The document provides information about an open beta playtest for the Entropy Roleplaying Game system. It details different reward tiers for participants who download the playtest packet and provide feedback or take additional steps like running games. The higher tiers include more substantial rewards like additional PDF products. Feedback is crucial for improving the system before full publication.
The document provides information about an open beta playtest for the Entropy Roleplaying Game system. It details different reward tiers for participants who download the playtest packet and provide feedback or take additional steps like running games. The higher tiers include more substantial rewards like additional PDF products. Feedback is crucial for improving the system before full publication.
The document provides information about an open beta playtest for the Entropy Roleplaying Game system. It details different reward tiers for participants who download the playtest packet and provide feedback or take additional steps like running games. The higher tiers include more substantial rewards like additional PDF products. Feedback is crucial for improving the system before full publication.
ENTROPY Roleplaying Game abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz Mark Stevens (order #6206817) Open Beta V2.0 Playtest Packet Welcome to the Entropy Roleplaying Game open beta playtest. This packet contains the core rules for the new Entropy Roleplaying Game system for the purpose of testing the design and game mechanics before full publication. By downloading a copy of this Open Beta Playtest, you are showing interest in the Entropy RPG system and we truly appreciate it! However, if you follow through with the playtest and offer feedback, we have a series of rewards available to you. The rewards for following up to this playtest packet are sort of the like the rewards to a Kickstarter campaign. The more you do, the more youll get back in return. However, unlike Kickstarter, you dont need to pay anything for these rewards, just communicate your feedback to us. Before getting started with our reward tiers, Id like to note that all feedback for this Open Beta Playtest should be e-mailed to:
aaron@mysticalthrone-ent.com
along with the subject line Entropy Open Beta Playtest.
- or
You can post your feedback in our private Entropy RPG forums at:
http://entropyrpg.boards.net/
These forums are private and by invitation only. Thus, if you want to join the forums, youll have to send us a message via e-mail or Facebook. Well then send you an invitation into the forums. This way you can get credit for what youve done and in turn earn your rewards! However, before getting started, Id like to make the following notations regarding this playtest packet: 1. This is just a playtest packet. It has not been edited, it has not gone through layout, and it doesnt have much artwork to speak of. Please overlook any editing and grammatical mistakes and know that the final product will be a full publication. However, if you notice drastic errors, such as a mathematical error, feel free to put that in your feedback. Otherwise, were not worried about the rest as it will be taking place in parallel to the playtest. 2. Each playtest packet has a version number. Please note the version number at the top and the change log at the end of the preface. This way you can always be sure to have the most recent packet. 3. Honesty is the best policy. We value honest feedback and a game system cant get any better when people dont provide their honest feedback. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) Also, dont be afraid to be honest; feedback doesnt need to be glowing with positive things for the system to get better. 4. Provide us with your information. If you wish to be credited as a playtester, we need your name and the names of all other participants in your gaming group that were a part of the playtest. You are welcome to use nicknames instead of regular names. 5. Updates will be posted bi-weekly. When applicable, updates to the Open Beta playtest packet will be posted every other Friday. If there are no updates, then no new packet will be posted. 6. Entropy will be OGL. Although the Open Beta playtest doesnt fall under the Open Game License, the final product will. However, no content from the playtest is usable in an OGL fashion. 7. Dont keep it secret. You are welcome to tell the world about this Open Beta playtest along with sending the PDF to whoever wants it. However, if another recipient wishes to receive one of the reward tiers, they will need to download it properly and follow-up with a feedback e-mail. Here are the different reward tiers for this Open Beta Playtest: WATCHER As a watcher, you download the Open Beta playtest packet and spread the word about its existence. You are rewarded with our esteemed thanks and updated versions of the playtest packet as they come out (see the version number above). INTERESTED PARTY As an interested party, you have not only downloaded the Open Beta playtest packet, but youve read through it. To fulfill this reward tier, all we ask is that you provide feedback. This feedback needs to be constructive and have some type of value attached to it. Things like I really like this, dont qualify, but telling us what mechanics you like the most, what you dislike the most, what you dont think will work, and what you think works really well is very helpful. This feedback must be provided to the above e-mail address by August 31, 2014 to be eligible. After that time, well have moved on to the other reward tiers and updated the packet according to the feedback received. For fulfilling this reward tier, you are entitled to a free copy of the final Entropy core rulebook PDF. PLAYER As a player, you have downloaded the Open Beta playtest packet, read through it, and created a character. To fulfill this reward tier, we ask that you provide some type of feedback along with a scanned or typed copy of the character you created. Fully fleshed-out characters with short backgrounds even qualify for the NPC Guide to be released at a later time for Pay What You Want. Your name will even be added as a contributor to the book and a free copy will be sent to you. This character must be provided by September 30, 2014 to be eligible. After that time, well have moved on to the other reward tiers and updated the packet according to the feedback received. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) For fulfilling this reward tier, you are entitled to a free copy of the final Entropy core rulebook PDF plus one free PDF of your choice from Mystical Throne Entertainments currently available products. GAMEMASTER As a Gamemaster, you have downloaded the Open Beta playtest packet, read through it, assisted your players in creating characters, and run the introductory adventure or an adventure of your own design. To fulfill this reward tier, we ask that you provide feedback regarding the adventure you ran and the characters involved in it. If you created your own adventure, we ask that you provide information about it so that we can discern what type of genre and subgenre was involved. This feedback needs to be detailed and should provide enough information so that we can extract updates needed or gain an understanding of how well something worked in the adventure style you chose. This feedback must be provided by October 31, 2014 to be eligible. After that time, well have moved on to the other reward tiers and updated the packet according to the feedback received. For fulfilling this reward tier, you are entitled to a free copy of the final Entropy core rulebook PDF plus three free PDFs of your choice from Mystical Throne Entertainments currently available products. GM REVIEWER As a GM Reviewer, youve done everything a Gamemaster is required to do plus youve posted a review of your experience on your blog or website or some other location where RPG reviews are to be found. In addition to the Gamemaster requirements, proof of the review being posted must be provided by November 15, 2014 to be eligible. After that time, the Open Beta playtest will have mostly ended and well be finishing with clean-up. For fulfilling this reward tier, you are entitled to everything the Gamemaster gets plus a free printed copy of the final Entropy core rulebook. This can be substituted with a free printed copy of any other product of comparable value from Mystical Throne Entertainments currently available products. PROMOTER As a Promoter, youve done everything a Gamemaster is required to do plus youve run at least one game at a gaming convention. In addition to the Gamemaster requirements, proof of running Entropy at a convention must be provided by December 31, 2014 to be eligible. After that time, the core rulebook should be available for purchase. For fulfilling this reward tier, you are entitled to a free PDF copy of any or all of Mystical Throne Entertainments products plus a printed copy of the final Entropy core rulebook or any other product of comparable value from our currently available products.
Promoters wishing to run Entropy at conventions after the Open Beta playtest is complete should contact us directly to inquire about rewards for doing so outside of the playtest. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) All dates listed above are subject to change. They will not be pulled in, but they may be pushed out. This will be reflected in updated playtest packets and noted in the Change Log. CHANGE LOG 1.0 Initial release of the Open Beta playtest packet. 1.1 (1) Fixed the wording of Equipment > Armor as the entry was confusing; previous entry was more for flavor and less for mechanical representation. (2) Rolls on the Injury Table were moved from the Injured status to the Incapacitated status; previous entry would force too many rolls on the Injury Table. (3) Fixed a major error under Game Mecahnics > Fall; the damage is doubled if the surface IS jagged, not isnt. (4) Boating was added as a Suggested Skill to the Marine entry as marines should also understand boating. (5) Added Add +2 to Damage as a Hero Point option. (6) Changed Add +d6 to Damage Hero Point option to Add +d4 to Damage as +d6 seemed a bit too much. This same change was made to Mounted Combat damage. (7) Added the opposed roll combination to the Dodge option in combat (using Agility + Athletics) as a quick reference. (8) Added the opposed roll combinations to the Parry option in Combat (using Agility + Melee or Strength + Melee, depending on the weapon) as a quick reference. (9) Repairing armor was changed to Mechanical Healing; this was the original intent, but now its properly stated as such. (10) Game Mechanics > Called Shots had a reference to the Dice Pool, but this should say the Skill Roll. (11) Expanded the brief Qualities and Hero Point introduction under Introduction > Characters to note that Qualities provide Hero Points which can then be immediately spent to gain a bonus to the action being performed. (12) Expanded some of the Attribute descriptions. (13) Further clarified that a cooperative characters roll is done at the Average difficulty to provide the +2 to the lead characters Skill Roll. (14) Modified the Group Rolls so that spending a Hero Point increases that characters skills die type. (15) Changed the Quality Hero Point relationship so that negative Qualities allow the character to stockpile Hero Points while Hero Points from positive Qualities must be spent immediately; further clarification was given to neutral Qualities. (16) Reorganized the Blast Zone entries under Equipment for easier referencing. (17) Expanded the sample Qualities from playtest feedback. (18) Changed Target Number to 9 and all modifiers only apply to the Skill Roll, not the Target Number. (19) Added the option to Add +d6 to a Skill Roll as a Hero Point option. (20) Added the option to Increase Initiative by +d6 as a Hero Point option. (21) Fixed error under Game Mechanics > Travel that read a -4d6 penalty that should have been a -4 penalty. (22) Fixed error under Game Mechanics > Prone that read a -6d6 penalty that should have been a -6 penalty. (23) Fixed some of the damage ratings in the Powers chapter. 2.0 (1) Changed the official name from Entropy to Entropy Roleplaying Game. (2) Added the option to provide feedback via the Entropy RPG Forums. (3) Added a second Attribute creation method for purchasing Attribute values. (4) Added a note that guidance for Racial Templates is provided in Game Mastering. (5) Expanded the Delay action in combat to note what happens Mark Stevens (order #6206817) when the character wishes to interrupt someones action. (6) Added the combat option to Ready an Action. (6) Added a notation about using $ throughout the core rulebook. (7) Added the option to start with no free gear and $500 instead of free gear and $200. (8) The mechanics for area effect weapons was streamlined and better clarified with a new entry under Equipment > Weapon Types > Area Effect. (9) Changed the Defense secondary attribute to Half Agility plus four, plus armor. (10) Fixed the sorcerer Bestiary entry. (11) Changed Automatic Success from die types to the sum of those die types. (12) Changed the Critical Success mechanics to when both dice roll the same number and the Skill Roll succeeds. (13) Changed the Critical Failure mechanics to when both dice roll the same number and the Skill Roll fails. (14) Adjusted character advancement costs. (15) Changed the outnumbered mechanics so that the Aggressor gets a +2 bonus to Attack Rolls. (16) Increased Character Creation skill points from 15 to 18. (17) Removed excessive wording under Semiautomatic and Three- Round Burst. (18) Removed the Heavy Weapon trait as its setting-specific and not required for the base mechanics. (19) Added the Armor Piercing trait to weapons. (20) Changed wording for Medium and Large Shield and Pot Helm. (21) Removed Head coverage for chain mail as it wouldnt cover the head 100%. (22) Updated the wording for Game Mechanics > Failure to reflect that a failure could mean a success with a consequence. (23) Expanded the Suppressive Fire mechanics. (24) Added the engage combat action. (25) Further clarified the disengage and retreat combat actions. (26) Added the Natural Weapon ability description in the Bestiary. (27) Added the Fear ability to additional entries in the Bestiary. (28) Added Critical Success and Critical Failure mechanics to rolling when Incapacitated. (29) Medical healing was revised to add that healing within the first hour may be done once by each healer. (30) Added reasons to end a Chase scene. (31) Changed the Heroic Dice Pool Fear Dice Pool relationship so that the Heroic Dice Pool can begin once the Fear Dice Pool has been depleted. (32) Added notation that Fatigue penalties are cumulative with Wound Penalties. (33) Further clarified that power casting rolls are considered Attack Rolls. (34) Further clarified that multiple Powers Qualities are possible. (35) Powers > Hierophant > Retaliation was reworded. (36) Reworded the Powers > Super Hero entry to better convey the original intent of the entry. (37) Further clarified Duration on several Powers entries. (38) Further clarified how to resist a power. (39) Added a variable Difficulty to the banish and exorcise powers to compensate for a beings stature. (40) Powers that use template attacks have been further clarified to use the (new) Area Effect mechanics. (41) In Powers, Magnitude has no effect has been changed to Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. (42) Further clarified the use of the deflect power. (43) Further clarified Duration (Instant) for conjured items. (44) Revised the mechanics of the farsight power. (45) Completed the text for the illusion power. (46) Revised the mechanics for the outmaneuver combat action. (47) Revised the mechanics for the protect power. (48) Further clarified the Resistance trait of powers. (49) Further clarified the restore power. (50) Further clarified the summon ally and animal powers. (51) Further clarified Mark Stevens (order #6206817) the teleport power. (52) Added a containment option to the ward power. (53) Added the option to remove Fatigue with the restore power. (54) Further clarified calculating Health for minions and added an example in the Bestiary. (55) Further clarified calculating Health when Strength or Vitality is d12+x and added an example in the Bestiary. (56) Added the Animal Intelligence ability in the Bestiary. (57) Added the option to increase Skills with the enhance power. (58) Added the option to alter existing Qualities when they contradict a newly purchased Quality. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) Entropy Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook Open Beta Playtest
BY Aaron T. Huss
EDITING Not Quite Yet
LAYOUT Eventually
COVER ARTWORK Algol
INTERIOR ARTWORK Tams Baranya
CARTOGRAPHY Tams Baranya, Steve Hood, Simon Powell
Table of Contents Introduction 8 Character Creation 13 Equipment 32 Game Mechanics 43 Powers 70 Game Mastering 89 Bestiary 99 Midnight Marauders (Introductory Adventure) 113 Character Sheet 128 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 8
Introduction: Entropy RPG entropy [en-truh-pee] noun 1. a statistical measure of the disorder of a closed system 2. lack of pattern or organization; disorder 3. a measure of the efficiency of a system in transmitting information 4. the design measurement of a tabletop role-playing game system to provide more opportunities using fewer options Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. There are those who wield weapons of great power, smiting their foes in close combat. Others use guns of incredible technology to disintegrate their adversary as soon as they see the whites of their eyes. Or maybe these heroes call upon the gifts of the arcane, throwing spells to set their targets ablaze. No matter whom they are or what their weapon of choice is, these heroes fight to save their people and bring order back to a chaotic world. But what do these heroes look like? Are they simple humans? Maybe stout dwarves. Maybe they come from far away planets. Or maybe they come from deep inside the lands others inhabit, moving around underground without rousing the suspicion of those on top. Whoever they are, whatever they look like, and whatever tools they use, they all have a heroic story to tell. The Entropy Roleplaying Game (Entropy) attempts to provide players and Gamemasters with the tools they need to tell those heroic stories. There are many ways to tell heroic tales through game systems. Entropy is one of those game systems, presenting a tabletop role-playing experience where players live heroic lives through the use of player characters within their imagination that is. They gather around a table with their friends, creating a story of epic deeds, near- misses, quick escapes, and possible failures. But all of this comes together as a living story driven by the decisions of the players and the characters they control. Like many tabletop role-playing games, Entropy focuses on the story and the characters by providing them with the options necessary to keep the story moving forward. Successful actions are meant to be heroic while failure can be horrific. Characters can come alive through a simple yet powerful creation system that provides the options players need to create the characters they truly want. Want to create a spell slinging samurai? Done! Looking for a stealthy investigator with shady contacts? Absolutely! How about a charismatic acrobat who specializes in infiltration? Yes! For players, Entropy not only provides the options for creating virtually any character type, its modular enough that additional options can be added to simulate the game world the player characters are in. For Gamemasters, it provides scaling options for different setting genres along with modular and optional rules to better represent that setting. The system can be ramped up to super heroic levels or turned down to survival horror levels. Why Entropy? Whats provided herein is a collection of options, creating a base series of game mechanics, that can be mixed and matched to create the desired outcome according to the users desires. Instead of creating definitive solutions for Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 9
every possible game action, Entropy provides the options, and players and Gamemasters create the desired effect by combining those options in different ways. We provide the basic mechanics, you determine how those mechanics are organized to fit your game, setting, adventure, campaign, and characters. Whenever a game mechanic is first mentioned, it appears in Bold lettering. Players and Gamemasters Entropy is best played with three or more people. One person takes on the role of the Gamemaster (GM) while all others are referred to as players. Players are those that take control of the Player Characters (PCs) that are the stars of the story being told. While one would assume the PCs are the protagonists of the story, it is possible for them to play the role of the antagonists too, depending on the game style chosen by the group. The PCs are the focus of the game and the ones that drive the action of the story. It is their actions and decisions that affect the games outcome. GMs are the ones who take control of all other characters within the story called Non-Player Characters (NPCs); this includes humanoids, villains, allies, contacts, friends, family, monsters, aliens, deities, spirits, and every type of living obstacle the PCs are requested to overcome. They are the keeper of the games secrets, the arbiter of the games rules, and the controller of everything that happens behind the scenes. Being a GM can be a daunting task, but it can also be very rewarding as you watch the PCs explore the world or campaign youve created, telling an incredible story. There is only one dominating rule the GM needs to abide by: the rules are meant as guidelines, not definitive answers. The GM is free to modify the rules at any time to conform to a given situation or the setting she has created. If she doesnt like a rule, she can throw it out and create a new one. Although players are encouraged to be part of the rules decision, the GM is the final arbiter of how that rule is implemented in the game shes running. CHARACTERS All PCs and NPCs are characters. Each one is constructed using a base set of trait mechanics regardless of what they look like. These base mechanics start with Attributes. Attributes are the core abilities of every character, defining their inherent capabilities and capacity for performing certain deeds. Adding to these Attributes are Skills. Skills define where a character excels in due to training or education. PCs and NPCs have a trait called Qualities. Qualities are role-playing opportunities for acquiring Hero Points which can then be immediately spent to gain a bonus to the action being performed. These Qualities are defined by the player or GM and are unique to that character although some characters can have the same or similar Qualities. Hero Points are a characters way of performing truly heroic deeds, changing the story in favorable ways, or modifying a Skill Roll. Some characters have Powers. Powers are supernatural abilities that include magical spells, super powers, technological gadgets, and gifts from the gods. Most characters have Gear. Gear is the equipment one uses for combat and everyday things including armor, weapons, and mundane items. Finally, for non-humanoid Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 10
characters such as monsters and aliens there are Abilities. Abilities are inherent features of a creatures race, composition, or physical and mental capabilities. These are the features PCs often have to overcome during conflicts. DICE Entropy uses dice to add an element of randomness to all characters. Although all characters are composed of traits, these traits translate to the dice used when performing actions under stressful conditions. Entropy requires 4-sided, 6-sided, 8- sided, 10-sided, and 12-sided dice, abbreviated as d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12 respectively. Each player should have at least two of each; the GM may want to have twice that. These dice are rolled to determine the success or failure of the action the character is attempting when success is uncertain and failure has consequences. When required to roll two of the same dice, an entry will appear like 2d8 meaning the player rolls two 8-sided dice. When required to roll two different dice, an entry will appear like d6+d8 meaning the player rolls one 6-sided die plus one 8-sided die. When a dice roll is required, Entropy uses a combination of a characters Attributes and Skills, as defined by the action they are performing, rolling the Attributes die and adding it to the Skills die. This is explained in much more detail in Game Mechanics. The value of these rolls is summed and compared to the Target Number. If the roll is equal to or higher than a Target Number, which for most actions equals 9, after applying Difficulty Modifiers to the resulting dice roll assessed by the GM, the roll is considered a success. During Opposed Rolls, whoever rolls the highest is the winner. In case of a tie, the Defender always wins as the Aggressors roll becomes the Defenders Target Number. During Unopposed Rolls, the character must simply beat a static Target Number. Of course, this is only when a roll is necessary as sometimes the GM simply claims an action is an Automatic Success. ON THE TABLETOP Players and GMs spend most of their time constructing the games story through interactive storytelling. During this time, the PCs surroundings and the actions of those around them are retold verbally. Social interaction is role-played and much of the story moves along through the words of the GM and the decisions of the PCs. However, when it comes time to resolve a conflict using combat, it may be easier to picture the scene using miniatures on the tabletop. Entropy does not require the use of miniatures. Players and GMs that are comfortable running combat through the minds eye are encouraged to do so, allowing the PCs to make full use of their surroundings. If allowed, players may even define objects near their PC that can be used to that PCs advantage. Those who want a more visual display of combat and a static definition of the environment are encouraged to draw out the scene, or use a battle mat, and resolve the combat through the use of miniatures. Entropy embraces both of these options by listing all ranges in feet. When translating this to the tabletop for use with miniatures, five feet equals one inch [5 ft = 1 in.]. This is a very common scale for battle mats and miniatures most 25mm and 28mm miniatures work well with this scale. Although this is a common scale for battle mats, it translates the same way on freeform terrain (terrain without a square Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 11
grid). Movement follows the natural movement of a character and should never be tied down to a number of squares. However , when using a square grid, movement ignores additional mechanics for moving diagonally. One square away is always five feet away, no matter what direction it is. PREPARATION To finalize preparations for game play, players and GMs also need a Character Sheet (for players), an Adversary Sheet (for GMs), a pencil (because erasing is inevitable), and maybe some notebook paper for taking notes regarding the game. Everyone will need the dice listed above and if using the tabletop for combat resolution, everyone will need miniatures (plastic, metal, or paper). Additionally, tabletop combat will require something to represent the scene such as a battle mat, 3d terrain, or a square grid with dry/wet erase markers. Character and Adversary Sheets can be found in the back of this book or downloaded from the Mystical Throne Website at mysticalthrone-ent.com. Adventures, Campaigns, and Settings The purpose of an Entropy game is to tell a compelling story. These stories are told through single adventures or a collection of linked adventures called a campaign. Adventures can be resolved in a single game night or across four or five game nights. Campaigns can last many months or even years. Adventures and campaigns can be presented to the GM in a number of ways and include those written by the GM or taken from a published product. Short publications that describe the basic framework of an adventure, providing the key pieces the GM needs to run it, are called Entropic Tales. These Entropic Tales can be linked together to form longer adventures, used to run one-shot adventures in a single game night, or placed within a full campaign as part of the storyline or utilized between major plot points. Entropic Tales only offer a minimum amount of character experience, but still advance the characters as they reach higher levels. Campaigns published by Mystical Throne Entertainment include the campaign, source material, new adversaries, and often an accompanying fiction piece. Adventures longer than Entropic Tales but shorter than campaigns will be published periodically and follow their own format. Because Entropy is published under the Open Game License (OGL), Third Party Publishers may follow their own formats. GAME SETTINGS Entropy is a set of core mechanics written to accommodate any game genre, setting, and play style. GMs can take these core mechanics and create their own game setting or use a published setting. Under the use of the OGL, publishers and GMs are encouraged to create their own settings powered by Entropy. The Powered by Entropy logo can be acquired from Mystical Throne Entertainment by those who demonstrate the ability to create high quality publications for commercial purposes. The Fans of Entropy logo can be acquired from Mystical Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 12
Throne Entertainment for publications offered for free or general non-commercial purposes. CHOOSING A GENRE With the ease of adding and removing Skills, Qualities, Powers, Gear, and Abilities, Entropy allows you to create whatever game you want. This core rulebook mainly presents options for modern and basic fantasy settings, due to their prevalence across many settings, but dont feel tied down by these options. These have been chosen to keep the book simple and affordable. Any genre is possible including fantasy, horror, pulp, sci-fi, and super heroic. New Skill Specialties can be added or removed for the setting being created. New Qualities can be defined. New Gear can be spread throughout to give the PCs the tools they need to succeed. Powers can be flavored for whatever type of magic is in use. And of course, Abilities range widely according to the beasts of the world. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 13
Character Creation Characters are more than just a bunch of values and traits written on a character sheet. They have upbringings, back stories, and are an integral part of the games setting. However, before their stories can be told, they have to be constructed to interact with the core mechanics just like they interact with the setting. To make your hero, copy the Entropy character sheet in the back of this book or download one for free from our website. STEP ONE: CHARACTER CONCEPT Before building a character using the systems mechanics, it is advised to construct a character concept. This character concept has no mechanical advantage, but it helps to outline what your vision of that character is and what skills and abilities may be important. Character concepts can be as simple as Arcane Sorcerer or as detailed as Charismatic, Stealthy Investigator with a Shady Background. Whatever that concept is, it can then be translated onto your character sheet using the character creation process. STEP TWO: RACE Within Entropys core mechanics, humans are the basis for all modifiers, Attributes, Skills, and Qualities. While this means humans are treated as the most common race, it doesnt mean they have to be the only race. For purposes of character creation, all steps are based on creating heroic humans. If non-humans are available, GMs have the option to create a Racial Template that defines the basics of that race, providing additional direction during character creation. These races may vary in their available Qualities, but basic Attributes and Skills should change very little. Further guidance for Racial Templates is provided in Game Mastering. STEP THREE: ATTRIBUTES Attributes are the basic measurements of a characters abilities, defining how a character is capable of applying their skills. They have a value between d4 and d12. Each character has four d6s, two d8s, and two d10s to assign to their eight Attributes as they please. Additionally, they may decrease one d6 to a d4 in order to increase one d10 to a d12. (The average non-heroic human would have a d4 d6.) There are eight Attributes: Agility: Agility is a measurement of physical body movement. Charisma: Charisma governs different types of interaction with other parties. Intelligence: Intelligence represents a characters ability to think, remember, recall, and apply mental knowledge. Its used for the understanding, memorizing, and recollection of book-related knowledge. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 14
Perception: Perception measures the use of the five senses and a general understanding of those around the character. Psyche: Psyche reflects a characters emotion, morale, and power of the mind including applying advanced knowledge for particularly difficult tasks. Its used for creativity, engineering, and artistic forms of knowledge. Its also used to overcome mental influences. Spirit: Spirit represents a characters soul, faith, and essence. Its used to gauge a persons beliefs in an organization, religion, or greater entity and as a measurement of their dedication to those beliefs and their own morals. Its also used to overcome moral or religious influences. Strength: Strength represents a characters physical power and fitness. Vitality: Vitality is a characters ability to overcome physical influences. OPTIONAL ATTRIBUTE PURCHASING Instead of assigning static values to each Attribute, a purchasing method could be used. Each Attribute begins at d4 and has 18 points to distribute among them. It costs 1 point to move an Attribute from d4 to d6, 1 point to move it from d6 to d8, 2 points to move it from d8 to d10, and 3 points to move it from d10 to d12. Point costs are cumulative thus it costs 7 points to go from d4 to d12. STEP FOUR: SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES Secondary Attributes are those that do not have points assigned to them but rather are standards for a characters race or calculated from one or more Attributes. Combat Actions: All characters have 3 Combat Actions. Defense: Each character has a passive Defense score that must be overcome during combat; its used as the Aggressors Target Number during combat. This secondary attribute represents a characters natural affinity to shrug off an attack or absorb it with armor. During combat, a character may opt to use a Combat Action to make an Active Defense maneuver, such as Dodge or Parry, instead of risking their passive Defense score. Defense is equal to half the characters Agility die type plus four, plus any armor theyre wearing. Example: A character with Agility d8 and +1 armor has a Defense of 9. //sidebar// Agility Defense d4 6 d6 7 d8 8 d10 9 d12 10// Health: Health is a measurement of a characters mental and physical well- being and their ability to stay alive during combat. It can be reduced through physical damage, environmental stress, superficial wounds, and injuries. It is equal to Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 15
Vitality plus Strength. Example: A character with Vitality d8 and Strength d6 has a Health of 14. Hero Points: Hero Points are a type of currency players can use to modify stories to favor their characters, reroll unfavorable dice results, increase their Dice Pool size, move farther, or any number of possible bonuses. Hero Points are detailed further in Game Mechanics. Each PC begins with 3 Hero Points which refresh at the beginning of each game session. Initiative: Initiative is how quickly a character responds during combat, thus establishing an order of turns during each combat round. This static Initiative allows for combat to run a little quicker and allows players to create characters designed to strike first. Initiative is equal to Agility plus Intelligence plus Athletics. Characters without the Athletics skill simply do not add it, but still calculate Initiative using Agility and Intelligence. Example: A character with Agility d8, Intelligence d6, and Athletics d8 has an Initiative of 22. Language: Each character is fluent in their native language. Characters do not need to roll to interact with others who speak their native language as they speak and understand each other. For most settings, reading and writing go along with that fluency, but some settings incorporate mechanics for illiteracy. Optionally, a character may also understand a number of languages equal to half their Intelligence Value. Speed: All characters have a base speed of 30 ft. STEP FIVE: SKILLS Skills define a characters training and focused knowledge. They have a value between 0 and d12, with each Skill starting at 0 (considered untrained). Each character has 18 points to spend on Skills whereas purchasing a skill and increasing the die by 1 step costs 1 point at d4, d6, and d8, 2 points at d10, and 3 points at d12. STEP SIX: GEAR Gear is essential to a characters ability to survive within their game world. It allows them to perform their actions properly and is a critical component during combat. At character creation, each character is given the following: One free set of basic armor common to the setting. One free weapon that best represents the characters concept, attributes, and skills. This weapon should effectively represent what the character has been trained to use. One free adventuring kit to perform the most rudimentary actions within their setting or provide the most basic survival needs. Example: In a fantasy setting, this would include a water skin, bed roll, rope, and flint. In a modern investigative setting, this would include a cell phone with camera, gloves, fingerprinting kit, and maybe tweezers for picking up delicate items. $200 to spend on additional gear or save for in-game use. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 16
($) is utilized throughout for simplicity. The currency of the game should match the setting. Additionally, if players would rather purchase their starting gear instead of being given it, they receive no free gear, but get $500 to spend. STEP SEVEN: QUALITIES Qualities are role-playing hooks or character qualities and flaws for gaining additional Hero Points. When a character is able to apply one of their Qualities, he role-plays how that Quality is used and gains 1 Hero Point to be used immediately. Only one Quality can be used at a time, but each one can be used multiple times throughout the course of a game session if it applies to the situation. The GM is the final arbiter if the Quality feasibly applies to the situation. Each character chooses 5 Qualities which define role-playing aspects about their character or special abilities they exhibit. They may or may not completely follow the character concept. Qualities are explained further in this chapter. Qualities can be positive, negative, or neutral in design, but should somehow be usable in-game. Neutral qualities can be applied positively or negatively given different situations. Using positive Qualities provides Hero Points that must be spent immediately. Using negative Qualities provides Hero Points that can be spent later. When using a neutral Quality, the GM must assess if the character is being aided by the Quality or hindered. If hes being aided, the use of that Quality is considered positive. If hes being hindered, the use of that Quality is considered negative. STEP EIGHT: FINISHING TOUCHES With the characters mechanical details defined, its time to define everything else. Finishing touches include age, sex, motivations, home town or world, physical features, and possibly mental and emotional features. This is also a good time to bring together a group template that ties each character together, giving them a purpose for being a part of the game setting and the upcoming adventure or campaign. CHARACTER TYPES There are three basic types of characters. For purposes of character creation, players always create PCs and thus follow the above steps. For GMs, the process is the same with a couple minor modifications. Player Characters (PCs) are controlled by the players and range from simple folk to heroic figures. They are the main characters of the storyline and are actively working against the NPCs and minions. Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are controlled by the GM and encompass all types of people and beings that interact with the world and the PCs. They are constructed Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 17
similar to PCs with Hero Points and Qualities, but can have Attributes at 0 (because they dont possess that ability) or higher than d12 (e.g. d12+2). Minions are low-level NPCs controlled by the GM and encompass the most basic people, creatures, and beings that interact with the world and the PCs. They are constructed similar to PCs except their Health is halved [(Vitality + Agility)/2] and they do not have Hero Points or Qualities. Allies constructed as minions may optionally have Qualities. ARCHETYPES Entropy does not use character classes. Instead, it allows players to create whatever character concept desired that fits within their games setting. However, some may wish for guidance or examples and the following basic concepts are provided for that reason. Cleric: Clerics are pillars of many religions and religious organizations. They are the hardworking individuals that serve the priests and typically tend to the daily lives of the religions followers. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Healing, Knowledge, Performing Commander: Commanders are leaders within many types of military organizations. They give orders to subordinates and are responsible for the overall tactics those subordinates take. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Diplomacy, Firearms, Networking, Tracking Diplomat: Diplomats are the political figures for governments and federally- funded organizations. They are particularly skilled at speaking to audiences and always seem to know just the right words to say. Suggested Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge, Language, Networking, Streetwise Engineer: Engineers are designers of incredible gadgets that can either be usable by the general populace or specialized for sensitive applications. They know the ins and outs of their particular field of knowledge and are always called upon to determine whats gone wrong with that technology. Suggested Skills: Investigation, Knowledge, Repair, Science Skills Hunter: Hunters are experts with weapons and tracking prey. They can spot a target from amazing distances and know just the right direction to follow when searching for that target. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Firearms, Melee, Ranged, Tracking Investigator: Investigators are incredible when it comes to finding and decipher clues. They always know the right questions to ask and seem to have an instinct for knowing when someone is lying. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Interrogation, Investigation, Networking, Streetwise Marine: Marines are specially trained warriors within a military organization. They are often called upon for delicate missions and are frequently placed in dangerous situations. Suggested Skills: Athletics, Awareness, Boating, Firearms, Melee, Stealth, Survival, Tracking Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 18
Merchant: Merchants are experts and buying, selling, negotiating, and identifying goods and services. They know a great bargain when they see one and could probably sell anything to anyone, even if they dont need it. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy, Gambling, Networking, Streetwise Pilot: Expert pilots can practically fly an air craft with their eyes closed. They fully understand the cockpit and know the ins and outs of how their air craft function. Flying is simply second nature to them. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Piloting, Repair, Tracking Scout: Scouts are often well ahead of the rest of the group, watching out for danger, blazing a new trail, or following a target. They work hard to remain out of sight while spotting everything they can. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Herding, Ranged, Stealth, Survival, Tracking Sorcerer: Sorcerers are masters of the magical arts. They can create extraordinary feats with ease and awe even the greatest warriors with their supernatural talents. Suggested Skills: Arcana, Performing, Resist, Streetwise Thief: Thieves sneak in behind their targets to hit and run without being seen. They are masters at stealth tactics and survive by being quicker than their opponent. Suggested Skills: Acrobatics, Awareness, Deception, Gambling, Lock Picking, Melee, Stealth, Streetwise Skills Characters are defined by their Skills and how they apply them. How their skills are applied is represented by combining them with different Attributes to perform different actions. By allowing Skills to be combined with different Attributes, Entropy can utilize fewer skills, still maintain a variety of actions, and allow characters to feel different from one to another even though their Skill ratings may be the same. When required to make a dice roll, the chosen Skill is combined with a single Attribute to perform the desired action. Each skill is provided below with a description of its general use. Following that is a list of Attribute and Skill combinations that can be utilized for the given actions. Although these define particular actions, they are not the only combinations possible for those actions and many more combinations exist. SPECIALTIES Skills marked with a (*) contain specialties. Specialties are subsets of the given skill that define what aspect of that skill has been trained. Skills with Specialties cannot be taken without a Specialty. Specialties are written as Skill (Specialty) such as Knowledge (Poisons). Skill Specialties are typically setting dependent. Those provided herein are meant as examples. GMs will determine what Specialties apply within their setting. //sidebar// Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 19
DESIGN NOTE: SPECIALTIES The skills listed herein are those designed as a baseline for Entropy and meant for modern fantasy settings. If your setting is a blend of technologies that are not always readily available, skills without Specialties can have Specialties added to differentiate between the technology types and their difficulty of use. Example: For a sci-fi setting with helicopters and star fighters that require separate training, create specialties for the Piloting skill such as Air Craft and Space Craft. This way a character skilled in helicopters and airplanes has no training in starships. However, try to avoid adding so many options that the specialties become overwhelming.// UNTRAINED SKILLS Skills require training to be properly attempted by all PCs and NPCs. Characters that do receive training add the skills die type to the Attributes die type. Those who do not have training (effectively a value of 0) use only the appropriate Attribute. This represents the characters inability to perform the action without proper training. Skills that require Specialties cannot be performed untrained unless the character already possesses a Specialty closely related to the action being attempted. The character may then make an Attribute roll, essentially applying their Specialty indirectly to the action being performed. ACROBATICS Acrobatics is a measurement of a characters ability to perform acrobatic maneuvers that require finesse and precision. While Agility covers all basic physical movement, Acrobatics is used for specialized moves such as balancing on a beam, leaping across buildings, and running on unstable platforms. Its typically combined with Agility. ATHLETICS Athletics is a characters prowess in regards to performing physical activities. Its used for sports-related activities and actions that require movement mostly powered by the muscles. Athletic is also used for thrown weapons when combined with Strength. AWARENESS Awareness is a characters ability to detect things, by using the five senses, or understand the world around them, by interpreting others actions. It is used for observation as an opposed roll to Stealth and Deception. BOATING Boating is a characters ability to drive and sail boats along with all tasks necessary to operate a boat, such as tying knots and navigating the sea. CRAFTING* Specialties: Cartography, explosives, scrimshaw, weapons Crafting is a characters ability to create common and uncommon items associated with some type of art form or hand-crafting/forging. Items considered exotic to a Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 20
games setting can never be created by the PCs as the design is either foreign or simply unknown. DECEPTION Deception is a characters ability to mislead others through lying, trickery, or illusions. Success means the target believes what the character is saying or doing. Failure means the target does not believe it. Deception is typically opposed by Awareness. DIPLOMACY Diplomacy is used for all honest interaction between parties. As long as the character truly believes what they are saying, then Diplomacy is used. Diplomacy is typically combined with Charisma. FIREARMS Firearms is a characters ability to use projectile weapons that have some type of bullet, superheated element, or explosive. One-handed firearms use Agility while two-handed firearms use Strength. GAMBLING Gambling is used for all types of betting and gaming including cheating and detecting if others are cheating. When a group of individuals are gambling, whoever rolls highest using their Gambling skill is the winner. HEALING Healing is used to apply first aid and treat damage and trauma. It aids natural methods of healing, using medicine, and all other types of medical and psychological healing (as opposed to magical healing). Healing is discussed further in Game Mechanics. HERDING Herding allows a character to control and command animals, perform general husbandry, and ride mounted animals. Those that are non-domesticated are considered Hard (-4) while those that are domesticated but untrained are considered Challenging (-2). Upon successful Herding rolls, the animal moves from non-domesticated to untrained to trained. Herding exotic animals is considered Difficult (-6). INTIMIDATION Intimidation is a characters ability to pressure others into admitting something wrong or cracking under the pressure of the character. This can be used as a scare tactic during combat to break the willpower of an opponent. INVESTIGATION Investigation is used for searching through physical objects, media, libraries, open spaces, or electronic interfaces to gather information or clues and deciphering the clues that have already been found. To gather information from people, use the Streetwise skill. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 21
KNOWLEDGE* Specialties: Archaeology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, history, poisons, politics, theology Knowledge is a characters familiarity with specific scholarly subjects. It is used to recollect facts and apply the characters understanding of the subject to the task at hand. It can also be used for specific actions based on the specific subject such as debating, teaching, and creating. //sidebar// DESIGN NOTE: KNOWLEDGE The Knowledge Skill is for subjects that require additional education other than what the characters regularly receive growing up or is not considered tribal knowledge. Common Knowledge is used for anything the character should know due to their upbringing and doesnt require a knowledge skill or specialty. If a GM wishes for a character to make a roll against their common knowledge, use Intelligence x 2 with the standard Target Numbers.// LANGUAGE* Specialties: English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish Language is a characters knowledge of a language other than their native one. This includes speaking, understanding, writing, and reading. Each value of the Language skill represents how much the character has studied that language the higher the value, the more they know. LOCK PICKING Lock picking is a characters ability to bypass locks and security systems. This requires use of proper tools or handheld devices. Performing a Lock Picking action without proper tools is considered Hard (-4). MELEE Melee is a characters ability to use hand weapons for close combat (not throwing). It encompasses all types of melee weapons including improvised ones. One-handed melee weapons use Agility while two-handed weapons use Strength. NETWORKING* Specialties: Dockworkers, mafia, merchants, politicians, thieves Networking is a characters ability to recall facts about or utilize persons within specific organizations or generalized groups. It is a measurement of how well the character can interact with the chosen organization considering standard protocols, secret passwords, code words, hierarchy, and who the best contact is. OPERATING Operating is a characters ability to operate different types of land vehicles. For operating vehicles that are common-place to the setting, Operating rolls should only be used in stressful situations, such as during chase scenes. This can also be genre dependent in relation to how accessible certain land vehicles are. For example, driving a car in a modern setting is considered extremely accessible and common- place, rarely requiring an Operating roll. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 22
PERFORMING* Specialties: Act, cook, dance, paint, scribe, sing Performing is a characters ability to execute their familiarity of the performing arts. The chosen Attribute for Dice Pool rolls should match the art being performed in relation to what type of physical or mental requirements it has. PILOTING Piloting is a characters ability to operate different types of air and space craft. In many settings, controls are similar enough among different air and space craft that no specialties are required. However, the more extravagant a space craft becomes, the more it deviates from the design of an air craft. Piloting also applies to the use of mounted weapons on an air or space craft. RANGED Ranged is a characters ability to use simple missile weapons for combat such as bows, slingshots, and other non-firearm weapons. It is combined with Agility for weapons that operate on a trigger, such as a crossbow, and Strength for weapons that require the user to provide the tension to fire the missile, such as bows and slingshots. REPAIR Repair is a characters ability to fix anything common, mechanical, or simple, especially those items not covered by another skill. However, it can be combined with other skills, such as Operating, for more complicated repairs. Performing a Repair action without proper tools is considered Hard (-4). RESIST Resist is a characters ability to persevere through external stimuli that cause fatigue or mental stress. Its used to gauge responses to ones mind and mental well- being, faith and religion, and body due to environmental changes. These responses include resistance to intimidation, fear, and extreme climates. STEALTH Stealth is the ability to hide, move silently, and perform acts without others noticing. It is typically combined with Agility and opposed by Awareness. Stealth always requires a dice roll to avoid making too much noise or becoming easily visible. An unopposed roll is allowed until someone is actively watching for suspicious movement. However, when within the hearing range of an opponent, an opposed roll becomes required. During out-of-combat situations, a single Stealth action covers five times the characters speed. During combat, it covers a single round of movement. In out-of-combat group situations, only one Stealth roll is required per like group of characters, but at the lowest Stealth Ranking. Target numbers for Stealth actions depend on how the character is moving, what they are moving through, and the general ability to be seen. Moving quietly versus running makes a Stealth action easier as does moving through the dark versus out in the open near a light source. STREETWISE Streetwise is a characters ability to speak with willing people for the purpose of gathering information, following leads, or locating an individual. When appropriate, Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 23
offering a bribe may make the action easier. Streetwise is typically combined with Charisma. SURVIVAL Survival is the ability to stay alive by locating food and shelter. Each Survival dice roll provides enough food or ample shelter depending on how high the dice roll is. If the roll meets the Average Target Number, only one character benefits from the roll. If the roll meets the Challenging (-2) Target Number, two characters benefit from the roll. With each increasingly difficult Target Number, one additional character benefits from the Survival roll. TRACKING Tracking allows a character to follow anyone or anything through any type of terrain or across vast distances. The amount of indication left behind by the quarry alters the Target Number of the Tracking roll. Following someone through fresh snow is much easier than while its raining. Following a group of individuals it much easier than a single individual who is making an effort to hide his tracks. LORE SKILLS Lore Skills are related to the incorporation of a specific esoteric knowledge into the setting. Due to the different applications of these types of lore, the GM must decide what skills apply and whether they can be utilized Untrained. For settings with magic and supernatural abilities, lore skills are also used to manifest applicable powers. See Powers for further information on casting spells and manifesting supernatural abilities. Here are some Lore Skill examples: ARCANA Arcana is a catch-all term for scholarly lore or magic that is old, common, learned from the study of books, hazardous, or any number of simple applications. Arcana is effectively a broad category. DEMONOLOGY Demonology is the study and exploitation of demons or the realm they live in. This includes interacting with demons or demonic beings for the sake of acquiring, and subsequently using, dark powers. It is essentially a skill that covers multiple aspects including: Knowledge, Networking, Performing, and possibly Language. DIVINITY Divinity is the study of gods and pantheons and the realm they live in. This includes interacting with gods and godlike beings for the sake of acquiring, and subsequently using, divine powers. It is essentially a skill that covers multiple aspects including: Knowledge, Networking, Performing, and possibly Diplomacy. OCCULT Occult is similar to arcana, but it concentrates on forbidden lore rather than scholarly lore. Occult lore can also be characterized by religious beliefs that are considered heretical or just weird. It too is a broad category. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 24
PSIONICS Psionics is a characters ability to manipulate the world around them through the use of their mind. It is typically combined with Psyche as it is an advanced use of the mind for supernatural abilities, recognizing other psions, and resisting psionic powers. SHAMANISM Shamanism is the study and understanding of spirits and ancestors along with the realm they dwell in. This could include the ability to see and interact with spirits, but is not a requirement depending on the implementation (such as a shaman versus a medium). //sidebar// DESIGN NOTE: LORE Lore does not have to be tied to magical abilities. It can simply be the study of forbidden or esoteric subjects or the supernatural, but without the addition of extraordinary abilities. It can then be defined as knowledge of horrific beings, such as Cthulhu Mythos.// SCIENCE SKILLS Science Skills are related to the technology of the setting and the era the setting resides. These skills are not meant to be used for simple, common uses of common technology, but rather advanced use, design, or repair of technology. For settings where the technology is readily available, but only to those trained in its use, skill rolls are always required. Example: Using a television in a modern setting does not require the Electronics skill. Designing a steam-powered Gatling gun requires the Steampunk skill. Here are some Science Skill examples: CLOCKWORK Clockwork is the design and use of clockwork-powered devices. Clockwork devices are characterized by the use of gears and winding mechanisms to function as a power source. COMPUTERS Computers is the advanced use of computers and computer-powered devices. The technology is characterized by a need for central processing and software for all functions to be performed in unison. CYBERNETICS Cybernetics is the use and repair of cybernetic devices. Cybernetic devices are typically implanted into or grafted on the body to provide extraordinary abilities. ELECTRONICS Electronics is the design and use of uncommon electronic devices. Electronics is similar to Computers except that no central process or software is required for the device to operate. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 25
STEAMPUNK Steampunk is the design and use of steam-powered devices. Steampunk devices are as much an aesthetic design as they are a practical implementation of steam serving as a power source. Attribute and Skill Combinations Although players and GMs are allowed to create their own Attribute and Skill combinations to perform a given action, here is a listing of possible combinations to perform some common actions. Although this list is extensive, and it is not exhaustive and does not contain the only combinations for any given action. The final decision of whether or not a combination matches the action being performed is at the discretion of the GM. Appraise Sword (Intelligence + Crafting (Weapons)) is the ability to understand the value of a sword (or any melee weapon) for purpose of buying, selling, or haggling. Bluffing (Charisma + Deception) is a characters ability to convince someone of what theyre saying through the use of deceit. Climbing (Strength + Athletics) is a characters ability to ascend or descend surfaces and objects. In ideal conditions, objects such as ladders do not require a check. If the character is being chased, the GM may opt to ask for a check. When using climbing equipment to assist the climber, the action can be Routine (+2). If climbing a surface that has limited handholds or is slippery, the action can be Challenging (-2). Success allows the character to move a number of feet equal to half their speed. Failure means the character makes no or very little progress. Critical success allows the character to move a number of feet equal to their speed. Critical failure means the character now risks falling. Command (Charisma + Diplomacy) allows a character to give orders to their subordinates. The target of these orders must be within hearing range of the characters voice or communication device. Command should only be required when the orders are given in a special code or the subordinates are not fully beneath the characters direction. Concert Performance (Psyche + Performing (Sing)) allows a character to perform a given art in front of an audience. Craft Sword (Psyche + Crafting (Weapons)) is the ability to create a crafted item from a single element. Create Poison (Psyche + Knowledge (Poisons)) is the ability to create an item that requires combining different elements. Crime Scene Investigation (Perception + Investigation) is the ability to gather and decipher clues for the purpose of deciphering their meaning. Dancing (Agility + Performing (Dance)) allows a character to perform a given art that contains a movement component in front of an audience. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 26
Disguise (Charisma + Deception) is a characters ability to convince others that they are someone else while masking their appearance. Dodge (Agility + Athletics) is a characters ability to get out of the way by either ducking, side-stepping, or making some other maneuver . This is used in and out of combat. Domesticate Animal (Intelligence + Herding) is the ability to tame an animal, moving them from wild to unfriendly to friendly before riding as capable. The target number should be appropriate to how hostile the creature is. Electronic Security System Hacking (Psyche + Lock Picking) is the ability to bypass an electronic security system that contains some type of logic. Engineering Design (Psyche + Electronics) is the ability to properly design, by applying the engineering methodology, an electronic circuit, regardless of intricacy. Fighting (Agility + Athletics) is a characters ability to attack and defend during unarmed hand-to-hand combat. This includes street brawling, martial arts, and grappling. Forensics (Psyche + Investigation) is the ability to examine and analyze objects and information related to an event that occurred in the past. This includes criminal investigations and studying the ancient world. Insight (Psyche + Awareness) is a characters ability to read anothers body language and words to determine what is real versus what is false. Insight can be used to oppose Bluffing. Interrogation (Charisma + Intimidation) is a characters ability to use intimidation tactics to elicit a response from an unwilling party. Library Search (Intelligence + Investigation) is the ability to search for information within a library or other media. Marathon (Vitality + Athletics) is a characters ability to perform athletic actions for an extended period of time as a measure of endurance. Negotiation (Charisma + Diplomacy) is a characters ability to form an agreement between themselves and one or more parties. Negotiation includes contracts, haggling, and bartering. Questioning (Charisma + Interrogation or Streetwise) is used while directly investigating willing parties, sometimes using misleading questions, to elicit a desired response. Ride Animal (Agility + Herding) is used for riding an animal while racing, chasing, or during mounted combat. Silent Moving (Agility + Stealth) is a characters ability to move around without being noticed. This can be made easier or harder depending on environmental factors such as darkness and background noise. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 27
Sleight of Hand (Agility + Stealth) is a characters ability to steal objects without anyone noticing. Stellar Navigating (Intelligence + Piloting) is the ability to determine direction and location while traveling through outer space. Surgery (Psyche + Healing) is a characters ability to repair serious injuries above and beyond simply applying first aid. Swimming (Strength + Athletics) is a characters ability to swim through or float in water and hold their breath. Success allows the character to move a number of feet equal to half their speed. Failure means the character makes no or very little progress. Critical success allows the character to move a number of equal to their speed. Critical failure means the character begins to drown, requiring a second roll to be made to recover. If that second roll succeeds, the character moves on but gains one level of Fatigue. If they fail, they are still drowning and gain two levels of Fatigue. Taunt (Charisma + Deception) is a characters ability to lie to an opponent during a conflict for the purpose of goading them into attacking or to throw off their guard. Throwing (Agility or Strength + Athletics) is the ability to hurl an object through the air and land on or near the desired target. This is used in and out of combat. Translate a Foreign Language (Charisma + Language (Spanish)) is the ability to translate to and from a foreign language or simply interact with beings from a foreign nation. Willpower (Psyche + Resist) is used to resist fear caused by a terrifying experience. Qualities Each PC and NPC is allowed to choose up to five Qualities during character creation (GMs may want to limit NPCs to only three). These Qualities are role-playing hooks that allow the character to perform incredible feats by gaining 1 Hero Point to be spent immediately, applying it to the action the character is attempting. The only requirement for using a Quality is that it must somehow tie to the action being performed to gain the Hero Point. Otherwise its simply ignored. Only one Quality can be used per action being performed, but each Quality may be used multiple times throughout a single gaming session. What Qualities are available is truly dependent on the genre and setting of the game. Some Qualities are applicable to all while others are limited to only a few. However, there are few limitations on what Qualities are possible outside of them being feasible within the setting and not breaking the settings overall design. (You cant have super heroic abilities in a non-super hero setting.) Because Qualities can be positive, neutral, or negative in nature, the possibilities are virtually endless. Players and GMs are encouraged to create their own Qualities and benefits from using them. However, here is a list of examples to get things started: Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 28
Ace Pilot: The character has a natural talent for flying and can perform maneuvers that few are capable of. He can apply this Quality to Piloting during chases and while performing maneuvers. Acrobatic: The character has amazing balance and is extremely dexterous. She could probably fold her body in half to move through a small opening if necessary. She can apply this Quality to Acrobatics for moving through confined spaces or when walking across unstable platforms. Always Looks for Exits: The character is slightly paranoid. Whenever he walks into a room, his first instinct is to determine how to quickly get out of that room. He can apply this Quality to quickly exit any room upon spotting trouble, thus avoiding certain danger. Ambidextrous: The character is able to use her right and left hands equally. Shes trained to use both her entire life and is a serious threat when wielding two weapons. She can apply this Quality when one arm has become injured or pinned, ignoring any penalties for offhand use. Arrogant: Assassin: The character has been known as a reliable source for getting rid of bothersome people. He moves incredibly quiet and the shadows are his friend. He can apply this Quality while making stealth maneuvers or to sneak up on an unsuspecting victim. Baseball Star: The character spent much of his youth playing baseball and was considered an all-star. He was always picked first during tryouts and his stats are still known to this day. He can apply this Quality when throwing an object or sprinting from one place to another. Charismatic: The character is cheery and always manages to put a smile on other peoples faces. Her voice is soothing and she never shies away from speaking with others. She can apply this Quality during social interactions or when attempting to find information from people on the street. Computer Geek: The character has always been interested in computers and computer software and probably works in the technology industry. He can apply this Quality when searching through or repairing computers and other electronic devices. Diver: The character loves to swim and dons scuba gear a couple times a month. She can apply this Quality while swimming, searching through the water, or holding her breath for long periods of time. Empathetic: The character is very compassionate towards others. Maybe her life has allowed her to better understand what others are experiencing or maybe she has often helped others in similar situations. She can apply this Quality to heal the minds and emotions of others or cater to ones emotions during investigations. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 29
Enemy: The character has angered or hurt someone in the past, earning themselves an enemy. That enemy either continually hunts down the character or serves as an obstacle throughout his career. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Engineer: The character is learned in the ways of design and troubleshooting when it comes to a selected technology. He can apply this Quality when designing or repairing gadgets that utilize that technology. Envious: The character is jealous or spiteful over another person, possibly another character. When the source of her envy comes to fruition, it makes her angry and possibly distracts her from what shes trying to do. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Ex-Convict: The character was once convicted of a felony and served time in prison. He made many contacts during that time and often dwells in the shadier sides of town. If the character comes upon a police officer, he may be recognized and chased. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Gluttonous: The character loves to overindulge. In fact, he often has a hard time controlling himself when the source of his desires is near. If his desire is for food, then maybe it leads to fatigue due to eating too much. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Greedy: The character would rather take more than his fair share than share it equally among his fellow characters. His greed may even get the best of him during times of combat if he spots something shiny in a nearby corner. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Historian: The character loves to learn about the worlds past including major events, interesting cultures, and the diversity of language. She can apply this Quality while researching historic subjects or attempting to contact others in that industry. Lazy: The character hates having to do more than is absolutely necessary and would rather let someone else do it for her. This may draw the ire of her companions or result in unforeseen delays with disastrous consequences. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Lightning Quick Reflexes: The character reacts very quickly to physical stimuli and is much harder to hit than he appears. He can apply this Quality to dodge attacks and moving obstacles. Loud Mouth: The character is excessively boisterous and has a hard time keeping a secret; he always demands attention when talking. He can apply this Quality when commanding subordinates or intimidating others to do his bidding. Lustful: The character has a need to indulge in the sensuous side of life, possibly to the point of excess. His lust for the opposite sex could bring him into perilous situations or even put his friends in danger. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 30
Navigator: The character has spent most of her life on the sea or among the stars. She knows how to navigate without maps and can always get from point A to B through the safest and fastest routes. She can apply this Quality when traveling across the oceans or the vastness of space. Phobia: The character has a deep fear of something. Whenever that fear draws near, his first instinct is to run or cower in a safe place. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Quick Draw: The character would always win a duel simply because hes capable of pulling his weapon faster than his opponents. He can apply this Quality by reducing the number of Combat Actions required to draw a weapon. Rapid Reload: The character is incredibly quick at reloading their weapon, due to finesse with the weapons mechanisms or the quickness of his hands. He can apply this Quality by reducing the number of Combat Actions required to load the weapon. Sharpshooter: The character has an eagle eye and can hit the smallest targets from incredible distances. She can apply this Quality when aiming at a small target to get the greatest damage effect. Wizard: The character is known for his expertise with manipulating the arcane weave. He can apply this Quality when utilizing powers hes learned through his arcane mastery. Wrath: The character has a difficult time controlling his rage. This anger often gets the best of him and can bring about many unwanted consequences from opponents and even friends. This Quality can be applied as a negative one. Character Advancement Characters grow in skill and technique as they advance through their career. This translates to Experience Points (XP) awarded at the end of each game session for the purpose of purchasing advancements to Skills and Attributes or purchasing new Skills. At the end of each game session, each character is awarded a number of XP depending on the difficulty of the game session and how quickly the GM wishes the characters to advance. This is generally between 2 and 4 points with an average session being awarded 3. Points can then be spent in the following manner when a break in the game allows it. (A general rule is that XP shouldnt be spent during the middle of an adventure, waiting until there is a natural break where the characters can justify the increase to their Attribute or Skills.) Increasing the Die Type of an Attribute. This can be done at a cost equivalent to the new die type. Thus, moving from Agility d10 to d12 costs 12 points. Attributes can be brought to a value of d12 during Character Advancement, but humans cannot go beyond d12. Only one Attribute can be increased once per Character Rank. Training a new skill. It costs 4 points to train a new skill, gaining that skill at a value of d4. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 31
Increasing an already trained Skill. This can be done at a cost equivalent to half the new die type. Moving from Deception d6 to Deception d8 costs 4 points. Each value must be paid for individually. Moving from Deception d6 to Deception d10 costs 9 points (4 for moving to Deception d8 plus 5 for moving to Deception d10). Skills can be brought to a value of d12 during Character Advancement, but humans cannot go beyond d12. Purchasing a new Quality (in addition to the ones already chosen, not to replace one). Although this should be cleared by the GM, new Qualities can be added for the cost of 15 points. If a new Quality contradicts an existing Quality, at the GMs discretion, the existing Quality can be modified so that it no longer contradicts the new Quality. Example: A character that rises through the ranks of an organization might move from being a subordinate to being the leader. If an existing Quality refers to him as being a subordinate and then hes promoted, with a Quality that defines his officer rank, the existing Quality contradicts the new Quality and should be altered. Players should keep track of their characters total experience points, for determining rank, along with how many they have available to spend. Character rank should be based on how many experience points have been spent as a character hasnt truly advanced in a rank until theyve gained the benefits from using acquiring that experience. CHARACTER RANK Characters are categorized by Rank according to how many experience points theyve accumulated. This allows Rank to be used as a prerequisite and to help GMs balance combat. The Ranks are as follows: Rank Experience Points Novice 0-30 Seasoned 31-60 Veteran 61-90 Master 91-120 Hero 121+ Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 32
Equipment Entropy can be used across all types of settings and genre, which can equate to a large listing of possible equipment. Instead of creating complicated mechanics for each era and weapon type, Entropy uses mechanics that can be universally applied across all equipment eras to keep things as simple as possible. What follows is a list of terminology found throughout the equipment lists. 2 Hands (2H): Weapons denoted with 2H require two hands to be utilized (attacking, not carrying). They cannot be used one-handed due to their size or complexity. Armor: This is the armor rating added to the characters passive Defense (see Character Creation), which the attacker must overcome to successfully hit them. Armor Piercing (AP): The weapon or ammunition ignores this many points of Armor. Example: A weapon with AP 2 ignores up to 2 points of Armor from the targets Defense value. Excess AP is ignored. Blast Zone, Large (LBZ): The weapon has an explosive area-effect. This blast can be centered anywhere within the weapons range. The radius of a Large Blast Zone is 15 feet. Blast Zone, Medium (MBZ): The weapon has an explosive area-effect. This blast can be centered anywhere within the weapons range. The radius of a Medium Blast Zone is 10 feet. Blast Zone, Small (SBZ): The weapon has an explosive area-effect. This blast can be centered anywhere within the weapons range. The radius of a Small Blast Zone is 5 feet. Bracing: The weapon is so large and powerful that it cannot be fired unless it is first braced. The character cannot move during the same Combat Action as firing the weapon. Combat Actions to Load (CAL): Most weapons only require a single Combat Action to load. Those that require two or more will be noted as such with a value after CAL (such as CAL 2) equal to the number of Combat Actions required to load the weapon. Cone Template (CT): The weapon has an area-effect, rather than an effective range, that can hit multiple targets. These weapons can hit everything within a 90 arc from the weapon up to 30 feet away. Cost: Cost is the general value of a piece of equipment. It doesnt have to represent the actual cost of a given piece of equipment within its most appropriate time period, but instead reflects how its cost balances with a characters funds and a settings technology level. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 33
Damage (DMG): Damage is the base amount of damage a weapon is capable of inflicting. Its a combination of that weapons ability to penetrate armor, flesh, and bone. Encumbrance (ENC): Encumbrance is the general weight and bulk of the equipment. See below for more on encumbrance and its effects. Fully Automatic (FA): The weapon is capable of firing in fully automatic mode. Nonlethal (NL): The weapon can only inflict nonlethal damage that cannot penetrate any armor. Any targets with armor are unaffected by the damage. Targets without armor, or a called shot to an unarmored location, take damage as normal, but are rendered unconscious and do not die. All unarmed attacks are considered nonlethal. Notes: Denotes the special properties or requirements of the equipment. Parry +/-X: The weapon provides a bonus, or penalty, to parry actions using Melee. This modifier affects the result of the parry roll per the denoted bonus or penalty. Range: The Effective Range of the weapon. A weapons maximum range is twice the effective range. Attacking at half this range (Close Range) provides a +2 to the attack roll while attacking above that range up to the maximum range (Long Range) incurs a -2 penalty to the attack roll. Rate of Fire (ROF): The number of shots fired from the weapon with a single, standard attack. To fire at a rate higher or lower than ROF, the weapon must be used in semi-automatic, fully automatic, or three-round burst mode. Weapons with a ROF higher of 2 or more always dispense multiple projectiles with each attack. Add +1 to the attack roll for each ROF above 1 (ROF 2 = +1, ROF 3 = +2, ROF 4 = +3, etc.). Reach: Most weapons only extend to the standard melee range of 5 ft. This weapon is capable of extended past that to a length indicated by the entry (Reach 10 = 10 ft. melee range; Reach 15 = 15 ft. melee range). Those without this entry have the standard 5 ft. melee range. Requirements (REQ): The weapon has a Strength (STR) or Agility (AGI) requirement to be used properly. Any character not meeting this requirement suffers a -2 penalty to their attack roll. Additionally, the character cannot benefit from any bonuses the weapon provides such as Parry +2 or Reach 10. //sidebar// Larger firearms, particularly automatic ones, have Strength requirements and use the Strength attribute. This is because their rapid dispensing of ammunition requires strength to be fired accurately. The better the character can control the weapon, the more likely they are to hit their target in a critical area.// Semiautomatic (SA): The weapon is capable of firing in semiautomatic mode. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 34
Shots: The maximum number of shots a weapon is capable of holding. A value of (-) means the weapon only holds a single shot at a time and must be reloaded with each use. Single-shot (SS): The weapon has two barrels that can be fired separately or at the same time. Snapfire: The weapon cannot be fired properly without some type of bracing. If the character moves during the same Combat Action he fires this weapon, his attack roll incurs a -2 penalty. Three-round Burst (3RB): The weapon is capable of firing in three-round burst mode. Type: The type of the weapon, including its caliber where applicable. Encumbrance Encumbrance is a general measurement of how much equipment a character is carrying. To avoid having to track the weight of every piece of equipment, encumbrance is only associated with bulky or heavy items that can stifle a characters movement. Equipment denoted with ENC () do not add to the overall encumbrance of the character. They are simply too small or inconsequential to worry about. Equipment denoted with an encumbrance value (e.g. ENC 1) adds that value to the overall encumbrance of a character. A characters encumbrance limit is equal to one and a half times their Strength die type (i.e. Strength d12 = encumbrance limit of 18). Exceeding this encumbrance limit imposes penalties to all physical activities as follows: Up to 2x encumbrance limit incurs a -4 penalty to Skill Rolls for all physical activities. Up to 3x encumbrance limit incurs a -6 penalty to Skill Rolls for all physical activities. Up to 4x encumbrance limit means the character can no longer perform physical activities. Automatic Weapons In modern and sci-fi settings, many firearms are considered automatic. This means they are capable of semi-automatic, fully automatic, or three-round burst firing. In- game, these different firing modes have different mechanical properties as follows: RATE OF FIRE Every firearm discharges a number of shots equal to its rate of fire during a standard attack. Unless setting the weapon to a different mode, it will always fire that number of shots and thus uses an equal number of bullets. For weapons with a rate of fire greater than 1, the weapons ability to hit increases by adding a +1 to the Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 35
attack roll for each increase beyond 1, as denoted above. Using a weapon at its rate of fire requires a standard attack, costing 1 Combat Action. SEMIAUTOMATIC Weapons capable of semiautomatic fire can optionally be used to rapidly fire two bullets. By changing the mode of fire, the weapon discharges two shots, thus adding +1 to the attack roll. Using a weapon in semi-automatic mode is a standard attack, costing 1 Combat Action, but expends two rounds of ammunition. SINGLE-SHOT Weapons with two barrels are often capable of firing one or both barrels with a single shot. When selecting single-shot mode, the standard two-barrel shot is reduced to a single-barrel shot, thus losing the +1 to the attack roll, but only expending a single round of ammunition. This is still considered a standard attack. THREE-ROUND BURST Weapons capable of three-round burst fire can optionally be used to rapidly fire three bullets. By changing the mode of fire, the weapon discharges three shots, adding +2 to the attack roll. Using a weapon in three-round burst mode is a standard attack, costing 1 Combat Action, but expends three rounds of ammunition. FULL AUTOMATIC Weapons with a rate of fire of 3 or more are capable of firing in full automatic, laying down a large amount of shots in a single pull of the trigger. When in this mode, the weapon discharges three times its rate of fire, expending three times the normal rounds of ammunition. This is resolved as three separate attack rolls with each one benefiting from the weapons normal rate of fire bonus. For example, a weapon fire full automatic with a rate of fire of 3 makes three attack rolls, each with a +2 bonus, and expends nine rounds of ammunition. Using a weapon in full automatic mode requires 2 Combat Actions and one to three adjacent targets can be chosen (within 5 ft. of each other). Each attack roll must be made separately, regardless if its aimed at the same target or an adjacent one. Fully automatic weapons may also be used for suppressive fire. Accessories BAYONET Bayonets can be affixed to rifles, adding a blade to the weapon, thus creating a combination melee and ranged weapon. A rifle affixed with a short bayonet gains DMG 3, 2H, Reach 10 for melee combat. A rifle affixed with a long bayonet gains DMG 4, 2H, Reach 10 for melee combat. BIPOD Many large firearms come with a bipod mounted on them for proper bracing when firing. This makes the weapon easier to aim and control, considering recoil, especially when firing in full automatic mode. Using a bipod for two-handed weapons allows the character to optionally combine Firearms with Agility instead of Strength. This is because the bipod reduces the need for strength to control the weapon. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 36
SCOPE Scopes can be affixed to all manner of firearms and crossbows, providing great accuracy when used at longer range. When firing a weapon with a scope, receive a +1 bonus to the attack roll when firing greater than Close Range (half the Effective Range). This bonus only applies if the wielder doesnt move during the same Combat Action that they shoot the weapon. Weapon Types AREA EFFECT Area effect weapons, ones that do damage using a SBZ, MBZ, LBZ, or CT, are different in that they have the potential to damage multiple targets at the same time. The Aggressor defines where the affected area of damage is and makes a single Attack Roll. The result of this Attack Roll is compared to the Defense of each target within that affected area. If the Attack Roll is less than a targets Defense, the target is unharmed by the attack. If the Attack Roll is greater than or equal to the targets Defense, the Defender is allowed to spend a Combat Action, if available, to Dodge the attack. This is an Opposed Roll using the Attack Roll as the Target Number. If the target fails the Opposed Roll or cannot Dodge the attack, they take damage as normal from the weapon. EXPLOSIVE Projectiles and thrown weapons that explode, noted as a blast zone, have an additional defensive maneuver that can be taken. Instead of dodging, the target may attempt to pick-up the projectile or weapon and throw it away from them. This requires a Hard (-4) Agility + Athletics roll. Failure means the explosion occurs in the persons hand. Success means theyre able to throw the explosive a number of feet equal to five times their Agility die type in a chosen direction. FIRE Projectiles that explode using fire or weapons that emit fire have a 50% chance of starting the target and its surrounding area on fire. If the target is successfully hit with the attack roll, theres a 50% chance of starting on fire. If the target is missed with the attack roll, theres a 50% chance that the area around it starts on fire. This is only applicable if the target or area around it is contains flammable material. SPREAD Weapons like shotguns and blunderbusses have a spreading shot like a cone emitted from the barrel. This affects the attack roll and damage. First, the weapon provides a +1 to the attack roll (+2 with a rate of fire of 2). Second, the damage is dependent on the distance of the target: +2 to damage at less than half the effective range and -2 to damage at the effective to maximum range. //sidebar// OPTIONAL MECHANIC: RANDOM WEAPON DAMAGE Damage doesnt have to be static. The Entropy core rules attempt to keep combat quick by utilizing static damage numbers so that each Combat Round takes less time. However , to add a bit of randomness to damage, the GM may choose to instead allow Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 37
for random damage results in lieu of using this static value. Weapons with a damage rating of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 roll d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12 respectively. Weapons with a damage rating of 1 are set to a static of 1 and those above 6 use a combination of the aforementioned dice to equal the damage rating. Example: DMG 9 = d10+d8.// MELEE WEAPONS TABLE Type DMG ENC Cost REQ Notes Blades Dagger 3 - 25 Great Sword 6 3 400 STR d10 2H Long Knife 3 - 25 Long Sword (2H) 5 2 200 STR d8 2H Long Sword 5 2 200 AGI d8 Rapier 3 1 125 Parry +2 Scimitar 4 1 200 AGI d8 Parry +2 Short Sword 4 1 100 Switchblade 2 10 -1 to Awareness to spot it if hidden Axes & Clubs Hatchet 3 1 25 Battle Axe (2H) 4 2 200 STR d8 2H Battle Axe 4 2 200 AGI d8 Club 2 NL 1 5 Parry -2, uses Strength Flail 3 2 225 AGI d8 Cannot be parried Broad Axe 6 3 300 STR d10 2H, Parry -2 Mace 3 1 50 War Hammer (2H) 4 2 250 STR d8 2H, +1 damage versus rigid armor War Hammer 3 1 150 +1 damage versus rigid armor Pole Arms Bardiche 5 4 200 STR d8 2H, Reach 10 Halberd 4 3 100 STR d8 2H, Reach 10 Pike 3 4 125 STR d10 2H, Reach 15, Cannot parry Pole Axe 4 3 200 STR d8 2H, Reach 10 Spear 3 2 25 2H, Reach 10 Staff 1 1 50 NL, 2H, Reach 10, Parry +2, uses Agility RANGED WEAPONS TABLE Type Range DMG ROF Shots ENC Cost Simple Bow 125ft 4 1 - 1 150 Crossbow 150ft 4 1 - 2 300 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 38
Notes: REQ STR d10, 2H, SA, Snapfire, AP 3 Assault Rifles 5.56 Assault 500ft 5 3 30 2 500 Notes: REQ STR d8, FA, SA, 1H or 2H, AP 1 7.62 Assault 300ft 6 3 30 2 600 Notes: REQ STR d8, 2H, FA, SA, AP 1 7.92 Assault 300ft 7 3 30 3 750 Notes: REQ STR d8, 2H, FA, SA, AP 1 Submachine Guns 9mm Submachine 200ft 5 3 25 2 300 Notes: REQ STR d8, 2H, FA, SA .45 Submachine 175ft 6 3 30 3 400 Notes: REQ STR d8, 2H, FA, SA 5.56 Carbine 500ft 5 1 30 2 500 Notes: REQ STR d8, 2H, 3RB, SA, AP 1 Machine Guns .50 Machine Gun 6000ft 7 3 200 10 1.5k Notes: REQ STR d10, 2H, FA, Bracing, AP 3 7.62 Minigun 1500ft 6 6 1500 12 2k Notes: REQ STR d10, FA, Bracing, AP 1 Special Flamethrower CT 5 1 30 6 750 Notes: REQ STR d8, Ignores cover Frag Grenade 50ft 2 - 300 Notes: LBZ Concussion Grenade 50ft 6 - 300 Notes: SBZ Stun Grenade 50ft 3 NL - 150 Notes: LBZ ARMOR TABLE Type Armor ENC* Cost** Notes Chain Mail 4 2/location 150 Torso, Arms, Legs, -2 to Initiative per location covered, to a minimum of 1 Flak Jacket 2 1 100 Torso, bullets do half damage Kevlar Vest 2 1 100 Torso, bullets do half damage Lamellar Armor 2 1 50 Torso, Arms, Legs Laminar Armor 2 1 50 Torso, Arms, Legs Leather Armor 1 1 25 Torso, Arms, Legs Plate Mail 5 3/location 300 Torso, Arms, Legs, Head, -3 to Initiative per location covered, to a minimum of 1 Pot Helm 3 - 75 Head, 50% chance that it Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 40
protects vs. a called head shot Scale Armor 3 1/location 75 Torso, Arms, Legs, -1 to Initiative per location covered to a minimum of 1 Tactical Jacket 4 1 200 Torso, bullets do half damage Shields*** Small Shield - 25 Parry +2, may parry ranged attacks Medium Shield 1 50 Parry +2, +1 Armor vs. ranged attacks, may parry ranged attacks Large Shield 2 150 Parry +4, +2 Armor vs. ranged attacks, may parry ranged attacks *Encumbrance shown is for worn armor. If carried, encumbrance is at least double. **Cost is per location covered. ***Shields do not protect against called shots or attacks from the rear. Mundane Equipment Item ENC Cost Adventuring Gear Backpack 1 25 Bedroll 1 25 Blanket 1 10 Candle (6 hour, MBZ) - 1 Cellular Phone - 250 Chain, 6ft. 3 25 Color Dye - 1 Crowbar 2 10 Digital Camera 1 100 Disposable Camera - 10 First Aid Kit 1 10 Fishing Kit 1 25 Fishing Net 1 25 Flashlight (CT) 1 10 Flint and Steel - 5 Glass Bottle 1 1 Grappling Hook 2 100 Hammer 1 10 Handcuffs - 10 Lantern 1 25 Lantern Oil - 1 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 41
Computers Desktop 5 400 GPS 1 200 Laptop 2 500 Tablet 1 600 Surveillance Binoculars 1 50 Bug Detector - 500 CCTV Receiver 3 500 Digital Audio Recorder - 25 Digital Video Recorder 1 100 Indoor Camera - 150 In-ear Receiver - 250 Mini Camera - 300 Night Vision Goggles 2 1000 (no penalties for Dim or Dark lighting) Outdoor Camera - 200 Parabolic Microphone 1 500 (works up to 500ft) Telephone Tap - 250 Two-way Radio - 200 (up to 250,000 sq. ft. and 20 floors of coverage)
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Game Mechanics The Entropy mechanics provide a baseline set of rules that can be applied universally across all genres and settings to create memorable adventures and campaigns. What follows is a look at how to make a skill roll, use hero points, and perform combat. //sidebar// ROUNDING NUMBERS Whenever youre forced to round numbers due to the games mechanics, always round in favor of the character. If the character would benefit from rounding up, then round up. If the character would benefit from rounding down, then round down.// Skill Rolls Skill Rolls are required when an action being performed has a chance to fail and failure has consequences. Both of these factors should exist for a Skill Roll to be required, otherwise the character simply performs the action being defined. A chance to fail could be because of the difficulty of the action being performed, external stress factors, or the action is actively opposed by another character. This applies in and out of combat. Example: Simply driving a car doesnt require an Agility + Operating roll; driving a car during a high-speed chase while weaving through traffic does. Every time the GM calls for a dice roll, players use a combination of their characters Attributes and Skills. Choose an applicable Attribute and Skill. Using the die type for the chosen traits, roll both dice and add their values together. The total is then compared to the Target Number and must meet or exceed it. (When specific Skill Rolls are called for within Entropic Tales, adventures, and campaigns, they are written as: Attribute + Skill.) Example: Athletics is a Skill that measures physical activities; when performing a dodge or throwing action, combine Agility + Athletics. However, when performing a climb or swim action, combine Strength + Athletics. With this design, instead of creating separate skills for dodge, throwing, climbing, and swimming, characters have a single Athletics skill and combine it with the applicable Attribute to create the desired action. If Strength has a value of d10 and Athletics has a value of d8, the Skill Roll would equal d10+d8. When performing any action, the focus is on the Skill, not the Attribute. The Attribute is simply a measurement of how the character is applying the Skill they are trained in or have a basic understanding of. OPPOSED ROLLS Actions actively opposed by someone or something are called Opposed Rolls. Opposed Rolls are performed by the player and GM using Skill Rolls for opposing Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 44
actions (such as insight and lying). Whoever rolls the highest wins the Opposed Roll. The person declaring the action is called the Aggressor. The person or object opposing the action is called the Defender. Ties always go to the Defender as the Aggressor has to overcome the Defender to succeed in the action theyre performing. The Aggressors roll becomes the Defenders Target Number. UNOPPOSED ROLLS Actions where there is no opposition, or the character is trying to overcome the difficulty of a static Target Number, are called Unopposed Rolls. Unopposed Rolls are a single Skill Roll by the character versus a Target Number. The character must roll equal to or higher than the Target Number. Most actions carry a Target Number of 9. This represents a fairly standard action under stressful conditions and are an almost guarantee by the character. Unopposed attack rolls have a Target Number equal to the Defenders Defense. Optionally, GMs may decide that the higher the roll, the more amazing the character performs his action, possibly leading to additional in-game bonuses. Example: an Agility + Lock Picking roll of 9 means the character is able to open the lock in 2 minutes. A roll of 11 means its done in 1 minute, while a roll of 13 means its done in 30 seconds. These are at the discretion of the GM. SUCCESS To succeed at an action, the Skill Roll must result in a sum equal to or greater than the Target Number (Unopposed) or equal to or greater than the Aggressors roll (Opposed). FAILURE Failing at an action simply means the character did not meet or exceed the Target Number. Consequences of a failure can vary depending on the action being performed and how the GM wishes to drive the story forward. This may include the character simply being unable to complete that action or the character was able to complete that action, but incurred some type of additional consequence (such as breaking a set of lock picking tools). CRITICAL SUCCESS A Critical Success occurs when both dice roll the same number and the Skill Roll succeeds. When this happens, the character gains a single Hero Point to be spent immediately (equivalent to using a Quality) and the GM may optionally create other benefits related to the action being performed. CRITICAL FAILURE A Critical Failure occurs when both dice roll the same number and the Skill Roll fails. When this occurs, the GM can either gain a Hero Point to be used against that character before the beginning of that characters next turn, or have something detrimental happen to the character. Example: A weapon jamming, falling while climbing, or hitting a pole while driving. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 45
DIFFICULTY MODIFIERS Not every action is equal to other actions. Some are simply easier or more difficult than others. To represent this, the GM may adjust the difficulty of the action by applying a modifier to the Skill Roll. The basics are as follows: Difficulty Skill Roll Modifier Automatic Success Trivial +4 12 Routine +2 16 Average 0 20 Challenging -2 24 Hard -4 26 Difficult -6 30 Daunting -8 None Overwhelming -10 None AUTOMATIC SUCCESS As noted in the difficulty modifier chart, some difficulty levels have an Automatic Success associated with them. This means that if the character possesses an Attribute + Skill combination whose die type sum equals or exceeds that Automatic Success number (including the +2 for spending a Hero Point), no roll is needed and the character automatically succeeds. This is equivalent to rolling a 9 after modifiers are considered. Automatic Success should only apply to Unopposed Rolls, but the GM may rule otherwise. Characters can spend a Hero Point to increase their Attribute + Skill sum by 2. This may qualify them for an Automatic Success. Example: If a character has an Attribute + Skill of d10+d8 (whose die type sum is 18) and spends a Hero Point, he can meet the Automatic Success number of 20 (Average difficulty). COOPERATIVE ROLLS When a character chooses to aid another character instead of making a roll themselves, he must choose an applicable Attribute and Skill and make Skill Roll with no difficulty modifiers. If he succeeds, he adds +2 to the lead characters Skill Roll; this is called a Cooperative Roll. When making a Cooperative Roll, the lead character should be the one with the highest value in the applicable skill. GROUP ROLLS When performing an action with numerous characters, it may be imperative to make a single Group Roll instead of many individual Skill Rolls. One Skill Roll is required, using the average Skill value of the applicable skill amongst the chosen characters (rounded up) and the average Attribute value of the applicable Attribute amongst the chosen characters (rounded up). The result of this one roll is the result for all individuals involved. If the Group Roll includes PCs, each one is allowed to spend one of their Hero Points to increase their Skills die type which may increase the resulting average die type. Example: A group of PCs is making a Group Roll to move quietly passed a guard. Their Stealth skills are d4, d4, d6, d8, and d8 for an average of d6. Their Agility attributes are d6, d8, d8, d6, and d10 for an average of Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 46
d8. Their Group Roll is formed with d8+d6 (Agility + Stealth) to determine if all PCs pass the Stealth Skill Roll. Extended Skill Tests Extended Skill Tests are used for particularly difficult tasks that cannot feasibly be performed within the time frame of a single Combat Action or it becomes more dramatic for them to require several Combat Actions to perform. These types of tests utilize a single skill, but the character is gauged on how many successful rolls they can make out of a given number of opportunities that each requires a specific amount of time. The standard for this is that to succeed on an Extended Skill Test, the character must make five successful rolls out of six attempts. A critical success counts as two successful rolls, a failure counts as zero, and a critical failure may have dire consequences. Adjusting the difficulty of an Extended Skill Test includes changing the number of successes needed and the number of attempts allowed. Extended Skill Tests can be physical, mental, or social. They are usable across all skills and are typically unopposed. The GM may assess difficulty modifiers to the Skill Roll, but ultimately the difficulty of the Extended Skill Test is based on the number of successes needed versus the number of possible attempts. Hero Points are allowed, but typically, cooperative rolls are not as they fall under Skill Challenges instead. The time required to perform an Extended Skill Test is solely based on the action being performed. Example: A character is attempting to hack into a computer mainframe. He must succeed or be caught by the mainframes security software. Each roll takes five seconds, but two failures means the security software locates the attempt and locks out the user. Skill Challenges Skill Challenges are used for particularly difficult tasks that require multiple actions to be performed simultaneously and do not necessarily conform to the time frame of a single Combat Action. These types of tests utilize multiple skills across multiple characters working together to solve a problem. To solve the problem, a certain number of successes need to be achieved within a certain number of rounds. However, the rolls can be done cooperatively or individually if there are enough attempts available. Each participant chooses a skill to use each round. No two participants can choose the same skill unless they are performing a cooperative roll. Each participant then makes a Skill Roll and determines if they succeed. The successes are tallied for that round and added to the total number of successes for the Skill Challenge, leading up to the number of rounds possible. Then the next round begins. Because Skill Challenges involve multiple participants, their difficulty is based on the number of participants. An example would be that a group of five characters must achieve 16 successes within four rounds. Skill Challenges can be physical, mental, or social, but can ultimately be solved by whatever means are feasible. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 47
Example: A group of PCs is engaged in naval combat. One PC is working with the crew to reload the canons. A second PC is barking out orders to keep the crew working. A third PC is judging distance from the crows nest. The final PC is patching holes from the last round of canon attacks. Hero Points Hero Points are a type of currency that PCs and NPCs get to show that theyre a larger part of the overall story compared to allies, acquaintances, and minions. Villains get Hero Points just like the PCs do as a representation of their strength and dominance of the adventure. They are essentially equivalent to a PC and thus get the same type of bonuses. PCs and NPCs start with 3 Hero Points at the beginning of every game session. These base 3 refresh but do not carry over from session to session. However, they always start a new game session with 3. More than one Hero Point may be spent at any given time, as long as the character has enough Hero Points to spend. Although he can only gain 1 Hero Point at a time through the use of a Quality, the character can spend one or more of his starting Hero Points in addition to the one gained by using a Quality. Gaining Hero Points is done through the use of Qualities or as a reward from the GM for that game session. When gaining a Hero Point by applying a positive Quality (a Quality that somehow benefits the character) to the action being performed, the character gains one free Hero Point that must be spent on that action. When gaining a Hero Point by applying a negative Quality (a Quality that somehow hinders the character) to the action being performed, the character gains one free Hero Point that can be stockpiled and spent at a later time. When gaining a Hero Point by applying a neutral Quality, the GM must discern whether that character is benefiting from the use of the Quality or if its hindering him. Then, apply the positive or negative use accordingly. There are no limits to how many times a Quality can be applied during the course of a single gaming session, but only one Quality may be used at any given time (you cant gain two Hero Points for the same action by applying two different Qualities, only one can be chosen). Once a Hero Point is spent, it is gone from the characters Hero Points total until gaining it back the next gaming session or by applying a Quality on another action. If the action is being performed during combat, applying a Quality to gain a Hero Point can only be done once per Combat Round. Remember, Hero Points gained from using positive Qualities must be spent immediately and the Quality must apply to the action being performed. If the Quality doesnt truly apply, no Hero Point is gained. If the Hero Point isnt spent on that action, it is lost. Only Hero Points gained from using negative Qualities can be stockpiled for later use. Hero Points can be spent in a number of different ways in and out of combat, during Skill Rolls, and during narration. It costs 1 Hero Point to do one of the following: Add +2 to a Skill Roll. Add +d6 to a Skill Roll Add +d4 to Damage. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 48
Add +2 to Damage. Increase Initiative by +d6 for the entire encounter. Reroll a failed Skill Roll. Increase a Skill die type by one step for one Combat Round. Increase an Attribute die by one step (to a maximum of d12) for one Combat Action. Make an unarmed attack inflict lethal damage. Change a small piece of the storyline to favor the character. Roll Vitality and reduce damage about to be taken by half the amount rolled. Ignore all Wound Penalties for one Combat Action. Automatically succeed on one Combat Maneuver (without needing an Opposed Roll). Add +2d6ft to a run action. Hero Points spent to affect a Skill Roll can be done before or after the dice are rolled. If the result is still unfavorable, another Hero Point can be spent, choosing the same or a different method of spending the Hero Point. Combat Combat is an inevitable part of role-playing games. It may be as simple as a barroom brawl or as violent as open warfare. In Entropy, combat is meant to be dangerous when the right tactics are applied or if the target is ill-prepared. The following characteristics are an integral part of this combat: Combat can be deadly. A called shot to the head can kill almost anyone. Combat should be tactical. Characters should be given the option to spend their Combat Actions as they please. Character turns should be quick. Players shouldnt have to spend a lot of time waiting for their next action. Combat should be fun. Although its violence, combat can make a story quite exciting and theres nothing like proving out a character design. COMPONENTS OF COMBAT Combat is broken into two major functions: Combat Actions and Combat Rounds. These are meant to be simple and allow combat to move quickly without getting bogged down. COMBAT ROUNDS Combat is broken down into rounds for simplicity. Each round is six seconds long. This may not be an actual time, but it allows for simple math when utilizing Powers. When a new Combat Round begins, each character (PCs, NPCs, and Minions) has 3 Combat Actions to spend. Once everyones Combat Actions are spent, the round ends and a new round begins. //sidebar// Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 49
NARRATIVE TIME Time outside of combat is referred to as Narrative Time. Narrative time is not actually defined by seconds, minutes, hours, or days, but rather is defined by the speed of role-playing. This means anything can happen during narrative time for whatever period of time is required by the GM.// INITIATIVE Initiative is the order in which participants are allowed to act during combat, from the highest value to the lowest. Initiative is equal to the characters Agility die type plus their Intelligence die type plus their Athletics die type (if they dont have the Athletics skill, then the value is 0). The highest result acts first, followed by the next highest, and so on. If there is a tie, the participant with the highest Agility die type goes first. If there is still a tie, the participant with the highest Athletics die type goes first. If there is still a tie, the participants are considered to be acting simultaneously. //sidebar// OPTIONAL MECHANIC: RANDOM INITIATIVE Initiative doesnt have to be static. The Entropy rules attempt to make combat quicker by utilizing static Initiative values. However, Initiative may instead be rolled using Agility + Intelligence + Athletics. Initiative then goes from highest to lowest of the resulting rolls.// COMBAT ACTIONS Combat Actions (CA) are the number of actions a character can perform during combat. Some actions are complicated or time consuming and require 2 CA to perform, but most actions only require 1 CA. When a characters Initiative comes around, he chooses which action to perform by spending the required number of Combat Actions. Once that action is performed, play moves to the next Initiative. If anyone still has any Combat Actions remaining once every participant has had a chance to perform an action, the cycle repeats until all available Combat Actions for all available participants have been spent. Combat Actions are offensive and defensive. Participants perform offensive actions on their Initiative and defensive actions in response to another participant performing an action. Here is a list of possible actions (those that require 2 Combat Actions are denoted by 2CA in their entry, those that require no Combat Actions are denoted by 0CA in their entry): Offensive: Aim: The participant properly sights his target, gaining +2 to his next standard attack. If he moves before that next standard attack, the bonus is lost. Called Shot: The participant makes a called shot to a particular body part. See Combat Situations for further details. Charge (2CA): The participant moves up to twice his speed and ends it with a standard attack. He gains a +2 bonus to his Attack Roll and +2 to Damage. Combat Maneuver: Attempt a special, non-attack maneuver as an Opposed Roll. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 50
Engage: The participant moves up to his speed and initiates melee combat with a target. Both targets are considered engaged and must use an action to disengage before changing targets. Full Automatic (2CA): The participant uses a fully automatic weapon. Ready an Action: The participant prepares some type of attack or maneuver that is triggered when a chosen response occurs. This readied action occurs immediately after that trigger becomes prevalent, effectively interrupting the trigger without an Opposed Roll being necessary. Ready Weapon: The participant readies their weapon by drawing, unsheathing, or reloading it. This includes nocking an arrow on a bow. Standard Attack: The participant makes an attack using their primary weapon. Suppressive Fire (2CA): The participant looses a volley of bullets using a fully automatic weapon. He makes a single Strength + Firearms roll which is used as the Target Number for an Opposed Roll versus Agility + Athletics (this roll costs no Combat Actions) against all opponents in range within a 90 arc. Opponents that fail are forced prone or behind cover and must spend a Combat Action to move before being able to attack. Those who Critically Fail are also hit by the attack, assessing damage as normal. Those who Critically Succeed can use their movement as normal without having to spend a Combat Action before being able to attack. Utilize Power: The participant prepares or utilizes one of their powers. Defensive: Defensive Stance: The participant readies himself for defending, gaining +4 to his next dodge or parry attempt. Dodge: The participant attempts to evade an incoming melee or ranged attack. This is considered an active defensive maneuver and the Aggressors attack must overcome this Opposed Roll (using Agility + Athletics) instead of using the Defenders Defense value. Dodge actions are performed as a reaction to an attack and are thus performed on the Aggressors initiative. Parry: The participant attempts to parry a melee attack (this is only possible if the participant is wielding a melee weapon or shield). This is considered an active defensive maneuver and the Aggressors attack must overcome this Opposed Roll (using Agility + Melee or Strength + Melee, depending on the weapon) instead of using the Defenders Defense value. Parry actions are performed as a reaction to an attack and are thus performed on the Aggressors initiative. Outmaneuver: The participant makes an Agility + Athletics roll. If the result of this roll is higher than his Defense value, it becomes his new Defense value for the remainder of the Combat Round. Tactical: Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 51
Delay: The participant holds his action until a later initiative. If he doesnt take his action before all other participants have, the Combat Action is lost. If he wishes to interrupt another characters action, he must succeed on an Opposed Agility + Athletics roll. Disengage: The participant disengages from melee combat and can move 5ft. or choose a new target up to 5ft away. If he moves more than 5ft., hes considered to be taking a retreat action. Do Nothing: The participant does nothing useful during his Combat Action. Don Armor (3CA): The participant puts on their armor. Drop Weapon (0CA): The participant drops a readied weapon. Mount/Dismount: The participant mounts or dismounts a riding beast or vehicle. Move: The participant moves up to his speed. Pick-up Item: The participant picks-up an item on the ground. Retreat: The participant moves up to his speed away from their opponent. His opponent can optionally make a standard attack for free against the fleeing participant, interrupting the retreat action. If a character moves more than 5ft. away from or around an opponent they are already engaged in combat with, its considered a retreat action. If they are not engaged in combat, they can move regularly without having to take a retreat action. Run (2CA): The participant moves up to twice his speed. All attacks targeting him suffer a -2 penalty, and he may only dodge the attack, that Combat Round. Sprint (3CA): The participant moves up to four times his speed. All attacks targeting him suffer a -4 penalty, and he may not perform any other actions, including Opposed Rolls, that Combat Round. Talk (0CA): The participant can speak a handful of words to an ally or opponent. //Sidebar// TWO WEAPONS Characters wielding 2 one-handed weapons receive a free standard attack or parry action each Combat Round.// SHIELDS Characters wielding shields receive a free shield bash Combat Maneuver (to move a target out of melee range) or parry action each Combat Round.// MOVEMENT Every participant in combat may freely move up to their full speed during a single Combat Round. This movement may be divided up as desired across all Combat Actions, but may not exceed their speed in a given Combat Round without spending a Combat Action. Additionally, if engaged in melee combat, no movement is allowed without first disengaging or retreating. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 52
Example: A character with speed 30ft. may move 5ft. and attack on his first Combat Action, move 10ft. and attack on his second Combat Action, and move 15ft. and attack on his third Combat Action. Example: A character with speed 30ft. may move 10ft. and attack, engaging in melee, on his first Combat Action, disengage on his second Combat Action, and move 20ft. and attack, engaging in melee again, on his third Combat Action. When moving across difficult terrain, characters move at have their speed. The character must still be able to move across the difficult terrain without having to climb, crawl, jump, etc. Otherwise the character will have to use other movement types to cross the terrain. A character may optionally use half his speed to change his stance from standing, to kneeling or prone and vice versa. However, he must first have at least half his speed still available to change his stance. Example: A character with speed 30ft. may move 15ft. and go prone. However, if he moves 20ft., he no longer has enough movement left to go prone. ATTACKING AND DEFENDING When a participant decides to attack, they make an Attack Roll. Attack Rolls are standard Skill Rolls using the applicable Attribute and Skill for the weapon they are using. Two-handed weapons use Strength; one-handed weapons use Agility. Melee weapons use Melee, guns and the like use Firearms, simple ranged weapons (like bows) use Ranged, and thrown weapons use Athletics. These required Attributes and Skills cannot be changed unless a weapons entry says so. If the attack is being actively defended (i.e. the Defender spends a Combat Action to dodge, parry, or make a combat maneuver), the Attack Roll becomes an Opposed Roll. If the attack is not being actively defended, the Attack Roll is a standard Unopposed Roll using the Defenders Defense value as the Target Number. Please note that Automatic Success rules can apply on Unopposed Attack Rolls if the GM desires. If the Attack Roll exceeds the Target Number, damage is assessed. If an opponent has a Combat Action available, he may spend it to defend himself by making a Defend Roll. Defend Rolls are standard Skill Rolls used as an Opposed Roll to the Attack Roll. The Defenders Defend Roll must be equal to or higher than the Aggressors Attack Roll. If it is, the attack is successfully avoided and no damage is assessed. If the Attack Roll is higher, the attack is successful and damage is assessed. Actively defending an attack should be declared before the Aggressor makes an Attack Roll. However, the GM has the option of allowing a character to declare he is going to actively defend the Aggressor after the Attack Roll is made that exceeds the characters Defense value. If not allowing that option and a Defender fails the Opposed Roll, the Attack Roll is always considered successful even if it doesnt exceed the Defenders Defense value. This could be because the Defender exposed a weak spot in his armor or allowed the aggressor to hit him in an unarmored location. RANGE When using a ranged or thrown weapon, the attack roll may receive a bonus or suffer a penalty due to the distance between the Aggressor and the Defender. Close Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 53
Range is anything from adjacent to half the Effective Range of the weapon. Attacks at Close Range gain a +2 bonus to the Attack Roll. Effective Range is the distance denoted on the weapons entry and is considered as anywhere from half that distance up to that distance. Attacks at Effective Range gain no bonuses nor do they suffer any penalties. Long Range is anything greater than the Effective Range up to twice the Effective Range. Attacks at Long Range incur a -2 penalty to the Attack Roll. Anything beyond Long Range is an automatic failure. ARMOR Armor provides an extra layer of protection to the character. It increases the characters passive Defense value, increasing the difficulty of hitting the character when hes not actively defending. This number is equal to the characters torsos armor rating, as denoted in the armor table. All other locations provide armor against Called Shots. Only the torsos armor rating is added to Agility to get the characters Defense value. Armor ratings dont stack, even if the armor is layered; only one rating can be used. Always choose the highest armor rating. DAMAGE AND HEALTH Whenever a character is successfully hit by an Attack Roll, he takes damage. Damage is assessed according to the attackers weapon as indicated by their Damage entry in the weapon tables, reducing his Health. Health is tracked by the Health Track and is assessed as follows: 1. Damage is removed from the targets Health Track by placing an X in the first available circle at the top and to the left (see the Character Sheet). Each character has a number of circles in their Health Track equal to their Health value. As additional damage is taken, mark off the circles following right and then down, always starting a new line at the leftmost circle. 2. When a targets Health drops to half its maximum value, hes considered Wounded and incurs a -2 Wound Penalty to all actions until healing past that Wounded mark. Additionally, his speed drops to 50% and he only has two Combat Actions to spend each Combat Round. 3. When a targets Health drops to 25% of its maximum value, hes considered Injured and incurs a -4 Wound Penalty to all action until healing past that Injured mark. Additionally, his speed drops to 25% and he only has one Combat Action to spend each Combat Round. 4. When a targets Health drops to 0, hes considered Incapacitated and can no longer perform any actions until healing to at least 1 Health. 5. When a targets Health drops to a negative number equal to half its maximum value, hes considered Dead and is removed from play. 6. Nonlethal damage that brings the targets Health to the Injured mark is still considered Wounded and the target doesnt suffer any additional affects other than those from being Wounded. Additionally, his Health can never drop below 0 from nonlethal damage and no rolls on the Injury Table are required. //sidebar// Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 54
CHARACTER SHEET HEALTH TRACK The character sheet has a Health Track with a number of circles equal to a standard PCs maximum Health value. This should be modified according to the characters actual Health value to use the Health Track properly. Completely fill-in the unused circles so that the Health Track equals the characters Health. Feel free to get creative on how you track the characters Wounded, Injured, and Incapacitated values using the Health Track.// WOUNDED Wounded characters may be slowed down, but they are still actively participating in combat (unless they retreat). Their ability to attack is reduced and Natural Healing takes longer until the character is no longer considered Wounded. INJURED Injured characters have sustained an injury that requires medical treatment. Not only is their ability to fight reduced, Natural Healing takes even longer until the character is no longer considered Injured. INCAPACITATED When characters become Incapacitated, they are unconscious and can no longer participate in combat. They are not dead, but they are bleeding out. The Incapacitated character must make a Vitality + Resist roll. Success means the character is stabilizing and doesnt lose any further Health. Failure means the character continues to bleed out and loses one Health, and they must roll on the Injuries Table. Critical Success means the character stabilizes and gains one Health. Critical Failure means the character continues to bleed out and loses two Health. The Vitality + Resist roll must be made every Combat Round until healing is received or the character dies, but the character only rolls once on the injury table. 3d6 Roll Injury 3 Left Arm: The injury renders the left arm useless; he can no longer wield weapons or shields with that hand or use two-handed weapons. Additionally, if the character was holding anything in his left hand, he drops it. This injury is permanent but can be healed with medical care. 4 Right Arm: The injury renders the right arm useless; he can no longer wield weapons or shields with that hand or use two-handed weapons. Additionally, if the character was holding anything in his right hand, he drops it. This injury is permanent but can be healed with medical care. 5 Left Leg: The injury renders the left leg useless; he can no longer stand without assistance or by holding a nearby object. Additionally, the character can no longer walk or run but can crawl and shuffle on his knees. This injury is permanent but can be healed with medical care. 6 Right Leg: The injury renders the right leg useless; he can no longer stand without assistance or by holding a nearby object. Additionally, the character can no longer walk or run but can crawl and shuffle on his knees. This injury is permanent but can be healed with medical Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 55
care. 7-8 Torso: The injury hits somewhere on the characters torso, causing him to double-over in pain. The injury slows him down, but doesnt cause lasting pain. His Agility becomes d4 until healed. 9-10 Torso: The injury hits somewhere on the characters torso, knocking the wind out and possibly more. His bruises and cuts are accumulating, but he continues to fight on. His Vitality becomes d4 until healed. 11-12 Torso: The injury hits somewhere on the characters torso, causing his body to spasm and become weakened. The injury affects his ability to wield a weapon properly. His Strength becomes d4 until healed. 13-14 Broken: The continued wounds the character receives has a detrimental effect on his mind. He begins to feel broken and the stress from fighting is draining him mentally. His Psyche and Intelligence become d4 until healed. 15-16 Infection: There are simply too many cuts and bruises to count and one of them has become infected. The characters body begins to channel energy into fighting the infection instead of given him the adrenaline he needs. He gains one level of Fatigue until healed. 17 Head: The last blow hit the character in the head, causing possible irrevocable damage. His head begins to spin with dizziness. His Intelligence and Psyche become d4. This injury is permanent but can be healed with medical care. 18 Face: The character took a nasty cut to the face, causing a gaping wound to appear. The wound has many side-effects that make continuing difficult. His Perception becomes d4 until healed. His Charisma becomes d4 and is permanent but can be healed with medical care. HEALING There are three types of healing: magical, medical, and natural. Each type is similar in nature, except natural health cannot heal an Incapacitated character. MAGICAL HEALING Magical healing comes from a power or supernatural ability. It works as is stated in the powers entry and replenishes the characters Health (not armor). If the character is Incapacitated or has dropped to a negative Health number, magical healing always starts at 0 before replenishing Health. Thus, if the character is at Health -2 and receives 5 points of healing, their Health becomes 5. Magical healing can be performed at any time. MEDICAL HEALING Medical healing comes from first aid or surgery and uses the Healing skill. It requires one Combat Action to perform and may be done once by each healer within the first hour. Using the Healing skill in this way works as follows: Healing an Incapacitated character incurs a -6 penalty. Healing an Injured character incurs a -4 penalty. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 56
Healing a Wounded character incurs a -2 penalty. Penalties are cumulative with any Wound Penalties the healing character has incurred. Healing a character that is not Wounded, Injured, or Incapacitated doesnt incur any penalties. Successfully healing a character provides them with a number of Health points equal to half the Healing skills die type. If the character is Incapacitated or has dropped to a negative Health number, successful medical healing always starts at 0 before replenishing Health. Medical healing can only be performed within the first hour of losing Health. After that, only Natural Healing applies or receiving advanced medical care from a clinic or hospital. Failure on a Healing roll doesnt carry any side-effects, even if the character is Incapacitated. NATURAL HEALING All characters naturally heal over time, unless they are Incapacitated. This doesnt require any skill rolls although it does require the character to sleep or avoid physical activities. Natural healing works as follows: Injured characters naturally heal at a rate of one Health point per day. Wounded characters naturally heal at a rate of two Health points per day. Characters that are neither Injured nor Wounded naturally heal at a rate of three Health points per day. Receiving medical care from a clinic or hospital doubles the natural healing rate. It also allows for permanent injuries to heal. Incapacitated characters do not benefit from natural healing and must seek medical care to move from Incapacitated to Injured (taking one day to do so). MECHANICAL HEALING If rolling to heal (or rather repair) a mechanical device, solid object, or armored vehicle with some type of rating (toughness or armor rating is brought down to 0), use the Repair skill. Each successful roll (there are no penalties from the items condition) repairs the item by two poi nt s up to its maximum value. If playing in a setting with constructs, this same mechanic can be applied to characters that dont heal and instead require repair. ATTACK MODIFIERS Not every attack is going to be made within ideal conditions. When this occurs, modifiers apply to attacking, parrying, and dodging, directly to the Skill Roll. These modifiers are cumulative. Combat Situation Skill Roll Modifier Behind light cover and obscured up to 25% -2 Behind medium cover and obscured up to 50% -4 Behind heavy cover and obscured up to 75% -6 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 57
Behind total cover and obscured up to 99% -8 Ranged firing into crowd -2 Illumination is dim (moonlight) -2 Illumination is dark (cloudy night) -4 Illumination is total darkness -6 Using an improvised weapon -2 Standing on unstable ground -4 Extreme weather conditions -4 //sidebar// OPTIONAL MECHANIC: INNOCENT BYSTANDERS Optionally, if a character misses their target due to any number of special conditions, such as firing into a crowd of people, the attack may end up hitting someone other than the target. This could be an ally, another opponent, or a completely innocent bystander. Roll a d6 and on a 1 or 6, the attack hits someone other than the intended target. On a 2-5, the attack simply misses. Choose the unfortunate target randomly.// COMBAT MANEUVERS Instead of attacking, characters may wish to perform a combat maneuver. A combat maneuver is basically anything other than attacking a target for the purpose of wounding them. This is done through an Opposed Roll using an appropriate skill. Athletics is a common one, but characters are free to determine which skill best fits the maneuver they are attempting to perform. During the Opposed Roll, the Aggressor spends one Combat Action to make the Combat Maneuver while the Defender simply opposes it without spending a Combat Action. If the Aggressor is successful, the Combat Maneuver occurs with appropriate ensuing results (at the GMs discretion). Here are some examples of Combat Maneuvers: Disarm (Agility + Melee): instead of attacking, the character can declare that they are attempting to disarm their target by using their weapon. This can be opposed by a parry or dodge. Feint (Agility + Deception vs. Perception + Awareness): the character tricks the Defender into thinking his attacking is going left when its actually going right. If successful, the Defender incurs a -2 to parry or dodge all attacks from that character during this Combat Round. Frighten (Strength + Interrogation vs. Spirit + Resist): the character attempts to scare the Defender, forcing him to cower from an attack. If successful, the Defender cannot parry or dodge the next attack this Combat Round. Goad (Charisma + Deception vs. Psyche + Resist): the character taunts the Defender, forcing him to concentrate only on the character. If successful, the Defender can only attack that character this Combat Round. Grappling (Strength + Athletics vs. Agility + Athletics): the character attempts to grab their opponent and hold them until submission. If successful, maintaining that hold allows the character to make an unarmed, nonlethal attack, most likely Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 58
to the face, ignoring armor if possible. The target may attempt a Combat Maneuver on their Initiative to break the hold. Push (Strength + Athletics vs. Agility + Athletics): the character attempts to knock the target prone. Trip (Agility + Athletics vs. Agility + Athletics): the character attempts to trip the target, possibly while on the move, to knock them prone. Tumble (Agility + Athletics): the character attempts to roll past the Defender, possibly to avoid a crushing blow from a large weapon. COMBAT SITUATIONS Here is a collection of simple mechanics to manage various situations that may occur during combat. BLIND FIGHTING Blind fighting occurs when one cannot see their opponent. This could be due to temporary blindness or invisibility. These mechanics only apply to the character that cannot see the other character. If the character is aware of where their opponent was before fighting blindly, they are allowed a Hard (-4) Perception + Awareness roll to find the opponent. If successful, their attack or defensive roll only incurs a -4 penalty. If they are unaware of where the opponent was, or the Awareness roll failed, their attack or defensive roll incurs a -8 penalty. Blind fighting is always an Opposed Roll of the undetectable opponents attack roll if they are the Aggressor or Stealth if they are the Defender. Characters are completely unaware, and thus unable to target, undetectable opponents if theyve never attacked or were never visible. Once an opponent attacks, the character gets the opportunity to make that Awareness roll to see if they can spot where the opponent is. CALLED SHOTS Use the following mechanics when characters are targeting specific locations. The number in parentheses is the modifier to the Skill Roll: Limb (-4): Attacking a limb doesnt allow for extra damage, but it can bypass armor (thus lowering a characters Defense value against that attack). This includes called shots to disarm a Defender. Head or Vitals (-6): If successful, the Aggressor gains +4 damage. If attacking a vital area, the character must know where the Defenders vitals are and the Defender must actually have vital areas. Small Target (-6): Small targets could include an opening in someones armor, a small weapon theyre holding or carrying, or an object stashed on their person. On a success, the intended target is hit with whatever effect the GM decides. If an opening in armor is the target, the attack bypasses the armor rating. Tiny Target (-8): Tiny targets include eye-slits on helmets, faraway murder holes, or arrow-slits on a castle. The effects of this hit depend on what was being targeted. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 59
CAUGHT UNAWARE When a Defender is caught unaware, they cannot participate in an Opposed Roll to actively defend themselves. Thus, the Aggressors Attack Roll becomes Unopposed against the Defenders Defense value. HELPLESS Helpless targets are those without weapons and completely unable to defend themselves. Attacks against helpless Defenders results in an automatic Critical Success. IMPROVISED WEAPONS Sometimes characters need to grab the nearest object to use as a weapon. When doing so, the improvised weapon has a damage rating equal to its relative size and integrity (1 for something small like a glass, 4 for something large like a chair) and the wielder incurs a -2 penalty to attack and parry rolls. INANIMATE OBJECTS Inanimate objects serve as obstacles and those that are large enough can also be used as cover. As a rule of thumb, only an object that covers 75% of a character can be used as cover, otherwise standard cover rules apply. When attacking through an object, use its Toughness Rating as an additional layer of armor to determine damage dealt to the Defender. When only serving as an obstacle, use its Toughness Rating as Health to determine when the object falls apart. Nonlethal damage has no effect on an objects Toughness Rating. Note: Bullets cannot be used to reduce a large objects Toughness Rating when serving as an obstacle (like a wall or door). To destroy the object, something larger that can smash it must be used (like a hammer or axe). Object Toughness Rating Glass 1 Plate Glass 2 Sheetrock, rope 3 Wooden door, car door 4 Thick sheet metal 5 Cinder block, sword 6 Handcuffs, lock 7 Brick 8 Stone 9 Bulletproof glass 10 MOUNTED COMBAT When a character is riding a mount during their attacks, they do not use their standard Attack Roll. Instead, their Attack Roll is a measurement of their capability to ride the mount and attack at the same time, using Agility + Herding. While riding the mount, the beasts Speed becomes the rate of movement for the character. Charging is applied as normal, but the character gains an additional +d4 to damage due to the momentum of the beast. Both the character and the beast can be targeted by a Called Shot, but if a regular attack misses the character, the Innocent Bystander rule applies to see if the horse is hit. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 60
If the character falls of the beast, standard falling rules apply given the height of the beast. OUTNUMBERED When outnumbered, a Defender is at an obvious disadvantage. Besides running out of Combat Actions, the Aggressors also gain a +2 bonus to Attack Rolls made against the Defender they outnumber. However, Combat Maneuvers still allow for a free Opposed Roll as normal and characters can use the Outmaneuver action when outnumbered. PRONE Going prone, by using half a characters movement, has its advantages and disadvantages as an attacker or defender. When making a melee attack against a prone defender, the Aggressor gains a +2 bonus to their Attack Roll. When making a ranged attack against a prone defender greater than 30ft. away, the Aggressor incurs a -4 penalty to their Attack Roll (cumulative with range penalties). A prone defender behind light or medium cover increases their cover rating to heavy (75%); the Aggressor instead incurs a -6 penalty to their Attack Roll. Weapons with an area-effect (CT, SBZ, MBZ, and LBZ) ignore penalties for prone defenders. SURPRISE Characters can attempt to ambush their targets either by moving about quietly or by sitting in wait, gaining some type of advantage over their incoming targets. Targets should be allowed an Awareness roll to spot the ambush as long as they are either looking for it or can feasibly be aware of its presence. If necessary, this could be opposed by Stealth. Otherwise, the trap is sprung and those participating in the surprise attack gain 1 Combat Action versus a group of targets all Caught Unaware. After that, standard Combat Rounds and Initiative apply. UNARMED Fighting unarmed always uses Athletics instead of any weapon skill. Aggressors dont incur any penalties for being unarmed, although their damage is considered nonlethal. When both parties involved in combat are unarmed, neither side has a bonus or penalty related to being unarmed. Additionally, when both parties are unarmed, standard parry rules apply, except the Defender is blocking an attack with his arm or leg instead of parrying it with a weapon. Unarmed attacks do an amount of Damage equal to the characters Strength. When an Aggressor is armed and the Defender is unarmed, the Aggressor gains a +2 bonus to his Attack Roll and the Defender can only dodge. If the Defender becomes trapped and can no longer dodge, they are considered helpless and the Attack Roll automatically succeeds with a Critical Success. NO CHANCE OF SUCCESS If after all modifiers are assessed and the resulting Skill Roll has no chance of succeeding (because they cannot possibly meet or exceed the Target Number), the action automatically fails. No additional penalties apply, but the Combat Action is spent. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 61
Heroic Dice Pool Entropy is meant to be a game of epic heroism and horrific defeat. When thrown into fearful situations, the characters should have to fight their way through that fear in addition to fighting the enemy. Its the internal struggle that complements the external one. During periods of great heroism, the opposite should be true; the fear should strike the enemy in that their opponents (the PCs) are surely going to defeat them with ease. When the PCs (and only the PCs are allowed to do this) find a way to demonstrate their superiority over their adversaries, they are said to have Gained the Advantage. Gaining the Advantage has one effect: the players get to utilize a Heroic Dice Pool. This dice pool is a communal one usable by all the PCs. The only requirement is that they have Gained the Advantage (which can only be done if they stick together as a team and dont split-up). Once this happens, a dice pool is formed at the beginning of the Combat Round using a single d8. At the beginning of each subsequent Combat Round, permanently add an additional d8 to the Heroic Dice Pool until reaching a number of dice equal to 3 x the number of players (this is equal to the available Combat Actions in a single Combat Round across all PCs). When the Heroic Dice Pool is formed at the beginning of the Combat Round, roll it and leave the resulting dice rolls for everyone to see. When a characters initiative comes around and hes rolled his own dice and doesnt like the results, he may temporarily remove one of the already-roll dice from the Heroic Dice Pool and use its value instead of the value of either die from his resulting Skill Roll. He may only remove a single die on his initiative, regardless of how many dice he rolled and how many actions he performed. Dice temporarily removed from the Heroic Dice Pool are added back in at the beginning of every new Combat Round. PCs can Gain the Advantage by doing one of the following: Outnumbering their opponents (unless the opponent is a single villain, then outnumbering doesnt apply). Fighting a group that only consists of Minions. Using battle or group tactics against a force of even strength. (At the GMs discretion, but a good set-up before an encounter warrants reward by allowing the PCs to Gain the Advantage.) Forcing their opponents into a position they cannot escape from. Properly preparing for a battle before it begins (unless the opponent is a single villain, then the villain is most likely prepared as well). The PCs can thus Gain the Advantage at any time during combat given the situations above. If they encounter a villain and his minions and kill the villain, they automatically Gain the Advantage over the minions, regardless of how many there are. If they face a group of NPCs of equal strength and kill one of them, they automatically Gain the Advantage once they outnumber the NPCs. When using the Heroic Dice Pool in conjunction with Hero Points, Hero Points can be spent before or after choosing to remove one of the dice from the Heroic Dice Pool. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 62
Heroic Dice Pools cannot be formed against creatures with Fear ratings, regardless if they have Gained the Advantage, until the Fear Dice Pool has been depleted. Aging During character creation, characters are assumed to be at an optimal age for adventuring. For humans, this could be somewhere between 18 and 28, while for elves this may be between 100 and 150. The actual age can be used to flesh out the background of a character, but most games end there. Chances are most adventures and campaigns will end well before the character reaches middle-age. However, if your campaign is long-term or you wish to create a character that is older or younger than this optimal adventuring age, here are some simple mechanics to follow: Youth: The character is younger than the adventuring age, but still capable of functioning on her own. She has five d6s and three d8s, but gains an additional Quality. Middle-age: The character has reached an age around 50% of their life expectancy. After the character is created or advanced to this age, the die type of her Agility, Perception, Strength, and Vitality decreases by one step, to a minimum of d4. Additionally, the die type of all physical skills (like Athletics and Acrobatics) decreases by one step, to a minimum of d4. However, upon reaching this age, she gains 15 free skill points that can be spent in the same way as they are during character advancement on non- physical skills (like Investigation and Knowledge). She can optionally exchange those skill points for one additional Quality. Elderly: The character has reached an age around 75% of their life expectancy. After the character is created or advanced to this age, the die type of her Agility, Perception, Strength, and Vitality decreases to d4. Additionally, all physical skills decrease to d4. However, upon reaching this age, she gains 20 free skill points that can be spent in the same way as they are during character advancement on non-physical skills. She can optionally exchange 15 of those skill points for on additional Quality. What skills are physical and non-physical is at the GMs discretion, but it should be generalized that anything requiring physical movement is going to suffer due to the aging of the body. Allies Either due to Qualities, role-playing, or some form of empowerment, Allies may become a part of the characters group. Although its feasible to become allied to a fully fleshed out NPC, most Allies are Minions (with Qualities) and serve to aid the characters on a regular basis, serving equally or as subordinates. However, unlike NPCs and Minions, allies are typically controlled by the players, not the GM. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 63
When creating an ally, instead of putting together a full character that requires continued attention, simplify the creation process as follows: Type: Is the ally an animal familiar, human, or something else? Name: Choose the allys name. Role: What role do they play within the characters group? Subordinate: Is the ally functioning much like the characters or does he take orders from one of the PCs? Personality: How does he act around the characters? Experience: What experience does he start at? When advancing, allies gain half the XP of their controlling players character (rounded up). When advancing, they advance the same way. However, instead of using all the attribute and skill points, only use whats necessary. Allies should not be quite the equivalent of a PC. Gear: Outfit the ally with proper equipment and weapons to aid him in survival. Ammunition: Provide the ally with enough ammunition. Optionally, instead of tracking ammunition like characters, assume the ally runs out of ammunition at the end of every fourth combat encounter moving along this track: full, high, low, and empty. SAMPLE ALLIES Here are a few sample allies. Provide them with any additional skills applicable to their role within the group or what they can provide to the group. RANGER Agility d10, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6, Perception d8, Psyche d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vitality d6 Defense 11 (1), Health 7, Initiative 22, Speed 30 Language: English Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Ranged d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6 Qualities: Ambidextrous, Hunter, Marksman Gear: Short sword (DMG 4), bow (125ft, DMG 3), leather armor (torso, arms, legs +1) SOLDIER Agility d8, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6, Perception d8, Psyche d6, Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 8, Initiative 22, Speed 30 Language: English Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d8, Firearms d8, Melee d8 Qualities: Choose three Gear: Choose weapons and one armor set SPY Agility d6, Charisma d10, Intelligence d8, Perception d10, Psyche d6, Spirit d4, Strength d4, Vitality d4 Defense 6, Health 4, Initiative 22, Speed 30 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 64
Language: English Skills: Awareness d8, Deception d8, Gambling d6, Lock Picking d6, Melee d6, Stealth d8, Streetwise d10 Qualities: Eavesdropping, Excellent Hearing, Snitch Gear: Switchblade (DMG 2) Chase Either when someone decides to flee and another gives chase or a fight has broken out using vehicles, the Chase mechanics apply. Chases are run in the same fashion as combat except that each participant only has one Combat Action in each Combat Round. Additionally, movement requires a roll to be made to determine if the pursuer has gotten any closer to their quarry. Each participant in the chase needs to declare their method of movement. By doing this, the Attribute and Skill combination is defined that will be used during each Combat Round. Here are some examples: Running across open spaces on foot: Vitality + Athletics Traversing a construction zone with many obstacles: Agility + Acrobatics Driving a car: Agility + Operating Riding a horse: Agility + Herding Standard initiative rules apply and on each characters initiative, they either perform a movement action or choose some type of chase maneuver (whatever is appropriate to the method of movement). Chases are always based on each participants Speed. Unless stated otherwise, its assumed that each participant is moving quickly, equivalent to running during combat (2 x Speed on foot or the current speed of the vehicle or mount). On each participants initiative, he declares an action to take and makes a Skill Roll. If the action is to continue moving, the character rolls their previously determined Attribute + Skill combination. On a success, the character moves at twice his Speed. On a Critical Success, he moves at three times his Speed. On a failure, he moves an amount equal to his Speed. On a Critical Failure, something terrible happens, such as falling on the ground. If a character decides to make a maneuver of some type, the standard Combat Maneuver mechanics apply and the character rolls whatever Attribute and Skill are applicable to the maneuver. The effects of that maneuver are then discerned by the GM. If this maneuver is meant to throw off the pursuer, then the pursuer must either use his Combat Action to react to the maneuver or continue his regular movement. Hero Points can be spent as normal, including the ability to add 2d6ft to their movement. Difficulty modifiers also apply if the participants are moving through areas where obstacles reside. Example: Running through the prairie is Average, but running through the woods could be Difficult (-6). During a Chase scene, all participants are essentially acting at the same time. The benefit of Initiative is the ability to act first or react second. If a character has a higher Initiative, but wishes to react to their quarry or pursuer, they may delay their Combat Action this round until after the other participant. However, the participant Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 65
with the lower Initiative must act on their turn and is unable to delay their Combat Action. This is the only benefit of having a higher Initiative during a Chase scene. Chase scenes end when the quarry is caught, can no longer be found, or has reached a distance where the pursuer has no chance of ever catching them. Down Time Down time is the time between adventures. Characters can do a number of things during this time to either justify the skills they are increasing or purchasing or how they are earning a living outside of adventuring. After all, there can be lots of time between adventures and a character has to pay for the cost of living somehow. There are no rules for governing down time as it can be whatever the players and the GM wants. However, down time is an optimal place for training to justify new powers and skills, attribute enhancements, or acquiring a new Quality. This time can be hand-waved as simply occurring or the group can role-play through what their character has accomplished. Optionally, some GMs may request that character advancements may only occur during down time and not during the middle of an adventure. Fear In Entropy, fear is designed to strip away some of the heroism from the characters. This is done using a Fear Dice Pool utilized by the GM. Like the Heroic Dice Pool, the Fear Dice Pool acts as a tool for providing an advantage. Unlike the Heroic Dice Pool, that advantage is in the hands of the GM instead of the players. //sidebar// The base mechanics for fear in Entropy are designed for use in fantasy, modern action, pulp, and sci-fi settings. They have no ties to sanity nor do they cause any phobias or disorders. Instead, they serve as an obstacle to hinder the characters heroic abilities until they can fight through that horror and ultimately prevail.// A Fear Dice Pool is only formed for adversaries with a Fear Rating (displayed as Fear x as an Ability where x is the Fear Rating). As soon as the characters encounter that adversary (at the beginning of the first Combat Round), the GM forms a Fear Dice Pool using a number of d8s equal to the number of players + the adversarys Fear Rating. For example, a group of five players coming across a creature with Fear 5 would result in a Fear Dice Pool starting at 10d8. The GM rolls the Fear Dice Pool and can use the results against the characters. On each characters initiative, the GM may choose to exchange the value of one die from the characters Skill Roll with the value of one die from the already-rolled Fear Dice Pool. He then temporarily removes that die from the Fear Dice Pool. Dice temporarily removed from the Fear Dice Pool are added back in at the beginning of every new Combat Round. At the beginning of each Combat Round after the first, the GM permanently removes one die from the Fear Dice Pool and rolls the dice pool again, being able to use the new results during that Combat Round. This continues until the Fear Dice Pool has no more dice in it. At that time, the characters have fought their way Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 66
through the internal struggle against the horror they face and are no longer hindered by it. When the Fear Dice Pool has been depleted, the PCs may check to see if theyve Gained the Advantage and can begin building a Heroic Dice Pool. When using the Fear Dice Pool in conjunction with Hero Points. Hero Points should be spent after the GM chooses to exchange one of the PCs dice with one from the Fear Dice Pool. Fatigue Fatigue is a characters ability to overcome physical and mental stimuli that either drains the body of the energy it needs to function or causes undo stress. There are a number of sources that can cause fatigue, but they ultimately all have the same effect: the body becomes weak. Fatigue is measured in levels: tired, drained, exhausted, and incapacitated (in that order). Each time a character gains a level of fatigue, they move along these levels, suffering penalties for it as follows (these penalties are cumulative with Wound Penalties): 1. Tired: All Skill Rolls suffer a -2 penalty. 2. Drained: All Skill Rolls suffer a -4 penalty, speed drops to 50%, and he only has two Combat Actions to spend each Combat Round. 3. Exhausted: All Skill Rolls suffer a -6 penalty, speed drops to 25%, and he only has one Combat Action to spend each Combat Round. 4. Incapacitated: The character drops to the ground and falls into a deep sleep for a number of hours equal to 24 minus their Vitality die type. Fatigue can be resisted according to what stimulus is causing it, typically calling for a Skill Roll using Resist. This will be found in each stimuluss entry. Characters recover from fatigue (unless Incapacitated) at a rate of one level per four hours of relaxation (half that time if the character is sleeping). For each four hours of relaxation, remove one level of fatigue and apply the new penalties accordingly. Relaxation can range from doing almost nothing to performing very light activities that wouldnt sap the body of energy or stress the mind. Hazards Hazards encompass many types of physical and mental stress sources that cause fatigue or injuries. These can occur during or outside of combat and affect everyone that isnt properly prepared. What follows is a list of common hazards and their in- game effect. DISEASE Diseases include a number of ailments that affect a characters physical capabilities. This includes viruses, bacteria, chronic illnesses, and rare lethal Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 67
diseases. Each one is assessed according to what it is, how quickly it sets in, and how debilitating it is to the character. Diseases can be contracted a number of ways with a number of short- or long- term effects. They cause fatigue according to how debilitating they are and can only be cured through proper medicinal treatment or magical healing. Resisting the contraction of a disease requires a Vitality + Resist roll with a difficulty based on the disease (such as fighting a cold versus resisting influenza). Long-terms diseases can take months or years to set in while short-terms diseases could take days or weeks (or even hours). The more debilitating the disease, the more fatigue it causes, starting at Tired and running through Exhausted. Each disease should be assessed separately and accordingly. Need Examples! Playtesters feel free to send me your ideas!! DROWNING Characters that fail a roll for swimming risk drowning. Once a failure occurs, the character must make an immediate Agility + Athletics roll to avoid drowning with a difficulty based on the movement of the water (calm versus rough) and if they have anything to aid them in swimming (such as a flotation device). If this roll is failed, the character begins drowning and gains a level of fatigue. The character may continue making Agility + Athletics rolls to recover, with each failure resulting in an additional level of fatigue. Upon becoming Incapacitated, the character dies. If they are saved or recover with a successful roll, the fatigue remains and recovers as normal. ENVIRONMENT Environmental hazards are those caused by extreme climate conditions (hot, freezing, desert, tundra, etc.). For every 15 minutes spent in one of these environments, each character must make a Vitality + Resist roll. Each failure causes the character to gain a level of fatigue. If the character is properly prepared for the environment, no roll is necessary. If they are only partially prepared, the roll must be made every hour instead of every 15 minutes. Characters can only recover fatigue from environmental hazards once theyve removed themselves from that environment. FALL If a character falls onto a hard, flat surface, they take 2 damage, ignoring armor, for every 10 ft. they fall. If the surface is soft, the damage is halved. If the surface is jagged (such as from rocks), the damage is doubled. If the character falls onto snow or into water, the damage is reduced by 2 for every foot of snow or water. FIRE Fire is deadly and has additional consequences for coming into contact with it. Characters incur 2 damage, ignoring armor, for coming into contact with fire. More intense fires increase this damage based on their source. For example, a campfire causes 2 damage but an intense house fire may cause 6. Additionally, there is a 50% Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 68
chance that the fire will spread unless the character takes precautions to avoid the fire spreading. Inhaling smoke is another deadly consequence of fire. For every 5 minutes a character inhales smoke, he must make a Vitality + Resist roll. Each failure causes the character to gain a level of fatigue. However, Incapacitation results in death as the lungs are exhausted of oxygen. POISON Poison is much like disease except that it comes from different sources and may occur from the attack of a poison-wielding creature or weapon. When coming into contact with a poison, the character must make a Vitality + Resist roll with a difficulty based on the type of poison (deadlier poisons have much higher difficulties). If failed, the character immediately gains a level of fatigue. This fatigue increases or stays the same depending on the poison. Additionally, lethal poisons cause death 2d6+3 hours after the character reaches Incapacitation. Curing a poison requires medical or magical treatment and each poison should be assessed separately and appropriately. Need Examples! Playtesters feel free to send me your ideas!! PHYSICAL EXERTION Most characters can only push themselves for so long before theyve reached their maximum level of physical exertion, causing their body to tire. This is based on the characters Vitality and depends on the act being performed. For instance, a character should be capable of walking for a number of hours equal to their Vitality die type without needing to rest. They could then be capable of jogging for a number of hours equal to half their Vitality die type, and run for a number of hours equal to one-tenth their Vitality die type. (These are just examples. The GM has the ultimate say in whats feasible.) When a character has reached their maximum physical exertion point, they gain a level of fatigue. Continuing that act requires a Strength + Resist (fitness) or Vitality + Resist (endurance) roll every 30 minutes to avoid gaining additional levels of fatigue. SLEEP Characters need sleep to replenish their body of much-needed energy. After being awake for 18 hours, the character must make a Vitality + Resist roll every six hours to continue functioning. (This can change depending on how much physical activity the character is performing.) Each failure results in the character gaining a level of fatigue. This fatigue can only be removed with restful sleep at a rate of one level of fatigue for each four hours of sleep. Incapacitation results in the character falling asleep for 2d6+6 hours. THIRST AND STARVATION Starvation only becomes a hazard when the characters cannot locate food or water. This is typically associated with a Survival roll. If a character goes more than 24 hours without food and water, they must make a Vitality + Resist roll to fight off Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 69
hunger and their bodys need for sustenance. Each failure causes the character to gain a level of fatigue. However, Incapacitation results in death 2d6+3 hours later as the body becomes deprived of much-needed sustenance. Each level of fatigue recovers after 2 hours of receiving an appropriate amount of food and water. Rolls to fight hunger arent needed if a character can follow them up with a successful Survival roll. Travel Speed is a general measurement of how quickly a character can move about during a single Combat Round. Travel is a general measurement of how much distance a character can cover within a given amount of time. This is an accumulation of moving, stopping, resting, and eating. To keep things simple, the average human can walk at a comfortable pace of 3 miles per hour. Given the need to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom, the average human could cover around 20 30 miles per day. Traveling at this rate prevents fatigue and thus doesnt require any rolls. Traveling at a rate higher than this requires a Vitality + Resist roll once every hour to avoid gaining a level of fatigue. Traveling at a rate double this requires that same roll, but with a -4 penalty for pushing the body so much. Traveling by beast or vehicle will obviously alter the distance anyone can cover and is at the discretion of the GM in terms of what is feasible. The GM is also free to adjust the distance a character can travel if they arent human or have a Quality that can easily apply (such as long distance runner). Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 70
Powers Powers can manifest in different ways. Whether they are magical spells, scientific gadgets, psionics, occult rituals, or super abilities, they are all governed the same way. To make things easy, a manifestation of magic-like abilities in any form is simply referred to as a Power. Where that power sources from, what its components are, and what it looks like is at the creative discretion of the player in accordance to their characters concept. These particular aspects of a power are called Flavor and are role-playing means to represent a characters Power. They carry no additional in-game effect, but can make encounters that much more memorable. CREATING POWERED CHARACTERS Before creating a character that utilizes powers, clear the character concept with the GM to ensure those abilities are allowed and feasible within her setting, adventure, or campaign. If the source of those powers doesnt fit, then the characters concept will need to change. To create a character that can utilize powers (or Powered Character), the player needs to replace one Quality, or choose it during character creation, with the Powers Quality. This particular Quality has no other in-game effects regarding Hero Points other than it means the character has one less Quality to utilize. This also means that during character advancement, the Powers Quality can be chosen for the same price of purchasing a Quality. The Powers Quality defines the characters ability to utilize powers in the chosen fashion. If they wish to have multiple methods of utilizing powers, then each power casting method must have an associated Powers Quality that replaces a non-Powers Quality. There are an endless number of ways to manifest power across all the different genres and subgenres. This book presents a handful of them as guidance, but dont feel hampered by these designs. They are simply meant as options to choose or use as inspiration. Each one uses the same basic mechanics with slight alterations to differentiate them from one another. Here are the basic mechanics that govern all Powered Characters. POWERED ATTRIBUTE When creating a Powered Character, the player chooses which Attribute governs that characters manifestation of power. The most common ones are Intelligence, Psyche, and Spirit. This Attribute needs to match how the character manifests their powers. Which Attribute is possible is at the GMs discretion. After choosing the Powered Attribute, write it down on the character sheet. This becomes the Attribute used for all Skill Rolls relating to the use of the characters powers. POWERED SKILL After the Powered Attribute is chosen, the player chooses which Skill governs that characters manifestation of power. This skill must be a Lore or Science skill as it cannot be used in conjunction with regular, non-powered actions unless the Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 71
character is attempting to identify a power. Additionally, this must be a skill they already purchased during Character Creation or Character Advancement. After choosing the Powered Skill, write it down on the character sheet. This becomes the skill used for all Skill Rolls relating to the use of the characters powers. POWER POINTS Every character has a number of Power Points equal to three times the die type of their Powered Attribute. Using a power depletes this amount temporarily by the number of Power Points required to use the power. Characters then recover Power Points at a rate of 1 Power Point per hour, 2 if they are resting. When a character increases their Powered Attribute, they also increase their Power Points. Additionally, during character advancement, they may spend 5 XP to increase their maximum Power Points by 5. Example: A character that has chosen Psyche d10 as their Powered Attribute has 30 Power Points to start with. STARTING POWERS Powered Characters start with a number of powers equal to half the die type of their Powered Skill. Example: If the character has Arcane d10, then he starts with five powers. ACQUIRING NEW POWERS Powered Characters acquire a new power automatically when they increase the Value of their Powered Skill. Additionally, during character advancement, they may spend 5 XP to gain a new power. Using Powers As a standard action, typically costing one Combat Action, a character may utilize one of their powers. This is done by declaring the power to be used, spending the applicable number of Power Points to use and augment the power, and making a standard Skill Roll using the Powered Attribute + Powered Skill. The Difficulty of this roll is based on the Difficulty entry of the power. If the roll is successful the power goes off as normal. If this is an attack, the Defender may spend a Combat Action to evade the power, if they have a Combat Action available, as an Opposed Roll. If the roll fails, the power has no effect and the Power Points are spent. For all intents and purposes, a characters power casting roll is considered an Attack Roll. No additional rolls are needed to hit a target. CASTING CRITICAL SUCCESS If the character scores a critical success on their roll to utilize a power, the power goes off as normal and the spell costs no Power Points to be spent. CASTING FAILURE If the character fails their roll to utilize a power, the power doesnt go off at all and one Power Point is expended. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 72
CASTING CRITICAL FAILURE If the characters roll results in a critical failure, the power doesnt go off at all and the full Power Points cost of the power are expended. MAINTAINING POWERS Some powers last their full duration without the needing the character to maintain it; those that do require Concentration to be maintained. Concentration requires the character to expend 1 Power Point at the beginning of their first initiative in each Combat Round to maintain the power. Additionally, if they wish to utilize additional powers, their Powered Attribute + Powered Skill roll suffers a cumulative -2 penalty for each power being maintained. ADDITIONAL FAILURE Using powers can be quite dangerous. Powered Character Concepts should contain an additional level of failure that causes an adverse side-effect due to the improper or failed use of a power. These additional failure modes are listed in the examples below, but players and GMs are encouraged to create additional failure modes that match that Powered Characters Concept. Powered Character Concepts Although each player, along with the GM, is encouraged to create their own Powered Character Concepts, here are some examples. CLERIC Powered Attribute: Spirit Powered Skill: Divinity Flavor: Bright light emitting from the hands, the skies parting to allow heavenly energy through, bursts of lightning crash from seemingly nowhere, light protects the cleric. Clerics are followers of the gods and work diligently to spread the knowledge of their pantheons wonderful deeds. Their powers come from the heavens (or underworld if they are a cleric of an evil deity) and invoke these powers by murmuring a prayer or performing a ritual as dictated by their deity. Holy Alignment: Clerics are tied to the desires of the deity they worship. That deitys desires then become the clerics desires and he should work diligently to follow them at all times. Whenever the cleric violates the desires of his deity, he suffers a -2 to all Spirit + Divinity rolls for one week. If he commits a major sin, the cleric is stripped of his powers until repenting for his sins. HIEROPHANT Powered Attribute: Psyche Powered Skill: Occult Flavor: Dark light emanating from the hands, the eyes turn blood red while energy builds within them, the shedding of blood delivers much needed strength, an invisible force taunts the target. Hierophants are occult leaders. Much like a cleric leads in the name of a divine being, hierophants lead in the name of an esoteric or vile being. Their powers come Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 73
from the hands of the beings they worship and is often channeled through the rituals they perform in front of their followers. Retaliation: When hierophants roll a 1 on their Psyche die, regardless of their Occult dice, they suffer retaliation as the vile being they worship has become angry with their actions. The power fails and the hierophant is thrown backwards 30 ft. If they hit a wall when thrown backwards, they suffer 1d6 damage that ignores armor. PSION Powered Attribute: Psyche Powered Skill: Psionics Flavor: Hypnotic orbs form in the air, the mind probes that of an ally, a psychic scream assaults the targets mind, random objects begin floating in the air. Psions are masters of psionic abilities. They have mastered the power of the mind and can manipulate the world around them with merely a thought. They have managed to tap into areas of the brain no one understands and have an innate ability to control their surroundings. Psychic Scream: When psions roll a 1 on their Psyche die, regardless of their Psionics die, their brain backlashes and lets out a psychic scream that causes 1d6 damage, ignoring armor, to the psion and anyone within a Large-Blast Zone centered on the psion. SCIENTIST (STEAMPUNK) Powered Attribute: Intelligence Powered Skill: Steampunk Flavor: Robot, jetpack, experimental gun, remote control. Scientists are masters with gadgets. Their powers dont manifest internally and are instead engineered creations they control or command. Each of their inventions is equivalent to a power. For scientists, Intelligence + Steampunk is always used to create the invention (with the given difficulty). Operating the invention uses an appropriate skill depending on what the invention is (Firearms for guns, Piloting for jetpacks, etc.). The invention has a number of Power Points equal to the scientists and is depleted at the rate shown in the powers entry. However, inventions do not regain Power Points as normal and instead require an external power source to be recharged (at a rate of 1 Power Point per hour). Inventions can be used by anyone with the applicable skill and the scientist can have a number of inventions equal to the scientists maximum number of allowed Powers. There are no penalties for Upkeep and instead powers with Upkeep are considered to automatically dismiss once their Duration has ended (maintaining is not possible). If a scientist loses an invention, he may create a replica after one day as long as he has access to his workshop and all necessary components. If he recovers the original, it no longer works and the scientist must stick to his new version. Explosion: When scientists roll a 1 on their Steampunk die, regardless of their Intelligence die, the invention explodes, catches fire, or melts. He takes 2d6 damage as does anyone else holding the invention. Starting Powers: Scientists start with only one version of each power they choose. They may create duplicates of those inventions when acquiring new powers. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 74
SHAMAN Powered Attribute: Spirit Powered Skill: Shamanism Flavor: Spirit emerging from the ether, the soul being sucked into a fetish, entrancing eyes, floating orbs. Shamans are worshipers of spirits. They harness the power of those spirits by trapping it inside a fetish or calling upon the spirits to offer aid. They often provide aid through spiritual healing and seek advice from the spirits of their ancestors. Backlash: When a shaman rolls a 1 on his Spirit die, regardless of his Shamanism dice, the spirits revolt and lash out at the shaman instead. Whatever power was being utilized instead attacks the shaman, taking only half damage. SORCERER Powered Attribute: Intelligence Powered Skill: Arcane Flavor: Reading an incantation from a grimoire, manipulating the elements, controlling the arcane weave, tapping into the ley lines. Sorcerers are incredible wielders of arcane energy that has existed since the dawn of time. They learn their powers in a scholarly way but memorize everything needed to cast their magic. Feedback: When a sorcerer rolls a 1 on his Intelligence die, regardless of his Arcane die, the arcane weave has rejected his manipulation and explodes in his face. This causes 1d6 damage that ignores armor. SUPER HERO Powered Attribute: Strength Powered Skill: Superhuman* Flavor: Super human strength Super heroes are unique in that their powers are less a manifestation and more something theyre just capable of doing. (*)Unlike other Powered Characters, super heroes have a different Powered Skill for each power they possess (named however the player pleases). Thus, Strength + Superhuman allows the character to use his super human strength to life massive objects and throw incredible punches and is tied to whatever power the player deems fit. If hes able to choose an additional power later on, then he would have to purchase another skill and attack it as a Powered Skill. In addition, super heroes have twice as many Power Points, but only start with a single power for each Powered Attribute + Powered Skill combination. At the GMs discretion, they may manifest additional powers using the same PA + PS combination later on at the normal Character Advancement cost, but always start with one. The drain on his Power Points represents the additional strain on his body caused by using his super powers. WARLOCK Powered Attribute: Charisma Powered Skill: Demonology Flavor: Making a deal with a devil, a favor from a demon, dark powers sourced from chaotic beings, demonic possession. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 75
Warlocks gain their powers by dealing with devils and demons (or any chaotic being). Their magic is dark and chaotic and often times unstable. However, they cannot manipulate that magic themselves and thus require intervention from an evil being to provide it. Deception: When a warlock rolls a 1 on his Charisma die, regardless of his Demonology die, the evil being successfully deceived the warlock by supplying him with a false energy. The power doesnt work and the warlock is immediately drained of all Power Points. These Power Points recover as normal. Flavor Flavor is just a way of describing how a power is manifested and what it looks like to those around the character. For the sake of balance, flavor has no additional in- game effects other than sounding cool and making the power more interesting. This flavor can also be incorporated into the name of the power to make it seem unique to that character. This is especially important for scientists as they would definitely want to give their invention a cool name. Although flavor has no additional in-game effect, it does allow the same powers to be used across multiple genres, settings, and character concepts without needing an exhaustively large listing of powers for each. It also alleviates the need to rename powers that basically do the same thing. //sidebar// OPTIONAL MECHANIC: FLAVOR AND HERO POINTS Players that are particularly good at flavoring their powers in unique ways could be rewarded with a Hero Point to be spent immediately. This works the same as utilizing a Quality and must apply to the current action being performed. This is strictly at the GMs discretion and should only be allowed in particularly dramatic moments.// Manipulation All powers, unless denoted otherwise, can be Manipulated so that they are stronger than their basic entry. Manipulating a power is a Powered Characters way of making that power stronger or more effective. However, if that isnt desired, the character can instead utilize the power in its base form and spend the minimal number of Power Points necessary. Utilizing a power costs 1 Power Point. Each component of that power that is Manipulated, according to the Power Manipulation Table, increases that cost by a number of Power Points equal to the Points of Manipulation required to achieve that change in the desired component. Multiple components can be Manipulated and the cost to do so is cumulative with other component Manipulations. For example, if it costs 2 Points of Manipulation to adjust the Range from Touch to 30ft. x Powered Attribute and 2 Points of Manipulation to adjust the Duration from 1 Combat Round to 3 Combat Rounds, the total cost to utilize that power is 5 (1 for the base cost + 2 for Range + 2 for Duration). Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 76
Power components that cannot be Manipulated will be denoted in their entry as static values. MAGNITUDE Magnitude is a general description of size or capacity for a particular power. For many powers, it doesnt apply, for others it determines what the character can interact with when utilizing that power. The effects of Magnitude are noted within each applicable powers description. All powers have a default Magnitude of 1. It costs one Power Point for each incremental augmentation to Magnitude of a power. RANGE Most powers have a default Range of Touch. Manipulating this range allows the character to affect a target at a greater distance. However, most powers still require the character to see his target or know its location; if he cannot, the power automatically fails. It costs one Power Point for each incremental augmentation to the Range of a power. Range is typically based on the Powered Attribute (PA) and given in feet (ft) or miles (M). DURATION Most powers have a default Duration of one Combat Round (1 CR). This means the power occurs immediately and lasts until the beginning of the characters turn during the next Combat Round. (Delaying occurs after the beginning of the characters turn.) It costs one Power Point for each incremental augmentation to the Duration of a power. TARGETS Most powers default to affecting only a single Target. Manipulating the number of Targets increases the recipients of the power, but it doesnt change the potency of the power. Each recipient receives the full brunt of the power although each one is entitled to make an Opposed Roll if they have a Combat Action to evade the power. It costs one Power Point for each additional Target added to the power. POWER MANIPULATION TABLE Points of Manipulation Magnitude Range Duration (Combat Rounds) Targets None 1 Touch 1 1 1 2 6 ft. x PA 2 2 2 3 30 ft. x PA 3 3 3 4 60 ft. x PA 4 4 4 5 120 ft. x PA 5 5 5 6 250 ft. x PA 6 6 6 7 500 ft. x PA 7 7 7 8 1000 ft. x PA 8 8 8 9 0.5 M x PA 9 9 9 10 1 M x PA 10 10 10 11 5 M x PA 11 11 Each point +1 Magnitude +2.5 M x PA +1 Combat Round +1 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 77
Powers Listed below are the basic powers available for most settings and genres. Each entry has the following statistics: Concentration: Some powers require continuous concentration to be maintained throughout the duration of the power. Those that do are denoted as such in their entry. Otherwise, no concentration is required. Difficulty: Difficulty is the Skill Roll penalty the character incurs to successfully utilize the power. Powers with no Difficulty listed have no associated penalties to the Skill Roll. Instant: A Duration of Instant indicates the power takes immediate effect and then vanishes after it resolves. It cannot be maintained nor can its Duration be manipulated. For conjured items, they remain indefinitely until disposed of otherwise. Resistance: If a Defender can resist the effects of the power, Resistance will be noted in the powers entry with the method of resistance shown in parentheses afterward, such as Resistance (Vitality + Resist). The character must first succeed in utilizing the power; their resulting roll is then used as the Target Number of the Defenders Opposed Roll. If the Aggressor failed, no opposing roll is necessary. Resisting the effects of a power is a free defensive action for the Defender; they dont need to spend any Combat Actions to do it. Static Values: Not all powers can be manipulated across every component. If a component cannot be manipulated, it will appear as a static value in that powers entry, such as Range (100 ft.). Components: If a power doesnt list any components (Magnitude, Range, Duration, or Targets), it follows the Power Manipulation Table, starting with each component at its lowest value. ABJURE Duration (Special) Abjure allows the recipient of the power to forgo a single substance or process necessary to sustain life. This may include water, food, sleep, air, and so on. The Magnitude of the power determines how long the power lasts with each level of Magnitude allowing the power to last 1 hour x PA. ANIMATE Concentration, Difficulty (-2), Duration (Minutes) Animate allows the character to control an object or group of objects that are normally inanimate (such as the bones of a skeleton). Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds and the Magnitude of the power determines the size of the object that can be animated. Each Magnitude increases the size of the object that can be animated, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of animating an object of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 78
power is capable of animating an object of Size 0). Humans and most humanoids are size 0. BANISH Difficulty (Special), Duration (Instant), Resistance (Psyche + Resist) Banish allows the character to dismiss a spiritual or demonic being according to the Magnitude of the power. Each Magnitude increases the size of the being that can be banished, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of banishing a being of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of banishing a being of Size 0). This is an Opposed Roll of the banish power versus the beings Psyche + Resist. If the character is successful, the being is sent back to the Plane from whence it originates. The power cannot be used to exorcise a being; they already have to be freed from their host. A beings stature amongst their originating Plane increases the difficulty of utilizing the Power. Example: A demon of Size 0 is of little importance in the Chaos Plane and can be banished with a Magnitude 3 power at -2 (because demons should be harder to banish than spirits). A Prince of Hell of Size 6, however, is a very significant being and thus requires much more strength to banish. This requires a Magnitude 9 power at a Difficulty of -12. With powers like banish, group rituals can be utilized as a Cooperative Roll. Each participant increases the Magnitude of the spell by +1, without the Powered Character having to spend the extra Power Points, along with the +2 being added to the Skill Roll. //sidebar// Instead of measuring an otherworldly beings stature, the difficulty modifier could be equal to the negative of the targets Psyche or Spirit (whichevers higher). Example: A demon with Psyche d10 forces a -10 penalty to the characters PA + PS roll.// BARRIER Targets (Special) Barrier allows the character to create a solid, immobile wall, 6 ft. long with a Toughness Rating equal to the powers Magnitude. The number of Targets of the power determines how many 6 ft. sections are created. The thickness of the wall depends on the substance its created of in relation to its Toughness Rating. BOOST DAMAGE Boost damage allows the character to increase the damage of a weapon or unarmed attack by an amount equal to the powers Magnitude. BURST Duration (Instant), Range (CT), Resistance (Dodge), Targets (Special) Burst sends a blast of energy out from the character, using the cone template against a number of targets beneath the cone template (Targets cannot be manipulated). This is a standard Attack Roll per the standard Area Effect rules on page xx. Those that fail take an amount of damage equal to the powers Magnitude, ignoring armor. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 79
CONCEAL Duration (Hours) Conceal allows the character to prevent any object, effect, or being from being detected. Duration is measured in hours instead of Combat Rounds and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. CONFUSE Difficulty (-2), Resistance (Perception + Resist) Confuse attempts to distract or mesmerize a target. This is an Opposed Roll against the targets Perception + Resist and Magnitude has no effect. If the target fails, they suffer a -d6 penalty to all rolls throughout the duration of the power. DARKVISION Duration (Hours) Darkvision allows the character to ignore lighting penalties in Dim and Dark Lighting and half the penalty in Total Darkness. Duration is measured in hours instead of Combat Rounds and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. DEFLECT Difficulty (Special), Duration (Instant) Deflect allows the character to block an incoming attack as if he had successfully dodged or parried it. It cannot be used to resist another power, but it can be used to evade one that allows evasion. The Magnitude of the deflect power is used to block incoming attacks from another power (must be a power that causes damage). The Magnitude of the deflect power must meet or exceed that of the other power. Non- powered melee and ranged attacks are considered Magnitude 1. When used against non-powered attacks, the Difficulty of this roll is based on the Aggressors Attack Roll, the same as performing dodge as an Opposed Roll. When used against powered attacks, Magnitude is the deciding factor. DETECT Concentration Detect allows a character to sense a hidden, concealed, or incorporeal object, effect, or being with some type of power related to it. Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. DIMINISH Difficulty (-4), Resistance (Spirit + Resist) Diminish allows the character to temporarily weaken a target by reducing one of their Attributes by a single die type (to a minimum of d4, this is cumulative with multiple diminish powers). Targets can only choose additional targets, not additional Attributes on a single target and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. DISGUISE Duration (Hours) Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 80
Disguise allows the character to disguise their face, voice, and general physique to avoid being recognized. Duration is measured in hours instead of Combat Rounds and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. DIVINATION Difficulty (Special), Duration (Minutes) Divination allows the character to speak to a spiritual, divine, or otherworldly being. Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds and Difficulty should correspond to the importance of the being that the character wishes to speak to. Additionally, the character can decrease the Difficulty by increasing the Magnitude of the power. This may be absolutely necessary if the being is a god. Example: A divine messenger is relatively easy to speak with and carries no Difficulty modifier with a Magnitude of 1. Speaking to Zeus, the head of a pantheon, may be extremely difficult and carries a Difficulty of -12 with a Magnitude of 10. With powers like divination, group rituals can be utilized as a Cooperative Roll. Each participant increases the Magnitude of the spell by +1, without the Powered Character having to spend the extra Power Points, along with the +2 being added to the Skill Roll. DOMINATE Concentration, Difficulty (-4), Resistance (Psyche + Resist) Dominate allows the character to control a living creature or being. Magnitude determines the size of the creature or being that can be dominated. Each Magnitude increases the size of the creature or being that can be dominated, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of dominating a creature or being of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of dominating a creature or being of Size 0). Humans and most humanoids are size 0. EARTH Duration (Instant) Earth allows the character to create an object made from hardened sand, or some other earthen material, without the element being present or needing to be manipulated. Magnitude determines the size of the object, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power creates an object of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power creates an object of Size 0). Small objects (Size -2) can be thrown, doing 1 damage, and larger objects can be used as obstacles with a Toughness Rating of 3. Large objects can be formed around another object or being, but the inside would be hollow. ELEMENTAL MANIPULATION Duration (Instant) Elemental manipulation allows the character to manipulate an already-present element. The amount of manipulation is relative to the Magnitude of the power whereas a higher Magnitude allows for more manipulation of the element. For example, turning a stone of Size -2 into a Size 0 boulder requires a Magnitude 2 power. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 81
ENHANCE Difficulty (-2) Enhance is the opposite of diminish and allows the character to temporarily increase a single Attribute or Skill by one die type (to a maximum of d12, this is cumulative with multiple enhance powers). Targets can only choose additional targets, not additional Attributes on a single target and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. When using enhance to increase an Attribute, Secondary Attributes are not affected. EXORCISE Difficulty (Special), Duration (Instant), Resistance (Spirit + Resist) Exorcise allows the character to remove a spiritual or demonic being from a host according to the Magnitude of the power. Each Magnitude increases the size of the being that can be exorcised, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of exorcising a being of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of exorcising a being of Size 0). This is an Opposed Roll of the exorcise power versus the beings Spirit + Resist. If the character is successful, the being is released from the host, but is now free to interact with the world around it as it pleases. A beings stature amongst their originating Plane increases the difficulty of utilizing the Power. Example: A demon of Size 0 is of little importance in the Chaos Plane and can be exorcised with a Magnitude 3 power at -2 (because demons should be harder to exorcise than spirits). A demon prince of Size 6, however, is a very significant being and thus requires much more strength to banish. This requires a Magnitude 9 power at a Difficulty of -12. With powers like exorcise, group rituals can be utilized as a Cooperative Roll. Each participant increases the Magnitude of the spell by +1, without the Powered Character having to spend the extra Power Points, along with the +2 being added to the Skill Roll. EXPLODE Difficulty (-2), Duration (Instant), Resistance (Dodge), Targets (Special) Explode sends a blast of energy away from the character that explodes on impact, using one of the Blast Zone templates. This is a standard Attack Roll per the standard Area Effect rules on page xx. Those that fail take an amount of damage equal to the powers Magnitude, ignoring armor. The Targets component alters the size of the explosion whereas Targets 1 uses the Small Blast Zone, Targets 2 uses the Medium Blast Zone, Targets 3 uses the Large Blast Zone, and no further Manipulations can be made past Targets 3. FARSIGHT Farsight allows the character to see objects and beings at a distance dictated by the powers Range. The characters cone of vision utilizes the Cone Template originating from the position the power is centered on. Targets cannot be manipulated as the character can only use one iteration of this power at a time. However, the cone of vision can be moved a full 360. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 82
Farsight can be combined with a ranged attack. While active, the character ignores all range penalties. FIRE Duration (Instant) Fire allows the character to create a flame, or cause something to start on fire, without the element being present or needing to be manipulated. Magnitude determines the size of the flame, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power creates a flame of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power creates a flame of Size 0). Small objects (Size -2) can be thrown, doing 1 damage, ignoring armor, and larger objects can be used as obstacles with a Toughness Rating of 3. Successfully casting fire means the intended flame appears on the intended object and is now subject to the rules for fire. That object must be flammable for this to occur. The flame must be at least Magnitude 2 to cause any damage to a character. However, the character may attempt to put the fire out, after first sustaining damage, to avoid taking continual damage. If the flame is not put out, there is a 50% chance that it spreads. FLY Difficulty (-2), Duration (Minutes) Fly allows the character to fly at a rate of 50% higher than their speed with a climb rate of half their speed. Fly is capable of providing flight to a being with a Size equal to or less than the powers Magnitude (a Magnitude 1 power can provide flight to beings of Size -2 through Size 1) and Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds. FORM Duration (Instant) Form is the power-equivalent of the ability to craft. This power allows the character to take material and mold it into a usable shape. This includes the ability to repair solid objects like weapons. Magnitude determines the possible size of the final object starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power molds an object of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power molds an object of Size 0). GLOW Duration (Minutes) Glow creates a soft light that is bright enough to read by and traverse a room with. A character can illuminate an area with a 5ft. radius for each point of Magnitude and Duration is measured in Minutes instead of Combat Rounds. HASTE Duration (Minutes) Haste increases the characters Speed by 5ft. per point of Magnitude to a maximum of three times their Speed. Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 83
HEAL Duration (Instant) Heal increases the characters current health by 1d6 per point of Magnitude, up to their Maximum Health value. HINDER Duration (Minutes), Resistance (Dodge) Hinder decreases the characters Speed by 5ft. per point of Magnitude to a minimum of 5ft. Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds. ICE Duration (Instant) Ice allows the character to create an object made from hardened water, or some other liquid material, without the element being present or needing to be manipulated. Magnitude determines the size of the object, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power creates an object of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power creates an object of Size 0). Small objects (Size -2) can be thrown, doing 1 damage, and larger objects can be used as obstacles with a Toughness Rating of 3. Large objects can be formed around another object or being, but the inside would be hollow. ILLUSION Resistance (Perception + Awareness) Illusion allows the character to affect one of a targets senses by tricking that sense into believing the illusion is real. This is an Opposed Roll of the targets Perception + Awareness versus the characters Powered Attribute + Powered Skill. If the target fails, he believes the illusion is real and acts upon it accordingly. Magnitude is only used to overcome an opposing power. Illusion doesnt create an illusion seen by everyone. Only the target perceives the illusion and thinks that its real. The resulting action of a target perceiving the illusion can be used like a combat maneuver, such as distracting the target or forcing them prone. INSIGHT Concentration, Difficulty (-2), Resistance (Psyche + Resist) Insight allows the character to discern a targets emotions and motivations and whether or not they are lying. This is an Opposed Roll of the targets Psyche + Resist (or another applicable roll) versus the characters Powered Attribute + Powered Skill. If the character succeeds, hes able to understand exactly what the target is truly thinking and feeling. Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. INVISIBLE Difficulty (-2) Invisible allows the character to become invisible, becoming subject to the Blind Fighting rules. Hes not ethereal and cannot pass through walls or objects, but those Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 84
around him are unable to see him. Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. MISSILE Duration (Instant), Resistance (Dodge) Missile fires a blast of energy at a target, akin to a melee or ranged attack. This is considered a standard Attack Roll and the target may attempt a dodge action. If the target fails, he takes an amount of damage equal to the half the characters Powered Attribute die type plus the Magnitude of the power. PROTECT Duration (Minutes) Protect allows the character to form a protective barrier around a target to avoid the effects of the surrounding environment (such as swimming through water). Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds and Magnitude must be equal to or greater than the scale of the environmental protection. Example: If a house fire is considered a Magnitude 6 fire power, protect must carry a Magnitude of at least 6 to protect the caster from that size fire. RAISE Concentration, Difficulty (-2), Duration (Minutes) Raise allows the character to control a recently deceased creature or being (basically reanimating them as a zombie). Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds and the Magnitude of the power determines the size of the being that can be raised from the dead. Each Magnitude increases the size of the being that can be raised from the dead, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of raising a being of Size -2 and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of raising a being of Size 0). Humans and most humanoids are size 0. REGENERATE Difficulty (-4), Duration (Instant) Regenerate is essentially a companion to heal that allows the character to repair limbs or injuries on living beings. If a character has sustained an injury, only regenerate can repair that injury, heal cannot as it only increases current Health. Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. REPEL Difficulty (Special), Duration (Instant) Repel is the powered form of rolling to resist an opposing power, such as dominate. The repel power works in one of two ways: by casting and winning an Opposed Roll or by casting and increasing the Magnitude. If the repel power is utilized at a Magnitude equal to or less than the opposing power, the character may make their Opposed Roll using their Powered Attribute + Powered Skill. If the repel power is utilized at a Magnitude higher than the opposing power, no Opposed Roll is necessary as the repel power cancels out the opposing power. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 85
RESTORE Difficulty (-2), Duration (Instant), Resistance (Spirit + Resist) Restore allows a character to restore a single Attribute or Secondary Attribute (such as Speed) to its original state after being altered by another power, such as diminish, hinder, haste, or enhance. Magnitude is equal to the number of powers affecting a single Attribute. Targets is equal to the number of Attributes being restored. If used against an unwilling target, it can be resisted as an Opposed Roll. Restore can also be used to reduce Fatigue by one level per point of Magnitude. This can be combined with restoring Attributes whereas Fatigue is an additional Target. SENSE Concentration Whereas detect allows the character to find concealed items hidden by a power, sense allows the character find concealed mundane items, such as gems, gold, weapons, and explosives, as long as they are not concealed by another power. For example, sense allows the character to find gold in the walls of a mine. SHAPE CHANGE Difficulty (-4), Duration (Minutes) Shape change allows the character to transform willing targets into animals. Only mundane animals are allowed (no legendary or mythological creatures) and the animal must be one known to the character. Magnitude determines the size of the animal being changed into, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of transforming the character into a Size -2 animal and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of transforming him into a Size 0 animal). Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds and the target must be willing to transform. Unwilling targets are unaffected by this power. While the character is in animal form, he assumes the physical attributes of that animal and cannot use weapons or armor. SHIELD Concentration Shield creates armor around the character to protect him from incoming attacks. Each point of Magnitude provides +1 point of Armor to a maximum of +4. This stacks with what the character is already wearing. SHROUD Duration (Minutes) Shroud creates an area of darkness, equivalent to total darkness. A character can darken an area with a 5ft. radius for each point of Magnitude and Duration is measured in Minutes instead of Combat Rounds. SLEEP Difficulty (-2), Duration (Minutes), Resistance (Psyche + Resist) Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 86
Sleep allows the character to put a target to sleep. This is an Opposed Roll of the targets Psyche + Resist versus the characters Powered Attribute + Powered Skill. Duration is measured in Minutes instead of Combat Rounds and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. SUMMON ALLY Duration (Minutes), Range (Special) Summon ally allows the character to summon an ally (that was previously established as an ally) to fight alongside them. Range begins at 60ft. x PA instead of Touch and the ally arrives in an amount of time in relation to how far away they are, but at a running pace (60ft. per round). The ally remains throughout the Duration of the power, which is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds. Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. Targets is a measurement of how many allies are summoned. SUMMON ANIMAL Duration (Minutes), Range (Special) Summon animal allows the character to summon an indigenous animal (no legendary or mythical creatures) to perform whatever actions the character commands (no additional rolls are needed to provide those commands). Range begins at 60ft. x PA instead of Touch and the animal arrives in an amount of time in relation to how far away they are and how fast they move, but at a running pace (Speed x 2). The animal remains throughout the Duration of the power, which is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds. The size of the animal summoned is determined by the Magnitude of the power, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of summoning a Size -2 animal and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of summoning a Size 0 animal). Targets is a measurement of how many animals are summoned. TELEKINESIS Concentration Telekinesis allows the character to control inanimate objects by lifting, throwing, or moving them. The size of the controlled object is determined by the Magnitude of the power, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of controlling a Size -2 object and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of controlling a Size 0 object). If an object is thrown at another target, this is considered a standard Attack Roll and the target may attempt a dodge action. TELEPATHY Range (Special) Telepathy allows the character to speak directly into the mind of a target through a link between their minds. Range starts at 60ft. x PA and if the target wishes to sever the link, he may do so as an Opposed Roll using Psyche + Resist. Duration determines how long the link remains active and Magnitude has no effect. While a link is active, both the character and his target may speak to each other using only their thoughts. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 87
TELEPORT Difficulty (-4), Duration (Instant), Resistance (Strength or Agility + Athletics or Resist) Teleport allows the character to move an object to anywhere within the Range of the power, as long as nothing impedes safe arrival at the new location. Magnitude determines the size of the being or object being teleported, starting at Size 0 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power is capable of teleporting a Size 0 being or object and a Magnitude 3 power is capable of teleporting a Size 2 being or object). Targets determines the number of objects or beings being moved. If the being doesnt wish to be teleported, they may resist using Resist or Athletics as a measure of willpower or evasion, respectively. TONGUES Range (Speaking) Tongues allows the character to speak or understand a language other than their native one with fluency. Range is within speaking distance of both the character and the target and Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. TOPPLE Duration (Instant), Resistance (Agility + Athletics) Topple allows the character to knock the target prone. This is done as an Opposed Roll of the targets Agility + Athletics versus the characters Powered Attribute + Powered Skill. Magnitude is used to overcome an opposing power. WARD Difficulty (-4), Duration (Minutes) Ward creates an area of protection around the character to deflect incoming attacks from a chosen source. When the ward power is utilized, that source must be properly defined; otherwise the power is ineffective (such as ward against spirits or ward against fire). The protective circle must be inscribed into a solid surface, such as rock or wooden planks. Once the protective circle is inscribed, it cannot be moved, although the surface its inscribed upon can be. This creates a circle of protection around the character with a radius equal to 5ft. per point of Magnitude. Duration is measured in minutes instead of Combat Rounds. When creating this protective circle, the source being warded against must be specific. The character cannot choose sources like evil as its much too broad and open for interpretation. Sources such as demons, spirits, fire, water, magic, and fear are acceptable. This protective circle then prevents all attacks from that chosen source from entering the perimeter of the protective circle, but has no effect on those already inside the circles perimeter (this includes attacks originating within the circle and targeting those outside it). Ward can also be used to contain the chosen source. Instead of creating an area of protection around the character, its created adjacent to the character. Once the chosen source is within this containment circle, it cannot get out until the Duration Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 88
of the power ends. When used as containment, if that source is outside the ward, it can enter the ward but may not leave it. A ward cannot do both, contain and protect, against a chosen source. The method of protection has to be defined when the power is utilized as protection against and containment are essentially polar opposites. WATER Duration (Instant) Water allows the character to create water without the element being present or needing to be manipulated. Magnitude determines the amount of the water, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power creates water equivalent to Size -2 (about a gallon) and a Magnitude 3 power creates an object of Size 0 (about six gallons)). If this is formed around a target (the target must be smaller than the equivalent size of the water), he becomes subject to the drowning mechanics. WIND Duration (Instant) Wind allows the character to create a powerful gust of wind without the element being present or needing to be manipulated. Magnitude determines the power of that gust, starting at Size -2 and ending at Size 10 (whereas a Magnitude 1 power creates enough wind to blow a Size -2 being 30ft. and a Magnitude 3 power creates enough wind to blow a Size 0 being 30ft). If the target hits a surface before landing, they are subject to the falling mechanics with half the damage. Once the target stops moving, hes prone. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 89
Game Mastering Often times, the Gamemaster has the most difficult job. Not only does she have to run the adventure or campaign, she also has to establish or interpret the setting, run and keep track of all NPCs, and adjudicate the rules when necessary. Although it sounds like a lot of work, it can also be extremely fun and rewarding. After all, the GM is the keeper of all secrets and already knows what trap is about to be sprung on the curious adventurer. This chapter is all about providing guidance to the GM so that she can make her games come alive, providing a memorable gaming experience to her players. Nothing herein is definitive nor is it meant to be static; running a game often requires GMs to react to the players, who always have a way of going a direction not previously planned. UNDERSTAND THE MECHANICS Entropy is a set of mechanics. At its core, and within this core rulebook, there is no predetermined setting nor does it attempt to favor one genre of another. Thus, almost everything in this book is applicable across all genres, subgenres, settings, and game types. Learning and understanding these mechanics is the first step to being able to apply them appropriately to keep the game moving smoothly. GMs need to know the various skills and how they can be combined with different attributes to create different actions. These combinations arent set in stone, although they should be feasible given what the skill and attribute are used for. Players can be a great source for coming up with possible combinations to perform the unique actions their characters are attempting. Target numbers are another item to focus on. Although most unopposed rolls are made versus the standard target number of 9, dont be afraid to modify the Skill Roll accordingly for the action the character is attempting. Dont forget to allow the characters to utilize their hero points every game session. These points are their reward for being a PC and allow them to improve their chances of succeeding, possibly making the game session that much memorable. Hero points can even be used as rewards for good role-playing. In this regard, GMs are allowed to use them as an incentive for exciting game sessions. Qualities are meant to be exploited! Both the players and the GM should be able to utilize a characters talent depending on if its positive, negative, or neutral. These are role-playing hooks and hero point gaining opportunities that, once again, can make a game session that much memorable. The reason Qualities doesnt have an inherent bonus or penalty is so that players actually use them instead of just placing them on a character sheet. When a character uses their talent, thats when they get the hero point that can be used as a bonus. MAKE IT YOUR GAME Adventures and campaigns dont come alive by themselves. The GM is there to create or interpret the world and everything in it so that the characters can interact with everything and everyone around them. What this looks like is up to the GM as Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 90
she defines whats available, what it looks like, and why it exists. However, to create a memorable gaming experience, the GM has to be excited about what shes placing the characters into. She starts by defining the setting in terms of genre, flavor, and theme with any combination desired. Is the game epic fantasy with magic readily available and hordes of fantastical creatures ready to stand in the characters way? Is it science fiction with life being aboard a spacecraft that travels throughout the galaxy, coming into contact with strange alien life forms? Or is the game pulp with high action and adventure where the characters are seeking ancient relics guarded by incredible traps? The GM should also have a basic understand of who the antagonists are, who the potential allies are, what the overall drive of the game is, and whats available for the characters to utilize. Not everything has to be fully fleshed-out, but having an understanding of the basic elements of the setting allows the players to know what their characters can do along with allowing the GM to know what the characters will potentially encounter. Once all the basics are defined, or even the entire setting is defined, its time to get the gaming group together during a gaming session, which could be one night or many nights spanning a few years. CHARACTER TYPES Characters drive a storyline forward and give the game its purpose. When it comes times to create those characters, the players need to know what types of characters are feasible within a given setting. Are there multiple species or races? Is magic available? Whats the technology level? Because Entropy doesnt have character classes, characters can vary to the point of ones imagination, as long as that character falls within the rules of the setting. In addition to conforming to the setting, what character types the players create can also help drive what type of gaming experience theyre looking for. If they all created combat-oriented characters, then they may want a very military-styled game. If they all created scholarly characters, then they may want an investigation- heavy game. If the result is an assortment of character types, then a game with an assortment of encounters and resolution types may be necessary. Once all these elements are defined, its time to start playing the game! GETTING THE CHARACTERS INVOLVED Friends are gathered, characters are created, and a setting has been fleshed out. The adventure is just about to begin, launching into a long-term campaign spanning the ranks! The first question to ask is: How (or why) are the characters getting involved in this adventure or campaign? Characters have motivations for becoming heroes, adventurers, warriors, or investigators, but what brings them together as a cohesive group to journey throughout the world on this seemingly grand quest? Before launching into the first (or only) adventure, think about how and possibly why the characters are coming together. Do the characters have some type of common grounds between them all? This could be a relative, an employer, or just a desire to adventure and make money. Do Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 91
the characters all come from the same place? Maybe theyre childhood friends, neighbors, or have a mutual friend in the same city. Why would they choose to accept this quest or mission? The characters could be seeking a reward, maybe their families have been hurt by a common foe, or maybe theyve been conscripted into a war. How do the characters know each other? Maybe theyve known each other for years, or maybe theyve just met and are coming together under a common cause. One thing to remember when getting the characters involved with the adventure or campaign is to incorporate each characters background and motivation into the factors that have driven them into getting involved in this quest or mission. Some players spend many hours putting together a grand background and intricate motivations for their character and dont want to be cheated out of all that work. Besides, some of that information could even turn into adventure hooks down the road and by incorporating them from the beginning, the overall storyline appears more fluid as the events throughout are tied together, all the way back to when the characters first got together. KEEPING THE PARTY TOGETHER If the characters arent friends or family, or sometimes if they are, what reasons are there for keeping them together to continue on this mission? Do they form a type of camaraderie that creates a cohesive group? Do they trudge along for the sake of money? The party needs a driving force to keep them together; otherwise the bond between them may seem forced or simply unnatural. A party of characters needs to remain together through the good and bad for the sake of the adventure or campaign. Thats not to say someone couldnt go solo for a small amount of time as a vignette or side-adventure, but in general, the game sessions could break down quite quickly if that bond between characters is broken. When conflict occurs between characters, figuring out whether its the role of the characters or the friction between friends is an important first step. Resolving friction between friends is beyond the scope of this book, but friction created between characters due to their roles could create some new adventuring hooks and interesting story plotlines. This is especially true if the players are role-playing the Qualities of their character, which may naturally clash with the Qualities of another character. GAME ATMOSPHERE Every game is bound to have a different atmosphere from other games. This includes genre, subgenre, style, setting, horror, conflicts, and goals. By understanding these factors, GMs can better set the tone of the games atmosphere, allowing the characters to better understand the road that lies ahead. Genre, subgenre, and setting have already been determined, but the other factors can change throughout the course of an adventure or campaign. Well take a look at each one here. STYLE Not only can the style of each adventure or campaign be different, the style of each game session and even encounter can be different. The style of a game defines its overall design in fairly generic terms. Military-styled games are ones with lots of Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 92
combat where the characters may end up grinding their way through treacherous levels to finally arrive at the villain. This may include military sci-fi, hack-and-slash fantasy, and old school dungeon delves. These types of games are great for players who really like to show off their characters combat prowess and can take full advantage of combat maneuvers. Investigative-styled games are ones without much combat and instead focus on the large amount of searching and analysis leading up to finding that villain and the resulting big encounter. This may include exploration, crime investigation, horror investigation, and treasure hunts. These types of games are great for players that like to take an array of non-combat skills and find creative ways to use them. Role-playing-styled games are ones where the characters social and physical interaction with the world around them, without regard to skills or dice rolls, dominates the bulk of the game time. This may include social interactions, making connections with friends, family, or allies, and puzzle problem solving. These types of games are great for players that enjoy improvisation or problem solving mentally instead of with skill rolls. Combination-styled games are simply ones that include all three styles and possibly more. This allows each characters role and each players style to grab the spotlight at some time without being relegated to a continuous support role (such as an investigative character in a hack-and-slash game). GMs should remember to play to the strengths of each character and each player. HORROR Most games have some type of horror element to them. Defining how that horror manifests and how the characters view that horror can drastically change the games atmosphere. For instance, horror in an epic fantasy game is viewed considerably differently than one in an investigative horror game. The important factor to remember when introducing horror into a game is to understand what level of understanding the characters have of that source of horror. If horrific creatures are commonplace throughout the setting and the characters battle them all the time, the horror isnt actually very prominent and is instead a flavoring of the overall gaming experience. Yes there is a demon standing in front of the characters, but theyve bested demons that size in the past with no problem. If horrific creatures are very rare and the characters dont really possess the tools to defend themselves, then the horror is a very prominent feature of the setting, possibly part of its design (such as the Cthulhu Mythos). The players need to be aware that their characters have never encountered a beast like this before and when they do, they may possibly be driven to madness. Defeating it becomes more like a puzzle and less of a taking-up of arms to drive the beast back to where it came. Theres a lot of gray space between the above two extremes, with a lot of different gaming experiences to be had. However, if horror is meant to have some type of influencing factor throughout the setting, adventure, or campaign, then encountering it should have some type of side-effect. This may include mental exhaustion, sanity, corruption, or survivability (as in, if you dont run youll die). Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 93
CONFLICTS Games need conflicts to resolve. If there are no conflicts to resolve, or at least connections to be made, then youre just sitting around a table with friends talking about very mundane things. Although not every conflict needs to be resolved with a roll of the dice, there should at least be some type of purpose of that conflict. When creating encounters and the general conflicts defining the setting, its imperative to give them a purpose. There doesnt always need to be a negative side- effect if the characters fail, but there should always be a reason behind succeeding with the conflict. If there isnt, then what was the point of the conflict in the first place? Even random encounters serve as a means of slowing down the characters, making a journey interesting, or weakening the characters before reaching their destination. Conflicts come in a multitude of types with a multitude of purposes. They may affect the overall storyline, serve as part of a background storyline, allow the characters to make new connections, prevent the characters from reaching a goal, or just slow the characters down as they continue on their journey. Connecting the dots between successful conflicts can be easy enough, because they drive the plot forward, but dealing with failed conflicts can be a bit more difficult. If a conflict is nothing more than a tool to hinder the characters overall movement throughout the campaign, then failing those conflicts is a moot point. The characters learn a valuable lesson against that foe and know they need to be better prepared next time. But when a conflict is designed to drive the plot forward, what do you do when the characters fail? You create a back-up plan or move the plot point to another conflict. If the characters were meant to retrieve something with the success of a particular conflict, move that item to a new conflict and allow the characters to succeed (or rather hopefully theyll succeed). This isnt a repeat of the previous conflict, but rather a reimplementation of the overall purpose of the conflict: to retrieve the plot point. This allows the characters to recover from a failed conflict without allowing the storyline to suffer. GOALS Games should have an overall purpose; especially long-term campaigns. To avoid character, and player, boredom, adventures and campaigns should have a set of properly defined goals. These goals dont have to encompass the entire adventure or campaign as they can be periodic goals (such as plot points), but they should at least define what drives the characters to continue through that quest. Without goals, conflicts have less purpose, if any, and the characters are almost wasting their time. The goals of an adventure or campaign can vary as much as the conflicts involved in them, and should be somewhat catered to the style of the setting and the desires of the characters. If the ultimate goal is for the characters to establish their own kingdom with a standing army, then theyll need to do lots of treasure hunting to get the fund necessary and possibly infiltrate the kingdoms around them. If the ultimate goal is for the characters to save the world from a looming apocalypse, then theyll need periodic villains to defeat to ruin the apocalyptic plans. Goals are the pieces that tie all other aspects of the games atmosphere together. These goals coincide with the genre, subgenre, and style and are often defined by horror levels and the conflicts created. In the end, you want to create a memorable gaming experience where everyone involved is having fun! Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 94
Running the Game At its core, Entropy is designed to be flexible and versatile. One of its goals is to allow any type of character to be created without being hampered by the options available in the core rulebook. Additionally, instead of loading the core rulebook with options, Entropy allows the players and GM to determine what options are available. This comes in the form of Qualities and Attribute + Skill combinations for possible actions. Instead of attempting to predict what everyone wants to do, or what the most common choices should be, every character should be given the opportunity to be as unique and creative as the person that created them. Entropy aims to give the GM the time she needs to prepare her games by developing interesting stories, puzzles for the characters to overcome, NPCs to interact with, and villains to defeat. The GM shouldnt have to spend hours creating characters for the PCs to interact with and she shouldnt have to spend her time fussing with combat logistics. The gaming experience and each part of the story are much more important than a bunch of fiddly bits. GETTING STARTED Introducing players to a new gaming system can be a difficult task. Instead of handing them a full rulebook, it may be easier to ease them in by running an introductory adventure with pregenerated characters, or have them play around with creating their own characters and see what direction the players take. This core rulebook contains a few introductory adventures, called Entropic Tales, or you can download the Entropy: Quick Start Guide (Not yet available) for free and let the players read through it to grab a basic understanding of the system. If the players enjoy the game system and the GM enjoys running it, grab one of our published settings, create your own, or convert an existing setting. CREATING ENCOUNTERS There are no set rules for how encounters should be created. Each group of PCs is going to be different in terms of characters count, capabilities, and the strength of their weapons. This should then be matched by a group of NPCs for a weak, average, or difficult encounter. This can typically be done by comparing damage and health (including armor) to average how quickly a PC can defeat an NPC without being defeated themselves. Example: If a PC has an attack of 2d6, but the NPC has a Defense of 10, the PC will rarely be able to damage the NPC as hes barely able to get past the NPCs passive defense. If the PC has an attack of 2d10 and the NPC has a Defense of 8 with 6 Health, then with a single, successful attack, the PC could potentially kill the NPC. Another factor to consider when creating combat encounters is the quantity of NPCs versus PCs. If the PCs are considerably outnumbered, theyll run out of Combat Actions before being able to strike back, or theyll have to succumb to attacks they cant defend. Once quantities are balanced, keep in mind the potential for succeeding at an Opposed Roll if either the PC or NPC is defending. A higher Attribute and Skill combination stands a better chance at winning an Opposed Roll than a smaller one does. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 95
If creating non-combat encounters, such as puzzles or traps, it becomes imperative to compare a characters potential for succeeding at their Dice Pool rolls versus the difficulty of getting through the encounter. This may include forcing the characters to spend their Hero Points. EXPERIENCE Experience is how characters get better as they progress through their career. With experience, the player is able to increase their characters Attributes and Skills and purchase new Qualities. During game play, its recommended that each player earns 3 XP each gaming session, plus a bonus of 1 or 2 XP for exceptional gameplay. This way they can increase their stats once every two or three game sessions. For particularly important milestones during a campaign, bonus XP can be rewarded to mark the importance of achieving that milestone. If starting a game with experienced characters (those that already have XP), they should be created as though theyve progressed through a campaign using the standard character advancement mechanics. Thus, create the characters as normal and use the available XP to advance them using the standard character advancement costs. This is a more natural way of advancing a character and helps to balance their stats against those of equivalent NPCs. HERO POINTS Experience should be limited in how its handed out. Dont reward characters with additional XP unless theyve truly earned it, and even this should be rare. If rewards during gameplay are desired, Hero Points can be instead be awarded. Being a type of role-playing currency, Hero Points allow the characters to perform incredible feats of heroism. The more Hero Points they have, the more often they can perform these feats, or at least the more often they can succeed at them. Not only does rewarding Hero Points give the characters more opportunities to succeed, it also places the overall direction of the storyline in the hands of the players by allowing their characters to succeed or make small changes to the storyline. MINIONS AND ALLIES Worlds arent filled with heroes; they also arent filled with villains. NPCs are meant to be villains or something close to it; just like PCs are meant to be heroes or at least the main characters within a story. This means that during the course of an adventure or campaign, the PCs will most likely not encounter nearly as many NPCs as they do minions and allies. [This whole Minions and Allies section needs a rewrite to be a much larger entry encompassing NPCs as a whole. Id love to hear playtester feedback on what theyd like to see here.] During encounters, PCs will most likely deal with minions. For comparison, soldiers in an army would be considered minions while their heroic, veteran soldier captains, whove seen many wars, would be a full NPC. PCs may have to sift through miles of minions before encountering that single NPC. When creating minions, dont create them using the same methods as a PC, or even an NPC; give them whatever Attributes and Skills are desired and supplement that with any Abilities that pertain to their race, culture, environment, or home land. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 96
This is especially true when creating non-humanoid minions that would feasibly have a given Attribute (such as Spirit). If thats the case, make the Attribute 0 and dont think about it any further. If the creature is extremely large and can pick-up a semi-truck without a thought, give them Strength beyond 6 as its simply part of what they are. Allies, on the other hand, should follow some simple creation rules as you dont want them to outshine the PCs. Besides having a Health value equal to a minions, they should have Attributes and Skills lower than or comparable to the PCs current stats. In other words, dont create an ally equivalent to a Heroic PC if the PCs are all at Novice. When creating minions and allies, dont forget to give them a personality. They should have a purpose for existing within the setting; otherwise their existence may seem forced and disconnected. This personality can be a simple one-line statement or it could consume 2-pages and include the environment they come from and what motivates them to attack the PCs. Creating Your World When a GM decides to create their own setting, or convert one from another system, the base rules may not be enough. These new settings may have fantastical races for players to choose from, utilize different equipment, incorporate lots of magic, allow for mechanized armor, or require skills that arent already available. To do this, break down each piece of your new setting and compare it to whats already available in this core rulebook or a published OGL setting. CHARACTER RACES Entropy is written with the basic human in mind. For settings with other races available for the players to choose from, it may be pertinent to distinguish one from another. This can come in the form of changes to Attributes and Skills, unique Qualities, or even the incorporation of Abilities that no other race has access to. Although there are no definitive rules for this, here are some examples. Dwarves: Dwarves are hardy (start with Resist d6), short (Speed is 25ft.), and can see well in the dark (gain the Low Light Vision Ability). They start with only 4 Qualities. Elves: Elves are athletic (start with Athletics d6), quick (Speed is 35ft.), and can see well in the dark (gain the Low Light Vision Ability). They start with only 2 Qualities. Gnomes: Gnomes are crafty (start with Repair d6 and one chosen Science skill at d6), very short (Speed is 20ft., Health is -1), and like to play tricks (start with Deception d6). They start with only 4 Qualities. Halfling: Halflings are particularly in-tune with their surroundings (gain +1 die type to Psyche or Spirit during character creation), short (Speed is 25ft., Health is -1), and can hide easily (start with Stealth d6). They start with 5 Qualities. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 97
Orcs: Orcs are aggressive (suffer a -1 die type to Charisma or Intelligence during character creation), violent (start with Melee d6), and have an incredible sense of smell (gain the Acute (Smell) Ability). They start with only 4 Qualities. ATTRIBUTES AND SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES The base Attributes and Secondary Attributes of Entropy should be all you need. However, there are occasions when something is missing (such as Sanity) that needs to be added. Instead of adding another Attribute, it may be easier to create a Secondary Attribute based on a combination of Attributes or an Attribute and a Skill. This could then serve as a standalone Skill Roll, using only that new Secondary Attribute, representing how its an integral part of the setting, but isnt needed for standard character actions. Or it could be used in conjunction with a skill to represent its dominance within the setting. SKILLS Outside of Lore and Science skills and skill specialties, most settings will only ever need the core skill selection. If your setting is unique and definitely needs a new skill, add it appropriately remembering that skill points are already spread thin. Instead of new skills, it may be easiest to add new specialties to existing skills or expand on the Common Knowledge mechanics. New specialties distinguish the difficulty of each subject matter and Common Knowledge allows the characters to have some type of inherent knowledge that doesnt require an additional skill or specialty. GEAR Gear should always match the setting its placed in. Characters should always have the right technology level, weapons that can actually damage their opponents, and armor that can provide ample protection during combat. Prices are meant to be simplified and not necessarily representing actual cost. Its allowable to translate equipment into actual cost, but then a characters starting funds should be adjusted as should their monthly income (if they have one). QUALITIES Qualities are where a setting can truly be identified. There is any number of Qualities common to all settings, but the unique ones are what define your setting apart from another setting. Although players should be allowed to create their own Qualities to define their characters, come up with a list of those that are unique to the setting and define its purpose. Example: If creating a modern monster hunting setting, a possible Quality could be advanced scholarly knowledge of a particular monster type, such as Demon Hunter. This Quality defines the character as having in-depth knowledge of demons and how to properly defeat them. If creating a pulp setting, a character may have a Catch Phrase they always shout out when fleeing from the bad guys. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 98
KEEP IT SIMPLE Avoid adding layers of difficulty to the base Entropy mechanics. The game is designed to offer a multitude of opportunities without being hampered by options. This is why Skills can be combined with any Attribute to create a possible action and Qualities have no restraints, other than feasibility. As long as that character concept fits in your setting, let the player roll with it and see how the character progresses throughout the adventure or campaign. Having fun should always be the highest priority of any role-playing game and this can be achieved through flexibility and imagination. This includes the core mechanics; if something doesnt quite fit in your adventure or campaign, change it so that it does! The rules are a guideline, not the solution to every complication imaginable. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 99
Bestiary While humans and humanoid beings have Characteristics, creatures have Abilities. These abilities are part of the creatures nature and is representing as an inherent bonus or penalty when being encountered. Although Abilities can vary dramatically from creature to creature, there are some common ones found throughout. The bestiary collection in this chapter is not exhaustive, but does present a variety of possible encounters and should be used as a reference for creating new creatures, NPCs, and minions. //sidebar// Most creatures are considered to be minions. Thus, their Health is halved to represent how much easier they should be to defeat (Strength plus Vitality, divided by two). If they are Size -1 or -2, this is then removed from their Health. If they are Size +1 or higher, its not factored as this is reflected in the creatures Strength value. Example: A Size -1 minion with Strength d6 and Vitality d6 has a Health of 5 (Strength d6 (6) + Vitality d6 (6) = 12 / 2 (for being a minion) = 6 1 (for being Size -1) = 5)// Abilities ACUTE (SENSE) The creature has some type of sense that is considered acute compared to the standard human. They gain a +2 to Perception when using the chosen sense. (The chosen sense appears in parentheses.) ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE Creatures with an (A) next to their Intelligence entry are considered to have animal intelligence. They are capable of instinctual or survival knowledge, but cannot perform advance actions such as a sapient being would. AQUATIC Water is the creatures native environment. It swims very well and cannot drown. Its Speed reflects its land speed and a swimming speed will be denoted next to the Aquatic ability. DEMON The creature is considered a demon or has demonic features. All creatures with the Demon ability gain the following: Demons are Fearless. Demons are immune to disease, poison, and the environment. Demons take half damage from non-magical attacks. Demons are weak to cold iron weapons, which do full damage. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 100
ETHEREAL The creature is intangible and has no form in the physical world. All creatures with the Ethereal ability gain the following: Ethereal creatures are immune to disease, poison, and the environment. Ethereal creatures are immune to non-magical attacks. Ethereal creatures cannot be seen unless they choose to be seen. FEAR Horrific creatures cause Fear. When around a creature such as this, the GM gets to forms a Fear Dice Pool (see page 63). A creature with the Fear ability will have a Fear Rating after the ability, such as Fear 5. This Fear Rating augments the Fear Dice Pool. FEARLESS The creature is immune to fear and fear tactics. They cannot be intimidated and are immune to fear-based psychological effects. FLEET-FOOTED The creature is particularly fast and is able to run much faster than others. Besides an increase to Speed, the creature is able to add +2d6ft when running. FLYING The creature is able to fly or hover above the ground. Their Speed reflects their ability to move about on the ground and a flying speed will be denoted next to the Flying ability. Additionally, when flying, they are immune to the effects of difficult terrain. IMMUNITY The creature is immune to the denoted source. When coming into contact with that source, they suffer no ill effects nor do they lose health from it. The source of their immunity must be denoted next to the Immunity ability. LOW LIGHT VISION The creature is particularly good at seeing in the dark. It ignores penalties for Dim and Dark lighting, although suffers regular penalties in total darkness. NATURAL WEAPON The creature has a natural weapon (denoted by the actual weapon, such as bite or claw). For natural weapons used for melee attacks, it uses Agility + Melee. For projectile natural weapons, it uses Strength + Ranged. POISON The creature is capable of injecting poison into their victims with a successful attack. See page 65 for more about the effects of poison. REGENERATION The creature is able to regenerate damage caused to them. This comes in the form of replenishing their Health at the beginning of every Combat Round. The amount of Health regenerated will be denoted next to the Regeneration ability. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 101
SMALL/LARGE/HUGE Creatures come in a variety of sizes, and attacking ones much smaller or bigger than the characters can change how easily they are to hit. Creatures with Size -2 are considered Small and attacking them incurs a -2 penalty to all attack rolls. Creatures at least Size +4 are considered Large and attacking them provides a +2 bonus to all attack rolls. Creatures at least Size +8 are considered Huge and attacking them provides a +4 bonus to all attack rolls. This bonus is in relation to how large the Aggressor is versus the Defender and is based on a Size 0 creature. Large creatures attacking other Large creatures dont gain a bonus and Small creatures attacking Large creatures would get a double bonus (going from Size -2 to Size +4). SWARM Small creatures often swarm together. Although they are quite weak individually, as a group they can be a formidable force. All creatures with the Swarm ability gain the following: Swarms are the size of a Medium Blast Zone attacking everyone within this zone. Swarms gain +2 to Health. Swarms are immune to slashing and piercing weapons and can only be damaged by blunt or area-effect weapons. If on the ground, they can also be damaged by stomping on (as an unarmed attack doing lethal damage). Swarms can divide into two smaller swarms the size of a Small Blast Zone. Each one has Health -2 compared to the larger swarm. Swarms do not roll to attack, they automatically hit their targets. TRAMPLE The creature is so large that its able to trample a human with ease. The creature must be at least Size +6, but it gets to add its Strength to all damage incurred from a trample attack after subtracting the Size rating of the target. UNDEAD The creature is considered undead, like zombies and animated skeletons. All creatures with the Undead ability gain the following: Undead do not suffer additional damage from Called Shots. Undead are immune to magical healing. Undead gain a +2 bonus to Health. Undead ignore penalties for being Wounded or Injured. Undead are immune to disease and poison. WEAKNESS The creature is particularly vulnerable to the denoted source. When coming into contact with that source, they either suffer normal damage (if they are immune to everything else) or suffer additional damage. The source of their weakness must be denoted next to the Weakness ability as are the effects of coming into contact with that source. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 102
Size A creatures size is a representation of their overall mass (height and weight). It doesnt reflect their Vitality, but can be used to judge strength and overall toughness. A creatures Size Rating is added to the damage they inflict (positive only and is reflected in each creatures entry). Additionally, it can be used to gauge their Strength, allowing them to increase their Strength Value above d12 which increases their Health. If Size is a negative number, its subtracted from the creatures Health after calculating it based on Strength and Vitality. When Strength or Vitality is d12+x, the x is added before dividing by two. Example: A minion with Strength d12+2 and Vitality d8 has a Health of 11 (Strength d12+2 (14) + Vitality d8 (8) = 22 / 2 (for being a minion) = 11). Size is an average consideration of creatures of that particular type. Not every creature of that type is going to be the exact same size as variances exist between youth and adults and sometimes males and females. Use these mechanics as a reference for determining the relative size of a creature. SIZE TABLE Rating Equivalent to Strength Value -2 Cat, dog, rabbit, fairy, squirrel -1 Wolf, lynx, halfling, human child, goblin, pony 0 Human, dwarf, elf +1 Orc, very tall human, donkey, lion d12 to +1 +2 Bear, gorilla, horse, camel, tiger d12+1 to +2 +3 Polar bear, Kodiak bear, ogre, hippopotamus d12+2 to +4 +4 White rhinoceros, great white shark d12+3 to +5 +5 Asian elephant d12+4 to +6 +6 African bush elephant d12+6 to +9 +7 Killer whale, tyrannosaurus rex d12+8 to +11 +8 Humpback whale, dragon d12+9 to +12 +9 Blue whale d12+10 to +14 +10 Diplodocus d12+12 to +16 Bestiary ALLIGATOR/CROCODILE Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d10, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d10, Vitality d10 Defense 7, Health 10, Initiative 14, Speed 15 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Aquatic: Speed 30 Bite: DMG (2) Scaly Hide: Armor +2 (All) Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 103
BEAR, BROWN Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d10, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12+1, Vitality d12 Defense 9, Health 13, Initiative 18, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Bear Hug: On a successful claw attack, a bear may attempt to grapple the target in hopes of knocking him down. This is an opposed roll of the targets Defend Roll versus the bears Strength + Athletics. If successful, the target is knocked prone with the bear on top of it. Additionally the bear may attempt to maintain the grapple each Combat Round as an opposed Strength + Athletics roll. Bite/Claws: DMG (4) Run: Bears run on all fours. They cannot attack during the same Combat Round in which they ran. Size +2: Brown bears weigh 800lbs. Thick Fur: Armor +1 (All) BEAR, GRIZZLY Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d10, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12+2, Vitality d12+1 Defense 9, Health 14, Initiative 18, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d8 Abilities: Bear Hug: On a successful claw attack, a bear may attempt to grapple the target in hopes of knocking him down. This is an opposed roll of the targets Defend Roll versus the bears Strength + Athletics. If successful, the target is knocked prone with the bear on top of it. Additionally the bear may attempt to maintain the grapple each Combat Round as an opposed Strength + Athletics roll. Bite/Claws: DMG (5) Run: Bears run on all fours. They cannot attack during the same Combat Round in which they ran. Size +3: Grizzly bears weigh 1,500lbs. Thick Fur: Armor +1 (All) BULL Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12+2, Vitality d10 Defense 9, Health 12, Initiative 14, Speed 30 Skills: Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Charge: If a bull charges a target by moving at least half its speed and then attacking, it adds its Size bonus to its horns attack. Horns: DMG (5) Leathery Skin: Armor +1 (All) Size +3: Bulls weigh 1,500lbs. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 104
Skills: Awareness d6, Melee d8 Abilities: Large: Attackers gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against it. Leathery Skin: Armor +1 (All) Size +6: Elephants are 12ft. tall and weigh 6 tons. Trample: Elephants can attempt to trample a target as a melee attack. Damage is equal to Strength minus the size of the target. Tusks: DMG (8) GOBLIN Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 4, Initiative 18, Speed 25 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Ranged d6, Tracking d4 Gear: Dagger (DMG 3), small bow (100ft, DMG 3) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall. GOLEM Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 4, Initiative 18, Speed 25 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Ranged d6, Tracking d4 Gear: Dagger (DMG 3), small bow (100ft, DMG 3) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall. GORILLA, SILVERBACK Agility d6, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6 (A), Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d4, Strength d12+1, Vitality d10 Defense 7, Health 12, Initiative 18, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d8, Survival d6, Tracking d4 Abilities: Long Arms: Gorillas use their arms when traveling long distances and running. When they run, they incur a -2 penalty to perform any physical actions during the same Combat Round. Size +2: Silverback gorillas weigh 500lbs. and have an arm span that stretches more than 8ft. Unarmed: DMG (4 NL) GUERILLA SOLDIER Agility d8, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6, Perception d8, Psyche d4, Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vitality d8 Defense 8, Health 8, Initiative 22, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d8, Melee d8, Ranged 3, Survival 3, Tracking 3 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 106
Gear: Long knife (DMG 3), 5.56 assault rifle (500ft, DMG 6, ROF 3, Shots 30, ENC 2, FA, SA) HORSE Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12+1, Vitality d10 Defense 7, Health 12, Initiative 14, Speed 50 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Fleet-Footed: Horses add an additional +2d6ft to their speed when running. Kick: DMG (5) Size +2: Horses weigh 1,200lbs. HYENA Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d6, Vitality d6 Defense 7, Health 5, Initiative 14, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Survival d6, Tracking d6 Abilities: Bite: DMG (4) Size -1: Hyenas are about the size of a large dog. IMP Agility d8, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vitality d8 Defense 9, Health 7, Initiative 14, Speed 30 Skills: Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Bite/Claws: DMG (2) Demon: Fearless; immune to disease, poison, and the environment; half damage from non-magical attacks. Leathery Skin: Armor +1 (All) Size -1: Imps are the size of a young human. Weakness (Cold Iron): Imps take full damage from cold iron weapons. JAGUAR Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d10, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d8, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 7, Initiative 18, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d8, Melee d8 Abilities: Bite: DMG (2) KOBOLD Agility d6, Charisma d4, Intelligence d4, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d4, Strength d4, Vitality d4 Defense 7, Health 3, Initiative 14, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d4, Melee d6, Ranged d6, Tracking d4 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 107
Gear: Short sword (DMG 4), small bow (100ft, DMG 3) Abilities: Immunity (Poison): Kobolds are immune to poison. Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Kobolds are the size of a young human. LION Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d8, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12, Vitality d8 Defense 8, Health 10, Initiative 18, Speed 40 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d8, Melee d8 Abilities: Bite: DMG (3) Size +1: Lions weigh 500lbs. LYNX Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d6, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 5, Initiative 16, Speed 20 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Bite: DMG (2) Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Lynx are 2ft. tall and weigh 30lbs. MENSILO Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 4, Initiative 18, Speed 25 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Ranged d6, Tracking d4 Gear: Dagger (DMG 3), small bow (100ft, DMG 3) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall. MINOTAUR Agility d10, Charisma d8, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d6, Spirit d4, Strength d12+1, Vitality d10 Defense 10, Health 12, Initiative 24, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d6, Melee d10, Ranged d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6 Gear: Battle axe (DMG 5, 2H), leather armor (torso, legs +1) Abilities: Horns: DMG (3); minotaurs add +3 to damage for charging instead of +2 when using their horns. Size +1: Minotaurs are the size of very tall humans. ORC Agility d6, Charisma d4, Intelligence d4, Perception d8, Psyche d4, Spirit d4, Strength d12, Vitality d8 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 108
Defense 7/8, Health 10, Initiative 10, Speed 30 Skills: Awareness d6, Melee d8, Ranged d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6 Gear: Long sword (DMG 6), medium shield (Parry +2, may parry ranged shots with +1 Armor) Abilities: Size +1: Orcs are the size of large humans. POLTERGEIST Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vitality d6 Defense 7, Health 7, Initiative 18, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Ethereal: Immune to disease, poison, and the environment; immune to non-magical attacks; cannot be seen unless they choose to be seen. Fear: Poltergeists are frightening when they choose to be seen. Throwing: Poltergeists are capable of throwing objects at an effective range of 30ft. Blunt objects do DMG (1 NL); sharp objects to DMG (2). ROCANAR Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 4, Initiative 18, Speed 25 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Ranged d6, Tracking d4 Gear: Dagger (DMG 3), small bow (100ft, DMG 3) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall. SHARK, GREAT WHITE Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d8, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12+3, Vitality d12 Defense 9, Health 14, Initiative 18, Speed - Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d8, Melee d6, Survival d6, Tracking d8 Abilities: Aquatic: Speed 40 Bite: DMG (6) Large: Attackers gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against it. Leathery Skin: Armor +1 (All) Size +4: Great white sharks are 21ft long and weigh 7,000 lbs. SKELETON Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vitality d6 Defense 7/8, Health 8, Initiative 18, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Ranged d6 Gear: Long sword (DMG 5), medium shield (Parry +2, may parry ranged shots with +1 Armor) Abilities: Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 109
Fear: Animated skeletons are frightening to see. Fearless: Immune to fear and fear tactics. Undead: Do not suffer additional damage from Called Shots; immune to magical healing, disease, and poison; ignore Wounded and Injured penalties. SNAKE, BOA CONSTRICTOR Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d10, Vitality d6 Defense 7, Health 8, Initiative 16, Speed 20 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Tracking d6 Abilities: Constrictor: With a successful grapple as an Opposed Roll, using Strength + Athletics, the boa constrictor can constrict around its target, doing its Strength in damage. If the target is wearing rigid armor (e.g. plate mail), this reduces the armors protection by one with each successful grapple. SNAKE, COBRA (NAJA) Agility d4, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d6, Vitality d6 Defense 6, Health 5, Initiative 14, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d8, Survival d6, Tracking d6 Abilities: Bite: STR+1 Size -1: Cobras are 6ft long, but very narrow. Poison: There is a 50% chance that a cobra will inject venom on a successful bite attack (damage must exceed the targets armor). If successful, the neurotoxins shut down the targets nervous system after 3d6+10 minutes. Death occurs in 3d6+20 minutes after that. The target can resist the toxin with a successful Hard (-4) Vitality + Resist roll. SORCERER Agility d6, Charisma d6, Intelligence d10, Perception d8, Psyche d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vitality d6 Defense 7, Health 6, Initiative 16, Speed 30 Skills: Arcana d10, Awareness d6, Deception d6, Melee d6, Resist d8, Streetwise d6 Gear: Staff (DMG 1 NL, 2H, Reach 10, Parry +2, uses Agility) Power Points: 30 Powers: Intelligence + Arcana; abjure, confuse, elemental manipulation, missile SWARM, BAT Agility d4, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d4, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d4, Vitality d4 Defense 6, Health 6, Initiative 8, Speed 5 Skills: Awareness d6, Melee d6 Abilities: Echolocation: Bats sense the world around them using echolocation. They are immune to all lighting penalties. Fly: Speed 45 Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 110
Bite: DMG (2) Swarm: MBZ; auto hit everyone within the zone; immune to slashing and piercing weapons; only damaged by blunt and area-effect weapons; can divide into two SBZ swarms with each at Health 4. SWARM, RAT Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d6 (A), Perception d6, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 7, Health 7, Initiative 20, Speed 20 Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d4, Melee d6, Survival d6, Tracking d4 Abilities: Bite: DMG (2) Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Swarm: MBZ; auto hit everyone within the zone; immune to slashing and piercing weapons; only damaged by blunt and area-effect weapons; can divide into two SBZ swarms with each at Health 5. TIGER Agility d8, Charisma 0, Intelligence d4 (A), Perception d8, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d12+1, Vitality d8 Defense 8, Health 11, Initiative 20, Speed 50 Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d8, Melee d10 Abilities: Bite: DM (4) Size +2: Tigers weigh 800lbs. TROLL Agility d6, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d8, Spirit d6, Strength d12+2, Vitality d10 Defense 7, Health 12, Initiative 16, Speed 40 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d8, Tracking d4 Gear: Spiked club (DMG 4, Parry -2, uses Strength) Abilities: Size +2: Trolls are 8ft tall. VAMPIRE Agility d10, Charisma d10, Intelligence d8, Perception d8, Psyche d8, Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vitality d10 Defense 9, Health 14, Initiative 30, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d12, Awareness d12, Melee d10, Resist d10, Tracking d10 Power Points: 30 Powers: Charisma + Spirit; dominate Abilities: Bite: DMG (1) Claws: DMG (1) Fear 2: Vampires are terrifying beings to behold. Fearless: Immune to fear and fear tactics. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 111
Fleet-Footed: Vampires add an additional +2d6ft to their speed when running. Immunity (All): Vampires are immune to all attacks that do not include one of their weaknesses. All damage incurred otherwise is considered nonlethal. If they are reduced to 0 Health, they fall unconscious and rise again 1d6 hours later. Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Shapeshifter: Vampires are able to shift between humanoid and bat by spending 1 Combat Action. Undead: Do not suffer additional damage from Called Shots; immune to magical healing, disease, and poison; ignore Wounded and Injured penalties. Vampiric Bite: Anyone bitten by a vampire has a 50% chance of rising as a vampire 2d6 days later. Weakness (Decapitation): If a vampire is decapitated while unconscious, they do not rise again and die instantly. Weakness (Holy Symbol): Vampires must succeed on an Opposed Spirit + Resist Roll to attack anyone displaying a holy symbol. Weakness (Holy Water): Vampires sprinkled with holy water gain 1 level of Fatigue. Weakness (Invitation Only): Vampires must be invited into a private dwelling; they may not enter otherwise. They can enter public spaces without issue. Weakness (Wooden Stake): Vampires hit with a called shot to the heart with a wooden stake die instantly. WEREWOLF Agility d12, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6, Perception d12, Psyche d10, Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vitality d12 Defense 10, Health 13, Initiative 30, Speed 40 Skills: Athletics d12, Awareness d12, Melee d12, Survival d10, Tracking d12+1 Power Points: 30 Powers: Psyche + Spirit; summon animal (wolf only) Abilities: Bite: DMG (3) Claws: DMG (2) Fear 2: Werewolves are terrifying beings to behold. Fearless: Immune to fear and fear tactics. Immunity (All): Werewolves are immune to all attacks, except for those from silver weapons. All damage incurred otherwise is considered nonlethal. If they are reduced to 0 Health, they succumb to the full effects of Fatigue, falling unconscious until they recover at the normal rate. Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Shapeshifter: Werewolves are able to shift between human, wolf, and werewolf forms by spending 1 Combat Action. Weakness (Silver): Werewolves take normal damage from silver weapons. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 112
Werewolf Curse: Anyone successfully bitten by a werewolf has a 50% chance of turning into a werewolf on the next full moon. WITCH Agility d6, Charisma d8, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d12, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vitality d8 Defense 7, Health 7, Initiative 12, Speed 30 Skills: Arcana d10, Awareness d6, Melee d6 Power Points: 36 Powers: Psyche + Arcana; barrier, deflect, diminish, disguise, elemental manipulation, explode, shape change Gear: Familiar (black cat) WOLF Agility d10, Charisma 0, Intelligence d6 (A), Perception d10, Psyche 0, Spirit 0, Strength d8, Vitality d8 Defense 9, Health 7, Initiative 24, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d8, Melee d10 Abilities: Bite: DMG (2) Size -1: Wolves are 34in. tall and weigh 100lbs. ZOMBIE Agility d6, Charisma 0, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d4, Strength d8, Vitality d6 Defense 7, Health 9, Initiative 12, Speed 30 Skills: Awareness d6, Melee d6, Tracking d6 Abilities: Claws: DMG (2) Fear: Animated corpses are frightening to see. Fearless: Immune to fear and fear tactics. Undead: Do not suffer additional damage from Called Shots; immune to magical healing, disease, and poison; ignore Wounded and Injured penalties. Weakness (Head Shot): Called shots to the head do an additional +2 damage. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 113
Midnight Marauders Midnight Marauders is an introductory adventure for 4-6 Novice characters that allows the players to get wholly absorbed into the Entropy mechanics through investigation, role-playing, and combat. Its set in the fantasy city Westeroak, named for the large oak forest that surrounds it. GMs are free to allow the characters to be non-human and are allowed to wield magic. Skill rolls are rarely defined in this adventure as the GM is free to request them when necessary, the players and GM are free to choose which Attribute + Skill combination is most appropriate, and target numbers always default to Average (9). If a specific Attribute + Skill roll is required, it will be referred to. Additionally, if a Skill Roll is possible, but should be more difficult, the difficulty will be noted as a reference. However, role-playing can always trump dice rolling. BACKGROUND Westeroak sits astride the Green River and is surrounded by a large oak forest. A bustling city with numerous districts, Westeroak is a place of opportunity for those looking to exploit the desires of others during their search for wealth. There are many wealthy merchants, faraway traders, nobles, and thieves within the walls that protect Westeroak. And although tensions can run high between the guilds and many wealthy individuals are forced to restrain themselves from pilfering their competition, the latest attack in the Merchant District came from outside the citys walls. Beneath the protection of a cloudy night, a group of goblins snuck into the Merchant District through the northwestern gate, vandalized the open market, and broke into the Whole Boar tavern. The owner of the tavern, a human named Roddie Fellson, was killed and his secret cache was pilfered. The goblins, a clan known as the Scything Sun, were after a jade gem Fellson had secreted away in his hidden room. Fellson had originally recovered the jade gem from the oak forest, known colloquially as the Green Forest, while hunting. Fellson is known for his boar roasts and he was out in Green Forest hunting a boar for the next days celebration. The goblins became panicked once they learned their sacred jade gem had been lost (although they thought someone had stolen it). Their shaman, Snagrot, performed a divination ritual to locate the jade gem. The spirits whispered that the jade gem was now hidden in a secret room of the Whole Boar in Westeroak. Waiting until the time was right, due to the cloudy night, the Scything Sun goblins made their attack and recovered the gem. However, during their attack, they killed Fellson, destroyed the open market and the Whole Boar tavern, and killed a number of other humans that got in their way (a few watchmen and a few farmers). After recovering the gem, the goblins returned to their cave home, an hour northwest of Westeroak through the Green Forest, near the Green River (the Green River bends northwest shortly after leaving the confines of Westeroak). A tributary of the Green River runs through the Scything Sun goblins cave. This is the first time the goblins have ever attacked Westeroak. Until now, the humans werent even aware of a goblin tribe near their city. This is partially because Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 114
their cave is well off the nearest path and the Green Forest is filled with many dangerous creatures that the humans avoid.
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GETTING THE CHARACTERS INVOLVED There are a few ways the characters could get involved in the investigation. Here are a few examples. 1. One of the characters is a member of the Watch and has been assigned with investigating the robbery and murder from the night before. 2. The Whole Boar is a favored hang-out of the characters and they considered Roddie Fellson a good friend. With his death, they immediately inquire into what happened. 3. One of the characters is known for her ability to track down criminals. Her and her team volunteer for the investigation or are commissioned to do so. 4. The characters are residents of Westeroak and appalled by the tragedy. They immediately join the investigation and only seek revenge. MERCHANT DISTRICT The Merchant District, within the yellow lines on the map above, is located in the northwest section of Westeroak. There are two major locations of interest during this investigation and several other minor ones. The two major ones are numbered while the minor locations are denoted by their position in relation to one of the major locations. 1. OPEN MARKET The open market is a series of stands and carts where people can purchase fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, and various other food-related items. At night, most of the food is removed with whatevers left behind, possibly because its too cumbersome to move every day, secured within closed boxes with a locking top. Watchmen that patrol the Merchant District are required to keep an eye on the open market to ensure no one steals whatever is left from day to day. When the goblins entered the city, they rifled through the open market, attempting to steal whatever they could. One dead watchman can be found on the north side of the market, apparently killed while making his rounds through the market. Two of the stands have sustained damage to their sides while two carts have been toppled, spilling their contents onto the street. With additional scrutiny, an apple can be found with a single bite mark from a mouth slightly smaller than an adult human (about the size of a childs mouth). Discovering this apple should be at least a Challenging (-2) Skill Roll. This apple was bitten by a goblin, who then discarded it after reeling from the taste. Searching around, a couple watermelons can be found several feet from a toppled cart; much too far to have rolled from the cart to where they now sit. These watermelons proved too heavy for the goblins to carry during their hasty retreat and were instead discarded on the street. The watchman clearly died from the large wound in his back. This wound was caused by a slashing weapon. Closer inspection, a Challenging (-2) Skill Roll, shows that the weapon used to make the wound was jagged and possibly rusty as the cut is not very clean (such as if it was made from a high quality sword). A character with medical knowledge can further inspect the body, a Hard (-4) Skill Roll, and see a puncture mark at the top of the cut. This mark was caused by the gut hook at the Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 116
end of the goblins blade, causing the skin to rip instead of being cut like it did with the edge of the blade. Inspection of the watchmans body and the street around him shows that blood probably spurted out while he was still standing and the wound rendered him unconscious, or instantly dead, causing him to fall to the ground. This is prevalent from the fact that his nose is broken and his face appears to have additional injuries. However, blood spatter can be found well behind his feet even though the majority of the blood has pooled around his torso. Closer inspection, a Challenging (-2) Skill Roll, shows that there are no footprints in the blood nor are there any bloody footprints leading away from the body. This is because the goblins jumped onto the watchman, stabbed him, and then jumped away. Their feet never touched the blood. Scrutinizing the stands or carts, a Hard (-4) Skill Roll, shows the remnants of a bloody fingerprint, although little can be discerned from it. There simply isnt enough to prove the size or origin of the finger that made that print. //sidebar// The map for the Whole Boar tavern was constructed using the Basic Tavern, Wine Cellar, and Secret Cache maps available for free from DramaScape, used with permission. To download these maps and print them for tabletop use, visit DramaScape on DriveThruRPG at: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse.php?manufacturers_id=4491// 2. WHOLE BOAR TAVERN The Whole Boar tavern faces north with its door opening up to the open market and the northwest gate beyond it. Its optimally situated to attract crowds visiting the market and those entering Westeroak from the northwest gate. Roddie Fellson opened the tavern 25 years ago when the city was first building the Merchant District. He paid handsomely for the prime location and has reaped the reward of his efforts every year since. His tavern is the most profitable in the entire city and some say its the most profitable in the entire kingdom. Many of Fellsons regular patrons, who are probably milling about during the investigation, believe the Whole Boar was the victim of a robbery because its so profitable. They all believe that Fellson must have kept bags of silver and copper somewhere in the tavern, ultimately leading to his demise. Unfortunately, they are all wrong, but discovering this may prove difficult. The characters can search high and low throughout the tavern and will find no signs of any bags of copper, silver, or even gold pieces. Either the bags were truly stolen or they never existed in the first place. The truth is that Fellson never kept bags of coins at the tavern and only had enough lying around to make change. The majority of his money was always kept at his house. Inspection of his house proves that fact. Fellson is lying dead in the middle of his tavern. Asking around, his patrons claim that Fellson often stayed after for many hours after closing to clean the tavern and prepare for the next day. This only slightly true as Fellson spent the latest hours of his day rummaging through what he kept within his secret cache. If a character spends enough time in the tavern, they can discern that it would only take an hour or so to clean-up and get ready for the next day. Without fully knowing when the murder happen, its not completely clear how long Fellson was at the tavern when he died, but its definitely clear that he shouldnt have been there long enough for Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 117
the streets to get dark enough for someone to sneak into the city (or through the city if they were already there) and commit these heinous acts. Fellson has a wound on his back similar to the one the watchman has. Information about his wound is the same and the characters can draw the same conclusions. If the characters as or look around behind the bar, they find a set of stairs below a movable section of the bar that lead to a closed door. If asked, the patrons inform them that the door leads to Fellsons wine cellar where he kept wine and bottles of liquor. The lock can be picked or the door can be chopped down with an axe. Once inside, the characters find nothing out of the ordinary. There are just barrels of wine and racks of liquor bottles down there; nothing else. After examining the inside of the tavern and possibly the wine cellar, the Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 118
characters might find it odd that the inside seems smaller than the outside. By comparing the two, the characters find that the exterior walls clearly extend farther than the interior walls. The characters must then search throughout the interior to find the hidden door in the back of the fireplace. The hearth is actually quite tall, an average human only has to stoop to pass through, but the door in the back of it is quite well hidden. Opening the door requires the character to press a keystone in the upper right-hand corner of the door to release the lock mechanism. The door is actually on a hinge and simply opens like a regular door. Finding this should be a Challenging (-2) or Hard (-4) Skill Roll. Once the door is open, the characters can walk into Fellsons secret cache. Looking around, the characters find all sorts of antiquities, rare weapons, and crude gems throughout. Fellson also kept a stash of usable weapons that he could grab to defend the city if necessary, although none have ever been used. All of these items are kept in various barrels so that if one were to open the door, they would see only barrels and would have to look inside the barrels to see everything else. A grate is located on the far side of the cache. By opening the grate, the characters find a short tunnel that leads to the stables next door (also owned by Fellson). Inspecting the room leads to the discovery of blood drips and the signs of pilfering. Three of the barrels have been tipped over with their contents spilling onto the floor. When the goblins entered the tavern, Fellson had the door open to his secret cache and was inspecting some of his latest finds. After killing him, the goblins searched three of the barrels, by tipping them over, and found their jade gem in the third barrel. While doing this, the blood on their weapons dripped onto the floor, leaving evidence behind. One of the goblins was smart enough to close the door, hoping to keep the room secret so that they could return another day and steal everything else inside (they had already wasted too much time that night and couldnt pilfer anymore). STABLES There are stables that attach to the eastern wall of the Whole Boar tavern. Roddie Fellson owned these stables that were available for his patrons and any merchants in the open market that required a horse or donkey to pull their cart. The tunnel from the secret cache leads to a small grate adjacent to the wall between the stables and the tavern. Appearing as a drain for water that builds up in the stables, its actually a route for Fellson to take should he need to grab his horse while holed-up in his tavern. Either by following the tunnel or searching the stables, this grate can be found. Inspecting the grate shows that it was dislodged and not properly put back quite recently. One of the goblins came through the tunnel and out into the stables. After checking the stable nearest the grate, Fellsons horse can be found dead with a wound similar to Fellson and the watchman. No other horses were in the stables at the time. BLACKSMITH Along the Whole Boars southern wall is the local blacksmith, a dwarf named Nigel the Hammer. Nigel was away from his shop when the robbery occurred, although he does recall Fellson spending many late hours at the tavern. He is unaware of the secret room, but does know about the wine cellar. Nigel is a regular at the tavern. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 119
ANTIQUITIES Along the blacksmiths eastern wall is an antiquities shop called Gastons Fineries. Gaston is considered a dandy and loves to talk about the treasures he keeps in his shop. Although no one else knows it, and Gaston may try to hide it, he has frequently purchased rare items from Fellson and Fellson is a regular customer at Gastons Fineries. The two of them share a bit of a passion for antiquities, although Gastons passion is much more colorful than Fellsons. Gaston was in his shop the night the robbery occurred. He didnt hear a commotion from the tavern, but he did hear a loud banging noise from the stables. Gaston assumed one of the horses had kicked the wall and thought nothing more of it. The truth is that one of the horses kicked the wall because a goblin had jumped on its back and stabbed it. Gaston often spends late nights at his shop straightening up and admiring his collection. He doesnt open his store until lunch and closes before nightfall. He can inform the characters that the banging noise was heard around midnight, although it was hard to tell due to the thick cloud covering. APOTHECARY Along Gastons Fineries eastern wall, and at the end of the row of shops, is the apothecary. The owner of the apothecary is unknown although many speculate its owned by an elven alchemist named Augustus. The shop has a difficult time keeping workers there as they never get to meet the owner and the shop never seems busy enough. Most workers give up due to boredom or are caught stealing (the watchmen patrol the apothecary regularly). The store has actually been closed for the past three days while a new employee is found to run it. WATCH TOWER Directly west of the open market is the large Watch Tower that overlooks the Merchant District. Either from the Open Market or by traveling to the top of the tower, the characters can discern that the watchmen can see into the heart of the Merchant District, including the area in front of the Whole Boars door. They also have clear vision of the northwest gate the areas outside the gate. The night of the robbery and murder, there were three watchmen on duty in the Merchant District. None of them have reported in and none of them are to be found, except the dead one in the Open Market, within the confines of the city. Either the characters or the on-duty watchmen are free to look, but the other two are simply not inside the city (this is because theyre both dead and lying outside the city). From the vantage point at the top of the watch tower, a character with good vision can see what appear to be two bodies lying in two different fields outside the northwest gate. NORTHWEST GATE From the northwest gate, one could practically draw a straight line from the gate to the door of the Whole Boar tavern. If one were to come into the city without being seen and then rob the tavern and kill its owner, it would have to be done starting from this gate. If one were already in the city, then another route could be chosen. However, the goblins came from the forest and used the northwest gate. With close inspection, drops of blood can be seen going from the Whole Boar tavern and through the northwest gate. These are blood drops from the goblins weapons, so it should be difficult to spot. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 120
Following this trail or after spotting the dead bodies in the fields leads the characters out the northwest gate and along the Plantation Road. The field on the right, just outside the northwest gate has a dead farmer lying in it as does the field on the left. As the characters travel farther down Plantation Road, the bodies of the two other watchmen can be found. It appears as though they chased the bandits for a short distance until meeting their demise. Both watchmen show signs of being involved in a struggle with multiple cuts, bruises, and wounds along with a slash across the throat that finally ended their lives. PLANTATION ROAD Plantation Road is named as such for the plantations that line it just outside the northwest gate. The road continues northwest past the outlying farms and cuts a narrow swath through the Green Forest. Many perils wait along Plantation Road and thus few ever venture past the last farms of Westeroak using this road. Its much safer to travel the Northern Road which parallels the river and crosses at one point. That road takes travelers away from the Green Forest. Due to its lack of use, Plantation Road begins to breakdown as an easily traversed road about half an hour past the last farm. Although the road can clearly be seen, its more of a foot and horse trail now and less of a road for carts and wagons. This also marks the point where the dangers surrounding the road are likely to be seen. The characters should follow some type of trail down Plantation Road, eventually leading them to a point where they leave the road and head into the Green Forest. This could be a very faint trail of blood drips, recently disturbed dirt on the road, or just the general direction of potential mayhem that is sure to be ahead. At some point, a faint rustling sound can be heard in the distance, east of the Road inside the Green Forest. As the characters continue down the road, the noise gets louder as twigs are snapped and low-hanging branches are moved aside. Emerging onto the road is a pair of trolls. The trolls immediately attack the characters as they are clearly invading the trolls territory. Trolls (two) see page 103 After the trolls are taken care of, the characters can either search them or notice that one has dropped a peculiar item. Upon closer inspection, the characters note that the peculiar item is a uniquely shaped bottle of liquor. With a Challenging (-2) Skill Roll, one of the characters may recall seeing that same bottle in the Whole Boars wine cellar. The bottle, stolen by the goblins, was used to bargain safe passage past the trolls after they stopped the goblins on their way back to their cave. The bottle is now empty and came from the stock Fellson kept behind the bar. Searching the Green Forest around this location produces no further clues, nor do the characters run into anymore trolls. There were only two in this area. As the characters travel farther down Plantation Road, about 45 minutes out of Westeroak, they reach a point where the road has become so grown over by vegetation that few would ever travel down it. At this point, they discover that whatever they were following to this point shows signs of leaving the road and entering the Green Forest. This could be a set of footprints or even discarded food scraps from those stolen from the Open Market. Regardless of the indication, the characters must now leave Plantation Road and enter the Green Forest. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 121
At this point on the road, characters can make a Challenging (-2) Perception + Awareness roll to hear the faint sound of a waterfall. This waterfall is adjacent to the Scything Sun goblins cave and marks the point where the river splits with a small tributary traveling through the bluffs to form the cave. If the characters dont put the pieces together after hearing the sound of the waterfall, they can make a Survival Skill Roll to determine that the sound is a waterfall and that the Green River, after it bends and begins traveling northwest, is nearby. If the thieves are humanoid, they are probably near the river as there are no other sources of fresh water within the immediate region. GREEN FOREST The characters must step cautiously once inside the Green Forest. Many animals call it home as do many poisonous plants. Plantation Road is about a 15 minute walk through the Green Forest before reaching the Scything Sun goblins den. During this time, roll a d6 for every four minutes of walking. The characters encounter the following on the given d6 roll: 1. Black Widow Leaf plant 2. Wolf pack (two wolves per character) see page 105 3. Small footprints in the mud. 4. A group of hunting lynx (two lynx per character) see page 100 5. A pool of stagnant water. 6. A goblin scurrying off in the distance. BLACK WIDOW LEAF Black widow leaf plants are mildly poisonous plants with large, broad leaves containing streaks of black. Effect: Anyone contacting the black widow leaf plant must make an immediate Vitality + Resist roll. On a failure, gain one level of Fatigue (see Fatigue page 62) due to a fever being brought on by the plant. On a success, the plant doesnt affect them. STAGNANT WATER The stagnant water appears to have accumulated dirt, debris, and possibly fungus. Effect: Anyone drinking the stagnant water immediately begins throwing up due to the fungus within. Additionally, they must make a Vitality + Resist roll to avoid gaining two levels of Fatigue due to feeling sick to the stomach. Both levels of Fatigue go away after four hours regardless of activity. SCYTHING SUN GOBLIN DEN After walking through the Green Forest for 15 minutes, the characters reach a large opening to a cave. At the mouth of the cave is a wooden sign with a picture on it depicting a scythe over a sun shining on a field of wheat. This is the lair of the Scything Sun goblins. Descriptions for each section of the cave are detailed below and refer to the number denoted on the map.
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1. CAVE OPENING The opening to the cave is quite large (approximately 60ft). Coming out of the cave is a river about 10ft across and moving at a slow pace. If the characters search the area around the cave they find that its surrounded by bluffs and the Green River Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 123
is nearby. If they follow a path to the top of the bluffs, they find a tributary of the Green River that breaks off and goes into the bluffs (coming out at the cave opening). Signs of recent activity can be seen scattered about the mouth of the cave; this may include footprints, discarded broken weapons, or an empty bottle from the Whole Boar tavern. The first 25ft of the cave is lit by the sun shining through, but after that the cave gets darker. Starting in location 2, the cave is considered Dim Illumination. 2. RAVINE As the characters travel into the cave, they find a small ravine cut into the floor. Past the ravine is a pool that has formed from the Green River tributary with a phosphorescent fungus growing along its edges. This fungus provides illumination throughout the cave and its abundance on the walls and along the banks of the water makes it much easier to see and traverse. The pool is only 3ft deep while the river is around 4ft deep. Walking through the pool doesnt introduce any additional penalties, but walking through the river requires a Strength + Athletics roll to avoid being pushed 5ft downstream. This is the same throughout the entire cave. 3. FIRE PIT South of the ravine is a small outcropping that forms a natural wall around a fire pit. The fire pit hasnt been used in a very long time as only ashes remain and the dirt around it doesnt show signs of being disturbed. This fire pit isnt used by the goblins but instead was used by passers-by many months before that didnt know the cave was occupied by goblins. 4. CAVE MAZE North of the ravine, across the river, is a pair of openings that lead to a short maze of caves. This is one of the areas where goblins make their home. The characters encounter the goblins if they enter the maze or if they Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 124
make enough noise around the pool (such as another goblin encounter). The walls of the cave maze are quite close and most passageways are only 3ft. wide. The goblins here dont partake in the raids abroad dont wear armor like the others do. Goblins (two per character) see page 98 5. ALCOVE On the other side of the outcropping from the fire pit is an alcove. The alcove is used to store food. There are five crates with food in them, slowly rotting, and a trail of food debris leading out of the alcove. 6. FISSURE PAIR Along the southern banks of the pool is a pair of fissures. One is long while the other is short, but both are only 5ft deep. These fissures help to slow people traveling through the caves should they need to make a hasty retreat. 7. SHRINE Around the corner from the fissures is an alcove with a very high ceiling. Its eastern half contains a series of steps that rise to 40ft at the top. At the top of these steps is a small shrine depicting the sun with a scythe atop it. A group of goblins are there worshiping as the characters walk past. Goblin warriors (one per character) Goblins (one per character) see page 98 8. WALKWAY The banks of the river give way to walls east of the pool. Three steps, each 10ft high and around 5ft deep, take the characters up 30ft to a narrow ledge walkway. The characters must move cautiously along this walkway to avoid falling into the river. Although theyd be falling into water, the water is not very deep and is filled with jagged rocks. 9. WESTERN BANKS Across the river and down from the walkway is a trio of stalactites with an opening behind them. This opening leads to a smaller section of cave where a bat swarm currently resides. Bat swarm (two) see page 102 10. ALCOVE Halfway along the ledge walkway is an opening that leads up into another alcove. This alcove can provide a safe place to hide as the goblins rarely use it. 11. WALKWAY At this point, the walkway descends gradually back to a level even with the banks of the river. The cave then opens to a larger area with many large stalactites flanking the river and a small bridge going across to area 13. This area starts where most of the goblins are typically found. The characters can encounter the following goblin force here or in area 13 (as theyre connected by the bridge). Goblin warriors (one per character) Goblin champion (one) Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 125
12. WESTERN BANKS The western banks of the river stretch around a large part of the cave. Although the area is not frequented by goblins, as it requires crossing the river, bats and rats are frequent guests. Anywhere along this stretch a large swarm of rats can be encountered. Rat swarm (two) see page 102 13. GATHERING AREA Area 13 is the main gathering area for the goblins. This is where they spend most of their time while inside the caves. They can reach their shaman along the narrow northern walkway and most of them sleep in area 14. The closer the characters get to area 14, the greater the chances of encountering more goblins. The shaman can optionally be encountered here as well, speaking to the goblins about the gem they recovered. 14. SLEEPING AREA This is where many of the goblins sleep. Signs of that can be found along with many of the times theyve stolen from their raids on towns and villages. Evidence of being at the Whole Boar tavern can be found, such as liquor bottles, and food from the open market, such as what the characters already identified at the open market. Goblin warriors (one per character) Goblin slingers (two per character) 15. GATHERING AREA This is an extension of the goblins gathering areas. They can be encountered here instead of other areas. A large ravine, 10ft deep, sits in the middle of this area, flanked by many stalactites. Two alcoves along the southern wall can be found, but neither leads to anything in particular. 16. END OF THE LAIR The alcove at the end of the Scything Sun goblins lair gradually rises up to meet the upper level of the river tributary. The alcove has become a bit of a treasure trove as the goblins have stashed many of their findings in this area to keep them far from those who may wish to steal them. Theres little that the characters would care about, although they may find additional evidence of the goblins time in Westeroak. 17. SHAMANS DEN The goblin shaman lives in an alcove at the rear of the lair. It can only be reached by a narrow walkway along the northern wall as the current of the river is slightly faster than at the mouth of the cave. Crossing this part of the river requires a Hard (13) Strength + Athletics roll to avoid being pushed downstream and slammed into rocks. The shaman will most likely hear any disturbances in the gathering areas and run to aid his fellow goblins. Goblin shaman (one) WHY THE GOBLINS CARE The Scything Sun goblins are a superstitious lot thanks to their shaman. He believes the jade gem, which fits into one of the eye sockets of a green mask, holds Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 126
mystical powers that protect the goblins lair. The truth is that the green mask is nothing more than a ceramic religious symbol and used as a decorative piece (which the goblins stole long ago). The only reason the goblins lair has avoided detection for so long is because of the dangers of traveling down the Plantation Road and through Green Forest. Up until now, the goblins have enjoyed raiding not-too-distant villages, towns, and cities at night and escaping to their cave lair. Theyre able to escape the town watch due to their violent tendencies and the fact that the watch (at any location) is afraid to venture into the Green Forest. Threats like wolves, trolls, and possibly much more are too much for the watch and the goblins are always let go. However, the characters may change this now that they know what they face! SCYTHING SUN GOBLINS GOBLIN CHAMPION Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vitality d8 Defense 11, Health 16, Initiative 22, Speed 30 Skills: Athletics d8, Awareness d8, Melee d8, Tracking d6 Gear: Shamshir (DMG 5), flanged mace (DMG 4), scale armor (all +3) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Two One-Handed Weapons: Goblin champions wield 2 one-handed weapons and thus receive a free standard attack or parry action each Combat Round. GOBLIN SHAMAN Agility d6, Charisma d6, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d8, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 8, Health 9, Initiative 12, Speed 25 Skills: Awareness d10, Melee d6, Spiritualism d10, Tracking d8 Gear: staff (DMG 1 NL, 2H, Reach 10, Parry +2, uses Agility), leather armor (torso, legs, arms +1) Power Points: 24 Powers: Spirit + Spiritualism; confuse, sense, shield, topple, wind Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall. GOBLIN SLINGERS Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vitality d6 Defense 9, Health 4, Initiative 18, Speed 25 Skills: Athletics d4, Awareness d6, Melee d4, Ranged d6, Tracking d4 Gear: Bone knife (DMG 2), slingshot (90ft, DMG 1 NL), leather armor (all +1) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall. Mark Stevens (order #6206817) 127
GOBLIN WARRIORS Agility d8, Charisma d4, Intelligence d6, Perception d6, Psyche d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vitality d6 Defense 9, Health 5, Initiative 20, Speed 25 Skills: Athletics d6, Awareness d6, Melee d6, Stealth d4, Tracking d8 Gear: Shortsword with gut hook (DMG 4), leather armor (all +1) Abilities: Low Light Vision: Ignore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting. Size -1: Goblins are 3ft. tall.