be true somewhere, but I highly doubt it (at least the first example). I've been playing multiple games for over a decade now and even though I'd never claim to be "cool" or "up to date" I can honestly say that I'm not a nerd. Although I could be considered a "Geek", my hobbies include sport bikes, off-road driving, computer programming, camping... The other hobbies within my group vary between paint guns, photography, and another sport bike racer. But I digress. The most common type of Role Playing Game is simply sitting around with a small group and running through a campaign. A campaign is an imaginary world and series of adventures with a central figure in charge. It’s simply a way to escape normal, everyday life without being restricted to the boundaries of a video game. The players get the opportunity to see life from another perspective, and to use magic or devices not available in the real world. The premise for someone playing most games is simple. A person creates their own character using rules from the particular game they're playing. He or she records their character on a piece of paper (a "Character Sheet" that will accompany the game), and the rules used in this creation can vary dramatically. Some games allow a player to assign dice rolls to his strengths and weaknesses; others use charts or tables that have to be followed. Let’s create a character now. We’ll call him “Bob”.

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Bob is now a member of whatever game is being played. He's a living, breathing entity as far as the player and everybody else is concerned. His abilities have been recorded on his Character Sheet as a variety of values (usually numbers). This (along with dice rolls or coin tosses) determines how strong, fast, and smart Bob is (or even other things, depending on the game). Specific things that Bob can do are recorded as "Skills" on his sheet, sometimes even his outlook on life and attitude are documented too. The player controlling him tries their best to stick within those boundaries. By now you're probably wondering: "If Bob exists inside this new world, and someone's controlling him, then who's controlling the world?" Good question. The GM (Game Master) is the person who controls what's going on in Bob's reality. He or she plans out the adventure for Bob in advance, controls any friends/enemies inside the game, and, on occasion, throws trouble his way. The GM keeps the rules in check for everyone playing and usually knows as much, or more, about the game than the norm. He or she's pretty much "God" in the world Bob's in, and chances are, if you're reading this book, you want to be one too. Most RPGs have a variety of books containing rules, stats, extras, adventures, and plans/layouts. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™ alone has nearly 100 books for it's 3 ½ current editions. Although all you really need is 1; "The Players Guide". The next two that'd be good to have are "The Dungeon Masters Guide™" and "The Monster Compendium™". “The Players Guide™” has all the information you really need for making characters, playing, and advancing in the game. The other two help if you want to run a campaign. Everything else is either “filler” or specifics for refining your characters or campaign. Shadowrun™ is another famous game and one that I run myself. Despite a similar sized library you really only need one book to play or run it, and that's the “Shadowrun Sourcebook™”. It contains all the rules and enough filler to start you off in creating your own campaign. 7

This book will concentrate more these types of RPGs. In the next few chapters you’ll learn exactly how they work, how to create your own, and have access to the basic resources for putting one together. Remember Bob? Well, we’ll be using him a lot throughout the book. He’ll be my Guinea Pig to demonstrate to you exactly what it is we’re doing at any particular time. I’m also going to use someone else in our scenarios. His name is Sam and he’ll be the Game Master whenever I need one. Sam’s attitude and sex may change throughout the book as examples permit but the name will always stay the same. At the rear of the book is a cache of small RPG’s I created in high school. These are mainly examples but feel free to play them of course.

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Chapter 1 Where, When, What?

Before attempting to create your own role-playing game you need to know exactly what it is you want. The questions "When?" and "Where?" are the two most important things to answer at this point. Where do you want your campaign to take place? What city? What country? What planet? What realm? When do you want your campaign to take place in this setting? The answers to both of those questions will make your world. The third question will shape the game itself: What will be in your world? Will magic exist in this world? What about technology? What race (or races) of people occupies this world? What kind of monsters (if any at all)? Preliminary Layout: So let’s start an example game from the very beginning. First, we’re going to create a small world (let’s call it “Free Realm”). I need to think of where and when I want it to take place. A medieval setting is nice for the battles and types of adventures I have in mind, but I also plan to have limited technology so I have to give the world a little history to explain how it came to be. Here’s my description for Free Realm: 9

Free Realm is a beautiful open world. 90% of it is open plains and lakes; the rest is densely forested. Villages populate the plains sparsely and dirt roads connect the majority of them. The forested areas are only mapped by their boundaries due to the dangers, people who venture within rarely return. A few factories exist in the biggest villages for creating what little technologies are available. Free Realm’s residents agree on tracking time by years (the current year is 850 after the 2nd age) advancements at this time have reached about the 1950 American level. The 2nd age was named so after a large war that destroyed most of the land. Not much is remembered of the 1st age (not even the date that it ended), only that magic and technology played a part in the destruction. Electricity is common in most villages and gas driven trucks are seen crossing the plains daily. Guns are the weapons of choice, but melee weapons are still loved and used. Analog watches, refrigerators, gas ovens, and the equivalent are also common. Magic is extremely rare in Free Realm. A few villages employ wizards and mages, as protectors, and a small number of schools exist to teach the few that are talented. Magic can be used without the aid of objects (books, charms, or wands) but it’s extremely difficult, even for the best. Villages are run like independent countries. Each one has it’s own governing body. It’s either a council of elders for the smaller ones, a tribal chief (or dictator), or a democracy. Laws can vary from village to village. Okay, we’ll take a break there, because next we need to decide what will be in this world. By the text above you can see that I’ve already decided what objects to put in Free Realm (automobiles, guns, magic…), but I haven’t gotten specific yet. What races live in Free Realm? What inhabits the forests that make them so dangerous? What kinds of creatures exist? The information about the forest I’d like to keep for the Game Master. That way the players will be left in the dark and they’d be a bit more cautious. I’m sure that they’d find out about it somewhere eventually, but I’d still make an effort to keep it out of the main reading material.

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Let’s see what we have so far: Where: A borderline medieval world that’s mostly plains and lakes. When: Year 850 of the 2nd age (the 1st age is mostly forgotten). What (so far): 1950 type technology exists. As does magic. Noticed that I’ve also given little details like how the people track time (by years) and a vague idea of how the villages work (government structures). Small things like this will help the other players get a picture of the game world. So now I’m going to get a little more in depth on what will exist in Free Realm. Races: The next thing that we need to think of is the people that players will control. Who and what are they? I’m going to place two species of characters in this game: Humans and Elves (because just about everybody knows what elves are). We’ll go over the specifics of those two later in the next chapter, but at least now we know what we’re going to work with. Classes: The third thing we need is: what types of people are there? The answer to this question can come in a variety of forms. Most games use a “Class System”. An example of this is: Fighters, Mages, Mechanics, and Hackers… Sometimes a character’s skill set alone determines what they’re good at, so you may not choose to use anything like that. You can also invent an “Alignment/Mood System” to determine whether a character is good, bad, or something in between. Factors like these will set the basics for characters in your game.

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For Free Realm I’m going to create a class system, but no alignment system. I’ll make a spot on the character sheet for the player to briefly describe the characters views on the world. Here are the classes that I’d like to have in this game. It’s a short list because this is just an example: Fighter Mage Mechanic Wizard Each race and class will give the characters different abilities, which we’ll go over later in the next chapter. A fighter will have better luck in battles, wizards and mages can use magic and each will be better at casting different spells, and a mechanic will do better with technical skills. Humans and Elves will have slightly different abilities as well. I could use traditional rules for elves (long life, night vision…) but I’m going to go in a different direction. That’s the advantage of creating your own game. Other Creatures: The last thing to write down is the kind of creatures that inhabit the world with your people. I use the term “Creatures” loosely, as they could be monsters, robots, or other beings depending on your game. You really don’t have to get in-depth with their abilities at this point (you’ll have to create the games basic rules first), but it’s always a good idea to make a list of what you want. Once again Free Realm is a small example game so here’s my small example creature list. I’ve gone ahead and put in a space to mark where any one type of creature can be found. That will help me remember any ideas I had in mind while writing the list. You can put any notes in at this point, but this is just all I need right now. 12

Creature:

Dwelling:

Cow

Plains

Horse

Plains

Dog

Plains

Cat

Plains

Vampire

Forests/Plains at night

Goblin

Forests

Kraken

Lakes

Shark

Lakes

You’ll notice that I included some mundane creatures (cats, dogs, horses…). It’s always good to mix it up so characters have the option of befriending kind creatures. They’d be controlled by the Game master of course, but could come in handy during a campaign. More monsters can always be created down the line, but make a short list first so you’re ready to go once you figure out what kind of attribute system you’re going to use. Inspiration: Usually the urge to create your own rpg will stem from a movie, television show, or book. Sometimes you’ll be lying in bed or standing in the shower and ideas will just start flying through your head, but no matter how you come up with the original idea adding on to it is the fun part. When doing research I’d definitely say that nothing comes as close as the Internet and local library. Especially a college library if you’re game has a futuristic sci-fi setting. I learned about black holes, wormholes, relativity, and time travel theories all in one night back in collage while sitting around the library bored. Also remember that the “New Age” section will be your best friend when working on magical portions of your game.

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The Internet also has unlimited resources on other games, actual ancient lore, and magic theory for both “Real Life” and fiction. Chances are while you’re searching around you’ll also come across other ideas you might end up incorporating in you game. *****

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Conclusion: Now remember that creating a game is when your imagination really shines. This is because you’re not restricted to any one thing. Your game could take place in space or multiple planets. Maybe even a world that can access multiple dimensions. The options are limitless so don’t let anything discourage you. All you need are to answer these questions: 1. Where? (Where’s the game take place? What’s it like?) 2. When? (When in this world/place will your campaign happen?) 3. What? (What characters are there to choose from? What kinds of items are available? What creatures share the world with the characters?) After getting these questions out of the way feel free to elaborate. I didn’t have to give nearly a whole page description of Free Realm, but I did it do help the readers get a picture in their head of what the world is like.

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Chapter 2 How? This is where things can get complicated. I use the term “How” to encompass all of the rules for your game, from the simplest (how many seconds a turn is in your world), to the more complex (battling multiple enemies in the dark with a long sword while holding a torch in the other hand). Creating your basic rules: Role playing games incorporate one basic rule. There has to be some sort of “random chance”. You roll dice to determine the outcome of an action. What kind of dice and what modifiers you use depend on the rules you create. Let me give an example. I’m going create a Die 10 system for Free Realm. For every major action that a character makes the player rolls a 10-sided die. That characters abilities will help them by giving bonuses to the number that they rolled. Example: Characters Skill/Attribute + Dice Roll = Total vs. Target Number 3

+

5

=

8 vs. 7 (Success)

This means that I’ll have to create a skill and attribute system that works well with the rule I just made. I’m going to make Free Realms human characters have a base attribute range of 1-6. Elves I’ll give a little extra speed but a little less strength. I’ll get to that in a moment. There are a wide variety of dice rules in role playing games. Dungeons and Dragons™ uses a 20-sided die system that has changed through its 3 editions. Shadowrun™ uses a 6-sided system where the number of dice rolled equals whatever skill/attribute the character’s using (the number of successes then determines how good the action was). Top Secret/S. I. ™ used two 10-sided dice (read one after the other) to get rolls up to 100 16

and had character attributes to match. So just pick or create a set of rules for your game that’s good for you. You can even use coin tosses in your rules if you’re making something to play at school. Any game can usually be broken down into a simple equation. Here’s an example using Free Realm: Dice Roll + Character’s Attribute, VERSUSES A Target Number (or Rolls)

Skill, or Bonus

(To Hit, To Solve…)

Just remember that a character will usually use a value to complete an action PLUS whatever dice rules you create. It’s best if those values can be improved over time, and the better the value, the better the chances of success for the character. Most games also use a “Reward System” when dealing with rolls. That means when the highest number is rolled on a dice (10 in my case) then it’s an automatic success, or possibly even a killing shot/blow (even if the target number for the roll was out of reach). This also means that if the player rolls the lowest number (1, unless you’re using multiple dice) then it’s an automatic failure (sometimes with drastic consequences) even if the target number was met. Also remember that the player’s rolls can be reflected in their characters actions. If they rolled well over the target number then let the character do something that normally couldn’t be achieved with style. If the player rolled a little under the target number then make it a simple miss. If they roll too low then embarrass the character a little with how bad they did. Fun can be had; it’s a game after all. Rules for Races: Different races are usually defined by appearance and abilities. Some may be stronger, faster, or smarter than others. This is the time for me to decide the differences between elves and humans in Free Realm.

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As for modifiers to each race I’m going to give elves a +1 to their speed, but a -1 to their strength. That means that they can get up to 17 on a speed roll, but only up to a 15 on their strength rolls. It’s always good to give certain races a bonus as long as you take something too. That way there won’t be one race stronger overall. If you remember from the previous chapter I’m going to give races a basic, maximum attribute rating of 6, which means that with a maximum roll of 10 the strongest, fastest, smartest human can only make a 16. That’s something for the game master to keep in mind while setting target numbers. Attributes: Attributes are a character’s physical or mental abilities. For Free Realm I only have three attributes for each character. This is tiny compared to most rpgs, but yet again, this is only an example game. Each attribute usual equals something in the game world as well as meet the equations needed in the game rules for dice rolling. For now I’m just going to explain how the attributes for Free Realm equate into the game world. For character creation I’d allow the player to roll 5 6-sided dice and use 3 of the best rolls for their character (for strength, speed and intelligence). Elves of course will receive a +1 to their Speed and -1 to their Strength. Strength value is going to be equal to 60 lbs in Free Realm. This means that a character with a strength value of 6 will be able to bench press 360 lbs (6 x 60 = 360). It will also be equal to 1/2 foot, which means that a character with a strength value of 3 could jump a distance of 1 1/2 feet up. Speed value will be equal to (3) + 2 feet per second. This means that a character with a speed value of 4 could run 14 feet per second ((4 x 3) + 2 = 14). Speed value will also equal 2 feet in a running jump. So a character with a speed value of 3 could jump 6 feet from a running start.

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Intelligence is a little more difficult. It’s usually hard to classify it in any “world-type” way because the player will be making most of the decisions for the character. So it can mainly be used in this game for casting spells and helping to solve puzzles if the player can’t figure them out. For Free Realm I’m going to say that one point of intelligence will equal 15 IQ points + 80. So a character with an intelligence value of 5 will have an IQ of 155: IQ: 80 + (5 x 15) = 155 Some games create attributes differently. Shadowrun uses a chart with a predetermined amount of “Attribute Points”. Depending on where you are in the chart you only get a certain value to distribute among your attributes. This varies with how much money you’re giving your character, whether they use magic, their race… Rules for Classes: In the previous chapter I decided what character classes I wanted in Free Realm. Fighter Mage Mechanic Wizard Now I get to decide what bonuses and negatives each class has to offer. Let’s start with fighters and work our way down the list. Fighters are usually stronger or faster (or both) than the norm so I’m going to give them a +1 to either strength or speed. I’ll leave which one for the player to decide during creation. I’ll also give that class a little extra money at creation for weapons and armor only. When I create skills I’ll also designate which ones the fighter will get a bonus for.

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Mages will be more combat orientated spell casters in Free Realm and wizards will be more in the line of conjurers. I’m going to put wizards and mages in the same rule set because the only thing separating them will be what kind of spells they get bonuses for. Both spell casters will receive a +1 to their intelligence during creation. They’ll also get a bonus to certain spells and skills (depended on whether it’s a mage or wizard) and a choice of 2 beginning spells. Mechanics will have a +1 to their intelligence AND strength. They’ll also have a bonus to certain skills needed for repairing many things that the player chooses during creation (cars, factory equipment, weapons…). A mechanic will have the abilities to use any weapons that a fighter does, just not as well at first because of lack in training (they don’t get the bonuses there). Now keep in mind that these bonuses can’t take an attribute above that races normal maximum value (unless the game master makes special concessions). Fighter: +1 to Str or Spd, extra money for weapons/armor, +1 bonus to fighting skills. Mage: +1 to Int, 2 beginning mage spells, +1 bonus to mage spells and skills. Wizard: +1 to Int, 2 beginning wizard spells, +1 bonus to wizard spells and skills. Mechanic: +1 to Int, +1 to Str, +1 bonus to repair skills. Health: Now’s the time to figure out what kind of “Health” system Free Realm is going to use. This will set the basis for how the weapons and armor will work as well. Most games use a Hit Point system. Which means that a value equals how healthy the character is. This value usually goes up 20

with the amount of experience the character has. Some games use a Graph system. That means that each character has a set amount “blocks of health” and it stays pretty much constant throughout the characters life (unless it’s based on his/hers strength and that value changes). For Free Realm I’m going to use a graph system. I’ll give each character 2 blocks of health for each point of strength (this gives humans another bonus over elves). This means that humans could have a maximum health of 12 blocks, but elves will max out at 10. This also means that when I create weapons they’ll have to work with this graph system. For example: an Axe could have a base damage of 4 blocks, an Arrow could have a base damage of 1 block, and so on. Armor will also work this way. So different pieces of armor could protect a certain number of blocks: Helmet = 1 block, Chest Plating = 2 blocks…

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Your basic Character Sheet: At this point I’m going to create my character sheet. This means I need to put what attributes the characters are going to have in writing. I know they’re going to need skills so I’ll leave a spot for them. A few things I don’t know yet include what sort of initiative system I’m going to use, and what specific variables weapons and armor will use so I’m going to leave those spaces blank for now. Character name:________________ Players Name:_________________ Str:____ Notes:__________________ Race:_______ Money:______ Spd:____

__________________ Health:

Int:____

__________________

Skills: __________________

Weapons: ________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

Armor: _________________________

_______________________

Spells: __________________________

Equipment: _____________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

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Skills: Now we’re ready to create a list of skills. For Free Realm each skill will have a code next to it for each class. Fighter = fi Mage = ma Mechanic = me Wizard - wi (all = no bonus from any class) That means that whichever class is designated to that skill will get a +1 bonus to it whenever that skill is first applied, not while upgrading it. Skills will be needed to perform their corresponding actions. Without them the characters will have no knowledge of how an item or spell works and the game master could have a lot of fun with that. If the characters life is on the line the game master could also decide to help them through it by using an attribute or applying divine luck instead (or even by using a “Skill Chart”, which I’ll describe later in this section). Here’s a skill list that I’ve compiled for Free Realm. Wherever you see “B/R” it means “Build and Repair”.

Ancient weapons B/R - me - Build and repair hand-to-hand weapons Archery - fi - Allows use of archery sets (bow and arrows) Armed combat - fi - Allows use of hand-to-hand weapons Armor - fi - Allows use of shields, braces, etc during combat to block "" B/r - me - Build and repair for all armor Athletics - fi - Replaces attribute value for flips, dodging, and jumping Automobile - all - Can drive motorized, wheeled vehicles 23

"" B/R - me - Build and repair motorized, wheeled vehicles Bike (motorcycle) - all - Allows riding motorcycles "" B/R - me - Build and repair motorcycles Boating - all - Allows using both motor powered and sailboats "" B/R - me - Build and repair boats, both types Boxing - fi - Hand-to-hand combat Climbing - fi, ma, me - Knowledge/experience to climb cliffs freehand Concealment - fi, ma, wi - Knowledge to conceal self, others, or objects Conjuring (magic) - wi - Needed to use wizard/conjuring spells Cooking - all - The ability to cook meals Demolitions - me, wi - Setting of explosives. Used for disposal as well Detect Ambush - fi, ma - Bonus for detecting ambushes Detect Concealment - fi, ma, wi - Used to detect concealed people Disguise - ma, wi - Can use disguises to full ability to hide in public Electronics - all - Can use electronic devices "" B/R - me - Build and repair electronic devices Escape artist - fi, ma - Can get out of sticky situations better than others Firearms - fi, me - Allows use of all firearms "" B/R - fi, me - Build and repair all firearms First aid - all - Can use with first aid kits Forgery - me, wi - Can forge documents and signatures Gunnery - fi - Allows use of heavy or vehicle mounted firearms Horseman ship - all - Can saddle and ride horses plus use carriages Identity plants and fruits - fi, ma - Helps when living in the wild Navigation (Land, water) - fi, ma - Actually 2 separate skills Negotiation - ma, me, wi - Assists in talking through a situation Picklocks - me - Can pick key locks / better luck with combination locks 24

Pickpockets - ma, wi - Can pick a pocket without being noticed Sniper - fi - Experience with long ranged firearms Sorcery (magic) - ma - Needed to use mage/sorcery spells Stealth - fi - The ability to sneak around unnoticed Swimming - all - The ability to swim Tank - fi, me - Allows to driving treaded vehicles "" B/R - me - Build and repair treaded vehicles Throwing projectiles - fi - Ability to throw weapons or objects Tracking - fi, ma - Ability to track prey, objects, or other characters Next I’m going to decide where the skill points will come from. I’m thinking that the easiest way is to just add 6 to the characters intelligence. Then skill points can be awarded at the end of each game instead of experience (we’ll get to experience points and levels later). The number of skill points to award the characters will be left up to the game master. I’d suggest keeping track of what feats they accomplish, who they defeat in battle, and distribute them based on that. Some games use a “Skill Chart” (like Shadowrun™). That’s a chart that lists all the games skills and links them together. That way if a player is lacking a certain skill the game master can allow them to use a nearby skill at a lower value. Here’s an example: Firearms -------------- Archery \ Sniper

\ Throwing Projectiles --------- Ancient Weapons

Let’s say that Bob (you remember Bob, right?) has an ancient weapons skill of 4 but dropped his sword in battle. His life’s in danger but the only thing nearby is a rock. Since it’s only one skill away in the skill chart the game master could allow him to use a skill value of 3 while throwing the rock. 25

Or better yet. Say Bob was able to escape that fight but was forced to leave his sword behind. While cresting a nearby hill he notices a bow and arrow lying on the ground (how convenient). Since the archery skill is 2 skills away on the chart the game master could allow him to use the bow and arrow with a skill value of 2 (since Bobs ancient weapons skill value is 4). Most skill charts have more thought put into them than the one I just created, but I’m sure you get the idea. Advantages & Disadvantages: Some games give advantages and disadvantages (also known as Perks and Flaws). These act like skills, but are things that the character cannot control. Things like luck, friends, phobias, enemies, addictions, allergies, etc. I’m not going to use this in Free Realm, but it’s always a welcome addition to any game. Usually the player will pick these things themselves using a point/value system. For example, a certain advantage might be worth 3 points, so then the player must pick 3 points worth of disadvantages to even it out. Experience & Progression: Role playing games usually use a way to upgrade the characters after each adventure. This is referred to as experience. Some games use levels, experience points, and/or Karma (which is close to what I’ll be using). Games that use experience points and levels give the characters rewards for each level they achieve. For every certain number of experience points the character reaches a new level. Usually the rewards for each level differ depending on what class the character is.

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Karma is used by Shadowrun™ and is actually a few points that the character receives after an adventure. Those points can be exchanged for skill points, attribute points, or saved and used during an adventure to help the character out (to recover from a bad roll, or for an instant win). For Free Realm I’m going to use skill points as rewards. A character will only receive a few per adventure so they won’t advance too quickly. That plus whatever money they make per adventure will be how the characters advance and get stronger in the campaign. Money: For Free Realm I’m going to use a simple cash monetary system like we use here in the states although a lot of medieval type games use gold and precious metals. This can get into a huge exchange system that I really don’t want to put into a small game like Free Realm. I’ll decide the price of objects (weapons, armor…) when I create their list, but for now I’m going to set a characters starting money at $200 (with a fighter getting a bonus of $100 for weapons and armor only). Shadowrun™ uses a monetary system that works online (in the game). Money is exchanged electronically and that makes it both harder to steal and easier to explain away any sort of exchange rate. Initiative: Initiative is a way of determining who goes fist in battle. I’ve decided not to create an “Initiative value” for Free Realm. Instead I’m going to use the characters Speed Value. When starting a battle each player (plus the game master if needed) will roll one 10-sided dice. Then they’ll add their characters speed value to the total and the highest values will go first. If equal values are rolling then those players will roll again to see which of them goes before the other. A lot of games work with initiative in a similar way, but they leave a separate spot on the character sheet for it so that any bonuses or negatives from a race or character class can be applied. I’m only putting 27

four classes in Free Realm and I’ve already decided that whatever bonuses they give won’t affect any character’s initiative. Turns and Actions: When it comes down to the action portion of the game things happen in “Turns” (also commonly known as “Rounds”). This is true with every game. I’ve already explained that initiative is how to determine which characters get to react in what order, so now it’s time to discuss what they can do. A turn is a set amount of time in the game world. For Free Realm I’m going to set it as 2 seconds. This means that a character with a speed value of 3 could run 22 feet in a turn (((3 x 3) + 2) x 2). This math goes back to the Attributes Section. I know it sounds complicated, but you’ll rarely need this math while playing (and that’s why keeping the rule book nearby is handy). Usually a character will just try to outrun another, and comparing speed values is all the players really need to do. If it really comes down to it you could enlarge the character sheet slightly and make spaces next to the attributes to designate how fast a character can run per round, how high they can jump… Examples of things you can do during a turn: -Draw/Ready your weapon -Fire or strike with your weapon -Cast a quick spell -Parry an attack from another character (or creature) -Dodge an attack -Make a movement within your attribute constraints -Use a skill Battling will be the most common thing the characters will be doing during turns (whether it is with weapons or magic). Fights can be 28

instigated together (all parties roll initiative), or it could be an ambush (the attacking party was concealed, so they go first). We’ve already established that rolling initiative determines who goes in what order throughout the turn so now it falls to the first player to make an action. Normally this will be to attack (If their weapon’s already drawn or have a spell ready) unless they’ve decided to run. Dice Rolls, Target Numbers, and Other Rules: We’ve already established that Free Realm is a 10-sided die system. But you’ve probably been wondering where the target numbers come from. Different target numbers will be derived from different actions. Here’s some examples of what I mean. Remember that 1D10 is an abbreviation for 1 10-sided die. When attacking: Target # = Defender’s Spd + 1D10 (The faster the target the harder it is to hit) Solving a puzzle: Target # = Creator’s Int + 1D10 (The smarter the creator the harder the puzzle) Disarming trap: Target # = Creator’s Int or Concealment Skill + 1D10 (GM’s discretion) Some target numbers will have to be created either before or during the game by the GM. If a character has to jump a ravine the GM will quickly decide the target number that they think makes sense by the length of jump needed. If a character has to do some fancy driving or piloting the GM works with that as well. When creating your game think of the most possibilities for applying rules or modifiers. A lot of games go as far as predicting how things like drugs, alcohol, light, and even dizziness can affect the characters and to what degree. I think that’s way to in-depth for a small game like 29

Free Realm so I’ll let it be. The game master can have fun with drunkenness and such, but I won’t put in specific rules for it. Damage and Protection: Next we deal with weapons and armor. I’m going to use a simple damage code for weapons, which will be a single value. Each weapon will have a number for its damage code. For each number rolled above the characters target number just add 1 to the weapons damage code. For Example: Let’s say Bob is attacking. He has a target number of 7 and rolls an 8 (after any bonuses are applied and everything’s added up). He’s attacking with his short sword, which has a damage code of 3. That means that the total damage dealt would be 4. 3 (damage code) + 1 (rolled an 8, which is 1 over 7) = 4 (blocks of damage) Games that use hit points as health usually use a dice based damage code. That means that each weapon has a code like “1D8”. The player then rolls a single 8-sided dice and the result is the damage dealt. Another example is 1D8+2, which means that a weapon would inflict between 3-10 points of damage. This is good for varying the damage a weapon can inflict, but means that everybody can deal out the same amount of damage unless a weapon specifies otherwise (an example is 1D4 + the characters strength). With the way I just created (loosely based on Shadowrun™) damage is more closely related to how developed the characters skill is. Armor in Free Realm will work along the same lines as weapons although I’m going to add a way for them to degrade. Armor will have a single value as well. This value will designate how many blocks of health it’ll protect. Usually armor in role-playing games has a single value similar to this. 30

For Example: Let’s say Sam (the GM’s character) has a breastplate with an armor value of 2. Bob just attacked him (see above) with a total damage value of 4. The breastplate will protect Sam from 2 points of that damage. 4 (damage) - 2 (breastplate) = 2 (total damage to Sam) Now here’s the kicker. I’m going to throw in a side rule so that armor will wear out over time. If the attacking player rolls a natural 10 (on his/her 10-sided dice) then the defending character will lose an armor point from one piece of their armor permanently (which piece is up to the game master and the lost point takes affect after that attack). Combat Options: A lot of games give various extended options for hand-to-hand combat. On some occasions these are available as extra skills; on others they’re all included in the Unarmed Combating skill. Here are some of these options: “Dodge” is usually used without a skill because it’s a normal reaction to being attacked. It gives a chance for the target to escape being hit altogether. “Block” is described as the character trying to stop an attack outright. The character takes slightly less damage unless they’re using a shield of some sort. A character blocking with their arms alone can only safely block punches or kicks. “Parry” means that the target is trying to deflect the attack. This can be used to deflect a punch using the targets arms (resulting in minimum damage), or for an armed target to deflect a melee weapon (sword, club, or staff) which would result in no damage. 31

“Grapple” is an attempt to grab the weapon from an assailant. This can only be used against blunt weapons unless under special conditions (grappling a sword handle instead of its blade). The result is a battle of strength to determine who gets the weapon. “Counterstrike” is a special skill that combines parrying with an attack. An example is parrying a sword strike with your own sword and swinging around to return an attack within the same round. “Fain” is a way of tricking your combatant into thinking you’re about to strike. This throws him/her mentally off balance for a split second as they prepare for an attack that’s not coming. It gives the character a slight bonus as they strike a split second later. I’m not going to use any of these in Free Realm in another attempt to keep it simple, but games such as Robotech™ used them as special abilities. Saving Throws: Saving Throws are a method of avoiding something’s effects (like a spell, sickness, or gas). Usually a character has a special spot on their character sheet for saving throw values. Depending on the rules for your game a character could be allowed a saving throw after an attack is made (or an accident occurs). The player would then roll and use their saving throw values as the rules imply. The result could lower the amount of damage done or dissipate it all together.

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Vehicle/Pet Rules:

Vehicles can be a little harder to work with in most games but I’m going to use a simple system for Free Realm that I’d advise for others. It’s usually best to assume that a character knows how to perform simple maneuvers if they have the skill for that vehicle. I’d only roll that skill if they need to perform a stunt or some fancy driving. Working with pets can really depend on the animal’s temperament, intelligence, and how well the pet’s been cared for. Usually a skill is associated with commanding and caring for an animal that the character would roll when issuing commands. Other than that it’d be assumed that the pet continues a relationship with its owner. As a side note, some type of gunnery skill is needed to use large, vehicle-mounted weapons (unless the GM decides otherwise using a home-made skill chart). That includes a tank turret, so just because someone can drive a tank doesn’t mean they can fire its gun. A lot of games use simple rules like this when dealing with vehicles, horses, or riding animals. Although some go off the deep end with continual rolls to make sure the animal stays in check, or even having the player roll every round during a drive or battle to make sure they don’t wreck. ***** 33

Conclusion: In this chapter we went over everything that you definitely NEED for a game to function properly. Plus a few other things that are nice to have. Needs: •

Basic Rule Structure, Turn/Round Definition plus Initiative

•

Races, Classes, Character Sheets plus Characters Stats

•

How Damage and Combat will work Good to have at this stage:

•

Skills

•

Advantages & Disadvantages (If you’re using them)

•

Experience or game progression of some sort

•

Money

•

Vehicle and Pet/Animal Rules (If you’re using them)

In the next chapter we’ll go over everything that the characters in the game will have access to. It’ll be the more boring part of creating your own game (unless you’re really using your imagination and creating new things).

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Chapter 3 Everything Else In this chapter we’ll go over everything else you’ll need for a basic roleplaying game. This is mainly listing objects, materials, and creatures in the game world. Then we’ll talk about creating a few maps, pre-made characters and adventures for the game. Equipment/Items: I refer to equipment as any items or objects in the game that assist the characters in some way other than battling. When creating this list a lot of things need to be contemplated: the value of each item, the weight of each item (if the game needs that information), and the purpose of each item. The equipment list for Free Realm would be too large to list here so I’ll give an excerpt as an example:

Item:

Price:

Notes:

Chain (4’)

$50

Chalk

$1 Used for writing on nearly any surface

1 hook on each end

Cigarettes $12 20 pack, Gives calming effect, addicting Climbing Claws & Spikes $40

+1 to climbing skill

Clock (Battery Powered) $10 Compass $5

Tells time of day Helps in navigation

Items will usually have special values associated with them. Take the cigarettes above as an example; their calming effects could help negate a current effect on the character (like a current drug or curse) but, like it says, the character could become addicted to them (that’s the game 35

masters discretion). Climbing claws and spikes give a +1 the characters climbing skill while using them. Weapons:

Weapons are any items used to harm others. Depending on the game these weapons could be melee (knives, swords, clubs…), firearms, magic based, or technologically advanced (energy based). Free realm will contain both melee weapons and firearms. The list will also look like a lot like the equipment list but with an added column for damage codes. Here’s another example: Weapon:

Price: Damage:

Notes:

Dagger

$20

2

Small, concealable knife

Dart

$1

1

4 darts, fired from blowgun or tranq gun

Flail Gun, Pistol

$40 $70

5 2

A large club tipped with spikes A hand-held gun

Gun, Rifle

$90

3

A two handed, long gun

Gun, Shot Harpoon

$80 $15

5 Rifle, shorter range, wider target area 8 Large javelin, usually attached to a rope

Things like the dart have to be mixed with a chemical (sold separately in Free Realm) to have a lasting effect on its target. Ammunition for firearms will also be sold separately (that’s one thing that makes energy weapons easier to manage, they can be recharged). 36

Armor: The armor list will be set up exactly like the weapons list with the exception of the damage code. It’ll be replaced with an armor value. Some games list an armors weight so that it can affect the characters (slow them down and such), but I’m not going to bother with that in a small game like Free Realm. Armor:

Price: Value:

Notes:

Shield, Body $100 4

4’ tall hand held shield

Shield, Medium $60 2

1 1/2’ tall hand held shield

Shield, Small

$30

1

3/4’ tall hand-held shield

Riot Jacket

$60 2

Jacket with strategic armor plates

Vest, Standard $30 1 Vest, Bullet Proof $80 3

Standard armor, worn under clothes Kevlar armor, worn under clothes

Shields of course have to be held to be affective and the user has to have the armor skill to use them properly. The gm can allow a character to use them without it at their discretion or with a skill chart.

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Vehicles:

A vehicle listing is really important in modern to futuristic games, although medieval games like Dungeons and Dragons™ can list carts, wagons, and pack animals instead. The type of listing Free Realm will use will include a few more variables than the previous ones above. The vehicles listed speed will be its maximum speed. The health will work the same as the characters (just on a higher scale). The armor value will not be just for the vehicle itself but for the occupants as well (the armor value will add to the characters current armor value). Vehicles:

Price: Speed: Armor: Cargo: Health:

Motorcycle

Notes:

(Individual listing below)

-Cruiser

$3,000 150

0

2 bags

8

2 seater

-Sport

$7,000 210

0

0

7

2 seater

Car

$9,000 120

8

18

4 seater + trunk

Truck -Pickup -Cargo

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Trunk

(Individual listing below) $8,000 120 $12,000 80

8 Bed 18 2 seater + bed 8 Cargo Bed 24 2 seater + cargo bed

Magic/Spells: Magic listings usually need to include a lot of information. Since spells can do a large variety of different things it’s hard to list them all at once. Sometimes it’s easier to list them differently (like a list for combat spells, then healing spells, manipulation spells…). For Free Realm I don’t have any major spells that require tons of information so I’m listing them all together. Here’s an example: Spell: Type: Cure light wounds M/W Cure serious wounds M/W Create water W Resist fire M Speak with animals W

Description: Cures 1 point (+extra successes) per round Cures 3 points (+extra successes) per round 2 pints (+1 pint/extra success) Target # 7 Can resist up to 5 points fire damage Understand animals for 1 round + extra successes

I just needed the name of the spell, which class knows it better (the spell bonus from earlier), and a description that can include the information for whatever type of spell it is. Creatures: This is where we elaborate on the creatures that we creating in the first chapter. We’ll give those specific stats and information that the game master will need.

Creature:

Dwelling:

Health: Weapons/Dmg: Int: Str: Dex:

Cow

Plains

8

Kick / 6

1 6

1

Horse

Plains

8

Kick / 6

2 5

5

Dog

Plains

3

Bite / 2

2 1

5

Cat

Plains

3

Bite / 1

2 1

6

Bite / 1 + 2 for 5 7

6

Scratch / 1 Vampire Forests/Plains 20

each round held Punch / 2 Goblin

Forests

8

Axe / 4

3 4

3 39

Kraken

Lakes

35

Crush / 4 for

1 8

2

1 3

5

each round held Shark

Lakes

10

Bite / 7

Regarding stats, take the vampire for example; their bite will do more damage each round that they can hold on. So the gm will have to role the vampire’s strength against the targets strength each round until the target either breaks free or dies. You can also name objects that certain creatures would normally carry (money, treasures…) so that the characters could pick them up after a battle. You can also give a percentage rate of running into these creatures to make random encounters easier. There are a ton of things that can be added to creature listings to ease their use in your game including the prices for animals available to the characters. Rounding it out: These lists are for Free Realm, but there can be more for your game. Like a list of computer programs, robots, or medical needs if your game includes those concepts. Plus the materials accessible for characters can grow over time so don’t feel like you’re writing the lists in stone. If you want to elaborate on your game at this point feel free. Creating maps of the land can help players later on. Maybe even create some “pre-made” characters to start people off right away (or even as examples). Sometimes creating NPC’s (Non Player Characters) can help another GM running future games. If you’re really bored you can create pre-made adventures so that your group can just jump into a game later on without you having to worry about pre-planning one in a hurry. And I’d also advise getting a few friends together to test out your game. This insures that you’ll get any bugs worked out plus any input for improvements. *****

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Conclusion: In this chapter we went over polishing your game. Without things for your characters the game would serve no purpose. There’d be nothing to battle, nothing to own, and nothing to be proud of. I didn’t cover everything possible in this chapter by far. I just covered things that I’m using in Free Realm and mentioned other concepts towards the end. The length of options you have while customizing your own game is endless. Almost every famous role-playing game has updated books continually being release with new adventures, rules, and add-ons. In the next chapter I’ll go over some famous ideas that people have used in the past just to give you an idea of what’s possible and hopefully spark your own imagination.

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Chapter 4 Concepts Role playing games use a lot of outrageous ideas. Some are unique and some have been used over and over again (kind of dragged through the mud in the process). In this chapter I’ll lie out some of these ideas in the hope that they’ll spark your imagination and help you create concepts of your own. Magic:

Just about everyone knows what magic is. Spells can vary between helping people, fooling people, or harming people. I separate magic into 5 basic types: Illusion, Manipulative, Energy, Blessing, and Manifestation. You can probably guess what illusion spells are. They create illusions for one or more people to see. These can be used for defense, trickery, or entertainment, but cannot have any effect on physical matter. Manipulative spells affect the physical world in one way or another. A lot of games separate these spells into the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) so a character can excel in one more than the others. Examples of these would be creating earthquakes, controlling the weather, altering an objects structure, moving objects around, and teleporting objects (whether through space or time). 42

Energy spells could be considered manipulative spells because you’re basically exciting molecules in the physical world, but let’s face it; everyone views energy as a separate element. These usually make the best combat spells (energy blasts, pyrokinetics…) and defensive spells (energy shields). As a rule, most battle/energy spells can be cast within one turn or they wouldn’t be much help to the caster. Blessing is a type of magic that affects people or objects in different ways. Most of the time objects can be blessed to enhance their abilities (weapons do more damage, armor can protect more), or people can be blessed to make them stronger or faster for a limited time. Curses also fall under this category and are great spells to be used against your enemies. Manifestation spells are also known as conjuring spells and is the ability to create matter in the physical world. An example of this could be a wizard conjuring a small Imp (either to serve him or just for the heck of it), or even a lower level magician manifesting water or bread for his team to consume. Some games use materials in order to cast spells (like totems and ingredients), but some allow characters to cast them on a whim depending on the spell types. Some also use objects to enhance a characters magical ability (wands, crystals…). Cyberware: I think cyberware in role-playing games actually started with Shadowrun™ but I could be wrong. This is the concept of attaching robotic devices to the body to replace of natural organs or limbs. This could give the recipient enhanced strength and speed or even just mobility if they were previously handicapped. Cyberware is also used to replace organs inside the body. This could make someone invulnerable to most diseases or toxins and even boast the average body’s strength (through adrenaline or other chemicals). Some cyberware also connects directly to the brain so that the user can 43

interface directly with computer technology. Things like datajacks allow the user to plug into the games technology and even chipjacks allow information to be uploaded to the brain. Cyberware eyes have the benefit of seeing in the dark, through objects, and even in blinding light. Dermal armor implants into the skin for fulltime added protection. The applications for this technology could be endless. A cyberware’s strength determines its price in most games. There are rarely skills involved in using them (not repairing or installing of course) so this part of a game would be open to all characters except any sort of shape changers because implants would have to change with them. Bioware: Bioware is the living version of cyberware. This technology is genetically engineered and grown in labs before implantation. This includes new limbs (usually stronger and better than the originals) and organs. The benefit of bioware over cyberware is the issue of concealment. You can replace any limb without others noticing, you can walk through a metal detector without it going off, and since most bioware can heal itself there would be no maintenance issues. Like cyberware, bioware’s price is usually determined by its strength. Psionics: Psionics have the ability to use their mind as weapons. This concept could be interpreted as magic, but the power is actually coming from the caster. All a person has to do is thinks hard enough to perform feats like mind reading (or two-way communication), moving objects, starting fires, creating energy-type blasts, or creating energy-type shields. 44

This ability could also be considered a mutant power (which we’ll discuss next), but a lot of games consider it a power in its own. Dungeons and Dragons started using psionics in the late 80’s and it’s taken off since then. Psionic powers are usually treated as spells in most games. The characters that have this power learn how to use their abilities by training; either slowly on their own or by paying a trainer. Mutant Powers: This is another common concept that Marvel™ and DC™ comic books actually first developed. Your common superheroes fall under this category. Mutant powers include just about any extraordinary power given to one single person. The ability to fly, super strength, x-ray vision, telekinesis, etc… Usually a character is born with these abilities; sometimes they gain them through accidents and intentional means (depending on the games technology or purpose). A characters mutant ability can also come at a price (their appearance or other normal traits that we take for granted). Or maybe they are able to pick a level of power equal to their intelligence or strength in the game. Robots and Mechs: A bot or mech is usually a large robot piloted by one or more characters. Entire games have revolved around this concept. A good friend of mine in high school even created an rpg called “Bots” in which every character had his or her own mech which was built from scratch (the price varied with the size and each ability that was added). This concept allows for a large amount of creationism. The game master can create the mechs for their game or make rules allowing the player to create their own (like my friend did). Usually games with this 45

concept take place in the future and involve a large amount of technology. Other Concepts: Tons of other games use their own concepts. Robotech™ (which began as an anime cartoon) not only used mechs in their games, but also created a power source unique to the show/game (Proto-Culture) to run all the technology. This also became a major topic in the game as it was later discovered that proto-culture belonged to a stronger, previously unknown enemy.

Space travel is another very common concept. The joy of working with it is the new ways of travel that can be created plus the imagination involved in creating ships, weapons, and new technologies. Cyberware (which was mentioned earlier) opens the door to other concepts like the matrix (a digital world that you have to basically “log in” to enter) or the ability to control electronic devices with your mind remotely. Shadowrun used these concepts and they took off through later movies like Johnny Mnemonic and The Matrix. Virtual Reality has been used in role-playing games as well. Not just by using cyberware, but Dream Park™ uses virtual reality as a basis for the entire game. That way a character never dies and you aren’t restricted to a specific time period or setting. Each adventure is actually an adventure 46

within Dream Park™ itself that your character signed up for. It was definitely a cool concept. Skill specialties and concentrations is a concept that Shadowrun™ started and is very useful to characters. This is the option of concentrating a skill on one particular part (like a firearms skill that’s specialized into a particular type of gun). The firearms skill is lowered by one point but the character can use that particular gun at a bonus of one point over the original rating (+2 over the new firearms skill). Multi-classes is the practice of merging two character classes into one. So if a player likes two classes the GM can lower their over all bonuses and offer it as a new class (like a Fighter-Mage) The concept of half-races works a lot like multi-classes above, but they can have the downfall of the character being shunned by members of both races within the game. Ownership is a silly concept that a lot of people overlook. Most characters don’t own their homes. Sometimes furnishing a home/base of operation and securing it could play a part in a campaign or at least an adventure or two. The thought that goes into a place like that could also solidify the players bond with the game and his/her character. *****

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Conclusion: In this chapter we went over a bunch of game concepts that I’ve come across. But just because it’s not listed here doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. I’m sure I’ve missed a few that readers noticed right away. From here on I’m going to share a collection of just about everything I’ve collected over the years for stocking role-playing games.

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Chapter 5 Resources This will be the chapter that you’ll use the most by far. It’s a compilation of “stuff” that becomes extremely handy while creating role-playing games. I’ve put a page of blank lines after each section for the reader to add their own items, skills, etc. I’d like to thank a good friend of mine, Phillip, for helping me supply a lot of the following.

SKILLS:

Ambush

The ability to setup and detect ambushes. Usually this skill varies by terrain.

Anthropology

The knowledge of a culture and their past, this skill can vary between an area or a race of people.

Archery

The ability to use a common bow and arrow. Compound bows fall under this too.

Armor

A full knowledge of armor for that time period. User also has practice and experience using shields (bonus to blocking attacks).

Armor B/R

A full knowledge of armor for that time period. User can fix any armor with the proper equipment.

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Art

A full knowledge of art in that gameworld. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Painting -Sketching -Modeling -Photography -Computer Design

3D, Photoshop, program interfaces…

Astronomy

The knowledge of planets and. This skill can help in navigation or more in space fairing games.

Athletics

The ability to do better at the following sub-categories:

-Running

Usually gives a bonus to Dexterity.

-Jumping

Usually gives a bonus to Dexterity.

-Lifting, Body Building

Usually gives a bonus to Strength.

-Gymnastics/Acrobatics

Usually gives a bonus to Dexterity.

-Swimming

Usually gives a bonus to Strength.

-Skiing

Usually gives a bonus to either Strength or Dexterity.

-Zero Gravity

Usually gives a bonus to Dexterity.

Archaeology

The study of ancient artifacts; usually per area or culture.

Battle Tactics

The knowledge of past battle tactics and the ability to understand the battlefield as a whole.

Blacksmith (By Metal Types) The knowledge to forge metals. Biology (By Races in Game) The medical knowledge of the body. Botany (By Plant Types)

The knowledge of plants.

Carpentry

Wood working and building.

Chemistry/Alchemy

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An in-depth knowledge of chemicals and mixtures. Alchemy can also allow for altering metals as well.

Climbing

The professional ability to climb vertical structures. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Free Hand -Repelling Combat

The knowledge of personal fighting. This is usually divided up into the following sub-categories, but simple games might want to use just one:

-Armed (By Weapon/Weapon Type) -Unarmed

Blocking, Parrying, Counterstriking…

-Unarmed, Boxing -Unarmed, Martial Arts

This style can vary.

-Unarmed, Wrestling Communications Technology These is almost always divided into these categories: -Radio -Laser

Extremely secure. Lasers are restricted to line of sight.

-Morse Code -Messaging Computer

This is the ability to use a computer, these sub-categories are used a lot:

-Programming and Use -Gaming

The ability to be better at computer games (or consoles gaming) than the average person.

Computer B/R

This skill is for actually fixing the computer hardware.

Cooking

The simple ability to cook. The better the skill, the better the food.

Criminal Sciences

This skill allows the user to understand the criminal mind. It usually helps in tracking/arresting suspects.

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Cryptology

The understanding of encryption and puzzle solving. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Program (Computers)

Usually the user would have to know how to program before getting this sub-skill.

-Classic (Pencil & Paper) Cyber Technology B/R

The knowledge to build/repair cyberware technology. This can be divided into the different types of cyberware.

Dancing (By Type)

This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Ballroom -Rock -Slow Demolitions

Demolitions are explosives that are planted/set with some sort of detonator. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Standard (By Explosive Type) -Disposal (By Explosive Type) Detect Stealth (By Stealth Type) This skill counters the stealth skill. It allows the character to sense a stealthy person. Electronics

The knowledge to use the electronic devices of the time period. In most games this is assumed common knowledge.

Electronics B/R

The knowledge to repair electronics from that time period using the proper tools.

Energy

This is the knowledge to use the following types of energy collection methods. These sub-categories are commonly used in place of just one skill:

-Hydro -Nuclear -Solar -Steam 52

-Wind Engineer

The knowledge to design and build. These sub-categories are commonly used:

-Mechanical -Electrical

This is the same as Electronics B/R.

-Construction, Underground -Construction, Building Escape Artist

This skill is really a knack for getting out of “sticky situations”. It doesn’t really have to be explained how the person escaped.

Etiquette (any)

Etiquette is the manners of a particular society. The skill allows a character to “blend in”.

Fashion Sense

By Place/Time Period.

Firearms B/R

The knowledge to repair guns.

First aid

This skill is used when giving first aid to other characters. Rules are usually included with this skill to determine its effects.

Fishing

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish…

Forensics

The study of crime scenes and searching for evidence.

Forgery other documents.

This is the ability to forge signatures and

History (By Race or Country) This is similar to Anthropology, but can also include the land, animals, and weather. Horseman Ship/Riding

This skill isn’t just restricted to horses if the game offers other animals.

Hunting/Tracking

The knowledge of tracking anything by the area being traversed (Land, Water…).

Identify Plants and Fruits

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Interrogation

The practice of getting information from someone else. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Forceful/Intimidate/Torture -Passive

This is similar to “Negotiate”.

Languages (By Language) Law (By Area or Country) Leadership

This skill usually gives a bonus to those under your leadership.

Legend/Folklore/Mythology The study of myths/legends by the area or creature involved. Literacy

This skill is usually used in games where reading/writing is a rarity.

Locksmith

The knowledge of how locks work and how to fix them. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Keyed -Combination -Electronic -Pick Locks Magic/Spell Casting

Sometimes, spell casting is used as a skill in its own, but a lot of games separate it into these sub-categories to make it more interesting:

-Sorcery

For more on magic check p.42-43.

-Conjuring

For more on magic check p.42-43.

-Spiritual

For more on magic check p.42-43.

-Mundane

Mundane is the magic of the real world (Slight of hand, Stage magic…).

Math

This skill could mean simple math for a game where that’s rare, but it mainly means the complicated stuff that usually needs to be studied.

Medical Doctor

This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

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-Surgery

This is the in-depth medical stuff.

-Paramedic

This is the same as First Aid.

Military Knowledge

The knowledge of the military by type/branch.

Music (By genre or instrument) Navigation

The art of finding our way though either land, air, water, or space.

Negotiation

The art of giving/taking to reach an agreement with another character.

Parachuting Pickpockets

This skill is useful for thieves.

Planetology

Usually used in space faring games this skill is the knowledge of the different planets in the realm.

Psychology

This is the knowledge of the psyche. This skill usually comes in the following subcategories:

-Hypnosis -Determination

This is the type of psychology that your counselor would use to help you work through problems.

Reading sub-categories:

This is similar to literacy, but with some

-Normal (By Language) -Speed Remote piloting

The ability to pilot a vehicle by remote control. This skill usually varies by vehicle type.

Robot B/R

This skill could be used for either mechs or human-sized robots. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Walking -Hover -Treaded Sewing 55

Singing (By Genre) Stealth

This is the practice of moving quietly or hiding. These sub-categories are usually very useful:

-Visual -Prowl -Concealment -Electronic -Disguise -Impersonation/Mimicry Surveillance

This is the ability to watch one through the normal or technological means of the time.

Surveillance, Counter

This skill is similar to Stealth and is the ability to counter someone else’s surveillance of you.

SCUBA Diving Terrorism

This is the practice of terrorizing others for some reason or another. These subcategories give the user knowledge of his targets.

-Religious -Corporate -Political T.V. / Video B/R

This skill could also fall under Electronics B/R.

Tools

The knowledge of various tools and their uses. This skill usually comes in the following sub-categories:

-Standard -Heavy Vehicle/Pilot -Aircraft, Glider -Aircraft, Prop Single -Aircraft, Prop Multi 56

The skill to drive/pilot the following subcategorized vehicles:

-Aircraft, Jet Single -Aircraft, Jet Multi -Hovercraft -Balloon -Blimp -Boat, Sail -Boat, Motor -Car/Truck -Commercial -Motorcycle -Robot -Rotor/Copter -Spacecraft -Submersible -Treaded -Ultra-light Vehicle B/R

The knowledge to repair or build the following sub-categorized vehicles:

-Aircraft, Glider -Aircraft, Prop Single -Aircraft, Prop Multi -Aircraft, Jet Single -Aircraft, Jet Multi -Hovercraft -Balloon -Blimp -Boat, Sail -Boat, Motor -Car/Truck -Commercial -Motorcycle 57

-Rotor/Copter -Spacecraft -Submersible -Treaded -Ultra-light Ventriloquism

This is the art of “throwing” ones voice.

Weapons

This is the knowledge of using the following sub-categorized weapons:

-Melee (By Weapon) -Firearms, Standard -Firearms, Sniper

Long-range Rifles.

-Firearms, Heavy -Firearms, Gunnery

Vehicle mounted firearms.

-Throwing Projectiles

Throwing knives, stars…

-Mortar Weapons B/R

This is the knowledge of repairing the following sub-categorized weapons:

-Melee (By Weapon) -Firearms, Standard -Firearms, Sniper -Firearms, Heavy -Firearms, Gunnery

Vehicle mounted firearms.

-Throwing Projectiles

Throwing knives, stars…

-Mortar Wilderness Survival

This is the knowledge of “Living off the land”.

Zoology

The knowledge of particular types of animals, creatures, or monsters. This skill is usually sub-categorized by animal or creature type.

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59

Common Playable Races: Alien -

By Type for Campaign. The variations are limitless.

Dwarf -

Short hairy humanoids, societies usually live in large dug-out caverns. They value treasures and trade skills.

Elf -

Tall humanoids with pointy ears. Usually magical and value natural things above all else. Some games portray them as immortals.

Gnome -

Slightly smaller than dwarves and usually considered magical. Known to take revenge for little things and are very mischievous.

Halfling -

Small humanoids with hairy feet, they rarely wear shoes. They’re usually farmers and quiet/quaint people.

Human -

Just like you and me.

Mutant, Superhero - The classic comic book heroes. Mutant, Deformed - This is a race character that had some sort of accident that changed him/her on a genetic level. It’s usually good to give the character a benefit that matches its deformity. Monster -

From your campaign.

Nymph -

Close to humans but have extreme beauty on magical.

Vampire -

These characters are usually evil, but some games have good ones. Vampires can be classic bloodsuckers or they can rob other things like mental energy.

Were-Creature -

By Animal. Usually this character can change at will and control them their new form. If not they’d need some other added benefit.

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61

Most Common Classes: Acrobat

An acrobat specializes in athletics and martial arts. They make great martial artists or assassins.

Assassin

Assassins are killers for hire. They usually use stealth as a primary method, but it can vary.

Barbarian

Everyone knows what a barbarian is, they are chaotic, with no manners and little code of honor. Usually they get bonuses in combat.

Berserker

This is a slightly well mannered barbarian except that they can loose control during battle. This can make them extremely good fighters, but they usually lose the ability to tell right from wrong, and friend from foe at the time.

Cavalier

This class considers themselves the righteous of all knights, but they follow the knights code closer than being good in general. The difference between Cavaliers and Paladins is very slim. They also get the bonus of a mount animal straight from the beginning.

Cleric

Clerics are usually magic users on a religious. Their magic revolves around whatever religion they follow. For some reason they shy away from sharp weapons.

Communications Expert A Comm. Expert is kind of a boring class depending on the game. Usually they’re the ones who can relay messages over long distances. Doctor/Paramedic

This class type is usually not good in combat, but always wanted in a group.

Driver/Pilot

A driver/pilot usually specializes in certain vehicles or mechs (robots). Sometimes the class just covers all vehicles in the game.

Druid

Druids are like clerics except that their magic revolves around nature as a force instead of

62

religion. For some reason they also shy away from most sharp weapons. Fighter

This is the basic fighter. Any bonuses are usually aimed towards combat. Hacker/Computer Expert This class specializes in computers. They’re practically miracle workers when it comes to them. Mage/Magic User The different classes of magic users usually specify what spells they’re best at or can use at all. They’re sometimes divided into the following sub-categorizes:

-Sorcerer -Conjurer -Wizard -Illusionist Mechanic

This class can usually repair most things, but sometimes the class is specific to a certain type of vehicle or mech.

Military

This character is a member of a specific branch of the military. Their rank usually starts low.

Monk

Monks are protectors of the people. They follow religion closely and usually practice martial arts. Monks are trained in monasteries.

Ninja

Ninjas are fighters who utilize martial arts and light melee weapons. Speed and skill is their advantage in battle.

Paladin

Paladins are fighters who pursue good and lawfulness above all else.

Psionic

Psionics use their mental powers like magic. Their powers usually get stronger as the characters experience grows. Ranger Rangers are fighters who have withdrawn into the wild. They’re usually good with common animals and have at least one devoted pet. 63

Rogue

Rogues are stealthy above all else. They vary between thieving, lying, spying…

Samurai

This class is a stronger ninja type class that has fewer reservations about killing.

Scientist

This class is extremely intelligent. They vary depending on the game but can develop medicines, mechanical materials, and ships.

Scout

Scouts are stealthy like rogues, but they don’t handle combat well. They’re usually a class devoted to spying in advance of others.

Spy

Spies are also stealthy, but can be good with disguises, etiquette, and negotiation (think of James Bond.

Thief

Thieves specialize in stealing from others and their skills highly reflect that.

Tracker

This class is designed to track other players, animals, or vehicles through most terrain in the game

Tribesman

A tribesman is a versatile fighter. They usually sacrifice common knowledge for superior skills in combat or magic.

Warrior

This is a superior class of fighter. Warriors less adjusted to normal life, but better in the battlefield.

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Common Equipment: Alarm System -

This could be an extensive alarm system for a building or a small portable one for your computer. If it’s the first one you might want to include a price sheet for the individual sensors and such.

Amplifier: -Audio -

This is the same kind of amp you’d see a band use on stage.

-Signal -

This is used to boost an incoming electric radio signal.

Answering Machine - Can be tape or solid-state memory. Audio Recorder - Can be tape, CD, or solid-state memory. Audio Tape Axe -

This is the actual tool, not the weapon (Although I’m sure it could be used as one).

Bag: -Backpack -Backpack, Leather -Saddle -

Used on pack/mount animals (or motorcycles).

-Pack -

A common backpack.

-Purse -

Just a common purse. Cowboys used to carry them also if the campaign allows.

Barrel Basket -

Baskets are usually wicker or straw.

Battery -

You can get in-depth by varying voltage and size.

Bell Belt, Large Pouch Belt, Small Pouch Bicycle -

Pedal powered and can be a variety of different kinds.

Binoculars, Mag. X2 Binoculars, Mag. X3 66

Binoculars, Mag. X4 Binoculars, Night vision - Uses low light to see in the dark, Battery powered. Binoculars, Thermo - Uses infrared to see heat sources. Also battery powered. Blanket Bolt Cutter Bomb Detector -

This hand-held machine smells the chemicals that make up explosives.

Book Boom Box -

Type varies by time period. Radio, Tape Player, CD Player…

Bottle: -Glass -Jug Briefcase -

Usually has a combination lock, but could have more in the future.

Broadband Receiver - A radio receiver for nearly all frequencies. Bucket Calculator -

Hand held, battery operated.

Camera: -Tie Clasp -

A micro-camera built into a neck tie.

-Film -Digital Candle Canteen Canvas (by Square Feet) - This is the tarpaulin-like material. Cart and Harness, Horse - Can also be used for other animals if the game allows. Cell Phone -

Digital too. This is any kind of portable phone.

CD's -

Compact Discs. DVDs too.

CD Player -

Reads music from a CD.

CD ROM Drive -

Reads data from a CD. 67

Chain Chalk -

Sold by thickness and length. Variety of colors.

Chemistry Set - Can vary between simple and complex chemicals. Cigarettes -

Warning! These can be addictive. Cigarettes give a calming effect.

Climbing Claws - Ninjas used these to climb vertically. They strap to the hands and the spikes protrude from above the palm. Climbing Spikes - Phone company workers commonly use these. They strap to your boots so you can dig into trees/poles for stability. Clock (By Time Period) - Winding, weighted, battery… Compass -

Always points towards magnetic north.

Computer -

The power of computers vary throughout the game’s time period.

Computer Mouse Cooking Utensils - Forks, spoons, knives… Cooler -

Portable. Coolers are great for picnics.

Copy Machine -

Not portable. Found in most offices.

Crowbar Drill -

By time period. Crank, cord, battery powered…

Electro-Adhesive Pad - These are used to stimulate the heart in case of cardiac arrest. Electronic Organizer/Palm Pilot - Basically a portable computer that’s smaller than a laptop. Exercise Machine - These vary between treadmills, workbenches, and stair stepper. Fax Machine -

Used to transfer documents over phone lines.

Field Strength Meter - Hand held devices that measure magnetic, electronic, and radio fields. Film First Aid Kit Fish Finder Fish Hooks 68

This is a small sonar unit that attaches to small boats.

Fish Line Fishing Pole and Tackle Flashlight -

Battery or generator type (with a crank or something).

Flashlight Holder -

Straps to your belt.

Flask -

Holds oil or flammable material. Usually made of glass.

Floppy Disk Flint and Steel Frequency Equalizer - Alters incoming sound to a setting the user chooses. Furniture (All) -

Chairs, couches, tables, desks…

Geiger Counter -

Hand-held device that measures radioactivity.

Goggles, Night Vision - Uses low light to see in the dark, Battery powered. Goggles, Thermo-graphic - Uses infrared to see heat sources. Also battery powered. Goggles, Ultrasound - Uses sound to map the area in front of the user. Good in perfect darkness or pinpointing where a small sound is coming from. Grappling Hook -

Attaches to a rope and is used for climbing.

Grooming Kit -

Clippers, combs, brushes, files…

Hammer: -Standard -Sledge Handcuffs -

Uses keys today, but could use other things in the future.

Hard Drive -

Part of a computer. Stores data.

Hourglass Ink Quill -

An old ink pen from ancient times. Usually it’s a feather that’s dipped into ink.

Ink Well -

Container for holding ink. Works with Ink Quill.

Jewelry -

Necklaces, earrings, piercings… 69

Jimmy -

A slim metal piece with a hook on the end. Used for breaking into older cars without damaging the windows.

Ladder Lamp: -Electric -

Hand Held, Desk, Table…

-Lamp, Fuel -

Alcohol, Kerosene…

Lantern -

Usually burns kerosene.

Laptop Computer -

A small folding computer that’s battery powered.

Lenses: -Glasses -Monocular -Sun Glasses -Magnifying Glass Lie Detector -

Folds into a large suitcase. It monitors a suspect who is asked questions to determine their truthfulness.

Light Bulbs Lighter Lock -

Fastens to doors:

-Key -Key Pad -Key Card -Biometric -

Finger or palm print scanner.

Lock File -

A large metal file for sawing through locks.

Lock-pick Release Gun - A pistol shaped, battery powered lock picker. Lock-pick Kit Luggage Machete -

A very large knife used for hacking small trees and vines.

Manacles -

Larger handcuffs for the ankles. Also used for securing a character against walls.

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Microphone -

Attaches to amplifiers or recorders to input the surrounding sounds:

-Standard -Long Range -Tie Tack/Mini Microscope Modem -

Part of a computer. Permits the transfer of data over telephone lines.

Mirror Motion Detector -

Stand alone or hooks up to alarm systems:

-Visual -Vibration Musical Instrument - Drums, guitar, trombone… Net -

Great for fishing, also used on land to entangle targets.

Oil, Pint Pad Lock Paper -

The type varies by time period:

-Papyrus -Standard -Canvas Parachute -

Usually comes already packed.

Pen Pencil Perfume Pick, Miner's Portable Grill -

Usually propane fueled.

Portable Lab -

This is similar to a chemistry set but includes forensic tools as well.

Printer -

Attaches to a computer for printing documents.

Radar Detector -

Detects radar emissions.

Radio -

Simple radio receiver: 71

-Commercial Radio with Wireless Microphone - Used to converse over about two miles. -CB -

Used to converse over about two miles.

-Ham -

A Ham radio requires a license. But has nearly a worldwide range.

Raft, Rubber -

Inflatable

Rations Repelling Gear Rope Sack Scale Scanner (By Bands/Frequencies) - This scans all frequencies for which ones are active and stops at each one for characters to listen. Skates: -Roller Skates -In-Line Skates Scuba Gear Seismic Detector -

Detects vibrations in the earths crust.

Sewing Kit -

String and needles.

Sewing Machine Ski Equipment -

Skis, poles, ski suits, goggles…

Sleeping Bag Snorkeling Set Snow Shoes -

These look like tennis rackets for the bottom of your shoes. They help you get traction on snow.

Soap Solar Cells -

These produce electricity from sunlight. The larger the surface area the more power produced.

Speaker -

These hook up to amplifiers or radios to produce sound:

-Standard -Sub Woofer 72

-Mini Tackle Box and Bait Telephone Telephone Scrambler, Portable - This device attaches to a phone and alters the talker’s voice. Tent -

A Tent can come in a variety of sizes.

Transmitter, Mini -

This is about the size of a dime and sends out a signal to be tracked. A Signal Receiver is used to trace it.

Tinder Box -

A waterproof box for holding tinder and firewood.

Tripod Mount -

A three-legged mount for cameras or similar equipment.

Tool Kit -

Contains all basic tools (screw drivers, hammer, pliers (various), socket sets)…

Torch Toothbrush Toothpaste Typewriter Umbrella Utility Belt -

This is the tool belt that construction workers commonly wear.

VCR/DVR -

Video recorders that use either tape or hard drives.

Video, Editor -

A station for editing/altering video.

Video, Surround Sound System Video Camera/Camcorder - Records video directly through a camera, and uses a variety of mediums to store information. Videotape Wallet Walkie Talkie -

A 2-mile distance, 2-way radio:

-Handset -Headset -Police Band 73

Watch -

Comes in a variety of types (solar, digital, windup…)

Whistle White Noise Generator - This suitcase-sized device generates opposing noise to counteract incoming sound. To the characters within the surrounding area it appears to be completely silent. Wire Cutters -

74

With rubber insulated handles so that characters won’t electrocute themselves.

75

Weapons, Older and Melee:

Arrow -

Arrows vary greatly depending on the time period. Originally they were just sharpened sticks but they have evolved to include arrowheads and feathers/strips for stability.

Axe, Battle - This is a two sided axe on a wooden handle. Axe, Pick -

This weapon is really a tool, but can easily be used to kill.

Axe, Throwing - This is a smaller axe with a single blade. Blowgun -

A long straw. Commonly made of bamboo and fires a dart or needle.

Bola -

2 heavy metal balls joined by a foot long string. It can be twirled and thrown to entangle a target or swung as a melee weapon.

Bolt -

This is a small thicker arrow which is shot from a crossbow.

Bow -

This is a long stick bent and tied with strong string. It’s used to fire arrows. Bows come in a variety on types:

-Composite - This is a current version of a bow and uses pulleys for greater range. -Long -

Longer than a normal bow for greater range.

Catapult -

A large device used to throw boulders or flaming debris.

Chain, Spiked - This is exactly what it says. About 6’ long and difficult 76

to use. Club -

A simple shaped log. Sometimes it’s spiked.

Crossbow -

A bow/arrow setup remodeled like a gun with a trigger. This weapon comes in the following varieties:

-Heavy -

Rifle sized for longer range.

-Hand -

Shorter range, but smaller.

-Repeating -

A rifle sized crossbow that reloads as fast as the user can pull back the string.

Dagger -

A long sharp double bladed knife.

Dart -

This is usually fired from a blowgun, but can be thrown.

Flail -

A Flail consists of a spiked ball connected to a handle by a chain.

Harpoon -

This is a long thick staff with a sharpened tip (usually metal). Traditionally it’s fired from a catapult or thrown from the deck of a ship.

Javelin -

A javelin is a scaled down harpoon. It rarely has a separate tip (just sharpened) and is easy to throw by hand.

Katana -

A Japanese long sword.

Knife -

This is a common blade with handle.

Lance -

A long sharp shaft with a handle. Knights commonly used these while on horseback. This weapon comes in the following varieties:

-Light -

Lighter than a normal lance and deals less damage.

-Jousting -

A standard lance.

Mace -

A mace is a long handle with a weighted end. Usually this end has spikes or other menacing devices at the tip.

Nunchaku -

Two weighted handles connected by rope or chain.

Quarterstaff -

A smaller version of a staff. This does less damage but is faster in battle.

Rapier -

This is a small thin sword. It’s lighter and faster.

Scythe -

This used to be a tool for chopping tall weeds but it makes for a very menacing looking weapon. This is the weapon that the reaper is commonly pictured with.

Sickle -

A sickle is a smaller, one handed version of a scythe. 77

Sling/Slingshot - These can be used to launch any rocks or objects found on the ground. Spear -

A staff with an arrow tip made of metal or stone.

Staff -

A simple pole used as a weapon.

Shuriken -

A typical throwing star.

Sword -

A typical sword is a long blade attached to a handle. This weapon comes in the following varieties:

-Bastard -Broad -Katana -Long -Scimitar -Short -Two-Handed Trident -

A long staff with a three bladed tip. This is the weapon that the Greek god “Neptune” is always pictured with.

War Hammer -

A large two-sided hammer.

Whip -

A simple handle with breaded leather attached.

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79

Modern Weapons: A list of modern weapons would be way too large to fit this book so I’ve just added some famous names under their basic description with a note or two. I retrieved most of these names from Wikipedia.org. In most games the firearms will usually just name a few of each type (sometimes made up) just to vary the damage in each weapon category, but I’ve included a list of actual weapons in case you want to keep things as real as possible in your role playing game. Bomb -Standard -Scatter Cattle Prod Dart Gun Explosives -

Field Laser Flame Thrower -

Grenades -Fragmentation -Flash Hand razors Land Mines Missile -Standard -Bunker Buster 80

Bombs can vary dramatically in yield: A standard explosive Multiple explosives that scatter before impact and detonation. A battery operated stun gun on a 3 feet long handle. Darts are used for injecting the target. From TNT to Plastic explosives. They can be rigged with a detonator for remote or timed Explosions. They can even be adhered to arrows or crossbow bolts for added damage. Blinds others. It’s still in development in the USA as of this publishing. This is a rifle-sized gun that spews lit fuel from a tank on the users back. It’s connected to the tank by a metal hose. Grenades can have a 6 second delay when thrown or they can be shock sensitive. These are classic grenades. These are used to stun or temporarily blind other characters. These razors strap in to your hand and aid in martial arts. Sensor triggered. Warheads can vary dramatically in yield: Can accept different warheads/explosives. Designed to penetrate the ground and detonate underneath.

Nuclear Warhead -

Staff, Metal Stun Baton Stun Gun Taser Torpedo -

These are the most dangerous of today’s weapons. One could easily level an entire city and render the land unsafe for a decade. A collapsible rod about 1 to 3 feet long. Battery operated and hand held. A taser fires two prongs connected to the hand unit by wires. It’s basically a ranged stun gun. This is an underwater missile. Propeller powered, slower, and uses sonar to lock onto a target.

Common Firearm Brands: -Beretta

-Ruger

-Browning

-Sako

-Bushmaster

-Savage

-Cimarron

-Sig Arms-Sauer

-Colt

-Smith & Wesson

-Cooper

-Springfield

-CZ

-Stoger

-Franchi

-T/C

-Freedom Arms

-Taurus

-Glock

-Uberti

-Kimber

-Verona

-Marlin

-Weatherby

-Mossberg

-Wilson Combat

-Remington

-Winchester

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Common calibers -

Size of ammunition diameter in inches or millimeters (mm):

-.22 -.24 -.25 -.264 -.270 -.28 -.308 -.32 -.338 -.357 -.38 Special -.40 -.44 -.45-70 -.50 -7mm -8mm -9mm Common Gauges -

Number of shotgun lead balls to total a pound. The higher the gauge shotgun shell the smaller the barrel diameter so less damage:

-20 Gauge -16 Gauge -12 Gauge -10 Gauge Gatling Gun -

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A 10 barrel design that's usually mounted on a stand and belt fed. It's not truly a machine gun because it's either hand cranked (older) or battery operated.

Grenade Launchers -

These usually mount onto larger rifles, but some individual versions exist that hold more grenades. Machine Gun These are belt fed, rifle caliber guns. Mortar Launchers - Single load mortars. This weapon is a tube that sticks up at an angle. The user drops a mortar (explosive) into the tip and it shoots back out and drops onto the target from above. Muzzle Loader - A muzzleloader is loaded by hand; Both gunpowder and ball. Pistol These are hand fired guns, and use magazines. Revolvers These are usually six barrel, cylinder load handguns, but some revolvers can vary in cylinder size and load number. Rifle/Sniper Rifle - Two handed, shoulder-fired gun. Sniper rifles have a longer range. In every game with firearms it’s good to have at least one sniper rifle for sale. Rocker propelled grenade launchers - (R.P.G.'s) Single load rocket launchers that the user supports on their shoulder. Shotgun A shoulder fired gun. The ammo contains multiple lead pellets that spread out for a wider target area.

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84

Futuristic Weapons:

Explosive: -Incinerator -

-Snitch -

Gun: -Disrupter -Grapple -Laser -

Metal Storm -Pulse -

This is my name for a bomb I recently saw in Underworld Evolution. It’s a about the size of a hockey puck and is thrown on a ten second delay. After ten seconds flaps on the sides open and it spews a very explosive gas into the area, 5 seconds later it sparks and takes out everything within feet of the gas’s outer boundary. It’s great for disposing of evidence. This is a small, heat/motion seeking grenade from Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower”. He, in turn, got it from the Harry Potter books. This bomb is about the size of a golf ball with dimensions to match. It’s thrown and hovers back and forth over the battlefield until it locks on a target or its battery fails (about 80 seconds). It has a small explosive yield; A little less than a common grenade. The weapon of choice in Star Trek for Klingons and. Fires a grappling hook with thin, strong line. It usually has a wench built into it. This is the classic science fiction lasers. They vary between sustained lasers (firing a constant beam), or blasters (which fire quick shots, like common firearms). This a gun currently in development that can fire 5 rounds nearly instantaneously. This is a large weapon that’s usually mounted on vehicles. Some games have used smaller versions as bazookas but they fire a blast of focused energy. It fires about 1 blast every sec. 85

-Phaser -

Phasers originally popped up in Star Trek. They’re basically lasers that fire a different beam. Their range of damage varies between stunning an opponent to vaporizing them. Larger versions of these are used as vehicular weapons as well. -Sonic This weapon is usually about the size of a machine gun with a larger barrel. It fires a focused blast of sound to shatter its target. It also has a stun setting, but could permanently deafen an opponent. Rail Cannon/Gun - These are huge vehicle mounted weapons (usually on battleships or starships). Their damage is tremendous and the ammo can vary between large calibers to explosive rounds. These guns usually have two or more barrels that aim together. Shock Glove From Shadowrun this glove uses stun gun technology to shock your opponent (but surprisingly not yourself). Staff, Collapsible - This is a metallic staff that contracts into a ½ foot section in the center and expands again at the push of a button. While expanded it appears as a normal smooth staff. Sword: -Mono The sharp edge of this sword is tipped with monofilament (See Whip, Mono). -Laser This sword uses a laser that aims up from the handle to the tip of the blade. A receiver in the tip absorbs the laser. -Light The classic light sabers from Star Wars. Torpedo Torpedoes of the future aren’t restricted to water. Star/Space Ships also use them; Most of the time they’re capable of locking on to other ships and altering course. Their warheads/yield can vary. Whip, Mono A monofilament whip. This string is extremely thin and strong. It can easily cut through flesh.

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Weapon Accessories: Ammo: -Standard -

Lead rounds.

-Explosive -

These explode on impact for added damage.

-Metal Jacket -

These are lead rounds coated in metal. They can survive more damage than a standard round so they are great for penetrating armor.

-Hollow Points - These rounds are hollow at the tip so that the bullet will “peel back” and widen on impact so the exit hole will be much bigger than the entrance. -Flechete -

Flechete rounds separate upon firing into many small blades. The damage area isn’t as large as a scatter round’s, but they penetrate much deeper.

-Ice Rounds -

Frozen water in the form of bullets. This ammunition leaves no trace in a victim except a little water.

-Scatter -

These rounds contain many pellets or other shapes the scatter when shot (shotgun rounds fall under this).

-UV Rounds -

Used in Underworld (The movie) to kill vampires. They contain a chemical substance that emits ultra violet light

-Other Rounds - Any other metals you can think of that could withstand being fired from a gun. Detonator: -Timer -

Either digital or analog.

-Remote -

These usually have about a mile range (unless it’s rigged to a phone, in which it could have limitless range). Some remotes use a “Dead Man Switch” which means that the detonator will activate if the button/trigger is released.

Flash Suppressor - Conceals the flashes emitted from a gun’s muzzle in the dark. Gas Vent Recoil System - These are vents attached to the tip of an automatic to assist in counteracting the gun’s recoil. 88

Gyro Holster -

These are mounts used in Shadowrun to stabilize and steady a gun before firing. This is a pouch for a handgun that usually straps to the users belt, but ankle, vest, or elsewhere.

Muzzle Stand - I’m sure this has a better name, but it’s a two-legged stand that attaches to a rifle barrel Each leg is about a foot long to assist the user while firing in the lying position. Rangefinder - This device straps anywhere on a gun (facing forward) and displays the range to the target digitally. Recoil Suppressor - Doesn’t truly exist, but I’m sure an accessory like this could be available in the future. Smartgun Adapter - This is a futuristic addition for Shadowrun. It allows a crosshair to be displayed to the user by either goggles or cyberware eyes. Silencer -

A large metal cylinder that screws on the tip of a barrel to suppress the sound of it’s firing. Silencers are usually used on handguns, but are common on sniper rifles as well.

Weapon Case: -Hard -

Lockable with a handle.

-Fabric -

Zips up with a handle.

Weapon Sight, Infrared - Uses infrared light to see heat sources. Also battery powered. Weapon Sight, Mag. x2 - Doubles magnification. Weapon Sight, Mag. x3 - Triples magnification. Weapon Sight, Sonic - This is a sight from Shadowrun the use echolocation to map the area in front and display it to the user via cyberware or goggles.

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Armor: First I’ve listed the different materials that armor can be made of. Then I’ve listed the actual different armors: -Banded -

Small, overlapping metal strips sewn to a cloth underneath leather or cloth clothing.

-Chain Mail -

A series of interlocked metal rings. Chain mail’s extremely heavy.

-Bronze -Padded -

Sewn layers of clothe. Thick and very hot. It’s the simplest of all armor.

-Plate -

Interlocked metal plates that are angled in an attempt to deflect blows. Usually custom fitted.

-Ring Mail -

An earlier, less effective version of chain mail that was sewn to a leather piece underneath.

-Scale -

Leather coat and pants covered with sewn in rings of metal.

-Leather -

Specially treated animal hide (usually leather). Leather armor comes in different types (soft, studded, padded, and regular hide).

-Plastic -

Newer technologies have developed stronger plastics for use in hardhats to bullet-proof vests.

Armor Clothing - This can be any article of clothing in a game that is armored by any material available. Bracers -

Bracers are large bracelets that protect the wrists and forearms.

Forearm Guards - From Shadowrun, these are plastic and form fit to each owner. Full -

Full armor covers all major extremities except the head.

Gauntlet -

Metallic gloves from ancient times. Usually form fitted to the wearer and can also be used as weapons (punching damage). Gauntlets come in the following types:

-Normal 91

-Spiked -

Comes adorned with metal spikes on the knuckles and wrist.

Helmet: -Standard -

In ancient times these helmets were sometimes adorned with spikes.

-Basinet -

An open-faced helmet enclosing the sides of the face and neck.

Lined Coat -

A lined coat is built to protect from blunt/bladed attacks, not firearms. This coat is lined with think ballistic plastic strips.

Shield: -Body -

A tall shield that when placed on the ground in front of the user it nearly protects all of him.

-Buckler -

This is a small shield that straps to the wearers arm. This frees the users hand for other things.

-Electro-Magnetic - A futuristic shield that straps to the arm in watch form. By pushing a button a shield forms directly outside of the “watch”. -Medium -

A two foot in diameter shield that’s held by the user.

-Small -

A small shield is similar in size to a buckler but has a handle and needs to be held.

Shielding, Personal - This is a futuristic personal electro-magnetic shield. Usually it physically attaches to a belt or elsewhere and activates with the push of a button. Suits: -Frag Cape with Vest - This cape is made from a thick leather-like material that can stand up to anything short of a bullet. The vest is bulletproof and protects vital organs. -Riot Armor -

The classic armor/protection that SWAT teams or military recon teams wear. This includes a protective helmet with communication hardware, gloves, and boots.

-Form Fit Suit -

This came from Shadowrun and is a custom fit suit designed to hide the fact that its armor and can use any thin protective materials. Vest:

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-Standard -Bullet Proof -

Has interior padding of either thin metal or thick leather. Has two thick anti-ballistic plastic pads to protect vital areas in the chest and back.

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Clothing: Belt Boots: -Leather -Riding -

-Soft -Waterproof Cloak -

-Fine Fur -Good Cloth Gloves: -Heavy -Leather -Mittens -Palm Only -

-Racing -

-Welder Coat: -Lab -Polar -Trench Coveralls -

Usually leather, but fabrics are commonly used.

Usually leather for horse riding, but motorcycle boots are plastic composite with extra armor in key places where the boot may scrap the ground. Any sort of sturdy fabric with a hard rubber sole. Usually rubber, but leather ones do exist. Cloaks are a hood/cape combination. They clasp around the neck and sometimes button up in the front. Cloaks come in the following varieties

Any kind of heavy, protective fabric. Mittens combine all the fingers into one pouch for added warmth. These gloves have no fingers, just holes for them to extrude. They’re usually used where the wearer needs the sensitivity of their fingers. Usually leather. They have added grip for steering and shifting (they usually also have a logo on them somewhere). Motorcycle racing gloves have extra padding in key places in case of an accident. Welding gloves are flame retardant and protect the wearer from the heat of his/her job. These are commonly white cotton with one or two chest pockets. Polar coats have an extremely thick padding for warmth. This is a coat made of leather or waterproof fabric. It’s long and extends down to the knees. These are full body suits the zip up from the crotch to the Neck. Coveralls come in the following types: 95

-Cotton -Disposable -Insulated -Speed Suit -Work Dress Gown Hat: -Beanie -Cap -Cowboy -Fez Jacket: -Bomber -

-Denim -Leather -Sports -Windbreaker Pants: -Blue Jean -Khakis -Shorts -Work Robe: -Bath 96

Made from a thin plastic, and usually used to clean up hazardous chemicals. For extra warmth. A speed suit is futuristic and skin tight. These are usually more durable than normal coveralls. Comes in a variety of styles. Usually for woman, but some guys prefer the alternative lifestyle.

This is a classic baseball cap with no bill. Some had a toy propeller on the top. A ball cap. Usually has a logo or snappy phrase on the front. A French cap. Usually leather. A jacket that stops right above the waist and has a thick (usually fuzzy) collar. They also commonly came decorated with logos. Made from blue jean material, and they rarely have insulation. Made for warmth and mobility, and commonly has insulation. A dress jacket. An extremely thin fabric and never insulated. It’s usually designed to be colorful.

Semi-dress pants. They’re commonly seen in beach resorts. Shorts come in a variety of types, with multiple utility pockets or none at all. Any type of rugged, tough pants. Rarely seen in public because the wearer has little or nothing on underneath it.

-Common -Kimono -

A Japanese decorative robe commonly worn outdoors.

Shirt : -Long Sleeve -Short Sleeve -Silk -Sweater/Sweat shirt - These two are basically the same thing. It’s a long sleeve, thick shirt worn in cold weather. -Tee A short sleeve, thin shirt warm in warm climates, and commonly has logos or decorations of some sort. Shoes -Leather -Moccasins Old foot protection made from animal hide. -Sandals -Sneakers Shoes designed to be strong in sport-like activities. Socks, Pair Suit The following suits unclose the entire wearer: -Bio Used when dealing with germs or other biohazards. Airtight and usually connects to an external atmosphere by hose. -Chemical A thin plastic designed to protect the wearer from hazardous chemicals. It typically includes a gas mask. -Spacesuit Protects the wearer from the lack of atmosphere in space plus dangerous radiation. A backpack regulates and maintains the atmosphere in the suit. Tie A decoration worn around the neck. Ties come in two types (Bow and necktie). Toga A sheet draped around the wearer. Tuxedo A full dress suit for men. Tie and shoes are included. Underwear: -Boxers -Bra -Briefs/Panties 97

-Girdle -Pantyhose Vest -

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Girdle are worn above panties to support pantyhose. Nylon material worn on the legs and feet. A sleeveless jacket.

Vehicles:

(In order of type/size) Backpack: -Rocket -Copter Motorcycle -

-Cruiser -

-Dirt Bikes -

-Sport -

-Touring -

-Race –

These rocket backpacks (or jetpacks) are experimental today. This is a comical backpack attached to a helicopter copter blade over the users head. Most bikes seat two people unless they’re customized. Motorcycles can be divided into these classes: A show bike for easygoing people. Usually any bike that places the foot pegs in front of the seat is considered a cruiser. These are rarely street legal, but conversion kits do exist. These bikes are designed for ripping through dirt tracks or trail riding. A high performance bike that corners much easier that a cruiser. The pegs are located behind the seat to help the rider’s feet clear the ground while leaning. Any bike that’s comfortable for long trips. Some cruisers and special sport bikes fall into this category. Specific touring bikes are extremely expensive and come with radios, CBs, CD players… Some new models even have airbags. True race bikes are rarely street legal. They’re sport bikes designed to take advantage of the track. As a rule these bikes rarely have rear seats. 99

-Hover -

ATV -

-Quad -Standard Car: -Compact -Family -Sport -Race -Hover -

Truck: -Pickup -

The bike of the future, it has some means of hovering slightly above the ground so it doesn’t have to deal with roads or friction of any kind. All Terrain Vehicles. These aren’t street legal and usually only seat one person comfortably. ATV’s can be divided into these classes: These are for play and stunts. They are only twowheel drive. These are great utility vehicles for farms, ranches, or Hunting, and they’re four-wheel drive. This is a small car. It can be a 2 door coupe or a 4 door sedan. A full sized four door. Usually a 2 door with little or no rear seats and the horsepower/speed to be called a sport car. These are rarely street legal but rank in the fastest cars. Most only have 1 seat. The car of the future, it has some means of hovering slightly above the ground so it doesn’t have to deal with roads or friction of any kind.

Pickup trucks have an exposed bed that can be covered by a topper or canvas. The cabs can seat two people or up to five depending on the size (single, extended, or club cab). -SUV Sport Utility Vehicle. The name throws you off a bit, but SUV’s are really glorified vans. They’re big four-wheel drive trucks with at least 5 seats. -Commercial, Box - These are large trucks that usually require a Commercial Drivers License. The have a large enclosed cargo area in the rear and some have refrigerator units. -Commercial, Flatbed - These are large trucks that usually require a Commercial Drivers License. The have a large flat truck bed that cargo is strapped to. -Semi These are used to tow large cargo trailers (also called 18-wheelers), and they to require a Commercial Drivers License. 100

-Hover -

Hovercraft: -Skirted -

-Non-Skirted -

Balloon: -Hot Air -Gas Blimp -

-Helium -Hydrogen Boat: -Sail -Motor – -Yacht -Ship, Sail -

-Ship, Cruise -Ship, Cargo -Tug Boat -

Submarine -

The truck of the future, it has some means of hovering slightly above the ground so it doesn’t have to deal with roads or friction of any kind. This type of hovercraft exists today and comes in a variety of sizes. Some large, ship sized hovercrafts exist in the navy. These are capable of carrying a few tanks, jeeps, or other cargo. Most skirted hovercrafts are one or two seat recreational vehicles. These vehicles can travel over smooth land and water with equal ease. These are futuristic hovercrafts. They use a method of lifting the vehicle off of the ground without the need for a skirt.

This type of balloon is only used for extremely high altitudes. Blimps come in a variety of types, from 6 people to 30 people sized gondolas. Throughout history there have only been two types of blimps: These blimps aren’t used anymore. This gas has proven to be way too explosive and dangerous. These usually have only one or two sails. This includes speedboats, pontoon boats… These larger ships are rarely used anymore except for pleasure and usually have at least ten sails and a crew. These ships keep getting larger and larger. They can carry an enormous number of containers or liquids. These are the workhorses of boat yards, rivers, and lakes. They commonly aid in maneuvering large ships or push barges. Any vehicle capable of submerging underwater for long periods of time is considering a submarine. 101

-Small Submersible - These are used to explore wrecks and wildlife underwater. Small subs only fit 3 to 5 people. -Gas Powered These older subs ran off of diesel engines while above water and batteries while submerged. Underwater time was limited to breathable air and battery life. -Nuclear Nuclear subs can stay submerged as long as the food holds out. Oxygen is produced through reactions in the engine and the power generated propels the ship much faster and quieter. Construction: -Bulldozer Bulldozers come in both wheeled and tread types. -Crane These come in a variety of heights and lifting capacities. -Mixer These are commercial trucks with large mixing pots in the back. Commonly used to keep cement liquid and mixed before pouring. -Tractor Tractors are mainly found on farms or ranches. Some have a single front wheel, but most have two. -Backhoe Rotor: -Helicopter These come in a variety of sizes and capacities. -Twin Rotor Twin rotor helicopters that are also called Tomahawks and are mainly used for large cargo. Aircraft: -Glider This plane has no engine. It’s towed to an altitude by another aircraft and released. The pilot then flies through different air currents to keep it aloft. -Prop, Single -Prop, Multi -VTOL This is an aircraft that can aim its engines either forward or up to “vector” its thrust. This allows it to take off/land with little or no runway. -Jet Single – Any small plane with a single jet engine that usually has two or more jet engines. -Jet Multi Passenger planes or bombers.

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-Ultra light -

This is any small aircraft that’s publicly available to build. These are usually one or two seaters and are flown fairly low to the ground.

Treaded: -Tank Tanks of course have a variety of weapons. -Half Tread Truck - These are military cargo trucks that have tank treads in the rear instead of wheels/tires. Bridge Layer – This is an unarmed tank that carries a folded bridge. The bridge can be deployed by a robotic arm. Spacecraft Some spacecraft can be flown in a planets atmosphere, but it’s usually good to note which ones have that ability. Below is a short generalization of the different types of spacecraft: -Orbiters Anything that’s built to be launched, orbit a planet, and land. -Fighter These are usually single seaters, but some allow for more. -Runabout A runabout is usually two to three times the size of a fighter, but designed for long trips. Consider it the “camper” of space travel. -Cargo Cargo ships come in a variety of sizes, but any ship with a large bay that occupies at least 1/3 of its total size is considered one. -Corvette A corvette is the smallest ship besides a cargo class that requires a crew. They’re usually designed for combat or recon and more maneuverable than other ships their size. -Cruiser A cruiser fills the space between a corvette and a battleship. They’re designed for heavy ordinance and as much speed allowed for its size. -Battleship These ships are large and designed for maximum damage in battle. -Multi Generational - These ships are huge. They can carry over a million people for thousands of years. Most of the time these ships are slow, lacking the power to move their mass faster than light. Robot All the following robots except the unmanned are considered “Mechs”, which are piloted. They can be armed for combat or used for doing labor that other vehicles can’t do: 103

-Unmanned -Skeletal Armor -

-Walking -Treaded -Hover Plow -

Any robot with its own intelligence. These are really suits that surround the wearer. They add to the user’s size, strength, and sometimes speed. Walking mechs aren’t restricted to how many legs they can have. Large mechs that use tank treads instead of legs. These mechs usually have a weight limit of some sort, but the method used for levitation can vary. Plows attach to the front of trucks for plowing snow or dirt.

Trailer: -Flat -

Sized for standard trucks and personal use. Some have ramps for small pleasure vehicles. -Camper Campers come equipped with everything a family needs to survive without a home. -Semi Rig (18-wheeler) - These are closed box trailers and flatbeds. They are large trailers that require a large commercial truck to tow them. Barge -

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These are large flat boats with no propulsion of their own. They’re used for transporting cargo of various types.

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Treasures, Metals, and Minerals: Metals have a variety of uses in role-playing games. Some games have blacksmith “recipes” for creating items, armor, and weapons. Various metals are also used as currency. Take Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™ for example. They use coins made out of certain metals and have even developed a currency system: 10 Copper pieces = 1 gold piece 10 Gold pieces = 1 Silver piece 10 Silver pieces = 1 Platinum piece The following is a list of common metals and minerals found in the real world and some of their uses. The last listing is of fictional metals used in some games or television. Actual metals and minerals: Alumina: -Bauxite -

Rock rich in Aluminum Oxides.

-Corundum -

This is used as an abrasive and is 2nd hardest only to Diamonds.

-Sapphire -

Gemstones of a variety of colors except red.

-Ruby -

A red gemstone and the most precious of gems.

Aluminum -

A soft and light metal that’s rarely found in nature. It’s used for various applications where cheap, weaker metal is preferred.

Asbestos -

Fibrous minerals that are commonly spun into fireproof fabrics. It’s hazardous to your health if inhaled.

Beryllium -

Rare light metals commonly used in metallurgical applications (X-ray tubes…):

-Beryl -

A gemstone that can occur in large crystals up to 25 tons in weight.

-Emerald -

A valuable, grass green gem.

-Aquamarine -

A valuable, sea green gem.

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Carbon: -Diamond -

Hardest known real metal.

-Coal -

Dark, light mineral that’s commonly burned for energy.

Cassiterite -

The key ore in creating Tin.

Cinnabar -

The key ore in creating Mercury.

Copper: -Azurite -

Hydrated Copper Carbonate.

-Chalcopyrite -

Copper-Iron Sulfide and the most common copper ore.

-Malachite -

Hydrated Copper Carbonate.

Fluorspar -

This is used to create Steel, Ceramic, and Aluminum.

Galena -

The key ore in creating Lead.

Garnet -

This is used in creating red gems and abrasives.

Gold -

Soft and pliable, it’s valuable and used as decoration.

-Graphite -

One of the softest minerals. The main ingredient in “Lead” pencils and it’s also used in lubricants.

Iron: -Magnetite -

Magnetic Iron Oxide.

-Hematite -

Oxide of Iron.

Mercury -

Mercury is one of the few metals that are liquid at room temperature. It’s rare in nature and was used in medical practices before it was discovered to be harmful.

Olivine -

Magnesium-Iron Silicate. It’s a gem that’s normally green.

Platinum -

Mixed with other metals to form jewelry and laboratory equipment.

Pentlandite -

Nickel-Iron Sulfide. It’s used in Steels and Alloys.

Ruby -

This is a clear red crystal, which is usually pretty strong.

Salt -

Sodium Chloride. Apart these are both lethal, but together they’re used as spices. 107

Silica: -Opal -

A beautiful mineral showing a variegated play of colors.

-Quartz -

One of the most common minerals. Used for electrical and optical purposes.

Silver -

This is used in jewelry and electrical equipment.

Sphalerite -

The key ore in creating Zinc.

Stainless Steel -

Stainless steel is extremely resistant to corrosion, strong, and heavy. It’s commonly used in weapons.

Sulfur -

This is used to manufacture sulfuric acid, paper, and vulcanizing rubber goods.

Tin -

A metal that resists corrosion and is used to coat other metals to protect them al well.

Titanium -

An extremely strong and light metal that’s resistive to corrosion. Titanium is rarely found in nature.

Topaz -

Silicate of Fluorine and Aluminum and it’s a gem that’s normally yellow.

Uranium -

This is used in nuclear applications. Enriched Uranium is radioactive and harmful.

Zircon -

A blue gem. Also used in steels alloys and radio tubes. Fictional metals:

Adamantium -

This metal is taken from Marvel™ comics. It’s supposedly the strongest metal in existence, once processed and cooled from its molten form it becomes indestructible.

Adamite -

This is the Dungeons and Dragons™ version of Adamantium.

Mithril -

A metal from Dungeons and Dragons™. This ore makes the strongest armor in the game and has magical properties.

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Spells:

In this listing I refer to the casters “strength” a lot. This is the strength of their spell casting ability, not their physical strength. I’ve also divided the listing into three general types of spells: General, Defensive, and Offensive. Next to each is a short description of what the spell does. General: Air Walk –

This allows the caster to “walk” on air.

Animal Friendship - This spell convinces a particular animal to trust/follow the caster. Animate: -Dead -

This spell animates dead bodies. They have little intelligence afterwards and only follow simple instructions from the spell caster.

-Objects -

This spell animates small objects. They have little intelligence afterwards and only follow simple instructions from the spell caster.

Belch -

This is a minor spell that causes the subject to involuntary burp repeatedly.

Astral Projection - This is a cross between a spell and an ability that mages can have. It gives their soul the ability to leave the body and wander about for a limited time. Their physical body is helpless at this time, but others cannot see the wandering “astral body” without magical means. 110

Bless: -Object -

Depending on the specific type of bless spell it can give the object “special” powers (A bonus to hit, more damage dealt…).

-Person -

Depending on the specific type of bless spell it can give the subject bonuses to certain attributes or immunity to certain things (Extra strength, speed, intelligence…).

Blink -

This is a minor spell that causes the subject to involuntary blink repeatedly.

Brittle -

A spell like this causes certain metals or plastics to become brittle and weaker.

Charm -

A charm spell literally “charms” the target. The target will then see the caster as a respected person or creature. Charm spells come in the following types:

-Creature -

The intelligence of the creatures this spell can affect is usually equal or less than the intelligence of the caster.

-Others -

This spell is similar to Charm Creature but is used against more evolved humanoids.

Chill -

This is a minor spell that causes the subject to get a chill.

Color -

This is another minor spell that changes a single color of an object. If the object has multiple colors the spell has to be cast multiple times.

Conjure: -Creature -

The strength of a conjured creature is relative to the strength of the caster. The creature appears out of thin air and fades as the spell wears off.

-Fog -

This fog surrounds the immediate area around the user. The size of the area is relative to the strength of the caster.

-Food -

This spell usually creates some type of simple food (bread or meat) in small amounts (usually enough for one or two people).

-Illusion/Mirage -

The size of a cast illusion, like most spells, is restricted by the strength of the caster. 111

-Object –

This spell conjures a specific object the size and usefulness of which is relative to the strength of the caster.

-Water -

This conjures normal water. The amount is, of course, relative to the strength of the caster.

Continual Light -

This spell causes a small object (or part of a larger object) to glow brightly. The spell lasts until stopped by the caster or the casters death.

Cough -

This is a minor spell that causes the subject to involuntary cough repeatedly.

Curse -

Curse spells are the opposite of bless spells. Instead of giving a bonus to their target and take something away (a minus modifier to damage, strength, speed…). They come in the following types:

-Creature -

The version of the curse spell affects any animal/creature with a below-human intelligence.

-Object -Person Dampen -

This is a minor spell that dampens a surface or cloth.

Detect -

The range of detection spells is relative to the strength of the caster. They come in the following types:

-Animals -

This spell gives the caster the location of all animals within range of the spell.

-Creature -

Usually this spell is specific to a type of creature, but otherwise it’s similar to detect animals.

-Disguise -

This allows the caster to see through disguises, whether mundane or magical in nature.

-Evil/Good –

This is actually two different types of detection spells.

-Illusion -

This allows the caster to see through Illusions, whether mundane or magical in nature.

-Invisibility -

This spell doesn’t cancel out an invisibility spell, but just allows the caster see the invisible person or object.

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-Lie -

This spell doesn’t allow the caster to see the truth from the spell’s target; just that the subject is lying.

-Life -

This spell allows the caster to detect any life in barren areas and locate their position.

-Magic -

This refers to spells that are left active. The caster can detect them and their purpose.

-Plants -

This spell only works properly in areas that have sparse plant life.

-Traps -

This spell detects both mundane and magical traps so that the caster can avoid them.

Dim -

This illusion spell dims the light within a certain range of the caster.

Disguise -

This spell doesn’t physically alter the caster or subject but magically displays a different appearance.

Dispel: -Evil -

This spell is a stronger version of “Repel Evil”. If the evil creature/person is trapped within range of the spell their attitude/alignment will literally change for the better until they leave the spells area of effect.

-Magic -

This spell actually cancels out spells within its area of effect.

Distract -

This minor spell distracts its target. It affects only the subjects mind and others nearby aren’t affected.

Dry -

This spell is the opposite of Dampen. It removes moisture from the target area.

Dust -

This minor spell cleans a target area. Removing dust and dirt.

Exorcise -

This religious spell is actually a ritual to remove rouge spirits that may be tormenting a target (live or inanimate).

Exterminate -

This spell kills all minor insects in its area of affect.

Flavor -

This spell alters the taste of a particular substance. It’s useful for disguising poisons or the bad taste of medicines.

Giggle -

This minor spell causes the target to giggle uncontrollably. 113

Haze This illusion spell is similar to Fog, but the haze is magical in nature, not physical. Locate -

This is a short ritual spell that allows the caster detect a particular object that they’ve had in their possession before.

Meld into -

The following spells allow the user to walk through those particular materials:

-Metal -Plastic -Stone Melt -

This spell infuses an object with extreme heat. Depending on the strength of the caster different materials will melt down.

Mend -

This spell repairs minor damage to small objects.

Mute -

This minor spell affects a single target’s ability to vocalize.

Night Vision - This spell gives the target or caster night vision. Noise -

This spell creates a noise in a spot designated by the caster. It can be used to distract large groups of people/creatures.

Phantom Steed - This creates a magical steed (or different mount) that the caster can ride. Its abilities match that of a normal steed. Plane/Dimension Shift - This is a special teleportation spell for hopping across dimensions or different planes of existence. Plant Growth - This spell hastens a single plants growth. Polish/Shine - This spell polishes a smooth surface. Preserve -

This spell preserves small objects (spices, plants, food).

Preserved Sleep - This spell actually preserves a living object for long periods of time in a coma-like state. Purify -

This spell purifies liquids for consumption. Only magical poisons or diseases could survive this spell.

Reincarnate -

This spell is cast on a living being at the moment of death and the beings soul is then shifted to another

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body. The new body is determined by the strength of the caster. Regenerate -

This is a stronger version of a heal spell. It actually regenerates lost limbs.

Remove: -Blindness -Curse -Fear -Paralysis -Sickness Scratch/Itch -

This minor spell causes the target to have an uncontrollable itch.

Scrying -

This is a typical wizards spell. It allows the caster to see through a reflective surface to an area of their choosing.

Send Message - This allows the caster to send a mental message to a known target. That range of this spell depends on the strength of the caster. Silence –

This spell creates a radius of silence around the caster. The area of effect is determined by the casters strength.

Slow -

Slow spells do not stop their targets. They just slow them to a degree relative to the casters strength. There are also two slow spell subcategories that aid characters:

-Illness -Poison Sneeze -

This minor spell causes the target to sneeze uncontrollably.

Speak with -Animals -Creatures -Dead -

This spell doesn’t truly animate the dead. It only allows the spirit to converse with the caster. If the soul has been reincarnated this spell has no effect.

-Plants 115

Stitch -

This spell is a common shortcut for repairing cloth and leather.

Summon: -Aid -

This spell will summon a certain number of help the same type and alignment as the caster. If others of the same race are out of range then the spell summons creatures or animals of the same alignment instead. The number of people/creatures that come to the casters aid is determined by the strength of the caster.

-Creature -

This spell summons a particular creature if it’s within range (usually within a distance of miles). The range of this spell is, of course, determined by the strength of the caster.

-Elemental -

This actually pulls a specific kind of elemental (determined by the spell) from its plane of existence. The summoned elemental doesn’t automatically follow or aid the caster. They have to be coerced or bargained with.

Teleport -

This spell does exactly what it says. There are variants of this spell that determine the effect. Some teleport spells require that the caster have been at the destination before, some do not. Some teleport spells even have the possibility for error and disastrous consequences.

Transmute -

When transmuting a material the caster is only able to change one chunk of the target into a solid chunk of the type material chosen. Some games get more specific with transmuting spells (ex: Flesh to stone, Metal to wood…). The following spells are specific for changing the substances in their title into other substances:

-Flesh -Liquids -Metals -Plastics -Stone

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-Turn to Goo -

This is a Shadowrun™ spell used to dispose of evidence (usually small objects).

Untie -

This spell is a variation of Stitch. It can untie complex knots instantly and even magical knots that normally can’t be untied.

Volley -

This spell is cast on a target with another specific spell in mind. If that specific spell is cast on the target before Volley wears off then that new spell is deflected back on the caster.

Warm/Heat -

This spell does exactly what it says. Whether it warms an object or just the surrounding air.

Water Breathing - This allows the target or caster to breath under water for a limited time. Water Walk -

This spell allows the target to walk over water as if it was solid ground.

Weather: -Control -

The area that this spell covers is related to the strength of the caster.

-Predict -

This spell only affects the caster and gives them the knowledge of the coming weather.

Wilt -

This spell kills plant life instantly.

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Defensive: Armor/Stone Skin - This spell turns the skin into armor. The level of which is determined by the strength of the caster. Banishment -

This spell forces a creature back to its own plane of existence. That creature resides in the current plane the spell has no effect.

Barrier/Shield: -Blade -

This barrier has multiple blades protruding from it for returning damage to an attacker.

-Fire -

This barrier/shield is made of fire. It’s not physical but damages anything attempting to pass through it.

-Energy -

This is a common energy shield. It takes the form of a regular wall, the hardness of which is determined by the caster’s strength.

Cage/Ensnare -

This spell captures the target in whatever is designated by that particular type of spell. Some ensnare spells even cause damage by using thorny vines.

Heal/Cure -

These spells heal their targets. Usually there are multiple spells in a game of varying strengths, sometimes there is just one heal spell in a game and the strength of the caster determines how much it can heal. Heal spells come in varying strengths:

-Light Wounds -Medium Wounds -Deadly Wounds Endure/Resist: -Cold -

The amount of cold this spell allows the target to withstand is related to the strength of the caster.

-Heat -

The amount of heat this spell allows the target withstand in related to the strength of the caster.

-Energy -

This relates to any sort of electrical or magical blasts.

Hold -

This spell is similar to Cage/Ensnare, but takes no physical form.

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Invisibility -

This spell makes the target or caster invisible, but in some games there are only the following variants:

-To Creatures -To Electronics -To Undead Pass without Trace - This spell allows the caster to move without leaving tracks of any kind. Protection From -

These following spells do not repel anything, but protect the caster from them. The manner of protection varies per game:

-Energy -Evil -From Elements -From Undead Repel -

The following spells do not physically force their targets from the area but forces them to leave on their own:

-Animals -Creatures -Evil -Good -Insects Resurrect -

This is a very powerful spell that brings others back to life. Depending on the game the original body may be needed. Also, the effects on the soul if it was reincarnated have to be determined in advance.

Spell Immunity - This is another powerful spell that grants the target immunity to all magic for an amount of time that’s determined by the strength of the caster.

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Offensive: Arrow -

When this spell is cast a magical arrow appears in front of the caster and bolts forwards. It disappears shortly after impact.

Blinding Light -

This spell’s effect is similar to a flash grenade.

Confusion -

Depending on the strength of the caster this spell can affect one or multiple targets.

Dust Devil -

The strength of the dust devil this spell creates is equal to the strength of the caster. The dust devil remains until the casters control until the spell is lifted.

Earthquake -

This spell only affects the immediate area around the caster. The amount of damage is determined by the strength of the caster.

Energy Blast -

This spell does exactly what it says. The strength of the blast is, of course, equal to the strength of the caster.

Flame Strike -

This spell is similar to Energy Blast but uses fire instead.

Flaming Sphere -

This spell creates a large flaming ball in front of the caster. The caster then designates a direction for it to roll in. Once it starts rolling the caster looses all control over it and it fades over a set amount of time.

Fire Trap -

This spell surrounds the target with walls of large flames on all sides unless the caster designates otherwise.

Hallucinate -

This spell in similar to Confusion except the caster has ability to control what the target(s) see or hear.

Lightening: -Blast -

This spell is similar to Energy Blast, but the lightening originates from the sky and the caster only summons it.

-Chain -

Chain Lightening originates from the caster but upon hitting the primary target it hops/links to another target close to the first, then again, and so on. The amount of targets usually degrades the

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spells overall damage and the amount of overall damage is determined by the strength of the caster. Magic Missiles –

This is a famous spell from Dungeons & Dragons™ that’s damage is directly related to the level of the caster.

Meteor Shower -

When this spell is cast multiple meteors fall from the sky and impact the target area. The size of the target area is related to the strength of the caster.

Petrify -

This spell turns a target to stone.

Plague: -Disease -

This is a strong spell that creates a contagious disease. The cure for the disease created usually has to be magic in nature.

-Insect -

This spell summons a large number of insects. They can rarely do more to a creature than annoy it (lowering it’s effectiveness), but they can be summoned to destroy crops or similar things.

Whip -

This conjures a magical “energy” whip in the hand of the caster. The damage is similar to a normal whip, although a stronger mage can usually increase its effect.

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Psionic Powers: This is a very short listing because most psionic powers come from Dungeons and Dragons™ and are probably copyrighted. I listed the bare minimum to give the reader an idea of what psionics are capable of, because for any spell that could normally be cast without the need to maintain it there is probably the equivalent psionic power. The only drawback to being a psionic is the need to concentrate on whatever it is you’re casting. Even to maintaining an effect requires the caster to concentrate (giving penalties to other simple actions). Adapt -

This power allows the body to adapt to any environment, or a single environment for lesser versions of the same power.

Armor -

This power manifests physical armor on the psionic. The strength of the armor usually varies by the strength of the psionic.

Attraction -

This power plants a suggestion in the targets head. It causes an attraction to a particular object or character.

Aura Sight -

This is the ability to see another character’s "Aura" (to determine good, neutral, or other).

Body Purification - This power purifies a body of poisons or containments. Brain Lock -

This power "locks" a targets brain. The target is not dead, just comatose until they're able to break free or the psionic character releases the lock.

Cat fall -

This power allows the caster to fall great distances with minimal damage.

Chameleon -

The power to blend into backgrounds.

Charm, Psionic - This power makes the psionic more charming to a target or group. Clairvoyance/Remote Viewing - This power allows the psionic to see distant occurrences. Usually the psionic needs to know the location they're attempting to view. Cloud Mind -

There are two different versions of this power. The first clouds a target’s mind (giving them a minus to actions). The second version erases any trace of the 123

psionic from a target’s mind. Even if the character is in the same room the target won't see him/her. Conceal Thoughts - This is the power to conceal the psionic’s or target’s thoughts from another psionic, magical spell, or technology. Construct -

This is the ability to construct objects using mental energy. Variations of this power include "construct object", "construct creature", and even "construct double" (of a character). The energy needed for this power could be tremendous.

Control Body - The ability to control another character. The "puppet" character is usually allowed chances to break free. Control Flames - This power doesn’t create fire, but allows the psionic to control an existing fire. Control Object - The ability to bring an inanimate object to life. This power has to be sustained by the psionic. Control Weather - This power allows the character to control the weather (the severity of which depends on the psionics power). Create Sound - The ability to create any sound; usually to distract a target. Danger Sense - The ability to sense impending danger. Deceleration - This power slows down a target (whether living or not). Demoralize -

This power lowers a targets initiative, which lowers their effectiveness.

Detect Invisibility - This power is exactly what it says. It doesn’t cancel out invisibility; it just allows the psionic to see through it. Detect Psionics - The ability to sense other psionics. Dissolving Touch - With this ability the psionic’s touch acts like acid to a target. Distract –

This power is similar to cloud mind, but it distracts a target. The target still has clear thought but starts "working" on something else.

Whip -

The power to create a whip out of mental energy. This power has to be maintained by the psionic.

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Energy Ball -

This is a form of attack. It's a ball of energy that the psionic forms in front of them. This ball can be controlled and maneuvered.

Energy Bolt -

This form of attack is a psychic bolt of energy that the psionic shoots in a single direction.

Energy Burst - This is similar to Energy Bolt but the blast is projected in all directions and causes much less damage per target. Energy Cone - This is similar to Energy Bolt but it is a wider burst and causes slightly less damage per target. Energy Missile - This is another version of Energy Bolt. This form of attack is a psychic bolt of energy that the psionic shoots in a single direction. Energy Ray -

This is similar to Energy Bolt but it's a sustained blast and the damage accumulates round by round.

Energy Stun -

This Energy attack attempts to stun the target instead of causing damage. Its appearance is similar to Energy Bolt.

Entangling Ectoplasm - This power materializes psychic goo known as Ectoplasm. It clings to a target and immobilizes him/her. Escape Detection - This power negates scrying and other spells/powers. It keeps the psionic invisible to magic/psionics as long as it's active. Evade -

This is a form of defense for the psionic. It gives him/her a bonus to dodge attacks for a set time.

Expansion -

This power slightly increases the distance between the atoms of an (in)animate object making them larger.

Far Hand -

This is exactly what it says. The psionic gains a telekinetic "hand" that functions as a normal one (strength and size) up to a certain distance. This hand is usually invisible but it depends on the game.

Float -

This power allows the psionic to float in water. Some games also allow this power to be used on other targets.

Fly -

This power is exactly what it says and affects the psionic only. The length that it stays active usually varies. 125

Graft Weapon -

This is a very odd ability. It grafts a weapon to the psionics arm (in the place of a hand and wrist). This gives the psionic a bonus to attacking.

Immovability -

This power locks the psionics feet in place and makes him/her immovable.

Inflict Pain -

This stuns the target with intense pain. Even if the target is strong enough to stay conscious they usually take penalties from the pain.

Insanity -

This power causes the target to be temporarily insane. The length and depth of the insanity usually depends on the targets attributes.

Knowledge -

This is an extremely strong power. If the character is in the vicinity of people with certain “knowledge” the character can attempt to pull that knowledge. The GM can make this knowledge temporary or permanent.

Levitation -

This is exactly what it says. It only affects the psionic and the duration usually depends on his/her strength.

Manifest -

This is the power to create objects from thin air. The size of the object is usually small and it disappears if the psionic dies.

Mental Barrier -

This power projects a mental barrier for the psionic that protects him/her from mental attacks.

Mind Link -

This power links the psionics mind to another for a set amount of time. Both people are able to exchange thoughts instantly.

Mind Probe -

This power opens up the targets mind to the psionic.

Mind Switch -

This is a very strong power. It switches the minds of two people and is usually temporary.

Modify Memory - This does exactly what says. The psionic usually has to know what memory to change. Navigation -

This power gives the character their exact position in relation to where the power was first activated. Usually there are different versions of this power for dimensions and even time.

Precognition -

This allows the psionic to glimpse fragments of their potential future events.

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Read Thoughts -

This power is similar to Mind Probe but only allows the psionic to view surface thoughts.

Restoration, Psionic - This is similar to a healing spell. Restore Extremity - This healing power restores lost body limbs. Run -

This power gives the psionic a bonus to his/her speed attribute for a predetermined about of time.

Sense Link -

This power allows the psionic to sense other psionic links.

Sensitivity to Psychic Impressions - This is the ability to pull any mental impressions from objects. Shard -

This ability manifests a shard(s) in front of the psionic and propels it towards a target.

Share Power -

This ability allows the character to "share" another power with someone else. That other character has to be nearby or even visible to the psionic and the psionic has to maintain the Share Power ability while the other character's using the shared power.

Shield -

This power manifests a physical shield. The strength of which is determined by the power of the psionic.

Suggestion -

This plants a suggestion into the targets head. The suggestion has to be minor so that the target doesn’t actually notice it.

Sustenance -

This power allows the psionic to go without food and water for a predetermined amount of time.

Teleport -

This allows the psionic to teleport to another location. A rule of thumb is that the psionic usually has to have been to the destination before.

Wall Walker -

This allows the psionic to walk up walls and on ceilings.

Weapon of Energy - This power manifest a weapon of the psionics choice, the damage of which is determined by the strength of the character.

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Magic Items: Magical Items are any items or objects that exist in a game that have been given the power (either infinite or not) of a spell. The following is just a short list because the possibilities are nearly endless. Potion/Elixir of: -Beauty -

This potion changes the drinker’s appearance for the better. It can be temporary or permanent.

-Health -

These act as healing spells. These potions come in varying strengths.

-Life/Restoration - This potion restores a dead body to life. -Madness -

This potion usually looks like a useful one, but ends up driving the drinker mad for a limited time.

-Youth -

This potion can restore the drinker’s youth temporarily or permanently.

-Fire Breath -

This does exactly what it says and the effects are usually temporary.

-Resistance -

This provides resistance from various things in your particular game. There can be many variations of this type of potion.

-Ventriloquism -

Drinking this potion allows the user to “throw” their voice. They usually pick where they want their voice to originate from.

-Vitality -

This potion makes the drinker stronger in one way or the other. Usually it raises a characters health.

Oil of -

Oils are applied directly to the skin. Listed below are some examples:

-Acid Resistance -Invisibility -Fumbling -

This is like a Madness Potion in that it looks like a useful oil, but it affects the user by making them clumsy. The length of the affect varies.

-Impact -

This Oil gives the user added damage during physical battles. 129

-Sharpness -

This oil gives the user the ability to cut (like a knife) with physical attacks.

-Speed -

This oil increases the users speed.

Ring of: -Animal Friendship - This ring convinces a particular animal to trust/follow the wearer. -Teleportation -

This ring is usually grounded to a particular place so it always transports the user there.

-Invisibility -

This ring turns the user invisible.

-Chameleon Power - This ring allows the wearer to blend in with whatever is behind them. -Jumping -

This ring increases the wearers jumping ability.

-Running/Cheetah - This ring increases the wearer’s speed. -Resistance –

This ring provides resistance from various things in your particular game. There can be many variations of this type of ring.

-The Ram -

This ring increases the wearer’s physical punching damage.

-Shocking Grasp - The wearer of this ring has the ability to electrocute those that they grab. -Sustenance -

Wearing this ring eliminates the user’s need to eat/drink.

-Truth -

This ring is a “double-edged sword”. Wearing it allows the wearer to see through any lie to the truth, but also eliminates their ability to lie as well.

Staff of: -The Spear -

This staff alters its shape to that of a spear. Another version actually propels its tip at a target and afterwards the tip reforms.

-Swarming Insects - This Staff summons a swarm of insects to aid the user. They can do no physical damage to creatures, but can cause confusion and absorb energy attacks. -Thunder and Lightening - This staff can summon either thunder or lightening at different times. -Shielding 130

This staff conjures an energy shield if front of the user.

-Fire -

This staff shoots fire from the tip with a verbal command.

Wand of: -Fireballs -

This wand shoots fireballs from the tip.

-Flame Extinguishing - This wand can magically extinguish flames. -Force -

This wand conjures an invisible force that impacts a target.

-Ice -

This wand shoots ice and attempts to freeze targets.

-Lightening -

This wand summons lightening from the sky to impact a single target.

-Steam/Vapor -

This wand shoots steam/vapor from its tip. It’s mostly useful in confined areas.

Amulet of: -Undead Reversal -

The undead refuse to come within the range of this amulet.

-Speed/The Cheetah - This amulet increases the wearer’s speed. -Teleportation -

This amulet is usually grounded to a particular place so it always transports the user there.

Boots of: -Running -

These boots increase the wearer’s speed.

-Climbing -

These boots allow the wearer to walk directly up solid surfaces.

-Air Walking -

These boots allow the wearer’s to walk on thin air as if it was a solid surface.

-Water Walking -

These boots allow the wearer’s to walk on water air as if it was a solid surface.

-Varied Tracks -

These boots change the shape of the tracks left behind randomly.

Bracers of: -Archery -

These bracers give the wearer a bonus when using a bow and arrow.

-Force -

These bracers give the wearer the same abilities as the Wand of Force. 131

-Strength -

These bracers increase the wearer’s physical strength.

Cloak of: -Invisibility -

This cloak has to cover the wearer completely to become active.

-Armor -

This cloak is fabric, but as strong as armor plating.

-Health -

This cloak gives the wearer extra health and also cures certain sicknesses (whether mundane or magical).

Dust of Illusion -

When this dust is flung into the air it creates an illusion of the users choosing.

Bag of Holding -

This bag has no limit as to what it can hold and never completely fills.

Gloves of Snaring - wearing these gloves give the user the ability to snatch any projectiles flying at or past them. Horn of: -Fog -

This horn conjures fog, which fills the area.

-Good/Evil -

This horn works differently depending on the alignment of the blower. It summons people/creatures of the same alignment to aid them.

Lens of True Sight – Allows night vision and can see through magic and illusions. Fan of: -The Wind -

When used this fan creates a large wind that can actually blow back creatures.

-Barriers -

The user of this fan flips it open and an energy barrier forms it.

Elfish Rope -

Made famous by the Lord of the Rings this rope is as thin as braded hair but as strong as steel. Despite how it’s tied it comes undone with a verbal command.

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Weapons/Armor -

Weapons and armor can be blessed for additional damage or extra effects, just as items. Depending on the effects the appearance of the weapon/armor can change dramatically or not at all.

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Animals, Common: This list contains pretty common animals so I’ll forgo in-depth descriptions. Alligator/Crocodile Ape Armadillo Bat Bear -Black

Elephant Ferret Fish (Various) Fox Gerbil Gopher/Groundhog

-Brown

Goat

-Grizzly

Goose

Bird -Falcon/Hawk

Guinea Pig Hamster

-Owl

Hippo

-Various

Horse

Boar

Lion

Bull

Monkey

Calf

Mouse

Camel Cat

Mule Octopus

-House

Opossum

-Large

Owl

Chicken Cow Coyote Crow Dolphin Dog Donkey/Mule 134

Ox Parrot Partridge Peacock Pig Pigeon Pony

Rabbit/Bunny

Snake

Raccoon

-Boa

Ram

-Tree

Rat

-Poisonous

Rhino

Swan

Rooster

Tiger

Seal/Sea Lion

Toad/frog

Shark

Turtle

Squid

Whale

Squirrel

Wolf

Sheep

Zebra

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Creatures, Common: Beholder -

A beholder is a magical creature. It’s a large hovering sphere, about the size of an average mans torso, that’s covered with eyes. They have average intelligence and each eye has the ability to cast a single spell type. There is usually one larger eye in the front with a small mouth underneath.

Centaur –

This is a horse with the upper body of a human (arms included). These creatures are intelligent and normally kind to good-natured beings.

Chimera -

A Chimera is a large lion that has been “intermixed” with a small dragon and a goat to form a new species. This creature is magical in nature, usually has a mixture of breath weapons (fire, frost…), and the ability to fly with its dragon wings.

Cyclops -

These are large human giants with a single eye. They are usually less intelligent that normal giants.

Demon/Fiend –

These creatures have various forms and abilities but they originate from an “evil” plane of existence. There can even be demon versions of normal animals and creatures.

Dinosaur -

The various types of dinosaurs are endless.

Doppelganger -

These are short humanoids that can alter their size, shape, and appearance to match most other humanoids.

Dragon -

Dragons come in a variety of colors, the only constant is that red is usually evil and gold is usually good. Most dragons have a higher than normal intelligence and a breath weapon whose type depends on the dragons color.

Elemental -

Elementals are magical creatures that take the form of the matter they’re made of. Listed below are just a few:

-Air -Earth -Water -Fire 137

Faerie/Sprite -

These are magical little humanoids with wings. They have limited spell-casting ability.

Genie -

Genies are magical creatures rumored to grant wishes. In games they are normally powerful.

Ghost/Specter/Wraith/Spirit - These are dead spirits that return to pester the world of the living for one reason or another. Some ghosts are evil and some are good. Ghoul -

Ghouls are diseased humanoids of low intelligence that frequent gravesites to feast on rotting flesh. They rarely attack, but do defend themselves.

Giant -

These are large humanoids with slightly lower than average intelligence. Some have magical abilities depending on where they are located.

Giant Animals -

These creatures come in a variety of types.

Giant Insects -

These creatures come in a variety of types.

Giant Spiders -

These creatures come in a variety of types.

Giant Squid -

These creatures have been proven to actually exist.

Gnoll -

Gnolls are humanoid dogs of average intelligence. They live in villages and use crude melee weapons.

Gnome -

Gnomes are small (3’ tall) humanoids that live secluded and peaceful lives. They are considered good luck.

Goblin -

Goblins vary throughout different games. Some are small humanoids that travel in packs. Some are large, grotesque humanoids capable of tremendous destruction.

Golem -

Golems are magical beings created by magicians that consist of homemade materials. The varieties of golems are nearly endless.

Griffin -

This half eagle, half horse is sometimes used as a mount.

Grim Reaper -

Most traditions view the Grim Reaper as a single creature that appears to a person at the moment of death, but others see them as a race of creatures.

Harpy -

Depending on the game some harpies have animal intelligence but some portray them as smart as

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humans. They are ugly female humanoids with wings that usually attack on sight. Hellhound -

Hellhounds are magical dogs whose skin is hot to the touch. They’re usually conjured by evil wizards for protection.

Hydra -

Hydras are dragons with multiple heads. Each head has it’s own intelligence and breath weapon. In order to kill one each head must be destroyed.

Imp -

Imps are small humanoid creatures with dragon wings and are usually used by wizards as pets.

Jellyfish/Man-o-war - This are real creatures that have no intelligence. They sting with multiple long tentacles and are hard to see in the water because their bodies are transparent. Kraken –

A Kraken is an “extra large” Giant Squid. They’re usually intelligent.

Leprechaun -

These are little humanoids of Irish myth that are rumored to grant wishes and hide treasures.

Man Eating Plant -

These large plants resemble Venus Fly Traps and have a basic animal intelligence.

Medusa -

Medusas come in human form or half human/half snake form. They are females that have snakes for hair and the magical ability to turn organic matter to stone.

Mermaid/Merman - These are half human/half fish and have human intelligence. Mimic -

Mimics are creatures that can change into small objects, usually objects that are desirable to other creatures. When an unsuspecting victim attempts to take the object the Mimic attacks.

Minotaur -

This creature is a large humanoid with the head of a goat or bull. Minotaurs have below average intelligence and uses crude weapons.

Mummy/Undead -

These creatures are magical in nature. They are corpses that have been animated and usually have little or no intelligence. Most are conjured by wizards as servants.

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Nymph -

All Nymphs are beautiful females and look exactly like humans. They have a magical ability to seduce any man.

Orc/Troll -

These creatures are large and ugly humanoids that resemble Neanderthals. They have low intelligence and use crude weapons.

Ogre -

Ogres are large versions of Orcs.

Pegasus -

This is a horse with wings. They are good creatures that only allow good-hearted people to ride them.

Phoenix -

The Phoenix is a magical fiery bird that has an uncanny ability to rise from it’s own ashes after it appears to be dead.

Piranha -

Piranhas are small voracious fish that travel in large packs. As a group they can skin a cow to the bone in minutes.

Satyr -

Satyrs have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a goat. They have human intelligence and are usually musically inclined.

Slime/Jelly/Blob -

These creatures have no intelligence and no brain. They move slowly in dungeons and caves and consume everything organic they come in contact with.

Sea Serpent -

These can be any large, unidentified creature found the seas or oceans.

Shark -

There are a variety of Shark and not all are deadly.

Treant/Ent -

These are trees that have above average intelligence and the ability to move about. They usually have magical abilities as well and live for centuries.

Unicorn -

This is a magical white horse with a single horn on its head. The horn is the source of its power and like a Pegasus; it only associates with other good creatures.

Vampire -

Vampires are humanoids that survive off of the blood of its victims. They are usually magical and deathly allergic to sunlight. Multiple games give them multiple abilities.

Were Creatures/Lycanthropes - These are humanoids that have contracted a disease that forces them to assume the form of a particular animal on full moons. 140

Some games give this option as a character type and the players the ability to change at will with an optional third form of half human/half animal. Willow Wisp -

These are dead souls or spirits that appear in marshes and swamps as floating lights. They attempt to lure people to their death.

141

142

Cyberware: Cyberware is any sort of mechanical replacement for the body. These devices usually require maintenance over time since they can’t “heal” on their own. Cyberware runs off of the body they’re attached to unless they are specially built otherwise. Most of following items come from Shadowrun™. Brain Enhancements: -Memory -

This is a microprocessor with extra storage connected directly to the brain. It prevents the character from forgetting anything and aids in photographic memorization.

-Data Link/Rigger Link - This is a plug that can be placed anywhere on the body (but usually on the head) and interfaces directly with the brain. It allows for connecting to computers or special equipment. -Chip Drive -

Chip Drives are basically disk drives built directly into the characters head and connected to their brain.

Chemical Analyzer - This small device is implanted on the tip of the tongue and used for analyzing chemicals. Chemical/Biological Filtration - These devices are installed either in the throat or arteries near the heart to filter out poisons and toxins. Compartments -

This is actually an add-on to existing cyberware. It’s a compartment for concealing objects (small weapons or items).

Cyber Arm: -Standard -

These are usually replacements for lost limbs. They have the same strength as the original and most are covered with fake skin.

-Enhanced –

These are stronger versions of standard cyber arms. Their price varies by their strength.

-Concealed Gun -

This arm has a concealed gun that fires through the palm.

-Armored -

This is a standard Cyber Arm with extra armor plating to withstand blows. 143

Cyber Eye: -Standard -

These are just replacements for lost eyes.

-Camera -

This eye takes pictures. They’re usually downloaded via other cyberware (Datajack, Chipjack…)

-Thermo Graphic - These eyes give the character the ability to see heat being given off by objects or living beings. -Low Light -

These give the character the ability to see in low light conditions, but not complete darkness.

-Flare Compensation - These eyes prevent the character from being blinded by bright lights or flashes. -X-Ray -

These eyes can see through most materials (excluding lead or special materials).

Cyber Leg: -Standard -

These are usually replacements for a lost limb. They have the same strength as the original.

-Enhanced –

These are stronger versions of standard cyber legs. Their price varies by their strength.

-Hydraulic -

These legs contain a hydraulic booster to give the character a huge bonus in jumping.

-Booster -

These Cyber Legs contain a retractable-fueled booster for jumping higher/farther.

-Hover -

These are extremely high tech legs that allow the character to hover/fly.

Cyberdeck/Link Computer: This isn’t truly cyberware but a computer that interfaces between a character with a datajack and whatever they are connected to. -Programs -

These are programs that run on a cyberdeck that the character can use while plugged in (Attack, shielding, and hacking programs).

-Persona/Image -

This is a program that runs on a cyberdeck that designates how a character will appear inside a computer while running through a cyberdeck.

Dermal Armor -

Dermal Armor replaces the skin on the chest. It comes in varying strengths.

Interior Armor/Bone Lacing - This is armor placed under the skin or interlaced with bone. 144

Muscle Replacement - This is an option if a character doesn’t want to replace an entire limb. These new muscles are artificial, not biologic. Skill Wiring: -Skill Wires with Chip Drive - Skill wires are installed throughout the body and interface with all the primary muscles (or other cyberware). They connect to a Chip Drive in the head and can be activated mentally. -Programs -

These are reflexes and skills downloaded onto chips or disks. When plugged into a Skill Wired Chip Drive the character can use those skills as if they were their own.

Smart Gun/Targeting System - This is a device implanted in the palm that interfaces with guns built with a smart gun system. If the character has cybereyes they then see a crosshair designating where the gun is aiming. There are also goggles that plug into Datajacks if the character has regular eyes. Spurs -

Spurs are retractable blades in the characters feet to aid in martial.

Razors -

Razors are retractable blades in the characters hands or fingers to aid in martial arts.

145

146

Bioware: Bioware is a living version of cyberware. They’re genetically engineered in labs and grown in factories. The following list I pulled from Shadowrun because very little games use them. Adrenal Pump -

This little organ gives the character an added adrenaline boost on command.

Cardio-Enhancement -

This is a modification to the heart to make it stronger.

Cerebral Booster -

This is extra nerve tissue added to the brain to aid in memory and intelligence.

Enhanced Articulation - This is a treatment to the joints of the character that gives them increased agility. Gene Therapy -

This is a treatment to correct genetic abnormalities or injuries.

Immunization Therapy - This a treatment to aid a characters ability to withstand a single type of disease or compound. Lung Volume Enhancement - This allows a character to hold their breath longer. Muscle Augmentation - This is a new type of “extra-strong” muscle tissue that replaces the original. Nerve Caps/Pain Editor - These are two separate organs and both can help the character filter out pain. Nerve Enhancement -

This extra nerve tissue also adds to a characters reflexes.

Orthoskin -

This is added under a characters skin and acts as a thin armor.

Platelet Factory –

This is a small organ that manufactures platelets for the bloodstream. This allows the character to handle more damage due to less bleeding.

Reflex Recorder -

This is extra nerve tissue added to the spinal nerves. They aid in remembering reflexes.

Spleen Enhancement -

This helps the body naturally fight pathogens. 147

Super-Thyroid Gland - This is a little organ that is attached to the thyroid. It boosts the thyroids abilities to make a character healthier. Symbiotes -

These are microorganisms that are engineered to do a specific job within the body.

Tailored Pheromones - Pheromones can have many uses in the future, from seduction on up. Toxin Exhaler -

This little organ produces a chemical that’s chosen when the organ’s created. The character then has the ability to blow that chemical out of their mouth a few times a day.

Toxin Extractor -

This organ is inserted along a major artery. It filters toxics direct out of the blood stream.

Tracheal Filter -

This organ is inserted into the trachea and filters airborne impurities.

148

149

Vehicle/Spaceship Accessories: Auto Pilot -

This is a computer that’s takes control of piloting a vehicle.

Cannon -

Cannons come in a variety of sizes. Shells for these can weight over a ton.

Cloak -

These devices visually cloak a ship from view. Usually objects or energy blasts can disrupt these devices by entering/exiting the field.

Depth Charges -

Depth Charges are barrel shaped explosives that detonate at a set depth. They’re rolled off the deck of a ship to combat submarines.

Ejection Seat -

These are installed into aircraft for emergencies or ground vehicles for ejecting an “undesirable passenger”.

FTL (Faster Than Light) Engines: -Warp Drive -

From Star Trek™; these engines are economical and fast (usually traveling between solar systems in a matter of hours or days).

-Slipstream Drive -

There are two different versions of this engine. The Star Trek™ version is an engine that creates a “slipstream” through our dimension. It’s about 10 times faster than Warp Drive. The version from New Empire™ is a type of gravity drive that creates rings of intense gravity that the ship flies through (giving the appearance of flying through a tube).

-Gravity Drive -

Gravity Drives create a gravitational field in front of a ship that “pulls” it through space at faster than light speeds.

-Jump Drive -

A Jump Drive is an engine that propels a ship instantly to its destination. There is no time between trips but these engines require a tremendous amount of power.

Fog Lights -

Fog lights are identical to head lights but focus their beam further ahead.

Grapple Gun with Line - These are used by multiple large types of vehicles to “grapple” and reel in other vehicles 150

Gravity Emulators -

These are extremely common in Science Fiction but rarely mentioned. A spaceship is rarely large enough to have its own gravity so they would need devices like these to “emulate” a gravitational field to hold the crew down.

Harpoon Gun -

These are attached to the deck of a ship and used for hunting large animals.

Inertial Dampeners -

These are installed throughout a starship to prevent G-forces from harming equipment or crew.

Mech/Bot Weapons -

Weapons for these vehicles usually resemble larger versions of human weapons.

Missiles: -Regular -

Space faring or atmospheric missiles.

-Large -

These missiles are launched from the ground.

-Nuclear Warheads -

Space faring or atmospheric missiles with very destructive capabilities.

Missile Launchers -

Missile Launchers can be built into a ship or vehicle, but usually sit on them somewhere. They’re usually automatically reloaded. A lot of launchers have a number of missiles that can be launched at once.

Nitrous Oxide Boost - This gas provides a short but tremendously powerful boost to combustion engines. Oil Slick -

This is a unit that spews oil out of the rear end of a car in an effort to impair vehicles behind it.

Parachute -

These parachutes mount onto the rear of a fast vehicle in order to aid in slowing it down.

Radar -

Radar comes in a variety of ranges and places the position of all objects in the sky and near the ground.

Radar Deflection -

This concept comes both as a device mounted on the vehicle or a special paint coating for deflecting radar. The device can be turned on and off but the coating would fulfill its purpose at all times.

Radio -

These consist of just receivers or two-way communications devices. 151

Ram -

This is a thick steel plate or wedge mounted on the front of a vehicle to protect against impacts. It’s commonly used as a weapon for hitting other vehicles.

Shield -

Electro-Magnetic or Physical Shielding protects vehicles from all impacts (even other electromagnetic fields). These are usually seen on space faring vehicles.

Smoke Screen -

This is a smoke discharger mounted inside of a vehicle with an outlet (usually near the rear). The smoke is not intended to be deadly, just to impair the vision of other drivers.

Sonar -

Sonar is a type of “Echo Location” used by vehicles underwater.

Sonic Weapons -

These use high blasts of sound to impair human targets or destroy mechanical ones.

Structural Integrity Field - This is a multitude of devices installed throughout a starship. They use force fields to strengthen the existing hull and bulkheads. Sub Light Engines: -Ion Drive -

These are in development today. They emit a high concentration of ions in one direction to provide propulsion. These engines accelerate slowly but approach nearly 50% the speed of light.

-Impulse Engine -

From Star Trek™; These engines approach near the speed of light.

-Combustion Engine - These engines are extremely slow for intergalactic travel. -Maneuvering Thrusters - These little engines usually use compressed air to change the orientation of a spaceship. Teleporter -

These devices “teleport” objects long distances. They’re usually installed on starships to ease on/off loading of personnel.

Tire Blades -

These are steel blades that protrude from a vehicles wheel or hubcap. Their purpose is to shred the tires of the vehicle driving next to them.

152

Tire Spikes -

These special off road tires contain spikes that can be deployed at the push of a button. These spikes aid in grabbing the terrain.

Tractor Beam -

A Tractor Beam is a high tech grappling device for starships. They can hold objects or other vehicles in place or pull them in closer.

Torpedoes: -Regular -

Space faring or underwater torpedoes.

-Nuclear Warheads - Space faring or underwater torpedoes with highly destructive capabilities. Torpedo Launchers - Torpedo Launchers are normally built into a ship’s hull and fire one torpedo at a time. Turbo/Super Charger - These mechanical devices attach to a combustion engine to force air into the engine at a higher rate (constantly); providing more power.

153

154

Existing Role Playing Games and Dice Rules: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™: (3rd Edition) Synopsis: D&D is widely considered the game that started RPG’s as we know them today. It started as an in-depth board game with limited expandability. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™ (AD&D) became the first true RPG of the genre and is currently in its third edition (with the rules changing slightly with each version). That’s the edition that I’ll explain the basic rules of, but each version is the same otherwise. AD&D takes place in medieval times and follows the J. R. Rowling “Lord of the Rings” book series nearly to the letter. It’s the classic “Knight in shining armor battling dragons” setting. The classes and abilities within the game are only limited to the time period. The current creature compendium has over 100 basic entries with additions available. There is also the option of traveling to other realms, which can easily open infinite possibilities. I’d be afraid to guess how many rulebooks and companions exist for each version. Basic Rules: The list of optional rules for any version of AD&D is huge so I’ll stick to the basics of combat for the 3rd version. AD&D is an official “D20 System” which is a combat method used by a few games lately (there’s even a game by the name of D20). The authors of this latest version have tried to make combat easy by rolling a single 20-sided die and adding the characters “Base Attack Bonus” modifier. Characters have two “Attack Bonus” Modifiers: Melee = their Base Attack Bonus + Strength Modifier + Size Modifier Ranged = their Base Attack Bonus + Dexterity Modifier + Size Modifier - Range Penalty If the total equals or exceeds the targets Armor Class it’s a successful hit. A character’s Armor Class equals their Armor Bonus + Shield Bonus + Dexterity Modifier + Size Modifier.

155

This game also uses “Saving Throws” to aid in fending off magical or unusual attacks. Even if a caster or attacker succeeds in hitting a character a roll can be made to reduce the damage or consequences. All AD&D games use a leveling system based off of Experience Points for advancing the character. Each class usually has a set chart for knowing how much experience is needed to advance to the next level. With each level come bonuses for the characters to learn more spells or abilities, add to their attributes, and use more items found within the game. This game is a prime example of how some people like complexity. Although once an adventure gets going it can run smoothly it’s the time spent in between that stresses the arithmetically challenged. Leveling a character and managing all the numbers involved can be too much for those that like a simple role-playing game. Plus, all the additions can also get confusing because they add to the existing rules or create variations that contradict each other. A Game Master who’s not prepared for things like this would have trouble keeping everything sorted out.

156

Shadowrun™: Synopsis: Shadowrun™ takes place around 2030 in a (sort of) post apocalyptic version of earth. It strives to be a futuristic version of Dungeons and Dragons but it’s simpler and easier to manage as a GM. In this new world magic has “reawakened” and this causes new creatures and diseases to form (or reemerge, this part is shady). Many humans “awaken” also and change into different subspecies (Orcs, Troll, Elves, Dwarves…). So in the end Shadowrun™ has many different concepts to explore in one game: Magic, Physical Technology (Cyberware), Creatures, and Cyberspace. Basic rules: Shadowrun™ has a D6 (six sided dice) system. Each character has skills with values and each value determines how many dice the player rolls for those actions. The GM determines a base target number for whatever action the character’s attempting and adds any modifiers that could affect the outcome (night, day, complexity…). Usually these target numbers are 1-6, but there’s an optional rule for very difficult rolls that allows any 6’s to be rolled again. The new number is then added to that 6 (so a player can then possibly roll to 12 or higher if another 6 is rolled). There are some set target numbers in Shadowrun™. A character’s Quickness attribute and Dodge pool (an attribute and bonus for each character) are rolled as skills vs. an attacker’s roll. When a Decker (a computer hacker) attempts to fight an IC (Intrusion Countermeasure, orcomputer program) the IC’s rating is the target number for most of the Decker‘s actions. Example: A character is attempting to fix a flat tire in a hurry. The GM assigns a target number of 3 (Routine) and the Character has a Vehicle B/R (Build and Repair) skill of 6 so he rolls six dice. As long as the character gets at least one success (a three or above) he completed the task. The number of successes determines how fast and well the task was done. 157

Shadowrun™ doesn’t use Experience in the traditional role-playing sense. Instead a character earns Karma Points (1 or 2 for good actions). These Karma Points can be spent on increasing ones Skills or Attributes. A point can even be used as a single automatic success during a bad dice roll. This gives the impression of “good karma” coming back around to the character for his/her past deeds.

158

Rifts™: Synopsis: Rifts™ takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth where magic “Rifts” have occured throughout the planet. These rifts are tears in space that lead to various dimensions and the like. Rifts™ appears to be a cross between Shadowrun™ and Robotech™. Magic exists, but technology is much more advanced than Shadowrun™. Players can choose from cyberware, mechs, magic, psychic powers, and a few various races. The rifts that span the globe also allow for a wider variety of creatures and dangers than Shadowrun™. Basic Rules: Rifts™ is a game by the company “Palladium™” which produces a number of role-playing games. They tend to spread different versions of the same rule throughout their games. This is a D20 rule; an attacking player rolls a single 20-sided die. Any number above 4 hits the player’s opponent, but any number between 5 and the target’s Armor Rating means that the damage dealt only affects the targets armor. Any number between the targets Armor Rating and 20 means that damage is dealt directly to the opponent’s armor and Hit Points. Rifts™ also use two different types of Hit Points: S.D.C. (Structural Damage Capacity) and M.D.C. (Mega-Damage Capacity). S.D.C. is the Hit Point type of normal creatures and armor. M.D.C. is the Hit Point type that Mechs and more powerful armors use. A weapon that deals damage in S.D.C. has no affect against M.D.C. and stronger M.D.C. weapons decimate S.D.C. Hit Points. This game uses Saving Throws constantly. Characters can possibly negate almost any attack, spell, or action. Rifts™ also uses an Experience/Level progression system. Each level a character reaches allows them to improve their skills and attributes.

159

Top Secret/S.I. ™: Synopsis: Top Secret/S.I.™ is a spy game. It takes place in any time period but it’s really equipped to be played in between the cold war era and now. Since it’s a game that emulates the “James Bond” side of spying and espionage there is only the human race and no magic. Technology is a little above modern to emulate what people believe the government really has. Basic rules: Top Secret/S.I.™ is kind of a D100 system, although it really uses two 10-sided dice for each roll. One dice is designated as the first and the other as the second so by rolling a skill check you would roll something like “24” or “00” (100). Each character attribute has a limit of 20-79 and the game’s skill set work off of these. Each skill is associated with an attribute and that designates the target numbers when making dice rolls. A skill’s value (which is bought in the game) determines the specifics of what the skill entails. Example: A character is driving a car and needs to perform a certain maneuver. The driving skill is associated with the characters Dexterity (which for this character is 65) so the player rolls 2D10 to get a number of 1-100. If the player rolls a 1-65 he succeeds; a 66-100 and he fails. The Driving skill in Top Secret/S.I.™ can have a maximum value of 11 but the character needs to buy a value of 4 for the skill to be useful. Here’s an example of what the Driving skill values mean to the character: 4 - Automobile 5 - Truck 6 - Motorcycle 7 - Off-Road Vehicle 8 - Snowmobile 9 - Boat 10 - Heavy Machinery 11 - Tank 160

Buck Rogers XXV™: (The 25th Century) Synopsis: This RPG is adopted directly from the original television show. It’s another example of a post-apocalyptic Earth but luckily adventures aren’t restricted to that location. Most of the planets in our solar system have been terra-formed to an extent and humans that have been living on them for the past few centuries have evolved to cope with the differences. This opens the door to using different races without explaining how these races came to be. There are no “true” aliens in this game. Just the variations of humans and “Gennies”, which are genetically, engineered humans that allow for outrageous abilities (each with drawbacks). A team of adventurers could easily afford a ship and hop around the solar system (going from adventure to adventure). Basic Rules: Buck Rogers XXV™ uses a d20 and d100 systems. For any rolls that require a characters attribute a 20-sided dice is used (Attributes in this game range from 1-22). If the number rolled is equal to or below the attribute value it’s a success, if not, it’s a failure. Skills are different though (Combat, repairing, or other activities). Since skill points can get into the high value range two 10-sided dice are used (similar to Top Secret S.I. ™) and rolled as percentiles. One dice is used as the first digit and the other the second. This allows for rolls up to 00 (100) and the same rules apply (equal to or below the skill value succeeds…). A loophole in skill rolls is that a roll of 1-5 is an automatic success, but a roll of 96-100 is an automatic failure (no matter the skill value). This game also utilizes a leveling system based off of Experience Points. Each class a character has to choose from has a maximum of 12 levels but the experience points and bonuses for each level is different for each class. This is really the only way to improve a player’s character besides earning money. The Game Master determines the amount of experience earned for actions and by completing adventures.

161

Dream Park™: Synopsis: Dream Park™ is a game that offers variety above all else, and was actually a paperback book series before it was a game. The RPG takes place in the normal world with one exception; a theme park named, of course, Dream Park. This park specializes in a role-playing experience for its visitors, and utilizes sets, actors, props, holograms, robots, and various other means to convince the player that they are truly in that setting. Players (or characters in this game) can choose from a variety of classes, which include superheroes, fighters, and magic users. This game prides itself in being flexible and infinite in possibilities. The players/characters can travel through space, adventure underwater, and explore medieval times, or even battle creatures in the future. Basic Rules: Doing anything big in Dream Park™ requires a character’s skill for that particular action (of course). A single 6-sided die is rolled and added to that skill value and determines whether the action succeeded or not. The target number for the “Skill + Roll” is determined either by the complexity of the action (6 - Easy, 8 - Average, 10 - Hard…) or a targets Dodge Rating plus 1D6 (in combat). The damage caused in combat is calculated on a large chart in the main rulebook. Spells, Psionics, and Super Powers are used differently in this game. The character pays for their “abilities” value(s) and every time they use them the spell or power degrades 1 point. To cast a spell or use a psionic power the player rolls 1D6 and adds its value, if the total equals 6 or more the spell or power activates. In the case of Super Powers there is no roll because those powers are considered to always be active, but in turn they’re extremely expensive to buy or upgrade. Players/characters in Dream Park™ don’t use an experience/leveling system to progress their alter egos. Instead they earn points throughout their adventures and use them to buy skills, powers, weapons, items, and armor.

162

Chapter 6 A Few Games: This chapter is just an excuse to show a few small games I created in high school plus the one I created through examples in the earlier chapters of this book.

163

Silent Service I modeled this game after a video game of the same title for the NES. It’s a submarine tactical game and there are no characters in the traditional sense. The player controls a single sub in the beginning that they buy and stock. Through battles and whatever puzzles the GM throws at them they earn more money and buy more equipment and subs. This game was meant as a “Time Killer”, not an in-depth RPG. Silent Service worked best on grid paper. That made it easier to track the movement and orientation of multiple ships each turn and how far they could see. I never made “Pre-made NPC’s” for this game (Ships, Planes, or other Submarines), but that wouldn’t be hard for the GM to do. Submarine Types: Ballistic / Attack Cost:

5,000

2000

Weapons: 2 Forward Tubes 6 Forward Tubes 3 Missile Launchers 4 Aft Torpedo Tubes Vulcan Gun Max Load, Torpedos

8

30

Max Load, Missiles

9

-

Max Load, Gun

Unlimited

Max Speed:

2

4

Time for Turn:

4

2

Base Sonar Range: Hit Points:

40

10

140

90

Starting Money: 1D4 +1 x 1,000 To Hit: 1D6 (1-3 = miss, 4-6 = hit) Time for Turn: This is the number of rounds it would take for the sub to make a complete 180-degree turn around within its block. So if this number were 2 (attack sub) it would take 1 turn for the sub to turn left or right within its block. Torpedo tubes take 1 round to reload. Missile launchers, however, reload by the next round (as do guns).

164

Upgrades: Name:

Range: Speed: Damage: Cost: Type:___________

Torpedo 1

6

4

2D10

50

Underwater

Torpedo 2

8

4

1D20+5

150 Underwater

Torpedo, Magnetic 8

3

1D20+5

300

Underwater, +2 hit

Gun Ammo 1

8

8

1D10+5

25

Above water

Gun Ammo 2

8

8

2D10

50

Above water

Gun Ammo 3

10

10

2D10+5

100 Above water

Missile 1

12

6

2D10

150 Above water

Missile 2

16

6

2D10

300 Above water

Missile 3

20

6

2D20

400 Above water

Missile, Atomic* 20

6

Sonar Increase

+10

-

-

600 Underwater

Radar 1

10

-

-

200 Above water

Radar 2

20

-

-

600 Above water

Radar 3

30

-

-

1,000 Above water

4D10+100 2,000 Above water

*The Nuke has a 9-block area of effect. The center of which is the original target point. Character Sheet for Silent Service: Ship Name:___________________________ Type:________________ Speed:_____

Sonar:_______

HP:______/_______

T.F.T.:_____

Radar:_______

Money:__________

Weapon Ammo Types:

Range: Speed: Damage:

Number:

1.________________________________________________________ 2.________________________________________________________ 3.________________________________________________________ 4.________________________________________________________ 5.________________________________________________________

165

Down Under: I made Down Under after the movie “Quigley Down Under”. It’s pretty simple as there are only three classes, one race, and one setting to play in (Australia). To Hit: Hitting any target is a matter of rolling 1D10 + whatever skill is being used. That target number will usually be the target’s total agility attribute. This means that if a character’s agility is over 11 then the character attacking would have to have a skill value of at least 2 to stand a chance of scoring a hit. Other actions use the same 1D10 + whatever skill or attribute rule but the target number will chosen by the GM and depends on the actions level of difficulty Character Classes: Cowboy:

Aborigine:

Strength

2D6

2D4

1D10

Agility

2D6

3D4

2D6 - 1

Intelligence

1D10

2D6

2D8

Hit Points (HP)

3D10

2D10 + 2

1D20 + 2

Unarmed Combat

Conjuring

Cooking

Boxing

Ancient Weapons

Math

Demolitions

“” B/R

Swimming

Base Skills

Base Equipment

Firearms

Unarmed Combat

Languages

“” B/R

Detect Ambush

Law

Horsemanship

Navigation

Locksmith

Hunting

ID Plants & Fruits

First Aid

Navigation

Hunting

Fencing

Swimming

Stealth

Folklore

Horse

Bow Staff

House

Rope Dagger 166

City Man:____

Spells (Memorized) Servant ---

---

Skills: A character’s base skills all start out with one point. The extra points that the player has to distribute are equal to the characters intelligence attribute. The player can span these extra points across the skills that the character came with or purchase new skills (one point would buy a new skill with 1 point value). Skill Points are earned through adventures just like money. The GM distributes them as he/she feels is right, usually 2-4 per mission. Servant: City men are allowed one servant at the beginning of a game. Keep in mind that the player can pay this servant and treat them as other characters but the GM controls them. Usually the way they are treated determines how reliable they’ll be to the player’s character. Servants start out with the same attributes and skill sets as Aborigines minus the magical abilities. Equipment: Equipment:

Price: Equipment:

Price:

Candle

2

Canteen

10

10’ of Chain

20

Backpack

7

Climbing Spikes (+2 climbing) 15

First Aid Kit (1D4 HP)

12

Fish Hooks (3)

Fishing Pole

4

Grappling Hook (used/w rope) 8

Lantern

10

Matches (20)

2

10 Day Rations

5

50’ Rope

12

5 Sheet of Paper

1

1

Pencil

1

Horse

50

Wagon

75

Horse Feed (3 days)

10

Lock picks (Illegal)

30

Trench Coat

5

Horse Saddle & Bridle/Bit

10

Dog (Average Size/Trained) 20

Rifle Sight (+1 To Hit Distant) 20

Watch, Pocket

15

Binoculars

15

Tent

20

Bedroll

12 167

Aborigine Spells: Heal Wounds - This spell cannot be used on self. 2D4 HP recovery. Duration - Permanent Cast Time - 1 Round (not instant) Call For Help - Summons 1D4 other Aborigines within 1D6 rounds. Duration - GM’s discretion Cast Time - 3 Rounds Weapons: Weapon: Arrow

Capable Classes:

Price:

Damage:

A

10

A, CB

50

A

Home made

1

Bo Staff

A, CB

18

1D4

Club

A, CB

25

1D6 + Str

All

18

1D4

A, CM

8

1-2

Hammer

CM

22

1D6 + Str/2

Knife

All

10

2-3

Long Bow

A

18

--

Spear

A

23

2-5 + Str

Sword

A, CM

22

1D4 + Str

CB, CM

20

1D4

CB

45

2D4

Colt .45*

CB, CM

55

2D4 + 2

Rifles:*

--

--

--

CB, CM

45

2D4

CB

68

3D6

By Skill

80

2D10 + 2

Battle Axe Blowgun and Needle

Dagger Dart

Derringer .22 (2 shots per load)* .38 Revolver*

-.22 -.30-.30 Dynamite

2-3 2D6 + Str

*No ammo refills needed (don’t bother) 168

Skills: Ancient Weapons - Bo Staff, Clubs, Knifes, Blow Guns… Ancient Weapons B/R - Build and Repair Archery - Bow and Arrows Boating - Any boats Boat B/R - Build and Repair Boxing - +1 Str, +1 Agl, +1D6 HP Climbing - Ability to climb Cooking - Ability to cook Demolitions - Ability to use explosives Detect Ambush - 75% to notice a possible ambush Escape Artist - +2 to any value required while escaping Fencing - Swords Firearms - Any firearms permissible by class Firearms B/R - Build and Repair Horsemanship - Ability to ride horses Hunting - Tracking of animals, identification of tracks… Identify Plants and Fruits - A wilderness survival skill Languages - The knowledge of other languages in Australia Law - In-depth knowledge of the law Leadership - +1 to hit bonus to others in group if successful roll Folklore - Knowledge of legends in Australia Locksmith - Ability to use lock picks Sniper - +1 to long range shots (gun or bow) Stealth - The ability to move unheard/seen Swimming - The ability to swim Throw projectiles - Darts, knifes… Tracking - Similar to hunting, but focuses on humans Unarmed Combat - Punch: 1 minus Str, Kick: 1 minus Str/2, Block: Punch/Kick Damage reduced by half if successful, +1D6 HP Wrestling - +2 Str, +2D8 HP 169

Character Sheet for Down Under: Name:_____________________________Player:__________________ Class:_________________ Money:____________ HP:______/_______ Str:_____

Weapons:

Agl:____

__________________________-__________-__________

Int:_____

__________________________-__________-__________

Equipment:

Price:

Skills:

Damage:

Skill Points:__/___

________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ ________________________ __________________________-______ Servant:_________________ HP:_____/_____ Str:___ Agl:___ Int:___ Notes:_____________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

170

Modem: Modem is modeled after Shadowrun. I just wanted something similar but simpler to play. I actually created images for it in MS Paint (in windows 3.1) and printed it out for quick reference. The first cover was actually drawn:

171

Description: As I mentioned before Modem is modeled after the matrix in Shadowrun (NOT the movies by the same name). In this game the computer hacker sees the world around him as a computer system, not some simulated city or countryside. The characters log into the matrix through a Cyberdeck (which is a computer) that controls how they appear, how strong their attributes are, and what kind of programs they can use. Leveling in this game is how the characters earn money, which they in turn use to buy upgrades and become stronger. They can also earn money through missions (usually to steal information from Datastores, more on those later). The matrix consists of computer systems, each with its own address. Usually at the beginning of a mission the character is given the address of a system to hack and the knowledge of what they’re looking for. The GM constructs this system ahead of time plus the Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs that guard it. These computer systems consist of Nodes. Each Node connects to another and each has specific tasks. The section on Nodes is further into the game. Most Nodes have a rating, which determines who hard it is to use or pass through them. They also have AI guarding them that the character 172

will have to fool or battle. Failing to do these things can trigger alarms that alert the owners of these systems. Then things get harder as the employed hackers from those systems login to try and discover the cause of the alarm. This game actually does have a “happy ending” for the characters. Upon reaching level 10 the characters can retire. Game over, you win.

Actions: All actions in Modem require a ten-sided dice. Whenever it’s stated a character or AI is to roll its attribute/program vs. something else it means 1D10 + attribute/program rating. Uploading and downloaded speed (from the matrix or from a deck’s storage to online memory) is determined by the deck’s I/O rating. File and information size in Modem is in points, so if a deck’s I/O rating is 8 then it can transfer 8 points of data per round. A file that’s 20 points in size could be transferred in 3 rounds (20 / 8 = 2.5 rounds). When attacking a character rolls their viral program vs. the rating of the AI or the CPU rating of an opposing hacker. The amount over any success determines damage. When AI is attacking they roll their rating verses the hacker’s CPU, but damage is determined ahead of time by their AI type (except Deadly AI).

173

Starting out: Money:

3D6 x 1000

Intelligence:

1D6

Skills:

5 max skills at one time. One is unlearned if another is chosen (between adventures) Parts of a Cyberdeck: Piece:

Starting Value:

Description:_____________

CPU

2

Main body

Anti-V.*

2

Strength of Anti-V. Program

I/O

5

Speed of Deck, I/O Speed

Viral*

2

Strength of Viral Program

Storage

100

Main Storage (stored data)

On Line

30

On Line Storage (programs ready to use are uploaded here from Storage)

*A single Anti-V. and Viral program (level 2 each) is provided when beginning a character. Character Levels: Level:

174

Experience Points:

New Cash:

2

2,000

30,000

3

4,000

40,000

4

7,000

50,000

5

10,000

60,000

6

14,000

70,000

7

18,000

80,000

8

24,000

90,000

9

30,000

100,000

10

40,000

Retirement

Types of System Nodes:

CPU: Central Processing Unit. From the CPU you can: -Cancel an Alarm. -View and download the System Map. -Teleport to anywhere in the system. SPU:

Sub Processing Unit. From the SPU you can: -Basically do nothing but move through it.

DS:

Datastore. From the Datastore you can: -Read files. -Copy/download files. -Erase files.

Slave: Slave Node (Computer maintained equipment). From the Slave Node you can: -Control the Node. -Turn off the Node. I/O:

In/Out Port (Outside computer link [Desktop, Laptop...]). From the I/O Port you can: -Display a message on a screen. -Lock out the terminal.

SAN: System Access Node. From the System Access Node you can: -Enter the system. -Exit the system. Node Color Codes: Type (Color of the Node) = Rating (Armor/value of the Node) Blue = 1, Green = 2, Orange = 3, Red = 5, Purple = 7, Black = 10

175

Types of Programs: Programs visualize themselves in a variety of ways inside of the matrix and the appearance they take determines which skill is needed to use them. Vision - Roll Vision rating vs. rating of node (Tells all about the Node). Anti-Viral - This acts as "Armor" in the Matrix. This program absorbs 1 point of damage for each point of its rating. Once it runs out of rating points the program crashes, but can be reloaded in hacker’s free time. Viral – This acts as your "Weapon" in the Matrix. The damage dealt by a viral program is the amount over the attack attempt. So if a character rolls 12 (8 plus Viral rating of 4) vs. the AI’s 8 (4 plus AI’s rating of 4) then the viral program deals 4 points of damage. Mirror - For each attack the AI must roll it’s rating vs. 1D10 plus the Mirror rating. If the AI fails then it attacks a mirrored “clone” of the hacker instead. The number of rounds that mirror runs is equal to its rating. Browse - This program searches for relevant data inside of nodes (mainly datastores). The player rolls the Browse rating vs. the nodes rating. Any success reveals one file that the hacker is looking for (it has to run more than once to find multiple files). Smoke - Acts the same as Mirror, but affects the entire node, helping anyone with you, but penalizing the characters with a -2 to attack rolls. Deception - Tricks the node into "looking over you", letting you pass through the node unseen. Unfortunately you learn nothing about the node and this leaves the node unchanged. This means that when you approach the node again it'll be unchanged, AI and all. Just roll the Deception rating vs. the node’s rating. Relocate - Used against Trace AI. More info on this program is located under Trace AI in the AI section. Mask: - "Blends" you into the system so you can explore the node and pass through without being noticed. Roll your program vs. the node's rating, if successful the AI will stay submerged and the node will treat you as just another peace of information. This program doesn’t work against first level 1 AI’s or Crash type AI’s because they block your path

176

Types of AI: All AI’s have a rating of 1-10, which is determined by the GM before the game. The higher the AI’s rating the stronger it is. First Level AI (Intrusion Countermeasures): Wall - (Immobile) The lightest Intrusion Countermeasure. It just blocks your path and may look like anything of that nature (Stop sign, wooden horse, guard...). It will succumb to just about any program. Alert* - (Immobile) This countermeasure is similar to Wall but will attempt to alert the owners if it’s attacked or tampered with. If successfully attacked Alert will not be able to issue an alert for that round If the hacker fails in an attack or halts his/her attack the IC will issue a system alert. Second Level AI: Scramble - (Immobile) Found in Datastores or on individual files. It can resemble anything that the GM wants. Scramble can be defeated by Deception or crashed by an Attack utility. Instead of trying to sound an alert Scramble will try to destroy the data that it's protecting. A successful attack also keeps it from destroying its protected data for that round. Acid - (Immobile) This AI attacks the hacker’s deck. Each successful attack deals 1 point of damage to the CPU. It can appear as anything. Blaster - (Mobile) This AI also attacks the hacker’s deck. Unlike Acid this AI can follow the hacker out of the current node and chase him/her. It deals 2 to 3 points of damage depending on its level (level 1 or 2). It can also appear as anything. Crash* - (Immobile) This AI resembles Wall AI, but when an attempt to destroy it or fool it fails it crashes... Taking the hacker’s utility with it. The crashed utility must then be reloaded from Storage. Crash and Burn* - (Immobile) This program is just like Crash except that it destroys all copies of the utility that the hacker used (The crashed utility cannot be reload from Storage). Trace - (Mobile) Trace appears and acts like Acid or Blaster but attempts to find the Decker's entry point into the Matrix during the battle and report it back to the owner. When Trace is activated roll it's rating vs. the hackers Anti-Viral program rating plus his or her Mask program rating (If they have those programs). On a success the Trace AI will locate the entry point in 5 rounds. If the Trace fails to succeed this test on the first try it’ll try again the next round. Keep in mind it cannot attack while 177

rolling this attempt. Trace can be defeated in combat just like Acid/Blaster, or using "Relocate" will head off the AI's trace... Sending it on a wild goose chase through the Matrix (Roll the Relocate program vs. the Trace AI rating). Leaving the current node will not stop the trace, but the AI will not follow. The only sure way to stop a trace is logging out. Trace and Dump - (Mobile) This type of trace works just like Trace except that it also forcefully logs the hacker out of the Matrix. This will leave the hacker disoriented for a while. Giving the owner a little bit of time to get to the hacker’s position in the real world. Third Level AI (Deadly AI): Deadly - (Mobile) This is the ultimate Killer AI. It appears and fights just like Acid/Blaster AI but for one exception... It does damage to the Decker directly (Leaving the possibility of death). Each successful attack from a Black AI deals 1-4 damage to the hacker directly. Black AI will follow the hacker anywhere in the Matrix once a battle starts. The hacker can try to Jack out of the matrix but must roll his or her CPU rating and the Black AI’s rolls its rating. If the Decker wins then he or she jacks out and is safe. If the Black AI wins then it causes one block of damage for each extra success above the hackers. *These AI appear to be Wall AI. Only a successful Analyze will reveal their true nature. Skills Listing: Stealth - +1/2 bonus to Mask Program, ex.: Skill value of 2 gives you a 1 point bonus to Mask. Armed Combat - +1 bonus to your Viral Program if it resembles a Melee Weapon. Throwing - +1 bonus to your Viral Program if it resembles a Throwing Object, ex.: Knives. Firearms - +1 bonus to your Viral Program if it resembles a Firearm. Unarmed Combat - +1 bonus to your Viral Program if it is part of your persona. Computer Build and Repair - Gives you the ability to repair your own equipment. 178

Programming - Gives you the ability to repair and your own programs. Leadership - This gives a +1 bonus to a groups attack skills (just the other characters, not the primary one). This skill accumulates if more than one character has it. Negotiation - You never know when you'll need this skill. Programs and Deck Upgrades: Deck Part:

Price per Point: Deck Part:

CPU (10 max points)

20,000 I/O Speed (20 max points) 10,000

Storage (500 max points) Program:

Price per Point:

100

On-line Mem. (200 max)

100

/ Rating: / Size: / Price: Program: / Rating: / Size: / Price:_

Anti-Viral / 1

/

10 / 1,000

/ 2

/

/ 3

Vision

/

1

/

5 / 250

20 / 2,000

/

2

/ 10 / 500

/

30 / 3,000

/

3

/ 15 / 750

/ 4

/

40 / 20,000

/

4

/ 20 / 2,000

/ 5

/

50 / 25,000

/

5

/ 25 / 2,500

/ 6

/

60 / 30,000

/

6

/ 30 / 3,000

/ 7

/

70 / 70,000

/

7

/ 35 / 17,500

/ 8

/

80 / 80,000

/

8

/ 40 / 20,000

/ 9

/

90 / 90,000

/

9

/ 45 / 22,500

/ 10

/ 100 / 500,000

/

10

/ 50 / 50,000

Viral/

/ 1

/

10 / 500

Browse/ /

1

/

3 / 150

Mirror:

/ 2

/

20 / 1,000

Smoke

/

2

/

6 / 300

/ 3

/

30 / 1,500

/

3

/

9 / 450

/ 4

/

40 / 4,000

/

4

/ 12 / 1,200

/ 5

/

50 / 5,000

/

5

/ 15 / 1,500

/ 6

/

60 / 6,000

/

6

/ 18 / 1,800

/ 7

/

70 / 35,000

/

7

/ 21 / 10,500

/ 8

/

80 / 40,000

/

8

/ 24 / 12,000

/ 9

/

90 / 45,000

/

9

/ 27 / 13,500

/ 10

/ 100 / 100,000

/

10 / 30 / 30,000 179

Deception/ / Relocate

Detect

180

1

/

5 / 250

Mask /

1

/

5 / 500

/ 2

/

10 / 500

/

2

/ 10 / 1,000

/ 3

/

15 / 750

/

3

/ 15 / 1,500

/ 4

/

20 / 2,000

/

4

/ 20 / 10,000

/ 5

/

25 / 2,500

/

5

/ 25 / 12,500

/ 6

/

30 / 3,000

/

6

/ 30 / 15,000

/ 7

/

35 / 17,500

/

7

/ 35 / 35,000

/ 8

/

40 / 20,000

/

8

/ 40 / 40,000

/ 9

/

45 / 22,500

/

9

/ 45 / 45,000

/ 10

/

50 / 50,000

/

10 / 50 / 250 K

/

1

/

3 / 500

/

2

/

12 / 1,000

/

3

/

27 / 1,500

/

4

/

48 / 4,000

/

5

/

75 / 5,000

/

6

/ 108 / 6,000

/

7

/ 147 / 35,000

/

8

/ 192 / 40,000

/

9

/ 243 / 45,000

/

10 / 300 / 100 K

Character Sheet for Modem: Player:____________________ Character:_______________________ Level:____ Experience:________/________ Int:_____ Money:___________ Current Skills:

HP: 10/____ Deck HP: 10/____ Cyberdeck:

1.________________________

CPU:____ Storage:______/______

2.________________________

I/O:____ On-line:______/______

3.________________________

Anti-V:_____

Viral:______

4.________________________

Deck Notes:___________________

5.________________________

_____________________________

Storage:

_____________________________

____________________-____

_____________________________

____________________-____

On-line Memory:

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

____________________-____

________________________-____

Character Notes: ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________

181

Free Realm: This is the game that I created in the process of writing this book. I pieced it together from all the previous examples for display here. Description: Free Realm is a beautiful open world. 90% of it is open plains and lakes; the rest is densely forested. Villages populate the plains sparsely and dirt roads connect the majority of them. The forested areas are only mapped by their boundaries due to the dangers, people who venture within rarely return. A few factories exist in the biggest villages for creating what little technologies are available. Free Realm’s residents agree on tracking time by years (the current year is 850 after the 2nd age) advancements at this time have reached about the 1950 American level. The 2nd age was named so after a large war that destroyed most of the land. Not much is remembered of the 1st age (not even the date that it ended), only that magic and technology played a part in the destruction. Electricity is common in most villages and gas driven trucks are seen crossing the plains daily. Guns are the weapons of choice, but melee weapons are still loved and used. Analog watches, refrigerators, gas ovens, and the equivalent are also common. Magic is extremely rare in Free Realm. A few villages employ wizards and mages as protectors, and a small number of schools also exist to teach the few that are talented. Magic can be used without the aid of objects (books, charms, or wands) but it’s extremely difficult, even for the best. Villages are run like independent countries. Each one has it’s own governing body. It’s either a council of elders for the smaller ones, a tribal chief (or dictator), or a democracy. Laws can vary from village to village.

182

To hit and actions: Free Realm works on a 10-die system. For every major action that a character makes the player rolls a 10-sided die. That characters abilities will help them by giving bonuses to the number that they rolled. Characters Skill/Attribute + Dice Roll = Total vs. Target Number 3

+

5

=

8

vs.

7 (Success)

Some target numbers will have to be created either before or during the game by the GM. If a character has to jump a ravine the GM will quickly decide the target number that they think makes sense by the length of jump needed. If a character has to do some fancy driving or piloting the GM works with that as well. Here are some examples of common target numbers: When attacking: Target # = Defender’s Spd + 1D10 (The faster the target the harder it is to hit) Solving a puzzle = Target # = Creator’s Int + 1D10 (The smarter the creator the harder the puzzle) Disarming trap = Target # = Creator’s Int or Concealment Skill + 1D10 (GM’s discretion) When battle begins all characters roll initiative to choose the order (turns) that combat will proceed in (including NPC’s and creatures). Initiative is rolled as 1D10 + the characters speed attribute. If two characters roll the same number then just those two re-roll to determine which goes before the other. During combat 1 round equals 2 seconds. This means that after all characters (creatures too) get to attack 2 seconds have passed.

183

Progression throughout the game: Skill points are awarded at the end of each game. How many skill points to award the characters will be up to the game master. I’d suggest keeping track of what feats they accomplish, who they defeat in battle, and distribute them based on that. Damage and Armor Rules: Each weapon has a number for its damage code. For each number rolled above the characters target number just add 1 to the weapons damage code. Let’s say Bob is attacking. He has a target number of 7 and rolls an 8 (after any bonuses are applied and everything’s added up). He’s attacking with his short sword, which has a damage code of 3. That means that the total damage dealt would be 4. 3 (damage code) + 1 (rolled an 8, which is 1 over 7) = 4 (blocks of damage) Armor has a single value as well. This value will designate how many blocks of health it’ll protect. Let’s say Sam (the GM’s character) has a breastplate with and armor value of 2. Bob just attacked him (see above) with a total damage value of 4. The breastplate will protect Sam from 2 points of that damage. 4 (damage) - 2 (breastplate) = 2 (total damage to Sam) Armor wears out over time. If the attacking player rolls a natural 10 (on his/her 10-sided dice) then the defending character will lose an armor point from one piece of their armor permanently (which piece is up to the game master and the lost point takes affect after that attack). A character with damaged armor can repair it using the Armor B/R skill. 184

Attribute Definitions: Strength - 1-point value equals 60 lbs Speed - A little more complicated. Here’s the equation: Spd(3) + 2 feet per second. This means that a character with a speed value of 4 could run 14 feet per second ((4 x 3) + 2 = 14). Speed value will also equal 2 feet in a running jump. So a character with a speed value of 3 could jump 6 feet from a running start. Intelligence - 1-point value will equal 15 IQ points + 80. So a character with an intelligence value of 5 will have an IQ of 155 ((5 x 15) + 80). Character Race/Class Creation: For character creation allow the player to roll 5 6-sided dice and use 3 of the best rolls for their character (for strength, speed and intelligence). Elves of course will receive a +1 to their Speed and -1 to their Strength. Fighter: +1 to Str or Spd, extra money for weapons/armor, +1 bonus to fighting skills. Mage: +1 to Int, 2 beginning mage spells, +1 bonus to mage spells and skills. Wizard: +1 to Int, 2 beginning wizard spells, +1 bonus to wizard spells and skills. Mechanic: +1 to Int, +1 to Str, +1 bonus to repair skills. Money: $200 at character start, fighters receive an extra $100 for weapons and armor only (Any left over is dissolved). Hit Point: Characters receive 2 blocks of health for each point of their strength value (Str of 4 = 8 blocks of health). Skill Points: Intelligence plus 6. Classes get +1 bonus to certain skills 185

when they’re first started. Which class gets bonuses to a skill is determined in the skill description: Fighter = fi Mage = ma Mechanic = me Wizard - wi (all = no bonus from any class)

Skill List: Ancient weapons B/R - me - Fixing hand-to-hand weapons Archery - fi - Allows use of archery sets (bow and arrows) Armed combat - fi - Allows use of hand-to-hand weapons Armor - fi - Allows use of shields, braces… during combat to block "" B/r - me - Fixing for all armor Athletics - fi - Flips, dodging, jumping (instead of attribute) Automobile - all - Can drive motorized, wheeled vehicles "" B/R - me - Fixing motorized, wheeled vehicles Bike (motorcycle) - all - Allows riding motorcycles "" B/R - me - Fixing motorcycles Boating - all - Allows using both motor powered and sailboats "" B/R - me - Fixing boats, both types Boxing - fi - Hand-to-hand combat Climbing - fi, ma, me - Knowledge/experience to climb cliffs freehand Concealment - fi, ma, wi - Knowledge to conceal self, others, or objects Conjuring (magic) - wi - Needed to use wizard/conjuring spells Cooking - all - Great to cook meals Demolitions - me, wi - Setting of explosives. Used for disposal as well Detect Ambush - fi, ma - Bonus for detecting ambushes Detect Concealment - fi, ma, wi - Can detect concealed /people 186

Disguise - ma, wi - Can use disguises to full ability to hide in public Electronics - all - Can use electronic devices "" B/R - me - Fixing electronic devices Escape artist - fi, ma - Can get out of sticky situations better than others Firearms - fi, me - Allows use of all firearms "" B/R - fi, me - Fixing all firearms First aid - all - Can use with first aid kits Forgery - me, wi - Can forge documents and signatures Gunnery - fi - Allows use of heavy or vehicle mounted firearms Horseman ship - all - Can saddle and ride horses plus use carriages Identity plants and fruits - fi, ma - Helps when living in the wild Navigation (Land, water) - fi, ma - Actually 2 separate skills Negotiation - ma, me, wi - Allows for talking through a situation Picklocks - me - Can pick key locks / better luck with combination locks Pickpockets - ma, wi - Can pick a pocket without being noticed Sniper - fi - Experience with long ranged firearms Sorcery (magic) - ma - Needed to cast mage/sorcery spells Stealth - fi - The ability to sneak around unnoticed Swimming - all - The ability to swim Tank - fi, me - Allows to driving treaded vehicles "" B/R - me - Fixing treaded vehicles Throwing projectiles - fi - allows for throwing weapons or objects Tracking - fi, ma - Ability to track prey, objects, or other characters

187

Weapon List: Weapon:

Price: Damage:

Ammo

$10

-

40 Pack

Dagger

$20

2

Small, concealable knife

Dart

$5

1 4 darts, fired from blowgun or tranq. gun

Flail

$40

5

A large spike-tipped club

Gun, Pistol

$70

2

A hand-held gun

Gun, Rifle

$90

3

A two handed, long gun

Gun, Shot

$80

5

Rifle, shorter range, wider target area

Hammer

$35

4

A simple blunt battle hammer

Harpoon

$15

8

Large javelin, usually attached to a rope

Lance

$30

7

Used while on horseback

Nunchaku

$10

1 Two weighted handles connected a chain

Quarterstaff

$20

2

A long straight stick

Scythe

$40

5

A long blade attached to a staff

Spear

$30

3

A staff with an arrow-type tip

Shuriken

$5

1

A typical throwing star

Sword

$35

4

A long blade attached to a handle

Tranquilizer Gun $15

--

Used to fire darts.

Whip

2

A thin rope attached to a handle

$20

Notes:

Armor List: Armor:

Price: Value:

Notes:

Shield, Body $100 4

4’ tall hand held shield

Shield, Medium $60 2

1 1/2’ tall hand held shield

Shield, Small

$30

1

3/4’ tall hand-held shield

Riot Jacket

$60 2

Jacket with strategic armor plates

Vest, Standard $30 1

Standard armor, worn under clothes

Vest, Bullet Proof $80 3 188

Kevlar armor, worn under clothes

Equipment List: Item:

Price:

Notes:

Anesthetic

$10

1D6+2 vs. Str to knock out

Antidote

$40

Cures poison

Backpack

$20

Used to carry average loads

Binoculars $30 Book, Blank $10

Magnification times 4 Holds ten spells

Canteen

$5 Holds a variety of liquids, mainly water

Chain (4’)

$50

Chalk

$1 Used for writing on nearly any surface

1 hook on each end

Cigarettes $12 20 pack, Gives calming effect, addicting Climbing Claws & Spikes $40 Clock (Battery Powered) $10 Compass

$5

First Aid Kit $40

$7

Ladder

$25

Lantern Lighter

Tells time of day Helps in navigation

Recovers 1 HP per extra success

Fishing Pole and Tackle $10 Flashlight

+1 to climbing skill

1D4 fish per 2 hours

Lights your way in the dark A two-story collapsible ladder

$10 Usually fueled. Brighter than a flashlight $2

Lock-pick Kit $30

Used to start fires Used with the Lock pick skill

Net

$7

Great for fishing

Poison

$20 Illegal, once in blood deals 7 - Str per minute damage

Raft, Rubber $50 Rations

$5

Inflatable 7 days worth of food for 1 person

Repelling Gear $10 Just harness. U/with Climbing skill 189

Rope

$15

Price per every 20 feet

Sleeping Bag $10

Keeps you warm at night

Snorkeling Set $10

Used for diving

Walkie Talkie $45 Wand $100

A 2-mile distance, 2-way radio +1 to spell casting

Watch

$10

Keeps the time

Spell List: Spell: Barrier/Shield

Type: Description: M This provides 4 armor points for 10 minutes

Blinding Light

M This blinds targets for (successes)D4 rounds

Cure light wounds

M/W Cures 1 point (+extra successes) per round

Cure serious wounds M/W Cures 3 points (+extra successes) per round Create water

W

2 pints (+1 pint/extra success) Target # 7

Dust Devil

W Blinds all characters for 20 seconds

Earthquake

M Causes 2 + successes damage to all in area

Hold

W Freezes target for (successes)D4 rounds

Invisibility

W/M Makes target invisible for (successes)D4 rds

Lightening Blast

M Causes 3 + successes damage to target

Night Vision

W Night vision for (successes)D4 minutes

Noise

W Creates a noise for distraction

Remove Blindness W Cancels any blindness, magical of not Resist fire

M Can resist up to 5 points fire damage

Speak with animals W Talk to animals for 1 round + extra successes Water Breathing

W Breath under water for (successes)D4 minutes

Water Walk

W Walk on water for (successes)D4 minutes

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Vehicle List: Vehicles:

Price: Speed: Armor: Cargo: Health:

Motorcycle

Notes:

(Individual listing below)

-Cruiser

$3,000 150

0

2 bags

8

2 seater

-Sport

$7,000 210

0

0

7

2 seater

Car

$9,000 120

8

Trunk

18

4 seater + trunk

Truck

(Individual listing below)

-Pickup

$8,000 120

-Cargo Carriage, horse

8

Bed

18

2 seater + bed

$12,000 80

8 Cargo Bed 24 2 seater + cargo bed

3,000 40

2 Cargo, Bed 10 2 seater + cargo bed Creatures:

Creature:

Dwelling:

Health: Weapons/Dmg: Int: Str: Dex:

Cow

Plains

8

Kick / 6

1 6

1

Horse

Plains

8

Kick / 6

2 5

5

Dog

Plains

3

Bite / 2

2 1

5

Cat

Plains

3

Bite / 1

2 1

6

Bite / 1 + 2 for 5 7

6

Scratch / 1 Vampire Forests/Plains 20

each round held Punch / 2 Goblin

Forests

Kraken

Lakes

8

Axe / 4

3 4

3

35

Crush / 4 for

1 8

2

1 3

5

each round held Shark

Lakes

10

Bite / 7

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Character Sheet for Free Realm: Character name:________________ Players Name:_________________ Str:____ Notes:__________________ Race:_______ Money:______ Spd:____

__________________ Health:

Int:____

__________________

Skills: __________________

Weapons: ___________________-____

_______________________

___________________________-____

_______________________

___________________________-____

_______________________

___________________________-____

_______________________

Armor: ____________________-____

_______________________

___________________________-____

_______________________

___________________________-____

_______________________

Spells: __________________________

Equipment: _____________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

_______________________

________________________________

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Advanced Dungeons and Dragons™ is trademarked by, and the intellectual property of, Wizards of the Coast® Shadowrun™ is trademarked by WizKids®, and the lincensed property of FanPro® Dream Park™ the RPG was original created by R. Talsorian Games® but is currently out of print Rifts™ is trademarked by, and the intellectual property of, Palladium Books® Top Secret S.I.™ was trademarked by, and the intellectual property of, TSR® but the trademarks were allowed to expire Buck Rogers XXV™ was trademarked by, and the intellectual property of, TSR® but the trademarks were allowed to expire Free Realm, Silent Service, Down Under, & Modem were created by me but I allow them to be open, freely distributed, and altered New Empire is copyrighted by its author, Keith Foster (myself), and is restricted

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