Megatraveller House Rules

Megatraveller House Rules...............................................................................................1 Attributes DM for tasks.................................................................................................3 Physical Stats.................................................................................................................3 Mishap...........................................................................................................................3 Unskille !eapon use....................................................................................................3 Ar"or ............................................................................................................................3 #acc Suits......................................................................................................................$ %ack of All &ra es..........................................................................................................' March Harrier (n Syste" )osts.....................................................................................* %u"p Sha o!.................................................................................................................* D+,(-(&(.-S................................................................................................................../ )o"bat Roun .............................................................................................................../ Distance Scale................................................................................................................/ Unit................................................................................................................................/ Range............................................................................................................................./ &asks............................................................................................................................../ P+RS.-A0 ).M1A&..................................................................................................../ An .vervie! of )o"bat................................................................................................/ &he Hits #alue...............................................................................................................2 Hit 0ocation...................................................................................................................2 &he +ffects of &actics Skill.........................................................................................11 &H+ ).M1A& PR.)+DUR+.......................................................................................11 Surprise........................................................................................................................11 (nitiative.......................................................................................................................11 Resolution....................................................................................................................13 )o"bat Actions...........................................................................................................13 SURPR(S+.......................................................................................................................13 1enefits of Surprise.....................................................................................................13 (-&+RRUP&S.................................................................................................................13 (nterrupt +4a"ples......................................................................................................13 Multiple interrupting si es...........................................................................................1$ M.#+M+-&..................................................................................................................1$ Move"ent Die Mo ifiers............................................................................................1' Matching #ectors........................................................................................................1' ,ire )ontrol..................................................................................................................1' +va e...........................................................................................................................1* A itional Move"ent -otes.......................................................................................1* ,(R+ ).M1A&..............................................................................................................1* Point Defense ,ire.......................................................................................................1* Deter"ining Range......................................................................................................1/ Direct ,ire....................................................................................................................1/ A itional Direct ,ire -otes...........................................................................................12 1o!s5 )rossbo!s5 1ola5 1oo"erang5 an Sling.........................................................12 Un er )over versus +va ing.......................................................................................12 0ine of ,ire..................................................................................................................16 Danger Space...............................................................................................................16

7roup Hits...................................................................................................................16 Auto"atic 8eapon ,ire...............................................................................................39 Autofire 8eapons !ith a Danger Space......................................................................39 Danger space5 group hits an autofire resolution. ......................................................39 Rapi ,ire....................................................................................................................31 Recoil...........................................................................................................................33 Pinpoint 0ocation........................................................................................................33 )oup e 7race.............................................................................................................33 (n irect ,ire.................................................................................................................33 HA-D:&.:HA-D ).M1A&........................................................................................33 Disar" .pponent.........................................................................................................3$ P+-+&RA&(.- A-D DAMA7+.................................................................................3' Deter"ining the Penetration Rating for a 7iven Range..............................................3' Deter"ining Da"age...................................................................................................3* Da"age to robots.........................................................................................................3/ Da"age to #ehicles an Robots..................................................................................3/ Reaching the (noperative 0evel...................................................................................32 P+RS.-A0 ARM.R.....................................................................................................32 +;P+R(+-)+.................................................................................................................39 -e! Skills by &asks....................................................................................................39 &rial an +rror.............................................................................................................31 7A(-(-7 &H+ S<(00...................................................................................................31 A&s an )haracteristics...............................................................................................31 .ther A vantages to A&s............................................................................................33 ,.RMA0 &RA(-(-7....................................................................................................33 &asks for ,or"al &raining...........................................................................................33 )osts for ,or"al &raining...........................................................................................3$ &raining for )haracteristic ("prove"ent....................................................................3$ S+0, &RA(-(-7............................................................................................................3$ &asks for Self &raining................................................................................................3$ )osts for Self &raining................................................................................................3* &raining for )haracteristic ("prove"ent....................................................................3* )hanges to Social Stan ing.........................................................................................3* Ma4i"u" nu"ber of skills..........................................................................................3/ ,ree &i"e Available....................................................................................................3/

Attributes DM for tasks

=roun up=stat>3???:3 Divi e start by 35 roun up5 subtract 3

Stat 1,2,3 4,5,6 7,8,9 A,B,C D,E,F G+ (PC IMP) Physical Stats DM -1 0 +1 +2 +3 +4

Kg Weight Duration Effect Str 4 1 all ay U-+-)UM1+R+D Str 4 3 all ay +-)UM1+R+D =:1 all phys stats? Str 4 3 all ay +-)UM1+R+D =:3 all phys stats? Str 4 ' ,ive "inutes +-)UM1+R+D =:3 all phys stats? Str 4 19 )an lift 1 "inute )an@t o anything else Str 4 1' )an rag ' "inutes )an@t o anything else 7ravity effectA ivi e Str by 75 i.e. Str / on 9.13'7 !orl s eBual '* Str +n 41 8aking hours until fatigue . +n 43 8aking hours until "ust sleep 8hen fatigue C1 en every 3 hours5 rest 3 hours D 1 en 5 en E9 "ust sleep. Sleep 2 hoursA nor"alF Sleep $ hoursF +n restore by fatigue . Sleep 1 hourA G en
Mishap A misha !""#$s %h&'( )h& )as* is +a)&+#, a'- +ai,s a 'a)#$a, 2 is $!,,&- a'- )h& )as* is '!) sa+&, a'- '!) (&as. )a*i'/ &0)$a )im&1) +ai,&- 2. 2+ !i')s (4+ is %ha) I #s&)1 Unskilled weapon use

(f a player has a skill level of 1 or greater in a !eapon skill an tries to use another !eapon of the sa"e H ifficulty asI type an receives basic instruction =or has a chance to practice? then let the" have an effective skill level of 9
Armor

Type %ack Mesh ,lak %acket )loth Ablat Reflec #acc: Suit #acc: Suit

TL Kg 1 1 / 3 / 1 * 3 6 $.' 19 1 2 2>1'>33.' 13 3>13>12

Value 1 3 3 ' 1 J*K 19 $ '

Dex :1 :3 :3 :3

Notes/ air supply H&H only

r '9 1'9 199 3'9 /' 15'kcr /kcrL /kcrL

* against laser 0aser only can be co"bine 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr

#acc: Suit 1o y Pressure Suit Hostile +nv #acc Suit Hostile +nv #acc Suit Hostile +nv #acc Suit Hostile +nv #acc Suit Hostile +nv #acc Suit )o"bat +nv Suit )o"bat Ar"or )o"bat Ar"or )o"bat Ar"or 1attle Dress 1attle Dress La

1$ 19 2 6 13 13 1$ 19 11 13 1$ 13 1$

1>1.'>3> 9>/kg 3'>$3>$6.' $9>$/>'$.' $9>$$>'1 19>1$>31 3'>3'.'>3/ 19>1/>3$.' 12>3'>33.' 19>1$>31 *>*.'>2 3*>39>3/ 13>13.'>1$

* 1 ' * / 2 6 * 2 19 12 19 12

:1 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :3 :1

Self Sealing 19"in>13hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>13hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>13hr>3$hr 19"in>$hr>3$hr 19"in>13hr>3$hr +ffectiveA Str 43 +n 43 19"in>$hr>3$hr +ffectiveA Str 43 +n 43 19"in>13hr>3$hr

13kcrL 13kcrL 13kcrL 1*kcrL 12kcrL 39kcrL 1'9kcrL 1kcrL 39kcrL 39kcrL *9kcrL 399kcrL 3'9kcrL

cost of life support =3 or 'kcr? ost 3999 '999 3999 '999 3999 '999

0ife support syste"s TL Duration 2 $ 2 3$ =recycle? 13 $ 13 3$ =recycle? 1$ 13 1$ 3$ =recycle?

Vacc Suits

!r"or Value &he ar"or values for #acc Suits in M& see" a bit highF re uce all vac suit ar"or values by 1 =alrea y a Muste in above table? #reaches So"e vac suits are self:sealing !hen breache 5 an others are not. &he higher tech level suits are the ones that ten to be self:sealing. &0 l3 or un erA -ot self:sealing. &013 or greaterA Self:sealing. As long as the hit is only lo! penetration =Pen N Ar"or 43?. a self:sealing suit !ill seal the hole. &he suitOs occupant still takes the hit point a"age5 ho!ever. For example, it the wearer of a TL15 vacc suit (armor value 7) gets hit by a gauss rifle roun (penetration 7 out to very long range!, the resulting hit is a low penetration one (since the rifle penetration is e"ual to the suit#s armor value, but less than twice the suit$s armor value)% & low penetration hit oes 5'( amage, which means the gauss rifle#s basic three hit points becomes one hit point )*x'%5+1%5, which is ,ust one since we ignore fractions)% The low

penetration hit on the tech 15 vacc suit self-seals% but the wearer still ta.es the one hit point of amage% lt% on the other han the wearer or the TL15 vacc suit was to be hit with a laser rifle/1* (penetration 0' out to me ium range), the hit (it at me ium range or less) woul be a high penetration one resulting in the wearer ta.ing the laser rifle$s full amage of * hit points% 1n this case, the * hit points breach the suit, an it must be patche to stop the lea.% 8hile e4ceptional success "ay change the a"ount of a"age "a e on the suitOs occupant5 e4ceptional success oes not change the penetration level. ,or e4a"ple5 e4ceptional success "ay result in a hit that oes t!o points of a"age to the !earer of the suit5 but the hit re"ains a lo! penetration one5 an the suit still self seals. .n a pinpoint hit or a hit on a target un er cover5 ho!ever5 a"age is co"pute by first ivi ing the ar"or value by t!o5 !hich coul result in a high penetration hit =the hel"et face:plate has been hit5 for instance?. A self sealing suit oes not auto"atically seal on a high penetration hit. $atching a #reach% .nce a characters suit has been breache 5 the critical priority beco"es getting a patch on the hole before too "uch internal suit at"osphere is lost. -early all suits inclu e a pocket !ith a patch kit =five patchesP. Patching a suit involves getting out a patch5 peeling the protective sheet fro" the patch@s a hesive backing. an slapping on the patch. See the follo!ing taskA &o apply a patch to a breache vacc suitA Routine5 De45 3 sec RefereeF Since a co"bat roun is only si4 secon s long5 be sure to roll for the ti"e uration =it coul take "ore than one )o"bat roun to gat the suit patche ?. &he suit occupant "ay try this task it still conscious =ho!ever5 see Panic5 belo!?. (f the suit has not been patche after the first co"bat roun 5apply one hit point of a"age per roun to the suit occupant until the suit is patche . Do not apply any a"age on the roun the suit is patche . Panic =.ptional?A 8hen a breach occurs5 have the suit occupant first roll a eter"ination task to keep fro" panicking. (f able to avoi panicking the suit occupant can try to patch his o!n breache suit. .
Jack of All Trades

%ack of All &ra es allo!s each skill level to be use once per ga"ing session as any other skill level. So"eone !ith %.& shoul be consi ere a kin of renaissance person !ho ha Must picke up bits of kno!le ge here an there5 but coul nOt use it consistently. &hus5 a character !ith %.& !ho nee e to get the Mu"p rive back on line !hile running fro" a corsair "ight be able to say5 QRa kno!5 ( re"e"ber once in the -avy5 !e ha a Ma""e hyper:con uit5 an !e use the Petty .fficerOs tie clip

an a beer bottle to...Q an pull a level of engineering =essentially? out of no!here. &rouble is that this !oul not e4ten to any real skill in the area. He coul use this as a single trick for the a venture5 but he !oul have e4hauste his Qone trick ponyQ for that session5 an coul not get any "ore benefit fro" %ack5 until the ne4t ti"e !e playe . -or"ally li"ite it to level 1 skill rolls only5 up to the %o& level per session. &hat !ay you onOt get anyone oing anything patently ri iculous5 ho!ever allo! higher levels of te"porary skill if the player !as to co"es up !ith a goo enough e4planationS QAneurys" : okay5 thereOs these three Aslan pressurepoints5 here5 here an here5 ( hear once : got any ust:spiceT 7oo 5 no! gi""e that fork an 5 LtingL goo resonance5 hit all three points !hen you release the po! er an that shoul clear up the aneurys" before it kills hi". ( think.Q Hey presto te"porary "e ic 3 Ri iculously ifficult to uplicate5 circu"stantial series of events that solve the task>proble">skill roll at han !ithout being the actual skill.
March Harrier In System Costs

'l>hr ,uel 1$9cr>hr Make Routine Pilot>-av>+ng e u rolls Success as per book +4p. Success C 3Uti"e ,ail D3U ti"e +4p ,ail D*U ,u"ble D19U ="ishap table? Mini"u" ,uel Purification plant &011 )r 1*51'9 / &onnes>6'kl =*/.3? 3.2 ays to purify full tank

Jump Shadow

Steller ra ius in Au 4 9.63 0ook at Au istance of estination planet an subtract that fro" the Stars Mu"p sha o!. (f positive then that is the a"ount that "ust be travelle after Mu"p. (f negative use only the planet@s siVe as istance eter"inate

COMBAT

DEFINITIONS
Combat Round

)o"bat is resolve in roun s. +ach co"bat roun represents si4 secon s of elapse ti"e.
Distance Scale

)o"bat uses a scale of 1.' " per sBuare =or he4?. 1'" per sBuare can be use for out oor an large:scale co"bat
nit

Refers to a single character5 non:player character5 ani"al5 robot or vehicle. +ach unit is allo!e an opportunity to "ove an to attack uring a co"bat roun .
Ran!e

,or convenience5 personal co"bat ivi es istances into a series of range ban s. Range #an&s #an& )lose Short Me iu" 0ong #ery 0ong Distant #ery Distant
"asks

Distance N1" 1 " to ' " ' " to '9 " '9 " to 3'9 " 3'9 " to '99 " '99 " to ' k" ' k" to '9 k"

'()" s*uares 9 1:3 $ : 33

34 - 83

')" s*uares 1/ : 33 3$ : 333 33$ : 3333

)o"bat activities use tasks. Most co"bat tasks have a ti"e incre"ent of one roun . (n personal co"bat5 "ost tasks are non-repeatable5 no-failure tasksA (gnore rolling for failure or "ishaps unless a fu"ble =a natural 3? occurs.

PERSONAL COMBAT
An #$er$iew of Combat

At the beginning of a co"bat encounter5 a "arker or "iniature figure representing each unit is place on the playing surface. Personal co"bat involves successive attacks =such as blo!s if bra!ling5 s!ings !ith bla e !eapons5 or shots !ith guns? by each unit.

A basic to hit task is use to obtain a hitF the basic task is "o ifie by range bet!een the attacker an target5 the type of !eapon use 5 attacker e4pertise in the !eapon5 an other factors. (f a hit is obtaine 5 the !eaponOs penetration is co"pare to the target ar"or to see if any a"age results. Da"age epen s upon the type of !eapon. )o"bat continues until one party is vanBuishe 5 flees5 surren ers or is estroye .
"he Hits %alue

)o"bat uses amage points to eter"ine the effect of hits uring co"bat. Ho! likely a unit is to survive a"age points is in icate by the unitOs hits value. &he hits value for all units !orks the sa"eA each hits value is a set of nu"bers separate by a slash. &he first nu"ber in icates ho! "any a"age points it takes to ren er the unit out of action =i.e. unconscious or inoperative? an the secon tells ho! "any "ore points it takes to kill or estroy the unit. &he nu"ber of a"age points varies !ith the !eapon an hit. ,or e4a"ple5 a agger inflicts 3 a"age points. After the co"bat session is over5 the player characters an important -P)s5 robots or vehicles "ust assess a"age inflicte an seek the nee e "e ical treat"ent or repairs. =See &ssessing 2amage for etails.? Shoul a character enter co"bat before healing back to full 0ife ,orce then ne! hits values shoul be calculate . &he 0ife ,orce an Hits table sho!s the hits value for each value of 0ife ,orce =Strength D De4terity D +n urance?. &he Minor an MaMor )olu"ns in icate the a"ount of a"age reBuire for each effect colu"n on the hit locations table. 0ife ,orce 3D *D 6D 13D 1'D 12D 31D 3$D 3/D 39D 33D 3*D 36D $3D $'D Life +orce an& Hits Hits #alue Minor 1>1 1 3>1 3 3>3 3 3>3 3 3>3 3 3>$ 3 3>' 3 $>' $ $>* $ $>/ $ '>/ ' '>2 ' '>6 ' *>6 * *>19 * MaMor 3 3 3 $ $ ' ' * / / 2 6 6 19 11

Hit &ocation

8hen a character is a"age the 7M can specify that a hit location for the a"age be rolle on the 2amage hit Location an effect table. Use the Life Force an 3its table to eter"ine if a "aMor or "inor effect shoul be applie 5 other!ise use superficial. (f the Right>0eft colu"n has a Res value5 either eter"ine ran o"ly or by facing. Players shoul "ake notes of locations inMure an effects. Separate !oun s heal an effects resolve at 7M iscretion Damage hit Location and effect Roll 11 13 13 1$ 1' 1* 31 33 33 3$ 3' 3* 31 33 33 3$ 3' 3* $1 $3 $3 $$ $' $* '1 '3 '3 '$ '' '* *1 *3 *3 *$ *' ** Location han !rist lo!er ar" elbo! upper ar" upper ar" shoul er shoul er craniu">ear craniu">cro!n face>eye face>Ma! neck top of torso top of torso upper torso upper torso "i :torso "i :torso upper ab o"en upper ab o"en lo!er ab o"en lo!er ab o"en pelvis groin hip>buttocks hip>buttocks upper leg upper leg above knee above knee knee shin>calf shin>calf ankle>heel foot ,uperficial Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Drop ite"s Stuns 1 r Stuns 1 r Stuns 1 r Stuns 1 r Minor ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac>)onc ,rac>)onc ,ract>("p ,ract>("p &hroat 1p>r ,rac ,rac ,rac 0ung 1p>r 0ung 1p>r 0ung 1p>r (ntl 1p>r (ntl 1p>r (ntl 1p>r (ntl 1p>r ,rac ("p ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac ,rac Ma-or ("p >A"p ("p >A"p ("p >A"p ("p >A"p ("p >A"p ("p >A"p ("p >A"p ("p >A"p 1rain 1rain 1rain &hroat 1p>r Spine Spine Artery 3p>r Artery 3p>r Heart 3p>r Spine Artery 1p>r (ntl 3p>r (ntl 3p>r (ntl 3p>r (ntl 3p>r Spine (ntl 1p>r ("p hip ("p hip Artery 3p>r ("p ("p ("p ("p ("p ("p ("p ("p Right/Left Res Res Res Res Res Res Res Res Res -o Res -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o -o Res Res Res Res Res Res Res Res Res Res Res

,all ,all ,all ,all ,all ,all ,all ,all ,all

Wp>r E character receives a itional points of a"age per subseBuent roun 5 until "e ical attention receive . At refereeOs iscretion5 e4tra a"age "ay cease before character ies.

Drop (te"s E "ay not be auto"atic. &o keep hol of ite" Routine De4 -egative DMA the a"age receive Stun E Stunne characters "ay not attack or "ove for 1 roun 5 longer in the case of "ore serious !oun s. May reBuire rest to recover fully. ,all E May not be auto"atic. May incur e4tra a"age5 usually 1pt5 epen ing on situation. ,rac E ,racture. Referee "ay eter"ine specific bone fracture . ("p E ("paire function. )onc E 1rain concussion. May be "il 5 causing hea aches5 or serious5 causing "igraines5 iVVyness5 seiVures5 etc. Severity increases if character loses consciousness. 0ung E 0ung puncture5 causes a itional a"age. Usually acco"panie by fracture ribs. &hroat E &hroat !oun i"pairs breathing5 causes a itional a"age. (ntl E (nternal organ hit5 causes a itional a"age. 1rain E At refereeOs iscretion5 effects "ay inclu e partial or total paralysis5 co"a5 speech i"pair"ent5 blin ness5 personality change5 seiVures5 etc5 epen ing on a"ount of a"age taken an s!iftness of "e ical attention. Spine E Al"ost al!ays causes paralysis. +4tent an severity to be eter"ine by referee Heart E Heart inMury causes a itional a"age. Usually acco"panie by fracture ribs. Artery E MaMor artery hit5 causes a itional a"age. A"p E Potential a"putationF if large a"ount of a"age receive in a single hit5 a"putation "ay occur5 at refereeOs iscretion. (f so5 character receives further 1 to 3 pts a"age per subseBuent roun until "e ical attention receive . +nergy !eapon hits o not incur e4tra a"age5 as !oun is auto"atically cauteriVe . Referee shoul use Mu g"ent at all ti"es to eter"ine specific location>effects. ,or instance5 a Superficial 8oun to Qcraniu">earQ is clearly a hea hit close to the ear5 !hereas a Minor or MaMor 8oun coul "ean skull fracture5 i"paire hearing5 or concussion5 perhaps all three5 epen ing on the a"ount of a"age receive . ,or hits fro" auto"atic fire5 shotguns5 or e4plosives5 it is generally assu"e that the rolle hit location is for the "ost serious of a group of !oun s =!hich are not rolle ?. #ehicles an robots have three types of hits valuesA structure5 po!er plant an loco"otion. )o"puting the hits values for vehicles an robots is iscusse in the vehicles esign section of the 4eferee#s 5anual. #ehicles "ay also take a"age to cre!"e"bersF

both vehicles an robots "ay take a"age to onboar electronics an other such fi4tures or evices. Assessing vehicle an robot a"age is covere in the 4eferee#s 5anual.
"he 'ffects of "actics Skill

1efore a co"bat session begins5 total the &actics skill levels fro" a"ong the participants on each si e. &his total is the tactical points pool. &actical points for" a special roving 25 on any co"bat task roll. An in ivi ual "ust specify the nu"ber of tactical points he inten s to use as a "o ifier before he procee s !ith "aking the roll. .nce a tactical point is e4pen e 5 it is use up for the co"bat. &he tactical point pool is receive ane! each co"bat. Any unuse tactical points at the en of the co"bat are lost an "ay not be carrie over to the ne4t co"bat. )haracters o not have to contribute all their tactics skill as points to the pool. &hey "ay hoar so"e of their tactics skill for the"selves5 creating their o!n private tactical pool. &his "ay so"eti"es be out of character5 ho!ever. An in ivi ual can only ra! on the tactics pool if they are in co""unication !ith the rest of the group. Si"ilarly5 an in ivi ual can only contribute their &actics skill to the pool if they are in co""unication !ith the rest of the group. A special )o""unication task roll "ay be reBuire to si"ulate the instructions given to the character by their party. (f the referee feels the tactics pool is being abuse 5 they "ay i"pose this optional ruleA the siVe of the tactics pool cannot be greater than the highest 0ea er skill in the group. -ote that characterOs &actics skill levels o not actually change as a result of contributing to the tactics pool. &heir skill levels re"ain the sa"e5 an "ay be use if the referee calls for specific &actics task rolls uring the encounter. &actical points "ay never create a roll "o ifier that e4cee s the total task DM li"it of plus or "inus 2.

THE COMBAT PROCEDURE.

Surprise

At the beginning of the encounter5 the party to "ake the first hostile "ove eter"ines if it has surprise.
Initiati$e

(n each co"bat roun each si e rolls a D* an a s their tactics pool an highest lea ership score. &actics an lea ership bonus are only available if co""unication possible. (f t!o si es tie then roll a ie to resolve or er a"ongst the tie si es. &he si e that has the highest value eter"ines !hich si e goes first. 0ea ership bonus only possible if "ore than 3 "e"bers in party an lea ership accepte . &he lea er then eter"ines the or er characters take their turns. (f characters !ish to take their turn in a ifferent or er then tactic pool benefits "ay not apply an lea ership skill bonus "ay not be available in future co"bats. 8hen there are "ultiple si es involve in a co"bat5 care shoul be taken to recor the initiative rolls as the initiative or er can eter"ine interrupt an turn taking or er.

Resolution

Units take turns in their si e@s initiative or er to "ake "oves. .nce a si e has been selecte 5 one unit fro" that si e "ay take its turn. &he unit "ay "ove an "ake an attack =li"ite to one attack per unit per co"bat roun ?. Any attacks "a e take effect i""e iately. .nce the unitOs turn is finishe 5 one unit fro" the other si e "ay "ake a turn. &urns continue to alternate fro" si e to si e in this "anner until all units on both si es have ha an opportunity to take a turn. .nce all have ha a chance to take their turn5 the co"bat roun is over an a ne! co"bat roun begins.
Combat Actions

During its turn a unit "ay "ove5 fire !eapons or =for characters5 ani"als an robots? con uct han :to:han co"bat. 8ithin li"its5 a unit can interrupt another unit in the "i le of its turn. A characters turn is "a e up of t!o parts5 a "ove action an a co"bat action.

SURPRISE
Surprise is eter"ine only once per co"bat encounter. Surprise is possible for either party5 an the ele"ent of surprise gives an a vantage both in attacking an in avoi ing the ene"y. &he party that "akes the first hostile "oves rolls surprise. &o eter"ine if an attacking party has surpriseA Difficult5 0ea er5 Recon =confrontation? =unskille ok? 4eferee6 Success provi es the attacking party !ith surprise. Use the best 0ea er skill level an Recon skill level fro" the party. &his is a confrontation taskF both parties contribute DMs to the task. (f this task fails5 both parties are a!are of each other. (f e4ceptional failure occurs5 the efen ing party has surprise instea . (n "ost attack situations the chance of surprise is Difficult. &he referee "ust !eigh each situation an set the ifficulty accor ingly. ,or e4a"ple5 if the efen ing party has no reason to e4pect an attack5 the surprise task "ay beco"e Routine. .n the other han 5 if the attacking party consists of a bunch of noisy thugs rushing a efen ing party of highly skille co""an os5 achieving surprise "ay be ,or"i able. A party !ith surprise "ay elect to en the co"bat situation before it even starts by so stating. -on:player character parties that have surprise an are outnu"bere usually avoi the co"bat encounter.
(enefits of Surprise

A party !ith surprise "ay freely attack until surprise is lost. &he surprise party continues !ith the action that they !ere perfor"ing before the co"bat occurre an cannot attack in return. Me"bers of the attacking party "ay each "ake one surprise attack. (f surprise is not lost5 each "e"ber of the party "ay "ake another surprise attack =this continues until surprise is lost?. Surprise is lost !hen any unit in the efen ing party gives the alar". All non:silence shots alert the ene"y to an attackF silence pistols5 laser !eapons an guns in vacuu" o

not "ake any noise !hen fire . Any unit that is hit but not ren ere unconscious or inoperative !ill "ake sufficient noise =such as a screa"? to raise the alar". (f the alar" is not raise 5 an unattacke unit in the efen ing party "ay see the attack an give the alar". &o raise the alar" in a surprise attackA Difficult5 0ea er5 Recon. Surprise continues until it is lost an "ay continue in efinitely. 8hen surprise is lost the co"bat roun en sF the attacker "ay "ake no "ore surprise attacks an nor"al co"bat begins.

INTERRUPTS
A unit fro" the opposing si e =!hich has not yet taken a turn? can choose to interrupt another unitOs turn an take one action of its turn in the "i le of that unitOs turn. &o interrupt another unitOs turnA Routine5 Move"ent spee =safe?. 4eferee6 (f this task is successful5 the interrupting unit can take an action. A faile interrupt roll oesnOt count as a spent turn5 but the unit "ust be the ne4t to go of its si e. (gnore "ishaps. &he interrupte unit gets to co"plete its turn after its interrupter has finishe =if it is able? &he interrupte unit cannot interrupt anyone else this co"bat roun until after the interrupt is over. (nterrupts are subMect to these restrictionsA .nly one active interrupt is per"itte per si e. A unit currently engage in han :to:han co"bat "ay not interrupt anyone other than his attacker. .nly one interrupt per si e is per"itte per ene"y attack or per sBuare of ene"y "ove"ent. Unintelligent ani"als never perfor" an intelligent interrupt. An ani"al that5 by nature5 leaps at its prey !ill interrupt by Mu"ping at a "an5 although that "an is fully protecte by co"bat ar"or. An ani"al that by nature flees at lou noises !ill interrupt to run a!ay fro" a efenseless hu"an !ho is yelling at the top of his lungs (f an interrupte character or a character that eclare an interrupt an faile !ishes to alter their eclare action ue to the altere circu"stances of the interruption then they have to succee at a routine De4 task or else they have to follo! through !ith the interrupte task. An interrupting unit only gets to perfor" one of t!o parts of their turn action ="ove or attack? an has to !ait for their turn for the rest of their action.
Interrupt ')amples

&he players are fighting a group of -P)s on a starship. (t is the player@s turn. .ne of the player characters5 Dur &ele"on5 takes his turn.

Dur eci es to run fro" cover at the en of the corri or to an inset oor!ay closer to the ene"y an 5 thereby5 close fro" "e iu" to short rangeF this action enables hi" to get a better shot. Dur starts to "ove =run? o!n the hall by "oving out into the open one sBuare. .ne of the -P) players specifies an interruptF he !ants to take his turn no! an shoot at Dur !hile Dur is in the open. &he -P) rolls for the interrupt task an succee s. 1efore the -P) can attack5 another player character5 Aybee .!en5 eclares an interrupt of the -P)@s turn. Aybee !ants to lay o!n covering fire for Dur by shooting at the -P) !ho is going to shoot at Dur. Aybee rolls an interrupt task an succee s. 1ecause all a"age fro" attacks takes effect i""e iately5 if Aybee can put the -P) out of the action before the -P)@s turn resu"es5 the -P) !ill be unable to o anything to Dur. -either the players nor the -P)s can interrupt any further =since only one interrupt per si e is allo!e 5 per sBuare of "ove"ent or per attack?. 8hen Dur "oves another sBuare5 or if he shoots !hile "oving o!n the hall5 another pair of interrupts beco"es possible.
Multiple interruptin! sides

)o"bats involving "ultiple si es can co"plicate interrupts. Resolve as follo!sA (n a co"bat !hen an action provokes an interrupt one person fro" each Hsi eQ "ay atte"pt an interrupt5 if "ore than one Qsi eQ atte"pts to interrupt then the one that rolls highest =DDMs?5 assu"ing the roll !as high enough to succee as an interrupt is the only one consi ere to have succee e to interrupt5 an goes before the original actor5 all the others are consi ere to have faile to interrupt an go after!ar s in initiative or er. A single interrupt of the highest rolling interrupter is also allo!e F this interruption can no! inclu e the Qsi eQ of the original "over but not the Qsi eQ of the highest roller interrupter. Re"e"ber that having alrea y trie to interrupt an faile "akes you invali to try to interrupt again until the original interruption is resolve &hus for any action that provokes an interrupt it can be seen that there can be one interrupt fro" a si e other than the provokerOs an one counter interruption fro" a si e other than the interrupterOs

MOVEMENT
8hen first perfor"ing an action in a roun a unit "ust specify one "ove"ent spee to be use for the turn. Move"ent spee 1 is hu"an !alking spee F spee 3 is hu"an running spee an higher spee levels apply to so"e ani"als an to vehicles. An ani"alOs spee is eter"ine !hen it is create =see the 4eferee#s 5anual?. A vehicleOs spee is eter"ine by ivi ing its velocity in kilo"eters per hour by 19. &he Move"ent Points &able gives the nu"ber of "ove"ent points a unit receives for each "ove"ent spee . +ach sBuare into !hich a unit "oves costs one "ove"ent point. &hus5 to "ove three sBuares !oul cost a unit 3 "ove"ent points.

Spee 1 3 3 $

(n oor Scale * sec )o"bat Roun s 1.' " Scale * 13 3$ $9

Move"ent $oints Ta.le .ut oor Scale 1 "in )bt R s 1' " Scale 1 3 3 $ 1'9 " Scale 1 3 3 $ 19 "in )bt R s 1'99 " Scale 1 3 3 $

Mo$ement Die Modifiers

Move"ent spee is an a vantageous "o ifier in the efense if a unit is a target at short range. ,or e4a"ple5 a running character =spee 3? receives an a vantageous efensive "o ifier of 3 !hen being attacke at short range. ,or each range ban beyon short range5 ivi e the "ove"ent DM by 3 = rop fractions?. ,or a running character !ho is a target at "e iu" range5 his "ove"ent DM beco"es 1 =one:half of his spee of 3?. At long range5 the characterOs "ove"ent DM rops to Vero =one:half of 1?F he no longer receives an efensive "o ifier for running at long range or beyon . 8hen a "oving unit is attacking5 he "ust also apply his "ove"ent spee as a isa vantageous "o ifier. &hus5 if a character is attacking !hile running =spee 3?5 he "ust apply a "o ifier of :3 to his attack. &his "o ifier is unaffecte by "ove"ent range. (f both the attacker an efen er are "oving5 the "o ifiers are cu"ulative. (f the attacker is ri ing in an air>raft "oving at spee $ an he !ants to shoot an ani"al =at short range? "oving at spee 35 the total "o ifier on the to:hit roll is :/.
Matchin! %ectors

(f the vehicle operator "atches vectors !ith a given "oving targetA &o "atch vectors !ith a "oving targetA Routine5 #ehicle5 Move"ent DM =confrontation?. 4eferee6 &he #ehicle skill an "ove"ent DM of both the attacker an the efen er "ay be use as DMs to either help or th!art this task5 as appropriate. 8ith groun vehicles5 this task is not possible unless the groun vehicle is travelling on s"ooth5 har groun such as a roa . (f this roll is successful5 (f this task is successful5 use the ifference in spee as "ove"ent DM on the Hto hitI task
*ire Control

#ehicles !ith !eapon fire control !ork a little ifferently. ,in the ifference in spee bet!een the vehicle an the target an use the result as the efen erOs "ove"ent DM at short range. Divi e the "ove"ent DM by 3 for each range ban beyon short range as usual. ,or e4a"ple5 if an air>raft !ith !eapon fire control is "oving at spee $ an the target is "oving at spee 35 the vehicle only gets a "o ifier to hit of :1 at short range an no "o ifier at "e iu" range or beyon .

MOVEMENT DM GUIDE (% OF TARGET SPEED) 3a'/& Ba'-s C45 M 6 76 D 100 50 25 10 5

7D + 8

#ehicle "ounte !eapons !ith point efense targeting "o ules suffer no penalty !hen firing at "oving targets
'$ade

A unit "ay state eva e as a "ove"ent Bualifier =spee 1 eva e5 for e4a"ple? in an atte"pt to "ake hi"self a "ore ifficult target. An eva ing unit "ust pay ouble the nor"al "ove"ent cost to enter a sBuare. A typical sBuare that or inarily costs 1 "ove"ent point to enter costs 3 "ove"ent points if the unit is eva ing in that sBuare. An eva ing unit "ay not use any !eapons to parry or block in han :to:han co"bat. Unintelligent ani"als "ay not eva e. &o co"pute the efen er an attackerOs "ove"ent DMs5 an eva ing unit applies ouble its "ove"ent spee as a "ove"ent DM. ,or e4a"ple5 a running eva ing character =spee 3? receives an a vantageous efensive "o ifier D$ !hen being attacke at short rangeF a !alking eva ing character "ust apply a "o ifier of :3 on his attacks.
Additional Mo$ement +otes

A character "ay not run if he has Must been involve in han :to:han co"bat that turn. )onscious characters or ani"als "ay al!ays "ove a "ini"u" of 1 sBuare per turn. &his also applies to vehicles an robots as long as their "eans of loco"otion is still operating.

FIRE COMBAT
A unit "ay shoot once5 using fire co"bat5 at another unit uring a co"bat roun . ,ire co"bat "ay be irect fire =the attacker can see the target? or in irect fire =the attacker fires by the irection of an observer !ho can see the target?. .nly !eapons specifically liste as in irect fire !eapons "ay use in irect fire to shoot at a target. (n irect fire !eapons !hich are not cre!:serve nor vehicle:"ounte =such as the grena e launcher? are treate as irect fire !eapons if the attacker can see the target. (n this case5 the attacker uses his skill in the !eapon rather than ,or!ar .bserver skill as a "o ifier on the to:hit roll.
Point Defense *ire

Direct ,ire !eapons eBuippe !ith a point efense targeting "o ule can fire at inco"ing irect fire "issiles5 grena es5 rockets5 an in irect fire fro" "ortars5 ho!itVers5 high:velocity guns5 "ultiple rocket launchers5 an "ass rivers. (nco"ing

roun s "ust be visible by irect line:of:sight by the point efense syste" for at least 1'9 "eters of their traMectory in or er to be targete . 8hen engaging irect fire proMectiles5 the firing point efense syste" "ust also have line:of:sight to the vehicle or obMect targete by the proMectiles. &he range at !hich a point efense syste" can engage is li"ite by the shorter of the !eapons range or the range at !hich a fire controlle !eapon can engage !ith Routine ifficulty =#. 0ong for &0 6:135 Dist. for &0 1$D?. Apply a D1 "o ifier to the roll for each tech level above 6 of the firing point efense targeting "o ule =a &019 "o ule receives a D15 &011 receives D35 etc.?. A "arginal success on the task roll estroys one inco"ing roun F if there is e4ceptional success =see page /1? each level by !hich the task roll is e4cee e estroys a itional inco"ing roun s. &he nu"ber of roun s estroye oubles for each a itional level of e4ceptional success =so a D$ e4ceptional success !ill estroy 1D3D$D2D1* E 31 roun s?. &he effectiveness of Point Defense fire is halve against "ultiple rocket launchers5 !hich are esigne to saturate point efenses =so5 in the prece ing e4a"ple5 the 31 roun s result !oul be halve to 1* !hen firing against MR0 roun sA al!ays roun in the efen ers favor?. &he player firing the point efense !eapon eci es !hich inco"ing roun s are estroye . Point efense !eapons ignore the Os"all targetO ifficulty level increase. -on: grav groun vehicles "ay not "ove if they are to perfor" point efense fir
Determinin! Ran!e

Range is eter"ine by tracing the shortest possible path of sBuares bet!een the firing unit an the target of the attack. )ount the nu"ber of sBuares an co"pare the result to the Range 1an s table to eter"ine the range use to resolve the fire. (f a unit is firing at a target at a ifferent altitu e5 eter"ine the range to the target as the greater of the ifference in altitu e =in "eters5 kilo"eters5 or !hatever? or the range to the groun sBuare the target is over on the playing surface. ,or e4a"ple5 if a vehicle is flying over a groun sBuare that is at "e iu" range =' to '9 "eters?5 but the vehicle@s altitu e is 399 "eters =long range?5 then the vehicle@s range for purposes of co"bat attacks is long range.
Direct *ire

All units =ene"y or frien ly? in a firing unitOs line of fire are potential targets. &he likelihoo of hitting a target !ith irect fire is a taskA &o hit a target !ith irect fireA =Difficulty?5 8eapon5 De45 Move"ent DM5 1 co"bat roun =absolute?. 4eferee6 &he ifficulty level of this task varies5 epen ing on the type of !eapon use an the range to the target. Select the proper ifficulty fro" the Direct ,ire Difficulty Profile table. -ote that !hen !eapon enhance"ents are a e to a !eapon5 substitute the 8eapon +nhance"ent ifficulty profiles for those in the Direct ,ire Difficulty table. ,ire )ontrolle !eapons =those that are cre!:serve or vehicle "ounte ? use the ,ire )ontrolle Difficulty table. &he follo!ing increase the ifficulty by one levelA target un er cover but still visible s"all target =basketball siVe or less?. An ani"al !eighing 19kg or less is a s"all target5 as is a robot !ith a chassis volu"e of 19 liters or less.

atte"pting rapi fire =e"ptying a""o clip in one roun ? Pinpoint hit C success re uces ar"or value by half

&he follo!ing ecrease the ifficulty by one levelA large target =groun car siVe or larger?. An ani"al !eighing '99kg or "ore is a large target5 as is a robot !ith a chassis volu"e of '99 liters or "ore. A character that re"ains stationary for the co"bat roun an can brace against so"ething "ay use the gyrostable ifficulty profile !hen firing his !eapon. &ype Han gun Rifle &hro!n Direct +ire Difficulty $rofiles )lose Short Me 0ong Si" Rou Dif ,or Rou Rou Dif Dif Rou Dif ,or ("p # 0ong ("p ,or :: Dist :: ("p ::

&hro!n !eapons inclu e any cru e han :thro!n proMectiles5 such as bla es or spears.

&ype Scope 7yrostable Scope D 7yro &0 ' * / 2 6 19 11 13 13 1$ 1' 1* )lose :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Weapon Enhance"ent Difficulty $rofiles )lose Short Me 0ong # 0ong :: :: :: Dif Dif :: :: Rou Dif ,or :: :: Rou Dif Dif
Scope "ay be either optical or electronic sights.

Dist ("p ("p ,or

# Dist :: :: ("p )ont :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ("p ("p ("p ("p ("p

+ire ontrolle& /cre01serve& or vehicle "ounte&2 Short Me 0ong # 0ong Dist # Dist Rou Rou Dif Dif ,or ("p Rou Rou Dif Dif ,or ("p Rou Rou Rou Dif Dif ("p Rou Rou Rou Rou Dif ("p Rou Rou Rou Rou Dif ,or Si" Rou Rou Rou Dif ,or Si" Si" Rou Rou Dif ,or Si" Si" Rou Rou Dif ,or Si" Si" Rou Rou Dif Dif Si" Si" Si" Rou Rou Dif Si" Si" Si" Rou Rou Dif Si" Si" Si" Si" Rou Dif

Reg :: :: :: :: ("p ("p ("p ,or ,or ,or ,or ,or

Additional Direct Fire Notes

(ows, Crossbows, (ola, (oomeran!, and Slin!

(nstea of using the characterOs De4terity as the crucial characteristic on a Qto hitQ roll5 these !eapons use the average of the characterOs Strength an De4terity = rop fractions?.
nder Co$er $ersus '$adin!

Un er cover but visible refers to a non:"oving unit5 !hile eva ing al!ays refers to a "oving unit. &hus5 a unit cannot be both un er cover an eva ingF he is one or the other.

&ine of *ire

+ach sBuare passe through by the line of sight before an after passing through the target until the line of sight encounters an obstruction is the line of fire of the !eapon. All ene"y targets along the !eaponOs line of fire an in the sa"e range ban as the pri"ary target are attacke by the fire =at full penetration for the range ban ?F others in the line of fire but in ifferent range ban s are not. ,or e4a"ple5 if a gauss rifle fires at a target at long range5 all other targets along its line of fire at long range are attacke 5 !hile targets along the line of fire but at short or "e iu" range are not. &he ene"y target closest to the firing unit an in the line of fire is attacke first5 ignoring all frien ly units. &hen the ne4t closest ene"y target is attacke . Ho!ever5 if e4ceptional failure occurs !hen rolling for a hit5 then frien ly units are inclu e !hen eter"ining the closest target. (n other !or s5 onOt get e4ceptional failure or you "ay hit so"e of your o!n guys !ho happen to be in the line of fireX
Dan!er Space

So"e !eapons5 such as a plas"a gun5 have a anger space of "ore than one sBuare. Such !eapons can cause a"age to units near the pri"ary target if those units are in the !eaponOs anger space. See 7roup Hits5 belo!. &he anger space for flechette roun s applies only along the line of fire an is not circular like the anger space for all other roun s. Unless an alternate anger space is specifie for a particular !eapon5 all !eapons have a anger space of one sBuare.
-roup Hits

All units in a !eaponOs anger space5 but not in the esignate pri"ary target sBuare5 "ay also suffer a"age. Roll for a hit on all units in the !eaponOs anger space. .n all targets e4cept the pri"ary target =the one at !hich the attacker is ai"ing?5 use all nor"al "o ifiers e4cept any bonuses ue to !eapon skill or e4terity. (n the target sBuare5 co"pute the !eaponOs penetration as nor"al. .ne sBuare a!ay5 the !eaponOs penetration is halve F t!o sBuares a!ay it is halve again an so on. (f the penetration is Vero5 then no a"age is suffere . ,or e4a"ple5 a vehicleOs fusion gun hits a target in a sBuare at long range5 !ith a nor"al penetration at that range of 1$ an a anger space of 19 "eters =si4 1.' "eter sBuares?. All a Macent units "ay also suffer a"age roll =roll for a hit on each one? but !ith a penetration rating of /. &!o sBuares a!ay5 those receiving hits are subMecte to a penetration rating of 3F three sBuares a!ay5 those receiving hits are subMecte to a penetration rating of 1. 1eyon that5 no hits are suffere since the penetration rating rops to Vero.

Automatic .eapon *ire

)ertain !eapons can be set on full auto"atic5 if esire . S!itching bet!een full auto"atic =fire "ultiple roun s per pull of the trigger? an se"iauto"atic =fire one roun per trigger pull? is one at the en of a co"bat turn. &he unit "ay "ove or eva e !hile changing the setting. An auto"atic !eapon set on full auto"atic "ay hit "ultiple targets a Macent to the pri"ary target. &he !eapon tables list the a itional a Macent autofire targets =in a ition to the pri"ary target? that "ay be hit by the !eapon !hen it is set on full auto"atic.
Autofire .eapons with a Dan!er Space

,or !eapons that can attack targets a Macent to the pri"ary target through both autofire an the effects of a anger spaceA con uct all autofire attacks first. .nce the autofire attacks are co"plete5 roll for hits on any re"aining targets in the anger space using the nor"al anger space rules5 "easuring anger space fro" the pri"ary target. (n so"e cases5 the referee !ill have to ran o"ly select !hich of the a Macent targets to subMect to the autofire an !hich to leave for the anger space effects.
Dan!er space, !roup hits and autofire resolution/

8hen face !ith a potentially confusing co"bination fire attack5 always eter"ine a single primary target before you begin resolving hits. .nce the single pri"ary target has been i entifie in a co"bination attack5 it re"ains the pri"ary target for the entire co"bination attack. (f the firing unit !ants a shifting pri"ary target5 then he is con ucting rapi fire instea . .nce the single pri"ary target has been selecte 5 resolve a co"bination attack by starting !ith auto"atic fire hits. Auto"atic fire !eapons give the firing unit a itional Hbonus attacksI. Roll a Hto hitI task on the pri"ary target as nor"al5 then roll an i entical Hto hitI task for each a Macent target =player@s choice?5 up to the nu"ber of autofire targets possible. &he firing unit has consi erable free o" !hen specifying !hich a Macent targetsYthe attacking unit "ay actually apply all of its autofire attacks to the pri"ary target if it !ants to5 as long as no other potential targets e4ist along the line of fire in the sa"e range ban . (n any case5 each autofire attack reBuires its o!n roll. &he line of fire rule also co"es into play here. A goo !ay to use the line of fire rule !ith autofire is to "ake the closest target in the line of fire the efault pri"ary target5 !ith all other targets in the line of fire beco"ing a Macent targets. Any leftover autofire attacks =after applying at least one hit roll to each target in the line of fire? can be applie to laterally a Macent targets. (n any event5 leftover attacks shoul prefer the pri"ary target for re"aining unuse attacks. &his lea s us to a concept of Hpreferre target prece enceI. A preferre target shoul take "ore hits than any other target. &he preferre target prece ence for autofire isA 1. Pri"ary targetF 3. &argets a Macent to the pri"ary target an in the line of fireF 3. &argets a Macent to the pri"ary target an not in the line of fire. Put another !ay5 the pri"ary target =ite" 1? shoul never take fe!er autofire hits than a Macent targets in the line of fire =ite" 3?5 an targets in the line of fire shoul never take fe!er autofire hits than targets not in the line of fire =ite" 3?. (f the attacker !ishes

to violate this prece ence5 reBuire e4ceptional success for each Hto hitI roll !hich violates it. &he hit reverts to stan ar prece ence if e4ceptional success is not achieve . Danger space represents ho! "uch the !eapon HspattersI or HspraysI !hen it hitsF that is5 !hat collateral a"age the !eapon oes to nearby targets !hen it hits the pri"ary target. &hese collateral hits are kno!n as group hits. All units in a !eapon@s anger space are subMect to group hits. Danger space is al!ays e4presse in "eters. &o eter"ine the anger space in sBuares5 ivi e by the istance scale being use an roun 9.'D fractions up. &he result in icates the nu"ber of sBuares =inclu ing the pri"ary target sBuare? to !hich the anger space e4ten s. &he anger space e4ten s in all irections fro" the pri"ary target sBuare.

Rapid *ire

A character "ay specify that he !ishes to con uct Qrapi fireQ !ith his !eapon. (f this is the case5 use a "o ifier to :$ on the Qto hitQ roll but allo! the character to esignate three separate pri"ary targets near each other. &he targets onOt nee to be a Macent but they all "ust fall !ithin the sa"e $': egree arc. 8hen co"bine !ith auto"atic fire5 rapi fire allo!s a character to thoroughly QsprayQ an area !ith fire. 8hen a character uses rapi fire5 he has auto"atically Qe"ptie his !eaponQ an "ust spen the ne4t co"bat roun reloa ing. A character "ay "ove or eva e !hile reloa ing but "ay not fire. &he 8eapons table in icates !hich !eapons "ay an "ay not con uct rapi fire un er the recoil colu"n of the !eapon tables. A unit !ithout fire control "ay never con uct both pinpoint location fire an rapi fire at the sa"e ti"e.

Recoil

)ertain !eapons !ith "ore recoil than nor"al are "arke as high:recoil !eapons on the 8eapons table. Such !eapons reBuire that the attacking character be stationary an !ell brace in or er to fire. )onseBuently5 high recoil !eapons "ay only be fire if the attacking character oes not "ove at all uring the co"bat roun .
Pinpoint &ocation

(f esire 5 a unit can specify that he is going for a pinpoint location on a target in an effort to hit a "ore vulnerable location. &reat a pinpoint location shot the sa"e as hitting a s"all targetA increase the ifficulty by one level. A unit !ithout fire control "ay never con uct both a pinpoint location attack an rapi fire at the sa"e ti"e. (f a hit is score ivi e ar"or value of target by t!o.
Coup de -race

Most !eapons "ay be use to a "inister a coup e grace shot to an unconscious or non:struggling unit =typically a character5 ani"al or robot? at close range if the unit !ith the !eapon so states. &he Qto hitQ roll auto"atically succee s.
Indirect *ire

Personal co"bat covers in irect fire !eapons that are locate on the fiel of battle. ,or rules on calling in long: istance artillery strikes =such as fire fro" orbiting starships?5 see the 7pecial 4ules section. &he only in irect fire that can be con ucte in oors is han thro!ing grena es. All other in irect fire is e4clusively an out oor co"bat activity. .ut oor in irect fire arrives on the ne4t co"bat roun follo!ing its reBuest. (n irect fire "ust use the follo!ing roll to see !here it hitsA &o hit a targete location !ith in irect fireA Difficult5 ,or!ar .bs5 1 co"bat roun =absolute5 unskille .<5 fateful?. 4eferee6 (n irect fire reBuires the assistance of a character that can see the target. &his con ition is acco"plishe using the ,or!ar .bserver skill of this particular character. &he firing unit oes not nee to see the target to use in irect fire. (n irect fire calle in by an in epen ent observer begins arriving in the co"bat roun i""e iately follo!ing the reBuest. (f this task fails5 the in irect fire auto"atically scatters5 roll for a "ishap. ,or!ar .bserver skill "ay be use as a special "inus DM on the Mishap table. 8hen fire scatters5 it hits in a ran o"ly a Macent area =sBuare5 he4?. Han :thro!ing a grena e at a target is a special situation5 an has its o!n special taskA &o hit a target sBuare !ith a han :thro!n grena eA J ifficultyK5 Str5 De45 absoluteA 1 co"bat roun =fateful?. RefereeA Use the irect fire thro!n ifficulty profile !hen han :thro!ing a grena e at a sBuare. (f the task fails5 the grena e fails to hit its inten e sBuare5 so it scatters.

)ontrary to nor"al in irect fire5 a han :thro!n grena e can scatter back into the thro!er@s sBuare. (f the grena e hits an obstruction =such as a !all5 close portal5 or fence?5 it stops an scatters no further. &he final location of the grena e is !here it e4plo esA it e4plo es at the en of the thro!er@s turn. ScatterA (f in irect fire fails to hit its inten e target5 it scatters ran o"ly. &o eter"ine irection of scatter5 roll 1D an consult the follo!ing iagra"A

&he istance of the scatter epen s on the "ishap levelY!ith ,or!ar .bserver skill =or Strength plus De4terity in the case of han :thro!n grena es? usable as a special "inus DM on the "ishap table in this caseA SuperficialA 1DU of the istance fro" the attacker to target ="ini"u" 1 sBuare?. MinorA 3DU of the istance fro" attacker to target ="ini"u" 3 sBuares?. MaMorA 3DU of the istance fro" attacker to target ="ini"u" 3 sBuares?. -oteA (n irect fire =e4ceptionA han :thro!n grena es? can never scatter into the firing !eapon@s sBuare. (f it oes5 roll for a ifferent scatter irection.

HAND TO HAND COMBAT

A unit at close range "ay =but oes not have to? attack using han :to:han co"bat. (f the unit con ucte a fire attack in the current co"bat roun 5 it "ay efen against han :to: han attacks but it "ay not initiate the". &o hit another unit !ith a han :to:han attackA Routine5 .ffE8pn skill5 StrF DefE8pn skill 4eferee6 (f the attacker is unskille 5 increase the ifficulty of this task by one levelF if the efen er is unskille 5 ecrease the ifficulty of this task by one level. &he efen er "ay use his !eapon =!hatever !eapon he currently has? for efense. -ote that the efen er "ay later con uct a han :to:han attack !ith his !eapon if he has not yet taken his turn. &o efen against a han :to:han attackA Routine5 .ffE8pn skill5 De4F

4eferee6 (f the attacker is unskille 5 increase the ifficulty of this task by one levelF if the efen er is unskille 5 ecrease the ifficulty of this task by one level. (f successful consult the table belo!. Defense Roll A natural 3 or :$ :3 failure success D3 D$ DM to attac3 D3 D1 9 : 8pn Def : =8pn Def D1? : =8pn Def D3?

&he efen er "ay atte"pt to pree"pt the attack by interrupting the attacker =noteA use De4terity in place of "ove"ent spee as the DM !hen interrupting a han :to:han attack in this "anner?. &he efen er "ay not atte"pt to interrupt anyone other than the attacker. ,ailure "eans the efen er blocke or other!ise avoi e the attack. (f either the attacker or efen er uses a !eapon not specifically esigne as a han :to: han !eapon5 use the follo!ing gui eline to classify it. (f the !eapon is blunt =like the butt of a rifle? treat it as a clubF if the !eapon is sharp =like a broken bottle?5 treat it as a agger.
Disarm #pponent

(f esire 5 !hen a successful hit is score 5 a Q isar" opponentQ result "ay be selecte instea of applying a"age. (f so5 the isar"e unit "ay not attack using that !eapon for the rest of the roun . Any !eapon5 inclu ing natural !eapons =such as han s?5 "ay be isar"e =in the case of natural !eapons5 the isar" result is actually a QstunQ?. 8ith !eapons that can be knocke out of the ene"yOs grasp5 if a isar" result roll effect is higher than the Strength bonus of their opponent the ene"y unit "ust eter"ine scatter on the !eapon to see !here it lan s =see (n irect ,ire? the istance being 1" per every 3 effect over the reBuire value. +ither unit "ay retrieve the !eapon by "oving to the sBuare !ith the !eapon an spen ing the rest of his turn picking up the !eapon. A isar"e unit can al!ays "ove or attack !ith other !eapons in his possessionF he Must cannot attack using the isar"e !eapon. A unit un ergoing a han :to:han attack can try to interrupt the attackerF in this case5 use the interrupting unitOs De4terity as the DM in place of "ove"ent spee . (n effect5 t!o units locke in han :to:han co"bat "ay interrupt each other5 but no other units. Units not engage in the han :to:han attack "ay interrupt !ith a fire attack or they "ay interrupt the han :to:han attack in or er to "ove a Macent to a unit =sa"e or ifferent unit? an con uct a han :to:han attack the"selves. -o "ore than one interrupt per si e

is allo!e at any given ti"e. A unit firing into a han :to:han co"bat risks hitting so"eone other then their inten e target. &his occurs if they roll 3 less then their reBuire roll5 although the 7M can alter that likelihoo if they eclare in a vance. A unit !ho specifies he is con ucting a han :to:han attack cannot perfor" any further actionsF he "ust en his turn !ith the han :to:han attack.

PENETRATION AND DAMA!E

.nce a target character has been hit5 it is necessary to eter"ine !hat5 if any5 a"age !as sustaine .
Determinin! the Penetration Ratin! for a -i$en Ran!e

+ach !eaponOs penetration rating inclu es a penetration an an attenuation. &he liste penetration is for short range. &he attenuation in icates ho! "any range ban s to count =starting !ith short range? before the penetration rops by half. &he !eaponOs penetration continues to rop by half every so "any range ban s until either the !eaponOs "a4i"u" range is reache or the penetration reaches Vero. ,or e4a"ple5 if a !eapon !ith a penetration rating of $>3 =rea as Qfour per threeQ? has a penetration of $ at short range5 then the penetration rops by one:half unit for every 3 range ban s. &hus5 the !eapon has a penetration of $ at short5 "e iu" an long rangeF the !eapon also has a penetration of 3 at very long5 istant an very istant rangeF an a penetration of 9 at far orbit5 e4tre"e orbit5 an interplanetary range. Ho!ever5 a !eaponOs "a4i"u" range li"its ho! far it "ay fire5 even if the penetration has not roppe to Vero. Referring to the above e4a"ple5 if the !eaponOs "a4i"u" range is istant it "ay not fire at any targets beyon istant range. PENET AT!"N#ATTENUAT!"N $U!DE %&'
3a'/& Ba'-s 59 3G A)) C4 M &' 5 41 10 50 0 42 10 10 0 0 43 10 10 0 0 44 10 10 0 0 45 10 10 0 0 46 10 10 0 0

6 25 50 10 0 10 0 10 0 10 0

:; 76 D 10 50 50 10 0 10 0 10 0 0 25 50 50 10 0 10 0

7D 0 25 50 50 50 10 0

C< 0 10 25 50 50 50

P6 0 0 25 25 50 50

55 F; 0 0 10 25 50 50

IP 0 0 10 25 25 50

5= 0 0 0 10 25 25

I5 0 0 0 10 10 25

Determinin! Dama!e

&o eter"ine the actual a"age suffere by a target5 co"pare the !eaponOs penetration at that range to the targetOs ar"or. &a"age inflicte& 4 /0eapon &a"age2 x /ar"or "o&ifier2 x /to1hit roll "o&ifier2 (f the !eaponOs penetration is at least t!ice the ar"or value5 the !eapon inflicts its full a"age point value. &his is kno!n as a high penetration result. (f the !eaponsO penetration is at least eBual to the ar"or value5 the !eapon inflicts '9 percent of its a"age point value. &his con ition is referre to as a low penetration result. (f penetration is less than the ar"or value5 the !eapon inflicts 19U of its a"age point value if the target is a character !ith e4pose areas of less than the full ar"or value. .n the other han 5 if the character is fully enclose in the ar"or5 the hit has no effect. #ehicles an robots al!ays apply such hits as structure a"age. &his is kno!n as a 8ero penetration result. Da"age Effects% !r"or &ype )on ition Da"age Mo ifier High Penetration 8pn penetration Z ar"or value none 0o! Penetration 8pn penetration Z =ar"or value 4 4 9.' 9.'? [ero Penetration 8pn penetration Z =ar"or value 4 4 9.1 9.1? =enclose A 4 9? Marginal ,uccess (f the to:hit roll =inclu ing "o ifiers? is e4actly eBual to the roll that is nee e for success5 "arginal success =a gra8e? has occurre . Apply '9U of the nor"al a"age point value = ropping fractions?. &hus5 if a !eapon !oul inflict '9 percent a"age at this range5 "arginal success !oul only cause 3' percent a"age. ,or e4a"ple5 if a !eapon inflicts 3 a"age points !hen it penetrates cloth ar"or at this range5 on a "arginal success it !oul only o 1 point of a"age. Exceptional ,uccess (f the to:hit roll =inclu ing "o ifiers? e4cee s the roll nee e for success byA 3:3 apply a"age points 4 3 =a "ini"u" of 1? $:/ apply a"age points 4 $ =a "ini"u" of 3? 2D apply a"age points 4 2 =a "ini"u" of $? (f a !eapon nor"ally causes 3 points of a"age at this range !hen it penetrates cloth ar"or5 an e4ceptional success of 3 or 3 !oul cause the !eapon to inflict * points of a"age. 1ecause of the "ini"u"s5 it is possible for a !eapon that or inarily has Vero penetration to inflict a"age points upon achieving e4ceptional success. (n all co"bat co"putations5 rop fractions. A penetration of 3 re uce in half beco"es 1. A a"age of 9.3 beco"es 9 An easy !ay to re"e"ber "arginal an e4ceptional successesO effects on a"age isA e4act roll5 halve itF 3D5 ouble it onceF $D5 ouble it t!iceF 2D5 ouble it three ti"es.

Da"age Effects% To1Hit Roll )on ition Da"age Mo ifier roll Z reBuire roll D 2 4 2 ="ini"u" $? roll Z reBuire roll D $ 4 $ ="ini"u" 3? roll Z reBuire roll D 3 4 3 ="ini"u" 1? roll Z reBuire roll D 1 41 roll E reBuire roll 4 9.' over 8hile cover "akes it "ore ifficult for an in ivi ual to hit a target5 it generally "akes a hit "ore serious because lightly ar"ore areas of the target are e4pose . &hus5 if a hit is obtaine on a target un er cover an the target has e4pose areas =areas !ith little or not ar"or?5 treat the target as only having one:half of its regular ar"or value !hen co"puting penetration. 5nconsciousness An unconscious character or ani"al "ay not perfor" any activity throughout the rest of the co"bat session.
Dama!e to robots

A si"ple syste" to create hits values for hu"anoi siVe robots si"ilar to P) hits (noperativeA #olu"e>3' Destroye A #olu"e>1' 0o! penetration hits a"age hull also5 other hits also roll on the vehicle hit table
Dama!e to %ehicles and Robots

Da"age to vehicles or robots can occur in the super:structure5 po!er plant or loco"otion. Also5 in ivi ual cre!"e"bers =in vehicles?5 "ounte !eapons or various other evices can be hit an estroye in co"bat. ,or purposes of personal co"bat only5 "ultiply a vehicle@s hit value by 19 before starting the co"bat session. ,or e4a"ple5 a groun car lists hull hits of 3>'. (ts actual hit value in personal co"bat is 39>'9 ="ultiplie by 19?. (n a si"ilar "anner5 its loco"otion an po!er plant hits are each 19>39 =1>3 "ultiplie by 19? Hit Superstructure )re! )re! Subtable 1 Subtable 3 Subtable 3
SuperstructureA )re!A Po!er PlantA

1 3 3 $ ' *

1 3 3 $ ' *

Hit Location Subtable 1 Subtable3 Po!er Plant 1 Device Po!er Plant 3 Device Po!er Plant 3 Device Po!er Plant $ Device Po!er Plant ' 8eapon )o"puter * 8eapon

1 3 3 $ ' *

Subtable3 0oco"otion 0oco"otion 0oco"otion 0oco"otion &urret &urret

apply the a"age only to the superstructure apply the a"age to the superstructure an then =for vehicles? apply one:half of the a"age points to ran o"ly selecte personnel insi e apply the a"age to the superstructure an apply the a"age points to the po!er plant insi e. (f the po!er plant is not fusion5 also roll the tech level or less on 3D to avoi a catastrophic e4plosion that !ill estroy the vehicle or robot. .nce the a"age has reache one:half the po!er plantOs inoperative level5 a po!er loss occursA any energy !eapons "ay no longer be fire an the vehicle or robotOs top spee rops in half.

)o"puterA apply the a"age to the superstructure. Also5 on a vehicle5 the co"puter is estroye F on a robot5 its brain is estroye . (f a robotOs brain is hit5 it ceases to function. DeviceA apply a"age to the superstructure5 then estroy so"e i"portant evice or sensor 8eaponA apply a"age to the superstructure5 then estroy so"e "ounte !eapon. (f the vehicle or robot "ounts a non:energy !eapon5 the in ivi ual shoul also roll the tech level or less on 3D to avoi a catastrophic "agaVine e4plosion !hich !ill estroy the vehicle or robot. 0oco"otionA apply a"age to the superstructure5 then apply the a"age points to the loco"otion as !ell. .nce the a"age has reache a level that is eBual to one:half of the loco"otion inoperative level5 the vehicle or robotOs top spee rops in half. &urretA apply a"age to the superstructure5 then estroy a !eapon turret =or estroy an appen age if a robot?.

All e4plosive roun s !hich penetrate a vehicle@s hull also cause cre! hits to all cre! "e"bers in the anger space of the e4plosion =at half the penetration value of the e4plosive roun ?
Reachin! the Inoperati$e &e$el

A vehicle or robot that has reache the inoperative level on structural hits "ay not perfor" any activity for the rest of the co"bat session. (f the inoperative level has been reache on the po!er plant hits5 the vehicle "ay not "ove an "ay not use any !eapons or installe evices reBuiring po!er plant energy. ,lying vehicles auto"atically crashA roll 3D on the Mishap table. (f the loco"otion inoperative level has been reache 5 the vehicle "ay not "ove. ,lying vehicles that lose their loco"otion "ust roll the follo!ing taskA &o avoi a crash lan ing !hen loco"otion beco"es inoperativeA Difficult5 #ehicle5 De4terity =fateful?. 4eferee6 Roll this task !hen the air vehicle hits the groun . (n the turn follo!ing the loss of loco"otion5 an air vehicle continues to "ove for!ar at one:half of its current "ove"ent rate an rops at the rate of 19 ">s.

PERSONAL ARMOR
#alues for the "ost co""on types of personal character ar"or are liste on the Personal Ar"or &able. 8ith the e4ception of reflec ar"or5 no character "ay !ear any ar"or along !ith another type of ar"or. (f a character !ears reflec !ith another type of ar"or5 use the best ar"or factor for the efen er !hen "aking the co"putation for the ar"or penetration. $ersonal !r"or Ta.le &ype %ack Mesh ,lak %acket )loth Ablat Reflec #acc Suit:2 #acc Suit:13 #acc Suit:1$ 1o y Pressure Suit Hostile +nviron"ent #acc Suit:2 #alue =1? 3 3 ' 1 J*K J19K $ ' * 1 '

Hostile +nviron"ent #acc Suit:6 * Hostile +nviron"ent #acc Suit:13 / Hostile +nviron"ent #acc Suit:13 2 Hostile +nviron"ent #acc Suit:1$ 6 )o"bat +nviron"ent Suit:* * )o"bat Ar"or:11 2 )o"bat Ar"or:13 19 )o"bat Ar"or:1$ 12 1attle Dress:13 19 1attle Dress:1$ 12 Notes% #alues in parentheses only apply in han :to:han co"bat. #alues in brackets only apply against laser fire.

CHARACTER IMPROVEMENT
)opyright =c? 162/ ,ar ,uture +nterprises

+ven after a character has "ustere out of prior service5 he or she can still increases skills an characteristics in the course of "any Traveller scenarios. \uite naturally5 these increases are not auto"atic or easy an players shoul re"e"ber that acBuiring one or t!o skill levels uring character generation usually takes the eBuivalent of four years of ga"e ti"e. Players "ust be patient to succee . &here are three basic "eans of i"proving a characterA experience, formal training an self training. +4perience reBuires successful observation beforehan =preferably? follo!e by successfully perfor"ing so"e task that "akes use of the esire ne! skill. ,or"al an self training reBuires eter"ination5 plus the appropriate learning "aterialsA books5 co"puter ter"inals5 tools an eBuip"ent5 for"al training reBuires a teacher an perhaps so"e institution.

E"PERIENCE
+4perience co"es fro" participationF a passive character accu"ulates less kno!le ge. Positive results co"e !hen a character is successful but one can learn fro" "istakes too.
+ew Skills by "asks

7aining e4perience epen s on tasks an is eter"ine by successful an unsuccessful tasks. A character "ay specifically state that he is trying to gain so"e particular ne! skill5 then he "ay atte"pt an observation task for ru i"entary kno!le ge relate to the task he later atte"pts. &o observe a particular proce ure in or er to learn itA Difficult5 Deter"ination. 4eferee6 &his task is atte"pte only by a character unskille in the skill being observe . (f the character succee s5 he receives a te"porary skill level:9 for use in the ne4t task atte"pt !ith this skill =an then loses the skill level:9?. &he ti"e uration for this observation task varies an shoul be set by the referee. &he observation task itself "ay be haVar ous if the proce ure is haVar ous. Players note the skills their characters have observe . &he observation task co"es into play in the case in !hich a character !ants to earn A&s = efine belo!? for a particular skill an so atte"pts to involve hi"self as "uch as possible in that skill. 8hen so"eone !ants to learn to repair an auto"obile engine5 he spen s "ore ti"e tinkering !ith his o!n engine5 hangs out at garages an !atches others perfor" repairs. (n ga"e ter"s5 this "eans that characters !ill tag along !ith each other as "uch as they can. 8hen one character goes to haggle !ith so"e "erchants5 another !ill acco"pany hi" so he can learn &ra er or 1roker skill. Another character5 flying an air>raft or piloting a starship5 !ill be pestere by his frien !ho !ants to try it. &hese situations "ay entail further anger an in any case shoul a spice to a ventures5 if only because they further the opportunities for character interaction.

"rial and 'rror

8hen the character atte"pts a task that !oul nor"ally reBuire a skill that he oes not have5 he gra ually =if lucky an persistent? learns so"ething about it. At the en of each a venture session5 the referee shoul re!ar each character !ith one a venture tally =A&? for a particular skill that playe a significant part in the session. &he A& "ay be in a ne! skill or a skill that the character alrea y has but an A& for a ne! skill can be given only if the character succee e in a task that !oul nor"ally reBuire that ne! skill =this is !hy successful observation is so i"portant?. Players shoul keep track of their A&s. A&s can accu"ulate over ti"e an are not lost e4cept as escribe belo!. ,or e4a"ple5 repairs to a "alfunctioning air>raft nor"ally reBuire the skill of 7ravitics. A character !ithout 7ravitics !ho succee s in the repair task !oul be a!ar e an A& for 7ravitics at the en of the ga"e session =if the task !as unsuccessful5 the 7ravitics A& !oul not be a!ar e ?. A character "ight have atte"pte several ifferent tasks but he receives an A& for only one skill per session5 eci e upon by the referee. (t is possible that a character !ill receive no A& for a session. A character can gain an A& for each skill every 69 ays. A&s shoul be recor e to sho! both the skill an the ate. ,or e4a"ple5 A&:7ravitics =991:111/? or A&:7ravitics =3/9:111/?.

!AININ! THE S#ILL

8hen a player thinks that his character has sufficiently practice a ne! skill =sho!n by the accu"ulation of A&s for it? he "ay atte"pt to gain that skill. Accu"ulate A&s "ay also be use to increase an e4isting skill level. &o obtain =or i"prove? a skill by e4perience aloneA ,or"i able5 A&5 (nt =safe?. 4eferee6 &his task can be atte"pte once at the start of each a venture session an cannot be repeate until the ne4t session if the atte"pt fails. Accu"ulate A&s are a DM for this taskF the character "ust have at least one A& for the skill to atte"pt this task. (f the character alrea y has the pertinent skill5 success increases the skill one level. (f the character oes not have the skill5 success gives hi" that skill at level:9. ,ailing this task oes not affect A&sF they continue to accu"ulate as usual. Succee ing in this task re uces the nu"ber of A&s for the skill to 9F the character "ust start ane! to raise the skill another level. &he absolute "a4i"u" DM for the task is D2.
A"s and Characteristics

)haracteristics can be i"prove !ith A&s. .nce he accu"ulates A&s5 if a player "akes a successful task roll his characteristic value increases by one. A&s are har er to accu"ulate for characteristics because it is har er for the character to apply hi"self to this "ore general type of activity. &o accu"ulate A&s for a characteristic5 the player "ust eclare =at the beginning of the session? that he is !orking

for an A& in that particular characteristic. (f the character has a goo opportunity to apply this characteristic5 the referee can a!ar hi" one A& in that characteristic.
#ther Ad$anta!es to A"s

(ncreasing skills an characteristics by accu"ulating A&s encourages charactersO participation5 keeps their interest at a high level an "akes the" a!are of the benefits they can achieve uring any session.

FORMAL TRAININ!
)haracters can gain skills through for"al training5 !hich inclu es anything that is thought by a teacher or institution. ,or"al training pro uces ocu"entation that a skill has been learne . &his fact is usually uni"portant but can "ake a ifference. A character !ith "e ical skill learne uring co"bat "ight not Bualify as a QgenuineQ octor an a character !ho learne to fly an air>raft by bringing in s"uggle goo s "ight not Bualify for a riverOs license5 even though highly skille .
"asks for *ormal "rainin!

Successfully gaining training reBuires successfully co"pleting three separate tasksA Tas3 ' 1 +in&ing the !ppropriate +or"al Training A character nee s to fin a training environ"ent. &he "aterials epen on the type of training5 subMect "atter an uration. &he player "ust eter"ine the facilities an setting an convey that to the referee5 !ho "ust eal !ith the search for those facilities. &o fin for"al training in a particular subMectA NDifficulty]5 Applicable skill. Nti"e taken] 4eferee6 &his task shoul be a Muste for each course of for"al training. &i"e taken is in hours on high pop !orl 5 3 hours on a "o erate !orl an $ hours on a lo! population !orl . Difficulty is routine on a "o erate population !orl 5 si"ple on a high population !orl an ifficult on a lo! population !orl . Making this task "ore ifficult are rare skills =a ea language?5 un er!orl skills =bribery or forgery?5 !rong tech co e =trying to 7ravitics on a pre:in ustrial !orl ?5 !rong la! co e =trying to learn to use auto"atic !eapons !here they are restricte ?5 prestigious schools =!here not everyone can "eet the high stan ar s for a "ission?5 special "aterials nee e for stu y =such as ca avers for "e ical training? or inappropriate !orl physical characteristics =a vacuu" !orl for Met pilot training?. &he opposite con itions !oul ten to "ake this task si"pler. &he referee "ust balance the circu"stances an eci e upon the final task ifficulty for each case. So"e skills "ight be use as "o ifiers for this task5 epen ing on the type of for"al training esire . )o"puter skill "ight "ake it easier to fin co"puter:ai e instruction soft!are for a particular skill. Street!ise skill coul help a character fin so"eone !illing to teach a co"ponent of the #ice casca e skill. A "in coul help a character cut through the re tape in applying for school a "ission. A character using Persuasion coul convince a tutor to take on a ne! stu ent. (ntervie! coul help eter"ine a potential tutorOs real level of e4pertise in a subMect.

&he ti"e uration for this task also varies consi erably5 epen ing on circu"stances. At the upper li"it5 so"e university courses "ight reBuire a character to apply up to a year before the course starts. ,in ing Must the right person to teach a skill coul easily take a year. (f a tutor is use 5 he "ust be Bualifie both in the esire skill an as an instructor. He can teach the character the esire skill up to one less than his level in that skill or his (nstruction skill5 !hichever is lo!er. ,or e4a"ple5 a ship"ate !ith (nstruction:3 an -avigation:3 coul teach so"e else up to a level of -avigation:1. Alternatively5 if the ship"ate ha (nstruction:3 an -avigation:35 the stu ent coul still learn only -avigation:1 fro" that instructor. ( eally5 the referee !ill create a s"all scenario for the player to a venture in !hile fin ing the people an eBuip"ent he nee s for this task. &he referee can see to it that not only is the character serious about learning5 but that the player also has a goo ti"e on the !ay to a higher level of skill. (n so"e circu"stances5 this task coul be haVar ous5 fateful or non:repeatable. Tas3 6 1 ,taying Deter"ine& &uring Training Staying eter"ine once training has begun is har er for so"e than for others. Many characters "ake plans but fail to follo! through on the"5 Must as people in real life so"eti"es run out of stea" before they finish a proMect. .ne thing necessary for successful for"al training is consistency5 an characters "ust be !illing to apply the"selves for the entire uration of the training to get the benefit. A character that gives up on a course half !ay through !ill get little fro" his goo intentions. Deter"ination is calculate as the su" of the bonus fro" both (-& an +-D &o stay eter"ine uring a course of stu yA Routine5 Deter"ination5 39 hours 4eferee6 &his task varies5 epen ing upon the type of for"al training un ertaken. A typical course of stu y shoul average 399 hours in lengthF this "ight consist of $9 hours per !eek in a five:!eek intensive courseF t!o hours of lecture per !eek over a perio of t!o yearsF a university class that "eets three hours per !eek !ith outsi e !ork of seven hours per !eek over a perio of t!enty !eeksF or self:stu y or co"puter:ai e instruction of one hour per !eek ay for $9 !eeks. (f the character fails5 the ti"e uration roll eter"ines ho! long the character spent before losing interest in the training. (n the !orst case5 the character coul spen the entire a"ount of ti"e =or even e4tra stu y ti"e? but never really apply hi"self uring that perio an so not be eligible for the ne4t roll5 as escribe belo!. .ptionally the stu y can be broken into blocks of 39:$9 hours an a separate eter"ination check "a e for each bock5 the ti"e perio of the block only counts to!ar s the reBuire ti"e =3 * L 39? if the roll !as successful. &here is usually a ti"e li"it =say "a4 ti"e L 1.'? by !hich a character has to finish a for"al course before they are assu"e to have faile . Tas3 7 1 o"plete& +or"al Training (f a character fin s for"al training an applies hi"self to the full course of stu y5 he "ay gain or increase his level of e4pertise in a skill. .ccasionally5 ho!ever5 an unfortunate character !ill not "aster the "aterial espite having one the !ork.

&o co"plete for"al training an gain a skillA Difficult5 Relate skill5 (nstruction. 4eferee6 A character !ho has foun training an has staye eter"ine is eligible to fin out if he successfully a s to his repertoire of skills fro" the training. Relate skill is the skill being stu ie F a character trying to learn Robotics:$ coul use his Robotics:3 skill as a DM. Pilot:3 =!hich can be use as shipOs boat:3? can use in an atte"pt to learn ShipOs 1oat:3. &he referee "ay eter"ine that other skills "ay also be applicableA a character stu ying 7ravitics coul benefit fro" prior kno!le ge of Physics an a character training in (nterrogation coul benefit fro" the levels he has earne in (ntervie!. &he referee "ust eci e on a case by case basis !hich skills can be use . .nly one5 ho!ever5 can be use F a character !ith co"puter:3 an electronics:3 coul not use both skills to "o ify a roll to learn robotics. &he (nstruction skill for this task is that of the teacher rather than that of the stu ent. A character stu ying legal fro" so"eone !ith instruction:3 has a DM of D3 for this roll. (f the character alrea y ha so"e level of the pertinent skill5 success in this task !ill give hi" an increase of 1 level in that skill5 to a "a4i"u" skill level of $. (f the character i not have the skill to any egree5 success !ill give hi" that skill at level 9.
Costs for *ormal "rainin!

.n the average5 for"al training costs appro4i"ately )r' L=level esire D1? per hour. &his figure "ust be a Muste by the referee base on the specific circu"stances for each case.
"rainin! for Characteristic Impro$ement

)haracters can choose to un ertake for"al training to increase the values of their physical an "ental characteristics to a "a4i"u" of 1' in each characteristic. &he proce ure is i entical to that use above but the value of the characteristic is use for the DM for the co"pletion task. A characteristic cannot increase by "ore than D1 for each ga"e year. ,or e4a"ple5 a character coul regularly lift !eights to i"prove his strengthF he coul stu y fencing to i"prove his e4terity or he coul run regularly to i"prove his en urance.

SELF TRAININ!
)haracters can gain skills through Self:training5 !hich inclu es anything that is Must watching an oingA self:stu y5 stu y at ho"e5 rea ing5 or co"puter instruction.
"asks for Self "rainin!

Successfully gaining training reBuires successfully co"pleting three separate tasksA Tas3 ' 1 +in&ing the !ppropriate ,elf Training Material A character nee s to fin a training course. &he "aterials epen on the type of training5 subMect "atter an uration. &o fin a Self training course in a particular subMectA

NDifficulty]5 Applicable skill. Nti"e taken] 4eferee6 &his task shoul be a Muste for each course of Self:training. Difficulty is routine on a "o erate population !orl 5 si"ple on a high population !orl an ifficult on a lo! population !orl . &i"e taken is in hours on high pop !orl 5 3 hours on a "o erate !orl an $ hours on a lo! population !orl . Making this task "ore ifficult are rare skills5 un er!orl skills5 !rong tech co e5 !rong la! co e5 special "aterials nee e for stu y or inappropriate !orl physical. &he opposite con itions !oul ten to "ake this task si"pler. &he referee "ust balance the circu"stances an eci e upon the final task ifficulty for each case. So"e skills "ight be use as "o ifiers for this task5 epen ing on the type of Self: training esire . )o"puter skill on a suitably high tech. 8orl =tl 2D? "ight "ake it easier to fin co"puter:ai e instruction soft!are for a particular skill. &he Buality of self:training instruction varies !ith the roll "a e to fin the course Roll ReBuire ReBuire D3 ReBuire D$ ReBuire D* 8nstruction e*uivalent DM :1 9 D1 D3

Tas3 6 1 ,taying Deter"ine& &uring Training Staying eter"ine uring self:training is har er than for"al instruction. Many characters "ake plans but fail to follo! through on the"5 Must as people in real life so"eti"es run out of stea" before they finish a proMect. .ne thing necessary for successful self:training is consistency5 an characters "ust be !illing to apply the"selves for the training to get the benefit. A character that gives up on a course half !ay through !ill get little fro" his goo intentions. &otal ti"e for self:stu y course 3D* 4 39 hours As it is ifficult for a stu ent to kno! ho! long self:training takes5 roll each 39h ti"e ice separately only !hen the character has achieve the ti"e reBuire by the previous roll. &o stay eter"ine uring a course of self:stu yA Difficult5 Deter"ination +DU Roll eter"ination every 19 hours stu yF only count those hours that the character succee e to!ar s co"pleting the course.

Tas3 7 1 o"plete& ,elf Training (f a character fin s self:training an applies hi"self to the full course of stu y5 he "ay atte"pt to gain or increase his level of e4pertise in a skill5 this is har er for self training than for"al training &o co"plete Self training an gain a skillA Difficult5 Relate skill or Stat5 (nstruction eBuivalent DM. 4eferee6 (f successful one level of skill is gaine 5 other!ise 3 Ats are gaine Relate skill is the skill being stu ie F a character trying to learn Robotics:$ coul use his Robotics:3 skill as a DM. Pilot:3 =!hich can be use as shipOs boat:3? can use in an atte"pt to learn ShipOs 1oat:3. &he referee "ay eter"ine that other skills "ay also be applicableA a character stu ying 7ravitics coul benefit fro" prior kno!le ge of Physics an a character training in (nterrogation coul benefit fro" the levels he has earne in (ntervie!. &he referee "ust eci e on a case by case basis !hich skills can be use . .nly one5 ho!ever5 can be use F a character !ith co"puter:3 an electronics:3 coul not use both skills to "o ify a roll to learn robotics. (f the character alrea y ha so"e level of the pertinent skill5 success in this task !ill give hi" an increase of 1 level in that skill5 to a "a4i"u" skill level of $. (f the character i not have the skill to any egree5 success !ill give hi" that skill at level 9.
Costs for Self "rainin!

Self:training costs '99 cr L =level esire D1? L by a level 1:' representing the "aterial reBuire"ents. &his figure "ust be a Muste by the referee base on the specific circu"stances for each case.
"rainin! for Characteristic Impro$ement

)haracters can choose to un ertake Self:training to increase the values of their physical an "ental characteristics to a "a4i"u" of 1' in each characteristic. &he proce ure is i entical to that use above but the value of the characteristic is use for the DM for the co"pletion task. A characteristic cannot increase by "ore than D1 for each ga"e year. ,or e4a"ple5 a character coul regularly lift !eights to i"prove his strengthF he coul stu y fencing to i"prove his e4terity or he coul run regularly to i"prove his en urance.
Chan!es to Social Standin!

Social Stan ing is an e4ception to these rulesF it cannot be increase by for"al training or e4perience an reBuires significant cash e4pen itures an conseBuent changes in lifestyle to Qbeco"eQ part of the esire social class. (f a character !ishes to "aintain a ne! higher level of spen ing in an atte"pt to per"anently raise his social stan ing5 he "ust spen as "uch as his esire social stan ing !oul reBuire for the course of a year. At the en of the year5 the characterOs social stan ing increases by one. Ho!ever5 this techniBue cannot be use to gain noble status.

Ma)imum number of skills

&he su" of all a character@s skill levels cannot e4cee the su" of their +DU an (-&. (f they gain skill levels that !oul break that li"it they nee to loose points fro" other skills until they reach that level. &he nu"ber of per"anent level 9 skills that a character can have cannot e4cee the greater of half either their (-& or +DU =roun up? each level 9 skill they have beyon that counts as a level 1 skill !hen eter"ining the "a4i"u" nu"ber of skills.
*ree "ime A$ailable

A character cannot spen all their hours stu ying. )haracters perfor"ing a Mob as !ell as stu ying have less ti"e available than those stu ying full ti"e. )haracters stu ying full ti"e have 2 hours> ay )haracters !orking5 such as starship cre! have to fin ti"e to stu y>!ork out &o fin ti"e to stu y !hile cre!ing a starship Routine Nskill relate to Mob] .n success the character has 3 hours per ay available .n e4ceptional success the character has $ hours per ay available .n failure the character only has 3 hours per ay &he 7M can a Must those figures epen ing on the characters !orkloa