Mano a Mano:Game Design

Game Design

Adventures

The action of a role-playing game plays out in a setting called an adventure. An adventure could be a single battle or a series of battles, a haunted castle full of secrets, a story which the players can influence through their characters' actions, or an open-ended scenario where players choose which goals their characters work toward. A campaign is a complex adventure which requires players to meet together for several sessions of playing, or a series of simple adventures using the same characters.

Sourcebooks are documents with information for creating adventures. A sourcebook containing a complete adventure will include a detailed description of the setting, what kind of characters the the players should control, descriptions and character sheets for non-player characters, maps and diagrams, and rules for how the action of the adventure should play out. The sourcebook may contain a detailed inventory of the items in every room and the goods for sale in every store. A good adventure sourcebook should not leave the GM in a situation where he has to invent new material during the game.

A more general sourcebook might describe a setting used in several adventures like a sourcebook for generic fantasy adventures, focus on one detail of a setting (for example, extra monsters for a scenario), or provide material for adventures in multiple settings such as a sourcebook for characters with thieving and burgling skills.

Supplies

(paper, pencil, hex mats, blank forms for templates, occupations, ability and equipment lists)

Templates

Templates are used to generate characters. Each template represents a certain type of character. The character could be a person, animal, alien, monster or even a machine depending on their template. A template can be a race, species, model, stereotype or archetype. Age categories and sexes can have separate templates if the differences are significant. A template includes:

• The template's name, average mass, average length and length type, variability, and CP value
• The template's speed, agility, strength, toughness, running and possibly swimming and airspeed
• abilities and disabilities
• natural weapons and armor

Dimensions and Build

Mass

Record the average mass of characters based on this template.

Length and Length Type

Record the average length of characters based on this template and how it is measured: length, height or wingspan for example.

Variability

Variability determines how much characters with this template can differ from the average size and proportions.

	variability	CP	description
	none	-10	Characters of this template always have the average length, mass, agility, toughness and strength for their template. For example, a specific model of robot might be built to exact specifications and have no variability.
	low	-5	Characters of this template are always within 10% of the average length of their template. Bird species often have low variability.
	medium	0	Characters of this template can be up to 20% longer or shorter than the average length of their template. Humans and most mammals have medium variability.
	high	5	Characters of this template can be up to 30% longer or shorter than the average length of their template. Many reptiles grow slowly throughout their lives and have high variability. Species whose growth adjusts to the space or food available also have high variability.

Speed

Speed is maximum number of times a character based on this template can attack per round with a single weapon. Very large creatures typically have less speed. The main difference between speed and agility is that agility affects the success of actions while speed affects how fast actions can be performed.

	speed	CP	description
	¼	-30	very slow (sloth, tortoise)
	½	0	slow (python, elephant, turtle)
	1	30	medium (horse, average human speed)
	2	60	fast (dog, maximum human speed)
	3	90	fast (cat, shrew, tasmanian devil)

Agility (15 CP per level)

Agility is roughly based on size, but some templates are awkward or slow moving for their size, and others are surprisingly agile for their size. Human agility is 0, but agility for other species can be as high as 5 or as low as -5. Template agility determines the average and maximum agility characters created using this template can have. Each point of agility is worth 15 CP, so -5 agility would be worth -75 CP and 5 agility would be worth 75 CP.

Strength (10 CP per level)

Strength helps a character use heavy equipment and cause more damage. Template strength is usually less than template toughness and never less than 0. Creatures of roughly human size and power have 3 strength. Creatures with 0 strength cannot do any damage with their natural weapons. Each point of template strength is worth 10 CP.

Toughness (5 CP per level)

Toughness determines how much damage an average character based on the template can take without being injured or incapacitated. Template toughness is usually greater than or equal to template strength and never less than 0. Creatures of roughly human size and toughness have 5 toughness. Each point of template toughness is worth 5 CP.

Toughness, agility and strength are all related to a template's size. The following examples should help guide template creation, but some creatures will be stronger or weaker, quicker or clumsier than their mass would suggest.

Example	mouse	rat	cat	human	horse	elephant	whale
mass (kg)	0.02	0.3	5	80	500	8000	50,000
Agility	5	3	2	0	-2	-4	-5
agility CP	75	45	30	0	-30	-60	-75
Speed	1	1	1	1	1	½	½
speed CP	30	30	30	30	30	0	0
Toughness	0	1	2	5	12	40	100
toughness CP	0	5	10	25	60	200	500
Strength	0	1	2	3	8	25	50
strength CP	0	10	20	30	80	250	500
Cover	0	0	0	0	0	10	10
Absorption	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
armor CP	0	0	0	0	0	50	100
Total CP	105	90	90	85	140	440	1025

Running (10 CP per level)

Running determines how fast a typical character based on this template can travel on the ground. Running is measured in meters per second. Humans have 5 running. Running is never less than 0. Creatures with 0 running cannot move under their own power on land. Each point of running is worth 10 CP.

Swimming (10 CP per level)

Swimming determines how fast an untrained character based on this template can travel in water. Swimming is measured in meters per second. Humans have 0 swimming but they can learn to swim with training. Swimming is never less than 0. Creatures with 0 swimming cannot move under their own power in water. Each point of swimming is worth 10 CP.

Airspeed (10 CP per level)

Airspeed determines how fast a typical character based on this template can travel while flying. Airspeed is measured in meters per second. Only templates with the flying quality have airspeed (See Abilities and Qualities below.) Airspeed is never less than 0. Creatures with 0 airspeed have no control in the air but can float or glide with the speed and direction they were moving when they left the ground. Each point of running is worth 10 CP.

Abilities and Qualities

Abilities (8 CP per modifier level)

Templates can have natural abilities with a modifier level from 1 to 5. This is the minimum amount of this ability that all characters of this template will have and it affects the maximum ability modifier which they can develop. Each level of template ability modifier is worth 8 CP. (See Game Design/Abilities.)

Qualities are aspects of a template which do not have levels. Either a template has a quality or the template does not have it. Qualities can have a positive CP value, negative CP value or no CP value, depending on whether the quality is more of an advantage or disadvantage. A character can have some qualities which his template does not have, but in most games a character cannot have the mechanical quality or any of the flight-related qualities unless his template has it.

flying (15 CP)

This quality allows powered flight, like a bird that can fly by flapping it's wings.

gliding (10 CP)

This quality allows a character to steer while falling. A template cannot have both gliding and flying because flying includes the ability to steer while falling.

soaring (5 CP)

This quality allows a character to gain altitude by riding thermals. Soaring requires gliding or flying

parachuting (5 CP)

This quality prevents a character from taking falling damage. A template cannot have both parachuting and flying because flying includes the ability to take no damage from falling.

perfect regeneration (10 CP)

A character with perfect regeneration always heals successfully without having to roll. As a result, the character heals slightly faster than normal, even when exerting himself. The perfect regenerator is immune to many common types of infections (but not necessarily all diseases), and can regrow complete limbs and organs if he can live without them for long enough.

daily regeneration (10 CP)

The character heals daily instead of weekly, but still requires healing rolls and cannot regenerate most limbs and major organs unless he also has perfect regeneration.

hourly regeneration (30 CP)

The character heals hourly without healing rolls, and is able to regrow complete limbs and organs. (A character cannot have both hourly and perfect regeneration, because hourly regeneration includes all of the advantages of perfect regeneration.) In practice hourly regeneration usually means a character is automatically healed between battles, but does not heal during battles.

sudden regeneration (50 CP)

The character recovers half of his damage instead of all of his stun when he uses the rest action and has no stun.

mechanical (5 CP)

A mechanical character does not heal, but can be repaired using craftsmanship or abilities which allow characters to modify mechanical characters. Mechanical characters do not require surgery rolls when they are modified. Characters who do not have this ability are called organic characters. The main difference between mechanical and organic characters is how they are affected by trauma. (A very complex robot which can heal itself but can be easily destroyed by an attempted modification might not have the mechanical quality.) Mechanical characters do not decay as quickly as organic creatures, so they can be easier to resuscitate from fatal injuries. Mechanical characters can be repaired more quickly than organic (non-mechanical) character's heal. For each day of repairs the mechanical character recovers damage equal to the ability of the character performing the repairs plus circumstance modifiers. Mechanical characters recover from stun like normal characters. Even a simple machine can often correct temporary mechanical problems, especially autonomous and semi-autonomous robots with redundant systems like space probes.

blind (-70 CP)

The character has very poor or no vision (legally blind or worse.)

deaf (-30 CP)

The character has very poor or no hearing.

dumb (-10 CP)

The character cannot speak. In other words the character cannot reproduce the complex sounds used by some species for communication. Most species who do not have a complex language are dumb even though they use their voices for simple communication and emotional expression. (This ability is not related to intelligence or competence. See the inept and unintelligent qualities for characters who are "dumb" in the pejorative sense.)

mute (-15 CP)

The character has no voice. A template cannot have both the mute and dumb qualities because a mute character also cannot speak.

inept (-20 CP)

The character has serious difficulty doing most things a normal person can do, but may still be able to do some things well. The character has a -4 modifier to all rolls unless the character has an ability which applies to that roll. Animals which are smart but not as intelligent as people are often inept.

unintelligent (-40 CP)

The character does not do anything except what it was designed or trained to do, although it might be very good at those things. The things the character can do are basically limited to it's abilities. If the character does not have a fighting ability it cannot fight. If the character does not have a communication ability it cannot communicate. A template with this quality cannot have the inept quality because an unintelligent character cannot do any of the things which are difficult for an inept character.

Natural Armor

A template can have one or more types of natural armor.

Absorption

Each type of armor has an absorption feature with a value of at least 1. The absorption value is the amount of attack power the armor can block from a single attack.

	1	tough skin, scales or guard hairs
	2	big scales, small bones in skin, thick padding
	3-5	large bony plates, flattened ribs
	5-9	carapace, bony sheild, hard shell
	10+	extremely thick and tough armor

Cover

Each type of natural armor also has a cover feature with a value from 1 to 9 or complete. The cover value is the area protected by the armor.

	1	limited armor - protects a specific area of the body like a shield
	3	partial armor - more areas covered but less than 50%
	5	extensive armor - at least 50% cover like a shell or carapace
	7	mostly armored - covers most of the body but exposes large ares
	9	fully armored - covers the whole body but has weak points
	complete	tough hide - full cover without weak points

Natural Armor CP

The CP of natural armor is 5 multiplied by the cover and absorption values, or 50 multiplied by the absorption if the cover is complete. For example, natural armor with 3 cover and 2 absorption is worth 30 CP, and natural armor with complete cover and 4 absorption is worth 200 CP.

Natural Weapons

Describe each type of natural weapon and list the weapon's features. Natural weapons can have the following features:

quantity (0, -20 or -50 CP)

Having more than one natural weapon allows a creature to attack more often. If a creature cannot use it's natural weapons quickly, they may count as a single natural weapon. For example, an Elephant has both tusks and a trunk that can be used as weapons, but the elephant cannot use them as separate weapons in a combo attack. If a character has no natural weapons he cannot attack at all. This is worth -50 CP. If a character has only a single natural weapon, this is worth -20 CP. Two or more natural weapons are worth 0 CP.

hand (10 CP each)

A natural weapon may be a hand. Each hand allows you to wield one weapon. A character with at least two hands can do a secondary attack with a hand weapon - as long as the character has a weapon in each hand. Each pair of hands allows you to wield one two-handed weapon effectively. Each hand is worth 10 CP.

leverage (4 CP per level)

Sometimes characters have a natural weapon which is significantly larger or more powerful than the rest of the character's appendages. Leverage increases the power of attacks with this limb, but it does not increase the character's carrying capacity or make it easier to wield hefty weapons. Each point of leverage is worth 4 CP.

Some limbs can have less power than the character's strength. These limbs can have negative leverage, but the absolute value of this negative leverage cannot exceed the character's strength. (For example, if a template had a strength of 10, the lowest leverage any of its limbs could have would be -10.) Limbs with hands on them have -4 CP for each point of negative leverage, as long as the template has no more than one limb that has a hand and higher leverage or power.

range (1 CP per meter)

The maximum effective range of attacks with the weapon. Most natural weapons have no range. A weapon with range is typically a chemical or missile weapon (like spitting venom.) Exceptionally long limbs tend to have the offense feature rather than range. Each meter of range is worth 1 CP. The range feature is written with the number of meters of range followed by an "m" for meters. The word "range" does not have to be listed.

offense (5 or 10 CP)

Offense is a number (1 or 2) which is added to a character's attack modifier with this weapon. Long limbs which can easily reach past an opponent's defenses and help grappling attacks may have this feature. 1 offense is worth 5 CP and 2 offense is worth 10 CP.

sharp (20 or 30 CP)

Sharp weapons do all damage instead of half-damage and half-stun. One sharp natural weapon is worth 20 CP. Two or more sharp natural weapons is worth 30 CP.

padded (5 or 8 CP)

Padded weapons do all stun instead of half-damage and half-stun. One padded natural weapon is worth 5 CP. Two or more padded natural weapons is worth 8 CP.

Any natural weapon can be used to do blunt attacks which are not sharp or padded. As long as a character has some speed and mobility, he can fling some part of his body to bash, whip or slap an opponent. This means many short, blunt natural weapons do not have to be listed on a template or character sheet: a humanoid template might have only hands and feet listed as natural weapons, but they can also attack by biting, head-butting, and knee and elbow strikes, which are not listed.

Make a Template - Template Generation Example

To demonstrate the creation of a character template, this tutorial will show how to create a human template which can be used for many RPG settings. This template can be used to create most adult human characters, including both men and women.

1. Build - A quick Internet search suggests that average humans are around 75 kg and 1.7 meters tall. Most humans are within 20% of average height but many are more than 10% taller or shorter, so humans have medium variability (worth 0 CP.) Humans have 1 speed (worth 30 CP), 3 strength (worth 30 CP), 5 toughness (worth 25 CP), 0 agility (worth 0 CP), 5 running (worth 50 CP). Humans have no swimming, although individuals can learn to swim, and no airspeed because they cannot fly. 2. Abilities and Qualities - Humans have no special abilities or disabilities. 3. Natural Defenses - Humans have two or more natural weapons, which is worth 0 CP. They have two hands, which together are worth 20 CP. Humans have no natural armor. 4. Template CP - The total CP value of our new human template is 105 CP.

0 variability CP 25 toughness CP 30 strength CP 30 speed CP 0 agility CP 50 running CP 0 ability and quality CP 20 natural weapons CP + 0 natural armor CP 105 template CP

human, 75 kg, 1.7 m height, medium variability, 155 CP
1 speed, 0 agility, 3 strength, 5 toughness, 5 running
2 hands (hand)
2 feet

Occupations

Occupations describe what a character does: how the character makes a living and fits into society. Sometimes occupations are professions, careers, jobs or businesses, but volunteer work, hobbies and even crime can also be occupations. An occupation should include a description, at least one advantage and at least one requirement. Occupations can also have liabilities: effects which are not advantages. A game's list of occupations should balance the advantages and requirements of each occupation. Occupations can provide character development opportunities during the game. Characters can change occupations and have more than one occupation at the same time, as long as they meet the occupation's requirements and the game or GM allows it.

Description

Give the name of the occupation, what it's practitioners are called, and special terms for the occupation's activities. Explain what characters do in this occupation. Indicate the setting, culture, communities, nations, or worlds where this occupation is found, and how the occupation relates to them. Describe the organization of the profession: societies, traditions, rituals, competition, initiation, apprenticeships, status, reputation, etc. Explain how characters training for this occupation develop the requirements.

Requirements

Most occupations require minimum ability modifiers in one or more specific abilities. This reflects the training and education required by the occupation. An occupation may also require the character to have another occupation, or to have had that occupation in the past. This may indicate professional experience or rank. Occupations might require other specific accomplishments - things the character must do before acquiring the occupation. For example, a character might have to win a competition, or spend a certain amount of money.

Opportunities to acquire the occupation can be limited. Some occupations require the character to be elected or appointed. If there are a strictly limited number of positions available, a character may be unable to acquire the occupation until there is a vacancy. For example, a kingdom usually has only one king at a time.

Occupations might discriminate against certain types of characters. The occupation may not be allowed for characters of a particular template, sex, age, culture, social class or political alignment. If the occupation is allowed but significantly less compatible or popular with certain types of characters, explain why. (Or explain why the occupation is particularly popular or compatible with certain types of characters.) The occupation might also depend on the character's social connections, reputation or popularity, or the occupation might only be available as an inherited position.

Advantages

The advantages of having an occupation can include income, opportunities, status and privileges. An occupation can also improve or hurt a character's reputation. A better reputation is an advantage, but a worse reputation is a liability. The list of equipment required by an occupation is considered an advantage. When a character acquires the occupation, they receive this equipment if they don't already have it. An occupation's equipment list will often include multiple choices. If the character must invest a substantial amount of their own money to get this equipment, that cost might be a requirement of the occupation.

Liabilities

Occupations can require time commitments. They may limit how many other occupations the character can have. An occupation may even prevent the character from having any other occupations. Occupations can include duties which require a character to do certain things. An occupation can have standards of conduct and penalties for not keeping the occupation's rules. A character's reputation can be adversely affected by an unpopular or notorious occupation.

Occupation Examples

In this example each item is worth it's CP value in small silver coins.

Knight A Knight is required to have at least a +6 modifier in law ability and a +4 modifier to sword fighting ability. To maintain the occupation of Knight, the character must always obey the law in public, must always resist attempts to break the law in public, and must obey all direct orders from the King. Knights are always entitled to 500 coins worth of equipment from the King. (If this equipment is damaged or lost, it may be restored at the King's armory.) Knights are entitled to the property of any Robber they capture. In addition to the Robber's property, the knight is rewarded with pile of coins equal to the robber's CP.

Robber A Robber is required to have at least a +4 modifier to stealth ability and a +2 modifier in any armed combat ability. Robbers can always trade stolen items for half of the item's CP in coins on the black market. A Robber may lose these privileges if he aids in another Robber's capture.

If a character meets both of these occupation's requirements they may begin as either a Robber or Knight. If this character begins as a Robber, but gains the reputation of being a hero who is loyal to the king, and if he ceases to take advantage of his robber privileges, the King may choose to give this character the occupation of Knight. If this character begins as a knight, but proves himself disloyal to the king by participating in unlawful activity, he has the option of becoming a Robber, but loses all of his Knight privileges.

Consider two characters who are identical except that one character is a Knight and the other character is a Robber. The Knight has an advantage over the Robber, but the Knight also has stricter requirements.

Equipment

Equipment Lists

Equipment lists show the features of items in the game: CP value, mass, heft, power and so forth. These are similar to the features in the equipment section of a character sheet, except that they are independent of the character using them. (See Character Creation/Character Equipment.) Most equipment will have CP and mass, and most weapons will have heft and power. Other features are listed in the Features column of the equipment list. A detailed equipment list may include details such as the reduced pull required to keep a compound bow drawn, the procedure for operating firearms (cocking, reloading, burst fire, etc.) or the type of damage inflicted by weapons.

Item Name       CP  Mass   Heft Power Features
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________
______________ ____ ____kg ____ __-__ __________________

CP (Character Points)

The CP value of this item.

mass

The item's mass in kilograms. Weapon mass is based on heft (see below.) The mass of medieval armor is typically the wearer's mass multiplied by the armor's cover and absorption divided by 100. Some armor is heavier, especially scale armor and brigandine which are held together by a heavy cloth or leather backing. Modern armor and armor that only protects a vital area, such as a helmet or breastplate, can be lighter.

heft Heft is the power a character must have to wield the weapon easily. A weapon's heft is usually based on it's mass, but a hand weapon weighted for extra attack power, such as a mace, may have a little more heft. The heft of a bow reflects it's pull rather than it's weight. A firearm with a strong kick may have extra heft to reflect it's kick. If a weapon's heft is greater than the power of the character using it, the weapon is unwieldy. Unwieldy weapons may only be used to do one quick action per turn (and no powerful actions.) A heavy weapon may increase a character's encumbrance penalty too, reducing speed and movement.	Heft	Mass		Heft	Mass
	0	0 g		13	100 kg
	1	30 g		14	200 kg
	2	100 g		15	300 kg
	3	300 g		16	500 kg
	4	500 g		17	1 tonne
	5	1 kg		18	2 tonnes
	6	2 kg		19	3 tonnes
	7	3 kg		20	5 tonnes
	8	5 kg		21	10 tonnes
	9	10 kg		22	20 tonnes
	10	20 kg		23	30 tonnes
	11	30 kg		24	50 tonnes
	12	50 kg		25	100 tonnes

power

The equipment list shows two numbers for power. The first number is half of the weapon's power, rounded down. The second number is the weapon's full power. Power is the weapon's maximum attack power. A weapon's power is almost never less than it's heft. A well balanced hand weapon might have more power than it's heft, and a firearm can have much more power than heft.

range

Range is a value which is the weapon's maximum effective range in meters. Most natural weapons and hand weapons have no range. Small amounts of reach which make a big difference in combat are reflected by higher template agility and combat abilities or reach for some hand weapons (longer swords, staffs and polearms.)

cover

Cover is a value which determines how likely the item will block an attack. The chance that an attack will target the particular area protected by this item is as important as the amount of that area actually covered. For example, a helmet covering the head (a very important target) might have the same cover as armor completely protecting the feet and shins (more area, but not more important than the head.) Items with cover also have absorption.

absorption

Absorption is a value which determines how much attack power is absorbed by this item when it blocks an attack.

grapple

A weapon with grapple is especially effective at trapping limbs and weapons. Most flexible weapons have this feature. Add 1 to grappling attacks with this weapon.

reach

A weapon with reach is long but still easy to control. Add 1 to a character's combat modifier with this weapon. Flexible weapons usually have grapple instead of reach because they are more difficult to control.

sharp

sharp weapons do all damage instead of half damage and half stun.

padded

padded weapons do all stun instead of half damage and half stun

two-handed

Two handed weapons are normally used with two hands. It is possible to wield a two-handed weapon in one hand, but then the weapon loses it's grapple or reach advantage.

Equipment CP

power CP

The CP of power is 10 times it's modifier. (So for example, a power of 3 would be worth 30 CP.)

heft CP

The CP of heft is -10 times it's modifier. (So for example, a heft of 3 would be worth -30 CP.)

absorption and cover CP

Absorption and cover CP is 5 multiplied by cover and absorption. For example a piece of equipment with 5 cover and 2 absorption has 30 CP worth of absorption and cover.

special modifier CP

+1 parry (Par) or grapple (Grp) is worth 10 CP. +1 attack (Atk) is worth 10 CP.

sharpness CP

Most items can be used as a blunt weapon, so the CP of "blunt" sharpness is 0. Padding a weapon so that it only does stun damage is difficult and actually increases it's CP value by 5 CP. Making a useful cutting or piercing tool is more difficult and makes the item a deadlier weapon, so "sharp" sharpness is worth 20 CP.

Range CP

Each meter range is worth 1 CP.

Two Handed

A weapon being two-handed is worth -10 CP.

Combat Bonus

Some weapons give an extra combat bonus (Cmb). An additional combat bonus modifier of 1 is worth 20 CP.

The number of shots a bow or gun can fire without reloading and the number of turns required to reload the weapon can reduce the weapon's CP:

CP	shots		CP	reload time
0	10 or more		0	1 turn
-1	9		-4	2 turns
-2	8		-6	3 turns
-3	7		-8	4 turns
-4	6		-10	5 turns
-6	5		-12	6 turns
-8	4		-14	7 turns
-10	3		-16	8 turns
-15	2		-18	9 turns
-20	1		-20	10 or more

An item's mass also modifies its CP:

mass	CP		mass	CP		mass	CP
1 g	-1		1 kg	-10		1 tonne	19
2 g	-2		2 kg	-11		2 tonnes	20
5 g	-3		5 kg	-12		5 tonnes	21
10 g	-4		10 kg	-13		10 tonnes	22
20 g	-5		20 kg	-14		20 tonnes	23
50 g	-6		50 kg	-15		50 tonnes	24
100 g	-7		100 kg	-16		100 tonnes	25
200 g	-8		200 kg	-17		200 tonnes	26
500 g	-9		500 kg	-18		500 tonnes	27

Easily Detected weapons

A weapon having a flash is worth -5 CP (the weapon makes a bright, but not blinding, flash when fired, like a gun.) A weapon having a report is worth -10 CP (the weapon makes a loud, but not deafening, noise when fired, like a gun.) A weapon having smoke is worth -20 CP (the weapon makes a lot of smoke when fired, which impairs aiming and stealth, like a black powder gun)

Armor

Any equipment with cover and absorption is armor. Normally, the best absorption of all the armor worn by a character is subtracted from the power of successful attacks against the character. However an attacker can aim any attack to avoid armor, which increases the difficulty of the attack by the cover of the armor avoided. The attack can avoid all or just some of the armor a character is wearing. An attack cannot avoid armor that has complete cover.

Consider for example a character wearing a leather jacket (5 cover, 2 absorption) and a crash helmet (2 cover, 5 absorption). If an opponent attacks the character without specifically avoiding the character's armor, the armor will absorb 5 power from each attack. If an opponent tries to hit the character where the armor provides no protection, the armor will absorb no damage, but the difficulty will be increased by 7 (5 cover from the jacket plus 2 cover from the helmet.) However, the opponent can also try to avoid only the helmet. Then the leather jacket absorbs 2 power from each attack but the difficulty of the attack is only increased by 2 (the helmet's cover.)

Sometimes armor is worn in layers. A brigandine (vest lined with metal plates) is often worn over a gambeson (padded coat) or chainmail. Bulletproof ballistic vests often have optional inserts which offer extra protection to vital areas such as the heart. If one piece of armor is completely overlapped by another, the overlapping area has the cover of the smaller piece of armor and the absorption of both pieces added together. (This is like subtracting the cover of the layer with the least cover from the cover of the layer with the most cover, and adding the absorption of the layer with the most cover to the absorption of the armor with the least cover.)

Hand Weapons - example hand to hand weapon list

Blades           Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

knife/gaff/spurs 1-3  3  1 kg     sharp
spiked knuckles  1-3  3  1 kg     sharp
rapier           2-4  4  2 kg +1  sharp
short sword/pick 2-5  4  2 kg     sharp
broadsword       2-5  4  3 kg +1  sharp
longsword        3-6  5  5 kg +1  sharp two-handed
axe              3-6  5  4 kg     sharp

Bludgeons        Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

stick/cane/baton 2-5  4  1 kg
staff/pole       2-5  4  2 kg +1  two-handed
wooden sword     3-6  5  1 kg +1  two-handed
club/hammer      3-6  5  2 kg
mace             3-7  5  2 kg
mattock/maul     3-7  6  5 kg -1 
warhammer        4-8  6  3 kg     two-handed
chair            2-4  5  3 kg +1  two-handed

Polearms         Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

spear/trident    2-5  4  3 kg +1  sharp two-handed
pike             3-6  5  10kg     sharp two handed 2m range
other polearm    3-6  5  6 kg +1  sharp two-handed

Flexible Weapons Pwr Hft Mass Cmb Modifiers/Features

flail/nunchaku   2-5  4  2 kg
3 section staff  2-5  5  3 kg +1  grapple two-handed
ball and chain   3-6  6  8 kg +1  grapple two-handed
whip/riding crop 2-4  4  1 kg
bullwhip         2-5  5  2 kg +1  grapple 3m range
rope dart        2-4  3  1 kg +1  grapple sharp 3m range
chain whip       2-5  5  2 kg +1  grapple sharp

Missile Weapons - example long range weapon list

THROWN WEAPONS	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Cvr	Abs	Features
Boomerang		1 kg	3	2 - 4
Grapple		2 kg	6	3 - 6			grapple
Tomahawk/Javelin		1 kg	4	2 - 4			sharp
Harpoon		4 kg	6	3 - 6			sharp
Atlatl Dart		2 kg	4	2 - 4			sharp
Atlatl (Thrower)		1 kg	5	4 - 8			sharp, 30 m range
Stone/Bullet		0.1 kg	4	2 - 4
Sling		1 kg	5	3 - 6			15 m range
Staff Sling		2 kg	6	4 - 8			30 m range
BOWS	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Cvr	Abs	Features
Light Bow		1 kg	4	2 - 4			150 m range
Composite Bow		1 kg	5	3 - 6			180 m range
Longbow		2 kg	7	4 - 8			240 m range
Compound Bow		1 kg	4	3 - 6			150 m range
Crossbow		3 kg	8	4 - 8			210 m range
GUNS	CP	Mass	Heft	Power	Cvr	Abs	Features
Blowgun		0 kg	3	1 - 2			sharp, 15 m range
Pistol		1 kg	5	2 - 5			sharp, 90 m range
Submachinegun		2 kg	6	2 - 5			sharp, 90 m range
Hunting Rifle		3 kg	7	3 - 6			sharp, 450 m range
Shotgun		3 kg	7	3 - 7			sharp, 45 m range
Assault Rifle		3 kg	7	4 - 8			sharp, 450 m range
Machinegun		15 kg	10	10 - 20			sharp, 600 m range
Grenade Launcher		2 kg	6	5 - 10			sharp, 150 m range
Rocket Launcher		5 kg	8	7 - 15			sharp, 200 m range