TEXT: Under the moons of Zoon
  A Sword&Planet Role-playing Game
  by Luigi Castellani
  
   
  
   
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  Under the moons of Zoon 
  A Pulp Science-Fantasy RPG 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Design and development: Luigi Castellani, Rome 2004-2007 
   
  General Advice: Andrea Angiolino, Olivier Legrand, Martino Castellani 
   
  Maps, Layout, Interior and Cover Art: Luigi Castellani 
   
  Proof reading: Andrea Ferrari 
   
  Playtesters: Tanya Buhnik, Benedetto Colombo, Lidia Colombo, Andrea Ferrari, Andrea Nicosia, Manuela 
   
   
   
  
   
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  Under the Moons of Zoon 
  Table of Contents 
  INTRODUCTION TO ROLE-PLAYING GAMES ................................................................................................................ 5 
  SETTING AND ATMOSPHERE............................................................................................................................................ 5 
  SOURCES OF INSPIRATION..................................................................................................................................... 6 
  CHAPTER ONE:  BACKGROUND.................................................................................................................................. 7 
  ZOON...................................................................................................................................................................... 7 
  SPECIES OF ZOON....................................................................................................................................................... 7 
  RELIGIONS................................................................................................................................................................ 8 
  SCIENCE .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 
  FASHION .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 
  COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAVEL...................................................................................................................................... 9 
  ZOON’S CITIES .................................................................................................................................................... 10 
  BRIEF TIMELINE OF ZOON.................................................................................................................................... 10 
  GEOGRAPHY OF ZOON......................................................................................................................................... 12 
  THE LIGHT POLE .............................................................................................................................................. 12 
  THE TWILIGHT ZONE ........................................................................................................................................ 13 
  THE NIGHT POLE.............................................................................................................................................. 14 
  CHAPTER TWO:  CHARACTER CREATION.................................................................................................................. 15 
  PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES ................................................................................................................................................. 15 
  SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES............................................................................................................................................. 15 
  SKILLS................................................................................................................................................................... 16 
  WEAKNESS ............................................................................................................................................................. 17 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES .................................................................................................................................................... 17 
  STARTING EQUIPMENT................................................................................................................................................ 18 
  THE FINISHING TOUCHES............................................................................................................................................ 19 
  EQUIPMENT LIST....................................................................................................................................................... 20 
  CHAPTER THREE:  BASIC GAME MECHANICS............................................................................................................ 21 
  TASKS ................................................................................................................................................................... 21 
  CONTESTS .............................................................................................................................................................. 21 
  SPECIAL RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 
  CHAPTER FOUR:  COMBAT....................................................................................................................................... 23 
  TIME SCALE AND ORDER OF ACTIONS............................................................................................................................. 23 
  Surprise ........................................................................................................................................................... 23 
  ACTIONS ................................................................................................................................................................ 23 
  Attacking in Melee............................................................................................................................................ 23 
  Attacking at a Distance..................................................................................................................................... 24 
  Effects of Attacks ............................................................................................................................................. 25 
  Defending ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 
  Pick Up, Use or Interact with an Object............................................................................................................. 26 
  Wait ................................................................................................................................................................. 26 
  Moving ............................................................................................................................................................. 26 
  SPECIAL CASES........................................................................................................................................................ 27 
  Vehicles in combat........................................................................................................................................... 27 
  Fire arms ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 
  Primitive weaponry........................................................................................................................................... 27 
  Different sized weapons ................................................................................................................................... 28 
  MASS COMBAT ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 
  Typical vehicles................................................................................................................................................ 34 
  CHAPTER FIVE:  WILDERNESS TRAVEL ..................................................................................................................... 36 
  WILDERNESS MOVEMENT RATES ................................................................................................................................... 36 
  Overland Travel................................................................................................................................................ 36 
  Waterborne Travel............................................................................................................................................ 36 
  
   
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  Traveling by Air ................................................................................................................................................ 37 
  Becoming Lost ................................................................................................................................................. 37 
  ENCOUNTERS........................................................................................................................................................... 37 
  CHAPTER SIX:  ITEMS OF WONDER .......................................................................................................................... 39 
  WEIRD SCIENCE ....................................................................................................................................................... 39 
  LIFE SCIENCE................................................................................................................................................... 39 
  ALCHEMY ......................................................................................................................................................... 42 
  ENERGY AND MACHINE MASTERY ..................................................................................................................... 42 
  CHAPTER SEVEN:  DANGERS OF THE NATURAL WORLD............................................................................................ 47 
  CHAPTER EIGHT:  PSIONICS..................................................................................................................................... 49 
  MANIFESTING ...................................................................................................................................................... 49 
  PSI CRYSTALS...................................................................................................................................................... 49 
  APPORTATION...................................................................................................................................................... 49 
  ASTRAL................................................................................................................................................................ 50 
  CONTROL ............................................................................................................................................................ 51 
  META-PSIONICS ................................................................................................................................................... 51 
  TELEKINESIS........................................................................................................................................................ 52 
  TELEPATHY.......................................................................................................................................................... 53 
  TELEPERCEPTIONS............................................................................................................................................... 54 
  CHAPTER NINE: CREATURES .................................................................................................................................... 55 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES............................................................................................................................................... 55 
  CREATURES OF ZOON.......................................................................................................................................... 55 
  Optional Rule: Lingering Horror ........................................................................................................................ 59 
  ON ANIMAL TRAINING AND TAMING................................................................................................................................. 59 
  CHAPTER TEN:  EXPERIENCE, EPIC POINTS, FAME.................................................................................................... 60 
  HOW DO EPIC POINTS AFFECT THE GAME?....................................................................................................................... 60 
  FAME .................................................................................................................................................................... 60 
  INCREASING PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES................................................................................................................................. 60 
  LEARNING NEW SKILLS............................................................................................................................................... 61 
  EXAMPLE OF PLAY................................................................................................................................................... 62 
  INTRODUCTORY ADVENTURE: “A PRINCESS OF ZOON” ............................................................................................ 64 
  BACK STORY THE ADVENTURE....................................................................................................................................... 64 
  STARTING THE ADVENTURE .......................................................................................................................................... 64 
  XALAXATL .............................................................................................................................................................. 65 
  THE GARDEN OF FORGOTTEN BEAUTY:........................................................................................................................... 67 
  TO STOP A WAR........................................................................................................................................................ 69 
  HAILED AS HEROES, OR NOT?...................................................................................................................................... 70 
  MAP OF XALAXATL .................................................................................................................................................. 72 
  GARDEN OF FORGOTTEN BEAUTIES, GROUND FLOOR ............................................................................................. 73 
  GARDEN OF FORGOTTEN BEAUTIES, VAULTS........................................................................................................... 74 
  CHARACTER SHEET ................................................................................................................................................. 75 
  NPC SHEET.............................................................................................................................................................. 76 
  VEHICLE SHEET....................................................................................................................................................... 77 
   
  
   
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  INTRODUCTION TO ROLE-PLAYING GAMES 
  A role-playing game (RPG from now on) is a unique way to experience adventures. Every player gets to 
  determine the actions of a character living in a fantasy world; in the case of this game, the characters will all be 
  heroes.  Before the action can begin, however, each player must create his or her character (called a player 
  character or PC) by following the game’s rules for character generation. 
   
  One player of a different kind, known as the Referee 
  or Game Master (GM), will not create a player 
  character.  
  He or she must instead learn the details of the 
  game’s rules and imagine an adventure for the 
  players to have.   
  Of course, this almost always involves coming up 
  with a variety of characters for the other players to 
  meet (these are called non-player characters or 
  NPCs).  
  The Referee will control all of the NPCs and will 
  determine the course of the game much as a 
  director controls a movie.  
  The Referee doesn't need to learn by heart each 
  and every rule, but it is helpful to know where to find 
  things quickly when they are needed so that he or 
  she can "wing it" without slowing down the game. 
   
  The most important thing to remember is that a 
  Referee must not abuse his or her powers to the 
  detriment of the game or the other players; fairness 
  should always be the first priority.   An adventure 
  and some adventure ideas are provided in this book 
  to help novice Game Masters get started. 
   
  A gaming session usually works this way:  first, the 
  Game Master tells the players what situation their 
  characters find themselves in along with what they 
  see and hear.   
  The players then tell the GM what their PCs are 
  going to do.  
  The Referee responds by telling the players what 
  happened as a consequence of their actions (using 
  the rules and some dice rolls if necessary).   
  This goes on back and forth until the adventure is 
  concluded in -- usually -- two or three game 
  sessions.  To make the game more immersive, 
  players generally speak in the first person as if they 
  are their characters while playing. 
   
  As far as equipment goes, you don’t need too many 
  things to play successfully.   
  Under the moons of Zoon makes use of common, 
  six-sided dice.  Whenever a dice roll is called for in 
  these rules, it will be described using standard RPG 
  dice notation of the form “xDy.”   
  The first number before the "D" is the number of 
  dice to be rolled; the number after the "D" is the 
  type of die to be rolled.   
  For example, "3D6" means you have to roll three 
  six-sided dice. "3D6+1" means you have to roll 
  three six-sided dice and add one to the resulting 
  total, while "3D6-2" means you have to roll three 
  six-sided dice and subtract two from the resulting 
  total.  "1/2D6" or "1D6/2" means roll 1D6 and halve 
  the result.   
  (Attribute)D6 means to roll a number of dice equal 
  to the player’s score in the listed Attribute - 
  Attributes will be described in more detail in the 
  chapter on character creation. 
  A note on division:  round all fractions up unless told 
  otherwise in the specific case. 
   
   
  Examples: Examples of actual game play have 
  been laid out throughout the rulebook in boxes like 
  this one to help Game Masters learn the game. 
   
   
   
  Setting and atmosphere  
   
  Under the moons of Zoon has three “literary 
  parents” whose atmosphere it strives to capture.  
   
  The first –and most evidently influential- parent are 
  “Sword and Planet” and “Planetary Romance” tales 
  made popular by E.R. Burroughs (with John Carter 
  of Mars, the prototype of any hero to come in this 
  field) and its multitude of imitators. 
   
  These captivating adventure stories predated 
  “proper” Science Fiction and mixed romance, pulp 
  adventure, and fantastic elements without much 
  regard for scientific rigor. 
   
  The genre went through a revival in the 60’s with 
  new 
  authors 
  adding 
  their 
  interpretation 
  and 
  sensibilities to this literary genre. 
   
  The second parent are dark fantasy tales of the pulp 
  era: weird tales of alien horrors made popular by 
  C.A. Smith and H.P. Lovecraft. 
   
  These famous tales typically dealt with the idea of 
  civilization falling into decadence and atavism or 
  struggling against barbarism (internal or external). 
  In both cases the fall is fostered by alien beings of 
  immense and forbidden powers and evil intents. 
   
  
   
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  The last parent is apocalyptic and post-modern SF 
  as exemplified by the works of M. John Harrison 
  and Gene Wolfe. 
   
  All these “parents” deal with some recurring themes 
  in their works. GMs appealing to these themes will 
  find the setting and the game easier to understand. 
  This, in change, can help make the game more 
  enjoyable for players. 
   
  Swashbuckling action 
  Black and white moral codes 
  Forbidden powers and Corruption 
  Alien horrors 
  True love 
  Civilization vs. Barbarism 
  Decadence and a glorious past 
   
  SOURCES OF INSPIRATION 
   
  Here follows a list of inspirational sources for 
  running games on Zoon: 
   
  Books 
  John Carter of Mars series, by Edgar Rice 
  Burroughs 
  Michael Kane of Mars series, by Michael Moorcock 
  Sojan the swordsman series, by Michael Moorcock  
  Planet Krishna, by Sprague L. De Camp  
  Hawkmoon series, by Michael Moorcock 
  The book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe 
  Viriconium series, by M. John Harrison 
  The Dying Earth, by jack Vance 
  The Mars-Stark stories, by Leigh Brackett 
  Zothique, Hyperborea and Averoigne series, by 
  Clark Ashton Smith 
  Almuric, by R.E. Howard  
  The Majipoor series, by Robert Silverberg 
  The works of HP Lovecraft (particularly: The color 
  out of space, Beyond the wall of sleep, Dream-
  quest for Unknown Kadath, The thing on the 
  doorstep, The doom that came to Sarnath, 
  Nyarlathotep, Polaris, The Dunwich horror, The 
  Haunter of the Dark,The shadow out of time, At the 
  mountains 
  of 
  madness, 
  The 
  Shadow 
  Over 
  Innsmouth, The Whisperer in Darkness ) 
   
  Comics & Movies 
  Flash Gordon, in all its possible incarnations. 
   
  Games 
  Gamma World, by TSR  
  Space 1889, by GDW 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Light Pole Desert
  
   
  7
  CHAPTER ONE:  BACKGROUND 
   
  The far away planet Zoon, one of the moons of the ringed gas giant Zartru, used to be a hospitable planet in 
  ages past. 
  A complete flora and fauna thrived on the distant moon, and the humanoid Brute race thrived on its surface. 
  Alien invaders from the depths of space occupied Zoon, creating a servitor race of Serpentmen (known as “The 
  Firstborn”) to submit the ignorant Brutes, and the Brutes adored them as gods descending from the Skies. 
  The Firstborn researched almost any kind of science (and evolving humans from Brutes) yet destroyed 
  themselves with their Psionical experiments meddling in the affairs of their alien Gods, the Horrors.  
  The surviving Zoonian humans, even before humanity had developed on earth, built an evolved culture and a 
  sophisticated science based on the remains of the Firstborn society.  
  Zoonians developed aerospace flights, psionics, a cure for cancer and where advanced in all kinds of scientific 
  developments most of whom are not to this day even theoretical sciences on earth. 
  But the Zoonians were a divided, warring, race. 
  Mixing their love for war and science these titans finally concocted their own undoing, during one of the 
  continuous wars between the city states the ultimate weapon they had developed misfired horribly plunging the 
  moon of Zartru in a horrible man-made apocalypse. 
  So powerful was the energy released that the moon was tidally locked in synchronous orbit to its primary planet 
  Zartru. This bought chaotic climatic and geomorphic changes that destroyed about 90% of the fauna and flora 
  plunging the zoonians into a new middle age and the struggle for survival. 
  Yet not all is lost as new kingdoms and city states clambered from the fall of civilization. 
   
  Zoon  
   
  The Zartru sub system is very far away from it star, 
  a white dwarf whose light is brightly reflected on 
  Zartru’s reddish surface. 
  Zoon is the largest of the 4 satellites of Zartru, the 
  other large moons being Rae, Iptes, and Testis. 
  Zoon’s diameter is almost four times that of the 
  earth’s moon with a 13.000+ kilometers equator. 
  Being tidally locked to Zartru, Zoon has no day–
  night cycle on its own, this being replaced by its 
  rotation around Zartru that takes about 32 earth 
  days, all light on Zoon comes from its gaseous 
  primary, its rings and the sister moons. 
  Geographically Zoon is divided in three areas: The 
  snowy and mountainous Dark pole, the twilight 
  plains (a green land stretching like a ring from the 
  north to the south pole) and the flat, desertic and 
  ever hot Light pole (so called for the ever present 
  Zartru and its rings crossing its skies).  
  All three zones are still pock-marked by vast areas 
  of land affected by the Curse, a lingering mysterious 
  disease legacy of the powerful weapons employed 
  in the apocalypse that locked Zoon. An abundance 
  of humidity has given birth to a multitude of swamps 
  and jungles. 
   
  Zoon’s weather is variable to say the least, 
  completing a full seasonal rotation for each of its 
  days, the most extreme weather changes, however, 
  happen on the Dark pole and the Light pole.  
   
  Zoon’s vegetation in the Twilight Zone and the Dark 
  pole is composed of lichens, mushroom and fungi; 
  the only plants capable of surviving the fast and 
  devastating seasonal cycle of the surface. 
  Ultra tough cacti are the only plants capable of 
  surviving at the margins of the Light Pole. 
   
  Zoon’s explosive springs are another interesting 
  phenomena as whole jungles of tree sized fungi 
  grow to full size in rather fast times.  
   
  The more temperate zone, the Twilight Ring is the 
  most densely inhabited area, thanks to a friendlier 
  climate and morphology. Almost all of Zoon’s 
  civilized inhabitants reside in the new city states in 
  this area, as do most of its fauna and its barbaric 
  sentients. Zoon’s population is estimated at 300 
  million Humans and 150 million Brutes. 
   
  Species of Zoon 
   
  Humanity 
  The dominant species of Zoon is not at all unlike our 
  own human species, all ethnical variants of 
  humanity are represented on Zoon with golden 
  brown complexion, black hair and eyes (with a 
  marked epicanthic fold) being the most diffused. 
  Humans on all of Zoon have a city-based, 
  aristocratic (yet sexually egalitarian) society divided 
  in castes. 
  The uppermost class is the Warrior aristocracy and 
  its appointed leader (a king elected for life amongst 
  the greatest and most cunning of warriors), 
  Stewards (appointed government officials) are the 
  
   
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  second class with the Learned Ones (merchants, 
  craftsmen and scientists) on the third ladder, 
  Farmers are the next lower class with Slaves (either 
  convicted criminals or prisoners of war) and 
  Outcasts being the lowest of all.  
  A strict etiquette regulates dealings between castes 
  and individuals, with a particular accent on 
  emotional restraint. Also war and individual fights 
  are regulated by a classic chivalric code –derived 
  from early post-apocalypse times- that only outlaws 
  do not follow. The real difference between Zoon’s 
  humans and earth’s humans is their psionic 
  potential, many inhabitants of Zoon (its majority) 
  show potential for telepathic, telekinetic or otherwise 
  incredible mental feats. Religion on Zoon is usually 
  limited to revering of the ancients and ancestors.  
  Human kingdoms developed a stable and complex 
  economic system based on silver weight units 
  called Thaari; some of them employ paper money 
  as well. Silver thaaris usually takes the form of 
  hack-silver: personal jewelry created with a soft 
  silver league to be cut to pieces in order to pay fees. 
   
  Brutes 
  The other sentient race of Zoon is that of the 
  humanlike albino Brutes. Brutes are related to 
  Zoon’s humans like the Neanderthal is related to 
  earth’s Homo sapiens, the two races however are 
  not inter-fertile. 
  Brutes are about three meters tall with a tough 
  leather like skin, low foreheads and massive jaws. 
  All brutes are color blind but have powerful night 
  sight.  
  However dim-witted, Brutes are not stupid, they 
  speak their own tongue and can learn to use 
  scavenged items of higher technology given time or 
  if taught.  
  Their culture is that of the nocturnal hunter-gatherer, 
  with a penchant for cannibalism (religious or not) 
  and their technological level is extremely low, 
  equivalent to Stone Age earth culture. Brutes, like 
  Zoon’s humans, are not a united nation and are 
  instead divided in warring tribes each one following 
  a “king”. However Brutes’ society is not governed by 
  etiquette or chivalric codes: survival of the fittest is 
  the only real law. 
  Brute tribes are strictly male dominated and have a 
  barter based economy. 
  Probably living in protected areas till the advent of 
  man wrought apocalypse, Brutes run now rampant 
  in the ruins of old cities and the wilderness of the 
  Night Pole.  
  They harbor a deep hatred of the smaller human 
  race which they usually hunt and kill with great joy. 
  Like humans, Brutes display psionic potential.  
   
   
  Weird Beasts 
  Zoon is home to many species most of which have 
  a similarity with earth’s ones: snakes, dogs … a few 
  selected races are specifically native to Zoon, if 
  these are natural species or biological experiments 
  of the Ancients is not known: Basilisks, undead and 
  automaton stalk the land scourging the lives of 
  undefended peasants. 
   
  Lurkers 
  In the darkest corners of Zoon cosmic horrors 
  summoned by the Firstborn bide their time to bring 
  death to life. 
   
  Religions 
   
  Zoon’s cultures are mostly atheistic or at least non 
  theistic. Zoonians seem more interested in cults of 
  ancestors or personal improvement cults and 
  philosophies. 
   
  The Enlightened  
  Not a real religion, the enlightened are conclaves of 
  psionic 
  individuals 
  leading 
  a 
  monastic 
  and 
  communistic life; they are usually a free heaven for 
  people seeking shelter or counsel.  
  Enlightened enclaves also train people in psionic 
  disciplines. 
   
  The Worm Cult  
  The Great Worm cult is the thing nearest to 
  Satanism you can find on Zoon, it is mostly 
  practiced by humans and some Brute.  
  Its believers and practitioners think that the 
  apocalypse was the best thing ever in Zoonian 
  history, and want it back.  
  Loonies, delusional madman and power hungry 
  lunatics comprise the majority of worm cultists. The 
  great Worm Cult is outlaw in all Zoon.  
  Its insignia is a curling dragon like serpent biting his 
  tail (“The Great Worm”) usually cast in bronze in the 
  shape of a ring, cultists traditionally wear red tunics 
  topped by a masked cap with antlers.  
  Believers practice terrorism, mass murder and 
  human sacrifice. Most Worm cults are actually lead 
  by surviving Firstborn venerated as living gods.  
  The cult actually pays homage to the Deep Space 
  Horrors that reside both in the cold depths of Space 
  and within the darkest corners of the mind. 
     
  The Ancestors  
  The cult of the ancestors is the most widespread 
  religion of Zoon and practiced by all intelligent 
  sentients.  
  This cult reveres one’s own dead and their 
  achievements and the achievements of ages past in 
  
   
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  general. It greatly values family and personal pride 
  and the idea that one will be responsible of his 
  actions before his relatives the day he dies. It 
  strongly opposes the Wyrm cult. 
   
  The Cult of Assassins 
  The Cult of Assassins is an all-human secret cult, 
  actually more of an underground political party than 
  a religion. Believers are part of a secret guild of 
  mercenary assassins, notorious for their disdain for 
  the chivalric code. The guild in itself has a political 
  agenda based on the “Divide and conquer” 
  principle. The Cult of Assassins is however deeply 
  fragmented with lots of inner political parties. 
  Members recognize each other by hidden tattoos 
  and sign language. All assassins wear a metal 
  mask as a uniform and at party meetings. 
   
  Science 
   
  The average technological level of Zoon’s city 
  states is that of the late renaissance to early 
  modern era (earth’s 16th to 19th century).  
  All items crafted by Zoons’ scientists, artists and 
  craftsmen are heavily decorated: filigree, gems, 
  precious materials are usually employed for many 
  items of common use. An attitude inherited from the 
  previous inhuman masters and their baroque tastes. 
  On Zoon aesthetics are never considered as 
  something separated from functionality. 
  Exceptions to this overall average technological 
  level of development are constituted by the 
  automatons and flying machines of Zoon and the 
  development of inner bio-mental sciences: psionic 
  and weird science.  
   
  Psionic powers do not grant extraordinary social 
  status nor carry social stigma with them, generally 
  they are seen just like any other field of study that a 
  person can devote itself to. Only the use and study 
  of the disciplines of Apportation and Sacrifice is 
  frowned upon, due to its link with the Deep Space 
  Horrors. 
   
  Weird science has a slightly different place in 
  Zoon’s human society: few dare dig the secrets of 
  the ancients, and those few are regarded with awed 
  distrust, although not outright hatred except in the 
  most conservative of cities.  
  A typical weird scientist works alone (or with one 
  favored pupil that will one far away day inherit its 
  secrets) in his sancta sanctorum; no “weird 
  scientists’ guild” exist, as weird scientists are 
  jealous of their discoveries and always afraid 
  someone will steal their inventions.  
  Weird scientists - being such a secretive and 
  solitary lot - do not work hard to achieve a better 
  public view of their activities.  
  Biological grafts have lately become a popular 
  fashion amongst middle and low-caste human 
  citizens, while aristocrats disdain any sort of 
  personal augmentation. 
   
  Brutes on their part are a stone-age/early metal 
  culture with a deep fear of the unknown. 
  Brute psions usually act as tribal Witch doctors and 
  no Brute Scientist exists.  
  Weird Science artifacts raise a Brutes’ deepest 
  fears. 
   
  Fashion 
   
  Humans tend to favor practical and light clothing: 
  loincloths and sandals are standard and both sexes 
  go around bare-chested, upper class individuals are 
  usually recognizable by the amount and quality of 
  jewelry worn; especially by the number of thaari 
  bracelets. 
  Middle or upper class individuals always wear a 
  high leather belt carrying at least one dagger and 
  /or pistol.  
  Fighters by trade can be recognized by their 
  wearing armor, while assassin cult members sport 
  tattoos and masks where their cult is not outlawed.  
  In especially rigid climates woolen or fur cloaks are 
  added, and the loincloth becomes a pair of stout 
  trousers and boots. 
  Brutes wear similar outfits but their jewelry is usually 
  made of hard stones.  
  Fur and leather are predominant in Brute fashion 
  Both races use cosmetics for both sexes: all 
  individuals are expected to bear tribal paintings 
  explicitly declaring their hometown or tribe, only 
  clan-less individuals and outlaws do not wear tribal 
  paint. 
   
  Communications and Travel 
   
  Human city-states rely on different means of 
  communication and travel. The most advanced 
  ones make a wide use of Airship couriers, radio 
  communications and heliographic signals while the 
  least technologically developed still use human 
  couriers that ride the land.   
  Brutes instead rely on drum and smoke signals for 
  intertribal communications.  
  The incredibly changing weather, hungry monsters, 
  marauding outlaws and the Curse make of travel a 
  very delicate matter on Zoon’s dangerous surface: 
  those who can usually travel by airship so to avoid 
  the majority of dangers (but risking becoming prey 
  to sky pirates and flocks of wyverns). 
  Those that can not afford airship traveling usually 
  
   
  10
  become part of the well-armed trading caravans that 
  regularly cross the surface. While vast tracts of Sea 
  cover Zoon’s surface, sailing was never a popular 
  activity amongst Zoonians except for Brutes. 
  Brutes raiding party are a consistent threat to sea-
  side cities. 
   
  ZOON’S CITIES 
   
  The majority of Zoon’s cities have been built by the 
  Ancients, the modern city-states actually formed 
  around the few ones that survived the apocalypse 
  as nomad tribes coalesced around these veritable 
  treasure troves of ancient secrets. 
  Thus the cities (inhabited or not) are the foremost 
  remaining relics of a glorious past and of a world 
  irremediably gone by.  
  Ancient architecture (mainly composed of sky 
  scraping buildings and ziggurat style pyramids with 
  unbelievably vast dungeons underneath and airship 
  docks at the top) usually forms the bejeweled steel 
  and marble core of the cities inhabited by the high 
  and low aristocracy. 
  Inhabited 
  cities 
  usually 
  surround 
  these 
  sky 
  fortresses with a first belt of fortifications and middle 
  class 
  neighborhoods 
  made 
  of 
  contemporary 
  buildings: these usually are stout one or two storey 
  stone buildings of polished marble and stone.  
  A second wall separates the middle class homes 
  from the lower caste slums, sprawling suburbs of 
  crudely carved stone, timber and mud.  
  Lands ruled by a city state are typically cleared of 
  forests and swamps so that industrial scale 
  agriculture can be employed with thousands of 
  slaves working the carefully ploughed fields. 
  The cities’ core and middle class quarters have both 
  excellent plumbing, heating and efficient light 
  sources due to the harnessing of Cosmic Rays 
  power coming from ancient Collector’s hidden in the 
  core’s underground vaults, no such things exist in 
  the slums. 
   
  Abandoned cities are a really haunting vista: 
  hollowed out, enormous frescoed buildings of the 
  ancients, infested by all kinds of ferocious beasts 
  and monsters.  
  Quite a few of those dead towns are affected by the 
  Curse or inhabited by crazed automatons, still 
  carrying out orders received by masters that died 
  millennia ago.  
  No matter what treasure hunters keep coming to 
  these dangerous places hoping to find a fortune, 
  also outlaws and nomad Brute clans favor 
  abandoned cities as hideouts. 
   
  BRIEF TIMELINE OF ZOON 
   
  150.000 years ago- Brutes achieve intelligence and 
  develop a Stone Age society on Zoon. 
   
  130.000 years ago- Alien wanderers known as 
  Deep Space Horrors reach Zoon and start mining 
  the Psi-crystals on the surface. The Horrors submit 
  the Brutes thanks to their superior technology and 
  powers, both of mind and body.  
  In time the Horrors use advanced genetics to 
  engineer the Firstborn race from the native Basilisks 
  (a psionically active reptile) to serve as elite slaves. 
   
  100.000 years ago- Internecine warfare brings the 
  Horrors to leave Zoon and return to their homes in 
  the depths of space, the Firstborn rise to power 
  establishing a theocratic empire based on their own 
  divinity. Tenuous psionic contact with the Horrors is 
  maintained by the Firstborn. 
   
  60.000 years ago- The Firstborn start a genetic 
  program to evolve the Brutes: the human race is 
  born. Humanity goes to fill the niche that Firstborns 
  covered under the Horror’s rule: elite servants. 
   
  50.000 years ago- The Firstborn develop a star 
  faring civilization re-establishing contact with their 
  ancient masters.  
   
  40.000 to 20.000 years ago- The internal war of the 
  Horrors reaches Zoon: Human slaves –empowered 
  by Psionics and stolen scientific secrets- seize the 
  opportunity to start the first rebellions against their 
  monstrous masters. Zoon undergoes its first 
  apocalypse as a psionic mass-attack by the 
  Firstborn on enemy Horrors misfires. The war 
  amongst Horrors return to deep space and the 
  Firstborn Empire collapses. 
    
  20.000 to 10.000 years ago- Human kingdoms are 
  born from the ashes of the Firstborn Empire: in a 
  rather short time the diverse human nation-states 
  reach great technological and cultural heights. 
  Brutes return to wilderness areas, occasionally 
  harassing the borders of the new kingdoms. Some 
  historians maintain that contact with the Horrors 
  was re-established at the end of this period, and 
  that the Horrors planted the seeds for humanity’s 
  undoing. 
   
  10.000 years ago- All out war explodes amongst 
  humans. The massive employment of Curse-bombs 
  alters Zoon’s orbit, tidal-locking it to Zartru and 
  reshaping dramatically its surface. 
   
  
   
  11
  10.000 years ago to Now- A new aristocratic society 
  takes shape out of surviving tribes of humans, the 
  most powerful take hold of the cities of the ancients. 
   
  LANGUAGES OF ZOON 
   
  All main languages on Zoon derive from one of two 
  existing linguistic roots: Xuug (the language of 
  Brutes) and Sasshalish (the language of the 
  Firstborn, itself derived from the language of the 
  Deep Space Horrors). 
   
  Languages form the Xuug family comprise: Xuug, 
  Old Zoonian, Zoonian trade speech.  
   
  Xuug is the simple language of Brutes and has 
  changed very little in the course of millennia. It has 
  two written forms: pictograms and inscriptions, 
  carved on stones at tribal meeting points. The 
  alphabet is composed of sets of parallel lines 
  (numbering one to five) meeting or crossing a base 
  line, usually the corner of a stone. 
   
  Old Zoonian is a more evolved language spoken by 
  the Ancients before the apocalypse. It is strongly 
  based on Xuug with some Sasshalish terms and 
  inflections. The written alphabet is composed of 
  flowery pictograms. 
   
  Zoonian trade language is the language currently 
  spoken by Zoon’s human cultures. A debased and 
  simplified form of Old Zoonian. 
   
  The Sasshalish family comprises only Sasshalish 
  itself: a language completely alien to Zoon and 
  related to the language of the Deep Space Horrors. 
  The Sasshalish alphabet is a set of round, close-
  cropped characters. 
   
  An additional “language” exists on Zoon known as 
  Mask Dance. Mask dance is a complex set of coded 
  hand gestures and whistles used by Assassin Cults. 
  A written form of Mask Dance also exists and is 
  employed to leave brief messages to other Cult 
  members. 
  Each Cult has a slightly different code yet 
  communication between different Cults is possible. 
   
  Naming conventions and honorific titles 
  Individuals on Zoon have usually tripartite names 
  like “Xuur Alm Oghd”, the first part is the person’s 
  First name, the second part is the name of the 
  same-sex parent, and the third part is the name of 
  the other parent. So “Xuur Alm Oghd” is Xuur son of 
  Alm and Oghd. To this rank and tribe are usually 
  added at the end so that Xuur Alm Oghd, Zoolam of 
  Vhime means: Xuur son of Alm and Oghd, noble of 
  Vhime. 
  Brutes use the same naming conventions and 
  honorific titles that humans do. 
   
  Brief Zoonian Trade Speech Dictionary 
  Female nouns have an additional “–a” suffix 
   
  Alaf- One meter 
   
  Balfar- Military unit of 100 men 
  Balfarrad- Military unit of 10 men 
   
  Garla- One day/year of Zoon (32 earth days) 
  Garlarad- One of Zoon seasons (8 earth days) 
  Girneth- Honor (literally “face”) 
   
  Kalat- “So be it!” 
   
  Harlat- Zoon’s summer afternoon 
   
  Illith- Zoon’s wintery night 
  Iptes- White moon of Zartru 
   
  Lagnak- Zoon’s autumn evening 
  Lam- Man 
   
  Nathog - Clan-less individual, outlaw 
  Nudrad- “Well met!” 
   
  Rad- Small (suffix) 
  Rae- Small blue moon of Zartru, considered a good 
  omen. 
   
  Salfa- Zoon’s spring morning 
   
  Tar - Slave or Dog (used as insult) 
  Testis- Purple moon of Zartru, considered a bad 
  omen 
   
  Um - Great (adjective, prefix) 
  Umalaf- One mile 
  Umbalfar- Military unit of 1000 men 
  Umtar –Huge canine creatures used as mounts by 
  Zoons human cultures (literally “great dog”) 
  Umzoolam - King 
  Umgarla- One year of Zartru (about 10 of earth 
  years,120 Garla ) 
   
  Zartru- Gaseous giant around which Zoon orbits 
  Zoolam/a – Noble man/noble woman 
  Zoolamrad/a- Petty noble, government officer 
   
   
  
   
  12
   
   
  GEOGRAPHY OF ZOON 
   
  THE LIGHT POLE 
  This vast desert is littered with the ruins of ancient 
  cities, both human and non-human, linked by the 
  remnants of concrete and steel Old Roads.  Large 
  areas surrounding some of the nameless ruins have 
  deeply been hit by the Curse. The Light Pole’s 
  weather is incredibly hot and still, occasionally 
  broken by savage daily lightning storms. 
  Few creatures can survive in this environment: no 
  vegetation exists and the only water existing in the 
  area is brought by the tidal flats areas at its borders. 
  Yet the Light Pole harbors some life. 
  Ghouls stalk its ruins at the command of the 
  occasional outlaw Weird Scientists or commanding 
  Vampires, scorpions hide in sand and Wyverns live 
  in the mountains at its borders. 
  Most horrifying of all the life forms of the Light Pole, 
  yet, are the few remaining Firstborn. 
  There, hidden in the deepest and most ancient 
  vaults, they lead the Wyrm cult planning to use it to 
  overthrow down what they see as the upstart 
  Human kingdoms.  
  At their command the leaders of the Cult (ominous 
  man-snake hybrids created by weird science grafts) 
  send down assassins and spies all across Zoon to 
  prepare for the new coming of the Deep Space 
  Horrors. 
   
  Meaningful locations 
   
  The Silt Sea 
  A vast –and unusual- body of water in the northern 
  reaches of the Light pole. The silt sea is composed 
  of heavily salted water mixed with peculiar crystals. 
  The water is so thick that people can almost walk on 
  it. 
  The Silt Sea is a favorite hunting ground for 
  Psivores. 
  The best quality of Psi-Crystals is found raw in its 
  waters. It is told that the birth of the Silt Sea is 
  connected to the death of the city buried under its 
  silicate waves. 
   
  That-Uvid 
  An unusual city state, That Uvid is lead not by an 
  aristocracy or a King but by a committee of 
  Dictators chosen amongst the city’s philosophers. 
  That Uvid is heavily infiltrated by the assassin cults 
  known as the Green Stone Feet and the Yellow 
  Legion. 
  
   
  13
    
  Phaasil 
  Phaasil 
  is 
  Zoon’s 
  Casablanca: 
  a 
  spot 
  for 
  adventurers, outlaws and mercenaries, door to the 
  Light pole desert and its mysteries.  Phaasil is 
  anarchistic in the extreme: no government exists 
  and powerful merchants command the local mob 
  enforcing a sort of armed peace. The city is also 
  famous for its cooking specialty: roasted Basilisk, 
  the nearby swamps being notoriously Basilisk 
  infested. 
   
  Stiilitt 
  Large port at the top of Sand Bay it’s the third party 
  in the eternal war between Udd and Ma-Udd 
  changing sides as it is more convenient. Military 
  experts support the idea that Stiilitt started the war 
  to avoid the Twin cities’ stranglehold on Sand Bay 
  and access to the Dayward Ocean. 
   
  Kha 
  Small and poor port on the Spring Sea, it has been 
  subject both to Yacind and Omaba. 
   
  Taliskant 
  Fabled city of the Firstborn, of uncertain location. 
  It is said that many men die daily in the gladiatorial 
  pits under the huge basalt temples of the Deep 
  Space Horrors. 
   
  THE TWILIGHT ZONE 
  The Twilight Zone would have an almost permanent 
  temperate weather, weren’t it for the quirky 
  seasonal cycles of Zoon. 
  Even if most of its territories are covered by lush 
  forest and swamps, the Twilight Zone has been 
  found to be the best place to rebuild a civilization for 
  survivors of the apocalypse. 
  Also Curse infested areas in this Zone are limited to 
  almost only the Gulf of Remembrance. 
   
  Meaningful locations 
   
  Helicon 
  “Flower of Zoon” has been called  Helicon. A 
  Constitutional Monarchy in bloom that is passing 
  through a real renaissance, Helicon is easily the 
  most technologically advanced City State on the 
  planet whose Umzoolam (Seth Kaal Haargul) is 
  himself a renowned scientist. Helicon stands for 
  freedom, justice and knowledge. Ideals it is ready to 
  uphold recurring to its White Knights: ceramic 
  armed elite air-transported units whose crustacean 
  bone-white armor strike fear in the heart of all of 
  Helicon’s enemies.  
   
  Vhime 
  Once the natural enemy of Helicon is today part of 
  its bustling kingdom. Vhime is home to the 
  Heliconian Air-Cavalry and is the fief of the Ivory 
  Prince, the heir to Helicon’s Kingdom. The Prince’s 
  headquarters is the military fleet’s radar/radio 
  beacon tower known as the King’s Finger 
   
  “Nameless” 
  The eastern most city in the triangle composed by 
  Helicon, Vhime and itself, “Nameless” is a city so 
  old its name is lost in time. The city still holds many 
  of the classical buildings of ancient Zoon: Ziggurats. 
  As its namesake, the ruler is the Nameless One 
  elected every five years by a council of peers 
  among the military aristocracy. Nameless has a 
  strong tradition of producing excellent Assassins, 
  and some say that the Cult originated here as a 
  secret police of the Nameless One. Nameless is the 
  headquarter of the Cult of Assassins and its 
  strongest 
  party: 
  The 
  Purple 
  Chrysanthemum 
  Philosophical Society. 
   
  Frostguard Island 
  Once a thriving Sea kingdom, Frostguard Island is 
  today the home of the most powerful and advanced 
  Brute Clan: The Hurdarr. Clan Hurdarr, arrived at 
  Frostguard no more then 20 years ago fleeing an 
  unnamed threat in the Night Pole. 
  Led by Hurd -an incredibly canny Brute- they either 
  killed or enslaved the autochthonous humans. 
  However aging, Hurd, still holds power with an iron 
  fist, however his numerous children grow restless 
  and bicker continuously for power. To this day Hurd 
  has killed no less then three sons in a duel for 
  chiefdom of the Clan. Hurdarr is no more a nomadic 
  clan and resides almost all year long at Frostguard 
  town by the sea yet the Brutes avoid the ghost 
  haunted fortress ruin of castle Frostguard. 
   
  Gulf of Remembrance 
  Along with the Light Pole this is the most Curse 
  Ridden part of Zoon. Before the apocalypse the Gulf 
  itself was a heavily populated plateau, yet one of 
  the unnamable weapons used in the apocalypse 
  plunged it from its lofty heights to the bottom of the 
  sea.  
  The Gulf’s Sea is rather shallow, actually more of a 
  lagoon with cities half sunk under its waters. 
  Various treasure hunters come here to fish its 
  sunken cities for ancient treasures fighting with the 
  haggard pirate fleets of Urukaan, self-proclaimed 
  pirate king of the Gulf. 
   
   
  
   
  14
  Unit 57 
  Nothing is known of unit 57 save that it is a city 
  state run by Automaton and their mysterious leader 
  only known as the Central Unit. Scientists of Zoon 
  suppose that it is the last remaining laboratory of 
  the Ancients still run by the only remaining 
  functional automatic brain on the planet. 
   
  Udd and Ma-Udd 
  The sister cities of Udd and Ma-Udd are deeply 
  involved in a long standing feud that has lasted 
  since the apocalypse. The cities take their names 
  from the founding twin-sister princesses. Born as 
  military camps for each sister's army in a war for 
  power over the city of Pece. 
   
  Thikal 
  The largest town on the planet, and the poorest 
  Thikaal is a sprawling metropolis of mud huts and 
  sandstone building of over 1.000.000 people.  It is 
  also known as “Beggar’s court”. 
   
  Wyvern Head 
  Wyvern head is the most important community of 
  the Enlightened movement. The founder of the 
  Enlightened spent the last years of its life here in a 
  sacred grove. 
   
  THE NIGHT POLE 
  Vast and mostly unexplored the Night Pole consists 
  of high mountains emerging from the bottom of the 
  sea and breaking through the crust of an ice-plaque 
  many thousands of miles wide. The fringes of the 
  pole touching on the twilight zone are a mass of icy 
  islets and icebergs perpetually lost to the currents. 
  Only the nomad Brute Clans of the ice plaque really 
  know what resides in the heart of the white 
  continent. 
  It is told that at the heart of the continent, right at the 
  pole the highest mountain of the world can be 
  found, legendary Mount Skybreak. Some legends 
  say it is an artificial mountain made of metal and 
  concrete built by the ancients on whose heights the 
  eternal wailing of the Horrors can be heard across 
  the Void of space.  
   
  Meaningful locations 
   
  Nyxx 
  The only known human city of the continent.  
   
   
   
   
   
  Zoonian Armsman
  
   
  15
   
  CHAPTER TWO:  CHARACTER CREATION 
   
  The first task for every role-player is to generate an alter-ego, a heroic character that he or she can portray 
  during the course of game. The Referee will use the same rules to create his or her NPCs as well. 
   
   
  Race 
  The first step in the process is choosing the 
  character’s race: a PC can be either Human or a 
  Brute. 
   
  All characters in the game are defined by two sets 
  of 
  characteristics: 
  Primary 
  and 
  Secondary 
  Attributes. 
   
  Primary attributes 
  There are four Primary attributes in Under the 
  moons of Zoon:  
   
  Body (representing both strength and endurance), 
  Agility (covering everything from manual dexterity 
  to reflexes),  
  Wit (which covers aspects of the human mind like 
  logic, reasoning, intuition and memory) and 
  Presence (indicating both charisma and willpower).   
   
  Some characters are endowed with special psionic 
  powers; a character with such skills has an extra 
  Attribute called Psi-index that determines its mental 
  strength. 
   
  The possible values of Attributes for Humans range 
  from 
  1 
  (abysmal), 
  to 
  6 
  (maximum 
  human 
  achievement).  Of course, great heroes, monsters 
  and animals may have scores in excess of 6. A 
  starting player must spend 15 points among Primary 
  attributes. 
   
  If your character is Human remember that all stats 
  have a mandatory minimum of 1 (save Psi-index 
  which has a minimum of 0) and a maximum of 6.  
   
  Brutes have a minimum Body of 4 and a maximum 
  Body of 12 while Wits and Agility have a minimum 
  of 1 and a maximum of 3 and Presence ranges from 
  1 to 6. Psi-index for Brutes has the usual minimum 
  of 0 and a maximum of 6. 
   
  Write down each Attribute’s value as it is generated. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Secondary attributes 
  All characters have four additional Attributes, either 
  determined by its Race or derived from its Primary 
  attributes:  
  Size, Speed, Life points and Initiative Value.   
   
  Size in this game is handled with a descriptive Size 
  class, the most common classes are: Small, 
  Medium, Large, Huge, Enormous.   
   
  Speed handles movement speed. 
  Most players’ first characters will probably be 
  humans, which have a Size of Medium and a Speed 
  of 3.  
  Brutes have a Size of Large and Speed of 6. 
   
  A Character's base Initiative Value is equal to the 
  sum of his Wit + Agility, and is used during combat 
  or action turns to determine who goes first. 
   
  To complete the numerical part of character 
  generation, one last secondary Attribute must be 
  generated: Life Points.   
   
  Life Points have a value equal to the character’s 
  Body x 6.   
   
  When the character gets hurt, he or she loses Life 
  Points; should a character's LP fall under half of its 
  original score, some penalties are suffered: a -2 
  modifier on all die rolls for Tasks (which are 
  described in chapter 3) and Speed is halved.  
  Furthermore, the character must be successful in a 
  Body Task at difficulty 12 to avoid losing 
  consciousness for the next 1D6 x 10 minutes.   
  A character wounded beyond half his LP must roll 
  the above Task any time he or she suffers more 
  damage. Should a character lose more than Body*3 
  LP in one single stroke, it loses its next action turn.  
  Should a character’s LP fall to zero, the character 
  dies and the player must generate a new one.  LP 
  can be restored through psionic healing, medical 
  care and natural healing.  
  For a full day of rest, a character recovers 3 LP. 
   
    
   
  
   
  16
  Skills 
   
  After generating a character's Attributes, the player 
  chooses its Skills from the following list.  
  Skills can be bought at three competence levels: 
  Basic, Advanced and Master.  
  All characters start the game with 3 skill choices 
  (but see Special Abilities below):  
  Basic Rank in one skill costs one choice, Advanced 
  Rank costs two choices and Master Rank costs four 
  choices.  
  Some skills list Requirements, a character may 
  only take skills for which it satisfies all requirements. 
   
  A skill either grants a competence bonus on rolls 
  (Tasks and Contests see below) or grants some 
  special abilities depending on Rank. 
  Basic skills grant a competence bonus of 1, 
  Advanced Skills grant a Competence bonus of 2, 
  Master Rank grants a bonus of 4. 
   
  Be aware that your choice of Skills affects your 
  starting equipment; you may wish to refer to the 
  equipment section below before making any final 
  decisions.  
  All Human characters speak Zoonian trade speech 
  at game start while Brutes speak Xuug. 
   
  Most of these options will make more sense once 
  you’ve read the rest of the rules. 
   
  Administrator -- An economist, the character is 
  learned in managing the resources of men, money 
  and time. This skill covers all areas of resource 
  management, from leading a city-state to managing 
  business. It is the skill of merchant princes and 
  noble lords. 
   
  Armsman -- Competence with melee weapons and 
  unarmed combat. The character also knows how to 
  lead men in battle and is an expert at military 
  tactics. 
   
  Craftsman -- This Skill covers everything from 
  artistic woodcarving to practical carpentry and 
  smithing. Given time and appropriate tools the 
  character can create, alter and repair any kind of 
  objects: from clothes to armor, from musical 
  instruments to weapons, firearms, ships and 
  jewelry. 
  Requirements: Human 
   
  Entertainer -- The character is a skilled musician, 
  singer, 
  storyteller 
  and 
  actor. 
  An 
  entertainer 
  character can inspire and influence others through 
  words and music. Inspiration can either grant a +1 
  toTask rolls at hand if the entertainer is successful 
  in a Presence Task of difficulty 10, or remove the 
  effects of Fright (but not Horror) if the entertainer 
  beats the frightening creature in a Presence Contest 
  and for as long as it keeps singing. 
   
  Healer -- The character is both a physician and can 
  heal both humans and animals. Any character 
  under a Healer's care heals one extra Life Points 
  per day of rest. Healers may fight the effects of 
  diseases in addition to more run-of-the-mill physical 
  injuries. 
   
  Linguist  --  The character is automatically literate 
  and knows how to speak and read/write one extra 
  language at Basic Rank, two languages at 
  Advanced Rank and four at Master Rank. The 
  character is also an expert at cryptography and 
  forging documents. 
   
  Lore -- The character knows a lot about traditions, 
  geography, history, myths and laws 
   
  Martial artist  -- The character has studied a 
  peculiar style of combat: each style covers different 
  maneuvers that grant special bonuses. Chose 
  (competence bonus) maneuvers from below to form 
  your style. 
  Balance – The character counts as one size 
  larger for knockdown attacks 
  Counter strike - while defending, if you win the 
  contest you may roll an immediate attack. 
  Dodge - while moving you get a +2 bonus to 
  defense rolls. 
  Double strike – If attacking with two weapons the 
  character doesn’t receive the –2 modifier. 
  Disarm - you receive a +2 to disarming 
  maneuvers. 
  Hold - you receive a +2 to wrestling maneuvers. 
  Increased initiative  - you receive a +2 to your 
  Initiative Value. 
  Penetrating strike - you may reduce by 2 the 
  attack roll penalty to ignore armor. 
  Power strike - you may opt to take a –2 to the 
  attack roll to receive a +2 to damage 
  Stunning strike - Halve the target’s Body to 
  determine unconsciousness when executing a 
  stunning attack. 
  Sweep - The character may execute a swing 
  attack with a one handed weapon or unarmed 
  attacks against targets of any size. The 
  character receives a +2 to swing attack rolls 
  executed with a two handed weapon. 
  Requirements: Presence 3+ and Armsman 
   
  Marksman -- Competence with firearms, missile or 
  thrown weapons. 
   
  
   
  17
  Pilot  --  The character is good at piloting vehicles 
  of all kinds. 
  Requirements: Human 
   
  Psionicist  --  This skill is open only to characters 
  with a rated Psi index, it covers mastery of the mind. 
  The character has access to (Competence bonus) 
  Levels of knowledge of Psionic Disciplines. 
  See the Psionics chapter for more details. 
  Requirements: Psi-index 1+ 
   
  Sailor --  The character knows a lot about piloting 
  and building ships, boats, swimming and the sea. 
   
  Subterfuge  --  The character knows how to 
  disguise 
  itself, 
  establish 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  unwholesome members of society, moving silently 
  and noticing obscure details. The character knows 
  Mask Dance, at Advanced rank the character can 
  recognize different Cult codes. 
   
  Survivalist  --  The character knows how to hunt 
  and fish, locate North and gather food and water.  
  He or she is also good at things like tracking, 
  stalking, climbing, swimming and is also a skilled 
  rider and animal trainer.  
   
  Weird Science  --  A character with this ability 
  knows the Secrets to create wondrous items. The 
  character has access to (Competence bonus) 
  Levels of knowledge of Secrets. 
  See the chapter on Wondrous items for more 
  details. 
  Requirements: Wit 5+ and Human 
   
  Weakness 
   
  All characters have to have one (and only one) 
  weakness. Brutes have one additional innate 
  weakness: They are color-blind (they can’t see 
  colors; everything is in black and white for them). 
   
  Doom -- Any time the character fails a Task by 4 
  (instead of the usual 6) or more points, he or she 
  fails the attempted action in a catastrophic way 
  (usually taking or inflicting unwanted damage or 
  breaking or losing items).  
   
  Enemy—The character has made a powerful 
  enemy: A powerful Scientist, merchant or warlord. 
  Every session the Game master rolls a Fame Task 
  at Difficulty 10 for the player character. If the Task is 
  successful the enemy some how shows up to thwart 
  the player character’s plans, either personally or 
  through its servants. 
   
  Green -- The character can choose a Special Ability 
  but can only take one Skill choice instead of the 
  three granted to all characters. 
   
  Irrational Behavior -- The player must choose 
  something that drives his or her character to 
  irrational actions.  It can be a desire like greed, lust 
  or unhealthy devotion to something like alcohol or 
  music, or it can be something like a fear of fire or 
  general cowardice. Any time the character is 
  confronted with the cause of his or her Irrational 
  Behavior, he or she can be overcome by it and stop 
  acting normally. The character must successfully 
  pass a Presence Task at Difficulty 12 or be 
  distracted as the Referee sees fit (drunkards will 
  stop fighting to drink, generous characters will give 
  their hard-earned treasure to poor old ladies, and so 
  on…). 
   
  Maimed/Lame -- The character loses either two 
  Attribute points (although no Attribute may be 
  reduced below a value of one) or one point of 
  Speed. 
   
  Poor -- The PC is a runaway slave or just dirt poor. 
  He/she starts with no equipment save clothes and a 
  knife or wooden staff (which does the same amount 
  of damage as a club). 
   
  Slow Healing -- The character recovers only 1 LP 
  after every day of rest. 
   
  Special Abilities 
   
  All characters start with one of the following Special 
  Abilities. Brutes have two additional innate special 
  abilities: Natural armor (an Armor Value of 1) and 
  Darksight (they can see in darkness just like it was 
  daylight). 
   
  Animal Companion—The character has a tamed 
  and trained animal companion of Small or Medium 
  size. The animal knows 4 tricks of the player’s 
  choice. 
   
  Battle frenzy -- The character is immune to the 
  penalties inflicted by damage and is immune to 
  stunning attacks. 
   
  Dark Lore -- The character has access to an extra 
  Level of Knowledge of either Psionics or Weird 
  Science. 
  Requirements: Psionicist or Weird Science 
   
  Endurance  -- The character may ignore up to one 
  level of extremes either way and also receives a +2 
  
   
  18
  bonus to resist Poisons, Illness or the Curse. 
   
  Fast Healing -- The character recovers two extra 
  LP per day of rest. 
   
  Gifted -- The character chooses a skill, he or she 
  gets an extra +2 to all Task and Contest Rolls 
  pertaining that skill. 
   
  Great Shout --The character may expend one 
  action to become frightening. 
   
  Halo of the hero -- The character and all its allies 
  within Presence x 2 meters are immune to 
  frightening effects. 
   
  Heroic Trait – Add one extra point to an Attribute 
  (Primary attributes and Speed only) of your choice, 
  bringing its value up to a maximum of racial 
  maximum+1. 
   
  Item of wonder – The character starts the game 
  owning one Basic item chosen from the chapter of 
  Items of Wonder. 
   
  Luck -- Any time the character exceeds the roll 
  required to be successful at a Task by 4 or more 
  points (instead of the usual 6), he is incredibly 
  successful (achieving double the normal effect). 
   
  Retainer – The character has a personal NPC 
  manservant absolutely loyal to him or her: create it 
  as you would a PC. The retainer can not himself 
  have a Retainer.  
   
  Slayer -- Chose a creature type: The character gets 
  an extra +2 damage against all creatures of that 
  kind and +1 to all Task rolls to detect, hide from or 
  know about them. 
   
  Talented -- The character gains two extra Skill 
  choices. 
   
  Veteran -- The character starts the game with 10 
  Epic Points. 
   
  Well-Known -- The character starts with 1 Fame 
  Point. 
   
  Wild Psi—This special ability represents the ability 
  to use one and only one manifestation of a psionic 
  skill as if the character had a Psi index of (1d6/2) 
  and the relative Psi points. 
  Requirements: Psi Index 0 
   
   
   
   
  Starting Equipment 
   
  Each character (except Poor ones) starts the game 
  with possessions based on his or her Skills and 
  abilities.  
  All human characters should have a small house to 
  live in with their families, clothes, 1d6x10 thaari, and 
  a knife. One or two slaves or paid servants should 
  also be included.  
  Brutes start out with clothes, a tent and bedroll, 
  1d6x10 thaari and a stone knife. 
  Extra equipment depends on the starting Skills of 
  the character, with each Skill granting different 
  possibilities: 
   
  Administrator -- Chose between: large house or 
  small villa, extra servants, a reserve of money or 
  jewelry and gems worth 3d6x10 thaari.  
   
  Armsman -- The character must choose one item 
  from the following list: one-handed weapon of 
  choice, shield, two-handed weapon. At Advanced 
  rank the character could be in command of a small 
  unit and has a military Rank of lieutenant.  
   
  Craftsman -- The character owns crafting tools and 
  one significant item produced by his crafting skills 
  for example: a weapon, a piece of medium armor, a 
  musical instrument, boat or an extension to his or 
  her house. Somewhere in his house, the character 
  probably has a laboratory and all necessary tools 
  for his work. 
   
  Entertainer -- The character owns a musical 
  instrument and a small kit for assuming other 
  personalities. 
   
  Linguist/Lore – Books, scrolls, ink and a pen. 
   
  Marksman -- The character must choose one item 
  from the following list: spear, dagger, hand axe, 
  Bow quiver and 20 arrows, Sling and 20 and pellets, 
  blowgun and 10 darts, Crossbow quiver and 20 
  quarrels. 
  Humans 
  might 
  start 
  with 
  Pistol, 
  Blunderbuss or Harquebus and 10 shots. 
   
  Pilot – A personal vehicle like an Ornithopter or a 
  Groundcar. 
   
  Psionicist--The character owns a Level 1 psi-
  crystal. 
   
  Sailor -- The character owns a lifeboat at Basic 
  Rank, a frigate at Advanced Rank. 
   
  Subterfuge -- The character owns a disguise kit 
  
   
  19
  and a set of lock pick tools. 
   
  Survivalist -- The character owns a bow with quiver 
  and arrows or a spear.  He or she also carries a 
  tinderbox or some rope. Either owns an Umtar or 
  1d6 hunting Tars 
   
  Weird Science -- The character starts the game 
  owning one item chosen from the chapter of Items 
  of Wonder among the Secrets he has access to. 
   
  The Finishing Touches 
   
  The last thing you need to do to polish up your 
  character is to give him or her a name and a 
  personal history based on his or her Skills and 
  abilities. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Malmuut Obness Daar 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Sample 
  Character 
  Creation: 
  Our 
  sample 
  character shall be a Human; we decide to spend 
  the 15 points for Primary attributes in the following 
  way: Body 3, Wit 5, Agility 4, Presence 2, Psi-index 
  1. 
   
  At first glance our sample character is a very smart 
  fellow with some psionic talent, quick bodied and 
  crafty, however its talent must have created a 
  slightly frail personality. 
   
  Malmuut Obness Daar (this shall be its name, we 
  decide also that Malmuut shall be male) has Size 
  M and a Speed of 3. His I.V. is 9 and can stand up 
  to 18 Life Points of damage. On the spot we chose 
  that Malmuut grew up in the slums of a great town 
  and became apprentice to a Weird Scientist. 
   
  Despite some natural talent Malmuut never 
  developed his psionic ability: we chose Basic 
  Subterfuge and Advanced Weird Science as 
  starting skills. As starting Secrets for its Weird 
  Science skill we chose Life Science and Alchemy 
  at Basic level each. 
   
  Malmuut Obness Daar had to learn how to run very 
  fast in the slums, yet his poverty stricken childhood 
  left him with a soft spot for thaari. 
  We chose Malmuut to have a special ability (and 
  thus a Weakness): Heroic Trait (bringing its Speed 
  to 4) and irrational Behavior: Greed. 
   
  Our Scientist’s starting equipment consists of small 
  house (and a Basic laboratory), clothes, 1d6x10 
  thaari (we roll a 3, so Malmuut starts with 30 
  thaari), and a knife. His Weird Science skill grants 
  him a copy of Grafted eyes. 
  Malmuut can see in the darkness. 
   
  Finally we decide that Malmuut was born in Vhime 
  and lives near the King’s Finger tower in the ex 
  laboratory of its former master, eager to discover 
  new secrets of biotechnological grafts. 
   
   
   
  
   
  20
   
  Equipment List 
  Armor 
  Thaari 
  Weaponry 
  Thaari 
  Light armor* 
  10 
  Dagger 
  5 
  Medium armor* 
  30 
  Sword 
  15 
  Heavy armor* 
  60 
  Axe or Spear 
  10 
  Shield 
  5 
  Two handed sword or axe 
  25 
  * halve cost if partial 
   
  Blowgun or sling 
  3 
   
   
  Bow 
  30 
  Animals 
  Thaari 
  Crossbow 
  40 
  Tar 
  30 
  10 arrows/darts/slingshots 
  1 
  Umtar 
  75 
  Pistol* 
  60 
  Tame Wyvern 
  200 
  Blunderbuss* 
  100 
   
   
  Arquebus* 
  150 
  Services 
  Thaari 
  Powder and keg + 10 shots 
  10 
  Unskilled labor 
  3/day 
  Lt Cannon* 
  300 
  Skilled worker 
  6/day per skill level 
  Cannon* 
  600 
  Slave 
  (Body+Pre)x10 
  Heavy Cannon* 
  900 
  Meal 
  1+ by quality 
  1 Cannon shot and powder 
  10 
  Lodging 
  1-5/night by quality 
  Grenade 
  10 
   
   
  Drop bomb 
  100 
  Clothes 
  Thaari 
  * double cost if repeating 
   
  Loincloth and sandals 
  1 
   
   
  Middle class tunic 
  5 
  Vehicles 
  Thaari 
  Aristocratic robes and cloak 
  20+ 
  skimmer 
  500 
   
   
  Ornithopter 
  600 
  Adventuring gear 
  Thaari 
  Air skiff 
  1200 
  Compass 
  3 
  Air boat 
  3000 
  Torches 
  1 
  Air ship 
  6000 
  Lantern 
  5 
  Air Dreadnaught 
  12000 
  Silk rope 
  10 
  Chariot 
  300 
  10 Pitons and mallet 
  5 
  Groundcar 
  600 
  Backpack 
  2 
  Tank 
  1200 
  Sack 
  1 
  Lifeboat 
  300 
  Venom/antidote dose 
  30 
  Frigate 
  1000 
  Bedroll 
  2 
  Longship 
  2400 
  Tent 
  1 per person 
   
   
  Small mirror 
  2 
  Extras 
  Thaari 
   
   
  Fully equipped science Lab 
  Basic:250/Advanced:500
   
   
  Psi crystal 
  50 x level 
   
   
  Small house 
  1200 
   
   
  Villa 
  2400+ 
   
   
   
   
   
  Other items of wonder are not usually for sale, Basic items might have a market value of 1d6x100 thaari, while 
  Advanced items of wonder are in the 4d6x100 thaari range. 
  Also, armor and weapons costs have been calculated for Medium sized creatures. Double costs for Large 
  weapons and armor; halve it for Small sized weapons and armor. 
   
  
   
  21
  CHAPTER THREE:  BASIC GAME MECHANICS 
   
  All actions a character can undertake are easily defined as one of two types: Automatic (walking, speaking, 
  opening an unlocked door, walking) or Task (hitting an enemy, breaking down a door, using a manifestation).  
  Please note that using a Skill is usually automatically successful and that a Task roll is rarely needed.  Rolling is 
  usually only necessary when the character is competing with someone or trying to achieve something 
  extraordinary, like working very fast or with inadequate equipment. 
   
  Tasks 
   
  For a character to accomplish a Task, the Referee 
  must first state the Task's numeric Difficulty, ranging 
  from 6 (Routine) to 16 (Absurd), and the appropriate 
  Attribute used to accomplish the Task (Body to 
  break down doors or resist fatigue, Agility to avoid 
  tripping and moving silently, Wit to notice subtle 
  details and solve problems, Presence to persuade 
  people and to resist temptation).   
  It is possible for a Task’s Difficulty to exceed 16, but 
  this should only occur in exceptional cases. 
  Once all of this is set, the player of the involved 
  character (or the Referee, should a non-player 
  character be trying something) rolls 2D6 and adds 
  the relevant Attribute's value.   
   
  Should the total be higher than the Difficulty, the 
  Task is successful.  
   
  If the Task roll total EQUALS the difficulty, the Task 
  is only partially successful (half effect). 
   
  Should the total be lower than the Difficulty, the 
  action fails. 
   
  Sometimes, a Skill can help in accomplishing things 
  without being strictly necessary for the Task.   
  Hitting someone with a weapon or avoiding being hit 
  doesn’t require a character to be a warrior, but it 
  helps.…   
  Similarly, deciding where a piece of jewelry comes 
  from would be easier for a Craftsman than a 
  layman, but it’s possible that anyone could do it.   
   
  In cases like these, a Skilled character might be 
  awarded by the Referee a +1,+2 or +4 bonus to his 
  or her total depending on its Skill Rank: Basic, 
  Advanced or Master.  
  If two or more skills could apply to the same Task, 
  use the largest modifier, do not add them. 
   
  Whenever a Skill grants its bonus to a Task or 
  Contest (see below), its name shall be shown in 
  brackets near the tested Attribute’s name. 
   
  Some special Tasks may be resolved using Size or 
  Speed, and in some cases, excessively high or low 
  Size can be used as a modifier for certain Tasks.   
  Usually, the positive or negative modifier is equal to 
  +2 or -2 for each Size Class by which the character 
  exceeds (or falls short of) what is considered ideal 
  by the Referee for the Task.   
   
  For example, a Medium human attempting to move 
  through a tunnel designed to be comfortable for a 
  Small creature might suffer a -2 penalty when trying 
  to move quickly or silently due to the cramped 
  conditions. 
   
   
   
  Sample Task resolution: Malmuut Obness Daar 
  is prowling through the Halls of the mad Umzoolam 
  of Barrara. 
  The Gm tells him that he comes upon a locked 
  door, Malmuut’s player states that he wants to 
  open the door. 
  The GM decides that the lock is not very complex 
  yet Malmuut lacks any appropriate equipment; he 
  decides the Task to be a Wit [Subterfuge] Task at 
  difficulty 12. 
  Otherwise Malmuut could force the door with a 
  straight Body Task.  
  However the door is very tough and the GM 
  decides that the difficulty is set at 14 for breaking 
  down the door.  
  Malmuut tries to lock pick the door rolling 2d6+5 
  and gets a 7+5=12! 
  The GM rules that the lock broke without the door 
  opening, Malmuut can not pick it anymore, yet the 
  Body Task difficulty drops to 10. 
  Malmuut this time rolls an 8+3=11. 
  The door slams open and Malmuut sneaks in 
  hoping that no one heard.  
   
   
  Contests 
   
  Some Tasks require that one character overcome 
  another to be successful.  Some examples include 
  tug-of-war contests, races or games of chess or 
  cards.…  For this sort of Task, there is no preset 
  Difficulty; instead, the involved characters each roll 
  2D6 and add the appropriate Attributes plus 
  modifiers (like wounds or Skills or whatever else 
  
   
  22
  might interfere).   
  Logically enough, the character with the highest 
  total wins. 
   
   
  Special Results 
   
  No matter how positive or negative your modifiers 
  are, there is always a chance of Success or of  
  Failure.   
   
  A natural roll of 2 is ALWAYS a FAILURE (in a 
  Contest, compare results normally if all of the 
  involved players also roll a 2).   
   
  Similarly, a natural roll of 12 is ALWAYS a 
  SUCCESS (in a Contest, compare results normally 
  if all of the other contendants have also rolled a 
  natural 12). 
   
  Any time a character fails any Task by 6 or more 
  points, he doesn't simply fail but he fails in a 
  catastrophic way (which usually involves taking or 
  inflicting damage or breaking or losing items).   
   
  Any time a character succeeds at any Task by 6 or 
  more points, she is incredibly successful (double 
  effect, half spare parts cost or time for building 
  items, double damage, crafting an excellent item 
  that imparts a +1 to all related Tasks and contests 
  etc.).  
   
  The Game master will decide how spectacular 
  success and spectacular failure are handled during 
  Contests. 
    
  Of course, the exact nature of these catastrophes 
  and remarkable successes is always left to the 
  discretion of the Referee. 
   
   
  Sample Contest resolution: Once inside the 
  door, Malmuut’s players states that he looks 
  around for any sign of trouble before entering. 
   
  The GM knows that some guards are inside a 
  nearby room and having heard the noise have set 
  up an ambush for whoever may come through the 
  door. 
   
  The Gm secretly rolls a Contest of Wit [Subterfuge] 
  between Malmuut and the guards. 
   
  The GM rolls 2+5=7 for Malmuut and 10+3(for the 
  guard’s Wit) +1(for the guard’s Basic skill rank in 
  Subterfuge) =14. Ooops a catastrophic failure! 
  Not only did Malmuut fail to notice the guards, he 
  actually rushed into the room! 
   
  The GM declares that the Guards have the benefit 
  of Surprise and also that Malmuut receives a -2 to 
  the defense rolls for the Surprise round… 
   
   
   
  
   
  23
  CHAPTER FOUR:  COMBAT 
   
  In crisis situations (not necessarily involving violence), the referee might use Combat Turns to have a precise 
  and clear flow of events.   
   
  Time Scale and order of Actions 
   
  A Combat Turn equals 3-4 seconds of real time in 
  which all characters involved may take one action. 
  At start of the combat turn, the referee calls for 
  Initiative Values, after which actions are announced 
  and resolved by the interested parties, in order of 
  descending Initiative Values (also known as I.V.).   
   
  A Character's base Initiative Value is equal to the 
  sum of his Wit + Agility, at the beginning of each 
  turn, all involved parties roll 1d6 and add it to the 
  base I.V. to get the final I.V. score for that turn. 
  Should there be ties, higher base I.V. goes first. 
  Should there still be a tie, the characters resolve 
  their actions simultaneously. 
   
  There are several actions you can choose from, all 
  of which are explained below in greater detail: 
   
  Attack 
  Defend 
  Manifest a psionic power 
  Move by feet, mount or vehicle 
  Pick up, use or interact with an object 
  Wait 
   
  Surprise 
  Sometimes, 
  a 
  group 
  or 
  individual 
  may 
  be 
  encountered unexpectedly.  
  People who gain surprise have one free Combat 
  turn to act before the normal combat routine is 
  established.  
  To determine if someone sneaking around surprises 
  someone else, you may have to roll a Contest 
  between the sneaker's Agility [Subterfuge or 
  Survivalist] and the victim's Wit [Subterfuge or 
  Survivalist]. 
   
  Actions 
   
  Attacking in Melee 
  If the acting player decides to attack someone 
  nearby, just have him roll a Body [Armsman] 
  Contest with the designated target of the attack. If 
  the attacker wins the Contest he hits the target, 
  usually inflicting damage (but see the section on 
  Armor below for details on how damage may be 
  avoided). 
   
  Characters may gang up on one target: a character 
  may be attacked by up to two characters of its same 
  Size class, twice as many for each Size class lower 
  and by one enemy only for creatures of a higher 
  Size class.   
  The first melee attack against the target is resolved 
  normally, but on each attack that follows, the 
  defender suffers a -1 penalty to its Contest roll for 
  each previous attack it suffered.   
   
   
  For example, imagine that Antero the Brute (Size 
  H) is attacked by three humans (each Size M) and 
  two Tars (each Size S).   
  This is legal because two medium sized attackers 
  count as Large attacker the two Tars count as one 
  medium attacker, that summed with the human left 
  make up for another large attacker, which gives us 
  a total of two large attackers (or one Huge) that 
  obviously doesn’t exceed Antero’s Size.   
  When the attacks are resolved, the first one is 
  resolved normally, the second gives Antero a -1 
  penalty because of the single previous attack, the 
  next gives Antero a -2 penalty because of the two 
  previous attacks, and so on, until the fifth attacker 
  overwhelms poor Antero with a nasty -4 penalty. 
   
   
  Swing Attacks:  Battle Axes and two-handed 
  swords (but no other weapons) may be swung 
  around to hit more than one target in one fell swoop. 
  A melee attack executed with one of these two 
  weapons allows the attacker to aim at two targets 
  with one single attack roll (each defender compares 
  his or her defense roll against the attacker's single 
  attack roll).  
   
  Please note that for this to work all of the targets 
  have to be on the same side of the attacker and 
  adjacent both to each other and to the attacker. 
  Finally, be sure to remember that Battle Axes and 
  two-handed swords are huge, two-handed weapons 
  that require a fair amount of space to swing and 
  which prevent the person wielding them from using 
  a shield while attacking.  
   
  Swing attacks can be used with one handed 
  weapons or disarmed attacks if, and only if, all 
  potential targets are at least one Size class smaller 
  than the attacker. 
   
  All out attacks: The attacker concentrates its 
  
   
  24
  strength in one furious blow. The attacking 
  character receives a +2 to the attack roll Task but all 
  nearby enemies get a +2 to attack him in melee. 
  This can’t be mixed with Swing Attacks. 
   
  Feints: The attacker plays it by wit. The attacking 
  character acts last in the turn, using Wit instead of 
  Body for the attack roll, the defending character as 
  well must roll his defense using Wit. This can’t be 
  mixed with Swing or All-out Attacks. 
   
  Charge: If the attacker moves in a straight line at 
  top speed and ends its movement nearby an enemy 
  it may attack as if he was giving an all out attack. If 
  the attack hits, it may add its Body score and Speed 
  ranks to the rolled damage.  
   
  Mounted attackers count the mount’s Body and 
  speed instead. However the target of this attack if 
  armed with a spear and standing still gets the same 
  damage bonus.  
   
  A Charge maneuver can’t be mixed with swing 
  attacks or All out attacks. Victims of a charge attack 
  must roll an Agility Task at (Damage) difficulty to 
  avoid falling and losing next turn. 
   
  Ramming: 
  Ramming 
  with 
  vehicles 
  can 
  be 
  considered as a Charge, a vehicle has a base 
  damage score depending on its’ size class: 1d6 for 
  Medium vehicles, 2d6 for Large vehicles, 4d6 for 
  Huge vehicles and 8d6 for Enormous ones.  
  A ramming vehicle takes as much damage as one 
  half of the damage it inflicts. 
   
  Combat Using Two Weapons: 
  What's the difference between fighting with a spear 
  and fighting with two daggers or axe and shield?  At 
  the beginning of the turn, before resolving actions, 
  all characters fighting with two weapons (either two 
  one-handed weapons or a weapon and a shield) 
  have to choose which way they're going to employ 
  their second-hand weapon: attack or defense. 
   
  If you're going to use it for offense, when your time 
  to act comes and you decide to attack, you can roll 
  an extra attack with the secondary weapon at a 
  penalty to the Contest roll of -2.  You can attack any 
  adjacent target, and you don't have to attack the 
  same enemy targeted by the first attack. 
   
  If you want to use your second-hand weapon for 
  defense, things change: if your second weapon is a 
  shield, all the attacks you suffer (melee or aimed) 
  receive a -2 penalty to the Task roll. If the second-
  hand weapon is not a shield, all melee (and only 
  melee) attacks suffer a -2 penalty to the Task roll. 
   Attacking at a Distance 
  Aimed Attacks:  Whether they involve a thrown 
  rock or spear or an arrow from a long bow, ranged 
  attacks are always resolved is the same way: 
  determine if your target is at Short, Medium, or Long 
  Range (as specified by the statistics of your 
  weapon), then roll an Agility [Marksman] Task at 
  Difficulty 10 if the target is at Short Range, 12 if it is 
  at Medium Range, or 14 if it is at Long Range.  
   If you succeed at the Task you've hit your target.  If 
  a target is under cover, this inflicts a negative 
  situation modifier. 
   
  Area Attacks:  Some ranged attacks may have an 
  area of effect, hitting everybody inside the area's 
  radius in meters.  
  To determine if an area attack hits, just determine 
  how far you want the attack to reach (Short, Medium 
  or Long Range), then roll the usual Task for aimed 
  attacks but ignore all the modifiers to the attack roll 
  for defender’s Size and Speed...   
  If the attack hits, everybody inside the area is hit, 
  though cover may apply depending on the kind of 
  area attack (it’s the Referee's call). 
  Should the area attack miss, it doesn't simply 
  disappear it just goes off somewhere else. Roll 1D6 
  and consult the table below.  
   
   
  The area attack travels in that direction from the 
  designated landing point for 1D6 meters at Short 
  range, 2D6 meters at Medium range, 4D6 meters at 
  Long range. Once you’ve figured out where the attack 
  went, resolve the effects of the area attacks when it 
  lands in the new ground zero.  
   
  Shooting into the Fray: Every time somebody tries 
  to shoot at someone involved in melee, he suffers a -
  2 penalty to the Agility Task. Should the attacker miss 
  his attack roll, have everybody involved in that fight 
  (including the intended target) roll 2D6 and add Body.  
  Of all characters rolling above 12, the highest roller 
  gets hit (highest Body breaks tie, otherwise roll again 
  to break tie).  
  If nobody rolls above 12, nobody gets hit.  Apply this 
  rule only to aimed attacks. 
   
  Moving Targets: Any aimed ranged attack against a 
  
   
  25
  moving target suffers a penalty modifier equal to 
  (Target's Speed/4).  
    
  Modifiers to All Attack Rolls 
  Size:  Size modifies attack rolls. If you're smaller 
  than your target, add +2 to your attack roll per Size 
  class of difference. Subtract 2 per class of 
  difference from your attack roll if you're bigger than 
  your attack's target. This applies both in melee and 
  at a distance but never for area attacks. 
   
  Situation modifiers:  If the target is stunned, 
  surprised, in a lower position (as when the attacker 
  is mounted while the victim is an infantryman...) or 
  attacked from the rear or similar positive situation, 
  the attacker gains a cumulative bonus of +2 per 
  advantage. 
  Attacking at night or in the dark (or fog) or while on 
  slippery ground or similar negative situation the 
  attacker gains a cumulative penalty of -2 per 
  disadvantage.  
   
  Effects of Attacks 
  If your attack connects, you must roll a number of 
  damage dice specified by the statistics of the 
  weapon that you're using. Add to the total of this roll 
  all modifiers that need apply (like, for example, 
  those given by the various maneuvers or Martial 
  Arts skill) and subtract the target's Armor Value.  
  This new total is subtracted from the target's Life 
  Points total. 
   
  Penetrating attacks: Some weapons and attack 
  forms are described as Penetrating, these attacks 
  ignore two points of Armor Value. 
   
  Unstoppable attacks: Some weapons and attack 
  forms are described as Unstoppable, these attacks 
  ignore four points of Armor Value.  
   
  Overwhelming Attacks: Some weapons and 
  attack forms are described as Overwhelming, these 
  attacks ignore eight points of Armor Value. 
   
  Armor 
  Armor exists in three types: light (usually made of 
  leather) with an Armor Value of 3, medium (chain or 
  scale mail) with an Armor Value of 6 and heavy 
  (plate mail) with an Armor Value of 9.   
  Characters can't wear more than one armor type.  
  When a character gets hit, subtract his or her Armor 
  Value (also known as A.V.) from the damage that 
  he or she takes.   
  Some creatures have a natural A.V. that can be 
  added to that of worn armor.   
  Partial armor has the normal Armor Value of its type 
  and 
  counts 
  as 
  one 
  level 
  lighter 
  regarding 
  encumbrance, but it stops damage only if the attack 
  roll result was an even number.   
  Armors are made with a particular body shape in 
  mind, so only characters of the same species with 
  the same Body and Size scores can exchange 
  armors. 
  A character may try to strike for an unprotected part 
  of the target but suffers a –2 penalty to the attack 
  roll against characters covered by partial armor, and 
  –4 against characters covered by full armor. 
   
  Hardened armor: Some armor types are described 
  as Hardened, they ignore Penetrating effects, 
  granting full A.V. against these attacks.  
  Unstoppable 
  and 
  Overwhelming 
  attacks 
  are 
  considered one step lower (Penetrating and 
  Unstoppable respectively) against hardened armor.  
   
  Unbreakable armor: Some armor types are 
  described as Unbreakable, they ignore Penetrating 
  and Unstoppable effects, granting full A.V. against 
  these attacks.  
  Overwhelming attacks are considered Penetrating 
  and against Unbreakable armor.  
   
  Ultimate armor: Some armor types are described 
  as Ultimate, they ignore Penetrating, Unstoppable 
  and Overwhelming effects, granting full A.V. against 
  these attacks.  
   
  Special Attacks: 
  Not all attacks are brought to inflict damage and 
  wounds; all Special attacks are executed with a -2 
  penalty to the attack roll. Here are some alternate 
  options: 
   
  Disarming: You can chose not to roll for damage 
  but simply to disarm the target of your attack, 
  flinging one of his weapons 1D6 meters in the 
  direction of your choice. 
   
  Stunning Attacks:  Only melee attacks can be 
  used to stun an enemy.   
  To stun, you determine damage and subtract A.V. 
  as usual, but instead of inflicting a LP loss, you 
  daze your target for a number of turns equal to the 
  damage that would otherwise have been done.   
  A stunned character can only move at half speed or 
  Defend, it can’t take actions of any other sort.  If the 
  number of turns of stun exceeds the victim's Body 
  score, consider the victim knocked out for 1D6x10 
  minutes. 
   
  Knock down Attacks:  Only melee attacks can be 
  used to knockdown an enemy of same or lesser 
  Size. If the attack connects the target trips and falls. 
   
  
   
  26
  Wrestling:  If you want to pin your enemy to the 
  ground, go on and wrestle him! Wrestling is a 
  weapon-less melee attack. If you're successful, it 
  means you have grabbed your enemy.   
  If it is the same Size as you (or smaller), you may 
  chose between taking it to the ground, holding it 
  immobile, or strangling it. If the target is bigger than 
  you, you can only choose to bring it to the ground 
  (by tackling or tripping it).  
  Held or strangled characters may do nothing but try 
  to get free when their time to act comes. To break 
  free of a hold, you must win a Body [Armsman] 
  Contest with your grappler. 
   
  Defending 
  A character that spends his turn doing nothing but 
  defending himself causes all the attacks brought 
  against him to suffer a -2 penalty to the Task roll. A 
  character may declare that she is defending before 
  it is her turn to act in reaction to an attack, but this 
  prevents her from doing anything else with her turn 
  later on. 
   
  Pick Up, Use or Interact with an Object 
  This action is fairly self-explanatory, though it’s 
  worth noting that interaction with some items may 
  require more than one turn. 
   
  Wait 
  The character doesn't act when her time comes but 
  instead waits to act later on. She can act whenever 
  she likes, interrupting whoever is currently acting to 
  take her action first.  Should another waiting player 
  also decide to react at this point, determine initiative 
  between the two interrupting players by the usual 
  method (comparing I.V.'s, etc.).  
   
  Moving  
  All characters have a Speed rank which determines 
  how far they can move in one turn. A character may 
  move up to 10 meters/round per point of Speed.  
  Characters with no Speed rank are immobile. 
   
  Difficult ground (or climbing, or swimming for 
  earthbound creatures like humans) or bad weather 
  conditions may halve a character’s movement 
  speed (Referee's call).   
   
  Running (or any similar effort of increasing your 
  speed) increases a character’s effective Speed 
  Rank by one, but can be sustained only for a 
  number of turns equal to Body points. 
   
  Some creatures may have a different Speed rank 
  for each of their different modes of movement 
  (different modes are indicated near the Speed rank 
  in 
  this 
  manner: 
  flight, 
  walking, 
  swimming, 
  burrowing).  
   
  Characters piloting a vehicle - or riding a creature - 
  can alter safely the speed of a vehicle from one turn 
  to the other of no more speed ranks than the 
  vehicle’s Acceleration stat (or creature’s Agility). A 
  piloting character can accelerate more than the 
  mount’s 
  capacity, 
  for 
  each 
  speed 
  rank 
  of 
  acceleration beyond the maximum, the mount or 
  vehicle suffers 1d6 of damage regardless of armor, 
  otherwise the piloting character can try an 
  emergency break reducing the speed by twice the 
  acceleration score. 
   
  Any turn a vehicle –or mount- is moving at a speed 
  higher than half its maximum speed the pilot or rider 
  must Test its Agility [Pilot, Sailor or Survivalist]: 
  Base difficulty is 8 
  Difficult terrain +2 
  Acrobatic maneuver/defending +2 
  Emergency break /Pushing +2 
  +Vehicle maneuverability 
   
  Failure means the driver of the vehicle or mount 
  loses control and may crashes. 
  The game master may call for such rolls also of 
  character’s trying to tread difficult ground. 
   
  When a driver loses control, half of the movement 
  for the turn is executed normally while the other half 
  happens in a random direction determined by the 
  game master. This may result in collision with an 
  object, creature or other vehicle. The vehicle also 
  loses 2d6 speed ranks.  
  A crashing vehicle, mount or character suffers 
  (speed/2) d6 of damage.  
  This same amount of damage is inflicted on crew 
  and passenger that may however avail themselves 
  of the vehicle’s A.V. in addition to their own.  
  Any time a vehicle or mount is hit, the character 
  controlling it must immediately test again its Agility 
  [Pilot, 
  Sailor 
  or 
  Survivalist] 
  at 
  the 
  difficulty 
  determined at the beginning of the turn, however 
  the pilot suffers a -1 to the test for each d6 of 
  damage received and an additional -1 for each new 
  piloting check. 
   
  Encumbrance 
  Characters and creatures are usually considered 
  Unencumbered when they are carrying a couple of 
  weapons, clothes, some coins and one personal 
  object (hunting horn and tinderbox for Survivalists, a 
  flute if you're a musician, etc…). 
  Donning armor already sensibly slows you down. 
  Consider partial armor as one level lighter than full 
  armor for the purposes of calculating encumbrance.  
  
   
  27
  Load (anything else you're carrying that has a 
  volume up to your Size level, like loot in a coffer or a 
  human body on the back of another human or a 
  rider for an Umtar) also slows you down: if you’re 
  carrying load, consider yourself one level lower in 
  the following encumbrance table. 
   
  Load 
  Penalty to Agility* 
  Speed rank penalty 
  Unencumbered 
  -0 
  0 
  Light armor 
  -1 
  0 
  medium armor 
  -2 
  -25% 
  Heavy armor 
  -3 
  -50% 
  Heavy armor and Load 
  -4 
  -75% 
  * Affects also Initiative Value; the Referee may chose to apply this penalty also on some Body Tasks or Contests 
  where freedom of movement is required. The modified Attribute may reach a negative value. 
   
  Special Cases  
   
  Vehicles in combat 
   
  Should a vehicle's LP fall under half of its original 
  score, some penalties to its operation are suffered: 
  a -2 modifier on all die rolls for Tasks (which are 
  described in chapter 3) and a 50% reduction to 
  Speed. Such a vehicle is considered Heavily 
  damaged. 
   
  A vehicle reduced to 0 LP stops being operative but 
  may still be repaired, if a Vehicle is reduced to a 
  number of negative LP equal to its Body, it is 
  damaged beyond repair. 
  A Weird Science vehicle reduced to a number of 
  negative LP equal to its Body immediately explodes 
  causing (Body) D6 of fire damage in (Body) meters of 
  radius area. 
   
  Vehicles can be repaired by a character with the 
  appropriate skill (usually Craftsman or Weird 
  Science) of 2 LP for 4 hours work, however heavily 
  damaged vehicle can only be repaired in a lab.  
   
  Vehicles receiving damage inflicting more than 50% 
  of their LP in a single stroke immediately take a 
  special effect damage determined randomly: 
   
  2d6 Special effect 
  2 
  Random piece of equipment depending on  
  vehicle (like a weapon or radio) 
  3-4 Motion system(-1 Speed) 
  5-6 Maneuverability (-1 Maneuverability) 
  7 
  Nothing 
  8-9 Crew (1d6 random crew members or  
  passengers take the same amount of  
  damage as received by the vehicle.)  
  10-11 Armor crack  
  (vehicle loses 3 points of armor) 
  12 Fire  
  (the vehicle starts burning with a d6 rating  
  regardless of armor) 
   
   
  Special effect damage can only be repaired by a 
  character with the appropriate skill: it requires one 
  day of work in a lab, spare parts and a Difficulty 12 
  Wit [appropriate skill] Task. 
   
  Fire arms 
  Fire arms are rare products of highly developed 
  societies. Fire arms only hold one shot and need to 
  be recharged before they can shoot again: a heavy 
  cannon requires ten action turns to reload and a 
  crew of three, a cannon requires five action turns to 
  reload and a crew of two, a light cannon can be 
  reloaded by a single person in three action turns a 
  blunderbuss or an arquebus requires two action 
  turns to reload, a pistol requires 1.  
  The blunderbuss and the light cannon are area 
  effect weapons with a two meters radius, while the 
  cannon is an area effect weapon with a 5 meters 
  radius.  
  Repeating weapons are a slightly different case 
  (and a lot more rare): a repeating gun holds a clip 
  with 20 shots and automatically recharges in the 
  same turn it shoots, however changing a clip takes 
  the usual amounts of time and crew requirements. 
  Grenades are thrown weapons made of explosive 
  that will explode on impact once the safety pin is 
  released, they have a five meter radius. 
  Drop bombs are larger grenades jettisoned from air 
  vehicles during air strikes.  
  Some special grenades and cannon shots do not 
  inflict damage but simply release venomous gasses 
  or drugs in the air thus following the usual rules for 
  poisons and drugs. 
  Firearms are considered Unstoppable attacks. 
  Fire arms must be cleaned after every combat by a 
  competent gunsmith, otherwise it will explode at the 
  first fumble rolled inflicting its damage to the gunner. 
   
  Primitive weaponry 
  Not all weapons and armors are made of steel (or 
  ultra hard ceramics), primitive peoples usually use 
  
   
  28
  stone or copper or bronze, some rare weapons are 
  made of silver. 
  Chain or plate armor built in copper or bronze 
  respectively stop 1 and 2 damage point less than 
  their steel or iron counterparts. 
  Primitive weapons will break in combat whenever 
  their user rolls exactly the same number of its 
  enemy on a combat roll and its enemy employs a 
  stronger weapon or armor: here is a list from the 
  weakest to the toughest material: 
   
  Wood/Bone 
  Stone  
  Copper/Silver 
  Bronze 
  Iron 
  Steel 
  Ceramics 
    
  Different sized weapons 
  Unless specified in the text, all damage and armor 
  values in these rules are for medium-sized (e.g. 
  human sized) weapons.  
  However Brutes employ weapons and armors just 
  like humans, this kind of Large-sized weapons or 
  armors inflict or parry 2 times as many damage 
  points as human sized ones and have twice the 
  listed range and cost.  
  In the same way small sized weapons and armors 
  would halve their costs, ranges, damage and armor 
  values. 
  A character may not use weapons created for a 
  different Size Level unless the GM allows it, a 
  penalty to attack Tasks and Contest should any way 
  be applied.  
   
   
  Sample Individual Combat sequence:  
  While wandering the ruins of a forgotten city in the 
  northern swamps of the twilight zone, Malmuut 
  (Body 3, Wit 5, Agility 4(3), Presence 2, Psi-index 
  1- Size M, Speed 3, I.V. 9(8), 18 LP- equipped with 
  shield, sword [dmg: 2d6+1] and light armor [av:3])  
  finds himself confronting a Brute raider (Body 7, 
  Agility 2, Wit 2, Presence 3 – Size L, Speed 6, LP 
  42,  I.V. 4 - equipped with partial light armor [av: 
  7/1] and a huge club [dmg: 2d6]). 
   
  The GM asks for a Surprise check and determines 
  that neither is surprised.  
  At the beginning of the first combat round they both 
  check Initiative rolling 1d6 and adding their own IV. 
  Malmuut rolls 3 +8= 11 against the Brute’s roll of 
  4+4=8. 
  Malmuut wins the initiative and decides to attack, 
  using the shield for defense: he rolls 2d6+Body+2 
  due to size differences against the Brute’s plain 
  2d6+ Body roll.  
   
  Malmuut rolls 9+3+2=14, the Brute rolls 7+7=14. 
  Malmuut gets to scratch the Brute for half damage, 
  yet its odd roll allows him to avoid the armor worn 
  by the Brute.  
  Malmuut inflicts (2d6=7+1)/2=4 damage points, 
  subtracting the Brute skin A.V. of 1, 3 damage 
  points. 
   
  The Brute on his action strikes back at Malmuut 
  rolling 2d6+Body-2 for size and -2 for the shield 
  and gets 8+7-2-2=11 versus Malmuut’s roll of 
  7+3=10.  
  The Brute strikes for 2d6-3 damage and gets a 
  total of 4. 
  Malmuut swears under his breath hoping that help 
  arrives soon… And it does! 
   
  The next turn a member of the Yellow legion 
  assassin cult appears at the Brutes back declaring 
  an all out attack.  
   
  The Assassin (Body of 5, Size M, I.V. 10, no armor 
  and a poisoned long sword  Advanced rank in 
  Armsman) has the advantage of surprise and stabs 
  the Brute rolling 9+5 for Body,+2 for skill, +2 for 
  size, +2 for surprise, +2 for all out attack=22, the 
  Brute rolls a 9+7=16. 
   
  The result is a critical success dealing double 
  damage against full armor value for ((2d6=5+1) 
  x2)-7) =5 damage points. It’s just a flesh wound, 
  yet the assassin’s sword is poisoned with a 
  potency of 5. 
  The Brute beats the Potency of the poison rolling a 
  10+7=17 versus a 5+5=10 and suffers no ill 
  consequences. 
   
  The Brute shrieks with surprise and normal 
  initiative sequence takes place. 
  The assassin rolls a 4+10=14, Malmuut gets a 
  2+8=10 and the Brute rolls a 5+4=9. 
  The order of action for  this round is : 
  The Assassin 
  Malmuut 
  The Brute 
   
  The assassin goes first winning initiative and 
  executes a normal attack losing both benefits of 
  surprise and all-out attack. 
  His roll of 7+9=16 is beaten by the Brute’s 
  incredible 12+7=19. 
   
  Malmuut attacks now and rolls himself an 11+5=17 
  against the Brute’s 4+7-1=10 due to this being the 
  second defense roll of the turn. 
  
   
  29
   
  Malmuut inflicts double damage and ignores the 
  Brute’s worn armor and gets to inflict a staggering 
  ((9+1) x2)-1) 19 damage points! 
   
  The Brute has now accumulated (19+3+5=) 27 
  damage points, it suffers a -2 to all Tasks and 
  Contests and a -1 to Speed from now on. 
  In addition the Brute must roll its Body versus a 
  target 
  difficulty 
  of 
  12 
  to 
  avoid 
  losing 
  consciousness… and fails rolling a total of 11! 
  As the giant crumbles to the ground Malmuut takes 
  a deep breath to thank his savior only to find the 
  assassin’s blade at his own throat... 
   
  Mass combat 
   
  Mass Combat is a common event in Sword & Planet 
  narrative. 
   
  Typically the hero will lead his city’s army or air fleet 
  against hordes of barbarians, traitorous city states 
  or mutated servants of some Weird Scientist: A 
  simple reading of the subject material will give the 
  GM lots of ideas of how to fit the clash of armies in 
  its campaign.  
   
  Most battles will not involve the player characters 
  directly and their resolution will be decided by GM 
  fiat, as their role is more that of plot device then that 
  of challenge to the player’s skill. 
   
  However Under the moons of Zoon also proposes a 
  fast resolution system for mass battles, while not 
  accurately realistic it serves the purpose of allowing 
  PCs to lead armies in epic struggles. 
   
  Mass combat is resolved using the same rules as 
  individual combat save some differences outlined 
  below. 
   
  Deployment: The GM must decide in which 
  conditions and at which range the battle starts. 
  Also Surprise effects should be taken in account: if 
  an army ambushes the other make the army 
  leaders roll a Wit [Armsman] Contest to check for 
  surprise. 
   
  Scale: First of all, mass combat Turns are 5 
  minutes long, movement rates are recalculated to 1 
  Speed point equal to 100 meters movement. 
   
  Units: Units are treated as single characters using 
  the same Attributes as for individual characters or 
  vehicles of the same type. 
   
  AV, Body, Speed, Size, Life points, IV, Presence 
  and attack roll damage of a Unit are based on the 
  average unit member attributes. 
   
  Mounted units use the mounts Size and Speed, and 
  use the riders IV. 
  Body, Presence and Life points are based on the 
  average of rider and mount’s Body, Presence and 
  LP.  
  A mounted unit inflicts damage equal to the sum of 
  rider’s and mount’s damage rolls. 
   
  Vehicular units are treated normally, use the pilots 
  I.V. for initiative. 
  When a vehicle unit looses members all Troopers 
  transported 
  on 
  lost 
  vehicles 
  are 
  considered 
  Casualties.  
   
  Mounted and Vehicle units should check for crashes 
  while moving (see above) using the pilot Agility and 
  Skill rank. 
   
  Actions: Units execute actions in order of I.V. 
  exactly the same way individual characters do, with 
  the following additional modifiers to melee attack 
  and defense rolls: 
   
  Unit Scale level 
  Scale mods 
  1-10 
  +0 
  11-25 
  +2 
  26-50 
  +4 
  51-100 
  +6 
  100-250 
  +8 
  250-500 
  +10 
  501-1000 
  +12 
  1001-2500 
  +14 
  2501-5000 
  +16 
  5001-10000 
  +18 
  10001-25000 
  +20 
  25001-50000 
  +22 
  50001-100000 
  +24 
  Each further doubling 
  Additional +2 
   
  In case of missile attacks, add one half the unit’s 
  modifier to the attacker’s roll (larger units are easier 
  to hit) 
  The Scale modifier is subtracted from a unit’s 
  Initiative Value.  
   
  Damage: Whenever a unit successfully hits an 
  enemy unit roll for damage applying the usual 
  modifiers (special actions like charge, Penetrating 
  attacks, critical successes…).  
  Add the potency of eventual venoms to the damage 
  roll. 
  Incendiary weapon damage rolls do not carry over 
  from round to round: keep re-rolling and adding 6s. 
  
   
  30
  Area effect weapons inflict double rolled damage. 
   
  At this point subtract the attacked unit’s average 
  A.V. from the Base Damage Total (considering the 
  usual rules for partial armor). 
  At this point the damage points total for Stunning 
  attacks inflict half damage, to a minimum of 1. 
   
  Once a Modified Damage Total is obtained multiply 
  it by the unit’s members and divide this new total by 
  the average target unit Life Points plus the unit’s 
  Scale modifier.  
  The result is the number of individual members that 
  the unit loses. 
  Do not roll special damage results for vehicles, nor 
  consider the modifiers for Heavy damaged status. 
  As the unit composition changes to lower values, 
  recalculate the Scale modifier. 
   
  Missile weapons: Missile weapons that require 
  reload actions (i.e. can not fire every turn like 
  repeating firearms) do require reload times also in 
  Mass Combat turns. 
   
  Joining and Splitting: As a standard combat 
  action units may split to smaller units or merge in to 
  larger ones. Each new unit must have at least 10 
  members. 
   
  Fortifications: Units behind fortifications receive 
  the same benefits of an additional layer of Partial 
  armor and shield (-2 to be hit). Wood buildings 
  should be considered Light Armor, Stone buildings 
  should be considered as Hardened medium Armor. 
  Ancient vaults can be considered as Umpenetrable 
  Heavy armor or more. 
   
  Morale: Should a unit lose more than 25% its 
  members it must check morale by rolling a 
  Presence Task: 14. 
  Failure means that the unit routs and flees the 
  battlefield at top speed unless rallied. 
  Units losing more then 50% or more of their 
  members check at Difficulty 16. 
  Units must check morale with a Presence Task also 
  when confronted by Frightening units or causing 
  Horror. 
  The target Difficulty is 12 if the Frightening unit is 
  one Scale level smaller and 16 if one or more Scale 
  levels higher. 
  Units losing their Leader (see below) must 
  immediately roll a Presence: 16 Task or rout. 
   
  Leaders: Heroic characters can be assigned to lead 
  particular units. A unit may check morale using the 
  Leader’s Presence instead of its own Presence, 
  adding their Leader’s Fame (see chapter 10) to all 
  Morale Tasks. 
  Also a unit’s I.V. is based on the unit’s Agility and 
  the higher between the units and the Leader’s Wit. 
  A Leader’s Competence Bonus for the Armsman 
  skill is added to all of its unit’s rolls: Tasks, Contest 
  and Damage. 
  Leaders may spend Epic Points on their unit’s rolls 
  and on damage rolls to which the unit is exposed. 
  Whenever a unit is damaged, the Leader must roll a 
  straight [Armsman] Task to avoid being damaged in 
  the fight. First check for leader damage, then for 
  unit morale. 
  A damaged leader receives the same Base 
  Damage Total that the unit received by the attack. 
  Leaders should check for unconsciousness as 
  individual characters do, Heavy damage penalties 
  are applied to the above Survival Task. 
   
   
  Unit losses equal to 
  Armsman Task 
  Difficulty 
  20% or less 
  6 
  40% or less 
  8 
  60% or less 
  10 
  80% or less 
  12 
  Up to 100% 
  14 
   
  Leaders of routed units may try to restore the unit’s 
  Morale: each battle round before the routed unit 
  leaves the battlefield (as defined by the GM) it must 
  execute a Morale Task at difficulty 14, if successful 
  the unit may get back to the fight from the next turn. 
   
  Casualties: At the end of a fight the GM may need 
  to calculate the real number of losses suffered by 
  an army or unit. 
  About 60% casualties represent dead men or 
  disabled vehicles, the remaining 40% percent 
  represents heavily damaged soldiers and vehicles 
  that can be healed or repaired. 
  Vanquished casualties are never dead unless 
  attacked by weapons deadly to them and will start 
  to regenerate as soon as the battle ends. 
   
  Psionics: Psionic actions are handled mostly as 
  usual for individual psionics and are applied as if the 
  unit as a whole was the Manifesting character. For 
  more on psionics see the Psionics chapter. 
  Notable exceptions include:  
   
  Regeneration 
  and 
  Psychosurgery: 
  multiply the number of regenerated Life 
  points by the number of men in the 
  Regenerating unit, and divide it by Average 
  Unit Life Points: this number is the number 
  of recovered members. 
   
  
   
  31
  Cannibalize: 
  multiply 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  regenerated Life points by the number of 
  men in the unit, and divide it by Average 
  Unit Life Points: this number is the number 
  of lost unit members. 
   
  Mind Control: Divide the number of 
  members of the Psionic unit by the target 
  unit’s scale mod: the result is the number of 
  affected enemy soldiers. Double that if the 
  psionic 
  unit 
  creates 
  an 
  area 
  effect 
  manifestation. 
   
  Assault and Pyrokinesis: Treat as normal 
  ranged attack, remember to consider the 
  eventual doubling of damage due to Area 
  effect. 
   
  TK shield: Double the A.V. bonus if the 
  Manifestation is created with Area Effect. 
   
  Teleport: This manifestation can be used to 
  move the unit away with another unit within 
  range. 
   
  Ring: Any Discipline manifested next round 
  receives a bonus number of power levels 
  equal to Ring level plus the unit’s scale 
  mod. 
     
  Maintaining an exiting manifestation costs a unit 1 
  Psi Point per Mass combat turn. 
   
  Legendary Units: Heroic units like the White 
  Knights of Helicon have the additional benefit of a 
  personal Fame score and Epic Points reserve.  
  These Elite units will have up to Fame 3 and a 
  reserve of up to 20 Epic Points per battle. 
  These units may spend Epic Points on all their rolls 
  and on damage rolls to which the unit is exposed. 
  Also they add their own Fame score to all Morale 
  Tasks. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Sample Mass Combat sequence:  
  A scouting platoon of 50 White Knights of Helicon 
  is hunting down a group of 100 Brute Raiders. 
  The white Knights are fully equipped with Partial 
  Light 
  Ceramic 
  Armor, 
  Arquebuses, 
  Ceramic 
  swords and mounted on Armored Umtars. 
   
  We can imagine the Umtars as having the following 
  standard attributes: 
   
  Umtar 
  Body 5   Agility 3    Wit 2/5     Presence 3 
  LP 30   Size M  I.V. 7 
  Speed 9  
  Attack: 2D6 
  AV: Partial Ceramic light armor (3/0 Hardened) 
   
  Meanwhile, the White Knights can be considered 
  as having these attributes: 
   
  White Knights of Helicon  
  Body 5   Agility 4  Wit 3   Presence 3 Psi-Index0 
  LP 30   Size M   Speed 3  I.V. 7 
  Attack: 
  Sword 
  Penetrating(2d6+1-10/20/40), 
  Arquebus with white-flame ammo 2d6+2 (range: 
  40/80/120) Unstoppable  
  AV: Partial Ceramic light armor (3/0 Hardened) and 
  Shield 
  Skills: Armsman Advanced, Marksman Advanced, 
  Survivalist Advanced. 
   
  They are lead by a Lieutenant with similar 
  attributes and skills except for a Wit of 4, Presence 
  of 4 and Advanced Armsman Skill, no Fame nor 
  Epic Points. 
   
  Following the rules, the attributes of a mounted unit 
  of White knights can be considered as: 
   
  50 White Knights of Helicon –Umtar Mounted 
  Body 5   Agility 4  Wit 3   Presence 3 Psi-Index0 
  LP 30   Size M   Speed 9  I.V. 8 
  Attack: Sword & Trampling Penetrating(4d6+1), 
  Arquebus with white-flame ammo 2d6+2 (range: 
  40/80/120) Unstoppable  
  AV: Partial Ceramic light armor (3/0 Hardened) and 
  Shield 
  Skills: Armsman Advanced, Marksman Advanced, 
  Survivalist Advanced. 
  The unit has a scale mod of +4 
  The Knights are an Epic Unit with a Fame of 2 and 
  10 Epic Points. 
   
   
  
   
  32
   
   
  The raiders have standard Brute Attributes: 
  100 Brute Raiders 
  Body 7, Agility 2, Wit 2, Presence 3  
  Size L, Speed 6, LP 42,  I.V. 4  
  Attack: huge club [dmg: 2d6] 
  AV: partial light armor [av: 7/1]  
  Skills: Survivalist Basic and Armsman Basic. 
  Being a unit of 100 Brutes, they also have a Scale 
  Modifier of +6 
  The Leader has the same attributes and skill save 
  for Presence 4 and Advanced Armsman skill. 
   
  The GM has determined that no side is surprised 
  as the Brutes have found shelter in some ancient 
  ruins while fleeing the chasing Knights. 
   
  The Ruins have the same effect as Partial Medium 
  Armor and cover.  
   
  On the first round the Knights roll Initiative getting a 
  (dice roll of 4 plus 4 for Unit Agility minus 4 for 
  scale mod plus 3 for Leader’s Wit=) 7 beating the 
  Brute’s total of (roll of 3 plus 4 for I.V. minus 6 for 
  scale mod=) 1. 
  The Knights open fire on the Brutes, keeping 
  position some 100 yards from the enemy. 
  The Knights roll a 4+4(Agility) +3(for firing on a unit 
  with a +6 scale modifier) +2 (Skill) +2 (Leader’s 
  skill) +2 (Large target)-2(for cover) =15 vs. a 
  difficulty of 14(Long Range), a hit but nothing 
  special. 
   
  Since the result is even, the Brutes’ Partial armor is 
  not skipped, nor is the fortification’s AV. However, 
  due to the Firearms’ Unstoppable effect only 9 
  instead of 13 Armor points reduce the damage roll. 
  The Lieutenant decides to use 3 Epic points from 
  the Unit’s reserve to increase damage by +6. 
   
  The Knights roll for damage 2d6+2+2(for leader’s 
  skill)+6 (for Epic Points)-9(for cover and armor), the 
  white-flame ammo allows them to re-roll and add 
  all dice that come out a six. 
  The dice come out a total of 7, for 8 damage points 
  of Base total equal to ((8x50)/ (42+6)) =8 dead 
  Brutes.  
   
  The Brute’s leader must test his Armsman skill at 
  Difficulty 6 to avoid taking damage: he rolls a 2 and 
  takes basic damage; he is down to 34 Life Points. 
  Close, but no cigar...the Brutes do not have to test 
  morale at this point. 
   
  Now it’s the Brutes turn, the leader decides to risk 
  it all and brings out its raiders in a desperate 
  charge against the enemy! 
  Since in mass combat rounds each speed rank 
  covers 100 meters of movement, the brutes easily 
  connect with the Knights. 
   
  The brutes add to their roll: Body (7), Unit Scale 
  mod (6), Armsman Skill (1), Leader Skill (2) and 
  subtract 4 (due to Shields worn by the Knights and 
  Size difference) =12.  
   
  The Knights add to their roll: Body (5), Unit Scale 
  mod (4), Armsman Skill (2), Leader Skill (2) =13.  
   
  The Brutes roll a 6 and the Knights a 5. 
  Tied!  
  The Brutes barely connect inflicting half damage, 
  however the Knights’ Lieutenant expends 1 Epic 
  Point to reduce damage: 9(2d6)+13(due to 
  charging 
  bonus)+2(Leader 
  skill)-2 
  (for 
  Epic 
  Points)/2=11 damage points minus full armor effect 
  of 3 for 8 points of base damage. 
  The losses of the Knights are ((8x92)/30+4) =22 
  men! 
   
  The Lieutenant -on his part- fails its Armsman Task 
  against a Difficulty of 10 and takes 8 damage 
  points. 
   
  The Knights do have to test their Morale, they roll 
  adding their Leader’s Presence and Armsman 
  Competence Bonus plus Unit Fame (for a total of 
  8) versus a Difficulty of 14 and succeed, standing 
  their ground. 
   
  The Knights may still lose the next round due to the 
  effect of the Charge: they have to roll a Task of 
  2d6+Agility+Survivalist Competence bonus against 
  11, and succeed by rolling a 7. 
  The 28 remaining Knights have now a Scale mod 
  of 4. 
   
  A new round begins, again the units check for 
  Initiative: The Brutes get a total of 0 against the 
  Knights’ total of 8.  
  The Heliconian Lieutenant grits his teeth and 
  orders a new round of fire: 
   
  At short range and with no more cover the Knights 
  roll 5(2d6) +4(Agility) +3(for firing on a unit with a 
  +6 scale modifier) +2 (Skill) +2 (Leader’s skill) +2 
  (Large target)-2(for shooting in the fray) =16 vs. a 
  difficulty of 10(Short Range), critical strike! 
   
  The result is double damage with no armor... for 
  good measure the Lieutenant decides to expend 
  another 3 Epic Points on the damage roll, the 
  maximum that the unit may benefit from with its 
  
   
  33
  Presence of 3 (and leaving only 3EP in the Unit’s 
  reserve for this battle). 
   
  The Knights roll for damage (2d6+2) x2+2(for 
  leader’s skill) +6 (for Epic Points), the white-flame 
  ammo allows them to re-roll and add all dice that 
  come out a six. 
  The dice come out a 6 and a 2, the six is re-rolled 
  coming out a 5 for a total of base damage points 
  38 and the Brutes lose (38x28)/48=22 men. 
   
  The Brutes’ Leader now checks again its Armsman 
  skill to see if the volley hit him and succeeds. 
   
  The Raiders check morale rolling 2d6+6(Leader’s 
  Presence and Armsman skill) versus 14. 
  By rolling a 7 the Brutes fail morale and rout, their 
  action is spent fleeing the battle field at full speed! 
   
  In only 10 minutes of battle 30 Brutes and 22 
  Knights of Helicon have lost their lives... 
   
  On the following round the Heliconians win again 
  initiative and declare an all-out charge on the 
  fleeing Brutes!  
   
  The brutes add to their roll: Body (7), Unit Scale 
  mod (6), Armsman Skill (1), Leader Skill (2) =16.  
   
  The Knights add to their roll: Body (5), Unit Scale 
  mod (4), Armsman Skill (2), Leader Skill (2), Size 
  difference (2), All-out attack (2) =17. 
   
  Since the Lieutenant is risking everything he got on 
  this charge, he uses the unit’s last Epic Points for 
  an additional +6. 
  The Knights' total of 30 beats their enemies’ total of 
  25. 
  As the Knights have rolled a 7, no armor is applied 
  on this attack as well: 32 damage points (due to 
  charge effect, leader skill and the sum of knights 
  and mounts’ attacks) result in 19 more dead brutes 
  in the five following minutes, bringing the total 
  down to 51 Brutes. 
   
  As the Brutes’ leader fails his Armsman Task 
  suffering 32 damage points that send him 
  unconscious the raiders can not rally this combat 
  turn and keep fleeing.  
  Having captured the leader despite suffering heavy 
  losses, the Knights decide to give them some 
  respite... 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Brute Raider 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  34
   
   
  Typical vehicles 
   
  Vehicle 
  Size 
  Class 
  Speed
  Rank
  Man 
  Acceleration
  Body 
  (Life 
  points) 
  Armor 
  Chariot 
  M 
  Ground 
  * 
  -1 
  * 
  5(30) 
  3 
  Lifeboat 
  L 
  Sea 
  Oars/Sails
  2 / 6 
  2 
  1 
  8(48) 
  3 
  Frigate 
  H 
  Sea 
  Oars/Sails
  5 /19
  1 
  3 
  12(72) 
  6 
  Longship 
  H 
  Sea 
  Oars/Sails
  10/17
  0 
  2 
  16(96) 
  9 
   
   
  Chariot 
  The most ancient of vehicles a wooden and metal 
  shuttle pulled by huge draft animals. 
   
  Required Crew: 1     
  Passengers: 1   
  Cargo: 100 kg 
   
  Armament:- 
   
  Other: An animal-driven ground vehicle, speed and 
  acceleration depend on the animal leading the 
  chariot and the burden this imposes on him, some 
  chariots can be lead by even two or four animals 
  sharing the common weight (about 200 kg).  
  A two animals chariot receives a -1 modifier to 
  maneuverability, while a 4 animals chariot receives 
  a -2 Chariots can not be equipped in any way and 
  impart only partial armor on the passengers. 
   
  Lifeboat 
  A small boat with no space for passengers, it is 5 
  meters long and 3 wide.  
   
  Required Crew: 5    
  Passengers: -   
  Cargo: 600kg 
   
  Armament: --. 
   
  Other: --. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Frigate 
  A small, lightweight long-boat with, about 12 meters 
  long and 3 wide, with oars and a complex sail 
  rigging. 
  Ships of this size are used in navies’ world wide as 
  explorers or low cost trader ships  
   
  Required Crew: 5     
  Passengers:-    
  Cargo: 5 Tons 
   
  Armament: Military frigates are armed with 2 
  mounted repeating arquebuses (one on the prow 
  and one on the stern on swivel mounts with a 
  180°arc). 
   
  Other: This kind of ship has no real living quarters. 
   
  Longship 
  A ship 23 meters long and 5 wide, with oars and 
  one single square sail. 
  Military ships of this size are employed mostly as 
  troop transport.  
   
  Required Crew: 25     
  Passengers:--    
  Cargo: 20 tons 
   
  Armament: Military ships are armed with 2 mounted 
  repeating light cannons (one on the prow and one 
  on the stern on swivel mounts with a 180°arc). 
  Civilian Longships simply add 5 tons of cargo. 
   
  Other: This kind of ship has no real living quarters. 
   
   
  
   
  35
   
  Weapons Table: 
  Weapon 
  Damage 
  RANGES 
   
   
  S 
  M 
  L 
  Fist/Kick/Head butt 
  1/2D6 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  Club/shield 
  1D6 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  Dagger 
  1D6+2 
  1-5m 
  6-10m 
  11-20m 
  Sword 
  2D6+1 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  Hand axe 
  2D6 
  1-3m 
  4-6m 
  7-10m 
  Spear 
  2D6-1 
  1-10m 
  11-20m 
  21-40m 
  Two-handed sword or axe 
  2d6+3 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  Blowgun 
  1° 
  1-5m 
  6-10m 
  11-20m 
  Shoots darts. If the damage inflicted is greater then A.V. the poison usually coated on the dart bypasses armor. 
  Sling 
  1D6+2 
  1-10m 
  11-20m 
  21-40m 
  Shoots pellets or stones. Stones have half the reported range. 
  Bow 
  2D6+2 
  1-30m 
  31-60m 
  61-90m 
  Shoots arrows 
  Crossbow 
  2D6+2 
  1-40m 
  41-80m 
  81-120m 
  Shoots arrows. Requires one action to reload, Crossbow attacks are Piercing 
   
  Firearms Table: 
  Weapon 
  Damage 
  RANGES 
   
   
  S 
  M 
  L 
  Pistol 
  2D6 
  1-20 
  21-40m 
  41-60m 
  Shoots ammo 
  Blunderbuss 
  1D6 
  1-5m 
  6-10m 
  11-20m 
  Shoots ammo 
  Arquebus 
  2D6+2 
  1-40m 
  41-80m 
  81-120m 
  Shoots ammo 
  Light Cannon 
  4D6+4 
  1-200m 
  200-400m 
  401-600m 
  Shoots ammo 
  Cannon 
  8D6+8 
  1-400m 
  401-800m 
  801-1200m 
  Shoots ammo 
  Heavy Cannon 
  16D6+16 
  1-800m 
  801-1600m 
  1601-3200m 
  Shoots ammo 
  Grenade 
  2D6° 
  1-10m 
  11-20m 
  21-40m 
  ° or by drug/poison, 3 m. radius area effect, thrown 
  Drop bomb 
  4D6° 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  ° or by drug/poison, 10 m. radius area effect, dropped on target by airship 
   
  
   
  36
   
   
  CHAPTER FIVE:  WILDERNESS TRAVEL  
   
  Adventures will easily bring the heroes to travel the world of Zoon, either by feet, Umtar or air ship. This Chapter 
  deals with overland travel and the management of casual encounters in the dangerous wilderness of Zoon. 
   
  Wilderness Movement Rates 
   
  Movement rates when traveling in the wilderness 
  are related directly to encounter movement rates, a 
  creature or vehicle can move a number of 
  kilometers per hour equal to its Speed score. 
  Naturally, any group traveling together moves at the 
  rate of the slowest member. 
   
  Overland Travel 
  The movement rates shown on the table above are 
  figured based on travel through open, clear terrain. 
  The terrain type will alter the rate somewhat, as 
  shown on this table: 
   
  Terrain Adjustment 
  Jungle, Mountains, Swamp x1/3 
  Desert, Forest, Hills x1/2 
  Clear, Plains, Trail x1 
  Ancient’s Road (Paved) x1 1/3 
   
  Characters normally travel 8 hours per day, 
  however they may choose to perform a forced 
  march, traveling 12 hours per day.  
   
  Each day of forced march performed after the first 
  inflicts a -2 penalty to all Tasks and Contests and 
  reduction of Speed by 50%.  
   
  A Body [Survivalist]:12 Task is allowed to avoid this 
  penalty, after this Task is failed once, keep rolling to 
  avoid 1d6 damage on the characters (and their 
  animals, if any). Once this second Task is failed it is 
  not rolled again for that character or creature. 
  A day spent resting “restarts” the progression. 
   
  Waterborne Travel 
  Travel by water may be done in a variety of boats or 
  ships; see the Vehicles table.  
   
  Unless the ship stops each night, as is done by 
  some vessels traveling along a coastline, as well as 
  those vessels having less than the minimum 
  number of regular crewmen on board, ships can 
  easily travel 12 or even 24 hours per day rather 
  than the usual 8 hours (if a full crew is aboard taking 
  shifts), and so may be able to cover twice the 
  normal distance per day of travel.  
  Movement of sailed ships varies depending on 
  weather conditions, as shown on the following table. 
  Sailing movement modifiers shown apply when 
  sailing with the wind; sailing against the wind 
  involves tacking (zigzagging movement) which 
  reduces movement rates one row on the table (from 
  Moderate Breeze to Light Breeze, for instance). 
   
  2d6 
  Wind Direction 
  2 
  Northerly 
  3 
  Northeasterly 
  4 
  Easterly 
  5 
  Southeasterly 
  6 
  Southerly 
  7 
  Southwesterly 
  8 
  Westerly 
  9 
  Northwesterly 
  10-12 
  Prevailing wind direction 
   
  1d6 
  Wind Conditions 
  Flying 
  Sailing 
  1 
  Becalmed 
  X 120% 
  x0 
  2 
  Light Breeze 
  X 100% 
  X 50% 
  3 
  Moderate Breeze 
  X 100% 
  X 66% 
  4 
  Average Winds 
  X 100% 
  X 100% 
  5 
  Strong Winds 
  X 100% 
  X 153% 
  6 
  Gale 
  X 70% 
  X 200% 
   
  Becalmed: Sailing ships cannot move. Oared ships 
  may move at the given rowing movement rate.  
   
  Strong Winds: Sailing against the wind (tacking) is 
  not possible, and ships exposed to this sort of wind 
  may be damaged or sunk by it; apply 1d6 points of 
  damage to any such ship, per hour sailed ignoring 
  AV.  
   
  The ship’s pilot can avoid this damage with an 
  Agility [Survivalist]:12 Task. 
  Flying vehicles must pass an hourly Agility [Pilot]:10 
  Task to avoid crashing. 
   
  Gale: Sailing against the wind is not possible, and 
  ships exposed to this sort of wind may be damaged 
  or sunk by it; apply 2d6 points of damage to any 
  such ship, per hour sailed ignoring AV.  
   
  The ship’s pilot can avoid this damage with an 
  Agility [Survivalist]:14 Task. 
  Flying vehicles must pass an hourly Agility [Pilot]:12 
  Task to avoid crashing. 
   
  
   
  37
  Traveling by Air 
  Unless the airship stops each night, as is done by 
  some vessels having less than the minimum 
  number of regular crewmen on board, airships can 
  easily travel 12 or even 24 hours per day rather 
  than the usual 8 hours (if a full crew is aboard taking 
  shifts), and so may be able to cover twice the 
  normal distance per day of travel.  
   
  Most winged creatures or flying vehicles must 
  maintain 
  at 
  least 
  one-third 
  normal 
  forward 
  movement in order to remain airborne; however, 
  VTOL capable vehicles generally do not have to do 
  this. Adverse winds may affect flying speed, check 
  the winds table above. 
   
  When traveling by air all terrain effects are ignored.  
   
  Becoming Lost 
  Adventurers following roads, trails, rivers, streams, 
  or other obvious landmarks are unlikely to become 
  lost; however, when the party strikes out into 
  trackless forest, windblown desert, etc. they may 
  become lost.  
  Secretly roll a Wit [Survivalist or Sailor]:12 Task 
  using the Wit of the party leader (i.e. whichever 
  player character seems to be leading). The GM 
  must determine the effects of a failed roll. 
     
  Encounters 
   
  Three times per day the GM should roll 2d6 on the 
  appropriate table to check if an encounter occurs, 
  once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once 
  at night.  
  The Game Master should think carefully about how 
  the encounter happens; check for surprise in 
  advance, and if the monster is not surprised, it may 
  be considered to have had time to set up an 
  ambush (at the GM's option). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Light Pole Encounters 
  2d6 Roll 
  Result 
  2-8 
  None 
  9 
  roll 2D6 
  2-7 Snakes (1d6) 
  8-10 Vampire bats (2d6) 
  11 Eagle 
  12 Zohars (1d6) 
  10 
  roll 2D6 
  2-7 wyvern 
  8 Psivores (2d6) 
  9-10 Ghost  
  11 Ghouls (1d6) 
  12 Firstborns (1d6) 
  11 
  roll 2D6 
  2-6 Bandits (1d6) 
  7-9 Scavengers (1d6) 
  10-11 Wyrm cultists (2d6) 
  12  Weird Scientist 
  12 
  roll 2D6 
  2 Ruins 
  3 Curse pocket 
  4 Oasis 
  5 Psi crystal deposit 
  6-7 Ancient Road 
  8-9 Sandstorm 
  10 Crazed Automatons (1d6) 
  11 Servitors (1d6) 
  12 Winged Servants (1d6) 
   
  Twilight Zone Encounters 
  2d6 Roll 
  Result 
  2-6 
  None 
  7 
  None 
  8-9 
  roll 2D6 
  2-4Baaluruth 
  5-6 Eagle 
  7-8Umtars (2d6) 
  9-12 Tars (2d6) 
  10 
  roll 2D6 
  2-4 Military scouts (2d6) 
  5Travelling merchants (1d6) 
  6 Traveling Zoolams (1d6) 
  7-8 Bandits (2d6) 
  9 Enlightened (1d6) 
  10 Weird Scientist 
  11 Assassins (1d6) 
  12 Wyrm Cultists (1d6) 
  11 
  roll 2D6 
  2-3 Ghost 
  4-5 Basilisks (1d6) 
  6-7 Psivores 
  8-9Ghouls 
  10-12 Brutes Raiding Party 
  12 
  roll 2D6 
  2 Curse Pocket 
  3-4 Air ship squadron  
  5-6 Ruins  
  7-11 Ancient Road 
  12 Crazed automatons (1d6) 
   
   
   
  
   
  38
  Night Pole Encounters 
  2d6 Roll 
  Result 
  2-8 
  None 
  9 
  roll 2D6 
  2-4 Baaluruth 
  5-6 Elk 
  7-8 Forood (1d6) 
  9-11 Tars (2d6) 
  12 furry Zohars (1d6) 
  10 
  roll 2D6 
  2 Krakuun 
  3 Ghost 
  4-12 Brutes Raiding Party 
  11 
  roll 2D6 
  2-3 Military scouts (2d6) 
  4-6Travelling merchants (1d6) 
  7-11 Bandits (2d6) 
  12 Weird Scientist 
  12 
  roll 2D6 
  2-4 Curse Pocket 
  5-7 Ruins 
  8-12 Snowstorm 
   
  Ocean Encounters 
  2d6 Roll 
  Result 
  2-9 
  None 
  10 
  roll 2D6 
  2-3 Krakuun 
  4-12 Brutes Raiding Party 
  11 
  roll 2D6 
  2-3 Military scouts  
  4-6 Merchant ship  
  7-11 Pirates 
  12 Weird Scientist 
  12 
  roll 2D6 
  2-6 Island  
  7 Mutiny 
  8 Scurvy 
  9 Abandoned ship  
  10 Marooned sailor 
  11  Message in a bottle 
  12 Storm 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Mushroom forest on the Night Pole
  
   
  39
  CHAPTER SIX:  ITEMS OF WONDER 
   
  Adventurers will easily find themselves dealing with obscure artifacts: either the remnants of past civilizations or 
  the products of Weird Scientists. All characters can learn to use these items given some time to learn their use, 
  at the GM’s discretion the more esoteric ones may require a simple Wit Task for characters unskilled in Weird 
  Science. Yet only those trained in the dark arts of the Ancients can craft or repair items of wonder. 
   
   
  Weird Science 
   
  Zoon’s weird science is responsible for the creation 
  of many things: first of all Ghouls and Vampires, 
  living items, automaton and grafts amongst many 
  others.  
   
  Weird Science has many branches, each covers the 
  Secrets of building different items of wonder, the 
  Weird Science Skill governs access to the different 
  fields of knowledge: Life Science, Alchemy, Energy 
  and Matter Mastery.  
  Each Secret field has different applications that can 
  be created through experiments. 
  Basic knowledge of the Weird Science skill grants 
  access to one level of Knowledge from one Secret, 
  Advanced Skill Level grants access to two Levels of 
  Knowledge either from the same Secret or from 
  different ones. 
  No character may take Advanced knowledge of a 
  Secret without taking Basic Knowledge of the same 
  Secret.  
  Master Skill Rank in Weird Science grants access to 
  four levels of Knowledge. 
   
  Each time a character executes an experiment to 
  create a wondrous item he must spend 1d6x50 
  thaari in materials for Basic level secrets and 
  2d6x100 thaari for Advanced secrets.  
  Time units are expressed in standard earth times 
  (24 hours’ days). 
   
  A scientist must work in a lab of at least the same 
  level of the Secret he is planning to create. 
   
  LIFE SCIENCE 
  All listed surgery working times and surgery 
  damage rates are based on Medium sized 
  creatures. 
  Double these figures for Large creatures and halve 
  them for Small creatures. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Size Alteration: A scientist can mould and shape a 
  creature to alter its Size by one Level. Altering a 
  creature’s Size level takes two weeks of work in 
  which the subject can not do nothing. The subject 
  takes 4d6 of damage due to the operation. Should the 
  damage be enough to kill the receiver all the 
  operation can be aborted with the subject reduced to 
  1 LP and losing 1 point permanently from Wit. 
  A successful Size Level increase doubles Body, 
  Speed and any natural armor or damage and range 
  from natural weapons: Agility though gets halved, 
  Presence increases by 1 and Wit gets reduced by 
  1point. 
  A successful Size Level decrease halves Body, 
  Speed and any natural armor or damage and range 
  from natural weapons: Agility though gets doubled 
  and Wit gets an improvement of 1 point, Presence 
  loses 1 point. 
  A new Life Point total and Initiative Value must be 
  calculated. A creature can only receive one Size 
  Altering operation: a second one will put an excessive 
  strain on the organism and will cause the death of the 
  subject. 
   
  Grafts: Grafts are additional or modified body parts 
  created by weird scientists and implanted on a 
  creature’s body to improve it. 
  All grafts must be first grown in proper alchemical 
  vats, only then can they be surgically installed on the 
  host body. 
  Vat growing requires one week on the scientist part 
  while the surgery requires 2d6 hours of work and 
  inflicts as many damage points on the transplantee, 
  regardless of any armor.  
  Should the damage be enough to kill the receiver all 
  the operation can be aborted with the transplantee 
  reduced to 1 LP. Once all surgery damage is healed 
  the graft can be employed.  
   
  Grafting limits: Once a character has received more 
  grafts then its Body score, all new grafts require an 
  extra d6 hours of surgery and inflict an extra d6 of 
  damage per additional graft above the Body score.  
  If the number of implanted grafts exceeds the 
  character’s Presence, the character develops a 
  mania or phobia that acts exactly like a Compulsive 
  Behavior: typical neurosis include homicidal mania, 
  cannibalism, sadism a fear of illness. Ghouls and 
  Vampires can not be grafted. 
   
  
   
  40
  Additional Manipulative limb: grants to the 
  creature either an extra arm or a tail capable 
  of manipulating items with same ability as 
  natural ones. 
   
  Blood filters: This graft grants a +3 to all 
  Body Contest against Poisons and drugs. 
   
  Claws, Fangs or stinger tail: natural 
  weapons inflicting ½ d6 for Small creatures, 
  1d6 for Medium ones, 2d6 for Large ones and 
  4d6 for Huge ones. 
   
  Ears: each of these counts as a separate 
  graft, a character can have multiple ones: 
  Balance (+3 to all tests and contests requiring 
  balance and coordination), supersonic or 
  subsonic hearing 
   
  Eyes: each of these counts as a separate 
  graft, a character can have multiple ones: anti 
  dazzle, darkness piercing eyes, IR sight. 
   
  Endo armor: Confers a natural A.V. of 1 for 
  each size Level. 
   
  Enhanced 
  pheromones: 
  The 
  character 
  receives a +2 to all Presence Contests or 
  tasks regarding persuasion. 
   
  Enhanced Sense: The character receives a 
  +3 bonus to all Test and Contest involving the 
  enhanced Sense. 
   
  Eugenics: One of the character’s Stats is 
  improved by 1 (anyone including Speed and 
  Psi index), recalculate derivated Attributes. 
   
  Fast Healing: The character recovers two 
  extra LP per day of rest. 
   
  Gills: The character can breathe water (or air 
  if usually a water creature). 
   
  Limb replacement: These are –usually 
  grotesque- limbs grown for severed and lost 
  ones. 
   
  Mind Control: The grafted creature receives 
  an Irrational Behavior: Obey Master. 
   
  Pain editor: The implant allows the character 
  to ignore the negative effects of wounds or 
  stunning. 
   
  Poison Gland: The character has a new 
  gland that creates a poison or drug of the 
  creator’s choice, the gland holds up to three 
  doses of the substance and a new one is 
  created every hour to replenish used ones. 
  The drug can be either injected by natural 
  weapons passed on through saliva or 
  expelled through breath (1 meter radius area 
  effect). The implantee is immune to the drug 
  produced by the gland. Poison strength is 
  equal 
  to the creator’s Wit+competence 
  bonus.  
   
  Pouch: The character has a natural pouch 
  similar to that of a kangaroo. 
   
  Powered Antibodies: This graft grants a +3 
  to all Body Contest against illness or the 
  Curse. 
   
  Reshaping: The character has different eye, 
  skin or hair color, substance (feathers, 
  scales) or shape. Otherwise this may add or 
  remove limbs or alter their shape. 
   
  RNA 
  Instruction: 
  This 
  graft 
  confers 
  knowledge of one skill at Basic Rank or 
  upgrades Basic skills to Advanced Rank. 
   
  Vocalizer: grants to the creature the capacity 
  of human speech. 
   
  Wings: grants to the creature limited flight 
  capability with a Speed of 3 at Medium Size, 
  1 at Small size and 6 at Large Size. Subject 
  loses 1 point off Body and Agility. 
   
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Brain Transplants: A scientist can remove a brain 
  from one body and install it in another: the subject 
  keeps his Wit, Psi-index, Skills, Epic Points and 
  Fame, Presence is the average between the old 
  body’s score and the new one’s. All other Attributes 
  (Body, Agility, Speed and Size...) are those of the 
  new body. The character gains all physical abilities 
  and limits of the new form. Psychic Advantages and 
  Weaknesses carry over to new body, physical ones 
  do not. The new body takes 5d6 of damage due to 
  the operation (which lasts one day). Should the 
  damage be enough to kill the receiver all the 
  operation can be aborted with the subject’s old body 
  reduced to 1 LP and losing 1 point permanently from 
  Wit. If the operation is successful the newly 
  transplanted character can do nothing till all the 
  damage from the operation is healed. 
   
  
   
  41
  Duplicants: A scientist can create a living being of 
  any race with one week of work per creature Size 
  level. If working from a specific creature’s raw 
  biological material, it can create a clone with the 
  same skills and special abilities. Ghouls and vampires 
  can not be duplicated in this way. 
   
  Familiars: Familiars are a special type of duplicants 
  made from sentient life forms. Familiars can be 
  created in only one week’s work. 
  Familiars are one Size level smaller (halve Body and 
  Speed, double Agility and recalculate secondary 
  Attributes. Wit and Presence are 1) and never have a 
  Psi index.  
  Familiars have skills the same skills of their master at 
  the time of cloning but at Basic Level and can never 
  learn new ones or improve those known. Familiars 
  only inherit physical Advantages or Disadvantages 
  from their masters. 
  If the master of a familiar has grafts at the time of 
  cloning, so does the Familiar, a Familiar can receive 
  new grafts.  
  A Familiar and its master are always telepathically 
  linked by Level 1 Telepathic Bond manifestation. 
  Familiars are fed by their master’s blood: each day 
  the master must inflict himself 1 Life Point damage to 
  feed a Familiar. Each character can have as many 
  Familiars as he manages to feed.  
  Ghouls and vampires can not be duplicated in this 
  way. 
   
  Living Items: Living items are the products of an 
  ancient and now almost lost technology today only 
  known to few adepts of weird science. All living 
  items are indeed living creatures with a Body of 1 or 
  2 (and thus from 6 to 12 LP), they can thus be 
  damaged, killed and healed (and heal naturally). 
  Creating a living item requires one week of work in 
  the vats. 
   
  Chameleon suit: A cloak, cape or generic 
  piece of covering clothes made of symbiotic 
  mass endowed with the chameleon like ability 
  to alter its color and texture so to match the 
  surroundings. Wearing a chameleon suit 
  adds a +2 bonus to all stealth tasks and 
  contests. The chameleon suit feeds on body 
  heat and will die of starvation if not worn at 
  least 4 hours a week. 
   
  Hedgehog: An ugly living weapon shaped 
  like a mass of spines and darts and 
  resembling a hedgehog. It works exactly like 
  a repeating blowgun: 1d6/2 damage, range: 
  1-5/6-10/11-20.   
  Its darts are coated with Strength 5 sleeping 
  poison (2D6 hours of sleep). A hedgehog can 
  fire once per turn and must be fed daily to 
  avoid starvation. A hedgehog can fire 30 
  darts before being depleted and grows a new 
  dart in 15 minutes. Starved hedgehogs can 
  not grow new darts. 
   
  Life support bud: A symbiotic mass that 
  once applied to the body will feed the wearer 
  through osmosis. It can be applied in 5 
  minutes and will suppress thirst and hunger 
  for one week, then it dies. 
   
  Living clothes and furnishings: Costly 
  gadgets for the aristocracy, these items can 
  automatically repair themselves, and can 
  change shape and color reacting to the 
  wearer’s telepathic commands. 
   
  Mime: This squid like empathic creature can 
  be put on the face as a mask, it can then be 
  shaped with the hands and thoughts to 
  reshape one’s own facial traits, and it imparts 
  a bonus to all disguise tasks and Contests of 
  2. The mime feeds on dead skin and mind 
  waves, it will die of starvation if not applied at 
  least once a month. 
   
  Psivore: See Chapter Nine. 
   
  Scarab: An empathic creature in the form of 
  a small scarab to be put on one’s head. Once 
  in place it will burrow its legs in the wearer’s 
  brow 
  in 
  five 
  minutes 
  establishing 
  a 
  connection to the CNS. Once the connection 
  is established, the Scarab allows the owner to 
  send and receive thoughts to and from all 
  telepathic scarab wearers in 40 meters 
  radius. Removing a Scarab takes five 
  minutes. The scarab feeds on dead skin and 
  mind waves, it will die of starvation if not 
  applied at least once a month. A character 
  can block unwanted communications or 
  eavesdropping with a Presence Contest, 
  Psionic characters receive a bonus equal to 
  their Psi index. 
   
  Screamer: An ugly living weapon shaped like 
  a huge mouth capable of emitting sharp 
  blasts of subsonics and used to stun targets. 
  It only affects living targets such as humans, 
  Brutes and duplicants (not Ghouls, vampires, 
  Ghosts or Automatons) whose hearing is not 
  protected. It is an area effect weapon with a 
  Range of 1-5/6-10/11-20. It ignores Armor 
  and inflicts 1d6 Stun damage (see stunning 
  attacks). A screamer must be fed daily or will 
  
   
  42
  die of starvation. A screamer can fire once 
  per turn. 
   
  Sleep inducer: A creature similar to a squid, 
  if applied to one’s head allows for a complete 
  night’s rest (8 hours) in only 2 hours of sleep 
  (Psionic points regeneration also happens at 
  a hastened rate). The sleep inducer feeds on 
  dead skin and mind waves, it will die of 
  starvation if not applied at least once a 
  month. 
   
  ALCHEMY 
  Wondrous concoctions require one day of work in a 
  laboratory per dose created. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Pharmacology: The character knows how to concoct 
  antidotes, poisons and drugs of any type having a 
  maximum Strength equal to its Wit + competence 
  bonus in Weird Science.  
   
  Curse serum: One injected dose protects from Curse 
  sickness for one whole day or heals Curse sickness. 
   
  Ghoul serum: One injected dose reanimates a dead 
  creature as a ghoul within 1d6 hours, the effect is 
  permanent. Ghouls are mindless and can not receive 
  nor understand spoken orders. 
   
  Regeneration serum: Injection heals 1d6 Life Points. 
  If more then one dose is injected within the same 24 
  hours period, it inflicts 1d6 damage instead. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Ceramic weapons: These are standard melee 
  weapons forged with special ultra-hard ceramics. 
  Ceramic weapons inflict Penetrating damage. 
  Preparing a ceramic weapon requires one day of 
  work in the lab. 
   
  Ceramic armors: These are standard armors 
  forged with special ultra-hard ceramics. Ceramic 
  armors 
  are 
  considered 
  Hardened 
  protection. 
  Ceramic Armor is considered as one level lighter its 
  actual level for encumbrance. Preparing a suit of 
  ceramic armor requires one day of work per Size 
  level of the suit in the lab. 
   
  Psibrew serum: Injection restores 1d6 Psionic 
  Points. If more then one dose is injected within the 
  same 24 hours period, it inflicts 1d6 damage instead. 
   
  Psi 
  inhibitor 
  serum: 
  Injection 
  instantaneously 
  removes all Psionic Points and stops recovery of 
  Psionic points for 1D6 hours.  
   
  Vampire serum: Injection transforms a living being –
  regardless of intelligence—in a Vampire within 1d6 
  hours if the creature passes a Body + Presence Task 
  at Difficulty 16, failure means the character dies. 
   
  White flame powder: A white powder used to create 
  incendiary projectiles for firearms, cannons and 
  grenades.  
  One dose creates the equivalent of either one bomb 
  or cannon-shot (equal to 5 grenades or 50 personal 
  firearms projectiles).  
  White flame projectiles damage is treated as fire 
  damage against any kind of target even those that 
  would not normally burn. 
   
  ENERGY AND MACHINE MASTERY 
  Automatons, vehicles and other Weird Science 
  machines are all powered by miniaturized versions of 
  the same Cosmic Ray Collectors used to give power 
  to the cities.  
  These inexhaustible power sources only require 
  some fine tuning every 40 or 50 years to keep 
  working, if no maintenance is supplied the CRC gets 
  “clogged” by radiation and burns out in another 10 
  years or so. 
  Fine tuning or removal and substitution of a CRC 
  requires one day of work in a laboratory and is 
  considered a Basic Level operation. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Curse Cloak: A special kind of clothes in the form 
  of a bulky sealed suit it reduces by 3 damage 
  inflicted by the Curse. Can not be worn with armor 
  or other clothes. 
   
  Curse Detector: A small mechanical device that 
  goes beep whenever exposed to The Curse. 
  Building a Curse detector requires a couple of hours 
  of work in the laboratory. 
   
  Radio transmitter/receiver: A Weird Scientist can 
  create a radio receiver/transmitter with a range of 
  up to 20 kilometers in three days of work, the radio 
  unit weights 10 kilos.  
  Each doubling of range requires an extra day of 
  work and adds 5 kilos.  
  Maximum range for radio units is 320 kilometers (at 
  30 kilos for 7 days of work). 
   
   
   
   
  
   
  43
  Wondrous Vehicles:  A Weird Scientist can create 
  a vehicle in its lab with one week of work per size 
  level.  
  Ground car: A treaded and enclosed 
  ground vehicle powered by an engine. 
   
  Required Crew: 1     
  Passengers: 3   
  Cargo: 300 kg 
   
  Armament: military ground cars can be 
  equipped with a swivel mounted repeating 
  arquebus (270° forward pointing firing arc). 
   
  Other: A ground car can be quipped with a 
  radio with a 20 km range and is seldom 
  equipped with a 20 km radar also. 
   
  Skimmer: The skimmer is the basic 
  personal flying machine about 3 meters 
  long. Ships of this size are used in air 
  navies’ world wide as scout ships.  
   
  Required Crew: 1     
  Passengers:-    
  Cargo: 50 Kg 
   
  Armament: none. 
   
  Other: A skimmer is usually equipped with a 
  radio with a 20 km range. A skimmer has no 
  life support system and is capable of 
  Vertical take off and Landing. 
   
  Ornithopter: The ornithopter is the basic 
  personal flying machine about 5 meters 
  long. Ships of this size are used in air 
  navies world wide as interceptors.  
   
  Required Crew: 1    
  Passengers: 1    
  Cargo: 300 Kg 
   
  Armament: An ornithopter may be armed 
  with a repeating Light cannon(forward 
  pointing, 
  90°arc) 
  and 
  one 
  mounted 
  repeating arquebus (forward pointing swivel 
  mount, 180°arc). Only military ornithopters 
  are armed usually, a civilian ornithopter has 
  300 Kg of cargo more. The repeating light 
  cannon is linked to the controls and can be 
  fired by the pilot without taking extra 
  actions. 
   
  Other: An ornithopter carries a radar and 
  radio with a 20 km range each. An 
  ornithopter has a life support system good 
  for 24 hours. Ornithopters are capable of 
  Vertical take off and Landing. 
   
  Air skiff: A small flying boat with no space 
  for passengers, it is 10 meters long and 3 
  wide. Ships of this size are used in air 
  navies world wide as Patrol ships.  
   
  Required Crew: 5    
  Passengers: -   
  Cargo: 1200kg 
   
  Armament: Military skiffs are armed with a 
  repeating cannon ( forward pointing, 90° 
  arc) a repeating light cannon (in a forward 
  pointing turret with a 270° firing arc) and two 
  mounted repeating arquebus (one per side 
  on swivel mounts with a 180°arc). Civilian 
  skiffs simply add 1200 kg of cargo. 
   
  Other: A skiff carries a radar and radio with 
  a 40 km range each. A skiff has a life 
  support system good for 72 hours and small 
  living quarters for the crew. 
   
  Air boat: A flying long-boat with, about 20 
  meters long and 4 wide. Ships of this size 
  are used in air navies world wide as 
  Frigates   
   
  Required Crew: 10     
  Passengers:-    
  Cargo: 3000Kg 
   
  Armament: Military airboats are armed with 
  a repeating cannon ( forward pointing, 90° 
  arc)  two repeating light cannons (one per 
  side on swivel mounts with a 180°arc) and 4 
  mounted repeating arquebus (two per side 
  on swivel mounts with a 180°arc). Civilian 
  airboats simply add 1200 kg of cargo. 
   
  Other: An airboat carries a radar and radio 
  with a 60 km range each. A skiff has a life 
  support system good for 72 hours and small 
  living quarters for the crew. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  44
  Air ship: A flying boat 40 meters long and 
  10 wide, ships of this size are employed as 
  battle cruisers.  
   
  Required Crew: 25     
  Passengers: 40    
  Cargo: 30000Kg 
   
  Armament: Military Air ships are armed with 
  a repeating heavy cannon ( forward pointing 
  swivel mount, 270° arc) two repeating 
  cannons (forward pointing swivel mounts, 
  270° arc)  four  repeating light cannons (two 
  per side on swivel mounts with a 180°arc) 
  and 10 mounted repeating arquebus (five 
  per side on swivel mounts with a 180°arc). 
  Civilian airboats simply add 30000 kg of 
  cargo. 
   
  Other: Carries a radar and radio with a 60 
  km range each.  
  Life support system good for 72 hours 
  Living quarters for the crew and passengers 
  (usually an infantry squad for boarding in 
  military). 
   
  Air dreadnought: A flying boat 60 meters 
  long and 20 wide, ships of this size are 
  employed 
  as 
  dreadnoughts. 
  Only 
  the 
  greatest kingdoms and city states own or 
  can afford war machines and ships of this 
  magnitude.  
   
  Required Crew: 50 
  Passengers: 80    
  Cargo: 60000Kg 
   
  Armament: Military Air ships are armed with 
  two repeating heavy cannons (forward 
  pointing 
  swivel 
  mounts, 
  270° 
  arc) 
  4 
  repeating cannons (two per side on swivel 
  mounts with a 180°arc)  16  repeating light 
  cannons (eight  per side on swivel mounts 
  with a 180°arc) and 20 mounted repeating 
  arquebus (ten per side on swivel mounts 
  with a 180°arc). Civilian airboats simply add 
  60000 kg of cargo. 
   
  Other: Carries a radar and radio with a 60 
  km range each.  
  Life support system good for 72 hours 
  Living quarters for the crew and passengers 
  (usually an infantry squad for boarding in 
  military). 
   
   
   
  Tank: A treaded and enclosed ground 
  vehicle powered by an engine and heavily 
  armored, usually only for military purposes. 
   
  Required Crew: 3     
  Passengers: 3   
  Cargo: 300 kg 
   
  Armament: military tanks can be equipped 
  with a swivel mounted repeating arquebus 
  (270° forward pointing firing arc) and a 
  forward pointing repeating light cannon 
  (90°arc). 
   
  Other: military tanks can be quipped with a 
  radio and radar with a 20 km range. Military 
  tanks also have a 24 hours life support 
  system. 
   
  For more details on wondrous vehicles, see the 
  wondrous vehicles table at the end of this chapter. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Automatons: Automatons are replicas of living 
  creatures made from stone and metal and activated 
  by CRCs through weird science, automaton are 
  immune to mind altering psionics, poisons and 
  disease, have no need to sleep or eat and are 
  immune to 1 level of extremes (but not to the 
  Curse).  
   
  Automaton can not be healed by natural means or 
  by medicine, they have to be repaired. 
   
  A scientist can create an automaton in its lab with 
  one week of work per size level. 
   
  An automaton’s Attributes are mostly defined by its 
  size. All automatons are only mildly intelligent and 
  usually have skills only related to assigned tasks, an 
  automaton will be able to use equipment only if 
  created with manipulative limbs. 
   
  Automatons can have a number of Skill choices 
  equal to their Wit, they never gain Epic Points or 
  special abilities. All automatons have the Irrational 
  Behavior: Obey Master.  
   
  An automaton can be human or beast shaped, 
  automaton in the shape of flying birds have a Flight 
  Speed equal to their Body score and a Ground 
  Speed of one half that. 
  Automaton shaped as water creatures have a 
  swimming Speed equal to their Body score and a 
  Ground Speed of one half that.  
  Ground automatons can not swim as they are too 
  
   
  45
  heavy. 
   
  Automatons can be equipped with the following 
  options:  
  2 points of AV 
  Hardened armor value 
  Darksight (like a brute) 
  Embedded weapon (melee or ranged –
  usually firearms) 
  Curse Detector.  
  10km range radio or radar (can be taken 
  multiple times, each counts separately) 
  3 points reduction from Curse effects (can 
  be taken multiple times) 
  Protection from 1 Level of extremes (can be 
  taken multiple times) 
  +1 Wit 
  +1 Agility 
  Each doubling of CRC lifespan (can be 
  taken multiple times) 
   
  No automaton may have more options then its Body 
  score.  
  By example a medium automaton with a Body of 4 
  could never have more then 4 options, while a 
  Large one would have a maximum of 12 options.  
   
  Automaton Attributes 
  Body *     Agility *   Wit 2  Presence - 
  LP (Bodyx6) Attack:* Armor:*  IV: 2+Agility 
  Size * Speed: (Body) Armor:*  
  *By size level 
   
  Size 
  Body 
  Agility 
  Unarmed 
  damage 
  Small 
  1-3(2) 
  2-12(7) 
  1 
  Medium 
  1-6(4) 
  1-6(4) 
  1d6/2 
  Large 
  2-12(7) 
  1-3(2) 
  1d6 
  Huge 
  4-24(14) 
  1-2(1) 
  2d6 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Automatons in combat 
  Should an automaton's LP fall under half of its 
  original score, some penalties to its operation are 
  suffered: a -2 modifier on all die rolls for Tasks 
  (which are described in chapter 3) and a 50% 
  reduction to Speed.  
  Such an automaton is considered Heavily damaged. 
  Automaton receiving damage inflicting more than 
  50% of their LP in a single stroke immediately take 
  a special effect damage determined randomly: 
   
  2d6 
  Special effect 
  2-4 
  Random piece of optional  
  equipment depending on automaton  
  (like a weapon or radio) 
  5-6 
  Engine(-1 Speed) 
  7-9 
  Nothing 
  10-11 
  Armor crack  
  (automaton loses 3 points of armor) 
  12 
  Fire (the automaton starts burning  
  with a d6 rating regardless of armor) 
   
  An automaton reduced to 0 LP stops being operative 
  but may still be repaired, if an automaton is reduced 
  to a number of negative LP equal to its Body, it is 
  damaged beyond repair. 
  An automaton reduced to a number of negative LP 
  equal to its Body immediately explodes causing 
  (Body) D6 of fire damage in (Body) meters of radius 
  area. 
   
  Automatons can be repaired of 2 LP for 4 hours 
  work, however automatons can only be repaired by 
  a skilled Weird Scientist.  
  Heavily damaged automatons can not be repaired 
  “in the field”, you must operate in a lab.  
  Special effect damage can only be repaired by a 
  Weird Scientist: it requires one day of work in a lab, 
  spare parts and a Difficulty 12 Wit [Weird Science] 
  Task. 
   
  Blast Guns: Energy weapons the size and shape of 
  an arquebus: 4D6 damage (shoots energy rays, 
  Ranges: Short 1-80 m./Medium 81-160 m./Long 
  161-320 m.).  
  Blast guns are very focused CRCs, they may only 
  be fired once every two turns to avoid burning the 
  Collector.  
  Blast guns are considered Unstoppable attacks.  
  Preparing a blast gun requires one week of work in 
  the lab. 
   
  Blast shield: An impenetrable field of flickering 
  energy generated by a 3’x3’ silvery case.  
  It is generally worn at the belt or wrist and activated 
  
   
  46
  by a switch on its side, the energy field is a bubble 
  enveloping the wearer, and can be worn in addition 
  to personal armor.   
  Otherwise a the generator can be designed to 
  generate a blast shield “wall” that can be turned on 
  by a switch or remote control with 10 meters range. 
  The field takes one whole action turn to activate 
  once switched on. 
  Once the field is active it stops anything that does 
  not deal up to 3d6 of kinetic damage (sword strikes, 
  fists, falling damage but not poisons, gasses or the 
  Curse…), its protection is considered Ultimate 
  armor. 
  If an attack deals more damage than the shield can 
  sustain, the shield fades to nothing and must be re-
  activated the next action round. 
  If the shield is struck by a blast gun ray the CRC 
  generator shorts-out exploding for 4d6 Unstoppable 
  damage within a 5 meters radius.  
   
  Preparing a blast shield requires one week of work 
  in the lab.  
   
  Radar: A Weird Scientist can create a radar 
  capable of detecting movement with a range of up 
  to 20 kilometers in three days of work, the radio unit 
  weights 10 kilos.  
  Creatures or things with a mass of less than 300 
  kilos will nor be detected. 
  Each doubling of range requires an extra day of 
  work and adds 5 kilos.  
  Maximum range for radar units is 320 kilometers (at 
  30 kilos for 7 days of work). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Wondrous Vehicles Table 
   
  Vehicle 
  Size 
  Class 
  Speed
  Rank
  Man 
  Acceleration
  Body 
  (Life 
  points) 
  Armor 
  Skimmer 
  M 
  Flyer-vtol 
  18 
  3 
  9 
  5(30) 
  3/0 
  Ornithopter 
  L 
  Flyer- vtol 
  15 
  2 
  8 
  10(60) 
  6 
  Air skiff 
  L 
  Flyer 
  78 
  1 
  7 
  12(72) 
  9 
  Air boat 
  H 
  Flyer 
  69 
  0 
  6 
  24(144) 
  12 
  Air ship 
  E 
  Flyer 
  60 
  -1 
  3 
  48(272) 
  24 
  Air Dreadnaught 
  E 
  Flyer 
  50 
  -2 
  2 
  50(300) 
  36 
  Groundcar 
  L 
  Ground 
  15 
  0 
  6 
  10(60) 
  6 
  Tank 
  H 
  Ground 
  8 
  -1 
  3 
  20(120) 
  12 
   
  Firstborn 
  
   
  47
  CHAPTER SEVEN:  DANGERS OF THE NATURAL WORLD 
   
  It is not only the blades of enemies or the claws of horrible monsters that heroes have to be afraid of. More often 
  then not Adventurers will be exposed to all sorts of dangers and unwholesome situations like Cursed ruins or 
  burning palaces. 
  GMs please take note that unless specified any kind of Armor Value doesn't stop the types of damage described 
  in this section. 
   
   
  Poisons:  All poisons have an action method 
  (injection, ingestion or inhaling), and once a venom 
  has been introduced into a victim's system, it takes 
  effect in (usually) 1D6 turns.   
   
  Some poisons may take more (1D6 hours or even 
  days) or less (instant) time. After this time has 
  elapsed, the victim must resolve a Contest between 
  his Body and the venom's Strength (usually a value 
  between 1 and 9, but perhaps more in particularly 
  dangerous cases).   
  If the victim wins the Contest, the poison has no 
  effects; 
  otherwise, 
  something 
  horrible 
  has 
  happened.   
   
  Possible effects might include instant death, 3D6 
  wounds, 2D6 hours of sleep, a state of mental 
  confusion (-2 to all Task rolls for the next 1D6 
  hours) or psychotropic effects (the character suffers 
  from some kind of Irrational Behavior for 1d6 
  Hours).  
   
  Antidotes administered before a poison has had a 
  chance to take effect block the results of poisons 
  with a Strength lower than their own. Diseases are 
  dealt with in a similar way. 
   
  Falls:  Falling may be deadly.  A character suffers 
  1D6 of damage for every 2 meters that he or she 
  falls.  
  Armor Value, doesn't stop this damage, though 
  particularly soft or hard ground may reduce or 
  increase this total by one or two dice. 
   
  Asphyxiation: A character who can't breathe 
  (either due to being underwater or due to 
  strangulation) must succeed at a Body Task with a 
  Difficulty of 9 or else lose 1D6 LP.   
  If the Task is successful, there is no effect, but the 
  Test must be repeated for every turn that a 
  character is being asphyxiated, and as soon it is 
  failed even once, the victim starts automatically 
  taking 1D6 of damage per turn until he or she can 
  once again get fresh air. 
   
  Flames:  Whenever someone takes damage due to 
  fire, the flames are given a Rating (for example, a 
  torch is a Rating 1 Flame, a bonfire is a Rating 2 or 
  3, while a furnace is Rating 7).   
  On the first turn, a fire inflicts (Rating) D6 of 
  damage. Every time a fire inflicts damage, take note 
  of how many natural 6’s you roll on the dice.   
  The following turn, the fire only continues to inflict 
  damage with the dice that came up with 6's.   
  Keep rolling for fire damage while 6's come out or 
  until the fire gets somehow smothered.   
   
   
  For example, say that a character was engulfed in 
  Rating 6 flames.  On the first turn, imagine that the 
  damage dice came out 1, 6, 2, 4, 5, and 6.  The 
  character would take 24 damage, and on the next 
  turn, two dice would be rolled (because of the two 
  6’s).  If on that next turn, no 6’s were rolled, then the 
  fire would burn out. 
   
   
  The Curse (Radiation): Depending on the intensity 
  of radiation in the area an exposed character takes 
  1d6 damage points at a specific rate: 
   
  Intensity 
  Rate 
  Low 
  Daily 
  Medium 
  Hour 
  High 
  Action Turn 
   
  If a character ever receives 6 or more damage points 
  form an exposure period, it must Test its Body at a 
  Difficulty of 15, failure meaning it got radiation 
  sickness.  
  Radiation sickness has a Potency of 5 and must be 
  tested against each day, failure means you take 1d6 
  damage and the sickness persists next day.  
  Damage from radiations (but not radiation sickness) 
  can be reduced only by specially conceived protective 
  clothing, known as Curse Cloaks. 
   
  Lack of food and water:  A creature missing 
  necessary nourishment suffers a daily loss of 1 LP 
  per day he has previously gone without food/water.  
  i.e.: a character will lose 1 LP after one day without 
  food, 2 on the second day, 3 on the third day, etc… 
  A character that does not satisfy his nutritional 
  requirements does not heal from damage. 
   
  
   
  48
   
  Extremes:  All creatures are adapted to a precise 
  range of temperatures (between 10 and 30 degrees 
  Celsius for humans).  
  Appropriate clothing and equipment may reduce the 
  effect of exposure by one level. 
   
  Once exposed to extremes of temperature that they 
  are not adapted to, all creatures receive penalties or 
  outright damage: 
   
  Exposure Threat 
  Range 
  Effect 
  Level 1: up to 10 
  Celsius degrees out of 
  range 
  -1 penalty to all Tasks 
  Level 2: up to 20 
  degrees out of range 
  -1 penalty to Tasks and Speed 
  rank, 1 wound per hour of 
  exposure 
  Level 3: up to 40 
  degrees out of range 
  -2 to all Tasks, -2 speed 
  ranks, 1 wound per minute of 
  exposure 
  Level 4: over 40 
  degrees out of range 
  -3 to all Tasks, -2 speed 
  ranks, 1 wound per Turn of 
  exposure 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Adventuress riding a tamed wyvern 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  49
  CHAPTER EIGHT:  PSIONICS 
   
  A character gifted with psionic powers has one extra Attribute called PSI index (which usually ranges from 1 to 6) 
  and a new derived stat called Psi points (which is equal to PSI index times 3).  
  A character with a Psi index can learn the different psionic Disciplines through the Psionicist Skill: Apportation, 
  Astral, Control, Meta-Psionics, Telekinesis, Telepathy, Teleperceptions.  
  Each psionic Discipline has different manifestations that can be cast. 
  Basic knowledge of the Psionicist skill grants access to one level of Manifestations from one Discipline, Advanced 
  Skill Level grants access to two Levels of manifestations either from the same Discipline or from different ones. 
  No character may take Advanced knowledge of a Discipline without taking Basic Knowledge of the same 
  Discipline. Master Skill Rank in Psionicist grants access to four levels of Knowledge. 
   
  MANIFESTING 
   
  Calling on a psionic manifestation takes one action 
  and costs a number of Psi points equal to the desired 
  Power level, a character can call a manifestation of a 
  Power level no greater then its Psi-index.  
  Keeping a power “on” once it’s been manifested costs 
  1 PP for every 10 minutes, manifestations that can be 
  kept on are defined as Maintainable and have a base 
  duration of 10 minutes.  
  Acting while a Manifestation is Maintained a character 
  receives a -2 to all Tasks and Contests, no character 
  can maintain more than 1 Manifestation. 
  Expended Psi points come back at a rate of 1 Psi 
  point per hour of rest. 
   
  PSI CRYSTALS 
   
  Psi crystals are priceless artifacts, gemstones that 
  naturally enhance one’s psionic powers. To use a 
  psi crystal a character needs to attune with the 
  crystal. Characters without a Psi index stat can not 
  attune to psi crystals nor can Wild Psis. Psi crystals 
  can also be used to create enhanced items and are 
  necessary to create Rings through Metapsionics. 
   
  Psi Crystals come in three levels rated from one to 
  three.  Level one crystals are coin sized, level two 
  crystals are fist sized while level three crystals 
  weigh around 1 kg. 
   
  Attunement can only be done with unattuned 
  crystals: attunement requires 10 minutes per Psi 
  Crystal level and the expenditure of 1 Psi point per 
  Crystal Level, points spent on attunement can not 
  be 
  regained 
  till 
  the 
  character 
  revokes 
  the 
  attunement.  
   
  To attune, revoke attunement or gain the benefits of 
  attunement from a crystal a character must be 
  touching the crystal. No matter how many crystals a 
  character has attuned to, he can gain the benefits of 
  attunement from one crystal only at time.   
   
  The effects of attunement are the following: the 
  character can take parts to Rings or form them if he 
  knows the Metapsionics Discipline and all Psionic 
  Manifestation he manifests receive a number of free 
  Power Levels equal to the crystal’s level granted 
  that the psionicist activates at least one Power level.  
   
  Any character touching an attuned crystal causes a 
  psionic shock both to itself and the crystal’s owner: 
  both receive a number of d6 of damage equal to the 
  crystal’s level minus its own Psi-Index and plus the 
  other’s Psi index.  
   
  APPORTATION 
  This Discipline deals with breaching space time 
  barriers to open and close gateways for creatures in 
  far away places or different dimensions. 
  Access to the Discipline of Apportation requires 
  knowledge of the Astral Discipline at at least an 
  equivalent Knowledge Level to the one sought in 
  Apportation. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Banish:  
  By activating this manifestation a character can 
  breach the link that ties a summoned entity to the 
  material 
  world, 
  the 
  creature 
  to 
  be 
  banished 
  determines the necessary Power Level to activate. 
  Banishing 
  is 
  a 
  somewhat 
  easier 
  task 
  then 
  summoning. A summoned creature will be banished 
  only if the necessary power level is activated and the 
  Banishing character beats it in a Psi-Index vs. 
  Presence Contest. 
   
  Power level necessary to banish 
  Servitor 1 
  Winged servant 2 
  Astral Hound 4 
  Star Spawn 8 
  Great Ancient 16 
   
   
   
  
   
  50
  Summon:  
  By activating this manifestation a character can 
  breach the barriers of space and time, reach the 
  depths of space and soul bringing back one of the 
  Deep Space horrors. The creature summoned is 
  permanently brought to the world, the activated 
  Power Level determines the creature summoned. A 
  summoned creature is NOT under control of the 
  summoner who must either persuade or psionically 
  manipulate the Horror. 
   
  Power level used/creature summoned 
  1-3 None 
  4 Servitor 
  8 Winged servant 
  16 Astral Hound 
  32 Star Spawn 
  64 Great Ancient 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Warp: 
  Maintainable 
  At the first Power level activated the character can 
  create a gateway to a location either 1 century in the 
  past or future OR 1 Light year away. Each 
  subsequent Power level activated doubles the range. 
  To actually use the power, the psionicist must have 
  an item connected to the destination point of arrival. 
  Opening a warp is dangerous as warps are two way 
  streets on a roll of 12 or 2 on 2d6, something comes 
  FROM the Warp gateway: typical encounters consist 
  of Deep Space Horrors or inhabitants of the chosen 
  destination place. 
   
  ASTRAL 
  This Discipline covers mastery of astral projections 
  and perceptions. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Astral Perception: 
  Maintainable 
  By activating this manifestation a character can 
  perceive the astral plane and all astral activities within 
  10 meters per power level activated.  
  The character gets to see and recognize psi crystals, 
  wards, astral bodies, possessed creatures and 
  maintained manifestations. While perceiving astrally a 
  character can see other’s people auras determining 
  their physical well-being and emotional state as well 
  as their morality. 
   
   
   
   
  Ward: 
  Maintainable 
  While the manifestation is on, an area around the 
  psionicist with a 10 meters radius becomes a screen 
  against astral bodies. Possessed characters also 
  treat the ward as a tangible wall.  
  The wall can be attacked by astral bodies, it has an 
  A.V. of 2 and 6 life points all damage blocked by the 
  A.V. is rebounded on the astral attacker.  
  For each power level activated the A.V. can be 
  increased by 2, the Life Points by 6 or the area’s 
  radius by 5 meters. Wards are impenetrable to astral 
  perception. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Astral Projection: 
  The character can enter a trance allowing him to exit 
  its body, the trance lasts a number of hours equal to 
  the manifestation’s Power Level. During this time the 
  character’s physical body is helpless.  
  The astral body is an immaterial projection that 
  moves by flight at the speed of thought.  
  Astral projections are invisible unless they want to be 
  seen and can only be affected by other astral bodies 
  or telepathic manifestations.  
  Astral bodies can fight one another in “melee”: the 
  Body contest is replaced by a Presence contest and 
  damage is 1d6. Astral bodies can only interact with 
  the physical world through psionics or Possession. 
   
  Possession requires the projecting character to come 
  in “physical contact” with the target and beat it in a 
  Presence Contest.  
  If the projecting character is successful it can “slide” 
  in to the possessed body riding it.  
  The possessing character has access to all 
  knowledge of the possessed and can move the body 
  as it was its own but can not use its skills or psionic 
  powers.  
  The possessing character can still be attacked 
  astrally.  
  Should a possessed character die, the rider must 
  take a Presence Test at difficulty 12 or die himself, if 
  the roll is successful the astrally projecting character 
  is simply expelled from the dead body. 
  While projecting astrally the character can benefit 
  from astral perception. A character that can not get 
  back to its body at the end of the manifestation’s 
  duration takes 1d6 of damage per hour. 
   
  
   
  51
  CONTROL 
  This Discipline covers mastery of mind over the body. 
  All Control manifestations can be used only on 
  oneself. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Life support:  
  Maintainable 
  For every activated Power level the psionic can stand 
  one level of Extremes without harm.  
   
  Mnemonic Trance:  
  Maintainable 
  The character can freely and completely review his 
  own personal memory, he can relive at will any 
  moment of his life as if in slow motion.  
  Any single detail can be stopped and framed even 
  those seen in a passing glance. For every activated 
  Power level the character can see 20 years in its 
  past.  
  A character trying to remember a point before his own 
  birth just gets random prenatal feelings of well-being.  
   
  Trance:  
  The psionic character enters a meditative state: it will 
  require no food or water, very little air for breathing 
  and will appear dead unless a close medical 
  examination is made. The character can not move or 
  act physically while undergoing the trance but is fully 
  aware of what happens around him and can use 
  psionic powers while in this state.   
  Each activated Power level will drop the character in 
  Trance for 24 hours, an hour of Trance is equal to 4 
  hours of rest. 
  A character may exit a Trance before the time limit 
  expires with a Psi test at Difficulty 12, if successful 
  the character takes 1d6 damage but awakes fully. 
  Trance can not be sustained for more consecutive 
  days than the psionicist Body score: 
  If this threshold is surpassed the character starts 
  suffering from bodily harm: The trance is no more 
  considered as rest and the character takes 1d6 of 
  damage at the end of each new 24-hours period of 
  trance.  
   
  Toughness: 
  For every activated Power level the character 
  receives a +2 in all Tests against the power of 
  Poisons, drugs or illness. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Boost:  
  Maintainable 
  The Psionic character using this manifestation can 
  increase his own psychical and physical abilities. 
   Each use of this manifestation can alter one of the 
  following stats: Body, Agility, Wit, Presence or Speed. 
   
  For each activated power level the score of the 
  chosen Attribute is increased by 1 point, derived stats 
  are recalculated for the duration of the manifestation: 
  if at the end of the manifestation a character has 
  received more damage than it can sustain in an 
  unboosted state, it dies. 
   
  Regeneration: 
  For every activated Power level the character heals 2 
  life Points. This power does not allow for regeneration 
  of lost limbs. 
   
  META-PSIONICS 
  This Discipline covers mastery of psionic energy and 
  psionic items manipulation. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Manipulate psi-crystal: 
  The character is a master at manipulating psi 
  crystals, free of Psi point expenditure the character 
  can attune a crystal in half time and when touching 
  attuned crystals the character receives 1d less of 
  damage.  
   
  If in contact with an attuned crystal the psionicist may 
  spend one action and a number of Psi points equal to 
  the crystal’s level to severe the attunement: to 
  successfully severe the attunement a Psi index vs. 
  Psi index Contest is required.  
  If the attunement is severed the crystal is now 
  unattuned. 
   
  Ring: 
  Maintainable 
  Using a psi Crystal the character can create a psi 
  Ring uniting a number of Psi gifted individuals 
  equipped with an attuned psi crystal equal to the 
  manifestation’s power level plus the leader’s crystal’s 
  Level.  
  To join in a ring a character must be concentrating 
  and can do nothing else but concentrate, as soon as 
  the character stops concentrating on the Ring it drops 
  from it.  
  Once and till the Ring is active the character that 
  formed the ring can then access the other’s Psi index 
  and Psi points to manifest psionic powers.  
  The Ring’s Psi index is equal to the Leader’s Psi 
  index plus one half of each member’s Psi index, the 
  leader can manifest any psionic Discipline known by 
  any participant of the Ring and decides how the 
  expenditure of Psi points is reparted among the 
  Ring’s members.  
  
   
  52
  The psi crystals of the members do not grant the 
  usual bonus as they are acting as a connection. 
   
  Cannibalize: 
  The character is capable of converting its own life-
  force in psionic energy, using this manifestation does 
  not cost Psi points.  
  Each activated level costs 2 LP the character and 
  restores 1 Psi point, this takes one action. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Anchor: 
  The character can expend one Psi point to anchor a 
  manifestation to an attuned Psi crystal, the psi crystal 
  will Maintain the Manifestation either  for one hour per 
  level, till the psionicist calls it off or the attunement is 
  severed. As soon as a crystal becomes an anchor the 
  manifestation is centered on the crystal.  
  A crystal can maintain only one Manifestation at a 
  time. A crystal used for anchoring can not be tapped 
  for joining in a Ring or for free Power levels. 
   
  Burn crystal: 
  At Power level one this manifestation allows to burn 
  an attuned Level 1 Psi-Crystal within 10 meters. 
  For every additional Power level the range can be 
  extended by 10 meters or the level of the Psi crystal 
  to be burned increased by 1.  
  The burned psi crystal then becomes a useless stone 
  but the psionicist recovers a number of Psi points 
  equal to the crystals level*3. 
   
  Sacrifice: 
  The character is capable of converting another 
  creature’s life-force in psionic energy, using this 
  manifestation does not cost Psi points.  
  The psionicist must kill ritually the creature, the 
  creature must be killed with a ritual weapon (costing 
  about a 100 thaari) and use an attuned Psi-crystal as 
  focus. 
  The ritual takes one action turn. 
  Psi points in excess of the psion’s maximum Psi 
  points reserve fade away at the rate of 1 point per 
  action turn. 
  The psion acquires a number of Psi points equal to 
  sum of the creatures Wit, Presence and Psi-index. 
  Human sacrifice is frowned upon by most city states. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  TELEKINESIS 
  This Discipline covers mastery of mind over matter.  
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Assault:  
  The psionic character can move stones, sticks or 
  other loose objects at high speed so to cause harm. 
  Base damage at Power level 1 is 1d6 at one target 
  within 10 meters of the psionicist.  
  Each additional Power level can add either 1d6 of 
  damage, 10 meters of range or 5 meters of area 
  effect.  
  There must be some lose items nearby the psionicist 
  or the target(s) for this manifestation to work.  
  The Assault is resolved as an Area effect ranged 
  attack using the psionicist’s Psi-Index instead of it’s 
  Agility: Short range is equal one third of the 
  manifestation’s range, Medium range is up to two-
  thirds of the manifestation’s range, beyond that the 
  target is at Long Range.  
   
  TK-Manipulation:   
  Maintainable 
  For each Power Level activated the psionicist can 
  move or slow down a mass/speed of up to 50 
  kg*meters*turn within 10 meters, each level of 
  manifestation either adds 10 meters of range or 
  50kg/meters/turn. 
    
  TK shield:  
  Maintainable 
  This manifestation creates a repulsive force field with 
  an Armor value of 2 around the psionicist.   
  Each additional Power level can add either 2 points of 
  AV,  5 meters of area effect or 10 meters of range for 
  projecting the field. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Pyrokinesis: 
  The psionicist can shape or cause flames. For 1 
  power level the psionicist can cause a Rating 1 fire to 
  spring up (or die) within 10 meters.  
  Each additional Power level can add either 1 point of 
  fire power, 10 meters of range or 5 meters of area 
  effect. 
  The Pyrokinesis is resolved as an Area effect ranged 
  attack using the psionicist’s Psi-Index instead of it’s 
  Agility: Short range is equal one third of the 
  manifestation’s range, Medium range is up to two-
  thirds of the manifestation’s range, beyond that the 
  target is at Long Range.  
   
   
   
   
  
   
  53
  Psychosurgery: 
  For every activated Power level the character can 
  heal a touched target up to 2 life Points.  
  This power does not allow raise the dead, but if used 
  swiftly can reattach lost limbs. 
   
  Teleport:  
  This 
  manifestation 
  allows 
  the 
  psionicist 
  to 
  instantaneously move itself and up to a 100 kg mass 
  by 30 meters without worrying of the intervening 
  space or lack thereof. 
  Each additional Power level can add either 30 meters 
  of Range,  a 100kg of additional mass or 10 meters of 
  area effect around himself.  
  The psionicist need either see the point of arrival or 
  know it (in whatever way: natural or psionic). 
  Unwilling targets get to beat the psion in a Presence 
  vs. Psi-index Contest, if they win the manifestation 
  goes off without affecting them.  
   
  TELEPATHY 
  This 
  Discipline 
  covers 
  mastery 
  of 
  mental 
  communication and manipulation. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Mind Reading:  
  Maintainable 
  While the manifestation is turned on the Psionicist 
  can read a target creature’s thoughts and detect Mind 
  Controls or Bonds implanted in it.  
  Base range is one target within 10 meters, additional 
  Power levels allow extending the range by 10 meters 
  or including one additional target.  
  Unwilling targets may try to resist with the usual 
  Presence vs. Psi index Contest. 
   
  Thought projection:  
  Maintainable 
  While the manifestation is turned on the Psionicist 
  can send to a target creature its thoughts.  
  Base range is one target within 10 meters, additional 
  Power levels allow extending the range by 10 meters 
  or including one additional target.  
  Unwilling targets may try to resist with the usual 
  Presence vs. Psi index Contest. 
   
  Telepathic Shield:  
  Maintainable 
  This manifestation allows the psion to defend the 
  target’s mind from telepathic intrusions, till the power 
  is on it receives a +1 in Presence Contests versus 
  Telepathic intrusions.  
  Base range is self, each Power level activated can 
  extend the range by 10 meters, add one extra target 
  to the effect or increase by 1 the bonus to Presence 
  Contests. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Mind Control: 
  This manifestation allows inserting thoughts, orders 
  and memories in to a target character’s mind within 
  10 meters.  
  This commands and memories last for up to one 
  hour.  
  Each additional activated Power level adds 10 meters 
  of range, one hour of duration or add one extra target 
  to the effect.  
  For the command to be successfully implanted the 
  psionicist needs to beat the victim(s) in a Psi versus 
  Presence Contest; as usual, against multiple targets, 
  the psionicist rolls only once and confronts the result 
  against each target to determine who fails to resist. 
  The victim(s) need not be intelligent.  
   
  Psychic Bond: 
  Allows the psionicist to create or remove a telepathic 
  bond with the target.  
  A psychic Bond allows the bonded individuals to 
  share perceptions and thoughts if they are within 10 
  km of each other.  
  No character can be involved in more then 
  (Presence) bonds at the same time.  
  Base range of Psychic Bond is 10 meters, every 
  activated Power level adds either 10 meters of range, 
  add a target to the bonding manifestation or increase 
  the area of effect by 10 kilometers. 
   For the bond to be successfully implanted the 
  psionicist needs to beat the victim(s) in a Psi versus 
  Presence Contest; as usual, against multiple targets, 
  the psion rolls only once and confronts the result 
  against each target to determine who fails to resist. 
  The victim(s) need not be intelligent. Once the bond 
  is active it can only be severed with this same 
  manifestation.  
  If used to severe bonds this manifestation cancels 
  one bond on a target character within 10 meters. 
  Each activated Power level adds either 10 meters of 
  range, 1 extra target or removes one Bond more, 
  unwilling targets may try to resist with the usual 
  Presence vs. Psi index Contest. 
  Once a bond is in place it lasts until removed. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  54
  TELEPERCEPTIONS 
  This Discipline covers mastery of extrasensory 
  perceptions. 
   
  BASIC LEVEL 
   
  Sensory projection:  
  Maintainable 
  The teleperceptor can move its sensorium (combined 
  eyesight/hearing 
  perceptions) 
  by 
  50 
  meters 
  -
  regardless of intervening barriers- per activated 
  Power Level.  
   
  Scan:  
  Maintainable 
  While this manifestation is on the psionicist can feel 
  all life forms within 50 meters, it can also recognize 
  the mass, if either sentient or non sentient, Psionic or 
  non-Psionic and the actual state of health.  
  It can also tell with one action of concentration, the 
  speed and direction of travel of each.  
  Each additional Power Level activated adds 50 
  meters to range. 
   
  Psychometry:  
  By touching an item or target creature or location the 
  psionicist can relive important events connected to 
  the target that happened in a lapse of time depending 
  on Power Level activated: 
   
  Power Level 
  Lapse of time 
  1 
  Last 24 hours 
  2 
  Last Week 
  3 
  Last Month 
  4 
  Last Year 
  5 
  Last Decade 
  6 
  Last Century 
  7 
  Last 1000 years 
  +1 
  +1000 years 
   
  Particularly shocking or emotionally charged events 
  and places can be detected more easily, the GM may 
  want to improve the effectiveness of the manifestation 
  by one or two Power Levels. 
   
  ADVANCED LEVEL 
   
  Obscure:  
  Maintainable 
  The target of this manifestation is invisible to all kinds 
  of Teleperceptions while the power is turned on.  
  Base range at Power level 1 is one target within 10 
  meters, extra Power levels can buy 10 meters of 
  range or one extra target each.  
  Teleperceptors may beat this barrier successfully 
  winning a Psi index vs. Psi index Contest. 
    
  Eavesdrop:  
  Maintainable 
  This manifestation allows the teleperceptor to listen to 
  all telepathic communications ending or beginning 
  within 10 meters of itself, each extra Power level 
  activated allow extending the range by 10 meters. 
  However for this manifestation to be successful the 
  teleperceptor must beat the originating Telepath in a 
  Psi index vs. Psi index Contest. 
   
  Precognition: 
  Expending 
  5 
  Epic 
  Points 
  a 
  character 
  with 
  Teleperceptions can foresee the future.  
  The game master will then either give the player a 
  glimpse of what may happen or allow him or her to 
  make a Prophecy.  
  Beings involved in a prophecy suffer from a 
  negative modifier equal to the Teleperceptor’s Psi-
  index for actions that go against the prophecy, and 
  receive a bonus of equal amount for all actions that 
  follow the prophecy. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Psi Crystal 
   
  
   
  55
   CHAPTER NINE: CREATURES 
   
  Here is a list of animals and typical Zoonian creatures.  Whenever two scores are given to Wit, use the second 
  for all Tasks based on perception and senses and the first for Tasks pertaining to rational thought and logic.  
  Use average Wit to determine Initiative. 
   
  SPECIAL ABILITIES 
   
  Frightening; all who see a Frightening creature 
  must pass a Presence Contest with the beast, and 
  those who fail are either unable to act or forced to 
  flee. Players who succeed in this roll need not roll 
  again during the current encounter, though new rolls 
  are needed on subsequent encounters with similar 
  creatures.  Players who fail their rolls may take the 
  Contest again once per turn to try to gain hold of 
  themselves; as soon as the test is passed, the 
  passing player can stop rolling for the rest of the 
  encounter. 
   
  Horror; all that see a Horrorific creature must pass 
  a Presence Contest with the beast as for 
  Frightening yet failure means that the character 
  loses its self control for 1d6 turns before it can try to 
  regain control by taking a new Contest.  
  A Catastrophic failure means that the character 
  loses control for 1d6 hours and permanently gains 
  an insanity (See Compulsive behaviors in the 
  Character creation chapter). 
   
  Invulnerable; If the creature is brought to 0 Life 
  Points by weapons not capable of slaying it, it falls 
  in a deep death-like torpor. The Vanquished 
  creature will appear dead unless deep medical 
  scrutiny is done. The creature starts regaining life 
  points at an hourly rate, as soon as it is back to full 
  LP, it regains consciousness.  
   
  CREATURES OF ZOON 
   
  Creatures with a Wits Score higher than 1 may have 
  a Special ability and a Weakness like player 
  characters, and just like Player characters they may 
  have Epic Points and Fame. 
   
  Baaluruth 
  Body 8   Agility 4   Wit 1/5      Presence 4 
  LP 48    Size M  I.V. 7 
  Speed 5     
  Attack: claws and beak 2D6+2  
  Half-reptile, half-birds these flightless relatives of 
  the wyvern are one of the most dangerous animals 
  in the wilds of Zoon.  
  Baaluruth inhabit temperate and cold climate 
  forests, while omnivore a few ones have been 
  known to attack humans.  
   
  Basilisk 
  Body 6     Agility 2   Wit 1/5   Presence 3 
  LP 36 Size L IV: 5 
  Speed: 5 
  Attack: 1d6 + Gaze  
  Armor: 2   
  Basilisks are huge lizards with a hypnotic gaze, 
  basilisks are wild psions with access to the Mind 
  Control Manifestation, their Psi index is 3 and they 
  have a psi point reserve of 9. Basilisks use this 
  power to hunt. Many scientists suppose a genetic 
  link exists between Basilisks and the Firstborn. 
   
  Brutes 
  Body 7     Agility 2   Wit 2   Presence 3 
  LP 42   Size L  I.V. 4  
  Speed 6 
  Attack: By weapon  
  Armor: By armor +1 
  Brutes are debased, cannibalistic, albino humanoids 
  of slow wit infesting the Night pole and the ruins of 
  old cities in the Twilight Zone. Almost all the 
  technology they have comes by scavenging for 
  items and technology, some have psionic powers. 
  Brutes employ weapons and armors just like 
  humans, this ogre-sized weapons or armors inflict 
  or parry 2 times as many damage points as human 
  sized ones.  
  Usually Brutes use huge clubs (2D6), and partial 
  leather armor (AV 6/0).  
   A brute’s skin is so hard that it confers one point of 
  natural AV, a Brute’s eyes are adapted to natural 
  darkness but are color blind. 
  Brutes typically know two skills at Basic rank 
  among: Armsman, Craftsman, Marksman, and 
  Survivalist. 
   
  Eagle 
  Body 2    Agility 5   Wit 1/5     Presence 3  
  LP 12  Size S    I.V. 8 
  Speed 6 flying/ 1 ground 
  Attack: claws or beak damage 1D6+2  
   
  Elk 
  Body 7    Agility 3   Wit 1/5     Presence 2  
  LP 42    Size M   I.V. 6 
  Speed  6   
  Attack: horns damage 2D6+2  
   
   
  
   
  56
  Firstborn 
  Body 2     Agility 3   Wit 6   Presence 4 
  LP 12   Size M   I.V. 9  
  Speed 2   
  Attack: By weapon or bite 
  Armor: By armor +1 
  Firstborn are highly cultured serpent men that 
  survived their race extinction: they resemble scaly 
  humanoids with a huge serpent head.  
  First born bites inflict 1d6 damage and inject 
  paralyzing venom that acts in 2 turns with Strength 
  3 and whose effects last 1d6/2 hours. Firstborn are 
  amoral and arrogant, they consider all other species 
  inferior. 
  Firstborn are almost ageless and immortal, yet while 
  all have psionic powers (Psi index 3+1d6/2), most of 
  them are spoiled and ignorant save for the 
  occasional expert in Weird Science or art. 
  Firstborn employ weapons and armors just like 
  humans, favoring partial leather armor (AV 3/0), 
  light swords and firearms.   
  A Firstborn’s scaly skin is so hard that it confers one 
  point of natural AV. 
  Firstborn typically know two skills at Basic rank 
  among: Linguist, Lore, Weird Science and Psionicist 
  skill. 
   
  Forood  
  Body 1    Agility 6    Wit 1/5    Presence 2  
  LP 6    Size S   I.V. 9 
  Speed 6   
  Attack: claws or bite damage 1D6  
  Maned lynx of the cold climate areas of Zoon, it has 
  four distinctive saber-like teeth. 
   
  Krakuun 
  Body 14     Agility 2   Wit 1   Presence 4 
  LP 84 Size L  IV: 3 
  Speed: 12 swimming 
  Attack: 2d6 tentacles  
  Armor 9   
  Enormous aquatic squids living in the depths of the 
  dayward and Nightward oceans. Krakuuns are rare 
  and solitary legendary beings held responsible for the 
  disappearance of many ships. A Krakuun usually 
  executes Swing attacks on smaller targets. Also a 
  Krakuun may eject a cloud of ink once per hour: this 
  has the same effect of a 1D6 Stun attack with a 5m 
  radius, range 5/10/20. The ink cloud stun damage 
  ignores armor. 
   
  Psivores 
  Body 1    Agility 8   Wit 1/5   Presence 2 
  LP 6 Size S IV: 13 
  Speed: 1 walking or burrowing 
  Attack: 1D6 Piercing  
  Armor: 3 Hardened 
  These huge flea-like insects are reputed to be the 
  last remnants of a race of Living weapons from the 
  Deep Space Horrors’ Civil War.  
  Psivores are, basically, Psionic parasites feeding on 
  the host’s Psi energy. 
  Despite their small size Psivores are capable of 
  surprising leaps and bounds thanks to their vestigial 
  wings. 
  Psivores live in swarms, haunting psi-crystal rich 
  areas of Zoon, awaiting their favored prey: Psionic 
  individuals. 
  Psivores can use the Scan manifestation with a Psi 
  index of 6 and a Psi Points reserve of 18. 
  Psivores always execute wrestling attacks on their 
  victims aiming for the head.  
  If the wrestling attack is successful they hang on the 
  victim’s neck digging their teeth at the base of the 
  skull on the next turn. Once the teeth are locked in 
  place, the Psivore inserts its feelers in the victim’s 
  spine. 
  Psionic 
  individuals 
  with 
  a 
  locked 
  Psivore 
  instantaneously lose all Psi points and can not 
  recover them till the Psivore is removed or killed. 
  Removing a Psivore requires a Body: 12 task. 
  Death or removal of a Psivore from a host sends the 
  host creature in state of shock causing 1D6 
  damage, and unconsciousness for 1D6 hours 
  unless a successful Body: 16 Task is passed. 
  Psivores always ignore creatures without a Psi 
  index score. 
   
  Rat 
  Body 1    Agility 4    Wit 1  Presence 1 
  LP 6    Size S   I.V. 5 
  Speed 2   
  Attack: bite damage 1/2D6  
  Omnipresent inhabitants of ruins all over Zoon. 
   
  Snake 
  Body 1    Agility 5    Wit 1  Presence 1 
  LP 6    Size S   I.V. 6 
  Speed 2   
  Attack: bite damage 1+venom: Strength 6, 4d6 
  damage, speed 1d6 turns  
  Zoon’s snakes are mostly present in swamps and in 
  the desert. Larger specimens exist, with a Size L,  
  Body 4 and 24 LPs. These larger snakes are 
  usually non poisonous and attack by constriction 
  inflicting 1D6 wrestling damage. 
   
  Tar 
  Body 3     Agility 4   Wit 1/5   Presence 2 
  LP 18   Size S   I.V. 7 
  Speed 6   
  Attack: bite 1D6+2  
  Zoon’s main canine species, similar to earth’s 
  wolves. Some tame specimen exist they are 
  
   
  57
  however mostly a wild specie. 
   
  Umtar 
  Body 5   Agility 3    Wit 2/5     Presence 3 
  LP 30   Size M  I.V. 7 
  Speed 9  
  Attack: 2D6 
  Huge canine creatures used as mounts by Zoon’s 
  humans. Highly intelligent and with a keen sense of 
  smell.  
   
  Vampire-bat 
  Body 1    Agility 5   Wit 1/5     Presence 2  
  LP 6  Size S    I.V. 8 
  Speed  3 flying/ 1 ground  
  Attack: bite damage 1/2D6   
  Commonly living in ruins of the ancients. 
   
  Wyverns 
  Body 12     Agility 4   Wit 1/5   Presence 3 
  LP 72 Size H IV: 7 
  Speed: 12 on ground/24 flying 
  Attack: 2d6+venom  
  Armor 4   
  Wyverns are dragon like creatures, of animal 
  intelligence. They attack with a barbed stinger at the 
  end of their tail. This stinger is venomous: The 
  venom acts in 1d6 turns, has Strength 5 and inflicts 
  an extra 3d6 of damage.  
   
  Zohar 
  Body 12    Agility 1   Wit 1/5     Presence 2  
  LP 72    Size L   I.V. 4 
  Speed  6   
  Attack: trample(as Charge) and tusks 2D6+2   
  Armor: 3 
  Huge four-tusked pachyderms with a bristling mane. 
  Two varieties exist: naked Zohars living in the 
  desert and furry Zohar living near the Night Pole. 
  Brute tribes commonly use furry Zohars as mounts. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The restless dead: Ghouls, Vampires and 
  Ghosts 
  Human beings, brutes and animals can become 
  undead creatures, usually as a result of weird 
  science experiments. 
  The restless dead are immune to extremes of 
  temperature, to illness, poison and asphyxia nor do 
  they suffer from –normal- hunger, thirst or sleep. 
  Undead creatures never suffer penalties from 
  wounds nor can be stunned.  
  However undead do not heal from damage unless 
  cured by psionic or by application of a regeneration 
  serum created by weird science. 
   
  Ghosts 
  Ghosts are disembodied undead, the spirits of men 
  bound to the place of their death and roaming the 
  astral plane. Reasons for this may vary: an 
  unfulfilled wish, love or hatred; a broken promise. 
  Any of these may bind a dead man (or animal) to 
  the living world. 
  These rules regard Ghosts as characters in Astral 
  Projections (see the chapter on psionics): 
  Only astral combat and thus destruction of its astral 
  body –or the fulfillment of the condition holding the 
  Ghost in the world- will free the Ghost from the 
  world of the living.  
  Ghosts hold all their knowledge from their former 
  life. 
  Ghosts have no Body or Agility, Life Points for 
  Astral combat are calculated through Presence. 
  Ghosts can affect the outer world through Psionic 
  Disciplines if they know any. Ghosts do never move 
  more than (Presence*10 meters) from the place of 
  their death but can move with lightning speed within 
  this area. 
  Ghosts can see in the dark and are frightening if 
  they care to show themselves. All ghosts have the 
  power of Astral perception and can Possess bodies. 
  Should the Possessed character die the ghost is 
  expelled from the body unscathed. 
   
  Average human Ghost 
  Body 0   Agility 0   Wit 3 Presence 4 
  LP 0   Size -   I.V. 3 
  Speed *    
  Attack: *  
  Armor: *  
   
  Ghouls 
  Ghouls are the bodies of dead man or other 
  creatures commanded to live an imitation of life, 
  usually by weird science or unknown diseases. 
  Ghouls retain the same physical Attributes they had 
  in life, but lose all spirit and intelligence: Wit and 
  Presence tumble to 0. A ghoul can not employ any 
  Skill or Epic Point it had in life. Ghouls are slow and 
  
   
  58
  creepy things: Speed and Agility lose one point 
  each while Body remains unchanged. Calculate LP 
  and I.V. based on the new values. Ghouls are rarely 
  active: they usually spend the day sleeping in their 
  tombs and come out at night or when their tomb is 
  opened. 
  A ghoul heals Life Points only after eating a living 
  creature. Life points regained are equal to the 
  creature’s Body score. 
  Ghouls can see in pitch-black darkness. Ghouls are 
  frightening. 
  Average human Ghoul 
  Body 4   Agility 2   Wit 0/5 Presence 0 
  LP 24    Size M   I.V. 5 
  Speed 2    
  Attack: by weapon or fist 1/2D6  
  Armor: by armor 
   
  Vampires 
  Vampires are once living creatures turned to an 
  immortal unlife by weird science. They stop aging 
  and lose all faibilities of living creatures: they do not 
  need to eat, drink, sleep or breathe. Vampires are 
  immune to poison or illness. 
  Vampires retain all abilities they had in life, including 
  Wit, Presence, EP, Skills and Psionics. A Vampires 
  Body and Agility are increased by 1 point each. 
  Vampires can’t be healed even by psionics or weird 
  science, only drinking blood restores a vampire’s 
  vitality. For every day a Vampire passes without 
  drinking blood it suffers 1 LP of damage. 
  To drink blood the vampire must kill a creature and 
  drink all of its blood, thus healing up to the 
  creature’s Body in Life Points.  
  Vampires can see in the darkness. 
  Vampires suffer the following limitations: Irrational 
  Behavior: Fear of sunlight and fire, Irrational 
  Behavior: bloodlust. 
  A vampire suffers 1d6 damage points (that ignore 
  armor) per turn if exposed to sunlight. 
  A vampire is Invulnerable to ordinary physical 
  attacks, it will suffer real damage only from sunlight, 
  lack of blood and fire. A Vanquished vampire can be 
  killed if burned or exposed to sunlight. 
   
  The Deep Space Horrors 
  These creatures have an unknown and unspecified 
  origin: Firstborn texts have it that these beings exist 
  since the beginning of time and have evolved to a 
  point beyond humanity or intelligence.  
  Always according to the esoteric texts of the Firstborn 
  the Horrors live close to the galactic core or to its rim 
  near the absolute void (depending on the author) 
  anyway freely floating in space dancing to the 
  inaudible sounds of creation. 
  Other authors support the idea that deep space is a 
  metaphor for the inner reaches of a sentient soul and 
  that the Horrors really come from within, as the 
  Psionic powers capable of summoning them. 
  All Horrors speak a variant of Sasshalish. 
   
  Servitor 
  Body 7     Agility 2   Wit 5   Presence 3 
  LP 42 Size L IV: 7 
  Speed: 4  
  Attack: By weapon  
  Armor: By armor   
  Servitors are a sentient race of shambling fungous 
  aliens with a highly sophisticated culture and 
  developed science. They revere and fear the Great 
  Ancients. A few have Psionic Powers but mostly 
  they develop Weird Science equipment and make 
  extensive use of automaton and vehicles. 
  A Servitor is a hermaphrodite fungi, its “top” 
  concentrates all sensory organs: Servitors do not 
  have a sense of smell nor taste and feed of water 
  and soil. 
  Social structure is aristocratic. 
  Servitors have developed “portable” radio (50 kg 
  and 200 km of range) and Blast guns. Servitor 
  Armor is Hardened just like Ceramic armor. 
   
  Winged servant 
  Body 6     Agility 8   Wit 2/8   Presence 2 
  LP 36  Size M IV: 16 
  Speed: 4 on ground/24 flying 
  Attack: 2d6 claws and horns  
  Armor: 4 Hardened   
  Winged servants are little more than beasts: 
  featureless, humanoid winged beings with tough 
  rubbery skin. Winged servants are immune to 
  poison, the curse and extremes and do not need to 
  breath. Winged Servants are Frightening.  
   
  Astral Hound 
  Body 8   Agility 5   Wit 1/5      Presence 4 
  LP 48    Size M   I.V. 6 
  Speed 5    
  Attack: bite 2D6+2  
  Armor: 8 Unbreakable  
  Astral Hounds are the hunting hounds of the Ancients 
  and the Star spawn, crossing astral space in search 
  of prey.  
  Astral hounds induce Horror and are capable of Astral 
  Perception and Projection with a Psi-index of 4(and a 
  reserve of 12). Astral hounds are immune to poison, 
  the curse and extremes and do not need to breath. 
   
  Star Spawn 
  Body 14     Agility 8   Wit 1/12   Presence 12 
  LP 84 Size L  IV: 20 
  Speed: 6 
  Attack: 4d6 tentacles  
  Armor: 12 Unbreakable   
  
   
  59
  The idiotic spawns of the Great Ancients. Star 
  Spawns are immune to poison, the curse and 
  extremes and do not need to breath. Star Spawns 
  induce Horror. Some have Psi index of 1d6 and know 
  all Psionic Disciplines at least at Basic level.  
   
  Great Ancient 
  Body 32     Agility 8   Wit -   Presence 16 
  LP 192 Size E IV: 8 
  Speed: 2/ 2 flying if capable of flight 
  Attack: 8d6 pseudopods  
  Armor: 16 Ultimate   
  Evil and mindless astral gods of space. It is unclear 
  how many Great Ancients exist: a few named ones 
  are Kuuu’th’uuk, Daargoon, Saddoqui, Eherrbus.  
  Great Ancients are immune to poison, the curse and 
  extremes and do not need to breath. Great Ancients 
  induce Horror. Some may have a Psi index of 2d6 
  and know all Psionic Disciplines at least at Basic 
  level. 
   
   
  Optional Rule: Lingering Horror 
  The game as written is more influenced by E.R.B. 
  than H.P. Lovecraft, but what if the GM wants to 
  create an atmosphere of real Cosmic Horror? 
  We suggest you use the following rule: each time a 
  character uses the Summon, Gate and Sacrifice 
  Manifestations, gets a Graft or fails a Contest to 
  resist the effects of Horror, it acquires a point of 
  Doom. 
  Characters always subtract their Doom score from 
  Contest rolls required to resist mind-affecting 
  psionic manipulation (like Mind Reading or Mind 
  Control) on the part of Deep Space Horrors. 
  When a character’s Doom score is higher then its 
  Presence score, he is completely subject to the 
  Deep Space Horrors’ will. 
  Anytime such a completely corrupted character is 
  exposed to Horror, a failed Contest does not result 
  in simple loss of self control and inability to act but 
  in complete Mind Control on the Horrors’ part. 
  Doom Points can be removed at the cost of 10 Epic 
  Points each. 
  If this optional rule is used, starting characters may 
  chose an additional Weakness:  
  Corrupt—The character has a starting Doom Score 
  of 1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  On animal training and taming 
   
  Common animals and some fantastic creatures (like 
  psivores, wyverns and basilisks) can be tamed and 
  trained to obey orders. 
  Before it can be trained, an animal must first be 
  tamed. To tame an animal is a long-term task that 
  requires a number of months at least equal the 
  Presence of the creature.    
   At the end of this period, roll a Contest between the 
  animal's and the trainer's Presence. 
  If the trainer wins the contest, the animal is 
  considered tame. If the animal wins it, it resists 
  taming by the animal handler at all costs. In case of 
  equality, the animal remains wild but the trainer will 
  be able to retry his luck after a new period of 
  taming.    
  The resistance of an animal to the schooling also 
  depends on its age: once adult, animals are 
  extremely difficult to tame; one should multiply by 2 
  the animal’s Presence for opposing the trainer.   
   
  Once an animal has been tamed, it can be trained. 
  To train an animal consists in teaching him one or 
  several tricks.  
  To teach a trick to an animal, the trainer must 
  succeed in a Presence Contest with the animal, at 
  the end of one period of two weeks. The maximum 
  number of tricks that an animal can learn is equal to 
  its Wit score plus the trainer’s Presence.  
   
  A trainer can try to oblige a tamed animal to execute 
  a trick for which it has not been trained: Confront 
  the trainer’s Presence with the beast’s, apply the 
  same modifiers as for taming.   
   
  A trick learned by an animal falls in one of two 
  categories: Automatic or Triggered on order of its 
  master. Here are some examples of typical tricks:   
     
  Automatic: accept a rider, ignore a reflex of 
  aggression, ignore a reflex of flight, programmed 
  reaction when facing specified individuals (identified 
  thanks to odor, voice, uniform etc) or events: attack, 
  accept as master, obey - each reaction and 
  individual types correspond to a different trick.   
   
  On order: attack (the animal attacks a designated 
  target when orders), defend (the animal protects a 
  designated person against all aggressions), watch 
  (same thing but for a place or an object), come 
  here, come back, fetch (for animals capable of 
  tracking), execute an acrobatic or a special 
  maneuver. 
  
   
  60
  CHAPTER TEN:  EXPERIENCE, EPIC POINTS, FAME 
   
  At the end of every gaming session (which may or 
  may not be a complete adventure, depending on the 
  length of the quest at hand), every character gets a 
  reward in Epic Points from the referee.  This reward 
  should be from 0 to 3 points, depending on 
  participation, role playing, ideas, adventure length 
  and difficulty. 
   
  There is no limit to the number of EP you can 
  acquire, and evil characters should gain them just 
  the same as good ones, as long as their evilness 
  fits the plot and the character. Epic points make the 
  difference between a real Hero (and a real Villain!) 
  and the common people.  
  Player characters shouldn’t be the only ones to 
  have EPs; NPCs' should also have them (expect 
  great warriors or scientists to have between 1 and 
  12 EP, really heroic characters to have about 30, 
  and living legends to have even more….   
  Heroic characters should also be given an 
  appropriate number of Fame Points). 
   
  How do Epic Points affect the 
  game?  
   
  In several possible ways: 
   
  The player may spend as many EP on one action 
  as it has Presence, for each EP spent a character 
  can: 
   
  Increase his chances of success in a Task or 
  Contest.  
  BEFORE he rolls the die, the player states that he is 
  going to spend EP on the roll. Add 2 to the die roll 
  along with other relevant modifiers.  
   
  Increase his Initiative Value by 2, when the 
  referee calls for IV's 
   
  Increase by 1 the power Level of a psionic 
  manifestation. 
   
  Increase or reduce damage taken or inflicted. 
  Before the die is rolled, the character declares that 
  he is going to spend Epic points and then modifies 
  the damage by plus or minus 2 points, but only after 
  A.V. is calculated.  Note that EP's can be spent in 
  this way only to affect attacks brought on oneself. 
  This modifier can't reduce damage below 1. 
   
  All Epic Points spent are gone, new ones must be 
  gained.  Should several characters simultaneously 
  decide to spend EP's on the same action, have all 
  involved players write their individual totals down on 
  a piece of paper and reveal the points spent by 
  each one simultaneously.   
   
  Fame 
   
  A collateral effect of adventuring is Fame, and the 
  more a character adventures, the more famous he 
  becomes.   
  Fame is rated from 0 to 6, no character may gain 
  more than 6 Fame Points. 
  Fame is increased through the recording of a 
  Popularity tally. 
  At the end of each adventure increase the 
  Popularity tally by 1. 
  When Popularity reaches (6-Current Fame), reset 
  the tally to 0 and increase Fame by 1. 
   
  Famous characters can be recognized by other 
  people even when they don't want to be.   
  When the referee thinks the famous character might 
  be recognized, he just rolls 1D6, and if the result is 
  equal to or lower than the character's total Fame 
  points, he or she has been recognized.  
   
  The referee should take this Task any time a 
  famous character meets somebody without wearing 
  a disguise or whenever a famous character's name 
  is spoken.  Reaction to this recognition may vary, 
  depending on HOW the character got famous; don't 
  expect notorious Brute slayers to get a warm 
  welcome by Brutish tribes. 
   
  If a famous character has been recognized, the 
  referee may decide to add or subtract his or her FP 
  total to or from all of his or her Presence Tasks 
  relating to social interaction (like persuasion, price 
  haggling and poetry competitions, but not psionics 
  or gambling). 
   
  Increasing Primary Attributes 
   
  Characters also get to improve Primary –and some 
  Secondary- Attributes: The permanent increase of 
  one Attribute (choosing from Body, Agility, Wit, 
  Presence, Speed, Psi index) by 1 point, costs the 
  actual Attribute value times 10 in EP. 
  Buying a Psi index rating of 1 from scratch costs 20 
  Epic Points. 
  No Attribute may be increased by more than 1 point 
  in this way, remember to recalculate Secondary 
  Attributes when a Primary one is improved. 
   
   
  
   
  61
   
   
  Learning New Skills 
   
  A character may chose to learn a new skill or 
  improve a known one granted he gets permission 
  by the GM. 
  Game masters should grant permission if the player 
  characters have had access to instructors (NPCs or 
  other PCs possessing the desired skill at Master 
  Rank) or had extensive first-hand practice in the 
  course of their last adventure. 
  A character may only try to improve one Skill at a 
  time, also if a Skill has been chosen for 
  improvement and the player does not pass the Task 
  he may not try to improve another Skill before the 
  character is awarded Epic Points another time. 
   
  Requirements must still be met before a character 
  can buy a skill. 
   
  To learn or improve a Skill a character must first 
  pass a Difficulty 10 Wit Task.  
   
  If the Task is successful the player may improve the 
  chosen Skill: learning a Skill at Basic Rank requires 
  the expense of 5 EP. 
   
  10 EP are needed to actually improve a skill from 
  Basic to Advanced Rank.  
   
  20 EP are needed to actually improve a skill from 
  Advanced to Master Rank.  
   
  No equipment is gained by learning a new skill, 
  equipment linked to specific skills is granted only at 
  character creation. 
   
   
  A note on aging 
  Human characters age quite early: every Umgarla 
  (10 earth years) after the fourth subtract one point 
  from each stat value (Body, Agility, Wit, Presence, 
  Psi and Speed): recalculate all derived Attributes, 
  Brutes age at the same speed. As soon as one of 
  the main stats reaches 0, the character dies. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Sample Character Experience: Malmuut Obness 
  Daar, Weird Scientist extraordinaire has passed 
  many adventures in the last few months. 
  His attributes and skills have become: 
  Body 3, Wit 5, Agility 4, Presence 2, Psi-index 1. 
  Size M , Speed 4, I.V. 9, Life Points 18 
  Basic Armsman, Basic Subterfuge, Advanced 
  Weird Science (Life Science and Concoctions at 
  Basic level each). 
  Epic Points: 11, Fame: 1(Popularity tally:4) 
  Weakness: Irrational Behavior (Greed). 
  Malmuut has Grafted eyes (and can thus see in the 
  darkness). 
  At the end of this last adventure his Popularity tally 
  reaches 5, so his Fame goes up to 2, while the tally 
  is reset to 0. 
  In four more adventures his Fame will go up to 3. 
  Not bad for an ex low-life, Malmuut is definitely 
  amongst the ”up and coming” of society. 
   
  The GM decides that in this last game session 
  Malmuut has been really clever and a decent role-
  player and awards him 2 Epic Points. 
   
  Malmuut finally decides to take the great leap: he 
  will try to learn psionics! 
  The player expends 10 epic Points to raise his Psi 
  index to 2. This is the highest it will ever get, 
  through experience at least, Malmuut will not be 
  able to raise it higher by expending Epic Points. 
   
  With the remaining 3 Epic Points he tries to learn 
  the Psionicist Skill at Basic Rank: for this to happen 
  the player must pass a Wit Task at Difficulty 10. 
  The GM gives his permission as another player’s 
  character has Psionicist skill at Master Rank and 
  has volunteered to tutor Malmuut. 
   
  For Malmuut’s player joy the Task is a success and 
  his character learns Psionicist at Basic Rank, the 
  player chooses Basic Level Teleperceptions as his 
  first Discipline. 
   
  This is now the new Malmuut Obness Daar, 
  explorer of dark secrets: 
  Body 3, Wit 5, Agility 4, Presence 2, Psi-index 2. 
  Size M , Speed 4, I.V. 9  
  Life Points 18, Psi Points:6 
  Basic Armsman, Basic Psionicist (Teleperceptions 
  Discipline at Basic Level), Basic Subterfuge, 
  Advanced Weird Science (Life Science and 
  Concoctions at Basic level each). 
  Epic Points: 0, Fame: 2(Popularity tally: 0) 
  Weakness: Irrational Behavior (Greed). 
   
  
   
  62
  EXAMPLE OF PLAY 
   
  The following example illustrates a small portion of an adventure, using three characters (Karp Ahk Dun, Zavast 
  and Uhann Min Dok). Uhann Min Dok is a Human Armsman and Pilot from Quaal armed with a Sword and a 
  Pistol. Karp Ahk Dun and Zavast are respectively a Human Psionicist (expert in Telepathy and Telekinesis) and 
  Lore master and a Brute scavenger. Karp Ahk Dun is armed with a dagger. Zavast is armed with a Huge Battle 
  Axe. All three wear Partial Light Armor.  
   
  "GM" indicates words spoken by the Game Master, 
  Zavast's player has been chosen "Caller" by the rest 
  of the party. 
  The Caller is a player who communicates the 
  group's questions and desires to the GM. Some 
  GM's use a Caller; others prefer to let the players 
  express their individual desires. A Caller is used in 
  the example purely for convenience. As we pick up 
  the action, the players have marched for one day 
  across 
  the 
  swamps 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Remembrance. They are unencumbered and 
  moving at walking speed (about 1 km per hour in 
  the swamp, even if Zavast could move faster) and 
  are approaching the outskirts of the ruins of 
  Burakennar, city of the Ancients.  
   
  GM: "You've been following the old Road for four 
  hours. Do you want to rest or continue?"  
  ZAVAST: "We'll continue. We're on guard ... moving 
  Normally."  
  GM: Rolls 2d6, with an "8" result... No encounter in 
  the Twilight Zone through which the group is 
  moving. "You cover another two kilometers, and 
  begin to notice a scattering of weed-grown marble 
  ruins along the roadside."  
  Uhann: “We'll keep our eyes peeled for interesting 
  structures."  
  GM: "Are you going to slow down?"  
  ZAVAST: after consulting with the other players "No 
  ... we'll keep moving at normal speed."  
  GM: "During the next kilometer, you don't see any 
  intact buildings, but the ruins do seem to be getting 
  closer together. The road begins climbing a rocky 
  gorge. The walls of the gorge rise about you, cutting 
  off the sun feeble light of Zartru. Do you want to rest 
  or continue?"  
  UHANN: "We'll continue. We hope to catch sight of 
  Burakennar before a couple of hours."  
  GM: He consults his notes about the Ruins of 
  Burakennar and tells the party: "The gorge is narrow 
  and steep, but the road is fairly level, now." Looking 
  at his map he notices that the group will come to a 
  building next to the road haunted by a pack of 
  Ghouls. "As you round a bend, you notice a square 
  shape to your right, about 20 meters from the road." 
  KARP: "How big is it? Can we see any doors or 
  windows?"  
  GM: "It's about 20 meters tall, and maybe twice that 
  on each side. It's covered with vines, but there 
  seems to be an area on the side closest to the road 
  where the vines have been cleared away."  
  Before the game session he has decided that three 
  ghouls haunt this ruin and that all the Ghouls of 
  Burakennar have average attributes for human 
  Ghouls. 
  They are the last remnants of an experiment in 
  immortality that caused the city’s downfall, ages 
  ago.  
  ZAVAST: "We’ll check it out.” He quickly checks 
  with the other players on how to approach the 
  building.  
  GM: "What are you going to do?"  
  ZAVAST: "We'll approach the front of the building. 
  We all have our weapons out. What do we see 
  when we get close? Is there a door?"  
  GM: "Who's in front?"  
  ZAVAST: “We're advancing all three abreast."  
  GM: "The bare spot appears to be a slab of golden 
  metal set in the pink marble of the building. There's 
  a hand sized hole in it."  
  He 
  decides 
  that 
  since 
  the 
  characters 
  are 
  approaching a common type of NPC with weapons 
  ready that there is no chance for the PC's to be 
  surprised.  
  Even though the Ghouls are sleepless they may be 
  otherwise unaware, so he does make a Surprise 
  Check for them. He rolls 2D6 + Average Ghoul Wit 
  for perception Tasks of 5 getting a total of 11. 
  “Please all of you roll 2d6+Agility, remember to add 
  Competence bonus for Survivalist Skill.”  
  Karp Ahk Dun rolls and gets 8, + 4(for Agility) =12, 
  Zavast rolls 9, +1(for Agility), +2 (for Advanced 
  Survivalist skill) =12 and Uhann Min Dok rolls a 
  stunning 12 +3 (for Agility) =15. 
  The Ghouls are, indeed, surprised.  
  UHANN: "I will put my hand in the hole on the 
  golden door while Karp and Zavast stand just to 
  either side.”  
  KARP: ”I keep the sword in the right hand, while the 
  left one holds the pistol."  
  GM: “Uhann, you feel some buttons in the hole. 
  What do you do?” 
  UHANN: “I start pressing them carefully.” 
  GM: Decides that Uhann Min Dok should have a 
  good chance to find the combination to the golden 
  door, and sets the difficulty at 12. “Please roll a Wit 
  Task.”  
  UHANN: rolls 8, +6 (for Wit) and decides to put in 
  
   
  63
  an Epic point for an additional +2. His total is 16. 
  GM: "The door silently slides to the side, 
  disappearing in the wall. 
  You can't see much in the dim light, but several 
  bulky shapes appear to be rising before you among 
  the ruined remains of silken finery."  
  ZAVAST: Hurriedly talks with the players. "We let 
  'em have it!"  
  GM: "What exactly do you let them have?"  
  KARP: "Karp Ahk Dun fires at the shadows.” 
  ZAVAST: “I rush in charging and singing the war 
  chants of my tribe!” 
  UHANN: ”Uhann Min Dok steps away from the 
  doorway."  
  GM: “Please roll Initiative” Checking Initiative values 
  he sees that Karp goes of first: "Karp, both Zavast 
  and Uhann block your view of the other targets."  
  KARP: “I wait for the others to move out of the way” 
  GM: “Uhann you move out of the way, just in time 
  for Zavast to end up charging full tilt in to a pale 
  corpselike figure. Zavast you may strike at it” 
  Zavast rolls for the attack while the GM rolls for 
  defense. 
  As Zavast’s roll is 6 points higher then the Ghoul’s 
  he inflicts double damage.   
  As Zavast’s Huge battle axe inflicts an incredible 24 
  points of damage the first Ghoul is cut down.   
  "The horrible creature is blown away by a square 
  blow to the head. The others follow it, as Zavast 
  rests his eyes on them he feels his heart tremble, 
  please execute roll Presence against Difficulty... 
  (rolls for the Ghouls Presence) 11." 
  ZAVAST: Fails his roll, miserably 
  GM: “An unnatural horror takes your savage heart 
  as you now clearly see that shambling corpses 
  move towards you: Zavast is stricken by fear for 
  next turn”  
  KARP: "What else is going on in there?"  
  GM: "You see two more of the bulky shapes moving 
  toward Zavast reaching out with claw like hands."  
  KARP: "I shoot at them!"  
  GM: "Zavast is covering the target, are you sure?” 
  KARP: “Yes!” 
  ZAVAST and UHANN. “No!” 
  GM: " Sorry mates, he said he is going to shoot... 
  roll the attack Karp.” 
  Karp fails miserably, seriously wounding Zavast. 
  GM: "So, Zavast you are still in shock, Karp and 
  Uhann: what are you going to do the next turn?”  
   
  Play continues like this until the combat is over ... 
  leaving Zavast seriously hurt and the three Ghouls 
  dead. The players take the good part of an hour 
  looking for a clue to their Quest’s solution and 
  bandaging Zavast.  
  They then resume their march into Burakennar.... 
   
   
   
   
  Psionics: Tool of the Deep Space Horrors or only defense against them? 
  
   
  64
  INTRODUCTORY ADVENTURE: “A Princess of Zoon” 
   
  This chapter contains a short introductory adventure to get you started in playing Under the moons of Zoon. The 
  adventure is defined in its plot and main characters, individual GMs are invited to elaborate the details and 
  should adapt the events to the PC’s actions. Also, maps are supplied for the main locations of the adventure. 
  It can be played in one 4 hours game session but can be easily expanded to be played in more game sessions. 
  With some work and planning this adventure can become the starting point of a campaign. 
   
  Back story the adventure 
   
  A centuries old feud between Omaba and Yacind is 
  finally coming to its end.  
  The fight for control over the Spring Sea that costed 
  thousands of lives to both city states has been put 
  off by the Umzoolams striving to reach a truce. 
  Many reasons have brought the Umzoolams to this 
  decision but the main one is fear for Helicon’s 
  spreading power. 
  To seal the truce a marriage has been organized 
  between Omaba’s Umzoolam’s son and the 
  daughter of Yacind’s Umzoolam.  
  The marriage shall be held at the court of Omaba, 
  and emissaries have been sent to all nearby city-
  states to invite the Zoolams to the marriage that will 
  end the war. 
   
  Yet not all is well in the courts of the two great city-
  states. 
   
  Conservative political parties –on both sides, and 
  also external to the two cities- would like to see the 
  feud going on.  
   
  Most of all the Umzoolam of Quaal (one Mushnaar 
  Abel Majid) would see the truce fail, so to gain 
  advantage from a new escalation of violence. 
   
  The Umzoolam Mushnaar is notoriously power 
  hungry and ill-advised, while not outright evil he has 
  chosen as personal councilor the shady prophetess 
  known only as Maal Baru. 
   
  Unknown to all Maal Baru is a Hybrid servant of the 
  Firstborn and the main agent of the Wyrm Cult on 
  this side of the continent. 
   
  In the night in which the engagement had to be 
  made official at Obama’s Halls of the Ancients (a 
  sacred vault beneath the Umzoolam’s palace) Maal 
  Baru has managed to have the Zoolama kidnapped 
  by a squad of Assassins from Nameless. 
   
  Thanks to the already tense atmosphere – and the 
  unwilling help of many ambassadors from nearby 
  city-states- Maal has been successful in showing 
  Obama’s Conservatives as culprits.  
   
  Meanwhile, the false prophetess has had Mushnaar 
  prepare its army to fall like a bird of prey on the 
  warring city-states, feeding his belief in the 
  possibility of creating a new kingdom even more 
  powerful than Helicon. 
   
  Maal’s real plan however is to sacrifice the Zoolama 
  in order to summon the Deep Space Horrors. So 
  she had the assassins meet at the ruins of lost 
  Xalaxatl, hidden deep in the jungle between Obama 
  and Yacind. 
  Once all out war between the three city states is set, 
  she will lead her alien masters to the conquest of 
  the Spring Sea. 
   
  Having dispatched the Assassins to cover up any 
  possible trail the evil Maal Baru has hidden their 
  craft and brought her prisoners to the ruins of the 
  city’s main temple: the Garden of Forgotten 
  Beauties. 
   
  However, not everything has gone as planned by 
  the machiavellian Maal Baru, in the same night of 
  the kidnapping her tinkering with Xalaxatl’s secrets 
  has released its most fearsome inhabitant: the 
  famed Beast of Xalaxatl. 
   
  This crazed Automaton that notoriously stalked the 
  deepest ruins of Xalaxatl has been unwittingly 
  granted access to more than its customary den and 
  now roams the entire city stalking the Wyrm 
  Cultists. 
   
  In the last battle between the Cultists and the Beast 
  the main power source of the Ruins has been 
  irremediably damaged and most of the ancient 
  building’s systems (like remaining force walls, 
  lighting or elevators) have gone off. 
  Amongst these the Blast shield door of the PC’s 
  cell. 
   
  Starting the adventure 
   
  The Pcs are part of Yacind’s best: they are 
  bodyguards, 
  healers, 
  instructors, 
  entertainers, 
  personal pilots or manservants to the Umzoolams of 
  Yacind: whatever fits better their skill choice and 
  
   
  65
  special abilities (or weaknesses). 
  The PCs are part of the Zoolama’s personal retinue, 
  they have been drugged and abducted with the 
  princes and been brought of to Xalaxatl. 
  Maal 
  Baru 
  planned 
  to 
  sacrifice 
  the 
  Player 
  Characters as well.  
   
  The adventure starts in the ruins of Xalaxatl, in the 
  Garden of Forgotten Beauty. The characters are 
  waking up from the effects of a sleep drug in a cell, 
  the morning after their kidnapping on the assassins’ 
  part. 
   
  The PCs have no equipment at all (their personal 
  equipment is back home in Yacind), they only 
  vaguely remember –as if in a dream- a struggle in 
  the deep of night with masked individuals, the cry of 
  the Zoolama and nothing else. 
   
  They do not know where they are or what time it is; 
  to their uttermost surprise the cell has no visible 
  door and no apparent guards.... 
   
  Xalaxatl 
   
  The ghost town is a mass of abandoned, mosaic -
  decorated rubble dominated by a few remaining 
  ziggurats. In the permanent night an eerie greenish 
  light envelopes the abandoned buildings. 
  However abandoned and overrun with vegetation 
  some of the cities standing buildings are still 
  perfectly functional. 
  Characters walking through the city and having a 
  look at its buildings and remaining pieces of art may 
  try to fathom where they are. 
  With a successful Wit [Lore] Task at Difficulty 14, 
  the following facts may be remembered: 
   
  Lost Xalaxatl was an important city before 
  the apocalypse, now abandoned centuries 
  ago.  
  Legend has it that the citizens –despairing 
  to survive the apocalypse- let themselves 
  die, leaving the city to the automatons. The 
  automatons themselves, now masterless, 
  went crazy or dwindled to inactivity.  
  Today it is notoriously stalked by Ghouls, 
  vampire bats and wild Tars, surrounded by 
  a deep jungle with all sorts of carnivore or 
  poisonous vegetation. 
  A mysterious Beast, whose shining eyes 
  can sometimes be gleaned cross the ruins 
  in the perpetual night, stalks the lost city. 
   
  Not all locations of Xlalaxatl are supplied with a full 
  description 
  or 
  a 
  map. 
  Individual 
  GMs 
  are 
  encouraged to fill the missing details. 
   
   
  The surrounding Jungle: The Jungle is a hostile 
  environment of lichens and giant mushrooms, 
  separating the lost city for at least 1000 kilometers. 
  Its climate is one level of extremes below what is 
  comfortable for humans, whatsmore finding food 
  requires a daily Wit [Survivalist] Task at Difficulty 
  13. 
  A catastrophic failure means that the foraging 
  character either poisoned himself or was ambushed 
  by a poisonous snake. 
    
  The Graveyard: A perfect imitation of a live town, 
  this is actually a Necropolis where the Xalaxatlans 
  went to be buried or –in the last days of the city- 
  came to die. 
  The tombs are built in shapes of house, full of all 
  typical domestic appliances. 
  Wandering 
  through 
  the 
  graveyard 
  can 
  be 
  dangerous, as Ghouls have risen from the tombs. 
  At the center of the Graveyard can be found the 
  death-palace of the Umzoolams, some say that a 
  Ghost or Vampire rules the city of the Dead from 
  here. 
  Individual GMs will have to decide the truthfulness 
  of this statement. The graveyard’s power source is 
  still perfectly functional. 
   
  The Library: A huge building in white marble, it is 
  still full of books on the most varied subjects written 
  in Old Zoonian. 
  Since the library’s power source is no more 
  perfectly functional the seals of the vault are 
  breaking, and many books are turning to mould. 
  Books in good state could be worth a fortune to the 
  right scholars, however, or could give important 
  hints for future quests on the PC’s part. 
  Also, somewhere in the library the PCs could 
  eventually find details on the Mausoleum and the 
  individual in suspended animation within (see 
  below)... as well as the passwords that disarm the 
  traps.  
  The library is still run by a small, gentle humanoid 
  automaton that tries to keep it intact and in good 
  health. 
  The Librarian knows the Beast perfectly, who will 
  not attack the Librarian and crafty characters may 
  persuade the Librarian to block the Beast using 
  some old command codes. 
  Anyway, the Librarian and the Beast will not 
  abandon Xalaxatl. 
   
  Ulamat’s Ziggurat: The highest tower in town, 
  once property of the rich merchant-prince Ulamat. 
  Known in its time also as Ulamat’s folly, it can be 
  seen breaking through the canopy of the jungle for 
  
   
  66
  many kilometers with its 400 meters height. 
  Pink marble, golden filigree, corroded bronze 
  sculptures and bas-reliefs (once depicting the life of 
  Ulamat) constitute most of it.  
  The Ziggurat’s power source is no more functional 
  and its completely empty high-roofed halls provide a 
  nest to a flock of many tens of Vampire bats. 
  The Assassin’s military Air skiff is hidden on the top 
  of the building, Maal had them land here (the only 
  available landing place left in Xalaxatl) and here the 
  Assassins where killed by Maal Baru’s hybrid 
  servants.  
  The skiff was not damaged in the fight and is 
  guarded by three Hybrids equipped with hypersonic 
  whistles. 
  The Air skiff may well prove the PCs only chance of 
  getting out of Xalaxatl. 
   
  Apart from the vampire bats, climbing the ziggurat 
  can prove problematic as the old building is slowly 
  crumbling away: require all characters climbing its 
  inner stairs to execute an Agility [Survivalist] Task at 
  Difficulty 8 to avoid falls for 3d6 meters. 
  Climbing the outer walls of the Ziggurat requires an 
  Agility [Survivalist] Task at Difficulty 12 to avoid falls 
  for 1d6x5 meters. 
   
  Maal Baru, the priests and the hybrids on guard 
  duty are equipped with hypersonic whistles to keep 
  the bats away, however the shrill shriek of the 
  whistles can be heard all across the city: it will keep 
  away the bats... but could attract unwanted attention 
  of a more dangerous kind.  
   
  The Rubble: Most of what was once Xalaxatl is 
  now reduced to marble and metal rubble overrun 
  with lichen and tall fungal growth typical of Zoon. 
  Wild Tars have elected the rubble areas as their 
  hunting ground. 
   
  The Mausoleum: These abandoned buildings just 
  north of the Ziggurat, are still perfectly functional 
  and completely sealed, with no visible openings 
  save strong ceramic doors.  
  No lights come out of it, yet defense and energy 
  systems are still working.  
  Access to the buildings requires the passing of 
  three sealed ceramic doors: each is trapped and 
  only the use of some secret passwords in Old 
  Zoonian will open them without using violence or 
  wit. 
  The doors can stand 30 Life Points each before a 
  breach is made, and have a Hardened A.V. of 9. 
  Detecting the traps requires a Wit [Subterfuge] 
  Tasks at a Difficulty of 14, removal requires an 
  Agility [Subterfuge] Tasks at a Difficulty 14 and lock 
  picking equipment. 
  Attacking the doors automatically sets off the traps. 
  Activating the traps means that the area within 3 
  meters from the door is sprayed with a barrage of 
  ceramic darts: all characters within range are 
  subject to a ranged area attack dealing 2d6+2 
  Penetrating damage.  
  The traps have ammo for 10 bursts each and 
  execute the attack with an Agility of 1. 
  Once all three doors have been passed the pcs will 
  find a vast amount of jewelry and gems worth at 
  least 10000 thaaris surrounding a blast-shielded 
  crystal coffin attached to some kind of Cosmic ray 
  collector. 
  The coffin contains an individual in suspended 
  animation wearing the most outlandish clothes the 
  PCs may have ever seen. 
  Individual GMs are encouraged to fill up the details 
  of who this mysterious individual might be; 
  suggestions include: the creator of the Beast and 
  the Librarian, an astronaut from earth, an alien...  
   
  Wandering through the city: For each hour the 
  PCs spend in town either moving amongst the ruins 
  or standing in one place the GM should roll 2d6 and 
  check the encounters table. 
   
  Xalaxatl Encounters (check once per hour) 
  2d6 Roll 
  Result 
  2-7 
  None 
  8-9 
  1d6 Ghouls in the Graveyard or  
  1d6 wild Tars in any rubble covered 
  area  
  1d6 Hybrid guards in the Garden 
  2d6 Vampire Bats in Ulamat’s Ziggurat 
  Otherwise none 
  10-11 
  Bulak Ash Okk  
  12 
  The Beast 
   
  Meeting Bulak Ash Okk: the only surviving 
  Assassin from the party that abducted them and the 
  Zoolama. 
  Bulak Ash Okk is intent on surviving the ghost town, 
  knows where the skiff is and that Maal Baru and her 
  priests have hypersonic whistles capable of keeping 
  the Vampire bats away. When the pcs meet him 
  check for surprise, while Bulak is more then ready 
  to forge an alliance with the PCs he is no stupid: If 
  the assassin has surprise he will study the party 
  before coming out and offering his help. 
  If the GM decides that Bulak will not present 
  himself, have him stalk the party waiting for the best 
  moment to come out and take control of the 
  situation. 
   
  Meeting The Beast: The Beast is following old 
  orders in a twisted and distorted way: it will attack 
  anybody it meets except the Librarian in the most 
  efficient way. If heavily damaged it will try to flee 
  
   
  67
  and reach the Garden’s Vault to be repaired. 
  The Garden of Forgotten Beauty: 
  This low and large building was once a temple and 
  hall of justice. Xalaxatlians came here to pray and 
  search for justice at the great altar inside, many 
  important rituals were held in here. 
  It was once guarded by psionically tamed wild 
  beasts whose cells still remain.  
  At this moment it is Maal Baru’s base of activities 
  and prison to both the PCs and the Zoolama 
  Sabella Ganaa Bellush of Yacind. 
  The Pcs start their adventure in here, unarmed and 
  bound with vines in room number 8, waken up by 
  wailing sirens of an alarm and an artificial voice 
  speaking. 
  Characters speaking Old Zoonian will understand 
  the emergency signal: 
   
  “All qualified personnel meet in the vaults, prepare 
  evacuation of the building.” 
   
  The PCs have been brought here some eight hours 
  ago after the hybrids killed the assassins. 
  Having suffered a raid from the Beast, Baru had it 
  pursued in the Vaults under the building: in the 
  ensuing fight the main CRC has been damaged and 
  the Beast fled after killing some of the hybrids. 
  As a result of the fight the state of disrepair of the 
  main Cosmic Rays collector has worsened: it has 
  started leaking radiation and the systems in the 
  building are working on and off. 
  Maal Baru and the priests have hidden in the 
  Sancta Sanctorum, leaving the hybrids on guard 
  they have to decide if they are going to hunt The 
  Beast or carry out the Sacrifice at the main altar in 
  area 1.  
  Within three hours they will decide to carry out the 
  Sacrifice and flee Xalaxatl.  
   
  All of the building ground floor rooms have air and 
  power conducts as well as garbage disposal chutes 
  connected to the vaults and to all the rest of the 
  building. 
  These conducts are about one meter wide and tall, 
  player characters may try to open up the conducts 
  and crawl through these, beware that only one 
  person at a time can pass through these and there 
  is barely space enough to crawl through. 
  GMs beware: as Xalaxatl is covered in perpetual 
  night and the power system is off in most areas the 
  characters will be moving in complete darkness 
  while roaming through the Garden. 
   
  Ground Floor:  
   
  1. Garden of the Altar: The main area of the 
  complex is a circular garden some 80 meters 
  across. 
  While it was once covered with beautiful and lush 
  vegetation it is nowadays overgrown with pale 
  lichens and luminous fungi as big as trees. 
  At the very center a circular four-stepped dais 
  brings to the main altar: a huge block of hand 
  carved psi crystal (weighting about 1 ton). The altar 
  acts like a regular level 4 psi-crystal. At this moment 
  it is attuned to Maal Baru.  
  Two Cultists and one Priest are perpetually on 
  guard here. The cultists here have grafted eyes and 
  thus can see in the dark. 
   
  2. Guard posts and main entrance: The main 
  entrance to the Garden is a great Double door built 
  in Ceramics. It is closed from the inside and can 
  stand 40 Life Points of damage before a breach is 
  made. The door has 9 points of Hardened AV. 
  Four guards post watch this entrance: these four by 
  six meters room are adorned with bas relief showing 
  a court meeting. Each room contains a Hybrid cultist 
  guard (two have arquebuses), a stone and metal 
  table with controls for its blast-shield doors, a 
  weapons rack and a chair.  
  The lights are completely out and the blast-shield 
  doors have been put off by the guards, if turned on 
  they will stop only 1d6 damage points, anything 
  dealing more than this will make the door collapse. 
  The cultists are edgy and on guard: they fear the 
  Beast and Baru almost equally by now. 
  Glib tongued adventurers could try to convince them 
  to let them go or to unite forces against the Beast, 
  it’s quite possible that the hybrids will accept such 
  offers: they will not give weapons to the PCs 
  however and will turn on them as soon as their 
  leaders (Maal Baru or the Cult Priest) make an 
  appearance. 
   
  3. Armory and storage: The door to this room is a 
  sturdy – and locked- Ceramic door: 30 LP A.V. 9 
  Hardened. 
  A huge empty hall 9 meters by 27, it is mostly full of 
  empty shelves and lockers: food and weapons 
  where once its main contenents now superseded by 
  dust and small scraps of marble fallen from a failing 
  ceiling. 
  The hybrids have stored here all their food, it would 
  last them another Garlarad (about eight earth days). 
  Careful searching can bring the characters to find a 
  hidden locker (roll a Wit [Subterfuge, Craft or 
  Survivalist] Task at Difficulty 15): the locker contains 
  a full set of Medium Ceramic armor, one shield, one 
  ceramic sword, a dagger, a pistol and 10 shots of 
  white-flame powder ammo. 
   
  4. Beast tamer’s room: This room used to be the 
  Garden’s command post connected to the guard’s 
  
   
  68
  posts through now defunct video and audio phones. 
  This room is connected through an elevator to Area 
  2 of the Vaults. 
  The doors going to the barracks (having each 30 LP 
  and an Armor Value of  9 Hardened) have been 
  locked shut from the inside while the blast-shield 
  door going to the cells is till perfectly functional (it 
  runs on auxiliary power) and turned on. 
  The doors of the elevator have been covered with 
  remnants of heavy tables and rubble taken from 
  area 14. 
  Three hybrids are on guard at the moment, they 
  spend most of their time in sullen silence pondering 
  on their future. Their leader is one Bakar Madouk 
  Agnos a huge brute taken from the pits of Taliskant, 
  and once a gladiatorial champion. Bakar holds the 
  keys to the doors and to room 3.  
  Bakar hates his fellows, the priests and Maal Baru: 
  if offered a chance he will betray them to the PCs to 
  escape the town just as quickly as he will betray the 
  PCs just to save his life. 
   
  5. Barracks: This huge 6 by 33 meters long room 
  was used as dormitory for all the Garden’s security 
  personnel. Today it is used by the hybrids. Six 
  hybrids are in here right now: three are sleeping (or 
  trying to) while other three are loudly gambling over 
  dice and boasting about what they would do to the 
  prisoners. 
  All cultists in this room are unarmed and unarmored 
  except for the ones playing (they are wearing their 
  daggers), all the weapons and armor are packed in 
  lockers near the entrance of the room. 
   
  6, 7, 8 and 9. Cells: A six meters by nine empty 
  cells, once used as bedroom for the guarding 
  beasts or prisoners awaiting trial at the temple. Its 
  exits are closed by malfunctioning blast doors that 
  barely illuminate them, a little star light comes from 
  the eastern exit and the garden can be seen. 
  The blast doors in these rooms are flickering on and 
  off, each time a character or an attack tries to go 
  through one of these unsteady force fields they can 
  hold only 1d6 damage points before collapsing. 
   
  The Pcs have been left unguarded in room 8 as 
  they are not considered dangerous at the moment 
  and Baru has decided that guards are not to be 
  spent pointlessly on them.  
  No equipment is available to the PCs unless they 
  have the Subterfuge skill. Characters skilled in 
  Subterfuge can ask the GM to still have hidden one 
  piece of hidden equipment on themselves nothing 
  larger than small knives or level1 psi crystals 
  though: if they successfully roll a Wit [Subterfuge] 
  Task at difficulty 14 the item has not been noticed 
  by neither the assassins nor Baru’s men.  
  The characters will not attract attention if they keep 
  it quiet enough and can get rid of the vines in 15 
  minutes by rolling either a Body or Agility 
  [Subterfuge] Task at Difficulty 13. 
   
  10. Guard’s rooms: Maal Baru’s most trusted men 
  are guarding the access to the temple’s sancta 
  sanctorum. Six hybrid cultists eat, sleep and take 
  turns in this room.  
  All six hybrids have grafted eyes and heightened 
  agility (Agility 4, I.V. 6). 
  These six men are dour and humorless fanatics 
  ready to die for their leader. The exit from this room 
  is a typical ceramic door with 30 LP and a Hardened 
  A.V. of 9, it is locked and the cultists have the key. 
   
  11. Priest rooms: These gracefully frescoed rooms 
  showing homage being paid to the ancestors have 
  been defaced with huge glyphs in the shape of a 
  serpent biting its own tail. Two Wyrm cult priests 
  have taken residence in these two rooms once used 
  by Xalaxatl’s own priesthood.  
  The doors of these rooms are locked ceramic doors 
  with 30 LP and a Hardened A.V. of 9. 
  The wyrm cult priests have the keys. 
  Each priest has hoarded for personal use - and out 
  of greed- part of the temple’s treasure. Hidden in a 
  cache under the bed of each room are two chests 
  one holds 250 thaari and a curse detector, the other 
  one holds 375 thaari and an ornate ceramic sword. 
  The priests are not here at the moment, they are in 
  the main Temple with Maal Baru’s, and in three 
  hours they shall come back and prepare for the 
  ritual sacrifice. 
   
  12. Main Temple: This large room is used by Maal 
  Baru as “war council” hall. All the bas-reliefs have 
  been hammered away by the cultists and the four 
  ornate columns surrounding the small square pool 
  at its center have been covered with glyphs 
  representing the wyrm. The door going to area 13 –
  the Sancta Sanctorum- is a perfectly functional 
  remote controlled Blast-shield door. 
  Star light fills the room entering through a window 
  on the roof. At the start of the adventure Maal Baru 
  and the two top ranking priests (the ones living in 
  rooms 11) are here to decide what to do in three 
  hours they will have decided what to do: they will 
  sacrifice the princes and then flee after the 
  summoning has ended. 
   
  13. Sancta Sanctorum: This dark, marble room 
  constitutes Maal Baru’s private quarters and the 
  prison of Zoolama Sabella Ganaa Bellush. 
  All lights in the room have been smashed and the 
  small statues of the ancestors have all been 
  beheaded.  
  
   
  69
  The main altar has been made in a bed covered 
  with furs. 
  A chain has been secured to the altar, at the other 
  end of the chain is the Zoolama of Yacind. 
  Sabella is in a state of complete stupor as she has 
  been continuously drugged, if freed she will come 
  out of this state in 1d6 hours. 
  A secret door (recognizable through a Wit 
  [Subterfuge or Craft]:15 Task) leads to a corridor 
  going from here to area 14. 
   
  14. Breach in the wall: Four hybrid Cultists are on 
  watch, all four have an arquebus.  
  They are very nervous and panicky, afraid to die at 
  the hands of the Beast: if their fears are accurately 
  played upon they could well end up shooting each 
  other... 
   
  Vaults: The alarm siren keeps screaming and the 
  lighting has taken on a reddish cast while going on 
  and off, the automatic metal doors separating each 
  area have gone crazy opening and closing 
  convulsively. 
  Except for the huge doors leading to the core CRC 
  who have become sealed shut. 
  Each area in this place is connected to all others 
  both by corridors and the same power conducts that 
  connect to the floor level, areas are separated from 
  each other by heavy metal doors. 
  The doors have gone out of control: moving through 
  them requires an Agility Task at difficulty 10 to avoid 
  being crushed by a door (1d6 damage and can not 
  move for one action turn). 
  The Vaults have four exits bringing to the outside, 
  once each was closed by perfectly functional blast-
  shield doors. At the moment the blast shield doors 
  only stop 1d6 damage before collapsing. 
  The exits are also completely hidden by the rubble 
  surrounding the Garden, if looking for them on the 
  outside the PCs must pass a successful Wit 
  [Survivalist] Task at 13. 
   
  1. Energy Core: This room contains the main 
  Cosmic Rays Collector that powers the whole 
  structure. The CRC is damaged by years and years 
  of lack of care, additional damage was inflicted by 
  Maal Baru’s men fight with the Beast. 
  The damaged Collector has completely swathed the 
  room with radiation, anybody entering is exposed to 
  the Curse at Medium intensity (1d6 damage every 
  hour).  
  As the walls and doors of the room are shielded, 
  this has avoided any spilling of the Curse outside of 
  it. 
  Combat in this area can prove tricky as damage to 
  the CRC can worsen its conditions: consider the 
  CRC as having 3 points of AV. 
  If the CRC suffers 10 more damage points all lights, 
  systems and blast doors go instantaneously off, at 
  20 extra damage points the Curse in this area 
  reaches High Level and Low level in all the Vaults 
  regardless of the doors. 
  At 30 or more the CRC explodes for 3d6 
  Unstoppable damage: all the Gardens become an 
  area with a Medium level Curse threat. 
   
  3. Automaton Storage Room: This room was used 
  to store and repair Automatons. Many dead 
  automatons fill the room, it now serves as lair to the 
  Beast. Any time the characters enter this room roll 
  2d6, on 10+ the Beast is in here. 
  Also the Beast comes here to be repaired by the 
  automated system: after each fight in which the 
  Beast takes damage, if the systems at the Garden 
  are still running and this room is free, roll 2d6 and 
  repair that many damage points to the Beast. 
  Spare parts and inactive automatons fill the room. 
   
  2. Technician’s Room: This room contains 
  scientific equipment and tools for the maintenance 
  of the CRC and the garbage disposal machines. Six 
  Curse Cloaks are contained in a locker. This room 
  is connected through an elevator to the Area 4 of 
  the floor level. 
   
  4 and 5 Garbage Disposal: Machines in this room 
  destroy all garbage collected: should any one end 
  up in this room through the garbage disposal chutes 
  he will instantaneously activate the machines. 
  For first things the machine will squash the subject 
  for 6d6 of damage and then burn everything with a 
  Strength 8 Fire in a second action turn. 
  The only hope for characters trapped in the 
  machines is either succeeding an Agility Task at 14 
  to get out of the garbage vats before they are 
  crushed or for someone to stop the machines using 
  the controls at the stone and metal tables near the 
  doors: operating the controls requires a Wit [Weird 
  Science] Task at 10. 
   
  To stop a war 
   
  The two cities will be preparing their respective air 
  fleets for troop transport, this should take about a 
  week. 
  By this time the PCs should have freed the Zoolama 
  or died trying. 
  Nothing will persuade the two city states from 
  stopping hostilities save the princes herself and 
  proof that none of the two cities was involved in her 
  kidnapping (a good proof would be capturing Maal 
  Baru and have her confess). 
  If the war can not be stopped, the two cities will 
  agree on a battlefield and meet there to reprise the 
  
   
  70
  war. At this point Mushnaar’s scouts and spies will 
  signal that the two cities defenses are understaffed. 
  Quaal’s army will first strike Obama, supported by 
  Maal Baru Winged Servants. 
  Should Mushnaar's plot be uncovered (and the 
  Wyrm Cult’s part in it) a new treaty shall be 
  immediately signed by Obama and Yacind forming 
  a joint army to strike at Quaal. 
   
  Hailed as Heroes, or not? 
   
  Should Characters have uncovered Mushnaar’s plot 
  they shall be hailed as heroes, Mushnaar and Maal 
  Baru (if captured) will be put on trial and receive a 
  prison for life sentence, or even a death sentence if 
  their crimes are reputed bad enough. 
  However, given Maal’s ample psionic powers, the 
  GM may decide to have her flee to safety (taking 
  with her the disgraced Umzoolam of Quaal) unless 
  a convenient psivore is employed, and come back 
  to pester the PCs in future adventures.  
  Obviously both city states will hail the PCs as 
  heroes. 
  But, what if they fail? 
  An unknown grave –or no grave at all- is probably 
  the worst fate that can befell the PCs –short of 
  being sacrificed to the Horrors. 
  If Maal and Mushnaar’s plan is successful they may 
  meet their doom on the battlefield or become slaves 
  under the new Umzoolam of Quaal, Yacind and 
  Obama. 
  Mushnaar’s rule shall be very short however: in a 
  couple of years at most Maal Baru will have 
  complete psionic control of the Umzoolam and be 
  the real ruler of this part of the continent 
  establishing a power base for the Wyrm Cult. 
  Obviously the PCs may have chosen to flee and 
  become outcasts, either hiding from their failures or 
  ready to organize the liberation of the three cities.  
   
  Important NPCs 
   
  Umzoolam Benda Rachmin Ayed of Obama  
  Aging Benda is something of a despot, although in 
  good faith. He forced his son in an unwanted 
  marriage out of political necessities. 
   
  Umzoolama Mallot Yaella Banhid of Obama  
  Old Mallot is the weak-willed consort to Benda, she 
  pampered their child. Mallot is the typical “yes 
  person” 
   
  Zoolam Gavur Benda Mallot of Obama  
  Zoolam Gavur is a very simple man with a childish 
  pride for his physical exploits.  
  Many Conservatives are part of his court, hoping to 
  spur the prince in reopening hostilities. Gavur 
  obeyed his father only due to its childish need to be 
  approved by him. 
   
  Zoolama Sabella Ganaa Bellush of Yacind  
  Body 2     Agility 4   Wit 3   Presence 6 Psi-Index1 
  LP 12   Size M   Speed 3  I.V. 7  
  Attack: dagger (1d6+2)  
  AV: none  
  Skills: Entertainer Basic, Lore Basic, Pilot Basic 
   
  The beautiful daughter of Umzoolam Bellush, 
  Sabella is a determined young woman whose love 
  for music and daring piloting is well known. 
  However strong-willed (and having no love for her 
  groom to be) she agreed to her parent’s plans for 
  the sake of her people and a lasting peace. 
   
  Zoolam Vriil Bellush Ganaa of Yacind  
  Sabella’s little brother is a slight young man with no 
  interest in politics and warfare. He has a 
  characteristically intellectual disdain for physical 
  activities. Vriil intends to become minister of 
  Science once his sister becomes Umzoolama of 
  Yacind and Obama.  Vriil and Gavur cordially detest 
  each other. Vriil is accompanied everywhere by Liirv 
  his familiar and has enhanced eyesight. 
   
  Umzoolam Bellush Vadnar Tasham of Yacind  
  A wise ruler, he broken heartedly agreed to his 
  daughter marriage. An old, grizzled war veteran still 
  carrying many wounds. 
   
  Umzoolama Ganaa Nazne Darnad of Yacind  
  Bellush’s wife and co-ruler, sponsor of many of 
  Yacind’s artists. Hides an acute mind behind a vain 
  attitude 
   
  Umzoolam Mushnaar Abel Majid of Quaal 
  The misguided ruler of Quaal is a sleazy fellow 
  searching to put Yacind and Obama against each 
  other. 
   
  Bulak Ash Okk, surviving Saphron Butterfly 
  Assassin 
  Body 4     Agility 5   Wit 5   Presence 2 Psi-Index0 
  LP 24   Size M   Speed 3  I.V. 10 
  Attack: Sword (2d6+1), Hedgehog (1d6/2 range 
  5/10/20), dagger (1D6+2) 
  AV: Partial light armor (3/0)  
  Skills: Armsman Basic, Marksman Basic, Survivalist 
  Basic, Subterfuge Basic.  
   
  Hired at Nameless by a third party posing as an 
  Obama Conservative, the assassin was hidden in 
  the retinue of the ambassador of Kha. 
  He sports multicolored tattoos shaped like butterfly 
  
   
  71
  wings and wears a silver mask with multi-faceted 
  eyes. Bulak is more interested in survival then 
  revenge. 
   
  Maal Baru, hybrid prophetess 
  Body 2     Agility 4   Wit 4   Presence 5 Psi-Index7 
  LP 12   Size M   Speed 3  I.V. 8 PP 21 
  Epic points 10 Fame 2 
  Attack: dagger (1d6+2) or fangs (1d6 + Str 4 poison 
  dealing 1d6 extra damage)  
  AV: hardened skin (2)  
  Skills: 
  Master 
  Psionicist 
  (Astral 
  Basic, 
  Teleperceptions 
  Basic, 
  Apportation 
  Basic, 
  Metapsionics Advanced). 
  Grafts: Hardened skin, darksight, poisonous gland 
  and fangs. 
  Special Advantage: Dark Lore 
   
  Evil and corrupted to the extreme Maal Baru was 
  born a servant to the Firstborn, inside the hidden 
  city of Taliskant, below the Day Pole desert. 
  She gained some repute as a prophetess among 
  the Twilight zone kingdoms finally reaching a 
  position of power under the Umzoolam of Quaal. 
  Maal Baru owns a psi-crystal of level 1, a remote 
  control capable of opening all the blast shield doors 
  in the Garden of Forgotten Beauties and a 
  hypersonic whistle used to keep the vampire bats in 
  Ulamat’s ziggurat away. 
   
  Hybrid Wyrm cultists 
  Body 4     Agility 3   Wit 2   Presence 2 Psi-Index0 
  LP 24   Size M   Speed 3  I.V. 5  
  Attack: Spear (2d6-1, range: 10/20/40), dagger 
  (1d6+2)  
  Some have arquebuses (2d6+2 Unstoppable, range 
  40/80/120) 
  AV: hardened skin and Partial Light armor (5/2)  
  Skills: Armsman Basic, Survivalist Basic. 
  Grafts: Hardened skin, and various cosmetic 
  changes. 
   
  Either degenerate humans born in Taliskant or 
  crazed outcasts. 
   
  Bakar 
  Madouk 
  Agnos, 
  once 
  gladiatorial 
  champion 
  Body 5     Agility 2   Wit 4   Presence 3 Psi-Index0 
  LP 30   Size M   Speed 4  I.V. 6  
  Attack: Sword (2d6+1), dagger (1d6+2)  
  AV: hardened skin and Light armour (5), shield.  
  Skills: 
  Armsman 
  Advanced, 
  Martial 
  Arts 
  Basic(Counter Strike). 
  Grafts: Hardened skin, Grafted eyes. 
   
  A traitor at heart and once a star of the fighting pits 
  in Taliskant. 
   
   
  Hybrid Wyrm priests, cult leaders  
  Body 4     Agility 3   Wit 2   Presence 2 Psi-Index4 
  LP 24   Size M   Speed 3  I.V. 5 PP 12 
  Epic points 5 Fame 0 
  Attack: ritual dagger (1d6+2)  
  AV: hardened skin (2)  
  Skills: Armsman Basic, Psionicist Basic (chosen 
  between 
  Telepathy 
  Basic, 
  Astral 
  Basic 
  and 
  Teleperceptions Basic). 
  Grafts: Hardened skin, grafted eyes and various 
  cosmetic changes. 
   
  Sacred servants of the Deep Space Horrors trained 
  in Psionics. The Wyrm priests have hypersonic 
  whistles similar to Maal Baru’s. 
   
  The Beast of Xalaxatl, crazed Automaton 
  Body 11   Agility 2   Wit 2   Presence - Psi-Index- 
  LP 66   Size L   Speed 9  I.V. 4  
  Attack: Ceramic swordblades (2d6+1-Piercing) or 
  fists (1D6), Stun gas weapon (Strength 5, 5 m. 
  radius, range: 5/10/20, area effect) 
  AV: hardened skin (8)  
  Skills: Armsman Advanced. 
   
  The only survivor of the apocalypse in the town of 
  Xalaxatl, the “Beast” still follows random parts of its 
  program.  
  The Beast has Darksight, 10 km radar, Hardened 
  Armour, 6 points damage reduction against the 
  Curse, and implanted ceramic blades. 
  In one of its arms is implanted a stun gas weapon 
  emitting clouds inflicting a state of mental confusion 
  (-2 to all Task rolls for the next 1D6 hours) 
  
   
  72
   
  Map of Xalaxatl 
   
  
   
  73
  garden of forgotten beauties, ground floor 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  74
  garden of forgotten beauties, vaults 
   
   
   
  
  Current LP
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  UNDER THE MOONS OF ZOON
  Player character sheet
  SKILLS:
  Administrator 
  Armsman 
  Craftsman 
  Entertainer
  Healer 
  Linguist 
  Lore 
  Martial artist 
  Marksman
  Pilot 
  Psionicist
  Sailor 
  Subterfuge
  Survivalist 
  Weird Science
  BODY
  PRESENCE
  AGILITY
  WIT
  PSI-INDEX
  NAME                                                                     RACE
  SPECIAL ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES
  INITIATIVE
  PSIONIC POINTS
  LIFE POINTS
  SIZE
  SPEED
  EPIC POINTS
  FAME
  EQUIPMENT& ITEMS OF WONDER:
  ARMOUR 
  AV 
  SPEED/AGI MOD
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  WEAPON 
  DMG RANGES 
  NOTES
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  PSIONIC DISCIPLINES/WEIRD SCIENCE SECRETS:
  Rank
  (Basic: +1 - Advanced: +2 - Master: +4)
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o   Master o
  Popularity tally o o o o o o
  KNOWN LANGUAGES
  
  Current LP
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  UNDER THE MOONS OF ZOON . Non-Player character sheet
  BODY
  PRESENCE
  AGILITY
  WIT
  PSI-INDEX
  NAME                                                                              RACE
  SPECIAL ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES/EQUIPMENT
  INITIATIVE
  PSIONIC POINTS
  LIFE POINTS
  SIZE
  SPEED
  EPIC POINTS
  FAME
  SKILLS
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  ..........................
  ARMOUR 
  AV 
  SPEED/AGI MOD
   
   
   
   
   
   
  WEAPON 
  DMG 
  RANGES 
  NOTES
  Rank
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Current LP
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  UNDER THE MOONS OF ZOON . Non-Player character sheet
  BODY
  PRESENCE
  AGILITY
  WIT
  PSI-INDEX
  NAME                                                                              RACE
  SPECIAL ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES/EQUIPMENT
  INITIATIVE
  PSIONIC POINTS
  LIFE POINTS
  SIZE
  SPEED
  EPIC POINTS
  FAME
  SKILLS
  ..........................
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  ..........................
  ARMOUR 
  AV 
  SPEED/AGI MOD
   
   
   
   
   
   
  WEAPON 
  DMG 
  RANGES 
  NOTES
  Rank
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  Basic  o    Advanced o    Master o
  
  UNDER THE MOONS OF ZOON . Vehicle Sheet
  BODY
  Acceleration
  Maneuverability
  Speed
  NAME                                                                              Type
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
  SPECIAL DAMAGE
  ARMOR
  LIFE POINTS
  SIZE
  Crew.........................
  Cargo........................
  Passengers................  
  WEAPON 
  DMG 
  RANGES 
  NOTES
  UNDER THE MOONS OF ZOON . Vehicle Sheet
  BODY
  Acceleration
  Maneuverability
  Speed
  NAME                                                                              Type
  SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
  SPECIAL DAMAGE
  ARMOR
  LIFE POINTS
  SIZE
  Crew.........................
  Cargo........................
  Passengers................  
  WEAPON 
  DMG 
  RANGES 
  NOTES
  
   
  
   
  
  Bas Nak Dur's heart leaped in rejoicing 
  for Gavna Uzal Baiella, Zoolama of Vhime, still lived!
  He
  He saw her dragged to the foot of huge obelisk.  He saw the Brute ad-
  dress her.  He could not hear the creature's words, nor Gavna's reply; 
  but it must have angered the huge monster, for Bas Nak Dur saw him 
  leap toward the prisoner, striking her a cruel blow across the face with 
  his metal-banded arm.
  Then the White Knight of Helicon, went mad.  The old, blood-red haze 
  through which he had glared at countless foes, floated before his eyes.
  His muscles, responding quickly to his will, sent him in one leap to face 
  the albino monstrosity that had struck the woman he loved.
  Then he was on the astonished Brute.  
  With drawn long-sword he was on it, and to Gavna of Vhime, whose 
  startled eyes were the first to fall upon him, it seemed that she was 
  looking upon a god of war.
  Twice
  Twice was Bas Nak Dur touched by the giant’s bronze sword, so that the 
  red blood ran down his face, blinding him and dyeing his ceramic-
  armored chest.  
  With his free hand he wiped the gore from his eyes, and with a fighting 
  smile touching his lips, leaped upon his antagonist with renewed fury.
  The long-swords clashed and sparkled in the moonlight, until the 
  ghouls, roused from their slumbers, crept to the lowering windows of 
  the dead city to view the bloody scene beneath them.
  So swift his sword, so mighty and agile his muscles, that the opponent 
  was down, crimsoning the ochre moss with his life-blood.
  "Where are we?" he asked.  "I do not know."
  "Those
  "Those who stole me from Vhime spoke among themselves of Baanith” 
  replied the girl ”so that I thought it possible that the ancient city to 
  which they took me was that famous ruin...
  Under the moons of Zoon
  A Sword&Planet Role-playing Game
  by
  Luigi Castellani
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Under the Moons of Zoon/Under the Moons of Zoon Corebook.pdf