TEXT: 1 
  a 
  creation 
  
  2 
  Nova, the Universal Game Engine
  Nova, the Universal Game Engine
  Nova, the Universal Game Engine
  Nova, the Universal Game Engine    
      Created by George Chatzipetros
  Created by George Chatzipetros
  Created by George Chatzipetros
  Created by George Chatzipetros    
      Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net
      Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net
      Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net
      Contact me at neonblue@GameBox.net    
      Watch out for sourcebooks and 
  Watch out for sourcebooks and 
  Watch out for sourcebooks and 
  Watch out for sourcebooks and     
      updates at http
      updates at http
      updates at http
      updates at http://members.xoom.com/
  ://members.xoom.com/
  ://members.xoom.com/
  ://members.xoom.com/    
      sidhe7
      sidhe7
      sidhe7
      sidhe7    
   
  A
  A
  A
  An elegant, flexible, exciting 
  n elegant, flexible, exciting 
  n elegant, flexible, exciting 
  n elegant, flexible, exciting 
  game system, designed to su
  game system, designed to su
  game system, designed to su
  game system, designed to sup-
  p-
  p-
  p-
  port a variety of settings and 
  port a variety of settings and 
  port a variety of settings and 
  port a variety of settings and 
  games and suit the GM’s 
  games and suit the GM’s 
  games and suit the GM’s 
  games and suit the GM’s 
  needs. 
  needs. 
  needs. 
  needs. Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova uses only one type 
  uses only one type 
  uses only one type 
  uses only one type 
  of dice (D6) and one way of 
  of dice (D6) and one way of 
  of dice (D6) and one way of 
  of dice (D6) and one way of 
  rolling them. It will be su
  rolling them. It will be su
  rolling them. It will be su
  rolling them. It will be sup-
  p-
  p-
  p-
  ported with a variety of su
  ported with a variety of su
  ported with a variety of su
  ported with a variety of sup-
  p-
  p-
  p-
  plements to expand its cap
  plements to expand its cap
  plements to expand its cap
  plements to expand its capa-
  a-
  a-
  a-
  bil
  bil
  bil
  biliiiities to many different genres 
  ties to many different genres 
  ties to many different genres 
  ties to many different genres 
  of role
  of role
  of role
  of role----playing.
  playing.
  playing.
  playing.    
  
  3 
  Contents
  Contents
  Contents
  Contents    
  Character Basics……..4
  Character Basics……..4
  Character Basics……..4
  Character Basics……..4    
  Attributes………………...4 
  Attribute generation……4 
  Skills……………………...4 
  Basic skills………………..5 
  Determining skills……….5 
  Secondary Attr…………..9 
  Constitution……………..9 
  Stamina…………………10 
  Defense…………………10 
  Personality traits………10 
   
  The Engine Core...…12
  The Engine Core...…12
  The Engine Core...…12
  The Engine Core...…12    
  Modifiers……………….12 
  Movement………..……12 
  Decrepitude…………….13 
  Checks…………………..14 
  Attribute checks………..14 
  Skill checks……………...14 
  Complex checks………..14 
  Experience………………14 
  Limits in attribute devel-
  opment…………………15 
   
  Combat……………..16
  Combat……………..16
  Combat……………..16
  Combat……………..16    
  Initiative………………...l6 
  Surprise………………….16 
  Attack…………………...16 
  Damage.………………..17 
  Armor…………………..17 
  Weapons………………..17 
  Ranged weapons………17 
  Close combat weapons..17 
  Automatic weapons……18 
  Explosives………………18 
  Close combat weapons..18 
  Physical attacks…………18 
  Combat modifiers…..…19 
   
  Hazards…………….20
  Hazards…………….20
  Hazards…………….20
  Hazards…………….20    
  Falling…………………..20 
  Air………………………20 
  Fire..……………………20 
  Acid……………………..20 
  Radiation……………….20 
  Toxins…………………..21 
  Disease………………….22 
  Healing…………………23 
   
  Nova Lite…………..24
  Nova Lite…………..24
  Nova Lite…………..24
  Nova Lite…………..24    
  There are no targets num-
  ber but one!……………24 
  
  4 
      Character Basics
  Character Basics
  Character Basics
  Character Basics    
  AAAAttributes
  ttributes
  ttributes
  ttributes    
      
  Attributes are the general characteris-
  tics defining every being. They serve 
  as a measure of its abilities, strengths 
  and weaknesses. Because of this, they 
  are divided into three categories. 
  Physical attributes measure a charac-
  ter’s physical capabilities like strength 
  or dexterity. Mental attributes meas-
  ure the character’s intellectual abili-
  ties as well as his wit and will. Lastly, 
  Social attributes measure the charac-
  ter’s interaction with the environ-
  ment and other people. 
            There are ten attributes in to-
  tal: four physical, four Mental and 
  two Social. 
   
  Physical
  Physical
  Physical
  Physical    
  Conditioning: 
  Conditioning: 
  Conditioning: 
  Conditioning: Conditioning depends 
  on the character’s physical strength 
  and how well he can use it. 
  Litheness: 
  Litheness: 
  Litheness: 
  Litheness: Litheness measures a char-
  acter’s manual dexterity, agility and 
  flexibility. 
  Vitality: 
  Vitality: 
  Vitality: 
  Vitality: Vitality represents the char-
  acter’s resistance to physical damage, 
  as well as disease and poisons and 
  generally anything that can directly 
  harm the organism. 
  Reaction: 
  Reaction: 
  Reaction: 
  Reaction: Reaction shows the speed 
  and reflexes a character possesses. 
      
  Mental
  Mental
  Mental
  Mental    
  Intellect: 
  Intellect: 
  Intellect: 
  Intellect: A measure of the charac-
  ter’s intelligence. 
  Insight: 
  Insight: 
  Insight: 
  Insight: Insight is a lot more compli-
  cated an attribute than Intellect. It 
  represents the character’s knowledge 
  about himself and bout the world. In 
  short, it is what most people call wis-
  dom. 
  Determination: 
  Determination: 
  Determination: 
  Determination: Determination de-
  pends on the strength of the charac-
  ter’s will, his desire to overcome all 
  obstacles and emerge victorious from 
  any situation, to stand against any 
  opponent no matter the odds. 
  Presentiment: 
  Presentiment: 
  Presentiment: 
  Presentiment: Presentiment shows 
  the quality of the character’s senses 
  and also his perception and the 
  amount of information he receives 
  from the environment. 
   
  Social
  Social
  Social
  Social    
  Comeliness: 
  Comeliness: 
  Comeliness: 
  Comeliness: A measure of the physi-
  cal beauty of a character and the at-
  traction he causes. 
  Influence: 
  Influence: 
  Influence: 
  Influence: A measure of the charac-
  ter’s ability to influence and per-
  suade others through talking. It 
  shows well someone communicates 
  with the environment and other 
  people. 
  Every attribute has a rating consisting 
  of one or more numbers. The more 
  numbers the better, as the player 
  rolls more dice. Also, the lower a 
  number the greatest the chance of a 
  die coming up as a success. Examples 
  of attributes are 5, 45, 557 etc. 
  When referring to the number of 
  dice of an attribute (also called at-
  tribute dice), we mean the quantity 
  of numbers (eg an attribute with a 
  44 rating has two dice). 
            That said, the human average 
  is considered to be 5 for all attrib-
  utes. In the case of humans, there is a 
  limit of three dice in each of the 
  physical attributes. A human can’t be 
  too strong or extremely dexterous. 
   
  Skills
  Skills
  Skills
  Skills    
   
  Skills represent abilities of the charac-
  ter more specialised than attributes. 
  Skills depend on knowledge and in-
  formation attained by the character 
  through studying and practicing. 
  AAAAttribute generation
  ttribute generation
  ttribute generation
  ttribute generation    
  A starting character gets 17 
  “generation dice” to distribute 
  among the 10 attributes. Each 
  attribute must have at least one 
  die and may have up to three. 
  After all generation dice have 
  been assigned to attributes, 
  they are rolled to determine 
  their rating. 
  Example: Michael devotes two 
  generation dice to Vitality. He 
  rolls them, scoring 2 and 6. 
  This means that his Vitality will 
  be 46. 
  GMs can vary the amount of 
  starting generation dice to com-
  pensate for the difficulty of 
  their game. 
   
  Roll
  Roll
  Roll
  Roll    
  Rating
  Rating
  Rating
  Rating    
  1-2 
  6 
  3-4 
  5 
  5-6 
  4 
  
  5 
  They are divided in two general 
  categories: 
  •
  Talents 
  Talents 
  Talents 
  Talents are practical skills (like 
  brawling and climbing) that 
  mostly require practice rather 
  than theory or studying. 
  •
  Knowledges 
  Knowledges 
  Knowledges 
  Knowledges depend on exten-
  sive studying and the learning 
  of a theoretical background 
  (like medicine or physics). 
  Skills have a rating of 1 to 4. This 
  comes to play when the player at-
  tempts to make a skill check. A rating 
  of 1 belongs to a novice, while at 
  level 4 the character is considered to 
  be a master in that field of expertise.  
            The main difference between 
  talents and knowledges is that tal-
  ents, being practical skills, can be 
  used by all people, even by those 
  that don’t possess a rating in the skill 
  (simply use rating 0 when making 
  the skill check). Knowledges on the 
  other hand, can not be use by some-
  one who doesn’t possess a rating of 
  at least 1. 
            Some skills exist as specialisa-
  tions of more generic skills. These 
  skills are called subskills (eg genetics 
  is a subskill of biology). Subskills may 
  be purchased only if the character 
  already possesses the main skill at 
  rating 1 or better. 
            If a subskill is a talent and the 
  main skill is a talent too, you may 
  use the subskill even if you don’t 
  possess the main skill, but all rolls 
  suffer a +2 penalty. If the main skill 
  is a knowledge, you have to possess 
  it in order to use the subskill, even if 
  the subskill is a talent. 
   
  Basic Skills
  Basic Skills
  Basic Skills
  Basic Skills    
  It would be a futile task trying to as-
  semble a list of all the skills that 
  could be of use in every setting. This 
  is left to the imagination of the GM. 
  Below follows a list of important 
  skills that are of use in most of the 
  worlds. Knowledges are marked with 
  a “+” after the skill. All other skills 
  are talents. Subskills are marked with 
  an arrow. 
  Academics (INF): 
  Academics (INF): 
  Academics (INF): 
  Academics (INF): The character is 
  considered to be a skilled teacher 
  and this talent measures his ability to 
  pass his knowledge to his students. It 
  is an essential skill for anyone inter-
  ested in providing education. 
  Acting (INF): 
  Acting (INF): 
  Acting (INF): 
  Acting (INF): Using this talent, the 
  character can mimic someone else. 
  The result shows how good the mim-
  icry is. This skill is very useful when 
  trying to conceal your thoughts and 
  wishes by pretending to be think 
  something else. 
  Amb
  Amb
  Amb
  Ambush (INT): 
  ush (INT): 
  ush (INT): 
  ush (INT): Someone with this 
  skill is able to plan and perform an 
  ambush so as to surprise his enemies. 
  Each success modifies by +1 the 
  awareness check of the victim(s) 
  along with any other modifier that 
  may apply. 
  Archery (LIT): 
  Archery (LIT): 
  Archery (LIT): 
  Archery (LIT): This combat skill en-
  ables the character to use bows and 
  crossbows. 
  Armed combat (LIT): 
  Armed combat (LIT): 
  Armed combat (LIT): 
  Armed combat (LIT): This skill gov-
  erns combat with hand weapons of 
  any kind, from daggers to swords to 
  maces. 
  —> disarm: 
  disarm: 
  disarm: 
  disarm: This subskill enables the 
  character to perform disarming ma-
  neuvers with his hand weapons. A 
  disarming maneuver is a contest be-
  tween the disarming skill of the char-
  acter and the weapon skill of the op-
  ponent and replaces a normal attack 
  action (don’t use the weapons’ of-
  fense and defense ratings). If the 
  character wins the contest, he causes 
  DDDDetermining skills
  etermining skills
  etermining skills
  etermining skills    
  A starting character gets 20 
  “generation dice” to spend on 
  skills. Up to four dice can be 
  spent on a single skill. No dice 
  may be spent on a subskill if 
  you don’t devote at least one 
  die to the main skill. After all 
  dice have been distributed, de-
  termine the skill’s rating by fol-
  lowing the simple rule below: 
  •
  The first die in a skill 
  automatically gives rating 
  1. 
  •
  Extra dice (other than the 
  first) are rolled and if 
  they come up as 4-6 they 
  increase the skill rating by 
  one (to a maximum of 4 
  of course). Any other re-
  sult means the die is 
  wasted. 
  GMs may want to change this 
  procedure by giving more or 
  less skill dice to players or by 
  letting the players choose skills 
  that are related to their occupa-
  tion with some bonuses. 
  Skills are divided in talents and knowledges 
  
  6 
  the opponent to drop his weapon. 
  An opponent may also be disarmed 
  of a sidearm. 
  —> ambidexterity+: 
  ambidexterity+: 
  ambidexterity+: 
  ambidexterity+: Enables the 
  character to wield one weapon in 
  each hand and use them to attack 
  simultaneously in one action. Such a 
  character may make two close com-
  bat attacks per action or one attack 
  and one parry or two parries. Nor-
  mally, a character has a +1 penalty 
  with his good arm and a +3 penalty 
  with his off-hand. However, he may 
  use the rating of this subskill to attack 
  or parry with both weapons without 
  any penalty. In no case may this skill 
  have a greater rating than the gen-
  eral armed combat skill. 
  Armor operation (CON): 
  Armor operation (CON): 
  Armor operation (CON): 
  Armor operation (CON): Enables the 
  character to act freely when wearing 
  combat armor. The skill rating de-
  creases the encumbrance of the ar-
  mor (to a minimum of zero). This 
  skill is only used for normal armor; 
  powered armor suits require the ser-
  vomotors skill. 
  Art (INS)+: 
  Art (INS)+: 
  Art (INS)+: 
  Art (INS)+: The character has studied 
  the arts and knows various informa-
  tion about every possible subject. He 
  can be an art critic and judge the ar-
  tistic value of any piece of art he en-
  counters. 
  Awareness (PRE): 
  Awareness (PRE): 
  Awareness (PRE): 
  Awareness (PRE): Measures the abil-
  ity of the character to react quickly 
  in a surprising, dangerous situation. It 
  is especially used when a character 
  faces a surprising attack or other dan-
  gerous situation, to determine his 
  reaction. 
  Balance (LIT): 
  Balance (LIT): 
  Balance (LIT): 
  Balance (LIT): A measure of the char-
  acter’s ability to retain his balance 
  while performing difficult and unbal-
  ancing actions, such as acrobatics etc. 
  Brawling (LIT): 
  Brawling (LIT): 
  Brawling (LIT): 
  Brawling (LIT): This combat skill 
  measures the ability of the character 
  in unarmed physical combat, using 
  only his fists and kicks. Base damage 
  for an unarmed attack by a human is 
  6-kinetic (s). It is also used along 
  with weapons which fir on the fist, 
  like cesti, brassknuckles, gauntlets etc. 
  Finally, brawling can be used for per-
  forming grappling maneuvers. 
  —> martial arts+: 
  martial arts+: 
  martial arts+: 
  martial arts+: This subskill en-
  hances the power for strikes accom-
  plished by the character using this 
  skill in unarmed combat. Base dam-
  age is 4-kinetic (s). 
  —> wrestling+: 
  wrestling+: 
  wrestling+: 
  wrestling+: This subskill governs 
  grappling attacks. Although such at-
  tacks can be made through the 
  brawling skill, by using this special-
  ised skill you get to use its rating as 
  extra dice (at +1 cumulative) when 
  making the CON contest to deter-
  mines if your opponent breaks free 
  of your hold. 
  —> deadly+: 
  deadly+: 
  deadly+: 
  deadly+: The character is as-
  sumed to know where to strike his 
  opponent to cause permanent, crip-
  pling injuries. Base damage is 6-
  kinetic (this kind of attack causes 
  Constitution loss). 
  —> subdue+: 
  subdue+: 
  subdue+: 
  subdue+: The purpose of such 
  attacks is to subdue and incapacitate, 
  rather than kill the opponent. Dam-
  age is 66-kinetic (s) and is accom-
  plished by strikes at neuralgic, sensi-
  tive spots which stun the victim. 
  Bribe (INF): 
  Bribe (INF): 
  Bribe (INF): 
  Bribe (INF): The skill doesn’t actually 
  govern the attempt to bribe some-
  one; such a situation is resolved 
  through role-playing. rather, it gives 
  the character attempting the bribe 
  useful information, like if the target 
  can be bribed at all or what does he 
  want in return. 
  Calm (INF): 
  Calm (INF): 
  Calm (INF): 
  Calm (INF): The character attempts 
  to calm and soothe someone hostile 
  or in a bad psychological condition. 
  A success indicates that the character 
  manages to imbue the person with a 
  sense of safety and comfort. 
  Charm (COM): 
  Charm (COM): 
  Charm (COM): 
  Charm (COM): The ancient art of 
  flirting and charming persons of the 
  opposite sex (or, occasionally, of the 
  same). 
  ⇒
  seduce: 
  seduce: 
  seduce: 
  seduce: Seduction can become 
  a terrible tool of control in the 
  hands of those who know 
  how to use it. 
  Climb (LIT or CON): 
  Climb (LIT or CON): 
  Climb (LIT or CON): 
  Climb (LIT or CON): This skill is us-
  able in a lot of situations. It can be 
  used to scale walls, climb rocks etc. 
  The GM decides whether the situa-
  tion calls for a conditioning check 
  (where raw physical strength is all 
  that counts)  or a litheness one 
  (where agility gives the best advan-
  tage). 
  Disguise (INT): 
  Disguise (INT): 
  Disguise (INT): 
  Disguise (INT): The character can dis-
  guise himself so as to fool onlookers 
  and conceal his identity. Someone 
  who knows the character must score 
  more successes on a sight roll to rec-
  ognise him. 
  Dodge (LIT): 
  Dodge (LIT): 
  Dodge (LIT): 
  Dodge (LIT): This basic combat skill 
  is used to avoid blows and missiles. 
  Empathy (INS): 
  Empathy (INS): 
  Empathy (INS): 
  Empathy (INS): Empathy is a special 
  sense that reveals general informa-
  
  7 
  tion about a person the character 
  meets. The character can sense the 
  general nature of the person (except 
  if he’s concealing it too well) as well 
  as his personality and some informa-
  tion about his motives. 
  Endurance (VIT): 
  Endurance (VIT): 
  Endurance (VIT): 
  Endurance (VIT): Endurance is most 
  often used passively. After a difficult 
  and exerting task, like climbing a tall 
  wall or running up the stairs to the 
  20th floor, the GM might ask for an 
  endurance check to avoid the loss of 
  a stamina point. This skill can also be 
  used when a character is running or 
  sprinting. If he succeeds in an endur-
  ance check and decides to spend a 
  stamina point, he can keep on and 
  cover an additional distance before 
  he has any fear of exhaustion 
  (however, for each endurance check 
  beyond the first the check suffers a 
  +1 penalty). Lastly, the skill can be 
  used to perform feats of extraordi-
  nary endurance, ignoring the fall to 
  zero stamina or constitution. If you 
  drop to zero stamina and succeed in 
  an endurance check at +2 you don’t 
  lose consciousness but can keep on 
  acting until you lose another stamina 
  point (at which point you automati-
  cally pass out). A person dropping to 
  zero constitution points is at more 
  serious trouble: he needs to make 
  the check at +4 penalty. 
  Etiquette (INF)+: 
  Etiquette (INF)+: 
  Etiquette (INF)+: 
  Etiquette (INF)+: The character using 
  this skill knows how to socially inter-
  act in the appropriate way in a vari-
  ety of situations. He is able both to 
  address a senator and talk to a scav-
  engers’ leader with the proper man-
  ner. 
  Fast talk (INT): 
  Fast talk (INT): 
  Fast talk (INT): 
  Fast talk (INT): Fast talk is an at-
  tempt to fool someone by talking 
  quickly, using well-placed lies the tar-
  get is prone to believe at least briefly 
  because he hasn’t got the time to 
  check it out. For example, the char-
  acter can manage to convince a 
  guard to let him in a restricted area 
  by telling him he’s a technician who 
  came to repair a malfunctioning sys-
  tem. The effects are brief at best, the 
  guard will surely check out the char-
  acter’s story when he gets the chance 
  to think the situation out. 
  First aid (LIT): 
  First aid (LIT): 
  First aid (LIT): 
  First aid (LIT): First aid is the basic 
  medical knowledge applied to 
  wounded persons, such as stopping 
  blood and taking care of wounds. 
  Successful use restores one stamina 
  point per success (one use per 24 
  hours). Also, the skill can be used to 
  bring to zero constitution a character 
  that is at –1 or –2 points, but this task 
  requires a check at +2 and must be 
  accomplished within three minutes 
  of the lethal injury. 
  Flying vehicles/ground vehicl
  Flying vehicles/ground vehicl
  Flying vehicles/ground vehicl
  Flying vehicles/ground vehicles/ride 
  es/ride 
  es/ride 
  es/ride 
  (LIT)+: 
  (LIT)+: 
  (LIT)+: 
  (LIT)+: These skills are used to con-
  trol vehicles of some sort, either 
  ground ones, aerial vehicles or horses 
  and the like. 
  Gunnery (INT)+: 
  Gunnery (INT)+: 
  Gunnery (INT)+: 
  Gunnery (INT)+: Gunnery enables 
  the character to operate cybernetic 
  artillery and missiles using radar or 
  other targeting or automated fire 
  control systems. Such systems include 
  self-propelled howitzers, tank guns, 
  anti-aircraft systems, field artillery 
  and the missiles carried by flying ve-
  hicles. Gunnery is not subject to 
  ranged combat modifiers, like dark-
  ness or aimed fire. 
  Heavy weapons (LIT): 
  Heavy weapons (LIT): 
  Heavy weapons (LIT): 
  Heavy weapons (LIT): Provides 
  knowledge of the operation of 
  heavy and support portable weap-
  ons, like heavy machine guns, mor-
  tars or rocket launchers. It is used to 
  attack with these weapons. 
  Hide (PRE): 
  Hide (PRE): 
  Hide (PRE): 
  Hide (PRE): The character can hide 
  provided there is enough cover, 
  shadows, low light etc. To notice the 
  hiding character, someone must 
  score more successes on a sight 
  check. 
  Interrogation (INT): 
  Interrogation (INT): 
  Interrogation (INT): 
  Interrogation (INT): This skill enables 
  you to thoroughly interrogate some-
  one, draining every bit of informa-
  tion from him. It isn’t going to help 
  you much against people who are 
  resolved not to tell you anything, 
  but it’s very useful to discover con-
  tradictions and faults in someone’s 
  testimony, thereby closing on the 
  truth. 
  Intimidate (INF): 
  Intimidate (INF): 
  Intimidate (INF): 
  Intimidate (INF): This skill is used to 
  make someone fear the character 
  and therefore persuade him not to 
  oppose him. 
  Investigation (PRE): 
  Investigation (PRE): 
  Investigation (PRE): 
  Investigation (PRE): The character is 
  able to search for clues, use resources 
  to track someone down, make con-
  nections between persons and events 
  in crime cases, resolve disappear-
  ances, conspiracies etc. 
  Law (INT)+: 
  Law (INT)+: 
  Law (INT)+: 
  Law (INT)+: Provides extensive 
  knowledge on the local laws, the 
  base upon which they’ve been cre-
  ated and the judicial system. 
  Listen (PRE): 
  Listen (PRE): 
  Listen (PRE): 
  Listen (PRE): This skill is used for de-
  
  8 
  tecting noises and other sounds and 
  measures the hearing ability of the 
  character. 
  Literature (INS)+: 
  Literature (INS)+: 
  Literature (INS)+: 
  Literature (INS)+: Possession of this 
  skill enables the character to perform 
  studies and analysis of texts and even 
  write his own works with enough 
  talent to meet some acceptable stan-
  dards. 
  Longarms (LIT): 
  Longarms (LIT): 
  Longarms (LIT): 
  Longarms (LIT): Used to attack with 
  firearms large enough to require 
  both hands to hold them. 
  —> sniper+: 
  sniper+: 
  sniper+: 
  sniper+: The character has re-
  ceived extensive training which en-
  ables him to achieve well-placed, 
  long-distance shots if he takes time 
  aiming. The longarms skill is still used 
  for the attack, but range penalties are 
  decreased by the sniper rating. 
  Mathematics (INT)+: 
  Mathematics (INT)+: 
  Mathematics (INT)+: 
  Mathematics (INT)+: Mathematics 
  are a basic knowledge for everyone. 
  Individuals more interested in them 
  can pursue more specialised knowl-
  edge, in the form of the three sub-
  skills: algebra, geometry and statis-
  tics. If the appropriate subskill is not 
  owned, any attempt to solve a 
  mathematical problem suffers a +1 
  penalty. Statistics is a very useful sub-
  skill for conducting researches on the 
  population. 
  Meditation (DET): 
  Meditation (DET): 
  Meditation (DET): 
  Meditation (DET): A character with 
  this skill is able to reach deep levels 
  of meditation. He is able to substi-
  tute sleep with meditation, requiring 
  only four hours per day of medita-
  tion to rest completely. Also, medita-
  tion clears the mind and refreshes the 
  thought patterns. If the character is 
  able to meditate for one hour before 
  the use of any intellect or insight-
  based skill, he gains a –1 bonus to 
  only one of the t#s (the player 
  chooses which t# will be modified). 
  Military tactics (INT)+: 
  Military tactics (INT)+: 
  Military tactics (INT)+: 
  Military tactics (INT)+: The knowl-
  edge of positioning combat units in 
  the proper way and issuing orders 
  that will utilise their potential to the 
  maximum. A good plan properly 
  executed can win the day against a 
  much larger force. 
  —
  —
  —
  —> guerilla tactics+: 
  > guerilla tactics+: 
  > guerilla tactics+: 
  > guerilla tactics+: This specialised 
  subskill has to do with guerilla war,  
  in urban or other environments. 
  Navigation (PRE): 
  Navigation (PRE): 
  Navigation (PRE): 
  Navigation (PRE): This skill is used 
  by someone to find his way through 
  uncharted or confusing terrain. 
  —> astrogation (INT)+: 
  astrogation (INT)+: 
  astrogation (INT)+: 
  astrogation (INT)+: Astrogation 
  is used to determine one’s exact loca-
  tion in space and navigate the vac-
  uum towards his destination. It’s an 
  essential skill for any spacefarer, since 
  the emptiness of space makes it very 
  easy for someone to get lost and 
  drift aimlessly.  
  Negotiation (INF): 
  Negotiation (INF): 
  Negotiation (INF): 
  Negotiation (INF): The character is 
  an expert in the art of negotiation 
  and can use several smart tactics in 
  order to have the upper hand during 
  the procedure. 
  Orate (INF): 
  Orate (INF): 
  Orate (INF): 
  Orate (INF): Used to talk in front of 
  a crowd with the purpose of per-
  suading it to follow an action or 
  make a decision. Orate can also be 
  used along with leadership to inspire 
  a crowd and attain control of it. 
  Persuade (INF): 
  Persuade (INF): 
  Persuade (INF): 
  Persuade (INF): The character uses 
  this skill during his attempts to con-
  vince someone about his opinion. 
  Pathology (INT)+: 
  Pathology (INT)+: 
  Pathology (INT)+: 
  Pathology (INT)+: Pathology is the 
  basis of medicine. Its knowledge en-
  ables the character to efficiently diag-
  nose and treat a disease, although in 
  many cases a treatment also requires 
  knowledge of surgery. 
  —> forensics+: 
  forensics+: 
  forensics+: 
  forensics+: Forensic pathology 
  enables a character to gather useful 
  information from examination of a 
  corpse, such as the time and cause of 
  death. 
  Play inst
  Play inst
  Play inst
  Play instrument (LIT)+: 
  rument (LIT)+: 
  rument (LIT)+: 
  rument (LIT)+: The ability to 
  play a musical instrument (a different 
  skill must be developed for each kind 
  of instrument) with any hope of suc-
  cess. 
  Politics (INT): 
  Politics (INT): 
  Politics (INT): 
  Politics (INT): This skill can provide 
  useful information about the political 
  background and help the character 
  organise his political movements 
  while countering the machinations of 
  his opponents. 
  Psychology (INS)+: 
  Psychology (INS)+: 
  Psychology (INS)+: 
  Psychology (INS)+: Psychology stud-
  ies the human mind and the way it 
  works. It can aid the user in under-
  standing the way of thinking of other 
  people in an attempt to help them, 
  surpass their problems and inner con-
  flicts or to take advantage of them (a 
  not so noble use of the science, but 
  yes, it can be done). 
  —
  —
  —
  —> psychiatry+: 
  > psychiatry+: 
  > psychiatry+: 
  > psychiatry+: Psychiatry deals 
  with the study and treatment of 
  mental illness. It can be used to treat 
  disorders ranging from simple cases 
  of depression and catatonia to 
  schizophrenia, paranoia, delusions or 
  the multiple personalities disorder.  
  Science, specific (INT)+: 
  Science, specific (INT)+: 
  Science, specific (INT)+: 
  Science, specific (INT)+: A separate 
  skill must be developed for each sci-
  ence, like physics, chemistry, geol-
  
  9 
  ogy, meteorology, astronomy etc.  
  Search (PRE): 
  Search (PRE): 
  Search (PRE): 
  Search (PRE): Used to search a place 
  for a hidden item. This skill can also 
  reveal a hidden character if the suc-
  cesses scored are over the character’s 
  hide successes. 
  Security (INT)+: 
  Security (INT)+: 
  Security (INT)+: 
  Security (INT)+: A character with this 
  skill can evaluate the security meas-
  ures of a certain area, discover its 
  weaknesses and ways to exploit 
  them or make suggestions on im-
  proving security. It can also be used 
  to pick locks or disable traps, both 
  electronic and mechanical ones, pro-
  vided one has the proper instruments 
  and time available. 
  Servomotors (LIT)+: 
  Servomotors (LIT)+: 
  Servomotors (LIT)+: 
  Servomotors (LIT)+: Servomotors 
  resembles the Armor operation skill, 
  but is applied to armored suits with 
  internal power sources and servos. 
  Sidearms (LIT): 
  Sidearms (LIT): 
  Sidearms (LIT): 
  Sidearms (LIT): This skill is used to 
  attack with firearms of small size that 
  can be wielded with one hand. 
  —> double shot+: 
  double shot+: 
  double shot+: 
  double shot+: This subskill can 
  be used to fire two shots in rapid 
  succession instead of the general side-
  arms skill. The shots are fired in the 
  same action and must be directed at 
  the same target, except if the double 
  shot rating is 3+ in which case two 
  targets within a 15 degree arc may be 
  selected. The second shot suffers a +1 
  penalty. Both shots must be simple 
  ones; the character can’t use bursts or 
  autofire. This subskill can’t have a 
  rating greater than the sidearms rat-
  ing. 
  —> ambidexterity+: 
  ambidexterity+: 
  ambidexterity+: 
  ambidexterity+: As in armed 
  combat, the ambidexterity of side-
  arms enables the character to wield 
  one sidearm in each hand without a 
  severe penalty. The character can 
  perform two attacks per action, 
  bursts however suffer a +1 penalty 
  and autofire is impossible. This sub-
  skill can’t have a greater rating than 
  the general skill. 
  Sight (PRE): 
  Sight (PRE): 
  Sight (PRE): 
  Sight (PRE): As listen, this skill meas-
  ures the quality of someone’s vision 
  and his ability to perceive things. 
  Sleight of hand (LIT): 
  Sleight of hand (LIT): 
  Sleight of hand (LIT): 
  Sleight of hand (LIT): This skill is used 
  to perform deft maneuvers, like pick-
  ing pockets etc. 
  Social manipulation (INF): 
  Social manipulation (INF): 
  Social manipulation (INF): 
  Social manipulation (INF): This skill 
  is a must if you want to climb up the 
  social ladder. You are able to ma-
  nipulate people you know, make al-
  lies out of enemies, improve your 
  position and status etc. It tells you 
  who are with you and who against 
  you, when to make your move and 
  when to back down, who you 
  should oppose and who you should-
  n’t and other useful information. 
  Stalk (LIT): 
  Stalk (LIT): 
  Stalk (LIT): 
  Stalk (LIT): Usable when a character 
  wants to move silently and without 
  being seen. The later can only be 
  achieved if there is sufficient cover, 
  darkness etc. Someone must score 
  more successes in his sight or listen 
  check to see or hear the character. 
  Surgery (INT)+: 
  Surgery (INT)+: 
  Surgery (INT)+: 
  Surgery (INT)+: This skill enables a 
  character to perform surgical opera-
  tions to treat diseases like cancer or 
  injuries. It is the only skill that can 
  help a character who is at –1 or –2 
  Constitution points. 
  Survival (INT): 
  Survival (INT): 
  Survival (INT): 
  Survival (INT): The character is able 
  to survive in hostile environments 
  without much equipment or provi-
  sions. He can gather food, find water 
  and satisfy his basic needs, albeit in a 
  primitive way.  
  Swim (CON): 
  Swim (CON): 
  Swim (CON): 
  Swim (CON): No need of an expla-
  nation. 
  System operations (INT)+: 
  System operations (INT)+: 
  System operations (INT)+: 
  System operations (INT)+: This skill 
  provides familiarity with the inter-
  face of mechanical and electronic de-
  vices. The character can easily use at 
  maximum efficiency devices ranging 
  from VCRs to radars. He can also try 
  to figure out how an unknown de-
  vice works.  
  Tailing (PRE): 
  Tailing (PRE): 
  Tailing (PRE): 
  Tailing (PRE): This skill is used to fol-
  low a person without being seen. 
  The person being followed needs to 
  score more successes on his aware-
  ness check to be able to sense that 
  he’s being followed. Special situa-
  tions like large crowds might award 
  a bonus or penalty to the tailing 
  check. 
  Throwing (LIT): 
  Throwing (LIT): 
  Throwing (LIT): 
  Throwing (LIT): This skill is used to 
  throw an object at a target. This ob-
  ject can be a weapon, such as a dag-
  ger, a spear or grenade, anything but 
  a propelled missile (bows and cross-
  bows). The range of a hand-sized 
  object is CON dice x10/CON dice x 
  30/+3. 
   
  Secondary characteristics
  Secondary characteristics
  Secondary characteristics
  Secondary characteristics    
   
  Constitution
  Constitution
  Constitution
  Constitution    
  Constitution is a general measure of 
  the character’s health and of the 
  well-being of his organism. As the 
  character receives wounds, Constitu-
  tion decreases and he is rendered un-
  conscious when it drops to zero. 
  
  10 
  Death results when Constitution 
  reaches negative numbers. 
            As a character gets wounded, 
  it becomes more difficult to operate 
  efficiently. Dropping to half Consti-
  tution inflicts a +1 penalty to all ac-
  tions attempted by the character. 
  The loss of each point beyond that 
  inflicts an additional +1 penalty. 
            A character’s Constitution is 
  equal to one plus the number of Vi-
  tality dice. 
   
  Stamina
  Stamina
  Stamina
  Stamina    
  Stamina represents endurance and 
  resistance against pain and shock. It is 
  very similar to Constitution but con-
  cerns superficial injuries a character 
  may receive. There are some forms 
  of attack that cause only Constitution 
  damage. Also, for every Constitution 
  point lost, the character suffers one 
  Stamina point loss too. 
            When Stamina drops to zero, 
  unconsciousness results. All subse-
  quent Stamina damage comes off 
  from Constitution. If a character 
  drops to half Stamina points, he suf-
  fers a +1 penalty to all actions. 
            Stamina is equal to one plus 
  the number of Vitality dice plus the 
  Determination dice of the character. 
      
  Defense
  Defense
  Defense
  Defense    
  Defense shows every character’s in-
  nate reflexes and his ability to avoid 
  incoming attacks. A character’s De-
  fense rating is equal to one plus one 
  for every three Litheness dice (eg 2 
  for 3 Litheness dice, 3 for 6 Litheness 
  dice etc). This rating comes into play 
  when the character faces an attack 
  (close combat or ranged). 
   
  Personality traits
  Personality traits
  Personality traits
  Personality traits    
   
  A character is more than a bunch of 
  numbers, statistics and equipment 
  catalogs: he is a real life person. And 
  as all real life persons, he has a 
  unique personality. So, an important 
  part in character creation is the estab-
  lishment of a strong personality con-
  cept. This is done for mainly two 
  reasons: 
  •
  To role-play a character, his 
  player needs to know how he 
  reacts in every situation. This is 
  naturally determined not only 
  by the situation but also by 
  the character’s personality. 
  •
  The GM needs to know if a 
  player role-plays his character 
  well, so that he can reward 
  him appropriately. It helps if 
  he’s aware of just how well a 
  character keeps up with his 
  personality. 
  In most RPGs personality isn’t devel-
  oped during character creation and 
  even when this is done it takes the 
  form of simple and vague notes. In 
  Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova however, personality is gov-
  erned by the Personality Traits, pairs 
  of characteristics that are measures in 
  a scale of 1-6. Now, some may say 
  that personality can’t be measured 
  by numbers. I should be the first to 
  agree, but these numbers are just 
  role-playing aids to help you incor-
  porate your character’s personality in 
  the best possible way. They also help 
  the GM decide who role-plays his 
  character well and who doesn’t. 
            Let’s examine the following 
  example. Shortly after character crea-
  tion and the beginning of the game, 
  a character encounters a bully who 
  cheats him in a game of dice. What is 
  the character’s reaction? The player 
  must decide but it’s his character’s 
  personality that will guide him in 
  making that decision. If the character 
  has a low value in Calm/Angry 
  (which means he’s a rather calm per-
  son), he might explain patiently and 
  calmly to his opponent that he broke 
  the game’s rules or just let it go. If, 
  on the other hand, he has a high 
  value in the Calm/Angry trait he 
  might start a fight. 
            Most RPGs view personality as 
  something that need to be devel-
  oped during the game from the deci-
  sions of the character. This is a rather 
  interesting idea, but it’s illogical at 
  best. Characters aren’t newborn ba-
  bies developing their personality as 
  they advance in their lives. They are 
  people that have lived for some time 
  and have already lived the experi-
  ences necessary for personality devel-
  opment. We can’t treat a powerful 
  knight or a spacecraft pilot as a 
  youngster that now starts to develop 
  his personality; these are grown men 
  that have already got one. Of 
  course, this doesn’t mean that per-
  sonality is a monolithic concept, not 
  that once traits are set they never 
  Personality traits come in pairs and are measured from 1 to 6 
  
  11 
  change during the game. Personality 
  traits can change to reflect a person-
  ality shift that all of us encounter 
  sometimes in our lives. Such changes 
  need to be role-played by the char-
  acter and are relevant to the situa-
  tions the character experiences. A 
  character with high value in Calm/
  Angry won’t wake up one day and 
  say “oh great, I think I’ll be Calm to-
  day”. But if he has caused harm to 
  someone because he’s Angry and 
  feels sorry for it, perhaps he could 
  learn to control his Anger and lower 
  the value of the trait. Just remember 
  that personality shifts are never swift 
  and usually take a lot of time and 
  determination to be accomplished. 
  The following personality traits are 
  determined during character crea-
  tion, but the GM should feel free to 
  add more if they feel the current 
  ones are limited. 
  Calm/Angry 
  Cautious/Reckless 
  Conservative/Progressive 
  Curious/Stagnant 
  Deceitful/Honorable 
  Energetic/Passive 
  Lawful/Chaotic 
  Modest/Proud 
  Pragmatic/Stubborn 
  Selfish/Altruistic 
  Social/Private 
  Suspicious/Trusting 
  Vengeful/Forgiving 
  Warlike/Peaceful 
  These traits are measured on a scale 
  of 1-6. 3 and 4 are the average which 
  indicates the character’s personality is 
  a mix of the two characteristics con-
  sisting each pair. When the number 
  goes down, the character is domi-
  nated by the left characteristic and 
  the opposite happens if the number 
  increases. The exact number also 
  shows the strength of the personality 
  trait. A 2 in Calm/Angry means the 
  character remains Calm in most situa-
  tions, while 1 indicates a monster of 
  calmness that is never enraged. 
            The exact values of these traits 
  are determined by the player. How-
  ever, during character creation the 
  player is obliged to choose at least 
  two values of 2 (or 5). That ensures 
  no player is going to play a bland 
  character with values of 3 in all 
  traits. 
  
  12 
      the Engine Core
  the Engine Core
  the Engine Core
  the Engine Core 
  DDDDice rolling 
  ice rolling 
  ice rolling 
  ice rolling is an important part of 
  the game because it determines the 
  outcome of actions that can’t be de-
  cided by the player or the GM, for 
  example the successful use of a cer-
  tain skill or the casting of a spell. 
  Dice are not to be used for simple, 
  everyday situations. Someone with 
  the drive skill can certainly go for a 
  drive across the town without having 
  to roll dice. If he is hunted by armed 
  opponents and he decided to per-
  form a stunt  in order to get away, 
  this is an entirely different matter. 
            The dice used in Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova are al-
  ways D6s. The most important thing 
  in a roll are the target numbers (or 
  t#s). These are special numbers most 
  commonly derived from attributes or 
  other ratings. During a roll, you get 
  to roll as many dice as there are tar-
  get numbers. The point is to score 
  results equal to or greater than a tar-
  get number. Each die succeeding is 
  considered a success (the more suc-
  cesses the better for you). Each die 
  can beat only one target number but 
  you can arrange the results as you 
  like so as to achieve the greatest pos-
  sible number of successes. There are 
  also two other important things to 
  remember: 
  •
  A roll of 1 always fails, no 
  matter what the t# is. Re-roll 
  the dice and if it comes up as 1 
  a g a i n,  
  y o u  
  ro l le d  
  a 
  “bean” (see below). 
  •
  A roll of 6 may be re-rolled 
  and the new result minus one 
  is added to the previous one. 
  A new 6 enables another re-
  roll and the new result minus 
  two is added and so on (this 
  enables you to beat t# greater 
  than 6). 
  Example: Michael has to make a roll 
  with t#s 456. This means he has to 
  roll three dice. Rolling them, he 
  scores 5, 2 and 6. He has therefore 
  achieved two successes. 
            Usually one success is enough 
  to succeed in whatever you’re trying 
  to do, but more successes mean bet-
  ter outcomes. There is always the 
  chance of rolling more beans than 
  successes. Such bad rolls are called 
  critical failures and they end up with 
  you suffering an ugly situation re-
  lated to the roll (falling from the 
  wall you tried to climb, jamming 
  your gun etc). 
   
  Modifiers
  Modifiers
  Modifiers
  Modifiers    
   
  Sometimes modifiers are used to ad-
  just the t#s in order to represent 
  some special situation. Two kinds of 
  modifiers can be encountered during 
  the game. 
  •
  Normal or 
  Normal or 
  Normal or 
  Normal or “flat” modifiers: 
  “flat” modifiers: 
  “flat” modifiers: 
  “flat” modifiers: 
  These are the ones most com-
  monly used in the game. They 
  apply to all t#s of a roll. For 
  example, if the t#s are 46, 
  they become 68 after the ap-
  plication of a +2 modifier. 
  •
  Cumulative modifiers: 
  Cumulative modifiers: 
  Cumulative modifiers: 
  Cumulative modifiers: These 
  are used in cases where extra 
  dice are used in a roll, to pro-
  vide target numbers for them. 
  These t#s pick up after the last 
  of the normal t#s and increase 
  progressively. For example, if 
  a roll with t#s 46 gains three 
  extra dice with +1 cumulative 
  modifier, it becomes 46789. 
  It becomes obvious that positive 
  modifiers make a roll more difficult 
  and so are considered to be penal-
  ties, while negative ones are bonuses. 
   If the GM is in short of more specific 
  modifiers for a certain situation, he 
  may use the following generic modi-
  fiers according to the difficulty he 
  thinks the task presents. 
   
  Movement and other esse
  Movement and other esse
  Movement and other esse
  Movement and other essen-
  n-
  n-
  n-
  tials
  tials
  tials
  tials    
   
  Movement is considered to take 
  place each round (with every round 
  being a 10-second period of time). 
  Movement is something simple but 
  also essential for every RPG. It is af-
  fected not only by the character’s 
  reflexes and quickness, but also by 
  Difficulty
  Difficulty
  Difficulty
  Difficulty    
  Modifier
  Modifier
  Modifier
  Modifier    
  Very easy 
  -2 
  Easy 
  -1 
  Average 
  +0 
  Hard 
  +1 
  Very hard 
  +2 
  Extremely hard 
  +4 
  Nearly impossible 
  +6 
  
  13 
  the weight he is carrying and any 
  garments or equipment which might 
  be slowing him down. 
            There are four types of move-
  ment: 
  1.
  Normal (considered to be fast 
  walking) 
  2.
  Running 
  3.
  Sprinting 
  4.
  Jumping 
  Normal: 
  Normal: 
  Normal: 
  Normal: A human is able to walk 15 
  m per round (minus the encum-
  brance of the character multiplied by 
  two, to a minimum of 6). 
  Running: 
  Running: 
  Running: 
  Running: A character can increase his 
  movement rate up to a number of 
  meters per round equal to his Reac-
  tion plus Conditioning dice (minus 
  the encumbrance of the character, to 
  a minimum of one) multiplied by 
  10 . This rate may be maintained for 
  a number of minutes equal to the 
  Vitality dice before the character is 
  exhausted (a resting period of 10 
  minutes is usually enough to recover 
  the lost strength). 
  Sprinting: 
  Sprinting: 
  Sprinting: 
  Sprinting: A character can sprint to 
  reach his maximum speed, thus in-
  creasing his movement rate to the 
  sum of Reaction and Conditioning 
  (minus the encumbrance of the char-
  acter, to a minimum of one) multi-
  plied by 18 in meters per round, for 
  a number of rounds equal to his Vi-
  tality. 
  Jumping: 
  Jumping: 
  Jumping: 
  Jumping: A character can jump up to 
  1.5 m per Litheness and Conditioning 
  dice (decreased by encumbrance as 
  in running) in length. He can also 
  jump 0.4 m per each of the same 
  dice in height. 
            Encumbrance
  Encumbrance
  Encumbrance
  Encumbrance represents the 
  difficulties faced by the character in 
  his movement caused by heavy load 
  or bulky garments and protective 
  gear like armor. Encumbrance not 
  only affects the character’s move-
  ment rate, but also imposes a penalty 
  on all rolls depending on physical 
  activity that requires movement and 
  flexibility (eg climbing, swimming, 
  but no combat skills except dodge). 
  It also affects his initiative roll (see 
  below for more details). Encum-
  brance is increased by armor and 
  also by excessive weight carrying. 
            A character can carry 10 kg for 
  every die of Conditioning up to 3 
  and 20 kg for every die thereafter. 
  Every 10 kg (or fraction) over this 
  limit encumbers the character by one 
  point. 
            A character can rise (for very 
  short amounts of time) 40 kg per 
  Conditioning die up to 3 and 70 kg 
  for every die thereafter. 
   
  Decrep
  Decrep
  Decrep
  Decrepitude
  itude
  itude
  itude    
   
  It would be    a great thing if people 
  could retain their youth forever, but 
  unfortunately every man ages and 
  with the advancing of time his health 
  and physical abilities begin to wane. 
            The effects of aging impose a 
  penalty to the physical attributes of 
  the character. In game terms, they 
  increase the t#s of his physical attrib-
  utes according to his age. The fol-
  lowing table shows all such modifica-
  tions. Take note that the penalties 
  shown on the table are not cumula-
  tive, only the greatest applies. Also, 
  in advanced age there are decreases 
  in the number of attribute 
  dice (the greatest t#s are the 
  first to go). This decrease 
  can’t force an attribute to 
  lose its last die. 
  When does someone die? 
  The dangerous period be-
  gins at the age of 70. It is 
  then that organic problems 
  start multiplying at great 
  rates and finally lead the 
  body to its death. Starting 
  from that age and once per 
  5 years someone has to suc-
  ceed in a Vitality roll to stay 
  alive. 
            Physical 
  attributes 
  may not be the only ones 
  Age
  Age
  Age
  Age    
  CON
  CON
  CON
  CON    
  LIT
  LIT
  LIT
  LIT    
  VIT
  VIT
  VIT
  VIT    
  REA
  REA
  REA
  REA    
  60 
  +1 
      
  +1 
   
  65 
  +1 
  +1 
  +1 
   
  70 
  +2 
  +1 
  +2 
  +1 
  75 
  +2 
  +2 
  +2 
  +1 
  80 
  +3 
  +2 
  +3 
  +2 
  85 
  +3 (-1D) 
  +3 
  +3 (-1D) 
  +2 (-1D) 
  90 
  +4 (-1D) 
  +3 (-1D) 
  +4 (-1D) 
  +3 (-1D) 
  95 
  +4 (-2D) +4 (-1D) +4 (-2D) +3 (-2D) 
  100 +5 (-2D) +4 (-1D) +5 (-2D) +4 (-2D) 
  Encumbrance affects initiative and movement rates 
  
  14 
  affected by age. Intellect, Presenti-
  ment and Insight, as well as Comeli-
  ness can also be decreased, but these 
  effects cannot be categorised and dif-
  fer from individual to individual: the 
  GM must decide when to apply such 
  penalties. 
   
  Checks
  Checks
  Checks
  Checks    
   
  Attribute checks
  Attribute checks
  Attribute checks
  Attribute checks    
  Attribute checks are made to test a 
  character’s attribute. When someone 
  is trying to force open a door, he 
  tests his Conditioning. When he tries 
  to solve a riddle, he tests his Intellect. 
            During an attribute check, the 
  player uses the attribute’s ratings as 
  the t#s of the roll. 
   
  Skill checks
  Skill checks
  Skill checks
  Skill checks    
  Skill checks are made to test a certain 
  skill of the character that is usable in 
  a situation he’s facing. When some-
  one is trying to persuade the guard 
  to let him past that gate, he tests his 
  Persuade skill. When scaling a wall, 
  the Climb skill comes into play. 
            Every skill is governed by an 
  appropriate attribute. Persuade is 
  governed by the character’s Influ-
  ence, while Climb by his Litheness. 
  When making a skill check, the 
  player uses the ratings of the govern-
  ing attribute as the t#s of the roll, but 
  also uses a number of extra dice with 
  a cumulative +1 modifier equal to 
  the skill’s rating. 
   
  Contests
  Contests
  Contests
  Contests    
  This kind of checks involves situa-
  tions during which someone tries to 
  do something against an opponent 
  actively resisting. An example is try-
  ing to break off a locking hold while 
  your opponent is bent on pinning 
  you down. This would require both 
  characters to roll a Conditioning 
  check. The one with the most suc-
  cesses wins, while a tie indicates that 
  the situation remains unchanged. 
  Other attributes or skills may be used 
  according to the situation. There is 
  no need for both opponents check-
  ing the same skill or attribute. For 
  example, when trying to dodge a 
  blow, you must beat your oppo-
  nent’s attack skill with your dodge 
  skill. 
            The final successes of a contest 
  are determined by the difference be-
  tween the successes of the two oppo-
  nents. So, even if your opponent 
  can’t beat you, he can still diminish 
  your efforts by decreasing your suc-
  cesses. 
   
  Complex checks
  Complex checks
  Complex checks
  Complex checks    
  Some actions can’t be decided by a 
  simple, single check. These might in-
  clude time-consuming procedures, 
  like climbing on the top of an entire 
  mountain or hacking into a secured 
  computer network. These tasks re-
  quire time and involve repeated at-
  tempts, successes and failures. They 
  are handled by complex checks. 
            Before making a complex 
  check, the GM should decide upon 
  the number of successes needed for 
  completing the task. These com-
  monly range from 3 to 10. The num-
  ber of successes is not determined by 
  the task’s difficult (this is represented 
  by a modifier to the roll although 
  the GM can rule that difficult tasks 
  require more successes) but rather 
  depends on the time required to 
  complete the task (as estimated by 
  the GM). 
            The player then begins to test 
  the relevant attribute or skill. These 
  rolls happen at time intervals: the 
  GM could allow one roll every 10 
  minutes of game time or more. Suc-
  cesses from these rolls are accumu-
  lated and once the total reaches the 
  designated number, the task is suc-
  cessfully completed. 
            Any failure on a check de-
  creases the total by one success. A 
  critical failure immediately cancels all 
  successes and forces the player to 
  start from the beginning in addition 
  to any negative effects (falling off the 
  mountain, alerting the network’s ad-
  ministrator to your presence etc.). 
   
  Experience
  Experience
  Experience
  Experience    
   
  One of the greatest 
  One of the greatest 
  One of the greatest 
  One of the greatest things in role-
  playing is watching your character 
  develop. Character development 
  comes through training and expertise 
  and primarily affects attributes and 
  skills. Instead of using experience 
  points for character development, 
  the player has a chance to improve 
  his character when he exceeds his 
  abilities. This is surely more realistic 
  Each Skill has a governing Attribute 
  
  15 
  than going through an adventure re-
  quiring puzzle solving and character 
  interaction, only to spend your ex-
  perience points at the end on com-
  bat skills. 
            Exceeding one’s abilities is 
  something mainly determined by the 
  GM. It can happen when a player 
  succeeds in a roll the entire adven-
  ture depends on or role-plays in such 
  a fashion the GM feels he must 
  award him.  
            In all other cases, a character is 
  said to have exceeded his abilities, 
  when a check he made and had a 
  penalty of +2 or more (you only 
  learn from challenging situations) not 
  only succeeds, but could have suc-
  ceeded even if the penalty was dou-
  bled.  
            Example: A Conditioning roll 
  with t#s 345 and a +2 penalty is 
  made and the results are 2, 5 and 9. 
  This roll obviously is a success, but it 
  would be a success even if the pen-
  alty was doubled (+4). 
            Even if a character gets a 
  chance to improve the characteristic 
  of his character, this doesn’t mean 
  that he’ll manage to do it. He must 
  make an experience roll for the im-
  provement to happen and generally 
  the roll gets more difficult if the at-
  tribute or skill in question is already 
  highly advanced. 
            The experience roll differs 
  from case to case: 
            For attributes
  attributes
  attributes
  attributes the player must 
  choose whether he wants to improve 
  a t# or add a new die top the attrib-
  ute. 
            If the player wants to improve 
  a t#, he rolls a D6. In order to suc-
  ceed, he needs to score equal to or 
  lower than the t# reduced by one (to 
  a minimum of one), eg a 6 becomes 
  5 for this roll. If he succeeds, the t# is 
  decreased by one (to a minimum of 
  2). Note that you can’t try to im-
  prove a t# that is better by 2+ than 
  the other t#s. If the attribute rating is 
  46 for example, you must improve 
  the 6 and not the 4. 
            If the player wants to add a 
  new die to the attribute, he needs to 
  make an attribute check with a +2 
  modifier. If the check fails
  fails
  fails
  fails, he adds a 
  die to the attribute at +1 cumulative. 
  If it succeeds, he doesn’t get to add 
  the new die. If any of the t#s of the 
  attribute are 6+, you can’t add a 
  new die but must first seek to im-
  prove them. 
            For skills, 
  skills, 
  skills, 
  skills, the player needs to 
  roll a number of dice equal to the 
  skill rating. If all of these dice come 
  up as 4 or greater, the rating is im-
  proved by one (to a maximum of 4). 
            It is also possible for the char-
  acter to learn a new skill. If this is a 
  knowledge, the character must be 
  taught by someone (this can take 
  quite a long time for complex skills). 
  The tutor must have a rating of at 
  least 2 in the skill. If the character 
  succeeds in an Intellect check, he 
  learns the new skill at rating one. 
  The option of studying from text-
  books is also open, but the Intellect 
  check suffers a +2 penalty in this 
  case. A talent is learned more easily. 
  If a talent is used very efficiently or 
  the character trains hard in its use, 
  the GM might let the character gain 
  a rating of one in it. 
   
  Limits
  Limits
  Limits
  Limits in attribute development
   in attribute development
   in attribute development
   in attribute development    
  Physical attributes still retain their 3-
  dice limit. Only through magic or 
  advanced technology can a character 
  exceed this limit. 
            A character’s intelligence is 
  largely determined by genetic fac-
  tors. So, Intellect can be at best dou-
  bled in dice. For example, a charac-
  ter who starts with two dice in Intel-
  lect can develop it to four dice, but 
  no further. 
            Comeliness dice can not be 
  altered after the beginning of the 
  game, unless the character undergoes 
  plastic surgery or something like that. 
  Only its t#s may be improved. 
  An Experience Roll decides if your character gets improved 
  
  16 
  Combat
  Combat
  Combat
  Combat    
  Combat is an important part of 
  every RPG, even in the ones which 
  don’t promote it. According to the 
  flavor the GM wants to give to his 
  campaign, the game can be combat-
  oriented or based on role-playing 
  and character interaction rather than 
  fighting. However, in both cases 
  there always comes a time where 
  conflict is inescapable and then 
  swords are unsheathed, guns are 
  drawn or whatever. 
            A combat is organised in 
  rounds
  rounds
  rounds
  rounds or turns
  turns
  turns
  turns. Every round equals 
  ten seconds of game time but may 
  take much more time to be resolved. 
  During the round every character 
  takes his actions and when the last 
  one finishes, the round ends. Next 
  round picks up exactly where the last 
  one left the action. 
   
  Initiative
  Initiative
  Initiative
  Initiative    
   
  Initiative determines the sequence of 
  play in the combat round. It is a sim-
  ple Reaction check rolled by every 
  character on the beginning of the 
  round. The one with the most suc-
  cesses goes first, all the others follow-
  ing in order of successes. Characters 
  with equal successes are supposed to 
  act simultaneously. A penalty equal 
  to the encumbrance of the character 
  is applied on every initiative roll. 
            The number of actions that 
  can be taken during the round is also 
  determined by the number of initia-
  tive successes (with a minimum of 
  one action). An action is something 
  simple which takes only a few sec-
  onds to perform (dodge a blow, fire 
  a gun etc). Every action happens at 
  one success lower than the last one, 
  until zero is reached. For example, 
  someone that has rolled three suc-
  cesses on the initiative roll will play 
  one action at initiative 3, one at ini-
  tiative 2 and finally one at initiative 
  1. Of course, there is always the op-
  tion of saving actions and playing 
  them later during the round (but ac-
  tions can’t be transferred to future 
  rounds).  
            The obvious exception to this 
  sequence of play are defensive ac-
  tions, like parry and dodge. These 
  happen when the character is under 
  attack and not when it’s his turn to 
  play. However, if the character takes 
  such an action, he sacrifices his next 
  action in the round for his defense. 
   
  Surprise
  Surprise
  Surprise
  Surprise    
   
  Sometimes a character faces a sudden 
  or stealthy attack that has a chance 
  of striking before he can act. In these 
  situations, the character must make a 
  surprise check to see if he can act 
  during the round. 
            The surprise roll is a skill check 
  using the Awareness skill of the char-
  acter. The difficulty of the check is 
  decided by the GM based on the na-
  ture of the situation. With one suc-
  cess you roll normally initiative but 
  can take only one action in the 
  round (regardless of how many suc-
  cesses you rolled on your initiative). 
  With two or more successes, you can 
  act normally in the round (full ac-
  tion). But if you fail the roll, you 
  can’t take any action, even defensive 
  ones. Surprised characters can’t also 
  use their Defense dice against incom-
  ing attacks. 
   
   
   
  Attack
  Attack
  Attack
  Attack    
      
  The most important thing in attack-
  ing is hitting the target and this is re-
  solved by the attack roll, which is a 
  simple check of the appropriate 
  weapon skill. Before rolling the skill, 
  the target must declare if he takes 
  any defensive action (parry or 
  dodge). If he doesn’t take any such 
  action he still has his innate defensive 
  abilities represented by his Defense 
  rating. In both cases, he must be 
  aware of the attack in order to use 
  any defense. 
  •
  If the target takes no defensive 
  actions, he rolls his Defense 
  dice and notes the results. 
  These are used as “blockers” 
  for the attack dice. This means 
  that any attack die coming up 
  with the same result as one of 
  the defense dice is cancelled. 
  •
  If the target takes a defensive 
  action, the attack roll is turned 
  into a contest where the at-
  tacker must beat the target’s 
  parry or dodge skill to success-
  fully hit. Against ranged weap-
  ons, the dodge skill is used. 
  
  17 
  Against close combat attacks, 
  the defender “parries” by roll-
  ing the skill of the weapon 
  he’s using to defend or his 
  Brawling skill if he’s unarmed. 
  Remember that a character 
  wastes his next action in the 
  round if he takes a defensive 
  action. So, he needs to have at 
  least one action left to use a 
  defensive action. 
   
  Damage
  Damage
  Damage
  Damage    
   
  If an attack is successful, it has the 
  potential to inflict damage. Damage 
  comes in the form of Constitution 
  and/or Stamina loss. To determine 
  exactly how much damage an attack 
  causes, a damage roll must be made. 
  It is a simple roll using the damage 
  rating of the weapon. 
            If the attacker has scored more 
  than one successes on his attack roll, 
  the damage rating is increased by 
  one die (at +1 cumulative) per suc-
  cess above one (except for explo-
  sives).  
            The armor rating of the char-
  acter is added to all damage t#s 
  (unarmored targets use a rating of –
  2). 
            Every success on the damage 
  roll causes the loss of one Constitu-
  tion and/or Stamina point. 
   
  Armor
  Armor
  Armor
  Armor    
   
  Armors are the main means of pro-
  tection a character can utilise against 
  direct body harm. They have three 
  different protective ratings, one for 
  each possible type of damage: ballis-
  tic, kinetic and energy. 
  •
  Ballistic 
  Ballistic 
  Ballistic 
  Ballistic damage comes from 
  high-velocity projectiles, like 
  the ones fired by most fire-
  arms. 
  •
  Kinetic
  Kinetic
  Kinetic
  Kinetic damage is derived 
  from low-velocity objects and 
  mainly depends on the ob-
  ject’s mass or edge. Most close 
  combat weapons, but also 
  bows and crossbows, fall in 
  this category. 
  •
  Energy 
  Energy 
  Energy 
  Energy damage is immaterial, 
  coming from various sources 
  like laser beams, accelerated 
  particles, radiation, fire etc. 
  When the character is hit by an at-
  tack, the appropriate armor rating is 
  applied to all damage t#s. If the char-
  acter wears no armor or if the armor 
  offers no protection against that kind 
  of attack, use the unarmored rating, 
  which is –2 for humans (0 for hard 
  objects). 
            Armors can be layered 
  (wearing one over the other) but 
  they don’t provide cumulative pro-
  tection. Only the best rating protects 
  from damage. However, when an 
  armor is worn over another, encum-
  brance is cumulative. 
   
  Weapons
  Weapons
  Weapons
  Weapons    
   
  The weapon profile is composed of 
  some basic characteristics, common 
  for every weapon, that describe its 
  capabilities. 
   
  Ranged weapons
  Ranged weapons
  Ranged weapons
  Ranged weapons    
  Range: 
  Range: 
  Range: 
  Range: Range consists of three rat-
  ings and shows the accuracy of the 
  weapon at increased distance from 
  the target. The first rating is the short 
  range of the weapon, while is the 
  second is the long range. Between 
  these ranges the attack roll suffers a 
  penalty equal to the third rating. Be-
  yond long range, the penalty is dou-
  bled. When firing at point-blank (5 
  meters or below), you gain a –2 bo-
  nus.    
  Damage: 
  Damage: 
  Damage: 
  Damage: The weapon’s damage t#s.    
  Rate: 
  Rate: 
  Rate: 
  Rate: The number of shots the 
  weapon can fire in a single action 
  and also in what mode, burst (B) or 
  full auto (F). See the automatic 
  weapons section for more details.    
  Recoil: 
  Recoil: 
  Recoil: 
  Recoil: The attack roll suffers a +1 
  penalty for every point Recoil is over 
  the user’s Conditioning dice.    
  Ammo: 
  Ammo: 
  Ammo: 
  Ammo: The amount of ammunition 
  or energy in the weapon. After this is 
  expended, the weapon requires re-
  loading of some sort.    
  Type: 
  Type: 
  Type: 
  Type: The type of damage caused by 
  the weapon: BBBBallistic, KKKKinetic or EEEEn-
  ergy. SSSS means the weapon only 
  causes Stamina loss.    
   
  Close combat weapons
  Close combat weapons
  Close combat weapons
  Close combat weapons    
  Offense: 
  Offense: 
  Offense: 
  Offense: Shows the weapon’s attack 
  capabilities and is used as a modifier 
  to the user’s attack roll.    
  Defense: 
  Defense: 
  Defense: 
  Defense: A modifier to the oppo-
  nent’s attack roll against the user (if 
  the opponent is using a close combat 
  Armors have three ratings and weapons do three kinds of Damage 
  
  18 
  weapon to attack the user).    
  Damage: 
  Damage: 
  Damage: 
  Damage: The weapon’s damage t#s.    
  Might: 
  Might: 
  Might: 
  Might: For every die of Conditioning 
  below Might, the attack roll suffers 
  +1.    
  Type: 
  Type: 
  Type: 
  Type: As for ranged weapons, the 
  type of damage caused by the 
  weapon. 
   
  Automatic weapons
  Automatic weapons
  Automatic weapons
  Automatic weapons    
  Many modern weapons are capable 
  of automatic fire with a high cyclic 
  rate of fire. These weapons can pro-
  vide a serious advantage in the heat 
  of combat if used correctly and can 
  be discerned from other weapons by 
  the fact that they have a Rate greater 
  than 1. 
            Automatic weapons are di-
  vided in burst (B) and full auto (F) 
  weapons. Burst weapons are only 
  capable of automatic bursts, spread 
  or aimed. Full auto weapons can 
  also perform full autofire. The fol-
  lowing options are left open for a 
  character using an automatic 
  weapon: 
  Spread burst: 
  Spread burst: 
  Spread burst: 
  Spread burst: A burst of shots re-
  leased in the general direction of the 
  target to increase the chance of one 
  hitting him. The attack roll gains a 
  number of extra dice (at +1 cumula-
  tive) equal to the number of extra 
  shots (all the shots minus the first). 
  Aimed burst: 
  Aimed burst: 
  Aimed burst: 
  Aimed burst: A burst directed at a 
  target to increase the damage caused. 
  The attack roll suffers a +1 modifica-
  tion per 3 extra shots or fraction 
  thereof (eg 5 shots mean 4 extra 
  shots, giving a +2 penalty) but dam-
  age gains extra dice (at +1 cumula-
  tive) equal to number of extra shorts. 
  Full auto: 
  Full auto: 
  Full auto: 
  Full auto: Automatic fire is spread 
  among different targets across a line 
  of fire. Each target may be hit by a 
  single shot (roll separate attack rolls). 
  Every attack roll beyond the first suf-
  fers a +1 increasing penalty (+1 for 
  the second target, +2 for the third 
  etc). 
  In any case, the rate of the weapon 
  shows the maximum number of 
  rounds it can unleash during a single 
  action. 
   
  Explosives
  Explosives
  Explosives
  Explosives    
  Explosives are area-effect weapon 
  that can affect multiple targets. This 
  is shown by their Blast
  Blast
  Blast
  Blast rating. For 
  each Blast distance away from its 
  center, the explosion suffers the loss 
  of one damage t# (the highest t#s are 
  the first to go). For example, an ex-
  plosion with damage 446 and Blast 4 
  would cause damage 446 within 4 
  m, damage 44 at 5-8 m and damage 
  4 at 9-12 m. The damage of explo-
  sive weapons is not increased by 
  multiple successes on the attack roll. 
            Another important factor to 
  consider when using explosive weap-
  ons is their deviation when fired or 
  thrown. Even if they don’t hit their 
  target directly they still land some-
  where where they can cause harm. If 
  the attack roll is failed, the weapon 
  deviates 1-3 m (roll a die) per 10 m 
  of distance of the user from the tar-
  get. The direction of the deviation 
  may be determined by rolling 2D6 
  and consulting the diagram. 
   
  5-6 
  10
              11  
  3-4            target           
  target           
  target           
  target           7-8 
  9                    12 
  2 
   
  Close combat weapons
  Close combat weapons
  Close combat weapons
  Close combat weapons    
  Weapons used in close combat have 
  two characteristics that other weap-
  ons do not possess and describe their 
  offensive and defensive capabilities. 
  These are used in close combat at-
  tacks. The Offense rating of the at-
  tacker’s weapon and the Defense rat-
  ing of the defender’s weapon are 
  used as modifiers for the attack roll. 
            Most close combat weapons 
  rely on the character’s strength to do 
  damage. The damage of such weap-
  ons is increased by one die (at +1 cu-
  mulative) per Conditioning die be-
  yond the first. This does not affect 
  weapons that rely on other forms of 
  damage (eg the electricity of a stun 
  baton). It is also used in thrown dag-
  gers, stones, slings and other muscle-
  powered missile weapons. It applies 
  on bows but not on crossbows. 
   
  Physical attacks
  Physical attacks
  Physical attacks
  Physical attacks    
  Manufactured weapons are not the 
  only means of causing damage. 
  Physical weapons can also be used 
  (such as kicks and fists), albeit with 
  not so great efficiency as the weap-
  ons invented by man. Animals also 
  have some efficient natural weapons 
  at their disposal, like teeth, horns 
  Automatic Weapons can’t fire more bullets than their Rate 
  
  19 
  and claws. These can be as deadly as 
  normal weapons. 
            Several types of physical at-
  tacks are described in the table 
  above. These attacks have all the 
  characteristics of close combat weap-
  ons. Their damage type is, of course, 
  KKKKinetic. 
  In addition to this, grapple/grasp also 
  has some additional effects. If the 
  grapple is successful, the target is im-
  mobilised. The grapple continues to 
  do damage during every ac-
  tion of the attacker. The vic-
  tim can’t physically assault 
  the attacker, except with a 
  kick attack (treat as a fist at-
  tack) at +1 penalty. He can 
  however try to break the 
  hold during every action he 
  has by forcing a Condition-
  ing contest. If he wins the 
  contest, he breaks the lock-
  ing hold. 
  Attack
  Attack
  Attack
  Attack    
  Offense
  Offense
  Offense
  Offense    
  Defense
  Defense
  Defense
  Defense    
  Damage
  Damage
  Damage
  Damage    
  Fist 
  +0 
  +0 
  6 (s) 
  Claw 
  -1 
  +0 
  5 
  Bite 
  -1 
  +0 
  4 
  Horn/
  tusk/
  stinger 
  -2 
  +1 
  46 
  Ram/bash 
  +0 
  +0 
  6 
  Stomp/
  trample 
  +0 
  +0 
  5 
  Grapple/
  grasp 
  +0 
  +0 
  7 (s) 
  Pincer/
  Beak 
  -1 
  +0 
  5 
  A Grapple immobilises the target 
  Combat modifiers
  Combat modifiers
  Combat modifiers
  Combat modifiers    
      
  Close combat
  Close combat
  Close combat
  Close combat    
  Higher ground  -1 
  Night  +1 
  Complete darkness  +3 
  Two weapons  +1/+3 
   
  Ranged combat
  Ranged combat
  Ranged combat
  Ranged combat    
  Lowlight  +1 
  Night  +2 
  Complete darkness  +3 
  Firing from moving vehicle  +1 
  Target protected by 25/50/75% cover  +1/+2/+3 
  Attacking from 50/75% cover  +1/+2 
  Prone target  +1 
  Firing prone  +1 
  Large target (over 3 m)  -1 
  Huge target  (over 7 m)  -2 
  Firing while running  +1 
  Firing while sprinting  +2 
  Two weapons  +1/+3 
  Aiming (requires one action)  -1 
  
  20 
  Sometimes it’s not speeding bullets 
  or giant-sized swords that threaten 
  the characters, but just natural situa-
  tions that can cost them their lives. 
  People can get killed by being caught 
  in a fire, drown in deep waters or by 
  falls. Below are some of the most 
  common situations that can cause 
  harm or even kill. 
   
  Falling
  Falling
  Falling
  Falling    
      
  Falls from great heights are a hazard 
  often plaguing characters in role-
  playing games. 
            Damage starts at 45 for a 3 m 
  fall. this increases by one die (at +1 
  cumulative) for every extra 3 m, up 
  to a maximum of 100 m. All damage 
  t#s also gain a –1 bonus for every 10 
  m of the fall, up to a maximum of –
  4. The GM can decrease the damage 
  caused by falls on softer materials, 
  like water or mud. 
            Damage from falls is of kinetic 
  type. Armor doesn’t protect effi-
  ciently against such high-velocity im-
  pacts. Decrease the kinetic rating of 
  an armor by 2 for falls. 
   
  A character can hold his breath for a 
  number of rounds equal to double 
  his Vitality dice if he’s not perform-
  ing any action, half that if he engages 
  in violent activity. After this amount 
  of time, he suffers automatically one 
  Stamina point per round. While 
  holding his breath, a character oper-
  ates with +1 penalty in every action. 
            inhaling smoke (in a flaming 
  house for example) is equally dan-
  gerous to suffocation. Inhaling char-
  acters take damage 5 (stamina) every 
  round; armor obviously doesn’t pro-
  tect against this damage (but filter 
  masks may prevent it). 
   
  Fire
  Fire
  Fire
  Fire    
   
  Fires are divided in five types accord-
  ing to their intensity. Every round 
  someone spends in the vicinity of the 
  fire, he takes heat damage (energy 
  type). Furthermore, he has a chance 
  of catching flame if he’s carrying or 
  wearing flammable materials. 
            Set aflame 
  Set aflame 
  Set aflame 
  Set aflame is the number that 
  must be rolled equal or greater on a 
  D6 for the character to catch fire. 
  This number is modified if the char-
  acter is wearing non-flammable ar-
  mor by adding the greatest of the 
  three armor ratings (not necessarily 
  the energy one). If the character is 
  set aflame, he’ll suffer heat damage 4 
  on every round until the fire is extin-
  guished. A “set aflame” roll must be 
  made every round the character 
  spends in the fire.  
            Armor (using the Energy rat-
  ing) is considered to protect against 
  fire damage during the first round 
  only. It’s useless in following rounds 
  unless it has heat dispersion proper-
  ties. 
   
  Acid
  Acid
  Acid
  Acid    
      
  Acids are divided like fire in catego-
  ries according to their potency. Each 
  acid has two damage ratings: one for 
  a handful of acid being splashed on 
  the character and one for complete 
  immersion in the acid (which is dam-
  age per round). 
  Armor protects against acid using the 
  greatest of its three ratings. How-
  ever, in the case of complete immer-
  sion in acid, an armor protects effi-
  ciently only if it covers the entire 
  body and head. 
   
  Radiation
  Radiation
  Radiation
  Radiation    
   
  The basic damage of radiation is 4-
  energy (stamina). This damage rating 
  never changes, regardless of the in-
  Hazards
  Hazards
  Hazards
  Hazards    
  Type
  Type
  Type
  Type    
  Damage
  Damage
  Damage
  Damage    
  Set aflame
  Set aflame
  Set aflame
  Set aflame    
  Single 
  flame 
  6 
  6 
  Small fire 
  5 
  6 
  medium 
  fire 
  4 
  5 
  Small fire 
  45 
  4 
  Conflagra-
  tion 
  456 
  3 
  Type
  Type
  Type
  Type    
  Splash
  Splash
  Splash
  Splash    
  Immersion
  Immersion
  Immersion
  Immersion    
  Weak 
  6 
  5 
  Moderate 
  4 
  3 
  Strong 
  45 
  23 
  Very strong 
  23 
  334 
  
  21 
  tensity of radiation. What changes is 
  how often a damage roll is made. In 
  extreme cases, a damage roll may be 
  made once per second (that’s ten 
  rolls per round)! Radiation is very 
  good at penetrating non-special ar-
  mor, so an armor without special 
  shielding from radiation will function 
  at one less point of energy rating. 
            Radiation can also have nasty 
  long-term results. Even if a character 
  escapes immediate death, he needs 
  to make a Vitality roll as soon as he’s 
  out of the immediate danger. This 
  roll suffers a penalty equal to the 
  Carcinogenesis rating of the radiation 
  attack. A failed roll means that the 
  character will develop leukemia or 
  another form of cancer in 1-2 months 
  and probably die unless some treat-
  ment is given to him. 
            Radiation situations vary from 
  being close to a nuclear explosion 
  (frequency once per five minutes, 
  Carcinogenesis +3) to being in a radi-
  ated area (once per two hours, +1) 
  to being unprotected near a leaking 
  reactor core (once per round, +3). 
   
   
  Toxins
  Toxins
  Toxins
  Toxins    
   
  Toxins 
  Toxins 
  Toxins 
  Toxins may have various effects or 
  mechanisms but they all generally 
  either kill or subdue the target. Each 
  toxin has its own mode of applica-
  tion: ingested, injected, inhaled or 
  contact. It also has an attribute called 
  Potency
  Potency
  Potency
  Potency, which describes its strength 
  and how hard it is for the body to 
  resist it. 
            When a toxin affects someone, 
  he makes a Vitality check. The suc-
  cesses of this check are subtracted 
  from the Potency of the toxin and 
  this number is called Toxicity
  Toxicity
  Toxicity
  Toxicity. Toxic-
  ity determines the exact effects the 
  toxin will have on the target. 
            Toxins rarely act immediately 
  in the organism. The Onset Ti
  Onset Ti
  Onset Ti
  Onset Time
  me
  me
  me is 
  another attribute that measures the 
  period before the toxin will start a 
  ffecting the character. The duration 
  of the effects is usually determined 
  by Toxicity.  
  Some general toxins follow: 
   
  Tear Gas
  Tear Gas
  Tear Gas
  Tear Gas    
  Mode: Contact with eyes 
  Onset Time: Immediate 
  Potency: 4 
  Causes a +1 penalty per Toxicity 
  point to all actions. If the penalty is 
  equal or greater than the victim’s re-
  maining Constitution points, all he 
  thinks of is how to escape the gas. If 
  he escapes in fresh air, the effects are 
  halved in the next round and com-
  pletely disappear in two rounds. 
   
  Nerve gas
  Nerve gas
  Nerve gas
  Nerve gas    
  Mode: inhaled 
  Onset Time: 30 sec 
  Potency: 5 
  Inflicts one point of damage 
  (Constitution) per point of Toxicity. 
  Damage is applied at the rate of one 
  point per 30 sec. 
   
  Nerve toxin
  Nerve toxin
  Nerve toxin
  Nerve toxin    
  Mode: Injected 
  Onset Time: 30 sec 
  Potency: 6 
  Nerve toxin is more concentrated 
  and lethal than nerve gas, but it must 
  be injected. As nerve gas, it causes 
  one damage point per point of Tox-
  icity, applied at the rate of one point 
  every 30 sec. 
   
  Coagulin
  Coagulin
  Coagulin
  Coagulin    
  Mode: Injected 
  Onset Time: One minute 
  Potency: 5 
  Causes the loss of Stamina points 
  equal to its Toxicity at the rate of 
  one per minute, as well as a penalty 
  equal to Toxicity to any action for 
  one hour per Toxicity point. If the 
  Toxicity is equal to or greater than 
  the victim’s Vitality dice, he will 
  surely die from thrombosis within 
  half an hour unless he seeks immedi-
  ate medical assistance. 
   
  Tranquiliser
  Tranquiliser
  Tranquiliser
  Tranquiliser    
  Mode: Inhaled/Injected/Ingested 
  Onset Time: Imm./Imm./2 min 
  Potency 4/5/4 
  If the Toxicity is greater than the vic-
  tim’s Vitality dice, he loses conscious-
  ness for 30 min per point of Toxic-
  ity. If he manages to retain his senses, 
  he suffers a +1 penalty per point of 
  Toxicity to all actions and loses an 
  equal number of Stamina points (but 
  the tranquiliser can’t cause Constitu-
  tion loss even if there’s no Stamina 
  points left). 
   
  The effects of a poison depend on its final Toxicity 
  
  22 
  Paralysing agent
  Paralysing agent
  Paralysing agent
  Paralysing agent    
  Mode Injected 
  Onset Time: 30 sec 
  Potency: 4 
  If the Toxicity is only one, then the 
  victim only suffers a +2 penalty to all 
  physical actions along with his move-
  ment rate being halved for the next 
  ten minutes. A greater toxicity means 
  that the victim is completely para-
  lysed for 15 min per Toxicity point. If 
  the Toxicity exceeds the number of 
  Vitality dice by more than two, the 
  toxin has also paralysed the respira-
  tory muscles and the victim begins to 
  suffocate. 
   
  Choking agent
  Choking agent
  Choking agent
  Choking agent    
  Mode: Inhaled 
  Onset Time: 10 sec 
  Potency: 4 
  Such poisons induce asphyxiation for 
  a number of rounds equal to their 
  Toxicity x3. 
   
  Cardiotoxin
  Cardiotoxin
  Cardiotoxin
  Cardiotoxin    
  Mode: Injected 
  Onset Time: One min 
  Potency: 4-5 
  Inflicts a penalty equal to the Toxic-
  ity on all actions. The victim is 
  knocked unconscious if the penalty 
  is greater than his Vitality dice. A 
  Toxicity of 3+ will eventually kill 
  the character after 5-15 minutes 
  unless an antidote or medical care 
  is offered. Even if he avoids death, 
  the character still loses a number of 
  Stamina points equal to the Toxic-
  ity rating. 
   
  Disease
  Disease
  Disease
  Disease    
   
  Disease 
  Disease 
  Disease 
  Disease is a sneaky and often lethal 
  hazard, especially in a world lack-
  ing modern medicine. Although 
  each disease has its own unique 
  characteristics, they can be catego-
  rised and introduced into play by 
  using six attributes: 
  Incubation period: 
  Incubation period: 
  Incubation period: 
  Incubation period: For diseases 
  caused by viruses or microbes, this 
  is the period between contamina-
  tion and the appearance of the first 
  symptoms. 
  Duration: 
  Duration: 
  Duration: 
  Duration: The amount of time 
  needed for the disease to run its 
  full course. 
  Conta
  Conta
  Conta
  Contamination: 
  mination: 
  mination: 
  mination: When a person 
  spends time in infected places or 
  Disease
  Disease
  Disease
  Disease    
  Incub
  Incub
  Incub
  Incuba-
  a-a-
  a-
  tion
  tion
  tion
  tion    
  Duration
  Duration
  Duration
  Duration    
  Contam
  Contam
  Contam
  Contami-i-i-i-
  nation
  nation
  nation
  nation    
  Lethality
  Lethality
  Lethality
  Lethality    
  Effect
  Effect
  Effect
  Effect    
  Term. e
  Term. e
  Term. e
  Term. ef-f-f-f-
  fect
  fect
  fect
  fect    
  Rabies 
  2-16 
  weeks 
  1-2 weeks 
  7 (bitten 
  by in-
  fected ani-
  mal) 
  +4 
  +1 
  death 
  Flu 
  1-4 days 
  3-4 days 
  6 
  -3 
  +1 
  develops 
  into 
  pneumo-
  nia 
  Pneumo-
  nia 
  1-4 days 
  One week 
  4 
  +2 
  +2 
  death 
  Tetanus 
  5 days-3 
  weeks 
  3-4 days 
  3 
  (wounded 
  by rusted 
  object) 
  +4 
  +2 
  death 
  Cholera 
  1-3 days 
  1-2 weeks 
  3 
  +2 
  +2 
  death 
  Bubonic 
  plague 
  2-5 days 
  1-2 weeks 
  5 
  +2 
  +2 
  death 
  Pneu-
  monic 
  plague 
  2-5 days 
  2-3 days 
  8 
  +4 
  +2 
  death 
  Tubercu-
  losis 
  2-5 days 
  3-4 weeks 
  3 
  +2 
  +1 
  death 
  Typhus 
  7-14 days 10-15 days 
  2 
  +1 
  +1 
  death 
  Lethality is applied to the Vitality check 
  
  23 
  around infected persons, he risks 
  contamination. Contamination de-
  pends both on luck and the strength 
  of the immune system. Roll a D6 and 
  add the Vitality dice of the character. 
  Subtract one if the character was 
  near infected individuals (disregard 
  this is the character takes precautions 
  like wearing a mask). If the roll was a 
  ‘1”, roll another D6 and subtract it 
  from the total. If the total is equal to 
  or lower than the Contamination 
  factor, the character contracts the 
  disease. Some diseases have special 
  methods of contamination (eg via 
  blood, sexual contact etc), so a char-
  acter is safe until he’s exposed to that 
  factor. 
  Lethality: 
  Lethality: 
  Lethality: 
  Lethality: When the disease’s course 
  is over, a Vitality check using this 
  modifier must be made to avoid the 
  disease’s terminal effect. This check 
  may be modified or even ignored if 
  the sick character follows the proper 
  treatment. 
  Effect: 
  Effect: 
  Effect: 
  Effect: A sick character receives this 
  penalty on all actions attempted. 
  Terminal effect: 
  Terminal effect: 
  Terminal effect: 
  Terminal effect: The disease’s final 
  effect, usually death. 
            Note that someone pulling 
  through a viral or microbe-caused 
  disease usually develops antigens 
  protecting him from subsequent in-
  fections. There are however some 
  notable exceptions (the flu, tetanus 
  and other). 
            The side table lists some 
  known diseases that may serve as 
  guidelines for the GM if he wants to 
  develop his own. 
   
  Healing
  Healing
  Healing
  Healing    
   
  Stamina 
  Stamina 
  Stamina 
  Stamina points, which represent su-
  perficial injuries and shock, are re-
  stored pretty quickly, at the rate of 
  one per half an hour of resting (one 
  per hour if the character doesn’t 
  rest). 
            Constitution points are re-
  gained at the rate of one per three 
  days of rest (one per week if the 
  character doesn’t spend the whole 
  day resting). 
            this is the natural healing rate; 
  medical assistance, drugs or even 
  magic may modify the restoration of 
  Stamina and Constitution points. 
  Stamina is regained much faster than Constitution 
  
  24 
  N
  NN
  Nova 
  ova 
  ova 
  ova may seem very complicated 
  and mind-boggling to some people. 
  The greatest difficulty comes from 
  having to calculate all these t#s after 
  penalties and bonuses and compare 
  them to the dice. This can seem slow 
  and inelegant to some people. 
            But don’t despair! With minor 
  modifications to the rules, you can 
  have a system that is more simple 
  and fast, albeit at the loss of some 
  realism. This is Nova Lite.
  Nova Lite.
  Nova Lite.
  Nova Lite. 
   
  There are no target numbers but 
  There are no target numbers but 
  There are no target numbers but 
  There are no target numbers but 
  one!
  one!
  one!
  one!    
  This is the idea behind Nova Lite. 
  Nova Lite. 
  Nova Lite. 
  Nova Lite. 
  There is only one target number for 
  each roll! And apart from the target 
  number, the only other thing which 
  interests you is how many dice are to 
  be rolled. 
            In Nova, 
  Nova, 
  Nova, 
  Nova, an attribute may 
  have a rating like 445, 456, 444, 
  466 etc… In Nova Lite,
  Nova Lite,
  Nova Lite,
  Nova Lite, these attrib-
  utes are all translated to one: 4x3. 
  The first number is the target num-
  ber, the second is the number of 
  dice. That simple! 
            When making a roll, you use 
  the t# (plus any modifiers) for the 
  first die and all the extra dice are at 
  +1 cumulative. In this way, all extra 
  dice in the game are always at +1 
  cumulative (that’s another distinct 
  advantage: you’re not forced to re-
  peat extra dice at +1 cumulative for 
  ever!). When we say 4x3 in Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova 
  Nova 
  Lite, 
  Lite, 
  Lite, 
  Lite, it’s like saying 456 in Nova. 
  Nova. 
  Nova. 
  Nova. Op-
  tions and variety are decreased and 
  rolls become a little more difficult for 
  any character, but speed is improved 
  dramatically. 
            All other rules remain more or 
  less as they are. Extra dice added to a 
  roll are always at +1 cumulative. 
  When converting attributes and 
  other ratings from Nova, 
  Nova, 
  Nova, 
  Nova, always use 
  the lowest t# as the t# of the new 
  rating and sum up the attribute dice 
  as the multiplier (x2, x3, x4 etc). 
            Whichever system you plan to 
  use, have fun.
  have fun.
  have fun.
  have fun. 
  Nova Lite
  Nova Lite
  Nova Lite
  Nova Lite    
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Nova/Nova Corebook.pdf