Deepwars PDF Basics

DeepWars DeepWars V 1.1 - Copyright ©2012-2013 Eric Louchard Art by Victor P. Corbella, Marcelo Blanco, Giovanni Castro, Eric Louchard, Sergio Leon, Kennon James Miniatures sculpted by Patrick Keith, Sergio Leon, John Winter,Brother Vinni, Lejla Santic Photos of miniatures painted by Worthy Painting Studio and Lonebrushman Studio. Book layout, art design and painted miniatures by Eric Louchard Playtesting and Editing by Enos Kline, Patrick Weaver and Andrea Sfiligoi Song of Blades and Heroes rules by Andrea Sfiligoi Game models available from AntiMatter Games No portion of this book can be reproduced without consent from the publisher. Published by AntiMatter Games www.antimatter-games.com

Special Thanks

A big thank you to those that supported DeepWars as Generals and Gamemasters Aaron Wong Adam Poots Addam Robertson Alexander Lucard Alice Schoen Andrew Maxwell Andrew Morrow Barry Chapman Barry Sawada Tucker Benjamin Cook Brad Kane Brendan Dever Brian Scott Cameron J. Smith Carl Tchoryk Charles Velazquez Chris Langevin Chris McKenzie Chris Troxell Christopher Mcfarland

Christopher Musgrave Christopher Snyder Colin Miskowitz Damon Richardson Daniel Petersen Dave Lopata David Pardy Deon Beswick Dirk Koch Enos Kline Eric Palmero Franz Georg Roesel Gareth Jenkins Goergen David Guillaume Bernard Hunter Thomas Ilias Mastrogiorgos James W. Keller Jamie Bamforth Jason Saldana

Jeremy Holley Joe Kushner John Burnham John Ivicek Jr. Jon Leigh Jordan Sanderson Ken Robinson Kevin Bailey Kirk Damman Kyle Hagan Kyle Miller Linda Leyshon Louise Bernard Marc Bevan Matt Lawrence Matt Leitzen Matthew Pena Michael A Nunez Michael Miocevich Micheal Hunter

Nathan Herron Nicholas Evancich Patrick Weaver Paul Wellner Rick Rambo Robert Nelson Rockheads Comics & Games Ronny Heinz Sam Dale Samuel Punzel Scott Deas Shaun Phillips Shaun Webb Shayne Cummin Steven Blaske Temoore Baber Viktor Carlson Warren Austin Wayne Coburn Willem-Jan Bertram

Contents Introduction........................................................ 6 Background......................................................... 7 - Preparing for the Return -......................................... 7 - The Quest Begins -...................................................... 8 - Into the Darkness -...................................................... 8 - The Shallow Shelf -...................................................... 9 - The Abyssal Darkness -............................................... 9 - Exploring The Seafloor -...........................................10 June 2, 1691...................................................................11 - We Are Not Alone -..................................................11 - A New Enemy -..........................................................12 December 19, 1691.....................................................13 - Fate of the Ancients -................................................13

- Explorers of the Abyss -

Fortune Hunters................................................ 16 Dark Mariners................................................... 17 Ancients of Atalán ............................................. 18 Scaly Horde ...................................................... 19

- Playing the Game -

Rules Overview.................................................. 21 Model Profiles...............................................................21 Game Cards...................................................................21 Example Game Card...................................................22 Warbands........................................................... 23 Gameplay........................................................... 24 Underwater Gaming....................................................24 Units of Scale................................................................24 Preparing for Battle......................................................24 Setting the Defenses....................................................24 Starting the Attack.......................................................24 Depth Levels.................................................................24 Activation Rolls............................................................25 Activated Miniatures...................................................25 Movement......................................................................25 Difficult Terrain...........................................................25 Changing Depth..........................................................27 Group Activation.........................................................27 Regroup..........................................................................27 Facing & Field of View...............................................28 Turning...........................................................................28 Complete Cover...........................................................28 Line of Sight..................................................................28 Visibility.........................................................................29 Illumination..................................................................29 Alone in the Dark........................................................29 Checks and Balances...................................................30 Quality Check..............................................................30 Resistance Check.........................................................30 Will Check....................................................................30 Strength Check.............................................................30 Physical Activities........................................................30 Exhaustion.....................................................................30 Drag................................................................................31 Force...............................................................................31 Break...............................................................................31

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Fast Dive/Ascend.........................................................31

- Combat Beneath the Sea -

Hand-to-Hand Combat..................................... 35 Weapons in Combat....................................................35 Armor in Combat........................................................35 Fallen Models in Combat...........................................36 Transfixed Models........................................................36 Recoiling Models.........................................................36 Rear Attack....................................................................36 Flank & Surround........................................................36 Coordinated Attacks...................................................36 Number of Attacks......................................................37 Partial & Complete Cover.........................................37 Ambush..........................................................................37 Charge and Rush..........................................................37 Mounted Models..........................................................37 Death from Above.......................................................37 Size in Hand-to-Hand Combat................................37 Leaving Hand-to-Hand Combat..............................37 Ranged Combat................................................. 38 Long Shots.....................................................................38 Concentrated Fire........................................................38 Shooting into Hand-to-Hand Combat...................38 Weapon Malfunction..................................................39 Tactical Cover...............................................................39 Ranged Weapons for Defense...................................39 Evasive Action...............................................................39 Aimed Shots..................................................................39 Size in Ranged Combat..............................................39 Targeting Subsystems..................................................40 Damaged Weapons......................................................40 Healing and Repairing................................................40

- Weapons and Armor -

Morale............................................................................41 When to Check Morale..............................................41 Weapons.........................................................................43 Armor.............................................................................43 Weapon and Armor Effects.......................................43 Armor Break.................................................................43 Blast.................................................................................44 Breach.............................................................................44 Corrosive........................................................................44 Deflect............................................................................44 Disintegrate...................................................................44 Entangle.........................................................................45 Fragile.............................................................................45 Grab................................................................................45 Guided............................................................................45 Harpoon.........................................................................45 Hazardous......................................................................46 Homing..........................................................................46 Irradiate..........................................................................46 Knockback.....................................................................46 Natural (Armor)...........................................................46 Poison.............................................................................46 Powered (Armor).........................................................47 Precise.............................................................................47 Pressurized (Armor)....................................................47

Reach..............................................................................47 Reflect (Armor)............................................................47 Refract............................................................................47 Reinforced (Armor)....................................................47 Reload.............................................................................47 Resonate.........................................................................47 Shock..............................................................................47 Sluggish (Armor).........................................................47 Spray...............................................................................47 Unbreakable..................................................................47 Unstable.........................................................................47 Fortune Hunter Armaments......................................48 Projectile Weapons.................................................48 Hand-to-Hand Weapons........................................50 Explosives..............................................................50 Armor...................................................................51

Dark Mariner Armaments..........................................52 Energy Weapons.....................................................52 Projectile Weapons.................................................53 Hand-to-Hand Weapons........................................54 Explosives..............................................................55 Armor...................................................................55

Ancients of Atalán Armaments.................................56 Energy Weapons.....................................................57 Projectile Weapons.................................................57 Hand-to-Hand Weapons........................................58 Explosives..............................................................59 Armor...................................................................59

Scaly Horde Armaments.............................................60 Projectile Weapons.................................................61 Energy Weapons.....................................................62 Hand-to-Hand Weapons........................................62 Explosives..............................................................63 Armor...................................................................63

- Abilities and Powers -

Special Abilities.................................................. 65 Acoustic Command.....................................................65 Air Breather...................................................................65 Amphibious...................................................................65 Animal............................................................................65 Animist...........................................................................65 Arcanist..........................................................................65 Artificial.........................................................................65 Assassin..........................................................................66 Assistant.........................................................................66 Battlemage.....................................................................66 Benthic...........................................................................66 Big....................................................................................67 Biomancer......................................................................67 Bio-Weapon...................................................................67 Bloodthirsty..................................................................67 Bombard........................................................................67 Camouflage...................................................................67 Combat Master............................................................67 Combo Attack..............................................................68 Command......................................................................68 Compass.........................................................................68 Conjuror........................................................................68 Corrupted......................................................................68 Counter..........................................................................68

Coward...........................................................................69 Critical Hit....................................................................69 Crusher...........................................................................69 Deadeye..........................................................................69 Deep Caller...................................................................69 Deep Eyes.......................................................................69 Demolition....................................................................69 Dim Witted...................................................................69 Dimension Shift...........................................................69 Distract...........................................................................69 Dodge.............................................................................70 Echolocation.................................................................70 Electric Skin..................................................................70 Elder Sorcerer................................................................70 Elementalist...................................................................70 Energy Resistance........................................................70 Energy Shield................................................................70 Energy Tracker..............................................................70 Engineer.........................................................................70 Ether Tech......................................................................71 Ethereal Attack.............................................................71 Ethermancer..................................................................71 Evasive............................................................................72 Fanatical.........................................................................72 Fast Load........................................................................72 Fearless............................................................................72 Feeding Frenzy..............................................................72 Free Disengage..............................................................72 Greedy............................................................................72 Gregarious.....................................................................73 Group Fighter...............................................................73 Gulp................................................................................73 Healer.............................................................................73 Hero................................................................................73 Huge...............................................................................73 Inhale..............................................................................73 Iron Will........................................................................73 Jet Burst..........................................................................73 Leader.............................................................................74 Lethal..............................................................................74 Long Move....................................................................74 Lure.................................................................................74 Madness..........................................................................74 Magic Resistance..........................................................74 Maneuverable................................................................74 Marine............................................................................74 Mind Shield...................................................................74 Mounted........................................................................74 Moving Attack..............................................................75 Mutant Spawn..............................................................75 Obfuscate.......................................................................75 Opportunistic...............................................................75 Pack Hunter..................................................................75 Pack Leader...................................................................75 Power Dive....................................................................75 Powerful.........................................................................75 Psychic Command.......................................................75 Psychic Wall..................................................................75 Rapid Shot.....................................................................75

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Re-animator..................................................................76 Relay................................................................................77 Resilient.........................................................................77 Ruthless..........................................................................77 Salvager...........................................................................77 Savage.............................................................................77 Scent Tracker.................................................................77 Scientist..........................................................................77 Sea Shaman....................................................................78 Sentinel...........................................................................78 Sharpshooter.................................................................78 Shoaling..........................................................................78 Shooter...........................................................................79 Short Move....................................................................79 Slimy...............................................................................79 Slow.................................................................................79 Steadfast.........................................................................79 Stealth.............................................................................79 Swimming......................................................................79 Sunder.............................................................................80 Tailslap...........................................................................80 Terror..............................................................................80 Telepath..........................................................................81 Teleportation.................................................................81 Thick Skull.....................................................................81 Tough..............................................................................81 Uncontrollable..............................................................81 Undead...........................................................................81 Warbeast........................................................................81 Weak Willed.................................................................81

- Ethereal Magic -

Magic Spells....................................................... 83 Spellcasting Roll...........................................................83 Spell Mishap..................................................................83 Group Channeling.......................................................83 Amplifying Spells.........................................................83 Elemental Magic...........................................................84 Elemental Magic Attack Spells................................84 Elemental Magic Conjuration Spells.......................85

Psychic Magic...............................................................86 Psychic Magic Attack Spells....................................86 Psychic Magic Conjuration Spells............................87

Dimensional Magic.....................................................88 Dimensional Magic Translocation Spells..................88 Dimensional Magic Conjuration Spells...................89

Protection Magic..........................................................90 Personal Protection Spells.......................................90 General Protection Spells........................................91

- Ether Technology -

Technology........................................................ 93 Technology Types........................................................93 Ether-Tech Devices......................................................93 Salvaging Tech Items...................................................93 Ether-Tech Device Listing..........................................93 Complexity Level 1................................................93 Complexity Level 2................................................94

- Battle Campaigns -

Campaigns......................................................... 97 Scenarios........................................................................97

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Battle Layout.................................................................97 Controlled Aggression................................................97 Turn Limits...................................................................97 Scenario Archetypes....................................................98 Skirmish...............................................................98 Ambush................................................................98 Breach..................................................................98 Salvage.................................................................98 Survival................................................................99 Capture................................................................99

Battle Aftermath.........................................................100 Surviving the Battle...................................................100 Reinforcements...........................................................100 Experience and Victory Points................................100 Warband Advances....................................................100 Buying Mercenaries....................................................101 Personal Advancement..............................................101 Technology Upgrades...............................................102 Technology Development........................................102 Upgrading Constructs..............................................102 Ancient Technology Artifacts ................................103 Treasure Artifacts.................................................103 Scenic Artifacts....................................................105 Scenic Weapons....................................................106

Wild Sea Creatures....................................................107 Predators.............................................................107 Defensive............................................................107

- Deep Sea Environments -

Marine Zones................................................... 109 The Shallow Shelf.......................................................109 Shallow Shelf Map Layout.......................................109 Shallow Shelf Scenic Terrain...................................109 Coral Outcropping...............................................110 Coral Reef...........................................................110 Kelp Forest..........................................................110 Sandy Patch........................................................110 Macroalgae Bottom Cover....................................111 Giant Soft Coral..................................................111 Ruined Structure.................................................111 Living Cloud.......................................................111

Shallow Shelf Deadly Terrain..................................112 Anklebiter Barnacles............................................112 Doom Clam........................................................112 Angry Eels...........................................................112 Deep Sediment Trap............................................112 Seafloor Eruption................................................112 Unstable Seafloor.................................................113 Whirlpool Hole...................................................113 Ethereal Disruption Field.....................................113

Shallow Shelf Wild Sea Creatures..........................113 The Abyssal Zone.......................................................114 Abyssal Zone Map Layout.......................................115 Abyssal Zone Scenic Terrain....................................115 Deep Sea Coral....................................................115 Whale Carcass.....................................................116 Silty Bottom........................................................116 Uplifted Rock Wall..............................................116 Crystal Caverns...................................................116 Wrecked Submersible...........................................116

Abyssal Zone Deadly Terrain..................................117 Hydrothermal Vent Field......................................117 Ethereal Disruption Field.....................................118

Unstable Seafloor.................................................118 Seafloor Rift........................................................118 Ether Crystal Outcropping...................................118 Ether Vortex........................................................119

Abyssal Zone Wild Sea Creatures..........................119 Deep Sea Outpost......................................................120 Deep Sea Outpost Map Layout..............................120 Structures.....................................................................120 Geothermal Power Plant......................................120 Research Station..................................................120 Research Station Doors.........................................121 Dimensional Launch Site.....................................121

Attacking Submersibles............................................122 Submersible Layouts..................................................122 Attack Scenario..........................................................123 Capturing the Bridge...........................................123 Scuttle................................................................123 Cargo Theft.........................................................123

Amphibious Warfare.................................................123

DeepWars Forces

- Fortune Hunters -

Commander Angus McBain.................................126 Communication Mech Construct..........................126 Tactical Dive Soldier...........................................127 Marie du Chatelet - Scientist of the Ethers............127 Heavy Support Trooper........................................127 Anti-Ship Breaching Mech...................................128 Sea Dog..............................................................128 Recon Trooper......................................................128 Dr. Heinrich Cornelius - Arcane Researcher..........129 Big Game Hunter................................................129 Silent Soldier.......................................................129 Combat Engineer................................................130 Assistant Mech Construct.....................................130 Medic.................................................................130 Templar Shadow Slayer........................................131 Templar Sentinel of Light.....................................131

- Dark Mariners -

Mad Inventor......................................................131 Elluvi Darkeye - Commander of the Night Sea......132 Vanguard Marine................................................133 Cephalid Scientist................................................133 Annihilitor Biomech............................................133 Octopod Stealth Biomech.....................................134 Nautiloid Chrysalid.............................................134 Cephalid Scavengers............................................134 Vanguard Heavy Support Marine.........................135 Cephalid Biomancer............................................135 Vanguard Marine Captain...................................135 Deep-Spawn Reaver Biomech...............................136 Siren of the Deep.................................................136 Hunter-Killer Biomech........................................136

Summoned Ethereals.................................................137 Cephalid Ethermancer.........................................137 Gothagga (Elder Ethereal)....................................137 Shapeless Horror (Ethereal)..................................137 Thotag Spore (Ethereal)........................................137 Proto-Race of Yosoth (Ethereal).............................137 Thotag Crab (Ethereal)........................................137

Assault Soldier.....................................................139 Matlal the Elder – Technologist of Atalán .............139 Acolyte of the Ethers.............................................139 Chariniform Light Assault Mech Construct...........140 Mantaform Hunter-Killer Mech Construct...........140 Exoform Salvage Mech Construct.........................140 Elite Soldier........................................................141 Xicana - Elementalist of Atalán............................141 Medic of Atalán..................................................141 Copeform Repair Mech Construct.........................142 Hydraform Light Combat Mech Construct............142 Muraniform Stealth Mech Construct....................142 Conjuror of the Ethers..........................................143 Sniper Soldier......................................................143 Reconnaissance Scout...........................................143

- Scaly Horde -

Cthan The Ravenous – Scaly Horde Commander...144 Abyssal Gark.......................................................145 At-Atck - Clal-Chk Scientist ................................145 Steel-Jaw Placoderm Fish.....................................145 Dagathonan Salvager..........................................146 Draconid Sea-Demon Shaman.............................146 Dire Fish-Lizard.................................................146 Clal-Chk Warrior................................................147 Dagathonan Brute...............................................147 Draconid Warrior................................................147 Abyssal Gark Mangler..........................................148 Hag-Ray.............................................................148 Giant Angler Fish................................................148

Wild Sea Creatures....................................................149 Dagathonan Deep Caller.....................................149

Shallow Shelf Creatures............................................149 Gray Pointer Shark (predator)..............................149 Sharptooth Dolphin (defensive)............................149 Sharptooth Dolphin Alpha (defensive)...................149 Euripterid Sea Scorpion (predator).......................149 RazorJaw Fish-Lizard (predator)..........................150 Ravenous Cordoba Squid (predator).....................150 Blacktip Whaler Shark (defensive)........................150 Giant Marine Crocodile (predator).......................150 Orthocone (predator)...........................................150 Stonebreaker Crab (predator)...............................150 Leviathan Shark (defensive).................................150 Lion’s Mane Jelly (predator)..................................151 Ridgehead Leviathan (defensive)...........................151 Giant Devilfish (predator)....................................151 Beast of Kronos (predator)....................................151

Abyssal Zone Creatures............................................151 Nine-Gill Shark (predator)..................................151 Kraken (predator)................................................151 Dragon Fish (predator)........................................152 Isopod Swarm (predator)......................................152 Hagfish Swarm (predator)....................................152 Thorny Spider Crab (predator).............................152 Demon Squid (predator)......................................152 Giant Fireworm (defensive)..................................152

Custom Models................................................ 153 Blast Templates................................................ 156 Measurement Sticks......................................... 157 Warband Record Sheets................................... 158

- Ancients of Atalán -

Alahál the Immortal, Commander of the Ancients.138

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Introduction DeepWars is a tabletop wargame where forces battle below the waves of a lost underground ocean beneath a frozen southern continent, vying for control over ancient sunken ruins and wrecks holding powerful artifacts and golden treasure. Players command warbands from one of four main forces, developing their warriors as they gain experience though combat, exploration and recovery of treasure. DeepWars is a continuation of the adventures from the ShadowSea game, taking place in the same time period and involving many of the same forces, but introduces new rules for combat beneath the sea, battles aboard breached submersibles, new magic and ether technology. The setting is in the late 17th century, many years after the initial discovery of the underground world of the Shadow Sea, a realm located miles underneath lands of perpetual ice and snow. The subsequent recovery of ancient technology by these first Fortune Hunters has fueled the development of advanced undersea vehicles and personal dive suits that allow adventurers to explore previously inaccessible areas of the deep ocean floor and locate tunnels that connect the underground sea to the oceans of the surface lands. The Fortune Hunters are not alone however, as other forces have been drawn to the deep ruins, all of which are entirely adapted to underwater environments: the enigmatic Dark Mariners, advanced Ancients of Atalán and the vicious Scaly Horde. These four forces can be played in many different Scenarios, including exploration of wrecks on the seafloor, adventures in ancient cities of cyclopean structures, battles among fields of geothermal chimneys or boarding of submersible vehicles. Adventures within flooded tunnels inside wrecked ships or crumbing cities may be played with “tiles” to represent stretches of passage and chambers, while games in open environments are played with scenic terrain pieces on the tabletop. Two or more players take their warbands into battle Scenarios, or optionally, players may compete to recover artifacts and treasure, using solo rules to control vicious creature of the deep. DeepWars uses a modified version of the rules from ShadowSea, and all rules needed for gameplay are included in the rulebook. The core rules are based upon the Song of Blades and Heroes (SOBH) game engine by Ganesha Games and are designed for fast and furious play with plenty of heroic action, arcane magic and advanced technology, all handled with a few rolls of 6-sided dice. The rules have been designed for battle using 28 mm “heroic” scale miniatures, with one figure representing one character or creature. Miniatures are referred to as “models” in the rules, as some larger creatures may not quite be miniature in size. Typical round bases sizes are 30 mm for man-sized or smaller models, 40 mm for bigger models,

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such as large dive suits, and 50 mm for huge models. Some exceptionally large models, such as undersea vehicles and mechanical contracts, may be mounted on larger oval bases. The nominal ground scale is roughly 15 mm = 1 meter, so most man-sized models are approximately 30 mm tall. Games are played on the tabletop or a gameboard with typical dimensions of one meter square, where one turn represent a few seconds of combat and heroic actions. Distances for movement and combat range are measured either using a ruler or with three measuring sticks of 75 mm (Short), 120 mm (Medium) and 180 mm (Long). If one wants to use Imperial units, the sticks would be 3 inches (Short) 4.75 inches (Medium) and 7 inches (Long). The measurement sticks make movement and range calculations quick and easy, an important consideration because of the depth component of an underwater game. Above all, DeepWars is about fun and fast gameplay, with Scenarios lasting less than an hour. The rules are designed to be modular, so they are easy to learn but have enough complexity that players can game in a variety of styles, blasting their opponents, stealthily sneaking into ruins to steal artifacts, or wielding Ethereal Magic spells to control the minds of their foes. Players can also create their own unique characters or improve them, RPG style, using a flexible point system. Whether you are a novice to tabletop gaming or an experienced player, DeepWars will provide a fun way to spend an evening with friends. AntiMatter Games sincerely hopes you enjoy the game as much as we have enjoyed making it.

Background Expedition Log of Pilny the Aged March 3, 1689 - Preparing for the Return It has been many years since I last stepped foot in the underground world discovered by Captain Brewer in 1676, and this will be the first expedition to the deepest parts of the Shadow Sea, a region I only explored briefly in a salvaged submersible. The Underlands was the name given to this lost world under miles of treacherous ice and snow, a place unknown until Brewer’s ship drifted off course when making a turn around the cape at Isla Hornos and passed into a graveyard of ships among floating mountains of ice. Through skillful navigation and the fortunes of the bold, he steered his ship through a wall of mist, finding a rough harbor and the entrance to this mysterious land, spewing clouds of steam into the frosty air. The early expeditions were decimated by the savage wildlife, deadly plants and giant fungal overgrowth. Scores of good soldiers and scientists made the Underlands their final resting place and many other turned back to make the journey home empty handed. This was not to be our fate however, even though our expedition ended in the death of many of our team members at the hands of a former associate and rival, the black hearted Dr. Kurtz. By the grace of God, we were able to recover many glittering artifacts, including a fully functional submersible ship and suits designed to explore the deep sea, left behind by the mysterious ancient race of this strange world. Our chief scientist, Dr. Wormwood, refused to leave the Underlands without this prize, to the consternation of the remaining expedition members. It clearly could not be carried back many miles through deadly terrain and pulled through the narrow cavern entrance. All were convinced that he was mad and only his knowledge of the function of an ancient weapon that blasted out a spray of infernal fire protected him from certain mutiny. On the final dive in the vehicle, Wormwood deciphered the controls sufficiently to guide the craft to the bottom of the Sunless Sea, where our mutinous crew gasped in wonder at a glittering cavern of crystal and ice, passing into the solid rock wall of the underground sea. Wormwood steered the craft into the cavern and through a twisting tunnel, back for what seemed like an eternity, until the craft exited into the ocean of the surface world. The sight of deadly walls of ice amid crashing waves was never so sweet... Our return in this salvaged craft during the summer of 1679 was intended to be heralded by the Lords that had subsidized the expedition, providing the men, ships and supplies needed to bring back artifacts and treasures. The docks

were dark though, and we were quietly escorted into dungeons beneath the palace of Zena, where we were encouraged to restrict our discussions of the mission and its bounty to only a select few scientists among the annointed universities and, of course, members of the papal leadership. Wormwood has worked in secret for the last ten years on the recovered submersible, the diving suits and weapons that fire out harpoon-like spears at frightening velocity. I have had little access to his laboratory, but have been witness to many esteemed scientists, engineers and inventors spending many weeks visiting the complex, as well as cloaked figures that had a disquieting look about them. My lack of access to the artifacts has not stopped our work altogether, as Wormwood has required my expertise in decoding ancient pictograms when investigating the murals uncovered in the steaming jungles of Belix, along the coast of the New World. Those images still haunt me, appearing so similar to those we found in the temples of the Underlands, and having advanced mathematical equations far beyond my comprehension. A second collaboration took us to the bowels of the great library of Al Iskandariyya, where mouldering pages from a dusty tome contained diagrams of items eerily similar to the weapons recovered by Wormwood. A schematic design of a ship in the book was too similar to the shape of the submersible to be the coincidence that Wormwood insisted. Wormwood has only now finished his work and revealed his improvements to the undersea vessel. Most impressively, he displayed new designs for the diving suits, which included armor plating and utilized aspects of the ether technology we recovered from ancient autonomous constructs to generate the power needed to move the hulking bronze suits. The weapons were also modified, with new types of spears and rapid loading mechanisms. There was a veritable armory of new devices, and I knew then that it was time to prepare for the return expedition to the depths of the Shadow Sea.

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September 14, 1690 - The Quest Begins Preparations for the expedition were excruciatingly slow for a year, as different factions within a number of kingdoms squabbled amongst themselves for the rights to any artifacts and treasures that would be recovered. All of these political machinations were restricted from the public, which was more consumed with avoiding the numerous plagues that seemed to perpetually afflict the cities. It was only when a convoy of ships carrying gold from the New World failed to return to port, and a subsequent fleet discovered the wreckage and remains of the crewmen was there a quickening of the pace. It was rumored that the remains were found strewn about the fortress, a structure thought to be easily strong enough to withstand attack by the natives and their crude stone weapons. A few large lizardlike creatures were mentioned in reports and I immediately knew that the accursed draconid creatures had finally taken the next step in their migration. I believed that some foolish commander had attempted to abscond with eggs from the nests of these deadly creatures but had not realized how quickly the eggs would hatch and the size and speed of the hatchlings. All my attempts at confirming my suspicions were rebuked by the impudent lords, and I was threatened with arrest for broaching the subject a second time. Had but

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a few of these creatures escaped into the humid jungles of the surface world they would quickly grow and learn to conquer their surroundings, something we had discovered firsthand in our encounters with them in the Underlands. While the leadership denied the significance of the loss of the ships and gold, within a few weeks we had been fully funded and outfitted. Ours was a team of fortune seekers, a motley group of pirates, soldiers and adventurers, all led by the few who survived the first expedition.

- Into the Darkness The return trip was uneventful until our ancient submersible dove into the gloom to find the entrance to the underground sea. Wormwood narrowly avoided wrecking the craft on a massive wall of ice and finally found the entrance as our air supply was reaching a distressingly low level. We have been safely encamped at the quay of a ruined city for two weeks now, having found a relatively safe area in this deadly land. The city itself has proven to hold magnificent treasures but the sea has largely been unexplored, save for a few expeditions made with our salvaged undersea vessel. We initially believed that some of the race of elder beings living in this realm had migrated to the deeper zones, and the sunken citadels of crystal and gold was evidence for this theory, but it was not until some time later did we discover the extent of colonization that the Ancients had achieved on the seafloor.

Our first discovery was of massive structures on the bottom, all similar in architectural style to the pressurized sunken citadels we had previously found in shallower waters, but abandoned and apparently flooded. Other sites we found in very shallow water near inlets and bays. These were more akin to the monolithic temples and pyramids we had found on shore but must have been covered over by rising sea levels in ages past. There were also a multitude of ancient submersibles scattered on the bottom of the sea, most hulking wrecks, impossible to recover. We were fortunate that our own craft was functioning in proper order and could carry a small team down to the bottom of the sea quickly and easily to explore these wrecks. Our ship was designed in such a way that divers could exit and enter the through sophisticated portals, connected to waterfilled chambers that drained and repressurized before opening into the ships’ interior. There were also numerous doors and walls that sealed off sections of the craft in case of flooding, an occurrence I unfortunately witnessed in person when our craft collided with some enormous creature of the deep. Wormwood’s work on the diving suits has proven to be time well spent. The suits allow a person to drop to the seafloor, untethered to any surface ship, while breathing air created from the surrounding water, not unlike how a fish survives in the deep. Wormwood had been able to interpret the elegant design of the salvaged suits and improve upon them, but he cautioned some of the mercenaries that their suits would need more work to be entirely trustworthy in the deep sea. Heedless of his warnings, the captain of the mercenaries took a small team to a deep bay where gold spilled from a wreck. Their dive proved to be a costly one for our team, but we gathered valuable information about the dangers of the underwater environment.

- The Shallow Shelf Near the shore, the seafloor is relatively shallow and the glow of ethereal light penetrates down to the bottom. The floor is generally hardbottom, with a layer of sedimentary deposition, generally higher near river outflows from the Underlands, that can slow progress during salvage expeditions but is usually not dangerous. Most wrecks are visible and unburied, but are encrusted with different plants, corals and large shellfish, including some that are quite edible. The seas here teem with life: schools of fish and cuttlefish abound, and predators roam at all times, some of fantastic size and appetites. We have lost a number of inexperienced divers to the deadly wildlife, and have had many maimed by gigantic barnacles that lurk on the bottom or on the sides of wrecks, waiting for an unwary diver to step or reach into their open maws. I named them “Anklebiters” in jest, although my humor has been lost on the crippled members of our team. The shallow shelf is a dangerous area to explore but many wrecks can be found on the rocky bottom and we have been successful in recovering valuable artifacts from the sunken hulks, including dive suits and lamps of gold and crystal. A number

of these lamps contain a type of crystal I had not encountered before, one that emits a pure white light as opposed to the bluish or purple-tinted light from the other crystals. I have called these “sun crystals” because of the purity of the light and similarity to sunlight. These lamps have proven to extremely valuable for exploring the deeper zones of the sea.

- The Abyssal Darkness Beyond the shallow shelf the seafloor drops off precipitously into a pit of blackness, with the intervening water column lit only by small phosphorescent fish and the occasional glowing tube of translucent jelly. The darkness is almost tangible, like a mass of black ink, and monstrous creatures may appear suddenly from the gloom, a terrifying sight that has caused some members of the team to panic and mishandle the pressure and ballast controls of their suits. Those poor souls shoot to the surface and are dragged onto our boats in apparent safety, only to convulse horribly and die screaming with bloody froth spewing from the their mouths or with their limbs twisted grotesquely. Some of the divers wearing lighter suits of stitched fabric, the mercenary

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Sea Dogs as we call them, have been less fortunate and have ruptured their suits a number of times, causing a massive loss of pressure and an explosion of bubbles. We have found light suits crumpled on the bottom that appear to have no diver inside, the only remnant a thin veneer of flesh and pulverized bone adhering to the inside of the helmet. Wormwood has not yet identified the solution to this unfortunate side effect of our underwater expeditions but we have been able to bring more mercenaries, hungry for golden treasures, to replace the casualties. So far, the armored suits worn by the more experienced soldiers are able to withstand damage without collapsing. These suits have allowed much more freedom for the expedition and are good protection against most, but not all attacks from the wildlife. All of our expedition now carry crystal lamps down with them, but close the shutters and would rather descend in total darkness than risk attracting the predators that prowl the deep. We have found that many of the largest predators, such as the crocodilian Sea Dragons, have excellent eyesight and are unrelenting in their attack once they follow a trail of light. Shutting off the lamps does not ensure safety though, as some of our divers have been carried off by some devil that we have not yet identified. The deep Abyssal Plains have solid rock on the bottom, covered with a layer of light-colored sediment, almost as if the bottom was covered with snow. A sample of the sediment appeared to be almost entirely composed of tiny shells and bones, more than likely the remains of countess creatures consumed by predators over the eons. There were also a multitude of strange looking crystalline objects visible when examining sediment samples under our new microscope, donated by the esteemed Dr. Hooke for the expedition, and many appeared similar to snow flakes or symmetrical spheres and plates. It is possible that this crystalline snow falls continually from the waters above, as many of the wrecks seem to be dusted with this fine white sediment as if they were outside on a cold winters day. There is considerable volcanic activity in many places, with active thermal vents that spew boiling water from the bowels of the earth. Some appear like infernal chimneys, shooting up gouts of black water with the appearance of dense smoke. Surrounding the chimneys, or “black towers” as I have named them, are vast fields of indescribably foul sea life. There are enormous tube-like creatures that shoot out powerful jaws to drag the unwary diver down into their bellies. Crawling among them are massive crab-like creatures with pincers that can pull off limbs or smash helmets. Swarms of smaller arthropods obscure one’s view and cause havoc by eating into the soft joints of our dive suits. These areas, while deadly to those that linger within for more than a few moments, are also abundant in precious metals, such as gold, silver, copper and platinum. Those that brave the toxic, acidic water around the “black towers” may well recover a veritable horde of wealth, as well as many glowing crystals that illuminate the bottom like blue torches, which appear to be some accreted form of aragonite. These

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crystals channel the ethereal energy fields of this underground realm more powerfully than the crystals we recovered in the Underlands and have been most useful in powering our dive suits and other ancient artifacts. It is this treasure that is more valuable than gold or platinum.

- Exploring The Seafloor When finally landing on the bottom of either the shallow shelf or deep sea, explorers must carefully manage their ballast and pressure control, lest they float upwards and become separated from the team, lost in the emptiness above. This has been a cruel lesson to some of our new recruits, however those that survive the first dive seem to learn quickly and there have been fewer accidents during the most recent expedition. The dive suits are truly amazing devices, with their own internal air supply, temperature control and assisted power to help move quickly and efficiently. The Ballast system pumps air into chambers throughout the suit and allow one to control descent and ascent through the water column with ease. Wormwood recently discovered an artifact that may be some sort of propulsion system held by the suit that could provide additional maneuverability. Experienced wearers of the dive suits have discovered that they can utilize the ballast control along with the propulsion system of multiple belt-driven fans to cruise for long distances

right over the seafloor. Energy for the suit is produced by a power plant on the back, containing glowing ether crystals, that uses their magnetic properties to turn gears and pull levers. The energy from these crystals is drained at a rapid rate though, and there is a constant need to recover more crystals to continue our expeditions.

June 2, 1691 - We Are Not Alone My original belief that the bottom of the sea was an empty graveyard of sunken corpses and skeletal wrecks of sea vessels has been shattered during a recent exploration of a wreck at one hundred fathoms. Our team of Fortune Hunters discovered schools of predatory fish and masses of arthropods, some equipped with vicious jaws and chelae that can penetrate even our steel armor. The wildlife was of less concern though, than the appearance of old enemies from the Underlands. Our force has had pitched battles with the foul Dark Mariners, beings named for their terrifying vessels, amalgams of living flesh, metal and crystal. They are completely at home underwater, and their warriors and sorcerers appear to be even more effective when fighting at the bottom of the sea. Here, they utilize an unknown type of vibrational weaponry that has caused such horrific deaths to our men, liquefying their flesh and bone within their suits, that many quake now at the sight of the enemy. Our heavy steel armor seems to afford little protection against these weapons, but we are fortunate that they

are only effective at close range so that we can engage them at longer range with our spear-guns and explosive torpedoes, which thankfully still devastate their light carapace armor. It has been difficult to continue on dives when confronted by these beings, as many of the soldiers claim to see visions and hear voices commanding them to do horrible things to their bothers in arms. In two instances, divers turned on the team, killing many but recalling nothing later after being dragged back to the surface. Just last week, three divers suddenly released their ballast, dropping down into the inky darkness below as if called by some siren of the deep. I now suspect that there is some tentacled demon below that has the capacity to enslave the minds of our men, even more so than the Cephalids we encountered in the Underlands. Our only defense will be to steel out wills, girding against the siren’s call as it were. Thankfully we still have a few of the Templar order of Shadow Slayers among the expedition, many of which have battled against the Dark Mariners in the Underlands, their iron wills unbroken by this vile enemy. Toughened troops will be valuable as Wormwood has been continually devising new techniques to combat the apparent overwhelming strength of the tentacled horrors. One of his new ideas is pure madness - he plans to have a team of divers breach the hull of the living vessels of the Dark Mariners, which he believes to be completely filled with water, and then scuttle the ship or capture the commander... A week ago we were confronted with a new enemy in the deep, a cadre of reptilian beings cruising through the ruins on a shallow shelf, their powerful tails propelling them through the

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water the same way as the ocean crocodiles of Terra Australis. We had a brief skirmish with this Scaly Horde but needed to retreat after the battle was joined by an enormous sea dragon, apparently controlled by a draconid beastmaster swimming nearby. These variants of the cold-blooded monsters we had fought on land were equipped with webbed hand and feet and could dive down great distances with little effort. Named Sea Demons by our men, these beasts also seem to be able to travel out of water easily also, as we discovered during one of their raids upon our encampment. We are discovering new dangers from this force with each passing day now, including a sighting of powerful humanoid beasts, nauseatingly manlike with an appearance that hinted of the savage garks of the Sunless Kingdom. They seemed completely adapted to the deep and were unaffected by the frigid water or scalding jets from undersea thermal vents. Their barbed spears and tridents were charged with crackling energy and caused heavy casualties to our team, and we were unable to keep them from stealing a great deal of gold and crystals from the wreck we had rightly claimed. Back on shore, Ensign McCardell declared that he had seen one of these things skulking about the caverns at the harbor, near a group of troglodytes that, upon interrogation, claimed to have no knowledge of such a creature, a dubious claim knowing their scheming nature. We have continued to encounter more of these vile things accompanied by blasphemous fishmen referred to as

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Dagathonans by our troglodyte guide, and enormous fish with jaws that crushed our suits as a parrot cracks a nutshell. Just the previous week we encountered an insectoid monstrosity carrying curious breathing apparatus and displaying skill at handling the technology of the deep wrecks. I now believe that they are all part of coordinated effort to salvage treasures of the deep...

- A New Enemy Wormwood’s plan for the submarine assault is progressing slowly and I fear for the future of the expedition. There is cause to believe that the dives themselves may be causing instability in some of the men, beyond the battles with nightmares of the deep. After an expedition not two nights past, one of our divers claimed to have seen a pair of female divers, clad in glittering golden harness but without breathing gear of any type or protection from the deathly cold of the deep. These mermaids, as he called them, were freely swimming through a wreck, accompanied by slender men in golden armor wielding some sort of projectile weapons. I sent the man back to the brig for his own protection but only a day later did we meet with the force we now know as the Ancients of Atalán. Their ability to harness the energy of the ethers astonishes even Wormwood, who still steadfastly claims that he can replicate their technology with time and resources. From what we have gathered from salvaged engravings and from a captured Axibalán amazon,

these new enemies are actually descendants of the last true elder race of the Underlands, whose ruined civilization we scour for bits of gold and trinkets. The race had migrated from their monolithic temples on land to elegant towers of crystal and metal on the bottom of the sea, becoming further twisted by their experiments with the ethers and the unholy creatures that reside beyond the windows of our vision. They left behind a few sorceresses to act as keepers of the Underlands, controlling the savages that had only just migrated to the underground realm. No trace of the elder beings remains though, save their artifacts and structures, and the amazon provided no more information on the subject. From what we could gather, The sect of Atalán was a small group that rebelled against the decadence of their leaders and travelled out into the open seas of the surface world to create their own kingdom. The she-devil spoke of these beings with reverence, claiming that the gods had finally returned from their exile to reclaim what was taken from them by their elders, and that they will rebuild their fractured empire of land and sea forces into a new power. The connection to the female divers was all too clear now, and we feared that this new enemy would be as dangerous as the Axibalán sorceresses had been on land or more so if they were able to consolidate their forces. Our fears were justified. Only yesterday, our troops were assaulted by these mysterious enemies, the only survivor describing terrifying vortices being created by the female sorceresses and watching his unit decimated by piercing beams of light from the male soldiers that cut through their armored suits. The last of the team was slaughtered by soulless automatons in the shape of massive sea creatures, cruising through the waters and finishing off the wounded with glowing blades and metal claws. The shaken survivor did state though, that their armor was susceptible to damage from our crude steel spears and torpedoes, so all hope may not be lost...

December 19, 1691 - Fate of the Ancients Is it now apparent to that our expedition is battling for control of the undersea artifacts with these other forces, and that we are in a race to decipher the reasons for the disappearance of such an advanced civilization. Just this afternoon one of our men, from the deepest dive yet attempted, surfaced with a small piece of metal that I could not identify and told of seeing a craft, half-buried in a cooled lava flow. This craft appeared unlike any of the other ancient submersibles we explored and yet still had design characteristics unequivocally from the elder race. This craft had not been sunken, he stated, which would be patently impossible I must say... He continued to claim that this vehicle was untouched, and the unburied part of the seafloor it lay upon had the unmistakable signs of being a man-made structure. I scoffed, as this diver did not have the requisite

background to make such as claim, but there is a part of me that cannot discount the possibility... My dreams have been fitful this evening on the shores of this inner sea. I have had unshakable visions of cyclopean arches and monoliths covered in inscriptions similar to those in the ruins under which I now sleep. There are no stars in this underground world but there are in my dreams, clear and distinct, glittering in a sky of swirling blue and deep purples, surrounded by the dark of the deep sea...

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- Explorers of the Abyss -

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ilt roiled up in clouds below my feet but I could still see clearly enough in the glow of the crystal lamps and continued the descent down into the canyon. Fish darted away from my view and I strained to see them through the restricted viewplate but could not identify them clearly. A massive creature, possible some sort of devilfish, lurched away from the bottom, shaking off sediment from its back and cruising out of sight. There was not a sound within my suit of steel, save for the droning hum of the air creation device, a masterful piece of engineering created by Wormwood after his studies with ethereal artifacts recovered during the previous expedition. It was becoming more difficult to breath though, and I could feel a slight burning sensation in my lungs. The seafloor grew hazy, shifting in color patterns that should not be seen in this realm of darkness. The canyon floor leveled off and I knew that the bottom of the abyssal canyon was near. The others were up ahead and I finally could see their bubble trails, a welcome sight after so long being separated. Voices echoed into my helmet, reverberating from the canyon walls and amplified by Wormwood’s crystal tube designs, urging me to climb a low rise ahead. It was there as the survey team had indicated, draped onto the rocky floor of the canyon like the decaying corpse of a massive sea creature. My lamp shone on the ribs of the craft and I could almost swear that the material appeared as bone, although my training would not allow me to believe that it could be anything other than some sort of unnatural metal, pitted and corroded. The front was a twisted ruin, and the yawning entrance into the belly of the craft beckoned my colleagues. The last I saw of them was the glimmer of their crystal lamps as they climbed through the shattered remains of the front of the wreck. I felt an iron grip pull violently on my suit, smashing my head against my helm. I was disoriented and fired wildly into the darkness. The thudding shock of my explosive harpoon blasted into my suit, knocking me off balance amid a cloud of purple fluid. I regained my footing and turned my lamp towards the darkness... Journal entry – Phillipe Lesson 1691

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Fortune Hunters Whispers of the legendary lost realm beneath ice and snow has tempted many grizzled adventurer, devious brigands and adventurous scientists among the kingdoms of the Old World. Many of these seekers of golden treasures answered the call on dark and misty docks, unprepared for the dangers they would be asked to face. Only a few of the bravest, or most foolhardy, joined the expedition to the underground Shadow Sea, combining their skills and experimental dive equipment to make up a ragged yet dangerous force. Fortune hunters come from many different countries, often hired as mercenaries with backgrounds as veterans of wars or scientific expeditions. Some bring their own equipment, specially designed for underwater exploration or salvaged from previous treks through the Underlands, while others are simply soldiers trained in the use of the new armored diving gear created by Dr. Wormwood in his dark and mysterious

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laboratory. The main expedition has been funded by wealthy nobles and shadowy forces at the highest levels of the kingdoms of the Old World. A recent discovery of the deadly draconid creatures of the Underlands spreading across the southern continents of the New World has forced these kingdoms to put aside their petty squabbles and work together to recover the powerful ether technology artifacts sitting on the cold seafloor of the underground ocean. The teamwork of many of the most esteemed scientists of the age within Wormwood lab has made this goal a possibility. How the salvaged treasures of the deep are shared amongst the jealous, backstabbing kings will be of concern later. The Fortune Hunters have a variety of different troop types, but they all share a need to wear heavy dive suits of thick, oiled leather or bronze, pressurized so that they can survive under the crushing weight of hundreds of feet of water. Their helmets are designed to resist the water pressure but still give some level of visibility through multiple viewing windows of solid crystal. The helmets restrict visibly though, and the armored suits are clumsy and slow to turn, but they keep the divers alive in the deadly world at the bottom of the sea. Though their technology appears unsophisticated, a crude mixture of recovered ancient technology and rough modifications, it is still reliable and effective in combat. Their weapons are especially efficient killing tools, though relying too often on explosives that may cause collateral damage. Their primary weapons are spearguns that fire heavy steel spears and harpoons that punch through the armor of the opposing forces with relative ease. All of the weapons are fired using the same basic principles as gunpowder weapons, using an explosion to hurl a projectiles or multiple projectiles out at high velocity. In the case of underwater weapons though, the explosive is a small bit of unstable crystal that explodes when hit with a firing hammer. The crystals are a finite resource and are only found in the underground Shadow Sea, making them valuable treasures to recover during any dive. The team of Fortune Hunters is based on the shores of the sea in the Underlands, repairing and upgrading their equipment between dive missions. When they are prepared, they board the submersible salvaged and modified by Dr. Wormwood for combat dives and exploratory missions down in to the watery gloom. The craft has multiple bulkhead doors that can seal off different sections, so that if breached by an enemy the ship will not collapse or become flooded as long as the doors are closed quickly. The weapons of the Fortune Hunters can operate in air almost as well as in water, so they are may be used to protect the submersible if boarded. Their heavy suits are slow in air though, unless having augmented power systems. Upon reaching the seafloor, the team exits from a water lock, a pressurized room on the bottom of the craft, and make its way out to search for ancient treasures, carrying glowing lamps with crystal lights. Well armed and armored, the Fortune Hunters present a powerful foe to any other forces vying to recover the treasures of the deep.

Dark Mariners It has been theorized that these foul beings may actually be the degenerated remnants of the once powerful and proud civilization that ruled the Underlands and all creatures residing there, the creators of the ancient artifacts now coveted by all of the competing forces. It is not clear when their transformation began, but there have been some recent discoverers that have illuminated some of the dark mysteries. A number of stone monoliths, discovered by Fortune Hunters of the Shadow Sea, were pulled up from the muck below and, when examined, displayed inscriptions of experiments and rituals practiced by human forms and blasphemous shapes. The forms of these creatures were indistinct, eaten away by encrusting sea life over untold ages, but they had an appearance similar to native tentacled monstrosities of the deep. They were larger though, and most offensive to the explorers, were holding instruments in their tentacles of the same design as those found buried in the silt nearby. Other stone and metal artifacts of more recent design, found shallower in the sedimentary layer or laying right on the surface, showed the forms of the ancient race with a more twisted and inhuman countenance, becoming progressively on more recent finds. These discoveries have been interspersed with those of highly advanced artifacts, engraved metal plates and mosaics of precious stones showing the ascension of another group of humans from below the waves into fields of heavenly constellations. These were most likely made by the Ancients of the Underlands after they had migrated to settle under the ocean, and show their fanciful notions of the afterlife, although the constellations in these artifacts have not been identified as of yet. The prevailing theory now is that the Dark Mariners were a faction of the elder civilization, composed of scientists and scholars that rebelled against the religious beliefs of their people. This faction chose to indulge in esoteric experiments with creatures from the darkest parts of the sea, mixing their blood with these awful monstrosities to produce abominations with powerful abilities to manipulate ethereal energy fields and even the thoughts of those around them. The experiments went to extreme ends, warping the minds of the scientists as they experimented on themselves and their chosen group of believers, until the pureblood elder race would have no more, and exiled them to the vastness of the underground sea, never to return to the submerged citadels of the Ancients. The Dark Mariners survived and continued their experiments, creating terrifying combinations of living creatures and mechanical constructs, some for combat or research, and other for transportation. There are reports of massive living vessels that cruise through the deep sea, often near areas believed to be ruins of ancient cities, and terrifying being exiting from various regions of the vessel, if it can be called as such. Dark Mariners are a dangerous foe to all that dare to

enter the deep ocean. Their weapons still utilize many of the technologies of their ancient predecessors, though much has been rebuilt or redesigned over many centuries and does not share the elegance of elder technology. Their primary weapons utilize the power of sonic energy to cause disruption of tissue and bone as well as metal structures. These are devastating at close range, as are their other weapons that focus ethereal energy fields to cause their targets to melt into piles of gore, even inside armored diving suits. Supporting the warriors are hideous telepathic beings with tentacled bodies and hard armored shells, as well as living constructs of golden alloy and slippery flesh, wielding weaponry attached to their bodies. Their pureblood commanders are the few that retain a semblance of the nobility of their former race. These are the most dangerous of the Dark Mariners as they have knowledge of the nature of ethereal dimensions and may even be able to call forth beings of utter madness from places earthly beings should not be allowed to see.

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Ancients of Atalán The ancient civilization of the Underlands disappeared suddenly, leaving behind its arcane devices and elegant structures beneath the surface of the Shadow Sea. Theories regarding the sudden vanishing are varied, but none can question that a force related to that elder race has now returned. The Ancients of Atalán use many of the same devices that have been dredged from the seafloor, though their weapons and tools have been designed more recently. It is therefore believed that this force was originally a group of the elder race that splintered off to explore the oceans of the world and establish new colonies. There have long been legends of a fallen city beneath the waves, off the coasts of the New World, but it may be that those legends actually spoke of a city that had been built underwater, the city of Atalán. Sailors in this part of the world have whispered of seeing slender shapes, mermaids as they called them, dancing through the waves for centuries, and of seeing

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them breathing water as fishes of the sea and having bluish colored skin. The Ancients of Atalán can indeed breathe water through gills on the sides of their necks, whether an unnatural modification or adaptation to their underwater existence Dr. Wormwood has not concluded. These beings appear to be incapable of life above the surface though, their lungs now unable to function properly in air. Ocean water can be just as foul as the air in some places, so these beings must use purification systems to supply clean seawater into their suits to ensure that they are able to breath in all underwater areas. Their bodies are long and slender, some with webbed feet and others with more human features. The legends describe them as peaceful beings, rarely venturing to the surface and never attacking the ships of men, so it may be that they are reluctant warriors, killing when they must and only if there is no other choice. Their passive nature may explain their relatively weak armor and overall combat ability, which is lacking when compared to the other forces. In battle, almost all wear streamlined diving suits to protect from the bitter cold of the deep or heat from boiling water flowing up from hydrothermal vent systems, but offer little protection from attack. Ornate armored suits are rumored to be used by commanders but few have been seen. Some of their females do not wear suits at all, protecting themselves through their control of water temperature and purity around their bodies. These sorceresses appear to have powers of the ethers similar to their counterparts on land, the witch queens of the Axibalán Empire, and are capable of controlling the flow of water to create deadly vortices that disorient enemies, blasts of intense pressure that rupture diving suits, boiling walls of water or even eruptions from undersea volcanoes. Other sorceresses fire intense beams of light from their hands, channeling ethereal energy to melt through metal and flesh. The most dangerous aspect of this force though, is their use of advanced ether technology. Their weapons are deadly and precise, some designed to fire focused light beams, similar to those used by their sorceresses, while others shooting projectiles at incredible velocity using a mixture of magnetic forces in the weapons and ethereal energy in the projectiles themselves. The weapons hit targets at long range and cause little collateral damage. Warriors of this force shun crude explosives and prefer to target only those that interfere with their exploration and salvage operations, although they do have some forms of controlled explosives that breach metal hulls and the walls of ruined structures with ease. The population of the Ancients is small compared to the other forces, as only a few have made the trip to the Underlands, bringing with them a number of mechanical constructs to assist them in salvaging the artifacts of their elders. Their trip represents the last expedition of a dying race attempting to rebuild itself to former glory and discover the reason for the disappearance of their original kingdom beneath the sea.

Scaly Horde The first explorers of the Underlands discovered a world of incredible beauty and mystery, with a multitude of creatures that appeared to defy the passage of time, animals seen only as skeletons in dusty museums. While the majority of these animals were simply dumb brutes that could be avoided by adventurers with experience on the savannahs of the Dark Continent, a few others proved to be exceptionally dangerous. These scaly devils were described as being similar to dragons of legend, but with superior intellect compared to the other ravenous beasts. The creatures were named the Draconid Legion by the early expeditions, and were feared for their capability to learn and emulate the tactics, weapons and armor of the adventurers. Most feared though, was their ability to adapt to nearly any environment, from freezing ice to burning lava flows, and a phenomenal rate of reproduction that seemed to spawn two for every one killed. Only a few years since the discovery of an inner world below a frozen continent, the nightmare of the scientists of the surface world has now occurred as the draconids have managed to colonize the southern continent of the New World. This news has brought the most recent Fortune Hunter expeditions to the Shadow Sea, where they soon learned that the draconids were even more dangerous than before. Now, the scaly devils have adapted to marine life and established alliances with some of the vicious creatures of the Sunless Kingdom, a fungal forest stretching for hundreds of miles underground. This alliance has formed a combat force called the Scaly Horde by explorers, one which has wreaked havoc on diving salvage missions. The main warriors of the force are draconid sea demons, so named for their spiked back ridges and horns and an unnatural ability to hold their breath on long dives to the deepest areas of the sea. These creatures seem to be most interested in finding submerged tunnels to the outside oceans, a sobering thought for all surface dwelling beings. Fortunately, Wormwood assures us that they would not be capable of swimming the many leagues from the underground ocean to the open seas. Some draconids are masters of controlling aquatic animals, such as massive armored fish and incredibly fast and toothy fish-like reptiles, sending them into battle to tear apart their foes. These shamans are able to command the animals through some sort of unspoken communication, one that allows them to command over long distances, even in murky waters. The marine draconids are not as advanced in their choice of weapons as the other forces, but their sheer ferocity makes up for their simple weapons, whalebone spears, knives and, of course, their sharp teeth, claws, and clubbing tails. One of the more dangerous aspects of the force is the addition of the nefarious Clal-Chk to the ranks, beings that do not appear to have any relation to other earthly creatures. Their origins are unknown, but the Clal-Chk reside in the

dankest regions of the Sunless Forest, although their cities or colonies have never been found. These dire beings have their own form of technology that relies on modifying living creatures into vile biological weapons. Their underwater weapons spit out corrosive projectiles that can eat through armor and flesh with ease, some even able to track their targets around obstacles or attack in swarms. The Clal-Chk are the only members of the force that have any interest in ancient technological artifacts, actively searching for them along the seafloor and sometimes leaving the battle once any are found. A number of other strange creatures assist the Scaly Horde, including Dagathonan fish-men and Abyssal Garks, massive humanoid monsters from the deepest caverns under the Sunless Forest with a frightening ability to channel a devastating shock through their crystal weapons, not unlike how some species of eels and rays paralyze their prey. These creatures are more concerned with salvaging artifacts and gold from the wrecks on the bottom of the Shadow Sea than combat though, so they are not always the most brave of enemies. This lack of cohesion among the members of the Scaly Horde seems to be one weakness that may be exploited, although the sheer power and variety of combat abilities can shatter the other forces.

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- Playing the Game -

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Rules Overview DeepWars is a tabletop wargame meant to be played as a head-to-head competition between two or more forces. An optimal game is with two players, but three players or more may battle, each with their own deep sea warband. Players may compete in a single battle Scenario or a series of linked battles comprising a Campaign, using one of the four main forces to build their warbands. Each of the forces has similar over-arching goals of exploration, discovery and conquest, so there are many different ways to run the Campaign and the battles. Creating a warband for battle is as simple as setting a maximum point total and selecting as many models from one force as possible within that value. Battle Scenarios can range from simple head-to head brawls on the seafloor and in open water or aboard submersible vehicles. A focus of gameplay is having specific areas of expertise, or roles, for each model so that players must strategize how best to utilize their warband to accomplish goals during the Scenario. Some models are specialized scientists who can study and use any technological artifact they discover, while others may be channelers of the ethers, energy fields that may be tapped into to harness vast elemental power, and other still may be stealthy hunters in the shadows, taking victims in the silence of the deep sea. Campaigns are run as a sequence of interlocked Scenarios, with victory conditions for each battle that give points to the victorious warband, and in some cases, the defeated warband, for achieving specific goals, such as recovering an artifact, scuttling a submarine, or deciphering an ancient mosaic within a ruined temple. During the Campaign, warbands can be improved between battles as they improve their abilities, utilize salvaged technological and magical artifacts and develop their own new technology or magic items.

Model Profiles Each model has two Base Statistics in its profile, Quality and Combat, and a set of Weapons, Special Abilities and Special Items that determine what it can do in a game. An example of a profile for a model is shown below.

Cephalid Scientist Points: 84

Quality: 3+

Combat: 3

Weapons: Disruptor Pistol (CL 2) Energy Short, Resonate Tentacles (CL 0) H2H, Entangle, Unbreakable Armor: Heavy Carapace (CL 0) H:3 B:2 L:2 W:2 Natural, Sluggish Special Abilities: Shooter (short), Scientist (2), Amphibious, Mutant Spawn Special Items: Ether Shield (CL 2)

Points: The cost of the model in points. Simply put, more powerful models cost more points. Quality: An overall indication of the model’s willpower, reactions, and mental capacity. It is used for assessing morale, casting spells and all sorts of heroic actions. “Activation” of the model during gameplay is made by rolling above the quality statistic, so lower is better. Quality does not relate to size or physical capability, so large, powerful creatures may have poor Quality statistics. Combat: This statistic is a measure of overall ability in hand-to-hand and ranged attacks, both attack and defense ,and is modified by many variables. Weapons: These are weapons or natural attacks that the model can use in combat. Armor: The type of armor and amount of protection for each body part or subsystem. Special Abilities: This category includes extra abilities and special powers beyond the basic profile, as described in the Special Abilities section (page 65). Special rules are italicized in the text. Special Items: This includes tech items or magical items that have effects upon gameplay.

Game Cards Models for DeepWars may have game cards that summarize all of the information from the profile as well as Check Statistics, used for Strength, Resistance and Will checks. These cards may come with the model or can be downloaded from the DeepWars website. They are not required for play but make it easier to keep track of combat and keep games moving quickly. An example game card is shown on the next page.

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Example Game Card

Name: The name of the model and icon for its force

Point Value: Calculated from statistics, Special Abilities, Special Items and Powers. Base Statistics: Quality and Combat are the main statistics used in gameplay. Check Statistics: Combination of base stats and special abilities used in rolling “check” tests. There are three main check tests. A model must roll over the value shown to have a success. Up to three successful rolls are needed for some actions. Strength (Str) - used in physical activities Resistance (Res) - resists poison, entanglement Will - resists psychic magic and morale loss. Special Abilities: All capabilities of the model are contained in this section. Modifiers to derived statistics are already combined on the card.

Back

Notes and Info: A quick description of the model and its tactics

Front

Hit Location: This silhouette of the model shows the different targetable regions current status. If a subsystem or body part is damaged, mark the first box. If destroyed, mark the second box. Weapons and Attacks: This section details the functions of weapons carried by the model. Name - weapon name is underlined CL - Complexity Level (ranges from 1 to 3) Type - type of attack (H2H or different ranged types) Effects - any weapon effects (i.e. Armor Break for armor piercing, Resonate for sonic destruction). Weapons have their own special effects that differ from a model’s abilities. Armor: Armor is shown with its name, Complexity Level and protection for each body part. If there are armor effects, like for weapons, they are shown here. Special Items: These are ether tech devices that are carried by the model, with their Complexity Level.

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Warbands Warbands are a team of adventurers and warriors that work together to complete a Scenario or Campaign. Each player has 300 to 400 points to build his warband for a single fight and 800 points for a battle that is part of Campaign. When calculating points, round down to the nearest 10 for calculations (e.g., 808 points rounds to 800 points). Players can always change the point value for battles and Campaigns if they want more models, but these are suggested values. Half of the point total can be used for Personalities (models with Special Abilities: Hero, Leader, Scientist, etc). For single battles of 400 points, no more than 200 points, and for Campaigns no more than 400 points can be used on Personalities. A player should build a warband with a good mix of movement, offensive abilities, ranged attacks, technical ability and speed. Some models, like Healers and

Assistants, help more capable Personality models and add to a warband’s effectiveness. All models have their own strengths and weaknesses to exploit or hide. Spellcasters (Telepaths, Conjurors, etc.) provide valuable firepower but they need protection because of their low Combat scores. A Leader provides a boost to a warband’s capability to coordinate attacks but his death may cause a complete rout. Big and Huge creatures are good in hand-to-hand combat but are easier to hit with ranged attacks. Learning the capabilities of each model will help a player in any battle. When building a warband, each of the players selects his or her models from one of the four main forces. Mercenaries from the Scaly Horde and summoned creatures can be added to warbands to fill out the ranks, as long as the warband has the proper payment or summoning capability. The total point value of all models in each warband should not exceed the allowed amount but experienced players may use different point totals if they wish.

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Gameplay The focus of gameplay is the concept of activating a miniature so that it can perform actions such as attacking, moving and using artifacts. Gameplay starts with all players rolling one 6-sided die each, with the highest roller having the first turn, and other players having turns in accordance with the next highest rolls. The first player nominates one of his miniatures, and chooses to roll one, two or three dice to activate it. The choice of the number of dice is critical, as an aggressive player may want to roll more dice to have a greater chance of having multiple actions, even with the risk of having to pass his turn to the next player.

Underwater Gaming The basic rules for DeepWars are similar to ShadowSea, its parent game, but DeepWars takes place entirely below the surface of an underground ocean, and as such, the rules account for effects of water as much as possible. Models are capable of moving through the water column in all directions, some by swimming and other using propulsion systems in their suits or separate devices or vehicles. They are limited in the speed at which they may dive and ascend in order to avoid barotrauma of the lungs and tissues, although models may push their limits to change depth quickly. Visibility is restricted by the physical nature of water and optics, so models will generally stay within a relatively close range. Most games are based on the seafloor, with some models moving up to pass over obstacles or attack from a higher elevation, although attacking from higher in the water removes benefits of cover and makes it easier to return fire while the attacker is silhouetted against the illuminated water above.

Units of Scale DeepWars is played with a nominal ground scale of roughly 20 mm = 1 meter. Human-sized miniatures are generally 28-32 mm tall. Distances for movement and combat range are handled with three measuring sticks: 75 mm (Short), 120 mm (Medium) and 180 mm (Long). Distance is typically measured from the model’s center, not the edge of the base or extent of the model.

Preparing for Battle Optimal gameplay is on a surface of at least one square meter, with some scenic materials for terrain, such as coral heads, shipwrecks, whale carcasses, etc. If there are no suitable objects to put on the board, drawings on paper can be cut out and used as well. At the start of a battle the sides must determine which is the attacker and which is the

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defender. Part of this decision will depend on the design of the battle Scenario. If the Scenario is designed such that both competing forces enter the map at the same time, the choice of attacker and defender can be decided by coin flip, or die roll.

Setting the Defenses The defender is tasked with laying out the terrain on the gameboard for a Scenario, adding the major features that are described by the Scenario rules. While this may seem like a mundane task, the defender also gets a chance to place any deadly seafloor regions, ancient traps, wild sea creatures, and other objects in addition to the major map features of the Scenario. After laying out the map, the defender places his troops as desired as per the Scenario rules.

Starting the Attack The attacker has an advantage in that he can enter the map from any side, with restrictions depending on the Scenario. Some Scenarios have set starting points, such as outside a ruined undersea base or outside a submersible, while others have the attackers dropping down to the seafloor from above to any point on the map. In general though, miniatures must be placed within Short (75 mm) range of the edge of the map and two Long sticks from enemy models (360 mm).

Depth Levels The game starts at one Depth Level, either on the seafloor or in the open water. Models may be placed one Depth Level from the starting level, above or below, at the beginning of the game. Depth is represented by placing a model on a “flight” stand, a block, or even a simple colored piece of paper. Each Depth Level is equal to one Medium stick, even if the stand or other object under the model is not to scale.

Activation Rolls Activation rolls allow models to act in the game. A player picks a model and rolls one to three six-sided dice. Rolls equal to or greater than the miniature’s Quality value are “successes” while those below the Quality value are “failures”. An unmodified 1 on the roll always fails while an unmodified 6 always succeeds. Activated models can act, switch play to the another model, or transfer play to the opponent based on the number of successes and failures.

Activation Results Roll result

Possible actions

1 failure

No action; player may nominate another model to activate

1 success

1 action, then player nominates another figure and rolls to activate it

1 success, 1 failure

1 action, then player nominates another figure and rolls to activate it

1 success, 2 failures

1 action, then play passes to the opponent

2 or 3 failures

No actions, play passes to the opponent

2 successes

2 actions, then player nominates another figure and rolls to activate it

2 successes, 1 failure

2 actions, then player nominates another figure and rolls to activate it

3 successes

3 actions, after that the player nominates another figure and rolls to activate it

A simple way to remember the rules of activation is a model is entitled to one action per success rolled. However, if the activating player rolls two or three failures for a miniature, the activation turn passes to the next player. The turn also passes to the next player when all models from one player’s warband have been activated. No model may activate more than once per turn.

Activated Miniatures An activated miniature can perform one, two or three actions in the player’s turn, depending on the dice roll. Actions can be used for many different activities, but models can only make one attack per turn unless they have Special Abilities, such as Combat Master or combination attacks. A model may also combine multiple action “points” in order to attempt complicated maneuvers or attacks. Some example activities are shown in the following table.

Example Activities Action

Cost

Move once (walk, cruise, ooze)

1 action

Move twice (swim, jet burst)

2 actions

Move three times (fast swim)

3 actions

Physical Activity

1 action

Short Move model in Difficult Terrain

2 actions

Change depth (per depth level)

1 action

Attack in hand-to-hand combat

1 action

Perform a mighty hand-to-hand attack (-1 on opponent’s score)

2 actions

Shoot a ranged weapon

1 action

Aimed Shot with a ranged weapon (-1 on opponent’s score)

2 actions

Reload a ranged weapon

1 action

Aim and fire ancient scenic weapon

2 actions

Heal injured ally

Break from a Psychic Transfix Spell

1 actions Quality Check 2 actions

Recover after being fallen or dazed

1 action

Charge into combat & attack

2 actions

Cast a magical spell

Spellcasting Roll

Learn to use ancient artifact

Quality Check

Resist poison, resist mind control

Resistance Check

Disengage from hand-to-hand combat

Movement A typical model has a “medium” move rate, moving the distance of the Medium stick with one action in a straight line. Some models have Short Move or Long Move abilities and use the Short and Long move sticks respectively. A model can move less than the full distance or not at all. Changing direction requires another movement action.

Difficult Terrain If movement passes through Difficult Terrain, such as ruins, a shipwreck or a coral reef, the model’s speed is reduced by one category. Models with Short Move use two actions for one move. Maneuverable models move normally.

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Movement Examples Movement around a corner A model that moves around a corner or changes direction during its movement must spend 1 action per change in direction. Therefore, turning a corner requires 2 actions in total. A model with the Manueverable ability can turn up to 90 degrees without spending any additional action points. Example 1: A Sea Dog moves with the Short stick and must use 2 actions to turn a corner, even if one of the moves is less than Short distance. Example 2: A Dire Fish-Lizard with Manueverable can move the equivalent of one Long stick around a corner in one action.

short move

2 distanc ee qu a

partial move

1

move ong L l to

Movement through difficult ground Moving through difficult ground reduces movement by one move category (Medium -> Short). A model with Short Move must use two or more actions to move through diffiuclt ground. Difficult ground can be on the seafloor, such as large blocks from a ruined building, jagged coral heads or a hydrothermal vent field. Difficult ground can also be found in the water column, such as a kelp beds, jellyfish swarms or floating debris.

medium move

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short move

Changing Depth Models may change depth by using one action point per Depth Level (Medium stick) if they have the Swimming ability (page 79). Changing depth by more than one level requires a Fast Dive/Ascend activity roll in order to not be injured by rapid changes in water pressure. All other models require two actions to change depth. A model with Long Move used the Medium Stick for Depth Levels. When a model changes depth, it is placed on a stand, block or marker to show which Depth Level it has entered. The model stays at that Depth Level until changing depths again. Models may change depths multiple times when activated, possibly to swim over an obstacle, as long as they have the required action points. In general, Scenarios are recommended to have three Depth Levels. Range for models at different Depth Levels is the sum of the distance on the game board between bases, plus the Depth Levels. Changing depth through Difficult Terrain such as jellyfish swarms or floating debris requires one extra action.

Group Activation A model with the Leader ability may give an order to up to five figures to move and act as a group by spending one action. The figures must be in base-to-base contact with each other and be within Long distance of the Leader.

The models must have visual contact since commands are done via gestures and light, unless the model has the Psychic Command or Acoustic Command ability, which allows the commanded models to be up to two or three Long sticks away and not in visual contact with the Leader. The grouped figures may move and go into combat, attempt physical actions or even attempt some special actions. The group makes only one activation roll (on one, two or three dice as normal) but uses the worst Quality in the group. Two or more failures of the group activation passes the turn to the opponent, regardless of how many actions the Leader still has left. It is not mandatory that all models in a group perform the same action. Ordering for group activation ends a Leader’s turn.

Regroup A special case of the group activation is the Regroup order. A Leader can give this order to any number of models within Long distance from him at the cost of one action. The same rules for visual contact apply as with Group Activation, however, there is no need for the models to be adjacent (in base-to-base contact). A Leader with Psychic Command or Acoustic Command can call to models from two or three Long sticks distance. All models that are part of the Regroup order act as per Group Activation, and will attempt to move towards their allies and end their move in

Group Activation Example A Draconid Commander orders a Dagathonan Salvager (Q3) and two Abyssal Garks (Q4) to investigate a wreck. The roll to activate all three is (4+) using the Quality of the Garks. The Commander rolls (4,5) on two dice. The Garks and Dagathonan then proceed to move to different areas of the wreck.

e

nc

g

lon

ta dis

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base-to-base contact with one another. A Regroup must be targeted on one model as the center point that the others converge upon to create a formation (“fall in line”). During a Regroup, models cannot attack, shoot or cast spells.

model can only turn to face one side at a time, so some attackers will always get a rear attack. If the model has armor that makes it Sluggish (see page 47) it must activate and spend one action to turn.

Facing & Field of View

Complete Cover

The deep sea is an unforgiving environment for beings not adapted to the dark silence of the bathos. Sound travels quickly through the sea, yet few living creatures announce their presence while cruising along the bottom or through the mid-water. An enemy may literally be right on top without the slightest warning sound, so vision plays a crucial role in protecting against attacks. A model has a distinct front and back side that determines its field of view. The simplest way to determine the front side is where the eyes or other visual detection systems are located. From that point, the field of view is 90 degrees to either side, making a half-circle. Models can face in any direction after they activate and end their turn.

Turning Since models have a distinct front and back, they need to be able to turn to face enemy attack. Turning takes no action points and a model will automatically turn to face an enemy once it has been attacked. When surrounded, the

The seafloor is replete with potential cover to protect models from attack. Coral heads, shipwrecks, whale skeletons, giant crab carcasses, walls of bubbles or clouds of squid ink can all be potential cover. If a model is completely obscured from an attacker’s field of view, it is considered in Complete Cover and cannot be attacked.

Line of Sight In order for a model to interact with another model or scenic item it must be able to trace a line of sight to the target. The line must not pass through any cover, solid obstacle or model except when the model is adjacent to a friendly model. The adjacent friendly model knows to move out of the way so it does not obscure the line of sight. Big models are not obscured by medium sized models and Huge models are not obscured by medium and Big models. It is assumed that one can see these larger models behind the smaller ones. Cover or obstacles may block line of sight unless the

Field of View and Visibility An ancient Amphibious Defense Construct is in murky water (VIS = 1 Long) on the seafloor. Its visual systems can detect enemies up to Long distance within a semi-circle centered on its imaging crystals. The red area indicates the rear of the model where it is effectivly blind. It can see up to Long distance in any direction in the green.

long distance

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attacker is above the cover/obstacle. A model hiding behind a coral head may be covered from attack by a model on the seafloor, but not by one floating one Depth Level above. A simple rule of thumb is that each Depth Level up from the seafloor allows an attacker to see models hiding behind seafloor cover that is one Long stick in height or shorter. If cover is two Long sticks in height, an attacker swimming two Depth Levels up would be able to see the defender, although he would still have Partial Cover.

Visibility Light is precious in the depths of the sea. On the Shallow Shelf zone there is illumination from the ethers above the sea and a phosphorescent glow below the surface emitted by corals, phytoplankton and some fish and large sea beasts, due to the effects of the ether field in the water. Models can see up to a distance determined by the water clarity, typically two Long sticks for clear water and one Long stick for murky water (disturbed seafloor). Ultra-Clear water allows four Long sticks of visibility but is generally only found in the mid-water zone, off the seafloor. A model can attack enemies or attempt Physical Activities upon scenic items that fall within the field of view and range of vision. Doing otherwise is a Blind Action, that has a penalty of -4 to the roll.

Visibility vs. Water Clarity Water Clarity

Visibility

Ultra-Clear

4 long sticks

Clear

2 long sticks

Murky

1 long stick

Soupy

1 short stick

Illumination In the Abyssal Realm there is no light except that produced by some sea creatures, lava flows or ether crystals. Some rare types of crystals, called “Sun Crystals”, can illuminate the entire map, but most produce only a local glow (Long radius). Models in the Abyssal Realm must bring their own illumination or have some other way to see in the dark. Fortune Hunters, for example, have lamps with Sun Crystals that produce a glow that allows normal vision range in their field of view (Crystal Lamp - page 93). They can shut off the lamps to become shrouded in darkness, making them more difficult to attack (Blind Attack at -4) but also reducing their ability to attack and take actions.

Any illumination source is visible at twice the normal range as a glowing ball of light, even if the model holding it is not visible. Shooting “at the light” to hit a target can be done at -2 but not at a specific subsystem or body part. Special Items that produce illumination can be damaged or destroyed, blinding the model carrying it until it is repaired or replaced during the battle by a Scientist. Some models have the Deep Eyes ability, granting normal vision range in the dark while others use their Echolocation ability, forgoing vision entirely and “seeing” in front of them across the entire map.

Alone in the Dark Models that move out of visible range from all the other models on the map or any glowing landmarks will become disoriented. If the model activates and tries to move it must roll on one die. On an odd roll (1,3,5) the model will move in a random direction. Roll again on one die on the table below: on a 1 the model moves straight forward in the direction it was facing, on a 2 the model moves to the right, 3 is straight backwards and 4 is to the left. A roll of 5 or 6 means the model becomes confused and stays in one place, using up all of its actions for the turn. Changing Depth Levels does not require a roll for disorientation. Models with the Compass ability can navigate in the dark simply using the magnetic and ether fields permeating the sea and do not have to roll.

1

4

2

3

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The battlefield is a dynamic place, and models cannot simply glide around and look at scenery. At some point they will be tested against their capabilities to see if they can survive. These tests are referred to a “checks” in the game. There are multiple types of checks, each one having different rules and outcomes.

Huge, Powerful, Sunder). The modified base roll for success is shown on a model’s game card as the Strength statistic. A Leader may coordinate a Group Activation (page 27) to help with the Strength Check. Each extra model adjacent to the object to be moved or broken gives a bonus of +1 to the roll. The roll is handled by the strongest of the group using its modifiers, with the +1 bonus for each extra model.

Quality Check

Physical Activities

Checks and Balances

Quality Checks are similar to activation rolls but require the model to be activated before rolling. Quality Checks use one action and require rolls equal to or greater than a model’s Quality for success. As with activation, an unmodified 1 always fails while an unmodified 6 always succeeds. Three failures usually results in some sort of mishap depending on the type of activity (opening a bulkhead door, using an artifact, ascending quickly, etc), with the mishap described in the specific rules section for that activity.

Resistance Check Resistance Checks are for resisting poison and attacks or spells that drain vitality. They are handled like Quality Checks, requiring two successful rolls on three dice, but do not use action points and do not require a model to be activated. The base roll for success is 5 for all models, modified by Special Abilities related to size and toughness (Big, Huge, Resilient) and the Armor Value (page 43) (choose lowest value for a body part or subsystem, excluding weapons). The modified base roll for success, without armor, is shown on a model’s game card as the Resistance statistic.

Battles take place in seafloor ruins, kelp beds, and sunken cities that contain numerous obstacles that can be pushed, dragged, or broken. Physical Activities that involve forcing an object, pushing, dragging or breaking, use a Strength Check on three dice. Models may also change depth quickly, swimming up or down in the water column. This is a dangerous activity because of rapid changes in water pressure. These activities use a Resistance Check on three dice. The different Physical Activities (Drag, Force Fast Dive/ Ascend and Break) require that the model to be activated and then use one action point to attempt. Modifiers for each type of activity vary with Special Abilities and size and material type of objects, and are summarized below.

Physical Activities Ability Drag or Force

Will Check Models that are distracted by a magic spell, enticed by an artifact or targeted with a psychic attack must make a Will Check to avoid losing control. Will Checks are handled like Quality Checks, requiring two successful rolls on three dice, but don’t use action points or require a model to be activated. Will Checks require a roll equal to or above a model’s Quality for success, modified by Special Abilities related to mental fortitude and experience in battle (Mind Shield, Weak Willed, etc.). The modified base roll needed for success is shown on a model’s game card as the Will statistic.

Strength Check Strength Checks and handled the same way as Quality Checks but are based on the size and strength of a model and not its speed, intelligence and other factors that go into Quality. The base roll for success is 5 for all models, modified by Special Abilities related to size and power (Big,

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Activity Modifiers Short item (0) Medium item (-1) Long item (-3) Huge item (-6) stone/metal (-1) soft coral (+1) each extra model (+1) Big (+2) Huge (+4) Powerful (+2)

Break

stone (-1) bronze (-1) gold (0) ancient alloy (-2) brittle coral (+1) wood (0) crystal (-1) glass (+2) coral head (-2) door (-1) wall (-2) ship hull (-2) statue (-1) pillar (-2) each extra model (+1) Big (+2) Huge (+4) Sunder (+1)

Fast Dive/ Ascend

Move 2 Medium sticks (-1), each additional Medium stick (-1) Power Dive (+4) Air Breather (-1), Pressurized (+2) Benthic (-1) Resilient (+1) Respirator (-1)

Exhaustion Sometimes a model may be pushed too far and fail a Physical Activity. This results in the model becoming exhausted, a state which renders it unable to move or attack. Non-living models having the Artificial ability may

also become exhausted (akin to being drained of energy), although some have additional Special Abilities which help them keep going strong. To show that the model is exhausted, either lay the figure on its side, face up, or place a counter near it, such as a coin or some other object. An exhausted model is able to defend itself but cannot attack, counter-attack, move or attempt any Physical Activities until it recovers. An exhausted model may recover by being activated on the next turn and spending one action to recover its energy, spending its entire turn. It may then attempt to activate and act normally on the following turn. In essence, when a model is exhausted it is like losing one or more turns to act.

Drag A model may attempt to drag some piece of scenery, artifact or other object using a Strength Check. The dragging activity requires one action and a model can use its other action points to move, dragging the object along. On two successes on the Strength Check, a model can drag an object a distance one stick shorter than its normal move distance (i.e. Medium becomes Short but Short becomes half of a Short stick) for each action point used. On three successes, the model may drag the object for its entire move rate. One success means the object has been loosened but not moved, and all remaining action points are used up. However, the object may be moved on the next turn by using one action - no drag roll needed. On three failures, the model is exhausted. Once a model is dragging an object, it may continue dragging it on the following turns as long as it does not stop moving or release the object. Dragged objects are released if the model is injured or fails a Will Check or Morale Check. A model cannot fight or cast spells while dragging an object. Models may choose to release the object if attacked (no action needed) but must make a new Strength Check to start dragging the object again.

Force A model may push objects a distance of one movement rank below its move rate (e.g., model with Medium move rate pushes an object a Short distance) or lift it up off the bottom. Force attempts cost one action and require a Strength Check. A model may move before or after if the action is successful. Models may also use a Force activity to open a stuck bulkhead door, bend metal bars or simply move something out of the way. The object is forced on two or three successes. On one success, the object is partially forced and the model uses up its remaining actions. The object can be forced on the next turn if the model attempts again and gets at least one success on the Strength Check. On three failures, the model cannot move the object,

becoming exhausted. Objects forced off the bottom (lifted) can be held up each turn by rolling two or more successes on a Strength Check. If the model rolls three failures it becomes exhausted and drops the object. Lifted objects are also dropped if the model is the model is injured or fails a Will Check or Morale Check.

Break Models can break scenic objects such as walls, coral heads or ancient artifacts with a Strength Check, using one action point. On two or three successes the object is broken, leaving rubble in that spot that is Difficult Terrain (Movement - page 25). On one success, the object is partially broken and the model uses up all remaining actions. The model may finish breaking the object on the next turn with one success on a Break attempt. A different model may also finish the job on the same turn or the next turn with one success on a Break activity. On three failures, the model is exhausted. A model may move before the Break activity or after the object is successfully broken. Modifiers for Break activities depend on the material of the object (i.e., stone, bronze, secreted resin, etc.) and its structure (i.e., coral head, door, wall, artifact). Breaking an object, like a door or artifact destroys it completely. Breaking a wall leaves a hole of the model’s size. Models larger than the hole-making model cannot pass through and must do another Break activity to widen the hole.

Fast Dive/Ascend Water pressure increases by one atmosphere for every ten meters of depth so changing depth by more two or more Medium sticks (around 13.5 meters to scale) will cause a rapid change in pressure. Any non-Artificial model will be affected by rapid depth changes as gasses in their tissues expand or contract too quickly for them to be expelled or normalized. If a model decided to do a Fast Dive/Ascent activity for more than one move it can spend one action for each additional Depth Level but must roll a Resistance Check to accomplish the maneuver safely. On two or three successes, the model acclimates to the new depth. One success means the model changes depth but ends its action for the turn. Three failures results in the model losing the rest of its actions and possibly suffering barotrauma. The model must roll another Resistance Check. On one or two failures the model is counted as exhausted as it tries to recover. On three failures the model suffers an embolism and dies painfully, floating off the map if ascending or becoming a carcass on the bottom if descending. See the following pages for examples of different Physical Activities and how to roll for Checks.

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Examples of Physical Activities Drag - Example Activity A Dagathonan Brute (Q4, Big, Powerful) is commanded to drag a stone slab to block the entrance of a ruined temple. The slab is one Short stick away from the temple, so the Brute chooses to roll for activation with three dice to have eough action points to reach and move the slab. The Brute rolls (4,4,5) for three action points, so it uses 1 action to move to the slab and 1 action to start dragging it, requiring a Strength Check on three dice, modified by its abilities Big (+2) and Powerful (+2). The roll is (4,2,1) -> (8,6,1) with modifiers, giving two successes (roll of 1 is an automatic failure), so the Brute is able to move while dragging the slab along the seafloor by a Short distance. The Brute uses its last action to continue dragging the slab for one more Short distance.

or

sh

e ov

tm

short move

short move

Force - Example Activity A Crab Explorer Bot (Q4 Powerful) is confronted by a set of double-doors in a sunken wreck. The Explorer Bot decides to use its heavy claw and cutting tool to cut and force open the door. It activates with two dice and rolls (4,5), getting two actions. It uses one action to open the door. The target value for the roll is 5, with the roll modified by the doors’ medium size (-1) and metal core (-1) and the Powerful (+2) ability of the Explorer Bot. It rolls (5,4,5) after modifiers and gets two successes, so the double-doors are pried open. It then uses its other action to move through a medium distance, its move rate.

medium move

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Break - Example Activity An Anti-Ship Mech Construct (Q4 Big, Sunder) attempts to break a hole through the hull of an ancient wreck. It rolls for activation and gets (4,3,2) for 1 action. It rolls to break through the hull with a Strength Check on three dice, modified by the hull (-2) of ancient alloy (-2) and its abilities of Big (+2) and Sunder (+2) for a total of +0. The mech’s rolls are (6,5,2), getting two successes, and it breaches through the hull. It uses its last action to move through the hole, bus since it is now Difficult Terrain the movement is Short.

short move

Fast Dive/Ascend - Example Activity

1 depth level

1 depth level

A Clal-ChkWarrior (Q4) with a Respirator biotech device and stolen Propulsion System is swimming along the bottom and decides to quickly swim up two depth levels and forward. It rolls for activation (4,4,5) and gets three action points. As it ascends it moves forward a Medium move (1 action), then attempts to swimp up two Depth Levels. It rolls a Resistance Check modified by its Respirator (-1) and the two depth levels (-1) for a total of -2. The roll with modifiers is (2,2,1), failing on three dice so the Clal-Chk must roll again to avoid barotrauma. It gets (2,3,2) and dies in horrible pain.

medium move

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- Combat Beneath the Sea -

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Hand-to-Hand Combat Hand-to-hand combat may be initiated when a model is adjacent, or touching the base, of another model. The actual combat round is simultaneous, in that either model involved in the fight may kill, push away or knock down the other. Each model roll one die and adds its Combat statistic, along with modifiers from the table of handto-hand combat modifiers and any other modifiers from weapons, armor or abilities, to calculate its Combat Score. If the combatants tie, both models remain standing, having parried and dodged each other’s blows. Beating the opponent means that the opponent is rendered fallen if the winner’s die is (2,4,6) or recoils by the loser’s base-width directly away if the winner’s roll is (1,3,5). A fallen model above the seafloor is considered to be dazed, and sinks down one Depth Level per turn until it recovers, hits the seafloor or sinks more than three Depth Levels, at which point it is lost for the rest of the battle. The attacker has an advantage in that it can charge into combat, attack from cover or otherwise utilize tactics that give an attack bonus. Defending models get to counterattack without using action points though, very handy for experienced warriors who can repel attacks from multiple foes, killing or knocking them down without even activating for the turn. If a combatant doubles the opponent’s score, the opponent is dead. Place the enemy face-down on the map or lay a “dead” marker (coin, blood spot, etc.). Tripling the score means a gruesome death, potentially spreading fear and panic among the victim’s allies (see Morale, page 40).

Combat Results Combatants tie: effect depends on armor & weapons Beat opponent: (1,3,5) recoil (2,4,6) fallen

Double opponent: Death Triple opponent: Gruesome Death

Hand-to-Hand Combat Modifiers Combat situation

Modifier

Rear attack

+1 to attack roll - no counter attack

Flanked or surrounded by enemy

-1 to defender’s roll for two attackers, -2 for three or more.

Coordinated attack

-1 to defender’s roll per attacker above the first, up to -5 (6 attackers)

Attacking a transfixed or fallen foe

+2 (and you kill him if you beat him by 1 or more)

Performing a Mighty Attack (costs 2 actions)

-1 on opponent’s Combat Score

Ambush bonus

+1 to attacker

Mounted model attacking smaller model

+1 to mounted attacker

Swimming creature attacking deeper model

+1 to attacker if above defender

Defending an obstacle or fighting in elevated position

+1 to combatant on higher ground or obstacle

Big or Huge model against a smaller model

+1 to bigger model

Charge (1 move + attack) or Rush (2 move + attack)

+1 to attacker / +2 to attacker

Weapons in Combat Hand-to-hand weapons with a combat bonus affect combat rolls in hand-to-hand combat only.

Armor in Combat Armor affects how much a model must beat the opponent by to cause injury. Basic light armor, scaly hide and dive suits have Armor Value 1, so the model must win by one point and a tie results in no effect. Some models have fragile skin and Armor Value 0, so a tie goes to the attacker. Beating heavy armor (value 2 or 3)requires a higher Combat Roll difference of two or three respectively. Some weapons may ignore armor if they have the Armor Break special effect (page 43). In that case a tie goes to the attacker if the Armor Break value is equal to or higher than the Armor Value. If both models have weapons with Armor Break the one with the highest Armor Break effect wins.

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Fallen Models in Combat

Flank & Surround

A fallen model is stunned or disoriented but can defend itself and counterattack in hand-to-hand combat against adjacent models, however any attacker gets a +2 bonus to the Combat Roll. Even worse, if the fallen model loses a combat, even by one point, it is killed. If a fallen model is doubled in combat, its opponent has scored a gruesome kill. A coordinated attack on a fallen model is especially deadly as the attackers get +2 to their roll and the defender is penalized -1 to its roll for each extra attacker beyond the first. A fallen model may recover by being activated and spending one action to gain its bearings. Once recovered, it can use its remaining actions that turn.

When more than one attacking model is in hand-tohand contact with a defender it is more difficult to repel attacks. Each model over the first modifies the defender’s Combat Roll by -1, up to a total of -2. The defender gets to counter-attack each attacker as long as the attackers are in the defender’s field of view.

A recoiling model must be moved one base width directly away from the attacker. The player of the recoiling model decides the exact direction of the recoil. If the recoil brings the model in contact with any active opponent (i.e., not fallen or transfixed by a spell), the enemy model gets one Free Hack attack against the recoiling model. This is rolled like a normal attack, but only the opponent can damage the recoiling model, and not vice versa. If there is no space to recoil (for example, if the model is completely surrounded by enemies, or is at the table edge, or is with its back against an impassable scenic feature such as the hull of a wreck, the recoiling model automatically becomes fallen.

Rear Attack Models that attack from behind their target receive a bonus of +1 to their Combat Roll. The defender gets to roll to defend himself but he cannot injure the attacker with a counter-attack. Once the attack is completed, the defender may be turned to face the attacker.

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A Draconid Commander (Q2) activates and uses its one action to order a team of four Draconid Warriors to coordinate their attack on the Vanguard Marine they surround. The draconids attack together and roll once, using the Combat score of their weakest member. The defender rolls at -3 (-1 for each attacker above the first).

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Recoiling Models

Coordinated Attacks

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Transfixed models (see Psychic Magic on page 86) are at the mercy of their enemies. Any attacker gets a +2 bonus to the Combat Roll and the transfixed model may not counterattack. The transfixed model becomes a dead model if it loses by even one point and a gruesome death if it is doubled. A coordinated attack on a transfixed model is a death sentence as the attackers get +2 to their roll and the defender is penalized -1 to its roll for each extra attacker beyond the first, all without counterattack. A transfixed model may recover by being activated and spending two actions to gain its bearings.

Attackers that surround a defender may coordinate their efforts to target weak points if a Leader spends one action to give the order and is within his command radius (Long). A coordinated attack penalizes the defender by -1 to its roll for each extra attacker beyond the first, up to -5 (for six attackers). Attackers do not need to be in base-tobase contact with each other but do need to be in contact with the enemy model. Ordering a coordinated attack ends a Leader’s turn. Only one attack roll is made, using the lowest Combat ability of the attackers. The defender can choose which model it counter-attacks as long as it is within its field of view. The coordinated attack does not stack with a rear attack, flanking or surrounding attacks.

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Transfixed Models

Coordinated Attacks

Number of Attacks

Size in Hand-to-Hand Combat

Normally, models have one attack per turn, except those with the Combat Master ability (page 67), who can attack once per action. Models with the Combo Attack (page 68) or Rapid Shot (page 75) abilities may also have multiple attacks, but only if they hit with the first.

Some models are bigger than man-sized, having the Big or Huge ability. Whenever a larger creature attacks a smaller one (e.g., Huge attacking normal or Big, or Big attacking normal), the larger model has +1 on its Combat Score. Small creatures are treated as normal sized creatures for purposes of this rule.

Partial & Complete Cover A model in Complete Cover in out of the field of view of an enemy and cannot attack or be attacked by the enemy outside the cover. Models in Partial Cover are partially visible behind scenery. They will not recoil if losing in handto-hand combat to an enemy outside the cover.

Ambush Models that start the turn in complete cover, hidden by coral heads or behind a large scenic feature, such as a ruined wall, can ambush the enemy. Partial Cover does not provide an opportunity to ambush. Ambushers attack in hand-tohand combat at +1 in any turn which they started hidden. Moving from cover takes one action. Ambushers also have +1 on their Combat rolls if they move from behind full cover to shoot ranged weapons (one move & attack).

Charge and Rush Models may run headlong into battle, increasing their attack chances. A Charge is done with two actions (one move & attack) and gives +1 to Combat rolls. A Rush is done with three actions (two moves & attack) and gives +2 to Combat rolls. Both Charges and Rushes must be in a straight line with no movement penalty for Difficult Terrain (i.e., no Charge or Rush bonus from a wreck or reef without the Maneuverable ability)

Leaving Hand-to-Hand Combat When the fight is going badly and a model wants to leave hand-to-hand combat, it can do so freely if the opponent is fallen, dazed, exhausted or transfixed by a spell (See Ethereal Magic page 83). Disengaging from an active opponent is risky, as the model must roll a Quality Check with two successes to disengage. On two or more failures, the fleeing model escapes but receives one Free Hack attack from each adjacent opponent. The Free Hack is rolled as a normal attack, but only the opponent can damage the fleeing model, and not vice versa. If the disengaging model wins the die roll, it is free to move away from the opponents. Models that leave combat get one move in the direction of their choice. Models with the Free Disengage ability are immune to Free Hacks when leaving combat or recoiling.

Ambush & Charge An Abyssal Gark hiding behind a reef senses a Sea Dog on the other side. It activates with three successes, then spends 1 action to slip around the reef and 2 actions to charge (red arrow) and attack the diver. Combat is at +2 (+1 for Ambush, +1 for Charge).

Mounted Models Models riding a vehicle or some horrible giant sea creature are at an advantage in combat, gaining +1 to their rolls when in hand-to-hand combat with an unmounted model. This bonus is negated if the unmounted model is Big or Huge.

Death from Above Attackers that are above the defender gain a bonus of +1 to their rolls in hand-to-hand combat. Having higher ground or swimming up higher than the enemy is almost always a tactical advantage, but beware being in open water as it affords no cover whatsoever, while the seafloor has many places to hide.

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Ranged Combat Ranged attacks allow a model to kill safely from a distance. In order to attack with ranged weapons a model must have the Shooter special rule, with the maximum range described in the profile as Short, Medium or Long (relating to the measuring sticks). Targets must be within this range in the field of view and be within the line of sight to attack normally. Aimed Shots take two actions but apply a modifier of -1 to the defender’s roll. Ranged combat is resolved like hand-to-hand combat except that only the shooter can affect the target. The attacker and defender roll a die, adding their respective Combat scores. If the result is a tie, nothing happens, or the shooter wins if the weapon has Armor Break. If the shooter wins, the target is rendered fallen if the shooter’s roll was (2, 4, 6) or recoils on (1, 3, 5). Armor affects ranged combat the same as hand-to-hand combat (page 33). If the shooter doubles the target’s score, the target has died. Tripling the score results in a gruesome death that can panic the victim’s allies (see Morale page 40).

Ranged Combat Modifiers Combat situation

Modifier

Target is behind Partial Cover

-1 to shooter

Shooting at double range

-2 to shooter

Shooting at triple range

-4 to shooter

Target is Big

+1 to shooter

Target is Huge

+1 to shooter

Target is transfixed

+2 to shooter

Target is fallen or dazed

No bonus

Aimed Shot: costs 2 actions

-1 on opponent’s Combat Score

chances of bringing it down. The Leader must spend one action to give the concentrated shooting order to up to five models within the Leader’s command radius (Long). Ordering for concentrated shooting ends a Leader’s turn. Instead of making a Combat Roll for every shooter, make a single die roll, using the worst Combat Score in the group of shooters. The target receives -1 on its Combat Score for every shooter in addition to the first. The Aimed Shot bonus is not applied when attempting concentrated fire. All other modifiers apply as normal. If a modifier applies to anyone in the group, it applies to the concentrated fire as well. For example, if one shooter is in cover, the concentrated fire is in cover as well, and can get the Ambush bonus.

Concentrated Fire A Fortune Hunter Commander with the Leader ability activates and spends 1 action to orders a group of four Deep Soldiers (Combat 3) to fire their spearguns at a Vanguard Marine (Combat 4). The soldiers roll 1d6+3 (their Combat score), and the Marine rolls 1d6+4-3 (-3 for three shooters in addition to the main shooter). The Vanguard Marine has a low chance of surviving this encounter. Ordering the Soldiers to fire ends the turn for the Commander.

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Long Shots A shooter may extend the range of its shot, taking a “long shot” with reduced accuracy. If a target is within double the range stick, the attack is at -2. If it lies at triple the range stick, the shot is at -4. If the target lies beyond that, the shot is impossible.

Concentrated Fire A Leader may command a group of shooters to concentrate their fire against a target to increase their

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Shooting into Hand-to-Hand Combat Neither the target nor the shooter may be engaged in hand-to-hand combat in that turn but a shooter can fire at an adjacent model if both are not in hand-to-hand combat. A shooter in hand-to-hand combat with a fallen, dazed, or transfixed foe can fire missiles as normal, including shooting at the adjacent downed foe. A shooter cannot fire at an enemy who is in contact with a fallen, dazed or transfixed ally though, as there is a risk of hitting the ally.

Weapon Malfunction In general, ranged weapons have unlimited ammunition but the weapons themselves may become jammed or malfunction. Whenever a shooter rolls an unmodified 1, roll again; on another 1, the weapon has become disabled. The shooter cannot use that weapon to attack in ranged combat thereafter during the game or until it is repaired by a model with the Scientist or Engineer ability. In concentrated shooting, the shooting player picks one model’s weapon.

at -1 due to obscuration from the cover area. Two models that are both inside the Tactical Cover area can target each other only at Short range and at -1 (Partial Cover). See below for some examples of how to resolve combat situations when models are in Tactical Cover.

Ranged Weapons For Defense Ranged weapons with a combat bonus affect shooting only and not defense against ranged attacks.

Evasive Action

Tactical Cover Scenic items such as coral heads, stone monoliths and other individual features can offer Complete Cover, but some large, diffuse areas can be used as Tactical Cover. Here, models can fire ranged weapons while staying hidden. Tactical Cover includes kelp forests, jellyfish blooms, krill swarms, plumes of sediment or hydrothermal emissions and some spell effects. These areas count as Difficult Terrain, reducing movement by one category while a model navigates through them. A model hiding there is considered to have Complete Cover but once it attacks it is in Partial Cover for the rest of that turn. Hiding requires one action. A model inside Tactical Cover can shoot out and gain an Ambush bonus of +1 if adjacent to the edge of the area. The Ambush bonus is negated if the target is adjacent to the shooter. If the shooter is deeper in the cover area, the shot is

A model targeted by a ranged attack can forfeit its next activation and take evasive action, giving -2 to the attacker’s roll. To take evasive action, a defender must be aware of the attack, not fallen, dazed, transfixed or otherwise incapacitated, and must have line of sight to the attacker, within the field of view.

Aimed Shots A model can spend two actions to perform an Aimed Shot, giving -1 to the opponent’s Combat Score.

Size in Ranged Combat If a model shoots any Big or Huge model, the attack gets +1 on the die roll.

Tactical Cover - Example Modifiers A shoots at B or B shoots A at -1 (partial cover) if neither one is hiding. C shoots B at -1 (partial cover) D shoots C with no modifier (Ambush bonus is negated because C is adjacent to kelp forest AND to model D) D shoots E at +1 (Ambush bonus) E

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Targeting Subsystems Attackers may target their blows in hand-to-hand or ranged combat shots against a specific subsystem or body part, increasing the chance of disabling or destroying the defender but incurring a penalty on the Combat Roll. Attacks to the defender’s body are considered the default attack, having no additional modifiers or results. The risk and reward of attacking subsystems or body parts is shown in the table below.

Subsystem Targeting Modifiers Hit location Body

Modifier Standard attack with no modifiers.

Head / Controls (Head is for living models and Controls for Artificial models)

Locomotion (Can be tail for fish or propulsion system for divers)

Weapon (For each weapon in model profile)

Vulnerable Spot

-4 to attack roll. If attacker wins, defender is killed. If doubled gruesome kill.

Damaged Weapons -2 to attack roll. If attacker wins, the legs/locomotion are damaged and the defender has movement reduced by one level (i.e. Medium -> Short). If again, defender immobilized until healed or repaired. Normal damage (death) for double and triple win. -2 to attack roll. If attacker wins, weapon is disabled and cannot be used until repaired or healed (if natural). If doubled, weapon destroyed. If tripled, weapon destroyed and defender killed. -4 but ignores armor. Normal damage for wins, double and triple.

The different subsystems are shown on the back of a model’s game card in the hit location picture. If a subsystem is damaged, put a mark or sticker on the first box on the card to show that part is damaged. Damage will have different effects for each body part, as shown in the table. Damaged body parts do not work properly unless healed or repaired.

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Weapons may be damaged during battle, making them unusable in combat. Some models carry around extra weapons for this reason, giving them an opportunity to keep fighting at full strength after the loss of their primary weapon. Both natural and ether-tech weapons may be damaged and disabled, but switching to a different weapon requires no actions for either type. If a model has no other sidearms or no other natural weaponry, they are not completely helpless, but only attack at -2 to their Combat Roll.

Healing and Repairing If a model has damaged weapons or any other subsystem, they can repaired by another model. Natural weapons that are damaged can be helped by a Healer, numbing the pain or making the weapon functional. Ether tech weapons must be repaired by a Scientist or Engineer in order to be of use. A model may repair the part by itself if it has the requisite ability level (i.e. Scientist (3) to repair CL 3 items) and spends one action. If another model tries to repair the part it must be in base-to-base contact. A Healer in base-to-base contact with an injured model (fallen, dazed, damaged natural weapon, etc.) can help revive it by spending two actions. Healers apply medical devices or give an injection that masks pain and does not actually heal, but the effect helps a model to fight at full strength for the remainder of the battle.

When to Check Morale

Morale

Morale Checks occur often during the course of battle, especially as the combatants start to die around the battlefield. The basic list of situations where Morale Checks are needed is shown below.

As a battle turns against a warband, or when some terrifying creature enters the fray, many will lose morale and flee to save their skins. Morale Checks are specialized types of Will Checks, rolling with three dice against a model’s Quality. On one failure, the model must immediately make one move towards the closest table edge; on two failures, it must make two moves; on three failures, it swims off into the depths and is removed from play. If the path is blocked horizontally on the map, the model will swim up, requiring a Resistance Check as per the Fast Dive/Ascend physical activity (page 31) when making two moves. A fleeing model must swim towards the closest map edge while staying at least one Short move away from any enemy (fallen or dead enemies do not count!). If this is not possible, the fleeing model hides under the nearest scenery and is removed from play. All models routed off the table or hiding from danger are removed from the game and count as defeated for purposes of calculating Victory Points. Fleeing models in combat receive Free Hacks. A fallen model with no enemies in contact that has lost morale will use the first of its compulsive movements to recover its bearings. So if the model rolled one failure it would only recover, if it rolled two failures it would recover and make one fleeing move. If it rolled three failures, the model would be automatically out of action. In all other cases (transfixed, fallen with adjacent enemies, etc) a model failing any Morale Check is out of action (defeated).

Morale Checks Combat Situation

Who Checks Morale

Gruesome kill

All allies of victim within Long distance

Terror special ability

Defender must check morale

Warband Leader killed

Warband must check morale

Half of warband killed

Warband must check morale

Hallucination Spell

Target must check morale

All models in a warband must check morale when their original number is first halved, rounding fractions down. For example, a warband of 9 creatures will test when reduced to 4 or fewer creatures. If the number is halved again, the models need not to make another morale check.

Morale Checks A Dagathonan Salvager is gruesomely killed by a Vanguard Marine within range of his two Abyssal Gark allies. Gark (A) rolls one failure on its morale check and must flee but his path is blocked, since he cannot pass within one Short stick of any enemies. It chooses to hide in the rocks and is removed from play. Gark (B) also rolls one failure on its morale check but is able to flee with one move towards the nearest edge of the map. It ends its move on the map and can act again on its next turn. B A

medium move

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- Weapons and Armor -

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Weapons Models have one or more weapons, shown in their profiles in the “Weapons” section with their Complexity Level, ranging from 0 to 3, with 3 being the most complex and advanced weapons. See the Ether Tech ability for more information on complexity levels (page 71). Any model may use a weapon with CL 0, the lowest complexity weapons, like spears and knives. Some models use natural weapons with CL 0, like teeth, claws and tentacles. If a model has a higher Complexity Level weapon it must also have the corresponding Ether Tech training level (i.e., to use a Speargun (CL 1) requires Ether Tech (1) ). Biological weapons work the same way as ether-tech weapons but use BCL (Bio-Weapon Complexity Level). A model must have the Bio-Weapon ability with the corresponding training level to use these weapons. Each additional weapon adds more to the cost of the model, but gives the model ways to continue fighting if the first weapon is disabled or destroyed (see Targeting Subsystems on page 40). Weapons that fire as ranged attacks require the Shooter ability as well as the weapon itself as a special item. A model can only fire the weapon as far as his range on the Shooter ability. Malfunctions may occur with ranged weapons. During combat, when a shooter rolls an unmodified 1, roll again; on another 1, the weapon has malfunctioned. If a malfunction occurs, the shooter cannot use that weapon to attack in ranged combat during the game until it is repaired by a model with the Scientist or Engineer ability. In concentrated shooting, the shooting player disables one model’s weapon.

Armor Models may have an extra layer of protection beyond their combat ability. The type of armor they wear is shown in the “Armor” section of the profile with its Complexity Level and the “value”, or amount of protection for each body part, or subsystem. Most models have light armor (value 1) but some have heavy armor (value 2-3), while others have soft skin (value 0), relying on Special Abilities, tactics and luck to avoid injury. Armor works by increasing the amount an attacker must “win” by in combat to damage the defender. For example, an Armor Value of 2 means that the attacker must roll 2 points higher in combat to cause any damage. Some areas have more armor simply because damage to those areas causes critical damage more easily. In general, the head (H), Controls (C) and body (B) have higher Armor Values than for weapons (W) or locomotion (L). Damage to each specific part or subsystem is described in the Targeting Subsystems section on page 40. If a model does not target a specific area it is assumed to target the body (B). Weapons

usually have at least Armor Value 2. Armor also gives a bonus to Resistance Checks unless defeated by Armor Break. Use the lowest Armor Value as the bonus, excluding weapons.

Weapon and Armor Effects Weapons vary in effectiveness, with some adding a modifier to the Combat Roll (C Mod) and producing special effects in combat such as Entangle, Grab and Armor Break. These effects are similar to Special Abilities but work only when using one particular weapon. Losing the weapon disables the weapon’s effect until it is repaired, or healed if a natural weapon. Models are not helpless if they lose all of their weapons and may still bash with their limbs or bodies but get a penalty of -2 to their attack.

Armor Break Weapons with this effect are capable of penetrating armor, reaching vulnerable parts beneath. The level of the Armor Break effect indicates what level of armor bonus can be ignored, so that the attacker only needs to tie in combat to cause injury. If the Armor Break value is less than the Armor Value, the attacker must still win by the Armor Value. Coordinated attacks use the Armor Break value of the weakest weapon. In a sense, Armor Break is an all-ornothing effect.

Armor Break During battle, a Vanguard Marine fires a disruptor (Armor Break 1) at a the head of a heavily armored Breaching Mech (Armor 4). The Vanguard Marine must win the combat roll by 4 in order to cause the head to be damaged. However, a Heavy Combat Biomech can fire its Disruptor Cannon (Armor Break 4) at the same target and only need to roll a tie to cause damage since the Armor Break value and Armor are equal. Doubling the combat roll still results in destruction of the mech’s head.

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Blast

Breach

This is an explosion effect, affecting all models that are within the blast radius. The radius is measured using the Short or Long sticks, with larger blast radii used for more powerful, expensive weapons. The blast statistics are shown for weapons that cause explosions and show the radius size and the modifier for attacking targets with bases completely within the radius (i.e., Blast (-1 Short radius)). An attacker fires the weapon at a target and rolls for combat as normal. The model at the center of the blast (the targeted model) is always attacked with the base attack score. The models in the blast radius must roll to defend against the base attack roll, less the radius modifier. The attacker only rolls once and his score is compared to all defenders. If a defender’s base is partially in the blast radius, it gets +1 to the roll. Blasts are modeled as cylinders that strike models in multiple Depth Levels. A model one Depth Level above or below the blast is affected as if it were partially in blast radius. If the shot misses, it continues until it strikes a scenic object or travels three times its maximum range. If it hits an object it explodes and all models in the radius must defend as above. If it reaches three times the maximum range it falls harmlessly to the bottom.

This is an effect associated with explosive charges designed to breach the hull of a ship, the walls of a ruined structure, or simply blast apart scenery. The Breach effect has different modifier values indicating the power of the blast (i.e., Breach (+1) or Breach (+2)). When the charge is detonated, roll a Break physical activity using the Breach modifier. Getting two successes results in blasting a hole of Long width. Charges take two turns to plant, incurring a Free Hack from adjacent models that are facing the model planting the charge, and explode at the end of the next turn. The charge can be planted on an enemy model but the target can remove it with one action, unless it is on the target’s back. An ally of the target can spend one action and remove the charge also, dropping it down one Depth Level on the same turn so it explodes harmlessly.

Blast Effects A Deep Soldier fires an explosive-tipped spear with Blast (-1 Short radius) at a Clal-Chk Scientist, rolling a 4 and adding its combat bonus of 3, for a total of 7. The Clal-Chk rolls a 2 + Combat 2 = 4, losing and being dazed by the blast. The other models within a Short radius must roll to defend against the attack roll of 7-1 = 6. The Dire Fish-Lizard’s base is partially outside the radius, so it gets +1 to its roll to defend.

Corrosive Weapons with the Corrosive effect strike a target with a substance that eats through metal and flesh. Once the target is struck it must roll a Resistance Check. On two failures, the model is Corroding and must resist the corrosion again the next turn when it is activated (place a marker next to the model). On three failures, the model is eaten away by the corrosion and dies. Models must roll to resist each turn until they die or resist corrosion. Resisting the Corrosive effect does not use action points or transfer play to the opponent upon failure. Corrosion affects both Artificial models and living models.

Deflect A weapon with this effect can deflect projectile attacks, gaining +2 to combat rolls verses ranged projectile weapons. Deflect is typically an effect of repulsor technology and does not work against other weapon types.

Disintegrate Disintegrating effects are fired from Short range weapons only, and can affect only one model or one object. If the target is hit, it must roll a Resistance Check. If the target rolls two failures it is killed outright and turned to fine sand along with all his items and treasure, a gruesome death that can cause panic among allies. Models with the Agile ability get +1 to their resistance roll and Tough models get one extra roll. If fired upon an object, roll for a Break physical activity with a bonus of +5. Harder objects are more difficult to disintegrate. Firing a disintegrator weapon on a wall makes a hole the size of the shooter, the same as if a model breaks the wall manually.

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Entangle The target must roll a Strength Check and get two successes to avoid being entangled and lose action for that turn. On the next turn, and each turn thereafter, the model must roll a Strength Check with two successes in order break free and then try to activate. Until then, the model still counts as entangled and vulnerable to attack. Any attacks on an entangled model are at +2, and the model is killed if it loses.

Fragile Fragile weapons break easily. When the attacker rolls an unmodified 1, roll again; on an odd roll (1,3,5), the weapon is destroyed. In concentrated shooting or combined attacks, the attacking player picks one model’s weapon to break.

Grab A hand-to-hand weapon with the Grab effect grapples with the defender, making him more vulnerable to additional attacks and making him unable to recoil. A grabbed model can continue to fight however, so it is not helpless like it would be if entangled. Roll combat as normal. If the defender loses, it is grabbed and must break free by activating and using one

action to attempt a Force physical activity, breaking free on two successes, applying modifiers for both attacker and defender. On three successes the defender reverses the grab and renders the attacker fallen. Until the defender breaks the hold, the attacker can continue to pummel away with a bonus of +1 to its regular hand-to-hand attacks. This bonus does not apply for other adjacent attackers.

Guided Guided weapons are controlled through a mind-link with a projectile, generated by the firing weapon. Projectiles may be guided by spending actions in addition to the action used for firing the weapon. Each additional action lets the shooter turn the projectile by up to 90 degrees, making it possible to shoot around obstacles as long as the target is in the field of view. So a shooter using three actions could fire the projectile and turn it three times before rolling to hit the target.

Harpoon This weapon has strong barbs and hooks into the target’s flesh. The harpoon is tied to a line, held by the shooter. A harpooned model can attack as usual but if it tries to move or do any other physical activity it must activate and use one action to attempt a Drag special activity

Harpoon - Weapon Effect A Big Game Hunter fires a Harpoon Cannon at a Dire Fish-Lizard, hitting it but not killing it. The Dire Fish-Lizard decides to swim away and rolls to activate, getting two actions. It uses 1 action to start a Drag Physical Activity, requiring a Strength Check on three dice, modified by its Big (+2) ability. The roll is (3,3,2) -> (5,5,4) with modifiers, giving two successes, so the beast is able to spend its last action and move a Short distance. The Big Game Hunter (Powered armor, +1 to Strength Check) pulls back on the line to the harpoon, rolling a Drag activity on three dice, getting (2,2,4) -> (3,3,5) with modifiers, for only one success, so it loses the tug-of-war and gets pulled along behind the Dire Fish-Lizard.

harpoon shot

drag physical activity

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at -1 (due to injury from the harpoon). If it gets two or more successes it can then use its remaining actions to move or do other Physical Activities. The attacker can also try to pull the harpooned model with a Drag special activity. The model being dragged can pull back by rolling its own Drag activity on three dice. At that point the winner of the tug-of-war is the model with the most successes. Modifiers for object (model) size apply to the Drag activity rolls (i.e., a medium sized attacker trying to drag a harpooned Big model gets -2 to its roll). Multiple attackers may harpoon a defender. In that case the victim gets -1 to its Drag roll per harpoon. To indicate the harpoon line, place a piece of string between the two models. If one model is dragged, keep it the same distance from the other model with the string. A harpoon line can be cut by a hand-to-hand attack against CS 4, at which point both models may move as usual.

Knockback A weapon with this effect knocks a defender back and off-balance. If the wielder is in hand-to-hand combat and wins the round by at least one point, the repulsor effect knocks the enemy back using the recoil rule, but in the direction chosen by the wielder, and also renders it fallen.

Homing - Weapon Effect A Vanguard Marine moves behind a wall, thinking it has escaped danger. Unfortunately, a Clal-Chk Warrior activates on the same turn after having had the marine in its field of view, then fires a Biotech Doom Tracker with Homing capability. The swarm of deadly bio-projectiles follows the Vanguard Marine around the corner, allowing a normal attack roll.

Hazardous Weapons or ammunition that are Hazardous effectively attack the wielder upon having a malfunction. Whenever an attacker rolls an unmodified 1, roll again; on another 1, the weapon backfires upon the user and becomes damaged beyond repair. The shooter must defend against an attack by the weapon with Attack Score 4, using the weapon’s effects as usual (Armor Break, etc). The attacker cannot use that weapon for the remainder of the game. In concentrated shooting, the player picks one model’s weapon to attack. Hazardous explosives explode with a Blast effect, attacking models within the weapon’s normal blast radius with an Attack Score of 4, minus the blast modifier.

Homing These weapons fire projectiles that home in on their target and ignore the effects of Tactical Cover or any other Partial Cover. They may fire at a target that has moved into full cover on the same turn that the model hides, as long as it started within the field of view of the shooter. The shot may change direction one time to reach the target behind full cover.

Irradiate One of the most feared weapon effects, causing flesh to bubble, eyes to melt and brains to flow from the ears. This attack is caused by high-level ether technology that uses an intense magnetron to produce a coherent beam of deadly particles. The beam glows a faint blue so it is difficult to detect, but the damage it inflicts is unmistakable and terrifying, inflicting a gruesome kill upon doubling the opponent’s Combat Score.

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Natural (Armor) This armor is made from natural materials or has natural materials adhering to it. When the model is on the seafloor or adjacent to natural terrain it becomes difficult to see, and ranged attacks against these models are at -1. The effect does not apply to attackers with any ability that “sees” through Tactical Cover or defeats Camouflage.

Poison Weapons with the Poison effect injects venom on any “hit” in combat that does not kill outright. It is assumed that poison only takes effect if the attack penetrates any armor the model is wearing. After a model is hit, it must roll a Resistance Check. On two failures, the model is poisoned and must resist the poison again the next turn when it is activated (place a marker next to the model). On three

failures, the model dies. Models must roll to resist each turn until they die or resist the poison. Mild poison has no modifier to the Resistance Check, but dangerous poison gives a -1 modifier and deadly poison gives a -2 modifier. Resisting poison does not use action points or transfer play to the opponent upon failure.

Powered (Armor) Some armor types are powered by ether-tech motors and actuators, giving them enhanced strength. Powered armor gives + 1 to Strength Checks.

Precise These weapons are designed to hit with precision, targeting vital spots. The attacker gets +2 when targeting a subsystem, such as the head, controls, locomotion, etc.

Pressurized (Armor) These are pressurized diving suits that give a +2 bonus to Fast Dive/Ascent Physical Activities. Unfortunately, they are also in danger of losing pressure if the suit is damaged. Any damage that penetrates the armor of the suit, making the model recoil or be rendered fallen, causes a loss of this ability until repaired. If the suit is not Reinforced and loses pressure, the next time the model loses by double the Combat Score in combat it will cause an implosion, a gruesome death.

Reach This hand-to-hand weapon can do a “ranged” attack (no counterattack) on an adjacent defender by spending two actions. If both models have these weapons, the effect is nullified.

Reflect (Armor) This armor is designed to protect against ranged energy attacks, having a polished reflective surface. Any ranged energy attacks from weapons or Elemental spells are rolled with a modifier of -1.

Refract This weapon uses an energy beam that is affected by changes in the refractive index of water, or beam scattering due to clouds of refractive material (ink, sediment, hydrothermal emissions, etc). Any attacks on partially hidden targets in Tactical Cover are at -2. If the water visibility is murky (page 29) the weapon range is reduced to Short. The weapon cannot be used in Soupy water as all of the energy is refracted and scattered.

Reinforced (Armor) This armor has been reinforced against collapse and implosion if a section is punctured. It is usually combined with the Pressurized armor effect.

Reload These weapons require actions to load after firing. The number of actions is shown in the effect (i.e., Reload (2 actions)).

Resonate The weapon creates an ultrasonic harmonic vibration in the target that causes flesh and bone to liquefy. The target must roll a Resistance Check if it loses in combat. Roll this in place of the test for fallen or recoil. On two failures, the target is paralyzed, ravaged by pain and considered to be transfixed (page 36), requiring two actions to recover. On three failures, the model suffers a horrible gruesome death.

Shock This weapon shocks the target with ether energy, transfixing it unless it rolls a Resistance Check with two successes. Defenders in heavy metal armor get -1 to their rolls. Shock does not affect Artificial models.

Sluggish (Armor) Heavier armor causes a model to move slower. These models must spend one action to turn to face an attacker that has attacked from behind (see page 28).

Spray This weapon fires in a spray to strike multiple targets. The spray can only hit out to Short Range (no “long shot” doubling or tripling range allowed), but fires in a 90 degree arc (use spray template). All models within the arc must defend against the attack.

Unbreakable These weapons cannot be disabled or destroyed by attacks or mishaps.

Unstable Weapons that are unstable can explode with a malfunction. Whenever an attacker rolls an unmodified 1, roll again; on another 1, the weapon is destroyed. In concentrated shooting, the player picks one model’s weapon.

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Fortune Hunter Armaments The Fortune Hunters tend to use simple ether-tech weapons of low Complexity Level (CL 1 to CL 2), preferring to hit hard with steel rather than experiment with artifacts that are beyond their current scientific advancement. Their main weapons are spearguns, versatile weapons of a design similar to the original weapons salvaged from ancient wrecked submersibles. The Fortune Hunters created multiple spear types to use with these weapons, making them even more effective in combat. Their most advanced weapons are self-propelled torpedoes, deadly for the enemy

and for any ally swimming too close. Some experienced Scientists may also be able to use higher complexity energy weapons but most Fortune Hunters simply prefer cold steel and explosive crystals.

Projectile Weapons Speargun (CL1): The primary weapon of the Fortune Hunters, since they were the first weapons salvaged from ancient submersibles. There are many designs for ether-tech spearguns, but the typical one uses small bits of unstable ether crystals as propellant to drive a spear out at high velocity. The spears penetrate light armor with Armor

Fortune Hunter Weapons Summary Weapon (CL)

Type

Range C Mod

Weapon Effects

Speargun (CL 1)

Projectile

Med

+1

Steel spear: Armor Break (1), Reload (1 action)

Explosive Speargun (CL 1)

Projectile

Med

+1

Explosive spear: Blast (-1 Short radius), Reload (1 action), Unstable

Harpoon Gun (CL 1)

Projectile

Med

+1

Harpoon spear: Harpoon, Reload (1 action)

Repeater Dart Gun (CL 1)

Projectile

Short

+1

Steel dart: No special effects but no reload needed

Scattergun (CL 1)

Projectile

Short

+1

Spray (90 deg), Reload (1 action), Unstable

Harpoon Cannon (CL 1)

Projectile

Med

+1

Explosive Harpoon: Armor Break (2), Blast (-1 Short radius), Harpoon, Reload (1 action), Unstable

Multi-Speargun (CL 1)

Projectile

Med

+1

Steel spear: Armor Break (1)

Torpedo (CL 1)

Projectile

Med

+1

Armor Break (3), Blast (+0 Short radius), Reload (1 action), Hazardous

Hand Weapon (CL 0)

H2H

-

No special effects - knives, spears, grappling hook, etc.

Power Claw (CL 1)

H2H

-

Grab

Arc Torch (CL 2)

H2H

-

Power Drill (CL 1)

H2H

-

Breaching Charge (CL 1)

Explosive

-

Contact Mine (CL 1)

Explosive

-

+1

Armor Break (1), Breach (+2), Unstable Armor Break (2), Breach (+1)

+2

Armor Break (3), Breach (+3), Hazardous Attack at CS4 when touched Blast (-1 Short radius), Armor Break (2), Breach (+1), Hazardous

Fortune Hunter Armor Summary Armor (CL)

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Armor Values

Armor Effects

Light Dive Suit (CL 1)

H:2 B:1 L:1 W:2

Pressurized

Armored Dive Suit (CL 1)

H:3 B:2 L:2 W:2

Powered, Reinforced, Pressurized

Assault Dive Suit (CL 2)

H:4 B:4 L:3 W:2

Powered, Sluggish, Reinforced, Pressurized

Construct Lt. Armor Plating (CL 1)

H:2 B:2 L2 W:2

Powered

Construct Hvy. Armor Plating (CL 2)

H:4 B:4 L4 W:2

Powered, Sluggish

Break (1) but take time to reload.

Explosive Speargun (CL1): These spearguns are modified to fire out heavy steel spears with unstable ether crystals attached to the tip. They are inaccurate but when one hits a target, the crystals detonate with a Blast effect. The target is hit with the normal attack roll and all models within a Short radius (use Small Explosion template) are hit with the attack level equal to the shooter -1. Explosive spears are Unstable so they should be used with caution. Harpoon Gun (CL1): Sometimes a shooter may wish to stay attached to his target after the shot. The harpoon gun fires a barbed steel spear attached to a strong line so the shooter can stay attached, This is not always a wise decision since a model bigger than the shooter may drag him around or pull him into danger. The barbs on the Harpoon are not effective against armor. Repeater Dart Guns (CL 1): A variant of the speargun this multi-shot weapon does not require an action to be used to reload after firing. These weapons range in size from large repeating dart guns on constructs to small multishot dart pistols used by stealthy troops. They use small bits of unstable ether crystals on each steel dart as propellant but are not effective against armor. Scattergun (CL 1): Scatterguns are a crude projectile weapon favored by mercenaries Sea Dogs. The broad barrel is packed with explosive ether crystals and broken spears, metal shards, and other sundry junk. The shot fires out all of these projectiles as a Short range weapon in a Spray arc of 90 degrees in front of the shooter. Harpoon Cannon (CL 1): This massive weapon is more of a cannon than a gun, using multiple ether crystals to fire a heavy harpoon. The Harpoon cannon fires Harpoons with explosive crystals in the tip. A hit causes a Blast effect against all models within Short radius at -1. They penetrate armor with Armor Break (2). Altogether, these are useful for taking down most large creatures or mechanical constructs.

Multi-Speargun (CL 1): This newer version of the speargun uses smaller steel spears in a multi-barreled gun, able to fire without reloading. The spears are still heavy and strong enough to have Armor Break (1). Torpedoes (CL 1): These are the most deadly of the Fortune Hunter weapons, but also the most unpredictable. The design is crude, using a semi-controlled explosion from unstable ether crystals to propel a bronze cylinder filled with black powder through the water. A torpedo may be launched at one target, where it explodes in a terrible concussive blast. The radius of the blast is measured with the Short stick (or use the Blast Template). All other models caught in the blast radius must defend against the attack roll from the warhead’s concussion wave. If the torpedo misses its intended target (defender ties or wins combat), it continues in a straight line until it travels a distance equal to its normal range, or it strikes an object (coral head, shipwreck, crystal outcropping – not rubble) or model and explodes. A model struck by the torpedo must defend against an attack level equal to the attacker’s roll -1, since they can see it coming. All creatures in the blast radius must defend against the attack roll - 2, the reduced effectiveness of the attack due to the models getting a chance to take cover or protect themselves in some way. Normally, torpedoes must be fired directly at a target, but models adjacent to the shooter with the Bombard ability can target an area or scenery item to do indirect damage to enemies. The Bombard model must activate and spend one action to target an area before the shooter fires the torpedo. Torpedoes are Hazardous weapons to use. Whenever the shooter rolls a weapon malfunction, the torpedo has exploded, forcing to shooter to roll a Resistance Check to avoid being killed. Those in the explosion radius defend against a blast with attack strength 3. The torpedo launcher is completely destroyed.

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Hand-to-Hand Weapons

Explosives

Explosives are the crudest weapon in any force’s

Hand Weapon (CL 0): All Fortune Hunters carry arsenal, causing massive damage to the enemy while causing

some sort of simple hand weapon that they can use in close combat. These range from grappling hooks to spears and knives. Hand weapons have no additional weapon effects.

Power Claw (CL1): These weapons are actually useful tools for salvaging in wrecks of twisted metal as well as being helpful in combat. Powered by ether-charged actuaries and gears, power claws can be used for a Grab attacks, making the next attacks have a better chance to strike. Arc Torch (CL2): An arc torch is used for cutting through ship hulls and other metal wreckage with Breach (+2) but is also very dangerous when used in combat with Armor Break (1). It is an Unstable weapon. This is the most advanced device in the arsenal of the Fortune Hunters. Power Drill (CL2): A most deadly hand-to-hand weapon, the drill is designed for mining the seafloor but easily drills through armor with Armor Break (2). It is not as useful for breaching hulls as an Arc Torch as it only makes a relatively small hole, but it still has Breach (+1). It is a complicated weapon and is Unstable.

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unavoidable collateral damage. Some explosives are used for breaching ship hulls or blasting through walls to enter sunken ruins, but can be adapted to combat use. Other types, such as mines, are designed purely for combat. Setting explosives takes two actions. If the model uses one action it can start laying mines on one turn and use another action on the next turn to finish the job. The explosives detonate up to three turns later. Indicate the number of turns left with coins or markers.

Breaching Charges (CL 1): These are simple devices used by the Fortune Hunters consisting of a metal casing, black powder and crystal blasting cap. The explosion is directed into the object, not outwards. They are normally used to breach the hull of a ship but can be placed onto a target if attacking from behind. Planting a charge takes two actions. Charges go off at the end of the next turn after they are placed, giving the model setting it a chance to escape. A model adjacent to the charge gets a Free Hack with CS 4 and Armor Break 2 from the explosion. Mines (CL 1): One of the most feared weapon types, mines are deadly defensive weapons that are often as dangerous to the force using them as they are to the enemy. The mines used by Fortune Hunters have ether crystals as detonating charges for containers of black powder, and kill by making a deadly concussion wave that crushes internal organs and ruptures metal joints and seams of objects within an explosion radius. Mines can be dropped during the Scenario or can be laid as obstacles before the game begins. Once laid, the mines can be indicated with a coin or other small object, but are actually found anywhere in a radius of one Short stick from that location. In a way, the mine is a circular area of deadly terrain, a mini-minefield, where models are not sure of the exact location of the danger. Mines used by the Fortune Hunters have an oily adhesive put on the bottom so they can to stick to a surface and detonate when a model touches them. Multiple mines are laid when a model uses two actions to “lay” mines. The mines fill a volume of short radius around the center mine indicator (coin, piece of paper, sticky tac, tape, etc.), one Short stick in height up or down. Mines may be placed on the seafloor or on a piece of scenic terrain. The model laying the mines is located at the center of the mine volume, and can move in and out of the volume without difficulty. Any other model that enters the mined volume has a chance of detonating the mines and must roll a Quality Check with two successes to avoid disaster. If the mines detonate, the model touching them must defend against an attack of CS4 with Armor Break

(2) and Breach (1). All models within the concussion wave radius of one Long stick from the unlucky model must defend against an attack of CS3. Players can use the blast template at the end of the book for mine explosions. The mine field may be cleared with an explosive blast targeting the center of the area.

Armor Light Dive Suit (CL 1): These suits were the first diving gear created from recovered ether technology and have the least amount of armor protection. They are typically made from thick fabric and are pressurized by an air handling device in a backpack with a small power plant. The head is the most well-protected part of the suit due to the heavy bronze helmet. The pressurization and air filtration system allows divers to operate at great depth without being tethered to a breathing tube. Damage to the suit is catastrophic in the deep Abyssal Realm, with pressure loss causing explosive decompression and implosion, a horrible gruesome death with the diver crushed into the helmet. This weakness of the suit makes it attractive to only the most desperate mercenaries and pirates. Armored Dive Suit (CL 1): The standard dive equipment of the Fortune Hunters includes this heavy bronze armor plated suit. It is fully pressurized and

augmented by ether-powered servos and pressure pumps, new technology developed by scientists from salvaged technology. The suit is resistant to implosion but is bulky and requires a large backpack with ether crystal-powered propulsion fans for mobility.

Assault Dive Suit (CL 2): When entering a wreck, the best protection is the assault dive suit, a heavily armored suit with a large ether crystal power plant in the backpack. This is the most advanced dive suit of the Fortune Hunters, the culmination of all of their experience with salvaged tech artifacts. It uses servo-driven mechanical systems to move the arms and legs but has problems with agility and is Sluggish when turning in close quarter battles. It makes up for this deficiency by being very difficult to damage without explosives, preferably planted on its back, away from any counterattack. Light Armor Plating (CL 1): Small mechanical constructs are encased in a thin metal plating that repels most attacks and does not affect movement. Heavy Armor Plating (CL 2): These advanced alloy plates are designed to be attached to salvaged ancient constructs to arm them for battle. The scientists of the Fortune Hunters can reprogram these mechanical hulks, fit them with weapons and encase them in armor plating before sending them out to cause havoc.

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Dark Mariner Armaments The Dark Mariners lost much of their technological expertise after eons of genetic experimentation, only saving a scant few weapons of moderate to high Complexity Level (CL 2 to CL 3) that they are still able to build and repair with salvaged artifacts from the seafloor. Their preference is for directed energy weapons that resonate and break armor at short range and vicious hand-to-hand weapons. Their armor is a light carapace of biopolymer resin, tough and neutrally buoyant. They also have a few projectile weapons using specialized ether

crystals for ammunition. Overall, the Dark Mariners are armed for close combat, as few of their ranged weapons have any effect at all beyond Short range. In close though, they are devastating.

Energy Weapons The Dark Mariners use ancient technology that they salvage or still have from their formative years, but have modified it to cause carnage at close range. The most effective and versatile weapons use low-frequency sound to shatter the enemy but the most feared is the “death ray”, so called by those who have witnessed its effects.

Dark Mariner Weapons Weapon (CL)

Type

Range C Mod

Disruptor (CL 2)

Energy

Short

Disruptor Pistol (CL 2)

Energy

Short

Disruptor Blaster (CL 2)

Energy

Short

+1

Resonate, Armor Break (2), Spray, Unstable

Disruptor Cannon (CL 2)

Energy

Short

+2

Resonate, Armor Break (4), Unstable

Disruptor Torpedo (CL 2)

Energy

Med

+1

Resonate, Armor Break (3), Blast (-1 Short radius) Unstable

Projectile

Med

+2

Armor Break (2), Guided, Blast (-1 Short radius), Reload (1 action), Unstable

Natural/Hand Weapon (CL 0)

H2H

-

Big Natural Weapons (CL 0)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (1), Grab (claws only)

Huge Natural Weapon (CL 0)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (3) - Huge jaws, tail, body slam

Bony Bludgeon (CL 0)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (2)

Tentacles (CL 0)

H2H

-

Entangle, Unbreakable

Repulsor Shield (CL 2)

H2H

-

Deflect, Knockback

Plasma Torch (CL 2)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (2), Breach (+2)

Plasma Blade (CL 2)

H2H

-

+2

Armor Break (2), Breach (+2)

Explosive

-

+3

Armor Break (4), Breach (+4)

Crystal Torpedo (CL 2)

Plasma Charge (CL 2)

+1

Weapon Effects Resonate, Armor Break (1) Resonate

No effects - spines, club arms, horns, teeth, spears, knives.

Dark Mariner Armor Armor (CL)

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Armor Values

Armor Effects

Light Carapace (CL 0)

H:1 B:1 L:0 W:2

Natural

Medium Carapace (CL 0)

H:2 B:1 L:1 W:2

Natural

Heavy Carapace (CL 0)

H:3 B:2 L:2 W:2

Natural, Sluggish

Light Alloy Armor Plating (CL 2)

H:3 B:3 L3 W:3

Heavy Alloy Armor Plating (CL 2)

H:5 B:5 L5 W:3

Sluggish

Disruptor (CL 2): The preferred weapon of the Dark Mariners, disruptors are acoustic weapons that amplify the natural low-frequency resonance of ether crystals, then focus infrasonic waves into deadly pulses that Resonate in the target to cause terrifying injuries. The pulses liquefy flesh and bone and penetrate armor with Armor Break (1), but disperse over distance, so disruptors are only Short ranged weapons. Disruptor Pistol (CL 2): A smaller version of the disruptor that does not penetrate armor but still fires acoustic waves that Resonate in the target. Disruptor Blaster (CL 2): This weapon is a heavy disruptor, designed to hit multiple targets with a Spray of acoustic death. This is a Short range weapon that is useful when breaching a ship or engaging multiple enemies but has problem with being Unstable. The power is sufficient to give it Armor Break(2). Disruptor Cannon (CL 2): An awesome weapon that is carried only by large biomechs or vehicles. It fires out to Medium range, further than the other classes of disruptors, creating acoustic waves that Resonate through armor with Armor Break(4), making it one of the most devastating weapons available. Its extreme power causes the weapon to be Unstable and it may explode if it malfunctions. Disruptor Torpedo (CL 2): One of the more technologically advanced weapons of the Dark Mariners, the Disruptor Torpedo is actually an energy weapon that fires like a projectile weapon. The torpedoes are fired from a multi-barreled launcher and are propelled by a jet of gas from the back, emitted by a crudely controlled explosion from unstable ether crystals. The tip contains a large grenade-like warhead, fitted with a miniature acoustic resonator that is designed to create intense low-frequency waves for a short blast before burning out the crystals powering the warhead. The Unstable torpedoes fire out as Medium range weapons and Blast models within a Short radius from the target with Armor Break (3).

Projectile Weapons Crystal Torpedo (CL 2): A unique weapon devised by cephalid scientists, the crystal torpedo appears to simply be a cannon that fires out a large, explosive crystal, propelling it using a high-powered magnetic field in the launcher. What distinguishes it from a typical projectile weapon is that the crystal torpedo can be Guided through a mind-link generated by the weapon by spending additional actions beyond the action used for firing the weapon. Each action lets the shooter turn the torpedo by up to 90 degrees, making it possible to shoot around obstacles as long as the target is in the field of view. So a shooter using three actions could fire the torpedo and turn it two times before rolling to hit the target. Once the ether torpedo hits, it explodes in a concussive Blast of Short radius with Armor Break (2). All models besides the target in the radius must defend against the attack roll - 1. The target is attacked normally. If the torpedo misses its intended target (defender ties or wins combat), it continues in a straight line until it travels a distance equal to its normal range, or it strikes an object (coral head, shipwreck, crystal outcropping – not rubble) or model and explodes. A model in the path of the torpedo must defend against an attack level equal to the attacker’s roll -1, since they can see it coming. If the torpedo finally hits something, all models in the blast radius must defend against the attack roll - 2, the reduced effectiveness of the attack due to the models getting a chance to take cover or protect themselves in some way. Normally, ether torpedoes must be fired directly at a target, but models adjacent to the shooter with the Bombard ability can target an area or scenery item to do indirect damage to enemies. The Bombard model must activate and spend one action to target an area before the shooter fires the torpedo. Ether torpedoes are Hazardous weapons to use. Whenever the shooter rolls a weapon malfunction, the

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torpedo has exploded, forcing him to defend against a blast with attack strength 4. Those in the explosion radius defend against a blast with attack strength 3. The torpedo launcher is completely destroyed.

Hand-to-Hand Weapons

The Dark Mariners specialize in close combat, preferring to use their sonic weapons and then finish the attack with vicious hand-to-hand weapons. Their most dangerous weapons are plasma blades, able to cut through most armor with ease.

Natural Weapon (CL 0): Genetic experimentation has resulted in many mutations that can be used as weapons. The most common are spines, claws, clubs and pincers. Hand Weapon (CL 0): Some warriors carry spears, daggers or other hand weapons. Big Natural Weapon (CL 0): These heavy pincer claws are strong enough to crack armor, giving them Armor Break (1). If a claw, these Grab onto opponents, making it easier to crush them later. Huge Natural Weapon (CL 0): Massive claw, spikes or teeth that demolish with Armor Break (3). Only Huge models may have these weapons. Huge claws have the Grab effect. Bony Bludgeon (CL 0): A large clubbing weapon

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made of tough bone or chitin. These are usually attached to limbs or tails and have Armor Break (1).

Tentacles (CL 0): Models with tentacles have many of them, so many that they cannot be disabled by cutting one off (Unbreakable). Tentacles are especially dangerous when they Entangle a defender, making him helpless to further attack. Repulsor Shield (CL 2): These are shields with a highly specialized form of magnetic and gravitational field generated by ether crystals. The shield pushes objects away from the wielder and can be used to Deflect projectiles or Knockback an attacker in hand-to-hand combat. Plasma Torch (CL 2): Similar to an arc torch, these cutting tools fire an intense plasma arc from a long spike-like tube. It is primarily used for breaching hulls with Breach (+2) but is effective in combat also. Plasma Blade (CL 2): In these advanced weapons, plasma is generated in a short-range arc emitted from multiple sources along an “edge”, giving a weapon cutting power from extreme heat. Plasma blades carve through armor with Armor Break (2) and also cut through obstacles and ship hulls with Breach (2). These weapons leave a conspicuous bubble trail and glow when used so models cannot use Stealth or Camouflage abilities on the turn they have attacked.

Explosives

The Dark Mariners favor explosives with localized effects, without deadly blast effects. They prefer to recover artifacts instead of potentially blasting them to bits.

Plasma Charges (CL2): These are advanced

explosives that generate a potent, but localized blast of intense heat that melts thorough most obstacles, walls and ship hulls with Breach (+4). They are normally used to breach the hull of a ship but can be placed onto a target if attacking from behind, neutralizing them and penetrating armor with Armor Break (4). Planting a charge takes two actions. Charges go off at the end of the next turn after they are placed, giving the model setting it a chance to escape. A model adjacent to the charge gets a Free Hack with CS 5 and Armor Break (2) from the intense heat.

Armor

Dark Mariners armor is grown from naturally secreted resin to form hard shell-like plates that can be shaped into any form. The armor is light and strong, allowing the troops to remain mobile while still having good protection. Since the armor is not actually a tech device it has CL 0, but other forces cannot use this armor type.

Light Carapace (CL 0): This design of carapace armor covers only part of the body, leaving some areas vulnerable. It is still useful enough in combat but can be defeated easily by a weapon with Armor Break. Medium Carapace (CL 0): An improved carapace armor with a thick helmet and leg protection. This is the preferred armor type of the marine troops. Heavy Carapace (CL 0): Multiple overlapping carapace plates form this armor type, providing solid protection over most of the body. The plates are often covered in barnacles and thick spikes. Light Alloy Armor Plating (CL 2): The Dark Mariners use the mechanical construct they salvage to create biomechnical horrors. The actual mechanical parts of these biomechs is armored with a extremely durable and light alloy, of which the design and construction is known by only a few of their Scientists. The minerals used in the alloy are mined from hydrothermal vent fields. Light armor plates provide excellent protection for smaller biomechs. Heavy Armor Plating (CL 2): Extremely tough plates of an ancient alloy. These are only found on the larger biomechs and make them very difficult to take down.

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Ancients of Atalán Armaments During their exodus from the undersea kingdom below the Shadow Sea, this rebellious group, destined to form their own kingdom of Atalán, took with them many of the most mighty weapons of that age. This was many thousands of years in the past, and few refinements have been made to the technology of old, but that has not reduced their potency in combat. Having little need for destruction in their current abode to the North, the Ancients of Atalán do not use weapons or tactics that cause collateral damage, preferring to only neutralize the most dangerous enemies

with precise attacks using high Complexity Level (CL 2) weapons. Their primary combat tactics utilize energy and projectile weapons, mainly focused optical beam weapons and hypercavitation weapons using magnetic fields to fire solid slugs at high velocity. As many of their weapons are longer range than their enemies, they are not overly concerned with armor and prefer to wear environmental suits that assist in filtering the water they breathe and protecting from heat and cold. The armor they do use consists of thin layers of golden alloy, light and flexible and designed to resist hand-to-hand attack, although not as useful against truly destructive armor-breaking weapons.

Ancients of Atalán Weapons Weapon (CL)

Type

Range C Mod

Weapon Effects

Beam Pistol (CL 2)

Energy

Med

Beam Rifle (CL 2)

Energy

Long

+1

Precise, Refract

Beam Cannon (CL 2)

Energy

Long

+2

Precise, Armor Break (1), Refract

Hypercavitation Pistol (CL 2)

Projectile

Med

+1

Armor Break (1), Reload (1 action)

Hypercavitation Rifle (CL 2)

Projectile

Long

+2

Armor Break (2), Reload (1 action)

Hypercavitation Cannon (CL 2)

Projectile

Long

+2

Armor Break (4), Reload (1 action)

Lightning Torpedo

Projectile

Med

+1

Shock, Homing, Armor Break (2)

Ghost Mine (CL 2)

Projectile

-

Attack at CS5, Armor Break (2)

Hand Weapon (CL 1)

H2H

-

No special effects - dagger, spear.

Mechanical Tentacles (CL 2)

H2H

-

+1

Entangle, Unbreakable

Big Mechanical Weapon (CK 2)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (1), Grab (claws only)

Shock Weapon (CL 2)

H2H

-

+1

Shock, Armor Break (1)

Lightning Tentacles (CL 2)

H2H

-

+2

Shock, Entangle, Armor Break (1), Unbreakable

Micro-edge Blade (CL 2)

H2H

-

+1

Precise, fragile

Fusion Blade (CL 3)

H2H

-

+2

Armor Break (3), Breach (+2)

Explosive

-

+3

Armor Break (4), Breach (+4)

Fusion Charge (CL 2)

Precise, Refract

Ancients of Atalán Armor Armor (CL)

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Armor Values

Armor Effects

Bare Skin (CL 0)

H:0 B:0 L:0 W:2

Enviro Suit (CL 2)

H:1 B:1 L:1 W:2

Reflect

Combat Suit (CL 2)

H:2 B:2 L:2 W:2

Reflect

Light Alloy Armor Plating (CL 2)

H:3 B:3 L3 W:2

Reflect

Ancient Powered Armor Suit (CL 3)

H:4 B:4 L4 W:2

Reflect, Powered

Energy Weapons The Ancients were a highly technical race, keenly interested in the nature of light and its seemingly paradoxical ability to act as both the carrier of the ether field and the quantifiable packet of ether energy. The splinter group of Atalán held few that understood the deeper nature of light and its existence in higher dimensions, though a select few Technologists did discover unique weapons and items that utilized dimensional forces to some extent. These dimensional energy weapons are the most deadly weapons but are difficult to operate and prone to catastrophic malfunctions.

Beam Pistol (CL 2): A simple weapon that fires a coherent beam of focused radiation in a single wavelength, often in the blue spectrum of light. Typically made using small ether crystals, this is a Precise weapon but is not able to penetrate armor to a great extent. The beam has a tendency to Refract when passing through a scattering medium, so that shooting at visible models in Tactical Cover becomes even more of a challenge. Beam Rifle (CL 2): A larger beam weapon using highly-charged crystals, giving it a more focused beam. It is a Long range weapon with a Precise shot targeting. Its strength is its range but it still suffers from scattering in Tactical Cover as the beam Refracts from dense clouds of particles, or small creatures. Beam Cannon (CL 2): The apex design of the beam weapons, Beam Cannons are heavy and devastating, knocking out subsystems with Precise shots and burning through light armor with Armor Break (1). Normally

mounted on larger mechanical constructs or ancient armored suits, the Beam Cannon is deadly but may still Refract from scattering clouds of Tactical Cover.

Projectile Weapons The projectile weapons of the Ancients of Atalán are all based on the same principles of magnetic flux within ether fields. These weapons accelerate specially designed magnetic metal slugs at high velocity. The slugs contain ether crystals inside their casings and channel the flux of the ether fields to create a layer of boiling water around them, effectively reducing drag on the projectiles and increasing range and accuracy. These weapons require reloading with one action.

Hypercavitation Rifle (CL 2): These are the standard magnetically driven projectile weapons for the Ancients of Atalán, unchanged for ages. They are reliable weapons that punch through armor with Armor Break (2). Hypercavitation Cannon (CL 2): A massive version of the magnetic gun design, firing heavy slugs at high velocity, utilizing ether energy to vaporize water around the slug and increase range and accuracy. These weapons devastate armored foes with Armor Break (4) but are only carried on large armored mechanical constructs or powered armor suits. Very few of these remain in use. Lightning Torpedo (CL 2): These small projectiles are fired from launching pod as swarm of Homing missiles, twisting and turning as they seek their target. Once they strike, they detonate crystal warheads to give an intense Shock of lightning with Armor Break (2).

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Ghost Mines (CL 2): A wicked defensive weapon system, these mines appear like long crystal spikes on either end of a metal cylinder. They have a cloaking system inside the metal cylinder that causes the surrounding background to refract around them, making them very difficult to locate, but the most devious aspect to them is their ability to fire a crystal shard into any enemy coming into their zone of activation. Ghost mines are set during the Scenario or can be laid as obstacles before the game begins. Once laid, the mines can be indicated with a coin or other small object, but are actually found anywhere in a radius of one Short stick from that location, making a circular area of deadly terrain full of invisible ghostly death. Setting a minefield involves “spiking” the mines into an area with two actions. The mines fill a volume of short radius around the center mine indicator (coin, piece of paper, sticky tac, tape, etc.), one Short stick in height up or down. Mines may be placed on the seafloor or on a piece of scenic terrain. The model laying the mines is located at the center of the mine volume, and can move in and out of the volume without difficulty. Any other model that enters the mined volume must roll a Quality Check. On three failures, the model is attacked by two mines. With one success, the model is attacked by one mine. With two successes, the model is able to navigate the mine field without disaster. If navigation is unsuccessful, the model must defend against an attack of CS5 with Armor Break (2) for each mine that fires. The model must avoid mines each time it moves in the minefield but can stay still in relative safety. The Ghost Mine field may be cleared with an explosive blast targeting the center of the area.

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Hand-to-Hand Weapons Hand Weapon (CL 0): A standard class of weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Includes basic knives, spears, etc. These have no additional effects in combat. Mechanical Tentacles (CL 2): Many of the mechanical constructs have multiple mechanical tentacles, making them Unbreakable. The tentacles wrap around a defender with the Entangle effect. Big Mechanical Weapon (CL 2): Some large mechanical constructs are armed with crushing jaws, spearing spikes or ripping claws. These weapons are able to defeat some armor with Armor Break (1). Mechanical claws can Grab enemies to leave them helpless to further attack. Shock Weapon (CL 2): A weapon or attack that delivers an electrical Shock to the defender. Lightning Tentacles (CL 2): Some of the more deadly combat mechs utilize these deadly tentacles, infused with ethereal energy, that Entangle and Shock enemies into lumps of inert flesh and melted metal. The sheer number of tentacles makes them Unbreakable and the lightning gives them Armor Break (1). Micro-Edge Blade (CL 2): A sword, knife or spear with an extremely fine blade of crystal, coursing with ethereal energy to give it rigidity. The blade is very Precise, slicing through vital areas, but is Fragile and can shatter easily. Fusion Blade (CL 2): An advanced form of plasma blade, this weapon has tremendous cutting power

from its sun-like heat. Fusion blades carve through armor with Armor Break (3) and also cut through obstacles and ship hulls with Breach (+2).

Explosives

The Ancients of Atalán use only localized charges to cut through obstacles, walls and ship hulls.

Fusion Charges (CL 2): These explosives are concentrated charges that create a superheated jet of energy using advanced ether technology. The intense heat melts through obstacles, walls and ship hulls with Breach (+4). They are normally used to breach the hull of a ship but can be placed onto a target if attacking from behind, neutralizing them and penetrating armor with Armor Break (4). Planting a charge takes two actions. Charges go off at the end of the next turn after they are placed, giving the model setting it a chance to escape. A model adjacent to the charge gets a Free Hack with CS 5 and Armor Break (2) from the intense heat.

Armor

The armor of the The Ancients of Atalán is designed for protection from attacks from wild creatures and was never intended for intense combat. The standard environmental suits are mainly meant to protect from teeth, claws and stings, as well as from thermal fluctuations in the deep sea. Although the Ancients are fully aquatic beings, having gills on the sides of their necks, the suits are designed to filter dangerous water, such as the highly toxic areas around hydrothermal vents. The armor that they do have is light and flexible, made from a golden alloy produced

from metals mined at hydrothermal vents and requiring advanced smelting technology. The plates of this alloy are used to build some mechanical constructs but the alloy is too rare to be used on many troops. The Ancients of Atalán are continuously in search of this alloy in the ruins and wrecks ships of their ancestors.

Bare Skin (CL 0): Some of the spellcasters of Atalán choose to swim with basic diving suits, essentially with only bare skin for protection. Needless to say, these sorceresses must have some other forms of defense besides their bare skin. Enviro Suit (CL 2): A specialized diving suit with light armor protection, mainly designed to filter water and protect the wearer from the environment. Combat Suit (CL 2): These are similar to Enviro Suits but have some areas with thin armor plates. Assault soldiers typically wear this type of armor. Light Alloy Armor Plating (CL 2): Many of the mechanical constructs have armor plating of golden alloy, light and strong. Ancient Powered Armor Suit (CL 3): When the Ancients of Atalán broke from their ancestral civilization, they took with them one suit of powered armor, stolen from the labs of the preeminent scientist of that age. The suit has been kept by the elders of Atalán over the ages, treasured as a rare artifact. Only the Commander of Atalán is able to use this suit and the heavy weaponry that it can wield.

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or natural weapons (CL 0 to CL 1), with some crystal weaponry and crude explosives. They have little capacity to use complicated ether-tech items but some can use crystal weapons to channel energy, stunning their victims. The Clal-Chk have scientists that are capable of using almost all technology, including their bio-weapons, and

Scaly Horde Armaments The Scaly Horde has a combination of wild, savage creatures using natural and crude weaponry and insectoid Clal-Chk that use a form of biotechnology to make living weapons. The savage forces use low complexity weapons

Scaly Horde Weapons Weapon (CL)

Type

Range C Mod

Weapon Effects

Biotech Pistol (BCL 2)

Projectile

Short

Corrosive, Reload (1 action)

Biotech Rifle (BCL 2)

Projectile

Short

+1

Corrosive, Armor Break (1), Reload (1 action)

Biotech Cannon (BCL 2)

Projectile

Med

+2

Corrosive, Armor Break (2), Blast (-1 Short radius), Reload (1 action)

Biotech Swarm Blaster (BCL 2)

Projectile

Short

+1

Corrosive, Spray, Reload (1 action)

Biotech Doom Tracker (BCL 2)

Projectile

Med

+1

Corrosive, Armor Break (1), Homing, Reload (1 action)

Biotech Harpooner (BCL 2)

Projectile

Short

+1

Harpoon, Armor Break (1), Poison (deadly)

Dagathonan Sling (CL 0)

Projectile

Short

Ether Pulse Blaster (CL 2)

Energy

Short

Natural Weapons (CL 0)

H2H

-

No special effects - spines, bite, claws, ram

Poisonous Natural Weapon (CL 0)

H2H

-

Poison(dangerous) - spines, stings, bites

Big Natural Weapons (CL 0)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (1), Grab (claws only)

Big Poisonous Natural Weapon (CL 0)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (1), Poison(deadly) - spines, stings

Huge Natural Weapon (CL 0)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (3) - Grab (claws only)

Hand Weapons (CL 0)

H2H

-

Lance Med/Big/Huge (CL 0)

H2H

-

0/+1/+2 Reach, Armor Break (0/1/2) - spear, lance, spine

Entangler Med/Big/Huge (CL 0)

H2H

-

0/+1/+2 Entangle - nets, sticky secretions,etc.

Crystal Tipped Spear (CL 1)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (2), Hazardous

Crystal Weapon (CL 1)

H2H

-

+1

Armor Break (1), Shock, Fragile

Crystal Charge (CL 1)

Explosive

-

+2

Armor Break (3), Breach (+2), Blast (-1 Short)

Poison (dangerous) +1

Spray, Armor Break (1), Shock

No special effects - bone spear, stone knife, etc.

Scaly Horde Armor Armor (CL)

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Armor Values

Armor Effects

Smooth Skin

H:0 B:0 L:0 W:1

Light Scales / Thick Skin (CL 0)

H:1 B:1 L:1 W:2

Chitinous Dive Armor (BCL 2)

H:2 B:2 L:2 W:2

Heavy Scales / Thick Carapace (CL 0)

H:3 B:2 L:2 W:2

Thick Shell (CL 0)

H:3 B:3 L:3 W:2

Sluggish

Thick Natural Plating (CL 0)

H:4 B:3 L3 W:2

Sluggish

are far more intelligent than they appear. They prefer to use projectile weapons with deadly poisons and corrosive secretions. Armor for the Scaly Horde is predictably scaly, with calcareous or chitinous shells and other forms of natural armor plating.

Projectile Weapons The Scaly Horde has a variety of projectile weapons, including very simple spear throwers up to deadly Bioweapon cannons. The Clal-Chk are the only users of bioweapons, which are actually living creatures, genetically modified and bred for specific combat functions. All biological projectile weapons require one action to reload.

Bio-weapon Pistol (BCL 2): There are many variants, or breeds, of these weapons. They appear to have been some form of large isopod in their previous existence, although not like any known species, and have been modified to fire out cylindrical projectiles from an abdominal section with a tube-like proboscis. The projectiles have a hard casing that holds a highly Corrosive secretion that splits open when striking a target. The secretion is oily and difficult to remove and eats through weak points in dive suits or breathing apparatuses but is not effective against heavy armor. Bio-weapon Rifle (BCL 2): The proboscis of this living weapon is longer than the pistol, and the projectile larger as well. Shots are able to eat through heavy dive suits with Armor Break (1) to Corrode the victim, leading to a horrible death. Bio-weapon Cannon (BCL 2): Appearing like an infernal demon more than a marine arthropod, these weapons are dragged around like bloated carcasses by their

wielders. When fired, they shoot a fist-sized projectile filled with oily, Corrosive secretions. The shots penetrate dive suits with Armor Break (2) and explode in a foul, oily slick of death (Blast (-1 Short radius)). All those struck by the corrosive fluid must hope their suits can hold out.

Bio-weapon Swarm Blaster (CL 2): What was once a crab-like insect has become a fearsome weapon that fires out a Spray of many small, Corrosive stingers from multiple holes in its hard carapace. The weapon is only useful at Short range. Bio-weapon Doom Tracker (CL 2): Scholars are unsure which species of creature spawned this horrific weapon. It holds a brood of small, vicious living projectiles that fire out from under its belly plate, Homing in on the target’s spectral signature, typically the spectra of glowing phosphorescence, crystal lamps, or any other faint glowing device or weapon. The projectiles are Corrosive and effective against light dive suits with Armor Break (1). Bio-weapon Harpooner (CL 2): A diabolical creation from a type of large marine snail, the harpooner fires out a thick proboscis with a barbed Harpoon on the tip. The head of the proboscis is hard enough to penetrate some armor with Armor Break (1) and is also coated in deadly Poison, making it a feared weapon. Dagathonan Sling (CL 0): This rudimentary projectile weapon is simply a spear with a strap of stretchy sinew attached to the back end. The shooter pulls the strap when grabbing the shaft of the spear, creating tension. Releasing the spear allows the sinew to retract quickly and throws the spear forward. While not very useful against armor, the spear has a medium toxicity Poison coating the tip.

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Energy Weapons The Clal-Chk mercenaries are mysterious allies of the Scaly Horde with knowledge of ether-tech weapons that the other, more savage creatures in the horde lack. The ClalChk only use one energy weapon of their design, cobbled together from bits and pieces of salvaged artifacts, but they have the ability to use and create more.

Ether Pulse Blaster (CL 2): The only true ethertech weapon used by the Scaly Horde. This relatively simple device fires a Spray of ether-conducting crystal shards that creates a electrical cloud in a short-ranged cone. The spray his targets with an electrical Shock with Armor Break (1).

Hand-to-Hand Weapons The vicious creatures in the Scaly Horde tend to have little knowledge of advanced weapons and prefer to simply tear the enemy to pieces with tooth and claw or kill them quickly with poisonous spines and stingers.

Natural Weapon (CL 0): Wild creatures of the Scaly Horde all have ways to defend themselves, from claws to teeth and flippers. Natural weapons have no additional special effects. Hand Weapon (CL 0): Many savage creatures use weapons such as whalebone spears and knives. These weapons have no additional special effects. Poisonous Natural Weapon (CL 0): These are typically spines, or stings with Poison of medium toxicity. Big Natural Weapon (CL 0): Some creatures are so big that their natural weapons can crush armor with Armor Break (1). Only Big models may have these weapons. Big claws also have the Grab effect. Poisonous Big Natural Weapon (CL 0):

Large spines, stings or bites with Poison of deadly toxicity. The weapons can penetrate defenses with Armor Break (1).

Huge Natural Weapon (CL 0): Massive teeth, tails and spines that demolish with Armor Break (3). Only Huge models may have these weapons. Huge claws have the Grab effect. Entangler (CL 0): These weapons include nets and sticky secretions that can Entangle a defender, making him helpless to further attack. Crystal Tipped Spear (CL 1): Simple but effective weapons, these spears have explosive ether crystals on the tip that detonate on an attack. The blast is localized and punches through armor with Armor Break (2). Unfortunately, the crystals are Hazardous and may cause injury on a malfunction.

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Crystal Weapon (CL 1): These weapons are made entirely of stable ether crystal. They are designed to channel energy instead of explode, generating a devastating Shock attack to victims, penetrating defenses with Armor Break (1). These are Fragile weapons, prone to shattering. Lances (CL 1): Long spears, spines, or any other

stabbing weapon with long Reach.

Explosives While appearing to be the simplest of explosives, crystal charges used by Dagathonans of the Scaly Horde are still devastating weapons.

Crystal Charges (CL 1): The Scaly Horde uses crude chunks of unstable, explosive ether crystals to blast though obstacles or plant onto enemy dive suits or mechanical constructs. They are stuck to the target using a natural adhesive and tapped lightly with another crystal to start a chain reaction and explosion. Planting a crystal charge takes two actions. Charges go off at the end of the next turn after they are placed, giving the model setting it a chance to escape. A model within a Short distance from the exploding charge gets a Free Hack with CS 4 and Armor Break (2) from crystal shrapnel.

Armor

The Scaly Horde does not use many forms of armor, save for their scaly skin, hard shells or natural plating.

Smooth Skin (CL 0): Some of the creatures of the horde are sleek and adapted for speed and maneuverability, having smooth skin as their only protection. These models usually have some Special Abilities to help avoid injury. Light Scale (CL 0): A layer of fine scales, meat to protect the skin from the environment more than anything else. It is of little use against armor penetrating weapons. Chitinous Dive Armor (BCL 1): A set of armor worn by Clal-Chk, made from artificially grown chitin. It is light and strong and has a connection point for a specially bred creature on the back to provides breathable air. The armor is not pressurized but this is not a problem with the Clal-Chk’s exoskeleton able to adapt to withstand changes in depth. Heavy Scales (CL 0): Heavy scales or scutes that defect incoming blows or absorb the shock. The head is usually very well protected with thick bone and dense armor plates, making it impervious to most attacks. The mass of the armor plates makes the creature Sluggish in hand-tohand combat. Heavy Armor Plating (CL 0): Thick plates of bone, scale or shell that cover the body, warding off most attack. The mass of the armor plates makes the creature Sluggish in hand-to-hand combat. This is the strongest armor of the Scaly Horde.

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- Abilities and Powers -

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Special Abilities The basic rules of DeepWars define how all of the miniatures interact during the game, but Special Abilities add to the basic rules and distinguish different creatures and characters from each other. All Special Abilities are listed in the model profile, with advantageous abilities increasing the cost of a model, and disadvantageous ones decreasing it. Some Special Abilities are reserved for Personalities, experienced character models, and have their names underlined. Personality models can have only one of these abilities. For example, a model with the Leader ability cannot also have the Ethermancer ability.

Acoustic Command This is an ability reserved for models with the Leader, Deep Caller or Command abilities. It allows for group activation and regroups to be done within a radius of three Long sticks, even when the commanded models are not in view due to murky water or low light. There cannot be intervening obstacles however.

Air Breather These models breathe at the surface and dive down underwater. They have difficulty changing Depth Levels quickly and get -1 to rolls for Fast Dive/Ascent (page 27). If an Air Breather is transfixed, fallen or dazed, it must roll a Resistance Check (excluding Armor bonus) with one success each turn or drown. Drowned models can be reassociated by a Healer after the battle but not during the battle.

Amphibious Amphibious models may cross between land and water with no movement or combat penalty. These models can only change Depth Levels slowly, using two actions but are well suited for ship boarding or shoreline assaults.

Animal Animal models are distinguished from regular warband members in that they do not receive Experience Points in Campaigns, cannot use magic items and automatically lose morale when the last non-animal model in their warband is killed. Animals can only led by a Deep Caller. No more than 50% of the members of a warband may be animals.

Animist Animists are scientists that create Artificial Mech Constructs using either ethereal energy, whirling gears, and

a controlling intelligence bound from souls lost in the swirling ethereal abyss. Constructs take months to create but are always ready for battle and fight autonomously. An Animist with a Control Device (page 94) can communicate with a mech construct when within one Long stick, giving +1 to the mech’s activation rolls. If the Animist is killed, the mech will continue to operate using instructions in its memory crystals. Animists may cast Elemental Conjuration spells (page 85) but no other types of magic spells. They also have the equivalent of Ether Tech (2) ability. Animists have the capability to repair their damaged mechs that “die” in battle unless they are destroyed entirely (lose combat by tripled score). Repairs are done during battle and require a Quality Check with two successes. Animists can be helped by adjacent Assistants, Scientists or Engineers that activate before the Animist rolls. (+1 for each helper up to two). Three failures destroys the mech. Animists can also hijack mech constructs not of their design, giving them simple commands to follow. To hijack a construct, the Animist must be in base-to-base contact with the mech but out of the field of view (behind the mech) and use two actions. The enemy mech gets a Resistance Check to avoid being hijacked and must roll two successes. The hijacked mech construct can only use a maximum of two actions per turn and cannot be used in another battle in a Campaign unless there is a Scientist in the warband. The Scientist allows the construct to be upgraded and added using Victory Points (“Technology Development” on page 102). Animists are Personalities.

Arcanist Arcanists are researchers of arcane Ethereal Magic and technology. They are scholars and not users of the ethers, so they cannot cast magic spells but they can use ether technology items of CL 1 or CL 2. They can also negate any zone-effect type of magic spell or spell that has an effect that lasts more than one turn. To negate a spell on an ally or enemy, the Arcanist must be adjacent to the affected model and use two actions. To negate an zone spell, the Arcanist must be within a Short distance from the edge of the zone and use two actions. Arcanists cannot negate Dimensional Magic as that is a job for a Sentinel. Arcanists are Personalities.

Artificial Artificial models include non-living creatures such as constructs or powerful ethereals. There are four classes of Artificial models - Reanimated, Mech Construct, Biomech and Ethereal (e.g., Artificial (ethereal) for the Special Ability). All Artificial models are immune to poison, Psychic Magic spells and Madness and do not roll Morale Checks but

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