TEXT: +ACRIMONY
  Quick-Start Rules
  
  UNIVERSE SUMMARY 
  2
  New to Roleplaying? • Secrets
  HOW TO PLAY 
  4
  How to Play • Dice Basics • When To Roll the Dice • Making Tests •  
  Who Rolls? • Difficulty and Modifiers • Superior Results: 33/66 Rule
  TESTS & ACTIONS 
  5
  Criticals 
  Types of Tests • Success Tests • Opposed Tests 
  Actions and Time • Automatic Actions • Quick Actions •  
  Complex Actions • Task Actions
  CHARACTER STATS 
  6
  Character Stats • Ego vs. Morph • Aptitudes • Aptitude Checks • Skills • Morph
  POOLS 
  7
  Pools • Using Pools • Using Insight • Using Moxie • Using Vigor • Using Flex 
  • Refreshing Pools
  INITIATIVE & COMBAT 
  8
  Initiative Order • Taking the Initiative • Delaying Actions • Extra Actions
  Resolving Combat
  RANGED COMBAT 
  9
  THE MESH 
  10
  Using the Mesh • Online Research • Hacking • Muses
  ADDITIONAL RULES 
  11
  Movement • Movement Rate • Movement Actions
  Reputation • Using Rep Scores
  ACRIMONY 
  12
  Synopsis • The Player Characters • The Setting: Kongyùn • The Situation on 
  Kongyùn • Major NPCs
  Fit to Depart • Mission Briefing
  Arriving on Kongyùn • Leads and Contacts • BestRest Motel and Inn •  
  Mesh Research • Local Bloggers • Mariposa Chen • Fa Jing • New City •  
  Firewall Scratch Space • Vacant Hallways, Empty Spaces • Unwanted Company
  Circling the Fire • Save Strangers • Kill Strangers
  Glory Be • Utility Fog
  Resolution • Infected Characters • The Artifact • Bves • Fa Jing • Triads and 
  Other Allies
  NPC Stats
  CHARACTERS 
  22
  ECLIPSE PHASE CREATED BY:  
  Rob Boyle & Brian Cross
  QUICK-START RULES CREDITS
  Writing: Rob Boyle (Rules) & Marc Huete (Acrimony)
  Editing: Rob Boyle & Adam Jury
  Development: Rob Boyle & Jack Graham
  Art Direction: Rob Boyle & Jack Graham
  Cover Art: Stephan Martiniere
  Interior Art: Mobo Boehme, Daniel Brewer, Josu Hernaiz,  
  Anna Ignatieva, Pixoloid Studios
  Graphic Design and Layout: Adam Jury
  Eclipse Phase Second Edition  
  Quick-Start Rules with Acrimony
  Posthuman Studios is:
  Rob Boyle, Brian Cross, 
  Jack Graham, and Adam Jury
  Contact us at  
  info@posthumanstudios.com or search your social 
  networks for: “Eclipse Phase”  
  or “Posthuman Studios”
  http://eclipsephase.com
  —EP website, blog, and forum
  http://posthumanstudios.com
  —Posthuman Studios website
  Creative Commons License; 
  Some Rights Reserved.
  This work is licensed under the Attribution-
  NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International  
  (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).  For more information:  
  http://eclipsephase.com/cclicense
  Dive into Eclipse Phase Second Edition  
  with these preview Quick-Start Rules,  
  featuring the basics of the streamlined  
  second edition rules, an introductory adventure, 
  Acrimony, and four sample characters! 
  Then move onto the complete Eclipse Phase 
  Second Edition, from Posthuman Studios!
  ECLIPSE PHASE SECOND EDITION
  ISBN: 978-1-63127-006-2   MSRP: $59.99   
  PAGES: 432 [Est, Color, Hardcover]   CATALOG #: PS+10000 
  
  WHAT IS ECLIPSE PHASE?
  WHAT IS ECLIPSE PHASE?
  In Eclipse Phase, you play a secret agent protecting the scattered 
  remnants of transhumanity from threats that could wipe it out once 
  and for all. You are transhuman. You are genetically modified, physi-
  cally and mentally augmented, and functionally immortal. Your mind 
  can be digitally backed up, like a save point. If you die, you can be 
  brought back, your ego—both consciousness and memories—phys-
  ically restored. You may also copy your mind and download into a 
  body of your choice. This new body—your morph—can be biological, a 
  synthetic robotic shell, or a digital infomorph. Your body is essentially 
  gear that you customize according to your mission and requirements.
  Eclipse Phase takes place in a future of exponentially accelerating 
  technological progress. Developments in the key fields of artificial 
  intelligence, neuroscience, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and 
  information science have converged into an impressive feedback 
  loop. Bodies and minds are shaped and augmented. AIs and animals 
  are uplifted to human levels of sapience. Everything and everyone is 
  laden with sensors, networked, and online. Your mind can commu-
  nicate with every electronic device around it. Almost anything 
  can be 3D-printed from constituent atoms with a nanofabber and 
  blueprints. Technology allows people to live happier, healthier lives, 
  emancipated from need.
  Such advances also have their downsides. The wonders of the 
  future are not yet evenly distributed—the immortal rich continue to 
  concentrate their wealth and power while others struggle to survive. 
  Surveillance is omnipresent, and the means exist to hack people’s 
  minds and memories, copy them entirely, and/or commit them to 
  virtual slavery. Many technological advances are super-empowering, 
  putting the means for mass devastation in everyone’s hands. Efforts 
  to restrict such tools are doomed to fail; only our own maturity as a 
  species can save us.
  Exemplifying these dangers, Eclipse Phase takes place ten years 
  after transhumanity has lost a war with a group of super-intelligent, 
  self-improving AIs. 95% of the population was lost during this apoca-
  lyptic conflict, many of them forcibly uploaded by the TITAN machine 
  gods before they disappeared. Thousands more were corrupted and 
  transformed by an alien exsurgent virus. The Earth is ruined and 
  off-limits, overrun by machines and monsters. The survivors evacuated 
  the planet and spread throughout the solar system, expanding our 
  off-world colonies out of desperation and necessity. Many escaped only 
  as infugees, with nothing but their bodiless minds.
  The nations and super-powers of the old world are gone, decapi-
  tated and dismantled. New political blocs and factions have formed, 
  loosely divided between the inner and outer systems. The capitalist 
  economies of the inner system—Luna, Mars, and Venus—continue 
  to enforce scarcity and intellectual property. They are dominated 
  by the Planetary Consortium, a hypercorp-led entity that prioritizes 
  business interests and that has declared Mars the new homeworld 
  of transhumanity. Their habitats are identified by the influence of 
  media and memetic conflict on civil discourse, the legalities and 
  security restrictions that keep their populations safe, a lingering 
  distrust of AIs and uplifts, and sharp class divisions. While socialites 
  and hyper-elites play and prosper, many infugees have resorted to 
  selling their labor as indentured servants to afford cheap, mass-pro-
  duced synthetic bodies—the clanking masses.
  
  3
  WELCOME TO FIREWALL
  The outer system is the stronghold of the Autonomist Alliance, 
  a mutual-aid network of anarchists and techno-socialists. In these 
  communalist territories, currency is obsolete and unrestricted nano-
  fabrication means that everyone has the necessities and tools they 
  need. People create rather than consume. Reputation, not wealth, 
  mediates the exchange of information and services. Many habitats 
  operate without government, laws, or police, relying instead on 
  voluntary and cooperative structures, real-time online referendums, 
  and collective militias. The outer system is a patchwork of political, 
  economic, and social experimentation.
  Intersticed among these major factions, other transhuman clades 
  build their own societies. Criminal cartels feed black markets, radical 
  scientists work to democratize science, aesthete mercenaries offer 
  their services, pirates prey on the unwary, and isolationists filter 
  their communities from outside influences. Even bioconservatives—
  distrustful of transhuman technologies—thrive on, fearing for our 
  species’ future.
  The war with the TITAN AIs scarred more than Earth. Zones on 
  Luna, Mars, and Saturn’s moon Iapetus remain under machine 
  influence. Of greater impact, however, are the mysterious Pandora 
  gates discovered around the system. These wormhole gates open to 
  extrasolar systems—thousands of exoplanets and alien mysteries. 
  Intrepid gatecrashers explore these new horizons, colonizing worlds 
  and uncovering the remnants of extinct civilizations. While no living 
  sapient species has been found beyond the gates, transhumanity has 
  had its first encounters with alien life within our own solar system. 
  A star-faring species known as the Factors visits regularly, though 
  the true nature and intentions of these laconic ameboid merchants 
  remains unknown.
  Ultimately, Eclipse Phase is a game of transhuman survival. Aside 
  from the threat that the TITANs will return, we face existential 
  risks—x-risks—that endanger our future as a species. These include 
  weapons of mass destruction, artifacts from beyond the Pandora 
  gates, salvaged TITAN technology, exsurgent infection breakouts, 
  alien threats, stellar phenomena, and the dangers we pose to 
  ourselves. Our species is in a deteriorating orbit around the black 
  hole of extinction. Will our conflicts steer us into the event horizon, 
  or will we evolve and cooperate to escape the gravity well and reach 
  new frontiers? Will we be recognizably human when we get there?
  Eclipse Phase is an exploration of uncertain futures. This is more 
  than a tabletop roleplaying game, it’s a detailed science fiction setting 
  that thoroughly investigates issues that affect our future as a species. 
  The crux of Eclipse Phase emphasizes the nature of transhumanity as 
  it transforms itself, mentally and physically, on the edge of becoming 
  something posthuman. This is a setting that speaks to the immense 
  dangers that technology offers us—but that balances this outlook by 
  considering how science can be used to improve ourselves, enhance 
  cooperation, counteract these risks, and prosper. There is danger—
  but also hope.
  WELCOME TO FIREWALL
  In Eclipse Phase’s default setting, every player character is a sentinel, 
  an agent-on-call for Firewall, a shadowy network dedicated to 
  protecting transhumanity and counteracting x-risks. Sentinels are 
  grouped into ad-hoc special-ops teams appropriate to each mission. 
  Firewall isn’t content to simply handle these threats as they arise, 
  of course, so sentinels may also be sent on information-gathering 
  missions or to put in place pre-emptive or failsafe measures. 
  Characters may be tasked to investigate seemingly innocuous 
  people and places (that may turn out not to be), make deals with 
  shady criminal networks, or travel through a Pandora gate worm-
  hole to analyze the relics of some alien ruin (and see if the threat 
  that killed them is still real). Sentinels are recruited from every 
  faction of transhumanity; those who aren’t ideologically loyal to the 
  cause are hired as mercenaries. Firewall operations are managed by 
  proxies, agents who maintain Firewall’s decentralized infrastructure.
  NEW TO ROLEPLAYING?
  If you are new to roleplaying games, you will find everything you 
  need to know about how to play them here:
  http://eclipsephase.com/roleplaying
  SECRETS
  Starting on p. 12 of this booklet is Acrimony, an introductory 
  scenario. If you’re playing but not gamemastering, don’t read p. 12 
  through p. 21!
  WHAT IS TRANSHUMANISM?
  Transhumanism is an international cultural and intellectual 
  movement that endorses the use of science and technology 
  to enhance the human condition. Transhumanism embraces 
  emerging technologies to eliminate the undesirable aspects of 
  our biology such as aging, disabilities, diseases, and involun-
  tary death. Transhumanists believe in the freedom to modify 
  our minds and bodies to increase our quality of life.
  In Eclipse Phase, the transhuman program has borne 
  fruit in the form of enhanced humans, uplifted animals, and 
  machine sapience. But counter to the hopes of many pres-
  ent-day transhumanists, eternal youth, enhanced anatomy, 
  and heightened intelligence are not accessible to all—yet.
  Transhumanism can also be considered the waypoint 
  transitional period between our modern human state and 
  a state of advanced capabilities and physiological changes 
  that can only be called posthuman. While some intention-
  ally seek out this enhanced state, others fear the impact on 
  our species.
  A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY, SEX, AND GENDER
  Sexual biology is ephemeral in Eclipse Phase. Sex is elective 
  and subject to change; almost everyone has the opportunity 
  to switch bodies. A character’s gender identity may not 
  always match their physical sexual characteristics (or lack 
  thereof). Gender identity itself is often fluid. To reflect this, 
  we apply the “singular they” rule, meaning that we use “they” 
  as the default pronoun for individuals. When referring to 
  specific characters with an established gender, however, we 
  use the pronoun appropriate to their current gender identity, 
  regardless of the sex of the morph they happen to be in.
  
  4
  HOW TO PLAY
    • DICE BASICS
  HOW TO PLAY
  Eclipse Phase is played as a collaborative story-telling project that 
  takes place in your imagination. The gamemaster (GM) details the 
  setting, portrays the Non-Player Characters (NPCs), adjudicates 
  rules, and sets the stage for the adventure scenario. The players take 
  on the role of their characters and describe their actions. Each char-
  acter is defined by a set of characteristics—skills, traits, etc.—listed 
  on their character sheet. When the characters encounter difficulties 
  or engage in conflicts, dice are used to determine the outcome.
  DICE BASICS
  Eclipse Phase uses two ten-sided dice for skill tests and most other 
  rolls. Rolled dice are read as percentiles (d100), with the first die 
  serving as the tens digit and the second as the ones digit. Percentile 
  rolls result in a number between 0 and 99 (00 is read as zero). A roll 
  of 5 and 3, for example, is read as 53. Use different colored dice to 
  note which to read first or use ten-siders made for percentile rolling.
  For some other rolls (damage, stress, refreshing pools), Eclipse 
  Phase uses both six-sided (d6) and ten-sided (d10) dice. These dice 
  are added together, sometimes with a modifier, to get the result. A 
  2d10 + 3 damage roll of 5 and a 3 would result in an 11.
  WHEN TO ROLL THE DICE
  Roll the dice when the results may influence the plot or have other 
  consequences, when the situation is challenging, or when a char-
  acter is opposed by another force. Don’t make tests for mundane, 
  everyday tasks. A skill of 40 or more assumes a professional level of 
  competency. You don’t need to roll every time your character pilots 
  a ship, looks up something basic online, or talks to an NPC—assume 
  characters breeze through the easy stuff. Save the dice rolling for 
  situations with dramatic stakes.
  MAKING TESTS
  When the GM calls for a test, roll percentile dice and compare the 
  result to the target number. The target number is based on the 
  character’s skill, aptitude check, or rep network score. If the result is 
  equal to less than the target number, the test succeeds. If the result 
  is higher, the test fails.
  Though you want to roll equal to or under the target number, you 
  also want to roll as high as possible in order to get a superior result 
  (next column) or to beat your opponent in opposed tests (p. 5).
  WHO ROLLS?
  Players roll the dice when making tests for their characters; GMs 
  roll for NPCs. Sometimes the GM makes tests for PCs in secret, so 
  as not to alert players to something their characters wouldn’t know, 
  like whether or not they spot a clue. It’s a good idea for GMs to keep 
  a copy of the PC character sheets on hand.
  Treat multiple characters engaging in the same activity—such as 
  a group searching a room or someone attempting to calm an angry 
  mob—as a single entity. In this case, simply roll once for the group, 
  using the highest skill among them—or the lowest, if the group is an 
  impediment. If the result may separately impact multiple characters, 
  however, have them roll individually.
  DIFFICULTY AND MODIFIERS
  Degrees of difficulty are represented by modifiers—adjustments that 
  raise or lower the target number. An easy test provides a positive 
  modifier, increasing the target number. A hard test inflicts a nega-
  tive modifier. Modifiers are assigned in multiples of ten, ranging 
  from +10 to +30 and −10 to −30, as noted on the Modifiers table.
  In addition to the test’s inherent challenge level, various situa-
  tional aspects may also influence the test, such as high-quality gear, 
  poor environmental conditions, or the health of the character. These 
  factors are also represented as modifiers based on their level of 
  severity, as noted on the Modifiers table.
  GMs assign modifiers appropriate to the situation. If multiple 
  circumstances affect a test, assess the situation as a whole and apply 
  a single modifier based on the overall net effect. No set of multiple 
  modifiers should impact a test by more than +/–60.
  SUPERIOR RESULTS: 33/66 RULE
  Sometimes you will rock your test with flair, sometimes you will 
  fumble it like a noob. On a roll of 33 or more that succeeds, you 
  get a superior success. On a roll of 66 or more, you get two superior 
  successes. On a roll of 66 or less that fails, you get a superior fail. On 
  a roll of 33 or less, you get two superior fails.
  For each superior result, choose one of the following. For two 
  superior results, you may choose two of the following or one twice 
  for double the effect:
  • Quality: The work is more exact (success) or more sloppy (fail). This 
  may affect subsequent tests by +/–10.
  • Quantity: The test consumes fewer (success) or more (fail) materials 
  or produces fewer or more results.
  • Detail: You acquire information that is much more in-depth/
  nuanced (success) orfalse (failure).
  • Time (Task Actions only): The action takes a shorter (success) or 
  longer (fail) amount of time, by +/–25%.
  • Covertness: The action is less (success) or more (fail) obvious or 
  draws less or more attention (+/–10 as appropriate).
  • Damage: Successes inflict more (+1d6) damage (fails miss).
  Use superior results for extra style and oomph factor when 
  making tests. Superior results may not apply to every dice roll; a 
  binary success/fail is often enough to move the story forward. This 
  is especially true for tests that fail—the consequences may be severe 
  enough without needing to know how badly the character screwed 
  up. GMs make the final call on when/how to apply superior results.
  MODIFIERS
  Difficulty
  Situational Factor
  Modifier
  Very Easy
  Major Bonus
  +30
  Easy
  Moderate Benefit
  +20
  Slightly Easy
  Minor Boost
  +10
  Average
  +/–0
  Slightly Hard
  Minor Hindrance
  –10
  Hard
  Moderate Impediment
  –20
  Very Hard
  Major Drawback
  –30
  
  5
  TYPES OF TESTS• ACTIONS AND TIME
  CRITICALS
  When you roll doubles on a test—00, 11, 22, etc—you score a critical 
  result. If you roll a critical and succeed, you get a critical success. If 
  you roll a critical and fail, you score a critical failure. A roll of 00 is 
  always a critical success, a roll of 99 is always a critical failure, no 
  matter the target number.
  Criticals have more impact than superior results. They represent 
  “Wow!” moments where you stun onlookers with your proficiency or 
  ineptness. They provide extra bonus effects/penalties, as determined 
  by the GM. Here are some examples:
  • A critical hit either doubles the damage or reduces the target’s armor 
  by half (GM choice)
  • Gain a +/–20 modifier to the next test you make
  • Take an extra action (critical success) or lose your next action (crit-
  ical failure)
  • Break a weapon/tool (critical failure)
  • Regain 1 expended Insight, Moxie, or Vigor point (crit success)
  You are encouraged to devise creative critical results as appro-
  priate to the situation. If a critical is also a superior result, only the 
  critical applies.
  TYPES OF TESTS
  There are two types of tests: success tests and opposed tests.
  SUCCESS TESTS
  Use success tests whenever you act without direct opposition. Most 
  skill tests, rep network tests, and aptitude checks are handled as 
  success tests and require a quick or complex action (next column) 
  to complete. Success tests are handled exactly as described under 
  Making Tests (p. 4).
  OPPOSED TESTS
  Opposed tests are called for when you are directly opposed by an 
  NPC or other force. Negotiating, arm-wrestling, pickpocketing, 
  and combat are all examples of opposed tests. Opposed tests are 
  more difficult, because you must not only succeed but also beat 
  your opponent.
  When making an opposed test, both sides make a test as described 
  above. If any modifiers apply to the situation, they should be applied 
  to whichever side gains an advantage only (i.e., a negotiation where 
  one party has inside information) or to both sides if equally affected 
  (i.e., two runners competing on a slippery surface).
  • If one opponent succeeds and the other fails, the successful one 
  wins the contest.
  • If both sides succeed, whomever rolls highest wins.
  • If both sides tie or fail, either the opponents remain deadlocked or 
  the highest roll or skill wins (GM’s choice).
  Critical successes trump high rolls on opposed tests. If both sides 
  succeed, but the lower roller gets a critical, they manage to pull an 
  upset victory from the clutches of defeat. If both opponents roll 
  critical successes, the higher roll (or skill) wins.
  ACTIONS AND TIME
  Most of your actions in game will be handled in a free-form manner, 
  with the GM only loosely tracking time. When timing and the order 
  of actions becomes important, however, Eclipse Phase uses action 
  turns to measure time during important scenes.
  ACTION TURNS
  An action turn represents roughly 3 seconds. There are 20 action 
  turns per minute. During each action turn you may undertake one 
  of the following:
  • 1 complex action, 1 quick action, and unlimited automatic actions
  • 1 task action, 1 quick action, and unlimited automatic actions
  • 3 quick actions and unlimited automatic actions
  AUTOMATIC ACTIONS
  Automatic actions are always “on,” reflexive, or otherwise require 
  no effort from the character to initiate. Basic movement such as 
  walking or running is also an automatic action (more complex 
  movement may require quick, complex, or even task actions).
  Examples: Base move, basic perception, breathing, defending 
  against an attack, dropping prone, dropping something, full move, 
  resisting damage, speaking a simple sentence or two.
  QUICK ACTIONS
  Quick actions are accomplished in a fraction of a second or require 
  so little cognitive effort that you can do them while undertaking 
  something else.
  Examples: Activating or deactivating a device, conveying complex 
  information, detailed perception, drawing a weapon, ducking behind 
  cover, gesturing, jumping, opening a door, picking something up, 
  pulling something from an accessible pocket, standing up, taking 
  a drug.
  COMPLEX ACTIONS
  Complex actions require a few seconds of concentration and effort.
  Examples: Aiming, attacking in melee, examining, finding some-
  thing in a bag, full defense, non-standard movement, reloading a 
  weapon, rushing, shooting a gun, using a complex device.
  TASK ACTIONS
  Task actions require more than a few seconds to complete. Each task 
  action has a timeframe, the base amount of time required to finish 
  the task. Timeframes may be measured in action turns, minutes, 
  hours, days, or even months. The actual time you take to complete a 
  task is equal to the timeframe adjusted by any superior results (p. 4) 
  you score on the test. You may interrupt your work on a task and 
  continue it later, unless the GM specifically rules the task requires 
  uninterrupted effort.
  If you fail a task action, you expend 25% of the timeframe, +25% 
  per superior failure, before you realize you have failed.
  Examples: Climbing, hacking, infiltration, medical examination, 
  programming, repairing, scientific analysis, searching a room, swim-
  ming, thorough investigation, recharging.
  
  6
  CHARACTER STATS + POOLS
    • APTITUDES •SKILLS
  CHARACTER STATS
  Your character is defined by a number of abilities and scores, all 
  recorded on your character sheet.
  EGO vs. MORPH
  The most important distinction in your stats is the distinction 
  between ego and morph. Your ego represents your mind, person-
  ality, memories, inherent traits, and learned skills. It represents 
  your mental state and true self and transfers with you from body 
  to body. Your morph is your physical (or sometimes virtual) form, 
  the body you currently inhabit. Your morph may change or die, and 
  is sometimes considered expendable, but your ego lives on. Your 
  consciousness’s continuity may sometimes be interrupted by an 
  unexpected death, however, or split off onto divergent paths by 
  forking. Both ego and morph may be customized and modified, 
  though mind hacks are a trickier and more dangerous affair.
  Your aptitudes, skills, and some derived stats and traits all belong 
  to your ego. They stay with you throughout your character’s devel-
  opment. Your morph provides you with pools to enhance your skills, 
  Durability to represent your health and constitution, implants or 
  robotic enhancements, and some traits and derived stats of its own. 
  These change when you switch to a new morph. It is important to 
  keep your ego and morph stats distinct, especially when resleeving.
  APTITUDES
  Your aptitudes represent your natural, inherent abilities. They are 
  the foundation for your skills. There are 6 aptitude scores:
  • Cognition (COG) represents your intelligence, problem-solving 
  talent, and capacity for logical analysis.
  • Intuition (INT) is your gut instinct and ability to evaluate on the fly. 
  It includes physical awareness, creativity, cleverness, and cunning.
  • Reflexes (REF) is your coordination, manual dexterity, nimbleness, 
  balance, and reaction speed.
  • Savvy (SAV) represents your social awareness, adaptability, 
  empathy, and ability to influence others.
  • Somatics (SOM) is how well you can exploit your morph’s capabilities, 
  including strength, stamina, and sustained positioning and motion.
  • Willpower (WIL) is your self-control, mental fortitude, and strength 
  of personality.
  APTITUDE CHECKS
  You will sometimes rely on your aptitudes to make tests rather than 
  learned skills. Aptitude Checks are a derived stat, based on your 
  aptitude × 3. Aptitude Checks come into play in situations where no 
  skill applies, but your raw talent does. Some examples:
  • Cognition Check: Recall a memory, memorize a number, or resist 
  mental manipulation.
  • Intuition Check: Evaluate a situation, see through an illusion, or 
  grok alien intentions.
  • Reflexes Check: Catch a thrown object, balance, avoid blinding 
  glare, or stop yourself from falling.
  • Savvy Check: Evaluate a social situation, express empathy, follow 
  etiquette, or resist social manipulation.
  • Somatics Check: Exercise brute strength, endure hardships, or 
  break free from grapples.
  • Willpower Check: Keep your composure, steel your resolve, or 
  resist fear or emotional manipulation.
  SKILLS
  Skills represent abilities learned and honed through education and 
  practice. This is a brief summary of eack skill, along with its linked 
  aptitude. Each field skill must be applied towards a specific focus 
  area, such as Hardware: Electronics or Hardware: Armorer.:
  Athletics (SOM): Physical activity in gravity with a humanoid, 
  uplift, or biomimicked morph, including climbing, running, swim-
  ming, gymnastics, throwing, and winged flight.
  Deceive (SAV): Lying, bluffing, conning, fast talk, impersonation, 
  acting, and other attempts to misrepresent or hide the truth with 
  words and gestures.
  Exotic Skill (Field): Catch-all category for less common skills such 
  as animal handling, contortion, disguise, music, sleight of hand, or 
  throwing knives.
  Fray (REF): The ability to get out of the way of danger.
  Free Fall (SOM): Physical activity in microgravity.
  Guns (REF): Aiming and shooting. Used for beam, kinetic, seeker, 
  and spray weapons.
  Hardware (COG, Field): Building, repairing, disabling, upgrading, 
  and physical hacking of technological systems.
  Infiltrate (REF): Sneaking, hiding, and escaping detection.
  Infosec (COG): Hacking or protecting electronic devices and 
  networks.
  Interface (COG): Using and understanding modern electronic 
  devices, networks, weapons, and systems.
  Kinesics (SAV): Perception of body language, tells, social cues, 
  and nonverbal communication.
  Know (COG, Field): Specialized knowledge in a hobby, scientific 
  pursuit, or professional trade.
  Medicine (COG, Field): Care and diagnosis of biological life, 
  including emergency care, forensics, pharmacology, psychosurgery, 
  and surgery.
  Melee (SOM): Fighting, whether unarmed or using blades, clubs, 
  or similar handheld weapons.
  Perceive (INT): Awareness and use of your physical senses.
  Persuade (SAV): Bargaining, convincing, etiquette, and social 
  manipulation.
  Pilot (REF, Field): Moving in a vehicle or non-humanoid or 
  non-biomimicked morph.
  Program (COG): Writing and modifying software code. Also used 
  for nanofabrication or crafting VR environments or AR illusions.
  Provoke (SAV): Intimidation, taunting, seduction, or any invoca-
  tion of emotion to socially manipulate.
  Research (INT): Finding and interpreting data on the mesh.
  Survival (INT): Navigation, tracking, finding safe food and shelter, 
  and defending oneself against hostile planetary environments.
  MORPH
  Your character’s current biological, synthetic, or digital form. This 
  may be the body you were born in or one you sleeved into. Morphs 
  come pre-loaded with specific traits, implants, and pools.
  
  7
    • INSIGHT • MOXIE • VIGOR • FLEX
  POOLS
  Pools reflect your character’s transhuman capabilities: augmented 
  intelligence, enhanced physical prowess, elevated charisma. They 
  boost your inherent talent and enable you to face down challenges, 
  overcome obstacles, and achieve impressive feats.
  Each pool is linked to a different group of aptitudes and skills and 
  may be used in unique ways to modify your rolls or provide other 
  bonuses to your character.
  Insight pool is linked to mental capabilities: Cognition, Intuition, 
  and their linked skills.
  Moxie pool is linked to social interactions: Savvy, Willpower, and 
  their linked skills. It may also be used for Rep Tests.
  Vigor pool is linked to physical efforts: Reflexes, Somatics, and 
  their linked skills.
  Flex pool is a wild-card pool. It can be used to affect dice rolls for 
  any tests and for narrative control.
  USING POOLS
  You may spend points from your pools to affect the tests you make; 
  choose one of the following options. Each pool may only be used for 
  tests that use their linked skills or aptitudes (i.e., a Vigor point can 
  be used on a skill test or aptitude check linked to REF or SOM). Flex 
  my be used on any tests. Unless otherwise noted, only 1 pool point 
  may be spent per test.
  • Before Roll: Ignore all negative modifiers to the test.
  • Before Roll: Add +20 to the test’s target number.
  • After Roll: Flip-flop a d100 roll. For example, 83 becomes 38.
  • After Roll: Upgrade a success to a superior success (or one to two).
  • After Roll: Downgrade a critical failure to a regular failure.
  • Ongoing (Insight/Moxie/Vigor Only): Receive +5 (1 point) or +10 
  (2 points) to all skill tests linked to one aptitude for 24 hours or until 
  your next recharge.
  USING INSIGHT
  Your mental pool may also be used for one of the 
  following effects:
  • Go first in an action turn if you are only taking mental or mesh 
  actions and no physical movement. If multiple characters choose 
  this option, they go in Initiative order before everyone else.
  • Take an extra quick or complex mental or mesh action in an action 
  turn. This action may only be taken after everyone else has gone. If 
  multiple characters choose this option, they go in Initiative order 
  after everyone else has taken their turn.
  • Acquire a clue through investigation, research, or analysis of the 
  facts at hand, without needing to make a test.
  USING MOXIE
  Your social pool may be used to affect Rep Tests 
  and also for one of the following effects:
  • Ignore the effects of 1 trauma for 24 hours.
  • Refresh rep network favors at a cost of 1 point per favor level 
  (refreshing Level 3 favors would cost 3 points).
  • Acquire a clue by gathering information via social interactions 
  without needing to make a test.
  • Negate a player’s social gaffe that the character wouldn’t make.
  USING VIGOR
  Your physical pool may also be used for one of the 
  following effects:
  • Go first in an action turn. If multiple characters choose this option, 
  they go in Initiative order before everyone else.
  • Take an extra quick or complex physical action in an action turn. 
  This action may only be taken after everyone else has gone. If 
  multiple characters choose this option, they go in Initiative order 
  after everyone else has taken their turn.
  • Ignore the effects of 1 wound for 24 hours.
  USING FLEX
  Your wild-card pool is used for narrative control:
  • Introduce a new or existing NPC to a scene. Their 
  presence must be plausible. You may define one aspect of this NPC: 
  their morph, factional allegiance, a noteworthy skill, a specific trait, 
  etc. The GM determines the other details.
  • Introduce an item to a scene. Its presence must be plausible. The 
  item cannot be offensive (no weapons) and it must be of Minor (not 
  Rare or Restricted) Complexity. It can be a useful tool, a necessary 
  piece of gear, or even a clue. The GM determines its placement 
  within the scene and the nature of any clues.
  • Introduce an environmental factor to a scene. Its presence must be 
  plausible. It should provide a new detail that does not drastically 
  alter the scene. Examples include hiding spots, cover, distractions, 
  shelter, or exploitable elements such as a ladder or window.
  • Introduce a new, plausible relationship between your character and 
  an existing NPC. This connection should be more loose or minor 
  than close or serious. For example, you may have a common friend, 
  shared history, or old but minor rivalry. You may define the rough 
  basics, but the GM determines the finer points and the NPC’s atti-
  tude towards your character.
  REFRESHING POOLS
  You recover the points you have spent from pools by taking a short 
  or long recharge action to rest and recalibrate. You can’t increase a 
  pool above its original rating; unspent points are lost.
  • Short Recharge (2/day): Short recharges are a task action with a 
  timeframe of 10 minutes. You may take two short recharges per 
  24-hour period. Each short recharge restores 1d6 pool points; 
  you decide where to allocate them. Some gear or psi sleights may 
  provide bonus refreshed points.
  • Long Recharge (1/day): A long recharge is a task action with a time-
  frame of 4 hours (8 for flats and other biomorphs without biomods). 
  You may only benefit from one long recharge per 24-hour period. A 
  long recharge completely restores your pools to their full value.
  
  8
  COMBAT
  INITIATIVE ORDER • RESOLVING COMBAT
  INITIATIVE ORDER
  The order of actions between characters within a turn is determined 
  by Initiative. Your Initiative stat is your (Intuition + Reflexes) ÷ 5.
  At the beginning of an action sequence, every character rolls for 
  initiative. Roll 1d10 and add your Initiative stat. The highest total 
  goes first, followed by the other characters in descending order. In 
  the event of a tie, characters go simultaneously (or resolve by highest 
  REF or roll-off). In Initiative order, declare and resolve the actions 
  you will take that action turn. Once everyone has gone, a new action 
  turn starts, using the same Initiative order. When it is no longer 
  necessary to minutely keep track of who goes when, you can drop 
  out of Initiative order and return to free-form game time.
  TAKING THE INITIATIVE
  You may spend Vigor (p. 7) to go first in Initiative. You return to your 
  regular Initiative roll order the next round. If multiple characters 
  spend Vigor, they go in Initiative order first, followed by everyone else.
  DELAYING ACTIONS
  You may choose to delay until later in the Initiative order. You can 
  specify when you want to act (before or after another character, 
  for example), a specific condition that will cause you to act (i.e., if 
  someone attacks you), or simply go on standby. If you delay, you can 
  interrupt another character acting later in the Initiative order once 
  they have declared their action and go before them. You may inter-
  rupt another between their actions or before they take an extra action.
  If you delay, you must act before the end of the turn; you may not 
  save your action for the next turn. If multiple characters delay and 
  choose to act at the same time or wait until the end of the turn, the 
  one with the lowest Initiative roll must declare their action first, and 
  the higher Initiative character can choose to interrupt or go after.
  EXTRA ACTIONS
  You may spend Vigor or Insight (p. 7) for an extra physical or mental 
  action each turn. These extra actions take before the end of the 
  turn, after everyone else has gone. If multiple characters take extra 
  actions, they are handled in Initiative order. You may not take more 
  than two extra actions in a single action turn.
  RESOLVING COMBAT
  Not every problem can be solved with words or wits. Whether you 
  employ fists, knives, guns, or more creative options, all violence in 
  Eclipse Phase is handled as an opposed test between the attacker 
  and defender. Use the following steps to resolve combat situations.
  STEP 1: DECLARE ATTACK
  The attacker initiates by taking a complex action to attack on their 
  turn in the Initiative order. The nature of the attack must be declared. 
  The skill used depends on the method used to attack. Melee (close 
  combat) and Guns (ranged weapons) are most commonly used, but 
  some attacks may call for Athletics (thrown grenades), Hardware: 
  Explosives (placed charges), Interface (electronic weapon systems), 
  or an Exotic skill appropriate to the weapon.
  STEP 2: DECLARE DEFENSE
  Defense is an automatic action. Unless they are surprised or inca-
  pacitated, the defender always has the option to respond.
  Melee Defense: Against a melee attack, the defender may choose 
  to block and parry using their own Melee skill or dodge using Fray.
  Ranged Defense: Ranged attacks are much harder to dodge; 
  defenders use their Fray skill ÷ 2.
  Full Defense: Characters that have declared they are engaging in 
  full defense may defend as above, with a +30 modifier.
  STEP 3: APPLY MODIFIERS
  Apply any appropriate situational, wound/trauma, or other modi-
  fiers to the attacker’s and defender’s skills, as appropriate.
  STEP 4: MAKE OPPOSED TEST
  Both the attacker and defender roll d100 against their modified skill 
  target numbers.
  STEP 5: DETERMINE RESULT
  If the attacker fails, the attack misses completely. If the attacker 
  succeeds and the defender fails, the attack hits.
  If both attacker and defender succeed in their tests, compare 
  their dice rolls. If the attacker’s dice roll is higher, the attack hits 
  despite a spirited defense; otherwise, the attack fails to connect  (see 
  Opposed Tests, p. 5).
  Attacker Superior Success: For each superior success the attacker 
  scores, increase the DV inflicted by +1d6.
  Attacker Critical Success: If the attacker hits with a critical, the 
  defender’s Armor Value is halved or damage is doubled.
  Defender Superior/Critical Fail: Ignored. Getting hit is bad 
  enough.
  STEP 6: ROLL DAMAGE
  Every attack has a Damage Value (DV). If the attack hits, roll the 
  dice and total the results. Superior results may increase your 
  damage dice.
  Some attacks may have additional effects, as noted in the descrip-
  tion and weapon/ammo traits. These may call for the defender to 
  make additional tests.
  STEP 7: APPLY ARMOR
  If the defender is wearing armor, it will protect them. Determine 
  which part of the defender’s Armor Value (AV) applies—energy or 
  kinetic armor (AVs are listed as energy/kinetic). Reduce the damage 
  total by the appropriate value. If the damage is reduced to 0 or less, 
  the armor is effective and the attack fails to injure the target.
  Both critical hits and armor-piercing attacks will reduce the AV by 
  half. A critical armor-piercing attack will reduce the AV to 0.
  STEP 8: APPLY DAMAGE
  Inflicted damage that exceeds armor is applied to the defender. 
  Keep track of this total on the character sheet. If the accumulated 
  damage equals or exceeds the defender’s Durability, they are inca-
  pacitated and may die. If it equals or exceeds their Death Rating, 
  they are killed/destroyed.
  
  9
  RANGED COMBAT
  STEP 9: DETERMINE WOUNDS
  If the inflicted damage, less armor, from a single attack equals 
  or exceeds the defender’s Wound Threshold, they suffer a wound. 
  Multiple wounds may be applied with a single attack if the modi-
  fied DV is two or more factors beyond the Wound Threshold. Each 
  wound applies a cumulative −10 modifier to actions and −1 to 
  Initiative. A character with 3 wounds, for example, suffers −30 to 
  all actions and −3 to Initiative. Some traits, ware, drugs, and pools 
  allow you to ignore wound modifiers. These effects are cumulative, 
  though a maximum of 3 wounds worth of modifiers may be negated 
  (–30 to actions and −3 to Initiative).
  RANGED COMBAT
  Ranged weapons have one or more firing modes that determines 
  their rate of fire:
  Single Shot (SS): These weapons only fire one shot per action turn.
  Semi-Automatic (SA): Semi-automatic weapons are capable of 
  quick, repeated fire.
  Burst Fire (BF): Burst-fire weapons release a burst of shots with 
  a single trigger pull. You may shoot a burst against a single target 
  (concentrated fire) or against two targets who are standing within 
  one meter of each other. In the case of concentrated fire, you can 
  choose either a +10 modifier to hit or increase the DV by +1d10. In 
  the case of two adjacent targets, make a single attack test against both.
  Full Automatic (FA): Full-auto weapons release a hail of shots 
  with a single trigger pull. You may attack a single target with concen-
  trated fire or up to three separate targets within one meter of each 
  other. In the case of concentrated fire, choose either a +30 modifier 
  to hit or increase the DV by +2d10. In the case of two adjacent targets, 
  make a single attack test against all three.
  RANGE
  Every ranged weapon has a Range rating, indicating the distance 
  to which it is optimally effective. Attacks are broken down into four 
  categories, each with their own modifier:
  Point-Blank: 2 meters or less. +10 to hit. Cone weapons +1d10 DV.
  Close: 10 meters or less. No hit modifier. Cone weapons +1d10 DV.
  Range: Up to the weapon’s Range rating in meters. −10 to hit.
  Beyond Range: An additional −10 modifier per Range multiple. 
  For example, a target at 200 meters with a Range 50 weapon would 
  be −40 to hit. Additionally, kinetic and cone weapons hit targets 
  beyond range at −1d10 DV, unless in vacuum.
  COMBAT SUMMARY
  Combat is an opposed test:
  • Attacker rolls attack skill +/− modifiers.
  • Melee: Defender rolls Fray or Melee skill +/– modifiers.
  • Ranged: Defender rolls (Fray skill ÷ 2) +/– modifiers.
  • If attacker succeeds and rolls higher than the defender, the 
  attack hits. Roll damage.
  • Superior hits inflict +1d6 DV
  • Critical hits reduce armor by half or double the DV.
  • The weapon’s damage is reduced by the target’s energy or 
  kinetic armor, as appropriate.
  • If the damage equals or exceeds the target’s Wound 
  Threshold, a wound is scored. If the damage equals or 
  exceeds double the target’s Wound Threshold, two wounds 
  are scored, and so on.
  • If total damage reaches Durability, the target is incapaci-
  tated. If it reaches Death Rating, they are killed/destroyed.
  COMBAT MODIFIERS
  Numerous factors can impact an attack’s outcome. 
  These modifiers apply to all types of attacks.
  Situation
  Modifiers
  Superior position
  +20
  Wounded/traumatized
  –10 per wound/trauma
  Called shot
  –10
  Using off-hand
  –20
  Wielding two-handed weapon with one hand
  –20
  Very small target (mouse or insect)
  –30
  Small target (child-sized)
  –10
  Large target (car sized)
  +10
  Very large target (side of a barn)
  +30
  Visibility impaired   
   (minor: glare, light smoke, dim light)
  –10
  Visibility impaired  (major: heavy smoke, dark)
  –20
  Blind Attacks
  –30/50% miss chance
  RANGED MODIFIERS
  These modifiers apply to ranged combat attacks. 
  Situation
  Modifiers
  Aim: Quick/Complex
  +10/+30
  Attacker Behind Cover
  –10
  Attacker In Melee
  –30
  Attacker Not Using Smartlink or Laser Sight
  –10
  Attacker Running
  –20
  Defender Behind Minor/Moderate/Major Cover –10/–20/–30
  Defender Hidden
  –30 & 50% miss chance 
  Defender Prone and at Range (10+ m)
  –10
  Firing Mode
   Burst Fire (Concentrated)
  +10 or +1d10 DV
   Full Auto (Concentrated)
  +30 or +2d10 DV
  Indirect Fire
  –30
  Range
   Point-Blank (2 m)
  +10
   Range
  –10
   Beyond Range
  –10 per Range increment
  –1d10 DV for kinetic weapons
  
    •  
  10
  HOW TO PLAY
  USING THE MESH
  USING THE MESH
  The full rules for using the mesh and hacking are beyond the scope 
  of the Quick-Start Rules, this is a quick-and-dirty summary.
  Almost everything is computerized and wirelessly connected in 
  Eclipse Phase. Through their mesh insert brain implants, characters 
  can access the mesh, view augmented reality, communicate privately, 
  and share real-time tactical data with each other. 
  ONLINE RESEARCH
  While simple mesh searches do not require a test, looking up hard-
  to-find information or scanning a network requires a Research Test.
  A few examples of how Research can be used:
  • Maps, routes, climate, and local environmental conditions in a habitat.
  • Accessing public sensor networks or archived footage and run facial/
  biometric recognition searches.
  • Real-time language translation.
  • Searching public databases, blogs, forums, archives, social networks.
  • Searching a particular system for users or files.
  HACKING
  There are two ways to hack a targer: brute-force or careful probing.
  BRUTE-FORCE HACKING
  Brute-force hacking is quick but messy. To brute-force a target, you 
  trigger a library of software exploit tools to methodically launch 
  attacks against known vulnerabilities. Brute-forcing takes a complex 
  action and an Infosec Test at –30. The hacker or AI defending the 
  system opposes with their Infosec. If successful, you gain access to the 
  target system, but the system is automatically alerted to your presence.
  CAREFUL PROBING
  Careful probing takes time, but is more effective. You must take an 
  hour to quietly probe the target’s defenses, looking for an opening 
  without triggering an alert. This also requires an opposed Infosec 
  Test against the target’s hacker or AI. If successful, you penetrate 
  their system without drawing attention to your presence.
  SYSTEM SUBVERSION AND DEFENSE
  Once within a system, hackers can access files, disable security 
  systems, monitor private sensor feeds, lock out other users, tamper 
  with augmented reality inputs, and so on. Actions that would be 
  allowed for any authorized user of the system do not require a 
  test. Actions that would normally only be permitted for admins 
  and network security require an opposed Infosec Test. Should the 
  system defender win, they are alerted to the hacker’s preseence. 
  Hackers and AIs defending a system may attempt to trace an 
  intruder’s physical location, boot them from the system, or shut the 
  system down; each requires a successful opposed Infosec Test. 
  MUSES
  Muses are helper AIs that reside within your mesh inserts. They can 
  perform online tasks for you while you are busy, such as monitor the 
  public sensor mesh in real-time. They can also watch over your own 
  personal are network and devices to counter hacking attacks. Muses 
  have Infosec, Interface, and Research skills at 30.
  
  11
  MOVEMENT • REPUTATION • TERMINOLOGY
  MOVEMENT
  Movement in Eclipse Phase is handled like other types of actions. 
  The more complex the movement, the more effort it requires.
  MOVEMENT RATE
  It may be important to know not just how you’re moving, but how 
  far. Every morph, shell, and creature lists a Movement Rate; this 
  applies to whatever inherent form of locomotion it is capable of: 
  walking, slithering, crawling, rolling, hovering, gliding, flying, 
  vectored thrust, etc. Movement Rates list two numbers: your base 
  move and full move, respectively, in meters per action turn. Most 
  humanoid morphs, for example, have a Movement Rate of 4/20.
  MOVEMENT ACTIONS
  Each action turn, you declare one type of movement action (with the 
  exceptions of jumping and standing up, which may be combined 
  with others) at the beginning of your initiative or choose to stay put. 
  You may not act and then decide to move, for example, as you will 
  have bypassed applicable modifiers. You may cover distance with 
  your move before, during, and/or after any other actions you take 
  during the turn. Extra actions in a turn do not allow you to cover 
  more distance, but you may finish any incomplete movements with 
  those actions.
  BASE MOVE (AUTOMATIC)
  Base moves represent leisurely, unhurried motions analogous to 
  casual walking. This is the maximum distance you may move in a 
  single action turn without incurring a modifier.
  FULL MOVE (AUTOMATIC)
  Full moves are akin to running or moving with effort and speed. 
  This is the maximum distance you may move in meters in a single 
  action turn. Full moves impede your aim and other physical tasks 
  requiring coordination: apply a −20 modifier as appropriate.
  REPUTATION
  Everey character in Eclipse Phase has a reputation score in various 
  online social networks. There are 7 primary networks, each with its 
  own focus:
  • @-rep: The Circle-A List, for autonomists, anarchists, Titanians, 
  scum, and Extropians.
  • c-rep: CivicNet, used by the Planetary Consortium, Morningstar 
  Constellation, Lunar-Lagrange Alliance, Jovian Republic, and other 
  hypercorps and capitalists.
  • f-rep: Fame, the media network used by metacelebrities, journalists, 
  socialists, artists, and glitterati.
  • g-rep: Guanxi, the social network for triads, cartels, gangs, and other 
  criminal groups.
  • i-rep: The Eye, Firewall’s secret internal network.
  • r-rep: Research Network Affiliates, used by argonauts, scientists, 
  technologists, and researchers of all stripes.
  • x-rep: ExploreNet, the network for gatecrashers and exoplanet colonists.
  USING REP SCORES
  You may use your rep scores to acquire information, gear, or favors 
  from others in the social network. To do so requires time and an 
  appropriate favor. Roll Rep score same as you would a skill. The type 
  of favor you are asking for may impact the test. The GM decides 
  whether the favor rates as Trivial (+30), Minor (+10), Moderate (+0), 
  or Major (–30).
  REP LIMITS
  Using rep has its limits—there are only so many times you can call 
  in a favor. These limits depend on the level of favor:
  • Trivial Favor: Any time, no limits
  • Minor Favor: 3 times a week
  • Moderate Favor: 1 time a week
  • Major Favor: Once a campaign
  A Rep Test failure does not use a favor unless you roll a critical failure.
  Be sure to mark off favors used on your character sheet.
  TERMINOLOGY
  Every player character knows 
  these words:
  Backup: A copy of a person’s mind.
  Basilisk Hack: A TITAN method of 
  reprogramming or short-circuiting 
  minds via sensory input.
  Beehive: A microgravity habitat made 
  from a tunneled-out asteroid or moon.
  Cortical Stack: An implanted memory cell 
  used for ego backup. 
  Disassembler: A nanoswarm that takes 
  things apart at the molecular level.
  Ego: The memories, skills, and personality 
  of a person that switches from body 
  to body.
  Fa Jing: A massive conglomerate.
  Firewall: A secret cross-faction conspiracy 
  dedicated to protecting transhumanity 
  from “existential threats.”
  Fork: A full or partial copy of an ego. It 
  may be activated as an independent 
  copy of the original person.
  Gnat: A tiny flying robot, usually for 
  scouting or spying.
  Mesh: The omnipresent wireless data 
  network.
  Morph: A body inhabited by an ego. 
  Includes biological biomorphs, robotic 
  synthmorphs, pods (biomorphs with 
  cyberbrains), and virtual infomorphs.
  Nanodetector: A handheld device that 
  detects and categorizes nanomachines 
  in the environment.
  Nanoswarm: A mass of tiny nanobots.
  Psychosurgery: Modification or repairs 
  to the ego.
  Resleeving: Switching an ego to a new 
  morph (body).
  Scratch Space: Hidden cache of Firewall 
  gear; sometimes contains other surprises.
  Taggant: A nanobot that marks a 
  particular item or location.
  TITAN: Super-advanced AIs that led to 
  the Fall of Earth and near-extinction of 
  transhumanity.
  Triad: A criminal cartel.
  Utility Fog: A nanoswarm capable of 
  replicating physical structures.
  
  12
  ACRIMONY
  SYNOPSIS • THE PLAYER CHARACTERS • THE SETTING: KONGYÙN
  SYNOPSIS
  While visiting the beehive habitat Kongyùn to pay off a triad mob 
  boss, a Firewall sentinel named Chi discovered an active TITAN arti-
  fact buried in the center of the asteroid. A posse of locals committed 
  to quarantining the artifact killed Chi and sequestered them in a 
  regolith tomb to be forgotten.
  Firewall sends a team of sentinels to investigate the disappearance, 
  including Chi’s resleeved backup. While expecting a conflict with 
  Fa Jing or the triads, the characters will find the asteroid contains 
  a forgotten TITAN artifact, preying on the minds of the locals. The 
  characters will need to contain or destroy the artifact, while handling 
  Kongyùn’s territorial local population.
  Acrimony casts the player characters in the roles of investigators 
  tasked with defending the survival of transhumanity as part of 
  Firewall, the system-spanning threat-containment group.
  THE PLAYER CHARACTERS
  This scenario assumes the players are using the Firewall outer 
  system sentinels—Amal, Chi, Njal, and Sváfa. Alternatively, the 
  players may use the Firewall planetary ops team, replacing Chi with 
  Jake Carter as the missing sentinel. If player-generated characters are 
  used, replace all references to Chi with the character with the highest 
  Persuade skill. Groups larger than four may use any combination of 
  outer system, planetary ops, or player-generated characters, but it is 
  recommended the group have a range of skillsets, especially in the 
  fields of investigation, negotiations, and exploration. The scenario 
  assumes they are members of Firewall. Additional character sheets 
  are available online at http://eclipsephase.com/qsr
  THE SETTING: KONGYÙN
  Kongyùn is a glittering black gem of a basalt asteroid, settled by 
  Fa Jing as it approached the perihelion of its highly elliptical orbit. 
  Fa Jing bored the heart out of the asteroid, mining for aluminum, 
  oxygen, and phosphorous. Fa Jing has since shut down the bulk of 
  their operations and left the asteroid to any workers who care to 
  try their luck as Kongyùn begins the next leg of its journey into the 
  long night.
  Kongyùn is roughly 9 kilometers in each dimension. The asteroid 
  has three conjoined beehive habitats; Kongyùn Spaceport, which is 
  being gradually scrapped; New City, with nearly 2,000 ex-Fa Jing 
  employees surviving in a space that once held 8,000; and Fa Jing’s 
  secretive Lion installation. The asteroid is riddled with a warren 
  of tunnels that may be public or private access, or abandoned 
  altogether (and sometimes in vacuum). All three habitats, as well 
  as many smaller locales, are connected by an intra-asteroid tram. 
  Travelling by tram takes 40 minutes or less. Walking/pulling across 
  the asteroid by a marked route (for example New City to Lion) takes 
  4 hours. Unmarked tunnels wind and dead-end; every kilometer 
  travelled takes 1d6 ÷ 2 hours. The entire asteroid is in microgravity, 
  with limited power and mesh infrastructure. Any tests relying on 
  the local mesh or power grid suffer a –10 modifier in public areas. 
  Utilities and heat are completely absent in abandoned tunnels, may 
  be lacking in private tunnels, and are spotty elsewhere.
  The local economy is depressed. Fa Jing limitations on nanofabri-
  cation are still in place, so many goods are produced by hand. Visitors 
  may purchase goods through the local company shop, though the 
  selection is limited to basic, low-quality supplies, home goods, and 
  industrial/mining equipment. The triads offer a limited amount of 
  black-market goods, mostly drugs. Kongyùn has a private reputation 
  network, but c-rep and g-rep can be used to acquire goods and favors 
  from the locals and triads, respectively.
  ◀◀◀ The Hook: A Firewall sentinel went missing on an isolated asteroid  
  habitat. Find them—and the secrets they took with them.
  
  13
  THE SITUATION ON KONGYÙN • MAJOR NPCs
  THE SITUATION ON KONGYÙN
  Due to the time constraints imposed by Kongyùn’s orbit, Fa Jing’s 
  mining operation was rushed and haphazard. Two months into the 
  operation, a work crew went mad, brutalizing their own people and 
  stockpiling scrap in the tunnels. Fa Jing brushed the matter aside, 
  intent on restoring full operations. A handful of miners began 
  their own investigation, however, and discovered a large chamber 
  containing an unknown artifact, much like some of the TITAN 
  machines left buried on Mars and Luna from the Fall.
  The miners attempted to destroy the artifact but failed, so they 
  resorted to sealing it off. But the artifact began reaching through the 
  stone walls to influence individuals from afar, drawing them to the 
  chamber where it would rewrite their minds entirely. The miners, 
  now bound by their secret, took it upon themselves to protect the 
  people of Kongyùn from the device, while keeping it out of the 
  hands of Fa Jing and any outsiders who might seek to exploit it for 
  profit. Led by a Fall veteran named Bves, the group modified maps, 
  restricted access anywhere near the artifact, monitored other locals 
  for signs of malicious influence, and regularly patrolled the tunnels 
  and set traps, all while keeping the artifact itself a secret.
  Fa Jing never discovered the artifact. Their activities on the 
  asteroid are limited to last-minute shipping and preparing their 
  Lion installation as part of an outer-system early-detection network 
  for space-faring threats. Due to the sensitivity of the project, Fa Jing 
  will capture anyone intruding physically or virtually in their areas, 
  but otherwise are not involved in the conspiracy. The triads too have 
  limited involvement; they provide some economic and administra-
  tive services to the residents, but have no knowledge of the artifact.
  Over the years, due to the numerous disappearances and “acci-
  dents” caused by the artifact, the locals have come to view the tunnels 
  as dangerous and haunted. Bves’s circle is seen as a cultish but influ-
  ential group; no one dares cross them. As Fa Jing’s authority wanes, 
  the now-retired Bves is widely regarded the unspoken yet undisputed 
  leader of the remaining residents. Among themselves, Bves’s people 
  identify themselves as “Confessors.”
  Ten days ago, Chi was sent to Kongyùn to pay off a debt owed 
  by Firewall and drop off a payment of illegal hardware to triad boss 
  Mariposa Chen. Chi recognized something suspicious on Kongyùn 
  and seduced local blogger Chang’e Jade as an information source. 
  Three days after arrival, Chi saw Bves and his party, armed and 
  grim, enter the mining tunnels. Sensing trouble, Chi followed them 
  into sections of the tunnels not listed on the official maps. There 
  Bves found and killed a wandering infected Kongyùn citizen and 
  buried them in the stone. Once Bves left, Chi pressed deeper into the 
  tunnels, finally stumbling on the artifact chamber itself, where they 
  were infected. As Chi emerged, Bves confronted and killed them, 
  then buried their corpse near the chamber.
  The player characters (the Firewall team, including Chi’s resleeved 
  backup) arrive ten days after the disappearance. While only a few 
  people know about the ultimate fate of Chi, their initial arrival on 
  the station was common knowledge. Meanwhile, Mariposa is still 
  awaiting her payment and Fa Jing is getting skittish about the arrival 
  of mysterious outsiders to their asteroid.
  MAJOR NPCs
  Here is a quick summary of the key NPCs; see p. 21 for stats.
  MARIPOSA CHEN, TRIAD BOSS 
  [STATS • P. 21]
  Mariposa is the head of Kongyùn’s small triad presence (tolerated 
  by both Bves and Fa Jing). She’s awaiting a payout from Firewall, 
  now a week late. While she doesn’t know what happened to Chi, 
  she is friendly with Firewall’s mission, as long as their actions don’t 
  threaten her business. She is sleeved in a bald security pod morph.
  JOSEF BVES, CONSPIRACY LEADER 
  [STATS • P. 21]
  During the Fall of Earth, Bves worked briefly on the front lines as 
  a combat medic, an experience that left him mentally scarred and 
  aimless. He eventually landed on Kongyùn as a work-team manager 
  for Fa Jing. When people on the station went mad, he recognized it 
  as an exsurgent infection and led the team to contain the artifact. 
  His brutal psychosurgery operations were the only way to save 
  those who were artifact-touched, and it enabled him to diagnose 
  new infections through the use of embedded keywords the device 
  left as artifacts of its mental reprogramming. Bves and his group 
  of Confessors protect Kongyùn from a curse they cannot share and 
  the population does not wish to know. He often uses multiple forks 
  (copies of himself) to cover such a wide area.
  Bves killed Chi and leads the effort to stop the current Firewall team, 
  for fear of them mishandling the artifact. Bves (and all his forks) are 
  sleeved in bearded bouncer morphs wearing gray work uniforms.
  LUKE BEST, HACKER 
  [STATS • P. 21]
  Best may be the only hacker on the station, but he has lots of practice 
  and a home ground advantage. Bves recruited Best early into the circle, 
  and Best tracks the party as they investigate. As an infomorph, Best 
  resides on his own private mesh servers or ghostrider modules on 
  Bves or another character.
  CHANG’E JADE, GOSSIP BLOGGER 
  [STATS • P. 21]
  Jade is as close as Kongyùn comes to having a reporter and has been 
  tracking Fa Jing operations since they began. She’s familiar with New 
  City and its people, and knows of secret passages into the asteroid, 
  but not of the artifact or the conspiracy to protect it. Chi seduced Jade 
  for insight on station operations, and Jade has inflated the fling in her 
  mind. Jade is sleeved in a dragonfly morph and has no combat skills.
  DR. JU GUO, FA JING MANAGER [STATS • P. 21]
  Dr. Guo is the transitional manager for the Fa Jing holdings on 
  Kongyùn. As Fa Jing has already turned over the mining operation 
  to local hands, her responsibility is limited to completing the secre-
  tive Lion tracking installation on the far end of the asteroid. Dr. Guo 
  has no part in the conspiracy, but the arrival of the team is a security 
  anomaly she will track. If she becomes aware of the artifact, she will 
  seize it on behalf of the company. She is sleeved in a menton morph.
  CONSTABLE YU 
  [STATS • P. 21]
  Yu is part of Fa Jing’s small standing security force, one of a dozen 
  officers assigned in New City. Most Fa Jing activity outside of the 
  Lion installation is around the ports. Yu has been on Kongyùn for six 
  months. He knows there’s something odd about the people of New City, 
  but he isn’t paid enough to find out what. Yu is sleeved in a security pod.
  
  14
  ACRIMONY
  FIT TO DEPART • ARRIVING ON KONGYÙN • LEADS AND CONTACTS
  FIT TO DEPART
  The characters are contacted as a group via mesh by their Firewall 
  proxy, Eludere. They are brought to a virtual conference room. A 
  model of a black, carbonaceous rock hangs in the center of the room. 
  Once all the characters are settled, read the following aloud:
  MISSION BRIEFING
  Alright all, this is an emergency investigation. Ten days ago, Chi 
  was delivering a payoff to a contact, a triad boss by the name of 
  Mariposa Chen. She was instrumental on Operation Earwig. 
  Mariposa knows of Firewall, but is not a trusted asset. She currently 
  resides on a mid-sized asteroid called Kongyùn. We know Chi 
  arrived on the station, but then disappeared. For what it’s worth, 
  Mariposa reports they never made contact. Chi of course, is back 
  here with us, resleeved from the backup they left before departing.
  Kongyùn used to be a Fa Jing mine. It’s mostly abandoned, except 
  for a Fa Jing outpost called Lion at one end, and scavengers and 
  miners pulling off old Fa Jing equipment at the other. The Lion 
  project doesn’t seem dangerous to Firewall, but it’s well protected 
  so probably best to give it space. It’s possible Mariposa knows some-
  thing she isn’t revealing so you might want to start there. Whatever 
  the cause, we need to determine what happened to our sentinel, 
  while continuing to protect Firewall operations and secrecy. Firewall 
  has no other assets or stakes in the habitat, so you are authorized to 
  act as you see fit.
  I have arranged transit on board the fast supply shuttle, the Red 
  Coronet, leaving in two hours. At Kongyùn you’ll be at the BestRest 
  motel. Sorry, all the five-star rooms were booked. You’ll notice on your 
  maps, we’ve marked a hidden scratch space of gear you can access 
  in an emergency. Kongyùn has tight security checks, so no weapons, 
  fabbers, or combat morphs will be permitted past immigration. Pack 
  appropriately. That also means we will not be smuggling in a new 
  payment to Mariposa. If she never got it, we’ll arrange something in 
  a month. Don’t let her distract you from your mission.
  If the characters ask about the operation Mariposa is being paid 
  for, Eludere will tell them the operation is out of scope for the current 
  investigation, and they have not been cleared for that information. 
  However, she can share the payment is a single-use nanoswarm. 
  Eludere doesn’t know anything about Fa Jing’s project Lion, and 
  pictures of the location show communications dishes.
  WHAT THE CHARACTERS KNOW
  The characters have been given a brief from Firewall. This info is 
  known to all the characters as of the time they land on Kongyùn:
  • Kongyùn was formerly a Fa Jing mining colony. It is still inhabited 
  by a large civilian population.
  • Chi was sent to Kongyùn to deliver a payment to a Firewall triad 
  contact, Mariposa Chen.
  • Chi disappeared soon after, and Mariposa reports she is still 
  awaiting payment.
  • The character named Chi in the party was restored from a copy of 
  Chi’s mind, and put in a new body.
  ARRIVING ON KONGYÙN
  Fa Jing controls the only legitimate farcasting facility, and Eludere 
  wants to avoid the triad darkcasting services until Firewall can 
  confirm Mariposa was not involved in Chi’s disappearance. The party 
  has been provided transit on the fast transport, the Red Coronet. 
  Eludere also gives the team fake identities as scrap resellers. The 
  sentinels are only passengers on the ship, but if they hack or acquire 
  access to the ship sensors and perform a scan of the asteroid (using 
  the Interface skill), they can identify the ports, a few minor surface 
  installations, and eight small satellites. A superior success (33+ 
  on the roll) provides asteroid density information. It is heavily 
  mined and geologically unstable, and there are tunnels and 
  pockets of vacuum not listed on the public maps. With two superior 
  successes (66+) or a critical success, the scans determine the satel-
  lites are part of a radio or IR telescope.
  The Red Coronet is scheduled to dock at New City. Once there, 
  everyone disembarking will need to undergo a full scan for 
  hazardous materials and weapons. Any lethal weapons, combat 
  morphs, or unauthorized equipment (such as nanofabricators) must 
  be left on the ship. Smuggling in equipment through the scanner 
  requires an Infiltration test at a –30 modifier (no modifier for items 
  with the Concealable trait). The characters’ berths are reserved for the 
  return trip in four days, so they are permitted to return to the Red 
  Coronet, and can safely stow gear there. However, Fa Jing, the triads, 
  or the Confessors may block them from departing if they appear to 
  be investigating things they shouldn’t.
  Not far outside of the port, the characters are confronted by 
  Constable Eli Yung, Fa Jing security. Yung interrogates the characters 
  about their business on the station, where they are staying, and who 
  they are meeting with. Though friendly, he emphasizes they should 
  finish their business and leave. If Yung detects any resistance or 
  belligerence, he will subject them to a second weapons search, and 
  seize anything that looks appealing. 
  New City is neither new nor much of a city. The infrastructure is 
  decrepit and spotty. The population has shrunk to a quarter of its 
  original size and lives in material poverty. The majority of the resi-
  dents are sleeved in dented, silica-flecked synthmorphs. The habitat 
  is kept in low-light conditions, and basic things like power and heat 
  come at a premium. The habitat does offer several markets, clinics, 
  and other services, but they cater to miners and scrappers; a team of 
  spunky investigators will immediately stand out.
  LEADS AND CONTACTS
  Once arrived and settled, the characters may begin pursuing leads:
  • Checking in or investigating the motel (p. 15).
  • Researching the mesh for security feeds or news stories. This may 
  lead to contacting local bloggers for additional information (p. 15).
  • Contacting Mariposa Chen (p. 15).
  • Visiting or hacking Fa Jing to determine their involvement (p. 16).
  • Exploring New City for leads (p. 16).
  • Checking the Firewall scratch space (p. 16).
  • Exploring the tunnels for signs of Chi (p. 17).
  
  15
  LEADS AND CONTACTS • BESTREST MOTEL AND INN • MESH RESEARCH LOCAL BLOGGERS • MARIPOSA CHEN
  BESTREST MOTEL AND INN 
  Each character has a 2 × 1 × 1 meter capsule room reserved for them 
  at the BestRest Motel. The motel also offers limited charging and 
  nutrition stations for guests. The motel is mostly vacant, storing 
  more broken morphs awaiting refit than living people. It is managed 
  by a stodgy manager named Lee who is happy to take the characters’ 
  money, but does not recall any details on anyone who stayed there 
  previously. Eludere can confirm this is the same place Chi stayed.
  The motel mesh is weak (–10 on all intrusion and interface 
  actions). The network is actively monitored by a hostile hacker, Best. 
  If characters access local public camera archives (see Mesh Research, 
  below), they can confirm Chi checked in then left, still carrying 
  Mariposa’s payment in a steel case. If they get access to Chi’s room, 
  they will find it has been cleaned and sterilized.
  Any items left in the BestRest are liable to be tampered with or 
  stolen by Bves while the team is away.
  MESH RESEARCH
  It is easy to access public AR maps of the asteroid (no test needed). 
  Maps showing all of the private and forgotten tunnels are harder to 
  acquire (requiring a Research test) and still don’t show everything. 
  With a successful Research test, characters can find blog posts tracking 
  Chi’s last actions in the habitat (move to Local Bloggers, below). 
  Public camera feed archives (no test needed) show Chi taking a 
  steel case from the motel to the Kongyùn tram, then from the tram 
  stop to the Fa Jing Lion installation, where they hand the case to a 
  guard, and return, by tram, to the ship. With a successful Interface 
  Test, they spot artifacts on the video from editing. Examining the 
  artifacts suggests most of the images of Chi were forged. Any original 
  videos have been removed.
  LOCAL BLOGGERS
  Chi’s disappearance is not the only mystery on Kongyùn. In fact, 
  people have been disappearing or suffering psychological distress 
  almost since mining began. Public accounts of the incident with 
  the miners who first discovered the artifact have been suppressed 
  (–30 to Research tests) but remain in the locals’ consciousness. Most 
  medical professionals write the incidents off as traumatic claustro-
  phobia and unsafe tunnels, but a few conspiracy theories abound, 
  most suggesting cover-ups attributed to secretive Fa Jing projects.
  Several local bloggers document news and events, but only one 
  addresses missing persons and conspiracies: Chang’e Jade, reporter 
  and amateur historian. Her blog, “State of Mine,” documents station 
  history, unsolved mysteries, and sordid speculation. She has been 
  blogging extensively about Chi, and has even led some limited 
  efforts to find them. Unknown to Jade, Bves tolerates her activities 
  only because she is being used as a honey pot—Best has thoroughly 
  hacked her mesh inserts and accounts and monitors her closely.
  Jade is eager to meet new arrivals, either online or in person. If the 
  characters spend more than a few days on Kongyùn without visiting 
  her or if it is discovered Chi is back on the station, Jade will seek 
  them out. She is sleeved in a small dragonfly morph. Her speech, 
  much like her behavior, is fast, fidgety, inquisitive, and prone to 
  over-exaggeration. Jade already knows the characters’ cover identities. 
  She will answer their questions, but for each she answers, she gets to 
  ask them one about their business, motivations, insights, and so on. 
  Jade does her research, and if she suspects they are lying, she will 
  stop sharing. The characters can convince Jade to help them track Chi 
  with an Opposed Test, the characters’ Persuasion against Jade’s WIL 
  Check of 45. In this case, she can lead the characters to where Chi 
  was last reported seen (see Circling the Fire, p. 17). 
  Jade is looking for Chi specifically because of their brief fling—and 
  Chi may have overstated their affection at the time. If Jade knows Chi 
  is in the party, Jade will automatically ally with the characters, on the 
  assumption that Chi is actually looking to bring Jade with them to 
  continue their romantic commitment.
  MARIPOSA CHEN
  Mariposa operates out of New City’s primary medical clinic, a repur-
  posed two-story office complex. The triad has set up the clinic as a 
  speakeasy for black-market goods, body modifications, and psycho-
  surgery. While the triad makes a show of force with their hustlers, 
  enforcers, and smugglers, the majority of the people working out 
  of the space are private doctors and mechanics. Those with g-rep 
  or credits to spend can access goods not otherwise available on the 
  local market. Mariposa does most of her work out of a private back 
  room stacked high with cables, batteries, and jugs of hydraulic fluid. 
  Mariposa is short, bulky, and bald, sleeved in a security pod morph 
  and wearing a miner’s vacsuit covered with stickers and graffiti. She 
  has dozens of pockets and pouches on her person, where she stores 
  everything from nutrition bars to cortical stacks. 
  LOCAL CHARM
  The people still on Kongyùn are a mix of hypercorp left-be-
  hinds and isolationist brinkers. Kongyùn is remote, highly 
  insular, and gets few visitors, so the characters’ arrival 
  will provoke curiosity and fears of trouble. Social interac-
  tions will generally be hostile (at minimum a –10 penalty). 
  Rumors are likely to follow the characters, painting them as 
  Fa Jing suits, corporate spies, salvagers looking to pull a con, 
  coyotes smelling desperation, or worse. The characters may 
  find many stores are “not open for business,” even as stock is 
  on display, and strangers watch them with icy silence. 
  The local language is a pidgin of Cantonese, French, and 
  English, with technical jargon and local references added liber-
  ally and a local accent that swallows words, making the results 
  of real-time mesh translation a bit interesting.
  If the sentinels get too nosy with questions or reveal 
  that Chi was on Kongyùn previously (locals that interacted 
  with Chi on their previous visit may identify them on their 
  own with a Kinesics test), the local response becomes more 
  extreme—they refuse to talk, walk away, or bluntly tell the 
  PCs to leave. Bves will make threats more transparent. If 
  Chi’s presence becomes known, Chang’e Jade will seek them 
  out, chastising Chi (or whomever she guesses is Chi) for 
  ignoring her, before attaching herself to their arm like an old 
  girlfriend. Mariposa will also seek a word about the delivery.
  
  16
  ACRIMONY
  LEADS AND CONTACTS • FA JING •NEW CITY • FIREWALL SCRATCH SPACE
  Mariposa does not initially know the characters are from Firewall, 
  and any requests for information will require a favor. If they choose 
  to reveal their identities, Mariposa expects to be paid what she is 
  owed immediately and will attempt to hold the characters until 
  they confess where the payment is. The characters may attempt 
  a Persuade test (opposed by her WIL Check 60) to leave without 
  issue. If successful, Mariposa will give them 12 hours to recover her 
  payment. With a superior success, she may provide some additional 
  resources in finding what happened to Chi. With a superior failure, 
  she will call in triad enforcers (see Thugs, p. 21) to emphasize the 
  urgency of the situation, who will beat two members of the party 
  with shock batons. Mariposa doesn’t have the people for a decisive 
  victory against an armed party. If fighting breaks out, she will seek 
  to disengage from unfavorable odds.
  Mariposa made her own inquiries when Chi disappeared, but 
  found little. The two had been talking online, planning a clandestine 
  meeting, but hadn’t yet met directly. Mariposa searched Chi’s room 
  and found some extra smart clothes, tools, and a few other personal 
  effects, which she resold. Mariposa can be convinced to lend an 
  enforcer to help the characters navigate Kongyùn, at the cost of a 
  moderate g-rep favor. This enforcer will have orders not to engage 
  with the Confessors or Fa Jing security in any way.
  Mariposa is aware that strange things go on in the asteroid. The 
  locals believe Fa Jing has a transmitter that affects peoples’ minds, 
  causing strange dreams and erratic behavior. Mariposa knows that’s 
  ridiculous, but she’s received enough clients with unusual mental 
  trauma to know something is wrong. She is aware that Bves also helps 
  locals with psychosurgery and has had some luck helping victims 
  recover. Though she will not say so, she views Bves as a future rival 
  and is reluctant to create tension with him. She can also direct the 
  characters to Jade as a source of information and hearsay.
  FA JING
  Fa Jing holds a secure facility on the far side of the asteroid from 
  New City, with a staff of 100 engineers and scientists and 20 secu-
  rity guards, augmented by drones (see Fa Jing Security, p. 17). The 
  facility itself includes a cluster of super-cooled, wide-field telescopes 
  to detect extrasolar ships, and narrow-beam communications to 
  report home, all using cutting-edge technology that will need to 
  survive, automated, for a century. They don’t take calls, and their 
  security forces will capture and interrogate any interlopers.
  There are multiple ways of getting in touch with Fa Jing. The PCs 
  can attempt to breach the facility and become captured, use c-rep to 
  send a message, or use Research skill to acquire an executive email 
  address from public mesh sources. In any case, curious interlopers 
  will be referred to Dr. Ju Guo, facility administrator.
  The facility itself is locked down. Once inside, most security is for 
  safety, in the form of reinforced doors around radiation sources or 
  temperature-controlled rooms. Dr. Guo’s office is large, but spartan, with 
  locally made art and holograms of star fields. The facility does have a 
  medical clinic, which they may use if any of the characters are captured.
  Dr. Guo (p. 13) is driven by her own curiosity and will pry into the 
  sentinels' intentions, even sharing information of her own, though she 
  will stay quiet about Project Lion. Depending on how the conversation 
  goes, she may run searches for Chi on Fa Jing’s private security feeds. 
  This will provide the original footage of Chi following Bves and his 
  armed crew into the tunnels (see The Situation on Kongyùn, p. 13), 
  but nothing more (Bves has removed Fa Jing sensors from areas near 
  the artifact). She is aware of the asteroid’s many disappearances, 
  but believes poor safety is responsible. She is also aware of the local 
  influence of Bves and Chen; though she communicates with neither, 
  she will avoid antagonizing either unless necessary. 
  If the characters drop enough hints as to who they are or what they 
  are doing, Dr. Guo will set assets to follow them (both plainclothes 
  security and gnat bots). Dr. Guo avoids killing people needlessly, 
  except saboteurs and spies.
  NEW CITY
  If the characters spend some time in New City, they are likely to 
  come across the Confessors led by Bves. If Bves sees the characters, 
  he will stare them down and tell them they are not welcome here. 
  If Bves is not interrupted, his posse enters an XP store and seizes a 
  stock boy by the arms. Bves addresses the stock boy in a loud voice, 
  “shamsu heiroah yanaksha.” The terrified boy responds, “iltubzuga, 
  isthazuhma.” Bves and his group then drag the boy into the tunnels. 
  Onlookers cry or stare, but do not interrupt. In the tunnels Bves has 
  a guarded psychosurgery lab, where they will amputate portions of 
  the boy’s personality in order to excise infection.
  The characters may attempt to intervene. Bves does not want to 
  fight, but he is attempting to rescue the boy from terminal infection. 
  A wandering Fa Jing security guard may attempt to de-escalate, 
  commanding Bves to release the boy and leave. Bves will comply. 
  If the characters choose to track Bves over several days, he will 
  eventually return to the artifact as part of his normal patrol for strag-
  glers (see Circling the Fire, p. 17).
  FIREWALL SCRATCH SPACE
  The map Eludere provided shows the Firewall scratch space is 
  hidden inside a concealed crevasse in the basalt walls of an unlit 
  tunnel, a kilometer from inhabited space. Inside, the characters find 
  a small cache of gear (see below), Chi’s missing steel case, and a note. 
  The case is locked (Armor 6/4, DR 40) , but Chi’s backup can guess 
  the password with a successful INT Check. Inside is an advanced, 
  industrial disassembler swarm hive—Mariposa’s payment. 
  The note says: “Someone is preying on the locals. I’m holding on 
  to the triad payment until I know it’s not them. I’ll be watching and 
  will report back as soon as I have something.”
  GEAR CACHE
  The Firewall operatives find the following stashed gear:
  • 2 doses of kick, a combat drug. It provides +1 Vigor pool to 
  biomorphs for 2 hours. Users are jumpy; make a WIL check or react 
  without thinking to unexpected noises.
  • 2 nanobandages (for biomorphs) and 1 repair spray (for synth-
  morphs and equipment). Each is single use and repairs 1d10 
  damage (taking 1 hour) and 1 wound (taking 1 day).
  • A cleaner nanoswarm that can sweep and polish a room, which 
  is handy to remove forensic traces. The swarm can be re-used 
  multiple times.
  • The railgun pistol is DV 2d10, SA/BF/FA, Range 45, and armor-
  piercing (reduce armor by half).
  • The disassembler swarm once deployed will take apart any object 
  (including characters!) in a 10-meter diameter sphere area; it can be 
  
  17
  CIRCLING THE FIRE • SAVE STRANGERS; KILL STRANGERS • FA JING SECURITY
  programmed to target or ignore specific types of matter. It inflicts 
  2d6 damage per turn, destroying armor first. It is primarily intended 
  to function as a precise industrial mining tool, but it can be used 
  for other creative purposes. This hive can produce a new swarm or 
  replenish an existing one once per day.
  VACANT HALLWAYS, EMPTY SPACES
  The characters may choose to explore Kongyùn hoping to uncover 
  clues. The first time they leave the inhabited portions of Kongyùn, 
  Bves and a group of his Confessors will emerge from the darkness 
  and shout, “Shamsu heiroah yanaksha.” Seeing the characters aren’t 
  infected, he continues, “You have no business here. This is our 
  home, our ways. Leave now or stay forever.”
  Bves will not permit the characters to proceed down the tunnels, 
  and will fight if attacked. If this is a stalemate, after a minute a Fa Jing 
  security guard will arrive to deescalate, asking the characters to find 
  a different route to their destination. If the characters leave, Bves’s 
  group will clear out after ten minutes.
  If the characters explore without a set destination, make a secret 
  d10 roll on the Tunnel Exploration table (p. 18). For every 12 hours 
  they’ve spent in Kongyùn add a +1 to the roll. Each attempt takes 
  three hours.
  UNWANTED COMPANY
  Once it is clear the characters are searching for Chi, Best will take 
  the time to hack the characters’ mesh inserts, to create backdoors 
  for him to leverage later. Meanwhile, Bves will attempt to remove 
  any Kongyùn natives from the characters’ party. While they are 
  wandering public spaces or get separated from the characters, two 
  of Bves’s people will pull the NPCs aside and convince them to 
  disappear for a while. If the characters keep the NPCs within sight, 
  Bves won’t get an opportunity to confront them. However, he will 
  send warnings over the mesh that they need to leave the characters.
  If the characters attract the attention of Fa Jing, a pair of gnats will 
  follow them at a distance if they stray outside of the public mesh. 
  CIRCLING THE FIRE
  By leads or luck, the characters should eventually find, deep in the 
  unmapped sections of Kongyùn, a taggant nanobot set to respond 
  to any Firewall character. This is the start of a bread crumb trail. 
  The trail continues deeper into the asteroid, through an airlock into 
  a privately-owned tunnel left in vacuum, where it disappears. Two 
  hundred meters down, the characters can see a light bobbing in 
  the tunnel. As they approach, it becomes clear it is a single woman, 
  working. She addresses them, especially any Kongyùn citizens in 
  the group; “you shouldn’t be here. This space is closed off.” She won’t 
  act to inhibit their progress and has nothing else to say.
  The characters can continue nearly a kilometer further towards the 
  center of the asteroid, following winding switchbacks and forgotten 
  breadcrumbs. At points, tiny utility meshes left by miners can 
  provide mesh access and information on the tunnel status ahead. 
  Here Bves will execute his final ambush to try and drive the char-
  acters off.
  SAVE STRANGERS; KILL STRANGERS
  As the characters approach a particularly narrow switchback, Bves’s 
  team will remotely detonate three improvised explosive devices. 
  They are positioned with one at the turn, and one on either side, to 
  hit the entire party with DV 3d10 + 6. Additionally, the explosions 
  fill the area with smoke (–20 penalty to actions requiring vision). 
  The gamemaster may roll a secret Perceive Test at –20 for each 
  character to notice the IEDs. Any characters in range who see the 
  explosives may attempt a Fray Test to reduce the damage by half, 
  but vision penalties will still apply.
  Best will hack the party, using the backdoors he planted earlier. 
  Ahead in the tunnel are six of Bves’s best soldiers, led by Bves 
  himself. They attempt to pin the characters down at the curve. Behind 
  the characters by 140 meters are a group of three more of Bves’s 
  people, who will catch up in 7 turns. Both will attempt to pin down 
  the characters where they can throw thermite at them, or until the 
  FA JING SECURITY
  INFILTRATION
  Sensors monitor the perimeter tunnels and asteroid surface 
  around the Lion facility. Sneaking past requires one or more 
  opposed tests, pitting Infiltration skill against a Perceive 
  skill of 60.
  Exterior airlocks are equipped with automated sentry 
  guns (Guns 40, DV 2d10+4, SA/BF, armor-piercing, Armor 
  6/12, DUR 40). These will warn away intruders once, then 
  fire warning shots. If intruders persist or attack, they will 
  raise an alarm (bringing 1d6 guards to investigate) and 
  shoot to kill. The guns are securely wirelessly networked 
  (–20 to hack, opposed with Infosec 40).
  The airlocks themselves are locked. Gaining access 
  requires a Hardware: Electronics test at –20 (timeframe 1 
  minute), hacking (resisted with Infosec 40), direct assault 
  (Armor 25/15, DR 150, WT 15), or the biometric handprint 
  of a Fa Jing employee.
  HACKING
  A character may attempt to hack the Fa Jing network to 
  collect information on Fa Jing operations or Chi’s activities 
  Using the Mesh (p. 10). Infosec Tests are opposed by the 
  facility’s security AI with Infosec 40. If they fail, the network 
  locks down, terminating all outside connections for six 
  hours. On a superior fail, the hacker is directed towards a 
  honeypot data node holding fake data. With two superior 
  fails, they are also traced; Fa Jing dispatches a security crew 
  that will arrive at the hacker’s location in 5–20 minutes to 
  subdue and interrogate them.
  A hacker who successfully accesses Fa Jing’s network can 
  easily acquire background information on the purpose of the 
  Lion installation (and proving Fa Jing is not responsible for 
  the local anomalous events). They can also run facial recog-
  nition searches on Fa Jing’s private security sensors to unveil 
  what actually happened with Chi.
  
  18
  ACRIMONY
  GLORY BE • TUNNEL EXPLORATION • HACKING
  characters surrender. If the tide of battle turns, Bves’s people will 
  fall back, detonating additional explosives behind them. During the 
  battle, any triad members traveling with the party will attempt to 
  disengage, rather than attack their neighbors on behalf of strangers. 
  Jade has no combat skills, but will attempt to help in other ways.
  Shortly past the combat zone, there is a radio taggant buried 
  within the tunnel wall. If they dig, they will find Chi’s hidden corpse. 
  Chi’s head has been brutally smashed, but the rest of the body has 
  been preserved in the vacuum. Characters witnessing the corpse 
  must make a WIL Check. Chi is at a –30 penalty. Those who fail are 
  shaken and –10 to all actions for the next hour.
  GLORY BE
  The surviving characters reach the final airlock door, beyond which 
  Chi met their fate. The door has a large biohazard symbol in rust-red 
  marking chalk, but is not locked. None of Bves’s people will enter 
  the room, even to chase the characters.
  Past the door ,the tunnel opens into a large, mist-filled chamber. 
  The fog hangs in microgravity, slowly churning under its own power, 
  obscuring the walls, floor, and ceiling. The room is unlit and unpow-
  ered. A radio taggant mote is on the inside of the door. A message, 
  encrypted with Chi’s private signature, can be read by any Firewall 
  character: “Collect a sample, report back to Eludere to decide what 
  to do with it.” 
  Successful testing of the fog with a nanodetector tool reveals it is 
  a nanoswarm utility fog beyond transhuman technology. It does not 
  appear to be hostile, but it does block radio communications. The 
  room itself is large and roughly, but and unremarkable.
  Characters may kick off the wall to enter the fog, but only charac-
  ters with thrust vector movement will be able to maneuver in open 
  space. Once free from the wall, the fog will gently influence their 
  movement, directing characters towards the artifact at the center 
  of the chamber. At first, the artifact appears like a dark chasm in 
  the fog. As they approach, the fog falls back, and the artifact can 
  be seen; reflective as mercury, jagged as a cadmium crystal. The 
  character can see their own reflection in the face of the artifact, but 
  their flashlights are absent. Characters who view the artifact must 
  make a WIL Check; those that fail are shaken and suffer –10 to all 
  actions for the next hour.
  Once within ten meters, the artifact will emit coded bursts of 
  light, attempting to implant a suggestion in the character’s mind by 
  hacking their visual sensory inputs (a “basilisk hack”). Characters 
  viewing this must make an INT Check; if they fail, they suffer DV 
  1d6 (armor does not apply) and undergo a grand mal seizure for 
  1 minute. During this time, the fog will push the PC into contact 
  with the artifact, which will attempt to infect them (Infection, p. 20). 
  HACKING
  Best previously attempted to hack the characters’ mesh 
  inserts. If he was successful, he will use the backdoors he 
  left to immediately interfere with the characters directly. 
  Best has a few crafted audio cues to mimic commands from 
  other members of the party, such as “fall back!” or “drop your 
  weapons.” Affected characters will hear it over their mesh as 
  though another party-member said it, but with a successful 
  Perceive test with a +20 modifier they will recognize it as 
  false. Best may barrage the characters with augmented 
  reality pop-ups and noises, inflicting a –20 penalty for distrac-
  tion. Best may also attempt to brute force any synthmorphs 
  in the party by rolling his Infosec of 70. The character’s muse 
  (or character, if they are foregoing combat actions to defend 
  their mesh) can roll an opposed Infosec Test to immediately 
  lock out Best. If they are not successful, Best will gain access 
  to the synthmorph. On his next action, he will make another 
  opposed Infosec Test to shut it down. The character will be 
  unable to act until they reboot, which takes 1d6 action turns.
  Characters may choose to disable their mesh to evade 
  Best, but they will not be able to hear anyone else (as they 
  are in a vacuum) or share sensory data feeds. They also  
  will not have access to the full capabilities of their weapons 
  (–10  to attack) or tools. Some equipment, including 
  swarms and Chi’s taggants, may not be accessible at all).
  TUNNEL EXPLORATION
  d10 Roll Result
  1–2
  Hours of exploring discover miles of abandoned tunnels, sealed off without power, mesh, or fresh air. The characters return with only rock dust.
  3–4
  The characters discover a door not on the public maps. The door is clearly a new addition, and is firmly locked (requiring a Hardware: Industrial test at 
  –10 to force open; Armor 15, DR 100). If breached, the Fa Jing station goes on high alert and responds with 2 Fa Jing guards (use Thugs for stats, p. 21)  
  who will attempt to capture or drive away any interlopers. Captured characters are taken to Dr. Guo (see Fa Jing, 16).
  5–6
  The characters stumble into a privately owned (and defended) set of tunnels. The tunnels have air, but mesh and power is locked down (Interface at 
  –10 to gain access). If the characters are detected, they are confronted by a pair of Kongyùn miners who will demand they leave. If the characters start 
  trouble, the miners call the local militia for backup (use Thugs for stats, p. 21).
  7–9
  The characters find a section of forgotten tunnels, left without power, mesh, or atmosphere. Several hours from the populated areas, a band of five 
  locals confront them, telling them they have no business on Kongyùn and threatening to hurt them. If the locals feel they have an advantage on the 
  party, they will use non-deadly force to rough up and rob the characters (use Thugs for stats, p. 21). They will respond to force with force.
  10+
  While exploring a series of tunnels not on the AR maps, the characters detect a taggant nanobot set to respond to Chi’s mesh ID.  
  Proceed on to the next section, Circling the Fire (p. 17).
  
  19
  RESOLUTION • INFECTED CHARACTERS • THE ARTIFACT
  Characters who are aware of the basilisk hack threat may attempt to 
  block out the visual input with a REF Check.
  While the artifact attempts to infect a victim, the fog will create 
  lights and ghostly shapes to distract others in the chamber. The 
  utility fog serves as the artifact’s manipulators and will defend it 
  from attacks. It is able to construct and use any physical objects and 
  tools it needs in a matter of action turns or minutes, depending on 
  complexity. To protect the artifact and victims undergoing infection, 
  it will create floating barriers (Armor 10, DR 20) or even solidify 
  cages around targets (REF Check to avoid capture). The fog will not 
  leave the chamber, unless the artifact itself is somehow moved.
  UTILITY FOG
  Statistics are for a single 1 × 1 × 1 meter “unit” of utility fog. The fog 
  can move objects at a rate of 2 meters per turn or negate movement 
  of objects up to 15 meters per turn. The fog can create most transhu-
  man-equivalent tools and weapons. It can also attack by penetrating 
  inside clothing/armor and disintegrating the victim; it targets eyes/
  sensors first.
  Durability/Death Rating: 50/100
  Movement Rate: 8/–, 0/1 through solid material
  Skills: Exotic Skill: Swarm Attack 70, all other necessary skills at 40
  Swarm Attack:  
  70, DV 1d10 + 1d6, opposed by half Fray, armor does not apply. 
  Victims that are wounded must make a REF Check or be blinded.
  Notes: As a TITAN nanoswarm, the fog is immune to wounds; 
  non-area attacks inflict 1 DV; area-effect weapons inflict half 
  damage; adhesive attacks (freezers) inflict DV 3d10 and a –10 
  modifier to all actions)
  RESOLUTION
  The characters have several options for dealing with the artifact, 
  with potential major repercussions for the inhabitants of the 
  asteroid and the solar system at large.
  INFECTED CHARACTERS
  Once the infection process is complete, the character becomes 
  an NPC. Any characters who return to Firewall (via egocasting or 
  suspended animation to slow infection) can be quarantined and 
  treated. Bves can also use his psychosurgery skills to reverse the 
  infection, but this will destroy memories and skills in the process. 
  Firewall can repair this later using the character’s backup.
  THE ARTIFACT
  The characters have a number of options in addressing the artifact 
  itself. The utility fog that protects it can move through solid objects 
  and will work to prevent the artifact from being moved or seques-
  tered. The artifact itself is robust and resistant to most damage, and 
  the fog will impede any work in the chamber to destroy it.
  The characters may attempt to destroy the artifact with a 
  considerable quantity of explosives (which are available in bulk 
  on the station) or similar destructive force. These explosives may 
  require rep tests or skill rolls to acquire. Bves, the triads, and Fa 
  Jing will object to any plan involving major detonations. If an 
  appropriate amount of explosives (GM's call) are planted and 
  detonated, the artifact is destroyed, but roll 1d10. On a 1 or a 2, 
  Kongyùn itself fractures, splitting straight through the old port. 
  ◀◀◀ A wary sentinel encounters a TITAN artifact. 
  
  20
  ACRIMONY
  INFECTION • BVES • FA JING •TRIADS AND OTHER ALLIES
  This results in hundreds of people dead or missing. Less than the 
  necessary amount of explosives will damage (but not destroy) 
  the artifact. Large explosions will draw attention, ruining Bves’s 
  attempts at quarantine and alerting Fa Jing to the artifact.
  The characters can call on Eludere and Firewall for aid, in which 
  case they will need to secure the artifact for four days until a second 
  team can be dispatched. This new team will take over the operation 
  and destroy the artifact in whatever way the GM sees fit. 
  If Fa Jing, the triads, or Jade find out about the artifact, there will be 
  a race to secure the artifact or any remains, as well as samples of the 
  utility fog, regardless of the human risk.
  GMs should keep in mind the artifact's potential. It may decide to 
  more proactively infect the residents, use infected characters for other 
  purposes, launch itself into space, or simply disappear.
  BVES
  Bves’s group will seek to contain any infected. Bves (or his fork, 
  if killed) confronts characters with “shamsu heiroah yanaksha,” 
  expecting the infected to respond “iltubzuga, isthazuhma.” If the 
  characters do not appear to be infected, Bves will explain why the 
  artifact must be sealed in the asteroid, at least for the next few years, 
  until the asteroid is too far on its orbit to be accessible. Bves sees no 
  way the characters can adjust to living permanently in Kongyùn, so 
  they must die to protect the secret. Bves expects the characters to 
  understand the logic of this, and will offer them the opportunity to 
  kill themselves. 
  The characters may be able to convince Bves to agree to another 
  plan, if they have a better way to handle the artifact that won’t harm 
  any people. If Bves is not convinced, he will agree and offer to take 
  them back to New City (an opposed test pitting Kinesics against 
  his Deceive skill will detect his ill intentions). Once they are a safe 
  distance from the artifact room, he will detonate a cache of explosives 
  hidden in a tunnel wall as they pass, killing himself and potentially 
  the characters (DV 6d10, Fray Test to reduce this by half) in order to 
  protect the artifact’s secret.
  Bves may be convinced to join Firewall and coordinate a more 
  sophisticated quarantine method. If the characters can prove their 
  capabilities, Bves will agree to a meeting with Eludere.
  FA JING
  If Fa Jing has been following the characters, they will immediately 
  scramble teams to secure the artifact. This probably involves killing 
  any surviving members of Bves’s ambush and offering a finder’s 
  fee to the characters. If the characters decline the offer, Fa Jing will 
  attempt to kill or delay the characters and protect the artifact long 
  enough for a corporate security shuttle to arrive in two days. At 
  that point, the Fa Jing forces will most likely be so strong that the 
  characters will need to call on Firewall’s nuclear arsenal to destroy 
  the artifact. 
  TRIADS AND OTHER ALLIES
  The triads are more pragmatic. If they become aware of the artifact, 
  Mariposa can agree to most methods of handling it, as long as the 
  people of Kongyùn are safe and she gets handsomely rewarded.
  Jade is a liability. Her chatty nature means she will eventually 
  divulge Firewall’s secrets. If the characters did not keep her contained 
  during the adventure, Fa Jing will eventually begin researching the 
  artifact. This may be a potential hook for a future adventure.
  At the end of 12 hours, Mariposa will gather a mob and seek out 
  the characters for her payment. If they do not have it, she may hold 
  the characters hostage until Eludere can arrange payment.
  INFECTION
  The artifact attempts to infect anyone it comes into phys-
  ical contact with (even through vacsuits). Flashes of silver 
  lightning will ripple across their skin/frame, creating  a 
  tingling sensation inside of the body and head, like tiny 
  hands crawling under the skin. The artifact can attempt 
  to infect multiple characters with one action, but can only 
  attempt infection once every five turns. Victims must 
  make an immediate INT Check at –30. If they fail, they are 
  put asleep/knocked offline for 10 minutes. They may only 
  be awoken through medical intervention, interrupting the 
  infection and reducing its effects. As soon as the char-
  acter is infected, language triggers are implanted. Bves 
  uses these to stimulate an involuntary response for diag-
  nosis. Characters may make a WIL Check to suppress the 
  response, with a penalty of –10 per 30 minutes of infection.
  After ten minutes, the character awakens feeling 
  euphoric. Any wounds are ignored, and the character may 
  believe themselves stronger and healthier than before. 
  Over the next 4 hours the infection continues, causing the 
  character to occasionally experience traumatic flashbacks, 
  go catatonic, or speak gibberish. After 4 hours, the artifact 
  acquires full control over the character. At that point, the 
  infected character will convince or attack other characters 
  to try and draw them back to the artifact and spread the 
  infection.
  Characters in the early stages of infection may be cured 
  through extreme psychosurgery. This involves cutting 
  away infected memories and skills. A skilled psychosur-
  geon can circumvent this damage by grafting them with 
  portions from a backup.
  The artifact sometimes deploys small batches of invis-
  ible utility fog beyond the chamber to make physical contact 
  with people and implant suggestions at a distance. This 
  requires twenty minutes. If the victim fails an INT Check, 
  the artifact may implant a single, posthypnotic suggestion. 
  The character will believe the idea is their own and carry it 
  out to the best of their ability. This limited infection also 
  causes the verbal tic, above.
  
  21
  NPC STATS • JOSEF BVES • LUKE BEST • MARIPOSA CHEN • DR. JU GUO • CHANG’E JADE • CONSTABLE YU • THUGS (BIOMORPHS & SYNTHMORPHS) • GNAT AND SAUCER DRONES
  NPC STATS
  Each NPC has a single Threat Pool (TP). These pool points may be 
  used as Flex, Insight, Moxie, or Vigor (p. 7), as the GM deems best.
  JOSEF BVES 
  [P. 13]
  Conspiracy Leader
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  20
  15
  15
  15
  15
  20
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  6
  35
  7
  53
  6
  5/4
  Morph (Movement Rate): Bouncer (Walker 4/16) 
  Skills: Deceive 50, Fray 40, Free Fall 65, Guns 60, Hardware: 
  Industrial 50, Infiltrate 40, Interface 60, Kinesics 40,  
  Medicine: Psychosurgery 60, Melee 50, Perceive 60,  
  Persuade 50, Provoke 60, Know: Fa Jing Projects 40,  
  Know: TITAN Artifacts 30
  Ware: Biomods, Cold Tolerance, Cortical Stack, Grip Pads, Mesh 
  Inserts, Oxygen Reserve, Prehensile Feet
  Weapon: Medium Pistol (DV 2d10, SA/BF/FA)
  LUKE BEST 
  [P. 13]
  Confessor Hacker
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  20
  10
  10
  15
  10
  20
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  4
  —
  —
  —
  4
  —
  Morph: Agent Infomorph 
  Skills: Free Fall 40, Hardware: Electronics 40, Interface 70, 
  Infosec 70, Perceive 50, Program 45, Research 60
  MARIPOSA CHEN 
  [P. 13]
  Triad Boss
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  15
  20
  15
  15
  15
  20
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  7
  35
  7
  53
  5
  7/7
  Morph (Movement Rate): Security Pod (Walker 4/20) 
  Skills: Deceive 60, Fray 50, Free Fall 50, Guns 55, Infiltrate 40, 
  Interface 40, Kinesics 65, Medicine: Psychosurgery 45, Melee 50, 
  Perceive 60, Persuade 70, Provoke 60, Know: Triad Ops 55
  Ware: Access Jacks, Biomods, Bioweave Armor, Claws (DV 2d6), 
  Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, Eelware, Enhanced Vision,  
  Mesh Inserts, Mnemonics, Puppet Sock
  Weapon: Shredder pistol (DV 2d10 + 6, SA/BF/FA)
  DR. JU GUO 
  [P. 13]
  Fa Jing Branch Manager
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  20
  15
  15
  20
  10
  15
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  6
  35
  7
  53
  6
  0/0
  Morph (Movement Rate): Menton Pod (Walker 4/20) 
  Skills: Deceive 40, Fray 25, Free Fall 40, Interface 60, Kinesics 50, 
  Perceive 60, Persuade 60, Provoke 50, Know: Fa Jing Projects 55
  Ware: Biomods, Cortical Stack, Mesh Inserts, Mnemonics
  CHANG’E JADE 
  [P. 13]
  Gossip Blogger
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  15
  15
  15
  20
  15
  15
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  6
  25
  5
  50
  3
  6/4
  Morph (Movement Rate): Dragonfly (Walker 2/10, Winged 8/32) 
  Skills: Athletics 50, Deceive 40, Fray 45, Free Fall 50, Infiltrate 40, 
  Interface 60, Kinesics 55, Perceive 60, Persuade 50,  
  Know: History 60, Know: Mining Ops 45, Know: Mysteries 60
  Ware: Access Jacks, Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, Mesh Inserts, 
  Mnemonics, Puppet Sock, Prehensile Tail, Wings
  CONSTABLE YU 
  [P. 13]
  Fa Jing Security Officer
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  15
  15
  15
  15
  15
  15
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  6
  35
  7
  53
  4
  6/13
  Morph (Movement Rate): Security Pod (Walker 4/20) 
  Skills: Fray 50, Free Fall 50, Guns 45, Interface 40, Kinesics 50, 
  Medicine: Paramedic 50, Melee 50, Perceive 50, Persuade 40
  Ware: Access Jacks, Biomods, Bioweave Armor, Claws (DV 2d6), 
  Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, Eelware, Enhanced Vision,  
  Mesh Inserts, Mnemonics, Puppet Sock
  Weapon: Medium Pistol (DV 2d10, SA/BF/FA)
   THUGS (BIOMORPHS)
  Bves’s Confessors, Fa Jing Security, or Triad Enforcers
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  15
  15
  15
  15
  15
  15
  INIT
  DUR
  WT
  DR
  TP
  Armor
  6
  35
  7
  53
  2
  4/10
  Morph (Movement Rate): Bouncer (Walker 4/20) 
  Skills: Athletics 50, Fray 40, Free Fall 50, Guns 40,  
  Hardware: Demolitions 50, Infiltrate 30, Interface 40,  
  Kinesics 30, Melee 40, Perceive 40
  Ware: Biomods, Cold Tolerance, Cortical Stack, Grip Pads,  
  Mesh Inserts, Oxygen Reserve, Prehensile Feet
  Weapons: Assault rifle (DV 2d10 + 2, SA/BF/FA), 
  freezer (sprays a fast-hardening foam; REF Check or frozen 
  for 1 hour), thermite molotov cocktail (DV 3d10 +5, catch fire 
  for 1d6/turn on superior success), stun baton (DV 1d10, +10 
  Reach, shock: SOM Check or stunned for 3 turns)
  THUGS (SYNTHMORPHS)
  Same as the thugs above, with the following changes:
  Armor: 6/4
  Morph (Movement Rate): Synthmorph (Walker 4/20) 
  Ware: Access Jacks, Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, Mesh Inserts, 
  Mnemonics, Puppet Sock
  GNAT AND SAUCER DRONES
  Movement Rate: Winged/Ionic 8/40
  Skills: Athletics 30, Fray 30, Guns 30, Infiltrate 30, Perceive 30 
  Armor: 6/4
  Weapon (Saucers Only): Medium Pistol (DV 2d10, SA/BF/FA)
  
  The four-member Firewall team that 
  you'll take into Acrimony!
   
  AMAL
   
  BRINKER SECURITY SPECIALIST
  Movement Rate:
  Hopper 4/16, 
  Th rust Vector 8/40,
  Walker 4/24, 
  Wheeled 8/40
  Ware: Access Jacks, Anti-Glare, 
  Cortical Stack, Cyberbrain, 
  Extra Limbs (10), 
  Hardened Skeleton 
  († +5 DUR, factored in), Lidar, 
  Magnetic System, Mesh Inserts, 
  Mnemonics, Neurachemm 
  (* +1 Vigor , factored in), 
  Pneumatic Limbs 
  ( ‡ DV +1d6 melee, factored in), 
  Puppet Sock, Retractable Limbs
   
  ARACHNOID
  ARACHNOID
  MORPH
  VIGOR
  [REF, SOM]
  Wound
  Threshold
  FLEX
  Death
  Rating
  MOXIE
  [SAV, WIL, REP]
  DURability
  INSIGHT
  [COG, INT]
  POOLS
  Damage
  Taken
  Wounds
  Taken
  1
  0
  4*
  2
  55†
  11
  110
  SYNTHMORPH
   
   
   
   
   
  (SPENT)
  Short (1d6)
  Short (1d6)
  Long (full)
  RECHARGE
  Per 24 hrs
  Gear
  Anonymous Account, Backup, Cuffband, 
  Ecto, Encryption App, Fake Ego ID, 
  Insurance, Maker, Smart Clothing, 
  Standard Muse
  Motivations: +Asceticism, +Protect 
  Transhumanity, +Brinker Faction
  Languages: Arabic, Skandinavíska
  Faction: Brinker
  Full Name: Ahmir Sektioui
  I’m a seeker. I’ve given myself 1,001 days 
  to practice turning inner excellence into 
  righteous deeds. Firewall seems a good 
  place to study.
  Your family took work as indentured 
  labor in space before the Fall to escape 
  poverty on Earth. When one of the 
  asteroids they’d mined was exhausted, 
  the company, trying to cut costs, of ered 
  to let indentures remain on the dug-
  out rock. Many chose freedom with 
  an uncertain future over indenture. 
  Survival was difficult, and young people 
  like you were sent out to freelance. 
  You’ve specialized in security work. 
  You were recruited by the Eye on what 
  turned out to be a Firewall-sponsored 
  assault on an exhuman Kuiper Belt 
  outpost. You’re a bit of an ascetic and 
  prefer asexual morphs.
  Skill
  Apt
  Total
  Athletics 
  SOM 
  40
  Fray
  REF×2 
  80
  Fray VS. Ranged Attacks
  40
  Free Fall
  SOM
  70
  Guns
  REF 
  70
  Hardware: Aerospace
  COG 
  55
  Infiltrate
  REF 
  60
  Interface
  COG 
  40
  Medicine: Paramedic
  COG 
  55
  Melee
  SOM 
  55
  Perceive
  INT×2 
  65
  Pilot: Aerospace
  REF 
  50
  Survival
  INT 
  60
  Know: Comet Miner
  COG 
  55
  Know: Martian Nomad Pop 
  COG 
  35
  Know: Mercenary Groups
  COG 
  55
  Know: Neo-Sufi Philosophy
  COG 
  70
  Know: Security
  COG 
  80
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  15
  20
  20
  15
  15
  15
  Aptitude Checks (Aptitude x 3)
  45
  60
  60
  45
  45
  45
  Initiative: 8 
  Lucidity: 30
  Trauma Threshold: 6 
  Insanity Rating: 60
  Assault Rifle Railgun 
  2d10+12 
  SA/BF/FA 
  200 
  2-handed
  RANGED WEAPON 
  DAMAGE VALUE 
  FIRING MODE 
  RANGE 
  NOTES
  Unarmed 
  Melee 
  3d6‡
  MELEE WEAPON 
  SKILL 
  DAMAGE VALUE
  Medium Synth Frame 
  8/6
  ARMOR 
  ENERGY/KINETIC
  APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS
  REPUTATION
  SKILLS
  @-Rep 50
  c-Rep 40
  i-Rep 10
  ∞
  ∞
  ∞
  
   
  CHI
  MINDHACKER / SOCIAL NETWORKER
  Gear
  Firewall Agent: Anonymous Account, 
  Backup Insurance, Brainprint Scanner, 
  Car Service, Creepy Bot, 
  Drive (5 doses; +1 Insight pool, 8-hour 
  duration), Ecto, Ego Bridge, Encryption 
  App, Fake Ego ID, Maker, Servitor Bot, 
  Standard Muse, Smart Clothing  
  Motivations: +Singularity Seeking, 
  +Socialite Faction, +Science
  Languages: Japanese, Skandivaníska
  Faction: Socialite
  Full Name: Rokuzawa Chi
  Fascinating. I would literally like to spend 
  an hour inside your mind. And I see an ego 
  bridge right over there…
  A native Martian, you were assigned 
  male at birth in pre-Fall Noctis to a family 
  of industrialists—part of the Martian 
  hyperelite. Your interest in psychosurgery 
  started (embarrassingly) with hedonistic 
  thrill-forking intended to anger your parents. 
  Later, you studied neuropsychology and your 
  limit-pushing forking became serious. After 
  finishing your degree, with no support for 
  your proposed research, you relocated to the 
  outer solar system, using your inheritance to 
  fund yourself. You were recruited to Firewall 
  to help suppress a singularity cult/exsurgent 
  outbreak. You’re socially perceptive, with 
  a gift for ingratiating yourself to potential 
  contacts. Everyone needs a psychologist—
  even if they don’t know it.
  Movement Rate: Walker 4/20
  Ware: Biomods, Clean 
  Metabolism, Cortical Stack, 
  Enhanced Pheromones 
  (* +10 Persuade, factored in), 
  Mesh Inserts
  SYLPH
  MORPH
  VIGOR
  [REF, SOM]
  Wound
  Threshold
  FLEX
  Death
  Rating
  MOXIE
  [SAV, WIL, REP]
  DURability
  INSIGHT
  [COG, INT]
  POOLS
  Damage
  Taken
  Wounds
  Taken
  BIOMORPH
   
  1
  3
  1
  2
  35
  7
  53
   
   
   
   
  (SPENT)
  Short (1d6)
  Short (1d6)
  Long (full)
  RECHARGE
  Per 24 hrs
  Skill
  Apt
  Total
  Deceive
  SAV 
  70
  Fray 
  REF×2
  60
  Fray VS. Ranged Attacks
  30
  Free Fall
  SOM
  45
  Guns
  REF
  30
  Infosec
  COG 
  40
  Interface
  COG 
  30
  Kinesics
  SAV 
  60
  Medicine: Pharmacology
  COG
  50
  Medicine: Psychosurgery
  COG
  80
  Perceive
  INT×2 
  40
  Persuade
  SAV 
  70*
  Research
  COG
  65
  Know: Art Scene
  COG
  80
  Know: Neuroscience
  COG
  80
  Know: Pyschology
  COG
  80
  Know: Rep Nets
  COG
  60
  Armor Vest 
  4/10
  ARMOR 
  ENERGY/KINETIC
  REPUTATION
  SKILLS
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  20
  15
  15
  20
  10
  20
  Aptitude Checks (Aptitude x 3)
  60
  45
  45
  60
  30
  60
  Initiative: 6 
  Lucidity: 40
  Trauma Threshold: 8 
  Insanity Rating: 80
  APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS
  @-Rep 30
  f-Rep 40
  ∞
  ∞
  i-Rep 10
  r-Rep 50
  ∞
  ∞
  
  Ware: Mental Speed 
  (* +2 Insight modifi er 
  factored in), Mnemonics, 
  Panopticon
   
  ARACHNOID
  WIREHEAD
  WIREHEAD
  MORPH
  VIGOR
  [REF, SOM]
  Wound
  Threshold
  FLEX
  Death
  Rating
  MOXIE
  [SAV, WIL, REP]
  DURability
  INSIGHT
  [COG, INT]
  POOLS
  Damage
  Taken
  Wounds
  Taken
  4*
  0
  2
  2
  INFOMORPH
   
  30
  6
  45
  Gear
  Anonymous Account, Backup Insurance, 
  Encryption App, Exploit App, Fake 
  Ego ID, Gnat Bots ×2, Radio Booster, 
  Snif er App, Spoof App, Standard Muse, 
  Tracking App
  Ego Traits — Positive: Situational 
  Awareness (no Distracted modifier)
  Motivations: +Anarchism, +Uplift 
  Rights, +Open Source Movement
  Languages: Skandinavíska, Mandarin
  Faction: Anarchist
  Full Name: Njáll Hrafnsson
  Your security AI can’t find me; your drones 
  can’t catch me. Pluck out your eye for 
  knowledge, shiftless sysop, or a bird who’s 
  all-thought will peck it out for you.
  You hatched in a Titanian aviary, part of 
  a Science Ministry uplift project. Upon 
  adulthood, you ditched your body and 
  left Titan for the excitement of anarchist 
  space. With your skills flying ships 
  and running infosec, someone always 
  gives you server space. You’ve sleeved 
  all kinds of ships and you’ve achieved 
  some wicked hacks. Firewall recruited 
  you through Magnus Ming, your 
  favorite professor at Titan Autonomous 
  University before you got bored and 
  left. When he of ered membership 
  in a society that “tackles challenging 
  puzzles,” you were eager. Flying and 
  solving puzzles are what ravens do best.
   
   
   
   
  (SPENT)
  Short (1d6)
  Short (1d6)
  Long (full)
  RECHARGE
  Per 24 hrs
  Skill
  Apt
  Total
  Athletics
  SOM 
  55
  Fray
  REF×2
  70
  Fray VS. Ranged Attacks
  35
  Guns
  REF
  60
  Hardware: Robotics
  COG
  50
  Hardware: Electronics
  COG
  60
  Infosec
  COG
  80
  Interface
  COG
  50
  Kinesics
  SAV 
  30
  Perceive
  INT×2 
  50
  Pilot: Aerospace
  REF
  70
  Pilot: Groundcraft
  REF
  50
  Program
  COG
  60
  Survival
  INT
  35
  Know: Computer Science
  COG
  80
  Know: Corvid Mythology
  COG
  50
  Know: Cryptography
  COG
  80
  Know: Flight Crew
  COG
  60
  Know: Uplift Rights
  COG
  50
  REPUTATION
  SKILLS
   
  NJAL
   ANARCHIST HACKER/PILOT
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  20
  15
  20
  10
  15
  15
  Aptitude Checks (Aptitude x 3)
  60
  45
  60
  30
  45
  45
  Initiative: 7 
  Lucidity: 30
  Trauma Threshold: 6 
  Insanity Rating: 60
  APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS
  @-Rep 60
  c-Rep 40
  i-Rep 10
  ∞
  ∞
  ∞
  
   
  SVÁFA
  TITANIAN SCIENCE POLICE INSPECTOR
  Gear
  Firewall Agent: Anonymous Account, 
  Backup Insurance, Ecto, Encryption App, 
  Facial/Image Recognition App, 
  Fake Ego ID, Fiber Eye, 
  Klar (5 doses ; +10 Perceive for 8 hours), 
  Maker, Scount Nanoswarm, 
  Smart Clothing, Speck Bots (2), 
  Standard Muse, T-Ray Emitter Bot 
  Motivations: +Technoprogressivism, 
  +Titan, −TITANs
  Languages: Skandinavíska, English
  Faction: Titanian
  Full Name: Saga Norqvist
  Exit wounds look like biter rounds. 
  But I also see nanoswarm damage.
  You were a post-doc researching Titan’s 
  methane lakes when the Fall came. 
  After the war, with more openings 
  available in civil service than the 
  sciences, you got into police work and 
  became a detective. You’re good at it. 
  You have a low-key interviewing style 
  that makes criminals give themselves 
  away without even realizing that 
  they’re under interrogation. Your 
  department is the Science Police, a 
  Titanian Commonwealth agency that 
  investigates crimes related to state-
  sponsored research. One of your favorite 
  professors from university recruited you 
  into Firewall, calculating correctly that 
  Firewall and its work are would be too 
  irresistible a puzzle for you to resist.
   
   
   
   
  (SPENT)
  Short (1d6)
  Short (1d6)
  Long (full)
  RECHARGE
  Per 24 hrs
  Movement Rate: Walker 4/20
  Ware: Biomods, Cortical Stack, 
  Glands, Mesh Inserts
  FUTURA
  MORPH
  VIGOR
  [REF, SOM]
  Wound
  Threshold
  FLEX
  Death
  Rating
  MOXIE
  [SAV, WIL, REP]
  DURability
  INSIGHT
  [COG, INT]
  POOLS
  Damage
  Taken
  Wounds
  Taken
  BIOMORPH
   
  2
  4
  1
  2
  35
  7
  53
  Skill
  Apt
  Total
  Fray 
  REF×2
  65
  Fray VS. Ranged Attacks
  33
  Free Fall
  SOM
  45
  Guns
  REF
  45
  Hardware: Nautical
  COG
  40
  Kinesics
  SAV
  70
  Medicine: Forensics
  COG
  65
  Perceive
  INT×2 
  65
  Persuade
  SAV
  65
  Pilot: Nautical
  REF
  35
  Program
  COG
  35
  Research
  COG
  70
  Survival
  INT
  40
  Know: Detective Procedures
  COG
  70
  Know: 
  Field Scientist Procedures
  COG
  55
  Know: 
  Methane Hydrography
  COG
  65
  Know: Physiology
  COG
  55
  Know: Sci-Fi Literature
  COG
  50
  SKILLS
  COG
  INT
  REF
  SAV
  SOM
  WIL
  15
  20
  15
  15
  10
  20
  Aptitude Checks (Aptitude x 3)
  45
  60
  45
  45
  30
  60
  Initiative: 7 
  Lucidity: 40
  Trauma Threshold: 8 
  Insanity Rating: 80
  APTITUDES & DERIVED STATS
  REPUTATION
  @-Rep 50
  i-Rep 10
  r-Rep 40
  ∞
  ∞
  ∞
  Medium Railgun Pistol 
  2d10 
  SA/BF/FA 
  45 
  armor-piercing: reduce armor by 1/2
  RANGED WEAPON 
  DAMAGE VALUE FIRING MODE RANGE 
  NOTES
  Unarmed 
  Melee 
  1d6
  MELEE WEAPON 
  SKILL 
  DAMAGE VALUE
  Armor Vest (Light) 
  4/10
  ARMOR 
  ENERGY/KINETIC
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Eclipse Phase/2nd edition/Eclipse Phase 2e - Quick-Start Rules & Acrimony.pdf