Home >

Equipment

This section covers the rules governing tools and equipment that characters may use during games using the 2d20 System. This may vary from weapons and armor in action-packed, combat-heavy games, to valuable resources and vital information in games of intrigue and politics, to specialized tools for games focused upon experts seeking to solve complex problems with skill and panache.

Contents

Common Concepts

There are a few common concepts that apply to all items of equipment, from the tiniest pocketknife to massive combat vehicles.

Equipment as Traits

Fundamentally, all equipment functions as a form of Trait, as described in the Core Rules. In essence, a piece of equipment will allow you to do one or some of the following, depending on what the item is:

  • Allow you to attempt something which you couldn’t attempt normally
  • Make an activity you could normally attempt easier to perform
  • Prevent an opponent (or an environmental hazard) from affecting you
  • Make an action taken against you more difficult to perform

Equipment traits should typically be viewed as positive and beneficial to the user—you wouldn’t carry around something that was a hindrance unless it was valuable or useful in some other way.

Equipment traits can be moved from character to character, so long as the narrative of this transfer makes sense; a mobile phone can be handed to another person easily, but it takes more effort to ‘give’ someone else the car that your character has been driving.

Optionally, all equipment can be handled purely in this way. Indeed, you could even handle more ephemeral concepts like “incriminating evidence” and “scandalous rumors” in much the same way. However, depending on the nature of your game, it can be useful to approach some types of items in more detail. Weapons and armor are normally amongst these, as are vehicles.

Equipment Size and Carrying Capacity

For the most part, the 2d20 System doesn’t worry too much about how heavy items are, or how much a person can carry, at least not to the degree of tracking how heavy an individual item is and how much weight a person can carry.

Rather, we opt for a simpler, more direct way of handling size and carrying capacity.

Items are divided into three categories for the purposes of carrying capacity: trivial items, minor items, and major items. Any equipment larger than a major item is too large for a person to move and carry by themselves, and will commonly be classed as a vehicle (in which case it follows its own rules), or as a facility (where the equipment is fixed in place within a building).

Trivial items are tiny objects, stowed away in pockets, clipped to belts, or in various other places. A character can carry an unlimited number of trivial items (GM’s discretion applies if players try to push this too far), and it doesn’t really matter where they’re carrying them. Some trivial items are so minor that they don’t even need to be written on the character sheet in advance: small change, a book or matches or a lighter, a pen or pencil, and similar tiny personal items can be assumed to be on a character’s person as and when needed unless the GM says otherwise.

Minor items are small and easily carried, their size and weight allowing them to be stowed in pockets and pouches, hung on belts, or tucked into clothing. A knife, pistol, mobile phone, or wallet is considered a minor item. Minor items are not immediately obvious when carried, though any search (a difficulty 0 skill test) will find them unless they’re specifically hidden away.

Major items are large and bulky, limiting how many you can carry and how easily they can be stowed away. Major items are carried in-hand, take up a significant amount of space in a bag or pack, or may be fitted with straps for easier carrying over the shoulder or on the back. A rifle, laptop computer, sword, or skill kit (see later in this chapter) is a major item. Most major items are immediately obvious when carried.

A character can carry one major item, and up to three minor items without being weighed down. You may carry three extra minor items in place of a major item, or you may carry one extra major item in place of three minor items.

[Begin Sidebar]

GM Guidance: Trivial Items On-Hand

One useful trick to avoid requiring players to list every trivial item they think they’ll need is to make allowances for such items to simply be “on-hand”, routinely carried in pockets or elsewhere about their person as a matter of course without being remarked upon. Naturally, this will depend on circumstances; a character in their own home or near a vehicle they own will probably have more “on-hand” items than if they were in the middle of a busy city street or hiking in the woods, and a character’s personal traits can be a useful prompt for the kinds of items they might carry, where a “dedicated outdoorsman” is more likely to carry a pocketknife, while an “intrepid journalist” is probably carrying a pen and notebook.

This can be left as purely a matter of GM discretion—the player asks “do I have a lighter on me”, and you decide whether or not they do—or it can be handled mechanically.

  • Momentum: each session, a character receives one “on-hand” item for free. Each “on-hand” item beyond the first, however, costs 1 Momentum or adds 1 to Threat.
  • Chance: each session, a character receives one “on-hand” item for free. For each “on-hand” item beyond the first, however, roll Challenge Die equal to the number of “on-hand” items already received. If any effects are rolled, that item isn’t available at the time—the character may have such an item somewhere, but it’s at home, fallen out of their pocket, empty, or otherwise unusable or absent.
  • Mishap: the GM errs on the side of allowing a player to have whatever “on-hand” items they desire (unless the players are really trying to exploit this), but the GM may veto any such item by spending 1 Threat—the item isn’t available right at that moment.

[End Sidebar]

Heavy Lifting

Characters wishing to carry more can do so in one of two ways: carrying items, such as backpacks, briefcases, and suitcases (which may also make it easier to hide items), or by having a high Brawn attribute.

Brawn Extra Items Carried
8 or lower None
9 1 minor item
10-11 2 minor items
12-13 3 minor items (or 1 major item)
14-15 4 minor items (or 1 major and 1 minor)
16+ 5 minor items (or 1 major and 2 minor)

A character may also choose to carry more than their limit by choosing to be encumbered. Being encumbered is a trait, making moving or carrying more difficult, or even impossible depending on how much the character seeks to carry.

[Begin Sidebar]

Encumbrance Variants

Treating encumbered as a trait is the simplest and most straightforward option here, but some games may suit an alternative approach.

  • Encumbrance Fatigue: Carrying more than your normal limit of items inflicts 1 Fatigue per scene. Carrying a major item or 3 minor items more than your normal limit inflicts 2 fatigue per scene. You cannot physically carry more than this.
  • Encumbered Momentum: if you’re encumbered, and you generate any Momentum from a successful skill test, you reduce the amount of Momentum you generate by 1 for every minor item above your limit you are carrying.

[End Sidebar]

Acquisitions and Resources

Many games will assume that the player characters belong to some larger group or network with the same goals, who can supply the PCs with tools, equipment, and other useful resources as a matter of course for their adventures. Each player character is likely to have an assortment of personal items they routinely carry or use, provided during character creation, as well as items collected during their prior adventures, but access to an assortment of items from an agency or a group of allies is always useful to supplement that personal gear.

Item Restrictions

All items have a restriction rating, expressed as a number, normally from 0 to 6, with a higher restriction representing that an item is scarce, highly regulated, extremely rare, or even illegal to obtain.

Item Restriction Rating
Freely available, commonplace items, such as food and drink, clothing, etc. 0
Simple weapons, skill toolkits, scarce or specialized equipment 1
Military-grade equipment, heavily restricted items 2
Heavy weaponry, high explosives 3
Experimental, rare, or advanced equipment 4+

Naturally, the restriction rating of items should be tailored to the specifics of your game’s setting.

Personal Gear

Every character has a certain amount of personal equipment, provided during character creation. Barring extreme circumstances, you always have access to these items. If personal gear is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced between adventures, though the GM may decide that it takes time to replace items with a Restriction of 4 or higher.

The group supporting the PCs will always endeavour to give their agents exactly what they need to carry out any mission they’re dispatched on, but this isn’t always possible—such groups often face their own struggles obtaining supplies and keeping their operatives well-equipped.

Mission Requisitions

At the start of each adventure, the characters have an opportunity to requisition additional items to help them complete that mission. The group will be granted a quantity of requisition points, which may be spent upon individual items. Common levels of requisition points, determined by how much support the mission is receiving, are shown below:

Mission Support Restriction Points Granted Maximum Restriction Rating
Minimal 0, plus 1 per PC 2
Low 5, plus 1 per PC 3
Moderate 5, plus 2 per PC 4
High 10, plus 2 per PC 4
Extensive 10, plus 3 per PC 5

Each item costs points equal to its Restriction rating.

The gamemaster may choose to pre-spend some of your requisition points on items necessary for the mission to be successful, such as explosives if a building needs to be sabotaged.

Items with a Restriction above 5 cannot be requisitioned: they must be obtained through a special request. The Gamemaster may veto any individual items requested, or may declare that some items are not currently available through normal mission requisitions, and must be requested through special requisitions.

At the end of an adventure, upon return to base any requisitioned items must be returned. If items are lost or destroyed, then this may result in fewer requisition points being granted on the next adventure, or it may cause those items to be unavailable in future.

The only items that aren’t expected back are resources: ammo, skill kit resources, and fuel, but you do have to return any resources you come back to base with.

Special Requisitions

On top of the broad category of mission requisitions, characters may seek to request individual items on a case-by-case basis, especially those of a rare or occult nature. These are treated as special requisitions, and they are handled separately, due to their uncommon and precious character.

You may have to run a special requisition ‘up the flagpole’ to the leaders of your organization, and it often requires a skill test to persuade those leaders of the need for the item and can provide a scene with that character.

If you successfully plead your case, access is granted to the item in question. Additional requests are harder to get, increasing the difficulty of your next request for the same mission. Losing or having the item destroyed may result in serious repercussions in your organization.

Field Acquisitions

Once a mission has begun, items cannot be requisitioned (outside of specific situations which may occur at the gamemaster’s discretion, such as emergency supply drops). However, items can still be obtained if they can be located out in the field. This frequently requires dealing with black marketeers, and other clandestine organizations, or simply securing the items personally.

This requires a skill test to acquire the item. The attribute and skill used varies based on how you’re getting the gear. The difficulty of the test is normally the Restriction rating of the item, though this may be higher or lower based on the local conditions (obtaining extra ammunition is easier if you can steal it from a munitions factory, for example).

  • Attempting to persuade a contact to part with supplies Involves the Talk
  • Attempting to steal an item from somewhere will likely involve the Move

Foraging, scavenging, and salvage will probably involve Survival, though the quality of any man-made items obtained in this way might be dubious and may require an Operate test to get working properly. Finding the parts needed for an item may require Know to locate and identify the components needed. The item may be created from those parts, or by repairing a damaged or discarded item.

Acquisitions Variants

While many games using the 2d20 System use a premise based on the PCs having allies and superiors sending them on missions and providing them with tools and resources, that won’t be true for all games, so we’ve provided several alternatives here, some of which can be combined to produce different styles of in-game economy to engage with.

Cash Economy

The simplest variant to use, though one of the more time-consuming to implement, is a simple cash economy: characters will gain money during their adventures, and items and services have prices (which the PCs might adjust if they haggle well) in the same currency.

In a game set in the modern day, modern currencies such as British Pounds (£), US, Canadian, Australian, or New Zealand Dollars ($), and Euros (€) make this a familiar prospect that everyone at the table can connect with easily, and finding out how much something costs is as easy as a quick internet search. In historical games, historical records from businesses and the currencies used in the past can be found with a little research to find out what money was like and how much things cost. In a game set in the future, there’s nothing to stop you devising some future currency (or the ever-popular generic “credits”) and figuring out how much things cost in a utopia or dystopia of your own devising.

However, for all that a basic transaction is simple, money is complicated. In a game set in the modern day, you either need to handwave away the complexities of tax, credit, and loans that make money in real-life so … but that in turn may keep some items out of reach of the player characters—it’s difficult to have a game with a thrilling car chase if none of the PCs can actually afford a car, but at the same time you don’t want to have to think about car loans, credit ratings, interest rates, fuel prices, car insurance, etc.

Using real-world cash prices and simple cash transactions in your game is a straightforward matter on the surface but can present complications in some settings where finance is complex. This will require abstractions to work properly, so it’s all about which abstractions are most acceptable to you and your group.

Coin

A similar, but simpler, approach to a cash economy in-game is Coin. It functions much like a cash economy, but all money and valuable items are abstracted into a simpler, easier-to-manage value, normally referred to as Coin, Gold, Wealth, or something similar depending on the game. Small purchases, for trivial items and tiny amounts of money are hand-waved or grouped together as part of regular activity, with a simple ‘upkeep’ cost paid during downtime between adventures, covering all sorts of small, routine expenses, replenishing common resources like ammo and skill supplies, paying for food and lodgings, fuel for vehicles, etc.

In this system, 1 coin is normally a sizeable, non-trivial amount of money—maybe equivalent to about £50 or £100 in terms of purchasing power.

This often works best in fantasy or historical games, or games set on the frontiers of civilization, where barter, trade goods, and simple money make more sense and the circumstances for more complicated finances aren’t widespread.

Wealth Tracks

Another method is to handle a character’s wealth and resources as a whole more abstractly, treating them as another form of stress track.

In this variant, each acquisition a character makes, each time they spend money, that purchase rolls [CD] based on the cost of that item—a cheap item may only have a Cost of 2[CD], while an expensive one might have a Cost of 8[CD] with one or more Damage Effects applied, such as Vicious, Piercing X, or Intense. The total rolled on those Challenge Dice become stress added to the character’s Wealth track, and as normal with any stress track, if enough stress is inflicted, it will inflict Harm… which in this case represents significant strains on the character’s resources.

As with any stress track, characters have Resistance, which would be determined by the character’s general level of wealth: a wealthy character can absorb the impact of purchases far more easily than an impoverished one. Momentum on a test to find a seller might be spent on extra Resistance here, representing finding or negotiating a better deal, that lessens the impact of the purchase.

Stress on the wealth track is cleared at the end of each adventure, with the assumption that characters have a regular income. A character can only suffer one Harm from wealth (which is a Trait as normal), but this can be cleared (or avoided) by spending assets the character owns—valuable items, reserves of extra cash saved up, shares or investments.

This mechanism can be quite fun and interesting to play with, as it turns a part of the game that’s normally just tracking numbers into actual gameplay, but some players may find it intrusive for those same reasons. This is very much a playstyle choice.

Wealth Levels

This variant is the closest to the basic acquisitions rules described on p. XX, but determines a character’s access to items and services by their wealth, rather than by the nature of the mission. In this variant, each character receives a Wealth Level, which represents their lifestyle and provides them with a sum of points per adventure which can be spent on acquiring equipment, securing services, and so forth.

At a Wealth level of Comfortable or higher, a character can obtain items of Restriction 1 without spending Restriction points—they are a trivial matter for such a character. Independently Wealthy characters can obtain Restriction 1 or 2 items without spending points.

The amount of Restriction Points provided per adventure is a baseline, representing the amount of cash-on-hand, available credit, etc., the character has. A wealthy character may have possessions worth much more than the items they can obtain each session, but the Restriction Points per adventure represent what the character has left over after their other expenses. Any acquisitions a character attempts beyond their Restriction Points require more work to obtain, such as rearranging finances, selling items, looking for bargains, and are covered by the Field Acquisitions rules.

Wealth Level Restriction Points per Adventure Trivial Acquisitions
Wretched 1
Squalid 2
Poor 3
Modest 4
Comfortable 5 1
Wealthy 6 1
Independently Wealthy 7 2

Wretched. You live in inhumane conditions. You are homeless, and while this means you don’t have many outgoings, you also don’t have much income either, probably getting by with itinerant work, begging, and selling off anything valuable you find to a pawnbroker.

Squalid. You live desperate conditions, likely in a shelter or somewhere barely suitable for human habitation. You’ve got shelter from the elements, and a home address sufficient to maintain steady(ish) work. Still, the rent is too damned high, and you’re never far from some expensive emergency, so even a meager income is stretched thin.

Poor. You live in bad conditions, probably in a too-small apartment somewhere undesirable, or a trailer in an abandoned lot. You’d barely get by on one full-time job, or two part-time jobs, and you’ve had to make the bad choices between food, heat, or some other essential more times than you care to remember.

Modest. A modest lifestyle keeps you out of the worst parts of town, you don’t have to choose between food and warmth. You’ve even got a decent bit of spending money left at the end of the month, enough to afford a few much-needed luxuries. Still, a good chunk of your cash goes on rent each month, the prospect of buying a home is just out of reach, and your health insurance is only just about good enough for minor sickness and injuries.

Comfortable. Choosing a comfortable lifestyle means that you can afford nicer stuff and can easily maintain your equipment. You can rent a decent place, or maybe you’ve managed to buy somewhere to live, and you’ve got enough money from a decent job spare to save up for the occasional holiday or luxury purchase without impacting the routine little luxuries that get you through the week.

Wealthy. You almost certainly own a home and can afford to pay for quality in everything you have and do. You’re well-off by most standards and draw at least some of your regular income through investments, perhaps renting out other properties you own, or perhaps playing the stock market, but that still comes on top of a regular job with good benefits and a great salary.

Independently Wealthy. You live a life of plenty and comfort. You move in circles populated by the most powerful people in the community. You don’t really need to work – between inherited wealth and investments, and possibly a trust fund, you’ve got enough passive income that you only really work to increase your wealth and standing further, or because it gives you something to do.  You probably have a few obligations as part of your social circles and finance connections, and you may well be involved in politics simply because politicians seek your support (i.e., your money) for their campaigns, and you can have celebrity status if you want just by being seen in the right places with the right people. Alternatively, wealth can bring you anonymity, allowing you to interact with the world without the world bothering you in return.

Armor

Armor and other protective gear come in a variety of shapes and sizes, providing varying degrees of coverage and protection, though sometimes with drawbacks. The armor presented in this section is fitting for a modern-day or near-future setting, but the principles apply to armor from any era.

Armor is always considered a Major Item, but wearing armor means that it does not count towards your carrying capacity. A character may only wear one suit of armor at a time.

Armor will have all the following categories:

Resistance

Each form of armor provides an amount of Armor Resistance. Armor Resistance reduces damage inflicted by physical attacks, as described in Chapter 3: Conflict. Armor Resistance is always expressed as a number.

Qualities

Some suits of armor may have one or more of the following Qualities.

  • Ablative: The armor is filled with solid ceramic or metal plates to absorb heavy impacts, such as from gunshots, which break or deform when struck with sufficient force. When a character wearing Ballistic armor is Defeated by a Wound, they may sacrifice the armor. If they do this, they are still Defeated, but the Wound that Defeated them is temporary, and will be healed fully at the end of the scene. If that Wound would have caused the character to be Dying, then sacrificing the armor also prevents this.
  • Environment (X): The armor is designed to protect against a specific environmental condition as well, which replaces the X in the quality’s name. This could be extremes of temperature or pressure and reduces the Difficulty of any skill test made to resist the negative effects of that environment.
  • Heavy: The armor counts as a major item even while it is worn.
  • Helmet: This protective headgear makes it safer for the wearer to peek out from behind cover; if the character is currently benefiting from any cover dice, they gain +1[CD] Cover. A character may wear one Helmet in addition to any other armor worn.
  • Hidden X: The armor is designed to be worn covertly, hidden under clothing or in plain view disguised as ordinary clothing. Characters will not spot Hidden armor on a cursory inspection, and any skill test to search for the armor increases in Difficulty by X.
  • Uncomfortable: The armor is uncomfortable and awkward to wear for long periods. At the end of every scene the character wears the armor, they suffer 1 Fatigue.
Name Armor Resistance Qualities Restriction
Helmet 0 Ablative, Helmet 0
Leather Jacket, Protective Clothing, etc. 1 0
Armor-lined Clothing 1 Hidden 3 2
Light Undercover Vest 2 Hidden 2 2
Undercover Vest 2 Ablative, Hidden 1 2
Tactical Vest 3 Ablative 2
Combat Body Armor 4 Ablative, Uncomfortable 3
Heavy Combat Armor 5 Ablative, Heavy, Uncomfortable 3
Bomb Suit 6 Ablative, Heavy, Uncomfortable 4

Armor Types

Helmet

Protective headgear comes in countless varieties for different jobs and purposes. While a helmet provides little protection against direct attack, they’re useful for protecting against minor impacts and glancing hits.

Leather Jacket, Protective Clothing, etc.

Leather jackets and a variety of personal protective equipment can provide a minimal amount of protection from attack.

Armor-lined Clothing

While uncommon, layers of kevlar or other ballistic cloth sewn into the lining of outerwear is a useful way to gain a little protection without advertising that you’re wearing armor. It’s also becoming staple of action movies to have tailored suits containing an armored layer, for extra-stylish fight scenes.

Light Undercover Vest

A slim-fitting vest of kevlar or other ballistic cloth that can be hidden under other clothing easily. It doesn’t provide a huge amount of protection, but it also isn’t particularly bulky or awkward either.

Undercover Vest

A heavier form of the light undercover vest, augmented with metal, plastic, or ceramic plates to absorb some of the impact, but this added bulk makes it harder to hide the vest.

Tactical Vest

A larger, bulkier form of the undercover vest, designed instead to be worn on top of other clothing. They’re often fitted with assorted straps, pouches, and attachment points for other gear, and they’re relatively easy to put on when time is of the essence. Law enforcement agents often wear these emblazoned with “Police” or the name of their agency.

Combat Body Armor

A heavy-duty tactical vest but containing extra armored sections covering more of the body—a raised collar, extra panels in the sides of the abdomen, extra upper arm protection, etc.—to provide the wearer with enhanced protection. While every effort is made to ensure the armor is as comfortable as possible, a balance must be struck between protection and comfort.

Heavy Combat Armor

A reinforced form of the combat body armor above, this is seldom used outside of the most dangerous situations due to the extra weight of the armor.

Bomb Suit

A heavy, bulky suit designed to protect bomb disposal technicians from explosives at close range. They are thus extremely protective, but cumbersome and ill-suited to be worn for long periods of time.

Personal Belongings

This section describes the way in which a character’s equipment and possessions influence his actions. The tools and items that a character uses can improve their ability to perform tasks or grant them new options that he would not possess otherwise.

Belongings are, broadly speaking, any items of equipment that don’t fall into any other category. As a rule of thumb, belongings can be most easily represented as Traits: reducing the Difficulty of certain Skill Tests the character attempts or making some Skill Tests possible where they wouldn’t otherwise have been possible. The Traits can also provide the basis for description as to how a character carries out the activity. As they represent physical objects, Traits that represent items can be passed freely between characters.

A lot of these items are commonly described as kits, which represent a collection of useful tools and materials for performing a specific type of Skill Test. For example, a first aid or medical kit is used with Coordination + Survive Tests made to treat injuries, while an electrician’s toolkit is used with Coordination + Operate Tests made to repair electronic devices. These kits provide an Trait, reducing the Difficulty of those tests by 1, or allowing some Tests that might be impossible without those tools.

Further, kits are often used alongside limited resources that generate additional Momentum for use on the Test – either before the Test, to buy bonus d20s, or after the Test to gain other benefits. Some particularly involved tasks may require that one or more uses of a resource be expended, without the normal bonus, for the Task to even be attempted. When new, a kit comes with three uses of the associated resource per adventure, which are replenished (back up to three) at the start of each new adventure (this is part of the character’s normal downtime).

In some cases, smaller and larger versions of kits may exist as well. Smaller versions contain no uses of the associated resource, and they are expended after being used for a single Skill Test.

Larger versions are facilities, built into rooms or buildings, or possibly into especially large vehicles, such as ambulances as a facility for Tests to treat injuries. They come with ten of the associated resource, and are, in essence, treated as two stacking Traits for the associated type of Skill Test.

Some items may have specific effects instead of counting as Traits. These tools provide benefits in one of a few different ways. Sometimes the benefits come by themselves, while at other times the benefit may come at a cost. Some of these items provide Bonus Momentum for specific benefits, or they allow one or more d20s to be re-rolled on an associated Skill Test.

Name Skill (Focus) Type Size Restriction Rating
Ammo Belt Fight 3 Resources Minor 1
Analytical Tools Know (Science) Kit +3 Resources Major 1
Burglar’s Tools Move (Stealth) Kit +3 Resources Major 1
Clinic Survival (Medicine) Facility +10 Resources 3
Demolition Kit Operate (Explosives) Kit +3 Resources Major 2
Disguise Kit Talk (Deception) Kit +3 Resources Major 1
Dressing Room Talk (Deception) Facility +10 Resources 2
Electrician’s Tools Operate (Electronics) Kit +3 Resources Major 1
False ID Talk (Deception) Kit Trivial 2
First Aid Kit Survival (Medicine) One-use kit Minor 1
Garage Operate (Mechanics) Facility +10 Resources 2
Laboratory Know (Science) Facility +10 Resources 2
Mechanic’s Tools Operate (Mechanics) Kit +3 Resources Major 1
Medic’s Bag Survival (Medicine) Kit +3 Resources Major 2
Workshop Operate (Electronics) Facility +10 Resources 2

Skill Kits and Facilities

Ammo Belt

A bandoleer or belt of ammunition, which stores up to 3 additional Reloads (see p. XX). This is in addition to any Reloads provided with a weapon.

Analytical Tools

Analytical tools allow a character to perform chemical testing, with apparatus for identifying various compounds, reactions, and other useful tests, normally covered by tests using the Know (Science) skill. The tools come with enough chemicals and reagents to count as 3 Resources.

Burglar’s Tools

A bag of burglar’s tools contains lock picks, small screwdrivers, a short crowbar and hammer, boot polish and other oils and lubricants to assist in breaking and entering into a secure location, normally covered by tests using the Move (Stealth) skill. The kit comes with enough disposable supplies to count as 3 Resources.

Clinic

A clinic is a facility for medical care, containing a variety of useful tools for helping sick or injured characters, normally covered by skill tests using the Survive (Medicine) skill. Its cabinets contain enough medicines and other supplies to count as 6 Resources.

Demolition Kit

A demolition kit contains everything an engineer or saboteur needs to shape explosives and set up detonators, or to defuse explosives in the field, normally covered by the Operate (Explosive) skill. It comes with fuse wire and other consumable supplies that count as 3 Resources, and which count as Ammo for use with placed explosives.

Disguise Kit

A disguise kit is a bag or case containing prosthetics, cosmetics, and accessories to alter your appearance enough to hide your identity or even pass as someone else, providing bonuses to the Talk (Deception) skill. There’s only a finite supply of cosmetics and glues for the prosthetics, which count as 3 Resources.

Dressing Room

A dressing room is a facility useful for creating disguises, containing much the same tools as a disguise kit, along with wigs, clothing, and higher-quality cosmetics and prosthetics for creating disguises, providing bonuses to the Talk (Deception) skill. The supply of cosmetics, glues, solvents, and other consumables count as 6 Resources.

Electrician’s Tools

An electrician’s tool kit comes with tools and spare parts to test, repair, and reconfigure radios, telecommunications equipment, computers, and the electrical systems found in vehicles and within buildings, normally covered by the Operate (Electronics) skill. The kit comes with enough spare parts—fuses, batteries, soldering wire, and similar—to count as 3 Resources.

False ID

Identity documents—driving licenses, passports, and so forth—are useful for carrying out covert activities, or illegal ones. When operating under an assumed identity, official-seeming documents back up the deception, providing benefits on Talk (Deception) tests.

First Aid Kit

First aid kits are compact packages, easy to carry alongside other belongings, which contain enough items to provide first aid to an injured person, but which are expended after use. This is a one-use kit, counting as the tools needed to provide medical attention (a Survive [Medicine] test) for a single skill test.

Garage

A facility filled with tools for working on cars and motorcycles, and on other mechanical devices, typically covered by the Operate (Mechanical) skill. Cabinets contain spare parts, nuts, bolts, screws, oil, lubricants, and other supplies needed to get the job done, counting as 10 Resources.

Laboratory

A facility filled with the tools and substances needed to analyze chemicals and perform other scientific tests, typically covered by the Know (Science) skill. The lab contains enough chemicals, reagents, and other limited supplies to count as 10 Resources.

Mechanic’s Tools

A mechanic’s tool kit contains tools, oil, lubricants, nuts, bolts, and other items needed to repair almost anything mechanical. These tools can be used on cars, tanks, planes, or factory machinery, typically covered by the Operate (Mechanical) skill. The kit has enough supplies to count as 3 Resources.

Medic’s Bag

Medics—paramedics, doctors making house calls, combat medics, and the like—carry bags of specialized equipment. This includes wound dressings, bandages, and other things you’d find in a first aid kit, as well as a variety of common drugs and medicines for treating patients in the field. These actions are covered by a Survive (Medicine) test. The bag has enough supplies to count as 3 Resources.

Workshop

A facility containing all the tools and equipment needed to repair or modify electrical equipment, covered by an Operate (Electronics) test. The workshop comes with supplies that count as 10 Resources.

Other Items

Items on this list serve mostly as equipment traits, making some tasks easier or allowing them to be attempted at all (or can hinder or prevent someone else performing tasks). At the GM’s discretion, specific items may grant additional bonuses, such as an increased reduction in difficulty for specific tasks, allowing a single d20 to be rerolled, or granting bonus momentum on a successful task.

Name Size Restriction
Binoculars Minor 1
Bolt Cutter Major 1
Camera Minor 1
Computer Major 3
Duct Tape Trivial 1
Fire Extinguisher Major 1
Gas Mask Minor 2
Glow Sticks Trivial 1
GPS Receiver Minor 2
Handcuffs Minor 2
Mobile Phone Minor 2
Night Vision Goggles Minor 3
Sat Phone Minor 3
Tablet Computer Minor 2
Torch Minor 1
Walkie-Talkie Minor 1
Zip-ties Trivial 1

Weaponry

Weapons in the 2d20 System are defined by a few different factors. These factors determine the weapon’s effectiveness in combat, any special features or functions it may possess, and other relevant information.

A ranged weapon will have all the following categories. Melee weapons lack a Range and Burst, but otherwise function in the same way.

Range

All ranged weapons have an optimal Range (Close, Medium, or Long, abbreviated to C, M, or L), as described in Chapter 3: Conflict. Any skill test to attack a target outside this range (closer or further away) increases the Difficulty of the skill test by +1 per range category outside the weapon’s Range. For example, using a Range M weapon to hit a target at Close range has +1 Difficulty, while using it to hit a target at Extreme range is at +2 Difficulty.

Damage

The normal stress caused by the weapon is expressed as a number of Challenge Dice ([CD]), before any increases for the character’s skills, actions taken, or Momentum spent. It may include damage effects as well, which trigger for Icons ([!]) rolled, copied below for reference.

Some damage effects are listed with an X, which is replaced by a number depending on the weapon and apply to every effect symbol that is rolled in the dice pool. If an effect would gain a rated damage effect that it already has, only the higher rated of the two applies.

  • Area: The attack or hazard automatically hits everyone within Reach of the initial target, plus one additional target within Close range for every [!] rolled. Secondary may use the Hit the Dirt reaction as if they were the primary target, even though the attack has already hit.
  • Destructive: The attack or hazard can quickly overcome conditional Resistance, such as Cover or Morale. For each [!] rolled, the target’s current instance of conditional Resistance is reduced by 1[CD]. If this reduces that instance to 0 dice, then it is destroyed and can no longer provide protection.
  • Drain: The attack or hazard is especially debilitating. The character hit suffers one Fatigue for each [!] rolled.
  • Intense: The attack has an especially potent effect. If one or more [!] are rolled, and the attack inflicts one or more Harms, the attack inflicts one additional Harm.
  • Knockdown: The attack or hazard causes the target to stumble or fall. If a number of [!] are rolled that equals or exceeds the target’s Move skill, the target is knocked prone.
  • Persistent X: The attack or hazard has a lingering effect. If one or more [!] are rolled, the target suffers X[CD] damage (of the same type as the initial attack or hazard) at the end of the affected character’s Turn, for Rounds equal to the number of [!] rolled.
  • Perilous: The attack or hazard escalates problems. It adds 1 to Threat for each [!] rolled. If used by an NPC adversary, this instead removes 1 from Threat per [!] rolled, to a minimum of 0 Threat remaining.
  • Piercing X: The attack or hazard is especially good at overcoming Resistance. When resolving damage, ignore X Resistance for each [!] rolled.
  • Snare: The attack or hazard can entangle and bind the target. If one or more [!] are rolled, then the target is entangled and cannot take any actions of a type determined by the type of attack or hazard (physical actions for physical attacks, etc) other than to try and break free. It requires a Skill Test with a Difficulty equal to the number of [!] rolled to break free.
  • Stun: The attack or hazard leaves the target momentarily unable to act. If a number of [!] are rolled that equals or exceeds the target’s Survive skill, the target may not take their normal actions in their next Turn. This does not stack, and the target may spend Momentum or Fortune to buy ‘extra’ minor and major actions.
  • Vicious: The attack or hazard is especially potent. Add +1 to the stress inflicted for each [!] rolled.

Burst

Different ranged weapons can attack at different rates, from bows, crossbows, and hunting rifles that need to be loaded or otherwise operated between shots, to heavy machine guns that can spew hundreds of rounds per minute. This is all factored into the weapon’s Burst value, which is a number between 0 and 6.

Each weapon will be accompanied by several Reloads – quantities of ammunition, such as a magazine or similar. A character does not have to use any Reloads when attacking with the weapon, but they may spend Reloads to gain a bonus if they wish: the character chooses how many Reloads they wish to spend, if any, before rolling any dice for the attack.

A character may not spend a greater number of Reloads on one attack than the weapon’s Burst value, and each Reload spent grants one bonus Momentum on that attack. As normal with bonus Momentum, this cannot be saved.

In addition, some weapons may list an M next to their Reload value. This indicates that the weapon must spend at least one Reload per attack. This mandatory reload does not provide its normal benefit, but it does count towards the maximum number that may be spent on the attack (so a weapon with a Burst of 1M must spend one Reload per attack, and gains no other benefit from doing so, while a weapon with 3M must spend 1 Reload, and gets the normal benefits from the second and third Reloads spent).

Size

A weapon’s size is described as a trivial, minor, or major item, but in addition is described using one of the two categories below:

  • 1H: one-handed weapons are wielded in one hand.
  • 2H: two-handed weapons are wielded in two hands.

A character attempting to wield a two-handed weapon in one hand but increases the difficulty of the attack by +1. A character wielding a one-handed weapon in two hands, or with a hand free, may re-roll 1d20 on the attack.

Qualities

A weapon may have one or more of the following qualities, which affect the way the weapon functions, some of which are positive while others are negative or circumstantial.

  • Accurate: if you take the Aim minor action before attacking with this weapon, the weapons also gains the Intense damage effect.
  • Close Quarters: The weapon is compact and easy to wield in tight confines and the press of melee. The weapon suffers no penalty when used to make a ranged attack while the enemy is within Reach.
  • Cumbersome: The weapon is awkward to use against small targets like people. When making an attack with the weapon, increase the difficulty of the attack by +1 if the target is human-sized or smaller.
  • Debilitating: The difficulty of any skill test to treat the physical harms of this weapon is increased by +1.
  • Escalation: Entering a scene with this weapon (or revealing it if it was hidden) generates 1 Threat.
  • Giant-Killer: The weapon is overkill against small targets, and more useful against larger ones. When rolling damage for a weapon with this quality, add +X[CD] to the weapon’s damage rating where X is the target’s Scale. A weapon cannot gain more bonus damage from this quality than its base damage—a weapon with a base damage of 4[CD] cannot gain more than +4[CD] from this quality.
  • Heavy: Attacks with this weapon increase in difficulty by +1 unless the weapon is braced or you have a Brawn of 9 or higher. A 1H weapon is braced when it is wielded in two hands. A 2H weapon is braced if a Prepare minor action is taken to lean it against the ground or a solid object or set up on a bipod or tripod).
  • Hidden X: When the weapon is hidden it cannot be detected by those simply looking at the character, and any skill test to search for the weapon increases in difficulty by +X.
  • Inaccurate: Attacks with this weapon gain no benefit form the Aim minor action.
  • Indirect: The weapon is not intended for direct fire, instead dropping its payload upon enemies from above. Attacks with this weapon increase in difficulty by +1, but do not require line of sight. The weapon cannot be used indoors, or against targets who are completely covered from above.
  • Long Reach: The weapon is lengthy, allowing you to keep foes at bay easily. Enemies making a melee attack against you increase the difficulty of their test by +1. This benefit is lost if you are unaware of the attack, prone, or there’s not enough room to wield the weapon.
  • Non-lethal: The weapon is designed to subdue rather than kill. When a character makes an attack with the weapon, any Harms it inflicts are temporary, and are removed at the start of the next scene.
  • Parrying: When this weapon’s wielder makes an opposed test to defend against a melee attack, they may re-roll a single d20 on their test. This does not stack if the character has multiple Parrying weapons.
  • Reliable: You may ignore the first complication rolled using this weapon in an action scene.
  • Shield X: When you are targeted by a melee attack, the difficulty of the attacker’s skill test increases by +1—this doesn’t stack with the Long Reach quality. In addition, while you are aware of attacking enemies, you gain +X[CD] additional Cover Resistance.
  • Subtle: Attacks with this weapon are difficult to detect. An attack using a subtle weapon against an unaware opponent gain +2[CD] damage and the Intense damage effect. The attack cannot be detected unless a complication is rolled on the skill test, though enemies damaged will know they have been attacked if they are not defeated by it (and may be able to trace the attack back to you if you aren’t hidden).
  • Unreliable: Attacks with this weapon increase the test’s complication range by 1.

Melee Weapons List

All melee weapons gain bonus damage [CD] equal to the wielder’s Fight score.

Name Damage Size Qualities Restriction
Unarmed Strike 1[CD] Non-Lethal  
Brass Knuckles 2[CD] Stun Trivial 1H Hidden 2 2
Garotte 2[CD] Snare Trivial 2H Hidden 3, Subtle 3
Cleaver, Hatchet, etc. 2[CD] Minor 1H   2
Knife 1[CD] Piercing 1 Trivial 1H Hidden 1, Subtle 1
Club, Baton, etc. 2[CD] Knockdown Minor 1H Subtle 1
Rifle Butt 2[CD]    
Sap 2[CD] Stun Minor 1H Non-lethal, Subtle 2
Bayonet (fixed) 2[CD] Piercing 1 Long Reach  
Entrenching Tool 2[CD] Destructive Minor 1H   1
Longsword 3[CD] Major 1H Escalation, Heavy, Parrying 3
Rapier 2[CD] Piercing 1 Major 1H Parrying 2
Fire Axe, Battleaxe, etc. 3[CD] Destructive Major 1H Escalation, Heavy 2
Spear 3[CD] Piercing 1 Major 2H Escalation, Long Reach 3
Shield 1[CD] Knockdown Major 1H Parrying, Shield 2 2

Ranged Weapons List

All ranged weapons gain bonus damage [CD] equal to their Fight score.

Name Range Damage Burst Size Qualities Restriction
Light Pistol C 2[CD] 1 Minor 1H Close Quarters, Hidden 1 2
Pistol C 3[CD] 2 Minor 1H Close Quarters 2
Revolver C 3[CD] 1 Minor 1H Close Quarters, Reliable 2
Heavy Pistol C 4[CD] 2 Minor 1H Close Quarters, Heavy 2
Heavy Revolver C 4[CD] 1 Minor 1H Close Quarters, Heavy, Reliable 2
Light Machine Pistol C 2[CD] 3 Minor 1H Close Quarters, Inaccurate 3
Machine Pistol C 3[CD] 3 Minor 1H Close Quarters, Inaccurate 3
Sub-Machine Gun C 3[CD] 4 Minor 2H Inaccurate 3
Carbine M 4[CD] 2 Major 2H Escalation 3
Assault Rifle M 4[CD] 3 Major 2H Escalation 3
Battle Rifle M 5[CD[ 2 Major 2H Escalation 3
Sniper Rifle L 5[CD] 1 Major 2H Accurate, Escalation, Heavy 3
Anti-Material Rifle L 6[CD] Piercing 1 0 Major 2H Accurate, Escalation, Giant-Killer, Heavy 4
Light Machine Gun M 4[CD] 4 Major 2H Escalation, Heavy 4
Heavy Machine Gun L 6[CD] Piercing 1 4 Major 2H Escalation, Heavy 4
Shotgun C 4[CD] Knockdown 1 Major 2H   2
Automatic Shotgun C 4[CD] Knockdown 3 Major 2H Escalation 3
Grenade C By Grenade Type 1M Minor 1H By Grenade Type By Grenade Type
Grenade Launcher M By Grenade Type 1M Major 2H Escalation, By Grenade Type 4
[Grenade] Frag 3[CD] Area, Knockdown 3
[Grenade] Stun 3[CD] Area, Stun Nonlethal 2
[Grenade] Incendiary 3[CD] Area, Persistent 3 Debilitating 3
Compound Bow M 2[CD] 1 Major 2H Subtle 2
Crossbow M 3[CD] 0 Major 2H Accurate, Subtle 2
Throwing Knife C 1[CD] 2 Minor 1H Hidden 2, Subtle 1
Taser C 2[CD] Stun, Intense 1M Minor 1H Nonlethal 1
Flamethrower M 4[CD] Area, Persistent 4 3M Major 2H Escalation, Debilitating 5
Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher M 6[CD] Area, Perilous, Piercing 2 1M Major 2H Cumbersome, Escalation, Giant-Killer 5
Mortar L 5[CD] Area, Perilous, Stun 1M Major 2H Escalation, Heavy, Indirect 4

Vehicles

Operating a Vehicle

When you’re inside a vehicle, you’re referred to as a passenger. Some passengers take on specific roles within the vehicle, referred to as crew.

Crew Roles

Each character inside a vehicle can take specific crew role related to that vehicle. Assuming a role requires a Minor Action to move into that position.

  • Pilot: A vehicle can have only a single pilot. The pilot takes actions to move the vehicle (see Vehicular Movement, p.XXX). Whenever the vehicle needs to make an skill test related to movement, the pilot will make the test generally using Coordination + Operate. A vehicle without a pilot automatically fails all tests.
  • Gunner: A gunner operates weaponry mounted on the vehicle (see Vehicular Attacks, below). For a vehicle with multiple weapons, a gunner can only operate one weapon each turn, and any single weapon may only be operated by one gunner each round.
  • If a vehicle includes other equipment or functions beyond moving and attacking, for example radio operator or bombardier, other passengers may operate that equipment as a separate crew role.

[Begin Sidebar]

Splitting Focus

A single character can attempt to simultaneously assume the roles of both gunner and pilot, but their attack rolls and tests to pilot the vehicle are both made at +1 difficulty unless it has the Single-Seat quality.

[End Sidebar]

[Begin Sidebar]

Passengers and Cargo

A vehicle can carry a number of passengers, including the crew, as noted in its entry. This represents the number of dedicated spaces for passengers in or on the vehicle—in many cases, the number of seats the vehicle has.

Unlike characters, a vehicle cannot naturally carry extra items based on its Brawn or Scale, as a vehicle needs places to stow those items in order to carry them effectively. Additional cargo space is covered by the Cargo X quality.

Items can be stored in passenger spaces instead of passengers—each passenger space can carry up to 2 Major Items in this way. Similarly, passengers can ride along in cargo space, with each passenger taking up the space of four Major Items. Passengers in cargo space are liable to have an uncomfortable or unsafe journey in their improvised space, suffering an additional +2[CD] of stress from any impacts the vehicle suffers.

[End Sidebar]

Vehicular Movement

The following movement actions are available to the pilot role. These movement actions are distinct from the movement actions the character can attempt, but, like a character, a vehicle may only take a single movement action each turn.

  • Maneuver (Minor): The vehicle moves to anywhere within close range.
  • Careful Piloting (Major): The vehicle moves a number of zones equal to half its speed, rounding up. If required to make a terrain test, reduce the Difficulty of that test by 1.
  • Hasty Piloting (Major): The vehicle moves a number of zones equal to its speed. All skill tests made by crew or passengers are made at +1 Difficulty until the start of the pilot’s next turn.
  • Focused Driving (Major): Make a Coordination + Operate test, with a Difficulty of 1. On a success, the vehicle moves a number of zones equal to its speed plus an additional zone for each Momentum spent. All skill tests made by crew or passengers are made at +1 Difficulty until the start of the pilot’s next turn.

Vehicular Zones

Vehicles move in combat zones like any other combatant in an action scene, from Reach to Extreme range. Vehicles, however, do not like characters do and some zone effects may affect different Vehicle types differently:

  • The terrain only affects vehicles of a specific scale or higher, like terrain that can easily be navigated by smaller vehicles.
  • The terrain only affects vehicles of a specific scale or lower, like obstacles that large vehicles can just power through or over unhindered.
  • The terrain only affects vehicles with a specific quality, such as wheeled vehicles.
  • The terrain has a Difficulty of 1, and thus can be ignored by those moving slowly and carefully; such as tight street corners.

Vehicle Terrain Test

Pilots make terrain tests using Coordination + Vehicles. If the terrain would be more difficult for larger vehicles, the gamemaster may increase the difficulty, complication range, or both by an amount equal to the vehicle’s scale.

[Begin Sidebar]

Out of Control!

It’s a constant fear for a pilot to lose control of their vehicle, they can cause a lot of damage and injure a lot of people in the process.

The most common outcomes of a failed vehicle terrain test are below, and the GM determines which applies in each case. Some of the results below cause the vehicle to stop, which means the vehicle immediately loses any remaining movement it had from that action, and it comes to a halt in that zone.

  • Jarring Stop: The vehicle comes to an immediate halt, losing the rest of its movement from that action. Each character in the vehicle immediately suffers 3[CD] Stun physical damage.
  • Skid: The vehicles moves in a random direction (roll a d6: 1-2 the vehicle skids left, 3-4 the vehicle skids forward, 5-6 the vehicle skids right based on the vehicle’s direction of travel). If the vehicle collides with an object that would make it stop, inflict 1[CD] Piercing 1 physical stress, +1[CD] for each zone the vehicle moved.
  • Spin: The vehicle loses the rest of its movement from the action, and it is turned to face a different direction. The next vehicle movement action increases in Difficulty by +1, or it needs a test if it didn’t before.
  • Stuck: The vehicle loses the rest of its movement from the action, and it is held in place by the terrain. The vehicle gains the truth “Stuck”, and while this trait persists, the vehicle moves one fewer zone than normal with any pilot action, and it cannot move as a free action.

If the pilot performed an action to move the vehicle during the previous round, and it was not stopped (either by the pilot, or by crashing) then the pilot must make another vehicle movement actions or the vehicle goes out of control.

[End Sidebar

Vehicular Attacks

Vehicle’s gunners can make attacks with mounted weapons in the same way as a personal weapon, using their Coordination + Fight. You cannot carry these weapons normally or fire them without being mounted on a stand or vehicle first. All weapons mounted upon a vehicle are treated as if wielded in two hands if the vehicle moves, or as if they are braced if the vehicle has remained stationary.

If the vehicle has the exposed quality, then passengers may make attacks with their personal weapons normally.

[Begin Sidebar]

Attacking Passengers

When you make a successful attack against a vehicle with the Exposed quality, you can spend 2 Momentum to hit an exposed passenger instead.

Attacks with the Area effect, against exposed passengers, will hit the vehicle with the initial blast, and count the passengers as additional targets within Reach.

[End Sidebar]

Ramming

The pilot of a vehicle that moves during its turn can attempt a melee attack against a target within reach, using the pilot’s Will + Operate, with a difficulty of 1. If the attack is successful, it deals the vehicle’s Impact rating as damage. When a vehicle rams another vehicle or building, the attacking vehicle suffers half the impact rating, rounding up, in stress.

Vehicle Stress

Vehicles can be targeted for an attack like any other combatant. When a vehicle suffers stress from a physical attack, add its scale to the amount of damage needed to inflict an injury; for a scale 1 vehicle, it takes 6 stress from a single attack to inflict an injury, instead of the normal 5 stress. Vehicles, as objects, cannot be the target of mental attacks, though their crew and passengers can be, and they do not suffer fatigue.

Vehicle Harms

Vehicles are defeated in an action scene when they suffer 3 Harms, though some vehicles may be more durable and be able to withstand more damage. When a vehicle is defeated, it can no longer be used. As normal, each Harm is a trait which will impede the vehicle in some way, typically by increasing the difficulty of tests to operate the vehicle or forcing the vehicle out of control.

[Begin Sidebar]

Bumps and Bruises

Whenever a vehicle is damaged, it’s possible the passengers will be hurt as well. Whenever a vehicle suffers one or more Harms from an attack, each passenger suffers 4[CD] physical stress with the Drain and Stun effects, and any resulting harms are physical.

If a vehicle suffers enough harms to be defeated, each passenger suffers 8[CD] damage with the Stun effect, and any resulting harms are physical.

Passengers riding in a cargo space add +2[CD] to these stress values.

[End Sidebar]

Repairing Vehicles

Harms can be repaired through Vehicles skill tests but will take significant time and work to repair fully. Vehicles do not recover stress between scenes, you need to work on the vehicle between scenes to remove a vehicle’s stress, with the following tests:

  • Repair Vehicle Stress: You hammer out dents and make minor repairs to a vehicle. This is an Insight + Vehicles skill test with a difficulty of 1. Success removes stress equal to your Operate score (plus 2 stress per Momentum spent).
  • Repair Vehicle Harm: You repair and replace parts of the wrecked vehicle. This is an Insight + Operate skill test with a difficulty of 2. Success removes a single injury, plus one additional injury per 2 Momentum spent. Once treated, the injury is removed. If the vehicle has fewer than 3 harms, it is operable but each injury remaining will increase the difficulty of tests to operate the vehicle by +1.

[Begin Sidebar]

NPC Vehicles

Vehicles operated by NPCs can be treated in a similar way to their crews, with different target categories able to withstand different amounts of damage. This should reflect how significant that vehicle is within the scene: a motorcycle ridden by a Minor NPC or two can count as a Minor NPC itself and would thus be defeated by a single Harm. A vehicle carrying multiple NPCs should be an equal or higher target category than the NPCs within: a car full of Minor NPCs should probably be a Notable vehicle, defeated after 2 harms, while a car with Elite passengers might be treated as a Major NPC, only Defeated after 3 harms.

If the vehicle has the Implacable X quality, then this will increase the number of harms the vehicle can withstand before being defeated by X.

[End Sidebar]

Vehicle Momentum Spends

Spend Cost Effect
Ram Through 2 After failing a terrain test, continue moving forward as if the terrain test had not failed. The vehicle suffers stress determined by the GM.
Target Passenger 2 After a successful attack, you can target a passenger inside of an exposed vehicle instead of the vehicle.

Vehicle Profile

A vehicle has the following scores and values.

Traits

A vehicle’s main trait will be its type, make and model. Other traits may reflect the vehicle’s condition, modifications, or other quirks. This trait describes what terrain the vehicle can navigate, how it is driven, as well as any characteristics not covered by its qualities (see below).

Speed

A vehicle’s speed shows how quickly it can move, measures in a number of zones.

Scale

A vehicle’s Scale is a representation of its size. Scale 0 refers to any vehicle which is approximately the same size as a human. Scale 1 covers vehicles around twice the size of a human, and each additional increase in scale approximately doubles the size of the vehicle. On any skill test where the vehicles size or mass would be a problem, increase the difficulty by an amount equal to its Scale.

Brawn

A vehicle has a Brawn score of its own, which is used when using the vehicle to shift heavy loads or employ brute force. If a vehicle has a value in brackets, after its Brawn rating, it adds that many automatic successes to any Brawn tests using the vehicle.

Armor

The vehicle’s armor resistance is subtracted from stress inflicted on the vehicle by physical attacks.

Cover

The vehicles cover indicates how much cover resistance it grants its passengers if they exposed. You cannot target passengers enclosed inside a vehicle.

Impact

A vehicle’s Impact is a damage rating in challenge dice ([CD]), measuring its weight and the force with its ramming attack.

Passengers

The passenger entry shows how many passenger spaces are inside the vehicle.

Qualities

Vehicles come in a range of different types, from nimble motorcycles to rugged trucks, and everywhere in between. A vehicle’s qualities describe how it navigates the terrain around it, and how characters use it. Vehicles always have at least one quality, and a vehicle’s type is a trait that influences the difficulty of skill tests.

A vehicle can only move across terrain allowed by its qualities: e.g., a wheeled vehicle like a car attempting to drive across a lake will just sink.

Weapons

The weapons entry on a vehicle lists the weapons it has mounted or incorporated into its design.

Vehicle Qualities

  • Cargo X: The vehicle may carry up to X additional Major items.
  • Cumbersome: The vehicle is bulky and unresponsive, and increases the difficulty tests to move by +1.
  • Enclosed: The vehicle is completely enclosed, protecting crew and passengers within. Crew and passengers cannot be targeted by attacks from outside the vehicle, but also cannot use their own weaponry.
  • Exposed: The passenger and crew of an exposed vehicle can be targeted by attacks from outside the vehicle and may attack with their own weapons.
  • High-Performance: The vehicle is powerful and finely-tuned. The pilot may spend 2 Momentum after a successful skill test to move the vehicle to move 1 additional zone. Any test to repair the vehicle increase in Difficulty by +1, due to its finely-tuned nature.
  • Resilient: The vehicle is especially difficult to damage. Whenever this vehicle suffers a Harm, roll 1[CD]: on an [!], that Harm is ignored.
  • Rugged: Operate tests to repair Rugged vehicles are reduced by difficulty by 1.
  • Single-Seat: A single-seat vehicle is designed to be operated by a single pilot also assuming the role of a gunner without the normal penalty.
  • Tough X: The vehicle can take more punishment than most. The number of harms the vehicle can withstand before being Defeated is increased by X.

[Begin Sidebar]

Large Vehicles

Any vehicle with a scale above 3 may take up multiple zones and may have their internal space divided into several zones. For example, a warship may have different cabins and decks, and may exist across several zones on the environment map (the fore, the aft, etc.). The specifics of this are left to the GM’s discretion.

[End Sidebar]

Common Vehicles

Car

Truths: Car
Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
2 2 14 2[CD] 2 5 12 (+2) 7[CD] Knockdown
Qualities Cargo 2, Exposed

Sports Car

Truths: Sports Car
Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
2 2 11 2[CD] 3 2 10 (+1) 6[CD] Knockdown
Qualities Cargo 1, Exposed, High Performance

Motorcycle

Truths: Motorcycle
Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
0 2 9 0 3 2 9 3[CD]
Qualities Cargo 1, Exposed, Single-Seater

Pick-Up Truck

Truths: Pick-Up Truck
Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
2 3 16 3[CD] 2 3 14 (+2) 7[CD] Knockdown
Qualities Cargo 4, Exposed

Bus

Truths: Single-Decker Bus
Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
3 3 17 3[CD] 2 30 16 (+3) 8[CD] Knockdown
Qualities Cargo 3, Exposed

Armored Van

Truths: Armored Van
Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
2 8 16 4[CD] Sturdy 2 3 14 (+2) 7[CD] Knockdown
Qualities Cargo 6, Exposed

Armored Personnel Carrier

Truths: Armored Personnel Carrier

Scale Armor Stress Cover Speed Passengers Brawn Impact
3 12 18 Enclosed 2 13 15 (+3) 8[CD] Knockdown
Qualities Cargo 4, Enclosed, Resilient, Tough 1
Weapon Range Damage Burst Qualities
Heavy Machine Gun L 6[CD] Piercing 1 4 Escalation, Heavy