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CORE RULES

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ABILITIES AND SKILLS

As previously mentioned in the introduction, each character or creature in the game has seven abilities that affect most of its activities.

• Combativity (CMB), represents the aptitude for combat, the ability to exploit physical and tactical skills to prevail in battle.
• Strength (STR), represents muscular strength and build, physical endurance and power, the ability to tolerate phisical stress and to exploit athletic skills.
• Dexterity (DEX), represents agility, speed and fluency of movements, coordination and motor accuracy, sense of balance and quick reflexes.
• Perception (PER), represents acuity of the senses, attention to detail, spirit of observation, as well as general awareness of the surrounding environment.
• Intelligence (INT), represents acumen, inventiveness, wit and mental clarity, and also the ability to analyze, reason, learn and memorize.
• Will (WIL), represents the strength of personality, self-confidence, self-control, determination, temperament as well as social and interpersonal skills.
• Tech (TEC), represents technological affinity and technical preparation, the ability to use, understand and interface with machinery and technological devices.

Each ability is represented by a score, a number that describes both the innate gifts and the aptitude for activities related to that ability. The higher the score, the more a character (or creature) excels in that ability, with scores of 1 representing the common human average. The ability scores are the foundation of the game rules.

Ability checks

An ability check represents a character’s or creature’s attempt to pass a challenge. Most of the actions taken by characters do not require any check. The GM only requires an ability check when the outcome is uncertain and when success or failure has important implications, such as in situations of danger or stress.
For every ability check, the GM decides which of the seven abilities is relevant to the task undertaken. To make an ability check roll 2d12, add their results together, add the appropriate ability score and apply any relevant bonuses or penalties. The most frequently applied bonus comes from the character’s skills (see below).

Check Result = 2d12 + ability score + skill bonus + relevant modifiers

In most cases the GM compares the result of an ability check with a Difficulty Class (DC). Normally, the DC is set by the GM or specified by the rules. The more difficult a task, the higher its DC. If the result of the check is equal to or higher than the DC, the check is successful. Otherwise, it’s a failure. Depending on the circumstances, failing an ability check does not necessarily mean that the action taken is not completed, but it can mean that things do not go as expected: maybe you don’t get the desired results or you suffer some setback or hitch decided by the GM (see “Try again”, further on).
Other times, a check does not contemplate failure or success, but simply its result represents the quality of the obtained Outcome. The higher the result, the more significant effects the test will have.
The Typical Values for DC and Outcomes table shows the most common values and their meaning both in terms of Difficulty Class and Outcomes.

Table: Typical Values for DC and Outcomes

Value	Difficulty Class	Outcome
5	Insignificant	Terrible
7	Trivial	Poor or misleading
10	Easy	Mediocre or irrelevant
13	Normal	Ordinary
17	Moderate	Decent
21	Challenging	Good
25	Hard	Great
28	Formidable	Excellent
31	Prodigious	Astounding

Types of checks

In the simplest (and most common) case, an ability check determines whether or not a character succeeds in a task. However, certain circumstances or applications require some specific rules, as described below.
Remember, if a rule refers generically to “ability checks,” it means it includes any type of check, including attack rolls and saving throws.

Opposed checks (contests)

Sometimes one character’s or creature’s efforts are directly opposed to another’s. This can occur when both of them are trying to do the same thing but only one can succeed or when one of them is trying to prevent the other one from accomplishing a goal.
In these cases, both contenders perform an ability check appropriate to their efforts, but instead of comparing the results to a DC, they compare the results of their two checks. Whoever gets the highest result wins the contest. If the contest results in a tie, the GM decides what happens based on the circumstances: the situation may remain the same, both tests may fail, or minor effects may occur.

Complex checks

In the case of prolonged actions (such as disabling a complicated device or conducting a long negotiation), the GM may request a complex check, which is a sequence of multiple checks that represent the unfolding of a single prolonged action.
To be successful, a complex checks requires accumulating a certain number of successes before the same number of failures. The difficulty of a complex checks is therefore given by its DC and the number of successes required. Generally, if three failures occur before the character makes three successful rolls, the check fails.

Cooperative checks

Sometimes two or more characters can join forces in an attempt to accomplish a task. In this case, the character who leads the attempt performs the check with advantage, indicating the help provided by the others. In combat, to help it’s necessary to make the Help action (see Combat). A character can help only if he or she is able to carry out the task himself, and only if the help can be truly productive. For example, certain tasks, such as jumping a crevasse, are certainly not easier even if you get help.

Collective checks: When characters try to perform an activity as a team, the GM may ask for a collective check. In this case, all characters make the same ability check. If at least half of them succeeds, the whole group is successful, representing the joint efforts of all characters. Otherwise the group fails. For example, if the party has to cross a swamp, the GM may request a PER (Survival) collective check to determine if the group can avoid the dangers of the environment. If at least half of the characters succeed, they will be able to guide their companions through the swamp avoiding its dangers.

Passive checks

A passive check is a particular kind of ability check that doesn’t involve any die roll. It can be used by the GM to determine if characters succeed in something without actively attempting it, such as noticing a hidden enemy without suspecting its presence. The total of a passive check is equal to 12 + appropriate ability score + any modifiers that would apply to a normal check. Add 3 to the total if the check has advantage, or subtract 3 if it has disadvantage.

Attack roll

An attack roll is a special ability check you make when you try to hit an opponent or object with an attack. Normally, the appropriate skills for the type of weapon or effect used is applied to attack rolls. For more information, see “Combat”, further on in this chapter.

Saving throw

A saving throw (ST) is a particular ability check made to resist or avoid harmful effects such as poisons, diseases, traps, psionic effects, explosions, and the like. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw, the GM will ask you to make it. The ability and skill required by the ST and its DC depend on the effect that causes it, which also determines what happens when the ST succeeds or fails.

Bonuses and penalties

Some game elements may apply bonuses or penalties to ability checks. For example, wearing armor implies a penalty to some ability checks due to the impediment to the movements it causes. This penalty remains as long as the armor is worn but will disappear when it is removed.

Advantage and disadvantage

Sometimes a character may find himself in a situation that benefits him in performing an action. Other times, adverse circumstances can instead put him at a disadvantage.

When the rules say you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, you must roll 3d12 instead of the normal 2d12. If you have advantage, you discard the die that rolled the lowest result and keep the other two. Conversely, if you have disadvantage, you must discard the die with the highest result. For example, let’s say you roll 3d12 and get 3, 5 and 9: if you have advantage, you keep the 5 and 9 and the total result of the roll will be 14; if you have disadvantage, you keep the 3 and 5 and consequently the total will be 8.

If multiple sources of advantage and disadvantage apply to a roll, the condition supported by more sources will prevail. In case of a tie, the check will have neither advantage nor disadvantage. For example, if two factors guarantee advantage and one imposes disadvantage, the advantage condition prevails. Even when multiple factors grant advantage or impose disadvantage, only one additional d12 is rolled.

Usually, characters gain advantage through special abilities or other privileges, or through certain actions in combat. The GM can also decide that circumstances influence a roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or impose disadvantage as a result.
In addition, many conditions that can affect characters (see “Conditions”, further on) impose disadvantage and/or grant advantage to their opponents.

Strain and Tenacity

Some ability checks require a lot of effort to perform. Other times it is the characters themselves who want to push their limits to succeed in a task. In both cases, the action consumes the character’s energy, in the form of vitality points.

Strain

At the GM’s discretion, performing particularly grueling or stressful tasks may require the character to exert extra effort – an expense of vitality points. Usually the cost ranges from 1 to 6 vitality points. If the character does not want to (or cannot) spend this amount, he or she suffers disadvantage on the check and at the end of it, whether successful or not, the character gains a level of exhaustion. The GM may decide that some checks are impossible to perform if you do not have the necessary energy.

Tenacity

Sometimes characters desperately need to succeed on a check and to do so they push their normal limits, relying on their tenacity. In doing so, they decide to squeeze their energy to have a better chance of success, consuming vitality points. For every 3 vitality points a character decides to spend, he or she gets a +1 bonus on the ability check, up to a maximum of +3. Typically, characters cannot voluntarily spend vitality points this way if doing so would reduce them to 0 vitality.

Special results

Sometimes fate plays strange tricks, causing exploits or setbacks to occur. This happens if you roll a 12 or 1 on one of the dice when making an ability check. These exceptional cases generate special effects and follow the rules described below.

Rolling a 12: If you roll a 12 and the check is successful, fate favors you and you manage to perform an exploit whose “intensity” depends on the result of the other die (the one that did not roll a 12): consult the Exploits table and choose one that matches to a rank equal to or less than the result of the second die. Alternatively, you can also invent new exploits, perhaps more suited to the circumstances of the moment, but in this case the GM will have the last word on what you propose. Otherwise, if the check fails, rolling a 12 does not generate any exploits, but the GM still could give less serious consequences to the failure than expected.
Remember, you should always narrate in great detail your character’s exploits.

Rolling a 1: When you roll a 1 it’s never a good sign. If the check fails, the GM can get in the way and complicate the situation by causing a setback to happen. If the check is successful despite the probable low total result, usually nothing really deleterious happens but the GM could still decide to insert some minor setback, something like “you succeed, but…”.
It is up to the GM to establish a setback appropriate to the situation, choosing from those listed in the Setbacks table, or taking them as an example to invent new ones, perhaps more suited to the circumstances of the moment.

Double special results: Although rarely, an ability check roll can generate two special results simultaneously. In such cases, use the following tips.
If you get a double 1 or a double 12, in addition to causing a setback or an exploit respectively, the result of the check will be so sensational (for better or for worse) to enter the myth, with rumors and stories about it that will spread in the years to come. You get an EDGE card.
If you roll a 1 and a 12, the two special results “cancel out” each other without causing any special consequences. Treat the result of the roll as a simple 13.

Table: Exploits

Rank	Combat exploits
2	On guard: You take a better defensive stance. You get a +2 bonus to your Defense until the start of your next turn.
3	Quick movement: You can immediately move 3 meters or stand up if you’re prone. This extra move does not count on how far you can move during this turn.
4	Extra minor action: You can immediately take an extra minor action. You can also use this extra minor action to make an attempt to grab, disarm or shove against an opponent.
5	Effective strike: The attack deals +1d6 extra damage and the target must succeed on a DC 17 STR (Stamina) saving throw or be sickened until the start of your next turn.
6	Team play: Choose one ally you can see and who can see the target of your attack. That ally can immediately make an attack against that target using his reaction.
7	Help: You can immediately take the Help action as an extra action.
8	Vanish: You can immediately take the Hide action as an extra action, if circumstances allow to do so.
9	Powerful strike: The attack deals +1d8 extra damage and the target suffers a trauma.
10	Lethal strike: The attack deals +1d10 extra damage and the target suffers a trauma.
11	Climb the initiative: From the start of the next combat round, you will act first in the initiative order.

Rank	Other example exploits
2	Memorable joke: You come up with a shrewd joke that seals your action. If you can’t think of anything, the GM and the other players can suggest you some options. Rumors about your joke are likely to spread, for better or for worse.
3	Distraction: Your check attracts someone’s attention. Choose a target that can see and hear you. Until the start of your next turn, the target has disadvantage on Perception checks that are not directed towards you.
4	Masterful execution: You complete the check-related task using only half the time and resources it normally requires.
5	“One more thing!”: You can make a second ability check to expand the results of the original check (for example, discover more information or deepen an interaction). This extra check cannot use the same skill used in the original check and cannot generate exploits, but it doesn’t require additional time or resources since it’s considered contemporary to the first.
6	Focused attention: You have advantage on any other ability check made to examine, study, or understand the target of the check you just made. This benefit lasts for 10 minutes or until circumstances change in some way.
7	Influencing the audience: Your arguments are so effective that, in addition to the intended target, they also influence others who witness the scene. Many of those present will be led to support your reasons relating to the current circumstance.
8	Astonished silence: Your performance is so impressive that everyone who witnessed it is astonished and speechless for one round. Out of combat, this effect lasts at least as long as it takes for you to start doing something else.
9	Emotional response: Choose a target who can see and hear you. Your behavior causes the target to have a strong emotional reaction towards you. The type of reaction depends on what you do. It could be amazement, admiration, contempt, anger, friendship or even infatuation. It is up to the GM to decide what happens in detail and what that implies, but it depends a lot on how you continue to act.
10	Discovery: You guess additional information. Depending on the type of check you made, the GM may reveal hidden details about its target, notions that can influence the situation you are in, one or more personality traits or some well-hidden secret of an interlocutor, and so on.
11	Sign of destiny: You get an EDGE card and can choose any exploit of rank 7 or lower.

Table: Setbacks

2d10	Setbacks
2	Trauma: If appropriate to the circumstances, you suffer a mild trauma, otherwise no setback happens.
3	“Not right now!”: Something breaks or stops working at the worst moment.
4	Fright: Something scares you. You are frightened until the start of your next turn.
5	Defensive breach: You lower your guard. Attack rolls against you have advantage until the start of your next turn.
6	Outrage: You say or do something that offends an interlocutor, worsening its attitude towards you and your companions.
7	“Damn!”: The weapon you are holding slips from your hand or jams. As an action on your turn, you can pick it up or unjam it.
8	Ringing in your ears: Your ears are ringing annoyingly. You are deafened until the start of your next turn.
9	Uneasiness: Something upsets you unexpectedly. You have disadvantage on your next ability check.
10	“It fell!”: Something you are carrying falls off, loosening from a strap or slipping out of a pocket or backpack.
11	Distraction: Something distracts you momentarily. You have disadvantage on your next ability check.
12	Something in the eye: A glimmer of light or airborne dust blurs your vision. You are dazzled until the start of your next turn.
13	Gaffe: You say or do something trivial, but that an interlocutor does not like or finds inconvenient.
14	Tumble: You stumble and fall prone.
15	Incorrect certainty: You are convinced that your action is successful, without realizing that in reality it’s the exact opposite.
16	From bad to worse: Failing to avoid a harmful effect, you suffer worse consequences (double the damage, double the duration, etc.).
17	Friendly target: Your attack misses the target and accidentally hits an ally that is adjacent to it (or in the direction of the shot).
18	Illness: You suffer from a sudden illness. You are stunned until the start of your next turn.
19	Sudden fatigue: You suddenly feel exhausted. You suffer a level of exhaustion.
20	Loss: You break or lose something important.

Try again

It is usually possible to retry a failed ability check only if the failure does not lead to irreparable consequences or make any further attempts useless. For example, if a character fails a TEC (Tampering) check to open a lock, he can try again and keep trying. However, if the failure means that the lock breaks, then trying again would be useless.
Similarly, failing a DEX (Stealth) check made to avoid being noticed by an enemy means that the latter has sensed the presence of the character. Even if the character manages to hide later, the enemy will still be aware of his presence.

Skills

When making an ability check, a character can apply only one skill, even if he has more than one that would be adequate for that check. Sometimes, the GM might ask to apply a skill on an ability check – for example, “Make a PER (Inspection) check”. At other times, the player might ask the GM if a particular skills applies to a check.
If the character lack a relevant skill, he or she just apply the pertinent ability score to the check. At the GM’s discretion, some specific or difficult tasks could impose disadvantage or be completely impossible if attempted by characters that lack the appropriate skill.
The various skills are described below, with lots of useful examples of the activities associated with them.

Combativity skills

• Cold weapons: Proficiency in the use of various melee and shooting “cold” weapons, such as swords, axes, daggers, clubs, spears, slings, bows, crossbows, blowguns and so on.
• Energy Weapons: Proficiency in the use of all energy weapons, such as blaster rifles and particle beams.
• Gunnery: Competence in operating artillery weapons, such as vehicular or spacecraft weaponry and land armaments.
• Kinetic Weapons: Proficiency in the use of all kinetic weapons, such as kinetic guns and rifles.
• Natural Weapons: Competence in using one’s body as a weapon, using kicks, punches and the like, whether it is martial arts or raw brawling. It also includes creatures’ natural weapons, such as claws, bites, horns, and so on.
• Throwing: Mastery and accuracy in throwing objects, such as throwing a stone, dagger or grenade, using a lasso, throwing a grappling hook to secure a rope, and so on.
• Wrestling: It involves actions such as grabbing , pushing, shoving, and wrestling. It is also useful to resist to similar actions or to free oneself from bonds, holds and other impediments.

Strength skills

• Athletics: Indicates athletic training and includes running, marching, jumping and other gymnastic and aerobic activities.
• Climbing: It concerns activities such as climbing cliffs or other surfaces with holds, equipping fixed rope routes, avoiding dangers during a climb and so on.
• G-Zero: Competence in operating in zero gravity. It involves activities such as moving smoothly by pushing up against other objects or using a jet-pack, carrying out prolonged or tiring activities in zero gravity, and so on. For more information on gravity, see “Exploration”.
• Might: It concerns activities that require the use of pure brute force, such as lifting, pushing or dragging weights, breaking objects, staving down doors and so on.
• Stamina: It represents the physical constitution and the ability to resist fatigue, physical stress, diseases, poisons and other effects that affect health and physiology.
• Swimming: This involves activities such as swimming for a long time, avoiding dangers while swimming, staying afloat in dangerous, stormy or algae-filled waters, and so on.

Dexterity skills

• Acrobatics: Concerns activities such as keeping balance in precarious situations, performing complicated and precise movements, performing contortions and acrobatic maneuvers.
• Dancing: The ability to dance. It includes classical and modern dance, traditional and folk dances. It is also possible to apply this skill to choreography.
• Piloting: Proficiency in piloting vehicles and spaceships. If you do not have this skill you can still drive planetary vehicles, but you could suffer disadvantage in the case of particularly complex vehicles (such as mechas or air-speeders). On the contrary, without this skill you cannot fly spaceships.
• Reflex: It represents the quickness of reflexes and the ability to react quickly to instant stimuli, such as sudden dangers and other unexpected events.
• Riding: Competence in riding, especially in combat or other dangerous situations, such as rushes, chases or when attempting risky maneuvers.
• Stealth: Ability to conceal one’s presence. It involves activities like hiding, moving silently, mingling with the crowd, stalking someone, and so on.
• Sleight of Hand: Expertise in making manual trickery. It includes snatching small objects without being noticed, hiding objects on oneself or others, pickpocketing, performing legerdemain or jugglery, using and tying cords and so on.

Perception skills

• Alertness: Indicates the ability to use all your senses to identify possible threats in the surrounding environment, instinctively notice when there is something strange or potentially dangerous and always be ready to react.
• Insight: The ability to perceive feelings, emotions and intentions of others by paying attention to body language, facial expressions, voice intonation and attitudes.
• Inspection: Indicates the ability to investigate the surrounding environment using all senses, in order to obtain more precise information and to notice hidden or otherwise not immediately evident details and clues.
• Music: Musical expertise and talent. It includes singing, playing instruments, composing songs and symphonies, recognizing styles and genres of music, songs and famous musicians.
• Survival: Expertise in surviving in the wilderness. It covers activities like getting food and water, building shelter, avoiding natural hazards, finding your way around, facing the elements, hunt and track other creatures.
• Visual Arts: Competence in creating visual works of art. It covers all forms of figurative art such as painting, drawing, graphics, photography, sculpture, textile arts and so on.

Intelligence skills

• Erudition: It represents humanistic and classical knowledge. It includes literature, linguistics, philosophy, law and legislation, theology, history, archaeology, anthropology, psychology, sophontology, sociology, journalism and so on.
• Lucidity: It represents the firmness of the mind, the clarity of thought and the ability to resist effects that cloud or confuse thoughts.
• Medicine: Preparation and competence in the medical field. It includes first aid, emergency care, medications, diagnosis, treating poisons and diseases, surgery, long-term care, establishing the causes of death, as well as medical research. A character can also use this skill to heal animals or creatures with unusual physiology (such as aliens or mutants), but with disadvantage.
• Nature: It represents experience and expertise in activities related to nature. It includes botany, agriculture, agronomy, zoology, animal husbandry and care, veterinary and so on. The processing and use of raw materials and products deriving from agricultural activities may also fall under this skill.
• Psionics: It represents the affinity to psychic powers and their understanding. Psionic characters and creatures use this skill when manifesting their psionic powers (see “Psychic Powers”). For those without psychic powers, it reflects only psionic knowledge and the ability to identify and understand psionic phenomena.
• Science: Preparation and competence in the scientific field. It includes mathematics, physics, astrophysics, chemistry, biology, exobiology, genetics, geology, geophysics, climatology, meteorology, and others.
• Warfare: War disciplines and military knowledge. It includes military training, warfare and guerrilla techniques, strategy and tactics, troop movement, rules of engagement, military ethics, illegal weapons, and so on.

Will skills

• Charisma: It reflects the ability to use one’s charm to attract attention, entertain or even try to influence people. It includes knowing how to perform in public, amuse interlocutors with rhetorical or acting skills, use charm to woo, flirt, seduce or otherwise attract the attention of others thanks to sensual and provocative attitudes.
• Cunning: It represents the ability to influence the actions and attitudes of others using words, gestures and posture. It includes knowing how to persuade, convince, put others at ease, inspire trust, ask cordial requests, negotiate, gather information, but also lie, cheat, gamble, mislead, distract, cheat, pass for someone else, provoke someone with insults or derision, and even transmitting secret messages inside apparently harmless speeches.
• Fortitude: It represents the ability to control emotions, impulses and reactions, and to resist effects that subdue or bend the will.
• Intimidation: It reflects the ability to impose oneself on the will of others thanks to an intimidating attitude. It includes threatening, extorting information, demoralizing enemies or inducing them to retreat, and so on.
• Socialite: Knowledge and expertise regarding rules of behavior, good manners, etiquette, rituals on formal occasions, attitude towards individuals of rank, and everything related to social events such as gala, official ceremonies, receptions and so on.
• Streetwise: Knowledge of the urban and suburban environment, urban legends and rumors, folk traditions, local news, gossip, entertainment, street culture, gangs, crime, smuggling, black market, receiving stolen goods and illicit trafficking.
• Trading: Competence and experience in the commercial and economic fields. It includes knowing how to bargain, knowing the rules governing trade, knowing which goods are legal and which are not, understanding whether a deal is worth it or not, assessing the quality and authenticity of the goods and so on.

Tech skills

• Astronautics: Proficiency with spaceship’s on-board procedures, operations and systems. It includes cosmography, space cartography and astronavigation, the use of star charts and the tracking of space routes, the use and management of sensors, deflector shields, countermeasures, tractor beams, communication systems and any other on-board apparatus.
• Computer: Proficiency with computers and computerized devices. It includes programming, hacking, IVs and other programs managing and configuration, networks and databases usage, adopting the correct connection protocols, remotely operating connected devices such as drones, surveillance cameras, automatic doors, security systems and so on.
• Cybernetics: It concerns the set of knowledge and techniques aimed at integrating technology with living biological organisms. It includes bionics, biomechanics, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and so on.
• Explosives: Proficiency with explosives and related gear. It concerns activities such as handling unstable substances, identifying and using explosives, defusing bombs, choosing the right explosive for any kind of job, preparing timers and detonators, establishing how to place a series of charges to maximize their effects, and so on.
• Mechatronics: Technical and technological expertise. It includes mechanics, civil, environmental, industrial and space engineering, electronics, robotics, automation, materials science, applied science in general, and so on.
• Mystification: Competence in creating disguises, counterfeits, fakes and other manufactured tricks and deceptions. This skill allows you to create various types of disguises on yourself or others, to falsify both physical and electronic documents and also includes knowing how to encrypt and decrypt codes and information, both in written and electronic form.
• Tampering: Competence in activities such as burgling, disarming traps and alarms, tampering with or sabotaging safety devices and systems.

Optional rules for skills

Below are some optional rules that the GM can use to better tailor the skills to his campaign or to the style of play of his group.
Skills with different abilities: Normally, a skill applies only to checks of a specific ability. Athletics, for example, applies to Strength checks. However, in some situations a skill might rightly apply to other ability checks as well. In these cases, the GM may ask you to make a check using an unusual combination of ability and skill, or you may be asking the GM if you can apply a skill to a different ability check.
For example, when a character displays his brute strength to intimidate an enemy, the GM might ask for a STR (Intimidation) check, although Intimidation is normally associated to Will. Certainly some combinations make more sense than others, but nothing prevents the GM from asking for unusual combinations, if he deems it appropriate.

Synergy between skills: The GM may decide to give advantage to a check involving a skill if he believes that other skills of the character can positively influence it.
For example, if a character attempts to sabotage a robot using Tampering, possessing Mechatronics could facilitate it, granting advantage on the check.

Inventing new skills: The skills presented in this section should be sufficient to cover any field of action in a modern or science fiction scenario. However, the GM may replace some or add new ones, perhaps more specific to the theme of his campaign.

Hiding

The GM decides whether the environment and circumstances allow for hiding or not. When you hide, you make a DEX (Stealth) check. As long as you remain hidden, creatures actively attempting to find you must make PER (Alertness or Inspection) checks. If the result of any of these checks exceeds that of your DEX (Stealth) check, you will be discovered and you will no longer be hidden (at least from the creature that managed to spot you). Also, if you make noise, attack someone, or take some other action that makes your presence obvious, you will reveal your location.
You cannot hide from a creature that can see you. An invisible creature cannot be seen, so it can always try to hide, although it can still be heard and signs of its passage might still be noticed.

Passive detection: When you hide, there is a chance that someone will notice you even without actively searching. To determine whether such a creature notices you, the GM compares your DEX (Stealth) check to the creature’s passive PER (Alertness) value (see “Passive checks” above for more details).

Perception checks

Sometimes the GM will ask you for a Perception check, other times you might want to make it when you want your character to try to notice something nearby. The GM could also make the check for you in secret so that you do not know the outcome. In any case, if there is nothing to notice, the check will reveal nothing, even with a success. A sleeping creature cannot make sight-based Perception checks but can passively use its other senses with disadvantage.

Contests: When you try to notice a stealthy creature, a disguise, a pickpocket or something similar, your Perception check is opposed to the appropriate check made by the opponent.

Finding Hidden Objects: When you are looking for something hidden or hard to spot, such as a trap, the GM asks you to make a PER (Inspection) check to determine if you notice details or clues that you would otherwise miss. In most cases, you need to describe where you are looking in order for the GM to determine your chances of success. For example, if a key is hidden inside a drawer, you won’t have much of a chance of finding it unless you tell the GM that you want to search inside the drawer.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_color=”#000000″ css=”.vc_custom_1600458171143{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]

EXPLORATION

Travel and exploration play a central role in adventures and are influenced by factors such as travel pace, the type of terrain and the characteristics of the crossed environment.

Time

When it matters, the GM might keep track of the time spent in the game, using a different time scale depending on the context of the situation or the actions of the characters.
When exploring limited areas (such as a building), time is measured in minutes. For larger trips, whether in the city or in the wilderness, a scale of hours is more appropriate, while a scale of days works best for longer journeys. In combat and other fast-paced situations, the game relies on rounds (see “Combat”).

Movement

Each creature has a speed, which is the distance in meters it can walk in one round. The following rules instead determine how much creatures can move in longer periods of time, such as a minute, an hour or a day.

Travel pace

It is assumed that the pace of a group of characters moving on foot is independent of each member’s individual speed, since during a journey travelers tend to adopt a common step.
While traveling, a group of characters can move at a normal, fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table. The table indicates the distances covered by the group in a minute, an hour and a day, based on the pace maintained, as well as the effects that such pace entails. A fast pace makes characters less alert to possible dangers, while a slow pace makes it possible to move stealthily (for more information see “Activities during exploration”, below).

Table: Travel Pace

	Distance traveled per…
Pace	Minute	Hour	8 hours	Effect
Fast	120 m	6,5 km	53 km	Disadvantage on PER (Alertness)
Normal	90 m	5 km	40 km	–
Slow	60 m	3,5 km	27 km	Able to use DES (Stealth)

Forced march: Characters can travel for approximately 8 hours a day without problems. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion. At the end of each additional hour of walking beyond 8 hours, each character must make a STR (Fortitude) saving throw. The DC is 14 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion (see “Conditions”).

Special Travel Paces: If the characters travel on vehicles or on animals used as mounts, the travel speeds depend on the speed of the latter. In such cases, you can transform speeds into travel paces using the following rules:

• In 1 minute, you move ten times the speed in meters.
• In 1 hour, you move a number of kilometers equal to half the speed (rounded down).
• For the daily distance, multiply the distance per hour by the number of hours traveled (typically 8).
• For fast paces, increase distances by a third.
• For slow paces, reduce distances by one third.

Animals pulling wagons or the like can maintain a fast pace for only an hour or two, after which they must maintain a normal pace for an equivalent time.
Characters on vehicles are bound only by the speed of the latter and are not affected by either fast or slow pace. Depending on autonomy and crew, many vehicles can travel up to 24 hours a day.

Difficult terrain

The travel paces just described assume that you travel on fairly easy terrain, but adventurers often find themselves moving on difficult terrain, such as intricate vegetation, marshes, rubble, slopes or deep snow.
On difficult terrain, moving 1 meter costs 2 meters of speed – so you can only cover half the normal distance per minute, hour or day.

Special types of movement

A creature’s speed expresses how quickly it moves on foot. But walking is not the only way to move. Climbing, swimming, jumping, crawling or even flying are all possible types of movement during exploration.

Climbing, Swimming and Crawling: While climbing, crawling or swimming, each meter of movement costs twice as much (or three times as much in difficult terrain), unless you have a climbing or swimming speed. At the GM’s option, in difficult conditions these activities may require Strength Checks associated with the appropriate skill.

Jumping: Your Strength score determines how far you can jump. When you make a jump, if you move at least 3 meters on foot immediately before the jump, you cover a number of meters up to 3 + STR with a long jump, or a height up to 25 cm plus another 25 cm for each point of your STR score if you make a high jump. If you make a standing jump, you can leap only half those distances. Each meter you clear on a jump costs one meter of movement.
The GM may ask you for a STR (Athletics) check when you attempt to jump a longer distance than normal, either high or long, or when there are obstacles in the middle of the jump. If after a jump you land on difficult terrain, you must succeed a DC 14 DEX (Acrobatics) check to land on your feet. Otherwise you land prone.

Flying: Some creatures possess a flight speed. Thanks to special equipment or psionic powers, even characters could gain the ability to fly.

Activities during exploration

As they explore, in addition to staying on guard, characters might perform various types of tasks and activities.

Marching order: When the GM considers it appropriate, adventurers should establish a marching order, deciding who is leading the group, who is in the center and who is in the back. This makes it easier to determine which characters fall victim to a trap, which ones can spot hidden threats and which ones are closest to enemies at the start of a fight.

Stealth: While traveling at a slow pace, characters can move stealthily in order not to be detected by the creatures they encounter. It is up to the GM to decide whether the environment and circumstances allow the characters to remain stealthy (see also the “Hiding” box in the “Ability checks” section). NPCs and creatures can also use stealth to avoid being noticed by characters or even to ambush them.

Noticing threats: If characters are aware that they may encounter threats and are alert, they can make PER (Alertness) checks to determine whether or not they can notice them, otherwise the GM uses their passive PER (Alertness) values. If no one moves stealthily (see above), creatures automatically notice each other as soon as they enter their respective sight or hearing range.
Sometimes, the GM may decide that certain threats are only detectable by characters in a certain position in the marching order. For example, while the characters are exploring the corridors of a haunted spaceship, the GM may assume that only the characters in the rear will notice a creature stealthily following them, while the other characters do not have the chance.
When characters encounter hostile creatures, it is up to the GM to determine whether they or their enemies can be surprised at the start of a fight. For more information see “Combat”, further on.

Other activities while exploring: During exploration, characters who are not focused on watching for dangers can engage in other activities. Here are some examples.
A character can make PER (Survival) checks to orient himself and avoid getting lost, to try to avoid natural hazards, to follow the tracks left by other creatures, or to find sources of food and water for himself and his allies. A character can also draw a map that follows the group’s progress in exploration.

The environment

By its nature, adventuring involves delving into places that are dark, dangerous, and full of mysteries to be explored. The rules in this section cover some of the most common ways in which adventurers interact with the environment in such places.

Collisions

High-speed collisions can be very dangerous. The size of an object determines the damage it causes and the DC of the DEX (Reflex) saving throw needed to halve it, as indicated in the Collisions table (the GM can modify the indicated DCs if they see fit).
In the case of falling objects, if a creature fails its saving throw and the object’s size is at least two size categories larger, it gets stuck under the object and is restrained. The creature can break free by succeeding a STR (Might) check against the same DC.

Table: Collisions

Object size	Object examples	Damage	DC
Tiny	Frying pan, large stone	1d6	7
Small	Chair, stool, suitcase	2d6	10
Medium	Barrel, table, chest	4d6	13
Large	Boulder, dumpster	6d6	16
Huge	Car, big boulder	9d6	20
Gargantuan	Railway wagon, container	12d6	24

In the case of collisions with objects so large as to be inevitable, the rules described for falling can instead be used, but the GM will establish the damage based on the relative speed at which the collision occurs rather than the height of the fall.

Falling

Falling from great heights is one of the most common environmental hazards. At the end of a fall, a creature that impacts the ground takes 1d6 kinetic damage for every 3 meters from which it fell, up to a maximum of 20d6.
The creature lands prone unless it can somehow avoid the damage. If you land on soft surfaces (such as mud, fresh snow or water that are deep enough) the fall is considered to be 3 meters shorter. Succeeding a DEX (Acrobatics) check with DC 13 +1 for every 3 meters of fall also allows you to consider the fall 3 meters shorter.

Food and water

Characters who don’t eat or drink suffer the effects of exhaustion. Exhaustion caused by lack of food or water can’t be removed until the character eats and drinks normally the full required amount for at least one day.
Creatures require different amounts of food and water per day based on their size, as summarized in the Food and Water for Creatures table.

Table: Food and Water for Creatures

Creature size	Food per day	Water per day
Tiny	0,1 kg	1 liter
Small	0,5 kg	4 liters
Medium	0,5 kg	4 liters
Large	3 kg	15 liters
Huge	20 kg	70 liters
Gargantuan	100 kg	300 liters

Food: A creature can go without food for a number of days equal to its STR score. At the end of each day beyond that limit, a creature automatically suffers one level of exhaustion.
A creature can survive by eating half its normal daily requirement, but if so, each day is counted as half a day without food. A normal day of eating resets the count of days without food to zero.

Water: A creature that drinks only half its daily water requirement must succeed on a DC 16 STR (Stamina) saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. A creature with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. In hot or arid climates, the water needs of creatures double.

Gravity

Four gravity conditions are considered in the game: normal, low, high and zero gravity. The effects of each of them are described below.

Normal Gravity (0.7–1.3 g): Normal gravity environments do not involve any changes to the basic rules, being the “standard” condition in which characters usually live and act.

High Gravity (1.3–2.0+ g): High gravity environments have the following effects.

• A creature is sickened and hindered. At the end of each day, the creature must make a STR (Stamina) saving throw with a DC equal to ten times the gravity (for example, 14 for 1.4g). After 5 successful saving throws, the creature acclimates to the new gravity and will only be sickened as long as it remains there.
• Damage caused by falls and collisions with falling objects are doubled.
• At gravities greater than 2 g (and up to 4 g) a creature is sickened and restrained, unless it succeeds on a DC 22 STR (Might) saving throw at the start of its turn, in which case it will be sickened and hindered until the start of his next turn. It’s not possible to acclimate to such high gravities.

Low Gravity (0.1–0.7 g): Low gravity environments have the following effects.

• A creature has advantage on all STR and DEX based ability checks, its speed increases by 3 meters and it can jump twice the normal distance. However, within 2d6 + 10 days, the creature acclimates to the lesser gravity and the advantage on checks disappears.
• Damage caused by falls and collisions with falling objects is halved.

Zero Gravity (less than 0.1 g): Zero gravity (or microgravity) environments have the following effects.

• Unless it’s a purely mental activity, when a creature makes an ability check while in zero-gravity, it must posses the Zero-G skill in order to apply any other skill to the check.
• Without a propulsion method suitable for zero-gravity, a creature can only move by giving itself a push using a stable surface or an object at least two sizes larger as a support. Doing so requires a minor action and allows the creature to obtain a speed equal to double its STR (Might) score or lower if it prefers. Once that speed is gained, the creature has no way to stop or change direction unless it can reach another surface stable enough to allow it to stop or push itself in another direction (in both cases using a minor action).
• The damage caused by impacts and collisions depends only on the relative speed of the bodies and it is up to the GM to determine it.

Additional rules for Gravity
If the GM wants to add more detail and realism to the effects of gravity in the game, he can use the following additional rules.

Native Creatures: Creatures native to non-normal gravity environments treat such environments as if they were normal gravity, and their concept of high or low gravity changes accordingly. For example, creatures native to low gravity environments will also consider normal gravity environments to be high gravity, while those same environments are considered low gravity by creatures native to high gravity environments.

Weight and inertia: For gravities other than 1 g, the weight of any object (or creature) will be equal to its standard weight multiplied by the current gravity value. For example, with a gravity of 1.3 g, the actual weight of an object will be 1.3 times its standard weight. These variations can interfere with the carrying capacities of characters (see Overload in “Conditions”).
In zero gravity, an object loses its weight but not its mass and inertia. Therefore, although it is possible to move (albeit slowly) a 10-ton object, making it stop would be much more difficult. For simplicity, at zero gravity, STR checks made to move objects has advantage, but attempts to stop objects already in motion do not.

Space sickness: Exposure to zero gravity conditions can be an unpleasant experience for those who are not used to it.
A creature that remains in zero gravity for 4 hours or more must make a DC 18 STR (Stamina) saving throw or be sickened for 24 hours. The creature can repeat the save after every 4 hours, ending the effect if it succeed. A successful DC 16 INT (Medicine) check on a space-sick creature can grant it advantage on its next saving throw to end the space sickness.
Creatures native to zero-gravity environments or possessing the G-Zero skill are immune to the effects of space sickness.

Long stay: Living for a long time in conditions of low or zero gravity causes deterioration of bones and muscles. If a creature returns to normal gravity after acclimating to low gravity or spending more than 10 days in zero gravity, it will suffer the same effects as a high gravity environment until it acclimates again (see “High Gravity”).

Interacting with objects

A character’s interaction with objects within an environment is often simple to solve in the game: the player tells the GM what his or her character wants to do and the GM describes what happens. For example, a character might decide to pull an opening lever on a cargo door. However, if the lever is stuck, the GM might call for a STR (Might) check to see whether or not the character can wrench it. The GM sets the DC for any such check based on the difficulty of the task.
Characters can also attack objects for the purpose of breaking or destroying them. The only rule, simple and fast, is this: if they have enough time and suitable tools, the characters will be able to destroy any destructible object, within the limits of common sense.

Radiation

Ionizing radiation is one of the most dire environmental dangers. When a creature is exposed to a radiation source it accumulates a certain number of rads, as indicated in the Radiation Exposure table. A creature can’t know how many rads it has accumulated unless it has a device that can measure them.
Radiation effects: Radiation effects are described in the Radiation Effects table and occur immediately after the rads accumulated by a creature exceed the indicated amounts. These effects stack with each other and cannot be removed in any way until the rad contamination is cured. There are also long-term effects (such as tumors, infertility, etc.) but it is up to the GM to decide whether or not to consider their occurrence in the game.
Radiation healing: A creature naturally eliminates 1 rad every 8 hours. Once the level of rad contamination decreases, its effects subside. There are drugs that can accelerate decontamination, eliminating a large amount of rads in a few hours.
Radiation resistance: Some creatures possess an innate resistance to radiation. Artificial protections can also guarantee such a resistance. Resistance to radiation lowers the level of exposure. For example, resistance 1 to radiation lowers the exposure level by 1.

Table: Radiation Exposure

Exposure level	Rad contamination
1. Background radiation	1 rad per 24 hours
2. Low	1 rad per 8 hours
3. Medium	1 rad per hour
4. High	1 rad per minute
5. Extreme	1 rad per round (10 rad per minute)

Table: Radiation Effects

Rads	Effects
5	Abnormal weakness
10	+1 level of exhaustion, skin irritation such as sunburns
20	+1 level of exhaustion, migraine, extensive dermatitis
40	+1 level of exhaustion, skin sores, cataracts (dazzled),mild hair loss
60	+1 level of exhaustion, vomiting and diarrhea, complete hair loss, no recovery of vitality points with rest
80	+1 degree of exhaustion, hemorrhages (bleeding)
100	Death

Suffocating

A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 + it’s STR score. After that, if it’s still unable to breathe, it can still hold out for a number of rounds equal to 1 + STR, after which at the start of its text turn the creature drops to 0 vitality and is dying.
For example, a creature with Strength 2 can hold its breath for 3 minutes. If it starts suffocating, he has 3 rounds to reach air before dropping to 0 vp. A creature that is suffocating cannot regain vitality points or be stabilized until it can breathe again.

Vision and Light

The most fundamental tasks of adventuring – noticing dangers, finding hidden objects, hitting an enemy in combat, just to name a few – rely heavily on a character’s ability to see. Darkness and other effects that blur vision can prove a significant hindrance.

Visibility: In the game, an area can be bleared or obscured.

• In a bleared area (such as dim light, fog, moderate foliage or rainfall) creatures have a disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.
• An obscured area (such as darkness, dense fog, or dense foliage) completely blocks vision and prevents you from seeing what is inside. Trying to see (or hit) something inside a darkened area is equivalent to suffer the blinded condition (see “Conditions”, below).

See “Combat” for more information on the effects of visibility during combat.

Illumination: Under normal conditions, a minimal amount of light is required to be able to see, unless the characters posses some ability that allows them to see in total darkness (see “Types of vision and special senses”).
The presence or absence of light in an environment creates three categories of illumination: bright light, dim light, and darkness.

• Bright light lets most creatures see normally. Even gloomy days provide bright light, as do torches, lanterns, fires, and other sources of illumination within a specific radius (see below).
• Dim light creates a bleared area. An area of dim light is usually a boundary between a source of bright light, such as a torch, and surrounding darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also counts as dim light, as is the light of a particularly bright full moon.
• Darkness creates an obscured area. Characters face darkness outdoors at night, within the confines of an unlit dungeon or other closed places.

Light sources: Characters can use light sources such as torches and lanterns. They project light within a certain radius and with a certain intensity, as indicated in the relative description.

Types of vision and special senses: Some characters, as well as many creatures, may have different or superior visual or sensory abilities compared to normal human sight (innate or perhaps guaranteed by some technological device). Here are the most common.

• Infravision: A creature with infravision (ie infrared vision) can see in the dark as if it were dim light and in dim light as if it were bright light. So areas of darkness are only bleared as far as that creature is concerned. However, the creature can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Thermovision: Thermovision works like infravision but, by capturing thermal infrared radiation, it highlights the bodies that give off more heat, making them visible even through not too thick barriers (such as pipes or electrical cables inside walls, a hidden creature behind a door or a thin wall, etc.).
• Blindsight: A creature with blindsight can perceive its surroundings without relying on sight but using other senses, up to a specific radius.
• Ultravision: A creature with ultravision can see in complete darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed on saving throws and other checks against them. The creature also perceives the original form of a shapechanger or a psionically transformed creature.
• Tremorsense: A creature with tremorsense can locate the origins of vibrations within a specific radius, as long as the creature and the source of the vibration are in contact with the same ground or substance. Unless otherwise indicated, the tremorsense cannot be used to detect flying or incorporeal creatures. Many burrowing creatures possess this special sense.

Other perils

During their adventures, characters may face a variety of dangers that are not mentioned in this section, such as diseases, poisons, traps, and so on. These kinds of hazards are covered in more detail in the Game Master section.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_color=”#000000″ css=”.vc_custom_1600438629220{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]

SOCIAL INTERACTION

Exploration and combat are essential parts of any adventure, but no less important are the social interactions that the characters have with other inhabitants of the in-game worlds. The interaction takes various forms, from convincing a criminal to confess a crime to begging a ruler to spare your life. The GM takes on the role of all involved characters who don’t belong to the players, called non-player characters (NPCs).
Social interactions have two primary aspects: roleplaying and ability checks.

Roleplaying

Roleplaying is, literally, the act of playing out a role, in this case, the role of you character, determining how he or she thinks, acts and talks. Roleplaying is part of every aspect of the game, but becomes predominant during social interactions, where the character’s attitude and personality make the difference.

Approaches to roleplaying

There are two styles you can use when roleplaying your character: the descriptive approach and the active approach. Many players use a combination of the two. Use whichever mix of the two works best for you.
Using the descriptive approach, you describe your character’s words and actions to the GM and the other players, telling to everyone what he or she does and how.
For example, John plays Ktar the kergan. Ktar has a short temper and blames terrans for his misfortunes. At a tavern, a terran sits at Ktar’s table and tries to make conversation with him. John says, “Ktar spits on the floor, insults the terran and goes to sit at the bar counter, glaring at him”. In doing so, John provided the GM with a clear idea of the kergan’s mood, attitude and actions.
When using descriptive roleplaying, focus on your character’s intentions and how others may perceive them, then try to describe your character’s emotions and attitude as best as you can, providing all the details you want.
Otherwise, when you use an active approach, you not only describe what your character thinks and does, but you show it, speaking with your character’s voice and maybe even mimicking his or her movements and body language, just like an actor taking on a role. This approach is more engaging than the previous one, but you steel need to describe things you can’t act out.
Going back to the example of John playing Ktar, here’s how the scene might play out using active roleplaying: speaking as Ktar, John says in a deep, hoarse voice, “Stay away from me human. If I wanted to hear your voice, I’d tear off your arm and enjoy your screams”. Returning to his normal voice, John adds, “I get up, stare at the human and head towards the bar counter”.

Results of roleplaying

The GM uses the actions and behavior of the characters to determine how the NPCs react.
In general terms, an NPC’s attitude towards characters is described as friendly, indifferent or hostile. Friendly NPCs are likely to help you, hostile NPCs are likely to get in your way.
When interacting with NPCs, pay close attention to the GM’s portrayal of them. You may be able to understand their personality traits (such as ideals, bonds, and flaws), and then use them to influence their behavior.
Interactions in the game are very similar to interactions in real life. If you can offer NPCs something they want, threaten them with something they fear, or play on their likes or goals, you can use words to get almost anything you want. On the other hand, if for example you insult a proud fighter or speak ill of his allies, your efforts to persuade or deceive him could fail miserably.

Ability checks

In addition to roleplaying efforts that can affect an NPC’s attitude, ability checks are key in determining the outcome of an interaction.
The GM may call for ability checks at any time during an interaction to determine what effect the characters’ words and actions have on NPCs. The abilities that come into play most easily during interactions are Perception, Intelligence and Will.
Pay attention to your skills when thinking about how you want to interact with an NPC, and set the situation in your favor based on your best bonuses and qualities. For example, if the group need to trick a guard into letting them into the palace, the character expert in Cunning is the best bet to lead the interaction. When attempting to extract information by force then the character with Intimidation should do most of the work. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_color=”#000000″ css=”.vc_custom_1600978508976{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]

COMBAT

The flash of a blaster rifle that fires. The hiss of bullets whizzing through the air. The roar of an exploding grenade. The acrid smell of blood. Roars of fury, yells of triumph, screams of pain. In this game, combat can be chaotic, deadly and exciting.
This section covers the rules for handling combat in detail. In combat, the GM controls all creatures and NPCs involved, while each other player controls their character.

The order of combat

A typical combat encounter is a clash between two sides: a frenetic flurry of weapon swings, gunshots, feints, dodges and tactical maneuvers occurring almost simultaneously. However, in order to make it manageable, the game organizes the chaos of combat into a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents just a few moments in the game world (approximately 6 seconds). During a round, each participant in the battle takes a turn. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of a combat encounter, when everyone rolls initiative (see below). Once everyone has taken a turn, the fight continues to the next round if neither side has defeated the other.
A combat follows the steps described below:

1. Determine surprise: The GM determines whether anyone involved in the combat encounter is surprised (see “Surprise”).
2. Establish positions: The GM decides where all the characters and creatures involved in the combat are located on the battlefield.
3. Roll initiative: Everyone involved in the combat encounter rolls initiative, determining the order of combatants’ turns.
4. Take turns during a round: Each participant in the battle takes a turn in initiative order (see “Taking a turn”). When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends and the next one begins.
5. Ending the combat: Step 4 repeats until all combatants of a faction surrender, flee, are defeated or otherwise unable to fight.

Surprise

When a group involved in a combat tries to ambush the enemy faction, it is possible that the members of the latter do not notice the danger. In these situations, the GM determines who might be surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the GM compares the DEX (Stealth) checks of anyone hiding with the PER (Alertness) check of each creature on the opposing side (even passive checks if the GM deems it appropriate). Those who fail to notice the threat are surprised at the start of the encounter.
If you’re surprised, you can’t move or take any action on your first turn of the combat, and you can’t take a reaction until that turn ends. A member of a group can be surprised even if the other members aren’t.

Initiative

Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every participant makes a Dexterity check as an initiative roll, to determine their place in the initiative order. Some game elements may grant bonuses or penalties to characters’ initiative rolls.
The GM makes initiative rolls for enemies and can make a single roll for an entire group of identical creatures, so that they all act at the same time. The GM ranks the combatants in order from the one with the highest initiative roll total to the one with the lowest. This is the order (called the initiative order) in which they act during each round.
If a tie occurs, the GM decides the order among tied GM-controlled creatures, and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The GM can decide the order if the tie is between an enemy and a player character. Optionally, the GM can have the tied characters and enemies each roll a d12 to determine the order, highest roll going first.
Usually, the initiative order remains the same from round to round.

Joining a battle: If a character enters battle after it has already begun, he rolls initiative at that moment and fits into the existing order.

Delay: When your turn comes, you can decide to delay, which means you voluntarily move your turn to the bottom of the initiative order. Your new initiative position will remain for the rest of the fight, unless the initiative order is subsequently changed again, for example if another fighter delays his turn in the same way.

Taking a turn

On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed, take one action and one minor action. You can do these things in any order you like, and you can also forgo moving, taking an action, or doing anything at all on your turn. The following paragraphs provide rules for movement and the most common actions you can perform during combat.
Your turn can also include a variety of simple gestures and flourishes that require neither your action nor your move. For example, you can communicate however you are able, through brief utterances and gestures. You can also interact with one object or feature of the environment for free, during either your move or your action, such as opening or closing a door, operating a lever, drawing a weapon or other object at hand, pick up something from the ground, pass an object to another character, put food in your mouth, put on a helmet, kick a stone and so on. If you want to interact with a second object, you need to use your action. Some special objects always require an action to use, as stated in their descriptions.
The GM might require you to use an action for any of these activities when it needs special care or when it presents unusual obstacles. For instance, the GM could reasonably expect you to use an action to open a stuck door.

Reactions

A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else’s. The opportunity attack, described below, is a typical example of a reaction.
When you take a reaction, you can’t take another one until the start of your next turn. If the reaction interrupts another creature’s turn, that creature can continue its turn right after the reaction.

Movement

On your turn, you can move a distance up to your speed. You can use as much or as little of your speed as you like on your turn, following the rules described below.

Breaking up your move

You can break up your movement on your turn, using some of your speed before and after your action. For example, if you have a speed of 10 meters, you can move 4 meters, take your action, and then move 6 meters. You can also break the movement between an action and a minor action.

Moving between attacks: If you take an action that includes more than one attack, you can break up your movement even further by moving between those attacks. For example, a character who can make two attacks with the Extra Attack feature and who has a speed of 10 meters could move 5 meters, make an attack, move another 5 meters, and then attack again.

Using different types of movement: In addition to walking, your movement can also include jumping, climbing, and swimming. However you’re moving, you deduct the distance of each part of your move from your speed until it is used up or until you are done moving.
If you have more than one speed, such as a swimming or flying peed in addition to your base walking speed, you can switch back and forth between your speeds during your move. Whenever you switch, subtract the distance you’ve already moved from the new speed. The result determines how much farther you can move. If the result is 0 or less, you can’t use the new speed during the current move. For example, if you have a base speed of 10 meters and a flying speed of 20 meters, you could fly 6 meters, then walk 4 meters, and then leap into the air to fly 10 meters more.

Difficult terrain

When the terrain on which the characters move does not involve any difficulty, it is called clear terrain. Instead, when the terrain hinders movement or presents obstacles, it is considered difficult terrain. Every meter of movement in difficult terrain costs 1 extra meter. This rule is true even if multiple things in a space count as difficult terrain.
Some circumstances (such as while squeezing into smaller places, swimming, climbing or crawling) cost extra movement similarly to difficult terrain. If such circumstances occur while the character is actually moving on difficult terrain, add another extra meter to the cost of movement, such as 1 meter of movement will cost 2 extra meter (rather than only one).
Rubble, debris, passable obstacles, steep stairs or slopes, undergrowth, snow, ice and marshes are examples of difficult terrain. The space of another creature, whether hostile or not, also counts as difficult terrain.

Dropping prone and standing up

Fighters often find themselves lying on the ground, either by their own choice or because they are knocked down. In the game, they are prone (a condition described in the “Conditions”, further on).
You can drop prone without using any of your speed. Standing up takes more effort and consumes 3 meters of your speed. You can’t stand up if you don’t have enough movement left or if your speed is 0. If you stand up while you’re within reach of a hostile creature, you provoke an opportunity attack, but you can avoid it by succeeding a DC 16 DES (Acrobatics) check as part of the move.
To move while prone, you must crawl. Every meter of movement while crawling costs 1 extra movement. Crawling 1 meter in difficult terrain, therefore, costs 3 meters of movement.

Stealth in combat

If a creature wants to move stealthily during combat, its speed is halved. If it tries to move faster it suffers disadvantage on his DES (Stealth) checks.

Flying movement

Flying creatures enjoy many benefits of mobility, but they must also deal with the danger of falling. If a flying creature is knocked prone, has its speed reduced to 0, or is otherwise deprived of the ability to move, the creature falls, unless it has the ability to hover or it is being held aloft by other effects such as psionic powers.

Creatures size and space

A creature’s size expresses how much space it “occupies” and affects various aspects of the game. There are six size categories. Objects sometimes use the same size categories.

Table: Size categories

Size	Space	Typical reach
Tiny	0,7 x 0,7 m	0,5 m
Small	1 x 1 m	1 m
Medium	1,5 x 1,5 m	1 m
Large	3 x 3 m	2 m
Huge	5 x 5 m	3 m
Gargantuan	7 x 7 m o more	4 m

Space: A creature’s space is the area in meters that it effectively controls, the space it needs to move and fight effectively, not a direct expression of its physical dimensions. A typical Medium creature isn’t 1,5 meter wide, for example, but it does control a space that wide.
A creature’s space also imposes a limit to the number of creatures that can surround another creature in combat. For example, a creature can be surrounded by up to 8 creatures of the same size as it. If the creatures are of different sizes, this number may increase or decrease, depending on the space they occupy.

Squeezing into a smaller space: A creature can also squeeze through a space that is large enough for a creature one size smaller than it. Thus, a Large creature can squeeze through a passage that’s only 1,5 meters wide. While squeezing, a creature must spend 1 extra meter for every meter it moves, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws, and attack rolls against the creature have advantage.

Reach: A creature’s reach is the maximum distance the creature can reach with a melee attack. A creature “threaten” the space within its reach. A creature’s reach is shown in its stats. Creatures with a reach of 0 must enter other creatures’ space in order to attack them.

Moving through other creature’s space: You can always move through a non-hostile creature’s space. In contrast, you can move through a hostile creature’s space only if the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you, or by taking the Overstep minor action (see “Action in combat”). Remember that another creature’s space is always considered difficult terrain for you. Whether a creature is a friend or an enemy, you can’t willingly end your move in its space.
If you leave a hostile creature’s reach during your move, you provoke an opportunity attack (see “Action in combat”).

Actions in combat

The most common actions, minor actions and reaction that can be performed in combat are described below.
In addition to those presented here, characters often have other action options gained from objects or special features (such as feats and psionic powers). In those cases, the description of such object or feature specifies whether it is an action, minor action or reaction. If a creature has specific action options, those actions are described in its stat block.
Furthermore, there is nothing to prevent players from proposing to the GM actions not described in the rules. The only limits in this regard are the imagination of the players and the ability scores of their characters. Obviously, in these cases, the GM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.

Actions

ATTACK
The most common action to take in combat is the Attack action. With this action, you make one melee or ranged attack. See the “Making an Attack” section for the rules that govern attacks. As part of the attack action, you can also draw a single weapon that you have at hand. Certain features, such as Extra Attack, allow you to make more than one attack with this action.

DASH
When you take the Dash action, you gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers. With a speed of 10 meters, for example, you can move up to 20 meters on your turn if you dash. Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your speed of 10 meters is reduced to 6 meters, for instance, you can move up to 12 feet this turn if you dash.

DEFEND
When you take the Defend action, you focus entirely on avoiding attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against you has disadvantage if you can see the attacker, and you make DEX saving throws with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated (see “Conditions”) or if your speed drops to 0.

DISENGAGE
If you take the Disengage action, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn.

HELP
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature that is adjacent to you. You distract the target or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.

HIDE
When you take the Hide action, you make a DEX (Stealth) check in an attempt to hide, following the rules for hiding. If you succeed, you gain certain benefits, as described in the “Unseen Attackers and Targets” section.

READY
Sometimes, you want to anticipate a foe move or wait for a specific circumstance before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn.
First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include “If the raider goes on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it” or “If the creature steps next to me, I move away”. When the trigger occurs, you can either carry out the prepared action using your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger. Remember that you can take only one reaction per round.

SEARCH
When you take the Search action, you devote your attention to finding something in your surroundings. The GM might have you make a PER (Inspection) check.

Minor actions

AIM
When you aim, you focus your attention on a target you can see in order to attack it more accurately. If you attack that target with your next action, you gain a +1 bonus on your first attack roll against it.

FEINT
You feint to mislead a melee opponent. You make a WIL (Cunning) check against the opponent’s PER (Insight) check. If you win, you have advantage on your first melee attack you make against that opponent before the end of your next turn.

OVERRUN
You try to move through a hostile creature’s space. You make a DEX (Acrobatics) or STR (Might) check against the creature’s STR (Might) check. If you use STR, you have advantage if you are larger than the hostile creature or disadvantage if you are smaller. Vice versa if you use DEX. If you are successful, you can move through the creature’s space once during your current turn. If you fail, you cannot move through the creature’s space and it can use its reaction to make an opportunity attack against you.

Reactions

DODGE
As a reaction, you can attempt to actively dodge a melee attack aimed at you and that you are aware of. If you do, you impose disadvantage on the attack roll of that specific attack.

OPPORTUNITY ATTACK
During combat, everyone is constantly watching for a chance to strike an enemy who is fleeing or passing by. Such a strike is called an opportunity attack.
You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack occurs right before the creature leaves your reach.
You can avoid provoking an opportunity attack by taking the Disengage action. You also don’t provoke an opportunity attack when you teleport or when someone or something moves you without using your movement, action, or reaction (for example, if an explosion hurls you out of a foe’s reach or if gravity causes you to fall past an enemy).
Sometimes, other actions performed by a creature within reach of an enemy could also provoke an opportunity attack, such as getting up from prone.

Making an attack

Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a special feature (such as a talent or psionic power) an attack has a simple structure.

1. Choose a target: Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.
2. Determine modifiers: Define the ability, skill and other modifiers applicable to the attack roll, based on the type of attack and the circumstances.
3. Determine difficulty: The GM determines the DC of the attack roll, taking into account factors such as distance and cover, and decides if you have advantage or disadvantage against the target, depending on the situation.
4. Resolve the attack: You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks produce special effects in addition to or instead of damage.

Attack rolls

An attack roll is an ability check you make when you try to hit a foe or an object. If the result equals or exceeds the DC established by the GM (see below), the attack hits. Otherwise you miss.

Modifiers to the roll: When making an attack roll, you apply the ability and skill appropriate to the weapon or effect you are using. If you attack with weapons you use Combativity and apply the skill associated with the type of weapon used. For example, a character using an assault rifle makes attack rolls with CMB (Kinetic Weapons); if you instead make an attack as part of a special feature, the ability and skill used are indicated in its description. For psionic powers, the attack roll is always INT (Psionics).
In addition, powers, special abilities, talents, equipment and other game elements may apply bonuses or penalties to attack rolls.

Difficulty of the attack

As a general rule, the base DC of an attack roll is equal to the Defense value of the target. If you target an empty space or immobile object, the DC is 9. However, factors such as distance, cover, visibility and position can affect the actual DC of an attack, as explained in the following paragraphs.

Distance: Melee attacks are made against adjacent targets (within the reach of the attack). In these cases the distance are irrelevant and does not affect the difficulty of the attack.
On the contrary, when you make ranged attacks distance becomes a very important factor. This game divides distance into six categories, shown in the Distance table. If the target of a ranged attack is beyond the Close distance (10 meters), hitting becomes more difficult and the target receives a bonus to its Defense against that attack, as indicated in the Defense Bonus column of the Distance table.
In some situations, such as in spaceship combat, different scales are used for the distance categories.

Table: Distance

Distance category	Description	Defense Bonus
Adjacent	Within melee reach	–
Close	Up to 10 meters	–
Short	Over 10 and up to 30 meters	+2
Medium	Over 30 and up to 50 meters	+4
Long	Over 50 and up to 100 meters	+6
Extreme	Over 100 meters	+10 or more

Cover: Walls, trees, walls, creatures, large objects, and other obstacles can provide cover during combat, making a target more difficult to hit.
A target can benefit from cover only when an attack or other effect originates on the opposite side of the cover itself.
There are four degrees of cover. A creature that benefits from a certain degree of cover gets a bonus to its Defense against attacks originating on the opposite side of the cover, as indicated in the Cover table. In addition, the creature has advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that originate on the opposite side of the cover.
A target with total cover (completely hidden behind an obstacle) cannot be hit by any attack originating on the opposite side of the cover, although some effects may still hit it by including it in their area of effect (for example, a grenade launched beyond the cover).
If a target is behind multiple sources of cover, only the most protective degree of cover applies; the degrees aren’t added together. For example, if a target is behind a creature that gives moderate cover and a tree trunk that gives high cover, the target has high cover.

Table: Cover

Cover degree	Description	Defense Bonus
Light	It covers at least one third of the body	+2
Moderate	It covers at least half of the body	+4
High	It covers at least three quarters of the body	+6
Total	It covers the entire body	Can’t be directly targeted

Visibility: If the target of an attack is in a bleared area, the attack roll has disadvantage. Instead, if the target is in an obscured area, it is considered invisible (see “Unseen attackers and targets”).

Position (optional)

Sometimes, the position relative to the enemy can make a difference.

Flanking: If two or more allies are engaged in melee with the same opponent and at least two of them attack from diametrically opposite positions, all allies gain a +2 bonus on their attack rolls against that target. It is not possible to flank an enemy if you cannot see it.

Elevated position: Attacking from an elevated position guarantees advantage to attack rolls against targets located below the attacker and usually ensures a clear trajectory towards them, unless there are obstacles higher than the targets themselves. For example, attacking on a mount places the rider in an elevated position in relation to all opponents smaller than the mount’s size.

Unseen attackers and targets

When you attack a target that you can’t see, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. This is true whether you’re guessing the target’s location or you’re targeting a creature you can spot using other senses but not see. If the target isn’t in the location you targeted, you automatically miss, but the GM typically just says that the attack missed, not whether you guessed the target’s location correctly.
When a creature can’t see you, you have advantage on attack rolls against it. If you are hidden – both unseen and unheard – when you make an attack, you reveals your location whether the attack hits or misses.

Ranged attacks

Ranged attacks are made to strike foes at a distance. Shooting a pistol, firing a bow or a crossbow, hurl a knife – all these are examples of ranged attacks. A creature might even shoot spines from its tail. Many psionic powers and other effects also involve making a ranged attack.
To be able to make a ranged attack you must have a clear path to the target, which therefore cannot be behind a total cover (see “Cover”).

Range: You can make ranged attacks against targets within a specified range, indicated in the description of the weapon or effect you use to make the attack. The range is expressed according to the distance categories mentioned above.
Unless otherwise specified, you can also attack targets within the distance category immediately above the indicated range, but with disadvantage on the attack roll. For example, if a weapon has Medium range, unless otherwise indicated, with it you can attack targets at Long range but suffering disadvantage on attack rolls.

Ranged attacks in close combat: Making a ranged attack is more difficult when a foe is next to you. When you make a ranged attack with a weapon, a power, or some other means, you have disadvantage on the attack roll if you are adjacent to at least one hostile creature who can see you and who isn’t incapacitated.

Target in melee combat with an ally: If you make a ranged attack targeting an enemy engaged in melee with an ally, you have disadvantage on the attack roll because you have to be careful not to hit your ally. This rule does not apply if the target is at least two size categories larger than the ally it is fighting with.

Throwing blasting weapons: When you throw a blasting weapon (such as an explosive grenade or that breaks on impact spreading its contents), the attack generates an area of effect (see below) and follows some special rules, described below.
As an action, you can throw a blasting weapons at a point of your choice within Close range by making a DC 15 CMB (Throwing) check, or within Short range but with disadvantage on the check. The targeted point does not necessarily have to be visible, but the thrown weapon must have a way to get there (for example behind a low wall, beyond an open door or around a corner).
If the check is successful, the weapon explodes exactly in the point of your choice. Otherwise, it explodes 1d3 meters away from the chosen point, in a direction randomly determined by the GM. In any case, all creatures within the area of effect generated by the weapon suffer its effects.
A character who possesses the Explosives skill adds the relative bonus to the DCs of saving throws against blasting weapons thrown or placed by him.

Melee attacks

Melee attacks are used in close combat, against targets within your reach, usually using hand-held weapons (swords, axes, etc.) or unarmed strikes (punches, kicks and the like). Many creatures make melee attacks using claws, hooves, horns, teeth, or some other body part that acts as “natural weapons”. Many psionic powers and other effects also involve making a melee attack.
The reach of a melee attack indicates the maximum distance at which it can strike a target. Most characters and creatures have a reach of 1 meter. Certain creatures (typically those larger than Medium) have melee attacks with greater reach, as noted in their description. Weapons with the Reach property increase your melee range by a certain amount, allowing you to strike farther.

Contests in melee combat: Instead of making a normal melee attack, you can perform one of the special moves described below, each of them requiring an opposed ability check between you and the target. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, performing one of these moves replace one of them.

• Grappling: When you want to grab a creature or wrestle with it, you can make a special melee attack, a grapple. The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach (the extra reach provided by a weapon does not apply). Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target by making a CMB (Wrestling) check contested by the target’s CMB (Wrestling) or DEX (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you succeed, you subject the target to the grappled condition (see “Conditions”). The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can release the target whenever you like (no action required).
  A grappled creature can use its action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a CMB (Wrestling) or DEX (Acrobatics) against the grappler’s CMB (Wrestling) check.
  While grappling, you can move dragging or carrying the grappled creature with you, but your speed is halved, unless the creature is two or more sizes smaller than you.
  While grabbing a creature, you can also use your action to try to immobilize it, making another opposed check as explained above. If you succeed, you place both you and the creature in the restrained condition (see “Conditions”) until the start of your next turn. While immobilizing an opponent you can (if you want) stop him from speaking.
• Disarming: You can make a special melee attack to knock a weapon or another object from a target’s grasp. To do so, you make a CMB check contested by the target’s CMB check. Both you and the target apply to the check the skill appropriate to the weapon you are using. If not holding weapons, you can apply the Wrestling skill. You have disadvantage on the check if the target is holding the weapon or object with two or more hands. If you win the contest, the attack cause no damage or other ill effect, but the target drops the item, letting it fall to the ground within his space.
• Shoving: You can make a special melee attack to shove a creature, either to knock it prone or push it away from you. The target must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Instead of making an attack roll, you make a CMB (Wrestling) check contested by the target’s CMB (Wrestling) or DEX (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses the ability to use). If you win the contest, you either knock the target prone or push it 2 meter away from you, either backwards or sideways (at your choice).
  Some weapons can be used to trip a target. In that case, you can apply the skill related to the weapon to the check instead of Wrestling, but only to knock the target prone.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you take the Attack action and attack with a light weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a minor action to attack with a different light weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. However, you don’t add your ability score to the damage of the bonus attack.
This rule applies for both melee and ranged attacks (such as throwing weapons like knives or other ranged weapons that require one hand, such as pistols).

Areas of effect

Some weapons (such as grenades) and various special abilities (such as many psionic powers) generate effects that cover an area, allowing them to affect multiple creatures at once. These attacks do not require an attack roll but force the targets in the affected area to make a saving throw, indicated in the description of the effect or weapon used, alongside the relative DC.
The description also reports the extent and type of the area of effect, which typically has one of five different shapes: cone, cube, cylinder, line or sphere. Every area of effect has a point of origin, a location from which the effect energy erupts, and the rules for each shape specify how to place it. Typically, a point of origin is a point in space, but some effects have an area that originates from a creature or object.
The effect expands in straight lines from its point of origin. If no unblocked straight line extends from the point of origin to a location within the area of effect (due to an obstruction), that location isn’t included in the area of effect. To block one of these imaginary lines, an obstruction must provide total cover (see “Cover”, above).

Cone: A cone extends in a direction you choose from its point of origin, which is not included in the area of effect, unless you decide otherwise. A cone’s width at a given point along its length is equal to that point’s distance from the point of origin. A cone’s area of effect specifies its maximum length.

Cube: You select a cube’s point of origin, which lies anywhere on a face of the cubic effect. The cube’s size is expressed as the length of each side. A cube’s point of origin is not included in its area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.

Cylinder: A cylinder’s point of origin is the center of a circle of a particular radius, as given in the effect description, and is therefore included in the area of effect. The circle must either be on the ground or at the height indicated for the cylinder. The energy in a cylinder expands in straight lines from the point of origin to the perimeter of the circle, forming the base of the cylinder. The effect then shoots up from the base or down from the top, depending on what produces it, to a distance equal to the height of the cylinder.

Line: A line extends from its point of origin in a straight path up to its length in a direction of your choice, and covers an area defined by its width. A line’s point of origin is not included in its area of effect, unless you decide otherwise.

Sphere: A sphere extends outward in all directions from its point of origin, which is therefore included in the area of effect. The sphere’s size is expressed as a radius in meters that extends from the point of origin.

Duration

Many attacks cause immediate and instantaneous effects, such as a sword slash or a gunshot. Differently, some special abilities and psionic powers allow you to generate effects that last over time.

Instantaneous: Many effects are instantaneous. They harm, heal, create, or alter a creature or an object in a way that can’t be undone, since their power exists only for an instant. Unless otherwise noted, an effect has an instantaneous duration.

Fixed or conditional: Some effects have a fixed duration indicated in their description, expressed in rounds, minutes, hours or even years. Others terminate upon the occurrence of a specific condition or event:

• Until the start of the character’s next turn.
• Until the end of the character’s next turn.
• Until the end of the encounter.
• The effect ends when the target succeeds on a saving throw against a DC determined by the effect.

Concentration: Some effects require you to maintain concentration in order to keep them active. If you lose concentration, the effect will end. If an effect must be maintained with concentration, that fact appears in its description alongside how long you can concentrate on it. You can end concentration at any time (no action required).
Normal activities, such as moving and attacking, doesn’t interfere with concentration. The following factors can break concentration:

• Perform another effect that requires concentration. You lose concentration on an effect if you use another power or special ability that requires concentration. You can’t concentrate on two effect at once.
• Taking damage. Whenever you take damage while you are concentrating on an effect, you must make a STR (Stamina) or INT (Lucidity) saving throw to maintain your concentration. The DC equals 13 or half the damage you take, whichever number is higher. If you take damage from multiple sources, you make a separate saving throw for each source of damage.
• Being incapacitated or killed. You lose concentration on an effect if you are incapacitated or if you die.

The GM might also decide that certain environmental phenomena, such as a wave hitting you while on the deck of a ship in the middle of a storm, require you to succeed on a DC 15 INT (Lucidity) saving throw to maintain concentration on the effect.

Damage

Injury and the risk of death are constant companions of those who live a life of adventure. A shot from a laser rifle or pistol, a stab, the slash of a sword, the explosion of a grenade, all have the potential to damage, if not kill, the hardiest of creatures.

Damage rolls

Each weapon, effect, or special ability that deals damage specifies the damage it deals. You roll the damage die (or dice), add any appropriate modifiers, and apply the damage to your target. Special weapons, powers, and other factors can grant a bonus to damage.
When attacking with a weapon, you add your Strength score to the damage if it’s a melee attack, or your Perception score if it’s a ranged attack. Powers and special abilities tells you which dice to roll for damage and whether to add any modifiers.
If an effect deals damage to more than one target at the same time, roll the damage once for all of them. For example, when you throw a grenade, the damage caused by the explosion is rolled once for all creatures caught in the area of effect.

Damage types

In this game, damage is divided into four main types, described below. Damage types have no rules of their own, but other rules, such as Armor Value and damage resistance, rely on them.
Rarely, some game elements may further specify the nature of the damage (e.g. bludgeoning, cutting, burning, poison, etc.).

• Kinetic damage derives from the impact with moving bodies. They cause bruises, lacerations, perforations, and so on. They are the most common type of damage in the game.
• Energy damage derives from exposure to strong emissions or energy sources of various kinds: corrosive, freezing, burning, sonic and so on. They are produced by energy weapons, special powers and many environmental effects.
• Biotic damage is caused by diseases, poisons, toxic substances and other effects that directly afflict the physiology and metabolism of creatures.
• Psychic damage results from psionic attacks, stress, emotional trauma, and other effects that threaten creatures’ psychic health and mental clarity.

Other effects of attacks

Instead of dealing damage, or in addition to, an attack can cause other harmful effects.

• Conditions: Some attacks inflict one or more debilitating conditions on the target (see “Conditions”).
• Forced movement: Some attacks force the target to move in a specific way, such as a push from an enemy or the shock wave of an explosion.

Armor value

Some game elements (such as armor for example) grant an Armor Value (AV) that protects against damage caused by attacks, absorbing them in part.
The Armor Value fully applies against kinetic damage, while it is halved (rounding down) against energy damage (for instance, AV 5 is considered 2 against energy damage). Conversely, by their very nature, biotic and psychic damage are not affected in any way by Armor Value.
The Armor Value reduces the damage you take. For example, if you have AV 4, when you are hit by an attack that deals 9 kinetic damage, you reduce that damage by 4 and take only 5. If the attack that hits you deals energy damage instead, you reduce such damage by only 2, instead of 4. In any case, if the AV reduces the damage suffered to 0, the attack doesn’t cause any damage.
If a single attack (or other source of damage) deals multiple types of damage at the same time (for example both kinetic and energetic), the armor value still applies only once, reducing the most convenient damage type (in the case above, the kinetic damage).
The simplest method to obtain an Armor Value is to wear armor. Many creatures possess innate AV, referred to as “natural armor”. Other types of protections, psionic powers, talents, or special abilities can grant an AV. Armor Values that comes from different sources stack with each other.

Resistance and vulnerability

Some creatures and objects are particularly difficult or unusually easy to hurt with certain types of damage. If a creature or an object has resistance to a damage type, damage of that type is halved against it. Conversely, if a creature or an object has vulnerability to a damage type, damage of that type is doubled against it.
Resistance and vulnerability are applied after all other modifiers to damage. For example, a creature with resistance to kinetic damage and AV 5 is hit by an attack that deals 25 kinetic damage. The 25 damage is first reduced by 5 and then halved, so the creature takes 10 damage.
Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability that affect the same damage type count as only one instance. For example, if a creature has resistance to kinetic damage from two different sources, the kinetic damage is however reduced only by half against the creature.

Vitality

The vitality points (VP) of a creature represents its psycho-physical health and its physical and mental energies.
Each creature has an initial VP amount to which a certain amount of VP is added for each of its levels. For player characters, the initial VP pool they have at 1th level depends on their class, and with each level obtained after 1th they gain 1 additional vitality point. For creatures, both the initial VP and the amount of VP they obtain at each level depend instead on their size. Additionally, talents, class features, or other special abilities can increase creatures’ vitality points.
The vitality points pool represents a creature’s maximum VP. Conversely, a creature’s current vitality points can be any number from the creature’s VP maximum down to 0, and it changes frequently as the creature takes damage or receives healing.
The loss of vitality points has no effect on a creature’s capabilities until the creature drops to 0 VP (see “Death” below).

Death

When characters (or other creatures) drop to 0 vitality points, they either die outright or fall unconscious, as explained below.

Instant death

Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 VP and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage exceeds your death threshold (calculated as 10 + STR + WIL).

Falling unconscious

If damage reduces you to 0 vitality points and fails to kill you, you fall unconscious (see “Conditions”). In addition, you take a level of exhaustion (see “Conditions”) and suffer a trauma (see “Traumas”, below). This unconsciousness ends if you regain any vitality points.

Death saving throws

Whenever you start your turn with 0 vitality points, you must make a special saving throw, called a death saving throw, to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang onto life. Unlike other saving throws, this one isn’t tied to any ability score. You are in the hands of fate, aided only by talents, powers and features that improve your chances of survival.

Roll a d12: If the roll is 7 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. A success or failure has no effect by itself. On your third success, you become stable (see below). On your third failure, you die. The successes and failures don’t need to be consecutive; keep track of both until you collect three of a kind. The number of both is reset to zero when you regain any vitality points or become stable.

Rolling 1 or 12: When you make a death saving throw and roll a 1 on the d12, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 12 on the d12, you immediately become stable (see below).

Damage at 0 vitality points: If you take any damage while you have 0 VP, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage is higher than your death threshold, you suffer instant death. Note that any attack that hits an unconscious creature automatically deals maximum damage if the attacker is adjacent to it.

Stabilizing a creature

The best way to save a creature with 0 VP is to heal it. If healing is unavailable, the creature can at least be stabilized so that it no longer risks impending death.
You can use your action to bring first aid to a dying creature and attempt to stabilize it, which requires a successful INT(Medicine) check against a DC equal to 14 + the number of trauma the creature has suffered.
If the creature is also bleeding, you must stop the bleeding before you can stabilize it. You can do both with only one check and consuming only one use of a first aid kit , but the DC of the check increases by 2.
A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws, even though it has 0 vitality points, but it does remain unconscious. The creature stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn’t healed regains 1 vitality point after 1d4 hours.

Adversaries and death

Most GMs have the characters’ foes die the instant they drops to 0 vitality points, rather than having them fall unconscious and make death saving throws. Mighty villains and special NPCs are common exceptions; the GM might have them fall unconscious and follow the same rules as player characters.
Knocking a creature out: Sometimes an attacker wants to incapacitate a foe, rather than deal a killing blow. If the GM deems it feasible, when an attack reduces a creature to 0 vitality points, the attacker can choose to knock the creature out. In this case, the creature falls unconscious but is stable and does not suffer any trauma.

Traumas

Traumas are injuries or shocks whose effects last over time and are more difficult to heal than a simple loss of vitality points. Traumas are divided into physical and psychic, depending on whether they damage the physical or mental health of a creature.

• Physical traumas are wounds such as lacerations, mutilations, fractures, internal injuries, burns and the like, or metabolic shocks such as vital organs fails, embolisms, necrosis and so on.
• Psychic traumas, on the other hand, are strong emotional shocks that crack or sometimes break the psychological balance of a character, causing mental disorders of various kinds and severity.

Suffering a trauma

A creature takes one trauma whenever it is reduced to 0 vitality points. If so, the nature of the trauma depends on the type of damage or effect that brought the creature to 0 VP. However, creatures can also suffer trauma in other circumstances, including the following:

• Suffering an effect that directly causes a trauma. In these cases, the effect itself determines whether it is a physical or psychic trauma.
• Being the target of an attack that generates an exploit or fail a saving throw causing a setback can both sometimes cause a trauma (see “Ability Checks”). The nature of the trauma (physical or psychic) depends on the type of attack or effect that caused it.
• At GM’s choice, disastrous accidents (such as falling from great heights or being run over by rubble), or shocking experiences (such as witnessing a tragic event), can cause physical and psychic trauma respectively.
• Sometimes, the GM can decide that suffering a severe physical trauma might also cause a psychic trauma.

Trauma effects

Each trauma causes specific effects that depend on its physical or psychic nature. In addition, a trauma can be mild, with effects that heal over time, or severe, involving permanent effects that do not heal unless they are treated with special therapies or techniques (see “Resting and healing”).
It is up to the GM to determine the type, effects, and severity of a trauma, using the tables in this section. Most traumas are mild. A trauma is severe if the effect or attack that causes it specifies so, or if the damage inflicted by that attack or effect is higher than the target’s death threshold. The GM can always decide that a trauma is severe based on circumstances and common sense. The effects of traumas stack with each other.
Physical traumas, especially severe ones, can leave flashy scars which, if not removed, can add interesting details to a character’s or creature’s appearance.

Table: Mild physical traumas (Injuries)

d12	Location	Effects
1	Head	You are stunned until the end of your next turn.Your PER or INT score decreases by 1.
2–4	Torso	You are stunned until the end of your next turn.Your STR or DEX score decreases by 1.
5–6 7–8	Right arm Left arm	You have disadvantage to any check involving the use of the injured arm.
9–10 11–12	Right leg Left leg	You have disadvantage to any check involving the use of the injured leg. Your speed is reduced by 2 meters.After taking the Dash action, you must succeed on a DC 13 DEX (Reflex) saving throw or falling prone.

Table: Severe physical traumas (Impairments)

General effects
•	You are stunned until the end of your next turn.
•	You are bleeding until that condition is eliminated.
•	Each time you attempt an action during your turn you must make a DC 15 STR (Stamina) saving throw. If you fail, you lose the action and can’t take reaction until the start of your next turn.
•	You suffer a specific effect from the table below.

d12	Location	Specific effects (permanent)
1	Head	Your PER or INT score decreases by 1.
2–4	Torso	Your STR or DEX score decreases by 1.
5–6 7–8	Right arm Left arm	Compromised arm: You can only hold one object at a time and you can no longer hold anything with two hands.If you lose the use of both arms you can no longer hold anything.
9–10 11–12	Right leg Left leg	Compromised leg: Your speed is halved and you have to use a cane or crutch to walk; after taking the Dash action you fall prone.If you lose the use of both legs, your speed is reduced to one third and you can only move by crawling.

Table: Mild psychic traumas (shock)

d10	Effects
1	You have the instinct to repeat a certain gesture over and over.
2	You experience vivid hallucinations, you have disadvantage on all ability checks.
3	You suffer from extreme paranoia, you have disadvantage on INT and WIL checks and struggle to trust your mates, friends and loved ones too.
4	You have an overwhelming instinct to eat something disgusting, be it garbage, mud or offal.
5	You begin to stutter and are no longer able to speak normally or completely lose the ability to speak.
6	You feel terrified of something and you must succeed on a DC 16 WIL (Fortitude) save every time you see it, otherwise you become frightened until that thing is no longer in your line of sight
7	You experience uncontrollable tremors and tics, you have disadvantage on all ability checks.
8	You suffer from transient amnesia. You keep your species traits and class features, but don’t recognize other people and don’t remember anything about what happened before you suffered the trauma.
9	You become attached to a “lucky charm”, such as a person or an object, and you have disadvantage on all ability checks while more than 10 meters away from it.
10	You become submissive and obey whatever you are told to do that is not blatantly self-destructive.

Table: Severe psychic trauma (mental disorders)

General effects
•	Your INT, WIL or TEC score decreases by 1.
•	Each time you attempt an action during your turn you must make a DC 15 INT (Lucidity) saving throw. If you fail, you lose the action and can’t take reaction until the start of your next turn.
•	You suffer a specific effect from the table below.

d8	Specific effects (permanent)
1	Dissociative disorders (hallucinations, amnesia, multiple personalities)
2	Anxiety or mood disorders (panic attacks, hyperactivity, phobias, manias, obsessive-compulsive or bipolar disorders, PTSD, depression)
3	Impulse disorders (kleptomania, uncontrolled anger attacks, pathological lying, pyromania, compulsive gambling)
4	Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, pica, etc.)
5	Psychotic and personality disorders (schizophrenia, paranoia, delusions of omnipotence, megalomania, misanthropy, narcissism, etc.)
6	Sleep disorders (nightmares, sleepwalking, insomnia, etc.)
7	Somatic symptom disorders (psychosomatic disorders, hypochondriasis)
8	Sexual disorders (nymphomania, exhibitionism, fetishism, etc.)

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RESTING AND HEALING

Unless it results in death, damage is not permanent. Rest and medical care can restore a creature’s vitality points, and over time, even traumas heals. In addition, psionic powers, drugs and advanced technologies are able to perform real wonders, such as instantly restoring vitality points, canceling fatigue, neutralizing poisons and diseases in a short time or even triggering tissue regeneration.

Regaining vitality points

A creature can restore its vitality points pool by resting (see below) or by receiving medical treatment that heals a certain amount of vitality points.
A creature’s vitality points can never exceed its vitality point maximum, so any vitality points regained in excess of this number are lost. For example, if a character with 20 current vitality points and a vitality maximum of 28 is healed by 10 vitality points, he or she regains only 8 vitality points from healing, not 10.

Recovering from traumas

Healing from trauma takes time and proper care.
At the end of each full rest (see below), a creature makes a DC 15 saving throw for each trauma that afflicts it. The saving throws are STR (Stamina) for physical traumas and VOL (Fortitude) for psychic traumas. Keep track of the successes obtained for each trauma. After three successes (not necessarily consecutive) a trauma heals and its non-permanent effects disappear. At GM’s discretion, it may take more or less successes to heal from certain trauma.
In addition, most traumas require adequate treatment in order to heal (such as medications or counseling). Without such assistance, the creature has disadvantage on the saving throws needed to heal.
If a creature engages in strenuous activities (such as fighting, marching for a long time, etc.), it has disadvantage on saving throws made to heal from traumas at the end of its next full rest. On the contrary, if the creature spends its time recuperating, avoiding to get tired, then it gains advantage on those saving throws.

Healing from permanent effects: The permanent effects of the most severe trauma can only be healed through special procedures (such as surgery, psychological therapies, or specific technological or psionic effects). Some creatures possess the innate ability to spontaneously heal from the permanent effects of trauma.

Resting

Heroic though they might be, adventurers need rest: time to sleep, eat, heal wounds, laze, refresh the mind and spirit.
A rest is a period of inactivity during which a character catches his or her breath and regains energy by relaxing, sleeping, or doing light activities such as talking, reading or tending wounds.
A normal rest takes about an hour. However, on a regular basis, one of the rests made by a character must be a full rest, which requires at least 8 uninterrupted hours. The cadence depends on the character’s species. For example, terrans need a full rest every 24 hours.
Whenever a character does not take a full rest within that time, a character gain a level of exhaustion at the end of that period (see “Conditions”).
A character cannot take a full rest until at least half of the hours indicated for his species have elapsed since the end of the previous full rest. For example, for a terran at least 12 hours must elapse between the end of a full rest and the beginning of the next.
If a rest (both normal and full) is interrupted by a strenuous activity (such as marching for at least 1 hour, fighting or the like) the character must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it.
A character must have at least 1 vitality point at the start of a rest to gain its benefits.

Benefits of rest

Resting guarantees the following benefits.

• At the end of each rest, a character regains an amount of vitality points equal to 1d6 + STR.
• Finishing a full rest reduces the character’s level of exhaustion by 1 (see “Conditions”), provided that he or she was able to eat and drink enough. The levels of exhaustion caused by some specific effects (such as radiation, see “Exploration”) are not eliminated by rest.
• Finishing a full rest allows a character to make a saving throw to heal from traumas (see above).
• Many characters’ special features can only be used a limited number of times before needing to rest. In those cases, a character regains all spent uses at the end of a rest. Some features require to finish a full rest in order to recover their use, as specified in their description.
• If a character possesses psi points, at the end of a long rest he or she regains all spent psi points.

Resting while wearing armor

If you wear armor during a full rest, you must make a STR (Stamina) check, DC 14 for light armor, 16 for medium armor, or 18 for heavy armor. If you succeed, you get the benefits of rest, otherwise not.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_color=”#000000″ css=”.vc_custom_1600438685551{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]

CONDITIONS

Conditions alter a creature’s capabilities in several ways and can arise as a result of an attack, special ability, psionic power, or some other effect. Most conditions are impairments, but a few can be advantageous in certain situations.
A condition lasts either until it is countered (the prone condition is countered by standing up, for example) or for a duration specified by the effect that imposed the condition itself. If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition’s effects don’t get worse. A creature either has a condition or doesn’t.
The following definitions specify what happens to a creature while it is subjected to a condition.

Bleeding

• The creature loses blood and takes 1 biotic damage at the end of each of its turns.
• The damage caused by bleeding cannot be healed unless the bleeding is stopped first.
• As an action, a character can consume one use of a first aid kit and make a DC 16 INT (Medicine) check in contact with a bleeding creature (including himself). If the check succeed, the creature stop bleeding and the bleeding condition is removed.

Blinded

• A blinded creature can’t see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
• Any other creature is considered invisible to a blinded creature

Charmed

• A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or effects.
• The charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature.

Dazzled

• A dazzled creature has disadvantage on attack rolls and any Perception check that requires sight.

Deafened

• A deafened creature can’t hear and automatically fails any ability check that requires hearing.

Frightened

• A frightened creature has disadvantage on all ability checks while the source of its fear is within line of sight.
• The creature can’t willingly move closer to the source of its fear.

Grappled

• A grappled creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
• The creature has disadvantage to any action other than attacking the grappler or trying to break free.
• The condition ends if the grappler is incapacitated (see the condition).
• The condition also ends if an effect removes the grappled creature from the reach of the grappler or grappling effect, such as when a creature is hurled away by an explosion.

Hindered

• A hindered creature’s speed is halved.
• During its turn, the creature can only take one action or one minor action, but not both.
• If the creature makes a reaction, it won’t be able to take any actions or minor actions on its next turn.

Incapacitated

• An incapacitated creature can’t take any actions, minor actions or reactions.
  Invisible
• An invisible creature is impossible to see without the help of special senses or technological aids. For the purpose of hiding, the creature is obscured. The creature’s location can still be detected by any noise it makes or any tracks it leaves.
• Attack rolls against the creature have disadvantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have advantage.

Paralyzed

• A paralyzed creature is incapacitated and can’t move or speak.
• The creature automatically checks that require physical action, but can perform purely mental tasks.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
• Any attack that hits a paralyzed creature automatically deals maximum damage if the attacker is adjacent to it.

Prone

• A prone creature’s is lying on the ground and its only movement option is to crawl, unless it stands up and thereby ends the condition.
• The creature has disadvantage on melee attack rolls.
• An attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker is adjacent to it. Otherwise, the attack roll has disadvantage.
• A prone creature can stand up using 3 meters of its speed.

Restrained

• A restrained creature’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.
• The creature has disadvantage on Dexterity checks.

Sickened

• A sickened creature has disadvantage on all ability checks due to malaise, pain, or disorientation.

Stunned

• A stunned creature is incapacitated, can’t move, and can speak only falteringly.
• The creature has disadvantage on all ability checks.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.

Unconscious

• An unconscious creature is incapacitated, can’t move or speak, and is unaware of its surroundings
• The creature drops whatever it’s holding and falls prone.
• The creature automatically fails any ability checks that require physical actions.
• Attack rolls against the creature have advantage.
• Any attack that hits an unconscious creature automatically deals maximum damage if the attacker is adjacent to it.
• A sleeping creature is considered unconscious but can use its Perception passively with a -5 penalty. It will wake up if it hears a loud noise, is shaken or if it takes damage.

Exhaustion (special)

The lack of rest, as well as other dangerous effects or environmental hazards (such as starvation, high altitudes, etc.), can lead to a special condition called exhaustion. Exhaustion is measured in six levels, as shown in the following table.

Table: Exhaustion

Exhaustion level	Effect
1	Disadvantage on STR and DEX checks
2	Sickened
3	Hindered
4	Vitality point maximum halved
5	Speed reduced to 0
6	Unconscious and reduced to 0 vitality points

The effects of exhaustion levels are cumulative. For example, a creature with 3 levels of exhaustion is sickened and hindered.
An effect can give a creature one or more levels of exhaustion, as specified in its description. If an already exhausted creature suffers another effect that causes exhaustion, its level of exhaustion increases by the amount specified in the description of the effect.
The conditions imposed by exhaustion cannot be removed except by decreasing the level of exhaustion. An effect that removes exhaustion reduces the target’s level of exhaustion by the amount specified in its description, with all exhaustion effects ending if a creature’s exhaustion level is reduced below 1.
Finishing a full rest reduces a creature’s exhaustion level by 1, provided that the creature has eaten and drunk enough (see “Resting and Healing,” further on).
The levels of exhaustion caused by some specific effects (such as starvation or radiation) require specific care and cannot be removed simply by resting.

Overload (special)

Overloading is a special condition that results from carrying a weight greater than one’s carrying capacity (CC). It has the following effects:

• If a creature carries a weight greater than its CC but equal to or less than twice that value, it is hindered.
• A creature can instead push, drag or lift a weight greater than twice its CC and up to 5 times that value, but while doing so the creature is hindered and cannot perform any actions (apart from continuing to hold or move the weight).

Carrying capacity and size: A creature’s size affects the weight it can carry. For each size category above Medium, double the creature’s carrying capacity. For a Tiny creature, halve the carrying capacity. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_color=”#000000″ css=”.vc_custom_1602151351859{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]

BETWEEN ADVENTURES

In the periods between one adventure and another (called interludes), the characters have time to rest and recover their strength but also have the opportunity to engage in other activities, such as practicing a profession, performing research, or spending their hard-earned money.
Most of the time, the GM will simply declare how much time has passed between the end of one adventure and the start of the next, allowing players to describe in general terms what their characters have been doing. At other times, the GM might instead deal with these interlude periods in more detail, as events beyond your perception stay in motion.

Lifestyle expenses

Lifestyle expenses provide you with a simple way to account for the cost of living. They cover your accommodations, food and drink, and all your basic necessities, as well as the cost of maintaining your equipment so you can be ready when adventure next calls.
Choose a lifestyle from those described below and pay the relative price to sustain it (indicated between brackets). See the “Gear” section for more information about money and prices. The indicated prices are per day, so if you wish to calculate the cost of your chosen lifestyle over a longer period, just multiply the daily cost by the number of days spent maintaining the chosen lifestyle. Your lifestyle might change from one period to another, based on your financial resources or simply because you want it.

Living a particular lifestyle doesn’t have a huge effect on your character, but it could affect the way other individuals and groups react to you. For example, maintaining a wealthy or opulent lifestyle might help you enter high society and make contacts with the rich and powerful, though you run the risk of attracting thieves and malicious people. Likewise, living modestly might help you stay out of trouble, but it makes it more difficult to establish powerful connections.

Wretched (1 ¢): You live in inhumane conditions. With no place to call home, you shelter wherever you can, in the alleys of the slums or sneaking into abandoned warehouses or buildings, and relying on the charity of those who are better off than you. A miserable lifestyle presents many dangers. Violence, disease and hunger follow you wherever you go. Other wretched people covet your armor, weapons, and adventuring gear, which represent a fortune by their standards. Most people don’t even notice you exist.

Squalid (10 ¢): You live in a hovel or tiny lodging in the worst part of town. You have shelter from the elements, but you live in a desperate and often violent environment, in places rife with disease, hunger, and misfortune. Most people are unaware of your existence and you have few legal rights. Most people who lead this lifestyle have suffered some terrible setback. They might be disturbed, marked as exiles, or suffer from disease.

Poor (20 ¢): A poor lifestyle means going without much comforts. Low-grade food and lodgings, threadbare clothes and unpredictable conditions result in a sufficient, though probably unpleasant, experience. Your accommodation might be a room in a fourth-rate hotel or a sloppy apartment shared with other roommates. You benefit from some legal protections, but you still have to contend with violence, crime, and disease. The people who lead this lifestyle are usually unskilled laborers, servants, peddlers, drug dealers, thieves and other disreputable types.

Modest (40 ¢): A modest lifestyle keeps you out of the slums and allows you to live in dignity and take care of your equipment. Your accommodation is humble but decent. You don’t go hungry or thirsty, and your living conditions are clean, if simple. Most ordinary people lead a modest lifestyle and include soldiers, workers, students, employees, and the like.

Comfortable (70 ¢): Choosing a comfortable lifestyle means that you can afford nicer clothing and can easily maintain your equipment. Your accommodation is cozy, usually an apartment or house in a residential area of the city, or a room in a fine hotel. Others who lead this lifestyle are merchants, skilled tradespeople, academics and military officers.

Wealthy (150 ¢): You lead a life of luxury, though you might not have achieved the social status associated with the great resources of the more powerful people. Your lifestyle is comparable to that of a senior official, a successful merchant, a manager or a businesses owner. You have respectable lodgings, usually a spacious house in a good part of the city or a large apartment in a fancy hotel. You probably also have a small staff of servants.

Opulent (300 ¢ minimum): You live a life of plenty and unbridled luxury. You move in circles frequented by the most powerful and influential people. You own a large mansion in the most upmarket area of ​​the city, or a huge penthouse in the most elegant hotel. You dine at the best restaurants, serve yourself from the most renowned tailor, and have servants attending to your every need. You receive invitations to the social gatherings of the rich and powerful, and spend evenings in the company of politicians, tycoons, celebrities, rulers and nobles.The wealthier you are, the greater the chance you will be entangled in the highest levels of political intrigue, conspiracies, machinations and betrayals.

Other recurring expenses

In addition to the cost of maintaining a certain lifestyle, characters may have to face additional expenses, the most common of which are described in the “Gear” section.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for the more seasoned adventurers to obtain possession of some kind of property (residences, palaces, spaceships, businesses, etc.). It is up to the GM to determine what are the costs that characters will periodically face to maintain such a property in good condition, also taking into account any necessary hired staff.

Downtime Activities

Between adventures, the GM might ask you what your character is doing during his or her downtime.
Periods of downtime can vary in duration, but each downtime activity requires a certain number of days (not necessarily consecutive) to complete before you gain any benefit, and at least 8 hours of each day must be spent on the downtime activity for the day to count (unless otherwise specified). If you have more than the minimum amount of days to spend, you can keep doing the same thing for a longer period of time, or switch to a new downtime activity.
Downtime activities other than those described below are also possible. If you want your character to spend his or her downtime performing an activity not covered here, discuss it with your GM.

Crafting and Repairing

You can spend your time between adventures to craft objects, or to repair damaged objects, including weapons and armor, equipment, substances, vehicles, works of art or even structures and buildings.
In order to do this, you must have an appropriate skill for the type of work undertaken and you must use appropriate tools, specific materials and sometimes equipped work environments. The GM may also ask you to make ability checks.
While crafting or repairing, you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay the cost, or a comfortable lifestyle at half the normal cost (see above).

For small items, crafting and repairing activities can be performed by a single character or maybe a bunch, but for larger ones, such as spaceships, structures or buildings, a group of workers is required, the more numerous the larger the item (it is up to the GM decide the minimum number of workers needed).

Crafting: For each day of downtime you spend crafting, you can craft one or more items with a total market value not exceeding 20 credits, using raw materials worth half the total market value. If something you want to craft has a market value greater than 20 ¢, you make progress every day in 20 ¢ increments until you reach the market value of the item. For example, a standard protective vest (market value 1000 ¢) takes 50 days of work to craft by yourself. Multiple characters can combine their efforts to craft a single item, as long as they all have the appropriate skills and are working together in the same place. Each character contributes 20 ¢ worth of effort for every day spent helping to craft the item. For example, three collaborating characters can craft a standard protective vest in 17 days, at a total cost of 500 ¢ in raw materials.

Repair: When you reapair an object, each repaired structure point requires you to spend an amount of credits equal to the cost of the object divided by its maximum structure points. This cost covers expenses for materials and any spare part needed. If you have the necessary materials and a properly equipped environment, you can repair up to 1d4 + 4 structure points in a day’s work. If the repairs are carried out in less than optimal conditions, only 1d4 structure points can be repaired each day.
If the object to be repaired does not have an amount of structure points (like most of the objects described in the “Equipment” section), it is up to the GM to decide how long it takes to repair it and how much the repairs cost (as a fraction of the basic cost of the object).

Learning a New Language ​​or Skill

You can spend time between adventures learning a new language or skill you don’t possess. First, you must find an instructor willing to teach you. The GM determines how long it takes, and whether one or more ability checks are required.
Learning a language or skill costs 10 credits per day and takes a number of days equal to 200 minus 10 times the character’s Intelligence score. You don’t need to complete the training in a single time, you can take advantage of multiple pauses between adventures to make progress.
After you spend the required amount of time and money, you learn the new language or gain the new skill.

Practicing a Profession

You can work between adventures, allowing you to maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay relative cost (see “Lifestyle Expenses”, above). This benefit lasts as long you continue to practice your profession.
If you are a member of some organization that can provide profitable engagements, such as a merchant guild, or have adequate skills for high-level professions, you earn enough to support a comfortable lifestyle instead, if not downright wealthy (at the GM’s discretion).

Recuperating

You can use downtime between adventures to recover from a debilitating injury, disease, or poison. While you are recuperating, you gain advantage on saving throws made to heal any trauma, disease, or poison that afflicts you.

Researching Information

The time between adventures is a great chance to perform research, gaining insight into mysteries that have unfurled over the course of the campaign.
When you begin a research, the GM determines whether the information you are looking for is available, how many days of downtime it will take to find it, and whether there are any restrictions on your research (such as needing to seek out a specific individual or location). The GM might also require you to make one or more ability checks, such as an PER (Inspection) check to find clues pointing toward the information you seek, a WIL (Cunning) to get someone’s aid or to collect rumors by local people, a TEC (Computer) Check to scan computer networks or an INT (Science) for scientific research. Once those conditions are met, you learn the information if it is available.
For each day of research, you must spend 3 credits to cover your expenses. This cost is in addition to the normal lifestyle expenses (see above).

Work in progress [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text text_color=”#000000″ css=”.vc_custom_1600438724585{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;background-color: #ffffff !important;}”]

EDGE CARDS

The use of EDGE cards is an optional rule that the GM can use to reward players for role-playing their characters according to their nature and personality.
Each EDGE card carries two sentences, each of which describes some kind of event. It can be something simple or generic, like “Something suddenly breaks” or “Someone trips and falls”, or something more particular or that affects the rules, like “Someone hits an ally by mistake” or “Someone mocks death and clings to life”.
In any case, players who have EDGE cards can decide to use them whenever they want, influencing the course of the adventure.

Obtaining EDGE cards

The GM can give you an EDGE card for several reasons. GMs usually do this when you bring your character to life in a convincing way: role-playing his or her attitude and personality traits, or in some other way that makes the game more engaging or fun for everyone.
At other times, GMs use EDGE cards to promote a certain style of play or emphasize a certain narrative genre. The GM will tell you how you can get EDGE cards during the game.
When this happens, you draw a card from the EDGE deck made available by the GM. You can have a maximum of three EDGE cards at a time. If you already have three and you get to draw another one, you can choose not to, keeping the cards you already have, or you must discard one of them before drawing the new one.
Usually, EDGE cards are discard at the end of the game session. As a result, unused cards will be wasted. This entices players to use their EDGE cards rather than keep them.

Using EDGE cards

You can use an EDGE card at any point in the game, but you are limited to using only one for each encounter, be it combat, interaction, exploration, or any other type of scene. Also remember that many EDGE cards will only really have some effect if you play them at the right time.
When playing an EDGE card, you must choose one of the two sentences written on it. The card will take effect immediately and you will have to tell the GM and the other players how the sentence you have chosen will affect the game, adding details and trying to make the effect plausible in the context.
Sometimes it will be simple, especially if the card is particularly suitable for the situation. Other times it may be more difficult or perhaps create absurd or unmanageable consequences. In these cases, the best thing is to decide the effects of the card together with the GM and the other players, in order to find a solution on which everyone agrees. Once played, the GM takes into account the effects of the card, modifying the narrative accordingly.
Alternatively, you can also “burn” an EDGE card, playing it face down without using its phrases, to gain advantage on one ability check.
Remember that you can also use EDGE cards for or against creatures, NPCs or other players’ characters.
Each EDGE card played will be shuffled into the deck by the GM.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]