ShatteredPrism:Rules Book
Contents
The Big Book of Skills
Introduction
This represents the current playable rules. These rules are still in development, but should be playtest ready.
Character Generation
Attributes
- Primary Attributes
- Primary Attributes are measures of raw mental and physical capabilities. While skills help determine what your character *knows* how to do, Attributes will help determine how well they can do it.
Physical
- Strength
- Physical Strength is a measure of your body's ability to deal out raw, natural power. Physical Strength focuses on muscular tone, lifting power and the strength of a punch. A person with a high physical strength would be able to run faster, leap higher, punch harder and lift more.
- Coordination
- Physical Coordination is a measure of the body's ability to react to events and avoid them if necessary. Physical Coordination focuses on one's reflexes, reaction time, and flexibility. Someone with a high dexterity would be able to dodge a blow, climb a wall, squeeze through a fence and do acrobatics better.
- Endurance
- Physical Endurance is the raw capacity of the body to resist trauma and damage. Physical Endurance focuses on the strength of one's immune system: the ability to stay awake and active longer; the resilience of one's skin, muscle and bone. A person with a high endurance would be able to run a longer distance, resist more damage to his/her body, and maintain normal health without food and water for longer periods of time.
- Potential
- Physical Potential is a measure of your body's ability to build itself up and to go beyond present capabilities. Someone with high Potential would be able to master physical skills faster and be better equipped to raise their physical abilities beyond present levels.
Mental
- Strength
- Mental Strength is a measure of the mind's raw processing power and intelligence. Mental Strength focuses on memory and IQ. Someone with a high Intelligence Quotient would perform better on a test, have stronger mental abilities, and generally be considered "smarter" than someone else.
- Coordination
- Mental Coordination is a measure of the mind's quickness of reaction, perception of details, general alertness and wits. Mental Coordination focuses on being able to quickly adapt to drastic changes in a situation, notice small details in a room, not be taken by suprise, and think one's way around a problem.
- Endurance
- Mental Endurance is a measure of the mind's ability to keep working despite mental Trauma, stress or lengthy periods of danger, as well as to work out problems with lower level, or "instinctual" responses, as opposed to the higher level thinking involved with Mental Strength. Mental Endurance focuses on wisdom, willpower, and sheer determination.
- Potential
- Mental Potential is a measure of your brain's ability to build itself up and to go beyond present capabilities. Someone with high Growth would be able to master intellectual skills faster and be better equipped to raise their mental abilities beyond present levels.
Determining Primary Attributes
Determining the Primary Attributes can be accomplished in one of two ways:
- Method 1
- Start by assigning 4 points to each Primary Attribute. Then roll 1d6 die. Add the result to the attribute of your choice. Repeat for each attribute.
- Method 2
- Start by assigning 5 points to each Primary Attribute. Then distribute a total pool of 36 points however you like among the attributes. (Pool of 48 for 8 attributes)
There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. The first method is primarily used by those players who do not yet have a character concept in mind, and want to create their character around their Attributes, while the second method allows those with a clear concept to sculpt the attributes around that concept. Use whichever method you prefer.
Derived Attributes
- Initiative
- Determines what Tick the character starts combat on. Value must have a range who’s max value is a multiple of 5. (PC + MC / 4) (Min: 1, Avg: 3, Max: 5) (Invert)
- Damage Threshold
- This is an amount of damage that is ignored thanks to inherent defenses or toughness. Expressed in absolute values of damage ignored from every attack. Any damage exceeding this amount is deducted from either Health or Stun Pools.
- Wounds
- Total number of wound levels before the character becomes incapacitated. All damage types reduce this stat, though the in-game effects may differ. Expressed as an absolute value.
- Energy
- A form of all encompassing energy source. Describes everything from mana, psi-energy, and shii, to stamina, bio-electric energy and other innate consumable energy sources. All actions during combat require the expenditure of Energy. In addition, activating any power, in or out of combat, requires Energy. Expressed as an absolute value with no upper limit. (PE + ME x30) (Min: 300, Avg: 420)
- Reputation
- Personal reputation of the character. Expressed as two values. The first ranges between 1 and 20, the second is absolute value with no upper limit.
- Rank
- Rank of the character within the Freelancer organization. Each Rank will have an associated salary which is added to the bank account at the completion of each Mission, and can be modified based on performance. Expressed as absolute value.
- Health
- This is a measure of the total abuse or damage the body and mind can endure. When the Health Pool is reduced to zero, coma and potential death ensues.
- Stun
- This is a measure of the total abuse or damage the body and mind can endure. When Stun is reduced to zero, the character will fall unconscious and possibly slip into a non life threatening coma.
- Energy
- The Energy attribute is used to measure energy expended in combat, or any other strenuous activity. When performing actions or attacks in combat, Energy is used up, and is regained when resting. Running out of Energy in combat can then be considered very dangerous, as no energetic actions can be performed until the body has had a chance to rest. Pacing one’s depletion of Stamina is often the key to surviving combat encounters.
Select Skills
All skills which are not bought by a character default to a base value of 1. Normal difficulty tasks can be attempted by any character, even without formal training. It is up to the GM to determine if a particular task requires formal training to attempt. When a player spends Improvement Points to train a skill, the initial value acquired is 5, and goes up from there.
Templates
- Trait Templates
- Trait Templates are packages of skills and associated ratings, attached to a descriptor. An example would be the Fighter Pilot template, found within the Occupation category.
- Species
- Contains traits and values common to all members of selected species.
- Faction
- Faction templates contain skills which most or all citizens of that faction would likely learn if they grew up there.
- Culture
- Contains traits and values common to most/all individuals growing up in this type of culture/area.
- Previous Occupation
- Represents the occupation/s of the character prior to joining a Freelancer team. Contains traits and values common to most/all practitioners of that occupation/s.
- Age
- Age templates, if used, allow multiple Occupation templates to be chosen for older characters. May also contain traits and values which only appear at certain ages.
Skill Catagories
- Physical Skills
- Physical skills are those areas of knowledge that rely heavily on physical activity and training, and include such skills as climbing, swimming, acrobatics, and martial arts.
- Knowledge Skills
- Knowledge skills are those areas of knowledge that primarily rely on mental study and memorization of facts. Examples include Mathematics, chemistry, demonology, and law.
- Practical Skills
- Practical skills are a sort of hybrid between physical effort and learned knowledge, and include such things as demolitions, automotive mechanics, carpentry, and gunsmithing.
- Social Skills
- Social skills is a fairly narrow category, and includes skills which are intended to be used primarily in situations where a PC must engage an NPC in a social situation, and needs/wants a hard determination to the degree of the NPC’s reaction. Examples include seduction, haggling, intimidation, interrogation, and leadership. It should be noted that these skills are *not* intended for PC vs PC social interaction, this should primarily be accomplished through roleplaying whenever possible.
Skill Specialties
- Skill Specialties
- These can be purchased which represent particular training or natural knacks which the character possesses. These Specs can be almost anything (With GM approval of course), and can be applied to many different skills. In all instances, Specs provide a flat bonus of 20% to the TN of any rolls.
Example: Specialty "Invertibrate Anatomy" might usually be coupled with Skill "Biology" but it may be applied to any skill, as with Skill "Firearms" it means "knowing where to shoot those pesky alien molluscs" or with Skill "Doctoring" it means "knowing how to heal those poor alien molluscs someone keeps shooting."
