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The Void - Core Book
The Void - Core Book
CORE
™
Seriously? Free-to-Play?
Imagination is powerful. To quote Albert Einstein, “Imagination is more impor-
tant than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and under-
stand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to
know and understand.” Well said.
We believe in the power of imagination and how it creates wonder and inspira-
tion. Roleplaying games are one of the few things that can do what they do. Some
might say they are the last frontier for wild imagination and creativity. We certainly
believe so. That’s why we make roleplaying games – to help make that possible.
Making roleplaying games the way we have hasn’t helped us spark imagination
the way we’d hoped. We want to try something different.
First, we’re adopting the Creative Commons license, so that you can contribute
to the game in a meaningful way. That way, we can support you in your awesome
ideas and help you get them out to your fellow players.
Then, we’re going to give away electronic copies of the core book for free. We’ve
all bought games that didn’t end up working out for us. That’s why we’re giving
this to you for free – so that you can figure out if you like the game before you
decide to spend money on it.
If you like The Void and you play it, we’re going to put out a bunch of cool ma-
terial at very reasonable prices. We’re going to do it buffet-style, so you can pick
and choose what works best for you and your group. Buying these supplements
supports us making more cool material, along with the rest of your fellow players.
After all, life’s too short to waste time and money on games you don’t like.
WildFire LLC
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Rights Reserved. All characters, names, places, and text
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Table of Contents
(A) Fiction: Kinetofayetophobia 4
(1) Introduction 16
(2) Overview 20
(4) Setting 54
(5) Characters 76 3
(6) Skills, Qualities, Talents 92
Appendices 236
A KinetoFayetophobia
That’s all there was to it. The solar No time to lose, Anastasia did the
system was going to hell in a hand- one thing she could. She grabbed the
basket. biggest locker she could find, way to-
wards the back, and dove into it. For-
Those are funny the thoughts that tunately, she could lock the door by
occur when being chased by dozens putting her hand through one of the
of tentacles that burst out of the walls holes. She didn’t figure the thing was
and floor, one by one. Each lashed out smart enough to work a digital lock.
at Anastasia, trying to gain purchase
on some part of her body to do only Her Bandit pistol wasn’t going to
god-knows-what. do much when the time came, but
it was all she had. The thing had al-
The wriggling, sour-smelling, slimy, ready claimed her Blizzard subma-
4 boneless limbs brought out a primal chine gun back outside. She looked
fear in her, the kind that makes the frantically around the container for
back of your legs go numb and your anything that might help, but there
knees go rubbery. The kind Anasta- was nothing. Then, she froze.
sia had to choke back with every last
shred of her will if she wanted to live The first slender tentacle gently
through this madness. wormed its way through one of the
holes, about hip height. It probed
Right, left, right – it didn’t matter its way through, cautiously but de-
anymore. In her panic, she’d totally liberately. The second wasn’t far
forgotten the layout of this tragic behind, this one much thicker than
little building stuck deep in the Mar- the first. It could barely push its way
tian outback. She hoped desperately through, but barely was enough. The
to find another door out, so that the fear gripped Anastasia again, much
thing might get caught up in the build- worse this time. She grabbed hold of
ing long enough for her to get clear. a cargo strap, just to help keep her
from collapsing.
Charging through the only door
she could see, her only way forward, More tentacles followed, backlit by
which was marked storage. Looking the lights of the storage room which
around, this was probably the last poured through the holes. She hoped
door she wanted. There was no oth- they weren’t going to notice her
er way out. The room was filled only – hoped against all hope – but she
with storage lockers, but that wasn’t knew better. In a few seconds the
the worst of it. The doors to the lock- probing monstrosities would zero in
ers weren’t solid – they had holes in on her and rip her limb from limb. If
them. she was lucky.
5
One of the larger tentacles inched the other side, closer every moment.
its way towards her. The tip touched The command came from her brain
her uniform and slowly slithered its to fire the gun, but something short-
way up. If terror hadn’t already para- circuited the thought en route.
lyzed her, the smell would have made
Anastasia vomit. Another came from This was a hell of a way to die.
Suddenly, the storage room ex- the bright lights of the casinos. Its
ploded with a bright orange light and mayhem felt like home.
she could smell burning flesh. The
tentacles spasmed and began to Coming back from the restroom,
yank their way out of the locker. The she practically melted into the chair.
room lit up again, but this time some “Finally,” she said. “A hot meal in a
of the flames shot through the holes civilized place.”
in the locker, singeing Anastasia’s
eyebrows and bangs. The last of the Marcus looked carefully around
tentacles slithered out and she was the room, taking in each person in
thankfully alone. turn, which was something he did ev-
erywhere he went. “I ordered for you
Anastasia kicked the hot metal while you were gone.”
door as hard as she could. Her com-
bat boot took the worst of it, but the “Thanks,” she replied. “I didn’t want
door shot open. The wriggling things to wait. I’ve missed Asian food so
were withdrawing into the ground as much. What did you order?”
6 a figure shot another burst of fiery
death at them. It took a minute for Marcus smiled. “It’s a surprise.”
Anastasia to overcome her shock to
figure out who it was. “So I’ve been correlating the data
and this isn’t good.” Felius had his
It was Felius, who looked downright nose in his computer again.
funny – a bookworm with a flame-
thrower. What the hell. It wasn’t the Anastasia took a sip of her water.
weirdest thing that she’d seen today. It was nice, properly recycled water.
He just sat there, grinning like an “When is it ever good?”
idiot.
“The reports show that bodies
No time to waste, Anastasia kicked have been going missing from the
her legs to get the numb out of them. morgues with regularity. There’s al-
most a pattern to the body-snatch-
“Look what I found,” said Felius. ing. It appears that two cadavers,
more or less, are stolen from differ-
Anastasia pointed at the hole in the ent parts of the colony every week
ground. “Look what found us. Let’s and have been for a little less than
get back to the rover so we can call in three months now.”
an airstrike. I’m not taking any more
chances.” Marcus frowned, his eyes on other
things. “Necrophiliacs wouldn’t need
bodies with that kind of frequency.
That leaves cults and…”
It was good to be back on Gany-
mede. She was born in Troy, under “Ghouls,” finished Anastasia.
Just then, the food arrived. Felius inside job or that the perpetrators
had ordered what many had come were using the access tunnels in the
to call “white people chicken,” while city to get around. Either way, Anas-
Marcus’ tastes tended more to- tasia and her team still didn’t know
wards the exotic – Echizen jellyfish, what they were up against.
which can be toxic if not prepared
properly. Which is something Anas- While Marcus positioned the lo-
tasia had forgotten when she asked cal authorities to keep surveillance
him to order for her. on any of the two dozen people who
might possibly be insiders, Anastasia
There it was – san nak ji. A live oc- was stuck with the fun job of crawling
topus on a bed of vegetables. Anas- through the access tunnels. Fortu-
tasia knocked the chair over jumping nately, Felius was sitting at a remote
out of it and away from her “dish.” terminal with the city plans at his fin-
gertips.
“Take it away!” she shouted at the
waiter, who promptly fell all over him- “At the next intersection, turn left,”
self to remove the offending delicacy. he said. 7
He bowed and disappeared.
Whoever built Troy at least had the
Anastasia composed herself and sense to make it easy to get around,
sat back down. Marcus looked at her, even for the maintenance staff. The
shocked. “What’s wrong with you?” hidden corridors were big enough
for a person with gear to stand up
“Kinetofayetophobia.” in – as well as being big enough to
transport dead bodies through. They
Even Felius was stumped. “Kineto- also had softly glowing lights through-
fayetophobia? What the hell is that?” out the tunnels. They may not have
illuminated everything, but they were
“Fear of moving food. It’s the clos- enough to get around.
est phobia that translates to tenta-
cles. Remember the thing on Mars?” Anastasia reached the intersec-
tion and turned left, only to be greet-
Marcus picked up a chunk of jelly- ed by darkness. “Is there any reason
fish with his chopsticks. “They’ve got the lights should be out in this part of
phobias for everything, don’t they?” the grid?”
Anastasia pulled out her pistol and Though she covered her mouth,
snapped a glow-stick to life. The cor- Anastasia said, “Don’t go anywhere.
ridor ahead glowed a sickly green, a Stay put.”
color that always reminded her of ei-
ther Halloween or radioactive waste. This room was much larger than it
Neither was particularly comforting first appeared. Whoever had stolen
right now. “Well, if someone’s taken it the corpses had brought them here.
off-line, then someone’s up to some- Over a dozen dead bodies in various
thing. Call Marcus and let him know states of decay were arranged in an
8 what we’ve found. But Felius, don’t go almost reverent fashion. Some were
anywhere.” hung on the walls in carefully con-
sidered poses. Some were placed
Fortunately, she knew from expe- in compromising positions that sug-
rience that Felius had no problem gested things that made Anastasia
multi-tasking. sick.
Anastasia stepped into what looked From behind her, Anastasia heard
like a spacious junction room, but a voice that made her skin crawl.
paused when the smell hit her – the “Too late. We’re here.”
She whipped around
in one practiced mo-
tion and squeezed the
trigger, aiming right in
the face of the portly,
sweaty man licking
the curved blade.
The gun didn’t fire.
She pulled the trig-
ger three more times.
Nothing.
Without missing
a beat, Anastasia
jabbed a knife hand 9
into his trachea. The
man stumbled back-
wards into another,
choking violently.
“I never tire of the sight. Do you, Calado turned to look back out
Agent St. Croix?” over the beautiful blue planet. “I know
I promised you a rotation on the inner ideal for colonization. The surface is
planets, but something’s come up. I covered with giant impact craters.
need you to go right back out again.” Ursa, the only colony on the planet,
has been constructed in one of
Anastasia saw Marcus twitch. them.”
Too much time on the outer planets
made him unhappy. She never really “Ana, this is your neck of the woods.
understood why. What do we need to know?” asked
Marcus.
“Something’s up on Callisto,” con-
tinued Captain Calado. “Local scien- The moon loomed larger every
tists thought they read something minute and they were about to break
strange in the atmosphere. They atmosphere – though the thin layer
thought the epicenter was in one of of carbon dioxide and molecular oxy-
the impact craters. Naturally, they gen didn’t really mean anything in
went out to see what they could find terms of entry. Anastasia kept her
and never came back. The readings hands on the controls. “It’s a bed-
look real. The data has already been room community mostly. People do 11
uploaded to your ship.” tours elsewhere in Jupiter space
and then come back to homes here.
Marcus put down his glass. “Sir, It’s quiet. If you don’t live there, there
why us? I mean, isn’t there someone isn’t much of a reason to go there.”
closer?”
The former cop in Marcus started
“Believe it or not, Agent St. Croix, to show through. “Okay, so I’m as-
this is a busy agency. We don’t al- suming that means low crime. Any
ways have the luxury of sending who racial tensions to worry about?”
is closest. You’re between cases and
Agent Kiss is Jovian. Any other ques- “No. Callisto has about eighty thou-
tions?” sand residents who do whatever they
need to keep Ursa a nice place to live.
“What about the good news?” Most of the crime is drug smuggling,
asked Anastasia. domestic disputes, or minor property
crime, with the occasional drunken
Calado snorted. “Since when has assault. Honestly, it’s some of the
there been good news?” biggest bang for your buck property-
wise anywhere in the outer planets.”
They hadn’t even gotten out of Jarvi tore his eyes away from An-
the docks before Ursa Security met astasia long enough to relax. “That
them. Just to make a point, there is wonderful news. We’d like to mini-
were five of them. Another warm mize your exposure to the population.
Warden welcome. Our citizens prefer a quiet life, one
unhampered by the kind of concerns
The one that was clearly in charge Council agents like yourself most of-
led the pack. He had a round face and ten represent. We’ve prepared the
the kind of eyes that lied. In the past, gear you’ll need on our end, so gath-
he looked like the kind of guy who er up the rest of what you’ll need and
would have suffered from male pat- we’ll escort you there.”
There wasn’t much
choice, so the three
Wardens went back
into their Knight’s Er-
rant and headed to
the armory. Marcus
snorted. “For once,
I wish these colo-
nies weren’t so wor-
ried about whatever
crap they’re worried
about and start wor-
rying about what’s
really going on. They
do have bigger prob-
lems.”
13
“That would make
our job easier. Except
that it’s also our job
to make sure they
don’t know what’s
going on,” responded
Felius.
Felius turned and frowned. “Do He walked about another ten feet
I look new?” He took out a scanner and stopped. The others joined him,
and nudged the thing. The tendrils quickly discovering what had grabbed
swayed as if caught in a breeze. Felius’ attention. That plant was only
“Whatever it is, it’s alive. Wait, that the first. They were entering what ap-
could mean…” peared to be a forest. An alien and
foreboding forest, but a forest none-
Anastasia and Marcus stood theless.
back while Felius did something that
looked very technical. He then waited “Should we be taking samples or
patiently, until his comp beeped. “The something?” inquired Anastasia.
mist layer is actually an atmosphere.”
Felius shook his head. “I’m not
“What? How is that even possi- touching anything until we’re on our
ble?” asked Anastasia. way out.”
Anastasia lifted one of her feet and Meanwhile, Anastasia walked over
noticed something she’d missed in to investigate the speckled growth.
her shock. Things felt heavier. “Uhh, Again, it felt like she should be un-
guys? Why does it feel like I don’t derwater someplace like Europa to
need the leg weights anymore?” be seeing things like this. However,
something caught her eye behind the
The other two finally noticed as fronds – several somethings, in fact.
well. Felius took off his weights and Gently nudging the plants aside with
tried to walk. It wasn’t bad. “The gravi- her assault rifle, she saw a patch of
ty is definitely higher in here. I’d guess football-like objects, set upright in the
about half a G. And before you ask, I ground. Each was white and rough,
have no idea how that can happen.” with an almost vein-like texture.
Anastasia and Marcus followed “Tell me these don’t look like eggs,”
suit and shed their weights. The in- she said.
creased gravity made it much easier
to press forward. Felius was up like a shot. “Oh no. Of
all…” 15
There appeared to be many small-
er plants, if one could call them that, Before he could finish his sentence,
growing amongst the bigger ones. It something large charged through
was as if what they were seeing were the alien forest near them. Anas-
only the first shades of much larger tasia took a defensive stance and
things to come. looked every which way, trying to find
the thing that was most likely mom.
Not much further in, they came The others drew their firearms, too,
to what appeared to be a stream, preparing for what they knew was
though the liquid flowing down it the inevitable.
seemed to have a silvery sheen on
its surface. There was some kind of From out of the mist, something
thick growth near the bank of this wriggled. Several meaty green ten-
stream, with blue and pink speckled tacles, tipped with black talons, mov-
fronds, perhaps a little like ferns. ing with sinister purpose. Anastasia
However, the texture was wrong – could feel the chill creeping up the
more leathery. back of her legs.
Felius was the first to the stream. “Not this again,” was all she said
He knelt carefully down near the before opening up with her assault
edge, sticking some kind of device rifle, its blaze lighting up the alien for-
into it. The surface tension of the est with flash after flash.
liquid was much greater than that
of water and he had to push a little Yup. The solar system was going to
harder than normal. hell in a hand-basket.
1 Introduction
2159 AD. It is a good time to be powers that be. Mighty corporations
alive. The nations of the world still ex- marshal their resources to figure out
ist, but they have become more civi- how such things might be harnessed
lized. Countries resolve their disputes for profit. The Unified World Council
through the forum of the Unified sends out special teams of sanctioned
World Council. Colonies of mutual co- Wardens, whose job it is to ascertain
operation exist throughout the solar the new threats to human life, to learn
system. We have stretched to the edge everything they can about them, and
of our known world. fight them wherever they are found.
They are discovering that they are en-
But, alas, it is not to be our time. countered with greater frequency.
First, the following Overview chap- However, there are several condi-
ter gives you the basics in a nut-shell. tions that go with that. You must at-
You’ll learn about the setting, Charac- tribute your derivative works to us, us-
17
ing the legal text found in the front of lineage – that have all shaped the way
Chapter 1: Introduction
this book, also attributing the people of things in their own age.
who created The Void. You also may
not make any money whatsoever off Influences
of your sharing of The Void or of your Nothing is created in a vacuum.
derivative works. You must distribute There have been several excellent
your derivative works under this ex- movies and games that the creative
act same license, so that others must team would like to site as influences in
follow the same rules. After all, this is developing The Void.
a license. This means that we still own
and will protect our intellectual prop- Alien
erty, but that we want you to come This movie needs no introduction.
play in our sandbox with us. We know It’s the story of a corporate crew in-
you’re going to come up with cool structed to touch down on an unin-
things for The Void and we want to habited rock to investigate the crash
enable our community to produce as of an alien ship. They bring back a
much material as we can. creature who must kill a host to be
born. Just one such alien was enough
We want to post the best material to kill nearly every member of the Nos-
that people create under the Creative tromo’s crew. H. R. Giger’s alien design
Commons license. We’ll post it to the scared the heck out of most of us as
downloads section of our web-site so kids.
that others can find it and use it with
their games. Dead Space
Investigating a mining operation’s
Send your Creative Commons cre- distress call, Engineer Isaac Clarke
ations to creativecommons@fearthe- winds up marooned with his crashed
void.com. PDFs and word processing ship and a couple surviving crewmates.
documents are preferred. If your file is An alien virus ravages the corpses of
above 10 MB, please use a forwarding the dead, forcing him to face horrify-
service like YouSendIt. ing creatures on his quest to stay alive
long enough for rescue. Add in an an-
The Cthulhu Saga cient relic that causes homicidal mad-
You may have seen the Cthulhu Saga ness and you have a recipe for great
logo on the cover and wondered what sci-fi horror – and an awesome but
it was. The Void product line is but one controversial suit design.
in an overall saga that is designed to
take place through multiple points in Event Horizon
time. The Void is but the first of a series A ghost story in space, the story fol-
of games that take place in the same lows a crew sent out to Neptune to
universe and the same time-line, each discover the fate of the Event Horizon,
highlighting an exciting era. In the a ship that’s been missing for years. It
end, you will be able to play multiple was equipped with an experimental
Characters – or the legacy of a family gravity drive that was supposed to al-
low it to fold space-time in an effort to
cross vast interstellar distances in an
instant. It didn’t work as planned and
the ship comes back alive from a place
that can only be described as hell.
Ghosts of Mars
Police are dispatched to a mining
outpost to transport a notorious crimi- Got Feedback?
nal on a nearly terraformed Mars. They We’re all roleplayers here.
arrive to discover dead bodies and a When you’re playing The Void,
bunch of strangely acting miners. It you’re going to have feedback
turns out the former inhabitants of – whether it be questions, com-
Mars were capable of surviving as pos- ments, or the awesome stuff you
sessing microbes and are very territo- came up with while you’re play-
rial. ing. We want to hear it. You’ve
got two options. You can just
Outland fire off an e-mail to feedback@
An old-school Sean Connery film, fearthevoid.com. Alternatively,
this movie shows a more realistic pic- you can jump into the pool on
ture of colonization. It follows a mar- our forums and engage in con-
shal assigned to a corporate mining versation with both us and oth-
outpost on the Jovian Moon of Io. er players. Find them at http://
Drugs have become a part of the pro- www.reddit.com/r/TheVoidRPG/
ductivity cycle and they are beginning
to cause miners to go mad and die.
Naturally, the corporate masters don’t
want such a thing coming to light, so
In Case You Missed It
they hire hit-men to take care of the
law. In case you missed it, check Chapter 1: Introduction
out the very first page of this
Pandorum book. We’re trying out some-
A couple of crewmen wake up from thing new here and we’d really
hibernation aboard a giant spacecraft appreciate your support.
with little recollection of who they are
or what they’re supposed to be do-
ing. It seems that the ship has been
overrun by horrifying creatures who
hunt the survivors for food. Worse yet,
the reactor core is about to overload
and blow everything to smithereens.
On top of that, there are surprises for
which not even the crew is ready.
19
2 Overview
Welcome to the overview of The der the punishing heat of the Sun. The
Void. In these six pages, you’ll get an Chinese government has built the Port
idea of everything you need to know Tian mining colony inside the Chao
to play the game. If you read only these Meng-Fu crater, where it remains in
six pages and play through the teach- the shade. They mine the wealth of
ing adventure found on p. 26, you’ll be natural metals and minerals under-
able to start within about an hour of neath the surface. Life here is spartan
buying this book and sitting down to and simple, with very little in terms of
play. You will learn as you play, instead creature comforts.
of having to sit down and read the bet-
ter part of this book first. You can also Venus
skim the At a Glance sidebars through- Venus has a decidedly hellish sur-
out this book for more detailed over- face with high winds and tempera-
views of the setting and rules – a great ture in the hundreds of degrees. Five
way to learn faster. corporations control Venus, under the
nominal authority of the Venusian
The Game Administrative Body. Each corpora-
The Void is a game about humanity’s tion has utter autonomy and authority
spread into our solar system and the within their colony. However, outside
horrors we discover as we go there. It of the colony, the VAB has the final au-
is an exciting mix of Lovecraftian hor- thority. Nearly all aspects of life on Ve-
ror and hard science-fiction. nus occur underground – subsurface
colonies have been by far the cheap-
The Void is also a genre of horror est method of colonizing the planet in
known as survival horror. This genre the long term. Venusian culture is cor-
has become especially popular in porate culture, but the corporate colo-
video games, with franchises like Resi- nies offer much in the way of comforts.
dent Evil or Silent Hill. Survival horror
means that your Characters are almost Earth
always going to be in peril and fight- The nations of Earth are still pretty
ing for their lives. The world of The Void much as they have been, though some
is a dangerous place and it will require borders and centers of power always
that players are careful and clever if shift. Modern nations have become
they want their Characters to survive. more civilized and choose to resolve
their disputes through the forum of
the Unified World Council. Fortunate-
The Scope ly, the Earth suffers no more from the
The scope of The Void is our solar threat of ecological disaster, though
system. it has been damaged. Air quality has
recovered, but climates have changed
Mercury permanently in many parts of the
Mercury is a small dead world that world. There are places where it is not
slowly rotates like a pig on a spit un- safe to travel outside without special
suits, where the thinning or non-exis- with geological activity, with many
tent ozone no longer protects life from mountains and volcanoes. Bunkers
dangerous solar radiation. However, that shield visitors from the intense
the Earth is still a paradise compared radiation provide staging grounds for
to the rest of the solar system. those who wish to come and climb
the majestic mountains in a low grav-
Mars ity environment. However, there have
People thought Mars was going been some unusual reports in and
to be the new prosperous frontier. In around Jupiter space and many resi-
the beginning, the mining operations dents find themselves nervous.
proved this to be true. People flocked
to Mars. Then they discovered an in- Saturn
credibly hard and useless substance Saturn could be said to be the heart
under the surface that shut many min- of the new frontier. Over three million
ing operations down. Tourism has also residents of the Republic of Saturn live
waned in favor of more exotic locations and work here, striving daily to build
in the outer planets. Furthermore, dust their lives around the promise of a free
clogs the sky from a mysterious colli- and independent world. Rapid growth
sion of the moons. Though the only has created a strong economy built on
partly terraformed planet in the solar industry, manufacturing, mining, tour-
system, and the planet with the largest ism, and perhaps the most important
population other than Earth, the Red of Saturn’s commodities – agricul-
Planet has taken its hits and so have its ture. On Titan, Saturn’s largest moon,
people. great cities and mammoth farming
bio-domes have arisen. The city of
Jupiter Chronos has become one of the most
It is the largest planet in our solar important trade centers in the Solar
system, and the planet itself is home System, built on the need to transport
only to two large floating gas mines. Titan’s wealth of agricultural goods off
The real excitement of Jupiter is found world. Ice harvesting has also become
on the four Galilean moons – Callisto, an important industry among Saturn’s
Europa, Ganymede, and Io. Callisto moons. Other moons like Rhea play
is where many of those working on host to huge manufacturing plants
other Galilean Moons and Jupiter live, and ship yards that allow Saturn to
and it is best described as a bedroom produce bio-domes, shuttles, trans-
community. Europa is home to a giant ports, and other necessary compo-
underground saltwater ocean, with nents that sustain the colony.
its own life and ecosphere – the first
extra-terrestrial life discovered in the Uranus
history of man. Ganymede’s primary For years, the Uranus sector had
trade is tourism and entertainment. It been nothing more than a junction
is, for lack of a better analogy, the Las point for transports. That all changed
Vegas of the outer planets. Io is rife when the Wesley family founded the
21
hydrogen mining facility from Veroni- of all that, there are those who claim
ca Station. The Wesley family obtained to have heard eerie distant sounds
Chapter 2: Overview
the rights to the moons surrounding through the surface flurries, like the
Uranus and has offered them to in- songs of whales. None of these facts
dependent prospectors or corpora- are advertised by Rhodes – it would be
tions to do with as they will – as long bad for business.
as they obtain deeds for mining rights
from Wesley Corp. Given that Uranus Pluto
has no solid surface, the only colony Across the solar system nearly every
for Uranus proper is Veronica Station planet and moon has felt the presence
– the mining facility run by John Paul of humanity. Not so with Pluto. The
Wesley to extract molecular hydrogen planet has made it clear that it wishes
from the atmosphere. Law is officially to be left free of man’s company. There
maintained by the internal security have been attempts, many of them,
supplied by the Wesley family. How- over the years. Most expeditions have
ever, being much like the gold rush never made it to the surface and those
towns of the old west on Earth, law that did never last. Even satellites and
is very often handled as an personal probes last only a few hours at best be-
matter between prospectors. fore their signals are lost. Pluto wishes
to be left alone and thus far human-
Neptune ity has found itself a distant observer.
Neptune, the last planet of our so- In recent years, that observation has
lar system, is so far into space that it is increased ten-fold. More recently,
thirty times the distance of the Earth however, the small world has begun
to the burning Sun. Wind is a near con- exhibiting even more bizarre and inex-
stant on Neptune – the average daily plicable behavior – the orbit of Pluto
winds range from 45 mph to nearly has been changing. There is no known
the speed of sound. Unsurprisingly, cause that science can find for its be-
the only colony on Neptune’s surface havior.
is underground. Salacia is the primary
and only colony on Neptune It is a Kuiper Belt
mining colony, as the planet produces Past the distant planet of Neptune
diamonds, the most precious gem in lies a thick band of rock, dust and ice
the solar system. Salacia is a joint op- known as the Kuiper Belt – the new
eration of the European Federation frontier of the solar system. Prospec-
and the Rhodes Company – a firm with tors go to this distant place to make
long roots in the diamond business their mark on the solar system. Many
and the fabulous wealth that goes explorers have found massive depos-
with it. Over the last few years, strange its that have netted them finder’s fees
things have become commonplace on that allowed them to retire in style.
Neptune. Many people have started to Many more, however, have simply van-
have intense nightmares – insomnia ished never to be heard from again.
(or sleep aids) are an epidemic. People While there is great promise in the
also have started to go missing from Belt, there is also great danger.
time to time, without any trace. On top
Technology Weapons are still predominantly
The Void is a couple hundred years chemically or magnetically propelled,
into the future. In terms of its influenc- though computerized advancements
es, the setting is approximately equiv- make them more accurate, powerful,
alent to the technology presented in and capable than ever before. Despite
such movies as Aliens or Event Horizon the detente that exists in most places
– though confined to our solar system. in the universe, it is still not entirely a
period of peace. Therefore, the powers
Space travel is perhaps the single that be still spend exorbitant sums of
most important technological ad- money on weapons research, so the
vancement in the setting. Transit technology of “defense” continues for-
drives can propel ships across the ward.
void at speeds formerly not possible.
Travel from Earth to Neptune takes Characters
only several months instead of twelve The Void supports playing pretty
years. Passengers must seal them- much any kind of Character that one
selves in suspended animation inside might expect in the setting, but steers
specially designed gravity-mitigating players towards playing as Wardens,
chambers to survive acceleration and agents of the Unified World Council
deceleration – which means they un- special commission. That way, their
fortunately lose time every time they Characters already have reason to
travel, unaware of what might occur in travel around the solar system and the
the vacuum in the interim. resources that allow them to do so.
Computers have continued to be- While many associate aliens with sci-
come smaller and more powerful. fi, all characters in The Void are human,
People travel with small portable with some variation based on world or
body-computers that are capable of colony of birth.
feats that seem like magic. Augment-
ed reality is commonplace, and in fact
Character Components
Chapter 2: Overview
necessary for many aspects of society.
Robotics and nanotechnology have Characters in The Void are made up
taken over manufacturing, as well as of several key mechanical pieces. They
many menial jobs, forcing people to have Attributes and Skills, which are
become educated to take on more commonplace to modern roleplay-
skilled professions. ing games. They also have Qualities,
which represent innate Advantages
Medical technology has advanced and Disadvantages (with several that
to a point where nearly all hereditary are specifically flavored for the unique
disease has been cured. There are few setting), as well as Talents, which rep-
illnesses that plague humanity. Even resent cool things to help define the
limbs and organs can be replaced Character even further. Together, they
through limited cloning technology. create diverse Characters, even among
People live longer and are healthier all-Warden groups, with plenty of
than ever before. room to customize and grow.
23
Characters grow through a free- solar system. Their third, last, and per-
form method of point-based character haps most distasteful duty, is to keep
Chapter 2: Overview
25
3 Teaching Adventure
27
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
the team a transport to move them that sidearms are better choices than
around. assault rifles and heavy body armor,
when dealing with civilians.
The Wardens have booked pas-
sage for the Characters on a regu- The Red Planet
larly scheduled transport between
Earth and Mars, which leaves in sev- At a Glance
eral hours. The trip from Earth to Mars Having arrived on Mars, the Charac-
takes an average of fourteen days. ters begin investigating the Pandora’s
During the trip, all passengers must be Hope and its crew. The investigation
in grav bed stasis for acceleration and can take them from the Docking Port
deceleration – which is the entire trip. at the top of the space elevator, to the
Mariner Valley colony on the surface.
Extra Gear
If the characters want any extra For the Players
gear, they can requisition supplies on Disembarking the ship at Mars,
the Eye. Depending on how large the there are signs for the Dockmaster’s
gear is, and how dangerous it is, they office, Longshoreman’s Union, and
may be cautioned against tipping Transit Centers. While the transport
their hand to the civilians. There is also docked in the tourist section, it is
a Warden station on Mars which they clear that most work on the station
will be able to requisition supplies is done with the freighters. Holopro-
from, once they have a better grasp on jectors show the news and weather
what they may be dealing with. information for the Mariner Valley
far below, along with a projection
Special Notes of the space station, tethered to the
The Wardens have three ground ground by a massive elevator cable.
rules:
Everywhere you look, the space
1. Investigate Unknown or Occult is very organized and well-used.
threats. There are no vast expanses, or large
2. Contain and eliminate the threats. waiting areas. The only section that
3. Keep the population from finding looks like it is wide open is the cen-
out. ter ring of the station. It is laced with
storefronts on either side, but has
During this scene, the Captain can space for ten people walking side by
remind them of these rules. They give side. Camera nodes jut out promi-
the Wardens vast authority through- nently, clearly showing that every-
out the solar system, and they can req-
thing in the area is being recorded.
uisition nearly anything that is needed
to uphold the charter. The need for
If the characters go to the Dockmas-
secrecy often keeps Wardens from
ter’s office:
showing up armed to the teeth until
Following the signs, it is easy to find
they are ready to engage a threat. This
the Dockmaster’s office. It is a cramped
can be a good reminder for players
space with several uniformed men
and women sitting at the back of the Making Skill Tests
office with headsets on, monitoring A Skill Test is made by having
computers. At the front of the office the player roll a pool of six-sided
two men are reviewing a schedule on dice equal to the appropriate
a tablet and making changes. A large Skill and associated Attribute.
window shows the red glow of Mars, Each die that comes up a five or
blocked by a massive freighter and six is a Success. If the total num-
several shuttles. ber of Successes meets or beats
the difficulty of the Test, then
The older of the two looks up at you the Character succeeds. This
and barks with a gravelly voice, “identi- process is used for all Skill Tests.
fication and travel papers...please.”
Example: Alexis has a Investi-
Behind the Scenes gate skill of 2 and an Awareness
Mars is the primary investigation (the Linked Attribute for Investi-
spot for the Wardens to find out what gate) of 4. She rolls 6d6 and gets a
happened to the Hope until they ac- total of two fives and sixes on the
tually get to Chiron. If the Characters dice, generating two Successes.
get lost or feel that they don’t know The difficulty for this test is Aver-
where to go next, they can contact the age (2), so Alexis succeeds. If the
Warden outpost on Mars. The Warden GM had ruled that the Difficulty
outpost’s field officer has been able to was Hard, then Alexis would have
track down some of the crew hang- failed the test.
outs during their shoreleave.
29
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
Visiting the Dockmaster office, but it is not designed for having
The Dockmaster’s office is directly more than one person in it. The dock-
off of the promenade, along the outer master will doubt that the Wardens
ring where the station is spun for grav- have any secrets that they are going to
ity. Dockmaster Higgins and his staff share with him that cannot be told to
work in the office on a standard eight his staff.
hour shift, but will come into the office
on off hours to accommodate shuttles He remembers the Hope berthing
arriving and departing. Like every- on the station. It was loaded with stan-
where else on the station, space is a dard medical supplies and foodstuffs,
premium and the office has a cramped along with spare parts for different
feeling. If the Characters identify pieces of equipment in the colony. Hig-
themselves as Wardens, Higgins will gins spoke with the Captain at length
ask for them to step down to the end during loading, as the Captian wanted
of the counter to talk. He has a private to make sure that everything was bal-
anced properly. Acceleration
to the Outer System requires
the entire crew to sleep in grav
couches for a week, and it is
not the time when you want a
container to shift.
31
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
Rue d’Auseil Visiting in the evening, the club is
At the height of the Mariner Valley busy, though not packed. There are
colony, the Rue d’Auseil was a lively two bouncers working the door. The
jazz club. In the years following the bouncers won’t allow anyone inside
economic collapse, the owner began with obvious weapons or body armor,
to borrow his way out of debt, finally though a knife or pistol under a coat
ending up owing more than the club is fine. Inside, a live band plays jazz
was worth to the local mafia. The ma- mixed with a little bit of monologuing
fiosos made a deal, give them all of the from the lead singer. There is a small
profits and the authority to run it their dancefloor where patrons are groov-
way, and they would let him stay on ing. Looking around the club (an Av-
to collect a small salary and manage erage Notice Test), the Characters will
everything. The local Warden outpost spot Criswell at the bar talking with
is aware of this, but since it isn’t any- the bartenders as they work.
thing supernatural, they let it be. If the
Characters ask the outpost about the Criswell will not want to leave the
Rue d’Auseil, they will be told that it is club with the Characters, especially if
a mafia-front for money laundering, they identify themselves as Wardens.
gambling, and drugs. There are hun- They can choose to arrest him, but will
dreds of patrons each week, who don’t have to tell him why. Alternatively, the
know about the influence and are not Intimidation or Persuade Skills may
involved in the gambling or drugs. convince Criswell to talk with them in
the back room of the club. Any active
Identifying themselves as Wardens violence against Criswell in the club
will immediately set the attitude of will attract the attention of the bounc-
all the employees to Unfriendly. (See ers.
the Special Notes in this section and p.
127 for more details on Attitude.) The Interrogating Criswell – either po-
Characters making it clear that they litely or through more direct means
don’t care about the mafia activities, – will get Criswell to tell them that
will begin to salvage the situation and he worked as the intermediary for a
a Persuade Test can set the attitude deal between the Miners Guild and
back to Ambivalent. Commander Roslin. The Chiron sta-
tion was being sent a supply of “Sub-
Visiting the club during the daytime, stance Thirteen.” It is illegal to possess
the Characters will find it nearly aban- on Mars, but the outer worlds and
doned. There is a small team of janito- corporate colonies haven’t prohibited
rial staff cleaning, and four bar-backs it. The drug increases the metabo-
working to restock the bar and kitchen lism rate of the user for several hours,
before the evening shift arrives. Show- meaning they are more productive at
ing pictures of Commander Roslin will physical tasks. The downside is that
result in blank stares and no answers. the drug makes the user exceptionally
The rat-faced man will be identified as tired afterwards so they sleep for ten
Jackie Criswell. He is a regular guest to twelve hours. The Miners Guild uses
and a friend of the manager. the drug to keep remote populations
under control, and limit risk of mutiny. Research on “Substance Thirteen”
Criswell doesn’t have any more of it, (an Average Computer or Hard Inves-
he sent all four cases with Roslin and tigate Test) supports Criswell’s claims.
Adar. Because drug trafficking isn’t The drug is illegal in the Inner System,
part of the Warden mission, he hopes though prosecution from Mars out-
that telling them will get the Wardens ward is almost non-existent. The side-
to leave him be. As a bag runner for effects besides exhaustion, include
the Mafia, he has enough legal ties to black-outs, amnesia, and sleep walk-
beat the drug charges since there is no ing.
proof that he ever had the drugs in his
possession. Special Notes
During investigations, there will
Jackie Criswell often be a lot of talking with various
A rat-faced Caucasian man, Criswell people. Depending on the preference
is a bag-runner for the local mafia. He is of the GM and players, this legwork
also secretly a member of the Children – where the Characters talk with con-
of the Void, a murderous cult. Using tacts and informants – can be done
his underworld connections, Criswell in-character through roleplaying or
has managed to begin adding special by making Social Tests. While roleplay-
substances into various drugs. None of ing is encouraged, the Social Combat
the patrons or employees of the Rue system is provided for groups that do
d’Auseil know of his connection to the not have players who enjoy all of the
Children. talking, or for players who may trip
over their own words in ways that their
Attributes: Awr 4, Clv 4, Dem 3, Gra 3, Characters would not.
Psv 2, Phy 3
Health: 10 Most NPCs begin at a Ambivalent
Key Skills: Deception 4, Fraternize 3, attitude, though situational modifi-
33
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
The GM assigns an Average Difficulty for stasis for the entire voyage, they can
the bartender’s attitude. Andreas will arrange for different transport, but it
learn two facts about Commander Ros- will take an extra week before the War-
lin, one for the initial difficulty, and one dens can arrange a shuttle with suffi-
more for beating the Test by one Success. cient life support systems for the team
to be in staterooms.
Next Stop, Chiron
The journey will take 84 days to
At a Glance complete, with the crew in gravstasis
Armed with information about the for seven days at the beginning and
Freighter, the Wardens arrange for end of the journey for acceleration
transport from Mars to Chiron. Due and deceleration.
to the length of the journey, the only
vessel they can secure quickly requires Danger on the Horizon
grav stasis.
At a Glance
For the Players The Wardens are awoken a few hours
Climbing into the grav couches, before arrival at Chiron. The transport
the crew helps you to attach the bio- has slowed down to docking speed
monitoring systems that will watch and is approaching the large asteroid.
as you are in stasis. They assure you There is substantial debris trapped in
that the systems are perfectly safe, the gravity well of Chiron.
running through an internal script
that they have told thousands of For the Players
passengers before you. Coming out of stasis, your body
aches as each muscle comes back
As the lid of the bed closes down to life with the sensation of pins
over you, small lights turn on along and needles. There isn’t much time
the length of the bed. There is a to adapt, as klaxons sound and you
sensation of drowning as the grav feel the ship shake as something
couch fills with fluid. The computer hits it. The voice of the captain
screen above you displays a mes- comes over the loudspeaker.
sage from Warden Command, “The
nearest backup team is thirty two “We are on final approach to Chi-
days out from your call.” ron. There is substantial debris. Pas-
sengers please report to the briefing
With that final note, darkness room immediately. All crew begin
overtakes you. decompression inspection.”
35
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
1. The deck plates have stopped pro- are no signs of damage or the min-
viding any sense of gravity. While ers- – until you reach the habitat
working on Chiron, until power ring. Here, miners are half into
is restored, Freefall Tests may be vacsuits, and wearing emergency
called for when traversing large breathers. It appears that there was
spaces, or performing complex sudden decompression and several
physical actions. of the miners were caught in the
2. There are no lights or life support vacuum. Looking closer, many of
systems on-line. Spacesuits pro- the suits show punctures and the
vide eight hours of breathable air, throats of several miners were slit.
which should be plenty of time for The corpses are floating, preserved
the Wardens to scout the area and by the vacuum of space.
determine if it is safe for their ves-
sel to land. If the suit is breached, Behind the Scenes
the inner suit will provide roughly When Pandora’s Hope docked, the
one hour of breathable air. Ad- crew of the freighter was infected
ditional damage can reduce this with Myriad (see p. 208) because of
time further. Because of flash- drug usage. The Myriad-infected crew-
lights, GMs can apply vision pen- men swarmed off the ship and began
alties for partial lighting. to slaughter all of the miners. During
3. None of the hatches or doorways their murderous rage, several small ex-
respond to the automatic sen- plosive devices caused emergency de-
sors. Manual overrides are clearly compression. Damage response crews
labeled and do not require any went into action before the alarm
technical knowledge to operate. could be sounded that the colony was
In combat though, opening or under attack.
closing a hatch takes an Involved
Action. As the team moves through the
area, they will find extensive damage
Terror 101 to the outer surface of the colony. It
is possible to seal several bulkheads
At a Glance and block off areas that are exposed
Entering through the docking port, to vacuum. Until that happens, the life
there are no immediate signs of dan- support system will not be capable of
ger. Later into the colony, the Wardens re-establishing an atmosphere. The
find corpses in partial vacsuits or with lack of atmosphere is keeping the
breathers on. All of the corpses have bodies from decomposing, and has ef-
been torn limb from limb. fectively freeze-dried all of them.
37
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
had succumbed to space madness, Beyond the infected crew, a Karrak’in
trying to break in. (see p. 204) has begun eating through
sections of the hull.
By the time the Characters have
arrived on scene, the survivors are a For the Players
wreck. They are all still alive, but will Approaching the docking bay
not respond to banging on the door where the Hope is berthed, the signs
and will begin to panic. Short range of violence become even stronger.
comunications are impossible be- Viscera floats in the vacuum, and
cause of the radiation coming from there are dozens of corpses in the
Pandora’s Hope, but the Wardens can hallways. Some appear to have
re-establish the atmosphere in one of taken their masks off and begun
the adjacent rooms to the survivors. feeding on the entrails of their vic-
Once pressure has been re-estab- tims – not realizing that they were
lished, sound will carry through the suffocating in the void of space. In
walls. If this is done, the Characters the airlock, two bodies float limply.
can make Persuade Tests to talk with Something appears to have melted
the survivors and explain the situation. their spacesuits from the inside,
Alternatively, they can cut through the spreading from sternum all the way
doors if they have the appropriate down to a knee. With the suit eaten
tools. Cutting through the doors, with- away, you can see organs and bone
out first sealing the area will result in clearly visible within the cavity that
sudden decompression of the storage used to be their body.
area and galley. This will kill the survi-
vors, as they do not have breathers or Behind the Scenes
space suits. Moving aboard the ship, it will be-
come obvious that something went
Special Notes horribly wrong on the freighter. Sever-
This can be a socially heavy scene. al of the grav couches have been dam-
Refer to p. 33 as needed to review in- aged, with cracks and burn marks as if
formation about Social Combat. All hammers and acetylene torches were
of the survivors are no longer well taken to the beds. There are still the
and will need extensive psychologi- corpses of crew members inside many
cal counseling to be brought back to of the beds. The Myriad-infected crew
normal. If the Characters choose to cut are adapted to very low-levels of oxy-
through the hatch, have them make a gen, and are primarily feeding off the
Hard Horror Test as they realize what corpses to get the necessary amino ac-
they’ve done. ids and proteins to stay alive. Some of
the life support systems are still func-
The Other Survivors tioning to refill air tanks, which keeps
the infected crew moving.
At a Glance
The crewmembers of the Hope are As the Characters begin to move
no longer what they appear to be. through the ship, the Hope’s crew will
start to rally and attack the Wardens.
The infected crew attacks like a ra- Characters also have Tension and
bid swarm, with improvised knives, Fate Points. Tension Points can be used
clubs, and spears. (Treat all damage as for a variety of uses, with a price. Fate
1d6, expect for special attacks) Many Points are for Characters to use to save
of the tools look like sections of the their lives in the face of certain death.
ship have been ripped apart to create For full rules see p. 138 & 217 and p.
them. 123.
39
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
Once on board, they can either use
Making Combat Tests the bridge communication system,
• Initiative: Awareness + which is in full view of the captain and
Reaction crew, to discuss matters with Warden
• Attack: (Weapon Skill) + command, or send a message packet
(Linked Attribute) which will have a lag time in the mes-
• Defense: Grace + Defense sage. The message packet will, if all
goes well, be answered in a few hours.
If the total of an Attack roll is A Persuade Test can also be made to
equal to or higher than the De- convince the Captain and his crew to
fense roll of the target, the at- leave the bridge while the Characters
tack is successful. The more that speak to Warden command. It is likely
an Attack roll beats the Defense, that the crew will have an unpleasant
the more damage is done. The reaction if they learn the truth.
difference between the rolls is
called the Damage Bonus. Chiron’s Communication System
The long-range communications
• Doing Damage: (Weapon array is functional, but it doesn’t have
Damage) + Damage Bo- any power. When the Hope docked, it
nus – Target’s Armor. appears that the crew sabotaged the
power relays. The primary generator
Example: Alexis and Andras are will need to bypass the damaged sec-
sparring, with full contact. They tions. This can be done with the spare
roll Initiative, and Alexis gets one parts that were being transported on
Success, while Andras gets two. the Hope, and a Hard Engineering:
Power Systems Test. It will take several
Andras attacks first, because hours to complete the bypass, then
his initiative is higher. He uses his build up power in the reactor. Any sec-
sparring knife and gets three Suc- tions that are sealed from the vacuum
cesses. (Hand Weapons: Blades 2 of space, will also pressurize and the
+ Grace 5 = 7d6) Alexis attempts gravplates will activate in sections that
to dodge the blow and gets 1 are not bypassed.
Success on her Defense. (Defense
2 + Grace 3 = 5d6). His attack Repairing the Freighter
was successful, and he earns a Presuming the Characters have
Damage Bonus of 2 dice. Andras managed to clear out the infected
rolls 1d6 of damage for his blade, crew members and Karrak’in aboard
+2 dice for the Damage Bonus, the Pandora’s Hope, there will be little
+1 die for his Physique, and -10 stopping them from ransacking the
points for Alexis’ armored coat. ship’s holds for spare parts to fix the re-
(3d6 = 14) Andras does 4 points of actor. The long-range communications
damage to Alexis. array has been destroyed aboard the
freighter, presumably by the Karrak’in.
It is now Alexis’ turn to act. However, the freighter’s transit drive
is strong enough to leave Chiron and
make the journey back to Mars, or the markings of the Cult of the Void, and
nearby Saturn and Uranus. To repair it appears that someone within the
the fusion reactor shielding requires a Martian underworld has joined with
Hard Engineering: Power Systems Test. the cult. This connection can take the
Alternately, they can eject the fusion Wardens back to Mars, to speak with
reactor into space with the emergency Jackie Criswell and launch a long-term
systems. The downside to this is that campaign investigating the cult.
without the fusion reactor, the freight-
er will not have power for life support As a GM, foreshadowing events and
systems and be incapable of pushing connecting things across missions,
off the surface of Chiron. provides an overarching storyline and
vision. While the events do not need
Once the Wardens have restored to have blatant ties, hinting at them
communications, they can call for and then allowing realization later will
backup and report what happened. make the game more cohesive.
Warden Command will remind the
Characters to contain the creatures Heading Home
aboard Pandora’s Hope and provide
a cover story to the survivors aboard At a Glance
Chiron. If the Characters cannot come With communications restored, the
up with anything, Captain Dearborn Miner’s Guild sends out a repair team
will suggest a variation on the truth to fix the habitat. The Wardens are told
– the crew suffered a psychotic break to vacate before they arrive. A Warden-
brought on by illegal narcotics. While approved crew is dispatched to fly the
tragic, it was no different than an ad- freighter out, and the Characters are
dict on a rampage on Earth. called back for their next assignment.
They are ordered to move any corps- For the Players
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
es of the miners or crewmembers on You receive a message from Cap-
to the freighter before releasing the tain Dearborn after he has had a
survivors, to avoid any possible con- chance to review the information
tamination or infection. you transmitted to Warden com-
mand. He looks tired and has read-
Special Notes ing glasses on.
The infection can serve as a jump-
ing point for continued missions or “Well done Wardens. Seal the
investigations for the Warden team. hatches to the Hope and return to
Additional investigation into how the Mars for debriefing. I have expe-
infection spread can be found in the dited a recovery team from the Um-
freighter’s logs. The First Officer spread brella, to collect the freighter. The
a few doses out amongst the crew, to Miner’s Guild is also sending out
see how ship performance would be a new batch of miners and repair
affected or improved. Unfortunately, technicians to restore the Chiron
there were Myriads (see p. 208) in sus- base. It was requested that our as-
pension within the drug. The drug has
41
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
sets be removed before they arrive Behind the Scenes
– that means you have three days This is the end of the assignment.
to wrap anything up that you have If the Characters have anything they
left and get moving. We don’t even want to do on the mining base, or ad-
want residual transit traces left for ditional hooks added by the Game-
them to complain about. Thank master – such as what is in the mine
you.” – now is the time to address them, and
then get back for their next assign-
With that, the message termi- ment.
nates.
There are four Characters included for this adventure – two Warden En-
forcers, one Warden Investigator, and one Warden Researcher. However,
they all each have other important roles as well.
43
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
Phillip Boganda
Ethnicity: African
Homeworld: Europa – Europans are often careful,
thoughtful, intellectual people, who are also quite
curious.
Age: 34
Profession: Warden Researcher
Physical Description: Bald, Brown Eyes, Tall
Personality Traits: Focused, Strange
Attributes:
Awareness 4 Statistics:
Cleverness 5 Health 9
Demeanor 2 Speed 10 mph
Grace 4 Walk 8 yd/turn
Perseverance 3 Run 25 yd/turn
Physique 2
Special:
Fate Points1
Skills:
Skill (Attribute) Rating/Pool
Bureaucracy (Clv) 2/7
Communications (Clv) 1/6
Computers (Clv) 1/6
Cryptozoology (Clv) 2/7
Defense (Gra) 2/6
Drive: Wheeled (Gra) 1/6
Engineer: Basic Drives (Clv) 3/8
Engineer: Electrical (Clv) 2/7
Engineer: Life Support (Clv) 3/8
Engineer: Power Systems (Clv) 3/8 Qualities:
Engineer: Transit Drive (Clv) 2/7 Double-Jointed
Guns: Handgun (Gra) 2/6 Dream Void
Investigate (Awr) 2/6 Internal Clock
Language: English (Clv) 3/8 Luck (3)
Language: Mandarin Chinese (Clv) 2/7 Phobia (Vacuum)
Law (Clv) 2/7 Slow
Medicine: Physical (Clv) 3/8
Medicine: Psychological (Clv) 2/7 Quirks:
Occult (Clv) 3/8 Bartending (Clv) 2/7
Reaction (Awr) 2/6 Whistle in Tune (Awr) 2/6
Science: Earth (Clv) 2/7
Science: Life (Clv) 2/7 Talents:
Choose either: Deeply Weird or
Weapons: Know Where Your Towel Is
ACC-62 Bandit Pistol – 3d6 Damage, Mag. 9
Damage: Armor:
01-09: Bruised (-1 to all Actions) Warden Armor (10/5)
10-18: Battered (-2 to all Actions)
19-27: Hurt (-4 to all Actions, Half Movement)
28-36: Incapacitated (Unconscious)
37+: Dead
Alexis Vasquez
Ethnicity: Mexican
Homeworld: Mars – Martians are often hardy and resource-
ful people, though somewhat resigned about life – possibly
even bitter.
Age: 29
Profession: Warden Enforcer
Physical Description: Brown Hair, Brown Eyes, Muscular
Personality Traits: Determined, Self-Righteous
Attributes: Statistics:
Awareness 4 Health 12
Cleverness 2 Speed 16 mph
Demeanor 2 Walk 13 yd/turn
Grace 3 Run 40 yd/turn
Perseverance 5
Physique 4 Special:
Fate Points1
Skills:
Skill (Attribute) Rating/Pool
Athletics: Fitness (Psv) 2/7
Communications (Clv) 2/4
Computers (Clv) 2/4
Defense (Gra) 2/5
Drive: Tracked (Gra) 1/4
Environmental Suit (Awr) 2/6
Hand Weapons: Blades (Gra) 3/6
Guns: Assault Weapons (Awr) 2/6
Guns: Handgun (Awr) 3/7
Guns: Longarms (Awr) 3/7
Heavy Weapons: Portable Artillery (Awr) 2/6 Qualities:
Intimidation (Dem) 3/5 Fast
Weapons:
ACC-62 Bandit Pistol– 3d6 Damage, Mag. 9 Talents:
Combat Shotgun – 5d6 Damage, Mag. 6 Choose either: Born in Freefall
SM-12 Hornet SMG – 4d6 Damage, Mag. 16, Auto 3 (8 rounds) or Snake Eyes
Combat Knife– 1d6 Damage
Armor:
Damage: Warden Armor (10/5)
01-12: Bruised (-1 to all Actions)
13-24: Battered (-2 to all Actions)
25-36: Hurt (-4 to all Actions, Half Movement)
37-48: Incapacitated (Unconscious)
49+: Dead
45
Chapter 3: Teaching Adventure
Andras Kotova
Ethnicity: Russian
Homeworld: Ganymede – Ganymedans are often extro-
verted and clever, no strangers to the ebbs and flows of
nearly any strata of society. They are often also known for
thinking several steps ahead and nearly always trying to
work an angle.
Age: 30
Profession: Warden Enforcer
Physical Description: Black Hair, Hazel Eyes, Brooding
Personality Traits: Cynical, Humorless
Attributes: Statistics:
Awareness 4 Health 10
Cleverness 2 Speed 16 mph
Demeanor 4 Walk 13 yd/turn
Grace 5 Run 40 yd/turn
Perseverance 2
Physique 3 Special:
Fate Points1
Skills:
Skill (Attribute) Rating/Pool
Athletics: Coordination (Gra) 2/7
Cryptozoology (Clv) 3/5
Deception (Dem) 2/6
Defense (Gra) 3/8
Drive: Military (Gra) 1/6
Drive: Wheeled (Gra) 1/6
Environmental Suit (Awr) 1/5
Fraternize (Dem) 2/6
Qualities:
Freefall (Gra) 1/6
Nightvision
Guns: Assault Weapons (Awr) 2/6
Rapid Recovery
Guns: Handguns (Awr) 3/7
Darkness Magnet
Guns: Longarms (Awr) 2/6
Tough (2)
Guns: Special (Awr) 2/6
Vengeful
Hand Weapons: Blades (Gra) 2/7
Heavy Weapons: Launchers (Awr) 2/6
Insight (Awr) 1/5 Quirks:
Language: English (Clv) 3/5 Clean Spotlessly (Gra) 2/6
Law (Clv) 1/3 Car Knowledge (Clv) 2/4
Notice (Awr) 3/7
Reaction (Awr) 3/7
Stealth (Gra) 3/8 Talents:
Streetwise (Dem) 3/7 Choose either: Double Tap or
Tactics: Military (Clv) 1/3 Killer Instinct
Weapons:
ACC-62 Bandit Pistol– 3d6 Damage, Mag. 9 Armor:
Combat Shotgun – 5d6 Damage, Mag. 6 Warden Armor (10/5)
SM-12 Hornet SMG – 4d6 Damage, Mag. 16, Auto 3 (8 rounds)
Flamethrower – 5d6 Damage, Mag. 15
Combat Knife– 1d6 Damage
Damage:
01-14: Bruised (-1 to all Actions)
15-28: Battered (-2 to all Actions)
29-42: Hurt (-4 to all Actions, Half Movement)
43-56: Incapacitated (Unconscious)
57+: Dead
Wei Li
Ethnicity: Chinese
Homeworld: Uranus – Uranians are often hard-working and
tenacious, but are distrustful of newcomers and in the habit of
watching their backs.
Age: 33
Profession: Warden Investigator
Physical Description: Black Hair, Brown Eyes, Stylish
Personality Traits: Pragmatic, Unreadable
Attributes: Statistics:
Awareness 4 Health 10
Cleverness 4 Speed 14 mph
Demeanor 2 Walk 11.5 yd/turn
Grace 4 Run 35 yd/turn
Perseverance3
Physique 3 Special:
Fate Points1
Skills:
Skill (Attribute) Rating/Pool
Communications (Clv) 2/6
Computers (Clv) 2/6
Cryptozoology (Clv) 2/6
Defense (Gra) 2/6
Explosives (Clv) 2/6
Environmental Suit (Awr) 1/5
Freefall (Gra) 1/5
Guns: Handguns (Gra) 2/6 Qualities:
Hand Weapons: Blades (Gra) 2/6 Common Sense
Insight (Awr) 1/5 Eidetic Memory
Investigate (Awr) 3/7 Peripheral Vision
Language: English (Clv) 3/7 Persistent Injury (1)
Language: Mandarin Chinese (Clv) 2/6
Damage:
01-10: Bruised (-1 to all Actions)
11-20: Battered (-2 to all Actions)
21-30: Hurt (-4 to all Actions, Half Movement)
31-40: Incapacitated (Unconscious)
41+: Dead
47
B The Hulk
The Squire’s Penance slid silently Standing, arms clasped behind her,
through the mist-enshrouded rock Warden Captain Aiko Hayata stud-
and ice that made up the Fog Bank, ied the smaller ship. She glanced to
an aptly named region of the Kuiper her right where Lt. John Stanse was
Belt. It got such a name from a con- scanning a display. On the flex panel,
vergence of especially strong, relative- schematics hovered in the middle
ly speaking, solar winds. These winds of a myriad of text and charts. With-
scoured the surfaces of the hundreds out glancing up, John reported, “The
of iceroids that dominated the region. smaller ship looks like it’s the one
The frozen gases that were torn away 4G sent to figure out why their min-
gave the appearance of mist rising off ing barge had gone silent. There are
the icy rocks. The especially dense na- no heat or power readings. By all ap-
ture of the stellar bodies in this part of pearances it’s completely open to the
48 the Kuiper Belt also meant that there
were just enough gravitic forces that
vacuum. Comms and transponder are
likewise not transmitting.”
the icy dust tended to stick around.
While it’s true that one could see a “What about the Mammoth?” Aiko
couple hundred klicks into the field, it inquired.
was downright soupy compared to the
rest of the solar system. “Its comms and transponder are
also both dead. However, I’m getting
In the distance, the target of the heat and power readings off her. Hon-
Squire was visible through the icy estly Hayata, I suspect that if anyone’s
mist. A massive Forge-class mining alive on that ship, they have no idea we
barge, supposedly operating in the are here,” responded John.
region for almost three months, was
parked above an especially large as- Aiko tried to stifle a grin when John
teroid. Three weeks ago, communi- referred to her by her surname. He
cations from the vessel had stopped knew it was more the custom in her
altogether. Less than a week prior to native Japan to refer to someone by
that, the refueling barge Welcome Re- their surname. While she didn’t mind
lief had topped off the larger ship and when others called her Aiko, she did
reported to its corporate owners that appreciate her friend’s efforts. Truth
everything was normal. Now, strange- be told, it was those little things that
ly, a smaller ship floated nearby the attracted her, but that was a secret
derelict drifting barge. As the Squire she’d keep to herself. To do otherwise
closed in, it became obvious that all would be inappropriate – not to men-
the external hatches were wide open tion improper.
– the smaller ship had been vented to
the cold void of open space. “I think it’s better they don’t know
we’re here.” She paused a moment,
49
then said, “Everyone get suited up. last order towards Marco Bianchi, the
Let’s assume that at least part of the wiry pilot.
Mammoth is open to the vacuum as
well, or could easily become that way. The smaller Knight’s Errant slid
Marco, get us docked as close to the up next to the giant mining barge. A
ring as you can.” Aiko directed this docking tunnel extended out from the
ship, connecting the two as automat- not something the general public was
ed systems on the barge locked the ready to accept. It was difficult enough
tunnel in place. The team donned the explaining the things that could not be
lightly armored vacc suits that were hidden away, like the bizarre behavior
unique to their agency. Each colored of Pluto or the strange changes oc-
in the traditional black and red of the curring on some moons. Telling them
Warden uniform, these suits were the that an explosive decompression trag-
most advanced available in the solar edy was caused by a delusion-inducing
system. They provided them a modi- tentacle-armed creature would cause
cum of protection from bullets, knives, unwanted panic.
and the unfortunately not-so-occasion-
al claw, while not compromising their Looking at her team, Aiko said,
agility like many of the more traditional “John, take Marco to the bridge and
armored vacuum suits did. see what you can find out. I’ll take Jen-
ny and Rashim to check out the crew
With a whoosh of pressurized air, quarters. Keep in contact, reports ev-
the airlock leading into the Mammoth ery five minutes.”
50 cycled open. Automated lights flick-
ered to life in the cramped confines of The atmosphere in the ship read
the tunnel. The lock of the large ship as safe, if somewhat stuffy. It was
was too small as far as Aiko was con- likely the CO2 scrubbers had not been
cerned and it took two cycles for the properly cleaned in over a week. As
entire team to make it inside the ship. they split, the Wardens snapped back
This was not a tactical situation the the faceplates of their vacc suits to
senior Warden would have chosen. better sense their environment. John
One never knew what was going to be and Marco moved forward towards
encountered on missions like this and the bow of the barge, while Aiko and
splitting the team up right off the bat the others made their way back to-
was never a sound move. wards the access ports that would
lead them to the crew quarters. Such
While there were those who be- accommodations were situated in the
lieved that the Wardens were just an- rotating ring that provided the crew
other extension of the Unified World some form of genuine gravity.
Council’s influence in the solar sys-
tem, the truth was much more sig-
nificant than that. Not everything that
happened in the domain of humanity, “At least the deck’s energized,”
especially in the more remote regions, Marco commented, as the pair moved
was easily explained – these were the cautiously forward, assault rifles at
things that the Wardens were tasked the ready. Despite the zero-g environ-
with investigating. Also, unfortunately ment, the decks created a field which
in many cases, they had to hide the interacted with special plates in the
truth from the masses. Aiko herself soles of their boots and with threads
knew that much of what she had that were integrated into their cloth-
seen in her years as a Warden was ing and gear. The effect pulled them
towards the deck – it wasn’t true ar- of the ship to the centrifugally-induced
tificial gravity, but it did make things a gravity of the rotating ring. These
lot easier. trips were designed to ease the tran-
sition between functional weightless-
John ignored Marco as the team ness and artificial gravity. Specially
reached the ladder that led to the designed chairs would automatically
bridge. Motioning with his gun, he adjust their angles to minimize the
crouched to keep an eye on the cor- discomfort one tended to feel when
ridor while Marco slung his rifle over making such a change, and the deck
his shoulder and climbed up the lad- plates would energize slowly as ‘down’
der. Thus far, the entire situation was changed relative to the outer edge of
giving them both the willies. Neither the ring. Aiko’s team, however, were
had seen any sign of the crew, which used to this and moved with practiced
didn’t speak well for what they were ease, adjusting their positions as their
going to eventually find. relative up and down changed.
At the top of the ladder, Marco A soft chime warned the group
punched the security override codes that they had arrived at their destina- 51
into the hatch’s keypad. The click of tion and the elevator doors opened.
the magnetic lock releasing echoed Their senses were instantly flooded
loudly through the quiet corridors be- with the horrid sickly-sweet stench of
hind him. He fired off a quick whistle rotting meat. Most would have been
and moments later he could feel John overcome, forced gagging to the floor,
climbing up the ladder below. but Aiko’s team had been forced to
smell worse in training. Jenny took
Using the nose of his rifle, Marco point, exiting first and scanning left
cautiously pushed the hatch open a and right down the main corridor of
crack for him to peek through. Noth- the ring. Finding their first evidence
ing on the other side reacted and of the crew, she pointed and then the
he could see no movement. Pushing gagging began.
the hatch all the way open, he quickly
moved out to take a defensive kneeling Aiko cautiously crept out of the el-
stance so that his companion could evator, steeling herself for what she
safely join him. Scanning the bridge as knew would be an awful sight. She had
John made his way, what Marco saw seen so much in her time as a War-
caused even his battled-hardened re- den, but there were always new and
solve to waver for a moment as bile more terrible surprises – like this one.
crept up the back of his throat. Four bodies hung upside-down from
the ceiling, split open like specimens
on an autopsy table. Grotesque ropy
intestines dangled in coils from the
The others rode an elevator that corpses, and their eyes and parts
traveled the length of one of the grav- of their faces had been gouged – or
ity ring’s spokes, traversing from the gnawed – away, leaving slick white
zero-g environment of the main body bone exposed. Their twisted expres-
sions led Aiko to believe they may have had not been locked down. Aiko took
been alive when this started. That a deep breathe before she hit the sen-
thought turned her stomach, but she sor button. “On your toes, people. This
swallowed it back. could get messy.”
Taking stock of the rest of her team, The door slid open and the hor-
Rashim had gone from olive to ash, but ror continued. The mess hall was a
kept a keen eye on the corridor behind slaughter house. Dozens of dead crew
them. Jenny wiped her mouth on the slumped dead among spilled trays of
sleeve of her vacc suit. Aiko stepped blood-soaked food. However, some-
over to help the rookie up. “This won’t thing else moved in here. The things
be the worst thing you’ll see,” she said. that had done this were not yet gone.
“Don’t focus on this. Focus on who
else might be alive. This doesn’t tell us The rookies both spun around,
much. We need to move.” weapons tracking a sound not unlike
fingernails on an old-style chalk board,
Jenny nodded and got to her feet, along with an eerie buzz. Jenny saw it
52 shaking. The grisly scene had rattled first and, to her credit, her jitters did
her, but she was a tough girl. Aiko not return. Diaphanous wings and
knew that, regardless of her fortitude, segmented limbs made it seem like
moments like these would leave last- an insect, but the hard, spiky, wine-col-
ing scars. Such things were an unfor- ored shell spoke of a crustacean. How-
tunate consequence of the job. ever, a budding mess covered what
should be the thing’s head, furry and
In motion, Aiko barked an order at cancerous like a fungus, though pro-
the rookies. “Close your helmets. It’ll truding in places like cilia. Each of the
keep the stench out.” She heard the segmented legs ended in prehensile
hiss of their suits pressurizing as her claws, with razor-sharp tips. It rubbed
radio came to life. It was John’s voice. these claws together, which – if intel
“Hayata, there’s no one here. At least, was accurate – was a sure sign of ag-
no one alive. From what I’m looking at, gression. Holding back for a moment,
whatever did this isn’t human.” it seemed to twist as it assessed the
team, while its wings whirred into mo-
“Affirmative,” answered Aiko. “See if tion, producing a buzzing that began
you can recover any data or logs that to sound like a voice…
can help. If it isn’t human, we need to
know what it is.” Jenny didn’t wait. She raised her
rifle and opened fire on the thing. As
An image of the ship’s deck plans she pulled the trigger, it leaped into
came to life on her faceplate, show- the air, claws bearing down on her.
ing Aiko that the mess hall was a But it wasn’t fast enough, and a hail
short way straight ahead. That would of bullets ripped through the thing’s
be a good place to start a methodi- steaming innards. It slammed into
cal search of the ring. They quickly the floor, rolled and nearly knocked
reached the door, which fortunately Rashim over. It slammed into a nearby
wall, a flailing mass of unsettling alien on metal. Gritting his teeth, he sealed
limbs. the airlock and the Knight’s Errant
pushed off.
With barely a pause, more clicking
from behind them let Aiko know this Drifting away, John locked the ship’s
creature wasn’t, as she suspected, weapons onto the hulk’s drive section.
alone. Bad move. They’d been lured Aiko had said only one thing besides
into a trap. her order to evacuate – Mi-Go. Insect-
like aliens of which he’d only seen pic-
“Back to the elevator,” she shouted, tures. “Where did they come from?”
though the rookies were already on he muttered.
their way. At least until they realized
that they were surrounded, that more “What?” asked Marco.
of the creatures were pouring out of
the elevator shaft in front of them. John shook his head. “Nothing.”
Turning, Aiko heard the buzzing of
more wings from the mess hall. There The pair paused in silence for a mo-
was no way out. ment, the only sound the targeting 53
computer confirming the weapons
Even as she raised her rifle to fire, lock. John waited as long as he dared,
she issued John one final order. his finger hovering over the fire but-
ton, hoping for something to come
through the radio. Nothing came.
John heard the gunfire over the Explosions tore across the hull of
radio as Aiko ordered him to evacu- the massive mining ship as rail gun
ate. He and Marco each grabbed a rounds and guided missiles ripped it
couple memory cubes and dropped apart, detonating the drive core. John
back down through the hatch. As they watched through a film of tears, qui-
ran, John imagined that he could hear etly praying for his fallen friends. How-
Aiko fighting for her life through the ever, something new blossomed in his
hull of the ship. Fighting the urge to heart, growing in the void where Aiko
run to save her, John led the retreat used to be. Something that would car-
back to the Squire’s Penance. As they ry him through, something that would
boarded, he tried to raise Aiko on the bring meaning to these deaths.
hope they had somehow managed to
escape, but all he heard was static – Vengeance.
and the shrill sound of claws scraping
4 Setting
History – Then Until Now
A Dying World erupted in the Middle East in 2015,
>>2010 – 2019<< sparked by a conflict between Israel
Many people saw the beginning of and Iran. While both sides gathered
the 21st Century as the final chapter their remaining allies, China launched
in mankind’s relentless march toward attacks on Taiwan, the Korean Pen-
self-destruction. Intense social, eco- insula, and parts of Southeast Asia.
nomic, and political pressures wore World War III was at hand.
heavily on the fabric of international
relations. By 2010, the world had suf- The brutal fighting raged for three
fered the worst economic crisis since years. Then, the inevitable finally hap-
the Great Depression. The United pened – the first and only nuclear det-
States, seen by many nations as the onation of the war exploded in 2018.
cause of this economic crash, began to Radical Islamic terrorists, still bent on
decline in its position of global domi- carrying out their Jihad against a crip-
nance. Regional wars, international pled Unites States, managed to load
terrorism, and the threat of emerging a crude atomic bomb on a cargo ship
nuclear powers further exacerbated headed for Los Angeles. The bomb
economic strain and political tensions detonated prematurely while the ship
that led to the growing belief that the was in layover at the Malaysian port of
United States was no longer the global Port Klang. Millions of Malaysian Mus-
superpower of yesterday. lims died within minutes that day.
The face of the world changed The resulting dramatic shock caused
quickly. Growing public attitudes an immediate ceasefire among war-
toward isolation caused nations to ring parties. The possibility of a world
withdraw from international relations. teetering on the brink of death be-
The United Nations crumbled in 2013. came all too real. Many historians
The United States imploded in 2014, would later regard the sacrifice of Port
leaving individual States to deal with Klang as the event that saved the hu-
civil riots, starvation, and an overall man race from extinction. Religious
system breakdown. China’s rapid rise radicalism and old hatreds seemed to
collapsed due to a weak economic wane in light of a new urgency to find
infrastructure and the sudden loss common ground. In 2019, the Treaty of
of one of its largest export markets. Jerusalem was signed, officially end-
The European Union, already strained ing World War III and ushering in a new
economically and fearing the same age for mankind.
kind of chaos, dissolved itself. Nothing
seemed to be able to stop this global A New Age Begins
downward spiral.
>>2020 – 2030<<
By 2020, the time for rebuilding had
Unfortunately, the possibility of war
begun. It was the common belief that
loomed ever closer and war finally
humanity had passed its final test and
that the march toward armageddon One of the first tasks taken on by
had ceased. The nations of the world the Unified World Council was to cre-
pulled together in a new spirit of co- ate a solid financial system. The Com-
operation. Reconstruction was well monwealth Treasury was established
underway by 2022. Leaders of the by the UWC in 2029 to issue and man-
world devised a plan to create a new age such a currency. The resulting
global organization with a strength- Commonwealth Credit would quickly
ened authority to govern the affairs of evolve into the standard currency.
individual states. This new organiza-
tion was to be designed on the prin- For a time, the nations of the world
ciples of the old United Nations, but were allowed to enjoy a universal
with greater legislative and executive level of peace, harmony, stability, and
power. The Unified World Council was prosperity. The values of learning, phi-
born in 2028 and
was perhaps the
greatest formal-
ized show of world
cooperation ever.
In the meantime,
world religious
institutions came
together in part-
nership after the
Muslim Reforma-
tion of 2026. The
First Council of
Jerusalem created
a common body
where individual
religious institu-
tions could work
together in the
spirit of mutual
cooperation and
sharing. This new
Unified Ministry
of God suddenly
made the promise
of a new spiritual
enlightenment all
Port Klang Nuclear Disaster: 2018
the more real.
55
losophy, and industry propelled civili- at the chaos that might ensue over un-
zations forward at an amazing rate. By regulated territorial rights. Thus, the
Chapter 4: Setting
2030, it was a New Golden Age. UWC established the Pendleton Act of
2062, to partner private industry with
A Promising Frontier national government patronage. This
act allowed for the regulation of taxes
>>2031 – 2062<< and it established UWC authority to
With this new age came an in- grant territorial ownership to individ-
creased focus toward conservation, ual colonies. A new phase of Unified
clean energy, and the rebuilding of World Council influence had evolved
infrastructures. Some industries began beyond the boundaries of Earth.
to look toward space as a new frontier
filled with infinite promise. It was in
2032 that the Venture Corporation first A System Conquered
launched its own Moon mission, which >>2063 – 2100<<
is credited for sparking the New Space The Alliance of American States,
Race – one waged not by nations, but once the territories of the United
by private corporations. States and Canada, recognized the
need to provide a reliable communica-
Humans began to venture off-world tions network in space. Project Cadu-
in large numbers. 2042 saw the estab- ceus was launched in partnership with
lishment of Tranquility on the moon. private industry to provide an expand-
Manned scouting missions swept into able orbital satellite communications
the solar system to seek out new op- relay system. The initial phase of the
portunities and mark territories for Caduceus Network went live in 2063,
their parent companies. The abundant causing a sense of unity among worlds
availability of ore deposits, natural re- for the first time in history.
sources, and the promise of growing
wealth spurred more businesses to ex- The Caduceus Network may have
pand toward other planets. A kind of created the connection among colo-
frenzy arose by 2053, similar to that of nies, but it wouldn’t be until 2080 that
the 1800s Gold Rush in America. large-scale interplanetary trade would
weave the individual worlds into a
The impact of this rapid expansion strong interdependent system. In that
was certainly felt back on Earth. Na- year, the transit drive was developed.
tional governments that had previous- The resulting impact of this new op-
ly focused on post-war rebuilding and portunity for rapid space travel sud-
societal affairs were stunned by this denly drove a skyrocketing level of
new wave of frontierism. After all, no trade similar in effect to America’s first
existing law accounted for possible tax transcontinental railroads.
revenue gained in space trade. Individ-
ual nations hungered for a cut of the 2087 saw the creation of the first
pie and soon banded together to join non-Earth sovereign nation, when the
in on the space boom. Key members of Republic of Saturn declared indepen-
the UWC found themselves concerned dence from its founding sponsors. The
hand of mankind had finally touched
every world by 2100, as the time of History At a Glance
frontierism was coming to an end.
New colonial identities and a sense of • An accidental terrorist nuclear
individual rights started to germinate detonation in Malaysia in 2018
among some off-worlders. The solar sparks world cooperation.
system was conquered and colonists • The Unified World Council is
felt less and less a part of Earth. created in 2028. It is a more
powerful United Nations, with
greater legislative and execu-
A Shadow Descending tive power.
>>2101 – 2159<< • By 2053, space exploration was
Despite the achievements of civi- akin to the 1800s Gold Rush in
lization, it was hard for some not to America.
notice cracks. While religious intoler- • 2062 sees partnership be-
ance has greatly declined, the Unified tween private industry and the
Ministry of God has faced new radical government to colonize the so-
sects, which have been branded cults. lar system.
The cooperative body continues to • In 2063, the Caduceus Network
debate whether such fringe religions of system-wide communica-
should be validated and recognized. tion is created.
• In 2080, the transit drive is cre-
With advancements in business and ated.
technology came great wealth. In- • Now, in 2159, the UWC strug-
creased trade and expansion seemed gles to maintain unity.
to benefit everyone, except the work-
ing class. A rift formed again between
those who had and those who had Today the UWC struggles to main-
not. Among the space-born, this bred tain a sense of unity and universal jus-
a new attitude of independent liberty tice. Meanwhile, the colonies them-
Chapter 4: Setting
throughout the solar system. A spirit selves seem to drift further away from
of defiance arose. the social and political roots of their
home world. Piracy remains a con-
Meanwhile further tensions arose stant interplanetary threat, even with-
on Earth. Those nations who could in the shadow of an increased naval
not participate in the space market presence. Rising taxes eat into profit-
grew increasingly resentful of those ability and many merchants now turn
that could. 2132 saw the eruption of to shadier, but cheaper freelance trad-
global strikes, defying openly the will ers to sustain their business. Violent
of the Unified World Council. By 2140 crime statistics continue to climb and
the conflicts, riots, and skirmishes rumors of darker things whisper from
on Earth had turned into a struggle the shadows. Many wonder if the New
of differing ideologies – the balance Golden Age of Humanity has finally
between centralized control and indi- come to an end.
vidual freedom.
57
Colonizing the Solar System
Since the earliest people walked the space industries. While initially limited
Earth, they looked up at the dark sky to satellites that they paid a govern-
Chapter 4: Setting
wondering what it was that lay so far ment entity to place into orbit, private
out of reach. Many have been at a loss and public corporations eventually
to explain why it actually took so long overtook governmental efforts.
to finally take that leap and move out
into the solar system. After the former United States stood
on the moon in 1969, many believed it
In the early days of space explora- would be the beginning of what would
tion, nearly all the efforts were under- become vast colonies beyond the at-
taken by various governments across mosphere of Earth. However, the op-
the globe. Communication and spy posite was actually true. After the last
satellites were the lion’s share of man- Apollo mission, the moon would not
made objects placed in orbit. Corpo- feel the touch of human feet again until
rate concerns soon began to under- 2032 and it would not be a government
stand the potential benefits of entering or country who would
do so, but the Venture
Corporation. The first
colony, Tranquility,
was established on
the moon in 2042. It
was a cooperative ef-
fort of four corpora-
tions, with Venture
Corp as the senior
partner. The colony
served several func-
tions. Outwardly it
was a destination for
the super-rich. How-
ever, it also became a
hub for the four com-
panies for their next
big initiative – the as-
teroid belt.
59
The Chthonian Star
Humanity has always believed that For the first time in history, the
we are the most important thing in the powers that be began to consult with
Chapter 4: Setting
Chapter 4: Setting
61
Visible: The Chthonian Star
Politics & The UWC
The Unified World Council is sepa- ue to wrestle for political control. How-
rated from national governments by ever, the existence of a trans-national
Chapter 4: Setting
a universally agreed upon division of political arena has given rise to a new
political power. While individual na- layer of politics. Global political parties
tions continue to focus on internal now exist, and though some national
concerns, the UWC concentrates on parties maintain unbreakable ties with
global concerns such as a monetary their favored global party, others can
policy, trade regulation, colonial pol- be quite fickle. Trying to maintain a
icy, international dispute reconcilia- strong support base for a global politi-
tion, and global security. Whereas in- cal party can be a dramatic challenge
dividual nations are free to operate in and of itself. The Democratic Coali-
within the government structure of tion is one of the larger global political
choice, the Unified World Council itself parties. Democratic Coalitionists often
is constituted under the concept of a stand center-left in their point of view
Federal Parliamentary Republic. The and favor a broad spectrum of liberal
advantage is that all nations, despite ideas. To them, the health and well-
their size or strength, get to have a fair being of all human citizens is a global
and equal voice on the global stage. responsibility. On the other hand, the
Federal Conservative Party takes more
The arrangement of Legislative of a right-wing view. They see the Uni-
Houses is such that one House pro- fied World Council as a finite tool to
vides stability and a check and balance foster international cooperation, but
over the other. The upper House is the that the rights of self-government for
State Council, where national govern- the individual nation still stand as par-
ments appoint their representation. amount. Other smaller parties exist as
The Unified Assembly is the lower well, often swaying support between
House, and its Council Representa- the two larger parties as leverage for
tives are chosen in a general election their own agendas.
through an Electoral College system.
Pirate attacks on interplanetary
The Chancellor of the Unified World trade have become an increasingly
Council exercises supreme executive difficult issue. The UWC has increased
power. This Chancellor is selected by the naval presence among many of
the ruling party of the Unified Assem- the higher trafficked trade routes, but
bly and serves a term equal to that of results have been limited. In addition,
the Assembly’s election cycle, namely this military build-up has created a
four years. Once elected, the Chancel- much greater strain on the defense
lor appoints his own Cabinet Ministers budget. Several politicians on Earth
to execute the policies of his adminis- are calling for greater financial support
tration. from the colonies in the form of higher
taxes. This, of course, has outraged
The modern political landscape is many citizens of the other worlds and
somewhat different than that of the has further served to create a greater
previous age. National parties contin- rift between Earth and its colonies.
The age-old debate about freedom
of religion has once again reared its Politics At a Glance
head. A strange new breed of reli-
gion seems to be causing strains in • The UWC concentrates on
this spiritual détente provided by the global and interplanetary con-
Unified Ministry of God. Many disil- cerns.
lusioned people, especially in poor • The UWC is a Federal Parlia-
countries, have begun to cast off the mentary Republic.
tenants of traditional religion to em- • There are two Legislative Hous-
brace teachings of a different sort. The es – the State Council and the
grass-roots rise of what some refer Unified Assembly.
to as cults has caused certain legisla- • Global political parties, such as
tors within the Unified World Council the Democratic Coalition and
to seek a remedy to what they see as the Federal Conservative Party,
a threat. The idea of state-sponsored dominate politics.
religion would give legality to estab- • There are currently three su-
lished churches, but ban under the per-powers – the Allliance of
law the spread of these new cultist American States, the European
groups. Of course, such proposals Federation, and the Sino-Asia
have also caused heated debate from Union.
those who prefer to champion indi- • The Unified Ministry of God has
vidual religious rights. brought religions together in
detante.
• Fringe religions called cults
arise.
Chapter 4: Setting
63
Unified World Council Headquarters: 2159
Business in the New Era
With the creation of the Unified the entryway into the Council’s main
World Council in the wake of the eco- meeting hall.
Chapter 4: Setting
Chapter 4: Setting
65
Venus: Daysin Colony
The UWC Wardens
The UWC Wardens are a govern- a team, support crew, and shuttles, as
mental agency created to deal with well as mobile labs and arsenals. They
Chapter 4: Setting
the strange things that are emerging are allowed to carry sidearms in their
in the solar system. They have three everyday investigations, and have ac-
primary duties. First, they are charged cess to assault rifles, explosives, and
with investigating all reports and man- combat armor. However, it is their duty
ifestations of the unknown through- to keep things quiet and hidden, so it
out the solar system. Second, it is their is rare that Wardens appear with any-
responsibility to eliminate unknown thing that isn’t concealable – unless
or occult threats to the people of the the situation is already dire.
solar system. Their third, last, and per-
haps most distasteful duty, is to keep Since Wardens are not a widely ad-
the unknown and occult a secret from vertised agency, they maintain quiet
the population at large. offices in all civilized corners of the
solar system. Warden presence is typi-
There are three primary specialties in cally received with some level of open
which Warden field agents are trained arms by the colonies and it is expected
– Enforcer, Investigator, and Research- that the authorities in all parts of the
er. Enforcers focus on combat, trained solar system will cooperate, though
in many different kinds of weapons this is not always the case. The solar
in order to most effectively eliminate system is a big place and those far
resistance. Investigators are the de- enough out don’t always feel that the
tectives of the Wardens, focused on law strictly applies in their case. The
processing information and evidence Wardens, however, are afforded nearly
in order to draw conclusions. They are absolute authority by UWC charter,
also trained to extract useful informa- though they rarely have need to use it.
tion out of people. Researchers are the In some cases, Wardens must also have
book worms, educated in the occult the strength to enforce their authority,
and other disciplines in order to draw because some of the powers that be,
conclusions and sift through data for far out there, won’t afford them the re-
that which is useful. Regardless of spe- spect and latitude they deserve.
cialty, all Wardens are combat trained,
have a basic knowledge of the occult The Wardens maintain a network of
and the inhuman enemies they must space stations throughout the solar
face, and a basic education in cults. system, from which they stage their
operations. Warden Prime, also known
Wardens are typically sent out into as the Eye, sits above the Earth. A
the field in teams of three to six. A monolith in the sky, this labyrinthine
small team is composed of one of each structure is the primary headquarters
specialty, while a larger team typically of the Wardens. Beyond the Eye, War-
has three Enforcers, two Investigators, den 1, also known as the Umbrella,
and one Researcher. floats in orbit around Saturn to service
the outer planets and protect the pre-
Wardens have an array of resources cious agriculture of Titan. It is of similar
at their disposal. They are given their size to the Eye, but designed as a gate-
own spaceships, which usually house way and emergency station for those
missions going further out. To service
the inner planets, Warden 2, known Wardens At a Glance
as the Nugget, hovers in geosynchro-
nous orbit above Mercury. It is a small • An agency created to inves-
station, hastily deployed to provide tigate and deal with the new
some kind of support to Mercury and threats to the solar system.
Venus. The Lighthouse, more formally • There are three primary spe-
known as Warden 4, sits far out in the cialties for Warden field agents:
Kuiper Belt, exploring, watching, and Enforcers, Investigators, and
listening for anything that might be at Researchers.
the edges of the solar system. • Teams are typically three to six
agents, with a mix of special-
Work as a Warden is perilous. War- ties.
dens must travel from one side of the • Wardens have access to a va-
solar system to the other, facing threats riety of resources, including
of which man was not meant to know. spaceships and weapons.
It can be a very dark job. They must • They have quiet offices in all
undergo regular psychological screen- civilized corners of the solar
ing, for the dangers they face readily system, for support.
erode one’s grip on reality. Insanity is • They are not always met with
a price which many agents must con- open arms by local corporate
tend with, and one many are resigned or governmental interests.
to as their eventual fate. Either that or • The Wardens maintain a net-
death, for many a Warden has met an work of space stations for their
unspeakable and violent end. operations.
Chapter 4: Setting
67
Warden Quarantine on Mars
A Day in the Life
Things certainly have been on an ing middle-class, is most certainly one
upswing for humanity, at least until of them. There is also growing resent-
Chapter 4: Setting
the last couple of decades. We have ment among the colonies. Some of
developed technology that has taken those that live beyond the confines
us out beyond our home planet, as of Earth believe that they should no
well as that which allows us to live lon- longer be governed by that distant
ger. The UWC has brought a new age body. Religious tensions are once
of peace and prosperity. However, the again on the rise, as new ideologies
Golden Age of Humanity is showing enter the arena. New radical sects are
its first real cracks. on the rise. Branded cults by the UWC,
many governments are worried. While
Some of these cracks are felt by most are intent on allowing religious
nearly every person in society. The freedom, there is much discussion on
growing rift between the working what to do with the cults.
class and the elite, and the disappear-
Despite growing
tensions in some
parts of society,
most people live
decent lives, free
from old prejudic-
es, at a base level
never before seen.
The reconstruction
of the global econ-
omy and the influ-
ence of the Unified
World Council has
all but eliminated
poverty. Most peo-
ple find their basic
needs met, even in
countries with to-
talitarian regimes.
People live longer
than ever before –
the average person
lives a little more
than 150 years.
Furthermore, many
diseases have
been wiped out
and modern medi-
The Iris Club: Ganymede cine can tackle
nearly any malady, reducing suffering
throughout the world. Daily Life At a Glance
69
C Training’s Over
I stood at the embarkation bay wait- Brannigan, the hero of countless bat-
ing for the shuttle that would take me tles and the inspiration of more than
to meet up with my platoon. It’s a a few of the soldiers in my platoon.
little embarrassing that I initially had We all wanted to be just like him and
to be held back from this training op here he was standing next to me.
when I came down with a case of the
measles. The measles of all things – “Private Gibson, are you ready to
it had been cleared up centuries ago deploy?”
in nearly everyone, but there were
a few people like me that had a re- I was shaking inside, but my train-
cessive trait that left us susceptible. ing held true and I responded in a
It took me three weeks to get out of steady voice, “Yes, sir!”
quarantine, but now I could finally join
70 my unit on the training run. It was He stood there surveying every-
meant to be a two month deployment thing while he checked his gear. I
to test out the unit’s survival skills on could tell that he was able to assess
an airless moon. I hoped that missing the status of all the men on the de-
almost half the exercise didn’t set me parture deck just by looking. Square
back too far. jawed, broad-shouldered, with a
stare that got soldiers to jump at his
I checked my gear while I waited for orders without question – all these
the shuttle and I noticed something traits made the Captain the leader
odd. The ammunition I was issued for you wanted to follow anywhere. And
the training op was live ammo. The apparently he was leading some por-
embarkation room was different than tion of the training operation.
the last time I was here as well. There
were other troops gathering to head “All right then, get your gear and
out for their own training missions. get on the shuttle.”
But most didn’t look like the raw re-
cruit I knew I was. Quite a few looked On cue, the shuttle appeared as if
to be veterans mixed in with the re- the Captain had called it into being,
cruits. There was also a seriousness and the ramp dropped for us to load.
about them that I had not seen in my I got up the ramp a second after the
own unit. Captain and found my seat at the
head of the shuttle. I secured my pack
I was about to go over to them to and my weapon and strapped in to my
ask if everything was alright when drop seat. The Captain dropped his
a shadow passed over me. I looked pack on the bench across from me
up and there was a man from out of and went up to the cockpit to speak
the history books – Captain Zephirin with the pilot. After a brief discussion,
71
he came out and said, “Strap in, no for the ride, but the man gave me a
time to wait for the others. We’re boost to my courage. Captain Bran-
needed at the drop site.” nigan was the man who defused
the Ganymede hostage crisis last
I held no illusions – it was really year, had handled the Neptune Ban-
him that was needed. I was just along dit Fleet, and was rumored to have
worked closely with the Wardens on to a halt. The Captain had taken the
missions too secretive to mention. landing in stride and reached down
to pick me up.
The shuttle door closed and the
cabin sealed. Then we took off and “Up and at ‘em, son.”
began the journey to the moon’s sur-
face. The Captain found his way back “But this is a training mission! The
to the seat across from me and sat unit said so before they shipped out.
down. There was an interesting look What the hell is going on?”
on his face as he looked me over
once more from head to toe. The Captain’s reply was lost as
my suit’s intercom was filled with a
“You ready for this, Private? screeching static that drowned out
all sound. I looked to the Captain and
“Yes, sir! Ready and able, sir!” it appeared that he couldn’t hear it.
He didn’t notice my pain as he moved
I could see he was going to say to the rear of the shuttle to open
72 something else, but a sudden jolt the egress ramp. When it opened, I
shook the shuttle and he left to go looked and what I saw was a scene
up to talk to the pilot. Moments later, out of a nightmare. The sky was filled
shouting from the cockpit made me with hundreds of flying creatures
jump. There appeared to be some- with slick jet black skin like wet leath-
thing very wrong, as the Captain er, with thick tails trailing out behind
started shouting orders to the pilot them. There was no air for them to
to maintain course and speed. be flying in, but they soared just the
same as they swept in on what looked
The drop to the moon below was like my unit in the distance. They were
rougher than I expected. It took a bunkered in front of a large cave
while before I heard the scraping opening and firing blindly as they
along the hull – what it was, I didn’t were assaulted from all angles.
know. I unbuckled myself and un-
steadily got up to join the Captain at They had dug in a defensive posi-
the door. When I looked, the view port tion and, although the attack was
only showed a sea of what looked like coming from the air, the main focus
black bodies slamming against the of my entrenched friends appeared
shuttle as it hurtled to the surface to be the cave mouth itself. Grenade
below. I looked to the Captain, who launchers and heavy machine guns
casually waved me back to my seat. were arrayed in fox holes on the cave
He nodded to his suit helmet and I side. While a portion maintained
saw that he had sealed his combat a hail of covering fire, the majority
suit. I quickly followed suit. watched over the cave entrance.
The shuttle landed roughly and I While the creatures in the air were
was thrown to the deck as it skidded horrible in their own right, with their
claws and eyeless faces, the real ter- From that close, I could see that they
ror came from within the cave. At indeed had no face – no mouth, no
first, it was hard to see what was nose, no eyes or ears. They had long
there; it looked to be a dark void, ex- thin arms and legs, and from their
cept something moved within. Thick backs, pairs of alien wings swept out,
tendrils snaked out from deep within giving them the strange ability to fly
the cave, towards the opening. The in an airless atmosphere. There was
mass of evil – that’s what it felt like – a thick tail as well, ending in a sharp
looked as if it was trying to crawl its stinger, like some kind of sick bug.
way out. As the tendrils reached the
entrance, I heard the screech again. I saw the tails striking at my com-
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw patriots in the distance. Streaking
that some of the others also reeled down from the skies, the creatures
in pain. I suddenly realized that the came up short and swung their tail to
sound was not coming over the inter- have the stingers impact. The things
com, but from inside my head. were so sharp and hard that they
penetrated their armored suits, and
I’m not sure how my brain pro- decompression wasn’t far behind. 73
cessed all of this, as I stood there
frozen in terror. Unfazed, the Captain We nearly didn’t make it to the bun-
let loose with three volleys from his ker as a large swarm of creatures
grenade launcher, straight into the suddenly headed toward us. I emp-
heart of the cave beast. I was the tied clip after clip into the oncoming
useless grunt to his hero, the muzzle mass, but even this was not enough
flash from his launcher lighting up the to hold back the monsters. Without
stone set features within his helmet. warning, tracer rounds from the bun-
There was even a hint of a smile on ker lit up the skies, saving our hides.
his face as he turned and shook me. The creatures fell back and we were
able to make it to the safety of the
“Get it together, kid! Training’s bunker.
over. This is the real deal. Stay on my
six and watch my back.” We met up with my platoon lead-
er, who was rallying my friends and
Somehow, that got through and I trying to hold the line until reinforce-
shook my head to clear it. The Captain ments could land. Beyond the wall of
dumped the empty grenade launcher, flying madness above me, I could see
shouldered his rifle, and charged into them – the drop shuttles I had seen
the battle. I stayed right by his side, at the embarkation bay. They were
firing at anything that came close as all here, landing in a rain of steel and
we cleared the 200 meters between off-loading their payloads of soldiers.
us and my unit. The flying nightmares Some shuttles didn’t safely make it
swept down to harass us, coming in to the ground. The creatures sensed
waves. I fired my weapon as best I that there was danger and began to
could and kept them off the Captain. focus on the landing vehicles. They
swarmed them and tore at the shut- crossed the threshold of the cave
tles to bring them down. mouth, and when I moved inside I
wished I hadn’t either. If the exis-
Luckily, we got most of them to the tence of the things in the sky weren’t
ground. As the soldiers met at the already proof enough of the horror of
bunker, they rallied around the Cap- this place, the feeling of being in the
tain while we took a respite from the cave was indescribable. The place
aerial assault. The Captain organized felt wrong – like something that just
the men and started to plan an at- should not be. The sensors on my
tack to take down the creature from combat suit were going crazy; appar-
the cave. The plan was to seal the ently there was some kind of atmo-
cave and keep the creature inside un- sphere in the cave. Gravity felt differ-
til the military could come with bigger ent here as well, like we suddenly lost
weapons to finish it off, whatever the 50 pounds. Everyone lurched a bit as
hell it was. The Captain and my pla- we crossed the threshold.
toon were to approach the right side
of the cave, while another unit was We took position just on the other
74 assigned to approach from the left. side of the entrance. When I looked
Each of the teams carried enough up to cover the Captain’s six, I saw
det packs to bring the whole thing that the place didn’t look like a natu-
to the ground. The Captain ordered ral formation. Instead, the entrance
us to move out, and for some reason opened up immediately into a larger
he kept me with him. When I asked cavern. The horror we saw from
him why, he replied, “Because you did the outside sat within a circle of
your job on the way here. Keep doing what looked like glowing runes that
that and we’ll all make it out of here.” were nearly 200 meters across. In
places, we could see the circle had
We began to make our approach, been damaged – it was from these
with the rest of the support platoons wrecked areas that the thing was
provided covering fire to the skies able to extend those horrible ten-
above, as well as the cave mouth. drils of terrifying blackness to attack
Even with the hail of rounds surround- us. Somehow maintaining my sanity
ing us, the nightmares found open- enough to tear my eyes away from
ings in our defenses. They seemed to the creature, I looked back toward
concentrate their attacks on the oth- the cave mouth. Similar runes were
er team, so by the time we reached carved into the walls. Whenever a
the side of the cave they’d lost nearly tendril came close, what could only
three quarters of their troops. We’d be called a flash would cause the
only lost four. cave to dip into darkness for a mil-
lisecond. The creature would then
The Captain signaled what was left let loose the screech I heard before
of both teams to advance into the – but here the sound was different,
cave. We didn’t notice it from the more the wailing of something that
outside, but the flying things never had been hurt.
The Captain ordered everyone to reported that they saw no one else
set their explosives and get ready to coming after them. Somehow, they
fall back. Just then, it appeared that dug me out of the rubble about an
the monstrosity had finally realized hour later. I was unconscious, badly
we were a threat and attacked. The bruised, and oxygen deprived – I
thing flailed wildly, striking everything wouldn’t wake for another two days.
within reach without mercy. The ten- The medics said that it was a miracle
drils crushed whatever lay in their that I had survived at all. If the Cap-
path. Soldier after soldier fell to the tain hadn’t thrown himself on top of
beast, until only the Captain and I me when he did, I would most likely be
were left from our team. We could dead. The reports said that once the
see that there were a few other sol- cave was destroyed, the flying crea-
diers heading back to retreat to the tures lost coherency and scattered.
bunker, so the Captain grabbed my The relentless fire from the ground
shoulder and ordered me out as well. forces eventually either brought
Not one to leave people behind, the them down or drove them off.
Captain needed to be sure on the way
out that the horror that resided here I stood by his side the entire battle. 75
had crushed all the soldiers under his I saw that day what a hero really was.
command. I provided covering fire for The thing in the circle was crushed
him, honoring those who had died. by rubble and the flying nightmares
My rounds did little to the creature were scattered or destroyed, all be-
beyond irritating it, but I was appar- cause of the Captain. I still stand by
ently safe beyond the unseen barrier his side today as well. I don’t think I’m
of the cave mouth. My distraction worthy to be here, but my command-
gave the Captain enough time to fin- er said that actions have earned me
ish his job and make his way away this place. We laid him in the ground
from the impending explosion. with full honors – gun salute and
all. Personally, I think he would have
“I believe I ordered you to get back hated it, but a lot of soldiers wouldn’t
to the bunker, Priv...” have been here today if it wasn’t for
him, myself included. I gave him the
Suddenly, just as when we had first only honor I could – my salute – as
met, a shadow came over me. This the trumpeter sounded another sol-
was different. The shadow was cast dier home to rest.
by the Captain, but the light was no
longer the light of an embarkation If things really are like they were on
deck – it was the light of the explod- that damned moon, someday I’ll join
ing det packs. him. Soon.
Perseverance
Attributes Perseverance is a measure of a Char-
Attributes are a measure of your acter’s endurance, stamina, and will-
Character’s innate abilities and capa- power. Perseverance is used for any
bilities. Each Character has six in The taxing physical Skill, as well as to resist
Void, and they are rated on a scale the effects of the horrible things that
from 1 to 5. A rating of 1 is considered Characters might experience.
challenged, while a rating of 2 or 3 is
considered average, and a rating of 5 Physique
is quite amazing. Physique is a measure of a Charac-
ter’s strength and physical might. Phy-
Awareness sique is used for lifting heavy things,
Awareness is a measure of a Charac- restraining people, and anything else
ter’s sense acuity, keenness of percep- that requires raw physical power.
tion, and intuition. Awareness is used
Statistics
Statistics are a few other important Characters At a Glance
details about your Character that are Attributes
derived from his Attributes. They in- • Rated on a scale of 1 to 5.
clude how fast he moves, as well as • A rating of 1 is severely chal-
how much punishment he can take. lenged, 2 or 3 is average, and
5 is quite amazing.
Health • Awareness = sense acuity,
Health is a measure of a Character’s keenness of perception, and
overall level of wellness and vitality. It intuition.
represents how much physical punish- • Cleverness = intellect, ability
ment he can take before he expires. To to learn, and memory.
determine your Character’s starting • Demeanor = social ability and
Health, add together his Grace, Perse- force of personality.
verance, and Physique. • Grace = agility, manual dex-
terity, and finesse.
Speed • Perseverance = endurance,
Speed is a measure of how fast your stamina, and willpower.
Character can move when the time • Physique = strength and
comes. To determine Speed, add your physical might.
Character’s Grace and Physique to-
gether and consult the table below. Statistics
• Health is your Character’s
Skills level of wellness and vitality.
Skills are those things in which a Equals Grace, Perseverance,
Character has been trained or edu- and Physique added togeth-
cated. Each Skill represents a body er.
of knowledge or a type of training in • Speed is how fast your Char-
which your Character has ability. Ev- acter can move, based on
ery Character starts with a number of Grace and Physique.
different Skills, each rated on a scale
77
from 1 to 5. Those with a rating of 1 are The list of Talents available for your
considered students, while those with Character starts on p. 106.
Chapter 5: Characters
79
Mining Concern’s McAlister City, Rare
Character Design Earths Incorporated’s Daysin Colony,
Chapter 5: Characters
Chapter 5: Characters
81
In any event, your youth was probably and an influx of new people to meet.
simple and uneventful out on Callisto. You’re also probably a little jaded.
Chapter 5: Characters
83
Uranus pable of great focus. They are most at
You were born on Veronica Station home on spaceships, space stations, or
Chapter 5: Characters
85
Warden Enforcer
Chapter 5: Characters
Advantages Talents
• Acute Senses (1)* The following Talents are appropriate
• Ambidextrous (1) for an Enforcer. Choose 1.
• Common Sense (2)
• Disease Resistant (1) • Black Heart Chapter 5: Characters
• Double-Jointed (1) • Born in Freefall
• Dream Void (2) • Double Tap
• Fast (2) • Fight, Not Flight
• Fearless (3) • Killer Instinct
• Gifted Metabolism (1) • Lift With Your Legs
• Hard to Kill (1-3) • No Rest for the Wicked
• Internal Clock (1) • One Foot in the Grave
• Internal Map (1) • Peek-a-Boo
• Luck (1-3) • Sexual Magnet
• Nightvision (2) • Snake Eyes
• Occult Sensitive (3) • True Grit
• Peripheral Vision (2) • Whiff of Death
• Rapid Recovery (2) • Wicked Smart
• Sexy (1)
• Sixth Sense (3)
87
Warden Investigator
Chapter 5: Characters
Attributes • Law*
As an Investigator, your starting At- • Liberal Arts
tributes are as follows. Distribute an ad- • Notice*
ditional 5 points between them. Those • Occult
Attributes that are especially important • Orienteering
for this specialty are marked with *. • Persuade*
• Reaction*
• Awareness 3* • Research
• Cleverness 2 • Savoir Faire*
• Demeanor 3* • Science: Social
• Grace 2 • Seduction
• Perseverance 3 • Stealth
• Physique 2 • Streetwise*
• Survival
Skills • Thrown Weapons
For your primary specialty, distribute • Unarmed Combat*
30 points among the following Skills.
If you choose to purchase a Skill at 4, Secondary Templates
it will cost you 2 points from 3 to 4. If You should also choose 2 of the fol-
you choose to purchase a Skill at 5, it lowing 4 secondary templates, which
will cost you 3 points from 4 to 5. Those help further define your Character’s
Skills that are especially important for background. Assign 10 points on the
this specialty are marked with *. Skills within each (for a total of 20).
89
Warden Researcher
Chapter 5: Characters
Attributes • Occult*
As an Researcher, your starting Attri- • Orienteering
butes are as follows. Distribute an ad- • Persuade
ditional 5 points between them. Those • Reaction*
Attributes that are especially important • Research*
for this specialty are marked with *. • Science: Earth
• Science: Life
• Awareness 3* • Science: Physical
• Cleverness 3* • Science: Social
• Demeanor 2 • Science: Space
• Grace 2 • Survival
• Perseverance 3 • Thrown Weapons
• Physique 2 • Unarmed Combat*
91
6 Skills:Qualities:Talents
93
Alien Autopsy: Deep One
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
This skill covers being capable of ath-
letic feats based primarily on speed Science: Social (Cleverness)
training. This skill covers understanding how
human beings interact and how soci-
Freefall (Grace) eties function and have evolved.
This skill covers being capable of func-
tioning effectively in microgravity or Science: Space (Cleverness)
zero-G. This skill covers understanding how
celestial bodies are formed and be-
have.
Scientific Skills
Cryptozoology (Cleverness) Social Skills
This skill covers understanding unnat- Deception (Demeanor)
ural creatures. This skill covers being capable of lying,
spinning half-truths, or conversation-
Medicine: Animal (Cleverness) ally steering away from tough topics
This skill covers understanding how to or questions.
95
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Orienteering (Awareness)
and to manipulate them through it. This skill covers understanding how to
navigate planet-side.
Surreptitious Skills
Survival (Perseverance)
Crime: High (Cleverness) This skill covers being capable of sus-
This skill covers understanding how to taining one’s own life in hostile cir-
plan and execute white collar crimes. cumstances.
97
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
to use and foil advanced communica- Sensors (Awareness)
tions equipment. This skill covers understanding how to
use and understand remote sensors.
Computers (Cleverness)
This skill covers understanding how to Trade Skills
use computers and, at higher levels, Animal Handling (Awareness)
program them to do what you want This skill covers understanding how to
them to do. handle, care for, and train animals.
Engineer: Basic Drive (Cleverness) Bureaucracy (Cleverness)
This skill covers understanding how This skill covers understanding how to
to design and repair basic spaceship work in administration and organiza-
drives. tions.
Engineer: Electrical (Cleverness) Law (Cleverness)
This skill covers understanding how to This skill covers understanding law,
design and repair electrical systems. law enforcement techniques, and liti-
gation.
Engineer: Life Support (Cleverness)
This skill covers understanding how to Trade: Business (Cleverness)
design and repair life support systems. This skill covers understanding how to
engage in commerce.
Engineer: Power Systems
(Cleverness) Trade: Product (Variable)
This skill covers understanding how to This skill covers being capable of pro-
design and repair power generating ducing a kind of good or service.
and distribution systems.
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
your Character that can’t be easily
summed up by Attributes or Skills, but Contact (1-2)*
which are still an innate part of him. Your Character knows someone
who can provide limited help or pass
Any Quality marked * may be taken on important information. Unlike an
multiple times for multiple effects, Ally, this person doesn’t ask for much
which are explained in the descrip- in return other than the occasional fa-
tions. Additionally, bonuses or penal- vor, so the relationship is more difficult
ties from different Qualities that affect to abuse.
the same things stack on one another
for additional benefit or detriment. Contact/1 represents either two
contacts of low-ranking position or
Advantages one contact of mid-level position,
Acute Senses (1)* while Contact/2 represents either two
One of your Character’s senses (sight, contacts of mid-level position or one
hearing, touch, or smell/taste) is extra- contact of high-level position.
99
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
participate in something that is fool-
Qualities List hardy, your GM will make a secret Clev-
Advantages erness Test – if successful, he will warn
Acute Senses (1)* you about your potential mistake.
Ally (1-3)*
Ambidextrous (1)
Contact (1-2)* Disease Resistant (1)
Common Sense (2) Your Character doesn’t get sick eas-
Disease Resistant (1)
Double-Jointed (1) ily and doesn’t typically stay sick as
Dream Void (2) long as other people. He gains one
Eidetic Memory (3)
Empath (1) free Success to resist the effects of dis-
Fast (2) ease or illness, and stays sick only half
Fearless (3)
Gifted Metabolism (1)
as long.
Hard to Kill (1-3)
Internal Clock (1) Double-Jointed (1)
Internal Map (1)
Luck (1-3) Your Character’s joints bend extra
Nightvision (2) far. He gets one free Success to any
Occult Sensitive (3)
Peripheral Vision (2) Grace-based Test in which his double-
Rapid Recovery (2) jointedness might give him an advan-
Sexy (1)
Sixth Sense (3)
tage.
Tough (1-3)
Wealthy (2-3) Dream Void (2)
Disadvantages Your Character, given what is now in
A/D Stasis Visions (2) the universe, is fortunate – he is one of
Annoying Traits (1)
Arrogant (1) those rare people who doesn’t dream.
Bigoted (1) He cannot be plagued by nightmares,
Chronic Pain (2)
Coward (3)
nor is he susceptible to the influence
Dark Secret (1-3) of the Old Ones in his sleep.
Darkness Magnet (3)
Depressed (1)
Enemy (1-3)* Eidetic Memory (3)
Fanatic (1-3) Your Character commits things he
Fat (2)
Manic (1) sees and hears to memory, and it sticks.
Nightmares (3) He has a nearly photographic recall,
Persistent Injury (1-3)
Phobia (1)*
giving him two free Successes for Tests
Poor (2-3) involving remembering things he has
Rival (1-3)* read or experienced firsthand.
Sensory Impaired (1)*
Skinny (2)
Slow (2) Empath (1)
Tormented (1)
Ugly (1) Your Character has an intuitive sense
Vengeful (1) of what other people are feeling. He
Wanted (1-3)
gains one free Success to Social Skills,
including Insight.
Common Sense (2)
Your Character has a sense when a Fast (2)
course of action or inaction is foolish. Your Character is faster than he
Whenever your Character is about to looks. He gets a bonus of +1 Die for
Reaction Tests, and can move one full time, not necessarily the clock time of
category faster in terms of Speed. He the planet or colony he is visiting.
also gains one free Success on any Test
of the Athletics: Speed Skill. Internal Map (1)
Your Character has an intuitive
Fearless (3) sense of direction and bearing. Once
Your Character appears to others as he establishes where he is, he remem-
fearless and doesn’t get spooked eas- bers places he’s been and how to get
ily. He is immune to the kinds of nor- between them. He never gets lost in
mal everyday human fears that plague cities or colonies he’s been to before.
people, such as those related to stress This also gives him two free Successes
or anxiety, and receives one free Suc- for Astrogation or Orienteering Tests.
cess for Horror Tests.
Luck (1-3)
A Note to GMs: It will be tempting Fortune smiles on your character.
for every player to arm their Character At Luck/1, you can re-roll one Test per
with this advantage. Feel free to re- session and take the better result, at
strict it to one per group. Luck/2, you can re-roll two Tests per
session and take the better result in
Gifted Metabolism (1) each, and at Luck/3, you can re-roll
Your Character’s body processes three Tests per session and take the
foods, drugs, and poisons better than better result in each.
other people. He gains one free Suc-
cess for Perseverance Tests to resist the Nightvision (2)
effects of poisons, toxins, or drugs. Your Character can see better in dim
lighting than other people, and halves
Hard to Kill (1-3) any environmental penalties due to
Your Character is the kind of person darkness or obscuring conditions.
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
that fights to stay alive, even when
others would pass on. At Hard to Kill/1, Occult Sensitive (3)
your character suffers the penalties of Your Character has an intuitive sense
the Hurt Wound Level all the way until for the presence of the otherworldly.
death, never becoming Incapacitated Whenever otherworldly influence is
(though his armor is useless at that present, your GM will make a secret
level). At Hard to Kill/2, your character Cleverness Test. If your Character is
ignores the damage from one attack successful, your GM will let you know
that would kill him, per day – at Hard he senses such influence – though not
to Kill/3, two attacks. the source or direction of it.
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Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Rapid Recovery (2) Middle-Class. However, by spend-
Your Character heals twice as fast as ing two points, he can increase that
normal, regardless of mode of treat- to Wealth Code 3 (Affluent), and by
ment. This only applies to physical spending three points, he can increase
wounds only. that to Wealth Code 4 (Wealthy).
Sexy (1)
Your Character is especially attrac- Disadvantages
tive to the opposite sex (or those who A/D Stasis Visions (2)
would be attracted to his gender). He Your Character suffers terrible and
gains one free Success to all Social Skill nightmarish visions while suspended
Tests involving anyone who might be in a gravity couch. There is something
attracted to him, opposite or same sex. in that state of suspended animation
that opens him up to dark influence.
Sixth Sense (3) Each time he emerges from a gravity
Your Character has an intuitive sense couch, make an Average Perseverance
for danger. Whenever dangerous situ- Test; failure means he suffers a penalty
ations arise, your GM will make a secret of -1 Die to all Tests for the first two
Notice or Cleverness Test. If your Char- days after he comes out of A/D Stasis.
acter is successful, your GM will let you
know he senses danger – though not Annoying Traits (1)
the source or direction of it. There is something about your Char-
acter that really bugs other people. He
Tough (1-3) suffers a penalty of -1 Die to all Social
Your Character can take more pun- Skill Tests, except Insight and Intimida-
ishment than others. Each level of tion.
Tough adds twice that many points to
the Character’s Health. For example, Arrogant (1)
a Character with Tough/2 is treated Your Character thinks he’s great, but
as having a Health four points higher others don’t necessarily agree. He suf-
than usual and is capable of taking an fers a penalty of -1 Die to all Social Skill
extra four points of damage at each Tests, except Insight and Intimidation.
Wound Level (12 extra damage total).
Bigoted (1)
Wealthy (2-3) Your Character doesn’t like people
Your Character has amassed a for- (or cultures) that aren’t like him. He
tune. Perhaps he understands finances doesn’t care much for people from
and investment the way others don’t, other countries, colonies, or planets, or
perhaps his family is wealthy, or per- for those with other skin colors or na-
haps he just got lucky. Your Character’s tive languages. He suffers a penalty of
starting Wealth will determine what -1 Die to all Social Skill Tests, except In-
kinds of gear to which he has access. sight and Intimidation, when dealing
with people who aren’t closely related
Characters normally begin play with to his native racial stock.
a Wealth Code of 2, which represents
Chronic Pain (2) somehow find him. It is difficult for
Your Character has an old injury or him to live in civilized areas and he
condition that still interferes with his most often finds himself on the fringes
comfort or mobility. He may have mi- of society. Unless he is resourceful and
graines, joint pain, inflammatory or combat-trained, it is likely his lifespan
digestive issues, or anything of that will be short.
nature. At the beginning of each in-
game day, make an Average Persever- Depressed (1)
ance Test; failure means he suffers a Your Character feels down and
penalty of -1 Die to all Tests for the first mopey most of the time. He sleeps a
half of his day, as well as moves at a re- lot, has little motivation, is constantly
duced rate of 75% of his Speed. Some pessimistic, and has nothing good to
conditions may cause the pain to flair say about himself or life. In addition to
up again and call for a re-Test, at your all the ways this can cause him prob-
GM’s discretion. lems, he suffers a penalty of -1 Die to
all Social Skill Tests, except Insight.
Coward (3)
Your Character is easily frightened Enemy (1-3)*
and he does not deal well with danger. Your Character has angered some-
Even normal things can freak him out, one and they are out to get him. This
and he suffers a penalty of -2 Dice to person will go out of their way to
Horror Tests. cause your Character problems and
at least wishes to ruin, if not outright
Dark Secret (1-3) physically harm, him.
Your Character has done or knows
about something that others would An Enemy/1 has some measure of
freak out about. At Dark Secret/1, he influence and/or skill, while an Ene-
would become the target of ridicule or my/2 is moderately influential and/or
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
be socially ostracized if the secret were skilled, and an Enemy/3 is very influen-
discovered. Dark Secret/2, he would tial and/or skilled.
gain a powerful enemy if the secret
were discovered, and Dark Secret/3, Fanatic (1-3)
he would be incarcerated or killed if There’s something in life your Char-
the secret were discovered. At all lev- acter regards as vital to the point of ex-
els, the Character suffers the effects tremism, most likely an ideal. At Fanat-
of the levels below and his chances of ic/1, he will risk social consequences
advancement in his chosen career will for his fanaticism, at Fanatic/2, he will
be adversely affected. risk danger, and at Fanatic/3, he will
sacrifice his life for it. Fanaticism forces
Darkness Magnet (3) his behavior – he’s given up choice.
The dark things of the universe are
drawn to your Character. It is almost Fat (2)
as if he is a cosmic beacon for hor- Your Character isn’t heavy or big
rible things. Even if he tries to avoid boned – he’s some shade of obese. He
the things in the shadows, they will suffers a penalty of -1 Die to Reaction
103
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Tests, as well as a penalty of -1 Die to Phobia (1)*
any Tests involving speed or Grace, There’s something that scares the
especially uses of the Athletics Skill daylights out of your Character. Most
(except Brawn). He moves one full cat- times, phobias are of simple and natu-
egory slower in terms of his Speed. ral things, some of the most common
being acrophobia (fear of heights),
Manic (1) arachnophobia (fear of spiders), en-
Your Character is upbeat and ener- tymophobia (fear of insects), or sco-
getic most of the time, in an exagger- tophobia (fear of the dark). Whenever
ated way that is unnerving to those a Character is confronted with the
around him. He can’t sit still, talks too object of his fear, he suffers a penalty
fast, and has an over-inflated sense of of -1 Die to all Tests until a couple of
self-esteem. In addition to all the ways minutes after the object is no longer
this will get him into trouble, he suffers an issue.
a penalty -1 Die to all Social Skill Tests,
except for Insight. Poor (2-3)
Your Character is not financially sol-
Nightmares (3) vent. Something has happened to ruin
Your Character suffers from night- his financial standing, whether it be
mares, often brought on by the dark- malfeasance, personal flaw, or addic-
ness that is once again coming into tion.
the world. Each morning, make an Av-
erage Perseverance Test; failure means Characters normally begin play with
he suffers a penalty of -1 Die to all Tests a Wealth Code of 2, which represents
for the day. Middle-Class. However, by acquiring
this Disadvantage at two points, he
Persistent Injury (1-3) can decrease that to Wealth Code 1
Something happened to your Char- (Underprivileged), and by acquiring
acter that impairs normal physical this Disadvantage at three points, he
function. Perhaps there’s some com- can decrease that to Wealth Code 0
plication that has prevented physi- (Destitute).
cians from operating or replacing or-
gans or limbs, or maybe he lost a body Rival (1-3)*
part and something happened to pre- Your Character has someone who
vent regenerative therapy. feels he is in competition with your
Character for something, be it an ob-
At Persistent Injury/1, this means ject or objective, or accomplishment
he suffers a penalty of -1 Die to any in a particular field. He will harass your
Tests that would be influenced by the Character, and generally attempt to
injury (such as to Notice when miss- out-do or humiliate him. A Rival/1 has
ing an eye). At Persistent Injury/2, this some measure of influence and/or
increases to a penalty of -2 Dice, and skill, while a Rival/2 is moderately in-
to a penalty of -3 Dice at Persistent In- fluential and/or skilled, and a Rival/3 is
jury/3. very influential and/or skilled.
Sensory Impaired (1)* Ugly (1)
One of your Character’s senses Your Character is, in no way, an at-
(sight, hearing, touch, smell/taste) tractive person. He suffers a penalty
doesn’t work the way it should. You re- of -1 Die to all Social Skill Tests that
ceive a penalty of -1 Die for Tests that in some way involve physical appear-
rely on this sense. You may acquire this ance, though not for Insight or Intimi-
disadvantage once for each of your dation.
Character’s senses.
Vengeful (1)
Skinny (2) Your Character doesn’t take los-
Your Character is not trim or wiry, ing or being wronged very well. He
he’s downright sickly. He suffers a pen- doesn’t even have to have actually lost
alty of -1 Die to Reaction Tests, as well or been wronged, he only has to per-
as a penalty of -1 Die to any Tests in- ceive he has. He suffers a penalty of -1
volving Perseverance or Physique, es- Die to all Social Skill Tests, except for
pecially uses of the Athletics: Brawn or Insight or Intimidation, when dealing
Fitness Skills. This does not effect non- with the person upon which he wish-
physical uses of Perseverance, such as es vengeance. Furthermore, he must
Horror or Madness Tests. make a Perseverance Test not to take
action against the person, whether
Slow (2) through verbal abuse, attempted hu-
For some reason, your Character miliation, pranks, legal action, or even
moves much slower than most would physical violence, each time he is con-
expect. He suffers a penalty of -1 Die fronted with them.
to Reaction Tests, and moves one full
category slower in terms of Speed. He Wanted (1-3)
also suffers a penalty of -1 Die on any Your Character has done some-
Test of the Athletics: Speed Skill. thing and now the law wants to have
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
a word. At Wanted/1, he has commit-
Tormented (1) ted a misdemeanor and the search for
You Character is the kind of person him is not intense – though there will
that wrestles with inner demons. He be a warrant for his arrest on file. At
may suffer from tragic self-doubt or Wanted/2, he has committed a non-
have psychological scars from some violent felony, which has brought on
sort of abuse. In any event, what is a warrant and mild alert for his arrest.
normal for him may not be normal for However, at Wanted/3, he has commit-
other, well-adjusted people. Though ted a violent felony and authorities ev-
being Tormented does not have an im- erywhere are on the look-out for him.
mediate effect on social interactions, it In any event, he’ll need a false identity
is difficult for such people to maintain to move around, unless smuggled.
long-lasting romantic relationships.
Those who’ve known Tormented Char-
acters for any length of time will re- Talents
gard them as strange or damaged as There are those unexplainable
well. knacks that people seem to naturally
105
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Talents List Deeply Weird
Black Heart
Requires: appropriate Skills
Born in Freefall Your Character gets one free Suc-
Deeply Weird cess for Cleverness-based Tests when
Don’t I Know You?
Double Tap analyzing or using alien life or technol-
Fight, Not Flight ogy.
Killer Instinct
Know Where Your Towel Is
Lift With Your Legs Don’t I Know You?
No Rest for the Wicked Requires: Savoir Faire Skill & Trigger
One Foot in the Grave
Peek-a-Boo Your Character has the amazing abil-
Sexual Magnet ity to create relatedness with strang-
Snake Eyes
Too Innocent ers. You gain one free Success for So-
True Grit cial Skill Tests of a friendly sort with
Whiff of Death
Wicked Presence
the person in question, for purposes
Wicked Smart of this first introductory interaction.
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Maintaining Composure
107
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
Too Innocent Character Advancement
Your Character is the kind of person Like most modern roleplaying
that people never suspect of wrong- games, The Void relies on a more dra-
doing. He can avoid being the target matic, less realistic form of character
of such investigations, at least initially. advancement. Characters are awarded
Naturally, once evidence mounts up, Advances at the end of every play ses-
he’s in as much trouble as the next guy sion, which they can bank and eventu-
– however, he gets that crucial initial ally spend to increase or purchase new
reprieve. Attributes, Skills, or Talents, and to ac-
quire or dissolve Qualities.
True Grit
Your Character suffers one less Regardless of other costs and re-
than the usual penalty to Tests when quirements, there are two maxims that
wounded. This means that he suffers are applied to anything on your Char-
no penalty at Bruised, only -1 Die at acter Sheet – you may only improve
Battered, and -3 Dice at Hurt. something by one point at a time
and you may never improve the same
Whiff of Death thing two game sessions in a row.
Requires: Notice
Your Character has the uncanny and This goes for acquisition as well –
unnerving ability to sense when death you can’t acquire a new Skill two ses-
is near. This can come in the form of sions in a row, or new Talents two ses-
someone who is in mortal peril, near- sions in a row. You need to give your
by corpses, or nearby morgues, grave- Character a little space to acclimate.
yards, or other places of death. Your
GM will let you know when this Talent Improving Attributes
comes into play. It is possible through training and
luck to improve your Character’s At-
Wicked Presence tributes. You must increase your Attri-
Requires: Fraternize butes incrementally, so you can’t just
Your Character knows how to bring skip from an 2 to a 4 without also in-
his personality to bear, gaining one creasing to 3 in between.
free Success to any Social Skill Test.
However, he also stands out when do- In order to improve an Attribute,
ing this and people take notice of him. you must have spent time in-game do-
He cannot blend in when using, or ing the kind of things that are required
having recently used, this Talent. to train the Attribute in question to
be better honed. You will also need to
Wicked Smart have your GM’s approval, as to wheth-
Requires: Training in skills to be used er or not you’ve put in a convincing
Your Character is generally life- amount of in-game energy to warrant
smart, not book-smart, and gains one the increase.
free Success to non-Scientific or Tech-
nical Skills based on Cleverness.
Improvement Advance Cost Acquiring New Talents
Characters will also develop many
From 1 to 2 2 new individual Talents as they grow. To
From 2 to 3 2 acquire a new Talent costs 2 Advances.
From 3 to 4 3 This new Talent should be relevant
with how you’re playing.
From 4 to 5 4
Modifying Qualities
Learn a New Skill
Sometimes your story will give your
There are always new Skills you’ll
Character the opportunity to acquire a
want your Character to learn. In order
new Advantage or finally lose a Disad-
to learn a new Skill at 1, you’ll either
vantage. Check in with your GM when
need to spend the in-game equivalent
you think either of these might be
of 20 hours studying and training or
appropriate – if he approves, you can
10 hours with a qualified teacher (any-
spend the advances below to do so.
one with the Skill at 3 or greater). Once
you’ve done that, spend 1 Advance
Your GM may also assign you new
and you get the Skill at 1.
Disadvantages during play. You don’t
have to pay for them, but you also
The Odd Job skill is a special case,
don’t get any new additional points
since it covers such a wide array of
for Advantages from them.
knowledge. It takes twice as long to
learn and costs 2 Advances to get the
Skill at 1. Cost Advance Cost
1 Point 2
Improving an Existing Skill 2 Points 3
In order to improve one of the Skills
your Character already has, you must 3 Points 4
Chapter 6: Skills:Qualities:Talents
have spent time using that Skill in-
game recently. You must improve your
Attributes incrementally, so you can’t
just skip from an 2 to a 4 without also
increasing to 3 in between.
109
7 Rules
111
Epic Fails
If you ever roll
and all of your dice
Chapter 7: Rules
Hail Mary
Sometimes you
may need to at-
tempt a Test that is
at a Difficulty that
is above your capa-
bility. There is still
a slim chance you
may succeed.
113
Horror Difficulty
Tests At a Glance Disturbing Easy
Scary Average
Chapter 7: Rules
Teamwork:
• Sometimes friends can help. Terrifying Hard
• Each must have a minimum Nightmarish Incredibly Hard
rating of one lower than your
Mind Shattering Legendary
Skill rating.
• You get a bonus die to the
If your Character succeeds at his
Test.
Horror Test, then he processes the fear
without adverse effect. He will not
Special Tests At a Glance need to make another Horror Test for
this particular stimulus at this time,
Horror Tests: whether it be situational or creature-
• When something might scare induced.
your Character, you must suc-
ceed at a Horror Test or be However, if he fails, he suffers a Hor-
afraid. ror Effect – to determine how he re-
• Horror Tests are Perseverance acts, roll two dice and consult the Hor-
Attribute Tests against a Diffi- ror Effects table.
culty provided by the GM.
• If you fail, you suffer a Horror
Effect. To determine, roll 2d6 2d6 Horror Effect
and consult the Horror Effects 2-3 Mess Your Pants
table. 4-5 Run Away Screaming
• If a scary thing is something
6-7 Shriek Like A Little Kid
the Characters must face with
any regularity, the GM should 8-9 Freeze
only call for Horror Tests the 10-11 Faint Dead Away
first half dozen or so times. 12 Fight Instincts Kick In
(Foolishly)
115
of Madness Levels a character will gain The Madness Scale
should he fail the Madness Test. There are four levels of madness, as
well as one level of sanity. All charac-
For example, being captured and ters begin at Level 0: Lucid, as the War-
Chapter 7: Rules
tortured for days might carry a Mad- dens require functional people.
ness Rating of Average/1, so failure
would mean the Character would Level 0: Lucid
gain one Madness Level. On the other Your Character’s psychic defenses
hand, reading a true and intact version are intact and a psychologist would
of the Necronomicon could have a brand him well-adjusted – or at least
Madness Rating of Hard/2, and failure as well-adjusted as people get. He
would mean the character would gain seems perfectly normal to pretty
two Madness Levels. much everyone.
117
• Hypochondriasis – your Character • Sleeping Disorder – your Character
is always afraid of being sick and has a problem sleeping through
constantly thinks that something the night or getting to sleep at all.
is wrong with him health-wise. Nightmares may be a factor.
Chapter 7: Rules
119
There are also times where you will 1. Initiative Tests
want to either enforce your will (or re- Initiative determines who gets to act
sist the will of another). The rules that in what order. To determine your Ini-
follow cover both sorts of conflict – tiative for the turn, make a Test using
Chapter 7: Rules
4. Defenses
Unless an attack is from surprise, ev- Cover
ery Character gets to defend against In order to survive real firefights,
every attack that comes at him. To do particularly those that involve auto-
so, make a Test using Grace + Defense. matic weapons or especially deadly
121
creatures, you’ll need to utilize cover. do one additional die of damage – ties
Each type of cover provides you with a do not yield additional damage. This
Bonus number of dice to your Defense total is reduced by the target’s armor
Test against those from which it would (if any).
Chapter 7: Rules
protect you.
You’ll find a list of weapons, with
Here are the different types of cover their accompanying ranges, in Chap-
and the Bonuses they give you: ter 8.
Wounds Penalties
Bruised -1 die Penalty to all Actions.
Battered -2 dice Penalty to all Actions.
Hurt -4 dice Penalty to all Actions; reduced to half Speed & Armor.
Incapacitated Character falls unconscious.
Character takes, whether in or out of
combat. They are not alleviated until
the Character is treated. Combat At a Glance
Armor Physical Combat
If you’re wearing armor, it will re- • 6. Doing Damage – Roll a
duce the amount of damage you take number of dice of damage
from each attack – for the most part. equal to the weapon’s rating.
When you take damage, immediately For each Success by which
reduce the amount of damage you you beat your opponent, you
take by its protection. However, armor do one additional die of dam-
has two levels of protection. It starts age.
at its maximum protection. Once • Taking wounds – Each Char-
you’ve taken enough damage to be acter has four Wound Lev-
Hurt, the amount of protection it of- els, each equal to a number
fers is cut in half. If you are reduced of points of damage equal
to Unconscious, your armor has been to his Health rating. Each
rendered useless. Wound Level has penalties
associated with it.
For example, a full suit of Warden • Armor – Reduce the amount
armor reduces damage by 10 points. of damage you take by the
Once you take enough damage to rating of your armor.
be Hurt, the protection of the armor • Fate Points – each Char-
drops to 5 points. If you take enough acter has one Fate Point,
damage to be rendered Unconscious, which can save from cer-
it won’t provide anymore protection tain death. If spent to avoid
until it is repaired (or replaced). an incapacitating or killing
blow, that attack’s damage
Fate Points is ignored and you imme-
Every Character has one Fate Point, diately heal another 3d6
which you can use to save your ba- worth of damage.
Chapter 7: Rules
con when it looks like your Charac- • Healing – Once hurt, you
ter is going to die. These are unique can heal Naturally, with
to Characters, as NPCs and monsters First Aid, or with Medical
don’t get to use them. Fate Points can Attention.
be used in two ways. • Naturally = 1 Health ev-
ery 2 Days.
The first way is to avoid certain • First Aid = 2d6 Health im-
death (such as falling off a tall build- mediately, and 1 Health
ing or being flushed out an airlock). every day.
This will only work if you and your GM • Medical Attention = 4d6
can work out a reasonably believable, Health immediately, and
if amazing, way that your Character 2 Health every day.
survives the experience. Your GM may
rule that you take some sort of dam-
123
age, though it can’t be enough to inca- If you can receive full medical atten-
pacitate or kill your Character. tion by a qualified professional with
access to modern medical facilities,
The second way is to avoid a blow you’ll immediately heal 4d6 damage.
Chapter 7: Rules
that would render your Character un- You’ll then heal at a rate of two points
conscious or dead. The Fate Point ne- of Health every day of game time.
gates the attack that would do this sort
of damage and treats it as if the attack Special Modifiers
missed completely. You also get to im-
mediately heal 3d6 points of Health, as Aiming
it looks like the wounds you’ve already Taking time to aim a projectile
suffered aren’t as bad as you thought. weapon is something you want to do
If this brings your Character from Hurt when you have the freedom to do
or Unconscious, it also brings his ar- so, because if anything happens to
mor back to the appropriate level of disrupt your Character while aiming
effectiveness – it too was not as badly he loses all benefit. Otherwise, any
damaged as you thought. Character who spends a simple Action
aiming gets one free Success on his
All Characters begin with one Fate next attack. If you spend two simple
Point. Once a Fate Point is spent, you Actions on two successive turns, he
get it back the game session after gets two free Successes on his next
next. You’ll be without one for one attack. However, if he is hurt between
complete session, so be careful. the time he takes to aim and when he
makes the attack, the bonus is lost.
Healing
Once your Character has been hurt, Automatic Weapons
there are three ways in which he can Some weapons are designed to
heal – Naturally, with First Aid, or with fire at a high rate of fire. If you’re fir-
complete Medical Attention. Medical ing on single shot with an automatic
advances have made it so that people weapon, resolve the attack as normal.
can heal at much greater rates than to- When firing on automatic, your attack
day, but healing naturally still takes a requires one more Success than usual,
painfully long amount of time. but you add the weapon’s Auto value
as a number of damage dice. The Auto
If you have no other choice than value will also tell you the number of
to heal naturally, you’ll get back one rounds firing on auto consumes – in
point of Health every two days of general, it will be about half of a full
game time. clip.
If you can be tended to by someone Charging
who knows first aid and has access If you can reach an enemy with
to a fully-stocked modern first aid kit, your maximum Run Speed using an
you’ll immediately heal 2d6 damage. Involved Action this turn, you may
You’ll then heal at a rate of one point charge him. This gives you a free at-
of Health every day of game time.
tack at a -1 die Penalty, but if suc-
cessful will do one extra die worth of
damage. This applies to attacks that Combat At a Glance
are unarmed or using hand weapons
only – guns do not gain benefit from • Aiming – One simple action
charging. gives you one free Success
on next attack, as long as not
Epic Fails disrupted. Two over two turns
There will be times that you roll an gives two free Successes, and
Epic Fail during combat. If you roll an three over three turns give
Epic Fail for your Defense Test, your three free Successes.
Defense is treated as if it were 0 for • Automatic Weapons – At-
the turn. If you roll an Epic Fail for your tacks require one more Suc-
attack, your attack not only fails, you cess than usual, but you add
also somehow mess up your weapon the weapon’s Auto value as a
in such a way that you can’t attack number of damage dice.
with it for the rest of this combat. • Charging – If you can reach an
enemy at Run Speed, you at-
Escaping Close Quarters Combat tack at a -1 Die penalty. If you
When you’re already engaged in hit, you do one extra die of
close quarters combat, it isn’t so easy damage.
to get away. If you try to break away, • Epic Fails – If defending, your
you must engage in a Grace Contest Defense equals 0. If attacking,
with each other combatant. This is an your attack not only fails, it
Involved Action. If you win, you can messes up your weapon so it
move your Run Speed away. Other- is useless this combat.
wise, you’ve wasted your Involved Ac- • Escaping Close Quarters Com-
tion for the Turn and must stay in the bat – To break away from
combat. close quarter combat, engage
in a Grace Contest with each
Ganging Up combatant. If you win, move
Chapter 7: Rules
125
hand weapons skills. However, you cially small targets will be one level of
can still use your handguns, but at a -1 Difficulty higher, while especially large
die Penalty to your attacks. targets are one level of Difficulty lower.
In any case, your GM will let you know.
Chapter 7: Rules
Obscured Targets
Naturally, attacking a target nor- Suppressive Fire
mally requires a clear line of sight be- There may be situations in which
tween you and it. However, there will you’ll want to fill an area full of bul-
be times when you’ll want to do some- lets to slow your opponents down,
thing in obscuring conditions, wheth- instead of trying to harm them. Auto-
er they be in smoke, fog, darkness, or matic weapons are the most effective
something similar. If the conditions in these situations, but any gun will do.
make sight difficult (partially obscur-
ing), such as light fog or dusk, you suf- Your attack will encompass a 45° arc
fer a -1 die Penalty to those Actions in any direction. To accomplish this,
that require sight. On the other hand, you must succeed at an Average Guns
if the conditions are truly obscuring, Test. All combatants that are moving
like in heavy smoke or darkness, the through the field of fire must succeed
Test Penalty increases to -2 dice, but at an Average Defense Test, or take
again only for Actions requiring sight. damage equal to one round from the
gun – with no bonus damage. Regard-
Shooting Into Combat less, if you succeed, all combatants
If you choose to shoot at an enemy must slow their advance.
that is embroiled in close quarters
combat with another – ally or other- The amount combatants in that area
wise – they each need to make a De- are slowed is shown by the following
fense Test against your attack. If either table, depending upon whether or
misses, they are hit by the attack. not you’re using an automatic weapon
and whether the area is open area with
Static Targets lots of room to move, or if it is confined
Sometimes you’ll want to shoot at with little room to maneuver.
something that isn’t alive. Taking a
shot at a static target is a shot against a Suppressive Fire Amount Slowed
regular Difficulty instead of a Contest.
Auto – Open 50%
Auto – Confined 75%
Range Difficulty
Semi – Open 25%
Short Easy
Semi – Confined 50%
Medium Average
Long Hard Surprise
Extreme Incredibly Hard Sometimes, a defender will be com-
pletely unaware that they are about to
This Difficulty may be modified by be attacked. If this is the case, the de-
the size of the target. In general, espe- fender does not get to make a Defense
Test against that attack. As long as the
attacker’s Test yields one Success, it
will hit and do damage – treating ev-
Combat At a Glance
ery Success as bonus damage.
• Shooting Into Combat – All en-
emies in close quarters com-
Two-Handed Attacks
bat must make a Defense Test
If you are skilled with a weapon
against your attack.
(have at least a rating of 1 in the ap-
• Static Targets – Shooting
propriate skill), you may be able to use
something at Short range is
two of that weapon at the same time.
Easy Difficulty, at Medium is
Naturally, the weapons in question
Average, at Long is Hard, and
must be the kind of weapons a person
Extreme is Incredibly Hard.
can use two of at the same time. Dag-
• Suppressive Fire – All combat-
gers make sense, as do handguns, but
ants moving through your 45°
shotguns or machine guns do not.
arc must succeed at an Aver-
age Defense Test or take dam-
If you can wield two weapons at the
age equal to one round with
same time, you can attack with both
no bonus damage. You must
of them in the same turn for an In-
succeed at an Average Guns
volved Action. Both attacks are made
Test. Enemies slowed by an
at a -1 die Penalty.
amount shown on opposite
page.
Social Combat • Two-Handed Attacks – Attack
with two weapons at the
There will be times when you’ll
same time at a -1 die Penalty.
want to try to enforce your will on an-
other person, or when someone else
will try to force their will onto you.
Social combat involves pitting social have a certain way, within certain
skills against each other to see whose boundaries:
social pressure prevails.
Chapter 7: Rules
Each of the four attitudes means There are six social skills and each
that the person in question will be- provides a different type of result:
127
• Deception allows you to spin false- Attitude Skills Requiring
hoods and make people believe Contests
whatever you want them to be-
lieve. Friendly Deception, Intimida-
Chapter 7: Rules
129
Unfriendly or Hostile towards every- question remains pretty much the
one, just so you get the rules benefit of same, unless something happens that
them having to work harder to manip- would change your opinion about
Chapter 7: Rules
ulate him. Most people in life are sim- him. People don’t tend to walk away
ply Ambivalent to one another, unless from social situations and immedi-
there is a personal connection, social ately question how they feel about the
circumstance, or prejudice involved. other people involved, unless neurosis
is in play.
Epic Fails
There will be times that you roll an Stalemate
Epic Fail during social combat. If you Social situations can end in stale-
roll an Epic Fail for your Insight test, mates, where neither party is ready to
you simply fail in your defense. if you give in to the other. This occurs if, dur-
roll an Epic Fail for your Desired Effect, ing the same Exchange, both parties
your social attack not only fails, you shift each others’ Attitudes to Friendly.
give your opponent a +2 die bonus Both parties realize that they’re not
to his social actions against you this going to be able to outdo the other
Exchange – or next turn if he’s already – or that they have no desire to ma-
gone. nipulate the other person – and the
exchange ends. They cannot continue
Recovery social combat unless something hap-
Once you’ve ended an Exchange, pens to change their Attitudes about
your Attitude towards the person in one another.
4G Board Meeting
Intimidation & Torture
The use of the Intimidation skill is a Combat At a Glance
little different, in that it pretty much
can’t shift a person’s Attitude to Am- Social Combat
bivalent or Friendly in the conven- • Epic Fails – On Insight Test,
tional way. After all, you are somehow equals a fail in defense. For
browbeating, threatening, or outright Desired Effect, attempt fails
causing physical pain to another per- and the opponent now gains
son to force them to take a course of +2 die Bonus for this Ex-
action you desire them to take. When change.
a person who is being intimidated • Recovery – Once Exchange is
or tortured reaches Ambivalent, over your Attitude remains
they will do something that they are the same, unless something
against, but that doesn’t have ter- happens to change opinion.
rible consequences. When that same • Stalemate – If both parties
person reaches Friendly, they will do shift each other’s Attitudes to
whatever it is you wanted them to do Friendly, the Exchange ends.
out of fear. Additionally, you gain +1 • Intimidation & Torture – When
die bonus to such Contests for every shifted to Ambivalent, sub-
die of damage you do when torturing ject will do something they
a person during an Exchange. are against. At Friendly, they
will do anything. You get +1
die to Contests for every die
Physical Feats of damage you do.
Sometimes it will be important to
know some of your Character’s physi- Physical Feats At a Glance
cal boundaries. Here are a few ad-
ditional rules to help you determine • Climbing – One third Speed.
them. • Endurance – There is a limit
to how far a Character can go,
Chapter 7: Rules
131
speed for a number of hours equal to Movement
their Perseverance or at full speed for The quality of terrain limits the max-
a number of hours equal to a half their imum speed at which a Character may
Chapter 7: Rules
Perseverance (round down). They can move. Difficult terrain, such as sand,
maintain strenuous physical activity or limits speed to half of maximum and
combat for a number of minutes equal Severe terrain, such as dense jungle or
to twice their Perseverance and can mud, limits it to a quarter.
stay awake for a number of days equal
to half their Perseverance (round
down).
Swimming
A Character’s maximum swimming
speed is one-third his land speed, as-
When Characters reach these limits,
suming that the Character knows how
they must rest. Your GM will tell you
to swim. Conditions, such as waves
for how long, but any Action you try to
and currents, also affect how difficult
take while exhausted is at a -2 die Test
it is for a Character to swim.
Penalty.
Jumping Throwing
Characters can throw reasonably
Characters can jump a yard/meter
light objects ten yards/meter for every
across and a foot/30 cm high for every
point of Physique.
point of Physique.
Lifting Survival
Characters can lift 100 pounds/45
kg and carry half that for every point
Environmental Hazards
of Physique. Mass, size, grip, and other
It won’t always be horrible creatures
conditions affect how easily some-
or small arms fire that hurt your Char-
thing can be lifted or carried.
acter. Environmental hazards includ-
ing burning, drowning, or falling are
133
Fire/Heat/Smoke going to be rare at best, this may work
Individually these conditions might best for everyone.
not be immediately lethal, only caus-
ing two or four dice per turn. However Exotic Atmospheres
Chapter 7: Rules
135
Exotic Environments ward at half his normal speed and will
Beyond the composition of the at- freeze to death in a number of turns
mosphere, the overall environment equal to his Perseverance.
Chapter 7: Rules
slower, and can endure 10% less (with throw, move, climb, and en-
the exception of sleep deprivation). dure an increased 10%, at
around 0.4G an increased
When approaching the core of Jupi- 50%, and at around 0.15G,
ter or Saturn, Characters lift and carry twice as much.
half as much, jump and throw half as • High Gravity – At around
far, move and climb half as fast, and 1.14G, Characters lift, carry,
can endure half as much (with the ex- jump, throw, move, climb,
ception of sleep deprivation). and endure a decreased 10%.
Zero Gravity
In zero or microgravity, such as in
space or one smaller asteroids, moons,
or dwarf planets, Characters can have have lines and hand-holds to help
a difficult time moving around. Ships people move around, but anyone
137
who wants to get around well must be Look What I Found
trained in the Freefall Skill. 1 Tension Point
You can spend one Tension Point in
Chapter 7: Rules
139
D Spin Control
Captain Percy Aniston blinked Reaching out in front of him, he
his eyes several times, trying to get touched the frosted glass. Lights
them to focus. It was always this way inside the couch slowly brightened,
when he woke up from A/D stasis – giving his disused eyes enough time
that period of time when you’re put to adjust. Once the light inside of the
under and locked away in a protec- couch was normalized with the room
tive gel that keeps your body from outside, the door hissed and popped
being crushed by the massive forces open, sliding back into a recess in
generated when the Transit Drives the couch. Designers seem to put
kick in. Anyone outside a grav couch these couches upright for reasons
wouldn’t survive; the crew would only Captain Aniston could never really
find a pulpy mess left behind. Percy understand, but at least it made for
140 had seen the effects before – usu-
ally on rats that managed to stow
an easy exit. No pulling yourself up
using tired and weakened limbs –
away on a ship. you just walked right out. He stepped
out and onto the deck, but ended up
Holding his arm up, Percy tried to dancing back and forth, trying to
focus. Slowly, he started to see the keep them off the cold plating.
blur resolve into a hand. Admittedly,
it was kind of gross-looking, covered “Mother… the least you could do
in the remnants of the blue-green is warm the floor up for me, Doc,”
gel he’d been cocooned in for the complained Percy. He looked over
last week. His skin was now tem- at Doctor Curtis Spence, who was
porarily stained a nasty color and scanning readouts on the flex panel
matching chunks still dripped off that was suspended from the ceiling
him. He closed his hand into a fist between the two. Glowing charac-
several times, then started on the ters slowly scrolled up the screen
ritual he had practiced dozens of as the Doctor’s eyes flicked back
times since he’d first started deep- and forth, taking in the information.
system runs. Test the left arm, then He was an older man with the slight-
the right. Make sure your legs are ly portly body that tended to come
working. Curl your toes. Blink. Every- upon one as the decades passed by.
thing seemed to be fine. It wasn’t Percy and he had been making the
like there was any real danger of Neptune run for almost ten years
losing function, but Percy was su- together now. Enough time with
perstitious and habits can be hard enough stuff in the past to make
to break. their relationship a little more than
just a friendship.
141
Regenerative
Therapies
The capability of a
lizard to grow a new
tail after his old one
has been severed
or for a crab to re-
place a missing limb
that was torn off by
another predator
has long fascinated
medical research-
ers. However, it took
decades of research
before a true un-
derstanding of the
workings behind
those capabilities
was obtained. The
long hard work has
paid off, however,
and today it is possi-
ble, with significant
Modern Diagnostic Bed
help, for a victim of
an accident or other
trauma to replace a lost limb. Early versions of this therapy re-
quired the patient to stay in the hos-
Regenerative therapy, as the dis- pital throughout the process – some-
cipline of regrowing lost limbs has thing that can take upwards of a year
come to be known, is not a perfect to complete. For many, it was simply
science and there are some for whom not a realistic option, as not many can
the therapy simply is not effective. afford to stay out of work for that kind
Even for those on whom it does work, of time. Today, the end of the stub is
the process is long and can require sealed in a small portable container,
dozens of visits to the hospital. The generally referred to as a tub, that
raw severed stub is submerged in a contains the regenerative bath, as
special bath that stimulates the cells well as the circulation and filtration
to slowly start to replace those that systems necessary for the procedure
are missing. In time, the missing limb to be successful. Every week, this tub
is slowly regenerated. is checked and adjusted by the super-
147
vising doctor to ensure the process is or deceleration phase. They protect
Chapter 8: Technology
149
variety of styles and looks in which of sizes, from small portables to mas-
they are available. For most people, sive wall-mounted screens. They can
Chapter 8: Technology
they are a natural part of life and have, maintain their rigid state for indefinite
for many, become the modern equiv- periods without compromising their
alent of a 21st century personal assis- flexible nature when powered down.
tant. So ubiquitous are wrist comps Images displayed on these monitors
that things like appointments, work can either be transparent enough to
schedules, and meetings are gener- allow one to gaze through them to
ally automatically uploaded into the whatever lies on the other side, or
owner’s scheduling software. can be rendered fully opaque. When
transparent, anyone on the opposite
Each wrist comp has a unique iden- side of the monitor will also see the
tifier created by the owner, that is images – though any text will appear
also linked to a biometric signature. reversed from their point of view.
The pair exist not to simply lock out When opaque, the back of the moni-
the wrist comp from unauthorized tor is black.
access, but also to provide authoriza-
tion for automatic uploads from out- Work stations tend to have more
side sources. Owners can also provide permanent versions of flex screens.
limited access to their wrist comps by They are generally made of a thicker,
authorizing guest accounts. more robust material and are perma-
nently rigid. However, they also tend
Most wrist comps have a small to be large – sometimes they will
screen integrated into them that a stretch the length of a room.
user can use. However, in general,
they transmit their data either to a All flex screens and related moni-
nearby flex screen or to a set of eye tors are touch sensitive, meaning that
bands that have been linked to the the user simply need touch an icon or
comp, either of which affords a larger piece of data to manipulate or access
view area. it in some way. Special gloves can also
be worn to further enhance the ability
Flex Screen to interact with the screen, allowing
Gone are the days when monitors one to virtually hold 3D representa-
were large monstrosities that took tions of items or data, rotate them,
up a significant portion of a person’s move them, and so on. This technol-
desk. Today, monitors are made of a ogy has created a more natural work
flexible, normally transparent plastic environment and reduced injuries
that is stored in a small tube. When caused by repetitive actions that
one needs to utilize the monitor, the haunted computer users in decades
plastic is pulled out of the tube, much past.
like one pulls paper off a roll. When
fully extended, a small electrical The Internet
charge stiffens the plastic into a rigid The internet is a virtual representa-
sheet suitable for viewing anything tion of the electronic network that is
on. Flex monitors come in a variety so prevalent in colonized regions. Its
roots can be traced
back to the 20th cen-
tury, though, at that
time, the internet
was severely limited
when compared to
today – upload and
download speeds
are now lightning
fast. A whole host
of devices, ranging
from wrist comps
to alarm systems
and powerful super
computers, exist on
the internet. All in-
ternet capable de-
vices can not only
access other similar-
ly capable devices,
but can also act as
a sort of repeater
beacon, automati-
cally passing data
back and forth to
other devices. This
function is gener- Modern Consumer Computing
ally separated from
the device itself, so
as not to compromise its security or
they do generally support the latter – Chapter 8: Technology
especially when it comes to the enter-
burden its primary processor.
tainment libraries.
Nearly everywhere man has es-
tablished himself has some version Nanotechnology and
of the internet. On Earth, it is a per- Molecular Manufacturing
vasive virtual world that is taken for Nanotechnology has long been the
granted by most everyone. Mars also Holy Grail of scientists and research-
has an extensive internet. People can ers and there has been a significant
send e-mail from planet to planet. amount of progress in the field. For a
Spaceships tend to have their own long time researchers sought for ways
micro-internets, with the spaceship’s to create molecule-sized machines
computer acting as the hub. These that held promises that, to some, al-
smaller iterations of the internet are most seemed magical in nature. The
more about ease of communications ability to program and army of na-
than data storage and access, though nites to build objects at a molecular
151
level would give engineers an unprec- need to be able to get around. In the
Chapter 8: Technology
edented level of accuracy and preci- modern age, this is a relatively effort-
sion. Manufacturing technologies less affair, though the exact method
would change overnight if nanites of transport depends upon the loca-
were mastered. Unfortunately, while tion and environment.
the theory is sound, it has proven
much more difficult to execute in Personal Transport
practice. In addition, there have al- Ever since man started riding on
ways been those who fear the other horseback, owning a personal trans-
side of the nanite coin – the ability to port of some sort was not just a sta-
disassemble things, or people, at the tus symbol, but for many a point of
molecular level. They could be ulti- pride. Today is no different. Unlike
mate assassination tools. For this, and years past, personal transport comes
other more practical reasons, research in both the ground and air varieties.
into this area has been slow and met
with a great many hurdles over the Despite what many old science-fic-
decades. However, this is not to say tion stories postulated, most planet-
that the research has been fruitless. based personal transport is still the
tried and true automobile. There are
The biggest benefactor of nanotech nearly as many automobile models as
research has been in the field of ma- there are types of people. The modern
terials engineering. Many of the most auto is similar in many ways to its an-
common building materials used in cestors. They have two to four wheels,
modern construction are engineered a steering wheel, lights, and so on.
at a molecular level to be stronger Modern autos do, however, have
and lighter than previously possible. many amenities that were not avail-
Building on successes that can be able in earlier years. The classic instru-
traced as far back as the early 21st ment panel has been replaced with a
century, engineers have created ar- heads-up system that projects all the
mored panels that literally merge into relevant data on the windshield or
one another creating a seamless ar- helmet faceplate as appropriate. Sen-
mored shell, intelligent carbon com- sors provide the operator constant
posites that can stitch themselves updates on what is around him, re-
back together after suffering dam- ducing the chances of accidents. Au-
age, and multi-state materials that tomated systems take control when
can shift from vapor to liquid to solid necessary to avoid collisions. The
as needed. This latter is often used as heads-up display can also provide
part of the damage control systems thermal vision at night and in low-
commonly found on spacecraft. light conditions. In well developed
areas, and along major arteries, auto-
Planetary pilot systems can free up the driver for
other tasks or simple conversation.
Transportation
Whether on Earth, Mars, or some Personal air transport has also be-
distant moon, there is always the come a relatively common sight.
These vehicles tend
to be highly auto-
mated in order to
reduce the chances
of operator er-
ror. In areas where
these systems are
not available, pilots
must be licensed,
with renewals oc-
curring on a regular
basis. Generally, air
transport is used
between cities. Any
that are used with-
in a city’s airspace
must have the ap-
propriate permits
and the pilot must
be properly licensed
for operation in
the region. All per-
sonal air transports
are (VTOL) vertical
take-off and land-
ing craft.
Los Angeles in Light Traffic
Mass Transit
Mass transit sys- Chapter 8: Technology
tems have become integral to most track cause the train to actually float
people’s everyday life. Those who live roughly twelve inches above the track.
in the same cities in which they work Additional magnets along the sides of
generally use the mass transit system the track and train keep it centered as
in lieu of their car to get to and from well, removing the need for a guide
work. Many use the systems when rail of any kind – though an emer-
travelling between cities. On colonies, gency guide wheel can be lowered
especially on Mars and Luna, maglev should there be a malfunction of the
trains are about the only way to travel normal magnetic system. This system
between settlements. enables the train to achieve speeds of
almost 400 miles per hour, allowing
The most common form of mass it to cross entire continents quickly
transit is the maglev train. These trains and efficiently. Within cities, smaller
do not run on a traditional track, but versions of these trains run under the
rather float over them. A series of streets in a manner similar to old sub-
magnets built into the trains and the way systems.
153
When travelling long distances in ment and exploitation of space in just
Chapter 8: Technology
155
trip between the planets themselves. lar system itself. These ships are large,
Chapter 8: Technology
157
tion is going to be isolated for longer ring for the helmet, and is nearly as
than normal. The crews on these sta- flexible as the inner body glove. Utility
Chapter 8: Technology
tions are also large since, again, they belts worn outside this provide places
must be as self-reliant as they pos- for tools to be attached. Micro thrust-
sibly can be. Finally, deep space sta- ers built into the feet, hips, shoulders
tions tend to be well-armed in order and palms of the suit provide the
to protect themselves from would-be wearer a great deal of mobility.
pirates or raiders that may see it as a
target of opportunity. The final part of a space suit is the
helmet. Available in a host of models,
Space Suits such helmets are highly sophisticated,
The modern space suit is a true ex- containing the computer systems that
ample of how far space technologies operate the entire suit. On the inside
have come over the decades. As little of the face shield, the user can cus-
as thirty years ago, space suits were tomize a variety of displays to assist
massive, cumbersome affairs that him in his task, provide navigational
one person could not hope to put data, or coordinate communications,
on alone. This bulkiness limited what depending on what is needed. Many
the suited person could easily accom- spacers spend a great deal of time
plish. Modern space suits are much customizing their displays.
lighter and far more effective.
159
will indicate how many Advances are Rather it is a representation of the
Chapter 8: Technology
161
wishes to avoid the delay he may try
Equipment
Chapter 8: Technology
Chapter 8: Technology
A Warden “Buffet”
163
Electro Whip Shock Mace
Chapter 8: Technology
Electro whips are rare weapons Heavier, with a more potent shock
that require a great deal of practice attack than its little brother, shock
to master so that a user does not maces are truly deadly weapons. Their
hurt himself when using them. If the weight alone can crush a skull or shat-
wielder succeeds at an Average Grace ter bones, but the deadly shock the
Test after striking a target, he has en- weapon unleashes on impact can fin-
tangled his target. Damage is then ish any job the mace alone fails to ac-
applied every round thereafter, until complish.
the wielder stops or the victim makes
a successful Average Physique Test to Stun Baton
break free of the whip. Used when the goal is to appre-
hend rather than kill, the stun baton
Mono-Strand nevertheless can be a deadly weapon
Mono-strands are thin wires only a in the hands of a trained combatant.
few molecules wide, with a weight on These blunt hand weapons release
one end. The micro-thin wire can eas- a charge when they impact a target,
ily cut through armor, flesh, and just potentially stunning him into submis-
about anything else with frightening sion.
ease. Most mono-strands are no more
than two feet in length and they are Throwing Knife
wielded much like a small whip. When Smaller than a combat knife, the
they strike, the weighted end tends to throwing knife is balanced for accu-
wrap around the target, cutting into rate throwing, giving it an enhanced
him as it unwraps. A variant of this flexibility the standard combat knife
type of weapon is the mono-garrote, does not enjoy. Throwing knives do
which has handles on both ends. They not have a vibro equivalent, as the
are generally used in surprise attacks. power cell tends to throw the balance
of the blade off.
Sap
Another melee weapon that has Handguns
been around for as long as humans Handguns, often referred to more
have been fighting one another, the simply as pistols, are common fire-
sap is a weapon designed to inca- arms used in military, government,
pacitate a victim instead of killing him and civilian circles. While lacking the
outright. Popular with law enforce- range of a rifle, they are more eas-
ments organizations, as well as those ily employed at short range and are
in less savory occupations, saps are also more practical within the closed
easy to obtain and can come in vir- confines of a spaceship. Handguns
tually any size and shape one could are also the easiest weapon to be li-
wish. When attacking, if the target is censed by common civilians, as any-
not wearing a helmet, he must make thing more serious tends to raise red
an Average Perseverance Test. If this flags with the authorities. Handguns
fails, he is rendered unconscious for use caseless ammunition, removing
1d6 minutes. the need for an ejection port and re-
ducing the number of moving parts though one not properly trained can
– and the chances of a jam. Different find it a bit awkward to use.
types of ammo can be used, if desired.
HCC-90 Anvil Heavy Pistol
ACC-44 Holdout The HCC-90 Anvil is a large cali-
The ACC-44 is a tiny handgun that ber pistol that can take down heav-
can easily be concealed in a pocket ily armored opponents or punch
or purse. They are commonly used through decking and walls to get at
for self-defense and are more of a de- an opponent. However, this hitting
terrent than a real threat, since most power comes at the cost of a limited
people will think twice about accost- magazine capacity. Many Anvil’s are
ing someone with a gun no matter equipped with a penetration scope
how small. The simple, single-action to allow the user to see through a lim-
operation of this weapon means it is ited amount of cover and maximize
easy for even an amateur to master their efficiency with what shots they
and it rarely suffers any mechanical do have.
problems.
HCS-4 Blaster Hand Cannon
ACC-62 Bandit Semi-Automatic Pistol For all intents and purposes, the
This 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, HCS-4 Blaster is a shotgun built
and similar models by other compa- into a pistol frame. It is a single shot
nies, is perhaps the most common weapon that, at point blank range, is
handgun used in civilian circles, and absolutely deadly. Highly effective at
also sees common use by police forces skewing the odds of a fight in your
across the solar system. With notice- favor, especially in the opening volley,
ably more stopping power than the these weapons rarely see a second
ACC-44, it is preferred over its smaller use during a given encounter. Instead,
cousin by serious gun enthusiasts and most owners discard them in favor of
professionals alike. The ACC-44 uti- a weapon with a better endurance,
Chapter 8: Technology
lizes an integrated laser scope, mak- hoping that the initial blast makes the
ing it accurate even in the hands of an enemy think twice about continuing
amateur. the engagement.
165
fles have two or more option rails that RFR-44M Paxton Assault Rifle
Chapter 8: Technology
Chapter 8: Technology
Wardens: Gearing Up
167
that allows the user to see targets Flak Jacket
from behind cover or around a cor- Flak jackets have been around for
Chapter 8: Technology
ner. This makes it a popular weapon more than a century and have been
when fighting in close confines, such standard equipment for most law
as an urban environment or a space- enforcement agencies for almost as
ship. Blindeyes do take some training long. Basically a heavy vest with ballis-
to learn to use properly, since they are tic plates on the front and back which
often held at odd angles which en- protect the vital organs, many police
hance the effects of recoil, especially officers have survived hits by perpe-
when fired in a fully automatic mode. trators that would have killed them
without the jacket. Openly available
Defensive Equipment and inexpensive to purchase, even
the lowest end security force gener-
Light Armors ally issue their people flak jackets.
Light armor refers to any type of
body armor that is light enough not Flak Body Suit
to reduce the wearer’s mobility. Light Similar to a flak jacket in nature, the
armor tends to be made up of ballis- flak body suit extends protection to
tic vests, padded pants, and helmets. the entire body rather than just the
They are rarely sealed against the torso. Armored pads above and below
environment. While they can pro- the knees provide the legs protection
vide respectable protection, they are and armored kneepads are worn over
not nearly as effective as the bulkier the outside. Sleeves provide similar
heavy armors that most militaries and protection for the arms. These suits
mercenary outfits use. can be somewhat cumbersome to
wear, but most believe the trade-off
169
wait in an orbital transfer station for Outer-System Travel
Chapter 8: Technology
a couple days while outbound ships When travelling beyond the orbit
load cargo, refuel, and perform gen- of Mars, travelers must book passage
eral maintenance. In addition, some on one of the more specialized long-
ships give passengers the option to range transports. These trips can get
either stay in their grav couches the expensive and generally require more
entire trip (in which case they will planning, as ships travelling to the
be unconscious as well) or be roused outer system are not as common as
once the acceleration curve has been those travelling between the inner
completed. Doing the latter means a planets. It is also possible to be wo-
more costly fare, but some travelers, ken for the journey, but this is even
especially those that travel between more expensive due to the extra costs
planets a great deal, cannot stay un- incurred by the ship. On some ships,
der for extended periods for a variety the option will not even be offered
of reasons. unless there are documented medical
reasons.
Short 25 ft/7.5 m
Medium 50 ft/15 m
Melee Weapons Required Skill Damage Wealth Code Impact Restriction Special
Boarding Axe Hand Weapons: Blade 3d6 1 2 L Ignore 3 pts
of Armor
Boarding Pike Hand Weapons: Blade 5d6 2 1 L Ignore 5 pts
of Armor
Combat Knife Hand Weapons: Blade 1d6 1 0 U
Chain Sword Hand Weapons: Blade 5d6 2 1 R Ignore 5 pts
of Armor
Cutlass Hand Weapons: Blade 3d6 1 1 U
Chapter 8: Technology
Electro-Whip Hand Weapons: Blade 1d6 + Stun 2 2 R Stun
Unarmed (Untrained) n/a 1d3 n/a n/a U
Unarmed (Trained) Unarmed Combat 1d6 n/a n/a U
Mono-Strand Hand Weapons: Blade 5d6 3 1 R Surprise Only
Sap Hand Weapons: Blunt 1d6 + Stun 1 0 U See Text
Shock Mace Hand Weapons: Blunt 3d6 + Stun 1 2 L Stun
Stun Baton Hand Weapons: Blunt 2d6 + Stun 1 2 L Stun
Throwing Knife Hand Weapons: Blade or 1d6 1 1 U Range:
Thrown Weapons Thrown
Heavy Armors
Combat Armor 15 None 3 3 L
Vacuum Armor 10 Freefall 1 3 2 L
171
9 Spaceships
To service the needs of human ex- For nearly any trip, except when the
pansion into the far reaches of the so- inner planets are very close together,
lar system, a vast array of spaceships anyone on a spaceship must enter
have been designed by architects and a gravity couch to survive the firing
built in one of the many shipyards of the transit drive. This suspended
that exist across the system. Some of animation is referred to as A/D stasis,
these vessels are as simple as orbital where the crew is put into deep sleep
transfer vehicles that ferry people and in a grav couch during this period. For
materials between orbital ships or sta- trips to the outer planets, this is for
tions and spaceports on the ground. seven days each for both acceleration
Others are large military cruisers that and deceleration. However, many pas-
patrol the space around planets as sengers will stay in their grav couches
well as the major trading routes in the for the entire trip – it saves on life sup-
solar system, ensuring that each of port and resources. Within the inner
the various governments’ and corpo- system, this can be between 1.5 and
rate entities’ interests are protected. 3 days each. While in A/D stasis, the
On the following pages, a selection of only thing monitoring a ship is the
important ships seen throughout the computer.
solar system are presented, includ-
ing their most basic statistics and a Gravity in the Ship
short summary of the ship’s function While most ships utilize rotating
and use. Due to space limitations, the sections to create simulated gravity
ships presented here have been se- for a crew’s quarters, mess halls, and
lected because they are found in com- other areas, a great many locations on
mon use across the solar system, and a ship simply cannot benefit from this.
are not the dedicated designs of one For example, it is simply not feasible
entity or another – with the exception to build the engineering section of a
of the UWC Wardens’ Knight’s Errant. spaceship in a rotating section. As a
result, much of the ship operates in a
Travelling the micro-gravity environment. This can
Solar System sometimes make even basic tasks
The travel times chart on the next trickier to complete than they might
page lists the maximum and mini- be otherwise. Since the technology to
mum times in days that it can take create true artificial gravity is beyond
to get from one planet to the other, the current knowledge of humans, a
depending upon their position in the crutch of sorts has been created in-
solar system. Your GM will determine stead. That crutch is known as the En-
how long a trip will take, based on ergized Deck Plate.
these numbers and what is required
for your game. EDPs, as they are more commonly
referred to, generate a specially tuned
magnetic field. This field only interacts Weapons on Ships
with a specially engineered compos- Getting into combat on spaceships
ite material known as EDP micro-fi- can be a tricky thing. On one hand,
bers. The energized plates attract this one needs the combat ability to deal
fiber to them in much the same way with the threat at hand. On the other,
a traditional magnetic field attracts one needs to not damage the delicate
ferrous materials. The field created by systems on a ship or to blow a hole in
the plates is tuned to pull at the micro- the hull. It is for this reason that most
fibers with a force similar to what one combat on a ship or a space station
would experience if walking on Earth. utilizes small arms or hand weapons,
These micro-fibers are integrated into such as shotguns or cutlasses, to as-
nearly every tool, piece of clothing, sure that such damage doesn’t occur.
and other objects commonly found
on a spaceship. However it does not
create true artificial gravity, so any
Spacecraft
other object, such as a piece of fruit Characteristics
or naked body, which does not have Spacecraft use a common set of char-
these fibers integrated into them will acteristics to define their capabilities
float in mid-air as is normal in a micro- within the game.
gravity environment.
Travel Times: Adjusted for Acceleration/Deceleration (Days: Min/Max)
Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
Notes
• Standard acceleration/deceleration envelope is seven days from nor-
mal cruise to transit speed.
• Inner system travel doesn’t allow for maximum transit speeds. Thus,
trips take longer than one might expect.
• Inner system travel tends to be roughly equal, no matter where you are
heading, due to the fact that the longer trips allow for bigger accelera-
tion/deceleration envelopes.
173
General Characteristics cessful mining operation. On a hos-
Chapter 9: Spaceships
Size Class: Small, medium, large, huge, pital ship, they are doctors, nurses,
or gargantuan. orderlies, and others that would be
found in a hospital. Not all space-
Crew: The crew operates the ship’s craft have support crew.
weapons, navigation, and helm, as
well as engineers and other person- Endurance: This is the length of time a
nel who are essential to the basic ship can operate without resupply-
operations of the ship. There are ing basic necessities such as food,
two measures. The first is the stan- water, and general supplies. Crew
dard crew complement while the efforts such as rationing can extend
second is the size of the skeleton this time to some extent.
crew – the minimum number of
people to keep the ship operating Availability: How easily the ship can
nominally. be obtained. There are three levels
of availability: unlicensed, licensed,
Support Crew: Support crews are re- and restricted. Unlicensed ships
sponsible for a spacecraft’s specific can be purchased on the open
mission operations – who they are market by anyone with the money.
varies. On a mining barge, they are Licensed ships require special per-
miners, smelters, geologists, and mits for one reason or another be-
others who are necessary to a suc- fore they can be purchased.
Space Stations
While space stations are a
common sight in the universe
of The Void, they are not gener- Space Combat
ally defined in the same manner
as spacecraft. Space stations are The rules presented here are
generally a location or adventure designed to get you up and run-
hub for the Characters in much ning with spaceships in the most
the same way as a planet or city, basic sense. Further rules that
and the station’s specific capa- provide greater detail, custom-
bilities are not important to the ization, and spaceship combat
overall events. When they are im- will be presented in the upcom-
portant, the particular adventure ing Spacecraft supplement.
will generally define the neces-
sary capabilities for the station.
Equinox Class Interplanetary Transport
The Equinox is one of the more com- General Characteristics
mon inner-system transports in use. Size Class: Medium
Designed to operate exclusively within Crew: 18 (Skeleton 6)
the Martian orbit the Equinox carries Support Crew: 12 (Staff )
both passengers and cargo. An in-line Endurance: 64 days
rotational section provides crew and Availability: Unlicensed
passengers a near 1-G gravity during
the cruise portion of the trip. Cargo is
stored in both pressurized and vacu-
um-exposed pods aft of the rotational
section. Because the ship sometimes
makes trips to the innermost parts of
the solar system, all of this is hidden
behind a large solar shield mounted
both forward and aft of the ship.
Chapter 9: Spaceships
175
Knight’s Errant Class Corvette
Chapter 9: Spaceships
General Characteristics
Size Class: Large
Crew: 18 (Skeleton 6)
Support Crew: 12
Endurance: 300 days
Availability: Unrestricted
Chapter 9: Spaceships
177
E Far Strider
TO: Patrick Van Buren, Director of Far Strider’s distress beacon in time
Warden Operations, Warden Prime to revive her crew and begin rescue
FROM: Ayako Yamaguchi, Special Ac- operations. The results of those op-
tivities Division, Warden Operations erations are contained in a transmit-
Center ted audio-log received from Cardigan
SUBJECT: Disposition of the Corvette, Bay’s skipper, Captain Frank Beringer
Far Strider thirty-two hours ago. You will find an
SECURITY LEVEL: TOP SECRET enclosed transcript of Captain Bering-
er’s log for your review.
Sir, it is my sad duty to inform you
that the missing corvette, Far Strider, 08:35 EST, 03 FEBRUARY 2159,
was recently discovered adrift in open CELESTIAL COORDINATES RA:
space, beyond the Asteroid Belt. As 7h,27m,47s DEC: 2º,8’,39”. Ship’s
178 you are aware, Far Strider was dis-
patched, under the command of Cap-
Log, Cardigan Bay, Captain Frank
Beringer reporting.
tain Jericho Vitalis, to investigate pos-
sible sightings of the species classified We’ve picked up an emergency dis-
as X-13. Incoming reports from Cap- tress signal while en route to Gany-
tain Vitalis and the other Wardens of mede. The source of the signal has
Far Strider’s crew had been frequent yet to be identified. The emergency
and consistent, until six months ago command protocol revived pilot Lisa
when all transmissions suddenly and Bell and I from A/D stasis about ten
inexplicably ceased. We have filed minutes ago. My initial reading of our
reports of Far Strider’s visits to Nep- current coordinates shows that we
tune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter, and are approximately sixty percent along
we believe that Captain Vitalis and his our planned transit route to Jupiter.
crew were indeed onto something Life signs for the rest of the crew
that could constitute a clear and pres- look stable. I’ve begun resuscitation.
ent threat. Unfortunately, it will be dif- Lisa has plotted an intercept course
ficult to verify this, as it is believed that toward the distress beacon. Our ex-
the entirety of Far Strider’s crew is pected arrival will be in approximately
now dead. thirty-seven minutes.
the looks of her markings. The name We’ve attempted to raise her on
printed on her hull is Far Strider. I’ve standard communications channels,
directed my navigator, Jose Perez, with no results. Our initial inspection
to research the name on the master of the outer hull indicates no rupture
vessel database, but he has yet to find or any other sign of damage. Never-
anything useful. Whatever she is, this theless, the ship seems lifeless. We’ll
ship is well armed. need to board her as soon as we can
to commence rescue or salvage op- with splashes of what looks like blood.
erations. I’ve already ordered Lisa There’s also quite a bit of damage to
to bring us alongside. Chief Engineer the door frame, as if something pow-
Dante Williams is preparing a board- erful had battered against it from the
ing party. We will begin operations as other side.
soon as we are securely moored to
Far Strider’s docking hatch. Williams is scanning for life signs,
but I don’t have a good feeling about
10:22 EST, 03 FEBRUARY 2159 survivors after seeing this mess. Nev-
The boarding party is now aboard ertheless, we’ve got to make sure.
Far Strider. Party members include On the other hand, Far Strider might
Chief Williams, Assistant Engineer fall under UWC regulations as free
Sheila Watts, Pilot Lisa Bell, and our salvage if there are no survivors and
medic Lionel Heskey. Entry through clear ownership can’t be verified. A
the outer airlock was difficult due to ship like this could be worth a fortune.
Far Strider’s advanced security sys- Whatever the case, we must get into
tem. Fortunately, Sheila is somewhat that bridge. I’ll make sure the cutting
180 of a wiz at breaking security codes – gear is ready – and I may just unlock
even the toughest ones. I don’t know the weapons locker as well. I hope to
what kind of work she did before this, God that we don’t find whatever made
but some of her more dubious skills this bloody mess locked in on the oth-
often come in handy. er side.
Perez located a listing for Far Strid- 11:02 EST, 03 FEBRUARY 2159
er under the master vessel database, No life signs have been detected,
but the entry was marked as classi- so Williams and the team have cut
fied. She must be a government ship through the hatch and entered the
– I’d bet a year’s pay on it. bridge. The crew made a quick sweep,
with pistols drawn, but there was no
Initial reports from Williams’ team immediate threat. The bridge is in
are insubstantial. There’s no sign of shambles, however. Most of the con-
life whatsoever – no bodies, no living trol consoles and equipment have
souls, nothing. Sheila is making her been ravaged the same way as the
way toward the engine room while the door. Scorch marks indicate that
others head toward the bridge. Per- there may have been a small electrical
haps Far Strider’s log is accessible fire. The lighting in there is very dim. I
from there. can hardly make out details through
the Chief’s video feed. A computerized
10:36 EST, 03 FEBRUARY 2159 voice is coming from somewhere to
My God, what happened over the left near the navigation station. I
there? Williams has linked me into a can just make out the shape of a chair
live video feed. It looks like the hatch and the lights of the console as the
to the bridge is sealed and barricaded Chief moves closer. There seems to
by welded bands of steel. The door, be something on the floor as well. Oh
walls, and deck plates are all sprayed dear God!
11:26 EST, 03 FEBRUARY 2159 Whatever this thing was, it cer-
We’ve discovered the body of a tainly looked like Vitalis and his crew
woman. Something ripped her in half were able to track it. He described it
and dropped the fleshy pieces on the as a “cunning and intelligent preda-
deck like discarded cigarette butts. tor possessed of incredible strength
Lisa had to leave the bridge to throw and speed, with a will for violent blood-
up. What the hell could have done shed.” Skimming ahead here, I can see
this? I give Williams a lot of credit for that the Wardens were able to corner
having the stomach to deal with this the creature somewhere within Sala-
mess, especially since he’s the one cia’s spaceport. However, it got away
examining what’s left of the body. The in what may have been a cargo ship-
tattered remains of her uniform still ment to Uranus. Yes, I can see here
display a portion of her insignia, re- where Vitalis mentions the discovery
vealing what she was – this woman of a derelict freighter adrift near the
was a Warden. moon Oberon. She must have been
towed to Veronica Station, because
11:52 EST, 03 FEBRUARY 2159 the next thing that Vitalis notes is
Williams has patched me into Far a series of random grizzly murders 181
Strider’s navigation control. It took on the Saturnine moon of Enceladus
some doing, but I managed to retrieve soon after a passenger liner, recently
her logs and discovered two things. arrived from Veronica Station, had
First, Far Strider was set to the last landed there. Whatever this thing
stage of her self-destruct sequence. was, it seemed to be very deliberate
One more command and boom! in its journey toward the inner planets.
185
Earth
saster. The damage done dur-
Chapter 10: Worlds
187
Jupiter
Galilean moons – Callisto, Eu-
ropa, Ganymede, and Io.
Chapter 10: Worlds
189
Uranus
The surface of the planet is
Chapter 10: Worlds
191
Pluto & The Kuiper Belt
and thus far humanity has
Chapter 10: Worlds
Across the solar system nearly every Even with this new develop-
planet and moon has felt the pres- ment, travel to the world is strictly for-
ence of humanity. Not so with Pluto. bidden. Even its moons are off-limits.
The planet has made it clear that it Inevitably someone will again make
wishes to be left alone. There have the attempt to land on the world, to
been attempts, many of them, over force from it the secrets that it hides,
the years. However, with each attempt and inevitably those same someones
comes screams and then silence. Most will transmit screams of terror into the
expeditions have never made it to the dark void before they too go silent.
surface and those that did never last. Pluto will surrender its secrets when it
Even satellites and probes last only a is ready, not when we demand it, for
few hours at best before their signals Pluto has no time for our needs.
are lost. Pluto wishes to be left alone
The Kuiper Belt, found massive deposits that have net-
ted them finder’s fees that allowed
The New Frontier them to retire in style. Many more,
Past the distant planet of Neptune
however, have simply vanished never
lies a thick band of rock, dust and
to be heard from again. While there is
ice known as the Kuiper Belt. Many
great promise in the Belt, there is also
dismiss this region as nothing more
great danger.
than another asteroid field, but those
people do not truly understand the
So far out is the Kuiper Belt that
scope of the belt. Despite being far
even a small emergency can turn
less dense in most areas than the bet-
deadly. Unlike the inner system, there
ter known belt of rocks that sits be-
is usually no help to be found. Those
tween Mars and Jupiter, the Kuiper
who make their living in the belt are
Belt dwarfs its inner system cousin in
truly self-reliant – they have to be to
its sheer population of rocks and ice
survive. They are also freer to pursue
that slowly drift through it. For this
their dreams than anywhere else in
reason, the Belt has become the new
the solar system. The Unified World
frontier of the solar system.
Council has no say out here and even
those corporations that have staked a
For those who are brave or, depend-
claim out here, such as the massive 4G
ing on who you ask, foolish enough to
Enterprises, understand that they will
venture that far out, there lies a great
never have any influence beyond the
potential to truly make a mark on the
walls of their own stations.
solar system. Many explorers have
193
F Bad Salvage
This was a much better haul than Valentino and the pretty blonde
the crew of the Vulcan’s Forge was tomboy started to square away the
hoping to find. The random salvage gear. “Doesn’t this make you ner-
drifting between the orbits of Nep- vous?” he asked.
tune and Saturn had often been
picked over by the pirates that had Before Annie could answer, the
turned the ships into salvage in the Skipper poked his head back into
first place. This was different and it the bay. “And V, get the blood off the
made Valentino nervous. cargo before you stow it. Don’t want
the authorities asking questions we
The young Sicilian rubbed his fin- don’t have answers to.” And then he
ger over stains on the cargo con- was gone.
tainer in front of him. It flaked off. It
194 was definitely blood. “Skipper, why Valentino looked at the spattered
would pirates chop the crew to bits boxes, knowing this would not be a
like that and leave all this stuff be- fun job. “Why is it always me?”
hind?”
The rest of the crew fidgeted, ea- Annie found two unusual readings
ger to get to some kind of action. and guided the teams toward the
first. Tensely, the other crew tried
198 The Skipper continued. “I know to move as quietly as possible, trap-
we’re all on edge, but please be ping whatever the thing was in the
careful what you shoot at in there. net while giving themselves room to
Otherwise, you could blow out some- fire and not hit each other.
thing important, like life support.
With Nguyen in quarantine, we don’t Then Annie screamed that it was
have a genius to pull us out of the moving. Then the ducts echoed with
fire.” the sounds of gunfire. Then the Skip-
per was gone. Annie called a general
Valentino raised his hand. “Um, retreat after this, but everyone was
boss? Why don’t we just get what already scrambling to get out of the
we need to survive and lock our- ducts.
selves on the bridge until we get
back to civilization?” Rallying on the bridge, Valentino
had discovered something along
“No way.” It was Annie that replied. the way. Nguyen was dead now, in a
“We’d be locked up in quarantine the massive pool of his own blood. It was
minute we arrived. They might even the same way Ilse had gone.
destroy the ship and our salvage. I’m
scared, but I don’t want to end up
broke, jobless, and in UWC solitary
for six months.” Valentino’s lungs burned as he
ran like he’d never run before. Fear
That was that. Annie had the sen- gripped his brain like an ice cold vice.
sors modified and was going to be All he could think about was getting
guiding the teams. Everyone else as far away from these things as
was given a section of the duct grid. possible, as quickly as possible.
Rounding another corner, unsure them. He turned, watching in slow
where it was he was heading, Val- motion as the thing came closer. It
entino finally registered the voice wasn’t going to make it, but it was
screaming in his ear. “No, V! No! Not still going to try.
that way! It’s in front of you!”
It was hard to make it out by the
Finally, his higher brain functions emergency lights. However, in the
retook command. “Where are you?” last few seconds it had, it gracefully
leaped towards the doors, wheeled
“I’m locked in the bridge,” replied around, and snapped its sharp tail
Annie. “You’re clear for the moment. through the opening. The tail lashed
Run!” only a few inches from Valentino’s
head before whipping back out the
It took Valentino a second to fig- door before it closed completely.
ure out where he was, while Annie
continue to scream at him over the He turned to Annie, both of them
radio. Then, he was off. in the throes of shock. They would
be safe for a while, but the thought
199
would occur to them later – what
would they do when they needed to
The thing was on his heels, it’s get back to their grav couches for
black chitinous claws clicking on deceleration?
the metal plates as it clawed its
way along in 0G. Valentino rushed It seemed they were only delaying
the bridge doors and wasn’t even the inevitable.
through when Annie started to close
11 Monsters
Monsters have always been the stuff ror Tests when encountering it), and its
of human legends. As soon as early special abilities.
hominids figured out how to commu-
nicate, they began to tell of horrible These game statistics are designed
things that went bump in the night. to represent the average member of
Some of those stories were the prod- the monster’s species. As a GM, feel
uct of imagination and some of them free to tweak the creature’s Attributes
were exaggerations of animals that and Skills in order to change it up –
might have scared primitive humans. you may even want to give it a few
However, some of these legends have appropriate Talents. It’s always fun to
always been close to the mark, for keep your players guessing, and that
there have always been unspeakable most certainly happens if the mon-
horrors lurking out there, just beyond sters of the same type have different
what humans know. capabilities.
Now that the Chthonian Star again Special Attributes & Skills
approaches, there are many mon- A few of the usual Attributes may be
strous creatures that are coming into treated differently as applied to mon-
the world – some in ways never before sters, as well as a couple Skills unique
seen. We’ll take a look at a few of them to them.
here.
Attributes
Reading Monsters You’ll notice that many monsters
Each monster begins with an itali- have Attributes greater than 5. This
cized description of the creature, de- is because they have surpassed hu-
signed for you to use in your game. man limits. Use them as you normally
Once you’ve used the stock descrip- would.
tion a couple of times, you’ll most like-
ly want to riff on it, adapting it for your There are monsters that are clearly
specific uses and the specific situation beasts, yet they have reasonable Clev-
to which it applies. erness ratings. In these cases, their
Cleverness more accurately represents
Following that is a general overview the creature’s instincts than its ability
of the monster, to help you under- to reason. It may not ever be able to
stand what it is and how you might figure out how to use a computer, but
want to use it in your game. it may figure out how to open a door
or the like. Those instincts also help
On the second page, you’ll find the keep it alive, knowing when to fight
actual game statistics for the monster. and when to run. It also allows them to
These include the creature’s size and hunt effectively.
habitat, as well as its Attributes, Statis-
tics, natural Skills, weapons and armor, Demeanor is another Attribute that
its Horror Factor (the Difficulty for Hor- won’t necessarily work the same way.
For intelligent creatures, it works the to temporarily back down or choose
way it normally is intended among less troublesome prey if moved to Un-
their own kind. There are also those friendly.
creatures that will use its Demeanor
for most normal uses. Deception may also be of use
against intelligent creatures, if they
However, in general, if a creature are interested and capable of opening
cannot be perceived as human, or a dialog.
near-enough to human to matter, its
Demeanor is used only to intimidate Some intelligent creatures may be
For more, see Social Combat below. moved to Unfriendly and will talk fur-
ther, but this is the exception rather
Skills than the rule. Monsters are alien and
There are two skills that are unique most interested either using humans
to Monsters. for their own ends, or killing or eating
them.
• Athletics: Flight (Grace) – This skill
covers a creature’s ability to per- Monsters may never be moved fur-
form athletic feats while keeping ther than Unfriendly through Social
itself aloft. Combat. However, Unfriendly might
• Natural Weapons (Grace) – This just buy the Characters some time.
skill covers a creature’s abilities
to use its innate defense mecha- Monstrous Traits
nisms. While the monsters presented here
(and in future supplements) have traits
Physical Combat unique to themselves, there are many
Most monsters have several ways that they have in common. Presented
they can attack. When using a mon- here are descriptions of these traits
ster in physical combat, don’t simply and how they work.
always go for the attack that does the
most damage. Put yourself in the situ- Adaptable
ation and utilize the attack that makes A creature that is adaptable is ca-
the most sense, given the circum- pable of changing its physiology in
stances. such a way to survive in ecosystems
that might not normally be expected
Social Combat to support its life. The ecosystems in
Most forms of Social Combat are question are explained along with the
not going to apply to monsters. Since monster.
most monsters will be considered
Hostile, the only Skill you’ll be able to Burrower
use is Intimidate. This may be of use, A burrowing creature is one that has
as you may be able to get a creature the ability to travel underneath the
201
ground. Some simply tunnel, while attack is a bite or something similar.
Chapter 11: Monsters
others actually pass the substrate The second attack requires that a crea-
through their bodies as they go. The ture have another applicable mode of
base Speed for any burrower is nor- attack, and the attack is resolved nor-
mally equal to that of a similar hu- mally.
man’s top speed. However, some may
burrow so fast that they can move at Deceiver
speeds faster than a human can run – Monsters with this ability can physi-
the listing will provide a Speed multi- cally or mystically deceive a target,
plier, if this is the case. making that person believe the crea-
ture is something else. This trait re-
Climber quires a simple Deception vs. Clever-
Some monsters have the ability to ness Test.
climb in ways far beyond that of hu-
mans. There are even those that can Flyer
stick to sheer surfaces like an insect or Some monsters are equipped for
some lizards. The listing will provide a flight, usually with wings or mem-
multiplier in climbing speed, as well as branes of some kind. They are also
if the creature can stick to walls and designed to survive in altitude. The
other sheer surfaces. creature may fly faster than normal
ground Speed, and that multiplier can
Constrictor be found in the listing.
A constricting creature can wrap it-
self around an enemy and squeeze. To Glider
do so, the monster makes a normal at- A creature who is capable of gliding
tack. If this attack is successful, the tar- can travel through the air, with a dis-
get cannot move or attack, and suffers tance that depends on the winds and
damage each turn until he succeeds at the height from which launched, as
a Hard Physique Test. He automatically well as gravity. A gliding creature can
escapes if the creature is killed. glide in any real atmosphere.
Tool-User
A creature with this trait is not only
sentient, it also knows how to use
tools and technology. Depending
upon the creatures, they may actually Chapter 11: Monsters
have technology of their own.
Truly Amphibious
A creature with this trait is able to
operate uninhibited both under the
waves and on land. Such creatures can A Few Differences
breathe both air and water and have You may notice that some of
the anatomy to support long-term ex- these monsters are familiar from
istence in both conditions. Lovecraftian fiction, but that they
are somehow different. That is be-
Void-Dweller cause the Chthonian Star isn’t just
There are creatures whose alien awakening them, it’s causing them
physiology allows them to survive in to change – to evolve for the first
the vacuum of space. They are shield- time in millions upon millions of
ed against any of the perils that come years.
from exposure to the void, and usually
203
Chapter 11: Monsters
Karrak’in Game Statistics
Size: 3’ across, 40 lbs.
1 m across, 18 kg
Average Attributes:
Awareness 3 Grace 5
Cleverness 1 Perseverance
7
Demeanor 2 Physique 4
Average Statistics:
Health 16 (16/32/48/64)
Speed 18 mph
• Hallucinatory Poison – Any Karrak’in bite that does damage to a person will
deliver this poison. The victim must succeed at a Hard Perseverance Test.
Those affected by the poison will soon begin to suffer mild hallucinations,
which will ramp up to full-blown dissociative waking nightmares within
an hour or so. Such victims will have difficulty making rational decisions or
discerning friend from foe. This poison flushes from a person’s system in six
hours – if he can survive that long.
205
Mi-Go
Chapter 11: Monsters
It’s almost as if evolution couldn’t fig- like other terrestrial life. The creatures
ure out what it wanted this creature to are incredibly intelligent and techno-
be. Diaphanous wings and segmented logically capable, but lack anything
limbs make it seem like an insect, but the resembling emotions or what could
hard, spiky, wine-colored shell speaks be construed as ethics. To a human
of a crustacean. However, the budding being, they appear to be emotionless
mess that covers what should be its and malevolent.
head is furry and cancerous like a fun-
gus, though protruding in places to the While they once lived on Earth, they
point of cilia. now only travel to our blue-green
planet to mercilessly experiment on
It moves as if it doesn’t have a sense of people and to gather resources not
up and down, with a maddening stutter- found in their neck of the solar system
ing cadence. Pieces of that fungoid head – Pluto. They are the reason nothing
lap out at the air like a snake’s tongue. gets near Pluto, a planet they revere in
Worse is that you can almost make a religious fashion. Their legends fore-
out words when it buzzes its tell that the dwarf planet is part of
wings… something special
that is
The
inhabit-
ants of
Pluto,
the mi-go are crea- coming – now on
tures that came to its way. Though secre-
this solar system tive until death, the
millennia ago. mi-go might
Eventually, they be the only
came to serve race in the
the Old Ones universe
and drove that
many other
more noble
races from
these cosmic
shores. knows
w h a t ’s
The com-
mi-go are ing for
very, very sure.
alien. They
do not operate
Mi-Go Game Statistics
Size: 4’ - 5’ long, 10’ wingspan, 120-170 lbs.
1.2 - 1.5 m long, 3 m wingspan, 54-77 kg
Average Attributes:
Awareness 4 Grace 6
Cleverness 5 Perseverance
3
Demeanor 3 Physique 3
Average Statistics:
Health 12 (12/24/36/48)
Speed 18 mph
Special Abilities:
Chapter 11: Monsters
• Adaptable – Mi-Go can adapt to pretty much any environment, given a
few hours.
• Climber (x1) – Mi-Go can climb as fast as they run, and can cling to sheer
surfaces.
• Skilled – Assign another 40-60 points in skills for individual Mi-Go, in addi-
tion to the basic skills listed here.
• Tool Users – Mi-Go have technology all their own, as well as using that of
humans.
207
Myriad
Chapter 11: Monsters
“The whispers… they speak to you Making no sense at first, they seem to
too, don’t they? They didn’t make sense care more than anyone the host has
at first, but they became clearer and known before in their lives. Then, as
more entrancing as time went by. What the Myriad acclimate, the voices speak
glories have they asked you to perform? to the glories about to unfold before
How have you shown your love for the the faithful. While the Myriad can
one who sleeps below? No. No! never completely take over their
No! I can see it in your hosts, they can convince even
eyes, they don’t the most strong-willed person
speak to you. You’re to commit horrifying acts of
not one of the depravity in service to their
chosen. Not yet, unknown masters.
anyway. Let
me show them This alone would
to you…” make the Myriad
threat enough
- Final video record- for humanity, but
ing of an interrogation they will not allow
of a murder suspect on themselves to be
Titania. Neither the sus- caught. In such an
pect nor the interrogator event, the creatures
have ever been seen convert the energy
again. in the host body,
forcing it to
Not all monsters become a
shamble through dreadful pro-
the night with claws toplasmic
and horns. One blob. If this
of the most insidious wasn’t bad
threats to humanity so enough,
far is a creature no larger the process
than a blood cell. The Myr- of converting
iad seep into the blood the body turns it
stream of unsuspecting incredibly acidic.
hosts and multiply until The Myriad will at-
they are able to influence tack anyone
the mind of their new in the vicin-
puppet. To the victim, ity as long
it starts with whis- their physical
pers, soft voices form remains
at the edges intact.
of the room.
Myriad Game Statistics
Size: Microscopic
Average Attributes:
Awareness 3 Grace 3 (as Blob)
Cleverness 5 Perseverance
6
Demeanor 3 Physique 6 (as Blob)
Average Statistics:
Health As Form, 15 as Blob (15/30/45/60)
Speed As Form, 18 mph as Blob
Skills: As Host
Special Abilities:
Chapter 11: Monsters
• Adaptable – Myriad can survive in cold environments with thin atmo-
spheres, like Uranus or Neptune, as well as Earth-like atmospheres.
209
G Level 23
This was a big deal for Francesca. This wouldn’t be much planet-side,
It wasn’t like she hadn’t been to the but up here was another story. The
Eye before – nearly all Wardens had Major’s assistant was a rather se-
at one time or another. However, vere-looking girl, most likely eastern
today she was getting to go to the European, who had greeted Franc-
infamous Level 23. This was the kind esca with a kind of cold formality.
of place that was the topic of many
rumors within the agency, kind of Finally, the comm on her desk
like their very own version of Earth’s beeped and, without looking up, she
Area 51. Most people thought Area said, “The Major will see you now.”
51 was where the old United States
of America hid aliens and alien arti- Francesca rose and straightened
facts. Similarly, most agents thought her uniform, but before she could
210 Level 23 was where monsters were take a step Major Contee opened
kept. the door and stepped out. He was
an impressive figure, a tall man of
Such privilege was not without African descent who would best
its price. The last several weeks be described as stately. The Major
seemed like a terrible nightmare had the kind of aura that spoke to
to Francesca. Her memories even one day running for elected office.
seemed smeared in an effort to pro- He made Francesca want to salute,
tect her from the truth. The Kuiper but the Wardens weren’t that kind
Belt, dead friends, floating in space, of organization. Instead, he held out
the… thing. Or was it several things? his hand and said, “Lieutenant Ortiz,
These were many of the shadows thank you for coming.”
that stalked her subconscious now.
Under different circumstances, she Francesca shook his hand and
would just bury the memories and smiled deferentially.
move on. Unfortunately, being a
Warden meant dealing with just this Major Contee gracefully moved
sort of madness. through the cramped office, to-
wards the door. “Walk with me,” he
The waiting room outside Major said, as he passed Francesca. She
Contee’s office was about as nice didn’t hesitate to fall in step.
as they get on space stations. It
had wood paneling, several padded The senior officer walked out into
chairs, a water dispenser, and the the hallway. “Lt. Ortiz, what we have
Major’s assistant seated behind a to discuss is sensitive. I’m taking you
wood desk that matched the walls. somewhere that is currently beyond
211
Francesca cleared her throat. “I’m “Not to interrupt, but what is it like
still sorting through it in my head. To out there? I’ve never had to go fur-
be honest, I’m not sure I want to re- ther than the Umbrella.”
member.”
“It feels like the end of the universe,
They approached an unmarked se- like there can’t possibly be anything
212 curity checkpoint – the sensitive kind out further.” Francesca paused. “It
where the guards were armored makes you feel small, like the human
and packing submachine guns. The race is totally insignificant.”
Major paused for a quick retinal
scan and signed in. The guards nod- Major Contee shifted a little. “It
ded and they were through. Not sur- might be. But please continue.”
prisingly, this hallway was much less
crowded. “We were quite a ways out when
we came to the asteroid. Now when
The Major continued to lead the I say asteroid, that doesn’t really do
way. “Your reaction is only natural. it justice. It was almost a planet in its
From what I gather, you lost some own right. For some reason, it had
good friends out there.” a very thin atmosphere. The aster-
oid was riddled with caves, so we
That was most certainly true, but began to explore. They were more
the details were still a little fuzzy. Ty- like tunnels, so it made it easy for us.
rone’s suit got a tear in it and the Then, a ways down, they started to
vacuum claimed him. All Francesca change. They started to look more
could remember about Yvonne was organic.”
her screams.
The elevator slowed and came to
“What little I remember is this,” a stop. The door opened, and they
continued Francesca. “The Light- exited. The lights flickered on in what
house had recorded some strange appeared to be an antechamber,
activities out in the Kuiper Belt dur- clearly an entrance to something
ing routine patrol. Me and my team much bigger. There was a door over
were on a six month tour out there which was marked simply “23.”
The Major stopped at the door. for Francesca’s mind to deal with
“We’re here, but please finish.” this place. Finally, she said, “Why did
you bring me here?”
“There’s not much more to tell.
We found something down there “First, let me tell you what Level
and I barely escaped. I know my 23 is,” replied Major Contee. “It is
brain will sort it out, because it al- a place to learn. This is where we
ways does. Whatever it was, it was bring the things we’ve found so that
big, fast, and terrifying.” we can study them.”
The Major gently put his hand on Major Contee guided her slowly
her shoulder. The warmth of human through the room, giving her the
contact helped lessen the reality time to see what she wanted to see.
some. “Most people have the same While some of the creatures were
reaction when they first see it. I cer- new to her, there were many with
tainly did. Take as long as you need.” which she was unfortunately famil-
iar. Though short one of its heads,
After everything she’d seen, espe- there was a karrak’in floating limply
cially recently, it took a few minutes ahead, one of the many that had
tried to eat her corvette after a stop Francesca turned to the cage
in the asteroid belt. A ghast, one of closest to her and jumped back.
the nasty hopping predators she’d A black, winged thing pressed its
fought away from a frontier colony horned, featureless face against the
on Mars. And there were others, clear front. It followed her as she
each carrying its own memory. moved, as if anticipating its prey.
She took a deep breath and relaxed.
The pair reached the far wall, “I hate night-gaunts.”
having made but one pass through
one row of this macabre laboratory. “We managed to capture this one
Francesca turned to regard the in Jupiter space, completely by acci-
place again, this time with eyes of dent. Many of these are here by ac-
fascination instead of disgust. cident, but that’s not going to help
us learn what we need to learn in
“You still haven’t told me why you time.”
brought me here.”
214 “In time for what?” asked Franc-
In her reverie, Francesca failed to esca.
notice the door near them. Major
Contee turned and keyed in his code The Major ignored her and con-
yet again. “There’s still more for you tinued on. “That’s where you come
to see.” in. I need people who can go out
and hunt these things and the oth-
This new door opened and Fran- er things we haven’t even seen yet.
cesca realized that the surprises Teams that can seek them out and
today were hardly over – and that capture them to bring back here,
the Major had taken her into Level instead of killing them, as is usually
23 the back way. Before her was an the case.”
even larger lab, this one complete
with equipment and scientists, each “Wait a minute. Why me? I’m
in a Warden uniform. However, they the ‘kill them as quickly as possible,
weren’t alone here. let the researchers work with the
pieces’ kind of agent. Most of these
Lining the walls were clear fronted things give me nightmares as it is.”
cages, and in them were live ver-
sions of many of the monstrosities Major Contee guided her further
from the other room. into the lab. The scientists at work
here didn’t even stop to acknowl-
“It’s only so useful to study them edge them. They were apparently
when they’re dead,” said Major Con- preparing for an experiment in a
tee. “Though it’s hard to bring some black-lit cage on the far side of the
of them back alive.” room.
“Lt. Ortiz, are you aware of your form of technology. From the looks
record?” of the equipment, it looked like the
scientists were trying to figure out
“Yes, sir,” she replied. “Dedicated how to communicate with them. The
service for nearly six years.” creatures were certainly intelligent
enough for that – she knew from
The Major smiled. “That’s not personal experience.
what I’m referring to. The incidence
of you encountering hostile lifeforms “So you want me to join one of
is higher than most of your fellow these monster hunting units and go
agents.” out into the solar system and bring
these things back alive?”
Francesca looked back over her
shoulder to make sure the night- Major Contee stopped walking
gaunt wasn’t still following her move- and turned to make eye contact.
ments. “I didn’t know that.” His presence was undeniable, espe-
217
For 1 or 2 players, give them 3 Ten- It should always be visible to your
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
sion Points, and for 5 or 6 players, give players how many Tension Points you
them 7 Tension Points. have in your pool, as well as what
you’re spending them on.
Likewise, the number of Tension
Points should be modified if you are Note that Tension Points cannot be
playing shorter or longer sessions. Cut spent to negate each other. Whoever,
the number of Tension Points in half player or GM, initiates their expendi-
(rounded up) if you’re only playing ture first is the one who wins and get
for a few hours, and double it if you’re to execute on their desires.
playing for more like 8 hours.
Now while the player pool of Ten-
You can spend them for one of six sion Points does not carry over from
benefits, with the following costs: session to session, and all unspent
points are lost, the same is not true
Re-Roll One Roll for you. As the GM, you get to hold
1 Tension Point onto your Tension Points until the ad-
By spending one point, you can venture is complete. If you’re playing
immediately roll again and take the a much longer game, then you get
better result. You can do this multiple to hold onto a single batch until the
times and choose from multiple re- current story arc is complete. While
sults for one single roll. you can save all of them until the fi-
nal confrontation or scene and make
Deny that moment particularly difficult and
1 Tension Point horrifying for the Characters, you will
You can spend one point in order to probably be better served by pepper-
deny players from finding a needed ing them throughout to create more
item or supply that should normally moments of greater tension.
be found where they are searching.
Fate Points
Force Player Re-Roll The world of The Void is deadly and
2 Tension Points Fate Points are one of the few things
You can force a player to re-roll any that can help Characters stay alive
roll and take the worst result. You can when they’ve found themselves in
do this multiple times and choose unfortunate situations. One Fate Point
from multiple results for one single will cancel a deadly attack and heal a
roll. Character – those rules are self-explan-
atory.
Give Key NPC Fate Point
3 Tension Points However, they can also be used to
If you have a monster or NPC who help a player avoid what might other-
is important and you don’t want them wise be certain death. It is your job to
to die, you can spend three Tension work with the player to come up with
Points to instantly buy them one and some kind of feasible explanation of
spend it to keep them alive.
how he survived, and survived in such back and they’ve managed to survive,
a way that he is not just immediately may be the kind you’ll want to give a
put right back in mortal peril. If he’s second Fate Point. It’s entirely up to
about to be flushed out the airlock you, but if you feel they’ve become
without an environmental suit, per- epic enough, give them the second
haps the controls jam so that the outer point. However, Characters should
door can’t open. If he’s about to fall off never have more than 2 Fate Points,
a giant cliff on Mars, perhaps he falls no matter what they’ve faced in the
fifteen feet and grabs a hand-hold or game, and it always takes just as long
falls to a ledge below. There are always to get them back.
ways out of whatever was going to kill
the Character, no matter how thin, and Social Combat
feel free to put it to the group to ex- While the rules for Social Combat
plain it – as long as it doesn’t take up are presented on p. 127, included here
too much game time. are a few other things you’ll want to
Once spent, a
player has to go one
full session with-
out that Fate Point.
Again, if you’re play-
ing longer or shorter
games, you may
want to modify this
time frame. For ses-
sions that only last
a couple of hours,
you may want to
make them wait an-
other two or three Chapter 12: Gamemaster
sessions before it
comes back. For lon-
ger games, like 7 or 8
hours, you may want
to give them the
Fate Point back next
session. Regardless,
it should be fright-
ening to be without
it.
Sufficiently ad-
vanced Characters,
the kind who you’ve Cult: The Children of the Void
taken to hell and
219
keep in mind as you adjudicate such vancement for their behavior. The phi-
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
221
puter technician in Salacia. The key ness ratings that equals or exceeds
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
information they need to learn there eight, together they glean all the in-
is that the place has been completely formation there is to gain.
wiped clean (sterilized) and that the
hard drive in the dwelling’s computer Sometimes players won’t have the
hasn’t just been erased, it has been necessary resources at hand. In many
replaced. This requires the Investigate cases, they’ll know that they’ve come
and Computer Skills, but not particu- to an important juncture and be aware
larly high levels of either. The GM de- of the resources they are missing. They
termines that the Investigate portion can simply go away, gather those re-
rates a four as does the Computer sources, and return. If they cannot and
portion, together giving a Plot Point it is important they gain the informa-
score of eight. If the players enter the tion at this Plot Point, have them make
scene, spend the time, and have a total Tests using the appropriate Skill at
pool of points from their Investigate + whatever Difficulty seems sensible. If
Awareness and Computer + Clever- they succeed, they get the Plot Point.
If not, they’ll miss
it, just like people
sometimes do –
or just have them
spend 2 Tension
Points to Get a Clue.
NPCs
You will undoubt-
edly want to create
NPCs of differing
ability. To help you
out, we suggest five
levels of NPCs – in-
significant, novice,
peer, powerful, and
mastermind.
• For NPCs
that are weak and
insignificant, spend
14 points for Attri-
butes, 30 points for
Skills, 1 point for
Advantages, with
up to 5 points for
Disadvantages.
Something Unexpected in the Kuiper Belt
• For NPCs that are novices, between planets and the limited re-
spend 16 points for Attributes, sources of colonies. Help might easily
40 points for Skills, 3 points for be months away at best.
Advantages, with up to 8 points
for Disadvantages. Another great convention to facili-
• For NPCs that are peers with tate this is to have something interfere
starting Characters, spend 20 with communications equipment, to
points for Attributes, 55 points destroy it, or to otherwise render it
for Skills, 5 points for Advan- useless. Be careful about doing this
tages, with up to 12 points for too often, but you won’t have to if your
Disadvantages. Characters are traveling around.
• For NPCs that are powerful,
spend 22 points for Attributes, 2. The Stuff You Need Is In Short
65 points for Skills, 5 points Supply
for Advantages, with up to 12 Make sure to find ways to limit the
points for Disadvantages. things the Characters really need, most
• For NPCs that are functionally especially weapons, armor, ammuni-
“masterminds,” spend 24 points tion, and medical supplies. If they’re
for Attributes, 80 points for playing Wardens, they’ll have access
Skills, 7 points for Advantages, to good-sized armories on their ships
with up to 12 points for Disad- and can requisition even more. How-
vantages. ever, that doesn’t mean they should al-
ways get to use it. Come up with ways
Survival Horror to get them into trouble when they’re
The Void is a special genre of horror out of armor. Have local officials forbid
known as survival horror. This genre them from carrying anything other
has become especially popular in vid- than their sidearms. Have critters chew
eo games, with franchises like Resident through cables and lock down their ar-
Evil or Silent Hill. Survival horror means mory. Have bad things happen to their
supply crates. When you’re done cut Chapter 12: Gamemaster
that your Characters are almost always
going to be in peril and fighting for them off from being able to easily re-
their lives. Here are a few hallmarks of place those things.
survival horror, to help you create this
atmosphere. Be careful when cutting players off
from their Characters’ gear. Rotate
1. Help Is Never On The Way what you take from them and when
No matter where the Characters find you take it from them, so that they
themselves, they aren’t going to get don’t get frustrated and feel like what’s
reinforcements. If they somehow do, on their Character Sheet is useless.
the reinforcements won’t be enough
and will just be more victims for what- 3. The Environment Is Hostile
ever is trying to kill them. This is a sim- The environment in which the
ple thing to create in most places of Characters find themselves is danger-
The Void, because of the vast distances ous, if not downright lethal. The most
obvious and easy way to create this
223
is through the natural way of the so- When creating this kind of atmo-
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
lar system. Unless they’re on Earth or sphere, you’re trying to create a feeling
Mars, the planetary atmosphere of ev- of something being amiss all around
ery other planet in the solar system or the Characters and not a sense of im-
cold void of space is something that’s mediate danger. The players should in-
likely to kill in short order. Death is one stead feel like something sick is going
environmental suit tear away. on all around them and its happening
just outside of what they can see.
Taking this one step further, the
things in said environments should be 5. Survival Is Its Own Reward
just as deadly. There are always horrify- While getting gear, advancing the
ing things trying to kill the Characters, plot, or uncovering the truth of what’s
and those things are probably tough- really going on is nice, survival is its
er than they are. If horrifying things own reward. As players finish sessions
aren’t trying to kill them, it’s likely that and sections of your plot, they should
cultists, mad-men, or foreign agents or have a sense of relief that their Charac-
corporate security will be and they’re ters have survived to live another day
probably better armed and know the and to have further adventures. Any-
landscape better. thing else they get is just icing on the
cake. Make sure you put them in the
In order for this kind of pressure to pressure cooker so they feel like their
not become oppressive, you’ll natural- survival is well-earned – give them
ly have to ease up from time to time. plenty of scares that make them think
Give the Characters breathers where they’re gonna die.
they can feel safe for a few moments,
something the equivalent of save Killing Characters
points in a video game. Once they’ve The Void is fundamentally survival
relaxed a little, the pressure will be horror and that means that, regardless
frightening again. of good adventure design, Tension or
Fate Points, Characters are sometimes
4. Something Sinister Is Always Go- going to meet their end. Having a
ing On In The Background Character killed is always a traumatic
While not everyone is up to some- experience for a player and you should
thing nefarious and not every place in never allow Characters to die casually.
the solar system is host to horrific crea- Here are a few guidelines to help you
tures, there should be enough of them make Character deaths meaningful.
in your game that they feel common-
place to the players. Insidious cults 1. Don’t Leave It To Chance
should be behind many devious plans. Killing a Character because you got
That shop owner should have some- great dice rolls and the player in ques-
thing terrible in the back. The sewers tion didn’t could be considered cal-
should be infested with ghouls. The lous. If it works with your play space,
hills are alive with ghasts that are hun- roll your dice behind a screen of some
gry and plotting to take the Characters kind so that the players can’t see what
as their next meal.
you’re rolling. That way, you can fudge times come up with creative ways to
when you need to. Feel free to punish do suicidal things. There’s another say-
the Character in other ways, but don’t ing, beside the title of this point, that
kill him for the bad luck of it. applies: if you can’t be an example to
others, at least you can be a terrible
2. Give it Purpose warning.
One way to help a player deal with
the death of his Character is if that When a Character insists on doing
death has purpose and is dramatic something that will get him killed and
in some way. Dying holding off the he has no Fate Points to save him, it’s
monsters is heroic and so is sacrificing your responsibility to let him die. After
oneself to make sure the bomb goes all, you’ve given him a fighting chance
off. Characters can easily die in combat to avoid it. At least the Character can
this way, as long as said death serves be a lesson from which everyone can
the scene and the story. learn.
4. If You’re Gonna Be Stupid, You Then you can work with the player
Gotta Be Tough to come up with a good story to intro-
Sometimes, despite ample warning duce this new Character to the group,
– even from you – and against com- especially how to integrate him.
mon sense, Characters are going to
do something stupid. That something What is especially cool is if you can
might be taking on a bhole with noth- work with the player to come up with
ing more than a simple assault rifle some sort of family legacy for the new
or something equally insane. Players Character. Maybe the new Character
come up with creative things all the is a sibling or a cousin who has an eye
time, but unfortunately they some- on avenging the former Character’s
225
death. It certainly works in many forms complete, you should have introduced
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
of serialized media, so why not here? the setting, the main player Characters
and non-player Characters, and the
Classic Story Structure plot of the story, as well as have intro-
Most of us should be familiar with duced any subplots. You should also
the classic three act structure, handed have introduced the antagonist’s main
down from the Greeks. It can be a use- goal, or at least evidence of it. At the
ful tool when creating your own role- end of this act there is a twist, which
playing adventures for The Void, help- alters what the Characters are used to
ing you pace your story and provide and forces them into action.
the necessary elements to make it feel
fulfilling. While classic story structure Act Two
may apply to a single adventure, it can This should be about the middle
also apply to an overall multi-adven- half of your overall story. Characters
ture story arc. Try using it on both lev- explore the setting and complications
els to see how it works for you. of the story during the first half of the
act, uncovering piece after piece of
Let’s take a look at the elements of the puzzle and overcoming one hurdle
classic story structure, followed by the after another. About half of the way
overall guiding three acts. through Act Two, both the plot and any
subplots should have their own twists.
Elements The second half of the act, in general,
• Plot – A series of events caused gets more dangerous and more dark.
by protagonists going up against The end, in particular, should have its
opposing forces; the core of the own dark twist that makes things not
story. look good for the characters.
• Subplot – A secondary story, oc-
curring underneath the main plot, Act Three
which usually involves the plight This should be about the last quar-
of individual Characters; often ter of your overall story. Things should
more personal stories. get more and more challenging for
• Twist – An unexpected develop- the Characters, to the point where
ment in the story. they should wonder whether or not
• Climax – The most important or they can succeed or survive their ex-
exciting point in the story. perience. This all should lead up to
• Denouement – The final part of the climax, which is the thing to which
the story, in which loose ends are the whole story has been building and
wrapped up. Everything is now which will ultimately conclude the
clear and few questions or sur- tale. After the climax, stories typically
prises remain. move into the denouement, which an-
swers most of the questions raised by
Act One the story and ties up loose ends. The
This should be about the first quarter denouement should be to the point.
of your overall story. Before this act is
However, since you may be playing make them feel better. The reality of
a game that will last more than one ad- the universe is usually too much for
venture, you may want to leave some people to face. As they do, they lose
things open. That way, the Characters’ themselves to the fight-or-flight in-
next course of action is clear. stinct, and eventually lose touch with
reality altogether. Characters spend
Themes a lot of their time frightened, losing
Since The Void is a game that is friends, and oftentimes themselves, to
heavily influenced by the kind of hor- the downward spiral of madness.
ror pioneered by H. P. Lovecraft, there
are some of the themes common to The Horror and Madness rules do a
this genre that will aid you in creating good job of simulating this. However,
an atmosphere that feels right. These don’t be afraid to put important non-
themes are like spices – don’t use all of player Characters into harm’s way us-
them at once. You’ll know best when ing these rules. Madness should claim
to add a dash of this or a pinch of that. those around the Characters on their
The key is to always be using at least journey, just to remind them how
one of them, so that the players are lucky they are. Of course, given un-
never quite at ease. fortunate circumstances, a couple of
Characters may follow them…
Creeping Dread
In The Void, there should always be a Futility
feeling that something isn’t right, and Fighting against the awakening
it only gets worse the more a Charac- horrors of the universe is, in the end,
ter discovers what is really going on. pointless. The things humanity now
The truth is rarely a comfort and denial faces are simply too powerful – there
is the only true shelter. Dread is always is no way they can win. Characters,
in the background, like white noise, though they may be dedicated to just
waiting to grow into a cacophony. such a fight, will eventually have to
face this terrible fact. Chapter 12: Gamemaster
You can simulate this by always up-
ping the ante. Each piece of the mys- A great way to implement this theme
tery the Characters uncover reveals is to create adventures in which the
another darker, more disturbing layer horrors of the unknown are so great
– like peeling back the layers of an on- that the only choice the Characters
ion of pure madness. Just when they have is to retreat. Put them up against
think things couldn’t get any worse, enough fundamentally unbeatable
voila! However, be cautious and know odds and they’ll get the point. How-
the limits of your players so that you ever, be very careful doing this, be-
do not cross a line and offend them. cause you don’t want your players to
get disheartened. Make sure they win
Fear & Insanity enough that they want to continue on
What people believe to be reality is – just remind them of their place in the
merely a cleverly fabricated story to universe from time to time.
227
Isolation do not have to do the same for those
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
• Magic does whatever you need it Either you or your players may insist
to – it is a GM tool to add flavor that they have access to magic, since
and complications to your sto- it exists in the setting. In these cases,
ries. If you need something cool make up some kind of ritual for them
and supernatural to happen, then to learn and give them the ability to
magic can do it. make it happen. Then, make their
• Magic comes in many varieties, lives more terrifying and dangerous
but they are all simply flavor for because of it. Magical power is not
the practitioner. Some practice something with which normal, well-
witchcraft, others hermetic magic, adjusted people should play.
others voodoo, others cult magic
– it is all fundamentally the same. Unknowable Gods
• Foreign, dead, or even alien lan- The Old Ones are incredibly power-
guages are often a part of magic. ful. They are, from our perspective, sim-
Many use Latin, some use Arabic, ply unknowable. They exist in ways we
while others may use R’lyehan, cannot comprehend and they wield
which is the language of Cthulhu the cosmic forces of the universe. They
and the Deep Ones. are, for lack of a better term, gods. In
• Magic is ritual-based, for the most fact, they may be the only actual gods
part. The most powerful mag- in our universe.
ics require groups of sorcerers Chapter 12: Gamemaster
or cultists to gather together in Your Characters should not encoun-
a specially-prepared space and ter the Old Ones as a matter of course.
chant for at least hours, if not They cannot encounter them physical-
days. Magic that can be done by ly, as they have not yet fully awoken or
a single sorcerer for immediate manifested yet. However, their power
effect does exist, but it is not as extends far further than that. Charac-
powerful, in comparison. ters will regularly encounter minions
• Magic can be imbued into items, of the Old Ones, as well as their influ-
creating enchanted objects. Es- ence over other things. The Charac-
sentially, the object can bring its ters may have nightmares caused by
magic to bear for a user instantly the Old Ones or experience shifting
and at will. The most powerful weather patterns or the like. The point
enchanted objects have been is to show them how much power the
around awhile and are called ar- Old Ones wield while they’re still not a
tifacts.
229
part of this solar system, so that they Forbidden Knowledge
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
are worried about the amount of pow- It is likely that your Characters are
er they’ll wield when they return. going to want to learn more about
the secret world they encounter. Such
We have not and will not provide occult knowledge is not easy to find.
statistics for the Old Ones. They are Most of it has been lost to the world,
gods and should be able to wipe out and what little remains is typically hid-
the Characters – even armies – with den away in secret places, or hoarded
a thought, if they so choose. The Old by reclusive madmen with no desire to
Ones are the big, scary ultra-bad guys share. However, that does not mean
that the Characters should be trying to the Characters can’t find it – especially
stop from showing up, instead of try- if they work for an agency like the War-
ing to figure out whether or not a nuke dens.
would destroy Cthulhu.
Most such knowledge is kept in old
If you do have an itch to use the Old books. Since they are the province of
Ones, you may have one of their ava- madmen and lost places, few have
tars appears. An avatar is a part of the been brought into the digital age. The
Old One’s consciousness and power Wardens have digitized a few, so that
that has been given physical form. they can have access in the field.
However, there are few avatars in the
solar system and only a couple of the There are many such tomes that
Old Ones have avatars that are even have been an important part of Love-
remotely human – most are horrifying. craftian lore throughout the years,
231
now McAlister Mining Concern is 2. The original architect for Founders
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
being run by Amanda Benard. The Square was a follower of the dark
Concern’s Board of Directors has gods. His design for the statues
denied these rumors and claims commemorating the original set-
that Amanda is running things tlers and their placement are a po-
only while Adam is back at Earth tential gateway.
on sabbatical.
3. There is a corporate leader whose
Earth business is failing to the point he
1. Strangely, entire mountain villag- will do anything to get out from
es have left their homes and mi- under the debt – even if it means
grated out to the rest of the world. killing everyone in Mariner Val-
Even stranger, they have migrated ley when the main atmospheric
to major cities, not simply other converter plant blows up. He’ll be
rural communities – many thou- able to collect the insurance, and
sands of miles from their homes. maybe those voices will stop talk-
ing to him when no one is in the
2. The Unified World Council has room with him.
sponsored several Warden-super-
vised digs in Australia and South Jupiter
America. Who knows what they’re 1. The drug trade on Ganymede has
looking for – or what they’ve al- reached epic proportions. It is
ready found? Some say ancient said that organized drug cartels
cities or artifacts, while others have carved out their own em-
say they are creating some sort of pire there, and are buying up the
planetary defense. casinos and hotels. It is becoming
more analogous to the Las Vegas
3. Many governments are concerned of the Outer Planets each day.
over the new movements that
have been popping up among 2. Miners swear they’ve seen things
young people. It is suspected by floating in the water cloud layer of
those in the know that the cults of Jupiter – living things.
the solar system are aggressively
recruiting from urban youths, dis- 3. There have been a rash of brutal
guising their true identities under murders on Callisto. There seems
more appealing dogma. to be no rhyme or reason to the
deaths, but they are clearly by hu-
Mars man hands. The residents of Cal-
1. The medical breakthrough for listo are paranoid now, and do not
Martian physical problems with take kindly to outsiders.
gravity is causing some interest-
ing and unusual side effects. Some Saturn
people are even changing. The 1. An eco-terrorist group has been
changes do not seem to be in line arming itself for what it believes to
with natural human evolution. be the eventual conflict over the
disposition of the oceans on the buried deep within the moon, a
moon. Some say that the group creature sleeps. It is Wesley’s plan
is actually a cult that believes that to wake this creature up, but not
the oceans are the home of be- before it has some fun with the
ings of far more galactic signifi- Wardens there.
cance than any human.
3. AQX’s take over of Oberon, while
2. The strange behavior of the core costing them an enormous sum
of Saturn is linked to the odd in fees to Wesley, was done for the
behavior of Pluto. Something, purpose of spying on Wesley. The
perhaps a cult or a previously un- mining operation is a front for the
known intelligence, is engineer- espionage missions planned by
ing an eventual collision of the AQX senior management, meant
two bodies with the expectations to bring Wesley down.
that it will ignite the gas giant,
turning the planet into a new sun. Neptune
1. The Rhodes family, fabulously
3. The Republic of Saturn is covertly wealthy from their many years
building an offensive military, di- of strangle-hold on the diamond
verting some of the construction trade, maintains their own per-
capabilities of Rhea. Conspiracy sonal army and navy. This militia
theorists claim they have their is outside the purview of the Euro-
eyes on taking control of Nep- pean Federation. No one messes
tune, in order to wrest control of with the trade.
the lucrative mining operations.
2. Spies, thieves, and pirates are nev-
Uranus er reported in Neptune space. It
1. Wesley and all his family have is said that the Rhodes Company
been involved with the dark kills anyone who they even think
arts. While he uses conventional falls into one of these categories, Chapter 12: Gamemaster
means like bribery and sabotage and no one from the European
to take down his competitors, he Federation asks any questions.
has been known to use his knowl-
edge of those things beyond to 3. The European Federation has tak-
get his way. In fact, he destroyed en a keen interest in the strange
the military mining station using things that have been reported on
dark powers. His outward calm the surface of Neptune. However,
only exists because he is able to the Rhodes Company isn’t taking
transfer his psychosis to another kindly to a broader EF presence
innocent victim, thus keeping him on the planet. Tensions abound.
what he considers sane.
Pluto
2. There is something on Puck after 1. Long-range observations have
all. In the exact spot where the seen objects leaving the surface
Wardens are building their base, of Pluto, but the powers-that-be
233
are trying to keep this informa- Plot Hooks
Chapter 12: Gamemaster
tion from the public for fear it may This section is designed to give you
cause panic. some plot hooks. They are intended
to spark your imagination, so that you
2. The moons of Hydra and Nix no can take each idea and flesh it out in a
longer orbit Pluto. Experts have way that works for you.
been unable to locate them for
almost a month. Some believe Blank Moments
the destabilization of Pluto’s or- Location: Spaceship
bit caused them to crash into the There are oftentimes days where a
small solar body. crew is in A/D stasis where the only
thing paying attention to the ship is
3. A cult has sprung up in places the computer. Sometimes, things de-
across the solar system that wor- cide to crawl onto a ship during these
ship Pluto as a deity and believe blank moments.
its recent peculiar behavior is
a precursor to its return to rule This plot hook can be attached to
mankind. The Wardens are said to virtually any kind of game, for most
have taken a keen interest in this games will involve Characters trav-
cult, which has no precedent in eling from one world to another.
history – secret or otherwise. However, during this journey while
everyone lays sleeping in their grav
The Kuiper Belt couches, karrak’in wind up finding the
1. Disappearances of miners and ship and climbing aboard. Alternative-
independent operators are more ly, it could be either some kind of crea-
pronounced than has been of- ture that can be insidious or remain
ficially recognized. While pirates hidden, such as a metamorphasite or
are officially blamed, many who a seethari.
live in the region believe that the
causes are not altogether human. The size of the ship should deter-
mine how long you want it to take
2. Scientists have detected some before the characters notice they’ve
peculiar readings inside the Fog picked up unwanted passengers. If the
Field. Space-time itself seems to ship is large, the karrak’in could be al-
have become distorted in small most anywhere. If the ship is small, you
pockets within. There are no offi- might want to begin their predations
cial explanations as to what would outside. Regardless, make sure that
cause such a phenomena. the creatures make their way inside, so
they can become a real threat.
3. Half the members of the indepen-
dent group of miners and pros- Claim Jumping
pectors known as the Ruffians Location: Kuiper Belt
have vanished while working an Out on the great frontier of the so-
especially large asteroid just out- lar system, just like the former great
side the Fog Field. frontier of the American west, it is not
uncommon for the less scrupulous to tem. There are companies who main-
attempt to steal a mining claim from tain small shielded bunkers/resorts
those who are legally entitled to it. designed to cater to those wishing to
However, with the way things are partake of Io’s unique pleasures, for a
changing, there are those claims the healthy price.
jumpers will have regretted trying to
steal. However, the Wardens received a
call yesterday from one of these com-
The Wardens, sometime when they panies, named Ionian Excursions. They
are in the outer part of the solar sys- have received a distress call from one
tem, are notified of a group of pros- of their guides, a veteran named Tayla
pectors whose friends and families Ruuk, and now have lost all commu-
are worried. No one has come home. nication. Normally, this would be a
This doesn’t necessarily speak to the job for the local authorities, but it is
influence of the Chthonian Star – even the nature of the distress call that had
the smallest accidents out in the Kui- the local authorities escalate it to the
per Belt can be lethal. However, there Wardens. Tayla is clearly panicked and
aren’t a lot of rescue vehicles out this describes people in and amongst the
way and the Wardens may be the only mountains that have been picking the
authorities around to investigate. climbers off one by one. However, she
describes one of them as having a face
Naturally, things aren’t as they seem. that isn’t human, but rather bestial
The first group of prospectors have and toothy.
unearthed something on a dwarf
planet quite an uncomfortable ways The reality is that a clutch of ghasts
into the Belt. They were ambushed by have found their way to Io. This was a
the claim jumpers, and only one of the recon mission for them, and they sim-
original prospectors remains alive and ply ended up on the wrong transport.
crazed in the brig of a ship. He will tell They have stolen several of the radi-
a tale of how they found something ation-shielded suits and have taken Chapter 12: Gamemaster
under the ground, like a buried temple over the resort. They are now hunting
or something, which contained some the remaining survivors in the resort,
kind of technology that filled their as well as those out climbing. Once
heads with horrible things. Worse yet, they have made sure their supplies are
they seemed to have unleashed some covered and all is secured, they will set
kind of monster. about stealing a ship to get off of the
moon.
A Challenging Vacation
Location: Jupiter (Io) The Wardens should arrive right
The Jovian moon Io, while bathed in about the time the ghasts are still
dangerous radiation, is a popular vaca- hunting, but have had a chance to get
tion spot for the wealthy thrill-seeker. themselves in good defensible shape.
Climbing gigantic mountains in very The ghasts will not be afraid to go out-
low gravity provides an experience side, where they can use the terrain to
not found in the rest of the solar sys- their advantage.
235
ø Index
Action 120 Enforcer Template 86
Advances 108 Environmental Hazards 132
Advantages, 99, 216 Epic Fails 112, 125, 130
Aiming 124 Equipment 162
Armor 123, 168 Escaping Close Combat 125
Armor List 171 Europa 82
Artistic Skills 92 Exchanges 128
Assigning Difficulties 216 Exotic Atmospheres 134
Attacks 121 Exotic Environments 136
Attitude 127 Explosive Decompression 133
Attribute Tests 111 Extended Tests 113
Attributes 76 Falling 133
Automatic Weapons 124 Fate Points 78, 85, 123, 218
Awarding Advances 220 Fire/Heat/Smoke 134
Awareness 76 Forbidden Knowledge 230
Basic Rules 25 Freeform Design 85
Business 64 Gamemaster 216
Callisto 81 Ganging Up 125
Character Advancement 108 Ganymede 82
Character Design 79 Gear 79
Characters 23, 76 Gear 85
Charging 124 Grace 76
Chthonian Star 60 Gravity 136, 172
Cleverness 76 Guns in Close Combat 125
Climbing 131 Hail Mary 112
Colonizing 58 Handguns 164
Combat 119 Healing 124
Combat Overview 25 Health 77, 85
Combat Skills 92 History 54
Combat Turn 120 Horror Effects 114
Complimentary Skills 111 Horror Tests 113
Computer Technology 149 Hyperion 84
Contests 112 Initiative Tests 120
Cover 121 Insight 129
Creative Commons 17 Intimidation & Torture 131
Crushing 133 Investigator Template 88
Cthulhu Saga 18 Jumping 132
Daily Life 68 Jupiter 21, 188, 232
Damage 122 Karrak’in 205
Defenses 121 Killing Characters 224
Demeanor 76 Knowledge Skills 93
Determining Attitude 129 Kuiper Belt 22, 84, 193, 234
Difficulties 110 Lifting 132
Dione 82 Madness 115
Disadvantages 102 Madness Scale 116
Drowning 133 Madness Treatment 118
Earth 20, 80, 186, 232 Magic 228
Enceladus 83 Making Purchases 160
Endurance 131 Mars 21, 81, 187, 232
Medical Sciences 146 Space Stations 174
Medical Tools 148 Space Technologies 154
Melee Weapons 162 Spaceships 172
Mental Disorders 117 Special Modifiers 124
Mercury 20, 79, 184, 231 Special Tests 113
Mi-Go 206 Speed 77, 85
Monsters 200 Sponsored Wealth 159
Monstrous Traits 201 Stalemate 130
Myriad 208 Static Targets 126
Nanotechnology 151 Statistics 77
Neptune 22, 84, 191, 233 Story Structure 226
NPCs 222 Submachine Guns 166
Obscured Targets 126 Successes 110
Odd Job Skill 217 Suffocation 133
Old Ones 229 Suppressive Fire 126
Perseverance 76 Surprise 126
Personal Wealth 159 Surreptitious Skills 97
Physical Combat 120 Survival 132
Physical Feats 131 Survival Horror 223
Physical Skills 95 Survival Skills 97
Physique 76 Swimming 132
Planetary Transportation 152 Talents 78, 105
Plot Hooks 235 Talents List 106
Plot Points 221 Teaching Adventure 25, 26
Pluto 22, 192, 233 Teamwork 113
Politics 62 Technical Skills 97
Primary Specialty 84 Technology 23, 146
Qualities 78, 99 Tension Points 138, 217
Qualities List 100 Terrain 132
Quirks 78, 85 Tests 110
Radiation Poisoning 134 Tethys 83
Recovery 130 Themes 227
Researcher Template 90 Throwing 132
Rhea 84 Titan 83
Rifles 165 Trade Skills 98
Sample Characters 44 Travel Expenses 169
Saturn 21, 189, 232 Travel Times 173
Scientific Skills 95 Triggers 112
Secondary Specialty 85 Two-Handed Attacks 127
Shifting Attitude 129 Unified World Council 62
Shooting Into Combat 126 Unskilled Tests 110
Skill List (Alphabetical) 96 Uranus 21, 84, 190, 233
Skill List by Group 94 Vehicle Skills 98
Skill Tests 110 Venus 20, 80, 185, 231
Skills 77 Wardens 24, 66
Skills 92 Wealth 79, 158
Social Combat 127, 219 Wealth Codes 85,159
Social Combat Effects 129 Weapons 162
Social Skills 95 Weapons List 171
Space Combat 174 Wounds 122
237
™
These adventures will also be connected to Organized Play. That means that you
can take any Organized Play authorized Character to play in any group using the Or-
ganized Play framework. You can play with your group or multiple groups, as well as at
conventions or events. Naturally, you can play the adventures with your regular gam-
ing group – but Organized Play gives players the flexibility to take their Characters to
other groups should their regular group move on to other games.
Here’s a quick look at the first four adventures of The Stygian Cycle.
Awakening I: Barsoom
Trouble brews in the small mining colony of Presidia, found deep within the Martian
Canals of the Outback. Things have begun to go missing – now people as well. The
Wardens are assigned to investigate, as this seems like more than a simple mystery.
Upcoming Supplements
There are many exciting supplemental books coming up for The Void!
™
http://fearthevoid.com
http://www.reddit.com/r/TheVoidRPG/
WDF 33000