FOR

HUMANKIND
by Aaron Jolliffe
 Aaron Jolliffe
Writing, layout, design

Inspired by:
Nier: Automata by Yoko Taro and Platinum Games
Dark Souls by Hidetaka Miyazaki and From Software

This game is Illuminated, and is made using the LUMEN

system created by Spencer Campbell of GilaRPGs. This
game is not af iliated with Gila RPGs.

Copyright © 2021 Aaron Jolliffe

 INTRODUCTION
This Game
For Humankind is a rules‑lite tabletop role‑playing game (RPG) based
in the LUMEN system by Spencer Campbell. In For Humankind, a group
of players portrays a team of specialized androids tasked with
reclaiming humanity's homeworld from an alien threat. Each player
controls one of these androids, describing their actions and emotions
as they move through and interact with the world described by the
Game Manager (GM).

This World
Centuries ago, an otherworldly force appeared that threatened to
exterminate the entire human species. With little time to prepare and
no way to ight back, humankind cobbled together meager vessels and
escaped the planet to survive in space.
Now, supplies and power are dwindling. In less than a year, the last of
the gathered supplies will run out, resulting in humankind's inal,
irreversible extinction.
One light of hope remains. With little else to do, humans spent their
exile building a way to ight back against the alien threat. Specialized
humanoid machines, androids called Answer units, designed as elite
warriors to scout out humankind's homeworld, overcome any dangers
or obstacles they may face, and secure the planet for humankind's
return.
You are one of these Answer units, and humankind's future lives or dies
with your actions. Will you ight to allow them to return home, or will
you hold on to your few precious memories and live for yourself?

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 HOW TO PLAY
For Humankind revolves around a conversation between the players
and the GM. The GM presents the players with a situation and asks the
players "what do you do?" The players respond, describing how their
Answer units interact with the world and other characters around
them.
When an Answer faces risk or consequence, the GM calls for a roll to
determine what happens.
When Answers act, and there is no risk, there is no need to roll.

The Core Mechanic

When an Answer attempts something risky, they describe which of
their three Attributes best re lects their behavior in that moment. Each
Answer has three Attributes (Carbon, Lithium, and Silicon), which are
described later.
The Answer rolls a number of six‑sided dice (d6) equal to the Attribute,
and keeps the highest result.
• 1‐2: Failure, with a consequence
• 3‐4: Success, with a consequence
• 5‐6: Success, full effect with no consequence.
Consequences can be any complication for the situation. For example,
part of the surrounding terrain might become unstable from collateral
damage, or a path might become blocked.
Whenever the outcome of an action is unclear, use the core mechanic
to determine the result. The exception to this is when Answers use
their Powers. Powers always work correctly as long as an Answer has
enough Energy to spend. Powers and Combat are explained later.

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 ANSWERS
All Answer units are built from the same core framework:
• Attributes: Carbon, Lithium, and Silicon
• Health: How much Harm an Answer can take.
• Energy: Resource used to fuel an Answer's Powers.
• Memories: Memories of their past; determines how many Powers
they can equip at a time.
• Powers: Unique specialties and abilities that set the Answer apart.

Attributes
Answer units have 3 Attributes that re lect their approach to obstacles
and what drives them from moment to moment.
The Attributes are:
• Carbon: You are acting out of passion, sel lessness, or heart.
• Lithium: You are acting out of instinct, desperation, or survival.
• Silicon: You are acting out of logic, objectivity, or your programming.
Each Attribute has a numeric value ranging from 1‑5, which tells you
how many d6 to roll when you use that Attribute.
When determining which Attribute applies to a roll, consider not how
you're doing something, but rather the reason why you're doing it. If
you succeed, which part of you will be satis ied?

Memories
Answers' minds were designed as near‑perfect replications of those of
humans, so that they might acquire an understanding for the
importance of their mission. As a result, every Answer invariably has a
few small memories that they cherish.
You start with 3 Memories, and you can hold up to 5 at once.

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An Answer's memories are precious. Those who start to lose them
begin to lose sight of their mission and their loyalty to humankind, and
those who lose them all become False. When an Answer becomes False,
they become an adversary under the GM's control.

Powers
Each Answer has access to a set of Powers that they can use by
spending Energy. At the start of each mission, you equip a set of
Powers that you've gained. The number of Powers you have equipped
can never exceed the number of Memories you have.
Your weapon of choice also grants you its own Unique Power. As long as
you have your weapon, you can use its Power. Your weapon's Power
doesn't count against the number of Powers you can have equipped.
Passive Powers are always in effect and cost no Energy to use. At‐Will
and Mission Powers cost (1) Energy to activate. Additionally, Mission
Powers can only be activated once per mission.
If you try to activate one of your At‑Will or Mission Powers but you
have no Energy to pay for it, you Overcharge (see below).

Overcharge
When an Answer's systems are put under excessive strain, they
Overcharge. There are two ways to Overcharge:
• Dropping to 0 health. Erase one of your Memories and, if you have
more Powers equipped than Memories, unequip one Power. You can
activate that Power without spending any Energy.
• Activating a Power without enough Energy to pay for it. Activate the
Power, unequip it, and erase a Memory.
After you Overcharge, you regain Health and Energy until each is at
least half full (round up). Unequipped Powers are gone for the rest of
the mission. Erased Memories are gone forever.

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Creating an Answer Carbon Lithium Silicon
When you create your Answer, your 1 1 1
Health and Energy each start at 4,
and each of your Attributes starts at Health
1.
Energy
You have 5 points to distribute
between your Health, Energy, and each of your Attributes, increasing
the chosen trait by 1 for each point spent. To start, no Attribute can
exceed 3, and neither Health nor Energy can exceed 6.
So, for example, you could put 2 points into Carbon (total of 3), 1 point
into Silicon (total of 2), and your remaining 2 points into Health (for a
total of 6). At the end, your Answer would look like this:

Carbon Lithium Silicon

3 1 2

Health
Energy

Next, choose a weapon. Your weapon colors the way you ight, and also
grants you a Power unique to that weapon type. Weapons are
explained in Powers on page 12.
Finally, write 3 small Memories that you hold dear. These could be
anything from your favorite color to the irst time you saw a bird after
you were deployed to the planet, to the name of a particular human
you met once. Choose 3 Powers and attach each one to one of your
Memories.

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 MISSIONS
A session of For Humankind follows a simple loop:
• Briefing: the Answers are given an objective. This might be provided
by the GM as their superiors issue direct orders for deployment, or it
might come from what the players want to do.
• Deployment: the Answers choose their Powers for the mission, the GM
cuts to their arrival at the Facility, and the mission begins.
• Recovery: the Answers return from the mission and have a moment
to decompress from the action. This also covers advancement and
improvement.

Briefing
Answers are tasked with venturing into enemy territory in order to
secure territory, supplies, and other advantages for humankind's
return to the planet. Each of these excursions constitutes a mission,
and can come directly from the Answers' commanding of icers, where
the GM outlines an objective for the players to work toward, but the
players are also encouraged to identify their own goals and turn those
into missions as well.
Every mission has two key components:
• Objective: what are the Answers trying to achieve? When they meet
the objective, the mission is a success!
• Facility: the location of the objective, such as a derelict factory, a
ruined castle, or a network of dark caves. Generally, a mission is
contained within a single Facility. If a mission would extend to a
second Facility, it might be worth splitting into two missions.

Deployment
Once the objective and Facility are identi ied, the mission begins! Each
Answer attaches each of their memories to one of their Powers, then
the GM cuts right to the Answers' arrival at the Facility and the Answers
begin working toward their objective.

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As they make their way through the Facility toward their objective, the
Answers will face challenges such as obstacles and combat. Most
challenges can be resolved (or made worse) using the core mechanic
or through the use of Powers. See Combat on page 9 for an explanation
on larger encounters.

Recovery
When a mission has concluded, the Answers return to their home base,
where they have a chance to undergo repairs and improve their traits
or acquire new Powers. At the start of Recovery, do each of the
following:
• Heal: Each Answer resets their Health and Energy to their maximum
values.
• Reflect: Each player picks a moment from the mission that sticks
with their Answer and writes a new Memory about it. If their Answer
already has 5 Memories, they can replace one with their new
Memory, or they might decide that all 5 of their older Memories are
still more meaningful than their new one.
• Improve: Each player can improve one of their Attributes, their
Health, or their Energy by 1. Attributes cannot exceed 5, and Health
and Energy cannot exceed 9. Alternatively, a player can gain a new
Power of their choice.
Between missions, players can take a moment to describe how their
Answer spends their free time. Each player should have a small scene to
re lect on the mission and pursue their own interests, perhaps
involving their new Memory and/or improvement, but then it's time to
move onto the next mission!

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 COMBAT
Combat refers to a full‑blown battle between the Answers and a group
of enemies. Not all encounters with enemies needs to be tracked as
combat as described in this section, but generally if the enemy
numbers equal or exceed the number of Answers, it's a good idea to
add a bit more structure to the scene.

Rounds and Turns

Combat lows in rounds and turns, alternating between the Answers
and their enemies. When a round starts, all Answers take a turn, in any
order they like. During their turn, each Answer can take an "action."
An action is typically spent by an Answer activating one of their Powers,
though their action can also be used to move (see "Bands" below) or
interact with the environment in a way that requires a roll, such as
attacking with a weapon but not using a Power.
After each Answer has taken a turn, the GM takes a turn. The round
then ends, and a new round begins.

Distance
Range and movement in For Humankind are handled abstractly.
Relative distance between characters or locations is broken into four
increments:
• Immediate: Within arm's reach
• Near: Within a few meters
• Far: Within a few dozen meters
• Extreme: Within a few hundred meters

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Bands
When combat starts, the battle ield is divided into 3 range bands, with
band I being right in the middle of the action and band III
encompassing the periphery. Characters start in whichever band is
most appropriate to the iction.
Characters are considered to be within Near range of everyone in their
band, and can move to be within Immediate range of any character in
their band as part of their turn.
Each band can hold any number of characters. Moving from one band
to another costs an action.
A character must use a weapon or Power with a range of Far or
Extreme to target something 1 band away, or Extreme to target
something 2 bands away.

III

II

I
A simple depiction of a battle ield.

Harm & Health

When a character takes Harm, it is subtracted from their Health.
Enemies at 0 Health are dead. When an Answer reaches 0 Health, they
Overcharge, immediately erasing one of their Memories. If they have
more Powers than Memories, they unequip one of their Powers
(activating it without spending Energy, if applicable). Then, they regain
Health and Energy until each is half full to continue the ight.
If an Answer erases their last Memory, they instead become False,
turning into an NPC under the GM's control. They might see the ight
through to the end, or they might leave to avoid the risk of being
destroyed permanently.

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GM Turn
After each Answer has taken a turn, the GM does the following, in order:
• Generate Drops: For each enemy that died this round, roll a d6. Rolls
of 1‑3 drop 1 Energy, 4‑6 drop 1 Health. Answers quickly decide who
takes each drop. Drops that aren't claimed disappear.
• Enemy Actions: Choose a number of enemies up to the number of
Answers. Each of those enemies deals its Harm or activates one of its
moves.
• Change the Situation: Describe some meaningful change to the
con lict. This could be a change in enemy tactics, arrival of
reinforcements, an alteration or destruction in the environment, or
anything else that pushes the Answers to reevaluate their strategy.
Once the GM's turn is over, a new round begins with any Answer taking
the irst turn.

After the Battle

Once all the enemies have been routed, the GM generates the inal set
of drops, each Answer regains 1 Health and 1 Energy, and the mission
continues!

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 POWERS
Powers vary in purpose and effect, but all Powers are presented in the
same way.
Name

Backstab
Type Passive  Immediate, Bleed Tags
When an enemy moves out of range, deal
them 1 Harm. If they have Bleed, deal 2 Harm
instead.

Description

• Name: The Power's name

• Type: Passive, At‑Will, or Mission. Passive Powers are always active.
At‑Will Powers cost (1) Energy to activate. Mission powers cost (1)
Energy to activate and can only be used once per mission.
• Tags: Powers can have a variety of tags that denote various traits
about the Power, such as its effective range and whether they
synergize with a particular weapon type. When a Power says "in
range," it's referring to the range tag listed here.
• Description: What the Power does. When you activate the Power (for
At‑Will and Mission) or when its conditions are met (for Passive), do
what the description says.
Presented are the following pages are a selection of Powers you can
choose from, starting with Weapon Powers, then miscellaneous
Powers grouped by important tags.
You start with your weapon type's Unique Power (as well as a weapon
of that type) and your choice of any 3 non‑Unique Powers. If you're not
sure where to start, each weapon type has 3 additional Powers that
work well together with its Unique Power.

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 Weapon Types
Weapons Light blades
Your Answer is equipped with a powerful, Medium blade
specialized weapon of a type chosen from the list Heavy
shown to the right. A weapon's type determines Unarmed
the properties of its basic attack and its Unique Long‑ranged
Power, but the actual shape and style of your Vanguard
weapon is up to you.

Weapon Powers
Each weapon type grants a Unique Power. You cannot learn or use a
weapon type's Unique Power except by using a weapon of that type.
Some other Powers have a tag listing a keyword used by a weapon
type's Unique Power (such as Bleed or Staggered). You can learn and use
these Powers regardless of the type of weapon you are using, but they
gain some additional bene it when used in combination with the
weapon's Unique Power.
You can gain these bonuses even if the keyword was in licted by
another player. So, if another player with the unarmed weapon type
has an enemy Grappled and you hit that enemy with your Stun Power,
that enemy generates an extra Energy drop even if you are using a
medium blade weapon.

Basic Attacks
You can use your action to make a basic attack with your weapon.
Unlike using one of your Powers, this basic attack costs no Energy, but
it requires an action roll. The results of your roll determine what
happens when you attack:
• 1‐2: In lict no harm. You are open to retaliation.
• 3‐4: In lict 1 harm, but you are open to retaliation.
• 5‐6: In lict 1 harm OR in lict 2 harm and open yourself to retaliation.
If a basic attack would in lict enough harm to kill its target but also
incurs an action from the target, the target dies after taking its action.

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Light Blades Weapon Powers Basic Attack Range: Immediate
A lightweight, razor sharp edge is perfect for slipping through their armor and
slicing them where it hurts most.

Vital Cut
At‐Will  Immediate, Unique (light blades), Bleed
Unique An enemy takes +2 Bleed. An enemy with
Bleed takes 1 Harm at the end of the round,
then its Bleed is reduced by 1.

Backstab
Passive  Immediate, Bleed
When an enemy moves out of range, deal
them 1 Harm. If they have Bleed, deal 2 Harm
instead.

Dervish
At‐Will  Near, Bleed
Surround yourself in a whirl of blades. Deal 1
Harm to each enemy in range.
Each enemy with Bleed that takes this Harm
also takes +1 Bleed.

Precision Throw
Mission  Far, Bleed
When a path is about to become blocked, you
throw your weapon to keep it open a moment
longer. OR, throw your weapon at an enemy
with Bleed in range and in lict Harm equal to
twice its Bleed. Its Bleed then becomes 0.

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Medium Blade Weapon Powers Basic Attack Range: Near
The steel is an extension of yourself, as versatile and reliable as any of your
other limbs.

Defensive Stance
At‐Will  Near, Unique (medium blade), Primed
Unique You take a defensive stance to protect
yourself as you prepare for your next strike.
Until the end of your next turn, you are
Primed and your allies are Primed as long as
they're within range. Primed characters
reduce all Harm they take by 1.

Slash
Passive  Immediate, Primed
At the start of your turn, deal 1 Harm to an
enemy in range. If you are Primed, deal 2
Harm instead.

Offensive Stance
At‐Will  Immediate, Primed
You strike an enemy and prepare to follow it
up with a lurry of attacks. Deal 2 Harm to an
enemy in range. For the rest of the round,
deal 1 Harm to any enemy in range that
damages you. If you are Primed, this Power's
range is increased by one stage.

Run Through
Mission  Extreme, Primed
You charge forward in a lash, carving
through everyone in your path. Move up to 2
bands, dealing 2 Harm to up to 1 enemy in
each band you touch. If you are Primed,
choose 2 enemies per band instead.

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Heavy Weapon Powers Basic Attack Range: Near
Some crack and crumble under pressure. You've made it your job to see how
long it takes them.

Crushing Blow
At‐Will  Near, Unique (heavy), Staggered
Unique You deal a devastating attack that shatters its
victim's defenses, leaving them vulnerable to
further damage. An enemy in range takes 2
Harm and is Staggered until the end of your
next turn. A Staggered enemy takes +1 Harm
whenever they take damage.

Immovable Object
Passive  Staggered
You can't be moved against your will.
Enemies that are Staggered also can't leave
your band against your will.

Launching Strike
At‐Will  Immediate, Staggered
The weight of your strikes sends enemies
lying. Deal 2 Harm to an enemy in range and
push them away 1 band. If the enemy is
Staggered, you can move with them.

Planet Breaker
Mission  Far, Staggered
Deal 2 Harm to everyone else in your band, or
1 Harm to everyone else in your band and an
adjacent band. Staggered enemies that take
this Harm are pushed away 1 band and can't
act this round.

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Unarmed Weapon Powers Basic Attack Range: Immediate
You are your own instrument of war. Accept no substitutes.

Free Hand
At‐Will  Immediate, Unique (unarmed), Grappled
Unique You grab onto an enemy and disrupt their
ability to ight. Deal 1 Harm to an enemy in
range and choose one of their moves. Until
you move away from them, they're Grappled.
While Grappled they can't move away from
you and they can't use the move you chose.

Deflection
Passive  Immediate, Grappled
Enemies in range have their Harm range
reduced by 1 stage (minimum of Immediate).
Enemies in range that are Grappled also deal 1
less Harm.

Stun
At‐Will  Immediate, Grappled
You strike an enemy and disorient its senses.
Deal 1 Harm to an enemy in range. That
enemy doesn't act this round. If the enemy is
Grappled, they generate an additional Energy
drop this round.

Meat Shield
Mission  Immediate, Grappled
You grab onto an enemy and use it to protect
yourself. Until your next turn, all damage that
would be dealt to you is dealt to the enemy
instead. If they're Grappled, you can instead
throw them to deal 3 Harm to them and up to
2 enemies in Near range.

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Long‐Ranged Weapon Powers Basic Attack Range: Extreme
The last thing they'll ever see. If they see it coming at all.

Lethal Mark
At‐Will  Extreme, Unique (long‐ranged), Marked
Unique Your trained eye can pinpoint your enemies'
weaknesses. Put a Mark on an enemy in range
that is not already Marked.
When a Marked enemy takes any Harm, you
can remove the Mark and the enemy takes +2
Harm.

Steady Aim
Passive  Marked
If you don't move on your turn and deal
Harm to exactly one enemy, and that enemy is
in a different band than you, deal +1 Harm.
Powers you use with Far range can hit Marked
enemies at Extreme range.

Pinfire
At‐Will  Far, Marked
You ire a special shot to hold someone or
something in place. An enemy hit by this
takes 1 Harm and can't move this round. An
object or ally is held in place, stopped from
falling, etc. If you hit a Marked enemy, it also
can't deal Harm this round.

Rain of Fire
Mission  Extreme, Marked
Any number of enemies 2 bands away each
take 3 Harm. Marked enemies that take this
Harm gain a second Mark.

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Vanguard Weapon Powers Basic Attack Range: Far
A murder of dark, ominous birds under your command; harbingers of the grim
fate about to befall their prey.

Flight of Dusk
At‐Will  Far, Unique (vanguard), Cursed
Unique You send one of your crows to scout another
zone or Curse an enemy in range, or you call a
crow back to you. A Cursed enemy is
guaranteed to generate a Health drop when it
dies. You can only have a number of crows
scouting and/or Cursing enemies equal to
your lowest attribute.

Winged Retribution
Passive  Cursed
When an enemy damages you, it takes 1
Harm in return. If the enemy is Cursed, it
instead takes as much Harm as it dealt to you.

Corruption
At‐Will  Far, Cursed
You muddle an enemy's mind, causing it to
confuse friend for foe. An enemy in range
spends its turn going after another enemy. If
the enemy is Cursed, you choose who it goes
after.

Last Word
Mission  Extreme, Cursed
An enemy in range dies. If that enemy was
Cursed, each other enemy in Near range of it
takes 1 Harm and the Curse transfers to one
of them.

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Carbon Powers
Burn Bright
Passive  Carbon
At the start of your turn, you can spend 1
Health to regain 1 Energy.

Goading Howl
At‐Will  Near, Carbon
You taunt and challenge enemies around you.
Regain Health equal to your Carbon. Enemies
in range focus on you this round.

Zeal
At‐Will  Far, Carbon
Your passion manifests as roaring ire.
Distribute Harm equal to your Carbon
between any number of enemies within
range.

Fervent Crown
At‐Will  Far, Carbon
You channel your spirit into a ring of lame
that drives back the cowardly and punishes
the foolish. At the start of your next turn,
each enemy in your band takes 3 Harm.

Savior
Mission  Carbon
Arrive at just the right place and exactly the
right time to protect something you care
about. The danger redirects its attention to
you.

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Lithium Powers
Reaching Lash
Passive  Lithium
Lightning courses through your body. Your
Powers with Immediate range gain Near
range, and your Powers with Near range gain
Far range.

Blink
At‐Will  Extreme, Lithium
Teleport to a place within range that you can
see or that is obvious to you, such as the
other side of a closed door.

Split Processing
At‐Will  Far, Lithium
You conjure a hologram duplicate in range
with Health equal to your Lithium. Enemies
Near it will focus on it irst. On each of your
turns (including when you conjure it), it can
take any action you could take except using
this Power. It still uses your Energy when it
uses Powers.

Warp Strike
At‐Will  Far, Lithium
Deal 1 Harm to an enemy in range, then
teleport to be within Immediate range of
them.

Backup Battery
Mission  Lithium, No Cost
This Power costs no Energy to activate.
Activate one of your other Powers without
spending any Energy.

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Silicon Powers
Culling
Passive  Near, Silicon
At the start of your turn, choose a number of
damaged enemies in range up to your Silicon.
Each of those enemies takes 1 Harm.

Containment Basin
At‐Will  Silicon
You surround an area with a wall of ice. No
one can enter or leave your band until the
end of next round, at least not through
conventional means.

Calculated Guard
At‐Will  Silicon
Negate all Harm that you would take until the
total amount of negated Harm equals your
Silicon.

Piercing Shot
At‐Will  Extreme, Silicon
You bide your time to line up the perfect shot.
Choose up to 3 enemies, each in different
bands. On your next turn, deal 3 Harm to the
closest enemy, 2 Harm to the second‑closest,
and 1 Harm to the third‑closest.

Prepared
Mission  Silicon, Utility
Unequip this Power. Equip one of your
unequipped Powers instead. You can activate
it now (At‑Will and Mission Powers still cost
Energy).

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 RUNNING T HE GAME
For Humankind is designed so that missions can be envisioned and
extrapolated quickly and easily, requiring little to no prep work by the
GM. As GM, your job is to show the players a dangerous world with just
enough of a chance for them to change it for the better. Provide them
with a situation, then turn them loose and see what they do and have
the world react to it.
To that end, you have two main tools, which simultaenously form the
framework for missions:
• Enemies: hostile entities bent on stopping the Answers from reaching
their objective.
• Facilities: dangerous and desolate locales that house objectives and
dangers.

Creating Enemies
Enemies are built from similar components to Answers, but are much
simpler.
• Health: how much Harm the enemy can take before dying.
• Harm: how much Harm the enemy deals, and how close it has to be
to deal it. Enemies might also do varying levels of harm depending
on their range.
• Moves: a small handful of actions, reactions, and tactics that the
enemy can employ (usually 2‑4). Look to these during the GM turn
or when an Answer rolls a 1‑4 to help guide what the enemy does.

Complex Enemies
Some enemies; usually bigger, stronger, and/or smarter than the usual
grunts, are capable of more than regular enemies. For complex
enemies you really want to make memorable, treat them like two or
more regular enemies stuck together. Instead of one set of traits,
complex enemies have several individual aspects, each with their own
Health, Harm, and packets of thematically‑related Moves.

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Example Enemies
Hellhound Waste Wurm
Health: 2 Health: 4
Harm: 1 Immediate Harm: 2 Near
Moves: Moves:
• Howl • Tunnel underground
• Corner its prey • Consume
• Release stored energy • Topple monuments

Alien Ravager False Answer

Health: 2
Harm: 2 Extreme, 1 Far
Moves:
• Disrupt communications
• Destabilize the environmnet
• Set up a psychic barrier
Health: 5
Harm: 1 Near (medium blade)
Moves:
• Take what it lacks
• Create a wall of ire
• Drain an Answer's Energy

Example Complex Enemy: Alien Hive Queen

Hive Mind Acid Gland Razor Claws
Health: 5 Health: 4 Health: 4
Harm: 1 Extreme Harm: 2 Near, 1 Far Harm: 3 Immediate
Moves: Moves: Moves:
• Organize a uni ied • Melt metal and • Rend in two
attack lesh together
• Skitter around
• Teleport to safety • Flood a corridor obstacles
• Channel psychic • Collapse a loor • Stab with pinpoint
force accuracy

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Creating Facilities
Like enemies, Facilities are built from common components to give a
general impression of what they're like and what sorts of things can
happen while the Answers are exploring them:
• Terrain: what sort of terrain comprises the Facility
• Zones: distinct areas, key rooms, or major setpieces. These are
sometimes connected by smaller rooms and passageways, but these
are the ones that deserve the players' full attention. A facility usually
has 2 to 4 zones.
• Moves: some things that can go wrong. A Facilty should have an equal
number of moves to zones, but the moves don't have to be restricted
to a speci ic zone. These moves usually trigger in reaction to
Answers' rolls, but they could also be used during a GM turn in
combat as a major change to the situation.

Example Facilities
Progenitor Factory Forgotten Bastion
Terrain: Arti icial, Industrial Terrain: Arti icial, Forest
Zones: Zones:
• Assembly line • Moat
• The Foundry • Grand Hall
• Hangar bay • Parapets
Moves: • Dungeon
• A dormant machine comes Moves:
back online • A wall collapses, connecting
• Collapse a walkway two rooms or passages

• Spill hazardous materials • An exit becomes blocked or

barred
• Something valuable falls out
of reach
• The Answers become lost and
separated

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Example Mission: First Contact
The Collective has identi ied a suitable location for an Answer dispatch
camp on the planet's surface. Your objective is to clear the area of
possible security threats from the area so that support units can safely
touch down and begin construction.

Facility: Landing Site

Terrain: Glade Moves:
Zones: • A landslide splits the team
• Overlook cliff • Something bursts out of
hiding
• Spiral path
• Pouring rain hinders visibility
• Re lection Pool

Enemies
Machine Remnant Space Eel
Health: 3 Health: 2
Harm: 1 Far Harm: 1 Near
Moves: Moves:
• Unearth more machines • Bite, then slither away
• Open ire • Spew starlight
• Con iscate weaponry • Hypnotize with a twinkling eye

Complex Enemy: Star‐Speaker Ironclad

Brain in a Jar Machine Chassis Solar Engine
Health: 3 Health: 4 Health: 3
Harm: 1 Far Harm: 3 Immediate Harm: 2 Near, 1
Extreme
Moves: Moves:
Moves:
• Channel psychic • Tear down trees
force • Scorch the earth
• Grind something
• Levitate rocks into the dirt • Melt stone
• Separate from the • Grab and crush • Carve a path
main body
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