TEXT: VOLUME 1
  DEATH TRAPS
  
  2
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  Build-A-Base Bomb
  by Caleb Stokes
  Build-A-Base technology was rare even in the days be-
  fore Ragnarök. In the salvage industry of base raiding, 
  unused kits fetch exorbitant prices in the black market. 
  Most units have been recovered already, and equally 
  high percentages are used shortly after resale.
  However, Build-A-Bases had to be produced, and 
  the Ideal guarded the secret locations of their manu-
  facture closer than any other secret. Furthermore, these 
  “black factories” were just one stop along a distribu-
  tion chain. The combination of organic, supernatural, 
  and exotic energies that Build-A-Base units could be 
  customized to consume meant that a variety of exper-
  tise was required. While a super-scientist might be 
  responsible for the design software and nanobot pro-
  gramming, the result would then have to be shipped to 
  an ancient mystic for the alchemical and thaumaturgic 
  rituals necessary to install the unit’s power source.
  There are a number of bases still out there that, re-
  gardless of their former owners power set and focus, 
  contain surplus Build-A-Base units by merit of being 
  part of the supply chain. It stands to reason that not all 
  of these units would have been shipped at the time of 
  Ragnarök. Some villains like Omega also reverse-en-
  gineered the Build-A-Base and sold it to other villains. 
  Similarly, it’s hard to believe that everyone involved in 
  this secretive endeavor resisted the urge to skim a few 
  Build-A-Bases off the top.
  Many of these embezzled units were no doubt used 
  to create secondary facilities, but not everyone in the 
  Ideal was a billionaire philanthropist. As easy as Build-
  A-Base makes construction, it still required land, sup-
  plies, and time: a set of arrangements that could easily 
  fall through. A few former heroes and villains found 
  themselves holding highly-illegal Build-A-Base kits they 
  couldn’t safely use or offload. 
  Every base raiders dream is to find such a secret 
  stash and sell it off for a fortune. However, an unlucky 
  few will find the old guard wasn’t content to let their 
  Build-A-Bases gather dust in a closet; they instead re-
  purposed the technology into the final solution in base 
  security.
  USAGE
  Why defend a base from intruders when you can just 
  build an exact replica of everything contained within 
  it? The enormous power of Build-A-Base technology 
  begs this question. So long as the intent wasn’t to re-
  main stealthy (And why would it be? Don’t you want 
  alarms going off if someone breaks into your house?), 
  each unit could create – or recreate – a massive facil-
  ity in less than an hour. The old base itself serves as 
  perfectly compatible feedstock for the nanofabricators, 
  alchemical converters, and construction bots. If a few 
  dumbass burglars get molecularly disassembled in the 
  process, isn’t that their fault? Besides, finding evidence 
  of their murder would require sourcing individual at-
  oms of carbon now built into the walls.
  Standard Build-A-Bases were programmed with mul-
  tiple fail-safes that prevented them from being turned 
  into particularly cruel bombs. Efficiency programs can-
  celed redundant construction plans, such as disassem-
  bling and reassembling an identical room in the exact 
  same location. Furthermore, limited AI programs per-
  formed thorough scans for lifeforms to ensure a Build-
  A-Base was never triggered inside occupied facilities.
  Of course, for those who designed the units for a 
  living, subverting these safety measures was a simple 
  as a few lines of code.
  A Build-A-Base Bomb is primed to fire and ready to 
  go off as soon whatever hacked sensory inputs it’s con-
  nected to detects intruders. Upon activation, the Build-
  A-Base operates normally, gathering feedstock for its 
  fabricators from the surrounding area. With safeties 
  removed, this means the unit explodes into a ravenous 
  tide of nanoswarms, transformative magical energies, 
  and dangerous construction robots. Even being close 
  to the waste heat let off by this massive reaction is 
  enough to be fatal. Those caught in the wave of rap-
  id molecular disassembly and recombination have no 
  hope of survival.
  By the time the construction was finished, any in-
  truders would have either fled or been erased. If the 
  base was remote enough, the break-in might not even 
  be detectable unless the owner checked the Build-A-
  Base power levels…or noticed an uncharacteristically 
  fleshy feel to the walls.
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
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  VULNERABILITIES
  A Build-A-Base Bomb is an extreme measure. Sane 
  base owners would want to make sure there was no 
  way the device could trigger accidentally while they 
  were inside, so most of these traps have an exhaus-
  tive set of conditions that must be met before they 
  “explode.” The sophisticated programming required 
  to jailbreak a Build-A-Based unit means most owners 
  would have no trouble installing a limited AI capable 
  of identifying false alarms.
  Those incapable of sophisticated hacking – such 
  as the magical adepts along the distribution chain – 
  made sure that their spare units were only rigged to 
  activate if an innermost sanctum was violated. These 
  failsafe bombs usually served as the last line of defense 
  in an extensive security network, set to go off in order 
  to protect some one-of-a-kind item that must be prevent-
  ed from falling into the wrong hands.
  The first task for a base raider is identifying which 
  type of trap is present. If the bomb is only set to go off 
  under the most stringent security violations, the trick is 
  to maintain plausible deniability during the raid. Most 
  Ideal members would be careful to avoid disintegrat-
  ing hapless groups of spelunking teens and other inno-
  cent bystanders; keep the intrusion within the realm of 
  possible false alarms, disarm the bomb, and get rich 
  selling the unit.
  In the case of hair-trigger Build-A-Bases set to go off 
  the second some secluded inner sanctum is breeched…
  well…better know which door that is before you open 
  it.
  If a Build-A-Base Bomb does go off, death isn’t en-
  tirely assured. While certainly faster than the average 
  human, the event horizon of a base reassembly isn’t 
  nearly as fast as the shockwave of an explosion. In 
  fact, numerous telekinetic or weather based powers 
  can hold off nanoswarms, magical protections can 
  stop alchemical transmutation waves, and any number 
  of offensive abilities can disable construction robots. 
  If all these abilities are present and in cooperation, a 
  Build-A-Base Bomb could feasibly be disarmed mid-re-
  action. However, the coordination of such a feat would 
  have to be flawless and nearly instantaneous. The true 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
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  danger of the bomb is the waste heat of trillions of 
  molecular bonds breaking every second. The forefront 
  of a speedy Build-A-Base reaction is a radioactive fur-
  nace infused with the transmutational magical feed-
  back from a total violation of physics. It’s possible for 
  those with super-speed, teleportation, or exceptional 
  physical endurance to survive these conditions for a 
  short period, but evacuation must be as swift as pos-
  sible.
  The greatest vulnerability of a Build-A-Base Bomb 
  is its single use. A Build-A-Base machine cannot repro-
  duce itself. It cannibalizes itself to remake the base 
  and cannot rebuild itself. If some other hapless base 
  raider happens to set one off, the seismic tremors and 
  heat signature -- in addition to murdering the intruder 
  – is likely to alert the Underground to the presence 
  of heretofore secret facilities. From there, with power 
  cells and feedstock depleted, a follow-up team of base 
  raiders are left to loot a pristine, brand-new base. If the 
  previous raiders were taking trips, stashing their loot 
  at a secondary location, followers might even be able 
  to loot the base twice: stealing all the pre-Ragnarok 
  valuables and their recently constructed duplicates. In 
  fact, a truly savvy team might clean a base out through 
  stealthy infiltration, then remotely trigger the Build-A-
  Base Bomb in order to get a second printing of the 
  goods.
  GAME STATS
  Detecting a Build-A-Base Bomb: Fortunately, an 
  active and primed Build-A-Base machine is not very 
  subtle. Characters with high tech sensors, such as ther-
  mal vision, can easily detect the general presence of 
  the machine well before they can trigger it. In gener-
  al, it requires a +3 Alertness/Notice skill check if the 
  character has an appropriate sensor. This check can 
  be done once a character is near the base, but outside 
  of its triggering range. 
  Of course, knowing the machine is active does not 
  mean the character knows what it is. Identifying the 
  machine as a Build-A-Base Bomb requires a +2 Su-
  perhuman Technology/Information skill check. Failure 
  indicates the character has no idea what it is. 
  Magical or psychic powers that warn of impending 
  dangers automatically succeed, informing the charac-
  ter that an overwhelming danger is nearby. Identify-
  ing the nature of the threat requires a +4 Superhuman 
  Arcana/Information skill check to decipher the vague 
  mystical warning. 
  It is impossible to identify a Build-A-Base Bomb with 
  normal human senses. 
  Avoid Triggering the Bomb: Once a character 
  knows of the Build-A-Base Bomb, they can try to avoid 
  its sensors to keep it from triggering. The Bombs are 
  area denial traps. Stay out of its guarded area and 
  it will remain safe. Characters can identify what the 
  guarded area is by examining the base. This general-
  ly requires high tech gadgets and a +2 Superhuman 
  Technology/Information skill check, as well as unre-
  stricted access to the base — it cannot be done while 
  other traps or guardians are around. Magical powers 
  can also work, up to the GM’s discretion. 
  If the character wants to enter the restricted area 
  protected by the Build-A-Base Bomb, they must trick or 
  disable its sensors. Typically disabling the sensors re-
  quires the appropriate tools, access to a control panel 
  within the base and a +4 Ascendant Technology/Dis-
  mantle trapping skill check. Often, it will also require 
  the character to access another section base guarded 
  by other defenses such as sentry turrets or deathbot 
  guardians. A failed skill roll will activate the bomb. 
  Tricking the sensors requires a +2 Ascendant stealth 
  check every round in order to avoid detection. Failure 
  of a single stealth check activates the bomb. This is 
  some of the most advanced technology ever built by 
  the Ideal, so disabling or tricking it is difficult. 
  Most base owners had certain shortcuts to disable 
  their bombs. Generally, this is as difficult as bypassing 
  a Shrink Ray trap, as described on page 13. 
  Effect of the Bomb: Characters in the area of effect 
  of the Build-A-Base Bomb when it is activated have be-
  tween 1 and 3 rounds to escape, depending on how 
  close they are to the exit and the size of the base itself. 
  During this time, the GM can determine how difficult 
  it is to escape and what kind of skill checks are need-
  ed. Usually, a +4 Athletics skill check is enough to run 
  away before it activates. This assumes the characters 
  know the Bomb has been activated. Characters who 
  have not identified the trap will not know to run. 
  Once the machine activates, each character in its 
  area of effect suffers a +4 Godlike Strike with Weapon 
  
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  4 every round they are inside. Armor does apply for 
  the first round of exposure to the machine. After that, 
  the armor no longer applies because the Build-A-Base 
  Bomb has already sufficiently damaged the armor to 
  utterly compromise it. The Dodge trapping cannot be 
  used to defend this attack because it is an area attack. 
  Parry can be used if it has an Unusual extra that could 
  work, left to the GM’s discretion. Resist damage can 
  be used normally to defend against this attack. 
  All consequences taken as a result of the Bomb must 
  be based on the partial disintegration of the charac-
  ter’s body. The GM may rule that consequences may 
  take longer than normal to heal or cannot be healed 
  without magic or advanced technology. 
  A character taken out of action by the Bomb has 
  been utterly consumed by it. 
  Holding off the Bomb: Characters unable to es-
  cape the wave of destruction may pool their abilities to 
  hold it off. Every character with an applicable power, 
  such as one with Variable, or Shoot + Zone , can roll 
  against a +0 mundane target.  Add up all of their rolls 
  together. If it is equal or greater than 12, then the team 
  has held off the wave for that round. If the total is less 
  than 12, then the wave has broken through and all of 
  the characters suffer damage normally. 
  The GM has discretion whether a particular power 
  can be used. The GM may apply penalties or limita-
  tions against certain powers. A super strong character 
  could throw heavy debris to block the wave, but only 
  as long as debris is available to throw, for example. 
  Escaping the Bomb: In order to escape, characters 
  must make a +2 Superhuman Athletics/Move trapping 
  skill check to outrun it. It generally takes at least one 
  round to escape, but some base owners have built sec-
  ondary traps that trigger when the Bomb is activated. 
  For example, walls may close, blocking off exits. These 
  barriers can further complicate escape efforts. 
  Gritty Gas
  by Caleb Stokes
  The Vyvtetra of Dragma II invented bioengineering 
  technology centuries before spaceflight and telecom-
  munication. The Vyvtetra evolved into a Type-2 civili-
  zation using only sophisticated animal domestication, 
  selective breeding, and agriculture. By the time they 
  slipped the bonds of their home planet, a biocentric 
  conception of the noble Vyvtetrain “life architects” 
  led them to enslave and harvest every species they 
  encountered. Other sentient beings were seen as no 
  more than alien technologies in need reverse engineer-
  ing. Those lucky enough not be vivisected could look 
  forward to being reduced to livestock.
  Dragma II and its surrounding moons slipped fur-
  ther and further into decadence as the Vyvtetra brought 
  more and more alien species under control. The aver-
  age Vyvtetra had little to do as an entire ecosystem of 
  subservience (checked by various races of predatory 
  “managers”) served its every need. Though Vyvtetrains 
  thought it taboo to manipulate their own DNA, these 
  bored elites had little to do but tinker with the genetic 
  blueprints of the hundreds of species they’d come to 
  dominate.
  “Architectural 
  Symposiums” 
  became 
  common 
  events on Dragma II: events where various genetic 
  prototypes would compete in tests of bioengineered 
  fitness. But while these gatherings originally tested ev-
  erything from crop yield to musical ability, they grew 
  steadily more sensationalist until the only category that 
  mattered was “survival of the fittest.” What started as 
  ethically reprehensible experimentation quickly de-
  scended into little more than gladiatorial combat. 
  The Vyvtetra would spend every spare moment in-
  cubating monsters or watching them fight in the arenas 
  dotting the planet. An evolutionary arms race kicked 
  off. Soon, exhibitions would feature creatures with 
  carapaces hard as diamond, healing capabilities that 
  could metabolize atmosphere, and engineered mind 
  states of tactical genius.
  In short, the fights got really, really boring.
  Watching exhausted-yet-perfect killing machines ex-
  change blows for weeks on end didn’t satisfy what had 
  become the all-consuming Vyvtetrain bloodlust, but, as 
  always, they found a way to life-architect their way 
  past it. The Symposium developed a plague of smart 
  bacteria that could be released in a cloud of gas. This 
  cloud – known to humans as “Gritty” – would quick-
  ly assess and strategically undermine combatants that 
  inhaled it. Gritty essentially handicapped all combat-
  ants. While evolutionary traits still function, all physical 
  and emotional damage inflicted was exacerbated by 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  the gas, speeding the bouts toward the deadly conclu-
  sion every Vyvtetra craved.
  After an ill-advised Vyvtetrain raiding party abduct-
  ed a number of humans in 1986, Dragma II came to 
  the attention of the Ideal. Though typically cultural rel-
  ativists of the highest order, Earth’s heroes could find 
  nothing worth saving in the Vyvtetra civilization. One 
  look at the organ farms and breeding pits unified the 
  group in a decision to launch the short-lived and little 
  publicized Dragma Campaign of ’87.
  Though it would seem the life architects would be 
  capable of an adequate defense, the Vyvtetra had 
  no telepathic ability whatsoever. Their neurosurgery 
  and artificial drug glands proved no match against 
  the strange, supernatural manipulation of Ideal mys-
  tics and telepaths. The Vyvtetra soon found themselves 
  fighting not only powerhouses like the Avalon, but the 
  entire ecosystem of enslaved organisms upon which 
  they’d come to depend. Despite best attempts to slow 
  the assault as victory seemed imminent, the rage of the 
  freed slave races saw the Vyvtetra totally wiped out in 
  a genocidal rage that swept the whole planet. 
  The Ideal confiscated and sealed away the bioen-
  gineering techniques of the Vyvtetra (though it was ru-
  mored Pangloss made away with some of their most 
  disturbing research). In greatest abundance was the 
  “Gritty Gas” used in the symposium games. This re-
  markable proto-organic compound seemed completely 
  compatible with any organic matter it touched, pro-
  ducing similar effects across all species. Furthermore, 
  its damage-enhancing properties were temporary, 
  noncontagious, and largely harmless in non-hostile sit-
  uations. As such, Gritty Gas was the only spoil of war 
  released for study by the Ideal at large. Canisters of 
  the substance were distributed widely for examination 
  and repurposing into base security systems. 
  USAGE
  Gritty Gas is used as a force multiplier in concur-
  rence with technological or magical countermea-
  sures. When intruders are detected, canisters of the 
  gas are deployed to boost the effectiveness of more 
  mundane methods – such as sentry turrets or attack 
  golems—that might otherwise prove inadequate to 
  stop the super-powered. Gritty increases all physical 
  and mental trauma experienced while under its effects. 
  Flesh wounds become wall-splattering, arterial gashes. 
  Stress and surprise lead to intense fits of rage, hysteria, 
  and depression. The gas got its human name from the 
  propensity to turn even the most minor encounters into 
  gore-strewn disasters of noir-ish nihilism and horror.
  
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  The smart bacteria contained within the fog-like 
  aerosol spray can be inhaled or absorbed through 
  the skin. Effects are almost instantaneous. Surface ten-
  sion of skin decreases as blood pressure and heart 
  rate spike. Bone density decreases, the smart bacteria 
  stealing and storing precise amounts of protein until 
  the gas dissipates. In some more exotic biologies, per-
  spiration glands have been altered to produce actual 
  petrochemicals, making the victim literally flammable.
  While these physical changes occur, Gritty is also 
  flooding the afflicted with unprecedented amounts 
  of stress hormones. Violence not only becomes more 
  deadly, but more common. Perceived slights quickly 
  lead to dangerous blood oaths. Psychological discom-
  fort of any kind becomes trauma so severe it provokes 
  what could only be described by the unaffected as 
  melodrama. Unaware base raiders under the effect 
  of gritty might not be attacked by other base security 
  measures on the fritz, but they’ll soon start acting like 
  they’re in an immature, poorly-written comic book be-
  fore blowing each other to pieces.
  VULNERABILITIES
  Gritty Gas manifests as a fog that is easily visible. 
  However, the versatility of the smart bacteria means 
  even minor absorption through the skin can manifest 
  symptoms.
  The first key to beating Gritty Gas is identifying it. 
  While not widely known, some research into medical 
  applications on using the gas to perform surgery on 
  the invulnerable did enter Gritty into the public record. 
  Once raiders know that is happening to their bodies, it 
  becomes a matter of defeating any secondary counter-
  measures before they can attack. If nothing attacks, 
  in-the-know base raiders have a better chance to resist 
  the sudden urge to lash out at teammates and mono-
  logue about “dead-end raider life in the bleak, rain-
  slicked alleyways of the Underground.”
  Those that escape the area of effect can expect to 
  return to normal in a few minutes. The Vyvtetra pro-
  grammed self-destruction into the smart bacteria short-
  ly after the last exposure, figuring it meant the creature 
  had one of its fights and could return to its enclosure.
  Gritty Gas only works on organics, and it can be 
  filtered out by technological and magical means. Like 
  any other aerosol attack, disconnecting the container 
  of Gritty Gas or the sensors which trigger release can 
  prevent problems altogether.
  GAME STATS
  Determining who is affected: All organic char-
  acters not in environmentally sealed armor are vulner-
  able to Gritty Gas. Even characters normally immune 
  to poison can be affected by the gas. Only robots, 
  golems, and completely inhuman beings are usually 
  unaffected by the gas. It is up to the GM to determine 
  who is vulnerable to the gas and who is not. 
  A character exposed to the gas and is vulnerable 
  to it is automatically affected by it. Affected characters 
  cannot resist the initial effects of the gas. 
  Initial Exposure: Characters immediately gain Mi-
  nor Weakness [Health]: (All) and Minor Weakness 
  [Mental]: (All). This means that all attacks against the 
  character’s Health and Composure are treated as one 
  tier higher than normal. A Mundane punch is now Ex-
  traordinary tier, for example. 
  Characters also gain a new Aspect: Gritty Gas Ex-
  posure. This aspect is immediately compelled to force 
  the character to either commit an act of violence or 
  monologue about their dark and conflicted past. A 
  character can spend a Fate point to resist the tempta-
  tion and act normally for one round. Characters that 
  give in gain one Fate point.
  On the second round, the character gains anoth-
  er new Aspect: High Pressure Blood. Whenever the 
  character takes a health consequence or at least 1 
  point of Health stress, the aspect is compelled to cause 
  blood to spray out of the character like a fire hose. 
  The character takes an additional 1 point of health 
  stress. Characters that suffer no stress  from a physical 
  attack may be compelled to suffer 1 health stress from 
  over-dramatic bleeding from an insignificant wound. In 
  this case, the attack causes exactly 1 physical stress. 
  This means characters with a high power tier defense 
  can still be worn down.
  Every round after that, the character is compelled 
  by Gritty Gas Exposure to act out violently or melodra-
  matically. Self-destructive acts, like punching walls or 
  mirrors, just to feel something, are encouraged. Mono-
  logues, rants, and sob stories are also encouraged. Re-
  member that characters earn Fate points through these 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  compels, so, at most, a character must fulfill the Gritty 
  Gas exposure half of the time. Gritty Gas Exposure 
  must be compelled every round.
  If the character survives one scene while being ex-
  posed to the gas, their weakness is upgraded to major. 
  This means that all health and mental attacks against 
  them are treated as two tiers higher than normal. A 
  Mundane punch becomes Superhuman, for example. 
  Both aspects (Gritty Gas Exposure and High Pres-
  sure Blood) last as long as the character is affected by 
  the gas. 
  Detecting a Gritty Gas dispersal system: A typ-
  ical dispersal system is built into the walls of an Ideal 
  base and not detectable by normal sight. A character 
  with superhuman senses, such as X-ray vision, or abili-
  ties that forewarn of danger, like a psychic sixth sense 
  or precognition, can make a +3 Extraordinary skill 
  check to detect the trap before it is activated. 
  Characters with advanced knowledge of technolo-
  gy can also identify the traps by studying the base, but 
  only if they actively search for traps. The difficulty is 
  also +3 Extraordinary.
   
  Triggering the Gritty Gas Disperser: The trap 
  activates whenever another specific defense system or 
  guardian linked to the gas dispersal system is activated 
  in the base. If the linked trap is not activated, neither 
  will the gas. If the linked trap is disabled or tricked, 
  so will the gas dispersal system. It is not possible to 
  disable the gas dispersal system without disabling its 
  linked trap. 
  The affected area is filled with gas in 1 round. The 
  gas is visible to the naked eye, so no roll is necessary 
  to see it. Identifying the effects of the gas requires a 
  skill check though. Characters who leave an affected 
  area in that round are not affected by it. The gas will 
  expand to fill the entire base, so the character must flee 
  the structure or seal off an exit to escape the gas. 
  Identifying Gritty Gas: Once the gas is out, a 
  character with science or an appropriate skill with the 
  Information trapping may attempt to identify the gas 
  before it affects them. This requires a +2 Superhuman 
  skill check to succeed. If the character is aware of the 
  effects of the gas before they are affected by it, they 
  gain a temporary aspect: Meta-Gas Knowledge. This 
  can be used once, for free, for a +2 bonus on any 
  Willpower/Resolve check to mitigate its effect. 
  Fighting off the Effects of Gritty Gas: There are 
  several ways to negate the effects of Gritty Gas. The 
  first is to simply leave the area filled with the gas. The 
  effects naturally end a few minutes after exposure. 
  This is not always possible in a base though. The gas 
  will not dissipate naturally in a closed environment. 
  Once activated, it will linger indefinitely until the area 
  is cleared somehow, possibly by activating ventilation 
  systems or using magic to dissipate the gas.  Charac-
  ters with powerful magic, gadgets, or reality altering 
  powers (in game terms, Variable or Treatment [Health] 
  and Treatment [Mental] trappings — both trappings 
  are necessary because the gas affects the character’s 
  mind and body) can negate the effects with a +3 As-
  cendant skill check. Failure means the character can-
  not treat the gas at all. A successful skill check does not 
  make the character immune to future exposure of the 
  gas, only the current one.
  Any character can mitigate the effects of the gas 
  through self-awareness and willpower. After the char-
  acter has been compelled to act out through the Grit-
  ty Gas Exposure aspect, they can make a Resolve/
  Willpower check at +3 Extraordinary difficulty — if 
  they know they are being exposed to Gritty Gas, they 
  have a +2 bonus to this check. If successful, the char-
  acter realizes they are under the influence of a power-
  ful mind-altering gas. Once the character realizes this, 
  they can try to fight it.
  Characters must spend 1 Fate point to fight the men-
  tal effects of Gritty Gas. This is normally a +3 Godlike 
  Resolve/Willpower skill check. However, every time 
  the character is compelled by Gritty Gas Exposure, the 
  tier of the skill check goes down by one tier until it is 
  Mundane. Once a character succeeds at the Resolve/
  Willpower skill check, then they remove the Gritty Gas 
  Exposure Aspect and Weakness [Mental] (All). High 
  Pressure Blood cannot be removed in this way. 
  Sentry Turrets
  by Ross Payton
  A robotic cannon set to defend a given point, sentry 
  turrets are the backbone of Build-A-Base defensive 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  technology. Every Build-A-Base machine contained 
  sentry turret schematics and the design software often 
  recommended heroes place multiple turrets throughout 
  their lairs to protect against attackers and infiltrators. 
  They are the most commonly deployed trap in bases, 
  as villains quickly pirated the technology from the Ide-
  al. Hundreds of versions exist, using different weapons 
  in different configurations, but all are built around sev-
  eral common features: 
  • 
  A sentry turret is built into the base itself and can-
  not be removed without dismantling it first. 
  • 
  Sentry turrets are controlled by an AI guidance 
  system or have specific triggers that control when 
  they fire.
  • 
  Sentry turrets are designed not to damage the 
  base. A trap that causes more damage than the 
  attacker is not a useful trap. 
  The standard sentry turret is a fixed minigun built into 
  the ceiling of a base, which can rotate 360 degrees 
  and fire armor piercing bullets at any intruder. An in-
  ternal magazine holds thousands of rounds of ammo. 
  Variations include:
  • 
  Different weapons such as plasma cannons, flame-
  throwers, stun cannons, or harpoons (for underwa-
  ter bases).
  • 
  Mounted on tracks so the turret can pursue intrud-
  ers throughout the entire base. 
  • 
  Secondary weapons such as high frequency sound 
  emitters, strobe lights to disorient attackers, or 
  ECM suites to block radio signals or disable robot-
  ic attackers. 
  • 
  Concealed/retractable versions that could pop out 
  of the walls. 
  USAGE
  Turrets are commonly linked to an AI guidance sys-
  tem that is programmed to attack anyone that violates 
  security protocols in a given area of the base. Most 
  turrets are designed to protect a single section, usually 
  a choke point like the main entrance. The guidance 
  system monitors the sensors of the base and go on alert 
  whenever a visitor is detected. The AI runs a series of 
  tests to ascertain if the visitor is allowed to be there or 
  is an intruder. If the visitor is flagged as an intruder, 
  then the turrets are activated. Turrets typically fire un-
  til the intruder is confirmed as dead or has escaped. 
  Anyone else detected when the turrets are active will 
  automatically be flagged as an intruder, unless they 
  have a security override code or initiate some other 
  special protocol to stand the turrets down. This is the 
  standard protocol used in Build-A-Base structures and 
  
  10
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  an owner can always specify something different.
  Sentry turrets are commonly placed in groups, with 
  interlocking fields of fire, to maximize the damage 
  output. Doors were usually keyed to close whenever 
  the turrets were activated to prevent the intruders from 
  escaping.  Particularly sadistic base owners deployed 
  other traps, such as nerve gas dispensers or pit traps 
  to further maximize lethality.
  Sentry turrets without an AI guidance system are 
  usually area of effect weapons, such as flamethrowers 
  or acid sprayers that trigger whenever a given sensor 
  is triggered. They are typically deployed in low traffic 
  areas, such as storage facilities for hazardous/dan-
  gerous objects. The turret simply opens fire whenever 
  the sensor is triggered. These low tech solutions were 
  either built by owners with low resources or could not 
  deploy advanced technology for certain reasons. For 
  example, if the owner wanted to contain a magical 
  artifact that disrupted high technology, a mechanical 
  turret that sprayed acid whenever someone stepped on 
  a simple pressure plate might be used.
  It should be noted that any area of the base that 
  uses turrets would be reinforced against the turret’s 
  weapon. Canny base raiders might notice subtle dif-
  ferences in the walls that would indicate that a certain 
  type of turret is nearby.  
  A typical Build-A-Base lair will have between 2 and 
  6 turrets per guarded section. They require power to 
  run, so a base builder cannot simply build an infinite 
  amount of them. Most builders thought that turrets had 
  diminishing returns. If an intruder could get by six tur-
  rets, then they could get by any number of turrets that 
  could be squeezed into a single room. 
  VULNERABILITIES
  Deactivating the turrets requires either hacking the 
  base’s AI guidance system or figuring out what the 
  security protocols are and using them. Research is in-
  valuable in either case. Some bases can be remotely 
  hacked, but others can only be done on site. Interview-
  ing former visitors to the base, like ex-henchmen or 
  sidekicks, can be invaluable. Base owners often used 
  very simple protocols like a spoken password or easi-
  ly-spoofed biometric identification system, like an eye 
  scan or DNA check. Of course, testing the protocol 
  usually means getting in range of the turrets, so if the 
  test fails, the turrets will open fire. 
  Sneaky characters can attempt to avoid triggering 
  the sensors in the first place. Build-A-Base turrets typi-
  cally used multiple sensors, including motion, thermal, 
  pressure, and chemical sniffers to detect potential in-
  truders. No normal human can avoid the sensors, no 
  matter how stealthy they are. Magical and other exot-
  ic powers can override technological sensors in some 
  cases. Otherwise, it is a contest of wits between the 
  builder of the base and the base raider to figure out a 
  technological way to counter the sensors. 
  If the turrets are activated, characters can either 
  fight the turrets in normal combat or try to short them 
  out. Some turrets have limited ammunition, so they can 
  be baited into wasting it all. Others have effectively 
  unlimited ammo (especially energy weapons tied into 
  the power system of a base) so they can be overload-
  ed by blinding their sensors or disabling the base’s 
  power grid. This usually requires access to the base’s 
  infrastructure or some kind of gadget. 
  GAME STATS
  Sentry Turret - Good Quality Minion
  Aspects: Ideal Technology, Programmed to Obey Or-
  ders, Motion Sensors
  Scopes: +4 Physical (Extraordinary), +2 Mental
  Gifts: Equipment - Minigun (Weapon 3 [Health),
  Equipment - Armored Structure (Armor 1 [Health])
  Snag [Major]: Stationary
  Salvage: Each destroyed turret is worth 10 loot. An 
  intact but deactivated turret is worth 30 loot. 
  Variations: There are multiple versions of the sentry 
  turret. Feel free to modify them with these changes or 
  make up your own. 
  Cutting Edge Tech: Increase Power Tier to Super-
  human. Loot values double for salvage.
  Flamethrower: Adds Unusual [Fire weapon] and 
  Zone
  Mobile Turret: Remove Snag [Major]: Stationary
  Fortified Turret: Increase Armored Structure to 
  (Armor 3 [Health])
  Concealed: Gains aspect “Hidden Turret” which 
  can be invoked for free for a +2 to its first attack roll 
  unless the character wins a Notice/Alertness skill 
  check against its physical scope. 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
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  Plasma Turret: Gains Unusual [Ignore all armor 
  [health] bonuses from non-magical power sources] 
  and Unusual [Ignores Resist Damage trappings from 
  non-magical power sources]
  Advanced Sensors: Increase mental scope to +4 
  (Superhuman)
  Barriers: A typical barrier or door guarded by a tur-
  ret can be broken with a physical force, strike, or shoot 
  skill that meets or exceeds +4 at the superhuman tier.  
  Deactivating Turrets: Requires access to a control 
  panel somewhere in the base, typically behind the 
  area the turret is guarding. Teleporters, intangible, and 
  similar characters are the best choices to access these 
  control panels. Once the character has access to the 
  control panel, the character must make an appropriate 
  information or dismantle skill test against the turret’s 
  physical scope. Success indicates the turret has been 
  deactivated. Failure indicates the turret cannot safely 
  be deactivated. The character can attempt one more 
  time to cause the turret to self-destruct, against the tur-
  ret’s physical scope. If successful, the turret slags itself 
  and no loot can be salvaged from it, except scrap met-
  al worth 1 loot. If the second attempt is failed, the turret 
  cannot be disabled at all except through combat. 
  Avoiding the sensors of a turret: A normal turret 
  cannot be avoided by a mundane tier stealth check. Its 
  aspect Motion Sensors will be invoked automatically if 
  someone attempts to sneak by it, causing the attempt 
  to fail. Super powers that can bypass motion sensors 
  must be used. If the character’s abilities do not auto-
  matically negate the sensors, they must make an op-
  posed stealth check against the turret’s mental scope 
  at +2 mundane. 
  Skill test to short turret out by wasting its 
  ammo: This is an aspect maneuver and can only be 
  used against turrets with a limited ammo supply (as 
  decided by the GM). The goal is to apply the aspect 
  ‘out of ammo’ to the turret. Characters can use dodge 
  or resist damage to keep forcing the turret to attack, in 
  which case the GM must determine how many attacks 
  it will take to empty out the turret, usually between 6 
  to 12 attacks. Clever characters can trick the sensors 
  of the turret, forcing it to fire at thrown objects. In this 
  case, the character must use a skill with information, 
  dismantle, guile, or a similarly appropriate trapping 
  and make a single opposed skill check against the tur-
  ret’s mental scope. Success indicates the character can 
  apply the out of ammo aspect without putting them-
  selves at risk.
  Shrink Rays
  by Caleb Stokes
  The ability to construct a shrink ray has long been 
  considered the bellwether achievement for any young 
  super scientist’s career. The problems with matter 
  miniaturization are myriad, and solving the complex 
  interaction of biological, quantum mechanical, and 
  energetic obstacles was a strong indicator of hyper-in-
  telligence. In fact, for many years the Ideal ranked its 
  more brainy members with a competitive shrinking 
  contest. The intellectual elite of the world would meet 
  and score each other on shrinking organic matter to 
  the smallest possible size using the minimum amount 
  of components.
  Another reason shrink rays were used for bragging 
  rights amongst uber scientists was their fundamental 
  impracticality. Many members of the Ideal had innate 
  size manipulation capabilities that made mechanical 
  benefits redundant. The devices were equally useless 
  to normal human governments. Any task requiring an 
  incredible shrinking soldier could be performed by an 
  AI-controlled nanobot for a fraction of the cost, and 
  while almost every malfunctioning shrink ray doubles 
  as a death ray, there are easier ways to kill people that 
  don’t require negating the strong nuclear force.
  As a result of these factors, many of the hyper-in-
  telligent population found themselves hording func-
  tional-but-useless shrink ray prototypes, unable to dis-
  mantle the nostalgic inventions that symbolized their 
  entrance into the elite. It quickly became the fashion to 
  integrate these shrinking technologies into the defenses 
  of superhero bases as a non-lethal security measure. 
  However, a lack of maintenance in the wake of 
  Ragnarök means that many of these whimsical theft 
  deterrents have become diabolical death traps.
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  USAGE
   Shrink “ray” is a deceptive term. In order to keep the 
  victim from dying any number of horrific deaths, an ar-
  ray of quantum energy fields must be continually main-
  tained around the target. This means the shrink rays 
  are typically shrink rooms, with every surface conceal-
  ing complex equipment systems and lined with force 
  projectors. Victims can be shrunk by simply walking 
  into the room, or the effect can be triggered by sensors 
  similar to those used in sentry turrets.
  The rationale for shrink rays in base security re-
  volves around the concept of “logistical deterrent.” 
  Let’s say, for instance, an intruder is trying to steal a 
  diamond, located on a pedestal on the other side of 
  a 10 meter square room. If the intruder is suddenly 
  shrunk 2000x smaller than normal, the 10 meter room 
  just became a 400 square kilometer desert. Similar-
  ly, the pedestal becomes an insurmountable monolith, 
  and the diamond an asteroid-sized landscape feature. 
  The base owner gets a notification of shrinkage sent 
  to his or her phone, then retrieves the tiny intruder at 
  leisure.
  In a post-Ragnarök world, the problem for base 
  raiders becomes instantly apparent: no one is coming 
  with a pair of tweezers to pick you up. Base raiders 
  could easily starve to death on the floor of a closet, 
  staring up at a door handle that might as well be a 
  satellite.
  The deadliness of a neglected shrink trap only gets 
  worse when considering two other factors: power con-
  sumption and neglect.
  If any of the secondary systems in the shrink field 
  fail, death ranges from agonizing to instant. Without 
  nanoprojection lasers beaming entoptic images into 
  the eyes, retinas will be unable to collect enough light 
  to form images, rendering the afflicted blind. If the at-
  mospheric miniaturization or microcurrent manipula-
  tors fail, the victims could suffocate with lungs no lon-
  ger large enough to absorb oxygen. If the heat lamps 
  are on the fritz, tiny burglars could quickly freeze to 
  death as their metabolic rates become incapable of 
  supporting their size. If the density recalibration is 
  off, the shrunk might sink through all solid matter as 
  Planck’s Constant reasserts itself, or they might punch 
  through the floor as the full kinetic force of their normal 
  weight is applied to pinprick.
  Most shrink traps won’t trigger unless they have 
  enough current to bring all systems online, but long 
  abandoned power sources might fail soon after they 
  trigger. The longer the shrink field is active, the more 
  likely disaster becomes.
  Even if power sources remain stable and all systems 
  are go, base raiders can still be undone by something 
  as simple as janitorial neglect. When nature reclaims 
  a formerly sterile shrink room, a few vines and blades 
  of grass can become lightless jungle labyrinths, and 
  common vermin like rats and cockroaches become as 
  large as kaiju.
  VULNERABILITIES
   Obviously, a shrink trap is only as good as its sen-
  sors. Disabling the sensory equipment attached to the 
  trigger for the room renders shrink rays useless. How-
  ever, the shrink ray may already be powered up and 
  waiting for unsuspecting base raiders to cross into its 
  invisible field of influence.
  To disable active fields, remember that the only rea-
  son to implement as system a complex and delicate as 
  a shrink ray is a dedication to nonlethal countermea-
  sures, due either to ethics or a desire to interrogate in-
  truders. This means most shrink traps are programmed 
  not to fire unless full implementation of the life-saving 
  secondary systems can be arranged. Lowering the 
  power output of the base beneath this threshold usu-
  ally means safety measures turn the whole the trap off.
  Similarly, immaterial beings have neither atoms to 
  shrink nor electron orbits to shorten. The ghostly among 
  us remain immune to shrink traps. Those capable of 
  generating their own size redistribution fields can re-
  verse the effects of a shrink ray themselves.
  If a shrink trap is triggered, all hope is not lost 
  (though the situation is now dire). Teleportation and 
  super speed powers can counteract the logistical deter-
  rence more readily than normal. Super strength might 
  actually be enhanced, depending on what direction 
  density recalibrations fail towards. But the problem is 
  that shrinking requires a reversal process; leaving the 
  field quickly is not enough once it has been triggered. 
  In fact, leaving the border once shrunk just means a 
  faster death as secondary systems fall out of range.
  Wireless devices should still work if a shrink field 
  is fully operational, but their broadcast range will be 
  
  13
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  greatly reduced. The top priority is to reach some sort 
  of node or access point, hack the base’s network, and 
  reverse the process. Failing that, get inside the walls, 
  start sabotaging secondary support systems, and pray 
  that the computer has been programmed with emer-
  gency abort command. If it doesn’t, blasting the shrink 
  tech will do nothing but accelerate a blind, suffocating 
  fall through the micorverse.
  GAME STATS
  Detecting a Shrink Ray Trap: Characters looking 
  for traps in a base may detect the shrink ray before 
  they trigger it. Detecting the trap cannot be done with 
  the Notice skill trapping or Alertness no matter what 
  power tier. The trap is built into the structure of the 
  base itself, so there are no obvious signs of its pres-
  ence. Even characters with superhuman senses such as 
  X-ray vision may not necessarily realize what the shrink 
  ray is before it activates. 
  In order to detect a shrink ray, a character must 
  have a skill with an information trapping related to 
  super-science at the superhuman tier or above and a 
  skill with Notice with an unusual extra related to su-
  perhuman senses, such as X-ray vision. If the character 
  has both trappings, then they can roll the lower of the 
  two skills against a set difficulty of +4 Superhuman. 
  Success indicates the character has detected the trap. 
  Disabling or avoiding the trap require separate skill 
  checks, as described below. Failure means the charac-
  ter has no idea that the shrink trap is there. 
  Triggering the Trap: Usually shrink rays are set to 
  trigger whenever an unauthorized being enters a par-
  ticular secure room. As soon as the character passes 
  the threshold of the room, the trap triggers and the 
  character is shrunk. There is no way to avoid this effect 
  unless the trap is disabled or bypassed. 
  Bypassing the trap: This trap is only reserved for 
  high security rooms that are seldom used, so they are 
  set only to allow the base’s owner to enter safely. How 
  each trap identifies the base owner is different for each 
  base, but is typically a complex puzzle that is designed 
  only to be solvable by a superhuman with a unique set 
  of powers. If a character can solve the puzzle, then the 
  trap can be safely bypassed. 
  For example,  the base of a superhero with the abil-
  ity to project light in multiple spectrum might have a 
  puzzle based around the construction of complex light 
  patterns in infrared and ultraviolet. A hero from an al-
  ternate reality or distant galaxy might have to speak 
  
  14
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  an ancient poem in an alien language. In any case, 
  determining the answer to the puzzle requires a play-
  er-established goal. This is commonly the equivalent 
  of a city tier goal, with 4 milestones with Examine, 
  Information, and Research as trappings, costing 5 skill 
  points, or 50 loot, to achieve. The GM may modify the 
  cost of this goal depending on the nature of the puzzle. 
  The character may need to build a device to replicate 
  a missing hero’s powers, for example. 
  Tricking the trap into not triggering is mechanically 
  the same as disabling it. It requires hacking or dis-
  abling the embedded sensors in the trap. 
  Disabling a Shrink Ray Trap: In order to disable 
  the trap, a character must have access to a specific 
  control panel in the base, usually in another guarded 
  and hidden section. Finding it requires a skill with the 
  information trapping related to technology at +3 super-
  human power tier.  Keep in mind that any competent 
  base owner will place other traps and/or guardians to 
  protect the control panel from intruders. It will never be 
  in an area only accessible past the shrink ray though, 
  because the control panel is necessary to repair or per-
  form maintenance on the trap. 
  Once the specific control panel for the trap is found, 
  it can be disabled with a +2 Ascendant dismantle skill 
  check. This takes approximately 10 minutes and fail-
  ure will lock the panel, raising the difficulty of the at-
  tempt to +4 Ascendant. If the character fails again, 
  the system locks and requires a hard reboot, which 
  requires a lengthy wait, usually between 2 and 24 
  hours (GM’s discretion). Only the dismantle trapping 
  can be used for this check. The shrink ray still works 
  during the reboot and only the control panel is affect-
  ed. Characters can study the control panel by making 
  a +2 superhuman power tier skill check. If successful, 
  the character gains a temporary aspect “Control Panel 
  Examination” which can be used to grant a +2 bonus 
  to a character’s dismantle check. 
  All control panels are locked by a password, usu-
  ally kept somewhere in the base. If the characters can 
  find the password, no check is necessary to disable the 
  trap, provided they can physically access the control 
  panel to type the password in. 
  Shrink Ray Effects:  Once a character triggers the 
  trap, they are hit with a Godlike +6 Transport + Unusu-
  al effect. It can only be resisted with an Ascendant or 
  Godlike Resist Damage skill — the character is simply 
  too resistant to physical change to be affected by the 
  trap. If the character does not have the appropriate 
  skill trapping, it works automatically. Even if a char-
  acter resists the effect, they will have to make a new 
  check every other combat round to avoid shrinking as 
  long as they remain in the area of effect of the trap. 
  For game purposes, the character is transported to 
  the micro world. Only a reverse of the shrink ray or a 
  player goal may bring them back to the normal sized 
  world. 
  If a character leaves the micro world, they suffer 1 
  health stress per combat round and gain the aspect 
  “Blind”. If the character is taken out as a result of this, 
  they die. There is no way to stop this unless the charac-
  ter is returned to normal size or returned to the micro 
  world. 
  All Intangible characters are immune to the shrink 
  ray as long as they remain intangible. 
   Characters who find themselves shrunken must 
  make a resolve or Willpower skill check to resist a 
  composure stress attack at +2 Superhuman. It is quite 
  scary to find oneself suddenly in the micro world. 
  THE MICRO WORLD
  The micro world is a vast and mostly empty wasteland, 
  populated only by dust motes (each now the size of 
  a boulder to the character) and the occasional giant 
  monster/tiny insect. Typically, a shrink ray reduces the 
  character in size by 2000 times. The room protected 
  by the shrink ray is normally 1 square zone in size. 
  The micro world becomes 2000 square zones in size - 
  assume 40 zones wide and 50 zones long. Characters 
  with super speed can zoom around the micro world at 
  a decent speed, but it will take other characters quite a 
  while to travel from one side to the other. 
  Normally, the character would spend a few hours in 
  the room until the base owner returned to capture the 
  character. Now, the character remains shrunken until 
  the effect is reversed. This means the character could 
  die of thirst or starvation. If the character crosses the 
  border of the micro world, they begin to take damage 
  and become blind, as described earlier. 
  The hazards and enemies of the micro world consti-
  tute an encounter or full adventure in of themselves. A 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  typical small insect, such as a mite, would be treated 
  as a minion with these stats:
  An insect - Average Minion
  Aspects: Mighty Mite, Eat puny humans!
  Scopes: Average (+1) Physical (Extraordinary 
  power tier)
  Strange Skill: Biting Bug — Power Tier (Extraor-
  dinary) Strike, Resist Damage
  Safety Mechanisms: Every character in the micro 
  world benefits from a number of high tech safety mech-
  anisms that allow them to survive while shrunk down. 
  In abandoned bases, there is a chance the safety 
  mechanisms do not work correctly. The GM may inflict 
  any or all of the following environmental aspects to 
  characters in the micro world:
  • 
  Blind — all characters are blinded by a lack of 
  available light.
  • 
  Freezing cold — the temperature is extremely 
  cold. Inflicts 1 physical stress to all characters 
  without protection per scene in the micro world. 
  Requires a +3 skill check from an appropriate 
  skill, such as endurance. 
  • 
  Pests — the entire micro world is filled with 
  dangerous insects and similar creatures. 
  • 
  Airless — characters begin to suffocate unless 
  they do not need to breathe or have their own 
  air supply. 
  • 
  Dirty — Every zone in the micro world requires 
  a +2 athletics or move skill check or the charac-
  ter becomes stuck in one of the countless haz-
  ards of giant sized dirt particles and so forth. 
  The GM may make up additional aspects as well.
  A character can mimic the effects of a safety mech-
  anism with an appropriate power. A magic user could 
  cast a spell to generate warmth or a super scientist 
  could build a gadget so the characters can see again. 
  Typically any skill must make a +1 superhuman roll 
  or better to counteract an environmental aspect in the 
  micro world. 
  Permanently repairing a safety mechanism cannot 
  be done in the micro world. Other characters outside 
  the micro world must either use the control panel or 
  repair the machinery surrounding the micro world. A 
  typical repair check is made at a +2 Superhuman dif-
  ficulty. 
  Reversing the Shrink Ray: Anyone with access to 
  the control panel can reverse the effects of the shrink 
  ray. In game mechanics, it is treated the same as 
  disabling the trap. Any character with knowledge of 
  the Ideal’s technology should know about the reverse 
  switch. 
  Typically, a shrink ray trap built by a superhero 
  will have one last ditch safety mechanism that will re-
  verse the effects somewhere within the micro world in 
  case an innocent person was accidentally shrunk and 
  the hero could not reverse the effect. This means that 
  shrunken characters can reverse the effect themselves. 
  First, shrunken characters must find the reverse 
  switch somewhere in the micro world. It can be hidden 
  anywhere in the micro world, but Ideal heroes typically 
  place them somewhere where they will remember its 
  location. There is usually one or more clues to its loca-
  tion — a series of marks in the floor, a strange pattern 
  on the ceiling, or a marker revealed only by the usage 
  of a particular super power. For example, a hero with 
  heat beams might have directions hidden in thermally 
  activated ink printed on the floor. Finding the clue usu-
  ally requires a +2 superhuman Notice skill check un-
  less the characters have the right power, where finding 
  it is automatic.
  Second, the characters have to get to the switch. 
  They are usually far from the entrance of the micro 
  world, and require traveling for hours at normal walk-
  ing speed. Encounters may happen along the way. 
  Finally, once at the reverse switch, the character 
  must either type in a password or hack the machine. 
  Hacking the machine requires a +1 superhuman infor-
  mation or dismantle skill check. The password is usual-
  ly hidden somewhere else in the base, but characters 
  with certain powers might be able to guess it, at the 
  GM’s discretion. If the characters can’t hack the ma-
  chine or guess the password, they can just break it by 
  inflicting at least 1 health stress to the switch. This  will 
  reverse the shrink effect but also cause all characters 
  to gain 1 moderate consequence “Body Regrown In-
  correctly”. A character without a moderate or severe 
  consequence available will be taken out of action. 
  
  16
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  The Vigil
  by Ross Payton
  Mystical wards and golems are the magical equiva-
  lent of alarms and sentry turrets and can be defeated 
  in similar by skilled thieves. Cerulean, an Ideal hero 
  and powerful wizard created a magical defense sys-
  tem that provided far better protection than ward or 
  golem. He realized that any trap or alarm could be dis-
  abled or destroyed without notifying the owner of the 
  base. Instead, the best protection always notified the 
  owner of any infiltration while slowing down or stop-
  ping the intruders. Cerulean bound small communities 
  of normal humans to the entrance of a base in such a 
  way that they became a vigil, watching for thieves or 
  vandals. 
  The vigil looks like a normal, if remote, village or 
  community typical of the region it is located in. Farm-
  ing or fishing are common occupations for the citizens 
  of the town. Some are communes far off the beaten 
  path. A few are religious communities, like a monas-
  tery or nunnery. They follow the laws of their nation 
  and despite being insular, have ties to the rest of the 
  region. They hold jobs, pay taxes, and some even 
  leave the community for short periods of time. Most im-
  portantly, they have numerous communication systems 
  so they can call local law enforcement at a moment’s 
  notice. What no one seems to notice is how no one 
  in the community ages or gets sick. The citizens are 
  unnaturally healthy and remain the same age as long 
  as they maintain the vigil. 
  USAGE
  A vigil consists of several dozen to a few hundred nor-
  mal people, (called the vigilant) mystically bound to a 
  base entrance. The entrance is typically in plain sight, 
  although disguised as a statue, monument, or some 
  other edifice. Opening the entrance typically requires 
  a mystical incantation that can be learned by decipher-
  ing a series of runes on the statue, the magical equiva-
  lent of a padlock, easily broken by any trained scholar 
  or magician. However, it is a time consuming task and 
  the vigilant will not allow a magician to work in peace. 
  The vigilant go about their daily lives, but feel com-
  pelled to monitor the entrance, ensuring no one goes 
  near it or interferes with it. They even sleep in shifts, 
  so that the entrance is never unwatched. All of this is 
  done subconsciously, so that the vigilant never really 
  think about their activities. Most of the time, they live 
  as normal people.
  If an outsider gets near the entrance, the vigilant 
  will do everything in their power to get the outsider to 
  leave. At first, they will ask the outsider politely, then 
  demand for them to leave. The longer an outsider stays 
  near the entrance, the more angry and violent the vigi-
  lant will become. An outsider that stays too long or at-
  tempts to use violence will cause the vigilant to swarm 
  over them. An angry mob, armed with whatever weap-
  ons are at hand, will do their best to stop the outsider. 
  The vigilant will also contact the authorities. Normally, 
  the mystic who created the vigil would be mystically 
  notified at this time as well, but all of them are gone, 
  thanks to Ragnarök.
  When the police arrive, every member of the vigil 
  will have a consistent story painting all outsiders as 
  insane killers who need to be brought to justice im-
  mediately. If the first responders are killed, then the 
  authorities will escalate. If the thieves continue to fight 
  the authorities, they will eventually bring in the military. 
  Breaking into a base is very difficult when the army 
  has you surrounded, so most thieves will run before it 
  reaches that point. 
  Of course, ruthless thieves may try to kill every mem-
  ber of the vigil without letting them notify the police. 
  This invokes the final level of protection in the vigil. 
  Every vigilant that dies a violent death while protect-
  ing the entrance becomes a murderous undead spirit 
  fully obsessed with their duty. The spirits can only be 
  harmed by powerful magic and even then, destroying 
  them is practically impossible. They are bound to the 
  entrance and will mystically reform if they are defeated 
  in mystical combat. Permanently exorcising them is a 
  campaign goal. In the mean time, the guardian spirits 
  will drive out the living and transform the area into 
  a haunted wasteland. Even the living vigilant are not 
  safe from the guardian spirits. They will almost certain-
  ly be killed by the guardian spirits and thus become 
  more guardian spirits.
  If the entrance is somehow opened, then the vigilant 
  go on standby, assuming they are still alive. They will 
  leave the entrance alone and assume things are nor-
  mal. Characters inside the base will be left alone by 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  the vigilant, although the base will undoubtedly have 
  more defenses. Guardian spirits will relentlessly attack 
  characters that enter the base, flying through walls to 
  attack the intruders. 
  VULNERABILITIES
   The vigil has four main weaknesses, which can be 
  ascertained by clever scholars of the occult:
  1. The vigilant are subconsciously compelled to 
  protect the base entrance, but consciously they 
  believe they are only normal people living nor-
  mal lives. Characters who point out the inher-
  ent contradictions between these two mindsets 
  will create a feedback loop in the minds of 
  the vigilant. This loop can break the vigil if the 
  character successfully debates the vigilant and 
  convinces them of the truth. The vigilant will do 
  their best to rationalize their odd behavior, but 
  it is possible to change their minds. However, if 
  the debate fails, the vigilant will become much 
  harder to convince in the future. 
  2. The vigilant are normal and must sleep, even 
  though they sleep in shifts to ensure that the en-
  trance is always watched. This means that if all 
  of the vigilant are rendered unconscious, then 
  characters can open the base entrance without 
  interference. All of the vigilant must be knocked 
  out at the same time or the ones left awake will 
  sense something is wrong and call the police. 
  Sedatives and sleep spells are very useful in this 
  example.
  3. The vigilant have normal human senses, so 
  powerful illusions can fool them. Invisibility, 
  holograms, and similar powers to conceal the 
  presence of characters at the entrance of the 
  base. The vigilant will intuitively sense some-
  thing is wrong and will try to investigate it, but 
  if the characters can keep them fooled long to 
  open the entrance, then they can enter the base 
  safely.
  4.  A sufficiently powerful dispelling ritual can 
  destroy a vigil. Such a ritual takes a skilled 
  magician weeks of work and rare and expen-
  sive material components. Anyone attempting 
  to perform the ritual must stay near the vigil to 
  study it and may do no other work. The ritual 
  may fail even then, resulting in a disastrous ex-
  plosion of magical energies. 
  
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  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  GAME STATS
  Average Vigilant Stats: Fair Minion
  Aspects: Normal on the surface, obsessed guardian 
  underneath
  Scopes: Social +2, Physical +1, Mental +1
  Special: Alertness checks made at +4. 
  Opening the Entrance to the Base: A character 
  with the Arcana skill or an Information trapping relat-
  ed to the occult can learn the incantation to open the 
  entrance to the base guarded by the Vigil by study-
  ing the sigils carved on the monument blocking the 
  entrance. This requires at least ten minutes of study 
  time and a +2 Extraordinary power tier roll or better. 
  Failure means the character needs to study for another 
  ten minutes before making a new attempt. Once the 
  incantation is learned, anyone can be taught to say it.  
  Getting near the monument agitates the vigilant. They 
  will attempt to stop anyone studying the sigils, if they 
  can perceive the character. 
  Detecting the Vigil: Any character with an appro-
  priate Notice trapping skill can make a test against a 
  +2 Superhuman difficulty to detect the general nature 
  of the magical ward. Identifying it as a Vigil requires 
  a +3 Superhuman Arcana/Information trapping skill 
  test. If the skill test fails, the character knows it is a 
  magical ward of some sort, but they cannot identify 
  the Vigil unless they interact with the vigilant in a social 
  encounter. This may alert them though. Every social 
  encounter allows a reroll of the Arcana skill test to iden-
  tify the Vigil. 
  Realizing the townsfolk are behaving oddly requires 
  a +2 mundane tier Empathy/Insight trapping skill test. 
  Identifying Vulnerabilities: Each of the four vul-
  nerabilities can be discovered with research into the 
  occult, requiring a Superhuman Arcana/Information 
  trapping skill test at +1 for each vulnerability. Alter-
  nately, Wealth or Networking can be used, as the 
  character hires researchers or asks various experts for 
  help. 
  Each vulnerability can be deduced through close 
  observation of the site as well. This requires an en-
  counter interacting with the vigilant and a successful 
  +1 mundane Empathy/Insight check per vulnerability. 
  This may trigger the Vigil’s defenses though. 
  Social Combat to Defeat the Vigil (Vulnerabil-
  ity 1):  A character with Presence/Convince trapping 
  may attempt to break the Vigil by pointing out the odd 
  subconscious behavior of the vigilant. This is treated 
  as a social conflict, but every attack must be made by 
  pointing out something unusual in the behavior of the 
  vigilant. The vigilant will gather as a group to hear the 
  character’s debate and defend as a collective. Treat 
  the entire vigilant community with the following stats:
  Presence: +4 Superhuman
  Contacting: +1 Superhuman
  Reputation: OOO OOO
  The character can make one attack at a time, which 
  the Vigilant defends with Presence. Then the Vigilant 
  will attack the character’s reputation, using Contacting. 
  Only one character can attack the Vigilant at a 
  time, but other characters can use various skills for 
  aspect maneuvers to create temporary aspects on the 
  Vigilant.  These only require a +1 mundane success to 
  succeed usually. The Vigilant cannot defend against 
  aspect maneuvers while it is debating a character.
  If the Vigilant lose all of their reputation, then they 
  will admit the truth and the Vigil is shattered. The wards 
  end and characters can enter the base. The Vigilant 
  lose their longevity and drift away from the town, dis-
  illusioned with life. 
  Knock out all of the Vigilant (Vulnerability 
  2): Rendering an entire town of vigilant unconscious 
  is difficult but possible. It must be done simultaneously, 
  because even if one vigilant is left awake, they will 
  immediately call the police. The plan requires know-
  ing the location of every vigilant, having a method of 
  knocking them out, and a delivery system that can af-
  fect them all at once. 
  This cannot be done as an encounter. Rather, it 
  should be treated as a city wide goal, requiring multi-
  ple encounters to resolve. One example method would 
  be to create stealth gas pellets that could be distributed 
  around the town without alarming the vigilant. Once 
  the pellets are secretly distributed, they can be activat-
  ed with a remote control. 
  
  19
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  As a city tier goal
  Cost: 11 skill points  (11 x 1 for city tier)
  Default Skill Test Difficulty: +1 Extraordinary
  Trappings: Shoot + Unusual + Zone –  Knockout 
  gas is treated as an attack on the target’s health.  If the 
  character is taken out of the action from the gas, they 
  are rendered unconscious. 
  Stealth + Unusual: The pellets remain undetectable 
  until activated by remote control. 
  Milestones
  1. Negotiate with a black market dealer for a batch 
  of Ideal-designed riot gas, which was meant to cause 
  rioters to fall asleep for hours without any side effects. 
  Totally safe and effective on humans. 
  2. Salvage high tech stealth materials to build the 
  pellets from a crashed alien ship in a remote region, 
  like a desert or the bottom of an ocean. The wreck 
  might have robot or mutant guardians or it just might 
  be hard to get there. 
  3. Create a cover to visit the town that won’t alert 
  the vigilant. This may involve building up an elaborate 
  front company or just lots of magical or high tech illu-
  sions.
  4. Plant the pellets throughout the town so when 
  they are activated, the entire town is saturated with the 
  gas, all the while keeping the vigilant from realizing 
  what is going on. 
  Deceive the Vigilant (Vulnerability 3): Deceiv-
  ing the vigilant long enough to open the entrance to 
  the base via the monument requires superhuman pow-
  ers of illusion. These can be magical or high tech, but 
  sophisticated holograms or magical mirages could be 
  deployed to hide intruders messing with the monument. 
  The vigilant have +4 alertness at mundane tier and 
  normal human senses. Strange skills that can fool hu-
  mans can work on the vigilant. However, any time 
  someone draws near the monument, the vigilant be-
  come subconsciously aware of it and will attempt to 
  investigate. They will wander around and try to figure 
  out whatever is ‘bugging them.’  Characters will need 
  to be alert and avoid revealing themselves. For exam-
  ple, invisible characters may have to sneak around vig-
  ilant patrolling around the monument. 
  This means that PCs using this method to gain ac-
  cess to the base must be careful and quick or they will 
  eventually alert the vigilant. 
  Dispel the Vigil (Vulnerability 4): Dispelling the 
  vigil via magic is extremely difficult and time consum-
  ing. Characters with knowledge of the occult can at-
  tempt to perform a ritual that will end the vigil, but 
  it requires fulfilling a goal. Use the following stats to 
  describe the ritual:
  As a city tier goal
  Cost: 4 skill points
  Default Skill Test Difficulty: +2 Superhuman
  Trappings: Variable [Session]: Dispelling the rit-
  ual requires various spells that can be represented by 
  the Variable trapping.
  Information + Unusual: The magician must under-
  stand the nature of the vigil in order to dispel it.
  Milestones
  1. The magician must map the entire region around 
  the vigil to determine its exact borders. This requires 
  time, discretion, and at least a few skill checks.
  2. Once the vigil is mapped, the magician can 
  create an appropriate counter spell if they can sum-
  mon an earth elemental and secure its aid to break the 
  bond between the ward and the earth. This requires 
  careful negotiation.
  3. The earth elemental needs the blood of a demon 
  of the air as its fee. Fortunately, such a demon is haunt-
  ing a nearby abandoned insane asylum. Go get ‘em!
  4. After the elemental has been paid, the ritual must 
  be performed. This is a taxing and hours long ceremo-
  ny, which must be performed near the border of the 
  vigil. The vigilant will probably try to interfere. Others 
  must protect the magician while the ritual is performed. 
  Notifying the Police: If the vigilant contact the po-
  lice, they will say whatever it takes to get a serious 
  armed response from federal authorities. If the players 
  linger too long at the site, feel free to throw overwhelm-
  ing numbers of cops at them, until they are dead or 
  have fled. Preventing the vigilant from being able to 
  contact the police is incredibly hard — they will have 
  multiple means of contacting them, most of which are 
  concealed. This includes, cell phones, landlines, ham 
  radios, flare guns, air raid sirens, and lighting their 
  homes on fire. The vigilant are magically compelled to 
  
  20
  BASE RAIDERS 
  DEATH TRAPS VOLUME 1
  do whatever it takes to alert the authorities. 
  Once the police are notified, the vigilant will ensure 
  that the police stop the intruders. If the intruders can 
  deceive or neutralize first responders (who are usually 
  normal law enforcement officers, not vigilant) the vig-
  ilant will say or do anything to get the police to call 
  for backup. The vigilant are magically compelled to 
  sacrifice anything to protect the monument, so lying to 
  cops is easy for them to do. If it takes calling in every-
  one from the local sheriff to the FBI, then that’s what 
  they will do. 
  The goal of the vigilant is to keep calling law en-
  forcement until the intruders are stopped. No price is 
  too high to pay. They will not consider the consequenc-
  es of lying to the police, so even if the intruders are 
  stopped, various police agencies may start to investi-
  gate the vigil itself. This may result in a Pyrrhic victo-
  ry as the vigil lacks the resources to hold off such an 
  investigation.  
  UNDEAD GUARDIAN 
  SPIRIT - ADVERSARY
  Aspects
  Normal Human: Revenant Guardian of the Vigil
  Conviction: Protect the Monument!
  Undead Rage
  Strange Skills
  Undead Guardian
  Power Tier: Ascendant
  Move + Unusual (Spirit flying), Resist Damage + Un-
  usual (spirit form), Shoot  + Unusual (spectral scream)
  Description: The Guardians are hateful beings bound 
  to protect the monument. Every slain vigilant becomes 
  an Undead Guardian within seconds of their death. 
  They will swarm over intruders. 
  Invulnerability: Non-magical Attacks — all attacks 
  made against the guardian are treated as 2 power 
  tiers lower than normal unless they are from a magical 
  power source. If brought below mundane tier, they au-
  tomatically fail. 
  Skills: Alertness +4, Undead Guardian + 4
  Stress Tracks
  Health: OOO 
  Composure: Immune to Composure stress
  Reputation: Immune to Reputation stress
  Special: Due to the magic of the Vigil, a Guardian 
  Spirit taken out of action is automatically reformed at 
  full stress one minute later. 
  
  Available now in PDF
  Elizabeth Solomon wanted to become a vampire and found her own way after raiding a base, but she’s only 
  just gotten started! Even though she’s undead, she prefers to get her sustenance from her part time job at a blood 
  bank. As a hobby, Elizabeth uses her knowledge of the occult to investigate supernatural mysteries and help 
  heroic base raiders. Of course, vampire hunters don’t see the distinction between her and the other undead, but 
  no one’s life is perfect, right?
  This PDF contains a full write up of Elizabeth Solomon as a medium power hero. She can be used as a player 
  character or NPC for any Base Raiders game. It includes her full stats and powers, including using her as a high 
  power hero, and a scenario seed featuring her, vampire hunters, and more! 
  Go to Baseraiders.com/store to get Elizabeth Solomon!
  New Heroes Incoming!
  
  Available now in PDF
  Back in the old days, costumed villains didn’t need cybernetic implants or super soldier drugs to rob a bank or 
  beat a masked vigilante. Ray guns and room sized machines filled with vacuum tubes got the job done! These old 
  machines could defy the laws of physics, but were forgotten by 1960, left to rust in abandoned lairs and hideouts. 
  A few grave robbing base raiders have rediscovered the old tech and discovered that these decades-old ma-
  chines could remotely deactivate vehicles, turn its user invisible, or disintegrate enemies. Soon enough, vintage 
  super-gadgets made an appearance in the black market.
  This supplement covers the history of vintage super gadgets, new rules to create them, and seven new 
  vintage gadgets. It also includes a new strange skill, the Art of Haphazard Fighting, and a new trap, The 
  Labyrinth Lair.
  Go to Baseraiders.com/store to get Vintage Villainy today!
  The Old School is the Best School!
  
  Available now in PDF
  Most super power sources have dangerous side effects and are permanent. Boost Patches are the exact opposite, 
  instantly providing superpowers for a limited duration without consequence, as long as the user doesn’t activate 
  more than one patch at a time. Used by many of the missing heroes and villains, Boost Patches are now found in 
  many bases. Highly valued on the black market, base raiders must choose between selling them or keeping them 
  for their own use. One patch can turn a normal person into a powerful superhuman, at least for a while. This 
  supplement allows you to add Boost Patches to your game of Base Raiders. It includes:
  • 
  14 Boost Patches, each with a new super power – gain telepathy, super strength, and more!
  • 
  New Loot rules, including guidelines to determine the value of a super power source
  • 
  Design your own Boost Patches
  • 
  Adventure Seed: The Lost Treasure of the Candy Man, as featured on the RPPR Actual Play Podcast
  Go to Baseraiders.com/store to get Boost Patches
  Need a Boost in your Base Raiders Game? 
  
  ALSO BY THE AUTHOR OF BASE RAIDERS 
  Role Playing Public Radio is a podcast that looks at role playing games with humor and insight. Our mission 
  is to make gaming more fun, whether it is celebrating a legendary session or making fun of dysfunctional games. 
  If you have ever slain a gazebo by mistake, looted the body of a sass mouthed NPC, or died screaming in Call 
  of Cthulhu, RPPR is for you!
  Our website: http://slangdesign.com/rppr/
  RSS Feed: http://slangdesign.com/rppr/feed
  iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/role-playing-public-radio/id220096150
  RPPR Actual Play is a weekly podcast of our tabletop role playing game sessions. We play a wide variety 
  of RPGs, from popular classics like Dungeons and Dragons and Call of Cthulhu to recent hits like Monsters and 
  Other Childish Things and Eclipse Phase. Some of our episodes are stand-alone scenarios and we also feature 
  a complete 4e Dungeons and Dragons campaign called “The New World’.  Give us a listen if you want to hear 
  a great gaming crew fight evil, try outrageous plans to save the day and joke about it.
  Our website: http://actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com/
  RSS Feed: http://actualplay.roleplayingpublicradio.com/feed
  iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rppr-actual-play/id339817701
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Base Raiders/Base Raiders - Death Traps Volume 1.pdf