Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements
Written by: Jacob Wood Great Backers
Cover and Interior Art by: Melissa Gay
Angel, Franck “booga” Florentin, Ned Leffingwell,
Psi-punk Logo by: Ruben Smith-Zempel
DarkMoonINC, Chad Bowser, Dave Terhune, Andy
Edited by: Chris Perrin, Mitch Williams
Antolick, Eric & Stephanie Franklin, Adam Hackley,
Layout by: Ruben Smith-Zempel
Neil Carr, MaxMahem, Carl Rigney, Jonathan A. Gil-
Playtesters: Brad Poser, George Leech, Jesse, Cam-
lett, Mitch A. Williams, Jack Gulick, Dan Luxenberg,
mie, Norah, Zach Gowdy, the Gamestorm crew, Chris
Robert Wilson, Rich Malena, Iain Smith, Nathan Ol-
Perrin, Wayne Humfleet
mstead, Brian Leet, Kevin Munn, Zachary T Cross,
David Lacerte, Matthew McFarland, John Morrow,
Special Thanks Rishi Agrawal, Chris Meyers, Kyle Dekker, Robert
Slaughter, Aaron Hansen, Brian Cooksey, Adan Te-
This game couldn’t have been done without all of jada, Chris, André LE DEIST, Pete Hurley, Daniel
the support from our friends, family, and followers. Steadman, Robbie Corbett
Most importantly, it couldn’t have been done with-
out all of the amazing people who believed in us
enough to pledge to our Kickstarter campaign. Very Good Backers
special thanks go out to all of the following Kickstart- Bonnie Rick, SwiftOne, Jonas “fudgebob dicepants”
er backers: Susara, Stephan Szabo, evil_bibu, kraufen Curt-
Meyer, Jay Peters, Lester Ward, Zach Bertram, Steve
Hutchison, Mike D., Craig Duffy, Alex Greenshields,
Extraordinary Backer Steve Kenson, Salem Adams, Jonna Hind, Steven
Josh Wood was our highest-level backer. He helped Robert, Brook West, Craig, wraith808, Jim Heath,
develop the Amazonia Luddites and the character Andrew Laliberte, Jason G. Anderson, Eloy Lasan-
he designed, as illustrated by Melissa Gay, can be ta, Antoine BERTIER, John Fiala, Herman Duyker,
found on the cover page of Chapter 3. Tony Pace, Andrew Byers, HDWPgames.com, Matt
Jett, Mark Eddleman, Remy Porter, Manu Marron,
Phenomenal Backers Charles Moore, Ralph Mazza, Mike DiBaggio, Hal
Steve Donohue, ASH LAW, Merton Dew, Matt Eddle- Mayne
man, Gary & Shirley Wood, Michael Wood
Backers Plus
Retailers Tyson Pawley, Michael McMullan, Zach Gowdy, Sean
Sphärenmeisters Spiele (Herzogenrath, Germany), M. Dunstan
Rainy Day Games (Aloha, Oregon), Guardian Games
(Portland, Oregon) Backers
Casey Walsh, Chris
Superb Backers Charlton II, Jim Ryan,
Brad Poser, Kathleen Hanrahan, Brett Easterbrook, Rik Spruitenburg
Jason “Slacker” Meserve, Chris Angelini, John
‘johnkzin’ Rudd, Kurt Zdanio, Nicholas Muehlenweg,
Ann Dupuis, Lou Goncey, Matt Rice, K.J. Van Campen,
Ted Ludemann, Mark Perotti, Ryan Percival, Steven
Ward

Psi-punk copyright 2013 Accessible Games

www.accessiblegames.biz

1
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgements .......................1 Chapter 3: Equipment

Introduction ......................................... 4
and Cybernetics ......................44
Guns.....................................................45
Chapter 1: Melee Weapons ...................................48
The World of Psi-punk..........8 Grenades .............................................50
A Brief History ..................................... 9 Armor ..................................................52
In the Present ......................................10 Types of Armor ....................................52
Things to Come ....................................10 Example Armor Types .........................53
World History – Magic ...................................................55
North American Union (NAU) ............11 Example Magic .....................................56
World History – Beyond the NAU ......12 Antipsi Tech ..........................................57
Moving Forward ..................................12 Cybernetics -
Enter Magicorp ...................................13 Cyberware and Bioware .....................58
Other Important World Events ..........13 Example Cybernetics ...........................58
Timeline ..............................................18 Gutterware ...........................................63
Major Players ......................................19 Streetware ............................................65
Macroware ...........................................20 Vehicles ...............................................65
Magicorp...............................................20 Size........................................................66
MarkeTech ............................................21 Gifts.......................................................69
Medical Services International ...........22 Faults ....................................................71
NFC Global ............................................22 Example Vehicles .................................72
Amazonia Luddites ..............................22
The Criminal Element ..........................23 Chapter 4:
Street Runners ....................................25
Playing the Game ................... 74
Rolling the Dice ...................................75
Chapter 2: Action Modifiers .................................77
Character Creation ............. 26 Unopposed Actions .............................77
Character Concepts.............................27 Opposed Actions .................................78
Archetypes............................................27 Lifting Objects .....................................79
Material Value .....................................79
The Character Sheet ...........................30 Repute .................................................80
Attributes ............................................31 Wealth .................................................81
Skills ....................................................33 Combat ................................................84
Gifts .....................................................36 Combat Rounds ...................................85
Faults ...................................................37 Combat Options ..................................87
Trade-Offs ...........................................38 Attacking ..............................................87
Luck Points ..........................................38 Defending .............................................88
Psionics and Magic ..............................39 Minimum Required to Hit ...................88
Cybernetics .........................................40 Combat Modifiers .................................88
Starting Wealth ...................................40 Offensive/..............................................89
Character Advancement .....................40 Defensive Tactics ..................................89
Character Questionnaire ....................41 PCs vs. NPCs..........................................89
Character Creation Summary ............42 Multiple ................................................89
Combatants in Melee ...........................89
Ranged Combat ....................................89
Psionics in Combat ...............................91

2
 Table of Contents

Wounds and Healing ...........................91 Ghosting Challenges ...........................138

Mental and Physical Damage .............93 Ghosting Combat ................................139
Wound Factors ....................................93 Security Programs..............................140
Recording Wounds ..............................94 Taking Control ....................................143
Healing ................................................95 Disconnecting .....................................144
Example Combat The Astral Plane................................144
Roy vs. Sven (or Guns vs. Brawn) ........98 Connecting to the Astral Plane ..........144
Astral Activities ..................................146
Chapter 5: Astral Combat .....................................146
Psionics and Magic .............. 101 Astral Predators and other Beings ....148
Using Psionics ...................................102 Astral Rogues Gallery.........................148
Additional Skill Requirements .........103
Psionic Powers ..................................104 Chapter 8:
Antipsi ................................................104 Game Mastering...................... 151
Electrokinesis .....................................105 Where to Begin? ................................152
ESP ......................................................107 Adventure Crafting ...........................152
Precognition .......................................108 Knowing and Using the Rules ...........154
Psychokinesis .....................................109 Adjudicating Skill Checks .................156
Psychometabolism .............................114 Glitches – The GM’s Luck Points .......157
Psychometry .......................................117 NPCs and Villains ..............................158
Telepathy ............................................118 Hostile NPCs .......................................159
Magic .................................................122 Powerful NPCs ....................................160
Using Magic ........................................122 Spoils of War .....................................164
Death and Dying................................164
Chapter 6: Hacking: Miscellaneous Tips for
Mind, Chip, and Soul ............124 Good Game Mastering ......................167
How Hacking Works .........................125 Introducing New Rules .....................168
Hacking Computers the
Old-fashioned Way - Cracking ...........125 Sample Adventure:
Hacking Computers the Brain.net ...................................... 169
Psionic Way – Psi-jacking ...................129 Introduction – What the GM Knows .170
Hacking People the Old-fashioned What the Players Know.....................171
Way – Social Engineering ..................129 Preparing to Play ..............................171
Hacking People the The Hook ...........................................171
Psionic Way – Soul Jacking ................131 The Investigation Begins ..................175
Warehouse 9......................................178
Chapter 7: When The Final Encounter ..........................181
Worlds Diverge ......................134
The ‘Net .............................................135 Appendices ................................184
Connecting to the ‘Net ........................135 Appendix I:
The Connected Life ............................136 Adventure Seed Generator ...............186
Entering the ‘Net: ...............................136 Appendix II: Fudge Dice ...................188
AKA Ghosting .....................................136 Appendix III: Open
The Ghosting Check ..................................... 137 Game License Version 1.0a ...............189
What’s Inside ......................................137 Character Sheet ................................190
Moving About .....................................138

3
 Introduction

About Fudge the role of governments in many instances.

However, despite the control these corpora-
tions have over the lives of the average citi-
zen, many people still resist their reign and
attempt to fight them – either openly or co-
vertly.
Meanwhile, powerful humans with
psychic abilities, commonly referred to as
“mentals,” “psychics,” “psi-freaks,” and “psi-
punks” have become a formidable minority
that leaves mundane citizens feeling power-
less – a fact which the controlling corpora-
Fudge is a roleplaying game written by tions seek to exploit to their own ends.
Steffan O’Sullivan, with extensive input from In this harsh world of political intrigue,
the Usenet community of rec.games.design corporate espionage, and tough street life,
and other online forums. The core rules of you will take on any number of roles as a
Fudge are available free on the Internet at character who’s just trying to make it in the
http://www.fudgerpg.com and other sites. world. Perhaps you’re a psychic and a reb-
Fudge was designed to be customized, and el, seeking to diminish the reign of a giant
may be used with any gaming genre. Fudge megacorporation or perhaps you’re a corpo-
gamemasters and game designers are en- rate drone whose only goal in life is to make
couraged to modify Fudge to suit their needs, it through the day so he can work again to-
and to share their modifications and addi- morrow (admittedly, the latter doesn’t sound
tions with the Fudge community. The Fudge as exciting.)
game system is copyrighted ©2000, 2005 by Whatever the case may be, you’re about
Grey Ghost Press, Inc., and is available for to enter a realm rife with possibilities and ex-
use under the Open Game License. See the citement, drama, action, intrigue and adven-
fudgerpg.com website for more information. ture. You’re entering the world of Psi-punk,
The Fudge System logo is a trademark of so buckle up – it’s going to be a crazy ride.
Grey Ghost Press, Inc., and is used under li-
cense. Logo design by Daniel M. Davis, www.
agyris.net. Inside This Book
Inside of this book you will find a ready-
Introduction to-use role-playing game complete with a set-
ting, rules for character creation and playing
Psi-punk is a role-playing game set on the game, and Game Master-specific pieces
Earth in the year 2096. Unlike many futur- of advice for running a game of Psi-punk.
istic fantasy settings, Psi-punk isn’t a space Though this game uses Fudge™ mechanics,
opera or even a traditional cyberpunk game this stand-alone product is presented with
– though we did take inspiration from both everything you will need (short of dice and
genres. Instead, Psi-punk strives to be some- players) to get started with your adventures
thing unique but still identifiable with other – no additional reference materials are re-
settings you may have experienced in the quired.
past, whether in books, movies, video games, In Chapter 1: The World of Psi-punk,
or other role-playing games. you will be given a brief overview of the set-
Here, you will enter a world where huge ting, its history, and the events leading up to
corporations control large aspects of the pub- present day in the year 2096.
lic’s everyday lives and have even usurped

4
 Introduction

In Chapter 2: Character Creation you Additional appendices are also presented

will be given all of the information and tools which contain a useful character sheet, an
necessary for creating a character suitable example of how you can substitute regular
for play in this setting. You will also be intro- six-sided dice for Fudge dice, and a random
duced to the Fudge “trait ladder” and how it adventure generator.
applies to everything you do in the game.
Chapter 3: Equipment is a character-
focused section geared toward gear. Every- What is Fudge?
thing a character will need to enter the harsh You have seen the text mention Fudge,
world of Psi-punk, from guns to armor, mag- but what is it? Fudge is actually an acronym
ic devices to cybernetics, is presented in one that stands for Freeform, Universal, Do-it-
chapter for ease of reference. yourself Gaming Engine. Written by Steffan
In Chapter 4: Playing the Game, you O’Sullivan with extensive input from the rec.
will find the majority of the rules and guide- games.design Usenet community, it is now
lines that will help both players and Game distributed by Grey Ghost Press, Inc. under
Masters make the most of the system. An in- the Open Gaming License.
troduction to Fudge Dice is given before de- Fudge was designed to be an open-ended
scribing all of the crunchy game mechanics and rules-light gaming engine that Game
including skill use, combat resolution, get- Masters can tweak and alter to their heart’s
ting wounded, and healing those wounds. content. It is ideal for experienced GMs,
The chapter is rounded off with a helpful since the core rules are a collection of op-
example combat that will illustrate how the tions that encourage a GM to pick, choose
game mechanics work in practice. and modify as-necessary for his game, but
Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic is an in- it is overall a rules-light experience for the
depth look at one of the defining aspects of players. Core mechanics are freely distrib-
Psi-punk. Presented therein is all of the in- uted as a System Reference Document (SRD)
formation you will need to add psionics (and and can be downloaded from http://www.
magic) to your game. fudgeprg.com, among other places.
Chapters 6 and 7 (Hacking and When Finally, Fudge is intended to be genreless.
Worlds Diverge, respectively) provide some As a freeform gaming engine, it is designed
additional insight into the rules and the to accommodate any setting – with the ap-
game’s setting. Many of the presented rules propriate alterations to help define its me-
are optional but can be utilized to add some chanics and give it a more narrow purpose.
flair to any campaign – by using these more With that being said, Psi-punk is based
complex skill systems and multiple planes of on the Fudge engine, but uses a wide variety
existence, you will experience much more of of modifications, additions, and omissions of
what the game has to offer. the core rules to better suit our vision of a
Chapter 8: Game Mastering is a guide to cyberpunk-style setting and gaming experi-
help both new and experienced GMs run a ence. In the spirit of Fudge we still encour-
game of Psi-punk. New GMs will find advice age GMs to make modifications to our system
on planning and putting together a cam- as necessary, but our intention is to present
paign. Details about NPCs, encounters, and to GMs and players a single, cohesive set
loot are provided for the new and experi- of rules that are ready to pick-up-and-play,
enced GM alike whereas the Fudge core rules require a bit of
Finally, we round off the book with forethought and cherry-picking before they
Brain.net, an adventure set in the world of can be successfully employed.
psi-punk.

5
 Introduction

Common Campaign: An ongoing story arc com-

prised of multiple game sessions.

Game Terms Mission: A scenario developed by the GM

that involves the characters. Missions can
Following is a list of common terms you be anything the group desires, from pulling
will find throughout this book. Don’t worry if off a simple heist to overthrowing a fascist
they don’t make complete sense yet; we will regime. The possibilities are literally end-
be discussing them in detail in later chapters. less and limited only by the imaginations of
Game Master (GM): Most commonly re- those involved.
ferred to as simply the “GM,” the Game Mas- Scene: An abstract block of time that in-
ter is the person responsible for crafting ad- volves the players doing just about anything.
ventures and adjudicating rules. Each group A scene can be a chase, a firefight, an intense
of players needs only one GM at a time. debate, or even just a round of pints at the
GMing a game can be both a challenging and local pub. Anything can happen during a
rewarding experience, as it is up to the GM scene, but in general a scene represents a
to ensure that all players (including herself) smaller block of time than a mission. Mis-
are having a good time. sions are usually comprised of several differ-
Player: Any real person playing the game ent scenes.
(other than the GM, who “runs” the game). Character Sheet: A convenient place to
Players are the people behind the characters. keep track of your character’s statistics. A
It is recommended, though not required, that sample character sheet is provided in the Ap-
a group have at least three players. pendix.
Player Character (PC): usually referred Check: In most cases, when a player
to as simply “character.” Characters are in- rolls dice to determine the outcome of an ac-
game personas developed and brought to life tion, he is said to be making a check (i.e., he
by players. Generally, each player will con- is checking to see if his action was success-
trol a single character and control his/her ac- ful). This book commonly references “skill
tions during play. checks” (tests relating to a character’s skills)
Team: All of the player characters in a and “attribute checks” (checks relating to ei-
group are collectively referred to as a team. ther a primary or secondary attribute).
Teams can be comprised of two or more play- Check Result: The sum of a dice roll and
er characters, and occasionally they include an appropriate skill or attribute; literally, the
some friendly non-player characters as well. result of a check.
Non-Player Character (NPC): NPCs are Difficulty Level (Difficulty): The target
characters that are controlled by the GM, not you need to meet or exceed to be successful
the players. These can include anyone (or at a check. In some cases the GM will set this
anything) from random thugs and hench- difficulty, in other cases it will be set by an
men to shopkeepers, villains (or other antag- opponent’s check.
onists), monsters, and any other conceivable Degree of Success: The amount by which
being that the player characters interact with you exceed (or miss) the difficulty of a check.
throughout the course of a game session. Degree of Success = Your Check Result – Dif-
Game Session (Session): Any amount of ficulty
time set aside for players and GMs to come Natural Roll: The result of a dice roll be-
together and play a game. A typical game ses- fore any allowed re-rolls are taken.
sion lasts anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, but Initial Result: The result of a check be-
some groups opt to play for more (or less) fore it is matched with the difficulty to deter-
time. mine a degree of success.

6
 Introduction

Re-roll: Rolling a certain number of dice Linked Attribute: Each Skill has a Linked
again before observing the check result. Com- Attribute – a Secondary Attribute which the
mon uses of re-rolls are with Skill Specializa- Skill is associated with. Linked Attributes in-
tions (re-roll 1dF) and via Luck Points (re-roll crease as the Skill Level increases. Linked At-
1 dice + a number of additional dice equal to tributes also help determine how many dice
the skill’s Linked Attribute). Other Gifts and are re-rolled when spending Luck Points.
Faults, including equipment Gifts and Faults, Luck Points: Meta-game traits which al-
may also allow characters to re-roll dice. low characters to bend the narrative in their
Power Rating (PR): All magic devices favor.
have a Power Rating. This is the bonus add- Gift: Any trait that isn’t an attribute or
ed to any check made to activate that device. skill, but is something positive for the char-
It replaces the Attribute a character using a acter. In general, if the trait doesn’t easily fit
similar psionic ability would use. the trait ladder, it’s probably a Gift.
Fault: Any trait that limits a character’s
actions or earns him a bad reaction from
Character other people.
Creation Terms Psionic Power (Power): Although tech-
Trait: Anything that describes a charac- nically Gifts, psionic powers are treated sep-
ter. A trait can be an attribute, skill, inher- arately due to their special rules. See Chap-
ited Gift, Fault, psionic power, or any other ter 5: Psionics and Magic for more info.
feature that describes a character. The GM
is the ultimate authority on what is an attri-
bute and what is a Skill, Gift, etc. The Trait Ladder
Level (Trait Level): Most traits are de- Psi-punk uses ordinary words to describe
scribed by one of nine adjectives. These nine various traits. Nearly every trait in the game
descriptive words represent the levels a trait will reference this Trait Ladder in some way,
may be at. Refer to 0.1: The Trait Ladder so take time to become familiar with it.
(below) for examples.
Trait Ladder: A table which displays the Table 0.1: Trait Ladder
levels available for attributes, skills, and oth- Astonishing +7
er traits which use levels. See The Trait Lad- Extraordinary +6
der below for more details. Phenomenal +5
Build Points: Spent during character cre- Wonderful +4
ation to increase Skill levels, buy additional Superb +3
Gifts, and otherwise “build” your character. Great +2
Build Points, or “BP” for short, allow you to Good +1
add traits to your character until the total Fair 0
number of available points is depleted. Mediocre -1
Attribute: Any trait that everyone in the Poor -2
game world has in some degree. See Attri- Abysmal -3
butes, below, for a sample list of attributes.
On the trait ladder, the average human will These terms can be modified to use any
have an attribute at Fair. adjective you desire. For example, if you
Skill: Any trait that isn’t an attribute, would prefer to use “Awesome” instead of
but can be improved through practice. The “Superb”, feel free to do so; it’s your game,
default level for an unlisted skill is usually and you should feel free to customize it. For
Poor, though that can vary a little; see indi- clarity and simplicity, these are the words
vidual skill descriptions for details. that will be used throughout this book.

7
Chapter 1:
The World of Psi-punk
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

A Brief History
During World War II, the Nazis conduct-
ed mind control experiments in an attempt
1
to discover new methods of programming
human beings, focusing on creating the per-
fect soldier. Despite having lost the war, they
made great inroads into the science of men-
tal programming and mind control. Most of
this knowledge was captured by the Allied
forces, but very little was destroyed.
Two decades later during the Cold War,
the Russians began their own research in
to the paranormal and supernatural. Utiliz-
ing Nazi techniques that were discovered
by Russian spies, the Reds succeeded in in-
ducing psychological phenomenon in their
test subjects. These subjects began to exhibit
mental capabilities beyond that of simple
brainwashing: telekinesis, clairvoyance, as-
tralism, and dowsing are just some of the
words used to describe abilities that were
born out of these experiments.
For generations, various world govern- being (knowing full well that any attempts
ments struggled to contain these experi- on his life would only cause him to become a
ments under a veil of secrecy; the general martyr), but also because he knew that there
public could not know that human beings were at least 200 others being held in similar
were being experimented on, nor could oth- facilities throughout the country.
er superpowers get their hands on the valu- By 2019, Hunter had amassed a follow-
able psychic prototypes that were being en- ing large enough to forcibly enter the testing
gineered over time. facility in North Dakota, only to find that it
In the year 2017, the now infamous es- had been completely deserted and all evi-
cape of one such psychic being, Nathan dence had been cleared from the area. This
Hunter, from a government facility in Amer- sparked an even larger underground anti-
ica sparked an uprising that would change conspiracy movement that eventually led to
the face of the world. Hunter was a third revolts across the country. A year later, Hunt-
generation psychic, skilled in both mind er and a group of 30 armed civilians entered
control and telekinesis. After springing him- a similar facility that they had discovered in
self from a testing facility in North Dakota, Colorado; they freed 50 men, women, and
he managed to bring to light the 75-year-old children who were being held there.
“psychic conspiracy” which generated an The break-out was not a peaceful one;
enormous public outcry. over 100 government employees lost their
The public immediately began demand- lives in the raid along with a handful of psy-
ing the release of all test subjects, but the chics. Hunter and his men fled the country,
American government refused to admit seeking amnesty in South America. Word
guilt, let alone meet the demands of the of the event spread quickly throughout the
people. Hunter became a public figurehead, nation and eventually the world and the
partly in an attempt to ensure his own well-

9
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

government could no longer hide its dirty Enter Magicorp, the world’s foremost

1 secrets; they were forced to shut down all

psychic research facilities and their victims
were released to be assimilated into regular
inventor of new technologies. Magicorp spe-
cializes in personal, commercial, and mil-
itary-grade electronic devices which have
society. the ability to manipulate some aspect of the
Unfortunately, assimilation was difficult user’s environment. These devices can do
for these mental-elite. Normal people feared anything from create small fires to generat-
them for their special abilities and it wasn’t ing large, precisely-localized seismic distur-
long before the same folks who had de- bances. Other devices – some of the most
manded their release would turn violently widely sought – can shield the user’s mind
against them. Laws were eventually passed from outside influences and it is rumored
to limit the use of mental abilities, and psy- that Magicorp is experimenting with ways
chics were forced to either abandon the use for users to tap in to a target’s mind, effec-
of their abilities or sink in to the shadows tively mimicking the ability that many psy-
and begin lives of crime. chics possess.
Civil unrest continued for many years, Tension is high between psychics and
but after just a few generations the popula- normals, especially now that the normals
tion of psychics had increased significantly are developing potent methods of offense
enough to eventually take up positions of and defense against the mentals.
power and repeal the tyrannical laws of
the 2020s. Psychics across the world gained
some amount of control, despite still being Things to Come
in the vast minority, and eventually the use In Psi-punk, you will enter a world torn
of psychic abilities became common-place in between those who possess psychic abili-
homes and workplaces around the globe. ties (“mentals”) and those who don’t (“nor-
Now in the year 2096, the social environ- mals”). The political climate is turbulent;
ment is about to undergo another drastic normal people continue to fear the power
change… possessed by psychics, who are still a minor-
ity group but growing in power thanks to

In the Present their unique gifts. Some organizations, such

as Magicorp, are promising to be the saviors
It has been almost 80 years since Nathan of humankind by introducing potent tech-
Hunter escaped from the facility in North nologies that can be used to match the abili-
Dakota and psychics like Hunter have be- ties of the mentals.
come prominent members of society. Their In this futuristic setting, taking place dur-
various gifts have allowed them to enter ing or after the year 2096, characters can
any field of employment they could desire, do nearly anything they put their minds to
much to the chagrin of normal individuals – literally. Despite the introduction of psy-
who feel like they are losing their jobs to the chic abilities to the world, the normal peo-
so-called “psi-creeps”. Some individuals and ple have continued to advance technology
corporations are beginning to fight back. in many ways that one would expect from
a futuristic setting. Throughout the text you
will encounter examples of what the world
climate is like, but GMs are encouraged to
include their own ideas to give the world a
unique flavor of their own.

10
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

World History – granted all Mexican citizens amnesty within

North American
the United States regardless of citizenship.
This treaty had sparked an uprising from
the BCRF though, whose mission was to keep
1
Union (NAU) immigrants out, even though they were now
legally allowed to cross the border in to
The world is not the same place as it was America.
around the beginning of the 21st century. By 2017 the United States and Mexico
Even if one ignores the impact that the intro- signed the second draft of the North Amer-
duction of mentals in to mainstream society, ican Agreement. In this version, the entire
the world political, economic, and physical country of Mexico had become official US
climates have changed in the last 100 years property, making all citizens in both coun-
or so. Take, for instance, the formation of the tries part of the newly-formed North Ameri-
North American Union. can Union. This draft was hastily conceived
By the year 2015, border conflicts at the and passed in to law to try to prevent further
United States-Mexico border had reached an outbreaks of violence, but complete integra-
all-time high. Citizens of the USA had drawn tion of the two nations in to a single union
a veritable line in the sand regarding illegal would take decades.
immigration in to the US; they were either During that time, thousands of US citi-
going to force the government to deal with zens started emigrating to Canada, many
the issue once and for all, or they were going of them preferring to slip through border
to take matters in to their own hands. One security undetected and attempt to blend
extremist group, the Border Conflict Reso- in to Canadian society without gaining citi-
lution Front, took it into their own hands to zenship. Essentially, American citizens were
forcibly eject any illegal immigrant attempt- fleeing American in much the same way that
ing to enter the country using any means Mexican citizens had fled their own country
deemed necessary (up to and often includ- in decades past, hoping to move away from
ing the use of violence to permanently dis- the problems that plagued their own nation
able illegal aliens). and eke out a living in a new country full of
Because the government was in short promise.
supply of troops to send to the border due The illegal emigration into Canada lit
to the fact that most military personnel had additional flames. While the Canadian gov-
been deployed to Afghanistan to participate ernment and people were far more willing
in a war that had been ongoing for 14 years, to house American expatriates than their
there was little that the federal government neighbors to the south, groups like the BCRF
could do to prevent the violent outbursts and didn’t like the idea of so many of their own
occasional shootings that took place at the citizens vacating the nation. Once more, the
border. Texas law enforcement was unable BCRF took matters in to their own hands and
to cope with the demand for police security left dozens dead or wounded at the US-Can-
and the BCRF were left almost entirely un- ada border.
checked for the better part of a year. By 2019 the NAU government had too
Finally, after one massacre that left 20 much on their plate to deal with all of these
immigrants dead just a few hundred yards issues. They were still waging war in the
from the Texas side of the border, the US Middle East, trying to integrate Mexico in to
government was forced to take action or face the union, and dealing with an uprising of
a home-soil war with the people of Mexico. newly-outed psychics like Nathan Hunter.
In 2016, the first draft of the North Ameri- Once more, they hastily signed an agree-
can Agreement was written, which officially ment to ally with Canada and draw them in

11
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

to the NAU agreement, which now protected the government for so long they appeared

1 all citizens from each of the three countries

from illegal alien status. This chagrined
many citizens who were hoping to leave be-
poised to stand against it regardless of the
reason.
Though the BCRF was disbanded, several
hind the worries they had while living in the of its members formed a new organization
USA, but eventually helped settle disputes known as the Anti-Psi League (APL). Their
over border crossing issues. focus was on suppressing those with psion-
ic powers with an emphasis on preventing
them from gaining any control in govern-
World History – ment office or other political affairs. Those
mentals that weren’t killed in the proceed-
Beyond the NAU ing witch hunts were forced to slip in to the
With the continent’s three largest coun- shadows and hide their gifts from the out-
tries allied in a single union, they were side world.
able to redirect some of their resources to Influential members of the APL even-
deal with other problems at hand. By the tually reached out to the government and
year 2021 the war in Afghanistan had been forced them to pass laws that restricted the
raging for 20 years and many of the same use of psionic abilities. It became a felony to
people who were influential in the “Border exhibit any display of psychic ability and the
Wars” were now refocusing their energy law ceased to protect mentals from the witch
and directing it toward the Middle East. The hunts that were being carried out against
BCRF in particular gained in power as they them. It would be decades before mentals
riled up fellow countrymen and called for would be able to show their faces in public
the overthrow of the nation’s military in an without the fear of being persecuted.
attempt to force an end to the ongoing war.
Once more, government officials were
forced to take action at home. They pulled Moving Forward
back troops from the Middle East to try to Though unable to use their abilities in
maintain some amount of order on their public, mentals still possessed traits that
own home soil, which left them vulnerable could be passed on to their kin. It took about
on the Afghan front. They also moved to put forty-five years, but by 2066 the population
a quick end to the situation at home by or- of psychics was large enough that they could
dering the covert assassination of the most begin to fight back.
influential BCRF leaders. It was rumored, Nathan Hunter, now an old man who had
though never proven, that Homeland Secu- been living in South America for nearly fifty
rity hired one or more mentals to carry out years, moved back to the NAU and formed
the hits on BCRF leadership, which were an underground movement to unite men-
highly successful. tals and overtake the oppressive authorities.
After the assassinations had been car- Thanks to his powerful telepathic abilities
ried out the BCRF organization crumbled he was able to reach thousands of mentals
and faded in to history, but the rumors that nationwide without alerting government of-
mentals were hired to carry out the orders ficials or the still-present Anti-Psi League.
just added more fuel to the fire. Nobody on They formed an unnamed network of psion-
either side wanted mentals working for the icists and, by 2067, moved to strike back.
government, and extremists like those in the Hunter’s men broke in to the NAU’s capi-
BCRF once more looked for something to at- tol building and assassinated the president
tack. By now they had been fighting against while simultaneously assassinating the lead-

12
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

er of the APL. This two-pronged attack left Within twenty years, Magicorp was one
both factions weak and the powerful men-
tals quickly eroded their structures from the
top down. Stopping only when they reached
of the world’s leading companies. Though
they did not outwardly advocate the use of
their technology to fight against mentals,
1
a point at which no one could oppose them, many people used their equipment to level
Hunter’s men gave him the NAU Presidency. the playing field. With the advent of new
Few normals had the nerve to oppose him. devices that granted users telekinesis, te-
Though not a tyrant, Hunter flexed his lepathy, and even ESP, normal citizens with
authority for several years to ensure that enough cash could participate on even foot-
no uprising could unseat him until he was ing in the job market and in other areas
confident that mentals were safe to roam the which mentals had taken control of over the
streets once more. He repealed the laws of last several decades.
the 2020s that prohibited the use of public Now, in 2096, Magicorp is producing still
displays of psychic power and soon psychics more powerful and experimental tech which
were coming out of the shadows to reclaim they have dubbed “magic”, but they are also
their place in society at large. branching out in to other fields including
With the APL gone and psychics in con- computing and cybernetics. It still remains
trol of the NAU, the general public floun- to be seen just what sort of powerful new
dered for a time. Those few APL members equipment will come out of their factories,
who were left were too small in number to but with continued research and acquisition
consider fighting back with force, but civil of some of the world’s other leading technol-
unrest was high and they were able to use ogy firms, they are in a position to start fight-
that to their advantage. Normals resented ing back.
the fact that mentals were taking their jobs
and there was still the occasional chance hate
crime carried out against mentals, particu- Other Important
larly in bars and pubs where people would
get drunk and violent. With so much unrest, World Events
someone was once again bound to take up a
position of power and fight against it.
The Great Famine
Enter Magicorp Scientists had been theorizing for lit-
erally centuries that one day, the world’s
Magicorp was formed in 2069 by former population would outpace its ability to pro-
APL members with a knack for science. Their duce food. At that time, they claimed, there
mission statement was less overt than the would be catastrophic famine that reduced
APL’s, but it still had the same goal in mind – the world’s population by a sizable amount.
put an end to psychic reign over traditional The planet, they said, would simply not sup-
humanity. They began research in the field port so many human beings. They even had
of psychic phenomena and how to emulate it a word for this event: a Malthusian Catastro-
through the use of technology. The first sev- phe, named after the first scientist to popu-
eral devices that came out of their factories larize the idea all the way back in the 18th
mimicked more mundane powers, like the century.
ability to manipulate fire and electricity, but Well, the scientists were right. Around
eventually they were able to emulate more the year 2043 the world’s population had
powerful abilities. swollen to over 12 billion. Human beings
were being produced faster than ever, and

13
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

some say that certain countries were even these seeds suddenly found their fields com-

1 testing human clones, which added to the al-

ready oversized population density. Even as
the demand for more and more food grew,
pletely barren; nothing they planted would
grow. Worse, the chemical fertilizer that was
built directly in to the seeds destroyed much
the number of people growing food was di- of the soil it was planted in, further contami-
minishing. By 2043, only a mere 20% of the nating the farmland for years to come.
world population still worked on farms. It wasn’t long before the world’s already
Food was becoming scarce. meager food storehouses were depleted, and
There were, of course, ever newer and with next to nobody growing any new food
more modern methods of growing “bigger there was, indeed, a catastrophic shortage.
and better” food. Growth hormones and Only the very richest citizens could afford
artificial pesticides were used almost glob- to continue eating normal meals, while oth-
ally to be able to stretch every last crop or ers were forced to live off of whatever they
head of livestock to its limits. Unfortunately, could scavenge. Governments were brought
only one megacorp held the patents to these to their knees trying to find ways to keep up
products, and they went after patent viola- with the demand even as millions of people
tors with a vengeance, stamping out any were starving to death.
small farm which even accidentally got hold Researchers quickly began formulating
of their seeds. new approaches to food production, but it
The enriched seeds patented by Farm- would be two years before anything would
corp and used on over 90% of the world’s prove fruitful. After more than 5 billion
farms had one flaw that ultimately proved had died from either starvation or violence
fatal; the plants which were produced from related to what became known as “hun-
Farmcorp’s seeds were sterile, unable to ger crimes”, researches at a nanotech firm
grow anything. Farmers using these en- known as NFC Global developed the first
riched seeds had to purchase a new stock nano-foods. Though previously only seen in
every single year and were unable to re-use science fiction movies, these new nano-foods
the plant seeds gathered from their crops. became a reality which would save mankind
Though there was a movement against from billions of additional losses.
this in the earliest decades of the 21st century, Nano-food, or “non-food” as it is cynically
it eventually faded out. Those who struggled known, is a type of sustenance created from
against Farmcorp’s tight grip on the indus- near-nothingness with the aid of nanoscopic
try were successful for a while, but found robots. Though as filling and nutritious as
that sustainable agriculture simply couldn’t any regular meal, non-foods are bland and
maintain a 10-billion-strong-and-growing leave much to be desired. They are rationed
world population. Nearly every farm in the to every citizen in the world who can’t af-
world finally had to give in to the enriched ford the real deal. The invention of nano-
seeds of Farmcorp in order to grow enough foods not only solved the global hunger
food for everyone on the planet. crisis, it also solved the lingering world hun-
Then, in 2043, something happened to ger problem that had been hundreds, if not
Farmcorp’s seed supply. Their largest store- thousands, of years old.
houses of stock became infected with some Nowadays, the only people who can eat
new chemical they were testing, which real food are those rich enough to afford
sterilized the seeds even before they had a it. Real food is mostly grown in hydropon-
chance to grow for the first time. It was only ic facilities that are owned, controlled, and
a matter of a year or so before the public fiercely defended by megacorps whose big-
became aware of this dreadful secret. Farm- wigs still dine in style. Others, who are not
ers the world over who were dependent on rich enough to dine on real food every night

14
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

henceforth be treated as people under the

law, but it wasn’t until the fourth decade of
the 21st century that such a corporation fi-
nally used this status to gain entrance into
1
congress and, eventually, the White House.
While it was overlooked for many years, a
Supreme Court ruling in the first decade de-
clared that corporations, as people, should
have the right to vote. The right to vote even-
tually led to the right to lead, and by 2032
the North American Union saw its first cor-
porate congressman.
The corporation, Price-Less, Inc., won
the popular peoples’ vote by a wide mar-
gin over the competition. Some suspected
foul play, but in reality it was the company’s
dominance as the largest, lowest-price con-
sumer goods superstore in the nation that
led to their ultimate victory. By the time all
was said and done, Price-Less had a seat in
congress and was in a prime position to con-
tinue working its way up the political ladder
(it already topped the corporate ladder).
but can afford the occasional bio-implant, In the year 2038, Price-Less announced
have developed bionetic tongue replace- its intention to run for President of the NAU.
ments that add flavor to non-foods. Though Its deep pockets and wide-reaching con-
expensive, it is worth the cost to many peo- tacts helped it to fund a campaign the likes
ple to be able to taste food again. Others, of which the world had never seen. By the
who have grown up entirely in the age of time the 2040 elections rolled around, there
nano-food, often choose not to find out what was no contest for the company’s rival, and
they’re missing. Price-Less achieved another landmark vic-
tory as the first corporate president of the
NAU.
Corporate Government Price-Less only managed to hold the top
As the world’s citizens became more and spot for one presidential term, but the four
more reliant on the offerings of various cor- years that the company spent as the most
porations, major companies began to make powerful entity in the world was put to good
political bids to protect their stake in the (some say sinister) use. Within just that
global economic environment. Special in- short amount of time, they managed to re-
terest groups have always attempted to pass peal almost every regulatory law governing
laws which give corporate entities more, not corporations and their ability to hold power,
less, power. By the year 2032, the world be- including those which safeguarded compe-
came an even safer place for large compa- tition against monopolies. The years that
nies. followed were filled with some of the larg-
Corporations have long enjoyed citizen est corporate mergers, buy-outs, and hostile
status in America, with a landmark decision takeovers the country had ever seen.
in the late 1800s proclaiming that they would

15
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

Unfortunately for Price-Less, the Great it had wiped out all other competitors in the

1 Famine had begun before the 2044 election.

The people of the world once again began
seeing corporations as giant, evil entities, a
market. To this day, whenever you visit a
hospital or buy a prescription drug, MSI is
there.
stigma which cost Price-Less the election.
Though no corporation has held a presiden-
tial title since, the regulations they managed
Separatist States
to have repealed proved nearly impossible Following the unprecedented “govern-
to put back in to place. To this day, corpo- ment monopoly,” several states seceded
rations hold as much (in some cases more) from the NAU out of disgust for the concept
power than the governments of the world, of corporate government. Shortly follow-
thanks to that landmark election. ing the mass-election of MSI, Quebec left
Though the NAU has not seen another the NAU in 2077. Though the former prov-
corporate president, it has seen its share of inces’ attempts at seceding from Canada had
corporate governors, senators, and other failed, few opposed their separation from
elected officials. At one point or another the NAU; the federal government simply
within the last 50 years nearly every state in refused to grant them military protection
the NAU has seen some corporation or an- (which has grown increasingly important
other calling the shots. Since, by law, a corpo- since the “Terror War” has, on numerous
ration is a legal entity and holds citizenship occasions, reached home soil). Though Que-
and residence in every city, state, and coun- bec got its wish, they were suddenly faced
try in which it has a physical presence, some with the need to build up their own form of
corporations have even served as elected of- homeland security.
ficials in multiple states simultaneously. Following Quebec’s lead, several other
Of particular note is one monopolistic states left the Union. Wyoming, the other
megacorporation that was allowed to form state in which MSI lost the election, was the
as a result of the deregulation of the 2040s. next to leave, followed by Hawaii, Nova Sco-
Several of the world’s leading pharmaceuti- tia, Tijuana, Oregon, Washington, and Geor-
cal companies merged to form Medical Ser- gia. Though in many cases these states were
vices International, the leading, and now separated by vast distances, they shared one
the only, medical provider in the NAU. Com- thing in common: they were unwilling to
prised of hospitals, pharmacies, insurance give up their relative freedom to the increas-
companies, and even the formerly-govern- ingly corporate-controlled government.
ment-controlled Food and Drug Administra- Their separation from the union was largely
tion, MSI has grown to become a true behe- unopposed because it meant the NAU would
moth in the world of medicine. need to spend less of its defense budget to
In 2076, MSI campaigned in twenty-six protect these states.
separate states at once. Promising free ocu- Each of the states soon found itself in dire
lar and cochlear implants for the blind and need of resources. Without the funding from
deaf, fully-functioning prosthetic limbs for a larger federal government, they turned to
para- and quadriplegics, and bionetic or- each other for support. In 2080, they collec-
gan replacements for all manner of people. tively formed the Separated States of Amer-
Though it cost them billions in tax-deduct- ica, a loosely-bound governing body which
ible donations, MSI won the election in all was developed primarily for homeland pro-
but two of the states in which it campaign tection.
(Wyoming and Quebec). Its power as both a Each of the various states of the SSA
corporation and governing body grew tre- maintains the right to govern its citizens as
mendously and within just a few short years an independent nation, but they have a com-

16
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

bined resource pool for military spending

and trade. Over the last twenty years they
have developed strong trade relationships
with other nations, including the Asia-Pacif-
1
ic Union, Greater European Union, and Sub-
sahara.

Psionicists Become
Philanthropists
Just a few years after Nathan Hunter took
over as President and use of psionics was le-
galized once again, a surge of philanthropic
movements swept the planet. Thousands of
powerful mentals began banding together
and putting their powers to use for the good
of mankind; whether these demonstrations
were just cleverly orchestrated to gain ac-
ceptance into normal society or were actu-
ally performed out of the goodness of their
hearts remains a hot debate.
In 2071, Global Warming was on every-
one’s minds as images of melting glaciers
and the very real severe winters that ensued
were growing worse than ever. Scientists
slow the severe effects of Global Warming
predicted, as they had been for decades, that
for now, but opponents are quick to point
the Global Warming problem would soon
out that it didn’t solve the problem. Other bi-
cause a world-threatening catastrophe.
zarre weather patterns have cropped up as a
Despite impressive green energy ad-
result, and – because the symptoms weren’t
vances and a complete separation from oil
cured – the caps have ever-so-slowly begun
dependence, the ice caps were still melting
to melt again. If nothing else, both sides
and people wanted something to be done. To
agree that the effort seems to have bought
combat Global Warming “once and for all,”
the world some extra time to figure out a
a team of over 1,000 cryokineticists, ranging
permanent solution.
from popular scientists to common laypeo-
On a less controversial note, electrokinet-
ple, headed to the North (and later South)
icists began working on perhaps the most
poles to attempt to re-freeze the rapidly dis-
environmentally-friendly solution to the
appearing glaciers. It took four solid months
people’s energy needs that has ever been de-
of concerted effort (per location), but even-
vised; electricity formed purely from force
tually the mission was deemed a success.
of will. With no emissions, no waste, and
The ice caps were undeniably larger and
no harmful materials involved, only suit-
sturdier than they had been for at least a
able batteries and a method to collect pow-
hundred years.
er is required. Unfortunately the demand
While the “Deep Freeze” was deemed
for such energy far exceeds the number of
successful by many proponents of the move-
skilled electrokinetics willing to devote their
ment, others aren’t so sure. It is undeniable
time and effort to generating other people’s
that re-freezing the polar ice caps has helped
power.

17
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

With the idea put into place, Magicorp • 2017: A man named Nathan Hunter es-

1 took up the mantle of “energy saviors” in

2080. The megacorporation began manufac-
turing magic devices capable of emulating
capes from a testing facility in North Da-
kota and brings the “psychic conspiracy”
to the public’s attention
electrokinesis at power levels high enough • 2019: Hunter rallies a mob to raid the fa-
to charge themselves and produce a great cility in North Dakota but finds it empty
amount of storable surplus. Eventually • 2019: Canada joins the NAU; citizens of
these “Magic Batteries” became the de-factor all three involved countries now enjoy
source of energy for citizens the world over, joint citizenship across the entire union
further cementing Magicorp’s dominance. • 2020: Hunter and crew successfully raid
Various other movements have come and a facility in Colorado, freeing many men-
gone, most of them serving to create minor tals who were captive there; Hunter flees
social, political, and or technological chang- to South America and the government
es. One group of shapers even attempted to issues the order to shut down all testing
turn the Sahara into a blooming paradise facilities
(despite ecologist’s pleas to not disturb the • 2021: The leader of the BCRF is assassi-
natural environment and the numerous spe- nated; rumors abound that a mental was
cies who called it their home), only to realize hired by the government to carry out
supreme disappointment when their shap- the hit; the BCRF crumbles but many of
ing attempts failed to remain permanent. its members regroup and form the Anti
Psi League, with the goal of suppressing
mentals and removing them from gov-
Timeline ernment power
Below is a timeline of the events noted in • 2020s: The APL succeeds at inciting rage
this chapter to serve as both a summary and and witch hunts against mentals; feder-
a helpful reference tool. al laws are passed to prevent the use of
• WWII: Nazis begin psychic research psionics of any kind in public; most men-
• Cold War: Russians continue research tals are forced underground or out of the
techniques stolen from the former Nazi country
regime and succeeded in creating the • 2032: Price-Less, Inc. becomes first cor-
first psychics poration to hold a seat in congress
• 2015: The Border Conflict Resolution • 2038: Price-Less announces it will run
Front, a mercenary band of “patriots,” is for President of the NAU
formed to fight back illegal aliens at the • 2040: Price-Less becomes first, and only,
US border Corporate President
• 2016: A massacre at the US-Mexico bor- • 2040 - 2044: Price-Less repeals many
der nearly incites an uprising; the first laws restricting corporate monopolies,
draft of the North American Agreement causing a boom of mergers, buy-outs,
is written, granting Mexican citizens am- and hostile takeovers
nesty within the US regardless of citizen- • 2043: World population reaches 12 bil-
ship lion even as the number of food produc-
• 2017: The second draft of the North ers diminishes; FarmCorp’s seeds become
American Agreement was written and contaminated with in-grown fertilizer
hastily passed; the North American Union that ruins both the seeds and the soil
was formed; many NAU citizens illegally they are planted in, resulting in world-
emigrate to Canada; the BCRF moves to wide famine; 5 billion eventually die as
the US-Canada border a result

18
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

• 2045: NFC Global invents and success-

Major Players
fully brings nano-food to market, ending
the Great Famine with a bland but nutri-
tious source of sustenance
It is important to know who the world’s
major players are; that is, who controls the
1
• 2066: Nathan Hunter, now an old man, world. Billions of people work for but a doz-
moves back to the NAU and begins to en or so of the world’s largest corporations,
form a psychic resistance making some of them more populous (and
• 2067: Nathan and his men infiltrate the wealthy) than many small countries.
capital and assassinate the President of Some megacorporations have a corporate
the NAU and the leader of the APL, leav- culture so well-defined and spread across
ing both weak; Hunter is made President such vast portions of the planet that it can
and repeals anti-psi laws of the 2020s be difficult to discern a Chinese Macroware
• 2069: Magicorp is founded by former employee from a Sub-Saharan employee,
APL members and begins research into save for the regional differences in height
technologically recreating mental pow- and skin tone. Many corporate employees
ers even adopt a single spoken dialect, further
• 2071: The global warming crisis peaks; enforcing their global nature. In some cases,
hundreds of cryokineticists gather at the one’s allegiance to a corporation is stronger
North and South poles to re-freeze the than his allegiance to his own country.
glacier and prevent catastrophic disas- Pay attention to the following informa-
ters; other teams of psionicists gather to- tion, or you may wind up crossing the wrong
gether for the common good and begin people.
similar projects worldwide
• 2076: Medical Services International
campaigns for government seats in 26
Macroware
states at once and is elected in 24 of them Macroware is the result of over 50 years of
(only Wyoming and Quebec refused to technology company acquisitions and merg-
have a corporate governor) ers. What started as two major computer
• 2077: Quebec secedes from the NAU; hardware and software companies joining
Wyoming, Hawaii, Nova Scotia, Tijuana, forces eventually became the world’s lead-
Oregon, Washington, and Georgia soon ing computer company, a one-stop monopoly
follow shop for all of the world’s computer needs.
• 2080: The seceded states formed a union Though their industry dominance is pro-
known as the Separatist States of Ameri- found, Macroware keeps their prices low to
ca, designed to provide a pool of resourc- ensure that the public, governments, and oth-
es for military spending and trade er corporations don’t try to form any start-ups
• 2080: Magicorp begins manufacturing that might challenge their position of power.
electrokinetic batteries that will eventu- This is the company responsible for the
ally become the de-facto energy source tablet computers that nearly everyone in the
for all people world carries around with them, in addition
• 2096: Present Day to the global network that links them all to-
gether. Macroware also writes the software
for nearly every functional piece of technol-
ogy from automobiles to complex security
algorithms. It’s no wonder that this is the
world’s wealthiest and largest company, em-
ploying more citizens worldwide than any
other corporation on Earth.

19
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

Though enormously influential, Macro- piece of magic equipment in their home.

1 ware sees little benefit in attempting to take

any sort of governmental power. It is more
prudent for a company which supplies secu-
Most of the magic is reserved for higher-pay-
ing clients though, such as wealthy citizens,
governments, and even other corporations.
rity software and hardware to every country Magicorp also uses its psi-like equipment to
on earth to remain neutral; taking some po- dabble in healthcare (providing equipment
litical stance would certainly cause them to to nearly every hospital on the globe) and
fall out of favor with many of the countries security (providing magic security systems
in which they operate. to consumers, governments, and other cor-
Many unsuccessful attempts have been porations). They have also begun to experi-
made by rogues to infiltrate Macroware for ment in the fields of bio-tech, cybernetics,
a variety of reasons, but few of them ever get and robotics, attempting to find new ways
away with it. In most of these circumstances, to embed magic directly within the human
the infiltrators are after valuable informa- body and to employ it in autonomous robots.
tion that the company might have on a ri- Magicorp holds the patents for liter-
val company, person, or nation; indeed, the ally every piece of magic equipment on the
world’s largest software giant may know a planet. Though the vast majority of their
little something about everyone in the world, tech comes from their own research, other
but that information is next-to-impossible companies have tried to get on board, only
to get to thanks to the company’s high-tech to either be promptly bought out or curious-
security. They employ fewer private guards ly shut down within months of their initial
than most companies in their class, but their launch. The patents from these companies
data security is second-to-none. are either folded in to Magicorp’s own or
Macroware employs a large number of rendered obsolete when the company that
highly skilled Ghosts to secure their com- applies for them suddenly shuts its doors.
puter systems, meaning that anyone who The company’s relatively brief history (it
steps into the ‘Net and attempts to infiltrate was established only 27 years ago) has been
their network is sure to meet with fierce, and tumultuous at best. It first met stiff opposi-
sometimes deadly, competition. It is also ru- tion from the NAU government when the
mored that a number of their top security ex- mentals in office felt threatened by the rise of
perts are Wraiths who patrol the Astral Plane psi-like technology that sought to challenge
and watch for invaders from all angles. their power. In the end, though, the public’s
demand for a free and fair job market and
economy defeated every attempt the govern-
Magicorp ment made at shutting the company down,
Magicorp is one of the world’s largest and to this day it stands as a testament to the
and most prominent corporations. Founded power that the non-mental majority still has
in 2069 by former members of the Anti-Psi in this world.
League, Magicorp’s mission is to put psi-like There have been many attempts by rogue
technology into the hands of every normal psychics to infiltrate the corporation, either
citizen, thus evening the playing field be- to undermine its power or attempt to strike
tween normals and mentals. This technol- a blow from within. These sorts of attacks
ogy, which they have dubbed “magic”, em- continue to this day, but so far the compa-
ulates psionic abilities in nearly every way ny’s high level of security has put down ev-
but doesn’t always come cheap. ery one of them, earning it a reputation as a
Demand for Magicorp’s technology is on force to be reckoned with.
the rise, and nearly every normal citizen
with a moderate income has at least some

20
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

Though headquartered within the NAU, compete for consumer attention and, though
Magicrop operates globally and funds its
own private military. Few nations have the
capacity to stand up to it, and those that do
they all add to the bottom line of MarkeTech
as a whole, compete fiercely for the dollars
that are spent on their own products and
1
often back down after only a few short days. services.
Conspiracy theorists rumor that Magicorp is Competition between its divisions can
poised to try to overthrow the NAU – or at get so fierce that each arm of the company
least part of it – and create its own corporate employs corporate espionage tactics against
nation, which would be the first of its kind. one another to dig up the dirt that isn’t free-
Though the company vehemently denies ly shared between departments. Street run-
these accusations publically, they may not ners have been known to find employment
be far from the truth – indeed, the company handed down from one of MarkeTech’s of-
already owns several cities within the North ficers, even if that work isn’t officially sanc-
American Union, including the Bay Area Ar- tioned or recognized by the company as a
cology where it makes its home. whole.

MarkeTech Medical Services

Some say the formation of MarkeTech International
was inevitable. For years, media companies
When a street runner needs to be patched
merged, acquired, took over, and vertically
up after a job, the last place he wants to wind
integrated with one another to form ever
up is at a hospital operated by MSI. Known
larger megacorporations that controlled
for their strict adherence to the law, MSI
nearly all of the world’s news, information,
runs extensive background checks on every
and entertainment. There were but a scant
individual before treating them for illness or
few major players at the top, each of which
injury.
owned hundreds of brands that operated
The law-abiding nature of MSI is perhaps
under their own names but whose bottom
due to their crack shot legal team, the same
lines were directly associated with that of
infamous group of lawyers that found the
the parent company.
loopholes required to put MSI into the Gov-
Eventually, with competition fierce and
ernor’s chair in over 20 states at once. This
corporate acquisitions deregulated, only
sweeping victory – for both the company
two such companies remained. Each con-
and megacorporations in general, lead to the
trolled an overwhelming stake in the infor-
eventual secession of what are now known
mation, entertainment, and marketing sec-
as the Separatist States of America.
tors. A fierce corporate battle for dominance
MSI is the leading, though surprisingly
of the industry ensued and MarkeTech, with
not the only, legitimate reseller of cybernet-
its cut-throat business practices, crack shot
ics in the world. Their hospitals are equipped
legal team, and bottomless coffers won the
to handle everything from simple ocular
war and emerged as the sole proprietor of
augmentation surgeries to full-body cyber-
the world’s multimedia operations.
netic replacements in addition to the typical
Despite its monopoly, MarkeTech has
medical services one might expect (after all,
a hierarchy and corporate culture that en-
there’s still no cure for the common cold).
courages competition and innovation. Each
MSI operates a franchise of cyberware
major sector in which the company operates
installment clinics known as Chip Stop.
– games, marketing, movies, music, news,
These clinics are usually found in strip malls
publishing, and sports – functions inde-
and promise to have customers in and out
pendent from one another. These segments

21
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

in an hour “…or the next one’s half-off!” The mere existence of these farms has al-

1 These Chip Stop clinics specialize in minor

implants and are not equipped to handle full
limb or skeletal replacements, but they are
lowed for the birth of a new type of crimi-
nal: the food smuggler. With natural food
so rare and expensive, it’s no wonder that
clean and offer legitimate hardware at a fair many have turned to the lucrative business
price. of stealing real food and delivering it to the
highest bidder (after taking a cut of the crop
for themselves, of course).
NFC Global Governments cave to the NFC’s demands
NFC Global controls the world’s food sup- for fear of having their food supplies termi-
ply in the same manner that Macroware nated overnight, thus leaving millions – if
controls the world’s technology; almost no not billions – of their citizens left to starve.
one can compare to their influence in the Some say that the NFC is the worst of all evils,
market, and those who try are immediately while others praise them for having brought
either bought up or put down. an end to the Great Famine and allowing the
Short for Nano-Food Corporation, NFC population of the planet to thrive once more.
Global was formed from a research facility
which developed the first nano-food produc-
tion units during the Great Famine of 2043. Amazonia Luddites
They have jealously safeguarded the pat- Not so much a corporation as a militant
ents to this tech ever since and now hold the faction, some say the Amazonia Luddites
world’s nutritional needs in their hands. were founded by Nathan Hunter himself
Though most consider it dangerous to al- during his stay in South America. While this
low a single company to control the world’s hasn’t been proven, it is certain that many of
food sources – after all, that’s what led to the the foremost members of the AZL are power-
Great Famine in the first place – few people ful psychics with an intense hatred for new
have the resources to challenge their domi- technologies.
nance in the industry. Small farms and co- The Amazonia Luddites have established
ops still exist, but only in remote regions of a large and fiercely-protected No Tech Zone
the world that serve a limited number of in what little remains of the Amazon rain-
people and they never export their goods. forest. ‘Net signal dampeners and custom
This is, in part, because they can only pro- anti-tech barriers have been set up around
duce enough food for those who thrive off the perimeter of the AZL’s territory and
of them, but also because the NFC has seen within the zone, electronics and automated
fit to apply pressure against any government machinery is strictly prohibited. Rumor has
which would allow food to be imported to it that an anti-tech virus has been spread
their nation. throughout the territory, infecting anyone
Other small farms exist within the con- who enters. This virus specifically attacks
fines of highly secure, fiercely-guarded cor- people with cybernetic implants, causing
porate compounds, but the product of this their limbs, eyes, ears, and other augmenta-
food is reserved solely for rich corporate tions to malfunction and shut down.
citizens. These farms are most commonly Understanding that they are no physical
owned by NFC Global and are simply li- match for other nations, the AZL do not make
censed to the corporations for business use, a habit of waging war on other territories
so even in this sector they have managed to or corporations. However, they do spread
gain a foothold. anti-technology propaganda throughout the
world and their numbers have grown steadi-
ly over the past decade. Their ultimate goal

22
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

is unknown, but many corporations and forms of criminals, including hacker gangs
governments fear their power and the prob- known as Ghost Cartels, guns-for-hire
ability that they are breeding more power- known as Street Runners, and even Astral
ful psychics within their carefully-guarded thugs known as Wraith Butchers.
borders. None have risked a preemptive at-
tack on this group, however, for fear of de- Gangs
stroying what remains of the world’s last Gangs battle it out in the slums and ghet-
rainforest. tos of the world’s cities and constantly war
over turf, resources, and whatever scraps of
The Criminal Element respect they can attain. Police often ignore
the petty crimes that gangs commit as long
In a world where the rich have become
as they’re carried out against each other, but
wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and
when a gang oversteps its boundaries and
the poor have become more destitute than
starts mugging citizens or robbing local con-
ever, it’s no wonder that so many people
venience stores the police are forced to in-
have turned to lives of crime. It isn’t just the
tervene. Occasionally the police send squads
poor and desperate who lie, cheat, steal, and
of gangbusters into a sprawl to take down
murder though; even the rich, hungry for
particularly powerful groups of ruffians, but
ever-more power, will often stop at nothing
for the most part their stance has been to let
to further elevate their own status.
them kill each other… for the good of man-
It’s no wonder, then, that gangs, street
kind.
thugs, loan sharks, and even the Mob are
alive and well in 2096. In addition, chang-
es in world culture have given rise to new

23
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

Ghost Cartels Cops in major cities spend most of their

1 Of more importance to the police is or-

ganized crime. Centuries-old organizations
such as the Mafia, Yakuza, Triad, and others
day interrogating citizens and demanding
to see their registration, which can be faked
easily enough. However, cops have a quota of
still exist and continue to silently terrorize illegals to bring in every month and they’re
the public even as they gain in wealth and not above erasing someone’s identity chip if
power. it means meeting their numbers. Most of the
In addition to these constant threats, time it’s best to avoid them unless you’re a
a new breed of organized criminals has ranking corporate drone whose sudden ap-
arisen. Known as Ghost Cartels, these un- prehension would be looked poorly upon by
derground organizations are highly adept the very companies that sponsor them.
at stealing and decrypting data from the
world’s computer networks. By employee Wraith Butchers
Ghosts – people who are capable of psychi- Perhaps the single deadliest breed of
cally projecting their own presence into criminals, Wraith Butchers have earned
the ‘Net – they can sneak into virtually any their name by slaughtering Astral travel-
computer system and make off with boun- ers. Though Astral travel isn’t very common,
ties of information which they either sell to when a soul does leave its body to travel
the highest bidder or release to the public to in the incorporeal realm there is always a
bring dirty secrets to light. chance that he may encounter one of these
Many such organizations employ other human monsters.
criminals as well, including Dealers, Fixers, What makes the act of butchering
and all manner of armed thugs. After all, wraiths (Astral travelers) so difficult to de-
all that information would be useless if it tect is that there is no physical trauma to
weren’t in the hands of someone who knew the body. When a soul is killed on the Astral
what to do with it or if it never saw the light Plane, their body remains completely intact
of day because the Ghost who grabbed it was but simply ceases to function on its own; it
shot in the back of the head before he could first goes into a comatose state and then, un-
go corporeal. less hooked up to life support within hours,
shuts down and dies. Medically, it appears
Police as though the body simply stopped function-
Even the law isn’t safe from corruption. ing. No form of medicine is able to detect that
Nowadays, most police forces have been the physical body’s soul had been destroyed
privatized or are, at the very least, commer- (or sucked of its energy).
cially sponsored; it isn’t uncommon to see a What motivates these criminals is uncer-
uniform that says “L.A.P.D. brought to you tain, though many suspect that there is pow-
by KojiCorp.” er to be gained by devouring the life force
Though the police are still generally seen of another being. Others may be simply at-
as a good thing – after all, they do (mostly) tempting to assassinate competition, while
serve and protect the innocent – they’re not still others are simply serial killers with a
without their faults. It’s easy to buy off most twisted and mostly-untraceable method.
cops with a little bit of Wealth or some influ- Wraith Butchers must, themselves, trav-
ential backing, but offer too little or speak el to the Astral Plane to attack their target,
the wrong words and you’ll find yourself in which means they also need to be skilled
grapheme cuffs faster than you can say “it in Astral Projection and Astral Combat. Be-
wasn’t me!” cause the number of such skilled people is
small, and the number of butchers an even

24
 Chapter 1: The World of Psi-Punk

smaller percentage of that segment, encoun- What do Runners do?

ters with butchers are rare. Still, utterances
of their existence have become increasingly
common and their presence should not be
Street Runners need to be willing and
able to do a little bit of everything, or at least
1
ignored, especially now that magic devices be able to put together a team that can cover
exist that enable nearly anyone to try their all of its bases. It’s rare that a single street
hand at Astral travel. runner will be working alone, since most
high-paying jobs require several different,
highly-specific skill sets.
Street Runners Generally, a runner will speak with a
Dealer who knows someone who knows a
Though technically illegal, street run- guy who needs something done without any-
ning has become one of the fastest-growing one knowing about it. Though it sounds like
professions for urban residents. It’s a rough, something out of a high school sitcom, the
dangerous life that caters to no-one, but fact is that nearly anyone with money can
those who can prove their mettle manage to (and does) hire street runners to do nearly
eke out a good living. anything. Oftentimes, runners are hired to
Street runners come from all walks of do dirty work that more reputable sources
life, from slummers who got tired of living don’t want to be associated with: corporate
in squalor to under-appreciated corporate espionage, assassinations, data theft, and so
drones who are looking to add a little excite- on.
ment and adventure to their day (and flex Runners may also be hired to serve as
their medical benefits). Oftentimes groups temporary bodyguards, escorts, and delivery
of street runners will work together on sev- men. In the case of the latter, their packages
eral jobs in a row, but in other cases they usually contain some sort of illegal, danger-
form and disband groups for any given mis- ous, or illegal and dangerous material that
sion before even getting to know each oth- needs to be safely, securely, and covertly de-
er’s names. livered to another party.
One important thing to note is that Street Without street runners, much of the
Runners aren’t part of any greater organi- world would cease to operate. They’re the
zation. Each one is a sort of independent stiches that sew together the seedy under-
contractor in his own right. While some belly of the city and keep its guts from falling
form groups that stick together, others sim- out. With that in mind, most player charac-
ply come and go like the breeze, preferring ters in the world of Psi-punk will be Street
not to get too attached to anyone who might Runners, tasked with all sorts of missions
wind up dead tomorrow. that will earn them wealth, infamy, and at
Street running is a dangerous way of life, least a few war wounds.
and those who opt to perform such mer-
cenary jobs must be willing to shoot a few
bullets – and take some. Because of the il-
legal nature of the trade, there exists little
hope for high-quality medical treatment and
many runners wind up getting stitched back
together by back-alley street docs who work
on the sly.
Despite the risks, those who take up street
running and find they have a knack for it of-
ten make quite a lot of money.

25
Chapter 2:
Character Creation
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

This chapter contains all the information For example, Joe decides he’d like to make
you’ll need to create characters, including a “heavy weapons specialist.” He hasn’t con-
character traits and trait levels, and some sidered his character’s background (and
different ways to allocate them. may wish to use the Character Question-

2
Game Masters and players are encour- naire outlined at the end of this chapter
aged to spend some time discussing their to help him get a better sense of what his
character’s concept, abilities, and back- character’s personality is like) but at least
ground so that the GM may be able to inte- he knows what types of traits he should be
grate the character into his world and story. looking for when building his character.
It is a good idea to plan at least one game On the other hand, Julia thinks she’d like
session in which all of the players and the to play a sneaky smuggler from Portland
GM come together for the sole purpose of whose primary source of income is derived
discussing character and world creation. from stealing magic devices and transport-
Sometimes, a GM may already have a ing them out of town to fence in a nearby
story in mind and it is beneficial that the city. She knows she’ll need to be good at co-
characters know the basic premise before vert and stealth skills and may need to pick
launching into character creation. For ex- up some athletic skills as well.
ample, if the GM envisions a plot filled with
political intrigue and corporate espionage, a
heavy weapons expert with no diplomacy or
Archetypes
tact may not fare very well, while a stealthy Listed below are some common char-
spy or diplomat character will see a lot of acter archetypes that may be found in this
use from his skills. world. You don’t need to pick a specific one
Likewise, players may wish to commu- – you may blend or ignore them as you see
nicate with each other and build a charac- fit – but they should help inspire you to de-
ter that will fit in with and compliment the cide the type of character you wish to play.
larger team. It is beneficial to have a well- This section is also helpful for GMs trying to
rounded group of characters that can play to create non-player characters with some per-
each other’s strengths and cover each oth- sonality.
er’s weaknesses. For example, a medic may
be a helpful addition to any team, but hav- Brenner
ing three of them could mean that the group Taken from the German word for “burn-
is sacrificing something important – like a er,” brenner are pyrokineticists, skilled in
weapon’s expert, a diplomat, or a sneaky in- the art of setting things on fire with their
filtration expert. By building characters that minds. These characters use their gifts for a
fit a team dynamic, the game will play more variety of reasons, ranging anywhere from
smoothly. rising up against oppressive lawmakers to
doing their bidding. Brenner often have a

Character Concepts variety of other skills and backgrounds in

addition to being pyrokinetics.
Before you begin designing and devel-
oping your character, it’s helpful to have an Changeling
idea of what your character is like. Your char-
Characters that employ psychometabo-
acter’s concept may be as loosely or rigidly
lism powers or magics for the purpose of al-
designed as you choose, but should always
tering their own features are referred to as
detail some important aspect of your charac-
“changelings.” These characters are experts
ter’s personality, background, or style.
at disguising their appearance, voice, and

27
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

even the very nature of their being (some

powerful changelings can go so far as to
shape shift into animals or other creatures).
It can be hard to track down a changeling,

2
which is why their expertise is coveted by
criminal organizations as well as intelli-
gence networks.

Corporate Drone
Few players wind up as corporate drones,
and those that do often use their rank and
status in their company for nefarious pur-
poses. Drones do a company’s bidding, usu-
ally without question, but aren’t necessarily
above taking a little back for themselves.

Dealer
Not necessarily in the drug business,
dealers are “information brokers” who
make it their business to know everything
that is happening in their city or other cho-
sen sphere of influence. Dealers pay hand-
somely to acquire useful information and
charge even more to part with it. Dealers Ganger
are often the source of jobs for illegal street Street gangs are as old as time; every city
runners. Also, when they need to know what has had its share of ruffians and thugs who
someone is up to, they may hire runners to prey on the weak and exploit anyone they
find out for them. can. Gangers often carry both non-lethal
and lethal weapons to deal with a variety
Fixer of situations. These characters usually have
few aspirations beyond eking out a living in
A fixer’s job is to find, acquire, and dis-
any way they can.
tribute gear through any channel they can
access, legally or otherwise. Fixers are the
go-to guys when characters need to get their Ghost
hands on rare or illicit gear, including cyber- Characters skilled at the art of hacking
ware and magic. Fixers are often corporate into computers using electrokinesis and cy-
drones or weapon specialists with superior berpsi are often referred to as “ghosts” be-
clearance to corporate or military goods. cause nobody can see their presence even
though their actions are definitely felt.
Food Smuggler Ghosts must be skilled in computer use and
need to have some method of physically
With real food being so scarce, a few folks
projecting themselves into the ‘Net, either
have chosen to make a living by stealing real
psionically or magically.
food and selling to the highest bidder. Food
smugglers need to be covert, stealthy, ma-
nipulative, athletic, and have a lot of under-
ground connections.

28
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Hacker Pugilist/Martial Artist

An old but still-relevant term, hackers This archetype represents a fighting style
specialize in getting into places and doing more than a lifestyle, but many martial art-
things that others don’t want them to. Hack- ists and boxers treat their craft as a way

2
ers are security experts and tinkerers, often of life. Skilled in one or more of the many
breaking into high clearance systems just to arts of hand-to-hand combat, these charac-
see if they can. The term applies to hacking ters are a good addition to nearly any team.
more than just computer systems; anything Many martial artists are also skilled at being
with a microchip (including humans) can stealthy, covert, and athletic, making them
potentially be hacked. useful as scouts or infiltration specialists.

Handler Soul Jacker

Handlers specialize in the use of psy-
Soul jackers exert mental dominance
chometry, the ability to “read” an object’s
over those they encounter and command
past by simply touching, or handling, the
them to do their bidding. These characters
item. Handlers are employed by a variety
are often powerful psychics with the mind
of people, but are almost always involved in
control power, but a few wealthy soul jack-
some kind of detective or spy work.
ers establish control by using high-powered
Monster magic devices designed to break mental bar-
Monsters are living examples of what it’s riers and allow the user to implant sugges-
like to have too much metal crammed into tions.
one meat sack. These characters have sig-
nificantly more cyberware than the average Street Banker
person and scarcely resemble a human be- A street banker by any other name would
ing. Some may have implants to aid them in be a loan shark. These characters are the
a variety of skills or they may have a variety ones to turn to for emergency funding, but
of skill chips that allow them to do just about they take great pains to ensure that their in-
anything. vestments are returned promptly and with
all of the interest paid. Street brokers usu-
Psiborg ally have a number of hired thugs in their
Psiborgs are powerful mentals who have employ.
opted to replace a significant portion of their
meatsack with metal, making them physical- Street-Doc
ly superior to normals in addition to being Street-Docs are medical experts who
more mentally powerful. make a living patching up people outside
of the relative comfort of a hospital. These
Psi-Hunter characters may be former doctors whose
The first prominent group of psi-hunters clinic was shut down for malpractice, cur-
was the Anti-Psi League, a group of hate- rent doctors looking to make a little extra
mongers who deem it necessary to eradicate on the side, or simply a guy skilled with a
all mentals to ensure their own continued scalpel. Street-Docs are not always reputa-
existence. As an occupation, psi-hunting is ble, but they often come cheap and don’t ask
strictly illegal, but that doesn’t stop people annoying questions like “Can I see some ID
from doing anything in their power to cap- before I give you that new implant?”
ture or kill powerful psychics. Psi-Hunters
often employ magic and cyberware in their
fight against the psi-freaks.

29
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Street Runner things without). Pilots, racecar drivers, tank

Many, but not all, player characters fall experts, and motor boaters are all examples
into this category. Street runners are merce- of wheel jockeys, but the best of them are ca-
naries, selling their skills to the highest bid- pable of driving and piloting a wide variety

2
der so they can earn enough cash to upgrade of vehicles.
their implants, computer hardware, magic,
and other gear. They come from all walks Wraith
of life, but often find themselves in the busi- Wraiths are the Astral Plane’s equivalent
ness because they’ve lost the ability, or the of a ghost. While ghosts project themselves
will, to work traditional jobs. Street running into the ‘Net, wraiths project their souls into
is illegal but the law is almost impossible to the Astral. Their powers are suited for intel-
enforce, and many street runners feel that ligence gathering and reconnaissance mis-
their motives are altruistic and thus their sions since their ability to go virtually any-
ends justify the means. where unseen makes them well-suited to the
task. See Chapter 7: When Worlds Diverge
Technomancer for details on Astral projection.
Skilled with the mental art of cyberpsi,
technomancers control machines and elec-
tronics with their minds. Many technomanc- The Character Sheet
ers use their skills as Ghosts, but others pre- After you have decided on a charac-
fer to control robots and even android-like ter concept, take a moment to familiarize
bodies to do their bidding. yourself with the character sheet, provided
in Appendix I. This is where you will jot
Telepath down all of the important information about
Simply another name for someone skilled your character, including his or her name,
in the use of telepathy, these characters are pseudonym, traits, wealth, build points, luck
capable of contacting other beings over great points, background, equipment, and notes.
distances using nothing but their thoughts. It’s okay if you don’t know what all of
Many telepaths are employed as spies since those terms on the character sheet mean
they are equally as skilled at reading minds yet – we’ll discuss them all throughout this
as they are at communicating with them, chapter. When you do select new traits
and it is far more difficult to intercept com- though, be sure to write them down in the
muniqués via thought than through the ‘Net. corresponding field on your character sheet.
This sheet is a helpful tool for keeping
Weapons Specialist track of your character as you develop him,
In this day and age, it pays to be the one both during creation and character advance-
carrying the big guns. Weapon specialists ment. As your campaign continues, you can
make a living by selling their skills to those use the sheet to scribble notes about events
who need protection and those who need that have occurred, contacts you’ve met, and
to kill someone being protected. Weapon anything else you find necessary.
specialists are highly trained in a variety of More information about how to fill out
combat methods, including both melee and the character sheet will be presented in the
ranged combat. appendix. For now, just familiarize yourself
with it so that you understand the terms you
will encounter throughout the remainder of
Wheel Jockey
this chapter.
Wheel jockeys are adept at driving or fly-
ing anything with wheels (and even some

30
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Attributes Because primary attributes are a com-

posite of their secondary attributes, they
In Psi-punk, all characters have three pri- may not be raised or lowered individually
mary attributes, each divided into two sec- by any normal means. Instead, add together
ondary attributes. The primary attributes, the bonuses (and penalties) for their second-
Body, Mind, and Persona, are a composite of ary attributes to determine the total trait
their two respective secondary attributes. level for each primary attribute. Raising sec-
Primary attributes are the broadest trait ondary attributes will be described later in
that a character possesses. Using the three this chapter.
primary attributes, we can see the “big pic- Primary attributes and their respective
ture” for any given character and whether secondary attributes are discussed below.
they are more athletic, intellectual, or social.
These attributes also act as a character’s de-
fenses against certain forms of attack. For
Body
example, a character who is being shot at Body is used to determine how athletic a
would add his Body attribute to any nec- character is and how well he can avoid or
essary defensive check to help determine absorb damage. Any time you would be the
whether he was hit and how much damage subject of a physical attack – such as a gun-
he sustained from the attack. More details shot or an old-fashioned punch to the face,
about how these attributes are used are de- you would add your Body attribute to your
tailed throughout the book. Defensive Damage Factors (see Chapter 4:
Playing the Game for more information on
Defensive Damage Factors). Body’s associ-
ated secondary attributes are:

31
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Dexterity realm. Spirit checks can involve using empa-

Used for any skill which requires accu- thy, luck, intuition, self-discipline, etc. This
racy, reflexes, precision, or speed. Examples attribute also represents the ego, ambition,
of Dexterity checks include aiming a gun or and spirituality of a character.

2
other ranged weapon, maneuvering a large
object through a tight space, driving, dodg- Persona
ing an attack, avoiding fast-moving obsta-
The Persona attribute gives us an esti-
cles, etc.
mate of how sociable and socially connected
a character is. When two individuals are
Strength locked in a tense debate, Persona is used to
Used for any skill which involves physi- determine how well one character can hold
cal strength, stamina, fitness, or power his position over another. Any time another
which does not require precision. Examples character would attempt to influence you in
of Strength checks include climbing, swim- some social way – whether by fast-talking
ming, jumping, lifting heavy objects, run- you out of your pocket change or by exert-
ning for extended periods of time, swinging ing his status over you – you would add your
a melee (hand-to-hand) weapon, throw- Persona attribute to any applicable check.
ing heavy objects or short-ranged weapons Persona’s secondary attributes are:
(such as spears and knives), etc.
Presence
Mind Force of personality, charisma, chutzpah,
Mind gives a picture of how intellectual style – whatever you call it, a person with
and spiritual a person is. Mind is also used a good Presence attribute understands his
as a defense against mental attacks from place in the world and other people tend to
many psionic and magic powers. Any time respect (or fear) him for it. Presence is most
you would be the subject of a mental attack, often used when one person tries to influ-
such as a mind control attempt or a mental ence another in some way.
shock, you would add your Mind attribute to
your Defensive Damage Factors. Mind’s sec- Status
ondary attributes are: Used to represent one’s place in society.
Status skills are less often rolled for various
Focus checks than they are to simply represent the
Used for any skill involving the use of level of fame (or infamy), rank (military or
intelligence, perception, or mental prow- corporate), status, respect, popularity, or
ess. Most, but not all, psionic powers use the wealth of a character.
Focus attribute, as do checks that involve
reasoning, learning, memorizing (or calling
back to memory), resisting mental attacks, Attributes in Play
perceiving ones surroundings, or using me- On their own, attributes are rarely
chanical and technical skills. checked against. Having a Body attribute of
Superb, for example, might indicate that you
Spirit are simply a very muscular or fit person.
Perhaps the least straightforward attri- Sometimes, it may be enough to simply look
bute, Spirit applies to skills which don’t nec- at a person to get an impression of them.
essarily fit in with the rest of the physical

32
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Primary attributes are usually added to Skill Costs

Defensive Damage Factors (see Chapter 4:
Playing the Game) to determine how well and Build Points
a character can defend against certain types Skills start at a default level of Poor (-2)

2
of attack. They also give the broadest picture and are raised using Build Points. The num-
of a character’s overall traits. ber listed in the Cost column indicates the
A secondary attribute’s primary use, oth- total number of Build Points you must ex-
er than to give a broad picture of a character, pend to increase a skill to the level indicated
is to control the number of dice that charac- in the Level column.
ter can reroll when using Luck Points (see
below) to reroll an associated skill check. A Table 2.1: Skill Cost
character with a Great (+2) Strength will get
Cost Level
to reroll 3dF (a base of 1dF, +2dF for having
a Great attribute) any time he spends a Luck - Astonishing**
Point to reroll a skill which is associated - Extraordinary**
with Strength, such as Climb, Jump, or Pugi- 43 Phenomenal*
lism. For further detail, refer to the section 26 Wonderful*
on Luck Points. 15 Superb
Though attributes come in different trait 10 Great
levels, they cannot be raised independently. 6 Good
To raise an attribute, one must first raise the
3 Fair
level in appropriate Skills (see below). For
1 Mediocre
every 15 Build Points a character spends on
any associated skill (or number of skills), a 0 Poor
secondary attribute will raise by 1 level. To - Abysmal**
compute the level of a primary attribute,
simply add together the level for each of its * Characters may not start with a skill of
two secondary attributes. No Secondary At- this level. Instead, the character must spend
tribute may ever be raised beyond a level this number of Build Points through the
of Superb and no Primary Attribute be- character advancement process (see be-
yond Phenomenal. A detailed example will low).
follow the skills section, below. ** These trait levels are restricted. No
player character may have a trait level above
Phenomenal or below Poor; these levels ex-
Skills ist merely as a reference point for rolled re-
sults outside of the typical range.
If attributes represent what your charac- Each character begins play with 45 Build
ter is like, skills represent what your char- Points to apply to skills as he chooses, bear-
acter can do. Skills come in to play any time ing in mind that no skill may start with a level
your character would need to make an ap- greater than Superb (GMs who wish to allow
propriate check. For example, you would more heroic starting characters may choose
roll against your Athletics skill any time you to increase the number of BP available to
attempt to scale a mountain, scurry up a 55 instead of 45). Each time a character in-
rope, or clamber over a fence. creases a trait level he reduces his remain-
ing number of Build Points by the amount
shown on the Skill Cost table above. When
a character has 0 Build Points left to spend,
he may no longer improve any skill, but it’s

33
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

okay to “bank” leftover BP for later use as With few exceptions, the skills listed
well (see Character Advancement, below). below don’t need detailed rules to tell you
When choosing a skill to improve, you how to apply them to your game. If you have
must decide which of the six secondary attri- questions about when to use a skill, ask the

2
butes listed in the section above will link to GM; he can help you determine under what
it. Once chosen, the associated attribute may circumstances a given skill is appropriate.
not be changed without the GM’s approval. The GM reserves the right to restrict skills
The skills listed below are intentionally left from being used “untrained”; that is, using a
uncategorized because many skills are capa- skill at the default level of Poor without allo-
ble of falling under more than one attribute cating any levels to it. Medical skills are good
umbrella. Use your common sense (and the examples of skills to restrict from untrained
GM’s permission) to make logical selections. use.
The Climb skill, for example, would not logi-
cally benefit from a high Status attribute, Skill Groups and
but it may be suitable as either a Strength or
a Dexterity skill, depending on the way your
Specialized Skills
character handles its use. Most characters specialize in certain
For every 15 Build Points you spend on skills but are proficient with a broad range
any number of skills associated with a spe- of associated skills. For example, a character
cific secondary attribute, that attribute’s lev- who is very good at Climbing might also be a
el increases by +1. For example, if I choose to well-rounded athlete capable of performing
associate the Athletics skill with the Strength most athletic skills with some degree of pro-
attribute and I raise the Athletics skill from ficiency, even if he hasn’t focused his energy
Poor (-2) to Superb (+3), my Strength attri- on learning them. This is represented by a
bute will raise from Fair (the default level) to two-tier skill selection system in which char-
Good (+1), because I spent 15 Build Points to acters select a Skill Group (listed in bold, be-
raise the skill from Poor to Superb. low) and a Specialized Skill (from the list of
Alternately, I may choose to increase Ath- options following the Skill Group entries).
letics from Poor (-2) to Good (+1) and Melee When choosing your character’s skills,
Combat from Poor (-2) to Great (+2) for a to- spend your Build Points on Skill Groups
tal of 16 points in Strength attributes, which in the manner outlined above. These Skill
would also increase my Strength from Fair Groups will represent your character’s
(0) to Good (+1). Note that the one “leftover” broader range of abilities and help you to
Build Point will apply to the same attribute feel like a more well-rounded and flexible
once 14 more Build Points have been spent individual when skill checks are called for
on associated skills. during play.
When writing skills down on your char- When purchasing skills with your Build
acter sheet, it is a good idea to indicate which Points, you may select 2 free Specialized
attribute you chose to associate it with. For Skills from any Skill Group which you have
example, when writing down the Athletics increased. If you have enough Build Points
skill on my character sheet, I might write leftover and wish to specialize in additional
down Superb Athletics [Strength], to indi- skills, you may spend 5 Build Points to gain
cate that I have an Athletics level of Superb an additional specialization; BP spent in this
and that it is associated with the Strength at- way counts toward increasing your associ-
tribute. This way, it will be easy to remem- ated attribute.
ber which attribute applies to the skill when Any time you make a skill check during
spending Luck Points (see below). play that would be appropriate for one of
your Specialized Skills, you may freely reroll

34
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

1dF without using a Luck Point. For example,

Ron is attempting to scale a wall. To do so,
he will check against his Athletics skill, but
since he chose to specialize in the Climb skill

2
he may reroll one die result for that check.

Example List of Skills

Skill names listed in bold are Skill Groups,
while those listed afterward are Specializa-
tions.
Artistic: Aesthetics, Cosmetology, Culi-
nary Arts, Literary Arts, Performing Arts
(music, theater, storytelling, jester, dance,
etc., and such skills as Choreography, Compo-
sition, Costuming, etc.), Visual Arts (painting,
drawing, sculpting, etc.)
Athletic: Acrobatics, Aerial Acrobatics,
Balance, Boating, Climbing, Endurance, Free-
running, Jumping, Pole-vaulting, Swimming,
Throwing, Various Sports
Combat (Melee): Boxing, Grappling,
Hand-to-hand, Martial Arts, Melee Weapons,
Pugilism, Thrown Weapons, Wrestling writing proficiency with their own language.
Combat (Non-physical): Astral Combat, Characters with a Language skill of less
Combat Tactics, Verbal Combat (epithets, in- than Fair still speak their native language,
sults, etc.) but they are increasingly less literate than
Combat (Ranged): Automatics, Hand- other members of their culture. A Mediocre
guns, Rifles, Shotguns, Thrown Weapons Language skill represents someone with only
Covert: Breaking & Entering, Conceal, De- a high-school reading level, while a charac-
tect/Deactivate Traps, Demolitions, Infiltrate, ter with Poor skill may speak only one or two
Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, Poisoning, Shad- words, at best.
owing, Sleight of Hand, Stealth Characters may select a new language
Craft: Armory, Basket Making, Bowyer/ each time they select this skill. Each lan-
Fletcher, Carpenter, Cooking, Knots, Leath- guage starts at a default level of Poor. With-
erworking, Masonry, Pottery, Smith, Tailor, out levels in a specific language their skill is
Weaving non-existent, meaning the character does not
Knowledge: Criminology, Cultures, De- speak it at all. Increasing a Language level
tective Fiction, Film, Folklore, Geography, beyond Poor improves the character’s abil-
History, Literature, Occultism, Political Situa- ity to speak, read, and write that language, as
tions, Psionics, Supernatural, Trivia, Sciences outlined above.
(pick one, such as Biology, Chemistry, Geol- Manipulation: Act, Bluff, Bribery, Con
ogy, Oceanography, Physiology, Psychology, Artist, Disguise, Exhort, Extort, Fast-talk,
Volcanology, etc.) Flattery, Forgery, Interrogate, Intimidate,
Language: All characters are automati- Impress, Intrigue, Lying, Oratory, Persuade,
cally Fair at their native language, which rep- Seduction
resents a college literacy level. Increasing the Medical: Anatomy, Antidotes, Diagnosis,
skill level represents an improved reading/ Doctoring, Field Dressing, First Aid, Medi-
cine, Nursing, Surgery

35
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Characters without levels in a Medical Social (Informal): Bar Etiquette, Cama-

skill are at a level of non-existent, meaning raderie, Carouse, Choosing just the right Gift,
they have no knowledge of the skill at all. At- Control Libido, Flirting, Game Playing, Hold
tempting to use a Medical skill without levels your liquor, Make Amusing Faces or Noises,
assumes that the character has a skill level of ‘Net Etiquette, Tall Tales, Uplift Spirits, Witty

2 Abysmal.
Merchant: Bargain, Barter, Business
Sense, Evaluate Goods, Haggle, Innkeeping,
Insults
Social (Formal): Detect Lies, Diplomacy,
Etiquette, Interviewing, Parley, Repartee,
Marketing, Salesmanship, Shopkeeping Savoir-Faire, Servant
Notice: Feel, Hear, Intuition, Search, See, Spiritual: Astral Projection, Communing
Smell, Taste, Touch with Nature, Fasting, Giving Comfort, Listen-
It is important to note that Notice checks ing Deeply, Meditation, Patience, Praying for
shouldn’t be called for just to spot clues, un- Miracles, Rituals, Shamanic Journeying, The-
cover plot items, or to generally just spot ology
something that isn’t out-of-the-ordinary. No- Survival: Camouflage, Camping, Fishing,
tice is best used for opposed actions (when Hide Traces, Hunting, Mimic Animal Noises,
specifically trying to spot a hidden foe, for ex- Nature Lore, Navigation, Tracking, Wildcraft,
ample) or to determine unusual properties of Woodcraft
something (such as tasting a chemical ingre- Technical: Computer Security, Computer
dient that most people wouldn’t notice). See Use, Electronics, Engineering, Mechanic, Re-
Chapter 8: Game Mastering for additional pair Vehicle, Research
advice on when to call for a Notice check. Urban: Barroom Savvy, Gang Smarts,
Professional: Accounting, Begging, Bu- Shady Contacts, Street Etiquette, Street Gos-
reaucracy, Consultant, Economics, Gambling, sip, Streetwise, Urban Survival, Urban Track-
Investing, Law, Photography, Publishing, Sea- ing
manship Vehicles (Drive/Pilot): Boats, Busses, Ci-
Rank: Corporate, Government, Law En- vilian Cars, Commercial Jets, Fighter Jets, He-
forcement, Military licopters, Military Land Vehicles (Armored
Rank is a skill that is rarely, if ever, Cars, Tanks, etc.), Motorcycles, Race Cars,
checked against. Characters may hold rank Semi-trucks, Trains
with a specific entity, such as a specific cor-
poration, government, or branch of the mili-
tary. Sometimes a character may require a
certain rank within an organization to have
Gifts
A Gift is a positive trait that doesn’t seem
access to top secret information (such as CIA
to fit the Trait Ladder used for attributes and
clearance) or may need a specific rank with
skills. Gifts allow characters the flexibility to
law enforcement to carry restricted weapons
add personality quirks and traits that don’t
in public.
Generally, Rank is only checked against if
require them to be “activated” (in most cas-
one is trying to influence an inferior-ranking es) and tend to be passive traits. In general,
member in the same organization. In this if a Gift isn’t written on the character sheet,
case, roll a rank check with a difficulty equal the character doesn’t have it.
to the target’s rank level. Success means you Most Gifts do not require a roll to use.
were able to influence the character in some A character simply has a Gift or he doesn’t,
way. and they simply work at any logical time.
Reputation: Fame, Infamy, Notoriety, For example, the “Always keeps his cool” Gift
Popularity, Repute, Respect, Street Cred implies that the character never loses con-
trol, no matter how stressful the situation.
When other characters may have to make a

36
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Example Gifts
Absolute Direction; Always keeps his
cool; Ambidextrous; Animal Empathy; Beau-
tiful speaking voice; Combat Reflexes; Con-

2
tacts in police force; Danger Sense; Guns
Akimbo, Lucky (+2 Luck Points); Many peo-
ple owe him favors; Never forgets a name/
face/whatever; Night Vision; Patron; Perfect
Timing; Peripheral Vision; Quick Reflexes;
Rapid Healing; Reputation as Hero; Sense of
empathy; Single-minded (+1 to any lengthy
task); Tireless, Tolerant; Tough Hide (-1 to
damage taken)

Faults
Faults are anything that makes life more
difficult for a character. They come in two
varieties. Primary Faults restrict a charac-
ter’s actions or earn him a bad reaction from
chance-met NPCs. Various attitudes, neuro-
check to avoid being frightened, enraged, or ses and phobias are Faults; so are physical
otherwise emotionally charged, a character disabilities and social stigmas. There are he-
with this Gift simply hand-waives the roll roic Faults, too: a code of honor and inability
and calls it a success. to tell a lie restrict your actions significantly,
Some Gifts may provide a bonus to appli- but are not signs of flawed personality.
cable rolls. Generally speaking, a Gift grants Like Gifts, Faults rarely require a role to
a +2 bonus (since one Gift is equal to several activate and apply in any situation where it
skill levels, the bonus must be greater than makes sense for them to be active. They may
an equivalent skill bonus) unless it would grant penalties on certain checks (“easily
provide a bonus to an overly broad range of frightened” may include a -2 penalty to Mind
checks, in which case it would add only a +1 checks to avoid being frightened) or might
bonus but would enter play more often. cause some issues during gameplay, such
A Gift that might add a +2 bonus would be as when a character with a Code of Honor
“Beautiful speaking voice” which may grant is forced in to a situation in which he must
a +2 bonus on any Social (Formal) skill check. make a morally ambiguous decision.
A Gift that may only give a +1 bonus would Faults are used to “trade off” trait levels;
be “Single-minded” which grants a bonus by taking Faults, characters may gain addi-
on “any lengthy task”. The GM reserves the tional levels to spend on Gifts, skills, or attri-
right to decide how long a task would take butes. No character may have more than
before it is considered “lengthy”, but a good 4 Faults (see Trade-Offs below). Be careful
rule of thumb is any task that would take not to select two Faults which may have sim-
one or more hours of concentration. ilar effects. For example, “Absent-Minded”
Characters may choose up to two free and “Easily Distractible” are very similar
Gifts. To gain additional Gifts, they must take and therefore should not both appear on a
Faults or otherwise trade off another trait single character sheet.
(see Faults and Trade-Offs below).

37
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Example Faults Table 2.3: Build Point Trade-off

Absent-Minded; Addiction; Ambitious; Lost Gained
Amorous heartbreaker; Bloodlust; Blunt -5 Build Points +1 Gift
and tactless; Bravery indistinguishable from
-1 Gift +5 Build Points

2
foolhardiness; Brazen, Can’t resist having =
-1 to a Secondary
the last word; Code of Ethics limits actions; Attribute
+10 Build Points
Code of Honor; Compulsive Behavior; Cow-
ard; Curious; Finicky; Easily Distractible; En- GMs reserve the right to limit the num-
emy; Fanatic patriot; Full of bluff and blus- ber of levels traded in either direction.
ter and machismo; Garrulous; Getting old;
Glutton; Goes Berserk if Wounded; Gossip;
Greedy; Gullible; Humanitarian (helps the
needy for no pay); Idealist - not grounded
Luck Points
in reality; Indecisive; Intolerant; Jealous of Luck Points (LP) are meta-game Gifts that
anyone getting more attention; Lazy; Loyal may be used to buy “luck” during a game;
to Companions; Manic-Depressive; Melan- they let the players fudge a game result.
choly; Multiple Personality; Must obey se- These are “meta-game” Gifts because they
nior officers; Nosy; Obsession; Outlaw; Over- operate at the player-GM level, not charac-
confident; Owes favors; Phobias; Practical ter-character level.
Joker; Quick-Tempered; Quixotic; Self-de- Players start each session with 3 Luck
fense Pacifist; Socially awkward; Soft-heart- Points. If a character has the Lucky Gift, this
ed; Stubborn; Quick to take offense; Unlucky number increases by 2, while the Unlucky
(-2 Luck Points); Vain; Violent when enraged; Fault decreases the number by 2. These
Vow; Worry Wart; Zealous behavior; etc. Luck Points reset after each session and do
not carry over, so characters must either use
them or lose them.
Trade-Offs Luck Points can be used in many ways,
depending on what level on the realistic-
A player may gain extra trait levels and legendary scale the game is played. Here
Gifts by taking GM-approved Faults at the are some suggested ways to use them - the
following rate: GM can create her own uses, of course. A
GM may allow as few or many of these op-
Table 2.2: Fault Trade-offs tions as she wishes. However, the GM is the
Fault Gained final determiner of how Luck Points can be
1 Fault 1 Gift used and players ask should before assum-
= ing they can do something with Luck Points.
1 Fault 5 Build Points
1. Spending a Luck Point may accomplish
However, the GM may rule that a particu- an unopposed action automatically and with
lar Fault is not serious enough to be worth panache - good for impressing members of
five Build Points, but may be worth three or the appropriate sex and possibly avoiding
four Build Points. On the other hand, severe injury in the case of dangerous actions. The
Faults may be worth more Build Points. GM may veto this use of Luck Points for ac-
During character creation, Build Points tions with a Difficulty Level beyond Great, or
may be traded (in either direction) at the fol- may require multiple LP be spent if the Dif-
lowing rate: ficulty Level is high (a rate of 1 LP per level
is a good baseline).
2. A player may spend one Luck Point to
reroll one die when attempting a skill check.

38
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Most often, this will be used to try to reroll a

negative result into a more positive one, but Psionics and Magic
it may also be used against an NPC to force a Characters may spend 2 Gifts to gain a
positive result to be rerolled. psionic ability or they may purchase magic

2
Characters with a high associated attri- devices with their Wealth. Further psionic
bute may reroll additional dice when us- abilities may be purchased by expending
ing Luck Points in this way. For example, 2 Gifts, or by expending 1 Gift and taking
if a character using a Handgun skill has a 1 Fault. There is no limit to the number of
Dexterity attribute of Good (+1) he may roll psionic abilities a character may purchase,
1 additional die each time he spends LP in except as dictated by the campaign’s normal
this way. If his Dexterity later improves to limitations on Gifts and Faults (2 free Gifts
Superb (+3), he may reroll up to 3 additional and 4 total Faults).
dice (for a total of 4dF) when rerolling any Each psionic ability and magic device
skill associated with Dexterity. has one or more key attributes used to de-
3. A player may spend one Luck Point to termine which of the character’s attributes
declare that wounds aren’t as bad as they to add when using it For example, the mind
first looked. This reduces the intensity of control ability’s key attribute is Focus; when
each wound by one level (a Hurt result be- rolling any check to determine the outcome
comes a Scratch, for example, or a Very Hurt of using mind control you will roll 4dF and
result becomes a Hurt result instead). Gen- add your Focus attribute. It may be helpful to
erous GMs may allow characters to spend consider which abilities your character may
multiple LP on a single wound to further re- want prior to settling on your final traits. See
duce its severity. Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic for more in-
4. For appropriately legendary games, a formation.
GM-set number of Luck Points can be spent
to ensure a favorable coincidence. (This is al-
ways subject to GM approval.) For example, Cybernetics
if the PCs are in a maximum security prison, One of the defining features of cyberpunk
perhaps one of the guards turns out to be the roleplaying is cybernetics: the melding of
cousin of one of the PCs - and lets them escape! man and machine. Characters can enhance
Or the captain of the fishing boat rescuing the their bodies with supernatural abilities by
PCs turns out to be someone who owes a favor having cybernetic implants or even whole-
to one of them, and is willing to go out of his limb replacements. By doing so, they give
way to help the characters. This option should up a little slice of their own humanity in ex-
cost a lot of Luck Points, except in games where change for great amounts of power.
bizarre coincidences are the norm. Cybernetics, their implementation, and
5. Activate an Astonishing result. Generally their implications in the setting will be dis-
speaking, a character may only attain a check cussed in later chapters. For the purposes
result of Extraordinary or lower, no matter of character creation, treat any cybernetic
how high he rolls or how great his ability is enhancement to one’s character as one or
with a given skill or attribute. However, by more Gifts, depending on its relative power
spending a Luck Point, players who roll a re- and usefulness. Some example cyberware
sult greater than Extraordinary may activate will be outlined in Chapter 3: Equipment to
an Astonishing result. Individual skill or pow- give you an idea of what abilities can exist in
er descriptions may have details for Astonish- the world and their suggested cost in Gifts.
ing results. If not, assume that an Astonishing
result is simply a better Extraordinary result
and adjust the outcome accordingly.

39
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Starting Wealth
See Chapter 4: Playing the Game for
more information about how Wealth is han-
dled in Psi-punk.

2 Every character begins play with the

ability to purchase a certain amount of
equipment. Unless they have Gifts or Faults
that change their starting Wealth, beginning
characters have a Wealth Value of 48 (Su-
perb).

Wealth-Specific
Gifts and Faults
The following Gifts and Faults apply spe-
cifically to Wealth. Feel free to rename these
Gifts to apply whatever flavor you wish to
your character. Mechanically, they are de-
signed to simply improve or reduce a char-
acter’s starting Wealth Value.

Gifts
Debutante/Heir: You are the heir to a
great fortune and have lived the high life
Character
since the day you were born. You start with
an additional 32 Wealth, for a total Wealth
Advancement
Player characters, like real people, grow
Value of 80 (Wonderful). This requires char-
and learn with experience. Time spent per-
acters to spend two Gifts.
forming a task, training, and studying are
Loaded: You have Wealth to spare, or at
all examples of methods people use to learn
least the above-average means to acquire
new skills and improve existing ones. For
expensive goods. Your Wealth Value at char-
campaigns which last more than one game
acter creation increases by 16, to a total of 64
session, it is important to give characters
(Wonderful) for the cost of one Gift.
the opportunity to grow and improve them-
selves; this will help the characters feel more
Faults real and less stale over time.
Broke: You always seem to be short on Players may earn Build Points (detailed
cash. You start play with 16 less Wealth, or a above) throughout a game session and spend
total Wealth Value of 32 (Superb). them on new traits. BP can be awarded to
Destitute: You’ve spent the majority of characters for a variety of reasons and trad-
your life’s savings and have nothing to show ed later for new skills and Gifts. GMs may
for it. You start play with 32 less Wealth for award all players a certain number of BP per
a total of only 16 (Great). This counts as two session, award BP for performing specific
Faults. tasks during a session, or both.

40
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

GMs should consider awarding BP to all Table 2.4: Character Advancement

present players at the end of any given game
To Advance/Gain… BP Cost
session. The amount rewarded may be pre-
Skill from Poor to Mediocre 1
determined or static (for example, John al-
Mediocre to Fair 2

2
ways gives his players 3 BP per session) or
it may be scaled up or down depending on Fair to Good 3
what the characters did during the game ses- Good to Great 4
sion (generally, the more heroic or difficult Great to Superb 5
the task, the more BP rewarded). As a base Superb to Wonderful 11
line, BP awarded at the end of the session Wonderful to Phenomenal 17
should be between 2 and 5 points. Any less 1 Gift 5
would prevent the characters’ skills from in-
1 skill specialization 5
creasing at a reasonable rate, and any more
1 psionic power 10 (2 Gifts)
would see them increasing too rapidly.
Designer’s Note: Trait levels of Won-
Spending Build Points derful and Phenomenal are considered ex-
At any time after a session ends, and be- tremely powerful and their cost has been
fore the next session begins, characters may adjusted accordingly. The BP costs for Won-
spend BP to improve their skills (and thus derful and Phenomenal skills follows the
raise their attributes). BP may also be used pattern of the Previous Level’s BP Cost + 1,
to purchase new Gifts at a cost of 5 BP per then adds a 5 BP premium (for Wonderful)
Gift. Note that two Gifts must be used to ac- and 10 BP premium (for Phenomenal) lev-
quire new psionic powers. 2.5: Character els; these premiums are equal to the cost of
Advancement illustrates BP costs. 1 Gift and 2 Gifts, respectively. Traits of Ex-
For example, Russell has a Great Ranged traordinary and Astonishing are not attain-
Combat skill and wishes to raise it to Su- able by normal means.
perb. He earned 5 BP during the last session
and spends them all to increase his skill in
Ranged Combat. Later, Russell decides that
he wants to be an expert, so he decides to
Character
raise his skill level to Wonderful. To do so, he
needs to spend 11 BP, so he may need to run
Questionnaire
a few more missions before he can do that. The character questionnaire is an option-
al, but very useful character creation tool.
By filling out these questions about your
characters, you will gain a better under-
standing of who they are, where they came
from, where they are going, and what makes
them particularly special. Players should be
encouraged to respond to as few or as many
of these questions as they would like, but to
try and consider each of them.
This is not meant to be a definitive list
of all of the questions that can or should be
asked. As usual, feel free to add, subtract, or
modify the questionnaire as you see fit.

41
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Questions nia, colors, etc.)?

22. What are the character’s favorite pas-
1. What is the character’s true name? times?
2. What is the character’s present occupa- 23. What’s the character’s home environ-
tion or role?

2
ment like (physical living condition, eco-
3a. Character’s physical description: eth- nomic level, etc.)?
nicity, gender, age, height, weight, hair 24. What is the most important fact that
color, hair style, eye color. should be known about this character?
3b. What are the character’s distinguishing 25. How would you characterize this char-
features? acter in one sentence?
4. Does the character have any strong af- 26. What unique talents or equipment does
finities, emotional hang-ups, mental this character have?
handicaps, etc.? 27. How is this character different from
5. What was the character’s place of birth? others?
6a. What is the character’s true origin? 28. Why do you like or hate this character
6b. What is the character’s origin as he/she and why are you willing to play him/her?
knows it (if different)? 29. Why will others like or hate this char-
7. Does the character have any formal (or acter?
informal) education or vocational train- 30. Why will this character be memorable?
ing?
8. Does the character have any (legitimate)
work experience? What was his/her reac-
tion to the job(s)?
Character
9. Who is the character’s best friend?
10. Who are the character’s primary con-
Creation Summary
tacts, patrons, or enemies (and why)? Creating a character for Psi-punk is fast
11a. Does the character have any known and easy. Below is a simple step-by-step
family? guide that summarizes the process for ease
11b. If so, what are their occupations, sta- of reference.
tuses, locations, current relationships
with the character? Step 1: Concept
12. What are the character’s strongest and Choose a character concept. By doing so,
weakest traits? you can focus your attention on Skills, Gifts,
13. How does the character see him/her- and Faults to find a proper fit for your char-
self? acter. You can start by selecting an arche-
14. How is the character seen by others? type or develop your own.
15. What is the character’s basic nature?
16. Does the character have a sense of hu- Step 2: Skills
mor (if so, what kind)?
You begin with 45 Build Points to spend
17. What are the character’s ambition(s)?
on Skills. Choose a Skill Group, decide which
18. What is the character’s philosophy of
Secondary Attribute to link it to, and decide
life?
at what level you wish to have the Skill. Con-
19. Does the character have any hobbies?
tinue selecting skills until you run out of
If so, what are they?
Build Points (or choose to “bank” the BP you
20. What kinds of art, music, and recre-
have left for later). Refer to the following
ation does the character prefer?
chart for Build Point Costs per Skill Level:
21. What is the significance, if any, of the
character’s working clothes (style, insig-

42
 Chapter 2: Character Creation

Table 2.1: Skill Cost Step 5: Attributes

Cost Level For every 15 points you spend on Skills
- Astonishing** with a linked Secondary Attribute, raise that
attribute by one level. For example, if you
- Extraordinary**

2
have the Combat (Melee) [Strength] skill at
43 Phenomenal*
a level of Superb, you raise your Strength at-
26 Wonderful* tribute to Good.
15 Superb Calculate your Primary Attributes by
10 Great adding together their associated Secondary
6 Good Attributes. For example, if you have Good
3 Fair Dexterity and Great Strength, you have a
1 Mediocre Superb Body. Refer to the following chart
0 Poor to easily reference Primary Attributes and
their associated Secondary Attributes.
- Abysmal**

Table 2.5: Associated Attributes

Step 3: Skill Specializations Primary Attri-
Select two Skill Specializations from with- Secondary Attributes
bute
in any Skill Group. Remember that rolling
Body Dexterity Strength
a Skill in which you are specialized grants
Mind Focus Spirit
you an automatic 1dF reroll. You may select
Persona Presence Status
additional Skill Specializations at a cost of 5
Build Points each. Points spent on additional
specializations also count toward increasing Step 6: Purchase Equipment
your associated attributes, but your two free
You begin play with Wealth totaling one
specializations do not.
Great, two Good, and four Fair purchases.
Use it to purchase gear from Chapter 3:
Step 4: Gifts, Faults, Equipment. Pool any remaining Wealth at
and Trade-Offs a rate of two-lower-for-one-higher; two Fair
Select up to two free Gifts and up to four pool together to form one Good, two Good to
total Faults. For each Fault you select, you form one Great, etc.
may gain an additional Gift or five Build
Points. You may make other Trade-Offs as Step 7 (Optional):
noted on the following table: Character Questionnaire
Remember that Gifts can be used to buy
Finally, answer the Character Question-
Powers (see Chapter 5: Powers and Magic)
naire located in this chapter. Use it to get an
or Cybernetics (see Chapter 3: Equipment)
idea of your character’s background, mo-
and/or any other Gift you desire.
tives, outlook on life, etc.

Table 2.3: Build Point Trade-off

All Done!
Lost Gained
Don’t forget to add all of this information
-5 Build Points +1 Gift to your Character Sheet as you finalize your
-1 Gift +5 Build Points traits. Once you have it all written down,
=
-1 to an attribute +10 Build Points you’re ready to start play with your brand
new character!

43
Chapter 3: Equipment
and Cybernetics
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Every person carries with them some- It is both simple and functional to say
thing of material value, be it as inexpensive that a character simply has any mundane
(or even free) as a simple piece of clothing item he wishes to possess, provided it would
or as costly as a high-end personal comput- make sense for him to be carrying at the
er. Most items don’t need to be defined in time. For example, a woman might keep her
terms of cost or game mechanics; everyone hair bobby-pinned and thus have an impro-
is assumed to be able to afford at least one vised lock pick with her when the moment
set of clothes and, in 2096, nearly everyone calls for it. If it would help the character out
carries personal electronics.
Other belongings do benefit from some
careful definition and mechanical explana-
of a bind to say that he is carrying an item
which would help in a stressful or harmful
circumstance, feel free (as a GM) to ask the
3
tion. Weapons, armor, magic, cyberware, character to spend a Luck Point to procure
vehicles, and other high-end gear is likely it from his pockets.
to set a character back at least a fraction The rest of this chapter is dedicated to
of their Wealth, and that is the equipment those items which would benefit from some
which will be defined in this chapter. additional definition. We’ll start with every-
For basic goods, including clothing, per- one’s trusty sidekick, the sidearm.
sonal care items, and personal electronics,
simply assume that a character can and does
have the things he desires. There isn’t any Guns
need to deny someone a personal computer Guns come in five main types in Psi-
when they are as commonplace in 2096 as punk: Handguns, Automatics (Autos), Rifles,
wristwatches were 100 years earlier. Basic Sniper Rifles, and Shotguns. Because the
computers may be upgraded with addition- combat system is designed to be simple and
al components or software that are beyond fun, we have reduced the level of realism to
the cost of the initial components (and thus provide simple and universal weapon me-
a character may have to spend Wealth to ac- chanics. There are various resources avail-
quire them), but in general these items are able to implement more realistic and dead-
not worth keeping track of individually. ly gun-play in your campaign, but they will
Some characters may choose to be out- not be detailed here. The focus of Psi-punk
fitted according to their Status or Wealth is not on having the most realistic firefight
Levels, to indicate that they are unhip or mechanics, but rather to have a simplified
trendy, amateur or professional, rich or system that supplements the bigger theme
poor, etc. However, none of this needs to of the setting.
have any bearing on actual game mechan- The guns detailed in this chapter all have
ics unless the player or GM deems it neces- the following traits associated with them at
sary. After all, wealthy characters may not various levels depending on the weapon
dress the part (preferring to stay low-key type.
or spend their fortunes on something other Damage: the level added to the weap-
than nice clothes) and a poor person might on’s Offensive Damage Factors.
be broke because he chose to spend all of Range: the gun’s Maximum Effective
his hard-earned cash on expensive comput- Range. See Table 4.8: Range Difficulty for
ers. Likewise, a character with Superb Sta- an idea of what each level represents. At-
tus may get his fame from the underground tempting to attack a character that is beyond
and not from being a glamorous movie star the gun’s Range results in a failed attempt
or high-paid corporate drone. every time, regardless of your rolled result.

45
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Rate of Fire (RoF): the weapon’s ability

to fire multiple bullets in a single attack, as
outlined on Table 4.11 of Chapter 4: Play-
ing the Game. Weapons with more than
one RoF listed have a selectable rate of fire,
meaning they can change it each round.
Reload: the frequency at which a gun
might need to be reloaded, listed by the

3 number of blanks naturally rolled on 4dF

(see Chapter 4: Playing the Game). Multi-
ple values indicate different reload require-
ments based on the gun’s Rate of Fire; for
example, “4, 3, 2” would be the number of
blanks required for Single, Burst, and Full
Auto rates of fire, respectively.
Rank: the minimum required Rank skill
a character must possess in order to be able
to both purchase and carry one of these
weapons legally. Characters with Reputa-
tion or Urban skills equal to the weapon’s
Rank may be able to find and purchase such
a weapon, but have no special permit to car-
ry it in public. Permits may be purchased
for weapons of Good Rank or lower at the shoot someone. Guns are purchased legally
cost of Good [8] Wealth; permits are not under the (often false) assumption that they
granted for weapons with Great or higher will only be used in self-defense.
Rank levels. Small and Medium-sized handguns can
Cost: the Wealth Value a character must be held in one hand. Characters possessing
spend to purchase the item. Remember that the Ambidextrous, Guns Akimbo, or some
a character may still need to acquire per- similar Gift may wield two of these weapons
mits or otherwise find someone to sell them and attack with each one in a single round.
these items if they have a Rank require- Characters who do not possess an appropri-
ment higher than Fair. See Chapter 4: Play- ate Gift may also wield two of these weap-
ing the Game for details on Wealth. ons but take a -2 penalty on each attack.
Gifts: any additional benefits a weapon Large handguns are too unwieldy and have
might have; these may not apply to all weap- too much kick to be used in this manner.
ons in a given category, and this is where
the bulk of weapon customization comes Shotguns
from. Shotgun ammo, or “shot,” spreads at
Faults: as Gifts but with negative, in- range. The Damage assumes a target at its
stead of positive, modifiers. Maximum Effective Range. Add +1 to its
Damage at Fair Range and +2 at Mediocre
Handguns Range.
Handguns are the standard side-arm for Shotguns are illegal to carry in public
most people. Though gun control laws have and are not easily concealed. They impose
relaxed over the years, it’s still illegal to a -3 penalty to any check made to attempt to
conceal them unless they have the Sawed-

46
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Table 3.1: Guns

Reload
Weapon Damage Range Rate of Fire (# blanks) Cost Rank
Handguns
Sm. Handgun Fair Good S 3 Fair [4] -
Md. Handgun Good Good S 3 Good [8] -
Lg. Handgun Great Great S 3 Great [16] Good
Shotguns
Shotgun
Double-barreled
Superb
Superb
Great
Great
S
S or 2 in one round
1
1
Great [16]
Superb [32]
Great
Great
3
Elephant Gun Phenomenal Great S 1 Superb [32] Superb
Rifles
Rifle Good Superb S, B 3, 2 Great [16] Good
High-powered Rifle Great Superb S, B 3, 2 Great [16] Great
Sniper Rifle Superb Wonderful S 3 Superb [32] Superb
Automatics
Sm. Submachine Gun Good Good S, B, FA 4, 3, 2 Great [16] Great
Lg. Submachine Gun Great Great S, B, FA 4, 3, 2 Superb [32] Great
Assault Rifle Superb Great S, B, FA 4, 3, 2 Superb [32] Superb

Off Barrel Gift (see below). Only characters thing from laser scopes and sound suppres-
with a Police or Military Rank of Great or sors to improved clip sizes and even com-
better may openly carry a shotgun. puter integration. Below are a few example
Gifts, but by no means a definitive list. Each
Rifles Gift has a Wealth Modifier, which increases
Rifles have long barrels which helps im- the gun’s base cost by that amount.
prove their Maximum Effective Range. It is Energy Weapon: This weapon fires in-
legal to carry a rifle only with a permit or tense beams of energy (lasers) instead of
sufficient Rank. regular ballistic ammunition. Energy weap-
ons deal more damage than their ballistic
counterparts, granting them a +1 modifier
Automatics
on ODFs. Wealth Modifier: Great [+16]
Dangerous and potent weapons, auto- Fingerprint Scanner: The weapon has
matic firearms are illegal to carry in public been keyed to your individual fingerprints
without sufficient Police or Military Rank. and will not fire when held by anyone else.
Small submachine guns can be carried On the up side, nobody else can use your
in one hand and fired twice in one round weapon against you. On the down side, you
with the same caveats as Small and Medium can’t fire the weapon while wearing gloves.
handguns. Also note: characters attempting to use the
control animate power to make themselves
Gifts appear like you do not have enough control
Firearm Gifts include anything that can (or the intimate knowledge of your finger-
be attached to, improved upon, or modified prints) to accurately mimic your prints and
from the original design. Gifts include every- therefore cannot use your gun, even if they

47
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Laser Scope: This standard “red dot”

laser scope improves the accuracy of the
weapon by improving the user’s ability to
target his enemy. When using a laser scope,
the gun’s Range increases by one level.
Wealth Modifier: Good [+8]
Ocular Integration: This attachment
requires the user to have cybernetic eyes

3 and plugs directly into your optical system.

The integration allows the user to pinpoint
his target with astonishing accuracy. When
using a weapon with this Gift, the wielder
gains a 1dF reroll. Wealth Modifier: Great
[+16]
Sawed-Off Barrel: Any shotgun may
possess this Gift, in which the barrel’s length
is cut down to a minimal size. This makes
the weapon easier to conceal (negating the
-3 penalty) but also halves the weapon’s ef-
fective range. Wealth Modifier: Fair [+4]
Sound Suppressor: This weapon at-
tachment reduces the volume of the gun’s
blast. Notice checks made to hear one of
otherwise appear identical to you. these weapons fire take a -2 penalty. Sound
Optionally, you may add a second Gift to suppressors can be added to shotguns, but
the weapon which forces it to explode in the only if they are created using sonarkinesis
hand of anyone attempting to fire it with- (and thus are susceptible to antipsi effects).
out your fingerprints. (Warning: Keep out Wealth Modifier: Fair [+4]
of reach of children!) Weapons which ex- Stabilizer: This add-on uses a variety of
plode in this manner deliver an unopposed methods to correct for unsteady hands and
attack with a +5 offensive damage factor light breathing, improving the weapon’s
against the user who pulled the trigger and overall accuracy. When a user spends at
anyone within Poor proximity of him. The least one round to aim his weapon, he gains
weapon is permanently destroyed from a +1 bonus on ODFs in addition to any bo-
the explosion. Wealth Modifier: Fair [+4] nuses normally granted for taking time to
(Good [+8] with exploding trap option) aim a weapon. Wealth Modifier: Good [+8]
Increased Ammo Capacity: This at-
tachment, as its name implies, improves
the amount of ammunition the weapon can Melee Weapons
hold, thus reducing the frequency at which
In addition to guns, many characters
it must be reloaded. Weapons with in-
carry melee weapons as back-ups. Other
creased ammo capacity increase the num-
characters carry melee weapons as their
ber of blanks required on a natural roll by
preferred side-arm, opting for style over
1, to a maximum of 4 blanks. Wealth Modi-
substance. Melee weapons possess many of
fier: Great [+16] (includes cost of attach-
the same traits as guns, with a few excep-
ment and increased ammunition cost).
tions as follows:

48
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Range: use Table 4.8: Range Difficulty

(Chapter 4) for determining the range of
melee weapons.
Rate of Fire/Reload: melee weapons do
not possess these traits.

Gifts
Morphing: Weapons with this Gift have
been enhanced with the control inanimate
objects power at a Power Rating of 1. This 3
ability allows the wielder to modify the
weapon’s properties slightly in any of the
following ways (feel free to be creative and
add your own):
Shrink: Reduce the weapon’s size, mak-
ing it easier to conceal (+1 to conceal, but -1
to ODFs)
Expand: Expand the weapon’s size, ei-
ther back to its original (if shrunken) or to
a slightly larger size (-1 to conceal, but +1 to
ODFs)

Table 3.2: Melee Weapons

Weapon Damage Range Cost Rank Notes
Unarmed, untrained* Mediocre Abysmal - - Cannot add Gifts
Unarmed, trained* Fair Abysmal - - Cannot add Gifts
+1 Damage if
Brass Knuckles* Fair Abysmal - -
specialized
Small Knife Fair Abysmal to Fair - - Can be thrown
Large Knife Good Poor Poor [1] Mediocre
Blackjack/sap Fair Abysmal - - Mental damage
Club Good Poor - - -1 to conceal
Quarterstaff Good Poor to Mediocre Poor [1] Fair -3 to conceal
Whip Fair Mediocre to Fair Mediocre [2] Mediocre
One-handed Sword Great Poor Fair [4] Fair

Two-handed Sword Superb Poor to Mediocre Great [16] Great -3 to conceal

Throwing Axe Fair Poor to Fair Poor [1] Mediocre Can be thrown
-1 to conceal, +1 vs.
One-handed Axe Great Poor Good [8] Great
armored opponents
-3 to conceal, +1 vs.
Two-handed Axe Superb Poor to Mediocre Great [16] Superb
armored opponents
* Being specialized in unarmed combat means having Skill Specialization (Unarmed)
with the Combat (Melee) Skill Group. Brass Knuckles gain a +1 bonus to ODFs if the
character is specialized in unarmed combat.

49
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Sharpen: Enhance a blade’s sharpness

or add a cutting edge or spikes to an other- Grenades
wise blunt object, giving the weapon a +1 to Grenades deal damage to all creatures
ODFs and objects in an area, making them dev-
Blunt: Reduce the weapon’s sharpness, astating and highly restricted weapons. Use
making it easier to deal non-lethal damage of lethal grenades of any kind is strictly pro-
(damage dealt never results in death) hibited within city limits, even by ranking
Only one of these effects may be active at officials, police officers, and military per-

3 any given time; changing between options

takes 6 seconds (one round). The power
may be either magic or psionic in nature.
sonnel. With that being said, they still see
their fair share of use by criminals, merce-
naries, and even covert military operatives
Wealth Modifier: Great [+16] when the timing is right and the surveil-
Psi-Static: Designed primarily for covert lance limited.
missions in which powerful mentals need Grenades come in a wide variety of
to be dealt with, these weapons are imbued shapes, sizes, and qualities, but for the sake
with the antipsi power and may be used in of keeping things simple and fun we have
one of two ways. taken the average of these weapons for
Antipsi Strike: Whenever you damage game statistics. All grenades use the same
someone using this function, make a free Range and Blast Area traits, but their Dam-
antipsi check against them using the Power age, Rank, and Cost traits, as well as their
Rating as your modifier. Gifts and Faults, may vary.
Psi-Static: Switching to this effect causes Range: All grenades have a maximum
the weapon to radiate an aura of antipsi as range (as described on Table 4.8: Range
if it had the Psi-static Fault (see Chapter 4). Difficulty) of Good (“down a block”). This is
Changing between functions takes 6 sec- the furthest a grenade may be thrown with-
onds (1 round). While this Gift can be either out the aid of some other device, such as a
magic or psionic in nature, it is most com- grenade launcher.
monly magic. Wealth Modifier: Good [+8], Blast Area: All grenades have a Fair
Great [+16], or Superb [+32] (for PR 1, 2, or (“across a hall”) Blast Area, as described on
3 respectively). the same table. No grenade may ever have
Psychokinetic: This weapon has been a Blast Area greater than Fair, but certain
enhanced with one type of psychokinesis: Faults may reduce its Blast Area.
cryo, photo, pyro, sonar, or telekinesis. It Damage: Grenades have a default Dam-
comes with a Power Rating between 1 and age value of Good and they deal this dam-
3 and adds its PR as an Offensive Damage age to all creatures and objects within their
Factor. Attacks made with this weapon may Blast Area.
have different effects depending on the na- Cost: The cost to purchase a set of 10 gre-
ture of the power; pyrokinetic weapons, for nades is Good [8]. Certain Gifts and Faults
example, may be able to ignite combustible may increase or decrease this trait. Damage
materials with a successful attack. This Gift may be raised at a Wealth cost of +1 Wealth
may be either magic or psionic in nature. Level per +1 Damage. For example, 10 gre-
Only one type of psychokinesis Gift may be nades with Superb Damage would cost Su-
applied to a single weapon at any given time. perb [32] Wealth.
Wealth Modifier: Good [+8], Great [+16], or Rank: Grenades begin with a default
Superb [+32] (for PR 1, 2, or 3 respectively) Rank of Superb which may be increased
and (much more rarely) decreased with
Gifts and Faults. Regardless of the attacker’s

50
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Rank, lethal grenades (grenades which deal check (and do not add any bonuses from ar-
damage) may never be legally used within mor) to reduce the duration of their blind-
city limits. ness. For every degree of success by which
Gifts: Gifts may be added to grenades you beat your target, they are blinded for
to deal different kinds of damage, change one round. Wealth Modifier: None
their effect, or provide other benefits. Gifts Inorganic Matter: These grenades use
always have an associated Wealth modifier control inanimate magic to deal damage
and sometimes a Rank modifier. only to inanimate and inorganic objects
Faults: Faults may be added to grenades
to reduce their effectiveness as well as their
Cost. Rarely, a Fault may be used to reduce
within their Blast Area. Living creatures
and organic matter are not affected, mak-
ing them suitable for destroying property
3
the grenade’s Rank requirement. without directly injuring anyone (though
Below are the basic statistics for a gre- shrapnel and other hazardous side-effects
nade, for easy reference. Example Gifts and may still harm living creatures). Wealth
Faults follow. Modifier: Good [+8]
Organic Matter: These grenades use
Grenades control animate magic to deliver damage to
Damage Range Blast Area Cost Rank only organic matter within their Blast Area.
Inanimate and non-organic objects are not
Good Good Fair Good Superb
affected, making this the perfect grenade
for killing humans and other living crea-
Example Grenade Gifts tures without destroying nearby property.
Antipsi: Designed by the Anti-Psi League Wealth Modifier: Good [+8]
to combat mentals, antipsi grenades deliver Shadow Grenade: Grenades altered by
an EMP-like burst of energy that disrupts this Gift cause the light in an area to van-
psychic fields. This effect can be instead ish, effectively creating a darkness effect.
of or in addition to dealing normal dam- All light in the area is dimmed according to
age. Use the grenade’s Damage as its Power the grenade’s Power Rating as if the throw-
Rating when checking to suppress psionic er had successfully used the photokinesis
effects within the grenade’s Blast Area. power to darken a room. The effect lasts for
Wealth Modifier: None (if no damage dealt) one minute per degree of success. Shadow
or +1 Level per Power Rating grenades do not deal damage and instead
Cryogrenade: This grenade has been treat their Damage trait as a Power Rating
modified to deal cold damage in its Blast trait. Wealth Modifier: None
Area, rather than incendiary damage. A gre-
nade of this type has the potential to freeze Example Grenade Faults
water and other objects, make surfaces icy,
Dud: This grenade is just an empty cas-
and so forth. Wealth Modifier: Fair [4]
ing; it does nothing but bounce upon im-
Flash Grenade: This grenade has been
pact. It is most often used as a decoy. This
modified to deliver a stunning flash of light.
Fault cannot be combined with any other
It deals no damage but has the potential to
Gift or Fault. Wealth Modifier: Fair + Me-
temporarily blind anyone within its Blast
diocre [-6 total]
Area. When making an attack with a flash
Reduced Blast Area: Grenades with this
grenade, make an attack roll and add the
Fault have a smaller Blast Area than normal.
grenade’s Damage trait to your ODFs as
Reduce the Blast Area from Fair (“across the
normal. Instead of the target making a Body
hall”) to Poor (“across the room”). Wealth
check to reduce damage, they make a Body
Modifier: Mediocre [-2]

51
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Armor
Armor provides the wearer with varying
degrees of protection, depending on its Pro-
tection rating (see below). Each character
may wear only one set of armor at any time
(unless that armor possesses a Gift which
states otherwise).

3
All types of armor possess the following
traits:
Protection: The amount of damage from
each attack that the armor can absorb. In
game terms, add the armor’s Protection rat-
ing to the character’s Defensive Damage
Factors to determine whether or not they
are struck and/or injured in combat.
Rank: the minimum required Rank skill
a character must possess in order to be able
to both purchase and wear this armor le-
gally. Characters with Reputation or Urban
skills equal to the armor’s Rank may be able
to find and purchase such an item, but have
no special permit to wear it in public. Per-
mits may be purchased for armor of Good while Faults decrease the modifier by the
rank or lower at the cost of Good [8] Wealth; listed amount. For simplicity, these modi-
permits are not granted for armor with fiers are listed as numeric values; a Rank
Great or higher Rank levels. modifier of +1 that is applied to Light Ar-
Cost: the amount of Wealth a character mor counts as a Rank requirement of Good,
must spend to purchase the item. Remem- while a +1 modifier to Dense Armor would
ber that a character may still need to ac- increase the Rank level to Superb. All modi-
quire permits or otherwise find someone to fiers stack.
sell these items if they have a Rank require-
ment higher than Fair. Types of Armor
Gifts and Faults: As with any other item, Armor is defined by its Protection rating
armor can possess both Gifts and Faults. and not with a specific name or type. This
These help to define the armor’s specific system allows for characters to be creative
capabilities and drawbacks and are the pri- with the way they choose to describe a par-
mary traits which make one type of armor ticular piece of armor; armor with Good
different from another. Gifts and Faults Protection, for example, could be anything
can add to or subtract from the Protection, from a thick leather jacket to a shirt made
Wealth, and Rank values of armor. of highly durable futuristic fabric.
Wealth Modifier: The total modified Players and GMs should feel free to work
Wealth Value after all Gifts and Faults have together to develop a suit of armor, choos-
been taken into consideration. ing from the table of generic armor types
Rank Modifier: This trait applies to Gifts below and adding Gifts and Faults to make
and Faults. Gifts with a Rank modifier in- it unique. A few example armor sets follow
crease the Rank level by the listed amount, to give you a starting point, but the possibil-

52
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Table 3.3: Armor

Armor Type Protection Cost Rank
Light Armor Good Mediocre [2] —
Sturdy Armor Great Good [8] —
Durable Armor Superb Superb [32] Good
Dense Armor Wonderful Superb [32] Great

3
Impenetrable Armor Phenomenal Wonderful [64] Superb
ities should be limited only by imagination The most basic type of protection, a
(and, of course, the power level the GM has leather jacket can be purchased and worn
in mind for the campaign). by nearly anyone. Though it offers only lim-
ited protection compared to more sophis-
Armor Penalties ticated armors, its accessibility and avail-
Certain forms of armor are bulkier than ability makes it a must-have for anyone not
others and restrict movement. As a trade- possessing superior armor.
off for better protection, these bulkier ar- Leather jackets possess no Gifts or Faults.
mors impose penalties upon the wearer, as
indicated for each armor type below. Leather Duster
Armor Type Protection Cost Rank
Durable Armor: Armor of Durable qual- Light Good Fair [4] None
ity provides Superb protection but imposes
a -1 penalty on any check which would fea- Like the traditional leather jacket, a
sibly be restricted by movement, such as leather duster offers only basic protection
Athletics checks. This armor also grants a against attacks. It is longer and covers more
+1 bonus to anyone attempting to Notice it. of the body than a leather jacket though,
Dense Armor: Even more restrictive and its size and bulk are renowned for their
than Durable armor, Dense armor impos- ability to help conceal weapons.
es a -2 penalty on any physical check that Concealment [Gift]: Any check made
would be restricted by armor and grants a to notice a concealed item against charac-
+3 bonus to anyone attempting to Notice it. ters wearing a leather duster is made at a
Impenetrable Armor: This armor type -1 penalty. Wealth Modifier: Mediocre [+2]
cannot be concealed; it is simply too large
and bulky for even the most untrained eye
Bulletproof Shirt
to overlook. It also imposes a -3 penalty on
Armor Type Protection Cost Rank
any physical check that would be restricted
Sturdy Great Good [12] None
by movement.
Traditionally used by members of law
Example Armor Types enforcement, the bulletproof shirt has be-
come the favored method of protection for
Leather Jacket
anyone on the streets.
Armor Type Protection Cost Rank
Easily Concealable [Gift]: Any check
Light Good Mediocre [2] None made to notice that a character is wearing
a bulletproof shirt is made at a -2 penalty.
Wealth Modifier: Fair [+4]

53
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Reinforced Vest Similar to full-body armor, powered

body armor has a battery pack that supplies
Armor Type Protection Wealth Rank
additional energy to the gear. When pow-
Sturdy Great Fair [6] None
ered armor is struck by any object (includ-
ing bullets and energy weapons), an electric
Similar to a bulletproof shirt, the rein-
current is immediately pumped through
forced vest is comprised of densely-woven
the armor to create a localized layer of add-
fabric that is resistant to ballistic attacks.
ed protection for a brief time. This ability

3
Unlike the bulletproof shirt, this armor also
to reinforce specific points on the armor as-
contains steel plates which reinforce the ar-
needed means that it does not need to be as
mor against attack. These steel plates make
rigid at all times.
it too bulky to wear under normal clothing.
Requires a Battery [Fault]: Because this
Bulky [Fault]: This armor cannot be eas-
armor requires additional energy, a battery
ily concealed; all attempts to notice it gain a
pack must accompany it at all times and the
+2 bonus. Wealth Modifier: Mediocre [-2].
battery pack must maintain a charge. The
(This Fault should not be applied to armor
armor can absorb five attacks before the
types which are already difficult to conceal,
battery is drained and it becomes a simple
such as most armors of Durable or greater
suit of body armor (reducing its Protection
quality.)
value to Great). Batteries are self-charging
but require one hour of recharge time for
Full-body Armor each charge spent. Wealth Modifier: Good
Armor Type Protection Cost Rank [-8]
Durable Superb Superb [40] Good
Magicorp Antipsi Armor
Full-body Armor, as its name implies, Armor Type Protection Cost Rank
protects the wearer from head-to-toe. It in-
Dense Wonderful Superb [32] Superb
cludes a face mask or helmet, reinforced
body armor and leggings, gloves, and boots.
Magicorp’s latest in a line of defenses
This armor is military grade and requires a
against mentals. This powered armor in-
Rank of Good or better to wear openly with-
cludes antipsi tech which helps protect the
out question.
wearer from mental as well as physical
Heads-Up Display [Gift]: Your helmet
damage. The magic is implanted in the hel-
contains a Heads-Up Display (HUD) that
met, making that the armor’s primary weak
provides you detailed tactical information
spot.
about your surroundings. The HUD is ca-
Antipsi Helmet [Gift]: The wearer is
pable of displaying such environmental el-
permanently under the effect of antipsi
ements as temperature, relative distance,
magic, making his mind and the area sur-
slope, and size of nearby objects. For an
rounding him difficult to penetrate. All
added cost it can display infrared, thermal,
psionic abilities and effects activated or tar-
or night vision. Wealth Modifier: Good
geted within 5 feet of the wearer is subject
[+8]; each additional visual enhancement
to an opposed antipsi check (see Chapter
has a Wealth Modifier of Fair [+4].
5: Psionics and Magic for more info). The
wearer’s trait level for this check is based
Powered Body Armor on the Power Rating of the helmet, and the
Armor Type Protection Cost Rank Wealth Modifier for this Gift is equal to the
Durable Superb Great [24] Great helmet’s Power Rating. For example, an an-

54
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

tipsi helmet with a Power Rating of Great protective benefits of this armor. Wealth
(+2) would have an effective trait level of Modifier: Superb [+32] (modifier is based
Great when attempting to suppress psionic on Protection rating minus 2.)
effects, and the Wealth modifier for this Gift
would also be Great [+16].
Corporate Sponsored [Fault]: This ar- Magic
mor is commissioned by and distributed to The term “magic” refers to any device
the agents of Magicorp and may not be used which emulates psionic abilities. Each
by any other character without the risk of
severe repercussions. The wearer may
only lease this armor; it remains property
magic device emulates one specific psionic
ability: e.g. antipsi¸ telekinesis, psychome- 3
tabolism, etc. For rules on using magic, see
of Magicorp. Characters pay less money Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic.
to acquire the armor, but the corporation Because magic is treated under the law
requires that they be of a sufficiently high as a form of psionics, the same legal issues
rank before the character can be entrusted apply. Non-offensive psionics may be used
with it. Wealth Modifier: Great [-16]. Rank at any time without provoking the authori-
Modifier: +1 ties (though it may provoke civilians if the
user is not careful), but use of any magic
Force Armor that can be construed harmful or offensive
Armor Type Protection Cost Rank must be undertaken with caution.
Impenetrable Phenomenal Phenomenal Superb
[128] Pricing Magic Devices
The base Wealth Modifier of any magic
The ultimate in protective equipment,
device is equal to its Power Rating (PR).
Force Armor protects the wearer from all
When pricing an item for a specific pur-
manner of attacks by utilizing built-in tele-
pose, determine which psionic power could
kinesis technology to generate a field of out-
produce that effect. The device’s Power Rat-
ward force that dampens incoming attacks.
ing must be equal to or greater than the
In addition, sonar- and photokinesis tech-
minimum result required to produce that
nology built into the suit allow it to generate
effect, but it also gains a Fault that limits its
a temporary cloaking device which makes
power (and reduces its cost.)
it imperceptible to both sight and sound.
Also, where magic is concerned, one
Cloaking Device [Gift]: You and your
must possess an appropriate Rank skill to
armor become imperceptible to sight and
even purchase a device with a Power Rat-
sound for as long as you maintain concen-
ing of Great or better. As with the Wealth
tration on this ability. You do not need to
cost, the required level of Rank is equal to
make a check to activate this cloaking abili-
the device’s Power Rating. For example, to
ty, but performing actions other than move-
purchase a device with a PR of Superb, one
ment will cause the effect to end. Wealth
must first possess both a Superb Rank and
Modifier: Superb [+32]
spend Superb [32] Wealth.
Flexible [Gift]: Most body armor is in-
For example, a belt that is capable of
flexible, making it difficult to move about
turning its user invisible must have a PR
and use skills based on Dexterity. However,
of Superb or greater, since the photokinesis
Force Armor is made from flexible materi-
power used to create the effect requires at
als as its primary defensive mechanism is
least a Superb result to turn someone invis-
telekinesis, not plated armor. You have a full
ible. This means the base Cost of the item
range of motion while receiving all of the

55
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

is Superb [32] and that its Rank Require- Divining Rod

ment is Superb. However, because it has the A modern take on a classic tool, this
Faults of “Invisible only” and “only affects device may be programmed to locate one
wearer,” the belt’s Superb Cost is reduced creature or object as long as it is within one
by two levels to a total Cost of Good [8]. Note mile of the user (if PR: Great) or 10 miles (if
that the required Rank is still Superb. PR: Superb).
It may be programmed from any basic
Gifts and Faults communications tablet with two minutes
Magic devices may possess both Gifts and and a Mediocre Technical check. Once pro-
Faults, just like a person with innate psion- grammed, the divining rod transmits a loca-
ic powers. Gifts and Faults may be chosen tion signal to the user’s tablet.
from those suggested in Chapter 5, or addi- Creatures not wishing to be located may
tional Gifts and Faults may be developed for make an opposed Mind roll to prevent the
a device. For each Gift a device possesses, divining rod from accurately picking up on
increase the device’s Wealth Modifier by their location.
one level. Conversely, decrease the device’s Power: ESP
Wealth Modifier by one level for each Fault Power Rating: 2 or 3
it possesses. No device may have more than Faults: Locate only
two Faults. Cost: Good [8] (PR: 2) or Great [16] (PR: 3)
Rank: Great or Superb

Example Magic Fire Starter

Magic devices come in a wide variety, Just a fancy name for a pure pyrokinesis
from gadgets that emulate one specific type device, this gadget can do everything that
of psionic power to tools used to perform a someone with the pyrokinesis power can
very specific function. Below are a few ex- do.
ample devices.

56
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Power: Pyrokinesis Fault: See only

Power Rating: -1 to 3 Cost: Great [16]
Cost: Mediocre [2] (PR: -1) to Superb [32] Rank: Great
(PR: 3)
Rank: None, Great (PR: 2) or Superb (PR: 3)
Antipsi Tech
Flight Boots Antipsi tech comes in a variety of op-
tions designed to fit the needs of certain tar-
Flight boots come in a variety of styles
but are designed for one purpose: to grant
the wearer the power of flight. Activating
get markets. It is an expensive but effective
means of protecting sensitive information,
but isn’t necessarily undefeatable.
3
these boots allows the wearer to fly at a rate
The following items come in Power Rat-
of 30 feet per round (5 feet/second).
ings ranging from Fair (0) to Superb (+3)
Power: Telekinesis
and have Wealth and Rank costs equal to
Power Rating: 3
the Power Rating. An item’s PR represents
Faults: Flight only; only affects wearer
the difficulty required to overcome its de-
Cost: Good [8]
fenses and successfully hack or soul jack
Rank: Superb
the target.
Treat the item’s PR as a Defensive Factor
Invisibility Belt against psionic abilities.
The preferred tool of many spies, invis-
ibility belts use photokinesis to bend light Antipsi Circlet
around the wearer and make them seem-
This piece of headwear protects a per-
ingly disappear.
son from mind control attacks and empa-
Users must maintain concentration
thy checks, as well as any other psionic ef-
while invisible, meaning they can do noth-
fect which would directly impact the user’s
ing but move, speak, or perform non-ac-
mind (such as telepathic communication).
tions (like looking at one’s surroundings).
It must be worn around the head to be ef-
Any attempt to use a skill or power breaks
fective.
the user’s concentration and ends the invis-
ibility effect (subject to the GM’s discretion).
Power: Photokinesis Antipsi Field
Power Rating: 3 This object is about three cubic feet and
weighs around 200 pounds. It emits an an-
Faults: Invisibility only; only affects wearer
Cost: Good [8] tipsi pulse that blocks all psionics within a
Rank: Superb radius of 60 feet per Power Rating. The pulse
penetrates most materials, but one inch of
Seer’s Glasses lead, six inches of steel, or one foot of con-
crete will block its effects. It is even more
Superior to common spectacles in near-
expensive than most antipsi tech though
ly every way, this device allows its wearer
and has a Wealth cost equal to its PR +2.
to see into any place within one mile of his
current location. With added dual-screen
support, these glasses do not obstruct the Antipsi Firewall
wearer’s view of his current surroundings. This hardware firewall protects a com-
Power: ESP puter system from electrokinetic attacks.
Power Rating: 2
Gift: Dual-screen support

57
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Antipsi Implant
Antipsi implants function like the an-
tipsi circlet but are physically embedded
in a person’s body, making it impossible to
disarm or steal. This item has a Wealth cost
equal to the item’s PR +1.

Antipsi Lock
3 These are electronic locks that can be
used to secure doors, windows, and other
containers to shelter them from electroki-
netic attacks.

Antipsi Panel
These security panels protect ATMs, ve-
hicles, and other devices that are publicly
accessible.

Cybernetics -
Cyberware and enhancements a character may have to pre-
Bioware vent characters from becoming too power-
ful for the campaign. A good rule of thumb
The line between man and machine has
is to allow no more than 8 Gifts worth of cy-
been blurred significantly, and in 2096 cy-
bernetics in any one character.
bernetic implants are commonplace. Cy-
berware refers to any machine that is im-
planted within, or permanently affixed to, Example Cybernetics
the human body. These machines are often Below are some example cybernetics to
designed to enhance ones normal abilities, get you started thinking about what possi-
though occasionally they are used insidi- bilities lie in store for your characters. Each
ously and might be implanted to track an will have a suggested cost in Gifts and in
individual—or worse. Wealth. Generally, a character need only
Another form of enhancement is known pay one or the other (Gifts or Wealth, not
as “bioware”. Bioware is similar to cyber- both) unless the GM deems it necessary to
ware, but it represents any sort of implant pay for both.
or enhancement made of organic material Like anything else, cyberware isn’t per-
and interwoven directly into the body’s nat- fect. Faults may be added to any cyberware
ural functions (as opposed to being a sepa- to mitigate its total cost, and a rare few may
rate prosthetic attachment). Bioware can possess only Faults (and therefore grant the
be used to enhance muscle tissues, increase character additional bonuses; see Trade-
metabolism, improve lung capacity, etc. offs in Chapter 2: Character Creation.)
Both cyberware and bioware are pur-
chased using Gifts or Wealth. GMs may wish
to restrict the total number of cybernetic

58
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Aural Augmentation vices that can be inserted into your Brain

A special implant in your ears enhanc- Bank (via a special port on the side of your
es ambient noise and increases your abil- skull) and accessed to give you temporary
ity to focus on specific sounds. You gain a knowledge of nearly any skill; they include
+1 bonus on Notice checks made to hear instruction manuals, tutorials, FAQs, and
noises, and you can perceive frequencies other detailed information necessary for
that are above or below the normal human the skill’s use.
range (sub-vocals, dog whistles, etc.). Un- You may only use a single Skill Chip at
fortunately, you are also more susceptible
to sonar attacks and receive a -1 penalty to
DDFs versus any attack involving sound, in-
any time, and swapping out one for anoth-
er takes 6 seconds (1 round) assuming you
already have a replacement in hand. The
3
cluding attacks made with the sonarkinesis chips themselves are similar in size and
power. shape to SD cards (you may remember see-
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth ing those in a computer museum) and are
easily stored in small containers. It takes
Aural Augmentation, Advanced one minute per skill level contained on the
chip to familiarize yourself with the mate-
Similar to Aural Augmentation, but you
rial presented to you and to be able to use
have more control over the noise levels you
the skill properly.
perceive. You may enhance specific sounds
Skill Chips come in levels from Mediocre
and decrease the levels of others, granting
to Superb and grant you an equivalent bo-
you improved perception without the same
nus on any one skill. For example, you may
vulnerabilities. You gain a +2 bonus on No-
purchase a Good Vehicles skill chip to gain
tice checks made to hear noises but do not
use of the Vehicles skill at a level of Good.
receive a penalty against sonar attacks.
Note that Skill Chips do not enhance your
Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth
attributes as advancement of a normal skill
would and they are never associated with a
Brain Bank specific attribute; therefore, when spending
A small electronic storage device is im- Luck Points to reroll a skill, you only ever
planted in your skull and connected direct- get to reroll 1 die at a time.
ly to your neural network. This device acts Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth for the
as a computer hard drive, capable of con- Skill Chip Reader; individual Skill Chips cost
taining virtually limitless amounts of data. Wealth equal to the skill’s level +1 (Fair [4]
You effectively have a photographic memo- for a Mediocre skill, Good [8] for a Fair skill,
ry, with the ability to store and retrieve dataetc.)
from your brain bank as swiftly as you can
think of it (though if your natural brain for- Brainwave
gets something is stored, you do not neces-
A wireless communicator is implanted
sarily recall it when needed; you must “ac-
into your skull and connected to your neu-
tively” search for the data to be retrieved).
ral network. You may instantly transmit
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth
thoughts to any other person with a Brain-
wave communicator, though they may not
Skill Chip Reader be willing to receive incoming thoughts
If you have a Brain Bank, you may in- from you. To force your thoughts into some-
stall an optional reader that allows you to one else’s mind or to read the thoughts of a
make use of Skill Chips. These are small de- transmission that you are not supposed to

59
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

be listening in on, requires a Focus check Cybernetic Eyes

opposed by the target’s Mind attribute. The Your natural eyes have been replaced
target may attempt to force you out again; with purely cybernetic optical devices.
you must continue to make this check each When you first purchase this Gift, you may
round you wish to maintain contact. select one of the following options for free.
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth You may spend additional Gifts (or the asso-
ciated Wealth) to upgrade your cyber eyes
Cybernetic Arms to provide additional benefits. Regardless

3 Your arms have been replaced with cy-

bernetic limbs, with or without accompany-
of how many enhancements you have, Cy-
bernetic Eyes only count as 2 Gifts for the
purposes of determining the maximum
ing synthetic skin (your choice). Your arm
strength is improved, granting you a +1 to number of Gifts worth of cyberware your
your Strength for the purpose of Lifting character may possess.
objects (see Chapter 4: Playing the Game You may only use one viewing mode at
for more info) and you are better able to a time. Switching between modes requires
grip and hold objects that you would nor- no time to complete and may be done sim-
mally be able to carry. However, this does ply by thinking of the mode that you wish
not confer any benefit when lifting particu- to use. If no mode is selected, you view the
larly large or heavy objects (since that also world as normal for a human with 20/20 vi-
requires back and leg muscles). If you also sion.
possess the Reinforced Frame and Cyber- Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth
netic Legs enhancements you may be able
to lift objects far heavier than normal for a Computer-Integrated Display (CID):
person of your Strength. You may wirelessly tap into a computer and
In addition to the above enhancements, view its display through your own eyes.
your arms are capable of withstanding ex- This enhances the display to encompass
treme temperatures; you may reach into a your entire field of vision and you cannot
fire and pull out an object without getting perceive the world around you while using
burned, for example, assuming you don’t this viewing mode. This enhancement does
catch the rest of your body on fire in the not confer any bonus to access a system or
process. You can crush bricks, bend iron use the system once you have connected to
bars, and perform other spectacular feats it; if you do not have the appropriate securi-
of strength that don’t involve using muscles ty credentials (or if you are not able to crack
from other parts of your body. You gain a +1 the system) you may not be able to tap into
bonus on ODFs when attacking with a me- it. Because the display is wirelessly trans-
lee weapon. mitted through the ‘Net, you may be able
Finally, you may spend an additional to access any available system in the world,
Gift (or Good Wealth) to have a special com- regardless of its proximity to you.
partment hidden within one or both of your Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth
arms that is capable of concealing a small
object (such as a knife, small handgun, gre- Heads Up Display (HUD): Your cyber
nade, etc.). eyes scan the area and provide tactical in-
Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth (re- formation about the objects and creatures
gardless of the number of arms replaced) you see. You can single in on specific ob-
jects to get detailed information about their
height, weight, density, material composi-
tion, relative distance from you, etc.

60
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth Horse Heart

Night Vision: You can see in the dark as Though not technically the heart of a horse,
if you were wearing night vision goggles. this bioware enhancement improves the us-
Objects appear to have a green tone and er’s existing heart and circulatory system to
details are not sharp, but you can function give them the endurance of a racehorse.
normally otherwise. Horse hearts grant the user a +2 bonus on
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth Athletics checks when performing any ac-
tion that requires sustained stamina or en-
Thermal Vision: You can see the ther- durance, such as running a marathon (but
mal (heat) signature of anything you are not a sprint) or swimming great distances.
viewing. This may allow you to detect invis- Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth
3
ible creatures (assuming they are not some-
how masking their heat signature, such as Mind Reader
through the use of cryokinesis) and other
This implant is most often used for insidi-
objects or beings that would normally go
ous purposes and is installed without the us-
unnoticed.
er’s knowledge. By inserting a chip into the
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth
wearer’s skull and linking it to his neural net-
work, anyone with the appropriate security
X-Ray Vision: You can see through most
credentials can log into the character’s brain
solid objects and view what is on the other
from a computer (or other capable device)
side. One foot of stone, one inch of metal, a
and read that character’s thoughts. These
thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt
chips are used for a variety of purposes: cor-
blocks the effect.
porations spying on their employees, govern-
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth
ments spying on their citizens, and back-alley
street docs spying on their customers just to
Cybernetic Legs name a few. They may also be used for posi-
Both of your legs have been replaced by tive effects, such as tracking a lost pet or us-
cybernetic limbs, with or without accom- ing an animal to scout an area for its handler,
panying synthetic skin. You can run faster, but these uses are far less common.
jump higher, kick harder, and even balance Cost: 1 Gift or Good [16] Wealth (if used
better (using special self-correcting servos). with knowledge and intent); 1 Fault (if in-
You can bear heavier loads than a normal stalled without a character’s knowledge).
person of your Strength and gain a +1 bonus Characters may take this as a Fault at Char-
to your Lifting capacity (which stacks with acter Creation or a GM may give one to a
the bonus granted by Cybernetic Arms). character without his knowledge during
You gain a +1 bonus on any skill check play, in which case the character does not
made to jump or balance, as well as on gain a Fault trade-off.
ODFs when making attacks with your legs.
You can run at speeds up to 30 MPH, though
your legs do not confer any special bonuses
Ocular Augmentation
to sustain that speed indefinitely (you may Your vision is superior to that of the most
still need a bionic respiratory system for keen-eyed individual. Though not as ver-
that). satile as full cybernetic eye replacements,
Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth these enhancements are made to your ex-
isting eyes and help you to see better in
most lighting conditions; you can see twice
as well at night or under minimal lighting

61
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

circumstances. You also gain a +1 bonus on Reinforced Frame

Notice checks made to see something. Un- Titanium has been grafted directly into
fortunately, you are also more susceptible your skeleton and the muscles in your torso
to photokinesis and other light-based at- have been significantly enhanced to help
tacks and take a -1 penalty to DDFs versus you bear heavy loads. Your ability to absorb
such attacks. damage is greatly increased and you can
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth support the weight of a semi-truck without
collapsing (assuming your legs and arms

3 Ocular Augmentation, Advanced

Your vision is enhanced well beyond
don’t get crushed).
You gain a +2 bonus to DDFs against
Physical damage and, if you sport both Cy-
that of the normal human range. You can
see three times as well as a normal human bernetic Arms and Legs, you can lift enor-
in dark or dim conditions and your vision is mous amounts. You take no penalty when
never washed out in bright light. You gain lifting objects twice as heavy as your nor-
a +2 bonus on any Notice check made to mal Lifting weight, a -1 penalty for objects
see something but do not suffer a penalty weighing three times your Lifting weight, a
on DDFs versus light-based attacks. You are -2 penalty for objects weighing four times
also immune to the effects of flash grenades as much, and finally a -3 penalty for objects
and similar attacks. weighing five times your normal maximum
Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth Lifting limit (see Chapter 4: Playing the
Game for more on Lifting).
Olfactory Augmentation Cost: 3 Gifts or Superb + Great [48]
Your sense of smell has been enhanced Wealth
in such a way that you can detect even the
slightest scents. You gain a +1 bonus on No- Rhino Skin
tice rolls made to smell something and can Your skin has been reinforced by a bio-
track a creature (even an invisible one) by chemical process, making it incredibly re-
scent. Unfortunately, you are also more sus- sistant to ripping, tearing, burning, and
ceptible to pungent odors and take a -1 pen- freezing. You gain a +1 bonus to DDFs vs.
alty on any check made to resist the effects weapons that would pierce or tear the flesh
of being sickened by smells. (such as firearms and swords, but not clubs)
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth as well as attacks from fire- and cold-based
sources. Rhino Skin may be added to Cyber-
Olfactory Augmentation, Advanced netic Arms and Legs as well as normal body
With this augmentation, even a blood- parts. As an added bonus, you no longer
hound would be jealous of your ability to have to worry about paper cuts!
sniff out fine details. You gain a +2 bonus on Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth
Notice rolls to detect smells and may track
creatures (even invisible ones) by scent. Titanium Knuckles
Like a camel, you can close your nostrils to It’s going to hurt them more than it hurts
prevent harmful substances (such as dust you. Titanium has been grafted to your
and sand, but also airborne contaminants bone, increasing the hardness and durabil-
and foul odors) from permeating your nose. ity of your hands and fists. This enhance-
You gain a +2 bonus versus scent-based and ment is too subtle for others to notice unless
airborne attacks. they’re in the process of feeling your wrath.
Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth

62
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Gutterware
Not all cyberware is created (or installed)
equally. Some ‘ware, known derogatorily as
“gutterware” for its inefficient and occa-
sionally hazardous nature, is barely worth
the chrome it’s made of.
Gutterware comes in three basic varieties:

3
cheap, illegal, and cheap and illegal. It is most
commonly installed by Street Docs and other
operations that aren’t entirely on the up-and-
up. Usually, gutterware is either a discounted
version of premium cyberware (such as last
decade’s model or a designer knock-off) or il-
legal ‘ware that’s been tampered with.
Because illegal ‘ware is, for obvious rea-
sons unregulated, it is very likely that any
‘ware installed without sufficient Rank or
license will be gutterware.
Game Masters should use their best
judgment when a player purchases new cy-
berware to determine whether or not the
In addition to any obvious benefits of new parts should be gutterware. Consider
having titanium bones, you gain a +1 bonus the amount of money the character is will-
to your ODFs when attacking someone with ing (or able) to spend on ‘ware, the potential
an unarmed attack, or a +2 bonus if you are legality of the ‘ware, and where he acquires
Specialized in unarmed combat. it. If the character isn’t a registered citizen
Cost: 1 Gift or Great [16] Wealth in a city which requires registration, for ex-
ample, he probably will need to find a Street
Doc or some other seedy character to install
Voice Synthesizer
it for him, since going to a traditional clinic
With this implant, you are capable of is out of the question.
altering your voice to mimic that of virtu- GMs may also feel free to be creative; the
ally any noise or any person. Altering your character likely doesn’t know he’s having
voice to sound like a different, non-specific faulty hardware installed, so the GM may
person requires no effort on your part; you secretly make a note about the new gear
simply state that you are doing so. Attempt- and apply its Faults without the character’s
ing to mimic a specific person’s voice re- knowledge!
quires that you first be familiar with their
voice (at the GM’s discretion) and then at-
tempt a Great Act, Bluff, or similar skill
Faults
check. Characters familiar with that per- The key difference between gutterware
son’s voice may make an opposed Mind and normal cyberware is that it always
check to recognize even the most minor in- contains at least one Fault. Any of the cy-
consistencies and they may receive a bonus berware outlined in this chapter, as well
(or penalty) to this check based on exactly as any other cyberware you create, may be
how familiar they are with the person. designated as gutterware if it contains some
Cost: 2 Gifts or Superb [32] Wealth Fault or drawback.

63
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

As usual, applying a Fault to anything Antipsi

with a Gift will mitigate its cost, making it Your gear was probably developed by
cheaper. Gutterware offsets both the Gift Magicorp or some other psi-hater and con-
and Wealth costs of cyberware by a certain tains components that alter your psychic
amount, but the cyberware’s initial cost still abilities. You must always reroll a single +
counts toward the maximum number of cy- result any time you activate a psionic pow-
berware Gifts a character may possess (8). er. This Fault is never beneficial; its antipsi
For example, Cybernetic Legs cost two effects are limited only to disrupting the

3 Gifts. By applying the “Faulty Servos” Fault

the legs would cost only one Gift but would
still count as two of the eight total cyber-
user. This Fault should never be applied to
characters who do not have innate psionic
powers.
ware Gifts a character may possess. Wealth Modifier: 1 Fault or Good [-8]
Finally, some Faults may potentially be Wealth
“bought off” during gameplay. Either the
character finds someone to fix the faulty Faulty Servos
equipment (at which point he would re-
Your legs don’t work quite like they’re
move the Fault) or receives an upgrade that
supposed to. You do not gain any skill or
repairs or replaces the issue. This may be
attack bonuses that would otherwise be
done either by purchasing a new Gift with
granted by the use of Cybernetic Legs, but
Build Points or spending the appropriate
you still gain the increased lifting capacity
Wealth at a later time. In either case, the
and movement speed.
characters must find the in-game means to
Wealth Modifier: 1 Fault or Good [-8]
make the repair or upgrade.
Wealth
Example Gutterware Faults
Government Issue
Below is a list of example Faults that can
You probably don’t know it, but this
be applied to nearly any piece of cyberware
‘ware belongs to the government. Its serial
to make it gutterware. Feel free to develop
numbers have been filed off, but the hack
your own and remember to use common
who installed it failed to remove its tracking
sense when applying these Faults; not all
chip. Government agents may come looking
Faults are appropriate for all types of gear.
for you if they ever suspect their gear has
been stolen and you’re probably not at lib-
Alloy erty to discuss how their ‘ware wound up in
Most cyber-limbs are crafted from tita- your body.
nium because it is light, durable, and grafts Wealth Modifier: 1 Fault or Good [-8]
easily to bone. Your ‘ware was crafted from Wealth
some lesser alloy that isn’t as ideal. You gain
all of the benefits the limb offers, but any Short Circuit
time you would take an Incapacitated wound
One piece of cyberware has a short cir-
from a single physical attack you risk having
cuit that causes it to randomly malfunction.
the limb break. A broken limb imposes a -1
Whenever you roll 2 blanks on any check
penalty on all physical checks until it is re-
involving that piece of gear, it simply ceases
paired (costing at least a Mediocre amount
to function for a short period of time (usu-
of Wealth and assuming you can find some-
ally just a few seconds, or long enough to
one to fix it). At least it came cheap.
apply to a single check). This may result in
Wealth Modifier: 1 Fault or Good [-8] Wealth

64
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

the loss of vision (if using Cybernetic Eyes), • programmable LEDs installed on the
loss of arm or leg control, the inability to head (a.k.a. “case lights” or “dome
access a skill chip temporarily, etc. The GM lights”)
may spend one of his own Glitches to trig- Streetware usually does not cost charac-
ger the short circuit (see Chapter 8: Game ters any significant amount of Wealth. If a
Mastering for more about Glitches). player character wishes to have their street-
Wealth Modifier: 1 Fault or Good [-8] ware grant a game mechanic bonus, consid-
Wealth er whether or not it should be traditional

Unshielded
cyberware or gutterware instead.
3
Your gear hasn’t properly been shield-
ed from electrical currents, causing you to Vehicles
take more damage from electricity-based Some people define themselves by the
attacks. Electricity damage has a +1 bonus vehicles they drive. Whether it’s a sports
against you. Additionally, if a single elec- car or a one-ton truck, a person’s choice of
tricity-based attack would cause you an In- transportation is in some ways as impor-
capacitated wound, the GM may spend one tant as the clothes on a character’s back or
of his Glitches to cause your gear to further the skills he possesses.
malfunction, applying the Short Circuit As a character-centric game, Psi-punk’s
Fault to that equipment. vehicle rules have a narrow focus. In this
Wealth Modifier: 1 Fault or Good [-8] section, we’ll detail options for personal ve-
Wealth hicles that may be chosen at character cre-
ation or purchased later.
When crafting a vehicle for your charac-
Streetware ter, consider its purpose and how its design
Some cyberware is so low-grade that it fits in with your character’s theme. It may
doesn’t warrant the cost of a Gift. This gear, not be necessary to even buy a vehicle for
known as Streetware for its common na- your character – many people nowadays get
ture, doesn’t count against the limitations along just fine using public transportation,
on the amount of cyberware a user’s body taxi cabs, and the like.
can hold (subject to GM approval). These Characters who decide to purchase ve-
enhancements are usually cosmetic and hicles are often (though not always) those
they can often be installed with relative who fit the “Wheel Jockey” archetype. For
safety by Street Docs and low-rent shopping these characters, the vehicle is every bit as
mall operations like Chip Stop. much a part of their personality as any oth-
Most of this ‘ware is too insignificant er piece of equipment they may have.
from a game mechanic perspective to war- The following terms will be used to de-
rant an entry of its own, but some common scribe the traits of all vehicles:
examples of streetware include: Size: the vehicle’s relative size.
• tongue enhancements that add flavor to Speed: the vehicle’s speed relative to
nano-food other vehicles of its size.
• animated tattoos (pre-programmed or Handling: a vehicle’s maneuverability
altered at will) rating relative to other vehicles of its size.
• eye or skin color changes Weapons: some vehicles have built-in
• skin textures, such as scales, fur, or glit- weapon systems; this value represents the
ter vehicle’s Offensive Damage Factors. Indi-
• horns, hooks, tusks, or fangs

65
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

vidual vehicles may have different types A vehicle’s Speed and Handling traits
of weapons, from guns to bladed hubcaps, are relative to other vehicles of the same
but the weapon’s Damage will be equal to size. For example, a sports car with Superb
its Weapons trait unless altered by a Gift or Speed and a fighter jet with Superb Speed
Fault. would not even be close in a race since
Durability: how durable the vehicle is; fighter jets travel far faster than even the
in effect, the vehicle’s armor bonus, or its fastest land-based vehicles. However, a Su-
Defensive Damage Factors. perb Speed sports car could out-run a Good
Gifts/Faults: as with anything, vehicles Speed sedan on any straightaway.Likewise,
may possess both Gifts and Faults. a vehicle’s Weapon and Durability ratings
Cost: The total of all Wealth Modifiers are relative to other weapons and armor of
determines a vehicle’s final Cost (in Wealth). their size. For example, a Great sized truck
with Good weapons would deal Good dam-
age to another Great sized truck. However,
Size if that same truck were to attack a Fair sized
Vehicles are listed in terms of their rela- motorcycle with its weapons, the impact
tive size, ranging from the smallest one-user would be more severe.
personal vehicles to larger, multi-passenger For each Size level above or below Fair,
military machines and even space ships. add or subtract one point from the Weap-
Most player characters will never own, on and Durability ratings of the vehicle.
much less pilot, very large vehicles (Superb Because two vehicles of the same Size will
or larger size) but stories do occasionally always even out, you don’t need to bother
call for such options. with this step for circumstances in which
two same-sized vehicles are in combat.

66
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Table 3.4: Vehicle Sizes

Vehicle Size Examples
Abysmal Roller skates
Poor Skateboard, snowboard, hoverboard
Mediocre Bicycle, moped
Fair Motorcycle, ATV, human
Good Cars (sedan, sport), minivans, small trucks, SUVs
Great
Superb
Wonderful
Large pick-ups, full-size vans
Small busses, RVs, industrial machinery
Semi-trucks, city busses, tanks
3
Phenomenal Helicopters, fighter planes
Extraordinary Cargo ships, passenger jets
Astonishing Aircraft carriers, space ships

Continuing with the example above, a Some vehicles are slower than compara-
Great sized truck with Good Weapons at- bly-sized vessels. Tanks, for example, tend
tacks a Fair sized motorcycle with Good Du- to be slower than smaller cars and trucks.
rability. The truck would add its Great (+2) For such vehicles, add a Fault such as “Slug-
Size to its Good (+1) Weapons value for a to- gish” and let it ignore the vehicle’s Size
tal Offensive Damage Factor of Superb (+3) when comparing its speed to others.
against the motorcycle’s Good Durability. Finally, note that humans are not as fast
Note that for the purpose of these rules, on foot as motorcycles and mopeds. This
humans and all of their equipment are of does not mean that all humans have the
Fair Size. Sluggish Fault; humans simply operate on
Wealth Modifier: A vehicle’s Size is of- another Speed scale entirely and are an ex-
ten proportional to its cost; larger vehicles ception to this rule.
tend to cost more money than smaller ones. In the end, use your common sense
Add the vehicle’s Size modifier to its overall when comparing the relative speeds of two
Cost on a one-for-one basis (i.e., its Wealth vehicles with drastically different qualities.
Modifier is equal to its Size). Remember that Wealth Modifier: Add the vehicle’s
the Cost is equal to the sum of all Wealth Speed modifier to its total Cost on a one-for-
Modifiers. one basis, as with Size.

Speed Handling
As noted above, a vehicle’s Speed is rela- Some vehicles maneuver better than oth-
tive to other vehicles of its Size. If two vehi- ers. A vehicle’s Handling trait determines
cles of the same size are racing on a straight just how well it maneuvers around obsta-
path, the faster vehicle will always win (bar- cles or through tight spaces, but the vehicle’s
ring external forces). Size also has something to do with it; larger
However, vehicles of different sizes op- vehicles tend to be harder to control.
erate on different scales of Speed; Good Add the vehicle’s Handling bonus to the
roller skates will never be able to outrun a operator’s Vehicles skill check whenever
Good truck. you need to determine how well the char-
acter can maneuver the vessel, but subtract
its Size bonus from the check as well.

67
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

For example, Mitch is Good at operat- Note that vehicles which lack weapons
ing vehicles and he is driving a sports car can still be used in combat. It is possible to
with Great handling. He’s being chased and simply try to drive over someone using just
needs to squeeze his car down a tight alley- the Size trait as its damage modifier to the
way to avoid his pursuer. Vehicles skill check. Some vehicles, such as
Mitch makes a Vehicles check to deter- cars with windows, may allow characters
mine whether or not he can enter the al- to fire guns out of them using the attacker’s
leyway without crashing into too many ob- own weapons and Combat skill checks (as

3 stacles along the way. Thanks to the car’s

Great Handling score the task is made sim-
pler. However, the car is also larger than a
appropriate).
Wealth Modifier: Add the vehicle’s
Weapons modifier to its total Cost on a one-
human and won’t squeeze past obstacles as for-one basis, as with Size.
easily as a smaller object would, so he sub-
tracts the car’s Good Size from his check as
well.
Durability
In total, Mitch’s bonus on the check Some vehicles are capable of taking
will be 1 (Good Skill) + 2 (Great Handling) a bigger beating than others. A vehicle’s
– 1 (Good Size) = +2 (Great). Mitch rolls +1 Durability rating is what determines how
on the dice for a total result of Superb and tough the rig is and how well it can fend off
manages to slip into the alleyway without attacks.
disturbing the scenery! Treat a vehicle’s Durability level as if it
Wealth Modifier: Add the vehicle’s Han- were armor on a player; that is, apply this
dling modifier to its total Cost on a one-for- rating to the vehicle’s Defensive Damage
one basis, as with Size. Factors before determining the wound level
a vehicle takes from any given attack. In ad-
dition to the vehicle’s Durability score, add
Weapons its Size modifier to DDFs.
Not all vehicles come equipped for com- For example, a Good sized sports car with
bat, but those that do have a Weapons trait. Great durability would have total Defensive
Vehicles without this trait simply lack any Damage Factors of Superb (+3) because of
form of built-in attack method and it’s up to its Good (+1) Size and Great (+2) Durability.
the operator to provide the guns. Add these modifiers to the driver’s Vehicle
Add a vehicle’s Weapons trait to its Size skill check when opposing an attack.
trait to determine its total Offensive Dam- Wealth Modifier: Add the vehicle’s Du-
age Modifiers. Operators may use their Ve- rability modifier to its total Cost on a one-
hicle skill or their Combat (Ranged) skill (if for-one basis, as with Size.
appropriate) when making attacks with a
vehicle’s Weapons. Vehicle Damage
It is up to the owner to determine the Vehicles use a wound track similar to
nature of the vehicle’s Weapons. For ex- that of a player character to determine its
ample, they could come in the form of guns overall “health,” or state of repair. Its men-
hidden behind a car’s headlights or a tank’s tal track represents on-board computers,
cannon. In any case, the Weapon trait still GPS, tracking systems, and other electrical,
dictates how much damage the weapon can rather than mechanical, functions. That
deal. Any extra special effects should be wound track looks like this:
handled by means of Gifts.

68
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Table 3.5: Vehicle Damage

Physical: None Dinged Damaged Very Damaged Broken Down Destroyed
Mental (Computers): None Glitched Damaged Very Damaged Fried Destroyed

Attempting to operate a Damaged vehi- (fingerprint) locks or ignitions. Unless it

cle imposes a -1 penalty on the operator’s wouldn’t make sense for the particular vehi-
Vehicle check, while attempting to operate cle to have these features (roller skates and
a Very Damaged vehicle imposes a -2 pen- skateboards would likely not have them) you
alty. Broken Down and Destroyed vehicles
may not be operated.
Repairing a vehicle works like healing a
can assume the vehicle comes pre-equipped
with all of these features and any others you
and your GM deem appropriate.
3
character (see Wounds and Healing in Chap- Each of the example Gifts listed below
ter 4: Playing the Game for more informa- will indicate an associated Wealth Modifier.
tion) except that instead of making a Medical Generally speaking, Gifts with limited func-
skill check the player would make a Techni- tionality have a Good modifier, better Gifts
cal or Vehicle skill check. It takes 1 hour per have a Great modifier, and superior Gifts
wound level to repair damage unless the have a Superb modifier.
control inanimate power is being used, in
which case it takes 1 minute per wound level Ice Slick
and constant contact with the vehicle. Unless Vehicles equipped with this cryokinesis
they possess special Gifts which would allow unit are able to produce an ultra-slippery
them to do so, vehicles never repair damage sheet of ice behind them, useful for get-
over time on their own. ting rid of pursuers. Anything attempting to
cross the ice slick must make a Superb skill
Gifts check to do so (a Vehicle check for a vehicle
or an Athletics check for a person).
Like anything, Vehicles can have both
Optionally, this slick can be placed in
Gifts and Faults to set them apart from the
front of or on the side of the vehicle as well.
crowd. Gifts represent special powers or
It is possible to make a bridge using this ice
perks that are added to a vehicle to improve
slick, but the standard -2 penalty applies to
its functionality in some way. Faults repre-
skill checks when trying to cross the bridge.
sent issues the vehicle may have, from com-
Wealth Modifier: Great [+16]
puter problems to old age.
In many cases, Gifts are magical in na-
ture. Vehicles commonly make use of magic Invisibility
to perform a variety of functions, from at- A photokinesis device has been installed
tacking others to masking their own pres- in this vehicle, granting it the ability to turn
ence. Other vehicle Gifts are technological itself invisible. This ability is limited in its
in nature, and can be as simple as having use of photokinesis such that invisibility is
reinforced tires to as complex as high-end the only option it possesses.
on-board computer systems. This device confers no special benefits
Note: many of a vehicle’s options come other than to allow the vehicle and all of
standard with the machine and do not add its passengers and cargo to pass unseen. It
anything to its cost. Such standard features may still leave a trail, noticeably disrupt the
include GPS and maps, auto-pilot (with op- environment, produce audible noise, gener-
tion to switch to manual mode), in-car au- ate a heat signature, etc.
dio and calling capabilities, and biometric Wealth Modifier: Superb [+32]

69
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Matter Mover Self-Repairing

Using embedded telekinesis technology, With a large up-front investment, your
vehicles equipped with this device are ca- vehicle may be outfitted with a control in-
pable of moving large amounts of material animate device, paired with sophisticated
out of their way. This power comes with diagnostic software, which repairs the vehi-
several different power ratings. cle’s damage over time. Damage is repaired
PR1 can lift human-sized objects or at a rate of one wound level per day, start-
smaller. ing with the most severe wound.

3 PR2 can lift objects the size of a large

truck.
PR3 can lift objects the size of a semi-
For an even greater cost, a more ad-
vanced form of this device repairs the ve-
hicle’s damage at a rate of one wound level
truck. per hour, starting with the most severe.
Like other magic devices, use this de- Vehicles which are Destroyed may not
vice’s Power Rating to determine its offen- be repaired in this manner.
sive modifiers (see Magic above). Creatures Wealth Modifier: Superb [+32] (for the
are allowed an opposed Mind roll to resist slower version) or Wonderful [+64] (for the
being moved by this effect, while the driv- faster version)
ers of other vehicles may make an opposed
Vehicles check to avoid being moved. Unat- Shifting
tended objects (those not being held or oc- Making use of a control inanimate de-
cupied by a person) may not resist the at- vice, vehicles equipped with this feature
tempt to move them. are able to change some of their aesthetic
Using this ability effectively requires elements. These vehicles can alter their
concentration on the driver’s part. Unless color, both interior and exterior, tire tread
the driver has a co-pilot to operate this de- (where applicable), their license plate, and
vice independently, he takes a -2 penalty on the tint of their windows.
all Vehicle checks while this device is active. Wealth Modifier: Good [+8]
Wealth Modifier: Good [+8] (PR1), Great
[+16] (PR2), Superb [+32] (PR3)
Sound Dampener
Vehicles with this embedded sonarkine-
Reinforced Wheels
sis device may suppress all noise within a
The wheels and tires of this vehicle are very close radius (about 3-feet) of the ve-
exceptionally durable. They may drive over hicle. It isn’t capable of producing other so-
nearly any terrain without being dam- narkinesis effects, but it does suppress any
aged and indeed may be self-repairing. The sound the vehicles or its passengers make
wheels themselves have +2 to their Dura- to about 5 decibels (such that augmented
bility, giving them a bonus on their DDFs hearing would be required to detect it).
whenever someone would try to shoot at Wealth Modifier: Great [+16]
the tires specifically.
Wealth Modifier: Great [+16]

70
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Transformation Prototype
This incredibly powerful control ani- Highly advanced vehicles may be proto-
mate module allows the vehicle to alter its types or contain some new prototype tech-
size and structure. The vehicle may alter nology. While the new equipment they have
its Size up or down by one level from its installed may be represented by Gifts, they
original (so a Good Size vehicle may change come with a few drawbacks.
between Fair and Great sizes). The vehicle Not only are prototypes rare, often one
changes into another appropriate for its of a kind (and thus irreplaceable), they of-
type (a car into a motorcycle or truck, for
example). All of the vehicle’s other traits,
including Speed, Handling, Weapons, Dura-
ten have defects – bugs that still need to be
worked out.
Whenever the prototype equipment in
3
bility, Gifts, and Faults, remain the same. question would be used (whether it is a
These drastic transformations take time weapon with special bullets, armor attempt-
to complete. Altering a vehicle’s Size takes ing to absorb psionic force, or speed boost-
five full minutes per Size level (five minutes
ers kicking into overdrive) make the check
to change from Good to Fair, but ten min- as normal. If the natural roll (see Chapter
utes to change from Fair to Great) and may 4: Playing the Game for more on natural
not be performed while the vehicle is in op- rolls) contains three minuses (-), a glitch oc-
eration. curs and the equipment ceases to function
Vehicles with this Gift gain the Shiftingmomentarily (for that action). If the natural
Gift (see above) for free. roll results in four minuses, the prototype
Wealth Modifier: Superb [+32] malfunctions permanently (until repaired).
If use of the prototype equipment would
not normally require a check, roll 4dF and
Faults simply observe the natural roll.
Vehicles may possess Faults which re- Vehicles with this Fault may not also
duce its overall cost. The Wealth modifier have the Used or Sub-modern Faults.
listed with each of these example Faults re- Wealth Modifier: Great [-16]
duces the vehicle’s final Cost.
Sluggish
Electrical Problems This vehicle’s Size is not added into its
None of this vehicle’s electronics seem Speed. This Fault is ideal when trying to rep-
to work properly. It may have been hit by resent large vehicles with lower top speeds,
EMPs one too many times or the wiring may vehicles such as tanks.
just be faulty. Either way, the car’s windows, Wealth Modifier: Good [-8]
locks, GPS, auto-pilot, in-car audio and elec-
tronic controls simply don’t function. Stolen
The vehicle may still have a functioning
Whether or not you know it, this vehicle
electric engine, but its auxiliary electronics
has been stolen from its previous owner.
don’t work. You may still operate the ve-
There may be a police bulletin out on it or
hicle without penalties, but conveniences
there may be some very unhappy ganger
such as those listed above are not available
who wants it back.
until time and money has been spent to
have them repaired.
Wealth Modifier: Good [-8]

71
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

The existence of abilities that can alter Used

a vehicle’s appearance makes it difficult to This vehicle was previously owned and
prove (or even spot) that a vehicle is sto- may be prone to breaking down. Whenever
len, but most modern vehicles have built-in the vehicle’s operator makes a natural roll
GPS devices that can be used to locate them of three minuses (-) on a Vehicle check, the
and modern tracking systems are not easily vehicle takes a Damaged wound as if some-
fooled or hacked (Phenomenal difficulty). thing had malfunctioned, misfired, or worn
Stolen vehicles may have other, less ob- out. If the operator rolls a natural result of

3 vious problems of which the new owner is

unaware. GMs are encouraged to pick an-
other Fault to add to the vehicle, without
four minuses the vehicle takes a Very Dam-
aged wound instead.
Damage caused as a result of either of
further reducing its Cost. these checks may be repaired as normal.
Wealth Modifier: Good [-8] Wealth Modifier: Good [-8]

Sub-Modern
This vehicle doesn’t possess certain fea-
Example Vehicles
tures that have become standard-issue for Following are a few example vehicles to
vehicles of its type. The vehicle may lack get you started.
built-in GPS and maps, biometric locks, in-
car audio and calling features, auto-pilot, Hoverboard
etc. Size: Poor [1]
Use your best judgment before applying Speed: Great [16]
this Fault to a vehicle. Roller skates would
never have any of these features to begin Handling: Fair [4]
with so it is not an applicable Fault, for ex- Weapons: --
ample. Durability: --
Sub-modern vehicles should likewise Cost: Great [21]
not come equipped with any Gifts which
would include new technology, such as
magic. These vehicles should be bare-bones Motorcycle
and may not even include built-in weapons Size: Fair [4]
or defense systems. Speed: Good [8]
Wealth Modifier: Great [-16] (if it pos- Handling: Good [8]
sesses no other Gifts or Weapon/Durability
Weapons: --
ratings of Good or lower) or Good [-8] (if
the vehicle still has some modern features, Durability: --
such as high-tech weapons units) Cost: Great [20]

72
 Chapter 3: Equipment and Cybernetics

Pick-up Truck Prototype Mini-Tank

Size: Great [16] Size: Great [16]
Speed: Mediocre [2] Speed: Good [8]
Handling: Fair [4] Handling: Fair [4]
Weapons: -- Weapons: Great [16]
Durability: -- Durabil- Superb [32]
ity:

3
Cost: Great [22]
Gifts: Antipsi weapons, PR 2 (Cost:
Sports Car Great [+16]); option to deal
Size: Good [8] no damage but negate psion-
Speed: Great [16] ic powers of target person or
Handling: Good [8] vehicle
Weapons: -- Faults: Prototype antipsi weapons
(use of antipsi runs risk of
Durability: --
malfunction) [-16]
Cost: Superb [32]
Cost: Wonderful [76]

Convertible Combat Helicopter

Size: Good [8] Size: Phenomenal [128]
Speed: Good [8] Speed: Good [8]
Handling: Good [8] Handling: Good [8]
Weapons: Good [8] Weapons: Great [16]
Durability: -- Durabil- Great [16]
Gifts: Transformation [32] ity:
Cost: Wonderful [64] Gifts: ESP co-pilot’s HUD, PR 3
(Cost: Superb [+32]); grants
the co-pilot and wearer of
Used Sedan
this special headset the ESP
Size: Good [8] power, allowing them to ob-
Speed: Fair [4] serve conditions outside the
Handling: Fair [4] helicopter
Weapons: -- Cost: Phenomenal [208]
Durability: --
Faults: Used [-8]
Cost: Good [8]

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Chapter 4:
Playing the Game
 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

In Chapter 2 we discussed how to cre- ally Fair.

ate a character for play in Psi-punk, but you Psi-punk uses “Fudge dice” for all rolls.
still need some guidance to know what all Fudge dice are six-sided dice with two sides
of those numbers on your character sheet marked “+” (representing +1), two sides
mean. This chapter will discuss how to put marked “–“ (representing -1), and two blank
your characters into play by providing in- sides (representing a 0 value). To use Fudge
formation about how to play the game. dice, simply roll four of them (sometimes
We’ll start with the first thing every player called “4dF”) and total the amount. Since a
or GM will need to know. +1 and a –1 cancel each other, you can re-
move a +1 and –1 from the table, and the re-
maining two dice are easy to read no matter
Rolling the Dice
4
what they are. If there is no opposing pair of
Most role-playing games use dice to help +1 and –1 dice, remove any blank dice, and
players and GMs determine the outcome of the remaining dice are again easy to read.
in-game actions. In Psi-punk, dice are used The result of a die roll is a number be-
in the same way. When characters need to tween –4 and +4. On the character sheet,
know whether or not they successfully per- there should be a simple chart of the ability
formed an action – such as maneuvering levels, such as the one below. To determine
a speeding vehicle down a narrow street the result of an action, simply put your fin-
while being chased, slugging it out with an- ger on your trait level, then move it up (for
other combatant, or influencing a bouncer plus results) or down (for minus results).
to let them into the night club without ID –
dice are rolled. Table 4.1: Trait Ladder
There is no need to roll the dice when a Astonishing +7
character performs an action that is so easy Extraordinary +6
as to be automatic. Likewise, an action so Phenomenal +5
difficult that it has no chance to succeed re- Wonderful +4
quires no roll — it simply can’t be done. Dice Superb +3
are used solely in the middle ground where
Great +2
the outcome of an action is uncertain.
Good +1
The GM is encouraged to keep die-rolling
Fair 0
to a minimum. Do not make the players roll
the dice when their characters do mundane Mediocre -1
things. There is no need to make a roll to see Poor -2
if someone can cook lunch properly, or pick Abysmal -3
an item from a shelf, or climb a ladder, and
so on. Don’t even make them roll to climb For example, Ron, who has a Good
a cliff unless it’s a difficult cliff or the situ- Ranged Combat skill, is shooting in a rifle
ation is stressful, such as if the character is contest. The player rolls 4dF, using the pro-
being chased. cedure described above. If he rolls a 0, he
For any action the player character gets a result equal to his skill: Good, in this
wishes to perform in which the outcome is case. If he rolls a +1, however, he gets a Great
uncertain, the GM must determine which result, since Great is one level higher than
trait is tested (this will usually be a skill or a his Good Ranged Combat skill. If he rolls a
power). If the action is unopposed, the GM –3, unlucky Ron has just made a Poor shot.
also determines the difficulty level — usu- It is not always necessary to figure the
exact rolled degree. If you only need to

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

know whether or not a character succeeded has Great Focus and rolls +2 on the dice,
at something, it is usually sufficient for the for a total initial result of Wonderful (+4).
player simply to announce the appropriate However, Matt attempts to resist by rolling
trait level and the die roll result. The game a Mind check, which he has at a level of +1.
goes much faster this way. He only rolls +1 on the dice, for a total initial
For example, Sven is trying to out-ma- result of Great (+2).
neuver his pursuers and needs to squeeze
his speeding car in to a tight alleyway. The Brad and Matt compare their respective
GM sets the difficulty to Great since this is a check results and find that Brad’s degree
pretty difficult task, but luckily for Sven he of success was Great (Wonderful – Great =
has a Great Vehicles skill. He rolls the dice Great, or 4 – 2 = 2). Brad consults Chapter

4
and gets a total of +2. He simply announces 5: Psionics and Magic to determine what
“Great +2” and zips in to the alleyway with- he can do with a Great degree of success on
out so much as knocking over a garbage can a mind control attempt.
along the way.
Of course, there are many times when
you want to know exactly how well the
Natural Rolls
character did, even if it’s not a matter of be- Sometimes this book will reference nat-
ing close. If the character is writing an ar- ural rolls. Natural rolls represent the exact
ticle for the local paper, for example, and values listed on the dice, not including any
his Language skill is Fair, you will want to positive or negative modifiers to the dice.
figure out what “Fair +2” means. In this For example, if Ron were to roll one + and
case, he just wrote a Great article! There are three blank dice, he would have a natural
many other instances where degrees of suc- roll of +1. Other times, the exact die results
cess are more important than merely know- are observed. For example, it may be impor-
ing success or failure. tant that three of the dice were blank, re-
gardless of whether or not the overall value
of the dice is +1. Natural rolls are observed
Degree of Success before any rerolls (see below) are made.
As we mentioned before, it is often impor-
tant to know by how much you succeeded on
a given check, especially during combat or
Initial Result
when making other opposed actions (see be- The result of a check before it is matched
low for more details on both of these rolls). with the difficulty to determine a degree of
To determine your degree of success, success. This is different from a Natural Roll
simply roll the dice and compare your to- in that the Initial Result includes all appli-
tal result (after all modifiers have been ap- cable modifiers, whereas a Natural Roll ob-
plied) to the difficulty level of the check. serves only the dice.
For opposed actions, the difficulty level is
always the total result of the opponent’s Rerolls
check. Your final result is known as your
degree of success. Occasionally you will be given the op-
Degree of Success = Your Check Result – portunity to reroll one or more dice. When
Difficulty you do so, simply choose the dice you wish
For example, Brad is trying to use mind to reroll and give them another throw! You
control to force his will upon Matt, who must keep the second result even if it is
doesn’t want any part of such things. Brad worse than the original (so think carefully

76
 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Re-roll penalties cancel any positive re-

roll bonuses you may have. For example, if
you gain +1dF re-roll from a Skill Specializa-
tion and a -1dF penalty from a faulty piece
of cyberware, the two cancel each other out
and no re-roll is made.

Action Modifiers
There may be modifiers for any given ac-
tion, which can affect the rolls referred to in

4
the preceding section. Modifiers temporar-
ily improve or reduce a character’s traits.
For example, Ron, who is Good with his
rifle, is Hurt (–1 to all actions). He is thus
only Fair with his gun until he’s healed.
Sven has a Good Vehicles skill, but a Gift
called Getaway Driver gives him a +2 bonus
to Vehicles skill checks when fleeing a scene
or being chased.
Other conditions may grant a +/–1 to any
trait. In Psi-punk +/–2 is a large modifier —
about which dice you wish to reroll when +/–3 is the maximum that should ever be
the opportunity presents itself). granted except under extreme conditions.
You may be given the option to reroll one
or more dice by spending a Luck Point (see
Chapter 2: Character Creation for more Unopposed Actions
about Luck Points) or you may be given the
For each unopposed action, the GM sets
option to do so when using certain powers,
a difficulty level (Fair is the most common)
specialized skills, abilities or equipment.
and announces which trait should be rolled
When an ability grants the use of a reroll,
against. For example, climbing an average
the number of dice you are allowed to reroll
vertical cliff face, even one with lots of hand-
will be listed in the ability’s description.
holds, is not an easy obstacle (Fair difficulty
For example, the ocular integration
level). For a very hard cliff, the GM may set
weapon Gift (see Chapter 3: Equipment)
the difficulty level at Great, which means
reads “When using a weapon with this gift,
that the player must make a rolled degree of
the wielder gains a 1dF reroll.” This means
Great or higher to climb the cliff successfully.
that any time a character uses a weapon
The player then rolls against the character’s
with ocular integration, he may reroll one
trait level and tries to match or surpass the
of the four dice he used to make the initial
difficulty level set by the GM. In cases where
check.
there are degrees of success, the better the
Certain abilities or gear may also im-
roll, the better the character did; the worse
pose reroll penalties. Any time you receive
the roll, the worse the character did. Re-
a -1dF or greater penalty, you must select a
member that the players may not even need
die with a + and reroll that die. If no + result
to roll unless the characters are under pres-
was rolled for a check involving such a pen-
sure or the task is well above their skill level.
alty, no reroll is made.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Occasionally, the GM may choose to roll in sarily the same: for example, a coercion at-
secret for the PC, such as when even a failed tempt would be rolled against a character’s
roll would give the player knowledge he manipulation skill for the active participant
wouldn’t otherwise have. These are usually and against the Persona attribute for the re-
information rolls. For example, if the GM asks sisting participant. There may be modifiers:
the player to make a roll against an Aware- someone with a Vow of Loyalty Gift might
ness skill and the player fails, the character get a bonus of +2 to his self-discipline, while
doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. someone with a Craven fault might have a
But the player now knows that there is some- penalty — or not even try to resist.
thing out of the ordinary that his character The GM compares the rolled degrees to
didn’t notice. For some styles of play, it’s bet- determine a degree of success. For example,

4
ter for the GM to make the roll in secret and Yvonne is in disguise and trying to trick Seth
only mention it on a successful result. into thinking she’s from the government.
She rolls a Great result. This is not automat-
Success Rates ic success, however. If Seth also rolls a Great
When setting difficulty levels, it may result to avoid being duped, then the degree
help to keep the statistical results of rolling of success is 0; the status quo is maintained.
four Fudge dice in mind. In this case, Seth remains unconvinced that
Yvonne is legitimate. If Seth rolled a Superb
result, Yvonne’s Great result would have
Table 4.2: Success Rates
actually earned her a degree of success of
Odds of rolling Odds of rolling
Target -1 and Seth is not going to be fooled during
exactly on 4dF target or higher
this scene; he’ll probably even have a bad
+4 1.2% 1.2%
reaction to Yvonne.
+3 4.9% 6.2% The opposed action mechanism can be
+2 12.3% 18.5% used to resolve almost any conflict between
+1 19.8% 38.3% two characters. Are two people both grab-
0 23.5% 61.7% bing the same item at the same time? This
–1 19.8% 81.5% is an opposed action based on the Dexter-
–2 12.3% 93.8% ity attribute — the winner gets the item. Is
–3 4.9% 98.8%
one character trying to shove another one
down? Roll Strength for each of them to see
–4 1.2% 100.0%
who goes down, and add any appropriate
skills, Gifts, or Faults that might be in your
Thus, if your trait is Fair, and the GM
favor (or disfavor). Someone trying to hide
says you need a Good result or better to suc-
from a search party? Use the Covert skill
ceed, you need to roll +1 or better, which
versus a Notice skill, and so forth.
gives you a 38.3% chance of success. That
Some opposed actions have a minimum
means you’ll do this slightly less than two
level needed for success. For example, an
times out of five, on the average.
online fight through a video game might
require at least a Fair result. If the player
Opposed Actions only gets a Mediocre result, it doesn’t mat-
ter if the intended opponent rolls a Poor
To resolve an opposed action between resistance: the player couldn’t survive the
two characters, each side rolls dice against various dangers of the video game level and
the appropriate trait and announces the re- the attempt fails. Most combat falls into this
sult. The traits rolled against are not neces- category.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

An opposed action can also be handled *Note: Normally, you may not have a
as an unopposed action. When a PC is op- Strength attribute above Superb. However,
posing an NPC, have only the player roll, certain Gifts and cybernetic enhancements
and simply let the NPC’s trait level be the may improve your Lifting capacity to levels
difficulty level. This method assumes the of Wonderful, Phenomenal and beyond.
NPC will always roll a 0. This emphasizes When lifting twice the listed weight,
the PC’s performance and reduces the pos- characters suffer a -2 penalty on all physi-
sibility of an NPC’s lucky roll deciding the cal actions they perform. When lifting three
game. As a slight variation, the GM can roll times the listed weight, characters suffer a
1dF or 2dF when rolling for an NPC in an -3 penalty instead. No character may lift
opposed action. This allows some variation more than three times the listed weight for

4
in the NPC’s ability, but still puts the empha- their given strength level unless he possess-
sis on the PC’s actions. es a Gift which increases his lifting capacity.

Encumbrance
Lifting Objects Many games use a trait called “encum-
A character’s Strength attribute deter- brance” to show how weighted-down a
mines how much weight he can lift. Here character is by his gear. We feel that this de-
are some sample weights that can be lifted tracts from the game and adds an unneces-
at various levels of Strength. sary (and often ignored) level of complexi-
The maximum weight listed below indi- ty. The above Lifting rules are provided as a
cates how much a person can lift or carry guideline for answering the question: “Can
and still maintain some degree of mobility. I lift that object?” They are not intended to
Olympic records indicate that the upper determine how slow your character moves
limits of human strength are much higher now that he has picked up a new gun.
than those listed here, but world weight- You will notice that this book does not
lifting records are not set while running, reference the weight of any particular piece
jumping, crawling, or walking about. Gen- of equipment or gear. This is by design; we
erally speaking, a character who is trying to don’t want players and GMs to feel that they
simply lift as much weight as possible will need to micromanage these things. Don’t
be able to lift about three times the listed worry about counting up every piece of
figure, but only for a limited duration and equipment you have and the possible weight
with severe impairments to his mobility. of each; simply assume that the equipment
you carry is right for you or you have made
Table 4.3: Lifting Capacity the appropriate modifications or accommo-
Level Maximum Weight dations. Use these Lifting guidelines only
Abysmal 20 lbs. when attempting to lift heavy objects that
Poor 33 lbs. you wouldn’t normally carry on your per-
Mediocre 43 lbs. son.
Fair 58 lbs.
Good 76 lbs.
Great
Superb
114 lbs.
171 lbs.
Material Value
Wonderful* 256 lbs. Sometimes the strength of an object will
Phenomenal* 385 lbs. come into play. In such instances, use the
Extraordinary* 578 lbs. following table as a point of reference for
Astonishing* 867 lbs. various material values.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Reference this table whenever you need only if it’s not too much effort. She won’t be
to know the relative strength or toughness helpful at all on Mediocre or worse results,
of an object. You may need this informa- but will react well on a Good result or bet-
tion if you are trying to damage something ter.
using physical force or if you are trying to
damage someone by hurling such an object Table 4.5: Repute Modifiers
at them. Situation Modifier
The target benefits +2
Table 4.4: Material Value The target is friendly to
Material value Example Material the PC – a close friend or +1
relative, or a listed contact
Abysmal Dust

4
The target is unfriendly to
Poor Plastic the PC – a total stranger,
-1
Mediocre Aluminum or a character the PC has
offended
Fair Wood
The target is hostile to the
Good Brick -2
PC – actively opposing his
Great Concrete goals or a sworn enemy
Superb Iron The target is placed in
-3
danger
Wonderful Steel
The item being asked for is -1 to -3, depending
Phenomenal Diamond valuable on value
Extraordinary Titanium +1 (if equal to or
Astonishing Grapheme The PC has a rank skill with lower than the
the same organization as NPC’s rank) or +1
the NPC per rank above the
NPC’s rank
Repute The PC has a rank skill with
an organization the NPC -1 per rank
Sometimes a non-player character has opposes
a set reaction to the PCs. Perhaps she’s au- The PC successfully bribes
tomatically their enemy or perhaps the he- the NPC +1
roes have rescued her and earned her grati- The PC attempts to bribe the
tude. But there will be many NPCs that don’t NPC but fails (doesn’t offer
-1
have a set reaction. When the PCs request enough, offends the NPC,
information or aid, it might go smoothly or etc.)
it might not go well at all. Negotiation with The PC has some outward or
a stranger is always an unknown quantity known quality that the NPC +1
admires (Fame, Infamy, etc.)
to the players — it may be so for the GM,
too. When in doubt, the GM should secretly The PC has some outward or
known quality that the NPC
make a Repute roll. hates (Cowardly, Slovenly,
-1
The Repute roll can be modified up or etc.)
down by circumstances: bribes, the NPC’s The PC offers a favor in +1 to +3 depending
suspicious or friendly nature, proximity of return on the favor offered
the NPC’s boss, observed PC behavior, and
so on. Here are some guidelines: Repute rolls are used only when deal-
The higher the Repute rolled degree, the ing with NPCs (whether by players or other
better the reaction. On a Fair result, for ex- NPCs). A Repute roll is never used against
ample, the NPC will be mildly helpful, but

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Wealth
Psi-punk uses a system of wealth that
avoids complex resource-management and
is designed to keep the game simple and
fun. Wealth is a trait that is separate from
other skills and attributes. This trait repre-
sents the purchasing power of an individu-
al, regardless of how he acquired it. A high
Wealth trait could mean the character has a
lot of cash in the bank or simply has a great
credit score and is able to charge everything
to his account (assuming he can pay for it
later). A high Wealth trait could also mean 4
that the character has a lot of connections –
friends in high (or low) places that can get
him what he wants, when he wants it.
Most characters have the ability to pur-
chase mundane items, such as food, cloth-
ing, and other daily living supplies, without
the need to worry about how much each of
them costs. For more expensive items, such
as weapons, high-end computers, cyber-
the players to force them to perform actions ware, or magic devices, a character needs to
against their will (after all, that’s what mind spend Wealth. Each item listed in Chapter
control is for!)Characters that possess fame, 3: Equipment has an associated Cost which
reputation, or similar skills may add their represents how much Wealth a character
level in that skill to this check, unless they needs in order to purchase that specific
are famous or renowned for something the type of equipment. If a character can’t af-
NPC dislikes, in which case they subtract ford it with his current Wealth Level, he’ll
their level instead. either need to save up or borrow money.
For example, Sven is a world-renowned
weightlifter and has a Superb reputation
skill for having won the Mister Galaxy con-
Wealth by the Numbers
test. One NPC may admire him for this and It may be helpful to think of Wealth as
the GM would add +3 to the Repute check, a numeric value; after all, that’s how we
while another NPC might think Sven is just view wealth in the real world. Rather than
a dumb meathead and subtract -3 instead. assigning individual dollar values to items
The Repute check is always Unopposed and keeping track of your character’s cur-
with a difficulty of Fair. Using modifiers and rent finances, you may employ the follow-
the degree of success guidelines as outlined ing abstract numeric system. It is less gran-
above will help you to determine the out- ular than a purely numeric system and uses
come of the check and the attitude of the simpler math that won’t slow down game
NPC. play.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Wealth Chart of your status; it can be added to dice rolls

Use the following chart to help you de- made to bribe, impress, and otherwise ma-
termine a numeric value for your Wealth nipulate people who are concerned with
score. This value will help you add and sub- worldly matters.
tract the costs associated with Gear without
reducing your ability to also look at Wealth Wealth in the Game
from the perspective of the Trait Ladder.
See Chapter 2: Character Creation for
details about how to determine a charac-
Table 4.6: Wealth Chart ter’s starting Wealth. After play starts, a
Value Trait Level character’s Wealth Level can continue to
0 Abysmal represent buying power in any way which

4 1
2
Poor
Mediocre
best suits him. Wealth simply represents
the ability for characters to get the things
they want. A high Wealth Level can be used
4 Fair to bribe people, buy new equipment, work
8 Good their way into fancy nightclubs without an
16 Great invitation (or reservation), etc.
32 Superb One doesn’t always need to spend his
64 Wonderful Wealth to do any of these things; rather,
characters may simply roll a Wealth check
128 Phenomenal as if it were any other skill. The difference
256 Extraordinary between using Wealth to bribe someone
512 Astonishing and using a social skill like Impress is that
Wealth isn’t tied to any other attribute, so
If your Wealth Value falls within a cer- players may not benefit from Luck Point
tain range, your Wealth Level is easy to de- rerolls in the same way they would if they
termine. For example, if you have greater were using a skill.
than 4 Wealth but less than 8, your Wealth If a Wealth check fails to, for example,
Level is Fair. If you acquire a Good amount bribe a security guard, characters may de-
of Wealth (+8) your value would increase to crease their Wealth Value and try the check
12, which puts you within range of having a again; this represents “upping the ante” so
Good Wealth Level. to speak, by increasing the amount of the
Gear can be priced numerically using bribe to sweeten the deal. GMs may consid-
this system. Cybernetic Legs with a Superb er giving the character a bonus on his next
Cost (32) may have a Fault that reduces Wealth check if he spent enough to really
their Cost by a Good amount (8). That would catch the guard’s attention.
make their total Cost equal 24. Subtract 24 Wealth can also, of course, be used to
from your Wealth Value when you purchase purchase additional equipment whenever
these legs, then determine your new Wealth the opportunity is available.
Level.
Keep track of your Wealth Value and
Wealth Level separately. Your Wealth Value
Acquiring Wealth
is similar to cash in the real world – it’s the Unlike other traits, Wealth is more fluid
numeric value that is used to determine and can be increased or decreased far more
exactly how much you have in liquid as- easily. Characters acquire new Wealth for
sets. Your Wealth Level is more a measure any number of reasons; they may sell equip-

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

ment they find or don’t need anymore, take Haggle skill may be able to talk a buyer
out a loan from a bank (or a loan shark) or into giving them a better price by making
get paid for a job. a successful check (at a GM-determined dif-
ficulty). In such a case, perhaps the Good
Getting Paid gun would fetch a Fair price and the buyer
The most common method of acquiring would throw in some Mediocre [2] Pocket
Wealth is getting paid to do a job. This can Change.
mean either performing a task for a supe- It may be difficult to find a buyer for
rior officer, pulling off a bank heist (and some equipment. Restricted or illegal items
not getting caught or killed in the process), cannot be traded on the open market; you
or completing a mercenary job for a seedy can’t just walk into the local Stuff Shack
character in a grungy bar. GMs should feel and sell them your illicitly-acquired assault
free to work with their players to determine rifle. To find buyers for such items, charac-
the types of jobs or missions that are best- ters should make an Urban (or similar) skill
4
suited to their talents and character con- check with a difficulty equal to the item’s
cepts. Rank (see Chapter 3: Equipment for Rank
Regardless of the type of job, characters scores). Success means the player can find
should get paid upon its completion. They a fence given enough time. Higher degrees
may know what their compensation will of success mean the player can either find a
be before they start the task or they may buyer in a shorter amount of time or find a
make off with an unknown sum of money more trustworthy fence. Remember: many
and agree to split the loot later. In any case, shady characters are not above selling out
when the job’s done the bread’s won. GMs their contacts if it means avoiding a run-in
should reward players by determining how with authorities or the promise of a quick
much Wealth the task was worth and tell buck.
the players to increase their Wealth Values
accordingly. Taking Out a Loan
For example, if the characters are work- Some equipment is just too important to
ing for a paramilitary organization and are a job, or too coveted, to pass up. If a charac-
sent on a job to protect a high-ranking ci- ter really wants or needs an item he can’t
vilian, they may be told that their efforts afford, he can attempt to take out a loan.
will be rewarded with a Good [8] amount Loans must be paid back within a time-
of cash. Once the mission has successful- frame specified under the loan agreement
ly been completed, characters are given (generally one month) and almost always
8 Wealth (a Good amount) to add to their carry some amount of interest. Loans can,
Wealth Value. If this would increase their of course, be obtained from a variety of
Wealth Level to a higher range, their Wealth sources.
Level increases as well. The most common methods of acquir-
ing loans are through banks or street bro-
Hocking Wares kers. Getting a loan through a bank usually
Players can choose to sell some of their comes with lower interest rates but charac-
existing equipment to improve their Wealth ters may be subject to criminal background
score. Generally speaking, equipment is checks, credit checks, and other scrutiny
sold at one level lower than what it could that certain types of characters may not
be purchased for, so a Good [8] gun would wish to make public. Street brokers, on the
fetch a Fair [4] price. Characters with the other hand, don’t ask questions about why

83
 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

you want the money or whether or not you

can repay them; they simply send heavily- Combat
armed thugs to rip off your cyber-limbs and In a setting where nearly everything and
hock them for the cash you owe. Street bro- everyone is used to daily conflict, combat is
kers also tend to require more interest than almost inevitable. Though combat is cer-
banks. tainly an optional part of the game, most
In game terms, a bank will always re- characters will find themselves in a combat
quire the character to pay back as much situation at some point – if not frequently –
money as he borrows plus an amount of ex- in their careers. The remainder of this chap-
tra Wealth equal to one level lower than the ter will detail some of the combat terms and
borrowed amount. For example, if Roy bor- mechanics used in Psi-punk.

4
rows a Great [16] amount from the bank, he
will need to repay it in full with a Good [8]
amount of interest. Street brokers, on the
Combat Terms
other hand, require characters to match the Combat Round (Round): An indeter-
amount of money they borrow; with Great minate length of time set by the GM. Be-
loans come Great amounts of interest. cause it is simple to split one minute in to 10
For simplicity, banks and street brokers “rounds” of 6 seconds that is the assumed
both require that the loan be paid back length for any given combat round. The
within one month of the date the funds were length of time can be altered by a GM to suit
borrowed. Failure to pay on time results in his needs, but generally when each char-
late payment fees worth a Wealth Level 2 acter involved has made an action, a given
levels lower than the original amount bor- round is over.
rowed, so following the above example the Defensive Damage Factors (DDFs): Those
fee would be a Fair [4] amount. traits, attributes, gifts, faults, etc. which con-
Failure to pay again means the entire tribute to reducing the severity of a received
amount is owed in one additional month blow, including armor, and any applicable at-
and it means the bank is free to hire a Col- tributes (such as body versus physical attacks
lection Agency to retrieve the money. Col- or mind versus mental attacks).
lection Agencies are masters of tracking Initiative: The order in which charac-
down people who fail to pay their debts ters act in a given combat round.
and they are legally allowed to physically Maximum Effective Range: The fur-
knock down doors and drag people, kicking thest distance at which a given attack is ca-
and screaming if necessary, to jail. The sen- pable of striking a target and dealing dam-
tence for defaulting on a loan is one month age.
per Wealth level borrowed (minimum one Melee: Any combat that involves strik-
month). ing the opponent with a fist or hand-held
Street brokers, on the other hand, aren’t weapon.
as nice. They, too, have collectors who are Minimum Required to Hit: The lowest
masters of hunting down bad debtors. Un- result one needs to achieve on an attack roll
like Collection Agencies, street broker en- in order to successfully strike a target, re-
forcers don’t give the debtor an extra month gardless of the target’s DDFs.
to come up with the cash; either they fork it Offensive Damage Factors (ODFs):
over now or they wake up in a trash bin in Those traits, attributes, Gifts, Faults, etc.
a back alley with some of their spare parts which contribute to damaging an opponent,
missing. including a character’s skill with a weapon,
the weapon’s damage bonus, etc.

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Damage: The attacker’s offensive dam- fied by the character’s Dexterity or Focus
age factors minus the defender’s defensive attribute (whichever is higher), plus any
damage factors. applicable Gifts (such as Combat Reflexes,
Wound Level: A term used to describe Danger Sense, or Quickness). Play contin-
the severity of the wound a character has ues in the order of initiative from the high-
taken. For example, “one Hurt physical est rolled to the lowest, with each character
wound,” or “two Scratched mental wounds.” taking a turn during their initiative. Initia-
tive can be rolled once each round to keep
combat more fluid and cinematic or it can
Combat Rounds be rolled once only at the beginning of com-
In Psi-punk, combat is resolved in rounds. bat to keep the game moving quickly – the
Each round totals about 6 seconds, to make choice is up to the GM, and she may choose
it easy to calculate how many rounds are in to alter it during a given session depending
a minute and to give an idea of the relative on the needs of the combat.
amount of time it takes to perform certain A variety of modifiers can be applied to
actions. In general, if an action can be per- initiative. Characters who are caught un-
formed in 6 seconds, it can be performed in aware may receive up to a -3 penalty (de-
a combat round. pending on how unaware they were at the
time they were attacked; were they sleep-
ing, or just distracted?). If a character has
Determining Who Acts First
poor footing, such as a slippery or narrow
Characters in combat alternate attack- surface, he may take a -1 penalty to his ini-
ing and defending based on their initiative. tiative because he is constantly needing to
Initiative is an opposed action that is modi-

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focus some of his attention on remaining tions a character wishes to perform would
stable. If a character has a positional advan- take longer than a combat round and thus,
tage he may receive a +1 bonus. the character may need to spend more than
These are just some examples of initia- one round performing the action.
tive modifiers; feel free to look for your Using psionics or magic in combat as
own as the circumstances allow. Note that either a melee or ranged attack takes one
two opposing characters should not both re- round (six seconds) unless otherwise noted
ceive modifiers for the same circumstance; or required by the GM. Most of these types
for example, a surprised character may of attacks are represented by a quick dis-
take a -1 on his initiative or his attacker may charge of power rather than sustained use.
gain a +1 for getting the drop, but not both. The following table is a list of common

4
If two or more characters receive the actions and a generalization of how much
same initiative result, they act simultane- time each action takes to perform. Charac-
ously that round. GMs may choose to call ters can take as many of these actions in a
for the player’s action first or may choose round as time permits, unless the GM rules
to resolve the NPC’s actions first, depending that the actions they are trying to take to-
on their style and whatever is easiest for gether are not feasible. Extraordinary gifts
them to manage. However, once all actions may allow for characters to perform these
are resolved they should be compared as if actions faster, thereby granting them a
they had happened at the same time; in this greater number of actions per round.
way, it is possible for two shooters to wound This list is not intended to be inclusive,
(and possibly kill) each other, rather than but can be used to provide players with a
one shooter killing the other before he has guideline for basic action times.
a chance to act.
Holding Initiative
Taking Action Sometimes a character may wish to
Once initiative is determined, the GM “hold” his action, choosing to delay taking
should note the order in which each player his turn to wait and see what might happen.
and NPC will act, in order of highest initia- On his initiative, a character may declare
tive to lowest. Characters may perform any that he is holding his action and choose to
action they are capable of doing in about do nothing. At any point before the end of
a six-second combat round, which may in- the round he may choose to re-join the ini-
clude movement, negotiations, attacks, or tiative and take his action.
activating special powers such as psionics A character particularly gifted in acting
or magic. The GM may rule that certain ac- swiftly (such as one with a Combat Reflexes,

Table 4.7: Action Times

Action Time
Crawl 5 feet, walk 15 feet, or hustle 30 feet 3 seconds
Attack with a weapon 6 seconds, can be done with movement
Climb 15 feet or swim 20 feet 6 seconds
Use psionics or magic 6 seconds
Speak or shout a command or relay minor details No time required; part of another action
Attempt to negotiate with the enemy 6 seconds
Grapple/wrestle an opponent 6 seconds

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Quick Reflexes, or similar Gift) may opt to Attacking

interrupt the actions of another character.
This means they are allowed to see what an- You may find yourself in a situation that
other character chooses to do before taking requires you to attack another character.
their own action and may use their turn to You may do so at your discretion, bearing
block, distract, or otherwise interrupt the the following in mind:
actions of their opponent. When doing so, Attacking a target that is unaware of your
treat the two characters as acting simulta- presence is an unopposed action with a dif-
neously, as if acting on a tied initiative. ficulty based on the range to the target. The
GM declares the Range Difficulty (see Table
4.8: Range Difficulty, below) and the char-
Combat Options acter uses the most relevant weapon skill to

Characters have a variety of options to

choose from beyond just whether or not
attack [such as Combat (Melee) or Combat
(Ranged)]. Because this is an unopposed
action, the target does not get a chance to
4
they wish to move or attack. In addition defend – he does not get to roll any dice to
to maneuvering around the environment signify that he is trying to “dodge” the at-
and shooting at an enemy, characters may tack. Simply make your attack roll and com-
choose to activate psionic abilities, use mag- pare it to the Range Difficulty to determine
ic devices, actively defend against incoming success or failure.
attacks, and even talk down or attempt to The Range Difficulty assumes a roughly
demoralize their foes. human sized target that is not moving. To hit
Following is a list of options, and any a character a few feet away would be Poor
associated rules clarifications, available to difficulty while the same target at the end of
characters who are participating in a com- a football field is Great difficulty. Modifiers
bat round. This is not intended to be a com- to the attack roll for such things as speed
prehensive list; feel free to be creative. Just and size can be found in the Modifiers sec-
because there aren’t any rules listed for tion, below. If the target attempts to defend
employing specific skills in combat doesn’t itself (a wise choice), combat becomes op-
mean you have to ignore them, it simply posed (see Defending, below).Phenomenal
means that they don’t need any specific difficulty attacks can only be made with cer-
rules associated with them. Remember, tain powers that allow a character to reach
your imagination is the only true limiting across planes of existence. Characters with
factor when it comes to role-playing.

Table 4.8: Range Difficulty

Range Difficulty Distance Examples
Abysmal Next to you Hand-to-hand, Boxing
Poor Across a table Melee weapons (swords, clubs)
Mediocre Across a room Thrown object not designed to be thrown
Fair Across a street Weapon designed to be thrown
Good Down a block or football field Grenade
Great Several city blocks Grenade launcher
Superb As far as you can see a man Rocket launcher
Wonderful To the horizon (and farther) Missile
Phenomenal Across a Plane (Material to Astral or Psionics
‘Net and vice versa)

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the astral projection ability may be able to Table 4.9: Combat Modifiers
project their powers across a plane of ex-
Modifier Wounds
istence (to or from the Astral Plane) but
-1 A fighter who is Hurt
the minimum roll required to hit a target
is Phenomenal. Likewise, a character with -2 A fighter who is Very Hurt
electrokinesis and the cyberpsi gift may be Position
able to attack a person through the ‘Net, but If one fighter has a positional
the difficulty is Phenomenal at worst. advantage over the other, there may
be a penalty to the fighter in the
-1
worse position. Examples include bad
Defending footing, lower elevation, light in his
eyes, kneeling, etc.
Most characters will not stand idle while

4
Aiming
being attacked (most will dodge or run for
Increase skill by +1 for each full
cover). When a character defends, combat +1
round spent aiming (max of +3)
becomes Opposed. Each combatant makes
Movement
an Opposed action roll against an appropri-
ate weapon skill or defense (such as Body 0 Target is moving on foot
for dodging). If the defending character -1 Target is moving slowly (up 50 mph)
wins, he successfully thwarted the attack. If -2
Target is moving quickly (up to 150
the attacker wins, the defending character mph)
is struck by the attack. -3 Target is moving very fast (>150 mph)
Size
Minimum Required to Hit -3 ¼ inch, dime, 5mm, wings on a fly
-2 Softball
Hitting an opponent in Opposed combat
requires a minimum result of at least Poor -1 Basketball

to hit. The minimum required to hit is equal +1 Car

to the range difficulty, so the farther away +2 Bus, Small building
the target, the higher the minimum to hit. +3 Large building, skyscraper
For example, a character needs to score a Other
Mediocre blow (and still win the Opposed Rain, Underwater, Night, Fog, Partial
Action) in order to hit another human sized -1
cover
opponent that is across the room. Shooting through a crowd, Target
Attempting to strike a dodging foe at a -2
50% covered
hundred yards is an opposed check, but the -3 Target 75% covered
attacker will need to make at least a Good
roll to strike at that distance. For example, attempting to hit an ob-
ject roughly the size of a basketball in the
Combat Modifiers rain, will incur a penalty of -2. A character
with Superb (+3) skill rolls a +1 on the dice.
There are many factors that may affect Normally, this would result in a Rolled De-
the result of an action. The following situ- gree of Wonderful (+4), but since there is a
ations will either increase or decrease the -2 penalty to the roll, the Rolled Degree is
dice roll, depending on the value of the actually Great (+2) – Fudge roll of +1, plus
modifier. Superb (+3) skill, minus penalty of 2.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Offensive/
Defensive Tactics
This optional rule allows more tactical
flavor to combat at a small expense of com-
plexity. Before each round, a fighter may
choose to be in a normal posture, an offen-
sive posture or defensive posture. An offen-
sive or defensive stance increases combat
skill in one aspect of combat (offense or de-
fense), and decreases the same skill by an

4
equal amount for the other aspect of com-
bat.

Table 4.10: Tactical Options

Offense Defense
Tactical Option
Modifier Modifier
Total Offense
+2 -2
(Aggressive)
Partial Offense
+1 -1
(Assertive)
Neutral 0 0
is at –1 to his skill for each additional foe
Partial Defense
-1 +1 beyond the first, up to a maximum of -3.
(Cautious)
There’s a limit to the number of foes
Total Defense that can simultaneously attack a single op-
-2 +2
(Defensive) ponent. Six is about the maximum under
ideal conditions (such as wolves, or spear-
PCs vs. NPCs wielders), while only three or four can at-
tack if using weapons or martial arts that
If a PC is fighting an NPC, the GM can
require a lot of maneuvering space. If the
treat combat as an Unopposed action by
lone fighter is in a doorway, only one or two
assuming the NPC will always get a result
fighters can reach him.
equal to his trait level. This option stresses
the player character’s abilities by disallow-
ing fluke rolls by NPCs. It also helps to speed Ranged Combat
up combat by reducing the total number of Like melee combat, ranged combat is
rolls and comparisons made by players and usually an Unopposed action. Targets are
GMs. often unaware of their assailants, especial-
ly if they are being targeted by a character
Multiple with a sniper rifle. In close-and-dirty fire-
fights though, when characters are aware
Combatants in Melee of each other, combat becomes an Opposed
When more than one opponent attacks a action.
single fighter they have, at least, a position- Following are some key terms and con-
al advantage. To reflect this, the lone fighter cepts relating to ranged combat.

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Maximum Effective Range play. Instead, each rate of fire description

Each weapon has a maximum effective below has its own modifiers which are ap-
range: the furthest a character can shoot plied to a single roll.
that weapon before its ammo begins to drop Standard (S): The weapon fires only
too rapidly to be useful. A weapon’s maxi- once when the shooter pulls the trigger. No
mum effective range is shown on Table 3.1: special rules exist for this Rate of Fire. It
Guns. permits the character to attack normally.
Note that the list is a simplification of Burst (B): When the shooter pulls the
real-world maximum range. Real weapons trigger, the weapon automatically fires
vary in their ability to hit targets at long three shots in a short, controlled burst. Fir-
range, and even weapons within the same ing a weapon in burst mode grants the at-

4
category (such as handguns) have varying tacker a +1 bonus on his Offensive Damage
maximum ranges. However, for the sake of Factors. The attacker may only direct burst
keeping things simple and fun, the chart is fire at a single target.
used for all weapons of the given category. Full Auto (FA): When the shooter pulls
Equipment modifications are available the trigger, the weapon automatically fires
which can increase a weapon’s maximum a score of shots in a long, rapid burst. The
effective range. See Chapter 3: Equipment shooter may direct full auto fire at multi-
for more details on equipment Gifts. ple targets. Firing a weapon Full Auto at a
single target grants a +2 bonus to Offensive
Damage Factors. The weapon may be fired
Rate of Fire
at multiple targets in a single round; in this
Rate of Fire (ROF) denotes how quickly a
case, the attacker gains no bonus on the
firearm shoots projectiles each time the trig-
roll. When attacking multiple targets, roll
ger is pulled. There are four basic rates of fire:
only once and compare the result to each
Standard, Burst, Full Auto, and Rapid Fire.
defender individually.
A firearm may possess more than one
Rapid Fire (RF): When the shooter pulls
rate of fire. In this case, the weapon is se-
the trigger, the weapon automatically fires at
lective fire. Each round, the shooter may
least fifty shots in a long, rapid burst. Gatling
change the weapon’s rate of fire. For exam-
guns and several advanced technologies are
ple, if an assault rifle possessed Standard
capable of this fire rate. Directing RF at a sin-
and Burst rates of fire, the shooter could
gle target grants a +4 bonus on ODFs, while
take a Standard shot in one round, and then
directing the attack at multiple targets grants
switch to a Burst in the next. Unless noted
a +1 bonus. As with Full Auto, roll only once
in the weapon’s description, all automatic
and check individually against each target’s
weapons possess selective fire.
DDFs. A weapon must always be reloaded af-
To avoid complicated mechanics that try
ter using this attack method.
to determine how many bullets strike a tar-
get in a single attack, a simplified solution
is presented here. When firing with an au- Table 4.11: Rate of Fire Summary
tomatic weapon, simply increase the attack Bonus
Bullets Max
and offensive damage factors for that weap- Action (Single/Multiple
Fired Targets
Targets)
on. It is possible to achieve a more realistic
simulation by determining the number of Single 0 1 1
bullets that hit a target based on the relative Burst +1 3 1
degree of success on the initial attack roll, Full Auto +2/+0 10-25 3
but these mechanics can slow down game- Rapid +4/+1 50+ 8

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This table summarizes the information a psionic power normally (see Chapter 5:
outlined above. Note that this table also Psionics and Magic) but is opposed by the
indicates the maximum number of targets target’s physical defenses.
that can be hit using a given RoF.
Minimum Required to Hit
Reloading Firearms The minimum check result required to
Guns require ammunition and inevita- hit a target with a projectile attack is Fair.
bly run out of bullets. Each type of firearm This does not vary based on the type of at-
must be reloaded from time to time, lest the tack; characters who fail to manifest their
shooter find himself without an effective psionic attacks at a level of at least Fair are
weapon. simply incapable of extending an attack be-
Psi-punk’s intention is to focus on sim-
ple, fun game play and not necessarily on
realism. Therefore, you will not find any
yond their maximum effective range.

Maximum Effective Range

4
references to the number of bullets a given The maximum effective range of a pro-
gun has in a clip or how many times it can jectile attack is dependent upon the attack-
be fired before the weapon must be reload- er’s initial check result. For every level of
ed. Instead, a more cinematic approach is success above Fair, the attacker may hurl
utilized. a projectile up to 30 feet. For example, if
Characters may continue to fire their a cryokinetic attacks with an ice dart and
guns with no penalty until a natural roll of rolls a Great (+2) result, he may hurl the ice
a certain number of blanks is made. When dart 60 feet. A Fair result means that the
a player rolls, for example, 3 blank dice on character can only attack someone within
4dF, his gun runs out of ammunition and melee range.
he must spend the next round (6 seconds)
reloading before he can fire the weapon
Damage
again. Characters may be able to reduce the
amount of time it takes to reload a weapon As normal, compare the attacker’s check
with a Gift, such as “Fast Reload.” result to the defender’s opposed check to de-
The number of rolled blanks required termine damage. Attackers simply manifest
for a gun to run out of ammo is dependent their chosen power (such as pyrokinesis)
upon the weapon’s selected Rate of Fire. and the defender rolls his Body attribute
This information is summarized on Table and adds any bonuses or penalties for ar-
3.1: Guns. mor, Gifts, Faults, and so forth. The attacker
does not need to make an additional Com-
bat (Melee) or Combat (Ranged) check.
Psionics in Combat
Many psionic powers have the ability
to deal damage to targets at range. In most Wounds and Healing
of these cases, that damage comes from Inevitably, combat results in one or
hurled projectiles: fire bolts, ice darts, la- more opponents becoming injured, or
ser beams, and so forth. Any power which wounded. In Psi-punk, we use an abstract
manifests a physical object or bolt of energy method of documenting wounds called a
to be launched at a target is called a projec- Wound Track, described below. Wounded
tile attack. To make such an attack, charac- characters must either receive medical
ters must possess a psionic power to acti- treatment or allow a certain amount of time
vate, and the check is rolled as if activating to pass before their wounds can be healed

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or erased from their Wound Track. The fol-

lowing section describes how we put all of
this together.
Damage to a character can be described
as being at one of seven stages of severity:
Undamaged: No wounds at all. The
character is not necessarily healthy — he
may be sick, for example. But he doesn’t
have a combat wound that’s recent enough
to be bothering him.
Scratched: No real game effect, except

4
to create tension. This may eventually lead
to being Hurt if the character is hit enough
times.
Hurt: The character is wounded signifi-
cantly, enough to slow him down: -1 to all
traits which would logically be affected.
This condition lasts until the character is
healed (see Healing below).
Very Hurt: The character is seriously
hurt, possibly stumbling: -2 to all traits
which would logically be affected. This lasts
until the character is healed.
Incapacitated: The character is so badly
wounded as to be incapable of taking any
action, except possibly dragging himself
a few feet every now and then or gasping
out an important message. A particularly
tough hero (one with a Body of Great or
better) may be able to open doors or slowly
drag himself to safety, but he is incapable
of performing any normal combat actions,
including mental actions such as activating
psionic powers. Characters with an appro-
priate gift such as “Hard to Kill” might be
able to remain active even while they have
an Incapacitated wound.
Near Death: Not only is the character
unconscious, he’ll die within hours without
medical help.
Dead: The character is no more; all you
can do is go through his pockets and look
for loose change.

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Mental and Wound Factors

Physical Damage When determining how wounded a
character is when hit in combat, take into
There are two types of damage: men- consideration all of the following factors.
tal and physical. Mental damage results
from psionic attacks that directly attack the
mind. Physical damage results from bul-
Offensive Damage
lets, knives, fire, electricity, psionic attacks Factors
that directly alter a creature’s form and Offensive Damage Factors (ODFs) are
anything else that could conceivably cause all applicable game statistics used to deter-
harm.
4
mine how well your character can deliver
Mental and physical damage are tracked an attack. They are an indication of how of-
separately but have similar effects. The fensively powerful he is. Total your regular
key difference is that when a person is at ODFs and write them down on your charac-
a mental wound level of Hurt, for example, ter sheet for ease of reference, but remem-
he would take a -1 penalty to all abilities ber that there are often other modifiers to
and actions that require thought (includ- these numbers, such as your attack roll, po-
ing using psionic abilities, reasoning skills, sitional modifiers, range penalties, and so
etc.). Characters at a physical wound level forth.
of Hurt would likewise take a -1 penalty to Your attack roll is one of the most impor-
all physical skills (including physical com- tant ODFs. The degree of success by which
bat, lifting objects, balancing, driving, etc.). an attack succeeds is one factor — the better
When in doubt, ask the GM which penalties the hit, the greater likelihood of damage. A
apply in which circumstances. degree of success of +1 means you probably
Note that it is just as possible to become hit somewhere that isn’t life-threatening.
Incapacitated, Near Death, or Dead from Scoring a hit with a +3 could mean you hit
mental damage as it is from physical dam- something vital. Add your attack’s degree
age; the mind can only take so much trau- of success to your other ODFs to determine
ma and psionic attacks can be very deadly your Total Damage Factor.
indeed. Tracking each ability separately The weapon used is also a factor. For
means you can get a good idea of the char- thrown objects, the Material Value adds
acter’s overall health; if he is physically to the damage – the harder the substance,
Very Hurt but has no mental damage, he the more it hurts when it hits. Otherwise,
can still act responsibly and reason just as it’s relative to the nature of the weapon: a
well as he could before he was hit by that shotgun deals more damage than a pistol
last bullet. If a character is mentally Very and a .38 usually does more damage than
Hurt but physically unharmed, he may be a .22. Example weapon Offensive Damage
able to jump over the pit in front of him, but Factors can be found in Chapter 3: Equip-
is it really a good idea? Characters who are ment. Weapon damage factors are usually
both physically and mentally Very Hurt are “static,” meaning they do not change unless
likely to soon become Incapacitated. you change weapons. A weapon’s damage
factor is an example of an ODF that can be
added to your character sheet for quick ref-
erence.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

It is important to point out that while may have Gifts, such as “Mental Resistance”,
many games add a character’s attributes to which also grant +1 to their defensive factor
damage (such as Strength for melee weap- against mental attacks.
ons or Dexterity for ranged damage) this is Armor, Force Fields, and other defensive
not the case in Psi-punk. Instead, a charac- powers add their level value to DDFs against
ter’s skill with a weapon helps determine physical damage. Example armor levels can
how much damage he is able to deal with a be found in Chapter 3: Equipment. Certain
given hit, and the weapon itself has its own types of psionic abilities and psicraft ar-
damage rating to add to ODFs. Attributes mors may be used to add their level value
are used to help determine how many dice to their Defensive Damage Factors against
may be rerolled when using Luck Points. mental damage.

4
For more information on Luck Points, see Finally, your defense roll is a DDF. When
Chapter 2: Character Creation. you are the victim of an attack that you are
aware of (i.e., if the attack is Opposed), you
get to roll 4dF and all other applicable DDFs
Defensive Damage to try to avoid being damaged.
Factors
Defensive Damage Factors (DDFs) are Determining Wound
an indication of how well the character
can avoid or absorb an attack. These fac- Level
tors may be mental or physical, so it may be To determine how much damage is done
important to note the differences between in a given round, the following formula may
the two. Tally up your character’s DDFs and be used:
write them down on your character sheet Damage = attacker’s offensive damage fac-
for ease of reference. tors – defender’s defensive damage factors
Characters subtract their Body attribute The damage is compared to a chart to de-
value from any physical damage that they termine what kind of wound is received.
suffer. Note that this means characters with The numbers above the wound levels
negative body values actually take more represent the amount of damage needed in
physical damage than normal; they’re es- a single blow to inflict the wound listed un-
pecially fragile and easily hurt. Characters der the number. For example, a blow of 3 or
with a Gift that would make them more re- 4 points Hurts the character, while a blow
sistant to physical harm, such as Damage of 5 or 6 points inflicts a Very Hurt wound.
Resistant, may add a +1 to their defensive If it’s zero or less, no Wounds result.
factors.
Similarly, use a character’s Mind attri-
bute as a defensive factor against mental at- Recording Wounds
tacks. Likewise, characters with a negative Once the final damage is determined, it
mind modifier may take extra damage from is recorded on the wounded player’s char-
mental attacks; their weak will leaves them acter sheet. When a wound is received,
susceptible to psionic attacks. Characters mark off the appropriate box. A character

Table 4.12: Determining Wound Level

Damage = winner’s offensive damage factors – loser’s defensive damage factors
Damage 0 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9
Wound Level None Scratched Hurt Very Hurt Incapacitated Near Death

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

can suffer up to three Scratched, one Hurt, nounce the maximum wound level you will
one Very Hurt, one Incapacitated, and one do if you are successful. A player can say
Near Death result. If a character takes a lev- he is going for a Scratch in order to deliver
el of damage that’s already checked off, it a warning to a villain, for example. In this
becomes one level higher. A character that case, even if he wins the opposed action by
has already suffered three Scratched results +8, the worst he can do is rough up his foe
and suffers another Scratched result is Hurt a little.
instead.
A Scratched result has no game effect;
the character took some minor damage, but Healing
isn’t impaired in any way. A character who Wounds are healed through time, medi-

4
is Hurt is at -1 on all appropriate actions cal skills, or psionic powers. The amount
(mental or physical) for 1 round. A charac- of time it takes to recover varies based on
ter who is Very Hurt is at -2 on all appropri- the source of healing. Psionic powers tend
ate actions until healed. A character who is to act much more quickly than medical sci-
Incapacitated is incapable of taking any ac- ence and characters who are left untreated
tion except very minor ones and a charac- to heal on their own may take longer still.
ter who is Near Death can do nothing unless
someone offers them medical help.
Never add boxes for cannon-fodder Medical Treatment
NPCs (though you may wish to do so for ma- If a character receives medical treat-
jor NPCs). In fact, NPC minions don’t even ment, he heals much more quickly than if
need the system above. A simple three- he is left to heal on his own. Characters who
stage system of Undamaged, Hurt, and Inca- are Near Death require trained assistance to
pacitated is good enough for most of them. heal; if left untreated, a Near Death charac-
Simply make a mark under an NPC’s name ter will die in a matter of minutes or hours
for Hurt, and cross out the name for Inca- (depending on the nature of the wound that
pacitated. caused him to reach Near Death status; the
GM can determine how much time the char-
Knockout and acter has to live.)
Treating a character requires the use of
Pulling Punches a medical skill and appropriate tools. A field
The GM may decide that a successful medic’s kit may be sufficient for stabilizing
Good blow (or better) to the head knocks a Near Death character, but may not help
someone out instead of inflicting a wound. him recover any wounds until he has been
In an opposed action, the Good blow would treated at a hospital with sufficient equip-
also have to win the combat. ment. However, the same field medic’s kit
Likewise, a player may choose to have will help reduce all other wounds with an
his character do reduced damage in any appropriate medical skill check. The diffi-
given attack. This is known as “pulling your culty for the check is equal to the level of
punch.” To pull your punch, simply an- the wound, with Hurt being level 1 (Good

Table 4.13: Example of the Wound Track found on a character sheet.

Damage Dealt 1,2 3,4 5,6 7,8 9+
Wound Scratched Hurt (-1) Very Hurt (-2) Incapacitated Nr. Death
OOO O O O O

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

difficulty) and Near Death being level 4

(Wonderful difficulty).
A Scratch is too insignificant to require
a roll. Scratches are usually erased after a
battle, provided the characters have five or
ten minutes to attend to them.
A Good degree result from use of a med-
ical skill heals all wounds one level – one
Hurt to one Scratch, Very Hurt to one Hurt,
and so on. A Great result heals all wounds
two levels, and a Superb result heals three

4
levels. Scratches do not count as a level for
healing purposes.
Note that it is possible to botch a heal-
ing roll and further wound a character. Any
result of Mediocre or less has the opposite
effect (wounds are added by 1, 2, 3 levels,
etc.) This does mean that, at the GM’s op-
tion, an Abysmal healing check could kill
the character (I hope you have malpractice
insurance!).
A result of Fair on a healing check
means that the character’s health does not
improve, but he is not harmed either. A new and going to work. He knows Kathy is in a
check may be attempted provided there is lot of pain, but she’ll just have to wait.
sufficient time to do so. Frank’s Superb skill is going to be tested.
Treating a character’s wounds takes a He rolls a total of +2 on the dice and gets a
number of minutes equal to 10 times the Phenomenal result or a Good degree of suc-
highest wound level that character possess- cess (since the difficulty for a level 4 wound
es, with Hurt being level 1 and Near Death is Wonderful). It’s going to take 40 minutes
being level 4. As long as emergency first aid to stop the bleeding and ensure Nolan’s sur-
treatment has begun on a Near Death char- vival, but because he got started right away
acter before he dies, the treatment may be Frank was able to save Nolan’s life. None of
allowed to continue for the full duration (40 Nolan’s other wounds can be healed, how-
minutes). ever, until he receives medical treatment
with more advanced equipment than that
Medical Treatment Example found in a field medic’s kit; he may go to a
hospital or be dragged to some back-alley
Kathy, Frank, and Nolan just barely sur-
street doc, but either way he’s probably go-
vived a tough firefight. Kathy sustained
ing to need an operating table.
a Very Hurt wound, but Nolan is Near
A medic’s job is never done. Any Scratch-
Death due to having sustained several bul-
es that Kathy may have sustained have
let wounds and Frank, the medical expert,
gone away by now, but she’s still Very Hurt.
needs to tend to him right away.
Frank spends the next 20 minutes (10 min-
The GM determines that Nolan has about
utes times a level 2 wound) and rolls a med-
four minutes to live without treatment, so
ical skill check. Knowing that the difficulty
Frank wastes no time getting out his tools
is Great for a level 2 wound, he knows he

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Table 4.14: Wound Level Summary

Time to Heal
Wound Level Difficulty With Treatment No Treatment
Hurt 1 Good 10 min. 1 week
Very Hurt 2 Great 20 min. 2 weeks
Incapacitated 3 Superb 30 min. 3 weeks
Near Death 4 Wonderful 40 min. 4 weeks

needs to get at least a Superb result to heal Healing Mental Damage

her by even one wound level.
Frank rolls a total of -1 on the dice and Healing mental damage is harder to

4
adds +3 for his Superb skill, which only quantify, since a scalpel and suture won’t
gives him a level of Great. That’s not enough repair damage to a character’s psyche.
to hurt Kathy, but it doesn’t help her either. Psionic powers or magic devices may be re-
Trying again, he gets a +2 on the dice for a quired to heal a character’s mental damage
Phenomenal result, or a total degree of suc- (see individual powers for examples), but
cess of Superb (+3). a character who is brought to Near Death
With renewed dedication, Frank man- from mental damage is not in immediate
ages to fix up Kathy’s Very Hurt wound and danger of dying (since he is not “bleeding
reduce it to just a Hurt wound. However, be- out”). Mental damage heals naturally over
cause he was able to heal up to three wound time in the same manner as physical dam-
levels with this result, he also clears up that age.
Hurt wound and now she’s feeling good as Many hospitals are equipped with the
new. appropriate medical technology to treat
mental trauma, usually through the aid of
magic devices. Note that magic devices have
Time Heals All Things a high rate of failure when used on mentals
All wounds are healed between mis- (people with psionic abilities) and there-
sions. If natural healing during a mission fore very few doctors will agree to operate
is a concern, wounds heal on their own at on psionicists with mental trauma. Using a
one wound level per week of rest. That is, magical device to heal mental damage on a
after a week of rest, a Very Hurt character psionicist imposes a -3 penalty on the heal-
becomes Hurt, and so on. The GM may also ing check.
require a successful roll against his Body at-
tribute: Fair difficulty level for Hurt, Good Example Combat
difficulty level for Very Hurt, and Great dif-
ficulty level for Incapacitated. Failing this All of the above information can be con-
roll slows the healing process, but a result fusing without some example of how it all
at least two steps higher than the target can works together. This chapter will conclude
speed up the healing process (one wound with a sample combat to show you how it’s
level healed per four days of rest, for ex- done.
ample). Having a Gift such as “Fast Healer”
might grant the character a +2 bonus on
such checks.

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Roy vs. Sven Step 1: Initiative

Both characters roll for initiative to de-
(or Guns vs. Brawn) termine who goes first in combat. Assume
Roy and Sven possess the following rel- neither character has surprise or advan-
evant traits: tage, so no modifiers come in to play.
By the numbers, it may seem like Sven Roy rolls 4dF and gets the following re-
has the upper-hand because his total ODFs sult: 0, +, +, - +0, for a total result of +1.
are higher than Roy’s DDFs, but who will Sven rolls 4dF and gets the following re-
come out on top? sult: -, -, 0, 0 +0, for a total of -2. Looks
like Sven should have spent less time on the
weights and more time loosening up!
Roy will act first in the initiative.

Roy Sven
Offensive Damage Factors Offensive Damage Factors
Combat (Melee) [Strength] Superb (+3)
Combat (Ranged) [Dexterity] Superb (+3)
Weapon [Lg. Knife]: Good (+1)
Weapon [Lg. Sub-Machinegun] Great (+2)
Weapon Gift [Shocking Blade] Good (+1)
Total ODFs: +5
Total ODFs: +5
Defensive Damage Factors Defensive Damage Factors
Body: Great (+2) Body: Superb (+3)
Armor [Leather Jacket] +1 Armor [Bulletproof Shirt] +2
Total DDFs: +3 Total DDFs: +5

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Step 2: Roy’s Action Step 3: Sven’s Action

Roy starts the combat by moving away Upset at being shot at but not one to
from Sven and then pointing his SMG at the back down from a fight, Sven charges after
bigger man. He pulls the trigger and takes Roy and swings at his face with his electro-
a shot at Poor range. Roy rolls the dice and knife! The GM rules that this charge attack
gets the following result: 0, -, -, - + 5 is considered an Aggressive Posture (+2 to
= Great (+2. Not a lucky shot for Roy, but at Offense / -2 to Defense) and Sven modifies
least he beat the minimum required to hit his ODFs for this round accordingly.
for Poor range, so there’s a chance he might Sven rolls 4dF and gets the following re-
still strike his target. sult: -, -, +, 0 + 5 + 2 = 6. He came out
Sven is aware of the attack and so he swinging wildly, but managed to surpass

4
gets a chance to defend himself with a dice his minimum required to hit of Poor, so he
roll of his own (otherwise, we would sim- has the potential to land a solid hit! Roy isn’t
ply compare Roy’s attack roll with Sven’s going to just take this lying down, though.
DDFs). Sven rolls a result of +, -, -, - + Roy attempts to dodge the charging mad-
5 = Superb (+3). So much for avoiding all of man and rolls -, +, +, - +3 = 3. It seems
that flying lead! that luck isn’t on his side today.
Roy compares his rolled result of +2 to Sven examines his relative degree. His
Sven’s rolled result of +3 and finds that his initial roll was +6 while Roy’s total defense
relative degree is Mediocre (-1). Unfortu- was only +3, so Sven’s relative degree is Su-
nately for Roy, Sven’s tough skin and bullet- perb (+3). Sven slashes Roy’s chest with his
proof shirt provide him enough protection knife, dealing a nice amount of damage.
to avoid being injured by any of Roy’s stray
bullets. Even though Roy had the potential Step 4: Record Wounds
to hit Sven this round, it would appear that Now that someone is hurt, let’s take a
his bullets weren’t on the mark and didn’t look at recording wounds on a character
deal any significant damage to his oppo- sheet. Before Roy got knifed, his wound
nent. track looked like this:

Roy’s Physical Wound Track

Damage
1,2 3,4 5,6 7,8 9+
Dealt
Wound Scratched Hurt Very Hurt Incapacitated Nr. Death
OOO O O O O

Roy’s Physical Wound Track

Damage
1,2 3,4 5,6 7,8 9+
Dealt
Wound Scratched Hurt Very Hurt Incapacitated Nr. Death
OOO X O O O

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 Chapter 4: Playing the Game

Now that he has taken damage, he looks Step 6: Record Wounds

at the chart to determine his new wound Sven checks his wound track to find
level. Sven hit Roy with a relative degree of out what a damage of +7 gets him, and he
+3, and looking at the wound track Roy sees doesn’t like the result. His once-flawless
that +3 indicates a Hurt wound. He marks wound track now looks like this:
off one Hurt wound with a pencil and now In one single attack, Sven has been In-
his wound track looks like this: capacitated. He shakes his fist (or would, if
The GM reminds Roy that he will take a he were still conscious) knowing full well
-1 penalty on all physical skill checks next that a simple +1 to his defense roll would
round, due to his injury. With that being have meant only a Very Hurt wound, which
said, Roy’s turn is up again. would still allow him to fight. Sven groans

4
in pain as his body slumps to the ground,
Step 5: Roy’s Action unable to carry on. He’ll need medical at-
Upset about being hit, Roy unloads on tention, or about a month’s worth of bed
Sven at point blank range to try to ensure rest, before he’ll be back to normal again.
that his bullets will hit this time. He takes That is, if Roy doesn’t choose to finish the
an assertive posture (+1 to hit / -1 to de- job…
fense) and uses Burst Fire (+1 to hit) against
Sven. Roy rolls the dice and gets the follow-
ing result: +, -, +, + + 5 (ODFs) + 1 (as-
sertive posture) + 1 (for Burst Fire) - 1 (for
being Hurt) = 8. Not a bad shot at all, and
he’s definitely within range for that to meet
his minimum required to hit.
Sven is at a disadvantage; having just
charged Roy, his defense is down by two. He
rolls the dice and prays for a miracle, but
gets the following instead: -,-,+,- + 5 –
2 (aggressive posture) = 1. Things are about
to turn sour for Sven.
Comparing the relative degree, Roy notes
that his degree of success is +7; a solid shot
to be sure! Sven knows that this is not going
to be good news for his character.

Sven’s Physical Wound Track

Damage
1,2 3,4 5,6 7,8 9+
Dealt
Wound Scratched Hurt Very Hurt Incapacitated Nr. Death
OOO O O X O

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Chapter 5:
Psionics and Magic
 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

There are two different methods of gen- ous and harmful effects. Characters must
erating supernatural effects in Psi-punk: have a Rank skill to use harmful psionic
psionics and magic. The term “psionics” re- powers in public. Generally speaking, the
lates to the ability to control, manipulate, higher the Rank, the higher degree of suc-
sense, and otherwise “do really neat tricks” cess you can attain without provoking law
with your mind. Magic is a term given to enforcement. For example, if you have a
electronic devices which can manipulate military Rank of Great (+2) you can use py-
energy to produce similar effects to those rokinesis to create a Great effect without
of psionics, albeit with less spectacular and risk of repercussion.
sometimes less dependable results. Non-harmful psionic effects, such as
Characters that choose to become gifted ESP, may be used freely in public without
psionics must do so at character creation; the threat of the law. Certain people, such
psionics represent an innate talent that as those in the Anti-Psi League, still may not
cannot be learned. Conversely, characters appreciate the use of these powers and are
that use magic devices may purchase them often forcefully vocal about their disdain.

5 at any time, provided they can find some-

one to sell them the proper equipment. It
is possible, though rarely wise, to use mag- Using Psionics
ic devices without training; these devices See Chapter 2: Character Creation for
are unstable and, in the hands of a novice, details about how to gain psionic abilities
prone to severe backfire. as Gifts. Below is a list of psychic powers
Because magic devices attempt to dupli- and their key attributes. The key attribute
cate phenomena produced by psionics, their is used to determine a character’s overall
use by someone who is psychically adept is ability to use that psionic power. A charac-
exceedingly dangerous. Test results have ter with a Great Focus attribute would be a
found that there is a large amount of psy- good candidate for the mind control ability,
chic interference when a mental attempts for example.
to use a magic device, which in ninety per- Any time you use a psionic ability, roll
cent of test cases has caused the device to against the ability’s key attribute. Charac-
malfunction. Resulting side effects include ters that do not have the key attribute listed
injury, severe bleeding, brain damage and, on their character sheet have a default level
in at least a few cases, death. of Fair. The degree of success determines
how powerful an effect you can generate
Legality with the psychic ability.
For example: Jane is attempting to create
The use of psionic powers and magic fire using the pyrokineses ability. She rolls
devices in public is restricted by law, even a check against her Focus attribute, which
though the anti-psi laws of the 2020s have she has at a level of Great (+2). After total-
largely been repealed. While it is now okay ing her die roll at -1 and adding her +2, she
for psionicists to use their abilities, they determines that she rolled a result of Good
must exercise these rights with caution; (+1). With that result the GM rules that she
no person may use psionics or magic in a can create a flame about the size of a bon
way that would adversely affect his envi- fire. If she had rolled a Fair result, she might
ronment, harm another living creature, or have only been able to create a match-sized
damage property. flame, while a Superb result may have al-
Many psionic powers are treated as lowed her to generate a raging inferno.
weapons because they can produce danger-

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Each psionic power entry includes ex- try to reinforce it against attack. Because a
amples of effects that can be generated by door is a relatively large object and iron is
different degrees of success. These are by a harder substance than wood, the GM de-
no means the limits of a character’s psionic cides that this task will have a Great diffi-
abilities, but guidelines as to what possibili- culty. Luke is feeling pretty confident about
ties each ability possesses and the relative this because he has a Great Focus attribute
power level of each. and is therefore a skilled shaper.
When using a psionic power, it is pos- Luke rolls 4dF and gets an overall result
sible to enhance your result by spending a of +1 on the dice. He adds that to his Great
Luck Point. For each point you spend, you Focus (+2) for a total result of Superb (+3).
gain a +1 bonus on the check. This is espe- He beat the target difficulty by 1 level: Su-
cially important to note when making op- perb (+3) – Great (+2) = Good (+1). Luke suc-
posed checks, since these points may mean ceeded at the task, but his degree of success
the difference between success and defeat! was only Good. This means that he is able to
When altering a result in this way, you must change the wooden door in to iron but only
declare the number of LP you will be spend-
ing before the check is made.
for about six hours, after which point the
iron door turns back into a wooden one. 5
Opposed Checks, Difficulties, Additional Skill
and Degrees of Success
Each time you roll to determine the out- Requirements
come of activating a supernatural ability It may not always be enough to simply
you will need to determine your degree of activate a psionic power. Some effects re-
success. In the powers listed below, differ- quire a degree of precision or knowledge
ent ladder levels are described to give you that doesn’t come innately.
an idea of some of the possible effects of the Depending on the desired outcome of a
power’s use. In each case, these descriptions power’s use, a character may need to roll an
are based on the degree of success of the additional skill check to accompany a suc-
check, not the initial check itself. cessful result. Success means that the power
Example 1 (Opposed Check): Nathan is activated properly and that the desired
uses antipsi to resist the effects of Luke’s result is attained. Successfully activating the
control animate attack against him (instead power but failing the subsequent skill check
of rolling a Body check to resist the attack). means something happened, but not neces-
After all abilities and rolls are calculated, sarily what was intended (or with as much
Nathan determines that his check result is precision as desired).
Superb (+3). However, Nathan’s check is be- It is ultimately up to the GM to determine
ing opposed by Luke’s attack and Luke gets whether or not an additional skill check is
a total result of Great (+2). Nathan subtracts required. Below is an example to give you
Luke’s result from his own and gets a Good an idea of what situations may call for ad-
(+1) degree of success. Nathan can suppress ditional skill checks.
Luke’s attack against him for up to 1 minute. Example: Lester wants to use control in-
Luke decides it is too difficult to try to re- animate to turn his cybernetic legs into tank
main in contact with Nathan long enough to legs temporarily. He has already rolled a Su-
cause him any harm and decides to back off. perb result to activate the power, so the GM
Example 2 (Difficulty): Luke is trying to rules that he has the potential to do so.
change a wooden door in to an iron door to

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However, tank legs require moving parts

and a basic knowledge of how they func-
tion. The GM decides to call for an addition-
al Technical or Vehicle skill check at Great
difficulty to see if Lester knows enough
about tanks to make legs that are actually
functional.
Lester gets a Superb result, or a Good
degree of success, so the GM allows Lester
to turn his cybernetic legs into functioning
tank legs for as long as the power allows.
If Lester’s Vehicle check had only been
Good (a Mediocre degree of success) he may
have been able to turn his legs into tank legs,
but they wouldn’t function very smoothly.

5 If his result was Mediocre (an Abysmal de-

gree) he might have turned his legs into pa-
perweights that only look like the wheels of
a tank.

Psionic Powers or Status) used to determine a character’s

• Characters who are good candidates for skill with this group of powers.
having psionic powers include: Description: basic description of the
• those who wish to be able to do cool power, including examples of its applica-
things using just the power of their mind tions.
• those who think it would be fun to be Degrees of Success: general description
part of a powerful minority about how powerful an ability is with vari-
• those who aren’t afraid to be antago- ous ladder results.
nized by “normals” for having superior Example Gifts/Faults: examples of Gifts
powers or Faults that may be applied to powers to
• those who prefer to have a small set increase their effectiveness or help buy off
of powerful abilities instead of a wide their cost at character creation.
range of less-powerful ones those who
don’t necessarily depend on having
large amounts of Wealth
Antipsi
Below is a list of possible psionic power Key Attribute: Focus or Spirit
groups available to characters that possess Antipsi is a discipline used to still the
the appropriate Gifts. Feel free to work with mind against psionic attacks or nullify ex-
your GM to include other abilities or uses isting psionic effects. Antipsi is most often
for these abilities as you see fit. Each entry used in reaction to mental attack, to block
contains the following information: a telepath from reading one’s thoughts or a
Name: the name of the psionic disci- “puppeteer” from controlling them. Antipsi
pline. can also be used to suppress active psionic
Key Attribute: the secondary attribute effects of all kinds, either temporarily or
(Dexterity, Strength, Focus, Spirit, Presence, permanently, depending on the relative de-
gree of success.

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

When using antipsi to resist a psionic at- fect for an amount of time as noted above.
tack, you may activate this power to attempt Note that the puppeteer’s mind control ef-
to suppress or negate the attack. Activating fect may have a limited duration of its own
the power in this way requires no time on (see mind control, below).
your part; it is a “free” action. If the attempt To negate all of one character’s psionic
fails, your other defenses kick in and you abilities (which requires an Astonishing re-
may choose to defend against the attack sult) a character must be able to see the tar-
normally. In essence, by attaining this pow- get. Using the example above, Jillian would
er you give yourself another line of defense not be able to suppress all of the puppeteer’s
against psionic attacks. powers if she was targeting her ally with an-
• When using antipsi to suppress or nul- tipsi if she could not see him. Jillian could,
lify an effect, the degree by which you however, negate any other psionic power
surpass your opponent’s check result affecting her ally that originated from the
determines the length of time you may puppeteer, such as modify memory.
choose to suppress the effect. Example Fault: Psi Static: The charac-
• Abysmal (-3): You fail to suppress the ef-
fect and it is treated as being of one level
higher against you (i.e., a Good result is
ter automatically attempts to suppress all
psionic effects within Poor range of her-
self. Psionic effects activated within Poor
5
treated as Great against you). range of the character must succeed at an
• Poor (-2) to Fair (0): You are unable to opposed check or fail to activate properly.
suppress the effect. This ability may not be suppressed. (This is
• Good (+1): You may suppress the effect considered a Fault because it can suppress
for up to 1 minute. both positive and negative psionic effects
• Great (+2): You may suppress the effect and the character cannot control its use.)
for up to 10 minutes.
• Superb (+3): You may suppress the ef-
fect for up to 1 hour.
Electrokinesis
• Wonderful (+4): You may suppress the Key Attribute: Focus
effect for up to 1 day. Electrokinesis is the ability to manipu-
• Phenomenal (+5): As a Wonderful re- late electrical energy and current with one’s
sult, and the attacker takes 1 Hurt men- mind. This potent ability is commonly de-
tal wound. picted as a person shooting lightning bolts
• Extraordinary (+6): You may suppress from his fingertips, but it encompasses
the effect as long as you choose or nul- more than just the destructive side of elec-
lify the effect entirely. tricity. With this power, characters can not
• Astonishing (+7): As an Extraordinary only zap their enemies with bolts of light-
result and you shut down all of the at- ning, they can manipulate electrical current
tacker’s psionic abilities for 1 day. and devices which operate electronically,
For example, Jillian attempts to suppress such as computers, alarm systems, electric
the mental control a puppeteer has over vehicles, etc.
her colleague. She rolls a Focus check to • Examples of electrokinesis ladder results
activate her antipsi ability and the GM rolls include:
an opposed check for the puppeteer’s mind • Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails, electri-
control power. If Jillian fails to beat the cal feedback causes you to receive one
puppeteer’s result, she is unsuccessful at Hurt wound and you cause one Incapac-
suppressing the mental control. However, itated wound to any device you are try-
if she is successful, she can suppress the ef- ing to manipulate (if applicable).

105
 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

• Wonderful (+4): You disable a device

for 1 day, take control of a device for 1
day, etc. Where appropriate, you can
program a device (such as a computer)
to carry out orders which it will contin-
ue to operate indefinitely or as defined
by you.
• Phenomenal (+5): You permanently dis-
able or take control over a device, etc.
You can reprogram computers and other
software-driven devices to execute your
commands indefinitely.
• Extraordinary: As a Phenomenal result,
but you may control up to three devices
simultaneously.

5 • Astonishing: As a Phenomenal result,

but you can control up to ten devices si-
multaneously.
Individual devices will have difficulties
appropriate to their size and complexity.
Disabling a light bulb may only have a Me-
diocre (-1) difficulty since it is a small and
simple object, whereas disabling an en-
• Poor (-2): Your attempt fails and you tire power plant would require you to first
cause one Very Hurt wound to any de- break in and find the central control sys-
vice you are trying to manipulate. tem, then make a check to disable it (most
• Mediocre (-1): Your attempt fails and likely a Phenomenal difficulty, though the
you cause one Hurt wound to any device check would depend on the system’s secu-
you are trying to manipulate. rity rating).
• Fair (0): Your attempt simply fails. Use your best judgment when determin-
• Good (+1): You disable a device or take ing damage dealt to an electronic device or
control of it for 1 minute. system. If a character receives a result of
• Great (+2): You disable a device for 10 Abysmal (-3) when attempting to take out a
minutes, take control of it for 10 min- power plant’s central systems, he likely will
utes, etc. Where appropriate, you can not deal any harm to the system (it is prob-
program a device (such as a computer) ably well-guarded against such attacks).
to carry out orders which it will contin- He may damage a single nearby structure
ue to operate for the duration before re- which may, in turn, have its own side ef-
turning to its regular programming. fects, but failure should never be rewarded
• Superb (+3): You disable a device for 1 by becoming a haphazard success (such
hour, take control of a device for 1 hour, as taking out the power plant because you
etc. Where appropriate, you can pro- accidentally blew it up, as opposed to just
gram a device (such as a computer) to shutting it down); the end result of disabling
carry out orders which it will continue the power plant is the same in this situation
to operate for the duration before re- even if the method is drastically different).
turning to its regular programming.

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

Example Gift/Fault: Cyberpsi: This can • Phenomenal (+5): The character may
be either a Gift or a fault, depending on the see, hear, or locate at a range of up to
setting. As a gift, cyberpsi grants a +1 bonus 1,000 miles.
to a character’s roll when using electroki- • Extraordinary (+6): The character may
nesis to manipulate computers and other see, hear, or locate at a range of up to
electronic devices which run software. For 10,000 miles.
settings in which computer hacking is par- • Astonishing (+7): The character can see,
ticularly important or powerful, cyberpsi hear, or locate at any distance and even
may be a required gift for any character across planes of existence (Material to
who wishes to manipulate computers at Astral or ‘Net, for example).
all (and would not gain a +1 bonus on the ESP results are always real-time. Charac-
check). ters can choose to either see, hear, or both
As a Fault, cyberpsi means the charac- see and hear what is happening at the target
ter can only manipulate computers with location. Characters who do not wish to be
electrokinesis and he possesses no ability located by someone using ESP may make an
to produce electrical shocks, shortages, or
other effects.
opposed Mind check to avoid being located.
The scryer (the person using ESP) may not
necessarily know that his attempts are be-
5
ing blocked.
ESP Certain materials and devices may block
Key Attribute: Focus or Spirit ESP. Lead is notorious for its ability to block
ESP represents the ability to sense things scrying attempts; 1 inch of lead within 5 feet
outside ones normal range of perception. of the scrying target or location imposes a
This includes the ability to see through ob- -3 penalty on all attempts to use ESP in that
jects, hear noises above or below the nor- area. Certain antipsi devices may impose
mal human range of sound, locate objects similar penalties with varying degrees of ef-
or people (also known as “scrying”) and so fectiveness. One example might be a magic
forth. device designed to dampen scrying or other
• Using ESP actively allows a character to mental powers, which may impose penal-
do any of the below things with varying ties or negate attempts entirely.
degrees of success. Example Fault: Seer; the character may
• Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails and you only use ESP to see things at a distance, not
lose your ESP ability for 1 hour. hear them. She may be able to watch two
• Poor (-2): The attempt simply fails. people talking on the other side of a closed
• Mediocre (-1): The character may see, door, but she would not be able to hear
hear, or locate at a range of up to 10 feet. their conversation. A similar fault would
• Fair (0): The character may see, hear, or be Listener, which would allow a character
locate at a range of 100 feet. to hear, but not see, what is happening at a
• Good (+1): The character may see, hear, distance.
or locate at a range of up to 1,000 feet.
• Great (+2): The character may see, hear, Premonition
or locate at a range of 1 mile.
Key Attribute: Spirit
• Superb (+3): The character may see,
Premonition is a sub-school of ESP that
hear, or locate at a range of up to 10
works only passively, meaning that the char-
miles.
acter does not choose when to activate it. In-
• Wonderful (+4): The character may see,
stead, the GM makes a secret check against
hear, or locate at a range of up to 100 miles.

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the character’s Spirit attribute. If the check • Abysmal (-3): The user’s precognitive
succeeds, the character gains some piece of abilities malfunction; he sees an accu-
information that he otherwise would not rate portrayal of the future (at any time
have perceived, such as an incoming attack the GM chooses), but he cannot shut it
from a shadowed thug, a warning about a off and remains in a state of precogni-
nearby danger, or a vision about a terrible tive awareness until he can make a Great
upcoming event. The GM should use his best Mind check to snap out of it. The user
discretion when determining how much of may attempt one check every hour until
the story or information he wants to give to he is successful. The character may have
the character and use his degree of success difficulty remembering specific events
as a yardstick for how much the character or objects he witnesses.
can truly perceive. • Poor (-2): The user sees nothing at all.
If the GM rolls secretly for the character • Mediocre (-1): The user sees only brief
and fails, he may opt to give the character and erratic glimpses which may not be
false information. When doing so, it is ad- in chronological order.

5 vised that the GM spend one of her own

Glitches to trigger the failed ability, since
the false information may adversely affect
• Fair (0): The user sees brief glimpses of
events in chronological order, about 30
seconds worth of time.
the game. • Good (+1): The user is able to see and
Example Gift: Combat Sense; the charac- hear about one minute of events.
ter is especially aware of incoming attacks. • Great (+2): The user is able to see and
Opponents in combat never gain a bonus hear about one minute of events at a
against him for catching him unaware. specified time within one week of the
current time.
• Superb (+3): The user is able to see and
Precognition hear about ten minutes worth of events
Key Attribute: Spirit at a specified time within one week of
Precognition is the ability to see in to the current time.
the future. More often snap shots of events • Wonderful (+4): The user is able to see
rather than vivid imagery, it can be difficult and hear about ten minutes worth of
to tell the future with perfect success be- events at a specified time within one
cause there is no guarantee that it will hap- year of the current time.
pen exactly as seen. • Phenomenal (+5): The user may control
• Precognitive visions may convey differ- the total amount of time he views the
ent amounts of sensory information de- events and may specify a time within
pending on the success of a character’s one year of the current time.
check result. Unless otherwise noted, • Extraordinary (+6): The user may con-
the user does not have any control over trol the total amount of time he views
the exact period of time he is witness- the events and may specify a time within
ing, and it may be difficult to discern ten years of the current time.
when or where the events might hap- • Astonishing (+7): The user has complete
pen. Characters experiencing precogni- control over the timing of events he wit-
tive visions may need to depend on clues nesses.
in the visions they see, such as the time Example Fault: Only Works While
shown on a clock or the date on a calen- Dreaming; the character has no control
dar, to get a sense of the timeframe they over the ability and only gains precogni-
are looking at. tive information while dreaming. Results of

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Superb or better are not possible with this • Phenomenal (+5): You can form 30 cu-
fault. Conversely, the user is not subject to bic feet of ice at a range of 1,000 feet.
the penalty of an Abysmal result. • Extraordinary (+6): You can form 60
cubic feet of ice at a range of 1,000 feet.
• Astonishing (+7): You can form 120 cu-
Psychokinesis bic feet of ice at a range of 1,000 feet.
Key Attributes: Focus Optionally, characters with this power
Psychokinesis, literally “mind move- can reduce the atmospheric temperature in
ment”, represents the ability to control and an area by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit per
manipulate objects with one’s mind. A vari- degree of success above Good in a radius of
ety of abilities fall into this category, includ- 30 feet per degree of success.
ing telekinesis (the ability to move objects), Cryokinesis can be used both offensively
cryokinesis and pyrokinesis (the ability to and defensively. Treat your check result as
control cold and heat, respectively), pho- an offensive or defensive factor as appro-
tokinesis (the ability to manipulate light) priate. For example, a roll of Superb (+3)

5
and sonarkinesis (the ability to manipulate would grant an offensive factor of +3 if at-
sound). tacking someone with ice darts or a defen-
Each of the potential psychokinesis abili- sive factor of +3 if attempting to surround
ties are detailed separately below and must yourself in a cocoon of protective ice.
be taken as individual gifts. Example Fault: Control Only: You must
have a source of water to create ice and you
Cryokinesis may only freeze as much water as you have
Key Attributes: Focus available. You may not use cryokinesis to
Cryokinesis represents the ability to freeze water vapor in the air, and you may
control cold and ice. Most cryokinetics are not use it to decrease the atmospheric tem-
capable of using water vapor in the air to perature.
form ice out of virtually nothing, though a
few require a more dense form of liquid to Photokinesis
achieve the same result. Key Attributes: Focus
• Example ladder results for the cryokine- Photokinesis is the ability to manipulate
sis ability include: light using the power of one’s mind. This
• Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails and you ability seems singularly focused at first, but
take one Very Hurt physical wound. when one takes a moment to consider its
• Poor (-2): Your attempt fails and you applications it can prove to be quite power-
take one Hurt physical wound. ful indeed.
• Mediocre (-1): Your attempt fails and Photokinetics possess the power to bend
you take one Scratched physical wound. light around themselves or other objects, ef-
• Fair (0): You can form about 3 cubic fectively making them invisible, or produce
inches of ice at a range of 5 feet. blasts of concentrated light so intense as to
• Good (+1): You can form about 12 cubic cause damage to their target (laser beams).
inches of ice at a range of 10 feet. They can control how they perceive the
• Great (+2): You can form about 3 cubic available light in a room, effectively giving
feet of ice at a range of 30 feet. them “night vision” or simply increase (or
• Superb (+3): You can form 9 cubic feet decrease) the ambient light in a room to af-
of ice at a range of 100 feet. fect how everything is seen.
• Wonderful (+4): You can form 18 cubic
feet of ice at a range of 500 feet.

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

• Fair (0): You may increase the light in an

area by an amount equal to a flashlight;
you can dim the light in a room slightly
(60 watt bulbs appear as 40 watt); you
can see 50% better in dark conditions.
• Good (+1): You can increase the light in
an area as if lighting a 60 watt bulb; you
can decrease the light from 100 watts
to 40 watts; you can see 100% better in
darkness.
• Great (+2): You can create light as a 120
watt floodlight; completely darken a 100
watt bulb, or see 200% better in dark-
ness.
• Superb (+3): You can create light equal

5 to an outdoor floodlight or bright street

lamp, completely dim an equal amount
of light, see clearly in near-total dark-
ness, or turn yourself invisible.
• Wonderful (+4): You can create light
equal to a light house, dim an equal
amount, or make up to three nearby tar-
gets (including yourself) invisible.
Photokinetics are often masters of • Phenomenal (+5): As a Wonderful re-
stealth, especially when paired with sonar- sult, except you can make up to ten near-
kinesis (see below). A character that pos- by targets (including yourself) invisible.
sesses both of these abilities could quite lit- • Extraordinary (+6): As a Phenomenal
erally make himself imperceptible to both result, except you can make everything
sight and sound, leaving him vulnerable in a 30 foot radius invisible.
only to the senses of smell and touch (and, • Astonishing (+7): You can create light as
of course, taste). bright as the sun, (you choose whether
• Because of the versatility of this power, or not there is a focal point that is dan-
you may need to work with your GM to gerous to look at) completely darken an
find out just what abilities are applica- area 150 feet in diameter, or make ev-
ble with a given check result. Below are erything in a 60 foot radius invisible.
some examples: Photokinesis can be used to generate a
• Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails and you projectile attack in the form of concentrated
take one Very Hurt wound of physical beams of intense light, otherwise known as
damage. laser beams. As with other psionic attacks,
• Poor (-2): Your attempt fails and you take use your degree of success as an Offensive
one Hurt wound of physical damage. Damage Factor when using photokinesis in
• Mediocre (-1): Your attempt fails; if you this way.
are trying to simply increase or decrease Invisibility is a powerful tool in any char-
lighting conditions, you may raise or acter’s arsenal. Characters must achieve a
lower the lighting condition by a faint Superb result or better to make themselves
amount (the illumination of a match, for (or others) invisible and must spend their
example) . action each round focusing on this ability to

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

maintain it. Therefore, a character attack- up to 500 feet.

ing another creature in combat must allow • Phenomenal (+5): You may produce a
himself to become visible during the round flame with a 60-foot radius at a range of
in which he makes an attack, and must up to 1,000 feet.
spend his action (and roll another check) • Extraordinary (+6): You may produce a
next round if he wishes to try to become in- flame with a 75-foot radius at a range of
visible again. up to 1,000 feet.
Maintaining ambient light in a room • Astonishing (+7): You may produce a
does not require the focused attention of flame with a 100-foot radius at a range
the character. However, lighting conditions of up to 1,000 feet.
will return to normal after about 1 minute When using pyrokinesis you may opt to
per degree of success. simply increase the overall temperature of
an area. You may increase the atmospheric
Pyrokinesis temperature by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit
Key Attributes: Focus for each degree of success above Good, out
Pyrokinesis is the much-beloved (and to 30 feet per degree of success.
often feared) ability to set things on fire Pyrokinesis can be used as a projectile
with one’s mind. Using this ability in a pub- attack in the form of a hurled burst of fire,
5
lic place is highly illegal without a special otherwise known as fire bolts. As with oth-
permit or sufficient rank in a police or mili- er psionic attacks, use your degree of suc-
tary organization. Generally speaking, the cess as an Offensive Damage Factor when
more public the place, the higher your rank using pyrokinesis in this way.
needs to be to use this ability without alert- Example Fault: Only Has Control: Your
ing authorities. character can only control pre-existing
• Examples of ladder results for pyrokine- flames, not create them. Use the ladder re-
sis include: sults listed above to get an idea of how much
• Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails and you of a flame you can control at once, but re-
take one Very Hurt physical wound. member that you have to have a source of
• Poor (-2): Your attempt fails and you flame before you can do anything with this
take one Hurt physical wound. power.
• Mediocre (-1): Your attempt fails and
you take one Scratched physical wound. Sonarkinesis
• Fair (0): You may produce a flame Key Attributes: Focus
roughly the size of a lit match at a range This power represents the ability to pro-
of up to 5 feet. duce and manipulate sound. With this abil-
• Good (+1): You may produce a flame the ity, it is possible to create both loud noises
size of a bonfire at a range of up to 10 and forceful bursts of concentrated sonic
feet. energy. With higher degrees of success you
• Great (+2): You may produce a flame are capable of producing more complex
with a radius of about 10 feet at a range sounds, including the emulation of conver-
of up to 30 feet. sations or even complex musical scores.
• Superb (+3): You may produce a flame • Example ladder results for sonarkinesis
with a 30-foot radius at a range of up to include:
100 feet. • Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails and you
• Wonderful (+4): You may produce a generate a short, incredibly loud burst
flame with a 45-foot radius at a range of of sonic energy that leaves you with one

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Very Hurt physical wound You may need 2,500 feet.

to make a successful Body check at Fair • Extraordinary (+6): You can generate a
difficulty to avoid being deafened. noise up to about 150dB at a range of 1
• Poor (-2): You can generate a noise of up mile.
to 10dB (decibels) at a range of 3 feet. • Astonishing (+7): You can generate a
• Mediocre (-1): You can generate a noise noise up to about 200dB at a range of 3
of up to 20dB at a range of 5 feet. miles.
• Fair (0): You can generate a noise of up Below is a table of common sounds and
to 30dB at a range of 10 feet. their respective decibel values, so you have
• Good (+1): You can generate a noise of some idea of what level of noise this power
up to 40dB at a range of 50 feet. can produce. This chart is a composition of
• Great (+2): You can generate a noise up several sources and individual charts you
to about 50dB at a range of 200 feet. find elsewhere may vary, but for the most
• Superb (+3): You can generate a noise part the noises listed here fall within their
up to about 70dB at a range of 500 feet. respective range.

5 • Wonderful (+4): You can generate a

noise up to about 90dB at a range of
1,000 feet.
With this power, it is also possible to
amplify existing noises. The highest deci-
bel level you can amplify a given noise is
• Phenomenal (+5): You can generate a based on your degree of success and mir-
noise up to about 120dB at a range of rors the levels found in the examples above.

Common Noise Decibels Other Notes

Normal Breathing 10dB Little more than minimum human hearing
Rustling leaves 20dB
Whisper 30dB
Refrigerator humming 40dB
Quiet office, normal conversation 50 - 60dB
Vacuum cleaner 70dB
City traffic 80dB
Subway, motorcycle 88dB Prolonged exposure may cause gradual hearing loss
Lawnmower 85-90dB
Garbage truck, train 100dB
Jet flyover at 1,000 feet 103dB Regular exposure of 1 minute or more may cause
hearing loss
Jackhammer, symphony orchestra 110dB
Thunderclap, loud stereo 120dB
Rock concert 110-140dB
Shotgun firing 140dB Pain begins
Jet engine at 100 feet 140dB Even short-term exposure can cause damage
without protection
Space shuttle launch 170dB
180dB Death of hearing tissue
1-ton TNT explosion 210dB Enough to literally kill a person standing too close
without both ear and body/shock protection

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

The difference is that when amplifying a take one Very Hurt mental wound, and
noise, its decibel level only changes if you you cannot use this power again for 12
are successful; you do not lower the level of hours.
a sound by failing to amplify it.Conversely, • Poor (-2): Your attempt fails and you
you may also attempt to decrease the deci- take one Hurt mental wound, but you do
bel level of an existing sound. To determine not lose control of this power.
how much you can reduce the noise level, • Mediocre (-1): Your attempt fails and
simply invert the example ladder results you take one Scratched mental wound,
listed above. For example, to reduce a noise but you do not lose control of this power.
to 10dB would require a Wonderful check • Fair (0): You can lift a single object
result, assuming the noise is 50dB (Fair). To weighing up to five pounds at a range of
reduce a 200dB noise to 50dB would require up to 30 feet.
a Phenomenal check. • Good (+1): You can lift up to two objects
Sonarkinesis can be used as a projectile weighing up to 20 pounds each at a dis-
attack in the form of concentrated bursts tance of up to 100 feet.
of sonic energy, often referred to as sonic
blasts. As with other psionic attacks, use
your degree of success as an Offensive Dam-
• Great (+2): You can lift multiple objects
or creatures weighing up to 100 pounds
total at a range of up to 100 yards or you
5
age Factor when using sonarkinesis in this can use the power to hover no more than
way. five feet off of the ground (you cannot
propel yourself forward or backward,
Telekinesis only up or down).
Key Attributes: Focus • Superb (+3): You can lift multiple ob-
One of the most widely known and un- jects or creatures weighing up to 1,000
derstood psychic abilities, telekinesis, refers pounds total at a range of up to 300 yards
to the ability to directly control objects with or you can use the power to fly at up to
one’s mind. Through the use of telekinesis 30 feet per round.
people have been able to open doors with- • Wonderful (+4): You can lift multiple
out raising an arm, lift monumental struc- objects or creatures weighing up to one
tures without lifting a finger, and even fly ton (2,00 pounds) at a range of up to 500
through the air without the aid of technol- yards or you can fly up to 60 feet per
ogy (or wings). round.
A skilled telekinetic is capable of mov- • Phenomenal (+5): You can lift multiple
ing great objects with a single thought, but objects or creatures weighing up to five
it is said that a group of skilled telekinet- tons (10,000 pounds) at a range of up to
ics, working in tandem, could move mete- one mile or you can fly up to 90 feet per
ors from outer space (though it may take round.
thousands of them to do so). Most mundane • Extraordinary (+6): You can lift multi-
citizens are therefore justifiably weary of ple objects or creatures weighing up to
allowing groups of telekinetics to gather, ten tons (20,000 pounds) at a range of up
while Magicorp actively does what they can to two miles or you can fly up to 120 feet
to prevent any such phenomena from oc- per round.
curring. • Astonishing (+7): You can lift multiple
• Examples of ladder results for telekinesis objects or creatures weighing up to 20
include: tons (40,000 pounds) at a range of up to
• Abysmal (-3): Your attempt fails, you three miles or you can fly up to 150 feet
per round.

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

Characters using telekinesis to fly need Example Fault: Flight Only; the charac-
only roll a check when in a stressful situa- ter using telekinesis only has the power to
tion, such as in combat or when trying to be fly, not to control other objects.
stealthy, otherwise they should be allowed
to use their attribute bonus as their check
result. Characters who attempt to fly at
Psychometabolism
maximum speed during combat should be Key Attribute: Focus or Spirit
required to spend their action each round to This ability allows its user to control the
concentrate on activating the ability. If they very molecular structure of creatures and
wish to fly as part of normal movement and objects. It is a potent ability with far-reach-
still be able to act, characters should only be ing implications. Those skilled in psycho-
allowed to fly at one quarter the maximum metabolism, often known as “shapers”, can
speed listed for their result. heal themselves and others, change their
Lifting objects that are not held by other appearance, transmute solid rock to sedi-
creatures should have a difficulty appropri- ment, and boost a person’s physical abili-

5 ate to the object’s weight and the distance ties.

at which the character is trying to lift it. For Because this psionic ability encompasses
example, lifting a notebook off of a table so many different types of effects, it is actu-
from across the room is only a Fair diffi- ally broken up in to two different powers.
culty, while lifting a fully-loaded semi-truck Each of the following powers must be taken
(about 40 tons) from a mile away would be individually.
an Astonishing feat indeed. Pulling in a me-
teor from the earth’s orbit would require Control Animate Objects
thousands of Astonishing checks originat- This power grants the shaper control
ing from a central place. over living creatures. He can heal, harm,
Telekinesis can be used to hurl objects at or alter their shape with varying degrees
other characters or objects. Since attempt- of success. To use this ability on a creature,
ing to calculate real-world physics can dras- the shaper must have physical contact it.
tically slow down gameplay, it is advised that Unwilling targets may oppose the shaper’s
players and GMs not think too hard about the Focus roll with a Body check to reduce or
actual properties of an object. Instead, they negate the intended effects.
should use the basic offensive/defensive fac- • Examples of ladder results for control
tor guidelines when trying to determine how animate:
much damage a hurled object does. Treat • Abysmal (-3): The intended effect back-
this type of attack as a projectile attack, but fires completely. If you were trying to
instead of using your degree of success as an heal someone, they instead suffer one
ODF, use the object’s material value. Hurt wound. If you are intending to
Try not to worry about calculating what harm them they instead heal one Hurt
the damage of a 10-ton object hitting anoth- wound. Attempting to change a crea-
er character might be (assume, if it helps, ture’s shape succeeds, but you do not
that the player’s defensive bonuses include get the intended shape (a new shape is
dodging out of the way or getting lucky and chosen at the GM’s discretion, or the GM
not taking the full force of the damage). If may choose to deliver one Hurt wound
you need to know whether or not a semi- to the target).
truck can crush the wall of a building when • Poor (-2): You fail to affect the intended
being hurled from 500 feet away, assume creature in any way. The strain causes you
that it can. to lose control of the ability for one hour.

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• Superb (+3): You may heal a creature

of one Hurt wound, deliver one Hurt
wound to an opponent, or change size
and shape in a drastic way (change a hu-
man in to a frog, a bird in to a giraffe,
etc.). Shape changing effects last for up
to 12 hours.
• Wonderful (+4): You may heal a per-
son of one Very Hurt wound or deliver
one Very Hurt wound to an opponent.
You can alter the very nature of a living
creature (change a human in to a mush-
room, a sapling in to a full-grown tree,
etc.). Shape changing effects last for one
full day.
• Phenomenal (+5): You may heal a per-
son of one Incapacitated wound or de-
liver one Incapacitated wound to an op-
5
ponent. You can alter the very nature of
a living creature (change a human in to
a mushroom, a sapling in to a full-grown
tree, etc.). Shape changing effects last for
two days.
• Mediocre (-1): You simply fail to affect • Extraordinary (+6): You may heal a per-
the intended creature in any way. son of one Near Death wound or deliver
• Fair (0): You may heal a character from one Near Death wound to an opponent.
one Scratch, deliver one Scratch to an You can alter the very nature of a living
opponent, or alter the creature’s form creature (change a human in to a mush-
in some minor way (change skin color, room, a sapling in to a full-grown tree,
alter their size by up to one inch, etc.). etc.). Shape changing effects last for one
Shape changing effects last for up to one week.
hour. • Astonishing (+7): You may bring a char-
• Good (+1): You may heal a creature acter back from the dead or instantly
of two Scratched wounds, deliver two slay a target. You may change the nature
Scratched wounds to an opponent, or al- of any living being in to any other living
ter a creature’s shape to a greater extent being. These effects may, at your option
(change skin, hair, and eye color, alter (and with GM approval) be permanent.
their size by up to six inches, etc.). Shape Note that severely large changes (such as
changing effects last for up to six hours. changing a shamrock in to a blue whale)
• Great (+2): You may heal a creature of may almost never become permanent,
three Scratched wounds, deliver three while changing a dog in to a cat is much
Scratched wounds to an opponent, or more easily made permanent.
alter a creature’s size or shape in a sig- Note: Healing which results from the use
nificant way (change all physical aspects of control animate is for physical healing
of a person, change size by up to two only; you cannot alter someone’s metabo-
feet, change a dog in to a cat, etc.). Shape lism and heal their mental damage. Healing
changing effects last for up to nine hours. mental damage requires the use of a mind

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control power and functions in a similar

manner. Likewise, damaging a target with
this ability is always physical damage.
Remember that healing a creature with
this ability is still dependent upon one’s
degree of success, with a difficulty equal
to that of the wound level (see Chapter 4:
Playing the Game for details and Table
4.14: Wound Level Summary for a quick
reminder about wound level difficulties).
Using control animate takes some time
depending on the severity of the change.
Harming a creature only takes one round
as you quickly alter their metabolism in any
way that might harm them, but healing a

5 creature takes a lot of care to put their piec-

es into the right places (it takes one round
of continuous contact per wound level).
Changing someone in to a mushroom
may take several minutes of concentration
and constant contact with the creature. If
you do not have enough time to complete a Changing the shape and structure of an
significant change (which the GM can help object should likewise follow similar guide-
you determine) then the effect fails. As a lines. A Fair result may be able to change
general rule, it takes one minute per success a #2 pencil in to a mechanical pencil but
level to make the appropriately difficult al- wouldn’t be able to turn it in to a pen,
terations (0 minutes for Fair, 1 minute for whereas a Good result could change the
Good, 5 minutes for Phenomenal). same pencil to a pen, marker, or other writ-
Example Gift: Healer’s Touch: You gain ing utensil. With a Phenomenal result you
a +1 bonus to your check when using this may be able to change that same pencil in
ability to heal a creature’s wounds. to a tank, given enough time. Note that the
GM may decide you need an equal amount
Control Inanimate Objects of material to convert one object in to an-
This power functions similar to control other, so you may need several palettes of
animate but instead of working on living lumber to make a tank; it largely depends
creatures it works on non-living matter. on what power level the GM wants to allow
Most objects do not have wound tracks, but in his campaign.
they can be healed and harmed (or repaired Using control inanimate still requires
and destroyed) with this ability. When re- that you have physical contact with the
pairing or damaging an object, use the de- object you wish to manipulate. Since most
gree of success to determine how much an objects do not have the ability to oppose
object is repaired/damaged; small objects your roll, an appropriate difficulty modifier
may be destroyed entirely with just a Good should be set to be able to manipulate the
result, while complex objects may be par- object at all. The degree of success is deter-
tially disabled with the same result but mined by comparing your check to the tar-
completely destroyed with a Superb result. get difficulty.

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It can take time to glean information

from a reading, since it is not possible to
“jump to” a specific moment in an object’s
past unless you already know which mo-
ment you are looking for. A reader can
choose to focus on a specific event to try to
gain more detail about it, or simply contin-
ue looking further back in history for more
details. The reader must continuously con-
centrate on the object to gain information
about it.
• Examples of ladder results for psychom-
etry:
• Abysmal (-3): The check fails and the
reader’s link with the object is perma-
nently severed.
• Poor (-2) The reader gets a false reading.
• Mediocre (-1): The check simply fails.
5
A new reading on that particular object
may not be attempted for one hour.
• Fair (0): The reader may view up to one
day of past events; this takes a minimum
of one minute of focus.
Psychometry • Good (+1): The reader may view up to
three days of past events; this takes a
Key Attribute: Focus
minimum of one minute of focus.
Psychometry is the ability to visualize
• Great (+2): The reader may view up
past events by touching an object and ex-
to one week of past events; this takes a
periencing its history. All objects have an
minimum of one minute of focus.
memory of what has happened to them in
• Superb (+3): The reader may view up to
the past, including where it has been and
one year of past events or he may read
who has touched it. Those with the gift of
up to one week of events in one-half the
psychometry may attempt to gather infor-
required time.
mation from the objects they touch.
• Wonderful (+4): The reader may view
A psychometric reading can be difficult
up to ten years of past events or he may
to interpret; unless the object is a time piece
read up to one year of events in one-half
it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact mo-
the required time.
ment in its history that is being observed.
• Phenomenal (+5): The reader may view
Other clues, such as the amount of daylight
up to 50 years of past events or he may
visible in a room, the period clothing of the
read up to ten years of events in one-half
object’s handler, etc., may need to be con-
the required time.
sidered when interpreting a psychometric
• Extraordinary (+6): The reader may
reading. GMs are encouraged to provide
view up to 100 years of past events or he
clues about a reading rather than literal in-
may read up to 50 years of events in one-
formation about the reading’s results, espe-
half the required time.
cially since objects do not have the ability to
speak or relate their experiences.

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• Astonishing (+7): The reader may view ety of applications. Some ladder exam-
past events from the entire life of the ob- ples follow.
ject or he may read 100 years of events • Abysmal (-3): You absorb a far greater
in one-quarter the required time. deal of emotional energy than you had
Note that most common objects are not intended. You suffer one Very Hurt men-
more than a few years or decades old. Build- tal wound and the target character(s)
ings and other complex or large structures must succeed at a Mediocre Mind check
are actually composed of multiple (some- or also suffer one Very Hurt mental
times hundreds or thousands) of individual wound.
objects, each with its own unique memory. • Poor (-2): You suffer one Scratched men-
Unless the reader rolls an Abysmal re- tal wound. The target(s) do not suffer
sult, he may attempt to read the same object any wounds.
again in the future. Once a successful result • Mediocre (-1): Your attempt simply fails.
is made (Fair or better), the same result is • Fair (0): You accurately sense the emo-
always used for that particular object and tional state of one specified target within

5 the reader cannot gain a better result in

the future unless the player spends a Luck
Point to try again.
ten feet and gain a 1dF reroll bonus on
any follow-up skill checks made to inter-
act with that target.
Example Fault: Can’t Turn it Off; the • Good (+1): You accurately sense the
reader has no control over this ability and emotional state of one specified target
automatically begins reading the history of within 100 feet and gain a 2dF reroll on
any object he comes in contact with. This any follow-up skill checks made to inter-
can be distracting at best. Special gloves im- act with that target.
bued with an antipsi aura may need to be • Great (+2): You accurately sense the
worn to prevent accidental readings. emotional state of all people within 100
feet and gain a +1 bonus on follow-up
skill checks made to interact with them.
Telepathy • Superb (+3): You accurately sense the
Key Attributes: Focus or Spirit emotional state of all people within 100
Telepathy, like psychokinesis, encom- feet, gain a 1dF reroll and a +1 bonus on
passes a wide variety of different abilities. skill checks to interact with them, and
Some telepaths can sense imminent danger, gain a 1dF reroll on mind control checks
others can communicate mentally across made to implant suggestions in one or
vast distances, and still others can impose more targets within that range.
their will upon other living creatures. Each • Wonderful (+4): As a Superb result, ex-
telepathy sub-set of abilities, listed below, cept your bonuses increase to 2dF+1 and
must be acquired separately. +1, respectively.
• Phenomenal (+5): As with a Superb re-
Empathy sult, except your bonus to follow-up in-
Key Attributes: Spirit teractions becomes +2 and your bonus
• Empathy is the ability to sense another on mind control attempts increases to
person’s emotional state and, in some 1DF+1.
cases, adopt aspects of it. Empathic • Extraordinary (+6): You accurately
characters are able to tune in to other sense the emotional state of all people
peoples’ emotions, which helps them within 1,000 feet. You gain the same bo-
communicate more effectively and their nuses on follow-up skill checks as a Phe-
ability to “absorb” emotions has a vari- nomenal result, but you can also absorb

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some energy to heal your own mental Mental Communication

wounds. You may heal one Hurt mental Key Attribute: Focus or Spirit
wound. Mental Communication represents the
• Astonishing (+7): As an Extraordi- ability to send and receive messages tele-
nary result, but you may also choose to deal pathically over vast distances. Using this
one Hurt mental wound to any number of ability, a character can deliver a message to
targets within range. Each target may make someone, receive their mental response, or
a Mind check with a Fair difficulty to pre- even read the mind of willing (or unwilling)
vent this damage. For large numbers of tar- recipients.
gets, GMs may wish to make a single check • Example ladder results for mental com-
and apply a single group modifier to pre- munication include:
vent this damage. • Abysmal (-3): You fail the attempted
Example Gift: Empathic Healer: You communiqué and take one Very Hurt
may draw out negative energy from within mental wound.
another character. Doing so heals that char- • Poor (-2): You fail the attempted commu-
acter of one mental wound level per de-
gree of success. However, doing so is very
taxing to your own body and its balance of
niqué and take one Hurt mental wound.
• Mediocre (-1): You simply fail at the at-
tempt.
5
energy; you take one physical Hurt wound • Fair (0): You succeed at communicating
when healing another character of either telepathically with one target, but com-
a Hurt or Very Hurt mental wound. Heal- munication is basic. Single messages are
ing a character of an Incapacitated or Near limited to 25 words at a time.
Death mental wound causes you to suffer • Good (+1): You succeed at communicat-
one physical Very Hurt wound instead. ing with one target. Communication is
Example Fault: Lack of Control: You are limited only by your ability to speak the
empathic, but lack the ability to control its target’s language.
use. You permanently gain a +1 bonus on • Great (+2): You succeed at communicat-
skill checks made to interact socially with ing with up to two people at a time. Com-
other people and a +1 bonus on checks made munication is only limited by your abil-
to implant suggestions in them. However, ity to speak their language(s).
crowded locations are dangerous for you. • Superb (+3): You can communicate suc-
The GM should secretly roll a Spirit check cessfully with up to five people at a time.
for you each time you enter a crowded lo- This communication is not limited in any
cation. On a result of Fair or better, noth- way, even if you do not speak the targets’
ing happens. A result of Mediocre or worse language(s).
causes you to suffer the ill effects listed in • Wonderful (+4): You can communicate
the power’s ladder description. with up to ten people at a time. Commu-
The GM should alter the difficulty for this nication is not limited in any way.
check based on the number of other people • Phenomenal (+5): You can communi-
in your presence. For example, a room with cate with up to 50 people at a time with
only 10 people in it might be a Fair diffi- no limit to your ability to communicate
culty, but a crowded auditorium may have with them.
a difficulty of Great or higher. GMs should • Extraordinary (+6): You can communi-
consider giving players a Luck Point when cate with hundreds of people at a time
they activate this ability in places of Superb with no limit to your ability to communi-
or greater difficulty. cate with them. You may communicate

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

with animals on a primal level (you can Mind Control

get a sense of their instinctual thoughts). Key Attributes: Focus or Persona
• Astonishing (+7): You can communicate As the name implies, mind control is the
with any number of people, even across ability to enforce your will upon another
planes of existence (Material to Astral or living being. This ability manifests itself in
the ‘Net, etc.). several different ways. Mind control can
As a general rule, mental communication be as simple as implanting a suggestion in
requires you to be aware of the target in someone’s mind or as complex as exerting
some way and be able to see them (except complete mental dominance over their will.
when communicating across planes with It can alter memories, deliver damaging
an Astonishing result). As an additional mental shocks and so forth.
Gift, you may be able to communicate with As with mental communication, mind con-
people at range and without the need to be trol can be used generically or in conjunc-
able to see them. tion with Gifts that grant a character addi-
Example Gift: Telecommunicate: The tional uses for the power. Examples of using

5 distance at which you can communicate

with people is determined by your degree
of success, as noted below:
mind control as a generic ability follow.
• Abysmal (-3): You fail to reach the tar-
get’s thoughts and take one Very Hurt
mental wound.
Result Distance • Poor (-2): You fail to reach the target’s
Fair 100 feet thoughts and take one Hurt mental
Good 100 yards wound.
Great 1 mile • Mediocre (-1): Your attempt simply fails.
Superb 10 miles • Fair (0): You may implant a minor sug-
Wonderful 100 miles
gestion in the target (such as “come
here” or “these aren’t what you’re look-
Phenomenal 1,000 miles
ing for”). Targets will not act against
Extraordinary 10,000 miles
their nature (will not kill themselves or
Astonishing Unlimited, even across planes someone else, unless they’re otherwise
inclined to do so) and will shake off in-
Example Gift: Mind Reading: Charac- appropriate suggestions regardless of
ters must possess this additional Gift if they success. The suggestion lasts until the
wish to use their mental communication target carries it through to completion
power to read the thoughts of unwilling tar- or until you make another suggestion.
gets (willing targets automatically grant the • Good (+1): You may charm the target,
telepath access to their thoughts). To acti- causing them to perceive you as a friend.
vate this ability simply use the mental com- The target considers your words and in-
munication power and make an opposed terprets them in the most favorable man-
check against the target’s Mind check. Suc- ner, but he is still unwilling to do any-
cess means that you can probe the thoughts thing that goes against his nature. You
of unwilling characters with restrictions must maintain control of a target’s mind
based on your degree of success, as noted and cannot activate any other psionic
above. powers or become distracted to a point
If you have both the telecommunicate that you would not be able to focus on
and mind reading Gifts, you may use this maintaining control (such as in combat
Gift at a range equal to your telecommuni- or other stressful situations).
cate ladder result.

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 Chapter 5: Psionics and Magic

• Phenomenal (+5): You fully submit a

target to your will. Maintaining control
requires a Mind check of only Mediocre
or better.
• Extraordinary (+6): As with a Phenom-
enal result, but you do not need to make
a check to maintain concentration. You
may dominate up to two targets at a sin-
gle time in this way, or dominate up to
five targets while maintaining concen-
tration (requiring a Fair or better Mind
check).
• Astonishing (+7): You may dominate up
to five targets without the need to main-
tain concentration, or up to ten targets
while maintaining a Fair degree of con-
centration.
You may substitute any of the higher
5
level successes for an improved lower level
success. For example, with a Superb result
you may opt to implant a suggestion in to
• Great (+2): You charm a target in the dozens of peoples’ minds, as opposed to
same way as with a Good result, but you dominating a single target.
may continue to activate psionic pow- Example Gift: Alter Memory: with this
ers while maintaining control. During mind control Gift you have the ability to
stressful situations you must make a change the memories of another person.
Great Mind check to avoid losing control This check is opposed by the target’s Mind
of the target’s mind. check. If you succeed, use the degree of suc-
• Superb (+3): You exhibit complete men- cess to determine how much of the oppo-
tal dominance over another character. nent’s memory you can alter at once. The
They obey your orders to the best of their table below offers some guidelines for de-
ability despite their own nature and per- termining the outcome.
ceive you in the best possible light. You
must maintain control of a target’s mind Result Example
and cannot activate any other psionic Fair Alter one recent memory within
powers or become distracted to a point one day
that you would not be able to focus on Good Alter one memory within one week
maintaining dominance (such as in com- Great Alter one memory within one month
bat or other stressful situations). Superb Alter one memory within one year
• Wonderful (+4): You dominate a target’s Wonderful Alter one memory within one decade
will as with a Superb result, but it takes Phenomenal Alter one memory within 25 years
less effort to maintain concentration. You
Extraordinary Alter any one memory in the
may continue to activate psionic powers target’s life
while dominating a target’s mind. Dur-
Astonishing Wipe the target’s memory
ing stressful situations you must make a completely clean
Great Mind check to avoid losing control
of the target’s mind.

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Example Gift: Mental Shock: using this Using Magic

Gift, you can deliver a mental “shock” to
an opponent, causing severe damage to his Activating a magic device is similar to
psyche. To use this ability, simply make a activating a psionic power in almost every
check opposed by the target’s Mind check. way. Characters who control magic devic-
You deal one point of mental damage for es spend their action to activate the effect
each degree of success by which you exceed and roll the appropriate check to determine
your target’s roll. As with any form of at- their overall result or their degree of suc-
tack, your minimum required result is Fair. cess. The ladder results are similar to those
listed for individual powers, except as fol-
lows.
Magic Power Rating
In Psi-punk, the term “magic” refers to
any technological device specifically de- Because magic does not draw from a
signed to emulate psionic abilities. The character’s innate mental powers, it doesn’t

5 world’s largest manufacturer and supplier

of magic devices is Magicorp, a global su-
per-company whose roots date back to the
have a Key Attribute. Instead, each magic
device has a Power Rating, ranging from
Mediocre (-1) to Wonderful (+4). When ac-
Anti-Psi League. tivating a magic device, add the device’s
Magic is both difficult and expensive to Power Rating to your check result in place
manufacture and it takes a skilled hand of a psionic power’s Key Attribute.
(and mind) to utilize properly. While nearly For example, Ash is using a pyrokinesis
every psionic power has been emulated by device to generate a fireball. The device has
magic, not all of them have been perfected. a Power Rating of Great (+2), so when mak-
Even the most powerful devices cannot ing a check to activate the device she will
quite emulate the degree of power that is add +2 to her roll.
displayed by highly skilled psionicists, but
the ability to access a wide range of powers Maximum Check Result
often outweighs the drawback of not spe- Magic devices have a maximum check
cializing. result of Extraordinary (+6). Despite being
Characters who are good candidates for built with highly sophisticated technology,
using magic include: they are no substitute for the extra effort
• those who do not wish to play as a “men- and force of will that the mind is capable of
tal” but want to use their cool abilities exerting.
• those who would prefer to have access
to every psychic power instead of just a Abysmal Failures
handful of dedicated abilities A check result of Abysmal (-3) when acti-
• those who prefer technology to super- vating a magic device causes it to malfunc-
natural phenomena tion, permanently destroying it. Characters
• those who wish to play a wealthy char- attempting to activate the device still suffer
acter (magic is expensive) the negative effects of an Abysmal result.
• those who are outright opposed to “men- Magicorp assumes no responsibility for the
tals” colossal failure of their devices or any harm
caused as a result.

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Rarer still are Superb magic devices

which are of military-grade quality. A sepa-
rate (or second) gift may grant characters
access to these devices or they may come at
the cost of a favor. Rarely can this grade of
device be found even on the black market,
but should a character acquire one, he must
be extremely cautious when using it in pub-
lic unless he has the appropriate certifica-
tion.
Finally, devices with a power rating of
Wonderful are prototypes requiring high-
level access to acquire. Characters shouldn’t
have these readily available unless they
work for Magicorp or somehow acquire one
illegally (perhaps by breaking in to a Magi-
corp weapons facility). Magicorp employ-
ees must have sufficient security clearance
5
within the company (another gift) and gen-
erally are only lent the device, not granted
permanent use of it.
Characters with a Rank skill equal to
the device’s Power Rating may meet the re-
Cost quirements to purchase magic and carry it
Unlike psionic powers, magic devices with a license, depending on the organiza-
must be purchased since they are not an in- tion with which they hold sway. Work with
nate talent. See Chapter 3: Equipment for the GM to discuss which organizations your
information on how to price magic devices. skill might apply to and which devices you
would gain access to by having sufficient
Availability Rank.
Not all magic devices are readily avail-
able to the general public. There are many
local retail stores offering basic devices of
Fair or Good power ratings, but Great and
Superb devices may be harder to come by.
As a rule of thumb, Great devices are police-
grade and require special permits to carry.
Having a contact in the police field or a gift
that grants a character an appropriate li-
cense would bypass this requirement. Oth-
erwise, characters may be able to find these
devices on the black market, but must be
cautious about showing them in public.

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Chapter 6: Hacking:
Mind, Chip, and Soul
 Chapter 6: Hacking: Mind, Chip, and Soul

“Hacking” is a term most commonly ap-

plied to computers and refers to illicit access
How Hacking Works
of a system. Computer hackers have been There are essentially four different
around for well over a century, but only types of hacking in Psi-punk. While each
within the last thirty or forty years have we one represents a different target, the over-
begun to see a rise in mind hackers, or “soul all method remains the same: breach the
jackers” as they have come to be known. target’s defenses, find the information you
Soul jackers are psionicists who special- want, and (if desired) assume control of the
ize in a new breed of mind control that not target.
only allows domination over another per- Nearly anything these days can be
son’s will, but complete access to all of their hacked, from computers to ATMs to cats
memories, their body movements, and and people. Each target requires a different
their free thoughts. Not only is soul jacking skill, or set of skills, but the check always
a frightful concept, it is highly illegal and remains the same. Compare your check
treated as a felony worth a minimum of 25 result, or your degree of success, to the tar-
years in a maximum security psi-prison… get difficulty. If you meet or succeed at the
if you get caught. Soul jackers are hard to target difficulty, your attempt is successful.
catch because the very nature of their crime The higher your degree of success, the bet-
is based on them having the ability to com- ter your outcome.
pletely manipulate the minds of others and
many soul jackers are also precogniscient Hacking Computers the
6
and therefore hard to catch in the act.
Hacking computers, on the other hand, Old-fashioned Way -
has become far more commonplace despite Cracking
its likewise illegal nature. Psi-jackers have
an easy time breaching computer securi- Computers have changed drastical-
ty when they can literally talk to a system ly over the last several decades, but one
and command it to do what they want. In thing remains constant: they use electron-
many ways, they would be like soul jackers ic signals and circuits to store and deliver
for machines, if machines had a free will of data. The methods by which people access
their own to begin with. computer systems are very similar; there
Naturally, Magicorp has developed cut- were several trials throughout the years to
ting-edge technology to try to prevent hack- change computer interface devices and out-
ers and soul jackers alike from entering the put technologies, but many of the “Virtual
minds and programs of people and gadgets. Reality” prototypes failed in the 2040s due
Through the use of antipsi-based products, to widespread concerns about their safety.
they have developed computer security and The traditional “mouse and keyboard”
personal mental defense systems that can that had been around for nearly 60 years fi-
keep hackers and soul jackers out, but the nally went the way of the dinosaur, but we
cost of such equipment is high and avail- still interact with computers using input de-
able to only the wealthy elite and prosper- vices. The general public hopped off of the
ous corporations. See Antipsi Tech in Chap- VR train when they realized that the best
ter 3: Equipment for more information. way to interface with Virtual Reality was to
plug a wire directly into their skulls. How-
ever, most of the common public decided
this was not the route they wanted to go
with their computing devices, so a different

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 Chapter 6: Hacking: Mind, Chip, and Soul

interface method was devised around the When a user wishes to fully immerse
2040s, one which had actually been devel- himself in the 3D experience, he can set
oped in the first decade of the 21st century down the PC and project holograms that he
but was temporarily abandoned when new- interacts with almost as normally as he in-
er and shinier VR tech came along. teracts with another human being, though
The most common method of human- taste, scent, and touch are still sadly lack-
computer interaction nowadays is through ing (rumors have it that Macroware, Inc. is
motion-censored gestures. When viewing working on a solution to this issue, though).
a computer’s output device – such as a 2D This allows users to run communication
organic screen or a 3D holographic image and entertainment applications and experi-
– the user can manipulate objects they see ence them in the best way possible “next to
just by making the appropriate gestures stuffing a plug in your head”.
with their hands, eyes, feet, and facial ex- But what does all of this mean for you,
pressions. This (some say primitive) method the prospective computer hacker? It means
of interacting with technology gives people that while you don’t get to take control over
the impression of Virtual Reality without someone else’s body without some kind
requiring any special hardware be installed of mental powers, you can take control of
in their bodies. It’s ancient tech by today’s their information – a veritable life’s history
standards, but it is not without its improve- of any given individual – just by grabbing

6 ments.
Modern improvements to this design
their PC and cracking their security. Pay
close attention, since these same methods
have ensured more accurate, real-time re- are used to hack ATMs, billboards, elec-
sponses, but that is only a natural evolution tronic locks, vehicles, and anything else you
of the old technology. The biggest improve- might find with a chip.
ment comes from the way in which these
interactions are prevalent in our everyday Cracking
lives. We now interact with everything The term “cracking’ refers to illicit access
from personal computers to personal com- of any electronic device, not necessarily just
munication devices in much the same way personal computers. In order to crack in to
and everything from cash machines to bill- a system to gain access to its information
boards can be controlled by anybody on the and control of its contents, one must first
street (wait your turn though, please). possess the skill required to do so.
The term “PC” has evolved since the If you are specialized in either the Com-
early decades of the 21st century. A PC used puter Security or Electronics skills, you may
to be a standalone machine that sat beside attempt to crack a computer system (though
one’s desk, which was interfaced with by you may not have any idea what to do with
using a mouse and a keyboard. Nowadays, it once you’re in). Having a higher level in
nearly everyone in the world – including the Technical skill gives you a better chance
those in third-world territories – owns a PC of breaking in and a better idea of how to
that they carry with them daily. These self- access information. With this skill you can
charging, light-weight computers contain a even alter the functionality of a system so
video screen capable of producing 2D imag- that it does exactly what you want it to do.
es or projecting 3D holograms and in most To crack a system, you must have ac-
cases a user will simply hold it in front of cess to interact with it. Access is obtained
him and gesture appropriately to access the most easily by having physical access to the
requested data. system you wish to infiltrate, though if you

126
 Chapter 6: Hacking: Mind, Chip, and Soul

have access to the device’s Unique System Failing the check will alert the system’s
Identifier (USI) you may be able to infiltrate defense software to your presence, which
it remotely. A device’s USI is a 32-digit al- may or may not have additional conse-
phanumeric identification number, similar quences (see Consequences of Failure be-
to an old-fashioned bar code or IP address, low).Once you have succeeded at your com-
with the exception that all devices are as- puter use check to crack the system’s basic
signed one so they can access The Network. security, you still need to access the infor-
In most cases these identifiers are not made mation you are looking for. Since you’ve al-
readily available for the public to see and ready bypassed security, this check is easier
the majority of the population has no idea than the last, but systems with high levels
what their own USI is. of security also have high levels of defense
Once you have access to the system, that may alert the system administrator to
make a Technical skill check to enter it. You your presence or even attempt to kick you
don’t need to make a check if you are le- out of the system entirely.
gally accessing a computer system of some Luckily for you, there’s no immediate
kind, only if you are trying to do something physical danger to you just because you’re
outside of the ordinary scope of daily com- cracking in to a high level government sys-
puter usage (such as stealing bank records, tem. Since you’re not plugged directly in to
downloading cash in to your personal bank anything, the computer’s defense software
account, or assuming control of a vehicle).
The difficulty for this check is based on
can’t reach out and fry your brain. Unluck-
ily for you, it can detect your presence, lock 6
the security level of the system you are try- all of the building’s doors and windows,
ing to access. Each device may be different, alert corporate security, and send men with
and unique devices will have their own anti- guns after you. Better be careful after all.
cracking software built in that may change To gather information about a system,
their security values from the norm. Use make another Technical skill check with a
the chart below to find a general idea of the +1 bonus. Once more, failure means bad
difficulty of common systems, but note that things for you (see below) but success means
a GM may increase or decrease this value you’ve found what you’re looking for. You
depending on his needs. may freely download one file (a collection

Table 6.1: Computer Security Levels

Device Difficulty
Personal computer Fair
Corporate computer (average employee) Good
Corporate computer (management) Great
Corporate computer (upper-management) Superb – Wonderful
Publicly accessible device (ATM, billboard) Superb – Phenomenal
Personal vehicle (car, motorcycle, etc.) Great
Corporate or government vehicle Superb
Electronic lock Great
Corporate or government electronic lock Superb - Wonderful
Corporate or government flight vehicle (helicopter, private jet) Wonderful
Megacorp or government mainframe Phenomenal

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 Chapter 6: Hacking: Mind, Chip, and Soul

of bank records, a dossier of contacts, a cal- Personal computers and other systems
endar of events, etc.) for each degree of suc- with security levels of Great or worse are
cess on this check. the most lenient to intruders, since they
You may take control of a system, rath- lack the more complicated security features
er than just glean information from it, by of higher-end systems and are usually not
making a separate Technical check with connected to a larger intranet. Failing a
the same +1 bonus as outlined above. Suc- check against one of these systems simply
ceeding at the check means you can tell blocks that attempt and logs you out of your
the system to do something specific, within computer session (if applicable). You may
the bounds of its normal capabilities. For attempt another Computer Use check to
instance, you can reprogram the images enter the system again, but you must start
a billboard is showing, open an electronic over from scratch. An Abysmal (-3) failure
lock, start a vehicle’s engine, or shut down may lock you out of the system permanent-
all of the security cameras on one floor of a ly, though the system simply uses facial rec-
building – all depending on which type of ognition software to remember who has
device you are accessing. You may issue a been banned.
single command for each degree of success Systems with Superb and better security
by which you surpass the difficulty check; levels get a little trickier. Most of them are
make another check to attempt to issue ad- connected to a larger intranet – a network

6 ditional commands.
Note that gaining access to certain sys-
of computer systems linked together by a
central server. Any time you have a Poor
tems may not give you total control over (-2) or worse failure when accessing one of
them. If you crack a vehicle’s security and these systems, the computer sends a signal
manage to start it, for instance, this skill to the intranet’s mainframe, which then ex-
conveys no special ability to actually drive ecutes security protocols depending on its
(or pilot) that vehicle. You may still need programming.
a separate skill to do anything with the With a Poor result, these systems will
system, unless you have an appropriately not only lock you out, but send a signal to
skilled colleague waiting to take over once the mainframe about your exact location.
you’re finished doing your own dirty work. Depending on where you are and what the
facility’s security is like, you may find your-
Consequences of Failure self surrounded by armed guards in a mat-
Cracking a system comes with its risks. ter of minutes (or less). Systems with Won-
If you fail your check, you alert the system derful or higher security levels often lock
that there is illicit activity. Depending on all of the doors in the room you are in so
the device, the computer may react in a va- that you have no chance for escape.
riety of ways, some more dangerous to you For vehicles with these levels of security,
than others. Also note that the worse your you may find yourself locked inside the cab
degree of failure, the more dramatic the until security shows. If you happen to be in
result. In systems whose security rating is flight when the system cuts all power to its
Great or less, you may be able to attempt engine and refuses to give you control, you
your check again to shut down any security may find yourself at the epicenter of a self-de-
the system is leveraging against you, but a struct protocol (that spells bad news for you).
system with a security level of Superb or Larger failure rates mean faster response
better will completely lock you out of the times or more harsh security measures, in
system with no chance for further access. general. A Poor or Abysmal failure may re-
sult in more drastic measures being taken

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against you. Inside the cab of a government Finally, psi-jacking attempts are suscep-
helicopter, for example, a Poor failure may tible to additional security measures devel-
only lock you in and alert security, while oped by Magicorp with the single purpose
an Abysmal failure will cause the vehicle of thwarting psionic intruders. These mea-
to effectively self-destruct underneath you; sures, collectively known as Antipsi Tech,
the cost to replace the vehicle is usually less are considered equipment and are dis-
than the cost to recover it, plus any damages cussed in Chapter 3: Equipment.
or sensitive information that may have been
compromised by letting you escape with it.
Hacking People the Old-
Hacking Computers fashioned Way – Social
the Psionic Way – Psi- Engineering
Social engineering is one of the oldest
jacking forms of manipulation, dating back to the
“Psi-jacking” is the act of using electro- first time a cave man conned his fellow out
kinesis to override a computer’s security of his dinner. The most common terms used
systems and gain access or control over to describe someone who consistently uses
them. Psi-jacking works almost identically social engineering tactics to his advantage
to cracking; you make separate checks for
each of the same things, and failure results
are almost identical. There are, however, a
are “swindler” and “politician”, though most
people can think of numerous others.
In a broad sense, social engineering is
6
few key exceptions. more than just lying to people – it’s a col-
To psi-jack, you must possess the elec- lection of bent-truths, half-truths, and non-
trokinesis psionic ability (see Chapter 5: truths brought together with the intent of
Psionics and Magic for more information) deceiving others. Social engineering can be
or a magic device which produces the same done on a small scale (one-on-one) or a large
effect. Instead of making Technical skill scale (one-on-many or even many-on-many,
checks, you would make a Focus check to in group situations). Sometimes, the easi-
activate the psionic power, both to access est way to get what you want is to convince
and to reprogram the system. someone else that it’s in their best interest to
Failure results, however, are a little dif- give it to you.
ferent. In most cases a system will try to re- Any Manipulation skill is suited to social
act identically, but failing an attempt with engineering, depending on the specific situa-
the electrokinesis power can also cause tion. Since the skill choices and circumstanc-
damage to the system. See the description es are both equally broad, you should work
for electrokinesis to determine how much with your GM to decide which skill works
best for what you are trying to accomplish.
damage is dealt to a system for different
Social engineering is treated in many
degrees of failure. Note that devices, like
ways like “hacking” a person. Your goal is to
people, have their own wound tracks and
manipulate them in to doing something you
malfunction when they become Very Hurt
want. If the target is willing and able to as-
or Incapacitated. Incapacitated devices may
sist you without being manipulated, it isn’t
not be able to send signals back to their re-
social engineering – it’s just a helpful person.
spective mainframes, but it also means they
In these circumstances, no check is required
cease functioning entirely (which may, as
to get the assistance you desire; the person
per usual, have catastrophic consequences
simply does as you ask (perhaps at the cost
to the user).
of a favor to be paid later).

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When trying to manipulate an unwilling duce the difficulty of the next check by that
target, social engineering comes in to play. amount. If the difficulty becomes Mediocre
Such an encounter begins with the engi- or worse, you have successfully manipulat-
neer (the character attempting to manipu- ed your target. If there is still a difficulty of
late) interacting with the target (the person Fair or better remaining, you may need to
being coerced). Generally, it is best to find a roll again (and possibly switch tactics – GMs
good role-playing reason for your character feel free to require additional skill checks
to need the target’s help. In most cases, it and manipulation methods depending on
doesn’t make a lot of sense for an engineer the circumstances).
to try to get his neighbor to come over and For example, Matt is attempting to get
make him a sandwich when he could just as some information out of a rather surly bar-
easily go to the kitchen and make it himself. keep. The barkeep doesn’t make a habit of
Once a motive has been established, the giving up information about his patrons and
engineer needs to make an appropriate he has a bad attitude. The GM sets the diffi-
Manipulation check. If he is trying to con- culty for this check at Superb. Matt doesn’t
vince someone to hand over their wallet, think this will be a problem since he has a
he would roll an Intimidate check, while a Great Persuade skill, so he chats up the bar-
character attempting to lie his way out of keep for a bit and casts the dice.
a bar fight might use Bluff, Fast-talk or Ly- Matt gets a total die result of +1 which he

6 ing. Choose the appropriate specialization

as applicable, or simply roll Manipulation if
adds to his Great (+2) skill, giving him a Su-
perb result. Success! Matt managed to pique
no specialization is available. the barkeep’s attention, but just enough
Next, the GM determines the difficulty of to avoid a complete shut-out. He’ll need to
the check. The base starting value for the keep schmoozing to get the barkeep to open
check should be the target’s Persona attri- up a bit more. So Matt continues to chat up
bute level (if known). Characters who are the proprietor and rolls the dice once more.
hostile toward the player are less likely to This time the difficulty is only Great, since
do what he wants, so the difficulty would be he managed to get the barkeep’s attention
higher than someone who is friendly; add or last time and reduce the difficulty by 1.
subtract from the difficulty as appropriate After the dice are rolled, Matt totals
(you can use Table 4.5: Repute Modifiers them up and finds that he gets a Superb re-
for help determining modifiers). Any time sult again. Since he beat the difficulty by 1
the difficulty would be Mediocre or worse point, he knocks an additional point off of
(Poor through Abysmal) there is no check the total difficulty. Since he started at Great
required; the character is simply helpful. and is subtracting 2 points, the difficulty for
Difficulty levels of Fair and better require the next check is Fair, and Matt can tell that
some additional interaction and perhaps a the target is really starting to warm up.
number of checks. Finally, Matt decides to make things a
Once the difficulty has been determined, little bit more worth the barkeep’s while
the dice are rolled. Add your modifiers and and offers him a little cash for his trouble.
compare it to the difficulty. Success doesn’t This time, Matt attempts a Bribery check,
necessarily mean that the target will in- and gets a Good result. He has managed to
stantly switch sides; higher difficulty levels win over the barkeep by decreasing the dif-
often require more persuasion, and occa- ficulty to Poor: Fair (0) – 2 (since he defeated
sionally different types of persuasion (such the check by +1) = Poor (-2). The difficulty is
as bribery). For each degree of success by now Mediocre or worse, so Matt has been
which you surpass the target difficulty, re- successful at his test.

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years or so, those don’t work. To truly shield

yourself from being soul jacked, you need
either a strong Mind or an expensive piece
of antipsi tech.
Mind control is a sub-school of the te-
lepathy psionic power. In most circles it is
viewed as a dangerous ability and those
who possess it are often stigmatized. On the
other hand, those very folks who have the
gift argue (rightly so) that it isn’t their fault
they have it, so why should they be blamed?
It’s a tricky situation to be sure, but the fact
remains that probing someone’s mind with-
out their permission is definitely not social-
ly acceptable.
The mind control rules outlined in the
Psionics and Magic chapter discuss the ba-
sic functions and capabilities of the power.
For those interested in a more cinematic ex-
perience though, consider the rules for soul
jacking, outlined below. 6
In order to attempt to steal someone’s
thoughts or actions, you first need to have
Note that there is a price for failure. the appropriate power to do so. This means
If you fail the check by 1 or more, there’s you need to either possess the mind control
a chance the target will react harshly and power or a magic device capable of emu-
even choose to ignore you. If you fail the lating it. Because this is such an illegal ac-
check, increase the difficulty of the follow- tion, magic devices are hard to find; Magi-
ing check for each level by which you fail. corp makes them, but is only allowed to sell
If the difficulty would be greater than Phe- them to military and police personnel. You
nomenal, the target is either completely un- will need a Rank score with a level equal to
willing to talk to you or, depending on their the power rating of the device in order to
nature, likely to try to split you a new one. find and use one legally. Naturally though,
you may be able to find one on the black
Hacking People the market.
If you do possess the ability, you need to
Psionic Way – Soul pick your target. This can be literally any
Jacking living creature that possesses a brain, but
works best on members of your own spe-
Soul jacking is the harsh new term for cies. Attempting to soul jack a creature of a
what was once simply known as mind con- different species imposes a -1 penalty – oth-
trol. Though highly illegal, soul jacking is er creatures’ brains process data differently
a lucrative endeavor that can yield a lot and it is harder to make sense of the infor-
of juicy details about someone or, in some mation you acquire.
cases, give you complete control over them.
This is the sort of thing that gave rise to tin-
foil hats, but as we’ve seen over the last 30

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Making the check is as simple as using * Assumes creature has had multiple
the psionic power; roll against the appropri- lives through reincarnation, a concept pop-
ate key attribute and compare your result ular among psychics. Including multiple
to the target’s opposed Mind check. Instead lives in your campaign may lead to some in-
of mind control being an all-or-nothing suc- teresting stories.
cess (or failure) though, soul jacking may Most animals have life spans too short
require some additional effort. Succeeding to be represented by higher ladder results,
at your first check simply gets you in the but that makes it all the easier to get a life’s
door, so to speak. worth of memories from an animal. Most
After making a successful check, you gain animal memories remain instinctual, and
access to the target’s “surface thoughts”. depending on the creature they may have
Surface thoughts represent what the target little useful information. Some animals, like
is thinking right now. For animals, surface dogs, remember a scent better than a face,
thoughts are just simple, instinctual con- for example, while others have memories
cepts, such as “food”, “potty”, “play”, and so approaching those of humans. Use your
forth. More complex creatures, especially best judgment (and some creativity) to de-
humans, may have an infinite range of pos- termine just how much information you
sible thoughts. can gather from an animal’s mind.
Once you’re in someone’s head, you can When reading the mind of a human (or

6 choose to try to probe their memories or try

to take control of them. Decide what you’re
other similarly-intelligent being) you can
gather nearly any piece of information you
trying to do, then make the appropriate want. Even the deeper, subconscious mem-
check using your power’s key attribute. ories might be accessible if you can probe
far enough back in the character’s lifetime.
Probe Memories You can even get the earliest memories of
When trying to probe someone’s deeper a person’s childhood dating back to before
memories, make a mental communication anything that person might actually be able
or mind control check after you’ve succeed- to remember on their own.
ed at getting into their head. The higher Probing a target’s thoughts can be jarring
your degree of success, the further you can for the target. They remember everything
probe the target’s memories. The chart be- that you are detecting as you read it, which
low illustrates the results. can have unforeseen consequences. For this
reason, attempting to read the thoughts of
an unaware person can cause them serious
Table 6.2: Probing Memories
confusion and, depending on the memories
Degree of Suc- You can read… you are looking for, quite a bit of discom-
cess
fort. If the memories you are seeking would
Fair one week of memories. cause the target pain, discomfort, or trigger
Good one month of memories. a traumatic episode (GM’s discretion), they
Great one year of memories. may receive a second Mind roll to attempt
Superb one decade of memories. to force you out of their head.
Wonderful one lifetime of memories. If you have the alter memory Gift, in ad-
dition to the mind control power, you may
Phenomenal multiple lifetimes of
memories.*
alter or erase the target’s memory. See the
mind control entry in the Psionics and
Magic chapter for an idea of what sorts of
changes you can make based on your de-

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gree of success. To alter a target’s memory, your commanding officer” are examples of
you need to make a separate check. suggestions that a character will not carry
Finally, if you possess the mind read- out.
ing Gift from the mental communication Charm: The target perceives you as a
power, you may use it to read a character’s friend. He considers your words and inter-
thoughts just as if you had the mind control prets them in the most favorable manner,
Gift, though it is limited to reading minds but he is still unwilling to do anything that
only; you must possess the mind control goes against his nature. You must maintain
power to use alter memory or to take con- control of a target’s mind and cannot acti-
trol of a character’s actions. vate any other psionic powers or become
distracted to a point that you would not be
Taking Control able to focus on maintaining control (such
Once you’ve defeated a target’s mental as in combat or other stressful situations).
resistance and gained access to their sur- With a Great result you may continue
face thoughts, you can use mind control to to activate psionic powers while maintain-
gain total dominance over them. Make an ing control. During stressful situations you
opposed mind control check versus the tar- must make a Great Focus roll to avoid losing
get’s Mind check. If successful, you can in- control of the target’s mind.
Dominate: You exhibit complete mental
6
fluence the target’s thoughts and actions as
follows. dominance over another character. They
obey your orders to the best of their ability
despite their own nature and perceive you
Table 6.3: Mind Control Options
in the best possible light. You must main-
Degree of
tain control of a target’s mind and cannot
Success You can …
activate any other psionic powers or be-
Fair implant a minor suggestion in
come distracted to a point that you would
the target’s mind.
not be able to focus on maintaining domi-
Good charm the target. nance (such as in combat or other stressful
Great charm the target and maintain situations).
control. With a Wonderful result you may con-
Superb dominate the target. tinue to activate psionic powers while dom-
Wonderful dominate the target and main- inating a target’s mind. During stressful
tain control. situations you must make a Great Focus roll
Phenomenal dominate the target and main- to avoid losing control of the target’s mind.
tain control with less effort. With a Phenomenal result, maintaining
control requires a Focus roll of only Medio-
Suggestion: You implant a thought in the cre or better.
target’s mind that causes them to react in Note that when controlling the minds
some minor way. For example, you can tell of animals and other beings of lesser intel-
the target to “come here” or convince them ligence, they may be limited by their intel-
that “these are not what you’re looking for.” ligence when attempting to follow your or-
The target will interpret this suggestion in ders. Choose appropriate commands and
the best possible light, though he will not suggestions based on the capabilities of
do anything that is completely against his your target or your attempt may be in vain.
nature. “Jump off of that bridge” and “shoot

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Chapter 7:
When Worlds Diverge
 Chapter 7: When Worlds Diverge

Most people consider the physical world Still, there are certain “dead spots” within
– the place where you and I live, breathe, the boundaries of their private properties
eat, and sleep – a mundane place. Despite in which ‘Net signals are jammed, but these
the fact that nature, technology, and psion- are a result of signal-blocking technology
ics are able to produce a seemingly unlim- (provided by Macroware, the world’s lead-
ited array of sights, sounds, and effects, we ing computer supplier) and not a lapse of
live with these things every day and, to us, the ‘Net’s overall reach. Removing or dis-
they rarely seem too surreal. abling one of these signal-blocking devices
There are two other worlds that are would instantly un-jam the signal.
roughly parallel but still very different than In years past, the ‘Net was a jumble of
ours; one created by men, the other a nat- different technologies, both wired and
urally occurring plane with supernatural wireless, which allowed computers and
connotations. Though the former is man- eventually other devices to communicate
made it is no longer as “virtual” as people with one another. The wireless movement
once believed it to be and while the latter began in the second decade of the 21st cen-
has been around since the dawn of exis- tury, in which a push to make all ‘Net con-
tence, many people still disbelieve it. These nections wireless was made. The capacity
two worlds, the ‘Net and the Astral Plane, of wireless signals had previously been too
are similar in many ways. insignificant to handle the amount of com-
munication traffic that would be required
for a global-scale network, but various tech-
The ‘Net nological advancements made it possible to
Originally developed well over 100 years
ago as a means to connect military and edu-
cational institutions around the world, the
handle all of the world’s communications at
a near-instant pace. Today, all ‘Net traffic is
wireless – save for a few corporate intranets
7
‘Net is now an all-inclusive, global phenom- (local networks) which still use wired net-
enon. Though it has changed much in the last works for highly secure communications.
century, many of the key elements and ideals
behind the ‘Net remain the same, and that is Connecting to the ‘Net
why, no matter how many new names for it
people have come up with over the years, the Long ago, users were required to actively
word we use to discuss it remains the same. initiate a signal between a computer and the
The ‘Net (or Internet, as it is formally ‘Net in order to access it. Only by “dialing up”
known) is a truly worldwide communica- to the network could a computer access the
tions network. No longer confined just to information that was available. When the
computers, the ‘Net connects nearly every user was finished with his session, he would
piece of electronic equipment to any num- disconnect from the ‘Net and his computer
ber of mainframes around the globe and it would no longer be able to access it.
is omnipresent. Though it took the better Later came the invention of always-on,
part of a century to reach every inch of the “broadband” internet access. Users were
planet, the ‘Net is now accessible from lit- no longer required to “dial up” to reach the
erally everywhere on Earth (and even into ‘Net; all they had to do was turn on their
parts of near space, like the moon). computer or other ‘Net-enabled device and
Though certain Luddite groups exist they were able to constantly access it. This
which oppose the invasive omnipresence premise remains true today, over 100 years
of the ‘Net, none were successful in spar- since the invention of broadband technol-
ing any part of the planet from its reach. ogy, but in a slightly different form.

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All computers, televisions, phones, and Augmented reality (or AR) overlays vir-
other electronic devices are now built with tual aspects of the information-heavy com-
the capacity to access the ‘Net as long as puter world without requiring total immer-
they have power. Previously it was possible sion. This sort of information augmentation
to unplug the connecting cable to a comput- was popularized in science fiction and spy
er to disconnect from the ‘Net. Nowadays, movies of the 20th century, in which charac-
every device is connected wirelessly and ters with special sunglasses or cyborgs with
there are no built-in disconnect methods robotic eyes could gain information about
(though a few clever hackers have found their surroundings, such as the exact height
ways to disable their own connections at or weight of an object, the heat signature
will). This constant “awareness” allows us- of a person, or the distance between two
ers to seamlessly blend their everyday ex- points.
periences with the connected lifestyle that These concepts have grown to include a
the ‘Net allows; people communicate, learn, practically endless variety of information
entertain, advertise, shop, and do nearly that can be transmitted to a user, either
every conceivable daily activity while con- via special AR sunglasses or simply to their
nected to the ‘Net. handheld computers. Users can find near-
ly any piece of information they desire (or
any information that an advertiser desires
The Connected Life them to see) simply by interacting with it.
While everyone is aware that the ‘Net To some, this feels like a constant bombard-
exists, most people take it for granted. It has ment of media. To others, it is simply the

7
simply been there throughout the entirety way the world is and, without it, they would
of their lives, and will continue to be there feel lost.
long after they are dead. Everything they
do from work to play is somehow enhanced
by the ‘Net. Many of these enhancements Entering the ‘Net:
come in the form of “augmented reality”, or AKA Ghosting
the ability to receive enhanced information
Most people never actually enter the ‘Net
made possible only with the aid of comput-
as a plane of existence. Instead, they inter-
ers.
act with it through their tablets and other
Augmented reality is not the same as the
electronics. The ‘Net comes to them, and
now-defunct idea of “virtual reality”. Vir-
they manipulate certain aspects of it, but
tual reality (or VR for short) was first intro-
never truly engage it. This is, of course, by
duced in science fiction and later became
design; to literally enter the ‘Net is to cross
a very realistic – or veritably realistic – no-
the line between Augmented Reality and
tion. In the 2040s, the world’s population
Virtual Reality and it has been made clear
by and large decided to no longer support
that the public does not want VR.
VR when it was discovered that people who
However, certain individuals are both
were experiencing life in a “virtual world”
able and willing to fully project themselves
were often susceptible to negative effects
into the ‘Net, through a process known as
in the real world. Basically, in order to be
“ghosting.” Ghosting requires the use of
“plugged in” to virtual reality, the user must
electrokinesis, which can be performed
completely disconnect from ordinary real-
psionically or magically, and can be done
ity – and that was not only a scary thought
from virtually anywhere on the planet (and
for many, it had deadly consequences.
even parts of sub-space).

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It is possible to bring others with you.

For every degree of success you may bring
one additional passenger. Passengers must
physically exist in a space directly next to
you; one common practice is for circles of
people to hold hands as they travel in this
way. These passengers need not possess the
electrokinesis Gift, but if the character that
made the check is disconnected for any rea-
son all passengers disconnect as well.

What’s Inside
Many science fiction movies of the 20th
century attempted to depict what being in-
side a computer might look like, but every
one of them got it wrong; the ‘Net was never
designed with conscious thoughts and di-
rect human interaction in mind. There is no
user interface because it is not technically a
human-created Virtual Reality. Zeroes and
ones do not float about in the sky and there

7
are no circuitous highways.
The Ghosting Check Ghosts alter their own electromagnetic
Any character with the electrokinesis fields in such a way as to join the wireless
power, and its cyberpsi Gift, can attempt to spectrum around them, enabling them-
ghost. Likewise, characters with access to a selves to move with and through it as eas-
cyberpsi magic device can attempt to ghost, ily as a computer broadcasts data. They are
though these devices can be expensive and able to sense nearby access points – literal-
hard to come by. One can attempt to ghost ly any piece of connected technology – due
from any location where they can access to the large volume of data being passed
the ‘Net, which includes the whole of Earth through them. By zeroing in on an access
and its moon, except in places which have point, a ghost can use his cyberpsi power to
specifically been denied a ‘Net signal. communicate with the system on a deeper
Though a ghost check can be attempted level and gain entry to it, allowing him to
from any location, it does leave the ghost’s further use or control the system.
physical body vulnerable and, therefore, it While inside a system, ghosts and their
is best to find a safe or well-guarded place passengers spoof the device into treating
before making the attempt. them like any other program. In effect, each
To make a successful ghosting check, ghost (including passengers) is a separate
you must succeed at an electrokinesis check program that interacts individually with the
of Great difficulty. Once a successful check environment. These programs must be ap-
has been made, you leave your physical propriate for the type of device a ghost is in;
body behind and project a portion of your electronic billboards are only capable of run-
mind in to the ‘Net. ning programs related to audio and video, for
example, while a mainframe computer serv-
er can run virtually any program imaginable.

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Ghosts can use a device’s cameras (if cal check) are even capable of duplicating
available) to view the outside world from themselves, gaining the ability to be in mul-
the machine’s perspective. When not look- tiple places at once. One common tactic is to
ing through the lens of the machine, the leave one ghost with the physical body and
world appears very different; in fact, ghosts monitor it using the cameras on a personal
cannot actually see their physical surround- comm tablet in an effort to watch out for
ings without using this technique. It may be one’s own safety.
wise to have a passenger keep watch while While inside the ‘Net, a ghost can visit
a ghost interacts with the computer on a any place he wishes simply by jumping to a
deeper level. device. Because it is easy to triangulate a de-
vice’s location with its built-in GPS, ghosts
are capable of very quickly jumping to spe-
Moving About cific regions and even cities of the world. It
The ‘Net is a global wireless mesh net- may require a bit more time and effort (in
work, meaning it is comprised of billions of the form of another Technical check, with
electronic devices the world over, each con- a difficulty depending on how precise he
stantly transmitting data to and from one wishes to be) in order to pinpoint a specific
another. Every electronic device constantly building or device. Passengers always trav-
routes data and boosts signals to enhance el with the ghost.
the reach of the network, though when mov- While inside a device, ghosts can access
ing over extremely long distances the data its programming, data, security features and
may be collected by a major hub and then cameras. Ghosting is one of the most efficient

7
passed back out into the wider network. methods of bypassing security, stealing in-
Put simply, a file begins at its source sys- formation, and performing reconnaissance
tem and is passed through hundreds of de- that is available in the world today, though
vices along its route to a regional hub. The it is not without its challenges. Many com-
file is then passed from one hub to anoth- puters are highly secure and difficult to pen-
er until it reaches the destination region, etrate and some corporations even employ
where it is split up once more and passed security personnel who are capable of ghost-
through various access points until it reach- ing and protecting a system from within.
es its end destination.
It is virtually impossible to sniff files as
they are passed along their route because Ghosting Challenges
an individual file may be split up into mil- Ghosts often enter places where they are
lions of tiny pieces while it moves toward its not wanted. To protect against unwanted
destination. Ghosts must capture files either (and illegal) intrusion, system administra-
at their source or their end point, meaning tors often ensure that their networks are
they must know where the files are coming locked down and heavily guarded against
from or where they are going. entrance by ghosts. Protecting a network
Because data transfers so quickly from can be costly, but no government, mega-
one place to another, ghosts can move their corp, or wealthy individual would dare
virtual selves, their “ghosts”, from any sin- leave himself unsecured against a ghost.
gle point on Earth to another in millisec- The measures these entities take to prevent
onds. Their physical body stays behind in unwanted entry can pose severe challeng-
the real world, but their ghost can move es to even the most skilled ghosts (making
about freely. Extremely experienced ghosts it that much more important for them to
(those who can make a Wonderful Techni- bring friends).

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Ghosting into a system is far more in- as if it were a real person (because, after
sidious than a traditional hacking attempt. all, ghosts are the real projection of an in-
Though hackers still exist and attempt to dividual’s consciousness). Use the standard
breech high-level systems every day, the rules for Combat (see Chapter 4: Playing
majority of a company’s security dollars go the Game) when dealing with security soft-
in to preventing attacks from ghosts. New, ware in this way, with the following excep-
high-power, low-level security software has tions.
been developed specifically to thwart ghost- • Do not add bonuses granted by equip-
ing attempts and some of that software can ment (weapons, armor, etc.) unless that
cause real injuries to anyone trying to by- equipment specifically deals with com-
pass it. puter systems.
These special security programs have a • Unless otherwise noted, use the char-
semblance of sentience to them that is dif- acter’s Mind attribute as a defense, not
ficult to comprehend. In a partnership rare their Body attribute.
amongst today’s megacorps, Macroware Players may opt to use their Technical
and Magicorp teamed up to develop a new (Computer Security) skill in place of other
form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capable combat skills to determine their Offensive
of using magic, generally electrokinesis. For Damage Factors when dealing with security
all intents and purposes these programs software. This skill is opposed by the pro-
have real, physical manifestations in the gram’s Security attribute, which replaces
‘Net and are one of the entities which ghosts the Mind attribute of a human.
can encounter. When making Combat (Melee, Non-

Ghosting Combat
physical, or Ranged) checks against a secu-
rity program, the ghost is essentially mak-
ing a brute force attack against its security
7
When a ghost enters a computer, he may defenses. No special Technical skill is re-
need to contend with its security software. quired to combat these programs and a few
This can be far more difficult than simply of them are even susceptible to other forms
making a Technical (Computer Security) of trickery.
check to bypass the machine’s Security Lev- Each program has a special Wound
el, since corporations and governments go Track known as its Threat Level track.
to great lengths to prevent ghosting. When a ghost “damages” the software he is
Following is an example list of security effectively reducing the machine’s under-
software that has been developed to thwart standing of him as a threat. Once the Threat
ghosting attempts. In most cases, these pro- Level reaches Green, the program sees the
grams are only employed on high-level cor- ghost as a valid user and allows him entry
porate and government machines due to into the system.
their complexity and cost. However, many Likewise, individual programs have
independent computer hackers and pro- their own Technical (Computer Security)
grammers also employ these programs and skills to use against ghosts. Usually, the soft-
often run custom versions of them to suit ware’s Technical skill level is equal to its
their individual needs. Security Level, though certain subroutines
When a ghost enters a system with a may alter this depending upon the nature
Security Level of Superb or higher, GMs of the program. The software will essential-
should consider employing any of the fol- ly “attack” a character with its own Techni-
lowing security measures. These programs cal (Computer Security) skill opposed by the
act as combatants and will attack the ghost character’s Mind attribute.

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Any damage the character takes is con- For example, a ghost makes a Computer
sidered Mental damage. A character who Security check to identify a program with
reaches Incapacitated or Near Death status a Security level of Superb (+3). The ghost
on his Mental wound track is automatically rolls 4dF and adds his Computer Security
shunted from the system and back into his skill and gets a result of Wonderful (a Good
corporeal body in a suitably injured state. success). He manages to identify that the
Remember if a ghost exits the system, all program is a Ghost Hunter and that Ghost
of his passengers go with him. Passengers Hunters have the electrokinesis power. If
other than the ghost who are Incapacitated he had rolled a Phenomenal result (a Great
return to their bodies but do not drag oth- success), he may also have uncovered that
ers with them. the Ghost Hunter is vulnerable to mind con-
Some particularly high-level systems trol.
employ multiple security programs to safe- Conversely, if the ghost had rolled a re-
guard different areas. Ghosts attempting sult of Great he would have failed the check
to infiltrate a system may need to contend by a degree of one (a Mediocre failure). The
with more than one security program be- GM would tell him that he failed to identify
fore they can reach whatever area they are the nature of the program. However, if the
trying to access. Usually only one program ghost had rolled a result of Fair he would
must be contended with at a single time, but have failed by a degree of three – an Abys-
highly secure systems may employ multiple mal result. The GM might instead tell the
security programs at once. ghost that the program is a Spectral Fire-
Unless the ghost somehow gains access wall instead of a Ghost Hunter.

7 to the appropriate usernames, passwords,

and other security credentials of a system,
he will need to contend with the same se-
Security Programs
curity programs each time he attempts to Though the statistics that follow are sim-
enter it. ilar to those found on a traditional charac-
Finally, a ghost can use his Technical ter sheet, security programs lack nearly all
(Computer Security) skill to try to deter- human attributes. Each is given a Computer
mine the type of program he encounters. To Security skill and a Security attribute. The
do so, the player simply makes a Computer program’s Computer Security skill is its pri-
Security check and the GM secretly com- mary combat trait and is used to determine
pares it to the program’s Security attribute. the Offensive Damage Factors of its attacks.
If the player succeeds, he may identify the Conversely, the Security level is its prima-
program, plus one piece of additional infor- ry defensive attribute and will serve as its
mation about it for each degree of success. Defensive Damage Factors when trying to
If he fails, he either cannot identify the pro- avoid damage.
gram or he interprets it as a different pro- Each program also has its own Gifts and
gram altogether. Faults which help define its capabilities
beyond simply acting as a locked door be-
tween the ghost and the system it protects.

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Brain Virus being manipulated by psionics and magic

Attributes Security: Superb
as well.
Skills Technical [Security]: Superb Ghost Hunter
Specialization: Computer Security Attributes Security: Superb – Phenomenal
Gifts Infect Ghost (depends on system’s Security
Level)
Faults Can be manipulated
Skills Technical [Security]: Superb
Psionic Mind Control [Security] – Phenomenal (depends on
Powers system’s Security Level)
Threat Level Track Specialization: Computer
Security
Damage 1-2 3-4 5 6 7+
Wound Red Orange Yellow Blue Green
Gifts
OO O O O O Faults Can be manipulated
Magic Electrokinesis [Security]
Powers
The brain virus has but one function: to
infect the minds of ghosts. These programs Threat Level Track
are commonly employed on personal de- Damage 1-2 3-4 5 6 7+
vices owned by other ghosts, but a few cor- Wound Red Orange Yellow Blue Green
porate security systems have been known OOO O O O O
to employ them as well. Brain viruses have
also been used offensively.A brain virus The ghost hunter is a basic attack pro-

7
never attacks a ghost directly. Instead, it gram designed to deal with low-level threats
constantly attempts to use mind control to in a very forceful manner.Ghost hunters are
gain access to the ghost’s brain and manip- capable of attacking using their Computer
ulate its victim. Security skill as normal for Ghosting Com-
Brain viruses are programmed to force bat or by activating an electrokinesis proto-
victims into performing pre-defined tasks. col which deals a physical electrical shock
For instance, the brain virus may tell its to the ghost. When using the electrokinesis
victim to disconnect from the system or it power, add the program’s Security level to
may trick the victim into believing it has the attack (instead of the Focus attribute
become part of the system itself. The virus’ that would be used by a human). If the at-
degree of success on its mind control check tack is successful, the ghost takes physical
determines how much control it has over damage instead of mental damage.
the victim, and for how long (see Chapter Ghost hunters do have one drawback:
5: Psionics and Magic). because they have just enough artificial in-
Because the brain virus’ commands are telligence to activate a psionic power, they
pre-programmed, they may need to achieve are also capable of being mentally manip-
a high enough degree of success to have ulated. Ghosts who also have a means of
any effect at all. For example, the mere sug- using mind control or other similar psion-
gestion to exit the system is a simple com- ic powers may do so normally against the
mand that requires little control, but forc- ghost hunter.
ing someone to believe they are part of the
collective and maintaining a hold on their
mind would require a much higher result.
Because brain viruses have enough AI to
use psionic powers, they are susceptible to

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Ghost Trap Pandora Protocol

Attributes Security: Superb – Phenomenal Attributes Security: Phenomenal
Skills Technical [Security]: Superb - Skills Technical [Security]: Phenomenal
Phenomenal Specialization: Computer
Specialization: Computer Security
Security Gifts Appears as another program,
Gifts Prevent Escape, Suspicious system-wide alert
Faults Faults
Psionic Psionic
Powers Powers
Threat Level Track Threat Level Track
Damage 1-2 3-4 5 6 7+ Damage 1-2 3-4 5 6 7+
Wound Red Orange Yellow Blue Green Wound Red Orange Yellow Blue Green
OO OO OO OO OO OOO OO OO O O

Ghost traps are designed specifically Pandora protocols are designed to mask
to keep unwanted outsiders locked inside themselves as another program in an at-
the system. These programs are built to be tempt to trick ghosts into behaving differ-
highly suspicious, making it extremely dif- ently when facing them. When a ghost at-
ficult for anyone without the proper pass- tempts to identify a Pandora Protocol using
words to use brute force attacks against the Computer Security skill, he receives

7 them; ghosts must reduce the trap’s Threat

Level to Green twice before the program
misinformation about the program on any
failure, regardless of how close he was to
allows passage.If a ghost attempts to leave succeeding. For example, a Mediocre fail-
the system by any means, the ghost trap ure would provide misinformation even if
attempts to block them from doing so. The it would normally just result in a failure to
trap makes a Technical (Computer Security) identify the program.The Pandora protocol
check opposed by the ghost’s Mind attri- acts identically to the program it is mimick-
bute. If successful, the ghost remains in the ing but uses its own Computer Use and Se-
system. The trap performs this action for curity traits, as well as its own Threat Level
free in reaction to any ghost attempting to track, in place of those assigned to other
flee; it does not use up the trap’s turn. programs.
If the ghost fails to bypass the protocol’s
Threat Level within three rounds, it sends
out a silent, system-wide alert signal that
fetches other programs and brings them
into play. Characters may wind up facing
one or more programs in addition to the
Pandora protocol when this happens.
These protocols are almost always used
in lieu of a spectral firewall to protect a sys-
tem’s most highly-confidential or secure
data.

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Spectral Firewall Taking Control

After a system’s security programs have
Attributes Security: Superb been defeated, it is possible to take control
Skills Technical [Security]: Superb of the system. This is the primary purpose
Specialization: Computer of nearly all ghosting excursions and the
Security reason megacorps spend so much money to
Gifts Lockout Protocol prevent them.
Faults Cannot Attack Each ghost, including passengers, are
Psionic treated as separate computer programs
Powers when inside a system. They may perform
any action the system would typically be
Threat Level Track capable of, such as displaying ads on a bill-
Damage 1-2 3-4 5 6 7+ board, withdrawing funds from an ATM, hi-
Wound Red Orange Yellow Blue Green jacking a vehicle (even if its owner is trying
O O O O O to operate it), or executing complex com-
mands on a mainframe.
Traditional firewalls are no match for Characters who are inside a system and
a ghost, so these so-called “spectral fire- are not being faced by security software
walls” were developed as a means to pre- have free access to initiate commands.
vent unwanted entry by would-be hackers. Those skilled at Manipulation might at-
Spectral firewalls are the most basic form of tempt to reprogram a billboard to display

7
anti-ghost protection. They cannot attack a a specific ad or message, while characters
ghost directly, so there is little initial harm skilled with Vehicles may attempt to oper-
in attempting to bypass such a system. How- ate infiltrated equipment. Any variety of
ever, a spectral firewall will keep track of skills may be useful when ghosting in a sys-
the number of attempts a person has made tem; the ‘Net isn’t just the realm of charac-
to bypass it and alert the system’s other se- ters with great Technical skills.
curity programs if a ghost fails to bypass it The difficulty to successfully employ a
in time. skill is still based upon the system’s Secu-
Each round a ghost spends trying to rity Level, which also represents the com-
defeat the spectral firewall’s Threat Level plexity of its code. To successfully operate
counts against the attempts he may make a truck with a Security Level of Superb, for
before the system’s other programs are example, a character must first succeed at a
alerted. If the ghost fails to reduce the spec- Superb Vehicle check.
tral firewall’s Threat Level to Green within
three rounds, the firewall will immediately Stealing Data
call in another program to forcibly eject the Gaining access to the wealth of knowl-
user. edge a system contains is the other big draw
When this happens, the spectral fire- for ghosts. Once a system’s security proto-
wall’s Security attribute and Technical skill cols have been bypassed, ghosts may make
both increase to Phenomenal and its Threat a Technical check with a +2 bonus to down-
Level resets to Red (it effectively “heals” all load data. The difficulty is based upon the
damage done to it). It also calls in another system’s Security Level. For each degree of
program to join the fight. Select any other success, a ghost may download one addi-
program and add it to the combat. tional piece of information.

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Note: Some data is highly secured and their minds and reach out to the aether
protected. If a ghost is seeking specific in- have the capacity to transcend the Material
formation about a highly sensitive subject, Plane (the ordinary reality) and in to the
he may have to contend with a new Security Astral. With today’s invasive technology,
Program dedicated to protecting that specif- mundanes who can do this are increasingly
ic piece of information. Generally speaking, rare.
the Technical skill allows a ghost to gather The Astral Plane (often referred to sim-
general information while security pro- ply as “the Astral”) is an incorporeal world
grams are employed to protect specific, top- where nothing has physical substance, yet
secret files. everything can be manipulated. The pow-
ers of the mind and soul are dominant here,
while the power of the body is negligible.
Disconnecting Everything we can see and touch in the real
Once a ghost has discovered the infor- world can be seen on the Astral, though it
mation he was looking for, or if he feels he all has a hazy, somewhat “ghostly” look to it.
is outmatched by the system’s security soft-
ware, he may disconnect from the system by
simply choosing to leave. He may attempt to Connecting to
connect to another system or leave the ‘Net the Astral Plane
entirely and return to his physical body.
Visiting the Astral is not easy for most
In any case, certain programs may at-
people. It requires peace, quiet, and a lot
tempt to prevent the ghost from exiting. At
of patience. Most normals who attempt to

7
times, his only option may be to fight the
project their soul to the Astral are unsuc-
program until he either defeats its security
cessful, but a few have experienced this
or becomes Incapacitated and is dumped
phenomenon and, indeed, have learned to
back into his body. Programs which prevent
master it.
egress can be found in the example list of
To reach the Astral Plane, one must first
security software above.
find a calm, quiet place free of distraction.
This is perhaps one of the most difficult
The Astral Plane steps, as the entire world seems to conspire
against anyone seeking even a moment’s
Though most normals deny its existence, solitude these days. However, should one
those who have visited it will cite its exis- find such a quiet place, he may attempt to
tence is irrefutable. The Astral Plane is an- still his mind, then disengage his soul from
other world that mirrors the mundane but his body and finally “float” to the Astral.
has no physical presence. It cannot be seen,
felt, heard, smelled, or tasted and yet it ap- The Projection Check
pears, to those who can visit it, to be identi-
After finding a quiet place to meditate,
cal to our own world.
characters wishing to reach the Astral must
One only reaches the Astral Plane in a
make a successful Astral Projection, Sha-
disembodied state; in other words, when
manic Journeying, Soul Travel or similar
one’s soul is literally projected outward
Spiritual skill check with a Great difficulty.
from its body and into this extraplanar ex-
Moderate distractions increase the difficul-
istence. Though it is not a requirement that
ty of this check to Superb, and – though it
one be psychic to enter the Astral Plane,
is possible to project ones soul to the Astral
few normals have ever experienced it. Only
when being disturbed – the difficulty to do
those with the ability to completely still

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air, food, water, and sleep. Many spiritual

masters have spent years developing their
body’s tolerance to the depravation of these
essentials, whether by fasting (giving up
food and drink for days at a time) or train-
ing their endurance.
Experienced astral projectors know to
relieve themselves and to ensure they have
had ample sustenance and sleep if they are
going to be travelling for long periods of
time. Generally speaking, a character may
travel to the Astral for three (3) hours per
level of his Body trait above Poor. For each
hour he remains on the Astral after this
time, he must make a successful Body check
to avoid being distracted (and thus requir-
ing a projection check to remain on the As-
tral). The difficulty for the Body check be-
gins at Fair and increases by one level for
each hour the character remains on the As-
tral.
For example, Yvonne has a Great (+2)

so is Phenomenal. Upon making a successful

projection check, the character may reach
Body attribute. She successfully projects
her spirit to the Astral and may stay there
for 12 hours before her body begins to fa-
7
out to the Astral for as long as he maintains tigue. After 12 hours have passed, she must
concentration. make a Fair Body check, otherwise she be-
Maintaining concentration requires no comes distracted and must make a Phenom-
check unless the character’s physical body enal projection check to remain present on
becomes distracted. Once this happens, the the plane. She succeeds on her check and
character must make another projection remains on the plane for another hour.
check, this time with a Phenomenal diffi- At the beginning of hour 13, Yvonne must
culty, to remain connected to the Astral. make another Body check to avoid being
distracted. This time the difficulty is Good
Distractions (+1) since it has been another hour since
Any number of circumstances could dis- her body first felt the pangs of fatigue. She
tract a person who is projecting their soul fails this check and thus is required to make
to the Astral. Simple examples include be- a Phenomenal projection check to remain
ing spoken to, hearing a loud noise, or being present, despite her body’s fatigue. Since
jostled. What many novices don’t realize, she fails this check as well, she is plunged
especially if they are visiting the Astral for back in to her physical body.
the first time, is that their body’s own needs Characters who return to their body due
are often the biggest distraction of all. to distractions of any sort are dazed for 1
Though a character who is projecting to round; they may not take any action as they
the Astral may remain there indefinitely, try to regain a footing on reality. Charac-
his physical body still requires all of the ters who return to their bodies because of
mundane things that bodies do, including fatigue are not only dazed, but they also

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suffer one Scratched physical wound for Characters with psychic abilities may
each hour by which they exceeded their use ESP to try to better perceive their sur-
maximum. In the example above, Yvonne roundings and characters with other psion-
would plunge back in to her body and be ic powers may attempt to use them while in
dazed for one round, and she would receive an astral form, though the normal limita-
1 Scratched physical wound due to having tions that apply to physically manipulating
exceeded her normal tolerance by 1 hour. matter (and energy) still apply.

Astral Activities Astral Combat

Astral projection is more than just a neat Should two Astral beings meet and have
parlor trick (actually, it makes a terrible cause to quarrel, they may find themselves
parlor trick since onlookers simply observe participating in astral combat. This form of
your body sitting in a meditative state). non-physical combat is highly dangerous as
Those who travel to the Astral do so with it poses particularly severe threats to those
a purpose, one that cannot normally be ac- involved.
complished in physical reality. Astral combat, like physical combat, is
The Astral has no boundaries and no tracked using a character’s Wound Track.
physical essence, so spirits projected to this All damage endured while on the Astral is
plane of existence can travel anywhere they considered mental damage however, since
wish – even through objects and people. no physical body is present. Attacking and
This is perhaps the number one reason why defending are similar in many ways, but

7
astral travelers visit this plane; the ability to the attributes used to determine a fight’s
get in to any location undetected is a huge outcome are different.
draw for a variety of reasons, shady or not.
Characters travelling on the Astral Plane Use of Mental Force
may move through the air, through objects On the Astral Plane, the one with the
and even through space, since none of these strongest will – not the strongest body – is
things physically exist on the Astral despite the one who will emerge victorious. Instead
their appearance. It is possible to see and of using physically-oriented combat skills,
hear anything that is happening within such as firearms or martial arts, Astral war-
your normal range of perception while on riors have an Astral Combat skill. This skill
the Astral Plane, though objects appear hazy should be tied to a character’s Focus or Spir-
and sounds are muted. It can be difficult to it attribute, and it will represent the char-
get the full picture of what is happening in acter’s ability to overpower another Astral
a given location, but experienced travelers Being.
are adept at piecing together what they ex- Physical weapons and armor modifiers
perience and determining what it all means. do not apply, nor do any physical objects or
It is not normally possible to physically skills. Battle on the Astral is purely a matter
affect the material world from the Astral. of wits. Use of psionic powers is permitted,
Because no object that appears on the As- though many powers simply lack the abil-
tral has any physical substance, there is ity to manifest on the Astral Plane. Since
no way to manipulate anything. One may fire, electricity, and cold do not exist on the
attempt to control astral objects using his Astral, for example, psionic powers which
mind however and indeed combat on the produce or manipulate these forces simply
Astral Plane is always a contest of wits and do not function there. Other powers, such
spirit as opposed to brute force and agility. as telekinesis may work despite the oppo-

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nent not having a physical form, since they the soul once it was defeated and may not
represent exerting ones will over another. be willing to give it up without a fight or a

7
Resolve all combat checks as normal, bargain of some kind.
with the above substitutions. If a character
takes damage it is treated as mental damage, Soul Retrieval
and the character must make a Superb pro- Finding a soul can be tricky at best. The
jection check to remain on the Astral Plane. easiest way to begin a search would be to
If a character is Incapacitated or brought enter the Astral Plane from the same physi-
to Near Death status while on the Astral, he cal location as the being’s physical body.
risks suffering very severe results. If the soul is not in the immediate vicinity,
one can use ESP or other powers to attempt
Defeating an Astral Being to locate it. The further away from its body
If an Astral Being is reduced to Inca- the soul travelled, the harder it might be to
pacitated or Near Death status, its link to find. Furthermore, if the creature that de-
its physical body is severed. The physical feated the soul chose to capture it and take
body’s functions do not cease, but it be- it elsewhere, it may complicate search ef-
comes a soulless husk incapable of mo- forts.
tion or thought. It is essentially comatose, Some branches of law enforcement and
though it continues to breathe and main- some psychic private investigators special-
tain sustainable levels of bodily functions ize in soul retrievals. If nobody in the char-
on its own. However, it is subject to death acter’s group is capable, they may be able
from thirst or starvation, and it is highly to contact someone for help, but they need
susceptible to physical forms of attack. to act quickly before the soul’s body dies. If
To return to its body, the soul must be re- the body dies, the soul becomes lost on the
trieved and guided back by another being. Astral forever and may one day find itself
The creature that defeated the Astral Being preying on other Astral Beings.
may have also obtained dominance over

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Astral Predators Astral Rogues Gallery

and other Beings Following are some examples of beings
you might expect to find on a journey to the
Not all beings on the Astral Plane have
Astral Plane. Note that Astral Beings have no
physical bodies attached to the Material. The
physical form, therefore even beings such
Astral is also home to souls which live there,
as giants, which are traditionally viewed as
most of whom are ex-humans who lost their
physically powerful beings, have no Body
physical lives while projecting. These souls
sometimes go mad after spending years, even attribute. Powerful Astral Beings instead
decades, living in the Astral world with the have superior mental traits and forceful or
ability to look in to it, but not return to it. boisterous personalities. Remember that
Many of these souls become Astral Predators. the physical forms we perceive are a repre-
Predators seek out fresh souls who arrive sentation manifested by the person perceiv-
on the Astral Plane and attempt to submit ing them and these examples are simply an
them to their will. It is said that these preda-attempt to make sense of the creatures in a
tors have the ability to track a soul back to way which other humans can relate.
its body and commandeer the vessel while
the soul remains outside. This phenomenon Fairy
can explain why many people are driven in- Attributes Mind: Wonderful
sane for seemingly no reason; the soul inside Focus: Superb
their body simply isn’t their own, and likely Soul: Good
has spent decades brooding over its lack of Persona: Superb
Presence: Superb

7
substantiality.
Status: Fair
There are, however, other Astral Beings
which have always lived on the Astral and Skills
Combat (Non-physical) [Focus]:
Good
are not necessarily insane. These beings Manipulation [Presence]: Superb
can come in any variety of shapes and of- Specializations: Bluff, Flattery
ten creatures of folklore and legend actually Covert [Presence]: Great
have a basis in the reality of the Astral Plane. Specialization: Pickpocketing
Social (Informal) [Presence]: Great
Giants, unicorns, trolls, and even fairies ex-
Specializations: Practical Joker,
ist on the Astral as mere spirits, though they Witty Insults
rarely like to make their presence known to
Gifts Charmer (+1 to Flattery and mind
common Astral travelers. control)
The shapes these beings take are largely Can use psychokinesis powers
subjective; they represent the way a human across planes (Astral to Material)
being might see that souls’ personality and are Faults Flighty Personality
not necessarily indicative of their true nature. Easily Frightened
Faeries, for example, might be Astral Beings Psionic Mind Control
with flighty personalities while giants, have Powers Alter Memory
very forceful personalities. It may indeed be Photokinesis
Sonarkinesis
possible, though it is quite rare, to befriend one
Telekinesis
of these beings and have them act as a travel-
ling companion and guardian . Of course, it Mental Wound Track
may also be possible to make an enemy of one Damage 1-2 3-4 5 6 7+
of these Astral Beings and find yourself doing Very Nr.
astral combat with a soul far more powerful Wound Scratched Hurt Hurt Incap. Death
than your own. Traveler beware! OO O O O O

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Fairies are fond of playing jokes on peo- Giants are strong-willed, greedy crea-
ple, and their ability to use psychokinesis tures who are not above forcing their will
powers across planes allows them to ma- upon others to get what they want. Like
nipulate objects, sights, and sounds on the their fairy-tale counterparts, giants have
Material plane. When objects mysteriously a reputation for being fierce combatants,
go missing, only to later mysteriously turn but on the Astral Plane they force their
up, you can bet that a fairy was responsible. wits upon others as opposed to beating
them down with brute force; though there
Giant is functionally little difference.Most giants
Attributes Mind: Superb share a love for storytelling and love a good
Focus: Superb folktale, especially if it involves one of their
Spirit: Fair kind getting the upper hand on a lesser
Persona: Wonderful being. They can be easily manipulated by
Presence: Superb
characters who play to this strength. Their
Status: Good
weaknesses are best kept in mind when fac-
Skills Combat (Non-physical) [Focus]: Superb
Specialization: Astral Combat
ing one on the Astral.
Knowledge [Focus]: Superb
Specializations: Folklore, Psionics Unicorn
Manipulation [Presence]: Phenomenal
Specialization: Intimidate Attributes Mind: Wonderful
Infamy [Status]: Superb Focus: Good
Social (Informal) [Presence]: Superb Spirit: Superb
Specialization: Storytelling Persona: Good

7
Presence: Great
Gifts Fearsome Reputation Status: Fair
Faults Greedy (-3 to resist being bribed) Skills Combat (Non-physical) [Focus]:
Conceited (-3 to resist being flat- Great
tered) Social (Formal) [Spirit]: Superb
Quick to Anger Specializations: Detect Lies,
Psionic Mental Communication Diplomacy
Powers Telecommunication Spiritual [Spirit]: Wonderful
Mind Control Specializations: Giving Comfort,
Alter Memory Patience, Pray for Miracles
Mental Shock Gifts Calming Aura (supernatural; nearby
Mental Wound Track creatures are never angry)
Damage 1-3 4-6 7-8 9-10 11+ Faults Benevolent (always helps the needy)
Very Nr. Psionic Empathy
Wound Scratched Hurt Hurt Incap. Death Powers Empathic Healer (but does not
take physical wounds for heal-
OOOO OOO OO O O
ing mental wounds)
Mental Communication

Mental Wound Track

Damage 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9+
Very Nr.
Wound Scratched Hurt Hurt Incap. Death
OOO OOO O O O

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Unicorns are known to be kind, warm- Trolls represent the most primal of all
hearted creatures who are swift to aid those Astral Beings. They are fierce combatants
in need. They are healers by nature and with a hunger for Astral Energy which keeps
use their gifts to both sooth and repair the them constantly on the hunt for new sourc-
mind. They have been known to perform es of nourishment. Trolls must consume the
great acts of generosity and even miracles. souls of other Astral Beings on a daily basis
These creatures are, however, exceptionally or lose energy at an alarming rate. For ev-
good at judging one’s character. They never ery day a troll spends without consuming a
aid someone whose intentions are impure, soul, he takes a cumulative -1 penalty to his
and are skilled at noticing when someone is Focus attribute; trolls die if their Focus at-
being deceitful. tribute reaches Abysmal.Conversely, trolls
Unicorns can be vulnerable to aggres- thrive on consuming the Astral Energy of
sors since they have very limited defense others. When they defeat a foe in combat,
against other astral combatants. They are they immediately consume its soul. This
not exceptionally skilled in combat, but soul is permanently destroyed and even a
they do possess gifts which dissuade others soul retrieval is powerless to bring it back.
from engaging them in battle. When a troll consumes a soul it staves off its
immense hunger for another day and heals
Troll all of its wounds.
Also, consuming a soul does not imme-
Attributes Mind: Phenomenal
Focus: Phenomenal diately renew the troll’s Focus attribute to
Spirit: Fair Phenomenal. Instead, it increases the attri-

7 bute by 1 point. Thus, a troll who has gone

Persona: Great
Presence: Great several days without eating may need to
Status: Fair
consume several souls in a single day to ful-
Skills Combat (Non-physical): Phenomenal ly replenish itself. Trolls, therefore, are on a
Specialization: Astral Combat
Manipulation [Spirit]: Phenomenal constant hunt for Astral Energy.
Specialization: Intimidate It is rare to find a troll that is at the peak
Gifts Feeds on Astral Energy (see of its energetic state. Indeed, such a force
description) would be nearly impossible to overcome, or
Faults Voracious (must consume Astral even outrun, and surely any creature which
Energy regularly) crossed its path would become its victim.
Instinctual (does not think before Most trolls have trouble finding meals more
acting) than three or four times per week, so their
Light Sensitive (-2 to all checks while
in bright light)
Focus attribute is more commonly at Great
Vulnerability to Light (-3 to or Superb than Phenomenal. At any level
defensive factors against though, a troll is a force to be reckoned with
photokinesis attacks) and not to be underestimated.
Psionic Mind Control
Powers Mental Shock (only mental shock;
cannot charm, suggest, or dominate)
Mental Wound Track
Damage 1-3 4-6 7-8 9-10 11+
Very Nr.
Wound Scratched Hurt Hurt Incap. Death
OOOO OOO OO O O

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Chapter 8: Game Mastering
 Chapter 8: Game Mastering

In any role-playing game, Game Mas- you have a sufficient amount of interest in
tering can be the most challenging – and the material you will be presenting to your
rewarding – role a player can accept. The players. In some cases, this may mean you
GM’s job is to oversee the storytelling, keep plan a single game session, while in others
the scenes engaging, and ensure that every- it means you plan an entire campaign, last-
one has fun. GMs are leaders, but their mis- ing months or even years.
sion should be to lead alongside the players Being a Game Master means not just
– more like a guide – than to rule over the telling a story, but also presenting it to your
action with an iron fist. players in a manner that is consistent, co-
As a Game Master, it can not only be dif- hesive, and fun. You may have a grand ad-
ficult to know where to start, but where to venture planned for your players, but even
draw the line as well. This chapter is de- though this game encourages free-form
voted to Game Masters of all skill levels, but rules, you should present it in a manner
particularly aimed at new GMs who need a that is consistent with whatever game me-
little bit of help getting started with interac- chanics you settle upon. This way players
tive storytelling and role-playing. know how they can expect to interact with
your story.
As a GM, you should familiarize your-
Where to Begin? self with the rules. These rules are not set
• Before accepting the role as Game Mas- in stone, and you are free to alter them as
ter, ask yourself these simple questions: you wish, but make sure that your players
• Do I like to tell stories? know what changes you make and stick
• Am I comfortable in a leadership posi- with them, writing them down if necessary,
tion, especially with my peers? so as to stay consistent. We’ll talk a bit more
Am I a good multi-tasker? about game rules later, but for now make
sure that you’re comfortable with the core

8
If you’ve answered “yes” to these ques-
tions, chances are you’re well-suited for mechanics.
taking on the role of the Game Master.
Even if you answered “no” to one or more
of them though, it doesn’t mean you have Adventure
to relegate yourself to the role of a player
for good – it just means you may want to Crafting
work on bolstering your skills. In short, if One of the first things you should con-
you have the desire to lead a game – maybe sider as a Game Master is the story you
you’ve dreamed up an interesting plot or wish to tell. Psi-punk offers a brief history
encounter and you want to show it off or of the world’s events and a lot of freedom
maybe you prefer to be actively engaged in to choose what else you wish to include. Re-
everything that happens at the table – you member: this world is as much yours as it
can be a successful Game Master. is that of the authors (intellectual property
Once you have made the decision to GM a notwithstanding, of course!)
game, commit to it – at least for a little while. Perhaps you wish to tell a story about an
You don’t have to be the GM every time your evil corporation trying to flex its muscles
group gets together – many groups prefer to and take over the world and you want the
rotate GMs so that everyone gets a chance players to rise up and stop them. Perhaps,
(it’s really quite infectious) – but you should instead, your goal is to have the players form
devote enough time to the craft and ensure a corporation powerful enough to challenge

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Magicorp’s dominance. Or, perhaps, you sider planning a bit more than the average
would rather tell a story about some mer- GM. On the other hand, if you prefer to just
cenaries living on the mean streets who are take things as they come, find lists and notes
just trying to get by in a cruel world. The boring, and don’t care to write a book, you
choice is up to you, but we’ve included a may prefer to just draft a few quick ideas
random adventure generator in the Appen- and be done with it.
dix to help you get some ideas if you don’t When you plan a game session, the sim-
have any already. Don’t forget that you can ple rule of thumb is to write down the most
also call upon your players to help decide important details of the adventure first –
what kind of story they wish to play; col- what can the adventure simply not func-
laborative storytelling doesn’t have to start tion without? If you’ve planned for the PCs
with the first roll of the dice. to fight an evil corporation, you may need
After you’ve settled upon a general story to at least know which corporation they are
goal, you can set about determining the de- facing, what the corporation’s motives are,
tails. Some GMs find it helpful to have the and what techniques they employ. Having
entire plot planned in advance, complete this written down or even just stored in
with detailed maps and pre-determined your own brain bank, is important for en-
antagonists, traps, and other perils. Others suring that you have a story to begin with. If
prefer to simply “Fudge it,” making it up on you wish to plan more detailed events after
the fly and running with ideas that play- that, feel free to do so. Just remember that
ers bring to the table. Neither style is bet- players may not always do what you’re ex-
ter than the other, but they each have their pecting them to, so try to remain flexible to
advantages and disadvantages. Only expe- avoid “railroading” them through the story.
rience can help you determine what’s best
for you, and as usual, you may find that the Free-form Storytelling
best option is a balance somewhere in be-

8
If you’re not interested in the details of
tween the two extremes, but we’ve outlined fine-tuning an adventure, free-form story-
a few things to consider. telling may work for you. You should con-
sider planning the basic overall plot for a
Plenty of Planning story, but after that you may wish to make
Planning takes time, effort, and fore- up everything else as you go. If you’re good
thought. It can be a lot of work, but it brings at thinking on your feet and don’t have any
with it a lot of rewards. When you plan at strong ideas about the way a story should
least a session or two in advance, you’re go, this method may work for you.
sure to be prepared for questions the play- With free-form storytelling, you have
ers have about the story you’re presenting the luxury of allowing your players to en-
them. It’s helpful to know the names of ter your world and just go crazy with it. You
NPCs, the security level of a corporation’s may even go so far as to allow the players
electronic locks, and the layout of a build- to start telling the story from day one while
ing. While it takes time to set all of this up, you act as an arbiter. Perhaps they all agree
it’s rewarding and makes for a more stream- that it would be fun to be a mercenary band
lined play session. and they just need you to come up with the
Some people find it fun to plan out all missions they’re going to perform.
of the details while others might find it te- If you’re going to attempt to free-form
dious. If you’re into making lists, taking lots a game, be sure to ready yourself for some
of notes, or writing novels, you may con- real curve-balls. Players are known to have

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all sorts of wild and crazy ideas, and it is Try to be consistent with your answers,
up to you to either run with them or tem- but realize that everyone makes mistakes.
per them into something more productive. If you decide that a ruling you made earlier
The biggest problem new GMs tend to have ends up making things unbalanced or less
is letting their players drive too many story fun, don’t be afraid to change your mind,
details at once, and eventually nothing gets but try to make these situations the excep-
accomplished. This isn’t necessarily an is- tion and not the rule. Your players will ap-
sue if you’re all in it to just have fun, but preciate knowing that when they sit down
it may not lead to the sense of accomplish- to play the game, they don’t have to re-learn
ment that some GMs (and players) cherish. it.

You Don’t Have to Choose More on “Fudging It”

Remember, these story planning styles
One of the greatest strengths of the
are presented here to give you some ideas
Fudge system used by Psi-punk is that it is
and spark creativity. They’re designed to re-
designed to be modular and alterable. The
inforce your goals as a GM and adventure
rules presented in this book are a cohesive
crafter, not to feel restrictive. You’re not
set of game mechanics designed to make
expected to choose between the two styles
picking up and playing the game as painless
– indeed, there are dozens more styles you
as possible; we put together the rules so you
could come up with that don’t fit into either
don’t have to.
of these categories – it just helps to be aware
With that said, many GMs like to edit the
of yourself and know that there’s no wrong
rules, add various subsystems, and general-
or right way to plan for and craft an adven-
ly tweak things to suit their own tastes. This
ture.
often happens when a GM becomes expe-
rienced with a system and world-building

8 Knowing and and feels like changes are necessary to add

to the flavor of the setting he is creating.
Using the Rules This is perfectly fine; we encourage you to
build upon the rules presented herein and
We mentioned before that it is important make the game as complex or simple as you
to know the rules of the game. As a Game would like.
Master, you are the final arbiter when it It is especially common to add new sub-
comes to conflict resolution, disputes, and systems of rules to handle different types of
so forth. You don’t have to memorize the encounters. Not all social encounters need
entire book, but be prepared to answer ba- to be handled in the same way, for exam-
sic questions and have an idea of where to ple, and some groups prefer to use ammu-
locate the information you’re not certain nition rules (and keep track of individual
about. shots fired) instead of using the abstracted
Don’t let the minutia of the mechanics ammo rules presented in Chapter 4: Playing
get in the way of a good story, though; if the Game. Whatever works to make your
you’re not certain of an answer to a ques- game more fun for you and your players is
tion you don’t always need to stop the game- the perfect system and you’re encouraged
play to find an answer. Instead, just “Fudge to change things up – just make sure your
it” for now – make a decision and stick with players understand the changes you make
it for the time being – and look up the an- to the rules that are printed in their copy of
swer later, when it’s not game time. the book.

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Running a Game As usual you don’t have to select a single

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with style, and you don’t always have to stick with
the rules and have considered what type of a given style once you’ve selected it. Still, it’s
game you’d like to run, it’s time to put to- important to consider how you would like
gether a group of players and sit them down your players to design their characters for
for their first session. When gathering play- your first session. Many times individual
ers, try to get everyone to agree on a time character creation arises from the individ-
and date that will work for them not just ual time concerns of each player; perhaps
for the first session, but for the foreseeable they are already familiar with the rules and
future; having a regular time and meeting want to create a character at home while
place will help the group stay together and they have time, then show up at the first
remain consistent despite the interference session ready to play. If you are fortunate
of their daily lives. enough to get everyone together for a group
If you haven’t already put a copy of the character creation session, we suggest you
rules into your player’s hands and asked give it a try and see what results; often
them to get familiar with them, your first times a whole session can be dedicated to
session is as good a time as any to do that. character creation and everyone will have
Make sure at least one copy – a “table copy” just as much fun as if they had run through
– of the rules is available that you and your a whole mission or scenario!
players can reference as the need arises.
Since you’re already familiar with how to Creating the Setting –
create characters and play the game, you
can walk your players through the process Group Creation
without having to wait for each person to Bear in mind that your world is like a
read the rules individually. character of its own, and you don’t have

8
to create it all by yourself. You can apply
the group creation method to your setting
Creating Characters as well. By allowing players to offer input
– Individual or Group about what types of locations they will visit,
what types of encounters they will have,
Creation and what types of people they will meet,
When it comes to developing characters you are ensuring that they have a vested in-
for a new campaign, there are two methods terest in the game. If you have some time
that often get used: individual creation or to spare after characters have been created,
group creation. Individual creation means you may wish to ask for their input about
that players sit down and develop their the world as well – even if you have a set-
characters without input from other play- ting in mind already.
ers or the GM – they decide what they would
like their character to be, how their char-
acter should act, his/her role in society, etc. Getting Adventurous
Group creation still allows for players to de- You have characters and a setting, now
cide these things, but it allows for players to what? If you already have an adventure
give additional input and create characters planned you can sit down with your play-
as a team, rather than a group of individu- ers and begin. If you don’t, fear not; we’ve
als. included a sample adventure in the Appen-
dix for you. Even if you don’t want to run
the adventure on its own, or if you want

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to modify it heavily, that’s okay; the goal is medical surgery is routine for many ER doc-
to give you some idea of what a typical ad- tors. Unless pressed for time, stressed, or
venture might be like. There are other pub- otherwise hindered, these sorts of routine
lished adventures for various games – some checks aren’t necessary.
free, others not – that you can use to gather Another good rule of thumb is that a
ideas as well. Just having an idea of what an character who is at least Fair at a given task
adventure looks like from a GM’s perspec- shouldn’t need to make a roll for it unless
tive is a great start and a lot of inspiration. opposed by someone or something else. A
We have also included a random encoun- gourmet chef doesn’t need to make a skill
ter seed generator to help spark some cre- check to cook a fancy dinner unless he’s in
ativity. Using random adventure generators a contest against other chefs to see who can
is a great way to get the creativity flowing, make the fanciest dinner, for example.
and sometimes the results are nothing if not In game terms, this means that skills
amusing. Use these resources to help you such as Language aren’t necessary to roll
get an understanding of what your options against unless a character is trying to de-
are and then break the mold by remember- code a message or understand spoken dia-
ing that your options are unlimited! logue in a language for which he has only a
Mediocre comprehension, or to communi-
cate to someone with only a Mediocre level
Adjudicating Skill of understanding.
Likewise, driving or piloting a vehicle
Checks is considered a simple task for most people
As the Game Master, it is your job to let (especially since nowadays most cars drive
the players know when they should be mak- themselves) and characters can really only
ing skill checks and when they can simply screw up when circumstances are out of
the ordinary, such as during a chase, along

8
expect to accomplish a task. You should
already be familiar with how skill checks a windy road on a stormy night, or when
work (if not, read Chapter 4: Playing the piloting a very technical craft such as a he-
Game) but simply knowing the mechan- licopter or tank.
ics behind the skills doesn’t give you guid- Many GMs have a particularly difficult
ance about when or where they should be time determining when to call for Notice
invoked. checks. We feel some other games often
From a mechanical and dice-rolling use Notice or Perception checks far too fre-
standpoint, the goals of Psi-punk are sim- quently (at least compared to their Psi-punk
plicity and speed. The game should run counterpart) so keep the following in mind:
smoothly and without too much dice rolling when in doubt, don’t ask for it. Notice, in
getting in the way of the story. With that be- any of its forms, shouldn’t be used as a pre-
ing said, it is important to only ask the play- cursor to divulging information to the play-
ers to make skill checks when absolutely ers. If a character says he is searching the
necessary. So how do you know when it’s room for clues, you should give him every-
necessary? thing he needs to know – unless, of course,
As a rule of thumb, if the task is so easy he is trying to quickly scan the room for
that a normal person could do it as part of evidence while under suppressive gunfire.
his daily routine, it doesn’t deserve a dice Ordinarily, Notice skills should only be em-
roll. For example, driving a car to work is ployed when actively searching for targets
routine for most people, while performing that are being actively hidden from them
(e.g., a Spot check made to notice a charac-

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 Chapter 8: Game Mastering

ter using Stealth or a Taste check used to no- When a roll is opposed this is simple: the
tice chemical ingredients too subtle for the difficulty level is always equal to the oppo-
average human to detect). nent’s check result. Remember that there
Allowing characters to do things within may be a minimum required to hit though;
their normal range of skill without making even if the attacker beat the defender’s Poor
dice rolls will not only speed up the game, it check result, the attacker may still miss if he
will help players feel like their skills actually didn’t roll at least a Fair result himself, for
matter. Nobody likes to try doing something example.
that they’re Great at only to randomly fail For unopposed actions, setting difficulty
for seemingly no reason. It is, however, un- levels can be a bit more tricky, but this is
derstandable that even a Great artist make where the simplicity of the Fudge Trait Lad-
something that is only Mediocre compared der works to your advantage. Difficulties
to the talented craft of a Superb artist. By are described by adjectives on the trait lad-
calling for skill checks only when neces- der, such as Fair, Good, Extraordinary, and
sary, you will actually add depth to your so forth. If you’re having trouble deciding
game and may be surprised at how much on how hard you think a task should be,
more creative the players will try to be. simply ask yourself: “Is this a Good chal-
lenge?” or “Would a Great driver have an
Lacking Appropriate Skills easy time with this?”
When a character lacks the skill appro- By choosing difficulties in terms of these
priate for a given situation, they may still adjectives, you simplify the decision-mak-
attempt a roll as if they had a skill level of ing process and remove the stress of focus-
Poor (-2). In most cases, characters will not ing on smaller details.
be able to succeed using this skill level un-
less the task is very simple, but allowing
Glitches – The
8
them the option to roll helps them feel like
they can meaningfully contribute.
Remember that the skill system in Psi- GM’s Luck Points
punk is flexible. Sometimes a character has Recall from Chapter 2: Character Cre-
ation that all players receive 5 Luck Points
a skill that could logically be substituted for
another (especially when it comes to the use at the start of each session. These Luck
of Social or Manipulation skills) so consider Points (LP) are designed to give the heroic
allowing these substitutes. Try to interpret players some amount of control over their
skill names in their broadest sense to allow own fate. Some of your Powerful NPCs (see
for maximum flexibility in their use, and below) also receive a limited pool of their
allow Specializations to enter play when a own LP, but where does that leave you, the
character attempts to do something very GM?
specific. Game Masters receive their own special
pool of LP, known as Glitches for their abil-
Setting Difficulty Levels ity to put a wrench into the players’ plans.
When asking for a skill check it is impor- These Glitches work in a similar manner to
tant to bear in mind the difficulty level of the player’s Luck Points, but have a few of
the task. When not clearly defined by the their own unique uses.
rules, you may need to make up a difficulty
level on the fly.

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Acquiring Glitches to reroll all of his dice and take the worse
result. You may not use this Glitch if the
At the start of each session, GMs gain a player has already spent Luck Points to re-
number of Glitches equal to the total num- roll a result, and you should consider allow-
ber of players present during that session. ing players to spend LP to counteract this
If more players show up later, feel free to Glitch.
retroactively add a Glitch to your pool. 4) Create your own use. You’re the GM
Additionally, you may pass out Luck and it’s up to you to make the decisions, but
Points to players as meta-game rewards; try to keep them in-line with some of the ex-
if a player does a particularly good job at amples we’ve provided. It can be tempting
role-playing a certain aspect of his charac- to use Glitches to completely run the show,
ter or does something that makes the rest but you shouldn’t abuse that power or you
of the group go “Wow!” then he probably may run your players right out of town.
deserves a Luck Point. Any time you pass
out Luck Points in this way, add a Glitch to
your own pool, to a maximum equal to your
starting number of Glitches.
NPCs and Villains
A major consideration in any game is
what non-player characters your players
Using Glitches will meet, whether in the local cyber café
You may use Glitches in a number of or on the mean streets. NPCs are one of the
ways. Each time you trigger any of the fol- most important aspects of any story be-
lowing actions, behaviors, or setbacks, cause they help drive the plot by providing
spend one point from your Glitch pool. player characters with information, distrac-
1) Force a player to activate one of his tions, complications, motives, or a face full
character’s Faults. Remember their Faults of lead.

8
should come up organically during play In most cases NPCs will be non-hostile;
(meaning you won’t necessarily have to they don’t necessarily want to fight your
spend a Glitch each time a player’s Faults characters and will probably back down
trigger), but when forcing a character’s when provoked. These are the average
Faults against him to improve the story, you citizens the players will meet or perhaps
should consider spending a Glitch. This in- they’re the character’s superiors. In almost
cludes Glitching a character’s gutterware, every case, these sorts of NPCs don’t need
psionic Faults, or other character Faults. to have any in-game statistics written down;
2) Reroll a check made by one of your you may just want to give them a name and
non-powerful NPCs. Powerful NPCs gain scrawl a brief line in your notes about where
their own limited pool of Luck Points, but the PCs encountered them and what the re-
occasionally you want them to make a big- sults of the interaction were. You may not
ger impact than they otherwise would have. even care to give them a name – some NPCs
By using a Glitch you can allow one non- are only in the player’s lives for a fleeting
powerful NPC to reroll all of the dice for a moment, just long enough to drop a rumor,
single check, taking the better of either re- a clue, or something else that is applicable
sult. to a scene.
3) Force a player to reroll. You shouldn’t
exercise this option very frequently, but oc-
casionally it’s just fun to watch ‘em squirm.
By spending a Glitch you may force a player

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for assistance. Chances are, if he’s just in

the game to make something happen, you
won’t need to know any of his skills at all. It
is nice that you’ve given him a name so that
the next time the PCs need to contact him
they know who to refer to.

Hostile NPCs
Hostile characters – NPCs that actively
attack the players – are not much different
than contacts. You don’t necessarily need
to spend any time on developing the skills
of hostile characters or making character
sheets for them. Many times it is only im-
portant to give them offensive and defen-
sive damage factors and have an idea of
what powers or abilities they might use in
battle.
Psi-punk makes it simple to whip up
hostile NPCs on the fly. Simply determine
how difficult a challenge you want to make
them and pick a couple of numbers to use
Contacts and for their combat values. You can use the
Other Important NPCs same Trait Ladder to help you determine
their combat statistics. For example, if you

8
Many characters fall somewhere be-
want the fight to be a Good challenge, sim-
tween the generic bouncers or gangers and
ply set the skills and powers of the NPCs at
the more powerful leaders that the play-
Good (+1). This means that you will add +1
ers will encounter throughout the course
on their attack rolls and they will have total
of a session. These types of characters may
DDFs of +1.
not need in-game statistics but, if they are
This system works well for minor en-
recurring characters, they should at least
counters and chance-met hostilities; per-
have a name by which to identify them.
haps the bouncer at a bar is ready to throw
For example, if the players have a contact
out your rowdy players and they choose to
in the military who can get them military-
fight back. You didn’t have that planned,
grade munitions, that contact isn’t just a ge-
but you can decide that the bouncer is Great
neric NPC. He should have a unique name
at his job and therefore has a +2 to his ODFs
that the players can use to discuss him, but
and DDFs. As a generic citizen, he’s unlikely
he doesn’t necessarily need to have a list of
to have any special powers, but who knows?
skills, Gifts, and Faults unless the occasion
Perhaps the bouncer is a telekinetic; simply
calls for them.
give him the telekinesis power and a key at-
Say the players need to contact Corporal
tribute of Mediocre (-1) to go with it.
Smith for some combat armor. You don’t
To determine how much of a beating the
need to know what his combat, technical,
NPC can take before going unconscious, use
knowledge and athletic skills are just to
the same generic system. Is it a Good chal-
run a scene in which the players ask him
lenge? He can sustain just one Scratched

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wound before the next blow knocks him out,

while a single Hurt wound will be enough to
drop him. If the challenge is Fair or worse,
a single hit of any level might take him out
(and if the PCs are using lethal force, will
likely kill him; be prepared to let them suf-
fer the consequences of their actions!) On
the other hand, a Great contender may be
able to suffer two Scratched wounds and
one Hurt wound while a Superb contender
would take three Scratches, one Hurt, and
one Very Hurt wound before flat-lining.
Challengers of Wonderful difficulty
or better are special; if they’re powerful
enough to receive large bonuses, they likely
aren’t just some schmuck the players en-
counter on the street. Generally speaking,
generic NPCs shouldn’t come with difficul-
ties of Wonderful or greater. NPCs that do
are the type that you may wish to flesh out
a little bit more.

Powerful NPCs • Key attributes of Good (if applicable)

Powerful NPCs are those whose chal- Full wound track (as a player character)
lenge levels are Wonderful or better. These If the character is designed to be a dif-

8 NPCs are often recurring villains or mas-

terminds, and often have large numbers of
weaker goons at their beck and call. Though
ficult combat challenge for the players,
consider putting their specialization in a
combat skill (as in the example above). Re-
you may wish to put a bit more planning member that not all encounters are combat
and effort into these types of NPCs, you still encounters, though; if the NPC is intended
don’t necessarily need to create them as if to be a politician, for example, he may have
they were player characters; instead, con- Superb Manipulation with specialization in
sider the following. Oratory.
NPCs at this challenge level are the most
Wonderful NPCs common major challenges as far as charac-
• Powerful NPCs with a challenge level ter vs. character interaction is concerned.
of Wonderful have the following skills, They are the gang leaders, lower-level cor-
ODFs, and DDFs: porate management, and mayors of the
• 1 skill at Superb, with a single skill spe- world. Your PCs will probably face these
cialization. For example, Superb Combat types of challengers as they begin their ca-
(Melee) with specialization in Pugilism. reers and start to work their way up the
• 2 skills at Great chain.
• 3 skills at Good Most Wonderful challengers also have a
• Offensive Damage Factors of +4 bevy of followers. They can show up at any
• Defensive Damage Factors of +4 time and don’t necessarily hang out with
• 1 Gift and 1 Fault their leader all day long. Followers can be

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gang members, security guards, public offi- wigs, and top government officials such as
cials, and so forth. Use the NPC guidelines for presidents, sheiks, and dictators. They cer-
challengers up to Superb difficulty as a basis tainly have hordes of underlings of all va-
for the Wonderful challenger’s followers. rieties and challenge levels and it may be
next-to-impossible to even get close enough
Phenomenal NPCs to one of them to have a physical encounter.
• Powerful NPCs with a challenge level of Characters at this level may have mul-
Phenomenal have the following skills, tiple psionic powers, multiple Superb-
ODFs, and DDFs: level magic devices, or special cyberware
• 2 skills at Superb, with a single skill spe- that gives them unique special abilities. A
cialization. personal encounter with any one of these
• 3 skills at Great characters should be a truly memorable
• 4 skills at Good and momentous occasion, perhaps even the
• Offensive Damage Factors of +5 turning point in an entire campaign. Do not
• Defensive Damage Factors of +5 take these challenges lightly.
• 2 Gifts and 2 Faults
• Key attributes of Great (if applicable) Astonishing NPCs
Full wound track (as a player character) • Powerful NPCs with a challenge level of
Phenomenal challengers are on par with Astonishing have the following skills,
player characters in terms of power. By the ODFs, and DDFs:
time the PCs meet these characters, the • 3 skills at Superb, with specialization in
players may have already worked their way each of them.
through the rank-and-file goons under their • 4 skills at Great
control and possibly even a Wonderful NPC • 5 skills at Good
or two. It isn’t unheard of for Phenomenal • Offensive Damage Factors of +7

8
NPCs to have personal bodyguards on the • Defensive Damage Factors of +7
Wonderful scale of power. • 6 Gifts and 2 or more Faults
• Key attributes between Superb and Phe-
Extraordinary NPCs nomenal (if applicable)
• Powerful NPCs with a challenge level of Full wound track (as a player character),
Extraordinary have the following skills, with one additional Hurt and Very Hurt
ODFs, and DDFs: wound level
• 3 skills at Superb, with specialization in Who is more influential than a presi-
two of them. dent, criminal overlord, or the CEO of Magi-
• 3 skills at Great corp? Only the most truly incredible NPCs
• 4 skills at Good in your world should be considered Aston-
• Offensive Damage Factors of +6 ishing challenges and are likely once-in-a-
• Defensive Damage Factors of +6 lifetime encounters for the players. Only
• 4 Gifts and 2 Faults after slogging their way through an entire
• Key attributes of Superb (if applicable) criminal organization only to find an even
Full wound track (as a player character) bigger lurking threat, or some other pin-
with an additional Hurt wound level nacle event, should Astonishing characters
Extraordinary NPCs are truly exception- be revealed. Their presence should be just
al. They are more powerful than starting that – Astonishing!
players and represent a severe challenge. Feel free to go nuts with these encoun-
These are criminal kingpins, corporate big- ters. If this were a video game, these would

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be the “final boss” characters – often pos-

sessing insane and perhaps otherworldly
powers the likes of which the players have
never dreamed. Use the extra Gifts to give
them more or stronger psionic powers, cy-
bernetic enhancements, or just plain su-
pernatural affects that are otherwise unde-
fined by the rest of the system.
Astonishing NPCs are the largest and
most powerful threats your characters will
likely ever face. Try to ensure that the char-
acters have some means of dealing with
them; that doesn’t necessarily mean filling
them full of lead — you can choose to make
an encounter with an NPC of this sort into
a puzzle. Perhaps the players need to find
this character’s Achilles heel in order to de-
feat it and would never be able to win in a
“fair” fight.

Other Notes
Though the above examples are good
for generic, on-the-fly creation, you are, of
course, free to design encounters however
you desire. If you notice that your team is a

8
bit more (or less) equipped to handle a cer-
tain challenge, you may alter it as you wish.
Additionally, these guidelines make no
assumption of what type of equipment the
NPCs are carrying. In general, it’s recom-
mended that you leave ODFs and DDFs as-is,
but you may choose to give them weapons
and armor of various sorts to make things
interesting. These changes may modify the
numbers up or down slightly, but remem-
ber that the more time you spend agonizing
over the finer details, the less time you have
to spend on other things.
If you wish to give a Wonderful NPC an
SMG, for example, you should of course re-
member that it has various rates of fire to
choose from which will alter the character’s
ODFs as he changes selections. Use his power
level as a baseline and modify the results as
normal, but assume that the SMG’s base dam-
age rating is already factored into his ODFs.

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If you envision a character that is more Powerful NPCs

offensive than defensive, simply trade mod-
ifiers at a one-for-one basis. For example, and Luck Points
a Wonderful NPC may have ODFs of +5 but Powerful NPCs are supposed to be closer
DDFs totaling only +3. to the level of player characters in power,
Also, don’t hesitate to give your NPCs and as such, they should be given Luck
magic devices, cyberware, or other equip- Points to use. There are some important
ment that would make them more interest- things to consider when using Luck Points
ing or more balanced. As a general rule, with NPCs though, since these characters
supernatural powers such as psionics and are not necessarily designed to last longer
magic should have key attributes or Power than an encounter or two with the players.
Ratings three levels lower than the NPC’s Though Player Characters get five Luck
challenge level. For example, a Wonderful Points at the start of each session, the LP they
NPC with a magic telekinsis device should receive is designed to last them throughout
have that device at a PR of Good (+1), not the entire session. Most NPCs only appear
Wonderful (+4). in a single encounter, so they should not be
Finally, you may decide that you don’t given as many LP to spend unless you envi-
want to bother detailing all of the available sion the encounter being particularly chal-
skills that an NPC may have. That’s okay – if lenging.
a particular skill is never going to come up Start with giving only one LP to any sin-
in play, it’s not necessary to have it written gle Powerful NPC with a challenge level of
in your notes. When creating one of these Extraordinary or lower and two LP to an
characters on the fly, you may choose to Astonishing character. If you envision the
simply make the first skill he uses Superb character being particularly powerful or
and work your way down from there. lucky you may give them the Lucky Gift, but
For example, if a Wonderful character allow it to add only one additional LP unless
uses his Combat (Melee) skill first you may
choose to roll it at a level of Superb. If he
they are an Astonishing NPC. By following
these guidelines, you will ensure that the 8
then needs to make a check to drive a car characters aren’t getting to reroll dice for
while being chased, simply make that one of every single action they take (they still get
his Great skills. Only define the skills which to reroll a dice any time they use a special-
you actually need to use and save yourself ized skill).
the time and hassle of defining characters. Remember that you did not define at-
tributes for these NPCs either. Since Luck
Non-Human NPCs Points are designed to grant additional dice
Not every character the players will meet rerolls based on linked attributes, you may
is human. Some might be cyborgs, artificial handle this situation in one of two ways,
intelligence, astral beings, or even animals. depending on how cinematic you wish the
Because the guidelines listed above are ge- encounter to be.
neric, you can apply them to encounters 1. If you have a good idea of what the
with any sort of creature that the charac- character is like, it’s easy to know which at-
ters might interact with. Feel free to add or tribute is their best. For example, a bounc-
remove skills, Gifts, Faults, or other traits as er probably has a high Strength attribute
you see fit in order to create the encounters while a powerful mentalist probably has a
you desire. high Focus attribute. When using LP to re-
roll a skill that is likely to be linked to the
character’s high attribute, set that attribute

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at a level of two lower than their challenge Since ODFs and DDFs can come from
level. For example, a Wonderful NPC would many sources, it isn’t important to assume
have a Great Strength while an Extraordi- that all NPCs with +3 DDFs were wearing
nary character would have a Wonderful armor for the PCs to loot. You don’t need to
Strength. Reroll the appropriate number of assume that all non-player characters were
dice accordingly. carrying both a weapon and wearing a suit
2. Ignore the attribute rule altogether. of armor, though if you described them as
If it’s hard to determine what a character having such equipment you should consid-
might be particularly good at, or if you don’t er making that available to the players.
want or need this particular encounter to You may discover, after a while, that the
be over-the-top, just reroll a single dice as players are collecting a huge cache of guns.
if the character had no high attribute. This Since firearms are the most common form
saves a lot of mental calculation and doesn’t of attack, the players will be collecting a lot
detract from the game. of them. If you don’t wish to allow them
to sell off every piece of equipment for its
full price – which could have a huge impact
Spoils of War on their Wealth levels (not to mention the
When players defeat hostile opponents, economy) – consider that weapons regis-
they often search the bodies (whether tered to other owners may not be legally
alive or dead) for gear. In most role play- sold on the open market. Players may need
ing games, the old adage “to the victor go to find a black market fence for such goods
the spoils” is a driving force for character and they may have to accept prices for them
and many players expect to find something that are well below market value.
of value on just about every opponent they Additionally, Wealth gained from the
defeat. sale of goods should be spread equitably
amongst all players. If a weapon sells at a

8
It is up to you to decide the laws that
govern the “acquisition” of spoils, but in Good value and there are four players on
general, it is assumed that much of a play- the team, they may each only get a Medio-
er’s earned Wealth comes from fencing the cre payout once it has been divided.
goods they gathered from defeated oppo-
nents. You don’t necessarily need to treat
every possible item as a piece of loot, but Death and Dying
consider mentioning the things that would It’s assumed that many of your NPCs will
be of most interest to a player. be killed at some point during play, espe-
For starters, consider what that NPC had cially if they are designed to be antagonists.
used openly during the course of the play- When such an event occurs the players
er’s interaction with them. If they fired an generally “loot the bodies” (see Spoils of
SMG, activated an antipsi device, or tried War, above) and the story progresses. You
to gas the party with a smoke bomb, those may decide whether the character’s death
are the items that should definitely be un- has far-reaching consequences (especially
covered. Note that the items may not always if they are a particularly Powerful NPC) or
be in perfect condition and that some items, if it is easily glossed over without another
like smoke bombs, may be single-use and mention.
therefore become worthless if they have When player characters die, on the oth-
been used. er hand, the story changes dramatically.
Players put a lot of time and thought into

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ters appear to die, only to return later in the

episode/season/show/series with a story to
tell their survivors.

Raising the Dead

Using the control animate power to raise
the dead requires an Astonishing (+7) check
and the expenditure of a Luck Point to ac-
tivate the Astonishing result. This is excep-
tionally difficult to do for most characters,
but it is possible. If the PC or his team are
owed a favor by powerful NPCs you may
hand-waive this check (at the cost of the fa-
vor), but otherwise the team may need to
hunt down an appropriately-skilled indi-
vidual.
Feel free to charge the players some
amount of Wealth (or other non-monetary
price) for the service. As a baseline, some-
one with such a skill should charge a Won-
derful amount of cash for the act of raising
designing their characters, their backstory, the dead (it’s a grisly task no matter who
and their role within the party. Sometimes you are) or require some dangerous or dif-
they become emotionally attached in a ficult favor in return.
small (and sometimes large) way. Though If the players manage to hire someone
the rules don’t make it easy for players to
die constantly, it is a real possibility.
• Should a PC be killed during play, con-
to raise their ally, there is no need to make
the skill check to activate the control ani-
mate power; simply allow the check to be
8
sider the following: successful. If the party has a character ca-
• The control animate power has the abil- pable of using the power, however, you are
ity to restore life to a character, but it is within your bounds to request a check be
an Astonishingly difficult check and the made, especially since they are not paying
availability of such a skilled animator is anything for the privilege. Note that the re-
rare; only well-connected PCs have any sult isn’t even possible unless the character
hope of hiring someone to restore life to has at least a Superb key attribute.
a body (unless the group possesses such
a skilled character).
• Death is permanent, but near-death ex- Near-Death Experiences
periences happen with some degree of Characters who receive appropriate
regularity. Characters who are killed in emergency medical treatment within an
combat may be resuscitated if they reach hour of their death may be able to return
a hospital quickly and can afford to pay to life. The experience may be traumatic
for their medical bills. or spiritual, depending on the character’s
Even permanent death is negotiable in a outlook on life and may leave the character
cinematic story; consider movies, television with a great story to tell later.
shows, and comic books in which charac-

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This great story comes with a cost, how- In most circumstances, the remaining
ever; medical bills are costly even in the living members (if there are any) of that
year 2096. Characters must pay a Wonder- character’s team will be able to retrieve
ful amount of Wealth to the medical facil- the deceased’s gear for later use. If this is
ity, payable before services are rendered a possibility (the body is not permanently
(either out of the nearly-departed’s pockets lost or destroyed, for example) you may tell
or the pockets of their allies). If the pay- the player that his new character does not
ment isn’t received up-front, the character gain the full amount of starting Wealth and
doesn’t receive treatment. instead give that character some of his old
gear (or the selling price of it).
Depending on how many Build Points
Lucky Breaks your players have received since the cam-
A character who receives no medical paign started, you may decide to offer the
treatment may have a “lucky break” at the new character more BP than what his origi-
GM’s discretion. You (and/or the player) may nal character started with. This can help
come up with any suitable story to fit the ensure that a new character isn’t too far be-
reasoning behind his narrow escape from hind the curve relative to the other players
death, but it should fit the method he was and the challenges they will be facing in the
killed. For example, a bullet he took to the future.
head may have just missed a vital spot but
left him unconscious for days or he washed
ashore before he drowned. Alternative – Permanent
Whatever the case may be, the charac- Death
ter isn’t dead and he shows up within a few
Some GMs prefer a grittier, more realis-
days to the surprise of everyone who knew
tic, and much more permanent approach to
him to be deceased (sooner, if the story calls

8
death. You are perfectly within your rights
for it). However, this Lucky Break causes
as a GM to decide that death is permanent
him to lose a little bit of his Luck for good;
no matter who you are and no amount of
he gains the Unlucky Fault permanently. If
money or luck may bring a character back
he already has the Unlucky Fault he gains
to life.
it again (receiving an additional -2 LP per
If you decide to choose this option, con-
session). If he doesn’t have at least 2 Luck
sider the guidelines in the Tough Luck sec-
Points to permanently lose, he may not ben-
tion above. Players should be allowed to
efit from a Lucky Break.
continue playing the game even if it means
bringing in a new character or you may
Tough Luck find that your overall campaign size will
Sometimes, characters just don’t have diminish (sometimes disproportionately to
what it takes to rejoin the mortal coil. If a the number of characters who have died).
character or team cannot afford to have the
character returned to life or if the charac-
ter lacks sufficient Luck Points to pay for
a Lucky Break, he may be dead for good.
If this is the case, you may ask the player
to create a new character and attempt to
weave that character into your story going
forward.

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Miscellaneous
Tips for Good
Game Mastering
• Everybody has a different style when it
comes to running a game, but it’s often
helpful to learn from the experiences
of others. The following bullet points
include helpful advice cultivated from
a variety of sources, mostly from GMs
with years of experience. Not everything
will ring true to you, but if you can find a
few relevant bits of information and use
them to your advantage then our job is
done.
• Just Fudge it! If you don’t have the an-
swer for a rule or even a minor detail
about something, just improvise. If it
matters enough you can always look it
up later, but don’t stop the gameplay to
look for an answer if you can make one
up on the spot.
• Don’t let the rules rule you. This goes
along with “Just Fudge it!” If developing
new rules or forcing dice rolls doesn’t
make the game more fun, don’t bother.
There isn’t a need to debate the laws
8
tence when possible.
of physics when you’re playing a dice • Watch lots of films, documentaries
game, especially one in which fantastic and TV shows and read lots of books.
situations and supernatural abilities are Mine these for NPC’s, descriptions and
the norm. plotlines.
• Believe in your world. You don’t need • The game isn’t just for the players. Re-
to get completely absorbed and im- member that you’re there to have fun
mersed, but make sure that the setting too. Though you’re not the players’ en-
you have developed or are working with emy, you’re not their guardian angel ei-
is one that you enjoy; your players will ther.
be able to tell when you enjoy the setting • Make name lists. It can be difficult to
and when you don’t. come up with names on the fly, so make
• Make a database of names and places. a list of appropriate names for the setting
After each session, update the database and refer to it when you need to name
with new names and places that your someone new. You can keep it simple or
players have encountered. Reference divide the names into groups based on
it regularly when developing new plot NPC race, religion, archetype, etc.
hooks and adventures. Keep your de-
scriptions to a single meaningful sen-

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• Use all the senses. Sight, sound, smell,

taste, touch, and intuition. When de- Introducing
scribing new areas, NPCs, or events, use
the senses to give your players a true New Rules
feel for their surroundings. “You enter a One of the great things about the Fudge
large, dimly-lit room; the stench of decay engine is its portability. There are a variety
fills the air and you can feel the hairs on of resources available that offer alternative
the back of your neck stand on end” is a means of handling certain game mechan-
much better description than “You enter ics. If you don’t like the way something is
a big, dark room. It smells bad.” done, or you think you would prefer to use
• Make notes of complex rules you know another option, that’s certainly encouraged.
you’ll need. Though you can “Just Fudge Moreover, if you would like to introduce a
it” when necessary, if you know you’re new subset of mechanics that makes a spe-
planning to do something that depends cific facet of gameplay more interesting to
on a complex subset of rules, make sure you and your players, feel free to do so.
you have those rules spelled out in your We suggest discussing the changes with
notes. Copy and paste whole blocks of your players before adding anything new to
text if necessary, make short-hand notes the game, especially if they’re working with
where possible, or at the very least write the same book of rules as you are. They de-
down the page number of a specific me- serve to know how and why things are be-
chanic. This way you can run an event ing run differently, how it will affect their
the way you envisioned it without slow- character decisions, and so forth.
ing the action. Commonly, new rules and subsystems
• Listen to your players. Pay attention are added to an existing game to add more
not just to what your players are telling “crunch” to a specific type of action or in-
you, but what they’re doing as well. If teraction. For instance, you may import a

8 they appear bored, step it up a notch. If

they really wish to go one direction, roll
with it and take them there. Make note
new Martial Arts system, complete with de-
tailed mechanics for various martial styles,
maneuvers, and supernatural powers, in
of any off-handed conspiracy theories order to make the game more cinematic
(especially ones made in jest) and sur- in regards to hand-to-hand combat. Alter-
prise them next session when it turns natively, you may draw up rules for Giant
out they were right all along! Robot Combat if you decide that your game
Research GM “best practices.” There are needs enormous battle suits to drive action
a number of great websites and resources over-the-top.
that offer great GM advice. Even if you’re a The Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition rule-
seasoned game master you can learn some- book by Grey Ghost Games is a great re-
thing from the wisdom of others, so do your source for subsystems that can be easily im-
research and surprise your players when ported into Psi-punk, since the mechanics
you bring a new idea to the table. are already built using the Fudge engine.
You can also find various resources around
the Internet that you may be able to bring
in directly or convert from another system.
There are a lot of options, and this is your
game, so alter it as you see fit.

168
Sample Adventure:
Brain.net
 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

Introduction – the power of the world’s foremost market-

ing firm, MarkeTech, Intl. With their help, a
What the GM new cybernetic implant was developed that
would target a mass audience and ensure
Knows widespread rollout of the doctor’s brain-
utilizing microchip. MarkeTech rushed the
As a matter of national defense, the product through production and launched
NAU’s Department of Defense has commis- a nationwide marketing campaign the likes
sioned the aid of brilliant scientist Dr. Ruth- of which the country had never-before ex-
erford Watkins. With the war in the Middle perienced.
East still blazing, the government has hired The product, a simple implant that taps
him to develop a national defense system the taste and pleasure receptors of a user’s
capable of predicting and thwarting enemy brain, bestows “the gift of flavor” to those
attacks by whatever means necessary. eating the otherwise bland nano-foods that
Dr. Watkins is not only a brilliant sci- are the solitary staple of every layperson.
entist but a skilled electrokineticist and This so-called “Flavorizer” is a boon to ev-
computer security specialist. He has spent ery citizen, since most have never even tast-
the last three years, and billions of govern- ed real food and would pay almost anything
ment dollars, developing a botnet that uses to have the opportunity to taste something
crowd-sourced computing methods to cal- pleasant. Thanks to large government sub-
culate and predict the offensive maneuvers sidies (the doctor’s doing) though, citizens
of enemy nations by parsing intelligence don’t have to pay much to gain one of these
data and comparing past trends as well as coveted implants.
current political movements. His defense MarkeTech’s Flavorizer has been a
system has proven wildly effective and the wildly successful product, and cybershops
NAU has not experienced a major threat to around the country have been filled for the
national security in the year since its de- last year and have made a fortune from the
ployment. new product. It seems like everyone has
What most don’t realize is that Dr. Wat- something to gain from this breakthrough

9
kins’ security system doesn’t use supercom- device.
puters, or even crowd-sourced personal Of course, there’s one catch. There’s al-
computers, to perform his calculations. He ways a catch.
realized early in development that the fast-
est, most powerful supercomputer in the
world was the human brain, and he knew
What Went Wrong
that if he could tap the power of millions of Because the product was rushed to mar-
brains at once, he could form the greatest ket, it hadn’t been fully tested on a large au-
supercomputer and intelligence network dience. A flaw in its design has left at least
known to man. Unfortunately, most hu- 1% of its users vulnerable to a “glitch” that
mans have proven unwilling to surrender causes them to go insane after limited use.
their psyche to the common good, so he had The signals sent from the brain through the
to devise a method to gain control of peo- chip occasionally cross paths with emotion-
ples’ brainpower without their knowledge. al triggers, and in some cases, the user be-
Before Dr. Watkins could implement his comes exceedingly agitated, even violently
“brain botnet,” he needed to devise a meth- angry. These users often fly off the handle
od for getting chips implanted into millions and attack nearby people without provoca-
of willing citizens. To do that, he tapped tion or regard for their own safety.

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News of these occurrences is not public This adventure is designed for 3 – 6 play-
knowledge, but Dr. Watkins and the NAU ers, but can be scaled up or down as nec-
government are aware of them. To avoid essary. Much of this adventure will unfold
admitting guilt, billion-dollar class action through role-playing and via the use of
lawsuits, and a forced shut-down of the de- skills. Take note that more (or fewer) play-
fense project, the government has issued a ers will adversely affect the challenge level
silent order to detain victims and ship them of any combat and they may need to be ad-
to special mental hospitals where they are justed appropriately.
de-chipped, but detained for up to three Once familiarized with the adventure
months for surveillance. Even when de- and the core rules, gather the materials you
chipped, patients seem to exhibit levels of need to play (dice, pencil and paper, play-
anger far beyond what they are used to; a ers, etc.) and have fun.
permanent cure has yet to be found.

The Hook
What the Players Every adventure needs a “hook” – some-

Know thing to pique the players’ interests so they

feel like they should care about the events
Of these events, the players know very that are about to take place. If you are
little. They are aware of MarkeTech and running this adventure as part of a larger
their new “Flavorizer” chip, and the players campaign, feel free to come up with any
themselves may have already had one in- explanation you need to get the ball roll-
stalled. Like other citizens of the NAU, they ing. Perhaps one or more of the players has
are unaware that their brains are being heard of this great new device and decides
used as processors for a national defense to get an implant only to later hear rumors
network and that they are vulnerable to the of its negative side-effects or perhaps one
chips’ “glitch.” of the characters has a family member who
Players do not know about Dr. Watkins, has gone berserk and they decide to investi-
the government cover-up, or even the NAU’s gate what went wrong. Try to use the power
involvement with the creation of the Fla-
vorizer implant. News of these events will
unfold throughout the course of this adven-
of the characters’ backstories to invent a
hook that really hits home with them.
If you are running this adventure for a
9
ture. group of new players, they may not have
fully detailed character backgrounds and
personalities yet. Feel free to invent a dif-
Preparing to Play ferent hook if you choose, but we have pro-
As a GM, you should familiarize yourself vided one below for your convenience.
with the Psi-punk rulebook so you under- Read the following text to your players:
stand the language and game terms pre-
sented in this adventure. You may alternate-
ly adapt the adventure to any game system
you desire, but we will assume knowledge
of Psi-punk and the Fudge system. At the
very least, you should read through the en-
tire adventure before sitting down to run it
for players.

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“It’s a hot day in [insert the name “You go to the victim’s side and
of your city] and your group is headed take a look at his body, which is cov-
to the local pub for some drinks. You’re ered in blood and broken glass. He’s
all excited about the new Flavorizer an average-looking man in a business
implants that you’ve recently acquired, suit, probably just off work for some
which have added taste to your food – heartless Corp, and his glasses lay sev-
something that you’d only previously eral feet from his body. He has several
heard of. Sick of bland nano-food and lacerations, but appears to be breath-
ready to really put your new taste buds ing.”
to the test, you all agreed to gather at
the bar for some drinks and a bit of
now-flavored non-food. • The man is not dead, but is losing blood.
“As you approach the bar, your con- Characters who wish to try to treat his
versations distracting you from the wounds need to make a Fair Medical
din of the city, you can’t help but take check. Success means that he will stop
notice when a body comes crashing bleeding but remains unconscious.
through the window and lands on the • He has government-issued ID in his wal-
sidewalk at your feet. You barely man- let (if the characters decide to take time
age to shield yourself from the shards to flip through it) but his name is insig-
of glass that try to tear at your face. nificant and forgettable. For all intents
“From inside the building, you hear and purposes he is a John Doe.
a cacophony of screams, shouts, and • He has no cash in his wallet (and shame
distress calls. It’s obvious that some- on them for asking!)
one has crashed your party.” If an ambulance is called, they get the
impression that the response time will be
sufficient to save his life
Players do not need to spend much time
Spring into Action worrying about this NPC.
If the players haven’t already interrupt-

9 ed your dialogue with shouts of what their Enter the Bar

characters intend to do, give them a mo-
• Characters seeking action may wish to
ment to speak up. When someone announc-
enter the bar. They can do so via one of
es an action they would like to take, try to
two readily-noticeable methods:
run with it – even if you haven’t prepared
• Through the front door
for it in advance (players will never cease to
Through the broken window
amaze and amuse you.) We’ve tried to an-
If attempting to enter through the front
ticipate a few of the actions they may take,
door, the characters will notice that it is be-
and have provided a few solutions to help
ing blocked by an upturned table. Charac-
adjudicate them.
ters with a Great Strength attribute may be
able to force it open in one round, but char-
Check/Aid the Victim acters with a lower Strength attribute may
Curious (or helpful) characters who rush need to find an alternate means of opening
to investigate or aid the victim notice the the door (or enter through the window).
following about him. Read this text to the Feel free to allow the players to be creative
players and use the bullet points to answer with ways to force the door open.
any questions.

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Players who wish to jump in through the The bar is a wreck, and there is a rav-
window must make a Good Athletics (Jump) ing lunatic throwing things at anyone who
check to avoid being cut by broken glass gets in his way. He sees the players enter
on the way in. For every degree by which the chaos and immediately begins flinging
the character fails the check, they take one things at them.
Scratched physical wound.
Combat Encounter 1 –
Leave the Scene
Sometimes players just don’t take the The Lunatic in the Bar
bait. If they choose to leave the scene, police This man has gone insane thanks to the
will arrive before they have a chance to get Flavorizer chip implanted in his skull. He’s
away and they will be hauled in for ques- an average citizen with no special powers,
tioning. Anything beyond this is outside of but due to his enraged state, his relevant
the scope of this adventure. Try instead to combat traits are all at a level of Great. Due
prompt the players to enter the pub and in- to his Aggressive posture, however, he hits
vestigate what is happening. harder and takes more damage when hit.
We have summarized his traits below for
your convenience.
Inside the Bar
If the characters have followed the hook
and entered the bar, they arrive to witness a Lunatic’s Traits
lot of commotion. Read the following to the Total ODFs: +4
players: Total DDFs: +0
Combat (Ranged): Great
Specialization: Throwing (May re-roll
“The bar is dimly lit and filled with
one dice whenever he attacks with
smoke, like most that you’re familiar
a thrown object)
with. It would feel crowded with peo-
Gifts: Adrenaline Rush (may take more
ple, but most of the patrons are now
damage than a normal person before

9
hiding beneath tables, behind the bar,
feeling it)
and anywhere else they can find to try
Faults: Enraged (cannot be talked
to stay out of sight. A few are screaming
down; always uses Aggressive posture,
loudly while others are on their comm
already factored into his traits)
devices attempting to call the police.
Weapons: Anything that is not nailed
“You see a lone man carving a path
to the ground may be picked up and
through the room, raving about some-
thrown at the characters.
thing completely incomprehensible.
Wound Levels: 1-3 (Scratched), 4-5
He is throwing bottles, chairs, pool
(Hurt), 6-7 (Very Hurt), 8-9 (Incapaci-
sticks, darts, and anything else he can
tated), 10+ (Near Death); can sustain
get his hands on. You suspect at least
only one wound per wound level (in-
one of those things was the guy lying in
cluding Scratched)
the street.”

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taboo to go through the pockets of someone

you just knocked out in a bar, but you can
probably expect players to try this anyway.
If the PCs search his wallet, they will find
about a week’s worth of various receipts,
among which is a receipt for a Flavorizer
implant, dated yesterday. The name of a lo-
cal cybershop, “Chip Stop,” is printed on the
ticket.
If they question the other patrons, they
will learn that he is a regular at the bar who
has a history of being a good tipper and a
source for friendly conversation. Nobody
who knows him can understand why he
suddenly flipped out, only that he did not
enter the bar with a bad attitude.
He was not quarrelling with the man in
the street; the man was simply a victim of
the lunatic’s sudden rage. The man in the
street was no more aggressive toward him
than anyone else.
The barkeep approaches the players.
He’s an average-looking character who
Characters attempting to talk to the man would be otherwise forgettable were it not
meet with only more enraged babble. He for the small scar on his right temple which
continues to throw things at them until they is visible through a missing tuft of hair.
subdue him. Refer to Chapter 4: Playing
the Game for a refresher on how combat is
handled. Remind players that they can avoid “I dunno what went wrong here,

9
killing a person by “pulling their punches” – but somethin’ made that guy snap. I
choosing not to do a lethal amount of damage. ‘preciate you guys handling the situa-
Due to his Adrenaline Rush, the amount tion with such, uh, practicality,” says
of damage the man must take in a single hit the barkeep. “Ordina’ly I wouldn’t ask
before an appropriate wound is recorded is a patron to do me no favors, but you
increased by 1. For example, a normal char- look like you can handle yourselves.
acter that takes 3 damage from a single hit I’ve got a job for ya, if yer up for it.”
would normally receive a Hurt wound, but
this man would only receive a Scratched
wound. This is reflected in the “Wound Lev- Try to guide players toward hearing out
els” section of his traits list, above. his proposition. If they do, he tells the play-
ers that he doesn’t trust the police to han-
dle these sorts of violent events at his bar.
After the Fight There’s too much paperwork and he doesn’t
Once the lunatic has been subdued (or have insurance, so he tries to keep a low
killed, though murder is still frowned upon profile.
even if it is done in self-defense), the players
are free to investigate what happened. It is

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He tells the players that this isn’t the first Chip Stop
time he’s heard of this sort of thing happen- Chip Stop is a popular chain of cyber-
ing. His own daughter flipped out a few shops that specialize in minor implants.
nights ago and was hauled off by a couple They do not do limb replacements, bio-
government drones. He’s not allowed to ware, or other forms of more intense up-
have any contact with her and he doesn’t grades. Rather, they deal only in microchip
know what happened. All he does know is implants. Their motto is “In and out in an
that this guy went nuts the same way she hour or your next one’s half off.” This is
did and he suspects something’s the matter. common knowledge that may be imparted
The barkeep offers to pay each of the to the players.
players a Good amount of Wealth for their Entering the storefront, players see a
troubles. He wants to know what’s happen- waiting room filled with people from every
ing that caused both his daughter and this background. Most are too focused on their
man to go berserk. Assuming they accept, personal tablets to pay attention to any new
he’ll provide a description of his daughter person that walks through the door. Every
and impart the only clue he has to go on in few minutes a nurse enters the lobby and
regards to the incident: calls a name, which causes them to momen-
tarily stop what they’re doing and pay at-
“My daughter and I both got those tention.
new Flavorizers just a few days ago, Just as frequently, new patients leave the
down at the Chip Stop. This guy’s been back room with smiling faces. They have
talking all day about how great it is to a nano-food lollipop in their mouths and
know what food tastes like, so I ‘sume seem thrilled that it has a unique and deli-
he’s just got one too. Now I dunno if cious flavor. Everyone in this waiting room
that means nothin’, but it sure seems is here for a Flavorizer implant, which the
fishy to me. I just hope that we’re not players can gather by talking up the clien-
all going to wind up at the funny farm tele.
because of these things.” Behind the front desk is a harried wom-
an who seems to be having trouble keeping
If the players had searched the man’s be- up with the commotion around the office.
longings earlier, they’ll note that “Chip Stop” She’s the only employee readily available to
speak to, but doesn’t seem to take much no-
9
was the name on his Flavorizer receipt.
tice of the players until they approach.

The Investigation “Name?” she asks, as you approach,

Begins not even taking time to make eye con-
tact. The woman seems flustered with
After you’ve hooked the players into the abundance of activity in the wait-
investigating the mysterious and sudden ing area. “First and last, please.”
surges of violence in otherwise docile peo-
ple, they can begin investigating the mat-
ter. Their only clue so far is that two people If given a name, she types it into her ter-
who have received Flavorizer implants at minal, then looks up at the player (or play-
Chip Stop have gone insane. Players should ers) who gave it to her.
follow this clue and head down to Chip Stop
to ask questions.

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 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

matter, but will do so only if the players suc-

“No appointment record,” she ceeded at the above skill check. The appoint-
states. “We’re booked this week. If you ment will be set for two weeks from today.
come back early next week we may be Players can attempt a Superb Computer
able to squeeze you in, or you can ac- Security check to break into Chip Stop’s data-
cess our scheduler on the ‘Net.” base and alter the date, but not while in sight
of the woman (note that Chip Stop has no re-
cords in their database about the Flavorizer
The players are obviously not there for malfunctions; snooping players will find only
an appointment and should mention as that certain people have or have not received
much. Any time they try to ask her a ques- an implant from Chip Stop recently.)
tion she tries to shoo them away, consis- Even if the players succeeded on their
tently repeating that they don’t have an ap- skill check, she doesn’t offer any more infor-
pointment and to come back next week or mation than they ask for (unless she is un-
schedule on the ‘Net. der a mind control effect, in which case she
Players may attempt any number of skill will happily comply with everything they
checks to try to get the woman to talk to ask.) If players manage to schedule an ap-
them. Any Social or Manipulation skill will pointment to talk to a chip-doc or manager,
do, as will the mind control power. Because they can either come back in the scheduled
she’s overwhelmed and not in any mood to time or hack into the company’s database to
waste time answering questions, the diffi- alter their appointments.
culty for the skill check is Great. If the players choose to wait out their
Players may attempt this skill check as appointment date, see “Waiting for an Ap-
many as three times using a different skill pointment,” below. If they successfully
or method each time. If they fail the third altered their appointment dates, skip to
time, she becomes slightly more hostile to- “Meeting with Management,” below.
ward the players. She begrudgingly agrees
to answer their questions, but only with the
most basic information possible. Waiting for an
Appointment
9
• Depending on the questions asked, she
may have the following information to
If the characters choose to wait out their
tell the players:
appointment time, they may lose valuable
• Chip Stop has been overwhelmed with
days in their investigation. During this wait-
customers seeking Flavorizer chips
ing period, they should receive clues about
• MarkeTech offers a 1-year limited war-
the events surrounding the issue.
ranty on all chips sold
Rumors on the street are that people
• Records of current and former clients
have been flipping out at random all over
are strictly confidential
the country. These events haven’t made the
The chip seems to be having side-effects
news and no official sources have addressed
on a very small percentage of clients, but
the issue. Nobody seems to be linking the
she is not at liberty to discuss what those
occurrences to the Flavorizer implants, but
are (she will provide this information only
people are getting suspicious about what’s
if the PCs made a successful skill check)
happening.
Players cannot talk to a chip-doc or upper
Feel free to come up with another en-
management without an appointment. She
counter wherein the PCs experience an en-
will schedule an appointment for the play-
raged citizen. You may use the statistics for
ers to speak with a doc or her boss about the

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the lunatic from Combat Encounter 1, above, In either case, when one or more char-
but feel free to set the encounter anywhere acters are being lead into the back room,
you choose. If the PCs search that person, read the following:
they too will have a Chip Stop receipt for a
Flavorizer implant.
If the PCs return to the Chip Stop before “You’re led into the back room by
their appointment date, the woman remem- a surly nurse who looks like she’s been
bers them and depending on their success overworked and underpaid – but isn’t
in dealing with her earlier will be more or that life for all of us? As she leads you
less inclined to fudge a new appointment for into the office you catch glimpses of
them. The characters may attempt to make chrome machinery in several rooms,
a Great Social or Manipulation skill check each occupied by another patient.
or mind control check to request that they Business is certainly booming.
see a chip-doc or manager immediately, but The nurse leads you into a room
the difficulty increases to Superb if they had and asks you to take a seat. ‘He’ll be
failed to influence her before. If successful, with you momentarily,’ she says, and
she will give them an immediate appoint- hastens back toward the waiting area
ment (skip to “Meeting with Management”). to call the next patient.
Otherwise, they will have to continue to You’re kept waiting for only a few
wait out their time and she will not allow short minutes before a man enters the
them another try even if they return again room and addresses you.”
another day.
If unsuccessful, tell the PCs that a few
days pass and then continue to “Meeting When speaking with the characters, try
with Management.” to keep in mind who they’re talking to (a
chip-doc or upper management) and how
many characters are in the room and act
Meeting with accordingly. Feel free to add your own fla-
Management vor – the doc preps a work station, with scis-
sors to trim away hair around the brow, a
If players were successful at scheduling scalpel to make incisions, and so forth. Chip
a meeting with a chip-doc, only one of them Stop isn’t posh, but it’s a much more sterile
will be called back (perhaps one at a time, if environment than any back-alley street doc
9
they chose to make appointments for each the players may have visited before.
character). Players will interact one-on-one • At some point the players will discuss
with the chip-doc who will, after his prep the Flavorizer issues and their concerns
work begins (remember the characters about the chip. The chip-doc/manage-
are supposed to be there to get an implant) ment personnel can tell them the follow-
tell the customer that they already have a ing:
Flavorizer; this should prompt discussion • Business has been fantastic since the in-
about the character’s actual motives for be- troduction of the Flavorizer. Chip Stop
ing there. even has a tally of how many they’ve in-
If instead the characters were able to stalled nationwide, and the most recent
secure a meeting with upper management, count is around 1.89 billion
they will be called as a group into a man- • MarkeTech introduced the Flavorizer
ager’s office to speak with him about their about a year ago and it has the whole
concerns. nation talking

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• The NAU government has subsidized the ous message sent to one of the PCs on their
cost of the Flavorizer, making them af- tablet by an anonymous person with no
fordable even for the average citizen traceable reply-to address:
• The Flavorizer is completely harmless
(characters adept at spotting falsehoods
can detect that this is a lie) “I know you’re investigating the
• Roughly 1% of users experience some Flavorizer defects. Come to Warehouse
form of mental instability (this informa- 9 at 11:00 p.m. and you’ll get your an-
tion is only offered if pressed, and only if swers.”
the players succeed at a Good skill check
to Manipulate/control the NPC)
• MarkeTech may have worked directly You can let the PCs speculate over the
with the NAU government to create this intent of this anonymous message, but ulti-
device (Great difficulty) mately try to steer them toward Warehouse
• A man named Dr. Rutherford Watkins is 9.
credited as the designer of the Flavoriz- If the PCs were successful in getting in-
er (Superb difficulty) formation from someone at Chip Stop, they
• Users who experience side-effects be- still need to find the precise warehouse.
come irrationally violent and attack They can attempt to hack computers, use
friends, family, co-workers, and even Astral Projection to listen in on someone’s
random strangers; when possible, these conversation without being seen, mind con-
subjects are hauled off to a government trol management, or any number of other
holding facility (Great difficulty) things. Let them be creative and try to work
There is a nearby holding facility in the with them, but ultimately lead them to
warehouse district, but not even loved-ones Warehouse 9 in the warehouse district.
are allowed to know of or visit it (Superb Eventually the players will arrive at
difficulty) Warehouse 9. The building is rather non-
This is all of the pertinent information descript; its windows are painted over and
that the NPC is able to provide. If the char- it has a barbed wire fence surrounding it.
Vicious-looking dogs patrol the land be-

9
acters manage to gather all of the informa-
tion, their next logical step would be to visit tween the fence and the building. A guard
the warehouse district or to at least attempt post stands at the single gated entrance.
to find out which warehouse is being used
as a holding facility. Getting Inside
Players are usually creative and have
Warehouse 9 a wide variety of tools at their disposal to
help them enter places where they are not
wanted. It would be impossible to write de-
Finding the Warehouse tailed scenarios for every conceivable op-
tion that the characters have, so try to be
If the characters were not successful in creative and work with the players when
getting information that Flavorizer defect- they come up with an interesting solution
ees were being kept in a warehouse hold- for getting inside the warehouse.
ing facility, you have the option of trying • To help you provide a few options for the
to come up with some additional means of players, describe the following aspects
them gathering that info. One simple but ef- of the warehouse to them. Whatever
fective method would be to use a mysteri-

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 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

check they decide to make, the difficulty Inside the warehouse

for the task is Superb. If they fail, allow
them to try again using a different meth- Once inside, the players’ task is ulti-
od (even if that means returning a week mately to discover what is going on with the
later after they’ve escaped certain death Flavorizer and the people supposedly being
and have waited for the heat to cool off!). held. It will take a bit of snooping for them
• The warehouse is three stories tall, with to discover the real secret behind the events
only one apparent entrance that have been uncovered thus far.
• The windows are painted over but not There are a few key locations that the
boarded up players can explore, but they may need to
• Three vicious-looking dogs patrol the get clearance to do so.
grounds (dogs have ODFs and DDFs of
+3 each, if the PCs wish to attack/subdue Above-Ground Levels
them) • Warehouse Entrance/Lobby. Unless al-
• The barbed wire fence is about 10 feet lowed entrance by gate guards, a desk
tall and ten yards separate it and the clerk will question them as to their pres-
building ence. The difficulty to persuade him/her
Two guards man the booth at the gated is Superb, while the difficulty to sneak
entrance; they will not let anyone in with- past is Wonderful. Players encounter
out appropriate ID (Superb Forgery check this room if they entered through the
could produce ID for the party, but no front door.
amount of bluffing, acting, or lying will let • Generic room/empty closet. If the play-
them through without ID; mind control may ers entered through a broken window
help, though) they will enter a small room that is non-
Given the information about the area, descript and typical of a warehouse. It
players will have options to talk to and ma- may be a storage room for shipping box-
nipulate the guards, sneak over the fence es, cargo containers, etc. All boxes are
and past the dogs, or try any number of oth- empty and unmarked.
er ideas they may come up with. Again, the • Production Floor: Large machinery,

9
difficulty for checks to succeed at whatever conveyor belts, and robotic arms stand
task they try to perform in this area is Su- lifeless on the production floor. It looks
perb. Players may have to make several dif- as if nothing has been manufactured
ferent types of checks (climbing, sneaking, here in months. This large room is re-
attack, bluff, forgery, etc.) to get through. sponsible for the majority of the floor
If the dogs start barking, they must be space dedicated to the building.
put down in a single round or the guards Production Floor Platforms: A runway
will come to investigate. If the guards are wraps around the production floor on lev-
attacked (or see the dogs being attacked), els two and three of the building. There are
they will immediately sound the alarm small storage rooms on each floor that con-
and a large number of reinforcements will tain machine parts, some in more advanced
start to arrive within just three rounds. PCs stages of production than others. Stairs lead
would be wise to escape and come back lat- from the bottom level to the second and
er, rather than try to fight with every single third levels.
person in the building.

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 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

The warehouse appears to be a generic successfully use an appropriate skill or

manufacturing facility for some sort of ma- power (Lockpicking, hacking, electroki-
chinery. When players explore the above- nesis, etc.) with a difficulty of Wonder-
ground levels, it appears to be just another ful. Each room requires its own check.
warehouse. Curiously, it doesn’t appear to • Players attempting to shut down all pow-
have been operating for some time. er to the site (and thus circumvent the
Players must discover a pass card to the electronic locks) must succeed on an As-
lower levels, which are only accessible via tonishing hacking check.
an elevator near the lobby. The desk clerk • The first time the characters enter a
has a pass card, but will not part with it room, they find no living being. Instead,
for any reason. If bribed, he/she will ap- they find signs that someone had been
pear interested only to vehemently decline. held captive here, but obviously strug-
If pressed, the clerk lets slip that he fears gled. Scratches on the walls, burst re-
repercussion from the government. He im- straints, drops of blood, and other appro-
mediately regrets mentioning the govern- priate signs of struggle litter the room.
ment and refuses to discuss them anymore. Obviously nobody has taken the time to
An Extraordinary Manipulation or Social clean up the mess.
check may get the clerk to loosen up a bit, The second time the characters enter a
but all he knows is that the warehouse was room, they find an enraged lunatic who at-
commandeered about three months ago tacks them on sight, babbling incoherently.
and people have been taken below ground Use the same attributes for Defectees out-
and held there as if it were a prison. lined under The Final Encounter, below.
If the clerk is subdued without security Eventually the players enter a larger
being alerted, players may lift the pass cardroom where several victims of the Flavoriz-
and gain access to the elevator. If the clerker malfunction are being held in restraints.
feels threatened and alerts security, the menEach appears to be struggling against their
from outside (if not already dealt with) willbonds as a variety of machines attempt to
arrive to fight the players. In either case, the
hold them still and perform tests on them.
elevator will lock down and must be forced In the far corner of the room stands a

9
open (via lockpicking, computer hacking, man wearing a lab coat, his focus on a com-
ghosting, etc.). puter terminal. One of his two pairs of arms
The clerk’s traits are Great and the dif-makes gestures at the terminal’s screen
ficulty to get into the elevator (if it is locked
while the other set holds a comm tablet
down) is Superb. into which he occasionally enters notes. He
seems oblivious to the players’ presence at
Warehouse Basement first, but as soon as one of them makes a
• In the warehouse basement, players move he turns to address them.
unravel the mysteries behind the Fla-
vorizer freak-outs. Electronically locked “You aren’t supposed to be down
and sealed metal doors hide victims of here. No, no you’re not. I’d ask for an
Flavorizer malfunctions, though sound- explanation, but I’m simply much too
proof and windowless rooms mask their busy. You see, all of my hands are full.”
presence.
• Each of the rooms in the basement is
electronically locked, sealed, and sound-
proof. To enter a room, players must

180
 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

The scientist is not interested in excuses

or interacting with the players. He has or-
ders to cover up what he is doing and to re- Defectees (2 + 1 / 2 players)
move any unauthorized personnel by force. Total ODFs: +4
Regardless of whether or not the players Total DDFs: +0

9
attempt to negotiate with him, he attacks Combat (Melee): Great
them without so much as a response. Specialization: Dirty Fighting (May re-
roll one dice when punching, clawing,
biting, etc.)
The Final Encounter Gifts: Adrenaline Rush (may take more
His last act before attacking the play- damage than a normal person before
ers is to initiate a command to let the test feeling it)
subjects loose. These Defectees are enraged Faults: Enraged (cannot be talked
and insane like the lunatic from the bar, down; always uses Aggressive posture,
and they will attack whoever is closest to already factored into their traits)
them (note: this may be other Defectees, the Weapons: Fists, fingernails, feet, teeth
players, or the scientist). Defectees should Wound Levels: 1-3 (Scratched), 4-5
pose a physical threat to the players and be (Hurt), 6-7 (Very Hurt), 8-9 (Incapaci-
a nuisance as they get in the way. tated), 10+ (Near Death); can sustain
There are two Defectees, plus an addi- only one wound per wound level (in-
tional one for every two players at the table. cluding Scratched)
So if there are six players, there will be five
Defectees.

181
 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

Barkeep’s Daughter Players will likely notice that the scien-

In addition to the other Defectees, there tist is controlling these robots with his tab-
is a young girl, perhaps eleven or twelve let and attempt to disarm or destroy it. At-
years old, among the test subjects. She is as tempting to shoot the tablet or target it with
enraged and bloodthirsty as the rest of the a psionic attack imposes a -2 penalty on the
subjects but can be positively identified as character’s ODFs and the scientist gets a
the daughter of the barkeep. It is up to the chance to resist as normal with his DDFs of
players to decide whether or not to take her +4. It takes two successful attacks to destroy
alive. the tablet, but the scientist takes a -1 pen-
alty on his Technology checks after it has
taken one hit.
Barkeep’s Daughter With his other two arms he may defend
Total ODFs: +2 himself, shoot his gun, or perform another
Total DDFs: -2 action that doesn’t take much concentra-
Combat (Melee): Fair tion.
Specialization: Dirty Fighting (May re-
roll one dice when punching, clawing,
biting, etc.) The Scientist
Gifts: Adrenaline Rush (may take more Total ODFs: +4
damage than a normal person before Total DDFs: +4
feeling it) Technology: Superb
Faults: Enraged (cannot be talked Specialization: Robotics
down; always uses Aggressive posture, Combat (Ranged): Great
already factored into their traits) Gifts: Extra Arms (has a pair of me-
Weapons: Fists, fingernails, feet, teeth chanical arms which allow him to take
Wound Levels: 1-3 (Scratched), 4-5 additional actions each round)
(Hurt), 6-7 (Very Hurt), 8-9 (Incapaci- Faults: Government property (extra
tated), 10+ (Near Death); can sustain arms were paid for by the government,
only one wound per wound level (in- so he must do what they say or suffer

9 cluding Scratched) severe consequences)

Weapons: Large handgun, tablet that
controls robotic equipment
The Scientist Luck Points: 1
Wound Levels: 1-2 (Scratched), 3-4
The scientist stands at the back of the
(Hurt), 5-6 (Very Hurt), 7-8 (Incapaci-
room and does his best to avoid being in-
tated), 9+ (Near Death); has a full
jured. He will actively move away from the
wound track
Defectees and will take cover behind ma-
chinery if necessary.
He has full command of the testing ma-
chines from his tablet and can use them to
get in the way of the characters, to attempt
to inject them with neurotoxins and mood
stabilizers, and so forth. Each round he can
issue a command to one piece of machin-
ery, which can swivel and move into posi-
tion to attack a character.

182
 Sample Adventure: Brain.net

Robots and Machinery The Dust Settles

A wide variety of machines dots the If the players successfully subdue the
room, each with its own extendable arms scientist and the Defectees, they have a few
and tendril-like injectors. Each round the minutes to obtain as much information
scientist may direct one of these to attack as possible before they need to escape. If
a character. Use his Technology [Robot- they haven’t destroyed his tablet it may be
ics] skill in place of ODFs for the robots. For a good source of information and one they
example, rather than making an attack roll can take with them as evidence.
with a Combat skill, he would roll his Tech- The computer terminal has a Superb dif-
nology skill instead. This check is still op- ficulty for any attempt to hack it (via the
posed by the target character’s Body check Technology skill, cyberpsi, or some other
to determine success. method). If players manage to successfully
If a robot makes a successful attack hack the terminal, they can obtain all of the
against a character, it may inject one of information necessary to learn about the
the following types of chemicals. You may Flavorizer cover-up.
choose which one, or roll randomly to de- It is up to the players to decide what to
cide. do with the information they obtain, and to
the GM to craft future scenarios to accom-
Serum modate their goals.
Roll Serum Effect Remember to tie up loose ends after the
- Sleep Inducer Great Mind encounter. If the players accepted the bar-
check or become keep’s offer to pay them for information
drowsy,-2 to all about his daughter, they can return to him
Skill checks for two to collect. If they killed his daughter in the
hours fight, that may add complications to their
relationship. Use your best judgment and
0 Mood Great Mind check
creativity to decide how to handle things
Stabilizer or become docile;
from here.
can check again

+ Neurotoxin
each round
Great Body check
or be paralyzed
9
after three rounds

Players may attack the robots, but it may

prove futile to do so. There are an equal
number of robots as there are Defectees (2
+ 1 per 2 players) and each has DDFs of +5
with a normal wound track.

183
Appendices
 Appendix I: Adventure Seed Generator

Appendix I: Adventure Seed Generator

Use the following collection of tables to Step 5: On the Action chart, place finger
help spur some creativity when crafting an on Locate. Roll 2dF. Result: +, -. Move finger
adventure. one space Right and one space Left (finger
moves back to Locate.) Roll 2dF again. Re-
Instructions sult: -, -. Finger moves down twice, landing
1. Place your finger on the center cell of on Negotiate With. Record that result.
the “”Employer”” section (highlighted in Repeat Step 5 until you have made a se-
grey for convenience). lection on all of the tables and recorded the
2. Roll 2dF. Move your finger Left for results for each.
each - result, Right for each + result, and Step 6. Put them all together:
leave it still for each Blank result. Employer: Mercenary Corp
3. Roll 2dF. Move your finger Down for Action: Negotiate With
each - result, Up for each + result, and Target: Criminal
leave it still for each Blank result. Opposition: Police
4. Record the selection. Opposition’s Strength/Powers: Control
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4, each time Animate
moving to the next table until you have Complication: Betrayal
made a selection from each chart. Location: Astral Plane
The sum of all of your results is the ad- Fill it all in: A mercenary corps has hired
venture seed. Fill in the details with your the players to negotiate with a criminal
own ideas to get the adventure starter. who is hiding out on the Astral Plane. He’s
a powerful criminal, and if they can get him
to side with them they would have a Super
Example
ally. However, the police are hot on his trail,
Step 1: Place finger on “”Gang.”” and it is suspected that one of the mercs is
Step 2: Roll 2dF. Result: +, Blank. Move leaking information to them (Betrayal) re-
finger Right one space. garding the job. To make things worse, the
Step 3: Roll 2dF. Result: -, Blank. Move police have assigned a changeling (Control
finger Down one space. Animate) to the operation and it will be dif-
Step 4: Record Mercenary Corps as the ficult to tell the actual target apart from the
Employer.

A
shape-shifted cop.

Adventure Tables
Employer
Magicorp Chip Stop Law Firm Research Facility Macroware
Street Doc Small Business Corporation Dealer Shady Figure
Street Banker Fixer Gang Crime Lord Ghost Cartel
Police Military Your Government Mercenary Corps Rich Businessman
Security Agency Food Smugglers Rival Government Former Ally Celebrity

185
 Appendix I: Adventure Seed Generator

Action
Create Decrypt Erase Download Encrypt
Rescue Attack Defend Control Escort
Observe Conceal Locate Retrieve Deliver
Counteract Assist Discuss Investigate Change
Testify Against Trade With Negotiate With Blackmail Modify Memory
Target
Corporate Exec Gang Boss Rich Businessman Celebrity Foreign Leader
Crime Lord Criminal Corporate Citizen Government Agent Rebels
Vehicle Information Equipment Rare Materials Magic Devices
Data Center Shipment Package Dosier Classified Docs
Satellite Computer Network Gov’t Network Classified Docs Real Food
Opposition
Psi-hunter Street Banker Gang Mad Scientist Soul Jacker
Wraith Thief Hacker Spy Ghost
Lunatic Terrorists Military The Mob Rebels
Vigilante Corporation Police Government Lunatic
Foreign Power Bounty Hunter Corporate Hitmen Assassin Astral Being
Opposition’s Strengths/Powers
Photokinesis Pyrokinesis Telekinesis Cryokinesis Elecctrokinesis
Technology Wealth Reputation Influence Astral Defense
ESP Cyberware Sonarkinesis Magic Knows Secrets
Antipsi Technology Weapons Knowledge Skills Cyber Defense
Mind Control Telepathy Control Animate Control Inanimate Psychometry
Complication
Identity Checkpoint Travel Cyberware Glitches Theft Foreign Borders
Rivalry Mistaken Identity Double-cross Power Struggle In-fighting

A
Tight Security Riots Politics Ambush Media Attention
Betrayal Rivalry Red Herring Bereaucracy Explosion
Disaster Money Legal Trouble Psychicly Hidden Shapechanger
Location
Military Base Outside of Town Landmark Bank The ‘Net
Mob Hideout Prison Downtown Research Facility Gang Territory
Strip Mall Warehouse Business District Corporate HQ The Docks
Airport Subway Ghetto Mansion Another City
Foreign Country Nightclub/Bar Museum Rooftop Astral Plane

186
 Appendix II: Fudge Dice

Appendix II: For example, Aaron rolls 4d6 and gets

the following result: 3, 6, 4, 1. By comparing
Fudge Dice his results to this chart, he notes the follow-
ing:
Psi-punk uses “Fudge Dice” for deter- 3 = 0, 6 = +, 4 = 0, 1 = -. Adding it all
mining rolls and checks made in the game. up, Aaron’s overall result is 0.
These are dice specifically designed for
the FUDGE Roleplaying Engine and can be Fudge Dice Conversion Chart
found online or at many Friendly Local
Rolled on 1d6 Fudge Dice Equivalent
Gaming Stores (FLGSs).
5 or 6 +
If you do not have a set of Fudge Dice,
you can substitute them for four six-sided 3 or 4 0
dice (4d6) which are commonly found in 1 or 2 -
board games and used for a wide variety of
other roleplaying games. This is a simple way to convert Abysmal
When rolling 4d6, simply use the follow- d6s into Astonishing Fudge Dice “on the fly.”
ing conversion chart to determine whether
or not a roll was a + a 0 or a -.

187
 Appendix III: Open Game License v. 1.0a

Appendix III: Open Game License Version 1.0a

The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The
is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not con-
Reserved. stitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The
1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall
trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity.
(b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must
derivative works and translations (including into other computer clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distribut-
languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, ing are Open Game Content.
upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may pub-
which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) lish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized
“Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open
publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Game Content originally distributed under any version of this Li-
Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, pro- cense.
cedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not
10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License
embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior
with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game
Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this Li- 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the
cense, including translations and derivative works under copyright Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You
law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Iden- have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
tity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying 12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any
marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open
storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regu-
artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, lation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.
concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or au- 13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You
dio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach
enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and spe- within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses
cial abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equip- shall survive the termination of this License.
ment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or
14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be un-
graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark
enforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent
clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product
necessary to make it enforceable.
Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content;
(f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs 15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Fudge System Reference Document Copyright 2005, Grey Ghost
Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, Press, Inc.; Authors Steffan O’Sullivan and Ann Dupuis, with addi-
copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Deriva- tional material by Peter Bonney, Deird’Re Brooks, Reimer Behrends,
tive Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the Shawn Garbett, Steven Hammond, Ed Heil, Bernard Hsiung, Sedge
licensee in terms of this agreement. Lewis, Gordon McCormick, Kent Matthewson, Peter Mikelsons, An-
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that thony Roberson, Andy Skinner, Stephan Szabo, John Ughrin., Dmitri
contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only Zagidulin.
be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a Psi-punk Copyright 2012, Accessible Games; Author Jacob Wood
notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be
In accordance with the Open Game License Section 8 “Identifica-
added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the
tion” the following designate Open Game Content and Product
License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any
Identity:
Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indi-
cate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
OPEN GAME CONTENT
A 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use
this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide,
royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this Li-
cense to Use, the Open Game Content.
The contents of this document are declared Open Game Content
except for the portions specifically declared as Product Identity
(see below).
5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing
original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your PRODUCT IDENTITY
Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient
All artwork, logos, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations,
rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
maps and cartography, likenesses, and other graphics, unless spe-
6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NO- cifically identified as Open Game Content, are considered Product
TICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPY- Identity.
RIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modify-
ing or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, Nathan Hunter and all other Non-Player Characters with names
and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any specified in any part of the game’s History or elsewhere are like-
original Open Game Content you Distribute. wise considered Product Identity, as are names of corporations,
governments, or other entities, including but not limited to Magi-
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity,
corp, Price-Less, NFC Global, the North American Union, etc.
including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly li-
censed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each All content in the game’s Introduction and in Chapter 1: The
element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compat- World of Psi-punk are considered Product Identity. Brain.Net, the
ibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trade- sample adventure, is likewise considered Product Identity.
mark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content
except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement

188
 Index

Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 86 Gutterware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Unopposed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Hacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Opposed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95, 97
Antipsi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 86
Archetype. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Key Attribute (Psionics) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102, 104
Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52, 53 Luck Points (LP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 38
Astral Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144, 146 Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 55, 102, 122
Astral Projection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Material Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Attacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Maximum Effective Range (Range). . . . . . . . . 90
Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 31 Melee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Primary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Melee Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Mental Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119, 132
Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Mind Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120, 132
Persona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Minimum Required to Hit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 88
Secondary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Natural Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 76
Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Net (Internet) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Dexterity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Offensive Damage Factors (ODFs) . . . . . . . 84, 93
Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Photokinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Power Rating (PR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 122
Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Powerful NPCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Psijacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Linked Psionic Power (Power) . . . . . . 7, 39, 91, 102, 104
Bioware (see Cybernetics) Psychokinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Build Points (BP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 33 Psychometabolism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 75 Psychometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Check Result . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 75, 76 Pyrokinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Combat Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Range Difficulty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Control Animate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Control Inanimate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Rate of Fire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Cost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Reload (Firearms) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Cracking (Hacking) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Repute (Repute Check) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Cryokinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Reroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Cybernetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39, 58 Roll (see Check)
Cyberpsi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107, 137 Round (Combat Round) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Cyberware (see Cybernetics) Skill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 33-35
Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 93 Sonarkinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Death (Dying). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Soul Jacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125, 131
Defending. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Streetware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Defensive Damage Factors (DDFs) . . . . . . 84, 94 Telekinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Degree of Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 76 Telepathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Difficulty Level (Difficulty) . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 157 Trade-Offs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Electrokinesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 137 Trait Ladder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 75
Empathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Trait Level (Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 75
ESP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Premonition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 66
Precognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 67
Fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 37 Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 67
Ghost. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 68
Ghosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136, 139 Durability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65, 68
Gift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 36 Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Glitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 81-82
Grenades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Weapons (See Guns, Melee Weapons)
Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 45-47 Wound (Wound Level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 91, 94

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