Character Creation
SPACER
SPACER is a minimalist set of role-playing game
rules for running old school science-fiction adven-
tures, inspired by and compatible with KNAVE cre-
ated by Ben Milton. Tweaking the rules and
creating your own exciting science-fiction universe
is expected and encouraged. Like KNAVE,
SPACER features:
• Compatibility with most OSR-style games.
Weapons, armour and especially creatures &
traps can be used with few, if any, changes.
• Fast to teach, easy to run. Especially suited to
games with new players or one-shots where fast
character creation and few rules are a bonus.
• No classes. Every PC is a Spacer, a galaxy-
hopping adventurer at home in space as much
as planet-side with a bag full of tech to help
them. A PC’s role in the party is determined
largely by the equipment they carry and their at-
titude.
• No skills, all d20 rolls use six standard abilities.
Any PC’s without the skills to survive in space
are already dead.
• Optional player-facing rolls. Spacer allows Ref-
erees to run a game where players do all the
rolling. Switching between the traditional shared-
rolling model and player-only rolling can be done
on the fly.
• Credit Standard. Everything costs credits, every-
one gets paid credits. One credit is the same as
one copper piece in Knave.
• Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License: You are free to share and adapt this
material for any purpose, including commer-
cially, as long as you give attribution.
1 PCs have six abilities: Strength, Dexterity,
Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and
Charisma. Each ability has two related values: a
value and a bonus.
To create a PC, roll 3d6 for each of their abilities,
in order. The lowest of the three dice on each
roll is that ability’s bonus. Add 10 to find its
value.
After you’ve finished rolling, you may optionally
swap the scores of two abilities.
Example: You roll a 2, 2, and 6 for Strength. The
lowest die is a 2, so your PC’s Strength has a
bonus of +2 and a value of 12, written 12/+2.
The rolling mechanic will make most abilities start
at 11/+1. The bonus and value of three abilities will
rise by 1 point each time the PC gains a level, up
to a maximum of 20/+10 by level 10. This puts ev-
erything on an intuitive ten point scale, and is in-
tended to mirror the way that attack bonuses, hit
dice, and saving throws in most OSR games in-
crease by about one point per level.
2 Roll on the Starting Gear tables to determine
armour and equipment. PCs also start with
one melee and one ranged weapon of their
choice.
PCs have a number of item slots equal to their
Constitution value, and items they carry must fit
into available slots. Most items take up one slot,
but some take up more. Some small items can be
bundled together into a single slot. Ask the Ref-
eree if you are unsure.
Armour comes with an armour value. Note that
value on your character sheet with its correspond-
ing Armour bonus (always 10 less than the value).
If the PC is not wearing any armour, their armour
value is 10 and their armour bonus is 0.
3 Roll 1d8 to determine your PC’s starting and
maximum Hit Points. A PC’s healing rate is
1d8 plus their Constitution bonus. Note that a PC’s
Constitution bonus is not added to their hit point
rolls. Referees who don’t want starting PCs to be
quite as fragile might want to allow starting HP to
be rerolled if it is below 5 or can start everybody
with maximum HP (8).
Their exploration speed is 120ft per exploration
turn, and their combat speed is 40ft per round.
4 Invent or roll the rest of your PC’s traits, such
as their species, abilities, talents, clothing,
virtue, vice, cybernetics, background, and align-
ment, using the random tables below. Choose a
gender and a name for your PC.
All this makes it sound as though your PC is Hu-
man, and that’s the default, but they don’t need to
be. If the Referee allows alien species as Player
Characters then just say that your PC is an alien
and work out with the Referee if they have any
special abilities that affect gameplay. For the most
part though, this will make no difference to the
PC’s Abilities and the way they’re rolled.
Example: You want to play an insectoid alien,
something like a man-sized ant. The species has
no characteristics that will alter it’s abilities, but the
Referee agrees that it’s hard exoskeleton will pro-
vide 11/+1 Armour in combat. The down-side is
that it’s pincers and mandibles are not good for
fiddly jobs, so the Referee rules that you will roll all
Dexterity Saves for detailed manipulation at Dis-
advantage.
 Virtue
Traits 1. Ambitious 6. Disciplined 11. Honourable 16. Merciful
Starting Gear
2. Cautious 7. Focused 12. Humble 17. Righteous
Use the following tables for ideas to flesh out and 3. Courageous 8. Generous 13. Idealistic 18. Serene
You start with one melee and one ranged weapon
colour your character. The specific interpretation of 4. Courteous 9. Gregarious 14. Just 19. Stoic
of your choice. The Referee will let you know what
each trait is up to you and the Referee. 5. Curious 10. Honest 15. Loyal 20. Tolerant other tables to roll on.

Species VICE Armour

1. Human 6. Insectoid 11. Canine 16. Cetacean 1. Aggressive 6. Deceitful 11. Lazy 16. Suspicious 1. None 6. Light, 12- 11. Medium, 14- 16. Heavy, 16-
2. Human 7. Icthyoid 12. Feline 17. Energy 2. Arrogant 7. Flippant 12. Nervous 17. Vain 2. None 7. Light, 12- 12. Medium, 14- 17. Heavy, 16-
3. Human 8. Saurian 13. Amorphous 18. Amphibious 3. Bitter 8. Gluttonous 13. Prejudiced 18. Vengeful 3. None 8. Light, 12- 13. Medium, 14- 18. Heavy, 16-
4. Human 9. Ursine 14. Symbiont 19. Humanoid 4. Cowardly 9. Greedy 14. Reckless 19. Wasteful 4. None 9. Light, 12- 14. Medium, 14- 19. Heavy, 16-
5. Transhuman 10. Vulpine 15. Quadruped 20. Humanoid 5. Cruel 10. Irascible 15. Rude 20. Whiny 5. None 10. Light, 12- 15. Medium, 14- 20. Special

Species Abilities Cybernetics Weapons

1. Aggressive 6. Weakness 11. Telepathy 16. Ethereal 1. Arm 6. Reflexes 11. Comms 16. Skeleton 1. None 6. Club 11. Handgun 16. Rifle
2. Shapeshifter 7. Multi-limb 12. Logic 17. Telekinesis 2. Leg 7. Datalink 12. Blades 17. Finger(s) 2. Nothing 7. Sword 12. Handgun 17. Rifle
3. Invisibility 8. Regenerate 13. Climbing 18. Reputation 3. IR Vision 8. Skill 13. Firearm 18. Drugs 3. Zip 8. Axe 13. Handgun 18. Support
4. Multiform 9. Teleport 14. Immunity 19. Healer 4. Nightvision 9. Medkit 14. Stimulants 19. Power 4. Nada 9. Staff 14. Shotgun 19. Support
5. Hive Mind 10. Parasitic 15. Poisonous 20. Weak Spot 5. Weapon Link 10. Armour 15. Weapon 20. Full Body 5. Zilch 10. Blade 15. Stunner 20. Special

Talents Background Tech

1. Acrobatic 6. Lucky 11. Brawler 16. Opportunist 1. Technician 6. Explorer 11. Barbarian 16. Performer 1. Binoculars 6. Flashlight 11. Comms 16. Trauma Kit
2. Berserker 7. Resolute 12. Focused 17. Perceptive 2. Clergy 7. Cop 12. Politician 17. Pickpocket 2. Lightsticks 7. Grapnel 12. Comms 17. Surgical Kit
3. Charismatic 8. Sneaky 13. Thoughtful 18. Psionic 3. Pilot 8. Soldier 13. Mercenary 18. Smuggler 3. Diving Gear 8. Parachute 13. Computer 18. Wingsuit
4. Educated 9. Tough 14. Learned 19. Impulsive 4. Noble 9. Gambler 14. Merchant 19. Student 4. Env. Mask 9. Gravchute 14. Computer 19. Goggles
5. Insightful 10. Vigilant 15. Marksman 20. Survivalist 5. Hacker 10. Medic 15. Outlaw 20. Thug 5. Scanner 10. Smartlink 15. Survival Kit 20. Translator

Homeworld Misfortune Gear

1. Space Station 6. Arctic 11. Gas Giant 16. Huge 1. Abandoned 6. Defrauded 11. Framed 16. Pursued 1. Clothing 6. Cold Gear 11. First Aid Kit 16. Climbing Kit
2. High-G 7. Jungle 12. Starship 17. Asteroid 2. Addicted 7. Demoted 12. Haunted 17. Rejected 2. Clothing 7. Desert Suit 12. First Aid Kit 17. Trauma Kit
3. Low-G 8. High-Tech 13. Water World 18. Toxic 3. Blackmailed 8. Discredited 13. Kidnapped 18. Replaced 3. Backpack 8. Comms 13. Flares 18. Surgical Kit
4. Zero-G 9. Low-Tech 14. Rock 19. Industrial 4. Condemned 9. Disowned 14. Mutilated 19. Robbed 4. Pouch 9. Comms 14. Toolkit 19. Cabin
5. Desert 10. Colony 15. Volcanic 20. Dead 5. Unlucky 10. Exiled 15. Poor 20. Suspected 5. Droid 10. 100 Credits 15. 500 Credits 20. 1k Credits

Clothing Alignment Vehicles and Ships

1. Dark 6. Futuristic 11. Tight 16. Sensible 1-5 6-15 16-20 1. Ground Car 6. RV 11. APC 16. Trader
2. Gaudy 7. Dapper 12. Formal 17. Sporty Law Neutrality Chaos 2. Grav Bike 7. Crawler 12. Boat 17. Courier
3. Colourful 8. Majestic 13. Homespun 18. Thermal 3. Hvy Lifter 8. Grav Car 13. Cargo Lifter 18. Passenger
4. Fur 9. Chic 14. Modest 19. Glossy 4. Walker 9. Drone 14. Racer 19. Freighter
5. Leather 10. Baggy 15. Revealing 20. Geometric 5. ATV 10. Mini Sub 15. Marauder 20. Fighter
 Weapons Armour
Gear Arrows x 20
Boarding Blade (d6 damage, 1 hand, 4 quality, hidden)
10
50
Ballistic Cloth Coat (13 Defence, 2 slots, 6 quality)
Ballistic Cloth Jacket (12 Defence, 6 quality)
All prices are given in Standard Credits, any item Bow (d6 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality) 15 Ballistic Gel Coat (12 Defence, 2 slots, 7 quality)
Brass Knuckles (d4 damage, 1 hand, 10 quality) 40 Ballistic Vest (11 Defence, 3 slots, 6 quality)
is 1 slot unless stated otherwise..
Chainsaw (d10 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality) 200 Boarding Armour (15 Defence, 5 slots, 10 quality,
Gear Crossbow (d8 damage, 3 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality) 60 sealed)
Chainmail (14 Defence, 3 slots, 5 quality) 1,200
Dagger, Cudgel, Sickle, Staff, etc (4 x d8 damage, 1 hand,
Backpack (uses 1 slot, provides 4 extra slots) 75 5
3 quality) Chameleon Skin (add camouflage to any high-tech ar-
Binoculars 75 Electrowhip (d6 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, stun) 200 mour)
Chemical Light-stick 1 EMP Grenade (4 x d8 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, area, elec- Camouflage Generator (add invisibility to any high-tech
20 armour)
tronics only)
Climbing Kit (3 slots) 500
Energy Pistol (d8 damage, 1 hand, 5 quality) 150 Combat Exoskeleton (14 Defence, 4 slots, 7 quality, en-
Cold Weather Clothing (2 slots) 500 hanced)
Energy Rifle (3 x d10 damage, 4 slots, 2 hands, 4 quality) 200
Combat Engineering Toolkit (4 slots) 500 Emergency Spacesuit (13 Defence, 3 slots, 6 quality,
Energy Support Weapon (3 x d20 damage, 4 slots, 2 sealed)
Desert Suit (2 slots) 1,000 380
hands, 4 quality, auto-fire)
Environment Suit (12 Defence, 4 slots, 8 quality, sealed)
Distress Flare (2 per slot) 15 Flechette Pistol (d6 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, silent) 200
EOD Suit (18 Defence, 6 slots, 10 quality, clumsy)
Diving Hardsuit (12 Defence, 6 slots, 12 quality) 20,000 Flechette Rifle (d8 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality,
300 Full Plate (16 Defence, 5 slots, 7 quality) 8,000
Duct Tape (2 rolls per slot) 5 silent)
Force Sword (d20 damage, 1 hand, 10 quality, rare) N/A Half Plate (15 Defence, 4 slots, 6 quality) 4,000
Environment Mask 50
Frag Grenade (4 x d10 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, area) 10 Helmet (+1 Defence, 1 slots, 1quality) 40
First Aid Kit (Restore d4 HP) 100
Grenade Launcher (add grenade to any rifle or support Hud (add to any sealed armour)
Flashlight 10 150
weapon) Power Armour (20 Defence, 6 slots, 12 quality, en-
Grapnel launcher & cable (3 slots) 150 Gyrojet Pistol (d10 damage, 1 hand, 2 quality, recoilless) 500 hanced, sealed, weaponized)
Hand Scanner 2,000 Gyrojet Rifle (d12 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 2 quality, re- Re-entry Armour (15 Defence, 5 slots, 10 quality, sealed,
1,300 15,000
coilless) gravchute)
IR/Nightvision Goggles 750
Halberd, War Hammer, Long Sword, Battle Axe, etc (d10 Shield (+1 Defence, 1 quality) 40
Laser Drill/Cutter 200 20
damage, 3 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality) Standard Spacesuit (14 Defence, 5 slots, 10 quality,
Neural Link Cyberdeck (2 slots) 5,000 sealed)
Incinerator (2 x d8 damage, 3 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality,
Parachute/Gravchute (2 slots) 500/2,500 65
area) Synthetic Mesh (14 Defence, 2 slots, 6 quality)
Personal Comms 150 Man-Portable Missile (6 x d10 damage, 2 hands, 4 slots 8,000 Tactical Body Armour (15 Defence, 3 slots, 6 quality,
Personal Drone (Armour 11/+1, 3 HP, 2 slots) 500-10,000 Monofilament Blade (d12 damage, 1 hand, 4 quality) 2,500 sealed)
Portable Computer 500 Mortar (4 x d10 damage, 2 hands, 4 quality, indirect) 200
Portable Micro-fusion Generator (2 slots) 11,000 Projectile Pistol (d8 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality) 70 Vehicles
Prefabricated Cabin (10 slots) 2,000 Projectile Rifle (d10 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 4 quality) 140
Battlemaster Walker (Scale: starship, Maneuvering
Space Rescue Ball (8 slots) 150 Projectile Support Weapon (3 x d12 damage, 4 slots, 2 12/+2, Tactical 16/+6, Armour/Shields: 40/20, Hull: 60,
320
hands, 6 quality, auto-fire) Quality: 8, Point Defence, Weapons: 2 arm-mounted Rail- 2.6m
Surgical Medikit (Restore d8 HP, 5 slots) 4,000
Rocket launcher (3 x d20 damage, 3 slots, 2 hands, 3 qual- guns 4 x d10 dmg each, 2 shoulder-mounted Missiles 2 x
Survival Kit (2 slots) 150 420 d8 dmg each)
ity)
Toolkit (Mechanical, Engineering, Starship, Weapon) 400 Security (add to any weapon, only identified user can fire) 200 Combat Walker (Scale: starship, Maneuvering 12/+2,
Trauma Medikit (Restore 1 HP when at -1, 3 slots) 500 Tactical 14/+4, Armour/Shields: 20/10, Hull: 40, Quality: 8,
Sentry Gun (5 x d10 damage, 8 slots, 2 hands, 4 quality, 800,000
5,000 Weapons: 2 turret-mounted Laser Cannons 2 x d10 dmg
Universal Translator/Language Pack 2,500/500 auto-fire, AI controlled) each, shoulder-mounted Rockets d10 dmg)
Vacuum Emergency Kit 500 Shotgun (d8 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality) 60 Grav Flyer (Scale: vehicle, Maneuvering 14/+4, Tactical
120,000
Silencer (add to any ranged projectile weapon, silent) 150 N/A, Armour/Shields: 8/2, Hull: 15, Quality: 5)
Wingsuit (2 slots) 500
Smartgun Link (add to any ranged weapon, +1 to hit) 500 Groundcar (Scale: character, Maneuvering 13/+3, Tacti-
40,000
cal N/A, Armour/Shields: 4/0, Hull: 10, Quality: 4)
Living Expenses Smoke Grenade (1 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, area) 15
Half Track ATV (Scale: vehicle, Maneuvering 10/+0, Tac-
Spear, Sword, Mace, Axe, Flail, etc (d8 damage, 2 slots, 1 tical N/A, Armour/Shields: 10/3, Hull: 20, Quality: 6, Cargo 200,000
Poor 400/month 10
hand, 3 quality) Bay, Life Support)
Low 1,000/month Staff (d8 damage, 2 slots, 1 or 2 hand) 50 Jet Bike (Scale: character, Maneuvering 15/+5, Tactical
60,000
Average 1,200/month Stun Baton (d6 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, stun) 100 N/A, Armour/Shields: 2/0, Hull: 6, Quality: 4)
Good 1,500/month Stun Grenade (4 x d8 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, area, stun) Riot Tank (Scale: vehicle, Maneuvering 11/+1, Tactical
12/+2, Armour/Shields: 15/5, Hull: 20, Quality: 6, 210,000
High 2,000/month Stun Pistol (d8 damage, 1 hand, 3 quality, stun) 160 Weapons: turret mounted railgun d10 dmg)
Rich 5,000/month Stun Rifle (d10 damage, 2 slots, 2 hands, 3 quality, stun) 300 Tracked Explorer (Scale: vehicle, Maneuvering 10/+0,
400,000
Ludicrous 20,000/month Tactical 11/+1, Armour/Shields: 12/4, Hull: 25, Quality: 7)

Playing the Game
Abilities
Each of the six abilities is used in different circum-
stances.
• Strength: Used for melee attacks and saves re-
quiring physical power, like forcing doors, bend-
ing bars, etc.
• Dexterity: Used for saves requiring poise,
speed, and reflexes, like dodging, climbing,
sneaking, balancing, etc.
• Constitution: Used for saves to resist disease,
alien parasites, poison, sickness, cold, etc. The
Constitution bonus is added to healing rolls. A
PC’s number of item slots is always equal to
their Constitution value.
• Intelligence: Used for saves requiring concen-
tration and precision, such as using tech, resist-
ing weird energies or telepathic manipulation,
recalling knowledge, crafting objects, tinkering
with machinery, picking pockets, etc.
• Wisdom: Used for ranged attacks and saves re-
quiring perception and intuition, such as track-
ing, navigating, searching for secret panels,
detecting holograms, etc.
• Charisma: Used for saves to persuade, de-
ceive, interrogate, intimidate, charm, provoke,
etc. PCs may employ a number of henchmen
equal to their Charisma bonus.
Item Slots
PCs have a number of item slots equal to their
Constitution value. Most items, including handheld
tech, drinks, a day’s rations, light weapons, tools
and so on take up 1 slot, but particularly heavy or
bulky items like armour or medium to heavy
weapons may take up more slots. Items such as
backpacks, power armour or weapon mounts may
provide more slots, or make it easier to carry
heavy weapons by reducing the number of slots
needed. Groups of small, identical items may be
bundled into the same slot, at the Referee’s dis-
cretion. As a general guideline, a slot holds around
2-3 Kilograms of weight.
Saving Throws
If a character attempts something where the out-
come is uncertain and failure has consequences,
they make a Saving Throw, or Save. To make a
save, add the bonus of the relevant ability to a
d20 roll to beat a Target Number (TN). For simple
activities with relatively unlimited time the TN is
10. For tasks that are challenging or have to be
done within a time limit, the TN is 15. For excep-
tionally difficult challenges, the TN is 20.
If the save is opposed by another character, then
instead of aiming to exceed a fixed TN, the side
doing the rolling must get a total greater than the
opposing character’s relevant value in order to
succeed. This type of save is called an Opposed
Save. Note that it doesn’t matter which side does
the rolling, since the odds of success remain the
same.
If there are situational factors that make a save
significantly easier or harder, the Referee may
grant the roll Advantage or Disadvantage. If a
roll has Advantage, roll 2d20 and use the better of
the two dice. If it has Disadvantage, roll 2d20 and
use the worse of the two dice.
Combat
At the start of each combat round, determine ini-
tiative by rolling a d6. On a 1-3, all of the enemies
will act first. On a 4-6 all of the PCs will act first.
Re-roll initiative each round.
On their turn, a character may move their speed
(usually 40 ft) and take one other combat action.
This action may be making a second move, mak-
ing an attack, attempting a stunt, or any other ac-
tion deemed reasonable by the Referee.
Melee weapons can strike adjacent foes (within 5-
10 ft), but ranged weapons cannot be used if the
shooting character is engaged in melee combat,
unless you’re using Area Effect or Auto-Fire (see
later).
To make an attack, roll a d20 and add the charac-
ter’s Strength or Wisdom bonus, depending on
whether they are using a melee or ranged
weapon, respectively. If the attack total is greater
than the defender’s armour value, the attack hits.
If not, the attack misses.
Example: Duke Starkiller (Strength 12/+2) would
roll 1d20 + 2 against Garth Madeup’s armour
value of 15 to hit him with his ion sword.
Alternatively, an attack roll can be resolved by the
defender rolling a d20 and adding their armour
bonus, hoping to roll a total greater than the value
of the ability the attacker is using. If they succeed,
the attack misses. If they fail, the attack hits.
Example: When Garth strikes back, Duke rolls
1d20 + 1 (for his jacket & robes 11/+1 armour)
against Garth’s Strength of 14 to successfully de-
fend from the attack.
On a hit, the attacker rolls their weapon’s damage
die to determine how many Hit Points (HP) the de-
fender loses. A bonus damage die of the weapon’s
type may be added to the roll if the ideal weapon
was used against an enemy type particularly vul-
nerable to that weapon (for example, using an ion
blaster against an android).
When a character reaches 0 HP, they are uncon-
scious. Medical technology in science fiction set-
tings is such that the character is not considered
completely dead until they have reached their
Constitution value below 0.
Area Effect and Auto fire
Weapons capable of an area effect or firing sus-
tained bursts against more than one target have
their damage listed as number of targets x dam-
age die. Make a separate attack roll at Disadvan-
tage for each target up to the listed number of
targets, then roll a single damage die separately
for each one hit. Each new target, even if it’s a
friendly, must be adjacent to the last target se-
lected.
When using continuous auto-fire, drop weapon
quality by 1 point for each round you hold the trig-
ger down after the first.
Example: Manny Lonestar opens up with his En-
ergy Rifle on a melee which includes Duke
Starkiller, hoping to help him out. He aims at the
two troopers on either side of Duke but must also
include Duke himself as a third target because
he’s in the middle of the troopers. Duke rolls 2d20
to hit for each target separately, choosing the low-
est die in each case. Luckily, he hits both troopers
but somehow misses Duke, then rolls d10 damage
for each trooper, dropping them both instantly.
Duke gives Manny one of those “WTF dude!”
looks.
Stunts
Stunts are combat maneuvers such as stunning,
shoving, disarming, tripping, breaking armour, and
so on. They are resolved with an opposed save.
They should not cause damage directly (they’re
meant to be impressive, not necessarily deadly),
but may do so indirectly (for example, pushing an
enemy off of a ledge). The Referee is the final ar-
biter as to what stunts can be attempted in a given
situation.
Advantage in Combat
Characters can gain Advantage in combat by at-
tacking a target that is unaware, on lower ground,
off balance, disarmed, distracted, or tactically dis-
advantaged in any significant way. The Referee,
as usual, has the final say.
When a character has Advantage against an op-
ponent on their combat turn, they may either apply
Advantage to their attack roll or stunt against that
opponent, or make an attack and a stunt attempt
in the same round against that opponent, both
without Advantage.
Critical Hits and Quality
During an attack roll, if the attacker rolls a natural
20 (or the defender rolls a natural 1) - a Critical
Hit is scored; the defender’s armour loses 1 point
of quality and they take an additional weapon die
of damage. If the attacker rolls a natural 1 (or the
defender rolls a natural 20) a Critical Miss is
scored; the attacker’s weapon loses 1 point of
quality. At 0 quality, an item is destroyed. Each
point of quality costs 10% of the item’s cost to re-
pair.
Morale
Creatures and NPCs all have a morale rating, usu-
ally between 5 and 9. When they face more dan-
ger than they were expecting, the Referee will
make a morale roll by rolling 2d6 and comparing
the result to the NPC’s morale rating. If the roll is
higher than the rating, the NPC will attempt to flee,
retreat, or parley. Morale rolls can be triggered by
defeating half of an enemy group, defeating a
group’s leader, or reducing a lone enemy to half
HP. Other effects may trigger a morale roll at the
Referee’s discretion.
Hirelings also make morale rolls when they aren’t
paid, their employer dies, or they face extraordi-
nary danger. Morale may also be improved by
paying hirelings more and treating them well.
Healing
After a meal and at least 8 hours rest, PCs regain
lost Hit Points equal to a d8 plus their Constitution
bonus. Resting at a safe haven for at least 48
hours restores all lost HP.
First Aid or other medical attention can also help,
especially if the right equipment is available, and
will likely restore even more Hit Points. A medical
kit or device can only be used once on each PC
before rest and recuperation is required.
ENEMIES
All monsters from OSR bestiaries should work as
Alien Creatures in Spacer with no major conver-
sion needed. Here are some guidelines.
Hit Dice/Hit Points: All monster hit dice can be
assumed to be d8s unless otherwise specified. To
get the monster’s Hit Points, just multiply the num-
ber of hit dice they have by 4 (or 5 if you’re feeling
mean.)
Armour: Monster AC (if ascending) is identical to
Armour value. If the AC is descending, subtract it
from 19 (if it is from OD&D or B/X D&D) or from 20
(if it is from AD&D) to find its ascending equiva-
lent.
Attack Bonus: Any attack bonus given is un-
changed, and can be added to both melee and
ranged attacks. If an attack bonus is not given, as-
sume that it is the same as the monster’s number
of hit dice.
Damage: Damage remains the same.
Morale: Morale rating remains the same.
Saves: Since OSR monsters usually don’t come
with ability scores, assume that monsters have
ability bonuses equal to their level/Hit Dice, with
the corresponding ability value.
Example: Ogres from OD&D (or Ogrons as they’re
known here) are [Descending] AC 5 and 4+1 HD.
In SPACER they would be 4HD, 16-20HP, Armour
Defence 14, 14/+4 in all Abilities. Since they use
blasters and swords, they will do d8 damage.
There’s no listed Morale, so let’s make it 8 as
they’re pretty tough.
Advancement
Whenever a PC accumulates 1000 XP, they gain a
level. As a guideline, PCs receive 50 XP for low-
risk accomplishments, 100 XP for moderate-risk
accomplishments, and 200 XP for high-risk ac-
complishments.
When a PC gains a level, they roll a number of
d8s equal to their new level to find their new HP
maximum. If the result is less than their previous
maximum, their maximum HP increases by 1.
They also raise the value and bonus scores of 3
different abilities of their choice by 1 point. Abilities
may never be raised higher than 20/+10.
Vehicles and
Starships
Vehicles and Starships are defined by the abilities:
Maneuvering, Tactical, Hull, Armour & Shields,
Quality, and Systems.
Maneuvering
Some vehicles are capable of incredible speed
and maneuvers while others look like a fish, move
like a fish and steer like a cow. In game terms this
is represented by a vehicle’s Maneuvering ability.
Maneuvering limits the pilots Dexterity when they
try to maneuver the ship quickly or are dodging in-
coming weapons fire. A Maneuvering Save uses
either the pilot’s Dexterity or the vehicle’s Maneu-
vering, whichever is the lowest.
Tactical
Firing weapons against incredibly fast moving tar-
gets is not an easy task so most combat vehicles
have a Tactical system to assist gunners and pilots
hit their enemies. In game terms this is repre-
sented by a vehicle’s Tactical ability. This effec-
tively limits the Wisdom used by anyone firing
mounted weapons on said vehicle or starship.
Attacking
Whenever a gunner tries to shoot an enemy vehi-
cle with their own vehicle mounted weapons they
must make a Tactical Save using either their Wis-
dom or the vehicle’s Tactical, whichever is the
lowest, rolled against the target pilot’s Dexterity or
their vehicle’s Maneuvering, whichever is the low-
est.
Alternatively, the defending vehicle’s pilot can
make a Maneuvering Save against the attackers
Tactical or Wisdom using either their Dexterity or
their vehicle’s Maneuvering, whichever is lowest.
Example: Duke Starkiller (Dexterity 16/+6) in his
V-wing fighter (Maneuvering 13/+3, Tactical 14/+4)
is being fired upon by Garth Madeup (Wisdom
17/+7) in his Twin-Turbine Fighter (Maneuvering
13/+3, Tactical 15/+5). When Garth fires, he
makes a Wisdom Save at +5 (his +7 Wisdom
bonus limited by his fighter’s +5 Tactical ability)
against Duke’s fighter’s Maneuvering of 13 (which
is less than Duke’s Dexterity of 16).
Example: Alternatively, when Garth attacks, Duke
could roll a save at +3, using the lower of his +6
Dexterity bonus and the fighter’s Maneuvering
bonus of +3, against Garth’s fighter’s Tactical De-
fence of 15 to dodge the attack.
Weapons
There are so many different types of vehicle and
starship weapons it would be futile to try to cover
them all specifically here. They do, however, fall
into two categories: Direct Fire and Fire-and-For-
get.
Direct Fire weapons include lasers, blasters, par-
ticle beams, cannons, rail-guns, gatling guns,
rockets and anything else where the act of firing
results in a hit in the same round.
Fire-and-forget weapons include torpedoes,
bombs and mass-drivers, the primary characteris-
tic of which is that there is a delay (sometimes sig-
nificant) between firing the weapon and the actual
hit.
Direct weapons fire is handled using the normal
combat procedure: the attacker rolls to hit (or the
defender rolls to defend) and if a hit is scored the
damage is rolled and applied immediately.
Fire-and-forget weapons require the firing charac-
ter to take a Lock Target action (see below) in
one turn, then fire the weapon on a later turn (it
need not be their next turn). The Referee will de-
termine how long the weapon takes to reach it’s
target, then damage is calculated and applied.
The lock must be maintained until the weapon
hits.
Armour and Shields
Both Armour and Shields act as additional Hull
Points which absorb damage before the actual hull
does.
Hits against a vehicle equipped with Armour an-
d/or Shields will reduce the shield rating first, then
the armour, then score against the Hull Points.
Armour can only be restored by repairing it, usu-
ally at a shipyard or vehicle maintenance facility.
Shields restore automatically at the rate of 1 point
of shield at the start of each combat round up to
the maximum shield rating.
Hull
As characters have Hit Points, vehicles and star-
ships possess Hull Points which measure how
much damage they can suffer before falling apart.
As long as a vehicle still has Hull Points they con-
tinue to work just fine unless they take a Critical
Hit.
Quality
A vehicle has an overall Quality rating which de-
fines how well it’s holding together and the effec-
tiveness of it’s systems. This can drop as a result
of poor maintenance, intentional abuse or damage
taken in the form of Critical Hits.
The Referee will let you know when your vehicle
loses Quality from wear and tear, normally after a
period of use (such as every month) or because of
physical abuse. To carry out corrective mainte-
nance, make an Intelligence Save to restore one
point of Quality. Time taken and cost are up to the
Referee, but it’s usually cheaper than repairs done
later.
As a vehicle’s Quality drops, so does the effective-
ness of it’s systems. For every point of Quality lost
the vehicle’s Maneuver and Tactical ratings drop
by 1/-1 and any saves carried out using on-board
systems such as scanners or the medical equip-
ment in the sickbay are made at a -1 penalty until
the damage can be repaired (or jury-rigged).
Example: Duke Starkiller’s V-wing fighter has
taken two critical hits which have knocked out one
of his laser cannons and the shield generator.
He’s also lost 2 points of Quality from those hits so
his Maneuvering is now 11/+1 and Tactical is
12/+2, and if he tries to contact help on his comms
he makes that Intelligence Save at -2.
Systems
A vehicle may have one or more of the following
systems installed. This is not an exhaustive list, so
if something you want isn’t here just ask the Ref-
eree. While some systems act passively or are al-
ways on, others may require an ability save -
typically Intelligence - to operate.
• Life Support: Seals the vehicle against the out-
side atmosphere (or lack thereof) and provides
breathable air. May also provide a food & water
supply and waste reclamation facilities for an ex-
tended trip.
• Sub-light Drive: Moves the vehicle through
space or an atmosphere at speeds less than
that of light.
• FTL Drive: Allows the vehicle to travel faster-
than-light. This may be a Warp Drive (the vehicle
remains in normal space, just moving very
quickly), a Hyperdrive (the vehicle moves to an
alternate dimension where the journey is
shorter), a Jump Drive (the vehicle disappears in
one place and reappears some time later in an-
other) or any other weird and wonderful way of
travelling interstellar distances.
• Cryogenic/Stasis Chambers: Provides enough
chambers for all the crew and passengers to ef-
fectively sleep for the duration of a long journey
without any aging effects or food & water re-
quirements.
• ECM Array: Electronic Counter-measures de-
vices used to spy on, disrupt or jam enemy com-
munications and scanners.
• Stealth Package: Makes the vehicle harder to
locate or determine details by enemy scanners.
All scan or lock-on attempts against it are made
at Disadvantage.
• Main Reactor: The main power source of the
vehicle. Although referred to here as a “reactor”
this may be anything from a steam engine to an
antimatter reaction chamber. Some vehicles
may also have a secondary power source, usu-
ally less powerful than the main reactor, which
can be used to supply power if the main reactor
is inoperative.
• Emergency Power: A system of small backup
power sources, distributed throughout the vehi-
cle or ship, which provides minimal power when
all other sources are unavailable. For most vehi-
cles, this would mean minimal life-support and
lighting only.
• Self-Destruct: Arranges for the complete, usu-
ally explosive, destruction of the vehicle after a
suitable escape delay.
• Flight Deck or Shuttle Bay: An area of the ve-
hicle where other, smaller, vehicles such as
fighters or shuttle craft can be launched and re-
covered.
• Sickbay: A medical facility equipped for some
form of First Aid or medical procedures. A larger,
better equipped, sickbay may include surgical,
recovery and intensive care facilities. One hour
in a sick bay allows a character to recover 1d8 +
their Constitution bonus Hit Points. In 24 hours
they can recover back to their maximum Hit
Points.
• Laboratory or Science Facility: Facilities for
carrying out some form of scientific investigation
or study. May be a laboratory capable of a vari-
ety of basic scientific functions or several spe-
cific facilities each focused on one particular
science, such as an Astrometrics Lab.
• Cargo Bay: An area of the vehicle set aside for
cargo or other storage. May include equipment
 for moving cargo such as cranes, fork-lifts,
loader exoskeletons or anti-grav handlers.
• Point Defence: Short-range cannons with a
high rate-of-fire which are used to shoot down
incoming targets such as torpedoes and fighters.
Before a fire-and-forget weapon hits, make a
Tactical vs Tactical Save between the attacking
ship and the target ship. If the target ship wins,
the incoming weapon is destroyed, if not then
that weapon hits it’s target. PDC’s attack incom-
ing fighters with a Tactical vs Maneuvering Save.
• Torpedoes: Fire & forget weapons. Once a tor-
pedo is locked on to a target the firing ship can
move on and attack other targets while the tor-
pedo tracks until it detonates.
• Interior Scanners: Cameras and/or sensors in-
side the vehicle which can be used to track pas-
sengers & crew or other creatures on board.
• Combat Drones: A number of small vehicles
which are deployed en-masse for reconnais-
sance or combat purposes. The idea of combat
drones is to carry the fight away from the main
ship and overwhelm the enemy with a large
number of attackers. Each drone launched be-
comes an independent weapon under the con-
trol of one or more gunners. Each gunner can
control a number of drones equal to their Wis-
dom bonus. Roll attack and damage for each
drone as if they are an independent vehicle..
• Teleporter: A faster (and some would say safer)
way of moving personnel or cargo across space.
Step into the teleporter, make an Intelligence
Save to lock on to a target location and one turn
later you’re somewhere else.
• Escape Pod: A small, low-powered lifeboat ca-
pable of automated sub-light travel to the near-
est habitable world.
Critical Hits
During an attack roll, if the attacker rolls a natural
20 (or the defender rolls a natural 1) the attacker
rolls 1d6 on the table below and the target vehicle
Quality drops by 1. Vehicles reduced to zero Qual-
ity are barely limping along and will be immedi-
ately destroyed if they take additional damage that
drops their Hull Points to zero.
If a vehicle or ship suffers any damage after
reaching zero Hull Points it is considered to have
suffered another automatic Critical Hit, rolling on
the table below and losing another point of Quality.
1D6 Critical Effect
A secondary system: comms, life-support, scanners, shields
1 or an area such as the sickbay or cargo bay is hit and out of
action until repaired. Determine randomly.
2
A weapon has been hit, determine which randomly. That
weapon is unable to fire until repaired.
Fire breaks out on-board, determine where randomly. Anyone
3 in that area or fighting the fire without protection takes d6
damage every round until the fire is out.
The engines take a hit. The vehicle cannot maneuver and, if
4 flying in a gravitational field, will fall from the sky unless re-
paired.
The hull is breached, determine where randomly. Anyone in
5 the affected area will suffer the effects of the atmosphere (if
toxic) or vacuum (if in space) until the breach is sealed.
The vehicle’s controls explode in a shower of sparks & debris.
6 d6 damage to any crew member using them, Dexterity Save
to avoid.
Destruction and Repairs
A vehicle reduced to zero Hull Points or zero Qual-
ity is out of action but salvageable - with a lot of
work. A vehicle with zero Hull Points and zero
Quality is scrap, or an expanding cloud of debris.
Permanently restoring one damaged system or
one point of Armour, Hull or Quality requires some
time and an Intelligence Save. The right specialist
tools, working in a shipyard or dry-dock or opting
to take extra time over repairs allows the save to
be made with Advantage, while trying to rush
things would mean making the save with Disad-
vantage.
How long it takes and how much it costs is up to
the Referee, but typically each repair roll will take
2d6+6 hours and cost 1d6% of the vehicle’s origi-
nal cost. The Referee should also determine if all
the necessary parts are available and, if not, how
they can be obtained.
Jury Rigging
In combat or another emergency, it may not be
possible to make repairs that will last, but there
may just be time to jury rig something that works
for as long as is needed.
Make an Intelligence Save with a TN of 15 to re-
store one Hull point, one Quality point or a single
damaged system. The repair lasts for 1d6 rounds,
plus an extra 1d6 rounds if you elect to take the
roll at Disadvantage.
Example: The Century Eagle’s shields have been
knocked out from a direct hit and it’s down to only
5 Hull Points - probably not enough to survive an-
other hit. Duke Starkiller tries to jury-rig the shield
generator by making an Intelligence Save, electing
to make it at Disadvantage for an extra 1d6
rounds. He rolls a 13 (Disadvantage, low roll), +3
for his Intelligence for a total of 16 - success!
Rolling 2d6, the temporary repairs will keep the
shields working for another 7 rounds, after which it
may be time to check whether the escape pod is
still operational.
scale
There are four scales: Character, Vehicle, Starship
and Mega. Character is the scale of Player Char-
acters (duh), NPCs and most creatures and aliens
as well as most vehicles carrying about 4 to 6 peo-
ple. Vehicle is the scale of most planet bound ve-
hicles like tanks, helicopters, planes and (wet)
ships. Starship scale includes starships of almost
any size from starfighters to capital ships. Mega
scale includes anything bigger than most capital
ships, including space stations and small plane-
toid-sized battle stations.
Use the following table to determine attack and
damage modifiers.
Scale Difference Attack at... With the effect...
Three Lower Disadvantage, complete destruction
Two Lower Disadvantage, 10 times damage
One Lower Disadvantage, double damage
Same Normal roll, normal damage
One Higher Advantage, half damage
Two Higher Advantage, 1/10th damage, round down
Three Higher Advantage, no damage but they do notice you
Either way, a Critical Hit counts as a Critical Hit -
after all, it’s always possible to hit that two meter
wide exhaust port.
Example: Firing a blaster rifle (d10 character dam-
age) at a tank would attack with Advantage but
only does d10/2 (0-5) damage, against which the
tank still gets its Armour and Shields. A starship
railgun firing at a tank would attack at Disadvan-
tage but do 2-24 damage (d12 for the railgun, dou-
bled). Yes, it’s nasty - don’t get hit.
Crew Actions
Pilots maneuver their vehicles in hopes of avoid-
ing enemy fire or to position the ship for the per-
fect shot. Technicians have their hands full jury
rigging repairs, trying to keep systems running or
boosting the engines for a desperate escape.
Gunners, besides trying to blast the enemy to bits
and pieces, may need to lock onto a target before
trying to shoot them with a valuable but devastat-
ing torpedo, or try to restart the Tactical systems if
they go offline. Communication officers may need
to contact help, or try to jam the comm systems or
scanners of rival ships.
The following are just some of the actions a vehi-
cle’s crew can take, the Referee may allow others.
AttackS
Make an opposed save, Tactical vs Maneuver-
ing, to engage an enemy ship with one or more
weapons.
Boost Shields
Temporarily increase a vehicles shields by redi-
recting power from other systems. The character
makes an Intelligence Save with a TN of 15 plus
the amount they want to improve the Shield score
by (up to the maximum of it’s normal Shield score,
effectively doubling it). This lasts for 1d6 rounds.
One other shipboard system becomes inoperative
or unusable for the same period of time. On a criti-
cal failure, immediately reduce the Quality of the
vehicle by one point.
Example: Manny Lonestar tries to boost the
shields of the Century Eagle. He elects to increase
the normal rating of 3 by an additional 3 points
(the maximum), so must make an Intelligence
Save against a TN of 18 (15+3). Stunningly, he
makes it, and the improvement lasts for 3 rounds -
but the lights in the sickbay go out.
Boost Engines
Redirect the vehicle’s energy reserves to boost its
engines temporarily. To do this the character
makes an Intelligence Save with a TN of 15 plus
the amount they want to increase the vehicle’s
Maneuvering rating by (up to the maximum of it’s
normal score, effectively doubling it). This lasts for
1d6 rounds.
One other shipboard system becomes inoperative
or unusable for the same period of time. On a criti-
cal failure, immediately reduce the Quality of the
vehicle by one point.
Example: Not making any headway against the
imperial fighters gaining on him, Manny decides to
boost the Eagle’s engines. He makes an Intelli-
gence Save against a TN of 18 (15+3) and for the
next d6 rounds the Eagle’s Maneuvering of 13/+3
becomes 16/+6 - but the Life Support failure alarm
goes off.
Boost Weapons
Redirect the vehicle’s energy reserves to tempo-
rarily improve the power of a vehicle’s guns. Make
an Intelligence Save with a TN 15 plus the number
of guns affected. Increase the weapon damage by
1 die of it’s usual type (eg: if the weapon does
1d10 damage, it now does 2d10, if 1d6, it’s now
2d6). This lasts for 1d6 rounds, no longer.
One other shipboard system becomes inoperative
or unusable for the same period of time. On a criti-
cal failure, immediately reduce the Quality of the
vehicle by one point.
Dodge and Jink
A pilot can perform sudden, chaotic maneuvers in
order to avoid enemy fire. The pilot decides how
many points of additional TN they want to impose
on an enemy attack and must pass a Maneuvering
Save with the same TN penalty.
If the roll is successful enemies attacking them
have the TN of their attacks increased until the
start of the pilot’s next turn. Failure means that not
only are the enemy’s attacks not affected, but at-
tacks made by the pilot’s own ship are increased
by the penalty amount.
Example: Manny Lonestar is trying to evade impe-
rial fighters in the Century Eagle. He elects to
make a Maneuvering save at +3, for a total TN of
18 (15+3). Rolling 1d20 plus the Eagle’s Maneu-
vering of 16/+6 (which is lower than Manny’s Dex-
terity of 17/+7), he gets a total of 17 - failure. Until
Manny’s next turn, Duke Starkiller’s attempts to
shoot at the attacking fighters are made at +3 TN
but the fighters shooting back are unaffected.
Jam CommS or Scanners
A character operating the communication or scan-
ner systems may try to jam an enemy ship’s sys-
tems by making an Intelligence Save with a TN of
15. If successful this action makes the target ship
unable to communicate as long as that character
keeps jamming their channels; any attempts to
use scanners, Lock on Target or attack by that
ship are made at Disadvantage.
Requires the vehicle to be equipped with an ECM
Array.
Lock on Target
Gunners can spend a full round locking their vehi-
cle’s targeting system to a specific target.
When firing Direct Fire weapons, make a Tactical
Save and forgo all other actions that round, then
next turn make an attack against the specified tar-
get with Advantage, or attack with Disadvantage to
score an automatic Critical Hit against a specific
vehicle system (ignoring armour and shields).
When firing Fire-and-Forget weapons, make a
Tactical Save and forgo all other actions that
round. If a lock-on is achieved, the weapon may
be fired as an action in a later round, provided the
lock is maintained.
If the target’s pilot takes a successful Dodge ac-
tion or otherwise increases their Maneuvering
value before the attack can hit, they break the tar-
get lock. Gunners must re-roll the lock-on save im-
mediately, using the new Maneuvering value as
the TN or lose the target lock.
As long as the weapon has a target lock at the
point it reaches the target (even if it has lost and
re-acquired that lock in between), it will hit. The
referee will rule when a weapon has exceeded its
maximum flight time.
Example: Duke Starkiller makes his Intelligence
Save and manages to lock the Century Eagle’s
proton torpedoes onto Garth Madeup’s fighter. Be-
fore he can fire in the next round, Garth dodges
and manages to increase his ship’s Maneuver rat-
ing from 13/+3 to 15/+5. Duke must re-roll his
lock-on immediately, but scores only 14. Garth has
broken the lock and Duke must try again as a new
action before he can fire the torpedoes.
Plot a Course
The Pilot or Navigator makes an Intelligence Save
to calculate an FTL course and lock it into the
helm navigation computer. At any point after that,
the ship can activate it’s FTL drive. The roll may
be made at Advantage if extra time is taken, at
Disadvantage if it’s rushed.
The Referee can rule that this only takes one turn,
or may decide on longer, but typically 1d4 or 1d6
turns are appropriate. The Pilot or Navigator can
take no other actions while plotting a course. If
they do, they must start over.
Ram
In a desperate move, a pilot can attempt to take
out another vehicle by ramming it without suffering
too much damage themselves.
Make a Maneuvering Save against the target’s
Maneuvering to hit, inflicting half the ramming ve-
hicle’s normal maximum Hull Points in damage on
both vehicles. Armour and shields will reduce this
damage for both vehicles.
Sample Ships
Armed Freighter
Scale: Starship, Maneuvering: 11/+1, Tactical:
11/+1, Armour/Shields: 10/3, Hull: 20, Quality: 8,
Systems: Main Reactor, Sub-light Drive, FTL
Drive, Life Support, Cargo Bay, Sickbay,
Weapons: 2 turret-mounted Laser Cannons (1d10
dmg each)
V Wing Fighter
Scale: Starship, Maneuvering: 13/+3, Tactical:
14/+4, Armour/Shields: 12/4, Hull: 10, Quality: 6,
Systems: Main Reactor, Sub-light Drive, Life Sup-
port, Weapons: 2 forward-mounted Laser Can-
nons (1d10 dmg each)
Star Cruiser C57D
Scale: Starship, Maneuvering: 12/+2, Tactical:
14/+4, Armour/Shields: 20/8, Hull: 30, Quality: 8,
Systems: Main Reactor, Emergency Power, Sub-
light Drive, FTL Drive, Life Support, Sickbay,
Cargo Bay, Weapons: 4 turret-mounted Blaster
Cannons (d10 dmg each)
Imperial Planet Killer
Scale: Mega, Maneuvering: 10/+0, Tactical: 16/+6,
Armour/Shields: 60/20, Hull: 200, Quality: 10, Sys-
tems: Main Reactor, Secondary Reactor (x2), Sub-
light Drive, FTL Drive, Life Support, Cargo Bay,
Sickbay, Flight Deck (x2), Shuttle Bay, ECM Array,
Point Defence, Interior Scanners, Weapons: 14
turret-mounted Laser Cannons (1d10 dmg each),
8 turret-mounted Particle Beams (2d10 dmg
each), 2 spinal-mount Mass Drivers (4d10 dmg
each), 6 Torpedo launchers (2d10 dmg each)