Harbinger - Beta Rules

HARBINGER science fantasy roleplaying game

beta rules

Beta Rules (Playtest v0.61) • August 2020 • Absolute Tabletop, LLC www.AbsoluteTabletop.com • www.HarbingerRPG.com CREDITS

PROJECT LEAD: Matt Click LEAD DESIGNERS: Matt Click, Tim Kearney MANAGING EDITOR: Matt Click

Absolute Tabletop, LLC PO Box 2493 Moriarty, NM 87035 www.AbsoluteTabletop.com [email protected]

ART DIRECTOR: Tim Kearney DESIGN, WRITING, AND EDITING: Matt Click, Michael Barker, Tim Kearney, James Kearney ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Lloyd Collins, Jeff Doty, Gwen Read, Shawn Tomkin

Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC. All rights reserved. Beta Rules (Playtest Version 0.61) – August 2020.

PROOFREADING: Tealah Hill Click LAYOUT: Matt Click

Permission is granted to print this document for personal use only.

COVER ART: Matteo Autunno Di Domenico INTERIOR ART AND CONCEPTS: Brandish Gilhelm, Matteo Autunno Di Domenico CARTOGRAPHY: Matt Click SPECIAL THANKS: The playtesters, for your unending enthusiasm, support, and patience.

THE AGE OF THE HARBINGER

Ancient voidships drift across the Known Orbits of the gas giant Bastion. A mancer’s veins glow vivid emerald as she channels volatile space energy. A grime-streaked mechanist, accompanied by her floating spheroids, breaks the centuries-old seal on a rune-etched door. A tireless treader, armed with his heirloom pulser weapon, tracks a beast across the desolate wastes of a fringe moon. The Harbinger, a leviathan alien structure, eclipses the stars. Discover the grim, weird, and wondrous science-fantasy universe of the Harbinger Roleplaying Game, where peril and glory await venturers dogged enough to journey into the vast, unclaimed void – or into the dark, labyrinthine innards of the Harbinger itself.

These Beta Rules are owned solely by Absolute Tabletop, LLC. The Beta Rules are not a final product, nor does it necessarily represent the final content of the Harbinger Roleplaying Game. These Beta Rules should not be shared or distributed, as per the terms and conditions of the Online Playtest Agreement (OPTA), which can be found at the back of this document. Absolute Tabletop, the Absolute Tabletop logo, the Absolute Tabletop monogram, and all content contained herein are trademarks of Absolute Tabletop, LLC. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Absolute Tabletop, LLC. This product is compatible with the fifth edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It is licensed under the Open Game License Version 1.0a Copyright © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. It utilizes the System Reference Document 5.0 Copyright © 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The full text of the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a can be found at the back of this document. Fonts used include LEIXO, Montserrat, and Open Sans. Stock image elements courtesy of ShutterStock.

Danger and discovery await.

HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H WELCOME TO THE HARBINGER RPG BETA ABSOLUTE TABLETOP welcomes you to the Harbinger Roleplaying Game Beta! This Beta is the sixth iteration of our ongoing playtest, focused primarily on showcasing the classes and related core features of the Harbinger Roleplaying Game in preparation of its full release. Harbinger is a dark science fantasy roleplaying ruleset and campaign setting currently in development by Absolute Tabletop under the Open Gaming License (OGL) for the fifth edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game (hereon referred to as 5e). We here at Absolute Tabletop are happy to have you with us as we continue to develop the setting and ruleset of Harbinger. This Beta document provides everything you need to experience countless adventures in the Harbinger universe. It is important to note that much of what you’ll find in this document is not representative of the final product, and is incomplete by design to provide a concise and focused experience.

THE OPEN GAMING LICENSE Harbinger adheres to the basic guidelines of 5e – if you are familiar with that system, you’ll likely have little trouble picking up Harbinger. You may even notice some class features and abilities that operate similarly or even identically to existing 5e concepts – this is by design. We aim for a system equal parts fresh and familiar, with basic mechanics and features you know and understand.

A NOTE FROM ABSOLUTE TABLETOP We support and encourage you to use and discuss these playtest rules in public gaming sessions, including those streamed online. In doing so, please abide by the terms and conditions of the Online Playtest Agreement (OPTA), included at the back of these Beta rules.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

Please also note that this is an in-progress playtest document, and is not subject to the same diligent proofreading or editing as a published product from Absolute Tabletop. You may run across typos or errors, or incomplete information.

Harbinger is a work-in-progress, and as such the content offered with this Beta represents only a limited sampling of what to expect in the final product. That said, you can find the following in these Beta Rules. »

Three character classes with dozens of talents

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Three origins with legacy and background traits

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Rules differing from standard 5e, including skills, environment conditions, item conditions, weapon properties, damage types, and spellcasting

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Voidship exploration, combat, and customization

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Gear and equipment, including pulsers, weapon and armor mods, and powered armor

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Rules for astracasting with more than 20 unique spells

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Discover the moon of Dagerad, ripe for exploration

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Extensive history and lore of the Known Orbits

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A map detailing the moons of Bastion

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A sampling of creatures with statblocks

If you’d like to keep up with Harbinger and other projects from Absolute Tabletop, we encourage you to visit our online storefront at www.AbsoluteTabletop.com. You can also find more Harbinger information at www.HarbingerRPG.com. Finally, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to you for your continued enthusiasm and support for the Harbinger Roleplaying Game, and for your patience between playtest updates. We hope you enjoy exploring the Known Orbits with these Beta Rules! From our tabletop to yours – thank you for joining us!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS

4

CHAPTER 6: VOIDSHIPS

51

OVERVIEW5

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Voidship Ability Scores

51

CHAPTER 1: THE AGE OF THE HARBINGER

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Other Voidship Terms

52

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Specters52

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Crew Roles

52

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Voidships Using Astra

53

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Voidship Voyages

53

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Voidship Components

55

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Voidship Combat

56

6

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A History of the Known Orbits

6

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Venturers7

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Bastion and its Many Moons

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The Septs

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Astra11

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Technology11

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The Harbinger

12

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Driftcarving60

CHAPTER 2: RULES

13

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Voidship Weapons

60

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Sample Voidships

61

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Voidship Astra Effects Tables

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9 10

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Skills13

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Proficiencies

13

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Environment Conditions

13

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Item Conditions

14

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Weapon Properties

15

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Damage Types

16

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Using Astra

16

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Character Creation

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CHAPTER 3: ORIGINS

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CHAPTER 7: MAGIC

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Astrafade64

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Boosts65

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Spells65

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Astra Effects Tables

CHAPTER 8: THE KNOWN ORBITS

71 73

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Dagerad73

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Moon Generator

77

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Moonborn17

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Voidborn18

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Forgeborn19

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Barrowmech78

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Background Traits

20

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Bygul79

CHAPTER 4: CLASSES

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Fadeweaver79

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Gaunt79

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Krelhawk79

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Kryslik79

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Residua80

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Skrug80

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Verberus80

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Mancer22

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Mechanist29

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Treader38

CHAPTER 5: EQUIPMENT

44

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Armor44

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Weapons45

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Venturer gear

45

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Weapon and Armor Mods

48

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Dragoon Armor

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CHAPTER 9: CREATURES

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ONLINE PLAYTEST AGREEMENT

89

OPEN GAME LICENSE V1.0A

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HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H OVERVIEW Harbinger is a science fantasy roleplaying game ruleset and campaign setting containing elements of both gritty sci-fi and dark medieval fantasy – equal portions daring space exploration, eldritch horror, scavenging survival, and high intrigue.

CHAPTER 5: EQUIPMENT

In Harbinger, players take on the role of venturers – intrepid spacefarers who journey into the Known Orbits aboard ancient voidships, facing grave danger in the form of rivals, raiders, and monsters.

Buy a voidship and kit it out. Learn the ins and outs of space exploration with all new rules for navigation, combat, and customization.

Armor, melee weapons, pulsers, venturer gear, weapon mods – spend some glint, gear up, and lock and load.

CHAPTER 6: VOIDSHIPS

CHAPTER 7: MAGIC

Based on the fifth edition ruleset of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game, Harbinger adds new rules, character options, and equipment, as well as a completely unique risk/reward magic system, providing an entirely new sci-fi/ fantasy universe to explore using your favorite roleplaying game system.

The astra magic system provides casters with a multitude of dynamic and dangerous spells to master. Enhance spells with boosts, push your luck, and roll the dice to experience the price of power.

CHAPTER 8: THE KNOWN ORBITS

Explore the moons and wondrous locations of the Bastion planetary system, complete with non-player characters, adventure hooks, and rumors to kickstart your Harbinger campaign and provide inspiration for missions of all kinds.

CHAPTER 1: THE AGE OF THE HARBINGER

Learn more about the Known Orbits of Bastion, as well as the noble septs and shadowy factions that rule. The world of Harbinger is one of danger and discovery, with all the trimmings of gritty sci-fi, punctuated by arcane magic and eldritch horror. Delve into this strange yet immersive universe and find your place within it.

CHAPTER 9: CREATURES

Find game statistics and lore for a sampling of thematic creatures. Barbaric skrugs, writhing kryslik, macabre barrowmechs, undead gaunts, and predatory beasts, among others – learn about the deadly denizens of the Known Orbits, and pit them against venturers at your table.

CHAPTER 2: RULES

Read up on the rules additions and modifications that make Harbinger work. From new skills and proficiencies, to item and location conditions, to a brand new magic system – the rules of Harbinger should feel fresh yet familiar.

CHAPTER 3: ORIGINS

Discover the beginnings of your venturer by choosing their origin: the moonborn who call the colonized worlds of Bastion home, the space-dwelling voidborn, or the awakened forgeborn. You’ll also discover your venturer’s past: their legacy and background.

CHAPTER 4: CLASSES

Choose your role: magical mancer, tech-attuned mechanist, or intrepid treader. Each class includes three distinct lists of talents to further customize your venturer and focus their skillset, allowing for fully unique characters even between the same class.

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CHAPTER 1: THE AGE OF THE HARBINGER

The perilous Known Orbits exist in a time of upheaval, conflict, and uncertainty, where magic and technology strike a tenuous balance and humanity stands on the precipice of a new era. Mancers wield the volatile energies of astra, mechanists repair and modify ancient technology, and treaders forge new paths across the void.

So ends this age of humanity – so begins a time of war, exploration, and opportunity. So begins the Age of the Harbinger.

A HISTORY OF THE KNOWN ORBITS While humanity has existed on Bastion’s rings, belts, and moons for untold ages, few records detail the years prior to the founding of the first septs. Through untold wars and calamities, through centuries of destruction and repression of knowledge, the history of humanity exists now only as charred, scattered puzzle pieces, long-buried.

On the numerous moons orbiting the gas giant Bastion, humanity subsists beneath the yoke of a feudal system while clinging to the splendor of the past – to a time when humans leapt across the stars and commanded unfathomable technology. Those secrets have been lost to time and calamity, and now dangerous magic exists alongside dilapidated technology.

MILLENNIA AGO

Humanity arrives in the Bastion lunar system from a distant, forgotten homeworld to mine its rings and colonize its moons. After a period of prosperity, calamity leads to a fracturing, and humanity enters an age of darkness.

In this dwindling age, from the darkest depths of the void beyond the Known Orbits, comes the Harbinger. The Harbinger’s true origin and purpose can only be guessed at, but its arrival reshapes the Known Orbits forever. As it appears, the Harbinger collides with the forest moon of Verloren, ridding its surface of all life and displacing the remnants of the once-great Sept Inuwa and its vassals.

THE HEGEMONY: Humans were a highly advanced civilization, traveling across the void of space in the blink of an eye. Using massive terrestrial installations called Forges, early colonists reshaped Bastion’s moons and created livable environments with breathable air, viable gravity, and fresh water. Some believe the Forges affected weather, adjusted the axial tilt and orbits of moons, and altered flora and fauna. The forgeborn were created at this time as laborers, intended to build and maintain humanity’s empire. Mankind entered into an age of prosperity, with a unified power known as the Hegemony controlling Bastion and its moons through advanced technology.

Contained within the Harbinger’s labyrinthine innards are untold secrets and unfathomable technology, which set the various factions of the Known Orbits into a race for dominance. But the Harbinger, wondrous though it may be, is not without its horrors: from the violent skrug warbands to the arachnid-like kryslik who feed on magic itself – and still deeper within the Harbinger’s maze-like confines wait ancient things of patient malice and unreckonable intent.

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H THE LONG DOWNFALL: It can only be speculated as to what caused the Long Downfall – power, wealth, the division between advanced technology and burgeoning mysticism. Many great wars and disasters ravaged humanity in these dark days. For centuries, mankind suffered calamity after calamity, war after bloody war. Millions perished, entire moons were laid to waste, and millennia of technology and progress were lost to fire and blood. The Hegemony fractured and collapsed, and only the skeletal remnants of its splendor remain – the husks of great warships, soaring ruins, and crumbling technology.

Known Orbits ended with Grimarr pushed back to Arganas. The destruction of Tyrn, one of Arganas’ sub-moons, as well as the death of Warcaller Ronja, marked a decisive end to the Grimarr Crusade. THE RING REVOLTS: Food, water, medicine, and even air are commodities aboard voidships and atmoports. Never was this more apparent than when laborers living and working in the Rings, primarily voidborn, enacted a strike to protest their harsh conditions, and in response were denied basic necessities by Sept Larkin. Staring down the barrel of starvation, the peaceful protests turned into a violent insurgency. The voidborn in the Rings seized control of a military outpost, armed themselves, and staged a series of revolts across the Rings, targeting sept-controlled assets. Fearing a larger insurrection throughout the Rings and even beyond, Septs Alzareen, Ruldo, and Larkin dispatched voidships to quell the uprising, but this only invigorated a rebellion of voidborn with nothing left to lose. The revolts came to a head when striking laborers captured the Alzareen warship Stoneseer and turned its cannons on the sept fleets, crippling three well-outfitted cruisers. Without choice, the septs submitted to peace talks, and the Consortium of the Rings was founded as a result. Stoneseer still roves through the Rings as a symbol of the Consortium’s victory, as well as a reminder for the septs of the Known Orbits of what it costs to cross the Rings.

CENTURIES AGO

From the shadows of of a wartorn dark age, humanity emerges to rebuild, turning to magic for salvation and founding the noble septs to lead. War grips the Known Orbits as powers rise and fall. THE FOUNDING OF THE SEPTS: The wealthy, the powerful, and the magically adept emerged as de facto leaders, and humanity’s dwindling population gathered around them for safety and support. From these powerful clans of noble warriors and magic-users, the first septs emerged. A feudal class system brought order to the chaos, with many eager to live under the protection of the septs, and the next age began, built upon the ashes of the Hegemony. For centuries, humanity persisted, divides grew between factions, and the remnants of what once was faded away.

ONE YEAR AGO

THE ASCENSION OF ALZAREEN: For centuries, countless septs rose and fell, but through this crucible, Sept Trithon emerged as the Dynast of Bastion’s Known Orbits. Masters of metal, the mechanists of Trithon retrofitted grand warships and destructive weaponry to keep their vassal houses in check. In the shadow of Trithon’s mighty warships, an ambitious lesser sept called Alzareen forged a historic alliance with Septs Inuwa, Larkin, Ruldo, and Grimarr, and waged a rebellion that shook the Known Orbits, forever reshaping the political landscape of Bastion. Trithon and its loyalists gradually succumbed to the uprising, relinquishing the seat of the Dynast and bending the knee to the new rulers of the Known Orbits: Sept Alzareen.

Everything changes when the Harbinger arrives in the Known Orbits. THE COMING OF THE HARBINGER: As the massive alien structure fell into orbit around Bastion, it collided with the moon of Verloren, shattering it, throwing the nearby moons into chaos. The orbits shifted, the septs reeled, and monstrous horrors spilled forth from the belly of the leviathan. The Harbinger holds untold riches and fantastic technology within its dark, labyrinthine confines. From noble septs and well-funded mercenary factions, to ragtag scavengers and blood-thirsty raiders, many seek to discover the Harbinger’s secrets – but at what cost?

DECADES AGO

VENTURERS

THE GRIMARR CRUSADE: No longer content as dogs of war, the mercenary clans of Sept Grimarr united under the first Warcaller, a battle-hardened woman named Ronja Grimarr. Heeding the call to war, Grimarr’s united clans cut a bloody swath across the Known Orbits, seizing control of a dozen lesser moons and even sieging Tharkestra, the seat of the Dynast. Sept Alzareen unveiled a new superweapon and decimated Grimarr’s fleet (a loss from which the sept has still not recovered). A year of pitched battles across the

Most people living in the Known Orbits of Bastion serve as laborers and farmers, with merchants and artisans above them, and nobles and their vassals still higher. But those who venture out into the void – the brave and the foolish – usually fall into one of three pursuits: magic, tech, or pathfinding. Mancers are indispensable on voidships, where they excel in manipulating astra and identifying its myriad effects. Mechanists maintain voidships, levabikes, armor, weapons, and lead the charge in infiltrating forgotten ruins and derelict cruisers. Treaders forge the paths the rest follow, and offer protection from the horrors of the void beyond. These venturers are often feared or revered, seen as either fringe-dwelling outlaws or trailblazing explorers.

Unrest leads to rebellion, as powerful septs and beleaguered laborers alike turn on the reigning Dynast.

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H surface is racked with persistent lightning storms and frequent volatile weather shifts, leading most of the moon’s inhabitants to seek shelter in the ruins beneath the surface. A haven for scavengers and archaeologists, many seek fortune and lost knowledge in the winding tunnels of Graef, picking through the bones of a civilization lost to time and calamity. Sept Wyloth, a poor and meager house, rules over Graef’s skeletal remains.

NAMES IN THE KNOWN ORBITS

Only sept nobles carry surnames, bestowed at birth by virtue of their parentage. For example, trueborn members of the Larkin family carry the name of that sept, while children born into the vassal house of Lordan, serving beneath Larkin, carry the surname Lordan. Some higher-ranking or well-known nobles carry titles in addition to their name and surname (such as Archon Kirezan Ruldo the Deathless).

KARR: This fringe marshland moon has an elongated orbit which leaves it isolated from other occupied moons for months at a time. Sept Mulgus, a lesser noble house, claims ownership of the waterlogged moon. Because much of the surface is mud and water, the people of Karr have built settlements in and around the moon’s Forges, which appear as pyramids half-submerged in the bogs. Karr is also notable for being the site of a great battle during the last days of the Hegemony. The ancient husks of voidships, long ago stripped of anything useful, orbit the moon by the hundreds, and wreckage often streaks to the moon’s surface, leaving massive craters that soon fill with mud and water.

Lowfolk of the Known Orbits bear no surnames, but some adopt monikers based on their achievements. For example, Sharn Redpalm earned her surname through her notorious foul deeds as a raider of the Bloodskulls of Dagerad.

BASTION AND ITS MANY MOONS The planet Bastion is a gas giant, composed primarily of liquid hydrogen, with trace amounts of liquid helium. It bears a prominent, visible ring system, composed of ice and rock. Dozens of moons orbit Bastion, and while many are colonized, there are still many more waiting undiscovered, their lengthy orbits carrying them far from inhabited space. Two stars shed light and warmth on Bastion and its moons – a large white star called Aleph, and a distant blue star called Cyanus. Due to the gargantuan scales of both Bastion and the Harbinger, most moons undergo occasional (or frequent) total eclipses – a phenomenon referred to as Dimwhite, after the surreal reflection of the two stars off Bastion’s chemical atmosphere, and the ethereal dusk caused by the eclipsing Harbinger.

OZEN: Ozen is a moon of soaring, jagged peaks and vast, acidic oceans teeming with massive ironbone eels. The people of Ozen are hard and bitter, but have managed to scrape out a prominent place in the Known Orbits with the harvesting of ironbone and eelskin. Recently, with the appearance of the Harbinger, the tides of Ozen have been severely altered. The oceans rise, swallowing up many port cities and driving the population of the moon into the highlands. Sept Ruldo rules from their seat on Ozen, high atop its peaks. TERMINUS DUSK: This jagged asteroid, once a piece of Verloren, has become a base camp of sorts for venturers preparing excursions into the Harbinger. A ramshackle frontier settlement houses a market, a port for docking and repairs, and even a temple of the Eclipse, a prominent cult worshiping the Harbinger. The settlement is protected by a series of void barriers generated by retro-fitted Forge tech. These barriers maintain the atmosphere and gravity, and shield the settlement from the vacuum of space. Terminus Dusk is a rough town, attracting desperate scavengers and gibbering madmen in equal quantities.

ARGANAS: Arganas is a frigid moon covered in icy plains and snow-capped peaks. It is a moon of harsh weather and massive, deadly predators, orbited by two submoons: Omrin and Tyrn, the latter of which was destroyed by Sept Alzareen during Sept Grimarr’s uprising two centuries ago. Arganas was forever changed with the appearance of the Harbinger, which caused erratic tectonic activity and volcanic eruptions on its already volatile surface. Ash hangs heavy in the sky, dormant volcanoes awaken, and lava bubbles to the surface. Now Arganas is a moon of fire and ice.

THARKESTRA: The current seat of the Dynast, Tharkestra is a thriving metropolis world, shrouded in sprawling cities – a moon of innovation and industry, where mancers and mechanists work in tandem to painstakingly maintain Alzareen’s impressive fleet of voidships. Since the arrival of the Harbinger, the once beautiful auroras of Tharkestra have twisted into volatile and oftentimes destructive storms which drive the populace indoors and underground for sometimes days or weeks at a time. Tharkestra is orbited by a submoon called Sentry, which Sept Alzareen utilizes as a military base and weaponized deterrent against raiders and other aggressors.

DAGERAD: Dagerad is a small, backwater moon on the edge of the Known Orbits. No sept claims ownership, so it stands as a lawless haven for criminals, pirates, and exiles. Dagerad used to have sprawling oceans – but it stands desolate with leagues of sand and sky-breaching formations of salt and coral. Dagerad has an extremely short axial rotation, which means its days are only hours long. The floating atmoport of Skyhook is a well-known hive of scum and villainy. GRAEF: Also known as the Moon of Graves, Graef is a small, windswept world of plunging canyons and crumbling mountains. Once a seat of great power in the Hegemony, Graef is riddled to its core with ruins and subterranean structures, eroded by irregular weather patterns. The

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H VERLOREN: Lush, verdant Verloren faced untold tragedy and destruction with the arrival of the Harbinger. The alien leviathan collided with the northern hemisphere of the moon, shattering Verloren and ridding the surface of all life. Prior to the disaster, Verloren was a green moon teeming with fauna, and covered in world-spanning temperate rainforests. The people lived amid the soaring skybreach trees in hanging settlements. Now Sept Inuwa – the former masters of the moon – and its people survive in a nomadic migrant fleet, searching for a new home. XERXES: Once the epicenter of a prominent faction of the Hegemony, Xerxes is now a hive-world, whose towering structures now lay buried in vast webs, and whose sprawling underground complexes are now used for wretched egg sacs of the Fadeweavers who now dominate the moon. Few travel here for obvious reasons, but more fearless venturers face certain death for the ancient relics of the old world, or the astra-infused eggs found on Xerxes.

GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN THE KNOWN ORBITS

The people inhabiting Bastion’s moons boast wide and varied expressions of gender and sexuality, not confined to real-world norms or traditions. On Tharkestra, for instance, gender matters little, with numerous and varied representations of gender; other moons, such as Arganas, are less flexible, with some holding to a more traditional and rigid gender binary. Same-sex partnerships are commonplace, even among the highest nobility of Bastion. Player characters in Harbinger, likewise, can challenge real-world notions of gender and sexuality, representing any expression of sex, gender, and orientation.

INUWA: A nomadic sept, displaced by the arrival of the Harbinger and the destruction of their moon of Verloren. Inuwa clansmen are spiritual, reverent people with an affinity for nature and a knack for survival. Many of their voidships and weapons are decorated with polished skybreach wood, a resilient substance now made a rare commodity. Inuwa survives in a migrant fleet, led by their matron, Archon Anwen Inuwa.

THE SEPTS The Septs of Bastion are powerful noble houses, most centuries old. Each sept commands its own resources, holdings, fleets, and armies. Alliances rise and fall, feuds simmer for centuries, and all owe fealty to the Dynast.

LARKIN: The merchant lords of the Known Orbits, Sept Larkin controls the Drift Market, a massive atmoport composed of cobbled-together voidship hulls, retro-fitted to serve as a massive bazaar. Wealthy, secretive, and powerful, the Larkins command influence only second to the Dynast, and have an almost complete claim to the Rings and its settlements.

ALZAREEN: The current Dynast of Bastion rules from the metropolis moon of Tharkestra. Alzareen is known for its capable mancers, its powerful fleet of voidships, and for orchestrating the rebellion that overthrew the previous Dynast, Sept Trithon. The young ruler of the Known Orbits is Dynast Selisandra Alzareen, who assumed the throne after a brutal civil conflict claimed the lives of her aunt and brothers.

RULDO: Shrewd fishermen and merchants who rule the moon of Ozen, ruled by Archon Kirezan Ruldo the Deathless from his ironbone throne which sustains his life. Ruldo deals in ironbone, a durable yet flexible material used to make structures, voidships, weapons, and armor throughout the Known Orbits.

GRIMARR: Commanded by Warcaller Fell Grimarr Ravoksbane, this clan of mercenary warriors and reckless magic-users dwells on the savage, icy moon of Arganas. Grimarr soldiers favor melee weapons and serve the highest bidder in times of war between septs. A failed crusade conducted by the united mercenary clans of Arganas set Grimarr back centuries, forging an eternal grudge between Grimarr and Alzareen.

WYLOTH: The meager house of Wyloth is not a particularly well known nor well respected sept. Winners of no wars, owners of little wealth, Wyloth is a house far removed from the power struggles that grip greater septs. Yet Wyloth takes pride in their hermitage, in their steadfast resolution to survive on the harsh, storm-wracked world of Graef,

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H riddled with its ruins. Wyloth and their vassals have a strange obsession with death, and seemingly worship the concept. Many necrotechnicians originate from Sept Wyloth and the moon of Graef.

TECHNOLOGY Many secrets have been lost to humanity over the eons, but perhaps the greatest loss was interstellar travel. Some believe these secrets were buried intentionally for fear of the ruination such godlike power would bring; others believe the technology lies in the ashes of the Long Downfall, waiting to be discovered and rekindled.

ASTRA Astra is the lifeblood of the Known Orbits. It is a volatile yet efficient (and readily available) fuel source used to propel voidships, power pulsers, and allow humanity to wield perhaps its greatest asset – magic.

Many vehicles and tools – including voidships and pulser weapons – are relics, unable to be effectively replicated, and are instead repaired, retrofitted, piecemealed, and maintained by mechanists and other skilled engineers and artisans.

Astra exists as cosmic radiation, ever-present and interacting with physical matter and creatures in myriad and unpredictable ways. In the void, astra radiates gaseous nebulae, lighting space with flickering luminescence. On moons, liquids and minerals absorb astra, resulting in glowing lakes, aberrant creatures, and fields of humming crystals irradiated by astra.

VOIDSHIPS

Glimpses into the grandeur that was the Hegemony, voidships are enclosed vessels capable of carrying people safely across the gulfs of space and in the atmosphere of moons. Most voidships roving the Known Orbits are artifacts – centuries old, cobbled together from dilapidated parts and systems, and powered by volatile astra.

Most tech in the Known Orbits, including voidship drives and pulser weapons, uses refined and concentrated astra contained in canisters of hyper-pressurized gas or liquid. The precious metal known as aurchicalcum, mined from Bastion’s rings, is capable of safely storing and discharging astra’s hazardous energy. Most astra containment vessels, such as pulser cartridges, voidship fuel canisters, and lorium vials, are at least partially composed of aurichalcum.

Voidships depend on refined astra for just about every major function, including propulsion, life support, weapons, and shielding. Though the most common method of powering voidships is aurichalcum fuel canisters, many voidships boast astrafoils, which can be unfurled to gather ambient astra and process it for use aboard the vessel, albeit less efficiently than refined astra.

Mancers and other astra-channeling creatures have the phenomenal ability to draw on the ambient astra around them, concentrating, shaping, and projecting the radiation by sheer force of will. When channeling, a creature acts as a fulcrum for the energy, a conduit or funnel for its absorption and expulsion – but they almost always absorb a small percentage of the astra. Over time, this radiation builds, causing an effect known as Astrafade, which can lead to unpredictable and often dangerous effects.

The design and capabilities of voidships vary greatly, from large warships bristling with devastating weapons to lighter craft tooled for speed and stealth. Many voidships are endlessly modified and built upon by their owners, who likely inherited them from a previous owner who did the same, leading to entirely unique and oftentimes piecemeal vessels.

PULSERS

THE ASTRA SPECTRUM

Much like voidships, pulser weapons are relics of a bygone era, worn and retrofitted, and often only wielded by the wealthy or fortunate. A pulser might exist as an heirloom, an artifact passed from mother to daughter as an item to be treasured and cared for. Pulsers are loaded with aurichalcum cartridges of refined astra suspended in hyper-pressurized gas. Pulling the trigger propels a bolt of superheated astrairradiated plasma (or “pulse”). Pulser cartridges are often costly and difficult to come by, so many mechanists make a trade of crafting their own, branding the cartridges with their maker’s mark and imbuing them with myriad magical effects.

When astra is channeled and refined, whether through a mancer or tech like astrafoils, it manifests in four distinct colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. Red astra encompasses destructive, damaging energy, used in weapons and attack spells. Blue astra has potent restorative and revivifying effects, used to maintain life support aboard voidships, heal injuries, and even stave off death; most necrotech, like specters and barrowmechs, relies on blue astra to function. Green astra is inherently defensive and shielding, found in both the barriers of voidships and protective spells; it also has the unique ability to securely store data, and devices such as glancers and lorium vials utilize green astra in their operation. Finally, yellow astra is manipulative and coercive, used to propel voidships and alter gravity.

Due to the scarcity and cost of pulser weapons, simple melee weapons like swords, axes, and spears see prevalent use. Melee weapons are also effective in close-quarters combat aboard voidships, where a stray pulse could punch a hole through hulls or void barriers and expose occupants to the vacuum of space. Ranged weapons known as slingers are also commonplace, utilizing mechanical propulsion, rather than astra, to launch ballistic projectiles such as bolts, rudimentary arrows, or stones.

Many believe other colors of astra exist, though humanity lacks the ability or understanding to manifest them – for now.

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H For all its horrors and dangers, the Harbinger also holds great wealth and treasures. Despite the odds, many have left the Harbinger laden with artifacts and technology beyond comprehension. The septs of Bastion have taken a keen interest in these treasures, with many establishing base camps and mounting regular excursions into the Harbinger from the outpost of Terminus Dusk. Skirmishes often break out between these tomb-robbing parties, and war over the riches of the Harbinger is inevitable.

NECROTECH

Even among mancers and mechanists, one field of study remains controversial: necrotech. Fusing spirit and steel to create macabre yet wondrous items, necrotech utilizes the souls of the dead to create complex machine brains and powerful construct servants. Specialized necrotechnicians draw on the astra remaining in the recently deceased (some might refer to this remnant radiation as a spirit or soul) and imbue machines with its energy, pairing fragments of the deceased’s mind to create a kind of rudimentary computer. This process is used to build specters and barrowmechs, among other things. Specters are intelligent, incorporeal presences inhabiting voidships. They assist in maintaining the higher functions of the vessel, monitoring life support, astra levels, and nearby hazards or hostile voidships. Specters manifest in modules called sconces, appearing as flickering blue flames with vaguely human faces. Barrowmechs are mechanical constructs varying wildly in function and appearance – from humanoid household servants, to heavy labor, to massive armed guards. In recent years, barrowmechs have become a common sight serving wealthier septs, who keep necrotechnicians on hand to build and maintain the units. Many septs, however, recoil from including the macabre machines in their numbers.

THE HARBINGER Alien spacecraft. Artificial moon. Living being. Celestial tomb. The salvation of humanity – and its impending doom. The Harbinger represents lost wisdom, arcane secrets, and world-changing technology, just as readily as it represents death, calamity, and forbidden knowledge. The Harbinger’s true origin, purpose, and scope are unknown. But what is clear is that it represents the end of this age – and the beginning of another. The Harbinger is a leviathan structure, larger even than some moons. It’s true size and shape cannot be accurately measured, for it seems to reshape itself at random. It has no discernible silhouette or form, and can rarely be perceived in its fullness, for it seems to consume light rather than reflect it. Its carapace is an unknown material – not metal, stone, or flesh, but something horrific and wondrous in between. Within, maze-like corridors and chambers beyond counting riddle the Harbinger. From its innards comes all manner of eldritch horror – from the violent skrug clans, to hosts of kryslik who proliferate and consume. And still deeper within slumbers things of ancient malice – beings of untold age and origin that reach out with incorporeal tendrils across the Known Orbits.

12 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

CHAPTER 2: RULES

The fifth edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game (5e) powers the Harbinger RPG. The following chapter presents a rundown of the rules modifications and additions that set this game apart from standard 5e.

SKILLS Skill

Attribute

Description

Acrobatics

Dexterity

Balance, tumble, flip, roll

SKILLS

Astra

Intelligence

Identify spells and astra effects

Harbinger utilizes a similar list of skills to 5e, with a few notable differences and additions. New skills include Astra, Astrogation, Diplomacy, Endurance, Lore, and Tech. Animal Handling, Investigation, History, Nature, Performance, Persuasion, Religion, and Sleight of hand are not included in the Harbinger skill list. Find these and other modified skills in the Skills table.

Astrogation

Intelligence

Navigate the void, chart courses, identify orbits

Athletics

Strength

Lift, push, pull, climb, swim, leap

Deception

Charisma

Lie, bluff, fast-talk

Diplomacy

Charisma

Persuade, negotiate, navigate politics

Endurance

Constitution

Push past pain, exhaustion, illness

PROFICIENCIES

Insight

Wisdom

Detect lies, determine a creature’s true intentions

In place of standard vehicle proficiencies, Harbinger includes proficiency with vehicles and voidships. These allow you to add your proficiency bonus to any checks made while operating land-based vehicles and space-faring vessels, respectively. See page 51 for further details on vehicles and voidships.

Intimidation

Charisma

Strongarm, bully, threaten, coerce

Lore

Intelligence

Recall knowledge on history, nobility, and religion

Medicine

Intelligence

Diagnose and treat illness or injury

Perception

Wisdom

Spot, hear, detect

Stealth

Dexterity

Sneak, avoid detection, pickpocket

Survival

Wisdom

Track, forage, pathfind, identify flora and fauna

Tech

Intelligence

Identify and interact with tech

ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS The setting of Harbinger is one of danger and discovery. Venturers are bound to find themselves in hazardous environments. Use the following rules to represent these situations using environment conditions.

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H LOW-GRAV

ENVIRONMENT SIZE AND SCALE

In low-grav environments, the following rules apply:

Environment conditions do not specify an affected area or range for their effects. Generally, an environment is any single contained area – a room with walls, a tunnel, a cavernous chamber, etc. A condition applies to the entirety of the contained area, at the GM’s discretion. Some locations and even entire moons might feature an environment condition, such as low-atmo or highgrav. In such cases, the effects of the environment condition would apply on a much larger scale.

SEALED

If a creature rolls a natural 1 with a pulser weapon, each creature in the environment must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone and take 1d8 bludgeoning damage from depressurization. The current environment gains the low-atmo and lowgrav conditions as the seal is broken.

In high-atmo environments, the following rules apply:

After, at the beginning of each of a creature’s turns, they must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. An affected creature remains poisoned until completing a long rest.

»

»

All Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution ability checks and saving throws, as well as attack rolls, are made with disadvantage.

»

A creature reduces their movement speed by half.

»

If a creature would gain a level of exhaustion, they instead gain two levels.

When a creature enters a toxic environment, and at the beginning of each hour they spend in the environment thereafter, that creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned. An affected creature remains poisoned until completing a long rest.

ITEM CONDITIONS

HIGH-ATMO

»

A creature with a climb speed can move normally as long as they have a surface to climb across.

»

After, a creature can survive for a number of rounds equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1 round). At the start of their next turn, the creature drops to 0 hit points and must begin making death saving throws.

A creature can breathe normally for a number of minutes equal to 3 plus their Constitution modifier (minimum 1 minute).

»

In irradiated environments, or those with poisonous gases, the following rules apply:

A creature can breathe normally for a number of minutes equal to 3 plus their Constitution modifier (minimum 1 minute).

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A creature reduces their movement speed by half, but can move in any direction on a three-dimensional plane, provided they have a solid object from which to propel themselves.

TOXIC

In low-atmo environments, the following rules apply:

»

»

In environments with heightened gravity, the following rules apply:

LOW-ATMO »

All Strength and Dexterity ability checks and saving throws, as well as attack rolls, are made with disadvantage.

HIGH-GRAV

In sealed environments (such as those on voidships), the following rules apply: »

»

Repairing and retrofitting tech plays a large role in Harbinger. Few mechanists, if any, know how to create voidships and pulsers from scratch – but a skilled tinkerer can at least restore items to working order. Harbinger utilizes item conditions, similar to the conditions creatures experience, to represent malfunctioning or old equipment. The conditions scale from worn to broken, and conditions stack – meaning, a battered item is also worn. So if you roll a 1 on an attack roll with a battered weapon, it is now broken as well, as per the worn condition.

When a creature makes an attack or casts a spell that deals energy damage or fire damage, that creature and each other creature within 20 feet of that creature must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 2d8 energy or fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

A character can make an Intelligence check during a short or long rest (adding their proficiency with the arctool, if applicable) to attempt to remove item conditions. They must also spend the required glint. If successful, the item loses its worst item condition (so an item with the broken condition that is successfully repaired is still battered and worn).

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H WORN

WEAPON PROPERTIES

The item has some wear and tear. The following rules apply to worn items: »

With a weapon, on an attack roll of 1, the weapon gains the next condition.

Harbinger includes four additional or revised weapon properties: reload, burst, spray, and spread. Pulsers, ranged weapons that fire superheated plasma infused with astra radiation, make prominent use of these properties.

»

With armor, if an attack roll against you is a 20, the armor gains the next condition.

RELOAD

»

Requires a DC 10 Intelligence check and 10 glint to repair.

A weapon with the reload property requires specialized cartridges containing astra-irradiated plasma in order to fire. Each reload weapon lists a range of numbers which denote the attack roll result at which the weapon runs empty. For example, a light pistol lists a reload of (1–2), meaning it runs empty on an attack roll result of 1 or 2.

BATTERED

The item is not performing fully. The following rules apply to battered items: »

With a weapon, attack rolls have disadvantage.

»

With armor, attacks made against you have advantage.

»

Requires a DC 15 Intelligence check and 25 glint to repair.

When making an attack roll with a reload weapon, if the result on the d20 is within the range of that weapon’s reload, the weapon runs empty and cannot be used to attack again until fitted with a replacement cartridge as an action.

BURST

BROKEN

A weapon with the burst property can make a normal attack targeting a single creature. Alternatively, when you make an attack with this weapon, you can choose to make a burst attack instead, firing in a short, controlled burst of projectiles. When making a burst attack, you can choose to reroll any number of the weapon’s damage dice, but must use the second result. When making a burst attack, you double the weapon’s reload. For example, a light repeater’s reload would increase from (1–3) to (1–6) for the purposes of that attack roll.

The item is inoperable. The following rules apply to broken items: »

This weapon or armor cannot be used or worn.

»

Requires a DC 20 Intelligence check and 50 glint to repair.

USING ITEM CONDITIONS ELSEWHERE

Item conditions primarily apply to weapons and armor, but can easily be utilized for other gear and equipment. A character might uncover a useful item or piece of tech that requires repairs before functioning properly. Use the following guidelines to use these conditions on any item.

SPRAY

A weapon with the spray property can make a normal attack targeting a single creature. Alternatively, it can spray projectiles in a 10-foot-cube area with normal range. Each creature in the area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Dexterity modifier, or take the weapon’s normal damage. After a spray attack, the weapon runs empty regardless of its reload, and cannot be used to attack again until fitted with a replacement cartridge as an action.

» A worn item works mostly as intended, but suffers a minor drawback or quirk that must be worked around. » A battered item is mostly intact, but missing a key feature or component that must be replaced for it to work as intended. » A broken item is unusable, and requires significant repairs before it works as intended.

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H SPREAD

CHARACTER CREATION

A weapon with the spread property can make a normal attack targeting a single creature. Alternatively, it can fire in a devastating spread. Each creature in a 15-foot cone originating from your space must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Dexterity modifier, or take the weapon’s normal damage. After a spread attack, the weapon runs empty regardless of its reload, and cannot be used to attack again until fitted with a replacement cartridge as an action.

Player characters in Harbinger are known as venturers. Venturers stand as some of the most formidable and skilled beings in the Known Orbits – many would also call them the most foolhardy. It takes a certain kind of bravery (or stupidity) to venture into the void and face the perils offered by Bastion and its moons. For glint, glory, or duty, venturers delve the dark depths of derelict voidships, crumbling ruins, broken moons, and the Harbinger itself. Most venturers die chasing these dangerous pursuits – others vanish without a whisper on the shadowed edge of humanity’s reach. But those who persist, who stare unflinchingly into that abyss, chance to live among the wealthiest and most powerful, swaying the fate of the Known Orbits and entrenching their names and deeds in history. To venture is to die, it’s said – but to be remembered is to be immortal.

DAMAGE TYPES Harbinger includes one additional damage type: energy. Energy damage represents the kind of punishment dealt by the superheated plasma of pulser weapons, the sting of a mancer’s astrablade, or the concussive force of a treader’s astra bomb.

To create your venturer and embark on journeys across the Known Orbits and beyond, follow these guidelines.

USING ASTRA

»

Many class features, talents, traits, and spells in Harbinger require a creature to increase their Astrafade. Astrafade represents a creature’s capacity to absorb and channel astra while mitigating its harmful effects. Once a creature exceeds their Astrafade Limit, they may suffer consequences courtesy of the Astra Effects tables on page 71.

Choose your origin and select a legacy trait and background trait on page 17.

»

Choose your class, select your first talent, and roll your stake on page 21.

»

Generate your ability scores using your preferred method.

»

Optionally, instead of the default starting equipment for your class, you can choose to purchase your gear piecemail. Find equipment on page 44.

»

If you opt to play a mancer, or select a talent that unlocks spellcasting for your character, you must also select your spells on page 64.

»

If you and your party start your campaign with a voidship, you can choose a vessel from the options on page 61.

After using a feature, talent, trait, or spell that requires a creature to increase their Astrafade, the creature must compare their total Astrafade against their Astrafade Limit. If the number exceeds their Astrafade Limit, they must roll on the appropriate Astra Effects table.

REDUCING ASTRAFADE

After you complete a long rest, you may reduce your total Astrafade by a number equal to your Astrafade Limit, to a minimum of 0.

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H CHAPTER 3: ORIGINS

Your origin represents your birthplace, upbringing, or a significant event in your background. Your origin provides a context for your character – where they come from, their family, adaptive mutations as a result of their home, and any specialized training received over the years. When you choose your origin, you must also choose a trait, which represents a background pillar for your character. Your trait is not all encompassing – a moonborn character of nobility is not required to choose the Septsworn trait, for example. Instead, consider your trait as a defining feature of your character’s upbringing and backstory – something vital in shaping who they are now, and who they might become in the future.

MOONBORN The moonborn are natives of the colonized moons of Bastion, as well as the most populous people in the Known Orbits. Typically born and raised in environments with normal grav, breathable atmo, and regular exposure to sunlight, moonborn appearance and clothing nevertheless vary wildly from moon to moon.

Choose your origin, then select a legacy trait linked to that origin and one background trait from the list at the end of this chapter. ORIGINS SUMMARY Origin

Description

Moonborn

Those raised on the many moons of Bastion are diverse and adaptable

Voidborn

Children of the dark, born and brought up in atmoports and voidships

Forgeborn

Ancient people newly awakened, seeking to forge their own future

»

AGE: Moonborn mature as typical humans, reaching adulthood around 20 years of age, and living well into their 80s if fortunate enough to live well-fed and with medical care readily available.

»

SIZE: Moonborn’s stature depends heavily on the gravity of their homeworld, but most stand between 5 and 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

»

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

»

HOME: You were born and raised on one of Bastion’s many moons. Choose a moon on page 9, or create your own using the Moon Generator tables on page 77.

»

APPEARANCE: Moonborn are wildly diverse in both appearance and culture, thanks to the varied moons of the Known Orbits. Your moonborn venturer – their build, skin tone, hair color, eye color – appears exactly as you want.

»

STATUS: Moonborn are numerous, and though many nobles claim moonborn heritage, many also toil beneath the septs.

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H MOONBORN LEGACY TRAITS

VOIDBORN

Choose one legacy trait from the following list.

Voidborn are those born and raised in the dark of space – the Rings, the Drift Market, or aboard voidships. Voidborn are often tall and spindly due to lessened gravity, and have pale complexions due to a lack of sunlight in their environments. They also typically have larger eyes to allow in more light. Their lithe frames and unique upbringing make them deft and skilled warriors, and their closeness to raw astra have afforded them a unique attunement to the energy.

SEPTSWORN: Born into a sept of Bastion, or serving as a sworn vassal, you lead a life of privilege – though the squabbles and conflicts surrounding your sept are rarely easy. You gain the following benefits: »

Increase your Intelligence score by 1 and your Charisma score by 2.

»

You gain proficiency in Deception and Diplomacy.

»

You gain 100 additional glint with which to purchase starting equipment.

»

Leveraging your name, you can usually secure an audience with other nobles if your septs are in good standing with each other.

WILDWALKER: You range the wilds and dark places of your home, becoming accustomed to the terrain and environment. You gain the following benefits: »

Increase your Dexterity by 1 and your Wisdom by 2.

»

You gain proficiency in Stealth and Survival.

»

Choose a terrain: desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, tundra, or urban. When traveling in your chosen terrain, you have advantage on Perception, Stealth, and Survival checks.

»

You carry a keepsake of your home: a native plant, a stone, or a vial of soil. When interacting with someone native to your home moon, you can leverage this keepsake to gain advantage on all Charisma-based checks with that person.

TOILER: You work the soil and raise the structures of your home – by your toil, the moon keeps spinning. You gain the following benefits: »

Increase your Constitution by 1 and your Strength by 2.

»

You gain proficiency in Athletics and Tech.

»

You come from nothing, and fit in best with the common people of the Known Orbits. When in need, you can find work and aid in other lowfolk. They provide shelter, food, and other mundane resources as long as you do not pose a threat.

»

AGE: Voidborn mature as typical humans, reaching adulthood around 20 years of age, but the rigors of life in space often takes its toll on their physiology. Most voidborn don’t live to see 60.

»

SIZE: Voidborn are often taller and leaner than other humans, due to the lessened gravity of their home. Most stand between 6 and 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

»

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

»

HOME: You hail from an atmoport, a mining installation, or a flotilla of voidships. Most voidborn hail from the Rings, with the highest concentration living and working in the Drift Market.

»

APPEARANCE: Voidborn often possess somewhat alien features – large eyes, unnatural hues of skin and hair – as a result of their unique upbringing.

»

STATUS: Today’s voidborn descend from laborers, and carry on their grueling but necessary work. Few voidborn hold positions of power, but can still make a name for themselves in fringe factions and criminal syndicates.

VOIDBORN LEGACY TRAITS

Choose one legacy trait from the following list. RING MINER: You grew up breaking rocks in the Rings of Bastion, mining the precious metals and keeping the voidships of the septs afloat. You gain the following benefits: »

Your Strength increases by 2 and your Dexterity increases by 1.

»

You gain proficiency in Acrobatics and Athletics.

»

You add double your proficiency bonus to any check made to identify metals and minerals.

»

You carry a chunk of precious aurichalcum, the most valuable metal in the Known Orbits. Worth 100 glint, you can leverage and barter with this aurichalcum, or use it in place of a glint cost in crafting.

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H VOIDWATCHER: You’ve stared into the abyss, and found it staring back. Your affinity for astra and the endless void grants you an uncanny inner strength. You gain the following benefits: »

Your Wisdom increases by 1 and your Charisma increases by 2.

»

You gain proficiency in Astra and Astrogation.

»

You know one spell of Astrafade 0. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

»

You often experience strange visions spawned from your connection to the infinite void. When you sleep, roll a d20. If the result is equal to or lower than your Charisma score, you experience a vivid vision. Consult with your GM, or use the Scrying Results table on page 42.

of forgotten meaning. »

STATUS: To many, forgeborn aren’t people, but instead awakened tools. Their towering frames unnerve, while their naive natures confound.

FORGEBORN LEGACY TRAITS

Choose one legacy trait from the following list. ENVOY: You were created for diplomacy, to speak and orate, or to distract. Your mind is cunning, your voice melodious. You gain the following benefits: »

Your Dexterity increases by 1 and your Charisma increases by 2.

»

You gain proficiency in Diplomacy and Deception.

»

You quickly – almost mechanically – identify weaknesses or points of leverage in other creatures. If you study a creature for 10 uninterrupted minutes, you can choose to roll all Diplomacy, Deception, Insight, and Intimidation checks against that creature with advantage.

INSURGENT: You fought in the Ring Revolts, or struggle today for the rights of your voidborn kith and kin. You gain the following benefits: »

Your Constitution increases by 2 and your Intelligence increases by 1.

»

You gain proficiency in Diplomacy and Intimidation.

»

You have advantage on checks made to resist grappling and shoving.

»

Your Strength increases by 2 and your Constitution increases by 1.

»

You maintain contacts within the Consortium, as well as voidborn rebel cells, and know secure methods of getting messages through to them. At the GM’s discretion, you can send a message to your contact and receive a response in 1d4 days.

»

You gain proficiency in Athletics and Endurance.

»

Engineered for hard labor, you have tough skin and dense skeletal and muscular systems. Your armor class increases by 1.

»

You recognize the architecture of many ruins – after all, it was your hands building them. For knowledge pertaining to the creations of the Hegemony, you are considered proficient in Lore, and can add double your proficiency bonus to any checks relating to Hegemonic ruins and remains.

LABORER: Your frame is built for hard labor, your hands for skilled work. You gain the following benefits:

FORGEBORN An enigma even to themselves, forgeborn are a recently awakened people, originally created by the Forges in the Hegemony. Most forgeborn have slumbered for millennia in the vaults beneath the Forges, only reappearing in the last decade and with greater frequency since the arrival of the Harbinger. Forgeborn are large and completely hairless, typically branded with strange tattoos – a remnant of their functions in the Hegemony. Though large and physically capable, forgeborn are as children, waking to a world they do not recognize. Their minds are quick to learn and adapt, however. Forgeborn cannot reproduce, but more of them wake and wander into the Known Orbits with each day. »

AGE: Forgeborn are ageless. They wake fully matured and do not seem to degrade with time.

»

SIZE: Forgeborn are often taller and broader than other humans. Most stand close to 7 feet tall. Your size is Medium.

»

SPEED: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

»

HOME: You woke in a vault beneath a Forge with few, if any, memories. You must find a home for yourself.

»

APPEARANCE: Manufactured by the Forges under which they slumber, most forgeborn stand tall and broad, hairless, with skin of strange hues and brands

MEMORY KEEPER: Your mind is a vault storing millennia of secrets. You gain the following benefits: »

Your Intelligence increases by 2 and your Wisdom increases by 1.

»

You gain proficiency in three of the following skills (your choice): Astra, Astrogation, Lore, Medicine, or Tech.

»

When recalling information, you can access hidden data stored in a deep recess of your mind. Once per long rest, when you fail an Astra, Astrogation, Lore, Medicine, or Tech check, you can choose to treat the result on the d20 as a 10 instead.

»

While sleeping, you may experience strange and vivid visions or memories of eons past. When you sleep, roll a d20. If the result is equal to or lower than your Charisma score, you experience a vision. Consult with your GM, or use the Scrying Results table on page 42.

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H JUNKER: You’ve learned how to comb through debris to find useful bits of old tech. While exploring ruins, dead voidships, or other areas containing salvage, you can spend 1 hour per day searching for valuable detritus. At the GM’s discretion, you may uncover valuable salvage worth d10 glint.

BACKGROUND TRAITS In addition to the legacy trait afforded by your origin, choose one background trait from the following list. These background traits represent unique skills, professions, standings with factions, connections with notable figures, and minor mutations.

MEDITECH: You are trained in basic medicine, and are proficient in mending wounds and mitigating pain. As an action, you can touch a creature that has taken damage in the last hour, granting them 1d6 hit points. You must complete a short or long rest before you can use this trait again.

ASTRA ADAPTED: Constant exposure to astra has gifted you with certain abilities. Choose one of the following spells: bolster, torchlight, or grav shift. You can now cast that spell, increasing your Astrafade to add boosts as normal. Your spellcasting modifier for that spell is Charisma.

OBSERVER: You serve as a spy or informant for a sept or faction (decide which one when you choose this trait). When making a Wisdom (Perception) check, you can add your Intelligence modifier. Additionally, you have a handler who feeds you secrets and sensitive information every 1d4 days, as long as you have a secure method of communication.

DECKHAND: Life serving aboard voidships and keeping them flying has bolstered your mechanical abilities and engineering know-how – fixing broken components is second nature to you. When making Intelligence checks to repair or restore a voidship or its components, you can also add your Wisdom modifier to the roll.

SOLDIER: Your service in the armed forces of a sept or faction wasn’t easy, but you still carry the one thing that saw you through – your weapon. In addition to the starting equipment granted by your class, choose a weapon in which you are proficient with a value of 100 glint or less, and gain that weapon. You know how to maintain this weapon expertly, and have advantage on Intelligence checks made to remove the worn or battered conditions.

EYES OF THE VOID: Your proximity to astra has resulted in a mutation, allowing you to see in total darkness. You gain darkvision out to a range of 30 feet. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. While your darkvision is active, the world appears in grayscale. This manifests physically in your eyes as a silvery “shine,” bordering on a dim glow when in darkness.

TINKERER: You have a mind for metal, and a knack for cobbling useful items together from junk. You can spend 10 minutes and 5 glint worth of materials to craft one of the following: a cudgel, a dagger, a spear, a glowrod, a grappling hook, or an item of similar value at the GM’s discretion.

FRINGER: You dwell on the far-flung fringe of the Known Orbits, earning a living by any means necessary. You maintain a wide network of “friends,” most of whom owe you favors. On most inhabited moons, at the GM’s discretion, you can spend 1 hour tracking down one of the following: a fence for illegal goods, a client looking to hire freelancers, or passage off the moon aboard a voidship.

VENGEFUL: You suffered a great loss. You seek vengeance upon those responsible. When you select this trait, decide who wronged you, whether it be a person, a faction, or a species (such as skrug). You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track these enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. Additionally, you add +1 to attack and damage rolls made against this enemy.

HEIRLOOM: You carry a valuable object passed down to you from kith or kin. Choose a weapon or armor in which you are proficient with a value of 200 glint or less, and gain that item. If it is a weapon, you add +1 to all attack rolls with it. If it is armor, its AC bonus increases by 1. HEAVY BONES: Your dense bones and muscles make apparent your upbringing in a place with higher-than-average gravity. You ignore the effects of a high-grav environment. In addition, in an environment with normal gravity, you gain 10 feet of movement speed.

VOID GRIT: Your harsh existence has toughened your resolve. Your hit point maximum increases by a number equal to your treader level, and increases by 1 each time you gain a new level. VOIDSHIP ACE: The yokes of a voidship are an extension of you. When making Maneuverability checks to pilot a voidship, you can add double your proficiency bonus.

HUNTED: Someone or something hunts you across the Known Orbits. The fear of this pursuer has attuned your sense of awareness to ambush. As long as you are conscious, you cannot be surprised and you add your proficiency bonus to initiative checks.

VOIDSWIMMER: You developed in a home with lessened gravity, and have adapted to thrive in low-grav environments. You ignore the effects of a low-grav environment, but can still move in any direction on a three-dimensional plane, provided you have a solid object from which to propel yourself.

20 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

CHAPTER 4: CLASSES

Class is the primary definition of what your venturer can do in Harbinger. It represents more than your profession – it’s your calling, your destined path. Class shapes the way you interact with the world, providing the bulk of the tools to overcome challenges, defeat enemies, and survive in harsh environs.

SPECIALIZATIONS AND TALENTS

Each class in Harbinger includes three specializations, which each offer a list of talents to further customize your venturer and focus their abilities. Talents, like class features, add new tools to your character’s kit – but unlike class features, talents are not tied to character progression, and have no prerequisites. At 1st level, and every odd-numbered level thereafter, you choose a new talent from any specialization for your class, further bolstering your character and giving them new and unique tools with which to solve problems in the Known Orbits.

Your class grants you at least one core feature, such as the mancer’s spellcasting or the mechanist’s spheroids. In addition, each class includes three distinct lists of talents, which you select at certain levels to further customize your character and focus their skillset. Each class also provides a table of possible stakes: an inciting incident, narrative burden, or critical missions that sets your character on their path, and leaves a question to be answered through roleplay and discovery.

MANCER

Mancers are powerful, volatile magic-users. Using their inner strength, they can cast spells and manipulate astra and its myriad effects.

CLASSES SUMMARY Class

Description

Hit Die

Core Abilities

Mancer

A volatile magic-user who can cast spells and manipulate astra

d6

Consitution and Charisma

Mechanist

A crafty engineer who can support allies and tinker with tech

d8

Dexterity and Intelligence

Treader

An intrepid warrior who can forge paths and survive harsh environs

d10

MECHANIST

Mechanists are cunning crafters. They support and heal allies, craft wondrous items, and pull back the veil on technology ancient and esoteric.

TREADER

Treaders are martial-focused warriors and explorers, masters of traversing the void above and moons below Treaders excel at using weapons, tracking enemies, and exploring strange and unique locations.

Strength and Wisdom

21 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H MANCER

PLAYING A MANCER

An echelon delves into a deep trance, becoming one with the void and unlocking deep-buried secrets. An aphelion conjures a spectral blade of pure astra and leaps into the fray with a battle cry. A siphon levitates off the ground, her eyes ablaze with cosmic radiation, and clenches fists wreathed in lightning.

Mancers are versatile characters, and depending on their spells and talents, can serve as devastating damage-dealers, effective healers, or even persuasive negotiators. Mancers lack the hardiness and martial potency of treaders and mechanists, but excel in bolstering their own abilities and those of their allies with spells and versatile astra-based talents. Many mancer talents provide metamagic features, allowing the mancer to sculpt their spells and manipulate the effects. Others give the mancer more fighting power or increased survivability.

Mancers are wielders of magic, keepers of lost knowledge, and manipulators of astra energy who commune with the void itself to unravel mysteries, bend the elements to their will, and unlock untold power. Mancers vary wildly in their abilities, motives, and philosophies, but each is tied intrinsically to the energy of the void – the cosmic radiation known as astra. Some mancers view astra as a mystery to be studied and revered, an energy source as volatile as it is useful. Others see astra as fuel for powers unknowable, a gateway into a greater universe. Whatever their approach, a mancer remains a conduit – a fulcrum for chaos and power.

A mancer benefits primarily from a high Charisma, as their spellcasting relies on this ability, and many of their talents derive their potency from Charisma. Constitution is also important, both for additional toughness, and for features like Astrafade Recovery.

MANCER STAKES D10

Stake

1

I’ve uncovered forbidden knowledge, and must protect it.

2

I must recover a cosmic object of reckoning before anyone else.

3

I experienced a prophetic vision of a moon while meditating – I should go there.

4

I’ve heard rumors of a great mancer teacher – I must find and learn from them.

5

Old mancer friends of mine are now a violent cult – I am guilty by association.

6

My powers inadvertently killed someone – I must make things right.

7

My mind is linked to another by an inexplicable, cosmic connection – why?

8

I am charged with collecting mancer relics and creating a historical archive.

9

I feel like the Harbinger speaks to me in my dreams and meditations.

10

A mancer murderer is at large – I’ve been asked to investigate.

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H EQUIPMENT You start with the following equipment:

MANCER PROGESSION Level

Proficiency Bonus

Astrafade Limit

»

Scout suit

1

+2

2

Astracasting, Talent

»

One simple melee weapon

2

+2

2

Astrafade Recovery

»

One simple pulser

3

+2

2

Talent

»

Basic gear kit

Class Features

4

+2

3

Ability Score Improvement

5

+3

3

Talent

6

+3

4

–

7

+3

4

Talent

8

+3

4

Ability Score Improvement

9

+4

4

Talent

10

+4

5

–

11

+4

5

Talent

12

+4

5

Ability Score Improvement

13

+5

5

Talent

14

+5

6

–

15

+5

6

Talent

16

+5

6

Ability Score Improvement

17

+6

6

Talent

18

+6

7

–

19

+6

7

Ability Score Improvement, Talent

20

+6

7

Astra Ascendance

ASTRACASTING

STARTING AT 1ST LEVEL: You learn to cast spells and bend the energies of astra to your will. Your Astrafade Limit determines which spells you are able to know – you can only learn spells with an Astrafade equal to or less than your Astrafade Limit. SPELLS KNOWN: You know a number of spells equal to your proficiency bonus. You cannot learn a spell with an Astrafade exceeding your Astrafade Limit. For example, when you reach 4th level, your proficiency bonus increases from +2 to +3, so your total number of spells known increases from 2 to 3. When you learn new spells, their Astrafade must be equal to or less than your Astrafade Limit. In addition, when you gain a level in this class, you may choose one of the spells you know and replace it with another spell, as long as the Astrafade is equal to or less than your Astrafade Limit. SPELLCASTING ABILITY: Charisma is the spellcasting ability for your spells, since your mastery of astra originates from your inner strength, as well as your ability to harness and control the volatile energy. You use your Charisma modifier whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when determining the saving throw DC for a spell you cast, and when making an attack roll with one.

MANCER CLASS FEATURES

Your spell save DC is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier. Your spell attack is your proficiency bonus plus your Charisma modifier.

As a mancer, you gain the following class features. HIT POINTS » HIT DICE: 1d6 per mancer level »

HIT POINTS AT FIRST LEVEL: 6 plus your Constitution modifier

»

HIT POINTS AT HIGHER LEVELS: 1d6 (or 4) plus your Constitution modifier per mancer level after 1st

MANCER TALENTS

AT 1ST LEVEL: You choose a talent from the echelon, aphelion, or siphon specializations at the end of this section. You gain additional talents at each odd-numbered level. Each time, you can choose a talent from any of these lists, but no talent can be selected more than once (unless stated otherwise).

PROFICIENCIES » ARMOR: Light armor »

WEAPONS: Simple weapons

»

TOOLS: Voidships

»

SAVING THROWS: Constitution, Charisma

»

SKILLS: Choose two from Astra (INT), Astrogation (INT), Deception (CHA), Diplomacy (CHA), Endurance (CON), Insight (WIS), Intimidation (CHA), Lore (INT), and Medicine (INT)

MANCER SPECIALIZATIONS Specialization

Description

Echelon

Mage who peers into the void to unravel the secrets of astra.

Aphelion

Knight who wields astra like a blade – and hones their magic like steel.

Siphon

Conduit of pure, reckless energy who consumes and controls astra.

23 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H CABAL OF THE AMBER TEMPEST: Your cunning and wile allow you to reshape spells as well as the hearts and minds of those around you. As a student of the Amber Tempest, you gain the following benefits:

ASTRAFADE RECOVERY

STARTING AT 2ND LEVEL: You have learned to focus, meditating to reduce the strain of astra on your body. When you finish a short rest, you may reduce your Astrafade by a number equal to your Constitution modifier. You must complete a long rest before using this feature again.

»

When casting a yellow spell, reduce its Astrafade by 1, to a minimum of 1. This does not reduce the spell’s Astrafade for the purposes of learning spells – the reduction only occurs when casting the spell.

»

When casting a spell that targets a creature, you can choose to increase your Astrafade by 1. If you do, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or gain one of the following conditions (your choice): prone, blinded, or deafened. The effect lasts until the start of your next turn, or until the affected creature uses an action to end the effect on themself.

»

As part of a short rest, you can spend 10 minutes preparing a malleable spell. Choose a spell you know that has a castime time of one action. The first time you cast that spell following a short rest, its casting time becomes a bonus action.

»

You can add double your Charisma modifier to a Charisma (Deception) check. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain expended uses following a long rest.

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

AT 4TH LEVEL: You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. You gain additional ability score improvements at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.

ASTRA ASCENDANCE

AT 20TH LEVEL: You have reached the pinnacle, transcending the weakness of your flesh and blood and becoming one with the void. You have the following benefits: »

Choose a spell you know of Astrafade 3 or less. Casting this spell no longer requires increasing your Astrafade.

»

On your turn, if your Astrafade meets or exceeds your Astrafade Limit, as a bonus action, you can choose to reduce your Astrafade by a number equal to your Charisma modifier plus your Constitution modifier. If you do, you gain a level of exhaustion. You must complete a long rest before using this feature again.

»

CABAL OF THE COBALT TIDE: Your wisdom and compassion grants you unique insight into the restorative properties of astra. As a student of the Cobalt Tide, you gain the following benefits:

If you drop to 0 hit points, as long as your Astrafade does not meet or exceed your Astrafade Limit, you can instead choose to increase your Astrafade by 1 and drop to 1 hit point instead. You must complete a long rest before using this feature again.

ECHELON

Throughout the Known Orbits, echelons serve as scholars, historians, archivists, and diplomats, preserving knowledge, sifting through ancient secrets, and tipping the political scales in the hopes of forging a new future for both the Known Orbits and themselves. Echelons subscribe to philosophies known as cabals to study astra with a firm, careful hand, acknowledging its volatility and chaotic nature while simultaneously seeking to unlock its unmined potential. Echelons often find themselves serving nobility or other powerful figures, advising, adjudicating, and navigating the tangled webs of intrigue in which the septs of Bastion find themselves caught. ASTRA SENSE: You close your eyes, and astra becomes as light to you. As an action, you can sense the presence of astra within 30 feet of you. If you sense astra in this way, you can use an additional action to see a visible aura of astra around any creature or object in the area that bears astra. You can also identify the color of the astra present.

»

When casting a blue astra spell, reduce its Astrafade by 1, to a minimum of 1. This does not reduce the spell’s Astrafade for the purposes of learning spells – the reduction only occurs when casting the spell.

»

When casting a spell that targets an ally or willing creature, you can choose to increase your Astrafade by 1. If you do, one creature that spell targets regains hit points equal to your mancer level.

»

As part of a short rest, you can spend 10 minutes preparing a restorative spell. Choose a spell you know that targets an allied or willing creature. The first time you cast that spell following a short rest, one creature the spell targets also regains hit points equal to twice your mancer level and can choose to remove one condition.

»

You can add double your Charisma modifier to a Charisma (Diplomacy) check. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain expended uses following a long rest.

In addition, you add double your proficiency bonus to any Astra (Intelligence) checks made to identify astra and its myriad effects.

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H CABAL OF THE CRIMSON FLAME: Your passion and aggression allows you to bend the volatility of astra in your favor. As a student of the Crimson Flame, you gain the following benefits: »

When casting a red astra spell, reduce its Astrafade by 1, to a minimum of 1. This does not reduce a spell’s Astrafade for the purposes of learning spells – the reduction only occurs when casting the spell.

»

When rolling damage for a spell, you can reroll a damage die on the result of a 1 or 2, but must take the second result. In addition, after rolling damage for a spell, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to roll one additional damage die.

»

As part of a short rest, you can spend 10 minutes preparing an empowered spell. Choose a spell you know that deals damage. The first time you cast that spell following a short rest, you can choose one boost for that spell without increasing your Astrafade.

»

You can add double your Charisma modifier to a Charisma (Intimidate) check. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain expended uses following a long rest.

ENUMERATIONS: You flow through a series of esoteric enumerations, further separating your spirit from your body in order to sharpen your senses, open your mind, and access forbidden knowledge. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and enter a state of deep meditation. For each minute you spend in uninterrupted concentration, choose a different benefit from among the following, to a maximum number equal to your proficiency:

CABAL OF THE JADE PEAK: Your resilience and patience strengthen your resolve, and further your abilities in wielding astra as a shield. As a student of the Jade Peak, you gain the following benefits:

»

Your pupils dilate as your prescience extends, granting uncanny awareness. You have advantage on all Insight and Perception checks for 1 hour. In addition, you have advantage on your next initiative roll.

»

With practiced precision, you access knowledge hidden within the deepest recesses of your mind and the genetic memories of your forebears. You have advantage on all Astra, Astrogation, Lore, and Tech checks for 1 hour.

»

You open your astral eye. You reach across the void with your mind, sensing the presence of your quarry. Describe or name a creature or object familiar to you. You sense the direction to the target’s location, as long as it is not within the Harbinger. If the target is moving, you know the direction of its movement. You are aware of the target’s location and movement for 1 hour.

»

»

When casting a green spell, reduce its Astrafade by 1, to a minimum of 1. This does not reduce the spell’s Astrafade for the purposes of learning spells – the reduction only occurs when casting the spell.

You bolster your physical and mental defenses and hone your reflexes. You add double your proficiency to saving throws in which you are proficient for 1 hour.

»

»

When casting a spell that targets an ally or willing creature, you can choose to increase your Astrafade by 1. If you do, one creature that spell targets increases their armor class by 1 for 10 minutes.

You center your mind and body, gaining near-perfect control of your breathing and heart rate. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier plus your Charisma modifier.

»

Your intuition sharpens to superhuman levels, granting unique insight into the minds of those around you. You have advantage on all Deception and Diplomacy checks for 1 hour.

»

You link your mind with others. Choose a number of willing creatures up to your proficiency bonus within 120 feet of you. For 1 hour, you can sense each creature’s location, whether or not they are conscious, and the nature of any injuries they have. In addition, for the duration, you can communicate telepathically with each creature, either individually or as a group.

»

»

As part of a short rest, you can spend 10 minutes preparing a protective spell. Choose a spell you know that targets an allied or willing creature. The first time you cast that spell following a short rest, one creature that spell targets also gains resistance to one type of damage from the following: bludgeoning, piercing, slashing, or energy. You can add your Charisma modifier to a Wisdom (Insight) check. You can do this a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and regain expended uses following a long rest.

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H LORECHIST: The knowledge-storing irradiated liquid known as lorium flows within you like blood. An aurichalcum port emerges at the base of your neck, installed at the top of your spine to allow you to access lorium vials and view their contents without the aid of a glancer. In addition, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour and 10 glint worth of materials to craft a lorium vial. You can keep a number of lorium vials equal to your proficiency bonus. You can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour erasing the contents of a lorium vial, which can then be used again. As an action, you can use the lorium vial to achieve one of the following effects: »

weapon vanishes instantly. You cannot be disarmed while wielding this weapon. Every time you summon the weapon, you can choose a new form for it. ASTRA DIRKS: You conjure a brace of energy daggers into existence. As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to conjure a number of astra dirks equal to your Charisma modifier. You can hold any number of these dirks in one hand and still attack with them. The astra dirks have identical statistics to a dagger, except that they deal 1d6 energy damage and have a thrown range of 30/90. If you hit a creature with an attack with an astra dirk, you lose that astra dirk. Additionally, as a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to deal 1d8 energy damage to each creature hit with an astra dirk attack in the last hour.

You can store a spell you know within the lorium vial, allowing you to cast the spell without increasing your Astrafade. Once you cast a spell in this way, you cannot use the lorium vial to cast the spell again until you finish a long rest.

»

You can spend 1 hour accessing the Lorium Archives to retrieve lore on a subject you choose. The subject can be a person, a place, or an event. Once you retrieve the lore, using this lorium vial, you can add double your proficiency to all Lore checks relating to that particular subject.

»

You extract a single memory from a willing creature you touch, or from yourself. The memory remains preserved in the lorium. You can view this memory, experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells as if you saw it firsthand.

»

You can record written or spoken words, up to a maximum of 10,000 words, which can be stored and accessed at will.

ASTRA-STORM AURA: Astra swirls around you like a roiling tempest, rebuffing attacks and damaging nearby enemies. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to summon a swirling astra-storm. The storm occupies a 10foot radius sphere centered on you and lasts for 1 minute, until you become incapacitated, or until you end it as a free action. While the storm is active, you also gain a fly (hover) speed of 10 feet. When a creature enters the area of effect or starts their turn there, they must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or take a number of d6s of energy damage equal to your proficiency bonus. In addition, while the storm is active, you have half cover. BATTLE TRANCE: Your physical form blurs as you enter a deep state of seamless awareness and instantaneous reaction. As an action, you can choose to enter a battle trance. Until the start of your next turn, you have the following benefits:

APHELION

The warrior mages of the Known Orbits, the aphelions weaponize astra, wielding its volatile power just as a treader might carry a blade. Aphelions are often knights in service to noble septs or powerful factions, but wayward aphelions can earn a living as bodyguards, enforcers, or even assassins for the highest bidder. Fusing martial prowess with astracasting to deadly effect, aphelions are among the most feared fighters in the Known Orbits. ASTRA BLADE: You conjure a weapon of pure energy – an extension of your mind, body, and spirit. As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to summon a melee weapon of your choice. It can take the form of any melee weapon you are proficient in, and has identical statistics, except that it deals energy damage and has +1 attack and damage (this bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, +3 at 10th level, and +4 at 16th level). When you attack with this weapon, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. You can dismiss the weapon as a free action. If you fall unconscious, the

»

Your armor class increases by 2.

»

You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws.

»

Making an opportunity attack does not require a reaction.

»

When you are holding a melee weapon and are hit by a ranged weapon attack, you can use your reaction to deflect the projectile. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your mancer level. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to redirect the projectile. If you do, as part of the same reaction, make an attack with the weapon used to deflect the projectile against a target you can see within 30 feet of you. On a hit, the target takes damage equal to the initial damage of the attack plus one additional damage die.

MARTIAL PROWESS: You gain additional proficiencies to excel in close-quarters combat. You gain medium armor and heavy armor proficiency. In addition, when you choose this talent, you can choose two martial melee weapons in which to gain proficiency.

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H RELENTLESS ATTACK: Your tenacity cannot be tamed, especially in the heat of combat. You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.

BERSERKER: You forego defense to dish out greater punishment. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can attack recklessly. You gain advantage on attack rolls for the remainder of your turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until the start of your next turn. While attacking recklessly, once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to roll one additional damage die.

Additionally, once per turn when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can choose to increase your Astrafade by 1 to make another attack against that creature. On a hit, the attack deals one additional damage die. SHIELD OF LIGHT: You conjure a floating, spectral shield that protects you and your allies. As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to coalesce energy and conjure a shield, which hovers in your space to protect you as if you were wielding it, leaving your hands free and increasing your AC by 2. The shield remains active for 1 minute, until you end this effect with a free action, or until you are incapacitated or die. In addition, as a free action on your turn, you can direct the shield to move into a friendly creature’s space that you can see within 40 feet. The creature then gains the benefit of the shield until the effect ends or until you use a free action to move the shield again.

ASTRAFADE PUSH: You have mastered your control of Astrafade and can absorb it or expel it through sheer force of will. As an action, you can reduce or increase your Astrafade by 1. If you reduce your Astrafade, you take 1d6 energy damage. If you increase your Astrafade, you regain 1d6 hit points.

SIPHON

FISTS OF THE VOID: You wreathe your fists in crackling red astra, imbuing them with an unprecedented striking power. As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to wrap your forearms and fists in red astra. For 1 minute, you have the following benefits:

ASTRAFADE RESISTANCE: You have advantage on Constitution and Charisma checks made to resist spells. Additionally, whenever you exceed your Astrafade Limit, and are forced to roll on the Astra Effects tables, you can choose to roll again and must take the second result.

Among many denizens of the Known Orbits, and notably even other mancers, siphons are held in contempt. A siphon endeavors to push astra, and by extension themselves, to the limits of possibility. To a siphon, astra is a power granted to the gifted, meant to be wielded however they choose. A siphon is a conduit for this boundless energy, and only a siphon can truly manifest astra in its purest, most volatile form. Possessing an almost effortless control over their own Astrafade, siphons border on inhuman in their mastery of this dangerous magic. ASTRA FORM: You shed your fragile mortal form and become pure energy. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to transform yourself and everything you are wearing and carrying into pure energy. You can maintain the form a number of minutes equal to your Charisma modifier. The effect ends if you drop to 0 hit points or if you end the effect as a free action. While in this form, you have the following effects: »

Your only method of movement is a fly (hover) speed of 20 feet.

»

You can enter and occupy the space of another creature.

»

You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

»

You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.

»

You can pass through small holes and narrow openings.

»

You cannot fall and remain hovering in the air even when stunned or incapacitated.

»

You cannot speak, but can communicate telepathically with creatures within 60 feet of you.

»

Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 energy damage, and you can add your Charisma modifier to attack rolls and damage rolls with unarmed strikes.

»

You add your Charisma modifier to Athletics checks.

»

As a bonus action, you can hurl astra from your hands. Make a ranged spell attack against a creature you can see within 40 feet of you. On a hit, you deal 1d8 energy damage.

LIMIT ENHANCER: While at your Astrafade Limit, your abilities increase. While your total Astrafade meets or exceeds your Astrafade Limit, you can use a bonus action to activate Limit Enhancer. While this feature is active, you gain the following benefits: »

You gain a fly (hover) speed of 10 feet.

»

You have advantage on any saving throws made to avoid or resist spells and their effects.

»

When casting a spell, you may use a single free boost that does not increase your Astrafade.

»

You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Limit Enhancer lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious. Once you have activated Limit Enhancer a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you must complete a long rest before you can use it again.

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H SIPHON MUTATIONS: Your reckless push and pull of astra has irradiated and warped your human form. Choose (or roll) a mutation option from the following list. Note: You can select this talent multiple times, but must choose a new option each time. »

»

Reflective Hide: Your hardened skin protects you, and can absorb and redirect astra energy. While wearing no armor, your AC equals 11 plus your Dexterity modifier plus your Charisma modifier. In addition, when you take damage from a line spell, a spell that requires a ranged attack roll, or a ranged weapon that deals energy damage, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and use your reaction to halve that damage. You can then deal damage equal to the amount you negated back to the attacker. Unseeing Eyes: To the unaware, you might appear blind, though you are anything but. You have blindsight out to a range of 120 feet, allowing you to perceive without relying on sight. In addition, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to enhance your senses for 1 minute. While enhanced, you have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks, and each creature in your blindsight radius appears outlined in flickering astra, even those hidden and covered by obstacles or walls.

»

Void Visions: Your limited precogniscience grants you foresight into the immediate future. You can add your proficiency bonus to initiative rolls, and have advantage on attack rolls against creatures who have not yet had a turn in combat. In addition, you experience vivid visions that, despite being instantaneous in the material world, can feel lengthy in your own mind. These visions are often prophetic, and involve people both closely related to you, as well as complete strangers or long-dead ancients. Work with your GM to determine these visions, or use the Scrying Results table on page 42.

»

Astra Blood: Persistent efforts to manipulate astra have turned your veins a vivid color. The cosmic blood pumping through your veins can enhance physical efforts such as lifting, jumping, swimming, or other feats of adrenaline. While you have an Astrafade of 1 or higher, you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) and Constitution (Endurance) checks. In addition, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to enhance your abilities for 1 minute. While enhanced, you deal one additional damage die on melee attacks, and can add your Constitution modifier to all spell attacks and damage rolls for spells.

28 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H MECHANIST

PLAYING A MECHANIST

A splicer, illuminated by a flickering arctool, emblazons an incendiary pulser cartridge with their touchmark stamp. A driftrunner ducks into a voidship alcove and conjures an arcmesh drone, maneuvering the small construct through the maze-like ductwork to access a secured vault. A necrotechnician dives behind cover amid a hail of pulser fire as his barrowmech heaves itself into combat against the skrug raiding party.

Mechanists provide support and custom gear for themselves and their allies. Though capable warriors and skilled explorers in their own right, a mechanist excels at strengthening and restoring allies, utilizing various tools and constructs to control the battlefield and provide utility functions in exploration and survival. Most mechanist talents provide new options for crafting items – creating special pulser cartridges, deploying sentry turrets, or even building constructs like barrowmechs.

Mechanists are craftspeople, scavengers, and artificers who reclaim, repair, and modify the dwindling technology of the Known Orbits. They wield cunning and craft in tandem to create and customize unique weapons, armor, tools, and constructs to aid themselves and their allies.

A mechanist benefits chiefly from a high Intelligence, as much of their crafting and the effectiveness of their creations hinge on that attribute. A mechanist should also prioritize Dexterity in order to defend themselves and their allies in combat.

Talented mechanists never want for work. Septs employ mechanists to build and maintain their arms and armor, or develop new weapons to wield against rivals. They can be found serving aboard voidships across the Known Orbits, keeping the spacefaring relics flying another day. Mechanists forge a unique bond with the metal they work, as well as the atra coursing through it – not simply technicians, but archaeologists, shamans, and scholars. To create is to be godlike, and their reverence for artifacts promotes an almost spiritual link to empires long fallen, and their creations which persist eternally. MECHANIST STAKES D10

Stake

1

A creation of mine fell into the wrong hands – I must reclaim it.

2

I must create something unprecedented.

3

I seek the original creator of my arctool.

4

My ancestor created wondrous things. I seek to learn more about them.

5

I created a weapon that brought devastation upon innocents. Can I make it right?

6

I owe a debt to nefarious people for not delivering on a commission.

7

I glimpsed a relic from before the Long Downfall. Now I seek to recreate it.

8

The person who taught me all I know disappeared – where are they?

9

I failed in my duties and people died as a result. I want to make it right.

10

I received a vision within a ruin, and now I am driven by a strange destiny.

29 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H EQUIPMENT You start with the following equipment:

MECHANIST PROGESSION Level 1

Proficiency Bonus +2

Astrafade Limit 1

Class Features Arctool, Spheroids, Talent

2

+2

1

Expertise

3

+2

1

Talent

4

+2

2

Ability Score Improvement

5

+3

2

Arctool Upgrade, Talent

6

+3

2

Expertise

7

+3

3

Talent

8

+3

3

Ability Score Improvement

9

+4

3

Talent

10

+4

4

Boost Spheroids

11

+4

4

Talent

12

+4

4

Ability Score Improvement

13

+5

4

Talent

14

+5

5

–

15

+5

5

Talent

16

+5

5

Ability Score Improvement

17

+6

5

Talent

18

+6

6

–

6

Ability Score Improvement, Talent

19 20

+6 +6

6

WEAPONS: Simple weapons, carbines, shortblades

»

TOOLS: Vehicles, voidships

»

SAVING THROWS: Dexterity, Intelligence

»

SKILLS: Choose three from Astra (INT), Astrogation (INT), Endurance (CON), Insight (WIS), Lore (INT), Medicine (INT), Perception (WIS), Stealth (DEX), Survival (WIS), and Tech (INT)

»

Basic gear kit

More involved and complicated tasks with the arctool often necessitate an appropriate ability check. The following examples include common uses for your arctool, but this by no means represents the extent of its versatility. »

Repairing conditions on weapons and armor

»

Marking objects or surfaces

»

Binding or separating objects

»

Unlocking or sealing doors

»

Sealing low-oxygen environments

»

Crafting small, simple shapes using arcmesh

»

Prying salvage from voidships

»

Breaking equipment down to its material value in glint

»

Disarming or dismantling traps

ARCTOOLS: A MECHANIST’S BEST FRIEND

Across the Known Orbits, arctools are synonymous with their mechanist wielders. Far from the hammers and spanners of common laborers, arctools are artifacts in and of themselves, each completely unique, customized and passed down from one mechanist to another. Arctools allow mechanists to summon the tool they need in hand at a moment’s notice – and in the void of space, moments matter. Visualize your arctool – how does it differ from other arctools? What makes it uniquely yours?

PROFICIENCIES » ARMOR: Light armor, medium armor, shields »

One simple pulser

As varied in form and function as their wielders, arctools often include foldout implements like spanners, drivers, pliers, and picks, as well as astra-powered arc-welders, arcmesh projectors, and built-in glancers for interfacing with constructs.

HIT POINTS » HIT DICE: 1d8 per mechanist level

HIT POINTS AT HIGHER LEVELS: 1d8 (or 5) plus your Constitution modifier per mechanist level after 1st

One simple melee weapon

»

In addition, as part of a short rest, you can use your arctool and any available salvage to create an item worth 5 glint or less (at the GM’s discretion), such as a cudgel, dagger, buckler shield, or glowrod.

As a mechanist, you gain the following class features.

»

»

AT 1ST LEVEL: You carry a versatile multitool unique to you called an arctool. Your arctool allows you to add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks made to repair, modify, dismantle, or otherwise interact with tech of any kind.

MECHANIST CLASS FEATURES

HIT POINTS AT FIRST LEVEL: 8 plus your Constitution modifier

(a) scout suit or (b) bygul hide armor

ARCTOOL

Machine Mind

»

»

30 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H ARCTOOL GENERATOR D82

SPHEROIDS: FLEETING CONSTRUCTS

Form

Feature

1

Gauntlet

Glowing cables

2

Weapon

Liquid-filled compartments

3

Backpack

Floating components

4

Belt

Pulsating glow

5

Vest

Aurichalcum filigree

6

Bandolier

Transparent portions

7

Bracers

Shifting sections

8

Helmet

Etched with strange writings

Spheroids are small arcmesh constructs crafted by mechanists using arctools. The appearance of these floating constructs varies depending on the maker, but they typically look more or less spherical and roughly palm-sized. Spheroids are simple and temporary objects, formed by the arcmesh projectors on a mechanist’s arctool. They disintegrate after roughly a minute of existence. Spheroids are a common sight, and serve a variety of functions across the Known Orbits, from delivering messages to healing the wounded to providing support in combat. What do your spheroids look like?

MECHANIST TALENTS

ARCMESH

AT 1ST LEVEL: You choose a talent from the splicer, driftrunner, or necrotechnician talent lists at the end of this section. You gain additional talents at each odd-numbered level. Each time, you can choose a talent from any of these lists, but no talent can be selected more than once (unless stated otherwise).

One of the more versatile materials in the mechanist’s kit, arcmesh is a flexible weave of astra-irradiated synthetic filament. Acting as a potent adhesive, arcmesh is useful in binding objects together, albeit temporarily. It also sees widespread use in quick-anddirty repairs aboard voidships, as well as in bandages for field medicine. Trace amounts of aurichalcum allow for both conduction and storage of astra energy, providing power to arcmesh constructs like spheroids. A mechanist’s arctool includes arcmesh projectors, allowing them to channel astra and create simple, temporary shapes at will. Each mechanist’s arcmesh blend is unique to them.

MECHANIST SPECIALIZATIONS

SPHEROIDS

STARTING AT 1ST LEVEL: As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to use your arctool to craft a small arcmesh construct called a spheroid, choosing yourself or an ally within 60 feet of you that you can see. The spheroid orbits the targeted creature and lasts for 1 minute or until the creature gains a new spheroid. Choose one of the following spheroid options. The effect lasts for the duration. »

Sustain: At the beginning of the creature’s turn, if they have 1 or more HP and took damage since the end of their last turn, they regain HP equal to your Intelligence modifier.

»

Shield: Once per round when the creature is hit by an attack, they can use their reaction to increase their AC by a number equal to your Intelligence modifier until the start of their next turn.

»

Support: Once per turn, when the creature makes an ability check or saving throw, they can add a number to the roll equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Description

Splicer

Engineer with skills in crafting constructs and mending allies

Driftrunner

Infiltrator for whom no door – physical or otherwise – stays sealed

Necrotechnician

Artificer with an affinity for the dead and creations of macabre metal

EXPERTISE

AT 2ND LEVEL: Choose two of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies. At 6th level, can choose two more of your proficiencies to gain this benefit.

Strike: Once per turn when the creature makes an attack roll, they can add a number to the attack roll equal to your Intelligence modifier.

»

Specialization

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

AT 4TH LEVEL: You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. You gain additional ability score improvements at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.

31 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H ARCTOOL UPGRADE

SPLICER

AT 5TH LEVEL: Choose one of the following upgrade options for your arctool. »

»

The Known Orbits teeter on the shoulders of splicers. Unrivaled in reclaiming and repairing lost tech, splicers are famed for their creations – everything from pulser cartridges to sentry turrets. splicers are also the closest thing most venturer crews have to a medic, patching up wounds almost as well as they patch up metal. Splicers excel in support roles, keeping allies in fighting shape with custom-made weapons and tools.

Astra Beam: As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to emit a beam of destructive energy from your arctool. The beam is a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier. On a failed save, a creature takes a number of d8s of energy damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1).

ARCMESH REPLICA: You stitch a spectral beast from arcmesh to aid you and your allies. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to conjure an arcmesh replica with your arctool in an unoccupied space you can see within 10 feet of you. Choose a beast of challenge rating 1 or lower – the arcmesh replica has identical statistics, except that it is a construct with immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition. The creature adds your proficiency bonus, rather than its own, to attack rolls and to any saving throws or skills in which it is proficient.

Astra Shield: As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to produce an energy shield from your arctool. It increases your AC by 2 but does not require a hand to wield. You can dismiss the shield as a free action. If you fall unconscious, the shield vanishes. You cannot hold a shield and still gain the benefits of this upgrade.

The arcmesh replica disappears after 1 minute, when you use this talent again, or when it drops to 0 hit points.

BOOST SPHEROIDS

AT 10TH LEVEL: Choose one from the following spheroid options: strike, sustain, shield, or support. Crafting the chosen spheroid no longer requires you to increase your Astrafade. Additionally, the duration of your spheroids increases to 2 minutes.

The arcmesh replica is friendly to you and your allies. You can verbally command the replica on your turn as a free action. If you don't issue any commands, it defends itself from hostile creatures, but otherwise takes no actions. ASTRA ALCHEMY: You concoct specialized mixtures to heal or harm. Using your arctool, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour and 50 glint worth of materials to craft a healing mender, an antitode mender, or a vial of poison.

MACHINE MIND

AT 20TH LEVEL: Your cold and calculating mind transcends your human form, interlinking perfectly with your creations. You have the following benefits. »

You add double your proficiency bonus to Intelligence saving throws.

»

When you roll for initiative, you can reduce your Astrafade by a number equal to your Intelligence modifier.

»

You no longer require sleep. Instead, when you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours in an insular, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you can perceive normally.

»

You can choose to perceive through any active spheroids or other constructs created by you.

»

If you drop to 0 hit points, as long as you have an active spheroid or other construct created by you within 120 feet of you, you can drop to 1 hit point instead.

In addition, you have advantage on any Intelligence (Medicine) checks made to identify a liquid, plasma, or gas. At the GM’s discretion, as part of a short rest, you can study a sample of any liquid, plasma, or gas to learn its properties, as well as how to reproduce it (doing so following the guidelines above).

32 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H CRAFT CARTRIDGE: You forge custom cartridges for use in pulser weapons. Using your arctool, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour and a number of glint worth of materials to craft a pulser cartridge. When you craft the cartridge, choose from one of the following options, spending the required number of glint worth of materials.

You can spend 1 hour dismantling your turret with your arctool to either change its type or reclaim the materials used to create it. If your turret is destroyed, its materials cannot be reclaimed. FUSION ARMAMENT: You forge unique and unprecedented amalgamations. Using your arctool, you can spend 1 hour and 20 glint worth of materials to craft a suit of fusion armor. Choose two armors you carry and combine them. The fusion armor weighs as much as the heavier of the two armors used to create it. Once per turn as a free action, the fusion armor’s wearer can toggle between the two armors. You can spend an hour to dismantle the fusion armor to reclaim the armors and materials used to create it.

CARTRIDGE CRAFTING OPTIONS Type

Cost

Basic

2

–

Caustic

4

A creature dealt damage by this pulser takes an additional 1d4 acid damage. Humanoids take an additional 1d8 acid damage instead of 1d4.

6

A creature dealt damage by this pulser takes an additional 1d4 cold damage and reduces its speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

6

A creature dealt damage by this pulser takes 1d4 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage by using its action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish the flames.

Frost

Incendiary

Seeking

Shock

Effect

8

You have advantage on attack rolls against one creature you dealt damage to with this pulser since the start of your last turn.

4

A creature dealt damage with this pulser takes an additional 1d4 lightning damage. Constructs take an additional 1d8 lightning damage instead of 1d4.

Alternatively, using your arctool, you can spend 1 hour and 10 glint worth of materials to craft a fusion weapon. Choose two weapons you carry and combine them. The fusion weapon weighs as much as the heavier of the two weapons used to create it. Once per turn as a free action, the fusion weapon’s wielder can toggle between the two weapons. You can spend an hour to dismantle the fusion weapon to reclaim the weapons and materials used to create it. OMNI-ARM: A mechanical arm aids you, as much a part of your body as a flesh-and-blood limb. You have constructed a mechanical extra limb. You can use the omni-arm to interact with one additional object or feature of the environment for free during your turn. You can also carry an additional weapon with the light quality using the omni-arm. You cannot use the omni-arm to grapple or wield a shield. The omni-arm can be used for other tasks, such as opening doors, carrying things, or using tools, as long as it is not holding a weapon. Additionally, when using your arctool to create something, you can halve the time the task requires with the omni-arm’s assistance.

CRAFT TURRET: Your custom turrets serve you and your allies in battle. Using your arctool, you can spend 1 hour and 20 glint worth of materials to construct a turret, choosing one option from the Turret Crafting Options table. You can keep one turret at a time. As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to deploy your turret in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. The turret lasts for 1 minute, at which point it powers down and you can retrieve it. Your turret is considered a Small object with an armor class and hit points dictated by its type. It is immune to poison damage and all conditions.

STITCHING BEAM: Your arctool’s arcmesh projectors allow you to quickly bandage wounds. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and use your arctool’s stitching beam to target a creature within 30 feet that you can see. The beam lasts for 1 minute. The target immediately regains 1d4 hit points, and on each of your turns for the duration, you can use your action to restore 1d4 hit points to the target. The beam stops if you use your action to do anything else. The beam also stops if the target moves beyond 30 feet of you or if you can no longer see them. The amount of healing increases as you gain levels in this class: 1d6 at level 6, 1d8 at level 10, 1d10 at level 13, and 1d12 at level 17.

During your turn, you can verbally command your turret to move (if it has a move speed) and to make a ranged attack against a single target within 60 feet of it that you can see. Its attack modifier is equal to your Intelligence modifier plus your proficiency bonus, and it deals energy damage.

TURRET CRAFTING OPTIONS Type

AC

HP

Speed

Damage

Sentry

11 + INT mod

6 X mechanist lvl

0 ft.

1d10 + INT mod

Spider

10 + INT mod

5 X mechanist lvl

20 ft., climb 15 ft.

1d8 + INT mod

Leva

10 + INT mod

4 X mechanist lvl

0 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover)

1d6 + INT mod

33 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H Additionally, you can stabilize a dying creature using arcmesh bandages. You touch a living creature that has 0 hit points. The creature becomes stable. You can use this talent a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses after you complete a long rest.

Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier. On a failed save, a creature takes a number of d6s of energy damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1). On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage.

TECH BOOST: You excel in quickly and effectively enhancing the weapons and armor of your allies. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to touch a weapon or armor with your arctool. If it’s a weapon, it deals +1 attack and damage for 1 minute. If it’s armor, it grants the wearer +2 AC for 1 minute.

CRAFT GRENADE: You wear a magbelt designed to carry explosives, and craft a variety of grenades for you and your allies. Using your arctool, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour and a number of glint worth of materials to craft a grenade. When you craft the grenade, choose from one of the following options, spending the required number of glint worth of materials.

A MECHANIST’S TOUCHMARK

Each mechanist carries on their arctool a unique touchmark stamp, which they use to “sign” their work. Mechanist creations always bear the touchmark of one mechanist or another – and often multiple. Touchmarks are typically simple in design, bearing icons of the mechanist’s home, family, or sept affiliation. It’s not uncommon to find weapons, armor, or even voidships emblazoned with a dozen or more touchmarks, modified and expanded by generations of mechanists stretching back centuries. What does your touchmark look like, and why is the symbol significant?

»

Pulse Grenade (5 glint): Make a ranged attack against a creature or object within 20 feet. On a hit, the target takes a number of d8s of energy damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1), and each creature within 5 feet of the target takes half that much damage.

»

Scout Grenade (8 glint): As an action, throw the scout grenade, targeting a space you can see within 20 feet. A pulse of yellow astra emits from the grenade in a 30-foot sphere, outlining each object in its area in golden light. In addition, each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier. On a failed save, a creature is outlined in golden light. The effect lasts for 1 minute. An attack roll against an affected creature or object has advantage if the attacker can see it.

»

Static Smoke Grenade (10 glint): As an action, throw the static smoke grenade, targeting a space you can see within 20 feet. A cloud of dark, electrified smoke appears in a 20-foot radius sphere centered on the grenade. The cloud spreads around corners and is heavily obscured. It lasts for 1 minute or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it. When the cloud appears, each creature in its area must make a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier. A creature takes a number of d4s of lightning damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1) on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature must also make this saving throw when it enters the cloud’s area for the first time on a turn or when it ends its turn there.

»

Stasis Field Grenade (8 glint): Make a ranged attack against a creature or object within 20 feet. On a hit, the target takes a number of d6s of lightning damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1), and each creature within 5 feet of the target takes half that much damage. Each affected creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier, or reduce their movement speed to 0 until the start of your next turn.

DRIFTRUNNER

Holes and vulnerabilities in technology are known colloquially as drifts – and it’s through these fissures that driftrunners slip. With an unmatched affinity for infiltration and manipulation, driftrunners leverage the weakness of tech and flesh-and-blood alike to overcome challenges and control the battlefield. Driftrunners excel in the shadows, striking unseen with deadly tech. ARCMESH DRONE: You scout ruins and derelicts with a versatile drone stitched of arcmesh. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to conjure an arcmesh drone with your arctool in an unoccupied space you can see within 10 feet of you. The drone has a fly (hover) speed of 30 feet, and can move anywhere within 120 feet of you on your turn. The arcmesh drone disappears after 1 minute, when it moves beyond 120 feet of you, or when you use this talent again. The arcmesh drone has the following features: »

The arcmesh drone can attempt to open a lock, disarm a trap, or seal a door on your turn, using your Intelligence modifier plus your proficiency bonus for the purposes of any ability checks.

»

For the duration, you can choose to perceive through the arcmesh drone. While perceiving through the drone, you have darkvision to a range of 60 feet and have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Tech) checks that rely on sight.

»

As a reaction, you can detonate the arcmesh drone. Each creature within 10 feet of the drone must make a

34 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H GRAV HARNESS: Heights pose little challenge to you. You wear a custom-crafted grav harness, which includes boots and gauntlets. Climbing costs you no extra movement. When you make a running or standing jump, the distance you cover increases by a number of feet equal to double your Intelligence modifier.

SLIPDAGGER: You are never unarmed. As a bonus action, you can use your arctool to create an arcmesh weapon known as a slipdagger. The slipdagger has identical statistics to a dagger, except that it deals 1d6 piercing damage. The slipdagger lasts for 1 minute, until you dismiss it as a free action, or until you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with it, at which point it disintegrates without a trace.

In addition, as a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to boost the abilities of the harness. For 10 minutes, you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, all while leaving your hands free. You also gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed.

In addition, if you have advantage on an attack roll with the slipdagger, you can deal a number of additional d6s of damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1). VAULTBREAKER: You’ve outfitted your arctool with a complex set of lock picks and skeleton keys. You can add double your proficiency bonus to any checks made to disable locks or disarm traps.

HACK CONSTRUCT: You peer into the machine mind of a construct and pull forth secrets. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to target a construct creature within 60 feet of you that you can see. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw, the DC of which is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier. On a failed save, you infiltrate the construct’s mind. The effect lasts for 1 hour. You immediately gain access to the last hour of the construct’s memory. In addition, you can direct the construct’s movements and actions for the duration, and perceive through the construct’s senses as if they were their own. The construct can reroll the saving throw if it takes damage, or if it moves beyond 60 feet of you.

In addition, as an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and touch a single object with your arctool. The object can be a door, a container, or another object that contains a mundane means preventing access. A targeted object held shut by a mundane lock or that is stuck or barred becomes unlocked, unstuck, or unbarred. If the object has multiple locks, only one of them is unlocked.

NECROTECHNICIAN

The strange, macabre practices of Bastion’s necrotechnicians elicit fear and awe in equal measure. Practiced in fusing flesh and steel, necrotechnicians craft wondrous technology from the dead, imbuing corpses with new life and powering constructs like barrowmechs with the souls of the departed. Considered profane and heretical by most septs, and outright illegal under the laws of some, necrotechnicians nonetheless produce burgeoning, bleeding-edge tech sought by many – from the specters that maintain the higher functions of voidships, to the barrowmechs that serve as laborers and increasingly fight on the front lines of sept conflicts.

SCOUR LENSES: You’ve crafted a pair of tinted goggles linked to your arctool and capable of interfacing with tech. As a free action, you can don your scour lenses. While wearing them, you can add double your proficiency bonus to any Intelligence (Tech) checks relating to an object you can see. If you spend 1 uninterrupted minute while wearing your scour lenses studying a weapon, suit of armor, or piece of tech, you can learn the properties of the object, the materials used to construct it, its age, the identity of its creator based on its touchmark, and its approximate worth in glint. In addition, as a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to activate the scour lenses’ search mode, which lasts for 1 minute. While search mode is active, you have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, and can add double your proficiency bonus to any Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Tech) checks that rely on sight. You can also focus on a creature you can see to determine if they’re carrying weapons, explosives, or unseen tech, and if so, the size and type of those items.

SOULS: A RARE RESOURCE

Necrotechnicians specialize in pulling latent astra from the recently deceased, which carries portions of the dead creature’s essence – their skills, traits, personality, even fragments of memories. This astra, considered the soul by some, is what powers the necrotechnician’s creations, imbuing constructs with the ability to think, reason, and communicate. The dead are often an abundant resource on fringe moons, but on sept-controlled worlds with tighter regulations, necrotechnicians rely on connections with local morgues or black market sources for these muchneeded souls.

SHADOWMESH: You’ve learned to stitch arcmesh capable of refracting light, muffling sound, and concealing creatures and objects from sight. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to stitch a 5-foot by 5-foot square length of shadowmesh. The shadowmesh lasts for 10 minutes, and is large enough to completely cover a Medium creature or an object no larger than 5 cubic feet. For the duration, the creature or object is hidden as long as they remain beneath the shadowmesh, and creatures have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to move silently. A creature reveals themself if they target a creature or object with an attack or spell.

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H BARROWMECH COMPANION: Your macabre construct companion is unfalteringly loyal – and devastatingly effective. Using your arctool, you can spend 8 hours and 100 glint worth of materials to construct a barrowmech. You must also have access to the corpse of a humanoid creature. Choose a barrowmech loader or a barrowmech sentinel for your companion. Add your proficiency bonus to the barrowmech’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. It has a number of hit dice equal to your mechanist level. Your barrowmech companion obeys your commands, taking its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command your barrowmech companion where to move. You can also use a bonus action to verbally command it to take the attack, dash, disengage, or help action. If you don’t issue a command, the barrowmech takes the dodge action. If you are incapacitated or absent, the barrowmech acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The barrowmech never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack. If the barrowmech is destroyed, you can use an action to reclaim 50 glint worth of materials. You can also spend 1 hour to dismantle your barrowmech, reclaiming 100 glint worth of materials.

CAPTURE SPIRIT: Using your arctool, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour and 10 glint worth of materials to capture the spirit of a recently slain creature. You must have access to the corpse of a humanoid creature with Intelligence 6 or higher that has been dead no longer than 24 hours. The creature’s spirit is bound within a vessel – typically an aurichalcum vial. As an action, you can use the captured spirit to gain one of the following benefits:

BONE STITCHER: You harvest the remains of fallen creatures to craft gear for you and your allies. Using your arctool, you can spend 1 hour harvesting the remains of a dead creature and using those materials to craft items using the Bone Stitcher Crafting table for guidance. The item you craft has identical statistics to the item you choose, except that it weighs half as much.

Possible Items

Small

One simple melee weapon, one buckler shield, one slinger, or one item of similar glint value (GM’s discretion)

Medium

Two simple melee weapons, one martial melee weapon, one buckler shield, or one item of similar glint value (GM’s discretion)

Large

Three simple melee weapons, one martial melee weapon, one suit of light armor, two buckler shields, one boarding shield, or one item of similar glint value (GM’s discretion)

Huge

Four simple melee weapons, two martial melee weapons, one suit of light armor, one suit of medium armor, three buckler shields, two boarding shields, or one item of similar glint value (GM’s discretion)

A creature you touch regains hit points up to their maximum hit points.

»

A barrowmech you touch adds double their proficiency bonus to ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls for 24 hours.

»

A weapon or suit of armor you touch gains a +1 enhancement (to attack rolls for weapons, to AC for armor) for 24 hours.

»

As part of a short rest, you can use the captured spirit to commune with the dead. You speak the name of a dead creature and can ask that creature up to five questions. The creature knows only what it knew in life. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the creature is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer.

CRAFT THRALLMIND: You imbue the dead with newfound purpose. Using your arctool, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and spend 1 hour and 10 glint worth of materials to craft a thrallmind from the corpse of a humanoid creature, the CR of which cannot exceed a number equal to half your mechanist level rounded down (minimum 1). Your thrallmind has identical statistics to the creature, except that it is also undead and is immune to poison damage, exhaustion, and the poisoned condition. The thrallmind shares your initiative. On your turn, you can mentally command your thrallmind if it is within 60 feet of you. You decide what action the thrallmind takes and where it will move, or you can issue a general command, such as guarding a specific location. If you issue no commands, the thrallmind remains stationary and defends itself. After 24 hours, the thrallmind ceases to function, and you can retrieve the materials used to create it.

BONE STITCHER CRAFTING OPTIONS Creature Size

»

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H ENERGY DRAIN: You siphon life to fuel your abilities. As a reaction, when you deal damage to a creature, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to choose one of the following effects. »

You regain a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt, rounded down.

»

A friendly creature you can see within 30 feet regains a number of hit points equal to half the damage dealt, rounded down.

»

A friendly creature you can see within 30 feet reduces their Astrafade by 1.

»

Your next successful weapon attack deals one additional damage die.

»

The creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, the DC of which is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier, or become poisoned.

»

NECROGRAFT AUGMENTATION: Flesh is weak – metal persists. You have replaced a portion of your body with a necrograft prosthetic. To install an augmentation, you must have at least a week of downtime to recover from the procedure and allow the necrograft to fuse properly with your flesh. Once complete, choose an option from the following list. Note: You can select this talent multiple times, but must choose a new option each time.

In addition, you can choose to spend hit points rather than glint to craft an item, reducing your hit points by a number equal to the required number of glint worth of materials. GRAV MANIPULATOR: Your arctool bends gravity itself to your will. You can use your action to manipulate an object within 30 feet of you – lifting and moving an item, opening or closing an unlocked door or container, stowing or retrieving an item from an open container, etc. You cannot lift more than 10 pounds this way. In addition, as a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to create one of the following effects using your arctool. »

One creature or object of your choice that you can see within 30 feet rises vertically, up to 20 feet, and remains suspended there for up to 1 minute. You can choose a target that weighs up to 500 pounds. An unwilling creature who succeeds on a Strength saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier, is unaffected. The target can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows it to move as if it were climbing. You can change the target’s altitude by up to 20 feet in either direction on your turn. If you are the target, you can move up or down as part of your move. Otherwise, you can use your action to move the target, which must remain within 30 feet of you. When this effect ends, the target floats gently to the ground if it is still aloft.

A creature you can see within 30 feet must succeed on a Strength saving throw, the DC of which is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Intelligence modifier, or become restrained. While the creature is restrained in this way, on each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to crush the creature, dealing a number of d8s of bludgeoning damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1). The creature can make the saving throw again at the beginning of each of its turns, ending this effect on itself on a success. You can end this effect on your turn as a free action.

»

Arm: Your Strength increases by 2; your Charisma is reduced by 1. In addition, your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 damage.

»

Brain: Your Intelligence increases by 2; your Charisma is reduced by 1. In addition, your Astrafade Limit increases by 1.

»

Eyes: Your Wisdom increases by 2; your Charisma is reduced by 1. In addition, you can perceive your surroundings within 120 feet without relying on sight.

»

Legs: Your Dexterity increases by 2; your Charisma is reduced by 1. In addition, your movement speed increases by 10 feet.

»

Spine: Your Constitution increases by 2; your Charisma is reduced by 1. In addition, as a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to regain 1d10 hit points.

NECROTECH SPELLS: Necrotech is a path to abilities both mundane and magical. You know a number of spells equal to half your Intelligence modifier rounded down (minimum 1). The spells you choose must be Astrafade 1 or less. Intelligence is your spellcasting modifier for these spells. When you take another level in this class, you can choose one new spell to replace one you already know.

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H TREADER

PLAYING A TREADER

A reaver clad in heavy armor brings down a waraxe wreathed in crackling red astra to split a skrug crawler in two. A farseeker prowls the wilds of a fringe moon, krelhawk companion on her shoulder. A voidstalker drops his criminal quarry with a headshot from a scoped pulser rifle, then disappears from view as chaos erupts.

Though incredibly varied depending on their talents, treaders are first and foremost warriors. Most treader class features and talents provide damage and sustainability – additional attacks, increased armor class, and extra hit points, to name a few. Treaders’ utility talents make them ideal scouts and infiltrators, increasing awareness and allowing them to both detect and avoid (or ambush) enemies.

Treaders are mercenary warriors, pathfinders, and assassins who face the dangers of the Known Orbits head-on. They leverage mastery of weapons, armor, and powerful astra-fueled abilities to survive against all odds in harsh environments and guide others safely through the void.

A treader benefits from high Strength or Dexterity, depending on weapon preference and skill focus. A treader should also prioritize Wisdom to increase their awareness and effectiveness with astra-based talents. A high Constitution provides increased hardiness for treaders who prefer melee combat.

Treaders are a diverse lot, ranging from brutal melee fighters in heavy armor wading into the thick of combat, to explorers with an affinity for discovery and survival, to quick and deadly sharpshooters specializing in stealth hit-and-run tactics. The common link among all treaders, however, is the instinct to persist – to move forward, undaunted, in a universe cold and unfeeling.

TREADER STAKES D10

Stake

1

A monstrous beast killed someone close to me – I seek its head.

2

I cannot rest until I find the strange ruins from my dreams.

3

A valuable heirloom was taken from me and mine.

4

A loved one died with unfinished business – now their duty falls to me.

5

I’ve vowed to find the lost kin of a fallen ally.

6

I’m haunted by the memory of those I left behind.

7

I have unfinished business with a former ally who betrayed me.

8

I left my home years ago, but must return to right a wrong.

9

Someone I care about disappeared into the Harbinger.

10

I was abandoned and left for dead. Those responsible must pay.

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H EQUIPMENT You start with the following equipment:

TREADER PROGESSION Level

Proficiency Bonus

Astrafade Limit

»

(a) scout suit or (b) bygul hide armor

1

+2

1

Augment Weapon, Talent

»

(a) one martial melee weapon or (b) one carbine

2

+2

1

Bonded Weapon

»

(a) one simple melee weapon or (b) one light pistol

3

+2

1

Talent

»

Basic gear kit

Class Features

4

+2

2

Ability Score Improvement

5

+3

2

Extra Attack

6

+3

2

Talent

7

+3

3

–

8

+3

3

Ability Score Improvement

9

+4

3

Indomitable, Talent

10

+4

4

–

11

+4

4

Extra Attack (2)

12

+4

4

Ability Score Improvement, Talent

13

+5

4

Indomitable (2)

14

+5

5

–

15

+5

5

Talent

16

+5

5

Ability Score Improvement

17

+6

5

Indomitable (3)

18

+6

6

Talent

19

+6

6

Ability Score Improvement

20

+6

6

Extra Attack (3)

AUGMENT WEAPON

Starting at 1st level: As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to enhance a weapon you are holding. For 1 minute, until you use this feature again, or until you are no longer holding the weapon, the weapon has a +1 bonus to attack rolls. In addition, choose one effect from the following list, which lasts for the duration. »

Red Astra: Once per turn, when the weapon deals damage to a target, that target takes an additional 1d6 energy damage.

»

Blue Astra: Once per turn, when the weapon deals damage to a creature, you regain a number of hit points equal to your Constitution modifier.

»

Green Astra: Once per turn, when the weapon deals damage to a creature, that creature has disadvantage on attacks against you until the start of your next turn.

»

Yellow Astra: Once per turn, when the weapon deals damage to a target, you can move that target in a straight line 10 feet closer or further away from you.

TREADER TALENTS

AT 1ST LEVEL: You choose a talent from the reaver, farseeker, or voidstalker talent lists at the end of this section. You gain additional talents at each odd-numbered level. Each time, you can choose a talent from any of these lists, but no talent can be selected more than once (unless stated otherwise).

TREADER CLASS FEATURES

TREADER SPECIALIZATIONS

As a treader, you gain the following class features. HIT POINTS » HIT DICE: 1d10 per treader level

Specialization

Description

Reaver

Warrior focused on combat, survivability, and battlefield control

»

HIT POINTS AT FIRST LEVEL: 10 plus your Constitution modifier

Farseeker

»

HIT POINTS AT HIGHER LEVELS: 1d10 (or 6) plus your Constitution modifier per treader level after 1st

Explorer with an affinity for pathfinding, survival, and mysticism

Voidstalker

Assassin skilled in stealth, subterfuge, and mobility

PROFICIENCIES » ARMOR: Light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, shields »

WEAPONS: Simple weapons, martial weapons

»

TOOLS: Vehicles, voidships

»

SAVING THROWS: Strength, Wisdom

»

SKILLS: Choose two from Acrobatics (DEX), Astrogation (INT), Athletics (STR), Endurance (CON), Insight (WIS), Lore (INT), Perception (WIS), Stealth (DEX), Survival (DEX), and Tech (INT)

BONDED WEAPON

AT 2ND LEVEL: You forge an unbreakable link with a favored weapon. Touch a weapon with which you are proficient. That weapon becomes your bonded weapon. You add +1 to attack and damage rolls with your bonded weapon. In addition, as a bonus action, you can instantly summon the weapon to your hand no matter where it is. You can choose a new bonded weapon as part of a long rest, losing your bond with the previous weapon.

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H creature or object within 30 feet. On a hit, the target takes a number of d8s of energy damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1), and each creature or object within 5 feet of the target takes half that much damage.

HEIRLOOM WEAPONS

A treader is only as good as the weapon in their hands, be it blade or pulser. Any treader worth their salt carries a bonded weapon with which they excel. They say a treader can never be truly disarmed, that the bond they share with their favored weapon is as good as blood. Many treaders carry heirloom weapons passed down by kith or kin, imbued with the might and courage of generations of warriors and explorers. What sets your bonded weapon apart from other, lesser implements of war?

Alternatively, after conjuring an astra bomb, you can place it in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. The bomb detonates after 1 minute, or when you use a bonus action to detonate it. Each creature within 5 feet of the astra bomb must make a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier. A creature or object takes a number of d6s of energy damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1) on a failed save, or half that much damage on a successful save.

ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT

AT 4TH LEVEL: You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. You gain additional ability score improvements at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level.

ASTRA WAVE: You can absorb and then weaponize a nearby creature’s astra. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to reduce the Astrafade of a creature you can see within 30 feet by 1. You can then expel the energy in a destructive wave. Each creature within 5 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier. On a failed save, a creature takes a number of d6s of energy damage equal to half your proficiency bonus rounded down (minimum 1) and is pushed 10 feet. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and isn’t pushed.

EXTRA ATTACK

STARTING AT 5TH LEVEL: You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn. The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level and to four when you reach 20th level.

INDOMITABLE

GUARDIAN: You defend your allies with unmatched tenacity. When a creature you can see deals damage to a friendly creature within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks and take that damage instead. In addition, the friendly creature adds +2 to their AC until the start of your next turn.

STARTING AT 9TH LEVEL: You can reroll a failed saving throw. If you do, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest. You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

MIGHT OF THE RAVOK: You channel astra into destructive strikes. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can choose to increase your Astrafade by 1 to deal 2d8 energy damage to the target in addition to the weapon’s damage. You can choose to increase your Astrafade further to increase the damage, adding 1d8 additional damage for each point of Astrafade, to a maximum of 5d8.

REAVER

Heavily armed and armored warriors, reavers serve as soldiers, enforcers, and raiders across the Known Orbits. The reaver is a tried and true warrior, as deadly with a blade as they are with a pulser. Reaver talents focus on both dishing out and absorbing damage, allowing the reaver to excel in the heat of combat, downing foes while also protecting allies.

In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

ASTRA BARRICADE: You create cover on the battlefield for you and your allies. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to deploy an energy barricade large enough to provide half cover for up to two creatures of Medium size or smaller. Creatures and objects can pass freely through the barricade, but projectiles from ranged weapons cannot. The barricade remains for 1 minute, until you use this talent again, or until you are incapacitated.

RAVAGER: Your aggression in combat is your greatest asset. When you use your action to dash, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack or to shove a creature. If you move at least 10 feet in a straight line immediately before taking this bonus action, you either roll an extra damage die (if you hit with a melee weapon attack) or push the target up to 10 feet away from you (if you successfully shove the creature).

ASTRA BOMB: You coalesce astra into a potent explosive. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to conjure and hurl an astra bomb. Make a ranged attack against a

In addition, you have proficiency in the Intimidation skill, and gain a bonus to Intimidation checks equal to your Strength modifier.

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H TACTICIAN: You control the battlefield with a sharp mind and keen senses. You learn two maneuvers of your choice from the following list. If the maneuver requires a saving throw, the DC is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier.

FARSEEKER

The farseeker explores, discovers, and forges new paths across the Known Orbits. In tune with the ambient astra of Bastion’s moons and the void, the farseeker develops a kind of supernatural sense – a connection to the wild, untamed frontier of the Known Orbits. This makes farseekers ideal hunters, trackers, and guides. Farseeker talents focus on survival, traversal, and tracking, bolstered by a strange mysticism that sets them apart from other treaders.

TACTICIAN MANEUVERS Maneuver

Description

Command

As a bonus action, choose a friendly creature who can hear you. That creature can immediately use their reaction to make one weapon attack.

Coordinate

As a bonus action, choose a friendly creature who can hear you. That creature can immediately use their reaction to move up to half their speed without provoking opportunity attacks, or to take either a dodge or hide action.

Duel

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to goad the creature into a duel. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls against targets other than you until the start of your next turn.

Mark

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to mark the creature. The next attack roll against the marked creature has advantage, and until the start of your next turn, the creature cannot take the dodge, disengage, or hide actions.

Rally

BEAST COMPANION: A loyal beast ally travels by your side. Choose a beast no larger than Medium with a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower to serve as your companion. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. It has a number of hit dice equal to your treader level. If it has multiattack, it loses multiattack. Your beast companion obeys your commands, taking its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can verbally command your beast companion where to move. You can also use a bonus action to verbally command it to take the attack, dash, disengage, or help action. If you don't issue a command, the beast takes the dodge action. If you are incapacitated or absent, the beast acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. The beast never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack. If the beast dies, you can obtain a new companion by spending 8 hours bonding with a beast that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements. FARSEEKER SPELLS: Your understanding of astra’s mystic nature has unlocked potent magic. You know a number of spells equal to half your Wisdom modifier rounded down (minimum 1). The spells you choose must be Astrafade 1 or less. Wisdom is your spellcasting modifier for these spells. When you take another level in this class, you can choose one new spell to replace one you already know.

As a bonus action, choose a friendly creature who can hear you. Until the start of your next turn, that creature adds +2 to their AC. In addition, their next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw has advantage.

WADE THROUGH: In combat, your relentless attacks cleave through multiple enemies. Once per turn, when you make a successful weapon attack that reduces a creature to 0 hit points, you can immediately make an attack against another target within range.

FAR SIGHT: You can sense creatures before you see them – even miles away. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and choose a creature type (humanoids, undead, constructs, etc.). If you spend 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration, you can sense whether any of the chosen creatures are present within 5 miles of you. You can also sense their numbers, their size, and their general direction and distance (in miles) from you.

Additionally, when you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you can choose one from the following effects: »

Do maximum damage instead of rolling a second damage die.

»

Instead of rolling an extra damage die against the first target, you can immediately make a weapon attack against another target within range.

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H SCRY THE STARS: The stars hold secrets known to few. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and gaze upon the stars. If you spend 1 uninterrupted minute in concentration, you can analyze the stars and other celestial bodies to gain insights regarding the future, past, or present. The GM can reveal information at their discretion, or seek inspiration from the Scrying Results table.

If you have tracked a creature for an hour or more, you gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks against them. In addition, you learn a notable weakness, and have advantage on your first weapon attack roll against that creature.

In addition, when making an Astrogation (INT) or Survival (WIS) check to navigate, pathfind, or chart a course using the stars, you are considered proficient in the skill and can add double your proficiency bonus.

VOIDSTALKER

You have advantage on your next Astrogation check made to plot a voidship voyage.

The illusive voidstalker operates in the shadows, relying on stealth and speed to cripple enemies and end fights quickly and decisively. Commonly found among assassins and bounty hunters, the voidstalker shines when ambushing their quarry, utilizing powerful astra abilities to avoid damage and slip from sight.

SCRYING RESULTS D6

Omen, Sign, or Vision

Subject

1

Sense of foreboding or deja vu

Person

2

Vivid dream during next rest

Potential gains

3

Fleeting vision

Loss in the future

4

Out-of-body experience

Well-kept secret

5

Subtle signs in the environment

Death

6

Whispering voices

Journey

2

VIGILANT: You cannot be ambushed. You can't be surprised while you are conscious. In addition, other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you. In addition, as part of a long rest, you can make preparations to prevent an ambush, either by setting traps or rigging an alarm (at the discretion of the GM and materials available). A creature attempting to approach you and your companions while hidden makes any Dexterity (Stealth) checks with disadvantage.

SLIPSHOT: You never miss. When you make an attack roll with a ranged weapon and miss, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and use your reaction to reroll the attack roll against the target or a different target within 30 feet of the original target. If you hit, the target takes an extra 1d8 of energy damage.

AMBUSHER: You strike first – always. On your first turn during combat, you gain 10 feet of movement speed, and if you use an attack action, you deal an extra 2d6 damage. In addition, you can use a bonus action to take the dodge, disengage, or hide actions.

SUREFOOTED: You move quicker than most, even in harsh environs. Your movement speed increases by 10 feet. In addition, you ignore difficult terrain.

ASTRA DODGE: Sensing danger, you blink from existence. Once per turn, when you are hit by an attack but before you take damage, you can use your reaction to increase your Astrafade by 1 to vanish and reappear in an unoccupied space within 30 feet that you can see.

THROUGH STRANGE EYES: You’ve mastered the secrets to viewing through the eyes of others. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 and touch a willing creature. For 1 hour, or until you end this effect as a free action, you can choose to perceive through that creature’s senses, rather than your own. While perceiving through the other creature’s senses, you benefit from any special senses possessed by that creature.

In addition, add +1 to your AC. CUNNING CRITICAL: Your strikes targeting vitals dish out crippling damage. Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

WAYFINDER: You find the unseen path and never lose your quarry. Oncer per long rest, you can take an hour to familiarize yourself with your environment and surroundings. You gain the following benefits: »

In addition, when you score a critical hit, you can choose one of the following additional effects.

While tracking creatures, you learn their exact number, their sizes, how long ago they passed through the area, and which direction they travel.

»

Your group can’t become lost except in extreme or supernatural circumstances.

»

You and any friendly creatures traveling with you can choose to remain hidden even while traveling at a normal pace.

»

Creatures attempting to track you and your companions do so with disadvantage.

»

The attack ignores any damage resistances.

»

The target is knocked prone.

»

The target has disadvantage on its next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

»

The target is stunned until the start of your next turn.

»

The target cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn.

»

The next attack roll against the target has advantage.

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H ILLUSORY DOUBLE: You conjure a double of yourself into existence. As a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to create an illusory double of yourself that is bound to you by an astra link. The double looks, acts, and sounds like you. A Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Insight) check, the DC of which is equal to 8 plus your proficiency bonus plus your Wisdom modifier, is required to discern the double from the original. On your turn, you can control the double’s movement, actions, and speech. The double cannot interact with solid objects, but can make sounds, including speech controlled by you. The double persists for 1 minute, until a creature hits it with an attack (its AC is equal to 10 plus your Wisdom modifier), until you dismiss it as a bonus action, or until you are incapacitated.

DEADEYE: Your aim never falters. Attacking at long range doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged weapon attack rolls. In addition, before you make an attack with a ranged weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack's damage. If you have 1 minute to concentrate on the shot, the penalty decreases to –3. If you have 10 minutes to concentrate on the shot, the penalty decreases to -2. FADE FROM SIGHT: You move as a shadow. You can attempt to hide even while being perceived, making any Dexterity (Stealth) checks with disadvantage while doing so. Additionally, as a bonus action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks for 1 minute.

PENETRATING GAZE: You peer through steel and shadow to find your quarry. As an action, you can increase your Astrafade by 1 to see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet. Within that range, you have darkvision if you don’t already have it. This effect lasts for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were concentrating on a spell). For the duration, you perceive objects as ghostly, transparent images.

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H CHAPTER 5: EQUIPMENT

The universe of Harbinger is ancient and lived-in, with millennia of secrets lost to time and calamity. Most tech – voidships, pulsers, and more – cannot be reproduced, and so must be painstakingly recovered and repaired by intrepid venturers. Weapons and armor in the Harbinger RPG are not items to be picked up and discarded without a thought – rather, they grow and improve with their wielders through maintenance and upgrades. Attaching a mod to a blade or a scattergun can change its function and properties completely, adding elemental damage, a grapple-casting attachment, or the ability to absorb the life force of enemies they kill.

MEDIUM ARMOR

BYGUL HIDE ARMOR: Byguls are large, predatory felines well-suited to harsh environs. Their thick hides make for armor that is protective but not restrictive. RINGWEAVE ARMOR: Harvested from the Rings, this fine metal is woven into a pliable mesh that easily turns aside glancing blows.

HEAVY ARMOR IRONBONE ARMOR: Plates of thick ironbone, harvested from the eels of Ozen, expertly carved and fitted over a leather bodysuit. The ironbone plates are often inscribed with scrimshaw runes.

ARMOR Armor in Harbinger is an important aspect of day-to-day life. Whether it be the rigors of interplanetary travel, the horrific dangers lurking across the Known Orbits, or the blades and pulsers of rivals and raiders, armor is often the first and last defense for most venturers.

CARBONIC ARMOR: Heavy carbonic armor designed specifically to turn aside blades and redirect pulser fire. These heavy suits are favored by raiders and high-ranking sept enforcers.

LIGHT ARMOR

SHIELDS

SCOUT SUIT: The standard attire of many venturers and sept armed forces, scout suits are light, flexible, and made primarily of padded cloth and hide, reinforced by thin bands of steel. Durable, reliable, and inexpensive.

BUCKLER SHIELD: Small steel shields that provide modest protection without weighing the wielder down. BOARDING SHIELD: Favored aboard voidships, the boarding shield is larger and more cumbersome, but also more effective at deflecting pulser shots and turning blades aside.

EELSKIN ARMOR: Stitched from the hardened hides of the ironbone eels of Ozen, this armor provides flexibility and superior damage resistance against both blades and pulsers.

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H LIGHT ARMOR Armor

Cost

Armor Class

Strength Req.

Stealth

Weight

Scout Suit

15 glint

11 + DEX mod

–

–

6 pounds

Eelskin Armor

30 glint

12 + DEX mod

–

–

8 pounds

MEDIUM ARMOR Armor

Cost

Armor Class

Strength Req.

Stealth

Weight

Bygul Hide Armor

50 glint

13 + DEX mod (max 2)

–

–

14 pounds

Ringweave Armor

400 glint

14 + DEX mod (max 2)

–

–

8 pounds

HEAVY ARMOR Armor

Cost

Armor Class

Strength Req.

Stealth

Weight

Ironbone Armor

250 glint

16

STR 13

Disadvantage

55 pounds

Carbonic Armor

1,600 glint

18

STR 15

Disadvantage

70 pounds

SHIELDS Shield

Cost

Armor Class

Strength Req.

Stealth

Weight

Buckler Shield

15 glint

+1

–

–

4 pounds

Boarding Shield

20 glint

+2

–

–

10 pounds

WEAPONS

GLINT: CURRENCY OF THE DYNAST

Melee weapons like blades and axes see prevalent use across the Known Orbits, from ragtag mercenary bands to well-funded sept armed forces. Because of their affordability, ease of maintenance, and usefulness in sealed environments (where a stray pulser shot may expose those aboard to the void), melee weapons are a tried and true companion of many venturers.

While barter and trade are common throughout the Known Orbits and in particular on fringe moons, the coin of the Dynast, known commonly as glint, still reigns. Glint are hexagonal coins of varying denominations, each minted with the emblem of Sept Alzareen. GLANCER: Metal slabs veined with aurichalcum, which use minuscule amounts of green astra to display flickering, spectral images conjured from lorium vials. The images displayed by glancers appear almost three-dimensional. Glancers can be found on ship helms, on mechanist arctools, and even in handheld form to display messages and documents.

PULSERS

Pulsers are firearms that project blasts of superheated plasma irradiated by astra. Powered by specialized cartridges, pulsers are deadly weapons, if somewhat unreliable. See page 15 for pulser-specific weapon-properties like reload, burst, spray, and spread.

GLOWROD: These handheld torches ignite the latent astra in the air to provide light and warmth. Once activated, they illuminate nearby astra and burn for 3 hours, shedding bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.

VENTURER GEAR Venturers in the Known Orbits come up against obstacles and hazards of all varieties. What follows is a limited sampling of the sort of gear a venturer might carry with them, whether it be delving inside an ancient derelict, ranging across a fringe moon, or journeying into the Harbinger itself.

GRAVBOOTS: These boots are fitted with small gravity projectors powered by yellow astra, which allow the wearer to affect the gravity around them. As an action, the wearer can activate the gravboots, gaining the ability to move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving their hands free. The wearer also gains a climbing speed equal to them walking speed. A creature wearing active gravboots ignores the effects of a low-grav environment.

BREATHER: These breathing masks supply recycled air to the wearer in low-atmo, high-atmo, and toxic environments. Breathers typically include a leather or metal mouthpiece (which fits over the mouth and nose and does not impede the wearer’s ability to speak) affixed with blue astra-coils, which glow as the wearer breathes. Donning or doffing a breather requires an action.

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H SIMPLE MELEE WEAPONS Weapon

Cost

Damage

Weight

Properties

Cudgel

1 glint

1d4 bludgeoning

2 pounds

Light

Dagger

3 glint

1d4 piercing

1 pound

Finesse, light, thrown (20/60)

Hammer

2 glint

1d4 bludgeoning

2 pounds

Light, thrown (20/60)

Handaxe

5 glint

1d6 slashing

2 pounds

Light, thrown (20/60)

Spear

3 glint

1d6 piercing

4 pounds

Thrown (20/60), versatile (1d8)

Staff

5 glint

1d6 bludgeoning

4 pounds

Versatile (1d8)

SIMPLE PULSERS Weapon

Cost

Damage

Weight

Light Pistol

50 glint

1d8 piercing

4 pounds

Properties Light, range (40/120), reload (1–2)

Light Repeater

150 glint

1d6 piercing

5 pounds

Burst, range (50/150), reload (1–3), two-handed

Short Scattergun

100 glint

1d10 piercing

6 pounds

Range (30/90), reload (1–2), spread

Weapon

Cost

Damage

Weight

Glaive

20 glint

1d10 slashing

6 pounds

Heavy, reach, two-handed

Longblade

15 glint

1d8 slashing

4 pounds

Versatile (1d10)

Shortblade

10 glint

1d6 piercing

2 pounds

Finesse, light

Waraxe

10 glint

1d8 slashing

4 pounds

Versatile (1d10)

Warblade

50 glint

2d6 slashing

7 pounds

Heavy, two-handed

Warhammer

15 glint

1d8 bludgeoning

2 pounds

Versatile (1d10)

MARTIAL MELEE WEAPONS Properties

MARTIAL PULSERS Weapon

Cost

Damage

Weight

Carbine

100 glint

1d10 piercing

6 pounds

Properties Range (70/210), reload (1–2), two-handed

Heavy Pistol

200 glint

1d10 piercing

5 pounds

Range (50/150), reload (1–3)

Heavy Repeater

200 glint

1d8 piercing

7 pounds

Burst, range (60/180), reload (1–3), spray, two-handed

Rifle

250 glint

2d6 piercing

8 pounds

Range (80/240), reload (1–2), two-handed

Scattergun

150 glint

1d12 piercing

8 pounds

Range (40/120), reload (1–3), spread, two-handed

SLINGERS: CRUDE RANGED WEAPONS

Due to the dangerous and unreliable nature of many pulser weapons, as well as the cost of maintaining and powering them, some venturers opt to carry slingers – simple but crude projectile launchers, similar to crossbows or slingshots. Slingers also have the benefit of being safe to fire in sealed environments, making them especially enticing to raiders and pirates. A slinger is a simple ranged weapon with a range of (40/120) that deals 1d6 piercing damage. Venturers can procure slingers in almost any market for 5 glint.

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H Miasma has various mental and physical effects, including altered states of mind, a skewed sense of time, and euphoria, though it often impairs short-term memory and motor function. One of the most common effects of using miasma is a palpable connection with the latent astra surrounding you.

VENTURER GEAR Item Arctool

Cost

Weight

50 glint

3 pounds

Bedroll

2 glint

1 pound

Breather

40 glint

3 pounds

Canteen

4 glint

1 pound

Glancer

15 glint

2 pounds

Glowrod

2 glint

1 pound

»

You increase your Astrafade by 1.

Grappling Hook

5 glint

2 pounds

»

Gravboots

200 glint

4 pounds

You have disadvantage on Dexterity ability checks and saving throws.

Kelp Puck (6)

10 glint

–

»

Lorium (Vial)

5 glint

–

For the duration, when you cast a spell, you can choose one boost without increasing your Astrafade.

Mender, Antidote

125 glint

1 pound

»

Mender, Healing

150 glint

1 pound

Your altered state of mind and connection to astra allows you to make any Intelligence (Lore and Astra) checks with advantage.

Miasma (Segment)

100 glint

–

Poison (Vial)

100 glint

–

Pulser Cartridge

5 glint

–

Rope (50 feet)

2 glint

2 pounds

Satchel

5 glint

3 pounds

Slinger

5 glint

3 pounds

Whisperlink

30 glint

–

Miasma is most often measured in “segments” (commonly known as “segs”). By using one seg of miasma, the following effects occur, which last for 10 minutes:

POISON VIAL: You can use the poison in this vial to coat one slashing or piercing weapon. Applying the poison takes an action. A creature hit by the poisoned weapon must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 poison damage. Once applied, the poison retains potency for 1 minute before drying. PULSER CARTRIDGE: These aurichalcum cartridges contain pressurized plasma irradiated with astra. When fitted to a pulser, a catridge fuels the weapon’s devastating projectiles. Cartridges are an imperfect ammunition source, as they tend to run dry without much warning, so most venturers keep several on-hand. Fitting a fresh cartridge to a pulser requires an action.

KELP PUCKS: Easily cultivated and farmed even on atmoports, kelp pucks are a common dried ration among venturers. These compressed kelp rounds can be rehydrated to feed an average person for a day, or even eaten dried in a pinch.

WHISPERLINK: These metal hoops fit over the ear and can be used to communicate verbally with allies also using whisperlinks within 1 mile. Pre-recorded whisperlink transmissions are often called “whispers.” Larger, more powerful whisperlink modules exist aboard voidships and stations for ship-to-ship hailing and communication with nearby moons.

LORIUM: Data in Harbinger is imprinted and stored in liquid green astra called lorium. Lorium is stored within glancers and ship helms, and can be “downloaded” into glass cylinders, called lorium vials. One lorium vial can store an amount of images and information roughly equal to a physical book. MENDER: These syringe-like devices contain a concentrated infusion of liquid blue astra. This dosage of liquid astra kickstarts the body’s natural healing, and can stave off fatal injuries and even poisons if used promptly. As an action, a creature can touch a creature to expend a mender charge. With an antidote mender, the creature immediately loses the poisoned condition. With a healing mender, the target creature immediately rolls one hit die and regains that number plus their Constitution modifier of hit points. Menders have three charges each.

BASIC GEAR KIT

If opting to use starting gear, each class begins with a basic gear kit, which includes: » » » » » » » » » » »

MIASMA: Miasma is a psychoactive substance synthesized using astra. Most often used for recreational purposes and having limited medical applications, it is common in the Known Orbits. Most often inhaled as a prismatic vapor through a breather, miasma can also be used as an extract, or as an additive for food. Miasma is considered socially acceptable and legal in portions of the many moons, though in others it is considered a narcotic.

Satchel Bedroll Whisperlink Breather Pulser cartridges (3) Rope (50 feet) Kelp Pucks (6) Canteen Glowrods (3) Mender, Healing (3 charges) Glint (25)

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WEAPON AND ARMOR MODS

H creature within the long range of your current weapon. You gain advantage on your next attack against that creature, so long as the creature is still within your weapon’s long range and within your line of sight. If you lose sight of the creature, or if it moves beyond your weapon’s long range, you lose the advantage on your next attack against them.

Weapon and armor mods are attachments that enhance the abilities of and add features to your favorite weapons and armor. Every weapon in Harbinger, from a handaxe to a rifle, has 3 slots available for weapon mods. Each weapon mod takes up a different number of slots, depending on how powerful that mod is.

AURICHALCUM CABLING

TYPE: Weapon/armor (melee/light or medium) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 18

A character attempting to augment a weapon or armor with a mod must do so during a short or long rest. They can only attempt to attach one mod at a time. They must make an Intelligence check, adding their proficiency with the arctool if applicable. The DC of this check is denoted by each mod. If they succeed on the check, they succesfully attach the mod. If they fail the check, they failed to augment the weapon, and must wait 24 hours before attempting to attach that mod again.

These aurichalcum conduits can absorb and vent astra energy safely and efficiently. While wielding this weapon, you can at any time opt to not roll on the Astra Effects Tables, instead dispersing the excess energy into the aurichalcum cabling. You must complete a short or long rest before using this feature again.

Removing a weapon or armor mod does not require a check. For instance, removing a bayonet to attach an astra augmenter only requires the check to attach the astra augmenter, not to remove the bayonet.

BARROWBLADE

TYPE: Weapon (melee) SLOTS REQUIRED: 3 ATTACHMENT DC: 18

Weapon and armor mods can be purchased from vendors, but are most often reclaimed from old tech.

This experimental necrotech mod allows the wielder to absorb the lifeforce of their fallen enemies. While wielding this weapon, if you reduce a creature that isn’t a construct or undead to 0 hp, you immediately regain a number of hit points dictated by that creature’s size. You regain 1d6 hit points for creatures of Small size or smaller, 2d6 for creatures of Medium size, 4d6 for creatures of Large size, and 8d6 for creatures of Huge size or larger.

ASTRA AUGMENTER TYPE: Weapon (melee) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 16

This small generator wreathes this weapon in a thin veil of red astra energy. The weapon gets a +1 to attack and damage rolls. This mod is common among well-funded mercenary groups and the armed forces of septs.

BAYONET

TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 10/12

ASTRACASTING MODULE

TYPE: Weapon/armor (melee/medium) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 18

This bladed attachment allows you to make a melee attack as with a dagger (1d4 piercing; DC 10 to attach) or a handaxe (1d6 slashing; DC 12 to attach) with your ranged weapon.

This astra-powered, aurichalcum-enhanced module replicates some of the minor magical effects that mancers can achieve. When you attach this module, choose a spell of Astrafade 0. You can now cast that spell at-will as long as you are wielding the weapon, using your Charisma as the spellcasting modifier. You do not have access to the spell’s boosts.

BLINK MODULE

TYPE: Weapon (melee) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 14 An ideal mod for thrown weapons, this astra-powered attachment allows melee weapons to be conjured instantly to your hand. As a bonus action, you can instantly will the weapon to your hand if it is within 120 feet of you.

ASTRA SCOPE

TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 16 This luminescent scope, when activated, conjures spectral crosshairs of yellow astra and a zooming sight. As a bonus action, you can use the scope to aim, choosing a target

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H COLLAPSIBLE FRAME

HIGH-CAP CARTRIDGE

The weapon can fold into a smaller item, roughly half its normal size. You have advantage on any Stealth checks made to conceal this weapon when the frame is collapsed.

The reload of this weapon is reduced by 1.

TYPE: Weapon (melee or ranged) Slots Required: 1 Attachment DC: 12

TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 12

LONGBORE BARREL TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 14

ELEMENTAL ENHANCEMENTS TYPE: Weapon (melee) SLOTS REQUIRED: 3 ATTACHMENT DC: 18

The weapon can fire at its long range without disadvantage. For example, if the weapon’s range is 60/120, it can fire up to 120 feet without disadvantage. It still cannot be fired beyond its long range. Note: this mod cannot be combined with the Sawed-Off Barrel mod.

This astra-powered module wreathes a melee weapon in elemental energy, dealing additional damage. When you attach this mod, choose an elemental type: fire, cold, acid, or lightning. This weapon now deals an additional 1d6 of the chosen damage type.

NIGHT VISOR

TYPE: Armor (any) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 16

FLAME TOSSER

TYPE: Weapon/armor (ranged/any) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 16

This helmet mod allows the user to see in total darkness. The wearer has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, perceiving darkness as if it were dim light, and dim light as if it were normal light.

As an action, you can emit flames from this attached flamethrower. Fire erupts from the weapon in a 15-foot cone. All creatures in the affected area must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. Creatures take 3d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much fire damage on a successful save. You must complete a short or long rest to allow the weapon to recharge before using this feature again.

SAWED-OFF BARREL TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 14

GRAPPLE CASTER

The weapon’s normal and long ranges are both reduced by half (e.g., a 40/120 weapon would become a 20/60 weapon). When attacking a hostile creature within 5 feet, instead of having disadvantage on the attack roll, you have advantage. Note: this mod cannot be combined with the Longbore Barrel mod.

TYPE: Weapon/armor (melee or ranged/any) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 16 This underbarrel allows you to launch a small grappling hook attached to a 30-foot steel cable that can attach to any surface. As an action, you can fire the grapple caster. While using this cable, you gain advantage on any Athletics checks made to climb. As an action, you can winch the hook and cable back into the underbarrel to be fired again. Additionally, you can use an action and make a ranged attack with the grapple caster, targeting a single creature within 30 feet. If you hit the target creature, they are now restrained and must make a DC 14 Strength check to free themselves. As long as the creature is restrained, you can use your action to move them 10 feet in your direction.

SECONDARY BARREL TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 18

This makes a ranged weapon double-barreled, upping your damage output but also using more ammo. Before making a ranged attack, you can choose to use your secondary barrel. This expels a second projectile, allowing you to roll one additional damage die. For the purposes of this attack roll, you increase the weapon’s reload by 1.

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H Dragoon armor consists of thick, interlocking plates that cover the entire body. The suit includes a helm with a visor, and thick layers of leather or cloth padding beneath the armored plates. Donning and doffing dragoon armor requires 10 minutes, and assistance from one other creature. The armor is riveted into place, effectively trapping the wearer inside.

SHIELD PROJECTOR

TYPE: Weapon/armor (melee/any) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 16 This attachment allows you to conjure a shield of green astra around the weapon, upping your defense without hindering your mobility. Conjuring the shield requires an action and lasts for 1 minute, adding 2 to the wielder’s armor class for the duration. Proficiency with shields is not required, and it does not require a hand to wield. You must complete a short or long rest to allow the weapon to recharge before using this feature again.

While wearing dragoon armor, you have the following benefits:

SHOCK GANTS

TYPE: Armor (any) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 16 These weaponized gauntlets are electrified, and can be used to deliver painful shocks to enemies. The wearer’s unarmed strikes gain 1d6 lightning damage, in addition to their normal damage.

»

Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

»

You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) and Constitution (Endurance) checks.

»

Your movement speed increases by 10 feet.

»

Your melee attacks deal one additional damage die.

»

Your standing jump and long jump distances double.

»

You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

»

You ignore the effects of low-atmo, high-atmo,lowgrav, and high-grav environments, and can use your on-board thrusters to move in any direction while in a low-grav location.

»

You can wield two-handed weapons using one hand.

»

You have one additional slot for armor mods (four total).

»

You take no damage from falling fewer than 60 feet.

SHOULDER MOUNT

TYPE: Armor (medium or heavy) SLOTS REQUIRED: 2 ATTACHMENT DC: 16 This robotic, swiveling gyro mount adds an additional hand for holding items and completing simple tasks, leaving your hands free. It can also hold and fire a simple pulser weapon. Fitting a weapon onto the mount requires an action.

As a bonus action, you can activate one of the following modes. The effect lasts until you use a bonus action to choose a different mode.

WRAITH MUZZLE TYPE: Weapon (ranged) SLOTS REQUIRED: 1 ATTACHMENT DC: 16

»

Assault: You can make one additional attack when you use your action to attack on your turn.

»

Guardian: You gain resistance to all damage types. At the beginning of each of your turns, one creature that you choose within 5 feet of you benefits from the effects of three-quarters cover until the start of your next turn.

»

Drop: You can survive any fall – even entering the atmosphere of a moon. While in drop mode, you cannot move or take any actions. Your rate of descent slows to 60 feet per round. When you land, you take no falling damage and also land on your feet.

The weapon can fire completely undetected by creatures who aren’t within 10 feet of it.

DRAGOON ARMOR Dragoon armor is a mechanized suit of plated armor. The armor is astra-powered by a miniature reactor, designed to augment the physical abilities and combat prowess of the wearer. In the days of the Hegemony, in addition to its use in hard labor, dragoon armor was worn by entire legions of soldiers. Now, suits of dragoon armor are rare, difficult to maintain, and highly prized. Typically, the suits are reserved for only the highest ranking oathsworn of powerful septs and the wealthiest of mercenary warriors. Dragoon armor counts as medium or heavy armor, and provides an armor class of 16 for medium and 19 for heavy. It can be outfitted with mods like other armor. It weighs 300 pounds. The wearer has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

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CHAPTER 6: VOIDSHIPS

Of all humanity’s technological achievements, none is more prolific nor more dangerous than the voidship. Enclosed vessels designed to carry creatures and cargo across the gulfs of open space, voidships come in myriad shapes, sizes, and functions – from small fighter craft and gunships, to cargo haulers, to the massive warships used by the wealthiest septs. All voidships include an armored hull, astrafoils, astraburning engines, astra-powered air and gravity generators, close-range sensors, and weapons to defend against raiders, rivals, and worse.

ASTRONOMICAL DISTANCE

Voidship movement is tracked using two units of distance: sprawls and reaches. A sprawl, tracked during combat and other tactical maneuvers, represents a short distance. Most voidships travel 20 to 30 sprawls in a matter of seconds at normal speed. A reach is a far greater distance, roughly the space between Bastion and its Rings. Reaches are used to track longer voyages, such as traveling between moons.

In the days of the Hegemony, mighty voidships roamed open space by the thousands, and in the empire’s waning days, they waged war and cut fiery swaths across the Known Orbits, leaving moons barren with their destructive ordnance. Only ancient husks remain of these grand warships, drifting, derelict, picked clean by scavengers.

VOIDSHIP ABILITY SCORES Each voidship has three ability scores: Maneuverability, Ordnance, and Sensors, which operate identically to the ability scores of a player character. These ability scores have modifiers which are added to any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll. If the character performing the check has proficiency with voidships, they can also add their proficiency bonus to the roll.

Some – the fortunate, the powerful, the opportunistic – come into possession of their own functioning voidships, likely passed down through generations as an heirloom or looted from hapless rivals. Endlessly modified and repaired, each voidship is entirely unique, pieced together from myriad salvaged parts and systems.

MANEUVERABILITY

This ability score represents the agility and handling of the voidship. Its modifier is added to any checks the pilot makes, along with their proficiency bonus if they are proficient with voidships.

ORDNANCE

This ability score represents the weapon systems and damage output of a voidship. Its modifier is added to any checks a gunner makes, along with their proficiency bonus if they are proficient with voidships.

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H If an ordnance weapon successfully attacks a creature that is Large size or smaller, it automatically scores a critical hit, and deals maximum damage. For creatures that are Huge or larger, ordnance weapons deal their normal damage. Ordnance weapons are less accurate against smaller targets, and attacks made with ordnance against creatures of Large size or smaller are made with disadvantage.

CREW: This number represents the minimum number of creatures required for the ship to function. PASSENGERS: This number represents the number of creatures beyond the crew the voidship can fit comfortably. SPEED: Distance in voidship combat is measured in sprawls, and each voidship has a speed score, which is the number of sprawls it can normally move in a single round.

SENSORS

This ability score represents the systems and short-range scanners of a voidship. Its modifier is added to any checks a support makes, along with their proficiency bonus if they are proficient with voidships.

SIZE: Your voidship’s size abstractly represents the scale of the vessel, and does not correspond to creature sizes. When compared to a creature, a voidship size is generally three size categories larger. For example, even though a skiff is considered Medium in voidship scale, it would be considered Huge compared to a Medium creature.

MORE TO COME!

WEAPON SLOTS: This number represents the weapons a voidship hull is capable of powering.

The rules and guidelines for voidship combat and exploration included in this chapter represent only a small sample of the final Harbinger RPG product. Look forward to more rules for voidship customization, upkeep and maintenance, salvaging and restoring derelicts, and a more robust interlunar voyage system.

SPECTERS Specters are incorporeal necrotech constructs that inhabit voidships and maintain higher functions like life support, gravity, and void barriers, while also monitoring for nearby hazards and voidships.

OTHER VOIDSHIP TERMS

Specters are not omniscient throughout the voidship, but typically keep an eye on vital systems and regularly check on any creatures aboard. When manifesting physically, specters appear as flickering blue flames within specialized terminals called sconces.

The following terms appear in voidship statblocks, or otherwise refer to features of the vessels. ARMOR CLASS: Like creatures, each voidship has an armor class which serves as the DC required on an attack roll to hit the voidship.

If a specter makes an ability check, saving throw, or attack roll, it only adds the voidship’s ability modifier to the roll.

ASTRAFADE LIMIT: Voidships are powered by astra, and much like characters, have a limit to the amount of astra they can channel. Certain actions, mods, and ship features may call for an increase in Astrafade.

CREW ROLES Each creature aboard a voidship fills one of three roles: support, pilot, or gunner. Your role determines the actions available to you during your voidship’s turn, as well as your slot in the order of actions. On smaller vessels, like cutters, a creature may assume multiple roles, such as pilot and gunner.

DAMAGE THRESHOLD: Voidships cannot usually be damaged by non-ordnance weapons. Damage from sources that aren’t ordnance weapons must exceed a voidship’s damage threshold in order to deal damage. For example, if a voidship has a damage threshold of 10, an attack from a non-ordnance weapon dealing 8 damage would deal 0 damage to that voidship, but an attack dealing 11 damage would deal the full 11 damage to that voidship, because it exceeds its damage threshold.

SUPPORT

Supports see to the maintenance and upkeep of a voidship in combat, aiding their allies by scanning for enemies, pinpointing weak points, boosting engines and other systems, or conducting repairs on damaged components. There can be any number of supports on a voidship. Supports take their actions first aboard a voidship.

DRIFTCARVING: Also known as “carving,” these represent unorthodox modifications to a voidship, allowing it to function in a unique way. CARGO: This number represents the possible tonnage of the voidship. Use this as a rough guideline if the voidship is hauling cargo.

PILOT

Pilots helm voidships, determining their movement. Typically, a pilot sits at the command console of a voidship, allowing them easy access to the helm and other critical components of the vessel. Voidships have a single pilot, with any co-pilots assuming a support role. Pilots take their action second aboard a voidship.

COMPONENTS: A unique element installed on a voidship, outside of what is conventionally included.

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H GUNNER

VOIDSHIP VOYAGES

Gunners command a voidship’s weapons, targeting enemies and obstacles and delivering damage across the void of space. There can be as many gunners as there are weapons on a voidship. Gunners take their actions last aboard a voidship.

Travel between moons, atmoports, and other celestial bodies in Harbinger requires a number of successful Astrogation checks equal to the number of reaches traveled. The DC of each Astrogation check varies depending on the voidship’s chosen route. A pilot or support makes an Astrogation check, which requires 10 uninterrupted minutes in concentration to plot the course through Bastion’s wheeling orbits. An Astrogation check made in less time or under duress is made with disadvantage.

VOIDSHIPS USING ASTRA Much like creatures, there are some instances that require a voidship to increase its Astrafade. A voidships Astrafade represents its capacity to handle the astra burned to fuel certain tasks while remaining functional. Once a voidship exceeds its Astrafade Limit, it may suffer consequences courtesy of the Voidship Astra Effects tables in this section. Any effect resulting from rolling on a Voidship Astra Effects table ignores a voidship’s damage threshold.

VOYAGE DISTANCE AND DURATION

The Voyage Distance and Duration table provides a handful of example voyages with the approximate reaches required to travel. Use these examples to calculate the number of reaches in a voidship’s voyage, as well as the average number of standard days that voyage would take. A pilot or support aboard the voidship must make an Astrogation check for each reach, the DC of which is equal to the route chosen.

After using a component, driftcarve pattern, or weapon that requires a voidship to increase its Astrafade, the voidship’s total Astrafade must be compared against its Astrafade Limit. If the number exceeds its Astrafade Limit, the effects must be rolled for on the appropriate Voidship Astra Effects table later in this chapter.

A voyage’s route – safe, standard, or hazardous – affects the duration of that voyage. For example, voyaging from Bastion’s Ring to Tharkestra using a standard route takes 2 days, with DC 15 Astrogation checks; the same voyage using a hazardous route reduces the voyage duration to a single day, but increases the Astrogation DCs to 20. The route is chosen at the beginning of the voyage and cannot be changed, so a voidship crew must carefully weigh their options when choosing their route.

REDUCING VOIDSHIP ASTRAFADE

After docking or landing for 8 hours or more, a voidship’s total Astrafade may be reduced by a number equal to its Astrafade Limit, to a minimum of 0.

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H INTERLUNAR EVENTS

VOYAGE DISTANCE AND DURATION Voyage

Reaches

Days

Between Ring Outposts

1

1

From Bastion’s Ring to Tharkestra

3

2

From Tharkestra to the Harbinger

5

3

From the Harbinger to Dagerad

7

4

For each reach traveled, an event occurs. Interlunar events vary greatly – from navigating around a school of golianar, to running afoul of cosmic hazards, to encountering raiders and other threats. The Interlunar Events table includes escalating results, scaling from d10 to d20. Generally, when a voidship succeeds on an Astrogation check, a d10 is rolled; when a voidship fails on an Astrogation check, a d20 is rolled, increasing the possible danger of the event.

ASTROGATION DCs Route

Duration

DC

Safe Route

Double

10

Standard Route

Normal

15

Hazardous Route

Half

20

Sometimes, an interlunar event presents opportunities to be seized; other times, it presents hazards to be overcome. Call for ability checks where appropriate, and don’t hesitate to add days to a voyage if the crew pursues other distractions. The events listed on the Interlunar Events table are intended to spark inspiration and provide examples. Use the results to spur your own ideas, tying the event to the unique narrative of your Harbinger campaign.

INTERLUNAR EVENTS D10/D20

Event

1

A strange and alluring phenomenon – an astra-storm, school of golianar, or gravity well – appears on close-range scanners.

2

An opportunity presents itself – a derelict vessel laden with supplies, a hidden cache of fuel, or an intercepted whisper.

3

The voidship controls seize up – sensors show strange energy output readings from the engine room.

4

Unchecked or unmaintained portions of the voidship become hazardous.

5

The voidship’s fuel runs suspiciously low. Perhaps you mistook the gauge – or is foul play involved?

6

A hazard looms – asteroids, debris, or a curious predator.

7

You are hailed by another voidship. They have something you need, and demand something in return.

8

Your voidship’s specter picks up a distress call from a nearby moon or asteroid.

9

A malfunction occurs – glitchy sensors, strange astra readings, or flickering void barriers.

10

A threat ambushes the voidship – opportunistic raiders, warlike skrug, or a fadeweaver web.

11

The astrogation systems aboard your voidship have steered you into the powerful orbit of a moon.

12

You come upon a derelict, seemingly devoid of life. But the trap is already sprung!

13

Something strange occurs – it’s hard to describe, but where you are and where you should be are two different points in space. How did you get so lost? And why are there unaccounted for hours in your journey?

14

You run afoul of a voidship battle! Two sides clash, lighting space with cannons and explosions.

15

A catastrophic malfunction occurs – the engines cut out, the ship loses grav or atmo, or the void barriers fail completely. The crew must take immediate action to prevent catastrophe.

16

Your specter flickers, acting erratically and speaking in garbled, incoherent half-phrases. Until you normalize the specter, you have disadvantage on all Sensor checks, and the specter cannot make any checks.

17

Your voidship is hailed by those in power in this area – you’re being pursued, and ordered to land on a nearby moon. You can land – or run.

18

You receive a whisper from a listless hauler – they promise a hoard of glint to any ships able to help.

19

A vital and large portion of the voidship is crippled – by debris, an enemy voidship, or another reason entirely. You must make emergency repairs to keep flying.

20

The voidship’s power fails all at once. Life support systems will be completely offline in minutes.

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H AIRLOCK AND OXYGEN KIT: A small room attached to the main voidship, with a sealed door leading outside. Useful for in-transit repairs to the outer hull, romantic or exciting ventures into the vacuum of space, or last-minute escapes.

VOIDSHIP COMPONENTS Due to their patchwork nature, a great deal of variance exists in how each voidship is outfitted and equipped beyond what is necessary to traverse the void. Many crews outfit their vessel with components suited to the nature of their venturing. Optionally, when you acquire your voidship, you can choose components with which to outfit it.

ENVIRON SIMULATOR: A closet-sized space useful for mimicking the sights, sounds, and sensations of home. You can’t move around much, but it keeps the stir-crazy at bay. BREW PUB: You supply the ingredients, and this small center for brewing and distilling will churn out various drinks from all across the Known Orbits.

Components are chiefly narrative additions to a voidship. While the GM can grant mechanical benefits at their discretion, components are meant to be flexible and used to introduce opportunities for story. A voidship can have a number of components equal to its weapon slots. FALSE WALLS: Compartments throughout the ship allow for smuggling or concealing contraband.

PRACTICE RANGE: Test your short-range skills with pulsers and slingers on moving targets, and your melee prowess against dummies of various sizes. Caution: all targets will require the occasional repair, given enough wear and tear.

DROP POD: This small compartment is designed to carry several venturers quickly and (relatively) safely to a moon’s surface from atmo, allowing for more stealthy approaches.

OUTFITTING ROOM: Store your blades, pulsers, armor, grenades, and other useful gear where they’ll be easily accessible before venturing out into unknown worlds.

MECHANIST WORKSHOP: Outfitted with winches, omniarms, and workbenches to assist with larger builds, a mechanist workshop enables a skilled engineer to create wondrous items and maintain equipment.

GLOWFORM: Turn the inside and outside of your voidship into a fashionable beacon of changing colors and pulsating beams of light. Perfect for throwing parties for sept ambassadors and elites.

LORIUM LIBRARY: A limited cache of lorium vials containing information about the Known Orbits. Venturers can visit the library to research topics.

AMBASSADOR’S QUARTERS: More than a simple barrack, this comfortable room is stocked with a large bed and plushy furniture, a supply of fine liquors, and a private sconce for the special guest’s own personal specter.

MEDHUB: A clean, equipped space to tend to injuries, perform necrotech surgeries, and allow for proper recovery for the wounded.

HYDROPONICS CHAMBER: Cultivate kelp, devil shrubs, razorvine and any of the other myriad botanical flora throughout the Known Orbits – including those illicit. The devices in this extra-sealed chamber can mimic any environment for your growing needs.

MEDITATION CHAMBER: A spherical room lined with aurichalcum, completely soundproof and isolated. A mancer meditating here can do so undisturbed.

PURIFICATION SYSTEM: Don’t let your waste go to waste! Fertilize the flora in your hydroponics chamber, and convert otherwise disgusting matter into purified water for consumption, cooking, and even showers.

CONTAINMENT UNIT: Facilities to securely detain a small number of creatures. RECREATION HALL: A comfortable space for much needed downtime and crew camaraderie. Usually includes game tables, glancers, and viewports displaying the wonders of space outside.

AUTOMECH HUB: Allow your specter the ability to enter this wall-mounted light barrowmech, and wander the voidship, checking its lesser operations and repairing any small fractures.

BARRACKS AND CARGO HOLD: Transport a few more people and supply caches throughout the Known Orbits, and make a good amount of extra glint doing so. EXPANDED BRIDGE: In this larger piloting space, an entire crew and any travelers can strap in together, and move throughout the bridge easily. In the center is a large map of the surrounding Known Orbits.

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H VOIDSHIP COMBAT During a round in voidship combat, each vessel involved takes a turn, consisting of various actions taken by creatures aboard. The order of turns is determined at the beginning of the combat encounter, when each voidship makes a Maneuverability check to determine the initiative order.

RUNNING VOIDSHIP COMBAT

Battles in the void mean roaring flybys, desperate highspeed maneuvers, flashing pulser rounds, and voidships breaking apart and exploding in dazzling fireballs. It is more important to create an exciting and cinematic experience than worry about positioning, facing, and physics. “You dive into the minefield, and your specter informs you in a calm tone that the pair of skrug raidboats close in behind you, firing off harpoons. Pilot, make a Maneuverability check – a 17! You deftly wind your way through the cluster of mines, and the raidboats follow. One banks steeply and avoids the mines, keeping chase. The other isn’t so lucky – they careen into one of the mines, which explodes with a flash across the raidboat’s hull. It spins, spiraling into a second mine, then disappears into a ball of flame and charred wreckage.” The narration is quick, and gives the players a good idea of what’s happening and where their enemies are located. The players picture the scene in their minds, and know the stakes at hand. When running space battles, don’t get hung up on the minutiae of movement and directional facing – keep the pace up, bend the rules when needed, and prioritize fun.

COMBAT STEPS »

DETERMINE SURPRISE: The GM determines whether any of the voidships in the combat encounter are caught in an ambush.

»

ESTABLISH POSITIONS: The GM decides where all of the voidships are located, establishing each voidship’s stated positions. The GM figures out where each voidship is in relation to one another and in what direction.

»

DECIDE STARTING ROLES: Each creature aboard each voidship declares their starting role: pilot, gunner, or support.

»

ROLL INITIATIVE: Each voidship involved in the combat makes a Maneuverability check to determine initiative order.

»

TAKE TURNS: Each voidship takes a turn in initiative order, with each creature aboard taking an action in an order determined by their roles (support, pilot, then gunner).

»

BEGIN THE NEXT ROUND: When everyone involved in the combat has had a turn, the round ends. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until the combat ends.

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H YOUR VOIDSHIP’S TURN

WE’VE BEEN BOARDED!

On your voidship’s turn, it can move a distance up to its speed, and each creature on board can take one action in an order determined by their role. The pilot controls the voidship’s movement, and the move can be split up between actions (a skiff can move 15 sprawls, a gunner aboard can take the attack action, and then the ship can move another 15 sprawls). Your voidship’s speed is noted in its stat block. The most common actions you can take are described in the “Actions” section.

If, during the course of the voidship combat, a battle breaks out aboard a voidship, each creature involved rolls initiative as normal. These creatures act after each voidship in the combat. For example: a skiff manned by venturers is locked in combat with a skrug raidboat. The raidboat rams the skiff, and a skrug raiding party boards. The pilot of the skiff manages to escape the raidboat, but now battle has broken out aboard the skiff between the venturers and the skrugs. While the voidship combat is still occuring, the venturers must defeat the skrugs on board.

VOIDSHIP MOVEMENT Voidships can move a distance in sprawls up to their speed on their turns. The pilot can also choose to not move the voidship on its turn, using retro thrusters to maintain a stationary position.

The voidships involved in the combat take their turns as normal. Then, the creatures involved in the combat aboard the skiff take their turns in initiative order. Any creature who took an action during the voidship round cannot take an action during the combat aboard the skiff. For instance, if the skiff pilot used the burn action on their turn to try and outrun the raidboat, they cannot then use an action later to attack the skrugs.

Because voidships are not confined to a single plane of movement, combat often involves voidships maneuvering and attacking from above and below each other. To represent this, voidships can occupy the same space in combat, and this assumes they are either above or below each other. If positioning or facing matters, the GM decides exactly where the voidships are in relation to each other.

SURPRISE

Prior to starting the combat, the GM determines if any voidships might be caught surprised. If neither side tries to be stealthy, they automatically notice each other. Otherwise, the GM compares the Maneuverability checks of any voidships attempting to hide with the Passive Sensors score of any voidships on the opposing side, or opposing the Sensors checks of any voidships actively searching. Any voidship that doesn’t notice a threat is surprised at the start of the encounter. If surprised, a voidship can’t move or take an action on its first turn of the combat.

STALLED: A stalled voidship has a movement speed of 0 until it can restart it’s engines. The voidship has disadvantage on attack rolls. An attack roll made against the voidship has advantage.

INITIATIVE

DROPPING TO 0 HIT POINTS

Whenever a stalled voidship starts its turn, a single creature aboard must make a DC 12 Intelligence check, adding proficiency with arctools if applicable. On a success, the voidship’s engines fire up again, and the stalled condition is removed.

Initiative determines the order of turns during combat. When combat starts, every voidship participating makes a Maneuverability check to determine their place in the initiative order of the voidship round. The GM makes one roll for an entire group of identical voidships, so each member of the group acts at the same time. The GM ranks the voidships in order from the one with the highest Maneuverability check total to the one with the lowest. This is the order (called the voidship initiative order) in which each voidship acts during each round. The initiative order of the voidships remains the same from round to round.

When a voidship drops to 0 hit points, it either becomes listless or derelict, as explained below. DERELICT: When damage reduces a voidship to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, the voidship instantly becomes derelict if the remaining damage equals or exceeds its hit point maximum. A derelict voidship is completely inoperable. It cannot move, and any creatures aboard cannot take any voidship actions. The voidship is “dead,” and restoring it requires an incredible investment of time and glint.

If a tie occurs, the GM decides the order among tied GMcontrolled voidships, and the players decide the order among their tied voidships. The GM can decide the order if the tie is between a voidship they control, and a voidship that a player character controls. Optionally, the GM can have the tied player and GM voidships each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest roll going first, or choose to allow the voidship with the highest Maneuverability score to go first.

LISTLESS: If damage reduces a voidship to 0 hit points and it does not become derelict, it becomes listless instead. A listless voidship’s speed is 0, and it has disadvantage on Maneuverability and Ordnance checks and attack rolls. Attacks made against listless voidships have advantage. Whenever a listless voidship starts its turn with 0 hit points, a single creature aboard must use their action to make a DC 15 Intelligence check, adding their proficiency with the arctool if applicable, to restore the vessel’s functionality.

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H After three successes, the voidship “stabilizes,” regaining 1 hit point and losing the listless condition. After three failures, the voidship instantly becomes derelict. A different creature aboard can make the Intelligence check each turn, but only one can make the check at a time.

AID (ANY ROLE) When you take the Aid action, you can aid a friendly creature on the same voidship as you by offering guidance, rerouting power, or otherwise assisting your ally. They gain advantage on the next ability check they make to perform the task you are helping with.

A natural 20 on this Intelligence check counts as two successes, while a natural 1 counts as two failures.

Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a voidship. You maneuver to set up the perfect shot, identify a voidship’s vulnerable spot, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target, the first attack roll is made with advantage.

If the voidship takes any damage while listless, it accrues one failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, it accrues two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds its hit point maximum, it becomes instantly derelict.

BURN (PILOT ONLY) When you take the Burn action, your voidship gains extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your voidship’s speed, after applying any modifiers. With a speed of 30 sprawls, for example, your voidship can move up to 60 sprawls on your turn if you use Burn action. Any increase or decrease to your voidship’s speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your voidship’s speed of 30 sprawls is reduced to 15 sprawls, for instance, you can move up to 30 sprawls this turn if you use the Burn action. When you use the Burn action, any attack rolls made by gunners aboard your voidship are made with disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

Listless ships can be easily boarded by enemy voidship crews. If a voidship occupies the same space as a listless voidship, its crew can board the listless voidship. This is often done using grapple casters or other means to affix to a listless voidship. Arctools are used to gain access to the listless voidship, allowing the enemy crew to board. See the “Ram” action for more.

ACTIONS IN VOIDSHIP COMBAT

When you take an action during your voidship’s turn, you can take one of the actions presented in the following section. You may also attempt to improvise actions not detailed elsewhere in the rules. If this occurs, you describe the action you’re attempting, and the GM tells you whether that action is possible (and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure).

EVADE (PILOT ONLY) When you take the Evade action, you focus entirely on maneuvering your voidship to avoid attacks. Until the start of your next turn, any attack roll made against your voidship has disadvantage, and you make Maneuverability checks with advantage. However, any attack rolls made by gunners aboard your voidship are made with disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

In voidship combat, player characters take on one of three roles: pilot, gunner, or support. These roles may take actions unique to their function on the ship. Some more complex, difficult, or taxing actions cost Astrafade. Everyone decides and declares starting roles after surprise is determined and positions are established as combat begins. During a voidship’s turn, each creature aboard takes an action – support first, then pilot, then gunner, always in that order unless a rule states otherwise.

HEAVY FIRE (GUNNER ONLY) When you take the Heavy Fire action, increase your voidship’s Astrafade by 1. You can make an attack against a single enemy voidship with advantage using your voidship’s weapons. This attack also deals an extra d6 damage. To attack an enemy voidship, make an Ordnance check, modified by your proficiency bonus if applicable, and opposed by the target voidship’s armor class.

VOIDSHIP ROLES Role

Actions

Any

AID: Assist another with their action READY: Wait for a circumstance to act

Support

REPAIR: Mitigate ship damage SCAN: Use sensors to search for something SURGE SCAN: A powerful, more accurate scan URGENT REPAIR: Improved repairs for dire situations

Gunner

HEAVY FIRE: Increase accuracy and damage VOLLEY: Attack using your voidship’s ordnance

Pilot

BURN: Move farther in a turn EVADE: Maneuver to avoid attacks LURK: Attempt to conceal your voidship OVERTHRUST: Gain an extra move action RAM: Strike a voidship with your own

LURK (PILOT ONLY) When you take the Lurk action, you make a Maneuverability check with your voidship in an attempt to conceal it. In order to take the Lurk action, you must conceivably be able to hide your voidship from view, such as by maneuvering the vessel behind debris or within a gaseous nebula. If you succeed in your Maneuverability check (contested by enemy Sensor checks), you gain the following benefits: »

You are hidden, and cannot be targeted by attacks from enemy voidships.

»

Against any voidships unaware of your presence, you have advantage on an attack roll before you are discovered.

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H OVERTHRUST (PILOT ONLY) When you take the Overthrust action, increase your voidship’s Astrafade by 1. Your voidship gains an extra move action, with which it can move up to its speed. When you use the Overthrust action, any attack rolls made by gunners aboard your voidship are made with disadvantage until the start of your next turn.

OPPORTUNITY ATTACKS

Due to the fluid nature of voidship combat, there are no opportunity attacks, except after a failed Ram attack. If a voidship attempts a Ram attack and fails, gunners aboard the target voidship can use their reactions to immediately make an attack against it.

RAM (PILOT ONLY) Targeting a voidship within your voidship’s movement range, you can attempt to physically strike them with your hull. You make a Maneuverability check, opposed by the target voidship pilot’s Maneuverability check. If you succeed, you deal bludgeoning damage to both your voidship and the target voidship, as dictated by your voidship’s size: 1d10 for Small voidships, 2d10 for Medium voidships, 4d10 for Large voidships, and 8d10 for Huge and larger voidships. Ramming damage ignores a voidship’s damage threshold.

READY (ANY ROLE) Sometimes you want to get the upper hand on a foe or wait for a particular circumstance in voidship combat before you act. To do so, you can take the Ready action on your turn, which lets you act using your reaction before the start of your next turn. First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger. When the trigger occurs, you can either take your reaction right after the trigger finishes or ignore the trigger.

GRAPPLING: You can use the Ram action to attempt to grapple an enemy voidship. The target voidship must be no more than one size larger than your voidship, and must be within your voidship’s movement range. Just as with the Ram action, you make a Maneuverability check, opposed by the target voidship pilot’s Maneuverability check. If you succeed, the target voidship gains the grappled condition, and both voidships take bludgeoning damage, as described in the Ram action.

REPAIR (SUPPORT ONLY) When you take the Repair action, you focus on mitigating damage and restoring vital systems to your voidship. You make an Intelligence check, adding your proficiency with the arctool if applicable. The DC of this check is 10, and you restore a number of hit points equal to the result of the check beyond 10 (so an Intelligence check of 14 restores 4 hit points). You cannot use the Repair action to restore hit points above half the voidship’s hit point maximum, rounded down. You also cannot use the Repair action while a ship is derelict or listless.

GRAPPLED CONDITION: A grappled voidship’s speed becomes 0, and it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed. MOVING A GRAPPLED VOIDSHIP: When your voidship moves, it can drag the grappled voidship along with it, but your voidship’s speed is halved.

SCAN (SUPPORT ONLY) When you take the Scan action, you devote your attention to using your voidship’s sensors to find something, such as a hidden voidship. Typically this involves making a Sensors check.

ESCAPING A GRAPPLE: The grappled voidship pilot can use their action to attempt to escape. To do so, the voidship pilot must succeed on a Maneuverability check contested by your Maneuverability check.

SURGE SCAN (SUPPORT ONLY) When you take the Scan action, increase your voidship’s Astrafade by 1. You send a surge of astra through your ship’s sensors to heighten their effectiveness and accuracy. Sensors checks for the next minute have advantage.

MAKING A GRAPPLED VOIDSHIP LISTLESS: You can use your action to attempt to make a grappled ship listless. To do so, make a Maneuverability check, opposed by the grappled voidship pilot’s Maneuverability check. If you succeed, the grappled voidship becomes listless.

URGENT REPAIR (SUPPORT ONLY) When you take the Urgent Repair action, increase your voidship’s Astrafade by 1. Make an Intelligence check with advantage, adding your proficiency with the arctool if applicable. The DC of this check is 10, and you restore a number of hit points equal to the result of the check beyond 10 (so an Intelligence check of 14 restores 4 hit points). You cannot use the Urgent Repair action to restore hit points above half the voidship’s hit point maximum, rounded down. The Urgent Repair action also removes the stalled condition. You cannot use the Urgent Repair action while a ship is derelict or listless.

LISTLESS CONDITION: A listless voidship has disadvantage on Maneuverability and Ordnance checks and attack rolls, and attacks made against listless voidships have advantage. BOARDING: Characters may attempt to board a listless voidship. This is often attempted using grapple casters, mag ropes, or other means to affix to a listless voidship. Oftentimes, arctools will be used to gain access inside the voidships.

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H VOLLEY (GUNNER ONLY) With the Volley action, you can make an attack against enemy voidships using your voidship’s weapons.

DRIFTCARVING PATTERNS

To attack an enemy voidship, make an Ordnance check, modified by your proficiency bonus if applicable, and opposed by the target voidship’s armor class.

ASTRABURNER: Once per combat, a pilot or gunner can roll 1d8 and add the number rolled to one ability check or attack roll.

SWITCHING ROLES

CONTINGENCY GENERATOR: If your voidship drops to 0 hit points and becomes listless, it instead gains 1 hit point, and is not listless.

A voidship can only have one driftcarve pattern active at a time, and lasts until you successfully apply a new one.

On their turn, a crew member can choose to switch roles as a move action. To do so, they must be able to move safely through the ship, and there must be an open role to fill. Switching roles requires a creature’s full movement.

EMPOWERED ARMAMENT: When a gunner scores a critical hit, they can roll one additional damage die when determining the extra damage.

DRIFTCARVING

IONIZED STIMULANTS: Once per combat, a pilot or gunner can take one additional action.

With the aid of a skilled engineer, a voidship can be “driftcarved” to hack and modify its capabilities. This is the act of altering the configurations of the ship’s specter, engines, and other mechanical facets to achieve specific, uncommon effects. Modifications made in this way are called driftcarve patterns. Driftcarve patterns are named with complex alphanumeric codes that differentiate them, though there are common nicknames they’re known by with many variations existing in different parts of the known orbits.

GRAVRAM: When you hit another voidship with a Ram action, you roll damage as though your ship were one size category larger, and damage done to your ship during the Ram action is halved. GRAV THRUSTERS: Once per round, a pilot can take one additional action to take the Burn or Evade actions. OVERCLOCKED CANNONS: When your voidship makes its first attack on its turn, the gunner can choose to fire weapons rapidly and aggressively. Doing so gives gunners advantage on attack rolls during this turn, but attack rolls against the voidship have advantage until your next turn.

A character can attempt to driftcarve a voidship a number of times equal to half their Intelligence modifier rounded down (minimum 1) per long rest. Driftcarving requires two consecutive successful ability checks (they do not need to be made by the same character).

RAVOKHIDE SHIELDING: Once per round, you can increase your voidship’s Astrafade by 1. Your voidship gains resistance to damage from ordnance weapons.

One ability check must always be Intelligence, adding proficiency with arctools where applicable; the other check varies on the situation and the character performing the check. An Intelligence (Tech) check might identify “drifts” in the voidship’s system to exploit, a Wisdom (Perception) check might spot a faulty cable, or an Intelligence (Astra) check might enable you to reroute the vessel’s power.

SHIELDBURN: When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Maneuverability check to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. VOIDEYE: When rolling a d10 on the Interlunar Events table, you may roll twice and choose one from either of the results.

The driftcarving DC varies by the time allotted to it, as noted on the Driftcarving Difficulty table. Unless both checks are successful, the attempt to activate a driftcarve pattern fails.

VOIDSHIP WEAPONS

DRIFTCARVING DCs Time

DC

Minutes

18

Short Rest

16

Long Rest

14

Voidships boast a wide array of armament, from simple pulser cannons to harpoon launchers to destructive tyrant beams. You can outfit your voidship with weapons not exceeding your weapon slots. PULSER CANNON (1 SLOT): 2d6 energy damage, range (50/150), one target. CARBONIC HARPOON (RECHARGE 5–6; 1 SLOT): 2d8 piercing damage, range (50/150), one target. On a hit, the pilot of the target voidship must succeed on a DC 12 Maneuverability check, or the target voidship becomes grappled. A critical hit scored with this weapon against a voidship punctures the voidship’s plating. The voidship gains the low-atmo and low-grav environment conditions.

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H HEAVY REPEATING CANNON (2 SLOTS): 2d10 energy damage, range (40/120), one target.

CUTTER

TYRANT BEAM (3 SLOTS): Increase the voidship’s Astrafade by 1. The tyrant beam fires in a line that is 5 sprawls wide and 60 sprawls long. The pilot of a voidship in the affected area must make a DC 12 Maneuverability check, taking 14 (4d6) energy damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save.

ARMOR CLASS: 14 HIT POINTS: 35 DAMAGE THRESHOLD: 5 ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 1 SPEED: 35 sprawls

Small Voidship

TRITHON ASTRA BATTERIES (4 SLOTS): Increase the voidship’s Astrafade by 1. Target up to four voidships you can see within 60 reaches of your voidship. The pilot of a targeted voidship must make a DC 14 Maneuverability check, taking 18 (4d8) energy damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save.

MAN 18 (+4)

ARTESSIK CANNON (RECHARGE 5–6; 4 SLOTS): 3d12 energy damage, range (60/180), one target.

CREW: 1 PASSENGERS: 1 CARGO: 1 ton WEAPON SLOTS: 1

SAMPLE VOIDSHIPS

ACTIONS »

The voidships included in this section represent a small sampling of the vessels roaming the Known Orbits. Most voidships fall into one of these four categories, albeit with a wide range of unique customizations, mods, and weapons.

ORD 12 (+1)

SEN 10 (+0)

PULSER CANNON: Ordnance Attack: +3 to hit, range (50/150), one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) energy damage.

SKIFF

Cutters are small, fighter-style voidships that excel in maneuverability at the cost of armor and weapons. Cutters are common among the fleets of lesser septs, as well as factions like the Consortium of the Rings, but are otherwise less useful for venturers due to a lack of cargo space.

Medium Voidship ARMOR CLASS: 14 HIT POINTS: 75 DAMAGE THRESHOLD: 10 ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 30 sprawls

Skiffs are personal voidships that can function with a single crewmember and an on-board specter. They are small, maneuverable, and relatively easy to maintain, with decent cargo space.

MAN 16 (+3)

Ketches are larger, freighter-like voidships that require more crew, but can also haul more cargo and passengers. Ketches are also typically better armed and armored than skiffs.

ORD 12 (+1)

SEN 12 (+1)

CREW: 2 PASSENGERS: 4 CARGO: 3 tons WEAPON SLOTS: 2

Haulers are huge, sluggish cargo ships designed to shuttle and protect valuable cargo. They are not as fast or maneuverable, but make up for it with heavier armor.

VOIDSHIP STATBLOCKS

ACTIONS

The statblocks presented in this chapter represent the basic, “stock” stats of each voidship class. When acquiring a voidship of your own, you can opt to swap out weapons and acquire components, at the GM’s discretion. Actions listed in these statblocks use a base proficiency bonus of +2. When calculating your bonuses for attack rolls aboard voidships, ensure you swap that base bonus out with your own proficiency bonus.

»

HEAVY REPEATER CANNON: Ordnance Attack: +3 to hit, range (40/120), one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) energy damage.

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H KETCH

SKRUG RAIDBOAT

ARMOR CLASS: 15 HIT POINTS: 120 DAMAGE THRESHOLD: 15 ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 4 SPEED: 25 sprawls

ARMOR CLASS: 14 HIT POINTS: 75 DAMAGE THRESHOLD: 10 ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 30 sprawls

Medium Voidship

MAN 14 (+2)

Medium Voidship

ORD 14 (+2)

SEN 12 (+1)

MAN 14 (+2)

CREW: 3 PASSENGERS: 8 CARGO: 10 tons WEAPON SLOTS: 4

CREW: 2 PASSENGERS: 6 CARGO: 2 tons WEAPON SLOTS: 2

ACTIONS

ACTIONS

ORD 14 (+2)

SEN 10 (+0)

»

PULSER CANNON: Ordnance Attack: +4 to hit, range (50/150), one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) energy damage.

»

PULSER CANNON: Ordnance Attack: +4 to hit, range (50/150), one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) energy damage.

»

TYRANT BEAM: Increase the voidship’s Astrafade by 1. The tyrant beam fires in a line that is 5 sprawls wide and 60 sprawls long. The pilot of a voidship in the affected area must make a DC 12 Maneuverability check, taking 14 (4d6) energy damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save.

»

CARBONIC HARPOON (RECHARGE 5–6): Ordnance Attack: +3 to hit, range (30/90), one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) piercing damage, and the pilot of the target voidship must succeed on a DC 12 Maneuverability check, or the target voidship becomes grappled. A critical hit scored with this weapon against a voidship punctures the voidship’s plating. The voidship gains the lowatmo and low-grav environment conditions.

HAULER

Large Voidship ARMOR CLASS: 16 HIT POINTS: 150 DAMAGE THRESHOLD: 15 ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 3 SPEED: 20 sprawls MAN 10 (+0)

ORD 14 (+2)

SEN 12 (+1)

CREW: 4 PASSENGERS: 16 CARGO: 100 tons WEAPON SLOTS: 3

ACTIONS »

PULSER CANNON: Ordnance Attack: +4 to hit, range (50/150), one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) energy damage.

»

HEAVY REPEATER CANNON: Ordnance Attack: +4 to hit, range (40/120), one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) energy damage.

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H VOIDSHIP ASTRA EFFECTS TABLES

ASTRAFADE TIER 3 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 5–6)

When your voidship exceeds its Astrafade, you must roll on the corresponding Voidship Astra Effects table. Each table represents a separate tier of Fade, increasing in severity of negative effects with each tier.

D10

Astra Effect

1

The ship’s systems attune with the astra fueling it perfectly – reduce the voidship’s current Astrafade by 2.

2

Mending astra binds portions of the ship together – the voidship regains 1d8 hit points.

3

The astra shocks the ship’s systems – reduce the voidship’s current Astrafade by 1, but it takes 1d6 energy damage and gains the stalled condition.

ASTRAFADE TIER 1 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 1–2) D6

Astra Effect

1

The voidship handles the flow of the astra – nothing unforeseen happens.

4

Systems spark – the voidship takes 1d8 energy damage.

2

Astra flows through the voidship, repairing minor damage – the vessel regains 1d4 hit points.

5

The strain of the astra is too much for the ship’s engines – the voidship gains the stalled condition.

3

The astra enhances your sensors – gain advantage on the voidship’s next attack roll or ability check.

6

Astra flows sluggishly through the ship, limiting agility – the next attack against your voidship has advantage.

4

Astra burns hot, overwhelming the ship’s engines – reduce your voidship’s movement speed by half until the start of its next turn.

7

Astra sizzles out of control, corroding matter – one ordnance weapon (GM’s choice) gains an item condition.

5

Astra surges through the ship, shorting its systems momentarily – your voidship gains the stalled condition.

8

Astra ruptures – the voidship takes 3d8 energy damage, and each creature aboard must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d8 energy damage.

6

Volatile astra erupts in a concussive burst – your voidship takes 1d6 energy damage.

9

Latent astra ignites – the voidship takes 1d6 fire damage and has disadvantage on Sensors checks until it docks.

ASTRAFADE TIER 2 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 3–4)

10

The astra flowing through the ship is too powerful to be contained – the voidship gains 2 Astrafade.

D8

Astra Effect

1

Your vessel’s void barriers shimmer with power. Your voidship’s AC increases by 1 until the start of its next turn

2

Astra surges through the weapons of your vessel – add 1d4 damage to the next attack a gunner makes with the voidship’s ordnance weapons.

3

Astra causes your ship to glow vibrantly in shifting, prismatic colors. You have disadvantage on Maneuverability checks made to use the Lurk action until you dock or land the voidship.

4

ASTRAFADE TIER 4 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 7+) D12

Astra Effect

1

The astra envelopes your vessel in a shield of luminescent armor – until the start of your next turn, your voidship has resistance to all damage.

2

Astra restores – your voidship regains 2d8 hit points.

3

Astra is drained from your ordnance – the next damage roll a gunner makes is halved.

Your voidship is surrounded with crackling energy – until the start of your next turn, your voidship has advantage on all ability checks and attack rolls.

4

Astra fuel vents – the voidship is a toxic environment.

5

The strain of the astra cripples the vessel – it gains the stalled condition.

5

The astra overwhelms the engines – your voidship has a movement speed of 0 until the start of its next turn.

6

Astra surges from the vessel in a wave – reduce the voidship’s current Astrafade by 1, but it gains the stalled condition.

6

Astra surges through your vessel – your voidship takes 2d8 energy damage and gains the stalled condition.

7

The voidship ruptures. It gains the low-atmo condition.

7

Wild spikes in astra energy make readings from sensors inaccurate – you have disadvantage on any Sensors checks until you dock or land the voidship.

8

The grav gens fail. The ship gains the low-grav condition.

9

The astra becomes caustic and corrosive – the voidship takes 2d8 acid damage and gains the stalled condition.

10

The unbridled force of astra overwhelms your vessel and the crew are powerless against it – the voidship immediately gains the listless condition.

11

Astra begins consuming the very shell of the ship, searing the outer armor – the voidship’s armor class is reduced by 2 until docked or landed.

12

A pilot or support must make a DC 10 Sensors check to reroute power and keep systems stable in the wake of a volatile surge of astra. On a failed save, the vessel explodes in a firestorm of searing red astra. Voidships within 20 sprawls of you take 2d8 energy damage.

8

Astra surges through the ship’s systems, pushing them far beyond their limit – the voidship takes 2d8 energy damage.

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CHAPTER 7: MAGIC

Mancers and other magic-wielding beings pull the cosmic radiation known as astra from the universe around them, manipulating the volatile energy to conjure effects commonly known as magic. But even skilled astra-wielders absorb small amounts of this dangerous radiation, leading to the detrimental and often unforeseen effects of Astrafade. Powerful mancers learn to offset these effects to an extent – but there is always danger in manipulating the energies of the void.

REDUCING ASTRAFADE

After you complete a long rest, you can reduce your total Astrafade by a number equal to your Astrafade Limit, to a minimum of 0.

EXCEEDING YOUR ASTRAFADE LIMIT

A creature that exceeds its Astrafade Limit immediately experiences the effects. These effects from excessive astra usage get deadlier and more unpredictable in scaling tiers. There are five Astrafade tiers, with a corresponding roll table for each one (with Astrafade tier 1 being the mildest, and Astrafade tier 5 being the deadliest). After casting a spell or using a feature, trait, or talent that increases your Astrafade beyond your Astrafade Limit, you must roll on the appropriate Astra Effects table. For example, if a mancer exceeds their Astrafade Limit by 1, they must roll on the Astra Effects table labeled Astrafade Tier 1, immediately applying the results.

The Harbinger RPG features a unique risk/reward magic system, wherein spells can be “boosted” with powerful addon effects to increase their utility or effectiveness.

ASTRAFADE Astrafade represents the fatigue and ill-effects that occur when utilizing astra to conjure spells and manipulate void energy. The class progression tables list your Astrafade Limit at 1st level and higher. To cast a spell, you must first increase your Astrafade by a number equal to the Astrafade of the spell. For instance, if you cast a spell with an Astrafade of 2, your total Astrafade increases by 2. If you exceed your Astrafade Limit, you must roll on the appropriate Astra Effects Table.

You may continue to cast spells and using features, traits, and talents while meeting or exceeding your Astrafade Limit, but doing so can be dangerous, leading to long term negative effects and even death. You roll once on the Astra Effects tables for each separate instance of exceeding your Astrafade Limit. If you cast a spell that exceeds your Astrafade Limit by 3, you do not roll three times – you roll once, because the Astrafade originates from a single source.

Your Astrafade Limit also dictates which spells mancers are able to know – you can only learn spells with an Astrafade equal to or less than your Astrafade Limit.

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H ADHESION

STACKING SPELL EFFECTS

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 1 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 15 feet DURATION: 1 hour (concetration)

Effects from separate castings of the same spell do not stack. For instance, you cannot cast spectral armor twice on the same creature to gain twice the bonus to their armor class. The most recent casting of the spell replaces and takes precedence over the former casting of the spell.

You cause two solid, inanimate objects that you can see within 15 feet of you to adhere to each other. At least one of the objects must be size Medium or smaller, and the objects must be no more than 10 feet apart from each other. The smaller of the two objects travels immediately in a straight line toward the larger. The objects can be pried apart with a successful Strength (Athletics) check, the DC of which is equal to your spell save DC. Otherwise, the objects remain firmly attached for the duration, as long as concentration is maintained. You may separate the objects by dismissing the spell as an action.

BOOSTS Each spell in Harbinger provides three possible boosts. Boosts are additional effects you can add to the spell at the cost of taking on additional Astrafade. These boosts can take a fairly minor spell and twist it into something incredibly powerful by adding effects such as increased range or damage, extra targets, and other additional benefits – however, these effects also push you closer to your limits of wielding the astra safely.

A creatures between the two objects when they adhere must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, the DC of which is equal to your Spell Save DC, or take 1d8 bludgeoning damage.

Each boost adds an Astrafade of 1 to the spell being cast. For instance, a mancer casting a spell with an Astrafade of 2 with two boosts would instead increase their Astrafade by 4 (the 2 Astrafade of the original spell, and 1 additional Astrafade for each boost).

BOOSTS

Boosts are applied during the initial casting of each spell. You decide which boosts to activate at the same time you declare the spellcasting.

»

You increase the duration to 3 hours.

»

At least one of the objects must be size Large or smaller, rather than Medium.

»

The objects must be within 30 feet of each other, rather than 10 feet.

ASTRA BOLT

CASTING A SPELL

Red Astra ASTRAFADE: 0 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 120 feet DURATION: Instantaneous

» Choose a spell you know and declare your intent to cast it. » Decide which boosts, if any, you will activate. » Cast the spell and apply its effects. » Add the Astrafade of the spell (including any boosts) to your Astrafade total.

You hurl a bolt of volatile astra energy toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target creature. On a hit, the target creature takes 1d8 energy damage.

» If your new Astrafade Total exceeds your Astrafade Limit, you must immediately roll on the appropriate Astra Effects Table.

BOOSTS

SPELLS

»

The damage increases to 2d8 energy damage.

Presented here, find a selection of spells for mancers and other spellcasting venturers to wield. Each spell includes its Astrafade, casting time, range, and duration. Each spell also provides three possible boosts, each of which increases the spell’s Astrafade by 1 if used.

»

The target becomes outlined in flickering astra, and the next attack against the creature has advantage.

»

You target up to three creatures within range, making a separate attack roll for each.

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H ASTRA GRASP

BOLSTER

Choose an object that you can see within range, and pull it 15 feet closer to you in a straight line. The object cannot weigh more than 10 pounds. If the object is held by a creature, they must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be disarmed – they drop the targeted object and it is pulled 15 feet closer to you.

You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target creature can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends.

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 bonus action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: Instantaneous

Blue Astra ASTRAFADE: 0 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: Touch DURATION: 1 minute (concentration)

BOOSTS

BOOSTS »

Target one additional object within range.

»

Pull the targeted object(s) an additional 15 feet.

»

Catch one object if you have a free hand.

»

The target creature can roll a d8 instead of a d4.

»

The target creature can instead roll the die and add the number rolled to one attack roll or saving throw of its choice.

»

You target up to three willing creatures.

ASTRA INFUSION

CHRONO BURN

You infuse your allies with blue astra, bolstering their fortitude. Choose up to three creatures within range that you can see. Each creature’s hit point maximum and current hit points increase by 10 for the duration.

You use astra to rapidly age an item, causing it to deteriorate and become worn. Choose a single weapon or suit of armor that you can see within range. The item immediately gains the worn condition. If the item is already worn, it becomes battered. If the item is already battered, it becomes broken.

Blue Astra ASTRAFADE: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: 6 hours

Red Astra ASTRAFADE: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: Instantaneous

BOOSTS »

Each creature’s hit point maximum and current hit points increase by 15 for the duration.

» »

BOOSTS »

You can target two objects within range.

Each creature has advantage on Constitution saving throws for the duration.

»

You deal 1d6 energy damage to each creature within a 5-foot square centered on the target object.

Each creature has advantage on their first death saving throw that occurs before the spell ends.

»

Each creature within a 10-foot square the target object must suceed on a saving throw, the DC of which is equal save DC, or become stunned until the next turn.

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centered on Constitution to your spell start of your

H EMBOLDENING PRESENCE

GRAV SHIFT

A wave of blue astra flows through you and nearby allies, bolstering their abilities. Choose up to three willing creatures within range. For the duration, as long as you maintain concentration, whenever an affected creature makes an attack roll or saving throw, they can roll a d6 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw.

You use your mastery of astra to manipulate gravity, moving nearby objects. For the duration of the spell, you can use an action to manipulate a single object within 30 feet of you. You can lift and move objects, open or close hatches, etc. You cannot lift more than 10 pounds using this spell, and you cannot use it to directly attack an enemy.

BOOSTS

BOOSTS

Blue Astra ASTRAFADE: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: 1 minute (concentration)

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 0 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: 1 minute

»

Each affected creature also adds 1 to their armor class for the duration.

»

You can lift an object weighing up to 30 pounds using this spell.

»

Each affected creature can roll a d8.

»

»

Each affected creature immediately reduces their Astrafade by 1.

You can lift up to three objects weighing up to the weight limit.

»

You can hurl one object – make a ranged spell attack against a single creature within 30 feet, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 pounds the object weighs.

ENERGY TENDRIL

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 bonus action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: Instantaneous

MASAHIRO’S REFUGE Green Astra ASTRAFADE: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: Self DURATION: 10 minutes

You lash out with a tendril of yellow astra, grabbing a creature and pulling them towards you. Choose a creature you can see within 30 feet. That creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be pulled 15 feet closer to you in a straight line. If the targeted creature is a willing ally, they can choose to automatically fail the saving throw.

A 10-foot-radius immobile sphere of green asta materializes around you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area. Six creatures of Medium size or smaller can fit inside the sphere with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than six creatures. Creatures and objects within the sphere when you cast this spell can move through it freely, but all other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can’t extend through the sphere or be cast through it.

BOOSTS »

You pull the creature an additional 15 feet.

»

If the creature fails their saving throw, they also gain the restrained condition with an escape DC equal to your spell save DC.

»

You choose two creatures instead of one.

The sphere also creates breathable air for the duration, ignoring the effects of a low-atmo environment. BOOSTS »

The duration increases to 30 minutes.

»

Creatures attempting to enter the sphere take 2d8 force damage and are pushed back 10 feet.

»

Creatures within the sphere gain the benefits of a short rest.

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H MIND PROBE

MALLEABLE MAGIC

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 1 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: Instantaneous

Despite its widespread use, astra and its effects remain nebulous and volatile. Mancers conjuring spells often experiment and improvise, bending the energies in new and unexpected ways. Players with magic-wielding characters can devise new boosts for their spells, and Game Masters should feel free to apply an additional Astra Fade cost to account for the new effect.

You reach out with yellow astra into the mind of a nearby creature. Choose a creature you can see within range.

Some additional boosts might include the following:

You immediately sense the most prominent emotion the creature is experiencing, whether it’s fear, hunger, sadness, joy, or anything in between. The creature must also make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you are able to probe deeper and can sense whatever thought is looming largest in the creature’s mind (something it worries over, a prominent memory, a buried secret). If it succeeds, it recognizes that you are probing its mind, and the spell has no further effect.

» Increasing the damage, duration, or range of a spell » Affecting an additional target with the spell » Imposing a condition on the target(s) of the spell » Adding an entirely new effect – get creative! A mancer may try to create a seal with spectral armor to survive in the void, disarm a creature with energy tendril, or teleport an additional creature using voidslip. Game Masters can allow new effects such as these, within reason, at the cost of additional Astrafade. Boosting spells and pushing the limits of magic should be equally risky and rewarding.

BOOSTS »

You have advantage on all Charisma checks with the creature for 1 hour.

»

If the creature fails its Wisdom saving throw, it also takes 1d6 psychic damage.

»

If the creature fails its saving throw, you can probe for a specific thought or memory.

MIND LINK

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 1 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: Touch DURATION: 1 hour (concentration)

PARTICLE WALL

Green Astra ASTRAFADE: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 60 feet DURATION: 1 minute (concentration)

You touch a nearby willing creature, and can communicate telepathically with it for the duration or until you dismiss the effect. Your communication is two-way, and completely undetectable. If the creature has an Intelligence of 4 or less, it cannot communicate with words, but can express emotions through the link.

You create a wall of transparent energy that blocks incoming projectiles and provides cover for allies. A 15-foot long spectral wall appears, beginning and ending at two points you choose within 60 feet of you. The wall is 3 feet high and 2 inches thick, composed of solid light. It provides half-cover to creatures standing on either side of it, or full cover if they are prone. The wall absorbs all incoming projectiles.

BOOSTS »

You can perceive through the creature’s senses for the duration.

»

You shield the creature’s mind, and it has advantage on Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws for the duration.

»

You can speak through the creature for the duration, making any necessary checks using your statistics at the GM’s discretion.

Any creatures in the line of the wall when it is created are pushed to either side of it (your choice). The wall exists for up to 1 minute if the caster maintains concentration. It disappears immediately at the end of the duration, or can be dismissed as an action. BOOSTS »

The wall lasts for 5 minutes, as long as concentration is maintained.

»

The wall is 30 feet long and 5 feet high, providing three-quarters cover to creatures standing on either side of it.

»

Projectiles from ranged attacks can pass through one side of the wall (your choice) and deal an additional 1d4 damage.

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H PLASMA BEAM

STATIC FIELD

A beam of superheated plasma issues from your outstretched palm. Each creature in a 30-foot line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 2d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

You conjure a column of crackling electrical energy. The column is a 10-foot radius, 30-foot-high cylinder centered on a point within range.

Red Astra ASTRAFADE: 1 CASTING TIME: 1 action Range: Self (30-foot line) Duration: Instantaneous

Red Astra ASTRAFADE: 3 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: 60 feet DURATION: 1 minute (concentration)

For the duration of the spell, as long as concentration is maintained, whenever a creature enters the spell’s area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, that creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

BOOSTS »

A creature takes 4d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

»

The affected area becomes a 30-foot cone.

»

Each creature who fails their Dexterity saving throw takes an additional 1d8 fire damage at the start of your next turn.

BOOSTS »

Each creature in the spell’s area takes 5d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

»

Each creatures in the spell’s area that fails their Dexterity saving throw becomes stunned for 1 round.

»

The spell’s area becomes heavily obscured, effectively blocking line of sight.

REVITALIZE

Blue Astra ASTRAFADE: 1 CASTING TIME: 1 bonus action RANGE: 30 feet DURATION: Instantaneous

TORCHLIGHT

A target creature that you can see within range regains hit points equal to 1d6 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.

Green Astra ASTRAFADE: 0 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: Touch DURATION: 1 hour

BOOSTS »

Each affected creature regains hit points equal to 2d6 plus your spellcasting ability modifier.

»

You can target up to two creatures within range.

»

Each affected creature reduces their Astrafade by 1.

You touch one object that weighs 10 pounds or less, imbuing it with glowing green astra, causing it to shed bright light in a 20-foot radius, and dim light for an additional 20 feet. You may dismiss this effect as an action.

SPECTRAL ARMOR Green Astra ASTRAFADE: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 action RANGE: Touch DURATION: 4 hours

BOOSTS

You touch a willing creature, and a protective armor of light surrounds them until the spell ends. The target’s armor class increases by 2 for the duration. The spell ends if you dismiss it as an action.

»

The radius of the bright light increases by 20 feet for the duration.

»

The spell’s range becomes 30 feet.

»

The light highlights nearby creatures, granting you advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight for the duration.

BOOSTS »

The creature’s armor class increases by 3 for the duration.

»

The next attack that hits the creature misses instead.

»

The creature gains resistance to one kind of damage for the duration (your choice): piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning.

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H TWITCH SHIELD

VOID PROJECTION

In response to an attack that hits you, you can create a spectral shield. You gain a +4 bonus to AC against the triggering attack.

You become one with astra, and project your disembodied consciousness across the Known Orbits. Choose a location you have visited before, provided it is not within the Harbinger. You instantly arrive there as an invisible, incorporeal presence, and can move freely for the duration as though you were physically present. You can move through mundane walls and other barriers, but not through magical barriers, such as those created by particle wall or Masahiro’s refuge. The material body you leave behind is unconscious for the duration of the spell.

Green Astra ASTRAFADE: 1 CASTING TIME: 1 reaction RANGE: Self DURATION: 1 round

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 4 CASTING TIME: 10 minutes RANGE: Self DURATION: 1 minute (concentration)

BOOSTS »

The AC bonus increases to +5.

»

The AC bonus persists until the start of your next turn.

»

In response to an attack that hits a creature within 10 feet of you, you can choose to target that creature, granting them the AC bonus.

The spell ends early if you use your action to dismiss it. If your physical body takes damage, you must make concentration checks as normal.

VOIDSLIP

Yellow Astra ASTRAFADE: 2 CASTING TIME: 1 bonus action RANGE: Self DURATION: Instantaneous

Creatures capable of sensing astra, such as kryslik, or mancers with the astra sense talent, can detect your presence and are aware of you, though they cannot physically interact with or harm you.

Choose an unoccupied space up to 20 feet away. You instantly teleport there.

Other creatures who cast this spell and appear in the same location can see and physically interact with each other. You can only make unarmed attacks in this form. Any damage dealt to you while in this state is dealt to your unconscious material body, and you must make concentration checks as normal.

BOOSTS

BOOSTS

You envelop yourself in the ethereal energies of astra, disappearing momentarily, only to reappear a short distance away.

»

Teleport an additional 20 feet.

»

»

Return to your original location at the end of your turn.

You can speak aloud for the duration of the spell, and creatures near your incorporeal form can hear you.

»

»

Disappear entirely for one round. At the beginning of your next turn, choose an unoccupied space within range of your original position and reappear there.

You can choose a location you have not visited before, but are familiar with, provided it is not within the Harbinger.

»

You can touch one object weighing no more than 5 pounds and return with it to your physical body when the spell ends.

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H ASTRA EFFECTS TABLES

ASTRAFADE TIER 3 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 5–6) D10

When exceeding your Astrafade Limit by casting spells or using features, traits, or talents, you must roll on the corresponding Astra Effects table. Each table represents a separate tier of Astrafade, increasing in severity of negative effects with each tier. Rolling on Astrafade Tier 1 may result in some minor negative effects, whereas rolling on Astrafade Tier 5 could potentially lead to death. While positive side effects of using astra do exist, these are rare. It’s far more likely that exceeding your Astrafade, especially by large amounts, will lead to catastrophic results for you and your allies. ASTRAFADE TIER 1 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 1–2) D6

Astra Effect

Astra Effect

1

You quiet the storm raging within you – reduce your current Astrafade by 1.

2

Your healing accelerates, stitching your wounds – regain 1d8 hit points.

3

The astra shocks your system – reduce your current Astrafade by 1, but you are stunned until the start of your next turn.

4

You receive a flash of a horrific past event – take 1d8 psychic damage.

5

The strain of the astra makes you sluggish – gain 1 level of exhaustion.

6

Astra deadens your reflexes – the next attack against you gains advantage.

1

You are able to maintain control of the astra – nothing unforeseen happens.

7

2

The astra stitches your wounds and mends your broken bones – regain 1d4 hit points.

Astra sizzles out of control, corroding matter – one weapon (GM’s choice) gains one damage condition.

8

Astra shocks your muscles into agonizing tension – take 3d8 energy damage.

3

Your reflexes slow – reduce your armor class by 1 until the start of your next turn.

9

Astra flares in a blinding flash – take 1d6 fire damage, and you are blinded until the start of your next turn.

4

Astra roots you to the floor – reduce your movement speed by half until the start of your next turn.

10

You lose control of the astra flowing through you – gain 2 Astrafade (do not roll again).

5

Astra brings you to the floor – you are knocked prone.

6

The rigors of astra take their toll – take 1d8 energy damage.

ASTRAFADE TIER 4 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 7–8)

ASTRAFADE TIER 2 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 3–4) D8

Astra Effect

D12

Astra Effect

1

Astra bolsters you to superhuman levels – treat your next successful weapon attack as a critical hit.

2

Your body is renewed by astra – regain 2d8 hit points.

1

You phase out of the visible spectrum – you are invisible until the start of your next turn.

3

Gravity warps itself around you – you are restrained until the start of your next turn and take 2d8 force damage.

2

The astra enhances your senses – gain advantage on your next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

4

Your body can’t handle this – gain 2 levels of exhaustion.

3

Astra grants you energy from within. The next attack with which you hit deals one additional damage die.

5

The astra flowing through you takes hold – you are paralyzed until the start of your next turn.

4

Astra drains your energy. You have disadvantage on your next attack roll.

6

You see ... beyond – take 2d8 psychic damage, and gain the frightened condition until the start of your next turn.

5

The strain of the astra makes you sluggish – gain 1 level of exhaustion.

7

Crimson lightning strikes – take 2d8 lightning damage, and you must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed until the start of your next turn.

6

Astra leaves you in a burst – reduce your current Astrafade by 1, but you are stunned until the start of your next turn.

8

Astra licks out, unrestrained – one weapon (GM’s choice) gains the broken condition.

7

Your blood pounds in your ears – you are deafened until the start of your next turn.

9

The astra within you becomes toxic – take 2d8 acid damage, and gain the poisoned condition.

8

Astra surges through your nerves at unparalleled speeds and potencies – take 2d8 energy damage.

10

You can no longer control this – you and each creature within 20 feet of you you must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 energy damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much on a successful one.

11

Astra consumes your form, burning your armor – your armor gains the battered condition.

12

Astra wracks your body, withering your fortitude. Roll a d12, and reduce your current and total hit points by the result. Your hit point maximum returns following a long rest.

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H ASTRAFADE TIER 4 (EXCEED LIMIT BY 9+) D20

Astra Effect

1

Astra envelopes you in glowing armor – until the start of your next turn, you have resistance to all damage.

D20 11

Choose one ally within 30 feet of you. They immediately take 3d8 energy damage and gain 2 Astrafade.

Astra Effect

2

Your eyes glow and you levitate off the floor. Until the start of your next turn, you have advantage on all attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.

12

Your armor and every weapon in your inventory immediately gains one damage condition.

3

The strain of the astra violently drains your vitality – gain 3 levels of exhaustion.

13

Astra takes its due, and you lose an arm – you can no longer hold things in two hands.

4

The power of the astra corrodes your equipment – one item you are carrying or holding (GM’s choice) immediately degrades by two damage conditions.

14

Astra withers your body – permanently reduce your Strength by 1.

5

The astra within you surges uncontrollably – gain 4 Astrafade (do not roll again).

15

Astra deadens your reflexes – permanently reduce your Dexterity by 1.

6

Astra within you erupts in a blast of freezing pain – you take 3d8 cold damage, and gain the paralyzed condition until the start of your next turn.

16

Astra shrivels your fortitude – permanently reduce your Constitution by 1.

7

You experience a powerful euphoria – you gain the charmed condition, and treat all enemies as though they are your allies until the start of your next turn.

17

Astra burns your mind – permanently reduce your Intelligence by 1.

8

The unbridled force of astra overwhelms you – you immediately fall unconscious.

18

Astra sears your memory – permanently reduce your Wisdom by 1.

9

You and each creature within 30 feet of you must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 4d8 energy damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

19

Astra scars your visage – permanently reduce your Charisma by 1.

10

Until you complete a long rest, you can no longer cast spells or use features, traits, or talents that require astra.

20

Immediately make a death saving throw. If you fail, you explode in a ball of searing red astra, dying immediately. Creatures within 20 feet of you take 2d8 energy damage.

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CHAPTER 8: THE KNOWN ORBITS

Bastion is orbited by an incalculable number of moons. Much of these Known Orbits have been discovered, cartographed, and even settled by grand cities and prolific septs, but still more remain untouched. Political schemes threaten the plans of lowly urban gangs on Tharkestra, astra miners risk life and limb on rogue rocks, and unanswered distress calls from distant moons screech of vicious ravoks over weak whisperlink connections. Adventure on the Orbits – both known and unknown – call for you. Will you answer?

ON APPROACH: Lightning and violent winds jolt and shake your voidship – strap in. »

Dust storms provide few opportunities for easy approach.

»

Splinter voidships follow you from a distance.

»

Scans reveal hundreds of centuries-old distress beacons.

ON THE SURFACE: Towering coral formations and frequent stretching canyons make travel on foot difficult without proper gear and attire.

Your voidship awaits.

DAGERAD

»

An incoming lightning storm sits off the horizon.

On the far-flung fringe of the Known Orbits hangs a meager moon of exiles – arid, scoured, and dotted with coral spires and tepid saltwater seas. Its days last mere hours. Once, glimmering oceans teemed with life, and its undersea cities boasted grand technology – but now Dagerad drifts alone, barren and forgotten by all but the least reputable in the Known Orbits.

»

Wild flora and fauna threaten your livelihood.

»

Levabiker raiders approach wielding scavenged gear and weapons.

IN ORBIT: The voidship interior glows with Dagerad’s crimson earth, dotted with vibrant, cyan formations, and green lakes with lifeless, salty white on their edges.

ATMO/GRAV: Normal/Normal

DAGERAD AT-A-GLANCE ORBIT: 3 hours per day; 2,378 days per year CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arid/Desert WEATHER: Dust storms, lightning, cyclones

»

The Skyhook orbits below, its massive shadow stretching across the moon.

»

Your whisperlink buzzes with advertisements for Skyhook taverns and cheap hangar rental. Piecemeal voidships hail you with illicit merchandise.

FACTIONS: The Splinter, Bloodskulls, Cult of the Fleeting Suns, various raider clans

»

Scans reveal signals from myriad factions below – most encrypted.

FAUNA: Skinks, makrochs, decapods, verberus, gaunts, barrowmechs, ravoks (rumored)

FEATURES: Coral, canyons, saltwater lakes, ruins

FLORA: Devil shrubs, rockweed, razorvine

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H PILLARS

LOCATIONS

FLEETING DAYS: A rapid rotation means Dagerad’s days last a mere three hours. This brief day/night cycle unnerves most and maddens others, with roving bands of violent cultists worshipping the Fleeting Suns. Dagerad’s natural predators – skinks, makroch, and decapods, to name a few – have adapted to cope, growing idle in the day and emerging to hunt at night.

KORZAAN: The most expansive of Dagerad’s lost subnautical cities, Korzaan once boasted a population of millions living under the prosperous gaze of the Hegemony. Thought buried long ago, rumors of its recent discovery draw venturers, raiders, and idealistic scholars in equal measure, hoping to unearth valuable secrets of the past. Gaunts roam its winding corridors, protecting a home lost eons ago.

CRIMINAL HIVES: Dagerad’s wide orbit carries it far from the dominion of the Sovereign and its vassal septs. Many exiles and outlaws seek refuge here, cloistering in small settlements or taking up with one of the myriad underground factions. Venturers from across the Known Orbits stand to earn considerable glint on Dagerad through mercenary work and black market transactions.

BROKEN FORGE: Rising up over the dunes and coral spires of Dagerad towers the Broken Forge, a massive Hegemonic installation split down its center. Many owe Dagerad’s vanished oceans, arid climate, and rapid rotation to this shattered, malfunctioning Forge. Cultists of the Fleeting Suns prophecize when one sun eclipses the other at the peak of Broken Forge, the oceans will rise once more and wash away the filth defiling the moon of Dagerad. For now, the Broken Forge serves as a haven for raiders, cultists, and brigands, frequently changing hands in their bloody struggle for shelter and territory.

SCATTERED SEAS: Once covered in water, Dagerad owes its arid climate and barren badlands to a malfunctioning Forge, a broken remnant from the days of the Hegemony. Forests of coral dot the landscape, and dunes obscure the bones of leviathan sea beasts and ruined subnautical cities. Saltwater lakes riddle the surface, the last vestiges of world-spanning oceans.

SKYHOOK: Drifting across the cloudless skies above Dagerad’s coral formations, the floating atmoport of Skyhook serves as a waystation for travelers. Housing a voidship hangar, taverns, lodging, and a small but robust bazaar dealing in unique and less-than-legal goods and services, Skyhook stands as the unofficial “capital city” of this meager moon, as well as the chief outpost of the Splinter.

LOST CITIES: Dagerad once housed wondrous subnautical cities of the Hegemony, the grandest of which was called Korzaan. Now, these cities lie in ruin, buried beneath sand and weathered by countless centuries. For those daring enough to comb these tombs, there are ancient treasures to be found. But other, more malicious entities roam the crumbling corridors and fallen towers of these lost cities, protecting a home lost eons ago – and uttering the whispers of those long-dead.

HOLLOWSPIRE: Within a spiraling tower of coral, the hardscrabble people of Hollowspire eke out a simple living, hunting makroch and cultivating rockweed for sustenance. Many in Hollowspire are exiles, outlaws living out the rest of their days on the edge of the Known Orbits. Few speak of the past, preferring instead to cling to the future, however meager. Distrusting of outsiders, Hollowspire outfits its people with spears, slingers, and the occasional scavenged pulser to defend their towering settlement from raiders.

BLOODSKULL RAIDERS: Roaming the wastes of Dagerad aboard armored levasleds, the notorious Bloodskull raider clan preys upon unwary travelers. Led by Sharn Redpalm, a former oathsworn of Sept Grimarr, the Bloodskulls are a cunning and cutthroat band, cresting their heads with their namesake blood-red tattoos. Just as content undertaking mercenary work as they are to raid indiscriminately, the Bloodskulls maintain a tenuous relationship with Dagerad’s various criminal factions, particularly the Splinter.

ALTROS: Once, aquatic leviathans ruled Dagerad’s sprawling seas, not unlike the golianars of the void above. Only ancient bones remain, bleached beneath twin suns. Within the looming ribcage of such a beast live the people of Altros – scavengers, tinkerers, and rogue mechanists specializing in tools and weapons of bone and hide. Often crafting weapons and armor for the raider clans roaming Dagerad’s dunes, Altros finds safety in its neutrality to the brief and bloody conflicts raging across the moon’s surface, preferring instead to arm both sides and plunder the dead for materials after the dust clears.

THE SPLINTER: No sept controls Dagerad – instead, the shadowy criminal faction known as the Splinter rules. With rumored (but frequently denied) connections to Sept Larkin, the Splinter is in actuality dozens of loosely networked criminal syndicates, mercenary bands, and underground markets, all operating autonomously beneath the same banner and owing fealty to Dagerad’s resident crime lord, Krahvan. Though housed here on Dagerad, the Splinter maintains a presence on many fringe moons, including Karr.

BLISK: The sedentary don’t live long on Dagerad – so Blisk never rests. A city on the move, Blisk is a tent settlement, nomadic and nimble. Ranging across Dagerad on the backs of makrochs and cobbled-together levasleds, the people of Blisk can set up or take down in under an hour, staying one step ahead of both raiding clans and dust storms. Surviving through trade, the people of Blisk welcome outsiders, relying on a pair of pulser turrets mounted to the back of makrochs to defend themselves against more malevolent visitors.

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H FIGURES

MISSIONS

TORVAN: The broad and burly forgeborn barkeep at Skyhook’s Last Moon Cantina speaks seldom, but carries great wisdom belied by his brutish appearance. With bronzed skin lined with scars and a faded tattoo bearing two crossed blades, many theorize Torvan served eons ago in the legions of the Hegemony. Despite his simple calling tending bar, Torvan recalls those bygone days and speaks of them in hushed whispers to those worthy of his trust. Torvan’s husband, a Dagerad native called Fesh, brews the strange but delightful brews served in Last Moon.

BOUND BY BLOOD: Kira fears for her brother, Lorn, who recently took up with the Bloodskull clan out of desperation. Young, misguided, but kind at heart, Lorn won’t last long in the violent ranks of the Bloodskulls, Kira claims. She lacks the means to go after him herself but scrounges up a little glint and an old family pulser pistol to pay a venturer to retrieve Lorn from a nearby Bloodskull outpost. VOIDSHIP DOWN: A heavily damaged voidship burns across the cloudless Dagerad sky, crashing just over the horizon. Mercs, raiders, and worse race for the wreckage in the hopes of scavenging the downed vessel and its cargo. But the voidship’s strange contents include a beast of the Harbinger (kryslik), and now it hunts the dunes for sustenance.

FALEN: A fixture of Dagerad’s criminal havens, Falen’s glimmering voidborn eyes flit here and there, wary of any who draw too close. Knowledgeable of routes through the coral forests and the dangers therein, Falen offers their pathfinding services to any with enough glint, and between excursions can usually be found in one of Skyhook’s many bars. The pulser rifle slung across their back carries a strange and violent history stretching back centuries, though Falen prefers to let the weapon itself do the talking in most situations.

WAR FOR DAGERAD: Krahvan, the apparent leader of the Splinter, tires of Sharn Redpalm and her Bloodskulls. The raiders attack countless merchant caravans, killing Splinter enforcers by the dozens and dwindling Krahvan’s supply of drugs and weapons. With hired-help in short supply, Krahvan turns to mercenaries to bring down Sharn. Simultaneously, Sharn recruits new raiders and acquires a voidship to take her conquest to Dagerad’s skies. Tensions simmer, and whispers of war on Dagerad bring soldiers-of-fortune from across the Known Orbits, seeking glint and glory with both sides of the conflict.

SHARN REDPALM: From the back of her armored levabike, Sharn leads the feared Bloodskull raider clan. Sharn came to Dagerad after a decade as a sept enforcer on Arganas. She fell in with the Bloodskulls, climbing their ranks and earning the moniker “Redpalm” after bloodying her hands in a dozen skirmishes with rival clans. Fierce and reckless, yet undeniably cunning, Sharn combines ferocity with strategy to entrench the Bloodskulls in an unshakable position of power, rivaling even the Splinter on Dagerad.

CARGO ESCORT: The Splinter needs to get vital supplies to a faraway scouting party whose cache was recently raided by Fleeting Sun cultists. They’ll reward you with upgrades to your voidship, but the trip isn’t simple. The sky cracks with perilous lightning, and the ground is plagued with cultist levabikers.

KRAHVAN: Few know the origin of Krahvan – and fewer still live to speak of it. Tall, lean, and sharply dressed with glowing voidborn eyes, Krahvan holds himself as a man of noble bearing and significant means, even if neither holds truth. As the apparent leader of the Splinter, Krahvan oversees the criminal faction’s dealings on Dagerad and elsewhere, coordinating the various mercenaries and merchants serving his interests. Surrounding himself with armed enforcers at all times, Krahvan is a hard man to pin down – though he makes time to speak to those with skills he deems useful.

KORZAAN EXPEDITION: Long has a particular distress call been broadcasted from the heart of Korzaan. While it’s well-known that gaining access to the lost subnautical city is extremely difficult, it’s possible to find easier entry using the signal’s embedded navigational information. Gaunts defend the labyrinth from intruders, and something horrifying awaits in the chamber where the source of the beacon emanates. THE NEW SEPT: Hadron’s Dream was once a simple gang of levabikers native to Dagerad, but now has grown into a large tribe inhabiting the settlement of Rampart. Representative Kennur has been leader of the Dream for a short time, but has visions of taking it to the rest of the Known Orbits as Sept Hadron – all they need is someone with off-world contacts, and you fit that bill. Establish an embassy for Hadron aboard the Skyhook, and head to another moon to negotiate a trade deals to further legitimize the new sept.

TALIPSON: Many merchants hawk their wares in the markets of Dagerad, but none boast the unique and macabre trinkets of Talipson. Weathered, scarred, and bearing several necrograft enhancements, Talipson specializes in the belongings of the dead – pulsers wielded by unlucky mercenaries, amulets worn by wayward nobles, necrograft eyes yanked from the skull of a scout’s corpse. Each item carries a story, and Talipson maintains an inscrutable record on her trusty glancer. In the Known Orbits, every item has a history, and Talipson fancies herself the best historian in the business. She pays handsomely in both glint and favors for items pulled from corpses – the more interesting the demise, the better.

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H DAGERAD RUMORS D6

DAGERAD SCENES

Rumor

D6

1

A massive albino decapod roams the badlands outside of Hollowspire, consuming any who dare cross its path. Countless hunters have perished in pursuit.

2

A voidship bearing Alzareen banners recently offloaded dozens of sealed crates at Skyhook. Whispers of a new astra-based hallucinogen spread across Dagerad, and some already report frightening tales of the substance’s ill effects.

3

A rogue barrowmech roves the Dagerad wastes, armed with a pulser rifle and hunting humans for sport. Few encounter the mechanical assassin and live, but stories persist of its masterful ambushes and impossible longrange rifle shots.

4

Fleeting Sun cultists have pieced together a massive voidship and filled it with volatile explosives of astra. Their target? The Skyhook.

5

The position of both the Harbinger and Bastion ensure an upcoming eclipse, threatening to plummet Dagerad into darkness for months. Anarchy is sure to ensue, to the Splinter readies an armed occupying force.

6

Sept Grimarr sees Dagerad as a stain on Bastion – a terrible refuge for the worst sort of criminals. They’re making their way here with a small fleet of voidships and a well-armed ground team to capture the most infamous fugitives of the Known Orbits.

Scene

1

A column of black smoke rises from a downed voidship bearing sept markings.

2

A herd of makrochs emerge at sundown to traverse the dunes.

3

The sound of droning levabikes emanates from over the hillside.

4

Thunder sounds, and low clouds begin to spiral into funnels.

5

The Skyhook extends its shadow over the ground, blocking out the Sun.

6

Beautifully blue coral structures dot the horizon, and a reflective glint catches your eye.

RUINS OF DAGERAD D6

Structure

Description

1

Teetering spire

Emerging from a dune

2

Sunken amphitheater

Covered with coral

3

Collapsed dome

Halfway submerged into a salt lake

4

Winding tunnels

Inside a deep and treacherous canyon

5

Soaring arches

Concealed by well-placed camouflage

6

Crumbling settlement

Recently evacuated

2

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H MOON GENERATOR

D8

Use the Moon Generator tables to quickly roll up a unique moon to discover and explore. What dangers and opportunities await on the moon’s surface? Which septs or factions hold sway? Find out together. D4

Size

D4

Orbit

1

Asteroid

1

Close

2

Moonlet

2

Central

3

Standard

3

Distant

4

Colossal

4

Remote

D4

Rotation

Ancient ruins

2

Abundant minerals

3

Subterranean structures

4

Downed voidships

5

Towering Forges

6

Drifting atmoports

7

Acidic water

8

Roll twice, ignoring rolls of 8

D8

1

Short – less than 10 hours

2

Moderate – around 24 hours

3

Long – more than 48 hours

4

Prolonged – a week or more

Features

1

Status

1

Ruled by the septs

2

Controlled by raiders

3

Commoners govern by councils

4

Home base of a militant faction

5

Religious fanatics maintain temples

D6

Biome

6

Septsworn nobles manage tracks of land

1

Forest

7

Lawless

2

Tundra

8

Roll twice, ignoring rolls of 8

3

Desert

4

Plains

5

Swamp

6

Roll twice, ignoring rolls of 6

D4

Weather

D8

D4

Life

1

Mild

1

Barren

2

Temperate

2

Sparse

3

Harsh

3

Moderate

4

Extreme

4

Abundant

D8

Terrain

1

Sprawling plateaus

2

Winding rivers or riverbeds

3

Deep canyons

4

Numerous seas

5

High peaks

6

Low valleys

7

Crumbling badlands

8

Roll twice, ignoring rolls of 8

Dangers

1

Strange beasts lair here

2

Old war machines still function

3

Volcanic activity

4

Abundant astra radiation

5

Frequent voidship patrols

6

Skrug raiding parties recently established outpost

7

A ravok is rumored to dwell here

8

Roll twice, ignoring rolls of 8

D8

Opportunities

1

Mercenary guild hiring freelancers

2

Sept reps promise glint for work

3

Downed voidship with good tech

4

Aurichalcum veins ripe for mining

5

Bustling miasma trade looking for smugglers

6

Reputable hangar installing voidship components

7

Noted mechanist with mods to sell

8

Exiled mancer with buried knowledge

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CHAPTER 9: CREATURES

The moons of Bastion boast a wide array of life both mundane and wondrous – from the majestic bygul of Arganas, to the endangered krehawks of Verloren, to the insidious residua growing in voidship engine rooms. Now, with the arrival of the Harbinger, hordes of nightmarish creatures spill into the Known Orbits: the warlike fungal skrug, the astra-feeding kryslik, the space-dwelling arachnid fadeweavers, and many others. Discover lore and game statistics for these and other creatures here.

Barrowmechs serve a wide variety of functions across the Known Orbits, from unskilled labor, to administration and logistics, to combat and everything in between. Though common on some moons and within certain factions, barrowmechs, along with their cousins the specters, remain a controversial creation of the necrotechnicians.

BARROWMECH LOADER

The most commonly encountered barrowmech model, the loader is a workhorse, capable of lifting and hauling loads of immense weight. Loaders primarily see use aboard atmoports and Ring outposts, serving as deckhands aboard haulers, or on moons where agriculture and industry hold sway, such as Tharkestra and Ozen.

USING MONSTERS FROM OTHER SOURCES

The creatures presented here represent only a small sampling of the myriad monsters dwelling on Bastion’s many moons and the void between them. When pulling statistics for a monster from another 5e-compatible source, the only necessary modification is to assign an Astrafade Limit. As a general rule of thumb, a creature’s Astrafade Limit is a number equal to half the creature’s challenge rating, rounded down, to a minimum of 1.

BARROWMECH SENTINEL

Outfitted with blades and pulser weapons, barrowmech sentinels continue to grow in prevalence among septs and wealthy factions, who utilize the drone soldiers as bodyguards, enforcers, and frontline troops. Sept Wyloth boasts the largest force of sentinels in the Known Orbits.

BARROWMECH CENTURION

Towering, armed with a waraxe and a heavy repeater cannon, the barrowmech centurion pushes the boundaries of what necrotech constructs are capable. A recent innovation by Sept Ruldo necrotechnicians, the centurion is plated with ironbone, granting it incredible resilience even against pulser weapons and spells. The creation of this behemoth has spurred Ruldo’s rivals – chiefly Grimarr and Larkin – to prioritize development of their own barrowmech variants. What will emerge from this necrotech arms race remains a mystery – for now.

BARROWMECH Barrowmechs are necrotech constructs – beings of metal, powered by astra, infused with the souls of the dead. Specialized mechanists called necrotechnicians utilize a profane process to create complex machine brains from the dead, stripped of their former personality and sense of self but retaining their ability to process and problem-solve.

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H Less concerned with webs and tunnel-digging, vigils protect the gyne and their eggs, and attack trespassers inside the colony without hesitation. Occasionally, a vigil will strike out on its own, floating across the void to scout for food and resources, or potentially establish new colonies.

BYGUL Byguls are massive lupine creatures with backswept horns cresting maned heads. They stalk the frostbitten tundra of Arganas alone or in pairs, eschewing packs due to lack of ample prey. When food is scarce, byguls subsist on ambient astra, absorbing the radiation through their horns. The lone bygul, cycloptic eye and horns aglow with astra, has spawned many legends and ghost stories among the warrior clans of Arganas, many of whom fashion their helms with a single viewport, evoking the cycloptic visage of the beast. Legendary warriors of Sept Grimarr, including Warcaller Ronja Grimarr, were said to ride byguls into battle, though many take this to be myth, as byguls are notoriously impossible to train.

GAUNT Gaunts are humanoid corpses given new, profane life by latent astra. Gaunts might rise from the remains of humans bled dry by kryslik, or in areas of extreme astra energy (such as inside the Harbinger, or on the surface of the shattered moon of Verloren). The eyes and veins of gaunts glow vividly with astra, and smoky tendrils of the energy spiral from their mouths in a kind of strange breathing. They possess a keen affinity for the energy that fuels them, and can manipulate astra in themselves and other creatures. Most feared among the gaunts are the boneblades, whose skeletons have expanded to enshroud them in a macabre protective carapace and arm them with wicked blades of bone.

The bygul is best known outside of Arganas for its hide, used prevalently to stitch armor that is light, durable, and protective. Byguls are infamously difficult to kill, as their astra-infused hides often redirect pulser blasts.

FADEWEAVER Throughout the Known Orbits, venturers speak in fearful whispers of the fadeweavers – massive, void-dwelling arachnids who emerged from the Harbinger, and whose metal-infused webbing boasts strength enough to ensnare even golianars and voidships. Building colonies within asteroids, derelicts, even moonlets, fadeweavers follow the whims of a gyne, the progenitor of all fadeweavers in that colony. A fadeweaver gyne reproduces asexually, creating hundreds – potentially thousands – of drones to serve the colony. Drones who survive into maturity undergo metamorphosis, allowing them to evolve into vigils.

KRELHAWK

Fadeweavers consume metallic elements, as well as concentrated astra – the former coats their webs and armored carapaces, while the latter sustains and empowers them, and allows the gyne to continue producing drones. Their preferred diet makes voidships particularly enticing prey, leading the fadeweavers to construct massive webs capable of stopping even a hauler-class voidship in its path. Fadeweavers care little for the humans inside these vessels, but happily dispose of them should they prove uncooperative in the dismantling of their voidship.

KRYSLIK

Native to the forested moon of Verloren, the brilliantly hued, reptilian krelhawk navigates the dense canopy of the wilds with keen eyes and bladed wings. Razor sharp bones protrude from the krelhawk’s wingtips, useful in clearing paths through tangled branches and vines, as well as defending itself from larger predators. A clever and cunning skyborne hunter, the krelhawk is also a common companion for the treaders of Sept Inuwa. Since the destruction of Verloren, these fierce beasts are all but extinct.

Horrifying, eldritch abominations spawned by one of the ancient, malignant presences deep within the bowels of the Harbinger, kryslik are predatory, tentacled monsters that feed on astra. They appear as a bestial mingling of spider, crustacean, and squid, with a cluster of multi-jointed limbs carrying bulbous, tentacled heads. While dormant, kryslik gather in tight clusters on walls and ceilings and compact themselves within their hardened carapaces, absorbing small amounts of latent astra radiation from the air to sustain themselves. They can remain dormant like this seemingly indefinitely. Once they detect a creature capable of channeling astra, kryslik awaken, and wait in ambush for their prey.

FADEWEAVER DRONE

Though small relative to sentinels and gynes, fadeweaver drones remain massive arachnid creatures, standing taller than most humans and with limbs spanning a dozen feet or more. Drones maintain the colony, digging tunnels, spinning webs, tending to eggs, and – when prey is caught – processing the resources. Though suited more for labor than combat, a fadeweaver drone still presents a deadly threat.

A kryslik’s preferred method of killing involves trapping its prey with its long, prehensile tentacles, and forcing astra into its veins. Once the creature is weakened and burdened with astra, the kryslik feeds, draining it of its now astra-laden fluids.

FADEWEAVER VIGIL

Emerging from metamorpho crystallises after reaching maturity, fadeweaver vigils are larger and fiercer than their drone underlings. Vigils boast an armored carapace and an extra pair of forelegs, which end in wicked, scythe-like blades.

Once it has fed, a kryslik once again enters its dormant state, patiently awaiting future prey.

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H RESIDUA

HUNTER

Found growing inside voidship engine rooms, along the walls of the Harbinger, and other locations where residual astra manifests. If cleaned often, residua are a miniscule threat. However, when given months or even years to spread, abandoned voidship are transformed into slime-infested tombs whose derelict rooms, passages, and cargo containers unleash an unimaginable spawn of sentient oozes and their toxic spores.

TURGE

Hunters stand a head shorter than brutes, but possess keen senses and lean muscles, and specialize in tracking and assassinating prey with deadly efficiency. Hunters often decorate their armor with the skulls of their kills, which eventually integrate into their fungal bodies to create a macabre tapestry of bone and flesh.

The skrug turge are leaders among their lessers, rarely seen among common warbands. Capable of bending astra much like human mancers, turge represent a significant threat when encountered. The fungal forms of the turge are twisted and malformed, rotting from within, seemingly from prolonged astra use. Though they are physically frail compared to lesser skrug, their command of magic affords them great respect among their inferiors.

SKRUG Among the first twisted creatures to emerge from the bowels of the Harbinger, the skrug are a bestial, aggressive species of fungal, ape-like humanoids. A typical skrug boasts three eyes and multiple forelimbs, and stands anywhere from four to ten feet tall. Most skrug are capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal movement.

BEHEMOTH

Incapable of creating tech of their own, skrug instead raid and scavenge. Their strange, fungal physiology allows them to seamlessly integrate tech into their own bodies, with arms shaping themselves to grow in and around blades and pulsers, armored plates fused with their malleable skeletal structure, even limbs and organs replaced with barrowmech components.

Skrug behemoths are monstrous creatures of rage and violence. Larger even than brutes, behemoths sport tusks and thick, gnarled hides which regenerate minor wounds almost instantly. Behemoths eschew weapons for sheer, bare-handed brutality. It is not uncommon for a turge or high-ranking brute to use a behemoth as an armored mount, charging into battle atop the raging beast.

Because their vital organs are distributed throughout their body, skrug are notoriously difficult to put down by conventional means, even regenerating themselves from a single intact body part and surviving in the vacuum of the void for long periods of time.

VERBERUS Natives of the far-flung moon of Dagerad, verberus are squat, reptilian creatures resembling hounds. Their mottled, scaled flesh protects them from both predators and the unfettered sun, while the boney frill cresting their skulls allows them to communicate over great distances. Verberus are natural pack hunters. The main pack moves nomadically across the blasted landscape of Dagerad while hunters lure skinks and other prey back to the pack, and scouts issue warnings with their skull crests when danger lurks nearby.

Skrug are a wildly varied species, with each filling a specific role based on their size and skills, leading some to theorize that skrug were engineered for a purpose, much like the forgeborn of the Known Orbits. The most commonly encountered skrug subtypes are detailed below.

SKRUG CRAWLER

Verberus are notable in that they live symbiotically with humans, often trailing raider clans to scavenge for food and water. Over the centuries, humans have taken to domesticating verberus, and they’re a common sight even as far as the Rings. Not only are verberus capable predators, but they’re also fiercely loyal and protective, making them ideal companions for treaders.

These lean, lithe skrug move about on all fours with uncanny agility. Crawlers are vicious grunts, primarily utilized as scouts, ambushers, and assassins. When skrug board a voidship, it is often crawlers leading the charge through the breach.

SKRUG BRUTE

Brutes stand a head taller than most humans, and boast heavy weapons and boarding shields fused with their fungal flesh. Brutes are immensely strong, and favor melee weapons and close-range pulsers like scatterguns. Brutes serve as foot soldiers, making up the bulk of a typical skrug raiding party. They are also commonly seen commanding squads of crawlers.

80 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H BARROWMECH LOADER

BARROWMECH CENTURION

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 33 (6d8 + 6) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 30 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 18 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 65 (10d10 + 10) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 3 SPEED: 30 feet

Medium Construct

STR 16 (+3)

DEX 11 (+0)

CON 13 (+1)

INT 4 (-3)

Large Construct

WIS 5 (-3)

CHA 4 (-3)

STR 18 (+4)

DEX 10 (+0)

CON 13 (+1)

INT 4 (-3)

WIS 5 (-3)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned SENSES: Passive Perception 7 CHALLENGE: 1 (200 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +3 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned SENSES: Passive Perception 7 CHALLENGE: 5 (1,800 XP)

ACTIONS

ACTIONS

CHA 4 (-3)

»

MULTIATTACK: The barrowmech can make two slam attacks.

»

MULTIATTACK: The barrowmech can make two waraxe attacks.

»

SLAM: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.

»

WARAXE: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.

»

HEAVY REPEATER ARM (RECHARGE 5-6): The barrowmech chooses a 10-foot cube area within 60 feet that it can see. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 9 (2d8) energy damage.

BARROWMECH SENTINEL Medium Construct

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 33 (6d8 + 6) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 30 feet STR 15 (+2)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 13 (+1)

INT 4 (-3)

WIS 7 (-2)

CHA 4 (-3)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned SENSES: Passive Perception 9 CHALLENGE: 1 (200 XP)

ACTIONS »

FOLDOUT BLADE: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.

»

PULSER ARM: Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 40/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) energy damage.

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H BYGUL

FADEWEAVER DRONE

ARMOR CLASS: 15 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 37 (5d10 + 10) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 50 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 14 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 32 (5d8 + 10) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 40 feet, climb 40 feet

Large Beast

STR 18 (+4)

Medium Beast

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 15 (+2)

INT 3 (-4)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 8 (-1)

STR 18 (+4)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 14 (+2)

INT 2 (-4)

WIS 12 (+1)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 DAMAGE RESISTANCE: Energy SKILLS: Perception +4, Stealth +5 SENSES: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 14 CHALLENGE: 2 (450 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Perception +3, Stealth +6 SENSES: Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13 CHALLENGE: 1 (200 XP)

TRAITS

TRAITS

»

»

CHA 4 (-3)

POUNCE: If the bygul moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the bygul can make one bite attack against it as a bonus action.

»

SPIDER CLIMB: The fadeweaver can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

»

WEB SENSE: While in contact with a web, the fadeweaver knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

KEEN HEARING AND SMELL: The bygul has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

»

WEB WALKER: The fadeweaver ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

ACTIONS

ACTIONS »

MULTIATTACK: The bygul can make one attack with its claws and one with its bite.

»

CLAW: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage.

»

BITE: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.

»

BITE: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.

»

ASTRA WEB (RECHARGE 5–6): Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. At the start of each of their turns, an affected creature must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, or increase their Astrafade by 1. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 14; hp 10; immunity to bludgeoning, energy, poison, and psychic damage).

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H FADEWEAVER VIGIL

GAUNT RISEN

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 60 (8d10 + 16) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 40 feet, climb 40 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 13 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 13 (2d8 + 4) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 4 SPEED: 35 feet

Large Beast

STR 18 (+4)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 15 (+2)

Medium Undead

INT 2 (-4)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 4 (-3)

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 13 (+1)

CON 15 (+2)

INT 6 (-2)

WIS 8 (-1)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Perception +5 SENSES: Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15 CHALLENGE: 3 (700 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Exhaustion, Poisoned SENSES: Passive Perception 9 CHALLENGE: 1/4 (50 XP)

TRAITS

TRAITS

»

LEAP: If the fadeweaver moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits them with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the fadeweaver can make one bite attack against them as a bonus action.

»

SPIDER CLIMB: The fadeweaver can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

»

WEB SENSE: While in contact with a web, the fadeweaver knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web.

»

WEB WALKER: The fadeweaver ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing.

»

ASTRA REGENERATION: At the start of its turn, the gaunt regains a number of hit points equal to its current Astrafade.

»

ASTRA SCENT: The gaunt has advantage on Perception checks made to detect creatures with an Astrafade of 1 or higher.

»

ASTRA SURGE: As a bonus action, the gaunt can increase its Astrafade by 1. Until the start of its next turn, its claws attacks deal an additional 2 (1d4) energy damage.

ACTIONS »

CLAWS: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.

ACTIONS »

BITE: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.

»

CLAW: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.

CHA 6 (-2)

83 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H GAUNT CHANNELER

GAUNT BONEBLADE

ARMOR CLASS: 14 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 45 (6d8 + 18) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 5 SPEED: 35 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 60 (8d8 + 24) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 4 SPEED: 35 feet

Medium Undead

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 16 (+3)

Medium Undead

INT 6 (-2)

WIS 8 (-1)

CHA 6 (-2)

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 6 (-2)

WIS 8 (-1)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Exhaustion, Poisoned SENSES: Passive Perception 9 CHALLENGE: 1 (200 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 DAMAGE IMMUNITIES: Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Exhaustion, Poisoned SENSES: Passive Perception 9 CHALLENGE: 3 (700 XP)

TRAITS

TRAITS

CHA 6 (-2)

»

ASTRA REGENERATION: At the start of its turn, the gaunt regains a number of hit points equal to its current Astrafade.

»

ASTRA REGENERATION: At the start of its turn, the gaunt regains a number of hit points equal to its current Astrafade.

»

ASTRA SCENT: The gaunt has advantage on Perception checks made to detect creatures with an Astrafade of 1 or higher.

»

ASTRA SCENT: The gaunt has advantage on Perception checks made to detect creatures with an Astrafade of 1 or higher.

»

ASTRA SURGE: As a bonus action, the gaunt can increase its Astrafade by 1. Until the start of its next turn, its claws attacks deal an additional 2 (1d4) energy damage.

»

ASTRA SURGE: As a bonus action, the gaunt can increase its Astrafade by 1. Until the start of its next turn, its boneblade attacks deal an additional 3 (1d6) energy damage.

ACTIONS

ACTIONS

»

CLAWS: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.

»

MULTIATTACK: The gaunt makes two attacks with its boneblade.

»

CHANNEL (RECHARGE 5-6): The gaunt manipulates the astra around a creature it can see within 30 feet of it. The target creature must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 4 (1d8) energy damage and increase its Astrafade by 1.

»

BONEBLADE: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.

»

BONE SHARDS: Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 feet, one target. Hit 7 (2d4 +2) slashing damage.

84 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H KRELHAWK

KRYSLIK

ARMOR CLASS: 13 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 7 (2d6) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 1 SPEED: 10 feet, fly 60 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 85 (10d10 + 30) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 6 SPEED: 30 feet, climb 30 feet

Small Beast

STR 6 (-2)

DEX 16 (+3)

Large Aberration

CON 10 (+0)

INT 3 (-4)

WIS 15 (+2)

CHA 5 (-3)

STR 18 (+4)

DEX 12 (+1)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 5 (-3)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Perception +4 SENSES: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 14 CHALLENGE: 1/4 (50 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Perception +3, Stealth +3 SENSES: Passive Perception 13 CHALLENGE: 4 (1,100 XP)

TRAITS

TRAITS

»

FLYBY: The krelhawk doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack when it flies out of an enemy’s reach.

»

KEEN SIGHT: The krelhawk has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

»

WIS 12 (+1)

CHA 5 (-3)

ASTRA SCENT: The kryslik has advantage on Perception checks made to detect creatures with an Astrafade of 1 or higher.

ACTIONS ACTIONS »

WINGBLADE: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

VERBERUS

»

MULTIATTACK: The kryslik makes one attack with its leg blades and one attack with its tentacles.

»

LEG BLADES: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.

»

TENTACLES: Melee Weapon Attack +6, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is a Large creature or smaller. The kryslik can only grapple one creature at a time.

»

ASTRA FEED: As an action, the kryslik can increase the Astrafade of a creature it is grappling by 4. If, at the beginning of the kryslik’s turn, the grappled creature is meeting or exceeding its Astrafade Limit, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to its current Astrafade. This reduction lasts until the affected creature finishes a long rest. The creature dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Medium Beast

ARMOR CLASS: 14 (natural armor) HIT POINTS: 11 (2d8 + 2) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 1 SPEED: 40 feet STR 12 (+1)

DEX 15 (+2)

CON 12 (+1)

INT 3 (-4)

WIS 12 (+1)

CHA 6 (-2)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Perception +3, Stealth +4 SENSES: Passive Perception 13 CHALLENGE: 1/4 (50 XP)

TRAITS »

PACK TACTICS: The verberus has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the verberus’ allies is within 5 feet of the creature and that ally isn’t incapacitated.

ACTIONS »

BITE: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage.

85 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H RESIDUA

SKRUG CRAWLER

ARMOR CLASS: 8 HIT POINTS: 22 (3d8 + 9) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 3 SPEED: 10 feet, climb 10 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 15 (bygul hide armor) HIT POINTS: 9 (2d6 + 2) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 1 SPEED: 30 feet, climb 30 feet

Medium Ooze

STR 12 (+1)

DEX 8 (-1)

Medium Humanoid (Skrug)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 1 (-5)

WIS 6 (-2)

CHA 2 (-4)

STR 11 (+0)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Stealth +3 DAMAGE RESISTANCES: Acid, Energy, Poison CONDITION IMMUNITIES: Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Prone SENSES: Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), Passive Perception 8 CHALLENGE: 1/2 (100 XP)

AMORPHOUS: The residua can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

WIS 10 (+0)

CHA 8 (-1)

»

AMBUSHER: The skrug crawler can use a bonus action to use either the disengage or hide action on its turn.

»

MULTI-LIMBED: The skrug has multiple arms, and has advantage on any checks made to grapple a creature. In addition, it can hold more than two hands’ worth of items.

»

FUNGAL REGENERATION: At the beginning of its turn, if the skrug has 1 or more hit points, it regains 1d4 hit points.

PSEUDOPOD: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) energy damage.

ACTIONS

REACTIONS »

INT 5 (-3)

TRAITS

ACTIONS »

CON 12 (+1)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Athletics +3, Stealth +3 SENSES: Passive Perception 10 CHALLENGE: 1/2 (100 XP)

TRAITS »

DEX 13 (+1)

GASEOUS DEFENSE (RECHARGE 5–6): When a creature moves within 5 feet of the residua, the residua can unleash gaseous astra into the air. Each creature within 20 feet of the residua must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage and become poisoned.

»

SHORTBLADE: Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.

»

LIGHT PISTOL: Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 40/120 feet, one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) energy damage.

86 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H SKRUG BRUTE

SKRUG HUNTER

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (bygul hide armor, boarding shield) HIT POINTS: 22 (3d8 + 9) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 1 SPEED: 30 feet, climb 30 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (bygul hide armor) HIT POINTS: 30 (4d8 + 12) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 30 feet, climb 30 feet

Medium Humanoid (Skrug)

STR 17 (+3)

DEX 10 (+0)

CON 16 (+3)

Medium Humanoid (Skrug)

INT 5 (-3)

WIS 12 (+1)

CHA 8 (-1)

STR 14 (+2)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 5 (-3)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Athletics +5, Intimidation +1 SENSES: Passive Perception 11 CHALLENGE: 1 (200 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Perception +3, Stealth +6 SENSES: Passive Perception 13 CHALLENGE: 3 (700 XP)

TRAITS

TRAITS

»

AGGRESSIVE: As a bonus action, the skrug can move up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see.

»

MULTI-LIMBED: The skrug has multiple arms, and has advantage on any checks made to grapple a creature. In addition, it can hold more than two hands’ worth of items.

»

FUNGAL REGENERATION: At the beginning of its turn, if the skrug has 1 or more hit points, it regains 1d4 hit points.

WARAXE: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.

»

SHORT SCATTERGUN: Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 30/90 feet, one target. Hit: 6 (1d10 + 1) energy damage.

CHA 8 (-1)

»

KEEN HEARING AND SMELL: The skrug has advantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing or smell.

»

MULTI-LIMBED: The skrug has multiple arms, and has advantage on any checks made to grapple a creature. In addition, it can hold more than two hands’ worth of items.

»

FUNGAL REGENERATION: At the beginning of its turn, if the skrug has 1 or more hit points, it regains 1d4 hit points.

»

SNEAK ATTACK (1/TURN): The skrug deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the skrug that isn’t incapacitated and the skrug doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.

ACTIONS »

WIS 13 (+1)

ACTIONS »

SHORTBLADE: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

»

CARBINE: Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 70/210, one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) energy damage.

87 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

H SKRUG TURGE

SKRUG BEHEMOTH

ARMOR CLASS: 14 (bygul hide armor; 16 with spectral armor) HIT POINTS: 45 (6d8 + 18) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 4 SPEED: 30 feet, climb 30 feet

ARMOR CLASS: 16 (ironbone armor) HIT POINTS: 95 (10d10 + 40) ASTRAFADE LIMIT: 2 SPEED: 40 feet, climb 30 feet

Medium Humanoid (Skrug)

STR 14 (+2)

DEX 12 (+1)

CON 16 (+3)

Large Humanoid (Skrug)

INT 8 (-2)

WIS 13 (+1)

STR 20 (+5)

CHA 16 (+3)

CON 18 (+4)

INT 5 (-3)

WIS 10 (+0)

CHA 8 (-1)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Athletics +7, Endurance +6, Intimidation +1 SENSES: Passive Perception 10 CHALLENGE: 4 (1,100 XP)

PROFICIENCY BONUS: +2 SKILLS: Intimidation +3 SENSES: Passive Perception 11 CHALLENGE: 3 (700 XP)

TRAITS

TRAITS »

MULTI-LIMBED: The skrug has multiple arms, and has advantage on any checks made to grapple a creature. In addition, it can hold more than two hands’ worth of items.

»

FUNGAL REGENERATION: At the beginning of its turn, if the skrug has 1 or more hit points, it regains 1d4 hit points.

»

SPELLCASTING (SAVE DC 13; ATTACK +5): The skrug turge’s spellcasting ability is Charisma. It has access to the following spells, and must roll on the Astra Effects Tables when exceeding its Astrafade Limit. ASTRAFADE 0: Astra bolt, bolster ASTRAFADE 1: Plasma beam, twitch shield ASTRAFADE 2: Spectral armor, voidslip

»

BEAST OF BURDEN: Up to two Medium creatures can ride on the back of the skrug bememoth. Creatures on the skrug behemoth’s back can only make ranged attacks. Creatures on the skrug behemoth’s back have three-quarters cover against attacks. If the behemoth dies, creatures on its back are placed in unoccupied spaces within 5 feet of the skrug behemoth.

»

CHARGE: If the skrug behemoth moves at least 30 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a slam attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage.

»

MULTI-LIMBED: The skrug has multiple arms, and has advantage on any checks made to grapple a creature. In addition, it can hold more than two hands’ worth of items.

»

FUNGAL REGENERATION: At the beginning of its turn, if the skrug has 1 or more hit points, it regains 1d6 hit points.

ACTIONS »

DEX 9 (-5)

STAFF: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 feet, one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

ACTIONS »

MULTIATTACK: The skrug behemoth can make two slam attacks.

»

SLAM: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 feet, one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage.

»

QUAKE (RECHARGE 5–6): Each creature within 10 feet of the skrug behemoth must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage and remains standing.

88 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

ONLINE PLAYTEST AGREEMENT LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2, 2017

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90 HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC

YOUR JOURNEY HAS JUST BEGUN....

HARBINGER science fantasy roleplaying game

2021

HARBINGER

ORIGIN

science fantasy roleplaying game

PRONOUNS

CLASS

PLAYER NAME

PRIMARY SPECIALIZATION

XP

CHARACTER NAME PROFICIENCY BONUS

LEGACY TRAIT

ASTRAFADE ARMOR CLASS

INITIATIVE

LIMIT:

SPEED

Saving Throw Athletics

WEAPON

ATTACK DAMAGE

BACKGROUND TRAIT

INSP

CLASS FEATURES AND TALENTS

STRENGTH

Saving Throw Acrobatics Stealth

DEXTERITY

Saving Throw Endurance

HIT POINT MAX HP

CONSTITUTION

INTELLIGENCE

HD

Saving Throw Astra Astrogation Lore Medicine Tech

Saving Throw Insight Perception Survival

PROFICIENCIES

SPELLS KNOWN

EQUIPMENT GLINT

WISDOM

PASSIVE PERCEPTION

Saving Throw Deception Diplomacy Intimidation

ATK

DC

CHARISMA HARBINGER beta rules Copyright © 2017 – 2020 by Absolute Tabletop, LLC | Permission is granted to print this document for personal use