Skill uses
Investigative |
No need to roll, they succeed. For every point spent, you gain extra info |
General |
You roll vs a Threshold (usually 3 or 4 on the die). Each point you spend is a +1 |
Even if you spend all your points in a skill of either type, you still have that skill, you just don't have points to spend on bonus info/roll bonuses
Combat Notes
Initiative |
Combatants with drawn or natural weapons always go before unarmed combatants. Ranged goes before Melee |
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Combatants act in descending order based on their relevant Combat Ability |
Hit Threshold |
Normally, you and your targets need a 3 or higher to hit. If you have an Athletics of 8+, targets need a 4 or better to hit you |
Cover |
Exposed = -1 on hit threshold |
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Partial = no change to threshold |
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Full cover = +1 to Hit Threshold and reduces weapon Lethality by 1 for the Lethality roll and damage calculation |
Darkness |
Flashlights reduce Darkness by 1 level, but remove the Hit Threshold bonus |
- Night |
+1 Stealth mod, -1 Alertness mod, +1 to Hit Thresh at Near or longer range, +1 to Visual Task Diff rating |
- Darkness |
+2 Stealth mod, -2 Alertness mod, +1 to Hit Threshold at Close rng, +2 to Hit Thresh at Near or longer range, +2 to Visual Task Diff rating |
- Pitch Black |
+3 Stealth mod, -3 Alertness mod, +1 to Hit Threshold at Point Blank, +2 to Hit Threshold at Close rng, +3 to Hit Thresh at Near or longer range, +3 to Visual Task Diff rating |
Disengaging |
You can flee a combat by making an Athletics test. Base DN is 3, then +1 per enemy combatant (ex. 2 enemies means the roll DN is a 5) |
Ability pool refreshes
General |
Pools for the physical abilities of Athletics, Driving, Scuffling, and Shooting are fully restored whenever twenty-four hours of game-world time elapses since the last expenditure. The remaining general abilities refresh at the end of each case, like investigative abilities. |
Health pool |
The Health pool refreshes over time, at a rate of 2 points per day of restful activity. (Wounded characters heal at a different rate, over a period of hospitalization.) Use of the Medic ability can restore a limited number of Health points in the course of a session. |
Investigative |
Usually they only refresh at the end of the investigation, though for long campaigns, the GM may determine milestone moments in the campaign where points refresh, such as in-between missions |
Refresh Tokens (taken for Swords of the Serpentine) |
These are specific to Serpentine, but are good if you find players hoard their points. At GM's discretion, or when player's accomplish certain tasks, the GM puts a Refresh token (usually a poker chip) in the group pool. A player may take a token at any time and refresh ONE general ability pool back up to max |
Safe Havens |
At a safe haven, where you can rest for an hour, you refresh all points on up to three general abilities EXCEPT Bureaucracy, Health, Network, Sanity and Stability |
PC advancement
At the end of each investigation, each player gets 2 build points for each session they participated in. (This assumes a small number of 3-4 hour sessions; if you play in shorter bursts, modify accordingly.) Players who had characters die in the course of the investigation only get points for each session involving their current character. |
These build points can be spent to increase either investigative or general abilities. You may acquire new abilities or bolster existing ones. If necessary to preserve credibility, rationalize new abilities as areas of expertise you’ve had all along, but are only revealing later in the series. |
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Working together
Piggyback |
One leads and makes the test. The others spend 1 pt ea to boost the results, but they do not boost the roll! |
Cooperate |
Each helper spends X points and adds x-1 to leader's roll |
Combat Ranges
Shooting at extra long range |
Spend 2 points from Firearms pool to shoot at a target one range past weapon's maximum range |
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Scopes reduce this cost to 1 point |
Point Blank |
All firearms get +2 damage, shotguns get +3 dmg |
Close range (same room) |
shotguns +1 damage |
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This is the farthest range for thrown weapons like grenades |
Sniping |
If you have a rifle, and Firearms is 8+, you can spend a round aiming. Reduces Hit Threshold by 1 if target is aware, 2 if not. |
Grenades |
Throwing is an Athletics test. -2 for PB range, 3 for close, 5 for near |
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Aiming for a specific location is +1 diff for PB and close range, +2 for Near and Long. |
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Make a Diff 6 Athletics test to take 1/2 damage from grenade by diving for cover |
Mental Effects/Horror
Stability |
Test is a threshold 4 for Ordinary horror, 5 for unnatural events. |
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On a failed Stability check, you lose a stated amount from your Stability pool. |
Shaken |
Stability at 0 to -5, same penalties as a Hurt PC |
Shattered |
Stability -6 to -11, fight or flight mode only, lose 1 Stabil permanently AND take a mental disorder |
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At -12, permanently insane. |
Refreshing Stability |
A PC can make a Psychoanalysis spend/test to help another. On success, other Pc gains 2 Stability back |
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To refresh your own Stability points by 1d6 by making an appropriate INVESTIGATIVE points spend |
Injuries, lethality, and death
Normal damage |
Subtract from Health pool |
0-5 heatlh (Hurt) |
Roll to stay conscious with your current Health value as the DN. All diff at +1, invest spends are impossible |
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Test vs diff = value of your health to stay conscious |
-6 to -11 (Seriously wounded) |
no actions possible, make a 2nd consciousness test |
-12 (dead) |
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Lethality |
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Compare damage roll results to Lethality rating. Ex. L2 level weapon, on a 1-2 on the dmg die, insta-death, otherwise 5xL rating + (dmg die roll) |
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If damage roll <= Lethality rating, target goes immediately to -12 health. |
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if damage roll > Lethality, multiply Lethality by 5 and add damage roll to it. |
First Aid |
1 point of First aid = 2 points Health healed on someone else, or 1 point on yourself. |
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Spend 2 points of First Aid to stabilize someone who is 0 to -11 health |
You can spend points from your health pool to boost your chances of staying conscious, but that counts as damage.
Character Elements/RP
Drives |
PCs have a drive pushing them into investigating things. Fighting the Drive costs 4 stability or 1/3 their current pool, whichever is worse |
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Following a drive refreshes 1 or 2 points. |
Sanity |
Losses are permanent when failing Stability tests. At 0, you're out of the game |
Bonds |
Start with 3 Bonds |
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Spend points from a Bond for a bonus in a Stability check |
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After taking Stability damage, you can burn 2 bond points to gain 1 stability back |
Stability |
Loss of Stability = in shock, panicked, or gone. Based on level of loss |
Sanity |
At zero Sanity, you've entirely lost touch with reality and cannot be recovered |
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Contests and special situations
Contested rolls |
Each party makes the test. Keep going until someone fails. |
Alertness modifier |
Add this number to the PCs Stealth Test difficulty rating. Ex. NPC has Alertness of +3 and a base threshold of 4, PC will need to roll a 7 or better on their Stealth roll to sneak by |
Stealth Modifier |
When an enemy tries to sneak, this comes into play. NPC doesn't make a Stealth roll, instead, PC observing makes a Sense Trouble roll vs. Diff 4, adjusted for the Stealth Modifier |
Surprise |
Go last in combat. +2 to all General Ability thresholds for any actions they take on the first combat round |
Damage
Base |
1d6 modified by type of weapon |
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Armor subtracts from total damage |
Hand attack |
-2 damage |
Small and improv. weapons |
-1 damage |
Bat, machete, pistol |
regular 1d6 damage |
Axe, heavy gun |
+1 dmg |
.50 cal or heavy weapon |
+2 |
Point blank weapon |
+2 |
Unskilled shooter |
You can still use a gun without the skill, but even on a hit, you do -2 damage to the roll |
Sanity and Stability Loss Flow
Stabilty |
Measures your resistance to trauma. Like a HP pool for mental and emotional health. Refreshes over time, a short term measure of mental health, eroding over a single mission. — "How close are you to snapping today" |
Sanity |
Your belief in reality. Sanity erodes over multiple missions. — "How close are you to seeing the Truth forever" |
Threats to Stability |
Violence |
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Helplessness |
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the Unnatural |
Checks for Stability (see p. 116) |
Most every threat requires a Stability check of DN 4 |
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You can spend from the Stability pool to boost roll |
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You can spend into negative amounts, but this also damages your Stability |
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If the cause of the check is based on one of your phobias or mental issues, you make another check if you fail the first to see how how react. |
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If you have successfully avoided becoming Shaken by either Violence or Helplessness three times, you are HARDENED against it, and DN checks are a 2 |
Burning bonds to save Stability |
you can spend points from any Bond to boost a Stability check roll |
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If you fail a stability check, you can burn Bond points at a 2:1 ratio to recover Stability |
Threats to Sanity |
Any time you are Shaken due to loss of Stability by the Unnatural,, you lose 1 pt of Sanity |
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Any time your Stability is Shattered by the Unnatural, you lose 2 Sanity |
Gaining Back Sanity |
Denial - If, at the end of the operation, you've destroyed all the evidence, you gain 1 Sanity back |
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Fainting - You can delcare the horror you are seeing causes you to pass out, losing only 1 Sanity point. But you cannot do anything else in the scene. |
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Destroy the Unnatural - Get rid of the bad guy/thing permanently. Gain 1 Sanity if this is to protect the Innocent, 2 points if you're protecting your entire country (the US) |
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