Clon01 GM ToolsTerminal State

This world is an error

What is a role-playing game?

Role-playing is a unique form of gaming that combines tabletop gaming with storytelling. RPGs give you a set of rules that let you and your friends create your own story. The freedom to create your story can be overwhelming, but this book contains the tools you’ll need to make this corrupt and dangerous world feel real — including plenty of exciting events, places, and people to populate it with.

In this TTRPG, you and your friends take on the role of the protagonists, traversing the mean streets, dangerous back alleys, corrupt boardrooms, and barren wastelands of a near-future corporate dystopian world. You’ll unravel corporate machinations, expose hidden truths, and fight to survive in an unjust world — and who knows, maybe you’ll be the ones who change the fate of humanity. Or maybe you’ll just earn some credit and blow shit up.

The game is a conversation between the PCs and the Referee, back and forth, until a situation arises where the outcome is uncertain. Then it’s time to break out the dice.

System features

Terminal State is based on the Year Zero Engine (YZE), originally developed by Free League Publishing for Mutant: Year Zero, then adapted across many games. Six core features stay the same in all iterations.

Tools of the game

Terminal State gives you plenty of room for improvisation and creativity. It also provides tools to help you create your own story. Some tools you as a player must bring to the table.

Core mechanic

The PCs and the Referee create a story together. A dice roll represents a dramatic peak in that story. First decide what you are trying to achieve, so everyone knows what is at stake. Then roll.

Full skill rolls, mishaps, opposed rolls, and the accuracy die live in Ch.11. Not harvested yet.

Playing safely

In YZE games you are largely in control of the story, and with this comes responsibility. The player characters will face great danger and difficult challenges, but no player should find the situations they experience uncomfortable or offensive. Everyone around the table should be having fun and feeling safe.

Before starting, talk things through and see if someone wants certain subjects kept out of the game. Always respect a player who wants to pause and discuss what is happening, or even leave the table. You may also want to talk about what happened after the session.

• Exit the Scene — the player simply says “I exit the scene” and the story continues without their character.
• The X-card.
• Script Change.

What do you do?

There is no one to hold your hand and show you where to go. You and the other players decide together. The Referee will let you make disturbing discoveries and face tough challenges, but in the end the stories are created by you.

Common terms & slang

Even a scriptkiddie cog living in a climate-adjusted dwell in a hyper-corp arcoplex needs the language of the sprawl. Get yourself a rated-R datalink and some quality apps, and hack through the system security protocols into the Deep Web. That’s where the truth is hidden — if you think you can handle it. Just hope you don’t glitch out and get caught by a Dead C sysop, or you could end up exiled to some squat in the Doldrumz.

The world of 2089

The hyper-corporations have become the most powerful entities on Earth, controlling every aspect of society. They have created a technological utopia for the elite, while the masses struggle to survive in the shadows of towering skyscrapers and neon-lit skyways. Humanity has become a commodity, and freedom is nothing but a memory.

In the aftermath of Karl Kansas Jr.’s tenure as Director General (DirGen) of the Hub, the citizenry has begun calling the position the Dirge. Karla Kansas-Dupré has thus far proven worthy of this more informal and derogatory title.

A brief timeline

The year is 2089. A brief timeline of how it got this way.

Player characters

Your player character (PC) is your most important asset in this world. They’re your avatar, your eyes and ears. But they, in return, depend on you making the right decisions for them. So don’t screw it up.

Take your PC seriously and play them as if they were a real person. It’s more fun that way. At the same time, don’t try to protect your PC from every conceivable danger. The goal of the game is to create a good story. For that to happen you need to take risks.

During the course of the game, your PC will change and develop. Their attributes, skills and talents can be developed through training and experience. But you can also discover how their personality changes and is formed in a way that can’t be measured by numbers on a page. This is when your player character truly comes alive.

Creating your PC is preferably done together with the other players. Your PC is generally part of a crew and has a role to play in it. Your task is to create a team where all the PCs contribute something unique.

13 steps of character creation

Steps 6–13 (concept through contacts) are on this page. Dice, combat, injuries, and running the game are Chapters 11–14. Setting (Ch.10) is not harvested yet.

1. Roll or choose your humanity type.
2. Roll your social status. (Must be rolled!)
3. Roll or choose your origin.
4. Roll or choose your crew theme (optional).
5. Roll or choose your name, age, and appearance.
6. Roll or choose your concept and profession.
7. Choose your Pride, Problem, and Purpose.
8. Define your relationships to the other PCs.
9. Determine your attributes, Rep, Cred, and Style.
10. Determine your skills and talents.
11. Choose your augment(s).
12. Pick your gear and apps.
13. Pick your contact(s).

Character sheet overview

Table 1.0.2 — fields on the printed sheet and where the book explains them. Later chapters still fill the mechanical columns.

Humanity type

Humanity has changed almost as much as the geo-political face of the planet. Vat-grown clones walk the streets next to sapient AI transferred into robotic bodies. An elite few use biomorphic technology to be “reborn” as a younger version of themselves. Whether human or clone, AI or elite, all of humanity has been nano-genetically altered to access the Mesh with a thought — making everyone and everything connected, and at the same time making everything and everyone hackable.

You can be a Human, Neo, Ringer, or Fabricant. Roll (D8) or choose from Table 1.1.1.

• As a Fabricant PC you may only push skills you possess at level D8 or above.
• A Ringer’s caste skill bonus does allow them to start with their required skill at level D12.
• Conversions performed during gameplay may cause permanent stress (Ch.7, Table 7.6.3).

Neo conversion options

Table 1.1.2 — Neo conversion options. As Lazari become more available the cost drops, but it remains out of reach for most. Roll D6 or choose.

Ringer bonuses by caste

Table 1.1.3 — Ringer bonuses by caste. About 500 million Ringers are on the surface; two-thirds are Labor or Security. Roll D10 or choose.

Social status

Are you from a corporate family in an environmentally controlled skycicle? Did you grow up among exiles in the Doldrumz? Or are you just an average citizen living paycheck to paycheck?

Your PC’s social status cannot be chosen. You MUST roll on Table 1.2.1, modified by the Status Change from your humanity type (Table 1.2.1b). After rolling you may choose to “downgrade” one level (for example, from Corp to Citizen).

Origin

Governments, for the most part, have been replaced by a corporate oligarchy. The nations of the world have been divided between the hyper-corporations, with population centers focused around the terminals that lead to the three NOR and the corporate arcoplexes that have replaced or absorbed most of the major cities.

Table 1.3.1 — Terminals & arcoplexes. Roll D66 or choose. Note the corporate authority listed for your place of origin (select one if several). This can affect starting contacts. Chapter 10 has the setting writeups.

The Hub is the name for both the terminal and the arcoplex in the center of the nation once known as the United States. It is the default setting in this book. Most PCs reside there now even if it is not their place of origin.

Crew (optional)

It is assumed your PCs are a Crew — a rockstar and entourage, an RPR unit on the NOR, corporate headhunters, a repo-squad, whatever fits. Each player fulfills a specific purpose. Optional: as a group, roll D12 or choose from Table 1.4.1, or work a theme with the Referee.

Name, age & appearance

Once you know origin, social status, and humanity type, pick a name (nickname, handle, or pseudonym), your age, and how you look. Fabricants roll on Table 1.5.4. Ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation can be whatever you choose — they do not affect the game mechanically, but they help bring the PC to life.

Table 1.5.1 — Name / handle. Roll 2D10, choose, or make up your own. Use your humanity-type column; General is extra given or surnames you can mix in.

Table 1.5.2 — Starting age by humanity type. Roll the dice indicated and add it to the base age.

As a Neo, if you roll 65 on your d100, that makes you 17+65 = 82, and you appear 17+11 (6+5) = 28. On a roll of 00 (100) you would be 117 and appear 17 — one of the first Neo, and this Lazarus is brand new, not your first.

Table 1.5.3 — Appearance & affectations. Roll a D10 four times (once per column), choose, or make up your own. All hairstyles except bald are available with a nano-adaptive color option.

Table 1.5.4 — Fabricant appearance. Roll D12, choose, or make up your own.

Steps 1–5 at the table

The book walks steps 1–5 as a conversation. Three players: a Neo who rolls Citizen (D10 6 +2), a Fabricant who picks the type and rolls Exile, and a Human who rolls Elite (10+1). Origins: Karakoram Orbital Tract (the Zoo), the Doldrumz, and Greater London Megatropolis (Big-L). They settle on a Corporate Extraction Team (↑1 STEALTH and Silenced on all weapons) — “extraction with a side of secrets.” Names: Eve Bloom (Neo, 76 looking 31), Jax (Fab, ~12 years since awakening, factory chassis), Garrison Morton (Human Elite, 40, corporate look). That’s the foundation: who you are, where you’re from, why you stick together, and what people see when you walk into a room.

Concepts & professions

When your background has been decided upon, it’s time to figure out what you’ve done with your life up to this point. Your concept and profession affect which skills and talents you receive at the start of the game, your gear, your relationships, and your Pride, Problem, and Purpose. Roll 2D10 or choose from Table 2.0.1.

You & your crew

The Hub sprawls under a canopy of towering skyscrapers. Gleaming facades barely mask the chaos below. Violence is an ever-present backdrop, and no faction reigns supreme for long. Survival demands alliances and a willingness to embrace the chaos.

You and your crew are troubleshooters for hire. One day you take down a rival gang; the next you infiltrate a datastore or neutralize a high-value target. Clients are typically the city’s elite — wealthy individuals or hyper-corps desperate enough to pay top Cred. Trust is rare. Every deal is laced with betrayal.

Days are spent gathering intel, planning operations, and striking with precision. Information is your lifeblood. Gear and weapons are never far from reach; in the Hub, being unprepared is a death sentence. Danger comes from gangers, corpsec, and clients with hidden agendas. Surviving takes firepower, wit, adaptability, and the unshakable trust of your crew.

Every mission is a test of skill and nerve. The Cred you earn isn’t just currency — it’s a badge of survival and a ticket to something greater. The Hub is not for the faint of heart. For those bold enough to take the plunge, it offers a chance to thrive in a city that eats the unprepared alive.

Pride, Problem, Purpose

Active

2D10 2–4 · Key attribute FLEX · Rep ±0 · Concept talent Bullseye

Anybody can get their hands on a gun these days. Anybody can pull a trigger. But hitting the target and stopping them dead in their tracks — that’s an entirely different matter. Whether you were trained or just came by it naturally, you have the gift (or curse, depending which end of the barrel you stand on).

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Light Weapon (×2) or Standard Armor
2. D6 Grenades (single type of choice) or Credchip (↑2 Cred, 1 use)
3. Heavy Armor or Sniper Rifle
4. Standard or Heavy Weapon or NanoDoc Bronze
5. Orbital Travel Case or Wasteland Survival Kit
6. All Basic apps + one Decoder app of your choice

Errant

2D10 5–6 · Key attribute BODY · Rep −1 · Concept talent Stalwart

Whether you turned your back on society, or it turned its back on you, doesn’t matter anymore. What is important is survival. Life off the grid is difficult enough, but having to do it alone is nearly impossible. But you don’t have to go it alone — or do you?

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Standard Weapon or Taser Baton
2. Partial Armor & Makeshift Shield or D6 FACE Identichips
3. Compact or Midsize Vehicle or Standard Armor
4. Satcomm Device or Environment Scanner
5. G.O.O.D.ie™ Bug Out Bag or Wasteland Survival Kit
6. All Basic apps + one Hijacker app of your choice

Factor

2D10 7–8 · Key attribute COOL · Rep +2 · Concept talent Network

From back alley deals to boardroom takeovers, you can talk your way into or out of any situation. Sure, palms were greased and blood was spilled. But it wasn’t your blood, and as the saying goes, the ends justify the means. When the dust settles and the smoke clears, you always want to come out on top.

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Light or Standard Weapon or Satcomm Device
2. Heavy Armor or NanoDoc Silver
3. Drug of Choice (D6 doses) or Credchip (↑2 Cred, 1 use)
4. Designer Clothing or Well-known at a club, bar, et al of your choice (please specify)*
5. Corporate Swag Bag or G.O.O.D.ie™ Bug Out Bag
6. All Basic apps + one Decoder app of your choice

V.I.P. customers only: when located at your chosen establishment you receive a +1 Rep bonus to relevant rolls.

Ghost

2D10 9–10 · Key attribute FLEX · Rep −1 · Concept talent Subterfuge

Always present in the shadows, lurking unseen. Patiently awaiting the perfect opportunity to strike. For some, you are the specter of death. For others, a silent protector. Or perhaps just a thief in the night. None know your true nature, your true identity, because your true purpose is always hidden.

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Light or Standard Weapon or Satcomm Device
2. Compact or Midsize Vehicle or NanoDoc Silver
3. Modulation Mask or Mechanical Lockpick
4. Drug of choice (D6 doses) or D6 FACE Identichips
5. G.O.O.D.ie™ Bug Out Bag or Urban Essentials Pack
6. All Basic apps + one Hijacker app of your choice

Hacker

2D10 11–12 · Key attribute TECH · Rep ±0 · Concept talent Interface

Everything is connected. Anyone can access the Mesh, but only a few are true masters at navigating this information superhighway. Gliding in and out of systems with speed and precision. Opening the digital locks that protect sensitive data. Overriding machines — or even your fellow man — with a thought.

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Military DataLink Upgrade or NanoDoc Silver
2. Taser Baton or Disposable Pistol
3. Personal or Compact Vehicle or Consumer Spec Drone
4. All-Nighter Prep Kit or G.O.O.D.ie™ Bug Out Bag
5. One BPL 2 or 3 app of your Profession Type
6. All Basic apps + all BPL 1 apps for your Profession + one app of your choice from any Profession Type

Idol

2D10 13–14 · Key attribute COOL · Rep +2 · Concept talent Fame

Adored by millions. Envied by even more. You have something others only dream of. Call it charm, charisma, or luck (if you’re the jealous type) — whatever it is, you have it in spades. Now you have turned that “certain something” into a brand, and business is booming. Your star is on the rise.

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Light Weapon or Heavy Armor
2. Camera Drone or Musical Instrument
3. Designer Clothing or NanoDoc Gold
4. Drug of choice (D6 doses) or Permanent reservations at a club, restaurant, spa, et al of your choice (please specify)*
5. Orbital Travel Case or Urban Essentials Pack
6. All Basic apps + one Puppeteer app of your choice

Reservations please: when located at your chosen establishment you receive a +1 Rep bonus to relevant rolls.

Patch

2D10 15–16 · Key attribute TECH · Rep +1 · Concept talent Diagnose

A busted micro-camera in a cybereye. A dead Jumbotron on an advertising drone. Or a fan-favorite Combathlete’s fractured collar bone. If it needs to be mended, enhanced, installed, or invented you are the one to talk to. But do you have the passion and talent necessary to move the human race into the future?

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Light Weapon or Standard Weapon with Syringe Rounds
2. Standard Armor or NanoDoc Bronze
3. Repair Kit or Medkit or Maintenance or Medical Drone
4. Assorted Drugs & Antitoxins (2D6 doses) or Chem Extinguisher
5. All-Nighter Prep Kit or Corporate Swag Bag
6. All Basic apps + one Hijacker app of your choice

Savant

2D10 17 · Key attribute TECH · Rep ±0 · Concept talent Focus

You possess an extraordinary gift, a rare aptitude for a specific ability. Driven to perfect your craft, you’ve journeyed across the globe. Learned from the finest mentors. Refined your skill through relentless dedication to become the best there is at what you do — the world’s greatest.

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Standard Weapon or NanoDoc Silver
2. Light Weapon or Light Armor
3. Repair Kit or Proximity Sensor
4. Personal Vehicle or Skillchips (D6/2, minimum 1)
5. G.O.O.D.ie™ Bug Out Bag or Urban Essentials Pack
6. All Basic apps + one Decoder app of your choice

Tank

2D10 18–20 · Key attribute BODY · Rep +1 · Concept talent Tactics

In a world where you can purchase a disposable pistol out of a vending machine, you prefer the feel of a blade in your hands. Or just your bare hands. Whether you view martial combat as a lost art form or simply a way to earn some quick Cred, for you it is an activity best performed up close and personal.

Starting gear & apps

Pick one from each row.

1. Standard Weapon or D6 doses of X-zoom (combat drug)
2. Standard Armor or NanoDoc Silver
3. Melee Weapon or Personal Vehicle
4. Holovid Unit or Camera Drone
5. Corporate Swag Bag or Urban Essentials Pack
6. All Basic apps + one Puppeteer app of your choice

Attribute scores

Your four attributes determine your basic capabilities — the natural characteristics you were born with. Attributes range from D12 (Extraordinary) to D6 (Feeble). D12 is top human capacity, D10 is above average, D8 is your average Joe, and D6 is a weakened or diminished ability.

When you create your PC, you start with a baseline of D8 in all four attributes. You may then make two increases of one die type — each of these increases is called a Step. You can step up any attributes you want and may step up the same attribute twice. However, only your concept’s key attribute can have a score of D12. For all other attributes, your maximum score is D10. You can gain one additional increase by decreasing one attribute from D8 to D6.

The book’s steps 6–9 example assigns attributes after concept. Eve (Neo Idol Facade): key COOL; two steps plus a D6 BODY dump put COOL at D12, FLEX D10, TECH D8, BODY D6; Rep 8, Cred 8, Style 0. Jax (Fabricant Exile Hijacker): key TECH; two steps plus the Fabricant extra put TECH at D12, BODY D10, FLEX D8, COOL D8; Rep 3 − 1 = 2, Cred 2, Style 0 (Mandatory Upgrade would add +1 Style later). Garrison (Human Elite Sniper): key FLEX to D12, BODY dumped to D6, extra step into COOL D10, TECH D8; Rep 7, Cred 7, Style 0. Only the key attribute can start at D12.

Derived stats

Your attributes determine how much damage and stress you can take, how well you defend against being hacked, how many augments you can withstand before it affects Resolve, and how much gear you can carry. “Max” in these formulas is the number on Table 3.0.1 (D12 = 12, D8 = 8, …). Divide and round down.

Reputation

Your Reputation (Rep) is determined by your social status and then adjusted by concept and humanity type. Example: an Exile Errant Human is 3 − 1 + 0 = 2; a Corp Factor Neo is 6 + 2 + 1 = 9. Rep can change over the course of the game (Ch.14).

Rep = Base (social status) ± concept change ± humanity type change

Your Rep changes by the actions you take. The Referee decides at the end of each session, when Advancement Points are handed out. Each time Rep changes it can increase your Renown. Each Renown increase earns a bonus to your contacts. A Rep decrease has no immediate effect on contacts, but a lower Rep can affect PERSUADE on contacts.

DMZ Rep

Since Rep is based on social status, for most characters it is essentially reversed in the Doldrumz. This does not affect your contacts, but does affect rating, Renown, and social conflict adjustment. Idols are the exception — their Rep remains unchanged.

Rating, Renown & effects

In certain social situations (PERSUADE, or STREET to taunt) your Rep can affect your roll. Rep also sets your rating, Renown, and contact bonus.

Credit

You have credit, simply called Cred, equal to your Rep rating. Cred represents purchasing power in the abstract so you don’t track currency. In the Chapter 1–3 example, starting Cred is the same number as starting Rep. To purchase an item, its cost must be less than or equal to your Cred. The Referee may allow you to bundle items (especially if bought together), but the total should not exceed your Cred unless you extend credit.

Every time you purchase new augments, apps, weapons, and gear during the game, roll a credit check: two dice equal to your Cred. For each die that shows a success (6+), you must step down your Cred ↓1 Step. The purchase is still successful — only your Cred is lowered. When your Cred die is lowered to zero, you are out of Cred and can’t purchase any more items for the rest of the scenario. Cred resets to starting level at the beginning of each scenario. You get a maximum number of credit checks per session (including Downtime) equal to your Rep divided by 2, up to a maximum of 6.

You can attempt a credit check at scores greater than your current Cred by calling in a favor or incurring a debt. Each level of debt incurred or favor called in steps up your Cred ↑1 Step. Example: to temporarily increase Cred from D6 to D12 requires a level 3 debt or a level 3 favor you are owed.

Trust fund babies: PCs with social status Elite receive a ↑1 Step to their Lifestyle.

At the beginning of each scenario, roll a credit check as normal. This represents maintaining your current lifestyle. Any successes rolled lower your Cred for the entire scenario. If your Rep increases at the end of a scenario, you can remain at the same lifestyle and skip the Cost of Living check next scenario, or increase some factor of your lifestyle to match your new Rep.

Calling in a favor or incurring a debt is relatively easy (Ch.9), but it comes at a cost. Sooner or later that debt will need to be paid. Many debts are owed to shadow brokers or loan sharks who actually represent a more powerful individual or organization.

Lifestyle, dress & accommodations

Your Rep determines the lifestyle your character lives. Select a base lifestyle level, dress code, and accommodation. The total cannot exceed your Rep. Example: Rep 8 can be Moderate + Designer + Corporate dwell (2+2+4), or Wealthy + Designer + Homestead (4+2+2), or Wealthy + Off-the-rack + Sector dwell (4+1+3).

These days most products and services are subscription-based — weekly water, ammo for that pistol, monthly parking whether you own a vehicle or not. Subscriptions are included as part of your PC’s lifestyle. Newly acquired gear can adjust this fee on your next Cost of Living credit check: add the cost of the highest-tier piece of gear acquired (and still owned) during the scenario to your lifestyle total. That new lifestyle could mean you are living Above Your Pay Grade.

Subscription renewals include a delivery fee where applicable. Delivery time depends on the PC’s location and the Surveillance or Survival level of that zone (Ch.14).

Style

To push yourself to the brink of your abilities is risky, but as long as you look good while doing it nothing else matters — it’s all about Style.

Most PCs start the game with a Style of 0. All PCs have a maximum Style of 10. Style resets to your starting level at the beginning of each session, adjusted for dress code / Fabricant chassis. Punks start each session with +1 Style. Hackers with the Mandatory Upgrade ability start each session with +1 Style.

For every extra success you roll when you push your roll, you can choose to either purchase stunts or Style. You also gain 1 Style every time you push your roll and fail (but cannot exceed the maximum).

Style is required to utilize the most powerful ability of your concept talent. It is also used to Boost nearly any professional or general talent, to change chase maneuvers, and often when hacking.

Another use is Doing It With Style: adding automatic success to almost any roll. One exception is the re-roll when you invoke Pride — you can’t do it with Style and use Pride on the same roll. Doing it with Style is 1:1, up to a maximum of three. Style must be spent before rolling (except when hacking) and you can’t push your roll when Doing it With Style.

Living on the Edge: the Referee has their own pool of points called Edge. They earn Edge equal to any Style spent. Edge is Chapter 14.

Starting skills

Your skills are the knowledge and abilities you have acquired during your life. Along with your attributes, they determine how effectively you can perform certain actions. There are thirteen skills. Skill levels are measured from Novice to Veteran.

Player characters start with all thirteen skills at level D6, except the skills associated with their key attribute, which all start at D8. Next raise the required skill (listed in bold under your concept) to level D10. Then give two additional skills a ↑1 Step. Stepping up your profession’s suggested skills is recommended, but you can apply these two increases to nearly any skills you wish. Starting skill levels can’t be raised above D10 (unless you are a Ringer).

By spending more than the minimum time required to perform a skill, you increase your chances of success. Twice as much time: ↑2 to your skill. Four times as much time: ↑3. You can’t get a higher modifier by taking even longer.

During the game you gain Advancement Points (AP), which you can use to increase your skills’ ranks.

For each extra success you roll, choose one of the suggested stunts below. Or suggest a bonus effect yourself. Some skills offer additional stunts.

• Give one success to another PC in the same situation as you.
• Give yourself ↑1 Step on a later skill roll in the same scene.
• Give a ↓1 Step to an enemy’s next roll in the same scene.
• You discover something unexpected.
• You do it quickly, in half the time it would normally take. (This stunt can’t be chosen when Taking Your Time.)
• You do it quietly.
• You impress someone.

You can acquire a Condition by rolling a mishap, or triggering one when pushing your roll. A mishap on BODY or FLEX is a physical Condition; on TECH or COOL it is a mental Condition. Each Condition gives you a ↓1 Step to the associated attribute. When you suffer all four Conditions, you become Broken (Ch.13).

Skill list

Table 4.0.3 — Skill list. DRIVE uses a vehicle or drone’s maneuverability rating as its attribute (unless a talent says otherwise).

BODY skills

FLEX skills

TECH skills

COOL skills

DRIVE

A vehicle or drone’s maneuverability rating is used as the base attribute for all DRIVE skill rolls (unless you have a talent that states otherwise).

You are one with your vehicle. Roll DRIVE when driving a vehicle in combat, attempting a risky maneuver, or piloting drones. Success: you perform the maneuver with the smallest margin possible. Failure: depending on circumstances, the outcome can be anything from embarrassing to fatal. Combat maneuvers are Chapter 12.

Talents

Talents are tricks and abilities that give you a small advantage in the game. They are more specialized than skills and help you fine-tune your character. Certain talents are exclusive to a specific concept, while others are determined by (but not limited to) your PC’s profession. As the game progresses and you gain experience, you can acquire more talents — or advance further in your concept by acquiring more abilities.

There are three kinds of talents: concept talents, professional talents, and general talents.

Most professional and general talents can be Boosted by spending a Style. Boosting allows for a one-time use of a talent you do not possess. Concept abilities cannot be Boosted.

During the game you gain AP, which you can use to learn additional talents and concept abilities.

PCs start with one of the three abilities listed under their concept talent, plus the professional talent of their chosen profession. Neo PCs also start with a bonus general talent. Additional professional talents can be purchased later with AP — branching out this way does not grant a new concept talent.

Concept talents

Concept talents are more powerful than professional and general talents. They can only be used by characters with that concept, and many of the abilities require Style. Select one of the three abilities under your concept talent. Example: an Active PC with Bullseye chooses Target Practice, Hit the Mark, or Trick Shot. The others can be bought later with AP.

Professional talents

All player characters start with a professional talent defined by their chosen profession. Professional talents do not require Style, but you can spend Style to Boost most of them. They are tied to a profession, not exclusive to it. Extra professional talents bought later with AP do not grant a new concept talent.

General talents

Like professional talents, general talents do not require Style — although you can spend Style to Boost any of them. They can be purchased later with AP. Neo PCs start with a bonus general talent.

Career opportunities: new professions can be created by combining a general talent from the list with an appropriate concept (then deciding on relevant skills and augments).

The book’s step 10 example: Eve (Neo Idol Facade) puts COOL skills at D8, required AGILITY at D10, bonus steps into PERSUADE and OBSERVE D10; Fame ability Cult of Personality; professional Wealth & Privilege; Neo general Desensitized. Jax (Fabricant Hijacker) TECH skills D8, required DRIVE D10, DATA and FIX to D10, dumps HEAL to D6 (Fabricants only push D8+); Interface ability Mandatory Upgrade; professional Technical Driver. Garrison (Sniper) FLEX skills D8, required SHOOT D10, ENDURE D8 and STEALTH D10; Bullseye ability Trick Shot; professional Sharpshooter.

Augments

For many, cybernetic and biomorphic prostheses and augmentations are the difference between life and death. For PCs, it is often a status symbol to have cybernetic modifications and well-earned battle scars.

All PCs start with either: 2 consumer spec cybernetics, 1 military spec cybernetic, or 1 biomorphic augment. Fabricants start with an additional consumer spec cybernetic of their choice. Ringers start with an additional biomorphic determined by their caste (Empathy Switch Off, Backup Organs, Beautification, or Quickened Reflexes). All PCs start with a consumer spec Datalink. It does not require an AL slot.

Augmentation Limit (AL) is how many implantations and modifications you can undergo before it takes a toll. Formula: (BODY Max + COOL Max) / 2, rounded down. You can purchase augments in excess of your AL — each extra augment results in one permanent stress or damage. If the extras are removed, the loss can be recovered with PERSUADE (stress) or HEAL (damage). A consumer spec Datalink is free and does not cost an AL slot. Other cybernetics cost one AL slot (street spec takes one and a half). Cosmetics cost a quarter slot. Medical augments never cost an AL slot. Fabricants cannot use biomorphic augments.

Cybernetic locations: H = Head, A = Arm(s), T = Torso, L = Leg(s). For arm and leg locations the player may choose which side unless noted with an asterisk, in which case it applies to both appendages.

All cybernetics are consumer spec unless noted otherwise. PCs may start with one military spec cybernetic instead of two consumer spec, or upgrade both consumer cybernetics by incurring a level 2 debt (one for each). Military spec can also be purchased later. Rare cyber must be purchased later. Street spec versions of all consumer cybernetics are available at a ↓1 Step to the cost, at your own risk. Each street spec cyber takes one and a half AL slots. Directly hacking cybernetics requires bypassing the owner’s Firewall, adjusted by the spec of the targeted piece.

To purchase augments during Downtime, spend 3 AP and make the appropriate credit check. After implantation, augments require D6 days of recovery, during which pain and/or post-surgery medications give the PC a ↓1 Step on all skill tests.

PCs with cybernetic augments will likely stand out. Cybernetics are hard to hide. Some people, such as Combathletes, choose to make their augments extra visible. Many cybernetics are available as a biomorphic instead — less conspicuous, unhackable, and more expensive.

Step 11 example: Eve (Neo Idol) takes biomorphic Beautification. Jax (Fabricant Hijacker) takes Extra Digits plus milspec Hardpoints (Fabricant bonus cyber, milspec uses the remaining starting slots, later cyber at half AL). Garrison (Sniper) takes Targeting Eye and Subdermal Armor.

Datalink

You have a built-in, nano-organic wireless data connection. The link is very hard to detect and allows people, computers, and other devices to connect via the Mesh or communicate wirelessly. It is also what allows everyone to hack. All PCs start with a consumer spec Datalink. It does not require an AL slot.

You can upgrade your Datalink using the standard method for purchasing augments. During character creation you can only upgrade it if the option is available as starting gear. This upgrade does not count as a starting augment, but it does require an AL slot. Further upgrades do not cost additional slots. Or you can earn an additional starting augment by downgrading your Datalink to street spec. The Datalink’s spec also determines the extra die type you add to all hacking rolls (Ch.8).

Cybernetics

Table 6.2.1 — Cybernetic list. Consumer spec unless noted. * = both limbs.

Biomorphics

Biomorphics are generally more subtle than cybernetics — and more expensive. Spotting them often requires long-term observation. All biomorphic augments are unhackable and cost an AL slot. Fabricants can’t use biomorphic augments.

Cosmetic augments

Cosmetic augments have no in-game effect. They cost a quarter of an AL slot. Purchased during play they should be part of the story or Downtime when possible.

Medical augments

If your PC loses a limb, organ, or other body part, it can be replaced with a vat-grown bioprosthesis, a Fabricant component module, or a cybernetic equivalent. During character creation, medical augments are free and do not need to be purchased with Cred. During play they should be part of the story or Downtime. Medical augments never cost an AL slot.

Gear

One of the last steps in character creation is to pick your starting gear. Your concept gives you a few options and you can purchase additional gear during Downtime.

Almost all weapons, equipment, vehicles, and cybernetic augments are hackable. Hackable tech has encryption, biometrics, and other safeguards. If you are disarmed, an opponent cannot simply pick up your firearm and shoot you with it. They must first hack the weapon’s Firewall and override the owner’s stored biometric imprint.

Swords and other archaic weaponry are more common than one might expect: firearms are illegal on the NOR and orbital stations (explosive decompression); on the surface they draw unwanted attention; and advanced tech is costly (licenses and ammo subscriptions).

Each possession is written under Gear. If it is not on the list, you don’t have it. You can carry a number of items equal to Carrying Capacity: (BODY Max + TECH Max) / 2. One object per row. Heavy objects take two (or more) rows. Light objects take half a row (two per row). Tiny objects (concealable in a closed fist) must still be written down but barely affect CC. Overencumbered: temporarily carry more, but roll FORCE each time you move any long distance. Fail: drop what you are carrying, or stop.

All items except Repair & Medical Equipment fall into Street, Consumer, Military, or Rare. Street items cannot be repaired, but because they are unregistered their use never increases surveillance. Consumer items anyone can make and repair with FIX and the right parts. Military and Rare require Diagnose and specific gear to manufacture or repair.

Street spec of a consumer or military item: cost ↓1 Step, all street effects apply. You cannot buy consumer spec of a military item. Military spec of a consumer item: cost ↑1 Step and ACC/REL ↑1 Step; military upgrades require the spec upgrade first. Rare items roll two accuracy dice. Rare upgrades on a military item require the spec upgrade first; rare version of a military item costs ↑2 Step.

Carried gear is protected by the owner’s Firewall. Dropped or uncarried gear has a base SSP of 3, adjusted by spec (unless noted). To use someone else’s item without permission, Breach its security first.

Subscriptions cover food, water, ammunition, fuel, and other expendables. Don’t track them at all times — the Referee calls when resources are scarce. A subscription roll is a Cost of Living credit check during play. Sharing: increase the recipient’s supply the same number of steps you decrease yours. Crew subscriptions can be tracked as a group if the Referee allows. Vehicle junk in the trunk: store gear up to the vehicle’s CC.

Upgrades expand capabilities and increase cost. Acquiring upgrades later requires a FIX check; failure can damage the item. You can only add upgrades of equal or lower spec than the item. Size determines how many upgrades (unless noted). An item at max upgrades counts as one size larger for concealment and encumbrance, but does not gain the extra slot of that larger size. A fully modified heavy item is bulky: cannot be used standing without a weapon harness, or suffer ↓2 Step to all actions.

Items costing D12+ require incurring a debt or calling in a favor from a high-ranking contact.

Ranged weapons

Weapons are extensions of identity, power, and rebellion. Extra successes on an attack can inflict more damage or buy stunts or Style.

Damage. Points of damage if the attack hits.

Crit Threshold (CT). Minimum successes needed to inflict a critical injury.

Accuracy / Reliability. Bonus dice when using the weapon. Reduced by damage or by pushing rolls. At zero the weapon breaks and needs FIX. A starting ACC/REL of 0 means any damage (including a push) breaks it and it cannot be fixed.

Ammo. After each combat (not each round) roll two of your ammo dice (e.g. 2D8 for D8). If you roll a 1, step the ammo die down ↓1. At zero, make a subscription roll and buy reloads. A reload gives ↑1 Step to the ammo die (max D12). Reload cost depends on projectile type. One-shot (1) weapons reload after every shot; at end of combat make a subscription roll instead of an ammo die.

Range. Longest range the weapon can be used accurately (without an extra ↓1 Step to ACC/REL on top of standard range modifiers).

Weight. Equipment slots on the sheet.

Grip. One or two hands. Palm = still one-handed, but easy to conceal (↓1 OBSERVE to detect). 1–2H used one-handed: ↓1 accuracy.

Upgrade and projectile cost modifies the weapon’s base cost. Each increase above D12: a Cost of Living credit check, and the weapon is considered rare.

Carbine / PDW. Can fire a burst without the required ammo die roll.

Disposable. Street spec; cannot be repaired. On a mishap when firing, AGILITY to throw it before it explodes (blast D).

Hand Cannon. Designed to intimidate: ↑1 PERSUADE when wielded in a threatening manner.

Launcher. Cannot load Standard, Flechette, or Force projectiles. Can fire grenades as projectiles.

Pistol / Handgun. Easier in close combat: only ↓1 Step at engaged range.

Revolver. Still adds accuracy die on a quick shot if the attack is in the round the weapon is drawn.

Rifle. No negative at medium range; only ↓1 at long. Normal extreme penalties apply.

Shotgun. Sawed-off upgrade is free at purchase (player’s choice).

Archaic ranged weapons are unhackable and silenced and cannot be modified, except: short/combat bows and crossbows are two-handed but not heavy; combat bows have Versatile by default (still buy versatile projectiles), are hackable like modern ranged, and can take Secured; archaic projectiles can take drugs/toxins on the tips; spears and throwing axes/knives/stars can take melee upgrades. A modern weapon with the Archaic upgrade is not advanced tech — anyone can pick it up and fire without hacking.

Ranged upgrades & ammo

Standard and Heavy modern ranged weapons, plus Harpoon Guns and Heavy Xbows, can be vehicle-mounted. Vehicle-mounted Harpoon Guns and Heavy Xbows can take a winch (D8) to retrieve the projectile; an extra success can skewer the target so they come back with it. Large/Huge/Heavy-Duty vehicles and drones with vehicle-mounted Launchers can use Bulk Explosives as ammo, including Low-yield Nukes.

Random weapon/drone/vehicle generators (pp.93, 97, 103, 109) are on Tables — one chart per step, including session Roll on table… If the generated cost exceeds your Cred, incur one debt level per extra cost step (max 3). Whitmart weapons +1 CT; Raptor ↑1 ACC/REL; Stalingrath +1 Rep to the wielder.

Melee weapons

Melee weapons are unhackable and considered Silenced. Piercing and slashing melee can take drugs/toxins. Polearms and Extendable weapons are Long and cannot be used at engaged range. Whips & Chains are flexible and can grapple. Garrotes require a Called Shot (usually neck/head).

Explosives

Bulk explosives are placed charges with electronic detonators (hackable). Grenades use mechanical detonators (unhackable). Blast: roll two blast dice; 6+ is a success, 10+ on one die is two successes; each extra success +1 damage. Successful blast applies listed damage to all in the radius. Radiation from an explosive decreases ↓1 Step every range level beyond short (min weak). Weak 1 RP/shift, Strong 1 RP/stretch, Extreme 1 RP/round. Blast D12×2 (nuke) means 4D12, potential +8 damage at ground zero; −1 damage per range level beyond short, min 7.

Armor & shields

Ordinary armor uses ballistic weaves; heavier types add plating. Combat use is Chapter 13.

Drones

A drone can scout, follow commands, and perform basic actions. It takes one independent action on your turn. Giving a command is a free action. Destroyed drones must be purchased new; a Hijacker can try to permanently override a drone and take it. Combat drones come Weaponized out of the box. Default conveyance is flight/hover except Companion/Pet (walker). Independent skill rolls: 2D8, or a normal roll with a Drone Controller. Recharge one shift per day (auto in urban/corporate grids; may fail in high Survival zones).

Vehicles

Maneuver is the base die for DRIVE. Speed is on-road/off-road per round. Fuel: recharge one shift per day; if not possible, roll two fuel dice — a 1 steps fuel down. At zero, subscription roll to refuel. Occupancy is passengers besides the driver. CC and occupancy exchange 2:1.

Bicycle / Byke®. Speed/range from rider ENDURE. High-end models store kinetic energy for emergency boosts.

Board or Blades. AGILITY for stunts or evade (+1 Style). Speed/range from rider ENDURE.

City Car / Taxi. ↑1 STREET; AI drivers often have intel.

Motorcycle / Motocyke®. Select two chase maneuvers and use the better.

Scooter / Tuktuk. Easily modified: 4 upgrades as if one size larger.

Sedan / Hatchback. Balance of speed, durability, and cargo.

Semi / Freighter. Ramming inflicts full hull damage rather than half.

Sport Coupe / Muscle Car. Ignore the first vehicle crit.

Supercar. Roll two maneuver dice when you Pursue/Flee.

Tank / AFV. Ignore a chase obstacle by taking 1 Hull. AWD/Treads free.

Transit / APC. ↓1 Hide, ↑1 Block.

Truck / Van / SUV. Firing from a moving one is only ↓1 instead of ↓2.

Standard equipment

Archaic items

Starting kits

Goods & services

Candy is dandy: alcoholucinogenic beverages, Liquorish Gum, and Soygarettes are addictive but reduce stress by 1 per dose. That recovery is psychosomatic and becomes damage when the effects fade (usually D6 stretches).

Conversions during play: ENDURE at ↓1 Step per conversion already undergone. Failure: a permanent point of stress.

Repair & medical kits

From FIX D8 you can make any Consumer spec item on the lists. Needs a FIX roll (Diagnose for Military/Rare), parts, a Workshop, and time. Fail: unusable, parts spent; raise FIX or wait 3D6 shifts. Some items ↓1. Drugs need Pharmatoxicology. Rare augments/gear cannot be manufactured. Invention of a new item is Referee call on parts, Cred, and time.

Drugs, toxins & antitoxins

Drugs are engineered for dependency as much as escape. Duration can drop (shift → stretch) if you roll 1s on a number of D6 equal to tolerance. Withdrawal (relevant Condition) if you miss a dose after depending, try to quit, or fail an addiction roll. Overdose: double-dose in duration, exceed tolerance in a session, or use while in withdrawal. Overdose potency D6 + ↑1 per tolerance (max D12). Roids → Wounded → Lethal. Stims → Fatigued → Paralytic. Amps → Confused → Hallucinogenic. Bennies → Unnerved → Soporific. Combat varies.

Opposed ENDURE vs potency (two dice of that type). Success: roll again each round at ↓1 potency until you fail or potency hits 0. Fail: Lethal 1 damage/turn until Broken then roll or die; Paralytic no actions for a stretch; Hallucinogenic 1 stress/turn until Broken then roll or mental trauma; Soporific sleep a shift, cannot be woken. Antitoxins halt but do not reverse; HEAL after administering to reverse.

Hacking

Hackers are a diverse group of individuals, including Decoders, Hijackers, and Puppeteers. However, hacking isn’t reserved to hackers. Anyone can hack and almost everything — and everyone — can be hacked.

Most hacking attempts are accomplished by making a DATA skill roll, opposed by the target’s Firewall or System Security Protocols (SSP), depending on who or what you are attempting to hack. Like armor, this defensive roll is a free action and cannot be pushed.

Hacking across meshworks is extremely difficult and dangerous. It is best to hack on prem.

Firewall & Breach

You use your Firewall to defend against hacking attacks, viruses, and other malicious apps or code. When you, your cybernetic augments, or any gear you are carrying are hacked, roll a number of D6 equal to your Firewall. Each success you roll eliminates one of the hack’s successes. If the hack is reduced to 0 successes, it has no effect. The Firewall roll is a free action.

Firewall = (FLEX Max + TECH Max) / 4

Your Firewall can be increased by purchasing a Datalink upgrade, or if you are a Hacker with the Interface concept ability Denial of Service.

Firewall Breach: if the hack penetrates your Firewall, it becomes Breached. Every 1 you rolled adds a point of Breach, reducing your Firewall. If your Firewall successfully resists the hack, any 1s rolled have no effect. Your personal Firewall can be repaired using either FIX or HEAL.

If any of a hack’s successes remain after being resisted by SSP or Firewall, the target is Breached.

Spoofing & overclocking

Don’t own the app you need? Spoof it. Select the app you wish to use and make a DATA roll. The time required depends on the app’s Load Time. The BPL of the app is the minimum number of successes needed to successfully spoof it. You can achieve more successes by pushing your roll, doing it with Style, or with help from others.

Hackers can spoof all basic apps and all apps from their profession as if they were one BPL lower (minimum of 1).

When you perform a hack or spoof an app (not available when launching a purchased app), for every extra success — beyond any successes required — you can choose one of the following stunts. Not all options apply to every hack (Troll is useless versus a system, drone, or vehicle, but applies when puppeteering, in hacker vs. hacker combat, and may apply when hacking a weapon or augment — the stress hitting the owner).

Backdoor. ↑1 Step to your next hacking action. Repeatable.

Backup. The hack is stored in active memory and can be used again in the next round as a fast action.

Gremlin. Instead of triggering at its normal runtime the hack functions as a micro-virus, remaining for one scene or until activated as a free action.

Haptic Feedback. Inflict 1 point of damage. Repeatable.

Memory Cache. Increase the runtime one level (e.g. round to stretch). Repeatable.

Power Boost. Increase the power level of the hack by 1. Repeatable.

Quick Hack. Initiative +1 starting the next round. Repeatable.

Range Extender. Increase the range of the hack one range level, up to extreme. Repeatable.

Troll. The target takes 1 point of stress. Repeatable.

Unlike other rolls, when hacking you can spend Style for successes at any point during your action.

Decoding

Hacking systems and datastores begins with Breaching the SSP. A successful hack grants temporary access, allowing you to take control and act. Most actions rely on DATA rolls, but staying inside isn’t easy. Corporate sysops, system AI, and daemons will fight back, using any remaining SSP (if not reduced to zero) to deploy defenses and force you out. Every second inside is a battle to maintain control.

Datamining. With a successful DATA roll, you can mine valuable intel from the target’s memory banks, such as security footage, delivery routes, or recorded conversations. Mining too deeply risks triggering security alerts, corrupting data, or attracting AI watchdogs or hidden countermeasures.

Data Theft. Slip past digital defenses with a successful DATA roll to extract valuable secrets: corporate research, blackmail material, encrypted credentials, or classified files.

Command Functions. Executing rapid file deletions, triggering a forced system reboot, or unleashing countermeasures: a successful DATA roll separates true hackers from scriptkiddies.

Node Hopping. Once a system is Breached you may have access to other meshworks. Bouncing to connected servers, ghost networks, and hijacked devices requires successful DATA rolls. Using a Backdoor (Overclocking) can improve your chances.

Hijacking

Hacking drones and self-driving vehicles — hijacking — requires a DATA roll to Breach their onboard systems. Success grants temporary control: issue commands, reroute destinations, or disable functions remotely. Once inside, further actions (overriding navigation, forcing high-speed maneuvers, engaging built-in weaponry) require either a DATA or DRIVE roll, depending on the action.

Chase maneuvers. Choose a chase maneuver for the hijacked target and make a DRIVE roll. If successful, the maneuver is completed as normal. If unsuccessful, roll on the Vehicle Chase Obstacles table.

Piloting bonus. Make a DATA roll and add any successes as a ↑ Step (maximum of three) to your next DRIVE roll for the hijacked target.

When hacking weapons and other gear, the goal is generally to gain access and shut it down. For items that aren’t being carried — and thus not protected by the owner’s Firewall — the base SSP is determined by the item’s spec (Table 7.0.1).

Puppeteering

Puppeteering is the art of hacking the human mind — analyzing a victim, finding cracks in their emotional armor, and exploiting those weaknesses to gain control. Instead of using DATA, you roll PERSUADE to issue commands. This is still resisted by the target’s Firewall, but they may also make an OBSERVE roll as a reaction to counter your PERSUADE roll. If your commands are unreasonable or life-threatening, the Referee may grant the target a free OBSERVE roll or negate the attempt entirely.

Mind Reading. Once you’ve infiltrated a target’s mind, a successful PERSUADE roll lets you delve into their thoughts, uncovering emotional states and subconscious reactions. With deeper focus and sustained success, you can extract fragments of memories — replaying past events, uncovering hidden fears, or exposing long-buried secrets.

Chase maneuvers. Choose a chase maneuver for the puppeted target and make a PERSUADE roll. If successful, the maneuver is completed as normal. If unsuccessful, roll on the appropriate chase obstacles table. Alternatively, hinder the target: on a successful PERSUADE, simply roll on the appropriate chase obstacles table.

Social Engineering. Attempt to PERSUADE the target to aid you in targeting another’s mind. If the new target is a contact or owes a debt to your current puppeted target, each rank adds a ↑1 Step to your PERSUADE roll against the new target.

Hacker vs. hacker

Firewalls shatter under relentless code, counter-intrusions deploy like digital bombshells, and exploits strike with precision. It’s a battle of wits, reflexes, and raw skill in the shifting landscapes of cyberspace — where one wrong move can mean total system lockdown, neural overload, or even death. The goal isn’t just to win; it’s to outthink, outcode, and outlast your enemy before they tear through your defenses and leave you glitching.

Datalink die

When spoofing or performing a custom hack — but not when launching a purchased app — you roll a datalink die in addition to your base dice (attribute and skill). The extra die type is determined by your Datalink’s spec.

Glitches

If you roll any 1s when pushing your hacking roll, you suffer a Glitch. Roll once on the table below per hack performed or app launched, no matter how many 1s are rolled. Extra 1s add +1 to your die roll.

Apps

When you use a purchased app, it performs at its Base Power Level (BPL). Extra successes and Style can’t be spent to increase the power level. A large number of apps are described in this chapter. You can also write your own apps under the watchful eye of the Referee.

It’s assumed that encryption algorithms are components of every hack. This ensures that sysops, system AI, or daemons cannot easily trace your hack. However, most hacks — excluding hackathons — can be performed as a fast action if you are willing to forego encryption.

Type. Basic, Decoder, Hijacker, or Puppeteer — which Hacker profession can spoof the app more easily.

Function. A brief description of the app’s primary function.

Base Power Level (BPL). The power level of a purchased app, or the minimum number of successes required to spoof it (unless you are a Hacker, in which case the BPL may be lower). Apps in this book are rated BPL 1–3 — there could be apps of even higher BPL.

Range. The furthest distance at which it can be used. Personal means the hack only affects yourself.

Runtime. Duration, usually measured in rounds, stretches, or shifts. Instant means the effect is instantaneous and may not last.

Load Time. Launching an app is generally a slow action in combat. Exceptions: Exploits can be used as a reaction (fast action). Active Code is a free action and is usually a passive roll. Hackathons require a number of successes equal to three times the BPL (e.g. BPL 3 = 9 successes). Each hackathon roll takes a full action. Crew members can contribute their own rolls toward the total.

Cost. The minimum Cred needed to purchase the app without requiring calling in a favor or incurring a debt.

App list

Basic apps

Basic apps are apps that everyone can use. They won’t cost you any Cred to use. Using a basic app is always considered Spoofing. Roll DATA to launch a basic app unless specified otherwise in its description.

Decoder apps

When people think of Hackers, they are usually thinking of decoders. They are the console cowboys, keyboard jockeys, and cyberspace surfers that we all know and love. In order to hack with the best, make a DATA roll versus the Firewall of the target gear, system, or enemy sysop.

Hijacker apps

Hijackers hack the drones and self-driving vehicles that are ubiquitous. Make a DRIVE check versus the Firewall level of the target drone or vehicle. The Hijacker has various apps that offer varying degrees of control over the target. Hijackers can also hack Fabricants — though that is more difficult.

Puppeteer apps

A good Puppeteer is able to read their victim, searching for a crack in their emotional armor, then using that weakness to gain access and take command. Make a roll for PERSUADE versus the victim’s Firewall; the victim may also make an OBSERVE roll (if they have an action available) as a reaction to counter your roll. Fabricants can’t be puppeted — but they are susceptible to being hijacked.

Hacking and the Overnet

The Overnet is the unseen superstructure that holds the digital world together. It is the backbone of the interconnected meshworks, a vast, omnipresent network that coordinates, governs, and regulates the entire Mesh ecosystem. While most people operate within the confines of the SAVR zones, the Overnet exists beyond their awareness, accessible only to the most skilled hackers, corporate elites, and rogue AI.

The Overnet isn’t a monolithic system; it’s an organic web of interconnected nodes that evolves in response to the needs of the meshworks. It governs the distribution of digital and physical resources across Mesh nodes and SAVR zones, from bandwidth to energy grids. It continually monitors the meshworks, repairing glitches, purging corrupted data, and optimizing system performance.

Core Nodes. High-security servers that act as control centers for major regions. They host critical systems including authentication protocols, AI governance, and energy allocation.

Data Rivers. Massive flows of information connecting meshwork nodes or allowing seamless interaction between SAVR zones. Heavily monitored and encrypted, with layers of adaptive security.

Shadow Links. Hidden pathways that bridge restricted areas, accessible only to those who know how to find them. Essential for those illegally navigating the Overnet’s depths.

The hyper-corps exploit the Overnet to maintain their grip on power, using it to monitor citizens. Every action within the Mesh is logged and analyzed, constantly contributing to the surveillance state. Corporate AI watchdogs and digital enforcers patrol the Overnet, responding to intrusions and neutralizing threats. They enforce the rules of the digital ecosystem, regulating access, behavior, and even the design of individual SAVR zones. Access is tightly controlled and restricted to: Corporate Oligarchs (CEOs and tech elites who use the Overnet to enforce dominance, manipulate markets, and control public perception); System Operators (hyper-corp operatives with access to Overnet tools for surveillance, propaganda, and digital warfare); Elite Hackers (the most skilled digital explorers who can bypass its defenses — often mercenaries selling Overnet access to the highest bidder).

The Overnet’s existence is deliberately hidden from the average user. Official documentation is either encrypted or deleted, leaving behind only rumors. Some believe it was built by a coalition of corporations and governments in the early days of the meshworks; others claim it is the work of a rogue AI seeking to unite humanity under its control.

Decoy Networks. False meshworks that mimic the Overnet to mislead intruders, trapping them in endless loops or isolating them in virtual prisons.

Erasure Ware. Programs that can delete individuals’ digital and neural presence, effectively “killing” them both online and in the real world.

Reality Rewrite Protocols. Systems capable of reshaping SAVR zones or even altering physical reality via networked infrastructure.

The Singularity Nexus. Whispers suggest that the Overnet harbors an intelligent core, a self-aware entity with godlike capabilities.

As the Overnet continues to evolve, so too does its significance. It is not merely a tool or infrastructure. It is the lynchpin of a society where the digital and physical are indistinguishable. Its power is both a promise and a threat, offering a future of unlimited potential or ultimate control. The question remains: who will define its legacy — the hyper-corps, the hackers, or something entirely beyond human understanding?

Hacking and the Deep Web

The Deep Web exists as the forgotten underbelly of the Mesh: a chaotic, fragmented realm where abandoned systems, decayed data, and rogue AI proliferate. While the meshworks offer structure and security, the Deep Web is wild, unregulated, and rife with danger and opportunity. Its layers are unpredictable, a labyrinth where hackers can find untold treasures or lose themselves entirely.

Digital ruins

Dead Platforms. Old social networks, gaming worlds, and virtual economies long abandoned but never fully erased. They flicker with partial functionality, haunted by ghost users — fragments of data resembling their creators.

Echo Chambers. Meshworks where outdated algorithms endlessly replicate, creating stagnant feedback loops. These areas often contain valuable insight into the evolution of AI and human interaction with the Mesh.

Collapsed Structures. Meshworks and SAVR zones that have deteriorated into glitch-ridden wastelands, with unstable physics and corrupted environments.

AI ecosystems

Daemons. Viral programs that can break through the bio-digital interface, altering a user’s DNA and inducing cognitive or physical changes.

Doppelgängers. Corrupted data that blurs the line between user and digital construct, leading to dissociation and personality fragmentation.

Fragmentals. Primitive intelligences stuck in incomplete loops, desperately seeking purpose or interaction.

Parasytes. AI that latch onto users, feeding on their neural bandwidth and compromising their Firewalls.

Rogue AI. Intelligent programs seeking to expand their influence and reclaim a fraction of their lost purpose.

Swarm Code. Interlinked AI fragments operating as collective entities, defending their domains with coordinated aggression.

Viral zones

Code Plagues. Self-replicating programs that consume or corrupt everything they touch, forming barriers to deeper exploration.

Reality Loops. Glitches that trap users in infinite simulations, often causing severe psychological and neurological effects.

Data Swamps. Regions saturated with corrupted files and fragmented memories, where the signal-to-noise ratio is almost impossible to navigate.

Hidden resources

Lost Data Vaults. Unsecured storage containing forgotten files, from classified corporate documents to personal archives of long-dead users.

Legacy Technology. Obsolete but powerful software, hardware blueprints, or even forgotten augment schematics, waiting to be rediscovered.

Abandoned Nodes. Older servers or systems left running but unmonitored, acting as gateways to deeper layers.

Meshwork Backdoors. Hidden access points to corporate meshworks, usually built by insiders or elite coders.

Data Tracers. Forgotten programs developed to map the Mesh and identify valuable resources.

A loose network of hackers, archivists, and rogue AI are working to recover and preserve the forgotten data of the Deep Web. They believe the ruins hold the key to humanity’s digital future. To the skilled hacker, the Deep Web offers a paradox: infinite potential and infinite danger. To venture into its depths is to walk a razor’s edge, where every risk could yield unimaginable reward — or complete annihilation.

Hacking examples

The following examples describe how hacks work in action, round by round in initiative order. They illustrate key mechanics like SSP usage, app launches, and success tracking.

Step 12b finalizes your digital toolkit. You each get all the basic apps, plus one more from your concept. A Hacker profession also gets all BPL 1 apps of that profession type (Decoder / Hijacker / Puppeteer), then usually picks a higher-BPL concept app. Purchased apps still perform at their printed BPL; Override and similar high-end tools often require a hackathon.

Contacts

No one survives alone. Whether you’re hustling on the streets or climbing the corporate ladder, power comes from who you know just as much as what you can do. Black market fixers, underground medics, high-level execs, and wasteland warlords all rely on the right connections to open doors or close them forever.

Your Contact Pool (CP) can be used to acquire new contacts, to earn favors, to increase a contact’s rank (to a maximum of Rank 3), or can be distributed between your current contacts as payment of a debt. CP can also be purchased during Downtime at a rate of 1 CP per 3 AP spent.

CP = 2 (4 if a Corp) ± Contact Bonus (Table 3.2.3). If you are a Factor and have the Legitimate Business concept ability, add +3 CP.

Contacts operate on a system of mutual benefit — favors owed and debts incurred. Calling in a favor allows a character to temporarily boost their financial standing, influence, or access. When used for a credit check, favors follow a simple 1:1 exchange rate: a level 2 favor increases a character’s Cred ↑2 Step for that check. A contact’s rank does not factor into credit checks. Favors extend beyond money: access to high-security zones, black market goods, a vital getaway route — depending on the contact’s function and assets.

If a character is not owed a favor, they can instead incur a debt. This carries risk. When taking on debt, a character may attempt to negotiate better terms by making a PERSUADE roll, modified by the rank of the contact minus the level of debt. Example: a rank 1 contact asked for a Level 3 debt is a ↓2 Step (1 − 3 = −2). Each success reduces the debt level by one, though it can never drop below Level 1. Failure: the contact still provides assistance and the debt remains, but their trust diminishes, lowering their rank by one. If a contact’s rank drops to 0, they sever ties entirely.

Step 13: everyone starts with 2 CP, plus any bonuses from social status or Rep. Each contact rank costs 1 CP. You can save some CP for later, but you should have at least one or two solid connections now. VIPs are always Rank 3 (3 CP).

Type, rank & use

There are three primary types of contacts: professional, general, and VIPs. Organizations, gangs, cults, and hyper-corporations are also available as contacts. All contact types are available in ranks ranging from 1–3, with each rank costing 1 CP.

Most contacts have a prerequisite that must be met before they become available. Prerequisites reflect the connections, reputation, or circumstances required to establish a working relationship.

Function and assets represent a contact’s primary utility and tangible resources — a unique mechanical benefit, tool, or perk that reflects their expertise. The scope of these functions and assets is often affected by the contact’s rank.

Depending on the contact’s role, rank, and current circumstances, the player may roll (as an action, often using STREET or PERSUADE) to see how quickly and cleanly the contact delivers. Success means fast, discreet results. Failure doesn’t mean refusal, but may bring complications: delays, misinformation, or unwanted attention.

In this dog-eat-dog corporate dystopia, every contact could be friend or foe. The Referee can use any contact as an adversary. That goes the other way as well: for the right price, any adversary could be turned into an asset.

Professional contacts

When the job demands more than a singular focus or high-level favors, professional contacts step in. These individuals are experts in their fields — mercenaries, hackers, medics, and masterminds — who operate at the same caliber as player characters. They bring specialized training, advanced gear, and tactical experience to the table. Professional contacts can bolster your crew’s capabilities, cover critical weaknesses, or provide unique insight into the arcoplex’s shifting power dynamics.

Professional contacts are drawn directly from the nine core concepts, with three distinct archetypes for each, providing 27 professions. By mirroring player character roles, these contacts can seamlessly integrate into any crew. Whether leveraging an Errant’s durability or a Ghost’s stealth, professional contacts embody the full spectrum of skills and backgrounds found in Terminal State.

A professional contact’s rank determines how many concept abilities they possess, allowing them to perform specialized actions that align with their profession. Additionally, their rank grants 5 times the rank in advancement points, which can be spent to improve the contact’s skills, purchase new talents, upgrade gear, or install cutting-edge augments. Investing in a professional contact allows them to evolve alongside the crew.

General contacts

Survival hinges on who you know and what favors you can call in. General contacts represent a diverse network of specialists who can provide unique advantages, resources, and intel to those with the right connections. Access is earned through reputation, shared history, or mutual need. Every favor comes with a price.

VIPs

VIP contacts combine the capabilities of a professional contact but with access to nearly any asset you might need. They provide all of the benefits with none of the prerequisites. However, VIPs are always considered to be Rank 3 contacts. If you have to ask, you can’t afford them. VIPs have all skills at D8, unless otherwise noted. They also have all three talent abilities for their concept, any additional talents and augments listed, and access to any gear the crew could ever need.

Factions

There are countless factions operating in the shadows of society, each with its own agenda. They include ruthless crime syndicates, underground revolutionaries, enigmatic cults, corporate-backed militias, and various combinations of all the above. Aligning with them can open doors, or put a target on your back.

Unlike individual contacts, gangs, cults, and organizations operate as collective entities. Calling on them means dealing with their hierarchy, ideology, and internal politics. Willingness to help — and the cost — depends on your rank and influence. Each faction offers unique functions and assets. Loyalty is rarely free. Aligning with one faction can put you at odds with another.

The contact rank of the faction determines your standing with the group. The higher the rank, the more valuable their assistance — but the steeper the cost. High-rank factions demand loyalty. Gaining influence often requires proving yourself through missions. Betraying or defying your faction can be career (or life)-ending. Faction cards also have blank Members / Resources / Influence fields for the table to fill.

Hyper-corporations

Hyper-corps manufacture identity, dictate social norms, and own the very infrastructure people depend on to breathe, eat, and connect. To the average citizen they are both cradle and cage. To resist them is dangerous. To work for them is survival. To truly escape them may be impossible.

Corp bio. These bios aren’t just history lessons. They’re hooks for your game: who pulls the strings, where they reside, and how they have shaped the world the PCs move through.

Subsidiaries. Often the operational face of a corp, where PCs are most likely to cross paths with its influence — a product in hand, a drone in the sky, or a black-bag team at your door.

Markets. Hyper-corps own entire sectors of life. Knowing a corp’s areas of influence tells you not just what they sell, but where their power lies — and what lines you cross when you tangle with them.

Employees. From janitors to execs, the workforce tells you a lot. Where it falls on the scale shows how many boots it can put on the ground and how deep its propaganda runs.

Profit. More than money — leverage. Exact numbers are buried behind shell firms and cooked ledgers; each hyper-corp can be weighted on a profit scale.

Reach. How far influence extends beyond headquarters. Not just geography: connections, logistics, and cultural saturation.

Having a hyper-corp as a contact is less about knowing the CEO and more about having a line into the machine: a fixer in procurement, a sympathetic researcher, a rogue security captain, or even a loyal AI. Corps are vast and impersonal. Their “favor” depends on which division you’re plugged into and how valuable you are to them. Incredible resources — gear, intel, safehouses, transport — but always with strings attached. A corp contact isn’t a friend. It’s a cavern of opportunity and risk, and the deeper you delve, the harder it is to get out unscathed.

Corporate rank & influence

Rank determines how much weight a hyper-corp can throw around — its wealth, influence, and authority — and reflects not just market share, but the spheres of life it dominates. Table 9.5.1.

NORA & the RPR

The Near-Orbital Ring Authority (NORA) is technically independent from any single hyper-corp, but its board is made up of high-ranking executives from the corporate juggernauts that fund it. Direct oversight of the space elevator terminals. Operates like a high-altitude cartel: transit prices, licensing fees, security clearances with zero accountability. NORA is judge, jury, and executioner (via the RPR). Each NOR is divided into rigid zones of privilege, from gleaming executive districts to grimy maintenance corridors crammed with low-wage contract laborers bound until their debt is paid — if it ever is. On the ground: towering terminals, militarized checkpoints, RPR officers, NORA agents, drone sentries. Play by the rules and enjoy smooth access. Don’t, and baggage gets lost or identities flagged.

The Ring Protection Regiment (RPR, or Reapers) serve as the military arm of NORA, tasked with enforcing security, order, and corporate dominance throughout the NOR. Officially they prevent sabotage, piracy, and unauthorized access. In practice they are a heavily armed strike force ensuring NORA’s control over the orbital economy remains absolute.

Kanopy & Raptor

Kanopy. The largest hyper-corporation on the planet. Led by CEO Karla Kansas-Dupré (Neo / Elite / Negotiator; also Chair of the Board of NORA and Director General of the Hub), who inherited the empire from her father Karl Kansas. Aggressive expansion, hostile takeovers, moral loopholes. R&D pushes technological and biological limits. Whistleblowers disappear. Rival corps crumble. Founded 1994, Bellevue, Washington, by Karlton Kansas. HQ: The Hub. Markets: everything. Subsidiaries: too many to list. Execs: Karla Kansas-Dupré CEO; François Dupré CFO (husband).

Raptor Security. More than a private military force — a hyper-corp built for war, the enforcer of corporate dominion. Second-largest in the world. Twelve specialized divisions. At the top is The Commander: no one outside Raptor’s highest echelon has ever seen them. Founded 2079, Greater London Megatropolis. HQ: Null Island. Subsidiaries: Raptor Americas, Raptor Eurasia, Raptor Oceania, and more.

The other corps

Corporate web of intrigue

Corporate Web of Intrigue: a map of the intricate machinations of hyper-corporate relationships (public and private). The printed map is in the book (pp.162–163). Legend:

Corporate. Just business.

Conflict. Open and often violent opposition.

Collaboration. Publicly work together.

Clandestine. Secretly collaborative.

Chair. Presiding officer.

Rolling the dice

Roleplaying is a conversation. The Referee describes the scene, you describe how your PCs behave, the Referee describes how any NPCs react, you reply, and it goes back and forth. That is how the story is told and progresses. But sooner or later, a decisive situation will arise, a point of no return, a conflict that conversation alone can’t resolve. Then it’s time to break out the dice and use one of your skills.

There are thirteen core skills, all described in Chapter 4. Every skill is connected to one of the four attributes: BODY, FLEX, TECH, and COOL. When you perform an action, you first describe what your character does or says. Then you grab two dice — one for your skill level and another for the attribute that is connected to the skill. These two dice are called your base dice.

The 1 and 6+ icons are shorthand for outcomes in this step-dice system. While depicted as six-sided dice, they simply represent the result rolled, regardless of die type. Rolling a 1 signals a potential mishap or Condition, while a 6 or higher means success — whether rolling a D6, D8, D10, or D12.

Skill rolls

To roll for a skill, grab your base dice — one for your skill level and another for the related attribute. The type of base dice to roll depends on your levels in the attribute and skill. Then roll your two base dice together.

To succeed with your action, you must roll 6 or higher on at least one base die used in the roll. A roll of 6+ is called a success. A roll of 10 or higher on a single die (only possible with a D10 or D12) counts as two successes.

Weapons and other gear can give you a modifier or even additional dice to roll (Ch.7 and Accuracy Die below).

If you roll two or more successes, you reach your stated goal, but also gain some additional bonus effect, depending on the situation and the skill used. Critical successes generally only matter in combat, where each additional success will increase the damage by one point, and potentially result in a critical injury.

Most skills allow for bonus effects to be “bought” using your extra successes. These stunts and the number of successes they require are described in Chapter 4. For combat skills such as MELEE and SHOOT, see Chapter 12. You can suggest a stunt yourself. The Referee has final say.

• Give one success to another PC in the same situation as you.
• Give yourself a ↑1 Step on a skill roll in the same scene.
• You act quickly.
• You act quietly.
• You help another character.
• You impress someone.
• You discover something unexpected.

The art of failure

If you roll no successes on your skill roll, something goes wrong. For some reason, you failed to achieve your goal. Feel free to elaborate on why with the help of the Referee. They might even let a failed roll have further consequences to move the story forward in a dramatic way.

Failure should not stop the story completely. Even when you fail, there must be a way forward — perhaps at the cost of time, risk, or Cred, but still a way. The Referee has the final say on the consequences of failure in that particular situation.

If you are truly desperate to avoid failing a roll, you have three options: you can invest some Style (which must be done prior to rolling); you can invoke your Pride; or you can push your roll.

In combat, the Referee doesn’t need to give every failure much of a consequence. The fact that your attack missed is usually enough, as it is now your enemy’s turn to retaliate. The Referee can, of course, penalize you with extra consequences in combat as well — maybe your missed shot hits someone else instead?

Mishaps

If both base dice in your skill roll show a 1, or if you are rolling one die and roll a 1, you suffer a mishap. Something goes seriously wrong. This usually means the PC suffers a Condition, but the Referee is also within their rights to decide what happens as is dramatically appropriate. If you suffer a mishap on your base dice, you can’t push your roll. You can, however, trigger a mishap when pushing a roll.

You can get a Condition by rolling a mishap, or triggering one when pushing your roll. When the mishap occurs on a roll for BODY or FLEX, you get a physical Condition. For TECH or COOL, you receive a mental Condition. Physical: Wounded or Fatigued. Mental: Confused or Unnerved. Each Condition gives you a ↓1 Step to the associated attribute. If you suffer from all four Conditions, you become Broken.

If you suffer a mishap on a roll while using an item, rather than suffering a Condition you may instead choose to lower the gear’s reliability ↓1 Step. A reliability of zero means the item is broken.

Pushing your roll

If you are desperate to succeed with a dice roll, you can choose to push it. This means that you can grab all the dice (except your accuracy or datalink die) and roll them again. After a push, you can’t change back to the previous result. All dice count after the push, including any dice you didn’t re-roll.

Usually, you would only push a roll if you failed it — although you can push your roll even if your initial roll was a success in order to try to get more successes (to increase the effectiveness of an attack, for example). You can’t reroll your weapon’s accuracy die, and you can’t push a roll if you suffered a mishap on the initial roll.

How a pushed roll plays out in game terms depends on what kind of action you are performing. It doesn’t have to be a physical effort — it might be about complete mental focus or an emotional struggle. But pushing your roll is not without risk.

If your pushed roll succeeds and you have not rolled any 1s, you suffer no ill effects from the push. Any additional successes rolled can be used as normal. Besides the potential for stunts or additional damage, you can choose to spend any extra successes earned from pushing your roll to purchase Style. You can’t purchase Style beyond your maximum.

After you have pushed your roll, if your roll fails, you immediately suffer a Condition. However, you also earn one Style — you may have failed, but at least you looked good doing it. Gear mishap: if you use gear of some kind during the failed push action, roll the item’s reliability die. If you roll a 1, lower its reliability ↓1 Step. When the gear’s reliability is lowered to zero, it is broken.

Whether your push succeeds or fails, if you have rolled any 1s on any of your dice, you fumble (physically, mentally, or socially), and lose your next fast action. If you are using gear, you instead suffer a jam and must use a fast action to reset it.

You can only push skill rolls when you actively perform an action. When passive or unaware (for example when rolling OBSERVE to see if you spot a sneaking enemy), you can’t push.

Generally you can only push a skill roll once. If you don’t succeed after pushing, you are stuck dealing with the consequences.

When you roll dice, it can be hard to predict the chance of success. Table 11.4.1: the first percentage is the chance of success with base dice; the second is the chance after pushing.

Only one chance

As a rule, you only have one chance at succeeding with an action. Once you have rolled the dice, you can’t take another shot at doing the exact same thing again. You must change your approach to reaching the goal, or wait for circumstances to change in some tangible way. In combat, the Referee should be more permissive. You can keep attacking the same enemy round after round, as long as you describe what you do differently to up your chances.

Sometimes, external factors help you to succeed. Such modifiers will step up your base dice to bigger dice. Other times, something hampers your action. This steps down your base dice. You can get these modifiers from talents, the difficulty of the action itself, and help from others. Several modifiers can apply to the same roll, and they are cumulative. A ↑2 Step and a ↓1 Step simply add up to ↑1 Step, for example.

When you have a positive modifier, always step up your higher base die first, until it reaches a D12 — then step up your other base die. You can never go above two D12s, no matter how many modifiers you have. Instead, each extra positive modifier grants you an additional point of Style.

When you have a negative modifier, always step down your lower base die first. If a D6 is stepped down, that die is removed (counting as ↓1 Step). Then step down your remaining base die as necessary.

If your modifiers put you at zero dice, roll 2D6 — but to succeed, both dice have to show 6+. Hard, but not impossible.

Difficulty

Normally, the Referee doesn’t assess how difficult an action is. You only roll dice in challenging situations — period. But sometimes, the Referee might want to underscore that external factors either help or hinder an action. Table 11.5.1 (as printed).

In combat, the rules often give you modifiers — for example, depending on the distance between your firing position and your target, or when you set up an ambush. Some talents can also give you positive modifiers. Other cases: when you aim carefully with a ranged weapon, shoot at long distance, or if you’re in a bad bargaining position when you attempt to PERSUADE someone.

Help from others & group rolls

Each person helping you rolls their skill die (and ONLY their skill die). Any successes the helpers roll are added to the successes for the action being supported. No more than three people can help you with a single roll. Helping counts as the same type of action as the one you are supporting (slow with slow, fast with fast).

The PERSUADE skill can be used for more effective assistance. Instead of just rolling their skill die, a character using Command rolls base dice as normal and provides additional successes equal to the number of successes rolled — provided that the person commanded follows the order. Commanding is always a slow action.

NPCs can help each other in the same way as player characters. Letting NPCs act in groups instead of individually is often an easy way to manage large numbers of NPCs in combat.

When you face a challenge together with your crew, don’t roll dice separately. Instead, you decide who among you is best suited to take on the challenge. The rest of the crew can help this person, if the situation is one where their help is relevant and possible. If the roll fails, it counts as a failure for all of you — you are not allowed to try again. This rule does not apply in combat, where each PC acts independently.

You and your crew can’t help each other when you are acting simultaneously. You all must roll separately. You can share any extra successes you roll with an ally, who in turn does not have to roll. You can help others in this way even if they have already failed their roll.

Opposed rolls

Sometimes, rolling a success isn’t enough. In some cases, you must beat your opponent in an opposed roll. To win, you must roll more successes than your adversary. Every success rolled by your opponent eliminates one of your successes. Only you, the active party, can push your roll — and you can decide to do so even after your opponent rolls. In some cases you and your adversary roll for different skills, in others the same. Example: STEALTH versus OBSERVE to move undetected past a guard. The Referee can use opposed rolls in any case deemed appropriate. In combat, an opposed roll only counts as an action for the attacker, not the defender.

If you and your opponent roll the same number of successes, the result is a tie. Typically, your action will fail if you roll a tie as the active party in an opposed roll, but in some cases, ties have specific effects. If a tie needs to be broken, reroll the opposed roll to determine the outcome.

NPCs use skills in the same way as PCs. The Referee rolls dice for them, and they can push their rolls just like PCs can — but only if the Referee spends Edge (Ch.14). The Referee only has to roll for actions that directly affect a PC: if the NPC is attacking a player or attempting to save them, for example. When an NPC performs an action that does not directly affect a PC, the Referee can simply decide what happens, without rolling dice.

Accuracy die

Using gear can increase your chance of success. Some gear, such as weapons, gives you an accuracy die to add to skill rolls. You roll the accuracy die together with your base dice, and they are counted the same way: 6+ equals success. However, the accuracy die is not rerolled when pushing and does not count towards triggering a mishap when a 1 is rolled. Because of this exception, it is recommended that a different colored set of dice is used for accuracy.

Doing it with Style

You can use Style to add automatic successes to almost any roll. This is done at a one-to-one exchange rate and up to a maximum of three. Style must be spent before rolling and you can’t push your roll when Doing it with Style. (Hacking is the exception: Style can be spent at any point during the action.) You can’t do it with Style and invoke Pride on the same roll.

Combat & actions

Combat is dangerous and can get you killed. So, before resorting to violence, you may want to ask yourself — is it worth it? The world is a giant melting pot of rival powers with different agendas, and the pot has reached its boiling point. Sometimes these conflicts lead to bloodshed. Because sooner or later, someone will pull a gun on you — or you’ll pull yours first.

Although maps can be useful, you can always choose not to use them and let certain conflicts play out only in the “theater of the mind.” This can be a good solution in close quarters conflicts between a small number of combatants.

Initiative

Combat is played out in rounds, each roughly 5–10 seconds long. When combat begins, the first step is to determine who has the initiative. Do this before anyone rolls dice for an action.

All participants in a fight, willing or unwilling, roll one D10 each (unless you have a talent or augment that says otherwise). The result of each die is the initiative score for that person. A higher score goes before a lower one. In the case of a tie, the combatant with the higher FLEX goes first. When all participants in the fight have acted, the round is over and another begins.

Raising initiative.

• A surprise attack (see Sneak Attacks & Ambushes) gives you a +2 to your initiative score, but only in the first round of the fight.
• The augment Quickened Reflexes lets you make your initiative roll with two dice instead of one, and you choose the best initiative score.
• You can use actions to maneuver into a better position, raising your initiative score. Your new score takes effect in the following round.
• Skill tests that you pass remarkably well can raise your initiative score.

When it’s your turn to act in the round, you can — instead of taking any action — lower your initiative score to any number below your current score. This lets you wait and see how things unfold. When your new score is up, you can choose if you wish to act or to keep waiting, lowering your score further. Your new score is then in effect for the rest of the fight; you can’t return to your original, higher initiative score.

The Tactics concept ability Plan of Attack lets you swap initiatives with another combatant (friend or foe) once per combat scene.

For groups of NPCs sharing the same game stats, the Referee can choose to make a single initiative roll for them all. They all act at the same initiative score, but the order in which the NPCs act is up to the Referee.

Three separate units of time are typically used when playing. The exact duration of a round, stretch, or shift can vary. It’s the Referee’s job to track time. There are typically four shifts in a day: morning, day, evening, and night.

Actions

When it is your time to act in the round, you can perform one slow action and one fast action, or two fast actions. A slow action usually consists of rolling for a skill. A fast action is quicker and doesn’t always require rolling dice, though it might.

When it’s your time to act, simply state which actions you wish to perform, describe how you go about it, and roll dice to see if you are successful. Some actions will give your opponent the opportunity to perform a reaction.

If you help another player character or NPC perform an action, it costs you one action of the same kind (slow or fast). You have to state that you are helping someone before any dice are rolled. Helping others breaks the initiative order in the round.

Generally, all your actions must be made at your initiative order in the round, but there are exceptions: reactions. There are three: defending in close combat, overwatch support, and hacking exploits. To perform a reaction you still need actions available. If you perform reactions before your turn, you will have fewer actions when it is your turn. To react after your turn, you need to have saved some actions. NPCs can’t perform reactions unless the Referee spends Edge, with the exception of exploits if the NPC is a Hacker.

A free action is really no action at all. Most are passive dice rolls or require no roll at all.

Full actions require using both your slow and fast actions for the turn.

Sneak attacks, ambushes & fleeing

Sneaking up on someone and attacking without them knowing is a sneak attack. First, test STEALTH. Roll only once, regardless of how far you are sneaking. Your roll is modified based on how close you want to get. If you want to attack in close combat, you have to get within short range without being noticed. If you fail, you are spotted; roll initiative as normal. If you pass, you get a modifier to the sneak attack based on range, and the target cannot block or dodge. Sneak attacks are always performed individually, by one attacker against one target. If several people wish to make a concurrent sneak attack, they must test STEALTH individually. If one or more of the rolls fail, all the attackers are discovered and must roll initiative normally.

A special kind of sneak attack is an ambush — lying in wait and attacking as the enemy passes by. Each victim makes an OBSERVE roll to spot the ambush, with a ↓2 Step if the attackers are well prepared.

If you attack in a way that the Referee deems surprising to your enemy, you get to choose your initiative score. You can trade this bonus for one additional fast action. This can only occur in the first round of the fight.

If you want to leave the conflict immediately, and you don’t have any enemies at engaged range, you can roll for AGILITY — a successful roll means you manage to get away somehow, and the conflict is over. The Referee can modify your roll depending on the terrain and the distance to the nearest opponent. You usually can’t flee if you are trapped or surrounded. If the roll fails, you remain in combat at the same distance. You can attempt to flee again the next round. When within engaged range you must either disable your opponent (knocking them prone, for example) or Maneuver them out of engaged range. Otherwise your opponent receives an attack as a free action when you attempt to flee.

Range & movement

A violent conflict is typically played out using a map divided into zones. A zone is typically a room, a corridor, or an area of ground — from a few steps across up to about 25 meters. A zone is generally smaller in a cramped environment than in open terrain.

To move during combat, you can spend a fast action to move from one zone to a neighboring zone, or between short and engaged range from an enemy or PC in the same zone you are already in. No roll is required unless it’s into a cluttered zone. Difficult terrain (dense jungle, deep snow, waist-high water): movement becomes a slow action. Crawling is a slow action — you can’t crawl twice in the same round. In a cramped zone, crawling is the only movement possible. Sneaking: movement becomes a slow action. Complete darkness: movement becomes a slow action.

Cluttered. Filled with debris or dense undergrowth. You must roll for FLEX when you move into the zone. Failure means you get into the zone, but fall down.

Dimly lit. OBSERVE rolls in the zone get a ↓2 Step. Ranged attacks into the zone also suffer a ↓2 Step and can’t pass through the zone.

Cramped. A crawlspace or narrow tunnel. You can only crawl, not run. You also can’t move or shoot past individuals next to you against targets behind them.

The border between two adjacent zones can be open or blocked. Open borders don’t block vision or movement. A blocked border generally blocks line of sight even if there is a door or hatch in it — unless you’re actively standing by the doorway and peeking through.

Close combat

When you attack in close combat, use the MELEE or FORCE (for unarmed) skill. Close combat happens at engaged range. There can be no barrier between you and your target. Cover has no effect against close combat attacks. If your roll succeeds, you hit and inflict your weapon’s base damage. Each extra success can increase the damage by 1.

If you are prone, your close combat attacks get a ↓2 Step. Getting up is a fast action. Attacks against a prone target get a ↑1 Step. A defenseless or unaware target gives ↑2 Step, further increased if the target is prone.

Increase Damage. Inflict 1 extra point of damage. Repeatable.

Strike Fear. The enemy takes 1 point of stress. Repeatable.

Raise Initiative. Initiative score is raised by 2, taking effect at the beginning of the next round.

Disarm. Enemy drops their weapon or another hand-held item. Picking it up is a fast action. Two more successes (three total) lets you confiscate it.

Maneuver. ↑1 Step to your next combat action, or maneuver your opponent out of engaged range.

Deadly Injuries. +1 to your critical injury roll.

Regardless of how you spend extra successes, if your total number of successes is equal to (or exceeds) your weapon’s Crit threshold you inflict a critical injury.

You can perform a quick attack in close combat. You get a ↓1 Step to the attack roll, but the attack counts as a fast action. Quick melee attacks can only be performed with light weapons (or unarmed).

Special attacks (other than simply hurting) must be declared before you roll, and can only be done unarmed. Grappling: if successful, the opponent drops any weapon they were holding and can’t move. The only action they can perform is an attempt to break free — a slow action that succeeds if they win an opposed FORCE roll against you. While grappling, the only action you can perform (apart from releasing) is a grapple attack: a normal unarmed attack, but a fast action that can’t be blocked.

If, in a single round, you first move into engaged range of an enemy and then attack them with an unarmed blow, you get a ↑2 Step. If the attack hits, you inflict damage normally and both you and the target fall prone. If it fails, only you fall prone.

When an enemy attacks you in close combat, you can roll for AGILITY to defend. Declare before the attacker rolls. This turns the attack into an opposed roll. Every success you roll eliminates one from the attacker’s roll. Extra successes have no effect. If you are unarmed, you can only block unarmed attacks. To parry an armed close combat attack, you need to wield some kind of sturdy weapon or object. Defending breaks the turn order and counts against your two available actions. Unused actions can be saved to defend later in the round, but never from one round to the next.

Ranged combat

When attacking from a distance, test SHOOT, except for thrown weapons, which use AGILITY. You need some form of ranged weapon, even just a rock. Drawing a weapon is a fast action; firing is a slow action. A hit inflicts your weapon’s base damage. Each extra success can increase damage by 1. A weapon’s range is the maximum range category at which it can be used. You can fire at up to one range level beyond, but suffer an additional ↓1 Step to accuracy. Large target (vehicle): ↑2 Step. Small object (lock, hand-held item): ↓2 Step. You can’t defend against ranged attacks — find cover (Ch.13) instead.

You add your weapon’s accuracy die to most attack rolls. When firing a burst, roll two of your accuracy die type. Then roll your weapon’s ammo die: if you roll a 1 you are empty, have to reload, and your ammo die is downgraded ↓1 Step. This excludes you from the ammo roll required at the end of the combat round.

A quick shot: you don’t add the weapon’s accuracy die, and the attack is a fast action instead of a slow action.

A called shot: roll two of your weapon’s accuracy dice, using the results from both. Uses your slow and fast action. You can’t make a called shot against an enemy with whom you are engaged in close combat.

Within engaged range, you either get a ↓2 Step if you are engaged in close combat with the target, or a ↑2 Step if the target is immobile. When within short range, you get a ↑1 Step if the target is immobile.

Increase Damage. Inflict 1 extra point of damage. Repeatable.

Strike Fear. The enemy takes 1 point of stress. Repeatable.

Raise Initiative. Initiative +2, taking effect next round.

Disarm. Two additional successes: enemy drops a hand-held item.

Deadly Injuries. +1 to your critical injury roll.

If the total number of successes is equal to (or exceeds) your weapon’s Crit threshold you inflict a critical injury.

In ranged combat you have two options when disarming: target their weapon (↓2 Step), only disarming rather than damaging; or take your chances at rolling enough successes (at least three) to disarm as a stunt and still cause damage as normal.

Reloading a firearm is a slow action. After each combat (not each round) you must make an ammo die roll. If you roll a 1, your ammo die is stepped down ↓1 Step. Once it is stepped down completely your weapon is empty and you have to reload. If you had to reload during combat, you may forego this ammo roll. Single-shot weapons need to be reloaded after each shot and do not require ammo rolls. Instead, at the end of combat you must make a subscription roll (or purchase reloads).

Firing full-auto uses all of your attacks. If you hit, you immediately make another attack, either against the same target or another target near the first, but now using the weapon’s ammo die instead of its accuracy die. If you hit again, you may make a third attack, again adding the ammo die. After all attacks are resolved, you must reload and your ammo die is stepped down ↓1 Step. The weapon must be capable of automatic fire. The attack uses your slow and fast action. Target must be within long range or less. ↓1 Step to each attack roll. You can’t push a full-auto attack. Mounted weapons with huge magazines don’t need to be reloaded in combat; a mishap on automatic fire means the shooter loses control and must stop firing and reload. Multiple targets: distribute successes against new targets (first success on a new target = weapon damage). Each new target must be within short range of the previous. Up to three targets or until the attack ends.

Overwatch. As a fast action, you can assume an overwatch position in a specified direction, as long as you have a ranged weapon and no enemies within engaged range. You can fire whenever you want in the turn order, and your shot is resolved before all other actions. Firing from overwatch counts as a normal attack (slow action), so you must save your slow action. If both you and an enemy assume overwatch against each other and both fire, an opposed SHOOT roll determines which attack goes first (does not count as an action). You keep overwatch until you break it, or: you perform any action other than overwatch fire; you are attacked in close combat; you suffer damage.

Social conflict

Sometimes you can make things go your way without violence. For non-violent conflicts, you use PERSUADE. Make an opposed roll of PERSUADE versus your opponent’s OBSERVE. It counts as a slow action. If you succeed, they must either do what you want or immediately escalate and attack you. Even if they do what you want, they can still demand something in return.

↑1 Step when:

• You have more people on your side than your opponent does.
• What you ask for doesn’t really cost your opponent anything.
• Your opponent has suffered damage or is injured.
• You have helped your opponent in the past.
• You present a strong case (Referee’s judgment).

↓1 Step when:

• Your opponent has more people on their side.
• You ask for something valuable or dangerous.
• Your opponent has nothing to gain by helping you.
• You are having trouble understanding each other.

Being well known (high Rep) can also affect PERSUADE, positively or negatively depending on the situation. The Referee has the final say.

When you want to PERSUADE a whole group, you usually address the group’s leader or spokesperson. Your roll is stepped down ↓1 Step if your opponent has more people on their side. If you reach an agreement with the leader, the rest of the group usually follows. If there is no given leader, every single opponent acts individually.

To PERSUADE someone, you usually need to be in the same zone, but it can sometimes be done at longer distances or via technology. The Referee modifies your roll negatively if the range impairs your negotiating position.

Extra successes.

• Your opponent does what you want without demanding a favor in return.
• Your opponent does more than you ask for — for example, giving you some useful piece of information.
• Your opponent is impressed and will try to help you later on in some way.

Vehicle combat

When operating a vehicle in combat, you can move one zone with a fast action, and you can move farther by rolling DRIVE. For each success, you move one additional zone. Ramming: counts as a close combat attack but is rolled with DRIVE. Base damage equals your vehicle’s hull rating divided by two, +1 damage for each extra success. When a vehicle has suffered damage equal to or in excess of its hull rating, it is wrecked. Most vehicles have an armor rating that works just like body armor. If a vehicle suffers damage equal to half its full hull rating or more in a single hit, it suffers a vehicle crit. A vehicle crit from a melee attack is always rolled with a D6. The driver and passengers can be hit by vehicle mishaps. If they are visible, they can also be targeted directly by a ranged attack; the AR of the vehicle counts as cover.

Aerial vehicles are handled in much the same way as ground vehicles. At all times, you must keep track of altitude, measured in zones. When moving a zone, you can either move vertically or horizontally, but not both. If an aerial vehicle is wrecked, it crashes. All people inside suffer D3 points of falling damage plus one for each zone of altitude (max +6), mitigated by the vehicle’s armor. You can brace yourself by rolling AGILITY — each success reduces the damage by one.

Repairing damage to a vehicle requires one or several FIX rolls, one per shift. Only one person can roll to repair, but others can help. Each success removes one point of damage. If the engine or a mounted weapon has been disabled due to a critical hit, repairing it typically requires a FIX roll in addition to any hull repair. The work takes one shift.

Chases

A chase can start from a roleplaying situation, or after combat if someone flees. The Referee declares a chase and determines starting range, up to a maximum of long range. Distances are measured in range categories (not zones). Most chases are between pursuer and prey. Played in rounds without initiative. Normal actions are not performed. Each participant gets one maneuver each round, chosen in secret then revealed, while the Referee randomly generates obstacles. Procedure: (1) each participant selects a maneuver; (2) the Referee generates and reveals an obstacle; (3) both reveal their maneuver; (4) maneuvers are resolved, prey first, pursuer last. Maneuvers can only be changed after being selected by spending a Style. Skills and other factors used for vehicles are indicated in [brackets].

Pursue/Flee. Run or drive as fast as you can. Roll AGILITY [DRIVE]. For each success, the distance to the other participant decreases (pursuer) or increases (prey) by one range category. If the range exceeds extreme after both maneuvers, the chase is over. If the range is engaged (or less), the pursuer may immediately make a close combat attack [ramming]. The range stays at engaged.

Hide. Prey only, never at short range or less. Medium: ↓2 Step. Extreme: ↑2 Step. Opposed STEALTH [DRIVE] vs the pursuer’s OBSERVE. If you win, the chase is over, or you can make a sneak attack at a range of your choosing.

Block. Prey only. Roll FORCE [DRIVE]. If you succeed, you move one range category away, and the pursuer must also roll FORCE [DRIVE] before resolving their own maneuver. If that roll fails, their maneuver is canceled.

Cut Off. Pursuer only. Opposed AGILITY [DRIVE]. If the range is long or extreme, ↓2 Step. If you win, the distance is immediately reduced to engaged and an immediate close combat [ramming] attack can be made. If you lose or tie, the distance is increased to extreme. If it was already extreme, the chase is over.

Stop & Shoot. A normal ranged weapon attack.

Other. Something not covered by any other maneuver. Typically no movement relative to the other participant. The Referee has final say.

Passengers can make ranged attacks from a vehicle after the driver’s maneuver is resolved. Such attacks get a ↓2 Step if the driver doesn’t perform Stop & Shoot. Mounted weapons can be fired by a gunner without a penalty even when the driver does not Stop & Shoot. Some vehicles have automated targeting systems with their own SHOOT skill and fire on command (no action).